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Douglas Hilton says he will staunchly defend' scientists as opposition leader repeats incorrect claim that CSIRO report does not accurately represent cost of renewables

DWP figures reveal thousands of people a month are assessed as unable to work because of mental health problemsThousands of people in the UK are being deemed incapable of any work every month due to mental health problems, figures have shown.According to official data published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), at least 20,000 incapacity benefit claims are for mental health problems - making up more than two-thirds of the total. Continue reading...

James Bond star fined $500 and told to donate $1,000 to non-profit that supports park after stepping out of bounds in a thermal areaPierce Brosnan, whose fictitious movie character James Bond has been in hot water plenty of times, pleaded guilty Thursday to stepping off a trail in a thermal area during a November visit to Yellowstone national park.Brosnan, who called in to the court hearing, was fined $500 and ordered to make a $1,000 donation to Yellowstone Forever - a non-profit organization that supports the park - by 1 April, court records showed. Continue reading...

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Scottish Tory leader says all of Hester's donations should be reviewed after racist and misogynistic commentsRishi Sunak faces increasing pressure over donations from Frank Hester, whose comments about Diane Abbott have been condemned as racist and misogynistic, after it was reported he has given another 5m to the Conservatives.The additional money, not denied by the party or Downing Street, would take Hester's contributions to Tory party coffers in less than a year to 15m, almost as much as the Conservatives spent in the entire 2019 general election campaign. Continue reading...

Calls during Yemen briefing come as missile believed to have been launched by Houthis strikes a vessel off AdenThe US and UK have called for a UN maritime inspectorate to do more to prevent Iranian missiles reaching Houthi-controlled ports in the west of Yemen.The calls during a UN security council briefing on the crisis in Yemen came as a missile believed to have been launched by Yemen's Houthi militia struck a vessel off the southern city of Aden - but caused no damage - and US forces fired missiles on to Hodeidah international airport. Continue reading...

Community secretary's new definition of extremism attracts criticism in parliament, including from Tory former ministerMichael Gove is facing threats of legal action after naming Muslim organisations that could fall foul of a new definition of extremism.Amid free speech fears among Conservatives, the communities secretary told MPs that the advocacy groups Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), Mend and Cage were organisations with Islamist orientation and beliefs" that could be included on a list of groups banned from access to public money, ministers and civil servants. Continue reading...

Deputy leader also says she does not know why Abbott has not received an apology about racism she has faced within party

Dancehall star was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for the murder of an associateThe Jamaican musician Vybz Kartel's conviction for the murder of an associate more than a decade ago has been quashed, with a London court ruling that attempts to bribe the trial jury meant the conviction was unsafe.The dancehall star, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is one of Jamaica's most popular artists and has collaborated with performers such as Jay-Z and Rihanna. Continue reading...

One of UK-French supersonic planes, which stopped flying passengers in 2003, returns by barge to museum after restorationA Concorde jet has been floated down the Hudson River in New York after months of refurbishments.The retired British Airways plane was stored in the Intrepid Museum in Manhattan after supersonic flights came to an end in 2003 and it was taken away for restoration last August. Continue reading...

As a result of consultation with local people, visitors must make deliberate choice to see toppled statue of slave traderIt is undoubtedly the most well-known artefact in Bristol's waterside museum, but rather than being given a prominent position it has been tucked away in a modest case at the back of a first-floor gallery.Finding the right setting in M Shed for the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston, which was pulled from a plinth in the city and thrown into the harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, has been a delicate task. Continue reading...

Pallets with 50% more supplies than first boat, Open Arms, being loaded in Cyprus

If Beale Street Could Talk star says sadness at death of son Ian in January 2022 is a reminder of how much he means to me'Regina King is a different person" after her son's death by suicide, the actor and director said in her first interview about her son since his death.Grief is a journey," King told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts in a segment that aired on Thursday morning. I understand that grief is love, that it has no place to go. I know that it's important for me to honor Ian in the totality of who he is."In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Holyrood standards committee to examine findings of inquiry that upheld three complaints against ex-minister

Michael Gove has named five groups to be examined but some fear many more will ultimately be includedFar-right and Islamist groups are among those expected to be included in a list the government will publish in the coming weeks as part of a new definition of extremism.The communities minister, Michael Gove, named five groups to MPs on Thursday - three Muslim-led and two far-right - which he said would be examined under the new legislation. Continue reading...

