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Scottish National party was outwardly successful but behind the scenes it was chaotic, say insidersThe first day back at Holyrood after Easter recess should have been the moment for Scotland’s new leader, Humza Yousaf, to reset the agenda after a bruising leadership contest.Instead, hours before his first big policy statement on Tuesday, Yousaf found himself besieged by reporters asking questions about the arrest of the SNP treasurer, Colin Beattie, earlier that morning, and having to insist that while Beattie’s arrest was a “very serious matter”, people were “innocent until proven guilty”. Continue reading...

Gandhi was convicted of defamation in March over a 2019 speech in which he linked Narendra Modi with two high profile criminalsIndian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has been dealt a blow after a court rejected his plea for a stay on his recent defamation conviction, meaning he could now face jail and will lose his parliamentary seat as he appeals against the guilty verdict.On Thursday, lawyers for Gandhi said a court in India’s western state of Gujarat had rejected his petition seeking a stay of conviction. The rejection of the plea means Gandhi is disqualified from office and there will now be a by-election in his Kerala constituency. Continue reading...

Ninety leaders in Northern Territory issue statement condemning comments from Coalition spokesperson on Indigenous Australians

Sweeping changes to Reserve Bank of Australia give equal weighting to employment and inflation, and mandate greater transparency

Katherine Tuck views any further involvement in inquiry as an ‘arid exercise’, lawyer says

Fighting in Sudan is continuing despite an internationally brokered truce. At the heart of the conflict is a power struggle between two powerful generals in a country permanently in the grip of its military. Nesrine Malik reportsWhen Omar al-Bashir was forced from Sudan’s presidency in 2019 after 30 years of repression it felt to many like a time for celebration and a fresh start for the country. Toppled by the military, a tyrant accused of genocide and war crimes was finally out of power.But the vacuum he left behind was quickly filled, not by one man but two. Many feared that Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto leader and army chief, and Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the vice-president who controls the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and is known as Hemedti, would soon clash. That fear became reality last weekend. Continue reading...

Singer says first performance ‘isn’t what I intended’ after a late start, sudden finish and reports of an ice rink stage being dismantled hours beforeFrank Ocean has cancelled his second performance scheduled for this weekend at Coachella, a week after his first performance – his first live show in six years – left many fans disappointed and confused.A representative for the musician confirmed to Rolling Stone on Wednesday night that the upcoming performance had been cancelled because singer had suffered a leg injury during the festival’s first week. Continue reading...

Former Liberal party staffer and David Sharaz have faced widespread abuse on social media

Sources say expectation is that Rishi Sunak will have to sanction Raab once report arrives on ThursdaySenior Ministry of Justice officials could quit if Dominic Raab is cleared of bullying, the Guardian understands, with the fate of the deputy prime minister to be decided as soon as Thursday.Preparations at the heart of government are ramping up for the publication of the long-expected report on claims of bullying by Raab. Continue reading...

Daniel Andrews adopted a ‘nothing to see here’ approach to new controversy, but experts say reform is needed over ‘grey corruption’

Nine employees stuck for five days say they are ‘terrified’ as they wait to be evacuated while fighting continues in SudanNine employees of the British Council in Khartoum have been stranded in their offices for five days amid heavy gunfire and explosions, as fighting in the streets of the Sudanese capital continues between the army and paramilitary forces.One of the British Council staff is a British-Ugandan dual citizen; the rest are Sudanese. They include a security guard, an English language teacher, a driver and administrators. Continue reading...

Deputy PM says inspections have restarted, during visit to Turkey to discuss Black Sea Grain Initiative

Practice of retaining business interests appears to have increased under Boris Johnson and again under current PMAt least 10 of Rishi Sunak’s ministers have been allowed to keep their roles as directors of private companies while serving in government after getting special permission to retain their business interests.Among those to carry on with directorships are Dominic Johnson, a senior business and trade minister who is director of an investment company with more than £4m of assets; and Chris Philp, a senior Home Office minister who is also director of an investment company and a partner in the property firm Pluto. Continue reading...

Members of band will appear in special episodes of EastEnders and Pointless Celebrities in run-up to Liverpool finalThe BBC has made its mind up: it’s Bucks Fizz all round for the corporation’s coverage of the Eurovision song contest as members of the band appear in various Eurovision-themed programming.Ahead of the contest next month, the BBC announced that Cheryl Baker, a member of Bucks Fizz who won Eurovision for the UK in 1981, will appear in special episodes of EastEnders and Bargain Hunt, while her bandmate Jay Aston will appear in an episode of the quizshow Pointless. Continue reading...

