Tehran's nuclear program at stake in Oman after Trump's surprise announcement - can a breakthrough be reached?Historical metaphor refers to them as Nixon in China" moments: diplomatic encounters where leaders representing political systems implacably opposed to each other overcome their mistrust to achieve unexpected breakthroughs.Yet few meetings can have held less obvious prospect of the success achieved by President Richard Nixon's historic 1972 visit to Beijing than that scheduled to take place in Oman on Saturday between representatives of the United States and Iran. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6WJT3)
Exclusive: Police set up taskforce to tackle online violence as young men seek victims on eating disorder forumsYoung men and boys fuelled by strongly misogynistic" online material are hunting for vulnerable women and girls to exploit on websites such as eating disorder and suicide forums, senior officers have said.The threat from young males wanting to carry out serious harm is so serious that counter-terrorism officers are joining the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the hunt for them, fearing they could go on to attack or kill. Continue reading...
Golani troops were under command of reservist Armoured 14th Brigade, part of division led by Brig Gen Yehuda VachThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit involved in the killings of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers in the Gaza Strip last month was under the command of a brigade led by a notorious Israeli general previously accused by some of his own troops of having contempt for human life".The IDF has confirmed that troops from Golani, one of the army's five infantry brigades, opened fire on two convoys of ambulances in Rafah on 23 March and dug a mass grave to cover the bodies of those killed until the corpses could be retrieved by a UN team six days later. It has disputed allegations from two witnesses who exhumed the bodies and newly released postmortem results that found several of those killed had close-range gunshot wounds to the head and chest and were discovered with their hands or legs tied. Continue reading...
Matt Wrack in line to become leader of traditionally moderate union despite lack of teaching experienceMinisters have expressed concern at a teaching union's nomination of Matt Wrack for its next general secretary, criticising the appointment for his lack of education experience and for being out of step with the mainstream views" of members.Wrack, who was the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) until his re-election bid was defeated in January, would be the first leader in the NASUWT's history to have never been a qualified teacher or lecturer. Continue reading...
Thorburn was jailed for life after admitting to killing the 12-year-old foster child after his son Trent confessed to sexually assaulting herRick Thorburn, the Queensland man who was serving life in jail for the murder of 12-year-old foster child Tiahleigh Palmer, has been found dead in his cell.Queensland Corrective Services confirmed he had died in his Woodford Correctional Centre cell on Saturday. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6WJS6)
Exclusive: Survey by the Independent Cinema Office shows urgent need for capital investment in sectorAlmost a third of independent cinemas face closure within next three to five years without investment, according to new research.A survey conducted by the Independent Cinema Office (ICO) found that 31% of independent cinemas and mixed arts venues in the UK said they would not be able to remain operational without capital investment, while a further 28% were unsure of their future viability. Continue reading...
Swedes are stockpiling supplies of the drink amid cost hikes, with some saying the coffee culture is changingNursing an iced chai latte in a Stockholm department store, Emma Tomth says she has cut down her cafe coffee consumption considerably. The 28-year-old social media manager used to buy a latte most days, but with prices having gone up by about 15-20 kronor (about 1-1.50), she has cut down to two or three times a week.But it is not just about coffee. The economy also extends to fika - the historically hardwired Swedish tradition of meeting for a catch-up over a coffee and a biscuit or cake. Many I know are abstaining from meeting for fika to save money. So we do something else instead," Tomth says. Low-cost alternatives include meeting at home or going on walks, but it is not quite the same as fika, which plays a key social role in an otherwise often introverted society. Continue reading...
International affairs editor was taken to hospital last year after appearing shaky and struggling to read newsThe broadcaster Rageh Omaar has carried out his first foreign dispatch for ITV since he was taken to hospital last year after falling ill while presenting the News at Ten.The ITV News international affairs editor, 57, featured in a prerecorded package on west Africa on ITV's News at Ten on Friday evening. Continue reading...
