Russia hails 'successful' start to talks to save Iran nuclear deal

Iran confirmed in January it was enriching uranium to beyond the threshold set by the 2015 nuclear deal at its Fordow plant

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  • Alexei Navalny supporters issue stark challenge to Putin as protests sweep across Russia

    Tens of thousands turn out in support of imprisoned Kremlin critic, who is currently on hunger strike

  • Universities offer to 'hotel quarantine' students from India

    Universities have offered to "hotel quarantine" students from "red listed" India amid concerns the Government will not be able to cope with an influx of up to 50,000 from the country. The universities say they have the experience and accommodation, including even their own hotels, that would enable them to quarantine the Indian students and potentially cover their costs to avoid them facing hardship or being forced to give up hard-won places. Universities UK International (UUKI) has been in talks with the Government over the plan and an agreement with the Scottish Government for international students attending Scottish students is understood to be on the brink of being signed. The move has emerged just days after the Government placed India on its red list for travel, which requires any arrival including students to quarantine for 11 days in Government-approved hotels at a cost of up to £1,750 per person. The ban on foreign travel from India was imposed after a double mutant variant emerged amid a spike in coronavirus cases that has claimed thousands of lives. There are about 55,000 Indian students currently studying at UK universities, with each providing a major source of income of between £10,000 and £60,000 a year to the UK institutions through fees on top of any wider benefits to the UK economy. Most are postgraduates.

  • France expects to lift domestic travel restrictions on May 3

    Domestic travel restrictions imposed to tackle the spread of the COVID-19 virus are expected to be lifted on May 3, the government said on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal also said that President Emmanuel Macron's administration was sticking to a base case scenario of bars and restaurants to re-open outdoor seatings by mid-May. "On May 3, it is expected that travel restrictions will be lifted", he told reporters.

  • Security forces break up sunflower protest in Myanmar

    Security forces broke up a protest in Myanmar’s southern city of Dawei, arresting four demonstrators and a reporter according to Dawei Watch media outlet, which also said live rounds were used.

  • Sacked minister launches astonishing attack on Boris Johnson's 'distrustful, awful' government

    Johnny Mercer's extraordinary attack also extended to the 'cesspit' of Westminster, which he said is populated by 'children' who are 'frankly unemployable elsewhere'.

  • Derek Chauvin trial: Even the way George Floyd's killer was handcuffed and led away proved the inequality

    When George Floyd bought cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 note, it triggered the wretched sequence of events that led to the end of his life. The teenager who served Mr Floyd was a key prosecution witness in the trial of his killer, former police officer Derek Chauvin. Christopher Martin said he has felt too scared to work in the shop since Mr Floyd's death but that giving evidence in the trial had brought him a sense of relief.

  • This Morning Guest Julia Hartley-Brewer Sparks Ofcom Complaints After Meghan Markle Comments

    Julia's remarks mocking the Duchess of Sussex have led to more than 200 complaints.

  • India’s shocking surge in Covid cases follows baffling decline

    India’s shocking surge in Covid cases follows baffling declineAnalysis: Rapid spread of cases across country comes after long spell in which virus seemed almost to vanish Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Relatives wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) mourn a man who died from the coronavirus. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

  • Trevor Phillips’ daughter dies after battle with anorexia aged 36

    Trevor Phillips’ daughter has tragically died after a 22-year battle with anorexia. Sushila Phillip died peacefully in her mother’s arms aged 36, her sister Holiday confirmed in a Facebook post. Trevor, who was chairman of the commission for racial inequality, was also present for his daughter’s final hours.

  • US considering sending missiles to Ukraine, as Russia amasses 100,000 troops on border

    The United States is considering sending missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, amid a buildup of more than 100,000 Russian troops along its eastern border and fears of an impending invasion. Shipments of military aid have been discussed by Joe Biden’s administration, and could include anti-tank, anti-ship and anti-aircraft systems according to the Wall Street Journal. Officials in Kyiv have asked for help after Russia’s increasingly bullish behaviour, which has included the largest troop buildup in the region for nearly a decade, intruding into European airspace and restricting the movement of foreign ships in the area. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns told Congress last week: “That buildup has reached the point where it could also provide the basis for a limited military incursion. “It’s something not only the United States, but also our allies have to take very seriously.”

