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Ambulance Victoria says woman and baby taken to hospital after incident in town of Ocean GroveA newborn baby is in a critical condition in hospital after being delivered in an apparent freebirth" in regional Victoria.The medical industry has expressed concern about the practice, which is typically characterised as a birth without help from a healthcare professional.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Humanitarian chief fears famine is around the corner' with 85% of population displaced and more than 20,000 deadThe UN humanitarian chief has described Gaza as uninhabitable" three months into Israel's war with Hamas, warning that famine was looming and a public health disaster unfolding.In a grim assessment of the devastating impact of Israel's military response to the horrific Hamas attacks on 7 October, Martin Griffiths said that Gaza's 2.3 million people face daily threats to their very existence" while the world just watches. Continue reading...

Metropolitan police interview two people under caution over scandal that led to wrongful conviction of 700 post office operatorsThe Post Office is under criminal investigation over potential fraud offences" committed during the Horizon scandal, the Metropolitan police have confirmed for the first time.Officers are investigating potential fraud offences arising out of these prosecutions", for example monies recovered from sub-postmasters [operators] as a result of prosecutions or civil actions", Scotland Yard said on Friday evening. Continue reading...

Actor, 37, received sacrament on New Year's Eve and Capuchin friar Alexander Rodriguez says he wishes to be a deacon in the future'The Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf is seeking to becoming a Catholic deacon after receiving the sacrament of confirmation on New Year's Eve.A California-based chapter of the Capuchin Franciscans, a Catholic religious order, shared the news in a Facebook post on Tuesday alongside photos of the 37-year-old actor smiling next to several of the organization's members. Continue reading...

German-born US actor and daughters Annik and Madita Klepser killed with pilot off island in St Vincent and the GrenadinesThe German-born US actor Christian Oliver, who performed in films alongside Tom Cruise and George Clooney during a 30-year career, died alongside his two daughters on Thursday in a plane crash off the coast of a Caribbean island.Oliver, who was born Christian Klepser, and his daughters were passengers aboard a single-engine airplane that took off at approximately 12.10pm local time from an airport in Bequia, a small island belonging to the nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines, according to authorities. Continue reading...

Leslie Garrett was arrested by armed response officers after a stun gun was deployed and remains in custodyA man has been charged after shots were fired at three locations in Liverpool on Wednesday night, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.Leslie Garrett, 49, has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, two of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and one count of attempted robbery. Continue reading...

PM insists government is responding, as some residents are told to expect five more days of misery and colder weatherLarge swathes of England ended the week devastated by flood water as rivers reached record highs, provoking a bitter political row over funding for the country's most vulnerable areas.Labour accused Rishi Sunak of being asleep at the wheel" over flood warnings at the end of a week in which at least 1,000 properties were flooded and some villages were totally cut off, with parts of Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire worst affected. Continue reading...

Pedro, five, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma; a fund has been set up so that his family can afford expensive chemotherapy drugLeading artists, Indigenous activists and politicians across Brazil are urging people to contribute to a fund to help the son of the slain Amazon activist Bruno Pereira, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.Pedro Pereira, five, the son of anthropologist Beatriz Matos and Bruno Pereira - who was ambushed and killed in the western Amazon in June 2022 alongside the British journalist Dom Phillips - was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma last year. Continue reading...

Former lobbyist and Labour insider reinvented himself as a therapist after twice withdrawing from politicsBy his own admission Derek Draper could be a cocky know-it-all". His self-confidence was, on occasions, his undoing.Yet even those who had some reason to be embarrassed by his behaviour recognised he had a rare ebullience. Two former prime ministers led the political tributes, with Tony Blair saying Draper was someone you always wanted on your side". Continue reading...

Washington wants concessions from the Netanyahu administration, as critics say plans lack detail or commitment

Hassan Nasrallah says assassination in Beirut has changed nature of his group's conflict with Israel, raising fears of escalation

Upcoming US presidential election and a resurgent Trump could cause a headache for all British partiesIf Rishi Sunak sticks with his working assumption" of an autumn election, it will be fought against the backdrop of a bitter US presidential race and will be the first time since 1964 that voters on both sides of the Atlantic have gone to the polls in parallel.Many UK voters pay scant attention to the ins and outs of politics on this side of the Atlantic, let alone in the US. Continue reading...

