Drag story hours face protests and threats of violence amid push to erode LGBTQ rights in state legislatures across the USIn a sea of rainbow umbrellas, colorful hairstyles, and even brighter costumes, Allison Towle loosely gripped onto her five-year-old daughter’s hand.It was bright and cold in New York’s West Village, and the two were on their way out from a Drag Storytelling Hour. Continue reading...

Opposition says it won’t be rushed into stating a position until closer to vote on bill to be introduced in JuneThe opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has again declined to state his position on the Indigenous voice referendum, despite the Liberal party coming under pressure to decide its stance on the constitutional change now the amendment and question have been released.Anthony Albanese has implored the opposition to support the referendum, but although he received a private advance briefing on the announcement and the design principles of the voice, Dutton has demanded yet more detail before picking a position. He said the Liberals want information on how the voice would improve the lives of Indigenous people. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: Johnson sat through three hours of questioning over whether he recklessly misled MPs over pandemic parties. Amid the bluster and the blowups, telling details emerged

Delegation of British lawmakers met Taiwan’s president during visit to the island this week amid a deteriorating UK-China relationship

Care England says there is ‘no justification for charging such financially crippling rates’A third of care homes across England have considered closing during the last year due to “financially crippling” running costs, as concerns rise that gas suppliers are profiteering at the expense of small businesses.The energy regulator, Ofgem, has admitted that some suppliers may be charging small companies rates which cannot be justified by falling gas market prices. Continue reading...

Move aims to help families in England and Wales resolve issues while reducing pressure on courts and impact on childrenThousands of children in England and Wales could be protected from witnessing their parents pitted against each other in the courts under proposals to legally enforce mediation for separating families.Mediation would become mandatory in all suitable low-level family court cases excluding those which include allegations or a history of domestic violence under the proposals, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said. Continue reading...

The then leader had made improving the lives of the poorest children a key plank of her agendaNew Zealand’s child poverty rates have plateaued, despite government efforts and former leader Jacinda Ardern making it a central priority of her prime ministership.Reducing the country’s stubborn child poverty rates has been a central commitment of the Labour government since Ardern ran on the issue in 2017, creating a new minister for child poverty, introducing legislation to ensure child poverty data was measured and published yearly, and bringing in a series of additional financial support packages for low-income families. Continue reading...

China’s military said guided-missile destroyer USS Milius intruded into China’s territorial waters near the contested Paracel IslandsChina’s military has claimed it monitored and drove away a US destroyer that had “illegally” entered waters around the contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.In a statement on Thursday, the military said the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius illegally intruded into China’s territorial waters, without the approval of the government, undermining peace and stability in the busy waterway. Continue reading...

Compromise punishment ‘not being remotely entertained’ and John Pesutto likely to have enough votes for MP’s expulsion

Exclusive: Daniel Duggan is in segregation in Lithgow prison and only spoke to his mother briefly after she suffered a stroke

The Legislative Council, which is finely balanced between left and right, will be critical to the direction of the state in next four years

Attempting to appease conservatives was pointless and risked failure, the referendum working group told the PM. It appears he listened

An expert panel has outlined plans to radically reform degrees to improve teaching courses and address workforce shortages in Australia

Plane intercepted at airstrip in rural Queensland after police allege aircraft was flown under the radar with 52kg of meth on board

The official narrative in China is that the US responds to problems militarily, while China uses dialogue, and there are signs this narrative is catching onAs Xi Jinping returns to Beijing after his first trip to Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, the contradictory forces that dominate the Chinese leader’s relationship with Moscow are no closer to being resolved. Xi wants to be a strong ally to Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, and a global peacemaker. Both cannot be true.The red carpet and more – a brass band, Siberian salmon – was rolled out for Xi’s two-day visit to Moscow. Xi and Putin raised a glass to the “deepening of the Russian-Chinese partnership”. As well as shared political and economic interests, the relationship is also characterised to an unusual degree by the personal bond between Xi and Putin. Xi has described the Russian president as his “best friend” and has said that their characters are alike. Continue reading...

Company will review processes after reports allegations not properly handled by management at storeIkea UK has made an agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to improve its sexual harassment policies and practices after a complaint by a former employee.The agreement comes after the EHRC was made aware of an allegation of sexual assault and harassment at Ikea UK and reports that these allegations were not appropriately handled by management at one of the company’s UK stores. Continue reading...

Headteachers forced to use non-specialists as turnover continues, education research body reportsTeacher vacancies in England have virtually doubled since before Covid, with school leaders increasingly forced to use non-specialist teachers, which threatens to drive down pupil attainment, according to research.A report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found that teacher vacancies posted by schools were 93% higher in the academic year up to February 2023 than at the same point in the year before the start of the pandemic. Continue reading...

Findings reveal level of disruption over three days in July when temperatures reached as high as 40CAlmost a fifth of hospitals in the UK were forced to cancel operations during the three days in July last year when temperatures soared highest, research suggests.The findings, published in a letter to the British Journal of Surgery, are based on surveys of surgeons, anaesthetists and critical care doctors who were working during the peak of last year’s heatwave, from 16-19 July, when temperatures reached as high as 40C in some parts of the country. Continue reading...

