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Properties in London and Wiltshire targeted by officers investigating alleged leaks to late child sex offenderPolice are searching two properties connected to Peter Mandelson as part of an investigation into claims that he passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein.A Metropolitan police statement, which did not name Mandelson, said searches were taking place in Camden, north London, and Wiltshire. Mandelson has been living in a rented property in Wiltshire since being sacked as ambassador to the US over his links to the late convicted child sex offender. Continue reading...

Acts are alleged to have occurred in 2024 on set of TV drama The Cleaning Lady, which Busfield acted in and directedA grand jury in New Mexico has indicted the actor Timothy Busfield on child sex abuse charges, officials announced on Friday.Busfield was indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, the Bernalillo county district attorney's office said in a statement.In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453 or visit their website for more resources and to report child abuse or DM for help. For adult survivors of child abuse, help is available at ascasupport.org. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sasan Ghandehari reluctant to share details of $10bn trust in row with Christie's auction houseA high court battle over a Picasso painting has shone a light on the offshore financial structures of an Iranian-born businessman who paid for Nigel Farage's 50,000 trip to Davos.The details about Sasan Ghandehari, who funded Farage's tickets to the summit, emerged in court papers about a 4m claim brought by a British Virgin Islands firm, which has accused Christie's auction house of misrepresentation when it sold the art to it. Continue reading...

Two coins celebrating Queen Elizabeth II criticised for failing to resemble late monarchTwo Australian coins commemorating Queen Elizabeth II have been criticised for failing to resemble the late monarch.The $5 (2.56) and 50c (26p) silver coins, created by Royal Australian Mint to commemorate the centenary of the queen's birth, were released in an online ballot that closed on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Zubayar al-Bakoush is suspected in Libya attack resulting in deaths of US ambassador and three other AmericansThe US attorney general, Pam Bondi, announced on Friday the arrest of a key participant" in the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack that killed four US government officials, including the US ambassador to Libya, J Christopher Stevens.Bondi said the suspect, Zubayar al-Bakoush, was taken into US custody at 3am ET on Friday. We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law. He'll face charges related to murder, terrorism, arson, among others," Bondi told reporters at a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington DC. Continue reading...

We're closing this blog now, you can read more on this story hereNearly 60,000 unauthorised migrants and convicted criminals have been removed or deported from the UK since Labour took office, the Home Office has said.The announcement came amid claims that the government was promoting harmful stereotypes" by equating migration with criminality. Continue reading...

Officials, MPs and other insiders recall a need for clarity and Blair-era frisson before election - even if Sue Gray was wary

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereHundreds of protesters gathered in Milan on Friday to oppose the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the closure of schools and streets in the city ahead of the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Games.Reuters reported that protesters - mostly students with signs reading ICE out" - assembled in Piazzale Leonardo da Vinci, in front of a building of the Politecnico University in the eastern part of the city. Continue reading...

Noel Gallagher and Harry Styles lead way, and sales of jeans in general rise faster than wider fashion marketThe UK was one of Levi's fastest-growing markets last year as British trend leaders from Harry Styles to Noel Gallagher and Grime Gran were spotted in the brand's kit.Lucia Marcuzzo, the managing director of the European operations at the US company famous for its denim jeans, said the revival of 1990s trends had boosted sales of its classic 501s. New trends such as baggy jeans and cinch styles, which can be adjusted around the waist, had also helped, as denim has found its way back into wardrobes. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereIt is the first time the US and Iran have sat down for face-to-face negotiations since June last year, when Israel launched attacks on Iran that sparked a war marked by tit-for-tat airstrikes, with the US also joining the fray. It effectively ended the US-Iran talks that were held in the weeks prior to the conflict aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement.More recently, Donald Trump has been threatening to strike Iran for more than a month and just last week warned that an armada" of US warships had reached the Persian Gulf. This recent clash began after Trump said he would strike Iran if it killed protesters during mass antigovernment demonstrations that swept the country last month. Human rights groups say thousands of people were killed during the brutal government crackdown on those protests. Continue reading...

