BDO index rises for fifth consecutive month but inflation and Ukraine war could curtail jobs boomEmployment growth in the UK returned to pre-pandemic levels in March, but the jobs boom looks set to be short-lived amid rising living costs and the impact of the war in Ukraine, a report says.The business advisory firm BDO said UK companies reported the fastest growth in the labour market since February 2020. Continue reading...
As in 2017 and 2002, debate over whether leftwing voters should back centrist, stay home or not vote at allFrance now faces a frantic electoral fortnight after Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen made it to the second round of the presidential election, with the two remaining candidates attempting to convince the country’s voters – many of whom do not support them – that they deserve their vote in a fortnight.For many of France’s almost 48 million voters, this will be a difficult time, particularly for those on the left of the political spectrum. Many will be asking themselves whether to select what they consider the least bad option between the centrist Emmanuel Macron or far-right Marine Le Pen, or stay at home and not vote at all. Continue reading...
Centrist Macron may find it hard to make criticism of far-right opponent’s racist, anti-Muslim platform stick in next roundWhen the far-right Marine Le Pen posed for a selfie with a smiling teenager in a Muslim headscarf in Dunkirk on the northern coast, it was a turning point in the presidential campaign.Le Pen wants to ban the Muslim headscarf from all public places, including the streets, calling it a “uniform of totalitarian ideology”. So after posing happily with a girl in hijab, she was attacked for going soft by her far-right rival, the TV pundit Éric Zemmour. “Let me teach you about humanity,” Le Pen shot back at one of Zemmour’s lieutenants in a TV debate that went viral. “What would you have done? Pulled her veil off and mistreated her?” Continue reading...
Emmanuel Macron is asking French voters for another term as president. The far right’s Marine Le Pen, and 10 others, are challenging him. Find out the latest results department by departmentLive blog: latest developments and reactionThe French president is elected by a direct vote. There is no electoral college, and no involvement of parliament. A candidate who wins more than 50% of the popular vote is elected. If, as seems likely, no candidate wins that majority in the first round, the top two candidates go through to a run-off election two weeks later, on April 24. Continue reading...
Chinese city’s authorities say they have secured food and other essentials for residents after complaints about deliveriesMore than 11,000 recovered Covid-19 patients were discharged in Shanghai on Sunday, and health authorities emphasised that they must be allowed to return home despite the lockdown that has severely restricted movement in China’s largest city.“We hope their family and community will not worry about them or discriminate against them,” said Wu Jinglei, the director of the Shanghai municipal health commission. Continue reading...
In 2019, Richmond and Scott Morrison claimed miracle wins. And with canny leaders like Trent Cotchin, we should beware these wounded TigersJust before half time of Saturday night’s game at the MCG, two very different footballers went toe-to-toe on the Members wing: Trent Cotchin, an articled clerk who plays a blue collar game, and Bailey Smith, who looks like he’s just stepped off a float at Royal Randwick.
by Shah Meer Baloch in Islamabad and Hannah Ellis-Pet on (#5Y1CQ)
Pakistan’s now ousted PM appeared to give opposition ultimatum: agree to fresh elections or I’ll bring in armyImran Khan, who was ousted as Pakistan’s prime minister on Saturday, threatened to implement martial law rather than hand over power to the opposition, according to documents seen by the Guardian.According to security officials and opposition figures, he attempted several moves to hold on to power in the days and hours leading up to the no-confidence vote. However, he failed to stop it happening and in the final minutes before midnight on Saturday he was ousted from office. Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#5Y15F)
Cabinet minister says he had the status – currently causing controversy for Rishi Sunak – while in bankingSajid Javid, the health secretary, has been drawn into the “non-dom” controversy after admitting he held the status for six years while a banker, allowing him to legally avoid tax on overseas earnings.The senior cabinet minister, a former chancellor, gave a statement to the Sunday Times saying he had held non-dom status, thought to be on the grounds that his father was born in Pakistan. Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#5Y14J)
Chancellor is expected to spend weekends with his family at Kensington homeRishi Sunak’s family has moved out of Downing Street in the wake of the controversy over the tax affairs of his wife, Akshata Murty.Removal vans visited Downing Street, where the family occupies the flat above No 10, to move the Sunaks’ belongings to their home in Kensington. Sunak is expected to spendweekdays in Downing Street, while returning to his family in Kensington at weekends. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Call for Priti Patel to name the Russians on sanctions list and publish report on defunct visa purchase schemeThe government is facing fresh calls to reveal the identities of eight sanctioned Russian oligarchs who were allowed to buy “golden visas” to live in the UK.Stephen Kinnock, the shadow minister for immigration, is demanding that the home secretary, Priti Patel, name the eight Russians on the sanctions list and publish a long-withheld report on the now scrapped visa purchase programme. Continue reading...
