Fires blaze through 8,500 hectares, forcing 50,000 people to evacuate as firefighters struggle to extinguish flamesWildfires raging across central and southern Chile have killed at least 15 people, scorched thousands of hectares of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heatwave.Chile's president, Gabriel Boric, declared a state of catastrophe in the country's central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, about 500km (300 miles) south of Santiago, the capital. Continue reading...
by Marina Dunbar (now); Matty Edwards, Kirsty McEwen, on (#72XJS)
The leaders of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK issue joint statement ahead of EU ambassadors meetingThe United States will also suffer if president Donald Trump implements threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his plans to acquire Greenland, a French minister said on Sunday.In this escalation of tariffs, he has a lot to lose as well, as do his own farmers and industrialists," French agriculture minister Annie Genevard told broadcasters Europe 1 and CNews. Continue reading...
Balwant Singh calls for regulatory intervention after Halima Begum was forced out as chief executiveAn Oxfam trustee has resigned from the charity's board over claims of governance failures and cruel and inhumane" treatment of the organisation's former boss.Dr Balwant Singh said he had lost confidence in the board's governance, integrity, transparency and accountability" a month after Halima Begum was forced out as chief executive. These failures are now sufficiently serious and systemic to warrant external regulatory intervention," Singh said. Continue reading...
President issues warning amid speculation Donald Trump plans to assassinate or remove supreme leaderIran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned on Sunday that any attack on the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be a declaration of war.In an apparent response to speculation that Donald Trump is considering an attempt to assassinate or remove Khamenei, Pezeshkian said in a post on X: An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation." Continue reading...
Establishment will give training in AI and other skills, more than a decade after David Cameron axed previous schoolMinisters will bring in a new school of government" for senior civil servants to train them in AI and other skills - more than a decade after David Cameron axed the previous college for Whitehall.Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, will announce the new body in a speech on Tuesday setting out the government's plans to rewire" the civil service for modern times. Continue reading...
Yoweri Museveni wins seventh term but poll criticised by observers and rights groups over repression of opposition and internet blackoutUganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, fresh from winning a seventh term in office at 81, said on Sunday that the opposition were terrorists" who had tried to use violence to overturn the election results.Official results showed Museveni winning a landslide with 72% of the vote, but the poll was criticised by African election observers and rights groups due to the heavy repression of the opposition and an internet blackout. Continue reading...
by Alexandra Topping Political correspondent on (#72XTF)
Emily Thornberry says risk posed to British democracy by bot farms and biased algorithms requires actionOnline disinformation campaigns, including Iranian bot farms promoting Scottish nationalism and biased algorithms depicting London as an overwhelmingly dangerous" city, are seeking to undermine British democracy, a senior Labour MP has warned.Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said online disinformation about the UK was being promoted by Donald Trump and other US and UK politicians, and Britain was constantly suffering from disinformation campaigns from both state and non-state actors". Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#72XTG)
Maggie's describes approach that uses food to help patients with recovery as win-win' and calls for collaboration in new government strategyA leading cancer charity will offer nutrition lessons to patients across Great Britain after a trial showed the classes help them to negotiate the disease's dietary challenges - and cut NHS waiting times.Many people with cancer find that the disease or their treatment changes the taste of their food, dulls their appetite or leads to them losing weight. Continue reading...
Exclusive: DNA test means patients could be offered most effective treatment first, boosting their chances of beating the diseaseScientists have developed a simple DNA blood test that can predict how well patients with breast cancer will respond to treatment.More than 2 million people globally each year are diagnosed with the disease, which is the world's most prevalent cancer. Although treatments have improved in recent decades, it is not easy to know which ones will work best for which patients. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Letter signed by figures on right and left of party says UK should follow Australia's example by enacting banMore than 60 Labour MPs have written to Keir Starmer urging him to back a social media ban for under-16s, with peers due to vote on the issue this week.The MPs, who include select committee chairs, former frontbenchers and MPs from the right and left of the party, are looking to put pressure on the prime minister as calls mount for the UK to follow Australia's precedent. Continue reading...
Rights of Women charity says abuse is an entrenched, systemic issue' amid calls for improved protectionA flagship strategy to tackle sexual harassment across the NHS in England has failed to improve the safety of female staff, according to legal experts and healthcare unions.The NHS sexual safety charter, launched in September 2023, was supposed to improve how hospitals, GP surgeries and other organisations address sexual harassment. But the UK-based charity Rights of Women said calls from NHS staff to its sexual harassment at work advice line had increased significantly since the charter was rolled out. Continue reading...