Nicholas Rossi, 36, who is wanted in Utah for alleged rape in 2008, was traced to a Covid ward in GlasgowA fugitive accused of faking his own death to avoid rape charges in Utah and who was eventually traced to a Covid ward in Scotland has finally been extradited to the US.Nicholas Rossi, 36, is wanted by authorities in Utah for allegedly raping a woman in 2008. He also faces complaints against him in Rhode Island for alleged domestic violence. Continue reading...

Work permits to leave Nepal for those countries halted as 10 men killed and dozens more reported missingThe government of Nepal has banned its citizens from travelling to Russia or Ukraine for employment after 10 young men were killed and dozens more reported missing while fighting, predominately in the Russian military.More than 200 Nepali soldiers are believed to have enlisted in the Russian army since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Nepal's foreign ministry had said, and more than 100 of them have gone missing. A smaller number are believed to be fighting in the Ukrainian army. Continue reading...

Clint Dyer leads tributes to director who ran the London venue for 25 years and was a pioneer of diversity in British theatre'Tributes have been paid to Philip Hedley, who spent a quarter of a century as artistic director at London's Theatre Royal Stratford East, where he was committed to staging work that fully represented local communities. Hedley's death, at the age of 85, was announced on Friday.Clint Dyer, the National Theatre's deputy artistic director, said that Hedley was without any doubt one of the pioneers, if not the pioneer, of diversity in British theatre. He ran what was at one time the only major theatre that regularly commissioned and programmed new works written, starring and directed by British Black artists about Black British lives. His mighty influence is immeasurable, not only for the output of work but also for his desire to champion and train practitioners from working-class backgrounds of all races." Continue reading...

Asked if he agreed with MP for Bury North's comments, PM says it's important children grow up in household where parents workQ: Do you think the police should investigate the sexual abuse allegations against Prince Andrew?Starmer said he did not know the details of this, only what he had seen in the papers. But where credible allegations are made, they should be investigated, he said. Continue reading...

Actor and singer best known for starring role in 1970s police series has died, says his wife, Helen SnellThe actor David Soul, best known for his role in the television series Starsky & Hutch, has died at the age of 80, his wife, Helen Snell, said.David Soul - beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother - died yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family," she said in a statement on Friday. He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend. Continue reading...

Blanchard, 32, who spent eight years in prison over murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, tells ABC she wants her story to be cautionary tale'Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who served eight years in prison for her role in the murder of her abusive mother, has said she wants her story to be a cautionary tale", in her first TV interview since she was released.Blanchard, 32, was convicted of second-degree murder after her mother, Clauddine Dee Dee" Blanchard, was stabbed to death in 2015. It emerged that Blanchard had been forced by her mother to pretend to be seriously ill and to endure unnecessary medical procedures. Continue reading...

Former Labour insider, who was married to TV presenter Kate Garraway, had long CovidTributes have poured in for Derek Draper, the political lobbyist turned psychotherapist and husband of the TV presenter Kate Garraway, who has died at the age of 56.Draper had been seriously ill with long Covid since contracting the disease in 2020. Garraway announced the death of her husband on Friday on Instagram, saying she was sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away". Continue reading...

Air raid sirens sounds in Sevastopol and traffic halted on key bridge; breach of UN sanctions on Kim regime will be taken to security councilUkraine says it caused serious damage" to Russia's defence systems on the Crimean peninsula during an attack on a military command post there on Thursday.Not only was one command post hit, really powerful combat work took place over the past 24 hours, including causing serious damage to the defence system on the Crimean peninsula," said Natalya Gumenyuk, a spokesperson for the defence forces of southern Ukraine. Continue reading...

Hoping to move on from past controversies, the beleagured awards are making a splashy return with two blockbusters topping the billWhile Barbenheimer might have been the dominating box office story of 2023, the new year promises a new kind of battle as the two hit movies compete for awards, kicking off this weekend with the Golden Globes.Greta Gerwig's Mattel comedy Barbie and Christopher Nolan's atomic bomb drama Oppenheimer both lead this year's field with eight and seven nominations apiece and while they are mostly competing in separate genre categories - comedy/musical and drama - it's likely the two films will still monopolise the night. Last year the two films combined made over $2bn at the global box office. Continue reading...

