World news | The Guardian

David Darke sustained fatal injuries in incident outside the Crown Inn in Appleby Magna, police sayThe relatives of a 66-year-old man who died days after being punched outside a village pub have paid tribute to the devoted family man".David Darke, who died in hospital on Saturday, was injured outside the Crown Inn in Appleby Magna, Leicestershire, on 21 December. Continue reading...

Dissident was freed by Egypt after campaign by successive UK governments but offensive posts have surfacedThe decision by successive UK governments to campaign for the release and return of British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been called into question after past violent and offensive social media posts came to light.The dissident's historical remarks - in which he appeared to call for violence towards Zionists" and the police - have prompted a widespread backlash since his return from detention in Egypt on Friday. Continue reading...

UKHSA warns vulnerable and elderly people may be at risk with temperatures to drop severely overnightAmber cold health alerts have been issued for northern England, with low temperatures predicted to cause a rise in deaths" among vulnerable and elderly people.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued two amber warnings for north-east and north-west England, which will be in place between 8pm on Sunday until midday on Monday 5 January. Continue reading...

Model turned actor never lost the poise from her dancing days - but she also made gingham and leopard print her own

Latest suit claims the billionaire film-maker subjected actor Mario Rodriguez to repeated unwanted sexual advancesTyler Perry has been hit with a $77m sexual assault lawsuit by a man claiming the US entertainment mogul used his Hollywood power to make sexual advances after he dangled a part in the 2016 comedy Boo! A Madea Halloween.The lawsuit claims Perry subjected Mario Rodriguez to repeated unwanted sexual advances. That allegedly included sexual battery and assault at Perry's Los Angeles home, according to the lawsuit, which claims film studio Lionsgate ignored the misconduct. Continue reading...

Turnout appears low for vote in which most candidates seen as allies of junta and large areas excluded by warPolls have closed in conflict-racked Myanmar, ending the first phase of an election that has been widely condemned as a sham designed to legitimise the military junta's rule.The military has touted the vote as a return to democracy almost five years after it seized power in a coup, ousting the country's then de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and sparking a spiralling civil war. Continue reading...

Big names can attract audiences as venues struggle with fallout from pandemic, austerity and high costs, Rebecca Dawson saysCasting big stars in stage productions is sometimes needed because theatre is in an undeniably challenging" moment and must compete with streaming services for people's time and money, the incoming director of the Bristol Old Vic has said.Rebecca Dawson will start as executive director and joint chief executive on 6 January, leading the oldest continually operating theatre in the English-speaking world into its 260th anniversary year. Continue reading...

In towns such as Northampton, in-person help with finances is a promise many customers still depend upon

Russia's barbaric" attack on capital draws condemnation as Ukrainian leader readies for Florida meetingPower supplies to Ukraine's capital remained patchy on Sunday after a Russian drone and missile barrage that left hundreds of thousands of people facing freezing temperatures.Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is preparing to hold face-to-face talks on Sunday with Donald Trump, said Moscow had used nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles, in the attack early on Saturday. Continue reading...

PM Albin Kurti's Self-Determination party may struggle to win majority after rival parties refused allianceVoters in Kosovo are casting ballots in an early parliamentary election in the hope of breaking a political deadlock that has gripped the small Balkan nation for much of this year.The snap vote was scheduled after the prime minister Albin Kurti's governing Vetevendosje, or Self-Determination, party failed to form a government despite winning the most votes in a 9 February election. Continue reading...

Kathmandu mayor Balendra Balen' Shah will run for prime minister with presenter Rabi Lamichhane's party after deadly protests that ousted governmentTwo of Nepal's most popular political leaders have formed an alliance ahead of next year's election in the wake of deadly youth-led protests earlier in the year that ousted the government.Television host Rabi Lamichhane, the 51-year-old chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra party (RSP), and the 35-year-old rapper turned Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah pledged to address the demands of the younger generation following September's deadly anti-corruption protests. Continue reading...

Charities and MP Bob Blackman urge government to implement law to tackle scandal of exempt' accommodationPeople are dying in unsafe accommodation and communities are being irreversibly damaged due to delays to a new law to clamp down on unregulated supported housing in England.It has been more than two years since the Supported Housing Act, a private member's bill brought by the Conservative MP Bob Blackman, that applies to England and Wales, was given royal assent but it has yet to be implemented due to delays in creating the regulations. Continue reading...

