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Exclusive: Vivienne Hammond says she learned what her husband had suffered in secret for 20 years by watching ITV dramaThe widow of a sub-post office operator accused of misappropriating funds in the Post Office Horizon scandal has spoken of her anguish that he died before his name could be cleared.Vivienne Hammond, 88, told the Guardian that she was traumatised to discover what her late husband, Dennis, must have suffered in secret during the last 20 years of his life when she watched ITV's dramatisation of the scandal, in which more than 2,500 post office operators were wrongly accused of theft because of a glitch in a new accounting software system. The series, Mr Bates vs The Post office, has led to new calls for victims to be exonerated. Continue reading...

Data shows 14 of 25 blocks built by development arm of Rydon have issues and only two have had repairs completedMore than half of the residential blocks built by the company responsible for installing the deadly cladding on the Grenfell Tower have been found to have life-critical" fire safety issues, it can be revealed.Government figures analysed by the Guardian show the development arm of Rydon, the company that installed the flammable cladding which was the primary cause of the spreading fire that killed 72 Grenfell residents, has built 25 residential blocks across England and 14 have been found to have issues. Continue reading...

US secretary of state meets Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv in start of tour aimed at de-escalating war across regionIntense fighting, shelling and aerial bombardment has continued across the south and centre of Gaza as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, met top Israeli officials in Tel Aviv on a regional tour aimed at reaching a consensus on the territory's future and stopping an escalation of the war across the Middle East.US officials said Blinken told Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, on Tuesday that his forces must avoid inflicting further harm on civilians in Gaza. Continue reading...

Rules reintroduced as commonsense measure' despite opposition from some regional administrationsFace masks will be mandatory in hospitals and health centres in Spain from Wednesday as the country experiences a surge in cases of flu, Covid and other respiratory illnesses.The government decision, which comes six months after the use of masks ceased to be obligatory in health facilities and pharmacies, has been met with opposition from some regional administrations. Continue reading...

The prosecution case against Bethany Cox, 22, relied on 1861 law condemned as cruel and outdated by campaignersProsecutors have offered no evidence against a woman accused of using drugs to bring about an illegal abortion as the first UK coronavirus lockdown ended.Bethany Cox, 22, was on Tuesday formally found not guilty of charges that had been brought under a Victorian law condemned as cruel and outdated by campaigners - the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. Continue reading...

Online fashion retailer wants to ensure efficiency at sites including Leicester as its sales fallThe fast fashion company Boohoo is considering closing a factory that it set up in Leicester as a model for its efforts to improve the treatment of workers making its clothing.The struggling online retailer is consulting with up to 100 workers at the site just two years after it was opened to great fanfare with the intention of using it for supplier learning and development", creating 170 jobs. Continue reading...

Attorney for Michael Roman, an ex-staffer for the former president, claims Fani Willis continues to benefit' from litigationOne of Donald Trump's co-defendants in his Georgia election interference case has alleged that Fani Willis - the district attorney leading the proceeding - has been engaged in a personal, romantic relationship" with one of the top prosecutors she brought in for the case.In a court filing seeking to have charges against him dismissed, an attorney for Michael Roman - an ex-staffer of the former president - has accused Willis of intentionally failing to disclose a relationship with the prosecutor, Nathan Wade, and personally benefiting from his appointment to the case. Continue reading...

Party to ask for details of individual relocation costs and any payments to the Rwandan government

The industry's revival is remarkable for a sector once synonymous with the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus pandemicThe cruise line industry has come roaring back to life, marking a remarkable revival for a sector once synonymous with the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.The record number of passengers now cruising to Australian ports, which surpasses the pre-pandemic era, is credited to aggressive pricing strategies enticing customers away from high air fares and expensive hotels.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Former minister Craig Emerson has been named to lead a review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct

Artificial intelligence enables criminals to target thousands of victims at once, say Europol expertsArtificial intelligence, combined with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, is fuelling a boom in fraud on dating and social media apps, officials at Europol have said.Speaking to the Guardian, the agency's top financial crime experts said scripts generated by artificial intelligence enable criminals to target multiple victims at once. Continue reading...

