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Calm outlook for Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney follows extreme bouts of dry and warm weather across south and west of country

Only survivor after vehicle falls 50 metres and catches fire is eight-year-old who was taken to hospital with serious injuriesAn eight-year-old child was the sole survivor after a bus carrying 46 people fell 50 metres from a bridge in South Africa into a ravine and caught fire.The child, who has not been named, was taken to hospital with serious injuries, the transport ministry said in a statement late on Thursday. Continue reading...

Activists say plan to remove 200 felines near Old San Juan fortress within six months is not enough time and worry cats will be killedA non-profit organization said Thursday that it sued the US National Park Service over a plan to remove Puerto Rico's famous stray cats from a historic district in the US territory.The lawsuit filed by Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies comes four months after the federal agency announced it would contract an animal welfare organization to remove an estimated 200 cats that live in an area surrounding a historic seaside fortress in Old San Juan. Continue reading...

Former PM, who took on five extra ministries in secret, tells Olympian Sam Fricker that listeners might say Oh, I didn't think you were that humble'

Judges issue unanimous decision and say Palestinians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistanceThe international court of justice has ordered Israel to allow unimpeded access of food aid into Gaza, where sections of the population are facing imminent starvation, in a significant legal rebuke to Israel's claim it is not blocking aid deliveries.A panel of judges at the UN's top court, which is already considering a complaint from South Africa that Israel is committing genocide in the Palestinian territory, issued the ruling after an emergency measure in January obliging Israel to admit emergency aid. Continue reading...

Company says TGA regulations prevented it from responding to incorrect claims about its vaccine in 2021

Ukraine's foreign minister calls veto guilty plea' amid claims Pyongyang is aiding Moscow's war against KyivRussia has blocked the renewal of a UN panel monitoring sanctions against North Korea, weeks after the body said it was investigating reports of arms transfers between Moscow and Pyongyang.The move was met with a flurry of criticism, including by Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who took to social media to call the veto a guilty plea" amid allegations that Pyongyang is aiding Moscow in its war against Kyiv. Continue reading...

Calls for fair legal process for opposition figure Arvind Kejriwal amid claims rivals to Modi are being targeted before electionsArvind Kejriwal: the Delhi chief minister jailed by Modi's governmentThe chief minister of Delhi has been remanded in custody for a further four days amid international criticism of his arrest on corruption charges last week.A Delhi court ruled on Thursday that a powerful central government agency could keep Arvind Kejriwal in jail until 1 April as part of a corruption investigation his party decried as a political conspiracy" before national elections beginning next month. Continue reading...

High court strikes out part but not all of Bridgen's case and orders him to pay Tory MP's costsThe MP Andrew Bridgen has been ordered to pay Matt Hancock more than 40,000 in legal fees after an early stage of their libel battle.The MP for North West Leicestershire is bringing a libel claim against the former health secretary regarding a January 2023 message on X that followed Bridgen posting a comment about Covid-19 vaccines. Continue reading...

Dan Dafydd, who accidentally ordered 80 cases of eggs, aims to raise 20,000 for the RNLI by Easter SundayFor a small shop owner on a small island as far as mistakes go, Dan Dafydd's was a pretty big one leaving him with quite a dilemma: how do you get rid of 80 cases of Easter eggs when you meant to order only 80 eggs?For Dafydd, the owner of Sinclair General Stores on Sanday, one of the Orkney islands (population approximately 500), the 720 eggs were enough to feed everyone almost twice over. A few too many even for those with a sweet tooth. Continue reading...

A group of men at the club who hope the male-only rule will change have nominated a set of possible new membersSeven women with leading positions in the British establishment have been nominated as prospective female members of the Garrick in the event that the club agrees to change its rules so that women are able to join.The classicist Mary Beard, the former home secretary Amber Rudd, Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman and the new Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika are among the first names to have been put forward to the club as possible future members. Continue reading...

Mohamed Mansour, a Conservative senior treasurer, is one of several surprise recipients of honoursA businessman and former Egyptian government minister who donated 5m to the Conservative party last year has unexpectedly been given a knighthood on the recommendation of Rishi Sunak.Mohamed Mansour, a senior treasurer of the Conservative party for just over a year, was one of several surprise recipients of honours on Thursday, with the citation saying it was given for business, charity and political service. Continue reading...

