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Public spending watchdog says £69bn package was applied so quickly it could be open to fraudA “significant number” of households in Great Britain received financial support they did not need through the government’s £69bn package to cushion the blow of rising energy bills, the public spending watchdog has said.A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said the blanket nature of the financial support meant it helped a “deadweight” of households and businesses that could have afforded to absorb the price rises. It also warned that the speed at which it was distributed left the schemes open to fraud. Continue reading...

Triple threat sees Caribbean country in worst crisis since 2010 earthquake, with young people bearing the brunt, warns UnicefAn escalation of gang violence, political instability and a deadly cholera outbreak in Haiti has left half its children relying on humanitarian aid to survive, Unicef says.At least 2.6 million are expected to need immediate lifesaving assistance this year as the overlapping crises leave Haiti’s children in the worst position since the earthquake of 2010, Unicef’s Haiti representative, Bruno Maes, told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Mortgage holders likely to feel immediate pain but RBA indicates further increases to come in attempt to bring inflation under control

Victorian government seeks to differentiate its treatment of alleged violent and non-violent offenders

Quality education and exposure to different cultures identified as key preventive factors in African surveyHuman rights abuses committed by security forces and economic deprivation are among the most important drivers of recruitment to extremist groups in Africa, a survey has found.Researchers working for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) interviewed more than 1,000 active or recent militants across eight countries in Africa in the pioneering study. Continue reading...

A Paris show will focus on Claude’s little-known elder sibling Léon Monet and his impressionist collectionThe name Monet conjures up pictures of water lilies, Rouen Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament and French haystacks, some of European art’s best known works.Now a Paris exhibition will focus on another, lesser known, Monet: Léon Monet, the artist Claude Monet’s long overlooked elder brother who supported him when he was poor and struggling to make his name. Continue reading...

The 79-year old, who is accused of sexually abusing a teenager, denies all allegations and is not facing criminal charges

Meriki Onus and Crystal McKinnon had been accused of breaching the chief health officer’s Covid directions by arranging a protest in Melbourne in 2020

Long-running case ends days after lobby group sacked its CEO over comments about the NSW premier’s Catholic faith

The funding measures, along with the reintroduction of alcohol bans, were called a ‘circuit breaker’ by federal NT senator, Malarndirri McCarthy

Sturdy leather bag known as randoseru can weigh 4-10kg when full, leaving students in pain and wanting something lighterIt’s a familiar sight every weekday morning and afternoon all over Japan: children as young as six creaking under the strain of a leather backpack crammed with textbooks.The randoseru – a Japanese derivation of ransel, the obsolete Dutch word for backpack – is a fixture of primary school education, a repository for everything a child needs to get through a day at school. Continue reading...

Some international students are frustrated by a lack of help from universities as they face ‘mind-blowing’ rents

Mountain rescuers say man who was climbing with two friends was ‘very, very unfortunate’A 23-year-old climber who died after falling 180 metres from a mountain ridge in Wales as he climbed with two friends was “extremely unfortunate”, mountain rescuers have said.The man, from Yorkshire, was ascending Y Gribin in Snowdonia or Eryri national park in north Wales at 5pm on Saturday when a handhold he was using to pull himself up broke, causing him to fall down the mountainside. Continue reading...

Fernando Báez Sosa, son of Paraguayan immigrants, was beaten to death outside a nightclub in a racially motivated attackEight amateur rugby players have been found guilty over the murder of a aspiring law student in Argentina, in a case that has outraged the public and shone a harsh light on racist attitudes in the country.Five of the attackers were sentenced to life in prison – which in Argentina is a maximum of 35 years – for their part in the murder of Fernando Báez Sosa, 18, the only son of two Paraguayan immigrants. Continue reading...

Fires have burned 270,000 hectares and killed 24 in south-central region as mega drought fuels second worst fire year on recordChilean firefighters are battling to hold back forest fires as authorities warned that persistent hot and dry weather could potentially exacerbate what are already the deadliest blazes in the country’s recent history.The fires, which have consumed 270,000 hectares (667,000 acres) of land, have killed 24 people so far in south-central Chile, and already made 2023 the second worst year in terms of hectares burned after the so-called “fire storm” that hit the country in 2017. Continue reading...

