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Teenager says he invented a story about walking for four days through mountains in order to protect his mother and grandfatherAlex Batty, the teenager who returned to the UK six years after he disappeared with his mother and grandfather, has revealed he decided to come back for a better future, having realised his mother was a great person but not a great mum".Interviewed for the first time, the 17-year-old said he realised he could no longer live with his anti-government, anti-vax" mum after an argument. Continue reading...

Coalition MP Colin Boyce claimed highest travel allowance of $29,623 for third quarter in 2022, while Adam Bandt claimed $15,309 for plane charterAnthony Albanese and Richard Marles have defended themselves and their colleagues over millions in taxpayer-funded expenses claimed by federal politicians, as political spending again comes under the microscope after the release of long-delayed reports.The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (Ipea) this week published new reports giving the public insight into how politicians spend public funds on office expenses and travel.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Outgoing Welsh first minister reflects on his achievements before stepping down in springThe outgoing Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, says he hopes his time in power will be remembered for radical" measures such as clamping down on second home ownership in Welsh language heartlands and introducing the much-reviled 20mph speed limit.Drakeford, who announced last week he would be stepping down, criticised the UK Conservative government for not taking the devolved nations more seriously and said a Labour administration in Westminster was desperately needed to fix broken Britain". Continue reading...

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Calls and contacts to helplines remain higher than pre-pandemic, compounded by cost of living crisisRising numbers of women are experiencing domestic abuse at Christmas, with calls to helplines still higher than pre-pandemic levels due to the cost of living crisis.Refuge, the leading support service in England, said calls and contacts to the national domestic abuse helpline in 2023 were still far higher than pre-pandemic, with 171,490 calls in the year ending March 2023. Continue reading...

Which? research also shows eight out of 10 think treatments and medications are expensiveA quarter of pet owners have concerns about potential over-treatment of their animals by vets amid concerns around unclear pricing, a Which? survey has found.The consumer champion's research shows that eight out of 10 think that vet treatments and medications are expensive but that it is hard to shop around due to unclear pricing online. Continue reading...

Zoopla says December's figures have been boosted by an increase in the number of homes for saleProperty sales and demand across the UK were almost a fifth higher in the final weeks of 2023 than a year earlier as sentiment improved, according to a survey.The property website Zoopla said new sales agreed were 17% higher in December than this time last year, when higher mortgage rates hit market activity. Demand is up 19%, measured by would-be buyers contacting agents to inquire about and arrange viewings for a specific property listed on Zoopla. An increase in the number of homes for sale is increasing choice and supporting sales, it said. Continue reading...

The Politics Weekly America team are taking a break. So for the next two weeks, we're looking back at a couple of our favourite episodes of the year.From August: Jonathan Freedland and Amanda Marcotte try to figure it out why rightwing politicians and pundits took such a disliking to Barbie, Greta Gerwig's summer blockbuster. They look at what the outrage can tell us about how the Republicans will campaign in 2024Archive: Fox News, NBC, The Ben Shapiro Show Continue reading...

Princess Royal shares details from Elizabeth II's final days in BBC documentary to be broadcast on Boxing DayAfter a lifetime of public service, the late queen was still preoccupied with her duty in the last days of her life, expressing concern that it would be difficult" if she died at Balmoral, the Princess Royal has revealed.But Elizabeth II was advised her worries shouldn't be part of the decision-making process", says Anne in a documentary marking the first year of King Charles's reign, which will be shown on Boxing Day. Continue reading...

Indigenous Australians department says it is giving advice on treaty and truth processes, but declines to reveal commission's status

A vote on the security council resolution will most likely be held off until Friday, according to reportsThe World Health Organization said on Thursday that northern Gaza had been left without a functional hospital due to a lack of fuel, staff and supplies.There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north," Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in Gaza, told reporters via video link from Jerusalem. Continue reading...

It took a day for the authorities to get access after the flooding, but a mud-soaked army of volunteers had already emerged

Hospital and aged care operator says cyber-attack was first detected on Tuesday and is investigating what data has been accessed

Investigation found complaints of serious neglect' related to former archbishop's failure to act on knowledge of abuse were substantiated

One person injured in Russian drone attack on Kyiv; Zelenskiy says military intelligence suggests Russia's military activity is slowing down

A marine expert has said that locals should be careful around the seal and remember that he is a wild animal after footage of his antics went viralThe rising fame and viral antics of a 600kg southern elephant seal known for venturing away from the coast and hauling himself about the streets of Tasmania's southern beach suburbs, have left marine experts concerned for his welfare.Neil the seal has become a social media celebrity, with an Instagram account that documents his life accruing more than 45,000 followers since he was officially identified on a haul out", a period in which seals come to land to rest, in July 2022. Continue reading...

