World news | The Guardian

Buyers are being warned about the over-restoring or upgrading of furniture to make it appear more valuableDealers are over-restoring and upgrading furniture with modern additions disguised to make them look older and more valuable, a leading expert has warned.Yannick Chastang, former furniture conservator of the Wallace Collection, which boasts one of the world’s finest furniture holdings, can no longer turn a blind eye to what some dealers and restorers are doing. Continue reading...

Unsafe buildings could still be putting staff at risk of cancer through contact with the material, warn unions, experts and MPsFresh concerns have been raised about the amount of asbestos remaining in dilapidated schools and hospitals, after new analysis found that almost 150 health and education workers were recorded as dying from cancer related to the material in recent years.According to official data, there have been 147 deaths among health and education workers since 2017. Experts believe the figure is likely to be a significant underestimate because of the way someone’s profession is recorded on death certificates. Continue reading...

Police charged about 50 protesters after coal train was brought to a standstill for four hours

Welfare groups claim information could be used by Home Office to deport asylum seekersPolice have been collecting the sensitive data of unaccompanied child asylum seekers and sharing it with immigration enforcement, sparking fears it could be used against them for their deportation.As part of a government operation to prevent unaccompanied migrant children being trafficked from Home Office hotels, police officers meet them for what is described as a “welfare conversation” to create “a relationship of trust”. Continue reading...

Mikheil Saakashvili warned of Putin’s ambitions 15 years ago. Now he tells of torture by a regime that panders to MoscowLocked up in a Tbilisi hospital, Mikheil Saakashvili is slowly wasting away.“I am asking to be transferred to Poland, as it is crystal clear that in Georgian hospital I will die,” Georgia’s former president wrote in response to questions from the Observer last week. His answers were scrawled in blue ballpoint pen on sheets of paper, passed to his lawyers. Continue reading...

Authorities allege two youths assaulted a guard with a makeshift weapon and freed another 11 from their cells

Wagga Wagga and other towns on the inland rail route have been asking for a bypass and say that is supported by Dr Kerry Schott’s review

Two-storey development south-east of Brisbane at the centre of legal battle amid a housing crisis across the state

Councillor, who is currently sitting as an independent, says he is ‘disappointed’ by decision and will be appealingA Conservative councillor who said an alleged rape victim was probably a prostitute has been expelled from the party.Shaun Slator, who currently sits as an independent councillor on Bromley council, made the comments on Twitter in response to a news report about a rape inquiry in Plumstead, south-east London. Continue reading...

Fourteen smart motorways removed from government road-building plans over cost and safety fearsThe building of new smart motorways is being cancelled as Rishi Sunak acknowledged concerns about safety and cost.Fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 that are already paused and three earmarked for construction – will be removed from government road-building plans, given financial pressures and in recognition of the lack of public trust. Continue reading...

Lack of shelters may be forcing victims to return to their violent partners or leaving them homelessMore than 10,000 women escaping domestic abuse across England were refused safe housing last year, amid warnings that many could be left homeless or driven back to dangerous partners as a result of a “woeful” lack of safe accommodation.Official figures seen by the Observer found that almost 8,000 households referred to a safe accommodation service did not receive support because there was no capacity. A further 3,000 were denied places because the shelter “could not meet the needs of the household”, with figures suggesting this was often due to mental health issues, drug and alcohol use or disability. Continue reading...

UK Ministry of Defence says Kremlin has made it harder for civilians to avoid being drafted into the army

Twenty-nine passengers also injured as vehicle slides off highway during journey from Pune to MumbaiA passenger bus carrying dozens of members of a music troupe slid off a highway and fell into a gorge in western India on Saturday, killing 13 people and injuring 29 others, police said.The bus was on its way to Mumbai, India’s financial capital, in Maharashtra state, from Pune city, where the musicians held a performance, said Atul Zende, a police officer. The exact cause of the crash was not immediately known. Continue reading...

Sources say Home Office apologised to Essex force over seizure of racist dolls but government denies claimThe row over Suella Braverman’s “rebuke” to Essex police for seizing racist golly dolls from a pub intensified yesterday after sources indicated the Home Office had apologised to the force over the episode.Last weekend, rightwing newspapers were briefed that Braverman had reprimanded the force for removing the golly dolls and that the home secretary’s displeasure had been made “very plain to Essex police”. In truth, no attempt was made by Braverman to contact Essex police over their decision to remove several offensive dolls displayed in the White Hart Inn in Grays. Continue reading...

