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First vehicle bought after fundraising effort backed by TV host heads to war-torn country next week

Palestine Red Crescent says people injured by rubber bullets, Israeli police batons and stun grenades at al-Aqsa mosqueMedics say more than 150 Palestinians have been injured in clashes that erupted when Israeli riot police entered Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound, in the most significant violence at the holy site since similar scenes sparked a war last year.Most of the Palestinian injuries on Friday were incurred by rubber bullets, stun grenades and beatings with police batons, the Palestine Red Crescent said. Continue reading...

Billionaire follows Camelot in high court bids to overturn decision to let Czech firm Allwyn run drawCompanies owned by the billionaire Richard Desmond have launched legal action against the UK’s gambling regulator’s decision to grant Czech-owned Allwyn the licence to run the National Lottery.Desmond’s Northern & Shell and a subsidiary, the New Lottery Company, have taken legal action against the Gambling Commission, according to a high court filing dated 13 April – becoming the third party to challenge the award. Continue reading...

Medical watchdog notified of cases of severe acute hepatitis after six children underwent liver transplantsThe World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring growing cases of hepatitis in children across the UK after six had to undergo liver transplants.The medical watchdog was told about 10 cases of severe acute hepatitis in children in Scotland on 5 April. Three days later, it was notified of a further 74 cases in the rest of the UK. More cases are likely to be reported in the coming days. Continue reading...

Analysis: To turn stolidly non-aligned Finland and Sweden into members would join pantheon of great strategic blundersIt is conceivable that by the end of the year Nato’s land mass, GDP and territorial borders with Russia may expand by nearly as much as they would have if Ukraine had achieved its distant goal of eventual membership of the western defence alliance – if not more.The brutal manner in which Vladimir Putin has tried to foreclose Ukraine’s security options has led to a sudden change in thinking in Finland and Sweden that has been all the more powerful since it seems to have come from below, as opposed to from the political elites. Continue reading...

Analysis: with PM in trouble, Conservatives fear his potential successors do not measure upBoris Johnson has suffered undeniable political harm in becoming the first serving prime minister fined for breaking the law, and things could get worse if he is punished for other lockdown-breaking parties. But, at least so far, there is little appetite for ousting him. Tory MPs cite the Ukraine war, and perhaps more critically the lack of a credible alternative. Here are Johnson’s potential rivals – and why Conservatives fear they do not measure up. Continue reading...

Attempts by Moscow to pay creditors in roubles as a result of being cut off from foreign currency reserves could breach loan termsRussia’s switch to making debt payments in roubles has brought the heavily sanctioned country to the brink of defaulting on its debts, according to a leading credit rating agency.Heaping further pressure on Vladimir Putin’s beleaguered government, Moody’s said that without a return before 4 May to making payments in dollars as agreed under the terms of Russia’s loans, Moscow could be in default, allowing creditors to claim insurance payouts and tainting the country’s reputation as a reliable counterparty. Continue reading...

Royal observers say get-together was ‘welcome if long overdue move’ by couple after UK exit two years agoAfter the high drama of their royal exit, it was a low-key reunion behind the walls of Windsor Castle for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the Queen on Thursday.Prince Harry and Meghan may not have announced their visit in advance, the first by the duchess to Europe in the two years since the couple left the UK in March 2020 and unshackled themselves from formal royal life. But this would have been classed as a family occasion, “like all private get-togethers”, and not an official engagement, so would not have been announced in advance, according to Joe Little, the managing editor of Majesty magazine. Continue reading...

Aiden Aslin’s mother says Ukraine fighter should be treated as prisoner of war after images show him injured

The war in Ukraine has prompted an exodus of Russian ‘diplomats’. Does it mark the end of an era?Russia-Ukraine war: latest updatesThe unprecedented wave of expulsions of Russian diplomats from European capitals – now close to 400 – is not just a symbolic, if reversible, act of revulsion at the war crimes for which Russia stands accused. It is part of a decades long battle to police the dividing line between espionage and diplomacy, one in which the west of late has been accused of too often ignoring a resurgence in Russia’s clandestine activities, either because of an excessive focus on domestic terrorism, or excessive reliance on intercepts.Sir John Sawers, the former head of M16, last year said he suspected the west was picking up only 10% of Russia’s espionage. Continue reading...

More than 1,000 items owned by Jeremy Bulloch up for sale next month, with part of proceeds going to Parkinson’s UK charityHe was only on screen for a matter of minutes but the character he brought to life – the Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett – achieved cult status.From May the 4th – a nod to the franchise’s saying “May the force be with you” – fans will be able to bid for memorabilia collected by Jeremy Bulloch, the late British actor who played the character in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Continue reading...