London mayor says police chief who resigned amid scandal has given four decades of ‘dedicated public service’The mayor of London has thanked the outgoing Metropolitan police commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, for four decades of “dedicated public service” on her final day in the role.Dick resigned following Sadiq Khan’s public criticism of her handling of a group of police officers based at Charing Cross police station who had shared racist, homophobic and misogynistic messages on WhatsApp. Continue reading...
Lawyer’s book reveals the inside story of the musician’s 1976 court battle with Morris Levy, a mafia-affiliated music mogulIt was a courtroom drama with two towering protagonists. In one corner stood a record mogul with a history of violence and Mafia links who was notorious for stealing musicians’ work. In the other corner stood a Beatle.The battle between John Lennon and Morris Levy, the boss of Roulette Records and inspiration for a ruthless music mogul in The Sopranos, played out over several months and culminated in 1976 in New York’s district court. Continue reading...
Bloody Good Period has seen a 78% increase in demand for period products during the first quarter of 2022Period poverty in the UK has been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, charities warn, as the demand for menstrual products distributed by charities has increased.Data from Bloody Good Period, a charity that provides period products to those unable to buy them otherwise, found that there was a 78% increase in demand for their products during the first quarter of 2022, compared to the same period in 2020, rising from 7,452 period products to 13,284. Continue reading...
by Tory Shepherd and Mostafa Rachwani (earlier) on (#5Y0VY)
Scott Morrison says federal election about choosing between ‘a government you know and a Labor opposition you don’t’; Anthony Albanese says ‘Australians deserve better’ at campaign launch; at least 13 more deaths from Covid. This blog is now closed
A small serving of panic in Andalucía as mayor suspected of trying to ban cherished local traditionIt’s often the majestic opulence of the Alhambra or the craggy peaks of the Sierra Nevada that lure visitors to the southern Spanish city of Granada. But it takes just minutes in one of the local bars – whether a heaving, dimly-lit tavern or a space where wine barrels stand in for tables – to discover another of the city’s charms: the free tapas that come with most drink orders.While olives and crisps flow freely in bars across Spain, Granada’s establishments have long gone the extra mile, serving up deluxe tapas that range from deep-fried shrimp to hearty patatas bravas. Continue reading...
The synthpop maestro used lockdown to revisit folk songs he’d written in the 1970s, inspired by whichever chord he’d learned that dayLockdown stimulated all kinds of unexpected creative urges. For Neil Tennant, of synthpop masterminds Pet Shop Boys, the outcome was a collection of folk songs.“During lockdown I started recording songs I’d written in the 70s,” he said, in an interview for BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life. “And they were on the guitar.” Continue reading...
The government department in charge of fire safety failed to heed repeated warnings after a previous fatal tower block blazeThe architect Sam Webb has never forgotten walking into the charred, smoke-blackened bathroom on the 11th floor of a tower block devastated by fire in July 2009.In the soot-covered bathtub were the smeared imprints of the feet and hands of two young children. Along with their mother and another mother and baby, they had sought refuge in the small room after the fire spread rapidly across combustible panels on the block. All five of them died. Continue reading...
by Matteo Civillini and Jon Ungoed-Thomas on (#5Y0Z4)
The British School at Rome set up grievance panel after staff and alumni complained of a ‘divisive atmosphere’A taxpayer-funded charity that runs a prestigious art school in Rome has been accused of failing in its duty of care after allegations of mismanagement, a “toxic” working environment and unfair working practices.The British School at Rome (BSR) launched an inquiry after 24 staff, former employees and alumni complained about the charity’s operations in April 2020 to its trustees. It was alleged that staff were suffering “physical and mental health issues” because of poor working conditions. Continue reading...
