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Leading children's author says deprived children in UK are missing out on lifetime of reading for pleasureDeprived children are being robbed of a lifetime of reading for pleasure, by governments that are simply blind" to the benefits of loving literature from an early age, according to the author Michael Morpurgo.Morpurgo and a coalition of leading authors, including Julia Donaldson, Malorie Blackman and Cressida Cowell, are backing a call by BookTrust to ensure that every child from a low-income family has access to books and reading activities by investing in a programme across schools and nurseries. Continue reading...

Less than 48 hours after global LGBTQ+ movement' banned for being extremist, LGBTQ+-friendly bars were raidedThe ink was barely dry on Russia's decision to outlaw what it called the international LGBT public movement" as extremist when masked police raided a bar in central Moscow where Vasili gathered with his friends on Friday nights for an LGBTQ+ party.It was a regular Friday evening until suddenly we saw the police storming in," Vasili, who asked for his name to be changed because of safety concerns, recalled. Continue reading...

Attitudes to climate, migration, global economic turmoil, Ukraine and Covid will dominate this year's elections, research indicatesEurope's voters are no longer divided into left or right, pro- or anti-EU camps, a survey suggests, but into five distinct tribes whose conflicting concerns are likely to dominate nearly 20 elections across the continent this year.The polling suggests 2024's European parliament and national elections will be fought over attitudes to five major crises that have affected voters' lives in recent years: the climate emergency, the 2015 migration crisis, global economic turmoil, the war in Ukraine and Covid. Continue reading...

Building Commission NSW issues urgent rectification orders for Greenland's development at Macquarie ParkAlmost 1,000 recently completed apartments in Sydney's north are at risk of collapsing due to serious damage" to concrete in the basements caused by defective workmanship, according to the New South Wales building watchdog.The developer Greenland has been issued with urgent rectification orders over the four apartment buildings at the Lachlan's Line development at 23 Halifax Street in Macquarie Park. Continue reading...

Police charge Karumba man with 46 offences including assault, torture and slavery after launching investigation in Gulf of Carpentaria

Tropical low over Coral Sea assessed by Bureau of Meteorology to have high' chance of developing from Sunday

Attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen have been met with airstrikes from the UK and US. Patrick Wintour reportsSince the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October and Israel's military response in Gaza, there has been an effort by western leaders led by the US to avoid the conflict spreading to the wider region. That attempt looks increasingly tenuous now. US and UK airstrikes have targeted the Houthi rebel group in Yemen after a series of attacks by the group on commercial ships in the Red Sea.As Patrick Wintour, the Guardian's diplomatic editor, tells Michael Safi, the Houthis say they are targeting Israeli-linked ships in an attempt to force a ceasefire. In doing so they are are positioning themselves as the foremost champions of Palestinians in the region. In reality, they have struck shipping interests beyond Israel and ignored warnings from the US to desist. Now, with Washington promising further strikes if necessary, the threat of a wider regional escalation is growing and with it the danger of a far more deadly conflict. Continue reading...

Desperate' plea to end standoff comes as IR minister Tony Burke to meet with stevedore responsible for about 40% of country's container freight

Pakistan says attacks killed two children in unprovoked violation' of its airspace, adding to regional instability sparked by Israel-Gaza war

Festival on 12 to 14 April and 19 to 21 April at Empire polo club will also feature reunion of No Doubt, as well as performances by Blur and Ice SpiceLana Del Rey, Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat will headline the 2024 Coachella music festival, with the Gwen Stefani-fronted ska band No Doubt reuniting as part of the lineup after last playing together in 2015.Announced on Tuesday, the 23rd instalment of the festival will take place over two weekends on 12 to 14 April and 19 to 21 April at Empire polo club in Indio, California, and will also feature Blur and the breakout rap star Ice Spice. Continue reading...

French president focused on education and law and order in press conference to challenge dominance of Marine Le Pen's far-right National RallyEmmanuel Macron wants to regulate French children's screen time, test compulsory school uniform, and is not against all primary schoolchildren having to learn the national anthem, he has told a press conference, promising a common sense" France.The French president, who is trying to limit the potential gains of the far right in the European elections, set out his vision for the coming years focusing on law and order, education and pro-business policy, days after appointing France's youngest ever prime minister, Gabriel Attal. Continue reading...

