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States must roll out batteries, solar and wind energy more quickly to ease risk of blackouts, market operator says

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...

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...

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One in six students say they have been made fun of by peers as experts warn classroom disorder is leading to poorer school outcomes

Push to reopen borders essential to get aid in and humanitarian workers out before we have another Zomi Frankcom'

Incident in Burley, seemingly linked to occult, was followed by stabbing of five sheep in nearby Cadnam

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...

PM apologises following report that found subtle, pervasive and chilling' cover-up by NHS and government. This live blog is closed

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...

Three men look set to climb the ranks in a reshuffle including Mohammad Mokhber, who has been named the interim presidentThe death of the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has created political turbulence in the country, with uncertainty over who might now rise to the top in the Islamic republic. While the presidency is not the most powerful position in the country - that is reserved for the supreme leader - it holds significant authority.Here are three men who hold power in Iran: Continue reading...

Nursery worker Kate Roughley left Genevieve Meehan strapped face down to a beanbag for 97 minutes, court heard

Pupils were viewed as cheaper than chimps' at Hampshire school where Richard Warwick was infected with HIV and hepatitis C

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Design created with no concrete and completely sustainable materials is first to win new environmental prizeA garden built with humble" terracotta made into 3D-printed bricks has won the first green medal at Chelsea flower show for being the most environmentally sustainable design.This year's show, held in the Royal hospital gardens in south-west London, has a strong environmental theme. At the press day on Monday, Dame Judi Dench was presented with a seedling taken from the Sycamore Gap tree felled in Northumberland. Continue reading...

Lloyd Austin, speaking at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, praises troops' courage in hard and dangerous fight'Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, the Russian state news Tass agency reported on Monday.It said the ministers were meeting to discuss the implementation of Russian-Chinese agreements reached during Vladimir Putin's state visit to China last week, and events in Iran, whose president and foreign minister were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Continue reading...

Experts say shift in direction, including on nuclear issue, is unlikely after death of president and foreign ministerIn the immediate aftermath of the death of the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, and foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in a helicopter crash on Sunday, Iran's regional proxies lined up to offer their condolences.Hamas mourned Raisi as an honourable supporter" of the Gaza-based group. Hezbollah praised him as a strong supporter, and a staunch defender of our causes ... and a protector of the resistance movements". Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi rebels, said on X that Raisi's death was a loss for the entire Islamic world and Palestine and Gaza". Continue reading...

Health update comes as country reels from assassination attempt and contends with political falloutThe Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, is in a stable condition and communicating after last week's assassination attempt, doctors have said, as the country continues to grapple with the political fallout from the shooting.On Monday, the FD Roosevelt hospital in Banska Bystrica said Fico's conditiond was stable". He is clinically improving, communicating and his inflammatory markers are gradually decreasing," it said, adding: The prime minister remains in our care." Continue reading...

Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-abdollahian dead after helicopter went down in mountains close to Azerbaijan border

Her first novel in eight years, She is the Earth, also claims the Indigenous writers category, netting writer a combined $40,000A metaphysical verse novel by Yankunytjatjara poet Ali Cobby Eckermann has won book of the year at the New South Wales premier's literary awards.She is the Earth, the first work published by Eckermann in eight years, was awarded the book of the year on Monday night, as well as the Indigenous writers category, worth a combined $40,000.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Low pressure also expected to raise temperatures in eastern Canada and north-east US, while temperatures plummet in westAfter a lull in recent weeks, storm season in the US has begun to ramp up again, with 100mph winds and tennis ball-sized hail hitting Kansas on Sunday. It has been a busy season so far in terms of severe storms, with late spring into early summer typically bringing the greatest risk for tornadoes across the plains and midwest. An area of low pressure moving in across the central US, combined with rich moisture streaming in from the Gulf of Mexico, will probably continue the threat of tornadoes and large hail across numerous states. On Tuesday in particular, this severe weather risk may extend from Oklahoma all the way up to the Great Lakes.This setup of low pressure could lead not just to a large outbreak of severe weather across the US later this week, but also to a sharp temperature gradient across the US and Canada as the warm air is fed into higher latitudes. In eastern Canada and the north-eastern US, temperatures are likely to reach 10C above the average for the time of year. Cities such as Ottawa and Detroit could have daytime maximum temperatures of 30C by Wednesday. Continue reading...

Hundreds of Australian and New Zealand travellers are stuck in the French Pacific territory where protests and violence are preventing access to the airportHundreds of Australian and New Zealand tourists stranded in New Caledonia amid deadly unrest are anxiously waiting on French authorities to allow air travel out of the territory, as their governments stand by to bring them home.French security forces are working to retake control of the highway to the international airport in New Caledonia, shuttered because of violent unrest in the French Pacific territory. Continue reading...

