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French president marks 30th anniversary with video, airing Sunday, saying international community lacked will to stop the slaughterThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, has said France and its western and African allies could have stopped" Rwanda's 1994 genocide but did not have the will to halt the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis.In a video message to be published on Sunday to mark the 30th anniversary of the genocide, Macron will emphasise that when the phase of total extermination against the Tutsis began, the international community had the means to know and act", the presidency said on Thursday. Continue reading...

Services Australia's failure to act inexcusable' and urgent action needed to help people struggling to get by, senators say

British billionaire who heads family that owns Tottenham Hotspur fined $5m and given three-year probation by New York judgeThe British billionaire Joe Lewis was spared jail time for his part in a brazen" insider trading conspiracy on Thursday, and was instead fined $5m and given a three-year probation by a New York judge.The 87-year-old, who heads the family that owns Tottenham Hotspur, had faced as much as 45 years in prison if convicted at trial. But in a court filing on Monday, prosecutors said Lewis deserved leniency given his age, health issues and the fact that he had voluntarily come to the US to face punishment. Continue reading...

Maryam Eslamdoust claims GMB is using in-house agreement to block staff recruitmentOne of Labour's biggest union backers has been accused of employing bullyboy tactics" in an alleged attempt to take over a smaller rail union and seize control of its assets.Maryam Eslamdoust, the left-leaning general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), claims that the GMB union is using an in-house agreement to block staff recruitment and take control of the white-collar union to access its buildings. Continue reading...

Former MP has said Conservative minister Tom Tugendhat and peer Eric Pickles should be sacked

Education secretary Gillian Keegan will also squeeze funding for programmes to widen access to higher educationMinisters will cut funding for performing and creative arts courses at English universities next year, which sector leaders say will further damage the country's cultural industries.The cuts, outlined by the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, in guidance to the universities regulator, will also reduce funding for Uni-Connect, which runs programmes aimed at widening access to higher education for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to 20m, a third of its 2020-21 budget. Continue reading...

Post-Brexit charges of up to 145 may lead to a reduced range of goods available for consumersBritish small businesses have hit out at newly announced post-Brexit import fees coming in later this month, warning they could wipe out profits and make importing some products unfeasible.Trade bodies, retailers and small firms said that the new charges of up to 145 for each consignment could force them to limit the range of items they can offer, while others may have to push up their prices. Continue reading...

French president in favour of singer opening the Games amid racist backlash from far-right politiciansEmmanuel Macron has said the French pop superstar Aya Nakamura would be in her rightful place performing at an opening ceremony for the Olympic Games this summer, after suggestions that she could sing an Edith Piaf song sparked a racist backlash against the singer.Asked about Nakamura, who is the most listened to French-speaking artist in the world, Macron said it would be a good thing" if she performed at an opening or closing ceremony. Continue reading...

Chain signs up 1m new members and invests more than 90m in cutting pricesDespite record levels of shoplifting in its food stores, the Co-op increased profits in its grocery business last year as it signed up 1 million new members and invested more than 90m in cutting prices, including introducing special discounts for members.Profits rose 11% year on year to 154m despite a 6.4% fall in sales to 7.3bn, driven by the sale of the Co-op's petrol forecourt chain to Asda. Underlying sales rose 4.3%, excluding the impact of that deal, although that was still well behind the pace of grocery inflation. Continue reading...

World Central Kitchen calls on countries of workers who died to join its call, as Biden and Netanyahu expected to discuss attack

Conservative supporters of Israel want David Cameron to dial back criticism and accept defeat of Hamas is in UK's interestA legal assessment by the UK Foreign Office of whether Israel is in breach of international humanitarian law in Gaza risks being subsumed in a Conservative row over the party's loyalty to the country, and by rival judgments on the damage to British interests in the wider Middle East if the UK is not seen to distance itself from Israel's methods.Judging by the last Tory leadership contest, in which Liz Truss courted votes by promising to transfer the UK embassy to Jerusalem, there is a good chance Israel will feature in any leadership debate after a predicted general election defeat this year. Continue reading...

