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Regulator fines TonyBet for imposing unfair terms on payouts, anti-money laundering failures and not checking for vulnerable customersAn online betting firm has been fined £442,750 for demanding ID from winning punters before it would give them the cash, while failing to carry out similar checks on potentially vulnerable people depositing money.The Gambling Commission punished TonyBet, which is based in Estonia but has a licence to operate in Great Britain, for imposing unfair terms and failures in anti-money laundering and social responsibility measures. Continue reading...

Union leaders call for ‘massive mobilisation’ to oppose latest attempt to overhaul pension systemFrance is braced for widespread chaos as unions and protesters call for a “Black Thursday” general strike this week against the government’s pension changes.The day of action will be the first major test of the public’s resolve to force President Emmanuel Macron to back down over plans to raise the official retirement age, and his minority government’s resolve to stand up to them. Union leaders have called for a “massive mobilisation”. Continue reading...

This online tool will help you discover what is contributing to your household’s cost of living increasesInflation is soaring in the UK as people are hit by higher prices for everyday essentials.Now in double digits, the latest inflation rate for the 12 months to December 2022 means that goods and services cost over 10.5% more than they did a year ago – in most cases, surpassing any pay rises workers can expect to receive. Continue reading...

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Second distress signal in a month for airline after Singapore to London flight made emergency landing in Azerbaijan in late December

Exclusive: Treasury sources say chancellor is resisting pressure from MPs who want taxes to start falling well before next electionJeremy Hunt is planning a “slimmed down” spring budget with no immediate tax cuts as the Conservatives press ahead with attempts to win back economic credibility after the damage inflicted by the Truss administration.Treasury insiders told the Guardian the chancellor was not expected to announce any tax cuts in his fiscal statement this March as his focus was wholly on getting the economy back on a steady footing and the public finances were tight. Continue reading...

Central station is replacing its messy, overflowing cycle parking facilities with a low-cost area that’s tucked away out of sightBeneath the clear waters and pleasure boats by Amsterdam central station is a remarkable feat of engineering: an underwater garage for 7,000 bicycles.The garage, which opens on 26 January, is the result of a four-year, €60m (£53m) project to clear heaps of rusty bikes left by hasty commuters and install rows of clean, safe parking spaces underground, where bikes can be left free for 24 hours and then at a cost of €1.35 per 24 hours. Continue reading...

Coalition accuses ALP of trying to ‘deliberately undermine’ public holiday by allowing government workers flexibility on 26 January

Actor was hospitalized after he was crushed by a snowplow while trying to clear driveway near his Nevada homeThe actor Jeremy Renner has returned home from hospital, as he recovers from an accident involving a snowplow that left him seriously injured.Renner, 52, updated fans by commenting on a tweet posted by the account of his Paramount+ TV show, Mayor of Kingstown. He wrote: “Outside my brain fog in recovery, I was very excited to watch episode 2.01 with my family at home.” Continue reading...

Former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman says officers who allowed offender’s career to flourish must be investigatedThe Metropolitan police and the government are coming under pressure to punish officers who allowed the serial rapist David Carrick to be shielded from the sack despite multiple warnings about his abuse and violence against women during his two decades in the force.The demands came as the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), confirmed it had no plans to investigate how Carrick went undetected. Continue reading...

While young transgender Scots express anger and frustration at intervention, critics doubt the looming legal battle will bring any more clarity“I honestly can’t tell if I’m angry or exhausted, probably a mix,” said Arabel, one of a group of young trans Scots who shared their experiences with MSPs last year as the Holyrood parliament considered the gender recognition reform bill.The group’s frustration and weariness was palpable on Wednesday morning, following the announcement from Scottish secretary, Alister Jack, that he will block the bill – which simplifies the system by which transgender individuals change their gender and lowers the age of application to 16. Continue reading...

UK defence secretary will meet counterparts from Poland and Baltics in drive to get Berlin to agree re-export of Leopard 2 tanks

Immigration from non-EU countries failed to take up slack after ‘freedom of movement’ endedBrexit has led to a shortfall of 330,000 people in the UK labour force, mostly in the low-skilled economy, a report by leading researchers has found.The departure from the EU in 2020 led to an increase in immigration from non-EU countries but not enough to compensate from the loss of workers from neighbouring countries, according to the joint findings of the thinktanks Centre for European Reform (CER) and UK in a Changing Europe. Continue reading...

