World news | The Guardian

Employees in England, Scotland and Wales can now request flexible working from first day in new jobEmployees will have the legal right from Saturday to request flexible working from their first day in a new job.Previously, it applied only when someone had worked for their employer for 26 weeks or more. Continue reading...

Disparity, along with lower increases for car cover in rest of Europe raises questions about motor insurance in BritainUK insurers have revealed the amount they paid out for motor claims went up by about 18% last year, even as British drivers faced premium increases of more than a third - far above the rises in the rest of Europe.The Association of British Insurers (ABI) put the average increase for car cover in the UK at 34%, but many drivers have seen rises far exceed that, even doubling in the case of electric vehicles (EVs). Continue reading...

I kept praying and praying', says rescued woman as search for four people missing from hiking trail set to resume following Wednesday's quakeRescuers in Taiwan planned to bring in heavy equipment on Saturday to try to recover two bodies buried on a hiking trail, while more than 600 people remained stranded in various locations, three days after the island's strongest earthquake in 25 years.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff says he will advise governor Barbara Baker that he be recommissioned to form a new government

After almost a decade in immigration detention Mohamed Coker was told he would be put on a plane to Sierra Leone within hours

Ecuadorian police forcibly enter the embassy in Quito to detain former vice-president Jorge GlasMexico has suspended diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police forcibly broke into the country's embassy in Quito to detain former Ecuadorian vice-president Jorge Glas, deepening a diplomatic rift between the two countries.Glas, convicted twice for corruption, had been holed up in the embassy in Quito since seeking political asylum in December, arguing he was being persecuted by the attorney general's office. Continue reading...

New tax year means threshold for benefit charge linked to higher earnings rises to 60,000Several hundred thousand families are to be better off, some by as much as 3,000, during the 2024-25 tax year after the government finally admitted that a child benefit measure brought in 11 years ago had not worked fairly.A change to child benefit is just one of a raft of changes coming in on 6 April, the start of the new tax year, including a cut in national insurance for employees to 8% from 10%.The main rate of national insurance contributions (NICs) paid by employees falls from 10% to 8%. This follows a cut from 12% to 10% that took effect in January this year. The Treasury said the average worker earning 35,400 would save more than 900 a year due to both cuts.The main self-employed NICs rate falls from 9% to 6% and class 2 self-employed NICs are abolished. For many people, however, the ongoing fiscal drag" from frozen personal tax thresholds will eat into a lot of these gains. By 2028-29 there are expected to be about 2.7 million more people paying the higher-rate tax of 40% than would have been the case if all tax allowances and thresholds had been linked to inflation, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.People can now sign up to several Isas of the same type every year, provided the overall maximum Isa allowance is not breached. Millions of savers and investors have Isas. The two main types are the cash Isa and the stocks and shares Isa, and the maximum you can save in Isas is 20,000 per tax year.In terms of investments not in an Isa or pension, the dividend tax allowance has been cut from 1,000 to 500. That is down from 5,000 when it was introduced in 2016, said Sarah Coles, the head of personal finance at the investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown. Investors face capital gains tax misery, too," she said. This is paid on profits on investments outside Isas or pensions. The annual allowance has been cut from 6,000 to 3,000, pushing it to its lowest level since the 1980s," she said. Continue reading...

Union poll on school buildings also highlights sewage and wastewater leaks, overheating, severe cold, pests and mouldA survey by the UK's biggest education union on the state of school buildings in England and Wales has found two in five teachers reporting signs of vermin or pests and more than a quarter complaining of sewage or wastewater leaks.Of the 8,000 members of the National Education Union who responded to the online poll, two-thirds (68%) said they worked in buildings that leaked, with one in 10 describing the problem as severe". Continue reading...

Foreign minister Penny Wong says IDF's killing of the seven aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, cannot be swept aside'

Families are being offered grants to go home but many have stayed away and others are already thinking of leaving againDowntown Sderot, an impoverished Israeli town just a kilometre away from the north-eastern corner of the Gaza Strip, is still quiet six months after 7 October. There is no longer any trace of the police station where Hamas militants took hostages and engaged the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a two-day battle before the Israelis decided to blow up the building. The site has been levelled and is now home to flags and a memorial.Seventy people were killed and about 90% of the town's 28,000 residents were evacuated, most of them put up in hotels up and down the country. A huge new mural saluting the town adorns a wall of a block of flats. Continue reading...

