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Fears split with Coalition will diminish party's relevance and ability to advocate for rural communities

Sussan Ley expected to unveil shadow cabinet as early as Thursday, with Liberals adamant Nationals should lose extra staff and resources after split from Coalition

Plug-in hybrid sales nearly double in first three months of national efficiency standards for new cars

Former politician Andriy Portnov advised the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych and had fled Ukraine in 2014For more background on Portnov, here is his profile as drafted by the US Treasury in 2021, when he was sanctioned on the International Anti-Corruption Day, no less.Andriy Portnov (Portnov), the former Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration under former President Yanukovych, has cultivated extensive connections to Ukraine's judicial and law enforcement apparatus through bribery.Widely known as a court fixer, Portnov was credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine's courts and undermining reform efforts. Continue reading...

Government to loosen eligibility rules for pensioners in face of backlash against decision to means test benefit

Group calling itself Last Defence Wave' had recruited other teens online and promoted extremist terrorism'German police have staged early morning raids against an alleged far-right terrorist" cell on suspicion of attacks against asylum seekers and political enemies, arresting five teenage suspects, federal prosecutors said.The operation on Wednesday targeting a neo-Nazi group calling itself Last Defence Wave" marked the latest high-profile action against groups Germany says are working to destabilise its democratic order. Continue reading...

All 10 council areas controlled by rightwing party tell the Guardian they have no low-traffic neighbourhoodsReform UK's pledge to remove all low-traffic neighbourhoods from the council areas it controls looks to be achieved in record time after the 10 local authorities said they do not actually have any in place.Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's chair, said last week there would be a large-scale reversal" of existing LTNs in the 10 areas across England where the party won control of the councils in local elections on 1 May. Continue reading...

Andriy Portnov, ex-aide to pro-Russia former president, was dropping off children when he was targeted by gunmenUnidentified gunmen have shot and killed a former Ukrainian politician, Andriy Portnov, outside a school in an upmarket suburb of Madrid.The killing of Portnov, who had worked as a senior aide to Ukraine's pro-Russia former president, Viktor Yanukovych, took place on Wednesday morning outside the American School of Madrid in Pozuelo de Alarcon. Continue reading...

More than half of troupe's dancers write to minister criticising Demis Volpi and five soloists resign

Business committee orders three ministers to answer questions over fears arms being sent for use in Gaza

Kremlin said the Russian president visited the region on Tuesday and met with the interim governmentThe Kremlin said on Wednesday that no decision had been made on a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, responding to a question about whether they could be hosted by the Vatican, reports Reuters.US president Donald Trump said on Monday it would be great" for Russia and Ukraine to hold ceasefire talks at the Vatican, saying it would add extra significance to the proceedings. Continue reading...

Push It hitmakers Sandra Denton and Cheryl James claim Universal is blocking the return of their copyright, but label claims it has repeatedly attempted a resolutionThe pop-rap group Salt-N-Pepa have sued Universal Music Group as they try to regain control over their master recordings.Salt-N-Pepa are known for irrepressible hits across the 1980s and 1990s such as Push It and Let's Talk About Sex, which both reached No 2 in the UK and the US Top 20. Continue reading...

Dance teacher Leanne Lucas launches campaign against traditional pointed knives that can be used as weaponsA dance teacher who survived a knife attack in Southport last summer has started a campaign calling for pointed kitchen knives to be replaced by ones with blunt tips.Leanne Lucas, 36, was critically injured in the attack at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class she was leading during last year's school summer holidays. Continue reading...

Conditions are expected to persist into the rest of the day, with 150 to 200mm of rainfall predicted in the mid-north coast. Follow today's news live

Memo from deputy PM to chancellor proposing eight potential measures highlights unease over spending plansAngela Rayner urged Rachel Reeves to consider a series of wealth tax rises, it has been revealed, in a move that underscores growing unease within the government over the chancellor's tight spending plans.A memo sent by the deputy prime minister to the chancellor before March's spring statement proposed eight potential tax measures worth an estimated 3bn to 4bn a year, including reinstating the pensions lifetime allowance and increasing the corporation tax rate for banks. Continue reading...