Investment will sustain its work in London for another year after ENO was removed from ACE’s national portfolioThe English National Opera (ENO) has announced it will receive an £11.46m investment from Arts Council England (ACE) to sustain its work in London for another year.The ENO is one of a number of organisations that have been removed from ACE’s national portfolio, losing its £12.8m annual grant and told it must move outside London if it wants to qualify for future grants. ENO chiefs have said the 100% funding cut would decimate the 100-year old company, while many big names across the arts world called the decision a “simplistic move”. Continue reading...

Trio convicted of public order offences in 1972 but their protest had been infiltrated by an undercover officerThe criminal convictions of three anti-racism campaigners have been overturned after it was disclosed that senior Scotland Yard managers told an undercover police officer to lie in their trial.The trio were convicted of public order offences five decades ago when they took part in a protest against South Africa’s apartheid regime. Continue reading...

Struggling stationary retailer may go in administration less than six months after previous buyoutStruggling stationery retailer Paperchase is facing an uncertain future, with the owners considering a sale or potential administration less than six months after a previous buyout.The retailer, which faces rising costs and lacklustre sales and requires additional funding, has beenput up for auction under the advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), as first reported by Sky News. Continue reading...

Crash involving vehicle carrying building workers to Hinkley Point C was initially declared a major incidentDozens of people were injured, three seriously, after a doubledecker bus carrying 70 construction workers overturned in Somerset, police have said, as what was initially declared a major incident was stood down.Avon and Somerset police said a significant number of police, fire and ambulance units attended the scene on the A39 Quantock Road near Bridgwater after receiving the first call at about 6am on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Home secretary says bureaucracy appears to have prevailed over ethics, but Labour calls her response weakSuella Braverman has announced an internal review of the Met’s dismissal processes after the failure to remove the serial rapist David Carrick as a serving police officer despite multiple allegations of misogynistic abuse over two decades.The home secretary told MPs that “bureaucracy and process appear to have prevailed over ethics and common sense” in the UK’s biggest force after Carrick was allowed to continue as a firearms officer. Continue reading...

CWU says fresh talks are not heading toward agreement as it prepares to ballot members over further stoppagesRoyal Mail has been accused by a union leader of “waging war” on staff and using intimidation tactics, including suspending more than 200 workers, in a protracted dispute over pay and conditions that appears no nearer to being resolved.The head of the Communications Workers Union (CWU), which is preparing to ballot its more than 100,000 members over further national strikes, said fresh talks were not heading toward an acceptable agreement. Continue reading...

The first woman to co-write and co-produce an album in Australia never found a firm footing on the charts, but has left a catalogue ripe for reappraisalRenée Geyer was many things in a career that spanned 15 studio albums and 50 years, and she continued singing to packed houses up to only a month ago. She was surely the finest white soul singer, male or female, that Australia has produced, but to speak only of her immense talent does not capture what she was about; her real greatness.Geyer was, above all, unapologetic. It was this attitude that defined her, as much as her singing. Paul Kelly, who became a close friend, recognised it when he wrote Difficult Woman for her, knowing full well how she would respond. Women, after all, are always the ones thought to be difficult, never men. Continue reading...

Clash over transgender rights will be seen as a test of the constitutional balance between Holyrood and WestminsterAs the UK government confirms that it will use a section 35 order to block a new law that would make Scotland the first part of the UK to introduce a self-identification system for people who want to change gender, we explain what it is and why there is such controversy over it. Continue reading...

Andrey Medvedev, 26, deserted after reportedly witnessing war crimes in Ukraine and is willing to reveal what he saw, his lawyer says

As human services minister, Tudge was in charge of the scheme when the accuracy of welfare debts was first questioned

Health minister warns of dangers of street snack after children suffer stomach burns and food poisoning from chiki ngebul, a candy doused with liquid nitrogenMore than 20 children have been hurt in Indonesia after taking part in a TikTok trend in which they are filmed devouring a street snack infused with liquid nitrogen known colloquially as “dragon’s breath”.The government has warned of the dangers of using liquid nitrogen in ready-to-eat food and urged greater vigilance after some children suffered stomach burns and food poisoning while eating chiki ngebul or chikibulis – a rainbow assortment of candies coated in a cloud of liquid nitrogen mist. Continue reading...

