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Coalition of NGOs says governments knew about Youpla’s misleading conduct for decades and ‘did nothing to prevent it’

Latest updates: Labour’s leader says his party has a ‘laser-like focus on the cost of living’

Rhythm guitarist announces break from live music and start of course of treatmentPaul Arthurs, the rhythm guitarist with Oasis known as Bonehead, has been diagnosed with tonsil cancer.He wrote on Twitter: “Just to let you all know I’m going to be taking a break from playing for a while. I have been diagnosed with tonsil cancer. But the good news is it’s treatable and I will be starting a course of treatment soon. I will keep you posted how it is going.” Continue reading...

Defence minister tells meeting of military leaders that government has agreed to sign off delivery

Analysis: Review of Child AU case is clear on the shortcomings of the professionals and services involved

Letter signed by former diplomats says Iran close to developing nuclear weapons capabilityLeading former diplomats including seven ex-UK foreign and defence ministers have warned the Iran nuclear talks are heading to “corrosive stalemate devolving into a cycle of increased nuclear tension” and urged Tehran and Washington to show more flexibility.Year-long talks in Vienna on reviving the deal and for the US, which was pulled out of the agreement by Donald Trump, to lift sanctions on Iran have effectively ground to a halt in a dispute over whether the west will lift the foreign terrorist organisation designation, and sanctions, against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Continue reading...

President says institution has ‘helped to perpetuate racial oppression and exploitation’ as it establishes endowment fundHarvard University is setting aside $100m for an endowment fund and other measures to close the educational, social and economic gaps that are legacies of slavery and racism, according to an email the university’s president sent to all students, faculty and staff on Tuesday.The email from Harvard’s president, Lawrence Bacow, included a link to a 100-page report by his university’s 14-member committee on Harvard and the legacy of slavery and acknowledged that the elite institution “helped to perpetuate … racial oppression and exploitation”. Continue reading...

Respondents in Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia want measures to protect press freedomMore than half of people in four former communist central European counties fear media freedom is in danger, with significant majorities wanting government or EU measures to protect it, according to a survey.The findings, from respondents in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, are revealed in what is purportedly the biggest opinion study on the issue conducted in the “Visegrád countries”. They will form part of the consultation process for a press freedom bill under preparation by the European Commission. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Women forced to turn to black market or share drugs as concerns rise over mental and physical impactThe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) supply crisis must be resolved quickly because “so many women” are experiencing distress and some are risking serious side effects by using medication prescribed to others, the UK’s most senior GP has warned.There have been acute shortages of some HRT products, which are used by about 1 million women in the UK to treat symptoms of the menopause. Some women have turned to the black market or are meeting up with other women in carparks to buy, swap or share medicines. Continue reading...

Imran Ahmad Khan advised government on child sexual exploitation while under police cautionAn MP found guilty this month of molesting a 15-year-old boy advised the government on child sexual exploitation while under police caution, the Guardian can disclose.Imran Ahmad Khan, the then Conservative MP for Wakefield, joined an expert panel offering advice on grooming gangs and went on to contribute to a policy paper entitled “Group-based child sexual exploitation characteristics of offending”. Continue reading...

Victims named as Dolet Hill; her partner, Denton Burke; daughter Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, and granddaughter Samantha DrummondsThe four people stabbed to death in a house in south-east London have been formally identified by police.Denton Burke, 58, and his partner, a retired NHS worker, Dolet Hill, 64, were killed at their home in Delaford Road, Bermondsey, on Monday. Hill’s daughter, Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, also known as Rachquel, who lived in Kennington, and Ofori-Akuffo’s daughter, Samantha Drummonds, 27, who lived in Forest Hill, also died. Continue reading...

Theft from Leeds Bridge of memorial to British-Nigerian man who drowned in river in 1969 treated as hate crimeDetectives have launched a hate crime investigation after a blue plaque commemorating David Oluwale, a British-Nigerian man who died in 1969 after being harassed by police, was stolen within hours after being unveiled on Leeds Bridge.An event to mark the installation of the plaque, attended by the leader of Leeds city council, was held between 5pm and 7pm on Monday and by 10pm it had been taken. The theft followed racist graffiti being daubed on the office of Leeds Civic Trust – which installs blue plaques in the city – on Sunday night. Continue reading...