Coral Adventurer says passengers and crew are safe while team tries to refloat ship and inspects the hull

NSW premier also announces police will carry long-arm rifles at major New Year's Eve event in Sydney

Opposition hopes to tap into frustrations of people living in country where conflict remains a daily realityCentral African Republic goes to the polls on Sunday with the president, Faustin-Archange Touadera, seeking a third term.As many as 2.3 million registered voters will cast ballots for what observers are calling a quadruple election: votes for the presidency and parliament as well as local and municipal offices. Continue reading...

Livestock at risk as some areas expected to receive up to 500mm in the coming week, according to the Bureau of Meteorology

Man spotted at beach in Newcastle on Wednesday with tattoos linked to white supremacist ideology

As the military pushes ahead with a widely condemned election, Beijing's priorities are proving decisive

Deputy defence minister says new air defence systems will be completed in 24 monthsPoland plans to complete a new set of anti-drone fortifications along its eastern borders within two years, a top defence official has said, after a massive incursion of unmanned Russian aerial combat vehicles into Polish airspace earlier this year.We expect to have the first capabilities of the system in roughly six months, perhaps even sooner. And the full system will take 24 months to complete," the deputy defence minister, Cezary Tomczyk, told the Guardian in an interview in Warsaw. Continue reading...

Iain Peters waited more than 50 years before going to the police but hopes he can be a beacon for other survivorsA man who was sexually assaulted by a children's television presenter has spoken of how climbing and mountaineering saved his life and sanity" during the 50 years in which he kept the abuse secret.Iain Peters, 77, who has waived his right to anonymity, was between nine and 13 years old when he was abused weekly by John Earle, when he was a geography teacher and deputy head at a now-closed boarding school in Okehampton, Devon. Continue reading...

Mysterious donors gave a fleet of 10 of the vehicles - which have had a number of recalls - to the police earlier this yearThe Las Vegas police department rolled out a new fleet of tactical vehicles to city streets last month: all Tesla Cybertrucks. The steel cars, wrapped in black-and-white vinyl, come decked out with warning lights and flashing sirens on the roof. They seem to be heftier, more angular versions of a traditional police car. Las Vegas is the first city in the US to grant its officers access to a battalion of the futuristic trucks, which have become synonymous with the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, the richest person in the world.They represent something far bigger than just a police car," Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a recent press conference showcasing the vehicles. They represent innovation." Continue reading...

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde apologises after error meant one family had no remains at a funeralAn investigation has been launched by a Glasgow hospital after an error led to the wrong body being cremated.The mistaken release of the body by the hospital to the undertakers was only discovered after the funeral service and the cremation had taken place. Continue reading...

Pilot programme for under-25s will offer paid placements aimed at introducing participants to military lifeYoung people in Britain will be offered a gap year-style scheme by the Ministry of Defence, in an effort to introduce citizens to military life early as part of a new whole of society" approach to defence.After initially announcing plans to implement the scheme earlier this year, the government has now confirmed that about 150 under-25s will be recruited for the pilot programme, which is due to start in March 2026. Continue reading...

Mamady Doumbouya accused of betraying his promise to be the restorer of democracy after leading 2021 coupIn September 2021, a tall, young colonel in the Guinean army announced that he and his comrades had forcibly seized power and toppled the longtime leader Alpha Conde.The will of the strongest has always supplanted the law," Mamady Doumbouya said in a speech, stressing that the soldiers were acting to restore the will of the people. Continue reading...

Conditions ease south-west of Perth as residents evacuated from Boddington fire on Christmas Day allowed to return

Research suggests fewer than one in 60 public sector workers share leave with partners when they have a baby

Exhibition of design flops should suit British sense of humour, says its founder, but also shows failure is a part of learningBritain has been mismanaging inventions and ideas with impeccable style for centuries. Next spring, we will finally get a museum to celebrate the results: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK.Its founder, Dr Samuel West, is anticipating a warm welcome: Britain, he said, was the museum's spiritual home. I've travelled all over the world with the museum but I've always wanted to bring it back home because of our black humour and our support of the underdog," he said. The Brits totally get it." Continue reading...

Fears for transparency and governance after closure of public log meant to curb abuses and excess' in boardroomsUK-listed companies will be able to bury controversies over executive pay for the first time in eight years, a thinktank has warned, after the Labour government shut down a public tracker meant to curb abuses and excess in the boardroom".The public register was launched under the Tory prime minister Theresa May in 2017 to name and shame companies hit by shareholder revolts at their annual general meetings (AGMs). That included rebellions over issues such as excessive bonuses or salary increases for top earning bosses. Continue reading...