Most services on six major lines suspended on Saturday, as strikes coincide with union's overtime banRail passengers across Great Britain have been told to check before they travel as a second day of strikes by train drivers will result in most services being suspended on six major lines.Industrial action by the drivers' union Aslef will mean staff working for Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, Heathrow Express, LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express (TPE) staging a 24-hour strike on Saturday. Continue reading...

Women still being paid 91p for every 1 a man earns, analysis shows, with gap stubbornly high in public sector

NSW premier says rising flood levels present ongoing danger for some communities, including in western Sydney

Former Australian foreign minister named as secretary general Antonio Guterres' special envoy to country gripped by civil warThe former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop has been appointed the United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres' special envoy on Myanmar, the world body has said.Bishop, the Australian National University's chancellor, will take up the UN role that has been vacant since June last year, when Singaporean diplomat Noeleen Heyzer stepped down. Continue reading...

Pouria Zeraati said he is back on the airwaves with Iran International, a dissident broadcaster based in the UKAn Iranian journalist who was stabbed outside his London home last week has returned to work, saying the show must go on".Pouria Zeraati was knifed in the leg by a group of three unknown assailants as he approached his car in Wimbledon on 29 March. Continue reading...

Although one Bay Area reporter found the side-eye inappropriate, New York earthquake Twitter proved delightful for AngelenosFor many people in Los Angeles, earthquakes are just another trend that New Yorkers have discovered years after the real cool kids did.As Angelenos awoke to the news that the east coast had endured a 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered in New Jersey, First time?" memes filled Los Angeles social media channels. Continue reading...

John Alfred Tinniswood, who was born in 1912 in Liverpool, acquired the title after Japan's Gisaburo Sonobe, 112, died in MarchAn 111-year-old man from England is now the world's oldest living man and says the only diet he follows is eating fish and chips every Friday.John Alfred Tinniswood, who was born in 1912 - the same year the Titanic sank - insist the secret to his long life is pure luck". He obtained the title of world's oldest man after 112-year-old Gisaburo Sonobe, from Japan, was confirmed to have died on 31 March. Continue reading...

Complaint accuses 26-year-old Christian King' Combs of assault aboard yacht chartered by music mogul father in December 2022The music mogul Sean Diddy" Combs and his 26-year-old son Christian King" Combs are both named in a lawsuit that accuses the younger man of sexual assault onboard a yacht in December 2022.The suit, filed in Los Angeles superior court on Thursday and first reported by Rolling Stone, accuses the younger Combs of assault, battery, sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The elder Combs, who is facing several lawsuits alleging sexual abuse and was recently subject to federal raids in a sex-trafficking investigation, is accused of aiding and abetting. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Treatments near approval but lack of diagnostic capacity means NHS unprepared for rollout, report says

Evans says he was first to alert authorities after receiving messages in what is suspected to be part of wider attempt to target MPsA Conservative MP has revealed that he was targeted in the Westminster sexting scandal and was the MP that first alerted the authorities.Luke Evans said he was messaged in what is suspected to be part of a wider attempt to target MPs. Continue reading...

The city's famously hardboiled residents reported a wide range of feelings to a phenomenon more often associated with California

Relatives of Kelly Faiers say police failed to properly inform them that a body had been foundThe family of a woman found dead at a sex offender's home have criticised the police's bodged" investigation after his body is believed to have been found this week in a caravan close to where he vanished six months ago.Relatives of Kelly Faiers said they were upset at how the news about the possible discovery of Richard Scatchard's body was broken, claiming they did not have time to alert others close to Faiers before the police went public. Continue reading...

Company's interim CEO says economic pressures have greatly hindered the company's ability to operate'The discount chain 99 Cents Only announced on Friday that it will close all 371 of its stores in the US as part of an orderly wind-down" of the business.In a statement, the company's interim CEO, Mike Simoncic, said 99 Cents Only had been under economic pressures that had greatly hindered the company's ability to operate". Continue reading...