Foreign affairs minister uses meeting with Israeli counterpart and president to say Australians also have strong concerns about the civilian death toll' in Gaza

Louis and Stewart Ahearne confessed in Geneva to stealing Ming dynasty artefacts worth about 3mTwo British brothers have been jailed for stealing Ming dynasty artefacts worth about 3m from a Swiss museum.Louis and Stewart Ahearne, from Greenwich, south London, confessed to stealing two vases and a cup from the Baur Foundation, Museum of Far Eastern Arts in Geneva on the night of 1 June 2019. Continue reading...

Researchers urge greater public awareness of potential risks of excessive sound levelsVideo gamers worldwide may be risking permanent hearing loss or persistent ringing in their ears, according to a systematic global review of all the available evidence.The analysis suggests that the sound levels reported in studies of more than 50,000 gamers often near, or exceed, permissible safe limits. And given the popularity of video games globally, greater public health efforts are needed to raise awareness of the potential risks, researchers have urged. Continue reading...

Email sent to workers on Tuesday informing them of plans but council says no decisions madeBirmingham city council could cut up to 600 jobs in a wave of redundancies months after effectively declaring itself bankrupt.An email went out to workers on Tuesday informing them of the plans, but no decision has been made yet on how many posts could be made redundant, or when the cuts will begin, a spokesperson for the authority said. Continue reading...

Strasbourg court says interrogation in secret location broke human rights lawsLithuania broke European human rights laws by allowing the CIA to subject an alleged 9/11 suspect to inhuman treatment" in a secret interrogation centre in the Baltic country, the European court of human rights has ruled.The court said Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi raised multiple complaints of torture, ill treatment and unacknowledged detention in 2005-2006 when he was held at a secret facility in Lithuania run by the CIA. Hawsawi is now held in Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of being a facilitator and financial manager of al-Qaida. Continue reading...

Rhodri Williams had told MPs he wanted to keep job last week amid fallout from bullying scandal at broadcasterThe senior leaders of the Welsh-language broadcaster will be replaced after a year-long crisis, after the chair said he would not stand for a second term.Rhodri Williams has written to the UK government asking not to be considered for the position as chair of S4C when his tenure runs out at the end of March, despite telling MPs last week that he thought he should remain in the job. Continue reading...

Michaela community school, run by Britain's toughest headteacher', Katharine Birbalsingh, introduced ban last MarchOne of England's highest performing state schools, famed for its top results, strict discipline code and charismatic headteacher, has been challenged in the high court for its policy of banning prayer rituals on school premises.The case against Michaela community school in Brent, north-west London, has been brought by one of its Muslim pupils, who claims the ban is discriminatory. Continue reading...

UN agencies issue joint plea for entry routes to Gaza, where Israel's war with Hamas has damaged swaths of territoryAid officials in Gaza believe that pockets of famine already exist in the territory, with parents sacrificing remaining food for their children, an apple costing $8 (6.30) and fuel for cooking almost impossible to find.UN agencies have said that Gaza urgently needs more humanitarian assistance as Palestinian authorities reported that the death toll in the territory during the Israeli offensive there had risen to more than 24,000. Continue reading...

Jane Stevenson joins Conservative party's deputy chairs in resigning on a bruising night for Rishi SunakMore than 60 Tory MPs have signed at least one of the various rebel amendments to the Rwanda bill tabled by hardliners. But very few of them have said publicly that, if the amendments are not passed, they will definitely vote against the bill at third reading. Suella Braverman and Miriam Cates are among the diehards in this category. But Simon Clarke, in his ConservativeHome, only says, that, if the bill is not changed, he will not vote for the bill at third reading, implying he would abstain.In an interview with Sky News, Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister who has tabled the rebel amendments attracting most support, said he was prepared" to vote against the bill at third reading. He said:I am prepared to vote against the bill ... because this bill doesn't work, and I do believe that a better bill is possible.So the government has a choice. It can either accept my amendments ... or it can bring back a new and improved bill, and it could do that within a matter of days because we know the shape of that bill. Continue reading...

Two deputy chairs of Conservative party resign after voting in favour of hardline amendment but No 10 believes PM can weather storm

Foreign minister of UN-recognised government takes same position as Houthis on call to British ministerThe UN-recognised government of Yemen has urged the UK to change its policy in Gaza and back an immediate ceasefire.The call was made by Ahmad bin Mubarak, the foreign minister of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, during a phone conversation on Tuesday with the British Middle East minister, Lord Ahmad. Continue reading...

