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Reigate MP was recently criticised for defending Imran Ahmad Khan after sexual assault convictionThe Conservative MP Crispin Blunt has announced he will stand down at the next general election.In a statement posted on his website, he said that after “seven increasingly tumultuous parliaments, this will be my last”. Continue reading...

Change to controversial legislation will allow Ukraine refugees to move into housing emptied of ‘non-westerners’

As English language remake of Call My Agent! launches, a former insider describes what life at a talent agency is really likeTen Percent, the English language remake of French smash hit Call My Agent!, premiered on Prime Video this week after months of anticipation.Taking its cue from the original, it’s full of storylines about agents dealing with needy, fragile and often narcissistic clients, as well as cameos from the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Dominic West, Himesh Patel and David Harewood. Though much of the plot remains the same, the quirky French mannerisms are replaced with a stuffy British way of doing things. “If Ten Percent seems, on occasion, too deferential to the showbiz world, this is its luvviest concession,” a Guardian review said.Everyone in my office who I spoke to and agents that I admired and got on with who watched the show found it very funny and related to it a lot.The themes of it are very on point. The show captured the sense of what those relationships between agent and client are like and how toxic they can become because of the lack of regulation, the power dynamics and the strange egos that coexist within our strange world of celebrity. Continue reading...

Labour determined to win back former strongholds in polls in which 16- and 17-year-olds can vote for first timeHuw Thomas, a 70-year-old retired police officer from Bridgend, has backed the Conservatives his whole life. But not this week. “I’m voting Labour for the first time ever,” he said. “Every time I see Boris the buffoon, it makes me more sure. He’s lied and lied. He expressed shock that parties took place at Downing Street, then it turns out he was there. He’s laughing at us. That’s it for me.”It is the sort of view that cheers Labour activists in south Wales, for whom Bridgend county borough council is a key target in this week’s local elections. In 2017, the party lost more than 100 councillors across Wales and overall control of what were once seen as strongholds such as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent. To make matters worse, Labour lost Bridgend to the Tories in the 2019 parliamentary election. This time they are determined to claw the losses back. Continue reading...

Former prosecutor for north-west England, Nazir Afzal, critical of police handling of alleged Covid rule breachesPartygate could have been avoided if the police had properly investigated alleged lockdown breaches by Dominic Cummings, a former regional chief prosecutor has claimed.Nazir Afzal, the crown prosecutor for north-west England until 2015, also expressed exasperation at fresh revelations about the way Durham police looked into Cummings’s journeys to Durham and Barnard Castle after they were exposed by the Guardian and the Mirror in May 2020. Continue reading...

Analysis: Thousands of people have already been evacuated from New Mexico, and a low-pressure trough in the Rockies will not helpA critical fire risk has been put in place for south-western parts of the US this week. An upper-level trough of low pressure will deepen across the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday, which will cause surface pressure to fall. That means that surface winds across Arizona and New Mexico will pick up even more. These areas are currently experiencing a mere 5-15% relative humidity, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has deemed critical in exacerbating wildfire risk. Yet more dry, westerly winds will continue to affect these areas through this week, bringing further fire concern.This is not the first time that these areas have been affected by wildfires recently. New Mexico has already seen fires cover more than 39,000 hectares (97,000 acres) since mid-April, with thousands of people already evacuated. As a result, more than 950 firefighters have been deployed in these regions already. Continue reading...

Prime minister previously suggested shared equity schemes could reduce mortgage stress or upfront cost of buying a house

Child found safe and unharmed wandering in pyjamas and bare feet after abandoning car in UtrechtA “highly enterprising” four-year-old boy was reunited with his parents unscathed after grabbing his mother’s keys and taking her car for an early-morning drive through the streets of Utrecht in the Netherlands, police have said.The boy, in pyjamas and bare feet, was spotted wandering on a street in the city’s Overvecht district early on Saturday morning by bystanders who called emergency services, the North Utrecht police force said on its Instagram account. Continue reading...

Channel Seven to host final debate of election campaign; crossbenchers back call for royal commission into robodebt scandal; Scott Morrison focuses on cost of living concerns; Anthony Albanese marches for May Day in Brisbane; Sally McManus would support wage increase for public sector workers; 13 Covid deaths recorded across the nation. This blog is now closed

Dozens of seats going uncontested as candidates step down due to ‘truly toxic’ environmentMore must be done to protect councillors from abuse, according to local government bodies, as those on the frontline of local democracy describe a “truly toxic” political environment where online aggression spills over into real-life behaviour.Candidates for council elections on Thursday across the UK have shared their experiences of escalating hostility as the chair of the Local Government Association (LGA), councillorJames Jamieson, warned that “an increasing number … are being subjected to abuse, threats and intimidation both online and in-person, undermining the principles of free speech, democratic engagement and debate”. Continue reading...

