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Three ads by Join the Conversation did not include a political authorisation statement, despite website being registered to One Nation’s Brisbane candidateThe Australian Electoral Commission is investigating a Facebook page that is linked to a One Nation candidate and promotes candidates opposed to vaccination mandates.Join The Conversation is described as a community forum “that connects minor candidates with local voters”. However, its website and social media accounts appear to promote a catalogue of mostly One Nation and United Australia Party candidates who heavily oppose vaccination mandates. Continue reading...

Iraqi militias and others say undercover networks being used to supply materiel such as RPGs and anti-tank missiles

Shadow assistant minister Andrew Leigh confirms the party has dropped plans to review the unemployment benefitLabor has not committed to an additional increase to the jobseeker payment and has dropped plans for a review into the rate, the shadow assistant minister for the treasury, Andrew Leigh, has confirmed.Asked by the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) chief executive Cassandra Goldie to clarify Labor’s position on the jobseeker payment at an event on Tuesday, Leigh said “we haven’t committed to an additional increase”. Continue reading...

High court denies bid by almost 7,000 people to challenge flood compensation ruling

Opening ceremony will take place at MCG, while Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Gippsland will hold sporting events

Study finds 7% of global population experience migraine and 9% a tension-type headache on any given dayAlmost one in six people around the world have a headache on any given day, with about half of those experiencing a migraine, researchers have found.Headache disorders can be painful and debilitating and have myriad causes, from stress to over-use of medications such as painkillers. Now a large scale review has highlighted just how common such conditions are. Continue reading...

Expansion of specialist teams proposed in report, along with independent legal advice for complainantsPolice teams that specialise in investigating rape must be set up across England and Wales and independent legal advice must be offered to victims and survivors facing demands for their digital devices, a parliamentary committee has concluded.In an examination of why rape prosecutions are falling, the home affairs select committee found that the unacceptably low numbers of prosecutions for rape and sexual offences would continue without major reforms to the criminal justice system. Continue reading...

As he prepares to bow out, Chibnall says Covid pressure almost cut his three-season run to twoThe outgoing Doctor Who showrunner has revealed that pressures of working during the Covid pandemic threatened to curtail his three-series run to two.Chris Chibnall, who is bowing out as the show’s executive producer after taking over from Steven Moffat for series 11, said: “That we made Doctor Who at all during the past two years is a miracle.” Continue reading...

Three members of cross-party LGBTQ+ group to resign after chair calls verdict ‘dreadful miscarriage of justice’

Exclusive: signatories of letter who include many politicians say complaints by Jewish students need to be taken more seriouslyMore than 20 former presidents of the National Union of Students, including three former cabinet ministers, have sent an unprecedented private warning to the organisation’s trustees, urging them to address concerns from Jewish students.The letter, which has been leaked to the Guardian, was sent to the union’s trustees by 21 former presidents dating back to the 1960s, including the former cabinet ministers Jack Straw, Charles Clarke and Jim Murphy, the shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, and Maeve Sherlock. Continue reading...

Analysis: Unlike his predecessors, he has not criticised tax havens or pledged to go after tax avoidersSince becoming chancellor, Rishi Sunak has not delivered any of the tub-thumping speeches of his predecessors about going after tax avoiders.He has not criticised tax havens in the House of Commons. And his only mention of offshore has been in relation to wind power. Continue reading...

Labour leader questions ability of super-rich politicians to relate to public amid cost of living crisisKeir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of “rank hypocrisy” and questioned the ability of super-rich politicians to relate to the public as No 10 came under pressure to reveal if any other ministers had used schemes to avoid tax.In an interview with the Guardian amid controversy over Rishi Sunak’s wife’s tax status, Starmer said having a spouse who was a non-dom would create a “very obvious conflict of interest” for any cabinet minister. Continue reading...

Court had found force’s decisions in run-up to event in South London were ‘not in accordance with the law’The Metropolitan police has been refused permission to appeal against a high court ruling that found the force breached the rights of organisers of a vigil for Sarah Everard in south London last year.Reclaim These Streets (RTS) proposed a socially distanced gathering in Clapham Common to mark the death of the 33-year-old marketing executive, who was murdered by a serving Met officer. Continue reading...

West of England mayor says Russian investors must sell their shares in Swedish firm Voi or ‘other e-scooters are available’

Parole Board said Adam Swellings, who kicked father of three to death in 2007 at the age of 19, had shown ‘exemplary’ conduct in jailThe Parole Board has recommended that the ringleader of a murder that shocked Britain in 2007 be moved to an open prison.Garry Newlove, a father of three, was “kicked like a football” in front of his family by drunken youths he had challenged after they vandalised vehicles outside his Cheshire home. Continue reading...

