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Updated 2025-01-23 20:17
Three dead in explosion at Irish petrol station
Up to 30 people hurt, with some airlifted from scene in Creeslough in Donegal, while search for survivors continuesIrish police have confirmed there have been three fatalities in an explosion at a petrol station in County Donegal, as the emergency search operation continues at the site of the blast.Rescuers using sniffer dogs were digging for people trapped in debris on Friday night after a large explosion destroyed the petrol station and damaged apartments, causing multiple injuries. Continue reading...
Ministers back free train travel for military to remembrance services after outcry
Exclusive: former veterans minister Johnny Mercer and others had condemned plans to scrap free travelThe government has vowed to guarantee free rail travel for military personnel to attend remembrance services this year after facing criticism over moves to scrap the offer.Proposed plans to stop the free train travel after the government decided the cost would be “too great” had sparked an outcry and calls for a U-turn from the former veterans minister Johnny Mercer and others. Continue reading...
Truss ‘considering plans to send childcare cash to parents’ in England
PM said to be planning shake-up of subsidy system whereby parents, rather than nurseries, get cash to spend as they see fitLiz Truss is said to be considering a shake-up of the childcare subsidy system whereby parents, rather than nurseries, would be given government cash to spend as they see fit.At present, all three and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 15 hours’ free childcare a week during term time, while some families can claim up to double that amount. Continue reading...
Haiti government prepares to ask for ‘specialized armed force’ from abroad
Prime minister authorized to ask international community to help end blockade of main fuel port that has led to crippling shortagesHaiti’s government has authorized the prime minister, Ariel Henry, to ask the international community for a “specialized armed force” to address a crisis caused by a blockade of the country’s main fuel port that has led to crippling shortages, according to a decree circulating on Friday.Haiti has ground to a halt since a coalition of gangs blocked the Varreux fuel terminal last month. The lack of gas and diesel has crippled transportation and forced businesses and hospitals to halt operations. Continue reading...
Russia declares popular rapper and writer ‘foreign agents’
Oxxxymiron added to an updated list alongside four journalists and Dmitry Glukhovsky, a prominent writerThe Russian justice ministry has declared one of the country’s most popular rappers to be a “foreign agent”, a legal designation that has been used to hound Kremlin critics and journalists.Oxxxymiron, whose real name is Miron Fyodorov, was added to an updated list of foreign agents alongside four journalists and Dmitry Glukhovsky, a prominent writer. Continue reading...
Nottingham council apologises to Julie Bindel for unlawfully cancelling talk
Campaigner against violence against women was told her views on transgender issues conflicted with its rights policiesA city council has apologised to veteran feminist and lesbian activist Julie Bindel after cancelling a talk because of “the speaker’s views on transgender rights”.In June, Bindel was due to give a talk, organised by the Nottingham Women for Change group at Aspley library in Nottingham, one of three earmarked for closure. Continue reading...
Australia Post temporarily halts sea mail amid rise in prohibited items
While sea mail takes a long time to deliver, people opt for this service because it is cheaper
Early interventions ‘missed’ as NSW struggles with shortage of school counsellors
Figures show there is one counsellor for every 650 students, despite inquiry recommending ratio of 1:500
Liverpool to host Eurovision song contest on behalf of Ukraine
City beat 19 others to host 67th contest after Volodymyr Zelenskiy agreed staging event in Mariupol was not possibleThe Eurovision song contest will be hosted by Liverpool next year after it beat 19 other cites to stage the event on behalf of war-torn Ukraine.The annual extravaganza will be held in the UK for the first time in 25 years on 13 May as Ukraine is unable to host the event due to the Russian invasion. Continue reading...
Boris Johnson took accommodation worth £10,000 from Tory donor’s wife
Register of MPs’ interests shows ex-PM accepted gift from Lady Carole Bamford, wife of JCB chairman, Lord Anthony BamfordBoris Johnson accepted free accommodation worth £10,000 from the wife of the leading Tory donor who hosted his wedding party this summer, it has emerged.The updated register of MPs’ interests shows that the former prime minister accepted a £10,000 gift from Lady Carole Bamford, for “concessionary use of accommodation for me and my family in September”. Continue reading...
