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Concerns had been mounting over future of 200m a year scheme providing food and activities for vulnerable childrenMinisters are to safeguard the Marcus Rashford-inspired scheme providing food and activities to vulnerable children during school holidays for another year, following concerns it could fall victim to a desperate search for savings across Whitehall.More than a million people signed a petition from the Manchester United star calling for the scheme after a huge grassroots campaign in 2020. Continue reading...

Collection of seven shorts due out in 2025 tells story of conflict from perspective of animalsThe occupying Russian soldiers paid little attention to the elderly woman shuffling through the farmland surrounding the villages outside Kyiv, taking her goat to pasture. But she was focused closely on them. After locating their positions, she headed back home with the goat, and later called her grandson, a soldier in the Ukrainian army, to give the coordinates.The story is one of seven episodes, based on real events from the first year of Russia's full-scale invasion but lightly fictionalised, that make up a feature film about the war in Ukraine, due out later this year. All seven of the shorts have one thing in common: they tell the story of the conflict from the perspective of animals. Continue reading...

Bereaved relatives claim betting industry is not being held to account, report revealsFamilies of gambling addicts who took their own lives have told of being let down by the coroner service, which they say failed to properly investigate the role of betting firms, a new report has revealed.Campaign groups believe that gambling is a factor in hundreds of suicides each year, but in only one inquest has a gambling company been named as an interested person". Continue reading...

Beijing has prepared for increased tariffs but its actions will not be enough to offset falling demand from the USWhen Donald Trump enters the White House for the second time on 20 January, the view from the Oval Office will look very different to the one he encountered in 2017. A pandemic, the war in Ukraine and a trade war with China have caused ripples through the global economy that are still being felt midway through the decade.Beijing will be watching closely. Trump has promised to impose tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese imports, partly in retaliation for the flow of fentanyl from China to the US. Continue reading...

Facilities giant called uncaring' by low-paid cleaners, who believed they were covered by a fair-pay pledgeLow-paid cleaners have accused the Living Wage Foundation of giving accreditation to an uncaring" outsourcing company paying less than the living wage.Facilities services giant OCS is accredited under a bespoke scheme for outsourcing firms. But the company has only committed to paying a living wage to its centrally employed staff. The scheme does not cover the majority of OCS's 50,000 workforce, who are tied to external contracts. Continue reading...

New collection of author's diary entries provides tragic insightFrankenstein's monster, as horror fans know, did not really spark into life with a bolt of lightning, but was born inside the mind of Mary Shelley during a dreary holiday on a mountainside above Geneva. The inspiration came as volcanic ash clouds unexpectedly blocked out the sun that summer of 1816 and she andher friends, including the infamous, bad boy" poets Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, competed to tell scary stories.But a new collection of the young author's personal diary entries, out in March, provides strong evidence that, although the stay in the Alps set the grim mood of her novel, her imagination was ignited by something personal and much closer to home. Continue reading...

Bar Council calls for pandemic restrictions to help reintegrate non-violent offenders into society and ease pressure on overcrowded jailsConditions similar to Covid lockdowns should be imposed on criminals as an alternative to overflowing prisons, barristers have told the government.In an official submission to an ongoing sentencing review led by former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, the Bar Council called for consideration of more creative use of punishment". Ideas put forward by the body, which represents barristers in England and Wales, include enhanced home detention measures for non-violent offenders and part-time prisons" that would help inmates reintegrate into society. Continue reading...

Small businesses would be able to claim tax deductions on food and entertainment expenses for up to $20,000 under a Coalition policy

Prime minister says US has promised Israel will have the weaponry it needs to return to military campaign if necessary. This blog is now closedIn an update on the previous post, the Israeli military said sirens sounded in central Israel on Saturday as it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.Explosions were heard over Jerusalem on Saturday morning, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists reported. Continue reading...

Firefighters pulled a child and adult from the Rokeby home on Sunday morning but were unable to reach the infant in time

Premier says alleged Kingston domestic violence incident has rocked' Queensland as woman, 34, remains in hospital

Premier pledges crackdown on anyone preaching hatred in the community' as prime minister hopeful Israel-Hamas ceasefire will hold

Former deputy prime minister kicks off run for top job with video of Trump disparaging her for being tough negotiatorChrystia Freeland, Canada's former deputy prime minister, kicked off her bid to lead Canada by boasting: Donald Trump doesn't like me very much" in a campaign video that quickly went viral.For Freeland, who led Canada's re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade agreement (Nafta) with the United States and Mexico during Trump's first term, video of Trump disparaging her for being a tough negotiator is a selling point. Continue reading...

