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Two men charged with drug and money laundering offences, as well as theft of electricity, after officers raid Coromandel East property

Equinor chief says bills won’t return to levels seen before Ukraine invasion given windfall taxes and move to greener energy

Retail chain to invest £480m in rejuvenate its presence on the high streetMarks & Spencer is to open 20 large stores and create 3,400 jobs as part of a £500m plan to rejuvenate its presence on the high street after bumper Christmas trading.The retail chain – which in October said it would close 67 of its “lower productivity” sites that sold clothes and homewares, about a quarter of its estate of bigger stores – said it planned to open the 20 new “bigger, better” stores in locations across the UK in the next financial year. Continue reading...

Harrowing footage shows passengers had no idea plane was in danger before crashIn the moments before Nepal’s deadliest air crash in decades on Sunday, four friends from India who were onboard began excitedly recording the descent on a Facebook live video.They were heading to Pokhara for the trip of a lifetime, visiting temples and paragliding in Nepal’s famed Annapurna mountain range. “It’s really fun,” one of the men can be heard on the video surveying the city below as the plane began its descent. The friends can be heard laughing and joking as the camera is turned on a smiling Sonu Jaiswal, a 29-year-old father-of-three, who ran a small business back home in India. Continue reading...

If recommendation is approved, he will be first foreign judge appointed since two British judges resigned citing concerns about freedom crackdowns

Lawyers for more than 1,000 infected and affected people want evidence to be passed to prosecuting authoritiesVictims and family members affected by the contaminated blood scandal are calling for criminal charges to be considered as the public inquiry into the tragedy draws to a close.While the inquiry, which will begin to hear closing submissions on Tuesday, cannot determine civil or criminal liability, people affected by the scandal are keen for the mass of documents and evidence accumulated over more than four years to be handed over to prosecutors to see whether charges can be brought. Continue reading...

Arrest linked to drive-by attack outside Euston church that left seven-year-old girl critically injuredA 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a drive-by shooting outside a church in London that left a seven-year-old girl with life-threatening injuries.It is the first arrest linked to the shooting outside St Aloysius church near Euston station on Saturday. Continue reading...

Call for detail on proposed cashless gaming scheme as questions raised about opposition’s pledge

Analysis shows police more likely to be in schools with higher numbers of pupils of colour and those eligible for free mealsNearly 1,000 police officers are operating within UK schools, figures show, with these officers being more likely to be based in areas with higher numbers of pupils eligible for free school meals.Analysis by the Runnymede Trust shows that of the 979 police officers operating in UK schools, half are based in London. Continue reading...

Bereaved billed up to month’s worth of care, despite UK regulator saying such charges are likely to be illegalBereaved families are being charged thousands of pounds in care home fees after the death of a relative in residential care, despite the competition watchdog saying such arrangements are likely to be unlawful.Some providers are billing next of kin sums equivalent to up to a month’s worth of care after the death of a resident, four years after the Competition and Markets Authority declared such charges illegal. Continue reading...

YouGov research finds financial worries besetting nearly half of adults in BritainThe cost of living crisis is damaging the mental health of nearly half of adults in Great Britain, with people in Wales the unhappiest of all, according to research.In Wales, 61% of adults said their current financial situation was damaging their mental health, compared with 48% of people in Scotland and 47% in England, according to YouGov research for Business in the Community (BITC), the Prince’s Responsible Business network. Continue reading...

So-called ‘black boxes’ are in good condition, says official investigating deaths of at least 68 people when Yeti Airlines flight plummeted into a gorgeThe black box and cockpit voice recorder from the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed in Nepal have been located, as the country observed a day of mourning on Monday for the victims of its deadliest aviation disaster in three decades.Teknath Sitaula, a Kathmandu Airport official, said the so-called black boxes were “in a good condition now. They look good from outside.” Continue reading...

