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Labour deputy leader being investigated over whether she gave false information a decade agoAngela Rayner has handled the controversy over her living arrangements in the right way", Yvette Cooper has insisted after a former aide contradicted Rayner's account.The shadow home secretary said Rayner was very keen to be able to provide the facts to the relevant authorities". Continue reading...

The boss of the broadcast regulator has expressed concern about how the chase for audience ratings is harming the industryTelevision has become more exploitative and cruel", according to Michael Grade, the chair of the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom.The exploitation dial has been switched up more and more for ratings," said the peer and former chair of the BBC board. It makes me mad. I really don't like it or enjoy it. Continue reading...

More than 250 people join group action claiming security service failed to take steps that could have prevented 2017 bombingHundreds of the Manchester Arena bombing survivors, along with relatives of the victims, have launched legal action against MI5, claiming it failed to take action that could have stopped the attack.More than 250 people have joined the group action against MI5 and have submitted their claim to the investigatory powers tribunal, which hears complaints against the intelligence services. Continue reading...

At Oxford, Lewis complained repeatedly in his diary about his student Betjaman's attitude to work. A newly discovered letter throws light on their mutual antipathyCS Lewis and John Betjeman had a famously strained relationship. While the Chronicles of Narnia author dismissed his then-student at Oxford as an idle prig", the future poet laureate went on to thank, in the preface of one of his collections, Mr CS Lewis for the fact on page 256" - even though the book had only 45 pages.But a previously unpublished letter from 1936 now reveals that they did attempt a truce, albeit short-lived. Continue reading...

Jury trial against military contractor CACI over sadistic, blatant and wanton abuses' comes 20 years after scandal brokeThe first trial to contend with the post-9/11 abuse of detainees in US custody begins on Monday, in a case brought by three men who were held in the US-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.The jury trial, in a federal court in Virginia, comes nearly 20 years to the day that the photographs depicting torture and abuse in the prison were first revealed to the public, prompting an international scandal that came to symbolize the treatment of detainees in the US war on terror". Continue reading...

A woman who says the former NBA champion hired her to be a personal assistant and artist for his family has filed a lawsuitFormer NBA champion Dennis Rodman is facing a lawsuit for damages from a woman who accused him of slamming a door on her hand and badly injuring her during an incident at his Houston home, after hiring her to be a personal assistant and artist for his family.A woman who answered a call to a phone number associated with Rodman's address in the Texas city dismissed plaintiff Taylor A Banks' allegations as a money grab". Continue reading...

In sweeping lecture on Britain's grand strategic moment', John Bew warns we cannot just manage risk, we are in a competition'The UK faces a choice between using statecraft to plan and deepen its international alliances or simply managing relations with its rivals and risk sliding into war, Rishi Sunak's foreign policy adviser has said.In a sweeping lecture on Britain's grand strategic moment", John Bew drew on how the national character had been shaped by history, claiming the fundamental assumptions about how British leaders have thought about the world had been shaken by events. Continue reading...

Exclusive: ITV is considering taking paid ads from parties on its streaming platform where ban does not applySome viewers are already irritated by the adverts interrupting shows on the ITV catch-up service.But even they could soon yearn for the halcyon days of shampoo or insurance commercials after being presented with the faces of Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

Tehran's firing of over 300 drones and missiles at Israel threatens to draw region into wider conflict

Hundreds walk out of their council roles, saying they are paid less than comparable male-dominated jobsHundreds of women have gone on strike in Scotland as three more councils face claims over equal pay.Almost 500 workers walked out of their council roles in Falkirk, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire in protest at a pay grading system which they say is outdated and pays women less than comparable male-dominated jobs. Continue reading...

