Pope, 86, responded well to antibiotic infusion for breathing difficulties, medical team saysPope Francis has left hospital to return to the Vatican after being treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away: “I’m still alive.”The pope, 86, was taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital three days ago after complaining of breathing difficulties. He had responded well to an infusion of antibiotics, his medical team has said. Continue reading...
Long coalition talks may follow Sunday, with conservative NCP not ruling out deal with populist FinnsFour years after she became the world’s youngest prime minister, Finland’s Sanna Marin faces a battle to keep her job on Sunday in an unpredictable election so tight that it could be won by any of the country’s three main parties.Marin, now 37, took the reins of the Social Democratic party (SDP) – and the Finnish premiership – in 2019 and has since piloted the traditionally non-aligned Nordic country through the Covid pandemic and to the brink of Nato membership. Continue reading...
Body of Christopher Alder could have been seen by cadets after mixup of remains, says South Yorkshire forceSouth Yorkshire police have admitted that officers may have been shown the body of Christopher Alder, a former paratrooper who died in police custody, in a mortuary as part of their routine training years after he was supposed to have been buried.Alder, an ex-Parachute Regiment soldier, choked to death while handcuffed and lying face down on the floor of a Hull police station on 1 April 1998. CCTV footage showed officers laughing, joking and making monkey noises while he lay unconscious in a pool of blood. It was more than 10 minutes before police went to his aid. Continue reading...
Council tax and planning changes aim to make housing more affordable for those on local incomesRadical measures giving councils in Wales a raft of extra powers designed to stop second homes hollowing out communities, especially in coastal and rural areas, have come into force.Local authorities across Wales are using the powers to increase the amount of council tax that second home owners must pay and will also be able to bring in changes to planning rules to make it harder for houses and flats to be snapped up as holiday boltholes. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6ACWB)
Experts say developers deterred by changes to planning system brought in by successive Tory governmentsPlanning applications in England have fallen to their lowest level in at least 16 years, according to figures published this week by the levelling up department that highlight the scale of the country’s housing crisis.Local authorities received fewer applications to build new buildings or improve old ones in 2022 than at any point since before 2006, the earliest year for which the government provides statistics. Continue reading...
The town infamous for a massacre at hands of Russia has become a symbol of Ukraine’s reconstruction effort, but experts say the influx of money from the west will bring challenges in such a corrupt countryStanding on the crumbling roof of a house, dozens of workers hammer in unison. Around them, cranes, bulldozers and trucks work frantically to repair roads and buildings destroyed by Russian artillery. It is hard to believe that this noisy construction site is in Yablonska Street, in the town of Bucha, in the north of Kyiv, at the precise crossroads where a year ago the bodies of dozens of civilians, brutally killed by Russian soldiers, were strewn over almost a mile, some with their hands bound behind their backs.Ukraine has already repaired, and in many cases fully rebuilt, many of the sites destroyed by Moscow, including bridges, roads and government buildings. It is only the beginning of what Kyiv has described as the largest rebuilding effort since the second world war and perhaps the most expensive in history, with an estimated cost of half a trillion dollars. But managing this unprecedented influx of money in a country with a long history of corruption will bring challenges, experts say. Continue reading...
Care home residents will be first to receive spring top-up jab as infections in England hit 2023 highMillions of people in England will be offered a Covid booster jab next week, health officials have announced, as recent estimates show infections have climbed to their highest level this year.Care home residents will be the first to receive the spring Covid-19 booster vaccine from Monday, with millions more people invited to book an appointment from Wednesday. Continue reading...
Taiwan sends aircraft to warn away nine Chinese fighter jets and one drone that breached unofficial barrier between two sidesTen Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, normally an unofficial barrier between the mainland and the island, Taiwan’s defence ministry has said.Nine Chinese fighter jets and one military drone crossed the median line in the 24 hours to 6am on Saturday, the ministry said in its daily report on Chinese military activities. Continue reading...
Two more people found on Friday as authorities says dozens of Indian and Romanian migrants have been crossing through Mohawk territoryThe bodies of eight people believed to have died trying to cross from Canada into the United States have been found in the past two days, authorities said on Friday, including two children.Six people, described as members of two families of Romanian and Indian descent, were found on Thursday in a marshy area of the St Lawrence River, which forms part of the Canada-US border. And on Friday, the bodies of two more migrants were found, bringing the death toll to eight, according to police in the Mohawk territory of Akwesasne.Associated Press contributed to this report Continue reading...
