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Enthusiasts gathering on Good Friday - renamed Carfreitag - face curbs on unauthorised tuning, illegal races and pollutionPolice in Germany have announced a crackdown on illegal racing and the unauthorised modification of cars as members of the so-called tuning scene meet across the country for the start of their annual season.The Good Friday holiday marking Christ's death on the cross, called Karfreitag in German - from the Old High German word kara, meaning sorrow - is otherwise known by the extreme car enthusiasts as Carfreitag (car Friday) for its unofficial gathering of the tuners" and car posers". Continue reading...

1.5bn of funding has been granted to transform a hospital into a neighbourhood designed for people to thrive as they ageFuturistic planning for spaces where people can age well and live in an area designed for them to grow old in is accelerating in the UK with a radical project backed by 1.5bn of funding.The plan to transform a hospital into the first neighbourhood in the country designed for people to thrive as they age will be a national testbed for holistic health and social care approaches. It will include hi-tech homes that adapt to occupants' life stage and care needs, transport, a village green and a social calendar to combat isolation. Continue reading...

We're not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,' US secretary of state saysThe Kremlin said on Friday that some progress had already been made in talks about a possible peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine but that contacts were rather complicated with the United States.Contacts are quite complicated, because, naturally, the topic is not an easy one," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Russia is committed to resolving this conflict, ensuring its own interests, and is open to dialogue. We continue to do this." Continue reading...

Fatima Hassouna, who had been documenting war in Gaza for 18 months and was subject of new documentary, killed along with 10 members of her familyAs a young photojournalist living in Gaza, Fatima Hassouna knew that death was always at her doorstep. As she spent the past 18 months of war documenting airstrikes, the demolition of her home, the endless displacement and the killing of 11 family members, all she demanded was that she not be allowed to go quietly.If I die, I want a loud death," Hassouna wrote on social media. I don't want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group, I want a death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that cannot be buried by time or place." Continue reading...

Beijing rejects Ukrainian president's accusation as groundless' and says it is committed to ending the conflict

Man, 27, killed in French ski resort of Val Thorens as severe weather causes chaos across three Alpine countriesA 27-year-old British man has died after being swept away by an avalanche at the French ski resort of Val Thorens after unusually heavy storms across the Alps.The victim, who has not been named, was reportedly at the side of a road at the lower side of the town when he was struck by a wall of snow that carried him 15 metres (50 ft) down the mountain on Thursday morning. He was taken to hospital in Grenoble with cardiorespiratory failure but died in the evening. Continue reading...

Recalcitrance appears to be product of Trump White House's maximalist interpretation of executive powersFaced with a flurry of adverse court orders it would rather not follow, the Trump White House is increasingly deploying a strategy of claiming or even manufacturing its own uncertainty to dodge their effects without appearing to outright defy them.The Trump administration has faced several major legal setbacks in recent weeks, most notably in its efforts to deport illegal immigrants without due process under the Alien Enemies Act or in spite of protective orders. Continue reading...

There were suspicions, legal wheezes and a plan to divert a ship to Gibraltar to seize cargo, as ministers' anxieties roseBy next weekend, a cargo ship carrying more than 50,000 tonnes of coking coal from Australia will dock at Immingham. In other circumstances, its arrival would be unremarkable. But the moment Navios Alegria reaches the Lincolnshire port will be the culmination of the government's high-wire act to keep the UK's last steel furnaces running.MPs were recalled from their Easter recess last Saturday to pass emergency legislation handing the government control over British Steel, which operates Britain's last two blast furnaces capable of producing steel from scratch using coke and iron ore. Continue reading...

Retailers and food producers offer to help efforts to reduce unnecessary red tape' costing industry billions of poundsMore than a dozen of Britain's biggest retailers and food producers, including Marks & Spencer, J Sainsbury and Asda, have called on the EU to reduce checks on food and drink crossing the Channel and Irish Sea, which they say are costing billions of pounds.Ahead of a summit on 19 May that is hoped to reset" trade ties five years on from Brexit, they are urging politicians to hammer out a deal on sanitary and phytosanitary checks. They hope this would include a veterinary agreement and would harmonise food safety rules or recognise them as equivalent. Continue reading...

Militant group says it will not accept deal without guarantee of end to Gaza war or full withdrawal of Israeli troops

Exclusive: Head of Fire Brigades Union calls for statutory body to set national standards amid fears for public safety

Man behind puzzle and pigeon bags, who transformed Loewe, brings buzz to French house as creative directorJonathan Anderson, the designer who brought success, cool and viral fame to the Spanish label Loewe during his 11-year reign, has been announced as the new creative director of Christian Dior's menswear collection. Taking over from Kim Jones, Anderson's first show for the brand will take place in Paris in June.While this is confirmation of news that fashion insiders were long aware of, it will definitely bring new buzz to Christian Dior. Anderson, now 40, has become something of a unicorn in the industry, a designer with boundless energy and ideas who is able to create distinctive and original designs but also sell clothes. Continue reading...

