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Former Pakistan prime minister and one of his party deputies each sentenced to 10 years in prisonA Pakistani court has sentenced the former prime minister Imran Khan and one of his party deputies to 10 years in prison each after finding them guilty of revealing official secrets.According to Zulfiqar Bukhari, a spokesperson for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, the court announced the verdict at a prison in the city of Rawalpindi. Continue reading...

Roads are cut off, more than 20 schools closed and a town flooded after heavy rainfall inundated south-east Queensland, sparking multiple rescues

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In today's newsletter: how the DUP finally brought two-year boycott of Stormont assembly to an end Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. It took 726 days, and a fraught five hour meeting that ended at one o'clock this morning - but at last, it looks like power-sharing is back on in Northern Ireland.At a press conference after a meeting at a remote venue in County Down a few hours ago, Democratic Unionist party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said that his party would finally end its boycott of the Stormont assembly. He told journalists: The result was clear, the DUP has been decisive, I have been mandated to move forward." That means that the Northern Ireland executive is likely to return before an 8 February deadline for forming an administration. Barring any drama in the next week, Sinn Fein will hold the symbolic first minister position for the first time - and something like normal business will resume.Middle East | Joe Biden's defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has vowed the US will take all necessary actions" to defend its troops after Iran-backed militants killed three and wounded dozens more in a drone attack in Jordan. Qatar's prime minister said on Monday he hoped any US retaliation would not undercut progress toward a new Israel-Hamas hostage release deal in weekend talks.Local government | Households across England are facing an inflation-busting 2bn council tax raid this spring despite Rishi Sunak's promise of pre-election giveaways. After an announcement last week of an extra 600m in local government funding in England, council bosses have been told that the government expects the maximum 4.99% increase in council tax - about 100 extra on a typical band D bill. Read an analysis of the state of council budgets.Conservatives | Kemi Badenoch is a member of a Conservative WhatsApp group called Evil Plotters" despite telling party rebels to get behind Rishi Sunak, the Guardian can reveal. The business secretary has criticised party colleagues for stirring" up suggestions that she could replace the prime minister - but is part of a group rallying round her longer-term ambitions.Health | Alzheimer's can be spread from human to human through rare medical accidents, research suggests, although experts stress there is no evidence the disease can be passed between people through everyday activities or routine care.UK news | The actor and rightwing activist Laurence Fox has lost a high court libel battle with two men he baselessly called paedophiles after they said he was a racist. A judge dismissed Fox's own claim that the allegations of racism were defamatory and said that damages would be discussed at a later date. Continue reading...

Inability of staff to inspect cabinet records means they were were not released to the national archives, as was usual

PwC says it expects to close 54 stores during voluntary administration resulting in almost 200 job losses in effort to keep business afloat

Former Wallabies player has pleaded not guilty and denies sexually assaulting woman at Bondi's Beach Road Hotel in December 2022

Militant Palestinian group begins to rebuild system of governance in north after being driven out by Israeli forcesHamas militants have returned to northern Gaza, where they are mobilising against Israeli forces and rebuilding a system of governance, aid officials, Gaza residents, analysts and Israeli officials say.Elsewhere in Gaza, Hamas administrators and police maintain firm control of the south, where much of the population is concentrated, though civil order is breaking down in central regions. Continue reading...

A dozen playwrights and directors meet in Kyiv and find comedy can be an important part of their creative processIn a studio theatre tucked into a courtyard behind Kyiv's main Khreshchatyk Street, six playwrights and six directors were hammering out a fraught question: how to write plays about war, during the war.One unexpected outcome of their workshops was: through jokes. Continue reading...

Aslef drivers at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western stop workMost commuter trains in south-east England will not run on Tuesday, in the first in a series of rolling 24-hour strikes by drivers that will bring more disruption to Britain's rail network this week.Drivers in the Aslef union are on strike at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western Railway on Tuesday, as part of a long-running dispute over pay. Continue reading...

Head of Canberra pill testing venue says nitazenes are a serious problem', with the risk of overdose extreme' due to opioid naivety

Coroner suspends inquest into death of Dunghutti boy, which only started on Monday, and refers case to DPP

Sinn Fein will get to nominate its inaugural first minister after Westminster legislates to end checks on goods moving within UK and imposition of EU lawThe Democratic Unionist party has endorsed a deal with the UK government to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland, paving an end to two years of political deadlock.Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the party would revive the mothballed Stormont executive and assembly once the government tabled promised legislation. Continue reading...

