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Karen Rees tells Thirlwall inquiry she had never been so relieved' as when police were eventually calledA nursing boss has described how she pleaded" with a hospital executive to contact police over allegations Lucy Letby was harming babies.Karen Rees, the head of nursing in urgent care at the Countess of Chester hospital, said she wanted a criminal investigation because other reviews were getting nowhere" and relationships were breaking down all over the place". Continue reading...

Suspect being questioned over death of 57-year-old who was found with head injuries after going for walk in JulyA 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Anita Rose in Suffolk, police have said.The 57-year-old left her house in Brantham to take her dog for a walk at about 5am on Wednesday 24 July. She was found unconscious with serious head injuries near Rectory Lane at about 6.25am and died four days later. Continue reading...

Coalition will now be able to hire and fire judges but faces accusations it bribed and abducted lawmakers to get its wayPakistan's government has passed a controversial amendment to the constitution that has been accused of weakening the power and independence of the judiciary, throwing the country's democracy into further crisis.The 26th constitutional amendment was passed in a clandestine, late-night parliamentary session that was clouded in secrecy and marred by allegations of abductions and intimidation of parliamentarians to force them to vote in favour of the bill. Continue reading...

Strikes targeted Al-Qard Al-Hassan buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, south Lebanon and the Bekaa valley

UK PM says monarch is doing a fantastic job' after protest by senator in Australian parliamentKing Charles is doing a fantastic job", particularly in the context of his health challenges", the prime minister has said after the royal was heckled by the Indigenous Australian senator Lidia Thorpe.Charles had just finished addressing MPs and senators at Parliament House in Canberra, as part of his five-day tour of Australia with Camilla, when he was approached by Thorpe, who yelled: This is not your country." Continue reading...

Final result sees yes' vote scrape ahead by 13,000 votes, narrowly avoiding shock setback for pro-western presidentMoldovans have voted by a razor-thin majority in favour of joining the EU after a pivotal referendum clouded by allegations of Russian interference.On Sunday, Moldova held key votes in a presidential election and a referendum on EU membership, marking a critical moment in the continuing struggle between Russia and the west for control over the small, landlocked nation in eastern Europe, home to 2.5 million people. Continue reading...

Eleanor Brown, 24, given three-year sentence for vindictive, selfish and vengeful offending' against womanA woman who posted sexual images of her father's former lover on an escort site has been jailed for three years by a judge who described it as vindictive, selfish and vengeful offending".Eleanor Brown, 24, had held a deep-seated grudge against the victim after her father had a short-lived affair with the woman in 2012, Leeds crown court heard. Continue reading...

Affected items produced by FGS Ingredients include Domino's BBQ Dip, seasonings and meat productsMore than 20 dips and seasonings, including Domino's Pizza's BBQ dip, have been recalled over fears that may they contain undeclared peanuts, the food watchdog has said.The Food Standards Authority (FSA) has called on consumers to return a range of dips, curry powders and seasonings produced by the company FGS Ingredients over concerns that they may contain the allergen when it was not listed on their labels. Continue reading...

With an aggressive on-the-ground campaign, the party is courting multicultural communities in outer Brisbane

Aunty Violet Sheridan says the Victorian senator does not speak for me and my people' and called Thorpe's yelling of fuck the colony' inappropriate

LPs will be available in 80 high street shops across the UK to attract seasoned fans and new listeners alike'When CD sales took off in the late 80s, many believed it sounded the death knell for the old-fashioned vinyl album.Fast forward 40 years and records are the in thing again, so much so that high street retailer WH Smith is bringing them back after a three-decade hiatus. Continue reading...

Volkswagen subsidiary to also pay 21.5m in compensation after FCA finds 110,000 people suffered detriment

Victoria Thomas Bowen, 25, also admits criminal damage in relation to dousing Reform UK leader while he campaigned in ClactonA woman has pleaded guilty to assault by beating after throwing a milkshake over the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, outside a pub in Clacton-on-Sea during the general election campaign.Victoria Thomas Bowen, 25, also admitted criminal damage after causing 17.50-worth of damage to a jacket belonging to Farage's security officer James Woolfenden. Continue reading...

