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Newly released evidence from inquiry into 80 deaths shows Afghan partner forces no longer willing to work alongside British by 2011Concerns about the number of Afghan civilians being killed by British special forces in the early part of the last decade prompted the country's then president to make a muscular" complaint to Nato commanders fighting the Taliban.Newly released evidence from a public inquiry into the deaths of up to 80 people during an SAS deployment also showed that Afghan partner military forces were no longer willing to work alongside the British by the spring of 2011. Continue reading...

Treasury secretary says banknote would celebrate US's 250th anniversary but Democrats vow to block moveThe White House is pushing Congress to approve a $250 bill bearing Donald Trump's portrait, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said, which would require changing longstanding federal law that prohibits any living person from appearing on US currency.Speaking from the White House at a news conference, Bessent said the bill would be in celebration of the country's 250th anniversary of independence, and that the treasury has already started preparing for the possibility of the new currency. Continue reading...

Murrell has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty to embezzling more than 400,00 from SNPNicola Sturgeon said she was deceived, betrayed and lied to" by her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, as he embezzled hundreds of thousands of pounds from the SNP.The former first minister told an audience in Ireland at her first public appearance since Murrell pleaded guilty that she was coming to terms with being married to someone she did not know at all", and acknowledged people would have questions. Continue reading...

Central American country says its president spoke with Pete Hegseth to confirm terms of cooperation

Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington state sued as ICE seeks plates in Trump's immigration crackdownThe Trump administration is suing to challenge the refusal of four US states to issue confidential license plates to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, saying the states have long provided them to other law enforcement agencies conducting undercover operations.The US Department of Justice on Thursday said it had filed lawsuits against Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington state after states led by Democratic governors refused to rescind their policies. ICE is seeking access to such plates to carry out arrests as part of Trump's immigration crackdown. Continue reading...

Rival groups are vying for territorial control of strategic cocaine production and trafficking regionAt least 52 guerrilla fighters have been killed in clashes between two rival armed groups vying for territorial control of a strategic cocaine production and trafficking region in south-east Colombia, a faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) involved in the fighting has said.The clashes, the most violent in recent months, took place in the jungles of the department of Guaviare, near the village of Barranco Colorado. Continue reading...

Job seekers say the lack of opportunities has affected their mental health and left them fearing for the futureWhen Catherina finished her degree in digital film production in London, she thought her prospects of finding work were good, but she has found the jobs market tough. Continue reading...

AP review finds unprecedented number of suicide deaths as critics attack failures of Trump's immigration crackdownBrayan Rayo Garzon was distraught. Detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he was on his fourth day of isolation in a Missouri jail as he battled the fevers and chills of Covid.His request for mental health treatment had been put off, records show, and staff had forbidden Rayo from making his nightly call to his mother, as a precaution intended to prevent the spread of illness.In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. 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...

Trump administration in a bind as it faces mounting economic costs ahead of midterms from Iran warThe terms of a purported 60-day deal to negotiate peace in the Iran war have trapped the Trump administration between mounting economic costs ahead of midterm elections and anger from Republican hawks who accuse the US government of surrendering to Iran.The public rift between Trump and Senate Republicans over his shift toward diplomacy with Iran has also been matched within his administration, where the dovish JD Vance and traditional neoconservative Marco Rubio have been forced to pirouette between Trump's policies as he shifts to exit the war as soon as possible. Continue reading...

Alan Milburn's landmark report says unemployment among young costs UK 125bn a year and warns of lost generation'

DNA testing proved Anthony Odiong fathered child with woman to whom he had been providing spiritual guidance, authorities say

Happy was the focus of a high-profile court case launched in 2018 over whether she had the legal rights of a personHappy, an elephant that became embroiled in a high-profile court case over whether she had the legal rights of a person, has died after being euthanized at New York City's Bronx zoo at the age of 55.The Asian elephant, was euthanized on Tuesday after zoo staff determined that progressive, age-related health conditions" required the decision, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs four zoos and an aquarium in New York. Continue reading...

The pop singer said that suggestions that a recent outfit was childlike' were rooted in sexist attitudes toward womenOlivia Rodrigo has responded to controversy over a recent babydoll dress she wore while performing on stage in Spain.The singer faced backlash online after she wore a short puffy dress with a floral pattern while performing her recent single Drop Dead at Barcelona's Teatre Grec on 8 May. She also wears a similar style dress on the cover of her upcoming album. Continue reading...

