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Coalition senator emailed supporters asking if they heard about the attack on her from the ‘woke celebrity and voice activist’

Exclusive: Green MP calls for inquiry after being named by government units after she criticised ministersThe Green party MP Caroline Lucas has called for an inquiry into a government unit intended to combat disinformation after it emerged she had been flagged by it for criticisms of ministers and government policy over Covid.Lucas, who lodged a subject access request along with the campaign group Big Brother Watch for details held on her by the counter-disinformation unit (CDU), said her inclusion in a series of reports amounted to “staggering overreach” by ministers. Continue reading...

Michael Gove quoted as saying council-level sanctions undermine UK foreign policy and lead to antisemitic abuseA government bill aimed at banning councils from imposing boycotts on Israeli goods is expected to be presented next week.The proposed legislation will prevent public bodies from adopting their own approach to international relations, including through sanctions and divestment campaigns. Continue reading...

Met police launch investigation after bodies, including two children, discovered on FridayFour family members found dead in a flat in west London, including two children, have been named by police.The Metropolitan police launched an investigation after the four bodies were discovered at a property in Hounslow on Friday afternoon. Continue reading...

Ukrainian military officials say they are making gradual progress to push Russian forces out of southern sectors of the country

Singer admits he made ‘huge error in judgment’ and has been dropped from Nottingham Pride lineup in JulyTake That member Howard Donald has said he is “deeply sorry” after making a “huge error” by “liking social media posts that are derogatory towards the LGBTQIA+ community”.Donald, 55, who performs in the pop group alongside Gary Barlow and Mark Owen, has been dropped from playing at Groovebox’s Nottingham Pride festival event in July. Continue reading...

Plan to charge £43 per consignment could see some small businesses struggle to stay openMany UK businesses which import food products from the European Union will have to pay a special “Brexit tax” that will further drive up prices, particularly in smaller shops such as delicatessens, under proposals set out by the government last week.The planned charge of £43 per consignment, outlined in a consultation document issued by the Department for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), was described on Saturday by a leading industry figure as “the sting in the tail of a post-Brexit food inspection regime” that was already fuelling inflation. Continue reading...

BMA’s junior doctors’ committee says government can end dispute by ‘paying doctors what they are worth’The NHS will be “looking into the abyss” if hospital consultants follow the example of junior doctors and go on strike over pay, the leader of England’s hospital bosses has said.Hospitals will be left unable to function normally if consultants – the most senior doctors on wards – stage walkouts in pursuit of their pay claim, Sir Julian Hartley said. Continue reading...

Husband, Chris Jagger, uses 1972 album cover to support settlement application for Moller, who has lived in UK for 74 yearsAs a result of Brexit, Norwegians living in the UK were required to apply to the EU settlement scheme – despite Norway not being a member state – to remain living in Britain.But after former model turned yoga teacher Kari-Ann Moller was stopped by British immigration officials earlier this year and told she was not allowed to remain because of her Norwegian passport, her husband, Chris Jagger – brother of Rolling Stone Sir Mick – got involved. Continue reading...

Knighthood for late novelist Amis is dated 18 May as honours cannot be given posthumouslyTwo giants of the literary world, the novelists Ian McEwan and the late Martin Amis, are recognised in the king’s first official birthday honours along with the fashion colossus Dame Anna Wintour.The Booker prize-winning McEwan, whose acclaimed titles include Amsterdam, On Chesil Beach and Atonement, becomes a companion of honour, the highest award for outstanding achievement, of which there are only 65 at any time. Continue reading...

David Boyd must serve at least 29 years for killing seven-year-old he stabbed 37 timesA child killer who brutally murdered a “bright and sparky” seven-year-old girl and managed to escape justice for more than 30 years has been sentenced to life in prison.A judge on Tuesday ruled that David Boyd must serve a minimum term of 29 years for the murder of Nikki Allan. Continue reading...

