Changes kick in as the new financial year begins

Welfare changes from this week will reform a system that has “for too long locked disabled people and people with long-term conditions out of work”, the Government has said. The reforms will tackle what ministers have branded “perverse incentives” which they argued encouraged people to stay on benefits without support to move into work.

From Monday, new claimants for the health element of Universal Credit (UC) will get a lower rate of £217.26 a month. Universal credit is a payment to help with living costs and is available for people in work who are on low incomes, and those who are out of work or cannot work.

People with the most severe, lifelong conditions, people nearing the end of life, and all existing UC health claimants will continue to receive the higher monthly rate of £429.80. The change will save taxpayers around £1 billion, the Government has said.

Statistics published last month showed there were 2.7 million people on UC assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) across England, Scotland and Wales. People in this category are not required to undertake any interviews or work-related activity.

The Government has pledged that its investment in tailored employment support can offer people opportunities, supporting them to move into and stay in work “rather than leave people stuck on benefits”. Also this week, the standard rate of UC will be boosted, in what ministers have said is an effort to “bear down on the cost of living”.

It said this will result in almost four million households on the standard rate of UC getting around £295 extra this year in cash terms.

Social security and disability minister Sir Stephen Timms said: “The welfare system we inherited has for too long locked disabled people and people with long-term conditions out of work.

“Laws coming into force today will change that, reducing projected expenditure on universal credit by almost £1 billion.

“Simultaneously boosting the standard allowance and investing £3.5 billion in employment support means we’re creating a welfare system that backs people to work and helps them build a better future.”

Last year, ministers were forced to climb down on plans to also reform disability benefits, including for those with mental health conditions, in the face of backbench Labour opposition. Instead of immediate reform, the Timms review is seeking views on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and how it works.

Minsters have promised any changes to the benefit – which helps with extra living costs for people who have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain daily tasks or with mobility because of their condition – have been postponed until after that takes place.

The review is expected to report to Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden by autumn, with the Government stating that an interim update will come ahead of that.

Manchester City assistant manager Pep Lijnders has hinted midfielder Bernardo Silva’s nine-year spell at the club will end this summer, saying “every good story comes to an end”.

The 31-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season. He has not yet signed an extension and has been linked with La Liga leaders Barcelona, Serie A side Juventus and clubs in America.

Lijnders was on media duty after Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool with manager Pep Guardiola serving a touchline ban, and reflected on the importance of the Portuguese international to City.

“You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist,” he said.

“Bernardo Silva is unique. The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions. All these things.

“But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing you will see how he is missed – and that’s one game. Imagine a season.

“But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks – and has a good farewell.

“He deserves all that attention as well.”

It is one of the biggest weeks in golf, yet The Masters is likely to be conspicuous by the absence of one of the sport’s biggest names.

Donald Trump, the US President, might be an avid golfer and owner of some of the most prestigious properties in the sport, including Trump Turnberry and Trump International Doral, yet “his personality doesn’t fit” at Augusta, according to Butch Harmon, one of the most respected voices in the sport and Tiger Woods’ former coach.

Trump is unlikely to grace this hallowed and idyllic corner of Georgia this week, despite so often being part of the sport’s narrative.

Eager to set the agenda, as was the case when rumours swirled surrounding the return to golf of his “good friend” Woods.

That was before the 15-time major champion decided to “step away and seek treatment” following a DUI arrest after another vehicle accident.

“I think you can answer that [why Trump is unlikely to be at Augusta] yourself,” Harmon said on a media call, including The Independent. “Because he’s Trump. I think he is who he is. He’s full of himself. He’s the type of person that I don’t think fits the profile of an Augusta member.”

Augusta has had former presidents as members, despite its exclusivity, reportedly limited to 300. Notably, Dwight Eisenhower retains a great legacy at the club, with a cabin and tree on the course named after him.

And Harmon has known Trump his entire life, with his father, Claude Harmon, a Masters champion in 1948, the former head professional at the prestigious American course Winged Foot, where Trump was a long-time member.

“I’ve known Donald pretty much my whole life. What you see is what you get with him. And I don’t think his personality fits the membership at Augusta,” Harmon claims.

