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Temperatures to fall and rain forecast for some areas as weather returns to normal for April, Met Office saysMonday is expected to herald a drop in temperatures and rain for some areas of the UK at the end of an unseasonably warm Easter weekend.Temperatures were expected to reach the high teens on Sunday, with the possibility of even higher in the south after Good Friday was the warmest day of the year so far, with 23.4C recorded in St James’s Park in London – warmer than Ibiza. Continue reading...

Glanbia Milk’s products will attract VAT because they are not baked and would not be served at afternoon teaA range of flapjacks have been found to be sweets rather than cakes and therefore subject to VAT, in a judgment that could have big financial implications for manufacturers of the treats.The tax tribunal ruled that 36 flapjacks produced by Glanbia Milk were not cakes, which are zero-rated for VAT purposes, because they would not be eaten for afternoon tea, were more commonly eaten on the go, were not baked and contained significant amounts of protein. Continue reading...

Matthew Rycroft said that without evidence to justify the plan he could not be sure it provides value for moneyThe civil servant in charge of the Home Office has said he does not have evidence to show the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will act as a deterrent.In a letter released at the weekend, Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary at the department, said that because the evidence was not available to justify the plan, he could not be sure it would provide value for money to the taxpayer. Continue reading...

20th Century Flicks has been renting out films since 1982 and is surviving the streaming era

Ursula von der Leyen says she doesn’t distinguish between heavy and light arms and suggests Sberbank could face sanctions

About half of ethnic minority workers said their employer had taken action to tackle racism in last 12 monthsThe number of employers implementing new diversity and inclusion drives has almost trebled since the end of the Black Lives Matter protests, new research shows.A total of 27% of ethnic minority workers said their employers had introduced new initiatives during the last 12 months in response to the global movement, according to an Opinium survey of 2,000 adults. This was an increase from 10% in 2020, the year in which protests began after George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in the US state of Minnesota. Continue reading...

The Colombian Nobel laureate, who lived in the city from 1967-75, is to have a €12m building specialising in Latin American literature named after himIn the digital age, building a new library filled with old-fashioned printed books seems idealistic, almost quixotic.Not so in Barcelona. The city council is about to open a new €12m (£10m) library next month, the latest instalment in a programme that dates back 20 years.The library, in the working-class district of Sant Martí de Provençals, has been named in honour of the Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. Continue reading...

With the prospect of more Partygate fines and a spiralling cost-of-living crisis, many on his own side are playing a waiting gameIt wasn’t as if things had been going brilliantly for Boris Johnson as he attempted to spend some precious downtime last week at Chequers, a bubble of countryside tranquillity away from the escalating cost of living crisis and political woes that had punctuated his year.Already by Tuesday morning, one MP had been expelled from the party after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. Another had caused outrage for issuing a statement supporting his former colleague – all just weeks before looming local elections. Continue reading...

Staff shortages, treatment backlogs and the pandemic have contributed to hospital doctors and nurses taking almost 23,000 years off with mental health problems since 2017

Labor says Anne Ruston as health minister if Coalition re-elected should ‘send a shiver down the spine’; WA records eight Covid deaths, NSW six, Victoria two and Tasmania one. This blog is now closed

Minister says Coalition is ‘not cutting Medicare’ as Labor accuses her of wanting ‘to take the universal out of universal healthcare’

Barry Joule says he is cancelling plans to donate a collection to the UK gallery because it failed to exhibit works in earlier giftAn extensive collection of Francis Bacon’s art will be given to France instead of to the Tate following a row between the gallery and one of the artist’s closest friends.Barry Joule, who was Bacon’s confidant, said he is so frustrated by the Tate’s failure to exhibit an earlier donation of the artist’s work that he has cancelled plans to donate hundreds more items to the gallery. Continue reading...

