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This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDuring her BBC Breakfast interview Kemi Badenoch claimed that the government has dropped the plans for five local inquiries into grooming gang, or child rape scandals, that were announced in January. As she was trying to fend of the questions about Adolescence, she said:One of the things that I'm more bothered by is the fact that just yesterday, we had Labour telling us that they're not going to be investigating the rape gang scandal, something which had happened all across the country. That's real. That's happening right now. We're not talking about that.I am absolutely astonished that Labour has dropped what it said it would do in January. And, as I said to Keir Starmer at prime minister's questions, if he did not have a full national inquiry, people will start to think that there is a cover-up.They are clearly uncomfortable with having inquiries that are looking into this issue.As a rule I believe in mess ups rather than conspiracy.But if true that Labour have shelved even the most limited public enquiries into grooming gangs, it does suggest that powerful Labour politicians have something to hide.We are developing a new best practice framework to support local authorities that want to undertake victim-centred local inquiries or related work, drawing on the lessons from local independent inquiries such as those in Telford, Rotherham and Greater Manchester. We will publish the details next month.Alongside that, we will set out the process through which local authorities can access the 5m national fund to support locally-led work on grooming gangs. Following feedback from local authorities, the fund will adopt a flexible approach to support both full independent local inquiries and more bespoke work, including local victims' panels or locally led audits of the handling of historical cases.There's a huge information about this. This is completely wrong. We're actually increasing, not reducing, the action being taken on this.Child sexual exploitation, grooming gangs - these are some of the most vile crimes, things like rape or exploitation, coercion. We're increasing the action against that.I think that those are all important issues, and those were issues that I've been talking about for a long time.But in the same way that I don't need to watch Casualty to know what's going on in the NHS, I don't need to watch a specific Netflix drama to understand what's going on. It's a fictional series. It is not a documentary.I'm saying very clearly that my job is not to watch lots of TV. My job is to get out there and make sure that I'm talking about the issues that are happening in the country right now.Badenoch in the right. Stop basing public policy on telly Continue reading...

US original's creator Lorne Michaels to be executive producer of show that is due to premiere in 2026Over the last 50 years, Saturday Night Live has become a cornerstone of US television and a conveyor belt for new comedy talent, attracting A-list cameos and launching careers. British TV executives are now hoping it can bring some of that lustre across the Atlantic in a deal to bring the show to the UK for the first time.After numerous failed attempts to recreate the late-night comedy format that has proved so successful in the US, Sky has announced it is making a British version of the show to premiere next year. Crucially, the show's original creator and champion, Lorne Michaels, will be an executive producer. Continue reading...

Steve Wright says internal inquiries uncovered dozens of cases where members had used racist slurs or stereotypesTrade unions are becoming increasingly concerned by a rise in racist and bigoted" comments online from their own members and officials, the new leader of the Fire Brigades Union has told the Guardian.Steve Wright, the general secretary of the FBU, said internal inquiries into allegations of racism have uncovered dozens of cases where members have been found to use racist slurs or stereotypes, often regarding asylum seekers. Continue reading...

Former Tory leadership contender, who abstained on a vote on a smoking ban last year, will work for British American Tobacco on harm reduction'Penny Mordaunt has taken on a new job advising one of the world's biggest tobacco companies on harm reduction".The former Conservative leadership contender, who served in cabinet roles from defence secretary to leader of the House of Commons, will advise the British American Tobacco's transformation advisory group" in a paid role, after losing her seat in parliament last year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Peter Dutton's plan to reduce public service may see 26.5% jobs at Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission disappear, according to union

Alice Fraser thought she was being paranoid until her lawyer advised her jokes about Donald Trump and Elon Musk could be scrutinised at US airport

Israeli minister says plan is prize for terror' as French president says we must move towards recognition' and process could start at UN conference in JuneTurkish and Israeli officials began talks on Wednesday aimed at preventing unwanted incidents in Syria, where militaries of the two regional powers are active, Turkish ministry sources said on Thursday.According to Reuters, the sources said the technical talks, in Azerbaijan, marked the beginning of efforts to set up a channel to avoid potential clashes or misunderstandings over military operations in the region. Continue reading...

