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Figure is largest January total since records began and marks sharp reversal from December's deficit of 11.6bnThe UK government enjoyed a record-breaking surplus in January, official figures show, due to a big boost in self-assessment and capital gains tax receipts.In a boost for chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of her spring statement next month, public sector finances recorded a surplus of XX billion at the start of the year, according to the Office for National Statistics. Continue reading...

Under existing agreements, the British government must issue clearance to the US before it can carry out military operations from UK basesAlex Davies-Jones, a justice minister, has said the government wants to pass the legislation implementing the Chagos Islands deal as soon as it can - despite Presidient Trump's lastest diatribe about it. (See 9.34am.)Davies-Jones was giving interviews this morning and she told Times Radio:This deal is essential and crucial for the national security of the United Kingdom and that is the first priority of any government.We will be bringing the bill back as soon as parliamentary time allows, because this is about national security. Continue reading...

Speaking before she was sentenced with husband Craig, Lindsay Foreman tells of being on emotional rollercoasterA woman sentenced to 10 years in jail by an Iranian court said she had undergone an endurance test for the mind" as she pleaded her innocence on charges of espionage.Lindsay Foreman said she only wanted justice and fairness under the Iranian constitution, in an interview given to the BBC from inside Evin prison in Tehran just before she was sentenced with her husband, Craig. Continue reading...

Consulting firm keen to increase uptake of technology and is reportedly monitoring adoption by workforceAccenture has reportedly started tracking staff use of its AI tools and will take this into consideration when deciding on top promotions, as the consulting company tries to increase uptake of the technology by its workforce.The company told senior managers and associate directors that being promoted to leadership roles would require regular adoption" of artificial intelligence, according to an internal email seen by the Financial Times. Continue reading...

Comments come after Zelenskyy accused Russia of using delay tactics' to stall peace talks with UkraineMeanwhile, Sweden has pledged about 1.2bn in new military support package for Ukraine, responding to president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for urgent help with air defence and ammunition over the weekend.The EU sees no tangible signs that Russia is engaging seriously" with the aim of securing peace in Ukraine, its spokesperson said, responding to the latest round of talks in Geneva.We see that Russia continues its relentless attacks on Ukraine. This does reflect that Russia is not ready for peace. We still do not see tangible signs that Russia is engaging seriously on peace. ...Even this week, ahead of the peace talks, Ukraine experienced another massive missile and drone strike, according to Ukrainian authorities. ... Continue reading...

First arrest of a senior member of royal family in modern history came on morning of former prince's 66th birthday

Thomas P gives evidence on first day of trial in case that could shape standards for mountain sportsAn Austrian mountaineer has said he is endlessly sorry" his girlfriend froze to death on a joint climb to the country's highest peak, but denied criminal wrongdoing as his trial began in Innsbruck.The 37-year-old defendant, identified only as Thomas P, gave evidence on the first day of the high-profile proceedings over the tragedy on Groglockner, in a case that could shape international standards for liability in mountain sports. Continue reading...

Acclaimed actor will take on guest lead role as a specialist firearms officer in hit BBC crime dramaRobert Carlyle will join the cast of Line of Duty to play a guest lead role in the new series, it has been announced.The actor joins his Trainspotting co-star Kelly Macdonald, as well as the Stephen Graham - the creator and star of Adolescence - and the Westworld actor Thandiwe Newton, in taking on such a role. Continue reading...

Liberal MP claims the Reserve Bank has been soft on inflation. Labor says questioning the RBA's dual mandate amounts to a plan for higher unemployment'

Aerospace firm proposes two separate warplanes amid dispute over who leads 100bn projectAirbus has suggested splitting Europe's faltering future fighter jet programme into two separate warplanes, amid a dispute between manufacturers over who leads the 100bn (87bn) project.The company's defence arm - which represents Germany and Spain - and the French partner, Dassault Aviation, are locked in a battle over the jet part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a wide-ranging project that will also include autonomous drones and a futuristic combat communications cloud". Continue reading...

Party withdraws all Lancashire libraries from City of Sanctuary UK programme that supports new arrivals to UKReform UK has been criticised for withdrawing all Lancashire libraries from a scheme supporting refugees because it was not value for money - despite being free.Nigel Farage's party said the region's 63 libraries would no longer be part of the UK-wide Libraries of Sanctuary programme because it was not an appropriate use of taxpayers' money". Continue reading...

