World news | The Guardian

Government may allow one adult to look after five two-year-olds in England, in effort to reduce costsMinisters have been accused of cutting corners and endangering children after the government confirmed it would consult on cutting childcare staffing ratios so that one adult can look after five two-year-olds.The education minister Will Quince announced that the government would consult on what he called “mirroring the Scottish model”, which allows a maximum of five two-year-olds, instead of four in England, to be cared for by one adult. Continue reading...

Landlords of Star Inn at Vogue says it ‘wouldn’t have taken five minutes’ to find out pub is named after hamletStanding seven storeys tall in Mayfair’s Hanover Square – a short walk from Savile Row, Oxford Street and Michelin-starred restaurants – there is little mistaking Vogue House for what it is: the home of the fashion bible’s British edition.However, a six-hour drive away, a pub in the Cornish countryside has become a site for concern for bosses at the fashion giant. Despite the pub having stood for hundreds of years, the landlords have been asked to rename it. Continue reading...

PM accused of ‘playing politics’ with children’s health after measures postponed due to cost of living crisisThe government is to delay a ban on “buy one get one free” deals on junk food and a pre-9pm watershed for TV advertising, as Boris Johnson puts the cost of living crisis before a promise to tackle the UK’s growing obesity problem.The prime minister is understood to have decided to delay the implementation of the policies by at least a year – and potentially scrap them altogether – after chairing a ministerial meeting seeking ideas to help alleviate the cost of living crisis on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Volunteers in Sloviansk – like the troops they support – make do with limited equipment as terrors of war draw closerThe call came at about midday on Wednesday. There had been “chemical poisoning” after a blast and patients needed collecting.Fears of a Russian chemical weapons attack have haunted Ukraine almost since the war began, and as the volunteer medics in Sloviansk pulled on the ageing gas masks and plastic overalls that were their only protection, they wondered if this was it. Continue reading...

Zaghari-Ratcliffe recalled ‘training journalists’ comment in meeting with Boris Johnson, says Tulip SiddiqNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has told Boris Johnson that for four years she lived in the shadow of his mistaken statement as foreign secretary that she had been in Iran to train journalists.Zaghari-Ratcliffe, released by Iran just over a month ago, told Johnson in a face-to-face meeting in Downing Street that his remarks had had a big impact on her life, according to Tulip Siddiq, her MP and close ally. Continue reading...

Colombian reggaeton star is latest to be hit by backlog in immigration system, made worse by Ukraine warThe hit Colombian singer J Balvin had to abandon recording sessions and filming in London with Ed Sheeran last month because his visa never arrived.The reggaeton star, who has sold 35m records worldwide, is the latest musician to be caught out by long delays at UK visas and immigration. Continue reading...

Factors from Brexit to lower production in China to war in Ukraine linked to issues with securing supplies of pool chemicalsA shortage of chlorine is forcing some public swimming pools to close, with operators blaming factors ranging from a production fall in China to Brexit and the war in Ukraine.Saxon Pool in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, has been closed to general swimmers since 6 May, with the operator and Central Bedfordshire council cancelling almost all sessions, apart from swimming lessons and a swimathon event. Continue reading...

Ken Murphy is awarded the highest annual bonus by the supermarket since 2016 amid bumper profitsTesco has been criticised for paying its chief executive £4.75m last year, including the highest annual bonus awarded by the supermarket since 2016, as families struggle with rising food costs.Ken Murphy’s package included a £3.21m bonus while the finance director, Imran Nawaz, earned a £1.24m bonus – taking his total to £5.4m for the year including a £3.5m “golden hello” relating to bonuses he lost out on leaving his former employer, Tate & Lyle. Continue reading...

Analysis: policy aims to save money, but also chimes with government’s suspicion of a public sector stuffed with pettifogging remainers

Lengthy background checks and a tight labour market are hampering the replacement of thousands of workers axed during CovidAre you unfazed by heights, able to swim, not visibly tattooed, either taller than 5 ft 2in or possessed of extraordinarily long arms, and able to survive on £16k basic a year? Then there is a pretty good chance an airline needs you.Cabin crew are just a few of the roles the aviation sector has been desperately trying to fill after the bounceback from Covid. Employees were axed en masse as the pandemic hit and flights were grounded, with British Airways alone shedding 10,000 people. Continue reading...

