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Rochdale Boroughwide Housing criticised after death of Awaab Ishak died from black mould exposureMichael Gove is to cut off £1m funding to the Rochdale housing association where two-year-old Awaab Ishak died from prolonged exposure to black mould, saying failing providers would not get future funding.The levelling up secretary said Rochdale Boroughwide Housing would get no further government funding from the Affordable Home Programme or receive any new contracts. Gove has been sharply critical of the association, whose chief executive refused to resign until being sacked five days after a coroner’s report. Continue reading...

Government watchdog says £3.5bn aid in 20 years to 2020 failed to achieve aim of stabilising Afghan governmentThe UK’s £3.5bn aid to Afghanistan between 2000 and 2020 was implicated in corruption and human rights abuses and failed to achieve its primary objective of stabilising the country’s government, an assessment by the UK government’s aid watchdog has found.Describing the two-decade aid project as the UK’s single most ambitious programme of state building, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) says decisions to spend aid on counterinsurgency operations were flawed, adding that efforts to reduce gender inequality are likely to be wiped out by the Taliban. Continue reading...

Scotland Yard shuts down iSpoof website, which helped scammers steal using fake bank phone callsMore than 100 people have been arrested in the UK’s biggest ever fraud operation, which brought down a website police describe as a “one-stop spoofing shop” used by scammers to steal tens of millions of pounds from Britons via fake bank phone calls.It is estimated that more than 200,000 potential victims were targeted via the iSpoof fraud website, which was taken down this week by Scotland Yard’s cybercrime unit with the help of the authorities in the US and Ukraine. Continue reading...

Officers said ‘higher ups’ wanted him to leave, as Liberal senator James Paterson expresses concern over incident

Latest attacks come after overnight strike on maternity ward kills newborn baby in Zaporizhzhia region

British steelworks plant in Teesside that once made 10,000 tonnes of iron a day reduced to rubble amid industry declineThere was a countdown and a boom and within seconds a heavy chunk of Britain’s once proud and world-beating industrial heritage was gone.“I’ve got mixed emotions,” said Tony Evans after watching the demolition of the Redcar blast furnace, in Teesside, at 9am on Wednesday. He had worked there from fitter to production manager for decades; he had met a young engineer who became his wife, and had made friendships that would last for ever. Continue reading...

Judge rejects US air force jurisdiction claim after Mikayla Hayes accused of causing death by careless drivingA US servicewoman accused of causing the death of a motorcyclist by careless driving can be tried in the UK, a judge has ruled.The deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram said 24-year-old Mikayla Hayes must attend a trial in the UK courts over the death of Matthew Day. Continue reading...

Peter Dutton says Coalition is still in discussions but sources say free vote is likely, in defiance of John Howard’s advice

Friends of the 24-year-old say they hope a $1m reward offered by Queensland police will lead to an arrest

Shaun David Gilchrist faced court on serious sex offence in September 2021, months before being selected to contest the seat of NarracanThe Victorian Nationals candidate who died this week only days before he was due to face court on serious sex offences including rape had been charged more than a year ago.Shaun David Gilchrist was due to face the county court on 30 November charged with one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault ahead of a trial that had been scheduled for next year.In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Col Davoud Jafari and bodyguard were reportedly killed on Monday near DamascusAn improvised bomb has killed an Iranian colonel from the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps near Syria’s capital, Damascus, Iranian media reported, blaming Israel for the attack.The Islamic republic regularly calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, which in turn sees Iran, with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and its regional proxies, as its biggest security threat. Continue reading...

School buildings should not only withstand quakes but also act as temporary shelter during disasters, says engineering expertSafety standards for school buildings in Indonesia should be prioritised after Monday’s earthquake, experts have said, as more rescuers and volunteers were deployed on Wednesday to search for the dead and missing from an earthquake that killed at least 268 people.Many of those killed in Monday’s quake in West Java were children taking classes at schools and Islamic boarding schools in the region, according to Muhadjir Effendy, coordinating minister of human development and culture. A further 1,000 people were injured. Continue reading...