Majority of flood warnings in south of England and Midlands, with some snow flurries overnightMore than 100 flood warnings remain in place after last week's Storm Henk deluge as large parts of the UK endured a cold, frosty morning.The Environment Agency (EA) said there were 126 flood warnings in England where flooding is expected, including a flood warning on the River Thames south-west of London in Wraysbury. Continue reading...

Retailer's move comes after some shoppers said more than $1,000 had been taken from their accounts

MSG says it cannot continue to take part in process that was political football between rival parties'The US company behind a proposed huge Las Vegas-style Sphere entertainment venue in east London has withdrawn its plans.Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) said it could not continue to participate in a process that was merely a political football between rival parties". Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Since Mr Bates v The Post Office aired on ITV, dozens of people affected have come forward to seek recompense for their ruined lives Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. It is almost a quarter of a century since a new digital accounting system was rolled out across the Post Office. In 2000, sub-postmaster Alan Bates first reported his concerns about unexplained discrepancies in the Horizon software. It is 15 years since Computer Weekly first revealed the stories of some of the sub-postmasters who had been wrongly fined or imprisoned after convictions for false accounting, five years since the first tranche of 555 workers won a landmark legal victory against the Post Office, and two years since a public inquiry started to hear evidence into the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history.And yet the story is far from over. Today, only 93 of 736 convictions have been overturned, and only 30 people have accepted final compensation settlements. Now, an ITV drama centred on Bates' story has brought a new focus to the scandal - and yesterday, ministers agreed urgent plans to clear the victims' names.Gaza | The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has arrived in Tel Aviv for potentially difficult meetings with Israeli leaders and officials who have repeatedly resisted pressure from Washington over their conduct of the war against Hamas. Tensions in the region continued to rise on Monday with an Israeli airstrike killing an elite Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon.Education | Student loans in England will cost the government an extra 11bn a year - equivalent to 16% of all schools spending in England - because of higher interest rates increasing the cost of borrowing, new analysis suggests. The Institute for Fiscal Studies says that a spike in rates paid by the government means that it will now lose money even on loans that are repaid in full.Climate crisis | The internationally agreed threshold to prevent the Earth from spiraling into a new superheated era will be passed for all practical purposes" during 2024, the man known as the godfather of climate science has warned. James Hansen told the Guardian: We are now in the process of moving into the 1.5C world."Boeing | United Airlines has found loose bolts and other installation issues" on multiple 737 Max 9 aircraft, it said yesterday, referring to the Boeing model that was grounded after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated plane mid-flight. As Boeing shares fell 8% on Monday, Alaska Airlines said its technicians had found loose hardware" on some of its 737 Max 9 aircraft.Conservatives | Rishi Sunak has refused to endorse Helen Harrison, partner of the disgraced former MP Peter Bone, to replace Bone as the Conservative candidate in the Wellingborough byelection. Harrison's selection drew controversy after local voters triggered a recall of Bone because of revelations about his behaviour. Continue reading...

After being elected to Valencia's regional assembly, Galceran says she wants to be seen as a person, not for her disabilityFor decades she battled to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities were part of the conversation. The extent of the progress she had made, however, was laid bare recently when Mar Galceran became Spain's first parliamentarian with Down's syndrome.It's unprecedented," the 45-year-old told the Guardian. Society is starting to see that people with Down's syndrome have a lot to contribute. But it's a very long road." Continue reading...

More than 11,300 readers have so far donated to campaign in support of refugee and asylum seeker charities

Legislation would put legal duty on councils to keep register of children not in school amid historically high absence levelsA Labour government would legislate for a compulsory national register of home-schooled children as part of a package of measures designed to tackle the problem of persistent absence in schools in England.The proposed legislation would place a legal duty on councils to keep a register of all children who are not in school, and on parents to provide information about their child's education at home. Continue reading...

