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Aslef responds to operator's threat to impose minimum service levels at London-Scotland serviceThe train drivers' union Aslef has called an extra five days of strikes at LNER in response to the threatened imposition of minimum service levels at the state-run London-Scotland service.The controversial legislation, brought in by the government in late 2023, is likely to be trialled for the first time in the latest round of rail strikes. Continue reading...

Polling expert says similarity between two main parties and clear Labour lead also likely to suppress voting numbersThe polling expert Prof John Curtice has warned of low turnout at this year's general election, in part because voters regard Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to be as dull as dishwater".Speaking at an event for the Citizens Advice charity, Curtice cited boring leaders as one of three reasons why the voting numbers would be down. Continue reading...

Firm rejects union plan leaving UK on course to become only major economy unable to make steel from scratchThe owners of Port Talbot steelworks have rejected a trade union plan designed to keep its blast furnaces running, putting nearly 3,000 jobs at risk and leaving the UK on course to become the only major economy unable to make steel from scratch.In what one union said would be a crushing blow" to workers and UK steelmaking, Port Talbot's parent company, the Indian-owned Tata Steel, told workers' representatives that it could no longer afford to continue production at the loss-making plant in south Wales while it completed a four-year transition plan to greener production. Continue reading...

Drone and missile attacks in Sistan and Balochistan province come after Iran struck sites inside Pakistan

Combined action by about 150,000 nurses, teachers, cleaners and other sector workers is biggest in living memoryThousands of public sector workers have staged pickets and marches across Northern Ireland in the biggest strike in living memory.The combined action by nurses, teachers, bus drivers, carers, cleaners, civil servants and other sectors brought parts of the region to a standstill on Thursday and raised the stakes in a political crisis that has paralysed devolved government. Continue reading...

Proposals include the creation of a libraries minister and a high-profile libraries laureate to be the sector's public championAn independent review of libraries in England has found a lack of recognition" across government and a lack of awareness" among the general public of what libraries have to offer.The review proposes the creation of a libraries minister, the establishment of a libraries laureate and a branding campaign to raise awareness of the role of libraries, among other recommendations. Continue reading...

Company says there was briefly' a problem with inappropriate Arabic translations'

Costs listed in new report include optional items such as music instruments and outside tuition and are really inflated', expert says

Exclusive: Legal observer for volunteer group, Action Ready, says police were recording number plates of cars displaying Palestinian flags

Missed repayments on credit cards and loans will increase by more than any quarter since 2009, lenders forecastBusiness live - latest updatesBritain's biggest high street lenders expect the sharpest rise in defaults on unsecured lending since 2009, according to a Bank of England survey, as households come under growing pressure amid the cost of living crisis.The figures from Threadneedle Street show banks expect a marked rise in the number of people who fail to meet repayments on credit cards, loans and other forms of unsecured borrowing over the next three months. Continue reading...

Delivery company says nearly all festive deliveries arrived on time and its revenues roseRoyal Mail has said it had its best Christmas for four years, with nearly all festive deliveries arriving on time - despite missing a target that would have handed postal workers a 500 bonus.The delivery company's owner, International Distributions Services (IDS), on Thursday reported group revenues rose nearly 10% to 3.6bn in the final three months of 2023. Continue reading...

Ed Sheeran and Little Mix fans among those targeted by firm that resold on Viagogo and StubHubTicket touts acting out of greed and dishonesty" sold tickets worth 6.5m to music fans, a court has heard, as a woman known as the Ticket Queen" pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading nearly seven years after being named in an Observer investigation.TQ Tickets Ltd, owned by Maria Chenery-Woods of Norfolk, used fake identities to hoover up large numbers of tickets for acts such as Ed Sheeran and Little Mix, prosecutors for National Trading Standards said. Continue reading...

