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IPPR and Save the Children call for measures including new not-for-profit nursery trusts and increased funding for deprived areasTwo-thirds of the poorest families in England are missing out on childcare, according to a report.Analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Save the Children has found that access to affordable and good-quality childcare is defined by class. Among the poorest fifth of parents with young children, only a third (36%) use formal childcare, compared with double that (73%) of the highest-earning families.Empowering local authorities to pool funding to secure new childcare in the areas of greatest need and organise the new schools-based nursery expansion.Ensuring childminders are paid monthly.Increasing funding for deprived areas and children living in deprivation.Reforming the SEND funding system. Continue reading...

Train network workers had planned to strike after pay deal negotiations collapsed

Police launch new appeal over death of Lisa Hession, 14, who was strangled in an alleyway near her home in LeighPolice have offered a 50,000 reward as a new appeal for information is launched over the murder of a schoolgirl in Greater Manchester 40 years ago.Lisa Hession, 14, was sexually assaulted and strangled in an alleyway less than 200 metres from her home in Bonnywell Road, Leigh, after walking back from a party. Her mother, Christine, had expected her to return by 10.30pm and reported her missing 15 minutes later, according to Greater Manchester police (GMP). Continue reading...

No one party or sect should feel unsafe,' says Qatari foreign ministry, as states meet to assess collapse of Assad regime

CEO has fared well in an embattled sector, turning around the UK's biggest commercial public broadcaster despite the stubbornly low share priceAs Carolyn McCall enters her eighth year as boss of ITV she might be forgiven for wondering if maybe she shouldn't have turned down a chance to run Marks & Spencer instead.McCall revealed the approach back in 2016 while quashing speculation she was poised to leave easyJet, where her reputation soared having turned around the fortunes of the budget airline. Continue reading...

US president-elect claims Kyiv would like to make a deal' to end war with Russia and cites loss of 400,000 soldiers'Donald Trump has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, a day after meeting the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Paris, claiming Kyiv would like to make a deal" to end its war with Russia.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said both sides had suffered enormous losses in the war - which, he claimed on the US election campaign trail, he would be able to end in 24 hours" if elected. Trump has already appointed the retired army general Keith Kellogg as his Russia and Ukraine envoy, tasked with ending the war. Continue reading...

Met Office yellow wind warning across much of England and Wales on Sunday morning, while Northern Ireland faced gusts of up to 80mph overnight

With the fall of Damascus, Iran can longer deny that its political and military axis of resistance' has collapsed

Government to set out details of independent review into benefit overpayments and how problems can be fixedThe government has promised a new settlement" for unpaid carers, vowing to put an end to the scandal of carer benefit overpayments that has left hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in huge debt and in some cases facing prosecution.Ministers are expected to announce the details of an independent review of carer's allowance, the main benefit for carers, on Monday. The review will look at why the overpayments happened and how the problems can be fixed. Continue reading...

Ruling New Patriotic party concedes defeat after vote dominated by economic crisis and high cost of livingGhana's former president John Dramani Mahama has won a historic comeback election victory after voters appeared to punish the ruling New Patriotic party over its management of an economic crisis.The NPP's candidate, the vice-president, Mahamudu Bawumia, on Sunday conceded defeat in the weekend presidential election after failing to shake off widespread frustration over the high cost of living. Continue reading...

Archbishop of Paris consecrates the cathedral's new altar with perfumed oil to the sound of the restored organParisians, the French and the world rediscovered the breathtaking beauty of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral on Saturday evening, five years after it was devastated by fire.The French president, Emmanuel Macron, led a guest list of international heads of state and other dignitaries including Donald Trump, the Prince of Wales, politicians and celebrities in lauding what he described as a triumph of the French nation in raising the monument from the ashes and making his country united and proud". Continue reading...

Bestselling classical musician says he had to train himself to hear overtones and undertones of notes' againThe violinist Nigel Kennedy has said that he experienced partial deafness for about three months after having the third Covid vaccine in 2021.I wasn't in a fit state to play concerts," he said, recalling that his hearing loss coincided with the trauma of breaking the little finger of his left hand while trying to control his large dog. Continue reading...