Paris Club of creditor nations agrees $2bn cancellation as Mogadishu moves towards financial normalisation amid ongoing conflictThe Paris Club, a collection of some of the world's wealthiest creditor nations, has announced the cancellation of 99% of Somalia's debt, in a major boost as the country continues its fragile economic recovery from an ongoing three-decade conflict.The announcement came after officials from Somalia's finance ministry held meetings with creditor countries organised by the Paris Club, which is run by senior officials from the French Treasury. Continue reading...

US Senate majority leader says that Israel has lost its way in its war in GazaLebanon's National News Agency reports Israeli planes have overflown Jezzine in southern Lebanon. There are unconfirmed images circulating social media appearing to show airstrikes have been carried out. Israel and anti-Israeli forces in Lebanon have repeatedly exchanged fire since 7 October.The aid ship from Cyprus expected to arrive on Gaza's shores is only a drop in the ocean" of what is needed to address the acute crisis in the territory, the International Rescue Committee's lead on the crisis said late yesterday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Names, photos and migration status being mixed up, preventing people applying for jobs and housing Their system is broken': the people caught up in IT chaosMajor flaws in a huge Home Office database of migrants has resulted in more than 76,000 people being listed with incorrect names, photographs or immigration status.Leaked internal documents reveal the scale of the database fiasco at the Home Office, which has recently been criticised for delays in immigration application processing, long queues at borders and the distribution of incorrect identity cards. Continue reading...

Judge says evidence for his conclusion that Craig Wright did not create bitcoin is overwhelming'Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin, is not the Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, a high court judge has ruled, ending a fractious two-month trial in London.In a highly unusual decision, the presiding judge, Mr Justice Mellor, issued the verdict within seconds of the case concluding, promising to issue a fairly lengthy written judgment" in due course. Continue reading...

Designer was responsible for classic luxury sports cars such as Lamborghini Countach, Alfa Romeo Carabo and Lancia StratosMarcello Gandini, the Italian car designer who pioneered the use of scissor doors" in luxury sports cars and drew the sleek outlines of several eye-catching designs for manufacturers including Lamborghini, has died aged 85.Gandini, whose designs for fast and furious machines like the Alfa Romeo Carabo, the Lancia Stratos, or the Lamborghini Countach and Miura adorned millions of teenage bedroom walls, died suddenly in the Rivoli municipality of Turin on Monday, Italian state broadcaster Rai said. Continue reading...

Officials could put forward proposal before meeting of prime ministers in Brussels next week

Trial date set for November as prosecutors reject teenager's plea over stabbing of 15-year-old last SeptemberA teenage boy has admitted to killing 15-year-old schoolgirl Elianne Andam in Croydon during the morning rush hour last year but denied murdering her.Elianne was stabbed at a bus stop outside Whitgift shopping centre on Wellesley Road in Croydon on 27 September at about 8.30am. Continue reading...

Group on outskirts of Geneina share stories from November when RSF and allied militias unleashed wave of sexual violenceTwice a week, a group of women gather together in a nondescript house in Ardamata, on the outskirts of Geneina in Sudan's West Darfur state, to tell their stories to each other, cry, and drink coffee.The women, who work or used to work in education, are all survivors of an ethnically targeted campaign of rape and sexual abuse carried out by fighters from Arab militias backed by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group on 5 November, after the fall of the army garrison in Ardamata. Continue reading...

New map based on electoral roll not actual populations, meaning some MPs will be supporting 50% more people than others

Wooden villa in Jatiluwih hit by landslide after heavy rain the previous night, official saysTwo tourists, including an Australian woman, have been killed on the Indonesian resort island of Bali after heavy rain triggered a landslide that swept away their villa, an official said on Thursday.Large areas of the archipelago of 17,000 islands are prone to flooding and landslides during the wet season which starts around November. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Charities say Home Office should allow 56 days after near 1,000% rise in rough sleeping among accommodation leaversLeading homelessness and refugee charities have called on the government to double the number of days that newly recognised refugees are given to find a home before being evicted from asylum hotels, after a near 1,000% rise in rough sleeping among Home Office accommodation leavers since July.In a letter addressed to James Cleverly, 16 homelessness and refugee charities - including St Mungo's, Shelter and the Refugee Council - called on the home secretary to increase the number of days refugees granted leave to remain in the UK are given to move out of Home Office accommodation from 28 to at least 56 days. Continue reading...

