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US secretary of state to hold talks with Chinese counterpart and most likely with President Xi JinpingAntony Blinken has landed in China amid a worsening rift between the world's two most powerful countries that threatens to overshadow otherwise improving relations.The US secretary of state arrives with a warning that the US and its European allies are no longer prepared to tolerate China's sale of weapon components and dual-use products to Russia, which are helping Vladimir Putin rebuild and modernise his arms factories, enabling him to intensify his onslaught on Ukraine. Continue reading...

Rights chief also warns Britain will be judged harshly by history for its failure to help prevent civilian slaughter in Gaza'The UK has been accused by Amnesty International of deliberately destabilising" human rights on the global stage for its own political ends.In its annual global report, released today, the organisation said Britain was weakening human rights protections nationally and globally, amid a near-breakdown of international law. Continue reading...

Investors lodge 58% protest vote against emissions report but defiant chair Richard Goyder maintains company is part of solution to climate change

NSW police deputy commissioner says more than 400 police were involved in the raids

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Member of parliament for Birkenhead between 1979 and 2019 has died after a period of illness, his family has announcedThe former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field has died aged 81, his family has announced.A statement from Lord Field's family, issued by his parliamentary office, said: Frank Field (Rt Hon Lord Field of Birkenhead, CH) has died at the age of 81 following a period of illness. Continue reading...

Less than 24 hours after the bot was launched, internet users were already attempting to jailbreak' the program

Australian federal police have told court there was a real risk' the video could be used to encourage people to commit terrorist attacks

Greens criticise Albanese government's abysmal lack of action' as CPI figures show education costs driving up inflation

Bags went missing in Dubai floods, with embassy staff only able to retrieve one instrument and a handful of dress uniforms for defence force musiciansAustralia's and New Zealand's defence forces are once again coming together at Gallipoli - this time to ensure New Zealand's military band can play on.The band's luggage was among thousands of bags lost during last week's Dubai floods, with embassy staff only able to retrieve one instrument and a handful of dress uniforms ahead of the 25 April dawn service in Turkey. Continue reading...

Petition filed on behalf of woman known as as Fausia, who underwent a forced pregnancy after being rapedHonduras is being taken to a global human rights body for the first time over its total abortion ban, which campaigners say violates women's fundamental rights and the country's international commitments.The Center for Reproductive Rights and the Honduras-based Centro de Derechos de la Mujer (Center for Women's Rights, CDM) filed a petition with the UN human rights committee this month on behalf of a woman known as Fausia, who underwent a forced pregnancy after being raped and denied an abortion under Honduras' draconian laws. Continue reading...

Former DUP leader will be seen for first time since his arrest when he attends court in Newry on WednesdayJeffrey Donaldson is due to make his first court appearance in Northern Ireland on sexual offence charges amid a heavy security presence.The former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader is scheduled to appear at Newry magistrates court in County Down on Wednesday morning to face allegations of sexual abuse against two people. Continue reading...

Three-decade campaign by the Gweagal community of La Perouse sees repatriation of four spears to Kamay

Releasing secret safety data will save lives', automobile association says as report shows 1,286 people died on Australian roads over the last year

Chris Minns to announce details of review after court hears the man charged with her murder was on bail for other offencesThe New South Wales government has ordered a review of the decisions a court made to bail a man facing charges of raping and stalking Molly Ticehurst, and who has subsequently been charged with her murder.The premier, Chris Minns, said he would announce the details of the review on Wednesday after Daniel Billings was charged with the domestic violence murder of his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend. Continue reading...

Authorities in Greece warn the dust concentrations can reduce sunlight and visibility, while increasing levels of fine pollution particles pose health risksClouds of dust blown in from the Sahara covered Athens and other Greek cities on Tuesday, one of the worst such episodes to hit the country since 2018, officials said.A yellow-orange haze smothered several regions after days of strong winds from the south, limiting visibility and prompting warnings from the authorities of breathing risks. Continue reading...

