Dr Mathew Beattie and Sarah Rushbrooke had both been working out six-month notice periodsTwo directors have resigned from an ambulance service judged this week to be providing “inadequate” patient care.Dr Mathew Beattie, the medical director of North East ambulance service, left on Tuesday, a day before a damning report was published into the organisation’s failings. Continue reading...
Moves comes as missing Lancashire woman’s family make appeal to public for informationA timeline of the last known movements of the missing Lancashire woman Nicola Bulley has been released by police as her family made an appeal for information.Speaking to Sky News, her sister Louise Cunningham said: “Something has got to have been missed. Somebody must know something. People don’t just vanish into thin air.” Continue reading...
Action is latest move in bitter row between CWU union and company over pay and working conditionsAbout 115,000 postal workers at Royal Mail are to stage a 24-hour strike on 16 February in their continuing dispute with management over pay and conditions.The strike will affect all shifts for 24 hours from 12.30pm that day, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said. Continue reading...
David Holden, 53, convicted 0f manslaughter of Aidan McAnespie, 23, who was killed at checkpoint in 1988A former soldier has been given a suspended sentence for killing a man at an army checkpoint in Northern Ireland more than 30 years ago.David Jonathan Holden, 53, was sentenced to three years at Belfast crown court, but the judge, Mr Justice O’Hara, suspended the term for three years. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#68F1Y)
Manchester United footballer, 21, was charged with attempted rape offence last yearThe Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood is no longer facing criminal proceedings over attempted rape after prosecutors dropped the case against him.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there was “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction” after key witnesses withdrew their cooperation from the investigation. Continue reading...
Risk to humans, though low, is of concern after at least 200 cases of infection in mammals detected worldwideAvian flu surveillance is being ramped up in the UK after the detection of at least 200 cases of infection in mammals.Public health experts say the risk of a jump to humans is still very low, but that this risk would be monitored through increased genomic surveillance and targeted testing of people who had been exposed to the virus. Concern was also sparked by a recent outbreak of avian flu at a mink farm in Spain and a mass mortality of seals in the Caspian sea that is possibly linked to the infection. Continue reading...
Car bomb killed 29 people in deadliest atrocity of Northern Ireland’s TroublesThe British government will hold an independent statutory inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing, the Northern Ireland secretary has announced.Chris Heaton-Harris told the House of Commons on Thursday that he intended to establish an inquiry into the atrocity that claimed 29 lives and injured 220 people on 15 August 1998, four months after the Good Friday agreement. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent on (#68EXR)
Muslim reporter Siddique Kappan had been charged under draconian anti-terrorism lawsIndian journalist Siddique Kappan, who was held in jail for two years without trial, has walked free after being granted bail in a case human rights groups alleged was politically motivated.Kappan, a Muslim journalist from the southern state of Kerala, was arrested in October 2020 as he was on his way to the northern state of Uttar Pradesh to report on the high-profile case of a Dalit girl who was gang-raped and later died. Continue reading...
Panahi says he will not eat until he is released, after lawyer successfully challenged his detentionOne of Iran’s most illustrious film-makers, Jafar Panahi, is on hunger strike in protest at his continued detention in Tehran’s Evin prison, his wife has said.The Cannes film festival award-winner and director of The White Balloon, The Circle and No Bears took the step after plans for his release were dashed, even though his lawyer had successfully challenged his detention. Continue reading...
Leaked memo forecasting Taiwan strait conflict in 2025 triggers debate about ‘undisciplined’ commentsA leaked memo from a US four-star general saying his “gut” told him the US would be at war with China in 2025 has prompted warnings about the danger of “undisciplined” predictions of a Taiwan strait conflict.The memo, by the head of the US Air Mobility Command (AMC), Gen Mike Minihan, was the latest prediction of a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan, which have ranged from 2022 to 2049. It has triggered a debate about US readiness, accusations of warmongering, and concerns about desensitising people to the real risk of invasion. Continue reading...
