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Byelection triggered in Wakefield as MP expelled from Tory party says he is withdrawing from political lifeImran Ahmad Khan, the disgraced MP expelled from the Conservative party after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy, has announced he will resign, triggering a byelection in the Yorkshire seat of Wakefield.Although Khan is appealing against Monday’s conviction, he admitted in a statement that the legal proceedings would last “many more months” and leave his constituents without proper political representation. Continue reading...

Small but vehement group have already expressed doubts about government’s outsourcing planConservative opposition to plans to send asylum seekers for processing in Rwanda is likely to be led by a small but vehement group of peers and MPs who have already criticised outsourcing the issue overseas.The House of Lords has now twice amended the nationality and borders bill to block the idea of non-UK processing for asylum claims. However, these government defeats were largely caused by Tory members staying away, giving opposition and crossbench peers a majority. Continue reading...

Move attempts to freeze up to £10bn of assets linked to club’s Russian oligarch owner Roman AbramovichThe UK government has imposed sanctions on Chelsea football club director Eugene Tenenbaum in an attempt to freeze up to £10bn of assets linked to the club’s Russian oligarch owner Roman Abramovich.The UK said it was extending sanctions to Tenenbaum and David Davidovich, another close associate of Abramovich, because the oligarch had transferred billions of pounds of assets to the pair as Russia invaded Ukraine. Continue reading...

Shared Prosperity Fund criticised as ‘serious blow to levelling up’, with poorest regions predicted to lose out on millionsA government fund designed to replace EU grants lost due to Brexit has been criticised as “nothing more than an outrage” that will leave English regions tens of millions of pounds worse off than when Britain was in the EU.The Conservative’s 2019 manifesto promised “at a minimum” to match the average EU subsidy of about £1.5bn a year to help the most deprived parts of the UK. Continue reading...

‘Climate change is here,’ says President Ramaphosa after 300 died in eastern city of DurbanPolice in South Africa have used stun grenades to disperse a crowd calling for more and better official aid for victims of the lethal floods earlier this week.The demonstration on Thursday briefly blocked a major highway in the eastern city of Durban, where more than 300 people have died in flooding in recent days. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on the UK’s new asylum system plans hereSimon Hart, the Welsh secretary, made a rare appearance on the morning broadcast round earlier today. He said the plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda would mark a “humane step forward”. He told Sky News:We have to deal with this problem. We have a very good relationship with Rwanda: it’s an up-and-coming economy, it has got a very good record with migrants in this particular issue.And it’s an arrangement which I think suits both countries very well and provides the best opportunities for economic migrants, for those who have been in the forefront of this particular appalling problem for so long now.We’ve put forward proposals to make it more difficult for smuggler gangs to advertise online on social media, which is partly how they do it.We think there should be safe and legal routes that people need for family reunions and so on, so that they don’t have to arrive through these illegal routes in order to make their asylum claims. Continue reading...

Analysis: plan to send unauthorised migrants overseas is likely to be very difficult to defend in courtsDetailing plans to send unauthorised migrants to Rwanda, Boris Johnson managed to blame “politically motivated lawyers” for forcing the government to draw up such a drastic policy, and also for any future failure to implement it.By blaming them for Britain being seen as “a soft touch for illegal migration”, continuing a government narrative against “lefty lawyers”, many in the profession believe the prime minister is putting a fig leaf over a policy that is likely to be extremely difficult to defend in the courts and may end up at the European court of human rights. Continue reading...

Jailed opposition leader urges west to support huge ad campaign in order to break through Kremlin Ukraine war propaganda

Analysts warn that prices will stay higher for longer, adding pressure to struggling householdsEnergy bills will stay well above £2,000 for two more years, according to leading analysts, who warned that prolonged high prices threaten the chancellor Rishi Sunak’s loan scheme to help households cope with sky-high gas prices amid the mounting cost of living crisis.Cornwall Insights, which predicted the recent 54% rise in the cap on average energy bills to £1,971, said it had increased its forecasts for upcoming changes to the ceiling, which is determined by the energy regulator, Ofgem. Continue reading...

Defence ministry ‘investigating’ what happened to Black Sea flagship and claims all 510 crew are safe• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updatesRussia’s defence ministry said it was investigating what happened to its flagship cruiser Moskva after Ukraine said it had hit the vessel with an anti-ship missile, forcing its crew to abandon ship.The ministry denied reports the warship had sunk to the bottom of the Black Sea. It said the Moskva had “retained buoyancy”, with fires extinguished and the crew transferred to another vessel. Continue reading...

