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More knowledge needed about whether vaping is a ‘stepping stone’ to smoking and to raise awareness of harmful effects among youth, premier says

Broadcaster admits output will be limited, including much reduced Match of the Day, after presenters’ show of solidarity

‘Barbaric’ to take away exam chance after all teenage refugees have overcome, headteacher saysTwo 16-year-old Afghan refugee girls will not be able to sit their GCSEs because the Home Office is moving them out of London weeks before their exams without guaranteed school places, their “heartbroken” headteacher has told the Observer.Fulham Cross Girls School, an academy in London, enrolled 15 Afghan girls who were evacuated to the UK when the Taliban took power in 2021. They have been living in bridging accommodation in a hotel for a year and a half, but all the families were notified last week that they would be moved out of London at the end of March. Continue reading...

Gunman was given a firearms permit despite several psychological red flagsGun laws in Germany, where weapon ownership is among the highest in Europe, could be further tightened after last week’s mass shooting in which seven people, including an unborn child, were killed in a Jehovah’s Witness hall in Hamburg.The attack has thrown up the perennial question of whether the various parts of the country’s federal system are working together, and strengthened the hand of those in the governing coalition who are seeking stronger gun controls. Continue reading...

Hospital chiefs urge BMA and health department to talk over weekend to avert strike set to begin on MondayNext week’s three-day strike by junior doctors in England will threaten patients’ safety and exacerbate the NHS’s staffing crisis, hospital bosses warned.They aired their fears hours after last-ditch talks between the British Medical Association (BMA) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on Friday night failed to avert the stoppage, which will start on Monday and continue until Wednesday and cause massive disruption. Continue reading...

Labour leader says he wants to give UK nations and communities the power to control their destinyKeir Starmer has called for more devolution in his address to the Welsh Labour conference.In a keynote speech at the gathering in Llandudno, the Labour leader said it was time to use the spirit of devolution to “transform Britain, give the communities and great nations of this country the powers they need to control their destiny”. Continue reading...

Some advisers and civil servants speaking to the Guardian say an ‘anti-lockdown filter’ has been placed on eventsThe mass leaking of thousands of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages have laid bare in the starkest terms the extent of the divisions inside the cabinet and among advisers and civil servants handling the deadliest pandemic in modern times.But some who worked in Number 10 and across Whitehall, as well as bereaved families, have been angered by what they see as a rewriting of history by some cabinet ministers and by the framing of some of Hancock’s texts. Continue reading...

Shadow education secretary to announce policy aimed at giving parents more information than Ofsted’s current systemSchool ratings such as outstanding and inadequate would be scrapped in England under a Labour government and replaced with a “report card” aimed at helping parents, the shadow education secretary is to announce.Bridget Phillipson will tell a headteachers’ conference in Birmingham on Saturday that Ofsted’s current system of ratings “is high stakes for staff but low information for parents” because it fails to convey important details about a school’s strengths and weaknesses. Continue reading...

By plugging gaps in their national insurance record, some people can increase their entitlement• Why do those retiring face ‘massive’ losses despite FTSE highs?Pay £800 now and, if you live a long time, get back £5,500-plus in total. If you can afford to hand over £8,000, it could be £55,000 or more. That, in very simple terms, is the pensions deal being offered to many people by the government, experts say.The deadline for taking advantage of what has been called a “bargain price” was originally going to be 5 April but the good news is that this week the government extended it to the end of July. Continue reading...

Burketown flood at ‘record levels’ with helicopter evacuations to continue throughout the day. This blog is now closed

Walkout will cause even more disruption than recent action by nurses, ambulance staff and physiotherapistsNext week’s strike by junior doctors will lead to unprecedented “major disruption” of the NHS and affect thousands of patients’ care, the service’s top doctor warned on Saturday.Many hospitals in England have already postponed outpatient appointments or non-urgent operations ahead of the stoppage on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Continue reading...

Prosecutors said Chow Hang-Tung, Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong were under foreign influence but refused to say who it wasA Hong Kong court has jailed three former members of a group that organised annual vigils to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in China.Chow Hang-tung, 38, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and former vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, was among those convicted by a magistrate’s court. The two others were Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong. Continue reading...

