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Tata confirms shutdown and unions threaten strikes at the plant amid fury in south Wales community

Campaigners hail decision to replace 22-year-old's prison term for firearm possession with suspended sentenceThe court of appeal has quashed the prison sentence of a heavily pregnant woman so that she can give birth safely, in a case hailed as a landmark by campaigners.The woman, 22, is almost eight months pregnant and has been diagnosed with potentially life threatening pre-eclampsia, which affects the mother's blood vessels and the baby's blood supply. Continue reading...

Metropolitan police trying to trace mother, who they say will need urgent medical attentionA newborn baby girl is being cared for in hospital after she was found in a shopping bag by a dog walker in east London, the Metropolitan police have said.The baby was found wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag at the junction of Greenway and High Street South, Newham. Continue reading...

Analysis of ONS statistics shows one in four economically inactive' people live in areas with high levels of poor healthOne in four economically inactive" people live in the 50 local authority areas in England with the highest levels of poor health, research suggests.The report, published by the Institute for Public Policy and Research (IPPR) Commission on Health and Prosperity, found a double injustice", where places with worse health also had lower levels of household income and higher rates of poverty. Continue reading...

Damaging weather and heavy rain pummels Darwin and forces evacuations in NT as BoM forecasts possible cyclone for Queensland from Tuesday

Bereaved accuse ministers of whitewashing' the disaster but tell of hope for a similar acceleration of justicePeople bereaved by the Grenfell Tower fire have accused ministers of whitewashing" the disaster, drawing parallels between their long fight for justice and the wrongly jailed post office operators.Shah Aghlani, whose mother and aunt were killed in the fire in west London, told a press conference the problem the country faces, from the Post Office to Grenfell" is that people in charge when disasters happen walk away without any consequences".

Report sets out in detail the disruption to St Leonard's, one of schools worst hit by crumbling concrete'

Heavy rain and winds hit central wheat belt, goldfields, south coastal and great southern districts shortly after BoM severe weather warning, leading to widespread power outage

Cesar Suarez killed in brazen daylight attack in Guayaquil as country shaken by dramatic recent surge in violence

Firm claims pilot will simplify' fares but users say it means end of affordable train travel between two capitalsOff-peak tickets are to be scrapped on trains between London and Edinburgh, in a move that the operator London North Eastern Railway described as simplifying fares" but rail users denounced as signalling the end of affordable, immediate travel on the route.LNER said the change meant journeys would be priced more closely to demand to make rail travel more attractive, with only three types of fare now available for journeys directly between London King's Cross and Newcastle, Berwick and Edinburgh. Continue reading...

Iraqi Kurdish prime minister Masrour Barzani accuses Iran after its strikes in Kurdistan region; EU adds Yahya Sinwar to terrorist listThe Israeli military said on Tuesday that its special forces had carried out a strike in the area of Ayta ash Shab in Lebanon.IDF special forces struck in order to remove a threat in the area of Ayta ash Shab in Lebanon," the military said. Continue reading...

Industrial action over pay starting on Wednesday could affect processing of self-assessment tax returns and is unrelated to Post Office scandalStaff at Fujitsu, the technology firm at the centre of the Post Office Horizon scandal, are due to go on strike tomorrow, which their trade union said could disrupt HM Revenue and Customs at the busiest time of year for tax collection.About 300 staff, most of whom work in IT support for HMRC at sites in Telford and Stratford, east London, will go on strike in protest at a pay offer that the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said was 10 times less than what Fujitsu is offering staff in Japan. Continue reading...

Ukraine president speaks at World Economic Forum in Davos; European Commission president says Europe must empower Ukraine's resistance'The Kremlin has declined to comment on a Bloomberg report that Chinese state-owned banks are tightening curbs on funding to Russian clients for fear of US secondary sanctions, describing it as a highly sensitive topic.Asked about the report, the spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said it was a matter for the companies and departments involved, and not for the Kremlin, Reuters reports.This is a very, very sensitive area and it is unlikely that anyone will undertake to talk about it - you shouldn't expect that.We continue to develop relations with China; it's our very important strategic partner. Continue reading...

