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Losing the territory strips Ukraine of one of its few solid bargaining chips in possible peace negotiations

National Fraud Initiative report for Cabinet Office identified Defra employee also being paid by DHSC for full-time roleA civil servant held multiple full-time jobs at different government departments at the same time, according to a Cabinet Office investigation.A report by the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) - a data-matching exercise carried out every two years by the Cabinet Office that helps prevent and detect fraud - made the discovery in 2022-23 when looking at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Continue reading...

Supermarket chain's sales drop 1% to 21.7bn despite food price inflation of 3% for most of 2024

Clacton MP did not declare 100 days in 2024 of help with political engagements and travel in US, filings showThe MPs' standards watchdog has been asked to investigate whether Nigel Farage should have declared regular free support given to him by a US PR adviser who is now a Donald Trump official.US filings show that Capital HQ, run by Alexandra Preate, helped Farage on more than 100 days in 2024 with organising speaking engagements, media appearances, political activities and travel in the US. Continue reading...

More than 200mm of rain fell in 24 hours, destroying 900 homes and leaving 40,000 people without powerCyclone Jude was the third cyclone to hit Mozambique this season. First spotted as a depression last Friday to the south-west of the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, it intensified over the next few days to a moderate tropical storm, affecting northern Madagascar on Saturday and killing at least one person.Jude strengthened into a tropical cyclone as it tracked westwards over the Mozambique Channel, where sea surface temperatures of close to 30C provided the heat and moisture necessary to fuel the cyclone. Continue reading...

Flamstead residents - tall men, in particular - are under attack from a Harris's hawk which has gone on rampage in recent weeksWhen Michael Hart went for his morning run in rural Hertfordshire last week, he did not expect to be attacked. I felt something come at me from behind," said the 31-year-old, who works in IT.The perpetrator has quietly stalked the streets of Flamstead for months but in the past fortnight has gone on a rampage, having bumped and slashed more than 20 men, including Hart. A hunt for the serial attacker is under way. Continue reading...

The accused human trafficker flew home' from detention in Romania only to be greeted by a state criminal investigation

The blockage - thought to be the state's biggest ever - was discovered at a wastewater facility during routine maintenanceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe biggest ever fatberg found in Western Australia has been pulled from a sewer, weighing in at 30,000kg.Fatbergs are made up of material that cannot dissolve in water - such as oil, grease and wet wipes flushed down sinks and toilets - which then pile up and stick together. Continue reading...

Delay in removing hereditaries from Lords illustrates how hard it will be to push through more significant changesThe only solid measure that Keir Starmer's government has introduced to change the House of Lords is on its way to becoming law, but not without last-ditch resistance.Labour's manifesto promise to remove members of the House of Lords who vote in parliament's second chamber by birthright was the most straightforward change. The limited measure, an overdue completion of the removal of hereditary peers that began 26 years ago, is a further illustration of the constitutional difficulties of reforming parliament's second chamber. Continue reading...

Lai Ching-te's speech - which included a proposal to set up military courts - prompted an angry reaction from Beijing, which called him a creator of crisis'Taiwan's new president has formally labelled China a foreign hostile force" and ramped up national security measures in the face of growing threats and a string of spying cases.The new measures announced on Thursday include a controversial proposal to restore a military court system in Taiwan, which was under martial law until the late 1980s. Continue reading...

Three other charges of attempting to disclose protected information about the Australian Taxation Office's collection practices remain

Former Labor minister says Australia should consider applying its own tariffs in retaliation against those placed on steel and aluminium

More than 400 guests staying in tower when fire began, which one nearby resident says started after explosion

Five-year transition period declared along with rights for women, freedom of expression and justice for Assad victimsSyria's leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has hailed the start of a new history" for his country, after signing into force a constitutional declaration regulating its five-year transitional period and laying out rights for women and freedom of expression.The declaration comes three months after Islamist-led rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's repressive government, leading to calls for an inclusive new Syria that respects rights. Continue reading...

Officers say they have widened investigations despite questions over nurse's convictions for killing babiesPolice investigating the hospital where the nurse Lucy Letby worked have widened their inquiries to include gross negligence manslaughter by senior staff.Cheshire constabulary says it has expanded its inquiry into the Countess of Chester hospital despite growing questions around Letby's convictions. Continue reading...

