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Documents reportedly reveal Sunak had concerns over cost of plan to send asylum seekers to RwandaRishi Sunak had significant doubts about the government's scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda when he was chancellor, it has been reported.The BBC said it had seen documents suggesting the now prime minister believed hotels were cheaper" than reception centres and that he was concerned about the costs of the Rwanda scheme. Continue reading...

Escalation of violence comes as US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and Europe's Josep Borrell begin tours of the region Middle East crisis - live updatesThe most senior diplomats from the US and the EU launched a dual diplomatic offensive in the Middle East on Saturday aimed at calming tensions that threaten chaos and wider conflict across the region.Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, began a five-day tour of the region with meetings in Turkey and the EU's most senior diplomat Josep Borrell, visited the Lebanese capital Beirut. Continue reading...

Police link death of woman, found in car after collision on A340, to nearby death of man, 18, found on railway trackPolice have launched a murder investigation into the death of a 56-year-old woman who was found in her car with a fatal stab wound in the village of Pangbourne in Berkshire.Officers were called at about 5.45pm on Thursday to a road traffic collision involving a Lexus vehicle on the A340. The woman received medical attention but died at the scene. Continue reading...

Nearly 200 planes out of commission as FAA investigates Saturday flight from Portland, Oregon, where cabin panel blew out mid-airUS regulators have ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following a cabin panel blowout late Friday that forced a brand-new airplane operated by Alaska Airlines to make an emergency landing.The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight," said Mike Whitaker, a Federal Aviation Administration administrator, on Saturday. Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB's [National Transportation Safety Board] investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282." Continue reading...

Buyers and renters compete for limited stock as the Western Australian capital favours sellers and landlords, CoreLogic analysts sayThe Australian property boom has shifted from east to west, with buyers and renters tussling for a limited number of Perth homes and creating a housing crisis for those left behind.Perth has become the hottest selling market among state capitals, with homes listed for a median 11 days before being sold, according to CoreLogic data calculated for Guardian Australia. Continue reading...

Heather Hallett's first findings are to be published before the summer and will show how austerity and Brexit hit pandemic planningAn explosive report spelling out how the Conservative government failed to prepare the country for the Covid-19 pandemic as it obsessed about Brexit is to be released before the likely date of the next general election, the Observer has been told.In a move that will cause alarm in Downing Street, Heather Hallett's independent Covid-19 inquiry will issue a detailed interim report before the summer" on the first batch of public hearings held last June and July, which revealed a catalogue of errors, including the lack of PPE and failures to act on recommendations of previous pandemic planning exercises. Continue reading...

The National Flood Forum says flooded communities face future misery if they can't make a business case for helpPeople affected by this month's floods will face the same problems in future because their communities cannot access government support, campaigners have warned.Small towns and villages affected by floods in England and Wales can ask for flood defences and mitigation through their council or the Environment Agency (EA), but are being turned down because they cannot make a business case, according to the National Flood Forum. Continue reading...

Police treating deaths of Neil and Alison McLaughlin as unexplained' but say no information suggests anyone else involvedA man and woman found dead at a property in Greenock have been named by police.The deaths of Neil and Alison McLaughlin are being treated as unexplained", however detectives said they have no information to suggest anyone else is involved. Continue reading...

Protesters also call for UK to stop arms sales to Israel and end to Israeli occupation of Palestine

Andrej Sagaidak appears at Westminster magistrates court in connection to report of an incident in Islington on 1 JanuaryA serving Metropolitan police officer has been charged with rape and suspended from duty, the force has said.PC Andrej Sagaidak, attached to the local policing team in south-east London and who was working in his probation period, was charged on Friday with two counts of rape, one count of non-fatal strangulation and one count of causing actual bodily harm. Continue reading...

As River Trent reaches record levels, council urges people to check on elderly neighbours and consider relocatingPeople in Nottinghamshire have been urged to consider staying with friends after river levels reached record levels.Communities near the north of the River Trent are most at risk from flooding, according to the local authority, with residents urged to check on elderly and vulnerable residents. Continue reading...

Boy, five, among 126 people dead, after boiling water spilled on him during Monday's 7.6 magnitude quakeA woman in her 90s has been pulled alive from a collapsed house in western Japan, 124 hours after a major earthquake hit the region, killing at least 126 people, toppling buildings and setting off landslides.The woman in Suzu city, Ishikawa prefecture, survived for more than five days after the 7.6 magnitude quake on Monday. Nationally broadcast news footage showed helmeted rescue workers covering the view of the area with blue plastic, and the woman was not visible. Continue reading...

Four people also killed in suspected arson attack on a train, which police say was aimed at scaring people before votePolling booths have been set on fire in Bangladesh on the eve of general elections.On Friday four people, including two children, died in an apparent arson attack on a train in Bangladesh. Police said they had arrested seven people in connection with the incident. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereRussia has started using ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea to attack Ukraine, Washington and Kyiv have claimed, in an indication that Moscow plans to further expand its arms deals with regimes under sanctions in order to sustain its war effort.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...

Pitman, 16, was stabbed to death on Primrose Hill in north LondonA teenager has appeared in court charged with the murder of 16-year-old Harry Pitman, who was stabbed to death in north London on New Year's Eve.Pitman had gone to Primrose Hill with friends to watch the fireworks and was stabbed to death in the Camden park shortly before midnight. Continue reading...