Cost to economy invoked in response to widely backed campaign to make day more than just a jubilee one-offMinisters appear unlikely to make the forthcoming extra bank holiday in honour of the Queen’s platinum jubilee permanent, as Downing Street poured cold water on the plans and stressed the high cost to the economy of such a move.Business leaders – including Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden and ITV chief executive, Carolyn McCall – had launched a campaign calling for the government to consider the wider benefits of turning next month’s additional public holiday into an annual fixture. Continue reading...

Ukrainian coroners and morgue staff are struggling to keep up with the number of casualties, bodies piled in refrigerated trucks

Oscar-winning actor hits back at critics over negative reviews of her performance as Michelle Obama in drama series The First LadyViola Davis has responded to widespread criticism of her latest performance by stating that critics “serve no purpose”.The Oscar-winning actor has received negative feedback from both critics and on social media for playing Michelle Obama in the Showtime series The First Lady. In an interview with the BBC, Davis called the response “incredibly hurtful”. Continue reading...

Baloch Liberation Army claims responsibility saying it was the first such attach by a female assailantA suicide bomber from a Pakistani separatist group has killed four people, including three Chinese nationals, in an attack on a minibus carrying staff from the Confucius Institute at Karachi University.The Baloch Liberation Army – one of several groups fighting for independence in Pakistan’s biggest province – claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s bombing, saying it was the first suicide attack by a female assailant. Continue reading...

Concerns about bullying, homophobia and hate crime revealed in latest five-yearly reportLife for LGBT+ young people in Scotland is “worse now than it has been for a long time”, according to a report which highlights growing concerns about homophobia in public spaces, bullying in schools and transphobic media coverage.The five-yearly report from the campaigning and advocacy group LGBT Youth Scotland found a sharp decrease in respondents who believe that Scotland is a good place for LGBTI young people to live, falling from 81% in 2017 to 65% in 2022 and the first drop in the figure for 15 years. Continue reading...

Huge rise in bills will mean colder pools and higher prices, even with government help, say campaignersHeating bill increases of up to 150% will lead to the widespread closures of UK swimming pools without an emergency government bailout, ministers have been told.Campaigners say that even if financial help is provided, swimmers will have to accept colder pools and higher prices. Continue reading...

Ruling means planemaker is free to market small jets elsewhere, but wider dispute continuesThe UK’s high court has denied a request by Qatar Airways to force Airbus to keep building A321neo jetliners for the airline as part of a wider public $1bn (£786m) bust-up that has implications for other future multibillion-dollar jet deals.The preliminary ruling by a UK judge means the European plane manufacturer is free to market the popular smaller jets to other carriers, while the two sides remain locked in a separate disagreement over the safety of larger A350 jets. Continue reading...

Northamptonshire safeguarding report criticises care of child during months before she was hospitalised with fractureSocial workers failed to act to protect a vulnerable toddler less than three weeks before she was hospitalised with a broken arm, despite warnings that she was neglected and at risk of harm, an inquiry report has concluded.A review found health visitors and social workers repeatedly delayed intervening over months of mounting evidence that the girl was experiencing physical and emotional trauma and her parents were failing dismally to care for her. Continue reading...

Dismayed commuters who rely on service linking Bromsgrove and Birmingham say move is prematureA 108-year-old bus service linking Bromsgrove and Birmingham is to be axed because so many people are now working from home, a transport boss has said.The 144 service, which has run between Worcester, Bromsgrove and Birmingham since 1914, is being cut back at the end of April. The service will now run just between Worcester and Bromsgrove, which is 13 miles outside Birmingham. Continue reading...

