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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...

Police appeal for information about incident as woman held on suspicion of murder is released on bailTwo men have been found dead at a house in Hartlepool in County Durham, police said.The bodies were discovered shortly before midnight on Friday. A woman in her 30s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and released on police bail while inquiries continue. Continue reading...

Police say images of black pupil being taunted and made to kiss shoes are being treated as a hate crimeFour teenage boys have been arrested in connection with racial abuse of a black schoolboy that was filmed and shared on social media.Cumbria police said the images circulating online were abhorrent and that the incident in the Upperby area of Carlisle was being treated as a hate crime. Continue reading...

The outgoing watchdog for England says there are still too many examples of care not being safe'

Even centrist Tories are questioning if the PM can last until autumn after twin blows of donor scandal and rightwinger's move to ReformOn the fringes of cabinet last Tuesday ministers chatted in hushed tones about the Tory mega-donor Frank Hester's clearly racist" remarks about Diane Abbott, revealed by the Guardian the previous night, but concluded that we've got to get the money in".It took No 10 until the end of the day to condemn his words as racist and wrong" - 24 hours after the original story broke - while Sunak himself didn't comment until prime minister's questions the next day. It went on too long," admits one cabinet minister. Continue reading...

Experts question if bigger is better' and whether members should be consulted on the 2.9bn dealThe Nationwide building society is facing growing calls to give its 16 million members a say on its proposed 2.9bn takeover of high street rival Virgin Money which would be the biggest UK banking deal since the financial crisis.

Earl says public schools have at times had brutalising effect on those who have ended up in powerCharles Spencer, the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, has said the brutalising effect of boarding schools on people who have come to power has been devastating for society.Spencer was speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme after the release of his memoir, A Very Private School, in which he revealed he was sexually assaulted as a child at the boarding school Maidwell Hall in Northamptonshire. Continue reading...

Samuel Kasumu frustrated and disappointed', as minister denies Tories have a problem after Frank Hester rowA former Downing Street race adviser has warned the government not to use its diversity as a get-out-of-jail-free card" on tackling racism after a senior minister denied that the Conservatives had a problem after the Frank Hester row.Samuel Kasumu, a former No 10 adviser on civil society and communities, said he was frustrated and disappointed" by the party's response to the scandal, adding: I know that we can do better." Continue reading...

Comments come after Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Israeli military would go ahead with plans for operations in RafahThe Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Israeli forces released Tamer Fouad Salim Al-Qarm, a PRCS volunteer, yesterday after a 36-day detention during the occupation's raid on al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis".The PRCS added in its post on X that Israeli troops continue to detain 13 PRCS members and volunteers, whose fate remains unknown to this moment". Continue reading...

Defences redirect flows away from key infrastructure in Grindavik but threat to nearby sites remainsDefensive barriers that were bolstered overnight around the fishing town of Grindavik appeared to have held, but a steadily slowing lava flow from the fourth volcanic eruption on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula since December remained a threat on Sunday.After weeks of warnings that semi-molten rock was building up under the ground, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Saturday night the eruption, at 8.23pm local time (2023 GMT), had opened a nearly 3km-long fissure in the earth between two mountains. Continue reading...

Voters in some cities answer Yulia Navalnaya's call to turn up at midday to signal dissent against president

Wine Society describes planned alcohol duty changes as ludicrous, expensive and probably unworkable'British consumers have been told that the price of some of their favourite red wines could increase by more than 40p next year after the government ignored pleas from the wine industry to abandon complex post-Brexit tax changes.The chief executive of Majestic Wine, John Colley, said the new alcohol duty system, which comes into effect in February 2025, would increase the number of tax bands for wine from one to 30, and cost businesses huge sums of money to administer. Continue reading...

Transparency International calls for tightening of rules but MPs claim the events help them connect with stakeholders

Most sexual assault survivors and other victims feel silenced and sidelined' by the justice system, landmark report says

Conservative senator Alex Antic promoted to first place as preselection battle causes unease in party striving to win back female voters

Exclusive: 10m needed for regulator charged with developing tools to thwart financial crime and protect consumersBanks are under pressure to stump up millions of pounds in interim funding for the organisation that polices open banking, with regulators saying the new money is needed to prevent financial crime and protect consumers if things go wrong".Large banks including NatWest, HSBC, Lloyds and Santander UK were among more than 40 City firms summoned by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) last week to discuss a cash injection into Open Banking Limited (OPL), the body that oversees innovation in this area. Continue reading...

Party looking at proposal to outlaw tools used for nonconsensual pornography and promise not to tolerate electoral misinformationLabour is considering proposals to tackle AI deepfakes, including a ban on so-called nudification tools, used to generate nonconsensual pornography, and signing up to a cross-party pledge not to tolerate deepfakes that constitute electoral misinformation, the Guardian can reveal.The policy paper, produced by the centre-left Labour Together thinktank, proposes a legal ban on dedicated nudification tools that allow users to generate explicit content by uploading images of real people. Continue reading...