British and French activists write to Air France, AlbaStar, Titan and Corendon airlines over shameful involvement'Campaigners have urged airlines deporting asylum seekers to France as part of the UK's controversial one in, one out" scheme to stop facilitating the cruel and forced deportations".Letters have been sent by 28 refugee and human rights NGOs on both sides of the Channel to four airlines believed to be involved with deportation flights - Air France, Titan airways, AlbaStar airlines and Corendon airlines - urging them to halt what signatories call shameful involvement" with the flights. Continue reading...

Officers devise unusual plan to arrest man suspected of stealing about $64,000 worth of Buddhist artefactsThai police donned a lion costume during this week's lunar new year festivities to arrest a man accused of stealing about $64,000 worth of Buddhist artefacts.Dressed as a red-and-yellow lion, officers made the arrest on Wednesday evening after responding to a report this month of a home burglary in the suburbs of Bangkok. Continue reading...

Ex-leader sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour over failed martial law declaration in 2024A South Korean court has sentenced the former president Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment with labour over his failed martial law declaration in December 2024, finding him guilty of leading an insurrection and making him the first elected head of state in the country's democratic era to receive the maximum custodial sentence.The Seoul central district court found that Yoon's declaration of martial law on 3 December 2024 constituted insurrection, carried out with the intent to disrupt the constitutional order. Continue reading...

Dfat aware of Australians among 5,704 detainees transferred out of Syrian prisons and into Iraqi custody

Drop of almost 39% for Centrica comes after mild weather meant households used less gas and electricity

Professionals say a lack of resources and an almost insatiable' demand for services is limiting the ability to pursue long-term care and therapy

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New shadow treasurer accused of extreme ideology' that would result in higher interest rates and unemployment after saying RBA's core purpose' should be to lower inflation

The former PM is expected to testify in the foreign interference trial of businessman Alexander Csergo

Exclusive: Prospect boss Mike Clancy cites problems retaining technical and digital expertsMinisters must end barking mad" restraints on civil service pay or risk being unable to recruit the technical and digital specialists it needs to keep pace, a union leader has warned.Mike Clancy, the Prospect general secretary, said the government should end the rightwing trope" that restrained the pay of highly skilled civil servants and left government unable to compete with the private sector. He said it should be realistic for senior specialists in competitive fields to be paid more than the prime minister. Continue reading...

Lawyer tells court there is real doubt' whether police gave lawful move-on direction during rally against Israeli president that ended in violent clashes

Demand is rising at unsustainable rate and could cost 3.4bn by 2030-31, local authorities warnFamilies who have children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) should be means tested for school transport, according to councils in England, who say demand is rising at an unsustainable rate".Local authorities are urging the government to be radical" in its Send reforms, which are expected imminently, warning that annual costs on home-to-school transport for children with Send could rise to 3.4bn by 2030-31, up from 2bn last year. Continue reading...

BRC survey finds finance bosses expect technology to improve productivity, with 69% pessimistic about the economyUK retailers are planning to cut staff hours and jobs amid rising employment costs and pessimism about the economy.Almost two-thirds (61%) of finance bosses at retail companies said they planned to reduce working hours or cut overtime, according to the latest survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade body that represents most big retailers. More than half (55%) said they would cut head office jobs and 42% said they would reduce jobs in stores. Continue reading...

Report says common agricultural policy provides unfair' levels of support to unhealthy, meat-heavy dietsBeef and lamb receive 580 times more in EU subsidies than legumes, a report has found, despite scientists urging people to get more of their protein from less harmful sources.Analysis by the charity Foodrise found the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP) provides unfair" levels of support to meat-heavy diets that doctors consider unhealthy and climate scientists consider environmentally destructive. Continue reading...

Festival confirmed writer and academic would appear in two sessions in 2026 following disinvitation from Adelaide event

Lunar new year has ushered in a rare zodiac symbol with a reputation for energy and independenceAs the lunar new year begins, the focus has turned to the Chinese zodiac and the arrival of the year of the fire horse - a rare pairing in the 60-year lunar cycle.Drawing on Chinese metaphysics, the fire horse blends the horse's reputation for energy and independence with the intensity of the fire element, giving it a distinct place in the zodiac tradition. Continue reading...

