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Middlesbrough MP was placed on precautionary suspension in October over speech at pro-Palestinian rally

Unprecedented bill aimed to be passed in summer will exonerate hundreds of post office operators in England and WalesMinisters have introduced legislation to quash the convictions of hundreds of post office operators who were prosecuted during the Horizon scandal in a move described as an exceptional response to a factually exceptional situation".The government introduced a bill in parliament on Wednesday afternoon that will exonerate victims of the scandal in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Charities concerned at profits being made from government contracts to help victims

Richard Basson, accused of murdering Carrie Slater, said he had been defending himself in an argument, court hearsA man accused of shooting his girlfriend in the head told police she walked into a pool cue he had been brandishing at her to defend himself during an argument over half a cigarette.Richard Basson, 45, is accused of killing Carrie Slater, 37, who was taken to hospital on 21 September last year and died from a brain injury two days later. Continue reading...

Hester, who made comments widely condemned as racist, has seen his firm TPP paid over 400m by NHS and other state bodies since 2016The Conservative party's largest donor, Frank Hester, is facing calls from within the NHS to cut ties with his company after the Guardian revealed comments he made about Diane Abbott that have been widely condemned as racist.At a meeting in 2019, Hester said seeing Abbott on TV made him want to hate all black women" and that she should be shot". Hester has apologised for the remarks but denied they were motivated by race or gender. Continue reading...

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova says war could expand geographically. This live blog is closedLeonid Volkov told Reuters hours before an assailant attacked him with a hammer and tear gas outside his home in Lithuania that he and other exiles feared for their lives.Volkov, the top aide to Alexei Navalny, said leaders of the late Russian opposition leader's organisation knew they were facing high individual risks" in an interview filmed on Tuesday hours before an unidentified attacker assaulted him outside his home. Continue reading...

Latest annual accounts show supermarket paying price for debts taken on during 2021 takeover

CMA says government may have to step in to protect leaseholders, as thousands in England and Wales remain trapped in contractsBritain's competition watchdog has said ground rent is neither legally nor commercially necessary" and that government may need to step in to protect consumers from soaring costs.The housing secretary, Michael Gove, is considering capping all existing ground rents - possibly reducing them to a nominal peppercorn" level, effectively zero - and launched a consultation in early December. Continue reading...

Lai's supporters say evidence of Andy Li should not be relied upon as it was obtained through tortureA key prosecution witness in the trial of Jimmy Lai took the stand in a Hong Kong court on Wednesday, giving evidence that the UN's special rapporteur has said could be tainted because of allegations of torture.Andy Li, a computer programmer turned pro-democracy activist, gave evidence about his role in a crowdfunding campaign, Stand With Hong Kong, to rally support for the pro-democracy protests in 2019. The campaign, which ultimately raised more than $1.8m (1.4m), placed advertisements in several newspapers including the Guardian, the Washington Post and the Australian. Continue reading...

Lender nearly triples size of cost-cutting plan to 80m after autumn rescue deal

West Midlands mayor says he would return money, after No 10 says Hester's comments about Diane Abbott were racist

Rock star left Spotify in 2022 in protest over podcaster Joe Rogan, but says he can't keep up fight as Rogan broadens distribution to Apple, YouTube and AmazonNeil Young is to return his music to Spotify after keeping it off the streaming platform for more than two years.Young removed his entire catalogue from the world's biggest streaming company in January 2022, in protest against Joe Rogan whose chart-topping podcast was exclusive to Spotify. Continue reading...

Commission chief says organisation has actively condemned antisemitism as well as Islamophobia linked to Israel-Gaza war

This blog is now closed.

