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Judge finds woman believed she was acting in a social media event' rather than official ceremony

Royal College of Radiologists calls move shortsighted' and says it puts Labour's waiting times plan at riskDozens of NHS hospitals have banned their cancer or diagnostic units from hiring new staff, despite GPs referring growing numbers of people who they fear may have the disease.Doctors warned that widespread recruitment freezes imposed on both types of units over the last year risked undermining Keir Starmer's drive, outlined this week, to cut waiting times for NHS care.13 of 54 cancer centres (24.1%) had a recruitment freeze imposed on them last year, along with 29 out of 150 (19.3%) radiology departments.The 42 hiring bans were imposed by 40 different NHS trusts or boards.At least one freeze was implemented in each of the four home nations and each region of England. Continue reading...

Martin Rosenbaum fought for 18 months to reveal who had supported nominations of two former special advisersThe reasons given for a peerage awarded by Boris Johnson have been described as inadequate" and a mystery" by a freedom of information campaigner after an 18-month struggle.Charlotte Owen, a former special adviser in the Conservative government, was appointed to the House of Lords in Johnson's resignation honours list in 2023. Continue reading...

Leader reportedly freed after being violently intercepted' having left hideout to lead protest against Nicolas MaduroAllies of Venezuela's most influential opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, said she had been kidnapped" from the streets of Caracas by regime officials after sneaking out of her hideout to lead a major protest against the authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro.About three hours after the announcement, Machado supporters said she had been released having been knocked off a motorbike and taken away by force" while leaving the rally and had been compelled to record a number of videos. Continue reading...

Laken Riley Act passed House on Tuesday by 264 to 159, showing Democrats are feeling pressure over immigrationThe US Senate advanced a bill calling for the detainment of undocumented immigrants charged with theft-related crimes on Thursday, as Donald Trump and fellow Republicans press their hardline immigration agenda after their victories in the November elections.The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote was 84 to nine, as dozens of Democratic senators joined Republicans in supporting the motion to begin debate on the bill. But some Democrats who voted to advance the legislation indicated that they wanted to see amendments to the proposal, raising questions about how many of them would support its final passage. Continue reading...

Scotland Yard imposes Public Order Act owing to proximity of Broadcasting House to a nearby synagogueScotland Yard has banned a pro-Palestine march from gathering outside the BBC's London headquarters, owing to its proximity to a synagogue.Protesters were planning to gather outside Broadcasting House in Portland Place on Saturday 18 January before marching to Whitehall. On Thursday evening, police said they had imposed the Public Order Act to prevent the rally from gathering in the area as it risked causing serious disruption" to a nearby synagogue on the Jewish holy day, as congregants attend Shabbat services. Continue reading...

Labour's description of 16,400 immigration offenders and foreign criminals' angers campaignersKeir Starmer has boasted of deporting a record number of refused asylum seekers and overseas criminals since scrapping the Rwanda scheme, using language that has dismayed human rights campaigners.The Home Office said on Thursday it had returned more than 16,400 immigration offenders and foreign criminals" since the election in July, the highest six-month total since 2018. Continue reading...

My cycle is over,' says leftwinger, 89, who lives humbly and oversaw one of healthiest and most liberal democraciesJose Mujica, the former guerrilla who became Uruguay's president and a global progressive icon, has announced that the cancer in his oesophagus has spread to his liver, and that he has chosen to forgo further treatment.In what Mujica said would be his last interview, he told Busqueda, a weekly news magazine in Uruguay, that he was doomed". Continue reading...

Former health minister says medical examiners, who spot cases of intentional harm, could have been in place earlierJeremy Hunt has said ministers took too long" to introduce medical examiners to investigate deaths in the NHS, as he apologised to the families of Lucy Letby's victims.Giving evidence at the Thirlwall inquiry on Thursday, the former health secretary said he had ultimate responsibility" for the NHS at the time Letby committed her appalling crime" of murdering babies at the Countess of Chester hospital in 2015 and 2016. Continue reading...

German maker of fashionable cork-based footwear files three lawsuits alleging copyright infringementOnce sneered at as the preserve of muesli-loving, Guardian-reading hippies, Birkenstocks have more recently been promoted to the status of fashion item, not least since they took a starring role in the Barbie movie. But now cork-soled sandals are facing their day in court as their German makers call for them to be protected in perpetuity - and to be recognised as nothing less than a unique work of art.Germany's federal court of justice is to decide on the future of the ergonomic sandal after three lawsuits against alleged copycat competitors were lodged on Thursday by the footwear manufacturer. Continue reading...