Senate committee told of potential for deepfakes or cloned robocalls of Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton, which may not be illegal under current laws

Student activists in Brisbane have been warned of disciplinary action for chanting out, out, Israel out' at protests

Find out who's up and who's down in the latest polls - and how many seats each party is likely to win in the next general election

Public urged not to engage in methods of disrupting criminal activity or reprisal' after alleged attack on Michael Trout in Holloways Beach

Grattan Institute estimate backs Jim Chalmers' claim move would cost billions' - but opposition leader labels treasurer's statement voodoo economics'

Police say the boy's mother raised concerns after the father failed to hand over the child after an access visit

Chair to share findings of investigation into NHS infection of thousands with HIV or hepatitis C over more than 20 yearsThe infected blood public inquiry is to publish its final report on the failings that led to the deaths of more than 3,000 people in the UK and ruined many more lives.The report will detail how more than 30,000 haemophiliacs or transfusion recipients were infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C over more than two decades, and is seen as a seismic moment for the victims and their families. Continue reading...

Psychologist admitted to supplying or offering crystal meth, amphetamine and Xanax to a patient on multiple occasionsA psychologist who supplied crystal methamphetamine to a patient and asked others to take urine tests on her behalf to hide her own drug use has been banned for seven years.Maria Cassar admitted to supplying or offering crystal methamphetamine, amphetamine and Xanax to a patient on multiple occasions. Continue reading...

Police commissioner Michael Murphy tells court he did not accept recommendation to demote the sergeant because he admitted sharing the photo and was contrite

Lai makes first speech as president in historic third term in power for the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive party (DPP)

Police called over discovery, made several days after pair were allegedly murdered by former Jetstar pilot who has pleaded not guilty

While the number of Indian billionaires soars, growing unemployment has become a big problem for the BJP as it campaigns for a third termIt wasn't even the real wedding, just the pre-wedding party. But that didn't stop India's richest billionaire, Mukesh Ambani, whose son is set to marry the daughter of a millionaire, from throwing an affair so ostentatious that no one could question just how wealthy they are.The pop star Rihanna was paid about $8m to perform. The catering alone cost $25m and the final bill for the glittering soiree, held in March, reportedly came in at about $150m. Continue reading...

Sydney chef to close Lucky Kwong, saying she wants to focus on sharing other people's stories'

Rescuers struggle with search operation to find president and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian because of poor weather conditions

This blog has now closed. Follow our live coverage of the search for Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter on our new blog here.Here is a video of the Israeli war cabinet minister, Benny Gantz, threatening to resign if Benjamin Netanyahu fails to adopt an agreed plan for Gaza:Here are some of the latest images coming out from the newswires: Continue reading...

Police at Gablecross police station declared detainee dead early on Sunday and have referred incident to police watchdogA man in his 30s has died while in custody at a police station in Swindon, Wiltshire police said. He had been in custody at Gablecross police station since Saturday morning, and became unwell on Sunday morning.He was declared dead at about 9am on Sunday, the force added. The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Continue reading...

Coup leader killed and 50 people, including Americans, arrested after men reportedly attacked presidency in capital KinshasaThe leader of an attempted coup on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been killed and some 50 people including three American citizens arrested, a spokesperson for the Central African country's army told Reuters.Gunfire rang out around 4am in the capital Kinshasa, a Reuters reporter said. Armed men attacked the presidency in the city centre, according to spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge. Continue reading...

A country already in political transition could soon be forced to replace more than one leaderThe Iranian helicopter crash comes at a time when the country, faced by unprecedented external challenges, was already bracing itself for a change in regime with the expected demise in the next few years of its 85-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.In the country's hydra-headed leadership where power is spread in often opaque ways between clerics, politicians and army, it is the supreme leader, and not the president, that is ultimately decisive. Continue reading...

Taliban says four arrested over attack at Bamiyan heritage site that killed three Spanish visitors and an AfghanIslamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack by gunmen in Afghanistan's central Bamiyan province that killed three Spanish tourists on Friday.The Taliban's interior ministry spokesperson, Abdul Mateen Qani, said on Sunday that four people had been arrested over the attack. One Afghan citizen was also killed and four foreigners and three Afghans were injured in the attack, he added. Continue reading...

Labour sees no electoral gain in flagging sector's funding crisis - but losses cannot be sustained much longer