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Carved wooden tabot has been at Abbey since British forces looted it at Battle of Maqdala in 1868Westminster Abbey has agreed in principle" to returning a sacred tablet to the Ethiopian Orthodox church, igniting a debate around restitution claims made by the East African nation.The tabot - a blackened flat piece of wood featuring a carved inscription that symbolically represents the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments - has been at the Abbey since British forces returned with it from the Battle of Maqdala, where it was looted in 1868. Continue reading...

Defensive maritime security operation launched in Red Sea and Gulf as crew evacuated from Belize-flagged ship and UK maritime body reports another attack

Johannesburg-based Amplats says one-in-five jobs will be cut in South Africa amid plunge in profitsThe platinum arm of Anglo American is to cut 3,700 jobs in South Africa as the British mining company attempts to improve performance in the troubled division.Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) said on Monday it aimed to cut jobs after a sharp drop in platinum metal prices, which had led to a collapse in profits last year. Continue reading...

Call made for more ambitious legislation to protect children from harmful content on tech platformsBanning mobile phones in England's schools will not address the harms caused by tech platforms to children, according to leading internet safety campaigners.Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell, and Beeban Kidron, an influential figure in online regulation, said limiting phone use in schools would do nothing to make social media services safer. Continue reading...

Ibrahima Bah, who told jury he had been forced by people-smugglers to pilot boat, convicted of manslaughterA man who piloted a small boat across the Channel on a crossing during which at least four fellow passengers drowned has been found guilty of manslaughter.Ibrahima Bah was convicted by a jury at Canterbury crown court on Monday after a retrial. The court had heard Bah's claim to have piloted the boat under duress from a people-smuggling gang. Continue reading...

Death of Russian opposition leader imbues EU summit with renewed nervousness over war in UkraineGermany is to propose a new batch of sanctions against Russia over the death of Alexei Navalny as EU ministers meet his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, in Brussels.We have seen the brutal force with which the Russian president represses his own citizens who take to the streets to demonstrate for freedom or write about it in newspapers," the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said on Monday. We will propose new sanctions in light of the death of Alexei Navalny." Continue reading...

Live programme with prime minister attracted about 500 complaints, says media regulator

PP's victory in regional poll defies predictions and strengthens leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo's positionSpain's opposition conservative People's party (PP) has retained its absolute majority in Galicia, defying predictions it was on course to lose control of the north-western region it has governed for all but four of the past 35 years.The result bolsters the standing of the party leader, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, a former head of the regional government, with the PP winning 40 seats - only two fewer than four years ago. Continue reading...

Avon and Somerset police confirm ages of children found at property in early hours of SundayThree children found dead at a suburban semi-detached house in Bristol were a seven-year-old boy, a three-year-old girl and a 10-month-old boy, police said on Monday.Avon and Somerset police said a 42-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of their murder had sustained non-lethal injuries. Continue reading...

Russian forces launch attacks further west of key city as Kremlin congratulates its soldiers on biggest gain since May last year

JD.com weighing up offer after UK electrical retailer rejects 700m bid from US private equity group Elliott

Frontbencher says party considering its options on SNP-led Commons vote on ceasefire later this week

Williams said that bringing the fearsome editor Miranda Priestly to life in new musical is a dream come true'Vanessa Williams has been cast as the formidable fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly in Elton John's new musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.The stage production is based on Lauren Weisberger's bestselling 2003 novel and the 2006 film version, which starred Meryl Streep as Priestly and Anne Hathaway as her put-upon assistant. The show will run in the summer at Theatre Royal Plymouth before opening in October at London's Dominion theatre, which has one of the biggest seating capacities in the capital. Continue reading...

Successor unlikely to be appointed for six months - covering period when PM hopes flights will take offThe UK's chief inspector of borders and immigration has called it scandalous" that his watchdog role could be left vacant while the Rwanda scheme is introduced.In a break with the treatment of his predecessors, David Neal has been told he will not serve a second term as chief inspector of borders and immigration. The Times reported that a successor is unlikely to be appointed for at least six months - covering the period when the prime minister has said he hopes the first flights will take off. Continue reading...

