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Employees and Lloyds Bank among creditors, after liquidation of firm that benefited from pandemic aid devised by husbandRishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, invested in a furniture firm that received nearly £300,000 in taxpayer-funded loans handed out under policies he put in place while chancellor.The New Craftsmen, whose upmarket range included a £7,340 mirror and a £2,220 table lamp, collapsed into liquidation in November 2022, according to Companies House filings. Continue reading...

Experts are expected to give conflicting evidence on newly identified genetic variants and her diaries used at trial

Worst of the storm could coincide with Monday’s midnight high tide, with people in some coastal communities and low-lying areas urged to leaveNew Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins has warned the worst is yet to come as Cyclone Gabrielle sparks evacuations, rising flood waters and power outages across the North Island.“Things are likely to get worse before they get better,” Hipkins said. “Extreme weather event has come on the back of extreme weather event.” Continue reading...

Severe weather warnings in place as damaging storm causes wind gusts up to 160km/h

Fiji resort spokesperson said the girl has died in a ‘tragic accident’ but could not yet comment on the cause of death

One week on from deadly earthquakes vital aid is being held up by disputes between government and rebel groups, as well as wider diplomatic quarrelsThe US has called on all parties on the ground in Syria to immediately grant humanitarian assistance to those in need, after last week’s earthquake and major aftershocks that have killed at least 33,000 people.“All humanitarian assistance must be permitted to move through all border crossings,” a spokesperson for the White House national security council said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Opposition leader says he ‘failed to grasp’ significance of 2008 apology but insists those questioning Indigenous voice are not ‘hardhearted’

The former Liberal minister turned independent says his case will ‘serve as a reminder of why a person is innocent until proven otherwise’

Five dissenters in parliamentary committee say they are concerned about ‘trickery or rigging the system’

Australian spy agency’s chief tells Senate espionage and foreign interference ‘supplanted terrorism’ as principal security concern

The 26-year-old man died after attending the Transmission music festival and 12 festival goers were taken to hospital for treatment relating to drug use

Daniel Duggan – held since October – will fight extradition and says US charges he trained Chinese fighter pilots are politically motivated, court hears

Thousands without power in North Island, red weather warnings issued for rain and wind, schools closed and flights cancelled in Auckland

Study from Women in Media finds men still dominate newsrooms and gender parity will not be achieved for at least a decade

Yallourn company admitted safety breaches after Graeme Edwards succumbed to burns to 90% of body

Voice of Democracy, one of few remaining independent media outlets, offended prime minister with mention of his sonThe dictator Hun Sen has ordered the shutdown of one of the last independent local news organisations in Cambodia, saying it had attacked him and his son and hurt the country.The Voice of Democracy, also known as VOD, would no longer have a licence to publish or broadcast from 10am local time on Monday, the Cambodian prime minister said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page. Continue reading...

Analysis of civil service spending includes Rishi Sunak’s Treasury department spending £3,000 on Tate photographsSpending on government-issued “credit cards” has risen 70% since 2010, when the Conservatives first warned they were generating “hideous waste”, according to a Labour analysis of civil service spending.Civil servants at 14 of the 15 main government departments spent nearly £150m on government procurement cards (GPCs) in 2021, the figures show, a steep rise since 2010-11, when David Cameron warned about the lax rules and oversight governing their use. Continue reading...

RCN says nearly 43,000 nurses in UK have quit early in their careers over past five yearsThe UK’s largest nursing union warned of a workforce “exodus” with tens of thousands of young staff leaving the profession, as NHS bosses backed calls for ministers to meet unions to agree on a pay deal and avoid further strike action.Nearly 43,000 nurses across the UK in the early stages of their careers have quit over the past five years, figures from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) show – almost equal to the record 47,000 nursing posts now vacant in NHS England. Continue reading...

