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Unclear who has legal responsibility for children placed in hotels, after dozens abducted from street in Brighton and HoveMinisters have been accused of a “dereliction of duty” over their failure to find 76 child asylum seekers who have gone missing from a Brighton hotel managed by the Home Office.The accusation came during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday after an Observer investigation that cited child protection sources and a whistleblower working for a Home Office contractor, who described how youngsters had been abducted off the street outside the Brighton hotel and bundled into cars. Continue reading...

Legal action being considered after report highlights failings that allowed Jordan McSweeney to kill London womanThe family of Zara Aleena are considering taking legal action over the disastrous failings that led to her murder by a recently released prisoner, the Guardian has been told.It follows an official report that found Jordan McSweeney, 29, who murdered the aspiring lawyer in June 2022, should have been assessed by probation officers as a high-risk offender, but was classed as posing a medium risk when he was released part way through a sentence. Continue reading...

Private member’s bill from Bob Seely would enable courts in England and Wales to penalise wealthy figures using vexatious litigation known as SlappsMinisters are being urged to back a private member’s bill designed to penalise wealthy public figures who exploit the court system for “legalised intimidation” of investigative journalists, campaigners and watchdogs.The bill, put forward by Conservative MP Bob Seely on Tuesday, is intended to put pressure on the government to move forward with its own promised legislation to tackle vexatious legal claims designed to silence debate on issues of public interest, known as strategic lawsuits against public participation, or Slapps. Continue reading...

PM’s decision to order an inquiry fails to limit the fallout from Tory chair’s opaque dealings with HMRC

Planning committee to discuss fears project will blight area with light and noise pollutionIt is a giant, globe-shaped music venue that has been described as a “monstrosity”, a “glowing orb” and an “eyesore”.But now the MSG Sphere, a new concert hall planned for Stratford in east London – which would be as wide as the London Eye and as tall as Big Ben – could soon move a step closer to reality. Continue reading...

Downing Street spokesperson also says inquiry into former chancellor’s affairs to be ‘conducted swiftly’There are two urgent questions in the Commons later. At 12.30pm Caroline Lucas (Green) is asking one about the child asylum seekers who have gone missing from hotel accommodation provided by the Home Office, and that will be followed by Ben Bradshaw (Lab) asking one about the Church of England’s stance on equal marriage.After those are over Damian Hinds, the justice minister, will deliver a statement about the probation inspectorate. Continue reading...

Fears security agencies may have been involved in shooting of Thulani Maseko in his home on SaturdayAuthorities in Eswatini have promised a full investigation of the murder of a leading pro-democracy activist amid widespread fears that state security agencies may have been involved.Thulani Maseko, chairperson of a coalition of pro-democracy groups, was shot dead at his home in Luyengo, about 45km from the capital, Mbabane, on Saturday. Continue reading...

Strong showing for Irish actors and directors, with one film, Banshees of Inisherin, up for nine awardsIreland has scooped a record 14 Oscar nominations, prompting jokes that the ceremony should be relocated from Los Angeles to Dublin.Martin McDonagh’s film The Banshees of Inisherin got nine nods, Paul Mescal was nominated best actor for Aftersun, and The Quiet Girl made history by becoming the first Irish-language film to be nominated in the best international feature film category. Continue reading...

Simon Thompson has been summoned back over accuracy of evidence he gave to committee

Owner ABF says its grocery brands such as Twinings and Kingsmill also increased tradingStrong sales of heels, baggy suits and knitwear propelled Primark’s sales ahead of expectations over Christmas as shoppers returned to city centres and consumer spending was more resilient than anticipated.Sales at the cut-price fashion chain’s established stores rose by 11% in the four months to 17 January, compared with the same period a year before, as the owner, Associated British Foods (ABF), said it had sold more items of clothing while prices had also risen by about 8%. Continue reading...

Andrew Malkinson’s case sent to court of appeal after DNA breakthroughA man has been arrested on suspicion of committing a rape for which another man served 17 years in prison.Andrew Malkinson was convicted of raping a 33-year-old woman by a motorway in Greater Manchester in 2003. The case is being sent back to the court of appeal after a DNA breakthrough. Continue reading...

