Blow to Joe Biden, who had hoped to benefit from lower pump prices in an election year
Saudi Arabia has cast doubt on the future of the global oil market after abandoning plans to grow its crude production capacity by 1m barrels a day.
The world’s biggest exporter signalled a big change in policy by ordering the state oil company, Saudi Aramco, to drop plans to expand its maximum production capacity to 13m barrels a day by 2027.
Continue reading...Incident occurred when officers called to reports of man with crossbow and other weapons trying to force entry to property
A man has died after being shot by police in south-east London, the Met has said.
Officers were called to reports of a man attempting to force entry to a residential property in Southwark while wielding a crossbow and other weapons.
Continue reading...The DUP has endorsed a deal with the UK government to restore power sharing in NI, paving an end to two years of political deadlock
This is from Michelle O’Neill, the Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland and first minister designate in the power sharing executive.
I welcome the public declaration by DUP Leader Jeffrey Donaldson that power-sharing will now be restored.
The parties will come together later today. We have much to do to confront the challenges facing our public services, workers and families which require urgent action.
Committee urges UK to set ‘powerful example’ of tackling climate change after ‘mixed messages’ of Cop28
The UK must act urgently to meet its international climate commitments, the independent climate watchdog has warned, after sending “mixed messages” to other countries at the Cop28 UN climate summit in December.
While carbon reduction from electricity generation has shown progress, the rate at which all other sources of emissions are being cut must quadruple to meet the UK’s target under the Paris agreement of 68% reductions in emissions by 2030, according to the Climate Change Committee.
Continue reading...Foreign secretary says move would help to make two-state solution an ‘irreversible’ process
Britain will consider recognising a Palestinian state as part of concerted efforts to bring about an “irreversible” peace settlement, the foreign secretary, David Cameron, has said.
In what would mark a landmark diplomatic moment, he said the move would help to bring about a two-state solution – currently facing trenchant opposition from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Continue reading...Regulator says bank failed to properly implement Financial Services Compensation Scheme
HSBC has been fined £57m by the Bank of England’s financial stability arm for failing to protect customer deposits in the event of a banking collapse.
It is the second-highest fine imposed by the Bank’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and reflects the seriousness of the failings, the watchdog said. The highest fine was £87m, imposed on Credit Suisse last July.
Continue reading...Open letter calls for Soil Association certification to be removed from industry, amid concerns of negative environmental impact
The British body that certifies food in the UK as organic has been accused of misleading consumers over its labelling of Scottish farmed salmon.
Thirty charities, conservation and community organisations, including WildFish, the Pesticide Action Network and Blue Marine Foundation, say the negative environmental impacts of the industry in Scotland “run completely counter” to the principles of the Soil Association’s promotion of healthy, humane and sustainable food.
Continue reading...In today’s newsletter: how the DUP finally brought two-year boycott of Stormont assembly to an end
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Good morning. It took 726 days, and a fraught five hour meeting that ended at one o’clock this morning – but at last, it looks like power-sharing is back on in Northern Ireland.
At a press conference after a meeting at a remote venue in County Down a few hours ago, Democratic Unionist party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said that his party would finally end its boycott of the Stormont assembly. He told journalists: “The result was clear, the DUP has been decisive, I have been mandated to move forward.” That means that the Northern Ireland executive is likely to return before an 8 February deadline for forming an administration. Barring any drama in the next week, Sinn Féin will hold the symbolic first minister position for the first time – and something like normal business will resume.
Middle East | Joe Biden’s defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has vowed the US will take “all necessary actions” to defend its troops after Iran-backed militants killed three and wounded dozens more in a drone attack in Jordan. Qatar’s prime minister said on Monday he hoped any US retaliation would not undercut progress toward a new Israel-Hamas hostage release deal in weekend talks.
Local government | Households across England are facing an inflation-busting £2bn council tax raid this spring despite Rishi Sunak’s promise of pre-election giveaways. After an announcement last week of an extra £600m in local government funding in England, council bosses have been told that the government expects the maximum 4.99% increase in council tax – about £100 extra on a typical band D bill. Read an analysis of the state of council budgets.
Conservatives | Kemi Badenoch is a member of a Conservative WhatsApp group called “Evil Plotters” despite telling party rebels to get behind Rishi Sunak, the Guardian can reveal. The business secretary has criticised party colleagues for “stirring” up suggestions that she could replace the prime minister – but is part of a group rallying round her longer-term ambitions.
Health | Alzheimer’s can be spread from human to human through rare medical accidents, research suggests, although experts stress there is no evidence the disease can be passed between people through everyday activities or routine care.
UK news | The actor and rightwing activist Laurence Fox has lost a high court libel battle with two men he baselessly called paedophiles after they said he was a racist. A judge dismissed Fox’s own claim that the allegations of racism were defamatory and said that damages would be discussed at a later date.
Continue reading...Requirement for importers to give 24 hours’ notice of deliveries described as ‘unfeasible’ by suppliers
New Brexit border rules could cut the shelf life of fresh food from mainland Europe by a fifth and leave some deliveries from the EU unsaleable, major food bodies have warned.
