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Freedom of Information request reportedly reveals that at least 1,837 recruits have already quitMore than 1,800 police officers recruited under Boris Johnson’s manifesto pledge to increase numbers have reportedly already resigned.Johnson had promised to add 20,000 police officers to forces in England and Wales by March 2023 in an attempt to address the austerity cuts introduced by his Conservative predecessors. Continue reading...

Files show Downing Street felt former South African leader’s attempt to mediate was ‘unlikely to be helpful’Downing Street believed Nelson Mandela’s attempt to play mediator between it and the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over the question of compensation after the Lockerbie bombing was “unlikely to be helpful”, documents reveal.But despite misgivings, No 10 aides did not rule out using Mandela “back against [Gaddafi] if Libya rejected a reasonable offer”, the documents released by the National Archives in the UK show. Continue reading...

Sara Khadem and family plan to set up residence in an unnamed Spanish city, according to reportsOne of Iran’s top-ranked female chess players is reportedly planning to settle in Spain after photographs emerged of her taking part in an international tournament without a headscarf.Sara Khadem, ranked 804 in the world and 10th in her home country, was not planning to return to Iran after the tournament due to fear of reprisals, two sources told Spanish newspaper El País. Continue reading...

Ministers refusing to negotiate on wages say they must follow official review bodies – but who sits on these boards and how accountable are they?As we head towards the new year, striking workers are squaring up for a long battle with the government. Increasingly under the spotlight in these disputes are the nine independent review bodies that make recommendations on how much to pay 2.5 million staff across the public sector, from prison officers to teachers.Ministers have refused to negotiate on pay, saying they must follow the official recommendations. Continue reading...

Arab citizens and LGBTQ+ community fear return of veteran leader will damage democracyIsrael’s most rightwing cabinet ever has been sworn in, with Benjamin Netanyahu heading an administration that could open the door to fervently nationalist and religious politicians to radicalise the country and policies towards the Palestinians.Israeli liberals fear the veteran leader’s return to power in alliance with anti-Arab, ultranationalist and ultraorthodox parties will damage democratic aspects of the country’s governance. Arab citizens and the country’s LGBTQ+ community are both alarmed at what may be in store. Continue reading...

Colony cages are larger but animal welfare campaigners say the birds are still not able to behave naturallyBattery cages for layer hens will become illegal in New Zealand from 2023 but animal welfare campaigners are urging the government to scrap the replacement colony cages, which they say are just as bad.The plan to ban battery cages has been 10 years in the making – in 2012, the previous National party government committed to phasing them out by 1 January 2023. Continue reading...

After Boris Johnson took political patronage to new levels by his appointments, Labour sees public mood is ripe for radical reform

Exclusive: 27 members of House of Lords have donated almost £50m in total to Conservatives

Attacks targeting infrastructure across country come as Moscow rejects Ukrainian peace plan

Actor’s radio announcement met with incredulity after his 2018 conviction and new complaint filed by five women in New YorkThe actor Bill Cosby, the 80s TV comedian who was convicted in Pennsylvania of a criminal sex assault charge in 2018, is looking to return to live performing next year, according to a report on Tuesday.In a WGH Talk radio interview, 85-year-old Cosby answered “yes” when asked if he planned to tour again in 2023. Continue reading...

Minister ratchets up hardline stance as he rejects claim government is sabotaging efforts to end strikesTrade unions are seeking to hold the government “to ransom” by demanding direct talks on public sector pay, Ben Wallace has argued in a further apparent ratcheting up of ministers’ hardline stance towards strikes.Speaking at Manchester airport, where he met military personnel covering for Border Force staff, the defence secretary rejected a charge from the new TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, that the government was sabotaging efforts to end the strikes. Continue reading...

These days the Canadian singer, 75, is as likely to be belting out protest songs as performing whimsical tunesWith 13 albums, more than 12m sales in North America and a devoted following, he’s been called the most popular children’s singer in the English-speaking world, a title that has spanned generations. But pivoting from hits such as Bananaphone and Baby Beluga, the Canadian singer Raffi Cavoukian has since followed in the footsteps of his folk music heroes, dedicating much of his later career to advocating on children, social justice and the climate crisis.“Nobody can guarantee a future, but who has the right to steal our children’s future?” the 75-year-old, who performs as Raffi, said in an interview. “The stakes are very high right now. People ask me if I’m hopeful. But I heard recently that hope is a verb. So I’m active.” Continue reading...

