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UNRWA chief says humanitarian work in Gaza compromised after donors froze funds over alleged Hamas linksThe UN agency for Palestinian refugees has been forced to stretch every dollar" and juggle its finances in order to continue vital work in Gaza after 18 donor countries suspended funding over allegations of links to Hamas.The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is facing a shortfall of $450m from a budget of $880m as it confronts the biggest humanitarian crisis seen in the organisation's 75-year history. Continue reading...

Study by University of Oxford says prosecutions include children and victims of trafficking and tortureHundreds of people, including children and victims of trafficking and torture, have been convicted and jailed for arriving in the UK in small boats to claim asylum, according to a report.The prosecutions have largely slipped under the radar, although the issue has been highlighted by the case of the Senegalese teenager Ibrahima Bah. He was sentenced to nine years and six months detention after being convicted of four counts of manslaughter and one of facilitating a breach of immigration law after steering an overcrowded dinghy that got into difficulty, leading to the drowning of at least four people. Continue reading...

Disappointment in the candidates is palpable in the town, where people feel let down and neglected by the main partiesByelections are traditionally a chance for voters to lodge a protest vote. But when the people of Rochdale go to the polls on Thursday, they have barely anyone to protest against.The Labour and Green parties have ditched their candidates. The Conservative was abroad on a long-planned family holiday the week before polling day. The Lib Dem remains, but pulled out of the most high-profile political event, a local BBC radio debate. Continue reading...

Demonstration against Welsh Labour policy included No Farmers No Food campaign calling for end to climate measures, and Welsh Tory leaderRishi Sunak attended a protest alongside a group which has posted conspiracy theories about climate change, and which campaigns against net zero, the Observer can reveal.The prime minister has been accused of pandering to extremists" by farmers and wildlife groups, who have asked him to listen to reason and logic" rather than conspiracy theories. Continue reading...

NSW police commissioner Karen Webb expresses heartfelt condolences' to the families and friends of alleged murder victims Jesse Baird and Luke Davies

Fears for impact on NHS workforce as leaked letter reveals ministers stall on aim to increase trainee doctors to 15,000 by 2031Ministers have dramatically stalled plans to double the number of doctors being trained in England by 2031 in a move that has caused dismay across the NHS, as well in medical schools and universities, the Observer can reveal.In June last year, ministers backed a long-term plan to expand the NHS workforce and pledged, amid great fanfare, to double medical school places by 2031 from 7,500 today to 15,000, with more medical school places in areas with the greatest shortages to level up training and help address geographic inequity". Labour is also committed to raising the number of doctors to 15,000 by 2031. Continue reading...

The earthquake hit parts of the Ishikawa region on New Year's Day killing 241 people and sparking a major fire, water remains cut off to some areasJapan will spend an additional $660m rebuilding areas ravaged by a devastating New Year's Day earthquake, prime minister Fumio Kishida said, taking the total amount of relief to $1.7bn.The new financial aid was announced by the prime minister on Saturday as he visited the quake-hit areas. Continue reading...

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SS Nemesis sank in rough seas with 32 crew off the coast of Wollongong in 1904

Christopher Nolan's historical epic picked up three major acting awards while The Bear and Succession shared the big TV winsChristopher Nolan's hit biopic Oppenheimer has dominated this year's Screen Actors Guild awards.The cast of the biographical epic won for best ensemble, ahead of Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon. Cillian Murphy picked up male actor in a leading role, which was also contested by Paul Giamatti and Jeffrey Wright. This is extremely, extremely special to me because it comes from you guys," he told the audience at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Continue reading...

At a fundraising sausage sizzle ahead of the rally, Kennedy quoted the words of her father explaining why the US wanted to land a man on the moon

G7 leaders urge additional support after defiant Zelenskiy hosts western leaders; Navalny's body handed over to his mother

Police said the guard was allegedly punched by a patron who had been asked to leave the venue

Firefighters continue to battle blazes as they brace for temperatures to exceed 40C in western parts of the state this week

Joint statement says 18 sites across eight locations were targeted, including missile storage facilitiesThe US and UK carried out strikes against 18 Houthi targets including underground weapons and missile storage facilities in Yemen on Saturday in the latest round of military action against the Iran-linked group that continues to attack shipping in the region.The strikes were against Houthi targets across eight locations and also included air defence systems, radars, and a helicopter, officials said. Continue reading...

