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Exclusive: Mitchell Palmer has also argued for privatising the NHS and immigration as way of cutting poverty Reform UK’s new economic adviser has previously called the pensions triple lock unsustainable, advocated privatising the NHS and welcomed migration as a poverty alleviation tool, the Guardian can reveal.Robert Jenrick, Reform’s economic spokesperson, has appointed Mitchell Palmer, a rightwing economist at the free-market Adam Smith Institute, as one of his key aides. Continue reading...

• Indian authorities blocked the release of a biopic about activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, which aimed to expose real-life police abuses. • In response to the censorship, local villagers and activists launched a grassroots movement to ensure the film's message reached the public. • The incident highlights the tension between state control and freedom of expression regarding human rights violations in India.

Sale of one of UK’s top collections overseas prompts call new rules to help keep items in countryOne of UK’s best fossil collections sold in ‘loss to the nation’An MP has called on ministers to change export controls so that significant fossils can be classed as national treasures after one of the UK’s best collections, unearthed on Dorset beaches, was sold overseas.Last week, a Guardian investigation revealed that an unparalleled collection of fossils from the UK’s Jurassic Coast, comprising hundreds of specimens including ichthyosaurs, had been sold to the Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi for what one source described as an “eight-figure sum”. Continue reading...

Constitutional council says curbs infringe freedom of expression and privacy as president vows to rework legislationFrance’s top court has blocked a ban on social media access for under-15s, ruling that it infringed freedom of expression and privacy.The decision is a blow to President Emmanuel Macron as momentum builds around the world for Australian-style restrictions on children’s use of social media. Continue reading...

CEO announces measures after reports that system is used to target immigrants or people seeking out-of-state abortionsFor nearly a decade, the company Flock Safety has gradually built out a network of cameras across the US that allows law enforcement to conduct about 20bn license plate scans every month.In that time, the company had largely left the decision to turn on safety measures up to its customers. Many of those organizations did not turn them on. Continue reading...

• A 26-kilogram plastic radiation-shielding vest was successfully tested on a model human torso during the uncrewed Artemis I mission. • The garment is designed to block harmful radiation exposure, specifically protecting astronauts from the dangers of solar storms during deep-space travel. • This development is critical for long-term lunar and Martian missions, where crew members lack the Earth's protective magnetic field.

Republican lawmakers express concern after US defense secretary repeatedly excluded Democrats from briefingsUS politics live – latest updatesRepublican senators have criticized the Pentagon for locking Democrats out of classified briefings on defense spending, warning that Pete Hegseth’s approach could jeopardize passage of Donald Trump’s record $1.5tn military budget increase.The US defense secretary has made at least two trips to Capitol Hill in recent weeks to pitch the budget, but has repeatedly excluded Democrats from the closed-door sessions, according to lawmakers from both parties. Continue reading...