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Kennet Properties sells off Thames Water land, whose owner, Kemble Water, has warned it would not be able to pay a 190m loanA development company that sells off land no longer needed by Thames Water has paid out a 14m dividend despite warnings that it could become engulfed by the embattled water group's financial woes.Accounts filed at Companies House show Kennet Properties paid out a 14.5m dividend during the year to 31 March 2023, despite the difficulties faced by the wider group, which is facing a potential administration. Continue reading...

Government auditors must look into claims of complicity in corruption on arms deals with UK, says Labour peerAlleged Ministry of Defence complicity in the national scandal" of bribery on arms deals in Saudi Arabia must be investigated by government auditors, a senior Labour politician has said.Peter Hain, the antiapartheid campaigner and peer, said in a letter to the National Audit Office (NAO) that a timely, targeted" investigation was now necessary after the conclusion of a major criminal trial. Continue reading...

Outcry over cancellation of Antonio Scurati's Rai talkshow appearance as note says move was taken for editorial reasons'A high-profile Italian author has accused Rai of censorship after his antifascist monologue was abruptly stopped from being aired, in what he called the definitive demonstration" of alleged attempts by Giorgia Meloni's government to wield its power over the state broadcaster.Antonio Scurati was due to read the monologue marking the 25 April national holiday, which celebrates Italy's liberation from fascism, on the Rai 3 talkshow Chesara on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Israeli leaders vow to oppose expected measures under Leahy law against the Netzah Yehuda battalionA unit of the Israel Defense Forces is facing US sanctions over its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, even as Congress voted for $26bn in new emergency aid to Israel.According to reports in the Israeli media, US state department officials have confirmed they are preparing to impose sanctions on the IDF's Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has been accused of serious human rights violations against Palestinians. Continue reading...

Israel PM's comments follow reports that the US was planning measures against an IDF battalionAt least 34,097 Palestinian people have been killed and 76,980 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.An estimated 48 Palestinians were killed and 79 others injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added. Continue reading...

Daniel Mookhey says absurd' carve-up of GST allocations means the state will almost certainly' lose its coveted AAA credit rating

Vcat suspends Bendigo doctor's supervision order over significant financial imposition' on one of region's last bulk-billing clinics

Exclusive: NHS cost threshold has not been raised by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence since 2004People with motor neurone disease have spoken of their devastation at a likely loss of access to a life-extending drug due to an NHS cost threshold that has not been raised since 2004.Tofersen has slowed the progress of the illness in trials but the chances of the drug being recommended for use in England and Wales are said to be slim. Continue reading...

Former federal senator Rex Patrick's 16-month tussle shows Treasury provided Jim Charmers with a range of policy options

Shareholder calls for softening of postal service's obligations after failed takeover bid by Czech billionaire for owner IDSOne of the top investors in Royal Mail's owner has said it is vulnerable to corporate predators", arguing that a recent takeover bid by a Czech billionaire significantly undervalues the company.Redwheel called for regulators to water down the UK postal service's legal obligations after Daniel Ketinsky's failed takeover attempt of its parent company International Distributions Services (IDS). Continue reading...

Celebrated painter went down the drain from the 1930s', claims Rebecca John in a new interviewThe granddaughter of Augustus John, Britain's most famous and successful artist of the early 20th century, has delivered a damning critique of his later works. Rebecca John, the leading authority on the artist, says in her first interview for two decades that most should have been burned. My grandfather went down the drain from the 1930s onwards, drank too much, lost his judgment, and took every opportunity to earn money from portraits of society ladies and the wives of notable men".From about 1900, Augustus John had produced beautiful drawings, stunning landscapes and portraits of great men including TE Lawrence, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw and Thomas Hardy. He was even honoured in 1928 with a cover photo for Time magazine. But those artistic skills declined from the mid-1930s until his death aged 83 in 1961. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ex-double agent allegedly admitted to murder during training presentations to members of the security servicesVictims' families have reacted with anger after it emerged that a former British double agent in the IRA who allegedly admitted to murder while giving training presentations to members of the security services will not be prosecuted.The case had emerged during an investigation by officers into the activities of the British spy known as Stakeknife and a criminal file was passed to the prosecution service of Northern Ireland. Continue reading...

