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People told to make daily round trips of up to three hours and that not turning up on time may result in failure, union saysPeople training as Border Force guards have been stripped of free accommodation while they are being taught how to assess people seeking asylum who are subsequently placed in hotels, a union has disclosed.Instead, they have been asked to drive or use public transport for round-trip journeys of several hours to their training courses, a spokesperson for the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said. The trainees face the possibility of failing their course if they do not turn up on time. Continue reading...

Landmark decision described as ‘huge victory for freedom of expression and right to peaceful protest in Europe’Activists who were accused of attempting to “pollute, damage and distort” the Acropolis after they hung a banner from the Athenian monument in protest against China’s policies in Tibet have been acquitted by a Greek court.In a landmark decision described as a victory for human rights defenders globally, an three-member tribunal threw out the charge on Thursday. A public prosecutor had only minutes earlier pressed for a guilty verdict. Continue reading...

Four-month-old denied treatment as she tested negative for coronavirus and family was told case not urgentThe death of a four-month-old baby in central China has stoked public anger on social media as frustrations mount over Beijing’s stringent “dynamic zero Covid” policy, which has confined millions to their homes and sparked angry protests.The girl died after suffering vomiting and diarrhoea while in quarantine at a hotel in the city of Zhengzhou, according to a post by her father, Li Baoliang, on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo on Wednesday. Continue reading...

More to be asked to meet a ‘work coach’ but experts cite jump in long-term sickness due to gaps in public servicesJeremy Hunt has launched a drive to halt an exodus from the British jobs market through a crackdown on benefit claimants.The chancellor said the government would ask more than 600,000 further people on universal credit to meet a “work coach” so that they “can get the support they need” to increase their hours or earnings. Continue reading...

Court says Russia had overall control of the separatist forces in eastern Ukraine at the time when the plane was shot down

PM pays tribute to foreign minister Penny Wong for diplomacy that led to freeing of Australian economist after 650 days

Firm reports £219m half-year losses and asks government to let it move to weekday-only service to cut costsRoyal Mail has asked the government to let it stop delivering letters on Saturdays, arguing it is financially unsustainable and that there is widespread public apathy over the need for a weekend service.Royal Mail said it needed to move to a weekday-only letter delivery service as soon as possible – which can only happen if the government allows a change to the company’s universal service obligations – after it reported a £219m loss in the six months to September. Continue reading...

Authorities believe the fire was part of a series of 19 arson attempts, and was not politically motivatedA fire that tore through a shelter for Ukrainian refugees in north-east Germany last month was started by one of the firefighters who later helped to extinguish it, according to prosecutors in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, who have arrested the 32-year-old man.A swastika daubed on a Red Cross sign outside the repurposed thatched-roof hotel in the town of Groß Strömkendorf two days before the fire had led some to speculate about a political motive behind the arson attack, which caused millions of euros worth of damage. None of the shelter’s 17 inhabitants were harmed. Continue reading...

Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling sentenced for driving with mobile phone in his handThe UK security minister, Tom Tugendhat, has been banned from driving for six months after being caught driving with his mobile phone in his hand.The Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling was stopped by police in his Skoda 4x4 in Wandsworth on 14 April. Continue reading...

Discount grocer bounces back from Covid disruption as profits in Great Britain soared 319% from last yearLidl has said it has taken £58m in additional sales from traditional supermarkets in the past month, as shoppers look for ways to save money, after quadrupling profits in a bounce back from Covid disruption.The German-owned discount grocer, said its British sales rose 1.5% to £7.8bn in the year to the end of February but pretax profits soared 319% to £41.1m as the group trimmed costs as measures to control the Covid-19 virus eased. Continue reading...

Attack is the sixth since early October and authorities in Kyiv said energy infrastructure was again being targeted

Volodymyr Zelenskiy says ‘communist-era rubbish Russian infrastructure’ will be replaced by latest technology and fund will accelerate country’s economy

The story of a widowed joiner and a young single mother has been written by Dave Johns, who played the title role in Ken Loach’s 2016 filmKen Loach’s Palme d’Or winner I, Daniel Blake is to be adapted for a stage production written by the film’s star. Dave Johns, who played the title role on screen in 2016, said that in researching his new version of the story he found its portrait of poverty more relevant than ever as the UK’s cost-of-living crisis is “making it even harder for those who are already struggling”.The play will have its premiere in May at Northern Stage in Newcastle, the city where I, Daniel Blake was set. It will then go on a UK tour. Continue reading...

