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Labor MP says some children reach adulthood without mixing with people from different cultures and religions

Exiled Spanish and Portuguese Jews who had fled to Italy translated Hebrew bible into their common languageIn 1553, a community of exiled Spanish and Portuguese Jews who had found refuge and patronage in the northern Italian city of Ferrara did something that would have been unthinkable, and very possibly fatal, in their former homelands.They printed their own Hebrew bible in Spanish. Continue reading...

Booking system freezes and screens crash amid rush of fans trying to secure tickets to 21 March free concertTickets for BTS's comeback concert in central Seoul were snapped up almost immediately on Monday night, with authorities expecting an estimated 260,000 fans to descend for the K-pop group's first full performance in nearly four years.At one point, more than 100,000 people flooded the booking website when sales opened at 8pm for the free concert at Gwanghwamun square on 21 March, causing screens to crash and booking systems to freeze. Continue reading...

Links to Jeffrey Epstein have taken political operator from a vaunted position in British diplomacy to arrest in under six monthsJust six months ago Peter Mandelson seemed unassailable as the UK's ambassador to the US, one of the most vaunted positions in British diplomacy. As our man in Washington, Mandelson appeared to have used his skill for schmoozing, learned over years as a cabinet minister and a European commissioner, to secure a good relationship with the tricky Trump administration. He was considered instrumental in securing a relatively favourable US trade deal for the UK.He was also an influential voice in Labour politics with the ear of the prime minister and his inner circle, notably his friend and protege Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's then chief of staff. Continue reading...

With the Russian military performing poorly, Ukraine is clarifying strategy and pushing back with modest successRussia's invasion of Ukraine, now entering its fifth grim year, has already gone on longer than the entire fight on the eastern front in the second world war. The Soviets marched from the gates of Leningrad to Berlin in a little over 15 months in 1944-45; today the Russian rate of gain in Pokrovsk in Ukraine is 70 metres a day, in Kupiansk, 23 metres, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.The gains are trivial, given Ukraine's size, amounting to 1,865 sq miles during 2025 (about 0.8% of the country) - so the idea touted by the Russians, sometimes accepted by a credulous White House, that Ukraine is suffering a slow-motion defeat, is not accurate. In reality, even allowing for the fact that hundreds of thousands of homes are without electricity, heating and water after Russian bombing, Ukraine is clarifying its strategy and pushing back with modest success. Continue reading...

NSW detectives say Toyota Corolla involved in crime was spotted in Pitt Town one day after 85-year-old abducted from North Ryde home

Virginia Bell says scope of inquiry will be reduced to avoid prejudicing criminal proceedings

China has opposed the smearing of its nuclear policy' while insisting Beijing would not engage in any nuclear arms race'The US has accused China of dramatically expanding its nuclear arsenal, while doubling down on claims that Beijing had conducted secret nuclear tests.Washington said the lapsing of New Start - the last treaty between top nuclear powers the US and Russia - earlier this month presented the possibility of striking a better agreement" that included Beijing. Continue reading...

Dominic Ethan Stewart was among 19 killed when vehicle veered off road and plunged down mountainsideTributes have been paid to a young British hiker who was among 19 people killed when a packed passenger bus veered off a treacherous stretch of road and plunged 200 metres down a steep mountainside in Nepal.Twenty-five others were injured in the pre-dawn crash in the Himalayan foothills on Monday. The bus was carrying 44 people, including a number of tourists. Continue reading...

Criminal barristers welcome justice secretary's move to remove limit on hearing days at crown courts in England and WalesA cap on court sitting days is to be lifted as the government seeks to ease the cases backlog, David Lammy has announced.The justice secretary and deputy prime minister said every crown court in England and Wales would be funded to hear more cases in the next financial year. Continue reading...

