The temperature in southern England could hit 27C (81F) later this week making it the highest temperature recorded in April since 2018.

Warmth and sunshine will develop widely across most areas of the UK as high pressure gradually builds.

Lack of rainfall however, will again raise concerns about potential wildfires.

The last time the temperature rose to 27C in April was in 2018 in Cambridge.

Greens call for single-sex guidance to be withdrawn

47 minutes ago Share Save Becky Morton Political reporter Share Save

Carla Denyer calls for EHRC to withdraw trans guidance

Interim guidance on single-sex spaces is "ill-considered and impractical" and should be withdrawn, the Green Party has said. The guidance, issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), followed the UK Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under the Equality Act. In places like hospitals, shops and restaurants, trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use women's facilities but they should not be left with no facilities to use, the guidance says. Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer told the BBC the guidance puts trans people at risk of discrimination, while Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said there were questions over enforcement.

The UK government has welcomed the Supreme Court ruling, saying it brings "clarity" for women and service providers. A spokesperson added: "We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements." The EHRC, which enforces equalities law and provides guidance to policymakers, public sector bodies and businesses, has been approached for comment. Last week the Supreme Court found the terms "woman" and "sex" in the 2010 Equality Act "refer to a biological woman and biological sex". This means, for instance, that transgender women, who are biologically male but identify as women, can be excluded from women-only spaces. As part of the judgement in the case brought against Scottish ministers by the group For Women Scotland, Supreme Court judge Lord Hodge stressed that the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people.

Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said the interim guidance, which was published on Friday following the Supreme Court ruling on 15 April, was "rushed and ill-thought out". "It's been really obvious that they have not listened to trans people," she told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. She added that the guidance put trans people at risk of discrimination, especially in workplaces, and "seems to fly in face of the strong tradition of tolerance we have in Britain". The Green Party said in a statement that the guidance was likely to cause "distress" to the trans community as well as "further confusion to employers, businesses and service providers" . It is calling for the guidance to be withdrawn "until the EHRC can produce something more thought-through which takes into account the voices of all those affected". Denyer questioned what should happen if trans people are not allowed to go to the toilet of their gender or their birth sex. The guidance also states that in some circumstances the law allows trans women (biological men) not to be permitted to use men's facilities, and trans men (biological women) not to be permitted to use women's facilities. When asked to clarify this, the EHRC pointed to a section of the Supreme Court ruling stating that trans men could be excluded from women's facilities "where reasonable objection is taken to their presence, for example because the gender reassignment process has given them a masculine appearance or attributes to which reasonable objection might be taken" in the context of a women-only service. However, the guidance says where possible mixed-sex toilets or changing facilities should be provided, with lockable rooms intended to be used by one person at a time, in addition to single-sex facilities. Denyer also raised concerns that for lesbian associations or venues which wanted to include trans women, the advice appeared to say they would not be allowed to. The guidance states that women-only or lesbian-only associations "should not" admit trans women, while men-only or gay men-only associations "should not" admit trans men.

Davey calls for more guidance over trans judgement

Sir Ed also told the programme lots of people were confused and anxious about the guidance, for example over which toilet a trans man (biological woman) should use. The Lib Dem leader said his party accepted the Supreme Court ruling but there needed to be more debate in Parliament to reach a clear solution that "respects people's rights". Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said the "logical consequence" of the Supreme Court ruling and EHRC guidance was that "people use the facilities of their biological sex". Asked if the government would ban trans people from using changing rooms or toilets they wish to use in its own buildings, he told the BBC: "In reality, when you say ban, am I going to be standing outside toilets? I'm probably not. "There isn't going to be toilet police but that is the logical consequence of the court ruling and the EHRC guidance." The EHRC is expected to launch a two-week consultation to seek views from those affected by the guidance in May. The watchdog is then aiming to provide an updated code of practice to the government for ministerial approval by the end of June.

