Kyiv brings in higher payments for volunteers and new punishments for draft dodgers
We have more in from Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Beijing to meet China’s president, Xi Jinping (see earlier post at 08.46 for more details).
Xi laid out what state media described as “four principles to prevent the Ukraine crisis from spiralling out of control and to restore peace”.
Continue reading...Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman speak at Brussels event as mayor issues order on public safety grounds
Authorities in Brussels have ordered the closure of a radical right conference that was addressed by British politicians including Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman.
The order banning the National Conservatism conference from taking place on Tuesday was issued “to guarantee public safety”, according to Emir Kir, the mayor of the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode district in Brussels.
Continue reading...‘We will respond in our time,’ IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari tells reporters after Tehran’s attack over the weekend
A senior spokesperson for Iran’s military has warned the US, UK, France and Germany to stop supporting Israel, and said that there will be an even stronger response from Iran if Israel retaliates to the strikes at the weekend.
The official state news agency IRNA reports that Brig Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi said:
We remind the heads of state of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to stop supporting the declining child-killing terrorist regime of Israel. The Islamic Republic of Iran has proven that it is not a warmonger and does not seek to spread the war. The response will be stronger if the regime carries out more severe aggressive act.
Continue reading...Former PM tells debate that plans to phase out smoking are ‘emblematic of a technocratic establishment in this country that wants to limit people’s freedom’
At 12.30pm a transport minister will respond to an urgent question in the Commons tabled by Labour on job losses in the rail industry. That means the debate on the smoking ban will will not start until about 1.15pm.
Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, is one of the Britons speaking at the National Conservatism conference in Brussels starting today. The conference, which features hardline rightwingers from around the world committed to the NatCons’ ‘faith, flag and family’ brand of conservatism, is going ahead despite two venues refusing to host them at relatively short notice.
The current UK government doesn’t have the political will to take on the ECHR and hasn’t laid the ground work for doing so.
And so it’s no surprise that recent noises in this direction are easily dismissed as inauthentic.
Any attempt to include a plan for ECHR withdrawal in a losing Conservative election manifesto risks setting the cause back a generation.
Continue reading...US treasury secretary and German foreign minister comment on efforts to avoid escalation of regional conflict
The US and the EU are considering rapid new sanctions against Iran in the wake of Tehran’s large-scale air attack on Israel at the weekend.
As Israel’s war cabinet met for a third day in a row to consider its response to the Iranian assault, which was launched in retaliation for Israel’s strike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, Syria, on 1 April, international pressure was mounting on Israel to avoid steps that would lead to a regional conflict.
Continue reading...Kate Roughley, then deputy manager, accused of causing death of Genevieve Meehan, who was swaddled and strapped to bean bag
A nursery deputy manager caused the death of a baby she placed face-down, tightly swaddled and strapped to a bean bag for more than 90 minutes, a court has heard.
The resulting distressed cries of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan, known to her family as Gigi, were “simply ignored”, the jury was told on Tuesday.
Continue reading...Public spending on private sweep contractors is soaring across the state – and unhoused people allege poor treatment
This story was produced in partnership with Type Investigations with support from the Wayne Barrett Project
On an October morning, a small army arrived to evict Rudy Ortega from his home in the Crash Zone, an encampment located near the end of the airport runway in San Jose, California, Silicon Valley’s largest city. As jets roared overhead, garbage trucks and police squad cars encircled Ortega’s hand-built shelter. Heavy machinery operators stood by for the signal to bulldoze Ortega’s camp.
Continue reading...UN human rights office expresses concern over escalating violence after deaths near Nablus over weekend
The United Nations has voiced grave concern over escalating violence in the West Bank, demanding that Israeli security forces “immediately” stop supporting settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory.
The statement from the UN’s human rights office was issued hours after two Palestinian men were killed by Israeli settlers in a northern village south of Nablus, in the latest violent attack involving settlers in the increasingly tense West Bank.
Continue reading...British bootmaker says it does not expect to increase prices this year as it reports poor US sales
Shares in Dr Martens plummeted to a new low as the UK bootmaker warned on profits and poor performance in the US, and announced the departure of its chief executive.
The brand, known for its yellow-stitched thick-soled boots, warned sales would fall by a single-digit percentage in the year to the end of March 2025, compared with a year earlier. Profit before tax could be just a third of last year’s £159m in a worst-case scenario.
Continue reading...Supplier mistakenly charged direct debit customers at rate meant for those who pay when they get bills
Scottish Power is to pay £1.5m in refunds and compensation after overcharging nearly 1,700 households at the height of the energy crisis and in previous years, paying out an average of £294 to each customer.
The energy regulator, Ofgem, said it agreed the redress package with the supplier after it confirmed that, between 2015 and 2023, it mistakenly charged 1,699 direct debit customers at a higher rate that should only apply to those who pay when they receive their bill.
