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Thomas Corbett-Dillon, who claims to have advised Boris Johnson, says immigrants could turn' on white populationGB News is facing a backlash after a commentator on one of its shows suggested there is a genocide happening" against white people in England and that immigrants could turn" on the white population.Ofcom, the media regulator, has received a series of complaints about the comments by Thomas Corbett-Dillon. Continue reading...

Researchers say their prototype is a big step towards fully functioning batteries with rapid charging timesAustralian scientists have developed what they say is the world's first proof-of-concept quantum battery.Quantum batteries, first proposed as a theoretical concept in 2013, use the principles of quantum mechanics to store energy, and have the potential to be more efficient than conventional batteries. Continue reading...

Aircraft carrier has been participating in strikes on Iran, after previously taking part in the operation to seize Venezuela's president Nicolas MaduroA fire onboard the USS Gerald R Ford, injuring sailors and destroying 100 beds, is the latest mishap to plague the world's largest aircraft carrier on a marathon deployment some argue has sapped crew morale.At sea for almost nine months, and currently stationed in the Red Sea to support the war on Iran, the carrier will reportedly set sail for Crete for repairs. Continue reading...

Treasurer likens impact of conflict to recent major shocks, including global financial crisis and Covid pandemic

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Other delivery and transport companies such as Uber, DoorDash and Australia Post are weighing whether to charge more

Labor's preventative detention regime suffers blow as court finds tough laws for NZYQ group are unconstitutional

A 2006 Guardian interview with Iran's slain security chief now reads as a grim warning of the conflict that killed himDeep down, Ali Larijani always believed that the western powers were bent on destroying Iran's revolutionary regime, for which he had fought on the battlefield.The prescience of that inner conviction has now been vindicated in lethal fashion as Larijani has become the latest establishment figure to die at the hands of Israel, killed in an apparently targeted airstrike, according to reports.Robert Tait was the Guardian's correspondent in Tehran from February 2005 until December 2007 Continue reading...

As Iran war drives up cost concerns, thinktank says 3.7bn discount system should be developed before next winterThe UK government is facing calls to spend almost 4bn to launch a social tariff" providing cheaper energy for poor households amid growing concerns over the Iran conflict.As households brace for an increase in living costs, the Resolution Foundation said ministers should develop a system of discounted domestic energy bills in time for next winter to protect the most vulnerable households. Continue reading...

Exclusive: finding out who owns land will become simpler under plans to make the best use of green spaces and hit net zero targetsFinding out who owns land in England is to become much simpler because a paywall will be lifted from large parts of the Land Registry, the government is to announce.A small number of landowners control the majority of land but finding out who owns what is difficult to piece together, even for government departments, owing to the way the Land Registry operates. Freeing up access will make it easier to determine ownership of key areas, such as river catchments, grouse moors and peatland. Continue reading...

House to consider amendment that would pardon women in England and Wales affected by prior unjust' lawsWomen who have been arrested, investigated and convicted under abortion legislation in England and Wales must not be left behind" if the law is changed to prevent women being criminalised in future, campaigners have said.Last summer, the House of Commons voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate their pregnancies outside the legal framework, through a new clause in the crime and policing bill. Continue reading...

Show in part a rediscovery of more than 40 mostly forgotten women who plied their trade in the Low CountriesJudith Leyster, an artist of the Dutch golden age, was thought to be about 21 when she painted her self-portrait in 1630. In the picture she presented to the world, Leyster exudes cheerful confidence. Clad in shimmering silks and a stiffly starched lace collar, she leans back in her chair, palette and brushes in hand, a painting by her side.This work, completed in the year she was admitted to a painters' guild in Haarlem, proclaimed her arrival as an established artist. It was one of the first self-portraits by an artist in the Dutch republic, a device most male painters did not adopt until years later. Continue reading...

Evanston mayor Daniel Biss and Cook County commissioner Donna Miller were among those who came out on top in the elections ahead of the midtermsDemocratic voters in Illinois handed the party's nominations for five open seats in the House of Representatives to candidates that included Evanston mayor Daniel Biss and Cook County commissioner Donna Miller, after heated and at times bitter campaigns that saw significant spending by outside groups, most controversially the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).The primaries acted as a test of the style of politics voters were looking for ahead of the midterm elections in November, when Democrats hope to regain control of Congress. All five districts are heavily Democratic, making the primary victors favorites to triumph in the general elections. Continue reading...

Prime minister says no Australian personnel were injured and maintains Australia is not at war with Iran

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami threatened to launch a decisive and regrettable' retaliation for the killing

The progressive candidate was behind Krishnamoorthi until she got an infusion of cash from Governor PritzkerIllinois lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton won the Democratic primary race to succeed Illinois' US senator Dick Durbin, beating out US representative Raja Krishnamoorthi.With nearly 90% of the vote tallied, Stratton was leading Krishnamoorthi by more than six percentage points on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press. Continue reading...

