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Enterprise expected to report a full-year loss for the first time since 2015, with profit before tax down 88.2% from same time last year

Kamilaroi/Bigambul artist uses smell to evoke memory and explores racism and national identity through flags

Birds stored haul of acorns over the years in Santa Rosa house’s chimney, where they spilled into a wall cavityExterminator Nick Castro was inspecting a home for mealworms when he discovered something … nuts. Tens of thousands of acorns came cascading out from behind a bedroom wall.“Unreal,” Castro posted on his company’s Facebook page. As he reached behind the wall, the little oak nuts kept spilling out. Castro – who owns Nick’s Extreme Pest Control in Santa Rosa, California – said he filled a total of eight garbage bags with 700lbs of acorns. Continue reading...

Detectives recover firearm and are said to suspect husband killed headteacher Emma Pattison and their daughterSurrey police are treating the deaths of the Epsom College headteacher, Emma Pattison, her husband and their daughter as a homicide investigation and a firearm has been recovered, the force has confirmed.Pattison, who became the college’s first female head in September, was found with her daughter Lettie, seven, and husband, George, 39, at their home in the grounds of the independent school in the early hours of Sunday. Continue reading...

Rock band to lend eight songs to the ‘world’s first heavy metal dance experience’ performed by Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Royal Ballet in SeptemberA ballet soundtracked by the music of Black Sabbath will premiere in September, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s director Carlos Acosta has announced.Billed as “the world’s first heavy metal dance experience”, the three-act ballet will feature eight songs by the Brummie band, including Paranoid, Iron Man, War Pigs and the eponymous Black Sabbath, re-orchestrated for the Royal Ballet Sinfonia – with added drums and electric guitars. The rest of the score will be newly composed, inspired by the band’s music. Continue reading...

Mechanical centrepiece of city’s 2022 Commonwealth Games will be installed permanently this summerThe mechanical bull which formed the centrepiece of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony is to be given a permanent home in the city’s main railway station.The 10-metre-high bull, known at the Raging Bull, will be installed in the atrium of Birmingham New Street station this summer, Network Rail said. Continue reading...

Waiting lists will flatline rather than fall despite being one of PM’s priorities for the year, says IFSNHS waiting lists are unlikely to fall in 2023, and the backlog is unlikely to be significantly tackled until mid-2024 despite being one of Rishi Sunak’s priorities for this year, research suggests.The NHS has struggled to increase the number of people it is treating from its waiting lists each month due to ongoing pressures from Covid-19, although there have been signs of improvement in the past month, analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found. Continue reading...

Number of trains could be cut from from 18 to 10 an hour and maximum speed of 360 km/h (224 mph) may be reducedMinisters are planning on cutting HS2 services and train speeds in an attempt to drive down the cost of the heavily delayed project, it has been reported.The government is said to be considering cutting the number of trains from 18 to 10 an hour and reducing the trains’ maximum speeds. Continue reading...

Indictment outlines alleged offences against students, which ex-head of Melbourne ultra-orthodox Jewish school denies

Relatives find baby girl tied by umbilical cord to mother who died in Monday’s massive earthquake

Man pleads guilty to manslaughter after his car hit motorcycle carrying John Williams NtwaliA Rwandan driver has been fined 1 million Rwandan francs ($920) for involuntary manslaughter over the death of a top journalist who was critical of the government.John Williams Ntwali, editor of the Chronicles newspaper, was killed on 18 January when a speeding vehicle rammed a motorcycle on which he was riding pillion. Continue reading...

UK aid charities say reports of devastation are just ‘tip of the iceberg’ while at least 35 British nationals caught up in disaster

Report on counter-extremism programme to say attention must shift to Islamist radicalisation instead of rightwing terrorismA long-awaited report on the government’s counter-extremism programme is expected to call for its focus to shift more towards Islamist terrorism instead of rightwing terrorism.Wednesday’s publication of William Shawcross’s review into Prevent follows months of delays caused by ministerial tussles over redactions and the language in the report, sources said. Continue reading...

Return tickets could be scrapped in demand-based system as part of wider reforms to ‘broken model’, says transport secretaryTrain tickets in Britain could be priced like airline seats under a demand-based system being trialled by the government as part of a wider rail shake-up.The transport secretary, Mark Harper, announced on Tuesday evening that fares on some long-distance trains run by LNER on the East Coast line will fluctuate according to availability. Continue reading...

Hollie Dance tells inquest in Chelmsford she believes 12-year-old accidentally fell from banister but cannot be sure how he diedArchie Battersbee’s mother has told an inquest into his death that she cannot be sure how her son died but that she wants lessons to be learned from the tragedy.Hollie Dance, who found her son unconscious with a ligature over his head on 7 April last year, said on Tuesday she believed her 12-year-old son accidentally fell after climbing on a banister. He died on 6 August after Dance was unsuccessful in a lengthy court battle to stop his life support being switched off. Continue reading...

