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Agent says Goodman, who was a judge on the show from 2004 until 2016, died peacefullyThe former Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman has died aged 78, his agent has said. He became a judge on the show in 2004 and his final appearance was on the 2016 Christmas Day special.Jackie Gill said in a statement: “It is with great sadness we announce that Len Goodman has passed away peacefully, aged 78. A much loved husband, father and grandfather who will be sorely missed by family, friends and all who knew him.” Continue reading...

Lack of supplies and rising prices add to perilous journey by road to Egyptian border and Port SudanThousands more residents of Khartoum fled the Sudanese capital on Monday, risking long, dangerous journeys to escape continued street battles and murderous airstrikes that continue to cause significant civilian casualties.Some headed north by road to the Egyptian border in packed buses, many with towering piles of luggage strapped to them. Others drove north-east to Port Sudan. Both journeys involved up to 24 hours of driving, with increasing reports of robbery of vehicles. Continue reading...

Equality and Human Rights Commission says measures in illegal migration bill could expose people to serious harm

Monaco Grand Prix and French Open may also be interrupted after new legislation to raise retirement ageFrance’s electricity workers are threatening to pull the plug at the Cannes film festival as part of ongoing protests over pension changes.Members of the National Federation of Mines and Energy – a branch of the powerful CGT union – have announced “100 days of action and anger” that is expected to hit the movie industry’s annual event as well as other sports and cultural meetings. Continue reading...

Company aims to eliminate 7,000 positions and save $5.5bn in costs across business segments, including ESPN and Disney ParksWalt Disney will begin a second wave of layoffs on Monday involving thousands of jobs, as part of efforts to eliminate 7,000 positions and save $5.5bn in costs, according to sources familiar with the matter.The company will cut “several thousand” jobs through Thursday, with the latest round of reductions bringing the total number of jobs culled to 4,000, Disney officials say. Continue reading...

Exclusive: family of Elizabeth Chau accuse police of failing to take case seriously because of their raceThe family of a 19-year-old woman whom the serial killer Levi Bellfield claims to have murdered two decades ago have accused the Metropolitan police of failing to take the case seriously because of their race and the alleged victim’s gender.Bellfield has made a signed and written confession to the kidnap, rape, assault and murder of the university student Elizabeth Chau, who disappeared from a west London street in 1999, his solicitor confirmed. Continue reading...

Former GMP constable accused of running a ‘grooming playground’ to exploit children and young adultsA former police officer has been convicted of sexual abuse and misconduct in public office after running a police cadet scheme as a “grooming playground” to exploit children and young adults he was responsible for.Adnan Ali, known as Adz, had Superman emblazoned on his cadet leader’s hoodie and underpants, a jury at Liverpool crown court heard. Continue reading...

Publisher says reduced town centre footfall and higher costs mean regional edition is no longer viableThe Big Issue is shutting down its northern England edition next month, blaming reduced town centre footfall since the pandemic.Increased print, energy and paper costs have also contributed to making Big Issue North “no longer financially viable”, its publishers said. A souvenir final edition will go on sale on 8 May, 30 years after the title first hit the streets. Continue reading...

Demands to censor, most often for gender themes or sexual detail, rose 38% year on year in 2022, with Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe being last year’s ‘most challenged’ titleJuno Dawson’s This Book Is Gay was among the books most requested for removal or restriction in libraries in the US in 2022, according to new data on banned books.The list of books, released by the American Library Association (ALA) to mark the start of National Libraries Week, shows that titles were challenged most often because they contained LGBTQ+ representation or content that the complainants deemed sexually explicit. Continue reading...

Twenty-four trains an hour and direct service from Essex to Heathrow on timetableThe Elizabeth line will run 24 trains an hour and start direct services from Essex to Heathrow from 21 May, Transport for London has confirmed, in the “last milestone” of the Crossrail project.Trains will run roughly every two and a half minutes under central London in both directions at peak times, TfL said, with more through services and quicker journeys as the full timetable comes into effect. Continue reading...

Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Ijazuddin were killed when their car hit a tree after being pursued by two vehiclesTwo men died in a fireball when their car was driven off the road in a murder plot devised to silence one of the victims from revealing his affair with a married woman, a court has heard.Saqib Hussain, 21, and childhood friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, 21, were killed on 11 February 2022 when their car hit a tree as they were being pursued by two vehicles at speeds approaching 100mph. Continue reading...

Ukraine says Russia is taking up defensive positions in most combat areas apart from Bakhmut Continue reading...