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon last seen on 7 January in east London after buying tent and beddingPolice are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a newborn baby whose parents officers believe are sleeping rough in freezing temperatures.The missing aristocrat Constance Marten and her boyfriend, Mark Gordon, a convicted sex offender, were last seen more than a fortnight ago in east London after buying a tent and bedding. Detectives fear their baby has been exposed to the sub-zero temperatures and has received no medical attention since birth in early January. Continue reading...

Tottenham street renamed La Rose Lane after consultation has been defaced with spray paintA street sign in Haringey has been vandalised less than 24 hours after the road was renamed due to concerns over racist connotations.Black Boy Lane in Tottenham, north London, was officially renamed La Rose Lane on Monday after a consultation by Haringey council, which began in June 2020 in light of the Black Lives Matter protests the same year. Continue reading...

Documents seen by Open Democracy show UK firm got approval to engage with Wagner group founder Yevgeny PrigozhinBritish lawyers were given government dispensation to bypass sanctions in order to help Yevgeny Prigozhin, the controversial Russian businessman and Wagner group founder, sue a journalist, according to documents made available to the website Open Democracy.The documents concern a libel case brought by Prigozhin against Eliot Higgins, the founder of the investigative group Bellingcat, in 2021. The revelations will raise further questions about the abuse of UK libel law by the super-rich. Continue reading...

Spokesperson says they are delighted and that son August is ‘very much looking forward to being a big brother’Princess Eugenie, the Duke of York’s younger daughter, and her husband Jack Brooksbank are expecting their second child due in the summer, it has been announced.The couple, who have a son, August, released a photograph as the news was made public, with Buckingham Palace saying the royal family was “delighted”. Continue reading...

Caroline Nokes says party chair should let investigation take place as story has become a distraction

About 350 out of 900 seats normally left unsold on the first services between London, Paris and BrusselsPeak time Eurostar trains are daily forced to run across the Channel with hundreds of empty seats because border police cannot process passports quick enough.About 350 out of 900 seats are normally left unsold on the first services between London, Paris and Brussels despite “huge demand” for the greenest form of international travel, Eurostar bosses said. Continue reading...

German defence minister says he expects quick response, as application increases pressure on chancellor Olaf Scholz

Andrea Bonafede, 59, is accused of enabling Matteo Messina Denaro to live quiet life in Trapani provinceAn Italian man whose identity was taken by the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro while he was a fugitive has been arrested by prosecutors in Sicily.Andrea Bonafede, a 59-year-old Sicilian surveyor, described as “Denaro’s alter ego”, was charged on Monday for having helped the mobster avoid arrest and for protecting him while he was on the run. Continue reading...

Cost of labour in Britain up by 30% since referendum, double rise in some EU countries, research findsThe cost of materials and labour for construction have increased more steeply in the UK than the EU since the Brexit referendum, new research has found.Analysis of data from EU member states, the central EU database, Eurostat, and the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show that between 2015 and 2022 the cost of construction materials including cement, timber and steel increased by 60%. Continue reading...

Rail operator SNCF files legal complaint after fire at signals point brings all services to a haltThe French rail operator SNCF has filed a legal complaint over vandalism and arson after a fire broke out at a signals point, forcing Paris’s busy Gare de l’Est station to cancel all trains on Tuesday.The commuter station, which also serves long-distance trains to eastern France, Germany and Luxembourg, was brought to a standstill during early rush hour after an incident that was at first thought to be accidental. Continue reading...

The Brisbane-based firm lost $33m in the collapse of the global platform FTX but now aims to pay back customers over five years

Former prime minister warns of Russian ‘counter-punch’ and criticises US and Germany for tank delays

The government has created a model with ‘significant uncertainty’ around its future financial position, report says

Anthony Albanese also outlined $50m in funding and appointment of central Australian regional controller to coordinate law-and-order plan

Simon Murray says one girl and at least 13 under-16s among those missing after being placed in hotels run by Home OfficeTwo hundred asylum-seeking children who were placed in hotels run by the Home Office have gone missing, a minister has admitted.They include one girl and at least 13 children under the age of 16, the Home Office minister Simon Murray told the House of Lords on Monday. Continue reading...

