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Despite #MeToo movement bringing about some change, sexism in financial sector has become more underhand and pernicious', women tell inquiryThe social change sparked by the #MeToo movement has not translated to the UK's financial sector, with sexual harassment merely shifting away from the office to conferences and work trips, MPs have heard.A summary of private hearings held as part of the Treasury committee's sexism in the City inquiry showed that, while a small number of women said workplaces had become more inclusive in recent years, the majority felt the Square Mile was still an old boys' club" with widespread misconduct and misogyny. Continue reading...

Months-long covert police operation recovers paintings stolen from Tel Aviv art collector 14 years agoTwo paintings by Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso have been recovered from a basement in the Belgian city of Antwerp, 14 years after they were stolen from an art collector in Israel.The two artworks, a cubist portrait by Picasso known simply as Tete and Chagall's L'homme en priere, showing a man praying, were stolen in February 2010 from a Tel Aviv villa owned by the Herzikovich family. Continue reading...

Buckingham and Kensington palaces announced procedures for King Charles, 75, and Princess of Wales, 42When Queen Elizabeth was admitted to hospital for a night in October 2021 for preliminary investigations", the first the public learned of her health concerns was a front page story in the Sun.The monarch might have hoped not to cause a fuss, but the fact that royal reporters had been told she was advised to rest, but not that she was in hospital, led to feverish speculation over the true state of her health - and criticism of palace secrecy". Continue reading...

Mike Jeffries and partner Matthew Smith are reportedly facing investigation for allegedly exploiting young men at partiesThe former CEO of the clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch is reportedly being investigated by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies for alleged sex crimes.Mike Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith are being investigated by federal agencies following allegations that they sexually exploited and abused young men at parties they hosted in the US and worldwide, BBC News first reported. Continue reading...

Owners in Bolzano, northern Italy, must pay 65 for test, which police can use to search for dog muck culpritsDog owners in Bolzano must submit their pets for DNA tests as the authorities in the northern Italian province crack down on the scourge of dog poo in the streets.The swab test results will be inserted into a database, which police can then refer to in their search for the culprits and their owners. The evidence will be used to fine owners between 292 and 1,048. Continue reading...

Jailing of Fail Alsynov for inciting hatred' sparks protests; Dmytro Kuleba said his country's priority for 2024 was to gain control over its skiesUkrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has updated his X account with details of his numerous meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.Zelenskiy said he met Polish president, Andrzej Duda to discuss their bilateral relations, including cooperation on Ukraine's path to EU membership". He said the battlefield situation and further defence assistance for Ukraine was discussed. Zelenskiy added that the pair had acoordinated their positions ahead of the Nato summit in Washington. Continue reading...

Future queen will stay in hospital for 10 to 14 days after successful procedure and return to duties after EasterThe Princess of Wales is being treated in hospital after undergoing successful abdominal surgery and is expected to remain there for up to two weeks, Kensington Palace has said.Catherine, 42, was admitted to the London Clinic on Tuesday for the planned procedure, with no further details being given. The palace said she wished her medical information to remain private. Continue reading...

Shane Simmonds, 38, charged with death of Tia Simmonds and two counts of rape of teenage girlThe body of a woman allegedly murdered by her husband was found in the attic of their south-east London home, a court has heard.Tia Simmonds, 32, was discovered at the couple's home on Parbury Road in Forest Hill, Lewisham, on 3 January. Her husband, Shane Simmonds, 38, appeared at Bromley magistrates court on 4 January charged with her murder. He has also been charged with two counts of rape in relation to a teenage girl. Continue reading...

Bracken, 56, had been stabbed and died at the scene in Pangbourne, Berkshire, this monthA woman found dead in a car after officers were called to reports of a crash has been named by police.The body of Maya Bracken, 56, was found inside a Lexus in Flower's Hill, in Pangbourne, Berkshire, this month. She had been stabbed and died at the scene. Continue reading...

Paul Kagame also says he would be happy for the scheme to be scrapped

UK business minister's letter likely to put further pressure on Fujitsu's share price

State has paid out $322m to settle wrongful incarceration claims, ahead of Texas, Maryland, Connecticut and MichiganNew York has paid out the most of any state in the US to people wrongly incarcerated, according to a new study.The latest research was produced by High Rise Financial, a pre-settlement legal funding company. Continue reading...

