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Grand prix winner at last year’s Cannes film festival for A Hero, the director was sued by a former student for taking the story uncredited from her documentaryAsghar Farhadi, the Oscar winning director of A Separation and The Salesman, has lost a plagiarism case brought by one of his former students, who had claimed he took the idea for his 2021 film A Hero from a documentary she had made for a film class.According to the Hollywood Reporter, Azadeh Masihzadeh brought the case after Farhadi had earlier sued her for defamation; in both cases the courts ruled in Masihzadeh’s favour. Continue reading...

Viktor Orbán’s government faces sanction over rollback of democratic values and allegations of fraudThe European Commission has launched the bloc’s new rule-of-law disciplinary procedure for the first time against Hungary, two days after nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, won a fourth landslide victory in parliamentary elections.Ursula von der Leyen, the commission president, told the European parliament on Tuesday that Budapest had been informed of the decision and “we will now send the letter of formal notification to start the conditionality mechanism”. Continue reading...

Jérémy Cohen died after being hit by a tram in February as he ran from a group of men, video footage showedThe death of a young Jewish man in Bobigny, north of Paris, has shocked France and sparked outrage among French presidential candidates, who seized on it to denounce criminality and a possible antisemitic attack.Jérémy Cohen, 31, was killed when he was hit by a tram in Bobigny in February, which was initially reported in local media as a traffic incident. But when his family leafleted the area to see if locals had more information on what had happened, a witness came forward with video footage, which circulated online this week. Continue reading...

Manhattan district attorney says the charges are ‘sobering reminder’ of the fears AAPI women in particular faceThe Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, has announced hate crime charges relating to assaults against seven Asian American women in New York City in February.Steven Zajonc, 28, has been charged in New York state supreme court with six felony counts of assault in the third degree as a hate crime and seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree as a misdemeanor hate crime. Continue reading...

John Lewis demanded extra £41.74 despite industry’s promise hosts will not be penalised

Nurses witnessed girl screaming and sounding ‘very scared’ when repeatedly held down on her bed, court toldA 14-year-old autistic girl was unlawfully detained in hospital and restrained in front of scared child patients, a high court judge has found.On one occasion last month the teenager managed to break into a treatment room where a dying infant was receiving palliative care. She was restrained there by three security guards, Mr Justice MacDonald said, in a judgment in the family court that ordered Manchester city council (MCC) to find the girl a suitable community care placement instead of what he described as the “brutal and abusive” and “manifestly unsuitable” hospital environment. Continue reading...

Union warns of complete breakdown of health system with hospitals ‘all running out of medicines’Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has deteriorated into a medical crisis, with the top medical union declaring a national health emergency over a life-threatening shortage of drugs.On Tuesday, the country’s most powerful trade union, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), called a meeting and declared a medical crisis as doctors and hospitals reported a widespread lack of medicine. Continue reading...

Exclusive: charities say people with weakened immunity such as those with cancer falling critically ill after struggle to access treatmentsCancer patients infected with coronavirus in England are becoming seriously ill after they were unable to access antibody or antiviral medicines on the NHS.Ministers have promised to provide early treatment for 1.3 million people whose immune systems mean they are at higher risk of severe disease, hospitalisation or death. The treatments include the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab (Xevudy) and the antiviral medicines nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (Paxlovid), remdesivir (Veklury), and molnupiravir (Lagevrio). Continue reading...

The bill bans teaching of nine ‘divisive concepts’ and also allows ban on transgender girls from girls’ sports teamsThe Georgia general assembly has passed a bill targeting the discussion of race in schools that also paves the way for transgender students to be banned from playing sport on girls’ teams, after a late-night legislative session on Monday.HB1084 bans the teaching of nine so-called “divisive concepts”, including that the US is “fundamentally racist” and that “one race is inherently superior to another race”. Continue reading...

Dwyer has challenged Ireland’s use of mobile metadata in his 2015 conviction for killing Elaine O’HaraThe European court of justice has ruled in favour of a convicted murderer who challenged Ireland’s use of mobile phone metadata in his conviction, with potential implications for criminal investigations across Europe.The Luxembourg-based court said on Tuesday that Ireland’s system of retaining and accessing mobile phone metadata – which helped secure Graham Dwyer’s conviction – breached European Union law. Continue reading...

