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Workers earning under 123 a week to get 80% of salary in sick pay, keeping more people off benefitsMore than 1 million of the lowest-paid UK workers are to be guaranteed sick pay worth up to 80% of their weekly salary from the first day of sickness, under changes intended to boost living standards.The UK has one of the stingiest rates of statutory sick pay in the developed world, according to the Resolution Foundation, with those earning less than 123 a week not entitled to anything. For the rest, the rate is set at just 116.75 a week at present, rising to 118.75 - or 3 an hour - for full-time workers from April, but that only kicks in after three days of sickness. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Medics more sleep deprived now than during Covid crisis amid staff shortages and surging demandOne in three doctors in the NHS are so tired that their ability to treat patients is impaired, according to a report that reveals medics are more sleep deprived now than during the Covid-19 pandemic.Longer hours, staff shortages and soaring demand for care on top of the backlog that worsened during the Covid crisis are causing extreme tiredness among doctors, leading to memory blanks, problems concentrating and patient harm. Continue reading...

Sean Baker's film picks up five awards including best picture while Israel-Palestine documentary No Other Land also gets major win

Outrage over targeting of one of New Zealand's alleged green fairies' who provide cheaper medicinal cannabis without prescriptionPolice have shut down the alleged medicinal cannabis operation of one of New Zealand's most renowned green fairies", prompting an outpouring of support from a prominent politician and the hundreds of people who rely on such products to ease their pain.Police raided the rural Northland property of 66-year-old Paul Smith - more widely known as Gandalf" - last week, destroying plants and greenhouses and seizing cannabis products. Smith was charged with cultivating, possessing for supply and selling cannabis - which could carry an eight-year jail sentence - and was summonsed to court. Continue reading...

Albanese government and opposition leader downplay prospect of sending troops to join coalition of the willing' peacekeeping force

Director who made his name with microbudget indie films wins with his self-penned drama about a lapdancer who falls for one of her clients

Former youngest-ever winner of best actor Oscar wins award again for his portrayal of fictional architect in Brady Corbet's epic drama

Sole previous scoring credit on a full-length film for the singer, guitar player and visual artist is The World to Come

Brazil's official entry beats beleaguered French favourite Emilia Perez to the podium

Self-distributed film about Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community beat out Porcelain War and Sugarcane

Warren, 68, lost out to the song El Mal from Emilia Perez

This blog has now closed. In the meantime you can read our full report on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the UK here, all our Ukraine coverage hereKemi Badenoch said she does not agree that the Oval Office clash was part of an orchestrated ambush", as some had suggested, as both Kyiv and Washington were representing their respective national interests".The leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, says there is no difference between Labour and Conservative in terms of British support for Ukraine. When asked about the furious exchange between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House, the Conservative party leader said her heart went out" to the Ukrainian president while she was watching it.I couldn't believe what was happening. He was being humiliated. I don't think we should conduct these sort of difficult conservations in front of the cameras and we have to remember that President Zelenskyy is a hero.He is the person who represents that strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people and whatever difference and difficulties we might have during negotiations we need to be able to set them aside when everyone is watching because the only person who would have liked that wild have been Vladimir Putin. Continue reading...

The award follows previous triumphs at the Baftas, Golden Globes and more

Academy Award goes to writer-director of film starring Mikey Madison as a dancer who gets married to a Russian playboy

Latvian adventure centered on a cat has triumphed over blockbusters Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot

Committee says firms should be required to say how they will tackle modern slavery in supply chainsThe government must close loopholes that enable firms exploiting workers to undercut British businesses or risk the UK becoming a dumping ground" for goods made in poor conditions, MPs have said.In a report published on Monday, the business and trade select committee calls on the government to make it mandatory for companies to say how they will tackle modern slavery in their supply chain and to introduce bigger penalties for firms that do not comply, including naming and shaming" businesses. Continue reading...

Sluggish' pace in tackling gender pay gap and worsening employment levels push UK back to 18th in PwC index of OECD countriesWomen's worsening unemployment and participation in the workforce has pulled the UK behind Canada to its lowest ranking for workplace equality among large economies in a decade.The sluggish" pace of change on women's earnings relative to men's - which means closing the gender pay gap could take more than 30 years at the current pace - has knocked the UK back one place to 18th in the Women in Work Index produced by advisory firm PwC. Continue reading...

Employers lobby group says business activity is falling with most firms expecting worse to comeBusiness activity across the UK private sector declined in the last three months, a survey has found, as weak consumer spending hits companies.The latest growth indicator produced by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) shows that UK private sector activity fell again in the three months to February, at a faster rate than in the quarter to January. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Housing minister says overhaul of feudal-era system would take place before end of this parliamentThe housing minister has promised to abolish the centuries-old leasehold system in England and Wales before the end of this parliament, as the government takes the next steps towards an outright ban on new leasehold developments.Matthew Pennycook said he was committed to ending the feudal-era system - which applies to 5m homes in England - after years of complaints from leaseholders about crippling service charges and crumbling buildings. Continue reading...

