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Deputy opposition leader denies promising to roll back Albanese government's changes and says Labor lied' about the tax cuts

Exclusive: more than 500 bosses from finance world will be in attendance at sold-out event in LondonLabour will use its sold-out business conference next week to unveil the party's City policy plans, the Guardian can reveal, as it tries to win over hundreds of UK executives before a general election.More than 500 bosses from across British finance will gather in London on 1 February for the event, where opposition leaders including Sir Keir Starmer, his shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the shadow business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, plan to showcase Labour's offer to business". Continue reading...

Police say death of Wayne Brown, reportedly under investigation over academic qualifications claims, not being treated as suspiciousWayne Brown, the chief of West Midlands fire service, has been found dead at his home in Birmingham. Police said his death is not being treated as suspicious.He was reportedly being investigated over claims on social media relating to his academic qualifications at the time of his death. Continue reading...

Thousands of places of worship have shut since 2013 and more than 900 on heritage at risk' registerThousands of church buildings are in such a dire state that they are facing closure, according to a campaign that says the situation is the UK's single biggest heritage challenge.

Bronze figure sawn off at the ankles, with The colony will fall' spraypainted on the plinth, in apparent protest at Australia Day date

The streamer has decided not to go forward with The Mothership, a film that finished production in 2021 but was facing delaysHalle Berry-led sci-fi thriller The Mothership will not be released after Netflix decided to stop post-production.The Mothership, which completed filming in 2021, was originally set to be released in 2022 and a brief clip was teased by the streamer in a trailer for the year's big releases. But the film was the victim of multiple delays and has now been scrapped entirely, according to Variety. Continue reading...

Arrest at president's residence of Mariusz Kamiski and Maciej Wsik, of Law and Justice party, had sparked bitter political rowPoland's president, Andrzej Duda, said he had pardoned two jailed politicians from the opposition populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which lost its majority in October elections, and called for their immediate release.The former interior minister Mariusz Kamiski and his ex-deputy, Maciej Wsik, were imprisoned this month after being detained in the presidential palace. Their arrests sparked large protests by PiS supporters and both began hunger strikes claiming to be political prisoners".An earlier headline said the two pardoned men were former politicians. They are, in fact, current politicians and the headline has been corrected. Continue reading...

Girls aged eight and 12 and a 36-year-old woman died from knife wounds to the neckThe deaths of a woman and two children at a house in Norfolk are being treated as murder, police have confirmed.Kanticha Sukpengpanao, 36, Jasmin Kuczynska, 12, and Natasha Kuczynska, eight, were discovered with stab wounds to their necks on Friday. Continue reading...

Marc Bru repeatedly interrupted chief judge before the sentence was handed down, calling him a clown' and a fraud'A man who stormed the US Capitol with fellow Proud Boys far-right extremist group members was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in prison after he berated and insulted the judge who punished him.Marc Bru repeatedly interrupted chief judge James Boasberg before the sentence was handed down, calling him a clown" and a fraud" presiding over a kangaroo court".The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

Impetus for change was US supreme court overturning Roe v Wade, while Germany passes law banning harassment of women at abortion clinicsThe French parliament has begun debating moves for France to become the first country in the world to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right, guaranteeing women access to the means to end a pregnancy voluntarily.The justice minister, Eric Dupond-Moretti, told the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, on Wednesday that abortion rights were not simply a liberty like any other, because they allow women to decide their future". Continue reading...

Ruling on request for provisional measures submitted by South Africa to come this week; White House says one missed and the other two were shot downThe United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (Ocha) has outlined some of the violence happening in the West Bank in its latest update. It describes the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank in 2023 as the highest" since Ocha started recording casualties in 2005.It also says the number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank was the highest" in the same time frame.Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, 360 Palestinians have been killed, including 92 children, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.Additionally, two Palestinians from the West Bank were killed while carrying out an attack in Israel on 30 November. Of these 360 fatalities, 350 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers.Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. Continue reading...

Home Office rejects call for change from coroner in case of woman who died after ambulance delayThe minimum level of English language skills required for foreign care workers will not be raised despite the death of a care home resident after staff were unable to explain her critical state to 999 operators.The senior coroner for Somerset investigated the death of 91-year-old Barbara Rymell in August 2022 and found that the primary school standard of English required to get a health and care visa was wholly inadequate for those working in the direct care and protection of vulnerable people". But the Home Office has now ruled out any change. Continue reading...

