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Deregulation alone can't make homes affordable when rising inequality, not zoning, is what is driving prices upDonald Trump has an interesting view of how housing plays in US politics. I don't want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes," he said at a recent cabinet meeting. Unaffordable housing may be front and center of the affordability crisis" pissing off voters. Still, he insists: We're not going to destroy the value of their homes so that somebody that didn't work very hard can buy a home."It can be hard to square some things Trump says with other things Trump says, let alone with reality. One can't help but remember his campaign goal of cutting the cost of a new home in half" by eliminating pesky regulations that raise the cost of construction. Forget that cheap new entry-level homes will weigh on the price of the existing housing stock. Continue reading...

YouTuber Sur Ronster issued with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving in relation to the bridge ride-out

Police investigating whether blast that injured at least 169 at Friday prayers in Islamabad was suicide attackAn explosion has ripped through a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and injuring at least 169 others, according to officials. Police said they were investigating whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.There were fears the death toll from the blast at the Khadija al-Kubra mosque in Islamabad could rise as some of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition. Television footage and social media images showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals. Continue reading...

Saif al Islam Gaddafi, shot dead by gunmen on Tuesday, appealed to a nostalgia for a past that is remembered as more secure'

Reform UK leader who received two guest passes from Iranian-born billionaire declares attendance at event on register of MPs' interestsNigel Farage's two-day trip to Davos cost more than 50,000 after he was given two guest passes by an Iranian-born billionaire, documents show.The Reform UK leader officially declared his attendance at the conference on the register of MPs' interests, after giving speeches at the Switzerland summit in which he pledged to put the global elites on notice". Continue reading...

Teenager admitted it was not the first time he had taken the vehicle but told the court he won't do it again'A 13-year-old boy who drove his family's Volkswagen campervan on a 70mph road in the middle of the night for a joyride in Dorset has been given penalty points for a future licence, a court heard.The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was spotted by other motorists driving the 2.5-litre silver van on the A35, a busy dual carriageway in Poole. His father told the judge at Poole magistrates court his son would be washing cars for the next year" to pay off his debt. Continue reading...

Local politician says armed men rounded up residents, bound their hands behind their backs and shot themMore than 160 people have been killed in two villages in western Nigeria in the country's deadliest armed assaults this year, as communities reel from repeated and widespread acts of violence perpetrated by jihadists and other armed groups.The death toll from Tuesday's attacks in Woro and Nuku in Kwara state stood at 162 on Wednesday afternoon, according to Mohammed Omar Bio, a member of parliament representing the area. Continue reading...

Film-maker Peter Ettedgui responded to BBC interview in which Reform leader apologised for any hurt causedNigel Farage has been accused of making a non-apology" by a school contemporary who accused him of racist and antisemitic behaviour, after saying he was sorry" if he had genuinely" hurt anyone.For the first time since the row broke after a Guardian investigation, the Reform UK party leader appeared to indicate some remorse for the impact of his alleged behaviour while at Dulwich college, a private school in south London. Continue reading...

Spokesperson for India's ministry of external affairs calls for immediate action to recover the missing statue'

In 2010 then business secretary contacted Jes Staley, then at JP Morgan, about funding for 700m listing on London Stock ExchangePeter Mandelson was described as devious" by Jeffrey Epstein after lobbying a bank to underwrite a mining project launched by their mutual friend Nat Rothschild, emails included in the latest tranche Epstein files suggest.In April 2010, the then business secretary appears to have contacted banker Jes Staley, then at JP Morgan, from his personal email account in what appears to be an attempt to secure funding for Rothschild, a longtime friend of the Labour peer. Continue reading...

David Lammy also tells MPs he will draw up legislation to stop prisoners using human rights laws to challenge tougher conditionsThe most dangerous extremist prisoners in England and Wales will be held in supermax-style units" similar to those used in US jails, David Lammy has told MPs.The deputy prime minister also said he would consider drawing up legislation to stop prisoners from using human rights laws to challenge tougher conditions in jail. Continue reading...

The appointment of the ex-ambassador despite his lurid past raises potentially fatal doubts about the judgment of the PM and his teamIn many political scandals there is an agreed full stop, a time for the circus to move on: maybe a resignation, certainly a police investigation. But for Downing Street, Peter Mandelson risks being a headache that simply won't end.Mandelson's future in public life is now definitively over, or as definitive as you can be for a figure who, much as with the Conservative saying about Boris Johnson, would possibly need to be buried at a crossroads with a stake through his heart before you could completely rule out another comeback. Continue reading...

