By Hiroshi HIYAMAJapanese prosecutors again sought the death penalty in the retrial on Wednesday of an ex-boxer who was the world's longest-serving death row prisoner until his release in 2014. A district court in Shizuoka granted a retrial in 2014 after a prolonged battle and issued a stay for Hakamada's incarceration and the death penalty. The legal back-and-forth was not over: in 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the High Court must reconsider its decision and the High Court ordered a retrial last year. As of December, there were 107 prisoners on death row in Japan, where the sentences are always carried out by hanging. Just nine percent of Japanese people were in favor of abolishing the death penalty in a 2019 government survey.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a general election for July 4, which seems under the circumstances to amount to a decision to hand the keys to 10 Downing Street to Labour leader Keir Starmer six months earlier than might otherwise have been the case. BBC chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman duly reports “confusion in at least some parts of the Conservative Party about why Rishi Sunak decided to call the general election sooner than was widely expected”. The extent of the government’s woes is illustrated by The Economist’s polling aggregate, which has Labour leading the Conservatives by 45% to 22%. A prediction model at UK Polling Report credits Labour with 372 out of the House of Commons’ 650 seats, enough for a handsome majority without approaching the scale of Tony Blair’s three victories. However, it also has the Scottish National Party almost matching its 2019 performance with 46 seats, when polling from Scotland would appear to point to extensive Labour gains at their expense.

Stephen Flynn has labelled Rishi Sunak "feart" if he doesn't call a summer election as rumours swirl that one could be called on July 4. The SNP Westminster leader directly challenged the Prime Minister over this speculation, with the Tory leader refusing to confirm or deny this. Mr Flynn, whose Aberdeen South seat is one of those at risk due to a Unionist resurgence, asked Mr Sunak directly whether these rumours were true. Does the Prime Minister intend to call a summer general election? Tory MPs have been ordered into a meeting at 4pm, with the Prime Minister hoping falling inflation rates might help him cling on.

• Ireland, Norway, and Spain will become the first European nations to recognize Palestine as a state on May 28.https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/norway-spain-ireland-recognize-palestinian-state-live-updates-2024-05-22/• International Criminal Court requests arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas officials on war crimes. “Netanyahu and Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant are accused of seven war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination and murder. The U.N. says a “full-blown famine” is occurring in northern Gaza as the territory faces a near-complete cut-off from aid supplies. None of the humanitarian aid brought in through the US-built “pier” in Gaza has reached Palestinians. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/05/21/pentagon-says-none-of-food-aid-moved-through-gaza-pier-has-made-it-palestinians.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/21/israeli-soldiers-and-police-tipping-off-groups-that-attack-gaza-aid-truckshttps://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-20/ty-article/.premium/how-right-wing-israeli-activists-are-organizing-to-block-aid-trucks-to-gaza/0000018f-965e-d35f-a1df-dfdf8e7d0000• Peaceful demonstrators against genocide in Gaza, demanding the universities and the U.S. divest from any war-related investments, are met with police violence and threats from their schools.

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Police are being instructed to consider making fewer arrests because of the lack of space in prisons. A letter from the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) circulated last week urges chief constables to think about "pausing" so-called "non-priority arrests". It also suggests halting planned operations where a large number of arrests could take place to "ease the pressure within the criminal justice system". It comes as court cases are being delayed and some prisoners are being released early due to overcrowding in prisons.

Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, has just confirmed which bills will return to the chamber ahead of the dissolution of parliament for the election. This included the remaining stages of the Finance (No. 2) Bill, and the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill. On Friday, MPs will consider Lords amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill. The latter could see movement on the compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal, which is included in the bill.

Toni Kroos and Luka Modric may not have scaled such grand heights without the presence of Casemiro behind them. Together, the trio won four Champions Leagues at the heart of an outstanding Real Madrid team. Sadly, they are all past their peak these days, the three of them broken up in 2022 when Casemiro left for Manchester United. As I have always said: Real Madrid is and will be my last club. "One of the greatest players in the history of Real Madrid," said the club's president, Florentino Perez.

