Republican push to cut green tax credits would raise utility bills, new data shows

Study shows rollback of credits would increase energy expenses for American of both red and blue districts

As House Republicans propose taking a sledgehammer to the green tax credits in Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, new data shows the loss of those incentives could lower some Americans’ household income by more than $1,000 a year due to increased utility bills and job losses.

Though Donald Trump has called climate spending a “waste” of money, the data – published by the industry group Clean Energy Buyers Association (Ceba) on Thursday – provides evidence that rescinding them would actually increase expenses for ordinary Americans in red and blue districts alike.

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US says Trump and Putin needed for breakthrough in Ukraine peace talks

Marco Rubio says he does not have high expectations for Ukraine-Russia peace talks due to be held in Turkey.

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Menendez brothers ‘huge step’ closer to freedom as judge reduces sentences

Brothers, convicted of parents’ 1989 murders, resentenced to 50 years to life, making them immediately parole eligible

After months of delays and decades behind bars, Erik and Lyle Menendez now have a long-awaited chance at freedom after a judge reduced their sentences for the 1989 killings of their parents.

Their family and extensive network of supporters celebrated on Tuesday when Judge Michael Jesic resentenced the brothers from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. The judge’s decision means they are immediately eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because of their young ages at the time of the murders.

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Trump's meeting with Sharaa, unthinkable just months ago, boosts Syrians' hopes

Syria's interim leader met the US president in Riyadh after he announced he would lift sanctions on Syria.

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Robert Benton, Oscar-winning director of Kramer vs Kramer, dies aged 92

The writer and director, whose credits also include Bonnie and Clyde, Superman and Places in the Heart, died at his New York City home

Oscar-winning writer and director Robert Benton has died at the age of 92.

He won his two Academy awards for divorce drama Kramer vs Kramer. His longtime assistant and manager confirmed his death to the New York Times.

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Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearing begins after months of delays

LA judge to decide whether Erik and Lyle Menendez should get chance at freedom after serving 30 years for murder

Erik and Lyle Menendez returned to court on Tuesday for a long-awaited hearing in which a Los Angeles judge will decide whether the brothers should get a chance at freedom after serving nearly three decades in prison for the double murder of their parents in 1989.

The resentencing hearing, which is moving ahead after months of delays, is expected to last two days. If Judge Michael Jesic shortens the brothers’ sentences, they would still need approval from the state’s parole board to be released.

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Starmer defends plans to curb net migration after backlash from MPs

Prime minister’s ‘island of strangers’ speech was likened to rhetoric of Enoch Powell

Keir Starmer has defended his plans to curb net migration after an angry backlash from MPs, businesses and industry to a speech in which he said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” without tough new policies.

The rhetoric was likened by some critics to the language of Enoch Powell, and the prime minister was accused of pandering to the populist right by insisting he intended to “take back control of our borders” and end a “squalid chapter” of rising inward migration.

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Hamas to release US-Israeli hostage as part of efforts to reach Gaza ceasefire

The release will come ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East on Tuesday.

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Trump officials ‘created confrontation’ that led to arrest of Newark mayor

Democratic Congress members who visited detention center with mayor say Ice officials ‘created the chaos’

Trump administration homeland security officials were responsible for starting the confrontation on Friday at a New Jersey immigration jail that led to the arrest of Newark’s mayor as well as threats to detain three members of Congress, the representatives said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.

The Democratic Congress members Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver and Rob Menendez – all of New Jersey – visited the controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center known as Delaney Hall on Friday to inspect the facility. As they waited to enter Delaney Hall, Newark’s mayor Ras Baraka arrived – and as he left the property, he was arrested outside by Ice officials accusing him of trespassing, leading to a commotion at the entrance of the jail.

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Trump to receive luxury jet for Air Force One from Qatar

The aircraft is intended for use as a presidential plane, which will then be donated to Trump's library.

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‘We share a history and the future’: diaspora communities in UK decry Kashmir conflict

At a demonstration in Westminster, people from both sides of India-Pakistan divide call for more than mere ceasefire

People around the world held their breath this week as India and Pakistan appeared to edge closer and closer towards war.

For diaspora communities with family in the region, especially in Kashmir and along the border between the two countries, recent days in particular have been filled with fear and anxiety.

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Google agrees to pay Texas $1.375bn over data-privacy claims

State attorney general said company secretly tracked users’ movements, searches, voiceprints and facial geometry

Google has agreed to pay $1.375bn in a settlement in principle reached with the state of Texas over allegations the company violated users’ data privacy, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, said on Friday.

The agreement settles two lawsuits that covered three products for allegedly violating Texas consumer protection laws.

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US considers special status for Greenland amid Trump push for control

Officials float idea of compact of free association (Cofa), used by US to keep close ties with Pacific Island nations

US officials are discussing a plan to pull Greenland into America’s sphere of influence using a type of agreement that the United States has used to keep close ties with several Pacific Island nations, according to two US officials and another person familiar with the discussions.

Under the plan being considered, the Trump administration would propose to Greenland’s leaders that the island enter into a so-called compact of free association, or Cofa, with the United States.

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US celebrates Leo XIV as first American pontiff: ‘Everything dope, including the pope’

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson hails home town cardinal as Donald Trump and others offer congratulations

• New pope chosen: latest updates

Americans are celebrating and speaking out after US cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV, was announced as the next pope.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after the pope, who was born in Chicago, appeared on the Vatican balcony in Rome on Thursday.

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Turkey moves to silence jailed Erdogan rival by blocking account on X

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has relied on social media to stay in touch with supporters from jail.

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Watch Pope Leo XIV's first public address - in full

Speaking from the Vatican balcony just after being unveiled as the new pontiff, he paid tribute to his predecessor and called for unity.

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US adults’ belief in impact of BLM protests consistently decreased since 2020 – study

Study also found 54% of adult Americans said the relationship between police and Black people was about the same since George Floyd’s death

This 25 May marks the fifth anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, whose murder sparked international protests against police brutality and racism.

A new study by the Pew Institute examines the beliefs of American adults regarding race and racial issues five years after Floyd’s death.

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Israeli strikes on Gaza restaurant and market kill 33, health ministry says

The restaurant in Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood had been recently been operating a community kitchen.

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South African opposition politician hits out after failing to get UK visa

The UK Home Office was unable to process Julius Malema's application in time for his trip, the High Commission says.

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Man arrested after crashing car into front gate of Jennifer Aniston’s home

The Friends actor was at her Los Angeles residence when the man was arrested and taken into custody

A man was arrested after crashing a car into the front gate of Jennifer Aniston’s home in Los Angeles, California, authorities said on Tuesday.

Police told KABC-TV that the Friends star was home at the time of the crash.