26-year-old man from an Arab village in southern Israel had grabbed and fired officer’s gun after being stopped for questioning, say policeA man detained near al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem was shot dead after he grabbed an officer’s gun and fired it, police said.They identified the man as a 26-year-old resident of Hura, an Arab village in southern Israel. Continue reading...
West Lindsey council launches legal action, saying decision to use RAF Scampton for up to 2,000 asylum seekers is ‘irrational’West Lindsey district council has launched legal action against the Home Office to challenge the decision to use a local Royal Air Force station as a site for asylum seeker accommodation.It follows an announcement by the immigration minister on Wednesday to use RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire as a site for up to 2,000 asylum seekers. Continue reading...
Joe Biden calls on Moscow to free US journalist, ‘absurdity’ as Russia takes charge of UN security council, and Bucha atrocities remembered Continue reading...
Messages newly released in Dominion Voting Systems defamation case show media mogul discussed when to call Trump’s defeatRupert Murdoch took a direct role in how Fox News finally called the 2020 US election for Joe Biden over Donald Trump, newly unredacted messages in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6bn defamation case showed on Friday.“It would be great if we call it for Biden as soon as he gets over, say, 35,000 ahead in Pennsylvania,” Murdoch, the now 92-year-old Fox News owner, wrote to the network’s chief executive, Suzanne Scott, on 6 November 2020, three days after election day but a day before Pennsylvania put Biden over the top. Continue reading...
Bucharest court of appeal rules in favour of divisive social media influencer who has spent months in a Romanian jailAndrew Tate, the divisive social media influencer who has spent three months in a Romanian jail on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking, has won an appeal along with his brother to be moved from detention to house arrest.The Bucharest court of appeal ruled in favour of their appeal, which challenged a judge’s decision last week to extend his arrest a fourth time for 30 days. Continue reading...
P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways say sailings hit by bad weather, surge of Easter getaways and border control hold-ups in FranceThe Port of Dover has declared a critical incident as high levels of traffic caused lengthy delays for coach passengers.P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways also reported delays to ferry and coach services, citing bad weather and hold-ups at French border controls. Continue reading...
Quebec authorities announced six people were in custody for criminal harassment, intimidation and forcible confinementPolice in Canada have arrested members of a vigilante “pedophile-hunting” group, charging them with distribution of child abuse images, amid frustration over the group’s controversial tactics.Quebec police announced on Thursday that six people had been arrested as part of an investigation into a group that had drawn complaints from the public. Continue reading...
Kashif Anwar is accused of murdering Fawziyah Javed and her unborn child by pushing her from hillA woman walking on Arthur’s Seat on the night a husband is alleged to have pushed his wife off the Edinburgh hill claimed the alleged victim told her he had pushed her, a court has heard.Kashif Anwar, 29, is accused of murdering Fawziyah Javed, 31, and her unborn child in September 2021 by pushing her from the landmark. Continue reading...
NUJ members’ 24-hour stoppage on 5 May will coincide with the reporting of poll resultsBBC journalists in England have announced a second 24-hour strike, to run from midnight on 5 May to coincide with the reporting of local election results, in a dispute over cuts to local radio.The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the broadcaster’s management want local radio stations to share programmes across the network from 2pm on weekdays and at weekends, going from more than 100 hours of local programming on every station each week down to 40. Continue reading...
Giovanna Lewis, Amy Pritchard and Paul Sheeky were part of group who glued themselves to road in City of London in 2021Three climate protesters who stopped traffic to bring rush-hour chaos to the City of London are facing a retrial.Giovanna Lewis, 65, a councillor from Dorset, Amy Pritchard, 37, a horticultural worker and Paul Sheeky, 46, a screenwriter, were part of a large group of Insulate Britain protesters who glued themselves to the ground and blocked traffic between Bishopsgate and Wormwood Street on 25 October 2021. Continue reading...
Charles and Camilla also remembered the Kindertransport children, during a state visit to GermanyKing Charles and Germany’s president have lain wreaths in remembrance of the victims of the second world war, in the ruins of a bombed-out church in Hamburg.The monarch joined President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher, to leave floral tributes at St Nikolai memorial church, whose spire was a landmark used by bomber crews during the conflict 80 years ago and has since become a monument against war. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Political correspondent on (#6ACGN)
Justice secretary, who denies bullying allegations, oversaw a toxic atmosphere, ex-staffer saysDominic Raab is “100% a bully”, and also took no steps to intervene in bullying by others, a former Foreign Office official has said in the latest accusations against the justice secretary and former foreign secretary.The claims, reported by ITV News, came as Rishi Sunak declined to say why an independent inquiry into Raab’s behaviour had not yet reported back after more than four months, or if he would sack Raab if it uncovered misconduct. Continue reading...
