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Transparency advocates raise concerns over survey' that asked loaded questions about Climate 200-backed MPs Zoe Daniel and Allegra Spender

The biggest unknown in the largely predictable Western Australia election campaign is the extent to which Libby Mettam's Liberals can re-emerge from the political wilderness

Wang Yi hits out at 20% levy on Chinese goods and warns law of the jungle' could emerge from Donald Trump's policyChina's foreign minister has accused the US of two-faced" behaviour, condemning the imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods and warning against the law of the jungle" that could emerge from Donald Trump's America First" policy.Speaking at the sidelines of China's annual parliamentary gathering, Wang Yi said China would firmly counter" US pressure. No country should think that it can suppress China and maintain good relations," he added. Continue reading...

Ahead of his potential release, police and supporters of the impeached president were seen gathering around the presidential residence in SeoulA South Korean court has cancelled President Yoon Suk Yeol's detention warrant, paving the way for his potential release after being held since mid-January on charges of leading an insurrection relating to his failed attempt to impose martial law in December.The Seoul central district court accepted Yoon's petition to cancel his custody in a ruling delivered on Friday, though the president still faces the serious criminal charges that could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty if convicted. Continue reading...

This week, Donald Trump picked fights with Canada, Mexico, Ukraine, US veterans and every Democrat sitting in Congress for his State of the Union address.Chris Michael and Joan E Greve discuss why the US president is turning up the heat on longtime allies, whether Democrats are responding successfully and, in the end, who loses out if Trump's tactics fail?

Frustrated by government's failure to ease rules, an NGO is opening a centre a stone's throw from parliament in WarsawThey poured on to streets across Poland in their hundreds of thousands, carrying placards reading The revolution has a uterus" and My body, my choice". In late 2023 they helped vote in a prime minister who promised a swift overhaul of the country's draconian abortion laws.Now, after more than a year of stalled promises, Polish abortion campaigners are taking matters into their own hands, setting up a pregnancy termination centre on one of the country's corridors of power. Continue reading...

Monarch shares soundtrack to his life, including disco, reggae and Afrobeats, to celebrate Commonwealth DayKylie has a legion of fans around the globe, but it might come as a surprise to many that the king is one of those who can't get her out of his head.The princess of pop, alongside Bob Marley and Grace Jones, are among the music artists beloved of Charles, it was revealed on Friday as part of Commonwealth Day celebrations, which falls on Monday. Continue reading...

Compelling evidence' suggests figure is Lady Jane Grey, making it only known depiction made before 1554 executionShe was known as the nine-day queen" and was used as a pawn in the ruthless ambition that defined the Tudor court. But for centuries, historians have struggled to find a single portrait of Lady Jane Grey that was painted during her lifetime.Now, research by English Heritage suggests a mysterious portrait depicts the royal who reigned over England for just over a week in the summer of 1553, and who was executed less than a year later. Continue reading...

Ryan Wedding, 43, wanted for role in billion-dollar cross-border drug trafficking operation and several homicidesAuthorities in the United States have offered a $10m reward for information that leads to the arrest of a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder-turned-international drug kingpin.Police in Los Angeles said on Thursday that Ryan Wedding - also known as El Jefe", Giant" and Public Enemy" - is wanted for his role in a billion-dollar cross-border drug trafficking operation and for several homicides linked to his drug sprawling network. Continue reading...

Leaders endorse von der Leyen proposal but show of unity over Ukraine is marred by Hungary's Viktor Orban

Extremists linked to Reichsburger movement also planned to kidnap health minister and create conditions for civil warA German court has jailed five members of an extremist group linked to the Reichsburger (Reich Citizens) movement for plotting a coup and to kidnap the health minister.The defendants, four men, aged 46 to 58, and a 77-year-old woman, who belonged to the self-styled United Patriots" group, were sentenced to between five years and nine months and eight years' jail by the Koblenz higher regional court on Thursday. Continue reading...

BoM warns of hazards from erratic' storm and forecasts show it slowed again and dlowngraded to a category one storm when it makes landfall between Friday and Saturday morning

Decision made after attempts to raise more funds had been unsuccessful, agency tells authoritiesFood rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have been slashed in half by the World Food Programme, days after refugees in Kenya protested against a reduction to their rations.The WFP, which is funded entirely by voluntary contributions and provides assistance to more than 150 million people, said it did not have enough funds to continue to provide the full ration so would be reducing the food voucher to 726 Bangladeshi taka (4.60) per person, from 1,515 taka. Continue reading...