Watchdog says only a third of local authorities are confident they will have enough places for SeptemberThe deployment of the government's childcare scheme to tens of thousands more families is facing significant uncertainties" and may struggle to meet its own targets, according to a report by Whitehall's spending watchdog.The National Audit Office revealed the Department for Education (DfE) had assessed the likelihood of being able to deliver the funded childcare places it promised for September 2024 and 2025 as amber/red problematic". Continue reading...

One in five people on average need at least three interactions - but for ethnic minorities figure rises to one in threeEthnic minorities and young people require more visits than other people to the GP before being diagnosed with cancer, according to new analysis.On average, one in five people across England require three or more GP interactions before being diagnosed with cancer. But for people from ethnic minority backgrounds, the figure rises to one in three, according to analysis of the NHS cancer patient experience 2022 survey by QualityWatch, a joint programme from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation. Continue reading...

Children among those killed in second fatal incident in two weeks close to the Horn of Africa, says UN agencyAt least 21 people have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the UN's migration agency has said.It was the second fatal maritime accident in two weeks off the Horn of Africa nation, which lies on the perilous so-called eastern migration route from Africa to the Middle East. Continue reading...

Kalen D'Almeida and Braden Ellis accosted David Boyles, also co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona, last OctoberTwo employees of a rightwing youth organization who harassed and assaulted a queer professor last year agreed to a diversion program and admitted they were guilty of the acts.Turning Point USA's Kalen D'Almeida and Braden Ellis accosted the Arizona State University (ASU) professor David Boyles last October, hounding him about his sexuality and the classes he teaches. Boyles is an English instructor and the co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona. Continue reading...

Open letter says callous and degrading' police group WhatsApp message caused more trauma than you can imagine'The mother of one of the Nottingham attack victims has written an open letter to members of a police WhatsApp group in which a message was posted describing her son as being properly butchered".Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber, 19, who with Grace O'Malley-Kumar, 19, and Ian Coates, 65, was stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane, has written to the Nottinghamshire police officer who she says posted graphic details of the victims' injuries in the chat group. Continue reading...

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UN and Council for Europe add voices to outcry as more people drown within hours of cruel' Rwanda bill being passedHumanitarian groups have called for new safe routes to Britain after five people died trying to cross the Channel within hours of ministers passing the controversial Rwanda bill.A child and four adults drowned on Tuesday while trying to reach the UK in a boat from Wimereux, in France. More than 110 people were said to have been on board the vessel when it left the French coastline at 5am. Continue reading...

Minister admits mistakes have been made but says speed limit will remain in high-risk areasHundreds of roads and streets where a 20mph speed limit was introduced under a controversial law could be returned to 30mph, as the Labour-led government admitted mistakes had been made over the policy.The Welsh government denied it had performed a U-turn and insisted the default 20mph for roads in built-up areas would remain to prevent deaths and save the NHS money. Continue reading...

Johnny Timpson says he wants to take a stand' after revelations thousands of unpaid carers are being forced to pay huge finesOne of Rishi Sunak's dementia advisers has resigned over the government's approach towards unpaid carers, describing the prosecutions of vulnerable people as beyond the pale".Johnny Timpson, who advised No 10 on its dementia strategy, said he wanted to take a stand" after the Guardian revealed that tens of thousands of unpaid carers were being fined huge sums and in some cases prosecuted for minor infringements of earnings rules. Continue reading...

Then home secretary's decision in January 2023 to drop pledges was discriminatory, high court hearsA decision made by the former home secretary Suella Braverman to drop three recommendations intended to repair some of the monumental harm" done to the Windrush generation was unlawful, the high court has been told.The Home Office committed itself to a comprehensive improvement programme in response to the Windrush scandal, which had a severely discriminatory impact on a cohort of people who had lived in the UK since childhood, many of whom were arrested, detained, removed from the UK, or sacked from their jobs, made homeless and denied NHS treatment, the court heard. Continue reading...