Canada prime minister urges greater economic cooperation between the two countries in speech delivered in New YorkCanada's prime minister, Mark Carney has called for a new relationship with the United States to help make America great again".In a speech delivered in New York on Thursday, Carney said that there should be a true partnership" that reimagines cooperation in specific sectors challenged by global competition. Continue reading...

PM says predecessor misunderstands government's successes and very different' situation compared with 1997Keir Starmer has dismissed Tony's Blair's argument that his government is on the wrong track, saying he is implementing the policies needed for today, not the very different situation faced by the former prime minister in 1997.You won't be surprised to know that I don't agree with much that Tony says about what the government is doing," Starmer said during a visit to an apprentice training centre in west London. Continue reading...

Ten people, all of whom were e-scooter riders, were killed in collisions compared with six in 2024Nearly 500 people were seriously injured in collisions involving e-scooters in Great Britain last year, government statistics have shown.The Department for Transport (DfT) said there had been an estimated 1,484 casualties in crashes involving electric scooters, compared with 1,390 in 2024. Continue reading...

Office for Product Safety and Standards advises stopping use of Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix Slide Pro bases immediatelyA baby car seat product that poses a risk of injuries to children because of a malfunctioning safety indicator has been recalled by its manufacturer.Maxi-Cosi is recalling all of its FamilyFix Slide Pro bases from buyers, information on the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) website shows. Continue reading...

Terry Pitchford, who was 18 when convicted of murder, argued that Black jurors were excluded from his trial

Starmer launches long defence of his record when asked about former PM's essay critiquing current governmentPat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, is introducing Alan Milburn.He says Milburn's report is really important and powerful".I could see in the first few weeks after being appointed as the secretary of state what was happening, both in human and in financial terms, [in terms of youth unemployment].And I knew that we had to get properly under the bonnet of this problem, because there's a lot more thing than one thing happening here ... Continue reading...

Lawsuit says settlement fund was fraud on the court' that would funnel taxpayer dollars to Trump alliesDozens of former federal judges have joined the push to thwart Donald Trump's creation of a $1.776bn anti-weaponization fund" that would funnel taxpayer dollars to the president's political allies.The bipartisan group of 35 judges filed a lawsuit in the southern district of Florida on Wednesday seeking to reopen Trump's legal case against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the leaking of his tax information by a whistleblower who was later sentenced to five years in prison. Continue reading...

Americans are growing frustrated with Trump's handling of the economy as cost of living soars ahead of midtermsUS inflation increased at its fastest pace in three years in April, driven by higher energy prices amid the war with Iran, and cementing economists' views that the Federal Reserve could hold interest rates unchanged well into next year.Surging price pressures are eroding household income and could restrain consumer spending and economic growth this quarter. Income at the disposal of households after adjusting for inflation dropped for a third straight month in April, other data showed on Thursday. Given the soaring cost of living, Americans are growing frustrated with Donald Trump's handling of the economy. A Reuters/Ipsos survey last week showed the president's approval rating fell to nearly its lowest level since he returned to the White House, hit by a drop in support among Republicans. Trump won the 2024 presidential election in large part because of his promise to lower inflation. Continue reading...

EU chief diplomat says: Russia is on the back foot, militarily, economically, but also diplomatically'Meanwhile, Hungary's Magyar hits a bit more upbeat tone in his latest post on Facebook, saying that while there are still some issues that need to be resolved, the two sides managed to agree a deal on many important questions."In a Facebook video, he takes viewers into a meeting room in Brussels from which he is working on ironing out the final details.I will obviously not anticipate or prejudge what will be the outcome of that meeting, but a series of meetings has been taking place, as you know, between the teams on both sides to make as much progress as possible. ...Let's see what comes out of it. It's not much more time to wait. We give it another day, and we should know more in terms of how far have we managed to get on both sides." Continue reading...

Decision draws criticism from some commentators and free speech advocates as well as Tory leader, Kemi BadenochThe British Museum has postponed a lecture for Jewish culture month over concerns that the event would be disrupted by protesters.The museum announced that the talk on ancient Israel and Judah, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday, would be held at a later date yet to be decided. Continue reading...