PM appoints Greg Hands as Tory chair and restructures Whitehall departmentsRishi Sunak has announced a mini-reshuffle to stamp his authority on the fractured Conservative party, alongside a sweeping Whitehall restructure that created four new government departments.The prime minister promoted Greg Hands, a trade minister, to Conservative party chair tasked with running the May elections campaign, replacing Nadhim Zahawi who was sacked last week for failing to declare his tax affairs. Continue reading...

Agreement with Equality and Human Rights Commission commits firm to number of measures to protect workersMcDonald’s has signed a legally-binding pledge with the equality watchdog amid concerns over how it has handled sexual harassment complaints made by UK staff.The move came after allegations by workers at the fast-food chain’s US restaurants of sexual harassment in the workplace over several years and the company’s failure to deal with the issue. Continue reading...

Damien Chazelle’s Oscar-winning film will be transformed into a stage show featuring music from the same teamThe Oscar-winning musical La La Land is to be transformed into a stage show.The 2017 hit, which made over $470m worldwide at the box office, will be heading to Broadway, with music by Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the same team who worked on the film. Continue reading...

Lancashire constabulary warns against using criminal damage or harassment to find missing womanPolice have urged the public not to “take the law into their own hands” in the search for Nicola Bulley, who went missing 12 days ago while walking her dog.Lancashire constabulary told amateur detectives not to abuse witnesses or attempt to break into empty or derelict buildings along the River Wyre near where she disappeared. Continue reading...

SNP politician and his wife claimed their daughter was denied a place because of her Muslim-sounding nameThe wife of Scotland’s health secretary has dropped legal action against a nursery the couple believed had discriminated against their daughter, allegedly because she had a Muslim-sounding name.Nadia El-Nakla and Humza Yousaf, one of Scotland’s most prominent Muslim politicians, had accused Little Scholars day nursery in Broughty Ferry, Dundee of refusing to give their two-year-old daughter a place while accepting children with western-sounding names. Continue reading...

Obinna Obeta’s successful transplant allegedly then inspired plot to bring man from Nigeria to donate a kidneyA doctor accused of organ trafficking was previously able to persuade an NHS hospital and the transplant regulator that he was the cousin of a man who donated him a kidney in an operation in 2021, the Old Bailey has heard.After this was successful, he trafficked a Lagos street trader to the UK in an attempt to transplant his kidney to the daughter of a powerful Nigerian politician at the same hospital, the Royal Free in London. Continue reading...

Decision on case of ex-Facebook moderator, who claims the work left him with PTSD, hailed as win for accountability of big tech in AfricaA Kenyan court has ruled that a case brought against Facebook by a former content moderator can go ahead.Daniel Motaung, who was hired as a Facebook content moderator by the tech firm’s subcontractor Sama in 2019, filed a suit against the two companies last year, alleging that he had been exposed to graphic and traumatic content at work, without adequate prior knowledge or proper psychosocial support – which he says left him with post-traumatic stress disorder. Continue reading...

Comment comes as MPs grill Sharp about role in facilitating loan for Boris Johnson

Many party MPs worry that trenchant views of ‘30p Lee’ mean his appointment will end badly

PC Jorden Brown is alleged to have committed offences between November 2018 and February 2019A serving Metropolitan police officer has been charged with rape and three counts of actual bodily harm.PC Jorden Brown, attached to the central east command unit, is alleged to have committed the offences between November 2018 and February 2019. Continue reading...

Johnson’s administration made promises over Northern Ireland deal that it knew were unworkable, former PM tells MPs

Britons will be able to fix monthly home loan costs at level below Bank of England base rateFive-year fixed-rate mortgages priced at below 4% are back on sale for the first time since just after the disastrous autumn mini-budget.HSBC has repriced its range and introduced a new five-year fix at 3.99% for customers remortgaging who are looking to borrow up to 60% of the property’s value. It means people are able to fix their monthly home loan costs at a level below the Bank of England base rate, which rose to 4% last Thursday. Continue reading...

Alun Titford convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence over 16-year-old’s death in October 2020A man has been found guilty of killing his disabled daughter by allowing her to become fatally obese during the first Covid lockdown.Alun Titford, 45, was convicted by a jury of manslaughter by gross negligence after the death of his “fiercely independent” and “funny” 16-year-old daughter, Kaylea. Continue reading...

Eoin Mac Giolla Ri in a separate case last month said children could be exposed to ‘drunk, abusive, psychotic’ detainees

Creating conditions in which people suffered shame and stigma was ‘cynical’ tactic to steer attention away from errors, says studyCreating an environment in which individuals and marginalised groups were shamed during the Covid pandemic was a “cynical” tactic to steer attention away from the UK government’s errors, an academic study has concluded.The research by medical humanities scholars at the University of Exeter said people from ethnic minority groups, those with medical conditions such as obesity and health professionals all suffered shame and stigma. Continue reading...