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French hunter given suspended sentence for killing protected bear

The 81-year-old man said he had no choice but to shoot the animal after it attacked him during a hunt.

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EU plans to end Russian gas imports by end of 2027

The European Union vowed to end energy relations with Russia after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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Cuts leave voters doubting Labour’s ability to deliver change

Many are giving up on the government after the winter fuel allowance cut, on which there may now be a partial U-turn

Keir Starmer rode a red wave into Downing Street on the back of a furious desire for change. Poll after poll said that top of the list for change was the cost of living, followed by public services.

But just nine months from taking power, many voters seem to be already giving up on the government’s ability to bring about that change. The speed of that rejection has been extraordinary.

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Ukraine claims strike in Russia's Kursk amid reports of fresh incursion

Kyiv says it struck a drone command centre in border village and insists forces remain inside Russian region

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Wisconsin woman missing for more than 60 years found ‘alive and well’

Audrey Backeberg who disappeared at age 20 in 1962 was found living out of the state, county sheriff’s office says

A Wisconsin woman missing for more than 60 years has been found “alive and well”, according to authorities.

In a press statement, Wisconsin’s Sauk county sheriff’s office said that 82-year old Audrey Backeberg, who initially disappeared in July 1962 at the age of 20, had been found living out of the state. The sheriff’s office did not disclose which state Backeberg was found in.

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Police disband pro-Palestinian camp at Swarthmore College and arrest nine activists

Some students were also temporarily suspended as other colleges respond with disciplinary action to protests

On the morning of 3 May, the Swarthmore borough police department disbanded a four-day pro-Palestinian encampment on Swarthmore College’s campus and arrested nine activists. One current and one former Swarthmore College student were among the arrested, while the rest were from outside of the college community, the college’s president, Valerie Smith, said in a statement.

“With rising concerns about safety and security on campus, a continued and growing presence of individuals unaffiliated with the college, warnings from outside law enforcement agencies and no signs that protestors were willing to engage in conversation that would bring the encampment to an end,” Smith said, “I felt we had no choice but to seek outside assistance from local law enforcement.”

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Fears of global instability drive Singapore voters into ruling party's arms

The People's Action Party won by a landslide in an election dominated by concerns over the cost of living and the economy.

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Driver arrested after four people injured in two collisions in Rochdale

A man is being detained on suspicion of attempted murder following two incidents about two miles apart

A driver has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after four people were injured in two separate collisions in Rochdale, police have said.

A woman was airlifted to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after she was hit by a car in Whitworth Road and three pedestrians, including a child, were injured in Woodgate Avenue, about two miles away.

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Trump proposes cutting $163bn in non-defense funds and boosting military

Education, health, climate and more on chopping block and 13% rise – to over $1tn to Pentagon – in ‘skinny budget’

Donald Trump is proposing huge cuts to social programmes like health and education while planning substantial spending increases on defence and the Department of Homeland Security, in a White House budget blueprint that starkly illustrates his preoccupation with projecting military strength and deterring migration.

Cuts of $163bn on discretionary non-defence spending would also see financial outlays slashed for environmental and renewable energy schemes, as well as for the FBI, an agency Trump has claimed was weaponised against him during Joe Biden’s presidency. Spending reductions are also being projected for the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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White House uses newly revealed allegations to support refusal to return Kilmar Ábrego García to US

Wife of man unlawfully sent to El Salvador filed protection petition in 2020 after domestic violence allegations

The legal team behind Kilmar Ábrego García, the Maryland man unlawfully deported to El Salvador, is demanding that the Trump administration “bring him back and give him a full and fair trial” as the administration releases new domestic abuse allegations.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited allegations made by Ábrego García’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, that he abused her on several occasions in 2019 and 2020.

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Hundreds arrested in crackdown on May Day protests in Istanbul

More than 50,000 police officers are deployed to the Turkish capital and public transport is shut down.

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Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi freed after federal judge orders release

Palestinian, a lawful permanent US resident, was detained and ordered deported despite not being charged with crime

• US politics live – latest updates

Mohsen Mahdawi has walked out of immigration detention after a federal judge in Vermont ordered his release. The Palestinian green-card holder and student at Columbia University had been detained and ordered deported by the Trump administration on 14 April despite not being charged with a crime.

“The two weeks of detention so far demonstrate great harm to a person who has been charged with no crime,” said Geoffrey Crawford, a US district judge, at a hearing on Wednesday, according to ABC News. “Mr Mahdawi, I will order you released.”

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Trump’s assault on climate make UN talks an ‘uphill battle’, says Cop30 chair

Environmental rollbacks and tariffs makes meeting challenging, says summit president André Corrêa do Lago

Crucial United Nations climate talks this year will be a “slightly uphill battle” due to economic turmoil and Donald Trump’s removal of the US from the effort to tackle global heating, the chair of the upcoming summit has admitted.

Governments from around the world will gather in Belem, Brazil, in November for the Cop30 meeting, where they will be expected to announce new plans to deal with the climate crisis and slash greenhouse gas emissions. Very few countries have done so yet, however, and the world remains well off track to remain within agreed temperature limits designed to avert the worst consequences of climate breakdown.

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One dead after boat crashes into ferry carrying more than 40 people in Florida

Police declare ‘mass casualty incident’ due to the number of injuries, and say boat that caused accident fled the scene

A boat crashed into a ferry transporting 45 people on the final day of a sand-sculpting festival in Florida, killing one person and injuring at least 12 others, officials said.

The crash late on Sunday in calm waters off Clearwater on the western Florida coast set off an emergency response due to the high number of possible casualties.

“We were just enjoying the ride and all of a sudden we heard the first mate yelling: ‘Hey, hey, hey,’” Marco Vacheco, who was on the ferry with Brenda Alvarez and their two young children, told WFTS. “And we looked back behind us and this big yacht just came through the boat.”

The boat then fled the scene, authorities said.

The Clearwater police department posted on X that there were multiple injuries and the crash had been declared “a mass casualty incident” by the Clearwater fire & rescue department due to the number of injuries.

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'Our community is grieving,' say Vancouver festival organisers

Organisers of the festival where a car ramming attack killed 11 people say they are "heartbroken".

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London Marathon sets world record for number of finishers

Total surpasses previous record of 55,646 set in New York, and event also broke record for crowd numbers

The London Marathon’s organisers have hailed an “extraordinary” day in the nation’s capital, as the 45th edition beat the world record for number of finishers and attracted record crowds.

By 6.30pm on Sunday evening, the number of finishers had surpassed the previous best of 55,646 for a mass participation race set in New York.

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David Tennant wishes JK Rowling no ‘ill will’ but says trans people ‘demonised’

Actor who appeared in film of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire hopes ‘we can all as a society just let people be’

David Tennant has criticised the “demonisation” of the trans community, saying that while he wishes JK Rowling “no ill will”, he hopes that “we can all as a society just let people be”.

