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Newest Labour MP apologises for comments about Charlie Elphicke's victims amid criticism of her admission to partyLabour's newest MP has apologised for defending her ex-husband and casting doubt on his victims' testimonies after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two women.Natalie Elphicke, the MP for Dover who defected from the Conservatives on Wednesday, said she condemned Charlie Elphicke's behaviour towards other women and towards me". Continue reading...

Court says irregularities in Colombian singer's 2018 tax return did not indicate intent to defraudA Spanish court has shelved an investigation into an alleged tax fraud by the Colombian pop star Shakira, putting an end to her legal woes in the country where she once lived.Prosecutors had opened the case in July, alleging she had used a network of companies, some in tax havens, to cheat the tax office out of 6.6m (5.7m) in 2018. Continue reading...

Experts issue warning after finding global average concentration in March was 4.7ppm higher than same period last yearThe largest ever recorded leap in the amount of carbon dioxide laden in the world's atmosphere has just occurred, according to researchers who monitor the relentless accumulation of the primary gas that is heating the planet.The global average concentration of carbon dioxide in March this year was 4.7 parts per million (or ppm) higher than it it was in March last year, which is a record-breaking increase in CO levels over a 12-month period. Continue reading...

After the Guardian expose there is pressure on ministers to save people from a system described as setting carers up for a fall'It has been a month since the Guardian revealed the shocking scale of the carer's allowance overpayments scandal, and the misery and despair it has inflicted on tens of thousands of unpaid carers. The issue is not going away - but what happens next?The story has since spread: from the House of Commons to the sofas of daytime TV and the bulletins of BBC news, accounts of the trials and tribulations of carers who do part-time work on top of caring duties have triggered disbelief and outrage and generated calls for reform across the political spectrum. Continue reading...

About 50% of earnings alerts' for carer's allowance overpayments not looked at by staff, figures reveal Will DWP act on carer's allowance scandal?Tens of thousands of unpaid carers are at risk of debt and criminal prosecution because their cases are lying unchecked on a government alert" database of people being overpaid benefits, according to new figures.Officials are aware of the mounting number of instances where UK carers are at risk of racking up overpayments that can in some cases lead to crippling debt, but for the past five years have chosen not to investigate all cases.. Continue reading...

As prosecutors prepare to retry the ex-movie mogul, court will consider California's request over 2022 rape convictionHarvey Weinstein appeared in a New York City courtroom on Thursday as authorities consider California's extradition request to serve his pending sentence for a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles.The 16-year sentence Weinstein received in 2023 for raping a woman at a 2013 Los Angeles film festival had been on ice while he served time behind bars in New York after being found guilty of rape in Manhattan in 2020. But the Empire state conviction was overturned late last month, negating its 23-year sentence. Continue reading...

Marius Gustavson, 46, was involved in procedures that were little short of human butchery', UK court heard How eunuch maker' livestreamed extreme body modifications

Police arrested 32 people in Amsterdam, with university occupations continuing in Netherlands, Belgium and Spain

Turkey's trade ban with Israel will remain until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid flows are secured, says minister

Vladimir Putin marks second world war Victory Day as relations with west spiral towards crisisSouth Korea's position remains it will not supply lethal weapons to any country, president Yoon Suk Yeol said on Thursday, when asked if Seoul was prepared to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.Yoon also said his government intended to continue managing relations with Moscow to pursue economic cooperation and mutual benefits" even though the two countries' ties have become uncomfortable" since the start of the war in Ukraine. Continue reading...

New first minister says case for Scottish independence best made by creating vibrant economy'John Swinney has axed the post of minister for independence, in a clear signal to Scottish voters that his government is focused on their immediate cost of living concerns before the general election.The post, held by Jamie Hepburn, was created by the previous first minister, Humza Yousaf, a year ago, with the main responsibility being publishing a series of papers on how different aspects of government would operate under Scottish independence. With no referendum imminent, opposition parties criticised the publications as a waste of taxpayers' money. The 13th in the series, on justice in an independent Scotland, was published last month. Continue reading...