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Terry Carney, who says robodebt’s legal foundation was ‘completely missing’, was surprised to not be reappointed to tribunal

Ministers block proposal to make menopause a ‘protected characteristic’ under Equalities ActProposals to change UK legislation to protect the rights of women experiencing menopause have been in part rejected by the government due to fears such a move would discriminate against men.The cross-party women and equalities committee last July published a report focusing on menopause and the workplace, which included a recommendation to make menopause a “protected characteristic” under the Equalities Act. Continue reading...

Warmer conditions in north contrast with freezing fog and cold warnings in south of UKTemperatures will plunge to -9C across parts of southern England overnight, the Met Office said on Monday, with the freezing weather expected to last until the end of next week.Freezing fog will remain in some areas on Tuesday morning, as the cold snap shows no sign of abating. Continue reading...

Survivors of alleged abuses at hands of military unite in universal jurisdiction case over atrocities they say amount to genocideA criminal complaint against individuals linked to Myanmar’s military has been filed in Germany by survivors from ethnic groups across Myanmar, in what activists say is a show of unity that once seemed unthinkable.Sixteen survivors and witnesses of military abuses joined NGO Fortify Rights to file a criminal complaint with the federal public prosecutor general of Germany under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows the prosecution of mass atrocities in one country, even if they happened elsewhere. Continue reading...

Lawyers demand support from Australia for five victims of Khaled Sharrouf in test case for international law on torture survivorsFive Yazidi women held as slaves by an Islamic State fighter are appealing to the UN to intervene in their case for compensation in a move lawyers hope will help fix a “lawless” global system that is failing torture survivors.The women, captured in Iraq in 2014, were taken to Syria as slaves by IS fighters, including the Australian citizen Khaled Sharrouf, who was pictured standing next to his young son holding a severed human head. Continue reading...

Government called on to conduct pilot in public sector with employees working four-day week for same pay

The PM may struggle to sell solidarity to the public in light of revelations about tax affairs and ministerial accessAt the Conservative party conference in 2021, Nadhim Zahawi met a multimillionaire Canadian businessman who had spent his career in the education sector and, sources said, was interested in discussing it with the former education secretary.It was not an unusual meeting for party conference, where ministers regularly rub shoulders with lobbyists and campaigners in their various patches at events organised by the Tory party and by external groups, as well as in the bars and restaurants of grand hotels. Continue reading...

Ahead of coroner handing down findings into death of Veronica Nelson, her partner says she ‘shouldn’t have been in jail’

Exclusive: Australia’s foreign and defence ministers to join French counterparts for ‘2+2’ meeting, the first since relations cooled in 2021 over pact with US and UK

Deaths in the Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan due to kidney injury associated with contaminated medicines, the WHO saidThe World Health Organization has called for “immediate and concerted action” to protect children from contaminated medicines after a spate of child deaths linked to cough syrups last year.In 2022, more than 300 children - mainly aged under 5 - in the Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan died of acute kidney injury, in deaths that were associated with contaminated medicines, the WHO said in a statement on Monday. Continue reading...

Most praised New Zealand’s outgoing prime minister for her handling of crises, while others criticised her domestic policy recordJacinda Ardern’s legacy has divided reader opinion. While many described the outgoing New Zealand prime minister as “inspirational” and praised her ability to manage a crisis, some responses also revealed anger at her handling of the Covid response and criticism for failure to deliver on promises.Below is a selection of reader comments conveying the range of reactions when we asked the question: how will you remember Jacinda Ardern’s time as New Zealand PM. Continue reading...

Archbishops of Canterbury and York say ‘national care covenant’ needed with stronger role for stateEngland’s most senior church leaders want tax rises to fund a new NHS-style universal social care system that could cost an extra £15bn a year.In a challenge to the government to overhaul support for 1 million elderly and disabled people, the archbishops of Canterbury and York have called for a “national care covenant” with a stronger role for the state and citizens delivering more care. Continue reading...

Watchdog report uncovers series of failings in supervision of Jordan McSweeney, who murdered the law graduate last yearMinisters and the probation service have been accused of having “blood on their hands” after a watchdog uncovered failings which left a violent, woman-hating racist free to murder the law graduate Zara Aleena.Jordan McSweeney should have been seen by probation officers as a high-risk offender with a long history of misogynistic and racially aggravated incidents and recalled to prison after missing appointments, the chief inspector of probation, Justin Russell, said. Continue reading...