The Scottish actor, who appeared in the 2005 film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, likened the treatment of transgender people to the Thatcher government’s introduction of section 28 – a 1988 law that prohibited local authorities from “promoting” homosexuality.

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Man with weapons detained in Leeds after three people injured

Victims’ injuries not life-threatening after incident in Headingley that followed a threat on social media

Three people have been injured in Leeds and a man seen with weapons has been detained, police have said.

Officers were called to Otley Road in the Headingley area at 2.47pm on Saturday and found three people with injuries that are not being treated as life-threatening. The nature of their injuries has not been disclosed.

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Democrats decry Wisconsin judge’s arrest as Republicans call to remove her

Governor Tony Evers takes aim at White House’s ‘dangerous rhetoric’ as Republican Tony Wied demands Dugan resign

The FBI’s arrest of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan has triggered strong reactions from Republican and Democratic politicians, as the Trump administration veered closer to direct confrontation with the judiciary over its crackdown on immigration.

Following the Milwaukee county circuit judge’s arrest on Friday, over allegations that she helped a man evade US immigration officers at her courthouse, Republicans have called for her removal while Democrats regard her arrest as a reflection of the administration’s increasing disregard of judicial independence amid its push to deport immigrants on an enormous scale.

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Russia detains suspect in car bomb attack that killed general

The FSB say they detained a "Ukrainian special services agent". Kyiv has not commented on the attack.

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Starmer faces Labour revolt over plan to raid bank accounts of benefit claimants

Welfare fraud bill would allow funds to be taken from bank accounts and driving licences to be cancelled

• Should benefit claimants risk having their bank accounts spied upon and driving licences revoked? I don’t think so

Keir Starmer is facing a rebellion over his plan to use direct deductions from people’s bank accounts and the cancellation of driving licences as part of a government crackdown on welfare fraud and over-claiming.

In an attempt to claw back the annual £9.7bn in benefit overpayments made by the Department for Work and Pensions due to fraud or error, the government has adopted Conservative plans for debt recovery.

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Why Pope Francis won't be buried in the Vatican

Pope Francis will be buried in Rome's church of Santa Maria Maggiore, breaking a 100-year-old tradition.

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Trump denies aid for Arkansas after storms that killed more than 40 people

Latest denial of disaster funding comes as Trump has repeatedly stated he wants to eliminate Fema

• US politics live – latest updates

Donald Trump has denied federal disaster relief funds to the people of Arkansas, which saw dozens of people die from a series of deadly tornadoes last month, as legislators plead for him to reconsider.

More than 40 people have been found dead after a series of tornadoes and severe storms hit Arkansas and neighboring states Mississippi and Missouri in March, according to CNN.

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Trump accuses Zelenskyy of jeopardising imminent peace deal

US president attacks Ukrainian counterpart for complaining Kyiv is unwilling to cede Crimea to Russia

Donald Trump has accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of jeopardising what he claimed was an imminent peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, as he gave the clearest hint yet that the US would be willing to formally recognise Russia’s seizure of Crimea as part of any agreement.

The US president claimed a deal to end the war – largely negotiated between Washington and Moscow – was close, while the vice-president, JD Vance, said the agreement would include a proposal to freeze the conflict roughly along the current frontlines.

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Africa is important to Trump, despite aid cuts, envoy tells BBC

Donald Trump "highly values Africa and African people", says his African envoy, Massad Boulos.

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60 Minutes executive producer leaves program over journalistic independence

Bill Owens says in staff memo ‘it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it’

Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, says he is leaving the flagship news program because he lost his journalistic independence.

In a staff memo obtained by the New York Times, Owens said that “over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience”.

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Ghana president suspends chief justice in unprecedented move

An investigation has been launched into allegations against Gertrude Torkornoo, Ghana's third female chief justice.

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Main opposition leader removed from Ivory Coast electoral list

A court argued Tidjane Thiam forfeited his Ivorian nationality when he became a French citizen in 1987.

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Trump official threatens New York governor over halt of congestion pricing

Transportation secretary warns of ‘serious consequences’ if Kathy Hochul does not shutter initiative by 21 May

• US politics live – latest updates

US transportation secretary Sean Duffy issued a warning to New York governor Kathy Hochul on Monday saying that the state of New York “risks serious consequences” if it does not suspend its congestion pricing program.

New York City’s congestion pricing initiative, which was approved by the Biden administration last year and began on 5 January, charges a $9 toll on most passenger vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street during peak hours.

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Final days of Pope who joined Vatican crowds at Easter despite doctors' advice

Francis did what he had always done, receiving visitors and meeting people from every walk of life.

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Nigel Farage defends allowing US chlorinated chicken into UK as part of trade deal

Reform UK leader on campaign trail as poll predicts rightwing party could be on course to win in a general election

Nigel Farage has defended allowing labelled chlorinated chicken from the US into the UK as part of a trade deal, as a poll suggested his Reform UK party could be on course to take the highest number of seats at a general election.

Speaking before the local elections in England on 1 May, Farage said British consumers already ate chicken from places such as Thailand reared in poor conditions, and accepted chlorine-washed lettuce.

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Barbara Lee, trailblazing former US Congress member, elected Oakland mayor

Lee defeated a moderate backed by outside groups working to push the Bay Area’s progressive politics to the center

Barbara Lee, a trailblazing former member of Congress, has been elected as the next mayor of Oakland, California, after fending off an insurgent challenge from the center at a critical moment for the Bay Area city.

Lee defeated the former city council member Loren Taylor after nine rounds of ranked-choice voting gave her more than 52% of the vote to Taylor’s 47%, according to the Alameda county registrar of voters.

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Police investigating murder of Paria Veisi in south Wales find her body

A 41-year-old man charged with murder after discovery at an address in the Penylan area of Cardiff

Police investigating the murder of a woman from Cardiff who was last seen leaving work a week ago have found a body.

Paria Veisi’s body was discovered by South Wales police at an address in Penylan, Cardiff, on Saturday, the force said.

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Trump White House replaces Covid website with treatise on ‘lab leak’ theory

Site that once provided health information now includes criticism of Anthony Fauci, who led response to pandemic

• US politics live – latest updates

The Trump administration has replaced Covid.gov – a website that once provided Americans with access to information about free tests, vaccines, treatment and secondary conditions such as long Covid – with a treatise on the “lab leak” theory.

The site includes intense criticism of Dr Anthony Fauci, who helmed national Covid policies under Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the World Health Organization (WHO) and state leadership in New York.