Closure of Work and Health Programme comes hard on heels of Rishi Sunak's bid to end the UK's supposed sicknote' cultureA major scheme to help disabled people into work has been quietly scrapped - just as the prime minister announced a crackdown on disability benefits.The 100m Work and Health Programme, operating in England and Wales, will end in the autumn, providers have been told, at the same time that Rishi Sunak wants to cut benefits for 420,000 sick and disabled people in an attempt to force them into work - a move that charities say would instead leave people destitute. Continue reading...

Students speak out after a pupil lost her legal challenge against a top London school after it brought in a ban to promote social cohesionIt was in year nine when Hanzla started praying in the playground during lunchtime at his secondary school in Birmingham, despite restrictions from his teachers.I'd find anywhere in the playground and get my friends to kind of make a circle around me - those friends were Muslims and non-Muslims - so the teachers would not find out," he said. A lot of the time it used to be raining and sometimes even snowing and the weather was cold." Continue reading...

The Italian city's attempt to help its sleep-deprived residents is denounced as a step too farMilan's leaders have been accused of waging war against ice-cream in their bid to combat wild nightlife" in the northern Italian city.Marco Granelli, the deputy mayor for public security, recently announced a proposal banning the sale of takeaway food after midnight in the city's popular nightlife districts. Continue reading...

Sweeping security measures designed to empower police and armed forces against organised crimeEcuadoreans will vote on Sunday in a referendum on a raft of unprecedented security measures designed to empower the police and armed forces in the fight against spiralling violence and organised crime.Voters must accept or reject 11 questions, mostly about security, in the plebiscite, which is being seen as a test of support for Ecuador's popular young president. Daniel Noboa who took office in November on the pledge to combat the surge in violent crime, put forward the poll to push through proposals to retake control of prisons and tame soaring homicide rates. Continue reading...

Katherine Anne Rose spent months documenting the Scottish charity, which welcomes and supports forcibly displaced people with the help of the local communityRefuweegee is a play on the words refugee" and weegie", affectionate slang for a Glaswegian. The charity was founded in December 2015 by Selina Hales, a Glasgow native who wanted to welcome displaced people in the city after seeing news coverage of Syrians escaping war and persecution and crossing into Europe. Glasgow has the largest refugee population in the UK outside London.The scale and reach of charities such as Refuweegee have rapidly grown over the last few years, in part due to the rising numbers of asylum seekers but also because of the generosity and involvement of the local community. The charity has expanded to a network of more than 200 volunteers across Glasgow.Refuweege merchandise with the charity's slogan: We're all fae somewhere.' Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese says vigil was to honour victims and mourn for all the years of joy they should have known'

Reynolds says if Higgins does not accept Justice Lee's findings on the claims of coverup and mistreatment ... it will have to be proved again in our trial'

Sixty four Tories and four independent MPs who lost party whip plan to stand down from the Commons amid dire polling for ConservativesA cohort of Conservative MPs standing down before the next election have netted jobs worth millions of pounds and have taken dozens of all-expenses-paid trips funded by foreign governments and lobbyists, the Observer can reveal.Sixty-four serving Tory MPs and four independent MPs who lost the Tory whip have announced that they plan to stand down at the next election amid polling that suggests their party may face an electoral wipeout. Continue reading...

New album The Tortured Poets Department flies off the shelves as Swift breaks record for most Spotify streams in a single dayTaylor Swift fans joined queues outside vinyl shops yesterday for the annual Record Store Day in the hope of securing a limited edition note from the desk of Taylor Swift".The handwritten" note came with a limited number of copies of the musician's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, which was released on Friday. Continue reading...