Richest have gained similar amount over same period, reflecting differing impacts of inflationThe UK’s least affluent households have almost £40 a month less spare cash than they did a year ago while the richest have gained a similar sum in the same period, according to figures exposing how inflation has hit the poorest the hardest.The wealthiest 20% of households had £36 a month more in discretionary income in December compared with a year before, as they enjoyed record earnings growth which offset rising energy and food bills, analysts at Retail Economics found. Continue reading...

Stalled progress on the city’s second safe-injecting facility is heaping pressure on community health professionals

Shadow foreign secretary to mark out diplomatic mission of a future Labour government in landmark speechLabour will make closer cooperation with Europe across security, trade and foreign policy a central plank of a plan to reconnect “a tarnished UK” with its closest allies, David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, will say in a landmark speech designed to mark out the diplomatic mission of a future Labour government.Addressing the thinktank Chatham House on Tuesday, he will say the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not been given a clear set of goals post-Brexit. “Ideological leadership and reckless choices have left Britain increasingly disconnected from its closest allies, an economy in crisis, and a tarnished international reputation.” Continue reading...

Police chief says Rubens Villar Coelho, whose nickname is Colômbia, ordered the murders of the British journalist and Brazilian Indigenous expertBrazilian police have named the alleged mastermind behind the murders of the British journalist Dom Phillips and the Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon last year.Rubens Villar Coelho, whose nickname is Colômbia, was first arrested on separate charges last July – one month after the two men were murdered in the Javari valley region of the Amazon. He was released in October but was rearrested last month for breaking his bail terms. Continue reading...

That former PM secretly secured a loan of up to £800k no surprise as financial reliance on others stretches back many yearsBoris Johnson is deeply protective of his personal life – but one thing almost universally acknowledged by those who know him is that he has a tricky relationship with money.It came as little surprise to them, therefore, that he was alleged to have secretly secured an up to £800,000 loan guarantee while prime minister. Continue reading...

Labour MP asks whether Zahawi statement in the summer was untrue, with Cabinet Office minister saying he does not know the answerNadhim Zahawi, the Conservative party chair, has welcomed the decision by Rishi Sunak to ask the No 10 ethics adviser to investigate his case. “I am confident I acted properly throughout,” Zahawi said.Zahawi seems to be using a narrow definition of “properly”. In the statement he issued yesterday, he accepted that his original decision not to pay the tax that HM Revenue and Customs subsequently concluded he should have paid was down to a careless error. He said:Following discussions with HMRC, they agreed that my father was entitled to founder shares in YouGov, though they disagreed about the exact allocation. They concluded that this was a ‘careless and not deliberate’ error.Integrity and accountability is really important to me and clearly in this case there are questions that need answering …That’s why the independent adviser has been asked to fully investigate this matter and provide advice to me on Nadhim Zahawi’s compliance with the ministerial code, and on the basis of that we’ll decide on the appropriate next steps. Continue reading...

Unite leader said joint action from nurses and ambulance staff on 6 February would be ‘very bad day for the NHS’Health union leaders have urged Rishi Sunak to resolve the deepening NHS pay dispute in the next two weeks to stop the biggest strike in the service’s history going ahead on 6 February.They made their plea as about 16,000 paramedics, call handlers and other ambulance staff in England held the latest stoppage on Monday in their campaign against ministers’ imposition of a below-inflation £1,400 pay rise. Continue reading...

Infrastructure deputy Vasyl Lozinskyi detained after allegedly siphoning money from winter aid budgetUkraine’s deputy infrastructure minister, Vasyl Lozinskyi, has been detained and dismissed from his post for allegedly stealing $400,000 (£320,000) intended for purchasing aid, including generators, according to Ukraine’s state anti-corruption detectives and prosecutors.After the news emerged, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, vowed that the old ways of corruption would not return to Ukraine.

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Trial begins in Brooklyn court for Genaro García Luna, who is accused of taking ‘millions of dollars of bribes’ to protect cartelThe trial of a former top Mexican law enforcement official got underway in a Brooklyn court on Monday, one of the most significant drug trafficking cases since the prosecution of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán more than four years ago.Genaro García Luna, who ran Mexico’s version of the FBI before being appointed to lead the country’s security ministry – and therefore its war on drug trafficking groups – is accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for granting protection to the violent Sinaloa cartel. Continue reading...