Announcement that the show will end at London’s Gillian Lynne theatre in June comes as a shock, with those who had been due to join the production expressing heartacheThe curtain is to come down on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new West End musical Cinderella, just under a year after opening, with its final performance set for 12 June.In a statement released on Sunday by Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, the composer said “mounting a new show in the midst of Covid has been an unbelievable challenge” and that a new production of Cinderella is to open on Broadway in 2023. Continue reading...

Construction company confirms work has begun to knock down the two-storey house in south-east Melbourne

New centre in city’s west will bridge ‘really big’ gap between public and private care and must have ongoing funding, medical association says

Family members give victim statements in court, saying 34 years on from Johnson’s death, grief ‘never goes away’

University will host major survey of Robert Blomfield’s shots of student life in 1950s and 60sPreviously unseen work by a photographer who captured life in Edinburgh and has been compared to the great Henri Cartier-Bresson is to go on display at an exhibition in the city where he lived and worked.Robert Blomfield moved to Edinburgh from Yorkshire and studied medicine in the city while living a second life as a pioneering street photographer who shifted between shooting university students, locals and the landscape of the Scottish capital. Continue reading...

First copy of the 1631 bible, which mistakenly reads ‘thou shalt commit adultery’, to be found in the southern hemisphereAn extremely rare medieval bible famous for an unfortunate error that encourages adultery has been discovered in New Zealand.The 1631 “Wicked” Bible, as it has become known, omits the word “not” from its seventh commandment, informing readers “thou shalt commit adultery”. One thousand copies of the text, which also came to be known as the Adulterous or Sinners’ Bible, were printed, with the error only discovered a year later. Continue reading...

Louisiana college student found hidden audio recording device and told police she feared musician planted it thereThree years ago, Laine Hardy tasted superstardom by winning American Idol. Last week, the 21-year-old landed in the headlines for a different reason.A college student in Hardy’s home state, Louisiana, looked under her dormitory bed, found a hidden audio recording device and told police she feared the musician planted it there. Continue reading...

Experts call on ministers to tackle chronic staff shortages, with delays worsened by pandemicTens of thousands of patients are still waiting to start cancer treatment in England due to disruption during the pandemic, according to NHS figures, as medical charities called on the government to tackle chronic staff shortages in the health service.Following a dramatic slump in cancer referrals in 2020, the number of people being investigated for the disease bounced back in the past year, data from NHS England and NHS Improvement show, rising from 2.4 million to a record 2.66 million. Continue reading...

The education secretary pledges support for 40% of schools struggling to use post-Covid education recovery schemeThe education secretary will write to schools this week to urge them to use the government’s flagship national tutoring programme (NTP), which has been criticised for failing to help disadvantaged pupils.The department for education (DfE) also announced it would publish data showing how each school is using the programme, and that this would be shared with Ofsted. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war in our new live blogGerman chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected criticism of Germany’s reluctance to send heavy weapons to Ukraine.He said it was untrue that Germany was not showing leadership in attempts to supply the country. Continue reading...

Ukrainian expat raises money to rescue last 12 residents of hospice in Chasiv Yar on frontline of Russian invasion

Australia’s peak body for GPs says there is a lack of awareness about treatments, which if taken early can prevent severe disease

Victoria’s budget will include ways to relieve financial stress on households, along with health funding ‘centrepiece’

Labor leader refuses to make any funding promises despite push from premiers to permanently lift commonwealth’s funding guarantee to a 50-50 split

Researchers say natural spaces are worth £25.6bn a year and warn against cuts to councils’ green space budgetsThe nation’s green spaces are worth £25.6bn in “welfare value” a year, according to a new study.Scientists have said this flies in the face of decisions by councils to cut nature areas. Continue reading...

Lincolnshire police treating deaths at house in George Street as unexplainedA man and a woman have been found dead at a house in Sleaford.Lincolnshire police have launched an investigation into the two deaths, which the force says are being treated as unexplained. Continue reading...

