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The HCDA, which sought to expose police corruption and violence, was secretly monitored for a decadeUndercover officers secretly monitored a community organisation that sought to expose wrongdoing and corruption in the Metropolitan police, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Previously secret reports show that the Hackney Community Defence Association (HCDA) in east London and its key organiser were monitored by police spies for a decade. Continue reading...

Liz Sayce, who led inquiry into department's failures, distressed' at carers being blamed for running up huge overpaymentsThe Department of Work and Pensions needs a management and cultural overhaul if it is to restore public trust after the benefits scandal which left hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers in debt, a key government adviser has warned.Prof Liz Sayce led a scathing review of the carer's allowance scandal, which found the DWP system and leadership failures were responsible for carers unknowingly running up huge debts, some of which resulted in serious mental illness and, possibly, criminal convictions for fraud. Continue reading...

Over-the-top praise for an item should ring alarm bells, with fake feedback generated by AI, bots and humans on a mass scaleYou're doing a spot of online Christmas shopping and see an air fryer that is competitively priced. You don't recognise the brand, but the reviews are fantastic - five-star raves that say things such as this product changed my life" and this is the greatest air fryer ever".You buy it, but when it arrives it is clearly cheap and poor quality, and possibly dangerous, too. Continue reading...

Training and qualifications body, acquired by private Greek firm in October, to become leaner organisation'The training and qualifications body City & Guilds is shrinking its UK workforce as part of a 22m cost-cutting drive after it was acquired by a private Greek business in October.Founded in 1878 by the City of London and a group of 16 livery companies, the original institute developed a national system of technical education, offering qualifications and apprenticeships in fields ranging from manufacturing and mechanical engineering to hairdressing and horticulture. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. You can read more on this story herePolice said no weapons were recovered from the scene and the last sighting of the suspect was him leaving the Hope Street side of the building on foot.Timothy O'Hara, a deputy police chief, told a press conference that the suspect is a male dressed in black" who exited the complex at Brown University. Continue reading...

Her delivery might be stilted - but Truss' new YouTube show has grand ambitions: a Trump revolution' in Britain with the help of an influential US conservative ecosystemLiz Truss, Britain's shortest-serving prime minister, began the first edition of her YouTube show with a vow to unmask the evil-doers" attempting to bring down Britain, the US and Europe. She would, she explained, reveal how an international network of leftists work to subvert democracy and the will of the people".Despite her bleak monologue, Truss pointed to hope from across the Atlantic. We're going to look at the Trump revolution and see how this can be achieved in Britain," she said. We'll be talking to the leading lights of the Maga movement." Continue reading...

Baronesses Nadine and Ariane de Rothschild at odds over future of Swiss chateau's priceless contentsAfter three generations of genteel discretion bordering on secrecy, the international banking family the Rothschilds has been riven by rival claims to a multibillion-euro fortune including a vast collection of art masterpieces.The battle now playing out in the courts and media has pitched the 93-year-old senior baroness, Nadine de Rothschild - widow of Edmond de Rothschild, the late scion of the French-Swiss branch of the family - against her daughter-in-law, Ariane de Rothschild, the current baroness. Continue reading...

Attorney general's move to pay back part of $22,000 travel cost makes her the first minister to reimburse taxpayers in growing expenses scandal

Device belonging to missing hiker Celine Cremer found in an area that had been extensively searched previously'

Specialist teams will deal with offences such as rape and stalking as part of VAWG strategy, home secretary saysAll police forces in England and Wales will have dedicated rape and sexual offences teams by 2029, the government has said.The plans are being unveiled as the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, prepares to outline a delayed strategy on violence against women and girls (VAWG) next week. Continue reading...

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres says unjustifiable' attack on base in city of Kadugli could be war crime'A drone strike has hit a United Nations peacekeeping logistics base in war-torn Sudan, killing six peacekeepers, the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has said.Eight other peacekeepers were wounded in the strike on Saturday in the city of Kadugli in the central region of Kordofan. All the victims are Bangladeshi nationals, serving in the UN interim security force for Abyei (Unisfa). Continue reading...