Labour analysis shows use of GPCs has risen under Tory government despite David Cameron decrying ‘hideous’ spending levels in 2010Nestled inside a shaded courtyard, Plataran in south Jakarta offers diners the promise of authentic Indonesian food “with the atmosphere of Javanese royalty”. Five miles to the north, Kaum gives guests a taste of tribal Indonesian cooking with modern inflections.Together, these are two of the city’s finest restaurants, and they are where Liz Truss and her team decamped, first for lunch and then for dinner, during a whistle-stop trip to the Indonesian capital in 2021. The two meals cost the taxpayer £1,443 – all paid for conveniently by handing over one of the thousands of government procurement cards (GPCs) that officials can use to pay for anything under £20,000. Continue reading...

Nigel Farage, John Redwood and Lord Frost rail against news of senior Tories joining cross-party summit to tackle failings of BrexitProminent Brexit supporters have hit out at senior Conservative figures after the Observer revealed they had taken part in a private cross-party summit entitled: “How can we make Brexit work better with our neighbours in Europe?”John Redwood, the prominent Brexit-supporting Tory MP, and Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence party, criticised those attending the summit at Oxfordshire’s Ditchley Park retreat, including the cabinet minister Michael Gove. Continue reading...

Officials and medics say 29,605 people have died in Turkey and 3,574 in Syria; Baby girl rescued in Hatay. This live blog is now closedRanda Ghazy, the middle east regional media manager at Save the Children told the BBC long term there would be a “second disaster” as the rescued struggle to survive.She said the charity has been delivering hot meals, water, blankets and mattresses, adding that many people “are still sleeping in their cars.”Of course, in the long term, there will be a second disaster, which is the survival of those who managed to get out of the rubble, supporting them and supporting children in accessing for example, education, with all the schools closed. And having a warm shelter. We are here to make sure that all children of course, are safe and protected and their families as well.” Continue reading...

Counter-extremism workers dealing with incidents including verbal harassment of female teachers and other pupilsCounter-extremism workers have warned of a rapid rise in the number of cases being referred to them by schools concerned about the influence of the self-styled misogynist influencer Andrew Tate.Incidents include the verbal harassment of female teachers or other pupils and outbursts echoing Tate’s views, which are disseminated and spread mainly on social platforms TikTok and Instagram despite him being banned from them. Continue reading...

Calls for federal government to mandate the checking of account details before money transfers are made

Polish president casts doubt on supplying fighter jets to Ukraine; UK MoD says Russian casualty rate may be at highest since invasion

Andrew Mitchell says disorder in Merseyside ‘totally unjustifiable’ as government faces criticism over ‘dehumanising’ languageViolence outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Knowsley was “completely unacceptable” and “totally unjustifiable”, a minister has said, after growing criticism over the government’s use of “dehumanising” language to describe people seeking refuge in the UK.The international development minister, Andrew Mitchell, said the violent scenes in Merseyside on Friday night, in which a police van was set alight and stones were thrown, were “totally unjustifiable … and the government condemns it absolutely”. Continue reading...

Route linking two cities is part of concerted infrastructure push to catch up with geopolitical rival ChinaIndia has inaugurated the first stage of its longest expressway, a route linking Delhi and Mumbai, as it makes a concerted infrastructure push to catch up with its geopolitical rival China.The $13bn (£10.8bn) project will eventually cut the road travel time between the country’s two biggest cities in half, to 12 hours. Continue reading...

Fontaines DC, Aitch, Becky Hill and the 1975 also won gongs, while Tom Grennan flubbed it. Here’s all the action from the 43rd annual music awards• Read the full report here

Hollywood actor in Welsh town to watch team co-owned by fellow actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenneyWill Ferrell was pictured having a pint of beer with football fans on his first visit to Wrexham to watch the local team, co-owned by fellow Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, continue their winning run in the National League.Pictures posted on social media showed Ferrell enjoying a drink in The Turf pub, which featured in the Disney+ documentary about the north Wales club, Welcome to Wrexham. Continue reading...

UK’s biggest nursing union prompts alarm among senior officials by calling on intensive care workers to join walkoutsThe UK’s biggest nursing union is preparing an escalation of its pay dispute with the government that will see members working in emergency departments, intensive care units and cancer care services being asked to join the next round of strikes.The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is also planning to announce the first continuous 48-hour strikes running through two days and two nights, rather than limiting walkouts to the 12 hours from 8am to 8pm, as they have done to date. Continue reading...

