Commissioner expresses grave concern after Rishi Sunak’s asylum policy passes parliamentary stages

The Council of Europe’s human rights watchdog has condemned Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda scheme, saying it raises “major issues about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law”.

The body’s human rights commissioner, Michael O’Flaherty, said the bill, expected to be signed into law on Tuesday after passing its parliamentary stages on Monday night, was a grave concern and should not be used to remove asylum seekers or infringe on judges’ independence.

Emergency services said bodies found at Nasser hospital as Volker Turk says he is ‘horrified’ by destruction at al-Shifa medical facilities

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Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was quoted by media as saying he does not believe the Palestinian militant group Hamas will leave Qatar, where it is based, adding he had seen no such signs from Doha either.

Speaking to reporters on a return flight from Iraq, the Turkish leader also said the full capture of Gaza by Israel would “open the door” for further invasions of Palestinian territories, according to broadcaster Haberturk and other media outlets.

Authorities move to break up encampments at two more US universities on Monday, as Columbia University cancels in-person classes

Police arrested dozens of people at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Yale University in Connecticut and New York University in Manhattan, as student protests over Israel’s war in Gaza continue to roil US campuses.

On the Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut, authorities arrested at least 47 protesters on Monday evening, the university said in a statement. Students who were arrested will be referred for disciplinary action.

Anthony Albanese responds to X owner who criticised Australian authorities demanding videos of a Sydney church stabbing be removed

Australia’s prime minister has labelled X’s owner, Elon Musk, an “arrogant billionaire who thinks he is above the law” as the rift deepens between Australia and the tech platform over the removal of videos of a violent stabbing in a Sydney church.

On Monday evening in an urgent last-minute federal court hearing, the court ordered a two-day injunction against X to hide posts globally containing the footage of the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on 15 April. The eSafety commissioner had previously directed X to remove the posts, but X had only blocked them from access in Australia pending a legal challenge.

UK’s blue-chip index reaches 8,076, surpassing previous high of 8,047 in February 2023

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The UK stock market hit a record high on Tuesday, as shares were lifted by hopes of interest rate cuts and an easing of geopolitical tensions.

The FTSE 100 index of blue-chip stocks listed in London hit 8,076 points on Tuesday, surpassing a previous high of 8,047 in February 2023.

Exclusive: Mark Rowley says sergeant will not be disciplined and warns of ‘fakery’ by activists at other protests

The commissioner of the Metropolitan police has praised the “professional” conduct of the sergeant who stopped an antisemitism campaigner at a pro-Palestinian march and warned that officers at other protests had been “set up” by activists using “fakery” to undermine the force.

In an interview with the Guardian, Mark Rowley said the sergeant involved in the incident with Gideon Falter would not be disciplined and vigorously defended the Met’s handling of the six months of protests since the 7 October attacks on Israel.

Claire O’Neill, a former climate minister, says PM’s move was to ‘try and create political division and dividing lines’

The UK government’s decision to weaken some of its climate commitments was a “retrograde step” that will set back vital cross-party action to cut carbon emissions, Claire O’Neill, a former Conservative climate minister, has said.

O’Neill, who was known as Claire Perry when she served as a minister under David Cameron and Theresa May, said the rolling back of emission reduction efforts by Rishi Sunak appeared to be a ploy for political advantage.

In move seen by the opposition as an attempt to de-sinocise Taiwan, the ruling party is pushing ahead with plans to rid the island of monuments to the dictator

Taiwan’s government has pledged to remove almost 800 statues of Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese military dictator who ruled the island for decades under martial law, but whose legacy remains a point of contentious debate.

In 2018 the government established a transitional justice committee to investigate the rule of the former generalissimo, who was president of the Republic of China (ROC) – in China and then in Taiwan – until his death in 1975. Among its recommendations was to remove the thousands of statues from public spaces.

Shoppers spend more on promotions as Easter lifts sales of chocolate eggs and hot-cross buns

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Grocery price inflation in Great Britain has slowed to 3.2%, the lowest since November 2021, as the cost of toilet rolls, butter and milk fell and people spent more on store promotions.

The decline in the four weeks to 14 April marked the 14th monthly drop in a row, and compares with an annual rate of 4.5% this time last month, according to the retail analysts Kantar. The slowdown in grocery inflation was aided by a big increase in promotional spending, with items bought on offer making up 29% of supermarket sales – the highest level outside Christmas since June 2021. Overall take-home grocery sales rose by about 3%.

The chart-topping singer’s career has been on hold since she was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition in 2022

Celine Dion has opened up about life with stiff person syndrome (SPS), a debilitating condition that she was diagnosed with in 2022.

SPS, an extremely rare autoimmune neurological disorder affecting an estimated 8,000 people worldwide, causes muscle spasms and stiffness and can cause a loss of mobility. In Dion’s case, she has previously said that the illness is “causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to”.