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Exhibition of rarely seen paintings by Cassandra Austen part of events marking 250th anniversary of author's birthPerhaps most well-known for destroying thousands of her more famous sister's letters, Cassandra Austen's act of what some called literary vandalism overshadowed her accomplished skills as an artist.But now the artwork of Jane Austen's older sister - played by Keeley Hawes in the recent BBC drama Miss Austen - are to go on display together for the first time in the house where the siblings lived. Continue reading...

Singer Rubby Perez, who was performing at Jet Set club, and municipal governor among dead in Santo DomingoSearch efforts continued early on Wednesday after nearly 100 people died in a nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic.The popular Dominican merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was performing at the Jet Set nightclub before hundreds of people when the collapse occurred shortly after midnight on Tuesday, was one of those killed, according to his manager. Continue reading...

Leichhardt candidate Jeremy Neal says views - including on Covid measures - were shared on social media during traumatic' pandemic frontline work

Lawyer for victim's fiance tells court the publication of Facebook photos by 60 Minutes and Sydney Morning Herald was extremely distressing'

Musician, who played with the Beatles between 1960 and 1962 until he was replaced by Ringo Starr, says he had a blast'Pete Best, the first drummer to perform with the Beatles before he was replaced by Ringo Starr, has confirmed his retirement.The 83-year-old's brother, Roag Best, announced the news on social media on the weekend, writing that the drummer would no longer be performing with his band, the Pete Best Band. Continue reading...

My great-grandmother would always talk ... about the spears and artefacts that were in England,' says Quaiden Williams Riley

The mixed records of cultural initiatives opened for 2000 including the London Eye and Ceramica

In today's newsletter: Four weeks into the dispute, with the council declaring a major incident, the streets are overflowing with rubbish and ratsGood morning. Whatever else is going on the world, there is very little that makes people as angry as the bins not being collected. This isn't to say that it's a trivial concern. As well as the natural disgust that comes with facing piles of stinking rubbish every time you go out, bin collection is a natural proxy for our sense of living in a functioning society; a basic feature of a developed economy. When it goes wrong, it feels as if something more profound is broken, too.To an infamous list that includes Paris in 2023 and Madrid in 2013, you can now add Birmingham in 2025 - the second such crisis in the city in eight years. Talks yesterday were said to be productive", but again failed to resolve the situation; as the strike drags on, residents are asking why they face such inadequate local services when the rates they pay keep going up.Economy | Rates on imports to the United States from dozens of economies rose further on Wednesday, with tariffs imposed on Chinese products since Donald Trump returned to the White House reaching a staggering 104%. The new tariffs include rates of 20% on the European Union, 26% on India and 49% on Cambodia.British Steel | Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are actively considering nationalising British Steel in an escalation of plans first revealed in the Guardian last year. The prime minister said all options were on the table to secure the future of the Scunthorpe plant after talks about a financial support package to move to less polluting technology faltered.Ukraine | A high-profile former Ukrainian commander has called for the head of the country's military to step aside, accusing him of putting Ukrainian soldiers' lives at risk. In an interview, Bohdan Krotevych, who recently resigned as chief of staff of the Azov brigade, said that Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi must go" and Ukraine's military leadership must be shaken up.Crime | The UK government is developing a murder prediction" programme to identify those most likely to become killers. Researchers are alleged to be using algorithms to analyse the information of thousands of people, including victims of crime, to identify those at greatest risk of committing serious violent offences.Theme parks | A former brickworks in Bedford will be the site of a new multibillion-pound theme park from the entertainment behemoth Universal, it has been announced. The government says the project will bring a 50bn boost to Britain's economy and create 20,000 jobs in construction, with a further 8,000 operational roles once it is up and running in 2031. Continue reading...

The Hebei nursing home's other residents have been transferred to nearby hospitals as authorities investigate cause of the blazeTwenty people have died in a fire at a nursing home in northern China's Hebei province, Beijing's state news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday.The fire broke out on Tuesday night at the nursing home in Longhua County, roughly 180km northeast of the Chinese capital Beijing, Xinhua said. Continue reading...

Charities condemn national scandal' and call for pledge to build 90,000 social homes a year to meet demandThe wait for family-size social housing has risen to more than 100 years in parts of England, which charities have condemned as ludicrous" and a national scandal".Analysis from the National Housing Federation (NHF), Crisis and Shelter found that in 32 local authority areas across England, the wait for a home with at least three bedrooms was longer than 18 years - the duration of an entire childhood. Continue reading...