Russia-Ukraine war: Russians being prepared for nuclear war, warns Zelenskiy; White House says no indication of immediate Russian plans – as it happened
This live blog is now closed. You can find our latest Ukraine stories below:
Posters ‘censored’ at abortion care conference, doctors’ campaign group says
Doctors for Choice UK claim they were asked to cover word ‘abortion’ at Royal Society of Medicine eventDoctors and academics have claimed they were asked by the Royal Society of Medicine to obscure the word “abortion” on signs and posters at a conference centred on the topic.The campaign group Doctors for Choice UK obscured the line “Clinicians for abortion rights” on their poster with three yellow Post-it notes which bore the word “censored”. Continue reading...
Gwynedd council calls for abolition of title Prince of Wales
Councillors in north Wales vote to express opposition to ‘thorn in nation for centuries’A Welsh council has officially called for the title of Prince of Wales to be banned and said there should be no investiture of Prince William anywhere in the country.King Charles III’s decision to bestow the title on his son has been controversial among many people in Wales who feel that it is a symbol of English oppression. Continue reading...
Conor Burns suspended from Tory party and sacked as minister over misconduct allegations – UK politics live
Liz Truss asks trade minister to leave government with immediate effect as whips confirm suspension
Labour MP calls for Paul Dacre peerage to be delayed
Chris Bryant questions timing while Daily Mail publisher faces legal action over alleged privacy breachesThe peerage due to be awarded to Paul Dacre, the former editor of the Daily Mail, should be delayed during the legal action being taken against its publisher over alleged intrusion into privacy, Chris Bryant, the Labour MP and standards chair, has suggested.Bryant, who formerly chaired parliament’s media committee, questioned whether it was appropriate for Dacre to be handed a peerage by Liz Truss’s government, which is likely to come within days. Continue reading...
Rare ‘fancy vivid pink’ diamond sells for £52m in Hong Kong auction
Williamson Pink Star sets world record highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auctionAn extremely rare “fancy vivid pink” diamond has sold for 453m Hong Kong dollars (£52m) – more than double its estimated price – and set a world record for the highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auction.The 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star diamond, which is named after another pink diamond given to Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding gift, was sold to an undisclosed buyer at auction by Sotheby’s Hong Kong on Friday. Continue reading...
NHS England could face £7bn budget shortfall next year, finance chief warns
Julian Kelly says potential sharp increase in funding gap due to Covid, bill for NHS staff pay rises and inflation in supply costsGP services, cancer care and mental health treatment may face cuts because of an NHS budget shortfall of up to £7bn next year, the health service’s finance chief has said.Waiting times could increase and overstretched A&E units could face even greater challenges in dealing with the surge in patients needing medical attention, he added. Continue reading...
Exeter University failed to make student who died feel wanted, says mother
Harry Armstrong Evans, who is thought to have killed himself, told tutor about mental health concerns, inquest hearsThe mother of a University of Exeter student believed to have killed himself after a “disastrous” set of exam results has accused academics of failing to make her son feel like he was “wanted”.Less than a month before his death last year, Harry Armstrong Evans, 21, told his tutor in an email that isolation during the pandemic had affected his mental health and his performance in his third-year physics and astrophysics exams.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
US reportedly believes Ukraine authorised Moscow car bomb
Russia welcomes report about attack that killed pro-Putin journalist Darya Dugina in August, denied by Kyiv
Afghan family in hiding wins waiver on biometric tests for UK asylum requests
Home secretary lifts requirement for Afghans applying to join British family members after high court challengeThe home secretary has waived a requirement for Afghans applying to join British family members in the UK to do biometric tests, after a high court challenge.A judge ruled on Thursday that a mother and five children, currently in hiding in Afghanistan, would not need to do the tests before attempting to escape to the UK. Continue reading...