Drag Race and Pose star Jiggly Caliente dies aged 44

Drag star Bianca Castro-Arabejo, who performed as Jiggly Caliente, has died aged 44, her family has said.

The performer, who found fame on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, had part of her leg amputated on Thursday after suffering a "severe infection".

Caliente had served as a judge on the show's Philippines spin-off, and also appeared in the hit US TV series Pose.

Her family wrote in a statement on Instagram: "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known to the world and cherished by many as Jiggly Caliente."

They said Caliente died in the early hours of Sunday morning, "surrounded by her loving family and close friends".

All three judges scored it 116-112 following a bout featuring wild aggression from both fighters, albeit with neither landing the telling blow.

Shalom added Eubank is undergoing "precautionary checks to monitor his vitals and ensure everything is in order".

He said: "They take these measures very seriously, given everything they have experienced in the past."

In 2016, Nick Blackwell suffered a bleed on the skull and was placed in an induced coma after losing to Eubank Jr.

He retired but had surgery to reduce swelling on his brain after being injured in a sparring session later that year, before waking from a second coma.

Michael Watson suffered brain damage in 1991 in a fight with Chris Eubank Sr.

Eubank Sr unexpectedly arrived at the venue alongside his son on Saturday. The pair had supposedly been estranged for years and Eubank Sr had criticised the match-up.

Eubank Sr beat Conor Benn's father, Nigel Benn, in 1990, before a contentious draw three years later.

Shalom added: "Chris and Conor gave absolutely everything in what was the biggest legacy fight of all time.

"With their fathers standing proudly behind them, it was a moment that will forever be stamped in sporting history."

Tories may need Reform coalition, says Ben Houchen

8 minutes ago Share Save Becky Morton Political reporter Share Save

PA Media

The Conservative Party may need to form a coalition with Reform UK at the next general election to keep Labour out of government, Tory mayor Lord Houchen has said. The Tees Valley mayor told the BBC that if the number of Tory and Reform MPs "create a significant majority" then "obviously there's going to be a conversation to form a coalition or some sort of pact". Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has ruled out a coalition with Nigel Farage's party at a national level, arguing Reform is seeking to destroy the Tories. A Reform UK spokesman said the party had "no intention of forming coalitions or pacts with the Tories", saying they "broke Britain".

Asked if he was talking about a potential coalition between the two parties, Lord Houchen said: "I'm talking about the practicalities of keeping Labour out of government." However, speaking on told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, he said there was still three years until the next general election for the Tories to "battle" Reform. "Kemi [Badenoch] and the Conservative Party have a huge amount to do to regain that trust, put forward the Conservative argument so that people don't go to Reform," he added.

Asked by Sky News if she would forbid councillors going into coalition with Reform at next week's local elections in England, Badenoch said: "I'm not going into any coalition whatsoever with Nigel Farage or Reform at national level." However, she added: "At local level, it's different. In the national election, you can rerun the election, at local level you can't. So, there might be no overall control. "And what I've said to our councillors, I trust these people, they're very smart, they've been doing this for decades, is that you have to do what is right for your local area." Farage has previously dismissed suggestions Reform and Tory councillor could enter coalitions but said there could be informal "working relationships" with other parties at a local level. The Lib Dems said "Badenoch's authority lies in tatters", with senior Tory figures "openly contradicting her". "The public is appalled at the prospect of Badenoch doing a grubby deal with Farage," deputy leader Daisy Cooper added. Labour has also previously accused the Tories of "plotting a grubby backroom deal with Nigel Farage".