Former Foreign Office minister had suggested some in government were prepared to overlook human rights violationsMembers of the National Education Union have voted to delay moving to a formal strike ballot until they know the detail of the government's pay offer for 2024/5.Delegates attending the NEU's annual conference agreed the offer - when it comes - should be put to members in a snap poll and if rejected with a convincing turnout, move to a formal ballot for industrial action.After achieving an overwhelming majority vote in our recent indicative ballot, NEU conference committed to intensify its campaign to win a fully-funded, above-inflation pay rise and greater resources for schools and colleges.Education is on its knees, struggling to cope with a crisis never seen before in our sector. And the responsibility for this lies squarely at the door of secretary of state for education Gillian Keegan and 14 years of mismanagement and underinvestment by a government that does not care.The Greens claim their policies could lead to at least 150,000 extra council homes a year being built. In his speech, Ramsay said these would come from a mix of new-build, refurbishments and exisiting homes. This is one of several policies intended to increase the supply of affordable housing. In its press notice the party says:The policies the Green party would introduce to help councils increase the supply of affordable housing include:-Providing funding to councils to meet their needs for affordable social housing and lift the overly restrictive rules on council borrowing for housebuilding - ensuring at least an extra 150,000 council homes a year are made available through a mix of new build, refurbishment, conversions and buying up existing homesDenyer said the Greens were aiming for a record number of seats in the local elections. She said:We are aiming for a record number of seats in the city and to lead the next administration. We know there is a huge appetite for the bold progressive approach of the Greens here, like in so many other towns, cities and villages across the country.We go into these local elections with around 760 councillors on nearly 170 councils in both urban and rural settings and Greens being a governing party in 10% of all councils in England and Wales already.She claimed the Greens had more ambition" than any other party. She said:When times are hard we need more ambition, not less. We need to rise to the scale of the challenges we face and be clear that not doing that is a political choice. Leaving millions of children in poverty is a political choice. Letting our NHS fall into chaos is a political choice. And failing to commit to the green investment we need is a political choice.At the Green party, we're making a different political choice. We choose to listen to what people need. We choose to see the cost of living crisis for what it really is, a widening inequality crisis. And we choose to offer solutions to fix it.Denyer and Ramsay confirmed that the Greens are focusing on four seats in particular at the general election. They are Brighton Pavilion, where Sian Berry is the candidate, hoping to succeed Caroline Lucas; Bristol Central, where Denyer is the candidate; Waveney Valley, where Ramsay is the candidate; and North Herefordshire, where Ellie Chowns is the candidate. According to the YouGov MRP poll published yesterday, only Berry is on course to win. But Ramsay claimed he had a good chance because last year the Greens won control of Mid Suffolk district council (which roughly overlaps with the Waveney Valley constituency). He went on:The counsellors there have spent the last year delivering on their promises to secure investment in the local area, make the council's operations greener and improve local services. And their efforts are being recognised because the Green-majority council has recently won the council of the year award. Continue reading...

Four others were wounded in the attack at Kafue national park, in which the animal barreled into the side of a truckAn elderly US tourist was killed and four others hurt when an aggressive bull elephant charged and toppled their safari vehicle during a game drive in Zambia.The attack at Kafue national park, in which the large pachyderm ran from a wooded area and barreled into the side of the truck, was captured on video and posted to social media by ABC News. It identified the tourist as 79-year-old Gail Mattson of Minnesota. Continue reading...

Israel government says its report will be transparent' after seven people working for food charity killed in an Israeli air strike. This live blog is closed

Man provided information on Ria Pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk that was hit last June, killing 13

Spice Girl turned designer says she'll keep brand DNA as venture with Spanish high street chain disclosedVictoria Beckham is pivoting from high-end fashion to the high street. On Thursday, the retail chain Mango said it was collaborating with the Spice Girl turned designer on a collection of slip dresses, knitwear and accessories.The Spanish retailer described the new line, due to launch on 23 April, as a perfect blend of classic British luxury". Preview images show a model lounging by a pool wearing a white oversized blazer and matching, loose-fitting trousers. In another, a model emerges from the pool in a white, ruched halterneck dress. Continue reading...

