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What have we learned from release of files relating to former peer's appointment - and sacking - as UK ambassador to Washington?

Supreme court recently rejected Cedric Ricks' claim that potential jurors in his trial were eliminated based on race

Advisers to RFK Jr drop the plan to end federal guidance amid Republican worries about the political impact

Strike that killed at least 175 people, most of them children, reportedly due to targeting mistake by US military planners

Reform UK leader supported US war on Iran from start, but is now being accused of a U-turnNigel Farage has suggested Iran potentially poses a bigger danger than Putin poses to us", despite Russia having nuclear weapons and invading Ukraine.The Reform UK leader made the remarks in an interview with the New Statesman, which are likely to fuel further questions about his stance on Russia. Continue reading...

Prime minister says UK would be at war' now if it were up to Tory and Reform leaders and accuses both of changing position on war

Two people killed in Indiana as officials warn millions from Texas to Michigan remain at risk of severe weather

Gunmen from Islamic State West Africa Province overran four military bases and reportedly abducted 300 civiliansAt least 65 Nigerian soldiers have been killed in jihadist raids across the country's north-east in the last two weeks, as the west African state battles to contain one of the world's deadliest terror groups.On 5 and 6 March, gunmen from Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) overran four military bases in Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency. Nigerian daily the Punch reported that about 40 soldiers were killed in total in these attacks. Continue reading...

Workers at JBS USA to strike Monday in what will be the first labor strike in the meatpacking industry in decadesAbout 3,800 workers at JBS USA, the world's largest meat producer, are set to strike on Monday in what will be the first labor strike in the industry in decades.The walkout threatens to put further strain on US meat prices - ground beef prices soared 15% last year - and could prove a headache for the Trump administration as it struggles with poor polling on cost of living issues. Continue reading...

Chancellor does not rule out ditching fuel duty rise but tells MPs it is too early to gauge if consumers need extra help

The attacks, which included the firebombing of a childcare centre and torching of cars, were motivated by financial reward, magistrate finds

The new president won office by promising to clean up crime, but his background is red rag to a bull for manyJust south of Santiago, the tiny rural town of Paine is a quiet grid of painted abode facades, shaded squares and shuttered shop fronts as the summer holidays draw to a close.But the white-knuckle fear of crime that propelled its most famous son, Jose Antonio Kast, to a resounding victory in December's presidential election is as present in sleepy Paine as it is the length of Chile. Continue reading...

State government apologises after convicted murderer Regina Arthurell removed this week despite December report warning of situation

First tranche expected to include Cabinet Office report warning of reputational risk' over ex-minister's links to EpsteinHundreds of documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the US are expected to be released by Downing Street on Wednesday.The first tranche of files will include a two-page due diligence report by the Cabinet Office, which is likely to raise questions about Keir Starmer's judgment, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...

Cheshire police and CPS say they were not told about inquiry into Prof Peter Hindmarsh before he gave evidence at nurse's trialThe police force behind the prosecution of the former nurse Lucy Letby has said it was not informed by a key expert witness before he gave evidence at her trial that he was under investigation over serious concerns in his medical work.The Crown Prosecution Service also told the Guardian it was not aware that Prof Peter Hindmarsh was subject to the formal investigation by the hospital that employed him, before his first appearance as a witness on 25 November 2022. Continue reading...

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While some argue for destroying the terminal though which 90% of Iran's oil exports flow, others caution of a global market tailspin'Kharg Island - through which 90% of Iran's oil exports flow - is arguably the country's most sensitive economic target but the export terminal has so far remained untouched throughout the US-Israel bombing campaign.Experts say bombing or capturing the site with US forces would be likely to cause a sustained increase to already surging oil prices, as it would amount to taking the entirety of Iran's daily crude exports offline. Continue reading...

The perpetrators were jailed for 15 years for robbery with violence in the east African country, where homophobic attacks are increasingThe sentencing of two people who attacked and robbed two gay men in Kenya has been hailed by LGBTQ+ rights advocates as a breakthrough and a sign of hope for the country's queer community. Abel Meli & Another" were sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbery with violence on 3 March at Milimani law courts in Nairobi.The ruling is a rare example of justice being served for the queer community in Kenya. Njeri Gateru, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, an independent human rights institution working towards equality for sexual and gender minorities in Kenya, said: A lot is going against [the queer community] with the existence of the criminal laws and prevailing homophobic attitudes, but some of us still trust that we can find justice, so this case encourages us." Continue reading...