UK debt advice charity warns that cost of living crisis and higher rents are pushing younger full-time workers into difficultiesA rising number of people in full-time work, including those in jobs such as nursing, have been seeking advice on debt, amid warnings that a growing cohort of younger workers is struggling to make ends meet.Figures seen by the Observer suggest rising rents and the use of credit to cope with the cost of living crisis in recent years are driving more full-time workers to seek help. Continue reading...

Coalition was previously fiercely critical of Labor's misinformation legislation, having campaigned to bin the bill'

Young men are forced to take part in conscript lottery, but the rich often avoid serving in armyEvery April in Thailand young men take part in a lottery to determine whether they will be forced to do military service. Pull out a red card and you are drafted for up to two years. A black card means you are exempt.When it was Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal's turn to draw a card this month, he refused, making a rare protest as a conscientious objector. If prosecuted, it is believed he could become the first person in Thailand to be imprisoned for avoiding the draft through civil disobedience. The offence carries a maximum sentence of three years. Continue reading...

Lucy Bradlow and Bronwen Bock say they would split official duties and make joint decisions if elected to the seat of Higgins

Defence minister says possibility of a collision between the two helicopters is being analysedOne person was dead and seven missing after two Japanese military helicopters crashed after possibly colliding while out to sea, officials said.A spokesperson for Japan's self-defence force said the crash took place late on Saturday and one person was recovered and later confirmed dead. Continue reading...

Columbia and Barnard chapters of nationwide group issue statement claiming flagrant disregard of shared governance'The Columbia and Barnard chapters of the American Association of University Professors have issued a joint statement condemning Columbia president Minouche Shafik's crackdowns on student-led pro-Palestinian protests.In the statement released on Friday, the chapters said: We are shocked at her failure to mount any defense of the free inquiry central to the educational mission of a university in a democratic society and at her willingness to appease legislators seeking to interfere in university affairs." Continue reading...

Labour leader accuses Conservatives of having denigrated some of our proudest national institutions' and stoking divisionsThe Conservatives have lost any right" to call themselves a patriotic party, Sir Keir Starmer has said.Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the Labour leader said the Tories have denigrated some of our proudest national institutions" and he accused the party of stoking divisions that weaken our nation" if it means it strengthens their grip on power". Continue reading...

Turkish president says recent events between Iran and Israel should not allow Israel to gain ground' in GazaTurkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoan urged Palestinians to unite amid Israel's war in Gaza following hours-long talks with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul on Saturday, his office said.Erdoan has failed to establish a foothold as a mediator in the Gaza conflict that has roiled the region, with the Hamas-run Palestinian territory bracing for a new Israeli offensive and a reported Israeli attack on Iran. Continue reading...

Despite having Australia's highest rates of domestic violence, particularly against Indigenous women, the NT only receives about 1% of federal funding, senators hear

Statement comes after Met police apologised for calling antisemitism campaigner openly Jewish'Being Jewish should never be seen as provocative", the government has said after a row over the policing of a pro-Palestine march.In a video released by Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), the charity's chief executive, Gideon Falter, who was wearing a kippah skull cap, was told by a Met officer at a pro-Palestine march last Saturday: You are quite openly Jewish, this is a pro-Palestinian march. I'm not accusing you of anything but I'm worried about the reaction to your presence." Continue reading...

Thousands of civilians flee as resistance fighters fight to flush out soldiers holed up at eastern bridge border crossingFighting raged at Myanmar's eastern border with Thailand on Saturday, both governments said, forcing 3,000 civilians to flee as rebels fought to flush out Myanmar junta troops holed up for days at a bridge border crossing.Resistance fighters and ethnic minority rebels seized the key trading town of Myawaddy on the Myanmar side of the frontier on 11 April, a blow to a well-equipped military struggling to govern and facing a test of battlefield credibility. Continue reading...

Queens Park Ladies under-12s finished top of division three of the Bournemouth Youth Football League with 18 wins, four draws and no defeatsA girls' football team has won a boys' league after going unbeaten all season, earning them the invincibles" title.Queens Park Ladies under-12s finished top of division three of the Bournemouth Youth Football League with 18 wins, four draws and no defeats. Continue reading...

