Author: James Martin
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have insisted they are interested only in a “better future” for the Commonwealth, not in who leads it, at the end of their tour of the Caribbean.William said foreign tours were an “opportunity to reflect” and he and his wife were committed to “serving and supporting” the people of the Commonwealth, not “telling them what to do”, in a statement published on the couple’s Twitter account.After William signalled on Friday that the UK would support with “pride and respect” any decision by Jamaica, Belize or the Bahamas to break away from the British monarchy,…
5.16pm EDT 17:16 I love this series. It’s called Sorted and it’s a subjective, entirely arbitrary and fascinating ranking of things by Guardian Australia contributors. Check this out from Charmaine Manuel: 5.12pm EDT 17:12 If you’re in Victoria, there are planned Extinction Rebellion blockades today. XR says “the times and locations are secret”, but this morning they are targeting the Exxon Mobil depot in Yarraville. In a statement, XR said three people are “likely” to be arrested as they draw attention to the “climate and ecological emergency”: We are aiming to cause sustained disruption. Updated at 5.14pm EDT 5.06pm EDT…
The US was poised to set the Taliban on the path to diplomatic recognition before the plan was derailed by the Afghan rulers’ sudden U-turn on a promise to allow girls’ education, the Guardian understands.The group prompted international outrage and confusion on Wednesday when it reneged on a deal to allow teenage girls to go to secondary school, just a week after the education ministry announced that schools would open for all students.US diplomats had been so optimistic that the Taliban would make good on the promise that a joint event had been planned ahead of this weekend’s Doha Forum…
Cameron Norrie overcame a late wobble to defeat Hugo Gaston and move into the fourth round of the Miami Open. Andy Murray, Dan Evans and Heather Watson all fell on Saturday to leave Norrie as the only British singles representative, but that is a position to which the 26-year-old is becoming accustomed.He is on course to break into the top 10 for the first time next week and was ultimately too strong for talented Frenchman Gaston, winning 6-3, 7-5. Norrie looked set to claim victory more comfortably, recovering from dropping serve in the opening game of the match to move…
Cressida Dick has won a victory after the government agreed to a review of how she came to leave office after a clash with the London mayor, Sadiq Khan.The Home Office is expected to announce it will ask Sir Tom Winsor to examine how Dick came to be ousted as commissioner of the Metropolitan police last month, a government source confirmed.Dick resigned rather than go to a meeting with Khan about the scandals plaguing the Met and attempts to rebuild public confidence. She believed her plans for reforms were good enough, but he did not.The government did not step in…
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was stabbed to death while her children were at school.The victim of the attack in Bethnal Green, east London, has been named as 40-year-old Yasmin Begum, who was from the area. The Metropolitan police said a 40-year-old suspect was detained on Sunday in Stratford and remains in police custody.A postmortem examination carried out on Saturday established the cause of death as multiple sharp force injuries, police said.Officers were called to Globe Road shortly after 4pm on Thursday after school staff raised the alarm when Begum did not arrive…
Property developers in New South Wales are fighting against the introduction of a wide-ranging planning policy aimed at ensuring houses are more energy-efficient and climate-resilient, which one environment group described as “everything you could ever dream about”.Public comment closed last month on the draft Design and Place state environmental planning policy, hailed late last year by the then planning minister Rob Stokes as “NSW’s first comprehensive design policy”. It would offer “an important opportunity to reshape the look and feel of the places we live in”.The policy included pushing for new commercial buildings to be net-zero carbon emissions from “day…
12.49pm EDT 12:49 Max Verstappen is keen to get going: “I’m looking forward to it, we have good top speed, [Ferrari] have good cornering. Let’s see which works best.” The drivers are at the front of the grid for the Saudi national anthem. 12.45pm EDT 12:45 “Question,” writes Kurt Perleberg. “What is porpoising?” Well indeed. I can report that it’s an aerodynamic phenomenon, a bouncing induced by a break in downforce on straights. It has affected all teams going into the new season, with the all-new regulations, but Mercedes seem to have struggled by far the most (though Carlos Sainz…
Kate Middleton dazzles in yellow during Caribbean tourKate Middleton and Prince William’s Royal Tour of the Caribbean came to a close last night with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving back in the UK earlier today. During her time in Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, Kate wore an array of outfits – a mixture of designer labels and high street brands. In total, Kate’s outfits for the week-long tour are said to cost around £35,000. Here’s everything the Duchess wore and how much each item cost. Kate Middleton’s Caribbean wardrobe cost an incredible £35,000 ‘Always looked beautiful!’ (Image: GETTY)Day…
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has sought to reassure Israel and its Gulf allies that Iran will never acquire atomic weapons, ahead of the possible renewal of the nuclear deal with Tehran.“When it comes to the most important element, we see eye to eye,” Blinken said at a news conference on Sunday with Israel’s foreign minister, Yair Lapid. “We are both committed, both determined, that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon.”Blinken’s comments came before a meeting with four Arab foreign ministers at an extraordinary summit hosted by Israel’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett – an event that in…