Top story: Stuck in a muddle with EU

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Theresa May has formally conceded it is too late to reach a Brexit deal that would avoid Britain taking part in the European elections. Hopes are fading that a cross-party Brexit deal can be struck within the coming days. Backbench Tory MPs continue to rumble about changing the party’s rules so they can oust May as PM.

Tuesday’s three hours of talks were described as “the most robust to date” by Labour with the party saying May has simply rehashed her original deal rather than offering meaningful concessions. May and Jeremy Corbyn are both constrained: the PM’s backbenchers have urged her not to concede on a customs union, while many Labour MPs won’t back a deal without a referendum attached. There is anxiety that exasperated EU governments may decide to let the UK go. The Brexit secretary, Steve Barclay, is preparing a paper on no-deal planning.

Denver school shooting – One 18-year-old student is dead and seven teenagers have been injured after two people opened fire inside a school in Denver, Colorado. The sheriff’s office said an adult and a minor walked into the Stem School Highlands Ranch and began shooting students in two classrooms. Within minutes, deputies from a nearby police station entered the school and arrested two suspects after a struggle. Eight people were taken to hospital, with two listed as being in serious condition. The shooting comes three weeks after neighbouring Littleton marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbine school massacre that killed 13 people. The two schools are separated by about 11km.

Midweek catch-up

> Police are investigating rape comments directed at the Labour MP Jess Phillips by Carl Benjamin, a Ukip candidate in the EU elections.

Play Video 0:56 Jess Phillips: 'For four years this man had made a career out of harassing me' – video

Phillips said she had been harassed online by Benjamin for years and targeted in the street about the comments. Benjamin has refused to apologise for his “joke” and instead added to the comments. West Midlands police confirmed a complaint of malicious communications had been received.

> Families have called for the Grenfell fire inquiry to make major changes to its procedures, saying their voices are not being heard. A report published on Wednesday documents their frustrations with perceived failings in the process.

> The White House has told Congress it has ordered former counsel Don McGahn not to hand over documents related to Robert Mueller’s Trump–Russia inquiry. Trump’s tax details for 1985-94 have been obtained by the New York Times, which says he booked $1.17 billion in losses and didn’t pay income tax for eight of those 10 years.

> The Home Office is scrapping its target of processing most asylum claims within six months. Human rights lawyers expressed alarm, saying it could mean worse delays for vulnerable asylum seekers and more court cases at the public’s expense.

> A nurse who ran the London Marathon in surgical “scrubs” including trousers – instead of dressing like a character from Carry On Nurse – has had her record accepted on appeal by the Guinness book, which originally stipulated a pinafore apron and cap.

Blow to Iran deal – Iran is to partly withdraw from the international deal limiting its nuclear programme, as a direct result of Donald Trump violating the pact. Almost all large European firms have had to quit the Iranian market, to avoid being fined in the US under Trump’s unilateral sanctions. Iran insists the announcements will not amount to a complete withdrawal from the agreement, and may include a two-month deadline for the EU to implement its obligations before further Iranian steps are taken. “The European Union and others … did not have the power to resist US pressure, therefore Iran … will not carry out some voluntary commitments,” said Mohammad Javad Zarif, Tehran’s foreign minister.

Problem is in your hand – Sex is on the decline in Britain, particularly among married and cohabiting couples, according to a major study that suggests smartphones may be partly to blame. Research suggests men and women with an active sex life are fitter and happier, have better cognitive function and longer life expectancy. But fewer than half of men and women have sex at least once a week, researchers found. Single people who were in better physical and mental health, and those who were employed and had higher incomes, all reported having more frequent sex. Prof Kaye Wellings and the team who carried out the research say the decline coincided with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. Alternatively, so long after the “sexual revolution”, it could be that “sex is just settling down and we’re not making such a fuss about it”.

Bar with no booze – Dublin is about to get a pub with a twist: no alcohol. The Virgin Mary bar will open on Capel Street on Friday, claiming to be the country’s first permanent pub selling only beer, wine and cocktails with zero per cent alcohol. On the list are cocktails ranging from the signature Virgin Mary (hot and spicy); Cedar’s Spritz (teetotal gin and sparkling wine); and Chilled Raven Nitro Coffee, poured from a stout tap to mimic the texture and appearance of Guinness. About a quarter of Irish adults do not drink alcohol.

Today in Focus podcast: Fortress Europe

The EU’s efforts to stem the flow of migration from Africa across the Mediterranean has meant helping the Libyan coastguard to intercept boats. But what happens when asylum seekers are returned to war-torn Libya? Sally Hayden has spent months investigating conditions in the detention camps. Plus: Jonathan Watts on the UN’s alarming report on the possible extinction of more than a million plant and animal species.

Lunchtime read: Fight for the right to fix it yourself

When Jessa Jones’s twin daughters flushed her iPhone 4S down the toilet, she took the toilet apart in her backyard, retrieved the device, then began the journey down the rabbit hole of online forums. Trawling through tutorials, she taught herself how to use a soldering iron and replace minuscule components. She eventually succeeded and got the phone working again.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Prised possession – an iPhone opened up. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Jones found the work satisfying, and repairing electronics became a new hobby. When she listed her services on eBay, the work started to pour in, and she had to skill up other neighbourhood mothers to help. “Suddenly playdates became moms sitting around the dining table fixing mailed-in iPhones.” But she discovered that manufacturers use unfriendly techniques that discourage independent repair. Phone and tablet parts are glued together, while schematics and manuals are kept secret, and weird screws are used that cannot be removed with common screwdrivers. But repair communities are spreading their knowledge online to place power back in the hands of consumers.

Sport

Jürgen Klopp described the greatest comeback in Liverpool’s illustrious European history as a unique and unforgettable night built on the “mentality of giants” as his injury-hit team demolished Barcelona to reach a second successive Champions League final. There have been glorious, entirely improbable games in Liverpool’s European history, writes Barney Ronay, but this was something else. Three weeks from the start of a World Cup, England have spent four years planning for, there are still a couple of questions left to address, but Trevor Bayliss says he is hoping it will all be settled over the course of five one-day games against Pakistan.

Silverstone is to be resurfaced for the second time in two years before the British Grand Prix at a cost of up to £5m. And after announcing he will bring an end to a stellar 17-year career at the end of the season, James Haskell has admitted he is daunted by the blank canvas he faces in a post-rugby life.

Business

US-China trade tensions and Brexit pose a mounting threat to the EU economy, the European commission has predicted, downgrading its growth forecast for the bloc. Trade issues were also on the minds of investors in Asian markets overnight where stock markets were sold again amid uncertainty about whether Washington will impose higher tariffs on Chinese goods. The Nikkei in Japan was down 1.7% to a five-week low. The FTSE100 is seen opening flat while the pound is at $1.307 and €1.166.

The papers

Several front pages focus on Brexit today. The i says: “Our party is in meltdown, warn Tory grassroots”, the Times has: “Defiant May will stay until autumn” and the FT reports: “May clings to latest Brexit target as deal prospects fade” and the Express is furious at the news that the UK will hold European elections this month: “What a waste of time and £150m!”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Guardian front page, Wednesday 8 May 2019.

The Guardian reports “Police inquiry into MP rape threat by Ukip candidate” after comments posted to social media about Jess Phillips. The Telegraph says: “Expenses watchdog tries to stop fresh exposé”.

The Mirror leads on the London Bridge inquest: “3 minutes of murder”, the Mail isn’t done with the royal baby: “Will Baby Sussex get American passport?” and the Sun runs the story that “young Brits” (aged 16-44) are having less sex than a decade ago: “No sex please … we’re all on Netflix!”

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