Social media videos showed large crowds clashing with hazmat-suited officials amid rising worker discontent at the Foxconn plantHundreds of workers joined protests at Foxconn‘s huge iPhone plant in China, with some men smashing surveillance cameras and windows, footage uploaded on social media showed.

Work and pensions secretary lashes out at striking rail workers, saying they are putting family reunions at risk

Retailer, which has reported halving of interim profits, also wants more women in technician jobsHalfords has launched a drive to fill 1,000 technician roles over the next 12 months by targeting more female and retired recruits, as the UK’s tight labour market pushes employers to think up new hiring strategies.Announcing a halving of interim profits as customers cut discretionary spending amid the cost of living crisis, the motoring and cycling retailer warned that its full-year results would be at the lower end of expectations. Continue reading...

‘Fierce, feminist’ show from Francesca Moody is written by former Grange Hill actors Ricky Simmonds and Simon Vaughan and tells an ‘almost true’ storyA musical about Silvio Berlusconi that is described as “Evita on acid”, written by two former Grange Hill stars and features a song called My Weekend With Vladimir is to be staged in London next year.Entitled Berlusconi, it is billed as an “almost true story” and produced by Francesca Moody who is best known for her success with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. The musical depicts the three-time former Italian PM on the eve of the verdict in his trial for tax fraud as he looks back on his rise and fall and resolves to write an autobiographical opera. His story is then told through the eyes of three women: Ilda Boccassini, the Milan magistrate known as Ilda the Red who investigated him; Berlusconi’s second wife, the actor Veronica Lario, who left him in 2009 after nearly 20 years of marriage; and the character of a journalist who is based on real people. “It places a fierce feminist lens on him,” said Moody of the musical. “These women are telling their story.”Berlusconi is at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, London, 25 March–29 April

Mayor of flood-hit Forbes says some residents have been told their policies won’t be renewed, as parts of the state remain isolated

Decision should settle whether Scottish parliament can hold independence poll without Westminster approval

Reveal of Ju Ae raises questions over whether Kim, who is in his 30s and has battled poor health, is starting to think about his successorKim Jong-un’s carefully crafted image as a man of the people, armed with nuclear weapons, came full circle at the weekend with his daughter’s surprise appearance at the launch of a long-range missile.Images showing Kim holding the hand of the young girl eclipsed the test-firing of a Hwasong-17, the regime’s biggest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to date, and sparked speculation about the future of the dynasty that has ruled North Korea for more than seven decades. Continue reading...

Julius Maada Bio says 22% allocation of total government funding is needed to ensure all children can go to schoolSierra Leone’s president has defended his decision to spend almost a quarter of the national budget on education, saying the country cannot develop unless all children go to school.Speaking to the Guardian, Julius Maada Bio admitted that allocating 1.7tn leones (£80m) this year for its ambitious educational reform programme was a risk, but said: “We are throwing all our resources, all our energy into education. We cannot develop without improving education. I see it as an existential issue. Continue reading...

Attorney general Mark Dreyfus has approved expenses for six former Coalition frontbenchers

Two countries said their police chiefs were unable to attend video meeting chaired by Chinese and Solomon Islands ministersChina said it held a video meeting to discuss police cooperation with a group of Pacific island nations on Tuesday, however at least two nations told Reuters their ministers and police commissioners had been unavailable to attend.China’s attempt to strike a security and trade deal with 10 Pacific island nations in May fuelled concern in Washington and Canberra about Beijing’s military ambitions in the region, and prompted a boost in western aid. Continue reading...

BookTrust research shows, however, that the overall picture ‘remains far from representative’ with some writers and illustrators reporting tokenismNew research has found that 11.7% of children’s book creators published in the UK in 2021 were people of colour, up from 5.6% in 2017.Despite the big improvement, though, “the UK’s body of children’s literature overall remains far from representative” said Diana Gerald, chief executive of BookTrust, in the report’s introduction. Continue reading...