Images show woman who looks like smuggler known as ‘Godmother of the Coke’ who disappeared in 2019Photographs found on a phone showing the torture of a woman believed to be a Moroccan-Dutch drug smuggler nicknamed the “Godmother of the Coke” have been added to the prosecution’s evidence against a suspected drug kingpin in his trial in Amsterdam for multiple murders.Three disturbing images of a woman who bears a close resemblance to Naima Jillal, who disappeared in 2019, were reportedly found on a BlackBerry when Ridouan Taghi was arrested three years ago in Dubai. Continue reading...

Melbourne coroner’s court hears audio of the 37-year-old Yorta Yorta woman screaming in pain in her prison cell

Wartime emperor removed from video on Russia’s invasion, which also featured Hitler and Mussolini, after angry reaction from Japan

Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas received overseas trips in exchange for favourable council decisions, watchdog told

Actor apologises for falsely suggesting politician Philip Proudfoot had ‘Jew block list’ on TwitterThe actor Tracy-Ann Oberman has apologised and paid “substantial damages” to a politician and academic who she falsely accused of antisemitism.Oberman, whose credits include EastEnders, Friday Night Dinner, It’s A Sin and Ridley Road and who appeared on Celebrity Bake-Off last week, tweeted that Dr Philip Proudfoot, the founder of the Northern Independence party (NIP), had a “Jew block list”. Continue reading...

Bank puts aside £504m to cover unpaid loans as customers miss payments due to cost of living crisisProfits at HSBC tumbled nearly 30% in the first quarter due to fears of a surge in defaults linked to inflation and the “devastating consequences” of the war in Ukraine.The London-headquartered bank said profits fell to $4.2bn (£3.3bn) from $5.8bn a year ago, as it put aside $642m to cover potential defaults on loans in the first three months of the year. Continue reading...

Data relating to about 120 army recruits was offered for sale on the dark webBritain’s computerised army recruitment system has been closed for most of the war in Ukraine after candidate data was compromised in a possible hack, prompting alarmed officials to suspend its operations.The enrolment portal has been offline since mid-March, when it was shut as a precaution when data relating to an estimated 120 army recruits was discovered being offered for sale on the dark web. Continue reading...

Investigation underway to find cause of death of two female and one male tiger in East Aceh, caught in traps often used to catch wild boarThree endangered Sumatran tigers have been found dead after being caught in traps on Indonesia’s Sumatra island.One female tiger was found dead, her head almost severed and a snare still stuck in her leg, near a palm oil plantation in Indonesia’s East Aceh district on Sunday. Five hundred metres away, the bodies of a male and female tiger were also found, both with leg injuries, according to local police chief Hendra Sukmana. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war in our new live blogThe visit of US secretary of state Antony Blinken and US defence secretary Lloyd Austin to Kyiv had been kept tightly under wraps in advance for security reasons. Some images from the meeting have been sent to us via the newswires.The US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has just been speaking to the media at the Poland-Ukraine border. He has been meeting officials from Ukraine. He told reporters:Our focus in the meeting was to talk about those things that would enable us to win the current battle and also build for tomorrow. We talked about security force assistance. And we talked about training. Continue reading...

Ensemble that includes refugees and Ukrainian members of European orchestras to play in opening week

More than one in three secondary school leaders quit at some point in five years after their appointmentThe number of school leaders under the age of 50 who quit their jobs within five years of being appointed has gone up, according to as yet unpublished government data uncovered by a freedom of information (FoI) request.More than one in three secondary school leaders in England and one in four primary school leaders left at some point in the five years after their appointment in 2015, the official Department for Education (DfE) statistics showed. Continue reading...

Home affairs committee calls for urgent improvements in reporting, investigating and prosecuting of spiking incidentsThe true prevalence of drink and needle spiking remains unknown because of inadequate data collection, MPs have warned, after hearing of victims dismissed as having had “one too many”.Describing spiking as a “heinous crime”, the home affairs select committee called for urgent improvements in reporting, investigating and prosecuting spiking incidents. Continue reading...

Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink warns security pact presents ‘potential regional security implications’One of the most senior US officials in the Pacific has refused to rule out military action against Solomon Islands if it were to allow China to establish a military base there, saying that the security deal between the countries presented “potential regional security implications” for the US and other allies.Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was part of a high-level US delegation to the Pacific country last week. Continue reading...