Comments made after Charlie Elphicke jailed for two years criticised be new colleagues in Labour partyHaving seen a fuller version of what Ben Houchen, the Conservative Tees Valley mayor, said on BBC Radio Tees this morning, I have beefed up the post at 10.16am and changed the headline. Houchen did says Rishi Sunak ultimately had to take the blame for the state of chaos" the Tory party is in.Victoria Prentis, the attorney general, told the Commons that Britain continues to view its arms sales to Israel as legal a day after US president Joe Biden warned he would pause the delivery of bombs because they had been previously used to kill Palestinian civilians.I can say that the foreign secretary has reviewed the most recent advice from the IHL cell, and that has informed his decision that there isn't a clear risk that the items exported from the UK might be used to commit or to facilitate a serious violation of IHL. That leaves our position on export licences unchanged, but that position is kept under review. Continue reading...

Fears of biggest UK outbreak in 20 years as 2,793 cases reported to end of MarchThe UK may be experiencing its biggest outbreak of whooping cough in two decades, with five infant deaths reported in England between January and March.According to the latest data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday, cases of whooping cough continue to increase, with 1,319 confirmed in March. This brings the total number of confirmed cases during the first quarter of 2024 to 2,793 - although because mild cases are easily confused with other respiratory illnesses in the early stages when the infection can be tested for, the true number of cases is likely to be much higher. Continue reading...

The actor said that making movies by a small number of female film-makers was not cause for celebration. You're like, OK, cool. You've chosen four'Kristen Stewart has chastised Hollywood's efforts at gender equality, saying that the industry clapping itself on the back for an embrace of female film-makers feels phony".Speaking to Porter magazine for the release of Love Lies Bleeding, a violent romance set in the world of female bodybuilding, Stewart said much of the high-profile greenlighting of female stories was lip service. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Man who spent 17 years in prison after wrongly being convicted of rape says he will shout from the rooftops' for UK law reformAndrew Malkinson says he could have been spared 20 years of darkness and despair" if the jury system had not been changed to allow majority verdicts.Malkinson was exonerated of rape last summer, two decades after a jury wrongly convicted him by a majority of 10 to 2. Continue reading...

Opposition leader's comments a very bad faith' reading of protestors' chant, Jewish Council of Australia says

Band overtake Oasis's Wonderwall and celebrate how the much-chanted chart staple has been completely embraced by the British public'The Killers' Mr Brightside, already the longest-running Top 100 hit in UK chart history, has been named the biggest single not to reach UK No 1.Currently in its 408th week in the chart at No 71 and still being streamed by the British public 1.8m times a week, Mr Brightside - which has become a much-chanted staple at boozy weddings, karaoke nights and cheesy club nights - has overtaken Oasis's Wonderwall as the most successful single not to reach No 1, with 5.57m chart sales (including 1.066m actual sales and 530,340,000 streams). Continue reading...

NSW premier condemns western Sydney council's ban on Holly Duhig's children's book as motion to rescind it lodged

While Europe's lingua franca remains dominant, there has been a definite shift since a Portuguese song triumphed in 2017There was a time when in order to win Eurovision you had to fly on the wings of love", take me to your heaven" or sail into infinity while reaching for divinity". This year, however, there's a fair chance the winner will estar comiendo el mundo (be eating the world), ridere in queste notti bruciate (laugh in these burnt nights), or even drukkje min broder blod (drink my brother's blood).The metaphors may have been mixed, but for the first two decades of the 21st century, the English language reigned supreme at the Eurovision song contest. In the run-up to the millennium, the so-called language rule restricted English songs to countries that counted it among their official languages, such as Britain, Ireland and Malta. But when the rule was scrapped in 1999, the floodgates opened. Continue reading...

Sky News podcast casts doubt on One Nation leader's claim she did not know Faruqi was a Muslim when she sent piss off back to Pakistan' tweet, court told

Seven says decision purely commercial but Financial Review editor accuses rival company of abuse of market power'

Government's promised future gas strategy' will argue the fossil fuel is important part of transition to net zero emissions. Follow the day's news live

Gabrielius Landsbergis also backs David Cameron and Emmanuel Macron on standing up to PutinLithuania's foreign minister has raised the prospect of an ad hoc coalition of western countries sending military training personnel into Ukraine backed by ground-based air defence, days after Russia took an increasingly strident tone against what it sees as the threat of deeper western involvement in the war.Speaking to the Guardian after meeting his British counterpart, David Cameron, in London, Gabrielius Landsbergis also backed the British foreign secretary for saying that Ukraine could use British-made weapons against Russia; remarks that alongside Emmanuel Macron refusing to rule out western troops in Ukraine prompted the Kremlin to threaten UK assets and order a tactical nuclear training exercise. Continue reading...