New York hush-money trial still on course for 15 April start but ruling in classified documents case has prosecutors concernedDonald Trump faced mounting trouble this week in his legal universe, with judges overseeing two of Trump's legal cases refusing to accept his attempts to delay and toss the prosecution - and the former president doubling down on efforts to discredit his opponents.The judge overseeing Trump's criminal trial in New York expanded a gag order on Monday, which had originally banned Donald Trump from making public statements about court staff, trial witnesses or the families of any counsel or staff member on the case. The narrower gag order did not prohibit Trump from making statements about family members of the judge, and after Judge Juan Merchan issued it, the former president took to social media to attack the judge's daughter. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police say they are working to identify victim after body part found in Kersal WetlandsPolice have launched a murder investigation after human remains were found at a nature reserve in Greater Manchester.A body part believed to be a torso was found by passersby in Kersal Wetlands in the Salford area on Thursday evening. Greater Manchester police (GMP) confirmed on Friday afternoon the body was in a state that meant it was not possible for the victim to have survived". Continue reading...

Boys and young men need guidance - not punishment - to avoid manosphere', teacher tells NEUTeachers should promote positive masculinity in schools in England and Wales in order to support boys who might otherwise feel demonised and end up turning to the manosphere" for hope, a union conference has been told.Charlotte Keogh, a secondary school English teacher from Worcestershire, said boys and young men needed support and guidance as they grappled with ideas about masculinity, rather than being punished and silenced. Continue reading...

Company appeals for cut in rent as part of rescue deal as report shows total debts at ethical beauty retailerThe Body Shop's UK arm owed more than 276m to creditors including landlords, suppliers, tax authorities and its international divisions when the ethical beauty retailer collapse in February, it has emerged as it appealed to landlords to cut rent as part of a rescue deal.Avon, the cosmetics group owned by The Body Shop's former parent company Natura, is the biggest trade creditor - owed just over 13m for products it manufactured, according to a report by the administrators FRP who were appointed to the UK arm of the ethical beauty retailer in February. Continue reading...

Labour's shadow chancellor says she is William Wragg incident and says it is right there is proper investigation

Ukraine led attack on to military airfield near town of Morozovsk in Rostov region in RussiaThe Kremlin has called French President Emmanuel Macron's assertions that Russia plans to disrupt the Olympics absolutely unfounded."Macron said on Thursday that he had no doubt" that Russia would target the Paris Olympics this summer. Continue reading...

Healthcare assistant observing Cariss Stone at psychiatric unit said she had loads' of patients to watchA healthcare assistant tasked with carrying out five-minute observations" on a vulnerable teenager in a psychiatric intensive care unit has told a jury at the young woman's inquest she had loads" of patients to watch and had not received training on how to monitor them.The teenager, Cariss Stone, who had been diagnosed as having emotionally unstable personality disorder and was considered at risk of self-harm, was found unresponsive in the bathroom of her room at the unit in Taunton, Somerset, and died two days later. A postmortem concluded the cause of death was hypoxic brain injury, cardiac arrest and asphyxia. Continue reading...

WCK says IDF deployed deadly force without regard to protocols in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers

Exclusive: Yossi Sariel unmasked as head of Unit 8200 and architect of AI strategy after book written under pen name reveals his Google account

European Commission defends appointing adviser Markus Pieper after selection process is questionedUrsula von der Leyen's bid for a second term as president of the European Commission has been dented after accusations of favouritism in the selection of a fellow party member to a lucrative new job.Some of the highest-ranking people in Brussels, including the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, and the French commissioner Thierry Breton, have written to her to complain that the appointment of the German MEP Markus Pieper as a special adviser has triggered questions about the transparency and impartiality of the nomination process". Continue reading...

Prof Julia Waters gives emotional speech at NEU conference and shares video of her late sister addressing pupilsThe sister of Ruth Perry, the headteacher who killed herself after an Ofsted inspection, has appealed to any teachers or school leaders considering suicide to think again, describing it as a terrible, wrong-headed option".In an emotional address to delegates attending the annual conference of the National Education Union in Bournemouth on Friday, Prof Julia Waters appealed directly to teachers and headteachers who may be struggling, urging them to seek help.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Missed interim payment raises prospect of collapse or restructure of troubled companyThe parent company of troubled Thames Water has told its creditors it has defaulted on its debt, raising the prospect that the company could collapse or face a significant restructure.Kemble Water has missed an interest payment that was due on Tuesday and said it was requesting its lenders and bondholders to take no creditor action so as to provide a stable platform while all options are explored" with its stakeholders. Continue reading...

Misidentification and lack of coordination cited among reasons for targeting of aid workers in drone strikes

Acceptance of deal will bring an end to year-long disputeNHS consultants have accepted a pay offer, ending a year-long dispute with the government, the British Medical Association has announced.More details soon ...