John Healey tells meeting of more than 30 countries that coalition is working on putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position'We're getting a bit more details from EU spokesperson, Olof Gill, speaking at the commission's press briefing right now (which, notably, got delayed by almost half an hour as that von der Leyen statement was being put out).He said:We are not going to offer any greater detail at this point about what we are not saying to the Americans beyond what we have already said.We want to negotiate, we want to talk. Continue reading...

Met police detain Will McCallum and four others amid accusations of quashing peaceful pro-Palestinian protestScotland Yard has been accused of suppressing a peaceful pro-Palestinian protest after the co-head of Greenpeace UK was arrested for pouring biodegradable blood-red dye into a pond outside the US embassy in London.Will McCallum, the co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, was among five people arrested when the large pond outside the embassy was turned red on Thursday in what Greenpeace said was a protest at the US government's continued sale of weapons to Israel. Continue reading...

Another 900 staff will be transferred to other Whitehall departments for leaner and more focused' state administration

Home secretary denies Labour is rowing back on pledge after claims it is doing so to avoid offending Muslim votersYvette Cooper has said the government is pressing ahead with local grooming gang inquiries, as Labour MPs warned the right was weaponising" claims that the party watered down its promise to hold them in five areas.The home secretary moved to defuse a row over the politically explosive issue, after the Conservatives and Reform UK claimed the government had dropped its commitment made in January. Continue reading...

We want to give negotiations a chance,' says Ursula von der Leyen in announcement of 90-day pause

The findings from volumes kept in a Cistercian monastery in France shed new light on a robust medieval trade network that went well beyond local sourcingHairy" medieval book covers previously thought to be made from deer or boar skin are in fact made of sealskin, researchers have found.The covers of the 12th- and 13th-century books from French monasteries were made using seals believed to be from Scandinavia, Scotland and potentially Iceland or Greenland, hinting at extensive medieval trade networks. Continue reading...

Sheffield-formed band also release swaggering new single Spike Island, their first new track since 2013Pulp have announced their first album since 2001's We Love Life, entitled More, trailed by a new single, Spike Island.I was born to perform, it's a calling / I exist to do this, shouting and pointing", frontman Jarvis Cocker sings on the anthemic song, ushering one of the most successful British bands of the 1990s into a new phase. Continue reading...

Man on trial for allegedly murdering Indigenous 15-year-old in Perth tried to frame an innocent man, jury told

Mistake at Queensland fertility care clinic results in woman unknowingly giving birth to another patient's baby after embryos mixed up

Secretary of state Marco Rubio says Ksenia Karelina is returning to US, after reports of prisoner swapMoscow has released a US-Russian dual national, Ksenia Karelina, who had been detained in Russia, the US secretary of state has said after a Wall Street Journal report that a prisoner swap had been agreed.Marco Rubio wrote on the social media platform X: American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release." He added that Trump will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans". Continue reading...

Governor's speech flags rocky path ahead and gives no indication of increasing the pace of rate cuts in 2025

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Report finds almost a fifth of Black people living with HIV in London avoid visiting surgeries for fear of discriminationGPs in England are failing Black people living with HIV owing to stigma associated with the virus and a lack of information, according to a report by a leading charity.The report, which surveyed 142 Black people living with HIV in London, found that almost a fifth (19%) of respondents said they had avoided going to their GP for fear of being treated differently because of their HIV status. Continue reading...

Supermarket deepens existing measures and forecasts lower profit for year amid price war with rivalsTesco has said it plans to slash a further 500m in costs, as the supermarket chain tries to cushion the blow of Rachel Reeves's tax increases and invest in fighting a price war with rivals.Britain's biggest grocery retailer said on Thursday it was deepening an existing drive to cut costs to help offset higher operating costs, as well as the 235m increase in its national insurance contributions (NICs) as a result of changes made by the chancellor. Continue reading...

