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Actor accuses Central School of Speech and Drama of paying lip service to anti-discrimination pledges after 2015 incidentThe actor Shaniqua Okwok has criticised the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, claiming she was told to embrace her inherited trauma" and act like a slave in chains during an acting exercise.Okwok, who appeared in Steve McQueen's series Small Axe and the award-winning drama It's a Sin, accused the prestigious drama school of paying lip service to its anti-discrimination pledges by failing to say whether it had disciplined the teacher involved in the incident in 2015. Continue reading...

Government-run railway opens inquiry after incident in north-eastern state of MizoramA railway bridge under construction in India has collapsed killing at least 26 workers and injuring two, police said, as the state-run railway authority opened an investigation.The incident happened on Wednesday in the town of Sairang in the north-eastern state of Mizoram, its chief minister, Zoramthanga, said on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Continue reading...

Tim Loughton responds after archaeologists' association raised concerns about protection of Greece's heritageThe chair of parliament's all-party parliamentary group for the British Museum has accused Greece of blatant opportunism" in claiming the institution is not safe following thefts from the museum.The British Museum announced last week that items from its collection were found to be missing, stolen or damaged" and police are investigating. Continue reading...

Chinese dissident Kwon Pyong, 35, was arrested after becoming stuck in mudflats near IncheonA Chinese dissident previously jailed for criticising Xi Jinping has fled to South Korea by jetski, towing barrels of fuel behind him to ensure he made the long journey.The man identified by Chinese activist groups as Kwon Pyong, 35, was arrested last Wednesday night after he got stuck in mud flats near Incheon. Continue reading...

Advocates say state governments, especially NSW, are trashing and trampling' natural, Indigenous and historic values by failing to cull brumbies

State government grants new power to assist watchdog after request from chief commissioner John HatzistergosThe New South Wales corruption watchdog has been granted the power to use in its investigations recordings that have been obtained illegally by third parties.The state government on Wednesday gave the Independent Commission Against Corruption the new power to assist it with an ongoing investigation after a request from its chief commissioner, John Hatzistergos. Continue reading...

Greens MP says it is unacceptable' that results not made public as Minns government faces calls to abandon nets

Low 20s expected for southern regions of Britain and high teens for the north, with no heavy rain or high temperaturesForecasters are predicting a mixed picture" for the bank holiday weekend weather as temperatures return to normal.The Met Office expects temperatures in the low 20s in southern regions, while northern areas may get temperatures in the high teens. Continue reading...

Promises to get inflation and unemployment on track after decades of Mugabe rule have failed to materialiseAn ever-worsening economic situation is hanging over Zimbabwean voters as they go to the polls in a repeat of the 2018 election pitting President Emmerson Mnangagwa against his charismatic and relatively youthful challenger, Nelson Chamisa.Mnangagwa narrowly defeated Chamisa five years ago after the coup that deposed Robert Mugabe, and pledged to to tackle the economy head on" in his first term. However, unemployment, inflation and falls in the value of the Zimdollar have persisted. Continue reading...

Panel's appointment comes as Woolworths reports rise in net annual earnings to $1.6bn, a day after Coles posts $1.1bn profit

Results, a day after Coles posted $1.1bn profit, show supermarket has used pandemic and inflation to increase profit from sales

Chelsea flower show organisers hope Manchester event will reach more would-be gardeners living in small spacesThe UK's first entirely indoor flower show, aimed at people in urban areas with little to no outdoor space, is to be put on by the Royal Horticultural Society next year.In April, the organisers behind the Chelsea flower show will aim to reach a new generation of gardeners who may have been put off from horticulture by a lack of opportunity.The RHS Urban Show will be held from 18-21 April 2024 at Depot Mayfield, Manchester. Continue reading...

Victims of crime receiving written responses with errors and spelling mistakes, and overall only a third of letters found adequateAlmost one in every two letters the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) sends to people who have made complaints - including victims of crime - are not good enough, with many containing incorrect basic details or spelling mistakes, or lacking information about delays, according to a damning official report.The watchdog for the CPS has urged the organisation to act urgently to get a grip of this situation", warning that mistakes undermine public confidence. Continue reading...