All the films and actors up for awards at the 77th edition of the British Academy film awards Oppenheimer beats Barbie as Bafta nominations announcedAnatomy of a Fall

Death row prisoner Kenneth Smith, 58, to be killed via nitrogen-gas procedure animal scientists have ruled out for ethical reasonsAlabama is preparing to execute a death row inmate using nitrogen gas, an experimental method that veterinarians in the US and across Europe have deemed unacceptable as a form of euthanasia for most animals.Barring last-minute appeals, Kenneth Smith, 58, is scheduled to be judicially killed on 25 January using a previously untested technique. Alabama's department of corrections is proposing to strap him to a gurney, apply a respirator mask to his face, then force him to breathe pure nitrogen which would cause oxygen deprivation and death. Continue reading...

Isaac Herzog also tells Davos that Gaza's population is entrenched in network of terror'. Plus, Greenland losing 30m tonnes of ice every hour

Exclusive: Sadiq Khan calls refusal to extend three-day pause horrifying' as local authority cold weather protocols continueThe Home Office has been urged to reintroduce a pause on asylum hotel evictions after resuming the practice in recent days, leaving refugees out on the streets in subzero temperatures.In December the Home Office said in a letter seen by the Guardian that it would halt evictions from asylum accommodation for up to three days while severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) was activated by a local authority. SWEP is activated when the Met Office forecasts a temperature of below 0C for a minimum of three nights. Continue reading...

Company exploring options as it plans to shift focus back to food and retail, rather than servicesSainsbury's Bank has opened the door to fresh takeover offers, after the supermarket group announced it would exit the banking business nearly 27 years after its launch.The company is exploring a number of options for its bank - which offers savings accounts, credit cards, travel money and insurance - after a strategic review suggested it could be a distraction from a years-long overhaul, meant to bring the supermarket's focus back to its core food and retail operations. Continue reading...

Unions call for bonuses and childcare provision after suggestion all officers will be mobilised during GamesPolice in France are holding a Black Thursday" of work stoppages and demonstrations to demand better pay and conditions during this summer's Olympic Games.Several police unions, led by the two largest, Alliance and Unsa Police, said there should be bonuses of up to 2,000 (1,720) as well as guarantees of holiday leave and childcare support for police this summer. Continue reading...

Kobe the husky becomes internet hero for video of him digging hole in concrete - leading his owner to detect presence of gasSome dogs earn the affectionate title of good boy" for obeying their owners' commands to sit or fetch. Others earn it by saving their neighborhoods from grappling with a potentially explosive gas leak days before Christmas.Philadelphia's Kobe the husky belongs in the latter category, according to a viral Instagram video published by his owner that has vaulted him to the status of internet hero. Continue reading...

Leading barrister signals House of Lords plans to revise bill, saying government is elevating itself above the law'

At least four women have been murdered since the start of the year, leading to accusations of government inactionRights groups are calling for the Kenyan government to urgently investigate and prosecute cases of femicide, after the brutal murders of two women.This is a national crisis - we are not doing enough as a country to protect women," said Audrey Mugeni, the co-founder of Femicide Count Kenya, an NGO that documents the number of women killed across the country each year. Continue reading...

Judge to determine whether agreement criticised by human rights groups violates constitutionA court in Albania is due to rule on whether a deal with Italy's far-right government would violate the constitution by allowing Albanian territory to be used for reception centres for people seeking to enter the EU by sea.The agreement, announced in November by the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, would result initially in the non-EU member state hosting about 3,000 people but ultimately processing up to 36,000 a year. Continue reading...

Maths teacher claims student made constant calls' to family home and says they tried to put a stop to it'

Building commissioner says he is confident defects at 900-apartment complex in Macquarie Park will be rectified', while minister says faults don't pose a risk

This blog is now closed.

Health authorities warn people living in or visiting coastal areas to cover up in warmer months as a precaution against the mosquito-linked condition

Premier launches review of Queensland's Games infrastructure proposal amid controversy over escalating costs

As tensions in the Middle East continue to rise, this week John Harris speaks to Niku Jafarnia of Human Rights Watch about the regional conflicts. The Rwanda bill passed its third reading and Pippa Crerar, the Guardian's political editor, reveals what happened behind the scenes. And the former No 10 adviser Gavin Barwell talks about the increasingly vicious struggles within the Conservative partyArchive: GB News Continue reading...