Protest aimed to draw attention to hostility towards Russians but included pro-war elementsA rally in Berlin that was organised to draw attention to growing hostility towards Russians in Germany but included demonstrators supportive of the invasion of Ukraine has drawn sharp criticism from politicians and diplomats.About 900 protesters in a 400-strong motorcade took part in the demonstration on Sunday that culminated in a gathering at the Olympic Stadium. Cars were draped in the Russian flag, and one bore the symbol “Z”, meant to signify solidarity with the Russian war. Participants reportedly sang patriotic Russian songs. Continue reading...

In week to 25 March there were 780 deaths where Covid was mentioned on death certificate, says ONSCovid-related deaths in England have jumped to their highest level since mid-February, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).There were 780 deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate in the seven days leading up to 25 March – up 14% on the previous week. This increase follows several weeks where deaths appeared to have levelled off. Continue reading...

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman is accused of 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanityA former militia leader in Sudan has denied committing war crimes and crimes against humanity as his landmark hearing opened at the international criminal court.Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman is accused of leading thousands of pro-government fighters on a systematic campaign of murder, rape and torture during the height of violence in the Darfur region of Sudan between 2003 and 2004. Continue reading...

Court of appeal finds the party’s federal executive has broad powers to intervene in affairs of state divisions

Prime minister denies move against Liberal state branch was anti-democratic saying he was motivated by desire to get the ‘best candidates in the field’

Ukrainian president visited Bucha after bodies of 410 civilians were recovered

Cody Ackland grabbed 18-year-old off street near her home last November before beating her to death

Authoritarian populist president Nayib Bukele has suspended rights in state of emergency justified as attack on MS13 gangDistraught families across El Salvador are searching for information on the fate of their loved ones after almost 6,000 people were arrested in an unprecedented security crackdown over the past week.Men, women and children have been rounded up across the Central American country since the government declared a state of emergency on 27 March, suspending constitutional rights including the presumption of innocence. Continue reading...

Services across most of greater Sydney, Blue Mountains and some regional areas, including Newcastle, to be affected by 24-hour walkout on Monday

Shadow treasurer says a Labor government would ‘reorient’ budget as RBA warns of mounting fuel and commodity prices

Senate inquiry calls on government to reinstate 1,398 lapsed humanitarian visas originally granted after Taliban takeover

NSW supreme court rules dispute over Liberal preselections ‘non-justiciable’; central bank keeps cash rate at 0.1%; Queensland vaccination rules to ease further from 14 April; new sanctions on Russia as foreign and defence ministers label Putin a ‘war criminal’; Sydney bus drivers to launch industrial action; 38 Covid deaths recorded. Follow all the day’s news

Disruption expected on roads and railways in parts of country, as unsettled conditions persist in UKThe Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow across parts of Scotland, warning of expected disruption to roads and railways.The warning was issued from 6am to 10pm on Tuesday for an area covering much of Highland and Grampian. Continue reading...

Data from trucks to inform locations selected for upgraded regional telecommunications across roads, homesteads and national parks

UK retailer says security breach has not given hackers access to customer payment dataA cyber-attack targeting The Works has caused the closure of some of the retailer’s stores, delayed the resupply of stock and online order deliveries to customers.The cut-price seller of books, crafts and toys, which operates 520 stores across the UK, said the security breach of its computer systems had not given hackers access to any customer payment data. Continue reading...

Up to 150mm of rain forecast to hit parts of the state over the coming days, including heavy falls in Sydney

Agreement to remove tariffs on some exports also includes 1,000 working holiday places and post-study work rights for Indian graduates

MPs’ report condemns the government’s failure to fill gaps in the workforce and deal with the impact of CovidHundreds of thousands of cancer patients in England face being diagnosed late in the coming years, MPs have warned, as they condemned the government’s failure to tackle the NHS staffing shortages that risk survival rates going into reverse.In a 52-page report on cancer services, the Commons health and social care committee said the absence of any serious attempt by ministers to fill gaps in the cancer workforce was jeopardising efforts to improve survival rates. MPs added that without action 340,000 patients between 2019 and 2028 will be denied an early diagnosis, which could mean the difference between life and death. Continue reading...

