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Comments by Huw Merriman come day after No 10 forced to deny government pursuing agenda against BBC

Persimmon's Martyn Clark to replace Peter Truscott after he retires later this year

Price rises help lift profits as sales of its sparkling wine soar but still products slide

Charities call on government to prioritise outside spaces for play as MPs begin inquiry into planning and children's wellbeingChildren and young people are suffering huge damage to their health and wellbeing from policymakers refusing to prioritise the need for outdoor play, charities have said.As MPs begin an inquiry into how better planning could enhance the wellbeing of children, the charities said urgent change was needed. Continue reading...

UK minister to tell meeting that suffering in Gaza is unacceptable and our priority must be to alleviate it'

Alphabet Workers' Union says contract's end will have devastating impact' on subcontractors who do the grunt work involved in training AI

Car carrying two people crashed into water at Six Pack Creek Boat Ramp in Dundee Downs last Thursday but only one of the occupants survivedEmergency services have been forced to kill several crocodiles in order to recover the body of a young driver who crashed his car into the water at a popular Northern Territory fishing spot.Police received reports on Thursday afternoon that a car carrying two people crashed into the water at Six Pack Creek Boat Ramp in Dundee Downs. Continue reading...

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Rugby union player pleads not guilty and denies groping and sexually assaulting the complainant, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, at Bondi Beach venue in 2022

Iceland boss has written to MPs claiming that changing rules would help cut prices for familiesCampaigners have spoken out against proposed changes to the law that would ease restrictions on marketing baby formula, arguing that they would not help cut prices for hard-pressed families but instead give free rein to powerful brands.The boss of Iceland, Richard Walker, has written to MPs proposing an amendment to the competition bill currently going through parliament that would remove the ban on advertising in stores, free samples, discount promotions and any other promotional activity to induce the sale of an infant formula". Continue reading...

Shambolic media conference has Coalition members saying opposition leader has shown an abject failure of leadership'

TWU backs Virgin over Qantas's budget carrier, citing former's commitment to employing locally-based crews in submission to International Air Services Commission

Pupils from lower socioeconomic background don't see it as a subject for somebody like them', Teach First findsDisadvantaged parents rule out careers in science, technology, engineering and maths for their children because they think those jobs are already stitched up", according to a leading education charity.More than half of parents (51%) from a lower socioeconomic background, who took part in a survey by Teach First, said they believed their children were unlikely to go on to a career in Stem. Continue reading...

Peng Yang denies any sexual contact with the patient and claims he was giving the man a wash

Imron, who has spent 21 years in prison, says he wants to be released to work on deradicalisation projectsAli Imron, who was given a life sentence for his role in the 2002 Bali bombing, is seeking a presidential pardon, saying he wants to be released so he can work on deradicalisation projects across Indonesia.Imron, 54, has spent 21 years in prison over the bombings that killed 202 people on the Indonesian island of Bali, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians. Continue reading...

Authorities warn of potentially widespread damage after the 7.0-magnitude quake, with tremors felt in neighbouring countriesA 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck along the China-Kyrgyzstan border, as authorities warned of potentially widespread damage.The China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake hit Wushu county in Aksu prefecture shortly after 2am local time, according to the state-run Xinhua press agency and about 200 rescuers were dispatched to the epicenter. Continue reading...

Former prime minister quitting after 16 years in parliament to also spend more time with my family'

Cyclone expected to make landfall as severe category-three system as cyclonic winds, flooding rain and tides among weather forecast in Queensland

Research finds residents receive care in line with guidelines 53.2% of the time on average and just 12% of the time for depression

Opposition leader says prisoners forced to listen to I am Russian' by Shaman as part of 5am regimeJailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has complained of being poisoned, assaulted and deprived of proper medical care, but this week he disclosed he faced a new challenge: being forced to listen to a pro-Putin pop singer at 5am every morning.Navalny, 47, a former lawyer who rose to prominence more than a decade ago by lampooning president Vladimir Putin's elite and voicing allegations of vast corruption, is now in a jail about 60 km (40 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. Continue reading...

Move comes as pressure mounts on broadcaster's management with union members passing vote of no confidence in managing director David Anderson

Medical staff arrested at al-Khair hospital, Palestinian officials say, while al-Amal hospital surrounded by tanksThe White House has called on Israel to protect innocent people as Palestinian officials said the Israeli military had stormed one hospital in Gaza and placed another under siege.National security council spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday Israel had a right to defend itself but added: We expect them to do so in accordance with international law and to protect innocent people in hospitals, medical staff and patients as well, as much as possible." Continue reading...

