Review urged after blood-spattered shirt ads ran alongside domestic violence news in Australia 23. September 2026 (02:00) Gruesome ads embedded in articles about family violence ‘make light’ of violence and could distress victim-survivors, expert warnsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesWARNING: this story contains an image some readers may find distressingNews stories about domestic violence inadvertently ran alongside advertisements for faux-bloodstained shirts reading “problem solved”, prompting advocates for victim-survivors to urge publishers to avoid making light of recent deaths.Australia is reckoning with a surge in family and domestic violence incidents after three women were allegedly murdered in unrelated incidents on Saturday, and police allege a mother stabbed her three children on Sunday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pay rent, eat or keep warm? Growing numbers face hard choices as housing benefit gap grows 23. September 2026 (01:01) Wirral mother among renters turning to food banks as gap between a two-bed and housing benefit hits £158 a month – rising to as much as £324 in LondonDo you prioritise paying the rent, putting food on the table or keeping the house warm in winter? In practice, says Laura Braddock, a single mum from Wirral, Merseyside, you always pay the rent first and improvise the rest. “If I’ve got a roof over our head, then everything else I can muddle through.”The pressing problem for Braddock, 39, is that muddling through is getting harder. The monthly rent for her two-bedroom flat far outstrips the local housing allowance (LHA) she receives – and the gap may widen. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
England’s mayors should face greater scrutiny as powers expand, thinktank says 23. September 2026 (01:01) IPPR North says one bad decision could derail devolution agenda as regions gain control of billions in fundingEngland’s mayors should face much greater official scrutiny to avoid Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda being “derailed by one bad decision”, a thinktank has said.Ministers will set out plans next month to give regional leaders control over potentially billions of pounds of additional funding under a “transformational” shift of power outside Whitehall. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