Turkish president says he is ‘following developments’ as two Nordic nations plan applicationsThe Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has cast doubt on Finnish and Swedish membership of Nato, saying he does not have a positive opinion on the two Nordic nations joining the military alliance after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.His remarks came as a Swedish parliamentary security review said membership would reduce the risk of conflict in northern Europe and a day after neighbouring Finland said it aimed to join the alliance. Continue reading...

UK says failed Russian crossing of river shows pressure on troops; first war crimes trial begins in Kyiv

Analysis: Labour did well in local elections and providing the leader avoids that FPN there may be opportunities aheadHours after he stepped off stage with his political future in the balance, Keir Starmer decompressed with some of his closest friends and advisers for beers and prosecco in the garden of his former chief of staff, Jenny Chapman.“He looked better than he had in ages,” one said. “Sometimes you just have to let go.” Continue reading...

Tory chair of Commons committee says government lacks will to foster fairer societyA group of MPs has accused the government of lacking the “will or care” to create a fairer and more equal society, after it rejected calls to force companies to reveal the pay gap between white employees and others.On Friday the government stated its intention to instead accept the recommendation of its controversial report on racial disparity, which was widely condemned by MPs, unions and equality campaigners as “divisive” and a missed opportunity for systematic change when it was published in March. Continue reading...

Artwork’s appearance fuels fears family will use return to power to further stifle efforts to recover ill-gotten wealthThe glimpse of a possible Picasso in the home of Imelda Marcos filmed during a visit by her son, Ferdinand Jr, after his election win has set off a flurry of speculation in the Philippines, where the family that once plundered billions is set to return to power.Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the late dictator, won a landslide victory in Monday’s presidential election, an outcome that has appalled those who survived his father’s regime. Continue reading...

TV images show Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Aqleh’s coffin falling as police grab Palestinian flags from crowdIsraeli forces have attacked a funeral procession for a Palestinian American journalist shot dead this week, kicking and hitting people with batons and causing mourners carrying her coffin to lose balance and drop it to the ground.Police said mourners were “disrupting public order”. Footage showed the coffin of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Aqleh on mourners’ shoulders outside St Joseph’s hospital in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem as police rushed in and attacked people, several of whom held Palestinian flags. The sound of a stun grenade could be heard. Continue reading...

Lawyer for the Phoenix Mercury center expects the case will be tried soon as the extension is relatively shortThe lawyer for American basketball star Brittney Griner said on Friday that her pre-trial detention in Russia has been extended by one month.Griner’s lawyer, Alexander Boikov, told the Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. Continue reading...

Liz Truss says move is aimed at exposing ‘shady network propping up Putin’s luxury lifestyle’

International law experts say ‘this is not an act of aggression and is in fact fairly standard activity for navies’The defence minister, Peter Dutton, has called the presence of a Chinese spy ship off the coast of Western Australia “an aggressive act” but his department was far more sober in its assessment and international law experts have poured cold water on the claim.It is not the first time such Chinese vessels have been in Australia’s exclusive economic zone. So, given we are a week out from an election and the Coalition wants the narrative refocused through a “we live in uncertain times” lens, let’s put the politics aside and step through the facts. Continue reading...

Mixing classical and urban styles, works reflect 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s cultural influenceCorgis and horses are out; tattoos and shades are in. Portraits of the Queen by 52 contemporary artists to mark her platinum jubilee depict the monarch in ways rarely seen since the days of the Sex Pistols.Among the works are Queen of the Hood, by ballpoint artist James Mylne, which shows a “majestic and stunning” young Elizabeth in regal Order of the Garter robes accessorised with designer sunglasses. Continue reading...

Members quit en masse over ‘arrogant’ handling of candidate selection processThe 16-strong executive of Wakefield constituency Labour party (CLP) has resigned en masse, accusing Keir Starmer of stitching up the selection of a candidate for the forthcoming byelection.Party members in Wakefield claim the leader’s office has failed to abide by Labour rules, by allowing the local party only one seat of five on the panels for longlisting and then shortlisting candidates. Continue reading...

Chancellor blames DWP computers that allow uplift only once a year, in claims labelled ‘pathetic’ by Jonathan AshworthRishi Sunak has claimed he was prevented from raising benefits more at the spring statement because of the old computer system used by the Department for Work and Pensions.Acknowledging that technical problems “sounds like an excuse”, the UK chancellor told Bloomberg he had discussed a higher rise than the 3.1% given across the board but was told there could be an uplift only once a year for people on some benefits. Continue reading...

