Extra EU border checks suspended at Dover as travellers face delays in heat
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

Wait times of more than two hours reported at terminal for cross-Channel ferry to France

French police have temporarily suspended extra EU border checks at the port of Dover as thousands of holidaymakers face long delays in the hot weather.

Waiting times of more than two hours were reported at the terminal in Kent for the cross-Channel ferry to France.

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Reeves begins push to remain as chancellor under new Labour leadership
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

Chancellor’s allies urge MPs to back her if Keir Starmer is replaced, saying she is only candidate to safeguard UK’s finances

Rachel Reeves has launched a rearguard action to save her job as chancellor, telling friends she would like to stay in the post even under a new prime minister.

The chancellor’s supporters have been urging MPs to back her if Keir Starmer is replaced later this year, saying she is the only candidate who can safeguard the country’s finances.

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Five toys on sale in Britain found to contain asbestos in tests for Guardian
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

Discovery adds to fears about UK safety regime and exposes regulatory gaps as similar items were banned in Netherlands

Five children’s toys on sale in Britain analysed in a Guardian investigation have been found to contain asbestos.

It is illegal to sell products containing any quantity of asbestos fibres in the UK because of the long-term risk of cancer and respiratory problems if they are inhaled.

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Is Cornwall’s newest high street an inspiring model, or a threat to nearby Newquay?
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

Some locals fear Nansledan, touted as a blueprint for community-focused retail, is draining life from the town next door

A buzzard soars above wildflower meadows glinting with buttercups, as a giant construction vehicle whirs across a concrete pad where a new Tesco and a market hall are under construction.

The development could be seen as a vote of confidence in a great British tradition. The Prince of Wales this week cured his hangover after Aston Villa’s Europa League win by checking out building work on what could be the UK’s newest high street, in Nansledan, Cornwall.

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‘You can’t control everything’: the rise in plastic surgeons asked to create ‘AI face’
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

Growing numbers of people are seeking improbable cosmetic surgery based on chatbots’ recommendations

Plastic surgeons are increasingly concerned about the rise of “AI face”, as more and more clients arrive in their offices with unrealistic AI-generated visions of what they want to look like.

Dr Nora Nugent, a cosmetic surgeon from Tunbridge Wells, has seen this first hand. Clients have started coming to her office with photos of themselves beautified by AI and a false expectation that those results are achievable with surgery. She is also the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and says many colleagues are having similar experiences.

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Palantir hits back at Sadiq Khan after £50m contract with Met police blocked
Posted on Friday May 22, 2026

London mayor accused of ‘putting politics above public safety’ for rejecting deal to use AI in intelligence analysis

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Palantir has accused Sadiq Khan of “putting politics above public safety” after the London mayor blocked its £50m contract with the Metropolitan police in a move that has also led to tensions inside Labour over its involvement with the US tech company.

Louis Mosley, who heads Palantir in the UK and Europe, accused Khan of politicising procurement after he rejected a two-year deal for Scotland Yard to use AI to process intelligence in criminal investigations, as first revealed by the Guardian. Mosley said: “What Londoners value is not being mugged, not being raped by a serving police officer.”

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Paralluelo’s late double caps Women’s Champions League win for Barça against Lyonnes
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

Five times the bridesmaid, finally the bride, the Barcelona forward Ewa Pajor shrugged off the pain of all her Champions League final losses, scoring twice, as they punished a profligate Lyonnes to earn a fourth European title.

Pajor stole the show, before Salma Paralluelo’s sublime double at the death doubled their tally. The Polish forward moved two goals clear of Alessia Russo’s nine to secure this season’s golden boot, but it was the trophy with sweeping ribbon-like handles that was all Pajor coveted.

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McBurnie’s late winner sinks Middlesbrough and takes Hull into Premier League
Posted on Saturday May 23, 2026

For all the rigmarole over interns spying at golf courses and which team would be allowed to play here, a third party who watched on helplessly from afar will now be in the Premier League football next season. The Hull head coach, Sergej Jakirovic, had described his side as “collateral damage” in the Spygate saga that had provided the most extraordinary precursor to this Championship playoff final, forcing him to prepare for the £200m match by analysing the wrong team for more than a week. Best laid plans and all that.

Southampton’s expulsion prompted a late switch to tackling a Middlesbrough puzzle, but the Bosnian delivered a tactical masterstroke culminating in Oli McBurnie’s 95th-minute goal, which sent them back into the top flight for the first time in nine years.

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