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Select committee says scale of problem, carers' testimony and cost to taxpayer warrants second inquiry into benefits systemA cross-party group of MPs has called on the government's public spending watchdog to investigate the growing scandal that has plunged tens of thousands of unpaid carers into debt and left some with criminal convictions after unwittingly breaching benefit rules.The Commons work and pensions select committee said it was concerned with how the government was clawing back huge sums from carers, and in some cases prosecuting them for fraud, five years after it promised to tackle carer's allowance overpayments. Continue reading...

Leader calls Tory scheme for processing asylum seekers a gimmick' and a waste of money'Labour will not allow any deportation flights to take off for Rwanda from the moment it wins an election, Keir Starmer has said.After a speech in which he announced his plans to tackle illegal immigration, Starmer committed to scrapping the Rwanda scheme absolutely, flights and all". Continue reading...

Storm could trigger displays of aurora through Saturday night in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and WalesA strong solar storm headed towards Earth could allow parts of the UK the chance to see the Northern lights this weekend.The Met Office said space weather experts had issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm (G4) warning for this weekend, the first in nearly 20 years. Continue reading...

Assembly votes 143 to nine, with 25 abstentions, signalling Israel's growing isolation on the world stageThe UN general assembly has voted overwhelmingly to back the Palestinian bid for full UN membership, in a move that signalled Israel's growing isolation on the world stage amid global alarm over the war in Gaza and the extent of the humanitarian crisis in the strip.The assembly voted by 143 to nine, with 25 abstentions, for a resolution called on the UN security council to bestow full membership to the state of Palestine, while enhancing its current mission with a range of new rights and privileges, in addition to what it is allowed in its current observer status. Continue reading...

Ten Historically Black Colleges and Universities in line for grants for technology, operations, audience engagement and reportingTen student newsrooms at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will receive nearly $200,000 to help improve campus newsroom technology, business operations, audience engagement and reporting. The grants, given by the Center for Journalism & Democracy at Howard University via its Newsroom Innovation Challenge, were announced on Friday.HBCU student newsrooms brim with talent, but often lack the resources needed to give students access to the cutting-edge technology and operational support that so many of their peers at predominately white institutions have," Nikole Hannah-Jones, the center's founder, said in a statement. The money will also allow the newsrooms to pay stipends for student journalists, many of whom are unable to volunteer at their campus news organizations because they need to work jobs that pay. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Reversal comes after backlash from students and writers including Booker winner Bernardine EvaristoGoldsmiths, University of London, will keep its Black British literature course open after a backlash from students and writers including the Booker prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo.The decision is a reversal of April's announcement that the master's degree in Black British literature, alongside other courses, would be axed as part of a cost-cutting programme affecting 132 academic jobs across 11 departments. Continue reading...

143 countries supported it, 9 voted against, and 25 abstainedOn a visit to Washington, German defence minister Boris Pistorius expressed understanding" for the US threat to limit arms supplies to Israel in the event of a full-blown Rafah offensive but stopped short of setting any new red lines on German weapons.However, he told ZDF public television that Germany must put pressure on Israel not to go too far" and to slow down" in its military response to the 7 October attacks. Continue reading...

Lee Byer was released from prison five days before senseless' attack on Thomas O'Halloran in August 2022A man has been detained in hospital indefinitely for the senseless" killing of an elderly mobility scooter rider five days after his release from prison.Lee Byer stabbed 87-year-old Thomas O'Halloran in the neck and chest in Greenford, west London, in August 2022. Continue reading...

Socialist frontrunner says region ready to unite, rather than focus on divisive politics that has plunged country into crisisCatalan's election offers voters a chance to leave behind a lost decade" of unstable and divisive rule by pro-independence parties and instead choose a government that will focus on unity and improving neglected" public services in the wealthy north-eastern Spanish region, according to the socialist frontrunner.Salvador Illa, a former central government health minister who leads the Catalan branch of Spain's ruling socialist party, said the region was ready for change almost seven years after the failed, unilateral bid to secede plunged the country into political crisis. Continue reading...

Piran Ditta Khan, 75, was last of seven men convicted for involvement in Bradford robbery during which police officer was killedAfter 15 years as a fugitive, Piran Ditta Khan was handed a life sentence on Friday for leading an armed robbery that ended with the police officer Sharon Beshenivsky being shot dead.Khan fled the country after the 2005 robbery and lived in Pakistan until the UK government extradited him last year. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereRussian forces have advanced one kilometre (0.62 mile) into Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region near Vovchansk, a high-ranking Ukrainian military source said on Friday.According to Reuters, the source said the Russian military was aiming to advance as much as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into the region in an effort to establish a buffer zone. Ukrainian forces were fighting to hold back Moscow's advance.At approximately 5 am, there was an attempt by the enemy to break through our defensive line under the cover of armoured vehicles.As of now, these attacks have been repulsed; battles of varying intensity continue. Continue reading...

