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Report shows 3.2m people disconnected last year as they ran out of credit

Guy Black, deputy chair of Telegraph newspapers, says draft legislation sets too low a bar on what constitutes spyingThe UK’s proposed national security bill could have a “chilling effect” on investigative journalism because it sets too low a bar on what constitutes spying, the deputy chair of the Telegraph newspapers has warned.Guy Black told the House of Lords that he was concerned the draft legislation could “potentially criminalise” reporters and whistleblowers because it says simply that a crime is committed if it “may materially assist a foreign intelligence service”. Continue reading...

Riverdance star has undergone surgery and is in care of doctors, according to Instagram accountMichael Flatley, best known for his Riverdance show, has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of cancer.A post on the Irish dancer and director’s Instagram account said: “Michael Flatley has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He has undergone surgery and is in the care of an excellent team of doctors.” Continue reading...

Valery Gerasimov to replace Sergei Surovikin, who was appointed in October, as Zelenskiy mocks claims of Russian victory in SoledarRussia appointed Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, as its overall commander for the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, in the latest of several major shake-ups of Moscow’s military leadership during the stumbling invasion of its neighbour.In a statement, the defence ministry said that Gerasimov’s appointment constituted a “raising of the status of the leadership” of the military force in Ukraine and was implemented to “improve the quality … and effectiveness of the management of Russian forces.” Continue reading...

Officials from 14 health unions want to hold direct talks with ministers to agree pay rises for NHS staffThe system for setting NHS staff pay is under threat after health unions refused to submit evidence to the two bodies that advise ministers on how big annual increases should be.The role and credibility of both the NHS pay review body (NHSPRB) and the review body on doctors’ and dentists’ remuneration (DDRB) have been brought into question by the move. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereLynch says in areas where the Department for Transport has not had the final say, the RMT has beeen able to negotiate acceptable pay deals.He claims the DfT is following an obstructive strategy that was put in place when Grant Shapps was transport secretary.Why would you, if you’re seeking a solution to a serious industrial dispute that’s high profile, would you wait until a Sunday afternoon at four o’clock to put nine clauses into the document which weren’t in the previous version?It’s daft. To me, it’s sabotage. They wanted these strikes to go ahead … Continue reading...

Woman also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender after shooting of 26-year-old beautician in pub on Christmas EveA 22-year-old man from Wirral has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Elle Edwards, who was shot dead in a pub on Christmas Eve.A Wirral woman, 23, is also being held on suspicion of assisting an offender, the force added, bringing the total to five. Both have been taken to police stations for questioning. Continue reading...

Safety not thought to be affected despite up to 25,000 workers joining picket lines across England and WalesFewer people called for an ambulance on the service’s biggest strike day so far, during which up to 25,000 union members join picket lines across England and Wales to express their “disappointment” and “despair” over pay and staffing levels.Up to 25,000 paramedics, 999 call handlers, ambulance drivers and technicians from the Unison and GMB unions staged staggered strikes against a below-inflation 4% pay deal on Wednesday. The industrial action covered most of England, except the east, and nearly all of Wales. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary warns Tehran over case of Alireza Akbari, an ex-Iranian minister accused of being MI6 spyThe UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has urged the Iranian government not to press ahead with plans to execute a British-Iranian dual national found guilty of spying for MI6.Alireza Akbari, a former Iranian deputy defence minister who has lived in the UK for more than a decade, could be executed within days after he was found guilty by the revolutionary courts of being a senior spy for M16. His appeal was rejected more than three months ago, but for reasons that are not clear the Iranian security services are now threatening to go ahead and impose the death penalty. Continue reading...

Bridgen likely to be permanently cast out from party after tweet comparing immunisation to Holocaust

Far-right activists loyal to ex-president have launched what the government called a botched coup attemptSecurity has been stepped up in Brazil’s capital amid concerns that hardcore supporters of the former president Jair Bolsonaro were planning to mobilise again, three days after thousands of extremists launched what the government has called a botched coup attempt.Reports in the Brazilian media said far-right activists had summoned “a mega nationwide protest to retake power” on Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday night, members of the national public security force in black SUVs could be seen taking up position along the esplanade leading to Brazil’s congress, supreme court and presidential palace – the three buildings stormed and ransacked during Sunday’s turmoil in Brasília. Continue reading...

Prime minister had previously refused to say whether he or his family used the NHSRishi Sunak has said he is now registered with an NHS GP, having previously used private healthcare, during a prime minister’s questions dominated by the state of the NHS and the strikes by health and ambulance staff.“I am registered with an NHS GP. I have used independent healthcare in the past,” Sunak told the Commons in response to a question from the Labour MP Cat Smith about NHS dentistry. He also praised a hospital in his Yorkshire constituency “for the fantastic care they’ve given my family over the years”. Continue reading...

Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy and the acclaimed multiverse fantasy have five nominations each while Ozark leads the TV sideThe Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once lead this year’s Screen Actors Guild nominations.Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy about a friendship turned sour received five nominations for lead male actor Colin Farrell, supporting female actor Kerry Condon, supporting male actors Barry Keoghan and Brendan Gleeson and the night’s biggest award for ensemble. Continue reading...

It is the first known ruling against a soldier who criticised Kremlin’s unpopular mobilisation

Unions warn of escalation of disputes in 2023 unless ministers give ground on pay risesThe end of 2022 was marked by mass industrial unrest as employees across the transport network, NHS, Royal Mail, schools and the civil service took strike action.The start of 2023 will bring further stoppages by rail workers, bus drivers, teachers in Scotland, nurses, ambulance workers and civil servants. Continue reading...

Seizure of town would represent substantial gain for Moscow after series of humiliating retreats

Industry leaders warn customers’ confidence is ‘ebbing away’ as they switch to rival modes of transport

Head of carbon credit system review says absolute emissions cuts must be priority, as Albanese government weighs up limits on use of credits

Researchers and engineers team up to identify new technologies to safely delve deeper into the icy continentGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastRobots could soon collect tissue samples from whales off the coast of Antarctica or fly long distances over the icy continent with surveillance cameras, allowing Australian scientists to observe dangerous and previously inaccessible areas.The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has partnered with Prof Peter Corke, a robotics expert, to develop a shortlist of new technologies that could improve safety and scientific research on the continent.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Paintings adorning grand staircase of St Bartholomew’s to benefit from £5m lottery heritage fund grantTwo paintings by William Hogarth on the walls of a grand staircase at St Bartholomew’s hospital in London are to be restored with the help of a £4.9m grant from the National Lottery heritage fund.Hogarth, an artist, critic and satirist, depicted two biblical stories in the works, the Pool of Bethesda and the Good Samaritan, in the 1730s. They feature 2.1-metre (7ft) high figures, some drawn from real life. Continue reading...

Secondary schools shut across Scotland, before 16 consecutive days of action from next week in row over pay

Waves of respiratory diseases, staff attrition and an older population are taxing Canada’s overburdened hospital systemWhen Allison Holthoff entered a crowded Nova Scotia hospital at the end of December, the intense pain in her abdomen worsened with each hour she spent waiting for treatment. With the emergency room under renovations, overwhelmed staff triaged a stream of incoming patients in a makeshift treatment area.“‘I feel like I’m dying. They’re going to let me die here,’” Holthoff told her husband, Gunther. Continue reading...

Supermarket on track for profits at top end of forecasts after shoppers go ‘all out for big Christmas dinner’Shoppers going “all out for a big Christmas dinner” and returning to Argos stores amid the rail and postal strikes have helped put Sainsbury’s on track to achieve annual profits at the top end of expectations.The UK’s second-biggest supermarket said sales rose by 7.1% in the six weeks to 7 January compared with the same period in 2021 – ahead of the 5.2% average for the three-month period to the same date – as 50% more people visited its Argos outlets in supermarkets amid fears of delivery holdups. Continue reading...

Minister urges 999 calls for life-threatening incidents only, as workers across England and Wales hold action

Newspaper group reports slump in print advertising and digital ads in traditionally strong fourth quarterThe publisher of the Mirror and Express is to cut 200 roles in a £30m cost-cutting drive, after advertisers failed to spend heavily through the World Cup, Black Friday and Christmas season.The newspaper group, which also owns hundreds of regional titles including the Manchester Evening News, reported a slump of a fifth in print advertising and 6% in digital ads in the traditionally strong fourth quarter. Continue reading...

Housebuilder also cuts land purchases, with it forced to scrap proposals for 3,293 plots

In a clinical trial, 80% of children became able to eat legume without allergic reaction after being given increasing doses of boiled and roasted peanuts

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After over a decade of living across two countries – and navigating the US’s tangled immigration policies – Tom Kobylecy and Yedid Sánchez’s life together is no longer shrouded in secrecyTom Kobylecy and Yedid Sánchez’s budding romance took place amid the intoxicating odor of woody oak and sawdust of a Chicago-area Home Depot. Her cleaning shift started at 6am, just as his shift restocking store shelves was ending. He would linger to strike up a conversation, but Yedid, a native of Cuernavaca, Mexico, spoke little English. The few Spanish words he could muster came out in a nasally midwestern accent.After a few stilted attempts at conversation with the help of bilingual friends, she asked for his nombre, Spanish for name. “I thought she was asking me for my number,” Tom said. So, naturally, he gave her his number. A week later he asked her out for pizza. On their second date, he asked her to go fishing. Tom caught three and prepared them shake ’n’ bake-style. Yedid didn’t let on that the meal was not particularly appetizing – if she had they might not have kissed later that evening. Continue reading...

