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War has left estimated 37m tons of debris in area, requiring years of work with 100 trucks', says Pehr Lodhammar

Doctors' ability to sign people off work is crucial, say readers, particularly for those with mental health problems

Philip Pullman will help choose this year's winners of award set up in memory of the keen young writer who died aged 13 in 2021The Martha Mills young writers' prize has opened for entries on the theme of A Secret".The competition, run by the London Review Bookshop, invites 11- to 14-year-olds living in the UK to submit up to 500 words of any type of prose - such as a fictional story, a piece of schoolwork, or a diary entry - based on this year's theme. Continue reading...

Mykola Solskyi is first known minister under Volodymyr Zelenskiy to be named in a corruption caseFrance is working with Germany to convince their European partners to provide more air defence capacities to Kyiv, the French defence minister, Sebastien Lecornu, said today, Reuters reported.The advance of Russian forces west of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, has accelerated within the past week," according to a British intelligence update. Continue reading...

Infant dies five days after caesarean delivery after mother killed by Israeli airstrike in Rafah

Employment tribunal sought over claims firm tried to induce workers to leave union in long-running rowThe GMB is taking legal action against Amazon in the long-running battle for recognition at its Coventry warehouse, accusing the US firm of trying to induce" staff to leave the union.An employment tribunal claim is being lodged on behalf of five workers at the large site, known as BHX4. Continue reading...

Allies of Scottish first minister say he will come out fighting' after Greens say they would back no confidence motion

Gary Roden resigns as general manager after tickets cancelled and gigs forced to reschedule in ManchesterThe boss of Manchester's beleaguered Co-op Live arena has resigned in its opening week after tickets were cancelled and gigs rescheduled because the venue was not ready on time.Gary Roden quit as general manager of the new arena after also being criticised for saying some small music venues were poorly run". Continue reading...

Muslim organisations say they were not consulted before counter-terrorism raids that resulted in arrests relating to a church stabbing in Sydney

Rain in Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi has damaged farmland and infrastructureEastern Africa has experienced heavy rain in recent weeks, with Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi experiencing flooding. About 100,000 people have been displaced or otherwise affected in each country, with reported deaths reaching 32 in Kenya and 58 in Tanzania, alongside damage to farmland and infrastructure.There are also fears that large areas of standing water could give rise to outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Continue reading...

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Chris Philp gets in a muddle over neighbouring African countries when questioned on BBC showThe policing minister, Chris Philp, appeared to confuse the countries of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on BBC Question Time.Responding to an audience member's question during the BBC One programme, the MP for Croydon South seemed to ask whether Rwanda is a different country to Congo?". Continue reading...

Micheal Martin says UK asylum seekers fearful of being removed to Rwanda are seeking sanctuary in IrelandThe UK government's Rwanda policy has been described as a kneejerk reaction" to migration by Ireland's deputy prime minister and said an influx of asylum seekers could arrive in Ireland as a result.Micheal Martin, Ireland's Tanaiste, reportedly said asylum seekers fearful of being removed from the UK to Rwanda are seeking sanctuary in Ireland. Continue reading...

Credit card holders who make minimum repayments warned they could be in debt for years longerSome Barclaycard customers who only make the minimum repayment each month will take an extra decade to clear their debt and pay hundreds of pounds in extra interest after the credit card provider changed its terms.Barclaycard - thought to be the UK's biggest credit card provider - has written to customers telling them it is cutting their minimum payments to give them more flexibility". Continue reading...

Arrests as Chinese authorities working with UK police and international trademark agencies seize millions of parcels bound for customers worldwideChinese authorities have targeted a major online sales platform accused of supplying counterfeit goods, raiding warehouses holding millions of packages destined for overseas buyers.Earlier this month police raided the Hangzhou office and several warehouses of Pandabuy after reported legal action by 16 brands over copyright infringement. More than 200 public security branch officers, 50 private sector investigators and local police were involved, according to reports. Continue reading...

Lehrmann will pay the columnist $4,616 to cover cost of producing documents during failed defamation case against Channel Ten and Lisa Wilkinson

Asic finds arrangements posed significant risk' of financial hardship but clothing store says it will appeal racist and paternalistic decision'

Exclusive: Action by organisation supporting migrants argues new rules are discriminatoryAn organisation that supports migrant workers has launched a legal challenge against the government's new policy to bar care workers from bringing children and partners to the UK, warning that it is tearing families apart".According to Migrants at Work, care workers have to choose between family life with their children and partners or getting a job as a health or social carer in the UK - they can no longer do both. Continue reading...

First payments to be made during an ongoing conflict is important step towards restoring justice', says first lady, Olena ZelenskaThe first reparation payments are to be made in the next few weeks to survivors of wartime rape by Russian soldiers during the invasion of Ukraine, in a move that Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, called an important step towards restoring justice".Up to 500 Ukrainian survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are being identified and awarded with interim reparations this year, including financial, medical and psychological support. Continue reading...

