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Nigel Farage warns employees working on diversity or climate change initiatives to seek alternative careers'The head of the UK's biggest union has urged staff at Reform UK-controlled councils to sign up after Nigel Farage warned workers to seek alternative careers".Farage said during a speech on Friday that he would advise council staff working on diversity or climate change initiatives to seek alternative careers very, very quickly" after Reform UK took control of Durham county council. Continue reading...

Three girls and 11 boys, all aged 11-14, arrested by Northumbria police on suspicion of manslaughterFourteen children aged between 11 and 14 have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the death of a boy following a fire in Gateshead, Northumbria police said on Saturday.The children - 11 boys and three girls - were all under arrest and in custody, police said.Anyone who has information that could help the investigation has been urged to contact Northumbria police by sending a direct message on social media or by using the live chat" or report" functions on the force's website. Continue reading...

Expert testifying for the defense acknowledged that Memphis officers' blows had been unnecessaryA police training expert testifying on Saturday as a defense witness in the trial of three former Memphis officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols acknowledged that kicks and punches to Nichols' head were unnecessary and excessive.Don Cameron took the stand on the sixth day of the trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to state charges including second-degree murder. They already face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year. Continue reading...

Actor joins four days of national events including concerts, church services and a military procession in LondonEighty years after Winston Churchill addressed the nation from Downing Street with the words This is your victory!" a recitation of his famous VE Day speech will be broadcast as the nation commemorates the day the Allies formally accepted Germany's surrender in 1945.Events across four days of national UK commemorations include a military procession through central London on Monday, with tens of thousands expected to line the route from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace, and a service at Westminster Abbey on the 8 May anniversary on Thursday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Consumer advocates call for crackdown on fraudulent players' as Guardian Australia finds scores of sites masquerading as local businesses

Man detained on suspicion of attempted murder following two incidents about two miles apartA driver has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after four people were injured in two separate collisions in Rochdale, police have said.A woman was airlifted to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after she was hit by a car in Whitworth Road and three pedestrians, including a child, were injured in Woodgate Avenue, about two miles away. Continue reading...

People's Action party retains majority, with sample counts showing it winning all but 10 seats in 97-seat legislatureSingapore's ruling party has notched a resounding win in general elections, official results have shown, giving the prime minister, Lawrence Wong, the clear mandate he sought from voters.Wong's long-ruling People's Action party crossed the threshold of 49 seats early on Sunday to form a majority government in the wealthy city-state's 97-seat unicameral legislature, with sample counts earlier showing the PAP winning all but 10 seats. Continue reading...

Ahmad bin Mubarak says he was not able to take the decisions he needed to or to fully exercise his powersAhmad bin Mubarak, the premier of Yemen's internationally recognised government, has announced his resignation saying he was unable to fully exercise his powers.Bin Mubarak had been entangled in bitter disputes for months with Rashad al-Alimi, who heads the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), two ministers and a member of the PLC told AFP. Continue reading...

Labour's Luke Charters says allowing alcohol in the top five tiers of the men's game would be the modern approach'A Labour MP has called for trials to assess the impact of lifting a decades-long ban on drinking alcohol in football stands.York Outer MP Luke Charters said football needs to take a modern approach" to the issue in a debate on the football governance bill earlier this week. Continue reading...

Mohsen Mahdawi, student detained by Ice last month, pens blistering attack on Trump's deportation policiesMohsen Mahdawi, the Palestinian green-card holder and Columbia University student freed on Wednesday after more than two weeks in immigration detention, has issued a stark warning about the US's descent into authoritarianism.Once the repression of dissent, in the name of security, becomes a key objective of a government, authoritarian rule and even martial law are not far off. When they look at my case, all Americans should ask themselves: what is left of our democracy, and who will be targeted next?" said Mahddawi in an op-ed for the New York Times. Continue reading...

The Reform UK leader has somehow dodged responsibility for the economic damage of Brexit and is winning over disaffected Labour votersThere was a time when any election campaign featuring the name Nigel Farage would have featured the word Brexit" just as prominently.And yet, almost a decade after Farage orchestrated Britain's great EU schism, and with the Reform leader emerging as a bigger political threat than ever, at this week's local elections Brexit was not a word on the lips of voters. Continue reading...