Warning of lost generation' in Adre and Farchana camps as Sudan's civil war drives huge numbers across border

Authorities yet to uncover source and motive of surge in fake bomb threats, as dozens of planes forced to rerouteA reported 90 hoax bomb threats have been made against Indian airlines in the past week, provoking international travel chaos as planes were grounded, diverted and flown to safety by fighter jet escorts.The unprecedented surge in fake bomb threats against multiple Indian and international airlines has caused severe disruption to India's aviation industry and created a growing sense of panic among air passengers. Continue reading...

Performing in Los Angeles, the singer encouraged US citizens to get out and vote' - and played rarely heard political songs such as Dog Eat DogJoni Mitchell has made her voice heard in the upcoming US election, responding: Fuck Donald Trump!" to an audience member who yelled an insult about the Republican presidential candidate.I love that song," Mitchell continued - presumably a reference to the 2016 YG song FDT. Continue reading...

Detainees say they were sent into unexplored houses and tunnels before soldiers, in violation of Geneva conventions

Currently, many states require people to divest themselves of assets to poverty levels to qualify for aidA new proposal for at home Medicare" by the Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, could help ease the burden of the cost of elder care for many families, experts say.However, Republicans have already criticized the proposal as too expensive, a reminder of the political difficulties of enacting healthcare expansions in the US. Continue reading...

Key parliamentary report focuses on decision by Facebook owner to abandon three-year-old deal to pay for news content

Former Tory minister says Vine being derided over leaked email was one of most painful moments of his political careerMichael Gove has said that the most hurtful part of his political career was the attacks on his former wife, Sarah Vine.In extracts of a new BBC podcast about politics hosted by Gove, the former Tory minister and MP said this was particularly the case when an email in 2016 from Vine offering advice to her then-husband was accidentally sent to other recipients and leaked to the media. Continue reading...

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Industry bodies say over-ordering is eroding profitability as big sellers clamp down on practiceShoppers with a habit of returning goods bought online to retailers will send back 1,400 of products each this year, totalling 6.6bn, a UK report has found.Serial returners account for 11% of shoppers, but are on course to account for almost a quarter of the 27bn forecast returns this year, according to the report by the return logistics company ZigZag and the research company Retail Economics. Continue reading...

The Indigenous senator's outburst is her highest-profile protest yet, bringing her face to face with her long-term adversary: the British monarchyThe Australian federal senator who interrupted a parliamentary reception for King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Monday has a history of activism and protest for progressive causes and Indigenous rights, courting controversy with a series of prominent public demonstrations through her political career.Lidia Thorpe, a senator for the state of Victoria, yelled give us our land back", fuck the colony" and you are not my king" during an event in Parliament House on the royals' Australian tour. Continue reading...

Mineral Resources shares fell more than 10% after comments by founder Chris Ellison following AFR tax investigation

Independent senator yells this is not your country' and give us a treaty' at monarch during key event of king's five-day visit to Australia

FOI request reveals then home secretary spent 9,803.20 on catering for flight to Kigali to sign deportation deal that never deported a single personThe in-flight catering for James Cleverly's one-day round trip to Rwanda last December, while he was home secretary, cost 655 a head.Cleverly spent 165,561 chartering a private jet for his 11-hour visit to Kigali to sign Rishi Sunak's deportation deal after the supreme court's finding that Rwanda was an unsafe country". Continue reading...

Dunedin airport boss says the move is designed to keep traffic flowing in drop-off zones and enable others to have hugs'Hugging your loved ones goodbye could land you in trouble at a New Zealand airport should your embrace linger too long.The international airport in Dunedin, a city in the South Island, has introduced a three minute cap on cuddles, as part of a broader effort to improve safety and keep traffic flowing at its drop-off zone. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 10-year study finds menopausal women of Chinese and black African backgrounds about 80% less likely to get HRTMenopausal women of Chinese and black African backgrounds are about 80% less likely to receive hormone replacement therapy than white women, according to a large-scale study.HRT is one of the most common treatments for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, poor sleep and vaginal dryness. It can also help maintain muscle strength and prevent osteoporosis. Continue reading...