  • Man in charge of collection plate at famous Paris church built up property portfolio and fleet of cars

    Rich benefactors regularly slipped ‘50 or 100 euro notes into the collection basket’

  • Swiss president heads for damage-control EU summit

    Swiss President Guy Parmelin heads to Brussels on Friday for a summit with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over a stalled treaty that threatens to put ties between Switzerland and its biggest trading partner into a deep freeze. That could leave Parmelin, a member of the eurosceptic Swiss People's Party, the biggest in parliament, in damage-control mode when he meets von der Leyen, who has urged Bern finally to embrace the draft accord negotiated in 2018. The Swiss cabinet has said it wants clarifications on some open points before endorsing the pact, and officials in Brussels want concrete suggestions from Parmelin, one source familiar with the talks said.

  • UK ‘will suffer new Covid wave this summer,’ expert warns

    Lockdown roadmap could have to be adjusted, says member of Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

  • Arizona Republicans to begin auditing 2020 ballots in effort to undermine election results

    Arizona Republicans to begin auditing 2020 ballots in effort to undermine election resultsAudit will include a hand recount of all 2.1m ballots cast in Maricopa county in alarming consequence of Trump’s baseless lies Election workers sort early ballots in October 2020, at the Maricopa county recorder’s office in Phoenix. Photograph: Matt York/AP

  • Alex Reid jailed for eight weeks after lying in compensation claim following crash

    The former cage fighter admitted contempt of court after he falsely claimed not to know a man it was said had witnessed the crash.

  • Latest weekly Covid-19 rates for local authority areas in England

    Doncaster, Luton and Leicester are currently recording the highest rates.

  • Few tears likely to be shed as plan for No 10 TV press briefings dropped

    Few tears likely to be shed as plan for No 10 TV press briefings droppedAnalysis: Insiders say plan had been ‘kicked down the road for so long’ it was inevitable it would be dropped Allegra Stratton has been handed a new role as spokeswoman for this autumn’s Cop26 – the global climate change conference. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

  • Pregnant women should not have to attend any appointments alone – NHS guidance

    Lateral flow tests for pregnant women and their partners are among measures ‘urgently’ recommended by NHS England.

  • Banning smart motorways would 'kill drivers' by forcing them onto unsafe roads

    Banning smart motorways would "kill drivers" by forcing them onto unsafe roads, a government minister has said. Baroness Vere, the roads minister, told MPs that the stretches of motorways that used the hard shoulder as an extra lane were safer than conventional roads and motorways as they eased congestion. She also defended the Government’s decision to keep the system in place despite recent warnings from coroners over the deaths of drivers left stranded on smart motorways, saying a number of safety improvements have been made to them. Her comments come after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced recently that no new smart motorways will be created unless they have the technology in place to spot when a broken-down motorists is unable to reach the sporadic safety bays that replace the hard shoulder. A number of smart motorways were previously launched by Highways England without the monitoring system in place and the Government has given the organisation until March 2023 to ensure all have coverage. Highways England has previously insisted smart motorways are the “safest roads in the country”. However, figures show there were 15 deaths on them in 2019, up from 11 in 2018. Appearing in front of the transport select committee, Baroness Vere said she was “astonished” and “disappointed” by the way Highways England had handled the rollout of smart motorways. However, she said smart motorways were safer than conventional roads as they gave drivers more space. Baroness Vere said: “One of the things that makes all drivers more safe is to provide more capacity on our safest roads and that is what all-lane running motorways do. “If you increase capacity on those roads they are our safest roads in terms of fatalities, as you take traffic off less safe roads.”

  • Mike Tindall speaks of his 'love' for the Queen as he describes 'eerie' Prince Philip funeral

    Mike and Zara Tindall were able to attend the funeral of her grandfather Philip at the weekend.