Move comes as Philippines police investigate alleged child sexual abuse images reportedly found at Thomas Markle Sr’s former home

The Metropolitan police has referred itself to the police watchdog over potential errors in its handling of a 2019 letter warning of dangers to the security of the Duchess of Sussex posed by her father.

The letter made allegations about Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, who is facing claims of child sexual abuse images offending linked to the Philippines, which he denies.

Scientists uncover ancient hills and swamps that disappeared as sea levels rose across northern Adriatic

Venice is famed for being a floating city, but research shows the land it sits on once lay many miles inland. Dramatic changes in sea level over 10,000 years have reshaped the northern Adriatic coastline, with much of the land that our ancestors roamed now lying beneath the waves.

Samuele Ongaro, at the University of Southampton, and colleagues combined seismic data with sedimentary cores from the coastal basins of northern Italy, Slovenia and northern Croatia to model changes in sea level across the region and reconstruct past landscapes over the past 10,000 years.

Royal tour of Caribbean comes as poll suggests majority support among younger Britons for dialogue on slavery reparations

King Charles has confirmed he will discuss the legacy of slavery at a summit with Commonwealth leaders as he begins his Caribbean tour.

The king arrived in the Bahamas on Tuesday to a ceremonial welcome and attended a youth rally at Clifford Park, the site where the country officially gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1973.

Individual seeks permanent injunction against Guardian and ITN to block claims, citing high risk of suicide

A “well-known individual” attempting to block two media outlets from publishing allegations about him has been accused of inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities with girls and young women, the high court has heard.

The individual, referred to in court as PPT, is seeking a permanent injunction against the Guardian and ITN to stop them publishing the allegations, which he denies. His legal team argued that publishing them would “highly likely lead him to commit suicide”.

Home Office refused entry to Judith Clark, 77, invited by RSC to speak about restorative justice after her time in prison

Human rights activists and celebrities including the lawyer Helena Kennedy, the actor Harriet Walter and the theatre director Phyllida Lloyd have urged the Home Office to overturn its decision to refuse a visa to a former member of the radical US group the Weather Underground, saying her decades of rehabilitation should count in her favour.

Judith Clark, 77, was the inspiration for Walter’s portrayal of prisoners in the Donmar Warehouse all-female Shakespeare trilogy, including Brutus in Julius Caesar and Prospero in The Tempest.

Some do need a rest to complete their growth cycle, but for others this hack could be stressful

The problem
Winter plant advice is full of contradictions. Rest your plants; don’t rest your plants. Move them to a cooler spot; keep them warm. One common tip is to put certain houseplants in a dark, cool spot, to mimic natural dormancy and give them the rest they need.

The hack
Some plants need a period of reduced light, cooler temperatures and minimal watering to complete their growth cycle. Forcing this dormancy by moving them somewhere darker and cooler in winter is said to result in stronger growth, better flowering and a healthier plant come spring.

Campaigners say tour could hasten Charles’s removal as head of state unless he does more to confront monarchy’s historic role in slave trade

King Charles’s upcoming Caribbean tour could accelerate moves to remove him as head of state in several countries unless he does more to confront the monarchy’s historic links to slavery, campaigners have warned.

The king will embark on a nine-day tour on Tuesday, visiting the Bahamas and Guyana before travelling to Antigua and Barbuda, and will attend the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm).

Tasks from determining asylum seekers’ ages to border surveillance now involve AI, says Open Rights Group

AI has been embedded across the Home Office in near-total secrecy, reinforcing the so-called hostile environment for immigration, according to research.

Tasks from the detection of potential sham marriages to determining the age of asylum seekers and checking through the contents of phones of new arrivals now involve use of the technology, according to a report by Open Rights Group (ORG).

Batch-cook a load of rice, cool it, then whip up this comforting shellfish fried rice

This gently seasoned rice has become such a comfort blanket that I now make it at least once a week at home. That’s quite surprising, really, given that I’m guilty of drowning most of my food in chilli crisp oil, but this rice is so delicate yet flavourful that it’s just the gentle hug I need. The key is to cook the aromatics slowly and quietly in the oil, to soften and infuse, but not colour too quickly. Cook the jasmine rice in advance, if you like – it fries better once it has been cooked and cooled. Alternatively, packs of pre-cooked microwave rice work brilliantly.

The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable seafood. Check ratings in your region: UK; Australia; US

Home Office figures show nearly two-thirds of drug tests carried out on arrested abuse suspects detected use of a drug that ‘boosts confidence but increases paranoia’

During lockdown, Charlotte and her ex-partner would spend evenings cooped up in their flat, listening to music, watching YouTube videos and chatting until the small hours. Those nights would be fuelled by alcohol and lines of cocaine.

“I wanted to be loved, and when he told me he loved me like nobody ever would and nobody ever will, I drank the Kool-Aid,” Charlotte says. “I wanted to believe that. And there’s a point when you’re with somebody and you’re drinking, you’re doing coke, where you think you have this bond, you think it’s just you two in the world.”