Former PM tells debate that plans to phase out smoking are ‘emblematic of a technocratic establishment in this country that wants to limit people’s freedom’

At 12.30pm a transport minister will respond to an urgent question in the Commons tabled by Labour on job losses in the rail industry. That means the debate on the smoking ban will will not start until about 1.15pm.

Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, is one of the Britons speaking at the National Conservatism conference in Brussels starting today. The conference, which features hardline rightwingers from around the world committed to the NatCons’ ‘faith, flag and family’ brand of conservatism, is going ahead despite two venues refusing to host them at relatively short notice.

The current UK government doesn’t have the political will to take on the ECHR and hasn’t laid the ground work for doing so.

And so it’s no surprise that recent noises in this direction are easily dismissed as inauthentic.

Any attempt to include a plan for ECHR withdrawal in a losing Conservative election manifesto risks setting the cause back a generation.

UN human rights office expresses concern over escalating violence after deaths near Nablus over weekend

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The United Nations has voiced grave concern over escalating violence in the West Bank, demanding that Israeli security forces “immediately” stop supporting settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory.

The statement from the UN’s human rights office was issued hours after two Palestinian men were killed by Israeli settlers in a northern village south of Nablus, in the latest violent attack involving settlers in the increasingly tense West Bank.

Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman speak at Brussels event as mayor issues order on public safety grounds

• UK politics – latest updates

Authorities in Brussels have ordered the closure of a radical right conference that was addressed by British politicians including Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman.

The order banning the National Conservatism conference from taking place on Tuesday was issued “to guarantee public safety”, according to Emir Kir, the mayor of the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode district in Brussels.

Prosecutors claim the ex-president has ‘willfully violated this court’s order by publishing several social media posts attacking two known witnesses’

• Full report – Trump’s historic criminal trial enters second day
• Key takeaways from the first day
• What to know about the key players, arguments and events so far in the trial

Jury selection can be a slog, especially in high-profile cases where virtually prospective juror has heard of the case.

The prosecution and defense, as well as reporters and observers watching this case, are dug in, preparing for a process that will easily enter next week. Still, there are always moments of levity amid the process.

“It is absolutely critical that defendant immediately halt any conduct that would violate the April 1 order’s narrow restrictions to protect the integrity of the ongoing trial. A finding of criminal contempt, imposition of sanctions, and stark warnings from this court are the minimum remedies necessary to achieve this indispensable objective.”

France says Russia can be represented but president will not be invited because of war in Ukraine

Russia will be invited to send representatives to the international ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-day – but not Vladimir Putin, the French organisers have announced.

The Elysée is reported to have accepted that the country be represented but that its leader is not welcome because of Moscow’s ongoing war on Ukraine.

Kate Roughley, then deputy manager, accused of causing death of Genevieve Meehan, who was swaddled and strapped to bean bag

A nursery deputy manager caused the death of a baby she placed face-down, tightly swaddled and strapped to a bean bag for more than 90 minutes, a court has heard.

The resulting distressed cries of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan, known to her family as Gigi, were “simply ignored”, the jury was told on Tuesday.

Exclusive: Board to release turnaround proposals on Friday amid uncertainty over future of firm

Thames Water is preparing to tap debt markets within weeks in an attempt to fund a rescue plan and repair its threadbare finances, the Guardian can reveal.

It is understood the embattled water company is planning to publish a revised five-year spending plan within days, before a deadline next month. Its board is expected to meet on Thursday to rubber-stamp the plan, and executives hope to release it on Friday.

Residents welcome removal of number 116 route, often used to get to Park Güell

While some places will go to any lengths to attract visitors, residents of La Salut neighbourhood in Barcelona are celebrating a move to wipe themselves off the map.

For years, residents had complained that they could not get home because the number 116 bus was always crammed with tourists visiting Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell. The park is the city’s second most popular attraction after the Sagrada Familia basilica.

David Miller, then chief operating officer, tells inquiry he does not remember 1999 meeting in which comment was made

A former Post Office executive has told a public inquiry that he “should not have said” to its board that the Horizon IT system was “robust and fit for purpose” and agreed there had been a “missed opportunity” to investigate post office operators’ concerns.

David Miller, who retired in 2006 as chief operating officer of Post Office, had been told of problems with Horizon when he held meetings with post office operators in June 1999, the inquiry into the scandal has heard.

Acclaimed director Sam Gold will adapt the Shakespeare tragedy with new music from hitmaker and Taylor Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff

West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler and Heartstopper breakout Kit Connor are set to play Shakespeare’s tragic lovers Romeo and Juliet on Broadway.

Romeo + Juliet will premiere later this year from Tony award-winning director Sam Gold, who has previously taken on other Shakespeare plays such as Macbeth, Othello and King Lear.