UN staff on £1.2bn aid project in Iraq are demanding bribes, insiders allege

Staff working for the UN in Iraq are allegedly demanding bribes in return for helping businessmen win contracts on postwar reconstruction projects in the country, a Guardian investigation has found.

Modi's starring role as temple is opened on site of razed mosque

More than three decades after a mob of militant Hindu radicals destroyed a mosque in the Indian town of Ayodhya, the country's prime minister, Narendra Modi, has inaugurated the new Hindu temple that will stand in its place.

Depardieu sexual assault claim dropped due to legal time limit

A sexual assault complaint against the actor Gérard Depardieu has been dropped because it was past the statute of limitations, prosecutors in Paris said yesterday.

'It's do-or-die': high stakes for Haley in New Hampshire face-off with Trump

Nikki Haley faces a \"do-or-die\" moment in the New Hampshire primary today, as the only remaining major candidate trying to beat Donald Trump in the Republican presidential race.

Kremlin draws up law to confiscate property from critics of conflict

A bill to confiscate property and valuables from Ukraine war critics convicted of, among other crimes, \"discrediting the Russian army\" or calling for foreign sanctions has been drawn up by the Kremlin.

Ian Bailey Death floors family of murdered film-maker

Each time the killing of the French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier has made headlines in the past 27 years, it has taken Bertrand Bouniol back to the moment he was asked by Irish police to identify his sister's body.

Dior cuts a very high-end dash - as Rihanna causes a Paris roadblock

Outside, Rihanna's surprise arrival at the Dior haute couture catwalk show was grinding several blocks of central Paris to gridlock. Inside, the brand's creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, was discussing the gender politics of fabric as a raw material in art and how Walter Benjamin's essay \"The Work of Art in The Age of Mechanical Reproduction\" relates to the modern luxury industry.

Hostages Sunak is urged to broker deal for release

The families of four Israeli hostages yesterday urged Rishi Sunak to apply pressure on Qatar to help free their loved ones.

Storm Isha: two dead and thousands lose power as wind speeds hit 107mph

Two people have died and tens of thousands were left without power after Storm Isha wreaked havoc across the UK with gusts as high as 107mph.

Huge loss of invertebrates discovered in beck feeding Windermere

Testing by citizen scientists of a beck feeding Windermere in the Lake District has revealed a huge loss in invertebrate life that campaigners say is being caused by sewage discharges.

Dividing lines Starmer keen to show he's up for the fight

In the coffee break after Keir Starmer's speech on civil society yesterday, the mood among charity leaders was positive. Perhaps most of all they liked his defence of the National Trust and RNLI, beloved national charities that have, over the years, been demonised and demeaned by the right.

No agenda against BBC, says No 10 as culture secretary claims broadcaster has shown bias

Downing Street has denied that the government is pursuing an agenda against the BBC after the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, accused the corporation of bias and argued that it needed to adapt or risk losing the trust of audiences.

'It's unrelenting': cars getting too big for our roads, study warns

New cars in the EU and UK have grown 1cm wider every two years, the Guardian can reveal, driven by large luxury SUVs whose sales show no sign of slowing.

Drowned boy's family call on CPS to review decision not to charge suspect

The family of a black boy who drowned in a Welsh river has called on the Crown Prosecution Service to take action against an older white boy after a coroner ruled he had deliberately pushed the younger teenager into the water.

Pandemic puppies have grown into bad behaviour, says survey

Whether it is jumping up at strangers, tugging on a lead or disappearing into the distance, the UK's pandemic puppies are still in the doghouse, a new survey has revealed.

Charities warn of wellbeing crisis from lack of outdoor play

Children and young people are suffering huge damage to their health and wellbeing by policymakers refusing to prioritise the need for outdoor play, a group of charities have said.

Call for royal commission into social housing to restore link with health

The housing ombudsman in England is calling for an independent royal commission \"to reimagine the future of social housing\" and re-establish the link between housing and health.

Families of hostages in Gaza storm Knesset

Family members of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip stormed a parliamentary meeting in Jerusalem yesterday to demand that Israel's government does more to return their loved ones, as fighting in Khan Younis reached unprecedented levels.

Medics urged not to report illegal abortions to police

Royal college intervenes amid fear over impact of prosecutions on women

McBurnie keeps his head amid chaos to snatch late point

This ended as the latest advert for the Premier League in all its frantic, unpredictable glory as added time featured red cards for Rhian Brewster and Vladimir Coufal plus the penalty awarded for Alphonse Areola's challenge on Oli McBurnie.

Cricket Brook out as Lawrence gets India tour call

Harry Brook is heading home from England's training camp ahead of the Test tour of India for personal reasons. Surrey's Dan Lawrence has been called up as a replacement and is expected to join up with the squad in the next 24 hours.

Djokovic routs Mannarino to equal Federer record

One of the many eccentricities of Adrian Mannarino is the Frenchman's refusal to learn the identity of his next opponent for as long as he can hold out. To him, it is unnecessary information that only creates tension, and so before each match he works hard to keep that knowledge at bay.

Kostyuk hopes success can draw attention to Ukraine

Marta Kostyuk believes that tennis has forgotten the war in Ukraine and she hopes that the success of Ukrainian women at the Australian Open will generate further attention for the issue as she reached the quarter-finals of a grand slam tournament for the first time in her career.

End the late show: Tennis must call time on torturous and unhealthy 3am finishes

A couple of years ago scientists in California had an intriguing theory. Might a lack of sleep affect a person's desire to help out another human being? And so, like all good scientists, they put it to the test.

'Glocalisation': Globalisation is not dead, but in Davos they were thinking closer to home

Not bad. But not great, either. That summed up the mood as the World Economic Forum (WEF) ended in Davos on Friday with a panel on the state of the global economy. Not bad because most countries outperformed expectations of a year ago. Not bad because sharply rising interest rates did not plunge the US, the eurozone and the UK into recession. Not bad because the war between Israel and Hamas has failed to send oil prices shooting above $100 a barrel.

Big tech boom or bust? Experts see signs of strength after layoffs

Will 2024 be a boom or a bust for big tech? By one estimate, there have been more than 7,500 layoffs in the sector since the start of the year - a dispersal of \"pink slip\" redundancy notices that many hoped would have ceased after last year's deep job cuts.

Farewell, Kerry and Xie: US and China climate envoys leave stage their friendship helped define

As the final fraught hours of the Cop28 UN climate summit last A approached December, a private gathering in a quiet corner marked a joyful milestone.

Ukraine attack on Donetsk markets leaves dozens dead

At least 25 people were killed yesterday after Ukrainian forces shelled a busy suburban shopping area in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to local officials.

Breast cancer could cost UK £3.6bn by 2034, study suggests

The cost of breast cancer to the UK economy could reach £3.6bn a year by 2034, according to a new report.

Exiled Rwandan who survived murder plot condemns asylum plan

A Rwandan opposition politician who narrowly survived an assassination attempt has condemned the UK's plan to deport asylum seekers to Kigali.