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Nathan Blakeley lodged claim after comment made by boss when female colleague won award at the company partyA marketing executive at a party balloon company has lost a sex discrimination claim lodged after his female boss said sorry boys" as she revealed that a woman had won an award.Nathan Blakeley, 27, was left so deflated after missing out on a prize at the Christmas party that he launched legal proceedings against the firm in Hampshire on the grounds that he had been overlooked due to his male gender. Continue reading...

PM's comments come after David Lammy said UK disagreed with Donald Trump's proposals for US takeover of territory

Health experts urge ministers to do more to tackle drinking-related harm by bringing in minimum unit pricingAlcohol-related deaths in the UK have hit a record high, with 10,473 people dying in 2023 as a result of heavy drinking, statistics have revealed.That is an increase on the 10,048 deaths the Office for National Statistics recorded across the four countries of the UK during 2022, the first time more than 10,000 such fatalities had occurred. Continue reading...

Guardian review of new political appointees also finds president is largely reappointing officials from his first termDonald Trump is stacking his proposed Environmental Protection Agency leadership with former industry lobbyists, executives, and attorneys who have spent their careers attacking protections covering everything from water quality to greenhouse gas emissions to toxic chemicals.A Guardian review of new political appointees also finds the president is largely reappointing officials from his first term. Since 2016, while working at the EPA or for industry, environmental campaigners say these veterans have led efforts to shred Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, kneecap drinking water limits for toxic PFAS, ram through new chemicals without proper review, undo an asbestos ban, or defend the nation's biggest polluters. Continue reading...

Albanese government will reverse stance on mandatory terms to head off opposition attacks on antisemitism

Breakfast host joined channel when it started in 1989 and became known for blunt questions and gaffesKay Burley, the face of Sky News known for her tenacious interviewing but also some high-profile gaffes, has announced her retirement.The veteran broadcaster, who has been with Sky News since it began in 1989, bowed out after hosting her last Sky News Breakfast programme on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...

David Anderson tells court Tingle's public comments were a different matter and that was dealt with at the time'

President's plan, which is low on detail, would involve the permanent resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries

Prime minister says he is not going to give a daily commentary' on statements by the US president

Anger at policies that roll back Mori rights surface as rightwing Act party leader David Seymour has microphone removed twice and protesters stage walkoutIf New Zealand's coalition government had prepared for political fireworks from Indigenous leaders on the eve of the country's national day, they were met with something arguably even louder: turned backs and silence.Under a blazing hot sun on Wednesday, political leaders gathered at the Waitangi treaty grounds in New Zealand's far north to celebrate Waitangi Day, which marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. The treaty, signed by Mori chiefs and the British Crown is considered New Zealand's founding document and is instrumental in upholding Mori rights. Continue reading...

Scott Marshall and his partner, Tammie Farrugia, were named in the search warrant relating to a caravan and are in custody on unrelated charges

School system says it has not been served with a filing and will vigorously defend' its admissions practicesA newly formed group dedicated to fighting what it calls the covert use of affirmative action in admissions decisions by colleges in the University of California system announced on Monday that it was filing a lawsuit, aiming for an injunction to prohibit any consideration of race in student admissions.The University of California has not been served with the filing," a spokesperson for the UC system, Stett Holbrook, said on Tuesday. If served, we will vigorously defend our admission practices" Holbrook added. We believe this to be a meritless suit that seeks to distract us from our mission to provide California students with a world class education." Continue reading...

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited Panama on the weekend to put pressure on the country over how it runs the canal and its ties with China. Andrew Roth reportsChina is operating the Panama canal and we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back."Donald Trump's claim in his inauguration speech that Panama had broken its promises" to the US was alarming for many Panamanians. Washington relinquished control of the canal in 1977, so why is Trump pressing the issue now? Continue reading...

Chris Minns says while then-transport minister made some work calls during 2024 trip with husband, it didn't justify having a driver on the day'

While rain has eased across the region, residents in the small community are also without power and telecommunications

Palestinian-Australian man has not had word as to whereabouts of his brother or his brother's wife and children for more than a year - and he is not alone in his uncertainty and grief

Tribunal's creation was first proposed days after the full-scale invasion, but lawyers have struggled to find the right courtroom for nearly three yearsInternational lawyers have laid the foundations" for a special tribunal to try Russia for the crime of aggression, the EU has said, hailing a significant step towards holding Vladimir Putin and his top officials accountable for the invasion of Ukraine.In a statement late on Tuesday, the EU executive declared a breakthrough that it said would mean the Russian political and military leaders who bear the greatest responsibility" would be held to account. Continue reading...

NSW police investigating child's death in Earlwood in city's inner west on Tuesday afternoon

Lawsuit alleges university system admits students with inferior academic credentials over better-qualified onesA lawsuit filed this week accuses the University of California of racial discrimination in undergraduate admissions by favoring Black and Latino students over Asian American and white applicants.A group called Students Against Racial Discrimination sued Monday in federal court, alleging the university system admits students with inferior academic credentials at the expense of better-qualified ones. Continue reading...