Actor also known as Pamela Hasselhoff died on Wednesday and the cause is still under investigation, authorities sayPamela Bach, an actor and the ex-wife of the Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, has died at 62.The Los Angeles medical examiner's office reports that she died on Wednesday and the cause is still under investigation. Also known as Pamela Hasselhoff, Bach appeared on The Young and the Restless and met her future husband on the set of his series, Knight Rider. Continue reading...

Telegraph columnist was visited by exemplary' officer after complaint about inaccurate tweet she later deletedA review of Essex police's pursuit of the Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson over an allegedly racist tweet has concluded the force was right to investigate her.The Essex force was criticised by Pearson and her supporters when officers knocked on her door on Remembrance Sunday morning last year, as part of their inquiries. Continue reading...

Lord chancellor announces move follows claims that new sentencing rules discriminate against white menShabana Mahmood has ordered a review of the powers of the independent body which draws up judges' guidelines in England and Wales following claims that new sentencing rules discriminate against white men.The lord chancellor wrote that she will be reviewing the role and powers of the Sentencing Council" and will introduce new laws if necessary" after the body recommended changes which would make the ethnicity or faith of an offender a greater factor when deciding whether to jail them. Continue reading...

Kyle Clifford, 26, had already admitted murdering Louise Hunt, her sister Hannah and their mother, CarolA former soldier has been found guilty of raping his ex-girlfriend before murdering her with a crossbow in a final act of spite".Kyle Clifford, 26, shot dead Louise Hunt, 25, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow and fatally stabbed their mother, Carol Hunt, 61, during a four-hour attack at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on 9 July last year. The women were the wife and daughters of the BBC racing commentator John Hunt. Continue reading...

Rupert Lowe, touted as a future leader of the party by Elon Musk, says Farage needs a proper plan' for governmentOne of Nigel Farage's most prominent MPs has questioned his messianic" leadership and called for his leader to delegate more and make a proper plan".Rupert Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, who was touted as a replacement leader by Elon Musk earlier this year, also said he did not know whether Farage would be a good prime minister. Continue reading...

Adaptation of Brecht's Mother Courage will train people from the north-east to take on their first ever acting rolesHis plays have been buzzy, hot-ticket openings in the West End and at the National Theatre. Films he has written have had glitzy debuts in Cannes and Venice.But for the next world premiere of a Lee Hall show, head to the Methodist church in a former mining village in County Durham. Continue reading...

Owner Pepco Group considers all strategic options' amid increasingly challenging UK retail landscape'

Retailer had hoped to open more stores in Britain in coming year but will do so in Ireland and Belgium insteadHMV has put its UK expansion on hold and is to open stores in Ireland and Belgium instead, because of rising wage costs announced in last autumn's budget that begin next month.Phil Halliday, the managing director of the entertainment retailer, said it had hoped to open up to 10 more stores in the UK in the coming year but had put that plan on hold as it was peddling pretty hard" to maintain profits despite strong sales growth. Continue reading...

Most economists had expected activity to rebound in February but S&P Global construction PMI slumped to 44.6 Business live - latest updatesSteep declines in housebuilding and engineering work have plunged the UK's construction sector to its lowest level of activity since May 2020, according to a survey of building companies.After one of the steepest monthly declines in housebuilding activity, the latest S&P Global construction purchasing managers' index (PMI) slumped to 44.6 in February - a sharp drop from 48.1 in January. Continue reading...

More than 100 Labour MPs and peers sign open letter saying ESG policies are holding back defence spending

Joanne Sharkey admits to charge of manslaughter with diminished responsibility over death of boyA woman has pleaded guilty to killing a newborn baby whose body was discovered in woodland in Warrington in 1998.The baby, subsequently named Callum, was found dead in a bin bag near Gulliver's World theme park in Warrington on 14 March 1998 by a dog walker in a wooded area off Camp Road. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel groups poured a record $96m into Trump in 2023-24, demanding more scrutiny, not less, says Sheldon WhitehouseThe Republican party's seizure of the Senate and House of Representatives has ended a congressional investigation into big oil just when it is needed most, according to the leader of the inquiry.The fossil fuel industry is running perhaps the biggest campaign of disinformation and political interference in American history and they're backing it up with immense amounts of political spending," said the Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse. The consequences in the White House are enormous and having a huge effect ... but people aren't aware." Continue reading...