Failatu Abdul-Razak is being cheered on and widely celebrated in west African countryA chef in Ghana has been preparing regional dishes on live TV since New Year's Day in an attempt to break a world record for marathon cooking.Failatu Abdul-Razak had cooked for more than 110 hours as of Friday afternoon at a hotel in the northern city of Tamale where she is aiming to break the Guinness world record for a cookathon of 119 hours and 57 minutes held by the Irish chef Alan Fisher. Continue reading...

Sources say land bought for train route north of Birmingham unlikely to be sold before polls - paving way for project's revivalA Labour government will have the option of reviving the northern legs of the HS2 rail project, after it emerged it is very unlikely that any land bought by the government for the route will be sold off before the election.Keir Starmer has resisted calls to recommit to the northern phase of the project, surprisingly axed by Rishi Sunak in his Tory conference speech last year. The Labour leader has partly blamed the fact that the government was already releasing land between Birmingham and Manchester" bought up for the route. Continue reading...

Maurizio Patriciello has had police protection since a bombing near his church in Caivano, Naples, but he vows to keep fighting crimeFather Maurizio Patriciello is running late. I'm waiting for my bodyguards," he says by text message.He is neither a celebrity nor a politician but a parish priest in Caivano, a desolate, crime-ridden town on the outskirts of Naples. He has been living under police protection ever since a bomb, accompanied by the message get out of our way", exploded by the gate of his church. Continue reading...

US performer has accused British TV producer of multiple sexual assaults while she was judge on hit TV showsNigel Lythgoe said it is with a heavy heart he has decided to step back from the next series of So You Think You Can Dance amid allegations of sexual assault.The announcement comes less than a week after the US singer and dancer Paula Abdul accused the British TV producer of multiple sexual assaults while she appeared as a judge on the hit TV shows American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Continue reading...

US singer, 70, says he is working hard to accelerate' his recovery but will have to cancel some upcoming performancesMichael Bolton said he was recuperating at home after a successful operation to remove a brain tumour over the Christmas period.The US singer-songwriter said he was working hard to accelerate" his recovery but the diagnosis and surgery meant he had to take a temporary break from touring". Continue reading...

Campaigners say testing is among methods used to surveil people in the tightly controlled regionThe US biotech company Thermo Fisher has halted sales of its DNA identification kits in Tibet, nearly five years after it made a similar commitment about the sale of its products in the neighbouring western Chinese region of Xinjiang.It decided to stop sales in Tibet after months of complaints from rights groups and investors that the technology may be used in a way that abuses human rights. The company said that the decision was made in the middle of 2023, but it was only revealed to investors late last month. Continue reading...

Many firms see the dire forecasts as overblown' but they know they will have to adapt products to make every bite must count'On a drizzly morning Luton's takeaways are preparing for the lunchtime rush. McDonald's is busy with shoppers, while chains from Subway to German Doner Kebab are opening their doors for the approaching army of hungry stomachs.The Bedfordshire town is one of the UK's worst spots for obesity, with one hospital admission linked to weight for every 20 residents in 2022. That toll is more than 10 times the rate in Bracknell Forest, Berkshire, according to NHS data. Continue reading...

In a Guardian interview, the actor also shares her admiration for Bella Ramsey and says she has challenged her son's behaviour towards women

Exclusive: Cancer leaders and oncologists increasingly alarmed at impact of strikes on treatmentThousands of cancer patients could die early if ministers and junior doctors do not urgently resolve their bitter pay row, health officials have warned.Oncologists and cancer leaders are becoming increasingly alarmed and frustrated at the devastating impact of NHS strikes on care and treatment. Tens of thousands of patients have had cancer appointments, treatments and operations cancelled since the strikes began about 13 months ago. Continue reading...

Swearwords increasingly used for emphasis and to build social bonds, rather than to insult, say academicsSwearing has become more widely acceptable over the past two decades because it is increasingly used for other purposes than to insult people, linguistics experts have said.Fuck" and shit", the two most commonly used swearwords in the UK, are frequently used to emphasise a point in conversation or to build social bonds, rather than with the specific intent to cause offence, according to academic researchers. Continue reading...

Number of missing lowered to 211 as thousands of troops join rescue effort and experts warn of disease risk at evacuation centresThe death toll from a major earthquake in western Japan reached 100 on Saturday as rescue workers fought aftershocks to carefully pull people from the rubble.Deaths had reached 98 earlier in the day, but two more were reported in Anamizu, while officials in Ishikawa prefecture - the hardest-hit region - held their daily meeting to discuss strategy and damages. Continue reading...

Deal suggested by NSW building commissioner comes after residents were forced to evacuate in 2019Owners of apartments in Sydney's Mascot Towers may reach a potential settlement to clear massive debts for the first time since being forced to evacuate their units due to defects.The New South Wales building commissioner, David Chandler, has offered a lifeline to residents of the buildings, in the city's inner-south, who have been faced with significant repair bills since cracks were discovered in the basement in 2019.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Kyiv says Russia has hit Ukraine with North Korean-supplied missiles for the first time; US official warns of diminishing time to resupply aid to Ukraine

This blog is now closed. Our full report on the latest developments in the Middle East is here and all our Israel-Gaza war coverage hereThe German government is monitoring the situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday, as the country's top diplomat prepares to travel to the Middle East for talks.The spokesperson said:The risk of escalation is unfortunately very real.

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...