Union says government's plans for General Medical Council regulation diminishes role of doctors and could confuse patientsSenior doctors are urging MPs to reject government plans to regulate physician associates", whose growing use in the NHS has divided the medical profession.The British Medical Association has said that allowing the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate physician associates (PAs) would blur the lines" between doctors and non-doctors. Continue reading...

Sixteen unions take action as collapsed Stormont leaves pay for nurses, teachers and road workers stagnantPublic sector workers have launched what is being billed as one of the biggest strikes in Northern Ireland's history amid a dispute over pay and political deadlock.Sixteen unions representing nurses, teachers, transport workers, civil servants and other sectors started a joint action on Thursday that was expected to cause widespread disruption across the region. Continue reading...

Hungarian PM met a who's who of rightwing leaders on his travels in 2023, as critics point to failures at homeEurope's pariah prime minister, Viktor Orban, is jetting across the globe in search of friends.Hungary, an EU and Nato member that has been backsliding on democratic norms for more than a decade, has become even more isolated in the western club over the past months. Orban has irritated allies by blocking a much-needed EU financial aid package for Ukraine, while Hungary's parliament has dragged its feet on ratifying Sweden's bid to join Nato. Continue reading...

At least four experts quit Great Ormond Street team after disputes over text of training module for recruits, sources sayA string of resignations from a team preparing for the launch of the new NHS children's gender clinic has further complicated plans to open the services in April.Disagreements over the text of a training module for medical recruits to the new gender service have prompted NHS England to remove the training materials project from a team at Great Ormond Street hospital and outsource it to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Continue reading...

Just a few years ago it was one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America. But last week drug gangs stormed a live TV broadcast and unleashed a wave of terror. Tom Phillips reportsCompared with its fellow Latin American countries Colombia and Mexico - which for decades have been destabilised by violent drug gangs - Ecuador was calm and peaceful. But a wave of terror last Tuesday showed just how quickly things have changed.After the prison break by an infamous drug baron, chaos erupted. Masked men and boys interrupted a live TV broadcast and held journalists at gunpoint. Elsewhere, police officers and prison guards were taken hostage, explosions were heard and violence spread. Continue reading...

This blog is closing soon. You can read our full report on the latest US strikes on the Houthis in Yemen here and all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war here.US Navy Seals boarded a boat heading for Yemen and seized Iranian-made missile components and other weaponry bound for Houthi forces, in an operation in which two Seal commandos went missing, the US military has said.US Central Command (Centcom) posted pictures of the missile parts on X, including what appeared to be the components of a complete small missile, rocket motors and guidance systems, as well as a photograph of the small cargo vessel that was allegedly carrying the arms. Continue reading...

Teen boys charged over death of Gordon after an alleged aggravated burglary in Doncaster have faced court

US missile strikes came after a bulk carrier was hit by Houthi drones in the Gulf of AdenThe US military has fired another wave of missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites, marking the fourth time in a week that it has directly targeted the group in Yemen.The strikes were launched from the Red Sea, hitting more than a dozen sites - the officials told the AP news agency - and came after a drone launched from areas controlled by the Houthis hit a US-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden. Continue reading...

Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former vice-president of the European parliament and co-founder of Spain's Vox party, was shot in the head in Madrid last yearColombian police say they have arrested a Venezuelan suspected of involvement in the alleged attempted assassination in Madrid last year of a co-founder of Spain's far-right Vox party.Greg Oliver Higuera Marcano was wanted in connection with last year's shooting of Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former leader of Spain's main rightwing political party in Catalonia who went on to co-found Vox, and is a former vice-president of the European parliament. Continue reading...

