A restaurant in Venice that charged a group of Japanese tourists €1,143 (£994) for four steaks Florentine, a plate of mixed grilled fish, two glasses of wine and mineral water faces fines totalling at least €20,000 (£17,400), according to local media.

The La Nuova Venezia newspaper said police and local authority checks carried out at the Osteria da Luca near St Mark’s Square uncovered breaches of health and safety and food hygiene regulations, as well commercial code infringements including issues over the accurate description of goods. “Together, the infringements – not all of which have yet been formally notified – produce total fines running into tens of thousands of euros,” the paper said. No grounds were found to shut the restaurant down, it said.

The Osteria da Luca – which has a rating of 1.5 stars on Tripadvisor, with 83% of reviews classed as “terrible” – faces further awkward questions from financial crime investigators over its failure to give the group a full receipt detailing their meal.(theguardian)…[+]

The Bollywood epic Padmaavat has opened in cinemas across India under blanket security after months of fierce protests. The film crew has been attacked, sets have been vandalised, hardliners have threatened to mutilate the lead actor and Indian states have pleaded with the supreme court and prime minister to ban the film.Violent mobs rampaged through several Indian cities this week in a last-ditch effort to stop the film, which is based on a five-century-old poem about a Hindu queen, Padmini, who immolates herself rather than be captured by a conquering Muslim ruler. In Mumbai, mobs have set fire to cars. In Gurgaon, a satellite city south of Delhi, people set fire to a bus and pelted stones. A school bus in Haryana state was attacked on Wednesday, while riot police clashed with hundreds of protesters in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat states.There was a heavy security presence outside north Indian cinemas screening the film on Thursday. Indian media reported that several venues had been attacked in Bihar and that a man had attempt to self-immolate outside a cinema in Varanasi.(theguardian)…[+]

The United Nations is investigating two senior figures over allegations of sexual harassment.The World Food Programme’s country director in Afghanistan, Mick Lorentzen, has been suspended while a disciplinary process is under way. Luiz Loures, an assistant secretary general of the UN, and deputy executive director of programme at UNAids, is also the subject of an investigation. The Guardian understands that he has not been suspended.

On Thursday, the WFP announced an overhaul of its sexual harassment policies, following mounting criticism over how UN agencies handle such cases. Last week, a Guardian investigation uncovered a widespread culture of silence surrounding sexual harassment and assault at the UN, with employees feeling unable to report complaints for fear of losing their jobs. Three alleged victims said they had lost their jobs, or been threatened with termination of contract, after reporting sexual harassment or assault. Two cited concerns with investigations, and said there had been errors in transcripts, or that key witnesses had not been interviewed. Alleged perpetrators were allowed to remain in senior positions – with the power to influence proceedings – throughout investigations.(theguardian)…[+]