Performer appeared in closing ceremony of 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and was a mainstay of city's drag scene

Prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand say they would not object to his removal from royal succession lineA parliamentary inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's links to Jeffrey Epstein is a matter for MPs, Downing Street has said, as ministers faced a new push to uncover details about the former prince's role as a trade envoy.It comes as the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, wrote to Keir Starmer to say his country would have no objection to Mountbatten-Windsor being removed from the royal line of succession. Later, a spokesperson for New Zealand's prime minister, Christopher Luxon, said his country would also support the proposals. Continue reading...

The arrest followed search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas, police saidBridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has been speaking about the Send reforms at an event in Peterborough.This is what she said about the need for inclusion.Inclusion is a choice. It is an educational choice, and it is also a political choice because we could duck this challenge, ignore the injustice of a postcode lottery in life chances putting off fixing the Send system yet again.The system works well for some at least.We welcome the scale of vision contained in the white paper which has the potential to create an education system that fully values children and young people with additional needs and their families.We also welcome the commitment to retain statutory education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children and young people whose needs cannot be met through this new model. We know that many parents will welcome the legal requirement for schools to create individual support plans (ISPs) for all children with Send. Continue reading...

Hungary's veto prevents EU countries from adopting latest round of sanctionsOne other thing we will be keeping an eye on today is the latest on the EU-US trade relationship after last Friday's US supreme court ruling on Trump's tariffs.The European Parliament is expected to discuss what to do with the EU-US trade deal later today. Continue reading...

Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala set up AOG Technics, which sold more than 60,000 components in a 40m global fraudA one-time techno DJ who orchestrated a 40m global fraud selling fake aircraft parts from his garage outside London has been jailed.Engine parts from AOG Technics found their way into planes used by American Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta and Ryanair before the scam was discovered, leading to regulators issuing safety alerts and planes being grounded. Continue reading...

PM asks ethics adviser to examine conduct of Cabinet Office minister amid Labour Together scandal fallout

Exclusive: Assessors unable to override algorithm-based tool, leaving people at risk of being pushed into aged care homes before they are ready

Everyone Hates Elon campaigners fix photo of ex-prince slouched in backseat of car after arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public officeActivists have hung a photo in the Louvre museum in Paris of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor being driven from a police station after his arrest.The British political campaign group Everyone Hates Elon fixed the photo, which shows the former prince slouched in the backseat of a Range Rover, on a wall of the Paris gallery on Sunday. Continue reading...

As details of the death toll for January's protests continue to emerge, three students explain why they are resisting a return to normalityMore than 45 days after a brutal January crackdown that left thousands of Iranian protesters dead, students across several universities are protesting again. As Iran's new academic term began on Saturday, students in Tehran gathered on campus, chanting anti-government slogans, despite a heavy security presence and plainclothes officers stationed outside university gates.The Guardian spoke to protesting students about why they were rallying despite the fact that thousands had been killed and tens of thousands arrested in the January demonstrations. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese writes to British PM as UK prepares to consider laws to strip former prince of his right to inherit the throne

Report into unprecedented' violence between members of two communities in 2022 calls for action on communalism

Former senior civil servants say culture of deference meant excessive expenses claims were waved throughAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor charged taxpayers for the cost of massages and excessive travel expenses while he was the UK's trade envoy, it has been reported.Former senior civil servants said they were shocked to see the claims, and that there was a culture of deference towards the former prince within Whitehall that allowed them to proceed. Continue reading...

South-western France could hit 25C, while a powerful Nor'easter is forecast to bring blizzards to Boston

New Art UK chair Ben Terrett appointed as charity marks 10 years of building online databaseFrom a bronze Rodin sculpture of the naked Eve outside a Nando's in Harlow to more than 6,000 artworks by JMW Turner, to a crumpled-up piece of A4 paper owned by Manchester Art Gallery, the UK's public art collection is a wonderful and varied thing.It is huge, as demonstrated by the charity Art UK, which has announced it has reached a million artworks on its database and appointed a new chair who said: We've only scratched the surface." Continue reading...

The Labor heavyweight and union legend says young Australians increasingly feel economic policy is rigged against them. But will Jim Chalmers step up?