Average cost comes despite recent fall in cost of petrol at the pump as drivers pay 12.50 more per tank than in 2019This year fuel forecourt prices have been the second highest on record, according to the AA, even though petrol fell to its lowest level in more than two years this week.Despite the recent drop, the average cost of petrol and diesel across 2023 has meant another year of pain for drivers, beaten only by last year's shock at the pumps, according to the motoring body. Continue reading...

Listed places of worship grants were awarded to almost 5,000 religious buildings for essential work to roofs, masonry and monumentsCarol services, midnight mass, small children dressed up as wise men and angels: for many people, Christmas is the one time each year when they visit their local church. And on Thursday the government announced it had given 42m of public money in 2023 to help conserve and maintain almost 5,000 listed churches and other religious buildings.Grand cathedrals and small parish churches benefited from grants dished out by the listed places of worship grant scheme for essential work to roofs, masonry and monuments. Since 2010, the fund has paid out 346m. The money covers VAT liable on the cost of works. Continue reading...

Asta Jonasson alleges Fast and Furious actor assaulted her in 2010 in Atlanta hotel during Fast Five filmingThe actor Vin Diesel, of the Fast and Furious franchise, has been accused of sexual battery by a former assistant in a lawsuit filed on Thursday.The incident allegedly occurred during the filming of Fast Five in 2010, according to the lawsuit, which was first reported by Vanity Fair. Asta Jonasson said that the actor forced himself on her while she was working as his assistant. Hours after the alleged assault, she was fired, the lawsuit states. Continue reading...

Exclusive: We could forever redefine the term Murphy's law",' one politician says in tribute to late colleague Peta Murphy

Rise in unsecured debt which includes car loans and unpaid utility bills shows fragility of national economic health, Labour saysBorrowing on the likes of credit cards and overdrafts will rise by 5,000 a household in the next five years, according to Labour analysis that the party says shows the fragility of national economic health.Analysis of statistics in the November economic outlook produced by the government's Office for Budget Responsibility shows that unsecured debt, also covering many car loans, is forecast to rise 154bn by 2028, the party said. Continue reading...

A 74-year-old carer was mistakenly declared dead by Centrelink two times in a case advocates describe as illustrating the devastating consequences of automation'

Department unexpectedly announces interim increase to just 29,000, with no timeline given for planned full rise to 38,700The Home Office has made a U-turn on its much-criticised plan to imminently raise the minimum salary requirement for British nationals bringing foreign family members to the UK, saying the threshold will first be raised to 29,000 instead of 38,700.The revised proposal, announced unexpectedly and without fanfare in a parliamentary answer, said the threshold would be increased incrementally" and would still eventually hit 38,700, but gave no timescale for when this would happen. Continue reading...

Police say gunman owned multiple firearms, as allowed by among the most permissive gun laws in the EUA fatal mass shooting in the cloistered environs of Prague might seem a bolt from the blue. In a city historically renowned for defenestrations but less for violent crime, safety and security are taken for granted much more than in most European capitals.The reaction of Prague's mayor, Bohuslav Svoboda, whose offices at Prague New Town Hall lie a short distance from the scene of the crime, conveyed many locals' bewilderment as they struggled to digest the horror that had unfolded. Continue reading...

Police chief says premeditated violent attack' at Charles University appears to have been inspired by massacres abroadA student at Prague's Charles University shot and killed 14 people and injured 25 others, 10 of them seriously, before being found dead, in what is believed to be the worst mass shooting in the Czech Republic's modern history.The city's police chief, Martin Vondraek, told a press briefing on Thursday evening that the death toll may rise further, adding that the shooting had been a premeditated violent attack", apparently inspired by similar massacres abroad. Continue reading...

