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Mike Osman, aka Donald Trumped', from Southampton, says he is expecting busiest year of careerA British Donald Trump impersonator is looking forward to an unstoppable" four years, thanking the American president for providing him with a pension pot for his retirement.Southampton-based Mike Osman, a 65-year-old comedian, said his income had increased by between 30 and 40% since Trump was re-elected and he was expecting to have the busiest year of his career. Continue reading...

Maine Coon made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia after being missed by baggage handlerA Maine Coon cat named Mittens became an accidental jetsetter this month when her cage was overlooked in a plane cargo hold and she made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia.Mittens, eight, was booked for one-way travel with her family from Christchurch, New Zealand to their new home in Melbourne, Australia on 13 January. Her owner, Margo Neas, said on Wednesday that as she waited for Mittens to be unloaded from the plane's freight area, three hours passed with no sign of the cat. Continue reading...

Cost of scaling world's tallest peak rises for first time in nearly a decade to $15,000Nepal will increase the permit fees for climbing Mount Everest by 36%, making the world's tallest peak more expensive for mountaineers for the first time in nearly a decade, officials have said.Income from permit fees and other spending by foreign climbers is a key source of revenue and employment for the poor country, which is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains. Continue reading...

Local publishing house says it will retain creative control' and no redundancies are planned for Melbourne office

Adam Edward Moule is ninth person charged under Strike Force Pearl investigation into spate of antisemitic attacks across Sydney

Teenager arrested on suspicion of murder following incident in Hall Green areaA 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham.West Midlands police said the boy was found with serious injuries near Scribers Lane, Hall Green, shortly after 3pm on Tuesday and was taken to hospital, but died from his injuries. Continue reading...

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Inadequately trained staff from Valmar Support Services failed to follow dietary advice when feeding the man, judge finds

The maritime group, founded in 1760 by merchants and underwriters, issued the apology after commissioning research into its links to slaveryLloyd's Register, the maritime and industrial group owned by one of Britain's biggest charities, has apologised for its role in the trafficking of enslaved African people but has been criticised for not going far enough.Founded in 1760 as the Society for the Registry of Shipping by merchants and underwriters who met at Edward Lloyd's coffee house in Lombard Street in London, the company provided classification for ships. Continue reading...

Range of womenswear and menswear contains 49 pieces adapted from brand's bestselling items to suit variety of needsIt's a go-to shop for cheap knickers and designer dupes, but now Primark hopes to become the top destination for clothing designed for those with a range of disabilities.In a first for the budget high street shop, it is releasing a 49-piece line of womenswear and menswear, adapted from its bestselling items to suit a range of needs. Continue reading...

Amid increasing drone use and drug-related violence, the prisons minister, James Timpson, is beefing up' measuresThe Prison Service is beefing up" a cadre of officers dedicated to smashing gangs in prisons in the face of escalating drone use and drug-related violence, the prisons minister has said.James Timpson said the work of the department's serious organised crime unit is being expanded, and expressed concern that a minority of prison officers have been corrupted by very manipulative people". Continue reading...

Witnesses say people used bed sheets or jumped to try to get out of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel after fire broke out early in the morningSeventy-six people died and 51 others were injured when a fire engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in Turkey's Bolu mountains, forcing guests to jump out of windows or attempt to use bed sheets to flee the building.The fire broke out at about 3.30am on Tuesday in the restaurant of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, north-west Turkey. Continue reading...

Midsumma organisers say the decision to exclude uniformed Victoria police from march is based on trauma-informed practice'

AFP investigating if criminals for hire' have been behind at least some recent incidents across the nation

New report says more than 30m hectares burned, 79% more than in 2023, after country saw worst drought on recordAfter enduring its worst drought on record in 2024, Brazil closed the year with another alarming milestone: between January and December, 30.86m hectares of wilderness burned - an area larger than Italy.The figure published in a new report is 79% higher than in 2023 and the largest recorded by Fire Monitor since its launch in 2019 by MapBiomas, an initiative by NGOs, universities and technology companies that monitors Brazil's biomes. Continue reading...

Administration overturns policies that for more than a decade restricted enforcement from sensitive areas'US immigration authorities will be able to arrest migrants at schools, churches and hospitals after the Trump administration overturned policies banning immigration enforcement from so-called sensitive areas".Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and Customs and Border Protection had been restricted from doing so for more than a decade. The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both agencies, said in a statement: Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest. Continue reading...

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New fraud, error and debt bill will also allow money to be recovered direct from bank accounts of people fraudulently claiming benefitsPeople could be banned from driving if they repeatedly fail to repay money they owe under a new government crackdown on welfare fraud.The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will also be able to recover money directly from the bank accounts of people fraudulently claiming benefits. Continue reading...

