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Andrew Mounbatten-Windsor features heavily in the latest tranche of the Epstein files, released on Friday by the US justice departmentWe can bring you more from the interview with housing secretary Steve Reed on Sky News' Trevor Phillips programme this morning (see this post for what Reed said about Peter Mandelson in the same interview).When asked if the British government would comply with an extradition request from the US if there was a charge brought against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Reed said he could not answer that question as it was an entirely hypothetical" one. Continue reading...

Late singer said kids loved his personality and wanted to touch and hug him, and sometimes it got me into trouble'As Michael Jackson saw it, children would become enamored with his personality as well as want to touch and hug him - and sometimes it [got] me into trouble," the late US pop superstar says in previously unheard audio recordings contained in a new documentary.The UK's Wonderhood Studios included the recordings of Jackson voicing those thoughts for a new four-episode documentary series beginning on Wednesday that explores his acquittal on child sexual abuse charges after a 14-week criminal trial near Los Angeles in 2005. Continue reading...

Officials say calm restored to province day after dozens killed in suicide and gun attacks in at least 10 citiesPakistan's security forces have intensified their operations against separatist militants in Balochistan province who launched a major assault on Saturday in which at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed.A day after the militants carried out suicide attacks in the heart of the provincial capital, Quetta, the chief minister of the south-western region, Sarfraz Bugti, said 145 people he described as militants had been killed in 40 hours and that their bodies were in the custody of the authorities. Continue reading...

Labor set to take advantage of shambles with blistering attacks in question time as Sussan Ley presides over barest opposition benches since 1943Normally this column focuses on the agenda for the coming parliamentary week, unpacking a dense policy issue or two that will dominate the political discussion.This week is a little different. You would expect the government's big agenda would be front and centre in the first regularly scheduled programming sitting week of the year - but not this Monday. Continue reading...

Documents released under FoI show Wells' department worried about how gambling reforms would affect sporting codes and media companies

This is a blatant and disturbing disregard for the law and for people's security,' digital rights advocate says

Recreating cosmic dust may help answer questions about how meteorites hitting Earth came to contain the organic matter that they do

Green party leader wants to legalise all drugs, regulate their use and not be the fun police'

US naval battle group gathers off Iran's shores as supreme leader in Tehran warns attack would spark regional war'Donald Trump has said Iran is talking to" the US, hinting at a deal that would avoid the use of military strikes, as Iran's supreme leader warned that any attack by the US would spark a regional war".The US president's comments came as Washington deployed a naval battle group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off Iran's shores, after Trump's threats to intervene in Iran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Thousands of pounds unlocked to fund more diversity initiatives in diocese of capital

Woman claims she spent night at Royal Lodge and had tour of Buckingham Palace, says lawyerA second woman has alleged that Jeffrey Epstein sent her to the UK to have a sexual encounter with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, according to her lawyer.The woman has claimed she spent the night at the former prince's residence Royal Lodge in 2010, her US lawyer, Brad Edwards, told the BBC. The woman, who is not British, was in her 20s at the time, it was reported.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Israel says residents will be allowed to cross on foot only, with a reported 20,000 Palestinians waiting to leave for medical carePreparations to reopen Gaza's main border crossing into Rafah have begun, though it is uncertain if any Palestinians will pass through it before the day's end, officials have said.Before the war, the Rafah crossing with Egypt was the only direct exit point for most Palestinians in Gaza to reach the outside world as well as a key entry point for aid. It has been largely shut since May 2024. Continue reading...

Voters to choose president and 57 members of congress, with current president's hardline pick Laura Fernandez expected to win first roundCosta Rica heads to the polls on Sunday in an election dominated by increasing insecurity and warnings of an authoritarian turn in a country long seen as a model of liberal democracy in the region.Crime is a big concern for many voters as criminal groups battle to control lucrative cocaine trafficking routes to Europe and the US, casting a shadow on the Central American country famous for its wildlife tourism. Continue reading...

About 20 countries including G7 states in talks on rare earths including calls for US to guarantee minimum priceMinisters from the US, EU, UK, Japan, Australia and New Zealand will meet in Washington this week to discuss a strategic alliance over critical minerals.The summit is being seen as a step to repair transatlantic ties fractured by a year of conflict with Donald Trump and pave the way for other alliances to help countries de-risk from China, including one centred on steel. Continue reading...

Five years after the junta's coup, the civil war devastating Myanmar has reached a turning point. The military is carrying out large-scale counter-offensives across the country to reclaim territory seized by pro-democracy rebels of various ethnic and religious backgroundsIn Tanintharyi, the southernmost region of Myanmar, the local resistance has managed to contain the military. After five years of guerrilla warfare, the revolutionary youth there remain determined to restore democracy through armed struggle.A long, narrow stretch of land at the southern tip of Myanmar, between the Andaman Sea to the west and Thailand to the east, Tanintharyi region is one of the areas where the resistance challenges the military's authority. For decades, the region has been home to an armed rebellion led by the Karen ethnic minority, which operated mainly in the peripheral mountains.Soldiers from the Karen National Union (KNU) inspect the ruins of a Buddhist monastery destroyed by a junta airstrike in Myeik district, Tanintharyi region Continue reading...

