The SNP leader John Swinney has demanded that the owner of Facebook act on Reform UK’s “racist” byelection advert that attacks the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar. The Facebook video, which incorrectly claims Sarwar has promised to prioritise Pakistani communities, is now subject to formal complaints from Scotland’s two main political parties. Scottish Labour contacted…
A German court has convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud and given two of them prison sentences for their part in the “dieselgate” emissions test-cheating scandal that erupted almost a decade ago. The former head of development Heinz-Jakob Neusser received a suspended jail term of one year and three months from the court in…
The idea of a perfect spring bank holiday for many involves lazing around at home and barely lifting a finger. For a select number of daredevils flocking to Gloucestershire, however, the day is spent chasing a wheel of cheese down a hill. The annual tradition, thought to date back to 1826, sees competitors sprint, trip…
Emmanuel Macron has denied he and his wife, Brigitte, had an altercation after a viral video promoted by Russian state media and French far-right accounts appeared to show her pushing him in the face as they prepared to get off a plane in Vietnam. The video, shot by an Associated Press camera operator, shows the…
A 19-year-old Syrian refugee in Germany has been hailed as a hero after he pinned down an assailant at Hamburg’s main railway station, helping to halt an attack in which 18 people were injured. Police on Friday said a 39-year-old German woman had been arrested at the scene of the attack and that she was…
Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi was given a hero’s welcome on his return to Tehran on Monday after winning the top prize at the Cannes film festival, footage posted on social media showed. After being banned from leaving Iran for years, forced to make films underground and enduring spells in prison, Panahi attended the film festival…
Spain is bracing for another sweltering end to May, with the mercury in southern parts of the country set to hit 40C (104F) as high-pressure areas and a mass of hot, dry air bring temperatures more than 10C above the seasonal norm. The high temperatures come almost exactly three years after some areas of Spain…
Authorities are providing consular assistance in Bali to an Australian man accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the Indonesian tourist island. The 43-year-old from Sydney was arrested on Thursday after police raided his rented house near Kuta Beach. Authorities seized 1.7kg of cocaine along with a digital scale and mobile phone, said Bali’s police…
A former minister says the UK government needs to “think big” about retirement saving amid growing calls for minimum pension contributions to be increased. Under the auto-enrolment regime, an employee and their employer must pay into a pension and the government has set mandatory minimum contribution levels. But experts argue that for most people, the…
Israeli attack on a school turned shelter in Gaza kills dozens, health officials say We are continuing our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Israel’s war on Gaza. An Israeli strike killed dozens early on Monday, including people sleeping in a school turned shelter, according to…
