Exclusive: Significant' number of staff sacked from digger firm after drug and alcohol testsJCB, one of the UK's biggest manufacturers, is investigating a spate of drug use among workers based at its headquarters and has sacked a significant" number of staff, the Guardian can reveal.A message sent to UK employees last week by the digger-maker's group human resources director, Max Jeffery, seen by the Guardian, said it had been conducting a series of investigations into substance misuse" over the past two months. This had resulted in a small but significant number of people leaving JCB". Continue reading...
Ukraine president seeks to boost morale after difficult year as Russian opponent claims to hold initiativeThe leaders of Ukraine and Russia have struck a defiant tone and vowed to reach their military goals as the war heads toward its third year.Speaking in Kyiv during his end-of-year press conference, Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought to boost the domestic mood and maintain western support that has been stuttering in recent weeks. Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah (now) ; Yohannes Lowe and Oliver Ho on (#6H8B0)
Ukraine's president is speaking to the world's media at an end-of-year press conferenceRussian air defences downed a hostile drone near Moscow on Tuesday, the city mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, has said. No casualties were reported.Two Moscow airports, Vnukovo and Domodedovo, had restricted flights, a measure often taken during drone attacks. Continue reading...
Grindavik residents had been preparing to spend Christmas back at home after being evacuatedUntil just after 10pm on Monday, when the earth opened up and spat out an otherworldly 4km-long wall of lava, Sigrun Isdal had been planning to spend Christmas at home in Grindavik with her family. Like many residents of the fishing town on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula, who were all evacuated on 10 November, she had been preparing to move back after more than a month spent in the limbo of temporary accommodation.Isdal, who works at Grindavik sports centre, had even been in the town briefly on Monday evening to pick up a few possessions, as residents have recently been allowed to do. There was just good weather and I didn't see anything," she said. Continue reading...
Jonathan Coad, who represented former Tory peer, says sorry for unwittingly misleading the mediaA lawyer who represented Michelle Mone has offered an unqualified apology" for incorrectly claiming she was not connected to a firm that received PPE contracts worth 200m during the coronavirus pandemic.Two other lawyers who acted for the former Conservative peer, telling the media she was not connected to or involved in the company, PPE Medpro, said client confidentiality limited what they could say about the matter. Continue reading...
The prime minister has been facing questions on his government's performance from senior MPs on the Commons liaison committeeSocial care leaders felt blindsided" by recently announced changes to visa rules banning care workers from bringing their families to the UK and have grave concerns" it could drive people from the sector, the Commons health committee heard this morning. PA Media has filed this from the hearing.The head of Care England, which represents social care providers across the country, criticised a lack of consultation with the sector, saying it left them particularly concerned, annoyed and irritated".Prof Martin Green, its chief executive, told the committee the system is currently already creaking at the edges" due to a lack of funding, and spoke of the chronic workforce shortage" it faces.Today's guidance does not go far enough. During the many months we have been waiting for its publication, it has become increasingly clear that non-statutory guidance will provide insufficient protection and clarity, and that a change in the law of the land is required.That is why I am today asking the government to back my private member's bill which would change the law in this area to ensure children are fully protected. Continue reading...
Couple sold mask to dealer for 150 in 2021 before it was sold to unidentified buyer for 4.2mA French couple who sold an extremely rare" African mask for 150 only to discover it was worth millions have had a request to cancel the artefact's sale thrown out in court.The couple, in their 80s, sold the wooden mask in September 2021 to a secondhand goods dealer as part of the sale of a number of antiquities including African artefacts that they had kept in their secondary home in southern France. Continue reading...
Darren Hall, 36, given life sentence for killing Sarah Henshaw, 31, after argument at her Ilkeston homeA man who murdered his ex-partner during an argument and dumped her body near a motorway layby has been jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years.Darren Hall, 36, was jailed for killing Sarah Henshaw, 31, and driving her body 20 miles before leaving it in woodland outside Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6H8P2)
Nearly half of the 4,907 drug poisoning deaths in 2022 involved an opiate, ONS figures showDrug poisoning deaths in England and Wales have risen for the 10th consecutive year to the highest level since records began 30 years ago, with nearly half of deaths now involving an opiate.There were 4,907 deaths related to drug poisoning in 2022, equivalent to a rate of 84.4 deaths per million people, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Continue reading...