Exclusive: civil service source cites concern over possible evidence senior officials knowingly broke rulesCivil service chiefs are braced for the behaviour of top Whitehall officials to be severely criticised in the Sue Gray partygate report, after the government’s former ethics chief apologised for attending an illegal gathering.Amid speculation about whether Boris Johnson will be fined over lockdown parties in No 10, there is also consternation in Whitehall about how to deal with the fallout from senior civil servants being implicated as organisers of gatherings when the full report is finally published. Continue reading...

Ukraine president says casualties may be ‘much higher’ in Borodyanka, as Germany promises Putin will ‘feel the consequences’ of killings in Bucha

Premier Dominic Perrottet visits flood-damaged town of Wardell to announce $67m support package

Warning points to a rise in tensions on the peninsula after the North conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in five yearsThe influential sister of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has said the country’s nuclear forces would “annihilate” the South Korean military if it launched a pre-emptive strike against the regime.Kim Yo-jong, who holds several senior positions in the government and ruling party, said the North had no intention of starting a second Korean war, but would respond if provoked and leave the South’s military in a state of “total destruction and ruin”. Continue reading...

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Two other family members, holidaying from the UK, remain in a critical condition while a teenage girl is being treated for shock

Newspapers agree to pay former columnist around $60,000, including $20,000 in legal costs, in response to comments made by the mastheads’ executive editor

A $1,500 donation will buy an Inheritance Pass, valid for entry in 2172, part of a fundraising effort to celebrate the park’s 150th yearYellowstone national park is offering an annual pass valid for entry in 2172 in exchange for a $1,500 donation, part of a fundraising efforts in honor of the park’s 150th birthday.The park hopes that the tickets, dubbed “The Inheritance Passes”, will be used by the donor’s descendants. Yellowstone Forever, the park’s fundraising arm, will use the money to support park projects such as trail improvements, education, native fish conservation and scientific studies. Continue reading...

In a letter to Priti Patel, the cross-party group calls for temporary places where those displaced can study and carry out researchA cross-party group of MPs and peers has joined forces with UK universities in calling for the visa scheme for Ukrainian refugees to be extended to temporary placements for students and academics.In a letter to Priti Patel, the home secretary, the parliamentarians and Universities UK, the advocacy organisation for universities, said the scheme should provide visas and temporary places for displaced students and academics to study and carry out research. Continue reading...

Watchdog expresses concern over safety of mothers and babies days after damning Shrewsbury reportHospital inspectors have uncovered repeated maternity failings and expressed serious concern about the safety of mothers and babies in Sheffield just days after a damning report warned there had been hundreds of avoidable baby deaths in Shrewsbury.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found Sheffield teaching hospitals NHS foundation trust, one of the largest NHS trusts in England, had failed to make the required improvements to services when it visited in October and November, despite receiving previous warnings from the watchdog. Continue reading...

Tournaments on home soil in 2027 and 2029 present a once-in-a-generation chance to revive the men’s game and grow the women’sAustralian rugby has been given a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revitalise the game in this country with the prospect of hosting back-to-back men’s and women’s World Cups only two years apart. In a tremendous fillip for the game, Australia was on Monday named the preferred candidate to host the women’s World Cup in 2029, along with the men’s tournament in 2027.The dual World Cups have put Australia in a superb position to capitalise on the enormous global popularity of rugby, with the potential to deliver a much-needed financial boost. But it is an opportunity Australian rugby cannot afford to fumble as poor performances in the home tournaments would be disastrous for the game. Continue reading...