Government asked if ‘embarrassment’ over support from businessman linked to alleged Croydon station slowing actionLabour has accused the government of going slow on an investigation into alleged Chinese police stations in the UK after it was reported that one was operating from the office of a Conservative activist, who had been pictured at party fundraisers with then prime ministers Boris Johnson and Theresa May.Yvette Cooper, speaking in the Commons, called on ministers to explain why the UK had not shut down the so-called police stations allegedly operating in London and Glasgow despite announcing an investigation in November and in the aftermath of arrests made by the FBI earlier this week relating to another in New York. Continue reading...

Kimberly Sampson and Samantha Mulcahy died from an infection caused by the same virusA doctor who helped to deliver the baby of a woman who died from herpes after potentially being infected by a surgeon said that it “did not cross his mind” that the new mother had the infection.In 2018, 29-year-old Kimberly Sampson became seriously ill after her baby was delivered at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother hospital, Margate. She was transferred to King’s College hospital in London where she was diagnosed with a herpes infection and died on 22 May 2018. Continue reading...

Germany and Japan reportedly planning to evacuate citizens as UN documents describe ‘nightmare scenario’Thousands of residents have fled Khartoum as fighting continued across the city for a fifth day and many countries began preparations to evacuate their citizens from Sudan.Attempts to resurrect a US-brokered ceasefire between the army and paramilitary forces that failed to hold on Tuesday did not reassure many inhabitants of the capital, which suffered some of the most intense clashes yet seen as rival factions battled for control of the airport, defence headquarters and other key strategic sites. Continue reading...

Bank warns spinning off more profitable Asia business would be complex and would lower dividendsHSBC’s board has urged shareholders to vote against a proposed break-up of its business at its annual meeting, arguing that a split would result in a “material loss” and lower dividends.In response to calls for the split from its largest shareholder, the Chinese insurer Ping An, HSBC warned on Wednesday that spinning off its more profitable Asian business from the rest of the bank would also require approval from regulators in approximately 25 jurisdictions, and force it to make changes to customer services. Continue reading...

Ukraine confirms grain transit to resume in Poland; Patriot air defence systems delivered Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereUkraine’s agriculture minister, Mykola Solsky, confirmed on Wednesday that the transit of Ukrainian grain and food products will resume through Poland after an agreement reached in talks with Warsaw.But Reuters reports he again raised concerns about the status of an agreement with Moscow on the safe passage of ships carrying grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, saying it was impossible to predict how many vessels Moscow would allow through. Continue reading...

Ernest Moret was interrogated on his opinion on French president before his arrest on terrorism charges, claims lawyerA French publisher was interrogated by British police under counter-terrorism laws about his support for Emmanuel Macron and anti-government authors before his arrest, claims his lawyer.Ernest Moret, 28, who arrived in London on Monday evening to attend a book fair, was arrested on counter-terrorism charges in the early hours of Tuesday morning when he refused to disclose the passcodes to his confiscated iPhone and Macbook. Continue reading...

Steve Hartshorn says making his personal views public is an act of ‘leadership’, after damning Casey reportThe head of the Police Federation of England and Wales has said the Metropolitan police is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic, becoming the first leader of a major British policing institution to accept the findings of a devastating report last month.In an interview with the Guardian marking the 30th anniversary of Stephen Lawrence’s murder, Steve Hartshorn said he expected a “backlash” for his comments, which he stressed were his personal view. Continue reading...

Beattie said he would step back with immediate effect and was cooperating fully with police investigationPMQs is starting in five minutes.The Cabinet Office has just published the revised list of ministers’ interests. This is the document that is supposed get updated every six months, but which has not been updated for around a year – partly because it’s the job of the No 10 independent adviser on ministes’ interests (aka, the ethics adviser), and for months the post was empty because two of Boris Johnson’s resigned, and then he gave up trying to find a replacement.The prime minister’s wife is a venture capital investor. She owns a venture capital investment company, Catamaran Ventures UK Limited, and a number of direct shareholdings.As the prime minister set out in his letter to the chair of the liaison committee on 4 April 2023, this includes the minority shareholding that his wife has in relation to the company, Koru Kids. The guide to the categories of interest (section 7, pages 4-6) sets out the independent adviser’s approach to the inclusion of interests declared in relation to spouses, partners and close family members within the list. The prime minister’s letter of 4 April is available at https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/38992/documents/191876/default/ Continue reading...