A BBC Two documentary looks at the late designer’s life and finances through the eyes of his friendsThe legal fallout from the death of Karl Lagerfeld four years ago is still heavily draped in secrecy. But, ahead of a major exhibition of the great German clothes designer’s work in New York, a new BBC documentary is about to offer a glimpse of his unusual private life and shed light on his enormous financial legacy.While Lagerfeld’s vast Parisian apartment remains sealed and his £150m estate is tied up in protracted negotiations between lawyers in Monaco and Paris, it has emerged that the leading beneficiary of his will is set to be the 33-year-old French model Baptiste Giabiconi. Continue reading...

The former prime minister could swap constituencies now that his own might be in danger at next general electionDespite the threat of being subjected to a high-profile election night toppling, Boris Johnson has vowed to stand again in his precarious Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency. Yet should the former prime minister have a change of heart and decide to head for a safe seat that he knows well, plans are being made by rival parties to make life difficult for him.The tempting prospect of returning to Henley has emerged, after the sitting MP announced in the last few days that he would not be seeking re-election in the Oxfordshire constituency. John Howell has held the seat since 2008, inheriting it from Johnson when he left to become London mayor. Continue reading...

British public has yet to comprehend scale of party’s economic ambitions, says business chief Jonathan ReynoldsThe British public is yet to understand “the scale of Labour’s ambition on the economy”, one of Keir Starmer’s most senior shadow ministers has said, adding that the party needs to explain how it will be the most interventionist government for a generation.Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, said that the party had not yet fully communicated the “sum of its parts” in terms of how a series of technical policy fixes would translate into the ambitious transformation of the economy that the party will attempt to achieve. Continue reading...

Magnet for thousands of collectors of furry toys will close doors next weekNineteen-year-old Molly Bell arrived in London early last week from Brisbane. By Wednesday, she had found her way to a tiny toy emporium in a nondescript street in north London to fulfil a dream. She needed to move fast as the Sylvanian Families shop, selling the eponymous toy animals and their habitats, closes on 22 April after more than 30 years.Since 1992, the charming Highbury shop has been a magnet for thousands of collectors of the anthropomorphic animals – a magical grotto reminiscent of a bygone idyll. Continue reading...

Nizar Issaoui, 35, died in hospital after protest against ‘police state’ running country, says brotherA professional footballer in Tunisia has died after setting himself alight earlier this week in what he called a protest against the “police state” ruling the country, his brother said.Nizar Issaoui, 35, suffered third-degree burns from his action in the village of Haffouz in the central region of Kairouan, his brother Ryad said. Continue reading...

Brian McBride says business lobby group was on firm ground in sacking director general Tony DankerThe president of Britain’s most influential business lobby organisation has apologised for a spate of sexual misconduct allegations and “toxic culture” that has left the Confederation of British Industry fighting for its future.Speaking publicly for the first time, Brian McBride apologised to those alleging various forms of sexual misconduct, which span several years, by senior figures at the organisation, including an allegation of rape, first reported in a Guardian investigation last month. Continue reading...

Man detained after what looked like a smoke bomb was thrown at Fumio Kishida just before speechThe Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has escaped unhurt after he was apparently targeted by an explosive device on Saturday morning. It comes less than a year after the country’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was shot dead while making a campaign speech.Kishida was safely evacuated after the incident, while a suspect – named by Japanese media as Ryuji Kimura, 24, a resident of Hyogo prefecture – was arrested at the scene, reports said. Continue reading...

NHS leader says threat of joint strike with junior doctors could pose hardest challenge yetA 48-hour nurses’ strike in England in May will present “severe challenges”, and the threat of coordinated industrial action with junior doctors could pose the “most difficult challenge” to date, an NHS boss has said.Speaking after a four-day junior doctors’ strike ended at 7am on Saturday, Sir Julian Hartley, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said fresh strike action announced by the Royal College of Nursing from 30 April until 2 May, and the possibility of stoppages continuing into next winter, was “extremely worrying and concerning”. Continue reading...

