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Andy Burnham and Andy Street team up with consortium to explore options including lower-speed lineAndy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, and Andy Street, the Tory mayor of the West Midlands, have joined forces on alternative and cheaper plans for the scrapped section of HS2, warning that to do nothing is not an option".Burnham and Street shared a stage on Wednesday to put forward three options after the government abandoned the long-promised northern section of the high-speed rail line. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For more on Netanyahu's comments, you can read our latest report:

Ukraine's air force said it had intercepted 15 out of 20 drones and 29 out of 44 missilesA barrage of Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities killed five people on Wednesday and injured 50 more, including a pregnant woman.It's another massive attack against our state," president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a statement. Continue reading...

Kemi Badenoch accuses Labour leader of political point-scoring' after he condemned Rishi Sunak's comments in PMQs. This live blog is closed

Bad Seeds duo hailed by director Sam Taylor-Johnson for profoundly deep and moving' workNick Cave and Warren Ellis will score the forthcoming Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black.The film is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, who began as a visual artist before segueing to film directing, helming Nowhere Boy (whose writer, Matt Greenhalgh, has penned Back to Black's screenplay), Fifty Shades of Grey and A Million Little Pieces. Continue reading...

Robert Temple challenged Hypnotism Act in order to allow Bolton comedy show to go onIt was put in place more than 70 years ago to protect citizens from the dark arts" but now an old-fashioned law banning hypnosis and mesmerism has been overturned by a comedy hypnotist - and he did it without putting anyone under.Robert Temple was due to perform his show Red Raw, described as improvised comedy under the influence of hypnosis", to an audience of hundreds at Bolton's Albert Halls on Saturday. Continue reading...

Executive backs new measures after authors say sexual harassment is an issue within the Fire Brigades Union

Remarks by US secretary of state come after Hamas responds to Israel plan with three-stage proposal to end conflict

So called Cossack Camp' likely to be in Russia's southern city of Rostov after Anton Yelizarov confirms new units being formedRussia's upper house of parliament has asked the finance ministry to draw up a law that would impose retaliatory measures on the West if it moves against frozen Russian assets, the TASS state news agency reported.The Financial Times reported on 3 February that the G7 had drawn up plans to use frozen Russian assets as collateral to raise money to help Ukraine. Continue reading...

Families who may have been affected by hormone pregnancy tests not included in patient safety commissioner's reviewCampaigners have accused the UK government of betraying them, after a review of redress for victims of health scandals excluded families who may have been affected by the hormone pregnancy test Primodos.A report published on Wednesday by the patient safety commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, found a clear case for redress" for thousands of women and children who suffered avoidable harm" from the epilepsy treatment sodium valproate and vaginal mesh implants. Continue reading...

Experts say the 5BX regime could have benefits for the king's recovery since his recent cancer diagnosisWhile King Charles's health has been in the spotlight in recent days after his cancer diagnosis, the 75-year-old monarch has long been hailed by those around him as a fitness fan.His wife, Queen Camilla, has likened him to a mountain goat because of his love of walking, while it has also been reported that Charles performs a 12-minute Royal Canadian air force exercise plan, known as the 5BX. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Tory peer said she had no conflicts whatsoever', five months before trust received 29m of profitsThe Conservative peer Michelle Mone assured the government that she was not entitled to any financial benefit whatsoever" from a PPE company, five months before 29m of its profits were transferred into a trust for her benefit.Leaked emails between Mone and the Cabinet Office reveal that a civil servant asked her to make a declaration that she had no conflict of interest in relation to the company, PPE Medpro, which she had recommended to ministers in May 2020. Continue reading...

Final batch of one-time UK school lunchbox staple to be made this month as Swiss food firm continues clearout of older brandsWith its bright yellow wrapper a Breakaway was a UK school lunchbox favourite in the 1980s, but now life is finally imitating art with Nestle confirming that it is taking away" the chocolate-coated biscuits for ever.The final batch will roll off the Swiss food firm's production lines this month, with the decision blamed on dwindling sales of the 54-year-old brand. We know fans will be disappointed to see it go," said a Nestle spokesperson. We have seen a decline in the sales of Breakaway over the past few years and, unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue it." Continue reading...

