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The work and pensions secretary said those who think they were unable to work probably could with the right supportLord Hermer, the attorney general, must be getting used to bad publicity, but there is an article in the Times today that ought to worry him more than others.A long-standing friend and barrister colleague of Keir Starmer (Hermer was Starmer's junior in countless cases), Hermer was a surprise choice for attorney general. Emily Thornberry thought she was lined up for the job. But Starmer appointed Hermer, who became the first person to be appointed attorney general in more than 100 years who was not already an MP or peer.On Chagos, the popular critique is simple. Hermer, an actual lefty lawyer who would wear that pejorative as a badge of honour, is putting international law - already an ephemeral and often disregarded thing even before the return of Donald Trump - before domestic politics ...One puts the case against the attorney-general like this: Richard seems to be under the impression that the government needs objective legal advice." Another senior figure now butting heads with Hermer adds: He genuinely doesn't realise that he is our lawyer." Trying to govern for voters who would otherwise be drawn to the radical right is proving much harder with Hermer laying down the law: pushing back, warning that this or that initiative can't go ahead for fear of judicial reviews ministers would happily fight to prove a political point.This week I asked a minister who knows Starmer well whether he might one day move Hermer if the politics of the moment demanded it. They answered yes, without hesitation. If my co-author and I have learnt anything about the PM from studying his leadership in often microscopic detail, it is that he is capable of moving hard and fast when political reality changes ...The legal architecture he and his radical contemporaries helped to build - Starmer at Doughty Street, Hermer at Matrix Chambers - is beginning to look distinctly old-fashioned. If it no longer serves his government, is this shapeshifting prime minister really prepared to lash himself to the mast of a sinking ship? Continue reading...

We have to ensure that only the right people have guns in Sweden,' says prime minister, Ulf KristerssonSweden's government has announced plans to strengthen its gun laws, including by restricting access to semi-automatic weapons, after the country's worst mass shooting.On Tuesday, a gunman killed 10 people at an education centre in Orebro, west of Stockholm. Police have not said what type of weapon he used but they have said he had a licence to own four weapons - three of which were found beside him. Continue reading...

Special minister of state Don Farrell has looked at increasing spending and gifts caps for candidates

With at most 12 weeks until election day, Dutton and the Coalition have announced few proactive ideas

Reserve Bank statistics show the national credit card debt sits at $17.8bn, up $236m in December 2024 alone

Nine Venezuelans including children found by police in Alberta with a second group apprehended in ManitobaMore than a dozen people have been caught making the hazardous crossing into Canada, renewing focus on the closely watched - and seasonally perilous - border with the United States.Police in Alberta this week intercepted two groups attempting to cross into Canada illegally, including one which included five children who were ill-prepared for the cold which can plunge as low as -30C (-22F) at this time of year. Continue reading...

Singer biopic wins best film and best actor for motion capture star Jonno Davies, while Trent Dalton adaptation wins in 12 of its 22 nominated categories

Industry figures say fate of Anglesey facility to have been built by Hitachi shows problems with planning system

Order comes after Donald Trump suggested US take over territory and resettle its residents elsewhere

ITV News investigation finds allegations of unacceptable' and distressing' behaviour on shows TV chef worked onThe TV chef Gino D'Acampo has denied accusations of inappropriate behaviour including using sexualised and aggressive language over a period of 12 years.An investigation by ITV News found dozens" of allegations of misconduct against the 48-year-old on TV shows he worked on, with his behaviour described as unacceptable" and distressing" by those making accusations. Continue reading...

Average property price increases by 0.7% in January to record 299,138 as market starts year on positive note'

AFP also allege man used social media to contact Victorian state politician

Arab Council Australia calls broadcaster's legal defence disturbing', while Australian Lebanese Association notes irony' considering nature of case

Chris Oliver-Taylor tells unlawful termination hearing of events leading up to decision to sack journalist three days into casual contract

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This blog is now closed

Gambling Commission accidentally hands over thousands of sensitive documents to Richard Desmond's lawyersThe gambling regulator has accidentally handed over more than 4,000 sensitive documents to lawyers acting for the media tycoon Richard Desmond, in an unprecedented" blunder during its legal battle over the 6.4bn national lottery contract, the Guardian understands.Northern & Shell (N&S), the investment group owned by Desmond, is suing the Gambling Commission for 200m in damages over its handling of the lottery licence award process. Continue reading...