Madeleine King says she is extremely disappointed' while the opposition criticises Labor for embarrassing failure' on industry policy

Response to ITV show on Horizon IT fallout includes 1m-strong petition to strip ex-Post Office boss of CBE

Arctic Ice argues its rare, pure product can be part of Greenland's green transition and greater independenceFrozen daiquiri anyone? Drinking a cocktail on top of a Dubai skyscraper may seem decadent enough, but a Greenland entrepreneur wants to add ancient glacier ice scooped from the fjords to the glass, for the ultimate international thrill.Arctic Ice harvests ice from the fjords of Greenland, and then ships them to the United Arab Emirates to sell to exclusive bars. Using glacial ice in drinks is a common practice in Greenland, and, over the years, several entrepreneurs have unsuccessfully attempted to export it. Its co-founder Malik V Rasmussen said the ice, which has been compressed over millennia, is completely without bubbles and melts more slowly than regular ice. It is also purer than the frozen mineral water usually used in Dubai's ice cubes. Continue reading...

James Dalamangas was allegedly involved in the death of George Giannopoulos in a Sydney nightclub in 1999Australian police are issuing a global plea to locate one of the country's most wanted men who they say fled to Greece after allegedly stabbing a man to death in a Sydney nightclub 25 years ago.James Dalamangas is wanted over his alleged involvement in the murder of George Giannopoulos in Belmore, in Sydney's south-west, in April 1999. Continue reading...

Prosecutors provide details of crime scene in court as they seek DNA samples from girl accused of stabbing a woman to death

Marcellus Otero, 19, tells reporters he will plead guilty to some of the charges after appearing at Burwood local court on Tuesday

Conscription will not cover women, says Ukrainian MP; Russian warplane accidentally' drops bomb; Black Sea corridor moves 15m tonnes of cargo

The increased cost of borrowing has left the government with an 11bn annual shortfall, according to the IFSStudent loans in England are expected to cost the government an extra 11bn a year as a result of higher interest rates massively increasing the cost of borrowing, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.The IFS said the huge additional cost was not reflected in either of the government's official measures of the cost of student loans. This means that the loss of more than 10bn is not being captured in official figures," it said. Continue reading...

Action on Armed Violence says 33,846 were killed or wounded by airstrikes, bombs or artillery, the most it has recorded

Christmas parties, Netflix and cinema releases such as Wonka attract spending in DecemberThe crucial pre-Christmas shopping period failed to be a gift for retailers, as consumers reined in spending on presents, preferring instead to spend their money on going out, according to the latest surveys.Christmas parties and cinema releases such as Wonka spurred spending in December, while the yuletide shopping frenzy fizzled", according to Barclays spending figures. Continue reading...

Taylor Swift dominates album market, while best-performing track is Miley Cyrus's FlowersSales of CDs rose last year for the first time in two decades, helping to lift the UK's total spending on music to the highest level since the days when Destiny's Child, Limp Bizkit and David Gray were topping the album charts.The value of all music sales - including spending on streaming, vinyl, CDs and downloads - rose 9.6% in 2023 to reach 2.2bn, just 0.08% shy of the record 22 years earlier, according to the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA). Continue reading...

The West Bank had already experienced the highest levels of unrest in decades during the 18 months preceding the 7 October 2023 attackThe World Health Organization (WHO) said it had been compelled to cancel a mission to bring medical supplies to northern Gaza on Sunday after failing to receive security guarantees, Reuters reports.It was the fourth time WHO had had to call off a planned mission to bring urgently needed medical supplies to Al-Awda Hospital and the central drug store in northern Gaza since 26 December it said. Continue reading...

Aircraft model has been grounded after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated plane mid-flight on SaturdayUnited Airlines has found loose bolts and other installation issues" on multiple 737 Max 9 aircraft, it said on Monday, referring to the Boeing model that has been grounded after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated plane mid-flight over the weekend.The industry publication Air Current reported that United found discrepant bolts on other parts on at least five panels that were being inspected following the accident. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing declined to comment. Continue reading...

