Marilyn Manson's abuse accuser details dating horrors in explosive TV interview
Manson allegedly chased his actress ex Esme Bianco around his apartment with an axe after accusing her of placing cockroaches in the walls "to mess with him".
Householders face a £7.5 billion council tax raid after local authorities increased rates without consultation, according to an analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility. The OBR said councils would increase taxes by £1.8 billion next month – up to £100 a year for many households – after the Government allowed them to impose increases of up to 5 per cent. This could culminate in an increase of £7.5 billion by 2025-26. Councils can normally raise local taxes by no more than 2 per cent without a referendum. But the Chancellor increased the limit to 5 per cent in his November review to help meet councils’ ballooning social care costs. The OBR’s estimates suggest two-thirds of councils will raise taxes up to the maximum 4.99 per cent, meaning increases of between £50 and £100 for band D properties. The OBR said the Chancellor’s decision had forced it to revise up its estimate of the increase in council tax by £800 million to £1.8 billion for 2021-22. “This is more than explained by the Government’s decision to allow councils to increase council tax rates by up to 5 per cent … rather than the 2 per cent our March 2020 forecast assumed,” said the OBR in its Budget day report. It pushes the total council tax take for 2021/22 to £39.9 billion, rising to £45.6 billion by 2025/26. Local tax campaigners said it was a “stealth” tax that would undermine Boris Johnson’s levelling up agenda, while senior Tories, fiscal experts and council leaders blamed the Government’s failure to solve the social care crisis for the increased bills. Andrew Dixon, founder of the Fairer Share campaign for property tax reform, said: “This … will only exacerbate the unfairness of the current system where modest homes in the North often pay significantly more than mansions in Knightsbridge. It is sure to sit awkwardly with voters inspired by the Conservatives’ talk of fairness and levelling up. Council tax was the elephant in the room when the Chancellor delivered the Budget. “While he set out support packages for those worst hit by Covid-19, there was no such respite for millions of modest and low-income households facing crippling council tax bills.” Stuart Adam, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: “It is a way to allow councils to raise more for social care in the short term while the Government sorts out some more fundamental solutions for the long-term funding of social care. It was one of the things that the Budget was silent about.” Lord Lilley, a former social security secretary, who will publish his own blueprint for social reform next week, said: “Because the Government has been unable to decide how to reform finance of social care, it has left council taxpayers to take the strain. “Councils’ care budgets have been squeezed to the limit. The proportion of people over 85 living in care homes has shrunk from 25 per cent to 15 per cent and can’t go much lower.” The Local Government Association said: “Councils face the tough choice about whether to increase bills to bring in desperately needed funding to protect our services at a time when we are acutely aware of the significant burden that this could place on some households. “Council tax rises – particularly the adult social care precept – have never been the solution to the long-term pressures faced by councils, particularly in social care, which is desperately in need of reform. “Further action is desperately needed to immediately shore up social care services – which have been on the front line during the pandemic – and to secure the long-term future of care and support. “The Government must urgently bring forward its proposals.” ‘Crippling’ bills About a quarter of councils that provide social care will issue a council tax bill to Band D homes of more than £2,000 in April, most for the first time. And in more than two thirds of areas, bills for a Band D home will rise by at least £50. In London, householders will be hit by a 9.5 per cent rise in the portion of council tax charged by the Greater London Authority – an extra £31.59 for a Band D home. The combined rises mean Band D bills look set to rise by more than £100 this year in around seven of London’s 32 boroughs. A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We’ve committed over £35 billion to help councils support their communities and local businesses during the pandemic. “We’re also providing councils with £670 million of new grant funding to enable them to continue reducing council tax bills next year for those least able to pay, including households financially hard-hit by the pandemic. “Councils are and have always been responsible for setting council tax levels. We set referendum principles to ensure that local people have the final say over any excessive increases.”
Staycation prices a third higher in holiday hotspots this year When can I go on holiday? Can I visit Cyprus? The countries already rolling out vaccine passports 10 amazing holidays in remote corners of the UK Sign up to the Telegraph Travel newsletter Passengers travelling overseas from England will be required to complete and carry a 'Declaration to Travel' form, starting from Monday. Airlines, ferry companies and train operators will be legally obliged to explain on their websites that the document must be filled out before travelling. They will then check that passengers have completed the form before they board – individuals who have not done so may not be allowed to join the service they have booked. Anyone identified by police as trying to travel overseas for reasons that are not currently permitted will be asked to return home and they risk receiving a fixed penalty notice for breaking non-essential travel rules. These fines start at £200 and double for each incident; they can go up to a maximum of £6,400. This measure is a "necessary step to protect the public and our world-class vaccination programme", Home Secretary Priti Patel told parliament in January; the details, however, were not published until Friday, some 40 days after it was announced. The form is not required for travel within the UK, to Ireland, to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, the government's guidance states. Different border rules apply for travel abroad from the devolved administrations. Foreign holidays are currently prohibited under lockdown legislation, and will not be permitted from England until May 17 – at the earliest. All travellers returning to England are subject to a 10 day quarantine, with arrivals from red-listed countries required to pay up to £1,750 for a stay in a designated hotel. Scroll down for the latest travel updates.
