by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6MZ7N)
Planning experts are considering areas near Nottingham, Stafford and Northampton for housebuilding driveLabour's plan for new towns looks likely to focus on the Midlands as much as England's overcrowded south-east, with planners already considering areas near Nottingham, Stafford and Northampton, the Guardian understands.Close to the M1 and M6 motorways, some of the locations have the advantage of being in areas of Labour local political control, giving Keir Starmer's government a better chance of delivering on its promise to have the first homes built by the end of a first Labour term. Continue reading...
Dan Bishop says state board that called for new election after illegal absentee ballot collection was under Democrat control'A North Carolina Republican running to be the state's attorney general dismissed a significant election fraud incident in 2018 that resulted in a new election as some fairly minor illegal ballot harvesting".Dan Bishop, a congressman whose district is based outside of Charlotte, made the comments in an 1 April episode of the Reclaiming America podcast. Continue reading...
European leaders participate in debate hosted by Bruegel and the Financial TimesKarl Nehammer, the Austrian chancellor, hosted the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak.The leaders committed to implementing stronger frameworks to deal with migration, and that new innovative solutions are crucial to this end," Nehammer said. Continue reading...
Judge rules individual allegations against Murdoch and some other executives should not be examined in trialPrince Harry has failed in his legal bid to name Rupert Murdoch in allegations of extensive cover-up of wrongdoing at Murdoch's newspapers.The Duke of Sussex is locked in a legal battle with News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of the Sun, which he has accused of phone hacking, unlawful information gathering, landline tapping and the covering up of widespread wrongdoing. Continue reading...
Yoav Gallant, named alongside Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, criticises decisionCrowds have gathered in Tabriz in Iran to pay respects to those killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, including the late president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.Associated Press reports that a procession led by a vehicle carrying the caskets of the dead slowly moved through the narrow streets of the city, which is the closest major one near to the crash site. Thousands in black slowly walked beside the coffins, some throwing flowers up to them as an announcer wept through a loudspeaker for men he described as martyrs. Continue reading...
by Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin in Taipei on (#6MZ0Z)
Thousands protest against bill which would give parliamentarians special powers to question anyoneLai Ching-te's first day as president of Taiwan has been marked by large protests against the opposition over a controversial bill in parliament, foreshadowing a difficult first term for the leader, who lacks a legislative majority.Thousands of Taiwanese citizens gathered outside the legislative yuan on Tuesday to protest against attempts by the opposition parties to push through a bill without review, which would give parliamentarians extraordinary powers to question anyone, including the president, under threat of fines and jail time. On Friday one MP was hospitalised after the parties came to blows over the debate. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6MYYF)
Artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe says much of the anger about a non-disabled actor playing the role has been misogynisticMichelle Terry, the artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe, has called the backlash to her casting as Richard III disproportionate" and said much of the anger aimed towards her in recent months has been misogynistic.The Globe faced widespread criticism when it was announced that Terry, an Olivier-award winning actor and writer, would play Shakespeare's deformd, unfinish'd" king in its summer production opening on Tuesday night. Continue reading...
Self-styled aristocrat, a former judge and retired military officers among suspected Reichsburger members to appear in courtA self-styled aristocrat, his Russian girlfriend, retired military officers and a former judge have gone on trial in Frankfurt on charges of plotting to violently overthrow the German state.The defendants were among nine alleged conspirators - seven men and two women - who were led into the purpose-built court flanked by armed police officers on Tuesday for what has been described as the most important of three trials of suspected members of the anti-constitutional Reichsburger scene. Continue reading...
Actor secures temporary restraining order against proposed public auction for singer's historic homeActor Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis Presley and heir to his estate, has filed a legal complaint against a private investment firm, alleging that it is attempting a non-judicial" sale of Presley's Graceland home.Keough's mother, Lisa Marie Presley, died in January 2023, aged 54. In September that year, a company called Naussany Investments & Private Lending filed a lawsuit against Lisa Marie's estate, alleging that when she died she had an outstanding $3.8m (3m) loan owed to the company, and had used Graceland as collateral. Continue reading...
A year after the singer's death, Katori Hall - whose musical is now touring - says the show is like one last concert' for fansShe is still celebrated as the queen of rock'n'roll but, one year after Tina Turner's death aged 83, the barnstorming singer's legacy includes a fierce transparency" about her trauma, said the writer of the bio-musical Tina.Katori Hall met Turner many times at the star's home while writing the book for the musical, which opened in 2018 and has become the longest-running show ever at the Aldwych theatre in London. Continue reading...
Greek court says it has no jurisdiction to hear case as shipwreck happened in international watersCharges against nine Egyptian men accused over a 2023 migrant boat disaster off Greece were dropped on Tuesday, after a Greek court said it had no jurisdiction to hear the case as the shipwreck happened in international waters.The men, aged between 21 and 41, were arrested hours after the boat sank and have remained in pre-trial detention since on charges of migrant smuggling, causing a shipwreck and participating in a criminal organisation. They have denied any wrongdoing. Continue reading...
