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Latest Department of Social Services figures highlight the difficulties facing those who do not qualify for disability support – despite health problems

Amini, 22, reportedly beaten by morality police in Tehran for not complying with hijab regulationsMore than 30 Iranians were injured, some seriously, while taking to the streets to protest after the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman three days after she was arrested and reportedly beaten by morality police in Tehran.The circumstances of Mahsa Amini’s death on Friday are hotly contested, but her family denied official reports that she suffered from epilepsy and instead claimed she was beaten by the police. She had been visiting Tehran with her brother when she was picked up by police outside a metro station and put into a van, for allegedly not complying with the country’s hijab regulations. Continue reading...

Doctors say job is too intense to safely work more, with four-hour shifts actually meaning six or seven hours of workAlmost two-thirds of trainee GPs plan to work part-time just a year after they qualify because being a family doctor is so stressful, research shows.Their intention to work two-and-a-half or three days a week threatens to exacerbate the NHS’s already acute shortage of GPs and make it even harder for patients to get an appointment. Continue reading...

Historical chapel held many royal events and will be final resting place of Queen and Prince Philip

Day and night bombardment of town and villages in north-eastern frontline region is effort to stop more territorial gains by Ukraine

BBC and Channel 5 broadcaster says firms such as YouTube and Twitter have no moral valuesJeremy Vine has criticised social media companies for failing to take action against online hate in the wake of the jailing of stalker Alex Belfield.Companies such as YouTube and Twitter had no moral values, said the BBC Radio 2 and Channel 5 broadcaster. Continue reading...

Giorgia Meloni once railed against Brussels, but experts suggest favourite to replace Draghi has no interest in rocking boatAt a gathering of Europe’s far right in February 2020, the leader of the Brothers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, railed against the “Brussels techno bureaucrats” who she said wanted to impose “the Soviet plan to destroy national and religious identities” – a typically bombastic claim of Eurosceptic nationalists. Now on the brink of becoming Italy’s first far-right prime minister, Meloni is sounding a rather different tune.In an opinion article for Il Messaggero newspaper last month, Meloni said she wanted to work “in compliance with European regulations and in agreement with the [European] Commission” to use EU resources to promote Italy’s growth and innovation – a line so conventional it could drop into the speech of any aspiring pro-EU technocrat. Speaking in a video message broadcast in English, French and Spanish, she hit back at the “absurd narrative” her party would jeopardise Italy’s access to €191.5bn (£166.26bn) in EU Covid recovery funds. Meloni, who has sought to distance the Brothers of Italy from its fascist origins, said her party shared “values and experiences” with British Conservatives, US Republicans and Israel’s Likud party. Continue reading...

Duke of York, who has been stripped of royal duties, says he will treasure monarch’s ‘compassion, care and confidence’

British prime minister and Micheál Martin understood to have agreed there is opportunity for reset of relationsHopes that talks between the UK and the EU will resume over a protracted dispute about the Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland have risen after a 45-minute meeting between Liz Truss and the Irish prime minister in Downing Street on Sunday morning.The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, was one of five world leaders to have “leaders’ meetings” with the British prime minister before the Queen’s funeral on Monday, in what was seen by some as a mark of the UK’s determination to reset soured relations with its neighbour. Continue reading...

A total blackout on TV advertising was agreed with Buckingham Palace following the death of the Queen• Death of the Queen and King Charles’s accession – latest updatesThe death of the Queen and coverage of her funeral will top the ranks of the most-watched broadcasts in British television history, while newspaper publishers have seen an unprecedented boost in sales as mourners seek commemorative copies. And yet the biggest national event in decades will not provide a commercial bonanza for media firms.ITV has planned its largest-ever outside broadcast, with all of its channels simulcasting ad-free blanket live coverage for the first time in history. The day of the funeral will also be the first time in Channel 4’s four decades on air that it has instituted a 24-hour ad block across its channels. Continue reading...

Former Israeli prime minister rallies supporters from behind bulletproof glass of modified delivery vanAs Israel prepares to head to the ballot box for the fifth time in less than four years, the former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to a new gimmick in the hope of energising a weary electorate: the “Bibibus”.Likened to the popemobile or an aquarium, the rightwing Likud party leader is on the campaign trail in a modified delivery van, one of the sides of which has been replaced with bulletproof glass. Continue reading...

From a visit to a historic church to a flutter on the horses, there are many ways to escape the doldrums during Monday’s big shutdown• Accession of King Charles and death of Queen Elizabeth – latest updatesWatching the state funeral on Monday is not compulsory, even if some public figures have claimed it should be. But anyone looking to avoid it has other options.The bank holiday shutdown stretches from supermarkets and big retailers to leisure centres and tourist attractions. No English Heritage site will open, not even its historic churches, it confirmed last week, nor any National Trust garden or stately home. Continue reading...