With temperatures as low as -15C forecast, many want to know when milder weather will arriveAs the coldest temperatures in 14 years are predicted to hit the UK overnight, with parts of Scotland potentially plunging to -15C, freezing conditions are expected to remain across the country for the next few days.The last time temperatures dropped this low in Britain was during the big freeze" of January 2010, when -22.3C was recorded in Altnaharra, Scotland. Continue reading...

Amid the threat of a walkout, managing editor tells staff the broadcaster rejects' claims that pro-Israel groups lobbied for dismissal

Amid the threat of a walkout, managing editor tells staff the broadcaster rejects' claims that pro-Israel groups lobbied for dismissal

Ex-president has transformed efforts to hold him accountable for his anti-democratic actions into something to rally his supporters aroundFor anyone else running for public office, a laundry list of criminal charges after attempting to overthrow an election would be a liability.For Donald Trump and his vehement followers, the court cases don't show accountability - they show a conspiracy against their leader, one worthy of doubling down their support. Continue reading...

Budget airline forced to pay back 6,000 holidaymakers after action by air industry regulator the CAAThousands of passengers have been awarded a total of 1.2m in compensation from Wizz Air as part of a landmark action against the budget airline after years of complaints by passengers.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) revealed on Wednesday that about 6,000 passengers had received payouts - equivalent to more than 200 each - since it launched the enforcement process in July last year. Continue reading...

June Givanni founded London archive documenting Pan-African cinema over 40 yearsA pioneering curator, writer and programmer of African film is to receive Bafta's outstanding British contribution to cinema award.June Givanni is the founder of a London archive that has amassed more than 10,000 items - including films, ephemera, manuscripts, audio, photography and posters - documenting Pan-African cinema over 40 years. Continue reading...

Former finance chief to replace Bernard Looney, who departed unexpectedly last year

Court ruling is challenging for the Tiwi Islanders who fought case and likely to prompt a re-think about how Indigenous cultural heritage matters are run

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Deliveries are expected to arrive in Gaza on Wednesday under deal brokered by Qatar and France

Abigail Disney, Brian Cox and Valerie Rockefeller among signatories of open letter condemning inequality

Leading children's author says deprived children in UK are missing out on lifetime of reading for pleasureDeprived children are being robbed of a lifetime of reading for pleasure, by governments that are simply blind" to the benefits of loving literature from an early age, according to the author Michael Morpurgo.Morpurgo and a coalition of leading authors, including Julia Donaldson, Malorie Blackman and Cressida Cowell, are backing a call by BookTrust to ensure that every child from a low-income family has access to books and reading activities by investing in a programme across schools and nurseries. Continue reading...

Less than 48 hours after global LGBTQ+ movement' banned for being extremist, LGBTQ+-friendly bars were raidedThe ink was barely dry on Russia's decision to outlaw what it called the international LGBT public movement" as extremist when masked police raided a bar in central Moscow where Vasili gathered with his friends on Friday nights for an LGBTQ+ party.It was a regular Friday evening until suddenly we saw the police storming in," Vasili, who asked for his name to be changed because of safety concerns, recalled. Continue reading...

Attitudes to climate, migration, global economic turmoil, Ukraine and Covid will dominate this year's elections, research indicatesEurope's voters are no longer divided into left or right, pro- or anti-EU camps, a survey suggests, but into five distinct tribes whose conflicting concerns are likely to dominate nearly 20 elections across the continent this year.The polling suggests 2024's European parliament and national elections will be fought over attitudes to five major crises that have affected voters' lives in recent years: the climate emergency, the 2015 migration crisis, global economic turmoil, the war in Ukraine and Covid. Continue reading...

Building Commission NSW issues urgent rectification orders for Greenland's development at Macquarie ParkAlmost 1,000 recently completed apartments in Sydney's north are at risk of collapsing due to serious damage" to concrete in the basements caused by defective workmanship, according to the New South Wales building watchdog.The developer Greenland has been issued with urgent rectification orders over the four apartment buildings at the Lachlan's Line development at 23 Halifax Street in Macquarie Park. Continue reading...

