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Police searching for driver of vehicle after four people were taken to hospital and two treated at sceneSix people have been injured after being hit by a car in north London on Sunday, police have said.Officers are searching for the driver of the vehicle after four people were taken to hospital and two were treated at the scene. None of the six was thought to have life-threatening injuries. Continue reading...

Power ministry reports second ‘major breakdown’ of grid in last three monthsTens of millions of people in Pakistan have been left without electricity as the power ministry reported a second “major breakdown” of the national grid in three months.Factories, hospitals and schools across the country were without power for hours on Monday after a voltage fluctuation in the grid occurred between the cities of Jamshoro and Dadu in southern Sindh province, power minister Khurram Dastgir said. Continue reading...

Museum of London Docklands appeals for missing pieces whose influential creators have been overlookedWanted: David Bowie’s dress, Greta Garbo’s hats and the shirts worn by Sean Connery in his first role as James Bond.They are iconic items of 20th-century clothing – but their whereabouts is unknown. Now the Museum of London Docklands has made a public appeal for help locating these and other garments before a big exhibition scheduled for later this year. Continue reading...

Alarm raised on Sunday after man went missing from offshore installation south-east of AberdeenRescuers are searching for a man missing from an offshore installation off the coast of Scotland.The operation was launched after the alarm was raised at about 9pm on Sunday. Continue reading...

Ofgem could look to take legal action if companies are not taking proper care of vulnerable householdsEnergy companies are to be investigated by the regulator Ofgem after the number of households struggling with their bills being forced on to prepayment meters has increased sharply.Ofgem could consider taking legal action if it determines that the rise in the number of homes being forced on to prepayment meters is proven to show companies are not taking proper due care of vulnerable households. Continue reading...

Exclusive: NHS England data show 4.6m or so women still unscreened or behind with tests, for disease diagnosed in 3,200 annually in UKRecord numbers of women are not being screened for cervical cancer, official figures show, as a leading charity urged ministers to commit to eliminating the disease.Cervical cancer is the 14th most common cancer among women in the UK. About 3,200 women are diagnosed with it each year, of whom more than a quarter die. Continue reading...

Chris Hipkins promises a ‘solid’ government that will focus on bread-and-butter issues, in the wake of the international stardom of Jacinda ArdernJacinda Ardern has a natural presence most politicians would sacrifice a kidney for.She spoke like a normal person most of the time, but could switch into moving rhetoric at the exact points it was needed – like when a terrorist carried out a mass murder, a global pandemic shut the world down, or at a normal old election rally. Continue reading...

Folk-rock pioneer ‘writing, playing, singing his ass off and preparing a fantastic show’ in his final days, says guitarist Steve PostellDavid Crosby was working on a new album and planning to tour again until the day he died, according to musicians who worked with the folk-rock pioneer in his final days.The founding member of the Byrds, and Crosby, Stills and Nash died last week at the age of 81. But other artists who were working with Crosby on new music told Variety that his death had came as a shock, as he’d been rehearsing for a new tour and “seemed practically giddy” about new songs he was working on. Continue reading...

French law enforcement facing renewed accusations of excessive force in aftermath of widespread protests against pension reformDoctors had to amputate the testicle of a young man who got clubbed in the groin by a police officer during demonstrations in Paris last week, according the man’s lawyer.Images and footage from Thursday’s demonstrations circulating online show a policeman hitting a man on the ground between the legs, and then leaving. The man is seen holding a camera. Continue reading...

Annalena Baerbock makes clearest signal yet that European allies could deliver German-made hardwareGermany would not “stand in the way” of Poland sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine, foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has said, in what appeared to be the clearest signal yet from Berlin that European allies could deliver the German-made hardware.Asked in an interview with French television station LCI what would happen if Poland sent its Leopard 2 tanks without German approval, Baerbock replied through a translator: “For the moment the question has not been asked, but if we were asked we would not stand in the way.” Continue reading...

Angela Rayner says Rishi Sunak should come clean about any concerns raised with No 10 about ex-chancellor and HMRC penaltyNadhim Zahawi’s political future appeared under increasing threat on Sunday night, after Labour pushed hard for answers about his tax issues and government colleagues offered little support for his plight.After a weekend dominated by questions over the Conservative party chair’s tax position, Labour signalled its intention to pin the controversy on to Rishi Sunak, demanding the prime minister explain if he knew about the issue when he appointed Zahawi to his cabinet. Continue reading...

Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa urges world to keep ‘eyes on’ President Mnangagwa amid fears of repression this summerThe leader of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party has warned of violence and repression by the ruling Zanu-PF party to ensure victory in elections scheduled for later this year.In an interview with the Observer, Nelson Chamisa, president of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), called on the international community to have “eyes on” the struggling southern African country despite other crises around the world and to “offer solidarity” to those fighting for change there. Continue reading...

Move follows bishops’ refusal to back gay marriage while blessings to be on voluntary basis for clergySandi Toksvig has said she will be meeting the archbishop of Canterbury for coffee, after bishops this week refused to back gay marriage but said civil partnerships could be blessed in church.“Quick update – I will be meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury for a long promised coffee next week,” the broadcaster and author, who is gay, tweeted on Saturday. Continue reading...

Businesswoman one of four people charged after investigation into trafficking and immigration offencesStagecoach co-founder Dame Ann Gloag has said she “strongly disputes the malicious allegations” made against her after being charged with human trafficking offences.Her husband, David McCleary, and two other members of their family – understood to be her stepdaughter and daughter-in-law, Sarah Gloag, 47, and her son-in-law, Paul McNeil – have also been charged. Continue reading...

Reports Richard Sharp helped ex-PM arrange guarantee on £800,000 loan before he was recommended for jobLabour is calling for an investigation after claims that the BBC chair helped Boris Johnson arrange a guarantee on a loan of up to £800,000 weeks before he was recommended for the job by the then prime minister.The party has written to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg, after a report in the Sunday Times that Tory donor Richard Sharp was involved in talks about financing Johnson when he found himself in financial difficulty in late 2020. Continue reading...

The 58-year-old man was treated in hospital after the incident, which took place on 4 February last year

Tarik Namik fled UK before sentencing in December but detained after returning to Manchester airportThe head of a Kurdish people-smuggling ring has been arrested after going on the run before his sentencing, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.Tarik Namik, 45, from Oldham, failed to show up at Manchester crown court and was given an eight-year jail term in his absence on 9 December. Continue reading...

Report finds force missed opportunities to protect Sana Muhammed, who was shot with crossbowThe Metropolitan police is facing renewed criticism after a report found that officers missed opportunities to protect a woman from her ex-husband in the years before he killed her with a crossbow.Sana Muhammad, 35, was eight months pregnant when Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo burst into her home in east London and shot an arrow into her stomach as she tried to flee. Continue reading...

Call for inquiry after Observer investigation uncovers scale of trafficking by criminal gangsDozens of asylum-seeking children have been kidnapped by gangs from a Brighton hotel run by the Home Office in a pattern apparently being repeated across the south coast, an Observer investigation can reveal.A whistleblower, who works for Home Office contractor Mitie, and child protection sources describe children being abducted off the street outside the hotel and bundled into cars. Continue reading...

Announcement from Russian army follows heavy shelling in the region overnight. This blog is now closed

The four-legged clothing market is soaring as designers create outfits for their faithful friends and the high street follows suitThere are Gucci hats made in Italy from pink bouclé wool, Celine travel bags with calfskin trim and a (waste bag) purse studded with gold spikes. But these are not just any designer fashion items … they’re created for clients with four legs and a tail.In the past year, numerous fashion houses have launched ranges for pets, including Gucci, Celine, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss and Christian Louboutin. Dolly Parton also launched her own line of dog clothes in 2022, with the name Doggy Parton. Continue reading...

A plan from Czech railways to replace the emblematic landmark with a modern structure is facing an impassioned backlashA historic Prague railway bridge, whose importance to the city’s landscape has been compared to the Eiffel tower in Paris, has been earmarked for demolition in a move denounced by architects and preservationists.The much-photographed Vyšehrad bridge – instantly recognisable for its parabolic lattice steel structure – is unfit to carry an anticipated rising volume of rail traffic, claims Czech Railways, which plans to replace it with a modern structure. Continue reading...

Actor thanks people for messages of support since he was run over by six-tonne machine earlier this monthThe actor Jeremy Renner has revealed he broke more than 30 bones during his serious snowplough accident.Renner, known for playing the bow and arrow-wielding Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries on 1 January after he was accidentally run over by his six-tonne ploughing machine while trying to help a family member. Continue reading...

Marine and Wildlife Rescue called to scene at 11pm on Friday and tracked down seal outside amusement arcadeA seal pup has been rescued after it was spotted wandering past an arcade and kebab shop in Norfolk.Marine and Wildlife Rescue was called to the scene at 11pm on Friday after the organisation was sent pictures of the grey seal pup outside Istanbul Delight kebab shop in Hemsby, hundreds of metres inland. Continue reading...

