World news | The Guardian

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...

Death toll includes three hikers and a van driver; at least 70 people trapped in rock quarries in Hualien, fire agency says

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...

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...

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...

If draft brought forward by Pakistan is adopted, it would mark the first time that the UN's top rights body has taken a position on the war in Gaza

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...

Government faces judicial review over its assessments of whether Israel is breaking international law in Gaza

Leader Ed Davey calls for swift action to suspend arms exports to Israel after seven aid workers killed in Gaza

IDS says it could cut nearly 1,000 jobs and save 300m a year while maintaining Monday-to-Saturday first-class service

Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival, near Warwick, held Australia's first multi-day festival clinic last weekend

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...

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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...

PM demands transparent investigation' from Benjamin Netanyahu's government as names emerge of three Britons killed in Gaza

Worksafe also charged World Travel Expeditions after Lachlan Cook, 16, died in hospital following health complications

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...

People rescued from buildings in cities of Hualien and Taipei amid continuing aftershocks from Taiwan's strongest quake in decades

Police announce manslaughter charge after initially believing man, 21, had died as a result of crash at Booie, near Kingaroy

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...

Boris Johnson's 2019 policy faces accusation of being politicised and failing to tackle skills shortages

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...

Much of the money allocated to unite and level up' the UK is unspent while some funding decisions have been criticised for impartiality

Aid worker among seven people from World Central Kitchen charity killed in an Israeli drone attack

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...

Oversized' apartment is footsteps away from surf - but renters warned of noise from 7am to 5pm weekdays and 8am to 1pm Saturdays

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...

Business leader and advocate to be sworn into role as 28th governor general in July

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...

Humanitarian groups say they cannot operate safely after Israeli targeting of food charity convoy prompts international outcry

Met says suspects travelled directly to Heathrow and left within hours of attack on Pouria ZeraatiThree men linked to the stabbing of an Iranian journalist outside his south London home are believed to have fled the country within hours of the attack, Scotland Yard has said.Pouria Zeraati, 36, sustained an injury to his leg after being attacked in Wimbledon on Friday afternoon. He has since been discharged from hospital. Continue reading...

Original cast member of Canadian sketch show also known for roles in Back to the Future II, Happy Gilmore and Family GuyJoe Flaherty, the actor, writer and sketch comedian known for his roles on Freaks and Geeks, Back to the Future II, Happy Gilmore and the landmark Canadian series SCTV, has died of an undisclosed brief illness, his daughter, Gudrun Flaherty, told the Canadian Press. He was 82.After a brief illness, he left us yesterday, and since then, I've been struggling to come to terms with this immense loss," Gudrun said in a statement through an organization called the Comedic Artists Alliance, which along with Toronto's Second City had previously helped raise funds to assist Flaherty in his illness. Continue reading...

Amanda Spielman says agency did not get it wrong in school downgrade that contributed to headteacher's deathOfsted's former chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, has refused to concede that her organisation made errors in its handling of the inspection that contributed to the death of the headteacher Ruth Perry.Perry killed herself last year after Caversham primary school, which she had led for more than a decade, was downgraded from Ofsted's highest grade of outstanding, to inadequate, its lowest. Continue reading...

Bertha Gisela Gaytan is one of at least 22 mayoral candidates murdered in Mexico since September 2023A candidate running to be mayor in one of Mexico's most violent cities has been killed on the first day of her campaign, adding to the death toll in what experts say could be the country's bloodiest elections in history.Bertha Gisela Gaytan was shot in a town just outside of the city of Celaya, where she was running for Morena, Mexico's governing party. A video on social media shows a group of activists and supporters of Morena walking through the streets before shots ring out. Continue reading...

President under investigation over allegedly owning jewellery worth $500,000 despite earning a monthly salary of $3,320Peru's first female president, Dina Boluarte, is embroiled in a scandal over her alleged possession of a collection of Rolex watches and luxury jewellery that has put her at the centre of a corruption investigation.The unpopular leader shook up her cabinet on Monday, swearing in six new ministers, after a rash of resignations following report that she owned jewellery worth 400,000 ($502,700) despite earning a monthly presidential salary of around $3,320. Continue reading...

Three others injured after aircraft slid down slope during drop-off near summit of Petit Combin mountainThree people have been killed and three others injured after a helicopter crashed while dropping off skiers on the Petit Combin mountain in the Swiss Alps.The B3-type helicopter crashed at a landing site during a heliski drop-off on Tuesday, the Wallis regional police force said in a statement. Continue reading...

Late-night host reveals Apple advised not to invite tech regulator on his Apple TV+ show and podcast the Problem with Jon StewartJon Stewart has accused Apple of urging him not to interview the United States' head tech regulator, the Federal Trade Commission chair, Lina Khan, on his erstwhile Apple TV+ show and podcast The Problem with Jon Stewart.In an interview with Khan on The Daily Show, which Stewart is guest-hosting on Monday nights through the November election, Stewart asked Khan about her office's pursuit of anti-trust litigation against such major companies as Amazon and Kroger. When the conversation came to the rise of artificial intelligence as backed by major tech companies such as Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft, Stewart told Khan: I wanted to have you on a podcast, and Apple asked us not to do it." Continue reading...

No further action' over posts by author and gender-critical activist despite complaintsComments by JK Rowling challenging police to arrest her for online misgendering do not amount to a crime, Police Scotland said.As the Scottish government's contentious hate crime law came into force on Monday, the author and gender-critical activist posted a thread on X saying the legislation was wide open to abuse" after listing 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...

Supreme national security council met to decide on action after strike on Damascus consulate that killed IRGC commanders

Venue was closed for renovations when fire broke out, with victims believed to have been working in the buildingA daytime fire at a central Istanbul nightclub that was closed for renovations has killed at least 29 people, as five people, including managers, were detained for questioning.Firefighters and other first responders surrounded the charred and smoking entrance to the Masquerade nightclub, which occupies two floors underneath a 16-storey residential building in the Gayrettepe area of the Beikta district on the European side of the Turkish city. Continue reading...

Rival parties accuse prime minister of indifference towards voters after awkward local radio appearanceIt is the question he can't escape from - but Rishi Sunak's habit of trying to laugh off queries about the general election date may finally be coming back to haunt him.The prime minister was asked why is that funny?" by a BBC local radio presenter after breaking into laughter in the first of several interviews on Tuesday, when he was pressed on when voters could expect to cast their verdict on his government. Continue reading...

Maimouna Jawo launches online campaign from UK after Gambian move to rescind female circumcision banA woman who stood up against her community and refused to be a female genital mutilation cutter" is launching a campaign to protect tens of thousands of girls who are at renewed risk of female circumcision in her home country, the Gambia.Maimouna Jawo, 50, who was herself subjected to FGM, has recently been granted leave to remain in the UK by the Home Office after more than a decade of waiting. Continue reading...