Police officer committed more than 71 serious sexual offences over two decades

Ruan Calum Crighton was onboard the Yeti Airlines flight which crashed on Sunday with at least 68 fatalitiesA British man was among dozens of people killed in Nepal’s deadliest air crash in decades.Ruan Calum Crighton was among 72 people onboard the Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara in the Annapurna mountain range when it crashed without warning on Sunday. Continue reading...

‘Last godfather’ was apprehended as he came out of the private health facility on outskirts of PalermoAn Italian mob boss regarded as the last godfather of the Sicilian mafia was arrested after investigators received a tipoff that one of the world’s most-wanted criminals had been receiving medical treatment for a tumour at a well-known clinic in in Palermo, police sources have said.Matteo Messina Denaro, 60, who has been in hiding since 1993, was apprehended as he came out of the private La Maddalena health facility on the outskirts of the Sicilian city, where special forces had been on guard since authorities first learned of his whereabouts three days ago. He was wearing luxury clothes and a €38,000 watch. Continue reading...

Show at Queen’s Gallery provides picture of style in the royal courts along with changing trends in societyThe wide, hooped gowns worn by women in the 18th-century court of Queen Charlotte were not just the style of the time, but a regal requirement.But in the pleasure gardens and coffee houses, a fashion revolution was under way. Women and men were rejecting the formal grand costumes of the Georgian aristocracy in favour of new textiles and more comfortable clothes. Continue reading...

The world’s most successful fashion designer doesn’t do shock tactics and trendsIf the fashion industry sometimes seems obsessed with creating the next sell out trend, then the autumn collection by Giorgio Armani served a poignant reminder this season that you don’t always need to chase the purse strings of generation Z.Armani, the world’s most successful fashion designer and proprietor of one of its few independent fashion brands, doesn’t do shock tactics and trends. While his contemporaries roll out logo-heavy bags and zeitgeisty moments, the 88-year-old has always been consistent in his polished offering of 1% chic for the best part of five decades. Ironic, then, that it's this very signature that makes him something of “a mood” this season. Continue reading...

Warnings of ice and snow across UK as forecasters say temperatures could plunge as low as -11 in ScotlandWarnings for ice and snow across the country will continue in to Tuesday after temperatures plunged on Sunday night, triggering an alert from the UK Health Security Agency.Forecasters warn that temperatures could be colder than on Monday, where a low of -9.1C was recorded in Dalwhinnie in central Scotland. It was well below freezing in Edinburgh and Belfast, with temperatures of -4.1C and -2.5C respectively, while London and Cardiff enjoyed milder nights. Continue reading...

Rescue workers continue to look for survivors from Saturday’s strike on apartment building

Deakin University’s Sally Brandon says technology ‘not going away’ as educators strive to adapt to use of software such as ChatGPT

Peak body for doctors wants nicotine products used only as last-resort tool to quit smoking

‘It covers most of Australia but lots of locations only have one or two chargers,’ BP Pulse boss says, as others call for greater public spending to reduce queues

Labour leader suggests firmer laws over who can own a shotgun after drive-by shooting in his constituencyKeir Starmer has said he could support stronger laws against the ownership of shotguns, speaking in the wake of a drive-by shooting outside a church in north London at the weekend.While there is no indication any gun used in Saturday’s incident, in which four women and two children were injured by shotgun pellets, was legally owned, Starmer said there was a wider issue of legally-held guns being misused. Continue reading...

Complaint revealed campaign of terror by David Carrick and repeated police inaction likely to further erode public trustWhen the Metropolitan police constable David Carrick was arrested for rape in October 2021 by detectives from the Hertfordshire force, his demeanour during the interview was unusual for a suspect facing a serious criminal accusation.“He was quite charming, as if he was talking to his friends who were police officers; just having a chat. It did not seem like he was concerned,” recalls Shilpa Shah, a lawyer from the Crown Prosecution Service, who built the case against him. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Jim Ratcliffe Foundation helps fund exclusive facility at club where he and his daughter have skied for yearsA charity set up by the UK’s richest person, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is being investigated by the Charity Commission after helping fund a £16m luxury clubhouse for an exclusive French Alps club where he and his daughter have skied for years.The Guardian can reveal that the charities watchdog has opened a “regulatory compliance case” to investigate “concerns about the governance and management of the Jim Ratcliffe Foundation”. Continue reading...