Margaret Barnes, 71, entered home of David Redfern and got into his bed while staying in Barmouth, GwyneddA “cowardly bully” has been jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years in prison for murdering a 71-year-old woman who mistook his home for a B&B and got into his bed.Margaret Barnes had been visiting Barmouth in Wales from her home in Birmingham when she mistook her accommodation for the home of David Redfern, a few doors away, Caernarfon crown court heard. Continue reading...
‘Nonno Mario’ avoided paying by nipping in behind prepaid Telepass customers before barrier descendedAn 80-year-old Italian man nicknamed “Nonno Sprint” (Granddad Sprint) risks going on trial after he brazenly dodged paying €4,000 (£3,514) worth of motorway tolls using a technique more frequently reserved for metro fare hoppers.In his Fiat Punto, the man, whose real name is Mario, “travelled far and wide” on Italy’s motorways for two years without paying a single euro, arguing that the charges were too pricey and not worth it for the poor service, according to Corriere della Sera. Continue reading...
Employment experts say proposals are ‘departure from established norms and treaty obligations’Rishi Sunak’s new anti-trade union legislation would make the UK one of the most difficult countries in the democratic world in which to go on strike and may breach treaty obligations, a group of top employment lawyers have said.The 10 academic experts in employment law said the proposed laws to enforce “minimum service levels” in sectors such as health, transport and schools would make the UK an “international outlier” among comparable countries. Continue reading...
Former Paralympic and Olympic star was automatically eligible for parole consideration after serving half his sentenceThe former South Africa athlete Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 10 years ago.Pistorius killed Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, when he fired four times through the bathroom door of his high-security house in February 2013. The parole board’s decision was taken at a hearing at the correctional facility on the outskirts of the capital, Pretoria, where the 36-year-old is being held. Continue reading...
Paul Hinchcliffe, 46, imprisoned for eight months for sexual assault during night outA police officer who pulled down a woman’s top and photographed her breasts during a night out has been jailed.Paul Hinchcliffe, 46, was sent to prison for eight months on Friday by a judge who told him his behaviour “betrays your fellow officers who do a decent, committed job, and makes women mistrustful of the police force”. Continue reading...
Artists have lived in area since 1968 and community hopes museum will bring more visitors to the areaDespite their striking two-piece suits and longstanding artistic credentials, Gilbert and George don’t draw much attention from passersby as they stroll down London’s Brick Lane.George Passmore, 81, and his husband, Gilbert Prousch, 79, have lived in the area since 1968. They work as a piece of living sculpture, the idea being that everything they do is art, and they are very much part of the local community. On Saturday, they will open the first permanent site for their work, in a former industrial building on Heneage Street just a stone’s throw from their home and studio. Continue reading...
Boys arrested in connection with death of 82-year-old woman who was robbed at her home in PakefieldTwo teenage boys have been arrested on suspicion of murdering an elderly woman who died after she was robbed at her home.The 14-year-old and 15-year-old, from the Lowestoft area, were being held after the death of Joy Middleditch, 82, who lived in Pakefield, Suffolk constabulary said. Continue reading...
Exclusive: England on track to become first country to eliminate disease after landmark deal for new drugsMore than 200 children in England have been cured of hepatitis C in a world-first treatment programme on the NHS that is likely to eradicate the disease.Hepatitis C is a devastating virus that can infect the liver. Left untreated, it can cause life-threatening damage, including liver cancer. Amid global concern over the disease in recent years, the World Health Organization tasked every country with eliminating it by 2030. Continue reading...
Incident at Peacock theatre in London comes amid growing concerns about antisocial audience behaviourA performance of the musical Bat Out of Hell in London’s West End was halted for several minutes on Thursday evening due to a disruptive audience member who eventually left the venue before the show continued.One theatregoer told the Guardian that “it got a bit heated” and that swearing in the audience could be heard over the music. An argument occurred in the stalls after several people had been singing along with the actors. The show came to a stop, the houselights were brought up and the cast left the stage as security staff dealt with the incident and other audience members chanted “out, out, out”. Continue reading...