Peers find fault with many aspects of nationality and borders bill, in particular proposal to divide refugees into classesPriti Patel’s nationality and borders bill has been ripped apart for a second time by the House of Lords as the government suffered more than 10 defeats over controversial proposals to tighten immigration rules.Peers supported proposals to ensure that the bill complied with the 1951 Refugee Convention and challenged the government’s plan to redefine refugees into two classes based on how they arrived in the UK. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Concerns were aired over Pitch@Palace contest win for banker linked to over £1m of payments to Duke of YorkFresh questions have been raised over Prince Andrew’s Dragons’ Den-style scheme after it emerged that concerns were raised over a contest winner who since been linked to more than £1m of payments received by the royal.Selman Turk, a Turkish businessman, received an award in November 2019 from the Duke of York at a Pitch@Palace event during which 40 entrepreneurs gave rapid-fire pitches in a room full of potential investors. Continue reading...

As the government presses ahead with the sale, what is the broadcaster worth and who would buy it?The industry player most likely to buy Channel 4, with the least regulatory hurdles, is Discovery. The big US pay-TV company, which is merging with WarnerMedia, the parent company of CNN, HBO and the Hollywood studio behind the Batman and Harry Potter franchises, expressed interest the last time the broadcaster faced privatisation in 2016. Continue reading...

Ministers hope to raise £1bn from sell-off ending broadcaster’s 40 years in public ownershipThe culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, is pushing ahead with controversial plans to privatise Channel 4, with the government backing proposals to sell off the broadcaster after 40 years in public ownership.The government hopes to raise around £1bn from the sell-off, making it one of the biggest privatisations since Royal Mail went public a decade ago. Ministers have suggested they could spend the proceeds to boost creative training and independent production companies, essentially funding their levelling up agenda. Continue reading...

Move, after accusations against David Warburton, would help ‘bring parliament into the 21st century’Unions representing parliamentary staff have called for MPs accused of sexual misconduct to be excluded from the Westminster estate while investigations take place, after allegations against the Conservative backbencher David Warburton.The joint call by unions representing parliamentary workers – Prospect, the FDA, the Public and Commercial Services Union and the GMB - comes after Warburton was accused of sexual harassment as well as alleged cocaine use and potentially failing to declare a loan. Continue reading...

Analysis: From Ukraine’s point of view, this has to be the time to pile pressure on Germany in particular

Foreign secretary in discussions with Ukrainian foreign minister about intensifying sanctions after atrocities in Bucha

Country remains in political turmoil as it awaits ruling on PM’s move to dissolve parliament and call electionPakistan remains without a government and engulfed in political turmoil after the supreme court delayed its verdict on whether the prime minister, Imran Khan, had violated the constitution by dissolving parliament rather than face a no-confidence vote.Khan’s decision to call for parliament to be dissolved on Sunday, rather than allow a no-confidence vote on his premiership that was expected to oust him, had been justified by him on the basis that it was an alleged “foreign conspiracy” led by the west against his government. Continue reading...

23-year-old from Ilford and friend ate one ‘gummy’ from packet bought via message app on phone, police sayA woman has died in east London after eating a suspected cannabis sweet.The 23-year-old from Ilford bought the “gummies” via a messaging app on her phone and they were delivered to her home in Ilford on 29 March, the Metropolitan police said. The sweets came in packaging branded “Trrlli Peachie O’s”. Continue reading...

Following the Ofsted chief’s comments, we hear from Jemma, a nursery school teacher in DorsetIf children have siblings and they’ve mixed with others, they tend to be on the same level socially as before the pandemic. But the ones who are only children and have just been in the household with mum and dad don’t know how to interact.They have issues with sharing, being very overexcited and turn-taking. They’re quite advanced in numbers and letters for their age because they’ve been at home with adults, or they’ve been playing a lot on tablets, but they are very behind socially, the empathy isn’t there.

Matthew Caseby was hit by a train in 2020, after absconding from the Priory hospital Woodbourne in Birmingham, inquest hearsThe father of a 23-year-old who died after running away from a mental health hospital by jumping over a fence said staff knew patients regularly absconded.Matthew Caseby died after being struck by a train in September 2020, having run away from the Priory hospital Woodbourne in Birmingham where he had been detained as a mental health patient. Continue reading...