Roiland says he ‘never had any doubt that this day would come’ after authorities say there was ‘insufficient evidence’Felony domestic violence charges against Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland have been dismissed, two months after he was dropped from the show.Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for the Orange County district attorney’s office, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday, saying: “We dismissed the charges today as a result of having insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.” Continue reading...

Incident in Ealing last month also involved a man being set alight after leaving mosqueA man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a 70-year-old man was set on fire while walking back from a mosque in Birmingham has been arrested over a similar incident in London last month.On Monday evening Mohammed Rayaz was sprayed with a substance and set alight on Shenstone Road in Edgbaston and remains in hospital with life-changing injuries, including severe burns to his hands and face. Continue reading...

Two of the Taipan helicopter crew suffered minor injuries in crash off NSW during a counter-terror exercise

Marius Gustavson is accused of broadcasting castration footage on website in wide-ranging conspiracyA man accused of carrying out castrations on other men and broadcasting the footage on his “eunuch maker” website has appeared in court.Marius Gustavson, 45, along with eight others, is alleged to have performed extreme body modifications, including the removal of penises and testicles. Continue reading...

Documents show PM made nearly £5m in past three years thanks mainly to gains from US investment fund

Winning Tory doubters – and Johnson loyalists – round to his Windsor Framework strengthen’s prime minister’s election wicket

Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits military positions near Bakhmut; six killed overnight in drone attack on Rzhyshchiv in Kyiv region

Sweden says membership of Nato is best way to safeguard security; Anthony Blinken warns reaction to war in Ukraine has impact in Asia. This live blog is now closed

Sarah Laws and Lesley Johnson say they required medical treatment after nursery was rated inadequateA nursery’s manager and owner had to be prescribed medication after they were told their nursery would be given the lowest possible Ofsted rating.Sarah Laws, the manager of Little Learners Nursery Centre in Richmond, North Yorkshire, and Lesley Johnson, the owner, said they were devastated after being informed the nursery was being downgraded from an outstanding to an inadequate rating. Continue reading...

Judge appears skeptical of network’s arguments as both sides seek summary judgment in defamation caseA lawyer for Fox argued its top executives were not directly involved enough in its coverage of false claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election to justify holding them liable for defamation.Erin Murphy, Fox’s attorney, defended Fox during the second and final day of a pre-trial hearing in Delaware on Wednesday in the closely watched $1.6bn defamation case. It was part of her multi-pronged defense to rebut evidence presented by attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems that top executives, including Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, knowingly aired false claims about the company. Continue reading...

Kyiv remains keen not to anger Beijing given its influence over Moscow, and Zelenskiy is open to a meeting

Exclusive: doctors surveyed say young people forced to endure long waits as NHS services overwhelmedYoung people with eating disorders are coming to harm and ending up in A&E because they are being denied care and forced to endure long waits for treatment, GPs have revealed.NHS eating disorders services are so overwhelmed by a post-Covid surge in problems such as anorexia that they are telling under-19s to rely on charities, their parents or self-help instead. Continue reading...

One person held on suspicion of several counts of attempted murder after search of properties in far-right investigationA German police officer has been shot and wounded during raids on properties across the country in an operation related to investigations of the far-right Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich) movement, which is accused of plotting to overthrow the government.One person, identified as Markus L, was detained on suspicion of several counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm after shots were fired in the southern town of Reutlingen, near Stuttgart, the prosecutors said. Continue reading...

Five deaths and three further cases of the Ebola-like virus have been reported in the country’s north-westTanzania has announced its first outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus disease (MVD), after five fatalities and three further cases were reported at a hospital in the country’s north-west Kagera region.Through contact tracing, approximately 161 people have been identified as at risk of infection, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The government has deployed an emergency response team to the area and neighbouring countries have stepped up surveillance. No cases have yet been reported outside Kagera. Continue reading...

Prosecution tells jury of threat to Tomasz Oleszak before he was killed in altercation in Gateshead parkA 14-year-old boy shouted “I’m going to wet you” before stabbing another teenage boy in the chest and later seemed happy that he had done it, a jury has heard.The victim was 14-year-old Tomasz Oleszak, a boy unknown to his killer. The term “wet you” was slang for “stab you”, prosecutor Mark McKone KC told Newcastle crown court. Continue reading...

Thomas Cashman tells Manchester crown court he ‘never ever had any problems’ with Joseph Nee and denies planning attack on himA man accused of murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel has told a court he was friends with the alleged target of the shooting and denied “scoping out” an attack.Thomas Cashman, 34, is accused of fatally shooting Olivia when he allegedly chased a convicted burglar, Joseph Nee, into her family home and opened fire last August. He denies the charges. Continue reading...