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IRS reportedly planning to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status

Probably illegal move against US’s richest university is latest in Trump’s attack on independence of higher education

• US politics live – latest updates

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reportedly planning to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status in what would be a probably illegal move amid Donald Trump’s concerted attack on the independence of US institutions of higher education.

Trump on Tuesday called for Harvard, the US’s oldest and wealthiest university and one of the most prestigious in the world, to lose its tax-exempt status, CNN first reported.

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Six injured in shooting at Florida State University

One person was taken into custody after the shooting on Thursday, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

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Man charged in fire at Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s mansion voiced Palestine support

Cody Balmer faces terror and arson charges after fire and 911 call voicing pro-Palestinian views

The man charged with setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion called emergency responders after the attack and made comments signaling support for Palestinians, the New York Times reports.

According to a search warrant in the case, 38-year-old Cody Balmer identified himself by name in a 911 call and said that Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, “needs to know that he ‘will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people’”.

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Moment elephants huddle to protect calves during earthquake

The behaviour is known as an 'alert circle', a formation meant to protect elephant calves from threats.

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Former Colorado deputy sentenced to three years for killing man in distress

Andrew Buen was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in death of Christian Glass, who called 911 for help

A former Colorado sheriff’s deputy convicted of killing a 22-year-old man in distress who called 911 for help was sentenced on Monday to three years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed, by a judge who said the shooting was about power.

In February, jurors found Andrew Buen guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the 2022 death of Christian Glass. Prosecutors alleged that Buen needlessly escalated a standoff with Glass, who showed signs of a mental health crisis and refused orders to get out of his SUV near Silver Plume, a small, former mining town along Interstate 70 in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver.

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Watch from launch to landing: All-female crew travels into space

The flight, carrying celebrities like Katy Perry and Gayle King, reached a height of about 60 miles (96.6km) above Earth.

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Army planners sent in to help clear Birmingham’s rubbish

Government calls in military experts as month-long refuse workers’ strike brings warnings of public health emergency

Military planners have been called in to help tackle the mounting piles of rubbish on Birmingham’s streets after a month-long strike by refuse workers.

The all-out strike, which began on 11 March as part of a dispute over pay, has meant thousands of tonnes of rubbish have gone uncollected and prompted warnings of a public health emergency.

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BBC visits scene of destruction in Sumy after Russian attack

The BBC's James Waterhouse describes the scene of a Russian strike that has killed at least 34 people.

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Reported house explosion in Texas under investigation, officials say

Four people were injured, including one firefighter, after a blast collapsed a home in Austin

Officials in Austin, Texas, are investigating an apparent house explosion, the Austin fire department reported on social media.

Around 11.25am CDT, residents in north-west Austin reported hearing and feeling an explosion in the area. “It rattled my windows and building,” one person posted on social media with an image of a plume of smoke rising into the air.

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Erdogan lambasts Israel for undermining stability in Syria

Turkey’s president lashes out shortly after talks with Netanyahu’s government aimed at defusing tensions

The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has lambasted Israel for undermining stability in neighbouring Syria during a diplomatic forum, days after the two countries held talks aimed at defusing an escalating conflict between them on Syrian soil.

“Turkey will not allow Syria to be dragged into a new vortex of instability,” Erdoğan told attendees at the Antalya diplomacy forum on the southern Turkish coast, accusing Israel of “trying to undermine the 8 December revolution”, in reference to the insurgency that toppled the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad after decades in power.

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Rachel Reeves calls for global free trade fightback to protect UK economy

New measures announced to help tariff-hit British firms amid ambitious plans to foster closer ties with EU

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has set out the case for far-reaching changes to global trade and economic agreements, admitting that Donald Trump’s tariffs will have a “profound” effect on the UK and world economies that require a strong international response.

In her first significant intervention since the US president caused chaos on the global financial markets by announcing huge levies on imports to the US, Reeves says in a column for the Observer that she is “under no illusion about the difficulties that lie ahead”.

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State department staff told to report colleagues for ‘anti-Christian bias’

Department seeks instances of bias, with emphasis on Christianity, that may have occurred under Biden

The state department is ordering staff to report colleagues for instances of “anti-Christian bias” during the Biden administration, part of Donald Trump’s aggressive push to reshape government policy on religious expression in his first months back in office.

The internal cable, obtained by the Guardian, establishes a short seven-day window for employees to report perceived religious discrimination committed by state department officials, with particular emphasis on Christianity.

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Trump DoJ unable to tell court where man wrongly deported to El Salvador is

Judge calls administration’s failure to comply with court order ‘extremely troubling’

Lawyers for the Trump administration were unable on Friday to tell a federal court exactly where the Maryland resident who was wrongly deported to El Salvador last month is or how he is, as the judge admonished the government at a heated hearing.

The US district judge Paula Xinis said it was “extremely troubling” that the Trump administration failed to comply with a court order to provide details on the whereabouts and status of the Salvadorian citizen Kilmar Abrego García and she wanted daily updates on what the government is doing to bring him home.

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Bella Thorne accuses Mickey Rourke of bruising her genitals on movie set

Actor claims working with Oscar nominee on set of thriller Girl is ‘one of the all time worst experiences’ of her life

Bella Thorne has accused fellow US actor Mickey Rourke of bruising her genitals with a metal grinder on the set of a movie that they filmed together during what she described as “one of the all time worst experiences” of her career.

In a story on her Instagram account on Friday, Thorne alleged that the episode was part of a broader campaign to humiliate her while they collaborated on the 2020 thriller Girl. She wrote: “This fucking dude. GROSS” and relayed the account in writing over a copy of a BBC article reporting that Celebrity Big Brother’s producers had reprimanded him for aiming homophobic comments at singer JoJo Siwa while they competed on the reality show.

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US pastor kidnapped during church service in South Africa

Police say four armed and masked men abducted the pastor in his car on Thursday evening.

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Mahmoud Khalil can be expelled for his beliefs alone, US government argues

Marco Rubio provides two-page memo to judge who asked government for evidence against Columbia student activist

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Facing a deadline from an immigration judge to turn over evidence for its attempted deportation of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, the federal government has instead submitted a brief memo, signed by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, citing the Trump administration’s authority to expel noncitizens whose presence in the country damages US foreign policy interests.

The two-page memo, which was obtained by the Associated Press, does not allege any criminal conduct by Khalil, a legal permanent US resident and graduate student who served as spokesperson for campus activists last year during large demonstrations against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and the war in Gaza.

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Star Wars original cut to be screened this summer in London

Prospect of seeing 1977 cut on big screen had become holy grail for fans

The force is finally with Star Wars fans long frustrated by director George’s Lucas’s alterations to the iconic space opera, with a rare screening of the original cut of the film in London this summer.