Booker prize winner, 80, says he has reached point of having played all my tunes' after new book Departure(s)The Booker prize-winning author, Julian Barnes, has confirmed his new novel, Departure(s), will be his last book, saying that he has the sense that I've played all my tunes".Barnes, who celebrates his 80th birthday on Monday and whose works over a 45-year career include 15 novels and 10 works of nonfiction, said: One way of thinking about how long you go on is, As long as they'll still publish you'. Continue reading...
Major retrospective in Plymouth, her adopted city, presents her as a skilful chronicler of social transformationIn her lifetime, Beryl Cook's colourful, vibrant paintings tended to be dismissed by most critics as mere kitsch or whimsy.A major retrospective of Cook's work opening in her adopted city of Plymouth next weekend makes the case that she was a serious, significant artist who skilfully chronicled a tumultuous period of social transformation. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#72XQ5)
Exclusive: No move yet against leader but some say party too academic at times' and needs coherent national policySignificant numbers of Liberal Democrat MPs are becoming frustrated by what they view as an overly cautious approach under Ed Davey and the party's failure to spell out a national messages to voters.Some estimate that as many as half of the Lib Dems' 72-strong group of MPs feel this way. While there is no move against Davey, who led the party to its best election result in a century in 2024, MPs said this could change if there was no progress. Continue reading...
Finance minister says Netanyahu should back annexation and settlement, and attacks Turkey and Qatar's role on Gaza executive board'Far-right members of Israel's governing coalition on Sunday rejected a US-backed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, criticising their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for failing to annex the Palestinian territory and establish new Israeli settlements in the territory.After the announcement of the White House's pick of world leaders who will join the so-called Gaza board of peace", which includes representatives of Turkey and Qatar, both of which have been critical of Israel's war in the strip, Israeli far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, described Netanyahu's unwillingness to take responsibility for Gaza" as the original sin". Continue reading...
Multiple survivors claim Epstein dangled admission to top universities to ensnare them in his sexual abuse networkA New York City artist who said Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell shopped her around to men is among the survivors claiming that Epstein used the lure of a university education to ensnare her in their sexual abuse network.Rina Oh was a 21-year-old art student when she was introduced to Epstein in 2000 by Lisa Phillips, a model and Epstein survivor who has since emerged as a powerful voice in the survivors' network pressuring for full accountability in the long-running money, sex and power scandal. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#72XJT)
Former Tory's media strategy reportedly calls him biggest defection story Reform has ever had'Robert Jenrick was described as the new sheriff in town" and the politician needed by Reform UK to give it experience and political heft", according to a leaked media plan for his defection prepared by his aides.The emergence of the document, which also describes Jenrick as the most dynamic politician in the Conservative party", came as Zia Yusuf, Reform's head of policy, hailed the defection, after days of silence from one of Nigel Farage's key aides. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#72XJX)
Politicians are raising the alarm, while MI5 quietly welcomes the prospect of Beijing's new London facilityWhile there has been no shortage of politicians eager to raise concerns about China's proposed mega embassy" near the Tower of London, the espionage community quietly takes a different view, arguing that concerns about the development are exaggerated and misplaced.The domestic Security Service, MI5, is already quietly welcoming the prospect of rationalising China's seven diplomatic sites to one, but a more significant argument is that modern technology and the nature of the Chinese threat means that, in the words of one former British intelligence officer, embassies are less and less relevant". Continue reading...
Worth 6bn and with revenues recently rising by 10.9%, the niche interest game has become a global businessYou don't need to spend your weekends organising a face-off between bloodthirsty orcs and elves to have heard of the game Warhammer.So popular is the fantasy game that its parent company Games Workshop is valued at a staggering 6bn and is almost ever-present on British high streets. Continue reading...
