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BASF and Bayer among firms selling chemicals to sugar industry despite links to cancer and reproductive problemsPesticides banned in the EU because of their links to human health risks are being exported and used on farms in Brazil supplying Nestlé, an investigation has revealed.Europe is home to some of the world’s biggest and most profitable chemical companies, including the Swiss-based Syngenta and the German multinationals BASF and Bayer. Continue reading...

Cabinet ministers approve plan ahead of national meeting of attorneys-general on Friday

Exclusive: staff placed outside polling stations will not record how many people leave when told they need IDLabour has said it may prove impossible to know how many people are turned away at next week’s local elections for not having identity documents, after it emerged that officials outside polling stations will not be making a count of those unable to vote.While clerks inside polling stations will take a formal register of those who cannot vote because they lack the correct photo ID, some venues will place other staff outside as so-called greeters, who will remind people about the need for ID before they go in. Continue reading...

RAC predicts biggest getaway on roads since 2016, and west coast mainline will be partly closedDrivers and train passengers have been warned they face congestion and disruption over the bank holiday weekend, with motoring organisations forecasting the biggest early May getaway for seven years and a main rail line partly closed.The RAC said it estimated 17.2m leisure trips would be taken by car in the UK between Friday 29 April and Monday 1 May, the most for the May bank holiday since 2016. Continue reading...

Armed forces minister says ‘job isn’t done’ in evacuating as many as 4,000 Britons and dual nationals trapped in war zoneThe British military is assessing a highly fraught operation to rescue some of the thousands of British nationals stranded in Sudan after the Foreign Office was deluged by cross-party criticism for missing a window of opportunity on Sunday to evacuate more than just British diplomats and their families.An RAF plane has landed at Port Sudan in the north-east of the country with some troops to look at the option of taking nationals who have attempted to drive – some in UN-protected convoys – from Khartoum and elsewhere. The landing ship RFA Cardigan Bay and the frigate HMS Lancaster are also being lined up as options to help people out of the war-torn country as the UK desperately considers its restricted options. Continue reading...

Saudi Arabia has evacuated over 300 people of a range of nationalities, but is facing criticism for not doing more to facilitate a ceasefire

Two survivors whose complaints were considered by church body support push to remove former governor general’s entitlements

Church alleged to be arm of the Kremlin – disguising Russian propaganda as religious teachingsFather Mykola Danylevych, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church, answered the phone before quickly hanging up. “I told you to call me on an encrypted line!” Danylevych, like his fellow high-ranking clergymen at the church, are in a state of paranoia and panic – their church, the biggest in Ukraine, is under threat.“We are not holier than thou, we admit that there are some unresolved matters on our side … but we are for individual responsibility, not collective,” said Danylevych. Continue reading...

Organisers exploring ‘a fitting tribute’ after friends say performer was hurt by decision to rename festival award after comments he made about trans people

Chair of women’s economic equality taskforce says families would fall ‘back into poverty’ if eligibility age is not raised back to 16

Recovery of small wooden trophy housing a razor case carried at Gallipoli sparks calls for prize to be used for future trans-Tasman football clashes

This blog is now closed. You can find the latest news from Sudan at the links below:

Calls for police powers to be rolled back in favour of funding for youth services and mental health initiativesA community-led approach is needed to tackle serious youth violence, such as more funding for youth services and mental health initiatives while rolling back police powers, a report has said.​​Education is central to the fight against serious youth violence, which must involve an end to school exclusions and the removal of police from schools, according to Holding Our Own: A guide to non-policing solutions to serious youth violence. Continue reading...

Footage shows men forced to lie on street by police before being killed and set on fire in broad daylight

Secretary of state offers US support for plans to set up committee to negotiate peace deal after three-day pause in hostilities

Secretive visa scheme has been used to fast-track Chinese staff to promote Communist party values at Confucius InstitutesUK government funding for Mandarin teaching at branches of the Chinese state-linked Confucius Institute is to be axed, but they will not be closed, as Rishi Sunak promised last year.The step is expected to be announced by James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, on Tuesday and comes as research shows that a secretive visa scheme has been used to fast-track Chinese government-vetted staff to come to the UK to promote Chinese Communist party (CCP) values at the institutes. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says ‘prevention’ is key to ending abuse during roundtable session with experts and celebritiesLabour is considering plans to roll out education for young boys on violence against women and girls (VAWG) in an effort to tackle the epidemic.Keir Starmer believes “prevention” is extremely important and will play a crucial role in ensuring his party achieves its mission to halve VAWG within a decade. Continue reading...

