General news

• Sinn Fein ready for government if United Ireland on the table

  16-11-2019 21:30 via uk.news.yahoo.com
  
  Ms McDonald added that the referendum on a united Ireland was a simply a question of when.
  
  Read more

• Middle East crisis live: Israel has carried out an attack on Iran, US officials say, after blasts reported near Isfahan

  19-04-2024 05:32 via theguardian.com
  
  US officials say military operation carried out, without giving further details; Iran state media says air defences fired and airspace closed in some areasFollow all our Middle East crisis coverageUS officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out military operations against Iran but did not describe those operations.They said Israel warned the Biden administration earlier on Thursday that the strike was coming in the next 24 to 48 hours. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Middle East crisis live: air defences activated in Iran after explosions reported near Isfahan

  19-04-2024 05:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai divert around western Iran early on Friday after Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reports explosions in central city of Isfahan Follow all our Middle East crisis coverageThe explosions that have been reported so far appear to have been at a major Iranian base, the Shahid Salami airbase in the Iranian city of Isfahan. There are reports of explosions also occurring in southern Syria and Iraq, although details remain sketchy for now.According to
  
  Read more

• Voting begins in India’s election with Modi widely expected to win third term

  19-04-2024 04:30 via theguardian.com
  
  First phase in world’s largest democratic exercise begins, with 969 million people eligible to vote over six-week periodVoting has begun in India’s mammoth general election, as Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party hopes to increase its parliamentary majority amid allegations that the country’s democracy has been undermined since it came to power 10 years ago.India’s elections are the largest democratic exercise in the world, with more than 969 million voters, amou
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• The chilling policy to cut Greenland’s high birth rate – podcast

  19-04-2024 04:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In the 1960s the birthrate in Greenland was one of the highest in the world. Then it plunged. Decades later, women have finally begun speaking out about what happenedBula Larson was 14 when one day she and her friends were told to go to the hospital. Bula lived in Greenland and was Inuit like most of the population of the island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. At the hospital she and her friends lined up, and one-by-one were told to enter a room. Bula recalls how she was asked to s
  
  Read more

• Ukraine war briefing: Donald Trump says survival of Ukraine important to the US

  19-04-2024 03:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Former president’s comments are being described as a shift in tone days before Republicans vote on a multibillion-dollar aid package. What we know on day 786See all our Ukraine war coverageDonald Trump has said the survival of Ukraine is important to the US, in what Reuters describes as a shift in tone days before Republicans are due to vote on a $61bn aid package in the US House of Representatives. “As everyone agrees, Ukrainian Survival and Strength should be much more important to
  
  Read more

• ‘Lost for words’: Joe Biden’s tale about cannibals bemuses Papua New Guinea residents

  19-04-2024 03:20 via theguardian.com
  
  President’s suggestion that his ‘Uncle Bosie’ was eaten by cannibals harms US efforts to build Pacific ties, say local expertsJoe Biden’s suggestion that his uncle may have been eaten by cannibals in Papua New Guinea during world war two has been met with a mixture of bemusement and criticism in the country.Biden spoke about his uncle, 2nd Lt Ambrose J Finnegan Jr, while campaigning in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, describing how “Uncle Bosie” had flown single engi
  
  Read more

• Prince Harry confirms he is now a US resident

  19-04-2024 01:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Paperwork filed shows the royal has informed British authorities that he has moved and is now ‘usually resident’ in the United StatesPrince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has formally confirmed he is now a US resident.The acknowledgment is said to underscore the prince’s increasing estrangement from Britain, after he and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, walked away from royal duties four years ago. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Sydney church stabbing: police charge 16-year-old boy with terrorism offence

  19-04-2024 01:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Bishop was injured in alleged attack in Wakeley with the teenager expected to appear at a bedside court hearing on FridayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastPolice have charged a 16-year-old boy alleged to have stabbed a bishop and priest at a western Sydney church with a terrorism offence.The teenager was due to face a hospital bedside hearing of the Parramatta children’s court on Friday. He is stil
  
  Read more

• Guardian wins award for exposé of founders’ links to transatlantic slavery

  19-04-2024 01:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Press Awards recognise newspaper’s cross-platform Cotton Capital series amid wins for several Guardian reportersThe Guardian has won a diversity award at the prestigious Press Awards after its exposé on its founders’ links to transatlantic slavery, as one of its reporters took home the award for news reporter of the year.Judges at the Press Awards called the Guardian’s cross-platform Cotton Capital series, encompassing news articles, long-form essays, podcasts, video, a
  
  Read more

• UK supermarkets accused of misleading labelling on origins of food products

  19-04-2024 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Which? says inconsistencies also found, with ‘meaningless’ labels making it hard for shoppers to make informed choice“Misleading” and “inconsistent” labels make it hard for shoppers to know where their food comes from, the consumer champion Which? has said, as it found supermarket chains were selling products with “meaningless” statements on their packaging.Retailers must supply the “country of origin” for specific foods including fresh
  