The 1977 theatrical version of the film, in which Han Solo shot first and Jabba the Hutt was only mentioned by name, will be shown twice on the opening night of the British Film Institute’s Film on Film festival on 12 June.

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‘We will persist’: Mahmoud Khalil’s wife says pro-Palestinian voices won’t be silenced

Exclusive: Noor Abdalla attacks Columbia officials alongside Trump administration in letter to husband

• Read Noor Abdalla’s letter to Mahmoud Khalil here

In a letter marking one month since his detention by immigration authorities, Noor Abdalla vowed to continue to fight for the release of her husband, Mahmoud Khalil, and for the right to speak up on behalf of Palestinian rights.

“We will not be silenced,” she said. “We will persist, with even greater resolve, and we will pass that strength on to our children and our children’s children – until Palestine is free.”

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Trump threatens new 50% tariffs on China

The US president said he will introduce the extra tariff unless China withdraws its own 34% counter-tariff on American goods.

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US bishops halt aid partnerships with government due to funding cuts

USCCB says ‘heartbreaking’ decision comes after Trump administration cut funding for refugee resettlement

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced on Monday that it is ending a half-century of partnerships with the federal government to serve refugees and children, saying the “heartbreaking” decision follows the Trump administration’s abrupt halt of funding for refugee resettlement.

The break will inevitably result in fewer services than Catholic agencies were able to offer in the past to the needy, the bishops said.

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Red Crescent calls for inquiry into Israel's killing of Gaza paramedics

The organisation says the attack by Israeli troops on a convoy of ambulances constitutes a "fully-fledged war crime".

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Days of severe storms leave 18 dead as rising rivers threaten US south and midwest

Power and gas shut off in regions as flooding worsens, threatening waterlogged and badly damaged communities

After days of intense rain and wind killed at least 18 people in the US south and midwest, rivers rose and flooding worsened on Sunday in those regions, threatening waterlogged and badly damaged communities.

Utility companies scrambled to shut off power and gas from Texas to Ohio while cities closed roads and deployed sandbags to protect homes and businesses.

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Flooding sweeps away 9-year-old as storms slam central US

High winds and heavy rain were expected to continue into Sunday, delaying clean-up efforts.

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested over rape and child abuse allegations

Party suspends North East Somerset MP after he is taken into custody following police raid on his constituency home

Labour have suspended Dan Norris, the MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

Norris, a former Labour minister who defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg as MP at last year’s general election, was taken into custody after police raided his constituency home on Friday.

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New York schools tell Trump administration they won’t comply with DEI order

State officials say they don’t believe US Department of Education has authority to demand end to DEI practices

New York state officials have told the Trump administration that they will not comply with its demands to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices in public schools, despite the administration’s threats to terminate federal education funding.

Daniel Morton-Bentley, counsel and deputy commissioner of the state Department of Education, said in a letter dated Friday to the federal education department that state officials do not believe the federal agency has authority to make such demands.

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North Carolina judges back Republican colleague in bid to toss votes and overturn election

Appeals court sides with Jefferson Griffin, who lost supreme court election and wants thousands of ballots thrown out

More than 65,000 people in North Carolina who believed they were eligible to vote could have their ballots thrown out nearly five months after election day, flipping the results of a supreme court election, a state appeals court ruled on Friday.

The 2-1 ruling from the North Carolina court of appeals came in response to Republicans’ months-long effort to overturn the results of the state supreme court election in November. The Democrat Allison Riggs, who currently sits on the court, defeated appellate judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican, by 734 votes. After the election, Griffin filed a protest seeking to get around 60,000 votes thrown out.

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Judge rules US must return man deported to El Salvador in 'error'

Kilmar Abergo Garcia, a legal US resident who was deported to an El Salvadorian prison, must return by Monday, the judge ruled.

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Trump extends deadline to keep TikTok running in US

The president has granted the app a second 75-day extension to comply with a law that requires it to either sell its US assets or face a ban.

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Trans teacher in Texas resigns after online attacks: ‘I’m heartbroken’

Rosie Sandri says her ‘hands were tied’ after slew of criticism, including death threats, led to her resignation

A trans teacher at a Texas high school has resigned after becoming the target of conservative backlash and online attacks.

Rosie Sandri came out as a trans woman about seven months ago. Her colleagues at Red Oak high school and the Red Oak independent school district were very supportive, she recalled to NBC News.

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Gaza bakeries shut and painkillers on ration after month of Israeli blockade

Many Palestinians say they are going hungry after Israel stopped all aid deliveries to put pressure on Hamas.

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UK regulator fines 10 carmakers and two trade bodies over green ad collusion

CMA found car firms chose not to compete when advertising what percentage of their vehicles could be recycled

Ten leading car manufacturers – plus two automotive trade bodies – have been fined more than £77m by a UK regulator after admitting breaking competition law in relation to advertising their green credentials.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation after a tipoff from Mercedes-Benz, which allowed the German marque to avoid financial penalties despite also being involved in the cartel.

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At least 322 children killed since Israel's new Gaza offensive, Unicef says

Since the war began, more than 15,000 children have reportedly been killed, the agency says.

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Five Israeli men acquitted of rape charge in Cyprus

The woman told police she was sexually assaulted and raped by the five men in September, 2023.

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Israel orders evacuation of southern Gaza city of Rafah

It is the biggest such order since Israel resumed its offensive in the Palestinian territory earlier this month.

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Australia election 2025 live: Albanese to announce Adelaide healthcare centre funding; Dutton pledges Melbourne airport rail cash

PM in South Australia to commit $150m towards Flinders hospital clinic. Follow today’s news live

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Albanese’s approval rating takes a hit in Guardian Essential poll – but Labor inches ahead of Coalition

Our first Guardian Essential poll of the election period provides some decent news for Anthony Albanese this morning with the regular survey showing the Labor party ahead of the Coalition on a two-party-plus basis.

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Trump ‘running out of patience’ with Putin over Ukraine ceasefire, says Finnish president

Alexander Stubb – who played golf with Trump this weekend – suggested deadline and US sanctions package

Donald Trump is losing patience with Vladimir Putin’s stalling tactics over the Ukraine ceasefire, the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, said after spending nine hours with the US president – including winning a golf competition with him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday.

Stubb, who also spent two days with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, last week in Helsinki suggested in a Guardian interview a plan for a deadline of 20 April, by which time Putin should be required to comply with a full ceasefire.

Stubb pointed out that a third golf partner on Saturday, the Republican senator Lindsey Graham, already has a bill in the US Senate proposing what he has described as “bone-breaking” US sanctions on Russia if it did not accept an unconditional ceasefire.

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More Myanmar quake survivors pulled from rubble as hundreds still missing

At least 1,700 people have died in Myanmar, and while many countries have sent aid and support, a lack of equipment is severely hampering rescue efforts.