Three-page letter acknowledged that while Peter Malinauskas could not direct festival board, he was deeply concerned' Palestinian Australian author's invitation not rescinded
Call for UK state to step in after Gupta-owned Dalzell works in Scotland unable to produce metal for three new warshipsA shipbuilder for the Royal Navy faces an uncertain wait for the steel to build three warships because of a shortage of cash at the Scottish steel mill that has won the contract.Liberty Steel Dalzell in Scotland has been unable to start production in earnest because there is no cashflow to buy slab", despite an order to supply 34,000 tonnes of metal plates to build fleet solid support (FSS) ships for the navy, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff with Reuters and Agence France-Pres on (#72XGZ)
Government extends grip on north after stalled efforts under Ahmed al-Sharaa to reach accommodation with Kurds and fold their forces into national armySyria's army has taken control of swathes of the country's north, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory over which they held effective autonomy for more than a decade.State media said on Saturday that the army took over the northern city of Tabqa and its adjacent dam, as well as the major Freedom dam, formerly known as the Baath, west of the Syrian city of Raqaa. It came despite US calls to halt the advance. Continue reading...
Kyrylo Budanov arrives in US heading delegation for further talks on peace proposals. What we know on day 1,425Russia is taking aim at Ukraine's nuclear power system, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, as the Kremlin continues to try to freeze Ukraine into submission by crippling its energy grid. We do not see any willingness on the part of the aggressor to comply with any agreements or end the war," the Ukrainian president said. Instead, there is ample information about preparations for further Russian strikes on our energy sector and infrastructure, including facilities and networks that serve our nuclear power plants. Each such Russian strike on the energy sector amid such a harsh winter weakens and undermines the efforts of key states - in particular the United States - to end this war."Zelenskyy spoke after a briefing from Ukraine's chief of defence intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko - the recent replacement for Kyrylo Budanov, who was made head of the president's office. Budanov on Saturday confirmed his own arrival in the US to discuss peace proposals. He and Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Davyd Arakhamia would meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and the US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, Budanov said. Zelenskyy has tasked his delegation at the Miami talks with finalising proposals about security guarantees and economic recovery. If American officials approve the proposals, the US and Ukraine could sign a deal next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to Zelenskyy. However Russia has given no indication it will accept any peace deal without Ukraine's entire Donbas region being handed over for a start.Russian attacks left at least two people dead and others injured in Kharkiv oblast on Saturday, regional authorities said. A strike that damaged a critical infrastructure facility in Kharkiv city's industrial district could seriously affect power and heating, said the mayor, Ihor Terekhov, with the energy system constantly operating at its limits". One person was wounded in the attack. An attack on a house in Kharkiv city killed a woman aged 20 and wounded others. In the village of Borivske, a 52-year-old woman was killed when a drone hit a public transport stop, prosecutors said. In the Sumy region, emergency services said an airstrike on a residential neighbourhood wounded three women and a seven-year-old child, and left 15 residential buildings damaged.Russia struck energy infrastructure in Ukraine's Kyiv and Odesa regions overnight into Saturday, the ministry of energy said. More than 20 settlements in the Kyiv region were left without power. Zelenskyy said Ukraine needed to ramp up the importation of electricity and the acquisition of additional equipment from partners. Officials have instructed state energy companies Ukrzaliznytsia, Naftogaz and Ukroboronprom to urgently purchase imported electricity covering at least 50% of their own consumption, according to Denys Shmyhal, the energy minister.Shmyhal announced that Lithuania would be providing Ukraine with more energy generating equipment for Kyiv and the most critically affected regions, after already supplying equipment for emergency repairs on coal and nuclear power plants. In addition we have received over 2,000 solar panels, various equipment and machinery from our Lithuanian friends," Shmyhal said. Lithuania has contributed 5.7m euros to the energy support fund of Ukraine ... There is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that has not been hit by Russian strikes. Ukrainian energy workers continue to repair around the clock and return electricity to people." Continue reading...
by Kyriakos Petrakos (now) and Vivian Ho (earlier) on (#72X1M)
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland will face tariffs from 1 FebruaryWhat do people in Greenland think of Donald Trump and his threats to take over the island? The Guardian's Miranda Bryant and Lauren Hurrell take a look.Reuters estimated that thousands of protesters attended the Hands Off Greenland" rallies around Denmark on Saturday, chanting Greenland is not for sale" and waving Greenland's red and white Erfalasorput" flag. Continue reading...
by Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent, internation on (#72XB8)
Using one of his favourite weapons to win an argument, the US president underlines the unstable nature of any deal he makesDonald Trump's threat to impose fresh tariffs on eight European countries - UK, Norway and six EU member states - is a wrecking ball to the carefully stitched deals he concluded with those countries last summer.The two biggest voting blocs in the European parliament, the European People's Party (EPP) and the Socialists & Democrats (S&Ds), said on Saturday night the deal with the EU cannot be approved in the present circumstances. Continue reading...