Critics say she was not up to job of getting German army into shape against backdrop of Ukraine war

Alleged to be a boss of Sicily’s Cosa Nostra mafia, Denaro had been on run for 30 years and was arrested in PalermoMatteo Messina Denaro, the last “godfather” of the Sicilian mafia and one of the world’s most-wanted criminals, has been arrested in Palermo after 30 years on the run.Denaro, 60, who has been in hiding since 1993, was apprehended in a private clinic in the Sicilian city. Continue reading...

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£43m of support will extend trials of personalised therapies for children and adults at network of specialised medical centresCancer patients will have greater access to clinical trials of personalised therapies after a funding boost for specialised medical centres designed to make new treatments available as soon as possible.Doctors and scientists at 29 experimental cancer medicine centres (ECMCs) in the UK are to receive £43m in fresh support over the next five years to trial new treatments for children and adults. These include drugs that encourage the immune system to attack tumours or prevent cancer cells from growing. Continue reading...

Opposition leader Chris Minns pledges to reduce number of machines as Dominic Perrottet hits out at Bob Carr

Industrial action also set to escalate in other sectors while government gears up anti-strike legislationA wave of further teaching, ambulance and civil service strikes is likely to move forward this week as nurses are set for their second major period of industrial action.While ministers signalled a new deal may be close with the rail unions, strikes looked set to escalate in other sectors as ministers geared up to introduce controversial new anti-strike legislation to the House of Commons on Monday. Continue reading...

At least nine people died as survivors tell of hiding in bathtubs and containers as ferocious storms bore down on homesJoe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Alabama on Sunday, after at least nine people died in tornadoes that destroyed homes and knocked out power to tens of thousands in south-eastern US states this week.The president ordered federal aid to supplement regional recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, winds and tornadoes on 12 January, a White House statement said. Continue reading...

At least 20 dead and fate of 40 remains unknown with scores left homeless says governor

Fashion label has taken items you might already own – a white vest, a backpack – to its menswear showNo one comes to Milan fashion week for its “useful clothes”. Yet this was the verdict of the director Luca Guadagnino, who sat in the front row on Sunday’s menswear show: “Useful, yes, wearable, yes, all those things. Everyone can wear this.”Price tags aside, his point was this: just as in previous collections, Prada took things you might already own – a ribbed white vest, a backpack – and turned them into must-have pieces. They did the same with duffle coats, donkey jackets, black office brogues and navy parkas. Sometimes fashion holds up a mirror to what’s happening in the world, but sometimes it reminds us of what we already own. Continue reading...

Casualty suffered broken bones after falling into burn at Grey Mare’s Tail and being carried downstreamA man was airlifted to hospital with multiple injuries after he was swept over a waterfall in Scotland.A rescue operation was launched after the man lost his footing and fell into the burn at the Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall near Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway on Saturday. Continue reading...

Met Office warns of icy conditions across UK, with hundreds of flood warnings still in placeWintry showers are expected to create icy conditions across all four nations of the UK from Sunday evening, forecasters have warned.The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice covering Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, northern England, northern Wales and the Midlands, while hundreds of flood warnings are in place across the UK. Continue reading...

Exclusive: calls for complete ban until end of March amid concern over forced installations by warrantLeading energy suppliers have stopped reclaiming debts from some prepayment meter customers amid calls for a industry moratorium on clawing back money owed through the devices.The Guardian understands that ScottishPower, which has nearly five million customers, has stopped recovering outstanding debts from people who have been moved on to prepayment meters in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Girl, 7, among six people injured in ‘senseless act’ outside memorial service to a mother and daughterSuspects fired a shotgun from a moving car at mourners outside a church in north London in an attack that left a seven-year-old girl in a life-threatening condition, the Met police said.Officers said multiple people were injured by shotgun pellets fired from a black Toyota near a memorial service for a young woman who died of cancer and her mother. Continue reading...