Former PM's meeting with President Maduro, in capacity as hedge fund consultant, is under further scrutinyLabour is demanding answers over what the party said was potentially serious impropriety" by Boris Johnson after it emerged that the former prime minister met the Venezuelan president in his role as a consultant for a hedge fund.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said in a letter to Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister and Cabinet Office minister, that there were concerns that Johnson may have breached the ministerial code. Continue reading...

Union says cuts will make the creative powerhouse unrecognisable and risk unprecedented industrial unrestStaff at Goldsmiths, University of London have voted to strike over plans for an almost incomprehensible" number of redundancies, a trade union has announced.More than 87% of University and College Union (UCU) members at the south London institution voted for strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 69%, as well as backing action short of a strike, such as a boycott on marking papers and submissions. Continue reading...

Dozens of lawyers and an MP sign letter attacking club as a symbol of exclusivity, a bastion of power maintained by the privileged few'Protesters demanding women be admitted to the men-only Garrick Club have delivered an open letter to its members saying discrimination on the grounds of sex is nothing short of scandalous".The move came after the Bar Council said exclusive members' clubs created the potential for unfair advantage", with the Garrick's membership list showing it to be favoured by many senior members of the legal profession. Continue reading...

Mayoral races may be important indicator of Starmer's political momentum as party seeks to turn 20-point national lead into resultsIf a telltale sign of a politician's confidence is how willingly they expose themselves to direct media scrutiny, then the likely narrative of May's local elections was on full view on Thursday in Dudley.While Rishi Sunak had followed his Conservative launch speech last Friday with the strictly controlled and limited format of a brief TV clip, Keir Starmer answered journalists' questions for about 40 minutes, covering everything from council spending to Angela Rayner's tax affairs. Continue reading...

After regulator resists 40% increase in bills, shareholders deny request for more money - raising prospect of nationalisation Who will win in standoff between Thames's investors and watchdog?Thames Water appears to be on the road to nationalisation after its investors signalled they were unwilling to pump more money into the debt-laden utilities company, amid a standoff with the regulator and the government over raising customers' bills.Britain's biggest water supplier said on Thursday its shareholders had refused to provide 500m of emergency funding due this week to secure the company's short-term cashflow. Continue reading...

Record year for unique monikers in Scotland in 2023, official statistics revealNewborn babies were named Alloy, Banksy, Daemon and Jihad in a record year for unique names in Scotland.National Records of Scotland (NRS) said there were a record 2,362 names given to only one boy and 2,983 to just one girl in 2023. Continue reading...

US describe Russian's allegation that Ukraine was involved in attack as nonsense' and says it passed warning to Russian security servicesThe Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor has restricted access to 11 channels in the Telegram messaging app with terrorist content" over the past two days, reports Reuters citing an article by the state-owned news agency RIA Novosti on Thursday.Poland's prime minister on Thursday hosted his Ukrainian counterpart for long-awaited talks designed to ease friction over Ukrainian farm imports and border blockades by disgruntled Polish farmers, reports news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP). Continue reading...

Draft law, which also affects redheads, blond people, and those with dreadlocks now goes to senateFrance's lower house of parliament has backed a bill banning discrimination based on hairstyle, colour or texture, in a historic" move supporters say will help penalise workplace discrimination.Olivier Serva, an independent deputy for the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe who sponsored the bill, has argued that there is a lot of suffering based on hair discrimination, and that women of African descent in France were often encouraged to change their hairstyle before job interviews. Continue reading...

After overseeing a transformation of the National Portrait Gallery he will need to draw on that experience in his new role

Concerns that some groups who are more at risk from virus face hefty price tag, as Boots set to charge almost 100 a shotExperts and patient groups have warned that the high cost of private Covid vaccinations could exacerbate health inequalities and leave those more at risk from the virus without a vital line of defence.Both high street chain Boots and pharmacies that partner with the company Pharmadoctor are now offering Covid jabs to those not eligible for a free vaccination through the NHS, with the former charging almost 100 for the Pfizer/BioNTech jab. Continue reading...

Israeli forces also blockading al-Amal hospital amid mounting concern for the safety of patients, civilians and medical staffHeavy fighting took place around two key hospitals in Gaza on Thursday, while a third was reportedly under Israeli siege, amid mounting international concern for the safety of patients, civilians and remaining medical staff in the facilities.The most intense fighting once again appeared to be focused on the al-Shifa complex, Gaza City's main hospital before the war, where the Israeli army said it continued to operate around the site after storming it more than a week ago. Continue reading...