Mahdi, who killed an officer in 2004, endured torture in his childhood and argued he was denied a fair trialA prison firing squad in South Carolina executed Mikal Mahdi on Friday, the second recent death row killing in the state by authorized gunfire.Mahdi, 42, was shot dead by corrections employees inside the execution chamber, where authorities have carried out a rapid spree of killings as South Carolina aggressively revives capital punishment. Continue reading...
School district says DHS agents, seeking five students in first through sixth grades, were barred from enteringImmigration officials attempted to enter two Los Angeles elementary schools this week, but were turned away by school administrators. The incident appears to be the Trump administration's first attempt to enter the city's public schools since amending regulations to allow immigration agents to enter sensitive areas" such as schools.At a Thursday press conference, the Los Angeles unified school district superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, confirmed that agents from the Department of Homeland Security were seeking five students in first through sixth grades. Continue reading...
Move comes after professors sued and alleged investigation violated their constitutional free speech rightsThe US House education and workforce committee withdrew an investigation into Northwestern University's law school clinics after professors there sued and alleged that the inquiry violated their constitutional free speech rights.The professors secured what amounted to a legal victory for them on Thursday, when the House committee withdrew its investigative requests with respect to the university and its law school's Bluhm Legal Clinic program on Thursday. Continue reading...
Department seeks instances of bias, with emphasis on Christianity, that may have occurred under BidenThe state department is ordering staff to report colleagues for instances of anti-Christian bias" during the Biden administration, part of Donald Trump's aggressive push to reshape government policy on religious expression in his first months back in office.The internal cable, obtained by the Guardian, establishes a short seven-day window for employees to report perceived religious discrimination committed by state department officials, with particular emphasis on Christianity. Continue reading...
Actor claims working with Oscar nominee on set of thriller Girl is one of the all time worst experiences' of her lifeBella Thorne has accused fellow US actor Mickey Rourke of bruising her genitals with a metal grinder on the set of a movie that they filmed together during what she described as one of the all time worst experiences" of her career.In a story on her Instagram account on Friday, Thorne alleged that the episode was part of a broader campaign to humiliate her while they collaborated on the 2020 thriller Girl. She wrote: This fucking dude. GROSS" and relayed the account in writing over a copy of a BBC article reporting that Celebrity Big Brother's producers had reprimanded him for aiming homophobic comments at the singer JoJo Siwa while they competed on the reality show. Continue reading...
Vanessa Brown called police response in Cobham, Surrey, a complete overreaction' that left her catatonic'A history teacher has said she was arrested and blocked from seeing her daughters after she confiscated their iPads.Vanessa Brown, 50, described her unspeakable devastation and trauma" after spending seven-and-a-half hours in a cell on 26 March after a claim that she had stolen two iPads. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6WJH2)
Closing submission from Gavin Millar KC says actor's legal team tried to portray an elaborate conspiracy theory'Noel Clarke has been shown to be precisely the man" depicted in the Guardian's articles accusing him of sexual misconduct, vindicating its journalism, the high court has heard.In closing submissions in the former Doctor Who actor's libel claim against Guardian News and Media (GNM), Gavin Millar KC said Clarke had been forced to come up with an elaborate conspiracy theory" to try to rebut the overwhelming evidence" against him.Over 15 years, he used his power to prey on and harass female colleagues.He sometimes bullied female colleagues.He engaged in unwanted sexual contact, kissing, touching or groping.He engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour and comments.He was involved in professional misconduct.He took and shared explicit pictures and videos without consent, including secretly filming a young actor's naked audition. Continue reading...
Kimberley Cookson, 22, faces one count of gross negligence manslaughter for Noah Sibanda's deathA nursery worker from Dudley has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a 14-month-old boy.Noah Sibanda, described by his parents as a beautiful, happy and easy-going little boy", died after an incident at Fairytales Day Nursery in Bourne Street in Dudley on 9 December 2022. Continue reading...
