World news | The Guardian

Campaigners say defeat of amendment to close loopholes on party funding leaves UK open to ‘malign influences’UK elections remain at risk from interference by hostile states after the government voted down a move to close loopholes on foreign donations to parties, campaigners have warned.The chair of parliament’s security committee was among those who backed an amendment to the national security bill that would have obliged political parties to carry out due diligence on the true source of donations from companies and individuals. Continue reading...

Michael Chong accused Trudeau’s government of turning blind eye while Chinese diplomat gathered information in CanadaA Canadian lawmaker has accused government officials of turning a blind eye to Chinese harassment of his family as pressure mounts on Justin Trudeau to launch a public inquiry into Beijing’s attempts to meddle in the country’s domestic politics.The Globe and Mail reported that China’s intelligence agency had sought information about Michael Chong’s family in Hong Kong “for further potential sanctions” over the Conservative MP’s criticism of Beijing’s human rights abuses. The paper also reported that Zhao Wei, a Chinese diplomat in Toronto, was part of the harassment campaign. Continue reading...

Victims said they felt little point in reporting incidents of sexual harassment, misogyny and bullying by elected membersThe Welsh political party Plaid Cymru has apologised after a damning report found a culture of sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny.Victims have felt there was little point in reporting unacceptable behaviour by elected members because it had been tolerated for so long, the report said.Plaid Cymru failed to implement a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment.Staff reported bullying and discrimination in the workplace. But any staff do not feel that there are safe systems to raise concerns, seek support or challenge what they see. They have seen too many instances of bad behaviour by elected members be tolerated and feel that there is little point in raising concerns.There has been a lack of collective leadership and governance across the party which has meant that these issues have worsened over the last few years.Measures are needed to detoxify a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny and to make Plaid truly and visibly welcoming to women. Continue reading...

Six trucks of humanitarian supplies looted while air strikes in Khartoum undermine ceasefireAid agencies are pleading with battling factions in Sudan to allow humanitarian assistance to reach the needy, after six trucks of humanitarian supplies were looted and air strikes in Khartoum undermined a new ceasefire.Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, said on Wednesday he was seeking assurances that would allow for movement of staff and supplies. Continue reading...

SNP leader tells cross-party summit interventions funded by ‘bold’ tax decisions should be focus rather than universal provisionScottish ministers must be “hard-headed and realistic” in tackling poverty, focusing on targeted interventions funded by “bold” tax decisions instead of universal provision, Humza Yousaf has told a landmark cross-party, cross-sector summit.But the first minister’s suggestion that budget constraints could mean a shift away from policies like free school meals for all was met by an immediate backlash from campaigners. Continue reading...

Newspaper uses secret room in first-person shooter game Counter-Strike to bypass Russian censorship

Andrew Malkinson was convicted of raping 33-year-old woman even though no DNA linked him to crimeGreater Manchester police failed to disclose key evidence that could have prevented a man spending 17 years in prison for rape when no DNA linked him to the crime, the court of appeal was told today.Andrew Malkinson was convicted of raping a 33-year-old woman by a motorway in Greater Manchester in 2003. He always insisted he was innocent, spending an extra decade in prison as a result. Continue reading...

Actor accused of grievous bodily harm after alleged confrontation with Karl Poole in Whitley Bay in 2021The actor Stephen Tompkinson punched a man outside his home in the early hours of the morning and left him with traumatic brain injuries after confronting him for drunkenly making noise in his underpants, prosecutors have told a jury.The 57-year-old DCI Banks star is on trial at Newcastle crown court accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Karl Poole on 30 May 2021. Continue reading...

Strikes kill total of 16 and come after leak suggested Ukraine air defence missiles would run out this week

Ukrainian president says ‘we fight on our territory’ after Kremlin reports a drone attack in the Russian capital

Former Fox News host called attorney ‘slimy little motherfucker’ in on-set video from August last year, Media Matters clip showsTucker Carlson called a lawyer for Dominion Voting Systems a “slimy motherfucker” who “triggered” him in a lengthy deposition last August.The now fired Fox News host made the comments in new on-set footage published on Wednesday by Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media watchdog critical of Fox News which has published a string of such videos. Continue reading...

Police commissioner and council leader say Home Office has failed to address questions about plan to house 506 people on vessel

How to interpret the outcome of what could be a pivotal night for both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer

Every scrap of land is contested in battle for Dnipro delta at Kherson, with shelling and airstrikes punctuating deadly boat raids

Law firm brought in by board of publicly funded channel amid claims of culture of fearAn investigation has been launched into allegations of bullying and a culture of fear at the Welsh language television channel S4C.A law firm has been brought in by the board of the publicly funded channel, which last year celebrated its 40th year of broadcasting, to lead an independent investigation. Continue reading...