One woman managed to get back to shore after three washed into water near George Bass coastal walk south of Melbourne

People in poorer areas feel frustrated rubbish piles up during strikes, while wealthy households pay for removalIt's very frustrating that the posh areas get cleared and we're just left, very frustrating but we expect it," said Peter Thomas, outside his home in Ladywood, against a backdrop of overflowing bins.Across neighbouring postcodes in Birmingham, the gap between wealthy and deprived parts of the city has been noticeable for residents ever since the bin strikes began last month. Continue reading...

This week, Harvard University, the oldest and wealthiest in the US, defied Donald Trump a list of demands. The Trump administration responded by freezing $2.2bn in federal funding for the Ivy League school.This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Harvard professor Ryan Enos to consider why the university is pushing back, how far this fight may go and why other universities are watching closelyArchive: ABC News, Bloomberg News, CBS News, CNN, National Conservatism, NBC News, Scripp News Continue reading...

Study shows women today are happier being women - but getting up to go to work remains as punishing as everThe mundane tasks of everyday life, such as homework after school and household chores at the weekend, may not have changed in the past 80 years, but societal attitudes towards them could not be more different.A study by the Policy Institute at King's College London (KCL), comparing public attitudes now and in the 1930s and 40s, reveals how significantly views on everyday life in Britain have shifted over the decades. Continue reading...

Palestinians trying to access Christianity's holiest sites in the Old City of Jerusalem face restrictions and hostilityAs the bells rang out across the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the priests began to sing a deep, low prayer. Heads bowed over candles, and escorted by people bearing aloft large gold crosses, they made their way to a platform at the heart of the ancient square.The ceremony on Holy Thursday, in which the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem washes the feet of 12 monastic priests to commemorate the Last Supper, is one of many Easter rituals that have taken place in the Old City of Jerusalem for hundreds of years. For Christians, there is no holier place to commemorate Easter than here, the site where they believe Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected. Continue reading...

PM focuses on threat from across the border as most polls show his Liberals leading Pierre Poilievre's Conservative party in tight raceCanada's prime minister, Mark Carney, faced sustained attacks from his Conservative rival at an election debate on Thursday but the Liberal leader sought to focus attention on what he calls Canada's top threat: Donald Trump, the US president.Most opinion polls show Pierre Poilievre's Conservative party trailing Carney's Liberals ahead of the 28 April vote for Canada's federal government. Continue reading...

Death toll, if confirmed, would make strikes on Ras Isa port one of the deadliest in month-long US campaignUS airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels killed 33 people and wounded 80 others, Houthi-run media said early on Friday, which if confirmed would mark one of the deadliest days of a campaign launched under US President Trump that has involved hundreds of strikes since 15 March.The strikes hit the Ras Isa oil port and were intended to deprive the rebels of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years", the US military's Central Command said. Continue reading...

Woman's two sons in hospital with one in induced coma, as police say they strongly believe' kidnapping was targeted

Under new rules, per tonnage or per container fees will apply to each Chinese-linked ship's US voyageThe United States has unveiled new port fees on Chinese-built and operated ships in a bid to boost the domestic shipbuilding industry and curb China's dominance in the sector.The move - which stems from a probe launched under the prior administration - comes as the US and China are locked in a major trade war over President Donald Trump's tariffs and could further escalate tensions. Continue reading...

The FDA labs that test food to prevent illness have been affected by wider health and human services staff cutsThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is suspending a quality-control program for its food-testing laboratories as a result of staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to an internal email seen by Reuters.The proficiency testing program of the FDA's Food Emergency Response Network is designed to ensure consistency and accuracy across the agency's network of about 170 labs that test food for pathogens and contaminants to prevent food-borne illness. Continue reading...

Transport department claims decision to take over project will save taxpayers approximately $120m'The head of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that the Trump administration would be taking over the reconstruction of Penn Station in New York, removing it from the care of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).Alongside the transportation department, Amtrak - which is federally funded - will now helm the project. Continue reading...

Senior diplomats set to meet again in London next week after very productive' Paris summit to revive stalled effortsSenior US, European and Ukrainian diplomats will meet again in London next week, the Elysee Palace has said, after what a French official described as an excellent" day of talks in Paris aimed at reviving stalled ceasefire efforts.We have started a positive process in which Europeans are a part," the spokesperson said after the meetings attended by top British, French, German and Ukrainian officials as well as the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. Continue reading...