In response to their upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey, headlines are blaring, Twitter trolls are seething and Piers Morgan is frothing at the mouth. As the self-appointed chairwoman of the Meghan fan club, I always have and always will be rooting for her and Prince Harry. Marrying into the royal family has been tough for Meghan; she’s been criticised for everything from what colour she paints her nails to how often she rubs her pregnancy bump.
Boss Steven Gerrard admits he is looking forward to doing some home improvements around Ibrox as he ponders replacing the banners which proclaim the Light Blues mere 54-time champions of Scotland. Rangers are just four points away from being crowned domestic kings for the first time in a decade with title number 55.
Vaccine side-effects are seen up to three times more often in people who have previously been infected with coronavirus, new figures show. The latest data from the King's College ZOE app, which has logged details from more than 700,000 vaccinations, found those with a prior infection were far more likely to report side-effects than people who have not had the virus. The difference between the two was particularly pronounced among those who had been given the Pfizer jab. More severe side-effects are often a sign of better immunity, and emerging research suggests just one dose of vaccine gives a similar protective effect to two doses in people who have had a previous infection. Experts have now started to question whether people with prior immunity from a natural infection need a second dose at all. The ZOE data shows that 12.2 per cent of people reported side-effects after their first Pfizer jab, but that jumped to 35.7 per cent of those with a previous infection. For the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab, 31.9 per cent of people reported symptoms following their first vaccine, rising to 52.7 per cent of those who had previously been diagnosed with diagnosed with the virus. Most people reported muscle aches, feeling groggy or headaches.
‘I always knew where my boss stood ... I could walk in at any time,’ former press secretary says
Activist group says Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley ‘deserve most blame for firing up violent mob of Trump supporters that attacked US Capitol and killed five people’
This was a golden opportunity for the royal family and everyone in the UK, as demonstrated by the Oprah interview everyone is talking about. It was squandered terribly
Opponents of the Scottish nationalists are desperate to use these divisions to derail the SNP before they win a mandate for independence in the May election
Richard Barnett, 60, of Arkansas faces federal charges including disorderly conduct in a capitol building
It remains unclear whether the former president has given his son-in-law the boot from his political inner circle, or if the 40-year-old chose to take some time off himself
It is time to stop this nonsense – the best vaccine you can get is the one you’re offered on the day
Tourists would be required to have had their second dose at the latest seven days before travel.
Boris Johnson has challenged the EU's decision to approve the blockade of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccines destined for Australia, warning that the restrictions "endanger" global efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. On Friday, Downing Street questioned the European Commission over its acceptance of the Italian government's decision to use EU-wide export controls to prevent the shipment from going ahead. Asked about the controversy, Mr Johnson's spokesman pointed out that Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, had previously assured the Prime Minister that the controls would not be used in this way. Speaking at the Number 10 daily lobby briefing, the spokesman said: "We're not privy to the specific agreements between other countries and vaccine manufacturers. "However, the PM spoke to President von der Leyen earlier this year, and she confirmed that the focus of their mechanism was on transparency and not intended to restrict exports by companies where they are fulfilling contractual responsibilities. "We would expect the EU to continue to stand by its commitments. The global recovery from Covid relies on international collaboration. We are all dependent on global supply chains, and putting in place restrictions endangers global efforts to fight the virus."
Police seized a £170,000 Lamborghini from Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré after he was caught driving the car through north London without insurance, a court heard. Doucouré was “shocked” when shown the speed gun reading, Bromley magistrates heard, suggesting he may have been confused because the speedometer on his French car is in km. On July 2, he was then pulled over in his wife’s Lamborghini Urus in Dartmouth Park Hill when driving without insurance.