Piran Ditta Khan convicted at Leeds crown court over officer's death during 2005 robbery in BradfordThe mastermind of an armed robbery in which police officer, Sharon Beshenivsky, was killed has been convicted of her murder after evading capture for 17 years.Piran Ditta Khan, now 75, fled to Pakistan two months after the fatal shooting in Bradford in November 2005. The former takeaway boss was tracked down and arrested in January 2020 before being extradited to the UK last year. Continue reading...

As their military exemption ends, tensions divide the country and threaten to topple Netanyahu's governmentMea Shearim is the heart of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, whose role bitterly divides the country and, some believe, may be the issue that ultimately brings down Benjamin Netanyahu's government.The special legal status of the ultra-Orthodox, the Haredim, that has endured as long as the state of Israel, came to an abrupt end on Monday following a supreme court decision that the group would no longer benefit from government subsidies and exemption from military service, as is mandatory for most other Jewish Israelis. It followed a series of delays by the government in presenting a proposal demanded by the court aimed at enhancing the military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men. Continue reading...

Allegations of up to 20 assassinations since 2020 follow Canada's accusation of Delhi role in murders of dissidentsThe Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil, according to Indian and Pakistani intelligence operatives who spoke to the Guardian.Interviews with intelligence officials in both countries, as well as documents shared by Pakistani investigators, shed new light on how India's foreign intelligence agency allegedly began to carry out assassinations abroad as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019. The agency, the Research & Analysis Wing (Raw), is directly controlled by the office of India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, who is running for a third term in office in elections later this month. Continue reading...

Aslef starts three days of rolling 24-hour strikes from Friday, with action by tube drivers on MondayPassengers are facing more travel disruption as some services on the national rail network and the London Underground will grind to a halt as the next wave of driver strikes gets under way.On Friday, Aslef members start three days of rolling 24-hour strikes across the rail network, affecting 16 rail operating companies as part of its 20-month dispute over pay. This will happen alongside a separate daylong strike by Aslef drivers on the London Underground on Monday 8 April. Continue reading...

Exclusive: a Guardian investigation finds that inmates who died of preventable conditions were deemed malingerers and time wasters'Jennifer Jasper-Thompson was shocked when she received a call from the New Jersey department of corrections (DOC). Her nephew Damien Jasper, who had been incarcerated at Northern state prison in Newark, was dead at just 32.His autopsy indicated that he had died from testicular cancer, considered one of the most treatable forms of cancer, even when caught in an advanced stage, with an overall five-year survival rate of 95%, according to the American Cancer Society. Continue reading...

Following Israeli airstrikes on World Central Kitchen workers, aid organizations in Gaza are demanding the Israeli military improve and adhere to security procedures to keep them safe. Plus: the Italian island giving away its goatsDon't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Joe Biden is expected to have his first call with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, since the airstrikes that killed seven members of a convoy of humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza. Biden has been critical of Israel in the aftermath of the strikes, saying the Israel-Hamas war has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed".How are aid organizations responding? Some suspended their operations in Gaza after the attack, and many are demanding the Israeli military improve and adhere to security procedures intended to keep their workers safe. The burden is on Israel to avoid harming us. We make ourselves visible when delivering aid so we protect our teams and the people in Gaza where we serve," said Bushra Khalid, Oxfam's policy adviser for the occupied Palestinian territories.How many aid workers have been killed since the start of this conflict on 7 October? About 200 humanitarian workers and about 100 journalists have been killed, making this war one of the deadliest conflicts on record for these groups. Continue reading...

New flavours and desire for more choice help stout consumption in UK increase by 23% between 2021 and 2022Stout, sometimes thought of as the drink of older men in pubs, is finding a diverse audience - and it's not just Guinness that's boosting sales.The beer, part of the ale family and usually a very dark colour, is attracting a range of consumers, including young women, drawn in by new flavours and lower alcohol options. Continue reading...

Deadly Israeli attack on aid staff has shaken confidence in the system, says Save the Children team leader

Researchers find that in low and middle-income countries owning spectacles can help people over 35 can increase their incomeOwning a pair of reading glasses might help people increase their earnings by a third, according to new research.The study, conducted in Bangladesh, is the first to examine the impact of having a decent pair of spectacles, and researchers found monthly median earnings among one group of people increased from $35.30 to $47.10 within eight months, a rise of 33.4%. Continue reading...