Premier Chris Minns says state has been working with federal government as group of 11 women and 23 children attempt to leave refugee camp

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Man, now 22, told jury he messaged friend after the alleged incident saying he had anxiety and stomach pains

New subscription features on app for gay and bisexual men come with a price tag - from $109.99 a month in Australia to $349 in the US

Drug lord who was killed by Mexican special forces on Sunday led a cartel known for aggression and military-style arsenal

Environment watchdog says water corporation is responsible for ensuring it doesn't pollute our beautiful beaches'

Duterte, 80, is accused of crimes against humanity over an anti-drugs crackdown in which thousands of people were killed in south-east Asian countryThe pre-trial hearing for former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte for his alleged role in a deadly drug war" is set to begin at the international criminal court on Monday, despite his refusal to attend the proceedings.Duterte, 80, who was arrested in Manila and flown to The Hague last year, is accused of crimes against humanity over an anti-drugs crackdown in which thousands of people were killed. Continue reading...

Death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, one of world's most wanted drug traffickers, sets off wave of disorder across several Mexican states

Karoline Vitto, Phoebe English and Sinead Gorey include wide range of body shapes on catwalksBody diversity has made a comeback at London fashion week despite a wider shift towards ultra-thinness in the fashion industry.Emerging designers including Karoline Vitto, Phoebe English and Sinead Gorey included a wide range of body shapes on catwalks over the past four days. Sizes have ranged from a UK size 10-16, a category referred to as mid-size in the industry, to plus-size, also known as curve models, which measures from a UK size 18 upwards. Sample size, often referred to as straight models, ranges from a UK 4-8. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader flew to the Maldives for a day despite not having permit to visit nearby archipelagoNigel Farage has been accused of performing Maga stunts" after claiming the British government stopped him from travelling to the Chagos Islands on a humanitarian mission.The Reform UK leader said he had flown to the Maldives to join a delegation bringing aid to four Chagossians who are trying to establish a settlement on one of the archipelago's islands to protest against Britain's plans to transfer control of the territory to Mauritius. Continue reading...

Moscow continues to invest in strikes more than diplomacy,' says Zelenskyy, as logistics and energy facilities targetedRussia has fired scores of missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine, flattening a residential house in the capital, two days before the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion.Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Kremlin had launched 297 drones and nearly 50 missiles on Sunday, in the latest in a wave of overnight strikes. He said a significant proportion" had been shot down as he called on allies to strengthen the country's air defences against enemy attacks. Continue reading...

Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber, expects shocking' failures into care of triple killer Valdo Calacone to emerge at inquiry starting on MondayThe mother of a student who was killed in the 2023 Nottingham attacks has said she will fight to the bitter end" to get to the truth of how Valdo Calocane was free to attack, before the beginning of a public inquiry into the incident.Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, 19-year-old students, and 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates were fatally stabbed by Calocane on 13 June 2023 in a frenzied attack. Early the next day, Calocane drove a van into pedestrians Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski, leaving all three with severe and life-changing injuries. Continue reading...

Welsh Rugby Union is to cut number of professional teams from four to three, with Ospreys the likely choiceFor Ian Gough, a lock forward who had been dropped by the Wales national rugby union team, signing with Swansea's Ospreys in 2007 was life-changing: he credits his time at the club with resurrecting his international career.It was great fun playing for the Ospreys," he said. They did it the hard way, ground their way up, and the supporters embraced that identity and went with them on that journey to becoming a good side. Continue reading...

Intelligence-based, selective operations' carried out against Pakistani Taliban camps, says information ministryPakistan launched multiple airstrikes on Saturday night targeting militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, where the government reported children were among dozens of people killed and wounded.Islamabad did not say precisely where the strikes were carried out or provide other details. Continue reading...