Police charge Karumba man with 46 offences including assault, torture and slavery after launching investigation in Gulf of Carpentaria

Tropical low over Coral Sea assessed by Bureau of Meteorology to have high' chance of developing from Sunday

Attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen have been met with airstrikes from the UK and US. Patrick Wintour reportsSince the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October and Israel's military response in Gaza, there has been an effort by western leaders led by the US to avoid the conflict spreading to the wider region. That attempt looks increasingly tenuous now. US and UK airstrikes have targeted the Houthi rebel group in Yemen after a series of attacks by the group on commercial ships in the Red Sea.As Patrick Wintour, the Guardian's diplomatic editor, tells Michael Safi, the Houthis say they are targeting Israeli-linked ships in an attempt to force a ceasefire. In doing so they are are positioning themselves as the foremost champions of Palestinians in the region. In reality, they have struck shipping interests beyond Israel and ignored warnings from the US to desist. Now, with Washington promising further strikes if necessary, the threat of a wider regional escalation is growing and with it the danger of a far more deadly conflict. Continue reading...

Desperate' plea to end standoff comes as IR minister Tony Burke to meet with stevedore responsible for about 40% of country's container freight

Pakistan says attacks killed two children in unprovoked violation' of its airspace, adding to regional instability sparked by Israel-Gaza war

Festival on 12 to 14 April and 19 to 21 April at Empire polo club will also feature reunion of No Doubt, as well as performances by Blur and Ice SpiceLana Del Rey, Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat will headline the 2024 Coachella music festival, with the Gwen Stefani-fronted ska band No Doubt reuniting as part of the lineup after last playing together in 2015.Announced on Tuesday, the 23rd instalment of the festival will take place over two weekends on 12 to 14 April and 19 to 21 April at Empire polo club in Indio, California, and will also feature Blur and the breakout rap star Ice Spice. Continue reading...

French president focused on education and law and order in press conference to challenge dominance of Marine Le Pen's far-right National RallyEmmanuel Macron wants to regulate French children's screen time, test compulsory school uniform, and is not against all primary schoolchildren having to learn the national anthem, he has told a press conference, promising a common sense" France.The French president, who is trying to limit the potential gains of the far right in the European elections, set out his vision for the coming years focusing on law and order, education and pro-business policy, days after appointing France's youngest ever prime minister, Gabriel Attal. Continue reading...

Foreign affairs minister uses meeting with Israeli counterpart and president to say Australians also have strong concerns about the civilian death toll' in Gaza

Louis and Stewart Ahearne confessed in Geneva to stealing Ming dynasty artefacts worth about 3mTwo British brothers have been jailed for stealing Ming dynasty artefacts worth about 3m from a Swiss museum.Louis and Stewart Ahearne, from Greenwich, south London, confessed to stealing two vases and a cup from the Baur Foundation, Museum of Far Eastern Arts in Geneva on the night of 1 June 2019. Continue reading...

Researchers urge greater public awareness of potential risks of excessive sound levelsVideo gamers worldwide may be risking permanent hearing loss or persistent ringing in their ears, according to a systematic global review of all the available evidence.The analysis suggests that the sound levels reported in studies of more than 50,000 gamers often near, or exceed, permissible safe limits. And given the popularity of video games globally, greater public health efforts are needed to raise awareness of the potential risks, researchers have urged. Continue reading...

Email sent to workers on Tuesday informing them of plans but council says no decisions madeBirmingham city council could cut up to 600 jobs in a wave of redundancies months after effectively declaring itself bankrupt.An email went out to workers on Tuesday informing them of the plans, but no decision has been made yet on how many posts could be made redundant, or when the cuts will begin, a spokesperson for the authority said. Continue reading...

Strasbourg court says interrogation in secret location broke human rights lawsLithuania broke European human rights laws by allowing the CIA to subject an alleged 9/11 suspect to inhuman treatment" in a secret interrogation centre in the Baltic country, the European court of human rights has ruled.The court said Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi raised multiple complaints of torture, ill treatment and unacknowledged detention in 2005-2006 when he was held at a secret facility in Lithuania run by the CIA. Hawsawi is now held in Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of being a facilitator and financial manager of al-Qaida. Continue reading...