Domestic violence expert says Majors turned to classic defense' to seek sympathyJust weeks after receiving a guilty verdict in the misdemeanor assault and harassment trial involving his ex-girlfriend, Jonathan Majors is still denying the charges. Asked whether he accepted the conviction for third-degree reckless assault, which carries a penalty of up to a year behind bars, Majors told Good Morning America: I was reckless with her heart, not with her body."In the 34-year-old former Marvel actor's first interview since his physical altercation with the British dancer Grace Jabbari last March, he wiped away tears and choked back emotion. Nicole Bedera, a sociologist who studies sexual violence, said the conversation featured hallmark tactics of Darvo, an acronym for deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender. He's denying the reality that's being put in front of him and attacking the victim by suggesting that she's the one who's actually mistreating him," says Bedera. It's the classic defense of men who have behaved badly and are looking for empathy." Continue reading...

US secretary of state poised for meetings with leaders who have so far proved resistant to pressure from WashingtonThe US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has landed in Israel for potentially difficult meetings with Israeli leaders and officials who have repeatedly proved resistant to pressure from Washington over their conduct of the war against Hamas.Blinken flew late on Monday night from the Saudi oasis town of AlUla where he held talks with the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, on a Middle East tour aimed at reaching a consensus on Gaza's future. Continue reading...

Government draws up plans to speed up process of justice for those who were wrongfully convicted as public pressure growsMinisters have drawn up urgent plans to clear the names of hundreds of post office operators who were wrongly convicted of theft and fraud in the Horizon IT scandal as the government scrambled to get on the front foot over the major miscarriage of justice.The justice secretary, Alex Chalk, will hold talks with the senior judiciary to confirm how the convictions can be overturned as soon as possible, so victims can have speedier access to millions of pounds of compensation. Continue reading...

Starmer says Labour would take pre-emptive action as minister confirms 2,000 homes have been flooded by Storm HenkMinisters have been accused of doing little more than staring out of the window and watching the rain come down" as it was revealed that 2,000 homes have been flooded by Storm Henk.Labour called for a new taskforce to be created that would meet before the winter storms hit to pinpoint the areas most at risk and protect threatened homes and businesses. Continue reading...

War zone NGO holds clinics for traumatised migrants at RAF Wethersfield in James Cleverly's Braintree constituencyA medical NGO known for emergency relief in war zones is treating asylum seekers housed in a disused airbase in the James Cleverly's constituency, the Guardian can reveal.Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is offering thrice-weekly clinics to people contained by the Home Office in RAF Wethersfield, Essex, which is based in the home secretary's Braintree constituency. Continue reading...

US defense secretary retains Biden's confidence, says White House spokesperson after Austin secretly spent three days in hospitalThe White House has said that the US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, will stay in his job but noted his lack of transparency" and called for a review of procedures after he spent three days in hospital without informing the president.The White House spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, also said that Austin retained Biden's confidence, and John Kirby, the national security council (NSC) spokesperson, told reporters on Air Force One: There is no plan for anything other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lib Dem leader has been criticised for letting victims down when he was postal affairs minister between 2010 and 2012

Charities say move is deeply concerning', while Office for National Statistics claims data was not accurate enoughAn official count of the deaths of homeless people would no longer be published in England and Wales under proposals to increase the efficiency of health data that campaigners have called callous".In a move that advocates for homeless people fear will increase the invisibility of the most vulnerable and amount to sweeping the problem under the rug, the Office for National Statistics is consulting on dropping the annual bulletin, which showed an estimated 741 deaths among homeless people in 2021. Continue reading...