Jonathan Nuttall and three other men accused of conspiring to plant devices in Gray’s Inn Square, London, in 2021A businessman with a “deep-seated grudge” against two barristers plotted for devices resembling bombs to be placed at the heart of London’s legal district to intimidate them, a court has heard.The barristers were allegedly targeted because they had been acting for the National Crime Agency (NCA) in a case against Amanda Nuttall concerning suspicions of money laundering and other offences, which led to an order being made for the recovery of more than £1m of assets from her in 2019. Continue reading...

Agent says Goodman, who was a judge on the show from 2004 until 2016, died peacefullyThe former Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman has died aged 78, his agent has said. He became a judge on the show in 2004 and his final appearance was on the 2016 Christmas Day special.Jackie Gill said in a statement: “It is with great sadness we announce that Len Goodman has passed away peacefully, aged 78. A much loved husband, father and grandfather who will be sorely missed by family, friends and all who knew him.” Continue reading...

Lack of supplies and rising prices add to perilous journey by road to Egyptian border and Port SudanThousands more residents of Khartoum fled the Sudanese capital on Monday, risking long, dangerous journeys to escape continued street battles and murderous airstrikes that continue to cause significant civilian casualties.Some headed north by road to the Egyptian border in packed buses, many with towering piles of luggage strapped to them. Others drove north-east to Port Sudan. Both journeys involved up to 24 hours of driving, with increasing reports of robbery of vehicles. Continue reading...

Equality and Human Rights Commission says measures in illegal migration bill could expose people to serious harm

Monaco Grand Prix and French Open may also be interrupted after new legislation to raise retirement ageFrance’s electricity workers are threatening to pull the plug at the Cannes film festival as part of ongoing protests over pension changes.Members of the National Federation of Mines and Energy – a branch of the powerful CGT union – have announced “100 days of action and anger” that is expected to hit the movie industry’s annual event as well as other sports and cultural meetings. Continue reading...

Company aims to eliminate 7,000 positions and save $5.5bn in costs across business segments, including ESPN and Disney ParksWalt Disney will begin a second wave of layoffs on Monday involving thousands of jobs, as part of efforts to eliminate 7,000 positions and save $5.5bn in costs, according to sources familiar with the matter.The company will cut “several thousand” jobs through Thursday, with the latest round of reductions bringing the total number of jobs culled to 4,000, Disney officials say. Continue reading...

Exclusive: family of Elizabeth Chau accuse police of failing to take case seriously because of their raceThe family of a 19-year-old woman whom the serial killer Levi Bellfield claims to have murdered two decades ago have accused the Metropolitan police of failing to take the case seriously because of their race and the alleged victim’s gender.Bellfield has made a signed and written confession to the kidnap, rape, assault and murder of the university student Elizabeth Chau, who disappeared from a west London street in 1999, his solicitor confirmed. Continue reading...

Former GMP constable accused of running a ‘grooming playground’ to exploit children and young adultsA former police officer has been convicted of sexual abuse and misconduct in public office after running a police cadet scheme as a “grooming playground” to exploit children and young adults he was responsible for.Adnan Ali, known as Adz, had Superman emblazoned on his cadet leader’s hoodie and underpants, a jury at Liverpool crown court heard. Continue reading...

Publisher says reduced town centre footfall and higher costs mean regional edition is no longer viableThe Big Issue is shutting down its northern England edition next month, blaming reduced town centre footfall since the pandemic.Increased print, energy and paper costs have also contributed to making Big Issue North “no longer financially viable”, its publishers said. A souvenir final edition will go on sale on 8 May, 30 years after the title first hit the streets. Continue reading...

Demands to censor, most often for gender themes or sexual detail, rose 38% year on year in 2022, with Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe being last year’s ‘most challenged’ titleJuno Dawson’s This Book Is Gay was among the books most requested for removal or restriction in libraries in the US in 2022, according to new data on banned books.The list of books, released by the American Library Association (ALA) to mark the start of National Libraries Week, shows that titles were challenged most often because they contained LGBTQ+ representation or content that the complainants deemed sexually explicit. Continue reading...

Twenty-four trains an hour and direct service from Essex to Heathrow on timetableThe Elizabeth line will run 24 trains an hour and start direct services from Essex to Heathrow from 21 May, Transport for London has confirmed, in the “last milestone” of the Crossrail project.Trains will run roughly every two and a half minutes under central London in both directions at peak times, TfL said, with more through services and quicker journeys as the full timetable comes into effect. Continue reading...

Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Ijazuddin were killed when their car hit a tree after being pursued by two vehiclesTwo men died in a fireball when their car was driven off the road in a murder plot devised to silence one of the victims from revealing his affair with a married woman, a court has heard.Saqib Hussain, 21, and childhood friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, 21, were killed on 11 February 2022 when their car hit a tree as they were being pursued by two vehicles at speeds approaching 100mph. Continue reading...