England and Wales's first lady chief justice has rattled the cages of those in government who had declared open season on judgesLess than four months into her role, the first lady chief justice has already shown more inclination to stand up to politicians than many of her male predecessors managed across their entire tenures.In one fell swoop, in her first appearance before parliament's justice committee, Dame Sue Carr challenged the government on two of the main political stories of the day - the Rwanda refugee scheme and the Post Office IT scandal. Continue reading...

Most senior judge in England and Wales says government plans draw matters of judicial responsibility into the political arena'

PM will recall how Tory anger toppled May, Johnson and Truss as he seeks solution to party fractures

Viacheslav Morozov fired by University of Tartu, on the Russian border, but some academics question his caseAuthorities in Estonia have arrested a Russian professor on espionage charges in a case that his university said shows Russia's intent to orchestrate anti-democratic action" in the Baltic country. But some fellow academics have condemned the university for summarily firing him before a trial was held.Viacheslav Morozov, a professor of international political theory at the University of Tartu, a city on the Russian border, was detained on 3 January by Estonia's internal security service (ISS), public broadcaster ERR said. The arrest was only revealed on Tuesday. Continue reading...

European boss says company has moral obligation' to contribute but exact sum will have to wait until end of inquiry

UK's mobile and broadband firms were accused of greedflation' last year by the GuardianBT has become the first major telecoms company to scrap controversial above-inflation price rises for mobile and broadband customers - but not before pushing through a final increase this year.The owner of mobile operator EE has moved to address the pressure on consumers from rising household costs during the cost of living crisis, after telecoms companies were criticised for increasing bills. Continue reading...

Sam Melia, 33, accused of running far-right network Hundred-Handers from Pudsey in LeedsThe alleged leader of a white nationalist organisation displayed a picture of Adolf Hitler and Third Reich posters in his home, a court has heard.Sam Melia is accused of running the far-right network Hundred-Handers from his home in Pudsey, Leeds, and faces two public order charges: stirring up racial hatred by publishing written material and intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence. Continue reading...

Protests held across country and calls grow for party to be banned after meeting with neo-Nazis to discuss removing asylum seekersThousands of people across Germany have taken to the streets for the fourth consecutive day to voice their opposition to the far-right populist AfD party after politicians from the party met neo-Nazis to discuss a master plan" for the mass deportation of asylum seekers and German citizens of foreign origin.Protests have taken place in Leipzig, Rostock, Essen and Berlin in recent days. Continue reading...

Spending watchdog says smarter government can find huge savings for better public servicesBritain is wasting tens of billions of pounds on badly run projects, cold war-era IT systems and crumbling, poorly maintained infrastructure, parliament's spending watchdog will say on Tuesday.Gareth Davies, the head of the National Audit Office (NAO), will argue the government could save vast sums if it addresses maintenance backlogs and replaces out-of-date IT. Continue reading...

Marsh, representing the state of Colorado, is also a Harvard University graduate student studying public policyMadison Marsh had already made a name for herself as an officer in the US air force and a Harvard University graduate student when she took the stage at the 2024 Miss America pageant Sunday night.By the end of the evening, she had added another line to her resume: the first active-duty military service member to be crowned Miss America in the century-old pageant's history. Continue reading...

Lawyer says Austrian who raped and imprisoned his daughter for 24 years is no longer dangerousJosef Fritzl, the Austrian man who raped and incarcerated his daughter in a purpose-built prison beneath his home for 24 years, is applying for release from jail, according to his lawyer.Fritzl, 88, could be moved to a nursing home, if his lawyer, Astrid Wagner, is successful in her appeal on his behalf. Continue reading...

Post Office CEO Nick Read and Fujitsu Europe boss Paul Patterson give evidence to business committee about Horizon IT scandalTurning to Fujitsu, which manufactured the faulty accounting software used by the Post Office, Lord Arbuthnot said:I hope that Fujitsu would accept that they have played a part in the devastation that has been visited upon the subpostmasters and they might also like to accept that they should play a part in the redress that the subpostmasters need now.There are too many levels of bureaucracy.We need to give the sub postmasters the benefit of the doubt on key matters Continue reading...