Marina Lacerda urges him to answer questions as Virginia Giuffre's lawyer says anyone who accepted former royal's denials should be ashamed'One of the victims of the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has called for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to answer questions in the US, while a lawyer for the former royal's accuser said those who had previously believed his denials should be ashamed of themselves".Speaking to the Guardian after the release of some of the Epstein files, the tranche of documents related to the disgraced financier, Marina Lacerda, an Epstein survivor, said Mountbatten-Windsor should be brought to justice". Continue reading...

The rules-based global order, its institutions and value system face a crisis of legitimacy and credibility as the US turns awayThe old world is dying," Antonio Gramsci once wrote. And the new world struggles to be born." In such interregnums, the Italian Marxist philosopher suggested, every act, even the smallest, may acquire decisive weight".In 2025, western leaders appeared convinced they - and we - were living through one such transitional period, as the world of international relations established after the second world war crashed to a halt. Continue reading...

No snow confirmed by 8am on Thursday but yellow weather warning for wind issued for south-west England and much of WalesWarnings for cold and windy weather have been issued for parts of the UK but a white Christmas was highly unlikely", according to the Met Office.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow cold health alert from 6pm on Thursday to noon on 27 December for south-west England. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for wind affecting a similar area and much of Wales, which lasts until 11.59pm on Christmas Day. Continue reading...

Sarah Mullally says national conversations ... continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us'The incoming archbishop of Canterbury has warned in her Christmas Day sermon that our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us".Acting in her current role as the bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally told St Paul's Cathedral: Joy is born exactly where despair expects to triumph. As joy breaks through in our lives it gives us the opportunity to become people who make room. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine, which has no affiliation to direct action group, informed by deputy mayorA grassroots pro-Palestinian organisation in the UK has been told its bank account was frozen because of an investigation into Palestine Action", despite it having no affiliation to the direct action group.Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine (GMFP), which organises peaceful protests and vigils, had access to its funds cut off indefinitely by Virgin Money after Palestine Action was banned under the Terrorism Act and the account remains blocked. Continue reading...

Kateryna Endeberia says teachers made the hurtful' request when she had difficulty with other subjectsA Ukrainian refugee has been forced to drop out of sixth-form college after she said she was put under pressure to study Russian.Kateryna Endeberia moved to Stoke-on-Trent after fleeing Ukraine in 2022, after the start of Russia's invasion. Continue reading...

Rising numbers of people flee jihadists, as violence against civilians increases and foreign aid dwindlesMore than 300,000 people have been displaced by an Islamic State insurgency in Mozambique since July, amid growing fears that authorities lack a workable plan to end the fighting.With wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan attracting more attention and foreign aid falling, the grinding conflict in Mozambique has been largely ignored or forgotten. More than 1 million people have been displaced, many of them two, three or even four times. Continue reading...

Figures from FoI request show increase in ministerial use of social media personalities to present campaignsMore than half a million pounds has been spent since 2024 on using social media influencers to promote UK government campaigns on subjects ranging from the environment to welfare.The spending has included hiring 215 influencers since 2024, of which there were 126 in 2025 - an increase on the 89 hired in 2024 - and is seen as an attempt to use platforms such as TikTok to reach younger people. Continue reading...

Winning margin of 28,000 votes announced a month late but before review of all inconsistent' ballots was completedDonald Trump-backed candidate Nasry Tito" Asfura has been declared the winner of Honduras's presidential election after a vote count that dragged on for almost a month and was marred by fraud allegations and criticism of interference by the US president.The rightwing Asfura, 67, a construction magnate and former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, secured 40.27% of the vote, against 39.53% for the centre-right Salvador Nasralla, a margin of just 28,000 votes. Continue reading...

Refusing to help those in need is tantamount to rejecting God himself, says pontiff during Christmas Eve massPope Leo has told Christians that the Christmas story should remind them of their duty to help the poor and strangers.In his Christmas Eve sermon, the pope said the story of Jesus being born in a stable because there was no room at an inn showed followers that refusing to help those in need was tantamount to rejecting God himself. Continue reading...

Martin Thomas Glynn, 39, was arrested in Yangebup, where police allege they found firearms, ammunition and Hamas and Hezbollah flags

Two stars of Irish acting unite in eagerly anticipated film about Birmingham gangster Tommy ShelbyTwo stars of Irish acting are united as Cillian Murphy meets Barry Keoghan in the first look at the eagerly anticipated Peaky Blinders film.Murphy questions his identity as famous gypsy gangster" Tommy Shelby in the 70-second teaser released by Netflix on Christmas Eve. Continue reading...

