Helping refugees one house at a time

This housing project is challenging the status quo by creating spaces for refugees.

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  • Indian Australians say new Covid travel restrictions a heavy blow

    Indian Australians say new Covid travel restrictions a heavy blowIndia is experiencing record number of coronavirus cases but Coalition’s measures seen as ‘very tough’ for local community A reduction in air travel between India and Australia will cause further distress for Indian Australians who have not been able to unite with their families due to limited flights, Council of Indian Australians says. Photograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPA

  • Politics latest news: Boris knows I am not the 'chatty rat' leaker, Dominic Cummings claims

    Dominic Cummings accused of being ‘Chatty Rat’ leaker Border between England and Scotland could create jobs, claims SNP candidate Cameron repeatedly lobbied Bank for coronavirus cash Coronavirus latest news: Mask-free summer ahead, say government advisers Subscribe to The Telegraph for a month-long free trial Dominic Cummings has claimed Boris Johnson knew he was not involved in leaking lockdown plans from Downing Street, and accused him of trying to stop an official inquiry into the matter to protect his fiancee's friend. In an extraordinary diatribe released on his blog, Mr Cummings said Mr Johnson had fallen "so far below the standards of competence and integrity the country deserves," and claimed an official inquiry by Britain's most senior civil servant cleared him of any involvement in leaks to the media. Downing Street yesterday accused Mr Cummings of being the source of a leak of the UK's second lockdown plans, which sparked an investigation known as the "chatty rat" inquiry. But Mr Cummings says the Cabinet Secretary had told Mr Johnson that he was not the source of the leak, and that the evidence "definitely" pointed to Henry Newman, Carrie Symonds' friend, and his colleagues as the culprits. The former No10 chief adviser said Mr Johnson then suggested the inquiry was halted as it would cause him "very serious problems with Carrie as they’re best friends". Mr Cummings also denies leaking text messages between Mr Johnson and James Dyson, reported by the BBC earlier this week, and claims he does not have a copy of them on his phone. He said the Prime Minister's plan to ask Tory donors to pay for the refurbishment of his flat in 11 Downing Street were "unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations if conducted in the way he intended". Follow the latest updates below.

  • SpaceX counts down to launch, with France’s Pesquet leading mission to ISS

    SpaceX is set to launch its third crew to the International Space Station early Friday, reusing a rocket and crew capsule in a human mission for the first time. The Crew-2 mission blasts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:49 am Eastern Time (0949 GMT), after being delayed a day by adverse weather along the flight path.“It seems the weather is cooperating, so looks like we will try to launch tomorrow!!!” tweeted French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who will become the first European to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon.“Our friends on the @Space_Station are expecting us to show up and we don’t want to be late. They even installed my bedroom recently and literally made my bed. Such nice hosts!” The extra “bed” is necessary to accommodate an unusually large number of people aboard the ISS: 11 in total, as the Crew-2 team overlaps for a few days with Crew-1 astronauts, in addition to three Russian cosmonauts.Pesquet will be accompanied by Americans Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide.Crew-1 is set to splash down off the Florida cost on April 28.It is the third time SpaceX will send humans to the ISS as part of its multibillion dollar contract with NASA under the Commercial Crew Program.The first mission, a test flight called Demo-2, took place last year and ended nine years of American reliance on Russian rockets for rides to the ISS following the end of the Space Shuttle program.“In terms of getting the operations ready, it’s always easier the third time you do it,” Daniel Forrestel, a NASA launch integration manager, told AFP.“I would never ever want to describe spaceflight as ‘routine,’ but ‘more familiar’ is a good way to put it,” he added.The Crew-2 mission will reuse the capsule from Demo-2 and the Falcon 9 booster previously deployed for the uncrewed Demo-1 mission, a key cost-saving goal of NASA’s partnerships with private industry.Major step for EuropeAhead of the launch, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen of Denmark told AFP the mission was also a major step forward for Europe, which has dubbed it “Alpha” after its own naming convention.“On the one hand, it means a lot of course to have an astronaut going to the International Space Station—but at the same time it’s also the next mission in a long line of missions.”Germany’s Matthias Maurer will be the next European on a SpaceX mission this fall, followed by Italy’s Samantha Cristoforetti next spring.ESA will also be a key partner to the United States in the Artemis program to return to the Moon, providing the power and propulsion component for the Orion spacecraft, and critical elements of a planned lunar orbital station called Gateway.Mogensen predicted that in the hours leading up to the launch, Pesquet, who is a close friend of his, would be feeling a “sense of relief” to finally start the mission after years of planning.“You’re very focused on what’s going to happen, on your tasks at hand,” he said.“Thomas and his crewmates have spent hours in a simulator training for this, they’ve gone through the launch procedures, they’ve gone through the docking procedures... there’s not a whole lot of time for nervousness.”The Crew-2 team has around 100 experiments in the diary during their six-month mission.These include research into what are known as “tissue chips”—small models of human organs that are made up of different types of cells and used to study things like aging in the immune system, kidney function and muscle loss.Another important element of the mission is upgrading the station’s solar power system by installing new compact panels that roll open like a huge yoga mat.After launch, the Falcon 9 rocket will return to Earth for an upright vertical landing on a drone ship, and the Crew Dragon capsule is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 5:10 am (0910 GMT) Saturday, with hatch opening two hours later.Pesquet and Hoshide have said they plan to liven things up by sharing their national cuisine with crewmates.The Frenchman’s last meal prior to launch: roast chicken and mashed potatoes, a cheese and baguette platter, and ice cream for dessert.(AFP)

