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French far-right leader denies existence of fake jobs system' in effort to overturn ban on running for presidentThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has told a Paris appeals court there was no system" set up by her party to misuse European parliament funds, as she gave evidence in a fresh embezzlement trial that will determine whether she can run in the 2027 presidential election.The word system' bothers me because [it gives] the impression of a manipulation," Le Pen said on Tuesday, denying she had told members of the European parliament to hire assistants who instead worked for the party headquarters in Paris. Continue reading...

Ex-nurse, who is serving 15 whole-life prison terms, was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven moreThe former nurse Lucy Letby will face no new charges on suspicion of murdering or harming babies, prosecutors have announced.Letby, 36, is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others in the year to June 2016. Continue reading...

Keelman's hospital, which housed dockers in 1700s, awarded 4.6m lottery grant after lying empty for 16 yearsIt was built 300 years ago as an almshouse for men who did some of the most backbreaking and dangerous work on the River Tyne.Most recently it provided fun, if chilly, accommodation for students. Now a new chapter is to be written in the history of a building considered the most at-risk structure in Newcastle, with the announcement of 4.6m lottery money to convert it into affordable housing. Continue reading...

Palestinian refugee agency compound is demolished, while teargas is fired at UN vocational school in West BankIsraeli crews have started bulldozing the Jerusalem headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem and fired teargas at a UN vocational school in Qalandia, in the West Bank.Israel accuses the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unwra) of collaborating with Hamas - a charge the agency denies - and last year banned it from operating on its territory. The demolition marks Israel's latest step against Unrwa, which provides aid to millions of Palestinian refugees. Continue reading...

Gonzalo Sanchez, armed with tools and a quad bike, ferried rescuers and victims after rail collision near CordobaA lottery ticket seller in southern Spain has been hailed as a hero after he spent about six hours ferrying rescuers and victims around on his quad bike after the train collision that killed at least 41 people and injured dozens of others.Gonzalo Sanchez, 43, was at home in the small town of Adamuz when the town's WhatsApp group alerted to reports of a train that had derailed nearby. Continue reading...

Chief secretary to prime minister will also bring in small, risk-taking task forces to target specific problemsKeir Starmer's chief enforcer Darren Jones says he is going to bust the sludge" in Whitehall by bringing in risk-taking task forces to deal with problems and the ability to sack senior civil servants who do not deliver.Jones, who is chief secretary to the prime minister, said civil servants should feel jeopardy" if they are underperforming - highlighting that only seven out of 7,000 senior civil servants are on improvement plans. Continue reading...

Church leaders cite Greenland threats, Venezuela action and aid cuts as undermining human dignity and peaceThree cardinals in the US Catholic church have criticized the Trump administration's foreign policy, saying its push to obtain or otherwise seize Greenland, recent military action in Venezuela, and cuts to humanitarian aid risk destroying international relations and plunging the world into incalculable suffering".Our country's moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination," said a joint statement from Blase Cupich, Robert McElroy and Joseph Tobin, respectively the archbishops of Chicago, Washington DC, and Newark, New Jersey.The Associated Press contributed Continue reading...

Increasingly unpopular at home, a president obsessed by his legacy has turned his scattergun on the world stageOne year into the second Trump administration, an actual US foreign policy remains just a nice idea. Instead, the world has been forced to adapt to the world according to Donald Trump: one increasingly shaped by his erratic shifts and unpredictable decisions, his fury at perceived slights and his growing desire to stamp his legacy in the model of an imperial leader from centuries past.Think of it as the mad king's court, where every day is a carnival. Continue reading...

Critics expected to mount legal challenge to plans for vast complex at Royal Mint Court amid security concernsThe UK government has approved the construction of a vast new Chinese embassy complex in east London, despite concerns about security and its impact on political exiles in the capital.The decision by the communities secretary, Steve Reed, brings to an end, for now at least, the saga that has been running since 2018 over the site at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge. Continue reading...

Research comparing UK and US finds people with fewer qualifications more likely to support rightwing movementsRightwing movements are struggling to gain support among graduates as education emerges as the most important dividing line in British attitudes towards politics, diversity and immigration, research has found.A study from the independent National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) found people with qualifications below A-level were more than twice as likely to support rightwing parties compared with those with qualifications above. Continue reading...

