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Crime crackdown plan also gives victims of rape and sexual assault the right to specialist support throughout justice processSix police forces will be given powers to charge domestic abuser suspects without the involvement of the Crown Prosecution Service as part of a series of Labour proposals to solve more crimes announced on Thursday.A future Keir Starmer government would also give victims in domestic abuse,...

Outcome of election paves way for first black head of a European country or the UK’s most senior gay leaderThe winner of the race to become the next first minister of Wales is to be revealed on Saturday.Whether Vaughan Gething or Jeremy Miles is elected Welsh Labour leader, it will be a historic moment. Continue reading...

Proposed £100 charge could be seen as a price worth paying to continue to sell the productsFirms flouting the proposed ban on disposable vapes should face harsher fines to deter unscrupulous businesses, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.Under the government’s plans, businesses caught selling disposable vapes once the ban is in place could be given a fixed-penalty notice of £100 by their local...

Exclusive: Independent examination of rape prosecutions hears lawyers are ‘obsessed’ with credibility of victims and use victim-blaming languageAnalysis: CPS report makes for grim reading – and it’s only the start Lawyers in the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales have trivialised teen sexual abuse, are “obsessed” about the credibility of rape victims and used victim-blaming language, according to a critical official examination into...

Demonstration against Welsh Labour policy included No Farmers No Food campaign calling for end to climate measures, and Welsh Tory leaderRishi Sunak attended a protest alongside a group which has posted conspiracy theories about climate change, and which campaigns against net zero, the Observer can reveal.The prime minister has been accused of “pandering to extremists” by farmers and wildlife groups, who have asked him...

Future of Wylfa site had been uncertain since Japanese firm pulled construction plans in 2020The UK government has said it is working to push forward a new nuclear power station at Wylfa in north Wales amid reported talks with the site’s owner.Hitachi owns the site on the island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) but its future has been uncertain since 2020, when the Japanese company...

Met Office issues warning with risk of power cuts, travel delays and rural communities becoming cut offA band of heavy snow could cause disruption later this week across parts of the UK, with as much as 20cm possible in higher areas.Temperatures will drop as the week goes on, with a yellow snow warning issued that covers much of Wales as well as northern and...

Labour criticises government ‘dithering’, after Vishay deal last autumn to buy chip maker Newport Wafer Fab stalls, putting jobs at risk Labour has criticised “dither and delay” from the government over a decision on a proposed takeover of the UK’s largest semiconductor facility by a US company, warning that it could lead to further job cuts at the Welsh factory.The fate of Newport Wafer...

Disruption expected on Monday as cancellations and delays issued for rail, sea and air with heavy rain and high winds forecastTrain services in Scotland are expected to be suspended until around noon after “a wild night”, Network Rail says.The railway has recovered quickly this morning following Storm Isha with trees and debris cleared across routes in England and Wales, and route proving trains reporting...

Thousands without electricity while roads closed, rail services suspended and flights cancelledStorm Isha – latest updatesThousands of people have been left without power as Storm Isha brings disruption to electricity and transport networks.The storm battered the UK with heavy rain and gusts of up to 99mph with the entire country subject to wind warnings issued by the Met Office. Continue reading...

Firm rejects union plan, leaving UK on course to become only major economy unable to make steel from scratchThe owners of Port Talbot steelworks have rejected a trade union plan designed to keep its blast furnaces running, putting nearly 3,000 jobs at risk and leaving the UK on course to become the only major economy unable to make steel from scratch.In what one union...

Met Office data indicates lows of -11C hit overnight in England, with snow warnings in all four parts of UK on ThursdayThe UK has shivered through another cold night as weather warnings for snow and ice are in place throughout Thursday.Much of the UK endured temperatures below freezing overnight, with preliminary data from the Met Office indicating the mercury fell to as low as...

Welsh NHS Confederation warns stoppage coincides with one of ‘most pressurised weeks of the year’Junior doctors across Wales are starting a three-day strike over pay as the Welsh government and hospital leaders warned of the pressures that health services are under.During the stoppage, which is due to begin at 7am on Monday and last until 7am on Thursday, more than 3,000 doctors could take...

Critics say assumption in English and Welsh law that computers are ‘reliable’ reverses usual burden of proof in criminal casesMinisters need to “immediately” update the law to acknowledge that computers are fallible or risk a repeat of the Horizon scandal, legal experts say.In English and Welsh law, computers are assumed to be “reliable” unless proven otherwise. But critics of this approach say this reverses...

Majority of flood warnings in south of England and Midlands, with some snow flurries overnightMore than 100 flood warnings remain in place after last week’s Storm Henk deluge as large parts of the UK endured a cold, frosty morning.The Environment Agency (EA) said there were 126 flood warnings in England where flooding is expected, including a flood warning on the River Thames south-west of...

Health Security Agency issues week-long alert for vulnerable and elderly people across EnglandA cold weather alert has been issued and almost 250 flood warnings are in place across England and Wales as conditions continue to cause travel problems across parts of the UK.The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow cold weather alert for vulnerable and elderly people from 9am on Saturday until...

Train operators say services face delays and cancellations after rain and strong winds batter UKMore than 300 flood warnings are in place across England as travellers face transport delays, with train services struggling to get back on track after rain and strong winds from Storm Henk lashed large parts of the UK.The Environment Agency said on Wednesday there were 368 active alerts in England...

Rise of 6% shows consequences of prisoner overcrowding and low staffing levels, say Liberal DemocratsThere were nearly 8,000 assaults on prison staff in the year to June 2023, almost one an hour on average, the Liberal Democrats have said, arguing that the statistic shows the consequences of prisoner overcrowding and low staffing levels.Official statistics showed there were 7,908 assaults over the 12 months in...

High winds, heavy rain and snow disrupt electricity, rail and road networks About 16,000 homes were entering Thursday without power, Scottish authorities said, after Storm Gerrit wreaked havoc. Scotland’s rail network has also experienced widespread cancellations and delays.Parts of Scotland have had significant heavy snow with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) saying workers had been dealing with wind speeds of 80mph in some...