Howard Davies criticised as being out of touch' as number of first-time buyers is at lowest level in a decadeThe chair of NatWest has claimed it is not that difficult" to get on the property ladder, despite the number of first-time buyers with a mortgage falling to the lowest level in a decade.I don't think it is that difficult at the moment," Sir Howard Davies told the BBC. Continue reading...

Global climate breakdown is behind the increasingly stormy weather but domestic solutions are essential Storm Henk flooding - live updatesLarge areas of England are submerged under murky floodwater, with homes damaged, farm crops rotting, and rail routes and roads unusable.The UK is a rainy country, and some parts of it are quite used to regular floods, but the situation is worsening. Global climate breakdown caused by the burning of fossil fuels is causing more unpredictable and extreme weather events and the domestic infrastructure is underfunded and cannot cope sufficiently. Continue reading...

BACP reverses decision not to publish report on response of Jews in Manchester to 7 October Hamas attack in Israel

Yoav Gallant's proposal suggests Palestinians would run day to day administration in territoryThe Israeli defence minister has suggested that Israel would keep security control of Gaza after Hamas has been defeated with an undefined, Israeli-guided Palestinian body running day to day administration and the US, European Union and regional partners taking responsibility for the reconstruction of the territory.Yoav Gallant revealed the plan to media on Thursday ahead of a visit by Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and after growing pressure from the US for Israel to make proposals for postwar scenarios. Continue reading...

Network Ten describes former Liberal staffer as fundamentally dishonest' in submissions released by federal courtBruce Lehrmann's legal team has accepted their client's evidence in his defamation trial against Network Ten was in a number of respects unsatisfactory", but not to the extent that he is a compulsive liar" or had raped Brittany Higgins, newly released documents reveal.In written closing submissions released by the federal court on Friday, Lehrmann's legal team also said the defence significantly and unfairly" overstated the acknowledged problems" with parts of his evidence. Continue reading...

Suspects aged 16 and 17 detained in connection with New Year's Eve murder in north LondonA 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of 16-year-old Harry Pitman in north London on New Year's Eve, the Metropolitan police said.DCI Geoff Grogan said: This is a fast-paced investigation, and my team is working around the clock to identify those responsible. Continue reading...

Police say group jumped on the car in Coburg and shattered windows in what union calls horrific planned assault'A mobile speed camera operator has been injured after his car was attacked by five men in a Melbourne street.The blue SUV, fixed with traffic cameras in its rear window, was operating on Nicholson Street at Coburg in the early hours of Friday morning when it was attacked. Continue reading...

Former Paralympic and Olympic athlete shot the 29-year-old model dead through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day in 2013Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison on parole, after serving nine years in prison for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, South Africa's correctional services department has said.Pistorius - a former Paralympic and Olympic athlete - shot the 29-year-old model dead through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day in 2013. Continue reading...

Albanese yet to reveal government's stance on South Africa's case in international court of justice but Coalition says Australia must support Israel's right to defend itselfThe opposition has urged the Albanese government to rule out any support for what it says is South Africa's unbalanced" case against Israel at the UN's international court of justice (ICJ).The unprecedented" case brought by South Africa at the beginning of the year will be heard in The Hague on 11 and 12 January with the potential for a provisional ruling within weeks. It accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has called the allegations a despicable and contemptuous exploitation" of the ICJ and urged the court to reject it. Continue reading...

Latest attempt to tackle pupil absences criticised as failing to tackle the magnitude of the problemThe government is to make a new effort to repair sagging school attendance figures in England, with the education secretary to announce funding for attendance mentors" in some of the worst-affected areas.Pupil absences remain stubbornly higher than before the Covid pandemic, and during a visit to Liverpool on Monday Gillian Keegan is expected to announce plans for caseworkers to offer one-to-one support for pupils in 10 areas including Blackpool and Walsall, where rates of unauthorised absences remain far above national levels. Continue reading...