Governor says law is a response to legitimate anxiety' about Trump's tactics targeting Democratic-led cities and statesGavin Newsom, California's governor, signed legislation Wednesday that aims to shield California elections from federal interference, saying he expected Donald Trump's administration to try to meddle in the midterms this year.The law, which took effect immediately and came days before next Tuesday's primary, prohibits any person - including federal agents - from accessing voter rolls or election technology without a court order. Law enforcement officers are restricted from disrupting election workers, except in public safety emergencies. Continue reading...

First details of agreement published, heralding end to EU-UK checks on dairy products, eggs, fish and fresh red meat

Labour's Makerfield byelection candidate understood to have changed stance on no recourse to public funds policy

Energy specialists say abandoning net zero and increasing oil and gas drilling would cause more instability for BritonsAbandoning net zero and drilling for more oil and gas in the North Sea would be a massive setback for the UK and would not help the economy, leading experts have said in response to claims by the former prime minister Tony Blair.This is a bizarre intervention to make during the worst May heatwave on record and when the Iran crisis is providing yet more evidence of the enormous costs of oil and gas," said Ed Matthew, the UK programme director at the E3G thinktank. Clean energy is cheaper energy - it protects our bills from prices skyrocketing, its running costs are virtually zero, and it doesn't cause climate change which threatens economic collapse ... The government should ignore Blair's ideological nonsense and focus on what works." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Package of measures discussed with farmers, including pause on duty due to come into effect next yearMinisters are in discussions about suspending a carbon tax on fertilisers, due to come into effect early next year, in an effort to curb food inflation.The move would be part of a package of measures, including the suspension of import tariffs on a range of foods including bread, biscuits and bananas. Continue reading...

Staff members claim hit Channel 4 show's culture was toxic from the top down' amid allegations of rape by female cast membersMarried at First Sight UK had an unhealthy" focus on whether cast members were having sex, former and current workers on the show have said.One former crew member said the culture on the hit Channel 4 show was toxic from the top down". The claims from crew members were reported by the BBC, which previously broadcast allegations from two female cast members that they were raped by their on-screen partners. Continue reading...

European Commission finds shoppers on Chinese website very likely to find unsafe items and imposes 200m penaltyEU regulators have fined the Chinese shopping website Temu 200m (173m) for failing to stop the sale of illegal and dangerous products.The European Commission imposed the penalty after a 19-month investigation that found consumers were very likely to encounter illegal or unsafe products including baby toys and electronics on the firm's website. Continue reading...

It's a thumbs up from the country's 3 million students, who can now buy cheap meals up to twice a dayWhere in France can you get a nutritious and balanced three-course meal for 1?If you are one of the country's estimated 3 million students in higher education, the answer is: the university restaurant or cafe. Continue reading...

Wet weather batters parts of Queensland, NSW and Tasmania amid warnings of heavy falls on Friday

Legal action claims newspaper tarnished reputation by describing card to Jeffrey Epstein as bearing his signatureDonald Trump has refiled a defamation lawsuit seeking at least $10bn in damages against the Wall Street Journal over its reporting on his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein, after a judge threw out an earlier version over legal deficiencies.The lawsuit is one of several the US president has brought in his personal capacity against news organisations and is part of what critics say is a wider pressure campaign against the media. Continue reading...

Tribunal decision on Geoffrey Dalton comes as advocacy group releases data showing 30 greyhounds have died at or after Victorian races this year

Human rights groups and lawyers say policy amounts to ethnic cleansingIsrael's defence minister has said he is committed to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza through large-scale migration of Palestinians as part of Israel's long-term plans for the territory.Israel Katz said the government would implement a plan for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza at the right time and in the right manner", in a statement on Wednesday marking the targeted killing of Mohammed Odeh, Hamas's most recent military commander. Continue reading...

Albert Manifold disputes reports about his behaviour and says he always tried to set exampleThe boardroom turmoil at BP deepened after its ousted chair, Albert Manifold, claimed allegations about his conduct were lies".In a new and lengthy statement, Manifold disputed reports about his conduct, insisting at no point in my tenure as chairman of BP has anyone raised with me any issue about my conduct or my relationship with my colleagues". Continue reading...

Parents face anxious wait for updates after blaze tears through Utumishi girls academy in Gilgil, Nakuru countyA fire that ripped through a dormitory at a girls' school in Kenya overnight has killed at least 15 students, according to police, while dozens more were injured.Gilgil police station said at least 15 girls died at Utumishi girls academy in Gilgil, Nakuru county, about 76 miles north-east of Nairobi, according to a police report seen by Reuters. Continue reading...