Russia claims it killed 70 attackers in repelling cross-border raid into Belgorod; Zelenskiy visits frontline marines in Donetsk regionMoscow claims to have pushed back the fighters it says launched a cross-border attack from Ukraine into the Belgorod region. There has been little clarity about who ordered the attack. Russia has claimed it was carried out by “Ukrainian militants”, dismissing reports they had self-identified as an ethnic Russian, anti-Kremlin militia. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said there were many ethnic Russians inside Ukraine, but that this did not mean they were not Ukrainian militants. Kyiv has disavowed any connection to the Russian partisan fighters, saying they act independently and are not subject to military control.Russia’s defence ministry claims that remnants of the units it blamed for the attack have now been forced back into Ukrainian territory. In its daily briefing, the ministry said more than 70 attackers were killed. Russia’s investigative committee has opened an investigation into terrorism over the incident.Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov had earlier warned residents against returning to their homes, saying that “The cleaning of the territory by the ministry of defence together with law enforcement agencies continues”. He confirmed that residents of nine settlements had been resettled as a result of the fighting.Video footage posted online by one of the groups of Russian “partisans” appeared to show US manufactured military vehicles were involved in the raid including Humvees and what appeared to be International Maxxpro 1224 mine resistant vehicles. On Monday a US state department official reiterated the US policy that it did not support military action by Ukraine beyond Ukraine’s borders. The events of the past 48 hours appear to confirm assessments in US intelligence documents – leaked by US airman Jack Teixeira to Discord – that Ukraine has trained and armed Russian volunteers with Nato equipment.Ukrainian forces still control the south-western edge of the city of Bakhmut and fighting in the city itself has decreased, deputy Ukrainian defence minister Hanna Maliar claimed on Tuesday. She wrote on the Telegram messaging app that Kyiv’s forces had made some progress “on the flanks to the north and south of Bakhmut” and that Russian forces, which say they have taken the city itself, were continuing to clear areas they control.The Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi has halted operations because Russia is not allowing ships to enter it, in effect cutting it out of a deal allowing safe Black Sea grain exports, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday. Ukrainian deputy renovation minister Yuriy Vaskov said that Tuesday’s inspections plan showed Russia had included only three of the 13 ships that had been submitted. All ships bound for Pivdenniy had been excluded, he said, as well as some meant to go to Odesa and Chornomorsk, calling it a “gross violation” of the Black Sea grain initiative.Belarus has taken part in the illegal deportation of children from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, according to a preliminary report compiled by exiled Belarusian opposition leaders. The National Anti-Crisis Management, a group of political opponents to the government of Alexander Lukashenko, said 2,150 Ukrainian children – including orphans aged six to 15 – were taken to so-called recreation camps and sanatoriums on Belarusian territory.The training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 jets has begun in Poland, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said, after the US gave its green light.Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited marines on Tuesday on the Vuhledar-Maryinka defence line in the Donetsk region, as part of celebrations for the national day of Ukrainian marines. Continue reading...

Budapest blames EU for decision to release foreign detainees provided they leave country within 72 hoursAustria has stepped up security on its borders after Hungary released convicted people smugglers from its prisons in a row that has also raised tensions with Brussels.Following reports that hundreds of detainees may have been released on Monday provided they left the country immediately, Hungary’s state secretary of the interior ministry, Bence Rétvári, blamed the European Union for the move. Continue reading...

South Wales PCC says false reports police pursuit led to road crash that killed two teenagers fuelled ‘large-scale disorder’False rumours on social media blaming police for the deaths of two teenagers in a crash in Cardiff triggered riots that led to at least 12 police officers being injured, a policing chief has said.Alun Michael, the South Wales police and crime commissioner (PCC), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there was a road traffic collision involving two teenagers on an off-road bike or scooter and that both had died. Continue reading...

Many reported dead in Rwanda and Uganda, as heavy rain also devastates western regions of continentMay is the end of the rainy season for many parts of east Africa. However, this does not mean the devastation has ended.Last week heavy rainfall, which started in the late afternoon on 2 May, led to flash flooding in parts of Rwanda and Uganda. These heavy downpours continued through to 4 May, with further wet weather following later in the week. Continue reading...

Parliamentary committee sticks to party lines but Liberal senator Andrew Bragg wants further refinements, to ‘eliminate risk’

Privacy watchdog will be asked to investigate after information became available for all employees to view on the staff intranet

Previously confidential report describes ‘warrior mentality’ among force that contained ‘vast over-representation of former military members’

Fighting reported in far south and communal clashes in Darfur, amid power struggle between generalsThe deaths of dozens of civilians in fighting in the far south of Sudan and an outbreak of communal violence in the restive Darfur region have fuelled fears that communities across the frontier regions of Africa’s third biggest country are being drawn into the bloody contest between two rival generals.Fighting in the southern state of North Kordofan between militias aligned with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and local brigades of the Sudanese army has centred on the strategically important state capital, El Obeid. Continue reading...

Airborne ‘lidar’ survey would generate 3D map of the country and provide high-quality information on its ecosystemsScotland may conduct an annual airborne laser scan of the country’s landscapes to monitor the health of its forest, peatlands and natural ecosystems, the Guardian can reveal.The Scottish government is weighing up the benefits of annual 3D imaging flights to provide regular data on nature restoration across the temperate rainforests of the west coast to the peaks of the Cairngorms, akin to an annual CT scan for biodiversity. Continue reading...

Hayne was found guilty of assaulting a woman in her suburban Newcastle home on NRL grand final night 2018Disgraced former NRL star Jarryd Hayne has been jailed for at least three years after sexually assaulting a woman in her home.The 35-year-old was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent on 4 April and taken into custody 10 days later when his bail was revoked. Continue reading...

