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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...

Boy, 15, arrested after at least one child killed and three injured at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides school in NantesThe French prime minister, Francois Bayrou, has called for a crackdown on teenage knife crime after a high-school student stabbed four other children at his school, killing at least one and injuring the others before being arrested.The 15-year-old reportedly attacked fellow students with a knife during lunch break on Thursday at the private Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides secondary school in the city of Nantes on the Atlantic coast. The attack took place at around 12.30pm (11.30am BST), before teachers overpowered the boy. One female student was killed. At least one other student is in a critical condition in hospital. Continue reading...

Haaretz report comes as supreme court gives Israeli PM more time to respond to affidavit from fired Shin Bet chiefNew developments have come to light in the killing of 15 Palestinian medics and rescue workers by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip last month, with evidence reportedly contradicting the Israel Defense Forces' claim that soldiers did not fire indiscriminately at the medical workers.The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Wednesday that its analysis of the IDF's own materials collected as part of an internal investigation into the incident contradicted the army's claim that soldiers did not shoot indiscriminately at Palestinian ambulances and a fire engine in the early hours of 23 March. Continue reading...

The bar says it will ask the state supreme court to adjust scores after test-takers also faced platform crashesThe state bar of California has disclosed that some multiple-choice questions in a problem-plagued bar exam were developed with the aid of artificial intelligence.The legal licensing body said in a news release on Monday that it will ask the California supreme court to adjust test scores for those who took its February bar exam. Continue reading...

Maashorst council says print of Queen Beatrix from 1985 series Reigning Queens probably taken with the rubbishIn the hands of Andy Warhol, trash often became a work of art. So perhaps the pop culture icon would not be too upset to know that in the hands of one Dutch municipality, one of his artworks went the other way and was thrown out with the rubbish.Maashorst town hall on Thursday confessed that a rare silkscreen print by Warhol, who died in 1987, was among 46 valuable artworks that were most likely" taken away with the bins during extensive renovation work last year. Continue reading...

More than 60,000 people have viewed body of late pontiff since Wednesday morning, says VaticanThousands of mourners lined up for hours on a second day to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis's body, after St Peter's Basilica stayed open all night to cope with the huge crowds who had come to pay their final respects.The 16th-century basilica, where Francis's simple wooden coffin is placed on the main altar, was scheduled to close at midnight on Wednesday but remained open until 5.30am to allow in those who still wished to enter. After just 90 minutes of cleaning, it was reopened at 7am. Continue reading...

Party's education spokesperson says Farage's comments about doctors over-diagnosing children shows he wants to cut spendingJohn Swinney, the first minister of Scotland, is attending the funeral of the Pope on Saturday, the Scottish government has announced. In a statement Swinney said:His Holiness Pope Francis was a voice for peace, tolerance and reconciliation who had a natural ability to connect with people of all ages, nationalities and beliefs.On behalf of the people of Scotland, I am deeply honoured to attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome to express my sorrow, thanks and deep respect for the compassion, assurance and hope that he brought to so many.Eating the Tories for breakfast. @Keir_Starmer Continue reading...

Ukraine president returns to topic on visit to South Africa after Trump accused him of jeopardising peace deal

The executive told business summit that most people no longer want cinemas and we deliver the programme to you in a way you want to watch it'Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, has defended his company's reputation, saying the streamer is saving Hollywood" by securing an audience for content which would otherwise disappear.Speaking at the TIME100 summit in New York on Wednesday, Sarandos said Netflix was providing a much-needed service to those people - for instance in rural areas - who are keen to see films, but without the means of going to a cinema. Continue reading...

Nicola Packer, 44, was arrested at a London hospital after reporting a miscarriage in 2020, court toldA woman has gone on trial in London accused of illegally taking pills in order to induce an abortion during the second coronavirus lockdown.Nicola Packer, 44, was arrested in November 2020 after she went to hospital having miscarried a foetus, and later reported to staff that she had taken abortion medication. Continue reading...

