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Comedy duo will take the stage together in the West End for the first time in 17 years in Cinderella alongside Julian ClaryDawn French and Jennifer Saunders are to return to the stage together for the first time in 17 years to play the Ugly Sisters in the London Palladium pantomime.It won't be pretty," the popular duo predicted in an announcement on Tuesday. We have wished to play the Ugly Sisters for so many years, it feels this is the fulfilment of a dream - a dream our hearts made." Continue reading...

Park police chief says officer was ambushed' by two gunmen who fired as officer drove in unmarked vehicleA US park police officer was seriously wounded Monday evening in a shooting in Washington DC in what the park police chief called an ambush.Park police chief Scott Brecht said in a press briefing that the unidentified officer was ambushed" by two gunmen who fired at the officer as he drove by in an unmarked vehicle. The officer was working on a park police investigation when he was shot. The chief declined to give specifics of the investigation. Continue reading...

Diplomatic sources say negotiations in Islamabad may begin next week, though no formal agreement is in place

Experts say brutal temperatures in west threaten to melt sparse snowpack - and warn hot, dry conditions here to stayA stunning heatwave that shattered records in the US west is threatening to rapidly melt the sparse snowpack and ramp up wildfire risks in the seasons ahead.March has already been historically hot, but the early onset of summer weather across the region may be here to stay. There's little reprieve in forecasts, which show more heat records may fall this spring. Continue reading...

National peak body will work with community-controlled organisations to address rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls

Leon Botstein's communications and relationship with Epstein under review by WilmerHale law firm, while Bard president says he never witnessed anything inappropriateA victim of Jeffrey Epstein who had previous interactions with Leon Botstein said she believed the Bard College president, whose relationship with the late sex offender is currently under review, was part of a group of influential and accomplished men whose proximity to Epstein helped to rehabilitate his reputation.Svetlana Pozhidaeva, a former Russian model who worked as a staffer" for Epstein, told the Guardian in an interview that she saw Botstein with Epstein together quite frequently" - including having flown with him on a trip to Epstein's island in December 2012 - and that she believed his reputation as a sophisticated intellectual" helped legitimize" Epstein. Continue reading...

Prescription fees to be capped at 21 and practices must publish price lists, watchdog says

The Australian Institute of Architects' judges sought to highlight a gentler approach to urban transformation,' chair of the awards steering committee says

David Pocock says a flat 25% export levy on gas producers could redirect wartime profits' to struggling Australians

Dayton Webber, 27, accused over shooting death of Bradrick Wells in Maryland, reportedly after argument inside carA Maryland man who made history as the first quadruple amputee to compete in the professional televised American Cornhole League has been arrested on suspicion of shooting and killing a passenger in his car during an argument.Dayton Webber - who became a champion cornhole player after losing his limbs and nearly dying from a bacterial infection in his infancy - faces murder charges in connection with the death of Bradrick Wells, authorities said on Monday. Continue reading...

Chris Bowen says move aimed at accessing fuel imports from markets with lower burning temperatures, including the US, Canada and Europe

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Vehicle numbers on key Sydney and Melbourne roads hold steady, as calls grow for free or cheaper public transport to encourage people to drive less

In today's newsletter: Our diplomatic editor on how global instability feeds into conflict in so many parts of the world, and whether the threshold for a major global war has been metGood morning. The world is at war. From the trenches of eastern Ukraine to the missile-streaked skies of the Gulf, a growing proportion of humanity is living under the horror of conflict. For some observers, there are gnawing fears that the worst is yet to come. The apparent collapse of the rules-based international order, the irrelevance of institutions designed to uphold it, and the interconnectedness of the fighting have sparked warnings that we could be at the beginning of a third world war. Indeed, half of Britons polled in a recent YouGov survey thought world war three was likely in the next five to 10 years.On Monday, Donald Trump stepped back from deepening the US and Israel's war with Iran, announcing that he would postpone military strikes on Iranian power plants for a five-day period after very good and productive conversations" about the end to the fighting. Iran denied this version of events, claiming Trump had been scared off by their threats of attacks on water infrastructure in the Gulf. But, despite calmer stock markets and a sharp drop in the oil price, there is little sign that the fighting is near an end.Middle East | The Israeli military said it had launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran, after Donald Trump signalled a pause in US attacks against energy infrastructure after what he said were productive talks with Iran.UK Politics | Ministers are looking at providing support for household bills next winter, Keir Starmer said, as he suggested the energy price shock unleashed by the Iran conflict could continue for months to come.London | Security agencies are investigating whether a group linked to Iran is behind an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in north London.Climate crisis | More countries will face critical food insecurity if world heats up by 2C, analysis shows.New York | The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet have been killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport. Continue reading...

