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Strike was set to begin later on Thursday if union did not reach agreement on new contract with Broadway LeagueThe union representing Broadway musicians reached a tentative deal on a new contract early on Thursday morning, avoiding a potential strike that had been set to begin later that day and would have threatened many top shows in New York.In a statement, the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 said it had reached the tentative agreement with the Broadway League - the trade association representing theater owners, producers and operators - around 4.30am on Thursday, preventing a strike scheduled to begin later today". Continue reading...

Copeland, American Ballet Theatre's first Black female principal dancer, was celebrated with star-studded galaMisty Copeland took one last spin on her pointe shoes Wednesday night, showered with golden glitter and bouquets as she retired from American Ballet Theatre after a trailblazing career in which she became an ambassador for diversity in an overwhelmingly white art form.Copeland, who a decade ago became the first Black female principal dancer in the company's 75-year history, was feted at its star-studded fall gala at Manhattan's Lincoln Center. Oprah Winfrey and Debbie Allen were among those who gave speeches of praise. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Whitehall officials raise fears about Mark Sedwill's newspaper article warning of president's blundering' behaviour

Transport for London said to be considering night tube cancellation as disruption drags on for commuters

Survey finds 38% of people are eating out less often than a year ago, with many citing higher prices as main reasonMore than half of British diners say rising prices are the main reason they are eating out less, according to YouGov data showing that overall 38% of people are visiting restaurants and other eateries less often than a year ago.Among those cutting back, 63% cite higher costs as the main reason to dine out less frequently, according to the poll. Despite this downturn, more than two in five are still choosing to eat out at least once a month, while 8% of people say they never do. Continue reading...

Inhumane' UK-French Channel deal contravenes international conventions', customs union saysFrench coastguards have called for plans to intercept small boats in the Channel to be halted because of the risk to life. The intervention came as the Home Office confirmed France was reviewing its maritime doctrine" about the plan.In a letter to the French customs director general, Florian Colas, the customs union Solidaires Douanes, which includes coastguards among its members, describes the plans to intercept small boats up to 300 metres from the French shore as a deadly doctrine, which contravenes international conventions to which France is a signatory". Continue reading...

Latest strikes were off coast of Colombia, while seven previous attacks in Caribbean killed at least 32The US military has for the first time attacked and destroyed two boats on the Pacific side of South America, as part of its controversial fight against what it says are drug-trafficking activities.The strikes - on Tuesday night and then early on Wednesday - killed five people, according to the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth. They came on top of at least seven other strikes in the Caribbean that have killed at least 32 people and raised tensions with Colombia and Venezuela. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: With most border crossings remaining closed and aid deliveries falling catastrophically short, will the International Court of Justice's ruling force change for those left behind?Good morning. In the end, the ruling was both simple and obvious: Israel is the occupying power in Gaza, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and is therefore obligated to ensure the basic needs of the population are met.That was the verdict in the latest international court of justice case between Israel and Palestine, which also examined Israel's decision to bar the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from operating in the occupied territories. The world's top court found that Israel had failed to provide evidence for its claims that UNRWA lacked neutrality, or that a significant number of its employees were members of Hamas or other armed groups.Energy | Ministers are considering dropping one of their central green pledges in an effort to keep energy bills down, sources have told the Guardian.UK news | Keir Starmer's grooming gangs inquiry has descended into fresh turmoil after the only remaining candidate to be its chair blamed political opportunism" and a lack of trust" for his withdrawal as an applicant.Schools | One in 12 secondary pupils report being put into school isolation rooms at least once a week where they often spend in excess of eight hours, missing more than a full day of lessons, according to research.Immigration and asylum | A man sent back to France under the one in, one out" scheme has returned to the UK on a small boat, the Guardian has learned. The man is being held in a UK immigration detention centre and claims to be a victim of modern slavery.Ukraine war | The US has sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia's two largest oil companies, as the Trump administration increased pressure on the Kremlin to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine. Continue reading...