Deaths inside Tulkarem refugee camp and near Balata camp are latest in an explosion of violence in the Palestinian territory since the start of Israel's war on Gaza

Exclusive: Member of public emailed Transport for NSW on 2 January about potentially hazardous mulch but investigation was delayed for a week

Average per patient cost has increased by more than $1,500 compared to pre-pandemic years, new analysis showsThe cost of responding to MDMA overdoses has risen by more than $1,500 since before the pandemic to an average of almost $8,000 per patient in Victoria.The jump has been attributed to the rising cost of services, with the figure including the price of ambulances, emergency presentations and hospital treatment.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Mark Thompson outlines strategy to staff in memo that bemoaned network's lack of innovation and its outdated websiteCNN's new chief executive says the company needs to recapture the swagger and innovation" of its early days - and that, he says, increasingly means embracing a future outside of television.Mark Thompson, appointed CNN's chief executive last fall after stints at the New York Times and the BBC, outlined a strategy to his staff on Wednesday that included a corporate restructuring but few external specifics on how that transformation will take place. Continue reading...

Arizona conspiracy theorist faces fresh weapons charges and is accused of threatening five special agents during his arrest in late 2023A US conspiracy theorist linked to the Wieambilla shooters allegedly held a significant stockpile of weaponry, including five-gallon buckets of ammunition, and made threats to kill five FBI agents, telling them he would come for every fucking one of you", court documents reveal.The FBI arrested Arizona conspiracy theorist Donald Day Jr in December in connection with the religiously-motivated terrorist attack on a remote Queensland property in Wieambilla which left two Queensland officers and a neighbour dead. Continue reading...

The reclusive fitness instructor, who was a household name in the 80s, says he is not involved in new biopic starring comedian Pauly ShoreFormer fitness guru Richard Simmons, who has withdrawn from public life in recent years, has spoken out against a new biopic, saying in a rare statement that: I have never given my permission for this movie."The as yet unnamed film was announced on Wednesday morning by the comedian and actor Pauly Shore, who was cast in the role after his physical resemblance to Simmons became the subject of a viral meme. Continue reading...

European AI model predicts tropical cyclone nearing the Queensland coast closer to Rockhampton than Cairns by late next Thursday

The third reading of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) bill passed by 320 votes to 276, a majority of 44Rishi Sunak starts with the usual spiel about his engagements, and how he has got meetings with colleagues.Rishi Sunak is taking PMQs in 10 minutes. Continue reading...

Lorenza Cano seized by gunmen in Guanajuato state after her husband and son shot dead in attackA Mexican woman who spent five years looking for her disappeared brother has herself been abducted in an attack in which her husband and son were shot dead.Lorenza Cano, one of Mexico's many volunteer searchers trying to find the country's 114,000 desaparecidos, was seized late on Monday by a group of gunmen who burst into her home in the northern city of Salamanca. Continue reading...

Election to form new ruling council at Actors' Benevolent Fund adjourned amid concerns over online votingHopes of an immediate resolution to the bitter and long-running dispute at the top of a high-profile actors' charity have been dashed after elections to form a new ruling council were dramatically suspended amid concerns over voting.The Actors' Benevolent Fund (ABF) said on Wednesday evening that its annual general meeting had been adjourned after votes had been cast and counted but before results were announced, after unspecified concerns were raised about online votes. Continue reading...

Cervical and colorectal cancer rates have increased for Americans younger than 55, and people of color have higher death rates than whitesFewer Americans are dying of cancer, part of a decades-long trend that began in the 1990s as more people quit smoking and doctors screened earlier for certain cancers.However, the American Cancer Society warned that those gains are threatened by an increase in cancers among people younger than 55, in particular cervical and colorectal cancer, and by the continued disparities between white Americans and people of color. Continue reading...

Iran claims attack in south-west Balochistan province destroyed two strongholds of Sunni militant group

Met Office forecasts some areas could have 15-20cm more snow, power cuts are likely and communities could be cut offThe Met Office has put a rare amber snow warning in place for parts of Scotland as the road police chief tells drivers to put travel plans on hold.The warning is for snow between 3pm on Wednesday and 6pm on Thursday in north-west Scotland and the Northern Isles, meaning road delays are likely and some vehicles could be stranded. Continue reading...