Post-pandemic test results fall sharply for youngest pupils in England
Disadvantaged children fall further behind peers as teachers and parents call on Truss to boost school fundingAttainment among seven-year-olds in England has fallen sharply across all subjects in the first set of tests since before the pandemic, with disadvantaged children’s results dropping even further behind, according to government data.Results for this year’s key stage 1 (KS1) tests show a significant decline in attainment in reading, maths and, most dramatically, writing, in which the proportion of year 2 pupils reaching the expected standard declined by 11 percentage points. Continue reading...
‘The last thing we need is flare-ups’ over Northern Ireland, says US
State Department counsellor Derek Chollet calls for transatlantic unity and better UK-EU relationsThe last thing the west needs now is another flare-up over Northern Ireland, Derek Chollet, the US State Department counsellor, has warnedDelivering a strong call for improved relations between the UK and Europe at a time of world instability, Chollet urged all sides to avoid unilateral gestures, including over the Northern Ireland protocol. Continue reading...
Legal opinions split on whether Andrew Thorburn could argue discrimination over Essendon resignation
One lawyer says the matter contrasts with Israel Folau’s sacking, as views weren’t actually expressed
Mehreen Faruqi’s racism complaint over Pauline Hanson tweet accepted by Human Rights Commission
Exclusive: Greens senator says racism takes an ‘immense toll’ on wellbeing and those responsible ‘must be held to account’
Jada Pinkett Smith signs deal for ‘no holds barred’ memoir
Actor will address her ‘unconventional upbringing in Baltimore’ and ‘complicated marriage’ to Will Smith in tell-all due next yearJada Pinkett Smith is putting her experiences on record in a new tell-all memoir, the publisher Dey Street, an imprint of HarperCollins, announced on Thursday.The “no holds barred” memoir, due next fall, will chronicle “lessons learned in the course of a difficult but riveting journey – a rollercoaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery and the celebration of authentic feminine power”. Continue reading...
UN vote to ignore human rights abuses in China leaves west in dead end
Result not to debate its own damning report shows many states are unwilling take sides in power struggle between China and westIn a display of raw Chinese political power, the UN has voted to turn its back on a report written by its own human rights commissioner that accused Beijing of serious human rights abuses and possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang province.The 47-strong UN human rights council meeting in Geneva voted on Thursday by 19 to 17 to reject an American-led call for a debate on the report at the next human rights council in spring. Eleven countries abstained. A simple majority was required. Continue reading...
‘I live under rugs’: people try to keep central heating off as UK bills soar
Five Britons discuss their attempts to keep warm and reduce costs after the energy price cap riseFollowing the energy price cap rise on 1 October, many consumers are holding off putting the central heating on in an attempt to cut back on costs.Five people in the UK discuss how rising bills are affecting them and the measures they are taking to try to keep warm. Continue reading...
NHS bosses’ plea to politicians: no more targets
Hospitals struggle to cope even without more performance measures, say health leadersNHS bosses have told Britain’s political parties not to impose any new targets on the beleaguered health service in their efforts to win the next general election.The Conservatives and opposition parties should resist foisting new performance metrics on the NHS when it could not meet the hundreds under which it already operates, they said. Continue reading...
‘Miracle find’: rare Don Quixote and short stories could sell for €900k
Sotheby’s describes 17th-century Cervantes editions as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for collectorsOne day in the early 1930s, a young Bolivian diplomat named Jorge Ortiz Linares walked into the illustrious Maggs Bros bookshop in London to ask if they might have a particularly fine edition of Don Quixote for sale.But even for Ortiz Linares – a dedicated bibliophile who also happened to be the son-in-law of Simón Patiño, the Bolivian tin magnate nicknamed the Andean Rockefeller – the answer was a polite no. The man at Maggs did, however, put his name on a waiting list and promise to get in touch should such a copy ever materialise. Continue reading...
Kevin Spacey heads to court in New York over sexual abuse allegation
Anthony Rapp has accused actor of trying to seduce him when he 14 at Spacey’s Manhattan apartment in 1986Kevin Spacey heads to court on Thursday to defend himself in a lawsuit filed by Anthony Rapp, the actor who in 2017 made the first in a string of sexual misconduct allegations that left the House of Cards star’s career in tatters.The trial, expected to last less than two weeks, will focus on an alleged encounter in New York City in 1986, when Rapp was a child actor and Spacey, then 26, was having a breakout moment on Broadway. Continue reading...
