Countries worldwide are buying more than ever from China, but domestic consumption is lagging and government stimulus efforts aren’t working.

In the end, we’re likely to see a legislative pastiche – a Frankenstein’s monster forged by political necessity

Scotland’s first minister criticises byelection campaign video that claims his rival ‘will prioritise Pakistani community’ 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 Meta, Facebook’s parent company, about the video two weeks ago and has yet to receive a reply. Continue reading...

In joint statement, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin accuse ‘certain countries’ of trying to ‘tamper with the results of the victory of the second world war’ China and Russia pledged to further deepen their already “no limits” partnership in a joint statement published ahead of Russia’s military parade on Friday, as the two sides stressed the importance of maintaining the “correct view” of second world war history. In a lengthy statement published during Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which Russia celebrates on 9 May as Victory Day, Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said “certain countries … are attempting to tamper with the results of the victory of the second world war”. Continue reading...

Real-life anguish or confected entertainment? One thing is clear – the soap opera endures because millions still love to watch it, says Guardian columnist Hugh Muir

Findings from Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro region indicate traditional eating habits in rural Africa can boost the immune system and reduce inflammation Plantains, cassava and fermented banana drink should be added to global healthy eating guidelines alongside the olive oil, tomatoes and red wine of the Mediterranean diet, say researchers who found the traditional diet of people living in Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro region had a positive impact on the body’s immune system. Traditional foods enjoyed in rural villages also had a positive impact on markers of inflammation, the researchers found in a study published this month in the journal Nature Medicine. Continue reading...

A social media expert has warned of the dangers of sharing too much information online.

A boy is arrested after Keiron Charles was stabbed to death in what police call an "awful incident".

WHO warns there is urgent need for care capacity, while US agency says number of dead could eventually exceed 10,000 The fallout from Myanmar’s earthquake has overwhelmed parts of the healthcare system, the World Health Organization has said, as the official death toll rose to more than 2,000, with many more missing. Rescue operations faced “significant obstacles including damaged roads, collapsed bridges, unstable communications and the complexities related to civil conflict”, the WHO said in an update. Continue reading...