Vardy tells ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial that paper fabricated elements of 2004 story about one-night standRebekah Vardy has claimed that quotes attributed to her by the News of the World in an interview about Peter Andre were made up by the tabloid newspaper.Vardy told the “Wagatha Christie” libel trial that the now defunct news outlet fabricated and exaggerated unspecified elements of her conversation. “There’s a lot of things that didn’t come out of my mouth, that were misrepresented,” she said. Continue reading...

Vadim Shysimarin accused of killing civilian on 28 February while fighting in Sumy region in north-east UkraineA Russian soldier has appeared in the dock at the start of the first war crime trial since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.The defendant, who arrived at Kyiv’s small district court No 3 in a grey tracksuit and handcuffs, is Vadim Shysimarin, a 21-year-old commander of the Kantemirovskaya tank division charged with murdering a 62-year-old man. He is being held in Ukrainian custody. Continue reading...

Scores wounded as violence paralyses Port-au-Prince forcing thousands to flee their homesNearly 150 people have been killed and scores wounded during gunfights between warring gangs in Haiti, as the latest surge of violence has paralysed much of the sprawling capital, Port-au-Prince.Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Thursday that it had treated more than 96 people with gunshot wounds in its medical facilities in Port-au-Prince since 24 April. Continue reading...

Former Brexit minister says UK ‘cannot be defeated’ by Brussels in provocative Telegraph column

Defence barrister tells defamation trial McLachlan had ‘tendency to get angry easily’

Grenoble mayor wants swimmers to dress ‘how they like’, including topless or in full-body suitsThe burkini, or full-body swimsuit, is once again at the centre of a political row in France as Grenoble’s town council prepares to debate loosening rules on swimwear at open-air pools.Rules on swimwear are strict at the majority of French public pools. For example, men must wear tight-fitting racing trunks and cannot wear longer board-shorts. Currently, in Grenoble municipal pools, UV-protective tops are banned, except short-sleeved tops for children under ten, or for adults who present a medical note from their doctor. Continue reading...

The man, who has been awaiting a Home Office decision for almost two years, says the anxiety has had a significant impact on his wellbeingA Syrian interpreter who has worked for the British government and the White Helmets has tried to kill himself after waiting nearly two years for a decision on his asylum claim.Ali [not his real name] worked as an interpreter and translator for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Istanbul, and for Mayday Rescue, a humanitarian organisation that supported the work of the White Helmets (officially known as the Syria Civil Defence) across Syria.In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here Continue reading...

Analysis: Queensland flash floods have cut off communities and killed one woman, swept away in her carTorrential rain has been hitting eastern Australia since Monday, with rainfall totals on the north-east coast widely achieving in excess of 100mm. In Yabulu, north of Townsville, there was major flooding on Tuesday as 196mm of rain fell within 24 hours. This was not the highest total recorded, however, with 244mm of rain falling on Tuesday at Mourilyan, near Innisfail on the Cassowary Coast.The threat of heavy rain sank south across Queensland to the south-east, reaching Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday; stations in the south-east recorded up to 100mm, with a station in Dayboro recording 161mm. A further 100-150mm of rain fell on Friday across the south-east. Continue reading...

Prime minister says ‘I haven’t got everything right’ as opposition leader urges ‘if you want change, change the government’

Tony Finn, who worked at West Yorkshire manufacturing firm for 24 years, is in line for compensationCalling a man “bald” is sexual harassment, an employment tribunal has ruled.Hair loss is much more prevalent among men than women so using it to describe someone is a form of discrimination, a judge has concluded. Commenting on a man’s baldness in the workplace is equivalent to remarking on the size of a woman’s breasts, the finding suggests. Continue reading...

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Paintings produced in collaboration with Ed Godrich are titled with ‘names that define the 1980s’Trish has never been seen in public before. Nor have Sharon, Janet, Debbie, Denise, Donna, Jacqui, Joanne, Kim, Lorraine, Mandy, Paula, Sandra or Tina.But for the next two weeks, these 14 artworks by the pop star Robbie Williams and his creative partner Ed Godrich will be on display at Sotheby’s in central London. Continue reading...