As Moscow's top diplomat reeled in Doha, his Turkish counterpart appeared to know he had the upper hand

Omar Fayed claims former Harrods Owner tricked police to escape justice over rape and sexual assault allegationsMohamed Al Fayed pretended he had dementia so he could evade prosecution for sexual crimes, his son has said.Police now believe Fayed may have raped and abused at least 111 women and girls over nearly four decades. Continue reading...

As an inquest begins, Roger Leadbeater's family believe there was a series of mistakes before he was killed by a woman who had absconded from a psychiatric wardWhen the family of Roger Leadbeater, a 74-year-old man stabbed to death while walking his dog yards from his home in Sheffield, went to lay flowers at the scene two days later, they were met with a horrifying sight.Nobody had cleaned the scene. It was the most barbaric thing I've ever seen," said his niece Angela Hector. There was blood everywhere. You could see the dog paw prints, the outline of his body. It was horrific. A dog walker stopped to talk to me, and his dog was licking Roger's blood." Continue reading...

Despite pledge to challenge claims, the prosecutions agency is not tracking how many cases it has droppedThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not know how many rape cases have collapsed after defence claims of sexsomnia" despite fears the rare medical condition is being exploited.The prosecutions agency for England and Wales has previously pledged to robustly challenge" sexsomnia claims after a string of high-profile cases where sexual offence suspects were acquitted - or had their investigations dropped - after the disorder was raised. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak's push to clear backlog of claims is driving huge increase in legal appeals, costs and harm to applicantsOnly half of the Home Office's recent asylum decisions have met its own internal quality checks, significantly fewer than before Rishi Sunak's push to clear a backlog of old claims.Civil servants and lawyers say errors and omissions are also driving a huge increase in costly legal challenges, with more than 9,300 appeals lodged between this April and June. Continue reading...

Privacy fears raised as report warns photographs of arrested people who are then released are being retainedImages of arrested people who were innocent of any crimes are still being stored in a police database that may be used for facial recognition purposes, an official report has warned.In 2012, the high court ruled that keeping the images of people who faced no action or who were charged and then acquitted was unlawful. Continue reading...

Celebrations on streets of Syrian cities as as Assad regime appears to have fallen

Residential building attacked by Franco's aircraft in 1936 may not become memorial, rightwing council suggestsCampaigners are urging Madrid city council not to abandon plans to create a museum on a site immortalised in a Robert Capa photograph that captured the aftermath of a fascist bombing raid in the early days of the Spanish civil war.On his second trip to Spain towards the end of 1936, the Hungarian-American war photographer came across a bomb-damaged house in the working-class Madrid neighbourhood of Vallecas, its roof and facade torn with shrapnel and the street outside peppered with debris. Continue reading...

Musical also claims prizes for best director, screenplay, editing and best actress for Karla Sofia GasconAll-dancing, all-singing musical Emilia Perez has twirled itself into contention for next year's Oscars, as Jacques Audiard's genre-bending drama scooped four out of five top prizes at this year's European Film Awards.At Saturday evening's ceremony in the Swiss city of Lucerne, the veteran French film-maker won best film, best director and best screenplay prizes for his Spanish-language musical, about a Mexican cartel boss who has a sex-change operation and tries to make up for past crimes. Continue reading...

Raygun: The Musical creator Steph Broadbridge told her Instagram followers lawyers had concerns it would damage the controversial breaker's reputation

Whereabouts of President Bashar al-Assad unknown as rebel group says it has begun entering the capital

As the government works to secure the release of the remaining Australians, Mick Tsikas looks back on his work documenting their fate, from arrests to, in some cases, executions

Anthony Albanese and Murray Watt made the comments in the wake of the attack on Adass Israel but security agencies are yet to determine the motive

Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned earlier this week, is seen as central to President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief martial law declarationSouth Korean prosecutors have arrested ex-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun over his alleged role in President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law on Tuesday, local media has reported.Kim, who offered his resignation on Wednesday, was seen as a central figure in Tuesday's brief martial law declaration. A senior military official and filings to impeach Yoon by opposition members said Kim had made the proposal to Yoon. Continue reading...