Report says sidelining of parliament by Tory government has further eroded trust in political systemA dramatic loss of faith in the ability of British democracy to serve the interests of UK voters is revealed in a new report that finds that donors to political parties and big businesses are now commonly viewed by the electorate as the main drivers of government policy.Disturbing evidence that millions of voters feel their voices and views go largely unheard while big money interests hold most sway is uncovered in the latest report by the IPPR thinktank, in collaboration with the Observer, on the future of democracy. Continue reading...
Will bullying claims against the PM, and independents demanding climate action, damage conservatives’ chances of holding on to power?• Scott Morrison: frustrated, frazzled and under siege
Star proposes in Detroit while singing lyric ‘let’s get married’, before ceremony performed by label co-founderJack White surprised fans by marrying the musician Olivia Jean on stage during his Detroit homecoming show on Friday.The Detroit-born singer, songwriter and producer invited Jean onstage to join his performance and introduced her as his girlfriend. Continue reading...
The bestselling novelist wrote 85 books, mostly thrillers and spy stories, using the pseudonym Jack HigginsHenry Patterson, the bestselling novelist who wrote the The Eagle Has Landed, has died aged 92.The writer died at his home in Jersey surrounded by his family, his publisher HarperCollins said. Continue reading...
Former speaker says treasurer Josh Frydenberg should authorise corporate regulator to decide claims under compensation scheme for defective administration
Unlike Queensland and New South Wales, Victoria has no culturally specific family violence refugesZara* believes she and her children wouldn’t be alive today were it not for the support she received while at a family violence refuge in New Zealand tailored to her cultural needs.“The mainstream refuge didn’t understand the seriousness of abuse the ethnic women go through,” Zara said. “I have been told by my own family, community and society to reconcile so many times and every time the abuse worsens.In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...
Senior party figures think the furore over the chancellor’s US green card and his wife’s tax affairs have put an end to his chancesSenior Conservatives have written off Rishi Sunak as a potential prime minister – and now believe Boris Johnson will have to remove him as chancellor in his next reshuffle – following the furore over his US green card and his wife’s tax affairs.One former Tory minister told the Observer that the fear among Conservative MPs with small majorities was that the party was now in a “death spiral” with its two leading figures – the PM and chancellor – both having lost respect among voters. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent on (#5Y0R1)
Prime minister found to have broken the law by supreme court after attempt to stop vote going aheadPakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, has lost a no-confidence vote in parliament after a dramatic week in which he violated the constitution in an effort to stop the move going ahead.Khan, Pakistan’s former premier cricketer turned pious Islamist politician, has been fighting for his political life for weeks, after he lost his parliamentary majority. Continue reading...
Gun battle in occupied West Bank leaves at least one Palestinian militant dead, according to Israeli and Palestinian accountsIsraeli troops on Saturday raided the home town of a Palestinian who carried out a deadly shooting in Tel Aviv, causing a gun battle in the occupied West Bank that left at least one Palestinian militant dead, according to Israeli and Palestinian accounts.The arrest raid was the latest in a series of events that have escalated tensions during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Clashes and protests in Jerusalem last year helped spark an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Continue reading...
Premier League champions’ global partner Marathonbet is one of around 20 firms cleared to operate in RussiaManchester City football club faces scrutiny over its official global betting partner Marathonbet, which is approved by the Kremlin for its gambling operations in Russia.Marathonbet, which was established in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in 1997, is one of around 20 firms approved in Russia for betting, according to Kremlin federal tax office documents seen by the Observer. Continue reading...
The Patriarchs – An Elegy shared via royal social media accounts on first anniversary of Duke of Edinburgh’s deathThe royal family have shared a poem in tribute to the late Prince Philip on the first anniversary of his death.The elegy was written by the poet laureate Simon Armitage and shared via official royal social media accounts on Saturday. Continue reading...
