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Dan Barker, selected to stand just three months ago, says he's delighted to join the new home of conservatismThe Conservative candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election has defected to Richard Tice's rightwing Reform UK party.Dan Barker was selected only three months ago as the Tory candidate to challenge the incumbent mayor Labour's Andy Burnham in May's elections. Continue reading...

Number of severely absent children was 150% higher last year than pre-Covid, with one in 50 children missing at least half of lessonsRecord numbers of pupils in England were absent for long periods last year, with one in 50 missing at least half of their lessons, according to official data showing absences remain far higher than pre-Covid levels.The updated Department for Education figures show 150,000 children at state schools were classed as severely absent in 2022-23 - 30,000 more than the year before and 150% higher than the 60,000 who were severely absent in 2018-19, before the pandemic. Continue reading...

Republican-led state senate to vote on bill that would defund diversity, equity and inclusion programs as students protestKentucky is poised to become the next state to ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at public colleges and universities, prompting student backlash.Under a new bill advanced last week by the Kentucky house, the state would defund DEI offices and related staff at public universities and prohibit all scholarships that consider a student's race, gender or religion in the selection criteria. Continue reading...

Luis Montenegro must now try to form government but has vowed not to do any deal with far-right Chega partyPortugal's new prime minister, Luis Montenegro, has promised stable government after the country's president invited him to try to form a minority administration that could face a rough ride in a hung parliament.Montenegro, 51, was named prime minister early on Thursday after a long-awaited count of overseas votes confirmed a narrow victory in 10 March elections for his centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD). Continue reading...

Equality activists claimed they had lost out on thousands after the threshold was raised for women

The meteorite was ruled to be immovable property' after it fell on to private property in 2020A Swedish landowner has won a legal battle to keep a 14kg (31lb) meteorite after an appeal court ruled that such rocks should be considered immovable property" and part of the land where they are found.The land on which the meteorite landed contains iron, which the meteorite is made of. Therefore it cannot be easily separated from what is usually regarded as (immovable) property", the Svea court of appeal ruled on Thursday. Continue reading...

Open letter backed by Rowan Williams and Aled Jones says decision is backward step for arts provision for women in the UK'A decision to axe a mixed choir at St John's College, Cambridge, in an attempt to make room for a broader" range of music has been condemned as fundamentally regressive" by the former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Dame Sarah Connolly and Aled Jones.The decision to cancel funding for St John's Voices - which has male and female singers and has been running since 2013 - will diminish" choral music at the college and has left its members devastated", according to an open letter. Continue reading...

Exclusive: City of Sydney-owned properties to be sold at significant discount' under council's excess land program to enable project

Paola Marra says assisted dying is about reclaiming control and calls current UK law unfair and cruel' in the posthumous clipPaola Marra, the 53-year-old from London who took her own life at Dignitas in Switzerland on Wednesday, has urged the public and politicians to help change the law on assisted dying in a posthumous video.In a clip filmed before she flew to Zurich this week after suffering terminal bowel cancer since 2021, Marra said: As you watch this, I am dead. But you watching this could help change the laws around assisted dying." Continue reading...

The play, adapted by Robert Icke from both parts of Henry IV, stars McKellen as John Falstaff for the first time in his career and will take in Bristol, Birmingham and Newcastle after its West End runA tour of four English theatres has been announced for Player Kings, in which Sir Ian McKellen is starring as Shakespeare's Falstaff for the first time.The play, adapted by director Robert Icke from both parts of Henry IV, is currently being staged at Manchester Opera House before its West End run at the Noel Coward theatre from 1 April to 22 June. On Thursday it was revealed that the production will visit four more venues in July: Bristol Hippodrome, Birmingham Alexandra, Norwich Theatre Royal and Newcastle Theatre Royal. Continue reading...

Way state pension age was raised plunged retirement plans into chaos, but DWP has indicated it won't pay compensationThousands of women, potentially hundreds of thousands, are owed compensation because of government failings related to the way changes to the state pension age were made, a long-awaited official report has said.The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said those affected should be compensated. But the recommended payouts of between 1,000 and 2,950 a person fall far short of the 10,000-plus that campaigners were calling for. Continue reading...

Funding revealed on eve of government talks is in addition to billions of dollars to be sent to the US

McArthur River at community of Borroloola predicted to peak at 18 metres, three metres higher than previous 2001 record

Vo Van Thuong has resigned after just over a year, as the country continues its blazing furnace' anti-corruption driveVietnam's government has announced the resignation of its second president in as many years amid an anti-corruption drive, sparking concerns for the country's political stability.President Vo Van Thuong's alleged violations and flaws have negatively affected public perception, as well as the reputation of the party and the state", state media reported on Wednesday, citing an announcement from the Central Committee of the Communist party of Vietnam. No further details of any alleged violations were released. Continue reading...