Omar from Afghanistan says plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will not tackle human traffickingA man who fled Afghanistan just before the Taliban retook Kabul said the UK government’s plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda felt more like a political announcement than an attempt to tackle human trafficking.Omar, 31, who arrived by small boat from Calais last August, was uneasy about the distinction made by the prime minister between those who come to Britain by legal routes and those who do not, pointing out that for many people fleeing war zones there are no legal routes they can take to claim asylum in the UK. Continue reading...

UK accused of shifting international obligations and Rwanda of ignoring issues causing its own refugeesOpposition politicians in Rwanda have criticised its agreement to accept thousands of unauthorised asylum seekers flown from the UK, saying wealthy western countries should “own up to international obligations on the migration issues”.Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, the leader of DALFA-Umurinzi, said officials in Rwanda should focus on solving its political and social issues that made Rwandans seek refuge abroad before offering “to host refugees or migrants from other countries”. Continue reading...

Prime minister suggests he will not comment further until parliament returns from Easter break next week

The Oscar-nominated actor will no longer star in The Fall of the House of Usher after he was accused of inappropriate behaviourOscar-nominated actor Frank Langella has exited Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher after an investigation into misconduct.According to the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, the 84-year-old star of Frost/Nixon was found to have “been involved in unacceptable conduct on set”. The series, which was midway through production, is based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. A spokesperson for Netflix has confirmed to the Guardian that the report is accurate. Continue reading...

Francois Olwage convicted of grooming after arranging to meet undercover officer he believed to be 13-year-old girlA Metropolitan police counter-terrorism officer has been found guilty of three offences after he arranged to a meet a 13-year-old girl for sexual activity when he was “on duty working from home”.Francois Olwage, a detective constable who was serving with the Met’s specialist operations unit, was convicted of grooming someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl he had met on the Lycos online chat forum. Continue reading...

ONS data shows slight falls in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with estimated one in 15 people infected UK-wideCoronavirus infections have fallen slightly in most of the UK, figures from the Office for National Statistics show, although experts analysing the data say it is too soon to say whether infections have passed their peak.The ONS data, which is based on swabs collected from randomly selected households, shows that in the week ending 9 April about 4.42 million people in the UK had Covid, about one in 15 people, down from one in 13 the week before. Continue reading...

News follows announcement last week that monarch, 95, would not attend Thursday’s Maundy church serviceThe Queen will not attend the Easter Sunday service in Windsor after pulling out of several events in recent months because of mobility problems.Buckingham Palace said the Queen, who has experienced health problems recently, was not expected to attend the event on Sunday, although it is not known why. Continue reading...

Master of Jesus College Sonita Alleyne defends decision to fight legal case despite court defeat

Family-of-three who had fled Kharkiv were not allowed on flight to UK from Warsaw despite having correct travel documents

The subvariant of omicron that’s more transmissible than BA.1 was responsible for an estimated 86% of new US cases last weekCovid cases are on the rise in the north-eastern part of the US, as many Americans travel and gather together for spring break and religious holidays.The rise is being driven by BA.2, a subvariant of omicron which is more transmissible than its sibling BA.1, and was responsible for an estimated 86% of new Covid-19 cases nationwide last week, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Continue reading...

Gambling Commission says repeated failures by bookmakers and casinos necessitate a directive approachThe Gambling Commission is to lay down tougher rules for the industry in Great Britain after becoming exasperated by the ongoing failure of online casinos and bookmakers to protect vulnerable people and addicts.In a major shift in emphasis, the regulator will start giving operators direct instructions on how to ensure that consumers aren’t harmed, taking a prescriptive approach, instead of leaving it up to them to decide how to do so. Continue reading...

Lenders expect wave of defaults this spring as cost of living soars, Bank of England survey findsBritain’s biggest banks say they expect a rise in the number of consumers struggling to repay credit cards and other loans amid growing concern over soaring living costs.Figures from the Bank of England show that high street lenders expect an increase in the number of defaults on unsecured lending and business loans over the three months to the end of June. Continue reading...

Figures show 6.2m people waiting for routine hospital treatment, with A&E and ambulance waits also soaringThe number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to the highest level since records began 15 years ago, with A&E and ambulance waits also soaring amid high Covid rates, staff shortages and increased demand.NHS data shows 6.2 million people are waiting to start treatment, the highest number since records began in August 2007. Continue reading...