Adrian Chesters, a Briton who was rescued on Saturday, says his son Nathen died while they were adriftThe 14-year-old son of a British man is believed to have died following reports that he went missing on a diving trip in Malaysia.Adrian Chesters, 46, reportedly told the Malaysian coastguard his son Nathen, who has Dutch nationality, had died while they were adrift. Following a dive off the coast of Mersing, in the southern state of Johor, on Wednesday, the group surfaced but were unable to find their boat. Continue reading...
by Luke Harding in Kyiv and Clea Skopeliti on (#5Y0H4)
Two leaders will ‘discuss UK’s long-term support to Ukraine’ and Johnson will set out new aid package, says No 10Boris Johnson is meeting the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy during an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukrainian officials have said.A picture posted on Twitter by the embassy of Ukraine to the UK showed the two leaders sitting across a table in the capital, with their respective flags in the background. Continue reading...
Soaring energy and food prices caused by war in Ukraine could hand the EU’s ‘illiberal’ leaders a major boostFor a brief moment, it looked like the longstanding love affair between most of Europe’s rightwing, nationalist, anti-immigration and EU-critical politicians with Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin would prove a fatal mistake. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has certainly embarrassed them. But so far at least, it does not appear to have done them terminal harm.A newcomer to the scene, France’s Eric Zémmour, whose extreme Islamophobic rhetoric has done much to make Marine Le Pen seem reasonable, has seen his poll ratings plunge in part because of his previous avowed admiration for Moscow. But Le Pen, despite extensive cosying-up to Putin (including at least one Kremlin meeting with the Russian president, support for his annexation of Crimea, and campaign loans from Moscow banks) has barely been affected by it at all. Continue reading...
Leader Anas Sarwar is confident of gains in May elections, amid predictions the party could come second to SNPWith a brisk and bracingly cold sea breeze buffeting the red, green and yellow trade union flags in bright sunshine, the protest at P&O’s Scottish ferry port had the air of a labour movement revivalist rally.Union leaders railed against P&O’s bosses and the Conservative government in Westminster, demanding legal action and boycotts, applauded by Labour’s leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, who then led the march to the shuttered P&O terminal at Cairnryan on the Irish Sea. Continue reading...
Thousands take to the streets to call for the resignation of president Gotabaya RajapaksaAs thousands of angry cries and anti-government slogans filled the streets of the Sri Lankan city Colombo on Saturday, Chanda Upul stood quietly nearby, desperately pushing his wares of soft drinks and bottled water on protesters. But in his heart he was chanting along with them.As Sri Lanka has descended into its worst financial crisis since independence, with food, fuel, medicine and electricity becoming increasingly scarce, and calls for the president Gotabaya Rajapaksa – frequently referred to as Gota – to step down, 50-year-old Upul, who lives in a poor northern suburb of the city, is among those who have been pushed to the brink of survival. Continue reading...
Charges for taking out £250 at an overseas ATM can be as high as £15, but there are ways to avoid themUsing a typical credit or debit card to withdraw cash on an overseas break could mean paying costly and unnecessary fees. But shop around before you go and you could avoid paying over the odds.The financial firm Moneyfacts say a holidaymaker taking out £250 from an overseas ATM will typically face charges of £11.88. The same withdrawal on a credit card would typically attract £14.95 in fees, before interest. Continue reading...
High rates of staff absences due to Covid and fallout from P&O Ferries scandal contribute to disruption over busy spring breakHolidaymakers looking to get away for Easter are facing major disruption to travel, as airlines cancel more than 100 flights a day because of staff shortages and ferry operators struggle to meet demand following the suspension of P&O Ferries services.The rise in passenger numbers over the spring break has coincided with high rates of staff absences due to the latest wave of Covid infections. Continue reading...
Aviation authority has imposed zero-tolerance policy and says incidents have soared since 6 January Capitol attackAn American Airlines passenger who allegedly pushed a flight attendant and spat at crew members has been hit with the biggest fine ever issued by US aviation regulators, and another fine topping $75,000 (£57,500) was issued to a Delta Air Lines passenger who bit a fellow passenger after trying to hug and kiss another.Since January 2021 when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a zero-tolerance policy, the agency has proposed fines of about $7m for disruptive passengers. Two new fines issued on Friday were the highest yet. Continue reading...
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