Relatives of Virginia Giuffre say they are surprised Scotland Yard made decision just before release of Epstein filesThe family of Virginia Giuffre have expressed their deep disappointment" that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not face a criminal investigation in the UK over allegations against him.It was alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor had sex in London with a teenager who was trafficked, and then put pressure on his police protection officer to dig up dirt on her. Continue reading...

Number is stark contrast with estimated 110,000 at far-right activist's unite the kingdom' rally in SeptemberThe far-right activist Tommy Robinson led a carol concert to put the Christ back into Christmas" on Saturday in an event that had a huge drop-off in attendance from his last rally in London.The Metropolitan police said about 1,000 people attended the event at its peak, in stark contrast to the estimated 110,000 who turned up to Robinson's unite the kingdom" rally in September. Continue reading...

Greene, 60, praised for the various villains he played during his career but manager says he also had heart as big as gold'Peter Greene, the actor known for his roles in Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died at the age of 60.He was found dead at his New York City apartment on Friday, his manager said, and the cause of death has not been disclosed. Continue reading...

If Saed is dead he would be most senior militant to be killed since October ceasefire, in attack on car that reportedly left four deadThe senior Hamas commander Raed Saedhas been killed in a strike on a car in Gaza City, the Israeli military said on Saturday.The attack killed four people and wounded at least 25 others, according to Gaza health authorities. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medics that Saed was among the dead. Continue reading...

Nobel prize winner Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava among those freed after US talks with Alexander LukashenkoThe Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has freed 123 prisoners, including Nobel peace prize winner Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava, after the US lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash, a key export.The announcement came after two days of talks with an envoy of the US president, Donald Trump, the latest diplomatic push since the Trump administration started talks with the autocratic leader. Continue reading...

Thai PM says military will keep fighting and Cambodia suspends border crossings as casualties rise

Ball will be replaced by Emma Willis but will continue to host special programmes for the stationZoe Ball has announced she is leaving her role as presenter of her BBC Radio 2 show.Speaking on the show, the 55-year-old said she would be replaced by the broadcaster Emma Willis. Ball will present her last programme next Saturday and will continue to host special programmes on the station. Continue reading...

Duchess of Sussex says journalistic ethics breached as dad turns to journalist first to break news of leg amputationWhen Thomas Markle received bad news about his health earlier this month, he immediately texted someone close to him to let them know. The 81-year-old had been admitted to hospital after one leg swelled up and turned black. Going to lose the leg today," he wrote.The message was not sent to his son, Thomas, who lives with him in Cebu in the Philippines, nor to his older daughter, Samantha, who is based in Florida. Instead, Markle contacted Caroline Graham, the US editor of the Mail on Sunday, who is based in Los Angeles. It was she who called Markle's two older children to let them know the news. She wrote later that they were flabbergasted". Continue reading...

Ince says he resigned after fallout with executives because some of his views had been considered problematic'The comedian and author Robin Ince has resigned from his role as co-host of the long-running BBC Radio 4 podcast The Infinite Monkey Cage after a fallout with BBC executives over problematic" opinions and what he described as a lack of obedience".Ince, who has co-presented the popular science show alongside Prof Brian Cox for 16 years, posted on social media that his personal views, aired outside the BBC, have been considered problematic for some time" and he felt he had no choice but to resign". Continue reading...

Veja doesn't do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own wayIn the grand hierarchy of Paris fashion, it's tricky for a brand to stand out. Especially one whose coup de maitre is a goes-with-everything white sneaker. Yet 20 years after Veja first began selling sustainable footwear, it has become the ultimate affordable It brand for scooter-wielding mums, sustainably minded millennials and A-list bigwigs who want to wear their values on their ethical leather-clad feet.Veja's co-founder Sebastien Kopp says he doesn't know if people buy his trainers because of how they are made or because of how they look. The company is fastidious about social and fairtrade practices, but because we don't do surveys, we don't do marketing, we simply don't know this information", he says, speaking from Veja's Paris headquarters. Continue reading...

