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Josh Frydenberg debates Kooyong challenger Monique Ryan; at least 56 Covid deaths recorded. This blog is now closed

Plane returns to Heathrow after ‘rostering error’ meant first officer didn’t meet Virgin Atlantic protocolsA Virgin Atlantic aircraft turned back to Heathrow after it emerged the first officer had not completed his final flying test.The Airbus A330 jet was nearly 40 minutes into its journey to New York on Monday when the two pilots on board became aware of the “rostering error”, the airline said. Continue reading...

Roberts-Smith’s former comrade admits failing to provide to court an email with marked-up pictures of Afghanistan compound, despite subpoena

The hip-hop star, whose music career ended in the late 1980s, stabbed a homeless man, John Jolly, with a steak knifeKidd Creole, a member of foundational hip-hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for manslaughter, after stabbing a homeless man in New York City.The rapper, real name Nathaniel Glover, 62, was convicted of the crime last month. Prosecutors said that Glover killed John Jolly, 55, with a steak knife after the two engaged in conversation; Glover’s defence was that he felt intimidated by Jolly, who, it is alleged, asked Glover “what’s up?” in a threatening manner. Continue reading...

Trevor Evans defends use of quotes from registered charities despite inclusion potentially breaching political advocacy rules

Bernie Finn’s Facebook post came after the leak of draft decision suggesting US supreme court may overturn Roe v Wade

This blog has now closed. You can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war in our new live blogDaniel Boffey reports for us from Brussels on the contents of Ursula von der Leyen’s speech to the European parliament:The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has been detailing her proposal to the member states on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, which includes a total ban on oil imports.

Woman the 10th survivor of the disaster, in which at least five people perished after a six-storey building in Changsha caved inRescuers in central China have pulled a woman alive from the rubble of a building that partially collapsed almost six days earlier, state media reported Thursday.The unidentified woman is the 10th survivor of the disaster in the city of Changsha, in which at least five people have died and an unknown number, possibly dozens, are still missing. Continue reading...

Mining giant also apologises for bullying culture at annual shareholder meeting

Labor leader eventually handed briefing notes from an advisor after struggling to list party’s six-point plan

Covid pandemic and invasion of Ukraine have brought sudden halt to years of flourishing business in Calabrian town of ScaleaThe services listed on the billboard outside Rotondaro Costruzioni, an estate agency and builder, are written in Italian and Russian, as are the details of the properties advertised for sale in the window display.Inside, about a dozen thick red folders, filled with plastic envelopes containing details of customers dating back to 2010, spill out of a cabinet. The majority of those property buyers were Russian. A short distance away is a stretch of Italy’s southern Calabrian coastline lapped by clear-blue sea. This is not the glitzy Costa Smeralda in Sardinia or Tuscany’s Forte dei Marmi, where lavish villas and yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs have been seized over the last two months, but Scalea, a low-profile holiday resort with a medieval hilltop village whose economy has flourished over the past decade, partly thanks to the ordinary Russians who flocked here for the cheap property and sunshine. Continue reading...

Each week we ask experts to break down a political advertisement: who are the candidates trying to reach, and are they succeeding?

Marcus Stewart says current timeframe of Yoorrook Justice Commission not enough to ‘unpack 200-plus years of colonisation’

Issues include understaffing, poor access to services and discrimination towards First Nations people seeking medical help

ALP will benefit in Braddon and Lyons and will preference JLN Senate candidate Tammy Tyrrell

Emergency services were called to the scene in Brunswick at around 5.20am on ThursdayTwo men have died after being stabbed in Melbourne in the early hours of Thursday morning.A woman was arrested on a tram in Carlton after two men were fatally stabbed on Hope Street in Brunswick. Continue reading...

Muslim group say coroner’s decision to include gunman’s social media activity in investigation a ‘landmark moment for the accountability of digital platforms’The online activities of the Australian white supremacist who opened fire on two New Zealand mosques – and how much of a role social media and internet platforms played in his radicalisation – will form part of a coroner’s inquiry into the deaths of 51 Muslim worshipers in the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack.But the presiding coroner, Brigitte Windley, who announced the scope of her inquiry in a decision released on Thursday, has warned of “monumental hurdles” to exploring the terrorist’s online activities – including Brenton Tarrant’s attempts to wipe parts of his digital footprint before committing the attacks. Continue reading...

Policies encouraging property investment have fuelled soaring debt ratio to create ‘big potential problem’, researcher warns

Foreign minister Ann Linde spoke after meeting with US secretary of state Anthony BlinkenSweden has received assurances from the US that it would receive support during the period a potential application to join Nato is processed by the 30 nations in the alliance, foreign minister Ann Linde said in Washington on Wednesday.Sweden and neighbour Finland stayed out of Nato during the cold war, but Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine have led the countries to rethink their security policies, with Nato membership looking increasingly likely. Continue reading...

