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Claim by Ashfield MP that London mayor had given our capital away' to Islamists prompted widespread outrageLee Anderson has been stripped of the Conservative whip after refusing to apologise for remarks about Sadiq Khan on GB News that the London mayor described as Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist".The MP for Ashfield's comments on Friday night caused widespread outrage, and Khan accused the former Tory deputy chair on Saturday of pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred". Continue reading...

Critics of Ukraine war among dozens who may be at risk in penal system, say campaigners and journalistsJust days after the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a prison colony, human rights activists and journalists are warning that dozens of other political prisoners may be at risk of death from deliberate abuse of ill convicts in the Russian prison system.Dmitry Muratov, the Nobel-prize winning editor of Novaya Gazeta, told the Observer that Navalny's death had sent a clarion call for the world to save the Russian political prisoners who could die next. Continue reading...

Pressure has mounted on Netanyahu government to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of those kidnapped on 7 October

PM says UK will renew our determination' to support Kyiv as political leaders praise country's spirit of resistance

Universities accord also urges government to dramatically scale up access to higher education for disadvantaged groupsAccess to higher education among disadvantaged Australians must be dramatically scaled up and the financial burden of studying eased if the country is to meet acute skills shortages, a major report has found.The highly anticipated universities accord final report, being released by the education minister, Jason Clare, on Sunday, was expected to lay out the blueprint for the tertiary sector over the coming decades. Continue reading...

A new biography has revealed how the Labour leader and his allies planned his challenge in advance of the electionKeir Starmer had assembled a leadership team about six months before the Ddecember 2019 general election that led to Jeremy Corbyn's resignation as Labour leader.The team, codenamed the Arlington Group", began planning in earnest how Starmer could capture the leadership from June of that year - including a detailed breakdown of how Labour's membership could be convinced to support him. Continue reading...

Desperation of people searching for food in southern areas is making journeys north unsafe, says UN

Move comes as church faces scrutiny from politicians over conversions of asylum seekers to ChristianityA review into guidance for clergy on supporting asylum seekers is under way as a matter of urgency", the Church of England's parliament has heard alongside a claim of buck-passing" between the government and the church.The church has recently faced scrutiny from politicians over conversions of asylum seekers to Christianity, with a Conservative MP even suggesting taxpayers are being scammed" by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on the issue. Continue reading...

Government refused to publish review of system that allowed Russians now sanctioned due to Ukraine war to live in BritainThe government has been accused of a cover-up for refusing to publish a review of the so-called golden visa scheme that allowed wealthy investors, including at least 10 sanctioned Russian oligarchs, to take up residency in the UK.The Tier 1 visa scheme, whereby super-rich individuals could buy the right to live in the UK by investing in British-registered companies, was closed in February 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, amid concerns that the system was being abused. Continue reading...

Media appearances by ex-PM and former deputy Tory chair attract ire of Labour frontbench and within Tory ranksLiz Truss and Lee Anderson should both lose the Conservative whip over controversial media appearances that have caused unrest and anger within Tory ranks, campaigners and opposition politicians have said.In a letter to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, on Friday, the shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth, said egregious" remarks made by the pair cannot go unchecked or unchallenged". Continue reading...

As teenage victims are mourned across the English city, some believe the return of youth centres would keep children saferTerre Baptiste has been checking her teenage son's whereabouts compulsively since a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed two weeks ago in a park a mile away from their home in the east of Bristol.It is very worrying," says Baptiste, in her living room. Bristol isn't a perfect city. But there weren't stabbings one after the other. It was few and far between. Now it is on our doorstep." Continue reading...

Three women found with fatal knife wounds in brothel, while bodies of another woman and daughter discovered in apartmentAustrian authorities are investigating the killings of four women and a 13-year-old girl in Vienna within a day, including three found stabbed to death in a brothel.The bodies of three young women were found with fatal knife wounds in a brothel in the Austrian capital's Brigittenau district on Friday night after a witness alerted police. Continue reading...

Former BBC One controller Paul Fox says anti-Catholic prejudice was deeply embedded at the corporation during the TroublesThe British public were not told the truth about the Troubles in the 1960s and 1970s because the bloody Protestants were running the BBC in Northern Ireland", the then controller of BBC One has claimed.This is the damning judgment of one of television's most distinguished former top executives, Sir Paul Fox, who was editor of Panorama and then controller of BBC One. He firmly believes this meant that British viewers were not told the truth of what was really happening in Northern Ireland and in particular to the Catholics. Continue reading...

Ofcom is accused of not treating all broadcasters the same and of dragging its feet with investigations into the rightwing channelGB News is being allowed to violate broadcasting impartiality while Ofcom is failing to take tough action against the channel, senior broadcasting veterans have claimed.They include former ITN chief Stewart Purvis and broadcaster Adam Boulton, who expressed unease over Conservative MPs fronting GB News shows, in some cases interviewing each other. They were also concerned over the prominence of Nigel Farage, who has yet to rule out an election run for Reform. Continue reading...

