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Exclusive: Metrics reflect gross addition to supply, even as unit blocks in affluent Sydney suburbs are being replaced by luxury single properties

Band say unexpected win is testimony to good, special people putting time and effort' into helping young people to play musicThe 2023 Mercury prize has been awarded to Ezra Collective, the London band whose propulsive blend of jazz, funk and Afrobeat has electrified audiences and cemented the capital's jazz scene as one of the world's most exciting.We met in a youth club," said drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso on accepting the award for the year's best British or Irish album for Where I'm Meant to Be, the band's second release. This moment we're celebrating right here is testimony to good, special people putting time and effort into [helping] young people to play music ... let's continue to support that," he added, citing grassroots collectives in London such as Tomorrow's Warriors and Kinetika Bloco. Continue reading...

The suspect, 19, has been held on suspicion of two counts of grievous bodily harm after two men were stabbed in Clapham on 13 AugustA 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a homophobic attack outside a nightclub in south London in which two men were stabbed, police have said.Two men were taken to hospital after the incident in Clapham on 13 August. They have since been discharged. Continue reading...

Campaigners say many facilities and medical workers are likely to deny access since procedure is banned in many local jurisdictionsHuman rights activists in Mexico have welcomed a historic ruling by the country's supreme court that decriminalized abortion, but warned that the historic decision will not automatically make terminations accessible for all Mexican women.Wednesday's unanimous decision stripped away federal criminal penalties related to abortions - but not the many local laws banning the procedure, which remain on the books in 20 of Mexico's 32 states. Continue reading...

Lack of confirmed sightings a little unusual', says head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism CommandAn investigation is under way into why a former soldier accused of terrorism who is now on the run was held in a lower-security prison, Michelle Donelan, the science secretary, said. She added that the government's top priority" was tracking down Daniel Khalife, who absconded from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning by clinging to the bottom of a delivery van, the Guardian's Aubrey Allegretti reports.The Labour MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, when talking to Nick Ferrari from LBC about the prisoner escape at Wandsworth prison, has said the government sat on their hands". She also claimed that she had raised concerns about conditions and staffing levels in the prison many, many months ago".Speaking to Sky news, the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, says there were grave questions" about how Khalife, who was awaiting trial for terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences, was able to escape prison.Responding to Khalife's escape, the Prison Officers Association (POA), has highlighted staffing shortages and budget cuts. Mark Fairhurst, the POA national chair, said: Wandsworth is one of the largest prisons in the country and is overcrowded and under resourced. The chronic staffing shortages and lack of adequate training for staff highlight the need for an urgent review of how our prisons are run. We await the results of an internal investigation so we may ensure this is not repeated."Earlier, the technology secretary, Michelle Donelan, said it wasn't helpful to draw a link between over-capacity, understaffing, and the prison escape until there had been a thorough investigation". She told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme: We can't say why this happened until we've got the results of that investigation. I don't think it's helpful to get into a hypothetical of what was the cause, or what allowed this individual to evade the system and manage to escape."Responding to Daniel Abed Khalife's escape, the Prison Officers Association (POA), has highlighted staffing shortages and budget cuts.Wandsworth is one of the largest prisons in the country and is overcrowded and under resourced. The chronic staffing shortages and lack of adequate training for staff highlight the need for an urgent review of how our prisons are run. We await the results of an internal investigation so we may ensure this is not repeated.No one ever wants to see an escape from prison but since 2010 this union has been on record as saying cuts have consequences. You cannot take out 900m from the budget with reduced staffing levels up and down the country and expect the Prison Service to operate as if nothing has happened. Government needs to take responsibility for the decimation of the Prison Service with less staff and more prisoners and Wandsworth is a typical example of what life is like for serving prison officers operating in a stressful and violent workplace with inadequate staff levels caring for over 1600 prisoners at that establishment. Continue reading...

