Coroner condemns ‘inhumane’ imprisonment for public protection sentences that have no end date for releaseA senior coroner has condemned the “inhumane” and “indefensible” treatment of a man who killed himself 17 years into an indefinite prison sentence. Tom Osborne, the senior coroner for Milton Keynes, said Scott Rider had given up all hope of release...

Public disapproval mounts for South Dakota governor and vice-presidential hopeful whose book contains gruesome accountKristi Noem, the South Dakota governor and Republican vice-presidential hopeful, saw polling numbers plummet after the Guardian revealed that she writes in a new book about the day she shot dead a hunting dog and an un-castrated goat,...

Victorian premier backs government’s decision not to undertake another royal commission into gender-based violence. Follow the day’s news liveGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastDai Le says funding for domestic violence prevention more important than a royal commissionAsked about social media platform Twitter and...

Rumours of an early election, despite Labour’s lead in opinion polls, being used to keep unruly Conservative MPs in checkSenior Tories believe the threat of a summer general election is being used by Downing Street to deter a rebellion against Rishi Sunak’s leadership, before a perilous set of local elections this week.Westminster has been abuzz with...

New laws would increase maximum penalties for people who drive dangerously, evade police and cause death or grievous bodily harmFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastPeople who drive dangerously, evade police and cause death or grievous bodily harm could face 20...

Despite talk of a Nobel peace prize, Japan’s leader is facing a backlash among voters as key byelection approachesIn the past fortnight Fumio Kishida has been mentioned as a possible recipient of the Nobel peace prize and praised for a speech to congress in which he urged the US not to retreat into isolation.But since his return to Tokyo after a successful...