“I don’t think that [being president] has anything to do with it, because there’s been a lot of other presidents who played golf, and they’re not members. Clinton, Obama… they played golf. I think it’s just his personality doesn’t mix with that particular club. That’s as politically correct as I can be.”

With a legendary career working on the swings of Woods, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, among others, Harmon has emerged as a fine pundit and will form part of Sky Sports’ coverage at Augusta this week.

But he was absent at last year’s Ryder Cup, which descended into chaos due to the behaviour of some American fans, with Rory McIlroy claiming “horrific” abuse directed at him and his family throughout the intense battle, with Europe eventually prevailing 15-13.

“I thought the Ryder Cup was disgusting,” said Harmon, with his fellow commentator Ewen Murray casting doubt on his future due to the scenes at Bethpage Black. “It was embarrassing being an American. I love the Ryder Cup, it’s my favourite one to broadcast and being from New York, I had planned to work with the Sky Sports team, but I decided to pull out for that main reason.

“I felt we would spend more time talking about what’s going on in the gallery with the fans being unruly than we would the golf and I just didn’t feel I wanted to be part of it.

“I’m disgusted with the way it was. But this is the beauty of Augusta. These are the best-behaved patrons in all of golf. I love the Open Championship because all the gallery people understand golf and they understand how to cheer.

“But this place, it’s like a holy grail of golf in the US, and it’s difficult to get a ticket to come to this event. It’s probably the hardest event to get a ticket to. The patrons there are very well behaved, because they’re the same people that come back year after year.

“I hated the way things were going at the Ryder Cup. I thought it was a terrible embarrassment for the United States, and let’s hope it never happens again.”

Watch more live Masters coverage than ever before, exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW from Thursday 9 April

York Chocolate Festival took over St Sampson’s Square and Parliament Street for five days.

Visitors were treated to chocolate-themed events, workshops and family activities – all laid on by the team behind York Food Festival.

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Stalls showcasing delicious chocolate-inspired desserts and treats from across the world lined the centre, and the event included opportunities for tastings, a Chocolate Taste Trail and free events for kids.

Brownies and Blondies were one of the stall holders (Image: Newsquest)

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

As the dreaded Storm Dave neared, stall organisers said they feared that their marquees, set up overnight, would be damaged by strong winds.

Thankfully this was not the case, said Casa Mia representative.

Butterflies Chocolates from Pocklington (Image: Newsquest)

Stall representative for Butterflies Chocolates – a chocolatier in Pocklington added: “The winds moved our stall and displaced some of our benches.

“Thankfully, we had prepared and were able to ensure we could set up again the next day.”

Confectionary from across the world was served (Image: Newsquest)

Speaking ahead of the festival, Sophie Jewett of York Cocoa Works said the company was looking forward to sharing their chocolate-making process – celebrating the industry the city was once famous for.

She added: “It’s wonderful to welcome so many enthusiastic chocolate learners who are excited and passionate to discover more about how chocolate is made.”

Tasha Ghouri broke down in tears while discussing the online abuse she received

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It was an emotional moment for two celebrities during filming for Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island, which returned for its eighth series tonight.

Comedian Hasan Al-Habib made a poignant revelation about feeling embarrassed by his faith as a child, which Strictly’s Tasha Ghouri broke down in tears over the trolling she received for her disability. Tasha was also overcome with emotion after making a realisation when visiting a mosque.

Accompanying Hasan and Tasha on the programme are former Britain’s Got Talent champion and Dancing on Ice panellist Ashley Banjo, radio producer Ashley Blaker, Cold Feet star Hermione Norris, television and radio broadcaster Jayne Middlemiss, and actress and performer Patsy Kensit.

At one moment, Tasha became visibly emotional as she spoke about the online harassment she endured during her time on Love Island.

Struggling to hold back tears, Tasha said, “I suffered with ableism while I was on a reality TV show. People use your disability as their point to hate somebody. When people go on TikTok, making videos, literally taking the mick at how I spoke, it still gets to me now.”

“I don’t like crying,” she admitted tearfully, before continuing, “It’s literally three years ago, but it still gets to me. I think it’s because I saw the impact it had on my family, my dad and mum had to see so many horrible comments about my disability, my and that’s why now I have a stronger shield within me, really.”

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During another particular moment, Hasan candidly discussed his experience growing up as a Muslim and how he once felt ashamed of his background.

