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Gillian Keegan appears to join growing band of Tory MPs with misgivings about proposals in flagship crime billRough sleepers should not be arrested if they smell, a cabinet minister has said, as she apparently joined a growing rebellion by Conservative MPs against plans to criminalise homelessness.Police in England and Wales are to be given powers to fine or move on rough sleepers deemed to be causing a nuisance" under proposals that form part of the UK government's flagship crime bill. Continue reading...

PM claims staffing levels have increased but says it will take time for the sector to grow

LGA makes call in run-up to English local elections amid concerns about rising intimidation and abuseMinisters are being urged to amend a law requiring councillors to publish their home addresses amid rising concerns about the scale of intimidation and abuse in local government, and the impact it is having on women in particular.Ahead of elections to councils across England on 2 May, the Local Government Association (LGA) has argued that a 1972 law setting out that addresses are given by default is out of date, and has left councillors feeling under threat. Continue reading...

Group in Lancashire claim national party wants to control anything that any councillor wants to say'

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The 700,000 visa holders helped push the total of temporary entrants to 2.8 million, another record

Average price of home down 0.2% from February to March, at 261,142, says NationwideThe UK housing market was subdued" in March, with prices edging down on the previous month as high mortgage rates continued to affect the market, according to Nationwide building society.It is the first time in three months that house prices have fallen, after gains of 0.7% in the previous two months. Continue reading...

GoCatch operator Taxi Apps also accuses rideshare giant of serious misconduct as Victorian supreme court trial begins

Calculation includes policy U-turns, reshuffles, wasted time and expenses such as scrapped HS2 leg and VIP' helicopter ridesConservative turmoil under Rishi Sunak has cost the taxpayer 8.2bn and nearly a year in lost time, according to calculations by Labour's political attack team.On Tuesday the Labour party unveiled a website and a bill totting up the cost of ministerial reshuffles, policy U-turns, byelections and unnecessary ministerial expenses incurred under Sunak's premiership. Continue reading...

Sato will become the only option by 2531, suggests modelling as part of campaign to overturn outdated law requiring spouses to have same surnameJapanese citizens will all have the same family name in 500 years' time unless married couples are permitted to use separate surnames, a new study has suggested as part of a campaign to update a civil code dating back to the late 1800s.The study, led by Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor of economy at Tohoku University, projected that if Japan continues to insist that couples select a single surname, every single Japanese person will be known as Sato-san" by 2531. Continue reading...

Codes of conduct are on the rise, and have a focus on reputational risk as well as on harassmentWhen more than 1,300 lending bosses, regulators and MPs descended on Grosvenor House hotel on Park Lane in London for a black-tie dinner in late February, they arrived informed.Invitees to the Financing & Leasing Association event had been handed an annual dinner code of conduct" telling guests about a new policy on discrimination and sexual harassment. The trade body would not tolerate any such behaviour and will, along with our event agency, take immediate action to stop it". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Refusal to approve antibiotic prophylaxis for those at risk of infective endocarditis may have increased deaths

Doctors have warned of devastating consequences of not giving antibiotics to those at risk of the heart condition. A co-author of a Lancet paper on the subject explains

Charities and law firms sign letter to home secretary saying existing immigration routes are not workingA letter signed by almost 60 charities, law firms and organisations will be sent to the home secretary calling for the creation of a Ukraine-style visa scheme for Palestinians trapped in Gaza who have family in the UK.The letter, signed by the Refugee Council, Care4Calais and the Helen Bamber Foundation, says existing immigration routes are insufficient and not working" and describes how a Gaza family scheme would enable Palestinians in Gaza to reunite with their immediate and extended family members in the UK". Continue reading...

Hilary Charlesworth further explains ruling calling on Israel to permit aid deliveries to Palestinians, saying ICJ was too opaque' in its wording

Single largest donor to the yes side was the Paul Ramsay Foundation, which gave more than $7m

Leaked risk assessments by Airservices Australia found airports ill-equipped for emergencies due to a lack of firefighting resources

Benjamin Netanyahu says after approval of bill he will act immediately ... to stop channel's activities'Israeli legislators have approved a bill paving the way for a ban on Al Jazeera and other international news outlets perceived as posing a threat to security.After the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, promised to take prompt measures to force the end of Al Jazeera's operations within the country, parliament granted senior ministers authority to shut down foreign news networks. Continue reading...

Pouria Zeraati feeling better' and recovering under supervision of Met policeThe Iranian International TV presenter who was stabbed outside his home in west London last week has said he has left hospital and is staying in a safe place.Pouria Zeraati, 36, said he was on the mend after his traumatic ordeal on Friday afternoon and thanked people for the kind messages and love" they had sent him during his stay in hospital. Continue reading...