Julian Kelly discusses structurally unsound hospitals during evidence to Commons public accounts committeeSome hospitals are so dilapidated that they regularly have to shut wards and operating theatres to safeguard patients' safety, a senior NHS boss has admitted.Julian Kelly, NHS England's deputy chief executive, made the statement when giving evidence to the House of Commons public accounts committee on Thursday. Continue reading...

Labour MP Stella Creasy also vying for role that became vacant when former chair Chris Bryant was given shadow cabinet roleHarriet Harman has emerged as the frontrunner to take over the vacant chair of parliament's standards watchdog, with the only other declared candidate so far being fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy.The role is vacant after the appointment to the shadow cabinet of Chris Bryant, who used his resignation letter to express concerns that there were still too many organisations regulating MPs' conduct. Continue reading...

Nearly 50 GMB members at the Ayrshire missiles factory will stop work from Monday as union chiefs accuse MoD of holding talks in bad faith'Workers at a British weapons plant that supplies missiles to Ukraine are to stage a two-week strike after accusing the Ministry of Defence of breaking a pledge to hold meaningful pay talks.The GMB trade union said on Thursday that nearly 50 staff who handle Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles assembled at an MoD munitions plant at Beith in Ayrshire would go on strike from Monday. Continue reading...

Shami Chakrabarti urges home secretary to address lack of safeguards around undercover operations after latest revelationsA prominent Labour peer has condemned the alleged cover-up of an undercover police officer's 19-year relationship with a woman he deceived using his fake identity.Shami Chakrabarti, the Labour peer and former shadow attorney general for England and Wales, is calling on the home secretary to address the lack of safeguards around undercover operations after the latest revelations. Continue reading...

Crumbling buildings, a lack of space inside them and the high turnover of staff paint a picture of the parlous state of the prisons serviceWhile the sheer extent of decrepitude in the nation's schools uncovered by the crisis over aerated concrete might have been an eye-opener to some policymakers, a story that highlights the parlous state of the prisons service will have surprised almost no one.There are two main problems with prisons, which while interlinked are not entirely down to the same causes: the crumbling state of the prisons themselves, and the lack of space inside them. Continue reading...

Decision comes after decade-long campaign by ex-patients of neurosurgeon responsible for about 100 botched procedures

Former police admit sending grossly offensive messages, including about the Duchess of SussexFive former Metropolitan police officers have pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court to sending grossly offensive racist messages on WhatsApp, including about the Duchess of Sussex.They entered their guilty pleas at Westminster magistrates court on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading...

Startup bank's deals range from 6.5% to 7.5%, comparable with two-year fixes at the moment'A new UK mortgage lender is launching home loans that allow people to fix their rate for up to 30 years. It may also let them borrow more money than standard deals.Perenna claimed that by giving people certainty over what they pay for up to three decades, its deals would free borrowers from the interest rate turmoil that has caused many people to be hit with dramatically highermortgage costs this year. Continue reading...

Competition regulator fears fewer independent practices mean pet owners have less chance to shop aroundThe competition regulator is taking aim at the UK's 2bn veterinary industry, amid fears that a surge in chain-owned surgeries may be leaving pet owners with dwindling choice and eye-watering" bills.The review by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is part of efforts to protect the 17 million households who now own a pet in the UK - a figure that jumped significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic.Annual dog vaccinations: 70X-rays: 395Cat neutering/spaying: 95-175Dog neutering/spaying: 195-295Gastroenteritis: 592Diabetes: 186Lameness: 966Seizures: 656Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS): 1,686 Continue reading...

Nottinghamshire force says it is preparing criminal investigationNottinghamshire police have announced they are launching a criminal investigation into maternity failings at Nottingham university hospitals (NUH) NHS trust, after hundreds families raised concerns to an independent review.In January the trust was fined a record 800,000 after admitting to failings in the care of a woman and her baby, who died minutes after being born. Continue reading...

