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International Monetary Fund says ‘Staying the course on deficit reduction will be important’ for the UK, in annual assessment of the economyIMF urges UK to ‘stay the course’ on borrowing amid Starmer uncertaintyThe head of the International Monetary Fund has said that a sell-off in global bond markets was reflecting the impact of higher oil prices.IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva was speaking as she arrived for a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Paris, Reuters reports.“A combination

Ukrainian president says Europe must ‘have a strong voice and presence’ amid search for candidate who could lead any talks with PutinElsewhere, we are getting a line from Rome, with the Italian foreign ministry confirming that rescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave in a Maldive atoll, AP reported.Five Italian divers are believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to

‘All of Kirkby turned out for the premiere – many of them had been extras. And 500 people crammed into my mum’s council house for a party. It’s still talked about’I started banging out the script for this on a typewriter in my scruffy flat in Toxteth, Liverpool, in 1981. Four years later, the film had its British premiere. My idea was for a working-class romance between a couple of girls from my native Kirkby and two Russian sailors on leave around the port of Liverpool, with a subtle political

US president says there ‘won’t be anything left’ of country if it doesn’t come to an agreementUAE blames Iran or its proxies for drone strike fire near nuclear plantFriedrich Merz has been embroiled in a row with Donald Trump over his war on Iran ever since the German chancellor suggested the Trump team was being outplayed in its negotiations with Tehran and said he would not advise his children to study or work in the US in the current climate.The Guardian’s Berlin correspondent, Deborah Cole,

Burnham vows to have ‘relentless domestic focus’ in first speech since announcing Makerfield byelection runUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has said he will not try to return the UK to the EU, saying Britain would be stuck in “a permanent rut if we’re just constantly arguing”.In his first major speech since announcing his byelection run, the mayor of Greater Manchester said he would have a “relentless domestic focus” in Makerfield, saying: “Let’s fix our own country. Let’s get it wo

Wes Streeting has suggested he wants to see the UK ‘back in the EU’ one day – but the bloc might take some convincingUK politics live – latest updatesIs it too soon? Is it even doable? Few expected that, 10 years after the Brexit referendum and barely six years after its exit from the European Union, the UK would be talking about rejoining.Over the weekend, the former health secretary and posible Labour leadership contender Wes Streeting claimed Keir Starmer’s government needed “a new special re

RMT union says two 24-hour stoppages from midday on Tuesday have been suspendedBusiness live – latest updatesPlanned strikes by drivers on the London Underground this week have been called off, the RMT union has announced.The union said that the two 24-hour stoppages from midday on Tuesday, which were set to disrupt travel over four days this week, had been suspended. Continue reading...

A run of immaculate albums ended in 2018 with an identity crisis and the producer becoming a kindergarten chef. Now he’s back with a blissed-out new recordWhen Axel Willner went to Stockholm’s Funky Chicken food truck last February, he only expected to leave with a burger. While waiting, Willner – AKA the Field, artisan of looping minimal techno masterpieces – noticed another Axel standing two places behind him. This was unlikely enough given the unpopularity of the grandpa-ish name amid 40-some

Showcase Cinemas is offering a medium Coca-Cola to anyone called Emily who goes to see new romcom Finding Emily this weekend. But what if 35,000 thirsty Emilys turn up?Everybody knows that cinemas are finding it harder and harder to tempt people through their doors. The combination of the cost of living and the rise of streaming threaten to make theatrical exhibition a niche pursuit. But this is not a time to be disheartened, because cinema can still offer something that most forms of entertainm

Households ‘increasingly gloomy’ about finances amid fears of interest rate rises due to higher fuel pricesBusiness live – latest updatesRising prices have become the top financial concern for UK households, according to a monthly consumer confidence survey, before Wednesday’s official figures, which are likely to show inflation remaining stubbornly high.Amid fears of higher interest rates owing to increased fuel prices after the closure of the strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in the Middle Ea