Patients said to have been moved on donkey carts from evacuated hospital, in situation described as catastrophic'Hospitals in Rafah risk being overwhelmed by a wave of sick and injured people if the fighting there intensifies and routes into Gaza remain impassible, doctors and medical officials in the city say.Medics and patients hastily evacuated the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital, one of the few remaining functioning hospitals in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, on Tuesday after the Israeli army seized the nearby border crossing with Egypt in a dawn raid. Continue reading...

Group being questioned after warrants were executed in Bolton, Great Lever, Abram and Hindley, says Greater Manchester policeThree men have been arrested on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism in Greater Manchester.Warrants were executed by officers in Bolton, Great Lever, Abram and Hindley around 7.30pm on Wednesday, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said. The men, aged 35, 36 and 51, were arrested at separate locations on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000. Continue reading...

Daughters of TV great write introductions to First Squad, First Platoon, a story of war in the Pacific released by Strand MagazineA story of the second world war by Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone, will be published in the US on Thursday after lying among his papers for nearly 70 years.I was writing a memoir, called As I Knew Him, My Dad, Rod Serling," Anne Serling, one of two daughters, told the Guardian. And another writer, Amy Boyle Johnston, who had been doing a lot of researching of my dad's early work and wrote a book called Unknown Serling, sent me the story. She'd found it in the archives in Wisconsin," at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Continue reading...

Concerns raised in NSW parliament about why prosecutor did not oppose bail for domestic violence charges against former partner including rape and stalking

Woman, 24, allegedly sexually assaulted by young boy in far north Queensland before being attacked by a group of children

Troy Armstrong, 36, alledgedly drove his ute at 140kmh at his former wife Kristy Armstrong's car in Molong

Victorian tribunal also finds doctor's communications with patients were inappropriate, discourteous and failed to provide confidentiality

As El Fasher stands on the precipice of a massacre', rights groups call for sanctions after new testimony describes atrocities carried out by RSF paramilitaries in SudanGruesome new testimony details one of the worst atrocities of the year-long Sudanese civil war - the large-scale massacre of civilians as they desperately tried to flee an ethnic rampage in Darfur last summer.Witnesses describe children, still alive, being piled up and shot" by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as they attempted to escape the regional capital of El Geneina in June last year during a bout of ethnic violence in which thousands of civilians were killed. Continue reading...

Super fund boss and Google Cloud global CEO issue joint statement apologising for extremely frustrating and disappointing' outage

Pieces from Diamonds are Forever singer's collection will be exhibited by Sotheby's London before being auctioned for charity in ParisDiamonds Are Forever singer Shirley Bassey is to auction some of her extensive and meaningful" jewellery collection, including a diamond ring given to her by Elton John.Top lots from her collection, which will be exhibited by Sotheby's London later this month before being auctioned for charity in Paris, include a diamond necklace estimated to sell for between 270,000 and 320,000 (232,420 and 275,460). A diamond and gold parure created by Cartier is estimated to fetch between 200,000 and 250,000 (172,170 and 215,210). Continue reading...

Long-serving leader Frank Bainimarama has been sentenced to a year in prison for perverting the course of justice, local media reportsFiji's former long-serving prime minister Frank Bainimarama has been sentenced to a year in prison for perverting the course of justice, local media reported.Bainimarama was initially spared jail in the case during sentencing last month, before an appeal by the country's director for public prosecutions. On Thursday, that appeal was upheld by Fiji's high court. Continue reading...

The territory's justice minister has called for the anthem to be removed from the internet in the wake of the rulingHong Kong has demanded a protest song that was made popular during pro-democracy demonstrations in the territory be removed from the internet, in the wake of a court ruling which banned it.In its judgment on Wednesday, the court of appeal described the song Glory to Hong Kong as a weapon" to incite violent protests in 2019. Continue reading...

Survey has revealed challenges faced by pharmacists and risk of harm to patients as key drugs are unavailable

Pharmacies are unable to get medicines they need and are increasingly experiencing patients' anger and frustration

Foreign secretary will say too few states have stepped up to spend on defence, take on Iranian proxies or champion women's rightsDavid Cameron is to warn that the west is not learning the lesson of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, that authoritarian adversaries will only be spurred on if the west shows hesitation or caution.The foreign secretary will call for the west to be tougher and more assertive and realise it is locked in a battle of wills in which we all must prove our adversaries wrong - Britain, and our allies and partners around the world". Continue reading...

