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Lawyer acting for Post Office agrees that important disclosure questionnaire replicated inaccuracies. This live blog is closed

Don't Look Left is culture minister Atef Abu Saif's shockingly graphic' day-by-day account of life in Gaza since the 7 October attacksA day-by-day account of life in Gaza since the 7 October attacks, written by Palestinian Authority minister of culture Atef Abu Saif, will be published next month.Comma Press will release the book, titled Don't Look Left: A Diary of Genocide, in English on or around 8 February. An early version, covering the first 60 days since 7 October, was released as an ebook on Boxing Day, while Abu Saif was living in a tent in Rafah. The physical version will cover 85 days of the Israel-Gaza war. Continue reading...

Initial proposals for historic site include plans for educational centre, museum and exhibition spaceIt has hosted medieval kings, housed the imprisoned Oscar Wilde, and been decorated by Banksy. But for a decade, the site of the former Reading gaol, built on the footprint of the town's medieval monastery, has been shuttered and empty, to the frustration of local politicians and campaigners.Now, a decade after it was mothballed by the Ministry of Justice, the former HMP Reading has finally been sold to a non-profit educational foundation for 7m, the government has confirmed. Continue reading...

Israeli legal team calls South African accusation of genocidal acts in Gaza a partial and deeply flawed picture'Israel has accused South Africa of presenting a profoundly distorted" view barely distinguishable" from Hamas as it presented its defence at the international criminal court of justice in The Hague against accusations of genocide.A day after South Africa argued that it had committed genocidal acts in Gaza with intent from the highest levels of state", Israel said on Friday that was a partial and deeply flawed picture". Continue reading...

Inquest continues into death of 13-year-old black boy allegedly pushed into Welsh river in summer 2019A teenager has repeatedly denied that he deliberately pushed 13-year-old Christopher Kapessa to his death in a Welsh river, telling an inquest he accidentally fell into" the boy as he stood on a ledge high above the deep, murky water.The 19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Christopher's inquest he could not remember asking a friend: Shall I push him?" and nor could he recall laughing after the boy, who was a weak swimmer, plunged into the river. Continue reading...

Plaintiffs accuse the university of tolerating harassment, assault and intimidation of Jewish studentsSeveral Jewish students have filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing it of becoming a bastion of rampant anti-Jewish hatred and harassment".The lawsuit filed earlier this week mirrors others submitted since the 7 October Hamas attack on southern Israel, including legal action against the Art Institute of Chicago, New York University and the University of Pennsylvania. Continue reading...

Women who were forced to give birth in UK by visa delays say ministers promised they would not be penalisedDozens of women who were stranded in the UK and gave birth there during the Covid pandemic have been saddled with expensive maternity care bills, after Home Office delays in processing their visas.Visitors to the UK, some on temporary visas such as fiancee visas, found themselves unable to leave the country after the pandemic took hold in March 2020. Continue reading...

Sian Hedges and Jack Benham subjected Alfie Phillips to cruel and brutal' attack in 2020, court hearsA woman and her former partner have been jailed for life for the murder of her toddler son who suffered broken ribs and limbs in a cruel and brutal" attack.Alfie Phillips was 18 months old when he was killed by his mother Sian Hedges, 27, and her former partner Jack Benham, 35, after the pair had been drinking whisky and taking cocaine, Maidstone crown court was told. Continue reading...

PC Perry Lathwood charged with assault by beating after woman injured during wrongful arrestA Metropolitan police officer has been charged with assault after an investigation into the arrest of a woman on suspicion of evading a bus fare in south London.PC Perry Lathwood, 49, who is attached to the Met's road traffic policing command, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on 14 February charged with assault by beating in relation to bruising injuries caused to the woman's arm during the incident on 21 July in Whitehorse Road, Croydon. Continue reading...

Renowned classical music conductor was arrested at Victoria station in London on WednesdayA world-renowned classical music conductor has been charged with child sexual abuse.Jan Latham-Koenig was arrested at Victoria station in London on Wednesday after an investigation by detectives from the Metropolitan police's specialist crime command, the force said. Continue reading...

Film is expected to reunite Pete Maverick' Mitchell with protege fighter pilots played by Miles Teller and Glen PowellAfter Top Gun: Maverick became the highest grossing film of Tom Cruise's career, a third Top Gun movie is under way.Puck reports that Top Gun: Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger is officially at work" on a script for the project, which intends to reunite Cruise with fellow Maverick stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell. No director has yet been confirmed, but Puck suggest that Maverick's Joseph Kosinski is in the frame, and will likely act as a producer on the project also. Continue reading...