  • Japan to declare 'short, powerful' emergency in Tokyo, elsewhere

    Japan will declare "short and powerful" states of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures on Friday as the country struggles to contain a resurgent pandemic just three months ahead of the Olympics. Under a new state of emergency for April 25 to May 11, the government will require restaurants, bars, and karaoke parlours serving alcohol to close, and big sporting events to be held without spectators, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said.

  • 'The One Show's' Alex Jones tearful as Tom Jones reveals late wife's wish for him

    The singer's wife passed away in 2016.

  • Home and Away teases trouble for two Summer Bay couples in new trailer

    "Tell me again how solid you two are."

  • Police officer charged with manslaughter on same day as fatal shooting of black man

    A white police officer in the San Francisco Bay Area shot and killed a black man in the middle of a busy intersection about a minute after trying to stop him on suspicion of throwing rocks at cars last month, newly released video shows. Graphic body camera footage showing Officer Andrew Hall shooting Tyrell Wilson, 33, within seconds of asking him to drop a knife was released on Wednesday, the same day prosecutors charged Hall with manslaughter and assault in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Filipino man more than two years ago.

  • Woman confronts fly-tippers dumping rubbish then takes their van keys

    The quick-thinking woman spotted the builders dumping material as she was shutting her chickens away for the night.

  • Nicola Sturgeon accused of 'ducking away' from hard independence questions

    Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of trying to "duck away" from the hard questions about independence after one of her election candidates argued a customs border with England would help a separate Scotland create jobs. The First Minister claimed not to have "directly" heard the comments by Emma Harper, who was a South Scotland MSP in the last parliament, despite the widespread ridicule and criticism they had received. She also claimed that it was Brexit, not independence that would create a hard border even though the UK has already left the EU and there are no trade barriers between England and Scotland. Ms Sturgeon insisted she did not want a hard border with England but experts say that would be the consequence of her plan for Scotland to leave the UK and join the EU. Scotland's trade with the rest of the UK is worth more than three times that with the bloc. The row intensified the day after Ms Harper, the SNP's candidate for Galloway and West Dumfries, told ITV Border that "we can show that a border can work" if Scotland left the UK.

  • Japanese knotweed to 'dominate' gardens this summer after April frosts

    Japanese Knotweed is to "dominate" gardens after April frosts delayed or killed other plants, experts have warned, in what could be a bumper year for the invasive pest. While in the winter, the plant lies invisible, deep in the ground, it springs up as the weather warms and the frosts stop. It is extremely hardy, and the cold spring will not have dampened it - but it will have weakened killed off the plant's competitors. The plant forms dense stands of tall bamboo-like canes which grow to 2.1m (7ft) tall, and can destroy houses and gardens. It can even devalue land and property and lead to the refusal of mortgages on properties affected by it. Experts at trade body the Property Care Association (PCA) have warned that late season frosts and dry weather may cause Japanese knotweed to “come back even stronger” this season. The PCA’s Invasive Weed Control Group technical manager Dr Peter Fitzsimons said that as other plants have been knocked back by the recent frosts, the weed could "dominate". He told Horticulture Week: “Many plants in the UK have been knocked-back by late season frosts and dry weather in April, but the sheer resilience of Japanese knotweed means it will be in a position to come back even stronger. While almost every plant has struggled with the weather conditions, it’s likely that this will help Japanese knotweed to dominate even more that it normally does because it is such a resilient plant. “When some warmer weather and spring rains come along, we are set to see it take off, using its food reserves stored below ground over winter. If it does dominate, simply put, that means more damage potential and capacity for the plant to spread.” Guy Barter, the Chief Horticulturalist for the Royal Horticultural Society told The Telegraph that the weather conditions recently mean that weeds, including knotweed, will spring up as if out of nowhere. He explained: "This is the coldest spring for eight years, I understand, and all plants are delayed by the cooler air and soil compared to recent years. When the weather finally turns warmer the sun will be high in the sky and the nights even shorter so the heat will be strong and with much moisture still in the soil from the winter rains plants will grow very rapidly. We expect a flush of weeds every early June and this year it may well be more sudden and concentrated than usual. This includes Japanese knotweed and other invasive weeds. Gardeners would be wise to be ready to manage weeds as they appear before they get a hold." Removing knotweed can be very difficult, and often requires homeowners to hire professionals to excavate it, as cutting it back just causes it to spring up again, due to its rhizomes in the ground. Mr Fitzsimons added: “Currently, the law focuses on landowners to control and remediate Japanese knotweed infestations, particularly near houses, as soon as they come to light. In the case of property development, removal by excavation is often the only viable solution and this needs to be handled by qualified knotweed surveyors.”