Lawyer for award-winning director says court of appeal expected to decide on case by end of weekIran’s judiciary is to rule on whether to release the film-maker Jafar Panahi on bail after his conviction was overturned by the supreme court, his lawyer said.Panahi, 62, who has won a number of awards at European film festivals, was arrested on 11 July last year and sent to jail to serve a six-year sentence which had been handed down in 2010 for “propaganda against the system”. He served two months at the time before being granted a conditional release. He was also barred from leaving Iran and making films, and was largely confined to his home until his arrest in July. Continue reading...

The prime minister and the chancellor have been trying to tickle Britain’s pixels, with decidedly mixed resultsFinding someone who can read out loud in front of a camera is not as easy as it sounds, as any TV executive will tell you.Even so, the young, TikTok-savvy, lens-aware advisers to Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt must be wondering why their bosses find it quite so difficult. Continue reading...

Country’s president mourns interior minister, his deputy and five other senior officials who diedA tearful Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended a memorial service on Saturday for seven senior interior ministry officials killed in a helicopter crash this week.The former interior minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy and five other high-ranking officials were killed when their French-made Super Puma helicopter crashed into a nursery on the eastern outskirts of Kyiv in foggy conditions on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Comments follow reports that Tory party chair paid HMRC a penalty as part of a multimillion-pound tax settlementThe Tory party chair, Nadhim Zahawi, has said HMRC concluded his tax errors were “careless and not deliberate” after reports that he paid a penalty as part of a multimillion-pound settlement.The former chancellor, who still attends Rishi Sunak’s cabinet, released a statement to “address some of the confusion about my finances” after it emerged he had agreed to pay millions to the tax agency in December. Continue reading...

A Kenyan DJ’s post of being denied transit through Amsterdam has put the spotlight on airlines’ alleged racist policiesEmma Nzioka, a Kenyan performer and DJ known as Coco Em, was looking forward to the Terra Sagrada festival in Cape Verde for nearly a year. Some of her favourite African artists, such as Boddhi Satva, would be playing.But Nzioka did not make it to the festival last month, or out of the country, for that matter. At the check-in counter in Kenya, she was told she could not board her flight unless she bought a return ticket with the same airline (she had one with another airline) to “prove” she would return home. Although Nzioka was going to Cape Verde, she was transiting through Amsterdam. Continue reading...

Party member lodges a complaint about the security services ignoring attempt of Russian infiltration into the ConservativesMI5 repeatedly refused to investigate evidence that an alleged Russian spy was attempting to cultivate influence with senior Conservative politicians and channel illegal Russian funds into the party, a Tory member has alleged in a new complaint lodged with the investigatory powers tribunal (IPT).Sergei Cristo, a Conservative party activist and a former journalist with the BBC World Service, has lodged a complaint with the investigatory powers tribunal, filing the case after corresponding with the chair of parliament’s intelligence and security committee, Conservative MP Julian Lewis, who recommended he take the information to the authorities. Continue reading...

Wife of Leicester City footballer posts picture on Instagram praising ‘brilliant’ Lincolnshire fire serviceA gym at the home of Rebekah and Jamie Vardy has been destroyed by fire.The wife of the Leicester City footballer posted a picture on Instagram of two of her children smiling at the camera having climbed inside a fire engine as she praised the “brilliant Lincolnshire fire and rescue service”. Continue reading...

Security forces stage rescue operation in country which is facing violent Islamist insurgencySixty-six women and children kidnapped by armed assailants in northern Burkina Faso last week have been freed, it has been reported.The mass kidnapping was unprecedented in Burkina Faso, which is facing a violent Islamist insurgency that spread from neighbouring Mali in 2015. Continue reading...

The brief encounters between an actor and an interviewer have been compared to Austen’s novels and Hollywood’s golden ageHe’s a Hollywood A-lister, recently named a man of the year and routinely included among the sexiest alive. She is an awkward art-school graduate who has his shirtless photo as the wallpaper on her phone. And they just can’t seem to stop running into each other.The television personality Amelia Dimoldenberg and the actor Andrew Garfield have been hailed as a real-life romcom in the making for their brief but memorable – and, now, heavily hyped – encounters at awards shows. Continue reading...

Angela Rayner calls for explanation after it emerged former chancellor paid 30% penalty to settle tax billNadhim Zahawi’s position as Conservative party chair is “untenable” after reports he paid a penalty as part of a seven-figure tax settlement, Labour has said.The former chancellor, who attends cabinet meetings, has faced pressure in parliament and the media after it emerged he agreed to pay millions to HMRC in December after a settlement with the tax agency. Continue reading...

