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Leaked US documents appear to indicate Egypt was planning to covertly supply Russia weapons; US says reporter Evan Gershkovich ‘wrongfully detained’ Continue reading...

Social media site stops censoring links and searches for newsletter platform after launch of rival microblogging serviceA six-day row between Twitter and Substack has come to an uneasy truce after the social media site stopped censoring links and searches for the newsletter platform following the latter’s decision to launch a rival microblogging service.However, the spat appears to have put an end to Elon Musk’s “Twitter Files” project, after he tweeted then deleted screenshots of a conversation between himself and one of its writers, Matt Taibbi, in which the pair sparred over the censorship. Continue reading...

Keswick mountain rescue team dispatched to bring men down fell after reports they were in troubleThe doughty men and women of Keswick mountain rescue are well used to helping walkers who have lost their way on the Lake District fells. But on the weekend they had to assist a group who had also lost their minds.Just after noon on Saturday, the team were called to the Stoneycroft, Newlands and Seathwaite area of the national park following reports that a group of young men were in trouble after taking magic mushrooms. Continue reading...

Exclusive: ‘Everyone told me it would never work’, says professor of nanomedicine, but science needs alternatives to experimenting on animalsProfessor of nanomedicine Wojciech Chrzanowski finds it “heartbreaking” to recall some of his early scientific work, where research involving animal testing was inevitable.“The moment you start working in a lab, and have to start squeezing and cutting animals, you feel sorry for them,” Chrzanowski said. Continue reading...

Neighbours at Merrylands apartment block called police about 11.30pm on Easter Sunday to report concerns for her welfare

Strike is expected to lead to 350,000 appointments including operations being cancelledJunior doctors across England have begun a four-day strike that will result in an estimated 350,000 appointments including operations being cancelled.Doctors will mount picket lines outside hospitals from 7am until Saturday morning in a deteriorating dispute over pay. It is the longest industrial action in the health service since nurses, ambulance crews and other health workers took action last year. Continue reading...

Detectives suspect a rubbish truck had transported the body of Lesley Trotter, 78, on 28 March

Latest move fits with Albanese government’s attempts to pursue ‘constructive’ dialogue with China without making any policy concessions

In ‘sign of goodwill’, federal government temporarily suspends WTO challenge as China agrees to review its tariffs

Including ministers outside cabinet, there are now more women in country’s executive than menNew Zealand has reached gender equity in its government cabinet for the first time in its history.The country had elected its most diverse parliament ever under former prime minister Jacinda Ardern in 2020, significantly boosting numbers of female, Māori and LBGTQ+ members. Now, it has reached gender parity at the decision-making table of cabinet, the body of senior ministers responsible for most important policy, legislative and spending decisions. Continue reading...

The artist behind the magazine’s famous “fold-in” drawing, Jaffee was Mad’s longest-tenured contributor and only retired when he was 99Al Jaffee, the pioneering Mad magazine cartoonist and inventor of the “fold-in” who worked for the publication for seven decades and retired when he was 99 years old, has died at the age of 102.Jaffee died on Monday in a Manhattan hospital of multi-system organ failure, his granddaughter told the New York Times. Continue reading...

In open letter, 48 MPs and senators warn ‘closest strategic ally’ that pursuit of WikiLeaks founder ‘set a dangerous precedent’Australian federal politicians from across the political spectrum have jointly asked the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, to abandon attempts to extradite Julian Assange from the UK.The 48 MPs and senators – including 13 from the governing Labor party – warned that the pursuit of the WikiLeaks founder “set a dangerous precedent” for press freedom and would damage the reputation of the US. Continue reading...

Two dogs seized by council from a Woodridge property after the child sustained significant abdominal, chest and shoulder injuries

Land Rover was monitoring a dissident republican parade commemorating the 1916 RisingThe British and Irish governments have condemned petrol bomb attacks on police in Derry on the eve of Joe Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland.A small crowd threw petrol bombs and other missiles at a police Land Rover during a parade by dissident republicans in the Creggan area of the city on Monday. The vehicle briefly caught fire and was withdrawn. Continue reading...