Worst of expected bad weather in Scottish capital should have passed before new year celebrationsOrganisers of Hogmanay in Edinburgh are hoping to avoid a new year washout, with heavy rain forecast to have passed by the time revellers ring in 2023.The celebration in the Scottish capital has been cancelled due to Covid for the past two years, but on Saturday a sellout crowd of 30,000 is expected to bring in the new year in Princes Street as part of the three-day event. Continue reading...

Italian film-maker found infamy when rumours about his 1980 ‘found footage’ horror led to him being charged with murderRuggero Deodato, director of the notorious 1980 horror film Cannibal Holocaust, has died aged 83. Italian media reported that he died on Thursday.Deodato had a lengthy film-making career and operated in a variety of genres but remains best known for his gruesome horror film, which was banned in multiple countries and even resulted in him being put on trial for murdering his actors. Continue reading...

Advocates believe Egyptian man’s case paves way to possibly overturn 2004 decision upholding indefinite detention by Migration Act

Linda Burney says rates of Indigenous incarceration and deaths in custody 30 years after royal commission are a ‘national shame’Advocates say the “heartbreaking” deaths of two Aboriginal people in custody within days of each other in Western Australia over Christmas should jolt state and federal governments into urgent action.A 41-year-old First Nations woman died in a Perth hospital on Christmas Eve after suffering a “medical episode” in Wandoo rehabilitation prison 13 days earlier. Continue reading...

Around one in 10 pupils who would qualify for assistance are not registered with the schemeThe government has been accused of “standing idly by while children go hungry” after new analysis showed that more than 200,000 of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSMs) in England are missing out because they are not registered.Campaigners have urged ministers to automate the enrolment process using social security records, amid fears that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are going hungry because they have not signed up. Continue reading...

Four Britons taking part in 3,000-mile rowing challenge from Canary Islands to Antigua and BarbudaRowers from the UK enjoyed reindeer stew and endured a power failure on Christmas Day as they steered a course across the Atlantic Ocean.Three fathers – Steve Woolley, 47, from Harrogate, Neil Furminger, 58, and Matt Garman, 53, both from Seaford in East Sussex – and solo rower Lara Vafiadis, 33, from Malvern in Worcestershire, are crewing two of the boats in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Continue reading...

Critical incidents declared by hospitals and ambulance services in south, south-west and north-east EnglandPeople heading to Cornwall to see in the new year have been urged to bring their own medication as the health services in the county come under extreme pressure.Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS trust has urged people to only call 999 or use the emergency department for life-threatening illnesses and injuries, and suggested visitors bring pain relief and rehydration powders, among other medication. Continue reading...

Move towards peaceful relations represents cause for alarm for more than 4m refugees in Turkey since 2011Top Turkish and Syrian defence and security officials have held their first public meeting in more than a decade, in a dramatic shift towards normalising relations between the two countries after Ankara backed rebels during Syria’s civil war.The Turkish defence minister, Hulusi Akar, and the head of the country’s national intelligence organisation (MIT), Hakan Fidan, met the Syrian defence minister, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, and the notorious spy chief Ali Mamlouk in Moscow, in a meeting attended by the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu. Continue reading...

Die Linke politician is receiving overtures from rightwing AfD and is rumoured to be planning a breakaway partyShe has been compared to iconic political figureheads such as Frida Kahlo and Rosa Luxemburg, as much for her strident leftwing views as for her striking looks.Sahra Wagenknecht is a household name in Germany and the best-known figure on the far left. The most prominent and outspoken member of the 15-year-old Die Linke party, she has been rattling the Berlin political scene for years with her vague pronouncements that she is planning to form her own breakaway bloc. Continue reading...

Ukraine official says Kherson is ‘one of the most dangerous cities’; Ukrainian president says only few civilians remain in Bakhmut. This live blog is closed

Story of Igor Pedin’s escape from Mariupol is one of about a dozen in an exhibition entitled What Would You Take?The secret to Igor Pedin’s survival had been his invisibility, the 61-year-old had said.With his dog, Zhu-Zhu, the former ship’s cook banked on being ignored by the trigger-happy Russian soldiers and their killing machines when he took the first step of a 140-mile journey from his home in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on 23 April, before stealing out into the badlands of Russian-occupied territories towards the relative safety in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Continue reading...

