92 m. ago ‘The police weren’t interested’: what’s driving the rise in private prosecutions?

As the police and courts continue to struggle with the legacy of austerity, many people are seeking alternative routes to justice – but it could be making matters worseIn the summer of 2018, the private investigator Simon Davison got a call from a woman who said her ex-boyfriend had stolen £10,000 from her. Carol (not her real name), a traffic manager at a local council, was not a typical client for Davison. As the director of investigations at AnotherDay, a crisis consultancy in London, Davison usually works for wary companies and wealthy individuals. A former police detective, Davison has recovered stolen cryptocurrency, uncovered secret properties owned by bankrupt business people and tracked down fraudsters to Cyprus.Davison’s speciality is private prosecutions, a little-known area of law that allows victims to pay for justice. These cases are heard in the same courts used by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the public prosecutor for England and Wales, and they can carry the...

Events

2 h. ago New Zealand ‘mega strike’: 100,000 public sector workers demand better conditions

Teachers, nurses and public service staff among those walking off job and also pressing for more government investment in health and educationAn estimated 100,000 nurses, teachers and public sector staff walked off the job in New Zealand on Thursday to call on the government to better fund and resource public services, in one of the country’s largest ever strikes.The so-called “mega strike” brought together workers from multiple sectors, including more than 60,000 school teachers, 40,000 nurses and salaried medical specialists and 15,000 public service staff. Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago Moment TV star learned wife had taken out a HIT on him while filming his ghost hunting show

Ghost Adventures' Aaron Goodwin received a call from police during filming, informing him of his wife's arrest.

Culture

3 h. ago ‘Inexperienced’ British surfer drowned in wild Melbourne weather alongside friend who jumped in to save him

Two men who died in sea on Wednesday identified as 36-year-old British national and 43-year-old friendFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn “inexperienced” British surfer and a friend who jumped in to save him have been identified as the two men who died in rough waters off a popular pier in Victoria during wild winds on Wednesday.Emergency services were called to Frankston beach in Melbourne’s south-east after reports of two men in trouble in the water about 5pm, as the state was lashed by intense wind gusts. Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago Inside Prince Andrew's crumbling and decaying Royal Lodge estate as pressure mounts

Calls continued last night for a select committee inquiry into the Crown Estate and for Prince Andrew to be called for evidence, as he is the "current occupant" of the Royal Lodge

Politics

5 h. ago Families describe deaths, violence in Alabama prisons as they push for change

Family members of people incarcerated in Alabama prison held a rally at the Alabama Capitol

Events

6 h. ago Ed Miliband splashes £2.4million of taxpayer cash on heat pump ads in just one year

The former prime minister's think-tank called for the Energy Secretary to switch focus from going green to cutting energy bills or risk losing the Net Zero argument.

Economics

6 h. ago Fide to investigate Kramnik over attacks on Naroditsky as chess reels from player’s death

Chess world mourns 29-year-old streaming pioneerKramnik criticized for reckless cheating accusationsFide CEO’s statement prompts calls for resignationThe International Chess Federation (Fide) said on Wednesday it is examining former world champion Vladimir Kramnik’s public attacks on Daniel Naroditsky, the American grandmaster whose sudden death at 29 has stunned the chess world and laid bare fissures in the sport’s digital age.Naroditsky, among the most visible faces of chess’s pandemic-era renaissance, was one of the most popular players and teachers of his generation, a Stanford-educated prodigy who won the Under-12 world championship, became a grandmaster at 18 and went on to amass more than 800,000 followers across Twitch and YouTube. Known by his nickname Danya, the California-born Naroditsky’s mix of patience, humor, generosity and gift for communication made him a standard-bearer of chess’s online boom, helping to bring vast new audiences to a centuries-old pastime. Continue...

Events

7 h. ago Tom Daley admits he 'felt really bad' about calling out Kate Garraway on Celebrity Traitors

The Olympic swimmer was one of the first stars murdered on Claudia Winkleman's BBC series

Politics

7 h. ago Brooke Shields calls out South Park creators over union dispute at Colorado restaurant

The ‘Blue Lagoon’ actor is the president of the Actors’ Equity Association

Politics

7 h. ago Claudia Winkleman's 'best ever' Traitors look is a Zara coat that's still in stock

Celebrity The Traitors watchers are calling Claudia's latest look her 'best yet'– and it's from Zara

Politics

7 h. ago US sanctions major Russian oil companies and calls for Moscow to accept immediate Ukraine ceasefire – live

Trump says he canceled meeting with Putin because ‘we have good conversations but then they don’t go anywhere’US imposes sanctions on Russian oil over Putin’s ‘refusal’ to end war in UkraineMike Johnson said that he hasn’t spoken with the president about a New York Times report that he is seeking $230m from his own justice department in damages over past federal investigations.“I know that he believes he’s owed that reimbursement. What I heard yesterday was, if he receives it, he was going to consider giving it to charity,” he said. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago UK regulator rejects calls to slash bank capital rules on sovereign debt

Sam Woods says change lobbied for by industry would ‘be equivalent to ripping off our jacket, warm hat and gloves’

Economics

8 h. ago Sheriff’s deputy who fired fatal shot at Sonya Massey told partner not to give aid, court hears: Trial recap

Ex-sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson is facing murder charges after he shot Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old single mother of two teenagers who called 911 over a suspected prowler

Events

8 h. ago Lucy Powell vows to stand against the politics of "division and hate" in final push to be Deputy Leader of Labour Party

"Trying to out Reform Reform doesn’t work"

Politics

8 h. ago Moment emergency services have to push Indian President's helicopter after it landed on freshly poured concrete

The incident unfolded on Wednesday morning as President Droupadi Murmu landed on a temporary helipad in the Indian village of Pramadom, with the chopper seen sinking into the ground.

Politics

8 h. ago Cordon in place after crash involving cyclist on busy Greater Manchester road

Police were called just before 6pm

Events

9 h. ago Emergency services called to crash that shut M60 near Trafford Centre

Severe delays were reported on the motorway as a result of the closure on Wednesday evening

Events

9 h. ago Masked thugs 'threaten to behead Israeli professor' after storming lecture at London university

Michael Ben-Gad, a lecturer at City St George’s, has faced calls to resign because he served in the IDF

Events

9 h. ago Prince Andrew latest: MPs ‘pushing hard’ to open inquiry into Royal Lodge rent deal

MPs in the public accounts select committee are reported to be pushing for a full inquiry into Prince Andrew’s rental affairs

Politics