After the far-right demonstration in Knowsley, 13 men and two women were arrested, Merseyside police saidFifteen people, aged between 13 and 54, have been arrested after violent disorder outside a hotel housing asylum seekers on Friday night, Merseyside police have said.A demonstration outside the Suites hotel in Knowsley descended into violence with a police van torched and stones thrown. Continue reading...

Cost-of-living pressures, disadvantage and ‘oversaturation’ of machines in the region leading to higher levels of gambling-related harm, researchers say

Those like Peter Dutton who now regret walking out on the stolen generations apology should grasp the opportunity offered by the Uluru statement

UK appeal to support rescue efforts raises £50m as self-sufficient polyclinic expected in disaster-struck country

Yevgeny Prigozhin says Moscow’s stated aim of capturing eastern regions unlikely to happen in 2023

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s comments suggest Moscow is preparing for a long conflict, as Volodymyr Zelenskiy renews appeal for fighter jets• Ukraine war liveThe boss of the Russian mercenary Wagner group said it could take Russia two years to seize the entire east of Ukraine in a rare interview that suggests at least some key figures in Moscow are gearing up for a protracted conflict.Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has emerged from the shadows to become a high-profile figure since the start of the war, suggested Russia’s focus was now on capturing the rest of the Donbas region it has not occupied since the start of the war nearly a year ago. Continue reading...

Erkin Tuniyaz is head of the Xinjiang region, where there are claims of human rights abuses taking placeThe former Conservative party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has joined calls for a governor from a region of China where the UN has said there may be crimes against humanity to be arrested during a potential visit this week.The Tory backbencher said that the governor of Xinjiang, Erkin Tuniyaz, should be arrested if he arrives in the UK. The House of Commons heard this week that he was due to visit the UK next week and may meet Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials. Continue reading...

Belgian cartoonist’s black and white artwork from 1942 was used for the cover of Tintin in AmericaAn artwork by Tintin creator Hergé has set the world record for the most valuable original black and white drawing by the artist after selling at auction for more than €2m.The drawing, Tintin in America – created in 1942 – was used for the colour edition of the Belgian cartoonist’s 1946 book of the same name. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more about the earthquake hereRescuers in Turkey pulled two women alive from the rubble of collapsed buildings after they were been trapped for 122 hours following the region’s deadliest quake in two decades, authorities said on Saturday.The death toll exceeded 24,150 across southern Turkey and northwest Syria a day after the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said authorities should have reacted faster to Monday’s huge earthquake.Our main goal is to ensure that they return to a normal life by delivering permanent housing to them within one year, and that they heal their pain as soon as possible.”We focused all our energy to this project to serve people in the area impacted by the earthquake. We aim to provide a safe haven to them as soon as possible.” Continue reading...

The Tory deputy chair, who has also criticised nurses who use food banks and migrants, could prove toxic for voters in south-east seatsThe Liberal Democrats are to launch a digital advertising blitz in “blue wall” seats held by leading cabinet ministers to highlight the new Conservative party deputy chair Lee Anderson’s enthusiastic backing for capital punishment.The party believes that recent remarks by Anderson, who was promoted to the post last week by Rishi Sunak, will prove “toxic” among Conservative voters in dozens of south-eastern constituencies, including those held by the chancellor of the exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, and deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab. Continue reading...

Union leader Mick Lynch says offer from Network Rail and train operators would mean real-terms pay cutMick Lynch has said the RMT will ballot members again “soon” for future railway strikes, after the union rejected a pay offer on Friday.The union, which represents rail workers, rejected what had been described as a “best and final” offer from the body representing operators. Continue reading...

The ex-PM’s long-promised tome of the Bard looks set to be delayed again after he receives huge advances for his political diaries and public speaking“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,” begins Macbeth in his haunting final soliloquy. It also seems to be the sentiment adopted by Boris Johnson in regard to his long-promised tome on the works of William Shakespeare.By the time the book eventually appears, almost a decade is likely to have passed since the former prime minister was paid an £88,000 advance from the prospective publisher of the work, initially entitled Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius. Continue reading...