Will Fransen was on a solo fishing trip south of Auckland in New Zealand when he was yanked into the water after hooking a big fishA New Zealand man who survived more than 23 hours in cold waters and an encounter with a shark has been rescued after fishers spotted the reflection from his watch.Will Fransen, 61, had set off on a solo fishing trip from Whangamat on the Coromandel Peninsula, south of Auckland, on 2 January, but was yanked overboard after hooking what he suspected was a marlin. Continue reading...

Woman in 70s taken to hospital after kicking accused in groin and scratching his face during attack in Coffs Harbour nursing home, police sayA man has been charged with breaking into an aged care home and allegedly assaulting an elderly woman on New Year's Eve on the New South Wales north coast.Emergency services were called to an aged care home in Coffs Harbour at about 2.30am on Monday after reports a woman aged in her 70s had been sexually assaulted, NSW police said on Friday. Continue reading...

Intense speculation over future role for Kim Jong-un's daughter, who is reportedly 10, comes as North Korea fires shells near South Korean islandsThe young daughter of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un is seen as her father's heir apparent, South Korea's spy agency has said, in the South's first such assessment on the girl.There has been intense outside debate and speculation about Kim Ju-ae, who is reportedly about 10 years old, since she made her first public appearance in November 2022 when she watched a long-range missile test launch with her father. Continue reading...

ONS data also reveals working mothers spend on average an hour and a quarter more a day on household chores than male partnersYou may not catch them on TikTok or Snapchat, but the latest data shows that the over-70s are spending more time online than any generation besides Gen Z.According to figures from the Office for National Statistics detailing how different Britons report spending their time, the 70-plus age group is second only to those in their 20s when it comes to the average amount of time using a computer or device as a primary activity (separate from working or watching streamed video). Continue reading...

Exclusive: Gavin Stephens becomes most senior serving officer to accept discrimination in policing operates at a fundamental level'The leader of Britain's police chiefs' organisation has become the most senior serving leader to say that policing is institutionally racist, as he called for a fundamental redesign of national policies and practices to eliminate discrimination.Gavin Stephens, the chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), said black people should no longer experience disproportionate use of force, and that too little progress had been made to reform policing, with some leaders slow to accept the size of the challenge. Continue reading...

Qantas and Jetstar to offer special airfares, with accommodation deals to come, as Queensland premier insists region is open for business' after Cyclone JasperImages of Tropical Cyclone Jasper's devastating impact on far north Queensland may have driven away tourists during peak season.But the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, insists the region is open for business", making a $5m pitch to lure visitors back. Continue reading...

Blaze broke out at Croydon building Friday morning, with firefighters highlighting risks from lithium batteriesAn e-bike workshop has been destroyed in an early morning fire in Sydney's inner west, causing road closures along the suburb's shopping strip.Residents were woken just before 5am on Friday after the fire broke out at the building on Elizabeth Street in Croydon. Continue reading...

Beyond the conflict in Gaza it has been a violent few weeks in the wider Middle East, from attacks on shipping in the Red Sea to bomb blasts in Iran and a killing by drone in Beirut. Julian Borger explains what may happen nextIran suffered the worst terrorist attack in the history of the Islamic Republic this week when dozens of people were killed in two bomb blasts in the city of Kerman. In Beirut a drone attack in a suburban area killed a senior Hamas commander, and in the Red Sea the US navy shot down two anti-ship missiles and sunk three small boats after responding to distress calls from a container ship that was attacked twice by Houthi rebels.The Guardian's world affairs editor, Julian Borger, talks to Hannah Moore about the significance and possible consequences of these events and examines their potential to trigger a regional war. He says there is increasing appetite in Israel for further conflict with Hezbollah at the Lebanese border, and growing rhetoric that a direct war with Iran - which backs Hezbollah and the Houthi movement - is inevitable. Can international leaders do enough to calm tensions in the region? Continue reading...

Spider measuring record 7.9cm across is almost as big as largest female collected in 2021, which was named Megaspider by Australian Reptile ParkWith fangs that could pierce a human fingernail, the largest male specimen of the world's most venomous arachnid has found a new home at the Australian Reptile Park where it will help save lives after a member of the public discovered it by chance.The potentially deadly Sydney funnel-web spider dubbed Hercules" was found on the Central Coast, about 80km north of Sydney, and was initially given to a local hospital, the Australian Reptile Park said in a statement. Continue reading...