Home secretary reportedly believes European court of human rights will rule on policy by end of 2023

UK’s shortest-serving prime minister says she ‘learned a lot’ from time in government but does not want top job again. This live blog is now closedSharon Graham, the Unite general secretary, has also criticised ministers again for refusing to engage in meaningful talks on pay. She told PA Media this morning:This government has not at any time in this dispute come to the table about the substantive issue on pay, and that is the real issue. There isn’t going to be any other way to end this dispute until they come to the table and talk about pay.They said on many occasions that they’re in constructive talks; first of all, I don’t know what those constructive talks are – they are certainly not on pay.Nobody wants to see these strikes, nobody wants to be on strike – the last thing nurses want to do is to be on strike.What they do want is a government that can show leadership, get around the negotiating table and settle this dispute. Continue reading...

Lawsuit relates to a story about criticism she faced after taking Cayman Islands same-sex marriage caseA leading lawyer is suing the Times for libel over a report relating to a complaint against her to the barristers’ watchdog for England and Wales.The story concerned Dinah Rose KC representing the Cayman Islands government in opposing same-sex marriage in a case at the privy council, for which she was criticised by LGBTQ+ rights campaigners, including some students at the University of Oxford, where she is president of Magdalen College. Continue reading...

Andrew Innes killed Bennylyn Burke and her daughter Jellica and buried them under his kitchen floorA man who killed a woman and her two-year-old daughter and buried their bodies under his kitchen floor in Dundee faces a life sentence after being found guilty of murder.Andrew Innes, 52, was found guilty of murdering Bennylyn Burke, 25, and Jellica Burke, two, after a five-day trial at the high court in Edinburgh. He was also convicted of sexually abusing the toddler and raping another child at his home between 20 February and 5 March 2021. Continue reading...

Four people, including two boys and a girl, found seriously injured at house on Monday morningA woman has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two young children and a baby were stabbed in Huddersfield.Four people, including a four-year-old girl, a two-year-old boy and a three-month-old baby boy, were found with “serious stab injuries” in a house on Walpole Road shortly after 8am on Monday, West Yorkshire police said.. Continue reading...

Two nuns told they ‘disobeyed the church’ by trying to stay at seven-centuries-old site in RavelloThe Vatican has expelled two cloistered sisters from the nunhood after the pair disobeyed a request to leave a seven-centuries-old monastery along Italy’s Amalfi coast.Known in the clifftop town of Ravello as “the rebel nuns”, Massimiliana Panza and Angela Maria Punnackal left the Santa Chiara monastery on Saturday after receiving a letter signed by Pope Francis telling them they were being relieved of “the obligations of sacred ordination”. Continue reading...

‘Battles for the region are heating up’ as Russian forces are located in Donetsk

7.8-magnitude tremor hit early on Monday, with second major quake mid-morning hampering rescue efforts

Agreement on food and animal health checks ‘close to being done’, but no progress on trickier issuesEU and UK negotiators have made a breakthrough in reducing checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as part of efforts to resolve the long-running dispute over the Northern Irish protocol.A senior EU official confirmed to the Guardian that an agreement on food and animal health checks was “close to being done” as part of a deal that would create red and green lanes at Northern Irish ports to differentiate between goods staying in the region and those moving south to the EU’s single market. Continue reading...

Ike and Beatrice Ekweremadu are on trial with their daughter, said to have been intended recipient, and a doctorA Nigerian politician and his wife were involved in a criminal conspiracy to bring a young Lagos street trader to the UK to donate his kidney to their daughter at an NHS hospital in London, the Old Bailey has heard.On the opening day of their trial, Ike Ekweremadu, 60, a former deputy president of the Nigerian senate, his wife, Beatrice, 56, their daughter Sonia, 25, and a doctor, Obinna Obeta, 51, are accused of organ trafficking under the Modern Slavery Act. Continue reading...