Average man from Derbyshire' shocked to find photo of tattoo celebrating child's birth was used to deport migrantsA British man was shocked to discover that a photo of his tattoo was included in a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document used to identify alleged members of a notorious Venezuelan criminal gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA).Earlier this week, 44-year-old Pete Belton, who lives in the English county of Derbyshire, told the BBC that he was stunned to find a photo of his forearm tattoo featured in a DHS document among nine images of tattoos intended to assist in detecting and identifying" TdA members. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#6WJAM)
Exclusive: Action comes five years after lack of legal recognition for humanist marriage in England and Wales was ruled discriminatoryTwo couples are taking the government to court over its failure to legalise humanist marriage in England and Wales five years after a ruling that the lack of recognition was discriminatory.Engaged couples Terri O'Sullivan and Edd Berrill, from Coventry, and Nicole Shasha and Rory Booth, from Leicester, are preparing to go to court in their fight to be married in line with their humanist beliefs. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Zahid Safi, who is running in Melbourne seat of Bruce, listed as last author on 2021 Senate submission which says victims of Afghanistan war not based on ethnicity'
Judge passes suspended sentence on Lisa Davenport, who smothered Barrie Davenport in 2022 in an act of mercy'A woman who killed her terminally ill father has been spared an immediate prison sentence, with the judge saying he had taken a merciful course".Dr Lisa Davenport, 55, smothered Barrie Davenport, 88, with a pillow at his home in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in October 2022. Continue reading...
California music festival to see record highs and headlining sets from Lady Gaga, Post Malone and Green DayStars such as Lady Gaga, Charli xcx, Ed Sheeran and Missy Elliott will face blazing temperatures this weekend at an unusually hot Coachella festival.The California-based festival will soar to potentially record-breaking highs of 103F (over 39C) in its first of two consecutive weekends, around 10-20 degrees higher than what's typically expected at this time of year. Continue reading...
Kremlin is also quoted as saying the pair will talk about Ukraine and may discuss Putin's meeting with Trump'Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov has offered an update on talks and commitments made in Brussels, as he posted about Germany's declaration it would offer 11bn in further military help to Ukraine up to 2029.He said:The deliveries from in 2025 will help us defend our skies (IRIS-T systems with missiles, PATRIOT missiles) and strengthen our positions on the battlefield (Marders, Leopards, artillery systems). Thank you, Germany, for standing by our side. Together, we will ensure a just and lasting peace in Europe. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Lawsuit says unconstitutional' order violates right to share information with court's chief prosecutorDonald Trump's executive order imposing sanctions on the international criminal court (ICC) is facing a legal challenge from two US human rights advocates who argue it is unconstitutional and unlawful".In a lawsuit filed in federal court on Friday, the advocates said the order had forced them to stop assisting and engaging with the ICC out of fear the US government would punish them with criminal prosecution and civil fines. Continue reading...
HBO renewed Mike White's hit drama before third season aired and rumours abound about luxury settings and return of starsYou've only just got home from a holiday when you start planning the next one. So it is with the super-rich spa satire The White Lotus. The gunsmoke is still clearing from the finale of the third season but speculation is rife about where the HBO hit will head next.This week's climax of Mike White's drama might have divided critics, but it was still group chat-dominating, column inch-gobbling TV, notching its highest ratings yet. The show was renewed for a fourth trip before the third had even aired, with White reportedly pitching HBO execs his next idea while still filming in Koh Samui. Buzz is now building about the next chapter, expected on our screens in late 2026. Continue reading...