Juan Merchan reserves judgment on prosecutors' request for maximum fine but tells Todd Blanche you're losing all credibility'The New York judge presiding in Donald Trump's criminal trial held off on deciding whether he should be fined $10,000 for attacking expected trial witnesses in direct violation of the gag order designed to protect trial participants from being the target of Trump's abuse.The judge, Juan Merchan, reserved ruling from the bench. But he appeared deeply unconvinced by arguments from Trump's lead lawyer Todd Blanche that a series of social media posts were just responses to political attacks on Trump and therefore permitted. Continue reading...

Innovative Bites Ltd wins case brought by UK tax authority after its mega' product deemed to be an ingredient'A food company has won a sweet-tasting victory against the UK tax authorities after a court decided that it did not have to pay VAT on its marshmallows because they were not confectionary.HMRC has unsuccessfully appealed against a 2022 decision by the first tier tribunal (FTT) that Innovative Bites Ltd did not have to pay a 472,928 demand for sales tax on its Mega Marshmallows" because they were sold and purchased as a product specifically for roasting". Continue reading...

Far-right supporters among those believed to be attending march on Whitehall, where group violently' forced way through cordonClashes have taken place in central London between police and participants in a St George's Day event attended by crowds that included some far-right supporters.Groups of men wielding flags pushed through lines of police attempting to hold them back in an area near Whitehall before the event, resulting in police on horseback being sent in. Continue reading...

Ukraine needs western munitions badly but it remains unclear how much more artillery the UK is prepared to produce

Prime minister announces increase to UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 in speech about security

Paula Vennells and senior execs accused of Orwellian' use of language over computer system's failingsPaula Vennells, former chief executive of Post Office, and other senior executives searched for non-emotive" words to describe computer bugs found in the Post Office's Horizon IT system in an absolutely Orwellian" use of language, a public inquiry has heard.The inquiry is investigating why the Post Office hounded and prosecuted post office operators for more than a decade because of shortfalls in their branch accounts. It has since emerged that these discrepancies were due to IT problems in the Post Office's Horizon computer system. Continue reading...

Baltimore has sued operator and owner of the Dali container ship, saying it had an incompetent crew' and ignored warningsThe city of Baltimore has sued the owner and operator of the Dali container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, saying it had an incompetent crew" and set sail despite receiving warnings.According to a court document filed on Monday, city officials say the ship's parent company, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, and its operator, Synergy Marine Group, were potentially criminally negligent" after causing the bridge to collapse on 26 March. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Human rights commission calls for immediate intervention in the division and says sexism and bullying are rife

Michael McDaid charged with murder after Rachel McDaid found dead at her home in EastwoodThe family of a woman found dead in a house in Nottinghamshire say they are truly devastated" by the loss of their beloved mother, daughter, sister, auntie and cousin".Rachel McDaid, 53, was found dead at her home in Nottingham Road, Eastwood, last Friday morning. Her husband, Michael McDaid, 60, appeared in Nottingham magistrates court on Monday charged with her murder. Continue reading...

Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, was loved by many' and an incredible mother', her family saidThe family of a businesswoman found dead in a luxury Surrey hotel have paid tribute to an incredible mother" who was loved by many".Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, was found dead by a housekeeper in a room at Pennyhill Park in Bagshot, Surrey on 14 April. James Cartwright, 60, was charged with murder and controlling and coercive behaviour in relation to the case on Sunday. He is from Axminster, Devon. Continue reading...

Emergency services say 310 bodies have been found in past week as UN rights chief says he is horrified' by reports. This live blog is closedA source close to Hezbollah said an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon killed a fighter of the Iran-backed militant group on Tuesday as he was travelling in a vehicle, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.The strike hit the Abu al-Aswad area near the coastal city of Tyre, about 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the border, an AFP journalist reported. Continue reading...

Hopes of a UK interest rate cut and easing geopolitical tensions are not the only reasons for the intraday peak reached this morningThe UK stock market has hit an intraday record high, lifted by hopes of interest rate cuts and easing geopolitical tensions, after setting a new closing high on Monday. The FTSE 100 index touched 8,076 points at the opening bell on Tuesday, surpassing a previous high of 8,047 reached in February 2023. We explain what is behind the rising London market. Continue reading...