Activists had called for boycotting the company after it announced a roll back of diversity, equity and inclusion effortsOn Thursday morning, the Rev Al Sharpton met with Brian Cornell, the Target CEO, to discuss the fallout from the company's decision to walk back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts earlier this year. The meeting happened in New York at Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) headquarters, and also included the NAN national board chair Dr W Franklyn Richardson and the NAN senior adviser Carra Wallace.In January, activists in Minnesota called for a boycott of Target following the Minneapolis-based company's decision to eliminate their DEI initiatives. Though Sharpton, one of the most prominent civil-rights activists in the US, did not directly call for a Target boycott, he supported the efforts of others to boycott, and, prior to the meeting, indicated that he would be open to calling for such an action depending on how the meeting went. Continue reading...

One person seriously injured after accident at Monte Faito near NaplesFour people have died and one is seriously injured after a cable car crashed to the ground near Naples in southern Italy on Thursday.A cable broke on the link taking tourists from the town of Castellammare di Stabia, on the Gulf of Naples, to Monte Faito, about three kilometres(1.8 miles) away. Continue reading...

Streaming firm reported a $10.54bn revenue in first quarter, though analysts say consumers could reconsider spendingNetflix exceeded Wall Street expectations for quarterly results and offered a bullish revenue outlook on Thursday, signaling confidence amid the economic uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump's erratic tariff plans.Netflix reported revenue of $10.54bn for the first quarter, edging past analysts' estimates of $10.52bn, according to data compiled by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). Shares of the company were roughly flat in after-hours trading at $970.10. Continue reading...

Two people injured after man took control of plane at knifepoint before being shot by another passengerA US man has been shot dead after hijacking a small passenger plane and injuring two passengers in the Caribbean nation of Belize.Fourteen passengers were onboard the aircraft when the hijacker, identified as Akinyela Sawa Taylor, took control of the flight at knifepoint. Two passengers were injured, including one who was stabbed in the back. Continue reading...

US president says deal will happen but we are in no rush'; Trump and aide send mixed signals of progress on Ukraine minerals dealAs we await further updates from the talks taking place at the Elysee, let me bring you some other stories from around Europe.Meanwhile, Russia's top economic negotiator claimed that some countries were trying to derail" Moscow's talks with the United States, as the two sides work towards normalising ties. Continue reading...

Coroner calls for action to avoid future deaths after four killed by drivers with failing eyesight in northern EnglandAn inquest into the deaths of four people killed by drivers with failing eyesight in northern England has found enforcement of visual legal standards for motorists is ineffective and unsafe".The HM senior coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley, has sent a report to the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, calling for action to be taken to prevent future deaths. Continue reading...

Trump praises Italian PM and accepts invitation that could present chance to meet other European leadersGiorgia Meloni said Donald Trump had accepted her invitation for an official trip to Rome, as the pair met in Washington in an attempt by the Italian prime minister to bridge the gap between the EU and US amid trade tariff tensions.Meloni said Trump's trip could happen in the near future" and could present an opportunity for him to meet other European leaders. Continue reading...

Exclusive: backbenchers may be allowed to abstain, a major climbdown from previous votes when rebels were suspended from the partyMinisters are scrambling to avoid a damaging rebellion this summer when MPs vote on controversial cuts to disability benefit payments, even offering potential rebels the chance to miss the vote altogether.The government is due to hold a vote in June and dozens of Labour MPs are worried it will hurt their constituents and could cost them their seats. Continue reading...

Aix-Marseille University generates interest amid a US crackdown and calls for a scientific refugee' statusNearly 300 academics have applied to a French university's offer to take in US-based researchers rattled by the American government's crackdown on academia, as a former French president called for the creation of a scientific refugee" status for academics in peril.Earlier this year, France's Aix-Marseille University was among the first in Europe to respond to the funding freezes, cuts and executive orders unleashed on institutions across the US by Donald Trump's administration. Continue reading...

Moscow and Minsk ambassadors excluded over concerns they could exploit' event for anti-Ukraine propagandaThe ambassadors of Russia and Belarus will not be invited to the German parliament's commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war over concerns they could exploit" the event for anti-Ukraine propaganda.The ceremony in the Bundestag lower house on 8 May marking the allies' defeat of Nazi Germany will include several representatives of the diplomatic corps in Berlin but bar the envoys from Moscow and Minsk based on the government's assessment on the invitation of representatives", a parliament spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Most of 51 brands tested, including those for children, contained dangerous heavy metalToothpaste can be widely contaminated with lead and other dangerous heavy metals, new research shows.Most of 51 brands of toothpaste tested for lead contained the dangerous heavy metal, including those for children, or marketed as green. The testing, conducted by Lead Safe Mama, also found concerning levels of highly toxic arsenic, mercury and cadmium in many brands. Continue reading...