Coalition cites growing estimated costs, while minister cannot say how much the project will slug taxpayers

Sunshine Coast man charged with offences including rape, stalking and making child exploitation material

Former cycling champion Rohan Dennis charged with recklessly striking his wife with his car in Adelaide's inner north on 30 December

Employee of metal plant in Fukuyama spotted a trail of yellowy-brown paw prints leading away from a container of hexavalent chromiumIt could be the opening scene from a new Marvel film. Residents of a Japanese city have been warned not to approach or touch a missing cat that appears to have fallen into a vat of toxic chemicals before scampering off.The search for the unlucky feline began after an employee of a metal plating plant in Fukuyama, western Japan, arrived at work to find a trail of yellowy-brown paw prints leading away from a container of hexavalent chromium, a highly acidic carcinogen. Continue reading...

An Australian shepherd named Viking won best in show at Crufts, and the extremely smart' breed is increasingly popular for its temperament and beautyOn a property out of Tamworth in country New South Wales, the uncle of the Australian shepherd Viking - winner of the most prestigious title at the 2024 Crufts dog competition in the UK - is a champion in his own right.Bradley, who was born in Russia to the same litter as Viking's mother, is nine years old and a semi-retired multi-champion of dog shows overseas and in Australia. Continue reading...

Agency says bad intelligence led to the wrongful arrest of Nahi Al Sharify at his Sydney home in February, leaving him traumatised and distraught

Child suffered fatal gunshot wound after riots broke out at Shuafat refugee camp during RamadanA Palestinian boy has died after being shot by Israeli border police at a refugee camp in East Jerusalem in the first such fatality in the Israeli-annexed territory during Ramadan.The child - who was variously reported as being 12 or 13 years old - suffered a fatal gunshot wound during clashes between residents of the Shuafat refugee camp and police. Continue reading...

Detectives yet to uncover motive for shooting of Kelvin Tennant, who was riding his motorised bicycle along the Myrtleford-Everton Rail Trail

Legislation will overturn convictions of theft, fraud and false accounting during Horizon scandalMinisters will publish legislation to quash the convictions of hundreds of post office operators who were prosecuted during the Horizon scandal, marking a significant victory for victims after decades of campaigning.The legislation on Wednesday will automatically overturn convictions of theft, fraud and false accounting that were handed down in connection with Post Office business during that period. It will cover prosecutions brought by the Post Office and the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales between 1996 and 2018. Continue reading...

Don Farrell, Anika Wells, David Littleproud and Anne Ruston attended the race in 2022 while in the city for other official events

Clerics say Michael Gove's anti-extremism strategy risks targeting Muslims and may threaten freedom of speech and peaceful protestThe archbishops of Canterbury and York have joined the growing list of critics of the government's new extremism definition, which they have warned risks disproportionately targeting Muslim communities" and driving us apart".Michael Gove will present his new counter-extremism strategy on Thursday, which he says will target organisations that undermine British democracy. Continue reading...

Spending on Taylor Swift concerts defies pattern of consumers tightening their belts, with CBA predicting a September rate cut

Film-maker is accused of rape, sexual battery and intentional affliction of severe emotional distress for alleged incidentFilm-maker Roman Polanski will face a civil trial in Los Angeles in 2025 for allegedly raping a teenager in 1973.Attorney Gloria Allred, who has represented the victims of Jeffery Epstein and Bill Cosby, confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday that a judge has set Polanski's trial for August 2025. Continue reading...

Statement from Downing Street follows cross-party criticism of Frank Hester's remarks about former Labour MPDowning Street has described remarks made about Diane Abbott by the Conservatives' biggest donor as racist and wrong" after senior politicians from across the political spectrum piled pressure on Rishi Sunak to intervene.No 10 and Conservative ministers initially stopped short of making that criticism of Frank Hester's remarks, after the Guardian reported on Monday that the businessman said in a 2019 meeting that looking at Abbott made you want to hate all black women" and said the MP should be shot". Continue reading...

Confirmation comes after public consultation and decision to close Gender Identity Development Service in LondonChildren who have gender dysphoria will no longer be given puberty blockers, NHS England has said, ahead of a radical change in how it cares for them.There is not enough evidence about either how safe they are to take or whether they are clinically effective to justify prescribing them to children and young people who are transitioning, it added. Continue reading...