Alarm grows over possible pension cuts as research suggests Jeremy Hunt tax cut announcement was blunder'Labour is to wage a new campaign to win over Tory-supporting pensioners in an attempt to neutralise one of the government's last remaining electoral strengths, amid evidence the Conservatives are now performing as badly among the age group as they did under Liz Truss's leadership.With less than a fortnight to go until local elections in England, which some Tories fear could trigger an attempt to topple Rishi Sunak, the Observer understands that Keir Starmer's top officials are reorienting their campaign after detecting alarm among pensioners over the impact a Conservative tax-cutting pledge could have on pensions and the NHS. Continue reading...

Biden administration to rethink counter-terrorism strategy after breakdown of pact allowing US forces on soil to fight jihadistsThe US will withdraw more than 1,000 military personnel from Niger in a move that will force the Biden administration to rethink its counter-terrorism strategy and amounts to a strategic victory for Russia.The decision comes a month after the west African country's ruling military junta revoked a security pact with Washington that had allowed American forces on its soil to help fight jihadist terrorism. Continue reading...

Prize for best national participation goes to Archie Moore, who becomes first Australian artist to win itThe artist Archie Moore has won the prestigious Golden Lion for best national participation at the 2024 Venice Biennale - the first time an Australian artwork has won the prize.With this year's theme of Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere," Moore won the award for his artwork, kith and kin, at the Australia Pavilion. The work, which has involved the artist mapping a sprawling genealogy in chalk, concerns 65,000 years of Indigenous Australian history and nonlinear concepts of time and place. Below the vast family tree covering the dark walls and ceiling stands a white table covered in records of First Nations deaths, including those in police and prison custody. Continue reading...

The United States has not conducted air strikes in Iraq today,' the US military's Central Command saidPaul Scruton, Lucy Swan, Iona Serrapica and Alex Olorenshaw have created a visual guide to Friday's events in Iran via graphics, video and satellite images.You can take a look at it here: Continue reading...

Grim milestone comes as G7 leaders urge Netanyahu not to press ahead with Rafah invasionThe death toll from Israel's war on Gaza climbed to more than 34,000 on Saturday, with the majority of victims women and children, including at least six killed by an overnight airstrike on a house in Rafah.The latest grim milestone comes as hope of a ceasefire has dimmed, and global attention has shifted to the dangerous exchange of missile and drone strikes between Iran and Israel. Continue reading...

The IDF is embroiled in simultaneous conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran and in the West Bank - but hadn't reckoned on the social and political divisions this would causeYoav Gallant, Israel's defence minister, described the conflict Israel was engaged in as a multi-front war" earlier this month.Israeli forces were fighting Hamas inside Gaza and engaged in daily exchanges of fire with Hezbollah on the northern border with Lebanon. A low-level conflict, mainly consisting of airstrikes, was continuing with Iranian-backed forces in Syria. Israel had also been targeted - albeit ineffectively - by drones fired by the Houthis in Yemen. Continue reading...

Infighting, suspensions and bizarre allegations have dogged efforts to restore order as the party prepares for May's byelectionsLess than two weeks before local elections that some senior Tories fear could unleash another party meltdown and an attempted putsch against Rishi Sunak's leadership, Downing Street had hoped that Friday's prime ministerial speech on the weighty issue of welfare reform might finally begin to restore the party's reputation for competent governance.It was a potent sign of Sunak's struggles in keeping his party on track that, soon after his speech had concluded, some of his MPs found themselves discussing whether or not one of their colleagues had deliberately intoxicated a friend's dog. How can somebody possibly get a dog pissed?" wondered one. Bizarre." Continue reading...

Ken Skates says local communities will decide which limits are rescinded after 500,000 people sign petition against themWales's transport minister has said the government will correct" its guidance on the introduction of 20mph speed limits in built-up areas.The announcement comes after half a million people signed a petition against the measure. Continue reading...