Package of loans and grants to help can get this industry off the ground', resources minister says

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Concerns raised over election's integrity as Redland city council campaign draws state's largest number of complaints

Newly released documents also reveal worries that reducing troop levels in Iraq would squander the benefits' to US-Australia alliance

Library says decision to defer workshops not based on political beliefs or identity of anyone involved'

Facebook owner repeats its opposition to news media bargaining code and claims just 3% of content in feeds is news-related

Proposal under consideration aims to ease traffic congestion and speed up housing development

Jie Shao has been found guilty over the death of Jean Huang, who died after undergoing a procedure not approved in Australia

Man claiming to be a prophet arrested along with seven aides for criminal activities which include abuse of minors'Zimbabwe police have said they arrested a man claiming to be a prophet of an apostolic sect at a compound where more than 250 children were allegedly being used as cheap labour, and where authorities found 16 unregistered graves.In a statement, police spokesperson Paul Nyathi alleged Ishmael Chokurongerwa, 56, a self-styled" prophet, led a sect with more than 1,000 members at a farm about 34km (21 miles) north-west of the capital, Harare, where the children were staying alongside other believers. Continue reading...

Group's annual report notes rise in anti-migrant activism and asks if Tory voters are falling out of love with democracy'British voters are restless, angry and demoralised and more than half of them are pessimistic about the future, according to polling that a counter-extremism organisation has said shows warning signs of future unrest.More than one in four respondents (43%) described the UK as declining", just 6% agreed that the political system was working well and 79% said politicians don't listen to people like me". Continue reading...

New extremism definition to be published by Michael Gove is already being challenged by Muslim groups and expertsMinisters and civil servants will be banned from talking to or funding organisations that undermine the UK's system of liberal parliamentary democracy", under a new definition of extremism criticised by the government's terror watchdog and Muslim community groups.Michael Gove, the communities secretary, will tell MPs on Thursday that officials should consider whether a group maintains public confidence in government" before working with it. Continue reading...

Train maker Alstom plans fast service skirting Birmingham as Ryan Reynolds' football club takeover reaps in ever more benefitsDirect trains could next year connect Wrexham to London, with a new service capitalising on the town's Hollywood-meets-football mini-boom.The train manufacturer Alstom is bidding to set up the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway with a promise of cheaper, more comfortable trains straight to London. Continue reading...

Charity says findings from schools in England show need for early intervention and fewer exclusionsChildren who are suspended from school in England even for short periods see their GCSE results suffer, according to research that highlights the need for early interventions to reduce suspensions.Pupils who had been suspended were found to be lagging a year behind their peers and on average were unable to achieve a standard pass in GCSE maths and English. Continue reading...

Project finds police recorded 93 suspected domestic abuse-related suicides in a year - one every four daysCampaigners for women's rights in the UK are calling for more mental health support for domestic abuse victims after police recorded 93 suspected abuse-related suicides in a year.A report found 242 domestic abuse-related deaths were recorded between April 2022 and March 2023, of which 93 were suspected suicides, 80 were intimate partner homicides, 31 were adult family homicides, 23 were unexpected deaths, 11 were child deaths, and four others were deaths involving individuals living together who were not family members or intimate partners. Continue reading...

Where Spanish-flagged vessel Open Arms will dock, and how supplies will be distributed, is still unclearA ship carrying aid is nearing Gaza about 48 hours after it left Cyprus, with further aid preparations being made aboard a second much bigger" vessel. It came as the EU foreign policy chief said starvation was being used as a weapon of war.After the 240-mile voyage, the ship will dock at a jetty being built by the World Central Kitchen (WCK), the organisation that will distribute the aid.Guardian Newsroom: The unfolding crisis in the Middle East On Wednesday 20 March, 7-8.15pm GMT, join Devika Bhat, Peter Beaumont and Ghaith Abdul-Ahad as they discuss the fast developing crisis in the Middle East. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live Continue reading...