University president says popular US singer was felt to have made antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments', after she made statements including long live the intifada'A performance by R&B star Kehlani at Cornell University in New York State has been cancelled, with the university's president saying the booking of the singer had injected division and discord" at Cornell, due to her making what were felt to be antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments".Kehlani was due to perform at Slope Day, an annual Cornell celebration marking the end of the academic year. But president Michael I Kotlikoff wrote in a public statement: In the days since Kehlani was announced, I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media. While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community, not dividing it." Continue reading...

Chadema spokesperson says party's vice-chair John Heche and secretary general John Mnyika held on way to protest over treason chargesTanzania's main opposition party said on Thursday at least two of its officials had been arrested on their way to a rally to support the leading government opponent Tundu Lissu, who refused to appear at a virtual court hearing to face a charge of treason.Authorities in the east African country have increasingly cracked down on the opposition Chadema party ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls in October. Continue reading...

Both sides say they have resolved to end conflict through peaceful means after frank' talks facilitated by QatarThe Democratic Republic of the Congo and a coalition of militias including the Rwanda-backed M23 have agreed to work toward a truce to end the fighting that has engulfed the eastern part of the country since January.In similarly worded statements released on Wednesday night, the government and Alliance Fleuve Congo (Congo River Alliance) said their representatives had held talks facilitated by Qatar and resolved to end the conflict through peaceful means. Continue reading...

David Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar running in memory of daughters and to raise money for charity and schoolThe fathers of two of the girls who were stabbed to death in the Southport attack will be running the London Marathon in memory of their daughters.David Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar said their daughters, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nice-year-old Alice Aguiar, would be with them in spirit as they run the 26-mile course on Sunday. Continue reading...

Coalition allies of Pedro Sanchez said the purchase of millions of bullets jeopardised country's efforts to hold Israel to account over war in GazaSpain has scrapped a 6.6m (5.7m) order for millions of bullets from an Israeli company after the junior partners in its coalition government denounced it as a flagrant breach" of the alliance agreement that jeopardised the country's sustained efforts to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza.The country's socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has been one of the most outspoken critics of Israel's conduct during the war in Gaza, questioning whether it is following international humanitarian law and calling the number of Palestinian deaths truly unbearable". Continue reading...

Several districts across city targeted in one of most devastating air attacks against Ukraine for months

The US musician was a major influence on post-punk and alt-rock scenes thanks to his spirited, chaotic styleDavid Thomas, who fronted the wild and free-thinking American rock band Pere Ubu, has died aged 71.A statement on Pere Ubu's Facebook page said that he died in his home town of Brighton & Hove, with his wife and youngest step-daughter by his side. MC5 were playing on the radio. He will ultimately be returned to his home, the farm in Pennsylvania, where he insisted he was to be thrown in the barn' ... We'll leave you with his own words, which sums up who he was better than we can: My name is David Fucking Thomas... and I'm the lead singer of the best fucking rock and roll band in the world.'" Continue reading...

Indian PM makes first speech amid increasing tensions with Pakistan after 26 men killed in contested Himalayan regionIndia's prime minister, Narendra Modi, has vowed to punish all those responsible for Tuesday's attack in Kashmir, pursuing them to the ends of the Earth".Twenty-six men were killed in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam, in the deadliest attack on civilians in the contested Muslim-majority territory since 2000. Continue reading...

Repeal the Teal and Better Australia are flooding pre-poll locations in NSW and Victoria, and include campaigners with links to the Jewish community

US president attacks Ukrainian counterpart, complaining Kyiv is unwilling to cede Crimea to Russia

Damp services expected in Melbourne and Brisbane, while Canberra and Perth in for chilly dawns

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Booming fintech company gives details of initiative to improve working culture as profits more than doubleRevolut has been tracking staff behaviour, granting or docking points on an internal Karma" system that is feeding into the UK bank's decisions on bonus payouts.The practice was detailed in Revolut's annual report, which showed that profits had more than doubled last year, jumping 148% to 1bn in 2024. That increase was due to a rise in subscriptions, and revenues from its wealth and crypto trading divisions. Continue reading...