The election has been branded a sham' designed to cement Hasina's rule by exiled opposition leader Tarique RahmanAn opposition boycott looks set to usher prime minister Sheikh Hasina to a fourth straight term in the Bangladesh election this weekend.The election has been described as a sham" designed to cement Hasina's rule by exiled opposition leader Tarique Rahman. Continue reading...

Capriccio gelateria becomes second ice-cream store in beachside community of Williamstown to be hit by a fire deemed suspicious by police

Awards ceremony will be first major hosting engagement for star of Doctor Who, Good Omens and BroadchurchDavid Tennant has been named as the new host of the Baftas in his first high-profile hosting engagement.The actor, best known for his work on the TV series Doctor Who, Good Omens and Broadchurch, will take the stage at the Royal Festival Hall for the ceremony on 18 February. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can read our full report on the latest developments in the Middle East here and all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war here.The Times of Israel is carrying some quotes from a relative of one of the hostages seized from Israel by Hamas who later died during a failed resuce attempt by the Israeli military. Merav Barkai described the situation as incredibly sad and difficult".Citing her appearance on 103 FM radio, it reports the aunt of Sahar Baruch said:When we received the notification that he had been killed, it could have been a different notification. This was a rescue attempt; we were so close to being there. We were scared from the beginning that there would be a military attempt to rescue him and it would end this way. It's incredibly sad and difficult. Hostages were freed, people left there alive, we felt like we were close, just a step away from that embrace. Continue reading...

Tewkesbury almost cut off as driver killed in Oxfordshire and people near River Trent warned to prepare for evacuationHeavy flooding continued across parts of England on Thursday as a major incident was declared in Nottinghamshire and communities in Gloucestershire were left almost totally surrounded by water.With the wind and heavy rain of Storm Henk expected to continue sweeping across the UK through the night, people were forced out of their homes in Shrewsbury, while parts of Worcester city centre were under water and emergency planners warned people in at-risk areas along the River Trent to make preparations in case they needed to evacuate. Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire was almost completely surrounded by flood water, with several roads cut off and authorities telling people who need to evacuate to make their way to a dedicated rest centre. Continue reading...

White House says Moscow likely to supply Pyongyang with advanced technologies in exchangeRussia has started using ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea to attack Ukraine, the White House has said.Washington also alleged Russia was in talks with Iran to buy short-range ballistic missiles. The US intelligence assessment is that Iranian missiles have not yet arrived in Russia, but that the deal will eventually be done. Continue reading...

Two killed and five wounded, militia officials say, before US secretary of state's tour of Middle East

PC Martin Binala dismissed after dishonestly claiming to have smelled cannabis before dragging Karo Grigoryan out of his carTwo Metropolitan police officers have been found guilty of misconduct after a botched stop and search operation resulted in an innocent man being taken to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.PC Martin Binala was ruled to have been dishonest when he recorded in his police report that he smelled cannabis coming from inside Karo Grigoryan's car. He was found guilty of gross misconduct and was dismissed. His colleague PC Stuart Dunne was found guilty of misconduct and given a written warning. Continue reading...

Civil rights leader hosts protest outside office of alumnus who spearheaded campaign to remove Claudine Gay and criticized DEIThe civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton hosted a protest outside the office of the Harvard alumnus Bill Ackman on Thursday after Ackman criticized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Harvard following the resignation of the former university president Claudine Gay.[Ackman] declared war on DEI. He declared war on affirmative action. He's defining himself as a rightwinger in terms of dealing with racial equality," Sharpton told the Guardian during the protest alongside his organization, National Action Network, outside Ackman's office in New York City. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer vows to match Conservative attacks in what is shaping up to be a bruising campaignKeir Starmer has promised to fight fire with fire" against Conservative attacks this year, setting up what is likely to be one of the longest and most bruising general election campaigns in recent history.The Labour leader said on Thursday he would not shy away from aggressive campaign tactics, hours after Sunak indicated he was planning to go to the polls in the second half of the year. Continue reading...