Angela Rayner meets bereaved to tell them west London block will be carefully deconstructed'Grenfell Tower is to be demolished, bereaved families are understood to have been told by Angela Rayner.Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, met relatives and survivors on Wednesday evening and announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed", according to a spokesperson for Grenfell Next of Kin. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6V321)
Supermodel has alleged she was victim of systematic fraud' by fellow trustee at Fashion for ReliefNaomi Campbell has launched legal action in an attempt to overturn an order banning her from running a charity, claiming she was the victim of a systematic fraud" perpetrated by a fellow trustee who set up a fake email account to impersonate her.The supermodel was disqualified from being a charity trustee for five years in May 2024 after a Charity Commission inquiry found widespread evidence of financial misconduct at Fashion for Relief, the poverty charity she created. Continue reading...
Drivers raise safety concerns as projectiles aimed at' services close to Cambridge North station, damaging trainsTransport police are investigating a series of incidents in which trains were struck by projectiles in Cambridge.Services operated by Greater Anglia and Great Northern were hit between Cambridge and Cambridge North stations, with reports of up to 20 carriages damaged. British Transport Police said there had been no reported injuries. Continue reading...
US president's remarks will spark divisions within Iran over country's nuclear ambitions and sanctionsDonald Trump has said he wanted a verified nuclear peace agreement" with Iran and denied he wanted to blow Iran to smithereens, describing such reports as greatly exaggerated".But he said it was essential that Iran did not have a nuclear weapon, adding we should start working on it immediately". His remarks on his social media site truth social represent the clearest sign that Trump is willing to hold talks with Iran to try to replace the nuclear deal signed in 2015, but from which Trump pulled the US out in 2018. Continue reading...
by Jason Burke International security correspondent on (#6V2WH)
Academics fear US president's lack of reference to international law could lead to global breakdown of peace and securityDonald Trump's proposal to permanently move millions of Palestinians out of Gaza to allow its reconstruction under US ownership" could amount to a war crime or crime against humanity, experts in international law have said.The experts said the US president's framing of his plan without any reference to international law set a dangerous precedent that would encourage other world leaders to do similarly and contribute to a global breakdown of peace and security. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6V2WJ)
Prime minister and colleagues use political code to push back at proposal without directly criticising US presidentBy the time Steve Reed, the environment secretary, took to the early morning airwaves, the UK government's response to Donald Trump's Gaza plan had been carefully planned out: ministers would push back strongly, but only ever in a form of political code.Reed gave no direct criticism of the US president or his shock announcement that the US would remove Palestinians from Gaza - a stance repeated as the day went on by Keir Starmer and various Downing Street spokespeople. But Reed said Gaza's people must be able to return to their homes and rebuild their shattered lives". Continue reading...
Italian radiologist, who says injured pet was between life and death', also operated on animal at Aosta facilityAn Italian doctor has been placed under investigation after giving his cat a Cat scan at a hospital in Aosta before performing a life-saving operation on the feline.Gianluca Fanelli took the animal, called Athena, to Umberto Parini hospital in the northern Italian region, where he is a manager of the radiology unit, after she fell from a roof. Continue reading...
Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Richard Burgon suspended last July for backing SNP amendment to king's speechLabour has restored the whip to a further three MPs who voted against the two-child benefit cap, the Guardian understands.Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Richard Burgon were among seven parliamentarians who were suspended in July for supporting an amendment to the king's speech, tabled by the SNP. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey, Dan Milmo and Kim Willsher on (#6V2SG)
Exclusive: PM risks upsetting host Emmanuel Macron and missing chance to speak to JD Vance and Elon MuskKeir Starmer has decided not to travel to Paris for next week's international summit on artificial intelligence, despite the attendance of other world leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Narendra Modi and JD Vance.Sources have told the Guardian that the prime minister will not attend the summit, the latest in a series of international AI conferences started by the former prime minister Rishi Sunak last year at Bletchley Park. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#6V2SH)
Swedish officers working to identify victims and say evidence strongly suggests gunman shot himselfThe gun attack that left 11 people dead in the Swedish city of Orebro was a one-man operation", police have said, as they worked to identify the victims of the country's deadliest mass shooting.The suspected gunman was among the dead and six people were hospitalised after a shooter entered Campus Risbergska, a school specialising in adult education, just after 12.30pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Kennedy's hearing signifies how close a man with medically racist beliefs is to becoming the US's leading health officialDuring Robert F Kennedy Jr's Senate confirmation hearing on 30 January, Angela Alsobrooks, a Democratic senator from Maryland, pressed the nominee on his past claims that Black people have a stronger immune system than white people, and thereby should receive vaccines on a different schedule than them. What different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received?" Alsobrooks, who is Black, asked the health secretary nominee. Kennedy then referenced a series of studies" showing that to particular antigens, Blacks have a much stronger reaction".The exchange is cause for alarm for many, as it signified how close a man who holds medically racist beliefs was to becoming the country's leading health official. Dr Richard Kennedy - an author of the study referenced at the hearing, who is not related to Kennedy - told NPR that while it's true the immune response to vaccination can vary by race, sex and potentially dozens of other factors", the data does not support a change in vaccine schedule based on race. Continue reading...
Nathan Blakeley lodged claim after comment made by boss when female colleague won award at the company partyA marketing executive at a party balloon company has lost a sex discrimination claim lodged after his female boss said sorry boys" as she revealed that a woman had won an award.Nathan Blakeley, 27, was left so deflated after missing out on a prize at the Christmas party that he launched legal proceedings against the firm in Hampshire on the grounds that he had been overlooked due to his male gender. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6V2G4)
Health experts urge ministers to do more to tackle drinking-related harm by bringing in minimum unit pricingAlcohol-related deaths in the UK have hit a record high, with 10,473 people dying in 2023 as a result of heavy drinking, statistics have revealed.That is an increase on the 10,048 deaths the Office for National Statistics recorded across the four countries of the UK during 2022, the first time more than 10,000 such fatalities had occurred. Continue reading...
Guardian review of new political appointees also finds president is largely reappointing officials from his first termDonald Trump is stacking his proposed Environmental Protection Agency leadership with former industry lobbyists, executives, and attorneys who have spent their careers attacking protections covering everything from water quality to greenhouse gas emissions to toxic chemicals.A Guardian review of new political appointees also finds the president is largely reappointing officials from his first term. Since 2016, while working at the EPA or for industry, environmental campaigners say these veterans have led efforts to shred Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, kneecap drinking water limits for toxic PFAS, ram through new chemicals without proper review, undo an asbestos ban, or defend the nation's biggest polluters. Continue reading...
Breakfast host joined channel when it started in 1989 and became known for blunt questions and gaffesKay Burley, the face of Sky News known for her tenacious interviewing but also some high-profile gaffes, has announced her retirement.The veteran broadcaster, who has been with Sky News since it began in 1989, bowed out after hosting her last Sky News Breakfast programme on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...
Anger at policies that roll back Mori rights surface as rightwing Act party leader David Seymour has microphone removed twice and protesters stage walkoutIf New Zealand's coalition government had prepared for political fireworks from Indigenous leaders on the eve of the country's national day, they were met with something arguably even louder: turned backs and silence.Under a blazing hot sun on Wednesday, political leaders gathered at the Waitangi treaty grounds in New Zealand's far north to celebrate Waitangi Day, which marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. The treaty, signed by Mori chiefs and the British Crown is considered New Zealand's founding document and is instrumental in upholding Mori rights. Continue reading...