District education authorities launch multibillion-dollar lawsuit against Meta, Snap Inc and ByteDanceFour of Canada's largest school boards have launched a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the social media companies Meta, Snap Inc and ByteDance, accusing them of acting in a high-handed, reckless, malicious, and reprehensible manner" with products the boards claim harm student learning and rewire" how children think.The four district boards - Ottawa-Carleton, Toronto, Peel and Toronto Catholic - filed four separate statements of claim in Ontario's superior court of justice on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Investigation reveals reports of miscarriages, infections and birth defects among women and girls in mining communitiesWomen and girls living in cobalt-mining communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are reporting a staggering" rise in serious reproductive health issues, including miscarriages and birth defects, according to a new report.An investigation published by the UK-based human rights group Rights & Accountability in Development (Raid) and the Kinshasa-based NGO Afrewatch said that women and girls living around cobalt mines reported experiencing irregular menstruations, urogenital infections, vaginal mycoses and warts. Continue reading...

Man in his 40s detained on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, Essex police sayA man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the death of the Gogglebox star George Gilbey, who died after a fall at work, Essex police said.The 40-year-old reality star was best known for appearing on the Channel 4 series alongside his mother, Linda McGarry, and stepfather Pete McGarry, who died aged 71 in 2021. Continue reading...

Israeli PM had cancelled officials' US visit to discuss planned offensive in southern Gaza after the US refused to veto a UN security council vote on a ceasefire

The London classical music venue announces plan against a background of arts funding cuts and in an uncertain public environment for classical music'London classical music venue Wigmore Hall has announced a 10m fund with the aim to be self-sustaining without need for public funds. It is believed to be the first major concert hall to take such a step in what a statement described as an uncertain public environment for classical music in the UK".The venue has an annual grant of 344,206 from Arts Council England (ACE) but John Gilhooly, Wigmore Hall's artistic and executive director, says that it is already 97% self-funded". He added that 7m had already been pledged for the new fund, called the Director's Fund, and that the venue hoped to raise 10m by 2027, and 20m within a decade. Continue reading...

Greens immigration spokesperson says bill expands ministerial power to reverse protection findings and deport people previously granted asylum

Researchers find self-regulation by companies like Meta or TikTok doesn't work'

Line closures and strikes coinciding with school holidays and turbulent weather are expected to hit travel plansA long Good Friday looms for many drivers and rail passengers who are heading off for a UK getaway, as the Easter weekend collides with the start of school holidays, engineering works and turbulent weather.With more than 14 million leisure trips planned by drivers over the coming days, motorists have been warned to expect delays on many routes. Additional cars could be forced on to the roads because of major railway line closures, with strikes hampering possible return train journeys next week. Continue reading...

Victim in critical condition after incident between Beckenham Junction and Shortlands stations, say policeA 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was stabbed on a train in south London, British Transport Police have said.A manhunt had been under way after the victim was left with life-threatening injuries after the attack between Beckenham Junction and Shortlands railway stations on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Senior medical directors warn PAs are not substitutes' for doctors amid fears patients misunderstand their level of qualificationPhysician associates (PAs) are not substitutes" for GPs and must be supervised, NHS England has said.A new letter to all GP surgeries, primary care network clinical directors, integrated care board chief executives and NHS England regional directors said PAs are specifically trained to work collaboratively with doctors and others" and all work undertaken by PAs must be supervised and debriefed with their supervising GP". Continue reading...

Membership of exclusive clubs can be unfair advantage' for some lawyers seeking to move into judiciary, says barristers' bodyExclusive members' clubs create the potential for unfair advantage" for lawyers seeking to become judges, the Bar Council has warned, responding to growing unease about senior legal practitioners who are members of the men-only Garrick club.The professional body for barristers set its comments about closed doors and exclusionary spaces" against the background of wider concerns over the under-representation of women in the judiciary, and persistent gender disparities in female lawyers' career progression and earnings. Continue reading...

Nicholas Cullinan, head of National Portrait Gallery, replaces Hartwig Fischer who resigned over loss of hundreds of objectsThe British Museum has appointed the National Portrait Gallery head, Nicholas Cullinan, as its new director, after it emerged last year that hundreds of objects had been allegedly stolen from the museum's collection.He replaces the interim director, Sir Mark Jones, the former head of the Victoria and Albert Museum, who stood in for the former director Hartwig Fischer. Fischer resigned last year over the scandal. Continue reading...