Two entries in official Spanish dictionary are rooted in centuries-old prejudice, say campaignersMore than 20 Jewish groups from Spanish-speaking countries and beyond have written to Spain's leading linguistic authority asking it to remove antisemitic definitions from its dictionary that describe a judio (Jew) as a greedy or money-lending person" and the related term judiada as a synonym for dirty trick".In a letter to the 300-year-old Spanish Royal Academy (RAE), which chronicles and oversees the evolution of the Spanish language, the groups urge the institution to rethink the two entries in its official Dictionary of the Spanish Language on the grounds that they are outdated, utterly antisemitic" and contrary to the Spanish constitution. Continue reading...

MP says he has made arrangements to resign after panel decision on suspension for groping men, triggering byelection in TamworthThe former Conservative MP Chris Pincher has said he will quit the House of Commons, triggering a byelection in what was previously considered the safe seat of Tamworth in Staffordshire.Days after he lost an appeal against an eight-week suspension from parliament for groping two men at a private member's club last summer, the former deputy chief whip said he wanted to put an end to his constituents' uncertainty. Continue reading...

Arrests come after video on social media appears to show a warden being punched and a man attempting to knee another in faceThree men have been arrested after two traffic wardens were subjected to a nasty assault" while carrying out their duties in Birmingham.West Midlands police said three men, aged 31, 23 and 20, had been held on suspicion of assault and remained in police custody. Continue reading...

Partner of conductor who died in Aberdeenshire with driver and passenger says her life has been turned upside downThe partner of a train conductor killed in a fatal derailment near Stonehaven said the crash turned her life upside down", after Network Rail admitted in court it was to blame for a series of failures over the crash.Trish Ewen, 59, was speaking after Network Rail said on Thursday acknowledged a series of failures that led to the high-speed train crashing in August 2020 into a landslide, killing three people including her partner, Donald Dinnie. Continue reading...

Rocker's illness prompts third round of postponements this year, after concerts in March and August were affectedBruce Springsteen has postponed all September concerts as the singer is treated for peptic ulcer.A statement on his Instagram account said the decision of his medical advisers is that he should postpone the remainder of his September shows" due to the stomach ailment. Continue reading...

Watchdog alleges US-based site misled consumers about pricing, renewal and duration of memberships

Campaigners tell MPs more than 1m households missed out on government support for billsThe number of excess winter deaths in Great Britain caused by living in a cold, damp home climbed by about a half last winter after more than 1 million vulnerable households missed out on government energy bill support, MPs have heard.Fuel poverty campaigners told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that despite relatively mild weather, the number of excess winter deaths had climbed to 4,706, up from 3,186 a year earlier, as a result of the energy cost crisis. Continue reading...

More than 60 cities battered by storm since Monday night as more heavy rains expected but sparing worst-hit areasAn extratropical cyclone in southern Brazil has caused floods in several cities, killing at least 31 people and leaving more than 1,600 homeless.More than 60 cities have been battered by the storm since Monday night, and Rio Grande do Sul's governor, Eduardo Leite, said the death toll was the state's highest due to a climate event. Continue reading...

Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, escapes HMP Wandsworth where he awaited trial for alleged terrorism and Official Secrets Act offencesA suspect accused of terrorism offences has escaped Wandsworth prison in south London and is on the run, sparking a police appeal for the public to help find him.Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, a serving member of the British army, is believed to have absconded from the Victorian-era prison at around 7.50am on Wednesday wearing a white T-shirt, red and white checked trousers and brown steel-toecap boots. Continue reading...

Couple had a daughter, Willa, in 2020, and last year had another daughter whose name they have not made publicJoe Jonas filed for divorce from Sophie Turner on Tuesday after four years of marriage and two children.The 34-year-old Jonas Brothers singer filed to end his marriage with the 27-year-old star of Game of Thrones in Florida's Miami-Dade county court. Continue reading...