Farmers sweat as they await word on whether Donald Trump will extend tariffs to $6.2bn in meat exports

Independents and legal experts say Labor and the Coalition's team-up to ram laws through parliament' was rushed, lacked transparency and was bad politicking'

Insiders fear battle to reclaim teal seats in areas with high rates of working professional women could be hampered See all our Australian election 2025 coverage Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Coalition's work from home policy has raised significant concerns in its ranks, with many taken by surprise and some criticising it as not fully thought through".As the Liberals face an uphill battle to reclaim several blue-ribbon seats lost to the teals, there is growing worry inside the party that the policy will take it backwards in areas with high numbers of working professional women.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

About 60% of the 1.2m cars that drove out of the showroom last year were SUVs, but road fatalities reached a 12-year high too

Contract comes to light after questions raised about the increasing role of Musk in Australia's communications systems Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian Electoral Commission is planning on using Elon Musk's Starlink services as back up for transmitting voting results information in the upcoming federal election.In a contract published late last year, the AEC appointed Telstra responsible for the agency's fixed line and Starlink services until mid-2027, in a deal worth $1.38m. A spokesperson for the AEC confirmed Starlink could be used in the upcoming election for sensitive election data.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Mercurial mining magnate answers questions at the National Press Club through Tim Tams, telling journalists: It's my money. If I lose it, I lose it' See all our Australian election 2025 coverage Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastClive Palmer faced a conundrum in Canberra on Thursday: whether to answer a question on China and Taiwan from one of the press gallery's most esteemed journalists, or swallow the chunk of chocolate biscuit he'd just bitten into.In the end, he did both, telling Andrew Probyn from Nine News that once the American commitment goes, Taiwan wouldn't be able to defend itself" through a mouthful of Tim Tam. Continue reading...

Former Philippines president filmed a video message en route to the Hague, saying I will be responsible for everything'Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has said he will accept responsibility for his government's so-called war on drugs" in a video message filmed on board a plane shortly before he was taken into the custody of the international criminal court (ICC).Whatever happened in the past, I will be the front of our law enforcement and the military. I said this already, that I will protect you, and I will be responsible for everything," he said. Continue reading...

Former Radio Leeds host Alex Belfield was jailed in 2022 for stalking four people including Jeremy VineThe BBC has issued a full and unreserved apology" to four female former employees after admitting it did not do enough to protect them from a local radio presenter who was later jailed for stalking Jeremy Vine.Alex Belfield, a former host on BBC Radio Leeds, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison in 2022 after being found guilty of waging a stalking campaign against four people, including Vine. The corporation has now said that it is deeply sorry" to four women who had also been subjected to a campaign of abuse by Belfield over several years. Continue reading...

Local people are enthusiastic about regeneration, though some fans share Andy Burnham's worries over where the money will come fromEven on a freezing, rainy day with no match scheduled, the area surrounding Old Trafford in Manchester is abuzz with football fans from far and wide.Just a day since Manchester United revealed their plans for the new 100,000-capacity stadium in Old Trafford, there is a sense of excitement at the new proposals: the plans promise 92,000 jobs and a large-scale regeneration" of the area, including 17,000 new homes. Continue reading...

The Bear actor called Musk a fascist and an idiot after his reaction to a post from a rightwing account that claimed she was replacing Johnny DeppAyo Edebiri, the actor best known for her Emmy-award winning work on The Bear, has said she received insane death threats" after Elon Musk shared a fake news report about her being cast in a film.On her Instagram, Edebiri recalled the furore that met Musk's reposting of a story by Unlimited L's", a rightwing account with no apparent Hollywood connection or insight, that she was to replace Johnny Depp in a reboot of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Continue reading...

Judge tells triple killer he will spend rest of his life behind bars after father John Hunt tells Clifford hell will roll out the red carpet for you'The prosecution said after time in the army, Clifford later worked at a catering firm, where he allegedly made inappropriately sexualised comments" to people.He would also talk about whether he could have sex with female colleagues - including I could ride you", Alison Morgan KC said. Continue reading...

State says most prison guards returned to work after deal to end wildcat stoppage but holdouts were dismissedNew York fired more than 2,000 prison guards on Monday for failing to return to work after an illegal work stoppage - carried out amid fallout over the high-profile deaths of two detained people as well as reports of violence by guards.But the state said enough officers had come back on the job to declare the wildcat strike over. Continue reading...

Prime minister's comments come ahead of speech on state reform and expected Whitehall job cuts

Analysis shows 10% of peers make half of all contributions to debates while others claim allowances but say nothing

Chief executive says sales figures are down by more than a fifth but its brands still carry significant potential'

Desolate spectacle of executions begins again under Trump, in landscape of capital punishment as riven as US is as a wholeDavid Leonard Wood. Jessie Hoffman. Aaron Gunches. Wendell Grissom. Edward Thomas James. Moises Sandoval Mendoza.So many names. So many dead men walking. Ten days, five states, six death row prisoners scheduled for execution. Continue reading...

The 46-year-old reality TV star was found dead at his Bristol home in JanuaryThe Hollyoaks actor and reality TV star Paul Danan died at his Bristol home from a cocktail of drugs including cocaine and heroin, an inquest opening has been told.The actor, 46, who played Sol Patrick from 1997 to 2001 on the Channel 4 soap, was later known for his reality TV appearances, including on Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Love Island. Continue reading...

Seven health professionals who worked with football legend in days before his death face trial in ArgentinaSeven medical professionals who tended to the Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona during his final days are going on trial accused of criminal negligence over his death.Maradona died on 25 November 2020 aged 60 while recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot, after decades battling cocaine and alcohol addictions. Continue reading...