After two weeks of relative calm in the city, sinking of Moskva warship leads to retaliatory missile attacks

Russia has told Ukrainian soldiers in southern city to surrender as Ukraine president laments ‘inhuman’ situation there

Teaching union calls for cap on class sizes for all key stages as staff warn they cannot meet learning needs of all childrenThree out of four teachers in the UK say class sizes are getting bigger, having a negative impact on pupil progress, levels of attainment and behaviour during lessons, according to a survey.As schools struggle to help pupils catch up amid continuing disruption resulting from the pandemic, more than nine out of 10 (95%) teachers warned that bigger classes were damaging their ability to meet the needs of all pupils. Continue reading...

Foreign minister says she has made it ‘explicitly clear’ she does not agree with comments made by Warringah candidate

Experts say 400-year-old work is likely collaboration between Dutch master Willem Claesz Heda and his sonA 400-year-old “one in a million” Dutch painting worth up to $5m has been found at a property in the New South Wales Blue Mountains.Called Still Life, the work was recently located at the National Trust of Australia-managed Woodford Academy during a restoration project. Continue reading...

A pill linked to physical malformations, autism and developmental delay in children is still being prescribed to pregnant womenA anti-epilepsy drug, which causes health problems for babies when taken by pregnant women, is still being given to patients without safety warnings, it was reported.Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for an “immediate fix” concerning sodium valproate, which has been linked to physical malformations, autism and developmental delay in many children when taken by their mothers during pregnancy. Continue reading...

Merseyside police appealing for information about assault in afternoon in busy part of the cityAn 18-year-old man has died after emergency services were called to an internet cafe in Liverpool after a report that a teenager had been assaulted.Merseyside police have launched a murder investigation after the incident in the city centre on Saturday evening. Continue reading...

Bernie Maloney has become a kind of neighbourhood celebrity, even inspiring a civil disobedience campaign to stop forced evictions

Tory MPs say fines for Johnson and Sunak over lockdown gatherings have led usually loyal supporters to express concernSenior Tories have warned that traditional supporters are abandoning them after Boris Johnson’s Partygate fine, as another MP broke cover to say the prime minister should be removed over his conduct.Conservative MPs across the country said on Saturday they believed many people who had backed the party before were now raising concerns, with Downing Street braced for further fixed-penalty notices relating to parties in the coming days. Continue reading...

Nathan Fleetwood, 21, was last seen on the night of 27 March in Shrewsbury town centreA body has been recovered from a river during the search for a 21-year-old man who has been missing for 19 days.Nathan Fleetwood went missing after a night out in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. On the night of his disappearance, 27 March, he was sighted in Shrewsbury town centre at about 2.30am. He was last seen on Kingsland Bridge. Continue reading...

Sector faces ‘devastation’ by Brexit red tape and from pandemicLanguage schools for foreign students are being “devastated” by a combination of post-Brexit red tape and the impact of the pandemic, threatening the future of a £3.2bn industry, tourism leaders have warned.A report by the Tourism Alliance said even though the government had ended Covid travel measures, ministers had imposed unnecessary restrictions on children from France, Germany and other EU nations. Continue reading...

Rights groups call for united front against far-right candidate as polls predict a win for centrist Emmanuel MacronProtests were expected around France on Saturday as opponents of the far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen seek to form a united front to prevent her from winning an election runoff against incumbent Emmanuel Macron on 24 April.Police warned of possible incidents as demonstrators convened in 30 cities. Continue reading...

After experiencing the hottest day of the year on Friday, most parts will be sunny before a wetter MondayThe UK is set for warm weather ahead of Easter Sunday after experiencing the hottest day of the year so far.The mercury hit 23.4C (74.1F) in St James’s Park in central London on Good Friday afternoon, the Met Office said, making it hotter than California. Continue reading...

Only Briton to hold role was also president of National Farmers’ Union from 1970 to 1979 and an MEPHenry Plumb, the only British president of the European parliament, has died aged 97.The former Tory politician was president of the National Farmers’ Union from 1970 to 1979 and was elected an MEP for the Cotswolds in 1979. He remained a member of the European parliament until 1999 and served as its president from 1987 until 1989. Continue reading...