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Gavan Reynolds cites commercial-in-confidence nature of the contract' in declining to answer Greens senator's question in parliament

Hugh Marks refuses to confirm or deny to Senate estimates that he threatened to terminate Stevens if he didn't resign

Vetting of former UK ambassador to Washington warned of ties to senior figures in China, Russia and IsraelA former head of MI6 has said it would have been totally impossible" for the Foreign Office to put in place mitigations to manage Peter Mandelson's associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel when he was the UK's ambassador to the US.On Wednesday, the Guardian revealed some of the concerns that contributed to security officials recommending that Mandelson be denied developed vetting clearance in early 2025. Continue reading...

As the UK experiences some of its hottest ever May weather, five people share their concerns - and tips for keeping coolThe UK is experiencing some of the hottest May weather ever recorded, with temperatures surpassing 35C in parts of England on Tuesday.Campaigners have warned that Britain's public buildings are dangerously unprepared for rising temperatures, calling for better cooling systems in hospitals, care homes and other spaces used by vulnerable people. Continue reading...

Waltham Forest in the east of the capital has seen a wave of industrial action in schools, with more to comeThe gates to South Grove primary school in Walthamstow were closed to pupils last week.Teachers were on strike as part of a disparate wave of industrial action by members of the National Education Union (NEU) in schools across the borough of Waltham Forest in east London. Continue reading...

When an Inner Mongolia farmer sought two herders to tend his 3,000 sheep, he was swamped with applicants including graduates, factory labourers and white-collar workersA Chinese farm owner's recruitment drive for shepherds has ended in success after his job advert seeking people to work on his Inner Mongolia ranch went viral, drawing the attention of city dwellers struggling to find work and highlighting growing strains in China's labour market.Zuo Xiaoyong posted an advert on Chinese social media in late April seeking two shepherds, preferably a couple, to take 3,000 sheep out to graze on a 2,000ha pasture in the summer. The shepherds would also undertake indoor feeding and cleaning during the winter when temperatures can drop below -30C at his ranch roughly 300km from Xilinhot city, near the Mongolian border. Continue reading...

Industry figures warn of national security risk and call for ministers to address impact of extreme weather, inflation and Iran warBritain is sleepwalking into a food crisis" caused by extreme weather, inflation and the impacts of the Iran war - and the government is failing to take the threat seriously, food experts have said.Farmers are facing severe strain from the current heatwave following a dry spring, with many crops likely to yield less as temperatures rise beyond their tolerance. Livestock are also suffering heat stress and there is a rising risk of wildfires. Economic losses are likely to be measured in the hundreds of millions of pounds. Continue reading...

The WasteBar food truck hopes the eye-catching deal will change people's attitude to waste in the NetherlandsUsing cigarette butts to buy buttery Dutch pancakes? That is the deal one food truck is offering at festivals in the Netherlands as a way to get people thinking about litter.Cigarette butts are the most common form of plastic waste in the world, with more than 4.5tn butts produced every year. In the Netherlands the estimated figure is in the hundreds of millions. Continue reading...

CEO tells investors firm won't exert any effort' while it awaits approvals as opponents urge the miner to spike the project finally'

Federal government seeks more than $2bn in damages from multinational manufacturer in its largest legal claim ever

Musician says we've lost that direction for our energy' as his play The Last Ship returns to West EndThe fact many men no longer use their hands and physicality on a daily basis may be driving some of the toxic traits in modern masculinity, according to Sting.The singer, who on Wednesday announced that his musical about the last days of a shipyard was coming to the West End this autumn, told the Guardian that one of the byproducts of deindustrialisation was the loss of physical productivity for men.The Last Ship will be at Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 22 Sep to 3 Oct. Tickets go on sale from midday on 28 May. Continue reading...

Volunteers head to Dorset countryside to restore the figure, but increasing heat means techniques have had to be adaptedFor centuries, the custodians of the Cerne Giant have clambered up the dizzyingly steep hill every decade or so to rechalk the outline, making sure the hulking figure can be seen far and wide across the rolling Dorset countryside.But the painstaking job, which involves hacking out the grubby old chalk by hand and packing in fresh, felt all the more urgent this week because effects put down to the climate emergency are making the giant a little duller and perhaps a touch more fragile. Continue reading...