Polls show former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is on course for a return to powerIt was a scene that could have been plucked from Brazil’s history books: an enraptured crowd, a sea of flags and, on stage above them, a bearded leftist in a bright red shirt.“The president of hope is here!” the master of ceremonies roared as the star of the show arrived in a police convoy to address the people whose country he is promising to save. Continue reading...

Celebrities including Bono and Liam Neeson hope to bring their homeland’s bard to a global audience with an album of read poemsPatrick Kavanagh is one of Ireland’s most revered poets – a genius from a rural backwater who made the parochial universal. Yet his fame never really reached other shores.While William Butler Yeats and Seamus Heaney won Nobel prizes and were quoted by US presidents, acclaim for Kavanagh remained largely confined to his homeland. Continue reading...

More than 7 million people urged to take refuge as Typhoon Nanmadol hits south-west of country with 150mph windsTyphoon Nanmadol made landfall in south-western Japan on Sunday night, authorities urged millions of people to take shelter from the powerful storm’s high winds and torrential rain.The storm officially made landfall at about 7pm local time (11am BST) as its eyewall – the region just outside the eye that is it most devastating region – arrived near Kagoshima, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Continue reading...

Many shops, cinemas, pubs and airports are choosing to limit their hours on Monday

Joke by joke, standup sensation Sherihan El Hadwa is challenging lazy stereotypes about victimhoodOn a small stage in Tulkarm, a city in the north of the occupied West Bank, Sherihan El Hadwa emerges from the wings to a Palestinian pop song. Dancing and waving the long white cane she uses to navigate the world, the visually impaired comedian already has her audience laughing and clapping along to the music.Hadwa did not have an obvious route into standup comedy, and the many difficulties of life as a disabled woman in the Palestinian territories are not a straightforwardly humorous topic. Continue reading...

Despite superior firepower, Russian forces have failed to fulfil their potential and face a dispiriting battle to regain the upper hand over Ukraine

Northern Beaches council considers plan to add 80 metres of controversial concrete wall as massive swells batter coastal properties in Sydney

Australian prime minister also held informal talks with UK prime minister Liz Truss

Met detained Muhammad Khan, 28, amid reports of disturbance in Westminster HallA man has been charged with a public order offence after he allegedly attempted to grab the Queen’s coffin.Muhammad Khan, 28, from east London, was charged on Saturday under the Public Order Act for “behaviour intending to cause alarm, harassment or distress”. Continue reading...

Mohammed Rahman charged with multiple offences as one Met police officer remains under medical supervisionA 24-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent after the stabbings of two police officers in Leicester Square on Friday, the Metropolitan police have said.Mohammed Rahman, 24, from west London, was also charged with assault and two counts of threatening a person with a blade, charges relating to three other constables. He was also charged with robbery and possession of a knife. Continue reading...

Czech foreign minister says attacks by Russians on civilian population are ‘unthinkable and abhorrent’. This blog is now closed

Local media report arrests of unruly counter-protesters as pride marchers flout ban with shortened walk in rainSerbian police arrested more than 64 people as thousands of LGBTQI+ activists turned out for Belgrade’s EuroPride march on Saturday, despite a government ban.The event had been intended as the cornerstone event of the EuroPride gathering. But the interior ministry banned the march earlier this week, citing security concerns after rightwing groups threatened to hold protests. Continue reading...

Prime minister to lead nation in a minute’s silence to honour the Queen’s legacy ahead of funeral

As the Ukrainian city’s five-month ordeal ends, the evidence of dead bodies and survivors’ testimonies suggests Izium could be another BuchaStanding in the gloom, Maksim Maksimov pointed to the spot where he was tortured with electric shocks. Russian soldiers took him from his cell in the basement of Izium’s police station. They sat him on an office chair and attached a zig-zag crocodile clip to his finger. It was connected by cable to an old-fashioned Soviet military field telephone.And then it began. A soldier cranked the handle, turning it faster and faster. This sent an excruciating pulse through Maksimov’s body. “I collapsed. They pulled me upright. There was a hood on my head. I couldn’t see anything. My legs went numb. I was unable to hear in my left ear,” he recalled. “Then they did it again. I passed out. I came round 40 minutes later back in my cell.” Continue reading...

West Yorkshire police have said an investigation by their major collision inquiry team is under wayA one-year-old girl has died after being hit by a car on a driveway outside her home in West Yorkshire, according to reports. Police were called to an address in Beeston, Leeds, at just after 8pm on Friday night to a report that the baby had been seriously injured following a collision with a car.Emergency services were called to the scene and the child was taken to hospital. West Yorkshire police confirmed that she had died of her injuries and said an investigation by their major collision inquiry team was under way. Continue reading...

Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn all stand by coffin

Alain Robert scaled the 187-metre Tour Total to show that being 60, the retirement age in France, is nothingA free solo climber described as the “French Spiderman” has scaled a 48-storey skyscraper in Paris, fulfilling a goal he had set for himself once he reached the age of 60.Alain Robert has climbed many of the world’s tallest buildings, often without permission. Continue reading...