PM and Akshata Murty got rid of ‘very tired’ decor largely installed for former chancellor George OsborneRishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, undertook a makeover of the No 10 flat with opulent curtains and velvet sofas in jewel colours at their own expense, according to a new profile of the couple in the society magazine Tatler.John Challis, the upholsterer behind the transformation, told the magazine that the redesign got rid of the “very tired” decor largely installed for the family of former chancellor George Osborne. Continue reading...

General secretary Mark Serwotka predicts ‘coordinated and synchronised’ action from JanuaryThe head of the largest civil servants union has warned ministers that “coordinated and synchronised” strike action across the economy will “significantly escalate” from January.Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), was speaking as his members employed in passport control for Border Force set up picket lines at Britain’s largest airports on Wednesday, in a four-day strike set to continue until New Year’s Eve. Continue reading...

Downing Street says reports of raucous behaviour of all-party trips are a matter for parliamentNo 10 has said it is “very concerning” that MPs were reportedly met by sex workers in their hotel rooms and engaged in raucous drinking while on parliamentary trips abroad.The prime minister’s deputy official spokesperson said the oversight of trips taken by all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) was a matter for parliament but expressed concern about some of the behaviour reported by Politico and the Times. Continue reading...

Move comes as a result of reinsurers exiting the region in the face of heavy financial lossesShip insurers are cancelling war-risk coverage across Russia, Ukraine and Belarus from January, leaving cargo and freight companies liable for major losses linked to the ongoing conflict.At least 12 of the 13 Protection and Indemnity (P&I) clubs - which cover 90% of the world’s ocean-going ships, including those from the UK and the US - said they would no longer be able to provide coverage to clients because reinsurers were exiting the region as a result of financial losses. Continue reading...

Recaptured city comes under renewed shelling as Russia also reinforces eastern town targeted by Ukraine forces

Other similar routes have sprung up as the travel industry responds to rising fuel costs and climate damageIt hasn’t been an easy time to be a rail enthusiast, but the resurgence of the sleeper train on the continent is offering British travellers a tantalising prospect for 2023.A new pan-European service starting in May is opening up the possibility of jumping on a Eurostar at Kings Cross St Pancras on a Friday afternoon and waking up in Berlin the following morning, breakfast included. Continue reading...

Hard-line coalition vows to legalise dozens of illegally built outposts and annex the occupied territoryBenjamin Netanyahu’s incoming hard-line government put West Bank settlement expansion at the top of its list of priorities on Wednesday, vowing to legalise dozens of illegally built outposts and annex the occupied territory as part of its coalition deal with its ultranational allies.The coalition agreements, released a day before the government is to be sworn into office, also included language endorsing discrimination against LGBTQ+ people on religious grounds, as well as generous stipends for ultra-Orthodox men who prefer to study instead of work. Continue reading...

Public Health Scotland says it is aware of seven deaths of people with strep A between 3 October and 25 DecemberTwo children under 10 in Scotland have died with strep A infections since 3 October, Public Health Scotland has said.The organisation said it was aware of seven deaths among invasive group A streptococcal infections (iGAS) cases between 3 October and 25 December. Continue reading...

Security council’s rare display of unity adds pressure after most aid groups in Afghanistan suspend servicesFaint hopes exist that the Taliban may relax its ban on all women working for the non-governmental aid agencies in Afghanistan after the UN security council condemned the ban in a rare show of unanimity.Almost all the large NGO aid agencies operating in Afghanistan have suspended almost all their work while talks continue to persuade the Taliban to rescind or clarify their decision. Tens of thousands of aid workers – many of them the chief breadwinners for the household – have been told to stay at home during the suspension, as the UN seeks to persuade the Taliban of the consequences for ordinary people in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Japan, India and Taiwan introduce measures to prevent influx of cases as experts say lack of data makes it difficult to assess riskVirologists are watching nervously to see how China’s abrupt decision to drop some of its toughest Covid-19 restrictions, including scrapping quarantine rules for travellers, may affect variants and their global spread as some countries increase precautionary measures.China’s decision on Monday to drop quarantine for overseas visitors from 8 January has prompted concerns about the potential for new variants to spread beyond China’s borders. Japan and India are among the countries that have introduced measures to prevent an influx of cases.This article was amended on 28 December 2022. Airfinity estimates there are more than 5,000 deaths a day in China, rather than new cases as an earlier version said Continue reading...

