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Opposition leader repeats condemnation of dawn service interruptions but says if he wins election he won't display Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags at press conferences

Italian PM and pontiff could not have been further apart on issues such as migration, climate crisis and economyIt is an awkward weekend for Giorgia Meloni. The Italian leader will host a gathering of world leaders to say goodbye to a much-revered pope whose public views - from the treatment of people fleeing war to the climate crisis - were diametrically opposed to hers.While Pope Francis was a staunch advocate for asylum seekers, and blessed the vessels that saved refugees at sea, Meloni once said Italy should repatriate migrants back to their countries and then sink the boats that rescued them". Continue reading...

Rescuers on Kangaroo Island say they are overjoyed' after the dog walked into one of their traps

Move that opens door for companies to test self-driving technology on trucks over 10,001lb likely to face pushbackCalifornia regulators have released a new proposal to allow the testing of self-driving heavy-duty trucks on public roads.The state's department of motor vehicles announced proposed regulations on Friday to allow the testing of driverless trucks over 10,001lbs, opening the door for companies to test self-driving technology on vehicles roughly the size of a Ram or Ford super duty pickup truck. Continue reading...

Cheering crowd at 800-year-old cathedral enjoy Plague of Angels gig, which had been branded an outright insult'Protests at one of the most controversial concerts of the year failed to materialise on Friday evening, as a metal act performed to a cheering crowd of 1,400 people at York Minster.The 800-year-old cathedral hosted a gig by Plague of Angels, which some of its congregation called an outright insult" to their faith and said they would be protesting if the concert went ahead. Continue reading...

Michael Alexander Gloss, 21, who died on 4 April 2024, was the son of top-ranking US spy Juliane GallinaAn American man identified as the son of a deputy director of the CIA was killed in eastern Ukraine in 2024 while fighting under contract for the Russian military, according to an investigation by independent Russian media.Michael Alexander Gloss, 21, died on 4 April 2024 in Eastern Europe", according to an obituary published by his family. He was the son of Juliane Gallina, who was appointed the deputy director for digital innovation at the Central Intelligence Agency in February 2024. Continue reading...

Welfare fraud bill would allow funds to be taken from bank accounts and driving licences to be cancelled

Redolent of old great power thinking, Trump's Crimea giveaway could usher a return to international lawlessnessCrimea will stay with Russia," Donald Trump told Time magazine in a largely sympathetic profile on Friday. And with that statement, the US president made clear that he wanted to carve up another country, Ukraine, and so legitimise the forcible seizure of land made by Moscow 11 years ago.From reading the transcript of the interview, Trump's thinking is hardly coherent. Crimea, he says, wouldn't have been seized if he had been president in 2014, but it was handed to them by Barack Hussein Obama" and now Crimea has been with them [Russia] for a long time" - so it is time to accept the seizure. Continue reading...

Narendra Modi must weigh a response that balances domestic fury with strategic restraintIndia's furious response to the terrorist massacre of 26 men in a popular travel destination is being shaped by public rage at the deadliest civilian attack in Kashmir in a quarter-century.The brutality of the assault in one of Muslim-majority Kashmir's marquee tourist spots - and its national resonance - leaves Prime Minister Narendra Modi needing to signal strength, but without triggering uncontrolled escalation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, analysts say. Continue reading...

Anthony John Felton ambushed Richard Pyke with spanner over suspected sex with teacher he had affair withA headteacher who was caught on video attacking his deputy with a large adjustable spanner, in an assault motivated by overwhelming sexual jealousy", has been jailed for more than two years.Anthony John Felton, 54, concealed the wrench in his jacket pocket as he approached his colleague, Richard Pyke, 51, from behind. Video of the incident showed him taking out the heavy tool and then repeatedly swinging it at Pyke's head. Continue reading...

Former ministers warn that leader must not be pushed off course' as Conservatives expect disastrous local electionsSenior Conservatives have warned colleagues against bloody panic", urging them not to consider doing deals with Reform or removing Kemi Badenoch as leader, as the party braces for a disastrous set of local election results.Two former cabinet ministers warned against changing direction regardless of the result next Friday, with Andrew Mitchell saying talk of deals with Reform is misplaced" and John Glen arguing Badenoch must not be pushed off course". Continue reading...

