CATEGORIES

Home Office seeks to clear huge backlog of modern slavery cases

The Home Office has recruited 200 staff to clear a backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases left by the last government, a minister has told the Guardian.

Girls play outside less than boys even at two years old, study finds

Girls play outside in nature less than boys even at the age of two, according to the first national survey of play among preschool-age children in Britain.

Farewell tour? King's first visit to Australia as monarch revives republican rumblings

As the king arrives in Australia for the first time as head of state, republican rumblings are once more on the media radar.

Stop-start exercising It may be good for you, but can this strategy work for me - and my dog?

Let me start by saying that I am not looking for ways to be more tired. I'm tired enough. However, a new study suggesting that exercise punctuated by frequent breaks requires more energy than \"steady-state\" exertion has a certain counterintuitive attraction: I can exercise better by resting more.

Man accused of jail escape 'jovial' when police caught him, court told

A former soldier \"congratulated\" the police officer who captured him three days after he was accused of escaping from prison, a jury has heard.

Baby dies after refugee boat capsizes in the Channel

A baby has died after a boat carrying people across the Channel towards Britain capsized off the French coast.

Music review The Cure are back - and worth the wait

The latter-day history of the Cure is a peculiar thing. They ended the 90s in apparent disarray, yet the 21st century found them more revered than ever. You couldn't move for younger artists paying homage: everyone from heavy metal bands to dance producers seemed to want to collaborate with the band's frontman, Robert Smith. It was a kind of renaissance, but the Cure seemed unable to fully capitalise on it. They always drew vast crowds, but an album to rank alongside their back catalogue's high points proved elusive, and you wondered how many people were at their gigs to hear stuff from their eponymous 2004 album or 2008's 4:13 Dream, both sprawling and uneven. Thereafter, gigs came flecked with new songs but the release schedule fell silent.

Carey asks faith leaders to back 'compassionate and principled' assisted dying bill

George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, has urged Church of England bishops in the House of Lords to back a parliamentary bill on assisted dying, saying that in the past \"church leaders have often shamefully resisted change\".

Charities will be returned to 'centre of national life', says culture secretary

Charities should criticise the government if they disagree on policy areas such as immigration or the environment, the culture secretary said yesterday as she announced plans to restore civil society organisations to \"the centre of our national life\".

SNP Party CEO steps down after poll defeats

The chief executive of the Scottish National party, Murray Foote, unexpectedly quit yesterday “in the best interests of the party” after its worst election defeat in nearly two decades.

Pick a side What the two Tory candidates stand for - and who backs them

As the race for the Conservative leadership enters its final stage, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are pushing back against the idea that the party faces a limited choice between two candidates of the same populist rightwing stripe.

Quarter of UK summit investments 'not secured by Labour'

A quarter of the investment announced by the government at its flagship investment summit this week appears to have been secured or initiated before the Labour government came to power.

'It was bittersweet' BBC's Mr Loverman stirs emotions among older black gay men

The phrase \"TV moment\" is used a lot but for viewers unused to seeing their lives reflected on screen, Mr Loverman was more than that.

One Direction stars left 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death

Liam Payne's One Direction bandmates have said they are \"completely devastated\" by his death and will miss the singer \"terribly\".

Boy, 17, given life term for attacking pupils as they slept

A teenager who attacked two sleeping pupils and a teacher with hammers at a private school in Devon has been given a life sentence and must serve a minimum term of 12 years, after being found guilty of attempted murder.

Labour 'to legalise harmful way of carrying chickens'

Labour is using its first animal welfare policy since entering government to dilute standards by legalising the harmful practice of carrying chickens by their legs, charities have said.

West Bank violence puts olive harvest at risk, says UN

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are facing an increase in Israeli settler attacks and Israeli army violence at the start of the olive harvest season, the UN said yesterday.

'This is to displace us' Southern Lebanon reels from Israeli strikes

Hussein Jaber, the head of Nabatieh's civil defence station, picked his way through a mess of shattered concrete and twisted metal piled knee high, surveying what was left of the city's Ottoman open-air market, built in 1910 and destroyed by Israeli airstrikes last Saturday.

In Gaza, hopes of pause in violence fade as IDF sends in more troops

Israel has launched new airstrikes and sent more troops into action in Gaza, dashing brief hopes among some in the territory that the killing of the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, could bring an end to the conflict.

Hamas What next for them after death of its leader Yahya Sinwar?

Hamas is seeking to frame the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar, in Gaza as a victory. It is emphasising how the 62-year-old veteran died on Thursday fighting on the frontline, armed and wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, and how the organisation has survived for 37 years despite the assassination by Israel of a series of its leaders.

Hostages Netanyahu still puts own political fate before lives

On Thursday afternoon a lifeguard at a beach in Tel Aviv made an announcement. “Attention all bathers,” he said. “It is not yet 100% confirmed ... but the chances are very high that the rat from the tunnels known as Yahya Sinwar is dead.”

The final moments Sinwar's death and the trainee soldiers who found him

The Israeli soldiers who came across Yahya Sinwar and his two bodyguards were trainee squad commanders from an infantry school unit. The fact that it was a platoon from the infantry commanders and combat training school (Bislamach) that found the Hamas commander and mastermind of the 7 October attacks is all the more ironic in light of the fruitless year-long manhunt by the cream of Israel's special forces and intelligence units.

Hamas vows to continue fight and says conditions for ceasefire unchanged

Hamas acknowledged the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar, but vowed yesterday to keep fighting, in the face of international calls for an immediate ceasefire.

Staff who want to work from home should quit, Amazon boss suggests

A senior Amazon executive has suggested staff who do not like a new company policy of working in the office five days a week should quit.

New Bram Stoker story found that foreshadows Dracula

In a Dublin library frequented by James Joyce and WB Yeats, beneath a turquoise and white domed ceiling and surrounded by oak shelving, Brian Cleary stumbled across something by the author of Dracula, Bram Stoker, he believed no living person had ever read.

Pregnant woman and unborn child die in crash with police car

The death of a heavily pregnant woman and her unborn child who were in a collision with an unmarked police car is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Nigerian nurses urge Streeting to help clear up 'unjust' test cheating claims

A group of more than 100 Nigerian nurses have called on the health secretary to help them correct \"a significant injustice\" after the nursing regulator accused them of cheating in tests to practise in the UK.

Wind warning as first storm of season closes in on Britain

The UK will be hit by winds of up to 80mph this weekend as the first named storm of the season approaches.

London mayor urges primary schools to tackle misogyny

Combating the \"pernicious influence\" of misogynists such as Andrew Tate in primary schools is a vital part of teaching children about equality, Sadiq Khan has told teachers.

‘Our champion’ Pelicot opens up global conversation on sexual violence

She has been hailed as a feminist hero across France, commended for her courage at rallies across the country and applauded by supporters every time she enters or leaves the courtroom in the southern city of Avignon.