Prosecutor argues White has not expressed genuine remorse for his crime and does not accept that he is guilty of manslaughter

Between Donald Trump's suggestion that the US could take control of the Gaza Strip, forcibly removing Palestinians from their homes, and Elon Musk's continued efforts to dismantle the US federal government, the critics are lining up. The Democrat senator Andy Kim is one of them. But what can he, his party, or anybody else do to stop the president and his non-elected billionaire pal? He speaks to Jonathan FreedlandArchive: ABC News, CNN, NBC News, PBS Newshour, CBS News Continue reading...

Exclusive: Local authority in Surrey declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023 after series of risky investmentsTwo former senior figures at bankrupt Woking council are to be investigated by the UK's accounting watchdog after it racked up more than 2bn in debt on a failed investment spree.The Surrey council declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023 after ploughing vast sums of borrowed money into skyscrapers, a luxury hotel and other risky commercial investments, in what was one of the biggest financial failures in local government history. Continue reading...

Sudden suspension of aid funding a perfect opportunity' for Beijing to fill the gap and grow its own soft powerDonald Trump's shutdown of USAid has already had disastrous effects on humanitarian aid and development programmes around the world, but it has also ceded ground to the US's chief rival, China, analysts have said.The result of the sudden 90-day suspension of USAid funding - which accounts for 40% of global foreign aid - has been chaos: employees locked out of offices, humanitarian shipments left to rot, and lifesaving assistance stopped. Around the world, development programmes previously assisted by the USAid are panicking, warning of disastrous risks of escalating famine, death and disease. Continue reading...

Order says ICC issued baseless' arrest warrants targeting Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's ex-defense minister Yoav GallantSpain's foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday rejected the suggestion by Israeli defence minister Israel Katz that Spain should accept displaced Palestinians from Gaza.More details soon ... Continue reading...

Five witnesses called in eight days, including accuser A$AP Relli, who was on stand for three day's worth of testimonyLos Angeles county prosecutors rested their case on Thursday at the trial of rapper and fashion mogul A$AP Rocky, who is charged with firing a gun at a former friend on a Hollywood street in 2021.They called five witnesses in eight days of testimony, including two police officers, a police detective and a firearms expert. Continue reading...

Union says viral email stuff-up downplaying junior doctors' concerns has become a focal point for what it labels toxic' and hazardous' workplace conditions

Shigeru Ishiba will seek familiar guarantees: that the US will continue to stand on Japan's side against China and North KoreaDonald Trump had yet to get his feet under the Oval Office desk when he held his first meeting with a foreign leader in late 2016. Shinzo Abe, then Japan's prime minister, arrived at Trump Tower in November that year bearing a gift of a gold-plated golf club and harbouring a determination to get the Japan-US relationship under Trump off to the best possible start.The success, or otherwise, of Abe's charm offensive had potentially serious repercussions. During the election campaign, Trump had suggested he would withdraw US troops from Japan, contingent on Tokyo's willingness to make a bigger financial contribution to their countries' postwar alliance. Continue reading...

London-based Vanya Gaberova, 30, tells Old Bailey she was lied to and manipulated by alleged spy ringAn alleged Russian spy tearfully told the Old Bailey she knew nothing of plans to deploy her as a honeytrap" and claimed she was lied to, manipulated, used, and exposed".London-based Vanya Gaberova, 30, is accused of being part of a spy ring which targeted people and places of interest to the Russian state over three years. Continue reading...

Robert Hendy-Freegard, the subject of a Netflix documentary, injured two gendarmes at his home in 2022A British conman who featured in a Netflix documentary has been sentenced to six years in prison by a French court for deliberately ramming two police officers with his car as he attempted a getaway.Robert Hendy-Freegard, 53, nicknamed the Puppet Master because of his career as a serial swindler, made his escape after injuring the gendarmes at his home in the Creuse, in central France. Continue reading...

Though heavily dependent on US aid, Amman and Cairo face political calamity at home should they comply

Struggling firm's resources to be depleted due to expensive fees and interest costs in restructuring dealStruggling Thames Water may gain less than 500m in usable cash while taking on 1.5bn in emergency debt because of expensive fees and interest costs, a Londonhigh court has heard.Thames Water is seeking approval from the court for a restructuring deal with existing creditors that would provide 1.5bn in immediate financing, potentially rising to 3bn, to stave off collapse by the end of March. Continue reading...