Reform UK is making the headlines but tactical voting can power Ed Davey's party in seats where they are the Tories' main challengersThe Liberal Democrats gathered this weekend for their final spring conference before the general election. You may be forgiven for not knowing this.The fourth-largest party barely feature in current political discussions lately, and are flatlining in the polls even as the government sinks ever lower. Only one in three voters has an opinion on party leader EdDavey, and even fewer have much idea what his party offers. The costs of Brexit are mounting up, yet its most steadfast opponents are struggling. Continue reading...

A collection of more than 7,000 letters will form a publicly accessible digital archive that offers a window to the pastIn the week that Ireland turns everything green and celebrates its diaspora, a new online archive has given voice to the human cost paid by generations of emigrants.More than 7,000 letters from emigrants to North America spanning four centuries have been collected and digitised, giving poignant insight into the homesickness, tribulations, and occasional triumphs, of those who crossed the Atlantic. Continue reading...

Many cite difficulties of juggling a family with job demands and a lack of industry supportA robot baby was an unlikely guest star on the catwalk at the Schiaparelli couture show in Paris earlier this year. Maggie Maurer, who had walked a few seasons previously while pregnant, and last year shared a snap of herself breastfeeding backstage, cradled the tot while wearing a defiantly baby-unfriendly, all-white outfit.It was a surprisingly tender moment. I had the ability to bring it to life because my own child is that size," says Maurer, to give it nurturing ... came very naturally." Continue reading...

Campaigners says excited delirium' and acute behavioural disturbance' play into racist stereotypesA controversial unproven medical condition which is rooted in pseudoscience and disputed by doctors is routinely being used in Britain to explain deaths after police restraint, the Observer has found.Acute behavioural disturbance" (ABD) and excited delirium" are used to describe people who are agitated or acting bizarrely, usually due to mental illness, drug use or both. Symptoms are said to include insensitivity to pain, aggression, superhuman" strength and elevated heart rate. Continue reading...

The community-owned car pools have been hailed as a greener alternative to full-time ownership, but insurers say driver risk is hard to measureUp to 40 community car clubs across the UK could be forced to close after the last insurance firm covering such groups announced it was pulling out of the sector.For several years, the clubs - often groups of like-minded neighbours - have been sharing cars as a way to cut their carbon footprint. Continue reading...

Long hours spent at desks and sofas leads to 21,000 deaths a year in the Netherlands from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancerThe Dutch are perceived as a nation of healthy giants, leaping on their bikes to cycle energetically across flat lands. But new research suggests they are in fact the sitting champions of Europe", with a sedentary lifestyle that causes thousands of early deaths.Health experts are calling for urgent action to stop so-called chair-use disorder" spreading across western countries. A report by the research organisation TNO, published on Friday, found too much sitting costs the Netherlands 1.2bn (1bn) annually and leads to 21,000 premature deaths a year from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. It is riskier, researchers found, to be a lawyer than a lorry driver. Continue reading...

Shadow home affairs spokesperson James Paterson labels social media platform a bad faith actor'

Spokesman for coup government stops short of calling for American personnel to leave but says their presence violates sovereigntyNiger's ruling military junta says it has revoked with immediate effect a military accord that allows US military personnel and civilian staff on its soil.As of 2023 there were about 1,100 US troops in Niger, where the US military operates out of two bases including a drone base known as airbase 201, built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than US $100m. Since 2018 the base has been used to target Islamic State militants and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaida affiliate, in the Sahel region. Continue reading...

Destruction of buildings, too few ambulances and having to work in red zones' all adding to traumaThere have been no medical evacuations from northern Gaza for more than a month so severely injured people are trapped in damaged hospitals where they cannot get adequate treatment, a leading medical charity has warned.Ambulances need urgent access to take the most vulnerable patients for specialist care, said Patrick Munz, head of mission in Gaza for German medical charity Cadus. Continue reading...

Police declare state of emergency and evacuate local town of Grindavik following volcanic activityIcelandic police have declared a state of emergency as lava spewed from a new volcanic fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula, the fourth eruption to hit the area since December.A volcanic eruption started between stora Skogfell and Hagafell on the Reykjanes Peninsula", said a statement from the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) on Saturday. Live video images showed glowing lava and billowing smoke. Continue reading...

Labour mayor urges Lib Dem and Green supporters to lend him their votes' in May's first-past-the-post electionSadiq Khan has called on Liberal Democrat and Green supporters to lend him their votes" in the May mayoral election, saying changes in the voting system mean he could lose to the Conservatives' Susan Hall.This year's election on 2 May will be held under the first-past-the-post system, meaning voters will only get one vote each. In previous contests, Londoners have been able to have a first and second preference. Continue reading...

Senior Tories have rallied around the PM amid claims that some party MPs are plotting to replace him with Penny MordauntSenior Tories attempted to rally behind an increasingly beleaguered Rishi Sunak on Saturday night amid claims that some Conservative MPs are plotting to replace him with Penny Mordaunt before the next general election.Former cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and David Davis went public to denounce the idea as mad" and bonkers", as did senior backbenchers, including former vice-chair of the 1922 Committee Sir Charles Walker. Continue reading...