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Sofa retailer warns profits will be 10m lower than hoped as DIY group says conditions remain challenging'The furniture retailer DFS and the DIY group Wickes have warned of weak demand for high-cost household goods as consumers continue to cut spending in the cost of living crisis.DFS, which specialises in selling sofas, said annual profits would be 10m lower than previously hoped and sales would come in up to 65m below expectations, adding that demand had weakened significantly" over the past two months. Continue reading...

Process in Croydon East, which was suspended last year after suspected data breach, resumed last weekA Labour parliamentary selection contest in London is being investigated by the police over allegations of computer misuse" after a suspected data breach.The party's selection process in the new Croydon East constituency was suspended last year amid complaints that local members' data provided to some candidates was inaccurate. Continue reading...

Little action has been taken on issue at one of UK's most notorious jails, Independent Monitoring Board saysBlack prisoners are disproportionately subjected to the use of force inside one of Britain's most notorious jails, a report has found.The annual report of the Independent Monitoring Board, a statutory body that monitors the treatment of prisoners, found that from June 2022 to May 2023, black prisoners in Wormwood Scrubs were subjected to 43% of use-of-force incidents although they formed just 27% of the prison population. Continue reading...

Wealthy are willing to pay more than double the standard price of 170,000, says luxury carmakerThe luxury carmaker Bentley is cashing in as more of the world's richest people opt to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on levels of personalisation that we've never seen before", the company has said.While households all over the world struggle with inflation and the continued impact of the global energy crisis, its chief executive, Adrian Hallmark, said that our customers can still afford our cars", even if some were hesitating before committing. Continue reading...

Getty Images flags second royal photo days after storm over image of Princess of WalesA second photograph of members of the royal family has been flagged by a global picture agency after it was discovered to have been digitally enhanced at source".Earlier this month, five international picture agencies that initially distributed an image of the Princess of Wales to mark Mother's Day issued so-called kill" notices to withdraw it, sparking a huge wave of commentary, speculation and even conspiracy theories. Continue reading...

Willyama High School at Broken Hill set to be rebuilt, education minister Prue Car says

Richard Colbeck says PwC International must clarify reports it took control of Australian firm after tax leaks scandal

Death of 13-year-old boy has put spotlight on juvenile crime and the plight of children left behind by rural migrant workersThe killing of a 13-year-old boy in northern China last week, for which three boys are in police custody, has triggered a heated discussion in the media on juvenile crime and the plight of children left at home by migrant workers.Police arrested three boys and took them into custody after they allegedly bullied and killed the junior high school student in the small city of Handan, in Hebei province, on 10 March, and then buried him in a shallow pit, state media reported. So far, no charges have been laid. Continue reading...

Force responds to scathing NSW law enforcement conduct commission report, dismissing four of 19 recommendations

The special minister of state claims some cross-benchers agree with banning big money, just not theirs'

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Opposition leader accuses Anthony Albanese of set up' after prime minister demands bipartisan support

Town of Borroloola was due to be evacuated before cyclone arrived but dangerous weather prevented aircraft from landing

Consumer body calls for a crackdown on bewildering' range of extra charges at big ticketing sitesLive music fans are losing out because of an array of sneaky" fees that can add up to 25% to the cost of concert and festival tickets, research from the consumer body Which? has found.With booking open for big summer gigs, the lobby group has called for a crackdown on the bewildering" range of extra charges that some of the UK's biggest ticketing websites impose. Continue reading...

US says attack would be mistake' as Biden and Netanyahu talk by phone for first time in over a monthIsrael will send a team of officials to Washington to discuss its planned offensive on Rafah, the White House has said, as the Biden administration insists that an attack would be a mistake" and seeks to persuade Israel to allow in more aid in the face of an imminent famine in Gaza.The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, announced the Israeli visit after a phone call on Monday between Joe Biden and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, focusing on the planned Rafah assault that Netanyahu has vowed to launch. Continue reading...

Home Office had planned to scrap the police commissioner role held by Labour's Simon Foster and give powers to mayorThe police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands has won a high court challenge against government plans to transfer his powers to the region's mayor.Simon Foster, a Labour politician, took legal action against the Home Office's move to scrap his role in time for local elections in May. Continue reading...

The regulator released its draft default market offer' for 2024-25 which sets the maximum amount retailers can charge for power

Libertarian faction of Conservatives expected to stage a rebellion but measure has widespread supportRishi Sunak's public health policy banning the next generation from being able to buy cigarettes is to be introduced in parliament this week, with officials braced for a backlash from Conservative rebels.While the policy commands considerable support in Conservative ranks, the scale of an expected rebellion by libertarian Tories - whose ranks includeLiz Truss - has yet to become clear. Continue reading...

