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This blog is now closed Coalition criticises Labor over skyrocketing' power price rises - but Dutton won't guarantee lower bills Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJacinta Allan defends new bail lawsThe Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has defended her government's decision to implement what she says are the toughest bail laws in the country".Through the attorney general, there has been contact made with Veronica Nelson's family.What happened through the circumstances around [her] death was an absolute tragedy.Well it's a really disappointing. There's no doubt about that.It's disappointing because it is an act of self-harm for the US, but it's also disappointing in the context of our relationship with the US. Continue reading...

Opposition leader and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor add confusion to party's position ahead of federal election

NFER says pupil behaviour, stagnant pay and inflexible working practices contributing to exodus from workforceTeachers in England are abandoning the classroom over worsening pupil behaviour, stagnant pay and inflexible working practices, leaving vacancies at their highest rate on record, according to a report.It warned that this month's spending review was the government's last chance" to meet its manifesto pledge of hiring 6,500 additional teachers in state schools, as younger teachers continue to abandon the profession since the Covid pandemic and fewer graduates sign up as trainees. Continue reading...

Minicab drivers say Uber's bid to apply tax to all rides would put many out of business and leave people strandedTwo British taxi companies have launched a crowdfunding drive for the last leg of a lengthy legal battle with Uber that could result in higher cab fares.Uber will seek, at a supreme court hearing in July, a ruling on contractual models that affect whether VAT applies to private-hire companies outside London, which it has argued would level the playing field across the UK. Continue reading...

Kim Johnson tells parliament lessons must be learnt from poor treatment of children at institutions in 1960s and 70sThe historic injustice of a scandal in which black children were incorrectly labelled educationally subnormal" and sent to schools for physically and mentally disabled pupils must be addressed with a public inquiry, an MP has said.Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, is calling on Keir Starmer to bring justice to survivors and to also expose the long-term effects it has had in the education system. Continue reading...

A similar number have also seen staff abused as shops say crime is spiralling out of control with 55,000 thefts a dayNearly a quarter of Britons have witnessed shoplifting in the past year and seen physical or verbal abuse of shop workers as criminals become bolder and more aggressive".A survey carried out for the British Retail Consortium (BRC) by the market research firm Opinium found Nottingham to be a UK hotspot for retail crime where 32% of residents said they had witnessed shoplifting. London was close behind on 29%. Continue reading...

Police allege 41-year-old woman was practising as an unregistered midwife while another woman, 51, held no medical qualifications and was also unregistered when baby died

Review concluded extending definition to cover extreme violence by loners' such as Axel Rudakubana is unhelpfulThe decision not to classify Axel Rudakubana as a terrorist following the Southport murders was right because it would be unhelpful to stretch the definition of terrorism to cover all extreme violence, the UK's terror watchdog has concluded.Jonathan Hall KC wrote that the legal definition of terrorism is already wide and should not be changed any further" in his post-Southport review of how extreme violence is legally classified. Expanding the definition would increase the possibility of inaccurate use and, in theory, abuse", he said. Continue reading...

Relugolix-estradiol-norethisterone can be taken at home, eliminating need for trips to clinics for injectionsA new daily pill that could transform the way endometriosis is treated has been approved for use on the NHS across England, the medicines watchdog has announced.About 1,000 women a year living with endometriosis will be able to access relugolix-estradiol-norethisterone. The first-of-a-kind" treatment, which was initially rejected by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), works by blocking the specific hormones that contribute to endometriosis while providing necessary hormone replacement. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Jotham Napat said pact must be taken back to the drawing board' and should reflect climate change as security issueVanuatu's new prime minister has said his government intends to revisit" a security agreement with Australia, arguing it does not reflect his country's priorities including climate change and travel mobility for its citizens.Jotham Napat, who was elected in February, said the pact with Canberra had to be taken back to the drawing board" as he sought a win-win situation" in a renegotiated deal. Continue reading...