Survivors of shipwreck that killed 600 people not real smugglers', say defenders, with inquiry into coastguard's role also incompleteNine men accused of causing one of the deadliest shipwrecks to have taken place in the Mediterranean are scapegoats" who should never have been prosecuted, defence lawyers have said, as their long-awaited trial opened in Greece.The Egyptian suspects, who have been held in pre-trial detention since the 14 June disaster last year, are appearing in court in the southern city of Kalamata on Tuesday. Continue reading...
by Matthew Weaver, Rachel Hall and Jessica Elgot on (#6MYR8)
Minister to set out 10bn scheme after pledge from Rishi Sunak to pay whatever it costs'Thousands of victims of the infected blood scandal and their families are to learn how ministers plan to compensate them for their suffering and loss of earnings after Rishi Sunak pledged to pay whatever it costs".The details of the long-delayed scheme, which is expected to cost more than 10bn, will be set out by the Cabinet Office minister John Glen on Tuesday. Continue reading...
by Nino Bucci Justice and courts reporter on (#6MYSP)
Former Jetstar pilot has pleaded not guilty to murdering Hill and Clay, who court hears were having an affairRussell Hill told his family he was no longer seeing Carol Clay after being given an ultimatum in 2006 by a neighbour to tell his wife about the affair he was having, a murder trial has heard.Hill's wife of more than 50 years, Robyn Hill, also told the double murder trial of former airline pilot Gregory Stuart Lynn that her husband was killed not far from where his uncle died in a deer-hunting accident more than two decades earlier.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Uncertainty surrounds the country's succession and foreign policy after a shocking crash which killed the president and six others Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. The death of a president is always an enormously consequential moment - but in Iran, where five days of mourning are under way after Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, the exact nature of those consequences is difficult to parse.Raisi has been described as a likely successor to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei - but also as a figure of limited influence, often by the same analysts. His passing has led some to suggest that nothing will change at all, and others to say that, with a presidential election now due within 50 days, this could be a turning point.Contaminated blood scandal | Thousands of victims of the infected blood scandal and their families are to learn how ministers plan to compensate them after Rishi Sunak pledged to pay whatever it costs". The details of the scheme will be set out on Tuesday after the publication of Sir Brian Langstaff's report yesterday, which said that the calamity could largely, though not entirely, have been avoided".WikiLeaks | Julian Assange has been granted leave to mount a fresh appeal against his extradition to the US on charges of leaking military secrets. Two judges accepted that there was an arguable case that he could be discriminated against, after being told that an US prosecutor has said the first amendment may not protect foreigners' freedom of speech over national security issues.Israel-Gaza war | The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court has said he is seeking arrest warrants for senior Hamas and Israeli officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, are among them.UK news | A nursery worker has been found guilty of killing a nine-month-old baby girl who died after being strapped face down to a beanbag for more than 90 minutes. Genevieve Meehan suffocated after being placed in mortal danger" by Kate Roughley, the deputy manager of Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, the trial heard.Trump trial | Prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney's office rested their case on Monday after Michael Cohen - whose $130,000 hush money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels is at the heart of the criminal case against Donald Trump - testified that he knew the payment violated federal election law. Continue reading...
Former chief executive is to give evidence at inquiry into Horizon IT scandal this weekIt is a moment wrongly convicted post office operators have waited years for. From Wednesday the former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells will appear before the long-running inquiry into how hundreds were pursued in the courts, fined and jailed over accounting shortfalls that were actually the fault of the Horizon IT system.Vennells, who held the top job between 2012 and 2019, has become the highest-profile face of the scandal since the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office galvanised public opinion when it was screened in January - despite her keeping a low public profile in the past decade. Continue reading...
Song about North Korean leader titled Friendly Father includes lines like let's brag about Kim Jong-un'South Korea's media regulator has banned access to a North Korean propaganda music video that it said idolised and glorified leader Kim Jong-un as a great leader".The catchy tune titled Friendly Father has become an unlikely social media hit around the world, going viral on short-form video app TikTok and other platforms. Continue reading...
Self-styled Prince Heinrich XIII among alleged ringleaders of plan for violent overthrow of stateThe most spectacular of a trio of trials of a sprawling group of far-right conspiracists who plotted to violently overthrow the German state is to take place in Frankfurt on Tuesday amid high security and huge media interest.On trial are the group's alleged ringleader, a self-styled aristocrat estate agent known as Prince Heinrich XIII, his Russian girlfriend, and seven other founding members including a former policeman and a former judge who is now an MP for the far-right AfD party. Continue reading...
by Theo Evans and Qian Tang for the Conversation on (#6MYNS)
It's likely the urban pest first emerged from its native lands about 1,200 years ago. As global trade accelerated, the hitchhikers made their way more rapidly around the world
Campaign spokesperson called Ali Abbasi's film, which premiered at Cannes on Monday, pure fiction which sensationalises lies that have been long debunked'The Trump campaign has come out swinging against The Apprentice after the film, which depicts the former president raping his first wife, shocked audiences at Cannes, with a spokesperson saying that they will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers".Speaking to Variety on Monday after the world premiere of Ali Abbasi's film, the Trump campaign's chief spokesperson Steven Cheung confirmed they would take legal action. Continue reading...