Victims still being identified after what Sweden's PM says was the worst mass shooting in the country's history

Scottish parliament supports minority government's tax and spending plans after intensive negotiationsThe SNP minority government has passed its budget and avoided triggering an early election after securing a coalition of support across the constitutional divide at HolyroodThe tax and spending plans, which provide 21.7bn for health and social care, including 200m to reduce waiting times and tackle delayed discharge, passed the first parliamentary stage - marking a significant success for first minister, John Swinney, who promised a more consensual style of politics when he took office in May 2024. Continue reading...

Analysis drawing on satellite data and 13 climate models concludes that climate change makes marine heatwaves 20 times more likely

Pasadena school district direct's Liz Powell and staff used everything on hand' at school sites to dispense mealsAs the Eaton fire raged on 8 January, Liz Powell was focused on one thing: getting to work. Powell, Pasadena unified schools interim food director, rushed to the district's service center on Woodbury Road in Altadena to meet up with food service coworkers Melissa Washington and Marcela Zamorano.But pretty soon the police showed up and told us we had to evacuate," said Powell, whose home lost power and employees could hear transformers and propane tanks blowing before returning home and waiting out the blaze. It was bad, very scary." Continue reading...

Priti Patel accuses Keir Starmer of being motivated by leftie shame' at Britain's historyNigel Farage has said the UK could be friendly" with the EU but did not outline what kind of ties with the bloc his party would support, PA Media reports. PA says:The Reform UK leader said that industrial collaboration" with the EU will give the UK less flexibility" to make a deal with the US.His comments came in an interview on the Today programme after his party edged ahead of Labour to top a voting poll from YouGov for the first time. Continue reading...

The impact of the billionaire's declaration has been swift and brutal, with food and crucial drugs abandoned in warehouses, vital programmes closed and workers laid offCritical supplies of life-saving medicines have been blocked and children left without food and battling malnutrition as multiple effects were reported across the globe after Elon Musk resolved to shut down the US government's pre-eminent international aid agency.Chaotic scenes were seen in scores of countries as aid organisations warned of the risk of escalating disease and famine along with disastrous repercussions in areas such as family planning and girls' education, after President Donald Trump's decision to freeze funding to USAid. In 2023, the agency managed more than $40bn (32bn). Continue reading...

Hadi Matar, 26, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assaultThe trial of the man charged with attempting to murder the novelist Salman Rushdie at a New York lecture is due to begin on Tuesday with jury selection.Hadi Matar, 26, can be seen in cellphone videos rushing the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York in August 2022 as Rushdie was being introduced to the audience. Rushdie, 77, was stabbed with a knife multiple times in an attack that led to the loss of his right eye and damaged his liver. Continue reading...

Friends and allies of the US president will say his recent tariff threats delivered quick wins, but he may find there are no winners in a trade war

Groups sue Trump administration over the department of government efficiency' being granted unheard-of accessThree federal employee unions are suing the Trump administration, alleging that Elon Musk's department of government efficiency" (Doge) has been granted unprecedented and potentially illegal access to sensitive government records.The lawsuit, filed on Monday in federal court, claims that the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, violated federal privacy laws by giving Musk's team full access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service's confidential payment systems. Continue reading...

Letby's legal team is preparing to submit a case to the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justiceThe evidence used to convict Lucy Letby was challenged on Tuesday by an international panel of experts, which concluded there was no proof the nurse had murdered or harmed any of the babies.Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another seven at the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England in the year to June 2016. Continue reading...

Decision expected in next week that could allow country to rejoin international banking systemIran's reformists are pressing for the country to make concessions on financial transparency to allow it to reconnect to the global economic system and send a signal to the Trump White House that it is serious about renegotiating a new relationship with the west, including around its nuclear programme.Tehran is expected in the next week to take decisions that would mean it would be taken off the blacklist of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the body that tackles money laundering and terrorist financing. Continue reading...

European Commission president says relationship with US is cornerstone' of peace' but says there are limitsThousands of people were leaving the Greek island of Santorini by sea and air for a third day Tuesday as an unprecedented series of earthquakes shook the top travel destination, AFP reports.Some 6,000 people have already left the island, known for its spectacular cliff side views and a dormant volcano, which has been hit by hundreds of tremors since last week, officials said. Continue reading...

Politicians in Nigeria hope their capital will one day look like Dubai, but on nearby Refuge Island people live without electricityFor the estimated 2,000 residents of Refuge Island life sometimes feels like that of a refugee.A dozen communities live on the island, which lies in a lagoon on the eastern fringes of Lagos and takes its name from the arrival of enslaved people fleeing the hinterland of western Nigeria in the 19th century. The island has never had electricity, and there are no tarred roads, only footpaths. Continue reading...

