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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:00:11 GMT |
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As president Patrice Talon steps down after a decade, the west African country’s finance minister is favourite to win This Sunday, just four months after a failed coup, Benin heads to the polls for a presidential election that feels more like a coronation than a contest. Patrice Talon, the businessman turned politician who has been president since 2016, is ineligible to run again after serving two five-year terms. Continue reading...
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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:41:15 GMT |
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Legal action follows war of words with Sentebale chair after Duke of Sussex’s resignation as patron The Duke of Sussex is being sued by Sentebale in the latest twist in the bitter fallout over the African charity he co-founded. The charity has lodged papers in London’s high court over defamation claims naming Prince Harry and the former Sentebale trustee Mark Dyer as defendants. Continue reading...
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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:32:45 GMT |
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The men, sent to the southern African country in July, have been denied in-person counsel for nine months Four men deported by the US to Eswatini and denied in-person legal counsel for nine months while detained in a maximum security prison have the right to see a local lawyer, Eswatini’s supreme court ruled. The men, from Cambodia, Cuba, Vietnam and Yemen, were sent to the small southern African country, formerly known as Swaziland, in July despite having no connection to the country, as part of Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to ramp up deportations. Continue reading...
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Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:00:02 GMT |
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New study describes what may be the first case of a unified community of chimps, in Uganda, turning on itself On a June day in 2015, primatologist Aaron Sandel was quietly observing a small cluster of the Ngogo chimpanzee group in Uganda’s Kibale national park when he noticed something strange. As other members of the chimpanzees’ wider group moved closer through the forest, the chimpanzees in front of him began to display nervous behaviour. They grimaced and touched each other for reassurance, acting more like they were about to meet strangers than close companions. In hindsight, Sandel said, that moment was the first sign of what would become a years-long bloody conflict between a once close-knit group of chimps. Continue reading...
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Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:00:48 GMT |
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Olivia has been detained for months at the sprawling Dilley center in Texas. She has lost 20lb, and wakes up every day with a headache Each day in detention feels like 48 hours for Olivia. The 19-year-old asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been at the Dilley Immigration processing center in Texas for more than four months. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:31 GMT |
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Crime and corruption top voter concerns in highly unpredictable election with 35 candidates for president Peruvians go to the polls on Sunday hoping to break a cycle of instability that has produced nine presidents in a decade as well as surging violent crime, corruption scandals and overwhelming distrust in institutions and politicians. About 27 million people who are eligible to vote must choose between a record 35 presidential candidates as well as contenders for the bicameral congress – all from a ballot sheet measuring nearly half a metre, the longest in the country’s history. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:26:29 GMT |
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Officials said many killed at popular tourist site were young, with more people reported injured or missing At least 30 people, many of them young, have died and dozens more are reported to have been injured after a crush at a mountaintop fortress in northern Haiti that is a popular tourist spot. Jean Henri Petit, the head of civil protection for the country’s Nord department, said the incident took place on Saturday at Citadelle Henry, also known as Citadelle Laferrière, a large 19th-century fortress built shortly after the Caribbean country’s independence from France. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:53:54 GMT |
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Lynette and Brian Hooker, from Michigan, were years into a sailing adventure when Brian said his wife fell overboard Lynette Hooker bounced around the deck of the docked Soul Mate, smiled into the camera and proclaimed, “We’re finally leaving Kemah,” referring to a Texas port town. “It’s only been four months,” she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail. Continue reading...
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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:02:03 GMT |
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Exclusive: Dozens of organizations write to Congress after general announced plan to ‘deal with’ those fleeing any humanitarian crisis on the island Dozens of US and international human rights organizations are decrying the Trump administration’s plans to establish a migrant “camp” for fleeing Cubans at the Guantánamo Bay military base if the island nation’s crisis worsens under pressure from the US, according to a letter to members of Congress on Friday. The 85 groups plan to submit the joint letter, exclusively shared with the Guardian, to US senators and House representatives, expressing their “profound concern” with comments made last month by a top Department of Defense commander, and describing any prospect of further migrant detention at the base as “deeply troubling and unacceptable”. Continue reading...