Tehran-backed Lebanese group says aggression confirms that US is a full partner' in Israel's actions in Gaza

British brand affected by continued slowdown in luxury demand during cost of living crisisBurberry has warned that annual profits will be sharply lower than previously expected after consumers left its expensive trenchcoats, bags and scarves off their Christmas shopping lists.The luxury British brand said trading had been affected by a continued slowdown in luxury demand after rises in the cost of living and increases to interest rates globally. Continue reading...

Soldiers and police patrolling streets where witnesses say quiet has replaced looting and chaos that reportedly left at least 16 people deadSoldiers and police patrolled Port Moresby on Friday a day after Papua New Guinea declared a state of emergency in the capital in response to rioting and other violence in which at least 16 people are reported to have died.The prime minister, James Marape, declared a 14-day state of emergency, suspending several officials and putting more than 1,000 soldiers on standby, after a police and public sector protest over pay on Wednesday descended into rioting and looting. Continue reading...

The rightwing populist party could play an outsize role in the next UK election - and cost the Conservatives dearlyA sinking ship" was how Antonia, an administrator from Middleton, described Britain at the start of 2024. That assessment, while damning, isn't unusual, with broken", mess" and struggling" the top words used to describe the UK today. But Antonia, and her fellow focus group participants - former Conservative voters from the red wall" seats of Heywood and Middleton, Great Grimsby and Dudley North - weren't planning on expressing their exasperation with the state of Britain by voting Labour. Instead, they were tempted by the successor to the Brexit party - Reform UK.Since October, Reform has enjoyed a steady rise in support, hitting 10% in some opinion polls. While unlikely to win seats of their own, by attracting former Tory voters Reform could play the role of spoiler. An analysis by the thinktank More in Common suggests that at present polling levels Reform could enable more than 30 additional Conservative losses.Luke Tryl is the UK director of the research group More in Common Continue reading...

Police allege the men are connected to fires at the Altona business, as well as an arson attack at a Croydon tobacco shop

Exclusive: timeline for creation of body to end practice of police investigating police in doubt as state government mulls options

In today's newsletter: Taiwan goes to the polls on Saturday, with major geopolitical ramifications on the line Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Before we start on Taiwan: late last night, US and UK forces launched air strikes involving at least 60 Houthi targets in 16 locations around Yemen. Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea". The US president added that he would not hesitate to order further military action. Despite warnings from Washington in the new year that the Houthis would bear the consequences" of any more attacks, this week the Iran-backed group had launched its most sophisticated and heaviest attacks to date.Immigration and asylum | The government has admitted that Rwanda still has issues with its human rights record" despite claims by Rishi Sunak that it is a safe country. The assessment has come in a policy statement" sent by the home secretary to MPs and lords in an effort to get backing for the Rwanda bill.Post Office scandal | Ministers need to immediately" update the law to acknowledge that computers are fallible or risk a repeat of the Horizon scandal, legal experts say. In English and Welsh law, computers are assumed to be reliable" unless proven otherwise. But critics of this approach say it reverses the burden of proof normally applied in criminal cases.Finance | Millions of drivers could be in line for a payout, it has been suggested, after the UK financial watchdog opened an investigation into whether consumers had been unfairly charged inflated prices for loans on new and secondhand cars.US | New York building officials have issued emergency work orders to stabilise a historic synagogue and its neighbouring structures after an illicit underground tunnel was discovered.Health | Thousands of patients are being readmitted to NHS mental health units in England every year soon after being discharged, raising concerns about poor care, bed shortages and increased risk of suicide. Continue reading...

Robert Farquharson's name has been removed from the headstone of his three children, whom he murdered in 2005

Oscar-winning director leads calls for inquiry into police investigative process following death of Lee Sun-kyunA group of South Korean artists, including film director Bong Joon-ho, has called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death last month of prolific actor Lee Sun-kyun.Lee, who played a lead role in Bong's Oscar-winning film Parasite, died last month in an apparent suicide, at the age of 48. Continue reading...

Former ABC journalist looks forward to crafting engaging interviews, stories, and investigations' alongside award-winning team

The Australian conductor will also be the first woman to perform the Ring cycle at the annual celebration of Wagner since it began in 1876

Experts say being discharged prematurely can be disastrous', setting back chances of full recoveryThousands of patients are being readmitted to NHS mental health units in England every year soon after being discharged, raising concerns about poor care, bed shortages and increased risk of suicide.Experts say being discharged prematurely can be upsetting, set back the patient's chances of making a full recovery and be disastrous" for their health. Continue reading...

Hours before Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis took to the debate stage in Iowa on Wednesday night, more than 1,000 miles away in New Hampshire Chris Christie shocked his supporters by announcing he was dropping out of the race. The former New Jersey governor was the only candidate to consistently attack Donald Trump, in a field of Republicans trying to beat the former president, all the while keeping his base sweet.With only three days until the Iowa caucus, Jonathan Freedland speaks to Elaine Kamarck about who is most likely to come out on topArchive: CBS, CNN, MSNBC, CSPAN Continue reading...