Pressure mounts after government said it would publish names of those killed during recent unrestCalls are growing inside Iran for an independent inquiry into the number of people killed during recent protests after the government said it would oversee the publication of the names of the deceased.The highly unusual government move, announced on Thursday, is designed to head off claims that crimes against humanity have been committed and that as many as 30,000 Iranians have been killed. Iran's official death toll released by the Martyr's Foundation is 3,117, including members of the security services. Continue reading...

Some families have lost up to 10,000 after being duped into sending money to fraudsters' bank accountsForeign students attending independent schools in the UK are being targeted by fraudsters seeking to intercept their fee payments, according to new research.Some families have lost up to 10,000 after being duped into sending money to the bank account of a criminal, after receiving a fake email from the school bursar. Continue reading...

Whether in streets draped in anti-drone nets or deep in urban basements, Kherson residents go about their everyday activities with the constant threat of Russian bombingGalyna Lutsenko, a crisis psychologist, is moving busily among a small group of children seated around a table in a basement in Kherson, unique in being Ukraine's only leading city almost directly on the frontline with Russian forces - and one where people live with the daily threat of attack.She dangles a plasticine butterfly on a thread over a playhouse on the table. Her own house in the city, she says, was hit by Russian shelling in 2024, injuring her in the leg and stomach. Continue reading...

Plaintiffs in case say they were lured from Japan, exploited for labour and cut off from families for generationsIt has been more than six decades since Eiko Kawasaki left Japan to begin a new life in North Korea. Then 17, she was among tens of thousands of people with Korean heritage who had been lured to the communist state by the promise of a paradise on Earth".Instead, they encountered something closer to a living hell. They were denied basic human rights and forced to endure extreme hardship. Official promises of free education and healthcare plus guaranteed jobs and housing had been a cruel mirage. And to their horror, they were prevented from travelling to Japan to visit the families they had left behind. Continue reading...

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I quite frankly believe entirely that Sussan Ley has the support of the party room,' shadow health minister Anne Ruston says

This blog is now closed. Find more of our coverage on Jeffery Epstein here

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last year, features heavily in the latest tranche of the Epstein filesKeir Starmer has said Andrew Mounbatten-Windsor should testify before the US Congress about his links to the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The prime minister, who is in Japan for a meeting with its premier, Sanae Takaichi, was asked by journalists if the former prince should apologise to the disgraced financier's victims and give evidence about what he knew about his crimes. Continue reading...

One dead and six missing as body and life boat from Lily Jean found after its disappearance from Gloucester portThe search for survivors of a commercial fishing vessel that sank off the coast of Massachusetts with seven aboard has been suspended, the US Coast Guard said Saturday.The coast guard had launched a search-and-rescue mission early Friday after receiving an alert from the 72ft Lily Jean about 25 miles (40km) off Cape Ann. Searchers found a debris field near where the alert had been sent along with a body in the water and an empty life raft, the coast guard said. Continue reading...

Former prime minister Tony Blair paid tribute to Triesman as a vital part of the New Labour movement'Lord Triesman, a former Labour minister and chair of the Football Association, has died at the age of 82. The Labour party said the peer died on Friday night peacefully and at home".The former prime minister Tony Blair paid tribute to David Triesman as a vital part of the New Labour movement". Labour's leader in the House of Lords, Angela Smith, described him as respected and loved by his colleagues for his courtesy, kindness, wisdom, loyalty and generosity of spirit". Continue reading...

Survivors of sexual abuse welcome the monumental shift' in how courts approach sentencing, while others say it could limit defendants' rights

Party picks ward councillor Angeliki Stogia to defend seat as PM and colleagues argue only Labour can beat ReformKeir Starmer has said the byelection in Gorton and Denton will be a referendum on true patriotism" saying Labour is the only party that can defeat the poisonous division" of Reform.The prime minister, during his visit to Japan, said he saw the vote as a two-way contest between Labour and Reform UK, as he criticised Nigel Farage's party. Continue reading...

US president reportedly eyes plot near Memorial Bridge for a large-scale structure named the Independence ArchDonald Trump reportedly wants the arch he is planning to build in Washington DC to dwarf the Lincoln Memorial.The US president envision the planned arch to be a height of 250ft, or significantly taller than the 100ft-tall Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. It would also be significantly taller than Paris's 164ft-tall Arc de Triomphe - but less than half the height than the Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri, the world's tallest arch. Continue reading...