Government sources had indicated deportation of asylum seekers would begin in July, but order shows they could happen on 24 JuneRishi Sunak's first deportation flight to Rwanda, the cornerstone of the government's immigration policy, could happen as early as 24 June, court papers seen by the Guardian show.Although government sources had indicated that the first flights carrying asylum seekers would take off in July, a court order released on Friday has disclosed that the government now says flights could take off in late June. Continue reading...

Further job cuts likely as JLP says it is investing in automation as part of simplifying the way we work'

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereThe Post Office Horizon IT inquiry is about to get under way again. Sir Wyn Williams is in the chair, and the witness is Rod Ismay, former head of product and branch accounting at Post Office limited. You can watch it here.James Cleverly has posted to social media in response to Labour leader Keir Starmer talking up his plans for immigration policy. In his message, Starmer said:People have a right to expect security at our borders. When I was the country's chief prosecutor, we smashed terrorist gangs abroad. If I'm privileged enough to become prime minister, we will smash the people-smuggling gangs.Labour's big ideas: Scrap Rwanda eg. have no deterrent. Amnesty for small boat arrivals because they would scrap Rwanda and have nowhere to send them. Re-brand Small Boats Command, which was set up by this Conservative government and is led by a British army officer. Continue reading...

Company says latest delay at central London site bought for estimated 378m is due to water leaking into basementIkea has pushed back the opening of its Oxford Street store to spring 2025 - about 18 months later than initially planned - after problems with water leaking into the basement.The site, previously occupied by Topshop, had been scheduled to open this autumn and that date had already been put back by a full year. Continue reading...

Celebrity chef says businesses are battling to stay afloat' due to rising rent and food costs but industry still vibrant'Gordon Ramsay's restaurant empire tripled losses to 3.4m last year as it spent millions of pounds on opening five new restaurants and the chef said businesses in the industry were battling to stay afloat".Sales at the celebrity chef's dining establishments, which range from his Michelin-starred flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to Street Burger, rose by 21% to 95.6m in the year to 27 August. The group took on 290 more staff after a tough time during the pandemic lockdowns. Continue reading...

Mayor of Alicudi appealed for homes for 600 feral goats which will be removed from tiny volcanic islandWhen the mayor of a remote Italian island grappling with an overpopulation of feral goats offered to give the animals away, he anticipated a smattering of interest from farmers on neighbouring isles who were perhaps keen to boost their production of ricotta cheese.But as news of his adopt a goat" initiative spread beyond Alicudi, he received a flurry of offers from around the world - not just from Europe, but also the US, and even from an animal-lover in Nigeria. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Wopke Hoekstra says EU must press ahead with cutting greenhouse gases and use policy to bring about economic benefitsEurope's climate chief has warned against politicians trying to use the climate crisis as a wedge issue in the forthcoming EU parliament elections, calling instead for climate policy that will bring wider economic benefits.Wopke Hoekstra, the EU commissioner for climate action, said Europe had no choice but to press ahead with strong measures to cut greenhouse gases, whoever was in power, but added that more attention was needed to help businesses thrive in a low-carbon world. Continue reading...

Agency chief says compound has suffered a number of attacks with the lives of UN staff at a serious risk'The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has temporarily closed its East Jerusalem headquarters after Israeli extremists" set fire to the perimeter following weeks of repeated attacks.This evening, Israeli residents set fire twice to the perimeter of the Unrwa headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem," the head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, tweeted, lamenting that it was the second attack on the compound in a matter of days. Continue reading...

Relationship between former president and adult film actor is central to the case. Plus, faculty-led Gaza encampment at the New SchoolGood morning,The hush-money trial against Donald Trump resumes today at the end of a dramatic week that included testimony from the adult film actor Stormy Daniels.Remind me of the details? Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with the payments, and has pleaded not guilty.Is the trial impacting Trump's electoral prospects? It doesn't look like it. Trump is polling at an average 41.3% compared with Joe Biden's 40.6%.The other criminal cases. The hush-money case is the first of four criminal cases to reach a jury against Trump. The other three have hit serious delays, which could perhaps prevent them from starting before November's presidential election.What's happening in Rafah? Israel has intensified its bombardment of the city - where 1.4 million people are sheltering - leading to more than 100,000 people fleeing, UN officials say.What does the international community think about an Israeli invasion of Rafah? The UN urged a ceasefire to stop the unbearable suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and of the hostages and their families". The UK said a Rafah offensive would break international law. Qatar called for urgent international action to prevent the city from being invaded and a crime of genocide being committed". Continue reading...

