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President says attack would not have happened if Ukraine had received sufficient air defence equipment'Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Polish president Andrzej Duda on Wednesday in New York, reports the Associated Press (AP).

Benjamin Netanyahu's comments came after UK foreign minister David Cameron and his German counterpart travelled to Israel for talks

Existence of whistleblower allegations added to scandal over Horizon computer systemThe Post Office has said that its chief executive, Nick Read, has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an investigation after the existence of whistleblower allegations was dramatically revealed in parliament.Read has been exonerated of all the misconduct allegations" brought by a whistleblower following an investigation by an external barrister. Continue reading...

Lloyds Bank says more than 600 of its customers have been tricked by fraudsters so farA rise in fraud cases involving Taylor Swift fans desperate to buy tickets to her sold-out UK shows has prompted Lloyds Bank to issue an urgent warning" after more than 600 of its customers were scammed.With the superstar due to arrive in Europe next month, the high street bank said its data suggested that UK fans had lost more than 1m to fraudsters so far. Continue reading...

Lords also press ministers to allow independent Rwanda monitoring as deportation bill returns to Commons

Campaign that began in Michigan aims to push president towards a ceasefire in Gaza even as critics say Trump could benefitThe uncommitted national campaign has brought in nearly half a million dollars to finance the movement that is aiming to push Joe Biden towards a ceasefire in Gaza.The shoestring movement started in Michigan's presidential primary, where more than 100,000 voters cast ballots for uncommitted, a signal to the Biden campaign that he is out of step with his likely voters on the war in Gaza. Since then, other states - such as Minnesota, Washington and Wisconsin - picked up the idea, organizing rapidly to turn out people who wanted to send Biden a message. Continue reading...

GMP says investigation does not imply hard and fast evidence', as Labour says it is confident Rayner complied with rules

An investigation is under way after reports alleging horses had been butchered at a private property near the NSW regional city

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Military funding to undergo major shake-up Albanese government says will ensure ADF can project power further from Australian shores

Exclusive: Government ministries and offices behind most contentious of projects, which will create thousands of housing unitsIsrael's government has accelerated the construction of settlements across East Jerusalem, with more than 20 projects totalling thousands of housing units having been approved or advanced since the start of the war in Gaza six months ago, planning documents show.Ministries and offices within the Israeli government are behind all the largest and most contentious of the projects, sometimes in association with rightwing nationalist groups with a history of trying to evict Palestinians from their homes in parts of the city. Continue reading...

Solicitor general warns that ruling indefinite detention unlawful could turn federal circuit court into refugee tribunal'

Senators hear the Miles government held two concurrent reviews into the 2032 Games preparations

The university student has hired a defamation lawyer after the TV network incorrectly named him without confirmation from police

Time taken for Farhad Moshiri to attract new investors may have made a viable solution harder to findEverton fans are used to owner Farhad Moshiri telling them that better times will be arriving soon. He began his reign at the club in 2016 promising to give fans whatever I have" - the type of soundbite he would continue to deliver during the following eight years. He promised fresh financing for the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, a new star striker, and to bring in a wealthy and expert investor.In January 2023, Moshiri told Everton's Fan Advisory Board: The club is not for sale, but I have been talking to top investors of real quality to bridge a gap on the stadium. I can do it [fund it] myself ... We are close to having a deal done." Continue reading...

Health Foundation report also predicts people in poorest areas will be three times more likely to die by the age of 70A record 3.7 million workers in England will have a major illness by 2040, according to research.On current trends, 700,000 more working-age adults will be living with high healthcare needs or substantial risk of mortality by 2040 - up nearly 25% from 2019 levels, according to a report by the Health Foundation charity. Continue reading...

Swiss food firm's infant formula and cereal sold in global south ignore WHO anti-obesity guidelines for Europe, says Public EyeNestle, the world's largest consumer goods company, adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries, contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases, a report has found.Campaigners from Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, sent samples of the Swiss multinational's baby-food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing. Continue reading...

Party hopes to attend meetings of EU foreign affairs council should it win UK electionLabour wants to draw closer to Europe on key foreign and security issues by frequently attending meetings of the monthly EU foreign affairs council.The move, which is likely to trigger Conservative claims that Labour is prepared to abandon an independent foreign policy, builds on a pledge by Keir Starmer's party to try to negotiate a new security pact with the EU after the 2024 UK election. Continue reading...

British growers and sellers fear government measures starting on 30 April could result in delays and plants being damagedGarden centres and nurseries are stockpiling plants before Brexit checks are introduced later this month, amid concerns over whether new border posts will be ready to deal with the volume of deliveries.The Horticultural Trade Association (HTA), which represents garden retailers and growers, said many of its members had been increasing orders of plants in recent weeks, to increase stocks before the checks start on 30 April. Continue reading...