Two former Labour MPs are back to haunt the party in what has been called the most radioactive byelection in living memory'Every day at 10am George Galloway rallies his troops at a Suzuki showroom just outside Rochdale town centre. In one room, boxes of leaflets are piled high against second-hand cars. In another, he takes his campaign to the airwaves.Earlier this week when MPs raised fears for their safety amid the increasingly fraught votes on Gaza, Galloway told thousands of supporters online that the names of Keir Starmer's team were dripping in blood". Continue reading...

Leeds building society believes it is the first to restrict new lending for holiday homes in Norfolk and YorkshireA leading building society is trialling a ban on new holiday-let mortgages in some popular tourist destinations.Campaigners say the move by Leeds building society could improve the situation for local residents currently struggling to buy or rent in parts of Norfolk and Yorkshire that have seen a surge in the number of properties turned into holiday rentals. Continue reading...

As many as 10,000 people are disputing wills every year, according to estimates by specialist solicitorsThousands of families are becoming embroiled in a soaring number of inheritance disputes leading to a record volume of ruinously expensive" and emotionally gruelling court cases.As many as 10,000 people in England and Wales are disputing wills every year, according to estimates by specialist solicitors. In 2021-22, 195 disputes went in front of judges, up from 145 in 2017, but these are the tip of the iceberg, with most disputes settled out of court. Continue reading...

Concerns that draconian' plans, which are intended to prevent confusion among shoppers, would push up pricesDairy alternatives such as I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Alpro's This Is Not M*lk may have to change their names if draconian" new rules to prevent shoppers confusing plant-based with real dairy products are imposed.With trading standards officials thought to be on the brink of issuing new guidance, including a ban on the use of words and phrases like m*lk", cheeze" and not milk" on labels, the Plant-based Food Alliance UK (PbFA) will next week make a last-ditch appeal to the environment secretary to intervene. Continue reading...

Ukrainian military claims it shot down Russian spy plane; Ukraine marks second anniversary of war; Russian drones kill one in Odesa attack

Agency says an unnamed supplier may have provided contaminated mulch at Cranebrook and Bardia

On 900 miles of track between the frontline and the edge of the EU, soldiers and civilians reflect on their experiencesThe opening bars of the Cossack March rang out from the platform speakers at Zaporizhzhia-1 train station, jaunty trumpets transitioning into a rousing military march, heralding the departure of train number four, the 17.53 to Uzhhorod.Carriage attendants slammed shut the heavy metal doors, a few people on the platform waved forlorn goodbyes in the evening gloom, and the train clattered off on its journey across the entire breadth of Ukraine, a 900-mile ride from close to the frontline all the way to the border with the European Union. Continue reading...

The blaze started on the first floor where electric bikes had been placed, according to officials, but the cause is still unknownAt least 15 people were killed and 44 injured in a fire at a residential building in eastern China's Nanjing city, local authorities said.The fire broke out early Friday morning, officials said at a press conference, with a preliminary investigation suggesting the blaze started on the building's first floor, where electric bikes had been placed. Continue reading...

Warnings remained in place for a group of communities west of Ballarat as crews work to get blaze under controlAt least three homes have been confirmed destroyed by a bushfire in western Victoria, with fire authorities warning that some towns remain under threat.There were fears that as many as 10 houses may have been claimed by the fire burning west of Ballarat, and watch and act" warnings remain in place for Bayindeen, Chute, Elmhurst, Mount Lonarch and surrounds, Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) said. Continue reading...

Police say three men and a woman died after vehicle left the road in Wardell, near Ballina, on Saturday morning

Urgent investment of 12.2bn needed to reverse effects of 14 years of austerity, unions sayAlmost three-quarters of schools in England are facing real-terms cuts since 2010 due to government funding decisions, analysis from a coalition of education unions has shown.New data released from School Cuts suggests before the spring budget next month that 12.2bn of investment is needed to reverse the cuts 70% of English state-funded schools have faced in the last 14 years under the Conservatives. Continue reading...

Residents tell of concerns and community spirit after discovery and removal of 500kg second world war explosiveUsually as the weekend approaches, the streets, shops and pubs around Devonport, the largest naval dockyard in western Europe, hum with life.But an eerie hush fell over the area on Friday after more than 10,000 people were evacuated from homes and workplaces so a second-world-war bomb dropped on Plymouth by the Luftwaffe could be extracted from a back garden. Continue reading...