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Trump 'very angry' with Putin over ceasefire negotiations

It marks the first time Trump has seriously threatened Russia with consequences for dragging its feet in Ukraine ceasefire negotiations.

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Taliban releases detained US citizen Faye Hall

The US's former envoy to Kabul said that Ms Hall is now in the care of Qatari officials and would "soon be heading home".

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‘Bile of racism’ and anti-migrant rhetoric spilling into political debate, race discrimination commissioner warns

Giridharan Sivaraman says politicians on all sides must not ‘dehumanise migrants’ in election lead-up

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Australia’s race discrimination commissioner has warned politicians not to “exploit” racist rhetoric against migrants over the cost-of-living and housing crises, and said the country has seen the “bile of racism” spill out during heated political debates.

Giridharan Sivaraman said no politician, regardless of their political stance, should pit communities against one other – against the backdrop of a budget and election campaign where the cost-of living crisis, conflict in the Middle East, and rising antisemitism and Islamophobia have become political battlegrounds.

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Myanmar quake toll passes 1,600 as people dig for survivors with bare hands

An acute lack of equipment, patchy communications and wrecked roads are hampering the search for survivors.

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'It's going to get worse': American car buyers brace for sweeping auto tariffs

"The prices in the wholesale market have skyrocketed already and it's going to get worse," one car seller told the BBC.

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Peter Dutton is painting a grim picture of the past three years. How do his claims stack up?

The opposition leader’s election pitch maintains Labor has presided over a litany of price rises – but experts say some problems began on Coalition’s watch

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The alternative prime minister boldly declared the 2025 federal election was a “sliding doors moment” for the nation.

Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech on Thursday evening was filled with facts and figures to paint Labor as hopeless at managing Australia’s best interests.

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Vance scolds Denmark during Greenland trip

Denmark's prime minister said the visit by the US VP and other top officials  showed a "lack of respect".

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Election 2025 live updates: PM in Queensland as Dutton campaign plane takes off for destination unknown

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are off and on their way on day one of their federal election campaigns. Follow today’s news live

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Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you from rainy Sydney, to take you through the latest from the election campaigns.

Coalition’s gas plan unlikely to lower prices, experts say

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French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal sentenced to five years in prison

French president Emmanuel Macron has called for authorities to free the novelist who was convicted in Algeria for allegedly undermining the country’s territorial integrity

French president Emmanuel Macron has called on Algeria to free Boualem Sansal, after the French-Algerian novelist was on Thursday sentenced to five years in prison and fined for allegedly undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity.

Sansal was arrested on 16 November at Algiers airport on arrival from Paris, after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet Frontières that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era.

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European leaders agree now ‘not the time’ to lift sanctions against Russia

Support for Ukraine continues with divided opinion on Franco-British plan for ‘reassurance force’ to help ceasefire

European leaders have affirmed their support for Ukraine at a Paris summit and agreed now was “not the time” to lift sanctions against Russia, but with splits remaining on Franco-British plans for a “reassurance force” to help guarantee an eventual ceasefire.

France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Thursday the meeting of more than two dozen heads of state and government had agreed unanimously that sanctions on Moscow should not be eased until “peace has clearly been established” in Ukraine.

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Six dead after tourist submarine sinks in Red Sea

Another 39 people were rescued after the vessel sank in the Red Sea on Thursday morning.

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Malcolm in the Middle's brother recast for revival

Erik Per Sullivan, who played Malcolm's younger brother Dewey, will not return to the show.

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Trump names pro-Israel media activist as US ambassador to South Africa

Leo Brent Bozell III, founder of a conservative media group, is president’s nomination amid rising diplomatic tensions

Donald Trump has nominated a conservative, pro-Israel media activist as US ambassador to South Africa, at a time when the relationship between the two countries is at a nadir.

Leo Brent Bozell III founded the Media Research Center – whose website states it is “a blog site designed to broadcast conservative values, culture, and politics [and] to expose liberal media bias” – in 1987.

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Canada’s ex-spy chief says White House response to Signal leak threatens ‘Five Eyes’ security

Former intelligence head said leak and White House response was ‘very worrying’ to allies of the US

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Canada’s former spy chief has said the Trump administration’s attempts to downplay the leak of top-secret attack plans is a “very worrying” development, with implications for broader intelligence sharing among US allies.

On Wednesday, the Atlantic magazine published new and detailed messages from a group chat, including plans for US bombings, drone launches and targeting information of the assault, including descriptions of weather conditions. Among the recipients of the messages was a prominent journalist, who was inadvertently added to the group.

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Russian strikes show Moscow does not want ‘real peace’, says Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s president says drone attacks just hours after ceasefire talks were ‘a clear signal to the whole world’

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Ukraine’s president has accused Russia of being insincere about making peace as he reported an attack by 117 drones, before he headed to Paris for a discussion with EU and Nato leaders about establishing a post-conflict security force.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that launching nationwide strikes after negotiations over maritime and energy ceasefires was proof of Russia’s true intentions, though the Kremlin insisted the US-brokered talks were proceeding constructively.

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Ukraine ceasefire deal looks like a Russian wishlist tied with a US bow

A moratorium on attacks on ships in the Black Sea seems to be contingent on sanctions relief – a key Kremlin demand

The Kremlin is pressing its advantage with a White House that is impatient to show that Donald Trump is the only leader who can deliver peace in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.

At first blush, the deal agreed by US negotiators in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday offers concession on concession to the Kremlin, leaving observers to question whether Russia had given anything to secure its first offer of sanctions relief since the beginning of the war.

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Jim Chalmers’ 2025 budget speech abridged and annotated – the economy is OK and we’re heading into an election

What the treasurer said – and what we can read between the lines of the budget night speech

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Two French air display jets crash in rehearsal

The three occupants of the two Alpha Jets that collided ejected and were "found alive and conscious".

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Friend recalls final moments of South African pilot before air show crash

Decorated test pilot James O'Connell was in a "good frame of mind" prior to the crash, the BBC is told.

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Venezuelan immigrants deported from US to Venezuela via Honduras

In apparent deal between three countries, Venezuelan official said country would resume accepting US deportees

A group of Venezuelan immigrants were deported from the US to Honduras on Sunday, who were then sent to Venezuela, via an apparent deal between the three countries.

The flights came one day after a Venezuelan government official announced on social media it would resume accepting deportees from the US. Deportations from the US to Venezuela, which have rarely taken place, have been a point of dispute for the Trump administration.

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Ekrem İmamoğlu: jailed rival to Turkish president who could emerge stronger

Istanbul mayor has become the only politician capable of challenging Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the ballot box

When crowds of police arrived at the residence of the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, to arrest him in a dawn raid last week, his response was calm and deliberate. The mayor of Turkey’s largest city – a longtime rival of the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – issued a video message to his supporters, filming himself as he put on a crisp white shirt and tie to be dressed for his detention.