Agencies including Oxfam and Save the Children note Gaza population already facing famine due to Israeli siege and bombardmentInternational aid agencies have said they are deeply concerned and outraged" at the reckless" decision by major donors to cut funding to a UN Palestinian aid agency after Israel accused some of its workers of taking part in Hamas' 7 October attack.We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut a lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries that had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for humanitarians to be protected while doing their job," the coalition of 21 agencies, including Oxfam, Save the Children and ActionAid, said in a statement on Monday. Continue reading...

David Anderson meets representatives after claims leadership had not defended employees from external attacks, including on Israel-Gaza reporting

North Korea's leader has increased his displays of military aggression but analysts are split on whether it's a sign of electoral interference or a war footingWhen a highly militarised dictatorship fires artillery shells in the direction of its neighbour, which it has just denounced as its greatest enemy", then tests cruise missiles and underwater nuclear attack drones, it is reasonable to believe that armed conflict could follow.But when that country is North Korea, conventional geopolitical punditry is often left wanting. Continue reading...

The singer argued that receiving payments from the trust of his late father, Gregg Allman, put him in danger due to his substance abuseA judge has rejected Cher's request that her adult son be put into an emergency court conservatorship controlling his money.The Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer and actor had argued in a petition that 47-year-old Elijah Blue Allman's large payments from the trust of his late father, rocker Gregg Allman, are putting him in danger because of his struggles with mental health and substance abuse. Continue reading...

Network apologises over graphic aired on bulletin and says it was the result of automation by Photoshop'

US secretary of state describes proposal on the table as strong and compelling'; White House calls Israeli ministers' comments reckless and incendiary'

Tom Parker Bowles among 21 writers providing snapshot of contemporary literature in initiative supported by the queenAll parents are proud of their children's achievements, and the queen is clearly no exception.Tom Parker Bowles is among 21 writers chosen to provide a snapshot of contemporary literature as part of the 100th anniversary of Queen Mary's Dolls' House, in an initiative championed by his mother. Continue reading...

Report on refugees' experiences says some compare NHS dentistry provision negatively with that in their home countryUkrainians who have moved to the UK have highlighted the lack of dentists as among the most astonishing aspects of British life, according to a report on the experiences of people granted humanitarian visas.Access to medical care is free of charge on the NHS for Ukrainians, but researchers at Birmingham University heard notably outspoken accounts about the difficulty of securing dental treatment. Continue reading...

Train services suspended due to safety concerns as people demonstrate against Peru's consolidation of ticket salesProtesters in Peru are blocking access to Machu Picchu, leaving some tourists stranded amid local anger over a new ticketing system halting rail transport to one of South America's most popular heritage sites.Train services to the ancient ruins high up in the Andes have been suspended since Saturday due to safety concerns over demonstrators blocking the railway line. Travel links were still not reopened on Monday, two tour operators told Reuters. Continue reading...

Cecilie Hollberg sparks outrage in remarks about capital city of Tuscan region being crushed by tourism'Mass tourism has turned Florence into a prostitute", one of the city's museum directors has said, sparking outrage from politicians including Italy's culture minister.Once a city becomes a prostitute, it is difficult for it to become a virgin again," Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Galleria dell'Accademia that houses Michelangelo's statue of David, told reporters on the sidelines of an event. Continue reading...

Conservative opposition in the House of Lords could prolong wrangling over bill's implementationRishi Sunak's troubled Rwanda deportation plan has been condemned by Conservative peers, historians and bishops in an indication that the House of Lords could demand changes that might delay its implementation.Ken Clarke, the Conservative former chancellor and former lord chancellor, joined the archbishop of Canterbury and the historian Peter Hennessy on Monday evening in opposing the government's plan to overturn a ruling by the UK's highest court and send asylum seekers to the central African country. Continue reading...

Mother and father of teenager are accused of failing to safeguard weapon and ammunition used in massacreThe parents of a 13-year-old accused of killing 10 people in a school shooting in Serbia last year have gone on trial for allegedly failing to safeguard the weapon and ammunition used in the attack.The massacre last May - and a second mass shooting a day later - rocked the Balkan nation, setting off major anti-government demonstrations that led to the formation of an opposition coalition that stood in recent elections. Continue reading...

Those who tried to visit or write to the journalist, who is serving a 25-year sentence, were unsuccessfulThe prominent Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is serving a 25-year sentence for treason, has disappeared from the Siberian prison where he was behind bars, according to his supporters.Kara-Murza, 42, was being held in a prison in the Omsk region, but a letter sent to him by the activist and journalist Alexander Podrabinek was returned with the notation that the inmate was no longer there, Podrabinek said on Facebook. Continue reading...