While some in Tottenham welcomed the change to La Rose Lane, others protestedWhen Jackie Wright first moved to Black Boy Lane in Tottenham in 1999, she asked her taxi driver if he knew the history behind the street name. She wasn’t from London, but the 53-year-old had always been interested in black history.“I asked the cab man: ‘Why is this road this name?’ And he said: ‘Go to Tottenham library.’ So I went to the library; my head blew,” she said. Continue reading...

Colleagues describe Emma Pattison as ‘inspiring’, as reports say shots were heard before bodies found in grounds of Epsom CollegeColleagues have paid tribute to headteacher Emma Pattison, found dead with her seven-year-old daughter and husband at Epsom College in Surrey, as reports emerged that emergency services were alerted after gunshots were heard.Surrey police have not disclosed the cause of deaths of Pattison, 45, daughter Lettie and husband, George, 39, a chartered accountant and director of a management consultancy. The force has said it is confident no one else was involved. Continue reading...

With 65% of respondents supporting the change, survey suggests Peter Dutton’s soft no campaign is failing to shift sentiment

Rise in online abuse a concern for regulator, who says investigators will be on the lookout for racist behaviour during voice to parliament referendum

Consumer groups say online platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree need to do more to keep customers safe

Australia’s total of EVs almost doubled in 2022, growing from 44,000 to more than 83,000, sales data shows

Scottish retailer went into administration at the end of last year, after closing 47 shops in 2020Scottish retailer M&Co is to close all 170 of its stores after falling into administration before Christmas, with the loss of up to 1,900 jobs.The clothing and homeware retailer’s brand has been bought by Peterborough-based AK Retail Holdings, the owner of the larger sizes brand Yours Clothing, Long Tall Sally and Bump It Up Maternity but the deal did not include M&Co’s physical stores. Continue reading...

New 15-year deal includes working together on electronics and battery technologyNissan is to take a stake of up to 15% in Renault’s flagship electric vehicle unit as part of a new long-term deal designed to repair relations in the troubled 24-year alliance between the two global automotive makers.The 15-year agreement includes seeking savings from joint projects in Europe, India and Latin America, as well as working together on electronics and battery technology. Continue reading...

Figures show BBC can still outdo streaming services, but search is now on for its next mega-hitHappy Valley’s finale was the most-watched television programme of the year so far, as 7.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the conclusion of the BBC drama on Sunday night.The Guardian’s five-star review described the show as “one of the greatest trilogies in modern television”, as viewers learned the fates of the police officer Catherine Cawood and criminal Tommy Lee Royce. Continue reading...

Protests as former politicians, activists, campaigners and community workers appear in court accused of ‘conspiracy to commit subversion’Hong Kong’s largest national security trial began on Monday, involving 47 of the city’s most high-profile democracy advocates, in a hearing that has been labelled a trial of the territory’s pro-democracy movement itself.The group of former politicians, activists, campaigners, and community workers are accused of “conspiracy to commit subversion” over the holding of unofficial pre-election primaries in July 2020. Continue reading...

Local officials warned of need to improve infection control measures shortly before diphtheria cases detectedThe Home Office was warned about the need to improve infection control measures at Manston, its site for people arriving in small boats, weeks before the UK’s worst diphtheria outbreak in decades, the Guardian has learned.Freedom of information disclosures from Thanet district council, obtained by the Guardian, have revealed a catalogue of concerns about failures in public health measures at the centre near Ramsgate, where initial checks are carried out on asylum seekers.Handwashing was advised as a key infection control measure but there was a shortage of sinks and access to running water and some toilets had no handwashing facilities at all.Some toilets were blocked and overflowing with excrement.The chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, became involved in the crisis and ordered UKHSA officials to produce a rapid assessment of infectious disease risk on the site.Confusion surrounding the release of people from Manston who may have had infectious conditions. Continue reading...