Cleanup continues in parts of NSW as tropical low threatens heavy rain between Port Hedland and Ningaloo

Protesters smash windows after officials cite concerns the impeached president could destroy evidence if releasedA South Korean court has extended the detention of the impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday citing concerns he could destroy evidence linked to his martial law declaration, enraging his supporters, who attacked the court building.Hundreds of pro-Yoon protesters smashed windows and broke down doors to enter the court after the decision was announced, chanting the name of the president, who plunged South Korea into its worst political chaos in decades with his bid to suspend civilian rule. Continue reading...

Thousands gather in Whitehall and allegedly break through police line to advance to Trafalgar SquareMore than 70 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested in central London on Saturday on suspicion of breaching protest conditions after some allegedly broke through a police line as they marched from a rally in Whitehall.Thousands of people had gathered to protest Israel's 15-month war in Gaza, a day after a ceasefire deal was agreed with Hamas, with signs saying Stop arming Israel" and Free Palestine". Continue reading...

Lab-grown diamonds sell for one-quarter of the price of traditional ones and an Australian wholesale broker says he can't tell the difference

Psychiatrists say higher salaries needed to retain doctors and attract new ones to care for mental health patients

Home Office official says data protection laws caused the cost of its forced removal programme to increaseThe Conservative government spent more than 130m on IT and data systems for the scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, which will never be used, the Observer can reveal.Digital tools needed to put the forced removal programme into effect made up the second-largest chunk of the 715m spent in little over two years, behind only the 290m handed directly to Paul Kagame's government. Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands are now set to return to whatever remains of their houses or to claim bodies from the rubbleAid agencies in Gaza are bracing for chaotic scenes this week as hundreds of thousands of people try to return to homes in the territory after the expected implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Sunday.Before the ceasefire, which is due to begin at 8.30am local time, Israel has continued to carry out attacks inside Gaza. The local health ministry claimed on Saturday that 23 Palestinians had been killed in the previous 24 hours, while the Israeli army said it had conducted strikes on 50 terror targets" on Friday. Continue reading...

Those who died had scrambled to take the fuel, which has rocketed in price amid an economic crisisA fuel tanker exploded after flipping over in central Nigeria on Saturday, killing 70 people who had scrambled to take the fuel, which has rocketed in price amid an economic crisis.The death toll stands at 70 so far," Kumar Tsukwam, the head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger State, said. Continue reading...

The digital option will be made available through a government app, but will not be mandatoryThe UK is to introduce digital driving licences this year as the government looks to use technology to transform public services".The digital version of driving licences will be available in a virtual wallet in a government app, instead of being added to existing Google or Apple wallets. It could be accepted as a form of ID when voting, purchasing alcohol or boarding domestic flights. Continue reading...

Emergency services say 30 people were involved, of whom 10 were taken to hospital, at Astun in the PyreneesTen people have been hurt, two of them seriously, after a ski lift collapsed at a resort in north-east Spain, hurling dozens of passengers into the snow below.Although initial reports said 35 people had been injured on Saturday at the Pyrenean resort of Astun, in the Aragon region, the figures were later revised down. Continue reading...

New drama, When Maggie Met Larry, reveals exactly how the world's most famous actor coached the fledgling Iron LadyIn 1972, a nervous Margaret Thatcher went to Laurence Olivier's London home for a lesson on presentational skills. The most famous actor of the 20th century told the then education secretary to put a book on her head and walk around to improve her deportment. He also advised her to take long confident strides, and to use her eyes to seduce and flirt.The future prime minister went on to visit Olivier's house for a further five lessons, details of which are revealed in a new Radio 4 play, When Maggie Met Larry. Starring Derek Jacobi, who joined Olivier's fledgling National Theatre when only 24, and Frances Barber as Thatcher, the drama tells of the previously unknown advice on style and voice offered to the Tory politician. Continue reading...

MP says he is totally committed to his constituency after Isabel Oakeshott moved to the EmiratesOne weekend, it will be the straightforward delights of Skegness seafront; the next, the flashy private beach clubs of Dubai.Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK and its MP for Boston and Skegness, is splitting his time not just between his Lincolnshire constituency and the House of Commons, but is also spending time 3,500 miles away in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We are spreading our international reach," he said. Continue reading...

Report cites low pay and overwork, and employees complain of receiving no warning before working on disturbing scenesIllegal or barely legal" working practices are rife in the UK's TV industry, new research has revealed.Workers in post-production roles, including editors, designers and special effects artists, are regularly being paid below the minimum wage and experiencing unacceptable" conditions, such as hours spent in dark, unventilated rooms and exposure to traumatic content with no warning. Continue reading...