System that brought heavy rains and strong winds to Northern Territory due to arrive in Western AustraliaThe Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued severe warnings across Northern Australia over the weekend due to a tropical cyclone called Lincoln. Making landfall on Friday afternoon as a category one Cyclone, Lincoln maintained its strength into the evening before being downgraded to a tropical low or ex-tropical cyclone (Ex-TC). By Saturday morning, 202mm of rain had fallen over 24 hours at Centre Island, located to the north-east of Borroloola and nearby to where Lincoln made landfall.The Ex-TC then slowly tracked westwards across the Northern Territory as it brought heavy rainfall and damaging wind gusts to a series of districts. Warnings of flash flooding were issued by the BOM for a series of northern districts in the Northern Territory, with rainfall totals of 60-100mm forecast to fall within a six-hour period; 80-140mm expected over the 24-hour period. Tennant Creek, located in the west of the Barkly district, recorded 138.4mm of rain within 24 hours by Sunday morning. Continue reading...

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Continuation of war has left more refugees unsettled, with councils stepping in to to relieve most cases of homelessnessCouncils have called for urgent review of funding for Ukrainian refugees amid alarm that 9,000 have reported as homeless and many more are needing longer-term support - with no sign of the war ending after two years.The government announced on Sunday that it would extend by another 18 months the three-year visas of Ukrainians who escaped the war. Continue reading...

Owner of Rye hotel hit with $80,000 fine and required to sell business after staff falsified records to cover up an erroneous cash payout

Overseas students seek compensation from Home Office for unlawful detention and loss of earnings after it cancelled visasA group of overseas students who were wrongly accused of cheating in the English language tests they were required to take to renew their study visas have launched legal proceedings against the Home Office, seeking compensation for unlawful detention and loss of earnings.The government has made payments in at least two cases, but lawyers have expressed frustration at the department's refusal to agree a standard settlement scheme for wrongly accused students, which they believe would speed up the process of securing justice. Continue reading...

You can dine with a former mobster for 999, as the true crime' TV and podcast trend translates into live eventsNearly 30 years after the hitman" murder for which he was jailed for life, Kevin Lane will take to the stage of the Cambridge Country Club this month to share his thoughts on crime and punishment.For anyone who saw him recently in the Channel 4 programme Banged Up, explaining to a gobsmacked Tory MP, Johnny Mercer, an unconventional method for smuggling contraband into jail, it will also be a chance to question him about the 24 years he has served behind bars. Continue reading...

Sajjad Sohag seeks compensation for false accusation that led to imprisonment and loss of earningsThe morning after Sajjad Sohag returned from his honeymoon, he and his wife were woken by the sound of immigration enforcement officers breaking down the front door of the building in London where they were renting a studio flat.It was about 6.30am, and he was still half-asleep when officers used a battering ram to force open the door of his first-floor flat. They checked a piece of paper with his photograph on it and said target identified" when they confirmed it was him. An officer told him he was being detained because he had cheated in an English exam. Continue reading...

Rail company inundated with requests after putting up for sale 50 of the disused trolleys from the Tokyo-Osaka shinkansen routeThey are simple, practical items that have rolled seamlessly along bullet train aisles for decades, carrying snacks to millions of hungry travellers as they are whisked along at speeds of around 300km/h (186mph).But now the humble food and beverage trolleys of one of Japan's shinkansen routes have become an unlikely must-have item in canteens and household kitchens across the country. Continue reading...

Analyst says drop in births reflect continued trend' of smaller family sizes and higher rates of childlessnessNew Zealand's fertility rate slumped to a record low in 2023, official data shows, as the total number of births also dropped.The fertility rate tracks the average number of births women will have in their lifetime. New Zealand, along with many countries around the world, has seen this number drop as factors like education, participation in the workforce, and access to contraception contribute to women having fewer children. Continue reading...

New England MP accuses opponents of exploiting issue for political gain, while footage emerges of deputy Nationals leader appearing to slur her words

With ongoing US support far from guaranteed, Ukraine urges Europe to back fight against Russia, for its own sakeOn the top floor of Literaturhaus in Munich, the Ukrainian veteran Yuliia Paievska was asked to speak to the elite of the transatlantic security and political establishment, including Hillary Clinton and the Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, as they lunched on a three-course meal, served with military precision.We are the dogs of war," Paievska said as she introduced herself, explaining how she had started out as a volunteer and then worked as the chief medic at a hospital on the frontline during the siege of Mariupol. I had children die in my hands, civilians, elderly. I do not know how you can forgive that. Thousands of soldiers have gone through my hands, thousands of civilians, streams of blood, rivers of suffering." Continue reading...