Ukraine decides to fight on in Bakhmut, says Zelenskiy aide; Wagner chief worried about ammunition shortages; Nord Stream blasts ‘carried out by dive team’ Continue reading...

Nomination at annual meeting of National People’s Congress confirms replacement of Li Keqiang‘A defeated person’: sidelined by Xi, Li Keqiang bows out as premierXi Jinping has nominated Li Qiang, 63, to become premier during the continuing annual meeting of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the official Xinhua news agency has reported.Li Qiang will replace Li Keqiang, who became premier in 2013 amid high hopes he would usher in liberal reforms. But his power was curbed by Xi, who increasingly sidelined Li Keqiang and placed allies in key strategic positions over him. Continue reading...

Residents in state’s rural west are bracing for the peak of record flooding on Sunday

PM said Father’s Day card would be his ‘limit’ in response to Johnson nominating his father for knighthoodRishi Sunak has said his father would be lucky to get a card on Father’s Day, let alone a knighthood, after accusations that Boris Johnson’s honours list had discredited the system.Sunak has come under pressure to reject Johnson’s list, in which he nominated his father, Stanley Johnson, for a knighthood, given previous allegations about his behaviour. Continue reading...

BBC commentators also refusing to appear after corporation takes its highest-paid presenter off air over impartiality concernsMatch of the Day will be broadcast without presenters, pundits or its usual commentators this weekend, after the main host, Gary Lineker, was suspended from the BBC for breaching impartiality guidelines after criticising the government’s asylum policies.In a dramatic and unexpected escalation of a crisis that has been brewing all week, the corporation took the decision to remove its highest-paid presenter from its flagship football show after he was criticised by Tory MPs and the rightwing media. Continue reading...

Former culture secretary called into question neutrality of civil servant after her appointment as Keir Starmer’s chief of staffThe BBC has apologised for the failure to properly scrutinise claims made by Nadine Dorries on a radio show, capping a day of controversies for the corporation.The broadcaster said in a statement on Friday that “there should have been more challenge” when the former culture secretary and Boris Johnson loyalist made allegations about Sue Gray on Radio 4’s World at One. Continue reading...

Corporation is risking its reputation by making an example of its highest-paid star over his tweets on asylum policyThe BBC’s decision to take Gary Lineker off air leaves its most outspoken personality with a potentially career-defining decision, as the corporation looks to risk its reputation to make a public example of one of its biggest stars.Lineker’s politically loaded tweets about the government’s new asylum policy – followed by a pledge to stand by his comments – had left the BBC in an almost impossible position, balancing impartiality with freedom of expression by its staff. Continue reading...

Nadja De Jager, 47, Alexander and Maximus were found at a house in Belvedere after officers forced entryPolice have identified a mother and two boys who were found dead at a house in south London, describing it as a “deeply sad case”.Nadja De Jager, 47 and her sons, Alexander, nine, and seven-year-old Maximus, were pronounced dead at the scene in Belvedere, south London, after officers forced their way in on Thursday. Continue reading...

Court cites France’s constitution in ruling that only French is allowed in exercise of public office on CorsicaA court in Corsica has prompted outrage by banning the use of the Corsican language in the island’s local parliament.The court in the city of Bastia cited France’s constitution it its ruling on Thursday that French was the only language allowed in the exercise of public office. Continue reading...

BBC presenter has been no stranger to controversy before his latest comments about Suella Braverman

British PM arrives in Paris for summit with Macron and marks clear departure from Boris Johnson’s stanceThe war in Ukraine will end at the negotiating table, Rishi Sunak has said, as he vowed to support Volodymyr Zelenskiy to be in the “best possible place to have those talks”.While the prime minister indicated that now is not the time for those peace talks, he recommitted to providing additional support to Ukraine to ensure it has an advantage on the battlefield. Continue reading...

Investigation will only ‘establish facts’ surrounding the claims against deputy PM, on which Sunak will then ruleRishi Sunak is facing fresh calls to order an independent judgment on whether Dominic Raab bullied civil servants, after complainants said they were concerned that the inquiry will not make a final ruling.Raab is under investigation over eight separate complaints across three ministerial departments. The inquiry is likely to be complete within the next month. Continue reading...