Judge rejects prosecutors’ claim that Andrew Fahie, arrested in DEA drug sting, could flee US if freed from prisonThe premier of the British Virgin Islands, whom US prosecutors described in court as “corrupt to the core”, has been given a $500,000 bond that would allow him to be released from prison as he awaits trial on charges tied to a US narcotics sting.Federal court judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes rejected prosecutors’ argument that Andrew Fahie would flee the US and possibly engage in criminal activity if he is freed. Continue reading...

Tory candidates ask voters not to punish them for ‘mistakes’ in Westminster in wake of PartygateHundreds of Tories are distancing themselves from Boris Johnson by standing as “Local Conservatives” in Thursday’s council elections, with rebel MPs saying they will gauge support over the weekend for a move against the prime minister.Election leaflets seen by the Guardian show local candidates across England playing down their Tory affiliations, eschewing pictures of Johnson and styling themselves as “Local Conservative” on voting ballot papers. Continue reading...

The judge in Edinburgh described the murder as ‘truly evil’, and the child’s mother said she will fight to ensure Lukasz Czapla ‘never leaves prison’A father who killed his two-year-old son after discovering that his mother was in a new relationship has been jailed for life.Lukasz Czapla, 41, was unanimously found guilty of the murder of Julius Czapla and was ordered to spend a minimum of 23 years behind bars. Continue reading...

Opposition also pledges to defend Australian Human Rights Commission with return to merit-based appointments

Opposition leader Matthew Guy previously argued treaty negotiations should occur at national level

Victoria’s treasurer, Tim Pallas, says government will standardise construction contracts and set up register of projects

Angela Rayner says Tory candidates at the local elections ‘are trying to hide from their own government’s record’. This live blog is closed – please follow this one for updates on the war in Ukraine

Slovakia also wants exemption despite Ursula von der Leyen saying crude must be prohibited in EU within six months

MEPs refuse to sign off Frontex’s accounts and call for access to inquiry into alleged harassment and misconductThe European parliament has refused to sign off the EU border agency’s accounts, saying it had failed to investigate alleged human rights violations of asylum seekers in Greece.The vote on the agency, Frontex, came after the resignation last week of its director, Fabrice Leggeri, who left after an investigation by Olaf, the EU’s anti-fraud body. Continue reading...

Accountancy firm extends its flexible-work ‘deal’ to woo staff after popular trial last summerPricewaterhouseCoopers has told its accountants and other staff they can finish work early on Fridays over the summer, becoming the latest company to offer flexible work incentives to try to keep employees happy and compete for talent.The accountancy firm has written to its 22,000 UK staff and told them they can knock off at lunchtime on Fridays between 1 June and 31 August, assuming they get their work done. It expects the majority of employees to benefit from this. Continue reading...

Ferdinand Marcos Jr leads polls despite father’s dictatorship and energetic opposition campaignThe colour they are clad in is an unmissable shade of fuchsia pink. They walk the streets across the Philippines, waving banners along the way and stopping anyone who will listen.Many are young or first-time voters, and some travel for hours to join campaign teams. For them, next week’s election is a make-or-break moment for their country. Continue reading...

Blue Argentina No 10 jersey kept by England player Steve Hodge beats mark set by 1892 Olympic manifestoThe shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored twice – including the “hand of God” goal – to knock England out of the 1986 World Cup has sold for a record-breaking sum at auction.The Argentinian described his opening goal in the quarter-final as “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”. For his second he dribbled past a host of England players and beat Peter Shilton to score what would later be voted the goal of the century. Continue reading...

Ferdinando Sciabarrà, recently declared owner of part of limestone landmark, now wants to sellSicily’s famed cascading limestone cliff may not be the obvious choice for the next takeover bid by the world’s richest man, but one Italian man is hoping for such an eventuality.Part of the island’s Turkish Steps is being readied for sale, with a call to Elon Musk to buy it. Continue reading...

Home Office granted right to live in UK through tier 1 scheme to 46 people aged 21 or under, FoI request reveals

Women’s wing calls to remain ‘militarily non-aligned’ before Sweden and Finland decide on membershipThe first signs of a backlash to a possible Swedish application to join Nato have emerged within the ruling Social Democrats, at the start of a critical month in which Sweden and neighbouring Finland are expected to move rapidly towards a decision.Sweden is due to publish a security policy assessment report by 13 May, two-weeks earlier than planned, which will involve representatives of all parties in Sweden’s parliament, the Riksdag. Continue reading...

Former police officer appeals against prison sentence for kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah EverardWayne Couzens deserves “decades in jail” but not a whole-life order, his barrister has told a court in the former police officer’s appeal against his prison sentence for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.Jim Sturman QC, for Couzens, said the sentencing judge’s finding that the former police officer was not remorseful was “untenable”. Continue reading...

Cities to mark occasion without usual displays out of consideration for former soldiers with PTSDFor the first time, cities across Israel have scrapped fireworks displays that normally mark the country’s Independence Day out of consideration for military veterans and others with post-traumatic stress disorder.Parties and celebrations that begin on Wednesday evening in more than a dozen cities, including Tel Aviv, will not be accompanied by the cracks and bangs of fireworks. Israeli authorities in Jerusalem have opted instead for a silent pyrotechnic show. Continue reading...

