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Transcript reportedly details Hungarian leader offering whatever assistance he can to his Russian counterpartEurope live – latest updatesHungary elections explainerHungary’s Viktor Orbán offered to go to great lengths to help Vladimir Putin, telling the Russian leader “I am at your service” in an October call, it has emerged, prompting further scrutiny of Budapest’s ties to the Kremlin just as JD Vance arrived in the city.Air Force Two landed in Budapest on Tuesday morning, carrying the US vice-president and his wife, Usha Vance, as Hungary reaches the final, heated days of a hard-fought election campaign that has played out against a backdrop of scandals regarding the relationship between Budapest and Moscow. Continue reading...

PM gets widespread backing after president’s mocking impersonation takes US-UK relationship to new lowKeir Starmer has been warned his relationship with Donald Trump may be beyond repair after the US president derided the prime minister for consulting his team about military decisions, in a mocking impersonation.In a new low for UK-US relations, Trump appeared to imitate Starmer in a weak voice during an Easter lunch speech at the White House, and said the UK was “not our best” as an ally. Continue reading...

Body that funds Alan Turing Institute says it should offer better strategy and more value for moneyThe UK’s leading AI research institute has been told to make “significant” changes by its main source of taxpayer funding.The warning comes after the Guardian revealed the board of the Alan Turing Institute was reminded of its legal duties last month by the charity watchdog after a whistleblower complaint. Continue reading...

Bank holiday traffic predicted to peak on Thursday, as petrol and diesel prices surge from fallout of Iran warBusiness live – latest updatesDrivers are being urged to hunt for the cheapest petrol and “to fill up as usual” as UK travellers prepare to make 21.7m journeys on what is expected to be the busiest Easter on the roads in four years.The average price of a litre of unleaded petrol rose by 20p from 132.83p on 1 March to 152.83p by the end of the month, raising concerns about the cost of filling up for Easter journeys, as rising oil prices triggered by the US-Israel war with Iran translated to higher prices at the pumps. Continue reading...

Luca Cella Walker asked chatbot for best way for someone to kill themself on railway line before his deathA 16-year-old boy killed himself after asking ChatGPT for the “most successful” way to take your own life, an inquest has been told.Luca Cella Walker, a private school pupil from Yateley, Hampshire, died on 4 May last year. Continue reading...

Lawyers for paper say investigator’s disputed claims were used to recruit prominent figures to casePublic figures such as Doreen Lawrence and Elton John were “induced” to sue the Daily Mail’s publisher on the basis of a private investigator’s now disowned claims of illegal activity, the high court has heard.Seven people including Prince Harry have accused Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) of using unlawful information gathering to obtain stories. John’s partner, David Furnish, and the actor Liz Hurley are also among the group. ANL denies all the claims. Continue reading...

Interest rates as high as 4.45% and a steep cut in next year’s allowance fuel forecast of last-minute rush Savers who want to make the most of this year’s cash Isa allowance are being urged not to leave it to the last minute, as the deadline for applications falls on the Easter weekend.The Isa wrapper allows people to save or invest money and benefit from the returns free of tax. Each tax year, people can pay in up to £20,000, which can then be moved around in subsequent years without the tax benefits being lost. Continue reading...

Claimants say lost documents hide scale of alleged unlawful information gathering at publisher of the Daily MailThe amount of lost or destroyed documents relating to the Daily Mail publisher’s use of private investigators is “stark in the extreme”, the high court has heard.However, the thin surviving evidence of payments to private investigators contains “conspicuous and often shocking evidence”, according to lawyers for a group of claimants accusing the publisher of using unlawful techniques. Continue reading...

Father of Grace O’Malley-Kumar calls decision to take sample from his daughter after her death ‘disgusting’The father of a university student killed while trying to protect her friend from Valdo Calocane in Nottingham told an inquiry it is “disgusting” the stabbing victims were tested for drugs and alcohol but their killer was not.Sanjoy Kumar, Grace O’Malley-Kumar’s father, said he could not understand why the diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic had not been tested for drugs while in custody after the attacks. Continue reading...

Three men from Derry charged with murder of journalist, who was hit by bullet while observing 2019 riotingThree men accused of the murder of the Belfast journalist Lyra McKee have been linked to the scene by clothing and physical features, a court has heard.The New IRA claimed responsibility for the death of McKee, 29, who died after being hit by a bullet as she stood close to police vehicles while observing rioting in the Creggan area of Derry on 18 April 2019. Continue reading...