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Former minister voices concern over handling of civil servants’ allegations against deputy prime ministerThe former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has said “we mustn’t be too snowflakey” about bullying allegations levelled against the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab.Raab, who is also justice secretary, faces formal complaints involving at least 24 civil servants over alleged bullying, covering his posts at the Ministry of Justice, Foreign Office (FCDO) and the Brexit department. Continue reading...

Former judge will investigate damning allegations made by prosecutor Shane Drumgold about police conduct

Supermarket chain to reduce number of shop managers and close remaining counters and hot delisTesco has announced a shake-up of its shop management in large UK stores along with the closure of its remaining meat, fish and hot deli counters, affecting 2,100 jobs.The UK’s biggest grocer said it had started rolling out a new management structure in 350 of its smaller superstores over the past two years and is extending this structure across its larger superstores and Extra stores. Continue reading...

Ex-health secretary defends appearance on TV show and denies he broke law by embracing aide during lockdownMatt Hancock has said he did not “primarily” go on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! for his £320,000 fee, adding that his £10,000 charitable donation was a “decent sum” after his appearance on the reality show.The former health secretary also repeatedly denied he had broken the law in his embrace with his now-girlfriend Gina Coladangelo during Covid restrictions. The Good Morning Britain interviewer Susanna Reid said he had broken the law on gatherings that had to be reasonably necessary for work. Continue reading...

While some locals call for legal action against the NT government, others fear tension could stir racism and vigilante attacks

Right Rev James Jones criticises failure to address its findings more than five years since publicationThe author of a report into the experiences of Hillsborough victims’ families said it was “intolerable” the government had not responded more than five years on.The Right Rev James Jones, a former bishop of Liverpool, set out 25 recommendations in his report, The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power, published in November 2017. Continue reading...

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Audit review of government tool housing Medicare and Centrelink services recommends significant changes

Unit infiltrating leftwing groups in 1960s and 1970s never assessed if they presented threat to nationNone of the senior police officers in charge of long-term operations to infiltrate leftwing groups in the 1960s and 1970s examined whether the intrusive surveillance was justified, a public inquiry has found.The inquiry – headed by a retired judge – added that there was a strong case for concluding that a covert Metropolitan police unit that sent long-term undercover officers to infiltrate political groups should have been disbanded decades before it was. Continue reading...

Rights groups raise doubts over road accident in which police say outspoken editor John Williams Ntwali was killedAmnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent NGO based in New York, are among media and rights organisations calling for an independent investigation into the death of the Rwandan journalist John Williams Ntwali.Ntwali, a regular critic of the Rwandan authorities, was found dead on 18 January. According to reported police accounts, he was killed in a motorcycle accident in the capital, Kigali. Continue reading...

Damning report is part of doctors’ push for 50-50 federal and state funding ahead of national cabinet meeting

Rachelle Miller tells inquiry the then human services minister was ‘very firm’ a media storm over the Centrelink debt recovery scheme needed to be shut down

Synthetic cannabinoids involved in nearly half of male prisoner deaths analysed in England and WalesResearchers have called for urgent action to tackle the crisis in the Prison Service after data showed a rise in deaths among male prisoners linked to synthetic cannabinoids.The team at Middlesex University’s Drug and Alcohol Research Centre analysed official investigation reports on the “non-natural” deaths of 129 prisoners in England and Wales between 2015 and 2020. Synthetic cannabinoids, known as “spice” and “black mamba”, were implicated in 48% – or nearly half – of the deaths, all but eight of which were in men. Continue reading...

Report by former government adviser says plan needed to tackle obesity, thought to cost UK economy £27bn a yearAreas in England with the most overweight and obese people also have the lowest rates of productivity, according to research showing “obesity is an economic as well as a health timebomb”.Conversely, places with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per head have much lower proportions of citizens who are dangerously overweight, the analysis shows. Continue reading...

Refugee Council warns tens of thousands who crossed Channel to UK in 2022 would have been detained indefinitely under proposalsMore than 45,000 people who have crossed the Channel in small boats this year would have been detained indefinitely in a “permanent limbo” under Rishi Sunak’s flagship migration policy, a leading refugee charity has calculated.The prime minister announced proposals this month to ban anybody who comes to the UK irregularly from applying for asylum and then deporting them as soon as possible. A new immigration bill is expected to be introduced within weeks. Continue reading...

Princess of Wales launches Shaping Us campaign to boost understanding of early childhood’s formative roleThe Princess of Wales has said “it is more important than ever” to support the development of young children as she launches her early years campaign.The Shaping Us campaign aims to improve society’s understanding of the importance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and society as a whole. Continue reading...