Putting Pauline Hanson's party above Labor on how-to-vote cards is a gamble for Ashton Hurn's leadership, with the Liberals facing potential eclipse

Director of national intelligence wrote on social media that Trump is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat'

Nasa spokesperson says meteor was traveling at 45,000mph but no reports of debris foundA meteor over Ohio caused a large boom that jolted people as far away as Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, Nasa has confirmed.The meteor entered the atmosphere at about 9am local time on Tuesday, producing a sonic boom felt across a wide swath of northern Ohio and beyond. Reports poured in from Cleveland and other sectors as far east as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and into New York state. Continue reading...

New Zealand economic growth tipped to overtake Australia's this year but Middle East conflict casts a shadow over outlookJust as New Zealand's fragile economic recovery shows flickers of improvement - with economists predicting its annual growth could surpass that of its larger neighbour Australia - it is facing a new threat: the war in the Middle East.New Zealand is particularly exposed to the energy shocks produced by the conflict - and to economic crises generally - with the small, isolated nation highly dependent on global trade and tourism. It is susceptible to disruptions in supply chains and shipping. Continue reading...

Experts say attacks on Afghanistan are defensive, not offensive' but carry a risk of spiralling cycle of violenceAn escalating Pakistani campaign of airstrikes against targets in Afghanistan is aimed at forcing the Taliban authorities to abandon their support for Pakistani militants, according to officials and experts.The strategy is to impose such a steep cost on the Taliban administration that they act to prevent attacks emanating from Afghanistan. Yet it carries the risk of spiralling violence. Continue reading...

Chancellor seeks genuine break with the past' in tackling centralised and geographically unequal' countryRachel Reeves has announced that the Treasury will draw up proposals to hand England's mayors a share of national tax revenues as part of a radical plan to rebalance the economy.The chancellor promised a genuine break with the past" that would shift spending power away from Westminster, as she promised to create investment-led growth across the UK. Continue reading...

Exclusive: England and Wales Greens leader outlines economic policy including help to meet rising energy costs and water re-nationalisationSuccessive governments have turned the UK from a manufacturing economy to one where the basics of life have been privatised and are rented back to people at a crushing cost, Zack Polanski will say.In a speech billed as the Green leader's biggest policy intervention since he took over as leader six months ago, Polanski will argue that decades of gradual economic rebalancing in favour of a minority who own assets has left much of the country vulnerable to economic shocks such as the current rise in fuel prices. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor hopes yet-to-be-built 250m course could provide lasting legacy' for north of EnglandFrom the fairways of Rome to the greens of Versailles, could the world's most prestigious golf tournament be heading to Bolton?Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has announced a bid to bring the Ryder Cup to the north of England for the first time in nearly 60 years. Continue reading...

MSPs reject bill after concerted campaign to block it and despite amendments intended to placate criticsThe Scottish parliament has voted against legalising assisted dying after critics and religious groups led a concerted campaign to block the measures.MSPs voted 69 to 57 to reject the proposals in a late night vote on Tuesday - a larger margin than expected, despite a series of last-minute amendments designed to placate critics of the private member's bill. Continue reading...

Former deputy prime minister says Labour's immigration changes are un-British' and Starmer must respond to fall in party's popularityAngela Rayner has said the very survival of the Labour party is at stake and warned Keir Starmer that he cannot go through the motions" in the face of declining support.In a speech at campaign group Mainstream's spring reception, the former deputy prime minister said she believed the government was running out of time" to show it can deliver the change that the public needs. Continue reading...

Musician, AKA Michael Tyler, faces up to 20 years after entering plea in state court outside Baton Rouge, LouisianaThe US rapper Mystikal on Tuesday pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in connection with a case that led to his arrest in 2022.Mystikal - whose given name is Michael Tyler - faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in a state courthouse outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to reports from local news outlets WBRZ and WAFB. Continue reading...

Kiis FM radio host was suspended from work after an on-air argument with co-host Jackie O' Henderson

Larijani was killed by an Israeli airstrike and is the most senior Iranian fatality since Ali Khamenei on first day of war

Roberts did not name Donald Trump, but US president has decried corrupt judges' who ruled against him

One Nation and Coalition adopting reactionary tactics to win over frustrated and fearful voters, frontbencher Andrew Giles says

In letter to justice secretary, groups say judge-led decisions more likely to be influenced by bias than those made by 12 random peopleThirty organisations representing victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) have written to the justice secretary, David Lammy, urging him to drop plans to significantly reduce the number of jury trials.The groups said that the proposals, which will affect court cases in England and Wales, will deepen mistrust in the justice system among victims and distract from measures designed to reduce offending. Continue reading...