Woman, from Togo, faces uncertain wait for indefinite leave to remain because of changes coming into force next monthThe mother of a six-year-old cancer survivor has spoken of her overwhelming" fear her daughter will be denied crucial treatment because of the government's immigration crackdown.The girl, from London, underwent two rounds of life-saving chemotherapy after being diagnosed at two with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that mostly affects children. Continue reading...

Climate change committee finds move to renewable energy would also bring health, economic and security benefitsAchieving the UK's net zero target by 2050 will cost less than a single oil shock and bring health and economic benefits while insulating the country against future costs, the government's climate advisers have forecast.Eliminating the UK's reliance on fossil fuels by adopting renewable energy and green technologies, such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, would be the best and most cost-effective option for the future economy, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) found. Continue reading...

About 24,000 people surveyed about food, nightlife, affordability, culture and happinessAn annual global ranking has named Melbourne the best city in the world for the first time. But it may be more to do with vibes" than thorough analysis.Time Out's 50 Best Cities list for 2026, released on Wednesday, crowned an Australian city as No 1 for the first time in its 10-year history, showering Melbourne with acclaim for its food, culture and arts scenes. Continue reading...

Tony Burke says player opted to return home just hours after she and six others were given humanitarian visas

Intelligence sources claim Iran has begun mine laying as US energy secretary backtracks on claim US escorted a ship through strategic chokepoint

Australia's high court finds singer's label and merchandise distributor had been assiduous infringers' of trademark

Economists predict RBA board will hike cash rate to 4.1% next week as inflation climbs and energy costs surge

The Queensland senator replaces David Littleproud, who announced his shock resignation from the National party on Tuesday

Iran's police chief says protesters will be treated as enemies' and that security forces remain stationed in the streets

More than 100,000 people have tuned in to watch kkp cam', which captures a rare flightless bird sleeping, tidying her nest and fighting off intrudersOn an island in New Zealand's remote southern fjords, one of the world's strangest and rarest parrots - the kkp - is caring for her tiny chick as fans from across the globe watch on.Through the black and white lens of a hidden camera, a fluffy orb with a kazoo-like squeak jostles for food from its mother's beak. The mother, Rakiura, is attentive - scooping her chick under her large green wings, fending off an intruding bird, and periodically tidying her nest. Continue reading...

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority says pupils had trouble logging on to platform

Georgia contest will be a test of Trump's sway and may provide a rare opportunity for Democrats in the southern state

State's governor declared emergency as islands face extreme weather and Big Island volcano Kilauea erupts

Anti-corruption watchdog makes adverse findings against two former public servants but clears four other individualsTwo former public servants referred to the anti-corruption watchdog by the royal commission into robodebt have been found to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct while former prime minister, Scott Morrison, has been cleared.The long-awaited report into potential corruption related to the unlawful income averaging scheme, released on Wednesday, covered the six referrals made by royal commissioner Catherine Holmes in 2023, which were restricted from the public view in a sealed chapter. Continue reading...

Ivanna Lisette Ortiz of Florida, 35, allegedly fired 10 shots with a semiautomatic firearm into Beverly Hills homeA 35-year-old Florida woman has been charged with attempted murder after she allegedly fired shots into the Beverly Hills home of Rihanna on Sunday.Ivanna Lisette Ortiz was charged on Tuesday with one count of attempted murder, 10 counts of assault on a person with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, all felonies, court records show. Officials have said no one was injured during the shooting. Continue reading...

Upper chamber accepts final draft of bill, which offers life peerages to some of those who would otherwise be removedHereditary peerages will be abolished before the next king's speech after a deal was struck granting life peerages to some Conservatives and cross-benchers losing their seats.On Tuesday evening the upper chamber accepted a final draft of the House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill, marking the end of its passage through parliament and clearing the way for it to be added to the statute book. Continue reading...

Eye strokes' that reduce blood flow to optic nerve likely to be side-effect of active ingredient semaglutide, says authorPatients taking Wegovy have nearly five times the risk of sudden sight loss of those on Ozempic, a large-scale study has found.Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medicines such as semaglutide (sold as Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus) and tirzepetide (sold as Mounjaro) help reduce blood sugar levels, slow digestion and reduce appetite, and have been linked to reduced risks of heart attack, fewer drug overdoses and other health benefits. Continue reading...