Ombudsman releases secret advice against government plan to lower standard of proof for misconduct

Private member's bill backed by Chris Packham and Natalie Bennett would impose a duty of care on government and businessA radical proposal to change the legal status of nature will be launched today in the House of Lords, with the unveiling of the UK nature's rights bill initiative.The private member's bill aims to legally enshrine the idea that there can be no lasting economic progress or social justice without respect for the natural world, and to change the legal status of nature from objects, property and resources to a legal subject with inherent rights. Continue reading...

Children with special educational needs more than twice as likely to be put in isolation, say Manchester researchers

It was designed to be clean and clear, but upset users are calling the national weather forecaster's new site confusing, clunky and really bad'

Teachers, nurses and public service staff among those walking off job and also pressing for more government investment in health and educationAn estimated 100,000 nurses, teachers and public sector staff walked off the job in New Zealand on Thursday to call on the government to better fund and resource public services, in one of the country's largest ever strikes.The so-called mega strike" brought together workers from multiple sectors, including more than 60,000 school teachers, 40,000 nurses and salaried medical specialists and 15,000 public service staff. Continue reading...

Girl's family had told the man, known by pseudonym Mercury', to meet with them by Wednesday midnight or they would make his identity public

Two men who died in sea on Wednesday identified as 36-year-old British national and 43-year-old friend

The hit Scottish comedy about suburban neighbours will move from screen to stage next year at Glasgow's HydroTwo Doors Down, the BBC comedy series about a suburban Scottish couple with constantly knocking neighbours, is to be brought to the stage.Unusually, it will make that journey with the full cast from the hit TV show intact. Alex Norton and Arabella Weir will reprise their roles as Eric and Beth, whose house on Latimer Crescent is consistently besieged by the street's residents, usually expecting a drink or two. Elaine C Smith will return as the oversharing Christine, and Doon Mackichan and Jonathan Watson are reuniting as a flashy couple, with an unhealthy interest in everyone's intimate business. The younger couple on the street will again be played by Graeme Stevely and Joy McAvoy, while Jamie Quinn will be back as Eric and Beth's son, Ian, with standup Kieran Hodgson once more playing his partner, Gordon. Continue reading...

Seven out of 13 items at Aldi were priced higher on DoorDash than in store, while Milkrun charged more for 11 out of 13 items from Woolworths

Jim Gamble cites vested interests' and political opportunism', as Keir Starmer brings in Louise Casey as adviserKeir Starmer's grooming gangs inquiry has descended into fresh turmoil after the only remaining candidate to be its chair blamed political opportunism" and a lack of trust" for his withdrawal as an applicant.As a key survivor called for a face-to-face meeting with the prime minister to save the inquiry, Jim Gamble, a former deputy chief constable, said the process to appoint a committee head was toxic" and defined by vested interests". Continue reading...

Home secretary vows overhaul after previously secret 2023 review lists series of perceived shortcomingsShabana Mahmood has admitted the Home Office is not yet fit for purpose" after the release of a damning report that was kept secret for years.The review, written under the previous government, uncovered a series of perceived shortcomings including a culture of defeatism" on immigration, a lack of trust from other departments, and several confused and conflicting systems". Continue reading...

Return marks his first TV series since groundbreaking mob drama, and will examine covert mind-control programDavid Chase is returning to television. The Sopranos creator will write MKUltra, a limited series on the CIA's secret cold war-era mind control program, for HBO.The project, first reported by Deadline, will be Chase's first series since the era-defining HBO mob drama. The dramatic thriller, based on John Lisle's book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKUltra, focuses on Gottlieb, a notorious scientist known as the black sorcerer" who led Project MKUltra, the CIA's covert psychedelic program that tested hallucinogenic drugs, hypnosis, and torture on willing and unwilling subjects from 1953 until it was halted in 1973. Continue reading...

Court also found that Israel had a duty not to impede supply of aid by UN organisations including UnrwaIsrael must allow aid into Gaza, and its restrictions on doing so over the past two years have put it in breach of its obligations, the UN's top court has found.The stinging advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice in The Hague also found that Israel had a duty not to impede the supply of aid by UN organisations including the beleaguered UN Palestinian relief agency Unrwa, which has been in effect banned from the territory since January. Continue reading...