The continent's role in any ceasefire will be limited unless countries commit more to Kiev and the Zelenskyy-Trump relationship is repaired

PM takes centre stage amid calls for new era of diplomacy but declines to point finger at chaos in the White House

Phrase holds memories of 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq in which UK played supporting role

Ukraine's leader invited to Sandringham following gathering of European leaders hosted by Keir StarmerThe king has met Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Norfolk estate, Sandringham, shortly after Ukraine's president attended the prime minister's summit for European leaders.Three days after Charles sent a personal invitation to Donald Trump for an unprecedented second state visit to the UK as part of a charm offensive, the king was again deployed by No 10 on the international diplomatic front. Continue reading...

Agencies say health situation is a catastrophe' and recent aid deliveries were a fraction of what is neededBriefing the Israeli press after Benjamin's Netanyahu's order to turn off the aid supply to Gaza, government officials claimed that the Palestinian territory had several months' worth of food stockpiled from earlier deliveries. However, the announcement led to an immediate jump in prices of basic necessities in Gaza, with residents saying they had doubled.Aid agencies say the population of Gaza remains highly vulnerable and that the blockade of humanitarian supplies to a civilian population is unacceptable in any circumstances. Continue reading...

Charity calls for help to be speeded up as research shows families incur on average 700 a month in extra expensesYoung people with cancer in England are waiting an average of seven months before receiving disability benefits to support their treatment, research shows, prompting calls for people with a diagnosis to qualify for help immediately.Research by the charity Young Lives shows the families of children with cancer on average face almost 700 each month in additional expenses during their treatment. Continue reading...

PM's decision to bring forward Zelenskyy meeting and forge Franco-British peace plan shows UK can still play global leadership role

As crisis talks loom, Trump and the bloc's own populist spoilers have driven it away from its old quest for unanimity

Fastest expansion in three months as new orders rise at Chinese factoriesChina's manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in three months in February, despite the looming threat that Donald Trump will impose tariffs this week.Production at China's factories returned to growth last month, an official survey showed, thanks to higher new orders and purchase volumes. Continue reading...

One HSBC banker was paid up to 16.6m in 2024 while figure at Barclays was 14.8m after loosening of pay rulesThe demise of the UK banker bonus cap has sent pay soaring at Barclays and HSBC where the highest-paid bankers have received their biggest payouts since at least 2014.Analysis of pay documents released this month shows payouts for their most expensive staff surged more than 50% to nearly 20m (16.6m) last year, after the banks took advantage of looser pay rules and allowed staff to be paid bonuses worth 10 times their salary. Continue reading...

Government must scrap English baccalaureate to make arts more accessible to working-class children, critics sayLeading cultural figures have expressed doubts about the government's commitment to restoring the creative arts in English schools, with one warning that Labour has lost the plot" and the current signs are they are worse than the Tories".When Labour won the election, it promised to expand opportunities for working-class children by broadening the school curriculum to include more drama, art, music and sport alongside the core academic subjects. Continue reading...

Officers in Operation Castle attend every reported break-in and no longer treat such crimes as low level'When Sean Edwards found his car and his neighbours' houses had been broken into in Longsight, Greater Manchester, in 2022, he was not expecting much from the police based on previous experiences.I expected them to dust for prints and take statements, then give us a crime reference number and nothing else happen," he said. Continue reading...

Russian attacks on Ukrainian city that was initially spared worst have increased since Washington-Moscow detente

Visceral videos of people playing with slime or braiding hair soothe those who feel overwhelmed by in-person contactYounger adults are increasingly overwhelmed by in-person interaction and soothing themselves instead with sensory online content, according to a report on the wildly popular online content known as ASMR.ASMR - autonomous sensory meridian response - describes a particular sensory phenomenon that is triggered by specific sights or sounds, which usually begins with a tingling sensation across the scalp and results in feelings of deep calm and relaxation.47% of those aged 25-34 said they felt overwhelmed in noisy or busy places such as shopping centres or train stations, compared with 35% of those aged 55-64.39% of those aged 18-24 felt the need to shut out noise, for example using noise-cancelling headphones in public, compared with only 21% of those age 45-54.Younger age groups were also more likely to prefer chatting to people online rather than face to face and to prefer to work alone rather than around other people. Continue reading...

Tommy Cash says he did not expect Espresso Macchiato to cause such offence with references to the mafia and coffeeEstonia's entry for this year's Eurovision song contest has said he never intended to offend Italy with his song that pokes fun at Italian stereotypes of coffee-drinking, spaghetti-eating mafiosi - and said he submitted the song after his grandmother cried over it.There have been calls in Italy for Tommy Cash's catchy song, Espresso Macchiato, to be banned from the competition, which takes place in Basel, Switzerland, in May. Continue reading...

Harris running mate discussed campaign missteps after saying he'll run for third term as Minnesota governorTim Walz, Kamala Harris's running mate in the November presidential election won by Donald Trump, says he deplores how much time he spent addressing the opposing campaign's decision to spread false, racist rumors of pets being abducted and eaten in Springfield, Ohio.They sucked me in on" that, Walz said in a recent episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast. Echoing similar remarks that he made on a recent episode of the Fast Politics With Molly Jong-Fast podcast, he added: I was just horrified and angry when they were demonizing folks in Springfield, Ohio. [And] there I was talking for almost a week about immigration, right where they wanted us to be." Continue reading...

