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Member states warned at meeting not to be complacent but ministers stop short of pledging Patriot missilesEU ministers have been warned against relaxing" support for Ukraine but stopped short of new pledges to supply air defence systems Kyiv is urgently seeking to defend itself against relentless Russian bombardment.The Ukrainian government has said it is running out of US-made Patriot air defence missiles as Russia intensifies attacks on infrastructure and cities. Continue reading...

Christopher Berry, 32, and Christopher Cash, 29, accused of providing prejudicial information to a foreign stateA parliamentary researcher who was arrested last year on suspicion of spying for China has been charged along with another man with espionage offences.Christopher Cash, 29, who had access to parliament through his work for an organisation set up by Conservative MPs, is to appear in court on Friday after he and Christopher Berry, 32, were charged under the Official Secrets Act. Continue reading...

Clive Myrie and Reeta Chakrabarti appear to lead the field, having frequently stood in for Edwards since his suspension last yearHuw Edwards' resignation will allow the BBC to formally start the process of appointing a replacement lead presenter for the coveted News at Ten slot.Since Edwards' suspension in July 2023, various presenters have filled in. Continue reading...

Foreign and defence heads stopped short of concrete offers over system that Kyiv values mostA new US package of military aid to Ukraine will not change the situation on the frontlines, where Russia has the upper hand, the Kremlin said.The Russian armed forces are improving their positions at the front ... The money allocated and the weapons that will be supplied will not change this dynamic," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Continue reading...

Residents return to site in search of bodies of loved ones following withdrawal of Israeli forces last monthHaaretz reports that Israeli security forces have arrested two people suspected of carrying out a car ramming in Jerusalem. Three people are reported to have been injured.Aharon Haliva, who was the general in command of the IDF's military intelligence directorate on 7 October, has resigned over the failure of Israel's military to prevent the attack inside southern Israel by Hamas that day, according to Israeli media reports. Continue reading...

Corporation says newsreader has left after 40 years of service to allow all parties to move forward'The newsreader Huw Edwards has resigned and left the BBC, the corporation has said.A BBC spokesperson said: Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC. After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors. Continue reading...

Justices to consider constitutionality of punishing people for sleeping outside as western states seek to address encampmentsA case that could significantly change how US cities respond to the growing homelessness crisis has reached the supreme court as record numbers of people in America find themselves without a permanent place to live.The justices on Monday will consider a challenge to rulings from a California-based appeals court that found punishing people for sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking amounts to unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment. Continue reading...

Ex-nurse found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at Chester hospitalLucy Letby has renewed her attempt to appeal against her convictions for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester hospital.The former neonatal nurse is serving 14 whole-life prison terms after being found guilty of the offences following a 10-month trial at Manchester crown court last year. Continue reading...

Girl delivered via emergency caesarean section as woman lay dying from head injuries in Rafah

Maj Gen Aharon Haliva is first senior figure to step down over role in deadliest assault in country's history

Anticyclonic conditions have allowed temperatures to reach 35-45C across much of the countryMexico has been undergoing its first heatwave of the season. The heatwave started on Sunday 14 April, when Mexico City saw a new date record with a high of 32.9C, surpassing the previous record of 32C from 1998.Anticyclonic conditions over the region have been responsible for this heatwave by inhibiting cloud formation, allowing temperatures to rise significantly. These conditions persisted through much of last week, allowing temperatures to reach 35-45C across much of the country. Continue reading...

Environmentalists fear focus on economy may undermine country's climate transition - one of most radical in EuropePortugal has been among Europe's more ambitious countries in terms of climate action, but the rise of the far right in recent elections could threaten the positive steps the country has taken.At the end of 2023, Portugal broke records as it went for six consecutive days relying solely on renewable energy. But national elections in March this year marked a significant shift in the political landscape, with the far-right party Chega (Enough) making a major breakthrough. Having more than quadrupled its number of MPs from 12 to 50, Chega now holds considerable sway in the 230-seat parliament, where it could influence legislation. Continue reading...