“A small group is trying to usurp the will of the people,” he said. “I will stand strong.”

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Russia accused of 'hollow' peace talks as fresh strike injures dozens

Russian missiles hit the city of Sumy as negotiators met the US delegation in Saudi Arabia for talks.

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Israeli strike at Gaza hospital kills Hamas official and aide

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said medical staff had been injured and some of the hospital destroyed.

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Jim Chalmers says Coalition hints at aggressive NDIS cuts will ‘send a shiver up the spine’ of recipients

Treasurer seizes on shadow finance minister’s comments on ‘out of control’ disability insurance scheme

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The Coalition has hinted at a more aggressive approach to containing the cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in comments treasurer Jim Chalmers says would “send a shiver up the spine” of people relying on the $47bn program.

The shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, said on Sunday that there was “more that can be done” to curb the scheme’s rapid growth.

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Australia politics live: survey shows strong support for total ban on gambling ads; budget faces decade of deficits

Three-quarters of Australians support ban on gambling ads as recommended by a bipartisan parliamentary review. Follow today’s news live

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Finance Minister Katy Gallagher is in the hot seat this morning, facing the tv and radio interviews ahead of the budget release tomorrow.

She’s revealed that the government has found an extra $2bn in savings in this budget.

A big chunk of it comes through reducing the reliance on contractors and consultants, which is something that we’ve done in each budget… and that’s a big part of the $2.1 billion. But that is in addition to the savings we’ve found before. So across this Government, we’ve found $95 billion worth of savings, which has allowed us to repair the budget.

Well, that remains to be seen… but every budget that we have done, we have found savings. We found $95 billion worth of savings and that’s helped to get the budget in much better shape.

It is clear that the vast majority of Australian voters support a total gambling ad ban, and yet the government has sat on its own parliamentary report that recommends such an action for almost two years now…

With such a powerful move for change highlighted in this polling, it beggars belief that the two major parties are listening more to the gambling lobby and to other vested interests than they are to families across the country who are angry and demanding.

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Fixing a flawed levy on the banks could leave Australia’s budget billions of dollars better off

Australia’s banks have been given an easy ride at taxpayers’ expense. And economists Chris Richardson argues the banking levy is a fraction of what it should be

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The budget would be billions of dollars better off every year if Australia’s biggest banks were forced to pay taxpayers for an unspoken guarantee that taxpayers will bail them out in a crisis.

Days out from a fourth Labor budget that will show a looming decade of deficits, there is a growing urgency to make bolder decisions as part of a wider audit of how we tax and spend.

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'We will rescue anyone': BBC accompanies Syria's White Helmets after deadly attacks

The BBC accompanies the civil defence group as they respond to violence in Syria's coastal region.

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US blocks Canadian access to cross-border library, sparking outcry

US officials claim move was to curb drug trafficking while Quebec town says it ‘weakens collaboration’ among nations

The US has blocked Canadian access to a library straddling the Canada-US border, drawing criticism from a Quebec town where people have long enjoyed easy entry to the space.

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is located between Stanstead, Quebec, and Derby Line, Vermont. It was built deliberately to straddle the frontier between the two countries – a symbol of cooperation and friendship between Canada and the US.

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Prince William rides in tank during Estonia visit

The Prince of Wales has visited troops at a strategically important army base on Russia's border

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Ignored by Trump and menaced by Putin, the UK turns to the EU for defensive ties

As Trump seeks to withdraw the US from European defence, Keir Starmer is trying to develop closer ties with the UK’s neighbours

Donald Trump’s isolationism and Vladimir Putin’s menace leaves post-Brexit Britain in a delicate position. While the combination of US disengagement from Europe and the reality of Russian aggression has forced a reappraisal of security across the continent, Britain’s half-in, half-out status makes for complications.

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, wanted to showcase Britain’s credentials as a European military leader on Thursday, first with a visit to the Barrow shipyard where nuclear submarines are built and then to look into a meeting of 30-plus military heads, mostly from Europe, as they discuss how to create a post-war stabilisation force for Ukraine.

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Starmer warns Putin of ‘severe consequences’ if he breaches peace deal

UK leader says Russia cannot veto how Ukraine defends itself as western military officials meet to draft security plans

• Analysis: UK turns to the EU for defensive ties

Vladimir Putin will face “severe consequences” if he breaches a peace deal with Ukraine, Keir Starmer has warned as western military planners begin drawing up plans to enforce any agreement between the two countries.

The British prime minister issued his warning to the Russian president after meeting officials from 31 countries at the Northwood military base outside London, where they have started sketching out which western forces might be deployed to protect Ukraine in the future.

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Zelensky tells Russia to drop 'unnecessary' demands ahead of peace talks

Ukraine's leader also says taking Nato membership off the table would be a "big gift to Russia".

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Trump and Zelenskyy share ‘frank’ but ‘very good’ call as Ukraine accepts partial ceasefire

Ukraine’s president says his country is ready to implement pause in strikes on energy and infrastructure

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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “very good telephone call” on Wednesday, according to Trump, in the first conversation between the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart since their disastrous showdown in the White House three weeks ago.

Zelenskyy described the call as “positive, very substantive and frank”, and said he had signed up to a partial ceasefire that Trump agreed with Vladimir Putin a day earlier. The White House said Trump had promised to help with a Ukrainian request to source more air defence batteries for Kyiv.

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Canada ministry ‘strongly condemns’ China’s executions of several Canadians

China’s embassy in Canada says it is ‘rule of law’ country and those convicted of breaking laws ‘must be held accountable’

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Canada’s foreign affairs ministry has said it “strongly condemns” the execution of several of the country’s citizens in China this year, highlighting sustained tensions between the two countries.

Global Affairs Canada confirmed on Wednesday that an unspecified number of citizens were executed earlier this year. The revelations were first reported by the Globe and Mail.

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Trump hails 'very good' phone call with Zelensky

The US president says peace efforts are "very much on track" after an hour-long conversation.

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France preparing ‘survival manual’ for every household, report says

Booklet to give guidance on preparing for ‘imminent threats’ including armed conflict and natural disaster

The French government is reportedly planning to send a “survival manual” to every household in the country with instructions on how to prepare for an “imminent threat” including armed conflict, a health crisis or a natural disaster.

If approved by François Bayrou, the prime minister, the 20-page booklet will be sent to households before the summer, French media reported.