Jason Clare responds to the launch of a major review of Australia's tertiary sector

Politicians from Conservative and Labour parties get close protection and chauffeur-driven vehiclesThree female MPs have been given bodyguards and chauffeur-driven cars after concerns about their safety, it was reported. Representatives of the Conservative and Labour parties had their security upgraded after a risk assessment, according to the Sunday Times.The MPs, who have not been named, have been given close protection by private companies and chauffeur-driven vehicles. Many MPs are petrified by the abuse they are facing," a senior security source told the newspaper. Continue reading...

Froglets from species classed as near-threatened arrive for the second time at Cotswolds wildlife parkA frog species that is in a perilous state" due to an infectious disease has been successfully bred at a wildlife park in Oxfordshire.Keepers at the Cotswold wildlife park in Burford have again bred the near-threatened cinnamon frog, four years after it became only the second zoological collection in Europe to breed the species. Continue reading...

Ukraine's president met the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium in a show of unity after recent battlefield defeatsVolodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed western leaders to Kyiv on Saturday on the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, declaring that Vladimir Putin must lose absolutely everything".Ukraine's president met the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium - Giorgia Meloni, Justin Trudeau and Alexander De Croo - as well as the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Continue reading...

The sentence, passed in absentia, is part of the country's crackdown on opponents of president Kais SaiedA court in Tunisia sentenced former president Moncef Marzouki to eight years in prison in absentia as part of the country's crackdown on opponents of president Kais Saied.The judgment came as prominent opposition figure Jaouhar Ben Mbarek was sentenced to six months in prison. Continue reading...

Historic landmark closed for about an hour as activists call for ceasefire to the conflict in GazaPolice were forced to close Tower Bridge to vehicles and pedestrians following a protest by pro-Palestine demonstrators.Some activists were seen lighting flares and waving Palestinian flags and calling for a ceasefire to the ongoing violence in Gaza, according to footage on social media. The landmark was closed by City of London police at about 5.30pm on Saturday before being reopened approximately an hour later. Continue reading...

Dismay at blatant price gouging' and distrust of Woolworths and Coles are among the responses to a Guardian Australia callout

Hundreds of premature deaths of Australians experiencing homelessness a national tragedy', AMA president Prof Steve Robson says

French president greeted by whistles from hundreds of demonstrators as some clash with policeHundreds of protesting farmers clashed with police in Paris as Emmanuel Macron toured the annual agricultural fair on Saturday. The French president had opened the fair as angry farmers blew whistles and shouted insults.Riot police initially kept the protesters at a safe distance as he toured the fair, tasting honey from Normandy and cheeses from the Alps, and shaking hands with exhibitors. But as he entered the fair's livestock area, hundreds of demonstrators crashed the gates and clashed with police. Continue reading...

In Doncaster, at the insurgent rightwing party's biggest ever' gathering, one absence is on everybody' lipsOn a sunny day at Doncaster racecourse, those gathered for Reform UK's biggest ever party conference" were presented with a dizzying array of pledges to cut tax and freeze non-essential" immigration as its leading lights published a programme to save Britain". Yet even as the sun beamed down, the shadow of one absent figure seemed to hang over proceedings.There was a jubilant mood at the South Yorkshire gathering as they cheered leader Richard Tice's demands for an inquiry into vaccine harms, to break with the World Health Organization and to fire headteachers who refused to drop critical race theory". Continue reading...

Closed-door negotiations in Paris and UN efforts in New York yield conflicting reports of progress, but city of Rafah remains in Israel's firing lineA closed-door meeting of spy chiefs, military officials and diplomats has briefly renewed hopes of a potential ceasefire deal amid fierce debates at the United Nations, but observers have warned that time is running out to make progress and prevent a looming Israeli offensive on Gaza's southernmost city.The secretive talks at an unknown location in Paris involved David Barnea, the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, conducting separate meetings with Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel, head of the CIA William Burns and Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. Continue reading...

London mayor condemns Rishi Sunak for ignoring comments that accused him of being controlled by Islamists'Sadiq Khan has accused Lee Anderson of pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred" after the former Tory deputy chair said Islamists had got control" of London and its mayor.The mayor of London said Anderson's comments were Islamophobic and put across the notion that Muslims were fair game" when it came to racism. Continue reading...