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An unidentified man is dead after the police shooting at Colosseum on Monday morning

Use of deadly nitazines is on the rise in Australia and a suite of measures is needed to prevent more fatalities, former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark says

Suppliers boast to undercover reporters about promoting illegal nitazenes, on SoundCloud and XLethal synthetic opioids linked to more than two deaths a week in the UK have been advertised for sale in thousands of posts on social media, an investigation has found.Suppliers boasted to undercover BBC reporters posing as dealers about how easy it was to use social media to promote nitazenes, an illegal group of drugs several times more powerful than heroin. Continue reading...

Product made from used nappies will go on sale in shopping centres after sterilisation, bleaching, and deodorisingA company in Japan has started selling the world's first horizontally" recycled nappies, as the country's ageing society undergoes a shift in demand for children's diapers to those for older adults.Unicharm, based in the south-western prefecture of Kagoshima, put the adult and baby nappies on sale this month in shopping centres in Kyushu - one of Japan's four main islands - in collaboration with local governments, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Registrars at University Hospitals Sussex NHS trust say they were physically abused by colleague, whom others also accused of bullyingManagers at a hospital where police are investigating dozens of deaths promoted a consultant surgeon months after they allegedly assaulted junior doctors during surgery, the Guardian can reveal.Two female registrars at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS trust in Brighton sent written statements to the trust's chief medical officer in March 2022 detailing how they were allegedly assaulted by the surgeon in separate incidents as they helped to operate on patients, leaked documents reveal. Continue reading...

Saleh Ahmed Handule Ali, now 33, had indefinite leave to remain in UK, but Home Office failed to keep a recordA refugee who left the UK on holiday as a teenager in 2008 has been stranded in east Africa for the last 16 years in a case that senior judges have described as extraordinary".Saleh Ahmed Handule Ali, now 33, arrived in the UK at the age of nine in April 2000 with his mother and two younger siblings from Somalia. They came to join Ali's father, who had been granted refugee status by the UK government. The family were also recognised as refugees by the Home Office and Ali was given a travel document in 2004 under the refugee convention, which was valid for 10 years. Continue reading...

Junior stock exchange has lost 70 companies in past 12 months as UK market's status faces scrutinyThe number of companies delisting from London's junior stock market has risen sharply in the last year, adding to concerns about the future of the City's financial sector.In the past 12 months the number of companies on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) has fallen by 70 to 738 at the end of March, according to London Stock Exchange Group data. That is a drop of 9%, and is significantly more than the drop of 25 companies the year before. Continue reading...

Victorian woman faces three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder after hosting a lunch at her Leongatha house

David Beckham shares video of former girl group singing their hit Stop at private club Oswald's in London, as Mel B hints at a tourThe Spice Girls have reunited for a rare performance featuring all five members - at Victoria Beckham's 50th birthday party, where they danced to their classic hit Stop.The party was held on Saturday at Oswald's, a private members' club in London, with the likes of Tom Cruise, Salma Hayek, Eva Longoria and Gordon Ramsay also attending. Continue reading...

Three men have been charged and police are searching for more after violence outside the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley following the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel

Voters back President Mohamed Muizzu's tilt towards China and away from traditional ally IndiaMaldives voters have backed President Mohamed Muizzu's tilt towards China and away from traditional benefactor India, with his party winning control of parliament in an election landslide.Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC) won 66 of the first 86 seats declared, according to the Elections Commission of Maldives, already more than enough for a super-majority in the 93-member parliament. Continue reading...

For the first time, government military spending increased in all five geographical regions, Sipri thinktank findsGlobal military expenditure has reached a record high of $2440bn (1970bn) after the largest annual rise in government spending on arms in over a decade, according to a report.The 6.8% increase between 2022 and 2023 was the steepest since 2009, pushing spending to the highest recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) in its 60-year history. Continue reading...

First attack on US forces since early February comes day after Iraq's prime minister returns from US visitAt least five rockets were launched from Iraq's town of Zummar towards a US military base in north-eastern Syria on Sunday, two Iraqi security sources told Reuters.The attack against US forces is the first since early February, when Iranian-backed groups in Iraq stopped their attacks against US troops. Continue reading...

Labour leader uses Telegraph column to emphasise his patriotic stance, but some worry it may alienate ethnic minority votersKeir Starmer has written to all of Labour's general election candidates urging them to mark St George's Day with enthusiasm" and to fly the flag" across the country as he attempts to outmanoeuvre the Tories on national identity.The Labour leader is trying to reassure swing voters that the party has changed under his leadership after a perceived lack of patriotism under Jeremy Corbyn, who often appeared uncomfortable with British institutions and symbols and argued for a progressive patriotism". Continue reading...