The veteran activist called his arrest at Palestine solidarity rally in London an attack on free speech'Peter Tatchell, the activist and campaigner, has been arrested for holding a placard which displayed the phrase globalise the intifada" at a pro-Palestine march in London.Tatchell, who attended a Palestine solidarity march in London on Saturday afternoon, held a sign that read: Globalise the intifada: Non-violent resistance. End Israel's occupation of Gaza & West Bank." Continue reading...

About 190,000 are still without power in the south-east as states scramble to prepare for more winter weatherDozens of people have died in the teeth of a severe winter storm across the US south, with further freezing temperatures, snow and blizzards set to assail the east coast on Saturday.At least 85 people have died across multiple states, according to an Associated Press tally, with frigid conditions and icy roads causing car crashes, hypothermia and other fatal incidents. Continue reading...

Emails between former prince and financier revealed in latest tranche of released documents Epstein files - latest updatesAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor invited Jeffrey Epstein to meet him at Buckingham Palace after the child sex offender was released from house arrest, new documents show.The latest tranche of releases from the US Department of Justice include an email exchange in 2010 between the financier and the then prince. Continue reading...

Despite repair problems, its admirers say Thomas Telford's Menai Bridge is good for another two centuriesWhen Ian Evans's grandfather opened a hardware shop on Anglesey in the 1930s, the Menai Bridge was instrumental in ensuring its success.The wrought-iron chains from the early 19th century had just been replaced with tensile steel, making the suspension bridge stronger and wider. This allowed it to carry heavier freight and the Evans family was able to order bottled gas from the newly established Calor Gas company, bringing widespread energy access to rural Anglesey (Ynys Mon). Continue reading...

Deadly attacks launched day before border crossing due to open as part of ceasefire dealIsrael has carried out some of its deadliest airstrikes on Gaza in months, killing at least 30 Palestinians, some of whom were sheltering in tent cities for displaced people.Despite a nominal ceasefire, the Israeli military struck a police station in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood west of Gaza City on Saturday, killing 10 officers and detainees, the civil defence said. It indicated the death toll could rise as emergency responders searched for bodies. Continue reading...

Nato chief has glibly dismissed prospect of coping without US support, but in the age of Trump the case for autonomy is growingThe Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, was typically blunt when he met members of the European parliament this week. From the dais of the blond-wood committee room in Brussels, he was clear: If anyone thinks that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can't. We can't."And if Europe wanted to supplant the US nuclear deterrent, existing spending commitments would have to double, he added - so hey, good luck!" Continue reading...

Flowers and candles laid by VA building in Washington as killing reverberates through nursing communityFor Nolan Lee, it felt like Minnesota in Washington DC on Wednesday night. Despite the most extreme cold in 150 years, about a thousand people gathered in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) headquarters, a block from the White House, to remember Alex Pretti and demand an end to funding for US immigration and border agencies.The killings by federal agents of Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a veterans hospital, and Renee Good, a poet and mother of three, rocked Minneapolis and reverberated throughout the nation, with the future of US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) - up for debate as a key funding bill that would increase the agency's spending failed to pass the US Senate on Thursday. Continue reading...

Jacob Leland, who taught Russian, jailed for more than three years for sexually assaulting boy on school tripThe headteacher of Eton college has apologised and said he was appalled" after a former teacher was jailed for sexually assaulting a pupil.Jacob Leland, 37, who taught Russian, was jailed on Friday for three years and three months for sexually assaulting one of his pupils at his flat and during a school trip in 2012. Continue reading...

Alfredo Mancillas was reportedly slumped in vehicle and covered in vomit' when state troopers found him in St PaulA US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employee was recently arrested amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota after state troopers reportedly found him covered in vomit" and unconscious in a car.Alfredo Mancillas Jr, 31, faces charges of drunken driving after his arrest early Tuesday morning, jail records show. Continue reading...

$75m Amazon-produced paean to the first lady saw empty seats and faint praise as it opened in New York CityAt the beginning of her new documentary, Melania Trump tells the viewer that everybody wants to know" how she spends her time.So here it is," she says. Twenty days in my life." Continue reading...

Putin critic says plants in China, India and Turkey are funnelling up to $1bn a day to KremlinBill Browder's fight against Vladimir Putin has seen him face threats, lawsuits, false accusations of murder and Interpol arrest warrants. A disinformation-laden film was even made about him.But 16 years after the death of his friend and lawyer Sergei Magnitsky at the hands of Putin's regime, Browder is unrelenting in his fight for justice. It is an endeavour that, by his estimation, has cost Putin and his cronies billions of dollars already, via asset freezes and sanctions. Hence the considerable risk to his safety. Continue reading...

