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Exclusive: Jewish Council of Australia's Sophia Kagan says she was told there were protests planned against the screening of No Other Land in Elsternwick

After hottest 12-month period on record, a high-pressure system brings above-average temperatures across WA, Victoria, SA and NSW

Case of incorrect embryo transfer at Brisbane clinic raises custody questions that could set a legal precedent in Australia, lawyers say

Israeli forces killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and civil defence workers in southern Gaza on 23 March. Bethan McKernan reports on the emerging evidence of what happenedIsraeli forces shot dead 15 Palestinian paramedics and civil defence workers on 23 March and buried them in a mass grave in the Tel al-Sultan district of Rafah.The Israeli military claimed their vehicles had been advancing suspiciously" and without headlights or flashing emergency lights. Continue reading...

Benchmark S&P/ASX 200 falls 2.4% after another sell-off on Wall Street overnight triggered by changes to the US tariff regime

Cesar Hernandez opens fire and hits Abigail Reyes, leader of unit focused on arresting US citizens on the run in MexicoA US fugitive has shot and killed a Mexican police officer in the elite international liaison unit - known as the Gringo Hunters" - which specialises in arresting US citizens on the run in Mexico.Mexico has long been seen as a place to escape US law enforcement. The Gringo Hunters was set up in 2002 to cooperate with US authorities, and have since arrested more than 1,600 fugitives. Continue reading...

Family of five and pilot were onboard the helicopter when it crashed into the Hudson River

Effort for new award category was lead by Fall Guy director David Leitch, who was also a stuntman for Brad PittAfter many years of impassioned calls for an Oscar recognizing the art of the stunt, the film academy has decided to give it an official award.An achievement in stunt design prize will be added starting with the 100th Academy Awards, which will recognize films released in 2027, the film academy said on Thursday. Continue reading...

Daughter of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, 79 and 75, says they have no idea' why they have been in jail for two monthsAn elderly British couple taken captive by the Taliban have been interrogated 29 times since they were imprisoned more than two months ago, and still have absolutely no idea" why they have been incarcerated, their daughter has said.No charges have been brought against Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife, Barbie, 75, who ran school training programmes and were arrested alongside an American friend, Faye Hall, as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, in central Afghanistan, in February. Continue reading...

Visit came after prince spent two days at the high court appealing the government's decision to strip him of security protectionPrince Harry has visited amputees and wounded military personnel at an orthopaedic clinic in Ukraine, after spending two days at the high court in London appealing against the government's decision to strip him of his security protection while he is in the UK.The prince, 40, met with wounded veterans at the Superhumans Centre in Lviv, which treats and rehabilitates injured military personnel and civilians, including children, affected by the war. Continue reading...

Veteran Tory, who retired as an MP last year, is on list of honours due to be published this weekMichael Gove is among those to be awarded a peerage in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list.The veteran Conservative politician and editor of the Spectator, who retired as an MP at the last election, is understood to be on the list due to be published as soon as Friday. Continue reading...

Thirty-five arrests after hundreds of barbershops and other businesses raided in UK money-laundering investigationPolice have frozen bank accounts containing more than 1m after uncovering cannabis farms and evidence of modern slavery during raids on more than 250 barbershops and other high street businesses.In a three-week crackdown on high street crime, known as Operation Machinize, the National Crime Agency (NCA) targeted cash-intensive" businesses that it believes are linked to money laundering. Continue reading...

Marco Rubio provides two-page memo to judge who asked government for evidence against Columbia student activist

Unite, the union representing the workers, has called the government's approach during the strike a disgrace'Bin workers will be balloted on a new deal to end the strike in Birmingham, although Unite has attacked the government and council's approach to the dispute as a disgrace".Unite, whose bin worker members in the city have been on strike since last month, criticised the government for constant attacks and briefings against these low-paid bin workers" which it branded frankly a disgrace". Continue reading...

Steve Bray, who regularly protests by playing music outside parliament, is in court after allegedly flouting a police banOn a traffic island in Westminster, he played a song titled Brexit Tragedy' to the tune of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine, serenading MPs with the words: We all live in a Brexit tragedy, a Brexit tragedy, a Brexit tragedy."Now, the anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray has apologised after hearing in court that his music made Suella Braverman's chief of staff feel exhausted", intimidated" and harassed". Continue reading...