Negotiations in Jeddah will continue, but US says two parties remain ‘quite far apart’Sudan’s warring parties have signed a commitment to protect civilians but have not yet agreed to a ceasefire in talks described by US diplomats as difficult.Representatives of the army and paramilitary forces, whose nearly one month of fighting has killed more than 750 people and displaced thousands, signed the agreement as they kept negotiating in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Continue reading...

Hannah Moore reports from Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena where Britain is preparing to host the Eurovision song contest on behalf of last year’s winners UkraineOn the eve of the Eurovision song contest finals, Hannah Moore travels to Liverpool to watch the rehearsals and hear from Ukrainians running stalls in ‘Eurovision Village’.Chris West, the author of Eurovision! A History of Modern Europe Through the World’s Greatest Song Contest explains politics always plays a big part in the event but this year is particularly poignant. Continue reading...

Most victims do not report it for fear of not being believed or damaging career prospects, says union bodyAlmost two in three young women have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work, according to a TUC poll.However, most victims do not report it for fear of not being believed or of damaging their relationships at work or their career prospects, the TUC said. Continue reading...

Grammy-nominated musician, 37, accused of a ‘torrential cycle’ of abuse and harassment, which Allen deniesThe country star Jimmie Allen is being sued by his former manager for sexual assault.The woman, known as “Jane Doe”, has alleged that the singer repeatedly raped and harassed her over an 18-month period, referring to it as a “torrential cycle” of abuse. According to Variety, a lawsuit was filed this week in federal court in Tennessee, accusing Allen, 37, of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking and emotional distress. Continue reading...

Case comes amid Kremlin’s growing crackdown on dissent over Russia’s invasion of UkraineA Russian court has given a two-year suspended sentence to a St Petersburg woman who left a note on the grave of President Vladimir Putin’s parents saying they had “raised a freak and a killer”.The court found Irina Tsybaneva, 60, guilty of desecrating burial places motivated by political hatred. Her lawyer said she didn’t plead guilty because she hadn’t desecrated the grave physically or sought publicity for her action. Continue reading...

Ambassador says weapons were brought to Russia on cargo ship from Simon’s Town naval base, local media reportsThe US ambassador to South Africa has accused the country of covertly providing arms to Russia – a charge that drew an angry rebuke from Pretoria.Reuben Brigety told a media briefing on Thursday that the US believed weapons and ammunition had been loaded on to a Russian freighter that docked at a Cape Town naval base in December. Continue reading...

Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched investigation into incident in PorthmadogThe police watchdog has launched an independent investigation after a police officer in Wales was filmed appearing to punch a man repeatedly in the head before arresting him.Footage of the incident is circulating on social media and has caused considerable “public concern”, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said. Continue reading...

Britain donating arms capable of striking targets in occupied Crimea as Kyiv prepares counteroffensive against Russia

Ben Wallace confirms reports that UK is donating Storm Shadow missiles to UkraineRussia’s state-owned news agency Tass is reporting that Yan Gagin, an assistant to the Russian-imposed head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, has claimed that Ukraine is increasingly using fléchettes shells when attacking targets within the occupied Donetsk region. It quotes him saying:We are increasingly recording the use by the enemy of artillery shells filled with fléchettes. They have been used especially actively lately. Continue reading...

Church of England commissioned review into how it handled disclosures that a vicar raped a 16-year-old boyJohn Sentamu, the former archbishop of York, failed to act on disclosures that a Church of England vicar raped a 16-year-old boy, a report commissioned by the church has found.Lord Sentamu immediately rejected the conclusions of the report, saying the author, an experienced safeguarding investigator, had a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the responsibilities of bishops and archbishops. Continue reading...

Llyr Gruffydd taking charge after Adam Price resigned following damning report on Welsh partyThe interim leader of Plaid Cymru has promised the party is ready to tackle its misogyny scandal amid warnings it faces “existential questions” after the resignation of its “once in a generation” head Adam Price.Llyr Gruffydd, who will take charge of the Welsh pro-independence party while the search for a new leader is held, said this was a turning point for Plaid and it was determined to “amplify” the voices of women. Continue reading...

Paris Mayo, now 19 and on trial for murder, allegedly tried to prevent people discovering her pregnancyA 15-year-old girl killed her newborn baby by assaulting him and stuffing his throat with cotton wool to prevent people discovering her pregnancy, a court has heard.Paris Mayo, now 19, is on trial for the murder of her son Stanley Mayo, who died in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, on the evening of 23 March 2019, and was discovered in a bin bag outside her home the following day. Continue reading...

Court orders immediate release of former prime minister who was arrested in Islamabad this weekPakistan’s supreme court has ruled the arrest of the former prime minister Imran Khan was illegal and ordered that he be released into the protection of the court.The chief justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial, declared that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had acted in violation of the law by arresting Khan on the premises of the Islamabad high court without permission and that such actions would have a “chilling effect”. Continue reading...

