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Flood and frozen pipe damage caused by series of storms, says Association of British InsurersStorms and heavy rain pushed up weather-related home insurance claims in the UK by more than a third last year to a record 573m, according to industry data.The repair bill for storm damage and other extreme weather during 2023 was 150m more than in 2022, the Association of British Insurers said, contributing to an overall 10% rise in residential property claims settled last year. Continue reading...

Galleghan, 16, died of his injuries two days after he was brutally bashed in August 2021

Detectives pursuing obvious' line of inquiry - that attacker Joel Cauchi targeted women and avoided men, police commissioner says

The National Gallery of Victoria will show eight decades of work by the Japanese artist who's become an Instagram favourite in her 90s

The security deal with Beijing agreed by PM Manasseh Sogavare is under the spotlight ahead of the 17 April vote

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Appeal against council's order for Staffordshire inn to be rebuilt in situ is due to be heard in JulyThe owners of the former Crooked House pub, which was demolished after a suspected arson attack, have put forward a plan to rebuild it on a different site.ATE Farms Ltd, the company that owned what was known as Britain's wonkiest inn", has said that rebuilding the pub in the same spot would not provide a sustainable community facility". Continue reading...

Single people with long-term disability that stops them working will be much poorer after rollout, Resolution Foundation saysThe rollout of universal credit is on course to make thousands of working-age disabled people significantly poorer, according to a report showing that more than 7 million people will be covered by the six-into-one benefit change before the end of the next parliament.A single person with a long-term disability that prevents them from working is 2,800 a year worse off when they transfer to universal credit (UC), the Resolution Foundation said, adding that all single people with long-term disabilities will suffer this loss of income when the rollout of UC is completed by 2030. Continue reading...

Party is awaiting steer on what would be an expensive overhaul and is also keen to show commitment to fiscal restraint

Jamie Lloyd's revival takes home seven awards including for Nicole Scherzinger but film and TV stars in other productions miss outJamie Lloyd's bombastic reimagining of Sunset Boulevard starring Nicole Scherzinger was the standout show at this year's Olivier awards, with seven wins on an evening when productions with celebrity talent were often overlooked.The Savoy theatre adaptation of Billy Wilder's classic 1950 film about the dark side of the Hollywood dream took home best actor in a musical for Tom Francis and best actress in a musical for Scherzinger. Lloyd - described as creating a stupendous sense of reinvention" by the Guardian - won best director. Continue reading...

Tributes paid to music producer who helped write TLC's Waterfalls and worked on albums by OutKast and CeeLo GreenRico Wade, one of the architects of Atlanta's dirty south" hip-hop sound, who co-produced albums by OutKast, Goodie Mob and CeeLo Green and who co-wrote TLC's 1994 hit Waterfalls, has died. He was 52.Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens paid tribute to Wade, saying he had led in the creation of a hip-hop sound that has spanned decades and genres. Rico left an indelible mark on music and culture around the world and for that, the south will always have something to say." Continue reading...

Israel signals it will not immediately act alone, while US states it would not take part in any counter-offensive against Tehran

Massive drone and missile attack was defeated by Israeli military with orchestrated help of US, UK and JordanIran's widely anticipated missile and drone attack was defeated with the orchestrated help of the US, UK and Jordan who, alongside the Israeli military, ensured that all but a handful of ballistic missiles were neutralised overnight.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that about 360 missiles and drones were fired from Iran and that 99% of the threats" had been intercepted in a successful defence mission that may have cost Israel 800m - but will have saved many lives and dented Iran's military credibility. Continue reading...

Biden spokesman says president does not want to escalate conflict in the region as US seeks to strike delicate balance with key allyUS officials on Sunday sought to strike a delicate balance with Israel after the key US ally was attacked by Iran on Saturday, staunchly affirming their alliance with the Israelis while also making it clear the US will not support further military action.Iran launched the air assault with drones and missiles after Israel attacked an Iran diplomatic facility in Syria, killing senior military figures. Israel's air defense almost entirely dealt with the barrage - with almost no damage or casualties on the ground. Continue reading...

Jubilant mood ignores fact almost all drones were shot down but Tehran suggests objectives were achieved

Hamas says Tehran's actions a natural right and a deserved response' in statement supporting drone and missile assault

Bus taking South Shields FC fans home after a match was involved in collision with two cars on A1M near PontefractSeventeen people are in hospital, seven with serious injuries, after a multi-vehicle crash involving a minibus carrying football fans in West Yorkshire.The collision happened on the A1M near Pontefract at about 7pm on Saturday, West Yorkshire police said. Continue reading...

After Iran's attack, the Israeli leader faces a crucial dilemma about how to respond

Khan says he will spend extra 10m on crisis if elected to third term as mayor as numbers reach highest level in a decadeSadiq Khan has pledged to eliminate rough sleeping in London, where the numbers on the streets have reached the highest level in a decade.If elected to a historic third term as mayor of London, Khan plans to spend an extra 10m on what has been described as a growing humanitarian crisis in the city. Continue reading...

Critics say by working for Norfolk and Suffolk NHS trust, Dr Dan Poulter cannot hold it to account effectivelyFamilies bereaved after failures by a troubled NHS mental health trust have expressed concern that a local MP has taken a second job there as a paid clinician.Norfolk and Suffolk foundation trust (NSFT) has been rated as inadequate" four times since austerity cuts were made in 2013, at a time when Dr Dan Poulter, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, was a junior health minister in the coalition government. Continue reading...

While the company believes it has cash to last 15 months, it will have to move fast to stave off insolvencyThames Water has just six weeks to convince its regulator that it has a viable survival plan for its business, the Guardian can reveal.While the company believes it has enough cash to survive for about 15 months, insiders and investors fear that it must move quickly to strike a deal with its watchdog to stave off insolvency. Continue reading...

Ailing water company hopes higher bills can save it, but that depends on Ofwat agreeing its salvage plans are workableA problem like Thames Water is everyone's problem. People with only a passing interest in finance will still feel the ripple effects should it become insolvent.It won't be because the water stops coming out of the tap, or the cleanliness of Britain's rivers - so clearly scarred by the effects of creaking infrastructure and raw sewage - worsens. Continue reading...

A war long fought through proxies, assassinations and strikes outside Israel has spilled into the open

Grace Keeling says TV needs more authenticity and better representation if it wants to attract younger viewersTV should move with the times", take risks and be less polished" in order to attract younger audiences, the TikTok star Grace Keeling has said.Record numbers of young viewers are switching off traditional television in favour of short-form content, according to the media regulator, Ofcom, with Enders Analysis suggesting a 30% decline in 16- to 34-year-olds watching TV shows with their parents over the last 10 years. Continue reading...

Prime minister says UK was involved to save lives in Israel and neighbouring countries

Families of those who helped British forces could be deported from Pakistan despite promise to resettle them in UKAfghan families who helped UK forces and then fled to neighbouring Pakistan are in danger of being deported back to the Taliban due to Home Office delays in bringing them to the UK.In the chaotic evacuation period in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in August 2021 some family members eligible for resettlement in the UK became separated from the rest of their families. Some boarded flights while others were unable to due to crushes at the airport and instead fled over the border to Pakistan. Continue reading...

UK government's apologies so far have had a distinct lack of candour about what it is apologising forSurviving victims and relatives of those who died as a result of receiving infected blood and blood products from the NHS in the 1970s and 80s will gather in a few weeks at the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster.After six years of taking evidence, Sir Brian Langstaff's public inquiry will finally unveil its report there on 20 May. Continue reading...

Exclusive: contaminated blood campaigners say internal 1976 Immuno AG document proves British government negligence

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