Dozens of coloured bands given to people joining queue were being offered as memorabilia

There were no reports of any injuries or damage in the immediate aftermath of the quakeA 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck south-eastern Taiwan on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake hit just after 9.30pm (1330 GMT) about 50km (30 miles) north of the coastal city of Taitung at 10 kilometres (six miles) deep.Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau put the magnitude slightly lower at 6.4 but said it was shallower at 7.3 kilometres (4.5 miles). Continue reading...

Profits from the sale of Kerri Cunningham’s illustration, which shows the pair reunited on a picnic blanket, will go to the NSPCC

Many speak of frustration and poor communication before line starts moving again from noon

From Triangle of Sadness and Parasite to The Maid, audiences are revelling tales of inter-class violence that draw on growing discontent at inequalityA luxury berth on a superyacht might seem a good place to unwind. But cinema audiences will feel rather differently about the appeal of this sort of private cruise after watching Triangle of Sadness, the top prizewinner at the Cannes film festival.One nasty, graphic scene, which features the copious vomit and diarrhoea of high-net worth passengers, drew whoops and gasps from the crowd at its premiere on the French Riviera, and then again at the annual film festival in Toronto last week, ahead of its release in British cinemas next month. Continue reading...

Posts containing slurs and misinformation have been liked by millions on social media

Emergency service at ‘breaking point’ as union ballots over 2% pay offerFirefighters are taking second jobs and working up to 100 hours a week to make ends meet, leading to growing concerns that an increasingly exhausted workforce is resulting in a “gamble with public safety”.Firefighters across the country told the Observer that the service was at “breaking point” with more crew than ever being forced to take jobs such as personal trainers, painters and decorators or in warehouses. Wages in the fire service are often about £30,000 but can be as low as £23,000. Continue reading...

Inflation, energy bills and staff shortages are causing businesses to fold in record numbersRecord numbers of people started businesses during the pandemic. Now there are record numbers winding up companies, hit by the stress of being the boss and compounded by the looming recession.In 2020-21, 810,316 companies were set up, the highest number on record, and another 753,168 the following year, according to figures from Companies House. Continue reading...

Visitor to lying in state says niece queued for 15 hours and they are trying to get back inA witness has said her seven-year-old niece was pushed aside by a man who grabbed the Queen’s coffin as it lay in state.Tracey Holland said Darcy Holland was “grabbed out of the way”, though the police detained the man “in two seconds”. Continue reading...

Charles and William made a surprise visit to the queue to greet people who had braved a long, cold wait to reach Westminster Hall

After meeting world leaders and giving a reading at the Queen’s funeral, she will address the UN then turn to Friday’s mini-budget

Sydney will meet Geelong in the AFL grand final, after the Swans held off a courageous comeback by one point to win a thriller1st quarter, 10 minutes remaining: Sydney 4.2 (26) to Collingwood 0.0 (0) Swans putting a lot of pressure on Collingwood whenever the Pies have possession, and it’s pressure by Reid on Noble, rushing from standing the mark after giving away a free kick, that forces a kick out on the full on Sydney’s half-back flank. The Swans by contrast are clean with disposal, and a long kick finds Papley on the 50 arc. His set shot goes a long way, straight through.1st quarter, 13 minutes remaining: Sydney 3.1 (19) to Collingwood 0.0 (0) Heeney has been prominent early, but a kick slews off the outside of his boot as he tries to pump it inside 50. The Pies escape trouble for a time, but get back into trouble as Hickey gets a 50-metre penalty at half-back when the player on the mark doesn’t move back. Hickey bombs it to the goalsquare, Franklin brings it to ground, and Ryan Clarke is there front and centre to snap it home. Continue reading...

Duke of Sussex will stand at foot of Elizabeth II’s coffin on Saturday, with the Prince of Wales at head

Seventeen of those awarded the honours will be in attendance, including one from New Zealand and four from Australia

Flood warnings in place for parts of Australia’s south-east. This blog is now closed

Application lodged in Fair Work Commission to have action to turn off or short circuit the machines declared unprotected

Flood warnings issued for parts of Upper Murray and the Peel, Macquarie and Lachlan rivers in NSW, and Victorian communities along Murray River

Ukrainian soldiers feel they are fighting for national liberation, while the Russians appear to lack camaraderie. This contrast is critical

Broadcasters have been rehearsing their plans for this event for 30 years and all the major UK channels bar one will be showing it liveMiles of television broadcast cabling has been laid, almost every satellite truck in the UK has been hired out and international broadcasters are offering wads of money to anyone who can secure them a broadcast location overlooking the ceremony.Monday’s funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is a global TV event that has been planned for decades – yet at the same time pulled together in just 10 days. Continue reading...