by Helen Davidson and Chi-Hui Lin in Taipei on (#6MXZR)
Lai Ching-te uses inauguration speech to push for peace in the region and says future of Taiwan important to future of the worldLai Ching-te has been sworn in as Taiwan's new president, urging China to cease their political and military intimidation against Taiwan" and to keep the world free from the fear of more war.Lai was inaugurated on Monday morning at the Japanese colonial-era presidential office in central Taipei, taking over from Tsai Ing-wen, whose eight years in power saw a deterioration in relations with Beijing. Continue reading...
Pent-up demand from would-be buyers pausing their plans last year has led to price rise despite mortgage rates remaining elevatedThe average British house price reached a record high of 375,131 in May, according to Rightmove. The average prices of properties coming to market rose 0.8%, or 2,807, month on month.Pent-up demand from would-be buyers who paused their plans last year is a key driver behind increased home mover activity despite mortgage rates remaining elevated for longer than anticipated, the property website's report said. Continue reading...
by Charlotte Higgins in Kyiv, Sam Jones and agency on (#6MXNY)
People in Kyiv and Kharkiv celebrate win in world heavyweight unification fight as symbolic achievement for the countryFrom the capital, Kyiv, to the heavily attacked region of Kharkiv, news of Oleksandr Usyk's win over Tyson Fury brought war-weary Ukrainians a rare and very welcome moment of victory and celebration.Usyk, who became the first undisputed world heavyweight champion this century after his victory in Riyadh in the early hours of Sunday, said his triumph did not belong to him alone. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6MXNZ)
Mick Whelan says unacceptable offer was briefed to the media 10 minutes after it was sent to himMick Whelan, the head of the Aslef train drivers' union, has never even opened an email setting out a proposed deal to end strike action 17 months ago because he realised the offer was so bad it would be rejected, he has said.In an interview with parliamentary magazine The House, Whelan said he had not met Mark Harper, the transport secretary, since December 2022, or Huw Merriman, the transport minister whose brief covers rail, since January 2023. Continue reading...
Website blames human error for the advert, now removed, for about 100 seats when practice is illegal in UKThe ticket trading website Viagogo has apologised for mistakenly" advertising tickets to an upcoming England football match, despite the fact that the resale of football tickets is illegal in the UK.Cris Miller, the managing director of Viagogo,has previously said the company does not resell football tickets. But Viagogo was advertising about 100 seats at Wembley for England's 7 June friendly against Iceland, a warm-up for this summer's Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. Continue reading...
Party says pooling resources across regions would deliver 40,000 extra appointments a week for patientsHospitals would have to share waiting lists and pool resources under Labour's plans to reduce waiting times by delivering up to 40,000 extra NHS appointments a week.The party has announced that patients would be offered appointments at nearby hospitals, rather than necessarily at their local one, which would enable people to receive faster treatment. Hospital staff and resources would be pooled across a region and would run evening and weekend surgeries. Continue reading...
O'Reilly, who was also an international rugby player for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions, died in Dublin on SaturdayTony O'Reilly, one of Ireland's leading business figures, has died at the age of 88.O'Reilly, who had a career in the media as well as being an international rugby player for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions, died in St Vincent's hospital in Dublin on Saturday. Continue reading...
Former chancellor, who was one of those who urged Johnson to go, says Tories should have realised Twitter was not the country'Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has said he and his Conservative colleagues were wrong to force out Boris Johnson as prime minister in 2022.Johnson resigned after less than three years in No 10 after more than 50 resignations from government of MPs and staff and waves of backbenchers urging him to quit over the handling of the Chris Pincher affair and numerous other scandals. He resigned as an MP a year later. Continue reading...
The cultural sector falls short on other measures of diversity too, with 9o% of workers white, says new reportSix in 10 of all arts and culture workers in the UK now come from middle-class backgrounds, compared with just over 42% of the wider workforce, according to new research.And while 23% of the UK workforce is from a working-class background, working-class people are underrepresented in every area of arts and culture. They make up 8.4% of those working in film, TV, radio and photography, while in museums, archives and libraries, the proportion is only 5.2%. Continue reading...
Met Office says heavy rain and sudden flooding could occur in affected areas and cause transport disruptionThunderstorm warnings have been issued by the Met Office across England and Wales for Saturday afternoon and continuing into the evening.A yellow weather warning is in place between 1pm and 8pm, covering large parts of Wales and south-west England. Continue reading...