Union threatens ministers with legal action amid fears staff could be obliged to breach civil service code and international law

Independent Russian media outlet claims strongman was diagnosed with pancreatic necrosis in 2019Chechnya's strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has published a workout video in an apparent move to scotch rumours of illness after a media report claimed that his health was rapidly deteriorating.Novaya Gazeta Europe, an independent Russian outlet, published a report on Monday that said Kadyrov was diagnosed with pancreatic necrosis in 2019, a severe condition characterised by the death of pancreatic tissue. Continue reading...

Three men, woman and child reported dead from vessel said to have been carrying more than 110 peopleFive people including a child have died in an attempt to cross the Channel near the town of Wimereux, south of Calais, French authorities have said.The prefect's office in Pas-de-Calais said that around 5am on Tuesday morning, a small boat carrying more than 110 people" had departed near the Plage des Allemands beach at Wimereux. Continue reading...

In an interview promoting his Pop-Tarts movie Unfrosted, comedian says confusion and disorientation have taken film's placeJerry Seinfeld has said the film business is over" and that movies are no longer the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy" they once were.In an interview with GQ magazine, Seinfeld talked about his experience on his feature film directing debut Unfrosted, saying that he admired the dedication of his collaborators on the movie, but that the industry itself was in crisis. I thought I had done some cool stuff, but it was nothing like the way these people work. They're so dead serious! They don't have any idea that the movie business is over. They have no idea." Continue reading...

Ex-Democrat, reported contender for Trump running mate, sued Clinton for Russia remark but dropped caseTulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman, has repeated a discredited claim about Hillary Clinton that previously saw Gabbard lodge then drop a $50m defamation suit in a new book published as she seeks to be named Donald Trump's running mate for US president.Accusing Democrats of making up a conspiracy theory that [Trump] was colluding' with the Russians to win the election" in 2016, Gabbard claims: Hillary Clinton used a similar tactic against me when I ran for president in 2020, accusing me of being groomed by the Russians'." Continue reading...

Man worked as assistant to Maximilian Krah, top candidate in European parliament elections, say prosecutorsAn aide to a German far-right politician standing in the European elections in June has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German prosecutors have said.The man, named only as Jian G, was accused of sharing information about negotiations at the European parliament with a Chinese intelligence service and of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany, federal prosecutors said. Continue reading...

Commissioner expresses grave concern after Rishi Sunak's asylum policy passes parliamentary stagesThe Council of Europe's human rights watchdog has condemned Rishi Sunak's Rwanda scheme, saying it raises major issues about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law".The body's human rights commissioner, Michael O'Flaherty, said the bill, expected to be signed into law on Tuesday after passing its parliamentary stages on Monday night, was a grave concern and should not be used to remove asylum seekers or infringe on judges' independence. Continue reading...

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Anthony Albanese responds to X owner who criticised Australian authorities demanding videos of a Sydney church stabbing be removedAustralia's prime minister has labelled X's owner, Elon Musk, an arrogant billionaire who thinks he is above the law" as the rift deepens between Australia and the tech platform over the removal of videos of a violent stabbing in a Sydney church.On Monday evening in an urgent last-minute federal court hearing, the court ordered a two-day injunction against X to hide posts globally containing the footage of the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on 15 April. The eSafety commissioner had previously directed X to remove the posts, but X had only blocked them from access in Australia pending a legal challenge. Continue reading...

Despite eventual visa backflip by authorities, ABC's south-Asia correspondent Avani Dias left after being made to feel so uncomfortable'

Videos on social media show helicopters flying in formation when one clipped another and both crashedTwo Malaysian navy helicopters have collided in mid-air during a rehearsal for a parade, killing all 10 crew members on board, the navy has said.The incident occurred at the Lumut naval base in the western state of Perak at 9.32am on Tuesday (0132 GMT), the navy said in a statement. Continue reading...