Starmer will set out new strategy for culture after analysis found 40% of recent British awards nominees were privately educatedKeir Starmer will pledge to make the arts more accessible to young people from all backgrounds in a speech stressing the economic contribution of the creative industries - and arguing it could be even greater with improved access.Speaking in London, days after a Labour analysis showed that almost half of all British cultural stars nominated for leading awards in the last decade were educated at private school, Starmer will set out an access to the arts" plan.Guardian Newsroom: What is Labour's plan? On Tuesday 16 April, 8pm-9.15pm BST, join Gaby Hinsliff, Tom Baldwin, Polly Toynbee and Kiran Stacey as they discuss the ideas and the events that might shape Labour in power. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live Continue reading...

MP says abusive words of Tory donor Frank Hester did not surprise her and that Tories have run out of options

IDF fired two rounds at clearly identifiable journalists' in Lebanon last year when there was no exchange of fire in areaAn Israeli tank that killed a Reuters journalist and wounded six others in Lebanon last year fired two 120mm rounds at a group of clearly identifiable journalists" in violation of international law, a UN investigation has found.The investigation by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), summarized in a report seen by Reuters, said its personnel did not record any exchange of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon for more than 40 minutes before the tank opened fire, killing Issam Abdallah, a 37-year-old video journalist. Continue reading...

Plan for transitional council to rule after prime minister's resignation brings strong sense of deja vuScenes of unrest in Haiti, as Ariel Henry announced his resignation as prime minister amid a violent gang uprising, have brought a strong sense of deja vu.An international proposal for a transitional council to rule the country appeared to be crumbling on Wednesday. But those jostling for influence are familiar figures associated with political parties, coalitions, and the tiny oligarchic business elite that have been key players in the country's long-running crisis of political legitimacy. Continue reading...

Christina Robinson tells court she punished her son hours before he died, saying she was following the teachings of the BibleA mother who denies murdering her three-year-old son has admitted hitting him with a garden cane hours before he collapsed and died, saying she was following the teachings of the Bible.Christina Robinson, who is a follower of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, had been watching a YouTube video which quoted scripture promoting the rod for correction. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Allegations of bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation' being examined, official figures showThe Ministry of Defence is facing fresh claims of harbouring a toxic culture as figures reveal that nearly 100 allegations by civil servants of bullying and harassment are being investigated. Eleven claims were made in the first month of 2024 alone.According to official government figures, 99 open cases of bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation" are currently being examined by ministry officials led by the defence secretary, Grant Shapps. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Granddaughter say she feels physically sick' after being given news by policeA bereaved woman has said she feels physically sick" after learning that her grandmother's body is believed to have been found along with the remains of 34 other people at a Hull funeral home at the centre of a police investigation.The woman said her grandmother was supposed to have been cremated three months ago but she had been told by police last week that what were suspected to be her remains had been recovered along with a name tag at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull. Continue reading...

Victoire Ingabire, who was pardoned for terrorism and genocide denial offences, denounces court's clearly politicised' rulingA Rwandan court has found the opposition leader and dissident Victoire Ingabire ineligible to run in the July presidential election because of previous convictions for terrorism and genocide denial.A fierce critic of Rwanda's long-ruling president, Paul Kagame, Ingabire spent eight years in prison before receiving a presidential pardon in 2018 that cut short her 15-year sentence. Continue reading...

Father calls on judge to block medically assisted death in case that highlights limits on family members' ability to interveneA Canadian man has called on a judge to block his 27-year-old daughter's medically assisted death, arguing she lacks the ability to fully consent to the procedure in a case that highlights the limits on family members' ability to intervene when a person has decided to die.The Alberta woman - known as MV due to a publication ban - was set to die on 1 February after receiving approval from two doctors. But her father, WV, successfully applied for an injunction, arguing that she has an undiagnosed mental illness that prevents her from fully consenting to the procedure. Continue reading...