The RBA's widely anticipated decision marks the end of the shortest rate-cutting cycle in the reserve's modern history, hitting mortgagees hard

Economists and the central bank might see a roaring economy but workers and mortgage holders still feel like they're doing it tough

Peter Mandelson has resigned his Labour party membership after new details of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light. But why did Labour ever decide to appoint him as US ambassador? Pippa and Kiran chat through what No 10 knew and when Continue reading...

Lady Lawrence tells high court she is a victim all over again' owing to alleged unlawful information gatheringThe mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence has said she felt she had been taken for a fool" by the publisher of the Daily Mail, after she was told about allegations it had targeted her with unlawful information gathering techniques.Appearing at the high court in London, Doreen Lawrence said she felt angry because of the trust she had placed in the Daily Mail, owing to its coverage of her son's case. Continue reading...

Eighteen-year-old Swiss national injured in blaze at Swiss ski resort died on SaturdayA teenager injured in the fire that engulfed a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana during new year celebrations has died in hospital, taking the death toll from the blaze to 41.The Wallis canton's public prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said in a brief statement on Sunday: An 18-year-old Swiss national died at a hospital in Zurich on January 31. The death toll from the fire at Le Constellation bar on January 1 2026 has now risen to 41." Continue reading...

Officials say calm restored to province day after dozens killed in suicide and gun attacks in at least 10 citiesPakistan's security forces have intensified their operations against separatist militants in Balochistan province who launched a large-scale assault on Saturday in which at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed.A day after the militants carried out suicide attacks in the heart of the province's capital, Quetta, the chief minister of the south-western region, Sarfraz Bugti, said 145 people he described as militants had been killed in 40 hours and that their bodies were in the custody of the authorities. Continue reading...

Labor set to take advantage of shambles with blistering attacks in question time as Sussan Ley presides over barest opposition benches since 1943Normally this column focuses on the agenda for the coming parliamentary week, unpacking a dense policy issue or two that will dominate the political discussion.This week is a little different. You would expect the government's big agenda would be front and centre in the first regularly scheduled programming sitting week of the year - but not this Monday. Continue reading...

Famous figures including Woody Allen were invited to party with disgraced financier and Mountbatten-Windsor, documents indicateAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor attended an intimate party with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein months after he was released from prison, files suggest.The US justice department released another cache of documents relating to the disgraced financier on Friday.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Child sex offender sent thousands of pounds to Reinaldo Avila da Silva, according to documents published by US justice departmentJeffrey Epstein sent thousands of pounds in bank transfers after his release from prison in 2009 to Peter Mandelson's husband, according to emails published by the US Department of Justice on Friday.The latest documents raise fresh questions about Epstein's relationship with Mandelson, who was sacked as the UK's ambassador to Washington when details of his support for the disgraced financier emerged in September. Continue reading...

Israeli military's U-turn in accepting official figures comes after years of attacking data as Hamas propaganda'Israel's military has accepted the death toll compiled by health authorities in Gaza is broadly accurate, marking a U-turn after years of official attacks on the data.A senior security official briefed Israeli journalists, saying about 70,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks on the territory since October 2023, excluding those missing. Continue reading...

Postcards showing Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan in character were printed as postcards and secreted around the performing arts school co-founded in the city by Paul McCartneyPictures of the stars of Sam Mendes' forthcoming four-part Beatles film in character as the musicians have been published, offering a first look at the actors in costume.The pictures were released in postcard form at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the school co-founded by Paul McCartney which occupies the premises formerly occupied by the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, where both McCartney and future bandmate George Harrison were pupils. Continue reading...

Ariel Seidman declared persona non grata and given 72 hours to leave country after remarks on social mediaSouth Africa has ordered Israel's top diplomat to the country to leave within 72 hours, citing insulting attacks" on South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and the abuse of diplomatic privilege".Ariel Seidman, the charge d'affaires at Israel's embassy in Pretoria, was declared persona non grata by South Africa's department for international relations and cooperation (DIRCO) in a statement on its website on Friday afternoon. Israel's embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Continue reading...

WA police say both Mosman Park children had significant health challenges' and had been in contact with care services

Any organisation that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise,' says Kaja KallasThe EU has listed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, ending years of division over the issue in response to the regime's brutal repression of protesters.Repression cannot go unanswered," said Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, on Thursday. The paramilitary organisation has played a significant role in suppressing demonstrations in Iran. Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise," she wrote on X. Continue reading...