Those vying for job say it will put region on more equal footing with areas such as West Midlands and Greater ManchesterThe Conservatives are not taking accountability" for their part in leaving regions such as the east Midlands to suffer with poor infrastructure, growing inequalities and a skills gap, Labour's candidate for the region's first mayor said.Claire Ward, the former MP for Watford, said there was not enough to keep young people in the east Midlands and that people had lost hope". Continue reading...

Teachers say behaviour getting worse as survey also shows parents getting less supportive of school policiesOnly two in five children in England say they always feel safe at school, according to a government survey, and teachers from across Britain have told the Guardian they have seen pupils' behaviour deteriorate over the last two years.Teachers said violence and abuse aimed at school staff and other students had increased alongside displays of homophobia, racism and sexism, with women in particular bearing the brunt of aggressive sexual remarks. Continue reading...

Gideon Falter was in running to be adviser but government's antisemitism tsar warned against appointment

A 35-metre-tall wheel is set to open in South Wharf at Polly Woodside Park more than two years after Melbourne Star stopped operating

Police have arrested dozens of students across US universities this week after a crackdown on pro-Palestine protests on campuses. Erum Salam and Margaret Sullivan report from New YorkAs the Israel-Gaza war grinds on amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the world's attention this week was captured by a battle on the campuses of elite US universities. Pro-Palestine student protesters were arrested en masse by New York City police at the prestigious Columbia University, prompting outrage that spread across other college sites.Guardian US reporter Erum Salam tells Michael Safi that the scene on Columbia's campus was one of orderly drum circles and organised anti-war demonstrations, not the all-out violent chaos that might have been imagined. Continue reading...

Court hears charges against Cobram man John Torney include assault and intentionally causing injury

About 1,000 US troops will support the military construction efforts, but Joe Biden has ordered them not to set foot on the Gaza shoreUS troops have begun construction of a maritime pier off the coast of Gaza that aims to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory, the Pentagon has said, but the complex plan to bring more desperately needed food to Palestinian civilians is still mired in fears over security and how the aid will be delivered.I can confirm that US military vessels, to include the USNS Benavidez, have begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea," Pentagon spokesperson Maj Gen Patrick Ryder told reporters. Continue reading...

Sexual assault, intentionally causing injury and unlawful assault among most common charges against police

Mogul's lawyers say decision in New York will strengthen appeal in Los Angeles but victims confident guilty verdict will be upheldHarvey Weinstein was already expected to spend the remainder of his life in prison for crimes in New York when a Los Angeles jury found him guilty of rape and sexual assault in 2022 and he was sentenced to an additional 16 years.But on Thursday New York's top court overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction for two sex crimes and found he should receive a new trial, and the California case has taken on even greater significance. Continue reading...

Ministers considering more funding to protect important research sites, with China seen as a particular concernMI5 has warned universities that hostile foreign states are targeting sensitive research, as ministers consider measures to bolster protections.Vice-chancellors from 24 leading institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London, were briefed on the threat by the domestic security service's director general, Ken McCallum, and National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) chief, Felicity Oswald. Continue reading...

A 26-year-old Beachmere man has been charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder

Suspects, aged 42 and 68, held on suspicion of murder after discovery of plastic-wrapped lower back, buttocks and thighTwo men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a torso was found wrapped in plastic at a nature reserve in Greater Manchester.Part of a dismembered body, consisting of the bottom of the back, buttocks and thigh, were found in clear plastic by a passerby at Kersal Dale Wetlands in Salford on 4 April. Continue reading...

Concern grows over legality of government's approach as new figures show more than 150,000 carers facing huge penalties

Former coalition partners' decision brings Scottish first minister to brink of losing vote, which could make his position untenable

Teenager charged with trying to kill two teachers and fellow pupil after incident at Ysgol Dyffryn AmanA 13-year-old girl has been charged with attempting to murder two teachers and a fellow pupil in a school playground stabbing in Wales.The two adults and child all received knife wounds in the incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire. Dyfed-Powys police said they were also investigating threats allegedly made by a 15-year-old boy that alluded to the incident. Continue reading...

Chronic workforce shortages have put nursing staff under unbearable pressure, says union chiefNurses in England took an average of a week off sick last year because of stress, anxiety or depression, NHS figures reveal.The disclosure has prompted concern that the intense strains nurses face in their jobs, including low pay and understaffing, are damaging their mental health and causing many to quit. Continue reading...

Offer of 31bn could create world's biggest copper miner but attracts criticism from South African ministerThe Australian mining company BHP has set out plans for a 31bn takeover of rival Anglo-American in a deal that threatens to hasten the exodus of Britain's largest firms from the City of London.The proposed takeover of London-listed Anglo would rank as one of the biggest deals in the global mining industry in the last decade and comes as miners race to corner the market for copper, which is in high demand within the clean energy sector. Continue reading...

UK and US leaders among those calling for release, as families renew pressure on Netanyahu to restart negotiationsThe leaders of 18 countries including the US and the UK have called on Hamas to free Israeli and dual-national hostages held in Gaza.The fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza, who are protected under international law, is of international concern," they said. We strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts in order to bring our people home." Continue reading...