Victims include fans rushing to buy tickets at well over face value, data collected by Lloyds Banking Group suggestsOasis fans have collectively lost more than 2m to scams since tickets for its reunion tour went on sale last year, a major bank has estimated.Lloyds Banking Group based the calculation on the volume of fraud reports made by its own customers. Oasis fans make up more than half (56%) of all reported concert ticket scams so far this year, according to Lloyds' data, losing 436 on average. Continue reading...

Groundbreaking project has produced some of the world's most comprehensive studies on vaccine efficacy and safetyThe largest ever global study into the safety of Covid-19 vaccines has been terminated just 13 months shy of completion, after becoming caught up in the Trump administration's sweeping funding cuts.The Global Vaccine Data Network, which was established in 2019 by the New Zealand-based vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris and the US-based vaccinologist Steven Black, has already produced some of the world's most comprehensive studies on vaccine efficacy and safety, based on data from more than 300 million people. Continue reading...

Brazil has been the world's leading coffee producer due to the forced labour of enslaved Africans and Afro-BraziliansJohn" was just days from turning 16 when he was allegedly recruited to work on a Brazilian coffee farm that supplies the global coffeehouse chain Starbucks.Soon after his birthday, he embarked on a 16-hour bus journey to the farm in the state of Minas Gerais - only to discover that none of what he had been promised would be fulfilled. Continue reading...

The government began to roll out its free breakfast club scheme this week as part of plans to help struggling families. But with predictions that child poverty could increase by the end of this parliament, how serious is Labour about tackling the problem? John Harris hears from a headteacher, and speaks to our political editor, Pippa Crerar Continue reading...

With local election punishment looming, Conservative stress bubbled over after Jenrick's remarks about FarageSome veteran Conservatives are so convinced that Robert Jenrick, the ambitious shadow justice secretary, is intent on striking an election pact with Reform UK that they have nicknamed him Nigel's chancellor".The joke, however, gets to the heart of what many of them fear most: that the Tory party is in such a parlous state that their only hope of survival will be to work with Nigel Farage to unite the right. Continue reading...

RNID survey finds half of sign language users did not understand diagnoses - some terminal - or how their treatment workedDeaf patients face systemic discrimination when it comes to learning about their own health due to NHS failings, with some not understanding that they might have a terminal illness, according to a damning report.The study by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) accuses the NHS of routinely failing" deaf people. Continue reading...

Opposition leader's comments suggest close to two-thirds of capital's public service roles - which include many key agencies - would be slashed

Taiwan to send former vice-president despite Vatican being one of country's few diplomatic allies

Is the US president exploiting popular resentment towards elite colleges to achieve his political goals? Ed Pilkington reportsHarvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday on the grounds that a recent $2bn (1.5bn) funding freeze was unlawful. It is the most significant act of resistance taken by a US college in response to Trump's crackdown on higher education.Ed Pilkington, chief reporter for Guardian US, explains to Michael Safi that capitulating to Trump's demands would have severely undermined Harvard's reputation, and that the administration was targeting it for being a bastion of liberal thought. Continue reading...

Belfast rappers criticised by US conservatives and Sharon Osbourne for the pro-Palestine and anti-Israel content of their setIrish-language rap group Kneecap have responded to criticism of statements they made about Israel during their Coachella performance on the weekend, saying that statements are not aggressive" in comparison to Israel's attacks on Gaza.During their second set at the Coachella music festival in California on 18 April, the rap group, known for their political performances and support of Palestine, led the crowd in chants of free, free Palestine". Messages displayed on the stage's screens during their set read: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people" and It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes." Another read: Fuck Israel. Free Palestine." Continue reading...