The blaze happened in Kerzers in Fribourg canton, which is about 12 miles west of BerneAt least six people have been killed and five injured after a bus caught fire in a town in Switzerland.The blaze happened in Kerzers in Fribourg canton in western Switzerland, police said in a social media post. Several people injured and several are dead," the cantonal police said. Continue reading...

Andy Ogles said Muslims do not belong in the US and Randy Fine made an unfavorable comparison of Muslims to dogs

Despite progress, 2024 data suggests an ongoing humanitarian disaster, with more than six unhoused people dying every dayMore than 2,200 unhoused people died in Los Angeles in 2024, marking the first time in a decade that the homeless mortality rate decreased in the nation's most populous county, public health officials announced on Tuesday.The signs of progress come as the county has also reported decreases in the overall unhoused population in a region that has long struggled with a severe affordable housing shortage and one of the worst street homelessness crises in the US. Continue reading...

Billionaire's artificial intelligence company gets approval to run 41 methane gas turbines at its Colossus 2' in MississippiElon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI won approval on Tuesday to run 41 methane gas turbines at its Colossus 2" datacenter in northern Mississippi. That's nearly double the amount it has been operating.The turbines will help power xAI's massive datacenters, which house the company's AI supercomputers", or giant arrays of advanced chips, which in turn power the controversial AI tool Grok, the company's most recognizable product. Continue reading...

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff has been spurned by leaders in Tehran who are standing firm on needing guarantees of no more future attacksIran has spurned two messages from Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, seeking a ceasefire as its leaders sense it is not losing the war and the US president is at the minimum feeling the political pressure.The foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has further said a unilateral declaration from Trump that the US had won the war would not bring an end to the conflict. The implication is that even if the US announced a willingness to end its attacks, Iran might be willing to continue the conflict in some form, or keep its chokehold on shipping seeking to navigate the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...

Safety checks needed after neighbouring building gutted by huge blaze on Sunday night, with only facade remainingGlasgow Central station's high level will remain closed for the rest of the week, after a fire devastated a neighbouring building on Sunday.Network Rail said it would not be possible to reopen the upper concourse of the station, where trains depart to destinations across the UK, because of the instability of the mid-Victorian block on the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street, much of which collapsed during the ferocious blaze. Continue reading...

Kay Ivey commutes sentence of Charles Sonny' Burton, saying death penalty would be unfair as he did not fire the fatal shot

New York police responded to an alert days after two men threw homemade explosives at Gracie Mansion

Opening statements begin in Miami trial of four men accused in the 2021 killing of Jovenel Moise

Exclusive: Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper concerned about effect of student visa ban on female Chevening scholars from Afghanistan and SudanThe Home Office rejected an appeal from the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, that would have protected outstanding students in some of the world's most dangerous countries from changes to the UK's immigration system, the Guardian understands.Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, turned down proposals from the Foreign Office to maintain a carve-out for Chevening scholars, a government-funded programme for exceptional individuals" to study for a master's degree at a UK university. Continue reading...

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe among more than 100 signatories to letter urging PM not to get drawn further into the conflictNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is among three of Iran's former political prisoners and more than 100 Iranians living in the UK who have urged the British prime minister not to get drawn further into the Iran conflict.They are all signatories in a letter to Keir Starmer saying the way the war is being conducted is strengthening the regime in Tehran. Continue reading...

Joani Reid denies any involvement in business activities of spouse, who was arrested last week by anti-terror policeJoani Reid, the MP who resigned the Labour whip last week after her husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China, received a donation from his company the previous month, it has emerged.Reid, who said after the arrest that she had no involvement in her husband's business activities, declared a donation in February worth 2,400 for media training from Earthcott Ltd, the lobbying company run by David Taylor. Continue reading...

Former footballer accused of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm after incident outside Liverpool golf clubJoey Barton has been remanded in custody charged with attacking the headteacher of a school for children with additional needs.The former footballer was arrested after an alleged incident outside Huyton and Prescot golf club in Liverpool at 9pm on Sunday. Continue reading...

Bill is in response to president's latest push to impose tariffs, but it's likely to stall in Republican-majority Senate

Conservative leader accused of taking confusing position after she said Starmer should do more than catch arrows'Kemi Badenoch has denied calling for the UK to join Donald Trump's war on Iran, after previously saying Keir Starmer should do more to stop the people who are attacking us".Labour accused Badenoch of having a confused position after the Conservative leader said she was not urging the government to join the US and Israel strikes on Iran but that the UK should do more than catch the arrows" and take out" missile launchers. Continue reading...