Prada has secured Versace at a 180m discount amid market turmoil and after months of speculationPrada has agreed to buy the Versace fashion brand for 1.25bn ($1.38bn) from the fashion conglomerate Capri Holdings.It comes after months of speculation about a potential deal to combine the two Italian fashion houses and, more recently, rumours that the acquisition was set to collapse after market upheaval in response to President Trump's tariff policies. Continue reading...

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, to stand trial for plotting multiday slaughter carried out by 10 Islamist gunmenA Pakistan-born Canadian citizen wanted for his alleged role in the deadly 2008 Mumbai siege has landed in New Delhi after his extradition from the United States.Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, arrived at a military airbase outside the Indian capital under heavily armed guard late on Thursday, and will be held in detention to face trial. Continue reading...

Philippa Baskwill, who worked on child protection, found to have weighed down laptop keys with phoneA detective working on child protection, who was found to have weighed down the keys on her laptop to give the impression she was working at home, has been sacked without notice for gross misconduct after a disciplinary hearing.Suspicions were raised when keystroke data - the record of the number of times the keys had been struck on the keyboard - revealed DC Philippa Baskwill had pressed the keys on her laptop nearly 3 million times in a single month - compared with the 80,000 to 200,000 average of her colleagues, the hearing was told. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDuring her BBC Breakfast interview Kemi Badenoch claimed that the government has dropped the plans for five local inquiries into grooming gang, or child rape scandals, that were announced in January. As she was trying to fend of the questions about Adolescence, she said:One of the things that I'm more bothered by is the fact that just yesterday, we had Labour telling us that they're not going to be investigating the rape gang scandal, something which had happened all across the country. That's real. That's happening right now. We're not talking about that.I am absolutely astonished that Labour has dropped what it said it would do in January. And, as I said to Keir Starmer at prime minister's questions, if he did not have a full national inquiry, people will start to think that there is a cover-up.They are clearly uncomfortable with having inquiries that are looking into this issue.As a rule I believe in mess ups rather than conspiracy.But if true that Labour have shelved even the most limited public enquiries into grooming gangs, it does suggest that powerful Labour politicians have something to hide.We are developing a new best practice framework to support local authorities that want to undertake victim-centred local inquiries or related work, drawing on the lessons from local independent inquiries such as those in Telford, Rotherham and Greater Manchester. We will publish the details next month.Alongside that, we will set out the process through which local authorities can access the 5m national fund to support locally-led work on grooming gangs. Following feedback from local authorities, the fund will adopt a flexible approach to support both full independent local inquiries and more bespoke work, including local victims' panels or locally led audits of the handling of historical cases.There's a huge information about this. This is completely wrong. We're actually increasing, not reducing, the action being taken on this.Child sexual exploitation, grooming gangs - these are some of the most vile crimes, things like rape or exploitation, coercion. We're increasing the action against that.I think that those are all important issues, and those were issues that I've been talking about for a long time.But in the same way that I don't need to watch Casualty to know what's going on in the NHS, I don't need to watch a specific Netflix drama to understand what's going on. It's a fictional series. It is not a documentary.I'm saying very clearly that my job is not to watch lots of TV. My job is to get out there and make sure that I'm talking about the issues that are happening in the country right now.Badenoch in the right. Stop basing public policy on telly Continue reading...

US original's creator Lorne Michaels to be executive producer of show that is due to premiere in 2026Over the last 50 years, Saturday Night Live has become a cornerstone of US television and a conveyor belt for new comedy talent, attracting A-list cameos and launching careers. British TV executives are now hoping it can bring some of that lustre across the Atlantic in a deal to bring the show to the UK for the first time.After numerous failed attempts to recreate the late-night comedy format that has proved so successful in the US, Sky has announced it is making a British version of the show to premiere next year. Crucially, the show's original creator and champion, Lorne Michaels, will be an executive producer. Continue reading...