London-listed company facing financial pressures after UK placed sanctions on key Russian clientThe London-listed mining company Petropavlovsk has warned investors they may be wiped out though a potential sale, as it struggles to regain its footing after UK sanctions against a key Russian client.The miner said it was facing financial pressures due to UK government restrictions on Gazprombank, which is one of Petropavlovsk’s main customers and buys all of its gold. Gazprombank, which processes most payments for the Russian oil and gas sector, has been subject to UK sanctions since 24 March. Continue reading...

Members of Scott Morrison’s security detail injured during campaigning in Tasmania; at least 45 more Covid deaths around Australia, with 21 in NSW. This blog is now closed

Actor says ‘the misogyny is unbelievable’ after the response to her pretending to mistake Kirsten Dunst for a placeholding stand-inAmy Schumer received death threats of sufficient plausibility that the authorities contacted her in the wake of a joke she made at the Oscars, the actor has revealed.Speaking on the Howard Stern Show, Schumer discussed the segment of the 27 March ceremony in which she pretended to mistake the actor Kirsten Dunst, Oscar-nominated for her role in The Power of the Dog, for a seat-filler – someone who sits in a guest’s chair while they leave briefly to visit the bathroom, to give the impression of a full room. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron and the far-right hopeful Marine Le Pen finished top in the first round of French presidential election. We look at the latest polling as the second round approachesEmmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen finished top in the first round of the French presidential election and now face each other in a run-off on 24 April that will determine who occupies the Élysée Palace for the next five years.The outgoing president won 27.8% of the first-round vote, while the leader of the far-right nationalist Rassemblement National (National Rally) managed 23.1%. Of the 10 other candidates in the field, only far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon exceeded 10%, scoring 22%. Continue reading...

Ukraine says it struck the Moskva with two anti-ship missiles without giving evidence as Zelenskiy says Russia ramping up offensive in east and south

Politicians, charities and rights groups condemn plans as ill-conceived, inhumane and evil

Suspension of Dover-Calais sailings adds to wider travel disruption across UK on bank holiday weekendP&O Ferries has suspended all passenger services on the Dover-Calais route over the Easter bank holiday weekend, causing further disruptions for UK travellers.Two of the beleaguered ferry firm’s eight vessels – the Pride of Kent and Spirit of Britain – are still being detained by Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) over safety concerns, resulting in ferry shortages on a key route in the run-up the busy travel period. Continue reading...

Tobias Ellwood says Boris Johnson owes it to the party and that Putin could exploit his law-breaker imageBoris Johnson should hold a vote of confidence to confirm his leadership after the conclusion of the police investigation into parties at No 10 and if local elections go badly for the Conservatives, a Tory MP has said.Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the Commons defence committee, warned that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, could “exploit” the prime minister’s image as a law-breaker following the fixed-penalty notices for attending parties in No 10.

Focus now on retrieving bodies, says mayor, after strongest storm to hit archipelago this year devastates communitiesThe death toll from landslides and floods in the Philippines rose to 123 on Wednesday with scores missing and feared dead, officials said, as rescuers dug up more bodies with bare hands and backhoes in crushed villages.Most of the deaths from tropical storm Megi – the strongest to hit the archipelago this year – were in the central province of Leyte, where a series of landslides devastated communities. Continue reading...

Lawyers for Miller say the former Coalition staffer wishes to remove ‘any impediment’ preventing the PM giving a ‘full and truthful account’ of her caseThe former Coalition staffer Rachelle Miller has challenged Scott Morrison to publicly release details of the settlement payment she will receive after alleging harassment and bullying while working for senior ministers.It comes after the government cited confidentiality and privacy concerns in refusing to provide the information. But even after Miller’s lawyers said she was eager to “release” the Commonwealth and ministers from being bound by confidentiality around commenting on her case, Coalition ministers are still declining to comment. Continue reading...

After its wettest ever start to the year, Sydney is forecast to have a dry long weekend

Hasina Begum was separated from her family and forced return to Myanmar despite her refugee status. Hundreds of others now face expulsionThe deportation of a Rohingya women back to Myanmar has sparked fears that India is preparing to expel many more refugees from the country.Hasina Begum, 37, was deported from Indian-administered Kashmir two weeks ago, despite holding a UN verification of her refugee status, intended to protect holders from arbitrary detention. Begum was among 170 refugees arrested and detained in Jammu in March last year. Her husband and three children, who also have UN refugee status, remain in Kashmir. Continue reading...