Watchdog argues drug search powers should be boosted to fix system that is not fit for purpose' as home affairs department rejects multiple recommendations

Mark Rowley believed to still enjoy confidence of home secretary and mayor of London after incident at pro-Palestine protestThe Metropolitan police commissioner is expected to survive calls for his resignation over a video of an officer suggesting that being openly Jewish" was a provocation to pro-Palestinian protesters.A government source said that the home secretary, James Cleverly, retained full confidence in Sir Mark Rowley, and sources inside the Met rejected any suggestion that he was considering his position. Continue reading...

Conservative party inquiry found a pattern of behaviour' that had fallen below the standard expected of MPsThe former Conservative MP Mark Menzies is quitting the party and parliament after an internal inquiry found a pattern of behaviour" that had fallen below the standard expected of MPs.The MP for Fylde announced that he would not stand at the next election after the allegations that he misused campaign funds were referred to Lancashire police. Continue reading...

Muhammad* cannot afford legal action or 20,000 fees, with Rwanda deportation a threat if his wife and children join him

Some Tory MPs said to want concession as Home Office staff warn migrants marked for deportation will go underground'

Owner of X has used social media platform to bash judge in charge of investigations into former presidentThousands of diehard supporters of Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro have hit the streets of Rio to champion their embattled leader and celebrate the new hero of their far-right movement: Elon Musk.The tech billionaire has spent recent weeks using his social network X to bash Bolsonaro's arch-enemy, the supreme court judge Alexandre de Moraes. Moraes is responsible for several investigations into Bolsonaro that could land the ex-president in jail, including one examining the alleged coup plot that preceded the rightwing insurrection in Brasilia on 8 January 2023. Continue reading...

Contest being treated as a general election bellwether and some MPs fear complete annihilation' will spark further Conservative rebellionThe local elections on 2 May have long been regarded as a moment of high peril for Rishi Sunak, with the results likely to anticipate his party's fate at the next election.My colleagues are feeling very restless," admits one moderate Tory MP. Rishi needs to show us that the general election isn't already lost. If we lose the mayoralties in May then I'm afraid we could be on course for a total wipeout. It could be very dangerous for him." Continue reading...

Author also discusses prospect of second Trump presidency and writing about his stabbing in launch event for his book KnifeSalman Rushdie has warned young people against forgetting the value of free speech and discussed the very big and negative" impact of a second Trump presidency in a rare public appearance since his stabbing.The Indian-born British-American author of books including the Satanic Verses and Midnight's Children also discussed the attack in 2022 that left him blind in one eye during a Q&A at an English PEN event at the Southbank Centre. Continue reading...

As well as new women's-only record, race delivered largest ever number of participants and new charity fundraising highThe London Marathon's organisers have hailed another glorious day" on the streets of the UK capital after a series of records - including the women's-only world record - were broken.More than 50,000 finishers were forecast to have crossed the line by late on Sunday, another record, while the race director, Hugh Brasher, predicted that the race would raise more money for charity than any single-day event in history. Continue reading...

Kennet Properties sells off Thames Water land, whose owner, Kemble Water, has warned it would not be able to pay a 190m loanA development company that sells off land no longer needed by Thames Water has paid out a 14m dividend despite warnings that it could become engulfed by the embattled water group's financial woes.Accounts filed at Companies House show Kennet Properties paid out a 14.5m dividend during the year to 31 March 2023, despite the difficulties faced by the wider group, which is facing a potential administration. Continue reading...

Government auditors must look into claims of complicity in corruption on arms deals with UK, says Labour peerAlleged Ministry of Defence complicity in the national scandal" of bribery on arms deals in Saudi Arabia must be investigated by government auditors, a senior Labour politician has said.Peter Hain, the antiapartheid campaigner and peer, said in a letter to the National Audit Office (NAO) that a timely, targeted" investigation was now necessary after the conclusion of a major criminal trial. Continue reading...

