Heart scan ‘could pick up signs of sudden death risk’
Researchers used detailed images of the heart to look for signs of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Venezuela’s Maduro proposes early elections for opposition-run congress
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday proposed early elections for the National Assembly, which is run by the opposition.
Venezuela opposition’s envoy to U.S. meets Pentagon, State Department officials
The Venezuelan opposition's envoy to the United States said he met Pentagon and State Department officials in Washington on Monday to discuss "all aspects of the Venezuelan crisis."
Egypt’s prosecutor orders release of seven opposition figures – source
Egypt's public prosecutor on Monday ordered the release of a former diplomat and other opposition figures who have criticized President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a judicial source said.
U.S. Justice Department – ex-White House counsel McGahn has ‘immunity from testifying’
The U.S. Justice Department offered President Donald Trump legal cover on Monday to block former White House counsel Don McGahn from testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, saying McGahn has "immunity from testifying" before Congress about matters related to his official duties.
Official count gives President Widodo victory in Indonesian election, opposition claim cheating
Incumbent President Joko Widodo won last month's Indonesian election with 55.5% of votes against 44.5% for his challenger, retired General Prabowo Subianto, the election commission's official count said early on Tuesday.
Manchester City open-top bus parade held
Thousands come out to celebrate and cheer on the Manchester City treble-winning team.
Saudi air defence intercepts two Houthi missiles in Mecca province – Saudi embassy
Saudi Arabia’s air defence force has intercepted two Iranian-made Houthi missiles in Mecca province, a statement from the kingdom’s embassy in Washington said on Monday.
Is there a problem with salmon farming?
Marine biologist and diver David Ainsley is concerned about the effect fish farms have on marine life.
Brazil pension committee chief says government still well short of pension reform votes
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday emphasised the importance of pension reform to Brazil's economic progress, but a powerful lawmaker said the president's failure to engage with Congress means the bill is still well short of the votes needed for it to pass.
Colombian army denies pushing officers to hike rebel, criminal death toll
Colombia's army on Monday denied putting pressure on high-ranking officers to sharply increase the number of rebels and gang members killed or captured in military operations across the Andean nation.
Trump to tell ex-White House counsel McGahn not to appear before Congress – New York Times
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to instruct former White House counsel Don McGahn to defy a congressional subpoena to testify before a U.S. House panel investigating whether Trump illegally obstructed the Russia probe, the New York Times reported on Monday.
U.S. Border agent accused of calling migrants ‘savages’ before knocking one over
A U.S. Border Patrol agent had called migrants "subhuman" and "savages" in text messages weeks before he knocked over a migrant with a pickup truck, according to federal court documents.
Tories scrabble for new Brexit vision in place of May’s ‘doomed’ plan
Chancellor argues no-deal Brexit would betray leave vote, as chances of PM’s bill fade
The expected demise of Theresa May’s Brexit plan has sparked open lobbying over an alternative Tory vision, with the chancellor, Philip Hammond, arguing that proponents of a no-deal Brexit are betraying the referendum result.
The cabinet will on Tuesday discuss the final details of what Downing Street call a “new and improved deal” to be presented to the Commons, expected to include reassurances on areas including the Irish backstop, workers’ rights and environmental protections.
Continue reading...Queen Elizabeth tours Chelsea Flower Show
Britain's Queen Elizabeth visited the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday, touring gardens including one designed by the Duchess of Cambridge, the wife of her grandson Prince William.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019: In pictures
A photographic tour of some of the highlights of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Brian Adcock on Trump’s trade dispute with China – cartoon
Lord Heseltine loses Tory whip after endorsing the Lib Dems
The Tory peer has been disciplined by his party after saying he would back the Liberal Democrats
Rescuers try to talk down Eiffel Tower climber
Rescuers were trying to talk down a man who scaled the Eiffel Tower on Monday and forced the monument's evacuation.
Rescuers try to talk down Eiffel Tower climber
Rescuers were trying to talk down a man who scaled the Eiffel Tower on Monday and forced the monument's evacuation.