Sweden and Finland plan to withdraw funding to safeguard nine languages defined as threatened by UnescoThe Indigenous parliaments of Sweden, Finland and Norway have warned that some Sami languages could disappear if Stockholm and Helsinki press ahead with plans to withdraw funding that could hit a critical preservation body.Sami Giellagaldu was created to safeguard, promote and strengthen the use of the nine Sami languages across the Nordics, including North Sami, which is spoken by an estimated 20,000 people across Norway, Sweden and Finland and classified by Unesco as endangered, and the much smaller Pite Sami and Ute Sami, which have less than 50 speakers each. Continue reading...

Five Labour MPs call on PM and foreign secretary to address issue of reparatory justice for slavery and colonialismKeir Starmer is under pressure from Labour MPs and Caribbean governments to open the door to reparatory justice when he travels to Samoa this week.The UK prime minister is due to visit the small Pacific island state for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), which starts on Monday. Continue reading...

Judge rebukes airline for vast legal costs' expended to defend claims of illegally firing baggage handlers

Police are searching for the remains of Colleen Walker-Craig, 16, who vanished in 1990 - the same year Evelyn Greenup, four, and Clinton Speedy-Duroux, 16, were killed

This blog is closing now. You can read our full report on the latest Israeli attacks on Lebanon here and our report on the latest Israeli attacks on Gaza here.At least 42,603 Palestinian people have been killed and 99,795 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.Of those, 84 Palestinians were killed in the latest 24-hour reporting period, according to the ministry, which has said in the past that thousands of other dead people are most likely lost in the rubble of the territory. Continue reading...

Hundreds evacuate after Israeli military says it will strike areas linked to Al-Qard Al-Hassan association, a US-sanctioned banking system

Doctors say president sustained great' trauma to head and slight brain bleed, with long-haul travel cancelled as a precaution but is otherwise fit for dutyThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on Sunday cancelled his trip to Russia for the Brics summit after a fall at home caused a minor brain haemorrhage.In a statement, the presidential office said Lula, 78, would participate via videoconference after receiving medical advice to temporarily avoid long-haul flights. He was initially scheduled to depart at 5pm on Sunday. Continue reading...

Pro-western leader Maia Sandu spoke as pivotal referendum on EU membership remained too close to callMoldova's pro-western president, Maia Sandu, blamed an unprecedented assault on our country's freedom and democracy" by foreign forces" on Sunday night, as a pivotal referendum on EU membership remained too close to call with most votes counted.Moldovans went to the polls earlier in the day to cast their vote in a presidential election and an EU referendum that marked a key moment in the tug-of-war between Russia and the west over the future of the small, landlocked south-east European country with a population of about 2.5 million people. Continue reading...

Study by Royal Society for Public Health shows current system could further exacerbate health inequalitiesAlmost half of the UK workforce lack access to workplace health support including winter flu vaccinations and checks for cardiovascular diseases, a report has found.The analysis, by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), looked at data from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (DBEIS) and found that more than 10 million UK workers lack access to services including basic health checks, vaccinations, and smoking or weight loss support, provided by their employer. Continue reading...

The biennial competition that counts Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Nicola Benedetti as previous victors was won by the 17-year-old Canadian for his performance of Rachmaninov's second piano concertoThe 2024 BBC Young Musician competition has been won tonight by 17-year-old pianist, Ryan Wang.Three musicians competed in the final, in which each played a concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Ben Gernon before an audience at Bristol Beacon. Joining Wang was another pianist, Jacky Zhang (also a category finalist in 2022's competition), and violinist Shlomi Shahaf. Shahaf performed Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto; both pianists chose Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto - the first time in the competition's 46-year history that the same work has featured in the final. Continue reading...

US officials say documents appear to be legitimate and House speaker says leak is very concerningThe US government is investigating an unauthorised release of classified documents that assess Israel's plans to attack Iran.The US House speaker, Mike Johnson, confirmed the investigation in remarks to CNN's State of the Union programme on Sunday, saying the leak was very concerning. Continue reading...

