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Dominic Raab denies wrongdoing after report on his behaviour delivered to Rishi Sunak this morningToday’s announcement by the Association of School and College Leaders that it is to hold a formal ballot for national strike action for the first time in its history (see 9.49am) marks a significant development in the ongoing dispute between teachers and the government.Up until now only members of the National Education Union (NEU) have taken strike action in England, with five more days of strikes planned for later this term. In addition a fresh ballot is to be held to provide the NEU with a mandate for further strike action up until Christmas. Continue reading...

May Golan has insulted Africans in Israel and disparaged the Reform movement, the largest Jewish denomination in the USIsrael’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has nominated a far-right politician who once boasted that she is “proud to be a racist” as his country’s top diplomat in New York.The appointment of May Golan was swiftly denounced by Israeli and American former diplomats, and the head of the largest Jewish denomination in the US, as an affront to the US and damaging for Israel. Continue reading...

Four activists, who sat in the road at Bishopsgate in London in October 2021, were found guilty of causing a public nuisanceOne protester has been jailed for five weeks and three others given fines and community service for their part in a protest to demand government action on insulation.Daphne Jackson, 72, Beatrice Pooley, 65, and two protesters who have outstanding court cases sat in the road at the Bishopsgate junction in London during an Insulate Britain protest on 25 October 2021. The four were convicted of causing a public nuisance earlier this year and sentenced on Thursday. Continue reading...

Wolf Hall trilogy author remembered at memorial service at Southwark cathedral on ThursdayHilary Mantel, the celebrated author of the Wolf Hall trilogy, was working on a “mashup” of Jane Austen novels when she died suddenly, her literary agent told a packed memorial service at Southwark cathedral on Thursday.“She was having the greatest fun dissecting a literary icon,” said Bill Hamilton before a “fragment” of the unfinished novel, Provocation, was read by the actor Aurora Dawson-Hunte. Continue reading...

Taiwo, 3, was found dead in a flat with Olabisi Abubakar, who denies manslaughter and child crueltyA devout Christian mother caused the death of her three-year-old son by making him join her in a religious fast at a time when she was fearful of Covid and worried about her immigration status, a jury has heard.Olabisi Abubakar, 42, an asylum seeker, is accused of the manslaughter of her son Taiwo, who was found dead at their accommodation in Cardiff having suffered malnutrition and dehydration. Continue reading...

Convent in Oosterhout has been left with surplus of more than 60,000 bottles after hot and dry yearA Dutch convent is appealing to wine drinkers to support its endeavours as, thanks to an extremely hot and dry year, Sint-Catharinadal in Oosterhout has an excess of 64,000 bottles made from its vineyard.“We had a lovely summer last year, warm temperatures and it promises to be an excellent harvest of more than 60,000 bottles,” said Sister Maria Magdalena, prioress, in a video appeal. Continue reading...

The Chevron development off the Pilbara coast was approved on the condition the company store about 4m tonnes of CO2 a year

Australian-US company Internet 2.0 says social media app now seeks users’ altitude information according to source code

NHS Confederation’s mental health network says patient safety will be ‘put at direct risk’ by strikeLeaders of specialist NHS mental health trusts are warning that patients will be at risk of self-harm or suicide as a result of next week’s nurses’ strike in England unless an exemption for their staff is agreed.Some areas of mental health nursing were agreed as an exemption in earlier industrial action because psychiatric wards require particularly high levels of staffing. This is to mitigate the risk of patients quickly deteriorating and suddenly requiring one on one supervision, as well as to ensure nurses’ safety. Continue reading...

Senator says she was provoked and stood up for herself after video showed expletive-laden row outside Melbourne strip club

First review in two decades found at least six projects blocked by education ministers and calls for limits on ministerial intervention

Continent set for further drought in 2023, scientists say, as unstoppable impacts of climate crisis mountThe climate crisis had “frightening” impacts in Europe last year, with heatwaves killing more than 20,000 people and drought withering crops, an EU report has found.Its writers said drought was already baked in for many farmers in 2023. The only way to limit the rising damages of global heating was rapidly to cut carbon emissions, they said. Continue reading...

Reserve Bank governor says board challenges him and does not ‘sit there meekly’ but calls overall report ‘kind of excellent’

Scottish estate includes castle, country houses, woodland and grouse moor – assets the royals have started to monetiseThe royal family’s Scottish retreat at Balmoral has become something of a must-see tourist destination for visitors to the Highlands. Families pay £35 at the old gatehouse before walking down a pine tree-lined avenue towards the castle, which is now open to the public again for the first time since the queen’s death there last September.The three-storey granite house, with its decorative turrets and circular towers, is still almost all shuttered. Just the small ballroom is open to view, displaying an exhibition of Windsor family photographs: the queen in tweed skirts; Prince Philip in open-necked shirts and rolled up sleeves; the young princes Charles, Andrew and Edward, and Princess Anne with ponies; and a picture gallery of the queen at Braemar’s Highland Games. Continue reading...