Flurry of posts on Truth Social firmly set out Trump's Greenland stance to European leaders. Plus, spoof Maga caps soar in popularityGood morning.Donald Trump has suggested Britain's decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is among the reasons he wants to take over Greenland.What else did Trump share on Truth Social? He leaked private text messages from France's Emmanuel Macron and Nato's Mark Rutte discussing his latest policy moves, and reiterated his intention to take over Greenland as imperative for national and world security", saying there can be no going back".This is a developing story. Follow our live blog here.What was said at other rallies and events? In Washington, Wisdom Cole, the senior national director of advocacy for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said elevated fears within racially diverse and immigrant communities meant that MLK Day observances were forced to take a more urgent tone. We are faced with increased police and state violence inflicted by the government," he said. Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani, the newly installed New York City mayor, framed inequality as an economic issue at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's annual MLK Day celebration. Continue reading...

Film and TV tie-ins, Lego sets and Toniebox speakers help push sales 6% higher in 2025, after five years of no growth

US president says on social media that Britain's decision to cede islands to Mauritius is act of total weakness'Donald Trump has suggested Britain's decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is among the reasons he wants to take over Greenland.The US president, who is travelling to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, made the claim as he ramped up his rhetoric on acquiring the Arctic territory. Continue reading...

Son of David and Victoria Beckham takes to Instagram to open up about feud with parentsA very public spat on social media captured global attention and filled the front pages on Tuesday with its grave consequences for a once close relationship.No, not the US president Donald Trump slamming the UK for its extreme stupidity" but this was Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, son of David and Victoria Beckham, apparently permanently cutting ties with his family. Continue reading...

Two sides blame each other for release of inmates, as Syria's president looks to gain control of north-eastMore than 100 inmates have escaped from a Syrian jail holding Islamic State prisoners amid clashes in the north-east of the country after an agreement by the under-pressure Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to withdraw from two key provinces.Videos released by the SDF showed what it said were IS members being broken out from a jail in Shaddadi by figures in black balaclavas. It said it had lost control of the building after what it claimed was an attack by government-affiliated fighters that killed or wounded dozens. Continue reading...

Surfer taken to hospital with minor injuries after latest shark attack at Point Plomer beach on mid-north coast

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While violent dingo and human interactions have been increasing, police refuse to speculate whether 19-year-old woman drowned or was killed by the wild canids

Police investigate after Nazi slogans allegedly yelled at schoolboys in St Kilda East on Monday night

Total pay of the qualification body's top six executives has risen by 240% to 6.2m since charity sold itThe new owners of the vocational training body City & Guilds appear to have more than tripled the pay of its top six executives right at the moment the company is cutting 22m of costs and shrinking its UK workforce.The large increases to salary and bonuses have emerged during a scandal over the sale of the qualification awards business by its former owner, the UK charity City & Guilds London Institute (CGLI), to the international certification company PeopleCert. Continue reading...

Claims of government interference' in decision on plans for vast outpost near Tower of LondonResidents of Royal Mint Court plan to mount a legal challenge within weeks if Steve Reed, the local government secretary, approves China's plans to build a vast new embassy at the site by the Tower of London on Tuesday.Mark Nygate, the treasurer of the local Royal Mint Court Residents' Association, said people living near the proposed development had concerns about government interference in what is supposed to be an independent process". Continue reading...

Plans to speed up airspace changes for Heathrow expansion could mean industry influences decisions on noise and routesAviation campaigners have warned that communities risk being locked out of decisions about new flight paths as the government accelerates reforms that will allow a third runway at Heathrow to go ahead.Airspace around the UK will be reconfigured as part of a long-running modernisation process to allow planes to fly more efficiently and minimise delays, and the London airport has said progress in this area is essential for its expansion. Continue reading...

Edmond Atalla defends decision to keep some submissions secret while Jewish Board of Deputies wants from the river to the sea' and death to the IDF' banned

Electric bikes have gained cult status among young people while irking some in the community and raising safety concerns

Red caps are becoming a symbol of protest in Denmark as Donald Trump ratchets up the pressure on GreenlandRed baseball caps spoofing Donald Trump's Maga hats have become a symbol of Danish and Greenlandic defiance against the US president's threat to seize the frozen territory.The caps reading Make America Go Away" - parodying Trump's Make America Great Again" slogan - have gained popularity, along with several variants on social media and at public protests, including a weekend demonstration held in freezing weather in Copenhagen. Continue reading...

Liberal MPs likely to vote for watered-down hate speech provisions and new powers to legally designate extremist organisations

Cancer charity highlights apparent postcode lottery' of testing and diagnoses across different regions seen in studyProstate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer across the UK, surpassing breast cancer, according to a leading charity.There were 64,425 diagnoses of prostate cancer in 2022, an analysis of NHS figures by Prostate Cancer UK found, and 61,640 new cases of breast cancer. Continue reading...

Guidance for GPs and nurses says other factors should be taken into account, such as changes in behaviourA child's body mass index should not be the key factor when deciding which under-18s get help for an eating disorder, the NHS has told health professionals.The new guidance from NHS England to GPs and nurses follows criticism that over-reliance on BMI has led to children who have an illness such as anorexia or bulimia being misdiagnosed and missing out on care. Continue reading...