In a step backward', Trump effectively reinstated Schedule F, reclassifying thousands of employees as political hiresOne day after Donald Trump returned to office, a leading government labor union filed a lawsuit against his administration's reclassification of thousands of federal workers as political hires.An executive order signed by the president - making public sector workers easier to fire - amounts to a dangerous step backward", according to the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents federal government employees across 37 agencies and departments. Continue reading...

Critics say program that forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while cases are processed exposes migrants to harmThe Trump administration has announced the reinstatement of the remain in Mexico" program, resuming an initiative that forced non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait south of the border while their cases were processed.The US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Tuesday that it would restart the program immediately, years after it was ended by Joe Biden. Continue reading...

The Southport case shows how easily the seeds of extremism can now be sown - and the law needs find a way to keep up

Trump's agenda is clear: keep people out or make them pay. The US's fabric as a nation of immigrants is tearing apartImmigrants, refugees and asylum seekers hoping for a safe haven to build a life in the United States awoke to a blistering reality on Tuesday, after Donald Trump's barrage of policy changes shortly after taking office effectively slammed the door shut on many would-be newcomers - and cast a spectre over many already living stateside.First came the news that, as Trump was being sworn in as the 47th president, the federal government had disabled its CBP One phone app's appointment system, where prospective migrants and asylum seekers could schedule an appointment with the US authorities and legally enter the country. Continue reading...

Ofcom figures show number of people seeing material depicting or encouraging violence or injury has risenSix minutes before Axel Rudakubana left home to murder three girls at a Southport dance class, he searched for a video of the Sydney church attack in which a bishop was stabbed while livestreaming a sermon.

Keir Starmer says social media platforms must also act to remove extreme content that is inspiring violenceTerrorism laws will be overhauled and technology companies be pressured to remove a tidal wave" of online violent content that is inspiring acts of murder, ministers have said amid growing anger over the Southport stabbings.After it emerged Axel Rudakubana had accessed violent content in his bedroom before he stabbed three girls to death in July, Keir Starmer said it could not be right that with just a few clicks, people can watch video after horrific video, videos that in some cases are never taken down". Continue reading...

Dame Kate Bingham, who led the vaccine taskforce in 2020, said the clinically vulnerable were deprioritised and goals were not followedThere was open warfare" between UK government departments during the pandemic, the former vaccines tsar has said, adding the failure to prioritise the needs of clinically vulnerable, immunocompromised individuals was ethically and morally wrong.Dame Kate Bingham led the vaccine taskforce (VTF) - based in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) - between May and December 2020, and played a pivotal role in persuading the government to back the development of a portfolio of potential jabs, as well as securing contracts for millions of doses. Continue reading...

Communication lines open 24 hours intended to avoid breakdown over reported violations and other issuesQatari, US and Egyptian negotiators are running a communications hub in Cairo to protect the ceasefire in Gaza, as Donald Trump said he was not confident the break in fighting would hold.Violations have already been reported. Medics in Gaza said on Monday that eight people had been hit by Israeli fire. The start of the ceasefire was also delayed when Hamas did not provide the names of hostages to be released. Continue reading...

Historians say Musk clearly made Nazi salute - but supporter claims he was inspired by Roman greeting adopted by Benito MussoliniThe back-to-back gestures were swift and enthusiastic, and they elicited huge cheers from the crowd. After Elon Musk ignited controversy with two fascist-style salutes during Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, critics accused him of giving the Nazi salute.Some of Musk's supporters rushed to defend him, claiming that he had instead been giving the Roman salute. The Roman empire is back, starting with the Roman salute," Andrea Stroppa, a Rome-based adviser to Musk, wrote on in a post that he later deleted. Continue reading...

Trump ally Elise Stefanik says she supports Israeli claims of biblical rights to West Bank; Antonio Guterres cautions Israel's security forces over major West Bank operationUS President Donald Trump has reversed the Biden administration's sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in a concession to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the precarious ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. You can follow our US Politics blog for the latest on all the key policy actions taken by Trump on inauguration day here.Trump rescinded an executive order Biden signed last February, which gave the US government the power to sanction any foreign nationals who tried to attack, intimidate or seize the property of Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank. Continue reading...

Forty academics write to home secretary over weekend's dangerous assault' on the right to protestMore than 40 legal scholars have signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into the Met's policing of a pro-Palestine protest in London on Saturday, describing it as a disproportionate, unwarranted and dangerous assault on the right to assembly and protest".The force said it arrested 77 people at the demonstration, having banned protesters from gathering outside the BBC's London headquarters, citing its proximity to a synagogue and the fact it was taking place on the Sabbath. The ban led to the protest being changed to a static rally, but the Met claimed people broke through police lines in a coordinated effort to breach the conditions. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president tells Davos that Europe must establish itself as an indispensable' player on the global stageVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said that at least 200,000" allied troops would be needed to enforce any peace deal in Ukraine as he urged Europe to take care of itself" as Donald Trump returns to power in the US.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy said European leaders should not ask themselves what Trump would do next, and said that they instead needed to take collective steps to defend their continent at a time when it is under an aggressive attack by Russia. Continue reading...