The ride share company admitted engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct after an investigation by the competition watchdog

Six teens lured to crew boats from their impoverished villages repeatedly told officials they were children – 12 years on, a court has finally believed them

Amber Haigh was living with her six-month-old son in Kingsvale, south-west of Sydney, when she vanished in June 2002

Prevent has been criticised for discriminating against people of Muslim faith or backgroundsDavid Cameron and a right-leaning thinktank have warned the government to defend its flagship counter-extremism strategy from criticisms or risk enabling terrorism.In a controversial report from Policy Exchange, the former prime minister has demanded a robust defence of the Prevent strategy. Continue reading...

Young children thought to be lagging behind in communication and skills due to Covid disruptionThe schools watchdog Ofsted is to increase its focus on early-years education as part of its new five-year strategy, to address the devastating impact of the pandemic on some of the youngest children in England.Ofsted is concerned that children in early years are lagging behind in their communication and language skills owing to Covid disruption, while the sector is under pressure as thousands of staff have left since the first lockdown and childcare providers are down by 5,000. Continue reading...

Speaker seeks meeting with Mail on Sunday editor as PM threatens to unleash ‘terrors of the earth’

Defense secretary Lloyd Austin said he ‘wants to see Russia weakened’ – a sign Washington now defines its goals differentlyThe US defense secretary’s declaration that Washington wanted to see Russia weakened militarily and unable to recover quickly, marks a shift in Washington’s declared aims underlying its military support for Ukraine.At a press conference in Poland after a surprise visit to Kyiv, Lloyd Austin was asked if he would now define US goals differently from those set out soon after the Russian invasion. In response, he started out with the established administration line about helping Ukraine retain its sovereignty and defend its territory. Continue reading...

Sir Stephen Lovegrove tells MPs he cannot recall with whom he checked that Nowzad staff were eligible for helpThe UK national security adviser, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, has said he did not consult Downing Street before telling the Foreign Office it should allow staff from an animal charity to be listed for evacuation from Afghanistan, but said he has “a far from perfect memory” of precisely what happened.The foreign affairs select committee is investigating leaked emails from Foreign Office staff that say Lovegrove directed that the Nowzad staff be evacuated after consulting No 10 last August. Continue reading...

Private chains treating NHS patients criticised at inquests dozens of times over past 10 years

Caroline Sharp wonders why her daughter Emma Pring, who died at the Cygnet in Maidstone, couldn’t have been treated by the NHS

Adris Mohammed, 44, went back to the home of David Varlow, 78, to hunt for further items to steal, murder trial hearsA pensioner died after being tied to a chair by a burglar who returned to the crime scene more than a week later to free his victim’s body, a murder trial has heard.Prosecutors allege Adris Mohammed went back to the home of David Varlow, knowing the pensioner would be dead, to hunt for further items to steal. Continue reading...

Defence secretary Ben Wallace says UK will send Stormer missile launchers as part of effort to drive out RussiansThe UK has supplied £200m of military aid to Ukraine, the defence secretary has said, as he confirmed Britain would send a “small number” of Stormer missile launchers to Ukraine and offer a deployment of Challenger 2 tanks to Poland.In a statement to MPs, Ben Wallace said gifts of weapons by Britain could eventually total £500m, and he said 15,000 Russian soldiers had died since the invasion began on 24 February. Continue reading...

Manual amended to require additional paperwork, with reviews on a case-by-case basis

Deputy Labor leader was joined in Beijing in 2019 by Ted O’Brien who wrote a positive testimonial of the study tour

Seven-point plan also includes funding boosts for regional broadcasting and fight against illegal fishing

Police say 50-year-old suspect is known to Katie Kenyon, 33, who has not been seen since FridayA man arrested by police investigating the disappearance of a 33-year-old woman in Burnley is said to be known to her.Detectives have been given 36 more hours to question a 50-year-old man, from Burnley, on suspicion of kidnap. In a statement on Monday, Lancashire constabulary said the man was known to Katie Kenyon, who has not been seen since Friday morning. Continue reading...