US president extends deadline over strait of Hormuz and speculates deal could soon be done to end war

The Last Princesses of Punjab opens on Thursday at Kensington PalaceThe extraordinary life of an exiled Punjabi princess, embraced by the British royal court and a goddaughter of Queen Victoria, but who would become a pioneering suffragette and challenge the very authority of the elite social circles in which she moved, is to be told in a new exhibition.Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was the daughter of Duleep Singh, the last Sikh maharajah of the Punjab. As a child he was forced to surrender his lands to the East India Company in 1849, and sign away the famous Koh-i-noor diamond, now a potent symbol of colonial exploitation and set in the crown of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Continue reading...

As Iran war threatens to exacerbate living costs, children's beds have become like a luxury item', says Barnardo'sMr Motivator is lobbying the government to tackle the number of children in the UK who have no bed of their own as Barnardo's reveals demand for furniture from struggling families has surged by 40% in the last year.The children's charity said beds had becomelike a luxury item" as the war in Iran threatens to exacerbate cost of living pressures. Continue reading...

Charles county sheriff's office alleges Dayton James Webber fatally shot passenger in car during argumentA sheriff's office in Maryland has alleged a professional cornhole player, who is also a quadruple amputee, fatally shot a passenger in a car he was driving during an argument.Dayton James Webber, 27, was arrested and charged as a fugitive from justice by police in Albemarle county, Virginia, the Charles county sheriff's office said in a statement. Continue reading...

Union leaders say Tuesday's protest in Melbourne's CBD was among state's biggest' in years

Shipments to Russian smelters from Aughinish Alumina have increased sharply since the invasion of UkraineA leading Irish metals refinery is part of an international aluminium supply chain that appears to conclude with shipments to arms producers feeding the Kremlin's war machine in Ukraine, leaked records and public data suggests.Trading records show that shipments to Russian smelters from Aughinish Alumina, which is located on the Shannon estuary in the west of Ireland and has been owned by the Russian aluminium group Rusal since 2006, have increased sharply since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Continue reading...

Ukraine president vows to respond to move that would draw Belarus more directly into the war; EU anger at Hungary over Russia information sharing. What we know on day 1,490 Continue reading...

This blog is closed. Follow our new liveblog here.British prime minister Keir Starmer is set to chair an emergency meeting on the economic fallout from the war in Iran on Monday, with chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey also attending, the UK government has said.Financial markets face another turbulent week after Iran said it would strike its Gulf neighbours' energy and water systems if Donald Trump followed through on his threat to obliterate" Iran's power plants if it doesn't fully open up the crucial strait of Hormuz.Topics expected to be covered are the economic impact of the crisis on families and businesses, energy security and the resilience of industry and supply chains alongside the international response. Continue reading...

Policy begins on 1 April and is aimed to ease financial pressure as the price of fuel surges due to conflict in the Middle EastNearly 150,000 New Zealand families will soon receive a weekly cash payment to help them afford petrol, the government has announced, in what is believed to be the world's first fuel relief package that directly pays citizens since the Iran war began.On Tuesday, prime minister Christopher Luxon and finance minister Nicola Willis announced roughly 143,000 families with children will get an extra NZ$50 ($29.20; 21.80) a week through a boost to the in-work tax credit - a payment to families with dependent children where at least one parent is in paid employment and neither parent receives benefits. Another 14,000 families on slightly higher incomes will also be eligible for payments, but will receive less than $50 per week. Continue reading...

Australian manufacturers can call their wares parmesan and kransky, but terms like feta, romano and gruyere will eventually be phased out

Watchdog also fines PhotobookShop for editing a paid review from an influencer who had described process as fiddly'

Exclusive: Pacific island's new leader Lord Fakafnua discusses exciting' US partnership as critics fear impacts of seabed explorationThe recently elected leader of Tonga has described a deal to partner with the US on deep-sea mineral exploration as an exciting development" amid concern in the small Pacific nation over the practice of seabed mining and the potential environmental impact.Tonga is located in the South Pacific Ocean, a region attracting growing interest over whether critical minerals buried in the seabed could be extracted to help power industries and green technologies. Continue reading...

In incident filmed by security cameras in Rio de Janeiro, group of attackers beat animal with sticks and iron barsPolice in Rio de Janeiro have arrested eight people for brutally beating a capybara - the world's largest rodent.Resembling a giant guinea pig, the light brown capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is often seen roaming the Brazilian city, particularly near streams and lagoons. Continue reading...

Transport plane carrying 125 soldiers and crew crashes shortly after takeoff in southern Amazon regionAt least 34 people were killed when a Colombian Air Force plane carrying 125 people crashed just after takeoff in the south of the country, authorities said.The defence minister, Pedro Sanchez, said the accident happened as the Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 plane was taking off from Puerto Leguizamo, deep in Colombia's southern Amazon region, on the border with Peru, as it transported troops from the armed forces. Continue reading...