The pop star was found unresponsive on Wednesday evening in his Gangnam apartmentK-pop star Moonbin, a member of the boy band Astro, has died at the age of 25, his music label Fantagio announced on Thursday.Local media, citing the police, reported that Moonbin had been found unresponsive on Wednesday evening in his apartment in the upscale Gangnam neighbourhood of Seoul.International helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Continue reading...

Dalia Stasevska and Marin Alsop among 10 women conducting in 2023 season as festival moves towards gender equalityFor the first time in its history the BBC Proms season will be opened and closed by female conductors, as the festival moves towards gender equality.The opening and closing nights will be led by Dalia Stasevska and Marin Alsop respectively, two of 10 women conducting concerts this year, three making their Proms debut. Continue reading...

Child safeguarding practice review panel says harm was result of day-to-day failures and oversightThe government’s child safeguarding advisers have urged major reforms to protect severely disabled young people in residential care after “horrific and shocking” abuse revelations at a string of homes run by a private operator.The child safeguarding practice review panel recommendations, published on Thursday, follow its earlier report on the systematic abuse and neglect of more than 100 young people at three facilities in Doncaster run by the Hesley Group. Continue reading...

Prominent names say fact that sickle cell anaemia is UK’s fastest growing genetic condition means need for blood from black donors is acuteA group of influential black Britons have launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the urgent need for more black blood donors.Dame Sharon White, chair of the John Lewis partnership, Lord Woolley and Netflix’s Anne Mensah, all of whom were listed among the Powerlist’s top 10 most influential black people in Britain last year, have joined forces for the campaign. Continue reading...

Video shows Gonçalves Dias inside presidential palace as supporters of Bolsonaro went on the rampage in JanuaryA key member of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s new administration has been forced to resign after the emergence of security footage showing him inside the presidential palace during the 8 January far-right assault on Brazil’s democratic institutions.After his election last year, president Lula made the retired army general Gonçalves Dias head of Brazil’s Institutional Security Bureau (GSI), which advises the president on defense and security matters and handles presidential security. Continue reading...

Russian law restricts ‘demonstration’ of LGBTQ+ behaviour, preventing portrayal of dancer’s homosexual relationshipsMoscow’s Bolshoi theatre has dropped a contemporary ballet about the Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev from its repertoire after the expansion of a ban on “LGBT propaganda”.A law passed in November not only widened an existing prohibition on material considered to promote an LGBTQ+ lifestyle but also restricts the “demonstration” of LGBTQ+ behaviour. Continue reading...

Sacked director general Tony Danker says he has been made a ‘fall guy’ for an organisation rocked by controversy

Beattie stepping back ‘with immediate effect’ until investigation into party’s finances has concludedColin Beattie has stood down as the Scottish National party’s treasurer after his arrest on Tuesday as a suspect in the police investigation into the party’s funding and finances.His announcement came as the new leadership under Humza Yousaf struggled to maintain focus on the business of government amid the ongoing turmoil, as well as accusations from opposition leaders of secrecy, incompetence and financial mismanagement. Continue reading...

Action by Terminal 5 security guards to take place on 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 25, 26 and 27 May in dispute over pay

Museum of Shakespeare in Shoreditch to open in 2024 on site of playhouse that staged earliest performancesTheatre lovers will be able to walk across the Elizabethan stage where Shakespeare performed as an actor and may have staged the first performances of Romeo and Juliet and Henry V at a London museum installation that uses the latest AI technology.The Museum of Shakespeare, due to open in spring 2024, will be set within the remains of the Curtain Playhouse – one of London’s earliest theatres. Continue reading...

ACT chief justice calls secrecy ‘anathema to the rule of law’ as sentencing decision finally made public

El Faro moves its headquarters to avoid ‘fabricated accusations’ after 25 years reporting on drug wars, crime and corruptionEl Faro has survived many pressures in its 25 years reporting on El Salvador’s bloody drug wars, crime and institutional corruption.“We’ve been harassed. We’ve received death threats from drug cartels, requiring us to contract armed security guards. And we’ve had the police coming to our houses after we revealed their corruption scandals,” said Óscar Martínez, editor of the online investigative outlet. “Some of our journalists have been exiled, but we have managed to continue reporting from San Salvador.” Continue reading...

The senator called Anthony Albanese’s comments ‘insulting’ after video circulated of her in an expletive-laden argument with several men

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Humza Yousaf’s leadership rival says party is facing a critical moment after ‘mindblowing’ reports about financesThe Scottish National party is facing a “pretty critical moment” and will “be in trouble” unless the leadership takes “decisive action”, Kate Forbes has said.The former Holyrood finance secretary, in her first interview since losing the leadership contest to Humza Yousaf, said reports about the party’s finances had been “mindblowing”. Continue reading...