US envoy and Russian leader hold planned meeting following the death of Lt Gen Yaroslav Moskalik in BalashikhaPjotr Sauer is a Russian affairs reporter for the GuardianA senior Russian military official was killed in a car explosion near Moscow on Friday, just hours before a Kremlin meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. Continue reading...

Russian official calls talks with Steve Witkoff quite useful' as investigation launched into suspected Ukrainian bombing

In a statement, the 86-year-old director of the critical and box-office flop said the book confirms his feeling that art can never be constrained'Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola's $120m passion project, was neither a box office nor a critical success on release last year. Largely funded by the sale of Coppola's own vineyards, the sci-fi epic starring Adam Driver took around $14m at the global box office amid unconvinced reviews and rumours of abnormal on-set behaviour by its director.A marketing campaign attempted to leverage bad critical notices by flagging that previous works by Coppola now acclaimed as masterpieces - including Apocalypse Now and The Godfather - had been dismissed by critics at the time. But this backfired after it emerged all of the sniffy historical reviews had been fabricated. Continue reading...

Paul Butler stabbed Claire Chick 23 times after she repeatedly reported to police he was stalking and harassing herA man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years for stabbing his estranged wife to death in Devon after she had made repeated allegations to police that he had been stalking and harassing her.Paul Butler, 53, stabbed Claire Chick 23 times outside her apartment block in Plymouth on 23 January. Continue reading...

Officer suspended after shooting 21-year-old man from behind in Oldenburg in north-west GermanyCivil rights activists in Germany have demanded an independent inquiry into alleged police racism after an officer shot a 21-year-old black man from behind, killing him after an altercation outside a nightclub.The 27-year-old officer was suspended from duty over the shooting early on Sunday morning in the city of Oldenburg in north-west Germany pending a murder investigation, said state prosecutors. Fatal police shootings are relatively rare in Germany and prosecutors were quoted in local media as saying the suspension and investigation were routine". Continue reading...

Exit comes after Joe Kasper was implicated as orchestrator of power grab that led to dismissal of three Pentagon officials

Fernando Collor, who led the country from 1990 to 1992, was sentenced in 2023 after being convicted for corruptionBrazil's former president, Fernando Collor, has been arrested early and ordered to begin serving a prison sentence stemming from his 2023 conviction for corruption.Collor was convicted of receiving 20m reais ($3.5m) to facilitate contracts between BR Distribuidora, a fuel distributor formerly controlled by the state-owned oil company Petrobras, and construction firm UTC Engenharia for the construction of fuel distribution bases. In return, he offered political support for the appointment of executives at BR Distribuidora when it was still state-owned. Continue reading...

Shocking blind spot' in data collection comes despite well-documented racial disparities in maternity care'The NHS is facing criticism for not recording the ethnicity of people who sue it over poor maternity care, despite black, Asian and minority ethnic women experiencing much greater harm during childbirth.Health experts, patient safety campaigners and lawyers claim racial disparities in maternity care are so stark that NHS bodies in England must start collating details of people who take legal action to help ensure services improve. Continue reading...

Korean retailers report strong sales for Light and Thread, featuring speeches, essays and poems by novelistA book featuring Han Kang's Nobel prize lecture sold 10,000 copies in its first day on sale online.Light and Thread, which takes its title from Han's December lecture, is her first book to be published in South Korea since she was announced as the winner of the Nobel prize in literature last October. Continue reading...

More than 150,000 mourners have queued for hours to pay respects to pontiff before coffin is sealed on Friday

Learning to discuss topics in which you differ is something people can get better at and can benefit relationshipsWhy can't the dirty plates go straight into the dishwasher? Whose turn is it to pick up the kids? And why do you insist on doing that thing you do when you know how much it annoys me? No honestly, don't worry, I'm fine.Perhaps - if you are part of a long-term couple - that kind of conversation sounds familiar. Or perhaps you are George and Amal Clooney and you never, ever argue. That, at least, was the actor's boast this week to a US morning show: in almost 12 years of marriage, he said, he and his lawyer wife have never had a single argument. We're trying to find something to argue about," he joked. Continue reading...