Jury selection under way as former couple face off in Virginia court in case centered on allegations of domestic violenceJohnny Depp has lost one high-profile defamation case involving his ex-wife, Amber Heard, in a London court. On Monday, the 58-year-old actor launched a sequel in Fairfax, Virginia, as part of an effort to refute career-damaging allegations that he abused Heard during their three-year marriage.Ahead of jury selection, a court order said fans of the two celebrities could not “camp on courthouse grounds” and added: “Litigants and their legal teams in this trial will not pose for pictures or sign autographs in the courthouse or on courthouse grounds.” Contravention of the order would be treated on grounds of contempt.Press Association contributed to this report Continue reading...

Organisations call for reforming controversial religious exemptions to anti-discrimination laws

Highs of up to 22C expected in some areas, with dry conditions forecast for most of the countryEaster weekend could see the hottest temperatures of the year so far across the UK, with highs of up to 22C in some areas, weather forecasters have said.Warm weather is set to continue throughout the week, with dry conditions expected for most of the country ahead of the bank holiday. Continue reading...

The 36th brigade say they face ‘death for some of us, and captivity for the rest’ as Russian offensive continues

Monarch’s official dresser doubled up as a hairdresser when pandemic hit, she reveals in updates to 2019 bookThe Queen avoided a dreaded case of lockdown hair during the early days of the pandemic after trusting her personal adviser and dresser with the royal tresses, it has emerged.Many commented on the monarch’s elegant coiffure during her TV addresses from Windsor Castle, where she was shielding, protected in “HMS Bubble”, made up from selected staff. Continue reading...

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Steven Seagal is isolated voice in backing Russian president as Gérard Depardieu, Silvio Berlusconi and others condemn invasionAt an upscale restaurant in Moscow, the bubbly was flowing as guests in cocktail dresses and expensive suits danced the night away.They had gathered on Sunday for the 70th birthday of Steven Seagal, the American-born actor best known for playing hard-bitten cops and commandos in action movies. Continue reading...

Nine in 10 voters back leader to stay in office in poll viewed as foregone conclusion by critics and supportersNine in 10 Mexicans voting in an unprecedented recall election engineered by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have backed him to stay in office, underlining his domination of a polarised political agenda.Critics and supporters had viewed his victory as a foregone conclusion in a ballot that had fed speculation it could open the door to extending presidential term limits, now limited to a single six-year period. Continue reading...

Leader says associates of Stop the War coalition must support Nato and reject ‘false equivalence’ with RussiaJeremy Corbyn will not have the Labour whip restored while he continues to associate with the Stop the War coalition, Keir Starmer has suggested, saying it was “very clear” those who wanted to be Labour MPs had to be supporters of Nato and reject “false equivalence” between Nato and Russian aggression.Starmer has previously suggested Corbyn may be allowed to return to sitting as a Labour MP if he apologises for a statement made in the wake of the equalities’ watchdog report into antisemitism. But speaking to the Guardian on Monday, the Labour leader suggested there was now a bigger obstacle to his return. Continue reading...

Man carrying the cane said he had no idea it concealed a sword and was able to catch his flight after it was confiscatedA man passing through a Transportation Security Agency (TSA) checkpoint was stopped for having a sword concealed in his cane – and claimed he had no idea the blade was there.Around noon last Tuesday, TSA officers at Logan airport in Boston were searching the traveler, a Massachusetts resident headed to New York. Continue reading...

French president emerges in lead but tranche of far-right voters likely to transfer support to Le PenEmmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen went in opposite directions on Monday in an attempt to drum up support from new voters they need to win the final round of France’s presidential election in less than a fortnight.Macron headed north, where he spent several hours talking to crowds at Denain, a former mining town once controlled by socialists but now a far-right stronghold, and promised he would listen to candidates “who failed to qualify” in Sunday’s first round of the election. Continue reading...

Disability royal commission told low rates of pay are calculated using tool said to measure ‘productivity’ of employees

Freefall ride appears to have started while the four-year-old boy’s harness remained above his head

Labor leader makes mistake on day one of campaign as Scott Morrison embraces former NSW MP who said PM ‘got the welcome he deserved’ during bushfiresThe Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, says he “accepts responsibility” for a gaffe on the first day of the federal election campaign when he couldn’t state the national unemployment figure or the official cash rate.Albanese was asked on multiple occasions if he knew the figures during a press conference in the marginal seat of Bass in Tasmania at the start of the six-week campaign. Continue reading...

Coalition and finance remain tight-lipped on payout to Tudge’s former staffer, while PM says Tudge remains in cabinet

‘Unmanageable’ workloads, stress and levels of trust in teachers from public and government key factorsA poll shows nearly half of teachers in England plan to quit within the next five years.Ahead of the National Education Union (NEU) annual conference in Bournemouth this week, it published data on Monday revealing that 44% of teachers plan to leave the profession by 2027. Continue reading...