Northern Ireland protocol ‘a little too strict’, says Leo Varadkar
Remarks by Ireland’s deputy PM raise hopes of compromise as talks reopen over post-Brexit trade
Racist hate crimes pass 100,000 in England and Wales for first time
Disability, sexual-orientation and religious hate crimes all increased last year while anti-transgender crimes rose by 56%More than 100,000 racist hate crimes were recorded in England and Wales for the first time last year, statistics show.Offences against all minority groups rose by more than a quarter, the largest annual rise since 2017. Police forces recorded 155,841 hate crimes in the year ending March 2022 – up 26% from the previous 12 months. Continue reading...
Leeds is latest city to cancel Christmas market, citing ‘budget pressures’
Council can not afford Bonfire Night events and German market hit by rising travel and visa costsLeeds has become the latest city to cancel its annual Christmas market and all its bonfire and fireworks celebrations due to “significant budget pressures”.Towns and cities across the UK have seen large-scale public events dropped as councils and organisers struggle to fund them amid rising costs and the need to prioritise essential services. Continue reading...
Met chief pledges to root out racists from police after further scandal
Recently serving officers including immigration official Rob Lewis set up WhatsApp group that shared racist memesThe new head of the Metropolitan police has promised to root out “corrupting” staff with “constructive anger” after it was revealed that recently serving officers have been posting racist content on WhatsApp.The Home Office has confirmed that it suspended Rob Lewis, an immigration official and former Met police officer, who set up the group, which frequently used racist language and shared racist jokes and memes. Continue reading...
Sceptical Liz Truss attends first meeting of European Political Community
PM goes along with Macron-planned gathering that aims to send message to Putin and discuss other issues
Zero-Covid measures cause chaos as China prepares for Beijing summit
President Xi Jinping expected to start third term while citizens express frustration with restrictionsLockdowns and travel restrictions are continuing to cause chaos across China in the run-up to a crucial political meeting next week as the government holds fast to hardline zero-Covid policies.As thousands of Communist party delegates prepare to descend on Beijing for the twice-a-decade congress meeting, where Xi Jinping is expected to start his third term as leader, local authorities are under pressure to control contain outbreaks. This week 2,883 cases were reported across more than 25 provinces, including 227 on Wednesday. The number is small compared with global cases but relatively high for China’s zero-tolerance approach. Continue reading...
Three people stabbed in central London
Police confirm incident in Bishopsgate area and say officers and ambulance crews at sceneThree people have been stabbed in an incident in central London in what is believed to have been a suspected robbery.Police officers and London ambulance service (LAS) paramedics attended the scene in Bishopsgate, near Liverpool Street station, on Thursday morning. Continue reading...
Ukraine president urges world not to give in to Russia’s ‘nuclear blackmail’ during Australian address
Volodymyr Zelenskiy calls on leaders to back next week’s UN vote condemning Russia’s purported annexation of four regions
Shell’s rapid growth to slow as weaker gas trading hits profits
Europe’s largest oil and gas firm says margins in refining business have nearly halved, hitting third-quarter profitsShell has signalled the breakneck growth that racked up record profits for the oil company earlier this year will slow as weaker gas trading and lower refining margins hit recent profits.The oil giant was criticised for making huge profits during the cost of living crisis as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed up prices of oil and gas. But Europe’s largest oil and gas firm said on Thursday that margins in its refining business had nearly halved, hitting its third-quarter profits which are due to be announced later this month. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer repeatedly refuses to back striking workers
Labour leader repeats opposition to standing with workers on picket lines, as nursing union prepares to ballot members
Warning over cough syrups after 66 children die in the Gambia
WHO says the contaminated medications may have been distributed outside of the West African country, with global exposure ‘possible’The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an alert over four cough and cold syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals in India, warning they could be linked to the deaths of 66 children in the Gambia.The UN health agency also cautioned the contaminated medications may have been distributed outside the West African country, with global exposure “possible”. Continue reading...