President also denies he ever offered JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon the chair of the Federal ReserveDonald Trump threatened to sue JPMorgan Chase on Saturday, citing an unsubstantiated allegation that major banks discriminated against him after the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.Trump announced the potential lawsuit in a post on social media, tying the threat to his criticism of a recent Wall Street Journal article that reported he had offered the JPMorgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon, the position of US Federal Reserve chair. Trump insists the report is inaccurate and says no such offer was ever made. Continue reading...
Draft creates too broad an opt-out' for intelligence chiefs to decide what information is released after major incidentThe mayors of Liverpool and Manchester have said an amendment to the Hillsborough law should be withdrawn, saying it does not do enough to prevent future cover-ups.The Liverpool city region mayor, Steve Rotheram, and the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said the amendment creates too broad an opt-out" by allowing intelligence officials to decide what information is released to investigators after a major incident. Continue reading...
Supreme leader blames US for death toll and calls Donald Trump a criminal for support of demonstrationsThe Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during the protests that rocked Iran over the last two weeks.In a speech on Thursday, Khamenei said that thousands of people had been killed, some in an inhuman, savage manner", and blamed the US for the death toll. The supreme leader railed against the US president, Donald Trump, whom he called a criminal" for his support of demonstrations, and called for strict punishment of protesters. Continue reading...
Nathan Chasing Horse, who had part in Dances with Wolves, accused in trial that spotlights influence of medicine men'After learning she was of Lakota descent around 1996, Melissa Leone, who was adopted, hungered to connect to her Native American tribe.I was grabbing a hold of any and all connections that felt good or safe," she said. Continue reading...
Chris LaCivita sued news outlet over 2024 story about large payments from Trump campaign to his consulting firmA manager for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential election bid has abandoned a high-profile lawsuit against the Daily Beast, 10 months after complaining the news outlet had defamed him in reporting on campaign expenditures.Chris LaCivita, who co-managed the campaign that led to Trump's second presidency, quietly dropped his legal action on Friday, the Daily Beast said. The outlet said it had not retracted the story, made no apology and had not made any cash payment to LaCivita. Continue reading...
Despite injuries, walkers and pet dog continue trek to promote peace, loving kindness and compassion' in the USA group of Buddhist monks has passed the halfway mark on a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace, as they seek to raise awareness of peace, loving kindness and compassion" in the US and the world.The 18 monks, two of whom are following a Buddhist practice of never lying down during the three-month journey, were in North Carolina on Saturday, their 83rd day on the road. Led by the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannkra, who is conducting the walk barefoot, they have already overcome a serious injury to one member of the group as they head towards Washington DC. Continue reading...
Atlas Lions face Senegal in final of Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday and Moroccan diaspora scents victoryLondon's Little Morocco is brimming with pride and anticipation. The Moroccan diaspora in North Kensington is in no doubt that on Sunday the Atlas Lions will triumph against Senegal in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.There's not just an excitement, it has completely taken over everything else," said Souad Talsi, who runs the Al-Hasaniya Moroccan women's centre at the base of 31-storey Trellick Tower, at the north end of Golborne Road. Continue reading...
Kaden Rummler and Britain Rodriguez tell KTLA and LA Times of being shot at close range during California protestTwo protesters have been blinded by so-called less-lethal" munitions deployed by federal officers during an anti-ICE protest last week in Santa Ana, California, according to reports.The blindings come amid rising scrutiny of federal authorities' use-of-force policies, after the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer set off nationwide protests. Continue reading...
Amid escalating ICE raids and attacks on gender-affirming care, organizers ask people to join Free America Walkout'On 20 January, the anniversary of Donald Trump's inauguration, grassroots organizers are calling on people across the United States to walk out of their offices, schools and businesses to protest the administration and call for a free America".In the wake of escalating ICE raids, attacks on gender-affirming care, cuts to healthcare and the deployment of national guard troops in US cities, the organizers behind the Women's March are asking Americans to participate in the Free America Walkout". Continue reading...