The former health minister from Labor’s left faction will succeed Michael Gunner following his surprise resignation this week

Paul Toole rejects claims in press reports premier Dominic Perrottet ignored calls from two senior ministers to implement reforms to counter organised crime

Former PM says Labour leader needs to win back remainers who voted Tory in 2019 electionTony Blair has urged Keir Starmer to reject “woke” politics and present a programme for government that is “radical without being dangerous”.A report published by the Tony Blair Institute analyses the impact of class on voting in the 2019 general election and beyond. Based on analysis by the veteran pollster Peter Kellner, it points to particular problems for Labour with two groups: the 26% of voters who fit into the formal definition of middle class; and the 12% who would be defined as working class by pollsters but consider themselves middle class. Continue reading...

Met Office is predicting high pollen levels across England and Wales and medium levels elsewhereWith high temperatures and high pollen levels forecast this weekend, millions of people with lung conditions or hay fever in the UK are being urged to take precautions.The Met Office is predicting high pollen levels across every area of England and Wales on Friday and Saturday, with medium levels in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland. Continue reading...

Labor-Greens majority committee accuses government of withholding information on scheme which caused ‘significant and widespread harm’

Inquest hears details of Indigenous woman’s calls for assistance on morning of her death

Coalition MP, who has been absent from the campaign, stars in three-minute video telling voters to ‘think carefully who you will vote for’

Hundreds of thousands of Russians opposed to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and alienated by pro-war sentiment are establishing a new life abroadIn the days after Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in late February, Vladimir Shurupov, a cardiologist from the Siberian city of Tomsk, felt he could not breathe properly. “I was having panic attacks, I could not eat or sleep. I just knew I had to remove myself from this place, from this atmosphere,” he said.Shurupov, 40, had been a quiet critic of Putin’s government for years, but he had never attended a protest of any kind, fearful of unwanted attention or arrest. When the war began, disgust with the regime combined with a fear he would be sent to the front. “If there was mobilisation, I would have been called up as a military doctor, and this is not a war I would be willing to fight in,” he said. Continue reading...

Regime has said it is imposing ‘maximum emergency measures’ and 187,800 people are being ‘isolated and treated’ after showing signs of feverNorth Korea has announced its first Covid-19 death amid an “explosive” outbreak of fever, state media said on Friday, one day after the regime admitted for the first time that it was tackling a coronavirus outbreak.The official KCNA news agency said six people had died, adding that one of them had tested positive for the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Continue reading...

The major landowner says it has been on the ‘other side of history’ and wants to honour treatyNew Zealand’s presbyterian church will offer any future land sales to Māori iwi first, as the institution reckons with its role in colonisation and land confiscations in Aotearoa.The institution is a significant landowner across the country, with more than $1.5bn in land assets and 400 properties. Their decision comes at a time of increasing scrutiny on the church and its role in the colonisation of New Zealand, including as a beneficiary of confiscated or stolen land. Continue reading...

ACL says photo of the independent MP for Mayo was publicly available online and it ‘has not been provided with any evidence’ that Sharkie owns the copyright

This live blog is now closed, we will be returning in a few hours to bring you all the latest developments.The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reiterated his government’s position that there can be no renormalisation of relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Reuters reports that asked on LBC radio whether Putin could be welcomed back on the global stage if he were to repent, Johnson said: “The short answer is no. No renormalisation and the UK is very clear about that.”Overnight the Ukrainian defence ministry published photos of what it said were destroyed Russian tanks and other equipment in the village of Bilohorivka, that had been struck when the Russians were attempting to construct a pontoon-bridge over the Siverskyi Donets river. The general staff of the Ukraine armed forces published the pictures again this morning on Facebook. Continue reading...

No one knows anything about the payout process (except when they do). Political editor Katharine Murphy walks through the saga

Residents in low-lying areas were told to leave early on Friday morning and almost 70 schools have been closed, with flash flooding and more heavy rain forecast across large parts of the state

Wallabies legend Tim Horan says announcement marks ‘most significant moment in Australian rugby history since winning the RWC in 1991’Australia will host the men’s 2027 and women’s 2029 Rugby World Cups in a game changer for the cash-strapped code down under.The World Rugby Council formally granted Australia staging rights for the two global showpieces following a final vote in Dublin on Thursday. Continue reading...