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Announcing a major overhaul of the scheme, health minister Mark Butler said it was costing too much and is growing too fast'

Macaques have learned to eat soil to avert gut irritation caused by salty and sugary snacks, researchers believeTroops of monkeys living on the Rock of Gibraltar have learned to eat soil in what scientists believe is an effort to settle their stomachs after all the junk food they receive - and sometimes steal - from crowds of tourists.Researchers spotted the intentional mud eating, known as geophagy, while observing groups of Barbary macaques in the territory. Monkeys that had the most contact with tourists ate the most soil and consumption peaked in the holiday season, they found. Continue reading...

News follows Guardian report on licence given to British firm exporting machinery to Armenian firm linked to Russian war effortBritish firms will face much tougher" controls to prevent their goods from reaching Russia via other countries, undermining sanctions and aiding Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine.Under plans to be unveiled on Wednesday, the government will be able to require UK manufacturers to obtain a licence if they want to export to a country suspected of acting as a staging post for exports ultimately destined for Russia. Continue reading...

Council proposal to use glyphosate to tidy up pavements criticised over potential harm to humans and wildlifeCornwall is famed for its glorious gardens and verdant landscapes but a bitter row has broken out over a plan to tackle a less glamorous type of vegetation - roadside weeds.The unitary authority has announced plans to use the controversial herbicide glyphosate to tidy up pavements and kerbsides, after largely phasing out its use over the last decade amid concerns about potential harm to humans and the peninsula's rich ecosystems. Continue reading...

Conservative host says he's tormented' by previous support for Trump - could this presage his own run for president?He can't live with him and can't live without him. But, finally, the conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson seems to have made up his mind about Donald Trump. Their up-and-down marriage of political convenience is heading for the divorce court.On Tuesday Carlson admitted that he will be tormented" for a long time by his support for Trump in the 2024 US presidential election and I want to say I'm sorry for misleading people". What he did not say is whether this presages his own run for president in 2028. Continue reading...

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Experts say regulation of child influencers sits in a legal grey area as children promote products on social media

Program portrayed efforts to wean Australia off fossil fuels as morally bankrupt, trashing rainforests and enslaving Australia to China

Annual March rate adds to pressure on household finances and follows warnings of slowdown to UK economy

Wilson is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes over social media posts alleging a sexual harassment complaint

Human rights groups have warned that the collective prosecutions violate due process and block defendants from accessing legal counselA Salvadoran court on Tuesday began a collective trial of 486 alleged gang members, in one of the biggest mass trials under president Nayib Bukele's crackdown on gang violence through controversial emergency powers.Prosecutors say the charges against alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, or MS-13, span more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend that was El Salvador's bloodiest since its civil war. Continue reading...

Senior manager at supermarket giant gives evidence on day two of case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

Officials warn a conflict situation could cause disruption similar to recent major ransomware incidentsThe UK could face hacktivist attacks at scale" if it becomes embroiled in a conflict and the impact could be similar to recent high-profile ransomware incidents, according to the head of the country's online security agency.Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), will warn today that nation states now account for the most significant incidents the NCSC deals with. Continue reading...

Sacked civil servant acknowledges debate' about release of documents after question about alleged cover-up'Olly Robbins responded to a question about an alleged cover-up" on Tuesday by confirming that government officials had considered withholding Peter Mandelson's secretive vetting documents from parliament.Robbins, who was sacked by Keir Starmer as the Foreign Office's top civil servant last week, appeared to confirm a report in the Guardian that senior officials were debating whether to withhold from parliament sensitive documents that revealed the vetting agency did not believe Mandelson should get clearance. Continue reading...

2Apply's over-collection of personal information adds to the power of the real estate industry in the competitive rental market, Carly Kind says

This blog is now closed. See our latest full report here: Trump announces extension of Iran ceasefire until discussion concluded'Iran's armed forces are ready to deliver an immediate and decisive response" to any renewed hostile action by its adversaries, Ali Abdollahi, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, was quoted by the Tasnim news agency as having said.He said Tehran had the upper hand militarily, including in the management of the strait of Hormuz, and would not allow Donald Trump to create false narratives over the situation on the ground." Continue reading...

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Todd Blanche announces 11-count indictment over payments to informants in extremist groups including Ku Klux Klan

Cursor is aSilicon Valley startup using AI to automate coding as Elon Musk's firm seeks foothold in the AI marketSpaceX said it has secured an option to either acquire code-generation startup Cursor for $60bn later this year, or pay $10bn for their new partnership, as it pushes deeper into the lucrative market for AI developer tools.Along with OpenAI and Anthropic, Cursor is one of several Silicon Valley startups that has drawn waves of developers by using artificial intelligence to automate coding, a business where AI companies have found early commercial traction. Continue reading...

