In the headlines
The UK economy grew by 0.1% in the first three months of 2023. The Bank of England, which has dropped its previous prediction of a recession this year, has warned that inflation will not fall below 2% until 2025, and raised interest rates to 4.5%. Volodymyr Zelensky has been barred from making a video appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest final on Saturday, says The Times. The European Broadcasting Union, which includes the BBC, is worried that allowing the Ukrainian president to make a speech would politicise the contest. Prison guards in England and Wales have been ordered to stop referring to inmates as “convicts” in case it offends them. The edict from civil servants also warns against the phrase “ex-cons”, saying a more appropriate term is “prison leavers”.