Police believe 40-year-old Queensland man suffered from mental health problems and had only moved to Sydney a month ago

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Some people in Ambelia camp waiting for treatment to wounds resulting from ethnic violence last yearHundreds of displaced Sudanese people living in a refugee camp across the border in Chad have been unable to access vital medical care for injuries sustained during fierce battles in the Sudanese city of Geneina in the past year.Some of those in the vast Ambelia camp near the city of Adre have permanent disabilities that could have been avoided had they undergone surgery, according to the refugees themselves and activists who are trying to arrange travel to Port Sudan in eastern Sudan, where they say medical facilities are relatively better than in Chad. Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands could lose out in England and Wales under disability benefit reforms after general electionHundreds of thousands fewer disabled people could receive cold weather payments under the Conservatives' planned post-election disability benefit reforms, according to an internal government report seen by theObserver.The briefing, by civil servants at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), says that under the plans, new applicants for disability benefits in England and Wales would only qualify for cold weather payments if they passed a much harsher assessment than exists at present. Continue reading...

Campaign draws on performers and artists to encourage 300,000 more young people to register ahead of this week's deadlineA last-minute drive to alert young British people to therisk of losing their say in how the country is run launches this weekend, spearheaded by many famous faces, including some not normally associated with politics or campaigning.YouTubers such as Amelia Dimoldenberg, host of Chicken Shop Date, are lining up alongside singers and comedians, to join established names, such as Michael Sheen, Sir Stephen Frears, Es Devlin, Meera Syal, Billy Bragg, Paapa Essiedu, Emily Berrington and Ralf Little. Continue reading...

Concerns that vicious circle of party ill-discipline is undermining the PM's ability to restore orderSenior Tories fear Rishi Sunak is facing a vicious circle of party ill-discipline, amid concerns that attacks from Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Suella Braverman will signal his inability to restore authority in the months before the general election.A rebellion this week over his plans to ban smoking is set to be the latest flashpoint, with libertarian MPs, including Truss, preparing to criticise the proposal as a nanny-state measure that is unconservative. Continue reading...

Police say 40-year-old was an itinerant who moved to NSW last month and had a history of mental illness

Concerns that rare sleep disorder is being used as an escape route' in sexual offence trials prompt calls for safeguards to protect victims and the publicExperts and lawyers involved in sexual offence cases in Britain have warned that suspected rapists are evading justice by claiming to have a rare sleepwalking disorder that causes them to engage in sexual activity while asleep.They said there had definitely" been cases where guilty people had been found not guilty, and warned of the potential for further miscarriages of justice - and harm to the public - without more robust challenges to sexsomnia" claims put forward by defendants. Continue reading...

UK hospitality industry hit by crisis as thousands of young Italians are forced out by latest round of rules and cost-of-living crisisEmanuela Reccia has lived in London for almost a decade. She was a teenager when she left her home city of Naples to become a waitress in the UK, bringing her expertise and love of Italian cuisine to the capital.But the 27-year-old, like thousands of other Italians working in the UK hospitality industry, now feels she has no option but to leave and return to Europe after the latest round of post-Brexit rules. Continue reading...

Joe Biden is believed to have urged restraint, and Tehran deems the matter concluded' but ultimately Israel's response lies in the hands of three prickly rivals in its war cabinet

Leading charity calls current advice inadequate as 42% of 12- to 18-year-olds say their period pains are severeWomen and girls should be routinely asked about their periods during GP appointments to help improve treatment, health campaigners have said.Large numbers of girls get such painful and debilitating periods that they cannot eat or sleep, have to miss school or end up bedbound, according to a new survey by the leading charity Wellbeing of Women. More than 90% of those surveyed said that they had to change their plans due to heavy bleeding. Continue reading...

US defence official says action is part of ironclad commitment to Israel's security', with UK's Royal Air Force also involved in regional operations

Islamic Republic's first ever direct attack on Jewish state involved more than 200 drones and missiles, and raises the risk of a broader regional conflagration

Ash Good, who died in shopping centre stabbing spree after handing over infant for treatment, hailed as an incredible mother'

US president convenes top advisers as US and Jordanian forces help Israel intercept barrage

The byelection in the south Sydney seat was triggered when the former prime minister announced his resignation from politics in January

Rental vehicle containing two adults, two children and two dogs tumbled down hill towards loch after freak gust of wind'A family whose motorhome was destroyed by a freak gust of wind" during a storm in the Scottish Highlands is said to be very lucky to be alive.The family of four and their two dogs were inside the rental vehicle, which was parked in a layby on Scotland's North Coast 500 route, when high winds knocked it over and sent it tumbling headlong down a hill towards a loch. Continue reading...