Deal will create third largest independent delivery business serving online retailers in BritainThe UK parcel delivery company Yodel has been snapped up by the Polish parcel locker firm InPost in a 106m deal that will create the third-largest independent delivery business serving online retailers in Britain.InPost, which placed its first locker in Krakow in 2009, said the takeover would combine its drop-off and collection network with Yodel's home delivery capabilities, seamlessly integrating out-of-home and to-door solutions" under a single brand. Continue reading...

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Liberal senator says voters in teal seats receiving aggressive push polling' calls, but company behind poll says it complied with guidelines

Russia remains a key arms supplier in South-east Asia, and Trump's unstable leadership is providing more opportunities to make inroadsA defence industry report claiming that Russia requested a permanent base for its warplanes in Indonesia's remote Papua region, right on Australia's northern doorstep, sent Canberra into a tailspin. But in Indonesia, it was the frenzy whipped up in Australia's tight election campaign that came as the real surprise.Foreign policy and defence experts are highly sceptical about the prospect that Jakarta would ever acquiesce to such a Russian request, and besides, it is hardly new. Moscow has sought permanent basing rights for its planes at Indonesia's Biak airfield in Papua for almost half a century - and not once has it won approval. Continue reading...

City authorities still hope the scheme, which made an unexpected 2.4m last year, will help tackle overtourismVenice's entrance fee will resume from Friday, with the main novelty this year being that last-minute day-trippers will pay double.Last year, as part of an experiment aimed at dissuading day visitors during busy periods, Venice became the first major tourist city in the world to charge people to enter. Continue reading...

Government seeks ways to shield industry from possible US levies amid concern over effect on medicine supplyMinisters are having an active conversation" with UK pharmaceutical firms about the potential impact of US tariffs, amid calls for an emergency taskforce to make sure the supply of medicines is not disrupted.The UK government has been trying to head off the threat of tariffs to the pharmaceuticals industry, which exports about 7bn of goods to the US - just behind the 8.3bn of car exports. Continue reading...

Israel Katz says blocking aid is one of the main pressure levers' on Hamas while military announces it has turned 30% of Gaza into buffer zoneIsrael has said it will keep blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, as it vowed to force Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages from the 7 October attacks.Aid supplies including food, fuel, water and medicine have been blocked by Israel from entering Gaza since 2 March, more than two weeks before the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group with a return to air and ground attacks on the territory. Continue reading...

A unambiguous decision by the supreme court helps MPs, MSPs and others dodge difficult questionsFor all the negative stereotypes, many politicians are thoughtful, diligent and caring. But they are also human, and it is their more self-serving instincts that may have caused some to breathe a sigh of relief at the supreme court ruling on gender recognition.After a challenge by the gender-critical group For Women Scotland - which started out as a dispute over Scottish government legislation about female representation on public boards - judges ruled that the terms woman" and sex" in the Equality Act refer to biological women and biological sex. Continue reading...

Officials discuss plan to exchange people who come to UK irregularly for some with family case for being in BritainThe British and French governments are involved in early talks about a returns agreement that would involve both countries exchanging people seeking asylum.Officials have discussed a pilot scheme under which a small number of people who come across the Channel to the UK by irregular means would be sent back to France. Continue reading...

Parents of Isaiah Haastrup and Zainab Abbasi, who died in 2018 and 2019, have said they want to tell their story'Doctors in two end-of-life cases can be named, the UK supreme court has ruled, after the parents of two children said they wanted to tell their story".Isaiah Haastrup, aged 12 months, and Zainab Abbasi, six, were at the centre of life-support treatment disputes at the high court in London before their deaths in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Continue reading...

Upheaval follows decision to shift timing of first debate over fears of clash with Montreal Canadiens ice hockey gameCanada's Green party has been removed from the country's two election debates amid accusations it would undermine the integrity" of the events, just hours before leaders square off in Montreal.The last-minute upheaval follows a decision to shift the timing of the first televised debate on Wednesday evening over fears the French language showdown would clash with a closely watched Montreal Canadiens ice hockey game. Continue reading...

Across Australia, home prices grew at slowest rate in two years and unit prices fell in March, Domain says

Coalition frontbencher walks back claim that Russian defence minister and Chinese leader had said publicly they did not want Peter Dutton as prime minister

Opposition leader and prime minister both dodge questions during ABC's leaders debate, but one still has a mountain to climb before the election

Lord forgive me. I am quite shameless', author playfully wrote in note weeks after horror novel published in 1897He had just unleashed one of the most famed gothic horror books on the world, a blood-curdling classic that chilled readers and has inspired countless authors, film-makers and video game developers ever since.But a rare note that Bram Stoker wrote just weeks after Dracula was published in 1897 gives a glimpse into the playful fun he must have had with the novel. Continue reading...