Nn 10 hints prime minister would be prepared to have Anderson back, saying we have a lot of time for Lee'After PMQs there will be a Commons urgent question on resilience in the light of the recent storms. Labour has tabled it, and a Cabinet Office minister will respond.Labour would prosecute Amazon executives if they continued to allow dangerous knives to be sold on their platform, Keir Starmer has said this morning.Five months ago, Labour supported the government's pledge to introduce new legislation to toughen the rules on possession of machetes and zombie-style knives. There has been no action since, only warnings from experts that the proposals are too weak by excluding weapons like ninja swords.The government has published 16 press releases about zombie knives since 2015, yet despite repeated promises to toughen the rules, a full ban is still not in place ...The number of these deadly weapons on Britain's streets is terrifying, and unacceptable.For years, the Tories have made grand promises of action, but by failing to bring a proper ban on these killer knives and to crack down on online sales to kids, they're letting a generation down ... Continue reading...

Interior ministry considering options against Martin Sellner after days of protests against AfDGerman authorities are closely examining the possibility of an entry ban for the far-right Austrian whose masterplan for the deportation of immigrants is at the heart of a storm gripping Germany over the rightwing populist AfD.Martin Sellner, the founder of the so-called identitarian movement, which preaches the superiority of European ethnic groups, could be banned from entering Germany if he is deemed to pose a threat to German democratic stability, according to members of the interior affairs committee of the Bundestag. Continue reading...

Biggest reduction since December 2021 will allow 1tn more yuan to be released in form of new loansChina's central bank has announced a surprise cut to the amount of cash that banks must hold in reserve, hoping to boost the lending available to households and businesses as policymakers try to steer the economy through a fragile recovery.Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), said on Wednesday that the reserve requirement ratio would be cut by 0.5% from 5 February, the deepest cut to the rate since December 2021. The move will allow about 1tn yuan (110.8bn) to be released in the form of new loans. Continue reading...

Letters warned employees that failure to follow return-to-office expectations could lead to further disciplinary action'Bank of America is cracking down on employees who aren't following its return-to-office mandate, sending letters of education" warnings of disciplinary action to employees who have been staying home.Some employees at the bank received letters that said they had failed to meet the company's workplace excellence guidelines" despite requests and reminders to do so", according to the Financial Times. The letter warned employees that failure to follow return-to-office expectations could lead to further disciplinary action". Continue reading...

Biden changes campaign leadership structure as he shifts into general election modeJoe Biden appears to have set his sights on an almost inevitable rematch with Donald Trump for the White House in November's election, after the former president's decisive win in the New Hampshire primary, on his sprint to the Republican nomination.Biden's campaign believes the presidential election has officially begun, Politico reported, with Trump's victory over Nikki Haley in New Hampshire on Tuesday officially kicking off what the outlet described as the longest and most grueling general election campaign in modern American political history". Continue reading...

Valdo Calocane, 32, who has paranoid schizophrenia, believed the agency was controlling him, says defence lawyerA man who killed three people in a series of attacks in Nottingham previously tried to surrender himself to MI5, in the belief the agency was controlling him, urging it to please arrest me".Valdo Calocane, 32, who has paranoid schizophrenia, believed he was being interfered with unnaturally" by malign forces" since 2019. Continue reading...

Regulator sets out possible ways forward in review of requirement to deliver across Britain, six days a week

Raymond Grant says his time was limited' after being forced to appear at inquiry over minimum witness statementA former Post Office investigator has maintained that a branch owner-operator who had his conviction for embezzlement overturned last year was guilty.Raymond Grant, an investigator involved in the prosecution of the post office operator William Quarm who died in 2012 not knowing he would eventually be cleared years later, had to be legally forced to appear to give testimony at the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal. Continue reading...

Ministry of Defence clarifies it has no plans for conscription after Gen Sir Patrick Sanders says UK should take steps to place society on war footingThe people of the UK are part of a prewar generation" who must be prepared to fight a major war against Vladimir Putin's increasingly aggressive Russia if necessary, the head of the army argued in a speech on Wednesday.Gen Sir Patrick Sanders said ordinary citizens would be forced to reinforce the UK's small military - although in a clarification the Ministry of Defence said it was not calling for a return to peacetime conscription, which was abolished in 1960. Continue reading...

Rights groups welcome change to Braverman policy that denied support to people with criminal convictions

Senior Conservatives dismiss former cabinet minister's intervention as isolated' and dangerous, reckless, selfish'

Owner says shutting Welsh blast furnaces will cut emissions, but it is opening a new one in IndiaThe owner of the Port Talbot steelworks has been accused of gross hypocrisy" as it prepares to open a new blast furnace in India, while citing a cut in carbon emissions for its decision to close two blast furnaces in south Wales, costing thousands of jobs.Tata announced last week that up to 2,800 jobs would be cut under plans to close Port Talbot's two huge blast furnaces and replace them with an electric arc furnace. Continue reading...