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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:00:16 GMT |
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John Feeley says US president was ‘flush with victory’ of Maduro capture and could make same mistake in Cuba Donald Trump is “reaping the bitter fruit” of erroneously thinking that the capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, offered a blueprint for toppling the Iranian regime, according to one of the US state department’s most respected former Latin America experts. John Feeley, a Marine helicopter pilot who later served as the US ambassador to Panama, believed Trump had been “flush with the victory from Venezuela” when he made the ill-fated decision to attack Iran in February, leaving a trail of destruction across the Middle East and dealing a hammer blow to the global economy. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:41:52 GMT |
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Cyclone crossed coast near Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain and large swells Cyclone Vaianu made landfall in New Zealand’s North Island on Sunday, triggering floods, power outages and forcing hundreds to evacuate. The cyclone crossed the coast near the Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain and large swells, national weather provider MetService said, describing Vaianu as a “life-threatening” system. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 08:05:04 GMT |
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Having received assurances from Singapore over refined fuels, diesel supply will surely be next on the prime minister’s agenda Anthony Albanese isn’t coming back from Singapore with a shipload of diesel in his checked baggage. That doesn’t mean his whistle-stop visit wasn’t a success, or that it won’t be seen in future as a pivotal moment if fuel stocks continue to be choked by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The government never expected that the quick whip to Singapore, with just one full day on the ground, would elicit a new supply of petrol or diesel. Singapore already supplies 55% of Australia’s unleaded, 22% of jet fuel and 15% of diesel. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 03:49:49 GMT |
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Vaianu, forecast to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 130 kmh (80 mph), is expected to hit on Sunday Thousands of New Zealanders were ordered to evacuate their homes on Saturday as the country’s North Island braced for Cyclone Vaianu, which authorities warned could cause coastal flooding and landslides. Vaianu, forecast to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 130 km/h (80 mp/h), was expected to hit on Sunday, then pass west of the remote Chatham Islands on Monday, the country’s weather forecaster said. Continue reading...
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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:20:20 GMT |
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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:11:48 GMT |
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Powerful storm brings destruction, while temperatures soar in Vietnam and torrential rain lashes South Korea Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila, currently in the Solomon Sea, is expected to continue moving south-westwards over the coming days. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Maila had peak sustained winds of 115mph (185km/h), with gusts up to 160mph on Thursday, making it the strongest cyclone recorded this far north in the Solomon Sea. The storm has caused widespread damage across the Solomon Islands, particularly in Western, Choiseul and Isabel provinces, where schools, clinics and homes have been damaged. The government is prioritising humanitarian assistance after about 120 people were displaced and almost 73,000 people affected overall. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 05:35:39 GMT |
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Australia’s foreign affairs minister says priority ‘must be to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations’ Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has urged the US and Iran to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations quickly, after peace talks failed to secure a deal or the re-opening of the strait of Hormuz. Historic face-to-face meetings in Pakistan – marking the highest-level of direct engagement between Washington and Tehran in decades – seemingly broke down after a marathon 21-hour first day of talks. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 05:01:50 GMT |
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This blog is now closed Seven-year-old girl drowns at swimming spot on Brisbane River A seven-year-old girl has drowned at a popular swimming spot on the Brisbane River in the south-west of the city, AAP reports. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 01:35:10 GMT |
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Catherine King says while peace talks were ‘best chance’ at lowering fuel prices, further help may be included in budget The Albanese government is contemplating further relief for struggling households and businesses in next month’s federal budget, as peace talks continue between the US and Iran amid a fragile ceasefire. The infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said the success of those talks was the “best chance” at bringing down fuel prices. But she warned there would be a “long tail” from the crisis even if the strait of Hormuz – which was still being blocked by Iran and strangling global oil supplies – reopened imminently. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 20:00:05 GMT |
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Human rights lawyers say NDIS workers and their clients remain at risk despite newly bolstered whistleblower protections When Susan* came across wrongdoing at her disability support provider, she faced a choice. Say nothing, and allow her highly vulnerable clients to be put at serious risk. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:13:37 GMT |