School system says it has not been served with a filing and will vigorously defend' its admissions practicesA newly formed group dedicated to fighting what it calls the covert use of affirmative action in admissions decisions by colleges in the University of California system announced on Monday that it was filing a lawsuit, aiming for an injunction to prohibit any consideration of race in student admissions.The University of California has not been served with the filing," a spokesperson for the UC system, Stett Holbrook, said on Tuesday. If served, we will vigorously defend our admission practices" Holbrook added. We believe this to be a meritless suit that seeks to distract us from our mission to provide California students with a world class education." Continue reading...
by Presented by Hannah Moore with Andrew Roth; produc on (#6V2B2)
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited Panama on the weekend to put pressure on the country over how it runs the canal and its ties with China. Andrew Roth reportsChina is operating the Panama canal and we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back."Donald Trump's claim in his inauguration speech that Panama had broken its promises" to the US was alarming for many Panamanians. Washington relinquished control of the canal in 1977, so why is Trump pressing the issue now? Continue reading...
Palestinian-Australian man has not had word as to whereabouts of his brother or his brother's wife and children for more than a year - and he is not alone in his uncertainty and grief
Tribunal's creation was first proposed days after the full-scale invasion, but lawyers have struggled to find the right courtroom for nearly three yearsInternational lawyers have laid the foundations" for a special tribunal to try Russia for the crime of aggression, the EU has said, hailing a significant step towards holding Vladimir Putin and his top officials accountable for the invasion of Ukraine.In a statement late on Tuesday, the EU executive declared a breakthrough that it said would mean the Russian political and military leaders who bear the greatest responsibility" would be held to account. Continue reading...
Lawsuit alleges university system admits students with inferior academic credentials over better-qualified onesA lawsuit filed this week accuses the University of California of racial discrimination in undergraduate admissions by favoring Black and Latino students over Asian American and white applicants.A group called Students Against Racial Discrimination sued Monday in federal court, alleging the university system admits students with inferior academic credentials at the expense of better-qualified ones. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6V1Z8)
Scottish parliament supports minority government's tax and spending plans after intensive negotiationsThe SNP minority government has passed its budget and avoided triggering an early election after securing a coalition of support across the constitutional divide at HolyroodThe tax and spending plans, which provide 21.7bn for health and social care, including 200m to reduce waiting times and tackle delayed discharge, passed the first parliamentary stage - marking a significant success for first minister, John Swinney, who promised a more consensual style of politics when he took office in May 2024. Continue reading...
Pasadena school district direct's Liz Powell and staff used everything on hand' at school sites to dispense mealsAs the Eaton fire raged on 8 January, Liz Powell was focused on one thing: getting to work. Powell, Pasadena unified schools interim food director, rushed to the district's service center on Woodbury Road in Altadena to meet up with food service coworkers Melissa Washington and Marcela Zamorano.But pretty soon the police showed up and told us we had to evacuate," said Powell, whose home lost power and employees could hear transformers and propane tanks blowing before returning home and waiting out the blaze. It was bad, very scary." Continue reading...
Priti Patel accuses Keir Starmer of being motivated by leftie shame' at Britain's historyNigel Farage has said the UK could be friendly" with the EU but did not outline what kind of ties with the bloc his party would support, PA Media reports. PA says:The Reform UK leader said that industrial collaboration" with the EU will give the UK less flexibility" to make a deal with the US.His comments came in an interview on the Today programme after his party edged ahead of Labour to top a voting poll from YouGov for the first time. Continue reading...
by Mark Townsend, Karen McVeigh, Charles Pensulo in L on (#6V1VM)
The impact of the billionaire's declaration has been swift and brutal, with food and crucial drugs abandoned in warehouses, vital programmes closed and workers laid offCritical supplies of life-saving medicines have been blocked and children left without food and battling malnutrition as multiple effects were reported across the globe after Elon Musk resolved to shut down the US government's pre-eminent international aid agency.Chaotic scenes were seen in scores of countries as aid organisations warned of the risk of escalating disease and famine along with disastrous repercussions in areas such as family planning and girls' education, after President Donald Trump's decision to freeze funding to USAid. In 2023, the agency managed more than $40bn (32bn). Continue reading...