Top-ranking Chinese official Zhao Leji met Kim Jong-un during three-day visit to PyongyangA top ranking Chinese official reaffirmed ties with North Korea during a meeting in Pyongyang on Saturday with the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, China's state media reported, in the highest-level talks between the allies in years.The visit by Zhao Leji, who ranks third in the ruling Communist party hierarchy and heads the ceremonial parliament, came as North Korea has test-fired missiles to intimidate South Korea and its ally, the US. Continue reading...

The Albanese government has shed little light on how billions of dollars will be divvied up. The treasurer's favourite economist' might provide some clues

The NSW government was devastated' when Secret Sounds cancelled the 2024 Splendour in the Grass festival, but says financial support for it is in the public interest

Met Office says parts of Scotland could be below freezing overnight despite temperatures on Saturday as high as 21.8C in EssexThe hottest day of the year so far will be followed by temperatures of minus 2C in parts of the UK, the Met Office has said.Many enjoyed a warm and sunny Saturday but forecasters said temperatures will drop as the working week begins. Continue reading...

As Tehran seizes a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, Israelis are tense, waiting for next stepThe world is watching Iran. After Israel assassinated a senior commander in an embassy annexe in Damascus, the one thing every diplomat, general and politician from Tehran to Washington could agree on was that Iran would have to respond.There has been nearly two weeks of speculation about when, where and how, fanned by US intelligence reports that Iran or its proxies were preparing for strikes on Israel. Continue reading...

Supporters dismiss investigation into allegations of breaching electoral law and avoiding capital gains tax as a storm in a teacup'A defiant Angela Rayner will continue campaigning ahead of next month's local elections, despite a police decision to open an investigation amid allegations of breaching electoral law and avoiding capital gains tax.The deputy Labour leader vowed on Friday she would stand down if inquiries by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) led to a criminal conviction. It comes after a Tory MP asked the force to examine whether she gave incorrect information for the electoral register about where she lived in Stockport prior to becoming an MP. Continue reading...

Passengers had been trapped in mid-air overnight after a pod hit a pole and burst open, killing one person and injuring othersThe last 43 of 174 people stranded in cable cars high above a mountain in southern Turkey have been brought to safety, nearly 23 hours after one pod hit a pole and burst open, killing one person and injuring 10 when they plummeted to the rocks below.The interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, announced the successful completion of the rescue operation on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading...

Six people in Australia were stabbed to death in Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre before attacker was shot dead by police officer

Despite his lack of faith, the author believes something happened that was not supposed to happen' on the day he was attackedSalman Rushdie has revealed an abiding sense that his survival after a brutal knife attack two years ago was a miracle, in spite of his lack of spiritual faith. I do feel that something happened that was not supposed to happen and I have no explanation for it," Rushdie said this weekend before the publication of Knife, his account of the incident.I certainly don't feel that some hand reached down from the sky and guarded me," but it still presents a contradiction, he admits, for one who doesn't believe." Continue reading...

Observer investigation finds that private companies made 105m despite not being registered with OfstedHundreds of extremely vulnerable school-age children in England are being sent to illegal, unregulated homes every year because of a chronic shortage of places in secure local authority units.An Observer investigation has established that councils placed 706 children, the majority of them under the age of 16, in their care in homes that were not registered with Ofsted, the children's social care watchdog, in 2022-23. Continue reading...

Leading barrister warns that the kit - used to support gender-questioning children - is likely to be in breach of equality laws and could violate pupils' rightsSchools in England and Wales have been warned by one of the country's leading equality and human rights barristers that the toolkit" many of them use to support gender-questioning children is unlawful.The toolkit, introduced by Brighton and Hove council in 2021 and subsequently replicated by a number of other local authorities, says schools should respect" a child's request to change their name and pronoun as a pivotal" part of supporting their identity, as well as other changes such as switching to wearing trousers or a skirt. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereThe search for a missing Israeli teenager resumed on Saturday in the occupied West Bank, where settler attacks on Palestinian villages have left at least one dead and dozens injured, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP) citing sources on both sides.The Israeli army said it was still looking for Benjamin Achimeir, 14, who went missing early on Friday from Malachi Hashalom, an outpost near the city of Ramallah. Continue reading...