Government criticised after it gives landlords until 2027 before they have to fix all dangerous hazards quicklyCampaigners have criticised the government for putting lives at risk by delaying a law to make social landlords fix dangerous hazards quickly.Angela Rayner, the housing secretary, and Matthew Pennycook, her housing minister, announced on Thursday they were giving landlords in the social rented sector until 2027 before they have to start fixing all dangerous hazards within a set timeframe. Continue reading...

Elon Musk-led razing of US foreign aid agency led strong-arm rulers in Hungary, Belarus and elsewhere to celebrateMoscow has welcomed the impending dissolution of USAid, joining a chorus of strongman leaders declaring victory over an organisation they have long portrayed as a vehicle of American political interference.Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday described USAid as anything but an aid, development and assistance agency" and instead branded it a mechanism for changing regimes, political order [and] state structure". Continue reading...

Facilities unable to get supplies in or transport patients out left overwhelmed by incoming woundedPatients with gunshot and shrapnel wounds have crammed into overwhelmed hospitals in Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, many with serious injuries and in need of blood, after M23 rebels backed by Rwanda march into the city.At least 2,900 people have been killed and thousands more wounded since the militia entered the city on 26 January, according to the UN. Fighting raged for the better part of last week. Continue reading...

Katharine Birbalsingh launches attack on education secretary, claiming she had no interest in learning how her school achieved its resultsDuring PMQs yesterday Keir Starmer implied there were national security factors not in the public domain that explained why the government was so committed to transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.Alex Wickham from Bloomberg says he has cracked the secret. It is all to do with the International Telecommunication Union, apparently. He explains this in a post on social media. Here is an extract.The US and UK currently have full and unrestricted access to the electromagnetic spectrum at the Diego Garcia military base, allowing them to securely control American and British military and diplomatic communications in the region, as well as monitor hostile activity from foreign states, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity discussing sensitive information ...The US and UK are members of the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency based in Geneva, Switzerland which coordinates the electromagnetic spectrum and global satellite communications. If an international court was to rule in future that the US and UK were using Diego Garcia to run satellite communications in breach of international law, that would have consequences for the base and defense and technology companies involved in supply chains used there, the people said, highlighting the need to secure its legal status.There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian civilians should be able to return to and rebuild their homes and their lives. That is a right, guaranteed under international law.The UK is clear that we must see a negotiated two state solution, with a sovereign Palestinian state, which includes the West Bank and Gaza, alongside a safe and secure Israel with Jerusalem as the shared capital that has been the framework for peace for decades. Continue reading...

Committee members blame toxic' reaction on social media and attacks on those giving evidence in public hearingsMPs in favour of assisted dying have privately raised concerns about the number of colleagues reconsidering their support amid growing splits on the committee scrutinising new legislation.One Tory source said they believed at least five Conservative MPs who had supported the bill at the last vote were likely to withdraw support at the next parliamentary stage. If that translates across, I think we are looking at around 30 dropping out," they said. Continue reading...

As drugmaker reports 38% jump in profits, CEO denies tension with UK government after Speke plant decision

Area known as La Negresse will be renamed after court decides it is demeaning to people of African originA French court has ruled that the seaside city of Biarritz must rename its La Negresse historic district, possibly named after a black woman, after a case brought by activists who argued it was an outdated legacy of colonialism.The ruling caps a long-running attempt by activists to force authorities in the resort on the Atlantic coast to drop what they say are racist and sexist" placenames. Continue reading...

Weather alerts in place for 100 million people as states from Nebraska to Massachusetts brace for disruptionsA series of back-to-back winter storms will hit parts of the midwest, north-east and mid-Atlantic as weather alerts were put in place on Thursday for about 100 million people across 22 US states.Slippery and dangerous travel conditions are expected through the middle of next week. States from Nebraska to Massachusetts are seeing snow, sleet and freezing rain. Forecasters warn that the cold and hazardous weather may cause power outages and difficult travel conditions during Thursday's commute and beyond. Continue reading...