Outcry over cancellation of Antonio Scurati's Rai talkshow appearance as note says move was taken for editorial reasons'A high-profile Italian author has accused Rai of censorship after his antifascist monologue was abruptly stopped from being aired, in what he called the definitive demonstration" of alleged attempts by Giorgia Meloni's government to wield its power over the state broadcaster.Antonio Scurati was due to read the monologue marking the 25 April national holiday, which celebrates Italy's liberation from fascism, on the Rai 3 talkshow Chesara on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Israeli leaders vow to oppose expected measures under Leahy law against the Netzah Yehuda battalionA unit of the Israel Defense Forces is facing US sanctions over its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, even as Congress voted for $26bn in new emergency aid to Israel.According to reports in the Israeli media, US state department officials have confirmed they are preparing to impose sanctions on the IDF's Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has been accused of serious human rights violations against Palestinians. Continue reading...

Israel PM's comments follow reports that the US was planning measures against an IDF battalionAt least 34,097 Palestinian people have been killed and 76,980 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.An estimated 48 Palestinians were killed and 79 others injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added. Continue reading...

Daniel Mookhey says absurd' carve-up of GST allocations means the state will almost certainly' lose its coveted AAA credit rating

Vcat suspends Bendigo doctor's supervision order over significant financial imposition' on one of region's last bulk-billing clinics

Exclusive: NHS cost threshold has not been raised by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence since 2004People with motor neurone disease have spoken of their devastation at a likely loss of access to a life-extending drug due to an NHS cost threshold that has not been raised since 2004.Tofersen has slowed the progress of the illness in trials but the chances of the drug being recommended for use in England and Wales are said to be slim. Continue reading...

Former federal senator Rex Patrick's 16-month tussle shows Treasury provided Jim Charmers with a range of policy options

Shareholder calls for softening of postal service's obligations after failed takeover bid by Czech billionaire for owner IDSOne of the top investors in Royal Mail's owner has said it is vulnerable to corporate predators", arguing that a recent takeover bid by a Czech billionaire significantly undervalues the company.Redwheel called for regulators to water down the UK postal service's legal obligations after Daniel Ketinsky's failed takeover attempt of its parent company International Distributions Services (IDS). Continue reading...

Celebrated painter went down the drain from the 1930s', claims Rebecca John in a new interviewThe granddaughter of Augustus John, Britain's most famous and successful artist of the early 20th century, has delivered a damning critique of his later works. Rebecca John, the leading authority on the artist, says in her first interview for two decades that most should have been burned. My grandfather went down the drain from the 1930s onwards, drank too much, lost his judgment, and took every opportunity to earn money from portraits of society ladies and the wives of notable men".From about 1900, Augustus John had produced beautiful drawings, stunning landscapes and portraits of great men including TE Lawrence, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw and Thomas Hardy. He was even honoured in 1928 with a cover photo for Time magazine. But those artistic skills declined from the mid-1930s until his death aged 83 in 1961. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ex-double agent allegedly admitted to murder during training presentations to members of the security servicesVictims' families have reacted with anger after it emerged that a former British double agent in the IRA who allegedly admitted to murder while giving training presentations to members of the security services will not be prosecuted.The case had emerged during an investigation by officers into the activities of the British spy known as Stakeknife and a criminal file was passed to the prosecution service of Northern Ireland. Continue reading...

Closure of Work and Health Programme comes hard on heels of Rishi Sunak's bid to end the UK's supposed sicknote' cultureA major scheme to help disabled people into work has been quietly scrapped - just as the prime minister announced a crackdown on disability benefits.The 100m Work and Health Programme, operating in England and Wales, will end in the autumn, providers have been told, at the same time that Rishi Sunak wants to cut benefits for 420,000 sick and disabled people in an attempt to force them into work - a move that charities say would instead leave people destitute. Continue reading...

Students speak out after a pupil lost her legal challenge against a top London school after it brought in a ban to promote social cohesionIt was in year nine when Hanzla started praying in the playground during lunchtime at his secondary school in Birmingham, despite restrictions from his teachers.I'd find anywhere in the playground and get my friends to kind of make a circle around me - those friends were Muslims and non-Muslims - so the teachers would not find out," he said. A lot of the time it used to be raining and sometimes even snowing and the weather was cold." Continue reading...