Scarlett Jenkinson said killing was exciting' while Eddie Ratcliffe wanted help to woo a girl he fancied, court hearsOne question hung over the trial of the two teenagers convicted of killing Brianna Ghey: why? At the sentencing on Friday, Brianna's family finally received some answers.The hearing began with some startling new information: though she had pleaded not guilty at trial, Scarlett Jenkinson had now admitted to stabbing Brianna repeatedly - more times than she could remember. It was a lot", she said. Continue reading...
Grant Shapps announces 15-year tech contract for UK arm of defence specialist ThalesThe defence secretary has awarded a near-2bn contract to use artificial intelligence and virtual reality to keep British warships and submarines at sea for longer.Grant Shapps has announced a 1.85bn deal with the UK arm of defence and aerospace specialist Thales to provide technology services to the Royal Navy. Continue reading...
The former RSC director, now visiting professor of contemporary theatre at Oxford University, will stage The Two Gentlemen of VeronaWhen Gregory Doran stepped down as artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company last year, he had - over the course of an illustrious career - directed 35 of the 36 plays in Shakespeare's First Folio. Those productions were often led by theatrical megastars but he will now mount a student production of the remaining play, The Two Gentlemen of Verona.Doran is a visiting professor of contemporary theatre at Oxford University, whose students were invited to audition by self-taping a monologue last year, with no previous experience of Shakespeare deemed necessary. There will be six performances of the comedy, which is one of Shakespeare's earliest and least revived plays, from 15-18 May at Oxford Playhouse. Continue reading...
Mammal made contact with equipment', disrupting a subway line and shutting off water in latest escapade of city's trash pandas'A lone Toronto raccoon was able to cut power to nearly 7,000 people in the city's downtown core on Thursday night, highlighting the fraught coexistence between residents of Canada's largest urban centre and the divisive trash pandas".Hydro One, Ontario's power utility, said a raccoon made contact with equipment" at a downtown station on Thursday night, plunging swaths of the city in darkness. The loss of power also temporarily disrupted service on a key subway line and shut off water. Toronto's fire service said the power outage also left residents trapped inside elevators. Continue reading...
Labour deputy leader says green spending would depend on state of public finances during visit to ScotlandSuella Braverman, the former home secretary, says reports that the government is giving up on plans for a returns agreement with Turkey are very concerning".This decision by the Home Office is very concerning.
Prime minister says blockades by protesting farmers at Dutch-Belgian border have been stopped'Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo arrived in Place du Luxembourg just as a bronze statue that was felled in the protests yesterday was being taken away.The statue, which weighed 200kg, was taken into a van by half a dozen men, as the clean-up in the square continues.I think, by now, all governments have basically seen them, the Flemish government, the federal government - yesterday also the president of the [European] Commission.We've shown that we're able to come up with steps in the right direction. For some measures, we need more time to elaborate. And there's a real willingness to go forward. Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi (now); Martin Belam and Helen Livingsto on (#6JAQ9)
Defence minister Yoav Gallant's announcement comes despite presence of more than 1 million civilians in citySaudi Arabia would be willing to accept a political commitment from Israel to create a Palestinian state, rather than anything more binding, in a bid to get a defence pact with Washington approved before the US presidential election, three sources have told Reuters. The news agency reports:Months of US-led diplomacy to get Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel and recognise the country for the first time were shelved by Riyadh in October in the face of mounting Arab anger over the war in Gaza.But Saudi Arabia is increasingly keen to shore up its security and ward off threats from rival Iran so the kingdom can forge ahead with its ambitious plan to transform its economy and attract huge foreign investment, two regional sources said. Continue reading...
Victims' lawyers call for witness statements heard at inquiry to be start of a rigorous criminal investigation'The Post Office scandal inquiry has heard from a chorus of cowards" and a parade of liars, bullies, amnesiacs and arrogant individuals", lawyers for victims have said in a call for criminal prosecutions during a hearing in London.In their closing statements at the latest phase of the inquiry, the legal representatives of hundreds of post office operators whose lives were ruined rounded on the men and women who had given evidence in recent weeks. Continue reading...