Met Office issues three amber warnings with significant disruption to transport and power expectedStorm Larisa battered parts of the UK, with gales and blizzards causing widespread travel disruption and the closure of hundreds of schools.Motorists on the M62 were stranded overnight with mountain rescue teams coming to the aid of some drivers. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereThe UK government should reverse “damaging” plans to tackle illegal migration, a senior member of the Scottish Cabinet has warned, adding that SNP ministers are exploring whether the legislation requires Holyrood’s consent, which they would not give.PA reports:The Scottish government does not support the Bill for a variety of reasons and urges you to reverse your plans and not progress this damaging Bill.It will cost money, it has cost money and of course we will be negotiating how we fund that joint work to prevent those migration attempts across the Channel.I’m not going to speculate as to the outcomes of the negotiation but we have been spending money doing this, it’s right and proper that we do and of course we will be spending money in the future. Continue reading...

Woman tells murder trial how Thomas Cashman arrived at her home in agitated state on night of the shootingThe older brother of Olivia Pratt-Korbel has told of how he “knew it was over” when the nine-year-old was not responding to CPR after being shot in the chest.Ryan Korbel said Olivia’s lips had turned blue despite attempts from a neighbour to save her life following the shooting by a masked gunman – alleged to be Thomas Cashman, 34 – in her home in Liverpool on 22 August last year. Continue reading...

Event in which pilots fly over 500 mph at 15 metres off the ground has been evicted from its host airportThe Reno air races, billed as the world’s fastest motor sport in which pilots fly upwards of 500 mph (800 kmh) at 50 feet (15 metres) off the ground, will hold its final event in the Nevada city after being evicted from the airport, the organisers have said.The competition’s board of directors announced in a statement that “with heavy hearts” the September 2023 race would be the last held at the airfield. Continue reading...

Officers were told of concerns about mental health of man who went on to shoot dead four men, two women and an unborn babyA tipoff was received two months ago by the authorities in Hamburg about the gunman who went on to kill seven people including an unborn baby in a Jehovah’s Witness hall, but he had persuaded officials not to take away his gun.An anonymous letter was received by the weapons control authority in January raising concerns about a man named by German police as Philipp F, 35, saying that he appeared angry with his former fellow church members, but officers had found no reason for concern when they visited him last month. Continue reading...

Embassies to reopen in move that could have wide implications for Iran nuclear deal and Yemen warIran and Saudi Arabia, the two great oil-producing rivals of the Middle East, have agreed to restore ties and reopen embassies seven years after relations were severed.The agreement came after Chinese-brokered talks held in Beijing. “As a result of the talks, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies … within two months,” Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported, citing a joint statement. Continue reading...

Bid to maintain ‘strategic equilibrium’ through the Aukus pact and a better relationship with Beijing is quite the needle to thread

Marist Brothers approach in seeking to halt a survivor’s case over a clergy member’s death would be ‘absolutely perverse’, court hears

Labor needs to pick up nine seats, but if neither major party can get to 47 seats the crossbench will determine the next premier

Polar air brings snow to the UK and Finland while temperatures are forecast to reach 30C in southern SpainA tumultuous week of weather has been affecting Europe, with a significant contrast between the north and south of the continent. Across parts of south-east Spain temperatures have been reaching the high 20s this week, and this weekend places such as Valencia and Alicante may reach 30C or a little higher. For Valencia this is about 10C above the climatological average for a mid-March day.In stark contrast, northern Europe, particularly in parts of Finland and the UK, has been unseasonably cold, with polar air shooting southwards at times. So far this month, temperatures have been more than 2C below average around the UK, and on Thursday parts of northern England and Wales experienced the heaviest snow of the winter. Temperatures also dropped to -16C in northern Scotland. Continue reading...

Thirty-five-year-old woman had been hospitalised with injuries sustained at Sunday’s concert in Rochester, New YorkA third person has died after a crowd surge at a concert by US rapper GloRilla.Aisha Stephens, 35, of Syracuse, had been hospitalised after the incident at the concert on Sunday evening in Rochester, New York. Two other women, Rhondesia Belton, 33, and Brandy Miller, 35, died in hospital after being injured. Continue reading...