Critics have attacked proposals by members of Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party as ‘a cult of the leader’A proposal by two lawmakers from Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party to make it obligatory for town halls to display a portrait of the French president has sparked a political row.The portrait issue has been seized upon by Macron’s critics as he travels around France in an attempt to counter accusations of arrogance and haughtiness, amid saucepan banging and street protests against the rise in the pension age. Continue reading...

Business and trade secretary answers urgent question in Commons on retained EU lawSir William Cash, chair of the European scrutiny committee, used his follow-up to his urgent question to say that Kemi Badenoch has declined three times to appear before this committee to discuss this issue.He said the new amendments to the bill announced yesterday have not been scrutinised by the Commons.The amendments published today, apart from her very short written ministerial statement yesterday and her article in the press today, are not accompanied by any explanation to this house despite the utter reversal in vital respects to the bill as passed by this elected house, why not?The amendments have not been subjected to any analysis or questioning by this house, which is now essential given the fundamental change in government policy. This house is being treated in a manner which is clearly inconsistent with clear promises already made. Continue reading...

Serial killer gives police location in west London where he says he hid body of 19-year-old studentThe serial killer Levi Bellfield has confessed to the murder of the missing student Elizabeth Chau in a recorded face-to-face interview with police.Scotland Yard homicide detectives interviewed Bellfield in prison on Tuesday under criminal caution, during which he named a location in west London where he claims to have hidden the body of Chau, who was 19 when she vanished 24 years ago. Continue reading...

Larrakia people say they have not been properly consulted on planned industrial precinct, which is near ‘priceless’ sacred site

Most alpaca farmers run hobby farms or side businesses despite Australia having the second-largest alpaca herd after Peru

Mirus Australia tells providers to consider which residents generate ‘higher profit margins’

Man, 34, arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after four Vietnamese men died in fire at mill last MayA suspected gang member has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after four Vietnamese men died in a fire at a mill that was being used as a cannabis factory.Police said a 34-year-old man had been arrested after a series of raids on properties in connection with the deadly fire in Oldham, Greater Manchester, last May. Continue reading...

Ditching of EU law guillotine shows PM realises it is voters, not Tory ‘Spartans’, who will decide his fate

Former business secretary says ‘politicians need to stick to what they said they will do’ in attack on Rishi Sunak

Managing director, David Anderson, told staff ‘this in no ways diminishes the importance of what we do’

Bill Shorten says savings possible through tackling rorts, spiralling costs and rip-offs, but disability advocates remain sceptical

Lord president of privy council says coronation was ‘humbling day’ and democracy ‘is about dissent’Penny Mordaunt has revealed how she took painkillers before her role of carrying the ceremonial sword during King Charles’s coronation.Mordaunt, wearing a custom-made teal outfit with a matching cape and headband with gold feather embroidery, was the first woman to perform the role as lord president of the council. She was responsible for bearing the sword of the state and presenting the jewelled sword of offering to the king. They were two of four swords used during the ceremony, and it is a practice that dates back to the coronation of Richard the Lionheart in 1189. Continue reading...

Low-income families in England face highest costs compared with Scotland and Wales due to fewer benefitsSending a child to a state secondary school costs families at least £39 each week, and £19 a week for children at primary school, according to research based on a child’s minimum needs.The study by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) found that the associated costs of transport, lunch, uniform, school trips and learning materials combined amounts to hundreds of pounds a year for each child at a UK state school. Continue reading...

Poor pay, risky work, anxiety and job insecurity reported by delivery, transport and data workers tied to digital platformsMore than half of gig economy workers in the UK are earning less than the minimum wage, new research has found, with a quarter reporting that the nature of their work put their safety at risk. Continue reading...

Alicia Kearns, foreign affairs select committee chair, launches blistering attack on former prime ministerThe Conservative chair of the foreign affairs select committee has launched a blistering attack on Liz Truss over the former prime minister’s planned trip to Taiwan, calling it “the worst kind of Instagram diplomacy”.Alicia Kearns said she thought Truss’s trip planned for next week was little more than a vanity project aimed at keeping her profile high after her brief spell as prime minister last year. Continue reading...

Israeli forces admit ‘high possibility’ Al Jazeera reporter was shot by sniper at West Bank refugee campFamily members, friends and colleagues of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was almost certainly fatally shot by an Israeli sniper, have renewed calls for justice on the first anniversary of her killing, during a week of memorials and events celebrating her life.Abu Akleh, a household name in the Arab world who worked for Qatar-based Al Jazeera, was shot in the head in the slumlike refugee camp on the outskirts of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on 11 May last year while covering an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) raid. International outrage at the reporter’s death was fuelled by scenes of violence at her funeral in Jerusalem, when Israeli police attacked pallbearers, almost causing them to drop the coffin. Continue reading...