Abdul Ezedi was given refugee status in UK after conviction. Here we examine the process for claiming asylumQuestions are being asked about how a sex offender who went on the run after being suspected of carrying out a chemical attack was granted asylum in the UK despite his conviction.Police are hunting for Abdul Ezedi after a girl and her mother were left with potentially life-changing injuries following the incident in London on Wednesday. Continue reading...
People in affected areas say they are still waiting for government help after more than 300 deaths and widespread devastationTens of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are living in temporary accommodation and waiting for government help after the country experienced its worst flooding in six decades.More than 300 people have died and 280,000 households in more than half the country have been forced to leave their homes since heavy rains started at the end of November. More than 1,500 schools, 267 health centres, 211 markets and 146 roads have been damaged. Continue reading...
Twenty-five-year-old held on suspicion of assisting an offender, police sayA 25-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender as part of the investigation into the alleged escape of Daniel Khalife from HMP Wandsworth last year, the Metropolitan police have said.More details soon ... Continue reading...
Mammal made his prediction at annual Pennsylvania celebration, but estimates have shown he's only accurate 40% of the timePunxsutawney Phil's winter weather forecast was announced shortly after sunrise on Friday - and the best known Groundhog Day animal predicted an early spring this year.Global heating amid the climate crisis? The groundhog himself doesn't speak, obviously, so that's for us humans to determine. But CNN quickly pointed out that the woodchuck's record is unreliable and that Punxsutawney Phil has only been correct in his forecast 39% of the time since the abstruse ritual began in 1887. Continue reading...
Draper died on 3 January aged 56 after suffering long-lasting symptoms from coronavirusSir Elton John, Tony Blair and Piers Morgan were among the guests at the funeral of former political lobbyist-turned-psychologist Derek Draper.John had previously invited Draper and his wife, Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway, to be his guests of honour at his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert at London's O2 Arena last year. Continue reading...
New Bond Street department store, which opened in 1890s, to close doors for final time this weekendMore than 130 years after it opened, the flagship Fenwick department store in central London, will close its doors for the last time on Saturday.The historic four-storey shop in New Bond Street, Mayfair, is shutting after the retailer - which is owned by more than 40 descendants of John James Fenwick who founded the company with a single store in Newcastle in 1882 - sold the property to developers for 430m. Continue reading...
by Martin Belam (now) and Hamish Mackay (earlier) on (#6JASC)
We have paused this live blog, but you can read more on this story hereHere is the last update on social media that the Metropolitan police in London gave, after a confirmed sighting of suspect Abdul Ezedi in a Tesco in north London's Caledonian Road at 8.48pm Wednesday night.The police have warned people not to approach him, but to call 999. There is a telephone number to give any information on 0207 175 2784. Continue reading...
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16, killed trans schoolgirl after developing warped' obsession with tortureTwo teenagers who murdered Brianna Ghey have been named for the first time before sentencing.Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16 and described by police as really intelligent kids", can now be named as the killers after a judge lifted reporting restrictions. Continue reading...
Nursery leaders say recruitment drive to get more workers into early years sector comes too late and doesn't go far enoughA 6.5m recruitment campaign to encourage people to work in the early years sector as the first phase of the government's flagship childcare expansion plan has been branded too late" and a drop in the ocean" by sector leaders.A trial, which will take place in 20 local authorities in England from April, will also give new recruits and returners to the early years workforce a 1,000 cash payment shortly after they take up their post. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6JATZ)
BMA survey finds 54% of doctors say working with associates has increased their workloadA majority of medics believe physician associates in hospitals and GP surgeries are adding to doctors' workloads, not reducing them as intended, a survey has found.Just over half of 18,000 doctors surveyed by the British Medical Association (BMA) said working alongside those staff increased what they had to do rather than freeing up their time. Continue reading...
