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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...

Ernest Moret was stopped at rail station and taken into custody, where he was questioned about his participation in French protestsA French publisher has been arrested on terror charges in London after being questioned by UK police about participating in anti-government protests in France.Ernest Moret, 28, a foreign rights manager for Éditions la Fabrique, was approached by two plainclothes officers at St Pancras station on Monday evening after arriving by train from Paris to attend the London book fair. Continue reading...

Colin Beattie arrest announced as new first minister prepared to set out ‘fresh vision’ to MSPsAttempts by Scotland’s new first minister, Humza Yousaf, to stamp his authority on his already beleaguered administration were scuppered by the arrest of the Scottish National party’s treasurer hours before a major policy statement.Police Scotland said Colin Beattie, 71, the SNP MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh and a former banker, had been taken into custody on Tuesday morning and was being interviewed by detectives as part of an investigation into the party’s funding and finances. He was released without charge later that day, pending further investigation. Continue reading...

Information Commissioner’s Office reprimands forces as app was originally intended for hostage negotiatorsTwo police forces have been reprimanded by Britain’s data watchdog after officers unlawfully recorded more than 200,000 phone conversations using an app originally intended for hostage negotiators.The automatic recordings, made over several years, included “highly sensitive” conversations with victims, witnesses and perpetrators of suspected crimes, according to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Continue reading...

Hardliners may instead lobby for a commitment in next manifesto to use as a dividing line with LabourConservatives who want to railroad through measures to curb small boat crossings by pulling the UK out of the European convention on human rights (EHRC) could make a “tactical retreat” and instead lobby for a commitment in the party’s next manifesto.Some of those who put their name to a rebel amendment to the illegal migration bill, which is due to go through its final parliamentary stages next Tuesday, told the Guardian a climbdown was possible. Continue reading...

Broadcaster says programme will contrast revelry in Downing Street with hardship across rest of UKPartygate, the scandal that helped bring down Boris Johnson and may yet cost him his parliamentary seat, is being made into docudrama for Channel 4.Partygate the True Story will dramatise numerous drunken parties in Downing during the Covid lockdown, including booze runs to fill a staff wine fridge, vomiting officials, and the breaking of a child’s swing during a garden party. Continue reading...

Exclusive: No 10 urged to explain as lists of interests since 2019 do not refer to Akshata Murty’s sharesOpposition parties have called on Downing Street to provide answers over Rishi Sunak’s family financial interests as the Guardian discovered that previous ministerial registers made no mention of his wife’s stake in a childcare firm, even though it began in 2019.The prime minister could be ordered to apologise to the House of Commons if an inquiry announced on Monday into his declarations about the investment finds he breached the code of conduct for MPs. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereHundreds of civil servants working in jobcentres are to stage a fresh strike in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions, PA Media reports. PA says:The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said more than 600 of its members at 13 jobcentres in Glasgow and Liverpool will strike for five days from 2 May.The union said Glasgow hads been targeted for disruptive action because it is one of the areas piloting a scheme on claimants having to attend an office several times over two weeks, while Liverpool will face action because of plans to close a local jobcentre. Continue reading...

Chain was refused licence to sell hot food in Leicester Square over police concerns about antisocial behaviourThe bakery chain Greggs is to appeal a ban preventing a central London outlet from selling hot food through the night after police claimed it could lead to a spike in crime and disorder.The company was last summer refused an overnight licence to open its store in Leicester Square between between 11pm and 5am amid claims it could become a “hotspot for late-night disturbances and antisocial behaviour”. Continue reading...

Senior Tory Tobias Ellwood says details of ‘near-shoot down’ revealed in Pentagon leaks should have been publicisedThe senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has accused the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, of concealing a potential Russian “act of war” against an RAF spy plane, during an emergency debate in the Commons.The chair of the defence select committee questioned an account given by Wallace to parliament of the dangerous incident, which occurred last September and was revealed last week in a leak of hundreds of top secret Pentagon documents as a “near-shoot down”. Continue reading...

Colin Beattie is in custody and being questioned by detectives, says Police Scotland

Noel Hanna died during descent of world’s 10th highest mountain, say expedition organisersA Northern Irish climber has died and an Indian climber is missing after falling into a crevasse in separate incidents on Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest mountain.Another Indian climber fell ill on the way down from the 8,091-metre (26,540ft) summit but survived after spending the night in harsh conditions on the mountain. Continue reading...

Firm’s owner, Pernod Ricard, faced calls for boycott and political pressure after resuming some exports in AprilThe maker of Sweden’s Absolut vodka has said it is ceasing all exports to Russia after calls to boycott the brand flared up in Sweden and on social media.The Absolut Company said it had “decided to stop the export of its brand to Russia”. Continue reading...

Juan Carlos is promised a warm welcome by mayor on visit to boating competition in GaliciaSpain’s self-exiled former king, Juan Carlos, who abandoned the country almost three years ago after a series of damaging financial allegations that further tarnished his diminished reputation, is due to make a trip home to take part in a sailing regatta this week.The 85-year-old former monarch, who retains the title rey emérito (king emeritus), has been living in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, since August 2020. Continue reading...

Konstantin Malofeyev, accused of aiding pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, appeared to continue moving money through the global system

Officials say it will leave in May if Taliban cannot be persuaded to let local women work for organisationThe UN is ready to take the “heartbreaking” decision to pull out of Afghanistan in May if it cannot persuade the Taliban to let local women work for the organisation, officials have said.The warning comes after UN officials spent months negotiating with the group’s leaders in the hope of persuading them to make exceptions to a hardline edict this month barring local women from working for it, according to the head of the UN Development Programme (UNHP), Achim Steiner. Continue reading...