Trade body SMMT cuts forecast for annual sales, citing inflation and interest rate increasesSales of electric vehicles fuelled the strongest start to the year for the UK car market since before the pandemic, although the forecast for annual sales has been cut as increasingly cash-strapped consumers delay big-ticket purchases.Almost 132,000 new cars were sold in the UK in January, up 14% year on year and a sixth consecutive month of growth. The figures mark the best start to the year since 149,279 new cars were sold in January 2020. Continue reading...

Three other accused will serve sentences of up to 30 years over deaths of Willie Kimani, Josephat Mwenda and Joseph Muiruri, in case that sparked national protestsA police officer, Fredrick Leliman, who was among those convicted of killing Nairobi lawyer Willie Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri, has been sentenced to death by a Nairobi court.In the judgment delivered on Friday, three other accused, Stephen Cheburet, Sylvia Wanjiku and Peter Ngugi, will serve 30, 24, and 20 years in prison, respectively. Continue reading...

The 65-year-old made headlines by handing himself after 29 years on the run. But supporters are celebrating after he won the right to stay in his adopted homeland

Conditions in parts of South America up to 10C above average as US records its coldest ever temperatureUnrelenting and record-breaking heat is expected to continue across parts of South America this week. Temperatures are forecast to easily reach the mid-to-high 30s celsius for Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay, with maximum temperatures possibly reaching 40C across northern Argentina.These temperatures are at least 5-10C above the climatological average, with the extreme heat expected to continue at least until the middle part of February. Continue reading...

Federal government agreed to $250m in additional funding for measures including youth engagement programs and job creation

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Recharge, which is also planning a factory in Victoria, revives goal to build £3.8bn ‘gigafactory’ in north EnglandAn emerging Australian company yet to construct a major project will be responsible for delivering on UK hopes to electrify its automotive industry after outbidding rivals to take over collapsed battery maker Britishvolt.In a whirlwind fortnight, Recharge Industries put together an aggressive package that also revives plans to build a £3.8bn (A$6.7bn) “gigafactory” in the north of England to supply the next generation of UK-built electric vehicles, free from Chinese materials. Continue reading...

Federal police sought former soldier’s phone as part of investigation into war crimes potentially committed in Afghanistan

Detectives seek evidence of further offending by serial rapist, who is due to be sentenced this weekThe criminal investigation into the serial rapist David Carrick will stay active even after his sentencing and imprisonment this week, as detectives sift through information about alleged further offending.Carrick used his status as a Metropolitan police officer to commit 48 rapes amid a spree of 85 serious offences against 12 women, all of which he has pleaded guilty to. Continue reading...

Exclusive: head of Aardman studio blames Brexit as UK falls behind on skills and tax reliefThe head of Aardman, the Oscar-winning British studio behind Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, has warned that the nation’s animation productions for children’s television will have to be made overseas because acute challenges are taking their toll on the UK sector.Sean Clarke, Aardman’s managing director, said the company is struggling with everything from serious competition from other countries on tax relief to a dire skills shortage. Continue reading...

Three-quarters of teachers surveyed say they have noticed children lacking access to toothpaste and toothbrushesFour out of five UK teachers have given toothbrushes and toothpaste to students, with the cost of living crisis affecting the oral health of children, according to new research.A survey of secondary teachers by hygiene poverty charity Beauty Banks and the British Dental Association (BDA) has revealed that 81% of teachers say some children in their school have no access to toothpaste, with 41% saying this leads to them being socially excluded because of poor oral hygiene. Continue reading...

Civil rights veteran who gave eulogy at Tyre Nichols’ funeral says racism in UK policing could produce similar tragediesThe Rev Al Sharpton has warned that racially charged incidents such as the brutal death of Tyre Nichols in the US will also occur in the UK without far-reaching police reforms.On the eve of a two-day visit to the UK, the US civil rights veteran said that “systemic racism” and a “culture of policing that produces brutality” must be addressed. Continue reading...

New legal advice will allow addition as part of $500m expansion to be completed by 2028, chair says

Five-storey blaze at Springvale’s Bright Moon hall drew a crowd of onlookers, firefighters say