He said, “I was aware of faith from a pretty early age. I was lucky that I was definitely aware of my religion before I was aware that people don’t like it necessarily, or there are some people that are prejudiced against it,” reports the Express.

“I was growing up post 911 during the Iraq War, and that’s why, for a long time, I was kind of ashamed of being Iraqi because I didn’t like being associated with this war.

“I didn’t like being seen as the face of this conflict, so I tried to be as white British as I possibly could, and I realised that if you were funny, people liked you, and that was an invaluable currency for me at the time, because people didn’t like me.”

He continued, “Being Iraqi now, career-wise, it has been a really good thing. It’s definitely something I lean into now, maybe even too much for someone who doesn’t speak Arabic fluently and has only been to Iraq once in their life.”

Discussing his aspirations for taking part in the programme, the comedian added, “I’m really looking forward to the big questions and the searching questions that come as a part of doing this process. If you’re a rational human being, you’ve got to wonder, what happens at the end of all this, or where did we come from?

“People spend their whole lives answering those questions. So to have this opportunity to do it with other people, I think is really, I’m gonna say it’s a blessing.”

Hasan also accompanied Ashley and Tasha to a mosque, which proved a touching yet emotional experience for the trio. Tasha confessed to feeling quite moved, revealing to her fellow participant Hermione Norris that it had been a revelation for her.

“I am never going to forget it, and I felt quite emotional just seeing them two just really embracing their religion and just doing their prayer, but it was when they were doing it together, and that’s what made me go like, ‘Wow’.

“It was just powerful, and it made me realise we need to be more open-minded about religion and just not judge what people believe in, just because they believe in something different from what we may believe in.”

Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

The man, aged in his 20s, attended hospital at around 1.30am on Easter Sunday with a severe injury to his arm.

A man has been left with a possible life-changing injury following a reported serious assault in North Belfast in the early hours of Easter Sunday.

The man, aged in his 20s, attended hospital at around 1.30am on April 5, with a severe, and possibly life-changing, injury to his arm.

At this stage, the circumstances surrounding the injury are unclear, but it’s believed that the man was assaulted in the Duncairn Gardens area at around 1am.

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Detectives are appealing for information and witnesses and a PSNI spokesperson said: “We would appeal to anyone who witnessed this shocking incident to come forward.

“We’re particularly keen to speak to anyone with CCTV/dash-cam or other video footage which could assist with our enquiries.“The number to call is 101, and the relevant reference number is 118 05/04/26.”Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The call came in at about 10pm on Wednesday (April 1), with Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team asked to assist Lancashire Police in locating the group.

Team members were deployed onto the hill and soon found the walkers, one of whom had suffered a minor ankle injury but was able to continue after being assessed and supported by volunteers.

All three were then escorted off the hill and returned to safety.

The rescue team thanked the police officers who attended and urged people to carry proper navigation tools, a torch, and to plan routes carefully before heading out onto the hills.

A shopping trip to a homeware store took an unfortunate turn when somebody decided to answer nature’s call on one of the shelves.

Police are hunting the woman who allegedly defecated on a shelf in a shop before walking out without a care in the world.

The mishap occurred at The Range in Banbury, Oxfordshire at 1.40pm on 25 March.

The suspect fled the scene immediately afterwards, leaving staff with an unwelcome surprise in the aisle.

It is not known what prompted the visit to the home furnishings store, which also sells homeware and garden furniture.

Thames Valley Police have now released CCTV footage of a woman they wish to speak to in connection with the alleged criminal damage.

The footage shows the woman wearing a pink jacket, spotted scarf and red top, and is pulling a small suitcase.

Investigating officer PC Robert Watson said: ‘We’re looking to identify the individual in this CCTV image, as we believe they may have information that could help our investigation.’

A force spokesperson said: ‘Thames Valley Police is releasing a CCTV image of an individual that officers would like to speak to in connection with criminal damage in Banbury.

‘On Wednesday 25 March, at 1.40pm at The Range in Banbury, an offender has defecated on a shelf. They have then left the store.

‘If this person is you, or you recognise who this is, please get in touch with Thames Valley Police, either by making a report online or by calling us on 101, quoting reference 43260146564.’

Anyone with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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