Director of Palme d'Or-winning film Entre les Murs (The Class) was much praised for humanism in projectsLaurent Cantet, the award-winning film-maker whose creations tackled some of the most complex issues of modern French society, including meritocracy, the education system, diversity and class struggle, has died aged 63 after an illness.Cantet was best known outside France for his film Entre les Murs (The Class), which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival in 2008. It depicted life inside the classroom of a secondary school in Paris's diverse 20th arrondissement and the relationship between students - compellingly improvised by non-professional teenagers - and their at times exasperated teacher. Continue reading...

Radio DJ Richie Brave, whose ancestors were enslaved, says organisers should be asking themselves some questions'The Radio 1Xtra host Richie Brave has said the Booker prize should consider changing its name because of its links to enslavement.Brave's legal surname is Booker and his ancestors were enslaved by the founders of the company that originally sponsored the prize. Continue reading...

Angela van den Bogerd says she forgot about email in 2010 saying cash balances in post office operators' accounts could be remotely accessedHumza Yousaf, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, is holding a press conference now.He says he has been in the post for little more than a year.We are investing record [sums in the NHS], ensuring it can employ record numbers of staff delivering the best performing A&E units in UK. We are, of course, the only part of the UK to avoid strike action in NHS. I've delivered the council tax freeze this year in every local authority, helping families ...And last week we approved plans for Europe's largest floating offshore wind farm. These are just some of the actions that are making Scotland a better country. Continue reading...

Transitional council' takes oath of office as gang violence continues to rock capital and president formally resignsHaiti's prime minister, Ariel Henry, has formally resigned and a new provisional government has been sworn in during a secret ceremony at the presidential palace, nearly two months after a criminal insurrection plunged the capital into chaos.The nine-person transitional council" was officially established on Thursday during an event at the national palace in Port-au-Prince. As its members took their oaths, Henry, who is in the US, having been locked out of Haiti by the gang uprising, announced in a letter that he was stepping down. Continue reading...

Annual event in June is designed to make service in volunteer army more attractive amid looming threatsThe German parliament has passed a bill creating the first post-unification Veterans' Day, breaking with a long-held taboo around veneration of soldiers as the country faces up to new looming threats.MPs in the Bundestag lower house approved the proposal to create a memorial day on 15 June each year, after an agreement between the government and the conservative opposition earlier this month. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron says Europe faces existential threat from Russian aggression and calls on continent to adopt credible' defence strategy. This live blog is closedRussia has vetoed a UN security council resolution calling on all nations to prevent a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space, describing it as a dirty spectacle".The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, would have called on all countries not to develop or deploy nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction in space, which are already banned under a 1967 international treaty. Continue reading...

Some residents say 5 fee aimed at curbing tourist numbers goes against principle of freedom of movementFor more than 160 years, visitors have been arriving at Venezia Santa Lucia train station and disembarking straight into the heart of one of the world's most historic and beautiful cities. Until Thursday, however, they had never been met by a group of stewards in white and yellow bibs demanding to know if they had downloaded their QR code.On the first day of what the mayor of Venice has hailed as a bold experiment in reducing over-tourism, day-trippers faced a 5 (4.30) charge, which kicked in at 8.30am on Thursday and will apply on 29 peak days until 14 July as part of a trial. Continue reading...

Ex-nurse has asked appeal court for green light to challenge convictions for murder and attempted murder of babiesThree of England's most senior judges are considering whether to allow Lucy Letby to appeal against her convictions for the murder and attempted murder of babies.The former nurse has asked the court of appeal for permission to mount a full legal challenge over her convictions for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder another six. Continue reading...

Locals say city is against plan and accuse authorities of turning Venice into a theme park' by charging day trippers for visitsThe latest target in Amsterdam's decade-long battle against overtourism is an unlikely one: river cruises.City finance chief Hester van Buren announced this month that the city wants to halve the number of river cruises by 2028, from the current total of 2125. Councillors have already voted to close an ocean cruise terminal in the city centre. Continue reading...

Gateway Pundit, run by Jim Hoft, is being sued for defamation by Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss and othersThe Gateway Pundit, a rightwing website known for spreading election conspiracies, will declare bankruptcy as it faces lawsuits for defamation.The site's parent company, TGP Communications, will file for bankruptcy in Florida as a result of the progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet", founder Jim Hoft wrote on the website. Continue reading...

White House releases joint letter signed with 17 other countries saying such a deal would lead to the credible end of hostilities'Here are some of the scenes in Jerusalem, where people, including Israeli interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have been worshipping during the Passover holiday.Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah for Al Jazeera, states that two people have been killed there by drone strikes. He writes for the news network:A surge in attack drones flying over Rafah has taken place over the past couple of hours. At least two people have been hit in what appear to be targeted killings - one in the western part of the city and the other in the east. They were killed when the drones fired missiles about half an hour apart. The tragedy keeps unfolding. The destruction is overwhelming. Everywhere you go, you see rubble-filled roads. Continue reading...

Plan betrayal' of values, says French president in speech covering defence, Europe's waning influence and negative effects of Brexit

Government accused of trying to undermine independent media with move to replace public broadcaster RTVS