Russian president makes threats in first visit since Ukrainian incursion as world waits for Kremlin's reaction to ceasefire proposal

US president's comments come after Ukrainian counterpart said he believed strong steps' were under consideration

On third day of cross-examination, the actor claimed accusers voluntarily engaged in sexual conversationNoel Clarke is trying to create moral equivalence" between his alleged sexual misconduct and the behaviour of his accusers, the high court has heard.Giving evidence in his libel claim against the Guardian, the 49-year-old actorclaimed that some of his accusers voluntarily engaged in or initiated sexually loaded banter, were promiscuous and bragged about their sexual exploits.Touched her on her thighs including between her legs.Said they should go to the mezzanine floor above to have sex.Rated women out of 10 for their sexual attractiveness.Said of a pregnant woman that he would bang that" because she could not get pregnant again. Continue reading...

US president claims Dublin took' pharma industry as he holds White House press conference with Micheal MartinDonald Trump has accused Ireland of stealing the US pharmaceutical industry and the tax revenue that should have been paid to the US treasury, in a blow to the Irish premier, Micheal Martin, who had hoped to emerge unscathed from a visit to the White House marking St Patrick's Day.The US president showed grudging respect for Martin, alternately ribbing and complimenting him, while also launching several broadsides against the EU. Continue reading...

Some feel the party is moving away from the working class, but others argue ministers must show new Labour voters the system can work

The founder of an animal sanctuary, which is now caring for the royal pythons, has called for improved laws to protect reptiles reared as petsThe founder of an animal rescue charity who discovered 70 starving pythons and dozens of dead snakes on a couple's property near Durham has called for better laws to protect reptiles reared as pets.Daniel Holmes, of Knaresborough Exotic Rescue, said the condition of the snakes - some of whom he thinks had not been fed for a year - was so poor that it made him and a fellow volunteer break down in tears after the rescue. Continue reading...

Security services claim to have rescued about 190 people being held by Baloch Liberation Army in remote areaAn operation to rescue hundreds of people taken hostage when a train was hijacked by a separatist militant group in remote south-west Pakistan has ended with dozens killed in the onslaught, a spokesperson for the army has said.Pakistan's security services claimed late on Wednesday to have rescued about 190 people who were being held captive after militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) blew up a railway line and launched an attack on the Jaffar Express train. Continue reading...

The tone of relations with the US may depend on whether second-placed Naleraq ends up inside the governmentIt was an election that was fought on the global stage with sporadic commentary from Donald Trump. But in the end, it was domestic issues that drove Greenlanders to the polls to vote overwhelmingly for change.Ever since his son, Donald Trump Jr, touched down in a Trump-branded plane at Nuuk's new airport in January, the US president has made no secret of his renewed desire to gain control of the Arctic island, refusing to rule out economic or military force to do so. Continue reading...

Foreign Office issues strongly worded statement as it responds to expulsion of two diplomats with tit-for-tat moveRussia is attempting to push the UK embassy in Moscow towards closing and has no regard for the escalatory impact of such a move, the Foreign Office has said.The UK expelled a Russian diplomat and their spouse on Wednesday in a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of two British diplomats for alleged espionage, a claim UK officials strenuously deny. Continue reading...

Former Philippine president expected in court within days as daughter accuses Manila government of kidnapping'The former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has landed in the Netherlands and been taken into the custody of the international criminal court (ICC) on allegations of overseeing death squads in his bloody war on drugs".Duterte was arrested in Manila on Tuesday and placed on a private jet to Rotterdam by police. The plane landed on Wednesday afternoon and taxied into a hangar. An ambulance dropped medics nearby before they wheeled a gurney inside the aircraft. Continue reading...

Travellers from country now need visas with decision reportedly made in response to rising asylum claims

Despite pandering to Trump's ego, Labour finds itself in a trade war. At least Reform is still giving comic reliefWell, that went well, didn't it? Weeks of finding ever more ingenious ways to flatter the US president. Extolling the brilliance of Donald Trump being able to tie his own shoelaces. That's incredible, Mr President. No one has ever managed to do that so beautifully." No chance for flattery has been passed up. It is now the sign of the highest IQ not to be able to speak in joined-up sentences. To change your mind at a moment's notice. Yet at all times, Keir Starmer has remained a paragon of obsequiousness. Not a word out of place.And what do we get for it? The occasional hint of recognition from the Donald. Which we cling to. Attempting to find meaning in something essentially meaningless. Something that came with little thought. And now we also are landed with 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium. A reward for obeisance. That's the thing with Trump. He gets angry if he's disrespected but has nothing but contempt for those who humour him. He's a complicated proposition. Continue reading...