Debt collectors allegedly broke into homes to fit meters despite signs of children and vulnerable people living thereThe energy regulator has launched an investigation into British Gas after it emerged that agents working on its behalf ignored customers’ vulnerabilities.Ofgem said it would not “hesitate to take firm enforcement action” against the energy supplier after it was alleged that Arvato Financial Solutions, a company used by British Gas to pursue debts, had broken into homes to fit meters when there were signs that young children and people with disabilities lived in the property. Continue reading...
by Aubrey Allegretti Political correspondent on (#68ES3)
Head of FDA union criticises PM for ‘point blank’ refusing to say if he was aware of informal concernsRishi Sunak has been urged to “come clean” over whether he knew of informal concerns about Dominic Raab’s behaviour before appointing him, as an investigation into the deputy prime minister continues.Eleven weeks since the inquiry began looking into complaints from about two dozen civil servants across three government departments, pressure is growing on the prime minister to suspend Raab and reveal what he knew and when. Continue reading...
James Dyson and Tina Green, wife of Philip Green, among British business figures on register of overseas entitiesBillionaires and business figures including James Dyson and Tina Green own UK property via overseas companies, according to a new register aimed at improving transparency.The tycoons feature on a list that a Guardian investigation revealed last week includes the racing driver Lewis Hamilton, the Chinese government, a string of Gulf royals and at least 20 donors to the Tory party. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent on (#68ENS)
Deal expands Washington’s access to military bases close to Taiwan and the South China SeaThe Philippines has granted the United States expanded access to its military bases, greatly enhancing Washington’s presence in the region at a time of growing concern about Chinese aggression.Washington would be given access to four additional military bases in “strategic areas of the country”, without specifying the locations, the Philippines’ Department of National Defence said on Thursday in a statement. Continue reading...
An open letter, backed by opinion poll, urges the UK to restore aid budget on eve of a three-day ‘pilgrimage for peace’ in the east African countryThe British government’s financial support for Ukraine must not be at the cost of aid to other areas of the world in crisis, three faith-based charities have warned, on the eve of an unprecedented joint pilgrimage to South Sudan led by Pope Francis.The organisations are calling on the government to restore the 59% cut in the UK’s aid budget to South Sudan, and invest in peacebuilding, conflict management and reconciliation. Continue reading...
People from Niger delta areas of Ogale and Bille seeking justice in London’s high courtNearly 14,000 people from two Nigerian communities are seeking justice in the high court in London against the fossil fuel giant Shell, claiming it is responsible for devastating pollution of their water sources and destruction of their way of life.The individuals from the Niger delta area of Ogale, a farming community, lodged their claims last week, joining more than 2,000 people from the Bille area, a largely fishing community. In total 13,652 claims from individuals, and from churches and schools, are asking the oil giant to clean up the pollution which they say has devastated their communities. They are also asking for compensation for the resulting loss of their livelihoods. Their ability to farm and fish has been destroyed by the continuing oil spills from Shell operations, they claim. Continue reading...
Advisers argue he has made progress, but the new intake are frustrated and voters believe he is ‘out of touch’Rishi Sunak has now survived 100 days as prime minister – a pretty small feat by historical standards but twice the length of his predecessor’s term. But the circumstances he inherited – the lack of mandate, plummeting polls and an economy in freefall – have deeply constrained what he is able to do with his time in office.Inside No 10, key advisers argue that Sunak has already made significant progress, that the economy is starting to recover, that he has set out a clear stall with five pledges on inflation, national debt, the economy, immigration and the NHS, and that he has largely taken the Tory party infighting off the front pages. Continue reading...
by Zeinab Mohammed Salih in Khartoum and Jason Burke on (#68EKR)
Russian fighters clash with rebels as Kremlin tries to extend power in mineral rich countryRussian mercenaries from the Wagner Group have sustained heavy casualties in a new surge of fighting between government troops and rebels over the control of lucrative goldmines in Central African Republic (CAR).The clashes come amid increasing instability in the anarchic, resource-rich country, which in recent years has become one of Russia’s main hubs of influence in sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading...
by Charley Piringi in Honiara, and Reuters on (#68EFZ)
Move comes amid concerns about Beijing’s military ambitions in Indo-Pacific region after it struck a security pact with Solomons last yearThe United States has opened an embassy in Solomon Islands after a 30-year absence as it seeks to boost diplomatic relations in the Pacific as a counter to China.The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, announced the news late on Wednesday, saying that “more than any other part of the world, the Indo-Pacific region – including the Pacific Islands – will shape the world’s trajectory in the 21st century”. Continue reading...
Israeli army confirms ‘striking in the Gaza Strip’ early on Thursday, hours after it said it intercepted a rocket fired from the Palestinian territoryIsrael conducted airstrikes on the central Gaza Strip early on Thursday, according to journalists and witnesses, hours after the military said it intercepted a rocket fired from the Palestinian territory.New rounds of rockets were fired from Gaza after these strikes, and fresh explosions could be heard from Gaza City at about 3.15am local time, Agence France-Presse journalists reported. Continue reading...