Vessels used to evade sanctions on oil exports and help fund war against Ukraine, investigation revealsEuropean and US shipowners have sold at least 230 ageing tankers into the shadow fleet" used by Russia to evade western sanctions on its oil exports and help fund its war against Ukraine, an international investigation reveals.The shipowners have made more than $6bn (4.8bn) since Russia's 2022 invasion by selling the vessels to buyers in countries such as India, Hong Kong, Vietnam or Seychelles that are not participating in the economic sanctions against Moscow, the investigation found. Continue reading...

Trump administration pulling references online won't make crisis' stop impacting Americans' lives, say expertsDonald Trump's administration has started to remove or downgrade mentions of the climate crisis across the US government, with the websites of several major departments pulling down references to anything related to the climate crisis. Climate scientists said they were braced for the worst".A major climate portal on the Department of Defense's website has been scrapped, as has the main climate change section on the site of the Department of State. A climate change page on the White House's website no longer exists, nor does climate content provided by the US agriculture department, including information that provides vulnerability assessments for wildfires. Continue reading...

Rapper alleges assault, false arrest and more when he was detained shortly after winning three awards at 2024 ceremonyKiller Mike, the hip-hop artist known for his solo work as well as the duo Run the Jewels, has sued a private security company after he was arrested at last year's Grammys.The rapper, real name Michael Render, won three awards at the ceremony, for best rap album, best rap song and best rap performance. But shortly after his wins, as he moved backstage towards the red carpet area, he was arrested and detained after an altercation with what Render later described as an overzealous security guard". Continue reading...

Peer who gave gifts to Keir Starmer is said to have blocked ban on potential Elon Musk donations to Reform UK

Kantar figures could be good news for government as food price rises have fuelled persistent UK inflation

Former party deputy chair Jack Lopresti said to be carrying out support work to help the country's fight against RussiaA former Conservative MP ousted in the 2024 election has reportedly joined the International Legion in Ukraine in a non-combat role to help the fight against Russia.Jack Lopresti, who represented the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency in South Gloucestershire from 2010 to 2024, is carrying out support work for the unit, including foreign relations and diplomacy duties, weapons procurement and work with veterans and charities, the Independent reported. Continue reading...

Politics is tough' the outgoing minister lamented in her resignation speech, as if the events that forced her to quit weren't her own doing

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Exclusive: Paywall to return after a decade with new Sun Club offering also featuring Royal Exclusive video showSun readers will have to pay 2 a month to access columns by star writers including Jeremy Clarkson, popular content such as from the agony aunt Dear Deidre and some exclusive stories and investigations, as the UK's biggest tabloid launches a paid-for content strategy.Called Sun Club and initially priced at 1.99 a month, it launches on Tuesday and comes a decade after the Sun scrapped a subscription strategy that put all of its content behind a paywall. Continue reading...

Jack Gibson-Burrell faces court after being charged with 50 offences, including criminal damage, burglary and shop theft

Campaigners urge crackdown after user says they were shocked to see offers of free betsAdverts for the bookmaker Ladbrokes have been shown to exhausted parents" via a smartphone app that can be used as a baby monitor, the Guardian can reveal.Campaigners have responded by calling for urgent action to reform the rules governing gambling advertising, which have so far been left out of plans to overhaul regulation of the 11bn-a-year sector. Continue reading...

Gloucester council approach offers psychological support, decluttering advice and cuts through shame of poorly understood conditionCarol has been trying to clear her home for two years but in her maelstrom of dishevelled possessions, there is still nowhere to sit - and barely anywhere to stand.To her, however, things look great. She is delighted that the chaotic towers of tumbled clothes, yellowed newspapers, pebbles and innumerable bags stuffed into other dusty bags are now waist- instead of shoulder-high: six months ago, these perilous mountains teetered close to the stained ceilings, brushing the thick cobwebs that still hang from broken light fittings. Continue reading...

Labor MP resigns portfolio after revelations into her use of taxpayer-funded ministerial car for private purposes and criticism from premier Chris Minns

The belief that a few glasses of wine help to protect against heart disease has persisted - despite evidence showing that the benefits have been overestimated

Eggs and verbal abuse were allegedly hurled at young women in Bondi with the incident initially investigated under Strike Force Pearl

Supreme court case discontinued after Ilknur Caliskan, 47, underwent sleep study and her lawyers flagged parasomnia defence

If successful, the scheme could speed up testing and reduce radiologists' workload by around halfThe NHS is launching the world's biggest trial of artificial intelligence to detect breast cancer, which could lead to faster diagnosis of the disease.AI will be deployed to analyse two-thirds of at least 700,000 mammograms done in England over the next few years to see if it is as accurate and reliable at reading scans as a radiologist. Continue reading...

Oscar-winning director - and longtime Buffy fan - Chloe Zhao is onboard to direct, with Dolly Parton as executive producerA sequel reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is reportedly in the works, with Sarah Michelle Gellar expected to return to the titular role and the Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao to direct the pilot episode.On Tuesday Deadline reported sources close to the project confirming that the streaming service Hulu is near a pilot order", with lifelong Buffy fan Zhao onboard to direct the episode, written by the Poker Face writers Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. Continue reading...