Diplomacy took centre stage in evening of celebration, with 1,500 dignitaries including Donald Trump, Jill Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy present

Ceremony gives French president moment of glory in company of Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he delivers on promise to restore cathedralIt was like stepping back into a medieval age and reliving the breathtaking awe Notre Dame cathedral would have inspired in the 14th century when the light from the rose windows threw a kaleidoscope of colours on its pale creamy walls before hundreds of years of liturgical smoke and city pollution blackened them.This is how the church would have appeared on completion in 1345, towering over Paris, then a city of 200,000 people, from the Ile de la Cite in the middle of the River Seine that bisects the French capital. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Read the Observer's report about Storm Darragh here

Foreign powers urge opposition groups to end fighting and preserve single, united country at talks in QatarThe three key external national actors in the Syrian crisis tried to regain control of the rebellion on Saturday by calling for renewed direct dialogue between the country's President Bashar al-Assad and opposition groups, adding that it would be inadmissible" to use terrorists to gain control of the country.Meeting on the margins of the Doha Forum, in Qatar, Turkey, Russia, and Iran urged the Syrian opposition to heed the call to end the fighting and to preserve Syria as an integrated and united country. Continue reading...

Fears of higher death toll as mayor of Dutch city says chances of finding people alive under rubble are slimAt least three people have died after an explosion and fire caused a building to collapse in The Hague, the city's mayor has said, and there is little chance of finding more survivors under the rubble.The cause of the explosion in the Mariahoeve neighbourhood of the Dutch city early on Saturday morning was unclear. Continue reading...

Government says allegations deeply distressing' as dossier of allegations grows in wake of Observer investigation into Mossbourne schoolsThe government has expressed alarm at deeply distressing" allegations of emotional harm at one of the country's leading academy trusts after an Observer investigation.Almost 140 parents, students and teachers have now spoken out about systemic" and lasting" emotional harm to children stretching back two decades at two schools in Hackney run by the Mossbourne Federation. Continue reading...

The broadcaster's recently launched Naked Week will mix satirical humour and topical investigative journalismRadio 4's new topical comedy show, which replaces the long-running The Now Show, will break the news, not just make jokes about it, its creators have said.The Naked Week, which has taken the broadcaster's Friday night comedy slot, has brought Private Eye journalists onboard to dig up scoops. Continue reading...

Elizabeth Day joins husband in society founded in 1904 to encourage Dorset men to socialise in LondonThe Society of Dorset Men has admitted its first female member in 120 years, becoming the latest in a line of Victorian-style men-only clubs to allow women to join.Elizabeth Day has been approved by the society, which was founded in 1904 to encourage men from Dorset to socialise in London, after the committee voted to allow female members in August. Continue reading...

Gaie Delap was sent to prison in August for her part in disruptive protests on M25 in NovemberA 77-year-old activist is facing recall to prison because her wrists are too small for an electronic tag.Gaie Delap, from Bristol, was sent to prison in August, along with four co-defendants, for her part in a campaign of disruptive protests on the M25 in November 2022. Continue reading...

A 1561 charter granted powers to imprison young working-class women found walking with undergraduates after darkIn 1561, a little-known charter granted the University of Cambridge the power to arrest and imprison any woman suspected of evil". For nearly 350 years, the university used this law to incarcerate young working-class women found walking with undergraduates after dark in Cambridge.The women were considered prostitutes and could be forcibly taken to the university's private prison and sentenced to weeks of confinement by the vice-chancellor. More than 5,000 were arrested in the 19th century alone. Continue reading...

Once one of Africa's economic powerhouses, Ghana has struggled with a cost-of-living crisis and high inflationMillions of Ghanaians have headed to the polls in a presidential election after a campaign dominated by what many see as the west African country's worst economic crisis in a generation.Polls opened at 7am and will close at 5pm, with early results expected late on Saturday. The first official results will be released by Tuesday. Continue reading...

Police say the driver is assisting with inquiries after the death in Tipton, SandwellA four-year-old boy has died after being hit by a bus in the West Midlands.Police said the driver of the bus was assisting with inquiries after the death in Tipton, Sandwell. Continue reading...

Drugs found on a vessel that had arrived from Guatemala were bound for Belgium, authorities sayAuthorities in the Dominican Republic say they have confiscated nearly 9.5 tonnes of cocaine found in a banana shipment.It is the largest drug seizure in the country's history. Continue reading...