Shooting at Albany State University was one of two in US during weekend that shattered homecoming-related activitiesA mass shooting during homecoming weekend at Georgia's Albany State University left one person dead and five others wounded on Saturday night, according to school officials.Earlier Saturday in Mississippi, authorities said three people were killed and eight others were injured near Lexington, Mississippi, when at least two people fired guns at a group of several hundred people who were at an outdoor trail celebrating a high school football team's homecoming game victory.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

One Direction star died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos AiresOutside St Peter's church in Wolverhampton, people gathered on Sunday to look at the balloons, bouquets and candles left in tribute to the One Direction star Liam Payne, whose home town was part of a worldwide outpouring of grief arranged by fans over the weekend.Fans came together in Munich, Paris, Glasgow, Madrid, Sydney and New York - as well as in the Philippines and Colombia - to pay their respects after directioners, the name given to supporters of the X Factor-formed band, organised the vigils on social media. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Starmer, then DPP, said it was not in public interest to prosecute Dr Michael Irwin after arrest in 2009A doctor who was spared from criminal charges over assisted dying by Keir Starmer when he was director of public prosecutions has said he is sure the prime minister wants a change to the ridiculous" laws on the issue.Dr Michael Irwin was arrested in 2009 after reports that he had travelled to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland with a terminally ill man and given him 1,500 towards the cost of ending his life. Continue reading...

Almost 3m issued to mosques and associated sites under places of worship security scheme in year to April 2023A record amount of security funding has been issued to mosques in the UK via a government scheme to protect places of worship from hate crime.According to figures obtained by the Guardian via freedom of information requests, almost 3m was issued to mosques and associated sites under the places of worship security scheme from April 2022 to April 2023, a significant increase from the just over 73,000 issued between 2016 and 2017. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Heads of organisations say lack of funding clarity and wider policy could cause temporary closures in monthsArts leaders in Scotland have warned that the sector is facing death by slow cuts" because of a lack of clarity over funding, with delays and funding shortfalls meaning some major institutions could be at risk of temporary closure within months.Shona McCarthy, who is stepping down as the director of the Edinburgh festival fringe in 2025 after nine years, called for clarity from the Scottish government - not just on funding but also its wider arts policy. Continue reading...

Olympic cycling champion says doctors have told him he has two to four years to liveTributes have poured in for the Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy after he revealed he had received a terminal cancer diagnosis.In an interview with the Sunday Times, Hoy, who won six golds and one silver medal for Team GB, said doctors had told him he had between two and four years to live. Continue reading...

Business Council of Australia also recommends phasing out stamp duty and fast-tracking migrant workers for building industry

Andrei Kelin says by providing weapons Britain is killing Russian soldiers and civilians'Moscow's ambassador to London has said the UK is waging a proxy war against Russia, while predicting the end of Ukraine" as Russian invading forces make deeper advances into the country.In an interview with the BBC, Andrei Kelin said Ukraine continued to fight but claimed the resistance is more feeble and feeble". Continue reading...

Transport secretary says analysis of high-speed rail project unable to clarify if cost overrun is 10bn or 20bnMinisters are to oversee HS2 and have launched a review after the government was unable to ascertain the scale of the ballooning overspend on the long-delayed high-speed rail line.Louise Haigh, the UK transport secretary, said the scale of failure in the delivery of the project was dire" and analysis had been unable to clarify if the cost overrun was 10bn or 20bn. Continue reading...

Sir John Sawers says intelligence agencies should be on their toes' after deaths of Hamas and Hezbollah leadersA return of Islamic extremist terror attacks on British soil could be triggered by the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, the former head of MI6 has said.Sir John Sawers said police and intelligence agencies in Britain should be on their toes" after changes of leadership at terrorist organisations in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Seven students put under precautionary measures' after allegations relating to campus demonstration in JulyThe London School of Economics has been criticised by a UN rapporteur and accused of Islamophobia after raising an allegation that students behind a pro-Palestine demonstration in July had prompted fears of a repeat of the 7/7 terrorist attacks.A total of seven students, four of them female, have been put under precautionary measures", restricting their access to the university's campus, over allegations relating to a noisy protest on 7 July in the atrium of the LSE student services centre. Continue reading...