QCOSS and other tenant advocacy groups support the new rental measures but urge landlords to do the right thing, saying there is still ‘more work to do’ around housing reform

Extreme temperatures described as ‘worst April heatwave in Asian history’ as records tested in India, China, Thailand and LaosA severe heatwave has swept across much of Asia, causing deaths and school closures in India and record-breaking temperatures in China.Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist and weather historian, described the unusually high temperatures as the “worst April heatwave in Asian history”. Continue reading...

The editor, writer and literary critic who was the UK’s first Black female publisher will replace Philippe SandsMargaret Busby, who was Britain’s first Black female publisher, has been named the new president of English PEN.The editor, writer, broadcaster and literary critic takes over the role from author and human rights lawyer Philippe Sands. English PEN is one of the world’s oldest human rights organisations and is the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers’ association with 147 centres in more than 100 countries. Continue reading...

Representatives from remote communities in Cape York, the Torres Strait and Far North Queensland have spoken at a federal inquiry

Vishambar Mehrotra, father of eight-year-old Vishal, accuses Sussex police of being ‘careless and negligent’The father of a schoolboy murdered 42 years ago has called on the prime minister to order a fresh investigation as he accused the police of being “careless and negligent”.Vishal Mehrotra, eight, was abducted from west London in July 1981 and his remains were found in Rogate, West Sussex, seven months later. No one has been prosecuted for his murder. Continue reading...

Former Lone Wolf bikie was shot multiple times in the car park of his apartment building in Sydney

Legislative assembly’s even split of political leanings means Labor will need to work with conservatives to pass legislation

Maguire, who defiantly and tirelessly advocated for the underdog, brought a legion of new adherents to the Catholic church

Host Paul Barry was deemed not to have breached editorial standards because the show was opinion, not news, after SMH and Age series on China

Charity says many people are fearful they will not be accepted because of their sexuality or gender identityAlmost half of LGBT+ young adults in the UK are estranged from at least one family member because of their sexuality or gender identity, a survey has found.Almost a third (31%) of those polled said they were not confident of a positive response from their parents or carers when they came out. Continue reading...

IfG says Labour and Conservative governments have shied away from addressing subject seen as a minefield

The AFL has not provided a timeline or details on how it will care for injured former players despite pledging urgent action, the association claimed in a submission

Report by anti-corruption commission looking at awarding of $1.2m contract criticises ‘increasing influence’ of advisers

Olivier Becht says two countries have moved on since tensions with government of Boris JohnsonFrance’s overseas trade minister will visit London on Wednesday in what is being hailed in Paris as a return to business as usual between the two countries after Brexit and the cross-Channel “tensions” of Boris Johnson’s leadership.It will be Olivier Becht’s first official visit to the UK since his appointment last year and comes after a warmer relationship was signalled with the meeting of Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris last month. Continue reading...

Makeshift camp of Indonesian crew spotted by a surveillance plane in the Rowley Shoals, about 300km west of Broome

Mixture of sedatives and gas used in spray cleaners incapacitated the rapper and caused the drowningSinger and rapper Aaron Carter accidentally drowned in his bathtub due to sedatives he’d taken and gas used in spray cleaners he had inhaled, according to a coroner’s report release on Tuesday.Carter was found submerged and dead at age 34 in the bathtub of his home in Lancaster, California, on 5 November, the autopsy report from the Los Angeles county medical examiner-coroner said. Continue reading...

Operation Daintree clears Daniel Andrews and ministers but criticises actions of political staffer

Sadiq Khan describes figures from City Hall analysis as a scandal, with London the worst affected regionPrivate landlords in England are earning £1.6bn a year in housing benefit in return for providing “non-decent” homes, in what Sadiq Khan has described as a scandal.The capital is the worst affected region, with £500m in welfare money going on privately rented homes that are in a state of disrepair, cold, damp, lacking modern facilities or do not meet health and safety standards, according to City Hall analysis. Continue reading...

Hopes of 24-hour ceasefire to evacuate civilians and wounded after US secretary of state intervenesA major aid organisation says it is nearly impossible to provide humanitarian services in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, where fighting between rival political factions has trapped millions of people in their homes.“The truth is that at the moment it is almost impossible to provide any humanitarian services in and around Khartoum,” said Farid Aiywar, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies’ head of delegation for Sudan. “There are calls from various organisations and people trapped asking for evacuation.” Continue reading...

Man, 28, arrested after out-of-control dogs injure six people and school goes into lockdownSix people have been treated in hospital after two dogs on the loose attacked people near a primary school, police said.An elderly man was taken to hospital with bite injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening after the incident in Willow Gardens, in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, shortly after 2.30pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Melissa Green, CEO of the organisation, says it won’t be part of ‘toxic’ debate on trans membershipThe Women’s Institute will continue to “celebrate” the lives of the transgender women enriching its membership, the head of the organisation said on Tuesday, following reports that it was facing a bid to overturn inclusive policy.Melissa Green, CEO of the the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), said the organisation did not want to enter into a “toxic and divisive” row that sought to sow discord among women, but instead foster sensible discourse and reflect the lives of all its members – including those that are transgender. Continue reading...