Keir Johnston, 38, admits strangling Grace Johnston outside Scottish home on Isle of ColonsayA man who became famous after a dress bought for his wedding broke the internet" has pleaded guilty to endangering his wife's life after admitting to strangling her.Keir Johnston, 38, pleaded guilty to the attack at the high court in Glasgow on Thursday and was remanded in custody until a sentence is passed next month. Continue reading...

More rain is expected to lash NSW as BoM issues severe weather and flash flood warningsAnother wet and stormy weekend is ahead for New South Wales with widespread rain and thunderstorms expected to batter much of the state.The heaviest downpours of up to 200mm are forecast to hit the South Coast and Illawarra, prompting widespread flash flood warnings. Continue reading...

Administrators tell creditors meeting they are moving heaven and earth' to secure a future for grounded airline

Lawyer for Elon Musk's company tells federal court notice from watchdog was manifestly inadequate'

Shadow health secretary says party will not accept just any MP after Natalie Elphicke's move to Labour UK politics live - latest updatesLabour's Wes Streeting has said he has spoken to more Tories considering a defection to the opposition, but insisted the party would not accept just any MP after the former Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke crossed the floor.The shadow health secretary said Elphicke, who is due to appear alongside the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, in her Dover constituency on Friday, had switched sides with a purpose" and not out of personal ambition", defending the move amid a backlash from some Labour MPs. Continue reading...

Hunters reportedly find five Rwandan men in mangroves on Saibai Island, a known crocodile habitatAs the UK government continues its push to forcibly remove asylum seekers to Rwanda, a group of Rwandan nationals has claimed asylum in Australia after arriving by boat on a remote island.The five men arrived in Australia by an unconventional route, reportedly flying into the Indonesian capital of Jakarta to be granted visas on arrival, before travelling thousands of kilometres east to Indonesia's Papua province, where they crossed the land border it shares with Papua New Guinea (PNG). Continue reading...

Meanwhile, federal opposition calls for Australia to actively vote against admitting Palestine as a full UN member. Follow the day's news live

Government will require that the five men who claimed asylum will not be sent to a country where they face persecution

Historic alehouse frequented by a Manic Street Preacher and All Black rugby players reconstructed on edge of Welsh capitalFor more than a century and a half, the Vulcan Hotel served dockers, railway workers, artists, sports stars, gamblers and dreamers and the demolition in 2012 of this beloved, spit-and-sawdust Cardiff pub felt like a bereavement.Twelve years on, the pints are about to flow and the pickled eggs served again after a painstaking project to move the old alehouse brick by brick to a new site and reopen it as a working pub. Continue reading...

Ten's legal team had argued Lehrmann should pay all its costs because suing The Project for defamation was deliberately wicked and calculated'

The singer and entertainer says he had loaned the woman money for a business after the pair met for dinner

Albanese government has already telegraphed budget will include $566m over 10 years to map Australia's soil and seabed for gasfield exploration and $100m to speed up environmental approvals

High court dismisses challenge from Iranian asylum seeker, ruling that detention is lawful if non-citizens refuse to cooperate in deportation process

Israeli prime minister says country can stand alone' but later says he hopes US and Israel can overcome differencesBenjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will stand alone and fight with our fingernails" in defiance of US threats to further restrict arms deliveries if Israeli forces proceed with an offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, was speaking on Thursday after Israeli and Hamas delegations left the ceasefire negotiations in Cairo. It was unclear whether the talks had broken down or simply paused. Hamas said early on Friday that the ball is now completely" in Israel's hands, while Israel has claimed that Hamas' version of a deal fell far short of its requirements. Continue reading...

Thompson was the last surviving member of the group after the death of guitarist Wayne Kramer in FebruaryDennis Thompson, the drummer for influential Detroit rock band MC5, has died at the age of 75.Thompson, who was the last surviving member of the group after the death of guitarist Wayne Kramer in February, died in a Michigan nursing home on Thursday. He had been recovering after a heart attack in April, his son Chris McNulty told Detroit News. Continue reading...

Troubled airline had earlier cancelled flights to Australia and New Zealand, citing maintenance' requirementsThe Pacific Island country of Vanuatu has put its national carrier Air Vanuatu into voluntary liquidation, after it cancelled flights to Australia and New Zealand, leaving tourists stranded.The airline had cited extended maintenance requirements for its aircraft when it cancelled its flights through to Sunday. Continue reading...

Senate inquiry finds axed scientific programs, toxic workplace culture and a trouble-plagued icebreaker among problems

Exclusive: One detainee recorded as being involved in over 3,000 incidents' in a year - an incredibly unfeasible' scenario, FOI documents say

Leading cultural figures including Margaret Atwood sign statement in support of rapper who criticised Iranian regimeMore than 100 figures from the worlds of music, culture and human rights activism - including Coldplay and Sting - have signed a statement calling for the release of the Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi who has been sentenced to death in Iran after protesting in support of women's rights.The 33-year-old, who was a vocal supporter of the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran was sentenced to death by a court in the city of Isfahan on 24 April, according to his lawyer. Continue reading...

