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European football: Orsolini last-gasp bicycle kick dents Inter’s title charge

  • Bologna shock leaders with stunning ultra-late winner
  • Real Madrid score stoppage time winner against Bilbao

A stunning last-gasp goal by the striker Riccardo Orsolini gave Bologna a 1-0 home win against Inter in Serie A on Sunday in a blow to the visitors’ hopes of retaining their title.

Treble-chasing Inter stayed top of the standings with 71 points after 33 games but second-placed Napoli are now level on points with the leaders after securing a late 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Monza on Saturday.

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© Photograph: Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

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US citizen wrongfully arrested by border patrol in Arizona held for nearly 10 days

Official claimed Jose Hermosillo, who was visiting Arizona, was ‘without the proper immigration documents’

Immigration officials detained a US citizen for nearly 10 days in Arizona, according to court records and press reports.

As the NPR affiliate Arizona Public Media, first reported, 19-year-old Jose Hermosillo, a New Mexico resident visiting Arizona, was detained by border patrol agents in Nogales, a city along the Mexico border about an hour south of Tucson.

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© Photograph: Rebecca Noble/Reuters

© Photograph: Rebecca Noble/Reuters

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Tens of thousands waited more than 24 hours for hospital beds in A&E last year

Patients in England aged 65 or over made up almost 70% of long ‘trolley waits’, with some left for up to 10 days, data reveals

About 49,000 A&E visits last year resulted in patients waiting 24 hours or more for a hospital bed, with people aged 65 or over making up almost 70% of cases.

According to a freedom of information request by the Liberal Democrats, some patients went 10 days before getting a space on a ward.

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© Photograph: PA

© Photograph: PA

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Amy Klobuchar calls on supreme court to hold Trump officials in contempt

Senator warns of US getting ‘closer to a constitutional crisis’ as Samuel Alito’s dissent signals deference to Trump

Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar warned on Sunday that the US is “getting closer and closer to a constitutional crisis”, but the courts, growing Republican disquiet at Trump administration policies, and public protest were holding it off.

“I believe as long as these courts hold, and the constituents hold, and the congress starts standing up, our democracy will hold,” Klobuchar told CNN’s State of the Union, adding “but Donald Trump is trying to pull us down into the sewer of a crisis.”

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© Photograph: Annabelle Gordon/UPI/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Annabelle Gordon/UPI/REX/Shutterstock

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USA hail ‘shock and awe’ win over Canada to seal women’s world ice hockey title

An overtime goal from Tessa Janecke earned the United States a 4-3 win over reigning champions Canada to win gold at the women’s ice hockey world championships on Sunday as the latest chapter in their historic rivalry was decided in dramatic fashion.

“Shock and awe,” USA goalie Gwyneth Philips said after the game. “I’m ecstatic.”

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© Photograph: David W Černý/Reuters

© Photograph: David W Černý/Reuters

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Alexander-Arnold critics ‘ridiculous’ says Slot after Liverpool edge closer

  • Leaders three points from clinching Premier League title
  • Full-back’s winner was first goal for club with his left foot

Arne Slot said it is “ridiculous” to dispute Trent Alexander-Arnold’s commitment to Liverpool after he scored the only goal at Leicester to push his club closer to a 20th league title. The 26-year-old, who is expected to join Real Madrid on a free this summer, fired in his first left-foot goal for his boyhood club on his return from an ankle injury to secure victory and condemn Leicester to relegation.

Alexander-Arnold, who scored within five minutes of replacing Conor Bradley, is poised to join Real on a long-term contract when his Liverpool contract expires. He celebrated at Leicester by removing his shirt and placing it on the corner flag nearest to the away fans, and following the match he soaked up their adulation after Virgil van Dijk ushered him towards them. Alexander-Arnold, who joined Liverpool aged six, has won every domestic trophy with the club, plus the Champions League.