Ukraine's president says air defences must quadruple to halt Russian advance as morale falls among troopsThe Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said he expects Russia to step up its offensive in the north-east and warned Kyiv has only a quarter of the air defences it needs to hold the front line.Russian forces, which had made only moderate advances in recent months, launched a surprise assault in Kharkiv region on 10 May that has resulted in their biggest territorial gains in a year-and-a-half. Continue reading...
Ahmed Alid, 45, stabbed Terence Carney, 70, and tried to kill another man in attacks described as terrorismA terrorist who murdered a pensioner in Hartlepool town centre as revenge" for the people of Gaza" has been jailed for 45 years.Ahmed Alid, 45, an asylum seeker from Morocco, stabbed 70-year-old Terence Carney, a complete stranger he encountered on the street, on 15 October. Continue reading...
Samantha Power says barely 100 trucks of aid a day enter Gaza, far less than 600 needed to address threat of famineHumanitarian assistance has begun to arrive in Gaza along a US-made pier, but the US aid chief said the new sea corridor could not be a substitute for land crossings, and warned that deliveries of food and fuel entering Gaza had slowed to dangerously low levels".The White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, confirmed on Friday that truckloads of humanitarian aid, including food from the United Arab Emirates, sent by ship from Cyprus, had been unloaded on the Gaza coast and handed over to the control of the UN. Continue reading...
Four suspects arrested at the scene of attack in Bamiyan, with four more foreigners and three Afghans reported woundedThree Spanish tourists and an Afghan civilian have been killed in a shooting attack in Bamiyan province, central Afghanistan.The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, wrote on social messaging platform X that he was shocked by the news of the murder of Spanish tourists in Afghanistan". Continue reading...
Bakery scent' added via microcapsules to postage stamp celebrating jewel of French culture'The French Post Office has released a scratch-and-sniff postage stamp to celebrate the baguette, once described by President Emmanuel Macron as 250 grams of magic and perfection".The stamp, which costs 1.96, depicts a baguette decorated with a red, white and blue ribbon. It has a print run of 594,000 copies. Continue reading...
In texts received in Spanish and translated to English, the girl tried to describe her location, though she did not know where she wasAuthorities rescued a 17-year old girl after she was trafficked to Ventura county, California, from Mexico two months ago and texted 911 for help.On Thursday, the Ventura county sheriff's office announced that on 9 May authorities rescued the girl after she sent messages to 911. The text message correspondence began with a call taker at a 911 communication center, according to the sheriff's office, which added that the messages were received in Spanish and translated into English. Continue reading...
Young girl was among six people killed in gunfire in an area of Chiapas where shootings have become common and widespreadA mayoral candidate and five other people have been killed when gunmen opened fire at a campaign rally in the violence-racked southern Mexico state of Chiapas.State prosecutors said a young girl was among the six people killed in the gunfire late on Thursday, along with the mayoral candidate Lucero Lopez Maza. Two others were injured, they said. Continue reading...
Libertarian president Javier Milei has slashed public spending as he wrestles to tame hyperinflation, now at 289% annuallyCommuters in Buenos Aires have been hit by an overnight 360% increase in subway fares, in one of the most dramatic price hikes in a harsh budget austerity campaign launched by Argentina's libertarian president, Javier Milei.After weeks of hearings, a judge on Thursday lifted an order that had temporarily blocked the scheduled increase in subway fares. That cleared the way for the change to take effect on Friday morning as office workers across Buenos Aires streamed through the turnstiles of South America's oldest underground metro. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6MWQX)
Exclusive: Experts call for higher taxes and tougher regulation as research shows cost to NHS, other public services and economyThe cost of alcohol abuse is laid bare in a new study that shows 27bn a year being spent in England on the health and social harms of drinking.The research that found the extra burden on the NHS, social services, the criminal justice system and the labour market cost at least 37% more than in 2003, when comparable research by the Cabinet Office estimated the costs at between 18.5bn and 20bn. Continue reading...
Chancellor also criticised for dodgy dossier' on Labour plans as he aims to make low tax a key election issueJeremy Hunt has been accused of exaggerating the Conservatives' economic record and presenting a dodgy dossier" on Labour's spending plans, as he moved to put low tax at the heart of his party's offer at the next election.The chancellor gave a speech in central London pitching the Conservatives as having helped the UK recover from economic troubles more quickly than expected. He also signalled a further cut to national insurance in the autumn, having already reduced the tax from 12p in the pound to 8p. Continue reading...