Students' union calls for sanctions over posts on social network that have also contained homophobic abuseThe French Union of Jewish Students has called for sanctions against people who have written antisemitic and homophobic comments about France's new prime minister, Gabriel Attal, on the social network X.Attal, 34, who was appointed by the president, Emmanuel Macron, this week, is France's youngest prime minister and also the first out gay politician in the job. Continue reading...

Despite leading lavish lifestyles, some monarchs are influencing people to make greener choicesWhen Prince Frederik takes the throne on Sunday, the Danish crown will pass from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, a monarch who has cast doubt on the fact that human pollution is heating the planet, to one who feels bound by duty to call for stronger action on climate breakdown.I think it's important for me to have a message for other people," he told the Financial Times in 2010 after a trip to the melting Arctic with the heirs to the Norwegian and Swedish thrones, to convince the broader population there are changes happening and that we are making the change." Continue reading...

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ADF personnel involved in non-operational role, sources say, with strikes in retaliation to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping

Victorian coroner calls for changes to Fire Rescue Victoria policy after firefighters took two hours to attend fire

People with disability working in supported employment are currently paid 9.5% superannuation while the rest of the workforce receives minimum 11%

Joe Biden says he will not hesitate to direct further measures' to protect international waterways in wake of attacks on Red Sea shipping

BoM meteorologist says there is a lot going on' in Australia's summer, with eastern sea temperatures 3C higher than average

General manager of Queensland Rural Fire Brigades Association says he has been inundated' with complaints

Exclusive: Annette Kimmitt says she has heard many stories of people finding out their children are secretly gambling

Figures show NHS falling behind on target to reduce hefty post-pandemic waiting list in EnglandThe NHS must treat at least 10% more non-emergency hospital cases a month if it wants to reduce the hefty backlog caused by the pandemic, according to new analysis.From February 2020 to October 2022, the waiting list for non-urgent care in England grew by 2.6m cases - a projected 1.8m more than if the pandemic had not hit. Continue reading...

Ministers join video call to consider response to Red Sea attacks on ships

So-called access talks' happen before every general election but mark significant change in access for opposition partyRishi Sunak has given permission for Labour shadow ministers to start talks with civil servants about how they would run a government should they win the election later this year - a routine but nonetheless symbolic process before a possible handover of power.A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: In line with the longstanding process set out in the cabinet manual, the prime minister has authorised access talks between the official opposition and civil service." Continue reading...

Assessment comes despite claims by Rishi Sunak that Rwanda is safe when making case for asylum policyThe government has admitted that Rwanda still has issues with its human rights record" despite claims by Rishi Sunak that it is a safe country.Documents released on Thursday said that while Rwanda is now a relatively peaceful country with respect for the rule of law, there are nevertheless issues with its human rights record around political opposition to the current regime, dissent and free speech". Continue reading...

Wholly unacceptable' Lucy Frazer did not meet leaders of Welsh broadcaster despite repeated requestsIt is wholly unacceptable" that the culture secretary did not meet the chair of the Welsh-language public service broadcaster as it was engulfed in a crisis, a group of Welsh MPs have said.Senedd politicians wrote to Lucy Frazer on Thursday to say they were astonished" she had not met S4C leaders despite repeated requests and said that Westminster had failed to deal with a bullying scandal that culminated in the sacking of two senior female executives. Continue reading...

El-Nakla describes conflict as textbook genocide in real time' and calls for resettlement scheme similar to that for Ukrainians

Experts believe western allies most likely to target costal sites in attempt to halt spate of Houthi attacks in Red Sea

Dati, who previously served under Sarkozy, is named culture minister by new PM Gabriel AttalRachida Dati, a former minister for the rightwing French president Nicolas Sarkozy, has been appointed as culture minister in a surprise return to government under Emmanuel Macron.Dati, who is serving as the mayor of Paris's 7th arrondissement for the rightwing party Les Republicains, was announced as part of a cabinet reshuffle under the new prime minister, Gabriel Attal. Continue reading...

Move by Andrzej Duda, who is aligned with the populist PiS party ousted in last year's elections, would defy supreme court rulingPoland's president has said he plans to pardon two imprisoned opposition politicians for a second time, adding that he hoped the move would ease mounting tensions between the country's new government and its populist predecessor.The former interior minister Mariusz Kamiski and his ex-deputy Maciej Wsik - both from the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which lost its majority in October elections - were jailed on Tuesday after being arrested in the presidential palace. Continue reading...