Federal minister Linda Burney who was staying at the hotel was metres away from the incident and her team provided first aid

Supermarket giant says it is disappointed after being informed that historical customer credit card details have been stolen by hackers

The 29-year-old father of one was stabbed outside Campbelltown McDonald’s while he and a workmate took a break on Friday

US president turned his farewell speech outside St Muredach’s cathedral in Ballina into a celebration of Irish and American valuesJoe Biden has concluded his visit to Ireland with a passionate riverside address to tens of thousands of people at his ancestral town in County Mayo.The US president turned his farewell speech outside St Muredach’s cathedral in Ballina on Friday night into a celebration of Irish and American values that appeared partly aimed at US voters. Continue reading...

Opera singers Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel also in lineup for Windsor Castle concert on Sunday 7 MayTake That, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry will be among the artists performing at King Charles’s coronation concert, it has been announced, along with the opera singers Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel.The singer songwriter Freya Ridings and classical-soul composer and producer Alexis Ffrench will also grace the stage in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Sunday 7 May, the BBC has confirmed. Continue reading...

MoD says Russian and Wagner troops are making gains in Donetsk frontline town; US arrests 21-year-old air national guardsman over Pentagon leaks Continue reading...

Officers sent offensive messages about Harvey Price, who is disabled, to colleagues in WhatsApp groupTwo Metropolitan police officers have been dismissed over offensive messages that they shared in a WhatsApp group, including some that made fun of Katie Price’s disabled son.The two serving officers and six former colleagues were found guilty of gross misconduct after sending sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and ableist comments in a group called Secret Squirrel Shit between 2016 and 2018. Continue reading...

Families of victims dismayed at lack of accountability after death of ‘Stakeknife’He was described as being in very poor health and living a lonely existence by magistrate Emma Arbuthnot as she sentenced Freddie Scappaticci, then 72, to a three month suspended jail term.It was 5 December 2018. Westminster magistrate’s court had heard that Scappaticci, wearing a grubby blue fleece and green tracksuit bottoms, had used a laptop seized by police earlier in the year to search for information on “cars, the British army, maps, combat, football and politics”. Continue reading...

Patrick Thelwell sentenced to 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work after incident during York walkaboutA man who threw eggs at the king before shouting “friends with Jimmy Savile” has been found guilty of threatening behaviour.Patrick Thelwell shouted: “The king is a paedophile,” after throwing several eggs towards King Charles during a walkabout in York last year. Continue reading...

New regulations will apply to those aged one to 12 who suffer unbearably and have no hope of improvementThe Netherlands is to widen its euthanasia regulations to include the possibility of doctors assisting in the death of terminally ill children aged between one and 12.The new rules would apply to between five and 10 children a year who suffer unbearably from their disease, have no hope of improvement and for whom palliative care cannot bring relief, the government said on Friday. Continue reading...

Beatriz Flamini says she endured swarms of flies, read 60 books and never missed the sunlightAfter spending 500 days alone in a dark cave 70 metres below the Earth’s surface, assailed by a plague of flies and the odd, tantalising vision of roast chicken, most people would be craving a wash and some company.But after emerging from her subterranean lair in southern Spain a little after 9am on Friday and having a quick checkup with a doctor and a psychologist, Beatriz Flamini was treated instead to a 50-minute press conference in which she endeavoured to explain the almost inexplicable. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former shadow minister says commitment would be a symbol of leader’s vision for a ‘renewed Britain’

Exclusive: Several MPs who had shock wins in 2019 will be able to run in other seats after being designated ‘displaced’

Protests against Emmanuel Macron’s controversial plans reignite in Marseille, Rouen and elsewhereProtesters blocked roads and industrial sites in some parts of France on Friday as the country’s top constitutional court prepares to give its verdict on Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.Access to the city centres of Marseille and Rouen was restricted, and an industrial estate in Le Havre and other sites near Strasbourg and Lille were blocked. Continue reading...

Ten-month-old was returned to his parents’ care just 39 days before his deathJust 39 days after social services returned Finley Boden to the care of his parents, the 10-month-old was dead.In that short period of time he suffered “significant, substantial and repeated acts of severe violence” at their home in Old Whittington, Chesterfield, leaving him with 130 separate injuries and almost every bone in his body broken. Continue reading...

