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Government scrambles to address challenging' situation after Ecctis Ltd passed fees on with no legal authority

Trade body Energy UK also estimates total energy cost of leaving bloc could reach 10bn by end of decadeBrexit has added up to 370m a year to the price of power supplies from Europe, according to industry representatives who calculate that the total energy costs of leaving the EU could amount to 10bn by the end of the decade.Energy UK, the sector's trade body, has called on Keir Starmer to negotiate a closer trading relationship with the bloc as part of the reset" he is seeking with Brussels. Continue reading...

Fresh funds are liquidity bridge' to stabilise firm and give it time to secure long-term investment, says bossThames Water is racing to secure a 3bn lifeline as the struggling water company battles for financial survival.The fresh funds are meant to act as liquidity bridge" to stabilise the business" and give it time to secure long-term investment, its chief executive, Chris Weston, said on Friday. It will further balloon its operating company's debt pile, taking it to 17.9bn by March next year, Alastair Cochran, Thames's chief financial officer, said. Continue reading...

Concerns from party that significant cuts to key departments will set damaging tone for new governmentWhen Rachel Reeves stands up in the Commons on Wednesday, her budget will end months of speculation, allowing the government to fully set out what it stands for. And that, some Labour MPs fear, might herald a whole new set of problems.For all the expectation management about a disastrous economic inheritance and the fabled 22bn fiscal black hole, the sheer lack of money and tight constraints over tax rises mean that however well Reeves presents her choices, many of them will be painful. Continue reading...

Brandon Woolveridge was let out of prison under the government's early release schemeA man who was let out of prison under the government's early release scheme, after being jailed for blackmailing people over their missing pets, went on to blackmail one of his previous victims within a fortnight of being freed.Brandon Woolveridge, 25, had been jailed for 42 months at Preston crown court in October last year. On Friday, he was jailed for 27 months at the same court for what judge Heather Lloyd described as offence with an identical modus operandi". Continue reading...

Appeal court rules unlawful force used on Edwin Afriyie, who was standing with arms folded during road stopA black youth worker who was Tasered while standing with his arms folded during a road stop has won an appeal for damages from City of London police.The appeal court ruled that the police used unlawful force against Edwin Afriyie, 38, after he was pulled over in the City while driving home from a party in 2018. Continue reading...

Starmer says new low-tax zones, a policy inherited from the Tories, will have this government's stamp on them'Downing Street will announce five new freeports in next week's budget as part of its effort to drive economic growth.Ministers will set out plans to establish five new low-tax zones, plus an investment zone in the East Midlands, where businesses will benefit from tax breaks such as lower tariffs and customs. Continue reading...

Plus: Trump alleges foreign interference in the election while an Aussie hiker gives us all something to smile aboutFriends in New York with non-American accents are careful not to go canvassing in swing states (or anywhere else). Stuffing envelopes is one thing. But the assumption among those in the US with non-American backgrounds is that, to a person in Pennsylvania or Arizona, the single thing more annoying than having a canvasser at your door, is having a canvasser with a British, Australian or Canadian accent telling you who they think you should vote for. Continue reading...

Low-income writers and those without space to work will be prioritised under the RSL's new Scriptorium awards, with 10 people a year allowed to stay for up to a monthOn the wall of a Ramsgate house owned by Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo hangs a large-scale cover of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own. It might just as well read A Cottage of One's Own", as that is precisely what the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) president is offering: writers will be able to stay in the property for free.I bought this cottage as my pension, and I decided that I could put it to use as a writer's retreat," Evaristo says. The choice was in part motivated by her own experience - for many years I didn't have my own home, I led a very peripatetic lifestyle, and I didn't earn much money from my writing." Continue reading...

Court finds Fairvale high school failed duty of care in case of 14-year-old boy who was assaulted in 2017

Shareholders and property owners who also work not within PM's definition of working people'Keir Starmer has hinted at tax rises for those who earn their income from shares and property, saying that they did not fit his definition of working people".Ministers are expected to announce increases in inheritance tax and capital gains tax (CGT) in the budget next week. Continue reading...

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UK market rose to all-time high of 12.4bn last year, with NHS paying for nearly 3.5bn of procedures to ease backlogThe value of the UK's private healthcare market rose to a record 12.4bn last year as long NHS waiting lists fuelled demand from individuals and the health service paid for nearly 3.5bn of procedures to help ease the care backlog.As private medical insurance boomed, total revenues generated in the independent healthcare sector hit an all-time high in real terms pegged to 2003 prices, research revealed. Continue reading...

East Riding council promised to store Robert Bracewell's possessions after his disappearance, but disposed of themA council destroyed the belongings of a tenant who went missing, after banning his family from entering his flat.Robert Bracegirdle, 75, disappeared from his home in Goole in 2020 after struggling with mental health issues. A police search failed to find him and a coroner later ruled that he had died by drowning in the nearby River Ouse. Continue reading...