Big dipper, boxing and bikers in LA: Wembley to Soweto initiative 2022 – photo essay
After the success of projects at Arsenal FC and in Rio de Janeiro, the Wembley to Soweto Foundation has been to the US west coast, teaching photography to young people in Los AngelesOver the last 12 years, an extraordinary grassroots movement has been working alongside global sporting events such as the football, cricket and rugby union World Cups, the English Premier League and the Olympic Games.Young ethnically diverse people from developing and developed countries have transformed themselves into professional photographers to record these festivals of sport within the context of their own lives and communities. Continue reading...
Whistleblower Richard Boyle feared ATO tactics would cause ‘suicide in community’, court hears
Boyle hopes he will be protected by public interest disclosure laws after he aired claims of aggressive tax office debt collection methods in 2018
‘A period of rebirth’: Lyndon Terracini steps down early from Opera Australia
The artistic director has resigned a year before his contract ends – within a week of former ACCC chair Rod Sims taking the beleaguered company’s helm
Nurses across UK to vote in first ever RCN strike ballot over pay
Major disruption to NHS over winter feared if ballot of 300,000 staff over 5% pay increase results in industrial actionHundreds of thousands of nurses across the UK are to be balloted about going on strike in a move that risks disrupting the NHS this winter.For the first time in its 106-year history the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is balloting 300,000 of its members about strike action and recommending that they vote in favour. Continue reading...
Julia Gillard: one-woman play starring Play School’s Justine Clarke to debut in 2023
Sydney Theatre Company’s announcement of the work, written by Joanna Murray-Smith, aligns with 10-year anniversary of former PM’s misogyny speech
Doctor claims 55-year-old man may have been alive when sent to Perth morgue
Coroner’s court also investigating allegations doctor was asked to backdate man’s death certificateA palliative care patient may have been alive when he was transferred to a Perth morgue, according to claims being investigated by the coroner’s court.The court has confirmed it is investigating the allegations, first reported by Business News, which include claims a doctor was asked to backdate the man’s death certificate in an apparent attempt to cover up the incident. Continue reading...
Report into Croydon council collapse reveals leadership ‘dysfunction’
Leaked copy of report on lead-up to 2020 bankruptcy recommends that findings be raised with Met policeThe scale of corporate dysfunction at Croydon council prior to its collapse into bankruptcy two years ago was serious enough to warrant police investigation into potential misconduct in public office, according to an official report that has been kept under wraps for more than 18 months.A leaked copy of the report reveals grave concerns about the behaviour of top councillors and officials at the then Labour-controlled authority, which became effectively insolvent in November 2020 after council spending, including on a string of risky commercial property investments, spun out of control. Continue reading...
Prague European summit may be a relief for Truss, but Brexit won’t go away
‘Political community’ gives PM a break from her party – but hope of reset in UK-EU relations may be unrealisticAfter a bruising fortnight of political turmoil, market panic and vicious Tory party infighting, Thursday offers something of a perhaps unexpected respite for Britain’s embattled prime minister, Liz Truss: a European summit in the gothic and baroque splendour of Prague Castle.Truss is attending the first meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), a new group proposed by the EU but set to include nearly every country on the continent, barring Russia and Belarus. This new geopolitical talking shop will discuss the war in Ukraine, but also how disparate countries can work together on common interests such as energy. Expected to attend are the 27 EU member states plus 17 non-EU countries, from Azerbaijan to Iceland. Continue reading...
What’s behind the sudden increase in missile tests from North Korea?
With six launches in 12 days, North Korea is flexing its muscles and taking advantage of geopolitical turmoil across the worldMillions of residents of northern Japan will have felt a sense of deja vu on Tuesday morning when they were alerted to a North Korean missile flying overhead. Five years earlier, they had twice been shaken from their slumber by Japanese government warnings to seek shelter after missile launches by Pyongyang.The intermediate-range missile involved in this week’s test was far from buzzing the rooftops of Hokkaido farmhouses – it flew at an altitude of 1,000km as it made its way to the Pacific Ocean, where it splashed down, without incident, more than 3,000km east of Japan. Continue reading...
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