John Murray pursues case against former Gaddafi minister for alleged involvement in fatal shootingA retired police officer who was on duty with PC Yvonne Fletcher when she was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London 40 years ago today is to bring a private prosecution against one of her alleged killers.John Murray, 68, a close friend of Fletcher, who cradled her in his arms as she lay dying, is pursuing a case against Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk, having previously won a civil case against the former minister in Muammar Gaddafi's government. Continue reading...

National security adviser Jake Sullivan made the announcement as EU considers similar moves

Australia Institute says 2021 analysis had 15-year timeframe when modelling of the invasive species is usually over 20 to 30 years

Olaf Scholz says Chinese president agreed to back June peace talks that Russia is not attending while Xi says efforts for a resolution must involve both sidesGermany's chancellor, Olaf Scholz, says he has urged Xi Jinping to press Russia to end its senseless" war in Ukraine and that the Chinese president has agreed to back a peace conference in Switzerland.Scholz said after a meeting with Xi in Beijing on Tuesday that China's word carries weight in Russia". Continue reading...

Election closely watched for any impact on Pacific country's relationship with Beijing, while voters focus on struggling health and other servicesSolomon Islanders have begun voting in a national election, the first since the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, struck a security pact with China in 2022 and drew the Pacific Islands nation closer to Beijing.The election outcome will be closely watched by the US, China and Australia for its potential impact on regional security, although Solomon Islands voters will be focused on struggling health services, education and inadequate roads, opposition parties said. Continue reading...

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health urges ministers to follow lead of Scotland and WalesParents in England and Northern Ireland should be banned from smacking their children because doing so is unjust, dangerous and harmful, leading doctors have urged ministers.It was a scandal" that Scotland and Wales had outlawed smacking but not the other two home nations, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

25bn of public money would have been saved between 2019 and 2023 if north had same care entry rates as south, report saysOne in every 52 children in Blackpool are in care compared with one in 140 across England, leading to calls for more to be done to urgently tackle the widening north-south divide, brought on by decades of underinvestment".Nine in every thousand children are in care in the north, compared with six in the rest of England, according to a report by Health Equity North. Continue reading...

Legislation to return to the Commons with changes that would ensure conformity with UK and other law and protect claimantsThe Rwanda deportation bill has been delayed for at least one more day after the House of Lords voted for amendments that would ensure that it adheres to international and key domestic laws.The plan to spend 541m to send 300 people seeking asylum to east Africa was sent back to the House of Commons after peers voted several times to add protections for claimants to the bill. Continue reading...

Legislation is seen as similar to an anti-democratic Russian law and Brussels has said it would undermine hopes of EU membershipGeorgian lawmakers have agreed an early draft of a controversial foreign influence" bill, sparking fresh street protests against the legislation criticised for mirroring a repressive Russian law.The bill has sparked outrage in Georgia and concern in the west, with many arguing it undermines Georgia's bid for EU membership. Continue reading...

Prospective contenders Badenoch, Braverman, Jenrick and Mordaunt abstained or voted against the banIn his speech to the Tory faithful at the Conservative party conference in Manchester in October, Rishi Sunak declared that he wanted to ban smoking for future generations.His announcement - confirming a plan first reported by the Guardian - was met with applause from grassroots members then. But Tuesday night's vote demonstrates the challenges for a Tory prime minister championing what his own side deems an archetypal nanny state" policy. Continue reading...

UN human rights office expresses concern over escalating violence after deaths near Nablus over weekendThe UN and the UK have 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 comments came 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. Continue reading...

Letter from 17 mostly NSW parliamentarians ays there must never again' be a repeat of people's visas being cancelled while they are in transit

Iran's charge d'affaires in London said his country would respond more severely if Israel attacked it again in another mistake'Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to trap the west into a total war across the Middle East that would have incalculable consequences for the region and the world, Iran's top diplomat in the UK has claimed, in his first interview since Tehran launched an unprecedented missile and drone attack against Israel at the weekend.Seyed Mehdi Hosseini Matin also warned that if Israel made another mistake" by launching an attack on Iran, there would be a response from Iran that was stronger, more severe, and administered without a warning like that issued before the weekend attack. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak's authority suffers blow as several Conservatives vote against bill, which clears first Commons hurdle with 383 votes to 67At 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. Continue reading...

Spokesperson says aircraft has landed safely and all passengers and crew have disembarkedBirmingham airport temporarily suspended operations on Tuesday because of a security incident on an aircraft.There had initially been reports of a suspicious item on a plane, but West Midlands police later confirmed that the item was not suspicious, and the airport reopened at 6pm. Continue reading...