Fear of crime in UK capital is one of biggest concerns of rich Indians, says entrepreneurIndian business people are avoiding being out and about in Mayfair over fears they could be mugged for their expensive watches after a 27% rise in theft from a person" in London, an entrepreneur has said.Devin Narang, an entrepreneur, told a meeting attended by David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, that fear of crime in London was one of the biggest concerns of India's rich elite.

Refugees crammed into the border city face a terrifying choice: stay for the expected attack, or flee back north through a war zone

Volunteers hope lure of breeding will entice mammal, named Meeko, to return homeThey're seen by some as cuddly and intelligent, by others as always-hungry pests. Either way, raccoons are not meant to be loose in Sunderland.A search for a rogue raccoon in the city has entered its seventh week with volunteers hopeful that the lure of breeding will entice the animal to return home. Continue reading...

European Commission says Viktor Orban's government is violating EU law and the principle of democracyThe European Commission has announced it is taking the first step in legal action against Hungary over a new law it said violates the principle of democracy, upping tensions with Budapest as the continent enters a fraught election season.The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, has for years clashed with Brussels over democratic norms. Continue reading...

Central criminal court cleared after fire at electrical substation near court buildings, say fire servicesThe Old Bailey in central London has been evacuated after a fire broke out near the court.The London fire brigade said it was responding to an incident at an electrical substation at the rear of the central criminal court on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Kremlin said interview was granted because Carlson was neither pro-Russian or pro-Ukrainian, unlike, it said, other western mediaThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, granted an interview to US television host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, claiming it was arranged because Carlson's approach differs from the one-sided reporting of many traditional western news media.The interview was likely to be aired on Thursday, according to Russia's Tass news agency, citing reports by the Wall Street Journal. Continue reading...

Minister met union officials and representatives from co-operative movement to discuss mutualisation

Panel said it was not satisfied releasing former singer, jailed for sexually abusing girls, was safe for publicPaul Gadd, known as the former pop star Gary Glitter, who is in prison for sexually abusing three girls, has lost a Parole Board bid to be freed.A parole hearing took place behind closed doors last month to consider the 79-year-old's case. Continue reading...

Lower mortgage rates lead to increased buyer and seller confidence, says Halifax

Ombudsman's scathing report finds agencies have little acknowledgement' of impact of detention on detainees' health

Rappers entered breakfast market with Snoop Cereal in 2023, and allege conspiracy between manufacturer Post Consumer Brands and supermarket chain Walmart to choke' startup brandRappers Snoop Dogg and Master P are suing US supermarket chain Walmart and food manufacturer Post Consumer Brands, claiming that the two companies conspired to sabotage the success of the pair's new breakfast cereal enterprise.Snoop Cereal launched last summer, with Master P hailing parent company Broadus Foods as the first Black-owned cereal company in the US: This has been going on for over 100 years, that we've been consumers and never owners, so we're changing that game." The rappers partnered with Post to produce the cereal itself. Continue reading...

Companies reach agreement over all-share offer and combined group will have turnover of more than 7bn

Greens say Israel's actions a slaughter' and Labor says other parties trying to divide our community'

Queensland government approves Winchester South mine despite report warning of potential climate change consequences'

Exclusive: As NHS targets are being missed nearly 300,000 people paid for chemotherapy in last five yearsHundreds of thousands of cancer patients in the UK are being forced to pay for private treatment amid record NHS waiting times, according to data obtained by the Guardian.The figures emerged as King Charles began treatment for the disease within days of being diagnosed. Buckingham Palace has not specified whether the king is receiving private healthcare or being treated on the National Health Service. Continue reading...

Separatist fighters who seized Phillip Mehrtens say he will be released to protect humanity and safeguard human rights, but did not say whenRebels in Indonesia's West Papua region have said they will release a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage a year ago as a bargaining chip for their independence movement.The chief of general staff of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-PB), Terianus Satto, said in a statement the pilot would be released in order to protect humanity and safeguard human rights. Continue reading...

Decision comes as grocery retailer reports 1,000 incidents a day in 2023, with shopworkers suffering physical assaultsThe Co-op is installing in its supermarkets more than 200 secure till kiosks, locked cabinets for bottles of spirits and AI technology to monitor self-checkouts after a 44% surge in retail crime last year to about 1,000 incidents a day.The grocery retailer, which has more than 2,400 stores across the UK, said its undercover security guards detained 3,361 individuals across its stores last year for a range of offences including burglary, abuse and harassment, amid a surge in physical assaults on its staff. Continue reading...