Shadow foreign secretary sets out vision for a more strategic, less elitist approach to UK diplomacyThe shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, says his family history as descendants of enslaved people will inform his work in government, as he seeks to deepen the UK's relations with the global south and the Commonwealth.I will take the responsibility of being the first foreign secretary descended from the slave trade incredibly seriously," he said in a speech setting out how Labour would reform the foreign, commonwealth and development office (FCDO), a Whitehall department that has a reputation for institutional conservatism. Continue reading...
Chancellor seems to cherrypick data as he tries to outline how the Tories have got the country back on its feetJeremy Hunt called a press conference on Friday to outline why the electorate should trust the Conservatives with the economy, but some of his claims appear to have used cherrypicked facts and figures. He gave his speech just over a week after the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, accused the Conservatives of gaslighting" the UK over the state of the economy by presenting too rosy a picture of what is actually going on.Here are some of Hunt's statements on the economy, and some context for his claims. Continue reading...
PC Perry Lathwood handcuffed Jocelyn Agyemang last year over false suspicion of fare evasion in CroydonA Metropolitan police officer who manhandled a woman as she was arrested in front of her son on the false suspicion of fare evasion has been found guilty of assault.PC Perry Lathwood was found guilty of assault by beating after a one-day trial at City of London magistrates court last week. Continue reading...
Israel complains of obscene exploitation' of genocide convention and asks judges to throw out bid to halt Rafah offensiveIsrael on Friday attacked South Africa's case against it in the international court of justice as an obscene exploitation" of the genocide convention, claiming it aimed not to protect Palestinian civilians but to defend Hamas militants.Israel's representatives told the court their country was fighting a war of self-defence it did not want and did not start". They said Israel had made extraordinary" efforts to protect civilians, and had complied with orders from the court to let more aid into Gaza. Continue reading...
Attack on prime minister lifts lid on divided politics of one of the most polarised countries in Europe'On Friday morning, Father Toma stood solemnly in the small Catholic church nestled near a park along the banks of the Danube River in Bratislava.He had seen an increase in visitors since Wednesday's shock shooting of Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, which has prompted soul-searching among the country's deeply divided society. The priest, who did not wish to give his full name, planned to hold his weekly Sunday service to pray for peace in Slovakia, so that we find mutual respect and understanding". Continue reading...
Kulveer Ranger resigns Tory whip after committee also recommends suspension from House of Lords for three weeksA peer is set to be suspended from House of Lords bars for 12 months after he was found to have bullied and harassed two people while drunk.Kulveer Ranger has resigned the government whip after the House of Lords conduct committee also recommended that he be suspended from the house for three weeks. Continue reading...
The country's foreign ministry said the supply of long range weapons to Ukraine by the UK and US had led to an escalation in the conflictA long-range Ukrainian strike on the Moscow-controlled Belbek airbase in occupied Crimea destroyed three Russian warplanes and a fuel facility near its main runway this week, US commercial satellite company Maxar said.The company cited satellite imagery taken on Thursday as showing that two MiG-31 fighter jets and an Su-27 fighter jet had been destroyed. It said one MiG-29 fighter aircraft also appeared to have been damaged. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6MWJ0)
History project tells stories about the lives of women who ran B&Bs in MorecambeIt is true that a postwar northern seaside landlady could be direct, insist on full-board guests being back for tea at 5pm or get nothing, and have no plug sockets in case someone had the wild idea of using a hairdryer.But were they the unflinching, arms-folded battleaxes often depicted in popular culture? They generally weren't," said the local historian David Evans. They were firm with their rules but they were fair, they were kind and the important thing for them was that someone enjoyed their holiday and would come back again." Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi (now) and Caroline Davies (earlier) on (#6MWAZ)
Israel is appearing at international court of justice after South Africa asked it to urgently order end to assault on RafahYemen's Houthis said they downed a US MQ9 drone on Thursday evening over the south-eastern province of Maareb, the group's military spokesperson said on Friday.According to Reuters, the Iran-aligned group said they would release images and videos to support their claim and added that they had targeted the drone using a locally made surface to air missile. Continue reading...
Museum chair George Osborne hails remarkable result' as recovery effort continues with leads on another 100The British Museum has located another 268 items that went missing or were stolen from its storerooms, bringing the total number recovered to 626.About 2,000 items were found last year to be missing or lost, some of which had been sold on eBay. Continue reading...