Facing questions from Coalition, transport minister also says she spoke to Qantas before ruling but to her recollection it was on an unrelated matter

Rumors and fake posts about an Ebola outbreak posted on TikTok and Twitter led to a rapid spread of misinformationRumors of an Ebola outbreak at the Burning Man festival spread like wildfire over the weekend with social media users posting fake health advisories, flight data and conspiracy theories to TikTok and Twitter, Forbes reported. Though the rumors have been debunked, their rapid spread is another example of the dangers of online misinformation, particularly on Twitter.The rumor mill got up and running on Saturday when two Twitter users - one with a verified" account - posted a fake screenshot from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Twitter account that said that an outbreak had been confirmed at the festival and that Burning Man attendees should shelter in place. Tweeted and Deleted; Apparently there's a fucking Ebola outbreak at Burning Man right now," the verified user captioned the screenshot. Continue reading...

US senate leaders express support for Ukraine; Russia closes airport amid Ukraine drone attack Continue reading...

Carlton, Essendon, Richmond and St Kilda continue to profit from pokies, drawing criticism from fans and gambling reform advocates

Anthony Albanese will launch strategy amid intense debate over decision to block Qatar Airways' request for further flights to Australia

Woman and two children died in collision involving two cars and a doubledecker bus on SundayA woman and two children who died in a collision involving two cars and a doubledecker bus have been identified as members of a Ukrainian family living in North Yorkshire.Daria Bartienieva, 35, her son, Ihor Bartienieva, six, and stepdaughter, Anastasiia Bartienieva, 15, were killed in the collision on the A61 on Sunday, police said. Continue reading...

Those with history of self-harm could face penalties if they do not seek work after change in categorisationPeople deemed unable to work - including those with a history of self-harm or at risk of killing themselves - could have their benefits reduced and face penalties under new government plans.Under the proposals, which aim to make it harder for people who are long-term sick to claim benefits, ministers are hoping to reduce the number of people deemed unable to work at all as part of wider plans announced in the spring back to work" budget. Continue reading...

FoI documents show Michael Cassel was on first-name terms with Walker Corp CEO and pushed for meetings on his behalf

Matthew Rycroft had been drinking all day before crashing car and trying to cross motorway with autistic son, CallumA father has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after his 12-year-old son was killed by a car on the motorway last month.Callum Rycroft paid the ultimate price" on 5 August when attempting to cross the motorway after a crash caused by his father Matthew Rycroft, 36, who had been drinking all day. Continue reading...

Hollywood strikes have deprived festival of glamour but not debate, while focus switched to varyingly controversial directorsFrom Elizabeth Taylor lounging barefoot on the beach and Marlon Brando catching a water taxi to Brigitte Bardot frolicking on a green lawn, the Venice film festival has always been synonymous with celebrity and glamour.But with dual strikes by the writers and actors guilds forcing a Hollywood shutdown, and actors prohibited from promoting studio films during labour action, this year's edition of the world's oldest film festival was always going to be different. Venice without the stars, the Italians can contend, is like a spritz without the fizz. Continue reading...

Judges call for alternative framework to marriage in partial victory for city's LGBTQ+ communityHong Kong must provide an alternative to marriage in order to legally recognise the rights of same-sex couples, the city's highest court has declared, opening the way for civil unions.However, it rejected appeals against current laws that restrict marriage to heterosexual couples and refuse to recognise overseas same-sex marriages, despite majority support among the population. Continue reading...

Poundland, Home Bargains and The Range also in talks to snap up some of stricken retailer's outletsThe discount chain B&M has struck a deal to buy 51 Wilko stores for up to 13m as the stricken retailer's administrators rush to seal last-minute deals with the fate of thousands of jobs hanging in the balance.B&M, one of the UK's most successful discount retailers with a market value of 5bn and 1,100 outlets nationwide and in France, said it will acquire up to 51" Wilko sites for a maximum aggregate consideration" of 13m. Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un's grandfather founded North Korea with the backing of the Soviet Union, and was heavily reliant on its aid for decadesAfter years of backing UN sanctions targeting North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, Russia is now reaching out to its neighbour for help. The war in Ukraine has forced the Kremlin to reassess its relationship with Pyongyang as it seeks to secure weapons to replace its own depleted stocks.A possible meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un later this month in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok would add geopolitical substance to the symbolic meeting of minds that has unfolded between the leaders of the pariah states over 18 months of fighting in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Terry Gou, who entered the race last week, said the island's demographic crisis could be solved by giving expectant parents a cat or dogA billionaire presidential hopeful in Taiwan has proposed boosting the plummeting birthrate by offering couples free pets if they have a baby.Terry Gou, the founder of Apple-supplier Foxconn, announced his intention to seek the presidency as an independent candidate last week. Continue reading...