Over five-year period Oksana Shahar - who cares for her son - was paid a small amount more than carer's allowance earnings limits allowIt was three weeks after Christmas when the bombshell letter arrived. Guy Shahar and his wife, Oksana, looked at each other in stunned disbelief.They had followed the Guardian's investigation into the carer's allowance scandal that has left thousands of families with crippling debts and criminal records. Not once did they think they would join them. Continue reading...

Despite predictions of an inevitable slide into minority for Labor, Anthony Albanese's election victory demonstrated voters aren't interested in appeals to the fringes

Exclusive: Ministers understood to be drafting white paper this month in move to reduce legal migrationMinisters will crack down on international students applying for asylum in the UK in a move designed to tackle migration figures, after a series of bruising losses to Reform in the local elections.An immigration white paper setting out the proposed reforms in mid-May will include measures to bring down the numbers of UK student visa holders who make asylum claims, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...

The Australian prime minister is the first to be re-elected since John Howard - and becomes one of Labor's biggest heroes

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on the local elections here:

Opposition leader Peter Dutton fails to dissociate himself from Trump-like rhetoric and policies - and loses his seat

The Coalition hoped its path to victory this election would lead through the southern state, but instead it has been left with a bare handful of seats

Prime minister acknowledges traditional owners and says Australians had chosen optimism after Coalition leader loses Dickson. Follow today's news live

Dan Tehan and Andrew Hastie also contenders as treasurer Jim Chalmers says Taylor largely to blame for Coalition's defeat

Greens suffer setbacks as teal independents Allegra Spender, Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan and Zali Steggall see off intense campaigns from Liberals, while Nicolette Boele leads in Bradfield

Bureij, Beit Lahiya, Gaza City and Khan Younis hit as Israeli government prepares to expand offensiveIsraeli airstrikes have killed at least 40 people across Gaza during the past 24 hours, civil defence officials in the devastated Palestinian territory said, as Israel's government prepared to order an expansion of its military offensive.Nine people were killed when a strike hit a home in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza; another six people died in a separate strike targeting a family home in the northern city of Beit Lahiya; six more died in a strike on a community kitchen in Gaza City, and an overnight attack on the Khan Younis refugee camp killed at least 11 people including three babies up to a year old, the officials said. Continue reading...

Peter Dutton loses own seat of Dickson in Brisbane as Coalition suffers stunning collapse in support

Papal electors gossip in bars and restaurants and try to avoid journalists seeking clues to Pope Francis's successorSome journalists brave the warm spring sun, others seek respite in the shade of the Vatican's colonnades. Whatever their strategy, the aim is the same: to spot the red-capped cardinals emerging from Synod Hall and try to elicit from them a clue as to who will succeed Pope Francis.The men responsible for picking a new pontiff are enjoying rock-star status in Rome this week as they prepare for conclave: the secret, centuries-old ritual of electing a leader of the Catholic church that is due to begin on 7 May. Continue reading...

It's easier to list the things that work than the things that don't', said one worker, but customers are impressed by staff resilience and analysts believe the retailer will bounce backUnusual activity on tech systems over the Easter weekend was the first sign of a sustained cyber-attack on Marks & Spencer, which is costing the retailer millions of pounds a day.The group, the UK's biggest clothing retailer which accounts for a third of underwear sales alongside food and homewares, has now been forced to stop taking online orders for more than a week - with little hope of rebooting them in the short term. Stores are struggling to keep shelves full with automated stock systems offline and at one point this week staff were manually checking fridge temperatures owing to concerns about digital monitoring systems. Continue reading...

The 49-year-old disability advocate is the first person to unseat an opposition leader at an election

Soaad Al Shawa had been barred from spending final days with her family, who fled Damascus to settle in GlasgowA Syrian grandmother who is dying of cancer has been given permission to come to the UK to spend her final days with the grandchildren she has never met, after a Home Office U-turn.The government had wanted to bar Soaad Al Shawa, who has liver cancer and has been given just weeks to live by doctors, from travelling to spend her last days with her daughter Ola Al Hamwi, son-in-law Mostafa Amonajid and their three children aged seven, five and one. Al Shawa has only been able to communicate with her grandchildren on video calls. Continue reading...