Freedom of information watchdog’s investigation team called in after UK officials repeatedly refused access to government filesA criminal investigation team at the freedom of information watchdog has examined a complaint against the Cabinet Office, after it blocked the release of files concerning the intelligence agent Peter Wright and the Spycatcher affair.Tim Tate, a documentary-maker and author, complained to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) last June that the Cabinet Office had repeatedly given inaccurate information to justify withholding the files after he had requested their release. Continue reading...

The revered Mexican artist’s suffering was so great, she ‘probably’ asked her soulmate to assist in ending her life, documentary is toldPeople’s love of Frida Kahlo’s vibrant art is matched by fascination with her colourful private life. Now the battle to win greater attention for her talent – above and beyond her extraordinary, painful personal story – faces another potential knock.A documentary about the Mexican artist is to reveal a secret suspicion that endures within the family of her husband and great love, the renowned muralist Diego Rivera. Continue reading...

Stabbings in Hackney come as another man is fatally stabbed in Brixton, south-west London in unrelated incidentA man has died and another remains in hospital after they were stabbed in east London in the early hours of Saturday morning.The Metropolitan police said officers were called to an east London hospital at about 4.30am where two men had turned up with knife wounds. Continue reading...

Move comes after Fire Brigades Union postponed planned strike action for workers to vote on offerThe Fire Brigades Union has recommended that its members accept a revised pay offer, after it postponed planned strike action for workers to vote on the offer.The FBU said the new pay offer, for a 7% rise backdated to July last year and for another 5% increase from 1 July this year, was below inflation but still represented a “significant shift” from a previous offer of just 2%. Continue reading...

Parents of Kiernan Forbes pay tribute to ‘beloved son’ who was killed alongside another man while walking to carOne of South Africa’s top rap artists, known as AKA, has been shot dead outside a restaurant in the eastern city of Durban, his family said.Kiernan Forbes, 35, won multiple South African awards, was nominated several times for a Black Entertainment Television award in the US and was once nominated for an MTV Europe music award. Continue reading...

Anti-government hackers interrupted a televised speech by President Ebrahim Raisi, who appealed to the ‘deceived youth’ to repentThe Islamic Republic marked the 44th anniversary of the Iranian revolution on Saturday with state-organised rallies, as anti-government hackers briefly interrupted a televised speech by the president, Ebrahim Raisi.Raisi, whose hardline government faces one of the boldest challenges from young protesters calling for its ouster, appealed to the “deceived youth” to repent so they can be pardoned by Iran’s supreme leader. Continue reading...

Plans for Square Mile would create ‘brightness zones’ governed by curfews amid the darkened buildingsSkyscrapers in the City of London would be required to dim their lights at night as part of proposals to reduce visual pollution and save energy.Under the proposal from the City of London Corporation, property owners across the Square Mile – a 1.12 square mile zone in the centre of the capital whose boundaries stretch from the Temple to the Tower of London and from Chancery Lane to Liverpool Street – would be asked to switch off unnecessary building lights to create “brightness zones” governed by curfews. Continue reading...

IOPC says no inquiry needed into force’s contact with George Pattison before he, his wife and their daughter were found deadSurrey police will not face any further investigation over its contact with George Pattison days before he was found dead alongside his wife, Emma, the headteacher at Epsom College, and their seven-year-old daughter, Lettie, the police watchdog has said.A firearm, registered to Pattison, was found at the scene and police are treating the deaths as a homicide investigation. Continue reading...

California authorities ‘remain hopeful’ of finding British actor who was reported missing on Mount Baldy last monthAuthorities in southern California have said they are still “hopeful” of finding Julian Sands, but that the outcome of searches for the British actor “may not be what we would like”.San Bernardino county sheriff’s department said conditions in the area remained dangerous, but that ground searches were planned for the future. Continue reading...