Inquiry says South Africa’s ruling ANC ‘should be ashamed’ by alleged efforts to steal vast sumsJacob Zuma has been accused of systematic and “unlawful” efforts to give business allies control of billions of dollars worth of state assets, by the judge charged with investigating wrongdoing during the former president’s years in power in South Africa.Raymond Zondo, who was appointed in 2018 to lead an inquiry into allegations of systematic corruption under Zuma’s rule, handed his latest report to the current president, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Friday. Continue reading...

Women’s safety campaigners among thousands on Germany’s streets in annual labour day marches.A feminist march on the eve of May Day, known as Walpurgnisnacht, when witches traditionally meet, kicked off May Day demonstrations in Berlin, with a group of around 2,500 ”Take back the night”.The demonstration, described as lively and initially peaceful, was aimed at reconquering the night for women, lesbians, intersex and transgender people, according to the organisers. Accompanied by a large police presence, it concentrated on the northern and central Prenzlauerberg and Mitte districts of Berlin. But police intervened to stop the march after some participants set fire to coloured flares and bottles were thrown. Continue reading...

UK government faces growing pressure to tackle sexual misconduct in Westminster as Kwasi Kwarteng rejects idea of inherent sexismThe government faces intense pressure from its own MPs and opposition parties to take action over misogyny and harassment in Westminster after a senior minister denied institutional problems, saying the problem was simply “some bad apples”.A day after the Conservative MP Neil Parish resigned for watching pornography in the Commons, and as yet more allegations emerged about seemingly endemic sexual misconduct, a Tory ex-minister said Kwasi Kwarteng’s comments “dismissed and belittled” the experiences of female MPs. Continue reading...

Compatriots remember the tennis player’s iconic momentsThe imprisonment in a London jail of tennis legend Boris Becker for bankruptcy offences has triggered an outpouring of shock and disappointment in his native Germany, where he was once hailed as a national hero.One former fan spoke for many when he said: “He made mistakes for which he’s rightly being punished. But maybe he’ll get up again one day, just like Becker, the tennis player, so often did.” Continue reading...

The Judds and Ray Charles among inductees in Nashville a day after singer dies at 76The Country Music Hall of Fame was set to induct The Judds on Sunday night, despite the death of Naomi Judd on Saturday.The hall said it would continue with the ceremony at the request of Judd’s family, but would do so with “heavy hearts and weighted minds”, according to its chief executive, Kyle Young. Continue reading...

Patients struggle to get treatment as report says health service has lowest number of dentists for a decade“Dental deserts” are emerging across England after more than 2,000 dentists quit the NHS last year, leaving millions of people struggling to get checkups or have toothaches fixed, a new report reveals.The exodus is exacerbating a crisis that has seen patients battle to get dental treatment because so few dental surgeries will see them as NHS patients. Continue reading...

Officers found body in Forest of Bowland on Friday night and determined head injuries as cause of deathA body found in a Lancashire forest has been identified as missing 33-year-old Katie Kenyon, police have confirmed.Lancashire constabulary said a postmortem examination found that she had died as a result of head injuries. Continue reading...

US social media researcher says authentic-seeming accounts have hundreds of thousands of followers

Officials say man in hiding who helped prosecute terrorists does not meet relocation criteria, despite high court ruling in his favourA senior judge who prosecuted terrorists and is now in hiding in Afghanistan feels “heartbroken, abandoned and backstabbed” by the British government for refusing to bring him to safety despite a high court ruling in his favour.The high-profile judge, whom the Guardian is not naming for his safety, also received strong support from two former independent reviewers of terrorism legislation. Continue reading...

Government sources play down idea of cabinet split as business secretary quashes idea recently mooted by chancellorGovernment sources have played down the idea of a cabinet split over a possible windfall tax on energy companies as the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, firmly quashed the idea, days after it was mooted by the chancellor.In a search for solutions to a crisis over energy prices, and the cost of living more widely, Rishi Sunak said a windfall tax, as advocated by Labour, was possible if energy companies did not properly reinvest bumper profits. Continue reading...

More than 95,000 sign petition urging the release of geologist Jim Fitton, detained over artefact smuggling allegationsMinisters are under increasing pressure to help free a retired British geologist at risk of facing the death penalty in Iraq over smuggling allegations.A petition urging the release of father-of-two Jim Fitton, 66, has received more than 95,000 signatures in the three days since it was launched. Continue reading...

The TV couple are to appear in Australia’s long-running soap opera as production ends after 37 yearsThey were one of television’s most popular couples, and now they’re getting back together, especially for you – or at least for viewers of Neighbours. Scott and Charlene, played by Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue, will return after more than 30 years for the show’s finale.Jason Herbison, executive producer of the Australian soap, said the pair were “the ultimate Neighbours couple and it would not feel right to end the show without them”. Continue reading...