Shadow minister dismisses alliance with Nigel Farage's party and asks critics of Kemi Badenoch to give her a break'Robert Jenrick has ruled out a pact with Reform UK and has said he wants to send its leader, Nigel Farage, back to retirement" despite leaked comments suggesting he wanted to join forces with the rightwing party.The shadow justice secretary backed the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, urging critics to give her a break" and appeared to row back on remarks he reportedly made last month about Reform. Continue reading...

The revelation is the latest in a string of security breaches involving the defense secretary. Plus, Elon Musk's xAI accused of pollution over Memphis supercomputer

Tony Blair was warned about possible problems with the original Fujitsu deal before it was signed in 1999The Post Office has paid more than 600m of public money to continue using the bug-ridden Horizon IT system despite deciding it needed to be replaced more than a decade ago.It has emerged that the government was warned about potential problems with the original 548m deal the Post Office struck with the Japanese company Fujitsu before it was signed in 1999. Continue reading...

Countries trade blows across line of control in disputed Kashmir as tensions rise after deadly shootingTroops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire overnight across the line of control in disputed Kashmir, officials have said, after the UN urged the nuclear-armed rivals to show maximum restraint" after Tuesday's massacre of Indian tourists by Islamic militants.Relations have plunged to their lowest level in years, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism" after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century. Continue reading...

Lightning strikes hit two houses as parts of Sunshine Coast receive up to 240mm of rain overnight

Former British prime minister posts apparent criticism of US president over his plans for peace deal with RussiaBoris Johnson has issued stern criticism of Donald Trump's Ukraine peace proposals in one of his first apparent censures of the US president, saying under his terms the Ukrainians would get nothing".The former British prime minister, a strong supporter of Ukraine who remains close to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has previously said there is method in the madness" of Trump's approach and that he believed the US president could bring peace. Continue reading...

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Leeds crown court heard how Adrian Daniel, 33, died 10 days after he was hit by Akins, who was driving his seven-year-old daughter to a piano lesson in 2022The Mansfield Town forward Lucas Akins has been jailed for 14 months after causing the death of a cyclist he hit as he pulled out from a junction.Leeds crown court heard how Adrian Daniel, 33, died 10 days after he was hit by Akins, who was driving his seven-year-old daughter to a piano lesson in a Mercedes G-Wagon, near Huddersfield in March 2022. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese says disruption of ceremonies in Melbourne and Perth was act of low cowardice on a day when we honour courage and sacrifice'

Lib Dem move to ban practice is broadly welcomed, though some feel the party should focus on more important thingsDread" might not be the first word Mancunians reach for to describe their daily commute, but for Ross Kenyon, 45, reluctantly waiting at a tram stop on a cloudy morning in central Manchester, it's the feeling clawing at his body.Why? He hates the tram. So much so, he refuses to take it to work, preferring a half-hour walk to his office instead. He says the the buses are even worse. He avoids them completely. Continue reading...

Wealthy fans of Brideshead Revisited or Bridgerton may soon be able to stay at newly refurbished Castle HowardLaurence Olivier's elderly Lord Marchmain in Brideshead Revisited died in it and a pair of hot young newlywed aristocrats in Bridgerton made out in it.Now someone with deep pockets may be able to occupy that same 18th-century canopy bed at Castle Howard. In the morning they might take breakfast in a room with Canaletto paintings on the wall and Meissen plates on which to butter their toast. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former navy officer Grange Chung, candidate for the Sydney seat of Reid, uses images of himself in military uniform

Exclusive: EU Transparency Register shows law firms also among lobbyists working for fossil fuel companiesA handful of small but dirty" public affairs and law firms in Europe are enabling pollution by lobbying extensively for big oil, an analysis has found, with most major companies in the industry working for at least one fossil fuel client.Several of the top spenders on activities to influence EU policymaking are on the payroll of oil and gas companies, according to an analysis of the EU Transparency Register by the Good Lobby nonprofit, but fossil fuel clients represent just 1% of the industry's revenue. Continue reading...

Charity set to reduce its workforce by more than a fifth this year amid mounting financial pressuresScope expects to cut more than a fifth of its staff this year amid mounting financial pressures, with about a third of those affected to be disabled employees.The disability charity announced a consultation last week over plans to place 124 of its 326 corporate roles at risk of redundancy, a move likely to result in about 70 job losses in the summer. Continue reading...