Case was fast-tracked after crime in Kolkata sparked protests across India amid concern for women's safetyA police volunteer has been found guilty of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor who was on duty in Kolkata, a crime that sparked protests across India amid concern about violence against women and girls.The outcry over the killing of the 31-year-old physician in August led to the trial being fast-tracked through the legal system. Continue reading...

Italian PM's office confirms she will join foreign politicians including France's Eric Zemmour in WashingtonItaly's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will attend Donald Trump's inauguration as US president, joining other European far-right figures including Eric Zemmour, a one-time French presidential candidate known for his xenophobia.Meloni's attendance at the event in Washington DC on Monday was confirmed by her office and will be seen as further cementing relations with the US president-elect. Continue reading...

Hillsborough Family Support Group pays tribute to man whose 14-year-old son Philip was killed in the disasterA key figure in the fight for justice after the Hillsborough disaster has died, the campaign group has announced.Phil Hammond, whose teenage son was killed in the tragedy, was remembered as a very kind, fair, honest and humble man" by members of the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG) which Hammond chaired, battling for truth and justice over how his son and 96 others died. Continue reading...

Michelle Sadio, 44, died after shots were fired towards mourners outside church in HarlesdenThree more people have been charged with murder after a woman was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a north-west London church.Michelle Sadio, 44, died after shots were fired in Harlesden at about 9pm on 14 December. She was standing with mourners outside the River of Life pentecostal church after a wake. Continue reading...

Diaries, believed to be genuine, chronicle 139 pre-war meetings between antisemitic British socialite Unity Mitford and the Nazi leaderThe diary of an antisemitic British socialite who was obsessed with Adolf Hitler and struck up a personal relationship with the Nazi leader has been discovered, according to the Daily Mail.The leather-bound journals, which had been lost to historians and unseen for eight decades, appear to reveal the extent of aristocrat Unity Mitford's relationship with the dictator. Continue reading...

FoI figures show Home Office apparently refusing to use biometrics waiver for people who have no way to submit themThe UK government's family reunification policy has been criticised by charities and MPs after data revealed how Home Office bureaucracy was making it impossible for people stranded in war zones, such as Gaza and Sudan, to reunite with family members in the UK.Existing policy is supposed to allow those in need of resettlement the opportunity to join relatives in the UK. In order to apply for family reunion visas, applicants must submit biometrics - usually a fingerprint and a photograph - at appointments at a visa application centre (VAC) in their country of residence. Continue reading...

Julie Su, acting labor secretary, fears many of Biden's pro-worker policies will be undone by the new administrationEven as Donald Trump says he will battle for America's workers, the acting secretary of labor, Julie Su, is voicing fears that Trump will undo many of Joe Biden's pro-worker policies, which include protecting workers from extreme heat and extending overtime pay to millions more workers.In an interview with the Guardian, Su said that Trump might fall far short on delivering for workers considering the first Trump administration's many anti-worker policies and in light of his having Elon Musk and other billionaires advising him. It's one thing to say you're pro-worker, and it's quite another thing to do it," Su said. You can't be pro-billionaire and pro-working class. You can't be pro-Elon Musk and pro-worker." Continue reading...

Macsween working to circumvent food regulations that have banned traditional recipe in US for more than 50 yearsScotland's largest haggis maker is creating a compliant" recipe of the nation's most famous dish to circumvent strict American food regulations after more than 50 years in exile.The decision by Macsween of Edinburgh comes after traditional haggis was banned by the US authorities in 1971, taking issue with the sheep's-lung component of the recipe, which was then prohibited for use as human food by federal regulation. Continue reading...

Charities say better guidance is needed over increasing number of sexual assaults in UK primary schoolsSchools must be given clearer guidance on how to handle peer-on-peer sexual abuse among pupils, charities have demanded.Rape Crisis and other charities wrote to England's education secretary Bridget Phillipson and Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, last week, calling on the government to step in with clearer statutory guidance on how schools in England and Wales should address sexual violence when both the victim and the alleged perpetrator are pupils. Continue reading...

Michael Whitbread, 75, is on trial in Lanciano for murder of fellow Briton Michele Faiers, 66, in October 2023A British man living in Italy has admitted stabbing his partner to death, claiming he did it after she accused him of cheating on her.Michael Whitbread, 75, told a court he could not remember how many times he stabbed fellow Briton Michele Faiers, 66, in October 2023. Continue reading...

Starmer open to second state visit for Donald Trump, amid worries about tariffs and recent setbacks to political relationshipDavid Lammy was visiting Washington last May when he realised Donald Trump was likely to win the presidential election. The soon-to-be foreign secretary held meetings with the Democrat and Republican campaigns - and found himself admiring the latter.The slickness and professionalism of Trump's 2024 operation, with its sharp messaging making inroads with black and Hispanic voters, seemed a far cry from his shambolic 2016 campaign. By comparison, Joe Biden's appeared backward-looking and focused on attacking Trump's record, while lacking a compelling narrative of its own. Continue reading...