  Read more

• Sunak to cite Britain’s ‘sicknote culture’ in bid to overhaul fit note system

  19-04-2024 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Prime minister to express concern about ‘over-medicalising’ normal worries with diagnoses as mental health conditionsRishi Sunak will today claim Britain is suffering from a “sicknote culture”, as he warns there is a risk of “over-medicalising” normal worries by diagnosing them as mental health conditions.In a speech on how to reduce people being signed off sick from work, the prime minister will say the government is planning to trial getting “work and
  
  Read more

• Quarter of UK’s three- and four-year-olds own a smartphone, data shows

  19-04-2024 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Campaigners express concern at new Ofcom figures, which also show that half of under-13s are on social mediaA quarter of three- and four-year-olds in the UK now own a smartphone, while half of children under 13 are on social media, according to new data that comes as ministers consider banning all children under 16 from owning a mobile phone.The figures, from the communications regulator Ofcom, show high and rising rates of online activity by children of infant-school age, with 38% of five- to s
  
  Read more

• English primary schools cutting teacher numbers amid budget pressure, survey finds

  19-04-2024 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Rising inflation and falling pupil numbers also forcing schools to cut spending on extracurricular activitiesPrimary schools across England are having to shed staff and cancel trips and activities this year as rising inflation and falling pupil numbers cause a rapid deterioration in their finances.A survey of more than 1,000 school leaders and teachers by the National Foundation for Educational Research found that three-quarters said their primary schools were cutting teaching assistant roles, w
  
  Read more

• Premier League and FA Cup semis: 10 things to look out for this weekend

  19-04-2024 01:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Two big Wembley meetings await in the Cup, while a desperation derby looks to be in store at Goodison ParkThere was a distinct end-of-season vibe at the Gtech Community Stadium following Brentford’s recent win over Sheffield United, with Thomas Frank and his players performing what amounted to a lap of honour as they took plaudits from fans relieved that the spectre of relegation had finally been banished from their small corner of west London. Of course only time will tell if the Bees bec
  
  Read more

• US vetoes Palestinian request for full UN membership

  18-04-2024 23:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Washington blocks security council resolution supported by 12 member countries, with two abstentions including UKThe US has vetoed a Palestinian request to the United Nations security council for full UN membership, blocking the world body’s recognition of a Palestinian state.The vote in the 15-member security council was 12 in favor, the US opposed and two abstentions, the UK and Switzerland. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• UK to delay start of health and safety checks on EU imports – report

  18-04-2024 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  New post-Brexit border checks ‘set to zero’ to avoid what Defra calls risk of serious disruptionThe UK government has reportedly told port health authorities it will not “turn on” health and safety checks for EU imports as new post-Brexit border controls begin this month.A presentation prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) highlighted the risk of “significant disruption” if the new measures were implemented, according to th
  
  Read more

• All 12 jurors seated in Trump hush-money trial after two dismissals

  18-04-2024 23:22 via theguardian.com
  
  First criminal trial of a former president one significant step closer to beginning after full jury selected in New YorkA full jury of 12 people has been seated in the criminal case against Donald Trump, bringing the first criminal trial of a former president a significant step closer to beginning.At least one of six alternate jurors had been selected before court concluded on Thursday.A guide to Trump’s hush-money trial – so farThe key arguments prosecutors will use against TrumpHow
  
  Read more

• Liverpool comeback falls short against Atalanta despite early Salah goal

  18-04-2024 23:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Jürgen Klopp has taken Liverpool to four European finals, one Champions League trophy and places that players and fans alike may never have imagined possible but a journey that enriched his reign is over. There will be no fairytale ending in Dublin after one more feat of escapology proved beyond Klopp’s team against Atalanta.The 91st European game of Klopp’s nine-year Liverpool tenure was also his last despite a much-improved display and victory against Gian Piero Gasperini&rsqu
  
  Read more

• Leverkusen knock out West Ham as Frimpong’s strike saves unbeaten run

  18-04-2024 23:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Bayer Leverkusen will be waking up with sore heads again. Their treble hopes remains alive, as does their sheen of invincibility, but only just. After the beer-stained celebrations that followed their regal charge to the Bundesliga title, Xabi Alonso’s side looked groggy on a pulsating night at the London Stadium and can count themselves lucky to be in a Europa League semi-final against Roma after beating West Ham 3-1 on aggregate.The home fans responding to Jeremie Frimpong’s late e
  