Militant group accuses the US president of seeking to undermine deal with his ultimatum for release of hostages

Family announces on Facebook that the musician died in New York City after a long illnessRoy Ayers, the jazz-funk pioneer whose hit Everybody Loves the Sunshine has become a summer staple across the globe, has died aged 84.A post on the musician's official Facebook page said: It is with great sadness that the family of legendary vibraphonist, composer and producer Roy Ayers announce his passing which occurred on March 4th, 2025 in New York City after a long illness. Continue reading...

New Zealander, Malaysian and Sierra Leone national all received appropriate mental health care' before they separately killed themselves inside Villawood over a three-year period, inquest finds

Stigma, lack of treatment and disproportionate rise of the disease in women draws comparisons with HIV epidemicAn alarming rise in obesity in Africa has been compared with the HIV epidemic, with stigma and lack of treatment having a disproportionate impact on women.Almost half of women in Africa will be obese or overweight by the end of the decade, according to a recent study by the World Obesity Federation. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Important collection of author's letters and manuscripts, being sold in April, reveals his loathing of sloppiness and love of languageJRR Tolkien was so irritated by a careless typist's slapdash work on one of his manuscripts that he vented his frustration in a letter that has come to light.The Lord of the Rings author said in despair: She reduced [my manuscript] to nonsense. I have some sympathy with the typist faced with such unfamiliar matter; though evidently she wasn't paying much attention." Continue reading...

Multimillionaire Paul Marshall understood to be talking to senior figures in Britain's right-leaning media about the ideaThe multimillionaire owner of the Spectator has met some of the most senior figures from Britain's right-leaning media to discuss a plan to fund a new generation of journalists, the Guardian understands.Sir Paul Marshall, the hedge fund founder who has become an increasingly pivotal media player in recent years, is said to have discussed the idea at a private dinner held around the time of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (Arc) conference, a global gathering in London of conservative thinkers, politicians and businesspeople that he co-founded and supports. Continue reading...

Hackney council calls time on Ashwin Street studio, neighbour to newly famous live music venue Cafe OtoAfter getting an Oscars shoutout at the weekend, the mood in Dalston's cultural corridor should be triumphant. Instead, a group of creatives in the same artistic hub are racked with fear about their future.Dozens of artists working in V22 Ashwin Street, a studio that has long been a space for developing talent, have been told to vacate the building by the end of the month. Hackney council, which owns the site, says this is because it is unsafe for those inside. Continue reading...

What can a major leak teach us about how call-centre fraudsters work? Simon Goodley reportsI'd quite like to just try and get a deposit together, to buy a house and stuff."After Mark* saw an advert for a financial trading website, he signed up to what he believed was access to an adviser who called herself Lilliana. Continue reading...

Survey reveals senior officials think changes will do little to address local authorities' dire financial crisisMinisters' plans to shake up the structure of English local government by merging councils are ill-thought-out", insane" and a bizarre diversion" that will fail to deliver savings, according to a survey of town hall leaders.The depth of unhappiness with the plans is revealed in an annual poll of senior councillors and executives, most of whom said the changes would be costly, time-consuming and do little to address the dire financial crisis facing councils. Continue reading...

French president says he will debate offer at European summit to be attended by Ukraine's president ZelenskyyRussia takes a positive view of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement last night that he is willing to negotiate over the war, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, however, that it was not clear how this would work because Ukraine had a legal ban on negotiating with Russia, Reuters noted. Continue reading...

Nearly 6,000 probationary workers will be back to work for 45 days while independent federal board investigates firingsAn independent federal board has ordered the US Department of Agriculture to temporarily reinstate nearly 6,000 employees who were fired as part of Donald Trump's efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce.The decision, issued on Wednesday by Cathy Harris, chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board -responsible for reviewing federal employee firings - orders the USDA to reinstate the roughly 5,600 terminated probationary employees for a period of 45 days while it continues to investigate the firings. Continue reading...

CEO Lawson Whiting calls Canada's move disproportionate response' to levies imposed by Trump administrationThe Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman's CEO Lawson Whiting said on Wednesday Canadian provinces taking US liquor off store shelves was worse than a tariff" and a disproportionate response" to levies imposed by the Trump administration.Several Canadian provinces have taken US liquor off store shelves as part of retaliatory measures against Donald Trump's tariffs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Marie Tidball tells of her experiences with NHS as report finds 44% higher risk of stillbirth for disabled womenWhen doctors tried to work out whether Marie Tidball would need a specially designed birth plan, one asked her to lie fully clothed on the bed and spread her legs in the air so they could see how far they could open.The incident was one of several occasions when Tidball, now a Labour MP, felt neglected during her pregnancy and early motherhood because of the NHS's failure to adapt on account of her physical disabilities. Tidball has physical impairments affecting all four of her limbs and had major surgeries on both her hips and legs as a child. Continue reading...

