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McLachlan is suing Fairfax Media, the ABC and Christie Whelan Browne over reports he allegedly indecently assaulted and harassed female colleagues in 2014

Children and adults forced to live in agony because they are unable to register for NHS care in Somerset, charity saysMany patients in south-west England are being left in dental pain because they are unable to register for NHS care, with some so desperate that they are even resorting to DIY treatment, it has emerged.The charity Healthwatch in Somerset has reported that it is almost impossible for a new patient to register for an NHS dentist in the county, which is leading to adults and children living in agony, self-treating, or travelling out of the area for help. Continue reading...

Most seriously ill inmates left to wait in cells often due to bed shortages at secure hospitals, data shows

More than 2.7m attempted frauds interrupted, including fake celebrity endorsements and extortion emailsBritain’s cybersecurity unit has reported a record crackdown on internet scams after tackling more than 2.7m attempted frauds last year, a near-fourfold increase on the figure for 2020.The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), an arm of the GCHQ spy agency, said the interrupted scams included fake celebrity endorsements and bogus extortion emails. It stressed, however, that the increase in detection reflected aggressive targeting by the unit rather than an increase in scams. Continue reading...

Hearings to examine 2015 death in custody in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, come after intense pressure from familyThe public inquiry into the death in police custody of Sheku Bayoh, which starts taking evidence this week, must be a “watershed moment” with the potential to prompt a wider dialogue about racism in Scotland, campaigners have said.The hearings begin almost exactly seven years since the father-of-two died after being restrained by officers in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 3 May 2015, and marks the first major public examination of institutional racism in Scotland since the Black Lives Matter movement galvanised around the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Continue reading...

Ukraine defence ministry says Russian troops backed by tanks and artillery attacking steelworks; Charles Michel forced to take shelter during missile strike

Decriminalisation of the industry expected to allow sex workers to feel confident in reporting crimesSex workers are now free to operate on Victoria’s streets after new laws, which are designed to make those in the industry safer, came into effect.From Tuesday, street-based sex work is now legal in Victoria except in limited circumstances and locations. Legislation makes it an offence for sex work to be carried out near schools, care services and places of worship between 6am and 7pm and on holy days. Continue reading...

Figure means 20% of population has been infected with Covid but modellers say true number is likely three times higher

Labor leader says he ‘absolutely’ supports increase, after earlier declining to commit to figure pushed by unions

The Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is one of a series made after the actor’s death in 1962 and has become the ‘pinnacle of American pop’Andy Warhol’s famed 1964 silk-screen portrait of Marilyn Monroe has sold for $195m at auction, setting a new a record for a work by an American artist.Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is one in a series of portraits Warhol made of the actress following her death in 1962 and has since become one of pop art’s best-known pieces. Continue reading...

Labor leader says he grappled with decision for weeks but birth of his second child ‘sealed the deal’

Standing beside prime minister, NSW premier says it is ‘important that we’re open-minded’ about addressing affordability

Nationals leader says Pauline Hanson’s party of ‘10, 15 years ago’ is not the party of today and is ‘less likely to cause damage to my nation’ than others

Warringah candidate backtracks on apology for comments about transgender children and insists that ‘mutilation’ is correct terminology for the surgery

There are 10 flood warnings across the state, with Townsville and Sunshine Coast among areas to be worst hit

Jumi Bello’s essay was briefly published on the Literary Hub website until it was revealed she had again lifted materialAn author’s online essay on why she used plagiarized material in a novel pulled earlier this year has itself been removed after editors found she had again lifted material.Jumi Bello’s essay, I Plagiarized Parts of My Debut Novel. Here’s Why appeared just briefly Monday on the website Literary Hub. Bello’s debut novel, The Leaving had been scheduled to come out in July, but was cancelled in February by Riverhead Books. Continue reading...

Late dictator’s son promises unity but opponents fear family’s return to power could reverse democratic gainsIt was in 1986 that the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his family were forced to leave the Philippines in disgrace. Helicopters airlifted the family from the Malacañang Palace, as protesters filled the streets. Marcos Sr, after ruling with an iron fist for 20 years, had been toppled by a popular uprising, the People Power Revolution.Crowds stormed the abandoned palace, discovering the extent of the family’s opulence. There were grand artworks, boxes of commemorative gold coins, lavish jewellery, hundreds of gowns, dresses, and, infamously, an enormous collection of designer shoes belonging to the former first lady, Imelda Marcos. Continue reading...