BoM warns of damaging winds, intense rainfall and flash flooding for some areas as residents urged to prepare and monitor forecasts

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Rail services to and from Scotland suspended until at least midday with amber wind warning in place for parts of countryStorm Jocelyn has brought fresh travel disruption to much of the UK, less than two days after Storm Isha left two people dead and thousands without power.The 10th named storm of the season brought an amber warning for wind to parts of Scotland on Wednesday morning, with much of the UK covered by a yellow alert into Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Judge tells court assault was violent and degrading' as former TV host ordered to serve 18 months on community corrections order

In today's newsletter: As more women in the UK are facing prosecution, RCOG has released new guidance cautioning against reporting - could it shift the debate about decriminalisation? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Between 1861 and 2022 only three women were prosecuted and convicted in the UK for illegal abortions. Over the last two years, six women have been taken to court and 29 suspected cases of illegal terminations came under investigation. The reason behind the rise in police investigating this issue is unclear, but it has caused much concern among health workers and campaigners who say that abortion should not be criminalised.Middle East | The US has carried out strikes in Iraq against three facilities linked to Iran-backed militias, the Pentagon has said, after a weekend attack on an Iraqi airbase that wounded US forces.US news | Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire primary, likely cementing his place as the Republican presidential nominee, but his only remaining rival, Nikki Haley, has vowed to stay in the race.World | The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic countdown to human extinction, has stayed at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it had been since it was established in 1947, a panel of international scientists has said.Oscars 2024 | Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer leads the pack with 13 nominations at the 96th Academy awards, including best picture, director and actor for Cillian Murphy. Click here for a full breakdown of nominations for Barbie, Poor Things and more.Energy | Nuclear power generation is likely to break records in 2025 as more countries invest in reactors to fuel the shift to a low-carbon global economy, while renewable energy is likely to overtake coal as a power source early next year, data has shown. Continue reading...

Study by Appeal finds there was a desire to dilute influence of minority ethnic and working-class jurorsThe introduction of majority verdicts in criminal trials in England and Wales was partly motivated by a desire to dilute the influence of minority ethnic people and the labouring classes serving on juries, according to research.The study, by the miscarriage of justice charity Appeal, said that while the widely accepted narrative for allowing majority verdicts - introduced by parliament in 1967 - as opposed to unanimous verdicts, was that it would prevent jury nobbling" (corruption), there was another reason that was more disreputable. Continue reading...

Artists have said attractions leave no room for innovation, but firms say they are new way to look at old workFrom animated floor-to-ceiling paintings to giant fluorescent ball pits, immersive art experiences have proliferated in warehouses, often costing 25-40 a head. Now experts have claimed that many are overpriced gimmicks.Leading digital artists have claimed that some of the most popular commercial immersive experiences, particularly those based on the work of deceased artists, such as Van Gogh and Dali, are a money grab that provide little reward to visitors beyond Instagrammable moments. Continue reading...

Alarm in sector as cost of living crisis and rent rises mean that 125 independent venues either closed or stopped hosting live music in 2023Over a third of UK grassroots music venues are loss-making, according to the annual report of the sector charity Music Venues Trust (MVT).Thirty-eight per cent of the 835 venues, most of them small and entirely independent, made a loss, with cost of rent a particular pressure point: venues that rent their premises saw those costs increase by an average of 37.5% compared with 2022. Continue reading...

Memo appears to push back against suggestion that she could drop out of the Republican primary race if she loses in New Hampshire

Chris Avell claims city of Bryan is violating his religious freedoms, after city accuses church of breaking zoning lawsA Christian pastor is fighting back against a city in Ohio after it charged him with breaking a municipal law by opening up his place of worship to unhoused people as well as others who need shelter.Police in Bryan, Ohio, filed 18 charges accusing Chris Avell - the pastor of Dad's Place - with zoning violations at his rented church building. Officers alleged that the church lacked proper kitchen and laundry facilities, safe exits and adequate ventilation, as required. Continue reading...

PM rejects calls from MPs for Commons vote over military action as pressure grows to clarify long-term strategy on Red Sea crisis

Disturbing' University of Newcastle research found some women in emergency shelters during 2022 floods reported sexual assaults and violence

Vote leaves Hungary as only country still to ratify application made in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine

Polls open in state's primary in what may be last chance Republicans have to stop ex-president from securing nomination

Survivors taken to hospital after aircraft carrying group of heli-skiers went down in rugged backcountry on Monday afternoonThree people have been killed and four others left in critical condition after a helicopter carrying a group of skiers crashed in the Canadian province of British Columbia.The downed aircraft was one of three helicopters carrying heli-skiers into the rugged backcountry, when it went down around at about 4.15pm PT on Monday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement. Continue reading...