Witness also tells committal hearing for Greg Lynn, the man charged with their murders, that he saw a drone flying over site

Exclusive: Bristol University study finds ‘strong social gradient’ linking poverty with increase in mortalityChild mortality from trauma and sudden unexpected death increased last year, according to figures highlighting the stark impact of poverty on child health.The analysis, which tracked all child deaths in England between 2019 and 2022, found overall mortality dipped during the pandemic due to a decrease in infectious illnesses, but that numbers of deaths have since returned to pre-pandemic levels. This included a 32% increase in trauma deaths and a 13% rise in sudden unexpected death in infancy or childhood (Sudic) last year compared with pre-pandemic rates. Continue reading...

Friends have begun mourning the passionate cyclist and surfer as ‘a truly kind, fun, energetic man’

Travellers leave cities for countryside amid warnings for most vulnerable and huge increase in official coronavirus death tollLuggage-laden passengers flocked to railway stations and airports in China’s megacities on Monday, heading home for holidays that health experts fear could intensify a Covid-19 outbreak that has claimed thousands of lives.After three years of strict and suffocating anti-virus controls, China in early December abruptly abandoned its zero-Covid policy, letting the virus run freely through its population of 1.4 billion. Continue reading...

Imprisonment of Ihsane el-Kadi, a longstanding government critic, prompted outcry from human rights groupsThe daughter of the prominent Algerian journalist Ihsane el-Kadi has called for his immediate release from detention in a notorious prison following his arrest at midnight on Christmas Eve.Kadi, who has been a longstanding critic of the Algerian government and is one of the north African country’s most influential voices, was arrested by security forces in plain clothes at his home in the coastal city of Boumerdès, 35 miles east of Algiers, on 24 December and placed in a pre-trial detention. Continue reading...

PCYC and others open their doors as motels reach capacity, with motorists stuck and flash flooding possible for next 24 hours

Zheng was among the officials sanctioned by the US for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedomsChina has appointed the head of the national security office in Hong Kong as its top representative officer in Hong Kong – a sign that Beijing will tighten its control over the city.Zheng Yanxiong, 59, replaces another hardliner, Luo Huining, 68, as head of Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong, the State Council said in a notice. Continue reading...

Many of the women had been picking fruit ‘because there is nothing left to eat’ as long-running insurgency hits food suppliesSuspected jihadists have abducted about 50 women in insurgency-wracked northern Burkina Faso, local officials and residents say.Roughly 40 were seized around 12km (seven miles) south-east of Arbinda on Thursday and about 20 others were abducted on Friday to the north of the town, the sources said on condition of anonymity. Continue reading...

The boy and woman were swimming at Palm Cove, in far-north Queensland, and were taken to hospital in a stable condition

Man claiming to be Fuller’s missing boyfriend says the pair were fired at by a gang before fleeing into the bush a week ago

Defence firm dampens Kyiv hopes other European allies will follow UK’s lead in supplying heavy armour

Promotion of historian who spearheaded rehabilitation of the Qing period prompts speculation that the past is being reinterpreted to bolster President XiAt the height of the Qing dynasty, the Chinese empire was one of the great powers of the world. Its territory spanned all the way to Inner Asia and its economic prosperity and military might was the envy of the world.But despite its success, rampant corruption, weak governance, internal revolts and foreign invasion led to the decline of its national power and its eventual collapse. The beginning of the 20th century would mark the end of China’s centuries-long dynasties, ruled over by emperors. Continue reading...

The targets of the attack – in which scores were injured – was Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, authorities said

Police launched investigation after traces of radioactive element found in material at the airport in DecemberA man in his 60s has been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence after traces of uranium were found at Heathrow airport at the end of December, Scotland Yard has said.The man was arrested after counter-terrorism officers searched an address in Cheshire on Saturday, on suspicion of an offence under section 9 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which covers the making and possession of radioactive devices. Continue reading...

Home shopping partnership comes despite demand for fast delivery services slowing amid cost of living crisisSainsbury’s has joined the rush to provide almost-instant home shopping by signing a deal with the food delivery app Just Eat to offer the rapid distribution of groceries from 175 stores.Under the deal, outlets in London, Edinburgh and Bristol will provide the service from the end of February offering a choice of 3,000 items delivered in less than 30 minutes. Sainsbury’s already offers its own Chop Chop fast delivery service and has partnerships with Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Continue reading...