English Heritage gives Belsay Hall a makeover, with new roof and revived gardensIt is an amazing construction and should be more famous," said English Heritage properties curator Mark Douglas in the vast, echoing cellars of a remarkable, Greek temple-style building - not in Athens but eight miles from Newcastle airport.Architectural students should be flocking here, they really should." Continue reading...

Antony Blinken criticises China's state boarding schools that seek to eliminate Tibet's distinct linguistic, cultural and religious traditions'The United States will impose visa sanctions on Chinese officials pursuing forced assimilation" of children in Tibet, where UN experts say one million children have been separated from their families.Secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US would restrict visas to Chinese officials behind the policy of state boarding schools, in the latest in a series of US moves on Beijing that comes despite a resumption of high-level dialogue. Continue reading...

Electorate office staffer argues in court that Centre Alliance MP took adverse action' by changing her work hours

Laws soon to be introduced to Queensland parliament would allow accused to be named before he's committed for trial

Payment to more than 1,000 UK workers is slight fall on last year's 1m record as profits decline despite rising revenuesMore than 1,000 partners at the UK division of the big four" accounting firm PwC will be paid 906,000 this year, a slight fall on last year's record payout as profits fell despite rising revenues.Unaudited accounts released by the company showed that PwC's UK profit fell from 1.5bn to 1.3bn in 2022, although last year's figure was boosted by a 139m gain from the sale of its global mobility business. Continue reading...

The body of Sara Sharif was found at her home on 10 August with her father and two others named as suspectsThe uncle of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in a village in Surrey has claimed that she fell down the stairs and broke her neck, according to police in Pakistan.The body of Sara Sharif was found at her home in Horsell near Woking after officers were phoned from Pakistan by her father, Urfan Sharif, on 10 August. Continue reading...

Singer's big hit, stuffed with cliches about Italian life, was irresistible to millions as far away as Russia and GeorgiaToto Cutugno, the singer whose cliche-ridden but irresistibly catchy L'Italiano defined ideas of Italian culture to millions of listeners across Europe and Russia, has died at Milan's San Raffaelle hospital aged 80.Born Salvatore Cutugno to Sicilian parents in Tuscany, the singer was for a decade a regular at the Sanremo music festival, the Italian institution that served as inspiration for the Eurovision song contest. Continue reading...

People's party's Alberto Feijoo is choice of king to succeed Pedro Sanchez but would only be able to form minority governmentThe leader of Spain's conservative People's party has been put forward to be prime minister, in a move that seems doomed to fail as he has not secured enough votes to command a majority.In accordance with protocol, King Felipe VI proposed Alberto Feijoo for the investiture on Tuesday night on the grounds that his party won the most votes in last month's general election, which produced a hung parliament. Continue reading...

Exclusive: after newborn son was murdered, family say repeated calls to Countess of Chester's medical director were unansweredDemands for a statutory inquiry into the Lucy Letby murders have intensified after a bereaved family accused the hospital of a total fob off" when they pleaded for answers.The parents, whose newborn son was murdered and his twin poisoned, said they tried repeatedly to meet the hospital's medical director but their calls went unanswered. Continue reading...

Susan Hall described the celebration of Caribbean culture as dangerous' and said there were problems with crime' in the black communityThe Conservative mayoral candidate for London has been criticised for saying the dangerous" Notting Hill carnival should be moved and claiming there was a problem with crime" in the black community.David Lammy said it was astonishing" that someone running to be the capital's mayor had expressed such offensive views". Continue reading...

Cable car ordeal ends as authorities say everyone brought to safety after hours-long operation in BattagramAll eight people have been rescued from a stricken cable car high above a remote Pakistan valley, a spokesperson for the state-run emergency services said.Pakistani authorities said army commandos, with the help of civilians, made the final rescues after an operation lasting hours. Floodlights were installed and a ground-based operation reached the remaining three people late on Tuesday more than 12 hours after their cable car snagged, leaving it hanging precariously at an angle. Continue reading...