The SPS Certification Working group, which represents 30 trade bodies covering £100bn of the UK’s food supply, has said new rules requiring importers to notify authorities a day before they arrive in the UK was “unfeasible” and could mean that some European businesses decide to stop supplying the UK.
Continue reading...Government-backed scheme overseen by Tory mayor cleared of cronyism and corruption, but transparency found wanting
Taxpayers are not being guaranteed value for money or transparency at a regeneration project overseen by the Conservative Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen, according to a review that cleared it of cronyism and corruption.
An independent review of Teesworks, one of the highest-profile, government-backed regeneration schemes in Britain, found the project was excessively secretive and could not ensure public money was being well spent.
Continue reading...Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, took a long taxi ride through the night to evade authorities, an Old Bailey jury is told
A newborn baby was wearing no clothing and only a nappy as her parents took a long taxi ride allegedly to evade authorities in freezing winter conditions, a jury at the Old Bailey has heard.
Constance Marten, 36, and Mark Gordon, 49, who were allegedly motivated by a “selfish” desire to keep their daughter Victoria after four other children were taken into care, paid hundreds of pounds in taxi fares after their Peugeot 206 caught fire on the M61 on 5 January 2023.
Continue reading...Move comes after it emerged that Calocane was accused of attacking two colleagues weeks before he killed three people in Nottingham
Leicestershire police have referred themselves to an independent watchdog over how they handled investigations into alleged assaults committed by Valdo Calocane weeks before he killed three people in Nottingham.
The force is being assessed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct to establish if any further action is required. The alleged incidents happened in May 2023, an IOPC spokesperson said.
Continue reading...Move follows reports overseas students face lower entry requirements, a claim universities reject
The Department for Education is to investigate allegations of bad practice by agents who recruit international students to study at British universities.
It follows reports over the weekend claiming that overseas students are being admitted to prestigious institutions while subject to lower entry requirements than domestic students.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Business secretary who has told party rebels to stop ‘stirring’ and back PM is in group along with Michael Gove
Kemi Badenoch is a member of a Conservative WhatsApp group called “Evil Plotters” despite telling party rebels to “stop messing around” and get behind Rishi Sunak, the Guardian can reveal.
The business secretary, who consistently comes out as the favourite cabinet minister in polls of Tory members, has criticised party colleagues for “stirring” up suggestions that she could replace the prime minister.
Continue reading...Three adults and a 15-year-old now in custody in connection with killing of teenagers Max Dixon and Mason Rist
An investigation into the fatal stabbing of two boys with “their whole lives in front of them” has gathered pace as police said they had arrested two more men in connection with the killings.
Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, were attacked by a group at about 11.20pm on Saturday in Knowle West, a neighbourhood in south Bristol. They died later in hospital.
Continue reading...Report says greater police presence on French beaches and more attempts to stop dinghies increases risks to refugees
The most recent illegal migration pact between the UK and France is “directly linked” to a doubling of the number of Channel drownings in the last year, a report has found.
The increased police presence on French beaches – along with more dinghies being stopped from reaching the coast – is leading to more dangerous overcrowding and chaotic attempts to board the boats, the paper said.
12 August 2023: six Afghan men drowned in an overloaded dinghy which got intro trouble close to the French shore
26 September 2023: Eritrean woman, 24, died in Blériot-Plage after being asphyxiated in a crush of 80 people trying to board one dinghy
22 November 2023: three people drowned close to Équihen-Plage as the dinghy collapsed close to the shore. Fifty-seven survivors returned to the beach.
Continue reading...Nathy Odinson, 33, had parachute problem after climbing up building in Pattaya and jumping off
A British Base jumper has died after his parachute failed to open during a stunt in Thailand.
Nathy Odinson, 33, from Cambridgeshire, who had performed skydives and Base jumps around the world, is said to have illegally climbed up a 29-storey building in the coastal resort of Pattaya and jumped off on Saturday night.
Continue reading...CQC will conduct review into Nottinghamshire Healthcare in tandem with mental health homicide review
A troubled NHS trust that treated Valdo Calocane for paranoid schizophrenia before he killed three people in Nottingham last year is to be the subject of a special review.
Ministers said the review into Nottinghamshire Healthcare foundation trust would help provide answers to the families of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, who were killed by Calocane last June.
Continue reading...Piano especially associated with improved mental processes in those over 40, Exeter University research finds
Playing a musical instrument or joining a choir is linked to better memory and thinking skills in older age, research has found.
The piano was especially associated with a better brain in those over 40 in the study from Exeter University, which reviewed data from more than a thousand adults and looked at how much experience the people had in participating in music.
Continue reading...Committee calls on government to heed widespread concern and consider a more nuanced inspection system
The government should stop the use of single-word judgments such as “inadequate” or “outstanding” in Ofsted’s headline grades of schools in England, a committee of MPs has urged.
MPs on the education committee said relations between Ofsted and teachers had become “extremely strained”, with trust in the watchdog “worryingly low” in the wake of the headteacher Ruth Perry’s suicide last year after a traumatic inspection.
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