Move is in response to similar Russian measures earlier this weekHere is the list of MPs down to ask a question.PMQs is about to start. Continue reading...

Heated exchange after subcommittee chair Keith Self calls first out trans representative Sarah McBride Mr McBride'The Republican chair of a US House subcommittee adjourned a hearing after he was challenged for misgendering Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress.McBride, a first-term Democratic congresswoman from Delaware, elected last November, shot back at the chair and a senior Democrat on the committee also spoke up to challenge the insult. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president would not be drawn on details of proposed deal and also steered clear of criticising Trump at press briefing

Omer Wenkert says he was held mostly in darkness - and his mistreatment was often sparked by events in warAn Israeli hostage freed by Hamas last month has described the distressing conditions and abuse he says he endured during 505 days held in Gaza.In an interview on Israeli television, Omer Wenkert, 23, said he had hidden in a bomb shelter with a close friend when it became clear the Nova music festival was under attack by Hamas and other militants from Gaza on 7 October 2023. Continue reading...

Mark Ross to be sentenced on Friday over killing of Claudiu-Carol Kondor during theft of vehicle in Armley areaA career criminal" has been found guilty of murdering an Amazon delivery driver who was trying to stop his van from being stolen.Claudiu-Carol Kondor, 42, was dragged along a street at high speeds as he clung to his vehicle to try to stop the theft on 20 August last year. Continue reading...

Katherine Kiefer lost her home to the Palisades wildfire, but her crafty kitty, Aggie, somehow lived through the disasterIt appears the tall tale that all cats have nine lives may be true for a California Maine coon named Aggie.The beloved feline was feared dead for two months after the Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles left her family's home in ashes. But her owner, 82-year-old Katherine Kiefer, held out some hope. Continue reading...

Opposition centre-right party gains most votes ahead of Naleraq party, with coalition talks expected to beginGreenland has voted for a complete overhaul of its government in a shock result in which the centre-right Democrat party more than tripled its seats after a dramatic election campaign fought against the backdrop of Donald Trump's threats to acquire the Arctic island.Tuesday's election, in which the Democrats replaced Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), the party of the former prime minister Mute B Egede, as the biggest party in the Inatsisartut, the Greenlandic parliament, also led to a doubling of seats for Naleraq - the party most open to US collaboration and which supports a snap vote on independence - making it the second-biggest party. Continue reading...

It look so artistic under the water,' staff says of Pepper who has become the aquarium's most acrobatic sea lionA baby sea lion toting an artificial kelp strip was filmed performing intricate rhythmic gymnastics-esque circles through the waters of an aquarium in Washington state.Although only nine months old and still reliant on her mother's milk, Pepper has become the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's most acrobatic sea lion, said Noelle Tremonti, a staff biologist for the aquarium. Continue reading...

FCA presents email evidence it claims shows bank boss and child sex offender were like family'Prince Andrew was among a number of high-profile contacts of Jeffrey Epstein who were told that the child sex offender considered the former Barclays boss Jes Staley to be a close friend and like family", a court has heardA package of emails presented at the upper tribunal in London marked the first time that the prince was explicitly mentioned in the case launched by Staley in hopes of overturning a lifetime ban from working in the City. Continue reading...

Police responded to a fistfight and shooting in which a 25-year-old man was injuredA man was shot outside a passenger terminal at a Chicago's O'Hare international airport, one of the busiest in the US, in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.The incident followed an altercation among multiple people, according to law enforcement Continue reading...

