Carers describe ‘avalanche of utter stress’ from DWP clawing back benefits pred 6 urami in 44 minutami Department under fire for forcing people to repay huge sums as data shows widespread ill health among those caring for relatives‘We’re already vulnerable’: the carers told to repay huge sums by the DWPCarers have described suffering an “avalanche of utter stress” due to the government’s “abhorrent” approach to clawing back benefits, as official figures revealed the widespread ill health of those caring for loved ones.The Department for Work and Pensions has been under fire since the Guardian revealed that tens of thousands of unpaid carers are being forced to pay back huge sums – and in some cases prosecuted for fraud – over “honest mistakes” that it could have spotted years earlier. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Belarusian held in Poland suspected of ordering hammer attack on Navalny ally pred 6 urami in 46 minutami Two Polish citizens detained earlier on suspicion of attacking Russian opposition figure Leonid Volkov in LithuaniaA Belarusian national has been detained in Poland on suspicion of ordering the attack on a top Russian opposition leader, Leonid Volkov, on Moscow’s behalf, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has announced.Volkov, a close aide of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was briefly admitted to hospital last month after he was ambushed and attacked outside his house in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. The assailant smashed open Volkov’s car window and repeatedly struck him with a hammer, breaking Volkov’s left arm and damaging his left leg before fleeing the scene. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Muslim and Arab Australians do not feel heard by Labor on war in Gaza, Ed Husic says pred 6 urami in 47 minutami Exclusive: Minister says he has spoken out on Israel’s military operations so others believe ‘their concerns have somewhere … to be vented and aired’Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastEd Husic has conceded many Muslim and Arab Australians do not feel the Albanese government has listened to their concerns about the war in Gaza, while saying he is speaking out despite his role as a cabinet minister to amplify their views.Husic told Guardian Australia he had felt driven to make several public interventions against the scale of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, in part so that people believed “that their concerns have somewhere to go to be vented and aired”.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Brexit plans in ‘complete disarray’ as EU import checks delayed, say businesses pred 6 urami in 48 minutami Trade bodies say ongoing confusion about when checks will come in is ‘incredibly challenging’UK to delay start of health and safety checks on EU importsBusinesses have described Britain’s Brexit border plans as being in “complete disarray” after it emerged the introduction of some checks on EU imports will be delayed.Post-Brexit border rules, due to come into force on 30 April, will require many meat, dairy and plant products from the EU to be physically checked at government border control posts (BCPs). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘No death in Venice’: Israel-Gaza tensions infiltrate biennale pred 6 urami in 58 minutami Protests erupt outside Israel pavilion, official Israeli artist pulls out, and Ukraine team puts up posters showing maps of nearest bomb shelterBillionaires’ yachts and protests; cocktail parties and culture wars; bellinis and boycotts. The Venice Biennale’s opening preview days are always a place of odd clashes and juxtapositions, as artists, curators, critics and wealthy collectors descend on the city to take in often politically radical art.But this year’s edition vibrates with particular uncertainty and tension – even, perhaps, an end-of-days atmosphere. The biennale, which this year stages exhibitions from 88 national pavilions, has been touched by political currents that originate far beyond the lapping waters of the Venetian lagoon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Harry Styles stalker jailed for sending him 8,000 cards in a month pred 7 urami in 6 minutami Myra Carvalho sentenced to 14 weeks’ imprisonment and banned from seeing singer performA woman who stalked Harry Styles has been jailed and banned from seeing him perform.Myra Carvalho, who appeared at Harrow crown court sitting at Hendon magistrates court in London, was said to have stalked the singer by sending him 8,000 cards in less than a month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Biden administration moves to restrict oil and gas leases on 13m acres in Alaska pred 7 urami in 13 minutami Environmentalists celebrate new rules but Alaska politicians call it an ‘illegal’ attack on state’s livelihood and predict lawsuitsThe Biden administration said on Friday it will restrict new oil and gas leasing on 13m acres (5.3m hectares) of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska to help protect wildlife such as caribou and polar bears as the Arctic continues to warm.The decision – part of an ongoing, years-long fight over whether and how to develop the vast oil resources in the state – finalizes protections first proposed last year as the Biden administration prepared to approve the controversial Willow oil project. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kremlin spy suspect arrests may be tip of iceberg, says former German agency chief pred 7 urami in 15 minutami Gerhard Schindler says Russia has been ‘ramping up’ operations in west, as two men are accused of plotting sabotage at military sitesA former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service has warned that the discovery of two men suspected of plotting sabotage attacks on military facilities in the country could be just the “tip of the iceberg”.After the arrest of the Russian-German citizens Dieter S and Alexander J on Wednesday, who are alleged to have been operating as spies on behalf of the Kremlin, Gerhard Schindler, the former chief of the BND, the equivalent of MI6, said it would be naive to see the incident as an isolated one. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EPA moves to make US polluters pay for cleanup of two forever chemicals pred 7 urami in 26 minutami Superfund law requires industries responsible for PFOA and PFOS contamination in water or soil to pay for cleanupThe Environmental Protection Agency on Friday designated two forever chemicals that have been used in cookware, carpets and firefighting foams as hazardous substances, an action intended to ensure quicker cleanup of the toxic compounds and require industries and others responsible for contamination to pay for their removal.Designation as a hazardous substance under the Superfund law does not ban the chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS. But it requires that release of the chemicals into soil or water be reported to federal, state or tribal officials if it meets or exceeds certain levels. The EPA then may require cleanups to protect public health and recover costs that can reach tens of millions of dollars. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Saving us from ourselves: how Britain is learning to accept the nanny state pred 8 urami in 8 minutami Despite detractors, the tobacco bill shows the public will support policies that would once have been thought draconianSmoking, smacking, smartphones for kids: never mind the “nanny state,” today’s national debate seems crowded with demands for decisive action from politicians to save us – or our children – from ourselves.Rishi Sunak’s ban on selling cigarettes to under-15s for ever once they come of age is supported by 59% of the public, according to one recent poll. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