Cricketer who captained England for 25 Tests and amassed 39,832 runs across his first-class careerThe cricketer MJK Smith, who has died aged 92, was a well-regarded captain of England in the mid-1960s and a remarkably consistent run-gatherer for Warwickshire. His even-tempered approach was one of the keys to his success as a skipper not just with England, whom he led between 1964 and 1966, but with his county, which he captained from 1957 to 1967. Although the product of a traditional public sch

Bill Bailey and Alan Titchmarsh paint gnomes for king’s garden at event, in one-off to raise funds for RHS campaignGarden gnomes should make a permanent return to the Chelsea flower show, say celebrities who have painted the mythical creatures for the king’s garden at this year’s event.At the high-end event, which kicks off on Tuesday in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, south-west London, the “tacky” statues have been frowned upon since 1927. Speaking at the show’s press day, the comed

Why is the artist’s work racking up hundreds of thousands of views on social media? For a generation bombarbed with visual stimuli, it seems his canvases offer a meditative escape The works of Mark Rothko have never failed to split opinion. Were those vast colour field paintings a bold new direction for abstract art or simply fuel for the “my child could paint that” brigade? To his detractors, Rothko’s abstractions appear devoid of symbolism or discernible message. Yet he is currently undergoing

Matt Brittin begins task of finding budget cuts as World Service and Radio 4 journalists protest against plan to increase workloadsMatt Brittin, the BBC’s new director general, has warned staff that “tough choices are unavoidable” under his tenure, as his first day coincided with a strike by a group of the corporation’s journalists.Brittin, formerly Google’s most senior executive in Europe, arrived at the corporation’s New Broadcasting House while a group of journalists from the World Service’s

Masters champion points out fan to securityMcIlroy has had problem with American crowds beforeTournament won by England’s Aaron RaiRory McIlroy clashed with a fan on Sunday in the final round of thePGA Championship as chanting from the gallery once again drew his ire.McIlroy was among the challengers on the final day but found heavy rough on the 16th as his bid for victory petered out. His next shot rebounded into a bunker, although he would go on to par the hole. Continue reading...

From MP-baiting abominations to Engelbert Humperdinck, the UK has sent some real stinkers to the song contest – some so bad artists have even had to change their name. Here are the worst offendersWell, this is awkward. The UK continued its run of disastrous results in the Eurovision song contest on Saturday night, when Look Mum No Computer finished rock bottom of the scoreboard. Cue the usual geopolitical conspiracy theorising and head-scratching about how to remedy matters next year. Paging Cli

Benhard Janse van Rensburg in 42-man training squadEngland consider resting Itoje and other senior playersEngland have called up the former South African U20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg to train with the national squad ahead of this summer’s inaugural Nations Championship. The Bristol Bears midfielder has been picked ahead of the omitted Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh despite not being officially available for England until 8 July.Janse van Rensburg will become eligible on residen

Singer says she has faced ‘years of public shaming’, as court rules tax agency made mistake over her 2011 statusA court in Madrid has ordered Spain’s tax authority to pay Shakira back more than €55m (£48m) after ruling that it had wrongly imposed huge fines on the Colombian singer and philanthropist because it had made mistakes over her tax status.In a statement released on Monday, the Audiencia Nacional said it had accepted an appeal from Shakira against the fine she was handed five years ago a

Epstein said retired cop turned cocaine dealer attacked him, then retracted claim, before he was found dead in jailIn the murky world of criminal misadventure, what happened at the Likquid Lounge in Chester, New York, on a night in April 2016 may have some bearing on Jeffrey Epstein’s death in federal custody three years later.In many ways what happened there has become a conspiracy theory within a conspiracy theory. For while speculation about the actions of Epstein and his circle has long spre

As Starmer, Burnham, Streeting, Rayner, Polanski and Farage line up, I say ambition for power is no bad thing. It’s what they would do with it that countsAh, Mr Burnham, come in, take a seat. Mr Streeting, good to see you. We’ll also be interviewing Mr Starmer, then Ms Rayner; Mr Farage and Mr Polanski come in this afternoon. So, this prime minister job: what are you in it for?That’s how I would do it. The “what are you in it for?” question gets to the heart of personal ambition. Of course we al