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Exclusive: Move comes after Guardian Australia revealed Gemma Seymour was facing potential suspension over video criticising RMIT’s ties to weapons companies RMIT University has dropped a misconduct case against a student who accused the institution of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza, because of its defence and aerospace research centre’s ties to weapons companies. Guardian Australia this week revealed the student, Gemma Seymour, faced potential suspension over a social media video calling for the university’s Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence and Aerospace Centre to be shut down. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:46:26 GMT |
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Hundreds of officers deployed to regain control of O’Connell Street on sixth day of protests by farmers and hauliers Police have cleared a blockade of central Dublin by farmers and hauliers who were protesting over fuel prices, signalling a possible end to six days of protests that have roiled Ireland. Mounted units and hundreds of officers regained control of O’Connell Street in a peaceful operation that emptied the thoroughfare of trucks and tractors on Sunday morning. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:00:09 GMT |
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Rightwing leader trails in polls to Péter Magyar, despite support from JD Vance on recent visit Hungarians are heading to the ballot boxes to vote in a landmarkparliamentary election that could oust Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power and potentially reshape the central European country’s relations with the EU, Moscow and Washington. During the campaign, Orbán – the EU’s longest-serving leader – has trailed in the polls as he faces an unprecedented challenge from Péter Magyar, a former elite member of Orbán’s Fidesz party. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:51:48 GMT |
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Suspect in 40s arrested after man apparently climbed on to USAF C130 Hercules transport plane on remote taxiway in County Clare A man has been arrested after entering an unauthorised area of an airport in the Republic of Ireland and allegedly causing damage to a US military aircraft, police have said. The suspect, aged in his 40s, was arrested for alleged criminal damage and remains in custody over the incident on Saturday at Shannon airport in County Clare. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:50:04 GMT |
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Ukraine reports 469 violations of Putin’s 32-hour ceasefire, hours after deadly drone attacks on Odesa and Kherson Russia continued to strike Ukrainian positions with drones after a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire took effect on Saturday, a Ukrainian military officer said. “The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side,” said Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:11:13 GMT |
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Police rescued boy after neighbour reported sounds of a child coming from vehicle in Hagenbach in eastern France A malnourished nine-year-old boy was rescued after being locked in his father’s van since 2024 in eastern France, a prosecutor said. A neighbour alerted police to “sounds of a child” coming from a vehicle in the village of Hagenbach, near the borders of Switzerland and Germany. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:47:21 GMT |
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Two sides tested one another’s resolve but timeframe meant it was probably unrealistic to expect deal It was if the two delegations in the Iran-US peace talks in Islamabad hoped that the sheer number of negotiators flown into Pakistan could overcome the handicap of having only a finite number of hours in which to settle a 20-year dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, now overlaid by complex new issues such as future control of the strait of Hormuz and US compensation for its attack on Iran. Iran sent two planeloads of negotiators, including many members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) present to ensure that no gains made in the field were relinquished at the diplomatic table. Diplomats fanned out across political, legal, security, economic and military files. One Iranian-drafted technical explanation on nuclear facility safety ran to more than 100 pages. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:42:51 GMT |
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Iranian delegates in Islamabad say Washington needs to do more to win their trust if talks to resolve US-Iran conflict are to be successful The US vice-president, JD Vance, has blamed the failure of marathon negotiations with Iran on the country’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian delegates have claimed Washington needs to do more to win their trust. Vance, who left Islamabad on Sunday morning after 21 hours of talks with Iranian officials in the Pakistani capital, said his team had been very clear on its red lines, as hopes faded of a quick end to the conflict that began on 28 February. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:43:09 GMT |
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JD Vance leads American delegation while Iran’s negotiators headed up by Iran’s parliamentary speaker Peace talks between Iran and the US began in Islamabad this afternoon, with senior negotiators from both countries meeting face to face at the highest level for the first time since 1979, in the presence of mediators from Pakistan. Pakistani state TV said US and Iranian officials were “sitting directly at the same table” – which was later confirmed by the White House – and discussions were beginning in a positive atmosphere, despite fighting continuing in Lebanon. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 16:37:22 GMT |
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Three arrested by federal agents had family ties to Iranian military general, regime spokesperson or security chief United States federal agents arrested three Iranian nationals – including the son of a revolutionary at the center of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis – after the US state department terminated their green cards, the department announced on Saturday. State department officials revoked the green card status of Seyed Eissa Hashemi, whose mother was an Iranian revolutionary who served as the spokesperson for Iran’s regime during the hostage crisis that defined the late Jimmy Carter’s presidency. The state department also revoked the green card – or legal permanent resident – statuses of Hashemi’s wife and son. Continue reading...