Plan would include everything from laptops to jet engines, to retaliate against Beijing's latest round of rare earth export restrictions

Laurence des Cars questioned by senators about daring daytime break-in at Paris museumThe director of the Louvre museum in Paris has acknowledged a terrible failure" days after thieves took seven minutes to break in via a window and steal jewels worth 88m, admitting there was highly insufficient" security camera coverage of the outside walls of the vast building.Laurence des Cars was grilled by senators about the spectacular heist in which four men used a truck with extendable ladder and furniture hoist to access a balcony, cut through a window and steal jewels from the ornate Apollo gallery during opening hours. Continue reading...

Family seeks tutor from socially appropriate background' who can provide infant with comprehensive British cultural environment'Getting paid 180,000 a year to tutor a single child might sound like a dream job but there's a catch: the child is only one-year-old and you need to get him into Eton.A wealthy family near London is searching for a tutor to provide a comprehensive British cultural environment" for their infant, according to an advertisement published by Tutors International, which calls itself the hand-crafted Bentley" of private tutoring. Continue reading...

Civil service union head decries anonymous criticism as insiders continue to bemoan Chris Wormald's appointmentAttacks on the UK's cabinet secretary stink of political cowardice", the head of the senior civil servants' union has said as concerns mount inside the government about his performance.The general secretary of the FDA, Dave Penman, said anonymous criticism of Chris Wormald was hugely damaging" to the government and its prospects of recruiting talented officials to top jobs. Continue reading...

Labour chair says that Tory proposals to revoke indefinite leave to remain in some cases will tear families apart'Yesterday Steve Back, the photographer who covers Downing Street and who specialises in close up pictures of documents being carried into No 10, took a picture of a file with the wording of two of the questions being prepared for PMQs. One was the first question, from the Lib Dem MP Roz Savage, about the case for more focus on environmental protections in planning rules, and another was the third question, from the Labour MP Jayne Kirkham, about public transport for students in Cornwall.Back posts on X as PoliticalPics.Sorry Jason, this is such complete and utter nonsense. If you get a PMQ as an opposition MP you can try to score points if you like or you can try to ensure you get a decent answer by tipping off the PM in advance. I've done both in my time. Literally nothing to see here.People trying to make this into a big thing... MPs of all parties give No10 prior notice of PMQs because they want helpful responses on local issues. (Exception is LOTO Qs which are more about the gotcha'). The big mystery is: why are aides still using clear folders? Continue reading...

Israeli PM dismisses claim despite Washington providing estimated 68% of country's foreign-sourced weaponsOn the second day of a US diplomatic push aimed at shoring up the fragile Gaza ceasefire, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, dismissed as hogwash" suggestions that his country was a client state of Washington.Despite the US providing an estimated 68% of Israel's foreign-sourced weapons, Netanyahu, when asked on Wednesday if Israel was beholden to Washington, said: I want to put it very clearly. One week they say that Israel controls the United States. A week later they say the United States controls Israel. This is hogwash." Continue reading...

Ukrainian president's comments come amid suspension of planned US-Russian summit and fresh attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv

Competition watchdog takes similar stance as EU, saying both tech firms require stricter regulatory oversightGoogle and Apple face enforced changes to how they operate their mobile phone platforms, after the UK's competition watchdog ruled the companies require tougher regulatory oversight.The Competition and Markets Authority has conferred strategic market status" (SMS) on the tech firms after investigating their mobile operating systems, app stores and browsers. It means Apple and Google will be subjected to tailormade guidelines to regulate their behaviour in the mobile market. Continue reading...

Claim comes after charity suspends a number of senior volunteers who spoke out publicly against proposalsSamaritans has been accused of bullying behaviour and shutting down dissent after suspending a number of senior volunteers who spoke out publicly against its controversial plans to close as many as half of its 200 UK branches.The mental health charity suspended at least two of its branch directors and one former branch director on Tuesday, 48 hours before its annual general meeting. Continue reading...