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© Photograph: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock

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‘Sell America’: investors are increasingly avoiding the US – here’s what it means for Australian markets

After decades as a safe haven, Donald Trump’s economic upheaval has some traders looking to put their money elsewhere – and countries looking to decouple their economies

At the same time as Australians are cutting back on plans to visit the US under Donald Trump, a new type of investment strategy designed to avoid America is fast gaining popularity.

The “sell America trade”, an expression that barely existed before Trump spooked markets by unveiling his new tariff regime late on 2 April, is now a common expression among traders and appears regularly in investment notes to explain the day’s price movements.

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© Composite: Guardian

© Composite: Guardian

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Oscar Piastri storms to Saudi Arabian F1 GP win and now leads title race

  • McLaren man’s win catapults him 10pts clear in title race
  • Max Verstappen pays price for first-lap penalty

Maintaining a focus and equilibrium under pressure has always been one of the hallmarks of Formula One’s greatest proponents and Oscar Piastri is demonstrating it with striking assurance for one so young.

His victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, beating the world champion Max Verstappen, was an object lesson in the 24-year-old’s calm and confidence and his potential to take the title in only his third season.

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© Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/Reuters

© Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/Reuters

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Pina inspires Barcelona to emphatic WCL first-leg win against Chelsea

Sonia Bompastor accepted that her Chelsea team had been simply “not good enough” after they were taught a lesson by a technically superior Barcelona side who now hold a commanding position in their Women’s Champions League semi-final.

Chelsea were beaten for only the second time in all competitions since Bompastor took over last summer but in sunny Catalonia they were outclassed by the strongest team they have faced in her tenure so far.

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© Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA

© Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA

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Alexander-Arnold winner puts Liverpool on verge of title and relegates Leicester

A few minutes after Liverpool took potentially their penultimate if not final step towards the title, Virgil van Dijk gave the match-winner a gentle nudge, a little lumbar support.

For a moment Van Dijk’s duty as captain extended to ushering Trent Alexander-Arnold towards the fans who are resigned to him departing for Real Madrid this summer, but only after the club winning a 20th league title. Alexander-Arnold applauded and then clenched both fists overhead, a nod to the incoming crown.

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© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

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Mark Williams outlasts Wu Yize to make World Snooker Championship last 16

  • Welshman comes from behind for 10-8 victory
  • Chris Wakelin beats former champ Neil Robertson 10-8

Mark Williams was forced to dredge up every inch of his Crucible experience to sink rising Chinese star Wu Yize 10-8 and book his place in the last 16 of the World Snooker Championship for the 22nd time in his career.

Williams, who turned 50 last month, delivered two near-faultless final frames to hold off his opponent, who had missed a golden chance to seize a 9-7 advantage when he missed a frame-ball red with the rest.

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© Photograph: Richard Sellers/PA

© Photograph: Richard Sellers/PA

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USA beat Canada in overtime in women’s world ice hockey championship final – as it happened

Tessa Janecke scored the winning goal in overtime as the United States beat Canada to win gold

Canada 0-0 USA, 14:25 left, 1st period: It’s all Canada at the moment. They’ve taken the shots lead 6-3. So far, nothing has troubled Frankel too much, but “let them shoot a lot” is never a good game plan.

Social media alert: USA Hockey and Hockey Canada are both on BlueSky, but neither organization has posted. That’s no fun.

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© Photograph: David W Černý/Reuters

© Photograph: David W Černý/Reuters

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F1: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025 – live

  • Updates from the fifth round of the season (6pm BST)
  • Get in touch! Email Niall with your thoughts

They’re off on the formation lap, through the twists and turns of this narrow street circuit. Lando Norris is starting on hard compound tyres; everyone ahead of him is on mediums.

And here’s pole-sitter and defending champ, Max Verstappen: “It’s going to be a battle with McLaren whatever the tyres or temperature … I hope our pace is a bit better today, a bit more consistency.”

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© Photograph: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters

© Photograph: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters

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Barcelona v Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live

  • WCL latest, 5pm BST kick-off at the Estadi Johan Cruyff
  • Have any thoughts? Send them to Yara via email

The first leg of the second semi-final was contested between Arsenal and Lyon yesterday with Melchie Dumornay scoring an 82nd-minute goal to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are hoping to reach their first Champions League final since they won the competition in 2007 and will have their work cut out for them in France against the eight-time champions.