Trump plans official launch of re-election campaign in mid-June – sources
President Donald Trump, facing a potentially difficult path to winning a second term in November 2020, plans an official rollout to his re-election campaign in mid-June, the four-year anniversary of his first run, sources said on Monday.
Supreme Court gives Merck another shot to avoid Fosamax lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave Merck & Co a new opportunity to avoid lawsuits accusing the company of failing to properly warn patients of debilitating thigh-bone fractures from taking its osteoporosis drug Fosamax, throwing out a lower court decision that had revived the litigation.
Motor racing: Fernley leaves McLaren after Indy 500 failure
Bob Fernley, who was appointed last year to run McLaren's Indianapolis 500 effort, has left the team after double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso failed to qualify for next weekend's race.
Iran increases by fourfold the rate of production of low enriched uranium
Iran has increased by fourfold the rate of production of low enriched uranium, an official in Natanz nuclear facility was cited as saying by Tasnim news agency on Monday, a week after Iran officially stopped some commitments under an international nuclear accord.
Egyptian women use ancient Indonesian martial arts to fight abuse
In the heart of Egypt's capital, an ancient Indonesian martial arts sport is helping dozens of women stand up to harassment.
Woman who drove van into house convicted over pensioner’s death
Tracy Bibby, 35, crashed into home in Somerset, killing Joan Woodier as she spoke on phone
A motorist who crashed a van into a house, killing a 90-year-old woman as she sat in her front room speaking on the phone, has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
Tracy Bibby, 35, was banned from driving at the time she drove the Ford Transit into the home of Joan Woodier in Clevedon, Somerset. Estimated to have been travelling at up to 40mph, the van was left embedded in the front wall of the house, which partially collapsed on Woodier as she spoke to her son on the phone.
Continue reading...Crossbenchers will not support anti-corruption body unless it gets stronger powers
The Coalition’s proposed national integrity commission ‘just doesn’t cut it’, the Centre Alliance warns
A key figure in the emerging Senate crossbench, Rex Patrick, has warned his party will not support the Coalition’s proposed anti-corruption body unless it is given stronger powers.
The make-up of the Senate is still being finalised, but the two Centre Alliance senators appear likely to play a critical role where Labor and the Greens oppose legislation and One Nation votes with the government.
Continue reading...Ryanair loses altitude but O’Leary retains his cheek | Nils Pratley
Last year’s 13% profit margin was pedestrian by Ryanair’s standards
It was cheeky of Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary to declare that full-year profits of €1.02bn (£0.9bn), down 29%, were “as previously guided”. He updates his guidance every few months so that, by the time of the big reveal, it’s hard to miss. The past year still included two profits warnings, let’s not forget.
Related: Ryanair profits slide due to lower fares and Brexit uncertainty
Continue reading...British barrister facing extradition to Turkey over tweets
Ozcan Keles accused of spreading propaganda, in latest targeting of Erdoğan critics
A British barrister who has given evidence to parliament is facing possible extradition to Turkey on terror charges over his Twitter activity.
Ozcan Keles, who is of Turkish descent and holds UK citizenship, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Monday accused of spreading propaganda online.
Continue reading...Seagull wars: councils spending millions in effort to banish birds
Plastic owls, birds of prey and swapping eggs for dummy eggs among methods being used
It’s not just your chips that are threatened by seagulls at the British seaside: increasingly, the gull menace is hitting taxpayers in their pockets too, as research shows local councils are spending millions trying to control the birds.
Waste management practices are partly to blame, as less frequent collection of bins gives the scavengers plenty of access to free meals, in turn encouraging them into urban areas. The problem has escalated in the last 15 years, according to Sarah Trotter, an assistant professor of law at the London School of Economics, who has written two papers on the subject. The birds have been blamed for attacking pets and people in towns all around the UK’s coastline, and sometimes even inland.
Continue reading...Chessington surprise: Pupils go to theme park instead of exam
Students were "tricked" into thinking they would be sitting a SATs test, but spent the day on rides.