Move comes as peers prepare to vote on an amendment to a bill that would enact a ban within a year of the bill passingMinisters have launched a consultation into whether to ban under-16s from using social media as part of a package of measures designed to curb mobile phone use among young people.Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, announced the consultation on Monday as the government responds to mounting pressure for stricter curbs on social media use for younger teenagers. On Monday afternoon, Esther Ghey, the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, became the latest high profile figure to add her name to those in support of a ban. Continue reading...

The US president said he would 100%" push ahead with his plans to hit European nations with tarrifs if he doesn't get Greenland

All northern beaches remain closed on Tuesday after attack in Manly on Monday evening follows attacks in Dee Why and Vaucluse

PM says US tariffs are in no one's interests - and Greenland row should be resolved through calm discussion'Keir Starmer has played down the prospect of retaliatory tariffs on the US, after Donald Trump threatened to impose fresh levies against Nato allies if a deal over Greenland is not reached.The prime minister said US tariffs would damage the British economy and were in no one's interests", despite growing pressure domestically to take a more forceful response. The UK would prefer a calm discussion" with allies, he added. Continue reading...

Bill will not return to Commons until government finds common ground over role of active intelligence officersLabour will not bring the Hillsborough law back to the Commons for debate until it can reach agreement with the families, the Guardian understands.Keir Starmer was forced to delay the bill again on Monday after talks broke down last week with families from Hillsborough and the Manchester Arena attack. Central to the disagreement is how the duty of candour in the public authority (accountability) bill would apply to serving intelligence officers. Continue reading...

Sarah Rogers says prosecuting people for merely' expressing support does more harm than good'Arresting supporters of Palestine Action is censoring" their free speech and does more harm than good", a Trump administration official has said.Sarah Rogers, the US undersecretary for public diplomacy, was asked in an interview with the news platform Semafor whether the British government should allow supporters of the proscribed terror group to protest. Continue reading...

Poet's sixth collection explores the destruction of the natural world, with a perspective shaped by her upbringing in rural CanadaThe Canadian poet Karen Solie has won the 2025 TS Eliot poetry prize for a collection of work, Wellwater, which explores the destruction of the natural world.Solie was announced as the winner at a ceremony held at the Wallace Collection on Monday evening, and will receive 25,000 in prize money from the TS Eliot Foundation. Wellwater, her sixth collection, co-won the Forward prize for best collection last October, alongside Vidyan Ravinthiran's Avidy. Continue reading...

Officials say death toll likely to rise as rescuers continue to comb through wreckage in remote area of AndaluciaSpain will begin three days of mourning on Tuesday as rescuers continue to comb through the wreckage of twisted train cars and scattered debris to locate victims after a train collision that killed at least 40 people and injured dozens.On Monday, more than 18 hours after a high-speed train carrying about 300 Madrid-bound passengers derailed and collided with an oncoming train, people across the country were still scrambling to make contact with missing loved ones caught up in Spain's worst rail disaster in more than a decade. Continue reading...

Russia says it is seeking to clarify all the nuances' of offer it claims Washington has made before respondingThe Kremlin has announced that Vladimir Putin has been invited to join Donald Trump's board of peace", set up last week with the intention that it would oversee a ceasefire in Gaza.The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists on Monday that Russia was seeking to clarify all the nuances" of the offer with Washington, before giving its response. Continue reading...

Development minister defends Keir Starmer playing down the prospect of retaliatory tariffsBut, Starmer says, the future of Greenland is for a matter for Denmark and Greenland to decide on their own.There is a principle here that cannot be set aside, because it goes to the heart of how stable and trusted international cooperation works.And so any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone. That right is fundamental and we support it.On Greenland, the right way to approach an issue of this seriousness is through calm discussion between allies.And let's be clear, the security of Greenland matters, and it will matter more as climate change reshapes the Arctic, as sea routes open and strategic competition intensifies. Continue reading...

Esther Ghey says daughter's eating disorder and self-harm had been exacerbated by harmful online contentThe mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has urged Keir Starmer to ban social media for under-16s, adding to growing pressure on the prime minister before a crunch vote on the issue on Wednesday.Esther Ghey wrote to Starmer on Monday explaining in detail how she felt her daughter's eating disorder and self-harm had been exacerbated by TikTok influencers with whom she had become obsessed. Continue reading...

His eponymous label is renowned for its opulent, elegant take on women's fashion and has a legion of famous fansValentino Garavani, the designer central to pioneering Italian glamour with his eponymous fashion house, has died aged 93.Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones," his foundation said on Instagram on Monday. Valentino Garavani was not only a constant guide and inspiration for all of us, but a true source of light, creativity and vision," it added. Continue reading...