Safety of Jewish community canary in mine' for British political system, communities secretary will warn in speechMichael Gove is to warn that Britain risks descending into the darkness" if it fails to tackle growing antisemitism in the wake of the 7 October attacks.In a major speech, the communities secretary will say the safety of the Jewish community in the UK is the canary in the mine" for the health of the whole political system. Continue reading...
Report from group set up by Catherine says business can improve early years and benefit all of societyBusiness investment in early childhood could unlock 45.5bn in value a year for the UK economy, according to a report by a taskforce created by the Princess of Wales.In the report, CEOs from eight leading companies urged businesses of all sizes across the UK, to join us and help build a healthy, happy society for everyone".The Co-operative Group creating a specific early childhood fund as part of its unique apprenticeship levy share scheme, and committing to raise 5m over the next five years, creating more than 600 apprenticeships.Deloitte focusing its ongoing investment in Teach First to include the early years sector for the first time, supporting 366 early years professionals in 2024.NatWest Group extending its lending target for the childcare sector to 100m, launching an early years accreditation scheme to its staff and producing a financial toolkit for childcare providers to help them grow and succeed.Ikea UK and Ireland expanding its contribution of support, design expertise and products for babies and young children to six new locations across the UK to help families with young children experiencing the greatest disadvantage.The Lego Group donating 3,000 LEGO(R) Education Build Me Emotions" sets, supported by training materials, to early years providers in the UK.Iceland Foods providing learning, awareness and support in all 1,000 Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores by featuring emoji posters at a child-friendly height - a practical tool to help customers with young children and to create a space of understanding and support in stores. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6MYKZ)
Angela Rayner to promise party will build homes on sites by end of its first term and support private developersA Labour government would aim to announce the sites for a series of new towns within a year of taking office, with the promise that homes would be built in them by the end of a first term, Angela Rayner is to say in a speech.Giving more detail to a plan first outlined in Keir Starmer's party conference speech in October, Rayner will tell a housing conference that Labour will strongly support private developers who create high-quality and affordable housing. Continue reading...
Harry Whittaker, 31, arrested after very small traces of radiological material' found at property in CaddingtonA man has been charged with possessing explosives after very small traces of radiological material" were found at a Bedfordshire property during a counter-terrorism investigation.Specialist Metropolitan police officers have been searching a house in Caddington, near Luton, after suspicious substances were found earlier this month. Continue reading...
Initial investigation by rescue group finds ageing aircraft either did not have transponder fitted or had it turned offThe helicopter that crashed killing the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, either did not have a transponder fitted or had it turned off, according to an initial investigation by the Turkish rescue group that found the wreckage.The Turkish transport minister, Abdulkadir Uralolu, told reporters that on hearing news of the crash, Turkish authorities had checked for a signal from the helicopter's transponder that broadcasts height and location information. But unfortunately, [we think] most likely the transponder system was turned off or that the helicopter did not have one," he said. Continue reading...
Rex Heuermann, 60, accused over deaths of four women on Long Island after remains of victims found more than a decade agoInvestigators on Monday returned to the home of a New York architect charged in a string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach killings.State and county police vehicles were seen outside Rex Heuermann's single-family home in Massapequa Park on Long Island before 9am. Continue reading...
Prime minister says successive governments failed and vows to pay whatever it takes to compensate victimsRishi Sunak declared Monday a day of shame for the British state" as he apologised for the failures of successive governments over the infected blood scandal and promised to pay whatever it takes to compensate the victims.The prime minister issued his apology in a packed House of Commons chamber, hours after Sir Brian Langstaff published his report which accused the British government of covering up the disaster. Continue reading...
Ali Abbasi's film, starring Sebastian Stan, presents a fictionalised account of an incident recorded in Ivana Trump's 1990 divorce deposition, and since retractedDonald Trump is depicted as a rapist who assaulted his first wife, Ivana, in a new biopic, The Apprentice, which has its world premiere in competition at this year's Cannes film festival on Monday. Directed by the Iranian-Danish film-maker Ali Abbasi, the drama provides a fictionalised account of a 1989 incident that was previously detailed in the couple's divorce proceedings.The scene, which occurs near the end of The Apprentice, depicts Trump reacting with fury after Ivana disparages his physical appearance. You have a face like a fucking orange," she tells him. You're getting fat, you're getting ugly, and you're getting bald." The future president is then shown forcing his wife to the floor and raping her. Did I find your G-spot?" he asks in the film. Continue reading...
Palestine Action, Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion to be highlighted in report by John Woodcock for dangerous' tacticsA review of disruptive tactics used by protesters is expected to stop short of demanding that named groups such as Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil should be banned.The 240-page report, written by the former Labour MP John Woodcock, will instead recommend that groups that use protests to create mayhem and hold the public and workers to ransom" should be proscribed in future. Continue reading...
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