Government-backed scheme overseen by Tory mayor cleared of cronyism and corruption, but transparency found wantingTaxpayers are not being guaranteed value for money or transparency at a regeneration project overseen by the Conservative Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen, according to a review that cleared it of cronyism and corruption.An independent review of Teesworks, one of the highest-profile, government-backed regeneration schemes in Britain, found the project was excessively secretive and could not ensure public money was being well spent. Continue reading...

Proposal is for 45-day pause in fighting and release of 35 Israeli hostages and up to 4,000 Palestinian prisoners

President is facing pressure from Republicans after numerous attacks on US bases by Iran's proxiesThe killing of three American soldiers in Jordan and the wounding of dozens more, allegedly by an Iranian-backed group, is a red line that was always likely to be crossed in what is becoming an increasingly dangerous region.The US had up to this weekend avoided fatalities in more than 150 attacks on its military bases by Iranian proxies since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war after the 7 October attacks, but that luck could not last for ever. The question now is what lies on the far side of that red line. Continue reading...

Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, took a long taxi ride through the night to evade authorities, an Old Bailey jury is toldA newborn baby was wearing no clothing and only a nappy as her parents took a long taxi ride allegedly to evade authorities in freezing winter conditions, a jury at the Old Bailey has heard.Constance Marten, 36, and Mark Gordon, 49, who were allegedly motivated by a selfish" desire to keep their daughter Victoria after four other children were taken into care, paid hundreds of pounds in taxi fares after their Peugeot 206 caught fire on the M61 on 5 January 2023. Continue reading...

Activist group Justice for Myanmar alleges companies have continued operations in war-torn nation since the coup almost three years ago

Residents of tiny coastal community of Cape Ray excited by discovery of what appears to be 19th-century vesselA coastal community in Newfoundland has been left baffled and excited by the sudden and unexplained appearance of a centuries-old shipwreck on the sands of a nearby shore.Gordon Blackmore, a local resident, was hunting seabirds on the sandy shores of Cape Ray when he spotted a dark shadow under the turbid waters. It had not been there when he visited the spot just a few days earlier. He rushed back into the family home, shouting about about the discovery, his mother told the Canadian Press. She grabbed her jacket and hurried to the beach to see it for herself. It's amazing, there is no other word for it." Continue reading...

Move comes after it emerged that Calocane was accused of attacking two colleagues weeks before he killed three people in NottinghamLeicestershire police have referred themselves to an independent watchdog over how they handled investigations into alleged assaults committed by Valdo Calocane weeks before he killed three people in Nottingham.The force is being assessed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct to establish if any further action is required. The alleged incidents happened in May 2023, an IOPC spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Move follows reports overseas students face lower entry requirements, a claim universities rejectThe Department for Education is to investigate allegations of bad practice by agents who recruit international students to study at British universities.It follows reports over the weekend claiming that overseas students are being admitted to prestigious institutions while subject to lower entry requirements than domestic students. Continue reading...

George Freeman says his salary as science minister was not enough to cover his rising mortgage repaymentsRishi Sunak has urged Iran to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East after three US troops were killed in a drone strike in Jordan, PA Media reports. Speaking to broadcasters this morning, Sunak said:We are concerned and would urge Iran to continue to de-escalate tensions in the region.We absolutely condemn what has happened over the past couple of days.Home Office figures show more than 300 people made the journey at the weekend, with 112 recorded in two boats on Saturday and 276 on Sunday in five boats.This takes the provisional total for 2024 to date to 1,057. Continue reading...

Feds United for Peace, group of workers from more than two dozen agencies, to stage one-day hunger strike on ThursdayUS government employees are planning a day of fasting for Gaza" this week to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in the territory and to denounce Joe Biden's policy toward Israel.Representatives for Feds United for Peace, a group of several dozen government employees frustrated with the Gaza crisis who organized an office walkout earlier in the month, told the Guardian that on Thursday its members will stage a one-day hunger strike. Participating federal employees are expected to show up to their offices dressed in black or wearing keffiyeh scarves or other symbols of Palestinian solidarity. Continue reading...

Work to restore layer of granite that once covered ancient structure described as absurdity'A video showing renovation work to reface in Egypt's Menkaure pyramid in granite has triggered criticism of the project, with one expert decrying its absurdity".In a video posted on Facebook on Friday, Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, showed workers setting blocks of granite on the base of the pyramid, which sits besides the sphinx and the larger Khafre and Cheops pyramids at Giza. He called it the project of the century". Continue reading...