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At least six people lock themselves in Grade II-listed York and Albany next to Regent's Park and post noticeSquatters have taken over a pub in London leased by Gordon Ramsay that is up for sale with a guide price of 13m.A group of at least six people locked themselves inside the Grade II-listed York and Albany hotel and gastropub, next to Regent's Park, boarding up the windows and putting up a legal warning" defending their takeover, the Sun reported. Continue reading...

Rules due to come in this month will impose new handling fees - and experts say small suppliers are already being driven awayMinisters' decision to impose Brexit import checks on 30 April will lead to shortages of some foods, flowers and herbs, industry leaders have warned.In the week after the government was accused of blindsiding the British food industry by giving 27 days' notice that every consignment of items such as camembert, steak, tulips and chives would be subject to fees of up to 145, small retailers such as delis and farm shops have been scrambling to make sure they still have products to sell. Continue reading...

Analysts suggest regime may be downplaying situation for fear conflict could spiral out of control

State news agency says MSC Aries was taken in strait of Hormuz and is being transferred to Iran's territorial waters

Technician, 51, who hung his own picture in an exhibition about art world glitches, has been sacked and given a three-year banThe first picture that greeted visitors to the first-floor exhibition space in Munich's Pinakothek der Moderne gallery on 23 February may not have immediately grabbed their attention.The 60cm by 120cm artwork was a retro-looking photograph of a family of four, with the background and parts of the faces and bodies roughly painted over in white. It was unassuming compared with the video- and photo-based artworks in the adjacent rooms, but only on closer inspection might visitors have wondered why there was no label giving the artist or the work's title. Continue reading...

Stephen Whittle talks about life for young trans people in the 1970s and now, and the influence of anti-trans' views todayWhen Stephen Whittle transitioned as a teenager in 1975, he was one of only a handful of young people in the UK to be offered hormone treatment and, later, surgery.Almost half a century later - much of it spent fighting for trans rights - he said there was masses" he agreed with in this week's review of the NHS's gender identity services by Hilary Cass. He said he also believed the report had been influenced by groups and individuals with transphobic" views, and said the potential for positive change must be backed with resources". Continue reading...

OpenDemocracy investigation names attenders, including Keir Starmer, at Edinburgh meeting to discuss party's banking policies

Troops took Layan Nasir away at gunpoint from her home in the West Bank and her parents haven't been told where she isThe Israeli troops arrived at about 4am last Saturday to take 23-year-old Layan Nasir away at gunpoint from her parents home in the West Bank town of Birzeit. There was no arrest warrant or charges, and her parents haven't been notified where she is held.The only Palestinian Christian woman currently in Israeli detention, her case has been raised by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. I'm shocked and deeply concerned," he said in a post on X. Please pray for Layan's safety and swift release." Continue reading...

More than 40 locations across the US reported the backlash after rightwing account stokes anti-trans rhetoric about its rulesMore than 40 Planet Fitness locations across the country have received bomb threats after a conservative movement against the gym's trans-inclusive locker room policy went viral online.In the weeks since the backlash against the gym chain started in March, at least 43 locations in Connecticut, Florida, Alabama and other states have received bomb threats, according to progressive media watchdog group Media Matters. Continue reading...

Following Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel the leg, taxpayer has spent 1.4m on properties for a line that is no longer being builtThe government has paid more than 1m to buy properties along HS2's northern leg since Rishi Sunak announced he was cancelling the scheme, the Observer can reveal.The prime minister used his party conference speech in Manchester last year to announce he was axing the line that would have brought it to the city. It angered some senior Tories, while officials and industry insiders have since been scrambling to draw up plans for new capacity on Britain's railways, which had been relying on HS2's northern routes. Continue reading...