Judge says force protected Adam Provan by ignoring officer's complaints, allowing him to attack teenagerThe Metropolitan police protected a predatory rapist within their ranks, dismissing the complaints of one of his victims and leaving him free to attack a teenager, a judge has said.Adam Provan, 44, was on Tuesday jailed for 16 years, followed by eight years on licence, for eight counts of raping two victims between 2003 and 2010. Continue reading...

Russian leader, wanted under international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, gives speech by video link to summit in South Africa

The Fall will be published next month and promises to chronicle the rightwing network and the Murdoch family's downfallThe author Michael Wolff, whose bestselling books have chronicled the rise and fall of Donald Trump, promised on Tuesday to tell readers how Fox News will end.I have been telling the story of the great power of Rupert Murdoch and Fox News for many years," Wolff said, announcing his new book, The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty. This power is now reaching a natural end and The Fall brings the story to its closing act." Continue reading...

Ministers had planned to issue visa waivers to cover staff absences on barge housing asylum seekersThe Home Office considered drafting in workers from overseas using a visa waiver scheme in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease on the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge to accommodate asylum seekers, according to documents seen by the Guardian.The barge is moored in Portland, Dorset. It was opened to asylum seekers on 7 August as a key part of the government's small boats week" to signal that it was implementing its undertakings to move asylum seekers out of hotels. However, in a blow to this policy the barge was evacuated just four days later after legionella bacteria was found in the barge's water pipes. Continue reading...

Article says Commons could bypass the parliamentary standards machinery after Labour leader says MP should be forced outStarmer says there is a massive mismatch between what the government is saying about how things are going well with the economy, and the lived experience of people.O'Brien suggests the two teenagers Starmer met today would have been happier if Starmer was still committed to getting rid of tuition fees.I do think the current scheme is unfair and ineffective and that is why we will change it, so the current scheme will be changed by the incoming Labour government and we will set out our plans.I am not going to pretend that there isn't huge damage to the economy and that has meant that some of the things that an incoming Labour government would want to do we are not going to be able to do in the way we would want in the way that we would want.We are working up our proposals on that and I will fully come back and talk them through when we got them. Continue reading...

Group guards bricks until morning as local people tell of major lack of trust' over what could happen nextAs large building machinery started arriving on the site of the Crooked House pub on Monday night, fears for the remains of the much-loved building grew - with locals wondering what might happen to it under the cover of darkness.But one group of people used to staying up all night - the Black Country Paranormal Society - stepped in to guard the site perimeter and make sure all remaining bricks made it to the morning. Continue reading...

Announcement comes two months after supreme court struck down Biden's original debt forgiveness planFederal student loan borrowers can expect the most affordable student loan plan ever", Biden said in a video address on Tuesday announcing significant changes to the debt from higher education held by over an eighth of the country.The announcement comes nearly two months after the US supreme court struck down Biden's original student debt forgiveness plan that would have forgiven $20,000 of federal student debt for borrowers who were Pell grant recipients and up to $10,000 of debt for other borrowers. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel company denies orders granted after incident at CEO's home are intended to prevent campaigners from speaking out

The singer will celebrate The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill with a global 17-date tour that will also include Fugees members in the US and CanadaLauryn Hill is set to embark on a global tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her acclaimed solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.The singer and rapper will perform the entirety of her Grammy-winning album across 17 dates in the US and Canada as well as in Australia and New Zealand. She will also be reunited by fellow Fugees members for her dates in the US and Canada. Continue reading...

The TU-22M3 - used extensively in missile strikes on Ukraine - was seen burning in images shared on social media

Gabriel Garcia Marquez library in working-class district specialises in Latin American literatureA Barcelona library specialising in Latin American literature has been named the best new public library in the world by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions at its congress in Rotterdam.The library, named after the Nobel-winning Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, opened last year in the working-class neighbourhood of Sant Marti de Provencals. Continue reading...

Ex-PM begins eight-year jail term but election of Srettha Thavisin as leader could allow him to avoid full sentenceThailand's populist former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has arrived in Bangkok after more than 15 years in exile as his party returned to government in a controversial pact with its military rivals that keeps reformists out of power.Thaksin - a hugely influential but also divisive politician - began an eight-year jail term on his return, though commentators have noted that his arrival in the country coincides with his party's return to office and a backroom deal could allow him to escape a full sentence. Continue reading...