Bompastor was also just asked about James in her pre-match interview, who misses out due to injury:

A really important player, you know that. She is really talented. One of those players who can make a big difference when she is on the pitch but we need to adapt. She is not with us and I have a lot of quality in the squad so hopefully it will be enough for us to win.

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© Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

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Massachusetts governor calls Trump’s attacks on Harvard ‘bad for science’

Maura Healey says president targeting universities hurts US ‘competitiveness’ and affects research and hospitals

Massachusetts governor Maura Healey said on Sunday that Donald Trump’s attacks on Harvard University and other schools are having detrimental ripple effects, with the shutdown of research labs and cuts to hospitals linked to colleges.

During an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, the Democratic governor said that the effects on Harvard are damaging “American competitiveness”, since a number of researchers are leaving the US for opportunities in other countries. After decades of investment in science and innovation, she said: “intellectual assets are being given away.”

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© Photograph: Nathan Posner/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Nathan Posner/REX/Shutterstock

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The Guardian view on a new deal for travel in Europe: bring back student exchanges | Editorial

The EU is expected to push for special youth visas at next month’s summit. Sir Keir Starmer should say yes

Strong hints that a rebranded “youth opportunity scheme” will top the EU’s wishlist at next month’s EU-UK summit are good news for anyone who regrets the diminished travel opportunities that were one result of Brexit. Rising expectations of new European train routes – possibly including direct trains from London to Italy – can only add to the appeal of a potential rule change.

There were more consequential impacts of Brexit than restrictions on travel. The disruption of trade, which is predicted by the Office for Budget Responsibility to cause a 4% reduction in long-run productivity, is far more significant economically. Drug shortages continue to create risks to people’s health, and cause problems for doctors and pharmacists. Cancer research and trials have also been badly affected, according to a new report, because of the increased difficulty of attracting scientists and funding.

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© Photograph: Chris Ison/PA

© Photograph: Chris Ison/PA

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Senator says trip to El Salvador was to support Kilmar Ábrego García’s due process

Chris Van Hollen says ‘if we deny constitutional rights of this one man, it threatens constitutional rights of everyone’

Senator Chris Van Hollen, who travelled to El Salvador last week to meet Kilmar Ábrego García, the man at the center of a wrongful deportation dispute, said on Sunday that his trip was to support Ábrego García’s right to due process because if that was denied then everyone’s constitutional rights were threatened in the US.

The White House has claimed Ábrego García was a member of the MS-13 gang though he has not been charged with any gang related crimes and the supreme court has ordered his return to the US be facilitated.

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© Photograph: Kenneth K Lam/TNS/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Kenneth K Lam/TNS/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

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NHS cancer patients denied life-saving drugs due to Brexit costs, report finds

Exclusive: Britons found to have ‘lost out’ while rest of Europe benefits from golden age of research and treatments

British cancer patients are being denied life-saving drugs and trials of revolutionary treatments are being derailed by the red tape and extra costs brought on by Brexit, a leaked report warns.

Soaring numbers are being diagnosed with the disease amid a growing and ageing population, improved diagnosis initiatives and wider public awareness – making global collaborations to find new medicines essential.

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© Photograph: Dmitrii Dikushin/Alamy

© Photograph: Dmitrii Dikushin/Alamy

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The Illegals by Shaun Walker review – Russian spies hiding in plain sight

The strange stories of the agents who lived apparently normal lives in the west as part of Soviet espionage programmes make compelling reading

One muggy afternoon in June 2010, Don Heathfield and his wife, Ann, were relaxing over a bottle of champagne with their two sons, Tim and Alex, when they heard a loud knocking at the door. The family was celebrating Tim’s 20th birthday at their comfortable home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after lunch in a restaurant. Tim’s mother went to answer the door, calling out as she did so that some of his friends must have arrived to wish him a happy birthday. Instead she found a group of men dressed in black waiting on the doorstep. Bellowing “FBI”, they barged their way into the house and handcuffed Ann and her husband, before marching them outside and driving them away.