Actor allegedly also made remarks to man who dresses in drag, and was seen dancing on Bourbon Street after arrestThe actor Shia LaBeouf allegedly aimed homophobic slurs at two men - one who identifies as queer and the other who dresses in drag - as the Transformers star was arrested for purportedly battering them at a bar early on Tuesday morning in New Orleans, the victims said.Jeffrey Damnit - who was born with the last name Klein and was listed as one of the victims by New Orleans police - said in an interview on Wednesday that he was wearing mascara, eye shadow and lipstick when LaBeouf tried to beat him up while screaming, You're a fucking faggot'". He also shared a cellphone video showing LaBeouf in the back of a vehicle being examined by first responders, glancing over at Damnit and saying: Faggot." Continue reading...

Police arrest four after incident in the Briar Hill area that left a man in his 20s deadA man is dead and a teenage boy is in a critical condition in hospital after they were stabbed at a Northampton skate park.Northamptonshire police launched a murder investigation after emergency services were called to the park in Ringway in the Briar Hill area on Wednesday following reports that two people had been stabbed during an altercation". Continue reading...

Coalition of refugee support groups says board's traumatic' and flawed' processes are putting children at riskA coalition of refugee support groups has called for a Home Office organisation to be axed, claiming it is putting hundreds of children at risk.The Refugee and Migrant Children's Consortium, which consists of more than 100 organisations including the Refugee Council, Barnardo's and the NSPCC, has published a report analysing the performance of the Home Office's national age assessment board (NAAB), which was set up in March 2023 to determine the ages of young asylum seekers newly arrived in the UK, often on small boats. Continue reading...

Research suggests more than 75,000 killed in the first 16 months of conflict, 25,000 more than announced at the timeMore than 75,000 people were killed in the first 16 months of the two-year war in Gaza, at least 25,000 more than the death toll announced by local authorities at the time, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Lancet medical journal.The research also found that reporting by the Gaza health ministry about the proportion of women, children and elderly people among those killed was accurate. Continue reading...

Proposal to replant inside a different type of protected woodland would not replicate diversity of cleared sites used by threatened cockatoo species, conservationists say

Sign-ups to Student Group Claim in England and Wales escalate amid reports of 21m payout by University College LondonTens of thousands more students who were at university during the pandemic have joined a group claim for compensation, amid reports of a 21m payout by one of the UK's leading institutions.Lawyers acting for student claimants said a further 30,000 from different universities had signed up to the Student Group Claim this week, taking the total to almost 200,000. Continue reading...

US president had recently said that the plan was the best deal Starmer could makeDonald Trump has urged Keir Starmer not to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius, warning he was making a big mistake".Under the deal agreed last year, Britain would cede control over the British Indian Ocean Territory but lease the largest island, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there. Continue reading...

Will Forster MP says lack of planning and haphazard communication' on new border rules has caused chaosA grace period" should be introduced for British dual nationals living, working or holidaying abroad who face being blocked from returning to the UK if they do not have an up-to-date British passport, the Liberal Democrats have said.Entry requirements change on 25 February as part of a wider initiative to streamline immigration which requires British dual nationals to present either a valid UK passport or a certificate of entitlement" on their foreign passport to the airline, ferry or train operator. Continue reading...

Trump's disapproval rating indicates he's less popular with Americans than some insects like ants. Will it mean anything in November?

The Grammy winner will star alongside Edward Norton and Javier Bardem in a film inspired by an early 20th century revolutionary, directed by rapper ResidenteFresh off his victorious Super Bowl half-time show, Bad Bunny will take on his first lead acting role. The rapper and sometime actor will star in Porto Rico, a love letter to his home of Puerto Rico directed by the veteran rapper Rene Residente" Perez Joglar.As announced by Deadline, the film boasts a starry cast including Viggo Mortensen, Javier Bardem and Edward Norton, as well as executive producer Alejandro G Inarritu, director of Birdman and The Revenant. Continue reading...

Exclusive: After investigators concluded an abuse incident occurred, women speak out for first time - I was so scared to tell anybody'Two women incarcerated in a California prison are calling for the prosecution of a staff cook who they say sexually assaulted them.The women say Marcus Johnson, a former supervisory cook at the California Institution for Women (CIW), raped them in 2020 while they were working for him in kitchen jobs. The women, who were making under 40 cents an hour, said in federal civil complaints he threatened disciplinary action if they reported him. Continue reading...