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Sat, 11 Apr 2026 08:00:42 GMT |
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Britain’s standing in the world was never the same after its assault on Egypt in 1956. Now the US risks repeating history in the Middle East Donald Trump’s addiction to framing every event in the most apocalyptic terms is what allows conservative commentators such as Mark Levin to praise him as “a once-in-a-century president”. But Trump cannot play out his entire presidency on a reckless high wire without eventually falling off – potentially taking America with him into a steep decline into the unknown. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:40:31 GMT |
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Two-time Grammy nominee was one of Bollywood’s most versatile and celebrated voices The Indian singer Asha Bhosle, whose voice defined Bollywood music through the 1970s and 80s, has died aged 92, her family said. The two-time Grammy nominee had been admitted to hospital in Mumbai with complaints of “extreme exhaustion” and chest infection. Continue reading...
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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 03:00:07 GMT |
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In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily empty The streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East. Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly precarious, amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and disputes over the terms of the talks, Pakistani officials insisted that the make-or-break peace negotiations would be going ahead over the weekend as planned. Continue reading...
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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:28:53 GMT |
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Israeli PM says he will continue to attack Hezbollah ‘with full force’ after attacks that killed more than 300 people Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is “no ceasefire in Lebanon” and Israel would continue “to strike Hezbollah with full force” as the country’s military launched fresh strikes.
The Israeli prime minister’s remarks and latest attacks on what the IDF called “Hezbollah launch sites” came shortly after Donald Trump said he had asked Netanyahu to be more “low-key” in Lebanon. Later on Friday, a US state department official said Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week. The announcement came as Netanyahu ordered his ministers to seek direct talks with Lebanon focused on disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Continue reading...
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Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:09:54 GMT |
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Analysts say Pakistani officials’ efforts led to breakthrough that has helped avert catastrophe, at least for now Pakistan’s leaders had almost lost hope. After more than two weeks of frantic negotiations, phonecalls and diplomatic summits to try to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, it looked like the conflict might instead be escalating into Islamabad’s worst nightmare. In a cabinet meeting held at about 5pm on Tuesday, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, was morose. “We should brace ourselves for the impact of the war,” he told his cabinet ministers. “The situation has really become very bleak. The chance of peace has become dim.” Continue reading...