S&P/ASX 200 opens slightly lower, before plunging more than 2% a few minutes into the session, erasing Tuesday's rebound

Rodney Cherry was found guilty of killing his wife and stepdaughter but argued no body, no parole became law after he was sentenced

Keir Starmer hails visitor attraction - set to open in 2031 - as a way to bring jobs and growth to regionFirst Beijing, and now Bedford: a transformative" new British tourist magnet is coming to the home counties - just off the A421.A former brickworks will be the site of a new multibillion-pound theme park from the entertainment behemoth Universal, the government confirmed on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Kerri Pegg, 42, of HMP Kirkham guilty of misconduct after inmate Anthony Saunderson gave her a Mercedes carA prison governor has been found guilty of misconduct in a public office, after she started a relationship with a Liverpool drug gang boss nicknamed Jesse Pinkman" after a character in the TV show Breaking Bad.Kerri Pegg, 42, has been told she faces jail after she accepted a gift of a 12,000 Mercedes C-Class car, which Anthony Saunderson paid for with 34kg of amphetamines. Continue reading...

Public told to avoid area as emergency services remained at Darley Moor racetrack on Tuesday eveningTwo men have died after a plane crashed at a racetrack in Derbyshire.At about 11.30am on Tuesday, a light aircraft crashed at Darley Moor racetrack near Ashbourne, police said. The public were told to avoid the area, where emergency services remained on the scene. Continue reading...

PM tells MPs on the Commons liaison committee that we are doing everything we can to ensure there is a bright future for Scunthorpe'Half of Britons (51%) think the government should impose retaliatory tariffs on imports from the US, according to polling by More in Common, a campaign group. Last week, just before the Trump tariffs were announced, YouGov published figures suggesting 71% of Britons would favour retaliatory tariffs against the US.Yesterday YouGov also released polling suggesting that only around a third of voters think Keir Starmer and the government played a significant role in ensuring the US tariffs imposed on the UK are relatively low. Continue reading...

Creator of hit series responded to rumors of drama with Cristobal Tapia de Veer in fiery interview with Howard SternThe third season of The White Lotus may be over, but the drama continues for the hit HBO show. In a new interview, creator Mike White hit back at composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer, who told the New York Times last week that he is quitting the show.De Veer, who composed the show's score and viral title sequence stylized for each of the three seasons' locations, told the Times that he would not return for the show's fourth season following creative differences with White. We already had our last fight for ever, I think," he said of White. He was just saying no to anything." Continue reading...

Case of Gaza medics is only latest incident when Israel has altered account of high profile killingThe Israel Defense Forces' changing account of its killing of 15 Palestinian medics and civil defence workers is part of a long familiar pattern in high profile cases involving the killing of civilians.Often, at first, the IDF denies involvement. Sometimes - in the context of Gaza - it initially suggests one of Hamas's own rockets fell short, causing the casualties. Continue reading...

Plantation Wharf Pier in west London is now called St Mary's Wandsworth, says Uber Boat by Thames ClippersA pier on the River Thames in west London has been renamed St Mary's Wandsworth after criticism by anti-racism campaigners.The pier, formerly known as Plantation Wharf Pier, is located between the Wandsworth Riverside Quarter and Chelsea Harbour piers. Continue reading...

DC Philippa Baskwill of Avon and Somerset police faces hearing over alleged gross misconductA detective is to face a misconduct hearing over allegations she deliberately weighed down the keys on her laptop to give the impression she was working while at home.Avon and Somerset police gave notice of the accelerated misconduct hearing, which will take place on Thursday, in relation to DC Philippa Baskwill. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says men's capture shows Moscow is trying to involve Beijing in the war directly or indirectly'Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese nationals fighting with the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.They are two of what Ukraine's president described as many more Chinese members of the Russian armed forces, and their capture prompted him to accuse the Kremlin of trying to involve Beijing in the conflict directly or indirectly". Continue reading...

Bhim Kohli, who was walking his dog, was racially abused, kicked and punched in gratuitous' attackTwo teenagers have been found guilty at Leicester crown court of the manslaughter of Bhim Kohli after the 80-year-old was attacked in a park near Leicester in September.A 15-year-old boy, who kicked, punched and racially abused the 80-year-old man while he was walking his dog in a park, has been found guilty of manslaughter. Continue reading...

Rare early work Going to the Mill is to be auctioned after remaining in the Wallace family since 1926When LS Lowry sold one of his earliest paintings to the literary editor of the Manchester Guardian in 1926, he had an immediate change of heart.Arthur Wallace had edited a supplement for the Guardian to accompany a civic week organised by Manchester city council in October 1926, and featured three paintings by the then struggling artist. Continue reading...

Prime minister and Coalition leader go head-to-head in debate hosted by Sky News. Follow live

Tycoon was named in Lords as having obtained injunction against Telegraph to stop publication of misconduct allegationsRetail tycoon Sir Philip Green has lost a legal case against the UK government after complaining about being publicly named in the House of Lords as facing misconduct allegations.The case, which was said to be a test of the concept of parliamentary privilege, was launched after Lord Hain announced in the House of Lords that Green had used the courts to obtain an interim injunction against the Telegraph to stop publication of the allegations during 2018. Continue reading...