Alex assumed that there had been a terrible mistake; his parents were much too boring to warrant such a dramatic arrest. But there was no mistake. His parents were not Don Heathfield and Ann Foley, prosperous Canadians living in the US, but Andrei Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova, Russian spies who had assumed false identities before Alex and his brother were born. Together with their parents, the two boys were stripped of their Canadian citizenship and flown to Moscow. Alex was handed a Russian passport, identifying him with a name he could not even pronounce properly. “Typical high school identity crisis, right?” he remarks, with a wry smile but an undertone of understandable bitterness, while being interviewed by the author of this book, Shaun Walker, an international correspondent for the Guardian who was based in Moscow for more than 10 years.

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© Photograph: credit Elena Vavilova

© Photograph: credit Elena Vavilova

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Israeli military admits ‘professional failures’ over Gaza paramedic killings

IDF says it is dismissing deputy commander for giving ‘inaccurate report’ on shooting that caused global outcry

Israel’s military has admitted to several “professional failures” and a breach of orders in the killing of 15 rescue workers in Gaza last month, and said that it was dismissing a deputy commander responsible.

The deadly shooting of eight Red Crescent paramedics, six civil defence workers and a UN staffer by Israeli troops, as they carried out a rescue mission in southern Gaza at dawn on 23 March, had prompted international outcry and calls for a war crimes investigation.

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© Photograph: Hatem Khaled/Reuters

© Photograph: Hatem Khaled/Reuters

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Pablo Sarabia stuns Manchester United to extend Wolves’ winning run

The fine tidings for Manchester United are that they are safe from relegation, the grim ones are that this came despite a 15th defeat of a dismal Premier League campaign.

Wolves’ winner was simple: on 77 minutes Pablo Sarabia, on as a substitute only 120 seconds before, placed a 20-yard free-kick sweetly to André Onana’s left, Christian Eriksen having been culpable for the foul.

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© Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

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Leandro Trossard double secures victory for Arsenal at 10-man Ipswich

Mikel Arteta will have spent more arduous Easter Sundays hunting hidden chocolate eggs.

Aside from brief concern for Bukayo Saka’s raked achilles – an incident for which Leif Davis received his very early marching orders – this was as undemanding an afternoon as the Arsenal manager could have envisaged on the path to the more important matter of a Champions League semi‑final with Paris Saint‑Germain.

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© Photograph: David Klein/Reuters

© Photograph: David Klein/Reuters

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Chelsea break Fulham hearts as Pedro Neto completes stunning turnaround

These are the moments that turn seasons. Credit goes to Enzo Maresca, whose substitutions altered the flow of this west London derby and provided Chelsea with the foundations to break Fulham’s hearts with a stunning turnaround at Craven Cottage.

Fulham were clinging on to their 1-0 lead when Maresca took off his only striker, Nicolas Jackson, and replaced him with Tyrique George with 12 minutes left. The 19-year-old winger soon conjured a fine equaliser and there was time for Chelsea, who had not won on the road since December, to revive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League when Pedro Neto lashed in a firecracker of a shot in added time.

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© Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

© Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

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Sarah Palin’s defamation suit retrial against the New York Times raises first amendment concerns

She lost the first trial in 2022, but she gets ‘second bite of the apple’ due to a judge’s procedural errors

When Sarah Palin arrived at a federal court on Monday, her appearance promised little in the way of legal fireworks.

Palin was in downtown Manhattan for a retrial in her defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. She lost her first trial against the newspaper in 2022 and the legal basis of Palin’s civil claim – that an incorrect editorial unlawfully smeared her – remains the same.

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© Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP

© Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP

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Australia’s biggest industrial polluter receives millions in carbon credits despite rising emissions

Safeguard mechanism revamp leads to overall emissions fall but 70% of coal and gas facilities covered by scheme increased direct pollution

Australia’s biggest industrial climate polluter – Chevron’s Gorgon gas export plant in Western Australia – received the equivalent of millions of dollars in carbon credits from the federal government last year, despite increasing its emissions.