Developing nations hope draft resolution will pave way for fresh talks on global tax policyDeveloping nations are hoping to secure greater power over global tax affairs at a critical United Nations vote in New York on Wednesday.If the body’s members vote in favour of a resolution put forward by the African Group of states, it could pave the way toward fresh intergovernmental talks on global tax policy. Continue reading...

Crime scene established at YouTuber Jordan Shanks’s Bondi, Sydney residence and his lawyers confirm nobody was injured

Corporate regulator alleges funeral insurer engaged in ‘deliberate and knowing conduct of preying on vulnerable Aboriginal people’

Site posting Medibank customer data from cyber-attack goes offline after publishing 1,500 health claim records on Sunday

Ukraine and Romania voice displeasure with Hungarian prime minister for wearing scarf showing Hungary’s pre-world war one territoryHungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán came under pressure to apologise after posting a video of himself at a football match wearing a scarf that depicted historical Hungary, including parts of Ukraine and neighbouring countries.Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said on Tuesday Kyiv would summon Hungary’s ambassador “who will be informed of the unacceptability of Viktor Orbán’s act”. Continue reading...

Court has ratified results of run-off against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva but incumbent claims audit found signs of ‘malfunction’ in some voting machinesJair Bolsonaro has challenged the Brazilian presidential election he lost last month to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, arguing votes from some machines should be “invalidated”.Bolsonaro’s claim seems unlikely to get far, as Lula’s victory has been ratified by the superior electoral court and acknowledged by Brazil’s leading politicians and international allies. It could however fuel a small but committed protest movement that has so far refused to accept the result. Continue reading...

Shang-Chi actor says Tarantino and fellow Marvel critic Martin Scorsese ‘don’t get to point their nose at me or anyone’ in response to director’s commentsDirector Quentin Tarantino has criticised Marvel films, saying the studio does not produce movie stars and Marvel films “are the only things that seem to be made”, leading to backlash from Marvel star Simu Liu.Speaking on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, Tarantino said the decline in movie stars was attributable to the “Marvelisation of Hollywood”. Continue reading...

Iran has begun producing enriched uranium at a second site, to a level one step away from weapons gradeThe UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed Iran is enriching uranium to 60% at a second plant, amid the breakdown of the nuclear deal with major powers.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Tuesday that Iran was also planning a massive expansion of its enrichment capacity. Continue reading...

Greens write to police minister Paul Toole to demand an independent investigation into QVB arrest that left Lim in hospital

Exclusive: Doctors suffering ‘moral distress’ at their powerlessness to help most vulnerable, says head of the Royal College of GPsIll patients are refusing sicknotes from their GP because they cannot afford time off work, while physicians suffer “moral distress” at their powerlessness to do more to help the most vulnerable, the new leader of Britain’s family doctors has revealed.More patients are experiencing asthma attacks or other serious breathing problems because they cannot afford to heat their homes, said Dr Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, while many have reported deteriorating mental health due to financial stress. Continue reading...

Studio 10 presenter will co-host Ten’s flagship news program with Waleed Aly in a move the executive producer says will ‘re-energise’ the show

Independent MP proposes to make voting mandatory for young people aged 16 and 17, but with no fines

Party leader is reluctant to hint he will allow thousands into UK but wants to avoid upsetting his pro-migration MPsIn his speech to a hall packed with business leaders, Keir Starmer came with the message that Labour had changed, hoping to sweep away the years of antipathy between his party under its previous leadership and growth-hungry executives.But another change in position was clear to see: on immigration, Starmer held up the recruitment of overseas workers as a sticking plaster solution to the problem of significant worker shortages in the UK. Continue reading...