US embassy says absurd' to suggest Washington behind protests in Santiago de Cuba led by parents struggling to feed their childrenThe Cuban government has summoned the US ambassador, Benjamin Ziff, to its foreign ministry, accusing Washington of stoking a protest which saw hundreds of people take to the streets in the island's second city of Santiago de Cuba.The demonstration late on Sunday was a rare public show of disenchantment against Cuba's communist government, and was apparently led by parents struggling to feed their children in the face of a worsening food crisis. The protesters reportedly chanted: Without electricity and food, the people get hot." Continue reading...

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Israel claims to have killed 20 militants at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City following early morning raidFierce fighting has continued around al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, as Israeli troops battled Hamas militants after seizing control of the strategically situated medical complex in an early morning raid.Witnesses reported multiple airstrikes and ferocious firefights as fears rose for the safety of hundreds of civilians in the immediate vicinity of the hospital. Continue reading...

Allies of Commons leader say other future candidates for top job are trying to make her look disloyalPenny Mordaunt's rivals in a future Conservative leadership contest have been blamed for briefing coup rumours meant to ruin her chances of eventually taking over from Rishi Sunak, the Guardian has been told.The Commons leader, who came a close third in the leadership contest won by Liz Truss in 2022, has in recent days been at the centre of speculation over an alleged plot to try to oust the prime minister to avert a general election disaster for the Conservatives. Continue reading...

Gunmen looted homes in Laboule and Thomassin, forcing residents to flee previously peaceful neighborhoods Haiti: what caused the gang violence and will it end now the PM has quit?Gunmen have assaulted two upscale neighborhoods in Haiti's capital in an attack that left at least a dozen people dead in surrounding areas and suggested that a gang insurrection that prompted the prime minister to resign is far from over.Assailants looted homes in the communities of Laboule and Thomassin before sunrise on Monday, forcing residents to flee as some called radio stations pleading for police. Both neighborhoods had previously remained largely peaceful despite a surge in gang attacks across Port-au-Prince that began on 29 February. Continue reading...

Company is using legal loophole UK government promised to close two years ago, Guardian analysis suggestsP&O Ferries, which controversially sacked about 800 workers in 2022, has paid some crew members less than half the UK minimum wage thanks to an ongoing legal loophole the British government promised to close two years ago.Agency workers at the company, which is owned by the Dubai-based DP World, have in some cases been earning about 4.87 an hour - even lower than the 5.15 an hour the company suggested was its lowest pay rate - an analysis of recent payslips conducted by the Guardian and ITV News suggests. Continue reading...

Attempted murder suspect was carrying knuckle duster and substance in bottle when he was detained in Shoreditch, say policeA man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two people were injured by crossbow bolts in east London.The 47-year-old was carrying a knuckle duster and a bottle containing a substance" when he was detained at 11pm on Sunday in Shoreditch, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Details made public for first time prompt anger over how many influential figures belong to club that bars women

Thomas Rawle tells court his mother's husband, Ian Rawle, hit her with a riding crop and shovel and pushed her through a windowThe son of a woman on trial for the murder of her husband has told a jury the dead man had subjected his mother to years of physical and psychological abuse.Thomas Rawle, the son of Christine Rawle, said her husband, Ian, hit her with a riding crop and shovel and once pushed her through a closed bay window. Continue reading...

Incident near Paris 2024 Olympic village follows death last week of teenager after police chaseNine people, including two minors, have been arrested after a group of about 50 people attacked a police station near the Paris 2024 Olympic village with heavy-duty rocket fireworks, the French capital's top police official has said.The attack on Sunday evening in La Courneuve followed the death last Wednesday of a teenager after a police chase. Authorities announced a reinforced police presence across the northern Paris suburb. Continue reading...

Landlords should be required to make homes fit and healthy to live in through summer, Better Renting says

Find out who's up and who's down in the latest polls - and how many seats each party is likely to win in the next general election

Casualties reported after raids on complex, where hundreds are reportedly sheltering and IDF claims is being used by Hamas

Business secretary dismisses reports of plot and rejects calls for her party to return donations from Frank HesterReports of Conservative plots against Rishi Sunak are the work of just one or two" MPs, and the party needs to unite before May's local elections, Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary has argued.In a sometimes combative media round, Badenoch also said the Tories did not need to return 10m in donations from Frank Hester, saying that it was only the media that were still interested in his comments about Diane Abbott, widely condemned as racist and misogynist. Continue reading...