Campaigners criticise 50m tie-up with fossil fuel firm to help fund masterplan' redevelopment projectCampaigners have called the British Museum astonishingly out of touch" after it announced a 10-year, 50m partnership with BP to help fund one of the biggest redevelopments in its history.On Tuesday, the museum announced the energy company would be helping to fund its ambitious masterplan" project, a redevelopment estimated to cost 1bn. Continue reading...
Many users tried to switch after they faced price rises of more than 50% at the end of their broadband dealBroadband customers claim they are trapped in costly contracts with Virgin Media five months after the telecoms regulator launched an investigation into the company's cancellation procedures.Ofcom announced its inquiry in July after complaints that Virgin was placing unnecessary barriers" in the way of customers who wanted to switch to cheaper providers after their fixed-term contracts had expired. Continue reading...
US watchdog sues Dozy Mmobuosi for allegedly faking documents and making up companies out of thin air'A Nigerian businessman who appeared to be closing in on a takeover of the Premier League football club Sheffield United is being sued by the US financial watchdog for a fraud, in which he is alleged to have faked documents and made up companies out of thin air".The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Monday it had filed charges against Dozy Mmobuosi, claiming he inflated his companies' financial performance by hundreds of millions of dollars to defraud investors. Continue reading...
Chris Heaton-Harris says it is time to restore devolved government, in comments that appeared to surprise DUP leaderTalks with the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) over post-Brexit trading arrangements have ended and it is time to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland secretary has said.The announcement by Chris Heaton-Harris on Tuesday appeared to surprise and discomfit the DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who said the party still had concerns and that talks would continue. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6H8G1)
US congressional commission has called for Li Qiaochu's release, citing reports she needs urgent medical treatmentLi Qiaochu, a human rights activist detained for nearly three years in China, has gone on trial in Shandong province charged with inciting subversion of state power".On the eve of the trial the chairs of the US congressional commission on China called for Li's unconditional release, citing reports that the labour rights and feminist activist needed urgent medical treatment. Continue reading...
Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland - due to retire in 2025 - said Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer a Senate employee'US senator Ben Cardin said he is angry" and disappointed" in a now-former staffer who allegedly recorded himself having sex in a Capitol Hill hearing room.Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Maryland Democrat declined to elaborate on either the ex-staffer or the episode, video of which was leaked. But Cardin said he considered the entire sequence a breach of trust". Continue reading...
Nicolas Puech begins legal process of adopting former gardener and cancel agreement with charityA descendant of the Hermes luxury handbag empire is engulfed in a public battle with the charitable foundation he founded after reports that he planned to cut its funding and instead adopt his 51-year-old former gardener and bequeath him billions.Nicolas Puech, 80, a secretive fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermes, who founded Hermes in 1837, has begun the legal process of formally adopting the unnamed former gardener and plans to leave him half of his 12bn (10.3bn) fortune, according to Swiss media reports. Continue reading...
From giving up sending cards to family secret Santas, people are trying a variety of ways to reduce festive excessRalph Morris's Christmas cards will include an addendum for his friends this year: that he's finished with Christmas cards.Before he retired from teaching Morris, 71, from Grimsby, used to send about 130 cards a year, which has steadily reduced to around 80" this year. But no more. Continue reading...
Singer's legal battle with former employee Asha Daniels continues, with lawyers arguing lawsuit is meritless and improperly filedLawyers for pop singer Lizzo have filed a motion to try to prevent a harassment lawsuit against her coming to court.In September, fashion designer Asha Daniels, who created stage outfits for the star and worked on tour with her, accused Lizzo and others of maintaining an unsafe, sexually charged workplace culture". She told NBC News: I was witnessing myself, the dancers and the background vocalists and my local team in every city be harassed and bullied regularly." Continue reading...