US president says he no longer feels the need to think purely of peace' in letter to Norwegian prime ministerDonald Trump has linked his repeated threats to seize control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel peace prize, as transatlantic tensions over the Arctic island escalated further and threatened to rekindle a trade war with the EU.In an extraordinary text message sent on Sunday to the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, the US president wrote that after being snubbed for the prize, he no longer felt the need to think purely of peace". Continue reading...

Malcolm Phillips, 92, is accused of abuse between 1976 and 1994, while former assistant is alleged to have helped himA care home manager in West Yorkshire isolated and sexually abused vulnerable and unwanted" children using his unfettered access" to them over a period of almost two decades, a court has heard.Malcolm Phillips, 92, is accused of using children for his sexual gratification" at Skircoat Lodge care home in Halifax between 1976 and 1994. His assistant of 16 years, Linda Brunning, 66, is accused of helping him abuse children at the home and indecently assaulting one boy herself. Continue reading...

IOPC asked to investigate former chief constable after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned from Aston Villa matchThe disgraced former head of West Midlands police has been referred to the police watchdog after an official inquiry found that greatly exaggerated" intelligence was used to justify a ban on fans of an Israeli football team attending a match.Craig Guildford retired with immediate effect as chief constable of the second largest police force in England on Friday, two days after a damning report led Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, to declare she had lost confidence in him. Continue reading...

Oscar-nominated actor says his lawyer was trying to reimburse those who had donated money to a GoFundMe appeal set up allegedly to raise funds for the starThe actor Mickey Rourke has again spoken out against the GoFundMe appeal set up in his name, purportedly to raise funds for the star, who is currently in financial hardship.Earlier this month, the actor - who made his name in 1980s action and romance films before being Oscar nominated for his 2008 comeback, The Wrestler - declared he had nothing to do with the crowdfunder. Continue reading...

Reuters obtains letter from union last year raising worries over potholes and power lines amid investigations into cause of devastating crashKing Felipe of Spain has expressed his concern about the terrible accident" in which at least 39 people have been killed.Speaking from Greece, the monarch was quoted as having told the media:We have been in contact with Sanchez and Juanma Moreno to learn the details. As soon as we finish, we will return as soon as possible. I understand the anguish of the families of the victims and the injured.We know that many residents of Adamuz assisted the victims immediately, and we express our gratitude to them for that. Continue reading...

The award, run by Hachette UK and Libraro, aims to sidestep the traditional barricades of the book industry' and give readers a role in discovering new talentA new 50,000 writing prize that allows readers to select the shortlist from submitted manuscripts - and rewards them with cash prizes for their involvement - has been launched by the publishing platform Libraro, in partnership with Hachette UK.The Libraro prize aims to sidestep the traditional barricades of the book industry", according to organisers. Writers upload full manuscripts to the Libraro platform, where readers champion their favourite entries to create a shortlist of six books. Continue reading...

Tribunal ruling follows Airwars investigation into Britain's conduct in bombing campaign against IS in Syria and Iraq

Howard League charity fails in battle to halt government's decision to make Pava available to prison staffAn attempt to halt the use of pepper spray on children held in young offender institutions (YOIs) has failed after the high court ruled on Monday that the weapon's rollout was lawful.The Howard League for Penal Reform challenged the Labour government's decision to authorise the use of Pava, a synthetic form of pepper spray, in three prisons in England holding boys as young as 15. Continue reading...

President announces 30-day order after inmates also took 46 people hostage at three prisonsGuatemala's president has declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency to combat criminal gangs after authorities accused them of killing eight police officers and holding hostages at three prisons.The killings occurred in the capital, Guatemal City, and surrounding areas a day after gang-affiliated inmates took 46 people hostage in the three prisons across the country to demand incarcerated gang leaders be moved to lower-security facilities. Continue reading...

New LGBTQ+ festival included McKellen in a fiery monologue and Norton in conversation, as well as a queer ceilidh and kilted yoga'Sir Ian McKellen is on stage blowing up a red balloon. For a man of 86, he has impressive lung capacity. He lets it go and watches it take a satisfyingly theatrical trajectory, rising to a height, then plummeting. Free the spirit," he says, in character as Ed, an elderly gay man searching for release.There was a lot of spirit-freeing over the weekend at Pitlochry Festival theatre. In a bold pre-season move by new artistic director Alan Cumming, the UK's most idyllic venue launched its first LGBTQ+ festival in an atmosphere of exuberance. Programmed by Lewis Hetherington, Out in the Hills was a three-day compendium of talks, scratch performances and workshops that turned a sedate theatre into a buzzy social hive. Continue reading...