#BBCAskThis: Ben Brown speaks to Vince Cable
The Liberal Democrat leader answers questions sent in by BBC News viewers ahead of the European Parliamentary elections.
Nurses vote to back decriminalisation of prostitution
Royal College of Nurses to lobby UK government in move to protect sex workers’ health
The union representing Britain’s nurses will start lobbying governments across the UK to decriminalise prostitution in order to safeguard sex workers and improve their health.
The Royal College of Nursing voted by an overwhelming majority at its annual conference to ask ministers in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast to make the change.
Continue reading...The Guardian view on campaign funding: follow the money | Editorial
The mysterious finances of the Brexit party must be dragged into the light
The decision by the election commission to inspect the books of the Brexit party is a step in the right direction, but it may not be a big enough stride for democracy. Nigel Farage formed the Brexit party in January 2019. He is days away from winning this month’s European elections. We know that western democracies are vulnerable to subversion and that murky offshore wealth can be used to support far-right populists. Mr Farage, who has long peddled extreme views, wants to deliver a hard slap to the body politic. But can he do so while playing by the rules?
The regulator acted after a warning from former prime minister Gordon Brown, who sounded the alarm over the insurgent party’s practice of accepting donations via the online payments service Paypal, which raises questions over their traceability. According to the UK law governing European elections, a donor has to be an “individual registered on the electoral register” or a company “which carries on business in the UK”. Nobody outside the UK can donate, so the question is: why would British people use an untraceable method to support the Brexit party? It is also illegal for a donor to remain anonymous if their donations amount to over £500 in any quarter. Mr Brown’s pointed criticisms were decried as envy. They were not.
Continue reading...Boris Johnson in No 10 will be a fitting finale to this dark decade | Polly Toynbee
He’s likely to be prime minister by autumn. To defeat him at the polls, Labour must unambiguously back remain
Armageddon awaits. Boris Johnson is heading for No 10 and there is nothing dishonest, disreputable or even scandalous enough that he can do to stop his party choosing him now. They know of his lies, laziness and narcissism, but they don’t care. After a crushing humiliation at the polls in Thursday’s EU election, where the Tory vote may fall to single figures, this drowning party will clutch for the straw-headed showman to save them from triumphant Faragists. Well, Prime Minister Johnson would provide a fitting finale to this ever-darkening decade.
A measure of the demented state of the Conservatives is the number of hats in the ring for this most poisonously impossible job. Who would want to lead a paralysed government with no majority and a party that is a nest of vipers? Anyone applying should be disqualified on grounds of diminished responsibility.
Continue reading...Oil leaking from British WWII tanker torpedoed by U-boat
A team has been working to stop oil leaking from a British tanker sunk off the US coast during World War Two.
The Guardian view on Google versus Huawei: no winners | Editorial
The struggle over Huawei isn’t really about technology. It is about whether China or the US is to be master
Trade wars, like real ones, are very much easier to start than to stop. The decision by Google to withhold its software from future Huawei smartphones, even if it will continue to support those presently on the market, comes after considerable pressure from the US government. Even so, it is a move that all parties will regret.
The pain for Huawei is obvious. Although it has been stockpiling chips and, presumably, preparing other defences, there is nothing it can sell to consumers outside China that does not depend on American software, and little that does not depend on American chips. As much as half of its global market could disappear, and that is without counting the 5G networking equipment which was the proximate cause of this quarrel. The ultimate cause, of course, is the American fear of losing its position of global pre-eminence, and the Chinese determination to realise that fear.
Continue reading...Austrian cabinet fractures as Kurz ousts far-right minister
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz proposed on Monday sacking his interior minister, escalating a battle triggered when a video sting took down the longtime leader of his far-right coalition partners.
Austrian chancellor proposes far-right interior minister be sacked
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz proposed on Monday that far-right Interior Minister Herbert Kickl be sacked in the wake of a scandal that forced the leader of Kickl's Freedom Party to step down.
Austria’s far-right ministers quit in unison – APA
All the ministers from the far-right Freedom Party, the junior member of Austria's coalition government, have stepped down, news agency APA reported on Monday.