Steve Wright says internal inquiries uncovered dozens of cases where members had used racist slurs or stereotypesTrade unions are becoming increasingly concerned by a rise in racist and bigoted" comments online from their own members and officials, the new leader of the Fire Brigades Union has told the Guardian.Steve Wright, the general secretary of the FBU, said internal inquiries into allegations of racism have uncovered dozens of cases where members have been found to use racist slurs or stereotypes, often regarding asylum seekers. Continue reading...

Former Tory leadership contender, who abstained on a vote on a smoking ban last year, will work for British American Tobacco on harm reduction'Penny Mordaunt has taken on a new job advising one of the world's biggest tobacco companies on harm reduction".The former Conservative leadership contender, who served in cabinet roles from defence secretary to leader of the House of Commons, will advise the British American Tobacco's transformation advisory group" in a paid role, after losing her seat in parliament last year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Peter Dutton's plan to reduce public service may see 26.5% jobs at Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission disappear, according to union

Alice Fraser thought she was being paranoid until her lawyer advised her jokes about Donald Trump and Elon Musk could be scrutinised at US airport

Israeli minister says plan is prize for terror' as French president says we must move towards recognition' and process could start at UN conference in JuneTurkish and Israeli officials began talks on Wednesday aimed at preventing unwanted incidents in Syria, where militaries of the two regional powers are active, Turkish ministry sources said on Thursday.According to Reuters, the sources said the technical talks, in Azerbaijan, marked the beginning of efforts to set up a channel to avoid potential clashes or misunderstandings over military operations in the region. Continue reading...

John Healey tells meeting of more than 30 countries that coalition is working on putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position'We're getting a bit more details from EU spokesperson, Olof Gill, speaking at the commission's press briefing right now (which, notably, got delayed by almost half an hour as that von der Leyen statement was being put out).He said:We are not going to offer any greater detail at this point about what we are not saying to the Americans beyond what we have already said.We want to negotiate, we want to talk. Continue reading...

Met police detain Will McCallum and four others amid accusations of quashing peaceful pro-Palestinian protestScotland Yard has been accused of suppressing a peaceful pro-Palestinian protest after the co-head of Greenpeace UK was arrested for pouring biodegradable blood-red dye into a pond outside the US embassy in London.Will McCallum, the co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, was among five people arrested when the large pond outside the embassy was turned red on Thursday in what Greenpeace said was a protest at the US government's continued sale of weapons to Israel. Continue reading...

Another 900 staff will be transferred to other Whitehall departments for leaner and more focused' state administration

Home secretary denies Labour is rowing back on pledge after claims it is doing so to avoid offending Muslim votersYvette Cooper has said the government is pressing ahead with local grooming gang inquiries, as Labour MPs warned the right was weaponising" claims that the party watered down its promise to hold them in five areas.The home secretary moved to defuse a row over the politically explosive issue, after the Conservatives and Reform UK claimed the government had dropped its commitment made in January. Continue reading...

We want to give negotiations a chance,' says Ursula von der Leyen in announcement of 90-day pause

The findings from volumes kept in a Cistercian monastery in France shed new light on a robust medieval trade network that went well beyond local sourcingHairy" medieval book covers previously thought to be made from deer or boar skin are in fact made of sealskin, researchers have found.The covers of the 12th- and 13th-century books from French monasteries were made using seals believed to be from Scandinavia, Scotland and potentially Iceland or Greenland, hinting at extensive medieval trade networks. Continue reading...

Sheffield-formed band also release swaggering new single Spike Island, their first new track since 2013Pulp have announced their first album since 2001's We Love Life, entitled More, trailed by a new single, Spike Island.I was born to perform, it's a calling / I exist to do this, shouting and pointing", frontman Jarvis Cocker sings on the anthemic song, ushering one of the most successful British bands of the 1990s into a new phase. Continue reading...

Man on trial for allegedly murdering Indigenous 15-year-old in Perth tried to frame an innocent man, jury told

Mistake at Queensland fertility care clinic results in woman unknowingly giving birth to another patient's baby after embryos mixed up

Secretary of state Marco Rubio says Ksenia Karelina is returning to US, after reports of prisoner swapMoscow has released a US-Russian dual national, Ksenia Karelina, who had been detained in Russia, the US secretary of state has said after a Wall Street Journal report that a prisoner swap had been agreed.Marco Rubio wrote on the social media platform X: American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release." He added that Trump will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans". Continue reading...