Indigenous police officer tells Northern Territory inquest that the concept of payback is based on peacemaking not revenge

State ministers accused of ‘political games’ after asking Canberra to intervene to stop industrial action

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Greens senator labels letters ‘disgraceful’ as Liberal MP accuses Clare O’Neil of ‘throwing her department under the bus’

Experts warn company’s closure could be the first of several delivery services to disappear due to challenging economic conditions

Outer borough of Haringey tops UK league for low-paid jobs relative to local cost of livingCampaigners have demanded higher pay for social care workers in the capital, as new analysis put the outer London borough of Haringey at the top of the UK league for jobs paying below the real living wage.As inflation hit its highest level for 41 years, protesters from the community campaign group Citizens UK gathered outside a Haringey care home, run by the private chain Barchester Healthcare, to call for a real living wage for care staff. Continue reading...

Actor says he won’t attend even if he’s nominated, after alleging he was groped by the former president of the organisation that runs the awards

Gunathilaka is facing four counts of sexual intercourse without consent after allegedly assaulting a woman he met on a dating app

Economy adds 32,000 jobs in October despite record series of interest rate rises

The man was working out when a weight fell on his head and chest, a Queensland ambulance official said

Video recordings of rape complainants’ evidence currently cannot be used in retrials if, like Brittany Higgins, they initially gave evidence in the courtroom

Waitrose’s No 1 Brown Butter pies wowed with their ‘buttery aroma’, while Aldi’s, at half the price, scored just one point lessTucking into a mince pie is usually the first sign Christmas is on the way and with budgets under pressure this year getting your fix doesn’t have to break the bank, with a 29p pie from Aldi coming a close second to Waitrose’s brown butter pastry in a taste test.The upmarket supermarket’s No 1 Brown Butter Mince Pies came top in a “rigorous” blind taste test conducted by Which?. They wowed the panel of baking experts with their “buttery aroma” and “citrussy aftertaste” to achieve the top score of 74%, earning the consumer group’s coveted “best buy” badge of approval. Continue reading...

National Audit Office says efforts to reduce record waiting lists under threat amid rising inflation and workforce shortagesMillions of patients could face years of long waits for treatment on the NHS, as a watchdog warned that the plan to reduce extensive waits for elective and cancer care services by 2025 is at serious risk.NHS England published a three-year plan in February aimed at tackling the backlog in services, after the Covid-19 pandemic saw already long waiting lists grow to record levels. The Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for funding the recovery plan. Continue reading...

Robert Jenrick says accommodation being sought in ‘much broader range of local authorities’Rural areas will be asked to accept more people seeking asylum, a minister has suggested, as the government faced criticism from Conservative MPs for placing migrants in their constituencies.Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, said small towns and the countryside may be asked to house more people crossing the Channel in small boats “as long as numbers are so high”. Continue reading...

Shops will stay open while administrators assess options for the companyThe fashion firm Joules has formally fallen into administration, putting 1,600 jobs and the future of the retailer’s 132 shops at risk.The company said on Monday it had filed a notice to appoint administrators after failing to secure emergency funding. It has now hired administrators from Interpath Advisory, who said shops would stay open while they “assess options for the business”. Continue reading...

Poland’s president and Nato both say missile likely an accident by Ukrainian forces – but Kyiv says ‘it was not our rocket’Nato and G7 leaders have condemned Russia’s “barbaric missile attacks” on Ukraine in a statement following the emergency meeting held earlier with members in Bali.The leaders of Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States met on the margins of the G20 Summit and released the following statement:We condemn the barbaric missile attacks that Russia perpetrated on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure on Tuesday.

Social housing watchdog launches investigation and MP accuses Rochdale Boroughwide Housing of being ‘modern-day slumlord’The housing boss in charge of a mouldy home which killed two-year-old Awaab Ishak is facing growing pressure to quit, as the social housing watchdog launched an investigation into possible “systemic” failings and an MP accused his organisation of being a “modern-day slumlord”.The housing secretary, Michael Gove, spoke to Gareth Swarbrick on Wednesday and told parliament it was “clear … there are systemic problems in the governance and leadership” of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) which looks after more than 12,000 homes. He previously said it “beggars belief” Swarbrick was still in his post. Continue reading...

Cannes Jury prize-winning Joyland had previously been banned following objections by Islamist hardlinersA Pakistani film portraying romance between a married man and a transgender woman was cleared for domestic screenings on Wednesday, officials said, reversing a government ban forced by Islamist pressure.Lauded by critics, awarded the jury prize at Cannes and nominated as Pakistan’s entry for next year’s Academy Awards, Joyland was set to open in cinemas across the country this Friday. Continue reading...