Alicia Kearns also expresses frustration that Joe Biden only now calling for immediate ceasefire and says UK must suspend arms sales

Sydney expected to be badly affected as further downpours and strong winds forecast to lash New South Wales coastSouth-eastern Australia has been experiencing heavy rain since Thursday night, which will continue until Saturday morning local time. New South Wales will be particularly badly affected, with cumulative rainfall totals of 150-200m along coastal stretches.Hourly totals are expected to reach 10-20mm at times, with the worst-affected areas potentially receiving 50mm within three hours. Strong winds are expected to accompany the heaviest downpours, with gusts of about 45mph (72km/h) at times. Continue reading...

Police describe killing in Moss Side area of city as senseless loss of life' as they appeal for informationPolice have launched a murder investigation after a teenage boy was fatally stabbed in the Moss Side area of Manchester.Greater Manchester police (GMP) described the killing as a senseless loss of life" and promised a visible presence in the area in the coming days. Continue reading...

Levelling up secretary says he should have been upfront with David Cameron about his role in leave campaignThe levelling up secretary, Michael Gove, has admitted moral cowardice" during the Brexit campaign by not being upfront with David Cameron about his role in the leave campaign.In an interview for the Political Currency podcast with George Osborne and Ed Balls, Gove said he was initially reluctant to take a prominent role in the campaign, but had been persuaded to by the Vote Leave campaign coordinator, Dominic Cummings. Continue reading...

Community facility on UK's first council estate reopens after outcry at local authority's attempt to hike rentsWashing machines are once again whirring and dryers tumbling at a community launderette in east London that the local council had abruptly closed just weeks before, in a victory for local residents.People living in and around the Boundary estate, the UK's first council estate, between Shoreditch and Bethnal Green, had launched a campaign to get the facility reopened after bailiffs changed the locks in February. Now Tower Hamlets council has made a U-turn and handed the keys of the launderette to residents. Continue reading...

Drop in March leaves average price of home at 288,430, says Halifax

Polls show Ivan Korok and Peter Pellegrini, an ally of prime minister Robert Fico, neck-and-neck before Saturday's runoffA pro-western diplomat and a politician accused of promoting Russia-friendly talking points will face off in a nailbiting presidential runoff in Slovakia on Saturday, amid fears that the country is sliding away from the west.Ivan Korok, a former foreign minister, and Peter Pellegrini, the speaker of parliament who is backed by Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, are neck-to-neck in the polls. Continue reading...

Dozens of flights cancelled at Sydney airport and drivers told to avoid non-essential travel as inland low and coastal trough combine. This blog is now closed

Integrity commission cites exceptional circumstances' to make announcement, which involves no adverse findings of any kind'

Writer was one of the first female news reporters on British TV, interviewing stars including Charlie Chaplin and Audrey HepburnThe author Lynne Reid Banks has died at the age of 94.The novelist, known for writing books including the children's story The Indian in the Cupboard, died of cancer peacefully with her family around her" on Thursday afternoon, her agent, James Wills, said. Continue reading...

Drivers have been urged to reconsiders their travel plans ahead of a forecast deluge

Williams, who directed the play, leaving company to prepare for its potential Broadway season following acclaimed West End run starring Sarah SnookThe Sydney Theatre Company artistic director, Kip Williams, who steered the theatre to new heights with the global success of his one-woman production the Picture of Dorian Gray, has announced he is stepping down after 13 years with the company.Williams was the youngest artistic director of the STC when he was appointed at the age of 30 in 2016. He will finish his tenure at the end of 2024 after eight years, in anticipation that The Picture of Dorian Gray will head to Broadway next year. In its recent run in London's West End, Succession star Sarah Snook played all 26 roles to huge acclaim. The role was first performed by Eryn Jean Norvill in multiple sell-out runs across Australia. Continue reading...

Semi-autonomous state of Puntland refuses to recognise changes to the fragile country's constitution and has withdrawn from the federal systemAn overhaul of Somalia's constitution, scrapping its power-sharing system and handing the president increased control, is threatening to destabilise the fragile country, as its wealthiest and most stable state refuses to recognise the changes.The amendments risk worsening violence, the information minister from the semi-autonomous state of Puntland has warned. Mohamud Aidid Dirir told the Guardian that almost a totally new constitution" had been introduced without input from the state's leaders. He accused the Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, of using parliament to gather authority into his hands". Continue reading...