Australian Council for International Development head says intense coordination and negotiation' would have occurred prior to passage of workersThe Israeli military likely had advance notice of the names and nationalities of each of the aid workers killed by Israeli airstrikes while travelling in a three-car charity convoy in Gaza this week, according to humanitarian organisations.As Anthony Albanese toughened his language over the killing of the Australian citizen Lalzawmi Zomi" Frankcom, saying this is against humanitarian law", the aid sector stated the seven workers were there with the full awareness" of the Israeli military. Continue reading...

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula resigned amid accusations she solicited bribes when she was defence ministerSouth Africa's former parliamentary speaker has been arrested as part of a corruption inquiry in the latest scandal to hit the governing African National Congress (ANC) party before elections in May.Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who resigned as speaker on Wednesday, was formally detained after handing herself in to police near Pretoria, prosecutors said. Continue reading...

Alex Younger's claim that insufficient care is being paid to collateral risks comes as UK is urged to suspend arms sales to Israel

Nuffield Trust says system for treatment is obsolete' as number of patients in England awaiting assessment hits record highThe NHS is experiencing an avalanche of need" over autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the system in place to cope with surging demand for assessments and treatments is obsolete", a health thinktank has warned.There must be a radical rethink" of how people with the conditions are cared for in England if the health service is to meet the rapidly expanding need for services, according to the Nuffield Trust. Continue reading...

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This blog is now closed

Five years after scheme's launch, one victim's daughter describes how father died before receiving payoutCompensation payments for people affected by the Windrush scandal should be speeded up and increased, victims and campaigners have said.The Windrush compensation scheme was launched by the Home Office five years ago this week after widespread outrage over the scandal, in which thousands of British people were wrongly classed as illegal immigrants. Many were wrongfully deported and denied access to healthcare, housing and employment. Continue reading...

Humanitarian organisations working in Gaza say Israeli forces must stick to deconfliction procedures

New academic paper finds rail system drives urban changes similar to the process by which malignant tumours form'

Gantz says government must set a consensual date for September' while Netanyahu's popularity continues to decline amid the ongoing war in GazaIsraeli minister Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet and main rival of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has called for snap parliamentary elections in September, as pressure builds over the war in Gaza.We must set a consensual date for the month of September, or if you prefer for the first anniversary of the war," Gantz, said on Wednesday during a speech from his office in Israel's parliament. Continue reading...

Long waiting lists and insufficient resources part of system that is failing' children, according to NEU members in England and WalesOne in three teachers say they have no behaviour support team for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), while one in four have no educational psychologist or speech and language therapist to help them, according to a union survey.The online poll, which attracted responses from 8,000 members of the National Education Union (NEU), indicated that seven in eight teachers feel resources are insufficient to meet growing demand, with three-quarters calling for more learning support assistants in classrooms. Continue reading...

Travellers will have to wait another year for 100ml limit to be lifted after government extends deadline for new scannersHolidaymakers will continue to face limits on the amount of liquid they can carry on flights out of the UK this summer after the government extended the deadline for airports to install new security scanners by a year.The Department for Transport had previously set a target for the introduction of 3D scanners in all UK airports by 1 June, but this has now been extended by 12 months because some major airports will not be ready in time. Continue reading...

Judges have described the Waanyi writer's fourth novel Praiseworthy as a canon-crushing Australian novel for the ages'

Channel Ten presenter and producer could be called as witnesses in Liberal senator's defamation case against Higgins and fiance David Sharaz

Exclusive: YouGov survey indicates loss of support among people in Britain for Israel's war in GazaA majority of voters in Britain back a ban on arms sales to Israel, according to a YouGov poll.One of the first up-to-date assessments of whether Israel is losing public support in key allied states, the research also suggests most people believe the Israeli government is violating human rights in Gaza. Continue reading...

