by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6B676)
Temporary pools will be placed at schools in areas where a large proportion of children are unable to swimOlympic swimmers including Adam Peaty, Ellie Simmonds and Matt Richards have launched a new pop-up pool programme at UK schools aimed at boosting low swimming attainment rates.Fully functioning temporary pools will be placed at schools in areas where a large proportion of children are unable to swim, starting in the Black Country in the West Midlands, one of the worst-affected areas in the country. Continue reading...
Court papers allege that Morgan, when he was NoW editor, and others knew about and concealed hacking of texts and phone callsPrince Harry has claimed Piers Morgan “knew about, encouraged and concealed” illegal targeting of Diana, Princess of Wales when he was editor of the News of the World.Harry alleges that his mother’s private text messages and phone calls were obtained by journalists working for Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid newspapers before she died, with the information used as the basis for multiple stories in the Sun and the News of the World.“Di’s cranky phone calls to married Oliver; She called 3 times in 9 minutes and hung up as she heard Oliver’s voice”, about Diana’s alleged relationship with the art dealer Oliver Hoare.“Di’s roam alone”, about Diana flying to the US on holiday and leaving behind princes William and Harry with other members of the royal family.“Di and Fergie bury the hatchet”, about a private meeting between Diana and the Duchess of York.“It’s Diana or me; Di: Will’s my dear friend – not my lover; Carling sneaked into palace when boys went out”, about Diana’s alleged relationship with the England rugby player Will Carling.“Di’s VJ Day fury over Tiggy”, about a supposed dispute between Diana and the royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke. Continue reading...
PM says ‘trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward’ in response to Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-AddyRishi Sunak has refused to apologise for the UK’s role in the slave trade or to commit to paying reparations.The prime minister was challenged in the Commons by the Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who said former prime ministers and heads of state had “only ever expressed sorrow or deep regret”, since the late MP Bernie Grant first asked the government for an apology 23 years ago. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6B62C)
London police commissioner accused of bungling job and not being ‘very honest’ at committee sessionA senior Conservative attacked the honesty and competence of the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, in furious scenes at a Commons committee, with the police chief denouncing the “pillorying” of his force.Lee Anderson MP, the deputy chair of the Tory party, accused Rowley of not being “very honest” and claimed he was bungling his job. Continue reading...
Much-delayed white paper expected to put most controversial measures out to further consultationOnline casinos will face tougher restrictions under government proposals to overhaul Britain’s gambling laws but the majority of measures will be subject to further consultation, signalling even more delay to long-awaited changes.A white paper, the result of a review launched in 2020, is due to be published on Thursday, after being postponed multiple times.A 1% mandatory levy on industry revenuesOnline slot machine stakes limited to between £2 and £15Measures to slow down online casino gamesLooser restrictions for land-based casinosGovernment-run safer gambling campaigns Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Political correspondent on (#6B607)
North West Leicestershire MP has sat as independent since losing Tory whip after comparing use of Covid jabs to HolocaustAndrew Bridgen, the formerly Conservative MP who lost the Tory whip after comparing the use of Covid vaccines to the Holocaust, has been expelled permanently from the party.Bridgen, who has been in parliament since 2010, has sat as an independent since his much-condemned vaccine comment in January, which followed an apparent embrace of wider Covid conspiracy theories by the North West Leicestershire MP. Continue reading...
Party vice-president says gesture demonstrates commitment to building good relations and advancing peace• UK politics live – latest updatesSinn Féin’s vice-president, Michelle O’Neill, is to attend the coronation of King Charles, marking another step away from the party’s strict Irish republican heritage.O’Neill said on Wednesday that she had accepted an invitation to attend the 6 May ceremony in London in order to further peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Continue reading...
Paul Russell, of West Derby, Liverpool, admitted driving Cashman after he fatally shot nine-year-oldA man has been jailed for 22 months for helping the convicted murderer Thomas Cashman after he fatally shot nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.Paul Russell, of West Derby, Liverpool, admitted driving Cashman from an address and disposing of his clothing in the aftermath of Olivia’s shooting, which happened at about 10pm on 22 August last year when the gunman chased the convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee into the family home in Kingsheath Avenue, firing through the door and also injuring her mother, Cheryl Korbel. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6B5Y4)
Proposals are ‘unsafe’, ‘a recipe for disaster’ and may worsen industrial relations and passenger outcomes, MPs toldPlans for minimum service levels during rail strikes could worsen industrial relations and outcomes for passengers, train operators have told MPs, while unions said the proposed laws were a “recipe for disaster”.Legislation that would force some staff to work during strikes is going through parliament, sponsored by the business secretary, Grant Shapps. Continue reading...
The award-winning director who was released from prison in February is rumoured to be a juror at the Cannes film festivalJafar Panahi, the acclaimed Iranian director whose life has been dominated by clashes with his country’s government, has left Iran for the first time in 14 years.Panahi’s wife, Tahereh Saeedi, posted a picture on Instagram on Tuesday night showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport. Continue reading...
Frankfurt judges said people would have to lean far out of window to see naked sunbathing in courtyardA German court has said that a landlord sunbathing naked in the courtyard of his building was not a reason for his tenants to reduce their rental payments.The case involved a building in an upmarket residential district of Frankfurt, which included an office floor rented by a human resources company. The company withheld rent because it objected, among other things, to the landlord’s naked sunbathing. In response, the landlord sued. Continue reading...
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...
by Helen Davidson in Taipei and Chi Hui Lin on (#6B5T4)
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...
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?
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...
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...
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...
by Beatriz Ramalho da Silva, Hélen Freitas and Tom L on (#6B4C3)
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...
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