As truce talks begin in Jeddah, Andriy Yermak writes for the Guardian that continent must remain united'

Migratory insects covered 4.2 acres in Mexican forests this winter but number remains far below long-term averageThe population of eastern monarch butterflies - who migrate from Canada and the US to Mexico during the winter - has nearly doubled over the last year, according to a recent report commissioned in Mexico, generating optimism among nature preservationists.The modest growth in numbers for the orange-and-black butterflies follows years of ongoing conservation efforts - and perhaps provides a sliver of optimism after otherwise discouraging long-term trends for the species. Continue reading...

Hassan Diab fears shifting political winds in Canada could lead to extradition fight after Musk shares post about himUntil recently, Hassan Diab's life in Ottawa had begun to settle back into a quiet suburban routine: spending his days teaching sociology part time at Carleton University, taking his two youngest children to the park to play football, or going for an afternoon swim.It had been well over a year since he was convicted in absentia for carrying out a deadly bomb attack on a Paris synagogue in 1980, and the media attention had largely quieted down. He was trying to move on with his life. Continue reading...

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NSW police allege Moosawi directed two men who have pleaded guilty to setting the Curly Lewis brewery on fire in October 2024. He has denied all charges

US-style mega-farms in Herefordshire face tough new regulations after high court rulingIndustrial poultry farms face tough new regulations around the disposal of chicken manure after a judge ruled it can be classified as waste and requires a detailed and transparent plan to dispose of it without damaging the environment.The high court ruling means new US-style mega-farms in Herefordshire will have to deal with poultry manure as if it was industrial waste. Continue reading...

Athiak Dau Riak was traditionally married for a record bride price last year, despite her mother's insistence that she was only 14, which led to threats of reprisalsThe mother of an alleged child bride has left a safe house in South Sudan to travel to be with her daughter after discovering the teenager is pregnant.Deborah Kuir Yach made headlines last year when she opposed a competition for her daughter's hand in marriage, insisting that her child Athiak Dau Riak was only 14. Fear of reprisals from her husband and family forced her to leave her home in the capital, Juba, and go into hiding. Continue reading...

A new partnership will give campers exclusive access to rewilding sites and a chance to join in with conservation effortsCampers looking for a back-to-nature experience this summer will be able to wild camp on land that was previously off-limits across Britain thanks to an initiative launched by camping booking platform CampWild and the nature recovery charity Rewilding Britain.The partnership will provide outdoor enthusiasts with access to nature restoration projects that have not previously permitted overnight stays - and campers can get involved in conservation and citizen science activities on-site, too. Continue reading...

Ticket holders for the Tuesday night concert at an outdoor riverside venue have complained about the decision to go ahead in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred

Checkpoints backed by education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, follow complaints from teachers of children arriving in nappiesToilet training and the ability to use cutlery are two key checkpoints in a new list of school-readiness" skills developed by a coalition of early-years educators and endorsed by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary.The group said the guidance was the first of its type, intended to help parents to prepare children starting in reception classes in England from the age of four and came after complaints from teachers of children arriving at school in nappies, lacking basic skills and unable to play with others. Continue reading...

Tributes have been paid to singer who had a string of hits in South Korea including a cover of Craig David's InsomniaThe South Korean singer Wheesung has died aged 43, with police reportedly planning to conduct an autopsy to determine his cause of death.The singer, whose name was Choi Whee-sung, was found unconscious in his apartment on Monday night by emergency responders after his mother called for help, local media reported. Continue reading...

Alan Jones's lawyer indicates the high-profile former broadcaster will formally deny a 35th charge along with all others

Symon Hill paid 2,500 by Thames Valley police over his arrest at proclamation of Charles III's accession in 2022Police have admitted acting unlawfully in arresting a trainee Baptist minister who called out Who elected him?" at a local proclamation of the accession of King Charles III.After a two-and-a-half-year battle, Symon Hill, 47, has been paid 2,500 in compensation from Thames Valley police over his arrest in September 2022. Continue reading...

Defence, the Palestinians and Irish-American trade will all be on the agenda as Micheal Martin heads to WashingtonSt Patrick's Day has long been one of the sacred moments of the Irish-American calendar with more than 200 years of parades in New York and a shamrock reception at the White House launched by Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 to cement political ties between the two nations.But this year's annual meeting between the taoiseach and the US president, a week early because of a congressional recess on 17 March, is laden with anxiety over the future of Ireland's economy, which is heavily reliant on US multinationals Donald Trump wants to repatriate. Continue reading...

Duterte is wanted by the international criminal court over his so-called war on drugs', which rights groups say left 30,000 people deadThe former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been taken into custody after the international criminal court issued a warrant for his arrest for his so-called war on drugs".

New book by spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism will raise the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of TibetThe Dalai Lama's successor will be born outside China, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism says in a new book, raising the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of the Himalayan region he fled more than six decades ago.Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to continue after the 89-year-old's death, he writes in Voice for the Voiceless, which was reviewed by Reuters and is being released on Tuesday. Continue reading...