Second female prime minister of Fifth Republic resigns after days of speculation about reshuffle, with Le Pen party ahead in pollsFrance's prime minister Elisabeth Borne has resigned after days of increasingly feverish speculation about an imminent government reshuffle.Emmanuel Macron, who is seeking to give a new impetus to his second mandate before European parliament elections and the Paris Olympics this summer, said on Monday he thanked Borne with all his heart" for her exemplary work in the service of the nation". Continue reading...

Actor and musician also calls for more funding for youth services as part of campaign to end youth knife violenceIdris Elba has called for more urgent action on youth knife violence - including the immediate banning of machetes and zombie" knives, and more funding for youth services - saying the time for excuses and delays is over.Speaking to the Guardian on Monday, the star of Luther and The Wire said society was capable of coming together to solve the problem, adding that experts in youth services and bereaved families needed to be able to sit in the same room as politicians and the police, among others, to achieve that. Continue reading...

Hundreds of men shown making fascist salutes during gathering outside Italian Social Movement headquartersItalian opposition leaders have called on Giorgia Meloni's rightwing government to ban neofascist groups after a chilling video emerged of hundreds of men making fascist salutes during an event in Rome.The crowd was gathered outside the former headquarters of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a neofascist party founded after the second world war which eventually morphed into Meloni's Brothers of Italy party. Continue reading...

Numerous people have been criticised for their role in widespread miscarriage of justice that affected thousandsOver a 16-year period the Post Office wrongfully accused about 3,500 branch owner-operators of theft, fraud and false accounting, resulting in more than 700 prosecutions, despite knowing from at least 2010 that there were faults in the Horizon IT system.To date no Post Office staff or suppliers have been punished. Here are some of those involved who still have questions to answer for their role in what has frequently been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history. Continue reading...

James Atkinson, 23, who died in 2020, described by parents as having a gift of making others happy'A 23-year-old man with a peanut allergy who died after eating a slice of takeaway pizza ordered through Deliveroo has been described by his parents as someone who brightened everyone's day and lived life to the full.An inquest opened on Monday into the death of James Atkinson, a Newcastle University computer science graduate who had found his dream job" as a computer programmer in the city. Continue reading...

When a computer system installed by the Post Office malfunctioned, it led to the convictions of scores of subpostmasters for theft and false accounting. Lives were wrecked. After an ITV dramatisation brought new attention to the case, the Metropolitan police said they had commenced a criminal fraud investigation in relation to the Post Office. Today we re-run our episodes from 2021 on the scandal in fullThis episode was originally published on 10 May 2021.When the Post Office installed a new accounting system called Horizon across its branches in 1999, it hoped to bring a lumbering and much-loved institution into the 21st century. What happened next resulted in one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in English legal history. Continue reading...

Inquest opens into death of 13-year-old black boy allegedly pushed into river in Ferndale in summer 2019The mother of a boy who died after allegedly being pushed into a river in Wales has told his inquest her family was the victim of a string of racist attacks in the years beforehand and claimed the police failed to protect them.Christopher Kapessa, 13, an unconfident swimmer, died after plunging about 2.5 metres (8ft) from a ledge at a bridge over the River Cynon in the town of Ferndale, south Wales, in summer 2019. Continue reading...

Nino Frassica is under investigation after local people said they were accused of involvement in the disappearance of his pet HiroAn Italian actor is being investigated by prosecutors for defamation, stalking and incitement to criminal activity after allegedly implicating his neighbours in the disappearance of his cat, amid a widespread search for the feline which has caused turbulence" among the people of a small hilltop town.The curious case of the missing cat began in September, when Nino Frassica, who lives in the Umbrian town of Spoleto when filming Don Matteo, a Rai TV series, announced the disappearance of Hiro in a post on Instagram. Continue reading...

Ousman Sonko is accused of supporting repressive policies and was arrested in Bern in 2017 after applying for asylum

Farmers join railway staff and lorry drivers in threatening strike action in protests over issues including pay and cuts to agricultural subsidies. This live blog is closed

UK at risk of falling behind' in its military support for Ukraine, former defence minister warns; Russia can be reined in under international law - Zelenskiy