M&S, Morrisons and Ocado among retailers bringing out ranges targeting shoppers taking Wegovy or similarVeganuary and dry January are among the new year health kicks enthusiastically endorsed by supermarkets, but this year the buzz is around Jab-uary" as pricey diet foods aimed at people on weight-loss drugs hit the shelves.Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Asda, Ocado and the Co-op are among the big names targeting shoppers who use weight-loss injections, known as GLP-1 agonists, but better known by brand names such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. Continue reading...
by Rachel Leingang and Maanvi Singh in Minneapolis on (#72X26)
Classrooms have emptied, shops have shut, and the mood is tense - but as the federal operation has ramped up, so has residents' responseAt 6.15am, Jac Kovarik revs up their SUV and snakes through the iced-over streets of south Minneapolis, eyes scanning for federal immigration agents.The neighborhood where Renee Good was killed by a federal officer has been eerily quiet. The bus stops are depleted of early shift workers. Continue reading...
The views of the former Tory vaccines minister clash with those of high-profile members and the party faithfulThere was no shortage of ammunition for reporters seeking to pepper Nadhim Zahawi with questions when the former Conservative chancellor was unveiled as Reform's newest recruit on Monday.But one persistent line of questioning seemed to draw a flash of real anger from the defector: did he reject the views of a doctor who was permitted by Reform to use the main stage at its annual conference to claim that the Covid vaccines, which Zahawi had himself rolled out as vaccines minister during the pandemic, were responsible for King Charles and the Princess of Wales' cancers? Continue reading...
Congressional Republicans criticize absurd' idea as polls show most Americans oppose taking control of territoryDonald Trump's renewed interest in taking control of Greenland has become a subject of pointed dissent among congressional Republicans, with several allies speaking out in recent days against the idea after the president reintensified his interest following the US raid that captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.Congressional Republicans are typically loath to disagree openly with the president, who has repeatedly called for his party's dissenters to be voted out of office. But amid polling that shows an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose taking control of the island and warnings from Denmark that an invasion would spell the end of Nato, some congressional Republicans have issued forceful warnings against pursuing the issue. Continue reading...
Mark Davis, running in Florida, says he bought domain because Republican party had gone full fascist'A Florida congressional candidate says he bought the online domain nazis.us and set it up to redirect visitors to the US Department of Homeland Security, under whom federal agents have been carrying out brutal immigration crackdowns at the behest of the Trump administration.Mark Davis, who is running for Republican Vern Buchanan's seat in November's midterms, took responsibility for the ploy in a Friday X post - as polling showed most Americans believe the killing of Minneapolis woman Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent demonstrated problems with the way ICE has been operating. Continue reading...
Chocolate treats reduced in size or weight as higher price of cocoa drives new wave of shrinkflation'Chocolate eggs are looking smaller than ever this year and it is not just because Easter is still so far away.Many of the Easter eggs already out on supermarket shelves this month not only cost more, but have been reduced in size or weight as the price of cocoa has driven a new wave of shrinkflation. Continue reading...
Taxpayers talk of having to borrow cash and wait for months amid significant backlogs' in processing of claimsSome people are waiting a year or more for HM Revenue and Customs to refund overpaid tax and national insurance contributions (NICs).In some cases, refunds thatwere previously processed within a fewweeks are taking 10months ormore, an investigation by Guardian Money has found. Continue reading...
Bruised and tainted by his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the Labour peer still has admirers - and the drive to go againThe BBC's interview with Peter Mandelson had offered ample evidence of the Labour peer's formidable political brain", according to Louis Mosley, UK head of the US data firm, Palantir Technologies.An indefensible error of judgment had been made by Mandelson, Mosley said in a panel discussion with Laura Kuenssberg after the airing of some of the 30-minute interview on her Sunday morning political show, but he is a masterful interpreter of Trump and we now live in a world where that man will determine much of what happens, and we need people who can be that translation function". Continue reading...
by Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi and agencies on (#72W81)
Bobi Wine flown to unknown location, his party says, hours after security forces allegedly killed 10 of his campaignersThe Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was taken from his house and brought to an unknown location on Friday, his party said as President Yoweri Museveni closed in on a landslide re-election.Wine's National Unity Platform party said on Friday evening in a post on X that an army helicopter had landed in his compound in the capital, Kampala, and forcibly taken him away to an unknown destination". Continue reading...
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