Government guidance says parents should not be excluded from decisions taken by a school or collegeSchools in England have been told there is no general duty" to allow children to change their gender identity in an educational setting, as the government publishes its transgender guidance.The Department for Education (DfE) has published its long-awaited draft guidance for schools and colleges on pupils who question their gender. Continue reading...
Officials say at least 118 killed and more than 500 injured after 6.2-magnitude quake in north-west Gansu and Qinghai provincesCold weather is hampering rescue efforts after an earthquake in China's north-west Gansu and Qinghai provinces that killed at least 118 people and injured more than 500.The strong shallow earthquake struck shortly before midnight on Monday, sending residents fleeing outside into below-freezing temperatures. Thousands of houses have been reported damaged, and state media said public infrastructure had been damaged to varying degrees". Continue reading...
Under new entry/exit system, facial scans will also be taken from UK passengers on first trip after launchA new EU digital border system that will require fingerprints and facial scans to be taken from British travellers on first use is expected to launch next autumn, according to reports.The entry/exit system (EES) is earmarked to start on 6 October 2024, according to the i and Times newspapers, citing Getlink, the owner of Eurotunnel. The Guardian has contacted Getlink for comment. Continue reading...
Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown tells Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial she defied Linda Reynolds and Alex Hawke's orders as she did not want to take agency' from Higgins
In today's newsletter: The fallout in Israel after the IDF killed Alon Shamriz, Samer Al-Talalka and Yotam Haim on Friday Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. On Friday morning, in broad daylight, three young Israeli men who had been taken hostage by Hamas emerged near an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) position in Gaza, waving a white flag. They were unarmed, and shirtless, to show that they were not carrying explosives. An IDF sniper shot two of them dead, and wounded the third.The survivor fled to a nearby building. He was heard shouting for help in Hebrew. When he reemerged from cover, he too was shot dead. A search of the building was carried out, revealing banners bearing the messages Help, 3 hostages" and SOS".PPE Medpro | A furious row has broken out between the disgraced Conservative peer Michelle Mone and the government over how much they knew about her links to a company that won lucrative deals during the pandemic. On Monday, as Rishi Sunak said he was taking the case incredibly seriously", Mone claimed the government knew about my involvement from the very beginning".China | At least 118 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in an earthquake in China's north-west Gansu and Qinghai provinces, state media has reported. The strong shallow earthquake struck shortly before midnight on Monday, with the toll rising on Tuesday as rescuers reached affected areas.Technology | TikTok has given special status to certain high-profile accounts, with moderators in Europe encouraged to be more lenient with content posted by people including Russell Brand, according to internal messages seen by the Guardian. TikTok said it was inaccurate to say that staff had been asked to be less stringent with certain accounts and its guidelines are applied to everyone who uses the app.Iceland | A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted after weeks of intense earthquake activity. Fearing a significant outbreak on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities had evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik and closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.Assisted dying | The ChildLine founder and broadcaster Esther Rantzen has said she has considered the option of assisted dying if her ongoing lung cancer treatment does not improve her condition. She told the BBC that there should be a free vote on the subject so that family members of people in her position do not face prosecution if they provide support. Continue reading...
Guardian investigation has revealed areas that need attention at nuclear site in CumbriaThe GMB trade union has called on the government and nuclear authorities to take urgent action" to address concerns over safety at Sellafield.The union has written to the energy minister, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Sellafield's chief executive to demand greater investment into keeping the 11,000 employees at the vast nuclear rubbish dump in Cumbria safe. Continue reading...