President bullying countries' leaders into collaborating with his deportation agenda that critics say violates rightsCentral America has long been a source of immigrants, and in recent years, it's also become a major transit route for those from around the world heading to the United States.That shift led to record numbers of immigrants arriving at the US border, and contributed to the supposed crisis that helped Donald Trump win the election this past November. Continue reading...

Total shows scale of dishonesty in undercover operations over more than three decades

Director says Seven Jewish Children by Caryl Churchill, which provoked fury at its first production in 2009, is a family story' at heartThe premiere of Caryl Churchill's short play Seven Jewish Children at the Royal Court theatre 16 years ago proved to be one of British theatre's most controversial opening nights.Audiences were immediately divided by the British playwright's deliberately stripped-back treatment of Jewish generational fear and Israel's history of conflict. Continue reading...

Officers infiltrated a variety of movements and leftwing groups, with some fathering children with women they met on deployments

Credit cards, passports and ingenuity led to the identities of undercover police who were loved under false pretences

PM says he and Macron have agreed to begin own talks as Europe scrambles to respond to White House disaster

Widespread shooting and looting preceded arrival of M23 rebels, overwhelming city's poorly resourced facilitiesPatients at hospitals in the second-largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have described how they sustained serious injuries during the chaotic withdrawal of the Congolese army and its allies in the days before Rwanda-backed M23 rebels marched in.Widespread shooting and looting preceded the arrival of the rebels in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, on 14 February, overwhelming the city's poorly resourced hospitals. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Zhou Bo says harm done to US image may make Taiwanese reconsider their attitude towards Beijing but says he sees Trump as overall being rather friendly'The damage caused by Donald Trump to the United States' reputation is creating opportunities for China, particularly with regards to Taiwan, according to a retired senior colonel from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).Speaking to the Guardian in Beijing, Zhou Bo said that Trump was damaging the US's reputation more than all of his predecessors combined". Continue reading...

Netanyahu's office says it is imposing blockade as Hamas will not accept plan that Israel says US envoy put forwardIsrael has cut off humanitarian supplies to Gaza in an effort to pressure Hamas into accepting a change in the ceasefire agreement to allow for the release of hostages without an Israeli troop withdrawal.The office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday it was imposing a blockade on Gaza because Hamas would not accept a plan which it claimed had been put forward by the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to extend phase one of the ceasefire and continue to release hostages, and postpone phase two, which envisaged an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Continue reading...

Campaigners say if government can find money to freeze fuel duty for motorists they can do similar for railwaysRail passengers in England and Wales face a steep increase in the cost of travel from Sunday, with fares rising by 4.6% and most railcards going up by 5.The government said the rise is needed because of the dire financial state of the railway, but transport campaigners contrasted it with Labour prolonging the freeze on fuel duty for motorists. Continue reading...

Emergency meeting called over strictness of discipline at Essex schools run by Mossbourne FederationParents and teachers have voiced alarm about the treatment of children at three Essex schools after they were taken over by a high-profile academy trust which is under investigation.The Mossbourne Federation, known for strict discipline and high grades, runs four schools and a sixth form in Hackney, and began a takeover of two failing secondary schools and one primary in Essex late last year. Continue reading...

Pioneering startup technology allows camera operators to see on-screen graphics while filming in real world, rather just imagining themEven the most talented visual effects artists would struggle to make their profession sparkle right now.Technicolor, one of the most famous names in movies, went into administration last week, a symptom of a malaise hanging over a British film industry hit by budget cuts and competitors overseas. Continue reading...

Victims commissioner tells chancellor cutbacks and national insurance hike creating existential crisis' for rape and domestic abuse charitiesThe government has cut millions of pounds in funding for victims' services, prompting warnings that criminals will go unpunished" unless it urgently changes its position.The Victims' Commissioner has written a letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves, shared exclusively with the Observer, saying a combination of funding reductions and the upcoming employers' national insurance increase was creating an existential crisis" for charities. The commissioner and charities in the sector are calling for an urgent funding increase in the next spending review, which concludes this spring. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meteorology says guidance favours landfall on Thursday' as premier David Crisafulli warns large system presents big challenge'

City damaged during occupation by Islamic State group reopens 850-year-old mosque in time for Ramadan as reconstruction gathers paceIn the small courtyard of Sara's grandmother's house, children are running and playing as if time had never passed. The house kept our memories," Sara says, sitting on the sofa of the courtyard. It seems like we never left. On the contrary, when we came back, we felt we belonged to this house."Located in the old Iraqi city of Mosul, right behind the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, their home is part of the local cultural heritage. It was heavily damaged during the occupation by Islamic State (IS) and the battle to reclaim the city by Iraqi armed forces, backed by US coalition airstrikes. Sara and her family were forcibly displaced during the fighting in 2017 and for many years feared they would never see their home intact again. Continue reading...