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‘It’s a history lesson’: fossil fish up to 16m years old found perfectly preserved in central NSW

Fossils retain microscopic structural features including stomach contents and provide first detailed evidence in Australia for fish called Osmeriformes

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Fossil fish so exquisitely preserved that scientists have been able to reconstruct their final days from up to 16m years ago have been discovered in central New South Wales.

Several fossils of small freshwater fish, embedded in an iron-rich mineral called goethite at the McGraths Flat fossil site, have retained microscopic structural features including their stomach contents and the outlines of cells that determine colour.

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No evidence for Trump claim about 'void' Biden pardons and autopen

President Trump claims 'many' of Biden's pardons are void because they were signed automatically and not by hand.

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Macron says Russia’s permission not needed to deploy troops in Ukraine

French president says France, UK and others could each deploy ‘a few thousand troops’ to key locations to show Ukraine ‘long-term support’

Emmanuel Macron has said France, the UK, and other nations providing security guarantees for Ukraine after any eventual ceasefire would not be aiming to deploy a “mass” of soldiers, but instead could send contingents of several thousand troops to key locations in Ukraine without needing Russia’s permission.

The French president told regional French newspapers, including Le Parisien and La Dépêche de Midi, that “several European countries, and indeed non-European ones” had “expressed their willingness” to join a possible deployment to Ukraine to secure a future peace agreement with Russia.

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Trump and Putin to hold call on ceasefire deal soon, US envoy says

Steve Witkoff, who recently met Putin, says he expects the presidents to have a positive discussion.

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Keir Starmer: ‘Putin is dragging his feet over 30-day Ukraine ceasefire’

Prime minister tells a summit of 29 leaders that the Russian president cannot delay peace talks indefinitely

Keir Starmer accused Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet over agreeing to a ceasefire with Ukraine on Saturday as international pressure grew on the Russian president to enter talks.

The prime minister said there was a limit to the length of time Putin could prevaricate, after he convened a virtual summit with 29 other international leaders who agreed to take plans for a peacekeeping force to an “operational phase”.

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US launches wave of air strikes on Yemen's Houthis

US President Donald Trump cited the armed group's recent attacks in the Red Sea as justification.

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Tens of thousands attend anti-government protest in Serbia

The collapse of a station canopy that killed 15 people has galvanised anger towards the government.

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Greek PM seeks ‘reset’ with former far-right activist as migration minister

Shaken by rail protests, Kyriakos Mitsotakis brings in new transport minister while tacking right on migration

The Greek prime minister has appointed a former far-right student activist to the helm of the migration ministry as part of a broad reshuffle aimed at “resetting” his government amid public outrage over its handling of a deadly 2023 train crash.

In an attempt to stem declining approval ratings, Kyriakos Mitsotakis placed the self-described nationalist, Makis Voridis, in the sensitive post while selecting a number of younger officials to key portfolios including the transport ministry.

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'Terrifying and exhausting' - passengers describe escape from burning plane

Witnesses share their exhausting and terrifying escape after a plane forced to make an emergency landing caught fire.

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Australia news live: states sweat over new GST carve-up plan; hot weekend ahead for south-east

Commonwealth grants commission to recommend to treasurer how vital tax revenue should be distributed next financial year

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Hello, I’ll be taking you through today’s news until this afternoon. I hope you have a good morning.

Staying with the Coalition and politics, today’s Newsroom edition of the Full Story podcast looks at this very issue.

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Duda: US nuclear weapons in Poland would be 'deterrent' for Russia

Andrzej Duda tells the BBC's Jeremy Bowen he is confident Donald Trump has a plan to handle Russia.

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Donald Trump threatens 200% tariff on EU wine and champagne

US president says levy on alcohol imports would be retaliation for ‘nasty’ 50% tariff imposed on bourbon whiskey

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Donald Trump has threatened a 200% tariff on wine and champagne from European Union countries, in the latest threat of escalation in the global trade war started by the US president against the country’s biggest trading partners.

Trump said in a post on Thursday on his Truth Social platform that the tariffs on all alcoholic products from the bloc would be retaliation for a “nasty” 50% levy on American bourbon whiskey announced by the EU.

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Is Putin ready for a ceasefire or playing for time?

Russia is ready for a halt in fighting, says Vladimir Putin, but he says there are "nuances".

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UK accuses Russia of driving its Moscow embassy towards closure

Foreign Office responds to expulsion of British diplomat and diplomatic spouse with tit-for-tat move

Russia is attempting to push the UK embassy in Moscow towards closing and has no regard for the escalatory impact of such a move, the Foreign Office has said.

The UK expelled a Russian diplomat and their spouse on Wednesday in a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of a British diplomat and a diplomatic spouse over allegations of espionage that UK officials strenuously deny.

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EU hits back at Trump tariffs and warns against trade war

For consumers, higher prices loom on supermarket shelves, but for businesses and industry the risks are higher.

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Romanian court rejects appeal by far-right politician to lift candidacy ban

Călin Georgescu, a Russia-friendly populist, won first round of election before result was annulled

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A top Romanian court has rejected an appeal by far-right politician Călin Georgescu to lift a ban on his candidacy in a rerun of the presidential election, sparking anger among his supporters.

Georgescu, a Moscow-friendly populist, surged from almost nowhere to win the first round of the election last year, but the result was annulled by Romania’s top court because of suspected Russian interference.

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BBC Verify examines moments before cargo ship and oil tanker collision

Ship tracking data sheds light on what happened before the two vessels, the Solong and Stena Immaculate, collided in the North Sea.

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Greenland faces ‘fateful choice’ says island’s PM as it prepares for election

Poll takes place against backdrop of threats by Donald Trump and growing calls for independence

Greenland’s prime minister said voters face a “fateful choice” as the Arctic island prepares to go to the polls in a pivotal election closely watched by Europe and the US.

The vote on Tuesday has attracted global attention after Donald Trump’s repeated assertions about acquiring the autonomous territory, using military and economic force if necessary.

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Australia live news: flood evacuation warnings in NSW and Queensland as waters rise after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred deluge

Major flooding isolates 1,800 people in northern NSW as evacuation routes cut. Follow today’s news live

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There is a rescue underway, Newmarket Road, Windsor where cars have tried to drive through flood waters.

The QLD government has stressed to use common sense, adjust speeds and not drive through flood waters. There have been some heavy glass overnight, and the roads are dangerous.

We’ve been working on a budget now, in the normal course, and budget submissions have been presented to the expenditure review committee. I sit on that.

And so we’ve been very busy in over the last few months, really, and particularly over the last few weeks, in the lead-up to the budget.

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Romanian far-right presidential hopeful barred from poll rerun

Calin Georgescu took an unexpected first place in December's election, which was then annulled.

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Israel to cut off electricity supply to Gaza, minister says

Eli Cohen's announcement on Sunday came one week after Israel cut off all aid supplies to the territory.

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