London court hears men separately removed nipple and penis of man accused of being ringleader of body modification conspiracyTwo men have admitted removing body parts of a man who is accused of carrying out castrations and broadcasting the footage on his “eunuch maker” website.Nathan Arnold, 48, a nurse from South Kensington, west London, admitted the partial removal of Marius Gustavson’s nipple in the summer of 2019. Continue reading...

President tours rural France in attempt to calm tensions over his unpopular pensions changesEmmanuel Macron has said that banging saucepans at him will not move France forward, as about 100 protesters bashing pots were pushed back by police when the French president visited a factory in Alsace in an attempt to contain anger over raising the pension age from 62 to 64.Members of the CGT and CFDT trade unions had gathered in front of the mayor’s office in the village of Muttersholtz on Wednesday, where Macron began a series of visits to rural France to try to calm tensions over his unpopular pensions changes. Continue reading...

Michael O’Leary says Brexit is ‘unbelievably messy’ and a ‘net negative’ on the British economyThe boss of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, has launched a fresh attack on Brexit, describing it as “unbelievably messy” and predicting the UK would end up signing a Norway-style deal with the EU in the next 10 to 15 years under which it would pay into the bloc’s budget.The outspoken chief executive of the Irish budget airline said over the next three to five years, the UK’s departure from the EU would be “net negative on the UK economy, no question about it”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Brook House staff physically prevented asylum seekers awaiting deportation from taking own livesAsylum seekers awaiting deportation at a detention centre were physically prevented from taking their own lives or self-harming on 18 occasions last year, detailed official accounts show.Staff at Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick airport used physical force to prevent suicide and self-harm attempts, according to documents released under freedom of information laws. Continue reading...

National security experts express concern over resumed construction of a Chinese station which could be used for intelligence operations

Intelligence agency wants government security clearance system ‘hardened’ to protect sensitive information

Justices expected to issue an order on Wednesday in case from anti-abortioners seeking to roll back approval of mifepristoneThe US supreme court is deciding whether women will face restrictions in getting a drug used in the most common method of abortion, while a lawsuit continues.The justices are expected to issue an order on Wednesday in a fast-moving case from Texas in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the drug, mifepristone. Continue reading...

United States is distant third, with estimated population of 340 million people by end of June, finds UN reportIndia is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country with almost 3 million more people by the middle of this year, according to UN figures.The State of World Population 2023 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates India’s population will be 1.4286 billion by the end of June, compared with China’s 1.4257 billion. Continue reading...

First full review for decades recommends raft of changes, including splitting the board into two to enable more focus on how interest rates are decided

Labour leader accuses Rishi Sunak of having ‘lost control of court service’, while Sunak says Starmer was ‘soft on crime’ as DPP

Den was built for levelling up secretary after he was heckled in street and targeted by terroristMichael Gove has been taking his smoking breaks in a special hut built for him on the roof of his departmental office, after he was stalked by a terrorist and heckled in the street.The taxpayer-funded smoking den was built specifically for Gove shortly after he was appointed levelling up secretary in October 2021 and he was heckled by anti-lockdown protesters. Continue reading...

Sabeur Trabelsi, 44, accused of punching Jason Page in 2020 after chasing him down over stolen meatA Marks & Spencer security guard killed a homeless man with a “knockout blow” to his head after chasing him down over a suspicion he had stolen some meat, a jury has heard.Sabeur Trabelsi is accused of lying to police about the incident, claiming Jason Page fell over because he was drunk. Prosecutors told jurors at Reading crown court that Page, who died the next day from a bleed on the brain, fell after Trabelsi punched him. Continue reading...

Judge says Tesco’s Clubcard Prices design infringes trademark of rival supermarketTesco may have to stop using a blue and yellow logo to promote its Clubcard loyalty scheme after the high court found it had copied a design by Lidl.The judge found Tesco had infringed Lidl’s trademark and was guilty of “passing off” in misleading shoppers into thinking that products under the Clubcard Prices scheme are offered at the same or lower prices as those in Lidl. Continue reading...

Takeaway delivery group reports 14% drop in orders and 8% fall in sales in first quarter of 2023The takeaway delivery group Just Eat has announced plans to buy back up to €150m (£132m) of shares from investors weeks after cutting 1,700 couriers in the UK as part of a plan to scrap guaranteed minimum wage and paid holiday.The company announced the share buyback plan alongside data showing a 14% drop in orders and an 8% slide in sales in the first three months of the year. Takeaway sales have fallen back after demand soared during the pandemic. Continue reading...