Deaths and divorces of major collectors fuel record £14.3bn in sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and PhillipsThe world’s biggest auction houses are celebrating record-breaking revenues this year after the deaths or divorces of art-collecting billionaires led to a series of blockbuster sales.In total, the three big auction houses – Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips – sold £14.3bn worth of art and other collectibles in 2022. Continue reading...

Labour mayor for North of Tyne, Jamie Driscoll, adds it will not reverse 12 years of austerity under ToriesA £1.4bn devolution deal for north-east England could be “transformational” for the region but would not reverse 12 years of austerity, the frontrunner to be the region’s first mayor has said.Jamie Driscoll, the Labour mayor for the North of Tyne region, said he did “cartwheels down the street” when the levelling up secretary, Michael Gove, confirmed the new combined authority would receive £48m a year plus powers over transport and skills. Continue reading...

Advocates welcome ‘significant’ number of releases but raise questions over ‘bizarre’ process

US government says it will look into why the company’s recovery from winter storm chaos lags behind other carriersSouthwest Airlines scrubbed thousands of flights again on Tuesday in the aftermath of the massive winter storm that wrecked Christmas travel plans across the US, and the federal government said it would investigate why the company lagged so far behind other carriers.A day after most US airlines had recovered from the storm, Southwest called off about 2,600 more flights on the east coast by late afternoon. Those flights accounted for more than 80% of the 3,000 trips that got canceled nationwide on Tuesday, according to tracking service FlightAware. Continue reading...

Declassified documents suggest Johnson believed in 1996 that Britain could crush the IRABoris Johnson urged a “hard egg” approach to the Northern Ireland peace process in 1996 in the belief Britain could crush the IRA, according to declassified documents.The then deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph favoured a security-led policy over political talks that led two years later to the Good Friday agreement. Continue reading...

Collaborator Rory Bremner pays tribute to Bird, calling him ‘one of our greatest satirists’The actor and comedian John Bird has died aged 86, his representatives have said.Bird became known for sketches performed alongside John Fortune and Rory Bremner in Channel 4’s satirical show Bremner, Bird and Fortune. The show ran for 16 series, as well as one-off specials, between 1999 and 2008. Continue reading...

Many people trapped in vehicles after pile-up on Zhengxin Huanghe Bridge in ZhengzhouOne person has been killed after more than 200 vehicles were involved in a pile-up on a bridge in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou in heavy fog, according to rescuers and the CCTV state broadcaster.Cars and trucks could been seen crumpled and piled on top of each other on the Zhengxin Huanghe Bridge in pictures and videos posted on social media. One car was jack-knifed in the middle of a pile in a picture taken from CCTV footage. Continue reading...

Poor pay and working conditions are main reasons for wanting to find other work, says BMAFour in 10 junior doctors are actively planning to quit the NHS as soon as they can find another job, according to a survey by the British Medical Association.The survey, released as part of the BMA chair of council Prof Philip Banfield’s new year message, found poor pay and working conditions were among the main reasons for junior doctors wanting to leave. Continue reading...

Post-Christmas passengers affected, while driving examiners at 71 test centres begin five-day strike

Cheryl Scanlon says youth crime is ‘complex’ while police minister says number of young people denied bail is proof of tough stance

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‘We’re going to succeed with the referendum,’ Noel Pearson tells crowd ahead of 2023 vote

Man and two women assist police with inquiries after woman found in front yard of Werribee South home

Scottish police watchdog investigating incident in which man died on Boxing DayA 62-year-old man has died after being hit by a police car in Scotland on Boxing Day.Investigators are appealing for witnesses after the accident in Livingston, West Lothian. The victim was taken by ambulance to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh but was pronounced dead a short time later. Continue reading...

Victim taken to hospital early on Tuesday after shooting near party in north London suburbA 24-year-old woman was in a serious condition in hospital on Tuesday after being shot near a party in Tottenham, north London.Police officers attended the scene at the junction of West Green Road and Grove Park Road at 6.28am on Tuesday following reports that someone had been shot. Continue reading...

Party insiders say manifesto was made up of fresh Starmer ideas and Corbyn-era commitmentsLabour drew up plans to govern in case of a snap election while Boris Johnson was struggling to thwart a mutiny by his own MPs over summer, party insiders have revealed.The “oven-ready” policies were a mixture of fresh commitments from Keir Starmer and ideas from the era of his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn. Sources said it was hoped it would appeal to the broadest base of voters possible and make Labour “the political wing of the British people”. Continue reading...