Doron Almog has previously faced arrest warrants over allegations he committed war crimes in Gaza in 2002, which he denies

AA says long-awaited evaluations show schemes are a catastrophic waste of time, money and effort'

Spain and Portugal hit with torrential rain while flash floods in Morocco force more than 100,000 people to evacuateThe Iberian peninsula has been placed under severe weather alerts as Storm Leonardo continues to batter parts of Spain and Portugal with torrential rain and strong winds.Since Tuesday, the slow-moving system has brought widespread disruption, flooding and evacuations. In Grazalema, in southern Spain, more than 700mm of rain has fallen since Wednesday, roughly equivalent to the country's average annual rainfall. Continue reading...

Founding of diplomatic outposts in Nuuk comes after US made efforts to secure control of Arctic island

Labour Together allegedly hired company to look at Sunday Times and Guardian reporters after article about donationsA thinktank previously run by a Labour minister and the prime minister's chief of staff is alleged to have paid a PR firm to investigate journalists who were looking into its funding.Labour Together, once run by Morgan McSweeney and then by Josh Simons, now a Cabinet Office minister, hired APCO Worldwide to investigate journalists from the Guardian, the Sunday Times and other outlets and to identify their sources, according to claims in the Substack publication Democracy for Sale. Continue reading...

Macmillan announces latest instalment of popular Julia Donaldson tale featuring illustrations by Axel SchefflerThe Gruffalo family is to expand after the publisher of the popular children's stories announced a long-awaited third book about the beloved monster.The new tale, Gruffalo Granny, will be published on 10 September, Macmillan announced. Continue reading...

Property prices in January rose 0.7%, the fastest rate since November 2024 increase of 1.1%

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Analysis of nearly 500 tinned and chilled products finds 23% exceed government's voluntary salt targetNearly a quarter of all soup bought in supermarkets contains too much salt, with one brand containing more salt than two McDonald's cheeseburgers, according to research.Soup has long had a reputation for being a healthy choice for lunch. The analysis of nearly 500 varieties of tinned and chilled soups sold in supermarkets found that 23% contained too much salt. Continue reading...

Large majorities in six nations express antipathy to Trump's US and support European self-assertionWestern Europeans prize Europe's autonomy and values over transatlantic ties and will not give them up to placate Donald Trump, according to a poll suggesting opinions of the US have plunged to their lowest since YouGov began tracking them a decade ago.The US president's attempted Greenland grab has succeeded in turning Europeans solidly against his country, the pollster's latest survey found. Large majorities in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Great Britain all declared an unfavourable opinion. Continue reading...

Residents of New Zealand capital advised not to enter the water, collect seafood or walk their dogs on local beaches after wastewater plant failureA sewage leak in New Zealand's capital Wellington has been described by local authorities as an environmental disaster," with repairs to the city's wastewater treatment plant expected to take months.Residents of Wellington have been advised not to enter the water, collect seafood or even walk their dogs on local beaches. Continue reading...

Dozens of people have died, including two Australians, as record-breaking snowfall blankets the northDozens of people have died in Japan after record-breaking snowfall blanketed northern regions of the country, while officials warned that warmer temperatures could trigger a new wave of accidents.Authorities said 35 people had died in snow-related incidents across Japan since 20 January, with almost 400 injured, 126 of them seriously. Most of the deaths were among people who fell while trying to clear snow from their roofs or around their homes. Continue reading...

The four-year-old, from South Australia, was last seen playing outside home on family sheep station in the outback in September

The country's first female PM is the object of a personality cult revolving around everything from her outfits and snacks to her favourite pink penJust eight months ago, Japan's ruling party appeared to have reached the edge of the electoral abyss. It had lost a parliamentary majority for the second time in 15 months; its MPs were implicated in a long-running slush fund scandal; the then prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, was the target of factional plotting.But as voters prepare to brave freezing temperatures in this Sunday's lower house elections, the Liberal Democratic party (LDP) is expected to pull off a momentous victory. And the party's recovery from the disappointment of last year is largely down to one woman. Continue reading...

Officers attended Tuncurry property on Friday morning following reports of a home invasion, police say

Andrew Bell says it's regrettable' that former PM suggested judge had made a political judgment' regarding pro-Palestine protest in AugustThe chief justice of New South Wales has criticised former prime minister Tony Abbott for what he says was a regrettable, misconceived and ignorant attack on a judge's decision regarding last year's pro-Palestine Sydney Harbour Bridge march.Andrew Bell said in a speech on Thursday evening that Abbott's post on X in August last year threatened social cohesion. Continue reading...