Young drivers face huge increases as soaring costs help push up inflationThe average price of car insurance in the UK has broken records to stand at close to 1,000 after price rises of more than 50% last year, according to new data.Drivers can now expect to pay 995 for their car insurance, on average - the highest price ever in the UK - according to the latest index published by the price comparison website Confused.com. Continue reading...

The 83-year-old died at the scene while an 81-year-old woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries

In a speech, the North Korean leader has called for constitutional change to identify the south as number one hostile state'North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, has called for a change to the constitution to identify South Korea as the number one hostile state", ending the regime's commitment to unifying the Korean peninsula.In a speech to the supreme people's assembly - North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament - Kim said he no longer believed unification was possible and accused the South of attempting to foment regime change and promote unification by stealth. Continue reading...

Lax employment law cited as motivation for ice-cold crossing in which five people died off WimereuxThe mayor of the French seaside resort where five people died off the coast trying to reach the UK has blamed the British immigration system for the crisis that engulfed the town at the weekend.What's happening today is their fault," said Jean-Luc Dubaele, the mayor of Wimereux, claiming Britain was offering monts et merveilles", a French expression meaning they were promising the world. Continue reading...

Ukraine army chief says A-50 spy plane and Il-22 command aircraft downed near Sea of Azov; some prisoners of war given life sentences by RussiaShapps has cited the UK's increase in support to Ukraine in the highest level ever as an example of its commitment to defence spending.To some the cost may seem steep but Britain cannot afford to reverse the gains we have.Under this Conservative government Britain never will. Continue reading...

Deal mediated by Qatar includes delivery of medicines and aid but leaders in Hamas and Israel deeply divided about way forward

Five other people also arrested over plot being investigated by Met police after tipoff from Daily ExpressA man has been charged with conspiracy to cause public nuisance after an alleged plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange and cause huge economic damage" was revealed.Sean Middleborough, 31, from Liverpool, will appear at Wirral magistrates court on Monday, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Court told teacher formed close relationship with student's mother and took student out for dinner

Grant Shapps says UK has no interest in wider Yemen conflict as Rishi Sunak prepares to address MPs

A 47-year-old man has been charged after allegedly receiving $7,542 from $1,767 worth of bets

Nauru become first ally to switch allegiances to Beijing after weekend's presidential elections in TaiwanNauru has switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China less than 48 hours after Taiwan's presidential election.In a statement, the government of the tiny island country in Micronesia, north-east of Australia, said it had decided to recognise the People's Republic of China and was seeking the resumption of full diplomatic relations in the best interests of the Republic and people of Nauru". Continue reading...

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Zain Khan is facing one count of murder and three of attempted murder after allegedly driving a car into pedestrians in September

I've been in love with the UK since I was a little girl' says woman dismissed after missing official deadlineA French woman has spoken about how she lost her job in Shropshire and was left heartbroken" about life in the UK because of a mix-up over the immigration process for EU citizens launched after Brexit.Sophie, who is married to a British man, was in the UK for five years before Brexit but went back to France in 2020 for 18 months after a family tragedy. Continue reading...

Prime minister suggests court cases like South Africa's won't bring peace between Israel and Palestine, as Penny Wong sets off for a trip to the Middle East

Thousands of concerned parents reportedly struggling to sign up for flagship offering that starts in AprilA flagship government childcare scheme is at risk of falling apart" with parents struggling to access new free hours and nurseries in the dark about if they can afford to provide care, according to charities.Parents' groups have accused the government of planning the new free offering on the back of a fag packet", with thousands of furious" parents struggling to sign up for the scheme, which starts in April. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Robin Garbutt says faulty Post Office computer system is not only misleading evidence used to convict himA man who claims the Post Office's faulty computer system was used to frame him for murdering his wife says he is not jumping on the Horizon bandwagon", and that there is other evidence pointing to his wrongful conviction.Robin Garbutt, 58, has spent the last 12 years in jail after being convicted of the murder of his wife, Diana, 40, at their home above the post office and village shop they ran in Melsonby, North Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Police recovered the body of the 46-year-old in bushland near Cabarita Beach two days after he was last seen

Family and patients of Dr Ashley Gordon express shock and grief at his death following a suspected home invasion in Doncaster