Adaptation of hit comedy quiz will be aired by CNN on Saturday nights to coincide with presidential electionArch, ironic and understated, Have I Got News for You is the quintessential British comedy quiz, but its creators are hoping that a US version of the show can translate its particular brand of political humour across the Atlantic.A US adaptation of the show will be broadcast by CNN in the autumn, to coincide with the presidential election. It will hit screens on Saturday nights - part of a double-bill with Bill Maher's Real Time. Continue reading...
by Julien Mazzoni in Nouméa with agencies on (#6MW88)
Days of unrest in the French Pacific territory - sparked by a plan to change voting rules - have left five deadTensions remained high in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, on Friday after days of riots as the French government's representative said areas of the Pacific territory have escaped" state control.Louis Le Franc, high commissioner of the Republic in New Caledonia, announced new security deployments. The number of police and gendarmes on the island will rise to 2,700 from 1,700 by Friday evening. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6MWDJ)
Academics' union calls offer a descent into parody' while mosques complain about C of E special treatmentIt is meant to remind Britons of the example set by our ultimate public servant", but a 4.4m government scheme to send out free portraits of Charles III for display in public buildings is not quite going to plan.After first limiting the availability of the oak-framed pictures of the king in his admiral's uniform to courts, schools and police and fire services, the deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, said this week that any jobcentre, university, Church of England church or hospital could also have one. Continue reading...
Exclusive: The director of The Seed of the Sacred Fig details how he discarded electronic devices and fled over the mountains on foot after authorities sentenced him to eight years in prison and floggingIranian director Mohammad Rasoulof escaped imminent imprisonment in Iran by discarding all trackable electronic devices and walking across a mountainous borderland on foot, the film-maker has told the Guardian in an exclusive interview.But even though he has found shelter in Germany and is optimistic about attending next week's Cannes premiere of the film that nearly saw him jailed for eight years, Rasoulof said he still expects to return to his home country quite soon" and sit out his sentence. Continue reading...
Graham King, whose firm is paid 3.5m a day to accommodate arrivals in the UK, listed among country's 350 richest peopleAn Essex businessman who won government contracts paying his firm 3.5m a day for transporting and accommodating asylum seekers has been named among the 350 richest people in the UK.Graham King, the founder and majority owner of a business empire that includes Clearsprings Ready Homes, which won a 10-year Home Office contract for housing thousands of asylum seekers, was on Friday named alongside King Charles III, the prime minister and Sir Paul McCartney on the Sunday Times rich list of the wealthiest people. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6MWAH)
Exclusive: Royal College of GPs says constitution guarantee would just pile on pressure given loss of 1,000 practices in past 10 yearsSeven in 10 people want to be able to see a GP urgently within 24 hours, research by the NHS's patient watchdog has found.Almost three-quarters (71%) of voters in England support automatic access to a family doctor within one day of requesting an appointment for a health problem they consider cannot wait. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The shooting of the Slovak prime minister, Robert Fico, was the first attempt on the life of a European head of state since 2003 - and reflects a growing polarisation across the continent Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.After a government meeting in the small town of Handlova on Wednesday, the Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, went to meet local supporters who had gathered in the town centre. There was little separating him and the crowd - just a waist-high metal fence - as people reached out to shake his hand. During this meet-and-greet, a man fired five shots at the prime minister. Fico fell and was quickly bundled away in a black car and taken to hospital, where he spent five hours in surgery. Two days after the attack he remained in stable condition but officials have said that he is not out of the woods yet".Labour | The UK's oil and gas workers risk becoming the coal miners of our generation", Unite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, has warned, urging Labour not to ban new North Sea licences without a clear plan to safeguard jobs.Banking | The number of UK bank branches that have shut their doors for good over the last nine years will pass 6,000 on Friday, and by the end of the year the pace of closures may leave 33 parliamentary constituencies - including two in London - without a single branch.Protest | Activists have accused John Woodcock, the government's independent adviser on political violence, of a conflict of interest, after it emerged that he had lobbying links to arms manufacturers and fossil fuel firm that would benefit from curbs to protesting.UK news | The Lucy Letby inquiry should be broadcast to the public to prevent the spread of grossly offensive" conspiracy theories, lawyers for the families of her victims said. The inquiry, which will begin on 10 September at Liverpool town hall, will examine how the nurse was able to murder babies at the Countess of Chester hospital's neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016.Israel-Gaza war | South Africa has asked the international court of justice (ICJ) to urgently order Israel to end its assault on Rafah, halt its military campaign across Gaza, and let in international investigators and journalists. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian