De Wever, a nationalist from Flanders, takes over from Alexander De Croo after seven months of negotiationsConservative Bart De Wever has been sworn in as Belgium's new prime minister, after striking a hard-fought coalition deal that moves the country to the right.The agreement, struck late on Friday after seven months of negotiations, makes De Wever the first nationalist from Dutch-speaking Flanders to be named Belgian premier. Continue reading...
Unions as well as school leaders say proposed changes to replace four-grade approach in England are demoralising'Moves to overhaul the way schools are inspected in England have been criticised by headteachers and teaching unions as demoralising" and worse than the system they are aiming to replace.The changes by the Ofsted schools inspectorate would replace single judgments such as outstanding" with a new report card for parents. They will be unveiled by Ofsted's chief inspector, Martyn Oliver, on Monday alongside the launch of a public consultation. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6V0KW)
Experts say thousands more patients will die early unless NHS tackles delays, following figures from Radiotherapy UKMore than half a million people in England have had to wait longer than two months for essential cancer treatment, analysis of latest NHS figures has shown.It has led experts to suggest thousands more patients will die unnecessarily unless the NHS gets to grips quickly with the delays. Continue reading...
TUC says 1m people are on the insecure contracts - with 130,000 still not having full rights after 10 yearsHundreds of thousands of British workers are on zero-hours contracts despite being with the same employer for years, according to analysis from the TUC.The majority of zero-hours contract workers have been with their employer for more than 12 months, while one in eight have not been granted regular employment rights after more than a decade working in the same place, the organisation said. Continue reading...
PM wants to see all allies stepping up', saying Donald Trump's threat of sanctions has rattled Vladimir PutinKeir Starmer has called on European leaders to put more economic pressure on Russia, saying Donald Trump's threat of sanctions has left Vladimir Putin rattled".Before a meeting in Brussels on Monday, the prime minister said it was necessary to see all allies stepping up - particularly in Europe" when it comes to inflicting economic harm on Russia, and argued it would help bring about peace by ending the Ukraine war sooner. Continue reading...
New commission led by Sajid Javid and John Denham aims to speak to millions following unrest over Southport attackA new cross-party commission chaired by former Tory and Labour community secretaries is aiming to speak to millions of people to try to improve cohesion after the Southport tragedy and riots.Led by Sajid Javid and John Denham, both former cabinet ministers, the commission will launch in the spring. Continue reading...
Epic drama takes top prize, Ralph Fiennes and Marianne Jean-Baptiste win best actors and RaMell Ross best directorThe Brutalist, Brady Corbet's three-and-a-half-hour drama about the treatment of a brilliant Hungarian postmodern architect in the US after the second world war, has taken best picture at the London Critics' Circle awards.The film, which stars Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce, missed out on other prizes, however, with best director going to RaMell Ross for his much-acclaimed but little seen Colson Whitehead adaptation Nickel Boys, which also won the technical achievement prize for Jomo Fray's cinematography. Continue reading...
The entrepreneur said the aim of the Derbyshire-based company was to help people achieve their dreamsThe founder of Slimming World, Margaret Miles-Bramwell, has died aged 76.Miles-Bramwell set up the company as a weight loss meeting at a church hall in Alfreton, Derbyshire in 1969. It expanded to a nationwide network of 10,000 groups and Slimming World magazine became a referral option for NHS GPs. Continue reading...
Nika Melia and Gigi Ugulava detained as thousands try to block highway into Tbilisi amid unrest against ruling partyGeorgian police have arrested two opposition leaders during a street protest against the ruling party, which has been accused of democratic backsliding and of moving Tbilisi closer to Russia.The Black Sea nation has been rocked by daily mass protests since the Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October parliamentary elections whose results the opposition rejected as falsified. Continue reading...
The Labour first minister talks to people in Blackwood, as Reform and Plaid snap at her heelsThe next Welsh parliament elections are more than a year away but the first minister, Eluned Morgan, appeared to be on the campaign trail already as she swept through the town of Blackwood in the south Wales valleys.Within half an hour, she had spoken to dozens of people, asking what they wanted of her government, acknowledging where things needed to be improved, challenging voters who she felt were not being fair on her party. Continue reading...
Tory leader forgot to register as controller of party's companies until error was pointed out last weekLabour has called Kemi Badenoch a shambles" after it emerged she forgot to register as controller of the Conservative party companies in a breach of corporate rules.Badenoch, a former business secretary, became Conservative leader on 2 November but her predecessor Rishi Sunak was still registered as the controller of the party's companies until the party was notified of the error last week. Continue reading...
Police say man and woman arrested over alleged hit-and-run in Pitsea remain in custodyTributes have been paid to two children who died after an alleged hit-and-run in Essex.Police said officers received reports that a girl and a boy had been involved in a collision with a car on Ashlyns, in Pitsea, near Basildon, at about 6.25pm on Saturday, and that the car had failed to stop at the scene. Continue reading...
Force accused of not prioritising case as CCTV released almost two years after death of US performer HeklinaWhen the well-known American drag artist Heklina was found dead in a London flat, her family, friends and fans were desperate for answers.Only now, almost two years later, have police released CCTV of three men who were at the 55-year-old's flat on the night she died. Continue reading...
Former Labour leader says government should show greater willingness to work with blocLabour needs to end its cycle of hesitation" over Europe and press ahead with an ambitious new relationship with the European Union, the party's former leader Neil Kinnock has said.Keir Starmer will head to a Brussels dinner with EU leaders this week as he attempts to negotiate a security and defence pact with the bloc. It is the first summit of its type to be attended by a British prime minister since Brexit. Continue reading...
by Kat Lay, Global health correspondent on (#6V052)
Global collaboration with US researchers likely to be set back by years, including on spread of drug-resistant HIVA flagship programme to create malaria vaccines has been halted by the Trump administration, in just one example of a rippling disruption to health research around the globe since the new US president took power.The USAid Malaria Vaccine Development Program (MVDP) - which works to prevent child deaths by creating more effective second-generation vaccines - funds research by teams collaborating across institutes, including the US university Johns Hopkins and the UK's University of Oxford. Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi (now); Daniel Lavelle and Adam Fulton ( on (#6TZNK)
Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt has opened for the first time since MayHere are images coming in of people in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square watching a screen broadcasting news footage of this morning's hostage releases.The Guardian's Peter Beaumont is reporting on these latest hostage releases. Continue reading...
by David Hammer of WWL Louisiana in New Orleans on (#6TZSY)
Ousted leaders say Gregory Aymond removed them after they refused to fund sexual abuse lawsuit settlementsThe way that the archbishop of New Orleans' Roman Catholic archdiocese fired leaders at a church-affiliated food bank Thursday has angered many congregants of the bankrupt organization.Aymond summarily removed Natalie Jayroe - the longtime president and CEO of Second Harvest of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana - on Thursday, as well as three members of the Second Harvest board of directors: Kristen Albertson, Nick Karl and Bert Wilson. Continue reading...
Hardline agendas, especially on immigration, are copied by mainstream conservatives in vain effort to win back votesFar-right parties could become the largest force on the right in Europe within a decade, experts have said, as mainstream conservative parties look to copy their hardline agendas, especially on immigration, in a vain effort to win back votes.Germany's conservatives last week sparked fury when their leader, Friedrich Merz, the country's likely next chancellor, broke a longstanding pledge by relying on far-right votes to adopt a non-binding motion urging a drastic immigration crackdown. The leader of Alternative fur Deutschland, Alice Weidel, hailed a historic day for Germany" as the Bundestag, for the first time in its history, passed a vote with the backing of her party, which is second in the polls weeks before this month's elections. Continue reading...
Paul Boateng and Sir Trevor Phillips among those present to remember man who played pivotal role in 1963 bus boycottMore than 500 people including leading British civil rights figures filled Bristol Cathedral on Friday for a memorial service for the late Paul Stephenson, known for his role in the Bristol bus boycott.Stephenson played a pivotal part in rallying thousands of people for a 60-day boycott in Bristol in 1963 over the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to hire black or Asian drivers, contributing to the creation of the first Race Relations Act in parliament two years later. Continue reading...
Ronald De Souza was arrested in 1972 with five friends and charged with attempting to rob corrupt police officer DS Derek RidgewellThe last convicted member of the Stockwell Six, a group of young black men falsely accused of trying to rob a corrupt police officer more than half a century ago, has had his case referred back to the court of appeal.Ronald De Souza was arrested along with five friends and charged with attempting to rob the now notorious police officer DS Derek Ridgewell in 1972. They were put on trial at the Old Bailey largely on his word. All pleaded not guilty. Continue reading...
Greens and SPD earlier refused to support the Influx Limitation Act amid fierce criticism from Merkel over Merz's cooperation with AfDin BerlinThe Bundestag debate has been delayed for half an hour on request of the CDU, thought to be to do with misgivings within the party over the debate, not least due to large numbers of protesters outside the CDU headquarters in Berlin. Continue reading...
Publisher says expecting authors, agents and editors to secure blurbs can create an incestuous and unmeritocratic literary ecosystem that often rewards connections over talent'When you buy a new book, you can usually expect to see praise from other authors emblazoned on its cover. A writer slightly more famous than the author of the book you're buying might have called it whip-smart", illuminating" or a tour de force", for example - presumably so that fans of the more famous writer will take a punt on the less famous one.But soon we may not see so many of these author blurbs - Sean Manning, publisher of Simon & Schuster's flagship imprint in the US, has written an essay for Publishers Weekly explaining that as of this year he will no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books". Continue reading...
General secretary highlights legacy of 14 years of falling living standards under the Tories'In an article for the Guardian, the Labour MP Clive Lewis said Rachel Reeves' growth speech this week means the party has abandoned its pre-election green commitments.Here is an extract.A growing suspicion looms that our government lacks a coherent governing philosophy or ideological compass beyond the vague pursuit of growth". But if growth at any cost is the mantra, the costs will soon become painfully clear. Why pledge to be clean and green, only to undermine that commitment with a Heathrow expansion promise six months later? Burning the furniture to stay warm doesn't signal confidence - it reeks of panic.Regardless of the motivation, Labour has crossed the Rubicon. Approving Heathrow expansion is an irreversible break with our pre-election pledges. In 2021, Reeves stood in front of the Labour party conference and declared that she would be the first-ever green chancellor". Now, Labour is accused of obstructing the climate and nature bill and abandoning its ambitious decarbonisation plans. The rapid turnaround is striking ...I do a bit. There are nine million working age adults who are not working. And as we compete globally with countries like, you know, South Korea, China, India, you know, we need a work ethic. We need everybody to be making a contribution. ... we need to lift our game and to up our game.Chris Philp was the architect of the Liz Truss budget which crashed the economy and sent family mortgages rocketing.After the Conservatives' economic failure left working people worse off, it takes some real brass neck for the Tory top team to tell the public that it's really all their fault.I was making the case that tax cuts...need to be accompanied by spending control or spending reductions ... in order to show that the books are being balanced and to avoid the market reaction that we saw ...I made that case internally ... but it wasn't unfortunately listened to. I think had my suggestions been listened to a bit earlier, then there was a there's a much higher chance that [the mini-budget] would have worked. And it'll be always a matter of regret that those points weren't taken on board. Continue reading...
Gig at cathedral by metal band Plague of Angels would be outright insult' to their faith, say parishionersFirst there was a silent disco at Canterbury Cathedral. Then there was the rave in the nave" in Peterborough.But York Minster is taking it one step further by hosting a controversial metal band in what parishioners have called an outright insult" to their faith. Continue reading...
Revered Helmet of Coofeneti among items from ancient Dacian civilisation stolen while on loan at Drents MuseumHours before the sun rose over the Netherlands, the group crowded around the large external door, appearing to pry it open. Seconds later, the grainy security video appeared to show a powerful explosion, sending plumes of smoke and sparks into the air, and the thieves rush into the museum in the north-eastern city of Assen.Minutes later they were gone. But the mystery of what exactly took place during their few minutes in the Drents Museum - and what came afterwards - has left officials in the Netherlands scrambling for answers, and prompted a row that has stretched to the other side of Europe. Continue reading...
While this year's nominations are led by Beyonce and Charli xcx, the devastating wildfires in California will transform the evening into a dual-purpose event
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV at Aberdeen harbour on 7 JanuaryA body has been recovered from the River Dee in Aberdeen close to where two sisters went missing in early January.Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32 and originally from Hungary, were last seen on CCTV near the Dee at Aberdeen harbour early in the morning on Tuesday 7 January, walking towards a path along the river. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6TYYK)
Trade unions write to home secretary to complain about officers' behaviour and tactics in London on 18 JanuaryThe Met police is facing growing questions over its handling of a pro-Palestine protest in central London at which more than 70 people were arrested.On Friday, trade union leaders became the latest group to write to the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, demanding an independent inquiry into repressive and heavy-handed policing" at the 18 January demonstration. Continue reading...
Philip Guston and Reuben Kadish's The Struggle Against Terrorism revealed as some fear resurgence of fascismA long-neglected 1930s mural in Mexico that warns about the rise of fascism has been revealed and restored - just as some historians say the world faces that threat once more.The mural, which is titled The Struggle Against Terrorism, covers a 40ft wall in a colonial courtyard in Morelia, Michoacan, and depicts a history of persecution and resistance from biblical times to the modern day. Continue reading...
Residents near Tokyo question slow pace of effort to rescue 74-year-old as workers race to build 30-metre rampFears are growing for a truck driver who has spent three days trapped inside a sinkhole in Japan, as rescue workers started building a ramp in a desperate attempt to reach him.The 74-year-old, who has not been named, became trapped when the sinkhole opened up in a road near Tokyo on Tuesday, swallowing him and his two-tonne truck. Continue reading...