Security Risk Assessment Tool - or SRAT - and similar algorithmic tools condemned as abusive' and unscientific'The lives of detainees in Australia's immigration detention centres are controlled by a secret rating system that is opaque and often riddled with errors, a Guardian investigation has found.Developed by Serco, the company tasked with running Australia's immigration detention network, the Security Risk Assessment Tool - or SRAT - is meant to determine whether someone is low, medium, high or extreme risk for factors such as escape or violence. Continue reading...

Hasan', 24, argued he would face persecution in Israel on grounds of his race, faith and its apartheid regime'A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK after claiming he would face persecution in his home country on the grounds of his race, his Muslim faith and his opinion that Israel is governed by an apartheid regime".Hasan", whose real identity is not being disclosed for his own protection, has attended pro-Palestinian protests in the UK, and his lawyers also argued that his activism would place him at increased risk of hostile attention on his return. Continue reading...

In speech as president of Women of the World festival, queen shows audience objects thrown at palace windows in 1914 protestTwo stones thrown at Buckingham Palace windows during a suffragette protest more than a century ago and saved for posterity represented hope to the women who threw them", Queen Camilla has told equality campaigners.While some of the suffragette's more destructive tactics could not be condoned today, Camilla said there was sermon in the stones" that had cracked two window panes but were kept by the royal family. Continue reading...

Director of The Zone of Interest, winner of best international film, has received both criticism and support for his Academy Awards acceptance speech

Monument has long been a source of tension between Canada's Ukrainian diaspora and Jewish and Polish communitiesA controversial memorial to Ukrainian soldiers who served in a Nazi unit during the second world war has been removed from a Canadian cemetery following years of protests by community groups who described the shrine as painful" and offensive.The cenotaph, which had stood in the privately owned St Volodymyr Ukrainian cemetery in Oakville, Ontario, was removed on Saturday. Continue reading...

Programme that follows the lives of 14 children at seven-year intervals tops Broadcasting Press Guild's 50th anniversary chartThe groundbreaking Up documentary series has been voted the programme that changed television the most over the past 50 years in a poll of the country's leading TV writers.The series, which follows a group of children from different social backgrounds and documents their progress every seven years, topped a list of the the most influential shows from the last five decades compiled by the Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG). Continue reading...

All parties continuing to work in negotiations', says Qatar; US president says he has heavy heart after learning of death of Itay ChenA spokesperson for Yemen's internationally recognised government told Reuters earlier that airstrikes that hit port cities and small towns in western Yemen were carried out by the UK and the US.The UK's Ministry of Defence has said that earlier reports that Britain was involved in carrying out the airstrikes were incorrect. Continue reading...

Stretton State College shares photo of students with nappies and dolls among images of events to celebrate the day

Animal-related hospitalisations have been increasing for years but have surged since the start of the pandemic, AIHW study finds

Yemeni group earlier warned it would escalate operations during Ramadan in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza

Charity ship seen sailing out of Larnaca towing barge containing 200 tonnes of flour, rice and protein

Detentions soar as critics say President Amlo willing to trade rights of migrants for political capital in WashingtonBetween border visits and rallies, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are duelling to control the narrative on immigration, placing the issue - and Mexico's role in it - at the heart of the coming election.In tasking Mexico with reducing arrivals at the border, the US has given its neighbour leverage over US political discussion. On the ground, this has meant many migrants find themselves stuck in Mexico, running a gauntlet of extortion and violence as they try to make it to the northern border. Continue reading...