Decision against Milan city council is part of broader government attack on LGBTQ+ people, says European parliamentThe European parliament has condemned Italy’s conservative government after it demanded that a council stop registering the children of same-sex parents, in its first move to restrict LGBTQ+ rights since taking power.MEPs said they feared the move against Milan city council, which until recently had been transcribing children born overseas to same-sex couples via surrogacy or IVF into its civil register, was “part of a broader attack against the LGBTQI+ community in Italy”. Continue reading...
Staff at outsourcing firm resort to radios, pen and paper as they are unable to access computers and emailComputer systems have abruptly stopped working at the outsourcing group Capita, triggering fears that the company that runs crucial operations for the NHS and the military could be under cyber-attack.Staff are understood to have been unable to access IT systems since Friday morning, and an early investigation has yet to establish the cause. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#6AC4A)
Venue that helped launch careers of many actors forced to close after losing £1.8m Arts Council England grantOne of Britain’s oldest theatres, the Oldham Coliseum, will close “on its own terms” on Friday night, its artistic director has said, with a star-studded final show.The 138-year-old venue has been forced to close after losing its £1.8m government subsidy in a move decried by leading arts figures. Continue reading...
Worshippers in Indore fell into communal water source as they gathered to mark Ram NavamiAt least 36 people have died after the floor of a Hindu temple collapsed in Indore, central India, plunging them into a well.It has emerged that the floor which covered the stepwell – a stair-lined communal water source – consisted only of tiles laid over a metal grille. Continue reading...
Even if deceased man Aubrey Donahue had a knife, ‘he hasn’t got a knife like Crocodile Dundee’, says Prof Gracelyn SmallwoodFor Prof Gracelyn Smallwood, a late-night phone call about another Aboriginal man being shot and killed by police was the final straw.Aubrey Donahue, 27, died after being shot four times by police, who say he advanced on officers while armed with a knife in Mareeba, west of Cairns, on Saturday. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam and Brenda Chavez in Huelva on (#6ABTE)
UK supermarkets heavily reliant on strawberries from southern Spain, where workers allege they are regularly underpaid, have passports withheld and are forced to live in unsanitary shacksAbusive conditions are endemic in parts of Spain’s fruit sector, a new report alleges, with workers telling the Guardian they have been regularly underpaid and forced to live in dilapidated shacks.During the winter, at least 60% of strawberries eaten in the UK are likely to be from vast farms across the south-west Spanish province of Huelva. In 2020, the UK imported €310m (£272m) worth of the fruit from the Andalucia region, of which 91% is believed to be grown in Huelva. Continue reading...
Monthly rotation of presidency of 15-member council has been unaffected by Ukraine warIn Ukraine, Moscow is pursuing an unprovoked war of aggression. In The Hague, Vladimir Putin is facing an arrest warrant for war crimes. But at the UN, Russia is about to take charge of a powerful international body, the security council.From Saturday, it will be Russia’s turn to take up the monthly presidency of the 15-member council, in line with a rotation that has been unaffected by the Ukraine war. Continue reading...
by Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin in Taipei on (#6AAXE)
Tsai Ing-wen’s trip causing controversy in China, with the government labelling it a ‘provocation’Chinese officials have warned of “serious” consequences if Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, meets the US House speaker next week, after Tsai arrived in New York to crowds of supporters and protesters.Tsai is stopping in the US twice during her 10-day visit to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize. Her itinerary has not been disclosed and none of the events were open to the public or media. Continue reading...
Christopher Elgifari, 31, is alleged to have stolen the delivery van, whose 54-year-old driver is in a critical conditionA man has been charged with attempted murder after a delivery driver was hit by his own stolen van and left fighting for his life.Christopher Elgifari, 31, is alleged to have stolen a white van from the 54-year-old victim on Tuesday in Cardiff, south Wales. Continue reading...
Court hears Kashif Anwar, accused of murdering Fawziyah Javed in Edinburgh, had told her it would be ‘OK’ if she died in childbirthA man accused of murdering his wife by pushing her from Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh was overheard in hospital telling her that if she died in childbirth it “would be OK” because he “would be free”, a court has heard.Kashif Anwar, 29, is accused of killing Fawziyah Javed, 31, in September 2021 by pushing her from the peak in Holyrood Park, causing her multiple blunt force injuries that led to her death and that of her unborn child. Continue reading...
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