Those who lose benefit payments will find it difficult to access care and support services, says Policy in PracticeHundreds of thousands of seriously ill and disabled people will become invisible" and cut adrift from local support services as a result of the government's 5bn programme of disability benefit cuts, experts have warned.Claimants who do not qualify for personal independence payment (Pip) or incapacity benefits would lose a marker of need" with local councils and NHS bodies, making it nearly impossible" for them to access help, said the consultancy Policy in Practice. Continue reading...

Health secretary says chaos caused by fears of a global trade war will be another layer of challenge'US tariffs could adversely affect the supply of medicines to the UK, the health secretary has said.Donald Trump announced a wide range of reciprocal" tariffs on goods imported into the US, including a 10% levy on the UK as well as 20% on the EU, 34% on China and 46% on Vietnam. Continue reading...

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Backbench groups revive controversial issue to tackle threat of Reform and crack down on illegal migrationMore than 40 Labour MPs from three influential backbench groups have called on ministers to introduce digital IDs, which they claim would boost productivity in delivering public services and crack down on illegal employment.The open letter - organised by the Rother Valley MP, Jake Richards - is signed by the co-chairs of the Labour Growth Group, Chris Curtis and Lola McEvoy, as well as Jo White, who convenes the Labour Red Wall Group. Other signatories include Dan Carden and Jonathan Brash, members of the Blue Labour group of socially conservative MPs. Continue reading...

Benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closes up more than 2%, representing its biggest one-day gain in more than two years

Tuesday is the first of three days of industrial action being taken by public sector doctors in NSW

Report released as Labour admits it will break promise to enact law by 36th anniversary and rewrites key proposalsBereaved families have urged ministers to introduce the Hillsborough law in full, according to a new report, as Labour admitted a promise to bring legislation by the 36th anniversary would be broken.The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and the Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds attended the family listening day" event on 3 February, which the Ministry of Justice funded, organised by the campaign group Inquest. Continue reading...

Campaigners claim NI is being used as a whipping boy' to feed Irish republic's energy-hungry datacentresAn ambitious 350m (300m) plan to connect electricity grids across the island of Ireland is heading for the high court after a challenge brought by campaigners claiming Northern Ireland was being used as a whipping boy" to feed the republic's energy-hungry datacentres.An estimated 150 landowners representing 6,500 residents have called on the Northern Ireland minister for infrastructure, Liz Kimmins, to suspend the construction of more than 100 towering pylons in Armagh and Tyrone until a judicial review, due to start on 9 April, has been completed. Continue reading...

Quilt, made in 1980s to raise awareness, to be shown as US cuts raise fears of Aids resurgence in some countriesA giant quilt made to remember people who died of Aids in Britain is to be publicly displayed later this year at Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in London.The UK Aids Memorial Quilt was created in the 1980s at the height of the epidemic to raise awareness of the disease and humanise the people who died from it. By the end of 2011, 20,335 people diagnosed with HIV had died in the UK. Continue reading...

Journalist argues that Justice Michael Lee should have found an intentional rape' had taken place

Exclusive: Opposition leader has opened the doors' to abolishing the department of education and cutting funding to schools, Jason Clare claims

Cars and other goods were to be included, according to EU trade commissioner, who says offer is still on tableThe EU has said it offered the US a zero-for-zero" tariff deal on cars and industrial goods weeks before Donald Trump launched his trade war, but that it would not wait endlessly" to defend itself.Maros efovi, the EU commissioner for trade, said he had proposed zero tariffs on cars and a range of industrial goods, such as pharmaceutical products, rubber and machinery, during his first meeting with the US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, on 19 February. Continue reading...

Michelle de Kretser and journalist Amy McQuire among six authors in contention for $60,000 prize for women and non-binary writers

Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbaek, now in Guatemala, had racked up large tax debt at Stedsans forest retreatA Danish chef couple who attracted international acclaim with a forest resort" in Sweden have been tracked down to Guatemala after apparently going on the run from tax authorities, leaving behind 158 barrels of human waste.Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbaek founded their purportedly eco-friendly retreat, Stedsans, in Halland, southern Sweden, after claiming to have felt the call of the wild" in Copenhagen, where they ran a popular rooftop restaurant. Continue reading...

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, founding members of the new wave hitmakers, pay tribute to their late bandmateClem Burke, the drummer whose backbeats powered Blondie to huge chart success across several decades, has died aged 70.Burke's bandmates Debbie Harry and Chris Stein said he had died after a private battle with cancer", in a tribute posted to Instagram. Continue reading...