The Murdoch broadsheet breached three standards in the article, which caused unnecessary distress and was not in the public interest, body says

Mother of girl who died after hospital failed to admit her to intensive care says policy would make it easier for patients and families to seek advice from senior doctorMinisters are considering introducing Martha's rule in England to make it easier for patients and their families who believe their concerns are not being taken seriously by medical staff to get a second medical opinion.Steve Barclay, the health secretary, said a similar measure enforced in Australia had been shown to have saved lives. He said officials had been tasked with looking into such initiatives could improve patient safety here in the UK". Continue reading...

PM accused of cutting back repair efforts when he was chancellor, as education secretary apologises for claim colleagues failed to actThe school buildings crisis is threatening to engulf Downing Street, with Rishi Sunak accused of slashing the budget for repairs while his education secretary was caught claiming colleagues had done nothing to stop it.As pupils began returning to schools around England on Monday - or in some cases took lessons from home or in temporary classrooms - the prime minister faced claims he failed to grasp the gravity of the situation as chancellor. Continue reading...

Opposition politicians claim that voters faced widespread intimidation in election won by Zimbabwe's presidentEmmerson Mnangagwa has promised to give Zimbabweans a better life after he was sworn in as the country's president for a second term following a vote that the opposition has claimed was stolen.The lives of our people should be improved, nothing less," Mnangagwa told thousands of supporters at the National Sports stadium in Harare, and called for peace and tolerance from political opponents. Continue reading...

Simon Byrne resigns as head of PSNI after data breaches and unlawful disciplining of two junior officers

Exclusive: Commission including former ministers voices concern at lack of urgency from two main parties over scale of povertyThe collapse of the UK's social contract is leaving millions of low-income families surviving not living" and forced to endure unacceptable levels of poverty, according to an independent cross-party report.The Poverty Strategy Commission, which seeks to forge a new national political consensus on reducing poverty, and which includes former ministers from the three main parties, says poverty levels are too high and hardship is becoming more extreme. It warns a more of the same" approach to poverty in the future will fail. Continue reading...

Education secretary caught on camera claiming government has gone over and above' in addressing concerns about Raac in schools

Ministers have not yet published a list of affected schools but PA Media has listed a number of those thought to have been told to fully or partly close

Open letter backs student-led campaign for vegan catering to fight climate crisisMore than 650 academics have called on British universities to commit to 100% plant-based catering to fight the climate crisis, saying that the institutions have for centuries, been shining lights of intellectual, moral, and scientific progress".The open letter, organised by the student-led Plant-Based Universities campaign, likened the move to meat-free food to the fossil fuel divestment to which 101 UK universities have already committed. Continue reading...

More than 5,500 trains due to serve West Yorkshire town in 2023 were cancelled, BBC research findsRail passengers travelling to and from Huddersfield station have been the most likely to see their plans thwarted by cancellations, according to an analysis of Great Britain's trains.More than 5,500 trains due to serve the West Yorkshire town in 2023 were cancelled, about one in eight services, research for the BBC has found. Continue reading...

All Star singer also suffered from heart and neurological conditions in recent years, and retired in 2021Steve Harwell, the US singer with late-90s pop successes Smash Mouth, has been transferred to hospice care amid a struggle with liver disease.His manager Robert Hayes told various US news outlets of the news, saying: Although Steve is here with us still, sadly it will only be for a short time." He told USA Today that Harwell is resting at home" and being cared for by his fiancee and hospice care". Continue reading...