Bernard Looney’s £10m pay package follows annual profits of £23bn linked to soaring gas prices sparked by Russia-Ukraine warA payout for the boss of BP has been labelled a “kick in the teeth” for consumers battling the cost of living crisis, as chief executive Bernard Looney saw his pay package more than double to £10m after the oil and gas giant landed record profits linked to the war in Ukraine.His package included a salary of £1.4m, a bonus of £2.4m – down fractionally on 2021 – and a £6m share award, as well as benefits. The total package was 120% more than the £4.5m he received in 2021. Continue reading...

Image released of man who allegedly doused 82-year-old in liquid before setting him on fire outside West London Islamic CentrePolice are searching for a suspect who they believe set an 82-year-old man on fire outside a west London mosque last month.The Metropolitan police have released an image of the man, who allegedly doused the victim in a liquid believed to be petrol before setting him on fire using a lighter, at around 8pm on 27 February. Continue reading...

Exclusive: union says severely ill patients being discharged as they are not getting better quickly enoughSeverely unwell eating disorder patients who are not responding to treatment are being discharged owing to a rationing of care, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has said.Patients with extremely low body mass indexes are being dumped from treatment plans in some areas because they are not getting better quickly enough amid increased demand and pressure on services. Admissions for eating disorders have risen by 84% in the past five years. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary says former RAF base in Essex constituency is unsuitable as he enters Paris talks about stopping Channel boatsJames Cleverly has defended his opposition to a new immigration detention centre in his own constituency, even as he urges his French counterparts to do more to solve the small boats issue.The foreign secretary insisted that a former RAF base in his Essex constituency of Braintree would not be suitable for 1,500 male asylum seekers, despite the site having been shortlisted by the Home Office as potential accommodation. Continue reading...

Coronation sets up Xi, who has overseen consolidation of power, to become modern China’s longest-serving head of stateXi Jinping has been handed an unprecedented third term as president, capping an ascent in which he has become China’s most powerful leader in generations.In a carefully choreographed ceremony in Beijing, Xi held up his right fist and placed his left hand on a red leather copy of China’s constitution. In the oath – beamed live on state television across China – he vowed to “build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilised, harmonious and great modern socialist country”. Continue reading...

Inquiry into the unlawful scheme, which ran from 2015 to 2019, is ongoing. This blog is now closed

Chancellor Olaf Scholz denounce ‘brutal act’ as police search for motive for mass shooting in northern cityGermany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has denounced a “brutal act of violence” after a shooting that reportedly left at least seven people dead and dozens injured at a Jehovah’s Witness centre in Hamburg on Thursday night. The police said the gunman was believed to be dead and that the motive remained unclear.Scholz said his thoughts were with the victims, while the Jehovah’s Witnesses community in Germany said its members had been targeted in a “horrific attack”. Continue reading...

The disease, which has killed 1,500 people since last March, has been aggravated by heavy rains and an overburdened health systemMalawi’s cholera outbreak is the country’s deadliest on record, claiming more than 1,500 lives, according to the UN.More than 50,000 cases have been detected in the landlocked country in south-east Africa since an outbreak was declared in March last year, triggered by two devastating tropical storms that hit the region. Almost 200 children have died. Continue reading...

Comments from NSW premier’s woman of the year come as government minister rules out progress on treaty if re-elected

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit was disrupted by protests against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial changesThe Pentagon chief, Lloyd Austin, has expressed his concerns over rising levels of violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and warned against acts that could trigger more insecurity.The US defence secretary’s talks in Israel came as Israeli police killed three suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank and a Hamas gunman shot and wounded three people on a Tel Aviv street. Continue reading...

Tamsyn White, who was detained with the Indigenous woman, tells hearing she asked officers to take Tilberoo to the hospital

Ex-PM has been accused of stopping a police investigation into former staff members at a universityFormer Fijian leader Frank Bainimarama has been released on bail and said he “served with integrity,” after pleading not guilty to abusing his power as prime minister by stopping a police investigation.“I served as prime minister with integrity and with the interests of all Fijians at heart,” he told reporters outside a courtroom in Suva on Friday. Continue reading...

Doctors and advocates says move ‘not acceptable’ after judge asked a woman feeding her child while observing a trial to leave

Andrew Abdo has promised the NRL will do all it can to protect its players and eradicate racist fans, after Latrell Mitchell was allegedly abused

This blog is now closed. You can read our story on the attack below: