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The species can climb waterfalls and reaches back to Gondwanaland - but there are fears polluted runoff has proven fatal

The speed of recent pivots reveals there is genuine concern that people are uneasy about the Games amid rising housing and cost of living pressures

Katalin Novak stepped down after pardoning a man convicted of helping cover up sex abuseThe Hungarian president has announced her resignation over her decision to pardon a man convicted of helping cover up a sex abuse case at a children's home as the controversy posed a challenge for Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban.The pardon decision was made last year but only caught the public's attention over the past days after a report by the local news site 444.hu, which was met with outrage, leading Hungary's opposition to call for Katalin Novak to step down. Continue reading...

The Covid boom in pet ownership has led to operators offering plenty of pet-friendly accommodation. But is it really such a good idea?Go on holiday without your best friend? For growing numbers of dog owners, it's unthinkable.Holiday operators have seen a big jump in guests booking accommodation that accepts dogs in recent months, and the trend is set to accelerate this year. Continue reading...

Leaders pay respects to former taoiseach of 1990s rainbow coalition' as he is laid to rest in DunboyneThe former Irish taoiseach John Bruton has been described as a humbling and unassuming" man at his state funeral, attended by senior political figures including the president, Michael D Higgins, and the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.Ministers, TDs and parliamentary ushers were among those who attended the service at Saints Peter and Paul's church in Bruton's home town of Dunboyne, County Meath. Continue reading...

Country faces uncertainty after strong performance by independent candidates loyal to former PM Imran KhanPakistan's army chief has told feuding politicians to show maturity and unity" after an election failed to produce a clear winner, leaving the military's favoured party having to cobble together a coalition in order to rule.The country faces days of political horse-trading after a strong performance by independent candidates loyal to the jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, scuppered the chances of the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from winning a ruling majority. Continue reading...

Tributes paid to 66-year-old musician after Hertfordshire police confirmed he died in collision last weekThe bassist Derrick McIntyre, who was part of the band Jamiroquai and lent his strings to songs by Emeli Sande, Will Young and Beverly Knight, has died in a car crash aged 66.Tributes have been paid to the musician after Hertfordshire police confirmed that McIntyre died in a collision on Friday 2 February involving five cars. Police said McIntyre died at the scene and that two people were taken to hospital. Continue reading...

Student reportedly killed in the northern city of Saint-Louis while security forces and demonstrators clash in DakarSecurity forces and protesters have clashed in Senegal's capital and other cities in the first widespread unrest over the delay to a presidential election that constitutes the one of the country's most significant political crises to date.Riot police in Dakar fired teargas, stun grenades and what appeared to be rubber bullets at large crowds of protesters who set up roadblocks, burned tyres and threw stones. Continue reading...

Jilumol George, 38, of Uckfield, appears at Brighton magistrates court charged with attempted murderA 38-year-old woman has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after two children were victims of a suspected poisoning.Emergency services were called to a property in Hunters Way, Uckfield, East Sussex, on Thursday, where the two children, aged nine and 13, and a woman aged 38 were taken to hospital for treatment. Continue reading...

Debt Management Office figures show lasting impact of mini-budget that spooked financial markets, says Labour's Angela RaynerCash-strapped local authorities across the UK took out massive 50-year loans at soaring rates of interest in the aftermath of Liz Truss's catastrophic mini-budget, according to official figures that reveal more about the long-term cost to the public of her 49 days in office.Figures from the government's Debt Management Office show that after the budget on 23 September, 2022, announced by Truss's chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, 24 50-year loans of between 590,000 and 40m were taken out by councils at interest rates of up to 4.77 %, over the rest of thatyear. Continue reading...

More than a million civilians sheltering in Gaza's last place of relative safety brace for all-out assault

Inquiry launched into death of woman, 39, who was found unconscious after waiting seven hours to see doctorAn investigation has been launched after a woman died days after being found unconscious underneath her coat while waiting in A&E for seven hours.The 39-year-old woman is understood to have first attended A&E at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham on the evening of 19 January complaining of a severe headache. She was triaged and then observed by nurses three times. Her case was escalated but she was not seen by a doctor before being discovered. Continue reading...

Measure has been proposed for inclusion in election manifesto amid rising health concerns for young peopleLabour is considering a ban on the sale of energy drinks to children if it wins power in the general election, it has been reported.The proposal has been put forward for inclusion in the party's manifesto, according to Sky News, as concern grows about health risks to young people from high-caffeine products. Continue reading...

Ian Patrick, who has also worked for Lib Dems' Paddy Ashdown, takes private secretary role as prince returns to dutiesThe Prince of Wales has appointed a former diplomat as his private secretary, as he returns to royal duties after his father's cancer diagnosis.Ian Patrick, who has also worked for the former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, would take up the role, Kensington Palace said. Continue reading...

With everything from E coli to heavy metals and petrochemicals on the soles of our shoes, western etiquette is changingShoes on or off indoors? It's a long-running debate and one those in favour of removal appear to be winning - thanks to a greater awareness of germs. British and American etiquette takes the lead from Asian and Scandinavian culture as guests at dinner gatherings and house parties are increasingly leaving their shoes at the door.Experts attribute the change to younger people being increasingly conscious of germs. Gabriel Filippelli, professor of earth sciences at Indiana University, says the first time he encountered this was with his son and his girlfriend, who live in Chicago and have a no-shoes policy at home. Friends' kids also have this. I think it's inspired by an increased awareness that the bottom of your shoes are really gross." He too now operates a strict shoes-off-at-the-door policy. Continue reading...

Trade union announced new action after it said ministers had failed to meet deadline to improve pay offerA planned strike by junior doctors in England later this month could be called off if NHS bosses give permission for further time for negotiations, the British Medical Association has said.The trade union for doctors and medical students announced the strikes after it said the government had failed to meet the deadline to put an improved pay offer on the table". Continue reading...

Met deploys boat along section of river after Ezedi was seen on CCTV leaning over the railings of Chelsea BridgePolice have begun searching an area of the River Thames for the body of the Clapham chemical attack suspect.Abdul Ezedi is believed to be dead after going into the Thames after he was seen on CCTV leaning over the railings of Chelsea Bridge in west London on the night a woman and two girls was attacked with a corrosive substance, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Man, 47, in custody after officers called to address in Great Baddow on Friday afternoonDetectives have launched a murder inquiry after the death of a woman in her 60s in Chelmsford, Essex.Police said they had been called to Dorset Avenue in Great Baddow at about 2.30pm on Friday after reports of a suspicious male". Continue reading...

PM renews promise to cut taxes a day after revelation that he paid effective tax rate of 23% on his 2.2m incomeRishi Sunak has said he is up for the fight" as the Conservatives continue to lag far behind Labour in the polls.In an interview with the Times, the prime minister said hard work ought to be rewarded with tax cuts and that he would slash taxes as soon as it was responsible to do so". Continue reading...

It's beyond ridiculous' say campaigners in England - rules state that nobody in hospital should be required to attend in personMental health inpatients have been told to attend jobcentre meetings relating to their benefits claims, including one claimant who was told to turn up for a work-related appointment, the Observer can reveal.Three patients at Forston clinic, an NHS mental health inpatient service near Dorchester, were told to attend meetings in recent months - sparking complaints from the local Citizens Advice branch, which has an adviser based at the clinic. Continue reading...

Man also faces terrorism charges over shooting of DCI John Caldwell last year in attack claimed by New IRAA 44-year-old man has been charged with the attempted murder of the police officer DCI John Caldwell in Northern Ireland, police said.Two men fired several shots at Caldwell in February last year, leaving the veteran police officer seriously wounded. Continue reading...

Annual letter from Teachers' Pensions, which administers scheme for DfE, asks about new relationshipsPartners of retired teachers who have died are repeatedly being asked to confirm whether they are in a new relationship, in a process described as humiliating and intrusive" by teaching unions.Those who fail to reply promptly face losing their dependant's pension. Continue reading...

China threatens relatives in Tibet' to exert control over activists in exile, with greater transnational repression at Tibetan new yearThousands of Tibetans around the world have been subjected to spying, blackmail and threats against family members still living in Tibet, according to a new report.The Chinese government's repressive policies in Tibet continue to be documented, but the new report by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is the first to investigate the widespread targeting of exiles in countries including the US, India, France, Australia and Canada, researchers say. Continue reading...

Three children among the dead, governor says, after strike on petrol station causes burning fuel to spray out, igniting 14 housesSeven people, including three children, were killed in a Russian drone attack on a petrol station in the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, the regional governor said on Saturday.Unfortunately the death toll from the occupiers' attacks on Kharkiv has risen to seven," Oleg Synegubov said on the Telegram social network. Continue reading...

West End even more packed than usual with big-name talent, but insiders say star casting is not only route to successful productionsThere is dream theatre casting - and then there is persuading Spider-Man to play Romeo. The news this week that Tom Holland, the megastar 27-year-old (Instagram followers: 66 million) at the heart of Marvel's web-slinging franchise will be appearing in a pulsating" new West End production of Shakespeare's tragedy has redefined hot ticket" ahead of its opening on 11 May.There are no details yet on his Juliet, or even a date for when tickets will go on sale, but with more than 3m likes of Holland's post announcing the show, it's fair to say the director, Jamie Lloyd, can be confident of a hit. Continue reading...

Julian Spalding says work by artists such as David Hockney could hang alongside old masters in bicentenary yearThe former director of three of Britain's most important museums has called for the National Gallery to lift its longstanding cut-off date of about 1900 for its collection because it suggests painting died then as a great art form".Julian Spalding, who has headed public collections in Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow, argued the National Gallery could, in its bicentenary this year, resuscitate the great art of painting" by hanging pictures by David Hockney and other great artists" alongside old masters. Continue reading...

Shooting one of two separate incidents on Friday night after second man allegedly attacked four people with glass bottle

Police say victim did not know alleged attackers but there is no threat to wider community or indication it was gang-related

Special rapporteur cites lack of medical supplies, food and clean water, and continued demolition of infrastructure

Mother-of-three, 51, was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home about 7am last Sunday to go for a run

Victoria police launch fresh appeal for information on anniversary of death of Boronia woman Nanette Ellis

Rock star said he wants no association' with artist after he claims a sample of a Black Sabbath song was used without permissionOzzy Osbourne has called out Kanye West for using a sample of his music without permission.In a post on X, Osbourne claims he denied a request for a portion of a 1983 live version of the Black Sabbath song War Pigs to be used on West's new album but heard it was used anyway during a listening party this week. Continue reading...

Entrepreneur Stuart Marks reportedly featured on - but was removed from - Boris Johnson's resignation honours listA major donor to the Conservative party who reportedly featured on Boris Johnson's original resignation honours list is among 13 new peers announced by the government on Friday evening, eight of them Conservatives.Stuart Marks, a technology entrepreneur who has served as a senior treasurer for the Conservatives, has been given a life peerage, an official announcement said. He has personally donated 119,500 to the party and another 56,500 through his company. Continue reading...

Candidates backed by Khan's PTI secure most seats but rival Nawaz Sharif seeks to form coalitionPoliticians allied with the former prime minister Imran Khan's party have defied a military-led crackdown and alleged widespread rigging to win the most seats in Pakistan's election, but opponent Nawaz Sharif claimed victory and said he would form a coalition government.Candidates backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party run by Khan who is now serving sentences of more than a decade in jail, claimed a stunning victory after Thursday's polls, defying all expectations that Sharif, a three-time former prime minister, and his Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) would win an easy majority. Continue reading...

The decorated marines, all in their 20s, had been based at Marine Corps air station Miramar in San DiegoThe Marine Corps released the names on Friday of the five marines killed when their CH-53E super stallion helicopter went down in the mountains outside San Diego during a historic storm. All of them were in their 20s.The decorated marines had been assigned to marine heavy helicopter squadron 361, marine aircraft group 16, 3rd marine aircraft wing and were based at Marine Corps air station Miramar in San Diego. Continue reading...

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Chemicals producer says audits revealed no wrongdoing but recent media reports crossed red lineThe German chemicals producer BASF has said it will withdraw from its two joint ventures in Xinjiang, after media reports about alleged human rights abuses relating to its partner company, which BASF's CEO said crossed a red line.In a statement on Friday, BASF said that while regular due diligence measures including internal and external audits have not found any evidence of human rights violations in the two joint ventures", the recent reports indicate activities inconsistent with BASF's values". Continue reading...

Low capital gains rate and US location of funds mean tax bill of 508,000 much less than under top income rate of 45%Rishi Sunak paid more than half a million pounds in tax in 2023 after making a 1.8m profit on his holding in a US investment fund, a summary of his tax affairs shows.The prime minister published the document on Friday, showing he paid a tax bill of 508,308 in the financial year 2022-23 on overall earnings and gains of 2.23m. Continue reading...

Haitian American Joseph Vincent, who admitted to helping plot assassination of Jovenel Moise, is among 11 people accusedJoseph Vincent, a former informant for the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), was handed a life sentence by a US court on Friday for his role in the 2021 assassination of Haiti's president.A Haitian American national, Vincent admitted to helping plot to kill Haitian president Jovenel Moise in his home in Port-au-Prince, including advice about the political landscape and meetings with key community leaders. Continue reading...

Aerial evidence follows months of President Nicolas Maduro ramping up claim to Essequibo regionVenezuela is expanding military bases near its border with Guyana and deploying forces to the jungle frontier as President Nicolas Maduro ramps up his threats to annex the country's oil-rich neighbour, satellite images have revealed.Maduro pledged at mediation talks in December not to take military action against his neighbour but images shared by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington today suggest a buildup of forces. Continue reading...

Biden and UN say assault on city where 1.3m civilians are sheltering would be disastrous

Proposal to suspend safeguarding measures on certain products follows news of Tata's Port Talbot closure plansThe government's anti-dumping body has recommended that measures limiting the import of certain steel products be lifted after the decision to close the blast furnaces at Port Talbot.The Trade Remedies Authority, which is charged with protecting UK industry from dumped or subsidised imports, said its preliminary view was to advise the business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, to suspend safeguarding measures on imports of hot-rolled flat and coil steel for a temporary period of nine months. Continue reading...

Prime minister's comments remarkable' given government cuts to town hall funding in England, say LGA bossesCouncil leaders in England have criticised Rishi Sunak for demanding that local authorities show restraint" in putting up council tax bills, saying the government is to blame for underfunding.The prime minister on Friday called for authorities to be restrained in the council tax rises they put in place", saying it was incumbent on local councils to be respectful of the demands on people's family budgets". Continue reading...

Met police say no body found but Ezedi has not been seen since assault on woman and her daughters in LondonPolice hunting the Clapham chemical attack suspect, Abdul Ezedi, say they believe he is dead after going into the River Thames at Chelsea Bridge four hours after he left a woman severely injured.Scotland Yard said Ezedi's body had not been found but he was last seen close to the River Thames. Officers had been looking for the 35-year-old since Wednesday 31 January when he was suspected of using a strong alkaline substance in an attack on a mother and her daughters, aged three and eight. The mother, 31, is still in hospital in an induced coma. Continue reading...

Even Though it's Night, which chronicles the conditions of Europe's largest shantytown, Canada Real, in running for a GoyaA short film that chronicles the lives of the forgotten, deprived and marginalised children who live in Europe's largest shantytown, just outside Madrid, is in the running for Spain's equivalent of an Oscar at the Goya awards on Saturday.Aunque es de noche (Even Though it's Night), which was shot on location in the Canada Real informal settlement, using a cast of residents, follows 13-year-old Toni as he prepares to say goodbye to his best friend, Nasser, who is moving to France, and to his own childhood. Continue reading...

BMA votes for further five days of action after meeting with health secretary fails to resolve grievancesMore than 100,000 patients in England face having their NHS care cancelled this month after junior doctors announced a fresh wave of strike action.Health leaders expressed alarm, warning the five-day walkout would jeopardise all efforts to tackle the record waiting list and push other services to breaking point". Continue reading...

Shahrar Ali, a former deputy leader in England and Wales, began legal action against the party last yearThe Green party incorrectly removed a spokesperson in part because of his views on transgender rights, a court has ruled, while saying the wrongdoing was largely procedural and that parties are allowed to sack people because their views contravene policy.Shahrar Ali, a former deputy leader of the Greens in England and Wales, began legal action last year after the party had sacked him as the spokesperson for policing and domestic safety in February 2022. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak says Europe cannot let Putin's own expansionism go unchecked'Looking aheadNext week will be a busy time for policymakers grappling with geopolitical challenges. Continue reading...

Oleksandr Syrskyi says life and health' of soldiers is army's key asset in first statement as armed forces chief

The shadow cabinet are expected to submit final proposals for policies that can be put under scrutiny in the event Rishi Sunak calls a general electionLabour has spent the past few weeks performing a series of U-turns on previously announced policies as it finalises its manifesto, culminating in Thursday's announcement of a huge cut to its green spending plans.Beyond the cuts to the 28bn annual spending pledge, party insiders have also let it be known they no longer intend to abolish the House of Lords, might reduce their planned tax on private equity profits and will not legislate to create a National Care Service. Continue reading...