Deputy prime minister says leader’s apology for not wearing seatbelt shows integrity and accountabilityDominic Raab has said the prime minister should not have to resign after receiving a fine for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car.The deputy prime minister said Rishi Sunak had the “highest standards of integrity” and had shown “accountability” by apologising for not wearing his seatbelt, which resulted in the police issuing a fixed-penalty notice – his second in nine months after his Covid lockdown breach. Continue reading...

Amanda Pritchard says ongoing action over pay is having impact but parties are trying to resolve disputeRepeated strikes by health staff are making workloads more challenging, the chief executive of NHS England has said.Amanda Pritchard said the strike action was “clearly having an impact”. Continue reading...

Lifeguards close Shelly and Manly beaches after attack by multiple bull sharks

Prime minister holds talks with Microsoft founder on climate change, energy and health. This blog is now closed

Culture minister’s attack on two documentaries set in Palestinian territories part of campaign to silence dissent, film-makers sayIsrael’s culture minister is attempting to revoke state funding from two documentary films dealing with the occupation of the Palestinian territories, increasing concerns that the country’s new hard-right government will follow through on promises to crack down on dissenting voices.The minister, Miki Zohar, of Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, has pledged to “revoke funding that promotes our enemy’s narrative” and withhold grants from films that “present Israeli soldiers as murderers”. He has also said he will require film-makers to sign a declaration they will not use state funds to create content that “harms the state of Israel or IDF soldiers”. Continue reading...

Police in Lima use teargas on demonstrators, with authorities claiming massive fire at historic building was ‘duly planned’Dozens of Peruvians were injured when tensions flared again on Friday night as police clashed with protesters in anti-government demonstrations that are spreading across the country.In the capital, Lima, police officers used teargas to repel demonstrators throwing glass bottles and stones, as fires burned in the streets, TV footage showed. Continue reading...

Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia adjust policies

Beale was ordered to surrender his passport, not contact witnesses and to report to police daily after appearing in Parramatta local court

Russia claims to have captured village near Bakhmut; Germany declines to take decision on supplying Ukraine with tanks

Former Australian Test captain and Yarbrough fined with public nuisanceFormer Australian Test captain Michael Clarke and his girlfriend have been fined after their public spat in Noosa.Vision emerged on Wednesday of an expletive-laden argument with Clarke, partner Jade Yarbrough and her brother-in-law, Karl Stefanovic.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Move comes after country’s minister for Indigenous people says issue is an ‘absolute priority’Brazil’s first-ever minister for Indigenous peoples, Sônia Guajajara, has vowed to make tackling the humanitarian crisis plaguing the country’s largest Indigenous territory “an absolute priority”, as she prepared to fly into the region with the new president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.Under the former president, Jair Bolsonaro, thousands of illegal gold miners poured into the Yanomami enclave in the Amazon, bringing violence, pollution and a healthcare calamity captured in a recent series of photographs of severely malnourished children and adults. Continue reading...

Minister selected by Labour party to succeed Jacinda Ardern after her shock resignation on ThursdayA new prime minister for New Zealand has been chosen by the Labour party after the shock resignation of Jacinda Ardern on Thursday.Chris Hipkins – the minister for education and policing, and one of the primary architects of the Covid response – was nominated uncontested by the party caucus on Saturday morning, after efforts by senior MPs to achieve consensus and secure a smooth transition in Ardern’s wake. The caucus is due to formally endorse his selection on Sunday. Continue reading...

Radical reforms needed to tackle waiting times, says former health secretaryPatients should be charged for GP appointments and A&E visits, Sajid Javid has said, as he called the present model of the NHS “unsustainable”.The former health secretary said “extending the contributory principle” should be part of radical reforms to tackle growing waiting times. Continue reading...

St James’s hospital declares critical incident after suspicious package found outside Gledhow wingA 27-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence after he was allegedly seen with a suspected firearm and a suspicious package at a hospital’s maternity wing in Leeds.Police ordered a partial evacuation of the Gledhow wing at St James’s hospital after the suspect was detained at about 5am on Friday. Continue reading...

Kyiv hopes western tanks could provide tactical breakthrough; dozens die in Dnipro attack; Germany gets a new defence minister

Poland says lives will be lost because of Berlin’s inaction, as summit breaks up without progress over Leopard 2sGermany has declined to take a decision on whether to give Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine at a special international summit, prompting frustration in Kyiv and a warning from Poland that lives could be lost because of hesitation in Berlin.It had been hoped in Europe and the US that Germany would at least allow Leopards owned by countries such as Poland and Finland to be re-exported, but despite days of pleading, Berlin’s newly appointed defence minister said no final decision had been taken. Continue reading...