NHS took two days to raise alarm about Kent meningitis outbreak, says report

Susie Wiles was on plane and witnessed event, according to files shown to House judiciary committeeFederal prosecutors examined whether Donald Trump showed a classified map to people on his plane after his first term, including to his now White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, according to justice department materials produced to the House judiciary committee.The incident was described in a 13 January 2023 briefing memo prepared for the then attorney general, Merrick Garland – roughly six months before special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump with retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club. Continue reading...

Markets in Asia and Europe move higher, while crude hovers at about $100 a barrel amid cautious optimismBusiness live – latest updatesThe price of oil has dipped and Asian stock markets moved higher after reports that Donald Trump has sent a 15-point framework for peace to Iran, amid hopes of a ceasefire in the Middle East.Oil prices had fallen by 4% in the early hours of Wednesday, with brent crude futures sinking below $100 a barrel and even moving as low as $97.57 as trading was influenced by the prospect of an end to the conflict easing the squeeze on oil supply. Continue reading...

Report by Verdant says rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance would save money that could help improve public servicesA “Doge of the left,” could save up to £30bn a year for taxpayers by rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance, according to the first report from a new green thinktank.Launched amid growing interest in the future manifesto of Zack Polanksi’s Green party, the Verdant thinktank will be co-chaired by James Meadway, a former adviser to Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and civil society campaigner Deborah Doane. Continue reading...

Dayton Webber’s former playing partner says: ‘Dayton has a great family, and I care about that family. Yet obviously, there is somebody [who] died’The former doubles partner of a professional, championship-winning cornhole player who had his four limbs amputated in his infancy and is now accused of a deadly shooting says he was shocked to learn about the case, calling it an instance of at least two families being torn apart in one fell swoop.“I’ve been mad, sad – it sucks,” Mike Hoffman said of his past cornhole teammate Dayton Webber during a telephone interview on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Ministers will publish review by Philip Rycroft, which will make recommendations relevant to all the political parties, todayGood morning. In December the government announced that Philip Rycroft, a former permanent secretary at the Brexit department, will lead a review into foreign financial interference into UK politics. The review is being published today, and it will include recommendations that we’re told the government will implement as a priority.The review will make recommendations relevant to all the political parties, but no one in government is trying very hard to pretend that one party in particular isn’t the main focus. Rycroft was hired for the job soon after Nathan Gill, the former Reform UK leader in Wales, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail for taking bribes to spout pro-Russian propaganda. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, dismissed Gill as a one-off bad apple, but other Brexit party MEPs gave pro-Russian speeches similar to Gill’s. Reform UK is the Brexit party under a new name. Continue reading...

Frederiksen told supporters she was ‘ready to take on the responsibility of serving as Denmark’s prime minister again for the next four years’Denmark’s King Frederik will meet the outgoing prime minister Mette Frederiksen in about half an hour so she can brief him on the results and the political aftermath of the vote, the Palace just said.Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen hinted she wanted to stay in office after last night’s inconclusive parliamentary election, which will leave the country with lengthy coalition talks. Continue reading...

Vehicles run by Jewish charity to provide medical transportation and emergency response were torchedTwo men aged 45 and 47 have been arrested in connection with an arson attack in London on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community service, the Met police have said.Officers were called to Highfield Road in Golders Green at about 1.45am on Monday after receiving reports of ambulances on fire near the Machzike Hadath synagogue. Continue reading...

Tony Burke says decisions about permanent stays should be ‘deliberate decisions of the government, not a random consequence of who booked a holiday’Iranian tourists will be banned from entering Australia for the next six months after the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, triggered tough new immigration laws over concerns visitors may not be able to return to Iran.The ban could apply to more than 7,000 Iranians with valid tourist visas – though some may still be given the chance to enter the country under special consideration. Continue reading...

Fuel stocks at same level as when US and Israel launched their war on Iran a month ago, energy minister saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government is preparing for scenarios where global oil prices spike above US$120 a barrel, as diesel prices nationwide go past $3 a litre and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, plans another national cabinet meeting to plan petrol supply.The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said one option under consideration was expanding ethanol mandates across the country, after Guardian Australia revealed the government was analysing increasing the biofuel’s supply. Continue reading...

Triple J signed off with the hip-hop anthem Express Yourself while other radio and TV networks filled the air with BBC broadcasts, re-runs and soothing musicSign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter hereBroadcasters had warned their audiences that the ABC would look “a bit different” on Wednesday – and as the clock struck 11am, they weren’t wrong.As more than 2,000 ABC staff walked off the job for the first time in two decades in protest of their working conditions, the public broadcaster’s news channel switched over to the BBC.Sign up to get Guardian Australia’s weekly media diary as a free newsletter Continue reading...

Storm is not likely to make a direct hit on Perth, though the city may experience heavy rainfall on Friday and SaturdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTropical Cyclone Narelle was again intensifying into a severe storm off Western Australia’s Kimberley coast on Wednesday with communities in the state’s world heritage-listed Shark Bay preparing for a potential direct hit on Friday night.Narelle had made a rare trip for a cyclone system by forming in the Coral Sea off Queensland and maintaining structure all the way west to the Indian Ocean, where it was expected to build into a major category four system. Continue reading...