Bill which sought to radically reinterpret New Zealand's founding treaty between Mori tribes and the British Crown fails by 11 votes to 112It was the bill that launched 300,000 public submissions, sparked New Zealand's largest ever protest on Mori rights and prompted a haka in parliament that quickly went viral.And now the treaty principles bill, which sought to radically reinterpret New Zealand's founding treaty between Mori tribes and the British Crown, is dead. Continue reading...

Recent incidents, including the death of a newborn, have heightened concerns about the level of care at the hospital

Opposition leader remains quiet on how Coalition will achieve promise to save $7bn through public service cuts

An official statement said all reasonable possibilities of finding more survivors" had been exhausted in a disaster that has killed at least 184 people.Rescue workers in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday ended the search for survivors of a nightclub roof collapse as the death toll surpassed 180 in the Caribbean nation's worst disaster in decades.Emergency personnel late Wednesday reported 60 more deaths compared to the morning's count, with the total confirmed tally reaching 184. Continue reading...

Fair Work Commission finds Mitchell Fuller was not unfairly dismissed for taking a sick day while at the AFL Gather Round in Adelaide

The airline has apologised and begun informing passengers who are eligible for a refund, with an average value of $55

Australian dollar recovers ground, rising to US61.5c after threatening to plunge below US59c earlier this week

The 73-year-old actor was diagnosed after her role in the John Wick franchise, and chose to keep it private - but is now speaking out in case it helps othersAnjelica Huston has revealed she was diagnosed with cancer six years ago, saying she is now in the clear".The 73-year-old actor declined to tell People magazine what kind of cancer she had, saying she wanted to keep that private, but did reveal she was diagnosed after the release of her 2019 film John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Continue reading...

Jillian Lauren treated for non-life-threatening wound after incident where officers searched for hit-and-run suspectsWeezer bassist Scott Shriner's wife was shot by police on Monday as officers searched for hit-and-run suspects in her Los Angeles neighborhood.Jillian Lauren, 51, was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound at a local hospital after the incident, but later booked for attempted murder, according to Los Angeles police. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The wealthiest households on average will be nearly $800 worse off, modelling reveals, as a result of the re-jigged stage-three tax cuts

Presumed future chancellor says coalition has strong plan' after negotiations as polling shows popularity of far-right AfDEarlier today I brought you Donald Trump's comments overnight on major" tariffs to be announced very shortly" on pharmaceuticals (9:20).My colleague Lisa O'Carroll looked at the risks such measures could pose for Europe:Pharmaceutical companies in the EU have warned of a risk of exodus" to the US as stocks in the sector slid around the world on the back of Donald Trump's renewed threat to impose tariffs on US drugs imports.Drugmakers' shares across Europe and India, another foreign drugs hub, slipped on Wednesday after Trump indicated further carnage was on the way in addition to the 20% reciprocal tariffs" on imports that kicked in overnight. Continue reading...

Company wants regulator to remove rule preventing it from offering tracking on standard services

This blog is now closed, you can read more of our Middle East coverage hereThe Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that at least 1,482 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed intense strikes on the Gaza Strip on 18 March, taking the overall death toll since the start of the war to 50,846.Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) tally based on Israeli official figures. Continue reading...

Chancellor rules out rejoining customs union but says Britain must bolster post-Brexit trade with partners

Exclusive: Union calls for inquiry more than a year after whistleblowers wrote to department about alleged abuseFemale defence workers feel little has been done to address sexual harassment more than a year after whistleblowers sounded the alarm about serious problems at the Ministry of Defence, a leading trade union has said.A survey of female members of the Prospect union working in defence showed a falling level of confidence in action to deter sexual harassment, from 47% in January 2024 to 39% in February 2025. Continue reading...

Opposition leader says he is not worried' about backlash from business as he doubles down on Coalition plan after months of confusion

Since Trump's first trade war with China in 2018, Beijing has ramped up trade with other countries, making it less dependent on the USThe opening shots seem like a distant memory. Back in January, US president Donald Trump threatened to impose a tariff of 10% on Chinese imports. Less than three months later, the rate is now 104%.China has condemned the tariffs. As well as applying its own reciprocal tariff of 34% on US imports, Beijing has been fighting a war of words. Continue reading...