Samuel Kasumu responds to party donor telling colleagues that looking at Abbott makes you want to hate all black women'

Terms of reference have yet to be approved by ministers, leaving relatives frustratedBereaved relatives have accused ministers of dragging their feet over an inquiry into the death of almost 2,000 patients across NHS mental health trusts in Essex.The inquiry has still not started more than eight months after the announcement that it would be relaunched with beefed-up powers.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Despite warnings from lawyers, the communities secretary wants to use parliamentary privilege to target groups directlyMichael Gove wants to use parliamentary privilege to name groups that he says fall foul of his new definition of extremism, despite pushback from government lawyers who have warned about the legal implications of doing so.The communities secretary is understood to be keen to name individual groups when he presents his new counter-extremism strategy on Thursday, which he says will target organisations that undermine British democracy. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Why did picture agencies issued a kill' notice for a doctored image of the Princess of Wales - and just how seriously should we take it? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Yesterday's Daily Mirror, like many of the newspapers, featured a wholesome picture of the Princess of Wales with her children. It is hoped the photo will stop the wild conspiracies about Kate's health as she recovers," the caption read. Well, not exactly.It's been a heady couple of days on WhatsApp. On Sunday afternoon, the resident royal mystery connoisseur on one of my group chats sent round a series of screenshots of parts of the photo in a just asking questions" sort of way. Later that evening, something discombobulating happened: the conspiracists turned out to be right.Conservatives | The Conservative party's biggest donor told colleagues that looking at Diane Abbott makes you want to hate all black women" and said the MP should be shot", the Guardian has revealed. Read a profile of Frank Hester, who has given 10m to the Tories in the past year.Haiti | Embattled Haitian prime minister Ariel Henry has issued his resignation, calling for all Haitians to remain calm" in a video address from Puerto Rico after a gang insurrection against his government. The news of Henry's resignation led to celebrations and fireworks in the streets of Port Au Prince.Russia | A fleet of Ukrainian drones has targeted Russia, causing explosions and fires at fuel refineries, cutting electricity supplies and reaching Moscow and beyond, according to reports from Russian authorities. The reports came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the situation at the front was the best it had been in three months.UK politics | Downing Street is braced for more defections after Lee Anderson quit the party for Reform UK, with MPs warning Rishi Sunak that he cannot pretend any longer" his strategy is working. The addition of Anderson, who recently lost the Tory whip after claiming that Islamists" had got control" of the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, gives Reform UK its first ever MP.Prisons | Prisoners could be released from jail two months early, the justice secretary has announced, as the pressure on overcrowded prisons intensifies. In a written ministerial statement, Alex Chalk said prisons in England and Wales would have licence to release certain low-level offenders" up to 35 days before their sentence was due to end. Continue reading...

Citizenship amendment act grants Indian nationality to refugees who are Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Jain or Buddhist, but not MuslimThe Indian government has enacted a divisive citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims, just weeks before prime minister Narendra Modi heads into a general election.The law, known as the citizenship amendment act (CAA), was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation proposed by the Modi government after it explicitly made religion the basis on which people could become Indian citizens. Continue reading...

Almost 12,000 doctors have walked out over planned changes, as the country's health ministry denies services have descended into chaosSouth Korea's government has started taking steps to suspend the medical licences of thousands of striking doctors, as concern grows that the month-long dispute is affecting frontline health care services.The walkout by almost 12,000 doctors from 100 teaching hospitals has led to surgery cancellations, longer waiting times and delays in treatment, including for patients seeking emergency care, according to media reports. Continue reading...

Police allege the 21-year-old victim was fatally stabbed with a kitchen knife in a Gold Coast shopping centre car park

Democratic Alliance finished ahead in Sunday's ballot but is a long way from forming a government led by Social Democratic partyThe dilemma facing Luis Montenegro of Portugal's Social Democratic party (PSD) will be familiar to a growing number of Europe's centre-right parties: if the shortest and surest route to power means working with the populist far right, should you take it?Montenegro's electoral alliance with two smaller conservative parties finished first in Sunday's ballot, winning 79 seats: two more than its Socialist party (PS) rival, but a very long way indeed from a majority in the country's 230-seat parliament. Continue reading...

William Little Pebble' Kamm and Sandra Mathison remain behind bars ahead of a bail application in Sydney