Ukraine says Russia is taking up defensive positions in most combat areas apart from Bakhmut Continue reading...

Search continues for dead and alive as Kenyan Red Cross says 112 people have been reported missingThe death toll from a Christian cult in Kenya that practised starvation has risen to 67, after more bodies were recovered from mass graves in a forest in the south-east of the country.A major search is under way in the Shakahola forest near the coastal town of Malindi, where dozens of corpses were exhumed over the weekend. The bodies are thought to be those of followers of a cult who reportedly believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves. Continue reading...

Data collated from responses to FoI requests from 70 different local authorities about age assessmentsHundreds of asylum seeker children are wrongly being treated as adults by the Home Office, according to data from dozens of local authorities.Responses from freedom of information requests showed that two-thirds of children – 867 out of 1,386 – deemed to be adults by the Home Office were later confirmed to be children. Continue reading...

Nikolai Peskov, 33, says he sought father’s help to serve anonymously in mercenary group for six months

Asset manager suggests its stake could be worth less only 18 months after investing almost £10mRevolut’s position as the UK’s most valuable fintech company is under threat, after a writedown by one of its investors suggested almost $15bn (£12bn) could be wiped off the value of the firm.A UK trust run by the asset manager Schroders suggested the value of its stake in Revolut has plunged by 46% over the past year, having estimated in its annual report that the holding was worth only £5.4m as of December, down from £10.1m a year earlier. Continue reading...

Labour leader condemns MP’s letter but says decision on whether she will stand for party again must wait

Apparent move in occupied areas comes as Ukrainian military sets up positions on eastern side of Dnipro River

PM criticised over decision to axe tax-free shopping for tourists at meeting of business leadersTop City fund manager Helena Morrissey has raised concerns with the prime minister that the scandal at the Confederation of British Industry could deter women from entering the City.Morrissey, one of the highest profile executives in the City and a campaigner for equal pay and opportunities, said she was “personally worried that this might put women off joining industry”. Continue reading...

Tangaraju Suppiah, due to be hanged this week, forced to self-represent after unsuccessful appealA Singaporean man who is due to be hanged this week for abetting an attempt to smuggle cannabis is one of a growing number of death row prisoners who have to represent themselves after their appeals because they cannot access lawyers, activists have said.Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was sentenced to death in 2018 after a judge found he was the owner of a phone number used to coordinate an attempt to traffic 1 kilogram of cannabis. He is due to be executed on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Scottish band’s classic I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) initially included among official celebration songsThere has been much havering over guest lists, protests and seating plans, but one thing is sure – the Proclaimers’ song I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) will not be on the official coronation celebration playlist.The song has been removed from the playlist after complaints were received about the band’s republican views. Continue reading...

Reported detention of Li Yanhe has echoes of 2015 disappearances of five Hong Kong booksellersConcerns are mounting for a Taiwan-based book publisher believed to have been detained in China, in a case that has echoed the disappearances in 2015 of five Hong Kong booksellers.Li Yanhe, also known by the pen-name Fucha, reportedly travelled to Shanghai last month to visit relatives, but has been uncontactable since Thursday. His alleged detention was first reported by Bei Ling, a Chinese writer and activist, who said on Facebook that he had been told by various sources that Li had been arrested by authorities in Shanghai. Continue reading...

Head of traditional owner corporations says Indigenous elders had long fought for current ‘representative structures’

Call comes after Australia’s defence review says activities in South China Sea ‘threaten rules-based order’

Hambro Perks Acquisition Company blames ‘challenging circumstances’ for stock market listingsThe first company launched under Rishi Sunak’s newly relaxed rules to attract special purpose acquisition companies to London after Brexit has said it will shut down, without finding a suitable merger target.Hambro Perks Acquisition Company said in a statement to the stock market on Monday that it had ceased all operations except for the purposes of winding up the company and returning money to shareholders. Continue reading...

Cyber-warfare and the ‘missile age’ have radically reduced Australia’s geographical defensive benefits, report argues

Review calls for ADF to develop ability to precisely strike targets at longer range and to develop stronger network. Follow the day’s news live

Filing by former political staffer says PM was aware of heavy workloads and that staffing cuts would lead to longer hours

Holland fell from his horse Headingley at a race in Donald, 280km north-west of Melbourne

The former governor general and former Anglican archbishop of Brisbane was the subject of complaints about his handling of child abuse complaints in the 1990s

Police urge the mother, whose identity is unknown, to come forward, assuring her that ‘she’s not in any trouble’

Joana Partyk declined to give full access to her electronic devices after they were seized by police in a raid in February