Newspaper editor calls for UK agents to be named, despite zero evidence British-Iranian dual national was a spyIranian hardliners are urging their government to exact revenge on the UK and deliver a blow to its spying network by revealing the true names of the British intelligence agents who supposedly worked with Alireza Akbari, the British-Iranian dual national who was executed on Saturday for allegedly spying for the UK.The call – made by Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the Kayan, the newspaper closest to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) – shows hardliners are intent on a confrontation with Britain over the issue. Continue reading...

Former MP for Tiverton and Honiton resigned after admitting watching pornography in CommonsA former MP who quit after admitting watching pornography in the Commons said he was thinking of standing again at the next general election.Neil Parish resigned from his Tiverton and Honiton seat after declaring that he was the politician whom other MPs had spotted watching X-rated material in parliament. Continue reading...

Israeli army said man had tried to grab a soldier’s gun during ‘scuffle’ at crowded checkpointIsraeli troops shot dead a Palestinian motorist in the occupied West Bank during what a witness said was a scuffle at a crowded checkpoint, with the Israeli army saying the man had tried to grab a soldier’s gun.Palestinian medics summoned to the scene near Silwad village on Sunday said they found 45-year-old Ahmed Kahleh with a fatal bullet wound to the neck. Kahleh’s son had been pepper-sprayed, they said. Reuters was not immediately able to reach him for comment. Continue reading...

Bodyguard also killed at home of one of few female parliamentarians who stayed in Kabul after Taliban takeoverA former Afghan MP and her bodyguard have been shot dead by unknown assailants at her home in the capital, Kabul, police have said.Mursal Nabizada was among the few female parliamentarians who stayed in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. It is the first time an MP from the previous administration has been killed in the city since the takeover. Continue reading...

French boy is practising a gentle form of judo and adapted archery as he continues his recoveryThe family of a boy thrown from the 10th floor of London’s Tate Modern art gallery has said he is practising a gentle form of judo and adapted archery as his condition slowly improves.The French boy was six when he was badly injured in an attack by Jonty Bravery at the tourist attraction in August 2019. Continue reading...

‘Horrific’ technique which involves removing the uterus is unnecessary and outdated, animal welfare activists say

In the tiny community of Pouce Coupe, a candidate was accused of using cinnamon rolls as bribes at a campaign eventEfforts to bribe unsuspecting voters, allegations of candidate intimidation and a court challenge to an election result have cast a spotlight on the tumultuous, ruthless politics of a tiny west Canadian community.British Columbia’s supreme court this week weighed in on the row, upholding the fiercely contested results of a recent municipal election, Pouce Coupe, a town of fewer than 800 people near the border with Alberta. Continue reading...

Harry Potter star has produced Canyon Del Muerto, which tells how Ann Axtell Morris worked with Navajo people in 1920s AmericaHe is one of the most recognisable actors in the world, known for his role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise. But now Tom Felton wants to use his platform to spotlight someone whose historical achievements have been obscured for decades.Felton has produced his first feature film, Canyon Del Muerto, recounting the story of Ann Axtell Morris, one of the US’s first female archaeologists, who worked with the Navajo in the 1920s to uncover North America’s earliest civilisation, the Anasazi. Continue reading...

Woman went missing on Friday night and extensive ground, sea and air search located her body on Saturday near Pearl beach on Central Coast

Britain and EU expected to coordinate response to hanging of British-Iranian accused of spyingThe UK and the European Union are expected to coordinate moves to brand the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation after the execution of Alireza Akbari, a British-Iranian dual national who was lured back to Iran by the security services three years ago.Akbari, who had been a senior defence figure in reformist governments nearly two decades ago, was hanged for being a spy for MI6, a charge his family deny. A friend of the family said “this is a murder case”, and vowed to prove the innocence of the 61-year-old, including allegations that he had been paid by British intelligence. Continue reading...

Tina Samardzija faces opposition from clubs and gaming venues but says children should not be ‘exposed to a message that gambling is normal’.