President sparks social media buzz as users ask whether he is getting ready to take on Vladimir Putin after images posted to InstagramThe release of official photos showing Emmanuel Macron hitting a punching bag have been met with a mixture of praise and consternation in France.The photos of the French president, posted on Instagram on Tuesday by his official photographer, Soazig de la Moissonniere, are coloured in moody black and white, and show the president with teeth gritted and biceps bulging as he works out. Continue reading...

Anies Baswedan has refused to concede and alleges there were many problems' with the voteLosing Indonesian presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has filed a legal case at the constitutional court to challenge the outcome of last month's election, won overwhelmingly by defence minister Prabowo Subianto.Anies, a former Jakarta governor, said the aim of the case was to ensure democracy was improved and said there were many problems with the election that needed to be corrected. Continue reading...

Firm cites legal professional privilege after request for copy of report but provides more detail about scope of investigation

Chief commissioner says force will continue focus on youth offending as crime statistics show 29% increase on previous year

Benedict Bryant, whose unmarked police car was involved in crash that killed 16-year-old, pleads not guilty to dangerous and negligent driving

Public health experts say reforms will not affect prescription vapes after Greens and Nationals raise concerns of prohibition' approach

Latest ABS figures show the labour market added 116,000 jobs defying signs of weakness since September

Character actor, who appeared in more than 220 roles across seven decades, died in Vermont on TuesdayM Emmet Walsh, the character actor who appeared in more than 220 film and television roles including Blade Runner, Knives Out and the Coen brothers' films Blood Simple and Raising Arizona, has died aged 88.Walsh's manager, Sandy Joseph, confirmed to the industry publication Variety that he had died Tuesday in Vermont. Continue reading...

Peers voted for numerous amendments making it improbable the legislation will return to the Commons this side of EasterRishi Sunak's flagship Rwanda deportation bill is expected to be put on hold until at least next month after the House of Lords inflicted seven defeats on Wednesday.The safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill, which aims to block Strasbourg from halting the removal of asylum seekers to east Africa, is not expected to return to the Commons until after the Easter break. Continue reading...

Maria Corina Machado's campaign manager and eight others accused of involvement in a violent anti-government conspiracyVenezuela's top prosecutor has announced arrest warrants for the presidential campaign manager of the prominent opposition figure Maria Corina Machado and eight other of her staffers, accusing them of involvement in a violent anti-government conspiracy.The attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said in a nationally televised news conference on Wednesday that the campaign manager Magalli Meda and the others were accused of being part of a destabilizing" plot that included demonstrations, a media campaign and plans to attack military barracks. Continue reading...

Israeli PM spoke via video link and answered questions, after his request to similarly speak with Democrats was turned downThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, virtually addressed Republican senators in Washington on Wednesday, days after the chamber's majority leader, the Democrat Chuck Schumer, called him an impediment to peace in an unsparing floor speech.The Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, told reporters, shortly after leaving the Senate Republicans' policy lunch, that Netanyahu joined the gathering via video link, delivered a presentation, and answered questions. Continue reading...

State department organizes evacuation after nearly 1,600 US citizens ask for help amid reports of continuing violence in capitalThe United States has said it was starting to evacuate its citizens out of Haiti by helicopter, amid reports of fresh fighting in the Caribbean country's gang-dominated capital, with particularly fierce gunfire in some of the city's wealthiest enclaves.A state department spokesperson, Vedant Patel, told reporters on Wednesday that government-chartered aircraft were in the process of beginning to ferry evacuees from Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Continue reading...

Both men U-turn within 24 hours of refusing to resign as colleagues and critics express dismay at club's continuing lack of diversity

Exclusive: Top civil servant Simon Case follows Richard Moore in announcing decision to quit male-only club

Modelling conducted for Treasury finds state's liability to competing terminals could be $600m in 2024 and $4.3bn by 2063

Latest chapter in sci-fi series comes from Evil Dead director Fede Alvarez but has approval of those behind the originalsThe first trailer for franchise relaunch Alien: Romulus promises a return to the roots of the iconic sci-fi horror series.The film comes from the director of Don't Breathe and Evil Dead, Fede Alvarez, yet has retained the director of the original, Ridley Scott, as producer and the Aliens director, James Cameron, as unofficial consultant. Continue reading...