Firm regrets comments made in internal presentation slides, including managers calling performance payments too good to be true'Avanti West Coast managers joked about receiving free money" from government and performance-related payments being too good to be true" in an internal presentation at the notoriously unreliable train operator, it has emerged.One slide, entitled Roll up, roll-up get your free money here!" described how the Treasury and Department for Transport supported the firm with taxpayers' money, provided third-party suppliers and inspections, and then paid Avanti fees on top. Continue reading...

Alexander De Croo says democracy and liberty will be put to the test in Europe this year but EU should not be afraid of going it aloneUrsula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said in Davos today that Europe needs to continue backing Kyiv, citing the need for predictable" funding.We must continue to empower their resistance. Ukrainians need predictable financing throughout 2024 and beyond.They need a sustained supply of weapons to defend Ukraine and regain its rightful territory. They need capabilities to deter future attacks by Russia. And they also need hope. They need to know that, with their struggle, they will earn a better future for their children. Continue reading...

More than 200 animals abandoned by farmers after the eruption have not been fed or watered for daysA daring operation is being launched to rescue more than 200 sheep left to their fate by farmers after a volcanic eruption near the evacuated Icelandic town of Grindavik.With molten lava setting homes ablaze and the ground surface cracking, rescue teams are seeking to bring out an estimated 270 animals from their fields and pens. Continue reading...

Foreign minister begins Middle East visit by announcing funding for those in Occupied Palestinian Territories affected by conflict and to address refugee crisis

Warning that bill is not compatible with international rules comes amid mounting revolt by Tory MPsRishi Sunak's revised Rwanda plan is still in breach of international law, the UN's refugee agency has said.The warning came amid a mounting revolt by Conservative MPs threatening to vote against the bill. They drew on a poll believed to be funded by rightwing opponents of Sunak's leadership. It found his constituency was one of 111 where voters wanted asylum seekers removed without right of appeal. Continue reading...

Mining safety regulator launches investigation after 27-year-old man killed at BHP-owned mine in the Bowen BasinThe mining safety regulator has begun an investigation after an employee was crushed to death at a central Queensland coalmine on Monday.The 27-year-old man was working at southern section of the BMA Saraji coalmine located in the Bowen Basin, near Dysart, south-west of Mackay. The mine is owned by BHP.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Improved technology allows officers to lay charges in decade-old sexual assault case as well as an unrelated commercial burglary in 2012

Higher costs as a result of Ukraine war, supply chain issues and effects of Covid force lunching office workers to tighten beltsEven in a city of tens of thousands of restaurants, including a large number with Michelin stars, is it really possible in Tokyo to spend as little as 500 (2.60) a day on lunch without eating the same modest meal day in, day out?The answer, according to increasingly cash-strapped office workers in the Japanese capital, is a resounding yes. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: Hospitals and GP surgeries forced to rely on agency personnel and paying staff for expensive extra shiftsMinisters are facing calls to tackle the NHS's chronic lack of staff as figures reveal that the bill for hiring temporary frontline workers has soared to more than 10bn a year.Hospitals and GP surgeries across the UK are paying a record 4.6bn for agency personnel and another 5.8bn for doctors and nurses on staff to do extra bank" shifts to plug gaps in rotas. Continue reading...

Exclusive: summary sent to UK supermarkets describes conflict between pineapple thieves and Del Monte security staffMajor human rights violations are being committed at a vast Del Monte pineapple farm in Kenya where there have been numerous deaths and violence, according to the conclusions of an unpublished report.The findings, seen by the Guardian, are highly critical of Del Monte Kenya and include claims that the company's employees are working with a cartel of thieves, providing them with intelligence. The report says the farm has serious problems with organised pineapple theft, losing crops to gangs at a large scale. Continue reading...

Saunders has not been charged with any offence and denies allegations he sexually assaulted and groomed young Aboriginal men in WA over 50-year career

Invasive Species Council says rare rafting behaviour seen on cane farms south of Brisbane

The TV ceremony, pushed back as a result of the strikes, also saw major and historic wins for actors of colourBeef, The Bear and the final season of Succession reigned supreme at the delayed 2023 Emmy awards.Jesse Armstrong's hit HBO drama picked up six awards, including for actors Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen and the night's biggest award for best drama series. Continue reading...

Teenage boys killed in crash at McGraths Hill in Sydney's north-west on Monday night as state's death toll soars

EV market analyst says Australia's charging network is now growing at a faster rate than the EV fleet