Rescue workers continue to search smouldering debris for more people after suspected explosion, as manslaughter investigation openedRescue workers have recovered a sixth body from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Marseille, as emergency services battled difficult conditions to look for missing people.More than 24 hours after a suspected explosion at the building, where people had reported a strong smell of gas, dozens of rescue workers and dogs worked among the debris and rubble as a fire still smouldered underneath. Continue reading...

Wealthiest 10% captured growth in company profits while most Australians watched their real wages shrink, Australia Institute finds

Aged care workers in capital cities would have to spend 77% of their pay on housing to pay the average rent of $572 a week

Dismissal of Yoav Gallant triggered unprecedented surge of protest against plan to disempower judiciaryAs Israel faces a surge in violence on almost every front, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has reversed his decision to fire the defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for warning that his judicial overhaul was harming the military.In a televised speech late on Monday, Netanyahu said Gallant would stay in his position, two weeks after he dismissed the minister. Continue reading...

Near miss occurred off coast of Crimea in September 2022, according to apparent leak of Pentagon documents

Lucy Dee sustained critical injuries in attack on Friday that killed her daughters Maia and RinaThe mother of two British-Israeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank has died from injuries sustained in the incident.Maia and Rina Dee, 20 and 15, were killed on Friday when their car was shot at by a suspected Palestinian gunman. Their mother, Lucy (also known as Leah), 45, who was in the car with them, sustained critical injuries and was left in a coma. Continue reading...

Operation comes as attempted crossings of Mediterranean from north Africa surge over weekendThe Italian coastguard said on Monday it was carrying out a rescue operation involving two fishing boats with a total of 1,200 passengers on board, as the number of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean from north Africa surged over the weekend.One vessel carrying about 800 people was more than 120 miles (190 km) south-east of the Sicilian city of Syracuse, the coastguard said. Continue reading...

Key players in Yemeni coalition government ready to go along with minimum eight-month ceasefireSaudi Arabia has persuaded the key players in the Yemeni coalition government to go along with a minimum eight-month ceasefire with Houthi rebels in parallel with talks on the future of the country that may take as long as two years, as it rushes to capitalise on its new relationship with Iran.Saudi and Houthi leaders met on Sunday for the first time in public in the Houthi-held capital, Sana’a, with the Saudis keen to cut their losses after a disastrous eight-year-long intervention that started with airstrikes in 2015. Mediators from Oman were also present. Continue reading...

Alarm on both sides of Atlantic as French president warns against being drawn into any Taiwan conflictEmmanuel Macron has flown into a storm of criticism after he said Europe should not become a “vassal” and must avoid being drawn into any conflict between the US and China over Taiwan.The French president made the remarks in an interview on his plane after a three-day state visit to China, where he received a red carpet welcome by President Xi Jinping – a show of pageantry that alarmed some European China watchers. Continue reading...

Ship-launched fighter jets have previously never been seen in island’s air defence zoneChina’s military exercises targeting Taiwan have concluded after three days in which it encircled the island, simulated missile attacks on cities, and practised ship-launched strikes from the east.China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said on Monday the combat readiness drills had “comprehensively tested the troops under actual combat conditions”. Continue reading...

Centre for Responsible Technology ‘supportive’ of proposed reforms, calling them the ‘first significant upgrade of privacy laws in four decades’

Student disengagement is on the rise and the ‘disciplinary climate’ is among the least favourable in the OECD, education policy outlook warns

Labour says data reveals ‘mental health crisis at the heart of Whitehall’, as unions say staff cuts and low pay among reasonsWhitehall civil servants took a record 771,433 days of sick leave last year because of stress and other mental health problems, figures show.This all-time high number of mental health sick days taken by officials working for government departments was 38% higher than the 558,125 recorded just a year before. Continue reading...

Conference accuses inspectorate of ‘mercilessly bullying’ teachers and follows NEU in calling for changeOfsted inspectors have been accused of a “reign of terror” over teachers and school leaders in England, as a second major teaching union backed a campaign to abolish the schools watchdog.Delegates to the NASUWT annual conference voted for a motion describing Ofsted as a “major contributor to the excessive workload and bureaucracy that blights the lives of teachers” and instructed the union to campaign for its abolition and replacement.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Exclusive: EMFS, devised by Treasury and Bank of England as backstop fund, was quietly closed this yearThe Treasury spent almost half a million pounds on an unused emergency scheme for energy traders launched by Liz Truss that was quietly closed earlier this year.

Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing government puts food and wine at heart of its nationalistic expressionA tall ship named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci will embark on a two-year voyage as Italy’s conservative government puts the promotion of the country’s food and wine at the heart of its nationalistic expression of Italian identity.The navy vessel, built in 1930 and described as “the most beautiful ship in the world”, will set sail on 1 July “to bring Made in Italy and the excellence of our country to the world”, according to the defence minister, Guido Crosetto. Continue reading...

Tropical cyclone brews off the Kimberley while freezing rain causes chaos in Quebec and OntarioAt the weekend a tropical low that was situated in the Timor Sea moved west-south-west into waters north of the Kimberley, Western Australia. Deepening as it moved, the low developed into a tropical cyclone on Sunday night that brought gale-force winds of up to 56 mph (90km/h) to the coast. Squally thunderstorms across northern parts of the region produced strong winds and heavy rain.The tropical cyclone is forecast to reach category 3 by Tuesday. From Wednesday it is expected to turn south, prompting the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to warn that a significant risk of further instability could steer the storm south-east into central or eastern Pilbara, or western Kimberley. Given sea surface temperatures will be 30-32C (86-90F), the cyclone is expected to deepen to a category 4, with some models forecasting central pressure as low as 910hPa. Continue reading...

Interaction at temple in India seen in video that has gone viral condemned as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘scandalous’The Dalai Lama has apologised after he faced allegations of inappropriate behaviour after kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to “suck his tongue” at a public event in India.The interaction, which took place in late February at the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala, was attended by about 100 young students who had just graduated from the Indian M3M Foundation. Continue reading...

‘Very cold and gusty’ winds have lowered temperatures up and down the east coast and brought warnings of wild surf conditions

Grant Thornton hopes to finalise discussions about solutions for parts of the builder in the next week

Gatherings over Easter long weekend expected to cause further increase in infections, with Victoria already 60% up in past fortnight

Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, prominent figures advocating for improved civil rights, given lengthy jail terms in latest crackdown on dissentA Chinese court has sentenced two prominent human rights lawyers to jail terms of more than a decade each, a relative and rights groups say, in the latest move in a years-long crackdown on civil society by President Xi Jinping.Xu Zhiyong, 50, and Ding Jiaxi, 55, were put on trial behind closed doors in June last year on charges of state subversion at a court in Linshu county in the north-eastern province of Shandong, relatives said at the time. Continue reading...

Flood moving abroad has come as a shock and is costing tens of millions in lost tax receiptsA record number of super-rich Norwegians are abandoning Norway for low-tax countries after the centre-left government increased wealth taxes to 1.1%.More than 30 Norwegian billionaires and multimillionaires left Norway in 2022, according to research by the newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv. This was more than the total number of super-rich people who left the country during the previous 13 years, it added. Even more super-rich individuals are expected to leave this year because of the increase in wealth tax in November, costing the government tens of millions lost tax receipts. Continue reading...

Underfunded services resulting in more women choosing cheaper at-home abortion pill, study findsOverstretched and underfunded abortion services in England and Wales are leaving women feeling pressured into opting for the cheaper at-home pill rather than a surgical procedure, according to research.The proportion of medical abortions – using pills – rose from 47% in 2011 to 87% in 2021, while very few abortions are now administered surgically, finds research from the London School of Economics. Continue reading...

Volume of allegations suggests harassment and discrimination remains a problem within the government workforce

The list of hopefuls also includes sites in Birkenhead, Northern Ireland and the Cayman IslandsThe historic city centre of York and ancient settlements in the Shetlands are among seven sites backed by the UK government to win Unesco world heritage status, it has been announced.York, which boasts the Minster and enjoys a rich history bequeathed by its Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman inhabitants, and three ancient settlements known as the “zenith of iron age Shetland” join five other sites announced on the “tentative list” to bid for the status. Continue reading...

Directors such as Yorgos Lanthimos have joined campaign to save the Astor and Ideal from hotel and office developmentsThe spectre of two historic Athens cinemas being closed by commercial interests bent on turning them into a hotel and office block has spurred film-makers to get in front of the camera with pleas to stop the process.Directors of international acclaim have appealed to save the buildings amid mounting public disquiet over the pace of development in one of Europe’s oldest capitals. Leading the charge, Costa-Gavras, the Paris-based film director who shot to fame with the political drama Z, released when Greece was under military rule, called the existence of the Ideal and Astor cinemas indispensable for the enjoyment of film in an era when the “barbarism” of movies being watched on TV and mobile phones was widespread. Continue reading...

