Exclusive: YouGov survey indicates loss of support among people in Britain for Israel's war in GazaA majority of voters in Britain back a ban on arms sales to Israel, according to a YouGov poll.One of the first up-to-date assessments of whether Israel is losing public support in key allied states, the research also suggests most people believe the Israeli government is violating human rights in Gaza. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique, Eleni Courea and Patrick Wintour on (#6KTN0)
Exclusive: More than 600 prominent lawyers sign letter that calls for end to exports as a measure to prevent' genocideThree former supreme court justices, including the court's former president Lady Hale, are among more than 600 lawyers, academics and retired senior judges warning that the UK government is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel.In a letter to the prime minister, the signatories, who also include former court of appeal judges and more than 60 KCs, say that the present situation in Gaza is catastrophic" and that given the international court of justice (ICJ) finding that there is a plausible risk of genocide being committed, the UK is legally obliged to act to prevent it. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6KTN2)
Prime minister says he held on to his US residency until 2021 only because he had not got around to revoking itRishi Sunak has insisted he does not want to move to the US and that he kept his green card for years only because returning it was not something I got round to".The prime minister said he had acted in accordance with all the rules" when in possession of a US green card, which he gave up only in 2021, while he was chancellor. Continue reading...
Regulator says energy firms planning payments for another 1,000 customers after reviewing 150,000 forced installationsOnly 1,500 people have been compensated by energy companies for the forced installation of prepayment meters over the past year, figures show.The regulator Ofgem said that initial information from gas and electricity suppliers show that 1,502 customers had received compensation totalling 342,450. Continue reading...
Founder of charity that lost seven people hits out at IDF as friendly governments decry drone attackIsrael is facing mounting international pressure to justify its conduct in the war in Gaza as the bodies of six foreign aid workers killed in a drone attack were repatriated to their families.Seven members of World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed when a drone repeatedly hit their convoy of three cars, which were clearly identified as belonging to the charity, after it left an aid warehouse in the central town of Deir al-Balah on Monday night. Continue reading...
Jonathan Kay and Mick Greenhough made derogatory remarks about Muslims and black people on social mediaReform UK has dropped two more parliamentary candidates after accusations they made racist comments on social media.Campaign group Hope Not Hate found tweets by candidates Jonathan Kay and Mick Greenhough in which they made derogatory comments about Muslims and black people. Continue reading...
Author's comments on Monday relating to trans women were posted as new hate crime law came into force in ScotlandComments by JK Rowling that described prominent transgender women activists as men" will not be recorded as a non-crime hate incident, Police Scotland has said.The Harry Potter author challenged police to arrest her in a series of posts on X on Monday as the Scottish government's contentious hate crime law came into force, which she described as wide open to abuse". She listed sex offenders who had described themselves as transgender alongside well-known trans women activists, describing them as men, every last one of them". Continue reading...
Justin Trudeau says allegations extremely troubling' after officers arrested First Nations men and confiscated their boots and phonesTwo First Nations fishermen have said they were forced to walk shoeless for hours in the dark and cold after Canadian federal officers seized their boots and phones.Prime minister Justin Trudeau said the allegations were extremely troubling" amid mounting anger over the treatment of the Mi'kmaw fishermen, whose ordeal has prompted comparisons with the notorious starlight tours" in which the police routinely abandoned Indigenous people in the bitter cold. Continue reading...
Searches being carried out in Rowdown Fields after discovery on Tuesday morningPolice have launched a murder investigation after human remains were discovered in a park in south London.The Metropolitan police consulted a forensic anthropologist, who confirmed that the remains were human and came from one victim. Continue reading...
Footage showing former president spent two nights apparently hiding from potential arrest at mission was leaked to mediaThe Hungarian embassy in Brasilia has reportedly fired two Brazilian employees after the leaking of security footage that revealed how Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro had spent two nights hiding" inside the mission.According to the network CNN Brasil, the sackings were punishment for the embarrassing leak to the New York Times which prompted a political outcry in Brazil and calls for Bolsonaro's arrest. Continue reading...
Organisers of Yorkshire's biggest LGBTQ+ festival cut ties over alleged racist comments' made by businessman about Diane AbbottThe health tech company owned by Conservative party donor Frank Hester has been dropped as a sponsor from Leeds Pride after his remarks about Diane Abbott were widely condemned as racist and misogynistic.Last month, the Guardian revealed that during a meeting in 2019 Hester had said Abbott, Britain's first black female MP, made you want to hate all black women" and that she should be shot". These comments are now the subject of an investigation by West Yorkshire police. Continue reading...
CEO Bob Iger says defeat of Nelson Peltz campaign will allow company to focus on growth and value creation' for shareholdersDisney saw off a boardroom coup on Wednesday, defeating a bid by one of corporate America's most renowned activist investors to overhaul its management.The entertainment giant announced at its annual shareholder meeting that it had secured enough votes by a substantial margin" to defeat a campaign launched by the billionaire Nelson Peltz, who has spent months demanding change at the Magic Kingdom and excoriating its top executives. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6KTFE)
ONS figures suggest 9.7 million people are waiting for hospital appointment or treatmentAlmost 10 million people across England could be waiting for an NHS appointment or treatment, 2 million more than previously estimated, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics.The ONS survey of about 90,000 adults found that 21% of patients were waiting for a hospital appointment or to start receiving treatment on the NHS. Continue reading...