The Kremlin yesterday warned the frozen war in eastern Ukraine was on the brink of dangerous escalation as Moscow and Kyiv blamed one another for a recent surge in violence. Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, on Thursday accused Kyiv's forces of shelling in breach of the ceasefire agreement and entering areas where they were not meant to be. Ukraine accused pro-Russian forces, which are widely believed to be under Russian command, of shelling its troops to provoke retaliation. Mr Peskov said Russia, which officially denies deploying its own troops to the area, was using its influence to restrain pro-Russian forces and called on France and Germany to do the same for Ukraine "We also hope all our partners… will pay attention to the growing tension on the contact line and will use their influence to prevent this escalation from crossing a dangerous line,” Mr Peskov said. "A red line would be the resumption of full-scale hostilities,” he said. Russia and Ukraine have been in a state of undeclared war since 2014, when the Kremlin annexed Crimea and sent weapons and troops to support a separate uprising in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region. At least 14,000 people have died in the war to date. Intense fighting ended following a ceasefire in early 2015, but there have been repeated skirmishes along the line of contact over the past six years. A stricter ceasefire introduced last summer stopped most tit-for-tat shelling, but the pace of violations has grown in recent weeks and at least 10 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since New Year. On Wednesday the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, one of two Russian-backed breakaway statelets in East Ukraine, said it had authorised its forces to pre-emptively fire on Ukrainian positions in response to what it said were Ukrainian ceasefire violations. Ukraine's military on Thursday accused pro-Russian forces of shelling its positions to provoke them into returning fire. It said Russian-backed forces had violated the ceasefire four times within 24 hours. Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of Ukraine and head of the country’s delegation to a tri-lateral contact group with Russia and the OSCE, said Ukrainian forces would answer enemy fire “symmetrically.” He earlier accused Russia of escalating the military confrontation in response to a series of moves by Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, to challenge Russia off the battlefield. They include the decision last month to revoked the broadcast licenses of three television channels owned by Taras Kozak, a politician from a pro-Russian opposition party. On February 19 he also sanctioned Viktor Medvedchuk, a close associate of Mr Kozak. Mr Medvedchuk, a prominent tycoon, is a Ukrainian citizen but has close ties to Vladimir Putin and has been described as one of the Kremlin’s key advisors on Ukraine. Security officials said at the time that they were investigating Mr Medvedchuk over alleged financing of terrorism in relation to the sale of coal from mines in territory controlled by pro-Russian forces. The moves were praised by some in Ukraine as a long-overdue confrontation with enablers of Kremlin influence in the country. Critics said the move amounted to silencing political opponents.
The percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus is thought to be dropping across England, except in these areas.
Nicola Sturgeon has expressed optimism that rules on outdoor meetings will soon be relaxed and Scottish football fans will be allowed into Hampden to watch the national team play in this summer's European Championships. Speaking as the number of daily Covid cases dropped to their lowest levels since September, the First Minister said she was keen "to get more potential to see loved ones" and would set out more details at Holyrood on Tuesday next week. Praising Scotland’s progress in driving down the spread of the virus, Ms Sturgeon announced 498 cases in the past 24 hours - the lowest daily total since September 27. She said there could be an announcement on "relatively minor, but important changes to the rules around our ability to meet people outdoors, and also on how young people are able to interact with friends outdoors". The Scottish Government's updated plan for moving out of lockdown says that a plan to allow four people from two households to meet outdoors is unlikely to begin before March 15, with the same date given for the resumption for non-contact, outdoor group sports for 12-17 year olds. Ms Sturgeon also said she was hopeful that she will be at Hampden to cheer on Scotland in Euro 2020, the team's first international tournament in 22 years. “I certainly hope so and nobody wants Scotland to lose the Euros and I don’t think we should be in the position right now of thinking that’s the case,” she said.
Boris Johnson has accused Brussels of endangering global efforts to combat the covid-19 pandemic, as France signalled it could follow Italy and block AstraZeneca vaccines leaving the EU. Downing Street suggested the European Commission had reneged on previous assurances it had made, after it approved Italy’s request to stop 250,000 jabs destined for Australia from leaving the country. A “frustrated” and “disappointed” Australia has also demanded a review of the decision, and has sought assurances from Brussels that future vaccine shipments will go ahead. The blockade is the first time that EU-wide export controls, which require manufacturers to seek permission from the national authorities and Commission to export vaccines outside the bloc, have been used. It has already led France to threaten similar action, as member states seek to catch up with other nations which have surged ahead in their vaccination programmes. Defending the move on Friday the Commission’s chief spokesman said that it was necessary to send a “message” to AstraZeneca over its failure to hit its contractual targets with the bloc. He added: “The EU continues to be a leading provider of vaccines around the world. During the period from 30 January to 1 March, 174 requests for exports requested in the context of the Regulation have been approved by the Member States.”
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