Shoppers predicted to spend $3.8bn in the week after Christmas, with household goods and fashion to dominate sales

The 44-year-old has gone through three rounds of surgery in a Sydney hospital since suffering five gunshot wounds

Exclusive: Reform leader promotes Direct Bullion - but experts say commodity is not for everyday investorsNigel Farage has been criticised over his 400,000-a-year second job promoting the idea that people should buy physical gold and put it into their pension pots.Farage is paid more than four times his MPs' salary for the four-hour-a-month job at Direct Bullion, where he has featured in Facebook and YouTube videos. Continue reading...

Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford among five Europeans hit with visa bans over claims they wish to suppress American viewpoints they oppose'The Global Disinformation Index, which is run by Clare Melford, one of the two Britons on the list of five Europeans facing US visa restrictions because of their work to stop online disinformation and hate (see 9.28am), has described the US state department's decision as immoral, unlawful and un-American". In a reponse, a GDI spokesperson said:The visa sanctions ... are an authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of government censorship.The Trump Administration is, once again, using the full weight of the federal government to intimidate, censor, and silence voices they disagree with. Their actions today are immoral, unlawful, and un-American.WE'VE SANCTIONED: Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, the leader and founder of HateAid, a German organization founded after the 2017 German federal elections to counter conservative groups. HateAid is an official trusted flagger" (a censor) under the EU's anti-speech Digital Services Act (DSA) and routinely demands access to propriety social media platform data to help it censor more. Hodenberg cited threat of disinformation" from right-wing extremists" online in upcoming U.S. and EU elections when circulating a petition for the DSA to become more strongly enforced to allow data access for researchers".WE'VE SANCTIONED: Josephine Ballon, co-leader of HateAid, who flags disfavored speech throughout Europe under the Digital Services Act. In addition to her running an official trusted flagger" body under the DSA, she serves on Germany's Advisory Council of the Digital Services Coordinator (DSC), which directly advises Germany's DSC on the application and enforcement of the DSA. In February 2025, Ballon spoke before an American audience in a notable 60 Minutes interview, outlining her position on censorship succinctly: Free speech needs boundaries." In October 2024, she vowed to stop the emotionalization of debates" by regulating platforms". Continue reading...

Boy, 14, arrested on suspicion of harassment and later bailed after death of one of a kind' Madison RichardsonA family has paid tribute to their one of a kind" 13-year-old daughter after her death a month ago as police said they would continue to investigate the full circumstances.A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of harassment and later bailed after the death of Madison Richardson. Continue reading...

Strikes were latest violation of year-long ceasefire and targeted what Israel said were Hezbollah sitesIsrael has carried out several airstrikes in southern Lebanon on what it said was Hezbollah infrastructure, as a new year's deadline for the Lebanese state to disarm the group in the south of the country loomed.Israeli warplanes bombed the valleys of Houmin, Wadi Azza and Nimeiriya in the southern Nabatieh area on Wednesday morning. Residents reported that Israeli drones continued to hover over the area and other areas of south Lebanon and its eastern Bekaa valley after the strikes. Continue reading...

France's rule over Algeria from 1830 to 1962 is marked by mass killings and large-scale deportationAlgeria's parliament has unanimously approved a law declaring France's colonisation of the country a crime and demanded an apology and reparations.Lawmakers, standing in the chamber wearing scarves in the colours of the national flag, chanted long live Algeria" on Wednesday as they applauded the passage of the bill, which states that France holds legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused". Continue reading...

Christmas Day expected to be dry and bright, with low temperature warnings posing greater risk to vulnerable peopleChristmas Day will bring bright weather in much of the UK, but a cold health alert has been issued warning of a greater risk to life of vulnerable people".While the prospect of a white Christmas is highly unlikely", according to forecasters, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow cold health alert from 6pm on Christmas Day to noon on 27 December for south-west England. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Donna Ockenden paid highly for advice in relation to the biggest review of maternity failings in NHS historyThe midwife leading the biggest inquiry into maternity failures in the history of the NHS is charging NHS England up to 26,000 a month for her advice through her company, the Guardian can reveal.Donna Ockenden, who has been chairing a review into maternity failings at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust since 2022, is paid an 850 daily rate for every 7.5 hours she works. Continue reading...