Spokesperson for the Russian opposition politician, who died in prison last week, said funeral arrangements are still to be determinedKing Charles III praises the determination and strength" of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. The monarch said he was greatly encouraged" by the UK's efforts to support Ukraine and commended their true valour". He has said:The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year.Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely.Right now, it looks as though Russia will not take part in a first round of the conference.We're in the process of starting off with a very broad alliance consisting of the BRICS countries, countries from the Arab world, as well as from the global south. Continue reading...

RMT boss says getting rid of Tories is his number one priority' but he will not give a Labour government a free pass'Mick Lynch has said voters have to grow up a bit" and recognise Keir Starmer as the only realistic alternative to the current government, the removal of which he described as my number one priority".Last week, Labour's shadow Scottish secretary, Ian Murray, challenged prime minister Rishi Sunak to put the country out of this Tory misery" and call a general election now. Continue reading...

Remains handed to Lyudmila Navalnaya nine days after Putin critic's death in Arctic prison, say supportersThe body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother nine days after he died in an Arctic prison, his spokesperson announced on Saturday.In a post on X, Kira Yarmysh thanked all those who had demanded" the return of his body, but added that she did not know if the authorities would allow a public funeral to be held. Continue reading...

Claim by Ashfield MP that London mayor had given our capital away' to Islamists prompted widespread outrageLee Anderson has been stripped of the Conservative whip after refusing to apologise for remarks about Sadiq Khan on GB News that the London mayor described as Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist".The MP for Ashfield's comments on Friday night caused widespread outrage, and Khan accused the former Tory deputy chair on Saturday of pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred". Continue reading...

Critics of Ukraine war among dozens who may be at risk in penal system, say campaigners and journalistsJust days after the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a prison colony, human rights activists and journalists are warning that dozens of other political prisoners may be at risk of death from deliberate abuse of ill convicts in the Russian prison system.Dmitry Muratov, the Nobel-prize winning editor of Novaya Gazeta, told the Observer that Navalny's death had sent a clarion call for the world to save the Russian political prisoners who could die next. Continue reading...

Pressure has mounted on Netanyahu government to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of those kidnapped on 7 October

PM says UK will renew our determination' to support Kyiv as political leaders praise country's spirit of resistance

Universities accord also urges government to dramatically scale up access to higher education for disadvantaged groupsAccess to higher education among disadvantaged Australians must be dramatically scaled up and the financial burden of studying eased if the country is to meet acute skills shortages, a major report has found.The highly anticipated universities accord final report, being released by the education minister, Jason Clare, on Sunday, was expected to lay out the blueprint for the tertiary sector over the coming decades. Continue reading...

A new biography has revealed how the Labour leader and his allies planned his challenge in advance of the electionKeir Starmer had assembled a leadership team about six months before the Ddecember 2019 general election that led to Jeremy Corbyn's resignation as Labour leader.The team, codenamed the Arlington Group", began planning in earnest how Starmer could capture the leadership from June of that year - including a detailed breakdown of how Labour's membership could be convinced to support him. Continue reading...

Desperation of people searching for food in southern areas is making journeys north unsafe, says UN

Move comes as church faces scrutiny from politicians over conversions of asylum seekers to ChristianityA review into guidance for clergy on supporting asylum seekers is under way as a matter of urgency", the Church of England's parliament has heard alongside a claim of buck-passing" between the government and the church.The church has recently faced scrutiny from politicians over conversions of asylum seekers to Christianity, with a Conservative MP even suggesting taxpayers are being scammed" by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on the issue. Continue reading...

Government refused to publish review of system that allowed Russians now sanctioned due to Ukraine war to live in BritainThe government has been accused of a cover-up for refusing to publish a review of the so-called golden visa scheme that allowed wealthy investors, including at least 10 sanctioned Russian oligarchs, to take up residency in the UK.The Tier 1 visa scheme, whereby super-rich individuals could buy the right to live in the UK by investing in British-registered companies, was closed in February 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, amid concerns that the system was being abused. Continue reading...