More prematurely victorious candidates in 2024 - 15 mayors and 46 councillors - than any time since 2012

Campaigners say Ibrahima Bah should be treated as a victim of trafficking after he was forced to steer a boat. Instead he faces at least six years in jailIbrahima Bah will spend at least the next six years and three months in custody. He will do so for manslaughter, and for smuggling dozens of people into the UK on a perilous small-boat journey across the Channel during which at least four died.In the words of the migration minister Michael Tomlinson, it was right that he has been brought to justice" because Bah put dozens of lives in extreme danger by taking charge of a perilous and illegal small boat crossing". Continue reading...

Authorities lower count of victims in multi-storey fire in Valencia, with one more person considered missingSpanish police have said the final death toll from a devastating fire that tore through a 14-storey block of flats in the eastern city of Valencia is nine, with one person thought to have died now considered missing and all others accounted for.El Pais daily cited national police as saying that after forensic analysis of the bodies found in the charred building, they had lowered the number of victims from the 10 previously reported by the Spanish government's representative in the region. Continue reading...

Second world war bomb now in the water by Plymouth after its removal from a gardenThe large Naval Dockyard at Devonport and the presence of the Air Force and Army in the city made it a prime target for Hitler's Luftwaffe. The people of Plymouth experienced their first air raid alert at 12.45am on 30 June 1940.Between July 1940 and April 1944, the people of Plymouth experienced 602 alerts and 59 bombing raids, resulting in the deaths of 1174 civilians. More than 4,000 properties were destroyed with a further 18,000 damaged. Continue reading...

Children formally identified as Fares Bash, seven; Joury Bash, three; and Mohammed Bash, nine monthsThree children, including a baby, who were allegedly murdered at a house in Bristol all died of knife injuries, police have revealed.Avon and Somerset police said the siblings had formally been identified as Mohammed Bash, aged nine months, Joury Bash, three, and Fares Bash, seven. Continue reading...

Sheriff's office said victims, pronounced dead at the scene, were caught in debris and fell down the northern California hillsideTwo children were killed when a hillside collapsed along a river in northern California, which has been hit by a series of winter storms.The Shasta county sheriff's office said in a statement that the two victims were caught in debris that came down from a hillside near Shasta dam on Thursday morning and had fallen down the hillside. They were pronounced dead at the scene, the office said. Continue reading...

Government will back bill to curb spurious lawsuits often used by very rich to stop exposure of wrongdoingMinisters are to support a crackdown on spurious lawsuits aimed at intimidating journalists, academics and campaigners, known as strategic litigation against public participation, or Slapps.Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, said on Friday that the government would support a private member's bill brought by the Labour backbencher Wayne David aimed at reducing the use of Slapps in the British courts. Continue reading...

Scarlet Blake, 26, brutally attacked Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, and left him to drown in July 2021A woman who livestreamed herself killing, dissecting and blending the body of a cat before brutally attacking a man and leaving him to drown to death in a river months later has been convicted of murder.Scarlet Blake, 26, targeted Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, as he walked home from a night out in Oxford in July 2021. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Firm's denial comes after weeks of intense criticism, including accusations that it misled parliament Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastConsultancy firm KPMG Australia has rejected claims it conducted due diligence on the wrong company" before the federal government gave nearly half a billion dollars to a controversial company with no track record.The firm's objection to comments by a member of a Senate inquiry examining its conduct come after weeks of intense criticism and accusations it repeatedly misled parliament over its use of so-called power maps, which identify influential decision makers within departments.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

President faces uncertain reception at Salon d'Agriculture after weeks of protests by furious farmersMost politicians kiss babies; French leaders pat cows and make a fuss of lambs.The Salon d'Agriculture, the country's annual farm show that opens on Saturday, is a date presidents cannot afford to miss. Continue reading...

Sanctions come as part of Biden's broader effort against Russia which he announced on the second anniversary of Russia's war on UkraineU.S. President Joe Biden on Friday announced a fresh wave of more than 500 sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine and the death of Alexei Navalny, the White House said.More information to come ... Continue reading...

Rapper and producer posted antisemitic comments to social media in 2020 and 2021, and was later charged with assault and burglaryGrime music pioneer Wiley has been stripped of his MBE on the grounds of bringing the honours system into disrepute". A notice posted to the Cabinet Office website announced the change.In 2020 Wiley - AKA Richard Cowie, 45 - caused hurt and outrage with an antisemitic rant posted to social media, in which he stated: There are 2 sets of people who nobody has really wanted to challenge #Jewish & #KKK ... Red Necks Are the KKK and Jewish people are the Law." He also wrote: Israel is ours ... The Star of David that's our ting." He later apologised for generalising and going outside of the people who I was talking to within the workspace and workplace I work in," following a dispute with his Jewish manager, but didn't retract the comments and denied being racist. Continue reading...