Kansas City Chiefs tight end will make his TV series debut as the host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? for Amazon Prime VideoTravis Kelce has a new addition to his resume: gameshow host. The Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs tight end has landed his first TV series job as the host of a spin-off of the erstwhile Fox series Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? for Amazon Prime Video.The new series, titled Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, will see adult contestants answering sixth-grade-level trivia questions with the help of famous faces from stage, screen and sports, rather than against actual elementary school students. Amazon has ordered 20 episodes of the spin-off hosted by the three-time Super Bowl champ, whose profile has shot to new heights in recent months thanks to his much-discussed, real-life romcom relationship with the pop star Taylor Swift. Continue reading...

Muslim pupil loses case against Michaela community school, run by former government social mobility tsar Katharine BirbalsinghA high court decision to uphold a prayer ban at one of the highest performing state schools in England has been welcomed by Rishi Sunak and Kemi Badenoch, who described it as a victory against activists trying to subvert our public institutions".The case against Michaela community school in Brent, north-west London, which is famous for its strict discipline code, was brought by a Muslim pupil, known only as TTT in court proceedings, who claimed the ban was discriminatory and breached her right to religious freedom. Continue reading...

Wartime speaker' indicates he will press forward with aid package, which would force him to rely on Democrats to pass itDefiant and determined, the House speaker, Mike Johnson, pushed back on Tuesday against mounting Republican anger over his proposed US aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, and rejected a call to step aside or risk a vote to oust him from office.I am not resigning," Johnson said after a testy morning meeting of fellow House Republicans at the Capitol. Continue reading...

Swansea inquest hears how weak security at psychiatric ward enabled Daniel Harrison to escape and attack father an hour laterA string of serious failings in the care provided for a man with schizophrenia who killed his father an hour after absconding from a psychiatric ward contributed to the death, a coroner has ruled.Coroner Kirsten Heaven also said that security systems at the hospital where Daniel Harrison was being detained were inadequate and played their part in events leading to the killing of retired chest consultant Kim Harrison. Continue reading...

Opposition parties say women's rights dealt blow after package approved by Georgia Meloni's cabinetItalian opposition parties said women's rights in Italy had been dealt a heavy" blow after parliament passed a measure by Giorgia Meloni's far-right government allowing anti-abortion activists to enter abortion consultation clinics.The measure formed part of a package of initiatives approved by Meloni's cabinet that will be funded by the EU's post-pandemic recovery fund, of which Italy is the biggest beneficiary, and was put to the lower house in a confidence vote on Tuesday. The package of measures is expected to comfortably pass in the senate, too. Continue reading...

Separate report suggests number of people living in poverty aged between 60 and pension age has tripled under ToriesNearly 1 million people aged over 65 in the UK are living in deprivation, according to government statistics, the highest number since comparable records began.Labour, which analysed figures from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records, has vowed to be the party for pensioners, with plans to insulate millions of homes and reduce energy bills. It has also committed to retaining" the triple lock which guarantees annual rises to the state pension. Continue reading...

Pouria Zeraati, who was stabbed outside his home, says IRGC should be proscribed as a terrorist groupAn Iranian journalist who was stabbed outside his home in London has joined calls for the UK to proscribe Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.Pouria Zeraati, who works for the London-based broadcaster Iran International, was stabbed in the leg by three unknown individuals in Wimbledon on 29 March. Police believe the three attackers have fled the country. Continue reading...

We will respond in our time,' IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari tells reporters after Tehran's attack over the weekend

Announcement of streaming service for content at risk of cancellation' comes as company shares continue downward slideDonald Trump's social media empire has announced plans to launch a streaming platform. Its shares continued to fall.Trump Media & Technology Group, owner of Truth Social, has come under pressure since its stunning stock market debut last month left the former president with a vast stake worth about $4.9bn on paper. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Board to release turnaround proposals on Friday amid uncertainty over future of firmThames 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. Continue reading...

Packages allegedly sent to former Australian boxer and others were intercepted by federal police, US affidavit says. Fenech has not been charged, and his lawyer says he is not a suspect for any criminal offences

More than 1,000 private schools were overfunded by the commonwealth despite reforms to tackle it

British bootmaker says it does not expect to increase prices this year as it reports poor US salesShares in Dr Martens plummeted to a new low as the UK bootmaker warned on profits and poor performance in the US, and announced the departure of its chief executive.The brand, known for its yellow-stitched thick-soled boots, warned sales would fall by a single-digit percentage in the year to the end of March 2025, compared with a year earlier. Profit before tax could be just a third of last year's 159m in a worst-case scenario. Continue reading...

Supplier mistakenly charged direct debit customers at rate meant for those who pay when they get bills

David Miller, then chief operating officer, tells inquiry he does not remember 1999 meeting in which comment was madeA 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. Continue reading...

Acclaimed director Sam Gold will adapt the Shakespeare tragedy with new music from hitmaker and Taylor Swift collaborator Jack AntonoffWest 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. Continue reading...