Mohammed Umar Khan stabbed fellow 15-year-old at All Saints Catholic high school in Sheffield in FebruaryThe teenager convicted of the murder of Harvey Willgoose has been named and sentenced to life with a minimum of 16 years in prison.Mohammed Umar Khan, also 15, was handed the sentence by the judge, Naomi Ellenbogen, on Wednesday after being found guilty in August of stabbing Harvey in a Sheffield secondary school. Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves' criticism of Brexit impact on economy is aimed at leave voters who have changed their minds and younger voters, says analystsRachel Reeves' decision to pin the blame for the UK's ailing economy on Brexit a month before a difficult and potentially unpopular budget could be considered high-risk given the lingering divisions and bitterness over the UK's decision to leave the EU.But political analysts say she is aiming to appeal to voters who opted to leave but have changed their minds on this issue, young people who have joined the electorate in the nine years since the referendum, and remainers who are asking: what took you so long? Continue reading...

Public accounts committee is understood to be gathering support for inquiry into financial arrangementsMPs on a powerful parliamentary select committee are pushing hard" to launch an inquiry into Prince Andrew's residence at Royal Lodge, the Guardian understands.Keir Starmer has indicated he is open to MPs questioning Andrew in person about his home in Windsor Great Park, where he has lived for more than 20 years without paying rent. Continue reading...

US vice president is in Israel for meeting with Israeli PM amid fragile Gaza ceasefireIsrael has completed the identification of the bodies of two more hostages, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

Energy UK calls for Ofgem to be stripped of responsibilities, accusing it of overseeing rise in domestic bills and slowing economic growthThe UK's energy companies have called for a radical shake-up of the industry regulator, Ofgem, accusing it of overseeing a rise in domestic bills and slowing Britain's economic growth.The industry's trade association, Energy UK, has called for the watchdog to be stripped of some of its responsibilities after overseeing a dramatic increase in red tape" that it claims has reduced growth and pushed up costs for households. Continue reading...

Auction in US includes late musician's vocoders, flute, sunglasses and bike he rode in Tour de France videoHe was a pioneer of electronic music whose band Kraftwerk redefined the sound of pop and influenced artists from David Bowie and New Order to Coldplay and Run-DMC.Now the electronic equipment and musical instruments Florian Schneider used to create some of the band's best-known songs in the 1970s and 1980s could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars when they are sold at auction next month. Continue reading...

Pets gone rogue, vomiting and martial arts were recurrent themes in this year's annual roundup of fantasy, horror and cult moviesSitges loves its dogs. The pups were out in force this year, sprawling on cafe terraces or getting their poop scooped by conscientious owners, but all of them (happily) were less threatening than the killer mutts on screen at the 58th edition of the International Fantastic film festival of Catalonia, just 25 miles down the coast from Barcelona.Canine carnage provides the shocking climax to The Virgin of the Quarry Lake, a slow-burn Carrie-esque coming-of-age yarn set amid the economic turmoil of 2001 Argentina. In Todos los Males, set in 1950s Chile, a small boy finds the German half of his family harbours dark secrets (quelle surprise!), one of them involving flesh-ripping hounds. In Shelby Oaks, a woman investigating the disappearance of her sister makes the rookie error of exploring an abandoned prison at night, and finds ... vicious dogs! And in the most obviously metaphorical of all, Ion De Sosa's beguilingly Bunuelian fable Balearic, working-class teenagers are trapped in a swimming pool by a trio of malevolent Belgian malinois dogs while, further up the hill, champagne-swigging poshos fail to notice a forest fire creeping ever nearer. Continue reading...

Roberto Mosquera del Peral sent to the African country as part of Trump administration's ramped-up third-party deportationsA Cuban man deported by the Trump administration to the southern African country of Eswatini has started a hunger strike against his detention there, his lawyer said on Wednesday.Roberto Mosquera del Peral was among five third-country nationals deported from the US to Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, in July. Continue reading...

