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Higher mortgage rates and less loan choice hitting sales to people trying to buy first property, says developerSales of new homes to first-time buyers are struggling, according to housebuilder Persimmon, as higher interest rates make mortgages less affordable.The company, which is one of the UK’s largest domestic property developers, said people looking to get on the housing ladder were facing “stretched affordability” and less choice on home loans. Continue reading...

Growing number of people using Ma Dong-seok’s image as online avatar to get better response from customer service agentsChinese social media users are turning to a Korean American action star for help in their daily lives, with a growing trend of swapping out their online avatar for Ma Dong-seok’s photo to get better responses from landlords and customer service agents.In recent weeks a growing number of Chinese people have changed their profile photos to shots of Ma, who also goes by the name Don Lee and has starred in horror-action film Train to Busan and Marvel’s The Eternals, saying “it makes life easier”. Continue reading...

Months before 43 Ayotzinapa students vanished, army was repeatedly warned of criminal gang presenceThe Mexican military received nearly a dozen complaints about cartel activity in the region where 43 students were abducted in September 2014, emails hacked from the country’s defense ministry reveal, but the armed forces apparently did little to tackle organized crime in the area.The students’ kidnapping and disappearance, which took place in the city of Iguala in Guerrero state, was one of the most horrific and high-profile human rights abuses in Mexico’s recent history, and remains unsolved despite years of protests and a relentless pursuit of justice by the students’ parents. Continue reading...

Bashir, wanted by international criminal court on genocide charges, moved after attack by paramilitaries on prison where he was being held

Treasurer says government’s focus remains on jobs, as CEO of Acoss says increasing unemployment benefit still a ‘live debate’

Airport says people will be able to ‘travel as normal’ in peak period around coronation despite strikeHeathrow airport has said it is still loss-making, even as it continues to be Europe’s busiest airport, welcoming almost 17 million passengers in the first three months of the year.The airport also said that passengers would be able to “travel as normal” during the peak getaway period around the coronation of King Charles III, taking place on 6 May, despite a fresh planned strike by security staff. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: Amid gunsmoke and airstrikes, civilians must choose whether to travel towards uncertain safety, or risk violence by staying behind. What questions face anyone trying to leave – and what might happen if they go?

The consumer price index for the first three months of 2023 has come in at an annual rate of 7%, down from the 32-year high of 7.8%

Stephanie Bennett pleaded guilty to using Gold Coast pilot Ash Jenkinson’s identity after she was caught using mobile while driving

Concerns have been raised that religious institutions do not have to show how they are spending millions of dollars of federal funding

Interior minister says deaths in Malindi could be ‘tip of the iceberg’ as police exhume 17 more bodiesThe death toll at a ranch in Kenya owned by a pastor who is accused of leading a religious cult and ordering his followers to starve themselves in order to “meet Jesus” has reached 90, as the country’s interior minister announced an expanded operation at the site.The new figure came after police exhumed 17 more bodies. The total number of those rescued while starving at the ranch now stands at 34. The Kenya Red Cross Society’s latest figure on the number of missing is 213. Continue reading...

Artist formerly known as Cat Stevens urges help for the sick and homeless and to spread peace in 10-point planYusuf Islam, the musician formerly known as Cat Stevens, has addressed King Charles III ahead of his coronation with a 10-point list entitled Manifesto for a Good King.“Even if you are a King, you are still a servant of God”, the list begins, and goes on to include instructions to “feed the hungry”, “help the sick and homeless”, “beware of negative people in your circle” and “listen to constructive criticism”. Continue reading...

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa makes rare acknowledgement of centuries of forced transportation of millions of AfricansPortugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has said his country should apologise and take responsibility for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, the first time a leader of the southern European nation has suggested such a national apology.From the 15th to the 19th century, 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic by Portuguese vessels and sold into slavery, primarily to Brazil. Continue reading...

Research rocket launched from Kiruna, northern Sweden, had plunged into mountainside in Norway’s far northThe Norwegian foreign ministry has expressed irritation with Sweden for not immediately informing it of a research rocket that crashed in Norway, in a rare spat between the two neighbours.The rocket, which was launched early Monday from the Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna, northern Sweden, plunged into a mountainside in the Målselv municipality in Norway’s far north, about 10km (six miles) from the closest inhabited area. Continue reading...

Venue could close permanently after two people were killed in a crowd crush in DecemberA music venue in Brixton could be closed permanently after the Metropolitan police called for its licence to be revoked after two people were killed in a crowd crush in December.The O2 Academy venue’s licence was suspended in January for three months by Lambeth councillors after the security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, died when a crush occurred after fans tried to enter a show by Nigerian artist Asake. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Simon Case pressuring watchdog to block Gray from taking up job until after next electionThe head of the civil service, Simon Case, has attempted to block former senior official Sue Gray from working with Labour as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff until after the next general election, the Guardian has been told.Whitehall sources said that Case, as Gray’s former civil service boss in the Cabinet Office, had “pushed for” the government’s appointments watchdog to delay her starting the new job for the maximum two years. Continue reading...