Army commander's election increases confidence that ceasefire with Israel will holdLebanon's parliament has elected the army commander Joseph Aoun as the country's new president, ending a more than two-year vacancy and increasing confidence that a ceasefire with Israel will hold.Aoun received 99 out of 128 votes in the 13th attempt by a deeply divided parliament to elect a new head of state after the departure of the former president Michel Aoun, who is no relation, in October 2022. Aoun was the favoured candidate of international powers such as Saudi Arabia, France and the US, which enjoyed good relations with him in his role as head of Lebanon's armed forces.

UK foreign secretary plays down idea of Trump taking control, in speech exposing differences with president-elect

Italy's prime minister confirms she is on guest list for 20 January event and will happily go' if her agenda allowsGiorgia Meloni has confirmed she has been invited to attend Donald Trump's inauguration as US president and will happily go" if her agenda permits, ending weeks of speculation over whether the Italian prime minister is on the guest list.I would be happy to be there," Meloni told a press conference in Rome on Thursday when asked about her plans for the 20 January event. I'm evaluating the compatibility with the agenda. If I can, I will gladly participate." Continue reading...

Ukrainian leader appeals for sustained military support as US president-elect seeks new chapter' in EuropeVolodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukraine's western allies not to drop the ball" and to continue to provide long-term military support to his embattled country, once Donald Trump returns to the White House.Speaking at a summit in Germany, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Trump's imminent second presidency was likely to bring dramatic changes. It's clear that a new chapter starts for Europe and the entire world just 11 days from now," the Ukrainian president said. Continue reading...

Tower Hamlets will offer help up to 150 a child for households earning less than 50,350A London council is likely to become the first in England to offer a universal" payment towards school uniform costs to households on an income of less than 50,350.MPs were this week debating government plans to ban schools in England from requiring parents to buy more than three branded uniform items, plus a tie - but Tower Hamlets council said that simply isn't enough to alleviate the burden" on struggling families, and that it intended to offer payments of up to 150 for each child. Continue reading...

Partnership a long time coming' and is latest expansion of Australian-made animated seriesThe global hit children's TV show Bluey is to make its Lego debut with the first sets due to hit shelves later this year.The world of Bluey, which has proved such a small-screen hit a film is to be made for global release in 2027, is to be brought to life in plastic brick form with six sets to be revealed this spring before going on sale later this year. Continue reading...

Tickets for night-time slots on 17 January go on sale as gallery opens for 24 hours for second time in its historySome of the country's greatest artists, including Lucian Freud, David Hockney and Francis Bacon, used to visit the National Gallery during the early hours of the morning for inspiration. Now, art lovers have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps during a rare, all-night opening for the gallery's Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition this month.The London gallery announced on Thursday that its sellout exhibition will be open for 24 hours during its final weekend, with extra timed slots from 9pm on 17 January until 10am on 18 January. Continue reading...

Sales at food halls rise 8.9% over Christmas, with 23 December its biggest-ever day of food tradingMarks & Spencer has hailed a good Christmas" with strong sales of food but warned it would have to find new ways of to cut costs in the face of the government's tax increases.The UK retailer said sales at established food halls rose 8.9%, making its the top-performing high street grocer over Christmas, according to the analysts Kantar. Equivalent clothing, home and beauty product sales grew by 1.9% in the 13 weeks to 28 December, even as the clothing market fell 2% before Christmas. Continue reading...

New Year's Day attacks by US service members highlight threat, says Bishop Garrison who led DoD investigationThe decorated combat veteran who led the Biden administration's efforts to counter extremist activity in the US military has warned there could be further domestic attacks by individuals with current or past military ties if the Pentagon fails to take the threat seriously.Both of the deadly incidents on New Year's Day were carried out by discharged or serving members of the armed forces. The driver of a pickup truck who killed 14 revellers in New Orleans was a veteran with 13 years service in the US army, while the man who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Las Vegas Trump hotel, killing himself, was an active-duty Green Beret. Continue reading...

As the incoming president pledges a crackdown, activist groups anticipating migrant raids are preparing to resistAlmost immediately after Donald Trump took office in 2017, he directed his administration to begin rounding up and deporting immigrants living in the country without authorization. He implemented a travel ban that caused chaos at airports, leaving families, students and scholars stranded. He also attempted to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program, which shields hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country as children from deportation and imposed a zero-tolerance" at the US-Mexico border that led to the separation of thousands of families.Many immigration advocates fear that the next four years could be even worse. Continue reading...

Bakery chain says fewer shoppers on high streets over Christmas also to blame in more challenging market'Greggs, the UK's biggest bakery chain, has reported slowing sales growth over the festive period, blaming weakening consumer confidence and fewer shoppers on high streets.The company said its total sales rose by 11.3% to just over 2bn last year. Company-managed shops posted a 5.5% increase in sales at established outlets over the year. However, growth more than halved to 2.5% in the fourth quarter - the 13 weeks to 28 December - reflecting more subdued" high street footfall. Continue reading...