Opposition day debate seeks to establish committee to investigate reforming tax benefits enjoyed by independent schoolsLabour will attempt to force a binding vote on ending private schools’ tax breaks and use the £1.7bn a year raised from this to drive new teacher recruitment.The motion submitted by Keir Starmer’s party for the opposition day debate on Wednesday is drafted to push the charitable status scheme that many private schools enjoy to be investigated, as the party attempts to shift the political focus on to education. Continue reading...

Exclusive: After the Michelle Mone scandal and PPE questions, National Audit Office says monitoring conflicts of interest is ‘crucial’Peers and MPs should have to declare any links to firms they recommend for contracts even in an emergency such as the Covid pandemic, the head of the National Audit Office (NAO) has said, in the wake of the PPE controversies including the Michelle Mone scandal.Gareth Davies, the auditor and comptroller general at the NAO, said keeping on top of conflicts of interest was a “crucial part of public stewardship” that was not always followed during the VIP fast lane process. Continue reading...

Exclusive: employment strategy aimed at those ‘written off’ by society like young people with mental health issues, says Jonathan AshworthLabour will “put health and wellbeing” at the heart of its employment strategy by embedding career advisers in health services, including addiction clinics, rehab centres and primary care, the party has said.In an interview with the Guardian, Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the strategy would help people who had been “written off” to access work.Devolving employment support to local authorities to target the best routes into work.Tailored extra support to work flexibly for those with caring responsibilities or chronic conditions.Offers of “in principle” decisions for access-to-work funding for disabled people.Change the work capability assessment regime to allow people to accept a job without fearing they would not be able to return to the benefits they were receiving. Continue reading...

Man claims psychological injury from allegations his now-deceased son was sexually abused

Forty people have been killed during a month of protests, with the UN Human Rights office calling for impartial investigations into the deathsPeru’s top prosecutor’s office said it has launched an inquiry into new president Dina Boluarte and members of her cabinet to investigate allegations of genocide after violent clashes that have seen at least 40 killed and hundreds injured since early December.The new government, however, won a vote of confidence in Congress by a wide margin on Tuesday evening. A loss would have triggered a cabinet reshuffle and the resignation of prime minister Alberto Otarola. Continue reading...

Toowoomba magistrates court hears the man accused of 2021 assaults is interstate due to a medical conditionA Queensland man charged with raping a young woman in October 2021 has been granted bail as Toowoomba police finalise their brief of evidence against the accused.The man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – is charged with two counts of rape and was scheduled to appear at the Toowoomba magistrates court on Wednesday morning, but remains interstate due to a medical condition. Continue reading...

Oxfam says its analysis of January 2021 to February 2022 underlines need for UK to stop arming Saudi ArabiaAt least 87 civilians were killed by airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen using weapons supplied by the UK and US between January 2021 and February 2022, according to a new Oxfam analysis.The charity accused the UK government of ignoring an identifiable “pattern of harm” caused by the indiscriminate bombing – and argues it amounts to legal grounds for Britain to end elements of its lucrative arms trade with Riyadh. Continue reading...

Refugee Council says long wait times mean people can stay in the country for years during processing

Border Force officials found small amount on passenger flight from Oman on 29 DecemberCounter-terrorism police have launched an investigation after Border Force officials seized material containing uranium at Heathrow.Scotland Yard confirmed its counter-terrorism team was investigating after the contaminated material was discovered as part of a routine security screening. Continue reading...

High-profile figures call on followers to help track down Bolsonaro supporters who stormed congressHigh-profile digital influencers have joined pro-democracy politicians and Brazil’s law enforcement agencies in an attempt to identify insurrectionists who took part in Sunday’s attack on the Brazilian government.Thousands of people stormed and ransacked the presidential palace, the congress building and the supreme court in support of former president Jair Bolsonaro and his pro-military, far-right movement. Continue reading...