Greens take lead from First Nations advisory group, saying they need progress on truth, treaty and voice before they’ll support the referendum

Ancient air trapped deep below the surface could unlock secrets of the Earth’s past and help understand what lies ahead as CO2 in the atmosphere keeps rising

UK says it will send Challenger 2 tanks and more artillery support defence of UkraineThe governor of the central Cherkasy region warned Ukrainians that Russia could launch a massive missile strike later on Saturday and urged residents to take shelter during air raid sirens.Separately, Vitaly Kim, regional governor of the southern Mykolaiv region, said that 17 Russian Tupolev bombers had taken off from their airbases. His statement came shortly after air attacks in Kyiv and Kharkiv hit critical infrastructure. Continue reading...

Health secretary Steve Barclay urges unions to lobby PM over improved pay offer for striking nurses and ambulance workersThe health and social care secretary Steve Barclay has privately urged trade unions to help him make the case to the Treasury and No 10 for extra money for nurses, ambulance workers and other NHS staff in an extraordinary twist to the escalating crisis over health service strikes, the Observer can reveal.A serious cabinet split has opened up, with Barclay now wanting more money for all NHS staff except doctors – while Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, are refusing to budge from their insistence that no more can be offered. Continue reading...

Dmitry Medvedev accuses Fumio Kishida of shameful subservience to US after Joe Biden meetingFormer Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has accused Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida of shameful subservience to the US and suggested he should ritually disembowel himself.His remarks on Saturday were the latest in a long line of shocking and provocative statements from Medvedev, who was once seen as a western-leaning reformer but has reinvented himself as an arch-hawk since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Continue reading...

SSPCA says circumstances of incident suspicious as its launches appeal for information about the snakesAn animal rights charity is appealing for information after the bodies of three snakes were found at a fly-tipping spot near Glasgow.The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) said the boa constrictors were discovered by a member of the public at a site near Carbeth Loch in Blanefield. Continue reading...

Demon young riders speeding at 40kph are making the once cycle-friendly streets dangerous – and the problem is spreadingDebby Nieberg was cycling home from the dentist last October, when she was knocked to the pavement and broke her shoulder.According to her police report, the youngster on an e-bike – overtaking Nieberg on Amsterdam’s narrow cycling lanes – got up and cycled off, a crime in itself. “This unfortunately has become a big part of my life because of the ‘need for speed’ of those on e-bikes,” says the 56-year-old freelance translator, who has just started cycling again. “The bike situation is definitely unsafe.” Continue reading...

Whether Iranian intelligence services genuinely believed Akbari was a spy is up for debate“I have to go. I am a soldier. It is my duty.” Alireza Akbari was explaining to his family why he felt he had to answer a call by his former boss, Ali Shamkhani to return to Tehran in 2019 to help advise on how the country should respond to the fateful decision of Donald Trump to withdraw America from the Iran nuclear deal.Some family members advised it might not be wise to do so since by 2019 the climate in the intelligence services was turning against Akbari’s belief in the value of the nuclear deal and the lifting of western economic sanctions. Continue reading...

Sending Challengers puts pressure on Germany to agree to re-export Leopard tanks as part of wider effort to boost military aid

Pope gives final blessing at service for Australia’s most senior Catholic, who was found guilty then acquitted of child abuseThe “premature death” of the controversial cardinal George Pell “caught us all by surprise”, said Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the college of cardinals, as he presided over Pell’s funeral in St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday.Pell, who was Australia’s most senior Catholic and was found guilty and then acquitted of child sexual abuse, had undergone a hip operation in Rome and died after a cardiac arrest on Tuesday at the age of 81. Days earlier, he had attended the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI in the same cathedral. Continue reading...

Former justice minister Anderson Torres was capital’s security chief when far-right rioters stormed government buildings

Demonstrators on Saturday demanded Kais Saied step down as they marked the anniversary of 2011 revolutionThousands of protesters in central Tunis have marched against the seizure of near total power by the Tunisian president, Kais Saied, demanding he step down as they marked the anniversary of a key date in the 2011 revolution that brought democracy.The central Habib Bourguiba avenue, the traditional site for major demonstrations, was crowded with thousands of protesters waving Tunisian flags, amid chants of “the people demand the fall of the regime”. Continue reading...