Governor's speech flags rocky path ahead and gives no indication of increasing the pace of rate cuts in 2025

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Report finds almost a fifth of Black people living with HIV in London avoid visiting surgeries for fear of discriminationGPs in England are failing Black people living with HIV owing to stigma associated with the virus and a lack of information, according to a report by a leading charity.The report, which surveyed 142 Black people living with HIV in London, found that almost a fifth (19%) of respondents said they had avoided going to their GP for fear of being treated differently because of their HIV status. Continue reading...

Supermarket deepens existing measures and forecasts lower profit for year amid price war with rivalsTesco has said it plans to slash a further 500m in costs, as the supermarket chain tries to cushion the blow of Rachel Reeves's tax increases and invest in fighting a price war with rivals.Britain's biggest grocery retailer said on Thursday it was deepening an existing drive to cut costs to help offset higher operating costs, as well as the 235m increase in its national insurance contributions (NICs) as a result of changes made by the chancellor. Continue reading...

Bill which sought to radically reinterpret New Zealand's founding treaty between Mori tribes and the British Crown fails by 11 votes to 112It was the bill that launched 300,000 public submissions, sparked New Zealand's largest ever protest on Mori rights and prompted a haka in parliament that quickly went viral.And now the treaty principles bill, which sought to radically reinterpret New Zealand's founding treaty between Mori tribes and the British Crown, is dead. Continue reading...

Recent incidents, including the death of a newborn, have heightened concerns about the level of care at the hospital

Opposition leader remains quiet on how Coalition will achieve promise to save $7bn through public service cuts

An official statement said all reasonable possibilities of finding more survivors" had been exhausted in a disaster that has killed at least 184 people.Rescue workers in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday ended the search for survivors of a nightclub roof collapse as the death toll surpassed 180 in the Caribbean nation's worst disaster in decades.Emergency personnel late Wednesday reported 60 more deaths compared to the morning's count, with the total confirmed tally reaching 184. Continue reading...

Fair Work Commission finds Mitchell Fuller was not unfairly dismissed for taking a sick day while at the AFL Gather Round in Adelaide

The airline has apologised and begun informing passengers who are eligible for a refund, with an average value of $55

Australian dollar recovers ground, rising to US61.5c after threatening to plunge below US59c earlier this week

The 73-year-old actor was diagnosed after her role in the John Wick franchise, and chose to keep it private - but is now speaking out in case it helps othersAnjelica Huston has revealed she was diagnosed with cancer six years ago, saying she is now in the clear".The 73-year-old actor declined to tell People magazine what kind of cancer she had, saying she wanted to keep that private, but did reveal she was diagnosed after the release of her 2019 film John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Continue reading...

Jillian Lauren treated for non-life-threatening wound after incident where officers searched for hit-and-run suspectsWeezer bassist Scott Shriner's wife was shot by police on Monday as officers searched for hit-and-run suspects in her Los Angeles neighborhood.Jillian Lauren, 51, was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound at a local hospital after the incident, but later booked for attempted murder, according to Los Angeles police. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The wealthiest households on average will be nearly $800 worse off, modelling reveals, as a result of the re-jigged stage-three tax cuts

Presumed future chancellor says coalition has strong plan' after negotiations as polling shows popularity of far-right AfDEarlier today I brought you Donald Trump's comments overnight on major" tariffs to be announced very shortly" on pharmaceuticals (9:20).My colleague Lisa O'Carroll looked at the risks such measures could pose for Europe:Pharmaceutical companies in the EU have warned of a risk of exodus" to the US as stocks in the sector slid around the world on the back of Donald Trump's renewed threat to impose tariffs on US drugs imports.Drugmakers' shares across Europe and India, another foreign drugs hub, slipped on Wednesday after Trump indicated further carnage was on the way in addition to the 20% reciprocal tariffs" on imports that kicked in overnight. Continue reading...