The revelation in government data last week has sparked calls for changes to the safeguard mechanism, the government policy applied to the country’s 219 largest industrial climate polluting facilities.

Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email

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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

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Gina: The first-born son – episode 4 - podcast

Twenty years ago, John Hancock had dinner with his mother, Gina Rinehart. He says it’s the last positive interaction he had with her. In an in-depth interview, he explains how his relationship with his mother fell apart and discusses a high-stakes legal case that could threaten the foundations of her empire

Inside the bitter billion-dollar feud tearing Gina Rinehart’s family apart

• How rich is Gina Rinehart, and how much will she earn in the time it takes to read this article?

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© Illustration: Sam Kerr/The Guardian

© Illustration: Sam Kerr/The Guardian

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The kindness of strangers: the petrol station worker paid for my fuel and saved my date

When my card declined, I looked out at my new girlfriend and felt utter panic. Back then, $20 felt like a huge amount of money

I was temporarily living in my home town of Wangaratta while caring for my grandmother, who had dementia. I got weekends off and on one of those occasions I met a girl called Marie. During that lovely early period of a new relationship where you’re still getting to know each other, I took her camping at Mount Buffalo in Victoria.

On the way home we stopped in Myrtleford, a small town at the foot of the mountain, to get petrol. I fuelled up and Marie stayed in the car while I went inside to pay.

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© Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian design/Alamy

© Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian design/Alamy

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JD Vance granted lightning audience with Pope Francis in Vatican

US vice-president spends few minutes with pontiff whom he has publicly disagreed with over migration

Pope Francis and JD Vance, who have disagreed very publicly over the Trump administration’s attitude to immigration and its migrant deportation plans, met briefly in Rome on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings.

The meeting came a day after the US vice-president, who converted to Roman Catholicism in 2019, sat down with senior Vatican officials and had “an exchange of opinions” over international conflicts and immigration.

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© Photograph: Vatican Media/AP

© Photograph: Vatican Media/AP

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Leicester 0-1 Liverpool: Premier League – live reaction as Foxes relegated

Ian Copestake emails: “All this talk of one-sidedness makes it feel like Liverpool are playing Wimbledon again in a certain fina of yore.. It also shows that people follow narratives rather than watch games as playing bottom feeders is exactly the sort of opponent Liverpool struggle against. You’ve been warned.”

I’ve watched enough Leicester this season …

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© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

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Trump draft order calls for drastic restructure of state department

If enacted changes would be one of the biggest reorganizations of department since its founding in 1789

A draft Trump administration executive order reported to be circulating among US diplomats proposes a radical restructuring of the US state department, including drastic reductions to sub-Saharan operations, envoys and bureaus relating to climate, refugees, human rights, democracy and gender equality.

The changes, if enacted, would be one of the biggest reorganizations of the department since its founding in 1789, according to Bloomberg, which had seen a copy of the 16-page draft. The New York Times first reported on the draft.

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© Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

© Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

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Zelenskyy accuses Russia of violating Putin’s Easter ceasefire 2,000 times

Ukrainian president dismisses move as ‘PR’ amid reports of strikes, while Moscow also claims breaches by Kyiv

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Vladimir Putin’s Easter ceasefire as a fake “PR” exercise and said Russian troops had continued their drone and artillery attacks across many parts of the frontline.

Citing a report from Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelenskyy said Russia was still using heavy weapons and since 10am on Sunday an increase in Russian shelling had been observed.

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© Photograph: Andriy Andriyenko/AP

© Photograph: Andriy Andriyenko/AP

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Views of TikTok posts with electronic music outgrow those using indie

Videos tagged #ElectronicMusic attracted more than 13bn views worldwide last year, an increase of 45% on 2023

It is another example of the parallel worlds in the music industry. The Gallagher brothers may be taking over the world’s stadiums this summer, but over on TikTok users are moving to a different beat.