The trend has been accelerated by the US-Israel war on Iran, leaving households - and cafe owners - glum, surveys suggest

Karex produces more than 5 billion condoms annually and is a supplier to leading brands like Durex and Trojan, as well as the NHSThe world's top condom producer, Malaysia's Karex Bhd, plans to raise prices by 20% to 30% and possibly further if supply chain disruptions drag on due to the Iran war, its chief executive has said.Karex is also seeing a surge in condom demand as rising freight costs and shipping delays have left many of its customers with lower stockpiles than usual, CEO Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Three other men already charged over February abduction and death remain before the courts

Declaration comes amid intense efforts to bring two sides together in Pakistan for new round of talksDonald Trump unilaterally announced an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday amid frantic efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.Hours after announcing that he expected to be bombing", the US president adopted a starkly different tone in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying he would extend the ceasefire until Iranian negotiators submitted a proposal for peace. Continue reading...

State attorney general said inquiry will look into whether AI tool offered significant advice' to campus shooting suspect

Pilot made emergency landing on small plot of grass at Temecula home amid low fuel and shifting windsA balloon landed in a southern California back yard - a balloon with 13 people.The enormous hot-air balloon, with a pilot and passengers in the basket, descended perfectly on Saturday on a small plot of grass at a home in Temecula. Hunter Perrin said he had no idea that he had visitors until a neighbor alerted him. Continue reading...

US president says on Truth Social attacks are on hold until Iran submits proposal and talks reach end

Analysis finds 53 allegations against 30 lawmakers; nine still in office amid wave of resignations in CongressFifty-three allegations of workplace sexual harassment have been made against at least 30 House and Senate lawmakers over the past two decades, an advocacy group said in a study that was released Tuesday amid a spate of ethics-fueled resignations in Congress.Most of the lawmakers from 13 states and Guam who have faced allegations have since left office, but nine continue to hold seats, the nonpartisan National Women's Defense League (NWDL) said. Continue reading...

Sacked civil servant tells select committee of pressure' to give clearance and dismissive' attitude to vettingThe civil servant sacked by Keir Starmer has given a devastating account of his government, saying Downing Street put huge pressure on the civil service to approve the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Washington ambassador despite the concerns of vetting officials.Olly Robbins, the former top official at the Foreign Office, said No 10 took a dismissive" attitude to vetting, and Mandelson was given access to the Foreign Office building and to higher-classification briefings" before he was granted security clearance. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Victims' commissioner makes formal complaint after committee session left one attender shocked, upset and extremely distressed'Victims of rape and sexual violence have told parliamentarians they felt anxious and distressed during a Westminster evidence session, with one stating that witnessing pugnacious" questioning had resulted in her breaking down, sobbing and struggling to breathe".The victims' commissioner has made a formal complaint to the chair of an influential group of MPs after a highly charged evidence session carried out by the public bill committee for the courts and tribunals bill about controversial changes to jury trials. Continue reading...

A part suspension was tabled by Ireland, Spain and Slovenia but did not receive enough backing from other member statesThe EU remains split on imposing sanctions on Israel, despite some member states criticising the country over the plight of Gaza and violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, said proposals for a part suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement remained on the table but required states to shift their positions to come into force. Continue reading...

Ministers hope tobacco and vapes bill, which will become law next week, will create a smoke-free generation'A bill banning anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco in the UK has completed its progress through parliament in a move that ministers hope will create a smoke-free generation".Under the tobacco and vapes bill anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to be legally sold tobacco across the UK, in an effort to save lives and reduce the burden on the NHS. Continue reading...

Robert Albon cannot be declared four-year-old's father because he ran illegal sperm donation business, court rulesA prolific unregulated sperm donor described in the high court as a highly dangerous man" has lost a legal fight to be named as the father of a child conceived using his sperm.Robert Albon, who calls himself Joe Donor, was not entitled to be declared the father of a four-year-old child because he was running an illegal sperm donation business, Britain's most senior family court judge ruled. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer's decision to oust senior official may have knock-on effect for No 10's relationship with civil serviceFury within Whitehall about the treatment of Olly Robbins remains white hot several days on from Keir Starmer's decision to sack the senior Foreign Office civil servant.It's just total self-serving, narrow, selfish, political-endgame stuff," said one supporter of Robbins, who was dismissed for failing to tell the prime minister that the now disgraced former US ambassador Peter Mandelson had not passed UK security vetting. Continue reading...