Traditional Britain Group's London conference includes speaker from Germany's AfD party and far-right activistsA group that emerged out of a faction of the Conservative party has become a forum for Britain's splintered far right.A private conference hosted earlier this month by the Traditional Britain Group (TBG) was attended by figures from the Homeland party, an extreme nationalist group, as well as rivals from other groups such as Patriotic Alternative. Continue reading...

US only nation likely to be able to persuade Netanyahu to drop plan condemned by 123 member statesWorsening relations between the United Nations and Israel appear to have reached a nadir with the imminent passage of a bill in the Israeli Knesset designed to make it impossible for the UN relief and works agency for Palestinians (Unrwa) to operate in Gaza and West Bank.Unrwa has long been a target of Israel, predating its claims that up to 12 members of the group's staff took part in the 7 October attacks , but the move to ban the agency altogether signals a fresh polarisation that may take years to reverse. Continue reading...

Opposition leader adds caveat to campaign vow on eve of Queensland election day as polls tighten

The man had pleaded not guilty to nine charges alleged to have occurred over a six-year period against five women on separate occasions

French-born goalkeeping coach Sebastien Bechaud to spend at least 20 months behind bars over 2021 assault

Some leaders had hoped Charles might use his speech at Chogm in Samoa as an opportunity to apologise for Britain's colonial pastKing Charles acknowledged painful aspects" of Britain's past while sidestepping calls to directly address reparations for slavery at the summit of Commonwealth leaders, saying none of us can change the past, but we can commit ... to learning its lessons".Charles was speaking to leaders representing 56 Commonwealth nations at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in the Pacific nation of Samoa, his first time attending the summit since taking the throne. In his speech, the king also addressed the climate crisis, development challenges and paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth. Continue reading...

Appen says nearly one-third of the company's contractors were left without pay on time as a result of issue with payment processing integration

In a visit to the region, secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US was working to progress ceasefire talks for Gaza and LebanonIsraeli strikes hit Beirut on Thursday evening, after the US warned against Israel being led into a protracted" campaign in Lebanon and efforts got under way to hold renewed talks over a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.Lebanese state media said several strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, about half an hour after Israel issued evacuation warnings for the Hezbollah bastion after intense strikes the night before. Continue reading...

Police say the vehicle veered off the Princes Highway and crashed into home near Warrnambool on Friday morning

This blog has now closed. You can read our full coverage of the continuing conflict in the region here.Warning sirens have again sounded in northern Israel.Lebanon's National News Agency reports that later today India will deliver 33 tons of medical aid to Lebanon. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Government spooked' by warnings of job losses and pub closures if it added ban to tobacco and vapes billDowning Street is blocking moves to include a ban on smoking outdoors in the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes bill amid fierce opposition by the hospitality trade.No 10 officials privately believe that banning people from lighting up in pub gardens is an unserious" policy and is not backed by good evidence showing that it harms non-smokers. Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves to encourage import of raw materials from Commonwealth countries to counter China's grip on marketBusinesses that import critical minerals to the UK will be given access to state-backed loans in a move to counter China's dominance in the market.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to announce extra government support to encourage the import of critical minerals such as lithium, graphite and cobalt in her budget next week. Companies that bring supplies of critical minerals into the UK will be able to access state-backed loans under the UK export finance mechanism. Continue reading...

Watchdog found 40% rise in alleged bad behaviour, including sexual harassment and bullying, last yearCity firms are only rarely docking pay and bonuses in cases of bad behaviour including sexual harassment, bullying and drug use, according to the industry's watchdog, which recorded a 40% rise in complaints about non-financial misconduct last year.The findings are the result of the City regulator's first survey looking at the issue, which was launched in the wake of high-profile allegations of sexual harassment, including those against individuals at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) lobby group. Continue reading...

Premier Chris Minns praises changes to laws, which require landlords to give reasonable reasons to end lease and make it easier for tenants to keep pets

Prime minister trying to secure tournament's future at Commonwealth summit in SamoaKeir Starmer will try to find a host country for the 2030 Commonwealth Games this week as ministers try to shore up the tournament's future.The prime minister's spokesperson said Starmer wanted to see a successful Commonwealth Games from 2030" and would spend time at this week talking to partners about who may be interested in taking that forward". Continue reading...

Special investigation unit seized hard drives and camera footage on orders from the public prosecutor's officeArgentinian police have raided the Buenos Aires hotel where ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne stayed before dying last week after falling from a third-floor balcony.A police special investigations unit went to the Casa Sur hotel late on Wednesday on orders from the public prosecutor's office. Officers seized items including computer hard drives and footage from hotel cameras, said a government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Continue reading...