Schools closed and bus thrown off road in most powerful storm for decades, while snow ends dry spell in HimalayasThis week brought the strongest storm so far of the 2023-24 European season, as Storm Ingunn slammed into Norway on Wednesday with hurricane-force winds. A deep, multi-centred area of low pressure intensified as it moved eastwards towards Scandinavia, displaying signs of possible sting jet activity as it approached the Norwegian coast. A sting jet is a narrow channel of very strong winds - often more than 100mph - that can form when low pressure systems strengthen rapidly, with these winds descending from upper levels towards the surface.The storm deepened to a lowest central pressure of 940hPa on Wednesday evening, approaching Norway's official low pressure record of 938.5hPa, set in 1907. The storm is the most powerful Norway has seen in decades, with sustained winds equivalent to those from a Category 1 hurricane. Gusts of 80-100mph were widespread along the west coast during Wednesday afternoon and overnight, with the Norwegian Meteorological Society announcing on Thursday a strongest confirmed gust of 115mph at Sklinna Lighthouse on the island of Heimoya, to the north of Trondheim. Some reports from the Faroe Islands suggest that gusts there could have reached up to 155mph, but these numbers are unconfirmed at the time of writing. Continue reading...
Father of Dareen Nuru says they have been told to move out of south London flat but have nowhere else to goThe family of a one-year-old girl sent to hospital six times because of damp and mould in their south London flat say they are scared about her health and have pleaded for help from their local council.The parents say their daughter's plight has dark echoes of the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, who died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by what an expert at his inquest described as extensive mould. Continue reading...
Out-of-court settlement reached with law firm acting for customers who have been left owing big sumsOne of Britain's biggest high street banks has agreed a payout to settle a case involving unfair" mortgages - giving hope to thousands of people who have been left owing huge sums.On the eve of a trial set to last six weeks, Bank of Scotland - part of Lloyds Banking Group - and a law firm representing 160 current and former customers reached an out-of-court settlement that means the bank will not face a public grilling. Continue reading...
Kenya's Red Cross said it had taken 271 people to different hospitals across the capital of NairobiGas explosions at an industrial building in Kenya's capital sent a huge plume of fiery smoke rising over homes, killing at least three people and injuring hundreds, authorities reported.Kenya's Red Cross posted on X that it had successfully evacuated 271 individuals to different health facilities in Nairobi." Continue reading...
Australia to send delegation to NZ very shortly' to brief on second pillar of Aukus alliance after ministers meet in MelbourneNew Zealand has stepped up its interest in joining the non-nuclear pillar of Aukus, amid China's growing presence in the Pacific and broader concerns over a reshaped world".New Zealand's foreign minister Winston Peters - also a deputy prime minister - and the defence minister, Judith Collins, travelled to Melbourne to meet with their Australian counterparts, Penny Wong and Richard Marles, for the inaugural 2+2" Australia and New Zealand foreign and defence ministers' meeting on Thursday. Continue reading...
Subsidiary of EnQuest, which was fined in 2022 for illegal gas flaring, awarded one of 24 new drilling licencesAn oil and gas company owned by a major Tory donor, which has been fined for illegal flaring, has been awarded a licence to drill for fossil fuels by the government.This week, the government granted the right to drill for fossil fuels in 24 new licence areas across the North Sea. One of the licences was given to EnQuest Heather, a subsidiary of EnQuest. Continue reading...
A 7.8-magnitude quake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on 6 February 2023, killing more than 40,000 people and erasing entire cities. Then and now photographs show the scale of devastation and the enormity of the reconstructionOver 65 nightmarish seconds of the pre-dawn hours of 6 February 2023, the ground swallowed swathes of entire cities across south-east Turkey resulting in more than 50,000 deaths.Bridges collapsed, roads and airport tarmacs cracked and millions of lives across 11 Turkish provinces were upturned by the time the rest of the country woke up, stunned. Continue reading...
Children's parents and those who performed the procedure are in police custody, according to local reportsPolice in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM).Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country's North West province last month, according to local reports. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6JAP2)
Aslef union's latest four-day action in pay dispute involves drivers for multiple train companiesIndustrial action will cause severe disruption to rail travel this weekend, with 24-hour strikes and an overtime ban by train drivers affecting all Britain's long-distance routes over the next four days.Strikes by drivers in the Aslef union will stop most London-Edinburgh trains on the east coast mainline on Friday, and all trains on the west coast mainline running from the capital to Glasgow on Saturday, when passengers in the Midlands will also be particularly hard hit. Continue reading...