Exclusive: payment was made as the Horizon IT system's failings at post offices were emerging in court casesThe former UK boss of Fujitsu, the technology firm whose flawed IT system is at the heart of the Post Office Horizon scandal, received a 2.6m payoff after standing down from the company in 2019, corporate filings suggest.Fujitsu has come under increasing scrutiny during the public inquiry into the Horizon scandal, which led to thousands of people who owned and ran smaller post offices being falsely accused or convicted of theft or fraud between 1999 and 2015. Continue reading...

Stephen Bradshaw, former Post Office investigator, tells Horizon IT inquiry this was probably not' appropriateBack at the Post Office inquiry Julian Blake says Stephen Bradshaw, the Post Office investigator, seems to show a lack of reflection" on his role in miscarriage of justice events in a witness statement he supplied.Bradshaw says he has reflected on what he said in his statement, because some of what he said was completely wrong". But he says he was told what he should say by lawyers.Stephen Bradshaw, who was an investigation manager for the Post Office, said a statement signed by him declaring the Post Office's absolute confidence" in the Horizon IT system was written by lawyers.A statement signed by Bradshaw in November 2012 said: The Post Office continues to have absolute confidence in the robustness and integrity of its Horizon system."The average response time in December for ambulances in England dealing with the most urgent incidents, defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries, was 8min 44sec, PA says. This is up from 8min 32sec in November and is above the target standard response time of seven minutes.Ambulances took an average of 45min 57sec last month to respond to emergency calls such as heart attacks, strokes and sepsis, PA says. This is up from 38min 30sec in November, while the target is 18min.Response times for urgent calls, such as late stages of labour, non-severe burns and diabetes, averaged 2hr 37min 5sec in December, up from 2hr 16min 47secin November, PA says.Some 13% of ambulance handovers in England last week, or 12,225 patients, were delayed by more than an hour, PA says. This was up from 12% a week earlier, but is below this winter's current peak of 15%, recorded in the week to 10 December.Nearly one in three patients arriving by ambulance at hospitals in England last week waited more than 30 minutes to be handed over to A&E teams, PA says. Some 28,189 delays of half an hour or longer were recorded across all hospital trusts in the week to 7 January. This was 31% of the 91,234 arrivals by ambulance, where the handover time was known. The figure is up from 29% in the previous week, but is not the highest so far this winter, which was 34% in the week ending 10 December, PA says. Continue reading...

Extreme cold warning issued in Canada as US forecasters warn of wind chills in Texas and major snow in midwest and east coastA bitter" blast of cold Arctic air is set to bring dangerously frigid temperatures to swaths of North America, forecasters have warned.In Canada, frigid Arctic air is being pushed from the Northwest Territories down into the province of Alberta, where Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning. The largest city, Calgary, could see temperatures plummet to -34.6F (-37C) on Friday, reaching a daytime high of -23.8F (-31C). This would mark the coldest January day in two decades for the city. Over the weekend, strong winds could make temperatures feel closer to -58F (-50C). In these conditions, experts say exposed skin can succumb to frostbite in less than a minute. Continue reading...

Former South Carolina governor, boosted by Chris Christie's exit, has hopes of seizing second in Iowa caucuses from Ron DeSantisFormer South Carolina governor Nikki Haley emerged from the last televised debate before the Iowa caucuses clearly Donald Trump's strongest challenger for the Republican presidential nomination, boosted by the withdrawal of Chris Christie, the only explicitly anti-Trump candidate to register significantly with voters.Voting begins in Iowa on Monday, before New Hampshire stages its primary a week on Tuesday. Haley has closed on Trump in New Hampshire and has hopes of seizing second place in Iowa at the expense of the rightwing Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Continue reading...

FCA to examine whether consumers have been charged inflated prices for loans on new and secondhand cars

Book co-written with the star's daughter Riley Keough promises to reveal the complexity of being a Presley'The posthumous memoir of Lisa Marie Presley written in collaboration with her daughter Riley Keough will be published later this year.The as yet untitled book about Lisa Marie's life as the daughter of Elvis will be released by Pan Macmillan on 15 October. Lisa Marie, who died on 12 January last year, had asked Keough to help her finish her memoir, parts of which she had recorded on tape. Continue reading...

Rise in salary requirements will further fuel staff shortages in industry that relies on skilled migrant workers Business live - latest updatesWhat do you call an Italian restaurant that doesn't serve pizza?During the 2022 Edinburgh fringe, Gusto's restaurant in the city sounded like the punchline to one of the comedy festival's jokes.There's a threshold at which it becomes impossible to make money, so you have to put prices up, which drives inflation, which flies in the face of what the government say they're trying to do," says Snell. Continue reading...