Alain Robert climbs 38-storey building with no harness to ‘tell Macron to come back down to earth’A free climber known as the “French Spiderman” has scaled a 38-storey skyscraper in Paris to demonstrate his support for protesters angry about a pension law that will delay the age at which people can retire in France.Alain Robert, 60, climbs without a harness, using only his bare hands and a pair of climbing shoes. Continue reading...

Director of Changfeng hospital among those detained after deadliest fire in China’s capital since 2002Chinese authorities said on Wednesday they had detained a dozen people over a hospital fire in Beijing that left at least 29 dead and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape.The fire, which broke out on Tuesday afternoon at the Changfeng hospital in China’s capital, killed mostly patients, and left scores of other people injured. Continue reading...

Tony Danker claims he has been made ‘the fall guy’, while Brian McBride accuses him of being selective over exitThe crisis at the scandal-hit Confederation of British Industry has burst into open conflict, as its recently sacked director general and current president argued over the grounds for his dismissal.In separate interviews broadcast on Wednesday morning, Tony Danker – who was dismissed earlier this month as head of the CBI after allegations about his workplace conduct – said his reputation had “been totally destroyed”, while its president, Brian McBride, accused Danker of being “selective” in his account of his departure. Continue reading...

Board says company is experiencing a ‘significant and rapid deterioration in operating conditions’

Bus and coach passengers could lose right to compensation if UK does not actively ‘save’ lawPassengers taking bus and coach trips to the continent stand to lose their right to compensation for delays in Dover under government plans to delete thousands of EU laws.Legislation specifically designed to offer redress for those on trips of longer than 250km (155 miles) has been omitted from a government list of more than 3,700 laws that risk being scrapped or changed under the controversial retained EU law bill. Continue reading...

Some managed to escape from multi-storey building by fashioning bedsheets into makeshift ropesA fire at a hospital in Beijing has killed at least 29 people and forced dozens to evacuate, a Chinese government official has said.As clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky late on Tuesday, people trapped in the multi-storey building apparently tied bedsheets into makeshift ropes and escaped by climbing out of windows, as seen in videos circulating on social media. Continue reading...

Adam Bandt says ALP not progressive and is ‘making economic decisions Scott Morrison would have been proud of’

Research by Labour shows 4.5 million in England went to A&E last year due to lack of GP appointmentsKeir Starmer has said the NHS is “broken” and he believes the future of the health service is in jeopardy under the Conservatives.The Labour leader accused the Tories of presiding over a “cycle of decline” as new research by his party shows that nearly a fifth of patients in England, which equates to 4.5 million people, went to A&E last year because they were unable to get a GP appointment. Continue reading...

Labor downplays delivering on women’s taskforce wishlist all at once but promises to ‘build upon’ investments in future budgets

Portrayed as a Cameronite liberal, Sunak is in fact deeply conservative on everything from trans rights to refugeesIt was one of the many strange quirks of the summer Tory leadership contest: that Liz Truss captured the mantle of the true blue Conservative while Rishi Sunak found himself painted as a wet, Cameronite liberal.But in the past five months of his premiership, that portrayal of Sunak has started to become laughable. He is perhaps the most socially conservative prime minister of his generation, more so than Truss, Boris Johnson or even Theresa May. Continue reading...

British songwriting awards also acknowledge Florence + the Machine, Wet Leg, Central Cee and moreHarry Styles, Little Simz, and Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner are among the 72 nominees for this year’s Ivor Novello awards, which honour the best in British and Irish songwriting.At three apiece, the most nominations are given to Harry Styles and his co-writer Kid Harpoon after the huge success of Styles’ third studio album Harry’s House; and to Cleo Sol and Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover, for their work with rapper Little Simz and soul collective Sault.

Five of eight toilets broke down on Austrian Airlines flight carrying 300 people from Vienna to New YorkAn Austrian Airlines plane had to return two hours into a flight from Vienna to New York after five of its eight toilets broke down.About 300 people were onboard Monday’s eight-hour, Boeing 777 flight. The crew decided to turn around after finding a technical problem was preventing the toilets from flushing properly, a spokesperson for the airline told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed, you can read more of out Ukraine war coverage hereYou may have seen that we are testing a new feature across some of the Guardian’s live blogs, including the Ukraine live blog, which allows you to contact some of our live bloggers directly. This is for people who want to message us, they are not public comments.If you have something you’ve seen you think I’ve missed, or you have questions or comments about the war or our coverage, or have spotted one of my regular typos or transliteration errors, please do drop me a line. Continue reading...