Prime minister says everyone will be getting a tax cut' on KIIS FM after 2GB says government considering lifting tax-free threshold while retaining highest tax bracket at $180,000

Treatment takes 15 minutes and involves swallowing a capsule with no need for surgery, endoscopy or anaesthesiaA non-surgical gastric balloon which helps weight loss by restricting the size of the stomach has been made available on the NHS for the first time.The treatment, which was approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) in 2020, takes 15 minutes and involves a capsule being swallowed by the patient which is attached to a thin tube. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leader of successful class action says government should step in to overturn the convictions', amid calls for a formal apology

Opposition day motion seeks to create a council-maintained register of children in England not on the school rollLabour is planning to use an opposition day debate motion to bring forward legislation for a new register of children who are not in school as part of plans to tackle persistent absenteeism.New Labour analysis found that one in three children currently sitting their GCSEs have missed nearly three months of secondary school since the pandemic" and said this was likely to affect academic attainment. Continue reading...

Former Cop26 president abstains from vote saying bill breaks UK's promise to phase out fossil fuelsAlok Sharma has said the government's oil and gas bill going through the Commons will not cut household energy costs or create jobs and instead will break the UK's promise to phase out fossil fuels.The government's offshore petroleum licensing bill passed its second reading on Monday night with 293 votes to 211 against. No Conservative MPs voted against it, and Sharma - the former business secretary who served as president of the Cop26 climate talks - abstained. The legislation would place the North Sea Transition Authority under a duty to run annual applications for new offshore oil and gas licences. Continue reading...

US officials confirmed attacks amid footage of explosions around the capital city of Sana'a

Canadian-born director of Moonstruck and Fiddler on the Roof was a three-time Oscar nomineeNorman Jewison, the acclaimed and versatile Canadian-born director whose Hollywood films ranged from Doris Day comedies and Moonstruck to social dramas such as the Oscar-winning In the Heat of the Night, has died at the age of 97.Jewison, a three-time Oscar nominee who in 1999 received an Academy Award for lifetime achievement, died peacefully" on Saturday, according to his publicist Jeff Sanderson. Additional details were not immediately available. Continue reading...

Peers vote 214-171 to delay bill to allow more time for scrutinyMy colleague Mark Sweney has more dismal news on the economy this morning:More than 47,000 UK companies are on the brink of collapse after a 25% jump in businesses facing critical" financial distress in the final three months of 2023, according to a new report. Continue reading...

Lords vote for motion to delay ratification of Rwanda treaty until government can show country is safeRishi Sunak's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda received its first parliamentary defeat on Monday after peers backed calls for protections to be introduced before any flights take off.The House of Lords voted for a motion which sought to delay ratification of the new Rwanda treaty until the government can show the country is safe. Continue reading...

UK PM called on to apply pressure on Qatar to help free Liri Albag, Eliya Cohen and Ziv and Gali Berman

Two people die in separate car collisions while tens of thousands suffer power cuts in wild weather

US defence official dismissed reports of attack against a US military cargo ship, Ocean Jazz, as Houthi propaganda

Rory Bidwell, 12, achieved the maximum score of 162 on the test, above the 160 said to have been achieved by Einstein and HawkingA schoolboy from Devon has reportedly joined Mensa after scoring higher on an IQ test than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.Rory Bidwell, 12, recently achieved the maximum possible score for his age group of 162 on the Cattell III B test, the North Devon Gazette reported, just above the 160 purportedly assigned to physicists Einstein and Hawking. Continue reading...

New guidance to say health staff should not report women suspected of illegally ending pregnancies to policeDoctors and other healthcare staff should not report suspected illegal abortions to the police as prosecutions are never in the public interest, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has said.In an intervention on Monday that will trigger further debate on the decriminalisation of abortion, Dr Ranee Thakar, the president of the professional body, said outdated and antiquated" abortion laws meant women were left vulnerable to criminal investigation. Continue reading...

Conditions at Ciudad Juarez zoo on US-Mexico border not suitable so container takes Benito to conservation park 1,000 miles awayA giraffe named Benito has started a 50-hour road trip to leave behind the cold and loneliness of Mexico's northern border city of Ciudad Juarez to find warmth - and maybe a mate - in his new home 2,000km (1,200 miles) to the south.A campaign by animal rights activists won the four-year-old giraffe a transfer to an animal park in Puebla state in central Mexico, where he will join a group of resident giraffes and enjoy a more suitable climate. Continue reading...