Rachelle Miller tells inquiry the then human services minister was ‘very firm’ a media storm over the Centrelink debt recovery scheme needed to be shut down

Improvement attributed to new anti-corruption commission, but Transparency International warns more whistleblower protections are needed

At least 50 attacks against staff and facilities of the electoral commission have been recorded between 2019 election and end of 2022Routine violence in south-east Nigeria including attacks on the offices of the electoral commission threatens to derail next month’s presidential elections, experts have said.At least 50 attacks by armed groups against staff and facilities of the electoral commission (Inec) have been recorded between the last election in 2019 and the end of 2022. Most have taken place in the south-east, which is in the grip of secessionist agitation by various elements, especially the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob). Continue reading...

Police lay 1,153 charges, with officers seizing drugs and dangerous weapons including knuckledusters, swords and hatchets

Premier vows responsibility to ‘make the necessary changes’ after state coroner recommended urgent review of bail act

Campaign group says police stance is baffling and they are not planning to disrupt the requiem mass being held at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney

Annette Musolino told by commission she let the system run despite advice saying there was a fundamental problem with its legality

Large seasonally adjusted fall of 3.9% also due to higher spending over Black Friday sales period, economists say

Police allege parents failed to provide care for three-year-old girl’s treatable medical condition

Murdok, 30, has been charged with murder and kidnapping after death of 61-year-old Sleeman

More than 10m people consume alcohol at levels that pose a risk to their health, experts sayGPs in England and Wales are being urged to ask patients detailed questions about their drinking habits amid concerns that thousands of people with alcohol issues are “slipping through the net”.More than 10 million people consume alcohol at levels that pose a risk to their health, according to experts. Millions are mildly or moderately dependent on alcohol, while about 600,000 people have severe alcohol dependency and will, as a result, benefit hugely from professional alcohol treatment. Continue reading...

Report by children’s commissioner for England finds worrying amount of content involves violenceOne in 10 children have watched pornography by the time they are nine years old, according to “disturbing” new research by the children’s commissioner for England.The report found a quarter of pupils in their final year of primary school have already been exposed. It also showed much of the material being consumed by children and young people features violence. Continue reading...

Environmental improvement plan includes many ambitious pledges but hard-pressed agricultural sector will need effective support

NHS leaders warn disruption to patients could become even worse as healthcare staff plan further strikesHospitals in England have had to cancel 88,000 appointments because of strikes by nurses and ambulance staff over the last seven weeks, figures have revealed.NHS bosses warned on Tuesday that the already “shocking scale of disruption” to patient care could “skyrocket” in coming weeks as unions intensify their campaign and walkouts over pay become commonplace. Continue reading...

At least 59 people dead and more than 150 wounded in suicide bombing that Pakistan Taliban says it is not responsible for, in contradiction of earlier admissionAt least 59 people have been killed and more than 150 injured in a suicide bombing carried out by the Pakistan Taliban at a mosque in the city of Peshawar, as the security situation in the country continues to deteriorate.The blast struck as 300 worshippers were praying in the mosque, located in the Police Lines area of the Peshawar, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the city’s police headquarters and counter-terrorism officers are based. Most of those inside the mosque were thought to be officers. Continue reading...

Noel’s House Party costume originally listed on eBay for £39 by anonymous former BBC employeeThe winner of an online auction to buy an original Mr Blobby costume has backed out just an hour after bidding £62,000 for the sought-after item.Although the outfit was originally listed on eBay for £39, the price increased once it began attracting attention online. The seller, a former BBC employee who wished to remain anonymous, admitted they were not surprised when the winning bidder reneged on the deal. Continue reading...

Both men had already been arrested following shooting of council worker in her garden in August last yearTwo men have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal shooting of a council worker in Liverpool last year.A 40-year-old and a 28-year-old, both from Huyton, Merseyside, were arrested on Monday on suspicion of murder and possession of a firearm with intent, by detectives investigating the death of Ashley Dale, 28, who was found with a gunshot wound in the back garden of her home in Old Swan, Liverpool. Officers were called to an address in Leinster Road at about 12.40am on 21 August after reports of concern for a woman at the property. Continue reading...

Ex-Brazil president who has been in Florida since 30 December is being investigated for attempt to topple country’s governmentBrazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing investigation as part of an inquiry into alleged attempt to topple the country’s government, has filed a request for a six-month visitor visa to stay in the US.The former leader is understood to have entered the US on an A-1 visa reserved for sitting heads of state, which would expire on Tuesday, 30 days from the end of his presidential term. Continue reading...

Met urges mother to come forward over concerns for her welfare after discovery in BarnetPolice have launched an appeal after a foetus was left in a box outside a north London hospital.The foetus is thought to have been aged about 16 weeks old, according to the Metropolitan police, who are treating the matter as unexplained. The mother has been urged to come forward due to concerns for her welfare. Continue reading...