NSW Ambulance says a teenager and three others in their 20s and 30s were sheltering under a tree when hit by lightning amid heavy rain

Both Noemi Kondacs and the baby's father, Reinhardt Bosch, have been charged over son Rhuan's death in Yugar, near Brisbane, in 2022

Police say attack between neighbouring tribes led to mass deaths, marking an escalation in fighting in the country's remote northern regionDozens of men have been killed in a fresh outbreak of tribal violence in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea, local police have said.George Kakas, Enga provincial police commander, told the Guardian the men were killed by heavy gun fire on Sunday. He said men from two tribes staged an attack on another group who were ambushed and killed." Continue reading...

Nasser hospital, which was raided by Israeli forces last week, is not functional anymore' says the head of the World Health OrganizationFighting, fuel shortages and Israeli raids have put Gaza's largest still functioning hospital completely out of service, local and UN health officials have said, as Israel continued its threats to invade the southern city of Rafah if remaining Israeli hostages are not freed in the next three weeks.Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis went out of action early on Sunday, Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said. Continue reading...

Austrac inquiry into Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and Bet365 could influence government regulation amid calls for total ban on gambling ads

Former Australian PM addresses rally against antisemitism in Sydney organised by a Christian pastor in support of the Jewish community

Accounting firm BDO also warns of future impact of fraudsters using artificial intelligence to rip off customersThe amount of fraud committed in the UK more than doubled to 2.3bn in 2023, marking the second-biggest year for scams in the last two decades, according to a report that also warns of the future impact of fraudsters using artificial intelligence to rip off consumers.The accounting firm BDO's latest FraudTrack report found that the number of reported cases rose by 18% to a three-year high, and the number of high-value cases over 50m increased by 60% year-on-year in 2023. Half of the high-value frauds were over 200m. Continue reading...

Campaigners say system often entails trespassing on private land to reach free-to-roam areas and call for Scotland-style rulesHundreds of people campaigning for the right to roam in England are to descend on Dartmoor in an effort to highlight the limitations of the country's system.More than 90 years since the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, which helped establish the principle of the right to roam in the UK, organisers say England's partial right to roam is ridiculous" and are calling for a system of access rights that echoes Scotland's. Continue reading...

UK Maritime Trade Operations says military authorities exploring apparent explosion near vesselThe UK is investigating reports that a cargo ship has come under attack off the coast of Yemen, after an apparent explosion close to the vessel on Sunday.Following the reports of damage to the vessel, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said: Military authorities are investigating. UKMTO has received a report of an incident 35 NM [nautical miles] south of Al Mukha, Yemen. Continue reading...

Outrage over jailed opposition leader's death grows with detention of over 350 people in Russia who attended vigils

Labour leader calls for a ceasefire that lasts' in speech to Scottish party delegates in GlasgowKeir Starmer has said the fighting must stop now" in Gaza, warning Israel not to extend its military offensive to the southern city of Rafah ahead of another potential crunch point for his party over the crisis.The Labour leader made the comments in a speech to the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow, where he has faced renewed pressure ahead of a crucial Commons vote on Wednesday over a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire. Continue reading...

Fifteen-year-olds also charged with possessing knife in a public place after stabbing of Williams in Rawnsley Park on WednesdayTwo 15-year-old boys have been charged with the murder of 16-year-old Darrian Williams, who was stabbed in a park in Bristol, police have said.Darrian died after being attacked in Rawnsley Park in the Easton area of the city on Wednesday. The suspects, who have also been charged with possessing a knife in a public place, remain in police custody and will appear at Bristol youth court on Monday. Continue reading...