Fee-for-service funding model cannot keep up with cost of complex primary care needs, community organisations say

More than a month after homes were destroyed by the deluge, thousands of northern rivers’ residents still struggle to find secure accommodationFlood victims in New South Wales’ northern rivers say they are still struggling to find accommodation, as some are kicked out of caravan parks to make way for tourists.Linda Barney, 69, and her husband, Bob, lost everything in the floods. Their house in Coraki is destroyed and they are not sure when they will be able to return to it. Continue reading...

Opponents say preference decision is a strategic move that could alienate moderate voters within the party

Standards committee report calls for reforms to all-party parliamentary groups to avert ‘next great parliamentary scandal’Hostile foreign states and others pose a “real risk” of gaining access and wielding influence through all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs), the Commons standards committee has warned.Calling for reforms to avert what it described as the “next great parliamentary scandal”, the committee also voiced concerns that a dramatic rise in the number of the informal cross-party groups also risks “inappropriate influence and access” because they are so difficult to monitor. Continue reading...

Russia turns off the gas, fears Moldova could be pulled into the war, and on the ground in Zaporizhzhia

Analysis: In the days before last year’s budget, $4.2bn in commitments were announced. Just $277m has been announced ahead of Tuesday’s

Anto and Samsul Bahar were 15 when they were jailed in a maximum security facility in Western Australia

In a further twist the islands’ premier has been arrested in a Miami sting operation on suspicion of drug traffickingBritain is poised to impose a form of direct rule over the British Virgin Islands after the Caribbean territory’s premier was arrested in Miami on suspicion of drug running, and a UK-appointed commission of inquiry found rampant failings in governance.Andrew Fahie was due to appear in court in Miami on Friday, a day after he was arrested by the US Drug Enforcement Agency in an elaborate sting operation that also snared the chief executive of the BVI port authority and her son. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more about Neil Parish and the investigation into whether he watched pornography in the Commons hereStudents of newspaper hyperbole will be reading with admiration today the Daily Mail’s “damning six-page dossier” about Labour and lockdown breaches. For obvious reasons, the Conservatives are keen to suggest that Boris Johnson was not the only senior politician to have broken Covid rules (although he and Rishi Sunak are the only ones to have been fined by the police) and today the Mail has gone in all guns blazing with a report implying Keir Starmer’s attacks on Boris Johnson over Partygate have been hypocritical.The main story focuses on the incident where Starmer was photographed drinking beer in an office with Labour staffers when they were campaigning in the run-up to the Hartlepool byelection in April 2021. Starmer says they were just having a meal break, the Durham police has said no Covid rules were broken.Keir Starmer was in the workplace, meeting a local MP in her constituency office and participating in an online Labour party event. They paused for food as the meeting was during the evening. No rules were broken.There is simply no comparison between standing in a kitchen having something to eat between meetings, with multiple, flagrant rule-breaking drinks parties at the heart of government, dismissed by lies at the despatch box and resulting in an apology to the Queen.There is little credibility in any argument that the UK government either did not anticipate the implications of what it had agreed, or was constrained and unable to choose any other option.The facts and choices had been spelt out clearly over the whole period from 2016 onwards and the detail of the provisions (notably most of the applicable EU law contained in annex 2 to the protocol) were known at latest in autumn 2018. Continue reading...

Group controlled by Mike Ashley blames logjam in audit industry but expects pre-tax profits between £300m and £350mFrasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct, House of Fraser and Flannels, has delayed publication of its full annual results for the third time in four years, blaming a logjam in the audit industry.The group, which is controlled by Mike Ashley, said full results would be delayed by at least a month as “the timing of the acquisition and resource constraints within the audit industry as a whole”, meant it could not include figures for its newly acquired business, Studio Retail, until September. Continue reading...

City council is reportedly preparing materials to initiate criminal proceedings over mass cultural looting

Strong first-quarter results come as group warns of ‘uncertain’ economy because of cost of living crisisNatWest has reported a 40% jump in first-quarter profits but warned about the UK’s “uncertain” economy amid the cost of living crisis, saying it had referred more than 2,000 customers to debt experts at Citizens Advice.The banking group – formerly known as Royal Bank of Scotland – beat expectations after reporting a jump in pre-tax profits to £1.2bn compared with £885m a year earlier. That was compared with analyst forecasts of a 15% drop in profits to £755m. Continue reading...