Lawsuit filed in New York accuses musician of ‘childhood and adult sexual abuse’, among other allegations, in mid-1990sIn a lawsuit filed on Long Island, New York, on Monday, the singer Marilyn Manson was accused of “childhood and adult sexual abuse, sexual battery, assault and molestation”.The suit, which alleged Manson first targeted the unnamed plaintiff when she was 16 in 1995, came less than a week after the singer, whose real name is Brian Warner, reached a settlement with the actor Esmé Bianco, who sued him in April 2021, alleging rape and sexual battery.In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit the Men’s Advice Line or Women’s Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...

PM says his sacking of Zahawi shows he will take ‘whatever steps are necessary’ to restore integrity to politicsRishi Sunak has dismissed claims that Nadhim Zahawi was unfairly treated after he was sacked for breaking the ministerial code in a row over his tax affairs, saying his government was committed to integrity.Senior MPs have privately suggested that Sunak’s action against Zahawi meant there could be no way back for the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab – the subject of 24 bullying complaints. Continue reading...

Kremlin spokesperson says supply of arms to Kyiv from west has led to Nato becoming more directly involved in the conflict

Staff filed records claiming far more care was given, evidence suggestsA dementia home care agency spent as little as three and a half minutes on taxpayer-funded care visits and filed records claiming far more care was given, according to evidence seen by the Guardian.The hasty care was exposed by Susan Beswick’s family, who called it “totally inadequate”. They say they had been told visits to 78-year-old Beswick, who has Alzheimer’s disease, were supposed to last 30 or 45 minutes. Continue reading...

Former Wales rugby captain agrees to pay £75,000 plus costs to Ian Baum but says he has not admitted any liabilityGareth Thomas has settled a court case with an ex-partner who accused the former Wales rugby captain of “deceptively” transmitting HIV to him.Ian Baum sued Thomas in the high court for allegedly hiding his HIV status and “failing to take reasonable care” not to pass the virus on. Continue reading...

Inquest hears from police staff member who processed Jake Davison’s application for shotgun certificateA police staff member who recommended the Plymouth gunman Jake Davison be granted a shotgun certificate had not received any formal training but rather had to learn “on the job”, an inquest has heard.David Rees knew Davison had carried out violent assaults on teachers but told the inquest in Exeter this did not concern him as it had been dealt with internally and he had apologised. Continue reading...

Commissioner for public appointments William Shawcross admits he has met Richard Sharp several timesThe head of an investigation into Richard Sharp’s appointment as the BBC chair has recused himself from the process, admitting the pair have met several times.William Shawcross, the commissioner for public appointments, said an independent person would be selected by his office to look at Sharp’s hiring, and said he would “play no part in this particular investigation”. Continue reading...

The countries will jointly supply thousands of artillery shells to Kyiv to kickstart ‘new cooperation between defence industries’

Conglomerate responds to Hindenburg Research report that claimed it was the ‘biggest con in corporate history’

Union accuses education secretary of ‘squandering opportunity’ to avert planned action on Wednesday

Latest ONS data shows that people who ran out of food also struggled to keep warm as prices rose furtherMany people in the UK ate food past its use-by date and struggled to keep warm in the run-up to Christmas as prices rose further, official data shows.About one in five adults (18%) reported eating smaller portions and food past its use-by date, which can make people sick, according to the latest Office for National Statistics monthly data release on winter pressures. The rates are even higher among those with depression, diabetes or dependent children. Continue reading...

Fire Brigades Union announces result of strike ballotFirefighters across the UK have voted for strike action, with 88% voting in favour on a 73% turnout, the union has said.Two separate simultaneous ballots, in Northern Ireland and among control room staff in the north-west of England, also delivered strong results. Continue reading...

US secretary of state to meet Israeli PM and Palestinian Authority president after spate of deadly attacksA Palestinian man has died after an altercation with Israeli troops, as violence in the region continued to spiral before the arrival of the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken.Nassim Nayef Salman Abu Fouda, 26, was shot in the head at a checkpoint in the restive city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said on Monday. The Israeli army said Abu Fouda had driven his car into a soldier, and crashed it after shots were fired and he attempted to drive off. Continue reading...

Paul Signac’s Le Port de La Rochelle was lifted from a museum in 2018 and found a year later by Kviv police in an unconnected raidA Ukrainian man has gone on trial in France accused of masterminding the theft of a €1.5m (£1.3m) painting discovered in a house in Kyiv a year after it disappeared from a museum in Nancy.The work by Paul Signac, Le Port de La Rochelle, went missing from the Musée de Beaux-Arts in Nancy, north-east France, in 2018. Continue reading...

Ingolstadt body identified by family as 23-year-old German-Iraqi woman was later found to be Algerian bloggerA 23-year-old German-Iraqi woman sought out a lookalike on Instagram and murdered her with a friend in order to fake her own death, prosecutors in Bavaria believe.When the blood-covered body of a young woman was found last August in a parked Mercedes in Ingolstadt, southern Germany, reports initially identified the victim as Sharaban K, a Munich-based 23-year-old beautician with Iraqi roots. Continue reading...