Social media, and specifically #CondimentTok, is fuelling trend, with everyone from Meghan to Heinz getting in on the actWhen the Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle brand As Ever launched last week, the 14 raspberry spread in keepsake packaging" - AKA a jam jar - sold out within half an hour. If the price seems a little eye-watering for something you could easily make at home, there is one thing Meghan got right: our appetite for condiments - from preserves to chilli oils and hot sauces - is bottomless. With the continuing rise of little treat culture, condiments that hover around the 10 mark have become the new lipstick effect".Delli, an online retailer for independent brands, has doubled its condiment sales in the past year, with bestsellers including a 10 croissant butter" and a 6.99 Malaysian Chinese chilli oil. Waitrose reported an 18% rise in condiment sales in the last month, with the Ottolenghi range of green harissa paste (5) and miso pesto (4) both up 13%. Marks & Spencer is echoing this uptick in premium condiments, with sales of truffle mayo (3.25 as opposed to 1.50 for their classic mayo) up 10% on last year. Now a range of swicy" (sweet and spicy) condiments including gochujang mayo, hot honey sauce and peach and jalapeno relish are in development. Continue reading...
Step is requirement for restructuring country's debt, including new IMF programmeZimbabwe has started to make compensation payments to white former farm owners, 25 years after Robert Mugabe's government began confiscating land.The government paid $3.1m (2.3m) to a first batch" of 378 farms, the ministry of finance said in a statement on Wednesday, the first payout under a 2020 agreement to pay $3.5bn in compensation. Continue reading...
by Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington on (#6WJ3H)
Senate finds efforts by Saudi Arabia and others to meddle in US policy growing in scope, sophistication and reach'The Trump administration has weakened tools the US government uses to combat foreign-influence campaigns, even as covert attempts by Saudi Arabia and other malign actors" to influence American policy are growing in scope, sophistication, and reach", according to a new Senate report.The report, which was written by Democratic staff on the Senate permanent subcommittee on investigations and is expected to be released today, follows a Senate investigation into the controversial proposed takeover of the PGA Tour by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Government source confirms action at nine establishments including one near Windsor CastleHundreds of people seeking asylum are to be removed within weeks from nine hotels across England as the Home Office seeks to show that it has got to grips with the issue.The crackdown will include the closures of a hotel in a village near Windsor Castle after claims of community tensions and racism, and hotels in the West Midlands and Cheshire that have been targeted by far-right activists. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6WJ0H)
Vice-chancellors urge Office for Students to provide more clarity to protect students and academics from abuseA ruling by the higher education regulator for England on freedom of speech breaches at the University of Sussex has sparked anxiety in the sector, as vice-chancellors scramble to review their policies to avoid potential violations.Two weeks after the Office for Students (OfS) handed out a record 585,000 fine, many university leaders are still not clear what it means in practice. Continue reading...
Taiwan launches first such prosecution, alleging the captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58 dropped anchor near an undersea cable that then damaged itProsecutors in Taiwan charged, for the first time, a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, after a rise in sea cable malfunctions alarmed Taiwan officials amid tensions with China.Prosecutors say the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, allegedly damaging it. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Opposition leader says he has no choice' but to challenge Yoweri Museveni's regime, despite threats and previous attacksThe musician turned opposition leader Bobi Wine has said he will stand again against Uganda's authoritarian leader, Yoweri Museveni, in next year's presidential elections. Despite being jailed, attacked, shot, and facing threats of violence, including from Museveni's son, Wine said he felt he had little choice but to try to advance the hope for change that was energising Ugandans, especially the young.We cannot just give the election to General Museveni," he said, in an interview with the Guardian. Continue reading...
Central Bedfordshire's report into Storm Henk fails to mention the rapid expansion of the built environmentEven though sunshine records are being broken at the moment, the nightmares for those whose homes were affected by record rainfall earlier this year continue and seem unlikely to end.Local authorities have a statutory duty to review what happened when floods occur and properties are damaged. One such authority was Central Bedfordshire council (CBC), in the middle of the government's growth corridor between Oxford and Cambridge. Its recent report into Storm Henk, which caused widespread flooding in January, said the cause was heavy rain on saturated ground overwhelming drains, sewers and streams. Continue reading...
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
by Presented by Helen Pidd with Bethan McKernan; prod on (#6WHYN)
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...
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...
World news | The Guardian