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Largest January total since records began in 1993 is sharp reversal from December's 11.6bn deficit

Exclusive: Sir Ian McKellen portrays artist in BBC documentary that draws on trove of previously unheard recordingsLS Lowry was convinced his paintings would be worthless after his death, he confided in a previously unheard interview.Although the artist had enjoyed some success in his final years, Lowry could never have imagined he would become one of Britain's best-loved artists or that his paintings would sell for millions of pounds. Continue reading...

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In today's newsletter: As investigators dig deeper into newly released documents, the arrest of a onceuntouchable public figure puts us in uncharted territoryGood morning. Some days there isn't an immediately obvious theme for what tomorrow's newsletter should be about. Yesterday was not one of those days. As Thames Valley police confirmed early on Thursday that a man in his 60s from Norfolk" had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, it quickly became clear who the 1,000th First Edition would feature.The man taken into custody was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor - formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York - arrested at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, on his 66th birthday. He is the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested. By the evening, Andrew was seen leaving Aylsham police station, slouched in the back of a vehicle, having been released under investigation.Civil service | Keir Starmer has appointed Antonia Romeo as cabinet secretary, the UK's most senior civil servant, the first woman to hold the post in its 110-year history.Iran | Donald Trump changed his mind on supporting the Chagos Islands deal because the UK will not permit its airbases to be used for a pre-emptive US strike on Iran, the Guardian has been told.Palestine | Almost 60 Palestinian journalists detained in Israeli prisons since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack have been beaten, starved and subjected to sexual violence, including rape, a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) alleges.Iran | A British couple have been sentenced to 10 years in jail by an Iranian court on charges of espionage - an outcome foreign secretary Yvette Cooper called completely appalling and totally unjustifiable".Education | Children in England with special needs will receive individual support and therapy directly from their schools as part of the government's overhaul of England's special education provision. Continue reading...

Exclusive: AFP comment comes as Bilal El-Hayek, mayor of Canterbury Bankstown, says One Nation leader's comments will incite someone'

Long-serving socialist former leader Evo Morales has reappeared in his political stronghold after almost seven weeks of unexplained absenceBolivia's long-serving socialist former leader, Evo Morales, reappeared on Thursday in his political stronghold of the tropics after almost seven weeks of unexplained absence, endorsing candidates for upcoming regional elections and quieting rumours he had fled the country in the wake of the US seizure of his ally, Venezuela's ex-president Nicolas Maduro.The weeks of hand-wringing over Morales' fate showed how little the Andean country knows about what's happening in the remote Chapare region, where the former president has spent the past year evading an arrest warrant on human trafficking charges, and how vulnerable it is to fears about US president Donald Trump's potential future foreign escapades. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Anthony Albanese says arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after life of absolute privilege' will be watched closely in AustraliaAnthony Albanese has described Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest as an extraordinary fall from grace" but says the latest crisis facing the British royal family won't prompt another referendum on Australia becoming a republic.The former prince, the brother of King Charles III, was arrested overnight on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Continue reading...

NSW police search makeshift stronghold' in Wildthorn Ave, Dural after Baghsarian abducted from North Ryde home last Friday in case of mistaken identity

Former prince released under investigation as searches continue at the Royal Lodge in WindsorKing Charles has insisted the law must take its course" after detectives took the unprecedented step of arresting his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office.Police took him to Aylsham police station in Norfolk on Thursday morning for questioning about allegations he shared confidential material with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Jeffrey Damnit says actor punched him and second man on Tuesday, calling both faggot' repeatedlyOne of the men whom Shia LaBeouf allegedly battered and insulted with a homophobic slur on Mardi Gras morning in New Orleans on Tuesday, leading to his arrest, would like to see the actor face hate crime charges.Jeffrey Damnit, who dresses in drag and was in makeup at the time of the encounter with LaBeouf, said on Thursday that the behavior attributed to the Transformers film franchise star was a complete slap in the face to any alternative-culture person". Continue reading...

Children to get individual support directly from school instead of via council in attempt to curb spiralling costsChildren in England with special needs will receive individual support and therapy directly from their schools as part of the government's overhaul of England's special education provision.Under the plans, mainstream schools will be given commissioning budgets to spend on therapists or additional support, instead of the money being controlled by highly indebted local authorities. Continue reading...

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Postponement of ACIP meeting this month comes as US pediatricians challenge committee's legitimacy in courtA meeting of the US vaccine advisory panel that had been planned for later this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reportedly been postponed amid legal challenges the panel is facing over its validity.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which provides guidance on who should receive specific vaccines, had originally been set to convene from 25 to 27 February, according to the CDC's website. Continue reading...

Former duchess has stood by the former prince through waves of allegations and has yet to comment on his arrestWhile the spotlight has been on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, his arrest has prompted questions about what is next for his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.Ferguson, known by the tabloids as Fergie, married the then prince Andrew in 1986 and was divorced from him 10 years later after an alleged affair with an American financial adviser. It was one of multiple scandals in the 1990s and 2000s involving the former duchess, who was widely considered an embarrassment to the royal family. Continue reading...

Recently disclosed documents show name of former prince came up during 2011 inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein

US president links deal with military strikes against Iran in connection with Tehran's nuclear ambitionsDonald Trump changed his mind on supporting the Chagos Islands deal because the UK will not permit its airbases to be used for a pre-emptive US strike on Iran, the Guardian has been told.In his latest change of heart on the deal, the US president said on social media that Keir Starmer was making a big mistake" by handing sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius in exchange for continued use by the UK and US of their airbase on one of the islands, Diego Garcia. Continue reading...

First female cabinet secretary faced allegations of bullying behaviour in 2017, while working in New York consulateKeir Starmer's decision to appoint Antonia Romeo as the country's most senior civil servant has prompted dismay among former colleagues who complained about what they considered bullying behaviour when she was a diplomat in New York.Several people who worked with Romeo at the New York consulate nearly 10 years ago have told the Guardian they are upset by the prime minister's decision to make her cabinet secretary despite knowing about their complaints. Continue reading...

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...