Novelist George RR Martin says RSC is obvious choice' to put on new play The Mad King, which will open after springA new prequel to George RR Martin's blockbuster fantasy saga Game of Thrones is to be staged this summer by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.The bestselling author, whose novels have been turned into a juggernaut TV franchise, said the RSC was the obvious choice" to put on the play, Game of Thrones: The Mad King, because Shakespeare had been a constant source of inspiration to him. Not only that, he faced similar challenges in how to put a battle on stage," added Martin. So we are in good company." Continue reading...

Reform UK's Robert Jenrick has announced party's plans to cut welfare spendingRobert Jenrick, Reform UK's Treasury spokesperson, is giving his speech now.He has announced, or confirmed, three measures to cut welfare spending.The number claiming disability benefits for an attention disorder has more than doubled since Covid. We all know a significant number of these claims are spurious ...

Kerstin G froze to death on Groglockner when Thomas P descended mountain to fetch helpAn Austrian mountaineer is to appear in court accused of gross negligent manslaughter after his girlfriend died of hypothermia when he left her close to the summit on a climb that went dramatically wrong.The 33-year-old woman, identified only as Kerstin G, froze to death on 19 January 2025, about 50 metres below the summit of the Groglockner, Austria's tallest mountain, after an ascent of more than 17 hours with her boyfriend, Thomas P, 36. Continue reading...

US drug regulator originally refused to consider application, fueling critics' concern about alleged anti-vaccine agenda'The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reversed course on Wednesday and will now review Moderna's application for the first mRNA-based flu vaccine after initially declining to consider it.Moderna announced that the US drug regulator will move forward with reviewing its updated flu vaccine application. The decision comes only a week after the agency turned down the company's original filing, a move that had prompted criticism across the medical industry about potential changes in how the regulator is making decisions under the Trump administration. Continue reading...

New EP Days of Ash features songs about Renee Good, Iranian protesters and other political topics, and precedes new defiantly joyful' album later in 2026 Alexis Petridis on Days of Ash: six new tracks that reaffirm the band as a vital political voiceU2 have released their first collection of new music since 2017 - a politically charged EP entitled Days of Ash, which focuses on a series of high-profile global deaths including the killing of Renee Good by ICE agents.Good, a mother of three children who was killed on 7 January while protesting against ICE activity in Minneapolis, is the subject of the opening song, American Obituary. Continue reading...

Exclusive: UK graduates working in Germany and Belgium - and possibly other countries - informed of rises as salary threshold is cutBritons living in some European countries face a huge rise in their student loan repayments later this year, the Guardian can reveal, in a move that threatens to trigger a fresh backlash for Rachel Reeves.UK graduates working in Germany and Belgium - and possibly other countries - have been told that their monthly repayments will increase from April, the Guardian can reveal. Continue reading...

County has highest number of reinstated elections following decision not to delay them for 30 English councils

Marco Rubio's soothing tone in Munich masked a familiar message: Europe can remain America's ally - but at a cost Don't get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe greatness of America," wrote the 19th-century French diplomat, political philosopher and historian Alexis de Tocqueville, lies not in her being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."For a brief moment at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) last weekend, European leaders half-thought that their most heartfelt wish - the return of the old US, that believed in the EU ideal and backed a rules-based world order - had been granted. Continue reading...

Unresolved sensitive' issues in peace talks are fate of occupied territories in east Ukraine and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plantThe peace talks ended abruptly today after about two hours, according to reports, in contrast with yesterday's negotiations that apparently took place over six hours.Neither side have offered any public sign of progress, but instead said the talks were difficult" with Russian news agencies quoting sources describing the negotiations as very tense". Continue reading...

Coalition of refugee support groups says board's traumatic' and flawed' processes are putting children at riskA coalition of refugee support groups has called for a Home Office organisation to be axed, claiming it is putting hundreds of children at risk.The Refugee and Migrant Children's Consortium, which consists of more than 100 organisations including the Refugee Council, Barnardo's and the NSPCC, has published a report analysing the performance of the Home Office's national age assessment board (NAAB), which was set up in March 2023 to determine the ages of young asylum seekers newly arrived in the UK, often on small boats. Continue reading...

Prosecutors drop charges over break-in at Israeli defence firm site after jury cleared six other defendants of offenceProsecutors have dropped aggravated burglary charges against 18 defendants accused of a Palestine Action break-in at an Israeli defence firm's UK site after a jury cleared six other defendants of the offence.Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were all acquitted of aggravated burglary, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with respect to the 6 August 2024 raid on the Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol. Continue reading...

Assistant to hard-left parliamentarian among those held over fatal attack on 23-year-old Quentin Deranque