The US has been punishing an entire group' since the arrest of an Afghan in the shooting of two national guard troopsAfghan immigrants and advocates across the United States are pushing back firmly against the Trump administration's most recent crackdown on legal immigration, saying the American government is punishing hundreds of thousands of people for the alleged actions of one man.Since the shooting of two national guard soldiers in Washington DC late last month, with the authorities charging an Afghan man as the suspect, the Trump administration has taken harsh action, especially against Afghans in the US, generating a mix of fear, outrage and defiance in the diaspora. Continue reading...

US president finds himself shouldering same burdens of affordability crisis and the inexorable march of timeHe was supposed to be touting the economy but could not resist taking aim at an old foe. Which is better: Sleepy Joe or Crooked Joe?" Donald Trump teased supporters in Pennsylvania this week, still toying with nicknames for his predecessor Joe Biden. Typically, Crooked Joe wins. I'm surprised because to me he's a sleepy son of a bitch."Exulting in Biden's drowsiness, the US president and his supporters seemed blissfully ignorant of a rich irony: that 79-year-old Trump himself has recently been spotted apparently dozing off at various meetings. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel execs Robert Pender and Michael Sabel deny wrongdoing after report on potential conflict of interestTwo more senior Democrats have called for an investigation into a share-buying spree by two fossil fuel billionaires with close ties to the Trump administration, after a Guardian investigation raised questions about potential wrongdoing.Robert Pender and Michael Sabel, the founders and co-chairs of Venture Global, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company headquartered in Virginia, bought more than a million shares worth almost $12m each in March. The trades took place just days after a meeting with senior White House officials, who then issued a key regulatory permit that helped expand the company's business in Europe. Continue reading...

Burrowing owls, who boarded cruise ship in Miami, to be returned to US next month after long spell in quarantineTwo burrowing owls stowed away on a cruise ship out of Miami, and are now living the high life at a Spanish resort before returning to the US next month.Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said the mating pair boarded Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas before the vessel's transatlantic crossing to Cartagena in southern Spain in February. The tiny owls, a threatened species in Florida, usually prefer more rural landscapes, and may have been spooked by all the concrete around the Port of Miami, they say. Continue reading...

Rate rises by 19% compared with 2020, prompting fresh concerns about NHS maternity careThe risk of women in England suffering severe bleeding after giving birth has risen to its highest level for five years, prompting fresh concern about NHS maternity care.The rate at which mothers in England experience postpartum haemorrhage has increased from 27 per 1,000 births in 2020 to 32 per 1,000 this year, a rise of 19%. Continue reading...

Officials say raccoon that broke into Virginia liquor store on 29 November had previously hit DMV and karate studioThe raccoon that barged into a Virginia liquor store, smashed bottles of booze and passed out drunk in a bathroom this past Black Friday has at least two other break-ins under his belt, a local government official has revealed.Before burgling the Ashland ABC store on 29 November, the raccoon had separately broken into a karate studio and a department of motor vehicles office, all on the same block of businesses, Hanover county animal protection officer Samantha Martin said on an episode of the local government's official podcast published Thursday. Continue reading...

Drivers also told to take caution after complaints rise about long-stay meet-and-greet servicesTerence Baxter* had booked a meet-and-greet service to park his Volkswagen at Heathrow airport while he and his wife went on holiday. The couple handed over the keys at the drop-off site and were driven to the terminal - and that was the last they saw of their car. On their return they were informed by the company it had been stolen.Their case comes as airports and police forces are warning travellers to be wary of unofficial" operators advertising cheap long-stay parking after a rise in complaints. Continue reading...

Free2Move, Enterprise Car Club and Co Wheels among those eyeing growth, as well as peer-to-peer firm Hiyacar

Release of 43-second video comes as senior church figures speak out against dangers of Christian nationalismThe Church of England has released a video in response to a Christmas carols event on Saturday being organised by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson amid calls from a growing number of senior church figures to challenge Christian nationalism.In the 43-second video, Christmas Isn't Cancelled, posted on the church's YouTube channel, more than 20 people from the archbishop of York to schoolchildren speak about the joy, love and hope" of Christmas. The message is a simple reminder that Christmas belongs to all of us, and everyone is welcome to celebrate", the C of E said. Continue reading...