Residents in the Brisbane suburb of Teneriffe call on opposition leader to apologise for dog whistling' after he advocated people boycott the supermarket

CanTEST facility also finds more than half of drugs tested were not what user expected, with ones similar to MDMA and potentially fatal bath salts'

Jacinta Allan says event is a key anchor' on the state's major events calendar and is worth millions to the economy

Surf ironman and ironwoman competitors save 25 swimmers from a rip at Maroubra as severe weather warning issued for the Top End

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About 213kg of suspected cocaine has been recovered from beaches including Newcastle, Avoca and Central Coast

James Hunter alleges in a LA court filing that Goth intentionally kicked him while he lay on the ground playing deadAn extra has alleged in a Los Angeles court filing that British actor Mia Goth kicked him in the head on the set of slasher film MaXXXine.James Hunter, a background actor on the latest instalment in the X series, which follows on from the success of X and Pearl, claims he was covered in fake blood and told to lie in the ground and play dead for a scene filmed in April 2023. Continue reading...

Only practice procession saw marchers out of step and Gentleman at Arms almost crushed, royal biography saysThe only rehearsal for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral had a band at the wrong start point, a Gentleman at Arms nearly crushed at Marble Arch and everything that could go wrong ... go wrong", a new biography on King Charles has said.The journalist Robert Hardman wrote about the chaos behind the preparations for the state procession in his book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story. It was a comedy of errors," said Garrison Sergeant Major Vern" Stokes, who was responsible for the military and ceremonial aspects of the funeral. Continue reading...

Cheaper mortgages and anticipation of interest rate cuts are predicted to lead to jump in transactionsUK house prices are on track to beat forecasts of a decline in 2024, a leading estate agent has said, as a mortgage pricing war and expectations of Bank of England interest rate cuts rekindle the property market.After a year of sustained price falls in 2023, the global property consultancy Knight Frank said it was updating its forecast for UK house prices to rise by 3% in 2024, up from an earlier estimate of a 4% drop. Continue reading...

AA and RAC report highest figures for at least five years and criticise lack of permanent repairsBritain's potholed roads caused a surge in vehicle breakdowns last year, according to motoring organisations, which said related callouts were at their highest level for at least five years.Figures from the AA and RAC breakdown services recorded substantial increases as a result of the state of the roads, which the government recently pledged to tackle with money diverted from cutting the HS2 high-speed railway project. Continue reading...

Lady Doreen Lawrence, Adrian Lester and Annie Lennox among those putting pressure on Home Office to speed up processActors, musicians and campaigners have launched a new drive to put pressure on the Home Office to speed up its payment of compensation to people affected by the Windrush scandal.Lady Doreen Lawrence, television presenter Jay Blades, and actors Colin McFarlane and Adrian Lester have joined musicians AJ Tracey and Annie Lennox to call on the government to remove the compensation scheme from the Home Office's control and hand it to an independent organisation. Continue reading...

Report says combined fortunes of Gina Rinehart, Andrew Forrest and Harry Triguboff doubled between 2020 and 2023, while one in eight Australians live in poverty

Latest NHS England figures reveal 20% increase in lengthy delays compared with 2022A record 420,000 patients had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E last year, analysis has shown.The latest NHS England figures revealed a 20% increase on 2022 in people facing lengthy delays after a decision to admit them to hospital from the emergency department. Continue reading...

One-year-old found at Frosterley Drive rushed to hospital but died next afternoon, Durham police sayA man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a young child in Darlington.Police were called to Frosterley Drive at about 9am on Friday. The one-year-old was found at the address and rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle but died on Saturday afternoon, Durham police said. Continue reading...

Global issues are factor but experts say there are problems peculiar to Britain such as rising costs post-Brexit

Unpublished figures reveal a doubling of products in short supply over past two years

Israel will not have security until Palestinians have their own state, Ami Ayalon says in Guardian interview

Palestine Action members allegedly planned to lock on to building and prevent trading, Metropolitan police saySix people have been arrested for allegedly plotting to prevent the London Stock Exchange from opening, the Metropolitan police has said.The police received information that activists with the Palestine Action group were allegedly planning to stop the LSE from opening for trading on Monday by locking on" to the building, and causing damage. Continue reading...