Search continues for dead and alive as Kenyan Red Cross says 112 people have been reported missingThe death toll from a Christian cult in Kenya that practised starvation has risen to 67, after more bodies were recovered from mass graves in a forest in the south-east of the country.A major search is under way in the Shakahola forest near the coastal town of Malindi, where dozens of corpses were exhumed over the weekend. The bodies are thought to be those of followers of a cult who reportedly believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves. Continue reading...

Data collated from responses to FoI requests from 70 different local authorities about age assessmentsHundreds of asylum seeker children are wrongly being treated as adults by the Home Office, according to data from dozens of local authorities.Responses from freedom of information requests showed that two-thirds of children – 867 out of 1,386 – deemed to be adults by the Home Office were later confirmed to be children. Continue reading...

Nikolai Peskov, 33, says he sought father’s help to serve anonymously in mercenary group for six months

Asset manager suggests its stake could be worth less only 18 months after investing almost £10mRevolut’s position as the UK’s most valuable fintech company is under threat, after a writedown by one of its investors suggested almost $15bn (£12bn) could be wiped off the value of the firm.A UK trust run by the asset manager Schroders suggested the value of its stake in Revolut has plunged by 46% over the past year, having estimated in its annual report that the holding was worth only £5.4m as of December, down from £10.1m a year earlier. Continue reading...

Labour leader condemns MP’s letter but says decision on whether she will stand for party again must wait

Apparent move in occupied areas comes as Ukrainian military sets up positions on eastern side of Dnipro River

PM criticised over decision to axe tax-free shopping for tourists at meeting of business leadersTop City fund manager Helena Morrissey has raised concerns with the prime minister that the scandal at the Confederation of British Industry could deter women from entering the City.Morrissey, one of the highest profile executives in the City and a campaigner for equal pay and opportunities, said she was “personally worried that this might put women off joining industry”. Continue reading...

Tangaraju Suppiah, due to be hanged this week, forced to self-represent after unsuccessful appealA Singaporean man who is due to be hanged this week for abetting an attempt to smuggle cannabis is one of a growing number of death row prisoners who have to represent themselves after their appeals because they cannot access lawyers, activists have said.Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was sentenced to death in 2018 after a judge found he was the owner of a phone number used to coordinate an attempt to traffic 1 kilogram of cannabis. He is due to be executed on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Scottish band’s classic I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) initially included among official celebration songsThere has been much havering over guest lists, protests and seating plans, but one thing is sure – the Proclaimers’ song I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) will not be on the official coronation celebration playlist.The song has been removed from the playlist after complaints were received about the band’s republican views. Continue reading...

Reported detention of Li Yanhe has echoes of 2015 disappearances of five Hong Kong booksellersConcerns are mounting for a Taiwan-based book publisher believed to have been detained in China, in a case that has echoed the disappearances in 2015 of five Hong Kong booksellers.Li Yanhe, also known by the pen-name Fucha, reportedly travelled to Shanghai last month to visit relatives, but has been uncontactable since Thursday. His alleged detention was first reported by Bei Ling, a Chinese writer and activist, who said on Facebook that he had been told by various sources that Li had been arrested by authorities in Shanghai. Continue reading...

Head of traditional owner corporations says Indigenous elders had long fought for current ‘representative structures’

Call comes after Australia’s defence review says activities in South China Sea ‘threaten rules-based order’

Hambro Perks Acquisition Company blames ‘challenging circumstances’ for stock market listingsThe first company launched under Rishi Sunak’s newly relaxed rules to attract special purpose acquisition companies to London after Brexit has said it will shut down, without finding a suitable merger target.Hambro Perks Acquisition Company said in a statement to the stock market on Monday that it had ceased all operations except for the purposes of winding up the company and returning money to shareholders. Continue reading...

Cyber-warfare and the ‘missile age’ have radically reduced Australia’s geographical defensive benefits, report argues

Review calls for ADF to develop ability to precisely strike targets at longer range and to develop stronger network. Follow the day’s news live

Filing by former political staffer says PM was aware of heavy workloads and that staffing cuts would lead to longer hours

Holland fell from his horse Headingley at a race in Donald, 280km north-west of Melbourne

The former governor general and former Anglican archbishop of Brisbane was the subject of complaints about his handling of child abuse complaints in the 1990s

Police urge the mother, whose identity is unknown, to come forward, assuring her that ‘she’s not in any trouble’

Joana Partyk declined to give full access to her electronic devices after they were seized by police in a raid in February

More than 300 journalists write to Russia that arrest sends ‘dangerous signal’ about attitude to journalismMore than 300 foreign correspondents who have worked in Moscow have written to the Russian government to call for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter being held on espionage charges, saying his arrest sends a “disturbing and dangerous signal” about the country’s attitude to independent media.Gershkovich, who was detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg last month on spying charges that carry a possible 20-year prison sentence, is the first US journalist detained on such charges since the end of the cold war. Both the Wall Street Journal and the US government has denied that he was involved in espionage. Continue reading...