Rhodri Williams had told MPs he wanted to keep job last week amid fallout from bullying scandal at broadcasterThe senior leaders of the Welsh-language broadcaster will be replaced after a year-long crisis, after the chair said he would not stand for a second term.Rhodri Williams has written to the UK government asking not to be considered for the position as chair of S4C when his tenure runs out at the end of March, despite telling MPs last week that he thought he should remain in the job. Continue reading...

Michaela community school, run by Britain's toughest headteacher', Katharine Birbalsingh, introduced ban last MarchOne of England's highest performing state schools, famed for its top results, strict discipline code and charismatic headteacher, has been challenged in the high court for its policy of banning prayer rituals on school premises.The case against Michaela community school in Brent, north-west London, has been brought by one of its Muslim pupils, who claims the ban is discriminatory. Continue reading...

UN agencies issue joint plea for entry routes to Gaza, where Israel's war with Hamas has damaged swaths of territoryAid officials in Gaza believe that pockets of famine already exist in the territory, with parents sacrificing remaining food for their children, an apple costing $8 (6.30) and fuel for cooking almost impossible to find.UN agencies have said that Gaza urgently needs more humanitarian assistance as Palestinian authorities reported that the death toll in the territory during the Israeli offensive there had risen to more than 24,000. Continue reading...

Jane Stevenson joins Conservative party's deputy chairs in resigning on a bruising night for Rishi SunakMore than 60 Tory MPs have signed at least one of the various rebel amendments to the Rwanda bill tabled by hardliners. But very few of them have said publicly that, if the amendments are not passed, they will definitely vote against the bill at third reading. Suella Braverman and Miriam Cates are among the diehards in this category. But Simon Clarke, in his ConservativeHome, only says, that, if the bill is not changed, he will not vote for the bill at third reading, implying he would abstain.In an interview with Sky News, Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister who has tabled the rebel amendments attracting most support, said he was prepared" to vote against the bill at third reading. He said:I am prepared to vote against the bill ... because this bill doesn't work, and I do believe that a better bill is possible.So the government has a choice. It can either accept my amendments ... or it can bring back a new and improved bill, and it could do that within a matter of days because we know the shape of that bill. Continue reading...

Two deputy chairs of Conservative party resign after voting in favour of hardline amendment but No 10 believes PM can weather storm

Foreign minister of UN-recognised government takes same position as Houthis on call to British ministerThe UN-recognised government of Yemen has urged the UK to change its policy in Gaza and back an immediate ceasefire.The call was made by Ahmad bin Mubarak, the foreign minister of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, during a phone conversation on Tuesday with the British Middle East minister, Lord Ahmad. Continue reading...

England and Wales's first lady chief justice has rattled the cages of those in government who had declared open season on judgesLess than four months into her role, the first lady chief justice has already shown more inclination to stand up to politicians than many of her male predecessors managed across their entire tenures.In one fell swoop, in her first appearance before parliament's justice committee, Dame Sue Carr challenged the government on two of the main political stories of the day - the Rwanda refugee scheme and the Post Office IT scandal. Continue reading...

Most senior judge in England and Wales says government plans draw matters of judicial responsibility into the political arena'

PM will recall how Tory anger toppled May, Johnson and Truss as he seeks solution to party fractures

Viacheslav Morozov fired by University of Tartu, on the Russian border, but some academics question his caseAuthorities in Estonia have arrested a Russian professor on espionage charges in a case that his university said shows Russia's intent to orchestrate anti-democratic action" in the Baltic country. But some fellow academics have condemned the university for summarily firing him before a trial was held.Viacheslav Morozov, a professor of international political theory at the University of Tartu, a city on the Russian border, was detained on 3 January by Estonia's internal security service (ISS), public broadcaster ERR said. The arrest was only revealed on Tuesday. Continue reading...

European boss says company has moral obligation' to contribute but exact sum will have to wait until end of inquiry