Complaints about the book focus on cartoon sex scenes, one of which has been described by critics as pornographic' and paedophilic'

Small group booed and yelled at Bunurong elder Uncle Mark Brown's welcome and Victorian governor's acknowledgement of country

Police confirm 53-year-old was found unresponsive at the Silverwater Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre late Thursday

Two Bayeux scholars at loggerheads over whether dangling shape depicts dagger or the embroidery's 94th phallusIn a historical spat that could be subtitled 1066 with knobs on", two medieval experts are engaged in a battle over how many male genitalia are embroidered into the Bayeux tapestry.The Oxford professor George Garnett drew worldwide interest six years ago when he announced he had totted up 93 penises stitched into the embroidered account of the Norman conquest of England. Continue reading...

GfK index falls by four points in April to -23 as domestic tax increases and rising bills also weigh on householdsConsumer confidence in the UK has fallen to the lowest level for more than a year amid concern that Donald Trump's trade wars could further drive up living costs for British households.The latest barometer of sentiment from the data company GfK fell in April to its lowest level since November 2023, as a combination of domestic tax increases, rising bills, and worries over the US president's tariffs weighed on consumers. Continue reading...

Reckless cycling is currently prosecuted under legislation from the 1860s, with a maximum two-year jail sentenceCyclists who kill pedestrians by dangerous cycling could face life imprisonment in England and Wales under new amendments to the crime and policing bill.The offence of causing death by dangerous cycling would be brought into line with driving laws under amendments tabled on Thursday, the Department for Transport said. Continue reading...

Department for Education criticised over funding rise from 2.58 to 2.61 per child per meal in SeptemberPrimary schools in England will be forced to subsidise free school meals for infants from their own budgets after the government's pitiful" 3p increase in funding, according to school leaders.The Department for Education announced that its funding for universal infant free school meals would rise from 2.58 to 2.61 per child in September, with the 3p rise well below expected inflation and wage increases facing schools. Continue reading...

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Employees received text from EEOC on personal phones linking to survey asking if they are Jewish or IsraeliEmployees from Barnard Collegereceived text messages this week from the federally run Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on their personal phones linking to a voluntary survey asking recipients if they are Jewish or Israeli and whether they have been subjected to harassment or antisemitism.The text, which was reviewed by the Guardian, states that the civil rights agency is currently reviewing the employment practices at Barnard College" and invites current and former employees to complete the linked survey. It is not clear how many college employees received the survey, but it appears to have been sent to a sizable portion of the faculty and other staff. Continue reading...

Met Office forecasts peak of 22C on Sunday but cooler and more comfortable conditions as runners set offSunny skies are expected for runners crossing the finish line of the London Marathon on Sunday as forecasters anticipate the beginning of a warm and settled spell across much of the UK.The Met Office said temperatures in the capital were expected to peak at about 22C on race day. Early conditions are likely to be cooler and more comfortable for runners as they set off in the morning. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Thomas-Symonds says growth is top priority as Starmer talks to von der Leyen before May summit

Democrats including Schumer say Trump is using antisemitism as cover to defund schoolsFive Jewish Democratic senators have sent a strongly worded letter to Donald Trump condemning his administration's assault on universities" and questioning whether actions taken against higher education institutions are truly aimed at combating antisemitism.The letter - signed by Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader, and senators Jacky Rosen, Richard Blumenthal, Adam Schiff and Brian Schatz - accuses the administration of using a real crisis as a pretext to attack people and institutions who do not agree with you". Continue reading...

President sought to unilaterally add proof of citizenship requirement to voter registration formA federal judge on Thursday blocked Donald Trump's efforts to add a proof of citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form, a change that voting rights advocates warned would have disenfranchised millions of voters.The president sought to unilaterally add the requirement in a 25 March executive orders. The Democratic party, as well as a slew of civil rights groups, challenged that order, arguing the president does not have the power to set the rules for federal elections. Continue reading...

Speech made clear prime minister sees renewable energy as core to UK's future prosperity and national securityBritain will go all out" for a low-carbon future and accelerate the push to net zero instead of slowing down as some have demanded, the prime minister said on Thursday.In his strongest declaration yet of support for the net zero agenda, Sir Keir Starmer told a conference in London of more than 60 countries that tackling the climate crisis and bolstering energy security were in the DNA of my government". Continue reading...