Comments by immigration minister criticised as being ‘straight from the far right’s playbook’The “values and lifestyles” of people crossing the Channel in small boats threaten the UK’s social cohesion, the immigration minister has claimed, in comments that have been described as “dog-whistling to the far right”.Amid predictions that there could be a new surge in crossings by people fleeing the conflict in Sudan, Robert Jenrick said “uncontrolled illegal migration” threatened to “cannibalise” the UK’s compassion and argued that recent protests at hotels should be heeded as a warning to politicians. Continue reading...

Security forces accused of massacre in Karma, which locals say was carried out by men in military dressAt least 150 civilians may have been killed and many more injured in an attack allegedly perpetrated by Burkina Faso’s security forces, the UN high commissioner for human rights has said.In a statement on Tuesday, the commissioner, Ravina Shamdasani, called for a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into what it called the “horrific killing of civilians” in the village of Karma, in northern Yatenga province. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can read all our coverage of the conflict here:

Harry claims his father intervened because he wanted to ensure the Sun supported his and Camilla’s future reignQueen Elizabeth II personally threatened Rupert Murdoch’s media company with legal proceedings over phone hacking only for her efforts to be undermined by the then Prince Charles, the high court has heard.Prince Harry said his father intervened because he wanted to ensure the Sun supported his ascension to the throne and Camilla’s role as queen consort, and had a “specific long-term strategy to keep the media on side” for “when the time came”. Continue reading...

Whitbread beats analysts’ expectations, reporting £375m in pretax profits for year to 3 MarchThe owner of Premier Inn has said profits have surpassed pre-pandemic levels as the UK’s biggest budget hotel chain benefits from a surge in demand from cost-conscious holidaymakers.Whitbread, which runs almost 900 hotels in the UK and Germany as well as restaurant chains including Beefeater, Bar & Block and Brewers Fayre, said it would benefit from the scale of its business as small operators succumb to a combination of labour shortages and cost inflation. Continue reading...

Art historian calls advertising campaign ‘obscene’ waste of moneyItaly’s tourism ministry has faced ridicule after an official video to attract tourists to Italy used footage of people in Slovenia drinking Slovenian wine.The video, part of a €9m ($9.91m) campaign produced by the Armando Testa communications group, was widely mocked by critics and on social media even before it emerged that part of it had been shot abroad. Continue reading...

Exclusive: People who risked their lives and were evacuated to Britain were forcibly removed to Nepal days laterMore than 100 Nepali guards who risked their lives to protect British embassy staff in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized back control were secretly returned to Nepal against their wishes shortly after being airlifted to safety in the UK, the Guardian can reveal.Hundreds of Nepali nationals and a smaller number of Indian nationals who protected key institutions in Kabul were brought to the UK on an RAF flight during the chaotic evacuation of the Afghan capital by western countries in August 2021, as victorious Taliban forces closed in. Continue reading...

German magazine accused of putting down India with caricature depicting population overtaking ChinaA cartoon in the German magazine Der Spiegel poking fun at India as it becomes more populous than China has been castigated as “racist” by Indian ministers.The cartoon shows a rickety old Indian train packed with people and swarms of passengers atop it. On a parallel track, a sleek Chinese bullet train is seen with just two drivers, looking surprised at the sight of the Indian train. Continue reading...

Households with analogue meters have until 30 June to claim discounts of up to £400 on energy costsMinisters have urged households using prepayment meters to redeem vouchers offering support for their energy bills, as the government said £160m remained unclaimed.Households with traditional analogue prepayment meters are entitled to claim discounts of up to £400 on their energy costs under the energy bills support scheme, which is open until 30 June. Continue reading...

PM may discuss idea with European Commission chief in June, reports say, after diplomats raised it informally

Human rights groups raise concerns after UK trade envoy Daniel Kawczynski praised the country’s ‘functioning democracy’The Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski is facing criticism after the Kazakh government funded a £5,100 trip for him to observe elections and quoted him praising the country’s “functioning democracy”.Kawczynski, a trade envoy for the prime minster, Rishi Sunak, travelled to watch parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan in March amid concerns among human rights groups about the treatment of Zhanbolat Mamai, the leader of the unregistered Democratic party. Mamai was this month banned from political activism and journalism for six years. Continue reading...

The far-right host promoted racist conspiracy theories on the channel. He’s not likely to find such a big audience elsewhereTucker Carlson, the far-right TV host whose embracement of racist conspiracy theories came to signify a shift further towards the right wing at Fox News, leaves behind a legacy of mainstreaming extremism after exiting the channel, and speculation is turning to any next step in an incendiary career.The departure of Carlson, Fox News’ most-watched and highest-profile host, came as a shock. It is the second seismic moment at the news channel in a matter of days, after Fox News agreed to pay a giant $787.5m settlement to Dominion Voting Systems last week after airing election conspiracy theories. Continue reading...

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...