State-run broadcaster says flood waters still rising in northern and western provinces and warns death toll may riseAt least 115 people have died as floods and mudslides swept through northern and western Rwanda after torrential rains, according to the state-run broadcaster, which warned that the toll could rise.“The rain that fell last night caused disaster in the northern and western provinces,” the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) said on its website on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Dissident’s arrest after being pulled off a diverted Ryanair flight in Minsk in 2021 caused international outrageA court in Belarus has sentenced to eight years in prison a dissident journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a commercial flight that was diverted to the country.Raman Pratasevich’s dramatic arrest in May 2021 elicited outrage in the west, with some leaders saying the plane’s diversion was tantamount to state-sponsored hijacking. Continue reading...

Ephraim Mirvis pays tribute to king ‘who respects other faiths’Observant Jews will be unable to watch the king’s coronation on television because it falls on the Jewish sabbath when the use of electricity is prohibited, but “there will be many lining the streets” of central London, Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi, has said.However, they will have to walk to join the crowds as vehicular travel is also banned on Shabbat. Continue reading...

Police investigate suspected efforts to fake Covid-19 vaccination records in order to travel to USFederal police have searched the mansion of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro and arrested one of his closest aides as part of an investigation into suspected criminal efforts to fake Covid-19 vaccination records in order to travel to the US.Lt Col Mauro Cid Barbosa, described by the Brazilian press as Bolsonaro’s “right-hand man”, was one of six people arrested on Wednesday morning as police raided multiple addresses in the capital, Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro. Continue reading...

Kenneth Law, 57, arrested in Ontario following allegations he sold lethal substance to people in dozens of countriesPolice in Canada have laid charges against an Ontario man following allegations he sold a lethal substance to people in dozens of countries, including four people who killed themselves in Britain and one in the United States.Kenneth Law, 57, is due to appear in court on Wednesday after Peel regional police charged him with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide on Tuesday in relation to Canadian adults.In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 and online chat is also available. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. A list of prevention resources can be found here.The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Tehran seeks to bolster influence over Damascus as Gulf states move to normalise relations with AssadEbrahim Raisi has flown to Damascus for the first state visit by an Iranian president to Syria since the civil war broke out in 2011, as Tehran seeks to bolster its political and economic influence over the Assad regime.Iran has been a long-term supporter of Bashar al-Assad, sending Iranian militia to help defeat Assad’s opponents, and as the normalisation of relations between Syria and Gulf states nears, Iran wants to ensure it reaps the economic benefits of its support. Raisi is also making the visit now to try to build a stronger anti-Israeli alliance in the region. Continue reading...

Government hopes the historic increase, which matches the Fair Work Commission order for the sector, will attract more staff

Man at palace gates allegedly threw shotgun cartridges and was ‘grabbed within seconds’Police say the man whose arrest led to a controlled explosion at Buckingham Palace asked to speak to a soldier before he allegedly began throwing shotgun cartridges.The man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace in central London on Tuesday after he approached the gates. Continue reading...

Fired Fox host allegedly described Trump supporters assaulting a man, while finding himself ‘rooting for the mob’A racist text message allegedly sent by the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson set off alarm bells at the top of the network and ultimately contributed to his firing, the New York Times reported.The text, which remains redacted in court filings in Dominion Voter Systems’ defamation case against Fox News, included the line: “It’s not how white men fight.” Continue reading...

Party, which has been without accountants since October, risks losing £1.2m funding if it misses deadline

Merseyside police say people who use guns on streets should be treated like pariahsPolice have condemned the “pariahs” using guns on Britain’s streets after a man was chased into a residential garden and shot near where Olivia Pratt-Korbel was murdered.Merseyside police said officers were called to reports of gunshots and screaming in the Huyton area of Liverpool at 9.45pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

David Egan quits UK electronics distributor after ‘some shortcomings of judgment on my part’The finance director of a leading UK electronics company has resigned with immediate effect, after recognising that a personal relationship with a colleague showed “some shortcomings of judgment”.David Egan, who had been at the electronic products distributor RS Group for seven years, quit as chief financial officer and director. Continue reading...

Boy, 14, shot teacher in classroom and opened fire on pupils and security guards, police and witnesses sayA 14-year-old boy shot his teacher in a Belgrade classroom on Wednesday morning before opening fire on other students and security guards, killing at least one person and wounding five, police and witnesses said.Milan Milosevic, the father of one of the pupils at the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school, said his daughter was in the classroom when the shooting began. Continue reading...

Rights groups call for urgent and independent investigation into killing of government criticA prominent activist and critic of the government in Laos has been shot dead in an attack at a coffee shop in the capital, Vientiane.Anousa “Jack” Luangsuphom, 25, who runs a Facebook page where people share criticism of the government, was sitting in a cafe in Vientiane on 29 April when the attack happened. Continue reading...

Passenger numbers rose to 16 million last month amid pent-up demand for air travel

Officers will have to consider whether domestic violence is a factor when determining if welfare recipient is part of a couple

But bank expects margins to drop because of tougher competition for mortgage and savings customersProfits at Lloyds Banking Group have jumped 46% amid higher interest charges for borrowers but the lender expects margins to drop over the rest of this year on the back of tougher competition for mortgage and savings customers.Like most of Britain’s big high street lenders, the group reported better-than-expected profits for the first three months of the year, suggesting the UK sector has broadly shrugged off the financial turmoil that has so far caused three American banks, as well as Credit Suisse, to collapse since early March. Continue reading...