Simon Geoffrey Raymond handed probation and good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to seven chargesA man who admitted making threats to kill Victorian federal MP Anne Webster has been handed a good behaviour bond.Simon Geoffrey Raymond has pleaded guilty in a Brisbane court to three counts each of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill and using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and one count of using a carriage service to make a threat to cause serious harm. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6H882)
National Education Union says too many LGBTQ+ young people still find school a negative experienceSchools in England must be involved properly" in developing new transgender guidance that needs to work alongside their existing safeguarding duties, the UK's largest education union has warned.As the government prepares to publish its first draft of the long-awaited guidance, the National Education Union (NEU) said many LGBTQ+ young people still found school a negative experience. Continue reading...
He faced a police investigation over an alleged contract killing, but Volodymyr Saldo is now beyond the reach of Ukrainian lawThe Russians were Volodymyr Saldo's salvation. The wealthy Ukrainian in his 50s had done a stint in the national parliament and won three terms as the mayor of the southern city of Kherson, but at the start of 2022 police had opened a case against him for ordering a contract killing.I wanted to jail him," says Oleksandr Prokudin, Kherson's police chief at the time and now the city's governor, sitting in the basement he uses for meetings since the Russians blew the roof off his office. Continue reading...
by Presented by Hannah Moore with Luke Harding and Da on (#6H86W)
As the Ukraine war heads into a new calendar year, the country is battling not just the Russian army but also on the diplomatic front, to secure further aid from its allies. Luke Harding and Dan Sabbagh reportOn the face of it, support for Ukraine from its allies in Europe and the US has been unwavering: ministers and officials fly in and out of Kyiv to back Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his government's grinding fight to keep Russian troops at bay.But that moral support is more solid than the financial backing. As Dan Sabbagh tells Hannah Moore, funding packages worth tens of billions of pounds have been held up in the US Congress by Republican politicians, and in the EU by Hungary's prime minister, Victor Orban. Continue reading...
White House warns US only has enough funding for one more aid package this year; Ukraine's top general says situation on frontline has not reached stalemate
Broadcaster, 83, is waiting to hear result of miracle drug' and says she wants UK law to let the terminally ill choose how they dieThe ChildLine founder and broadcaster Esther Rantzen has said she has considered the option of assisted dying if her ongoing lung cancer treatment does not improve her condition.The 83-year-old revealed that her cancer had progressed to stage four in May and she has since joined the Swiss organisation Dignitas, which offers physician-assisted suicide to members with terminal illness or severe physical or mental illness. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6H83V)
Focusing on poorer children's social and emotional learning barely helps their results catch up with those of better-off peersTeaching character, grit and resilience in schools is valuable to children but is unlikely to play a major part in eradicating the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their wealthier peers, according to research.In recent years, policymakers in England and elsewhere in the world have focused on social and emotional learning, and the importance of developing character, determination and self-belief as a way of improving learning, particularly among children from lower income backgrounds. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6H83T)
Housing secretary aims to bring end to delays, as weakening of housing targets is confirmedMichael Gove will threaten to take action against councils that miss deadlines to submit their housing plans in a speech on Tuesday designed to highlight the government's commitment to build new homes across England.The housing secretary will say he will call out" local authorities that fail to publish their future development plans with a threat to intervene if necessary. Continue reading...
Joseph Fiddler performed and recorded with Prince, Seal and Maxwell, and mentored hip-hop producer J DillaJoseph Fiddler, the funk musician known as Amp Fiddler who was acclaimed for solo work and collaborations with generations of diverse musicians, has died aged 65.A statement on social media read: Detroit's own world renowned ambassador of funk, soul, & electronic music, keyboardist, producer, afro-futurist, and guiding force of light for so many, has transitioned at the age of 65. After an extensive and noble battle with cancer, he now gracefully rests in peace and power." Continue reading...
US says it cannot support a reference to a cessation of hostilities', but might accept a call for a suspension of hostilities'The United Nations security council has postponed a vote calling for a sustainable cessation of hostilities in Gaza to give more time for diplomats to meet US objections to the wording of the draft resolution.The vote had been due on Monday in New York but the US said it could not support a reference to a cessation of hostilities", but might accept a call for a suspension of hostilities". Continue reading...
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