City minister under pressure to explain why she benefited from property paid for by the regime of her aunt Sheikh HasinaTulip Siddiq reacted with anger when she was confronted in 2017 by reporters from Channel 4 asking her to intervene in the case of Ahmad bin Quasem, a British-educated lawyer who had allegedly been abducted in Bangladesh by the regime of Siddiq's aunt, Sheikh Hasina.Are you aware that I am a British MP and that I'm born in London?" she asked Alex Thomson, the channel's chief correspondent. Are you implying that I'm a Bangladeshi? Because I don't think that's the right thing to imply." Continue reading...

At least 12 councils may request postponement of May elections amid government devolution plansHalf of the county councils due to have elections in England this spring could ask to have them postponed.Local elections are due to take place in 21 county council areas in England in May, but at least 12 of them are poised to ask ministers for a delay, the BBC and the Times reported. Continue reading...

People told to attend A&E alone as acute trust cancels operations, declaring critical incident' amid rise in flu casesAn NHS trust is preparing to cancel operations, urgently discharge 140 patients and restrict admissions to help it cope with extreme winter pressures".The Gloucestershire acute trust declared a critical incident" on Wednesday as hospitals in England asked patients seeking medical help to come alone to reduce overcrowding in A&E. Continue reading...

Keith Lees charged with murdering Meaghan Rose whose body was found at the base of cliffs at Mooloolaba

Supermarket now controls 28.5% of grocery market, with sales at UK stores up 4% in six weeks to 4 JanuaryTesco has recorded its biggest ever Christmas", with the UK's largest supermarket chain landing its biggest share of the festive shopping trolley since 2016.Sales at established UK stores rose 4% in the six weeks to 4 January, with fresh food performing particularly strongly and clothing and homeware sales also up. Continue reading...

The diagnosis rate for black men was found to be 1.5 times higher and they were also 14% less likely to receive life-saving treatmentsBlack men in England are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer than their white counterparts, while being less likely to receive life-saving treatment, analysis by the National Prostate Cancer Audit has found.The analysis found that black men were diagnosed with stage three or four prostate cancer at a rate of 440 per 100,000 black men in England, which is 1.5 times higher compared with their white counterparts, who had a diagnosis rate of 295 per 100,000. Continue reading...

Classic moments' from BBC comedy series to feature on range of first- and second-class stampsThe Royal Mail is issuing 12 special stamps to celebrate the 1990s BBC comedy series The Vicar of Dibley.Eight stamps depict memorable scenes from the sitcom, including a guest appearance by former ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell, while four stamps show a Dibley parish council meeting. Continue reading...

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Cross-party Senedd report finds Wales is third from bottom in spending on culture and sports, with Iceland biggest spenderIt is known as the land of song and as one of the world's most passionate sporting nations.But a report has concluded that despite its proud heritage, Wales is languishing behind almost all other European countries in terms of spending on recreational, sporting and cultural services. Continue reading...

Whitehall Monitor report also said churn increased as three new departments created under Rishi SunakMorale and churn in the UK civil service worsened despite average pay almost bouncing back to real-terms levels last seen in 2010, an annual survey has found.The Whitehall Monitor report, by the Institute for Government (IfG) thinktank, found that average civil service pay rose for the 2023-24 financial year, with the government settling disputes that had led to industrial action. Continue reading...

Police are investigating after schoolboy allegedly circulated images of female students using fake social media accounts

Iron ore billionaire says he is personally delighted' at lawsuit as fossil fuel giant has opened themselves up to cross-examination' in a US court

Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) says the animals were at large within its grounds after a suspected illegal release'Two lynx are on the loose in the Scottish Highlands in what is suspected to be an illegal release".On Wednesday evening, the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) announced that the animals were at large within its grounds. Continue reading...

US authorities charged Takeshi Ebisawa with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Myanmar for expected use by Iran in nuclear weaponsA member of the Japanese criminal underworld has pleaded guilty to handling nuclear material sourced from Myanmar and seeking to sell it to fund an illicit arms deal, US authorities have said.Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa and a co-defendant had previously been charged in April 2022 with drug trafficking and firearms offences, and both were remanded. Continue reading...