Continue reading...David Miller, then chief operating officer, tells inquiry he does not remember 1999 meeting in which comment was made
A former Post Office executive has told a public inquiry that he “should not have said” to its board that the Horizon IT system was “robust and fit for purpose” and agreed there had been a “missed opportunity” to investigate post office operators’ concerns.
David Miller, who retired in 2006 as chief operating officer of Post Office, had been told of problems with Horizon when he held meetings with post office operators in June 1999, the inquiry into the scandal has heard.
Continue reading...Acclaimed director Sam Gold will adapt the Shakespeare tragedy with new music from hitmaker and Taylor Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff
West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler and Heartstopper breakout Kit Connor are set to play Shakespeare’s tragic lovers Romeo and Juliet on Broadway.
Romeo + Juliet will premiere later this year from Tony award-winning director Sam Gold, who has previously taken on other Shakespeare plays such as Macbeth, Othello and King Lear.
Continue reading...Simpson’s former agent and two friends of Al Cowlings – who drove the vehicle during the infamous chase – hope to fetch $1.5m
The current owners of the white Ford Bronco at the center of the infamous 1994 OJ Simpson police chase say they hope to sell the vehicle for at least $1.5m now that he has died.
Simpson’s former agent Michael Gilbert and two friends of Al Cowlings – the SUV’s original owner – said they would probably sell the vehicle amid burgeoning interest following Simpson’s death on 10 April, the collections website cllct first reported.
Continue reading...Muslim pupil loses case against Michaela community school, run by former government social mobility tsar Katharine Birbalsingh
A ban on prayer rituals at one of the highest-performing state schools in England, famous for its strict discipline and high-profile headteacher, has been upheld by a high court judge.
The case against Michaela community school in Brent, north-west London, was brought by a Muslim pupil, known only as TTT in court proceedings, who claimed the ban was discriminatory and breached her right to religious freedom.
Continue reading...More children and families extorted with AI-made photos and videos, says National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Child sexual exploitation is on the rise online and taking new forms such as images and videos generated by artificial intelligence, according to an annual assessment released on Tuesday by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a US-based clearinghouse for the reporting of child sexual abuse material.
Reports to the NCMEC of child abuse online rose by more than 12% in 2023 compared with the previous year, surpassing 36.2m reports, the organization said in its annual CyberTipline report. The majority of tips received were related to the circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) such as photos and videos, but there was also an increase in reports of financial sexual extortion, when an online predator lures a child into sending nude images or videos and then demands money.
Continue reading...Spire collapses as fire engulfs Danish landmark, which houses one of country’s most valuable art collections
Firefighters at Copenhagen’s historic former stock exchange have been battling a huge blaze that has engulfed the 17th-century building’s roof, toppled its distinctive spire and threatened one of Denmark’s most valuable art collections.
“We are witnessing a terrible spectacle. The Bourse is on fire,” the Chamber of Commerce, which occupies the building next to Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish parliament, wrote on X. “Everyone is asked to stay away.”
Continue reading...Torch lit in ruins of ancient Olympia, Greek birthplace of Games, starting 3,100-mile relay that will end in July
A taste of the drama and beauty of this summer’s Paris Olympics has unfolded in the foothills of Greece with the lighting of the flame that will illuminate the world’s biggest sports event.
In a ceremony held amid the ruins of ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Games 2,800 years ago, the flame was kindled by performers dressed as priestesses, though this year because of weather conditions the torch was not ignited as usual in a parabolic mirror – which focuses the sun’s rays – but from a flame lit during a rehearsal.
Continue reading...Marty Small and his wife, a local school district superintendent, were charged with assaulting daughter ‘on multiple occasions’
The mayor of New Jersey’s Atlantic City, Marty Small, and his wife – the local school district superintendent – were charged on Monday with abusing and assaulting their teenage daughter on multiple occasions, including hitting her in the head with a broom and knocking her unconscious.
The Atlantic county prosecutor’s office said it filed charges of endangering the welfare of a child against both parents.
In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453 or visit their website for more resources and to report child abuse or DM for help. For adult survivors of child abuse, help is available at ascasupport.org. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800; adult survivors can seek help at Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
Continue reading...Chance Brannon firebombed a Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022 and had plans to attack a power station and a Pride celebration
A former US marine was sentenced on Monday to nine years in prison for firebombing a southern California Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022, federal prosecutors said.
Chance Brannon, 24, pleaded guilty in November to four felony counts, including malicious destruction of property by fire as well as explosives and intentional damage to a reproductive health services facility.
Continue reading...Residents welcome removal of number 116 route, often used to get to Park Güell
While some places will go to any lengths to attract visitors, residents of La Salut neighbourhood in Barcelona are celebrating a move to wipe themselves off the map.
For years, residents had complained that they could not get home because the number 116 bus was always crammed with tourists visiting Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell. The park is the city’s second most popular attraction after the Sagrada Familia basilica.
Continue reading...