CBS announced in July that Late Show would end in May, more than 30 years after 1993 debut under David LettermanThe final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air on 21 May, the host has announced.Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, revealed the date on Monday during a taping of NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers to air on Tuesday night. Colbert will appear on Meyers's show as a guest. Continue reading...

Judicial review request made in Edinburgh says Avtandil Kalandadze of Russian-flagged Marinera is being detained unlawfullyLawyers acting for the wife of the captain of a Venezuela-linked oil tanker captured by US forces in UK waters are calling for a judicial review of his situation, claiming he is being detained unlawfully.The Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella 1, has been in the Moray Firth in recent days. Continue reading...

Return of police sergeant Ran Gvili's body should pave way for progress on second phase of Trump ceasefire planThe remains of the Israeli police sergeant Ran Gvili, who was killed fighting Hamas-led militants on 7 October 2023, have been returned to Israel.Militants took Gvili's body to Gaza to use as a bargaining chip. He was the last of 251 people captured that day still held in the territory. Continue reading...

Men in custody for live broadcasting discriminatory content to YouTube likely to incite hatred, police sayTwo far-right British activists have been arrested by French authorities in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.The arrests followed an order issued on Friday prohibiting British participants in a planned stop the boats" protest, dubbed Operation Overlord, in the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. The order was due to expire at 8am on Monday but it has been extended for two more days. Continue reading...

Business wing of Christian Democrats aims to scrap legal right to fewer hours, saying people should need permissionThe business wing of Germany's leading Christian Democrats party is proposing a ban on workers' legal entitlement to work part-time, arguing that those wishing to work fewer hours should have to acquire special permission to do so.Currently, every employee in Europe's largest economy has a fundamental right to carry out part-time work, with many, particularly women, often needing to do so for reasons relating to childcare or looking after elderly relatives. Continue reading...

Joel Guerriau is alleged to have drugged centrist member of parliament Sandrine Josso in order to sexually assault herA former French senator has gone on trial in Paris accused of drugging a fellow politician in order to sexually assault her, in a case that has shaken French politics.Joel Guerriau, 68, was a centrist senator for Loire-Atlantique in the west of France in November 2023 when he is accused of spiking a glass of champagne with MDMA and serving it to Sandrine Josso, a centrist member of parliament. Continue reading...

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Freelands Foundation will give 100,000 to three projects every year against the backdrop of 15 years of cuts'A new 1.5m awards scheme has been launched to recognise and celebrate visual art education in the UK - with 100,000 being awarded to three organisations a year for the next five years.The Freelands Foundation announced the award on Monday for recent or ongoing projects demonstrating commitment to progressive art education approaches with demonstrable impact". Continue reading...

Home Office will set out changes to policing on Monday that it claims are biggest overhaul in two centuriesPolice forces in England and Wales will be told to respond to emergency calls within strict time limits as part of plans to be announced on Monday.Officers will be expected to arrive at crime scenes within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in the countryside while attending serious crimes, the Home Office said.A reduction in the number of police forces.Local policing areas to deal with everyday crimes such as shoplifting.Home secretaries to be given the power to sack chief constables.An FBI-style National Police Service to lead on terrorism, fraud and organised crime.Every police officer in England and Wales to hold a licence to serve.A fast track for professionals and experts so they can take senior police roles.A new police commander to lead on violent disorder and rioting.A new national forensics team to help catch rapists and murderers. Continue reading...

Protesters walk to Sussex market town from base where Home Office plans to house up to 500 asylum seekersThousands of people have marched through an East Sussex market town to protest against UK government plans to house asylum seekers on a former military site.Crowds of men, women and children walked to Crowborough from the base, where the Home Office plans to house up to 500 male asylum seekers as part of plans to end the use of hotels for the same purpose. Continue reading...

National Police Service will investigate organised crime, terrorism, fraud and online child abuseThe government is setting up a National Police Service - dubbed the British FBI" - to deal with organised crime, terrorism, fraud and online child abuse in a major change to policing in England and Wales.The new organisation, which will be announced by the Home Office in a white paper on Monday, means fraud, criminal gang and UK-wide counter terror investigations will no longer be carried out by a combination of existing agencies such as the National Crime Agency and regional organised crime units run by local police forces. Continue reading...