Ernie Els and Retief Goosen reportedly part of delegation as president seeks to reset ties after white genocide' claimsThe South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, is expected to take the golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen with him to meet Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday, as the government attempts to reset relations with the US amid Trump's accusations that it is fomenting a white genocide".Ramaphosa's appeal to Trump's love of golf, with the potential inclusion of Els and Goosen reported by South African local media, is part of his efforts to avoid a public dressing down of the kind Trump gave to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in February. Continue reading...

Petro Pochynok, 34, charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, says Metropolitan policeA third man has been charged in connection with suspected arson attacks on properties and a car linked to Keir Starmer, the Metropolitan police has said.Scotland Yard said Petro Pochynok, 34, has been charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life by conspiring together with Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc and others unknown to damage by fire property belonging to another, intending to damage the property, and intending to endanger the life or another or being reckless as to whether the life of another would thereby be endangered". Continue reading...

Jab hailed as landmark moment for sexual health' and comes amid record cases of infectionA vaccine for gonorrhoea will be rolled out in England as part of a world-first programme, officials have announced.The move, hailed as a landmark moment for sexual health", will aim to tackle rising levels of the sexually transmitted infection (STI). Continue reading...

UK suspends trade negotiations over monstrous' rhetoric as Gaza starvation worsens

Poorly planned rail lines and a reliance on hand-delivered messages combined with 170-year-old infrastructure provides a picture of a network with myriad vulnerabilities

Annual rise in April follows upturn in national insurance contributions and higher household costsInflation jumped by more than expected last month to 3.5% after dramatic increases in water bills, energy costs and council tax, official figures show.A rise in employer national insurance contributions and a boost to the national minimum wage also put pressure on companies to raise prices in April by more than City analysts had forecast. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 25m hi-tech facility at terminal had been called white elephant' even before latest EU deal scrapping some health and veterinary checksA 25m post-Brexit border control post in Portsmouth may have to be demolished if the UK government's deal with the EU removes the need for health and veterinary checks on food imports, according to the port's director.Mike Sellers had already spoken out last year about how more than half of the site would never be used because planned checks on EU food and plant products had been pared back since it was designed, leading to the building being called a white elephant". Continue reading...

Gin Gin property where Pheobe Bishop was living and grey car declared crime scenes, Queensland police say

Average spend of 757 includes tickets, accommodation, 75 on food and drink, 60 on merchandise plus travel and new outfitsOasis fans are expected to splash out more than 1bn on the reunion tour including tickets, accommodation, food, drink, outfits and merchandise, according to research that found a quarter of ticket holders would have been happy to spend even more.The band's comeback concerts after a 15-year hiatus are expected to be the most popular, and profitable, run of gigs in British history. Continue reading...

The Sicilian fishing village is watching the salvage of Mike Lynch's superyacht for answers to the causes of the tragedySome say that the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht, Bayesian, sank because it was vulnerable to high winds that drove the vessel past its point of stability. Others insist that a chain of human errors led to the incident that claimed seven lives, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.But in the quiet Sicilian fishing village of Porticello - where on 19 August 2024 the Bayesian was caught shortly before dawn in a violent storm while anchored off coast - everyone knows the truth lies 50 metres below the surface, in the wreckage of a yacht that divers, floating cranes and underwater drones are still struggling to bring back from the depths of the ocean. Continue reading...

Taku Et's remarks drew fury as cost of rice has nearly doubled in a year amid soaring food pricesJapan's agriculture minister has resigned after saying he never buys rice because he gets it free, a remark that drew public fury in a country facing soaring food prices.Taku Et's resignation has added to pressure on the prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, whose failure to rein in soaring rice prices and address a wider cost of living crisis has angered voters ahead of upper house elections in July. Continue reading...

Good character references from friends and families of accused rapists had previously been a consideration in a judge's sentencing decision

In an interview with the Guardian, Winston Peters says the world faces the most uncertain time' in 80 years ahead of talks with Australia's foreign ministerThe Pacific must be protected from becoming a military zone amid China's growing push for influence in the region, New Zealand's top diplomat Winston Peters has warned ahead of a meeting with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.Peters, who is New Zealand's deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, told the Guardian that his country has a good relationship with China. Continue reading...

Proportion of cases lasting more than a year up 17-fold in seven years, National Audit Office saysThe proportion of children in England and Wales subject to care proceedings who are having to wait more than a year to have their case resolved has increased more than 17-fold in the last seven years, a watchdog has found.The average duration of proceedings brought by local authorities to protect a child from harm (known as public law cases) was 36 weeks last year, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). In 2014 the government set a time limit of 26 weeks but it has never been met. Continue reading...