Authorities warn there could be more deaths as strong winds and heavy snowfall continuesAn avalanche at the top Swiss ski resort of Zermatt has killed three people and injured one, as authorities warned of the risk of more disasters due to heavy winds and snowfall.Video images on social media showed a wall of snow crossing an off-piste sector of the Riffelberg sector of Zermatt, one of the most luxurious ski resorts in the Alps. A major rescue operation was launched despite the bad weather. Continue reading...

Several people killed in airstrike, including Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputyIran has vowed revenge after Israeli war planes destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing at least 11 people, including a senior commander in the al-Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).Iran's leaders in Tehran described the targeting of a diplomatic mission late on Monday as unprecedented and promised a harsh response. Continue reading...

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Patient who is being treated with an antiviral drug had been in contact with dairy cows presumed to be infectedA person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu, an infection tied to the recent discovery of the virus in dairy cows, health officials said Monday.The patient is being treated with an antiviral drug and their only reported symptom was eye redness, Texas health officials said. The person had been contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected, officials reported. Continue reading...

US diplomats may have been targeted by Russian sonic weaponry, say the Insider, Der Spiegel and CBS's 60 MinutesA Russian intelligence unit is probably the origin of mysterious so-called Havana syndrome symptoms - including brain injuries and hearing loss - experienced by US diplomats in recent years, according to a joint media investigation released on Sunday.The findings directly contradict the conclusion of US officials a year ago that anomalous health incidents" (AHIs) among embassy staff in Cuba, China and various locations in Europe were not caused by an energy weapon or foreign adversary. Continue reading...

Deaths, including those of two children, occured in three separate incidents, two in Zakopane and one in Rabka-ZdrojFive people have been killed by falling trees as strong winds battered southern Poland on Monday, reaching a speed of 96mph (155km/h) in the highest parts of the Tatra mountains.In the town of Rabka-Zdroj, two women and a six-year-old died after a tree crushed them, firefighters said. Continue reading...

Hotel owner in Mazatlan had suggested limiting the time or places where the bands could play after complaints from foreign touristsBands who play the thumping tuba-and-drums songs of northern Mexico on beaches in the resort city of Mazatlan appear to have emerged victorious this week after noise complaints had threatened to silence them.But anybody who planned to witness the 8 April eclipse in a moment of awed silence will likely be disappointed. Mazatlan, on the Pacific coast, will be first place in North America where the path of totality will be visible. Continue reading...

Leader's ejection of far-left members has changed composition of party since 2020, as belief in general election win growsFour in five Labour members back Keir Starmer and believe he will win a majority at the next election, according to private polling that shows the transformation of the party's grassroots.Two polls shared with the Guardian demonstrate how the composition of Labour's membership has changed since Starmer was elected leader in April 2020. Continue reading...

Crunch talks expected after investors refuse to secure short-term cashflow and parent company due to repay 190m loanThames Water has assembled a team of City experts to lead urgent restructuring talks this week amid fears that its parent company may collapse by the end of the month.The crunch talks are expected to take place days after Thames Water's investors signalled they would not put further funds into the company to secure its short-term cashflow, according to a source. Continue reading...

Police union chief says enforcing law will lessen public trust in policing, while JK Rowling dares force to arrest herScotland's first minister has described his new hate crime law as absolutely balanced" on the day the controversial legislation came into force amid a barrage of criticism.Humza Yousaf's comments came as David Kennedy, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said enforcing the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 would reduce public trust in policing and the author JK Rowling, a prominent critic of the legislation, dared the police to arrest her for misgendering. Continue reading...

Detention of influencer Oscar Alejandro Perez at Caracas airport en route to southern national park raises free speech concernsA popular Venezuelan YouTuber has been arrested in Caracas on terrorism charges as President Nicolas Maduro's government steps up its crackdown on free speech ahead of upcoming elections.Oscar Alejandro Perez was detained in the capital's main airport on Sunday by police on accusations of terrorism, his family said. Continue reading...

Police appeal for witnesses after Hector Eccles came off the road in his Polaris Ranger on Saturday nightA family have paid tribute to their beautiful, kind and lovely" 16-year-old boy who was killed after crashing into a field on his farm buggy.

Ukrainian president says officials discussed project to build integrated electronic warfare control system to protect against Russian attacksRussia has attacked the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, injuring a 27-year-old woman, according to The Kyiv Independent.President Volodymyr Zelenskiy tweeted on X that he met with military and government officials to discuss drone production plans and a project to build an integrated electronic warfare control system, to protect Ukraine and its soldiers from Russian attacks. Continue reading...