Andrzej Duda says there is no evidence to suggest missile that landed in his country was launched by Russia

Forbes braced for second inundation in a fortnight as woman’s body found in Eugowra flood waters after ‘wall of water’ decimates NSW town

French president believes China can help push Russia to de-escalate Ukraine war

Nick Jones says he will transition from CEO to founder to do ‘more of what I love’ after cancer recoveryNick Jones, the founder of Soho House, is stepping down as chief executive of the private members’ club and hotel empire he founded 27 years ago after revealing a prostate cancer diagnosis.Jones announced on Wednesday that he was “transitioning from CEO to my original role as founder”. The 59-year-old transformed Soho House from a single private members’ club in the central London district to a global network of 38 “houses”, spas, co-working spaces and luxury hotels. Continue reading...

Ademola Adedeji convicted in July of conspiring against those believed responsible for death of friendA youth leader who addressed MPs in parliament has been denied permission to appeal against the eight-year sentence he was given for sending text messages as part of a violent conspiracy.Ademola Adedeji, 19, from Moston in north Manchester, was one of 10 young black men imprisoned this year after using the Telegram messaging app to conspire to murder or seriously harm those they believed responsible for killing one of their friends, an aspiring rapper called John Soyoye. Continue reading...

The former culture secretary and author of 16 novels reportedly has the working title, The Political Assassination of Boris JohnsonNadine Dorries is writing a book about Boris Johnson’s “dramatic downfall”, her agent Piers Blofeld has said.The former culture secretary will publish the book next year, according to the Evening Standard. It is expected to be a further demonstration of Dorries’ loyalty to Johnson, and comes after reports that she is among a group of the former prime minister’s allies that are due to be rewarded with seats in the House of Lords. The working title of the book is The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson, suggesting that it will take aim at Rishi Sunak and others who encouraged the former prime minister to resign. Continue reading...

Doctors and aid workers describe race against time to keep patients alive in northern Ethiopian regionConvoys carrying desperately needed food aid entered Tigray on Wednesday, as humanitarian groups gained access to the war-torn northern Ethiopian region for the first time since a ceasefire agreement was signed two-week ago.Doctors and aid workers in Tigray have described a race against time to keep sick or malnourished patients alive as they wait for humanitarian assistance. Continue reading...

Seaside towns of Scarborough and Whitby will be among first in England to double tax under levelling up billThe seaside towns of Whitby and Scarborough will be among the first in England to double council tax on second homes to tackle the “blight” of holiday lets.Councillors said the rise of Airbnb and other rental sites was “tearing the heart out of communities”, as they voted to introduce a 100% premium on owners of second homes in North Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Customers whose personal details – but not medical information – were posted online have been left in the dark by health insurer

Ken McCallum says MI5 has blocked over 100 attempts by Kremlin to insert suspected spies into UK since Salisbury poisoningsBritain will have to tackle Russian aggression for years to come, said the MI5 chief on Wednesday, adding that his agency had blocked more than 100 attempts by the Kremlin to insert suspected spies into the UK since the Salisbury poisonings.Ken McCallum, giving an annual threat update, said state-based threats were increasing and said the UK also faced a heightened direct threat from Iran, which had threatened “to kidnap or even kill” 10 people based in Britain in the past year. Continue reading...

Turkish president raises hopes over pact to allow exports via Black Sea, bringing relief to world’s poorest countries

UK prime minister confident of agreement with EU over Northern Ireland protocol

In annual review, agency says it expects a ‘soft landing’ for the nation’s economy with risks ‘skewed to the downside’

Food delivery company says it is no longer accepting orders through its app and has entered voluntary administration

The incident near Ukraine-Poland border derailed opening hours of G20 summit as leaders from G7 gathered early to assess information

Local Government Association says any attempt to patch up budgets by raising council tax is doomed to failLocal authorities have warned they face an “existential crisis” caused by massive funding shortfalls and any attempt by ministers to patch up budgets by allowing increased council tax is doomed to failure.The multibillion “black hole” in England’s municipal finances – which has pushed a number of councils to the brink of bankruptcy – could not be fixed by local ratepayers alone, who would face unrealistic council tax increases of up to 20%, the Local Government Association (LGA) said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Care England calls for Ofgem investigation into suppliers’ practices in letter seen by the GuardianEnergy suppliers have been accused of profiteering by charging “horrendous and financially crippling rates” to care homes facing huge bills this winter.The chief executive of Care England, the largest body representing independent providers of adult care, has accused gas suppliers of being “unduly onerous” in their practices. Continue reading...

Publishers praised UK city’s arts scene and gastronomic diversity as it makes the list of 30 best places to goLonely Planet has chosen Manchester as one of its must-visit destinations for 2023, the only UK destination to make the guidebook’s annual Best in Travel list.The city is described as “one of the best – if not the best – cities in the UK, with something for everyone” in a roll of honour that includes Sydney, Lima, Montevideo, Marseille and Dresden. Continue reading...

Questions about cyber-attack dominate meeting as company says it is contacting 480,000 customers whose health claims were stolen