Parts of Queensland and NSW prepare as BoM weather forecast shows Alfred making landfall between Maroochydore and Coolangatta

Slide on Tuesday buried multiple skiers, and state troopers are attempting to reach site on WednesdayMultiple skiers were reported trapped in the Alaska backcountry after being swept up in an avalanche, the Alaska state troopers said on Wednesday.The number of skiers and their conditions were not immediately available. Continue reading...

Joint statement issued after Israel cuts off supplies in effort to pressure Hamas to accept change in ceasefire dealBritain has joined Germany and France to warn that Israel could be in breach of international law by halting the entry of aid into Gaza which is facing a catastrophic" humanitarian crisis.The foreign secretary, David Lammy, signed a joint statement with his French and German counterparts to urge Israel and Hamas to engage constructively to get ceasefire talks back on track. Continue reading...

Prime minister says country not for sale after laughter in Congress at Trump's assertion we're going to get it'Donald Trump's claim in his address to Congress that the US will acquire Greenland one way or the other" was widely condemned in Nuuk as disrespectful" and was said to present an unacceptable view of humanity".In his speech on Tuesday night, the US president was met with laughs, including from the vice-president, JD Vance, who was sitting behind him, when he said: I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland." Continue reading...

Foreign minister says country needs international help to dismantle programme and ensure Syria becomes aligned with international norms'Syria's foreign minister has vowed to swiftly rid the country of the chemical weapons remaining after the downfall of Bashar al-Assad's government, and he appealed to the international community for help.Asaad Hassan al-Shibani spoke during closed-door meetings at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, where he became the first Syrian foreign minister to address the disarmament agency. Continue reading...

Archie Hamilton said Jewish community in Britain has an awful lot of money' and should pay for proposed holocaust memorialA Conservative peer has been accused of using antisemitic tropes after telling a debate in the Lords that Jewish people should pay for a proposed Holocaust memorial in London because they have an awful lot of money".Archie Hamilton, who served as a minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major and was made a peer in 2005, was criticised after the debate about whether to put the memorial and education centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to parliament. Continue reading...

Teargas fired during protest at reduced rations after US aid freeze wipes out half of World Food Programme budgetThousands of refugees clashed with police in a Kenyan refugee camp this week after receiving news that their food allocations would be cut because of funding problems.The UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, confirmed that four refugees and a local government official had been injured when police intervened to stop the protesters at the Kakuma refugee camp on Monday. Continue reading...

Phonetic resemblance between Maltese word for singing' and c-word too strong, rules European Broadcasting UnionMalta's contestant at this year's Eurovision contest will have to change the title and lyrics of her song owing to the phonetic resemblance between the Maltese word for singing" and the c-word, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has ruled.Miriana Conte, 23, will represent Malta at the five-day music event in Basel, Switzerland, on 13 to 17 May after winning the Maltese song contest last month with her song Kant. Continue reading...

Report by security agency says policy of quiet' towards Hamas allowed it to build up resources for 2023 attackIsrael's internal security agency, Shin Bet, has said Benjamin Netanyahu's policies were among the underlying causes of the devastating 7 October 2023 attack in which Hamas and other militants killed 1,200 Israelis.In its report on the 7 October attack, Shin Bet acknowledged its own responsibility, admitting it was aware of warning signs that Hamas was planning an operation, but the agency, also known as the General Security Service (GSS), did not grasp the scale, timing and location of the planned attack. Continue reading...

Witness says 16-year-old boy was shot in Stockwell by suspect dressed as a food delivery driverA 16-year-old boy shot dead in south London by an assailant described as being dressed as a food delivery driver on a moped has been named by the Metropolitan police as Lathaniel Burrell.Officers were called at about 3pm on Tuesday to reports of a shooting at Paradise Road in Stockwell. Lathaniel died while being treated at the scene by paramedics. Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses and information. Continue reading...

French president will speak about European security and reinforce his commitment to peace deal for UkraineEmmanuel Macron will make a televised address to France on Wednesday night as he tries to calm voters' concerns over Donald Trump upending the international order and EU leaders prepare for a special summit on defence.Macron's pre-recorded speech on primetime TV will address the Ukraine crisis, European security and the threat of a transatlantic trade war after Trump paused US support to Ukraine and also threatened to slap tariffs on goods from the EU, following on from levies imposed on China, Mexico and Canada. Continue reading...