There's an obvious reason for the delay. But the banks still need to compete on savings rates to finance their operations

Emails appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor attempting to introduce Epstein to UAE crown prince via foreign affairs ministerAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor vouched for Jeffrey Epstein during a UK state visit to the United Arab Emirates with Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, according to newly released emails.The email was sent from The Duke" to Epstein on 24 November of that year, with the subject listed as Abdullah" - an apparent reference to the UAE foreign affairs minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Continue reading...

One of the key figures in Melbourne's years-long gangland war, Mokbel was jailed for 30 years in 2012 after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate

There is a profound inequity when it comes to tax breaks for investors. Reform could boost the budget bottom line and help renters trying to buy property

Tech giant reports $213bn in revenue after its founder, who owns the Post, lays off a third of newspaper's employeesAmazon announced plans to spend $200bn on artificial intelligence and robotics this year, the latest tech giant to vow fresh enormous investments in the artificial intelligence arms race.The news of the investment comes one day after the Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced it was cutting approximately a third of employees. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood insists deportations will rise, as Labour government is accused of promoting harmful stereotypes' of migrantsNearly 60,000 unauthorised migrants and convicted criminals have been removed or deported from the UK since Labour took office, the Home Office has said.The announcement came amid claims that the government was promoting harmful stereotypes" by equating migration with criminality. Continue reading...

Umar Bio Salihu, 53, the local head of Woro in Kwara state, says gunmen just came in and started shooting'The traditional chief of a village in western Nigeria where jihadists massacred residents earlier this week has recounted a night of terror during which the attackers killed two of his sons and kidnapped his wife and three daughters.Umar Bio Salihu, the 53-year-old chief of Woro, a small, Muslim-majority village in Kwara state, said that at about 5pm on Tuesday the gunmen just came in and started shooting". Continue reading...

Amid warnings McSweeney's survival would leave his position untenable', PM apologises to Epstein's victims for appointing Mandelson as US ambassadorDowning Street has defied calls to remove Keir Starmer's most senior aide, insisting Morgan McSweeney retains the prime minister's confidence, as frustration grows over a wait for documents on Peter Mandelson, which some fear could last for weeks.Amid warnings from Labour backbenchers that McSweeney's survival would leave Starmer's position untenable", Starmer apologised to victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing Mandelson, a close friend of the convicted child sex offender, as US ambassador. Continue reading...

US president says deal, which he previously described as act of great stupidity', was best' PM could makeDonald Trump has watered down his criticism of the UK's plan to hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius, saying the deal was the best" Keir Starmer could make.The US president had described ceding sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes the Diego Garcia military base, as an act of great stupidity" only last month. He also claimed the deal was one of many national security reasons" why the US should acquire Greenland. Continue reading...

New rule to be published in the Federal Register on Friday would strip job protections for 50,000 federal employeesThe Trump administration is seeking to finalize its overhaul of the federal government's civil service system through a rule issued this week by the office of personnel management (OPM) to strip job protections from 50,000 civil service employees.Under the rule, the president would have the authority to fire and hire an estimated 50,000 career federal employees. Continue reading...

Newly unsealed files claim the banker, who has denied any wrongdoing, forced a woman to touch his genitalsUS prosecutors reviewed allegations of rape and bodily harm against the former Barclays boss and former JP Morgan banker Jes Staley, according to newly unsealed files linked to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Multiple documents in the Epstein files cite serious allegations of sexual misconduct against Staley, including that he forced a woman to touch his genitals during a massage before raping her, and left bloody marks" on the arms of a woman he called tinkerbell". Continue reading...

Miguel DiazCanel says Cuba is willing to engage Washington amid the island's deepening economic crisisAfter months of threats from Donald Trump, the president of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, has said that his government is willing to talk to the United States, just so long as it is without pressure".Standing in front of a life-sized photograph of Fidel Castro carrying a rifle during the 1959 revolution, Diaz-Canel, the 65-year-old president, said on Thursday that his island nation had been subject to an intense media campaigns of slander, hatred and psychological warfare". Continue reading...

Cryptocurrency-based prediction market announced it would open store in apparent nod to mayor's signature policyZohran Mamdani made city-operated grocery stores a key pledge of his campaign for mayor of New York City. So when one company seemed to muscle in on the idea this week, apparently as a PR stunt, Mamdani was quick to reply.Polymarket, the cryptocurrency-based prediction market, announced on Tuesday it would be opening New York City's first free grocery store," seemingly a nod to the mayor's signature policy. In a statement the firm said it hoped to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good", and that it had donated $1m to the Food Bank for NYC. Continue reading...