ASOS plunged over 40 percent, recording its worst one-day drop ever and losing roughly 1.3 billion pounds in market value. It follows weak outlooks from other big UK high street names, including Dixons Carphone (Frankfurt: CWB.F - news) and Sports Direct . The sell-off also did not spare the small-caps, taking off 16.5 percent from N Brown (LSE: BWNG.L - news) and 7.1 percent off Debenhams shares. Also weighing on investor confidence was property data showing that asking prices suffered their biggest fall over a two-month period since 2012. The report also led to a 4.3 percent fall in budget airline EasyJet (Frankfurt: A1JTC1 - news) .

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LONDON: A British lawmaker was on Wednesday set to return to the UK parliament for the first time since both his hands and feet were amputated after he contracted sepsis.Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay was rushed to hospital in September last year and spent 16 days in an induced coma before undergoing a quadruple amputation in December.The 57-year-old father-of-one told the BBC that his whole body "went a very strange blue" within half an hour of arriving at the hospital, having gone into septic shock .Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that occurs when the immune system overreacts and starts to damage the body's tissues and organs.Mackinlay's wife Kati was told that her husband's chances of emerging from the coma alive were just five percent.On waking, Mackinlay discovered that his limbs had turned completely back and described them as being "like plastic". "They were desiccating, clenched and just looked dead," he said.Mackinlay recalled that he was not surprised when doctors told him they would have to be amputated and he was "surprisingly stoic". "They managed to save above the elbows and above the knees," he told the broadcaster. "So, you might say I'm lucky. "Mackinlay, a Tory MP since 2015, was fitted with prosthetic legs and hands and said he now wants to be known as the first "bionic MP".He has said he intends to seek re-election in his constituency in Kent, southeast England, at a general election due later this year.Mackinlay was due to attend Prime Minister's Questions at 1100 GMT, with his wife and four-year-old daughter set to look on from the public gallery.

Prince Harry reportedly declined a meeting with King Charles during his recent visit to the UK due to security concerns. According to The Telegraph, Prince Harry was given the chance to stay at a royal residence during his visit but turned it down. Prince Harry’s right to public-funded security in the UK was taken away when he and wife Meghan Markle left their royals as senior royals. In February, Prince Harry traveled from his home in Los Angeles to see his father after his cancer diagnosis was announced to the public. However, a Buckingham Palace source shared that there is “a zero percent chance” of the prince returning to royal duties amid the king’s illness.

Erik ten Hag 'will leave' Man Utd this summer. Manchester United have reportedly decided to sack Erik ten Hag after Saturday's FA Cup final and will start the INEOS regime with a new manager next season. Ten Hag is under brimming pressure near the end of a disastrous second season in charge, which produced United's worst Premier League and Champions League campaigns in recent memory. Stay up-to-date with the latest Man Utd news Join us on WhatsApp Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. The Argentine was considered the other candidate in a two-horse race when United's former decision-makers appointed Ten Hag in 2022.

Ali Mitib, Katie Tarrant, Matilda Davies and Tom Saunders from The Times and The Sunday Times are among 30 journalists named as winners in the MHP Group 30 To Watch UK journalism awards for 2024. The awards, which have run for the past 13 years, recognise the best young talent in the media. Ali Mitib at The Times and Katie Tarrant at The Sunday Times are winners in the News & Investigations category, while The Times’ Matilda Davies and Tom Saunders are recognised in the Science, Environment & Technology and City & Business categories respectively. More than 350 journalists entered the awards this year from media organisations including the The Times, BBC, Sky News, The Telegraph and Bloomberg. Paul Morgan-Bentley, Head of Investigations at The Times said: “It was really hard to pick a winner this year because the standard was incredibly high.

BLACKPINK , the sensational South Korean girl group, has added another jewel to their crown of achievements. Their subsequent releases, including the single album "Square Two," continued their streak of dominance, with hits like "Playing with Fire" making waves internationally.The group's global conquest was further solidified with the release of "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" in 2018. Their music videos have shattered records, with hits like "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du," "Kill This Love," and "How You Like That" dominating YouTube's view counts. In fact, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" remains the most-viewed music video by a Korean group, with billions of views under its belt.Moreover, BLACKPINK's impact transcends mere music; they embody a cultural phenomenon. As they continue to make history, one thing remains crystal clear: BLACKPINK is here to stay, and their legacy is etched in gold.