After 11-year wait for inquest into his death in custody, relatives say Devon and Cornwall police still need to admit mistakes

But critics say the raising of the San Jose, sunk in battle with British ships in 1708, might damage the country's cultural heritageThe Colombian government has announced that it will attempt to raise objects from the 1708 shipwreck of the galleon San Jose, which is believed to contain a cargo worth billions of dollars.The 300-year-old wreck, often called the holy grail of shipwrecks", has been controversial, because it is both an archaeological and economic treasure. Continue reading...

Officials say gunman was a 24-year-old Charles University studentAmid tensions about Poland's state media, members of parliament from the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) went to the headquarters of the Polish Press Agency.Brussels today disbursed 1.5bn for Ukraine - the last past of a 18 billion package. Continue reading...

Church observers allege further irregularities after difficult polling day, but main opposition leader declines to join call for re-runVoters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been left with more questions over the credibility of this week's presidential election, amid fresh accusations of irregularities, as voting came to an end on an unplanned second day of balloting.An observer mission formed by two church bodies, the Episcopal Conference of the Congo and the Church of Christ in the Congo, reported that 11% of voting machines had been set up at military schools, contrary to election law, according to reports from the local news site Actualite.cd. Continue reading...

Program - under scrutiny after imprisonment of Canadians in China - said to lack safeguards to protect officers overseasA controversial intelligence-gathering program run by Canada's foreign affairs ministry operates in a distinctly grey zone", puts its officers at risk and breaches global diplomatic conventions, says a damning watchdog report.Canada's global security reporting program (GSRP), a critical part of the foreign ministry's security and intelligence footprint overseas, places officers in countries with poor human rights records" including Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Turkey, Israel and China. Continue reading...

Annual results show it holds only 244m for payments to wrongly convicted branch managers, after fewer appeals than expectedThe Post Office has almost halved the amount set aside for payments to branch managers wrongly convicted in the Horizon IT scandal as fewer than expected have won or brought appeals.The scandal, frequently described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history", resulted in more than 700 post office operators being prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 for theft, fraud and false accounting because of faulty accounting software installed in the late 1990s. Continue reading...

Adam Bodnar is determined to reverse damage to judicial system inflicted by defeated PiS, which led to clashes with EUPoland's new justice minister has vowed to find any niche in the legal system" that will allow him to push through reforms, as he starts work to reverse the rule of law breaches carried out under the previous government.Adam Bodnar, a law professor and former human rights ombudsman, was elected to Poland's upper house of parliament in the October election and became justice minister last Wednesday, part of a new government led by prime minister Donald Tusk. Continue reading...

Last-minute Eurotunnel strike by French unions in Calais halts services as Storm Pia causes travel problems across countryPassengers are suffering fresh disruption in the Christmas getaway after severe weather left rail lines blocked around Britain, while a strike by French Eurotunnel workers has halted Eurostar trains and cross-Channel shuttle services.Strong winds from Storm Pia, including gusts of up to 80mph in northern Britain, have blown down trees on tracks around the country. Continue reading...

Measure, introduced in August, in effect gave people granted leave to remain just seven days' notice to move onMinisters have quietly reversed an administrative change made in the summer that resulted in refugees being evicted from hostels with just seven days' notice, triggering a surge in street homelessness.The Home Office admitted that it had abandoned the measure, introduced in August, which in effect reduced the notice-to-quit period from 28 days to just a week, giving refugees awarded leave to remain little time to find alternative housing and get social security support. Continue reading...

Victoria Atkins had claimed many junior doctors were unhappy about the BMA's decision to call strikes for this weekNHS Employers has said hospital staffing levels seen during this week's junior doctors' strike in England will not be sustainable" when they stage the longest walkout the health service has ever seen next month.Danny Mortimer, the chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, made the point in a letter to the BMA seen by PA Media. In it Mortimer said January would be when the NHS faced greatest pressure on services and teams, each and every year".In a system already facing enormous demand, it is the week that most teams dread as it is likely to be the busiest for emergency care.Your joint letter with NHS England makes clear that in relation to the December action that the staff recall and derogations process remains largely the same as the previous strikes.I recognise that there are countless examples where our colleagues are not able to do their very best for their patients, but the first fortnight in January is one of the times when this risk dramatically increases.I would urge the leadership of the BMA to not therefore make this position worse during strike action in January. Continue reading...

