Victorian Labor signals tougher stance on young offenders after 109 charges against 14-year-old dropped

Findings of inquiry into stamp duty paid on Hove flat crucial to any leadership bidUK politics live – latest updatesAngela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, the Guardian reported, paving the way for a potential leadership bid as Keir Starmer’s grip on power unravels. Continue reading...

Russia has deployed more than 1,500 drones in the last two days, according to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr ZelenskyyAfter a tense day of intense attacks on Wednesday, Russia has continued its strikes on Ukraine overnight, with at least one dead and 40 injured in the capital, Kyiv, after reported hits on civilian infrastructure.Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the strikes, saying:“These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end. It is important that partners do not remain silent about this strike.” Continue reading...

Asymptomatic people allowed off ship from Wednesday afternoon but those infected ordered to remain in isolationA norovirus-hit cruise ship carrying mainly passengers from the UK and Ireland has had a French lockdown order lifted.All 1,701 people onboard Ambition were prevented from disembarking for more than 24 hours after it docked in Bordeaux on Tuesday, as one person died and dozens became ill with a vomiting virus. Continue reading...

The former deputy prime minister said she should be keen to ‘play my part’ in the event of a leadership contestFull report: Angela Rayner cleared by HMRC over tax affairs paving the way for potential leadership bidIn her interview with ITV, Angela Rayner, the former deputy PM, said she would not be making a pact with Andy Burnham to challenge Keir Starmer. “I’m not doing deals or anything like that,” she said.Good morning. Today it looks as though the phoney Labour leadership contest that has been bubbling away at least since Sunday may finally turn into a real one. Westminster is braced for Wes Streeting, the health secretary, to announce that he is standing – although journalists are not yet 100% certain it will happen. Continue reading...

US president says he and his Chinese counterpart have ‘known each other for a long time’ and Xi is ‘great leader’Trump in Beijing – latest updatesFive key issues for Xi-Trump summitThe US president, Donald Trump, has met China’s leader, Xi Jinping, for a momentous summit that will pack negotiations on global conflict, international trade and the future of artificial intelligence into just over 24 hours.Trump arrived at the Great Hall of the People, an imposing Mao-era building that borders the western edge of Tiananmen Square, on Thursday morning for an opening ceremony followed by an hour of face to face talks with Xi. Continue reading...

UK expert tells Australian inquiry how antisemitism developed and that governments must define it in order to develop policies against itFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOld tropes about Jewish people – such as those found in the fraudulent and debunked Protocols of the Elders of Zion – have morphed and been melded into modern-day antisemitism, the royal commission has heard.On Thursday morning, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion heard from Dr Dave Rich, the Community Security Trust’s policy director. Continue reading...

Reputation of Australia’s big supermarkets takes another hit as federal court finds Coles misled shoppers by promoting fake discountsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColes’s “Down Down” promotion is one of Australia’s best known campaigns. But the supermarket has been caught red-handed after a federal court judge found Coles misled shoppers by promoting fake discounts.Through its proceedings, Australia’s competition regulator has given consumers an intriguing look-behind-the-curtain moment, exposing how a major supermarket sways shoppers to buy its products. Continue reading...

GDP reading ties in with some surveys suggesting UK plc has kept up momentum despite rising fuel costsThe UK economy unexpectedly grew during the first full month of the Iran war, according to official figures, suggesting the Middle East conflict has not yet affected growth as much as feared.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed growth of 0.3% in gross domestic product (GDP) in March, from a revised 0.4% rise in February and 0% growth in January. The ONS had originally estimated that the economy grew 0.5% in February and 0.1% in January. Continue reading...

Member of army squad sent with medics to assist suspected hantavirus patient recounts descent to remote islandThe hardest part of the parachute jump, according to Capt George Lacey, is falling backwards through the air. It is Saturday and Lacey, and his squad of six plus two medics, have just leapt out of an RAF transport, 2,500 metres over the south Atlantic.“The parachute can only go forward so quickly,” he says, meaning that it has to be pulled at precisely the right moment. “So you have to turn into the wind and basically fly backwards, which is a very weird sensation, as you can imagine.” Continue reading...

Reform UK leader records video with Essex pastor to support his battle against council banning orderNigel Farage has been criticised for giving his full support to a Christian church leader who preached that homosexuality was an “abomination” and would lead to eternity in hell.The Reform UK leader recorded a video with Stephen Clayden after Colchester council applied for a banning order to limit his street preaching. Continue reading...

As Keir Starmer’s leadership totters, investors warn a Labour leadership contest ignoring public finances and market realpolitik could be disastrousA rise in borrowing costs and warnings to avoid a “Liz Truss moment”. As Keir Starmer faces a potential leadership challenge, the spectre of the bond market looms large.Amid febrile conditions in Westminster, the prospect of Britain switching prime ministers for a sixth time in seven years has fuelled a sharp sell-off in the market for UK government debt. Continue reading...