Media appearances by ex-PM and former deputy Tory chair attract ire of Labour frontbench and within Tory ranksLiz Truss and Lee Anderson should both lose the Conservative whip over controversial media appearances that have caused unrest and anger within Tory ranks, campaigners and opposition politicians have said.In a letter to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, on Friday, the shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth, said egregious" remarks made by the pair cannot go unchecked or unchallenged". Continue reading...

As teenage victims are mourned across the English city, some believe the return of youth centres would keep children saferTerre Baptiste has been checking her teenage son's whereabouts compulsively since a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed two weeks ago in a park a mile away from their home in the east of Bristol.It is very worrying," says Baptiste, in her living room. Bristol isn't a perfect city. But there weren't stabbings one after the other. It was few and far between. Now it is on our doorstep." Continue reading...

Three women found with fatal knife wounds in brothel, while bodies of another woman and daughter discovered in apartmentAustrian authorities are investigating the killings of four women and a 13-year-old girl in Vienna within a day, including three found stabbed to death in a brothel.The bodies of three young women were found with fatal knife wounds in a brothel in the Austrian capital's Brigittenau district on Friday night after a witness alerted police. Continue reading...

Former BBC One controller Paul Fox says anti-Catholic prejudice was deeply embedded at the corporation during the TroublesThe British public were not told the truth about the Troubles in the 1960s and 1970s because the bloody Protestants were running the BBC in Northern Ireland", the then controller of BBC One has claimed.This is the damning judgment of one of television's most distinguished former top executives, Sir Paul Fox, who was editor of Panorama and then controller of BBC One. He firmly believes this meant that British viewers were not told the truth of what was really happening in Northern Ireland and in particular to the Catholics. Continue reading...

Ofcom is accused of not treating all broadcasters the same and of dragging its feet with investigations into the rightwing channelGB News is being allowed to violate broadcasting impartiality while Ofcom is failing to take tough action against the channel, senior broadcasting veterans have claimed.They include former ITN chief Stewart Purvis and broadcaster Adam Boulton, who expressed unease over Conservative MPs fronting GB News shows, in some cases interviewing each other. They were also concerned over the prominence of Nigel Farage, who has yet to rule out an election run for Reform. Continue reading...

Two former Labour MPs are back to haunt the party in what has been called the most radioactive byelection in living memory'Every day at 10am George Galloway rallies his troops at a Suzuki showroom just outside Rochdale town centre. In one room, boxes of leaflets are piled high against second-hand cars. In another, he takes his campaign to the airwaves.Earlier this week when MPs raised fears for their safety amid the increasingly fraught votes on Gaza, Galloway told thousands of supporters online that the names of Keir Starmer's team were dripping in blood". Continue reading...

Leeds building society believes it is the first to restrict new lending for holiday homes in Norfolk and YorkshireA leading building society is trialling a ban on new holiday-let mortgages in some popular tourist destinations.Campaigners say the move by Leeds building society could improve the situation for local residents currently struggling to buy or rent in parts of Norfolk and Yorkshire that have seen a surge in the number of properties turned into holiday rentals. Continue reading...

As many as 10,000 people are disputing wills every year, according to estimates by specialist solicitorsThousands of families are becoming embroiled in a soaring number of inheritance disputes leading to a record volume of ruinously expensive" and emotionally gruelling court cases.As many as 10,000 people in England and Wales are disputing wills every year, according to estimates by specialist solicitors. In 2021-22, 195 disputes went in front of judges, up from 145 in 2017, but these are the tip of the iceberg, with most disputes settled out of court. Continue reading...

Concerns that draconian' plans, which are intended to prevent confusion among shoppers, would push up pricesDairy alternatives such as I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Alpro's This Is Not M*lk may have to change their names if draconian" new rules to prevent shoppers confusing plant-based with real dairy products are imposed.With trading standards officials thought to be on the brink of issuing new guidance, including a ban on the use of words and phrases like m*lk", cheeze" and not milk" on labels, the Plant-based Food Alliance UK (PbFA) will next week make a last-ditch appeal to the environment secretary to intervene. Continue reading...

Ukrainian military claims it shot down Russian spy plane; Ukraine marks second anniversary of war; Russian drones kill one in Odesa attack

Agency says an unnamed supplier may have provided contaminated mulch at Cranebrook and Bardia