  Read more

• A silent Trump glowers and stares during third day of criminal trial

  18-04-2024 22:59 via theguardian.com
  
  This was not Donald Trump the business mogul or Donald Trump the 45th president – it was Donald Trump the defendantWith Donald Trump just a few feet away, a potential juror in the criminal case against him summed up the experience in just three words. “This is bizarre,” she said, with just a slight hint of a seasoned New York accent.Bizarre it was. There was a potential juror who once spent the night at one of Trump’s lawyers’ homes more than a decade ago (Trump&rsq
  
  Read more

• Netflix profits surge as streaming service adds 9.3m subscribers in latest quarter

  18-04-2024 22:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Company says ‘we’re off to a good start in 2024’ as net income jumps 79% to $2.3bn, beating analysts’ expectations Profits at Netflix have surged as the world’s largest streaming service added millions of new paying subscribers.The entertainment giant added 9.3 million subscribers in the latest quarter – more than expected by analysts on Wall Street – leaving it with a record 269.6 million worldwide. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Kennedy family members endorse Biden in stinging rebuke to RFK Jr

  18-04-2024 22:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Siblings appear on stage with president at campaign event in Philadelphia and offer full-throated support of White House runProminent members of the Kennedy political dynasty delivered a full-throated endorsement of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign on Thursday, a pointed message that was in equal measure a stinging repudiation of their relative Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is making an independent run for the White House.Kerry Kennedy, one of six siblings of the controversial candidate on stag
  
  Read more

• Wildlife Rescue review – totally adorable TV you’ll want to watch for years to come

  18-04-2024 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  This super cute show about an animal hospital will have you crying happy tears from the off. And just wait till you meet the seal pups!The late great critic Roger Ebert once said that “movies are like a machine that generates empathy” – the idea being that when we sit down and watch dramas, comedies, documentaries or even horror films, they take us out of ourselves and force us to share in the pain and triumph of others. In short, they can make us better people.Watching Wildlif
  
  Read more

• Former civil servant says ‘racism in Cabinet Office’ forced her to resign

  18-04-2024 21:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Rowaa Ahmar’s claims were made in the court papers of a discrimination case against the Cabinet OfficeA former senior civil servant has said in court papers that “a hostile racist working environment” in the Cabinet Office meant she was “forced to resign”.Rowaa Ahmar, who has now withdrawn a discrimination case against the Cabinet Office, said that “the racism within the Cabinet Office appeared to be unrelenting and systemic” and claimed that she was fro
  
  Read more

• ECB denies Yorkshire ‘punished for past sins’ with women’s county team snub

  18-04-2024 21:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Club ‘disappointed’ and now risk losing personnel to rivalsHeather Knight says cricket will be more viable career optionRichard Gould, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has stressed that Yorkshire initially missing out on the revamp of the professional women’s game is not a case of the club being “punished for past sins”.From next year the current eight-team regional women’s system will switch to 15-strong full-time squads run directl
  
  Read more

• Terror watchdog condemns WhatsApp for lowering UK users’ minimum age to 13

  18-04-2024 21:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Jonathan Hall, Britain’s reviewer of terrorism legislation, says more children could be exposed to encrypted extremist contentThe UK’s terror watchdog has criticised Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta for lowering the minimum age for WhatsApp users from 16 to 13, warning that the “extraordinary” move could expose more teenagers to extreme content.Jonathan Hall KC said more children could now access material that Meta cannot regulate, including content related to terror or sexua
  
  Read more

• Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell charged in finance investigation

  18-04-2024 21:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Husband of Nicola Sturgeon was rearrested ‘in connection with the embezzlement of funds’ from party, say policePeter Murrell, the husband of the former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, has been charged in connection with embezzlement after being arrested for a second time by police investigating allegations regarding the funding and finances of the Scottish National party.Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP, was first arrested and interviewed as a suspect by Police Scotland
  
  Read more

• Meta steps up AI battle with OpenAI and Google with release of Llama 3

  18-04-2024 21:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Tech firm released early versions of its latest large language model and a real-time image generator as it tries to catch up to OpenAIMeta Platforms on Thursday released early versions of its latest large language model, Llama 3, and an image generator that updates pictures in real time while users type prompts, as it races to catch up to generative AI market leader OpenAI.The models will be integrated into virtual assistant Meta AI, which the company is pitching as the most sophisticated of its
  
  Read more

• Police to contact Tory MP Mark Menzies over campaign fund misuse allegations

  18-04-2024 21:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Development follows Labour calling for investigation into Tory MP alleged to have misused funds to pay off ‘bad people’UK politics – latest updatesA Conservative MP who was suspended over allegations that campaign funds were misused to pay off “bad people” is to be contacted by police over the matter.Keir Starmer earlier called for a police investigation into allegations that campaign funds were misused by the Fylde MP, Mark Menzies, who was also suspended as a gove
  
  Read more

Follow @GeneralnewsUK on Twitter!