Thousands had marched against the country's inclusion in Saturday's final but Eden Golan's entry was voted throughIsrael has made it through to the final of the Eurovision song contest, setting the stage for a tense and politically charged event in Malmo on Saturday.At Thursday's second semi-final in Sweden's third largest city, viewers from the competing countries backed the Israeli singer Eden Golan as one of the 10 entries to progress. Continue reading...

In unearthed deposition, Lawrence Hecker pleaded the fifth 117 times, but still provided damning details of decades-long predatory behavior

There is more than one way to help people who are on income support,' treasurer says when suggesting rebates and concessions could be boosted

Pop star thrills Paris crowds with songs from newest album The Tortured Poets DepartmentTaylor Swift has added her newest album, The Tortured Poets Department, to an already packed setlist as she returned to The Eras Tour after a two-month break.Swift had described TTPD as new works reflecting events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time - one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure". In Paris on Thursday night she put it more succinctly: Female rage, the musical." Continue reading...

Labour leader to promise to divert 75m to fund specialist force against smugglers using counter-terror powersKeir Starmer will promise to rip up the government's Rwanda scheme and divert 75m to fund hundreds of new specialist officers to tackle people-smuggling with new counter-terror powers.At a speech on Friday in Dover - the home of Natalie Elphicke, who defected to Labour this week after criticising Tory failures on border security - the Labour leader will call the government's plan an insult to anyone's intelligence" and say the gangs that run this sick trade are not easily fooled".Create a new post of border security commander to oversee the unit, working across Europe and with multiple agencies on enforcement and intelligence.Recruit hundreds of additional special investigators, intelligence agents and cross-border police officers.Expand stop and search powers for use against those suspected of people-smuggling.Use Serious Crime Prevention Orders, enforced on terrorists pre-conviction, to shut off the bank accounts and internet access of suspected smugglers.Extend seizure warrant powers normally reserved for terrorism to include organised immigration crime. Continue reading...

Plans for head of border security with access to home secretary will not satisfy all critics of Labour's immigration policiesKeir Starmer's border plans, announced after a giddy week of political triumphs, attempt to address some of the deep structural problems within the Home Office.Paid for with 75m from the existing budget for the Rwanda scheme, the plans echo recommendations handed to Priti Patel two years ago: employ a single border security head who is given direct access to the home secretary. Continue reading...

The music star's major neurocognitive disorder' given as reason by a Los Angeles judge for a two-person conservatorshipA judge found Thursday that Beach Boys founder and music luminary Brian Wilson should be in a court conservatorship to manage his personal and medical decisions because of what his doctor calls a major neurocognitive disorder".At a hearing, Los Angeles superior court judge Gus T May approved the petition filed by the 81-year-old Wilson's family and inner circle after the death of his wife in January, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, who handled most of his tasks and affairs. Continue reading...

Alan Miller to go to death in September as state rejects warnings that gas-mask method represents cruel and unusual punishmentAlabama has scheduled its second execution of a death row prisoner using the novel technique of nitrogen gas, brushing aside objections that the procedure is a form of cruel and unusual punishment banned under the US constitution.Barring last-minute judicial moves, Alan Miller, 59, will be put to his death on 26 September, after an execution date was set on Thursday by the state's Republican governor Kay Ivey. Should it go ahead, the anticipated killing would be exceptional not only as only the second time that nitrogen has been used in the US, but also because Miller has already been subjected to a botched execution, which he survived. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Operation Safeguard confirmed by Ministry of Justice after damning report on conditions in one of UK's biggest jailsThe government has formally triggered a crisis measure to ease prison overcrowding by using police cells to house inmates.The confirmation of Operation Safeguard by the Ministry of Justice follows a decision to consider releasing some prisoners 70 days before their sentences were due to end. Continue reading...

Linda Thomas-Greenfield will no longer speak at Xavier University of Louisiana after students angered by US ceasefire vetoes at UNXavier University of Louisiana has canceled Saturday's planned commencement address by the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, after news of her appearance sparked outrage among some students.Students were outraged over Thomas-Greenfield's invitation to speak because of their opposition to the past positions by the US on the war in Gaza. Continue reading...

Bestselling author of Lace and Superwoman turned her attention to helping people overcome anxiety about mathsShirley Conran, the author of Lace and Superwoman, has died aged 91, her son the designer Jasper Conran has announced.The bestselling queen of the bonkbuster" was also the founder of the Maths Anxiety Trust, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to help people who experience anxiety or fear when faced with maths problems. Last week Conran was awarded a damehood in her bed in Charing Cross hospital in London for her services to mathematics education. Continue reading...