Renee Fry-McKibbin says panel considered ‘a lot of alternative frameworks’ but decision on shift would fall to future reviews

Former soldier has previously been denied access after it was ruled they were exempt from disclosure

Average of £224,963 for homes with one or two bedrooms is 2% higher than a year ago, says RightmoveThose people hoping to get on to the UK housing ladder are facing record asking prices, as calm returns to the sector after last autumn’s mini-budget spooked the markets.Rightmove, the property portal, reports that the average asking price of properties popular with first-time buyers – those with one or two bedrooms – has hit a record price of £224,963 in the last month. That is 2% higher than a year ago, even though higher mortgage rates have made homes less affordable. Continue reading...

Assad forces said to be in partnership with networks stripping exiles of their property and leaving them nothing to return toIt was through an unexpected phone call from a police officer, telling him he was summoned to court in Damascus, that Abdullah*, 31, discovered his house was being stolen.He had to abandon his home in 2012, when he fled Syria during a security crackdown on anti-government activists. Now, he was being told to explain to the courts that he had not transferred the house to a distant relative. Continue reading...

Heirs of Slavery body wants restorative justice to tackle ‘ongoing consequences of this crime against humanity’The descendants of some of Britain’s wealthiest slave owners have launched an activist movement, calling on the government both to apologise for slavery and begin a programme of reparative justice in recognition of the “ongoing consequences of this crime against humanity”.A second cousin of King Charles and a direct descendant of the Victorian prime minister William Gladstone have joined journalists, a publisher, a schoolteacher and a retired social worker, to create the Heirs of Slavery campaigning body, which will lobby the UK government to acknowledge and atone for its role in the transportation of 3.1 million enslaved African people across the Atlantic. Continue reading...

Inspectors find lack of trained staff at Reigate Grange and medicines not being administered properly

Survey also reveals nine out of 10 older people believe there are not enough care staff in the country

More than 100 people invaded the village in northern Yatenga province, survivors say, amid increasing attacks blamed on suspected jihadistsAbout 60 civilians were killed in a village in northern Burkina Faso by men wearing military uniforms, a local prosecutor has said, announcing an investigation into the latest bloodshed.Attacks blamed on suspected jihadists are on the rise in the west African country, which is battling an insurgency that spilled over from neighbouring Mali. Continue reading...

The 20-year-old was flown to Royal Adelaide hospital on Saturday night, but died on Sunday

Parliamentary committee calls for a range of new responses to ‘significant problem’, including a national database and research program

Government considers establishment of domestic manufacturing as review warns Australia’s military capability structured for ‘a bygone era’

Review says the ADF is not ‘fully fit for purpose’ and suggests ways to counter new threats in our region

Killing in Yangon of Sai Kyaw Thu, a former lieutenant colonel, is confirmed by guerrilla groupA top election official in Myanmar has been fatally shot in his car in Yangon, in the latest attack attributed to militants opposed to military rule.Sai Kyaw Thu, the deputy director general of the military-appointed Union Election Commission, was shot multiple times on Saturday, according to the military’s information office, media reports and a statement of responsibility from an urban guerrilla group. Continue reading...

Police arrest suspect in shooting of Taha Sabbagh, 40, at city’s international airport

Many heritage sites such as castles and palaces in Wales are reporting rising visitor numbersMany heritage sites in Wales such as castles and palaces are enjoying a surge in visitor numbers after people developed an interest in Welsh history during the Covid pandemic.At the atmospheric ruins of the 14th-century Bishop’s Palace in St Davids, south-west Wales, there was an increase in tourists of almost 50% compared with pre-pandemic times. Continue reading...

Home Office pledge follows threats of Tory backbench rebellion against controversial illegal migration billMinisters have pledged to only detain refugee children in “exceptional circumstances” under a new asylum bill after threats of a rebellion from backbench Conservative MPs.The Home Office confirmed it would put forward a further amendment to the illegal migration bill limiting the amount of time an unaccompanied child can be held. Continue reading...

Stockholm International Peace Institute’s annual report finds UK was region’s biggest spender in 2022 at $68.5bnDefence spending in western and central Europe has surpassed that of the last year of the cold war, an annual report has found, as military expenditure across the world hit an all-time high of $2.24tn (£1.8tn) last year.The outbreak of war in Ukraine has triggered the steepest increase in military expenditure in Europe in three decades, according to the Stockholm International Peace Institute (Sipri). Continue reading...