PM clings on to power amid damaging fallout from Mandelson row on a day Commons mutiny filled the airThe most dangerous moment of Keir Starmer's premiership came just after lunchtime on Wednesday, when mutiny was the talk of the Commons tea room.Anger is widespread across Labour - but it was at its most palpable among the party's new MPs, as the Conservatives used a humble address to force the disclosure of the vetting documents and communications linked to Peter Mandelson, disgraced by his close association with Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Bezalel Zini accused of role in taking goods into the occupied Palestinian territory during an Israeli blockadeThe brother of Israel's internal security chief has been charged with assisting the enemy in wartime" for his alleged role in a smuggling network taking cigarettes and other goods into Gaza during an Israeli blockade of the occupied Palestinian territory.Bezalel Zini was one of more than 10 people charged in relation to the alleged network. His brother, David Zini, is the head of the Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence agency. He was appointed by the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, last May and began the job in October. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereAfter the release of a vast tranche of documents and emails that shed further light on the close relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, the government has come under intense pressure to release details about its vetting process before Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador in December 2024.Below, we look at how much Keir Starmer knew about Mandelson's relationship with Epstein, and what vetting process the former peer went through for the top diplomatic job in Washington. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer's days as prime minister are numbered, Labour MPs have warned, after a week of fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. While several MPs have said the prime minister's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, should take responsibility and resign, the mood surrounding No 10 has seemed terminal', said an MP from the 2024 intake. Lucy Hough talks to political correspondent Alexandra Topping Continue reading...

Donald Trump's former adviser told Epstein in 2019 that he was focused on raising money for Le Pen and Salvini' before European electionsDozens of messages contained in the latest tranche of Epstein files lay bare the attempts by Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon to tap Jeffrey Epstein for support and funding to bolster European far-right parties.The messages mostly date to 2018 and 2019, when Bannon, after being sacked by Trump, regularly visited Europe in his quest to forge a movement in the European parliament uniting ultra-rightwing and Eurosceptic forces from several countries including Italy, Germany, France, Hungary, Poland, Sweden and Austria. Continue reading...

Family of Lilia Valutyte, killed by Deividas Skebas in July 2022, say she will always live in our hearts'A man who stabbed a nine-year-old girl to death in 2022 has been found guilty of her murder.Deividas Skebas, a 26-year-old Lithuanian man, killed Lilia Valutyte by stabbing her through the heart while the child was playing with a hula hoop outside her mother's embroidery shop in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 28 July 2022. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereUS presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said that the US, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners in the first such exchange in five months."He said:This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine."We may be, in the course of 2026, coming to a point where the whole thing becomes unsustainable, because so much of the Russian economy has been distorted so much by the building up of the war economy at the expense of the civil economy. I think defying the laws of economic gravity can only go on for so long." Continue reading...

EU urged to tell authorities to stand down EES controls if needed to avert delays at airports and border crossingsTravel industry leaders have called on the European Commission to tell all border authorities to stand down the new entry-exit system (EES) if needed, as fears increase of summer disruption.European airports have warned of a potentially disastrous" experience for passengers and huge queues unless the new biometric controls for foreign visitors are relaxed. Continue reading...

Prisoner exchange agreed at most significant contact between Kyiv and Moscow in months, but work remains'Ukraine and Russia concluded a second day of US-led talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday without a breakthrough towards ending Europe's most deadly conflict since the second world war.The two sides agreed to a reciprocal exchange of 157 prisoners of war each, offering a rare concrete outcome from the discussions. Continue reading...

Owner of local cinema says Amazon is upset at way they marketed movie as some in US say healthy ticket sales are not reflected by empty seatsAn independent cinema in Oregon has claimed Amazon pulled screenings of their documentary about Melania Trump in protest at the cinema's marketing strategy.As reported by local newspaper the Lake Oswego Review, the general manager of the Lake Theater & Cafe has claimed the corporation cancelled future screenings of Brett Ratner's authorised study of the first lady after being alerted to promotional pushes such as: To defeat your enemy. You must know them. Melania" and Does Melania wear Prada? Find out on Friday!" Continue reading...

Bankers and billionaires are flocking to the city where income tax is zero but critics say it ignores money laundering - and pay disparities are huge