Lord Houchen warned the Tories were facing "an extremely tough election" on Thursday, when voters go to the polls to elect councillors and mayors in parts of England. He said they were facing "another right-of-centre party" in Reform UK, which was "eating away" at the Tory vote. Labour is also facing a challenge from Reform, which has seen its support in national polls grow since last year's general election. Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden claimed it was not "unusual" for governments not to do well in local elections but the party would be "working for every vote". He told Kuenssberg that Labour had "inherited a difficult situation" but the country was "beginning to see something of a turnaround", with falling NHS waiting lists and the first breakfast clubs opening in schools. Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said she was confident her party would increase its number of councillors for the eighth year in a row. She told the BBC people felt "let down" by Labour and the Conservatives and wanted to send them a message. "While some people are looking at Reform for that, a lot of people are thinking, well I don't just want to vote for division and rhetoric, I want to vote for some hard working local Green councillors who are actually going to fix things," she added.

On Thursday, elections will be held for 23 councils, mostly in rural and suburban areas. There will also be mayoral elections in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Doncaster, North Tyneside, and the West of England and - for the first time - in Hull and East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire. Meanwhile, a by-election is being held in Runcorn and Helsby, after former Labour MP Mike Amesbury resigned following his conviction for assaulting a constituent. The Conservatives are defending the most seats in the upcoming elections, which were last contested in 2021 when then-prime minister Boris Johnson was enjoying a surge in support following the rollout of the Covid vaccine.

End conflict to honour Pope, Vatican diplomat tells South Sudan

28 minutes ago Share Save Nichola Mandil BBC News, Juba Share Save

South Sudan Presidency Office/Handout Pope Francis went on a historic visit to South Sudan in 2023

South Sudanese leaders should "honour" Pope Francis' legacy by ending the country's conflict, the Vatican's diplomatic representative to the nation has said. "We must try to make concrete in the daily life of South Sudan his ardent wish to see a true, durable peace, to see dialogue as the condition of that peace and to see the silencing of the weapons of war," Archbishop Séamus Patrick Horgan said. During the late pontiff's historic 2023 trip to South Sudan, he urged leaders to end the fighting. Recent violence has threatened to end a fragile peace agreement struck in 2018 between factions in the east African nation's civil war.

Tensions rose at the start of March, when a militia group allied to Vice-President Riek Machar during South Sudan's civil war clashed with the army. The head of the UN mission in South Sudan, Nicolas Haysom, recently warned that the country was "on the brink of a return to full-scale civil war". Archbishop Horgan said Pope Francis "spoke firmly" during his 2023 visit, calling for "no more bloodshed, no more conflict, no more violence", adding that the late pontiff's message was still "relevant". The Archbishop, who spoke to congregants attending Mass at St Theresa's Cathedral in the capital, Juba, on Friday, said it was "disheartening" to see continuing reports of violence. The same day, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) called for an end to the clashes in the country after reports of fighting between the Sudan People's Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLM-IO) and South Sudan People's Defence Forces. Meanwhile, Machar, who leads the SPLM-IO, remains under house arrest, facing accusations of trying to spark a rebellion. Shortly after South Sudan's birth in 2011, the country descended into civil war between supporters of Machar and President Salva Kiir. Archbishop Horgan reminded congregants that South Sudan held a special place in the Pope's heart, outlining his "extraordinary relationship" with the country and "affection" for the people.

The Mass was held in Juba on Friday

The Mass was also attended by Kiir and Vice-President Taban Deng Gai – two of the four South Sudanese leaders – whose feet were kissed by Pope Francis in the Vatican in 2019. Speaking at the end of the Mass, Kiir said: "As an icon of peace, tolerance, forgiveness, reconciliation, harmony and inclusivity, Pope Francis' message resonated with the people of all faiths all over the world." However, Christian faithful who attended the Mass said they were disappointed that the president did not use the opportunity to re-commit to peace, reconciliation and dialogue. Justin Badi Arama, the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) and the Anglican Primate, who took part in the prayer service, said: "It is sad that Pope Francis has passed on when the Revitalised Peace Agreement is seriously sick. "As we celebrate his passing on today, we call upon the transitional government of national unity to make every effort to make sure that the revitalised agreement, which is seriously sick, does not die." The Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, Santo Loku Pio, said the leaders of South Sudan chose to ignore Pope Francis' iconic "simplicity and gesture" in Rome in 2019, when he knelt down and kissed their feet in a humble plea for peace, unity and reconciliation. He said the gesture by the Pope remained "deeply moving". Bishop Loku added that Pope Francis wanted to make South Sudan a nation that understood the urgency for peace, unity and reconciliation, but that the leaders of the country ignored had his efforts. Ambassadors, religious leaders from other Christian denominations, and representatives of Muslim community also attended the prayer service.

