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Louisiana is preparing to carry out its first execution in 15 years using a gassing method that is banned under the state’s own laws for euthanizing cats and dogs. Barring a last-minute intervention by the US supreme court, Jessie Hoffman, 46, is scheduled to die by nitrogen gas on Tuesday at Louisiana state penitentiary, commonly … Read more

Nearly half of all year 6 students are falling below Australian swimming and water safety benchmarks for their age group and their swimming skills are not improving in high school, new research shows. National guidelines recommend all Australians “should be able to float or tread water for two minutes and swim continuously for 50 metres” … Read more

AstraZeneca has struck a $1bn (£773m) deal to buy a Belgian biotech company that specialises in cancer immunotherapies, the latest in a string of acquisitions that also yielded positive results for a late-stage rare disease drug on Monday. EsoBiotec, a small privately held firm, develops in-vivo CAR-T cell therapies that empower the immune system to … Read more

In the strange, scary days of early 2020, with the world suddenly upended by the outbreak of a terrifying new virus, there were times when it seemed certain every aspect of society would be hugely altered by the experience. Five years on, the physical impact has been profound. More than 220,000 people have died in … Read more

Hungary’s ruling coalition is continuing its crackdown on the country’s LGBTQ+ community, as members submitted a bill to parliament that would ban the popular Budapest Pride event and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify people attending. The bill, presented on Monday, is almost certain to pass as the coalition has a two-thirds … Read more

Donald Trump claimed on Monday that pardons signed by Joe Biden were “void, vacant and of no further force and effect” because they were signed with an autopen. In a post to his social media platform, Trump used his abusive nickname for Biden and referred to members of the House January 6 committee when he … Read more

Dag Solstad, a towering figure of Norwegian letters admired by literary greats around the world, has died aged 83. Known for prose combining existential despair, political subjects and a droll sense of humour, Solstad won the Norwegian critics prize for literature an unprecedented three times. A perennial contender for the Nobel prize in literature, Solstad … Read more

Good morning. The Kremlin has confirmed that Vladimir Putin will talk to Donald Trump by phone tomorrow about the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks. As Washington gears up for the call, European leaders are scrambling to prepare for what comes next, fearing unpredictable and controversial concessions from the US president. EU foreign ministers are meeting this morning … Read more

The court of appeal has upheld Thames Water’s £3bn emergency bailout loan, in a decision published on Monday. Appeal court judges dismissed an appeal from environmental campaigners and a small group of Thames creditors after a three-day hearing last week. Both groups argued that the “eye-watering” costs of the £3bn emergency loan, at interest rates … Read more

Lucy Letby has called for the public inquiry into her crimes to be halted, arguing there was now “overwhelming and compelling” evidence undermining her baby murder convictions. Lawyers for the former nurse took the extraordinary step of writing to Lady Justice Thirlwall on Monday to say that the inquiry – which is due to end … Read more