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PM sets up possibility of income tax coming down in March and says control of welfare is a priority

Liz Oliva Fernandez says the sanctions, imposed 60 years ago and upheld through Biden, have led to a desperate situation'A Cuban journalist is looking to spread awareness of the US trade embargo in two illuminating documentaries arriving in early 2024.Liz Oliva Fernandez says whenever she covered news or events on the island, be it the push for democratic reforms, or the private businesses springing up after the Castros loosened their grip on power, they always intersected with the sanctions. Continue reading...

World Snooker and PDC World Darts owner Matchroom weighs up India and south-east Asia amid feared over-reliance on ChinaThe owner of the Masters snooker tournament is plotting an expansion trail across Asia after the pandemic exposed the company's reliance on China, its chair has revealed.Steve Dawson, who chairs World Snooker, told the Guardian it was considering staging tournaments in India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand, after its business was held back by three years of Beijing-imposed Covid lockdowns. Continue reading...

Woman was detained overnight and removed despite presenting Home Office documents showing her right to work and live in UKA 34-year-old Spanish woman was forcibly removed from the UK after returning from a Christmas holiday near Malaga despite presenting Brexit paperwork to border officials showing she has a right to live and work in the country.She was flown back to Spain after being detained overnight in Luton airport on 26 December and told she was wasting her time" if she thought the Home Office documentation she had showing her right to live in the UK was valid. Continue reading...

Corruption and the cost of living have trumped concerns about a belligerent neighbour in close race for the presidencyDeep in the mountains of Hsinchu county in north Taiwan, a few dozen residents of Smangus are holding their daily morning meeting in a weatherboard hut, overlooking the towering peaks nearby.The remote Indigenous village, home to about 200 Atayal people, is preparing for Saturday's presidential election. They take it very seriously, running their own polling station since 2008, and discussing candidates with all the residents. Continue reading...

Windsor and Maidenhead scraps cultural budget in wake of similar moves in Suffolk, Bristol, Nottingham and BirminghamThe chill blast of damaging cuts to provincial arts venues has returned to Berkshire this weekend as the cash-strapped local authority becomes the latest to scrap its cultural budget.Local MP and former prime minister Theresa May was among those to salute a reprieve back in February. But theatre lovers in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead now fear their venues are in jeopardy again, since no cultural funds appear in the next budget. Continue reading...

Record number of female and ethnic minority MPs expected to sit in Commons according to study of candidate selectionsThe next general election is set to herald the most diverse parliament ever, with record numbers of ethnic minority and female MPs, according to a detailed analysis of candidate selections in winnable seats.The study, by the thinktank British Future, projects that the number of ethnic minority MPs is most likely to rise from 65 to as many as 83, with much of this rise expected whatever the actual outcome of the election. Continue reading...

Chief executive says further industrial action by junior doctors will hamper progress to reduce health service waiting listsAn NHS boss has warned that his trust is now stretching to the limit to provide safe care" in the face of continuing junior doctors' strikes - and warned that further walkouts would halt efforts to cut long waiting times.Cutting waiting lists was one of Rishi Sunak's key priorities last year, with the state of the health service regularly coming top among voters' concerns. However, with the NHS in the midst of a doctors' strike and what many regard as its toughest fortnight of the winter, there are already warnings that further strikes could halt progress on waiting times. Continue reading...

Government had rejected campaigners' demands for new safety measures on basis of outdated researchThe government is reviewing quad bike safety regulation in what campaigners described as an embarrassing climbdown" after ministers repeatedly claimed that the introduction of roll bars could do more harm than good.Ministers had previously said that research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that roll bars could increase the risk of injury. But the HSE research was done in 1999, nearly a decade before the invention of newer devices that do save lives, according to evidence from Australia and the US. Continue reading...

Actor and daughters, 12 and 10, died along with pilot on Thursday after small plane they were in crashed into Caribbean SeaA Los Angeles pilates instructor who recently lost her two daughters and their father - actor Christian Oliver - has paid tribute to her girls and her former husband, saying their deaths are deeply felt by all who knew" them.Jessica Klepser's remarks about Oliver and their daughters - Madita Maia and Annik Luna Klepser, ages 12 and 10, respectively - were contained in a statement published late Friday on Instagram by Wundabar Pilates, the studio where she works. Continue reading...

The US secretary of state was speaking in Turkey, on trip that will take him to Jordan, Egypt and IsraelUS secretary of state Antony Blinken has urged Middle East countries to use their influence over regional actors to ensure the Gaza conflict is contained and prevent an endless cycle of violence," as he continued his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions.Blinken was speaking on Saturday, after Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group said it had fired rockets at Israel, who said it had struck a terrorist cell" in retaliation. Hezbollah called the strikes a preliminary response" to the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Beirut last week in an attack widely attributed to Israel Continue reading...

Victoria police say random attacks were not terror-related with 31-year-old man facing 15 chargesA man is facing more than a dozen charges after he allegedly stabbed four strangers in Melbourne overnight in what police say were completely random" and unprovoked attacks.Officers on Sunday arrested the 31-year-old Melton man who allegedly used public transport to travel across the city when committing three separate attacks on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Man found dead in driveway of Donnybrook home with gunshot wounds after firearm claimed off one of the offenders', detective allegesA man found dead in a driveway in Melbourne's outer north was allegedly part of a group of home invaders before he was shot during a struggle, police say.The man, who was yet to be identified, was found outside the property on Middlemount Street in Donnybrook, 30km north of Melbourne's CBD, at about 4.20am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Already decimated by mass arrests, opposition parties have boycotted the sham' election, which will give victory to the ruling Awami LeagueBangladesh began voting on Sunday in an election guaranteed to give a fifth term in office to rime minister Sheikh Hasina, after a boycott led by an opposition party she branded a terrorist organisation".Hasina has presided over exceptional economic growth in a country once beset by grinding poverty, but her government has been accused of rampant human rights abuses and a ruthless opposition crackdown. Continue reading...

Josep Borrell wants European-Arab initiative to revive a peace process, with the ultimate aim being a two-state solutionThe World Health Organization and the United Nations have made a new delivery of medical supplies to southern Gaza, the WHO director-general has said.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the shipment included eight refrigerators, eight solar panels, and clean delivery kits to supports 66 births as well as medicines and supplies to enable surgeries. He added that it would support 142,000 people requiring care. Continue reading...

Paul Maynard under investigation by MPs' expenses watchdog over claims he charged taxpayers for political campaign servicesCalls have been made for the prime minister to suspend the whip from a minister while claims he used his taxpayer-funded constituency office to campaign for the Conservative party are reviewed.Paul Maynard, the pensions minister, has been referred to an investigator by the parliamentary expenses watchdog over reports that he charged taxpayers when producing political materials. Continue reading...

Victim of software scandal says TV drama has reignited issue as 50 new operators contact lawyersA former post office operator who led a campaign to fight against wrongful convictions brought by the Post Office has called for compensation for the victims to be sped up after the broadcast of an ITV drama about the scandal.The Metropolitan police confirmed on Friday the Post Office was under criminal investigation over potential fraud offences" committed during the Horizon scandal. Continue reading...

Figures show rise in incidents of online extremism and violent content, partly fuelled by Israel-Gaza conflictMore than 1,000 violent and extremist posts have been taken down from social media at the federal government's request since 7 October following an increase in referrals brought on in part by the conflict between Israel and Hamas.It follows a warning by the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, in the days following Hamas's 7 October attacks in southern Israel that it was the job of social media companies to prevent the spread of distressing violent and terrorist content". Continue reading...

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...