Lawmakers on both sides of aisle have criticized justice department's improper redaction of information

Russian billionaire accused of missing last chance' to release money to help victims of Ukraine warUK officials are preparing for a possible court case against Roman Abramovich after he missed a deadline to release 2.4bn he raised from selling Chelsea FC.The Russian billionaire failed to hand over the money by the deadline of 17 March, amid a dispute over how it will eventually be used. Continue reading...

Union says claims involving young women and minors are serious enough to halt annual tributes and open an inquiry

Supplies becoming sparse amid rise in demand since Kent outbreak, which has killed two and left 13 seriously illWorried parents are contacting pharmacies in an increasingly desperate" effort to get their children vaccinated against meningitis after the outbreak in Kent that has killed two young people and left 13 seriously ill.The surge in demand has led to stocks of the vaccine running so low that many pharmacies cannot get hold of supplies from wholesalers. Continue reading...

Vaccination programme to be launched on Canterbury campus as strain B of disease identified in fatal outbreakStudents in Kent are to be offered a targeted vaccination against meningitis B after two more cases in the deadly outbreak were confirmed and pharmacies ran out of vaccine doses.Government scientists have said two people who died in the outbreak had bacterial strain B of the disease, for which most people have not been vaccinated. Continue reading...

Ukraine's president says mass attacks on civilians are no longer the preserve of a madman like Putin'European nations should prepare for attacks by non-state actors including criminal networks, terror groups and lone attackers as drone technology advances, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned.The Ukrainian president said it was no longer just a wealthy madman like Putin" who could afford mass attacks as he demonstrated the latest technology to British MPs and peers. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer previously reassured that the war in Iran would not distract the UK from supporting UkraineNigel Farage is speaking now at the Reform UK event.The website promoting the lottery is up. It is called nigelcutmybills.com. Continue reading...

Amid escalation of Middle East crisis, US president describes rejection of call for help as a foolish mistake'

Margaret Hodge, who led report into arts funder, tells DCMS committee that grant recipients have lost confidence in the bodyArts Council England (ACE) requires a radical" overhaul so that it is able to respond to the challenges of the culture sector, according to Margaret Hodge, who said if ACE leaders did not heed her warnings it would be a disaster".The Labour peer, who led a wide-ranging and critical report into ACE, made the comments at a Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, where she reiterated her calls for the organisation to embrace reform. Continue reading...

Senate Democrats sent counteroffer Monday aimed at resolving budget standoff

Minister says the change is needed to protect the corporation from repeated culture war' attacksThe government is to put the BBC's charter on a permanent footing for the first time, after the corporation said the change was needed to protect it from political interference.In a significant change to the governance of the BBC, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said she wanted to grant the corporation's demand for a permanent charter. She said she wanted to protect it from repeated culture war" attacks. Continue reading...

Family of then PM, Patrice Lumumba, welcome decision to charge Etienne Davignon as beginning of a reckoning'A former Belgian diplomat, 93, should stand trial over alleged complicity in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what was then the newly independent Congolese state, a Brussels court has ruled.Etienne Davignon, the only person still alive among 10 Belgians the Lumumba family accuses of involvement in the killing, is charged with participation in war crimes.The illegal transfer of Lumumba and his associates from Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) to Katanga.The humiliating and degrading treatment" of the men.Depriving them of a fair trial. Continue reading...

The University of Florida campus group says the suspension over an off-campus post violated free speech

Woman known only as Beth says abuser claimed status made him untouchable, which terrorised her into silenceMI5 has apologised and paid compensation to a woman who alleged the Security Service was to blame for her being attacked with a machete and abused by one of its agents.The woman, known only as Beth, was in a relationship with a man she says used his status as an MI5 agent to perpetrate abuse and terrorise her into silence. Continue reading...

Writers Guild of America East says management failed to offer fair wages and basic job protections

Carmaker reduces office-based roles and will not fill vacancies to ensure long-term competitiveness of business'Bentley is to cut 275 jobs in the UK as the carmaker faces a challenging global market environment".The luxury brand, owned by Germany's Volkswagen, is preparing to launch its first all-electric model but acknowledged it had some work to do to convince consumers to switch away from internal combustion engine vehicles. Continue reading...

Snow, tornadoes and fierce winds disrupt flights and leave homes and businesses in multiple states in the dark

Forces in England and Wales and journalists pledge to improve relations amid rising distrustPolice and the media have backed a reset" in relations between officers and journalists, after a prolonged period of distrust since the handling of the Nicola Bulley case in 2023.Bulley's disappearance in Lancashire led to significant fallout between the police and the press, with media outlets saying a lack of access and information allowed incorrect assertions and conspiracy theories about the case to gain ground. Continue reading...