Climate Change Committee says original goal of a 75% emissions cut by 2030 will now be delayed by up to six yearsThe UK's climate watchdog has warned that Scotland needs to take immediate action at pace and scale" to cut its emissions after ministers axed a series of policy pledges.The Climate Change Committee (CCC), an official advisory body, said ministers in Edinburgh needed to take urgent action to curb emissions from buildings and transport to cut Scotland's overall emissions to nearly zero by 2045.Abandoned a target to cut car miles by 20% by 2030.Dropped a pledge to rapidly decarbonise homes by mandating low-carbon heating systems.Cut funding for tree planting.Missed targets to restore degraded peatland.Ignored calls for a plan to cut meat and dairy consumption, and failed to use their powers to tax air travel more heavily. Continue reading...

Sentencing review to be published on Thursday aims to ease prison capacity crisis' and reduce reoffendingJudges and magistrates in England and Wales will be told to move away from handing out short custodial sentences in favour of community-based alternatives in a long-awaited sentencing review to be announced on Thursday.Amid concern that the criminal justice system could collapse because of overcrowding in prisons, the former Tory justice secretary David Gauke will call for suspended sentences to be made available for custodial sentences of up to three years, instead of the current two. Continue reading...

Firms among England and Wales suppliers facing record 81 investigations as sources say polluter will pay' for their costTwo of Britain's biggest water companies, Thames Water and Anglian Water, face more than 50 criminal investigations between them as part of a crackdown on sewage dumping, the government has said.The utilities were subject to the bulk of a record 81 investigations into water companies between last July's general election and March 2025, according to new data. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Work and pensions secretary to double down on changes despite growing pressure within LabourThe work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, will double down on Labour's 5bn disability benefits cuts on Wednesday, claiming she is reforming the welfare state to save it from collapse.Opposition to the welfare package continues to mount within her party before next month's vote. Labour backbenchers claim more than 100 colleagues have signed a private letter telling party whips they are unable to support it. Continue reading...

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Baby charities' report shows that high rates of stillbirth and neonatal death are not reducing quickly enoughA delay in improving NHS maternity care is costing the lives of hundreds of babies a year, analysis has shown.At least 2,500 fewer babies would have died since 2018 if hospitals had managed to reduce the number of of stillbirths and neonatal and maternal deaths in England, as the government falls behind on its commitment to halve the rate of those three events. Continue reading...

UK justice secretary says victims should have chance to give impact statements as new bill goes through parliamentDefendants who refuse to appear in court for sentencing are giving a final insult to victims and their families", the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said, as an impact statement from the mother of a murdered girl was read to MPs.During the second reading of the victims and courts bill, the Labour MP Anneliese Midgley read a statement on behalf of Cheryl Korbel, the mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot dead in her Liverpool home in 2022. Continue reading...

Trans rights and gender-critical campaigners condemn decision after party told it risks legal challenge if event goes aheadLabour has cancelled its national women's conference and restricted all-women shortlists as it awaits full guidance from the equalities watchdog, drawing criticism from transgender rights and gender-critical campaigners.The party's governing body, the national executive committee (NEC), met on Tuesday to sign off plans to cancel the women's conference, which was due to take place before the party's annual conference in Liverpool in September. Continue reading...

George Simion claims presidential election rerun was subject to foreign interference, like last year's annulled ballotThe defeated ultranationalist candidate in Romania's presidential election rerun has said he will ask the country's top court to annul the vote on the same grounds - foreign interference - that led to the original ballot being cancelled last year.George Simion, who was defeated in Sunday's runoff by the liberal mayor of Bucharest, Nicuor Dan, said on Tuesday he would ask the constitutional court to void the ballot for the same reasons they annulled the elections" last year. Continue reading...