Analysis: Tragic story struck a chord with other headteachers increasingly disillusioned with grading regime

Ruth Perry’s death a ‘direct result of pressure’ from report by England’s education watchdog, says family

Takeaway delivery firm shifts back to gig-economy model and ditches sick pay and holiday payJust Eat is planning to make 1,700 couriers redundant in the UK as the takeaway delivery firm shifts back towards a gig-economy model and ditches guaranteed minimum pay, sick pay and holiday pay.A further 170 head office staff are also set to lose their jobs as Just Eat attempts to cut costs in a highly competitive market. Continue reading...

Fiona McBain’s independence was questioned by Amar Bhidé, who has also left board of FTSE 100 trustThe chair of one of the UK’s biggest tech investors is standing down after a corporate governance row.Fiona McBain, who has chaired Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust since 2017 and sat on its board for 14 years, will leave after the trust’s annual meeting in June. Continue reading...

Exclusive: inadequately qualified coaches charging thousands claiming to offer support to people with eating disordersVulnerable mental health patients are being put at risk by unregulated “eating disorder coaches” who do not have the necessary qualifications, experts have said.As demand for eating disorder support soars – hospital admissions for eating disorders increased by 84% in the last five years – more people are filling gaps in NHS care. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak’s attitude ‘much more responsible’ than that of Boris Johnson, says former EU negotiatorThe EU’s former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has praised the agreement on Northern Ireland between the union and the British government as a positive step that turns a page in relations between the two sides.In an interview with the Guardian, the veteran French politician said the Windsor framework agreement signed by Rishi Sunak and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, last month, “operationalised” the Northern Ireland protocol he had negotiated with the British government in 2019. “There was a spirit of goodwill for the first time in three years, to find solutions that are concrete, operational and realistic.” Continue reading...

Steven Knight’s Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham will house ska drama This Town, UB40 and Peaky Blinders filmBy order of Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight construction has begun on his new multimillion-pound TV and film studio in Birmingham – which is designed to put the city on the media map, create over 700 jobs, add £30m to the local economy and house Knight’s new ska music BBC drama This Town as well the Peaky Blinders film.Eight years since Knight began working on his idea, building started on the new studios, which will also provide a home for the band UB40, training for local residents to get into TV and a development of restaurants, a hotel and bars. Advanced talks are also in place for an outpost of the media industry’s most famous chain of clubs, Soho House. Continue reading...

Extreme violence in Caribbean state has claimed 530 lives so far this year, particularly in gang-dominated capitalThe United Nations has called for the deployment of an international “specialized support force” to impede Haiti’s accelerating tumble into extreme violence after more than 530 people were killed in the opening weeks of this year.“Clashes between gangs are becoming more violent and more frequent,” the spokesperson for the UN human rights office, Marta Hurtado, warned on Tuesday, voicing “grave concern” that the security situation was spiraling out of control. Continue reading...

Defence team had argued David Hunter’s confession should be ruled inadmissible as evidence in trialA court in Cyprus has ruled that the confession of a retired Northumberland coalminer accused of murdering his terminally ill wife was obtained lawfully and can be used in evidence against him.In what will amount to a major setback for David Hunter, 75, who has campaigned to be tried on the lesser charge of manslaughter, Judge Michalis Droussiotis ruled that the evidence was admissible. Continue reading...

Investigation into attack being supported by counter-terror officers, West Midlands police sayA man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was set alight as he walked home from a mosque in Birmingham. The investigation is being supported by counter-terror officers, police have said.The victim was walking home from Dudley Road mosque when he was approached by another man, West Midlands police said. He spoke to him briefly before spraying him with an unknown substance and his jacket was set alight, causing burns to his face. Continue reading...

Russian cruise missiles destroyed in Crimea blast; Xi Jinping meets Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on day two of state visit

Lenin Artieda was one of several journalists targeted by explosive devices mailed out across the countryAn Ecuadorian television presenter was wounded after a bomb disguised as a USB stick exploded when he inserted it in his computer, after explosive devices were sent to journalists across the country.Lenin Artieda suffered minor injuries in the blast, which happened in the newsroom of Ecuavisa TV in Guayaquil. Continue reading...

Labour urges UK home secretary to suspend all officers facing sexual assault claims, after damning Casey report

Investment banking roles expected to be worst hit at Credit Suisse in London

Distributor gives no reason for cancellation, but Chinese censors have targeted Pooh before due to Xi Jinping comparisonsThe screening of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a British slasher film due to be released in Hong Kong this week, has been cancelled, its distributor said on Tuesday, without giving a reason for pulling it.VII Pillars Entertainment said on its Facebook page that it was with “great regret” that the scheduled release of the film on 23 March had been cancelled. It did not give further details. Continue reading...

Chain says customers will double rather then triple value of points when spending them from mid-JuneTesco has angered shoppers by announcing that it will be reducing the value of its popular Clubcard reward scheme from 14 June.The UK’s biggest retailer said that after that date shoppers will only be able to double the value of their Clubcard points – rather than triple them as now – when they spend them with one of its reward partners on a restaurant meal, day trip or cinema outing. Continue reading...