First cameras were torn down by someone calling themselves Fleximan - now traffic calming measures are being targetedRenzo Bergamini, the mayor of Gualtieri, was on his way to buy the newspapers on Tuesday morning when he noticed something was amiss with one of the two speed humps positioned on the town's ring road.I saw that the sections of the hump were slightly misaligned," he said. The bolts had been unscrewed." Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6JAP4)
Exclusive: Staff and councillors at 36 local authorities accused of financial crime in past decade with dozens arrested and convictedLawyers have raised alarm at the lack of oversight in local government, as a Guardian analysis found almost one in 10 councils in the UK have been subject to a corruption investigation in the past decade.Across the UK, 36 local authorities have had councillors and staff accused of economic crimes including fraud and the misuse of public funds, with dozens arrested and convicted. Continue reading...
by Presented by Dharna Noor, produced by Danielle Ste on (#6JAP5)
A year ago on 3 February a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in a small village on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. A few days after the derailment, officials decided to vent and burn the chemicals it was carrying to prevent an explosion.Those still living in East Palestine and the surrounding communities have been told the air they breathe is safe, but many aren't confident in what they're being told.So what led to the derailment? What's changed in terms of legislation to make sure this kind of accident doesn't happen again? And how are residents coming together to advocate for their safety and that of fellow Americans in the future?The Guardian's fossil fuels and climate reporter, Dharna Noor, travelled to East Palestine to see for herself what's changed in the 12 months since the disasterArchive: ABC News, CBS News, NTSB, NBC News, SMART Union, WFMJ, WKYC, WTRF Continue reading...
by Helen Livingstone (now), Léonie Chao-Fong, Martin on (#6J9S1)
This blog is now closing. You can read all our coverage of the Middle East and the Israel-Gaza war here.Israeli media reports that Hamas representatives are again conducting talks in Cairo on the outlines of a possible hostage deal, with Egypt and Qatar mediating.Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that two Palestinian men have been shot and wounded overnight by Israeli security forces during a raid on the Isreali-occupied West Bank city of Tubas. Continue reading...
by Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin in Taipei on (#6JAMY)
As Beijing has increased its efforts to recruit Taiwanese people, the number of spying cases has risenIn November, a Taiwan court heard accusations that two serving soldiers had accepted bribes from Chinese agents to record a video declaring their loyalty to China and their intention to defect in the event of a war. The video reportedly made its way into Chinese propaganda materials.Weeks later, a conviction over a similar accusation was upheld against a retired army colonel. The colonel was found guilty of having accepted monthly payments totalling more than half a million Taiwan dollars (12,500) to delay his retirement for years and serve as a spy. Local media reports said the colonel also posed for a photo holding a handwritten note, pledging his loyalty to Beijing's cause of annexing Taiwan to the Chinese state. Continue reading...
Research shows the statue held by Tasmania's Maritime Museum was created in the 1830s, likely as a satirical depiction of George Arthur, the fourth governor of Van Diemen's Land
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6JAM8)
Experts blame austerity as rate of advance in improving prognosis has slowed markedly since 2010Progress on cancer survival in the UK has slowed to its lowest rate in 50 years, a report has found, with experts blaming the impact of austerity on the nation's health.The study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, commissioned by Cancer Research UK, projects there will be half a million new cancer cases each year in the UK by 2040. Continue reading...
Foreign secretary suggests after a ceasefire, UK would not need to wait for end of what could be years of talks on a two-state solutionThe UK could officially recognise a Palestinian state after a ceasefire in Gaza without waiting for the outcome of what could be years of talks between Israel and the Palestinians on a two-state solution, David Cameron has said.Speaking during a visit on Thursday to Lebanon intended to tamp down regional tensions, the foreign secretary said no recognition could come while Hamas remained in Gaza, but that it could take place while Israeli negotiations with Palestinian leaders were continuing. Continue reading...
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