The deaths of seven aid workers add credence to allegations by observers that commanders on the ground in Gaza may do as they please'The killing of seven foreign aid workers by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza has once again raised serious questions about the IDF's opaque and highly permissive rules of engagement, whether those rules are enforced, and how willing it is to investigate breaches.Put simply, rules of engagement define how and in what circumstances it is permissible to use force, including lethal violence, during operations, and at what potential risk to civilians. Continue reading...
YouGov polling suggests Conservative party could face worse result at general election than it suffered in 1997 under John MajorDelegates at the National Education Union's annual conference in Bournemouth have voted for a motion saying Ofsted should be abolished. Commenting on the result, Daniel Kebede, the union's general secretary, said:NEU members have made their feelings very clear: Ofsted causes more harm than good and we need urgent and fundamental reform. The profession can be trusted to do their jobs effectively without a punitive, high-stakes system to keep them in line.We've always had a very careful export licensing regime that we adhere to. There are a set of rules regulations and procedures that we'll always follow.And I've been consistently clear with Prime Minister Netanyahu since the start of this conflict that whilst of course we defend Israel's right to defend itself and its people against attacks from Hamas, they have to do that in accordance with humanitarian law, protect civilian lives, get more aid into Gaza.I spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu last night and I was very clear with him that the situation is increasingly intolerable and what we urgently need to see is a thorough, transparent investigation into what happened.But also a dramatic increase in the amount of aid getting into Gaza, removing the barriers. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6KTAQ)
George Chalmers charged after body of Ruth Baker, 48, found at property in Beeston on Saturday afternoonA 53-year-old man has appeared in court accused of murdering a woman in Leeds over the Easter weekend.Emergency services were called to a property in Beeston, a suburb of Leeds, at just after 1pm on Saturday and discovered the body of a woman. Continue reading...
Tunnel under construction found near La Sante prison does not appear to be part of an escape plan, local official saysA mysterious tunnel under construction has been discovered near a prison in southern Paris during routine electrical works, although police sources said it did not appear to be part of an escape plan.The discovery was made on Tuesday by a technician from Enedis, which manages the electricity distribution network in France, who was working in a well for electrical connections" about 450 metres from La Sante prison, a police source said. Continue reading...
Allies will plan for greater Nato role in coordinating security assistance and training', says Nato secretary generalThey have become a familiar sight in the skies above parts of Russia: long-range enemy drones, buzzing their way to another target.In the biggest Ukrainian onslaught inside Russian territory since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion two years ago, Ukraine has in recent weeks carried out a series of attacks on Russian oil refineries and ports. On Tuesday, it hit a refinery and drone factory in the industrial region of Tatarstan - more than 800 miles from the border.Allied support to Ukraine is a fraction of the resources needed for deterrence and defence of North Atlantic area and yet the successful defence of Ukraine greatly impacts the overall cost of Nato's defence.Serious long-term support of Ukraine requires predictable, equitable and robust allocation of resources. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6KTBX)
Trust in charge of Bournville, designed by the Cadbury family, considers legal action over new infrastructureBuilt as a model village on the outskirts of Birmingham and home to many of the Cadbury factory workers, Bournville has for over a century been subject to strict planning laws to preserve its picturesque charm.But in recent months, more than 100 large telegraph poles have suddenly appeared on its streets which residents describe as eyesores that are ruining the charm of the area designed by the Cadbury family. Continue reading...
David Stansbury cleared of three counts of rape of a vulnerable woman in 2009 that were reported to police in 2020A police sergeant has been found not guilty of raping a vulnerable woman after going to her home to take a statement after a domestic incident.David Stansbury, 43, who was a Devon and Cornwall officer at the time, was accused of attacking the woman on three occasions in Plymouth 2009 and telling her: I am the law." Continue reading...
Supreme court of British Indian Ocean Territory rules in favour of Tamil asylum seekers on islandFive children stranded on the remote island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean since October 2021 have won a case to be protected from harm in the same way as British children.The supreme court of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), sitting remotely in London, has ruled in favour of some of the Tamil asylum seekers on the island including the five children and found that the key protections in the UK's Children Act apply to the children on the island. Continue reading...
Legislation adopted last year outraged LGBTQ+ community, rights activists, the UN and western nationsUganda's constitutional court has rejected a bid to overturn a controversial anti-gay law that is considered one of the toughest in the world.We decline to nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 in its entirety, neither will we grant a permanent injunction against its enforcement," Justice Richard Buteera, Uganda's deputy chief justice and head of the court, said in the landmark ruling. Continue reading...