Jacinta Allan refers to deputy prime minister’s ‘diary’ management in first meeting in 10 months

Higher proportion of ethnic minority LGBTQ+practitioners experienced abusive behaviour related to their identityNearly half of LGBTQ+ psychiatrists have experienced hostility at work because of their identity, according to a survey.The study by representative body the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that 48% of respondents said they had received negative treatment because of their sexuality or gender identity. Continue reading...

Universities UK report says 15m graduates working in a labour market that offers 16m graduate-level rolesThe UK has nearly a million graduate-level jobs without qualified staff filling them, according to a report for universities that predicts the labour market’s appetite for graduates will remain strong in the near future.Using data from official sources, the report published by Universities UK found there were 15 million people with degrees or equivalent qualifications working in the UK at the end of 2020 – and nearly 16 million positions in managerial and professional occupations defined as graduate-level jobs. Continue reading...

Analysis: With almost no successful major prosecutions over the last 30 years, those building cases hope things will be different this time

Baltic nation is calling for increased military presence in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine

Will it be the first re-election of a president in 20 years, or third time lucky for his far-right opponent?Centrist Emmanuel Macron and the far-right Marine Le Pen are through to the second round of the French presidential election. Who are they and what do they stand for? Continue reading...

Ticket prices reduced by between 20% and 40% in four-year initiative backed by £23.5m government grantResidents and visitors can enjoy cheaper trips around the far south-west of England after the launch of a cut-price bus fare pilot in Cornwall.Ticket prices across the county have been reduced by between 20% and 40% in an attempt to encourage more people out of their cars and on to public transport.£2.50 a day or £10 a week for adults within Cornish towns.£5 a day or £20 a week for adults for travel across Cornwall.Adult singles from £1.60, and returns from £2.40.Family tickets for £10 a day (up to two adults and unlimited children under 16). Continue reading...

Reporter and lecturer’s arrest in dawn raid another blow to city’s press amid Beijing crackdownA veteran Hong Kong journalist has been arrested by national security police for allegedly conspiring to publish “seditious materials”, a police source and local media said, in the latest blow against press freedom.Allan Au, a 54-year-old reporter and journalism lecturer, was arrested in a dawn raid on Monday by Hong Kong’s national security police unit, multiple local media outlets reported. Continue reading...

Alexander Dvornikov has record of brutality against civilians in Syria, say US officials; Zelenskiy praise comes after Germany said it would stop using Russian oil and coal by the end of the year

PM grilled again on education minister’s future after previously saying Tudge would not return to frontbench

Pro-independence parties boycotted last year’s referendum on a split from France, arguing Covid made campaigning too difficultA prominent New Caledonian indigenous party has said that if France wants to have an economic and political stake in the Pacific – as China’s influence in the region rises to “omnipresence” – it needs to grant New Caledonia a fourth referendum on independence and treat the Pacific island as a partner, rather than a colony.The calls come after a contentious referendum on independence last year which was boycotted by pro-independence parties, after they said holding a referendum during a severe Covid outbreak that disproportionately hit indigenous Kanak and Pasifika populations would not return a fair result. Continue reading...

Emergency surgery may soon be impossible, president told, while protests continue amid worsening economic downturnSri Lanka’s doctors have warned they are almost out of life-saving medicines and say the country’s economic crisis threatened a worse death toll than the coronavirus pandemic.Weeks of power blackouts and severe shortages of food, fuel and pharmaceuticals have brought widespread misery to Sri Lanka, which is suffering its worst downturn since independence in 1948. Continue reading...

Government’s proposed change to rules in England and Wales is part of measures aimed at cracking down on fly-tippingHouseholds in England and Wales will no longer have to pay to get rid of waste created by DIY activities under new plans set out by the government on Monday.At the moment, some local authorities are allowed to charge for the removal of waste such as plasterboard, bath units and bricks, but the proposed changes outlined in a technical consultation would stop this. Continue reading...

Estimated 21.5m leisure trips to be made by car from Good Friday to Easter Monday, says motoring bodyThis weekend’s Easter getaway could be the busiest on the UK’s roads in at least eight years as engineering works look set to disrupt rail travel, the RAC has said.An estimated 21.5 million leisure trips will be made by car between Good Friday and Easter Monday, the motoring organisation predicts. That is the most since the organisation began tracking motorists’ Easter plans in 2014.The M6 north between junction 26 (Orrell interchange, Greater Manchester) and junction 36 (the Lake District).The M25 clockwise from junction 8 (Reigate Hill interchange, Surrey) to junction 16 (Denham interchange, Buckinghamshire).The A303 near Stonehenge, Wiltshire. Continue reading...

‘Chris lived a life of poetry and music,’ band writes in a post announcing the singer and songwriter’s deathChris Bailey, the lead singer of legendary Australian band the Saints, has died.The band announced his death on Facebook on Monday. Continue reading...

Projected results in first part of presidential race put centrist leader on 27.6% and far-right candidate on 23%

Projected results in the presidential election show Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen going into a tight run-off after topping the first round. Follow all the official results as they come in, department by department