Exclusive: More than 600 prominent lawyers sign letter that calls for end to exports as a measure to prevent' genocideThree former supreme court justices, including the court's former president Lady Hale, are among more than 600 lawyers, academics and retired senior judges warning that the UK government is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel.In a letter to the prime minister, the signatories, who also include former court of appeal judges and more than 60 KCs, say that the present situation in Gaza is catastrophic" and that given the international court of justice (ICJ) finding that there is a plausible risk of genocide being committed, the UK is legally obliged to act to prevent it. Continue reading...

Prime minister says he held on to his US residency until 2021 only because he had not got around to revoking itRishi Sunak has insisted he does not want to move to the US and that he kept his green card for years only because returning it was not something I got round to".The prime minister said he had acted in accordance with all the rules" when in possession of a US green card, which he gave up only in 2021, while he was chancellor. Continue reading...

Regulator says energy firms planning payments for another 1,000 customers after reviewing 150,000 forced installationsOnly 1,500 people have been compensated by energy companies for the forced installation of prepayment meters over the past year, figures show.The regulator Ofgem said that initial information from gas and electricity suppliers show that 1,502 customers had received compensation totalling 342,450. Continue reading...

Founder of charity that lost seven people hits out at IDF as friendly governments decry drone attackIsrael is facing mounting international pressure to justify its conduct in the war in Gaza as the bodies of six foreign aid workers killed in a drone attack were repatriated to their families.Seven members of World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed when a drone repeatedly hit their convoy of three cars, which were clearly identified as belonging to the charity, after it left an aid warehouse in the central town of Deir al-Balah on Monday night. Continue reading...

Jonathan Kay and Mick Greenhough made derogatory remarks about Muslims and black people on social mediaReform UK has dropped two more parliamentary candidates after accusations they made racist comments on social media.Campaign group Hope Not Hate found tweets by candidates Jonathan Kay and Mick Greenhough in which they made derogatory comments about Muslims and black people. Continue reading...

Author's comments on Monday relating to trans women were posted as new hate crime law came into force in ScotlandComments by JK Rowling that described prominent transgender women activists as men" will not be recorded as a non-crime hate incident, Police Scotland has said.The Harry Potter author challenged police to arrest her in a series of posts on X on Monday as the Scottish government's contentious hate crime law came into force, which she described as wide open to abuse". She listed sex offenders who had described themselves as transgender alongside well-known trans women activists, describing them as men, every last one of them". Continue reading...

Justin Trudeau says allegations extremely troubling' after officers arrested First Nations men and confiscated their boots and phonesTwo First Nations fishermen have said they were forced to walk shoeless for hours in the dark and cold after Canadian federal officers seized their boots and phones.Prime minister Justin Trudeau said the allegations were extremely troubling" amid mounting anger over the treatment of the Mi'kmaw fishermen, whose ordeal has prompted comparisons with the notorious starlight tours" in which the police routinely abandoned Indigenous people in the bitter cold. Continue reading...

Searches being carried out in Rowdown Fields after discovery on Tuesday morningPolice have launched a murder investigation after human remains were discovered in a park in south London.The Metropolitan police consulted a forensic anthropologist, who confirmed that the remains were human and came from one victim. Continue reading...

Footage showing former president spent two nights apparently hiding from potential arrest at mission was leaked to mediaThe Hungarian embassy in Brasilia has reportedly fired two Brazilian employees after the leaking of security footage that revealed how Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro had spent two nights hiding" inside the mission.According to the network CNN Brasil, the sackings were punishment for the embarrassing leak to the New York Times which prompted a political outcry in Brazil and calls for Bolsonaro's arrest. Continue reading...

Organisers of Yorkshire's biggest LGBTQ+ festival cut ties over alleged racist comments' made by businessman about Diane AbbottThe health tech company owned by Conservative party donor Frank Hester has been dropped as a sponsor from Leeds Pride after his remarks about Diane Abbott were widely condemned as racist and misogynistic.Last month, the Guardian revealed that during a meeting in 2019 Hester had said Abbott, Britain's first black female MP, made you want to hate all black women" and that she should be shot". These comments are now the subject of an investigation by West Yorkshire police. Continue reading...