Tom Tugendhat insists people will still have ‘liberty to protest’ after government fast-tracked legislationKing Charles’s coronation is a “chance to showcase our liberty”, a cabinet minister, has said, after the UK government fast-tracked legislation to crack down on protests.The security minister, Tom Tugendhat, defended the new laws, which include a 12-month prison sentence for protesters who block roads and a six-month prison sentence or unlimited fine for anyone who locks on to others, objects or buildings. Police will also be able to stop and searchprotesters they suspect are setting out to cause “disruption”. Continue reading...

Reach’s digital revenues down almost 15% since January but newspaper sales ‘robust’The publisher of the Mirror, Express and Daily Star newspapers has blamed changes in the way Facebook displays news content for a slide in its digital revenues.Reach, which also owns hundreds of regional newspapers including the Birmingham Mail, Liverpool Echo and Manchester Evening News, reported a fall in group revenue of almost 6% for the four months to 23 April. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary says there will be no further British evacuation flights from wartorn Port SudanThe final UK rescue flight from Sudan is expected to take off on Wednesday, the government has said.The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said British nationals who wanted to leave the country need to make their way to the Coral hotel in Port Sudan by 10am local time (9am BST), adding that there would be no further British evacuation flights from the city. Continue reading...

Greens senator says she is ‘drawing a line in the sand’ after One Nation leader told her to ‘piss off back to Pakistan’

Natasha Lechner had frog poison applied to her chest during ‘Kambo’ ritual and likely suffered sudden cardiac event, court told

In today’s newsletter: The author of the investigation into government parties during lockdown has herself become the subject of an inquiry – but why was it held back?

Fang Bin was targeted by authorities for reporting on the outbreak of Covid-19 in WuhanA Chinese citizen journalist who disappeared three years ago while reporting on the Wuhan coronavirus lockdown – and was later revealed to have been detained by authorities – has reportedly been released.Fang Bin was let out of detention on Sunday, according to multiple media reports that cited people close to the family. The reports said he had gone to Beijing, where some of his family live, before being sent back to Wuhan on Monday morning, where he remains under strict supervision. Continue reading...

Government-owned company pushes earliest start date of pumped hydro project to the second half of 2028

Religious laws are increasingly being used to silence civil society and human rights groups, say activistsSix Libyans are facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity and proselytising under laws increasingly being used to silence civil society and human rights organisations, say activists.The women and men – some from Libya’s minority ethnic groups, including the Amazigh, or Berbers, in the west of the country – were separately detained in March by security forces. Continue reading...

Ofgem requirement comes amid plans to crackdown on suppliers’ conduct as research shows slump in customer satisfactionEnergy suppliers will be forced to offer vulnerable households dedicated phone lines in a drive by the regulator Ofgem to improve poor treatment of the most disadvantaged customers.The regulator is planning a crackdown on suppliers’ conduct after a slump in customer service during the energy crisis with long call waiting times and difficulty contacting companies. Continue reading...

Victorian premier says interest rates are ‘smashing families’ despite 2020 advice to national cabinet that ‘interest rates won’t be going up’

Police say paramedics are on the scene at Crystal Brook and multiple people are injuredTwo police officers have reportedly been stabbed and an alleged offender shot dead in an incident in South Australia’s mid-north.Police have confirmed they have responded to a high-risk incident at Crystal Brook, a small community about 200km north of Adelaide. Continue reading...

‘Bold is what we need’ from budget to lift people out of poverty and address cost of living, Grattan Institute’s Danielle Wood says

Eliza Kloser says she was stopped by police while photographing the art’s removal from Burrup peninsula and then had images seized from her Karratha home

Discussion paper shows the government is considering powers to ‘access, store and use large amounts of data’, prompting alarm from the Greens

Rockets were fired towards Israel from Gaza after the death of Khader Adnan was announcedIsraeli jets struck targets across Gaza as armed groups there fired rocket barrages toward Israel in response to the death of a Palestinian hunger striker in Israeli custody.Plumes of smoke spiralled into the sky late on Tuesday as the jets hit targets that the Israeli military said included weapons manufacturing sites and training camps of Hamas, the Islamist group that governs the blockaded coastal enclave. Continue reading...

Australian rocker recalls Queen Elizabeth II being ‘the most charismatic woman I have ever met’ and says he is not ‘so damn grouchy’ to refuse the inviteNick Cave has denied being a monarchist or a royalist after it was revealed he is attending the coronation of King Charles III, saying he “hold[s] an inexplicable emotional attachment to the royals”.Writing in his newsletter the Red Hand Files, in reply to letters from three Australians and one Brit – some incredulous at the news he would be attending the coronation as part of the Australian delegation – Cave described himself as “not a monarchist, nor am I a royalist, nor am I an ardent republican for that matter”. Continue reading...