Hadi Matar, 26, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assaultThe trial of the man charged with attempting to murder the novelist Salman Rushdie at a New York lecture is due to begin on Tuesday with jury selection.Hadi Matar, 26, can be seen in cellphone videos rushing the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York in August 2022 as Rushdie was being introduced to the audience. Rushdie, 77, was stabbed with a knife multiple times in an attack that led to the loss of his right eye and damaged his liver. Continue reading...
Groups sue Trump administration over the department of government efficiency' being granted unheard-of accessThree federal employee unions are suing the Trump administration, alleging that Elon Musk's department of government efficiency" (Doge) has been granted unprecedented and potentially illegal access to sensitive government records.The lawsuit, filed on Monday in federal court, claims that the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, violated federal privacy laws by giving Musk's team full access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service's confidential payment systems. Continue reading...
Letby's legal team is preparing to submit a case to the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justiceThe evidence used to convict Lucy Letby was challenged on Tuesday by an international panel of experts, which concluded there was no proof the nurse had murdered or harmed any of the babies.Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another seven at the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England in the year to June 2016. Continue reading...
Decision expected in next week that could allow country to rejoin international banking systemIran's reformists are pressing for the country to make concessions on financial transparency to allow it to reconnect to the global economic system and send a signal to the Trump White House that it is serious about renegotiating a new relationship with the west, including around its nuclear programme.Tehran is expected in the next week to take decisions that would mean it would be taken off the blacklist of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the body that tackles money laundering and terrorist financing. Continue reading...
European Commission president says relationship with US is cornerstone' of peace' but says there are limitsThousands of people were leaving the Greek island of Santorini by sea and air for a third day Tuesday as an unprecedented series of earthquakes shook the top travel destination, AFP reports.Some 6,000 people have already left the island, known for its spectacular cliff side views and a dormant volcano, which has been hit by hundreds of tremors since last week, officials said. Continue reading...
Politicians in Nigeria hope their capital will one day look like Dubai, but on nearby Refuge Island people live without electricityFor the estimated 2,000 residents of Refuge Island life sometimes feels like that of a refugee.A dozen communities live on the island, which lies in a lagoon on the eastern fringes of Lagos and takes its name from the arrival of enslaved people fleeing the hinterland of western Nigeria in the 19th century. The island has never had electricity, and there are no tarred roads, only footpaths. Continue reading...
Vessels used to evade sanctions on oil exports and help fund war against Ukraine, investigation revealsEuropean and US shipowners have sold at least 230 ageing tankers into the shadow fleet" used by Russia to evade western sanctions on its oil exports and help fund its war against Ukraine, an international investigation reveals.The shipowners have made more than $6bn (4.8bn) since Russia's 2022 invasion by selling the vessels to buyers in countries such as India, Hong Kong, Vietnam or Seychelles that are not participating in the economic sanctions against Moscow, the investigation found. Continue reading...
Trump administration pulling references online won't make crisis' stop impacting Americans' lives, say expertsDonald Trump's administration has started to remove or downgrade mentions of the climate crisis across the US government, with the websites of several major departments pulling down references to anything related to the climate crisis. Climate scientists said they were braced for the worst".A major climate portal on the Department of Defense's website has been scrapped, as has the main climate change section on the site of the Department of State. A climate change page on the White House's website no longer exists, nor does climate content provided by the US agriculture department, including information that provides vulnerability assessments for wildfires. Continue reading...
Rapper alleges assault, false arrest and more when he was detained shortly after winning three awards at 2024 ceremonyKiller Mike, the hip-hop artist known for his solo work as well as the duo Run the Jewels, has sued a private security company after he was arrested at last year's Grammys.The rapper, real name Michael Render, won three awards at the ceremony, for best rap album, best rap song and best rap performance. But shortly after his wins, as he moved backstage towards the red carpet area, he was arrested and detained after an altercation with what Render later described as an overzealous security guard". Continue reading...
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