The crash, which killed three people, including pilot James Wong, occurred off the Western Australian coast

New leader Alcide Ponga says people want a signal of hope' after turmoil in the French Pacific territoryWeeks after its first ever pro-independence government collapsed, New Caledonia has named a French loyalist as its new president as the territory seeks to rebuild from deadly riots and destruction that battered the economy.Alcide Ponga, from the Le Rassemblement party, was elected president by the newly installed executive in Congress on Wednesday. Ponga's party is affiliated with French right-wing party LR, Les Republicains. The loyalists are in favour of keeping New Caledonia within France. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary says keeping the British people safe means standing up to RussiaThe post-cold war era is well and truly over" and keeping the British people safe means standing up to Russia, the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, has warned.Writing in the Guardian before a meeting likely to be focused on Ukraine between the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Downing Street, Lammy insists keeping the British people safe means standing up to the Kremlin. Working with our friends and allies to deter Putin's mafia state." Continue reading...

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Police say 18-year-old detained over death of Michelle Sadio outside church in BrentAn 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a north-west London church.Shots were fired in Gifford Road, Brent, at about 9.15pm on 14 December, killing 44-year-old Michelle Sadio, who was standing among mourners outside the church after a wake, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

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Organization said paper's refusal outrageous attempt to sidestep the truth', choosing silence over accountability'The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization that advocates for peace, said on Monday the group cancelled a planned advertisement in the New York Times in response to the paper refusing to allow it to refer to Israel's actions in Gaza as a genocide.The refusal of The New York Times to run paid digital ads that call for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza is an outrageous attempt to sidestep the truth," said Joyce Ajlouny, general secretary for the AFSC, in a press release. Palestinians and allies have been silenced and marginalized in the media for decades as these institutions choose silence over accountability. It is only by challenging this reality that we can hope to forge a path toward a more just and equitable world." Continue reading...

MP tells parliament he believes justice has not been done after hearing experts' concerns over former nurse's murder convictionsFundamental flaws in the criminal trial system led to the former nurse Lucy Letby being convicted of murder in a clear miscarriage of justice", David Davis has said in parliament.In a parliamentary debate, the former cabinet minister detailed the mounting concerns of leading experts about the convictions and said there should quickly be a retrial. He said he believed Letby would be cleared in it. Continue reading...

Policy change by Blaenau Gwent council means teachers will no longer change nappies or pull-ups unless there is a medically recognised need'Parents in Blaenau Gwent, Wales, have been told they have to come to school to change nappies if their children are not toilet trained.The local authority told parents that it was their responsibility to ensure children knew how to use a toilet before sending them to school. Continue reading...

Fourteen-year-old died after he was stabbed on 472 bus to Abbey Wood in south-east of capital on Tuesday afternoonA 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a London bus has been named by his mother as Kelyan Bokassa.Kelyan was travelling on a 472 bus to Abbey Wood when he was attacked at about 2.30pm on Tuesday as the bus was on Woolwich Church Road. Paramedics treated him at the scene but he died shortly after they arrived. Continue reading...

Marion Marechal, Jean-Marie's grand-daughter, has positioned herself further to the right of her aunt Marine Le Pen, who has attempted to de-demonise' the National RallyThe death of Jean-Marie Le Pen looked likely to reignite rivalries in his family over who is the rightful heir to the far-right political dynasty, as the French government condemned as simply shameful" crowds of people who took to the streets to celebrate the politician's demise.Marine Le Pen, daughter of the National Rally co-founder and leader of the far-right party she has rebranded as the anti-immigration National Rally, on Wednesday paid tribute to her father, who died the previous day at the age of 96. Continue reading...

Geir Pedersen tells security council the HTS administration has great opportunities but also risks making misstepsA credible process leading to a new transitional government involving all strands of Syrian society is the best way for the country's caretaker administration to secure a smooth lifting of sanctions, the UN special envoy Geir Pedersen has told the UN security council.Giving his assessment of how the government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was meeting its commitment to inclusiveness, Pedersen said it had tremendous opportunities but also risked making missteps. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Role as permanent undersecretary comes amid return of Donald Trump and wars in Ukraine and Middle EastThe former Brexit negotiator Oliver Robbins has been appointed as the UK Foreign Office's most senior civil servant, taking over from Sir Philip Barton.Robbins, who was on the shortlist last year to take over as cabinet secretary but failed to get the civil service's top job, was believed to be David Lammy's favoured candidate for the role of permanent undersecretary in the Foreign Office (FCDO). Continue reading...

A new amber warning for snow has also been issued for the south-west of England, joining those for northern Scotland and Northern IrelandA new amber warning for snow has been issued in the south-west of England as temperatures are expected to plummet as low as -20C in parts of the UK in the coming nights.Yellow warnings for snow are in place across northern Scotland, Northern Ireland and the south coast of England for Wednesday and Thursday, with an additional warning across the west and north of Wales on Thursday that also encompasses Merseyside and Chester. Continue reading...