Batches of the vegetable produced in Colorado, where many people fell ill after eating Quarter Pounders, were recalledFresh onions are the probable source of an E coli outbreak at McDonald's restaurants that has sickened 49 people and killed one, the US Department of Agriculture said, alarming fast food chains using the ingredient.Taylor Farms, a supplier for McDonald's, the biggest US burger chain, recalled several batches of yellow onions produced in a Colorado facility, according to a memo on Wednesday by US Foods, one of the largest suppliers of food service operations in the country. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer open to debating UK's role in slave trade at Commonwealth summit after pressure from Caribbean countriesKeir Starmer has opened the door to non-financial reparations for the UK's role in the transatlantic enslavement, as he came under pressure from Commonwealth leaders to engage in a meaningful, truthful and respectful" conversation about Britain's past.While Downing Street insists that the wider issue of reparations is not on the agenda" of this week's Commonwealth heads of government (Chogm) gathering in Samoa, No 10 has accepted it is likely to be referenced in the end-of-summit communique. Continue reading...

Lawmakers and residents speak out against Parkview after the Guardian investigated the hospital chain for high costsLast fall, Doug Allen, the president of a plastic molding firm in Brimfield, Indiana, was forced into a difficult decision.Since 2007, the costs of his employees' health insurance had shot up around 275%, expenditures that were eating into his profit margins and far outpacing the rate of inflation, according to his records. But Allen didn't blame his small local insurer. Continue reading...

President's comments at Brics summit are ambiguous, however, US says it has evidence of movement of troops who could fight in UkraineVladimir Putin has sidestepped claims that North Korea has sent soldiers to Russia, insisting that it was up to Moscow how to run its mutual defence clause with Pyongyang.Speaking at the close of the Brics summit in Kazan on Thursday, he accused the west of escalating the Ukraine war and said it was living an illusion" if it thought it could inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. Continue reading...

Legal action after fire that killed man at overcrowded flat in Shadwell thought to be the first of its kind involving ebikesTwelve survivors of an ebike battery fire that killed a man have launched legal action against their landlords and the battery's manufacturer.The 12 managed to escape in the early hours of 5 March 2023, after an overcrowded flat they were living in - in Maddocks House in Shadwell, east London - caught fire due to an explosion found by a coroner to have been caused by a faulty ebike battery. Mizanur Rahman, a 41-year-old father-of-two, died in the fire. Continue reading...

Conference convened by French president raises $800m in humanitarian aid and $200m to strengthen Lebanese army

Frelimo presidential candidate Daniel Chapo is said to have received 70% of vote, after claims of riggingThe candidate of Mozambique's ruling party has won the presidential election with a thumping majority, after two opposition figures were killed by unknown gunmen and amid allegations that the results were rigged.Daniel Chapo, the candidate of Frelimo, received 70.7% of the vote, the election commission said on Thursday, comfortably clearing the 50% mark needed to avoid a second round. Continue reading...

Deaths in central Gaza come as Al Jazeera accuses Israel of targeting its journalists working in the war zone

John Burke-Monerville and Richard Adams give evidence at undercover policing inquiry about impact of intrusionTwo grieving fathers have criticised police for using undercover officers to spy on their campaigns to secure justice for their sons.At the undercover policing inquiry on Thursday, they accused the police of racism for spying on them instead of helping them find out what happened to their sons. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Conservative forces pose genuine threats to the protections women have fought for and won', Victoria's premier says

Protective cover on acclaimed artist's famous painting an effective palette for this radical protest', great-granddaughter says

Experts warn that setting KPIs could create perverse incentives rather than improving outcomes

The Australian founder has seen his reputation and fortune hammered by claims including sex in exchange for investment and houses bought for lovers

Government to consider allowing property owners to subdivide or build two homes on one plot without a permit

Opposition leader blames termination of former home affairs chief's honour on government trying to seek retribution'

Police say specialists headhunted for lucrative missions, sometimes delivering several kilograms at a timeGangs are headhunting highly skilled drone pilots to make Amazon Prime-style deliveries of drugs, weapons and even condiments such as tomato ketchup to prison cell windows.Police said organised crime groups were recruiting specialist aircraft operators to fly the highly lucrative missions, sometimes transporting several kilograms of contraband at a time. Continue reading...

Chris Taylor, the chief of policy at Australia Banking Association, says reducing 3% serviceability buffer could help first home buyers enter property market

Co-owner of Nomad held sign mirroring Israeli flag but with swastika in place of Star of David and the words Stop Nazi Israel'

This live blog is now closed. You can read the latest report from our correspondent in the region here.In a statement on its official Telegram channel, Israel's military has claimed that overnight it struck at weapons storage facilities in Beirut in Lebanon.In the message, the IDF said the targets were manufacturing facilities and command centres belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization which were located within civilian infrastructure." Continue reading...