  • Latest weekly Covid-19 rates for local authority areas in England

    Doncaster continues to have the highest rate, with 214 new cases in the seven days to April 19.

  • 7 Home and Away questions after this week's Australian episodes

    What's next in Summer Bay?

  • Public should be able to go mask-free in the summer – Government advisers

    Experts believe there will be a further spike in Covid cases, but not until the cooler months.

  • Nicola Sturgeon edict for English to not visit Scotland for indoor hospitality 'discrimination'

    Nicola Sturgeon's warning to the English not to travel to Scotland from Monday for a meal inside a pub or restaurant is "not enforceable" as it would be "unlawful discrimination", the country's most senior QC has said. The First Minister used her weekly Covid briefing on Tuesday to plead with the English not to come to Scotland to “escape the rules in your own area”, as indoor hospitality is shut for a further three weeks south of the Border. But Roddy Dunlop, dean of the Faculty of Advocates, said this was a "good example" of government issuing "misguided" guidance rather than a legal ban. With Ms Sturgeon lifting the ban on cross-Border travel from Monday, he said people from the rest of the UK are entitled "to use exactly the same facilities here as the citizens of Scotland." Any attempt to impose a legal ban would be "unlawful discrimination", he said before noting wryly that the Scottish Government "cannot possibly be suggesting" this.

  • AstraZeneca blood clots linked to 32 deaths after over 21million jabs

    The MHRAs maintain that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine continue to outweigh the risks

  • Exclusive: Hollyoaks' Callum Kerr on George's departure from the show

    Callum Kerr speaks out after his final scenes.

  • Covid spending pushes deficit to highest levels since Second World War

    The Government has spent more on furlough than its entire deficit in the year before the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Jake Paul calls for Pete Davidson to be banned from boxing commentary after comedian ridicules him to his face

    Paul also said he believed Davidson was creating drama for ‘more clout’

  • Scotland's largest pub operator blasts SNP hospitality restrictions as 'nonsensical' and 'onerous'

    Scotland's largest pub operator has warned that only half its premises will be able to reopen on Monday thanks to Nicola Sturgeon's "nonsensical" restrictions on hospitality. Star Pubs & Bars, which is owned by brewing giant Heineken, said 50 per cent of its 230 businesses across the country will remain shuttered as they cannot operate with the SNP government's curfews and ban on indoor drinking. While beer gardens across Scotland will be able to serve alcohol outdoors until 10pm from Monday, the ban on indoor drinking is not set to be lifted until at least May 17 and customers enjoying a meal inside must leave by 8pm. Warning that Scotland’s pubs are in a “fragile state”, managing director Lawson Mountstevens said that although the group is “delighted” at being able to reopen, the ongoing restrictions are “onerous”. He added: “The Scottish Government urgently needs to provide additional financial assistance or scrap the nonsensical curfews and restrictions on drinking alcohol indoors that will hamper the recovery of Scotland’s pubs.”

  • Risk of suffering serious blood clot after AstraZeneca jab doubles in fortnight

    The risk of suffering a serious blood clot after the AstraZeneca jab has doubled in a fortnight, new figures show, but the British regulator said the benefits still outweighed the risks for the vast majority of people. New data from the Medical Healthcare products and Regulatory Agency (MHRA) show cases have risen from 79 to 168 since April 8, and deaths from 19 to 32. The risk of getting a blood clot has also gone up from one in 250,000 to around one in 126,600 – or a rise of four in a million to 7.9 in a million. Earlier this month the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that under-30s should be offered an alternative to the Oxford jab, because the risk no longer outweighed the benefits for younger people. A source close to JCVI said the committee would be reviewing the new data carefully this week, to assess whether the risk was also still worth the benefit for older groups now that the chance of getting a blood clot had risen.