King Charles's sojourn will make it clear that Canada is not for sale now, is not for sale ever'King Charles's visit to Canada will reinforce" the country's sovereignty against threats from Donald Trump, the Canadian high commissioner in the UK has said.Ralph Goodale reiterated his country's independence as Charles and Camilla visited Canada House in central London on Tuesday ahead of their trip to Ottawa later this month. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary, David Lammy, condemns blocking of aid trucks and calls by Israeli ministers to purify Gaza'

Israeli strike on Khan Younis kills Ahmed al-Dali, 33, a father of four and member of Gaza Sunbirds cycling team

Foreign secretary tells parliament that the Israeli government's egregious actions and rhetoric' are isolating the country from its friends and partnersThe Scottish secretary has said the new UK-EU trade deal provides 12 years of certainty and stability" for the fishing industry, amid criticism from the industry that the government has made too large a concession to the EU on fishing rights.The Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) has described the deal as a horror show", but Ian Murray said: I don't agree with that."It gives 12 years of certainty and stability for the industry, it doesn't change any of the deal that was put in place in 2019, which is 25% more quotas for UK and Scottish trawlers and it gives wide access, of course to the new markets of the EU, in terms of pushing away all that red tape that was there before.Not one more fish will be taken out of Scottish waters by an EU trawler as part of this deal and that provides that stability and certainty.We should never trust Keir Starmer. You know, he's screwing things up domestically, so he gets on the international bandwagon.He's selling us out, not just on Brexit, but on Chagos and ... we're hearing all sorts of things about Gibraltar. We'll hold them to account on this. Where Labour negotiates, Britain always seem to lose. Continue reading...

Members of Clara Brugada's team shot dead by gunmen on motorcycle in brazen attack in central part of the cityThe personal secretary and an adviser to Mexico City's mayor have been shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle in a brazen daylight attack in a central part of the city.Mayor Clara Brugada called the murder of her personal secretary Ximena Guzman and adviser Jose Munoz a direct attack". Brugada said in a statement that the attack took place in the Moderna neighborhood.More details soon... Continue reading...

Kyra Hill died after getting into difficulties in lake in Berkshire, where there were no signs to warn of deep waterAn 11-year-old girl who drowned during a birthday party at a water park was a beautiful, beaming beacon of light", her father told an inquest where a coroner found she was unlawfully killed.Kyra Hill got into difficulty in a designated swimming area in a lake at Liquid Leisure near Windsor, in Berkshire, on 6 August 2022. On Tuesday the senior coroner Heidi Connor said there had been gross health and safety breaches at the park. Continue reading...

Union claims Epic Games replaced actors' work by using AI to generate Darth Vader's voice without noticeHollywood's actors' union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Epic Games on Monday, alleging the company replaced actors' work by using artificial intelligence to generate Darth Vader's voice in Fortnite without notice.The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said Llama Productions, a subsidiary of the gaming giant, failed and refused to bargain in good faith with the union" in the last six months. The company made unilateral changes to the terms and conditions of employment without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain" by using AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work, Sag-Aftra said. Epic Games did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...

Suspect, who died in explosion, left behind nihilistic writings that indicated views against procreationInvestigators are combing through the writings of the 25-year-old man believed responsible for an explosion that ripped through a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, over the weekend.The blast on Saturday gutted the American Reproductive Center, a fertility clinic in the desert city, and was powerful enough to leave the windows of nearby buildings along a palm tree-lined street shattered. None of the facility's embryos were damaged. Continue reading...

Bureau's office of internal auditing was set up to uncover misuses of Fisa surveillance during Trump's first term

Ukrainian president posts on social media after Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire in phone call with Trump

Court asks police to raid centre on outskirts of Las Palmas after extensive evidence and testimony' of alleged crimesA court in the Canary Islands has ordered the closure of a centre for unaccompanied migrant children, citing allegations that include physical abuse, hate crimes and threats.Police entered the centre on the outskirts of Las Palmas on Monday where 43 children were being housed. A court on the island - the first in Spain to specialise in violence against children and adolescents - said it had asked police to carry out the raid in light of the extensive evidence and testimony" of alleged crimes taking place in the centre. Continue reading...

China and Australia cut interest rates; Shell faces protests calling for clean-up in Niger DeltaHere's our full story on Greggs.Sales at Greggs have picked up after the UK's biggest bakery chain branched out into iced drinks, pizza boxes and a macaroni cheese that has gone viral on social media.These are important issues and we respect the right of people to express their view. But for many years the vast majority of spills in the Niger Delta have been caused by third parties acting unlawfully, such as oil thieves who drill holes in pipelines, or saboteurs.These challenges are managed by a joint venture which Shell's former Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC, operated, cleaning up every spill from the joint venture's facilities. Continue reading...