People Power party trail in polls in election called after President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed for trying to impose martial lawSouth Korea's conservative People Power party has picked former labour minister Kim Moon-soo as its candidate for the 3 June presidential election, which was called after the removal of Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed attempt to impose martial law.Kim will face the liberal Democratic party's candidate, Lee Jae-myung, who has led each of the declared conservative candidates by large double-digit margins in polls. Continue reading...

Focus on Reform or reassure the left - Keir Starmer's next move could define his premiershipIn a week of difficult local elections, there was a special guest in No 10 to give a pep talk to staff: Arsene Wenger, the former manager of Arsenal, beloved of the prime minister. Keir Starmer has sought his advice before, on the importance of building a team. And they have faced some common challenges, rebuilding their clubs and parties from low ebbs to extraordinary success.Now Starmer may face a similar challenge - and criticism - to Wenger in his later years: whether he can adapt his tactical rigidity when results start to suffer. Continue reading...

Today on World Press Freedom Day, there are warnings that US attempts to withdraw from promoting independent journalism will have far-reaching effectsAs Donald Trump's executive order in March led to the shuttering of Voice of America (VOA) - the global broadcaster whose roots date back to the fight against Nazi propaganda - he quickly attracted support from figures not used to aligning themselves with any US administration.Trump had ordered the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that funds VOA and other groups promoting independent journalism overseas, to be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law". The decision suddenly halted programming in 49 languages to more than 425 million people. Continue reading...

Unlike the traditional snags sold to raise funds for schools and churches that host polling booths, these are prepared at democracy sausage stores'

Point Blank, a collection of 97 paintings of emotional resonance' by the singer-songwriter, will open at the Halcyon Gallery in MayAfter the success of this year's biopic A Complete Unknown, a whole new generation has learned about the lyricism, nasal vocal style and often-frustrating nature of Bob Dylan.And this month they will get the chance to discover he is also a painter, as the songwriter exhibits a series of original artworks - created with emotional resonance" - in London. Continue reading...

Success of hard-right party is a sobering day' for Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch, UK papers report after a populist wave sweeps England'Saturday papers in the UK were dominated by the Reform party's victory at the polls, in which it gained an MP at Labour's expense and won a string of local councils.A jubilant Nigel Farage said his hard-right populist party had now supplanted the Conservatives and pledged that Reform-run councils and mayoralties would block asylum seeker accommodation and dismantle equalities programmes. Continue reading...

USDA had suspended funds for child nutrition program after state said it would not bar trans girls from girls' sportsThe Trump administration has agreed not to freeze funds to Maine schools, a win for a state that was targeted by the president over its support of transgender rights.In a settlement disclosed on Friday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it would halt all efforts to withhold funds for a child nutrition program in Maine. The USDA had suspended those dollars after Maine officials said the state would not comply with Donald Trump's demands that trans girls be barred from participating in girls' sports. Continue reading...

Syria says at least one civilian killed in latest strikes, while most Druze leaders rebuff Israeli protectionIsraeli warplanes have carried out a series of airstrikes outside Damascus and across Syria, after warnings from Israeli officials that the country would intervene to protect the Syria's minority Druze sect.The airstrikes targeted a Syrian military site in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, as well as hitting unknown targets in Deraa province in south Syria and Hama province in north-west Syria. At least one civilian was killed and four people were injured as a result of the Israeli bombings late Friday night, according to Syrian state media. Continue reading...

After losing personal security challenge, Duke of Sussex says he wants to make peace as he does not know how long Charles has to liveThe Duke of Sussex has said it is impossible" for him to bring his wife and children back to the UK after losing his legal challenge over personal security, and revealed he would love" a reconciliation with his family.In an emotional interview with the BBC, Prince Harry said his father, King Charles, would not speak to him because of the security stuff", but said he wanted reconciliation as life was precious" and he did not know how long his father, who has been diagnosed with cancer, had left to live. Continue reading...