Meal at Mayfair club took place on day Reform UK's Robert Jenrick criticised former PM's mini-budgetIf it was on the menu, a side helping of lettuce never made it to the table. Over blood-red steak and chips, Nigel Farage and Liz Truss came together on Monday for a discreet lunch at a swish Mayfair club, organised by a climate-denying US thinktank.Lois Perry, a former leader of the far-right Ukip party who is now Europe director of the Heartland Institute, posted photographs, now deleted, on X of Farage addressing others, including Truss, at the meal. Continue reading...

Court told US president's son contacted woman shortly before alleged assault in LondonA man accused of raping a woman in London denied he was angry when she received a call from Donald Trump's son, a court has heard.Barron Trump, the youngest son of the US president, was on a video call in January last year with the woman, who cannot be named, when he allegedly witnessed her being assaulted by a man in London and alerted police. Continue reading...

In post-Davos speech, Canadian PM jabs at Trump, saying the arc of history can still bend towards progress and justice'Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, said his country must be a beacon to a world that's at sea" and that national unity was critical as his government faces a dramatic reshaping of the world political order - and mounting domestic challengesThe national address, given at a historic military fortress in Quebec City, was far narrower in scope than the prime minister's remarks earlier in the week at the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland. Dubbed the Carney Doctrine', the Davos speech lamented the disintegration of rules-based order amid a rise of great powers" that used economic coercion" as a weapon. Continue reading...

Opposition lawmakers say they will seek to impeach Jose Jeri over undisclosed meetings in Lima's ChinatownPeru's interim president, Jose Jeri, has denied lying to the country and claimed he was the victim of a plot to discredit him amid a growing political scandal over his secretive meetings with Chinese businessmen.Jeri, 39, who took office in October after his predecessor Dina Boluarte was forced out, told a congressional oversight committee on Wednesday that he had been the target of a smear campaign designed to destabilise the country ahead of elections in April. Continue reading...

Gorton and Denton MP's departure will trigger byelection in which Greater Manchester mayor could seek to stand

US president claims framework' of agreement in the works after very productive' meeting with Nato secretary general

Judge issues temporary order after paper had sought return of Hannah Natanson's devices taken in outrageous seizure'A US judge temporarily blocked federal prosecutors on Wednesday from reviewing material seized when the FBI raided a Washington Post reporter's home.Hours earlier, the Post asked a federal court in Virginia to force the US government to return electronics belonging to Hannah Natanson. Continue reading...

Abdul Eneser blames his fall on the lack of tactile paving on the platform and was awarded 18,000 by Network RailWhen Abdul Eneser slipped off the side of the platform at Manchester Piccadilly station, he lay terrified with no option but to listen as the rumbles of a freight train drew closer.Eneser, who is blind, had fallen owing to a lack of tactile paving, meaning he had been unable to feel how close he was to the edge of the platform. Continue reading...

Far-right incoming president picked Judith Marin, who has publicly decried bills to decriminalse abortion, for the roleChile's incoming far-right president Jose Antonio Kast has named a vehement opponent of abortion who has repeatedly stated her support for life from conception to natural death" as the country's new women and gender equality minister.Judith Marin, 30, was once ejected from Chile's senate by police for screaming return to the Lord" during a vote to decriminalise abortion under restricted circumstances. Continue reading...

Coroner says non-medical support assistant affected midwifery provision and delayed mother's transfer to Portsmouth hospitalA coroner has warned that more babies could die without greater clarity and guidance over the role of home birthing assistants after the death of a baby girl raised concerns about a doula delaying access to hospital treatment.Matilda Pomfret-Thomas died in November 2023 of a brain injury, 15 days after a difficult home labour when her mother was not immediately transferred to hospital despite signs of fetal distress, an inquest concluded last month. Continue reading...

Government's remedial order would give judges the power to revive Troubles-related civil actions

He said: They continue to come after me. They have made my wife's life an absolute misery'When asked by Antony White KC, for Associated Newspapers Limited, the Duke of Sussex said it was pretty convincing" that journalists had sourced information about him from his friends at the time they were published.He said: That was the way the articles had been written, a source said this, an insider said this."Following the death of my mother in 1997 when I was 12 years old and her treatment at the hands of the press, I have always had an uneasy relationship with them.However, as a member of the institution the policy was to never complain, never explain'. Continue reading...

David Littleproud and seven other frontbench colleagues resign their positions after Sussan Ley accepted resignations from three Nationals senators