Experts urge people not to post images of pricey presents on social media as they may be rich pickings for thievesBurglaries soar during the festive season, with new smartphones, jewellery, bikes and other gifts offering rich pickings for thieves.So it's vital to know if you will be able to make a claim on your home contents insurance if you do fall victim to theft. Continue reading...

Exclusive: EU countries will share laboratory capacity but UK rules mean products cannot be tested abroadThe safety of tap water in the UK could be at risk because water companies are unable to use products to clean it, industry insiders have said, as all the laboratories that test and certify the chemicals have shut down.People in the industry have called it a Brexit problem" because EU countries will share laboratory capacity from 2026, meaning that if the UK was still in the EU, water companies would be able to use products that passed tests on the continent. Continue reading...

According to Weinstein's legal team, the disgraced movie producer has faced egregious conditions while jailedHarvey Weinstein's lawyers are afraid he will die during his incarceration at Rikers Island, where he has been since a 2020 rape conviction in New York was overturned on appeal, according to the Hollywood Reporter.According to Weinstein's legal team, the disgraced movie producer has faced egregious conditions while jailed, including being left to fester in blood-spattered clothes, wearing the same underwear for weeks and exposure to freezing temperatures. They also allege that he was denied basic medicine for cancer treatment. Continue reading...

USDA will test raw milk in attempt to stop spread of virus as more than 700 dairy herds infected since MarchAmerica's national milk supply must be tested for the bird flu virus under a new federal order by the US Department of Agriculture announced on Friday.The mandate comes at a time when authorities are seeking to grapple with the rapid spread of bird flu, known as H5N1, among dairy herds. Infections have spread to more than 500 dairy herds in California, the top state for dairy production. Continue reading...

Fourth named storm of season follows concern over lack of flood warnings for Storm Bert last weekA red warning for wind, signalling danger to life", has been issued by the Met Office for parts of Wales and south-west England on Saturday as Storm Darragh hits the UK.Gusts of 90mph (145km/h) or more were possible over the coasts and hills of west and south Wales, as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel with some very large waves on exposed beaches, the forecaster said. Continue reading...

Labour is discovering how hard it is to effect change but PM seems to have appetite to drive change in public sectorIt was a reset designed to invigorate Keir Starmer's premiership after flagging opinion polls, a scandal over the transport secretary and worries about the economy.The prime minister gave a speech setting out new milestones - fleshing out the missions of his government with targets on reducing NHS waiting lists, getting named bobbies on the beat and raising living standards. Continue reading...

Rebels have captured key cities of Aleppo and Hama, dealing blows to president Bashar al-Assad 14 years after protests erupted across SyriaIran aims to send missiles and drones to Syria and increase the number of its military advisers there to support president Bashar al-Assad in his battle against rebels, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday.It is likely that Tehran will need to send military equipment, missiles and drones to Syria ... Tehran has taken all necessary steps to increase number of its military advisers in Syria and deploy forces," the official said on condition of anonymity. Now, Tehran is providing intelligence and satellite support to Syria." Continue reading...

Afghan students and activists condemn halt to medical courses amid warnings of women dying from lack of healthcareThe Taliban's ban on Afghan women attending nursing and midwife courses has been condemned as an outrageous act of ignorance" by human rights organisations.The official decree detailing the ban has not been shared publicly, but several media reports confirmed that the order was announced at a meeting of the Taliban public health ministry on Monday and communicated to training institutes soon after. Continue reading...

Emergency services called to Darling Point on Friday evening after reports two boats collided

London mayor expected to be awarded for political and public services, alongside Labour MPs and ConservativesThe mayor of London Sadiq Khan is understood to be in line to receive a knighthood in the new year honours list, alongside other senior politicians who will also be given awards.Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a UK capital, is expected to be awarded for political and public services after working for more than 20 years as a Labour politician, first as MP for Tooting followed by his mayoral role which he began in 2016. Continue reading...

New plans include more aircraft and drones to grow foothold as other powerful countries seek base in far northCanada will boost its military and diplomatic presence in the Arctic to counter what it calls threats from Russia and others seeking a foothold in the far north, as part of a new doctrine unveiled on Friday.The government envisions the deployment of new patrol ships and navy destroyers, ice breakers and submarines capable of operating beneath ice sheets, as well as more aircraft and drones. Continue reading...