The National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency are assisting with an inquiry, the group saidThe Co-op has apologised after hackers accessed and extracted data relating to a significant number" of its customers from one of its systems.The group, which owns more than 2,000 grocery stores and more than 800 funeral parlours and offers legal and financial services, said hackers had been able to access personal data including names and contact details relating to an undisclosed number of the mutual's current and past members - of which there are more than 6.2 million. Continue reading...

Authorities say pickup truck and tour van collided about 16 miles from park entrance and both vehicles caught fireA pickup truck and a tour van collided on a highway leading to Yellowstone national park, leaving seven people dead and eight others injured, Idaho state police said.The crash happened just before 7.15pm on Thursday near Henry's Lake state park in eastern Idaho, police said in a press release. The state park is roughly 16 miles (26km) west of Yellowstone. Continue reading...

Duke of Sussex's team had argued he was singled out' for inferior treatment' when security was downgraded in 2020The Duke of Sussex has lost a legal challenge over the level of taxpayer-funded security he is entitled to while in the UK, allowing the government to proceed with a bespoke", and cheaper, level of protection for his family.Three senior judges at the court of appeal rejected Prince Harry's claim that he had been singled out" for inferior treatment" and that his safety and life were at stake" after a change in security arrangements that occurred when he stepped down as a working royal and moved abroad. Continue reading...

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Rubio calls Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif threat to US national security' and says support for groups could lead to chargesThe United States has designated a powerful Haitian gang alliance, whose members have taken control of almost all the capital city as a transnational terrorist group".The criminal coalition known as Viv Ansanm (Live Together), and another faction, the Gran Grif gang, which in October took responsibility for a shocking massacre of at least 115 people in the agricultural town of Pont-Sonde, were both covered by the move on Friday. Continue reading...

Incoming chancellor must now decide whether to ban flourishing far-right party amid widespread discontent

Benjamin Netanyahu says strikes intended to deter Syria's new leadership from any hostile move against the DruzeSyria's new rulers have angrily denounced raids launched by Israel's air force against unidentified targets near the presidential palace in Damascus, warning of a dangerous escalation".Israeli officials said the attacks were intended to send a message to the Syrian government after days of bloody clashes near Damascus between pro-government militia forces and fighters from the Druze minority sect. Continue reading...

Hard-right party wins byelection with 17-point swing from Labour and adds more than 500 council seats

Daniel Graham tells court it was suggested he accept responsibility because I have mental health issues'One of the two men accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree has denied being responsible and said he was asked to take the blame because he had mental health issues.Daniel Graham said his co-defendant, Adam Carruthers, was responsible for felling the tree next to Hadrian's Wall. Continue reading...

Federal law prohibits president from directing or influencing the IRS to investigate or audit an organization

Nicola Packer tells court she had feared hospital staff wouldn't help me' if they knew she had taken abortion pillsA woman on trial accused of having an illegal abortion has said she told hospital staff she had miscarried as she feared them knowing the truth would affect the level of care she received.Nicola Packer, 45, took abortion medicine during the Covid lockdown in November 2020, after being prescribed the pills in a remote consultation with a registered provider, a jury at Isleworth crown court heard. Continue reading...

Liberal PM will also meet with US president on Tuesday amid tensions over threatened annexation and tariffsKing Charles has accepted an invitation to open Canada's parliament on 27 May, in an historic honour that matches the weight of our times", the country's prime minister, Mark Carney, said on Friday.In his first news conference since an election dominated by Donald Trump's threats to Canada's sovereignty, the prime minister also confirmed he would meet the US president at the White House on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Analysis finds government stats for Black and Asian adults in England are in error due to outdated guidanceA million ethnic minority adults are wrongly classified as weighing below the thresholds for being overweight or obese due to official figures not using up-to-date guidance, a leading charity has warned.Analysis by Nesta has found that, while official statistics class 64% of adults in England as being overweight or living with obesity, the correct figure should be 67%. Continue reading...