The 6am kick-off did not deter supporters from getting out to watch Australia’s first World Cup match, but after 18 minutes of hope, the mood was subdued

Albanese government backs away from controversial change as part of once-in-a-decade review of disability pension eligibility criteria

The latest booster shots provide better protection than original vaccines, CDC data shows ahead of health official’s retirementIn his last appearance at the White House podium, Anthony Fauci urged Americans to get the latest Covid shot as a new study showed that the latest boosters offer better protection against new variants than previous shots.Fauci appeared ahead of his retirement next month as America’s top public health official. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, Fauci became a household name as the public face of the US government’s response to the pandemic. Continue reading...

Haitian migrants are being deported from Caribbean country and authorities seem to be targeting people based on their appearanceUS officials in the Dominican Republic are warning “darker-skinned” Americans they are at risk of being swept up in the country’s crackdown on Haitian migrants.The advice from the US embassy in Santo Domingo suggests that authorities there are using a person’s appearance as a criteria for detention of those suspected of being in the country illegally. Continue reading...

SBU and police swoop on suspected ‘subversive activities by Russian special services’

Eric Pickles says former health secretary did not consult Acoba before appearing on reality TV showMatt Hancock breached the government’s business appointment rules by not consulting the watchdog before appearing on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, the chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) has said.In a letter to the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, Eric Pickles wrote: “I am writing to you in my capacity as chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments to bring to your attention a breach of the government’s business appointment rules. Continue reading...

Exclusive: senior staff submit multiple complaints about deputy PM’s first stint at justice ministryDominic Raab is facing multiple formal complaints from Ministry of Justice (MoJ) civil servants over allegations of bullying behaviour during his previous stint running the department, the Guardian has been told.The justice secretary has vowed to “thoroughly rebut and refute” the two official complaints he is already facing, one from the MoJ and one from his time as foreign secretary, but further formal allegations will be a blow to his attempts to clear his name. Continue reading...

Third-century coins taken in heist involving ‘cut off’ phone and internet connections in Manching, BavariaThieves have stolen a hoard of Celtic coins worth several million euros from a German museum after apparently disrupting local telephone and internet connections.Employees at the museum in Manching discovered on Tuesday that a “showcase was broken” and the collection of 450 coins had been stolen, local police told AFP. Continue reading...

Kingdom faces calls for reprieve for Hussein Abo al-Kheir, whose arrest UN deems arbitrary, after 17 executions in two weeksSaudi Arabia on Tuesday executed two more Saudi citizens for drug offences, taking the total number of executions in the past fortnight to 17.The kingdom had previously given a commitment it would not impose the death penalty for drug offences, but has suddenly gone back on its word, executing seven Saudi and 10 foreign nationals. Continue reading...

Tribunal hears there were grounds to suspect the then 15-year-old had been groomed as a child bridePolice should have helped Shamima Begum return to Britain after she joined Islamic State in Syria because there were grounds to suspect she had been groomed as a child bride, a court has heard.Samantha Knights KC told a tribunal that the police had an obligation to investigate whether Begum, who was 15 when she left the UK, was a victim of human trafficking, and then help her return if she was. Continue reading...

Head of Ukraine’s power grid operator says almost no thermal or hydroelectric stations left unscathed by Russian attacks. This live blog is now closed

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing says ‘we got that wrong’ after two-year-old killed by exposure to mouldThe landlord of the flat lived in by a two-year-old boy who died because of long-term exposure to mould has admitted it made false assumptions about his family’s lifestyle when they raised complaints.Awaab Ishak’s parents, who originally came from Sudan, last week accused Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) of racism over its handling of the damp and fungus they faced. The landlord failed to fix the mould or improve ventilation despite complaints and had suggested issues such as bathing habits and cooking techniques might be a cause when they were not. Continue reading...

MPs sign amendment to scrap mandatory local housing targetsRishi Sunak is facing a rebellion of about 50 MPs who are demanding an end to housebuilding targets for councils, via an amendment which campaigners say would further hinder affordable homes.The amendment, led by the former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers, has backing from 46 MPs who have signed the bid to scrap mandatory local housing targets and make them advisory only. Continue reading...