Councils disagreed on All England Club's plan to build 8,000-seat stadium on Grade II*-listed parkThe mayor of London's office has taken charge of the decision on whether to approve the All England Lawn Tennis Club's controversial plans to build on a Grade II*-listed park to expand the Wimbledon grand slam championships.This is a major planning application, of London-wide significance," a spokesperson for city hall said on Monday. Therefore, the deputy mayor has issued a direction under article 7 of the Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order that he becomes the local planning authority for the purposes of determining the application. A full planning hearing will be held in due course." Continue reading...

Early-years providers say plan will do little to address staffing crisis affecting number of available places

Problems such as pulling on the lead, clinginess or aggression are most prevalent with almost all UK respondents reporting at least one issueWhether it is jumping up at strangers, tugging on a lead or disappearing into the distance, the UK's pandemic puppies are still in the doghouse, a survey has revealed.Research by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has added to growing concerns that many owners who acquired a puppy during the height of the Covid pandemic are struggling with their dog's behaviour as they reach 21 months. Continue reading...

The show's run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane will end in September but British schools can then compete to stage itSince the summer of 2021 it has drawn waves of excited theatregoers wearing Elsa dresses - alongside the occasional Anna or Olaf costume - but the West End musical Frozen is to close later this year.On Monday, Disney Theatrical Group announced that the stage adaptation of the animated blockbuster was being extended for the final time. The show will complete its run at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 8 September, having been seen by more than 2.8 million people. Its closure comes as a surprise: the show received five-star reviews, including from the Guardian, and was hailed by critics as the perfect introduction to theatre for children. A second sequel to the 2013 film is destined for cinemas, suggesting Frozen fever" is far from over. The North American tour of the Broadway musical has been running since 2019. Continue reading...

Second named storm in 36 hours continues country's most active storm season since records beganStorm Jocelyn will quickly follow Storm Isha, meteorologists said, continuing what has been the most active storm season in the UK and Ireland since records began.Met Eireann has named Storm Jocelyn, which is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the UK on Tuesday and into Wednesday. Continue reading...

Looking for a solution in the Middle East doesn't mean that we are not continuing supporting Ukraine,' says Josep BorrellIn an intelligence update published today, the British defence ministry said: Ukraine's ports exported more agricultural products in December 2023 than at any other point since Russia's invasion, almost certainly driven by the reopening of Ukraine's main Black Sea ports and the establishment of a unilateral shipping export channel."It added:Ukraine has achieved this because it has largely prevented the Russian Black Sea fleet from operating in the western Black Sea, where it is held at risk by Ukrainian missiles and uncrewed surface vessels. Continue reading...

Protest calls for Israel to do more to secure release amid bloodiest fighting in Gaza so far this year

Draft legislation allowing for confiscation of valuables has been backed by main political parties

Alice Weidel says UK departure is model for her country as party struggles with reaction to expose about deportation masterplan'The leader of Germany's far-right Alternative fur Deutschland has said her party will campaign for a Brexit-style vote on EU membership if it comes to power, calling the UK's departure from the bloc a model for its largest member.Alice Weidel told the Financial Times in an exclusive interview that the UK decision would be dead right" for Germany, and that a Dexit" would boost the country's self-determination. Continue reading...

As Biden unveils blitz of events to mark 1973 ruling, conservatives try to stage comeback after key ballot failuresWithin the subterranean levels of a fancy hotel in downtown Washington, just a few days before the 51st anniversary of Roe v Wade, the anti-abortion movement was trying to mount a comeback.Kevin Roberts stood on stage in a cavernous ballroom aglow with neon shades of blue, purple, and pink. As president of the Heritage Foundation, Roberts leads one of the main thinktanks behind recent conservative attacks on abortion. And he is not happy with how things are going. Continue reading...

Mark Dreyfus says seeking justice too often' adds to the trauma experienced by victims and survivors

Charges will plunge by equivalent of more than 300 a year as price cap drops to 1,620, say consultantsEnergy bills are expected to fall by the equivalent of more than 300 a year this spring after a drop in wholesale gas prices, helping households struggling with the pressure of the cost of living crisis.Cornwall Insight, a respected industry consultant, has forecast that average bills will fall by 16% on the previous quarter, and could reach their lowest since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...