Home secretary also says inquiry into the attack will cover wider threat posed by youth violenceStarmer says nothing will be off the table in the inquiry.There are also questions about the accountability of the Whitehall and Westminster system - a system that is far too often driven by circling the institutional wagons, that does not react until justice is either hard won by campaigners, or until appalling tragedies like this [take place].Time and again we see this pattern, and people are right to be angry about it. I'm angry about it.There are also bigger questions, questions such as how we protect our children from the tidal wave of violence freely available online.Because you can't tell me that the material this individual viewed before committing these murders should be accessible on mainstream social media platforms, but with just a few clicks, people can watch video after horrific video - videos that, in some cases, are never taken down, Continue reading...

Jim Newman claims band who performed at inauguration is entirely separate entity' from group he was inA former member of Village People has distanced himself from the band that performed at Donald Trump's inauguration events, stating that the current group has nothing to do with the group that I was a part of".Village People, whose song YMCA is widely considered a gay anthem and a favorite of the returning US president's, performed at several of Trump's inaugural events over the weekend and on Monday. However, only one original member, the lead singer and songwriter Victor Willis, 73, is still part of the band and participated in the performances. Continue reading...

Shares in Lloyds and Close Brothers rise as Treasury seeks to tell court that lawsuit could cause economic harm

Rachel Reeves hopes expansion will increase economic growth but Ed Miliband and Sadiq Khan oppose it

Mute B. Egede says we are Greenlanders' and says we don't want to be Danish either' at press conferenceIn the last few minutes, von der Leyen has been speaking about what will be the EU's position on Ukraine given potential changes in the US policy under Trump.This is what she said:I think we should never forget where it all started. Ukraine is a sovereign country, and it determined its own future by asking for accession to the EU. That's where it all started. The response was an invasion by its neighbour, Russia.We should also never forget ... it is never only about the security of Ukraine, but about European security. Continue reading...

Tehran massively weakened' by reverses in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, says vice-president of Aden-based administration

The prime minister's about-face after attack on Sydney childcare centre has left him once again looking like he's playing catchup

More than 40% of individual corals monitored around One Tree Island reef bleached by heat stress and damaged by flesh-eating disease

Study by parental control software firm Qustodio also shows Roblox is the gaming app most blocked by parents

Toy sales fell in 2024 but industry reports growth in kidult' collectors of expensive Lego building sets

Doctor calls situation an absolute disaster' for public mental health system and vulnerable patients

Finding upholds Human Rights Commission's earlier ruling to deny group a five-year exemption under Sex Discrimination Act

PM defends decision not to disclose Southport killer's violent history and promises to tackle new threat' in UK

Wiwwaeo Sriaoun, whose son Watchara is one of six Thais held by Hamas, says ceasefire deal has given her more hope

Germany will elect a new Bundestag on 23 February. Find out who is ahead in opinion polls and what coalitions are possibleGermany is preparing for a general election to the Bundestag, the lower house of its parliament, on 23 February, after its traffic-light" coalition of social democrats, liberals and greens collapsed. The country's electoral system is highly proportional, so polls give a good indication of what shape of government might be possible after the election. Continue reading...

State and territory leaders also agree to set up new database tracking antisemitic crime after national cabinet meeting

Prime minister acknowledges US president's move would impact the globe' but says Australia remains a sovereign nation

Exclusive: Concerns raised that wording of law could result in people with eating disorders using it to end their livesMPs will look to close a potential anorexia loophole in the assisted dying bill that psychiatrists fear could result in people with severe eating disorders using it to end their lives.The Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, who sits on the committee of MPs that will scrutinise the proposed law, is tabling an amendment to tighten the language around mental capacity. Continue reading...

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Andrew Cheung defends city's legal processes as transparent, fair and independent' despite mounting concerns from departing legal officersHong Kong's top judge has claimed the exodus of foreign judges from the judiciary's benches since the introduction of the national security law is due to escalating geopolitical tensions and orchestrated harassment".The city's chief justice, Andrew Cheung, made the remarks at the ceremonial opening of the city's legal year on Monday evening in a speech which acknowledged the changing political environment but otherwise stridently defended the judiciary. Hong Kong has a common law system separate from the Chinese mainland's, but observers say it is under growing political pressure. Continue reading...