Olly Robbins told MPs he had been asked to get the ex-No 10 aide a role and not mention it to then Foreign Secretary David Lammy

Ukrainian president says pipeline linking Russia and Hungary can now resume operations but adds we connect this with the unblocking of the European support package'German foreign minister Joseph Wadephul also makes it very clear that he is relieved with the change of government in Hungary, calling it a breath of fresh air" and a promise of hope for Ukraine.He urged Hungary to drop its unusual blockade" for policies for Ukraine as quickly as possible," pointing to what he argued was a clear pro-European mandate from the electorate in Hungary (it's a bit more complicated than that, though). Continue reading...

Sacked civil servant says No 10 pushed Foreign Office to find diplomatic role for Matthew Doyle without informing foreign secretary

Exclusive: Australian Recreation Union says it plans to support candidates and parties that oppose gun control laws brought in after terror attack

Exclusive: The Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect overseas students from political repressionThe Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect Chinese international students from political repression by authorities on their return after a Chinese student was allegedly sentenced to six years' imprisonment for joining pro-democracy protests in Australia.The student, who the Guardian has chosen not to name, lost contact with his friends in Sydney after returning to China in December 2024. Continue reading...

Scientists think they are looking at chemical building blocks of life preserved for 3.5bn yearsNasa's Curiosity rover has detected organic molecules on Mars, including chemicals widely considered building blocks for the origin of life of Earth.Five of the seven molecules identified in a dried lakebed near the equator had never previously been observed on the red planet. The analysis, performed by the robotic rover, cannot establish whether the organic compounds are linked to potential ancient life on Mars or were delivered by meteorites or formed through geological processes. However, they imply that if microbial life once thrived on Mars, chemical fingerprints should remain there today. Continue reading...

Boy, 17, admits offence over attack on Kenton united synagogue in north-west London on Saturday nightA 17-year-old boy has pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court to arson not endangering life after an attack on Kenton united synagogue in north-west London on Saturday night.The teenager, a British national from Brent, north-west London, has not been named because of his age. Continue reading...

Campaigners say banks and web platforms are being told to collect data on customers visiting blocked sitesMajor Russian companies have been conscripted into a witch-hunt" against users trying to circumvent online controls, researchers have said, as the Kremlin continues trying to cut its citizens off from the global internet.Banks and web platforms are collecting data on users of virtual private networks (VPN) tools, which obscure an individual's real location and allow them to access sites blocked in Russia, according to an investigation by RKS global, an advocacy group for internet freedoms. Continue reading...

Michelle Sadio, 44, was shot near the River of Life Pentecostal church in Willesden in 2024Two men have been found guilty of murdering an innocent woman and injuring two more people in a drive-by shooting outside a wake.Michelle Sadio, a mother of two, was shot outside the River of Life Pentecostal church in Willesden, north London on 14 December 2024. She had been among about 100 mourners, including children as young as five, at the wake for 80-year-old Dianne Boatong. Continue reading...

ECJ says law passed in 2021 discriminatory and contrary to the identity of the union', in early test for incoming PMThe EU's highest court has found Hungary's anti-LGBTQ+ law to be discriminatory, stigmatising and in breach of basic democratic values, setting up an early test for the incoming prime minister Peter Magyar's government when it takes power next month.In a wide-ranging judgment, the European court of justice said the 2021 law that bans content about LGBTQ+ people from schools and primetime TV was at odds with a society based on pluralism and fundamental rights such as prohibition of discrimination and freedom of expression. Continue reading...

Actor, who has publicly objected to plans to fast-track project near his farm, says he has received personal abuseThe actor Sam Neill says he has received threats of violence from supporters of a controversial goldmine that could be opened several kilometres away from his farm in New Zealand's Central Otago district, after he publicly objected to the New Zealand government's plans to fast-track the mine.The Australian mining company Santana Minerals is pushing to expedite a 85-hectare (210-acre) open-cast goldmine, called Bendigo-Ophir, in the Dunstan mountains, an area dubbed outstanding natural landscape" by the Central Otago district council. Continue reading...

Company promises to meet new delivery targets by next May after being fined last year for poor record

Sacked Foreign Office permanent secretary says he was under pressure from Downing Street over appointment of US ambassador

Wilson is being sued for defamation by actor Charlotte MacInnes over social media posts alleging a sexual harassment complaint

The Kissing Booth's Joey King and Game Of Thrones' Maisie Williams star alongside the original cast members as the next generation of the cursed Owens family

ABF, which owns Kingsmill, Twinings and Patak's, to demerge fashion chain to maximise shareholder returns

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