White paper proposes changing criteria under which schools get funding to support the most disadvantaged studentsPlans to halve the attainment gap between the poorest pupils in England and their more affluent peers will be set out by the government on Monday.The schools white paper will detail proposals to change the criteria under which schools receive funding to support the most disadvantaged students. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Irish author, who feared her books being withdrawn from UK, says proscription had been extreme assault' on rights and freedomsSally Rooney has hailed the high court's decision that it was unlawful to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws as a victory for civil liberties in Britain.Ministers suffered a humiliating legal defeat a week ago when three senior judges ruled that proscription of the direct action group, which targets organisations it considers complicit in arming Israel, was disproportionate and unlawful. Continue reading...

Congress members write to Kristi Noem to express grave concern' over detention of Georgia barber Rodney TaylorRepresentative Pramila Jayapal and 20 members of Congress are seeking the release of Rodney Taylor from Stewart detention center in Georgia, several weeks after the one-year anniversary of when agents seized the double amputee outside his suburban home in Loganville, about 40 miles north-east of Atlanta.The representatives sent a two-page letter on 17 February to Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, and Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), drawing extensively from the Guardian's reporting and quoting several stories in detail with grave concern" due to Taylor's extreme hardship in detention and [because] his health is continuing to deteriorate". Continue reading...

US president vows to enact 10% global baseline tariff after calling the supreme court justices a disgrace to the nation'

Officers being asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard' may be relevant to review of Epstein filesScotland Yard has announced it is expanding its inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor by approaching all his former protection officers and reviewing records of flights at London's airports to see if they were used for human trafficking.The disclosure by the Metropolitan police is separate to the inquiry that led to the former prince's arrest on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but underlines the complex nature of the multiple investigations now focused on King Charles's brother. Continue reading...

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under investigation after police questioned the former prince in relation to allegations he shared confidential material with Jeffrey Epstein. Officers searched Mountbatten-Windsor's Sandringham residence as well as his former home at the Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park after arresting him on Thursday. The former prince has denied any wrongdoing. But what were the police searching for and what could happen next? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian's police and crime correspondent, Vikram Dodd - watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Democrats cry foul at change to airport closest to Mar-a-Lago days after president's lawyers trademarked new nameDemocrats in Florida have condemned Republican colleagues in the state legislature who approved the renaming of the airport in West Palm Beach the President Donald J Trump International Airport", less than a week after lawyers for Trump sought to trademark the name.Only the signature of Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, now stands before a renaming ceremony at the airport less than six miles from the US president's waterfront Mar-a-Lago mansion and private resort club in Palm Beach. Continue reading...

Record public finances accompany stronger retail sales and business activity but some analysts express cautionThe economic backdrop to Rachel Reeves's upcoming spring statement appeared to brighten on Friday after a trio of reports painted a better-than-expected picture of the UK economy.Record monthly public finances, a surge in retail spending and accelerating business activity offered the most coherent picture of recovery since last autumn, economists said, and provided the chancellor with a more positive narrative before her 3 March statement. Continue reading...

Dozens of the animals in Chiang Mai region first began to show signs of illness earlier this monthA highly contagious virus is believed to have caused the deaths of 72 captive tigers in northern Thailand this month, with officials racing to contain the outbreak.Teams are urgently disinfecting enclosures and preparing to vaccinate surviving animals. Continue reading...

Andrew Alty thought O2 bill was a mistake, but daughter's TikTok use allowed massive uncapped charges to accrueA small business owner was left facing a 42,000 bill that he said nearly bankrupted him after his daughter racked up data roaming charges while the family were on holiday in Morocco.Andrew Alty, who owns a curtains business, was in Marrakech when he received a bill for 22,000 from network provider O2, but at first he assumed it was a mistake. Continue reading...

Police say UK entrepreneur Quentin Griffiths fell from 17th floor of an 18-floor condominium on 9 FebruaryQuentin Griffiths, the co-founder of the online fashion retailer Asos, has died after falling from an apartment building in the Thai seaside resort city of Pattaya.Police told Reuters that the 58-year-old had fallen from the 17th floor of an 18-storey condominium on 9 February. Continue reading...