Palestinian residents say IDF has destroyed all sense of life' as it leaves area after two week raid

Company founded in China and promoted on social media is thought to be considering London listingShein, the online fast fashion retailer founded in China, has more than doubled its profits to more than $2bn (1.6bn) as it awaits approval for a stock market listing in New York or London.The company, which is growing rapidly around the world by using social media to promote its goods, recorded sales of about $45bn last year, according to a report in the Financial Times based on information from sources close to the company. Continue reading...

Group working with Labour and Lib Dem MPs oppose government's move to introduce harsher measuresRough sleeping could be fully decriminalised after 200 years under proposals from rebel Conservative MPs to repeal legislation dating from the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars.A group of Tories working with Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs want to strip out proposed and existing legislation that criminalises homelessness. Continue reading...

Company behind app says no personal information is collected but experts warn of how easily' data can be hacked

CoreLogic data shows prices rose 0.6% in March while separate index from PropTrack produces similar results

Director of the organisation Rabbis for Human Rights, Avi Dabush, sees a ceasefire as consistent with values of peace and human rights

Bones were discovered near the hamlet of Le Vernet, close to where the boy went missing in 2023French police are searching for clues to how a boy who disappeared eight months ago died after the discovery this weekend of his partial remains.In a case that shocked France, Emile Soleil, aged two and a half, vanished in July while staying with his grandparents in a hamlet in the French Alps. A massive air and land search at the time found no trace of the child. Continue reading...

Independent venues struggle to survive amid low footfall as disposable incomes fallIndependent nightlife venues across the UK are struggling to survive amid a cocktail of high costs, low footfall and oppressive regulation that is squeezing them out of city centres.Last week, the Night & Day bar in Manchester won a partial victory in a legal battle over a noise abatement notice that began when a neighbouring flat complained about gigs and DJ sets going on late into the night. Continue reading...

Inherent flaws and political churn doomed Boris Johnson's signature policy - and it was hobbled through bureaucracy and high inflation

Boris Johnson's winning manifesto said it would level up' deprived parts of the UK by making the most of Brexit. Our writers drill down into the numbers to judge whether the party is making good on this promise

Guardian analysis shows situation has deteriorated in three areas that Michael Gove promised to improve

RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire is one of Home Office's three main accommodation sites, with first arrivals due within weeksA UK military base due to accommodate up to 2,000 asylum seekers under controversial plans has been found to be contaminated with ground gases and unexploded ordnance, according to government documents.RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire is one of three mass accommodation sites earmarked by the Home Office to house asylum seekers as a supposedly cheaper alternative to hotels. Continue reading...

Opposition parties accuse government of match fixing' for elections over Arvind Kejriwal treatmentDelhi's chief minister, a key opposition leader, must remain in custody for a further two weeks, a court has ruled, with India's opposition parties accusing the government of match fixing" before the country's elections later this month.On Monday, a court ruled that Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, could remain in judicial custody till 15 April and will be sent to Delhi's infamous Tihar jail. Continue reading...

Despite pushback from CEO James Daunt, employees are organizing for better pay, dignity' and working conditionsWorkers at America's largest chain of bookstores are gearing up for a nationwide union drive after six Barnes & Noble outlets voted to organize over the past year.Many more" stores will unionize, according to booksellers demanding better pay and conditions. Continue reading...

Police in England and Wales to be given powers to fine homeless people deemed to be causing a nuisance'Ministers are facing a revolt from their own MPs over plans to criminalise homelessness in upcoming legislation.Under proposals that form part of the UK government's flagship crime bill, police in England and Wales are to be given powers to fine or move on rough sleepers deemed to be causing a nuisance". Continue reading...

Meme-worthy content appears in short supply, at least initially, as world's oldest royal family embarks on its social media journeyThe rarefied world of Japan's imperial family has entered the age of social media, but fans expecting selfies, emojis and casual shots of the emperor and empress, or princes and princesses away from the limelight may be disappointed.Far from photographs of sunrises, sunsets or moments of mindfulness that form the stock in trade of many Instagram profiles, the initial images released followed a steady course favoured by other royal families around the world. They featured a dignified attendance at a medical awards ceremony, a bonsai exhibition and a meeting with the president and first lady of Kenya. Another post features them with the crown prince and princess of Brunei. Continue reading...

Five people rescued while dozens remained stranded at campsite in northern Queensland. This blog is now closedSupport for Labor drops in WA as Coalition gains ground among the youngVoters in Western Australia are shifting away from Labor towards the Coalition, as the opposition gains ground among young people. Continue reading...

Two men, aged 38 and 65, leapt into water after child fell into deep end on Sunday night