Migration through the treacherous Darien gap is slowing as less restrictive air routes open up between South and Central AmericaTwo children from the west African nation of Guinea who were abandoned in Bogota's airport have been taken into government custody after spending several days on their own in the international departures terminal.Colombia's national immigration department said the children, aged 10 and 13, had been travelling with separate groups and were left in the airport by their relatives earlier this month for reasons that have not been clarified. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereUkraine has received the final 1.5bn (1.3bn) tranche of the 18bn package from the EU, the prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, has said.He posted on X:Today we have received the last 1.5bn of the 18bn financial aid package. Hope for continued unwavering support from the EU. Continue reading...

The lawyer who joined as a socialist firebrand is proud of his record as head of the Crown Prosecution Service - though decisions under his tenure are fodder for opponents

Met says a 41-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after incident in HackneyA four-year-old boy has died after suffering knife injuries at an address in Hackney, east London, the Metropolitan police have said.A murder investigation has been launched and a 41-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder, the force said. Continue reading...

Labour leader was unaware a prosecutor had closed case in 2009 despite being head of CPS, it has emerged

Joshua Jacques convicted of drug-fuelled stabbing attack that created bloodbath' at house in BermondseyA man has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend and three of her family members in a drug- and alcohol-fuelled knife attack at their home in south London.Joshua Jacques, 29, stabbed his girlfriend Samantha Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, her grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Hill's husband, Denton Burke, 58, in Bermondsey early on 25 April last year. Continue reading...

Jails are routinely severely overcrowded with a lack of access to basic medical facilitiesCalls for reform of Liberia's notorious prison system have intensified after more than 200 inmates held a protest at a facility in the northern Nimba County earlier this month over what they described as the government's failure to provide them with adequate food and medication.Complaints about the west African country's prisons are longstanding. Prisons are routinely severely overcrowded and inmates suffer from a lack of access to basic medical facilities, sanitary items and uniforms. Continue reading...

Only one other party with a significant number of seats is willing to enter formal agreement with Wilders' PVVA month after Geert Wilders emerged as the shock winner of the Dutch election, closed-door talks between his Freedom party (PVV) and three others have begun - but with no certainty of agreement, still less on the shape of an eventual coalition.The far-right PVV took nearly a quarter of the vote in the 22 November ballot, winning 37 seats in the 150-seat parliament. But with 15 other parties also winning seats, it needs at least two partners to form a coalition government that is sure of a majority. Continue reading...

Hamas says no talks without halt to Israeli onslaught, after Netanyahu appeared to dismiss prospect of another truce

Activists say the review of 113,000 missing people in Mexico is a ploy to reduce the number ahead of the presidential electionWhen the Mexican government announced it would review the official register of disappeared" people, it was presented as an effort to eliminate false entries. But with little transparency over how it was being done, activists suspected a ploy to reduce the number ahead of the 2024 election.The government has now announced it was able to confirm just 12,377 of the more than 113,000 cases of disappeared people. Continue reading...

Victoria Atkins says extra money is available but talks will not resume unless strikes across England are called off

Global media giants reportedly looking at tie-up to compete with Disney+ and NetflixWarner Bros Discovery and Paramount Global are reportedly in early stage talks about a merger that could bring two of the world's largest media firms under one roof with a combined market value of $38bn (30bn).It is understood that Warner Bros' chief executive, David Zaslav, discussed a potential merger - that could bring together HBO and CNN with CBS News and the hit Mission: Impossible films - while having lunch with his counterpart ,Bob Bakish, at Paramount's offices in New York this week. Continue reading...

School leaders fear ministerial advice on pupil transitioning could spark court actionSchools in England could face legal action if they follow new guidance on how to treat transgender children, ministers' own lawyers have reportedly warned.Advice issued prior to the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, and the equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, publishing draft guidance to schools and colleges which said they had no duty to allow students to socially transition", warns of significant legal risks if they follow it. Continue reading...

David Hutchinson misapplied company funds rather audaciously for his own benefit and for the benefit of his relatives', court finds

Defence lawyer called former Liberal staffer fundamentally dishonest' as judge said some of Lehrmann's and Brittany Higgins' evidence can't be accepted'Defence lawyers in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial have used their closing arguments to describe the former Liberal staffer as a fundamentally dishonest man", suggesting his repeated mistruths about the events of March 2019 suggest he might be a compulsive liar".Lisa Wilkinson's lawyer also told the court there can't be any doubt in anyone's mind that there was sex" on the night Brittany Higgins was allegedly raped. Continue reading...