It is hoped that telling of personal stories in New York will resonate with Republicans at a time when US military aid package is stalledA small group of Ukrainian child survivors of war will address a private meeting at the UN in New York, timed to coincide with a meeting of the security council on Friday, as part of an effort by Kyiv to remind Americans of the human costs of a conflict increasingly affected by US domestic politics.Those due to address the event include Kira, 14, and Ilya, 11, from the besieged city of Mariupol, and the hope is that their personal stories will resonate with Republicans at a time when a military aid for Ukraine package is stalled in the House. Continue reading...

Vennells had said she would return honour after fresh fallout over wrongful prosecution of post office operatorsThe former Post Office boss Paula Vennells has forfeited her CBE for bringing the honours system into disrepute" over her handling of the Horizon crisis.Vennells was named on Friday in a list published on the Cabinet Office website as an individual whose honour had been revoked by King Charles. Continue reading...

Far-right party trying to capitalise on third-place byelection finishes and is vetting prospective MPs' social media outputReform UK will seek to capitalise on its momentum in the polls and third-place finishes in two recent byelections by launching new policies and new candidates at a rally in Doncaster on Saturday.After the havoc wreaked on Ukip and the Brexit party by candidates who had to be suspended over racist and offensive comments, a vetting team at the rightwing populist party is trawling through would-be MPs' past social media output. Continue reading...

Labour politicians taking extra precautions while support staff say row about speaker has increased riskMPs have spoken about the lengths they are going to to keep safe amid heightened tensions over the war in the Middle East.Some Labour MPs who have been vocal on Israel and Palestine said they were fearful there could be a violent attack on a politician. Continue reading...

Biometric data of more than 2,000 staff at 38 leisure centres was unlawfully processed to check attendance, watchdog findsBritain's data watchdog has ordered a Serco subsidary to stop using facial recognition technology and fingerprint scanning to monitor the attendance of staff at the leisure centres it operates.The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found that the biometric data of more than 2,000 employees had been unlawfully processed at 38 centres managed by Serco Leisure to check up on their attendance. Continue reading...

Lawyers sought to overturn ruling last year that revocation of her citizenship was lawfulShamima Begum, who left Britain as a schoolgirl to live under Islamic State (IS), has failed in a fresh attempt to overturn a decision to remove her British citizenship after the court of appeal ruled against her.Three judges unanimously concluded that the then home secretary, Sajid Javid, had the power to set aside concerns she may have been a victim of child trafficking when she travelled in secret with two friends from east London to Syria in 2015. Continue reading...

Ibrahima Bah, who was also being smuggled to UK, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter and facilitating illegal entryA man who steered a small boat across the Channel on a crossing during which at least four fellow passengers drowned has been sentenced to be detained for more than nine years.Ibrahima Bah was found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter and facilitating illegal entry to the UK on Monday, after a trial at Canterbury crown court. Continue reading...

Letter to staff from building society's union says move will lead to about 125 job losses, taking cuts over past year to nearly 800Nationwide building society has put more than 300 people's jobs at risk in the lender's third round of cuts over the past 12 months as bosses push ahead with a major restructuring plan.A letter sent to staff by Nationwide's employee union, and seen by the Guardian, explains that the latest redundancies will affect workers across its retail service, customer resolutions, support and retail-risk divisions. Continue reading...

Ex-PM appears with former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and talks of deep state' ousting her from powerRishi Sunak should take action against Liz Truss for appearing alongside the far-right commentator Steve Bannon and spreading conspiracy theories about the deep state" ousting her from power, Labour has said.During appearances at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac), the former prime minister, who spent only seven weeks in power in 2022, appeared to be making the case for a comeback and relaunching her career in the UK. Continue reading...

Law allows growth of up to three plants for private consumption, holding 50g of cannabis at home, or 25g in publicGermany's parliament has passed a law allowing individuals and voluntary associations to grow and hold limited quantities of cannabis, making it the latest in a small group of countries and jurisdictions to legalise the drug, at least in part.The law passed by the chancellor, Olaf Scholz's ruling three-party coalition, legalises cultivating up to three plants for private consumption, the possession of 50g of cannabis at one time at home, and 25g in public. It follows a heated debate about the pros and cons of allowing easier access to the drug. Continue reading...

Home secretary says it is nonsense' for protesters outside lawmakers' residences to claim they are not seeking to intimidate themShamima Begum, who left Britain as a schoolgirl to join Islamic State, has lost an appeal against the decision to remove her British citizenship.Begum travelled to Syria in 2015 at the age of 15. Her citizenship was revoked on national security grounds shortly after she was found in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019. Continue reading...

Israel wants security control over all land west of Jordan, including occupied West Bank and Gaza; MSF says idea of humanitarian response in Gaza an illusion'The paramedics arm of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group says two of its members were killed in an Israeli strike on a southern border village early on Friday, reports AP.