Prospect of Israel facing war crimes charges has moved closer after UN condemnation of Gaza aid restrictionsThe accusation by the UN and other humanitarians that Israel may be committing a war crime by deliberately starving Gaza's population is likely to significantly increase the prospect of legal culpability for the country, including at the international court of justice.Amid reports that the Israel Defense Forces are hiring dozens of lawyers to defend against anticipated cases and legal challenges, the charge that Israel has triggered a man-made famine" by deliberately obstructing the entry of aid into Gaza is backed by an increasing body of evidence. Continue reading...

The writers group is also making a substantial financial contribution' to fund for distribution to Palestinian writersThe writers group PEN America has offered an olive branch to a group of prominent authors and literary figures who withdrew from its flagship World Voices Festival in protest at its perceived stance over the Israel-Gaza war.In an open letter published Wednesday, the organization said it wants to meet with the authors and others in a public forum to discuss sharply divergent views on questions of deep consequence". Continue reading...

Shop owner hatches plan to run charity competition so one person can win 100 of the spare eggsAn error by a shop on the Orkney island of Sanday has left it with 720 Easter eggs in the store - far more than its entire population.Sinclair General Stores needed to order 80 eggs, but instead accidentally ordered 80 cases of nine, giving them a total of 720 for the 500-strong population. Continue reading...

Proposal seeks to retain talent in Europe and end labour shortage - but criticised for not going far enoughThe EU is planning to clamp down on unpaid internships and bogus" traineeships offered by unscrupulous employers with a new directive.The move, which was criticised by some groups for not going far enough, is to be tabled on Thursday and is likely to be the last major legislative proposal before the mandate of the European parliament ends with the June elections. Continue reading...

Debates involving 99 randomly selected people were hailed as a model for the world, but some say faith has been erodedWhen Ireland shattered its history of social conservatism by passing a 2015 referendum on same-sex marriage and a 2018 referendum on abortion, progressives credited its citizens' assembly.Ninety-nine randomly selected people, who are brought together to debate a specific issue, had weighed evidence from experts and issued policy recommendations that emboldened the political establishment, and voters, to make audacious leaps. Continue reading...

Banksy claimed mural in Finsbury Park as his own on Monday and artwork has now been damagedA mural of a tree painted by Banksy on a residential building in north London has been defaced with white paint two days after it first appeared.The artwork in Finsbury Park features rough brushstrokes of green paint on a wall near a tree, giving an abstract appearance of foliage, with a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose next to it. Continue reading...

Tube drivers in Aslef union to stage two one-day strikes over changes to working conditions

UK bakery chain says it has now resolved tech problem, which follows McDonald's outages and issues' at Sainsbury's

Ex-UK PM was required to seek permission for paid role with Merlyn Advisors, for whom he spoke to Venezuela presidentBoris Johnson did not seek permission from the post-ministerial jobs watchdog before taking a role as a consultant to a hedge fund, on whose behalf he met the Venezuelan president.As a former minister, Johnson is required to seek the advice of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) for two years from September 2022, when he left office. The committee's advice typically comes with restrictions on lobbying and contact with the UK government. It was writing to Johnson on the matter, a source said. Continue reading...

Australian supermarkets blame hidden price hikes on changing manufacturing facilities, shortages of raw materials and rising supplier costs

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Research recommends bonus to help retain staff and make up for lack of hybrid working opportunitiesTeachers should be given a pay bonus to compensate for their inability to work from home and stop the rising numbers attracted away from the classroom for better working conditions elsewhere, according to a report.The research by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found that very few teachers in England were able to work remotely, putting them at a disadvantage compared with the nearly 50% of their peers in other graduate-level professions who say they regularly do. Continue reading...

Council officers to be given power to issue fines in tobacco and vapes bill that will ban future generations from smokingPowers to issue 100 on-the-spot fines are to be handed to council officers enforcing a landmark law banning future generations from smoking, which Rishi Sunak has hailed as a chance to save thousands of lives and billions of pounds".The prime minister's plan will raise the legal age of smoking every year by a year across the UK so that eventually no one will be able to buy tobacco. Continue reading...

Sydney businessman formally enters not guilty plea in court for charge of reckless foreign interference

No body was found during a search near Buninyong where alleged murder victim's mobile phone was last detected

Maker of honest government' ad parodies says state's antiquated electoral laws could be weaponised to silence critics'

Foreign affairs minister says she raised concerns about China's human rights record during meeting with Wang Yi, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong

Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival will conduct testing onsite at the end of March and first fixed-site clinic will open in Bowen Hills in April