Effort to manipulate killing of Alex Pretti collapsed after footage torpedoed domestic terrorist' claim - could this be a turning point?Our press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave alternative facts." These were the words of the senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway on NBC television's Meet the Press in January 2017. Alternative facts" instantly set a template for the era of Donald Trump.So when Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse, was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis last Saturday, White House officials immediately moved to brand him a would-be assassin" and domestic terrorist" who had been brandishing a gun. This time, however, the tried and trusted playbook did not work. Continue reading...

The brutal handling of immigration raids and the killing of Alex Pretti have tested the reticence of the corporate classDuring Donald Trump's first term, the US's corporate titans were prepared to literally turn their backs on the president when they disagreed with them. Weeks of growing national anger over deadly immigration crackdowns in the US have highlighted how much has changed.Publicly, the US's top CEOs have stayed - mostly - quiet during Trump's second term, even as his administration has undermined free trade policies, cracked down on the immigration that many businesses relied on, and attacked the Federal Reserve - a pillar of the US's financial hegemony. Continue reading...

Hundreds of claims still arriving each month, raising fears eligible operators will lose out on redressThe Post Office is to close the largest compensation scheme for post office operators affected by the Horizon scandal this weekend, leaving potentially thousands of claimants out of pocket for losses produced by the faulty IT system.The Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), which will close for new applicants at 11.59pm on Saturday, has received more than 9,500 submissions, according to the latest public data to 19 December. Continue reading...

Ditching the traditional suit and tie for understated all black is as calculated as any Westminster suit, just aimed at a different audience'With Labour blocking Andy Burnham from returning as an MP, the so-called king of the north" came out wearing a simple black V-neck jumper with dark denim jeans. The Greater Manchester mayor, appearing at the launch of a Class Ceiling report at the city's Whitworth gallery on Monday, looked quietly, subtly, the outsider.It might not sound like much. But that is the point of Burnham's largely unnoteworthy look, which tends to involve Left Bank intellectual-adjacent black-on-black. In direct contrast to his tie-wearing colleagues in parliament, Burnham's style feels particularly symbolic. Continue reading...

Thousands set to gather in Budapest after Janos Lazar's remarks captured on videoThousands of people are set to gather in Budapest to demand the resignation of a senior Hungarian politician, for making a racist remark against Roma people earlier this month.Janos Lazar told attendees at a political forum that migration was not the solution to the country's labour shortage. Since there are no migrants, and someone has to clean the bathrooms on the InterCity trains," Lazar said Roma people would do the job, using an offensive slur in his speech. Continue reading...

Trump nominated Kevin Warsh, an ex-Fed governor, for the role as the White House continues to attack Jerome PowellThe US Federal Reserve requires strong, sound and steady leadership", according to Donald Trump. The president found a man to lead the central bank who would provide exactly that type of leadership", he declared.He's strong, he's committed and he's smart."This is not how Trump described Kevin Warsh, the former Fed governor whom he unveiled as his new nominee to chair the central bank on Friday - but how he hailed Jerome Powell, the current Fed chair, when nominating him for the job about eight years ago. Continue reading...

Campaigners criticise use of vulnerable' devices at Salisbury Cathedral and Parthenon despite their removal from sensitive UK government sitesSecurity cameras guarding Magna Carta are provided by a Chinese CCTV company whose technology has allegedly aided the Uyghur genocide" and been exploited by Russia during the invasion of Ukraine, it has emerged.In letters seen by the Guardian, campaigners called on Salisbury Cathedral, which houses one of four surviving copies of the powerful symbol of social justice", to rip out cameras made by Dahua Technology, based in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says he wants to go further' in relations with Brussels as ministers look to restart stalled negotiationsThe UK and the EU are exploring the prospect of new talks on closer defence cooperation, as Keir Starmer stressed on Friday that he wanted to go further" in the UK's relationship with Brussels.

PM flies out after courting world's second biggest economy aware of difficult balance of risks and potential rewardsThe last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018. Before the visit, she and her team were advised to get dressed under the covers because of the risk of hidden cameras having been placed in their hotel rooms to record compromising material.Keir Starmer, in Beijing this week, was more sanguine about his privacy, even though the security risks have, if anything, increased since the former Tory prime minister was in town. Continue reading...

Academics say 4bn investment fund is designed to prevent any troublesome democratic interference'Cambridge academics have accused the university of maximal obfuscation" in a row over its 4bn investment fund and how it profits from investing in arms manufacturers.The university's governing body is expected to meet on Monday to consider a report on its financial ties to the defence sector, but some senior staff have said investments cannot be properly scrutinised because the institution has not been transparent about the companies involved. Continue reading...

As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictionsWhen flooding hit the low-lying Somerset Levels in 2014, it took two months for the waters to rise. This week it took two days, said Rebecca Horsington, chair of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group and a born-and-bred resident. A fierce barrage of storms from the Atlantic has drenched south-west England in January, saturating soils and supercharging rivers. Continue reading...