Shaista Gohir questions Tell Mama's use of public funds, creating debate over its role, accountability and futureA leading Muslim peer has called for an inquiry into the Islamophobia monitoring group Tell Mama over concerns about a lack of transparency" on how it is spending public money.Shaista Gohir, the chief executive of the Muslim Women's Network UK, has also accused Tell Mama of failing to provide detailed data on anti-Muslim hate crimes, being silent" when politicians have targeted Muslims, and questioned whether the Tories used it as a vehicle to monitor extremism. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Spending came after the Albanese government paused ads for a week amid reports ads were appearing next to inappropriate content

US president says he will shortly announce the new tariff on pharmaceuticals but does not give any details

Crews search for survivors after more than 160 injured at Jet Set in Santo DomingoAt least 58 people have died and 160 were injured in the Dominican capital early on Tuesday after the roof collapsed at a nightclub where politicians, athletes and others were attending a merengue concert, authorities said.Crews were searching for survivors in the rubble at the one-storey Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations. Continue reading...

Kim Leadbeater says she is absolutely confident' postponement will not delay legislation reaching royal assentThe next vote on legislation to introduce assisted dying in England and Wales has been delayed by three weeks to give MPs on all sides more time to consider its changes, the MP leading the issue has said.The bill, which has undergone a significant number of changes since the initial vote in November, will now return to the Commons on 16 May, instead of 25 April, for its report stage and votes if time allows. Continue reading...

Paul Chambers detained under strict lese-majesty law, which can lead to 15 years in jail on a single chargeA prominent American academic has been detained in Thailand after being charged with insulting the monarchy, a rare case in which a foreign national has fallen foul of the country's strict lese-majesty law.Paul Chambers, who specialises in civil-military relations and democratisation in south-east Asia, was denied bail on Tuesday and is being held at Phitsanulok provincial prison in northern Thailand, his lawyers said. Continue reading...

Last year 72% of demands to censor books were initiated by pressure groups and government entities; with just 16% of ban attempts made by parentsA large majority of attempts to ban books in the US last year came from organised groups rather than parents.72% of demands to censor books were initiated by pressure groups, government entities and elected officials, board members and administrators, reported the American Library Association (ALA). Just 16% of ban attempts were made by parents, while 5% were brought forward by individual library users. Continue reading...

Community-based approach in England has had good results so far in cutting urgent demand for GPs and A&EThe NHS is attempting to ease the pressure on GPs and A&E by sending a new type of health worker door to door in deprived areas to help detect illnesses before people need urgent care.Community health and wellbeing workers (CHWW) are already deployed in 12 areas of England, with 13 others to follow, in an attempt to improve poor and vulnerable people's access to care.82% more likely to attend a cancer screening.47% more likely to get vaccinated against major diseases.82% more likely to undergo an NHS health check. Continue reading...

Series of events mark 165th anniversary of birth of forgotten pacifist who exposed conditions in British concentration campsShe took on the might of establishment and empire to expose the suffering of women and children held in British concentration camps but her story has faded" from the history books.From 12 April a series of events are being held at the Cornish home where the pacifist, whistleblower and activist Emily Hobhouse grew up, around the 165th anniversary of her birth, part of efforts to shine a new light on her fight for justice. Continue reading...

Elections set for 3 June after months of political turmoil triggered by Yoon Suk Yeol's shock declaration of martial law and subsequent impeachmentSouth Korea will hold a presidential election on 3 June, the country's acting president said on Tuesday, after predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and removed from office over a disastrous declaration of martial law.The government is to set June 3 as the date for South Korea's 21st presidential election", prime minister Han Duck-soo said, adding that the day would be designated as a temporary public holiday to facilitate voting. Continue reading...

Just 4% of Australia's rental properties, or less than one in 20, are occupied by international students, the property council says

PM promises better access to treatment and counselling, saying many Australians have issues that we need to talk about more'