Paleis Het Loo was built as lodge for man who became William III, king of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689At first glance, King William of Orange’s palace seems just as it was in the 17th century – a handsome Dutch baroque building set along three sides of a courtyard seemingly pockmarked with rain puddles.But underneath the courtyard, an injection of engineering expertise costing €171m (£151m) has created an extraordinary modern museum, opening next week. Continue reading...

Russian opposition leader said to have had severe stomach pains, with ambulance being called to penal colonyAlexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition politician, has been grappling with severe stomach pain in jail that could be a result of slow-acting poison, a close ally said on Friday.Ruslan Shaveddinov said that an ambulance was called for Navalny last week to the maximum security IK-6 penal colony at Melekhovo, about 250km (115 miles) east of Moscow, where he is being held. Continue reading...

Defence ministry says it cannot rule out ‘cognitive warfare tactics’ after disinformation during Chinese drillsTaiwan’s defence ministry has raised the alarm about disinformation attacks during the recent Chinese military drills and warned local media about the dangers of helping to spread disinformation.Last week Beijing launched three days of military exercises near Taiwan, in retaliation for President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with the US House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, in the US. Taiwan’s military and civilian analysts confirmed to the Guardian that Taiwan was also targeted with information warfare. Continue reading...

Council leader pays tribute to woman allegedly murdered by 12-year-old boy when she was run over by her own carA foster carer who was allegedly murdered by a 12-year-old boy gave “endless love and care to vulnerable children when they needed it most”, a council has said.Marcia Grant, 60, died when she was run over by her own car outside her home in a Sheffield suburb last Wednesday. Continue reading...

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System in Ford’s Mustang Mach-E allows motorist to remove grip from wheel but eyes must be kept on roadDrivers will be legally allowed to take their hands off the steering wheel on Britain’s motorways for the first time as long as they watch the road, after the government approved another step on the path to self-driving cars.The driving-assist feature in Ford’s latest Mustang Mach-E model, which allows the vehicle to steer and accelerate but also monitors the driver’s attention to ensure their eyes are on the road, will be permitted by the Department for Transport in a first for Europe. Continue reading...

First casino complex to be built in Osaka after ban was lifted despite fears about gambling addictionJapan has approved a controversial plan to build the country’s first casino, after decades of debate fuelled by fears that an increase in tourist spending could be blighted by a rise in gambling addiction.The casino complex, which will include restaurants, shops and entertainment facilities as part of an “integrated resort”, will be built in the western port city of Osaka, where senior politicians have pushed for its construction and rejected demands for a local referendum. Continue reading...

After Swift and actor Joe Alwyn reported to have split, well-trained fans have been sifting through changed concert setlists for clues as to what’s nextSince reports broke last weekend that Taylor Swift and the actor Joe Alwyn had split after more than six years together, Swifties have been scrying for signs that they should have known or intimations of the pop superstar’s state of mind.The news came via Entertainment Tonight, a reputable source that seemed to have been briefed by an insider stating that “the relationship had just run its course”. Continue reading...

Such products doing ‘notably better’ than fresh items, data from Kantar reported by BBC showsBritish shoppers are switching from fresh to frozen food as they try to keep down spending amid the cost of living crisis, retail data suggests.The soaring cost of the weekly shop has been a significant factor in the squeeze on UK households, with food price inflation running at 18.2% amid high energy prices and shortages of salad vegetable because of bad weather in Europe. Continue reading...

Crackdown on Hellenes and its Golden Dawn leader Ilias Kasidiaris could cause more problems than it solvesFor two years Ilias Kasidiaris, a convicted leader of the now disbanded neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, has used social media to address supporters from Domokos prison in central Greece.Month after month the former MP has railed against the inability of the “corrupt political regime” to govern the country in a stream of hate-filled speeches. For his 134,000 subscribers on YouTube, the exhortations are a lifeline to Kasidiaris and the Hellenes, the small nationalist party he set up shortly before being handed a 13-and-a-half-year prison term for his role in Golden Dawn. And they seem to be paying off. Continue reading...

The child is in hospital for observation as the 36-year-old driver assists police with inquiries following accident in Sunshine WestA toddler is in hospital after a vehicle crashed into an early learning centre in Melbourne’s west.Police say 14 kids were inside a play area when the vehicle hit the centre’s front verandah on Link Road in Sunshine West at 10.40am on Friday. Continue reading...

Inquest into death of Gomeroi man Stanley Russell urges changes to how officers handle people with an intellectual disability