Four people found dead in home named by police force as Independent Office for Police Conduct starts investigationA man who was found dead in his home near Norwich along with three others was told to seek medical advice when he expressed concerned about his mental state in a 999 call earlier that morning, the police watchdog has revealed.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced on Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into Norfolk constabulary's prior contact with the man, and its failure to respond to a call before the deaths last Friday. Continue reading...

UN agency calls for urgent vaccination efforts' in region to prevent further spread of diseaseThe World Health Organization has issued an urgent warning over measles after an alarming" 30-fold rise in cases across Europe.The UN agency reported an enormous increase in numbers affected by the disease, which it said had accelerated in recent months". More than 30,000 cases were reported between January and October last year, compared with 941 cases in the whole of 2022 - a more than 30-fold rise. Continue reading...

Prime minister tells MPs no decision has been taken to embark on sustained campaign' as SNP questions how successful strikes will beThe UK is hosting the next meeting of the European Political Community, the group set up in 2022 to provide a forum where EU countries can discuss matters of common interest with non-EU European countries. The event is meant to happen before the middle of 2024.But, according to a report in the Financial Times, Downing Street has not yet set a date - and European diplomats think that is because Rishi Sunak has not entirely ruled out a spring election. The FT says:European diplomats believe the UK government's refusal to rule out a snap general election this spring lies behind delays" to an upcoming meeting of the European Political Community in Britain.Several EU ambassadors have grumbled privately that officials in London have been dragging their feet over agreeing a date for the summit, which insiders said was initially expected to take place in March or April.The population is ageing and growing. It is getting sicker too as the effects of austerity bite. There are also rising costs in the NHS especially with medical equipment and many drugs.Of course the NHS needs more money. Continue reading...

Deaths come as talks of ceasefire increase and pressure rises on Netanyahu over leadership and handling of war effort

Doctor Who and True Detective star says he feared accusation could have ended his careerThe actor Christopher Eccleston has claimed an A-lister falsely accused him of inappropriately touching her while filming a sex scene.The star of Doctor Who and True Detective said he feared the accusation from the unnamed actor could have caused the end of his career. Continue reading...

Three people questioned on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter after collision in Pamiers, south of ToulouseA woman has died in southern France after a car hit a roadblock where she was standing. The blockade had been set up by farmers taking part in growing anti-government protests.The woman, a farmer in her 30s, was killed at 5.45am when a car went through a warning barrage and collided at speed with bales of straw piled up to stop traffic in Pamiers, Ariege, to the south of Toulouse. Continue reading...

Turkey's parliament to debate Sweden's Nato bid; US Senate works on compromise for Ukraine aid but Maga Republicans refuse supportThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday launched the construction of a new unit at Egypt's El-Dabaa nuclear power plant via video link, the Ria Novosti news agency reported on Tuesday.The construction is being carried out by the Russian state corporation Rosatom. The plant will consist of four power units with a combined capacity of 4.8 gigawatts, Reuters reports. Continue reading...

Edward Richmond Jr, convicted over 2004 civilian death, arrested on charges he assaulted police offers with baton on January 6A former United States army soldier who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting a handcuffed civilian in Iraq to death was arrested Monday on charges that he assaulted police officers with a baton during the US Capitol attack.Edward Richmond Jr, 40, of Geismar, Louisiana, was wearing a helmet, shoulder pads, goggles and a Louisiana state flag patch on his chest when he attacked police in a tunnel outside the Capitol on January 6, according to an FBI agent's affidavit. Continue reading...

Car went into roadblock, hitting three people; industrial action by train drivers' union will begin on Wednesday and last until MondayAlternative for Germany (AfD) is down in the polls.An Insa/Bild opinion poll found that AfD's popularity has declined from 23% to 21.5% within the space of a week. Continue reading...

The pope told industry leaders at the Vatican the drink was a source of joy' but encouraged healthy habitsPope Francis has said that wine is a gift from God" and a true source of joy" for its consumers - words that have been immediately embraced by Italian wine producers who have fought against European health warnings.Francis made the comments during a private audience at the Vatican with winemakers from across Italy. Welcoming his audience, he joked: This seems like a drunk pope", before going on to say: Wine, land, agricultural skills and entrepreneurialism are gifts from God - the creator has entrusted them to us because, with our sensitivity and honesty, we make them a true source of joy." Continue reading...

Self-proclaimed pastor arrested over deaths of more than 200 people, most of whom had died of hungerA Kenyan court has charged a cult leader and dozens of suspected accomplices with manslaughter over the deaths of more than 200 people.Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 94 other suspects, including his wife, pleaded not guilty to 238 counts of manslaughter, according to court documents seen by AFP. Continue reading...