FCA and Bank of England's PRA join retreat from efforts to help underrepresented groups, citing regulatory burdens'

Mahmoud Khalil was detained by Ice agents on Saturday, part of Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus protestersMahmoud Khalil's wife, who is now eight months pregnant, issued a statement on Tuesday night after the Columbia University graduate student and activist was arrested in New York by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) as part of the Trump administration's attempt to revoke his green card and have him deported.I am pleading with the world to continue to speak up against his unjust and horrific detention by the Trump administration," Khalil's wife, who is a US citizen, said in her statement, remaining anonymous for fear of harassment. Continue reading...

Over 11 days of breakneck diplomacy, Kyiv was convinced of need to pacify Trump, but reconciliation may be all too brief

Scotland's former first minister, who led SNP from 2014 until 2023, says she will not seek re-election in 2026

Two people have died in outbreak in Gaines county, and doctors fear the spread of the extremely contagious diseaseTexas doctors say they are worried about measles spreading to population centers in an outbreak the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects to expand rapidly".Two people have died, including a child, and at least 208 people have been sickened across west Texas and New Mexico after an outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease took hold in rural Gaines county. Continue reading...

Captain of Solong, which was in collision with tanker, was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughterThe arrested captain of the Solong, a container ship that crashed into another vessel in the North Sea, is a Russian national, its management company has confirmed.The 59-year-old was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter on Tuesday after Monday's fiery collision about 12 miles off the East Yorkshire coast, which left one man presumed dead. Continue reading...

A bullet grazed the Memphis man's thigh after his one-year-old pit bull got his paw stuck in a gun's trigger guardDog bites man is hardly news, but in Tennessee, a dog recently shot a man.In what is only the latest instance of a kind of accidental shooting that intermittently occurs in the US, Jerald Kirkwood reported to police in Memphis that he and a woman were lying in bed with a firearm when his dog jumped up and inadvertently caused the weapon to discharge. Continue reading...

Swedish firm unable to secure the necessary financial conditions to continue in its current form'Northvolt, the Swedish electric vehicle battery startup, has filed for bankruptcy in Sweden, marking the end of a company once seen as Europe's best hope of challenging the dominant Asian battery industry.The company said in a statement it had been unable to secure the necessary financial conditions to continue in its current form" in Sweden. Continue reading...

Media company argues rejecting ad for Clive Palmer's party in the Age could imply endorsement of political ads it chose to publish

Firefighters and police discovered body of a woman in her 40s in a house in Wellingborough on MondayA 13-year-old girl has been charged with murder and arson after the body of a woman was found in a house in Northamptonshire.Firefighters and police officers discovered the body of a woman in her 40s in a house in Wellingborough in the early hours of Monday after reports of a fire at the property. Continue reading...

Simon Holmes a Court says he has met founder of Gazette News but insists his organisation has no connection' to the digital newspapers

Dutton, his deputy Sussan Ley and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor have made differing statements on the Coalition policy, before and after Cyclone Alfred

Queensland Law Reform Commission will no longer deliver recommendations to government despite two-year inquiry

This blog is now closed

Institute for Fiscal Studies says half of the rise in working-age people claiming the benefit last year is linked to mental healthMore than half of the increase in disability benefits is due to more mental health claims, according to research.Since the pandemic, the number of working-age adults in England and Wales paid disability benefits has increased by nearly 1 million people to 2.9 million in 2024, with 7.5% of 16- to 64-year-olds claiming. Continue reading...

First such study finds laws on abortion, debt and dress help increase rate of women being jailed twice as fast as for menPoverty, abuse and discriminatory laws are driving a huge rise in the number of women in prison globally, according to a new report.With the rise of the far right and an international backlash against women's rights, the research said there was a risk that laws would increasingly be used to target women, forcing more behind bars. Continue reading...

Proposed changes, which include scrapping principle of remand as last resort' for youth, condemned as backwards step'

Exclusive: Under-qualified professionals being asked to treat patients in England as NHS leans on third sectorMental health charities in England are struggling to cope with the number of sick patients referred to them by GPs, with under-qualified professionals increasingly tasked with treating the seriously ill.Experts told the Guardian that some desperate GPs were signposting" patients to services not always equipped to deal with them. Continue reading...