Under Operation Regional Mongoose, 153 people - including 109 children - have been charged since September, the youngest 11 years old

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First 1001 Days Movement says five-year decline in toddler development is a ticking time bomb' for the UKAn incoming Labour government must revive the 1997 spirit of Sure Start and put babies at the heart of policies if it is to achieve its goals, a coalition of charities has said.The First 1001 Days Movement, a coalition of more than 200 charities and professionals, said a five-year decline in toddler development was a a ticking timebomb" for the UK, and called for vulnerable babies and their families to be seen as mission critical". Continue reading...

Former lord mayor Graham Quirk's review recommended a new $3.4bn stadium be built in Victoria Park instead of Gabba rebuild

Victorian opposition leader facing prospect of three defamation cases, as Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull and Angie Jones flag legal action

Mayor says May election is a once in a generation' chance to tackle the city's housing crisisSadiq Khan will launch his campaign for a record third term as mayor of London by promising the greatest council homebuilding drive in a generation".Appearing at an event in London on Monday, alongside the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, with whom the mayor has had public policy clashes in recent months, Khan will promise to build 40,000 new homes in his next term. Continue reading...

Louise Powell says she hopes new guidance means fewer pregnant women are jailed and it can be the legacy of her child BrookeA former prisoner who gave birth to a stillborn baby in a jail toilet has welcomed changes that campaigners hope will reduce the number of pregnant women locked up, as a legacy" for the daughter she lost.The Sentencing Council is announcing significant new guidance on Monday that judges and magistrates in England and Wales must consider before passing sentences on pregnant women and new mothers. A new mitigating factor in sentencing has been introduced - pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care - which replaces current guidance relating to this group of women who currently come under the broader heading of sole or primary carer". Continue reading...

Lady Zahida Manzoor was paid 148,000 for the part-time role, showing Hester's party links date back further than first thoughtThe company run by the Tory donor Frank Hester, whose remarks about Diane Abbott have been widely condemned as racist, paid a Conservative peer 148,000 to act as a trade envoy, the Guardian can reveal, as evidence of his links to the party deepen.Zahida Manzoor, a former deputy chair of the Commission for Racial Equality in the 1990s who went on to be a Lords whip under Theresa May's government, took on the part-time role as chair of a Middle East advisory council for Hester's health tech TPP in September 2016. Continue reading...

Awards depict bikini-clad woman, Usain Bolt and Aboriginal flag as police investigate questions of racism raised by former officer Zachary RolfeWARNING: This article contains offensive images and content

Emergency services called to an accident scene in Preston about 7.30am

Drowning incident in ocean near Victoria's Apollo Bay claimed the life of a man and left two swimmers in hospital, with one fighting for his life

Healthcare delays in deprived communities mean greater need for expensive emergency treatment, research findsPeople living in poverty find it harder to live a healthy life and face barriers to accessing timely treatment, new research suggests.A report by the King's Fund, commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, finds that the delays people living in deprived communities face for healthcare mean they are more likely to need expensive emergency treatment. Continue reading...

Data from property website Rightmove finds average asking price has reached almost 370,000An increase in buyer demand and stronger house sales during March have combined to push the average UK home's asking price up by a further 5,279 to almost 370,000, as the market picks up after a muted 2023".According to the UK's biggest property website, Rightmove, this month's 1.5% price growth is notably higher than the historical March average of 1%, and is the biggest monthly increase for 10 months. Continue reading...

A five-mile stretch of the London orbital motorway had been closed since Friday night to demolish a bridgeThe M25 in Surrey reopened eight hours ahead of schedule on Sunday after the first planned daytime closure of the motorway.The five-mile stretch of the motorway between junctions 10 and 11 had been closed in both directions at 9pm on Friday and was scheduled to remain inaccessible until 5.30am, in order to demolish a bridge and install a huge gantry". Continue reading...

Screenwriter who had stammer as a child wrote script about George VI, played by Colin Firth, overcoming speech impedimentDavid Seidler, best known for his Oscar-winning writing on The King's Speech, has died aged 86, according to reports.The London-born screenwriter, who had a stammer growing up, was inspired to write about the true story of how King George VI overcame his speech impediment with a speech and language therapist. Continue reading...

Police called to Parklea correctional facility have charged a 20-year-old inmate with murder

PM's allies fight rearguard action as rebellious MPs reportedly plot coup to avoid wipeout at the polls

US says vote was obviously not free, nor fair' with exit poll suggesting 88% of Russians voted for the incumbentInvestment demand and agricultural exports are two of several factors" which have driven an increase in Ukraine's GDP seen during the first two months of this year.According to Reuters, economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Sunday that Ukraine's GDP rose 3.6% during this period. Continue reading...