French interior minister says former president will have two officers in nearby cells at all times after beginning five-year sentence for illegal campaign fundingThe former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will have two police officers stationed in nearby cells while he is in prison to ensure he comes to no harm, France's interior minister has said.Sarkozy arrived at La Sante prison in Paris on Tuesday to begin a five-year sentence after being convicted of conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya - a stunning downfall for a man who led the country between 2007 and 2012. Continue reading...

Decision to extend pause on 18-mile stretch north of Birmingham part of reset' to troubled rail project Business live - latest updatesWork to connect HS2 to the west coast mainline will be deferred for another four years as part of a reset" of the troubled high-speed rail project.The work between Birmingham and Handsacre in Staffordshire was originally halted in early 2023 by the previous government to limit spending on HS2. Continue reading...

Wet and windy conditions expected in southern England, the East Midlands, parts of Wales and YorkshireStorm Benjamin is set to batter the UK with heavy downpours and winds of more than 70mph this week, forecasters have said.The Met Office has released three yellow weather warnings over possible disruption, flooding, power cuts and damage to buildings in a number of areas on Thursday from the storm, which has been named by Meteo France. Continue reading...

The Hollywood actor will star in a new version of the Chekhov classic by writer-director Simon Stone at the Bridge theatre from JulyStar Trek's Chris Pine will boldly go to the Bridge next summer but the actor, best known for playing James T Kirk in the sci-fi reboot, is swapping the starship for the stage.For his London theatre debut, Pine has been cast in the title role of a new version of Chekhov's early play Ivanov by Australian writer-director Simon Stone. Produced by London Theatre Company, Ivanov will open in July at the Bridge theatre, where Stone's update of Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea is now running. Continue reading...

Exclusive: In an open letter, Israeli ex-officials, artists and intellectuals say unconscionable' actions in Gaza amount to genocideProminent Jewish figures around the world are calling on the United Nations and world leaders to impose sanctions on Israel over what they describe as unconscionable" actions amounting to genocide in Gaza.Former Israeli officials, Oscar winners, authors and intellectuals have signed an open letter demanding accountability over Israel's conduct in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The letter's release comes as EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday amid reports they plan to shelve proposals for sanctions over human rights violations. Continue reading...

Treasury says trips were private while Scottish ministers point out US president met Keir Starmer and it had to stump up for extra policingThe UK government needs to step up" and reimburse the 24.5m cost of Donald Trump and JD Vance's recent visits to Scotland, Holyrood's public finance minister has said.Provisional costs of almost 24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government. Continue reading...

Senior constable will now face two charges, including grievous bodily harm which carries maximum penalty of 14 years

Liberal minister Jane Hume earlier described calls for the former prime minister to be removed as ambassador as a little bit churlish'

Operator signs 2bn deal with Alstom amid boom in international rail travel from UKEurostar is to start running doubledecker trains through the Channel tunnel to meet growing demand for international rail travel from the UK.The rail operator announced it had signed a 2bn (1.7bn) deal for at least 30 - and up to 50 - new trains from the manufacturer Alstom. Continue reading...

Declaration means government can send army to patrol streets, restrict freedom of assembly and curtail other rightsPeru's interim president, Jose Jeri, announced a state of emergency in Lima and the neighbouring port of Callao on Tuesday after weeks of anti-government protests over corruption and organised crime.The state of emergency approved by the council of ministers will take effect at midnight on Wednesday and will last for 30 days in metropolitan Lima and Callao," Jeri said in an address to the nation on state television. Continue reading...

The move, welcomed by UN, will allow thousands of people living in camps to support themselves and their familiesThailand is setting a global precedent this month by giving refugees permission to work in the country in an effort to tackle aid cuts and its own labour shortages.More than 87,000 refugees living in nine refugee camps along Thailand's border with Myanmar have been totally reliant on handouts of food and foreign aid. Continue reading...

Mike Bush says commercial flight would have been more appropriate for travel to Hobart for meeting of commissioners