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Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:57:32 GMT |
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Two-week ceasefire comes after Trump spoke to Pakistan’s leaders, with China also believed to be exerting influence over Tehran The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday barely an hour before Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire, with Tehran agreeing to temporarily reopen the strait of Hormuz. Israel also agreed to the ceasefire, the White House said. As Trump announced he was suspending his plans to escalate attacks across Iran, the US president said he had received a 10-point proposal from Iran which was a “workable basis on which to negotiate”. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:14:17 GMT |
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Oliuwadamilola Ogunyankinnu will appear in court on Monday over fatal stabbing in north London A man has been charged with murder after a 21-year-old was fatally stabbed in north London, police said. Finbar Sullivan died on Tuesday 7 April after the alleged attack in Primrose Hill. On Sunday, Oliuwadamilola Ogunyankinnu, 27, was charged with murder. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:00:17 GMT |
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Last year’s drop may reflect rising unemployment and improved right to request flexible working, experts say The number of workers in Great Britain taking their bosses to employment tribunals over remote working fell last year for the first time since Covid hit, with a tightening labour market making some more reluctant to leave roles despite return-to-office mandates. There were 54 employment tribunals decided in England, Scotland and Wales in 2025 that cited remote working, according to an analysis of records by the HR consultants Hamilton Nash: down 13% compared with 2024. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:00:17 GMT |
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Use of interns by Plum Sykes, an ex-assistant of Anna Wintour whose family owns a Yorkshire estate, reignites debate about creative industries She is said to have been the inspiration for a character in The Devil Wears Prada and was a personal assistant of Anna Wintour, so Plum Sykes knows a thing or two about the arduous and often unglamorous life of being a fashion industry intern. But that recognition does not, it appears, extend to paying her own interns a fair wage. Or, indeed, any wage at all. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:00:16 GMT |
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Exclusive: closures are part of pledge by Labour to end all use of hotels for asylum seekers by end of this parliament The Home Office is to announce the closure of 11 asylum hotels this week as part of its pledge to close all such facilities by the end of this parliament. The use of hotels to house asylum seekers has been controversial since it became widespread at the start of the Covid pandemic. Anti-migrant protesters have staged demonstrations outside hotels, claiming asylum seekers are living a life of luxury there. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:09:33 GMT |
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Health secretary says failure of peace talks disappointing and UK-US relations have undoubtedly been strained Wes Streeting has criticised Donald Trump’s rhetoric on Iran as “incendiary, provocative and outrageous” and called the failure of US-Iran peace talks disappointing but said the success of future negotiations was necessary “in all of our interests”. “As ever in diplomacy, you’re failing until you succeed,” the health secretary told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News. “So while these talks may not have ended in success, that doesn’t mean there isn’t merit in continuing to try.” Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:47:12 GMT |
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Shooting under investigation but no details yet released about a suspect, a possible motive or any arrests At least six people were shot, including one fatally, at a fast-food chain restaurant in Union Township, New Jersey, on Saturday night, according to preliminary reports. The Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan reference resource, listed the reported shooting at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in the 2300 block of Route 22 as the 100th mass shooting documented in the US this year, as of Sunday. The archive defines mass shootings as cases in which four or more victims are wounded or killed. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:07:45 GMT |
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Oil prices and borrowing costs are expected to rise this week as tankers remain stranded in the Gulf The failure of the US and Iran to reach a peace deal after marathon negotiations has put markets on alert for further oil and gas price rises. With large numbers of oil tankers remaining stuck in the Gulf, the US vice-president, JD Vance, blamed the collapse of the talks on Tehran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian sources hit back at “excessive” demands from Washington. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:32:36 GMT |
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Donald Trump and US secretary of state Marco Rubio attended a UFC event in Miami night on Saturday night as peace talks with Iran failed on the other side of the world. Trump entered the Kaseya Center shortly after 9pm alongside several members of his family and UFC chief Dana White, who has been a supporter of the president since his first term. Seated nearby was Rubio as well as US ambassador to India Sergio Gor, the rapper Vanilla Ice and former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:17 GMT |
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Democratic city does not control its police force – and reform attempts have been thwarted by Republicans Quinton Lucas said he thinks his city’s police department “is a colonial system”. “I think it is anti-Black. I think it is anti-immigrant. I think it is anti-almost everything we stand for in terms of making sure that diverse populations in major cities have a voice in terms of navigating it,” the Kansas City mayor said. Continue reading...
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Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:17 GMT |
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Researchers say ‘magic mushrooms’ can help with traumatic symptoms, but urge caution as states expand access After three combat deployments in Afghanistan, during which he suffered traumatic brain injuries from concussive blasts, army ranger Jesse Gould developed post-traumatic stress disorder and said he “drank almost every night to cope”. In times of hardship, veterans sometimes turn to “medication and talk therapy, but it tends to be more of a maintenance program than actually overcoming it”, Gould said, but added that at age 38, “I was still very young. I didn’t want to be on medication the rest of my life.” Continue reading...
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