Syrian embassy says its citizens were among 11 killed in attack by lone gunman in Orebro

The Matildas star tells court she was commenting on power and privilege' of PC Stephen Lovell during heated exchange

Labor has found itself trailing up the scorched earth path blazed by Dutton on issues of national security and law and order

Experts fear consequences of Trump's restrictions on CDC as state sees one of largest outbreaks ever recorded in USKansas is experiencing one of the largest tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks ever recorded in the US, as public health powers at the state and federal level have been greatly curtailed.Outbreaks like these may become more common and dangerous as officials' efforts are hamstrung and their communications are limited, experts say. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative workers express concern, as recent changes there similar to those at MetaThe for-profit charity organization founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan told employees last month that its commitment to corporate diversity is not changing even after Meta eliminated its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.Employees of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) expressed concern in January after Meta's top HR executive announced that that company would no longer put resources toward hiring and working with diverse and underrepresented job candidates and business suppliers (a suite of practices often referred to as DEI, for diversity, equity and inclusion), according to internal CZI messages viewed by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Met Office says temperatures could reach as low as -7C in rural parts of Scotland from Friday into the weekendTemperatures are expected to plummet as low as -7C (19F) in parts of the UK and cold-health alerts have been issued.Subzero overnight temperatures are likely in many areas over the coming days, with a risk of icy patches developing and a chance of snow in the south, the Met Office said. Continue reading...

Actor says nose mistaken for prosthetic by new makeup artists: I said, That doesn't come off!'A makeup artist on The Brutalist tried to remove Adrien Brody's nose believing it to be a prosthetic, the actor has revealed.Speaking to Jimmy Fallon earlier this week, Brody said that a new makeup artist began busily working away with a solvent on my nose". Continue reading...

Public service minister Katy Gallagher says opposition leader's words are reckless' and would bring back expensive consultants' and robodebt

Processes were not followed to the letter', David Anderson tells court hearing unlawful termination case

More than 1,000 staff at Devon-based group will get about 1,000 each after profits more than doubledEmployees of Riverford will share in a payout of 1.3m after the organic vegetable box company more than doubled profits last year.More than 1,000 staff at the Devon-based group, which began making deliveries from an old Citroen in 1993, will receive about 1,000 each as the employee-owned company nearly tripled its annual payout to workers. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Donald Trump's proposal is an attempt to reshape political reality that has historical precedent, explains architect and researcher Eyal WeizmanGood morning. Donald Trump's suggestion that Palestinians should be forced out of Gaza so that it could be rebuilt as a US-run Riviera of the Middle East" is so outlandish that many have returned to the reminder that we should beware of taking what he says too literally. And, it's true, the comments don't seem as if they came on the back of a detailed feasibility study; White House officials spent much of yesterday trying to walk his comments back.But it's also true that his proposal, which if enacted would amount to an unambiguous case of ethnic cleansing, tells us something about who Trump understands to be the stakeholders in Gaza's future: not Palestinian civilians, but the United States, Israel, and the contractors who could make it happen. And the idea has so delighted the Israeli right that it is easy to see how, even if no American soldier ever sets foot in Gaza, it creates the space for serious discussion of the same project by other means.UK economy | Bank of England policymakers are poised to cut interest rates and downgrade forecasts for economic growth, underlining the risks facing Rachel Reeves's budget plans. With inflation falling, the Bank's monetary policy committee is expected to cut rates by a quarter point to 4.5% - the lowest level since June 2023 - on Thursday.Democratic Republic of the Congo | Hundreds of women were raped and burned alive after a Rwandan-backed rebel group entered the Congolese city of Goma last week. The female inmates were attacked in their wing inside Goma's Munzenze prison during a mass jailbreak, according to a senior UN official.Energy | Keir Starmer will unveil plans for a historic expansion in nuclear power across England and Wales, pledging to use Labour's large majority to make new sites across the country available for new power stations. The prime minister said that he anticipated small modular reactors could be built by 2032 and could become commonplace across Britain.UK news | The families of Valdo Calocane's victims have called for doctors responsible for his treatment to be named and held accountable. The intervention followed the publication of a report detailing Calocane's mental health treatment before the attacks in Nottingham in 2023.Media | A high court judge has criticised lawyers representing Noel Clarke for unacceptable" allegations against Guardian journalists which should not have been made and publicly aired without foundation". Mrs Justice Steyn dismissed claims there had been any fabrication of evidence by them and said any deletion of documents was not in breach of any rule or duty" to preserve them. Continue reading...

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Playwright calls for return to theatre's founding vision and to stop angling for West End'The National Theatre risks eroding the culture" by shifting away from its founding principles and putting on semi-commercial" plays angling for the West End", the playwright David Hare has said.The two-time Olivier award winner described the playhouse's shift from repertory theatre - a system where a resident acting company performs a rotation of plays - as standing in spite of George Bernard Shaw and Harley Granville-Barker's vision. Continue reading...