Woman, 32, left with injuries to her face after incident on Dixon Street in HaymarketPolice believe a suspected acid attack in Sydney overnight that left a woman in hospital with injuries to her face and some emergency services personnel requiring first aid was a “targeted attack”.Police were told the woman, 32, was standing on Dixon Street in Haymarket when a black hatchback pulled up in front of her. Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un is expected to display advanced weapons at military parade later this month and escalate missile testingThousands of North Koreans marched in a choreographed display of loyalty to the ruling Kim family during a massive civilian parade celebrating the birthday of the country’s founder attended by his grandson and current leader, Kim Jong-un.State media images showed Kim waving from a balcony overlooking the vast square in Pyongyang named after his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, as huge columns of people carrying red plastic flowers and floats with political slogans marched below. Continue reading...

Kinetigraph sends data to doctors so that physiotherapy and prescriptions can be adjusted to meet needsThousands of people with Parkinson’s disease will be given smartwatches by NHS England so they can be treated effectively from home.The Parkinson’s Kinetigraph contains sensors that monitor the wearer’s activity, and buzzes to remind them to take medication. Continue reading...

Survey confirms culture of sexual harassment in classrooms amid influence of ‘incel’ movementTeachers have raised concerns about the influence of “incel” subculture on teenage boys, as a survey revealed that seven in 10 female teachers have been victims of misogyny in school.The poll by the NASUWT teachers’ union confirmed a significant culture of sexual harassment and misogyny in classrooms, with almost 60% of those who participated saying they had experienced misogyny from pupils. Continue reading...

Rappers and singers from local area discuss feelings of loss and hope on track marking anniversaryFive years on from the Grenfell fire, the focus needs to shift back to the young people directly affected by the tragedy, according to those behind a new charity single that features cameos from Top Boy’s Ashley Walters and AJ Tracey.West Side Story, which will be released on 6 May, has been produced by Toddla T and features rappers and singers from the areas surrounding the tower, who discuss their feelings of loss, grief and hope as the fifth anniversary approaches. Continue reading...

Analysis: Plenty of high-profile candidates are chasing rightwing votes, but only one will likely get a Senate seat

Qantas apologises as passengers told they could be without bags for days

Analysis: Like clockwork, an announcement is made to revive the ‘zombie’ toll road projectAlmost seven years after Victoria’s Labor government scrapped a billion-dollar contract to construct the East West Link, the project – once dubbed a “zombie” by the state’s treasurer – refuses to die.The federal Coalition has previously pushed the case for the project. But this time, it was the state opposition reviving it by announcing it would build the underground tunnel to connect Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway to CityLink if was elected at the November election. Continue reading...

On a per-voter basis, Coalition-held seats of Bass in Tasmania and Canning in WA given biggest spending commitments so far

Ten years after settling case against News of the World, actor now taking action against another Rupert Murdoch titleHugh Grant is leading a renewed attempt to prove phone hacking took place at the Sun, even as Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper continues to maintain no illegality took place there.The actor has followed Paul Gascoigne and Sienna Miller in bringing a so-called “Sun-only” phone-hacking claim, specifically alleging that illegality took place at the daily tabloid in the 2000s. Rebekah Brooks, the current chief executive of Murdoch’s News UK business, was editor of the Sun during the period in question. Continue reading...

Kremlin yet to release details of possible casualties on Black Sea flagship, as Ukrainians hail its demise

Analysis: ship’s sinking will shock Russian public and is latest sign war in Ukraine will not end soon

In run-up to the presidential vote, French premier calls for EU-wide ceiling after head of carmaker Stellantis receives €19mEmmanuel Macron will push for a cap on excessive executive pay should he be re-elected president after he described as “shocking and excessive” the €19m (£15.7m) pay packet handed to the head of carmaker Stellantis.Macron, who is campaigning in the run-up to the final vote for the French presidency on 24 April against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, told France Info radio that he was in favour of an EU-wide ceiling for top executives’ pay. Continue reading...

Dozens of services to and from London cancelled, and strike action hits TransPennine Express routesRail passengers face a “disastrous weekend” of travel disruption as engineering works and strikes hamper one of the busiest Easter getaways in years.Dozens of services to and from London have been cancelled as Network Rail carries out 530 engineering projects across the bank holiday weekend. Continue reading...

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...