Local people criticise council over decision to raze hut built in 1909 to make way for work on nearby pierAdmittedly, it looks a little shabby. A wooden slat next to the front door and a window pane are missing and a lick of paint would definitely not go amiss.But in the seaside town of Bournemouth there is disquiet at the prospect of the structure - beach hut number 2359 - being razed when structural work on the nearby pier begins. Continue reading...

Asylum seekers formally held at Manston will get funded legal representation after challenging Home Office decisionAsylum seekers will receive funded legal representation at an inquiry into a catalogue of failures at a centre in Kent where small boat arrivals are processed, after a legal challenge by detainees.Manston, a short-term holding facility outside Ramsgate, was established in January 2022 to deal with the increasing numbers of asylum seekers crossing the Channel to the UK in dinghies. Continue reading...

Controversial safety policy has helped drive down premiums to 18-month low, says Confused.comThey have proved hugely controversial, but 20mph speed limits appear to be making car insurance cheaper.This week a leading price comparison website reported the biggest annual drop in UK car insurance prices in more than 10 years, with the average cost of cover falling by 161 - or 16% - in the past 12 months. Continue reading...

British Transport Police say hiring freeze and 8.5m shortfall in funding will lead to a reduced presence'Dozens of British Transport Police (BTP) stations across Britain face possible closure, leaving fewer officers protecting the railway at a time when assaults on passengers have reached record levels.BTP officials have imposed a hiring freeze and warned that some bases will have to close, signalling possible job losses after failing to secure enough funding to meet current commitments. Continue reading...

Italian region comes surprise eighth place and has plenty of budget package deals available, according to Which?January is the best month to book a summer holiday - and this year there is a surprise budget option: Tuscany. According to Which?, the central Italian region is among the cheapest package holiday destinations for 2025.Researchers analysed almost 6,000 package holidays from three of the UK's biggest tour operators, Jet2holidays, Tui and easyJet Holidays. Tuscany, more usually associated with luxury villa holidays amid rolling hills and vineyards and the expensive hotels of Florence, made it into the top 10 cheapest package destinations, behind better-known budget areas such as Costa Brava in Spain and Corfu in Greece. Continue reading...

Yarmouk camp residents lived through fighting and starvation in the Syrian civil war and feel intimately connected to the suffering in the Gaza StripAfter 15 months of watching their relatives suffering in Gaza, residents of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus finally breathed a sigh of relief. The war in the besieged Palestinian territory was soon to be over.Hearing that the fighting will finally stop, it raised our spirits. We don't have any work or money, but now we have something at least to make us happy, now you hear people laughing in the streets," said Rbeia Abu Hmeida, 45, a Palestinian refugee who lives in the Yarmouk camp. Continue reading...

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Man jumped on to bracket between carriages after doors closed and hung on as train sped along at 170mphA man survived unscathed after clinging to the outside of a German high-speed train as it barrelled along at up to 170mph (280km/h), police said on Friday.The 40-year-old Hungarian man was having a cigarette on a platform in Bavaria when the train doors shut, prompting him to jump on to the bracket between two carriages. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereRussian forces have retaken 63.2% of the territory captured by Ukraine in the Kursk region of western Russia, the Russian defence ministry said on Friday.Reuters could not independently verify the ministry's statement, which said Russia had recaptured four settlements in the first two weeks of January. Continue reading...

Survey finds younger generation seeking traditional decor amid backlash to hustle culture'We are a quarter of the way into the 21st century and just as the world feels more fractured and more online than ever before, here is some welcome news: put the kettle on, teapots are the new whimsy.Popularised by the cottagecore" trend beloved by celebrities including David Beckham, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, the desirability of domesticity is viewed by some as a yearning for life in simpler times. Continue reading...

Leader urged to clarify suggestion lock could be means-tested amid fears party will lose support among older voters

Actor's premiere entry shows how the electric rental bikes have shifted gear from everyday commuter transportWobbling along on a scuffed-up, muddy Lime bike is a journey that will be familiar to many commuters. But riding one to to the premiere of your new Oscar-tipped film? Less so.That Timothee Chalamet turned up to the London red carpet of A Complete Unknown on a Lime is a new high for the clunky electric bikes, which in recent years have shifted gear from quotidian to cool. Continue reading...

Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said the release of hostages will begin on Sunday if the deal passes. Plus, test flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX ends in failure