AU opposes countries outside Africa getting involved, but gives more nuanced position on any Ecowas military actionThe African Union (AU) appears to have left room open for military intervention by a west African political bloc to restore democracy in Niger, as Algerian state radio said it had refused a French request to fly over its airspace for a military operation.Algeria opposed any foreign military action in Niger and favoured diplomacy to restore constitutional order, state radio said. French authorities did not immediately comment. Continue reading...

Dr Stephen Brearey says officials absolutely' need to be regulated in similar manner to medical practitionersNHS executives should be regulated similarly to medical practitioners, the paediatrician who first raised the alarm on Lucy Letby has said, after clinicians' concerns about her after years of concerns were turned on the head".The behaviour and accountability of senior officials within the health service absolutely" needed to be regulated, said Dr Stephen Brearey, who first carried out an urgent review into the nurse sentenced on Monday to a whole-life term for the sadistic" murders of seven babies. Continue reading...

Case will call at high court in Aberdeen next month, after three people died when ScotRail train derailedNetwork Rail is facing prosecution over a train crash that killed three people in Scotland.Train driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, on 12 August 2020. Continue reading...

Lib Dems say paramedics are voting with their feet', as number of staff leaving service rises 51% in three yearsAmbulance services in England have experienced a mass exodus of staff in the past year with nearly 7,000 leaving their jobs, figures have revealed.The number of emergency service crew leavers has risen sharply compared with 2019 levels, prompting concern for patient safety during the next NHS winter crisis. Continue reading...

Tanya Plibersek warns Victoria as state holds out on signing deal while move to lift embargo on federal water purchases likely to enrage farmers

Liberal moderate claims party has not fully grasped its electoral challenges following 2022 election defeat

Experts say India concerned about expansion and any overt anti-west turn as leaders fly into South AfricaLeaders from developing countries representing almost half the world's population including China and Russia are meeting in South Africa for a key summit aimed at reinforcing their alliance as a counterweight to the west.The Brics grouping summit in Johannesburg is being hosted by the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and brings together the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, as well the presidents of China, Xi Jinping, and Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...

Former Q+A host appointed professor of journalism and inaugural director of Constructive Institute Asia Pacific

Two cases to be heard this month could serve as legal precedent to outlaw the holding of patients against their will for unpaid billsTwo women who were prevented from leaving hospital over unpaid medical bills are to have their case against Ugandan authorities heard this month in a case that lawyers hope will end the practice.Akello Esther Susan, 23, and NS (known by her initials) are jointly suing the government, two district councils and church dioceses over their treatment after giving birth in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: serious questions have been raised after the trial and conviction of a serial baby murderer Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.The 10-month trial of Lucy Letby, a 33-year-old neonatal nurse found guilty of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six more, came to a close yesterday. She will never be released from prison after a judge gave her a whole-life sentence, making her the fourth woman to be given such a jail term in the UK. The first woman to be sent to jail for life was Moors murderer Myra Hindley, who was convicted of the murders of two children between 1963 and 1965 across Greater Manchester. The other two women currently serving whole-life sentences are Rose West and Joanna Dennehy. Continue reading...

Blood on Crispin Dye's jeans linked to another Sydney crime scene from 2002, LGBTQ+ hate crimes inquiry hears

Victorian premier says he is not suggesting people didn't do their best' amid criticism that Games bid should never have gone ahead

Coles expands profit margins and posts a 4.8% rise in full-year annual profit

CEOs received average increase of 16% while pay of many working for them failed to keep up with inflationThe bosses of the UK's 100 biggest listed companies collected an average 500,000 pay rise last year, while many of the millions of people working for them saw their pay growth fail to keep up with soaring inflation.FTSE 100 chief executives received an average pay rise of 16% last year, taking their median pay to 3.9m, up from 3.4m in 2021, according to research by the High Pay Centre thinktank published on Tuesday. Continue reading...