From a shop owner in India to a community worker in New South Wales, rising fuel prices are forcing people to ration oil usage

People evacuated on Oahu and Maui as rains lifted houses and cars, swept through stores and left streets mud-clogged

President claims immigration agents could help manage long lines as TSA agents go unpaid during partial shutdown

Demonstrations to be held across the US against ICE's reign of terror' with flagship event in Minnesota's Twin CitiesMillions of people are expected to protest the Trump administration at more than 3,000 No Kings events in cities and small towns across the country on Saturday. Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the groups coordinating No Kings, said he expected it to be the biggest protest in American history".This will be the third No Kings protest since Trump was re-elected. A flagship event will be held in Minnesota's Twin Cities - Minneapolis and St Paul - after residents stood up to the surge of federal immigration agents the Trump administration sent into the region earlier this year. In January, agents killed two residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were observing Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities. Continue reading...

Donna Motsinger alleges she was drugged and raped by Cosby in 1972 after he gave her a glass of wine in his limo

Officials say bomb squad called to Fort Washington Park, which has been closed by National Park Service

New online accounts on Polymarket platform betting a total of $70,000 suggest some degree of inside info'Several accounts on the online platform Polymarket laid bets on a US-Iran ceasefire over the weekend that appeared to show signs of insider knowledge, according to experts.Eight accounts, all newly created around 21 March, bet a total of nearly $70,000 (52,000) on there being a ceasefire. They stand to make nearly $820,000 if such a deal is reached before 31 March. Continue reading...

Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf at first dismissed talks took place, insisting Trump's claim was fake news' designed to soothe markets

Trump administration announces deal with TotalEnergies to redirect investment in wind to oil and gas insteadAs a fuel crisis triggered by the war in Iran drives up global fossil fuel prices, the Trump administration has announced it will pay French energy major TotalEnergies $1bn to kill plans to construct wind farms off the US east coast.The deal is the latest blow to the US offshore wind industry, which has faced repeated disruptions to multi-billion-dollar projects under Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Met police say authenticating claim of responsibility by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia is priority'

CCTV showed three people setting light to an ambulance in Golders Green in the early hours of Monday morning

European shares start to rise after US president says talks have been very good and productive'

Company will assess whether drop to 186mph from 224mph will save money and help bring forward launchMinisters have told High Speed Two to consider running its trains at lower speeds, in an attempt to rein in the spiralling budget and begin operations as soon as possible.HS2 Ltd will assess whether limiting the speed to 186mph (300km/h) instead of 224mph could save money - potentially billions of pounds - and bring the railway into being earlier in the 2030s. Continue reading...

Ship arrives three weeks after Iranian-made drone hit British base of RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus

Sudanese and Afghan students with offers to study in UK say government's emergency brake' is discriminatory

France's Marine Le Pen and the Netherlands' Geert Wilders among speakers praising prime minister at Budapest eventMarine Le Pen has called Viktor Orban an exceptional leader" and Geert Wilders hailed a lion on a continent led by sheep" as Europe's far-right figureheads rallied round Hungary's prime minister before an election that polls suggest he may lose.Hungary has become a symbol in Europe of a proud and sovereign people's resistance against oppression," Le Pen, the parliamentary leader of France's National Rally (RN), told a gathering of EU-sceptical leaders in Budapest on Monday. Continue reading...

YouTube gamer planned audacious alibi, appeared grief-stricken at wake and apparently spied on victim's family

Belfast court heard how Stephen McCullagh livestreamed recording of himself as part of concocted cover story'

Gavin Burrows said claimants in case against Daily Mail publisher very misled' over his workA private investigator whose disputed confessions of illegal activity form a key part of the case brought by Prince Harry and others against the Daily Mail's publisher has said the admissions were a thing of fiction".Giving highly anticipated evidence at the high court, Gavin Burrows said the claimants in the case, as well as their lawyers, had been very misled" over his work, adding that the supposed admissions in his name were a pack of lies". Continue reading...

Fatih Birol says effects on energy markets from Iran bombings and closure of strait of Hormuz not initially understood by world leaders. Plus, feminist magazine reclaims Charlie Kirk-style campus toursGood morning.The global energy crisis caused by the war in Iran is equivalent to the combined force of the twin oil shocks of the 1970s and the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the head of the International Energy Agency has said.Why is the ex-CIA chief Leon Panetta in the news? He has spoken out about Donald Trump's attack on Iran, telling the Guardian the US president is sending a message of weakness" to the world.What's the latest in Iran? Its government is threatening to lay mines across entire Gulf if its coasts are attacked.This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here.What happened? The aircraft hit the fire truck while travelling at about 24mph, according to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24. In the moments before the crash, an air traffic controller could be heard giving clearance to a fire vehicle to cross part of the runway, then trying to stop it. The controller can then be heard quickly diverting incoming aircraft from landing. Continue reading...

PM will chair Cobra meeting with key ministers and Bank of England on Monday, as experts warn of economic shock

Trump and border czar Tom Homan confirm plan to assist TSA agents amid partial government shutdown standoffDonald Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, have followed through on promises from the president's administration to send in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to US airports beginning on Monday to assist with security amid extremely long lines - and to help airport security agents who have been working without pay since 14 February because of a partial government shutdown.ICE agents were seen at airports such as Atlanta, Newark, New Orleans and New York's John F Kennedy. CNN reported nine other airports where ICE agents were seen. Continue reading...