The president has been accused of failing to address the wave of violence and has been incessant with his attacks on reportersThe unrelenting slaughter of Mexican journalists has continued after two more newspeople were gunned down by unidentified assassins – taking the 2022 death toll to 11 in what is the deadliest country for media professionals outside a warzone.Yesenia Mollinedo Falconi and Sheila Johana García Olivera were murdered in the town of Cosoleacaque, about 350 miles east of the capital Mexico City, around 3pm on Monday. Continue reading...

Study of Ofsted rankings comes as government set to outline plans for all schools to join multi-academy trustsCouncil-maintained schools in England outperform academies in Ofsted rankings, according to analysis published on the day the government’s ambitions for all schools to join multi-academy trusts (Mats) are expected to be outlined in the Queen’s speech.Research conducted on behalf of the Local Government Association (LGA) found 92% of council-run schools were ranked outstanding or good by Ofsted in January 2022, compared with 85% of academies that have been graded since they converted. Continue reading...

Number of transactions rose from 6,600 in first three months of 2021 to 14,600 in first quarter of 2022Drivers are scrambling to buy secondhand electric cars, more than doubling sales in the past year as demand for zero-emission vehicles surges.Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the number of transactions for electric cars increased from 6,600 in the first three months of 2021 to almost 14,600 in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 120%. Continue reading...

Paper beat out two other finalists, the New York Times and the Milwaukee Journal SentinelThe Washington Post has won the 2022 Pulitzer prize for public service journalism, for The Attack, its account of the deadly assault on the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump on 6 January 2021.The paper beat two other finalists: the New York Times, for challenging official accounts of US military engagements in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, for an exposé of electrical fires in city rental operations. Continue reading...

Sixth deadly prison massacre in country fueled by rival drug gangs since the beginning of 2021, bringing death toll to nearly 400Scores of inmates are feared dead in Ecuador after a deadly prison riot broke out between rival drugs gangs, in the latest bloody episode of a wave of violence that has engulfed the country’s prisons.Forty-three prisoners were confirmed dead on Monday as more than 200 police commandos retook control of the maximum-security wing of the Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas prison, about two hours drive from the capital Quito, but the death-toll is likely to rise. Continue reading...

Arrivals who crossed Channel will be notified of Home Office plan to send them to nation to make asylum claimsThe first group of people will be informed this week of the government’s intention to send them to Rwanda under its controversial relocation scheme, the Home Office has said.Under plans announced last month, people arriving illegally in the UK via Channel crossings and other routes will be detained and sent to the east African nation to apply for asylum there. Continue reading...

Equalities watchdog statement provokes backlash from coronavirus support groups and unionsPeople suffering from long Covid have reacted with alarm to comments by government’s equalities watchdog that the condition should not be treated as a disability.Under the Equalities Act, anyone with a physical or mental impairment that has lasted for longer than 12 months and substantially impacted their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities qualifies as disabled and is entitled to protection to ensure that they aren’t discriminated against in the workplace. This includes requesting that their employer makes “reasonable adjustments”, such as flexible working hours or home working, to ensure that they can continue working. Continue reading...

The Housemartins and Beautiful South frontman invited fans to celebrate his 60th birthday with himListen carefully and you may hear one of 60 pubs across the UK and Ireland playing anthems by the Beautiful South on Monday night. The venues have been selected by northern music legend Paul Heaton in honour of his 60th birthday, and by way of celebration he has put £1,000 behind the bar at each one.The former Housemartins and Beautiful South frontman used his Facebook page to invite fans to celebrate with him, explaining that his original tour plan involving cycling between venues around the UK had to be shelved after the pandemic caused delays to the recording of his new album. Continue reading...

Analysis: Resignation promise has been praised as a bold move but not everyone in the Labour camp is convinced it’s the right one

Callum Wheeler accused of using railway jack to murder James in Kent woodland in April 2021A police community support officer’s smartwatch captured the moment she was ambushed in a “brutal and fatal attack” as she walked her dog, a court has heard.Callum Wheeler, 22, is accused of “waiting in the woods” before bludgeoning Julia James, 53, with a 3kg railway jack. Continue reading...

Monarch, who is experiencing mobility issues, will not read Queen’s speech for only third time during her reignThe Queen is to miss the state opening of parliament for only the third time in her reign.The 96-year-old monarch, who is experiencing mobility issues, will not read the Queen’s speech on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace said. The Prince of Wales will read it on her behalf. Continue reading...

Farmers on Italian island say they are disillusioned after previous damage and want compensationHuge swarms of locusts are wreaking havoc on the Italian island of Sardinia, arriving a month earlier than in previous years.The worst-affected area is the province of Nuoro, where the winged insects have decimated crops across 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of land, following swarms in 2019 said to be the worst in decades and further infestations in 2020 and 2021. Continue reading...

37-year-old data scientist completed feat many walkers see as a lifetime challenge in five and a half daysA former World of Warcraft fanatic who was “good but not great” at running at school has broken the record for scaling all 214 Wainwright fells in the Lake District.Many walkers set themselves a lifetime challenge of summiting every peak in Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. John Kelly, a 37-year-old data scientist from Tennessee in the US, completed them all in five days, 12 hours and 14 minutes. Continue reading...

But despite being in role for 13 months, Dutton has never spoken in parliament about reforms stemming from alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan

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Lucy Moss, who at 26 became the youngest female director of a Broadway musical, is now writing a new show and a film with co-creator Toby MarlowIt was written by two university students, had its first run in a converted hotel conference centre at the Edinburgh fringe and then took the West End by storm. Now, the hit musical Six – in which Henry VIII’s wives give a “histo-remix” pop concert with songs such as Don’t Lose Ur Head – has become the talk of Broadway.On Monday, the show created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss during their final term at Cambridge University received eight nominations for this year’s Tony awards, including best original score, best direction of a musical and best musical. Continue reading...

‘Historic agreement’ is said to enable Cypriots to sell or develop properties in the post-colonial military zonesSixty-two years after the end of British rule, Cyprus has taken another step out of the shadow of its colonial past with a deal that ushers in the biggest change in land use on the island since independence.Describing the accord as groundbreaking, the president of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, said it would enable thousands of Cypriots to develop properties in the “sovereign base areas” Britain has long held on to in the Mediterranean country. That, he said, would not only yield “multiple benefits” but correct “distortions and imbalances” in the lives of residents living in villages incorporated in the facilities. Continue reading...

French president says European Union ‘cannot be the only way to structure the continent’Emmanuel Macron has called for a new political organisation to unite democracies on the European continent, as he warned that Ukraine would probably not join the EU for several decades.Speaking two days after being sworn in for a second term as French president, Macron called for big thinking on the future of Europe, saying the war in Ukraine showed the need for a “historic process of reflection”. Continue reading...

Ivo Delingpole, son of James Delingpole, lived nearby and spotted Labour leader through window of Durham Miners Hall

Payments to a future Saudi king and other officials allegedly approved as part of a huge arms dealPayments of up to £60m to a future king of Saudi Arabia, his son and other high-ranking officials were approved by the British government as part of a huge arms deal and the UK then sought to conceal them in what it described as a “deniable fiddle”, a trial has heard.Opening the defence of one of two men accused of corruption in the arms deal, Ian Winter QC told Southwark crown court that some of the payments were made to the then Prince Abdullah, who later became the Saudi monarch for a decade. Continue reading...

Singer’s global initiative to offer a book each month to 200 refugee children in London until they turn fiveRefugee children in London will be given a book each month until they turn five, thanks to a new project from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.The global organisation is partnering with publisher Penguin Random House and charity Give a Book to offer books to 200 refugee children in the capital. Continue reading...

The fashion model had recently been released from jail in Australia, after being convicted of assault against his motherNick Cave has announced that his oldest son Jethro has died, aged 31.In a brief statement, he wrote: “With much sadness, I can confirm that my son, Jethro, has passed away. We would be grateful for family privacy at this time.” Continue reading...

James Cameron’s much-anticipated follow-up to his record-breaking sci-fi adventure will finally hit cinemas this ChristmasThe first trailer for James Cameron’s much-anticipated and much-delayed sequel to Avatar has been released.Avatar: The Way of Water will bring back stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver to continue the story of the Na’vi, a race of extraterrestrial humanoids under attack from humans. New cast-members include Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement and Edie Falco. Continue reading...

Carrick now charged with 44 offences, including coercive behaviour, sexual assault and false imprisonmentThe Metropolitan police officer David Carrick has been charged with three more counts of rape, bringing total charges against him to 44.The 47-year-old constable already faced 41 charges involving 11 alleged victims, including rape, coercive and controlling behaviour and sexual assault between 2003 and 2020.Twenty-one counts of rape.Nine counts of sexual assault.Five counts of assault by penetration.Three counts of coercive and controlling behaviour.Two counts of false imprisonment.Two counts of attempted rape.One count of attempted sexual assault by penetration.One count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Continue reading...

Police escort Sergey Andreev away after protesters prevent him laying wreath at Soviet cemetery in Warsaw

Missed flights and queues outside terminals underline aviation sector’s struggle with staff shortagesThousands of passengers have had to queue outside terminals at Birmingham and Manchester airports, and dozens have missed flights, in chaotic scenes underlining the aviation industry’s struggle to return to normal pre-pandemic service.The staff shortages that led to congested terminals at Easter and widespread flight cancellations have persisted, with Birmingham deciding to move passengers outside to disentangle check-ins from security lines. Continue reading...