Funding for drains, embankments and other measures is part 45.4bn five-year investment planNetwork Rail is to spend nearly 3bn to protect the railway from the effects of the climate crisis and extreme weather, as it warned that the country's network was having to contend with hotter summers and increased winter floods.As part of its new 45.4bn five-year investment plan, the body in charge of Great Britain's rail network will spend 2.8bn over the next five years on activities and technology to help it cope with the impact of climate change. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Russian bot attempt to stir up Islamophobia also part of course on misinformation and disinformationFabricated stories in the Sun blaming Liverpool fans for the Hillsborough stadium disaster are among examples that will be used in a parliamentary initiative to teach MPs to recognise misinformation and disinformation.Other examples include a Russian bot campaign on Twitter, now X, that tried to use a photograph taken in the aftermath of the Westminster Bridge attack to stir up Islamophobic hatred. Continue reading...
Romeyka descended from ancient Greek but may die out as it has no written form and is spoken by only a few thousand peopleAn endangered form of Greek that is spoken by only a few thousand people in remote mountain villages of northern Turkey has been described as a living bridge" to the ancient world, after researchers identified characteristics that have more in common with the language of Homer than with modern Greek.The precise number of speakers of Romeyka is hard to quantify. It has no written form, but has survived orally in the mountain villages around Trabzon, near the Black Sea coast. Continue reading...
Exclusive: London mayor to launch plan on Wednesday alongside Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellorSadiq Khan, the London mayor, is to launch a plan to create 150,000 high-quality, well-paid jobs" by 2028.The plan will be unveiled by Khan on Wednesday alongside the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who will declare that a Labour administration will reset" the relationship between national government and London. Continue reading...
Trade body says stopping Royal Mail letter service on a Tuesday or Wednesday would be far less damagingGreetings card retailers have urged the communications industry regulator to cut a midweek delivery day rather than Saturday if it must reduce Britain's letter services, as a consultation on postal reforms closes.The Greeting Card Association (GCA) has said that stopping delivery of standard letters on Tuesday or Wednesday would be far less damaging than a previously mooted plan to drop Saturday deliveries. Continue reading...
President Mokgweetsi Masisi voices anger over Berlin's opposition to the import of trophies over poaching concernsBotswana's president has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany amid a dispute over the import of hunting trophies.Earlier this year Germany's environment ministry raised the possibility of stricter limits on the import of hunting trophies over poaching concerns. But a ban on the import of hunting trophies would only impoverish Botswanans, Mokgweetsi Masisi told German daily Bild. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Tarry, who lost chance to contest Ilford South, says discrepancies in membership list suggest tamperingA former shadow minister who was deselected as an MP by local Labour members has submitted a complaint to the party alleging vote rigging" in the contest.Sam Tarry, a former senior trade union official who helped organise Jeremy Corbyn's leadership campaign, lost the chance to contest his Ilford South constituency after he was deselected more than a year ago. Continue reading...
by Presented by Michael Safi with Bethan McKernan; pr on (#6KSY6)
A cabinet split over military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews and large street protests demanding the release of hostages are threatening the prime minister's grip on power. Bethan McKernan reports from JerusalemAs the war in Gaza approaches its seventh month, tens of thousands of protesters in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities in Israel have demanded the release of hostages held in Gaza and called for new elections.The Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent, Bethan McKernan, tells Michael Safi it is a moment of political danger for the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who also faces pressure from within his ruling coalition over the issue of exemption from military service granted to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Israel's allies, including the US, are piling pressure on Netanyahu to urgently allow aid into Gaza, which faces a famine, and to spell out how he will address the aftermath of the conflict. Continue reading...
More than 250kg of the class-A drug has been found on NSW beaches since December as soaring Australian demand drives the illegal tradeFive suspected cocaine blocks have been found on Sydney beaches, joining a mass that has washed ashore in New South Wales since December.The five parcels were discovered early on Monday morning at Freshwater beach and North Curl Curl beach, and have been seized for forensic examination by officers from the Northern Beaches police area command. They have a street value of close to $1m. Continue reading...
ASA says sneering bank manager character wrongly suggests building society has not closed any branchesAdverts featuring the actor Dominic West as a sneering bank manager will be pulled from TV in their current form after the advertising watchdog ruled they were misleading because they wrongly suggest that the building society had not closed branches.The Advertising Standards Authority (Asa) received 281 complaints, including one from rival lender Santander, about the advert, which ran in October and November. The Nationwide campaign took a swipe at high street banks that have been closing branches. Continue reading...
In Instagram post clarifying earlier statement, singer says performing is the joy of my life'Lizzo has clarified a statement last week in which the musician appeared to be declaring her intention to leave the entertainment industry. In a video posted to her Instagram on Tuesday, Lizzo said that her I quit" statement was in reference to giving into negativity, and not creating or performing her music.When I say I quit, I mean I quit giving any negative energy attention," the four-time Grammy award winner said. What I'm not gonna quit is the joy of my life, which is making music, which is connecting to people." Continue reading...
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