Getty Images/BBC

British Paralympian reported missing in Las Vegas

2 hours ago Share Save Andy Giddings BBC News, West Midlands Share Save

Getty Images Sam Ruddock was last heard from on 16 April

Friends and family of a British Paralympian who went missing in Las Vegas are appealing for help in finding him. Sam Ruddock from Rugby in Warwickshire, who has competed in shot putt, cycling and sprinting, had travelled to the United States to watch a WrestleMania event and was last heard from on 16 April. His close friend Lucy Hatton said his disappearance was "really, really out of character" but that he had not "been in quite the right head space" recently. She said Las Vegas police were aware and were treating him as a missing person.

Ms Hatton said her friend, who has cerebral palsy, was a "fantastic human being" who enjoyed going into schools to "inspire the next generation". She said she drove him to the airport on 13 April and knew he had been staying at a hostel in Las Vegas ahead of the big wrestling event. Mr Ruddock was "very active on social media", she said, so when all contact stopped on 16 April, she said "it started to raise flags". His mother, Fran Ruddock from Lincoln, said he normally spoke to her every day and was usually "very sociable". She asked anyone who might know him, in the UK or United States, to get in touch if they had information. "Anything at all to piece together the gaps," she said.

Getty Images Sam Ruddock competed for Great Britain at cycling, sprinting and athletics

Along with his mother, Ms Hatton said she alerted the police in the UK and they raised the case with police in the United States and with Interpol. She said she had also spoken to the hostel where he had been staying and was told he had not checked out, but his possessions had been left in his room. British Cycling said it understood he had been reported missing to police in the United States and the UK. A spokesperson added: "We urge anyone who has been in contact with Sam since 16 April or may have any information of his whereabouts to contact their local police department as soon as possible." The BBC has approached the police for a comment.

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Violin used in 1997 Titanic film sells for £54k

3 hours ago Share Save Leigh Boobyer BBC News, Wiltshire Share Save

Getty Images Jonathan Evans-Jones played band leader Wallace Hartley in the 1997 film

A violin played by the band leader of the Titanic as it sank in the 1997 Hollywood film has been sold for £54,000 at a "record breaking" auction. The violin was used to play the hymn Nearer My God To Thee as the ship went down. Meanwhile a letter written by one of most well-known survivors of the Titanic disaster, Colonel Archibald Gracie, sold for a record breaking £300,000 at the auction. The violin, previously, described as a "true piece of movie history", was auctioned by Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire on Saturday.

Band leader Wallace Hartley and his fellow musicians were all killed along with more than 1,500 others after the ocean liner hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912.

PA Media The violin was used to play Nearer My God To Thee as the ship went down in the 1997 blockbuster film

The Oscar-winning film, directed by James Cameron, saw Kate Winslet play upper class socialite Rose opposite Leonardo DiCaprio's third class passenger Jack Dawson on the doomed ship's maiden voyage. Mr Hartley, who famously played on in the face of impending doom, was played by violinist and actor Jonathan Evans-Jones. The violin can be seen several times in the film but most famously during the scene where Nearer My God To Thee is played to try and calm passengers as the ship sank.

In 2013, Mr Evans-Jones sold the violin at auction and it has been in the possession of a private collector ever since. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: "The record breaking prices and global participation from collectors are a testament to the enduring interest in the Titanic the world over. "The stories of those men, women and children are told through the memorabilia and their memories are kept alive through those items."

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