The Crown actor and Kate Fleetwood will join Ewan McGregor in Lila Raicek's My Master Builder, inspired by IbsenAustralian actor Elizabeth Debicki, best known for playing Diana, Princess of Wales in The Crown, is to return to London theatre this summer.Debicki, whose last London role was in the thriller The Red Barn at the National Theatre in 2016, will star in American playwright Lila Raicek's My Master Builder. It was announced last month that Ewan McGregor will play the lead role of an architect in the play. On Friday it was announced that Debicki has been cast as the architect's former student, whose arrival disrupts a Hamptons house party thrown by his wife, who will be played by Kate Fleetwood. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#6TYTW)
Exclusive: More Danish people regard US as a threat than see North Korea or Iran as dangerAlmost half of Danish people now consider the US to be a considerable threat to their country and the overwhelming majority oppose Greenland leaving to become part of the US, new polling has found.The research by YouGov, shared exclusively with the Guardian, comes after weeks of tension between Denmark, Greenland and the US over Donald Trump's repeated assertions that he plans to take control of the autonomous territory, which is part of the Danish kingdom. Continue reading...
Seven reveals its latest psephological device as the network makes an early start on election coverage. Plus: Daily Telegraph's tiny correction for big maths failThe date for the federal election has not been set but that hasn't stopped the Seven network from unveiling its Election Needle, a gimmick resembling a car's speedometer which they say will predict whether Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton is winning the election.The network that brought you the Screen of Dreams" and The Panic Station" during the 2022 race between Scott Morrison and Albanese rolled out the Election Needle's first prediction this week. Continue reading...
National Audit Office says government attempts to tackle misogynistic violence are hampered by poor coordinationAn epidemic of violence against women and girls" in the UK is getting worse despite years of government promises and strategies, a highly critical report from Whitehall's spending watchdog has said.The National Audit Office report comes four years after a major government response to violence against women and girls (VAWG) was launched after the murders of Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard.The Home Office did not have centrally coordinated funding" for VAWG, unlike that for the 2021 illegal drugs strategy, and had underspent on its own VAWG budget by an average of 15% between 2021-22 and 2023-24.There was no consistent definition for VAWG - the Home Office includes all victims, while police forces only include women and girls - which made it difficult to measure progress in a consistent way".While 78% of the commitments in the strategy had been met by July 2024, several were not new, and most" related to additional funding, holding meetings and publication of new guidance. Continue reading...
Complaint lists numerous public comments by the Liberal leader, a staunch supporter of Israel, which it alleges show discriminatory behaviour towards Palestinians, Muslims and Jews
Vessel commissioned by previous Tory government to house asylum seekers was decommissioned in NovemberEighteen months after it arrived at Portland Port in Dorset, the empty asylum seeker barge Bibby Stockholm has been towed away from its mooring.The barge, which only ever provided accommodation for about 400 single male asylum seekers a night at maximum occupancy, has cost the taxpayer at least 34.8m, according to the National Audit Office. Continue reading...
Claire Freemantle had been rearrested on Tuesday after bereaved families criticised original police investigationThe driver of a car that crashed into a primary school killing two eight-year-old girls has been released on bail pending further investigations.Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died in the incident at The Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, in July 2023 while celebrating the last day of the summer term. Continue reading...
by Agence France-Press in Port of Spain on (#6TYJA)
Discovery by coast guard comes five days after skiff containing five bodies found near Trinidad and TobagoThe coastguard of St Kitts and Nevis has discovered 13 decomposing bodies in a boat adrift off the coast, days after another five bodies were found in a skiff near Trinidad and Tobago.Officials of the two Caribbean countries said it was not immediately clear if there was any link between the two incidents, or who the deceased were. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6TYJC)
Plans shelved include earlier cancer diagnosis, boosting women's health and expanding access to dental careNHS England is scrapping plans to diagnose more cancers early, boost women's health and ramp up childhood vaccinations after ministers told it to prioritise cutting waiting times.The health service is also abandoning pledges to expand access to dental treatment, give more people drugs to prevent strokes and enhance care for those with learning disabilities. Continue reading...
Bill introduced to parliament could mean asylum seekers crossing the Channel who refuse rescue could face five years in prisonKeir Starmer's planned people-smuggling laws risk criminalising" hundreds of asylum seekers, refugee charities have said, after it emerged that people who refuse to be rescued by the French authorities could be jailed for five years.Some parents who bring their children to the UK in small boats could also face prosecution, which could ultimately split their families, a human rights assessment of the border security, asylum and immigration bill has concluded. Continue reading...
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