Analysis: Russia’s indiscriminate use of weaponry has already led to high numbers of civilian deaths

This liveblog is now closed

Exclusive: record infection rates are making targets for treating the 6m people on waiting lists look less achievableOperations are being cancelled across England as Covid causes “major disruption” inside the NHS, the country’s top surgeon has said, as doctors and health leaders say the government’s backlog targets look increasingly unachievable.Six million people are on the waiting list for NHS hospital care, including more than 23,000 who have waited more than two years. The NHS in England is due to publish its latest waiting times data on Thursday. Continue reading...

PM said government had not broken its election promise to create anti-corruption body, despite never introducing legislation

Tateolena Tauaifaga died when Christopher Chandler drove into the backyard of her Sydney home during police pursuit in 2015

Strongman Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s position looks weak amid an economic crisis that threatens to turn into starvationHe was once known as “The Terminator”, the most feared man in Sri Lankan politics. But today, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s name can hardly be spoken without a loud chorus of derision and calls of “thief”, “madman”, “criminal” or “traitor”.As Sri Lanka endures its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, blame has fallen at the feet of one man. Rajapaksa, known to many simply as Gota, was elected in 2019 amid nationalistic fervour and a wave of support from the country’s Sinhalese Buddhist majority. But over the past three years, under his watch – and what many are calling “criminal financial mismanagement” – the economy has gone into freefall. Now many people can barely afford three meals a day. “He has dragged this country down into the gutter and we are all suffering,” said Dinesh Galgamuwa, 47, who was among the protesters in Colombo. Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands of people set to travel through domestic terminals on Thursday, the highest numbers since March 2020

Russia defence ministry says entire crew of Moskva warship evacuated after ammunition blast; Ukraine earlier claimed it had struck the cruiser

House and unit rental prices are up nationwide, research finds, as vacancies hit lowest national rate since 2006

Israeli troops open fire as crowd pelts them with rocks and incendiary devices in Nablus after clashes near vandalised Jewish sacred siteA Palestinian lawyer and a teenager have been killed on the fifth day of Israeli raids in the West Bank following deadly attacks in the Jewish state, amid heightened tensions after a religious site was vandalised.Israel has poured in additional forces and is reinforcing its wall and fence barrier with the occupied territory after four deadly attacks claimed 14 lives in Israel, most of them civilians, in the past three weeks. Continue reading...

Academy teacher suffered head injury, tinnitus, back injury and severe depressionA London teacher has been awarded £850,000 in compensation after being punched in the face and kicked during a science lesson by a pupil with a history of violence towards other children and teachers.The attack was so severe it left him with severe psychological trauma that resulted in him being sectioned twice under the Mental Health Act for his own safety, according to his trade union, the NASUWT. Continue reading...

Google is suing the alleged fake dog breeder, which used the company’s Voice and email accounts to perpetrate the fraudThe pandemic sent Americans’ demand for pets soaring as a growing number of people sought out a canine companion. Now, Google is going after an alleged fraudster for running a fake puppy scam that exploited people’s desire for “personal gain”.In the new lawsuit, filed on Monday, the company accused the Cameroon-based defendant of using a network of fake websites, Google Voice phone numbers and Gmail accounts to pretend to sell purebred puppies, including basset hounds and maltipoos, that didn’t exist. Continue reading...

Deal to outsource process, described by Labour as ‘unworkable and unethical’, among range of measures to be unveiledPeople seeking asylum in the UK will be flown 4,500 miles to Rwanda as part of a government crackdown on unauthorised migrants to be announced by Boris Johnson.The prime minister is expected to announce a range of measures including putting the navy in charge of Channel operations from Friday and a new reception centre to hold people attempting to enter the UK to aid ending the practice of housing asylum seekers in hotels. Continue reading...

Salah Abdeslam says he was ‘shocked’ when asked to blow himself up in a cafe and was given no details about the targetsThe last surviving suspected assailant in the deadly 2015 Paris attacks has told a court that he changed his mind about going through with the killings at the last moment.“The objective I was given was to go to a cafe in the 18th” district in northern Paris, Salah Abdeslam told the special Paris court hearing the case. “I’m going into the cafe, I’m ordering a drink, I’m looking at the people around me – and I said to myself: ‘No, I’m not going to do it.’” Continue reading...

Latest updates: Lord Wolfson says he cannot serve in the government because of its disregard for the rule of law