December quarter rent growth slowed to 2% but Sydney and Melbourne may resist trend as normal migration patterns return

Film-maker disputes article claiming his self-financed film Megalopolis has descended into ‘madness’, saying: ‘I’m so happy’Francis Ford Coppola has denied allegations in the Hollywood Reporter that the set of his ambitious new film Megalopolis has descended into chaos.On Monday, a report claimed that the director of Apocalypse Now was struggling to maintain control over his new film, a self-financed passion project with a budget north of $100m. The article used multiple unnamed sources who alleged that the set was “absolute madness” with high staff turnover, an escalating budget and visual effects issues. A production source was quoted as saying: “It’s unclear whether the production can go forward as planned.” Continue reading...

Bad Bunny will be the first Latino artist and Blackpink the first all-female group to headline North America’s largest music festivalBad Bunny, Blackpink and Frank Ocean will headline the 22nd Coachella music festival in April, organizers announced on Tuesday.Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican singer and rapper born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, will be the first Latino artist and first Spanish-language performer to ever headline North America’s largest music festival, while Blackpink, the K-pop supergroup, will be the first Korean act and first all-female group to headline. The band became the first Korean all-female group to play the festival in 2019. Continue reading...

Chris Parry and fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw had been helping people evacuate from frontlineThe family of one of the two British men missing in Ukraine have said they are “very worried” about his disappearance.Chris Parry, 28, was last seen on Friday with fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw, 48, heading to the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Last 10 remaining senators leave office, with gangs controlling much of capital, a malnutrition crisis and a cholera outbreakThe last 10 remaining senators in Haiti’s parliament have officially left office, leaving the country without a single democratically elected government official.The expiration of the officials’ terms at midnight on Monday formally concluded their time in office – and with it, the last semblance of democratic order in the beleaguered Caribbean nation. Continue reading...

Long waiting lists putting urgent patients at risk as target to bring backlog to pre-pandemic levels missedA record number of people are waiting longer than ever for cancer treatment, as the total waiting more than three months surpassed 12,000 for the first time.More than 4% of the 287,000 people on cancer waiting lists had waited more than 104 days to receive treatment after diagnosis, despite 2,000 of these being considered urgent patients, according to NHS England figures for the week ending on 1 January seen by Health Service Journal. Continue reading...

Christian Lindner allegedly failed to disclose his mortgage from BBBank, whose general meeting he addressedGermany’s finance minister, Christian Lindner, is facing allegations that he developed close ties to a private bank which provided a mortgage for his luxury home.Prosecutors in Berlin have said they are examining whether to open a corruption investigation into what might have been a conflict of interest. Continue reading...

Opposition challenges prime minister over use of private plane for health visit. This live blog is now closedThe National Education Union, which is currently balloting its members on strike action in England and Wales, has not ruled out teachers going on strike over the exam period.Asked if this was a possibility, Kevin Courtney, the NEU’s joint general secretary, told Sky News this morning:We don’t want to strike during the exam period. But nothing is ruled out.If there were exams on, then teachers are preparing the children for those exams for a long period beforehand. You can have a strike on an exam day and not disrupt the exams.We will stop … if there are talks that we judge to be serious, where the government is actually intending to make a move, not some dog and pony show where it’s just them trying to present themselves to the media as talking.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the regions in England and Wales with the highest proportion of people with no qualifications, as well as the areas with the most degree-educated residents.More than one in five (21.1%) residents in the West Midlands – one million people – hold no qualifications, figures show. Continue reading...

Clerical leaders hope for ‘lasting legacy’ to serve places affected by past slavery trade, but fund may spread thinly across all of west Africa and CaribbeanThe Church of England’s decision to set up a £100m fund for communities adversely affected by historic slavery is the latest – and biggest – step it has taken over the past few years to “address past wrongs” relating to its links to the slave trade.The report on the origins of the C of E’s healthy £9bn-plus endowment fund correctly describes the 17th century slave trade as “abhorrent” and a source of misery and injustice. Continue reading...

Irene Tracey says she will commission independent inquiry to help alleviate ‘really tough’ pressures many faceOxford University’s new vice-chancellor has said that one of her first acts will be to investigate the pay and working conditions of the university’s staff, in an attempt to alleviate the “really tough” pressures on junior academics in particular.Prof Irene Tracey was inaugurated on Tuesday as Oxford’s 273rd vice-chancellor since 1230 – but only the second woman and the first to be educated at an English comprehensive school. Continue reading...

UK financial PR firm acquired by US group in a deal valuing business at more than £70mThe founder of Tulchan is set for a £35m payday after selling the London-based financial and corporate PR firm to rival global advisory Teneo.Teneo, the US PR firm acquired by the private equity group CVC in a $700m deal in 2019, is understood to have acquired Tulchan in a deal that values the business at more than £70m. Continue reading...