Tory MPs will get free vote on plan to ban vapes and phase out smoking but only Liz Truss has publicly denounced measures

Judge ruled that Mirror Group Newspapers' titles all used extensive' unlawful information gatheringThe Daily Mirror is facing a claim for almost 2m in legal costs after Prince Harry won substantial damages in his phone-hacking case against the publisher.Mr Justice Fancourt ruled at the high court last month that extensive" phone hacking took place at Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) from 2006 to 2011, even to some extent" during the Leveson inquiry into media standards. Continue reading...

Renowned figure in Italian film died in her sleep at her residence in Rome, according to a family statementThe Italian actor Sandra Milo, a renowned figure in Italy's film industry known for her performance in Federico Fellini's 8, has died aged 90.Milo died in her sleep at her residence in Rome surrounded by her family and her dogs, Jim and Lady, according to a statement from the family carried by state-run RAI television. Continue reading...

Analysis of 13 years of data shows why there are more potholes and fewer libraries and swimming pools

Viktor Orban's political director claims Brussels is using blackmail against Hungary like there's no tomorrow' over aid for Ukraine Continue reading...

London's high court rules that companies representing bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell can seek a copyright change, after signing away rights in 1970sThe estates of two British musicians who laid down the rhythms on Jimi Hendrix's greatest hits are able to sue Sony Music Entertainment, in the hope that they can secure a share of the songs' royalties.Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966 and played on the group's three studio albums: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love and Electric Ladyland, landmarks in psychedelic rock which contain classics such as Purple Haze, Little Wing, Hey Joe and Foxey Lady. Continue reading...

Reclaim party founder defamed two men on site now known as X after they called him a racist, judge rulesThe actor and rightwing activist Laurence Fox has lost a high court libel battle with two men he called paedophiles after they called him a racist.The former actor defamed the men when he used the slur on social media, Mrs Justice Collins Rice has ruled. Continue reading...

Report says greater police presence on French beaches and more attempts to stop dinghies increases risks to refugeesThe most recent illegal migration pact between the UK and France is directly linked" to a doubling of the number of Channel drownings in the last year, a report has found.The increased police presence on French beaches - along with more dinghies being stopped from reaching the coast - is leading to more dangerous overcrowding and chaotic attempts to board the boats, the paper said.12 August 2023: six Afghan men drowned in an overloaded dinghy which got intro trouble close to the French shore26 September 2023: Eritrean woman, 24, died in Bleriot-Plage after being asphyxiated in a crush of 80 people trying to board one dinghy22 November 2023: three people drowned close to Equihen-Plage as the dinghy collapsed close to the shore. Fifty-seven survivors returned to the beach. Continue reading...

Jeffrey Donaldson under pressure from UK and Irish governments to recommend revival of StormontThe Democratic Unionist party is to consider ending its two-year boycott of power-sharing in Northern Ireland at a meeting that could make or break Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's leadership.Donaldson will on Monday night brief the party's 130-strong executive members about UK government proposals to address unionist concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements. Continue reading...

Funk and disco star promises June event series at London's Southbank Centre will be where magic of music meets the warmth of community'Chaka Khan has been named as the latest music star to curate the Meltdown festival at London's Southbank Centre, following in the footsteps of David Bowie, Grace Jones, Yoko Ono and more.The festival will take place from 14 to 23 June, with the artist programme still to be announced. Khan said the festival would be where magic of music meets the warmth of community ... We're going to funk it up, rock every crowd, and touch every soul." Continue reading...

Reports suggest a No 13 doubledecker crashed into a shelter at busy transport hubA pedestrian has died after being hit by a bus at London Victoria bus station.Transport for London's chief operating officer, Glynn Barton, confirmed the deeply distressing incident", which happened at about 9am on Monday. Continue reading...

Nathy Odinson, 33, had parachute problem after climbing up building in Pattaya and jumping offA British Base jumper has died after his parachute failed to open during a stunt in Thailand.Nathy Odinson, 33, from Cambridgeshire, who had performed skydives and Base jumps around the world, is said to have illegally climbed up a 29-storey building in the coastal resort of Pattaya and jumped off on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Draft legislation will aim to stop firms employing ruses to get around legislation, says health secretaryUK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming law that will outlaw disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points on them, the health secretary has said.The draft legislation, being introduced in parallel with an already-announced ban on selling tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, would be put together with the help of experts who would try to anticipate possible loopholes, Victoria Atkins added. Continue reading...