Some said to be lobbying for PM to resign to avoid spectacle of coup, while others are waiting for outcome of May local electionsTory MPs critical of Rishi Sunak's leadership are hoping he will stand down voluntarily to avoid the spectacle of a damaging coup and are looking to May's local elections as a potential crunch point, the Guardian has been told.A former minister said several Conservative MPs had contacted Graham Brady, who heads the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories, to say they want the prime minister to quit, but that they had not sent in letters of no confidence yet. Continue reading...

In some areas young people have been waiting more than two years for plan detailing help they require, FoI reveals

With Ukraine retreating and western sanctions having little impact, the Russian president is growing bolder and may embark on more reckless movesVladimir Putin smiled and looked unusually festive on Friday as he praised factory workers and joked with state reporters at an industrial plant in the Ural city of Chelyabinsk.Putin's confidence was unmistakable - a sign of his full belief that he would get away with the death that day of his biggest critic in jail while outlasting Ukraine on the battlefield. Continue reading...

Six were known to Rome's criminal underworld for tenacity in carrying out burglaries at post officesA gang of six alleged robbers in their 60s and 70s known in Rome's criminal underworld for their tenacity in carrying out a series of armed burglaries at post offices in the city have been arrested by police in Italy.The gang's leaders were 70-year-old Italo De Witt, nicknamed the German", who became renowned in the mid-1990s after a sophisticated heist of a bank near the Spanish Steps, and a 75-year-old who played the role of lookout. Continue reading...

Palestinian Authority ready to engage', says prime minister ahead of talks on formation of new Gaza government

More than 400m paid in dividends in 2022-23 while rest of railway faced cuts and salary freezesPrivate firms that lease out trains for Britain's railway have seen their profits treble in a year, with more than 400m paid in dividends, official figures show.The rolling stock companies paid out a total of 409.7m to shareholders and profit margins rose to 41.6% in 2022-23, according to the Office of Rail and Road, as the rest of the railway was told to make swingeing cuts and salaries were frozen. Taxpayer subsidies are still running at twice pre-pandemic levels. Continue reading...

Russian troops have full control and have advanced 8.6km beyond that region of frontline, Russian news agencies sayResponding to US Republican senator JD Vance on a panel at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, German politician Ricarda Lang pushed back at the idea of a deal with Russia.Putin has shown over and over again - and he just showed this with the murder of Navalny on Friday - that he has no interest in peace at the moment. That he does not want peace.So if you say we stop supporting Ukraine, stop giving weapons to them, you are not having some scenario where this leads to peace, but at the moment this leads to two scenarios: either you are prolonging this war, or you give up Ukraine and Putin wins. Continue reading...

Hospital in Khan Younis no longer functional due to Israeli forces' week-long siege'; US ambassador to UN says text could jeopardise negotiationsIsrael's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his government would vote on a declaratory decision" regarding Israel's opposition to any unilateral imposition of Palestinian statehood, Reuters reports.Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting that the move comes after recent talk in the international community about an attempt to unilaterally impose on Israel a Palestinian state". Continue reading...

Former party leader says he won't compare race to 1992 or 1997, but he is convinced now that we're not going to lose'Neil Kinnock has said he is convinced" that Labour will win the next election, although the former party leader said the race could not be compared to 1992 or 1997.Kinnock has previously blamed a moment of apparent complacency ahead of the 1992 general election, when he was Labour leader, for costing the party victory over John Major's Conservatives, who won an unexpected 21-seat majority. Continue reading...

1970s show challenged attitudes by defying gender stereotypes and boldly addressing topical issues, broadcaster saysThey may be best remembered for wacky props such as their oversized flat caps and a bicycle made for three as well as their banging theme tune Goodies, goody goody yum yum".But it may be time to reassess the surreal 1970s and early 80s sketch show The Goodies and regard it not just as silly fun but as a catalyst for social change. Continue reading...

Prince to work with charity to provide temporary homes near Newquay with wraparound support'The Prince of Wales has announced plans to build 24 homes to provide temporary accommodation for local people experiencing homelessness on Duchy of Cornwall land in the south-west of England.Working with the Cornish homelessness charity St Petrocs, the project will provide the homes in Nansledan, a suburb of Newquay, with wraparound support" including training and job opportunities. Continue reading...

Experts say algorithm-based social media is damaging young people's interpersonal skills and contributing to anxiety and depression