Ministers and more than 70 MPs attended photo call with Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed whose travel ban was called unacceptableCabinet ministers and more than 70 parliamentarians staged a show of solidarity with two MPs who were detained and barred from entry to Israel in what was the first time British MPs had been banned from the country.The health secretary, Wes Streeting, and the chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, joined the photocall in Westminster Hall on Monday with the MPs, along with Hamish Falconer and housing minister Rushanara Ali. It was organised by the Rochdale MP Paul Waugh. Continue reading...

Prime minister says no one is pretending tariffs are good news' during speech on car industryIn his Times article Keir Starmer describes the Trump tariffs as the beginning of a new era". He has been saying this at least since last Thursday, when he spoke about the tariffs at a Q&A with journalists at Labour's local elections campaign launch. The speech this afternoon is being described as the PM's most considered response so far to the global economic turmoil generated by the tariffs, but we have already heard quite a lot from Starmer on this topic already, in a Sunday Telegraph article yesterday and in No 10 briefings on the calls he had with world leaders about the situation over the weekend.Is there a coherent strategy? On the basis of what he has said so far, there are at least five elements in the mix at the moment.John Ryan is a local hero and we are truly humbled that he has publicly endorsed Reform UK ahead of May's elections in Doncaster. Continue reading...

PRCS calls for international investigation after postmortem results add to evidence contradicting Israel's accountAutopsies conducted on 15 Palestinian paramedics and civil emergency responders who were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza show they were shot in the upper body with intent to kill", according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, which is demanding an international investigation into the attack.The killings took place in the southern Gaza Strip on 23 March, days into a renewed Israeli offensive in the Hamas-ruled territory, and sparked international condemnation. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Richard Harpin pauses donations in move insiders say will result in closure of party's northern HQ UK politics live - latest updatesOne of the Conservatives' biggest donors has stopped funding the party in a move insiders believe will result in the closure of its northern HQ, the Guardian can reveal.Richard Harpin, the founder of the home repairs business HomeServe, has ended his donations to the Conservatives, according to two Tory sources. Continue reading...

Park service deletes quote and an image of abolitionist from webpage, instead emphasizing Black/White cooperation'The National Park Service has removed a quote and an image of US abolitionist Harriet Tubman from a webpage about the Underground Railroad network that helped enslaved people escape captivity - and instead, the page now emphasizes what it describes as Black/White Cooperation" as Donald Trump's presidential administration continues its effort to sanitize the country's history.Previously, the page in question led with a quote from Tubman, who was the most renowned Underground Railroad operative, along with a prominent image of her. However, the revised page no longer includes these elements, and several references to enslaved people and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which Tubman as well as the Underground Railroad defied have also been removed. Continue reading...

Barbados PM and Caricom chair calls on Washington to engage in talks to keep prices down for all of our people'The Caribbean is a friend, not an enemy, leaders in the region have told Donald Trump after the US president's imposition of worldwide import tariffs.The prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, invited Trump to talk with leaders in the region and work together to keep prices down for all of our people", adding: I say simply to President Trump: our economies are not doing your economy any harm in any way. They are too small to have any negative or distorted impact on your country." Continue reading...

Ashley Daniels accused of giving more work to engineering firm after gifts that also included 2,000 boxing ticketsA senior manager at the Hinkley nuclear power plant accepted bribes such as an 11,000 quad bike to funnel extra work to a British engineering firm, an employment tribunal has heard.Ashley Daniels was investigated by Hinkley's owner, EDF, after he was given gifts such as 2,000 hospitality tickets for a boxing match and a refill for his Montblanc fountain pen, the tribunal in Bristol heard. Continue reading...

South Wales officer was driving van that followed Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, in May 2023A police officer who was driving a van that followed two teenage boys before they died in an e-bike crash in Cardiff, triggering hours of disorder in the city, will not face charges, prosecutors have said.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had decided not to bring criminal charges against the South Wales police officer following the deaths of Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, in Ely, Cardiff, on 22 May 2023. Continue reading...

15 medics and rescuers killed last month in Gaza were shot in upper body with intent to kill', says president of Palestinian Red Crescent SocietyRussia, China and Iran will hold consultations at expert level on the Iranian nuclear programme in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has been cited as saying.Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran unless it comes to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear programme, and the Kremlin said earlier today that Russia was ready to do all it could to help resolve tensions between the Washington and Tehran.Macron said he strongly opposed any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. We are firmly opposed to the displacement of populations and to any annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank," Macron told journalists. This would be a violation of international law and a serious threat to the security of the entire region, including Israel," he said.Macron said Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2007, should have no part in governing the strip after the war and reiterated his support for a reconstruction plan for the territory endorsed by the Arab League. I salute here the crucial work of Egypt on this plan, which offers a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and should also pave the way for new Palestinian governance in the enclave led by the Palestinian Authority," he said. Hamas must have no role in this governance, and must no longer constitute a threat to Israel." Continue reading...