In the wake of a scathing Closing the Gap report, Indigenous groups say they are yet to see any real commitment' to action on housing emergency. This blog is now closed

People in remote homes who rely on liquid petroleum gas report being left without fuel in freezing conditionsScores of rural households have spent days without heating or hot water in subzero temperatures because of delays to their deliveries of liquid petroleum gas (LPG).About 200,000 UK homes, mostly in remote areas, rely on LPG because they are not connected to the gas network. However, some are reporting being left without fuel over Christmas, despite their accounts with their supplier being hundreds of pounds in credit. Continue reading...

The ACTU inquiry into price gouging chaired by Allan Fels strongly criticised the lack of competition in Australia's domestic aviation industry

Charges come after 14-month investigation into toddler who was declared dead upon presentation at Mackay Base hospital

Parliament's spending watchdog says cancellation of high-speed line's northern leg raises urgent questions'The cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 has raised urgent unanswered questions" and the government does not yet understand how the 67bn high-speed railway will now function, according to a scathing report from parliament's spending watchdog.The remaining London-Birmingham line will be very poor value for money", the public accounts committee of MPs said, with costs now forecast to significantly outweigh the benefits. Continue reading...

Exclusive: $9bn port, airport and military base on Great Nicobar Island will cause genocide' of isolated Shompen, academics warnAcademics from around the world have urged India to cancel a huge construction project on Great Nicobar Island, warning it would be a death sentence" for the Shompen hunter-gatherer people who live there.The $9bn (7bn) port project, planned to transform the Indian Ocean island of 8,000 inhabitants into what has been called the Hong Kong of India", includes the construction of an international shipping terminal, airport, power plant, military base and industrial park. It will also develop tourism. Continue reading...

Investigations continue into firefighting surveillance plane crash near Cloncurry, with possibility of hypoxia being examined

Ex-SAS corporal has appealed a defamation trial decision in favour of Nine and the Canberra Times over 2018 reports on alleged war crimes

Maree Mavis Crabtree, 57, granted bail after more than six years behind bars as judge points to significant shortcomings in prosecution's cases

Adam Bandt says changes to industrial relations bill mean when you clock off, you'll be able to switch off'

Studies on the attitudes of young people between the age of 16 and 29 show a serious split towards both feminism and influencers such as Andrew Tate. What's behind it?The first generation to have fully grown up online can seem confusing to older people. They dress like it is still the 00s, want to quiet quit and are super woke" - or at least that's how the cliches go. But according to new studies, that's not quite the case.Instead, generation Z is unique in being so divided, especially on the issue of gender. Studies suggest girls and young women are more likely to be hyper-progressive" while young men and boys are more likely to feel negative towards feminism compared with baby boomers. Continue reading...

Officials knew as early as December 2020 there would be pent-up demand surge' but additional staff were not engaged and trained in time, review says

The biggest price increases occur where businesses have the greatest market power, says inquiry commissioned by the ACTU

Jenny Leong says she didn't intend to reference cartoon depicting Jews as an octopus during a pro-Palestine forum in December

Kristian White, 33, will plead not guilty to manslaughter while all other charges have been withdrawn

Backbenchers tell constituents that it would not affect funding for the current year - but did not mention freeze on $6m in emergency top-up funding

British Dental Association says government's plan does not offer hope to millions struggling to access careRishi Sunak has been accused of making a U-turn on his pledge to restore NHS dentistry as experts say his new recovery plan" does not offer enough money to incentivise dentists to take on extra NHS patients.The prime minister's long-awaited proposals have been criticised for failing to ringfence funding for the dental sector and reform the NHS dentistry contract, which means millions across the country will continue to struggle to access care. Continue reading...

Premier condemns alleged racist responses as authorities and advocates say communities should not be blamed over the alleged actions of individuals

Service combining traditional sports networks and ESPN+ expected to launch this autumnFox Corp, Walt Disney's ESPN and Warner Bros Discovery will build a sports streaming platform, the companies have said.In a statement on Tuesday, the companies said the product would bring traditional sports networks and direct-to-consumer ESPN+ together. Pricing would be announced at a later date. Continue reading...

If exporters fail to obtain permission to ship the animals to Israel, the livestock on board the MV Bahijah will have to be slaughtered