Oleksii Reznikov said that as many as 500,000 troops may have been mobilised by Russia as he calls for more weapons to be sent to UkraineRussia is planning a major offensive to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, according to the country’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov.Speaking to French media, Reznikov warned that Russia would call on a large contingent of mobilised troops. Referring to Russia’s general mobilisation of 300,000 conscripted soldiers in September last year, he claimed that numbers at the border suggest the true size could be closer to 500,000. Continue reading...
Authorities claim animals in the zoo in city of Chilpancingo were sold, traded or eaten under orders of former directorThe former director of a zoo in southern Mexico killed four of the zoo’s pygmy goats and served them up at a Christmas-season party, authorities have alleged.“These four animals [were] slaughtered and cooked on the zoo’s premises, and were served as food at the year-end party,” said Fernando Ruiz Gutierrez, the state environment department’s director of wildlife, blaming the zoo’s director at the time, José Rubén Nava. “This put the health of the people who ate them at risk, because these animals were not fit for human consumption.” Continue reading...
Regime chief says military will always be country’s ‘guardian’ regardless of who is in power, as streets empty on anniversary of army takeoverMyanmar’s military regime has announced an extension to its state of emergency, effectively delaying elections the junta had pledged to hold by August, as it battles anti-coup fighters across the country.The junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, acknowledged that more than a third of townships were not under full military control, in comments reported by state media on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Race equality task force also proposes mandatory ethnicity pay gap reportingBlack-led businesses could be given more support to procure lucrative government contracts by a future Labour government as the party refines its offer to ethnic minority voters ahead of the next election.Labour’s race equality task force, led by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, hopes to ensure that black-led groups get the chance to access a fair share of the billions of pounds paid out each year through government contracts, according to The Voice newspaper. Continue reading...
by Léonie Chao-Fong, Martin Belam and Helen Sullivan on (#68DBA)
Ben Wallace says UK has not made a ‘solid decision’ not to send fighter jets but Downing Street appeared to rule it out as not ‘practical’. This live blog is closed
Inter-American Court of Human Rights concludes state allowed eradication of 6,000 Patriotic Union party members in 1980sColombia has pledged to pay reparations to victims after the inter-American court of human rights (IACHR) concluded the state allowed the systematic extermination of the leftwing Patriotic Union (UP) party in the 1980s and 90s.The UP was a political party created out of a peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Farc) guerrillas in 1985 but 6,000 of its members were wiped out by rightwing paramilitaries, narcos and the Colombian military. Continue reading...
Death of Jaden Matthew Francois-Esprit led to review of service that found it to be ‘institutionally racist’The head of the London fire brigade has personally apologised to the mother of a black firefighter whose suicide triggered a review of the service and found it to be “institutionally misogynist and racist”.The review by Nazir Afzal, involving testimonies from 2,000 members of staff, found “dangerous levels of ingrained prejudice against women” and that people of colour were “frequently the target of racist abuse”, and it made 23 recommendations to the service.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey, Lisa O'Carroll, Pippa Crerar and Jen on (#68DXK)
UK officials in flurry of diplomacy seeking agreement with EU over protocol, but play down talk that deal is closeRishi Sunak is considering a trip to visit Joe Biden in the US as talks between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland protocol intensify.The prime minister’s officials are drawing up plans for him to travel to Washington in the coming weeks to discuss a range of topics, including Ukraine, economic security and technology. Continue reading...
Unions say move would be ‘betrayal’ amid talks with UK government over potential £300m in financial supportBritish Steel is considering cutting up to 1,200 jobs at its steelworks in Scunthorpe in a move that unions said would be a “betrayal” of workers amid talks with the UK government over a potential £300m in financial support.Executives at the Chinese-owned company told union leaders they were considering closing coke ovens at the plant and making hundreds more cuts across its operations at a meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The Unite union said up to 1,200 jobs were at risk. Continue reading...
UK public warned of ‘significant disruption’ from strikes involving teachers, civil servants, Border Force staff and train driversKevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, speaking from a teachers’ picket line in Warwick, said:I think Gillian Keegan [the education secretary] is hoping our strike is ineffective and people won’t do it again. Continue reading...