Government dampens hopes for an increase to jobseeker, despite pressure from economists, social justice groups and equality advocates

Five-day encampment in university grounds that caused the college major loss of income ended in victory for campaignersStudents at Trinity College Dublin have ended a five-day encampment after the university pledged to cut ties with Israeli companies.Student leaders claimed victory on Wednesday night for a US-style campaign that had disrupted the campus and blocked access to the Book of Kells. Continue reading...

Critics said proposal to build canal linking Atlantic and Pacific would endanger environment and rural communitiesNearly a decade after it broke ground on a controversial plan to build a canal linking the Atlantic and the Pacific, Nicaragua has canceled a concession granted to a Chinese businessman to complete the project which critics said would endanger the environment and displace rural communities.Despite a symbolic ground-breaking" in 2014, no work was done on the canal that was to link Nicaragua's Atlantic and Pacific coasts. At one point, crews broke ground on access roads near the canal but digging the waterway never started. Continue reading...

The decision to place a weapons shipment on hold sends a message to Netanyahu that the US dog is beginning to regain control of its tailIn placing a hold on a shipment of US-made bombs to Israel, and warning there could be more restrictions to come, Joe Biden is sending a message to Benjamin Netanyahu that his administration is no longer prepared to be a dog wagged by its own tail.Netanyahu's repeated defiance of US warnings not to pursue an offensive on Rafah had been based on an assumption that curbing the US weapons supply could inflict more political damage on Biden than on the Israeli prime minister, and that Netanyahu could cause havoc for the president at home at the height of an election year. Continue reading...

Survivors of abuse being put in danger by plans to release prisoners 70 days early, says commissionerSurvivors of domestic abuse have been put in danger by ministers' failure to give notice of the early release from prison of their abusers, a Home Office adviser has said.Nicole Jacobs, the independent domestic abuse commissioner, criticised the lack of warning of a new policy to free prisoners up to 70 days early from full jails. Continue reading...

Brexit and immigration hardliner surprises politicians from both sides with her defectionThe look on Penny Mordaunt's face was one of disbelief as she watched Natalie Elphicke, the Tory MP for Dover, take her seat for prime minister's questions just behind Keir Starmer on the Labour benches.After a few moments, the Commons leader got up from the frontbench and crept along to where Rishi Sunak was waiting beside the speaker's chair, whispering urgently in his ear to prepare him for the unwelcome surprise. Continue reading...

Exclusive: plans revealed in new leaked dossier sent to unions ahead of crunch meeting with Keir StarmerLabour has vowed it will change the law to ban fire and rehire, after a war of words with unions who accused the party of watering down its pledges on workers' rights.The plans are revealed in a new leaked dossier, which was sent to trade unions ahead of a crunch meeting with Keir Starmer and contains sweeping plans for an overhaul of workers' rights including on employment status, protection against unfair dismissal and union representation. Continue reading...

Christopher Kirker tells members that normal waiting times will apply for most women as concerns raised about tokenismThe chair of the Garrick has told its members that the club may consider allowing one or two exceptional ... lady members" to join in the near future but that normal waiting times will apply for the majority of women.A leaked email from Christopher Kirker to all members on Wednesday described Tuesday's vote ending the London institution's men-only rules as momentous" and addressed questions about how quickly the club might move to admit women. Continue reading...

In Washington DC speech, shadow foreign secretary says Labour will always work with US, whoever wins'David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, has set out in a Washington DC speech his credentials as a British foreign secretary capable of working with a Trump presidency, saying he gets the agenda that drives America First", and insisting he would seek to find common cause" with Donald Trump.He vowed a Labour government will always work with the United States, whatever the weather and whoever wins" and in government he said he would work in the national interest. Continue reading...

Bernard and Ann McDonagh admit five joint charges of fraud after not paying at four restaurants and one takeawayA couple from south Wales have admitted carrying out a string of dine and dash" offences, racking up large bills for food and drink before leaving without paying.Bernard McDonagh, 41, and Ann McDonagh, 39, from Port Talbot, admitted five joint charges of fraud and will be sentenced at Swansea crown court this month. Continue reading...

MP says many in party think rightwing Tory defector is vile', while shadow minister says: Are we welcoming Farage next week?'Keir Starmer is facing shadow cabinet anger for welcoming into his party a rightwing Conservative MP who has repeatedly attacked Labour over migration.Natalie Elphicke became on Wednesday the second Tory MP in two weeks to cross the floor of the Commons, dealing another major blow to Rishi Sunak. Continue reading...