Harrowing footage thought to show Wagner group fighters beating commander with what appear to be shovelsWarning: video contains footage that some viewers may find distressing

Romario Henry sentenced to 15 years and Ali Sesay to 12 over knifepoint raid in which watches worth £700,000 were takenTwo men have been jailed for robbing the Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish and his wife, Peta, of their high-value watches in a knifepoint raid at their home.Intruders wearing balaclavas broke into their home in Ongar, Essex, at about 2.30am on 27 November 2021 and threatened to stab the athlete, a trial at Chelmsford crown court heard. They took items including two Richard Mille watches with a combined value of £700,000. Continue reading...

Omicron-specific dose will be available for over-18s who have not had a booster or a confirmed coronavirus case in past six months

The former Coalition staffer accused of raping Brittany Higgins has taken steps against the media outlets but exact nature of case remains unclear

Hundreds of thousands expected to take part in more than 200 street demonstrations across countryFrance is facing a third day of strikes and mass street demonstrations against Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plan to raise the pension age to 64, after the government faced shouting and booing in parliament as lawmakers began debating the bill.Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to take part in more than 200 street demonstrations across France on Tuesday, from cities to small towns. Trains and urban transport will be severely disrupted, and one in five flights at Paris’s Orly airport will be cancelled. Some schools will close as teachers strike. Students are also blocking several university buildings across France. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Celebrities sign letter to Sunak after reports that proposed restriction on delicacy may be droppedMiriam Margolyes, Alesha Dixon, Mark Rylance and Jo Brand are among the famous names who have signed a letter to Rishi Sunak demanding an end to UK imports of foie gras.The letter comes after it was reported that the government has dropped a proposed foie gras ban – not for the first time – with the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, suggesting it was not a priority. Continue reading...

Catholic charity Cafod says local NGOs are best placed to respond on the frontline but are being cut out of the processSouth Sudan is facing the world’s most severe food insecurity crisis, yet the local groups most effective at delivering aid are not being directly funded, according to a new report.Only 0.4% of humanitarian funding meant for food is directly channelled towards South Sudanese NGOs, despite them being the most effective at tackling hunger, according to the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod). Continue reading...

Ukraine president reported to be planning trip to Brussels this week to meet EU leaders in person

Dispute with Damascus over who controls aid hampers efforts to get supplies into rebel-held north

Rishi Sunak urged to ‘come to the table and negotiate’ after biggest strike day in NHS history

Virginie de Selliers pledges to stand by daughter Constance Marten, who went missing with sex offender boyfriendThe mother of a missing woman who vanished more than a month ago with her newborn baby and her convicted sex offender boyfriend has issued an open letter to her daughter.Virginie de Selliers pledged to stand by Constance Marten, 35, and her grandchild, telling her: “You are not alone in this situation. We will support you in whatever way we can.” Continue reading...

Sources say prime minister also wants to split Department for Business, Energy and Industrial StrategyRishi Sunak is planning a mini-reshuffle to replace Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative party chair as he tries to reassert his grip over his divided party, according to reports.The prime minister is also believed to be considering a shake-up of Whitehall by splitting the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy into two or three new departments to better reflect his priorities. Continue reading...

More than 70 rescue specialists and sniffer dogs to help with efforts after thousands killed in earthquake-hit region

Exclusive: advice was taken despite Lidia Thorpe’s objections but Adam Bandt says he still believes a treaty should come first

Beset by crumbling infrastructure and food shortages, Syria’s war-ravaged population was unprepared for the deadly quakeSyria bears the scars of 12 years of brutal war, the effects of which look set to hamper aid efforts in the areas worst hit by the quake. Beset by conflict, food shortages, economic collapse and a recent cholera outbreak, the country’s national infrastructure has been at crisis point for years, barely able to support its war-weary population.And that was before the worst earthquake to hit the region in decades struck. Continue reading...

Inquiry into LGBTQ+ hate crimes told a ‘mosaic of motives’ showed anti-gay bias in killing of John Hughes

Labor also seeks to overturn court decision that forced it to release 100 people from onshore detention despite character concerns

Daniel Suidani, premier of Malaita province, has been one of the most vocal critics of the Pacific country’s relationship with ChinaThe premier of one of Solomon Islands’ most populous provinces and one of the most vocal critics of the country’s relationship with China has been ousted in a vote of no confidence.The move led to protests in Auki, Malaita province on Tuesday. Police confirmed to the Guardian that they had used teargas to disperse protesters and said one police officer had been injured, but said the situation was now under control. Continue reading...

Ted O’Brien insists his tone was respectful and says government is seeking to malign his character

Shadow health secretary says it is wrong to think people with addiction or mental health problems do not want to workLabour plans to reach thousands of people with addiction or mental health issues “written off” by the Department for Work and Pensions to help them back into employment, with personalised support offered through treatment centres.Visiting a centre in Nottingham which offers wraparound treatment, benefits and employment support, the shadow work and pensions secretary, Jon Ashworth, said it was wrong to assume those undergoing treatment for drug and alcohol addiction did not want to find ways to work. Continue reading...