All news for 2024-05-15

442
Ex-headteacher convicted of sexual offences against four girls in Wales
Judge expresses concern that previous warnings about former NEU official Neil Foden, 66, were ignored
567
Slovak officials assert Robert Fico shooting was politically motivated
Prime minister is “fighting for his life” after more than three hours in surgery, government says.
726
Royal Mail is inclined to accept a £3.5bn takeover bid from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky
Under the new offer, Royal Mail shares are 73% more valuable than before news of a possible takeover broke.
475
Emergency measures activated to tackle prison overcrowding in England
Those in police custody could remain there as bail hearings are delayed in case they are placed in prison while awaiting trial because of a lack of jail cells.
562
Prince William and Harry went from RAF Army Air Corps Apache pilots to air ambulance roles
King Charles handed over a prestigious role with the Army Air Corps to one of his sons
515
Turkey has evolved into a crucial intermediary for Putin, serving as a transit point for the sale of disguised fuel to the EU
Moscow bagged €3 billion through a sanctions loophole that allows Turkey to relabel Russian oil and ship it to the EU.
585
Slovak PM Robert Fico in ‘life-threatening condition’ after being shot
Fico is being flown to hospital by helicopter after the gun attack.
520
The Slovakian Prime Minister was shot and wounded outside the Culture Ministry following a cabinet meeting
The Slovakian Prime Minister has been seriously injured in a shooting outside of the country’s culture ministry.
622
King and Queen attend royal honours service at St Paul’s Cathedral
Around 2,000 people who are holders of the honours such as MBEs and OBEs - from the UK and Commonwealth - formed part of the congregation.
704
King Charles’ official portrait divides public as new artwork branded ’monstrosity’ by critics
In celebration of his first full year on the throne, King Charles has unveiled his first portrait since the coronation - however fans have been divided over the unique art style, with one saying ’what in the fiery depths of hell is this’
654
Lammy and Healey visit Ukraine to say Labour would keep up UK’s backing
Shadow foreign and defence ministers go to Kyiv ‘to ensure we take politics out of the UK’s support for Ukraine’
668
Tech company Raspberry Pi is preparing to launch its initial public offering on the London stock market
Cambridge-based business could be valued at up to £500m and is boost for UK after some companies switched listings
735
There’s a sophisticated new scam called ’smishing’ emerging
Courier service Evri has issued a warning over an increase in sophisticated scam messages, leaving customers wondering what ‘smishing’ is.
411
Despite mass protests, the Georgian Parliament has approved a "Foreign Agents" law
In a session marked by yelling and physical confrontation, the Georgian Parliament adopted a law on Tuesday that opponents call the “Russian bill” and believe could dismantle civil society and divert the country from the European Union path.
582
An innocent woman was shot amidst a drive-by gun battle, according to witnesses, as armed police search for the gunman
Both cars raced off after the woman was gunned down, it is said
421
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a woman’s body in a residence in Leicester
A 47-year-old man is in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder
542
Preparing for reparations: Strategies for Russia to provide compensation to Ukraine for the economic damages incurred from the war
On April 16, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution calling for “frozen Russian state assets to be transferred to a new fund to reconstruct Ukraine.”
659
The Home Office department responsible for handling deportations to Rwanda has been instructed to reduce its workforce
Illegal Migration Operations Command freezes recruitment and draws up redundancy plans, leaked documents show
671
Brexit-related IT issues are causing delays of up to 20 hours in importing perishable items to the UK
Lorries carrying meat, cheese and cut flowers held up by new checks, with retailers rejecting some orders
384
Untreated sewage illegally pumped into Windermere
Millions of litres of raw sewage were illegally pumped into one of England’s most famous lakes after a fault, documents seen by the BBC have revealed.