Mike Haines says guilt of El Shafee Elsheikh in a US trial provides ‘some closure’ for death of David HainesThe brother of a British aid worker killed by an Islamic State cell known as “the Beatles” said the conviction of one of their members had closed “an eight-year chapter of pain” for his family.Mike Haines, whose brother David Haines was captured by militants in Syria in March 2013, welcomed the conviction of El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, in a US court, saying it had “provided us with some closure”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Disgraced former MP hit by fresh allegations after conviction for sexual assault of 15-year-old

Australian Electoral Commission examining Facebook page linked to Lloyd that promoted candidates who oppose vaccine mandates

Rebecca Lloyd reportedly ditched from One Nation because she refused to work with party leaders; airport staff shortages cause baggage issues; more aged care deaths in 2022 than first two pandemic years combined; campaign trail ‘truce’ for Easter weekend; NSW records 16 Covid deaths, Victoria records seven deaths; Queensland records two deaths; first election debate confirmed for 20 April. This blog is now closed

Scuffles follow complaints of food shortages and over-zealous officials forcing people into quarantineVideos posted on social media have showed residents of Shanghai scuffling with hazmat-suited police who were ordering them to surrender their homes to Covid-19 patients, providing a rare glimpse into rising discontent in the megacity over China’s inflexible virus response.Shanghai, a city of 25 million and China’s economic engine room, has become the heart of the country’s biggest outbreak since the peak of the first virus wave in Wuhan over two years ago, rattling the country’s adherence to a strict zero-Covid policy. Continue reading...

After a two-year pause, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and The Weeknd will be headlining at a festival with no Covid-19 restrictionsHarry Styles, Billie Eilish and The Weeknd are headed to Coachella this weekend for the first edition of the mega-festival in three years.The California-based festival, which takes place over two weekends, is expected to draw more than 125,000 people a day. In February, the festival announced that there would be no rules regarding mask-wearing, testing and vaccination proof “in accordance with local guidelines”. Continue reading...

Analysis: with more than 6 million people in need, there is anger at perceived lack of action from the government and the UNThe UN this week issued a stark warning on Somalia, projecting that 350,000 children could starve to death without urgent action.The country is in the middle of a drought that is already killing people. Some regions in the Horn of Africa are the hottest they have been since satellites started recording data 40 years ago, according to an analysis by the World Food Programme. Continue reading...

This liveblog is now closed. For the latest Ukraine live news, head over to our new live blog

Most broadcasts fail to attract more than 100,000 viewers, according to official ratingsWhen BBC Three relaunched as a live television channel earlier this year, the corporation hoped its counterintuitive punt on a youth-focused broadcast outlet would help it reach new audiences. Instead, the channel’s shows are consistently being beaten in the ratings by repeats of old history programmes featuring the deceased steeplejack Fred Dibnah on BBC Four.Most of BBC Three’s programmes have so far failed to attract more than 100,000 viewers on live television, according to official viewing figures, while some shows are lucky to get a tenth of that. Even the programmes that do perform relatively well – such as episodes of MasterChef Australia – are rarely the original distinctive in-house shows that the channel exists to provide. Continue reading...

The combination of BA.2 and BA.1 is thought to be highly contagious and comes as mandatory negative Covid tests for travellers to Australia is scrapped

Playhouse to stage Beyond Belief in 2023 to ‘say a proper goodbye’ to late SDLP leader who helped persuade IRA to give up armsA musical drama about the life of John Hume, one of the main forces behind the Good Friday agreement, will be staged next year to mark the 25th anniversary of the historic deal that helped end 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.Beyond Belief, written by Damian Gorman with music by Brian O’Doherty, is the second part of a “peace-building trilogy” at the Playhouse in Hume’s home town, Derry, after The White Handkerchief, a play about the events of Bloody Sunday, earlier this year. Continue reading...

Liberal candidate for McMahon Vivek Singha blamed Narendra Modi for sowing division at a time Australia was courting closer relations with India

As anti-Covid restrictions ease, many immunocompromised people feel theatres and concerts are now too risky. Are mask-only performances the answer?

Analysis: Tories keen to shore up support with tough immigration policy but there are concerns about the detailWhen Boris Johnson’s position was at its most precarious two months ago, he had to convince Conservative MPs sticking by his side was worth it.A plan was devised – dubbed “Operation Red Meat” – to give those losing faith in his administration some belief that there was a higher purpose than just defending their leader through scandal after scandal. Continue reading...

Lithuania plays down threat, claiming Russians already have such weapons in Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad

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...