Palestinians who have worked the breadbasket' area for generations face being replaced by Israeli settlersThe death knell for the Palestinian village of Atouf, on the western slopes of the Jordan valley, arrived in the form of a trail of paper, a series of eviction notices taped to homes, greenhouses and wells, marking a straight line across the open fields.The notices, which appeared overnight, informed the local farmers that their land would be confiscated and that they had seven days from the date of their delivery, 4 December, to vacate their properties. A military road and accompanying barrier was to be built by Israel right through the area. Continue reading...

As Paramount, with close ties to the Trump administration, entered the bidding, experts predict any merger will raise red flags' among regulatorsOver the first 10 months of his second presidency, Donald Trump has not hidden his desire to control the US media industry - from encouraging TV networks to fire journalists, comedians and critics he dislikes to pushing regulators to revoke broadcast licences. Now he seems determined to set the terms for one of the biggest media deals in history.It's a deal that could have repercussions not just in the US, but across the world, with not just the future of Hollywood at stake but also the landscape of news. Continue reading...

As 27 European countries urge changes to laws forged after second world war, human rights chief says politicians are playing into hands of populistsThe battle had been brewing for months. But this week it came to a head in a flurry of meetings, calls and one heady statement. Twenty-seven European countries urged a rethink of the human rights laws forged after the second world war, describing them as an impediment when it came to addressing migration.Amnesty International has called it a moral retreat". Europe's most senior human rights official said the approach risked creating a hierarchy of people" where some are seen as more deserving of protection than others. Continue reading...

Leader praises his soldiers for turning danger zone into a safe one' during ceremony in Pyongyang welcoming them back from Ukraine warNorth Korea sent troops to clear mines in Russia's Kursk region earlier this year, leader Kim Jong-un said in a speech carried on Saturday by state media, a rare acknowledgement by Pyongyang of the deadly tasks assigned to its deployed soldiers.According to South Korean and western intelligence agencies, North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia's nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Several European nations are already planning similar moves while Britain has said nothing is off the table'Australia is taking on powerful tech companies with its under-16 social media ban, but will the rest of the world follow? The country's enactment of the policy is being watched closely by politicians, safety campaigners and parents. A number of other countries are not far behind, with Europe in particular hoping to replicate Australia, while the UK is keeping more of a watchful interest. Continue reading...

The seizure of the Skipper on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019Venezuelan oil exports have reportedly fallen sharply since the US seized a tanker this week and imposed fresh sanctions on shipping companies and vessels doing business with Caracas, according to shipping data, documents and maritime sources.The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela's coast on Wednesday was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 and marked a sharp escalation in rising tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolas Maduro. Continue reading...

Mike Waltz warns spoilers' will be held to account as rebel fighters escalate offensive in South Kivu provinceThe US has accused Rwanda of violating a US-brokered peace agreement by backing a deadly new rebel offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, and warned action will be taken against spoilers".The remarks by the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, came as more than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels escalated their offensive in eastern Congo's South Kivu province, according to officials who also say Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira. Continue reading...

Updated wording expands definition of party political duties' as Labor politicians come under scrutiny for spending

Consisting of 6.8km of tunnels and 9.2km of elevated roads, the project will provide a new river crossing and an alternative to the West Gate Bridge

The decision is a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine's defence - but Moscow is threatening to retaliateThe EU has agreed to indefinitely freeze Russia's sovereign assets in the bloc, as Moscow stepped up its threats to retaliate against Euroclear, the keeper of most of the Kremlin's immobilised money.The decision by the EU to use emergency powers to immobilise 210bn (185bn) of Russia's central bank's assets marks a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine's defence. Continue reading...

Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions after conviction of ex-presidentThe US Department of the Treasury has lifted sanctions imposed on the Brazilian supreme court justice who oversaw the conviction of the former president Jair Bolsonaro.Justice Alexandre de Moraes had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions, which target individuals accused of human rights abuses, since July. His wife Viviane Barci de Moraes - who was added the sanctions list in September - was also removed from the register on Friday. Continue reading...

Citizens told to stay at home while ELN guerrillas carry out exercises in response to US president's cocaine warningColombia's ELN guerrilla group has ordered civilians in areas under its control to stay home for three days starting on Sunday, while it carries out military exercises in response to intervention" threats from Donald Trump.Trump said earlier this month any country that produces cocaine and sells it to the United States was subject to attack". Continue reading...

Judiciary panel Democrats ask Aileen Cannon ahead of special counsel's deposition next weekDemocrats on the House judiciary committee on Friday will ask Aileen Cannon, the judge who presided over the case against Donald Trump for allegedly hiding classified documents, to release the portion of special counsel Jack Smith's report concerning his prosecution.Smith is scheduled to appear next week for a behind-closed-door deposition with the Republican-led committee, where he may discuss his investigation into allegations that Trump took classified materials to his properties and then hid them from federal authorities. The special counsel dropped that case against Trump, as well as another concerning his meddling in the 2020 election, in the aftermath of his re-election victory last year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: As Labour ministers prepare long awaited strategy, campaigners accuse them of sidelining expertsLeading organisations have criticised the development of the government's flagship violence against women and girls strategy, calling the process chaotic, haphazard and worse than under the Tories".Ministers are gearing up for a policy announcement blitz before the publication of the long-awaited plan next week. Continue reading...

Five men who targeted vulnerable girls in park sentenced to terms of between 18 months and 14 yearsFive men who were part of a horrific" grooming gang that raped and sexually assaulted schoolgirls in a park have been jailed for between 18 months and 14 years.The men targeted vulnerable girls in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, plying their victims with alcohol and cocaine. Continue reading...

Nigel Farage's party says it has more than 268,000 members amid reports Labour membership has fallen below 250,000Reform UK says it is now the largest political party in Britain and has overtaken Labour, which has reportedly seen its membership fall below 250,000.Nigel Farage's party says it has more than 268,000 members on the live tracker displayed on its website. Continue reading...

As Wham! top singles chart, Minogue draws level with David Bowie, Eminem, U2 and Rod Stewart in the album league table, thanks to a reissue of her 2015 Christmas LPKylie Minogue has scored her 11th UK No 1 album, putting her level with David Bowie and Eminem in the league of all-time album chart-toppers.The album, Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), will sound familiar to her fans: it's a reissue of her 2015 album Kylie Christmas (which only reached No 12), containing four newly recorded tracks and an altered tracklisting. It had already been reissued once before, in 2016, as the Snow Queen Edition. Nevertheless, the Fully Wrapped version counts as a new album in chart terms, and so continues a non-consecutive run of No 1s that began in 1988, when Minogue's self-titled debut spent six weeks at the top. Continue reading...

Exclusive: PM's outspoken attack on stoppages planned for 17-22 December risks inflaming tensions with medics

Kristi Noem says Ethiopia no longer meets conditions' for US to provide work authorization and legal protectionThe US is ending temporary legal status for citizens of Ethiopia in the United States, according to a government notice on Friday, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on legal and illegal immigration.After reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate US government agencies, the secretary determined that Ethiopia no longer continues to meet the conditions for the designation for Temporary Protected Status," homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said in a notice posted in the Federal Register. Continue reading...

Milton Otto Martin III, who has been accused by several alleged victims of assault, convicted of indecent behaviorA Pentecostal pastor in Louisiana charged with sexually molesting a teenage girl in his church has been convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile - but was acquitted of the more serious crime of statutory rape.Milton Otto Martin III, 58, faces up to seven years in prison and must register as a sex offender after a three-day trial in Chalmette, Louisiana, resulted in a guilty verdict against him on Thursday. His sentencing hearing is tentatively set for 15 January in the latest high-profile instance of religious abuse in the New Orleans area. Continue reading...