Labour deputy leader says she can provide tax advice given at time after Tory complaint to Manchester force

Deal to send hundreds of officers to Caribbean country amid spiraling gang violence is facing intense public and legal scrutinyHaiti's raging gang insurrection has prompted growing concern in Kenya over plans to deploy hundreds of paramilitary police officers from the East African country on a UN-backed multinational mission to counter the violence.If they come back in body bags, what will [Kenyan President William Ruto] tell the nation?" said Ekuru Aukot, leader of the opposition Thirdway Alliance, who last year filed a legal challenge against the deployment. Continue reading...

The party whip says she plans to stay in the Senate as an independent after Lambie suggested she should go it alone'

Exclusive: Dfat official said there was precious nothing in the public domain' on claims against aid agency hours before pause announced

Prime minister Anthony Albanese says China's duties on Australian bottled wine will come to an end from Friday

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Admission of girls to the private school will proceed despite almost 800 former students voting out alumni union president Alexander Pagonis

Decision announced on eve of Easter long weekend following weeks of controversy over Jackson's former work as a journalist

Retailer's action taken to avoid cash shortage if the money-moving company were to reduce or cease deliveries

Exclusive: Man who has now given party at least 10m copied Steve Barclay into email about problems with bid, documents showThe Conservative mega-donor Frank Hester complained to the NHS and the health secretary last year over problems his IT business had bidding for a contract, documents show.The Leeds businessman, who owns a healthcare tech firm responsible for 60m UK medical records, raised a complaint about procurement in December 2022 with the chair of NHS England, copying in Steve Barclay, the then health secretary, saying he was an interested party". Continue reading...

Victoria McCloud wants leave to join litigation in supreme court appeal brought by For Women ScotlandThe UK's first transgender judge is seeking leave to join the litigation in a crucial supreme court case that could significantly affect legal protections for transgender women, the Guardian has learned.Victoria McCloud, a senior civil judge who became the youngest person appointed as master of the high court in 2010, will make an application to intervene in the supreme court appeal brought by the campaign group For Women Scotland about the legal definition of woman". Interveners can put a case without being among the main parties to the litigation. Continue reading...

On 5 Live's 30th birthday, Heidi Dawson says more of the BBC should be based outside London to reflect the national conversationMore of the BBC needs to be based outside London to reflect the conversation of the nation" and secure its future, according to the controller of BBC Radio 5 Live.As the station celebrates its 30th birthday on Thursday, with a series of shows and tributes, Heidi Dawson says 5 Live is well placed to see off the multiple headwinds buffeting its HQ in London, including a further 200m in annual cuts announced by the BBC's director general this week. Continue reading...

Bill being laid before Scottish parliament could, if approved, allow people in Britain to take their own lives within the lawUK membership of Dignitas, the Swiss assisted dying association, has jumped to 1,900 people - a 24% rise during 2023 - as an assisted dying bill is laid before the Scottish parliament.People from the UK now make up the second largest group who have signed up to the organisation, which is based near Zurich and helps people take their own lives. The largest group is currently Germans, although they can now get help to end their lives at home after a 2020 court ruling. Continue reading...

Martin Lewis among those encouraging consumers to make a note so they do not overpay when cap reducedMillions of households are being urged to submit meter readings to their energy supplier this weekend to ensure they do not overpay when cheaper prices come in on Monday.The consumer champion Martin Lewis is among those urging people to get their phones, pens and notepads out so that they benefit fully from the 12.3% cut to the Ofgem energy price cap, which is altered quarterly. Continue reading...

Les Jeux Olympiques: Miroir des Societes opens ahead of Paris Olympics and puts previous games in context of conflicts and injusticesFrom the Nazi stadium propaganda in 1936 Berlin to the 1968 Mexico City podium protest of medal-winners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who were expelled from the competition after raising their gloved fists in a Black Power salute against racial injustice, the Olympic Games have held a mirror up to some of the darkest moments of 20th-century history.Now, as the Paris Olympics prepares to open this summer against a backdrop of war from Ukraine to the Middle East - with Emmanuel Macron saying Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Games - a new exhibition in Paris takes an unflinching look at the social and geopolitical impact of the Games over the last century. Continue reading...