Former French prime minister and wife Penelope found guilty, but sentences are reducedA French appeal court has upheld the conviction of the former French prime minister François Fillon and his Welsh wife, Penelope, for embezzling public funds in a fake job scandal.However, the judgment, announced on Monday, reduced the sentences imposed on the couple during their trial almost two years ago; Fillon was given a four-year sentence, three of which were suspended, a fine of €375,000 (£320,000) and a 10-year ban from holding a public position. His wife was given a two-year suspended sentence and the same fine. The couple had been allowed to remain free pending the outcome of the appeal. Continue reading...

Putin makes no major policy announcement about Ukraine in Victory Day speech; Zelenskiy says country will win war with Russia and not cede any territoryVladimir Putin has told Russian soldiers they are “fighting for the same thing their fathers and grandfathers did” as he used his Victory Day speech to tie the war in Ukraine to the memory of the second world war and justify his invasion. Prior to the speech, foreign officials had said Putin could use it to launch a full mobilisation of Russian troops or formally declare war in Ukraine, but there were no large policy announcements.In a rare mention of Russian casualties in Ukraine, Putin said that the “the death of each of our soldiers and officers is a grief for all of us and an irreparable loss for relatives and friends”, adding that he signed a law that “will provide special support to the children of the dead and wounded comrades”.Commemorating victory over Nazi Germany, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said Ukraine would win in its war with Russia and not cede any territory. In a video posted to social media, the Ukrainian president said: “We are fighting for our children’s freedom and therefore we will win. Very soon there will be two victory days in Ukraine. And someone won’t have any. We won then. We will win now.”Residents of Russian-occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia oblast have had their personal documents taken away by Russian authorities, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces has said, saying they would be returned “on the basis of the participation of the latter in the solemn events … of Victory Day”.Kirill Stremousov, deputy chairman of the pro-Russian military-civilian administration in Kherson in southern Ukraine has said: “We will integrate as much as possible into the Russian Federation”.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed shortcomings in its ability to conduct precision strikes at scale, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said in its latest intelligence updateThe European Union should consider seizing frozen Russian foreign exchange reserves to help pay for the cost of rebuilding Ukraine after the war, its foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has said in an interview.Emmanuel Macron, the French president, is expected to travel to Berlin for talks with German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday and to make a major address. It will be his first trip abroad since his re-election and Ukraine is expected to be high on the agenda for the two leaders.UK defence secretary Ben Wallace has accused leaders of Russia’s armed forces of “amorality and corruption” and said the conflict in Ukraine brings “dishonour”.The UK government has expanded its sanctions against Russia to include punitive import tariffs on Russian precious metals, as well as export bans on certain UK products, to increase economic pressure on Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.Traumatised Ukrainian refugees who have sought sanctuary in the UK may have to wait two years before they can get specialised therapy to help them heal from the horrors of war. Continue reading...

Known as Bongbong, son of the late dictator holds significant lead over nearest rival in unofficial countFerdinand Marcos Jr appears on track to become the next president of the Philippines, as initial vote counts showed a significant lead for the son and namesake of the late dictator who ruled the country for more than 20 years.A partial and unofficial count based on 61.05% of the election returns showed Marcos Jr in the lead with 20m votes on Monday evening. His nearest rival, the vice-president and former human rights lawyer Leni Robredo, was on 9.5m votes, according to data released by the commission on elections. It is not clear which areas of the country have been counted, and if these are Marcos strongholds. Continue reading...

Police are imposing nationwide curfew following violence at protest site in ColomboSri Lanka’s prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has resigned after months of protests over the country’s deepening economic crisis and calls for leaders from the ruling family dynasty to step down.The move came as a nationwide curfew was imposed following violence at a major protest site in Colombo, where pro-government supporters attacked demonstrators and police responded with teargas and water cannon. Continue reading...

Articles published on Lenta.ru on Victory Day accuse Putin of waging ‘bloodiest war of 21st century’

Schoolchildren as young as 14 targeted in 1975 for links to ‘subversive’ anti-fascist and socialist organisationsMI5 asked police chiefs to collect information about the political activities of schoolchildren as young as 14, a public inquiry into undercover policing has heard.The request – circulated to chief constables throughout Britain in 1975 – was approved by the head of the Security Service and a senior Whitehall official. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy presents award to jack russell Patron, who is seen as a symbol of resistance against Russia