Manager of Lower Red Lion in St Albans says people around the world have sent supportive messagesThe landlord of a pub that went viral over its sign advertising the venue as dog-friendly, child-free" has stood by its policy and said he has received messages of support from the local community and internationally.David Worcester, who runs the Lower Red Lion in St Albans, Hertfordshire, said the sign had been outside the pub for years - but only garnered strong reaction online after a user tweeted a picture of the chalkboard with the comment found my new local". Continue reading...

Possible move in autumn statement come as experts sound alarm about dire state of UK public servicesJeremy Hunt is reportedly considering stamp duty and national insurance cuts before the next general election.The chancellor has previously hinted there could be another fiscal event" before voters go to the polls in an attempt to boost the Conservatives' tax-cutting credentials. Continue reading...

Mitcham residents say the Burn Bullock had been disgracefully neglected' prior to the blazeA heritage-listed pub has been damaged in a blaze that began on Friday night.Three floors of the Grade II-listed Burn Bullock in Mitcham, south-west London were damaged in the fire, which also destroyed the building's roof, the London fire brigade said. Twelve fire engines and about 80 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire. Continue reading...

Attorney general weighing up whether to refer sentences of Remy Gordon and Kami Carpenter to appeal courtThe attorney general is considering whether to refer the sentences of two men convicted of murdering a footballer on a nightclub dancefloor to the court of appeal for reconsideration.Remy Gordon, 23, and Kami Carpenter, 22, were jailed for life with a minimum of 26 and 25 years respectively for fatally stabbing the former Birmingham City academy player Cody Fisher on Boxing Day 2022. Continue reading...

Pro-Palestinian students interrupted a dinner held by a top free speech defender at Berkeley. A polarized and very public controversy has followedDuring a dinner for students that the dean of the University of California, Berkeley law school held in his house's backyard earlier this month, a woman wearing a hijab and checkered Palestinian scarf suddenly stood up with a microphone and amplifier. What followed lasted only a couple of minutes, but has led to a fierce debate about the limits of free speech, drew death threats to those involved, and created a media firestorm," as the dean, Erwin Chemerinsky, has put it.Some short and chaotic viral videos illustrate part of what happened. One of them shows the woman, Malak Afaneh, as she gives a Ramadan greeting; she is accompanied by a small group of other student protesters. As Afaneh begins reading a speech about the Israel-Gaza war, Chemerinsky and his wife, the law professor Catherine Fisk, quickly cut Afaneh off. Continue reading...

The pseudoscientific term, made notorious by George Floyd's murder in the US, will no longer be used by the police watchdogThe police watchdog for England and Wales has removed a controversial medical term from its incident forms after claims it plays into racist stereotypes and detracts attention from police brutality.Until now, police forces referring a death or serious incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have been given the option to tick excited delirium" in a list of relevant factors. The term has historically been used to describe people who are agitated or acting bizarrely, usually because of mental illness, drug use or both. Symptoms are said to include insensitivity to pain, aggression, increased strength and elevated heart rate. Continue reading...

Chain changes That's why mums go to Iceland' line to reflect fact other people also do grocery shoppingIceland has dropped the outdated That's why mums go to Iceland" slogan to reflect the fact that other people also do grocery shopping.The frozen foods retailer has tweaked its strapline to the more neutral That's why we go to Iceland" in an advertising push with the TV personality Josie Gibson as its new ambassador. Continue reading...

Green members demand meeting after Scottish government abandons pledge to cut emissions 75% by 2030Scottish Greens are to hold a vote to determine the future of the party's power-sharing agreement with the Scottish National party, after the government abandoned its pledge to cut carbon emissions 75% by 2030.Members will be able to vote on whether their party should continue to cooperate with the SNP after the announcement on Thursday that the Scottish government was scrapping its key climate pledge. Continue reading...

In her first statement since a judge dismissed Lehrmann's defamation action, Higgins also takes swipe at Seven's Spotlight program