Views of posts using electronic music as a soundtrack, including techno and house, outgrew those tagged for indie and alternative for the first time in 2024, according to the social media app.

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© Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA

© Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA

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RFK’s statements prove autistic people and their families everywhere should fear Trump and his allies | John Harris

The idea that autism is some aberration that can be cured is typical of a movement that celebrates simplistic thinking and loathes human difference

In the recent past, Robert F Kennedy Jr has said that Donald Trump is “a terrible human being” and “probably a sociopath”. But in the US’s new age of irrationalism and chaos, these two men are now of one voice, pursuing a strand of Trumpist politics that sometimes feels strangely overlooked. With Trump once again in the White House and Kennedy ensconced as his health and human services secretary, what they are jointly leading is becoming clearer by the day: a war on science and knowledge that aims to replace them with the modern superstitions of conspiracy theory.

Nearly 2,000 members of the US’s National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have warned of “slashing funding for scientific agencies, terminating grants to scientists, defunding their laboratories, and hampering international scientific collaboration”. Even work on cancer is now under threat. But if you want to really understand the Trump regime’s monstrousness, consider where Kennedy and a gang of acolytes are heading on an issue that goes to the heart of millions of lives: autism.

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© Photograph: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

© Photograph: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

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‘Last chance saloon’: the scramble to save Dorset’s vanishing Purbeck puffins

Numbers have plummeted in recent years, but the problem is no one really knows why nesting pairs fail to rear young

Reaching the vantage point is a tricky business.

First, there’s a hop across a fence into Scratch Arse quarry – the stone workers used to find it such a cramped space to work in that their backsides would bump into the rock face. Then, a tiptoe through the slopes of early spider orchids and wild cabbage before a dizzying scramble down to the edge of the cliff.

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© Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

© Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

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Missouri State star Todric McGee dies after suspected accidental shooting

  • Police found 21-year-old at home after wellness check
  • Safety was a decorated high school player in Kansas

Missouri State safety Todric McGee has died at the age of 21 after what has been described as a possible accidental shooting.

A Springfield Police Department spokesperson said officers had gone to McGee’s home for a wellness check on Friday morning after receiving a call. They found McGee, who they believe had suffered a “possible accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound”. He was taken to a local hospital but died from his injuries.

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© Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP

© Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP

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I told a truly weird lie on a first date 30 years ago – and it worked out surprisingly well | Emma Beddington

A new E4 dating show brings the lies we tell while dating into the spotlight. But is bending the truth always a bad thing when looking for love?

In 1994, I went on a date. I had just arrived in a new country and I liked the guy: he seemed funny and confident. He took me to a hardware store (weird, but not a dealbreaker) and then for a Tex-Mex meal during which, at some point, I told him I drove a Land Rover.

It was a truly weird, dumb, lie – I knew nothing about cars and cared even less. Maybe I thought it made me sound grown up, tougher and more capable than I was, or maybe the margaritas went to my head? I’m sure I told him other lies (I remember giving the impression that I enjoyed clubbing), but that one was memorably stupid.

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© Photograph: Channel 4

© Photograph: Channel 4

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Are there more pips in lemons than there used to be?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

Are there more pips in lemons than their used to be? That’s definitely my impression. What’s going on? Andrea Wilson, Manchester

Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday.

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© Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

© Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

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‘Their pursuits are the cigar and the siesta’: how two centuries of British writers helped forge our view of Spain

Laurie Lee and Robert Graves among ‘English-speaking Quixotes’ in new book celebrating literary love for all things Spanish

Almost 200 years ago, the pioneering British travel writer Richard Ford offered an observation that has been happily ignored by the legions of authors who have traipsed in his dusty footsteps across Spain, toting notebooks, the odd violin or Bible, and, of course, their own particular prejudices.

“Nothing causes more pain to Spaniards”, Ford noted in his 1845 Handbook for Travellers in Spain, “than to see volume after volume written by foreigners about their country.”

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© Photograph: David Bagnall/Alamy

© Photograph: David Bagnall/Alamy

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