Support for the Liberal Democratic party had plunged last year as media uncovered its links to the Unification church after the killing of Shinzo AbeJapan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) has won key local elections in the first big electoral test for the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, since damaging revelations emerged about his party’s ties to the Unification church.LDP candidates triumphed in governor elections in prefectures from Hokkaido in the country’s north to Oita in the south-west on Sunday, raising speculation that Kishida could call a snap general election. Continue reading...

Coalition of organisations says changes would have ‘devastating impact on press freedom’ and are not in public interest

Party leader says he will ‘make absolutely zero apologies for being blunt’ after facing widespread criticism over advertKeir Starmer has said he will “make absolutely zero apologies for being blunt” in an article published after a row over a widely criticised Labour attack advert on child sexual assaults.In a veiled message to critics within his own party, the Labour leader said he will “stand by every word Labour has said on this subject” and would continue to use the Conservatives’ record on crime as a legitimate criticism “no matter how squeamish it might make some feel”. Continue reading...

Return from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace will be more direct than five-mile journey of Queen Elizabeth IIKing Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will arrive at Westminster Abbey for the coronation on 6 May in the sovereign’s newest state carriage, and depart it in the oldest, during a day of celebrations that will see a procession route far shorter than that of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation, it has been revealed.The king and queen consort will leave Buckingham Palace in the diamond jubilee state coach, built to celebrate the late queen’s 60th anniversary on the throne in 2012. They will depart, as King Charles III and Queen Camilla, in the 260-year-old gold state coach, which has been used in every coronation since William IV’s in 1831. Continue reading...

Buckingham Palace creates Twitter hashtags with motif of 17th century crown to sit on king’s head during May ceremonyBuckingham Palace has revealed an official emoji to celebrate the coronation. The colourful cartoon motif depicts the 17th-century gold jewelled St Edward’s crown with purple velvet cap – the regalia which will be used to crown the king on 6 May.It is the first emoji created for a British coronation, as the last crowning in Britain, Elizabeth II’s 70 years ago, predated the internet, social media and mobile phones. Continue reading...

Most items of regalia used for coronation are at most 350-years-old, but there is one notable exceptionJewel-encrusted crowns, swords and sceptres may glitter the brightest at Charles III’s coronation, but of all regalia the most significant from a historical perspective may be a simple spoon.When the 2,000 guests witness the crowning at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, the regalia – sacred objects symbolising monarchical duties and powers – will play the part they have played in this same theatre for almost 1,000 years. Continue reading...

Sunak government could ‘swiftly’ end spoofing calls, says Emily Thornberry in criticism of delayed fraud strategyLabour has pledged a crackdown on global scammers who call UK phone numbers to con people out of their money, and criticised the government for a five-month delay in producing a new fraud strategy.The shadow attorney general, Emily Thornberry, said Suella Braverman, the home secretary, had said the strategy would be published “shortly” exactly five months ago. Thornberry said that 1.5m offences would have been committed in England and Wales in that time. Continue reading...

Support for prime minister wanes as his ‘plot to overturn Israel’s democracy’ is seen as threat to national securityOn Friday afternoon, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, found himself standing at the side of a remote road in the vast desert valley that runs the length of the occupied West Bank’s frontier with Jordan.Along with his defence minister, Yoav Galant, Netanyahu was inspecting the scene of a shooting attack earlier in the day that killed British-Israeli sisters Maia and Rina Dee, 20 and 15, and left their 45-year-old mother Lucy fighting for her life. An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) search for the perpetrator is still under way. Continue reading...

Douglas Ross amends proposal for tactical voting against SNP after fury from Tory central officeThe Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, has backtracked on comments he made suggesting Conservative voters could vote Labour at the next general election in seats where Keir Starmer’s party had a better chance of winning against the SNP.Ross, who has said he will step down at the next election, had told the Telegraph that unionist voters should consider putting country above party and “do what is best for the country” and support “the strongest candidate to beat the SNP”. Continue reading...