Sanctions on accountancy, consultancy and PR advice will not come into force for several weeks

Flagship show audience down 80% after launch and rating agency detects ‘zero viewers’ for other key slotsRupert Murdoch’s talkTV television channel has been rated as having “zero viewers” during primetime broadcasts, as the new television channel struggles to attract an audience despite signing up Piers Morgan as a presenter.The News Desk, the channel’s hour-long political show hosted by Tom Newton Dunn, did not register a single viewer for half of its Tuesday evening broadcast. Although this does not rule out the possibility that some people were watching somewhere in the UK, it means the television audience was so small that it was not picked up by official rating agency, the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board. Continue reading...

Exclusive: exercises are to prepare China for the possibility of similar embargoes from the US and its alliesConcerned about sweeping Russia-style sanctions from the west, Beijing has ordered a comprehensive “stress test” to study the implications of a similar scenario for its economy, the Guardian has learned.According to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, an extensive exercise began around late February and early March when western allies imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow. Several key Chinese government agencies – from banking regulation to international trade – have been asked to come up with responses if the west imposed the same embargos on to China. Continue reading...

Following publication of the opinion that would overturn Roe v Wade, the court’s views on abortion are under extreme scrutinyWith Roe v Wade on the brink of defeat, following the leak of a supreme court opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and signed by four other conservative judges, the court’s views – and track record – on abortion are under extreme scrutiny. Here’s what the nine justices have actually said over the years about it. Continue reading...

Moscow steps up missile strikes on key infrastructure as flow of western weapons becomes focus of war

Exclusive: ideas include reducing trial safeguards and allowing startups to harvest patient dataA list of radical ideas for transforming the NHS, including lifting safeguards blocking startups’ access to patient data, and nurses being incentivised to help speed trials, was privately drawn up by drug and healthcare companies in talks with senior No 10 advisers.The proposals, which can be revealed after a freedom of information request, emerged in private roundtables convened by a taskforce appointed by Boris Johnson to generate ideas for cutting supposed red tape after Brexit. Continue reading...

Tunnelled section of £19bn project through centre of London finally ready for passengersLondon’s Elizabeth line is to open on 24 May, it has been announced, with the long-delayed tunnelled central section of the £19bn Crossrail project now ready for passengers.Transport for London (TfL) said the line would open, subject to final safety approvals, the week prior to the Queen’s jubilee celebrations. Continue reading...

Leader accused of holding region to ransom with vow not to revive power sharing until Brexit protocol is ditchedThe Democratic Unionist party is under mounting pressure to accept the result of Northern Ireland’s assembly election even if, as polls suggest, Sinn Féin emerges as the biggest party.In a televised party leaders’ debate on Tuesday night, Jeffrey Donaldson faced criticism over his threat to paralyse the formation of a new executive at Stormont after the election on Thursday. Continue reading...

Pact with Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise is attempt to deprive Emmanuel Macron of majority in parliamentFrance’s Socialist party and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party have reached an agreement in principle to form an alliance for June’s parliamentary election.The coalition pact, which the Greens and Communists agreed to earlier this week, is an attempt to deprive Emmanuel Macron of a majority in parliament and block his pro-business agenda after he was re-elected president in April. Continue reading...

Pope told nurse she had been target of inappropriate behaviour from male patient but no referral madeThe Dorset teenager Gaia Pope, who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after she was allegedly drugged and raped, was sexually harassed while being treated on a mixed psychiatric ward, an inquest jury has heard.Pope informed staff that a male patient on the ward at St Ann’s hospital in Poole made explicit sexual comments and suggestions and tried to hug her but jurors were told that no safeguarding referral was made. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Early results from ‘applied mindfulness’ courses suggests they have helped overcome despair that little can be doneBrussels officials are being trained to meditate to help them tackle the climate crisis as part of a new wave of “applied mindfulness” that seeks to take the Buddhism-inspired practice “off the cushion” and into hard politics.EU officials working on the 27-country bloc’s green deal climate policy are attending “inner green deal” courses intended to foster a deeper connection among decision-makers and negotiators tasked with tackling the crisis. The courses incorporate woodland walks near Brussels and meditation sessions, including one that invites participants to feel empathy for trees and animals to boost “environmental compassion”. Continue reading...

German prosecutor says investigators are sure Christian Brückner killed three-year-old and have ‘new facts’Fresh evidence has been found against the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a German prosecutor has revealed.Hans Christian Wolters said in an interview on Portuguese television that investigators believed they had found “some facts, some new evidence, not forensic evidence.” Continue reading...

Incident raises further questions over comedian safety after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at OscarsThe comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked during a performance in Los Angeles, according to witnesses and videos of the incident posted online.Footage showed someone running on stage and tackling Chappelle during his performance at the Netflix Is a Joke festival at Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night. The incident took place as the comedian was closing the show and thanking earlier performers including Chris Rock, Leslie Jones and Jon Stewart. Continue reading...