Support for couple from voluntary sector contrasts with criticism from military figures

Iran is facing an escalating crisis as its leadership struggles to contain public anger over the military's shooting down of a commercial airliner with 176 people onboard. Footage on social media shows several people apparently wounded, including a woman lying on a blood-soaked pavement near Azadi Square in Tehran during anti-government protests on Sunday Continue reading...

Drone footage published on social media shows thick ashfall from the Taal volcano covering buildings, roads and trees in Batangas province in the Philippines. Clouds of ash were blown more than 62 miles (100km) north of the volcano, reaching Manila and forcing the main international airport to close. More than 500 flights were cancelled Continue reading...

Bernard Preynat, 74, is believed to have sexually abused scores of boys over a 30-year periodThe victims of a paedophile priest at the heart of the biggest scandal to hit the Catholic church will face their attacker in a French court.Bernard Preynat, 74, who has been defrocked, is believed to have sexually abused scores of boys over a 30-year period, many of them while they attended catechism classes or Boy Scout camps he ran. Continue reading...

Red-hot lava gushed out of the Taal volcano in the Philippines after a sudden eruption of ash and steam forced villagers to flee en masse and shut down offices and schools. Clouds of ash blew more than 60 miles north, reaching the capital, Manila, and forcing the shutdown of the country’s main airport. There have been no reports of casualties or major damage from the eruption that began on Sunday Continue reading...

President, in charge for past 17 years, faces domestic political threats as troops sent to LibyaTurkey is gearing up for another turbulent year in both domestic politics and on the world stage as its president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, deploys troops to Libya while fighting off new breakaway parties at home.In an emergency session over the new year break, the Turkish parliament passed a bill authorising the deployment of troops to support Libya’s embattled UN-recognised government, a significant flex of Ankara’s diplomatic and military muscle which risks a major escalation in the complex nine-year-old conflict. Continue reading...

Fresh from winning a Golden Globe for his portrayal of media tycoon Logan Roy, the actor talks about class, cannabis and an odd royal encounterDoing an interview over the phone can be a thankless job: lines get crossed, you awkwardly interrupt one another and, without the intimacy of a face to face encounter, it’s hard to get a sense of the other person. But doing a phone interview with Brian Cox – the acclaimed actor, that is, not the pop-star-turned-particle-physicist with the same name – is such a hoot that if we met in person I would have probably dissolved into a puddle of hysteria.“No, no, not now, I’m having an important conversation!” he barks when someone has the temerity to try to enter his hotel room 45 minutes into our chat. “So where was I? Ah yes …” And he launches back into the anecdote about the time Princess Margaret felt him up. The man has so much charisma – and so many anecdotes – to burn, I can practically feel my phone melting against my face. Continue reading...

Iranian general’s assassination has led to an eerie calm rather than the predicted turmoilQassem Suleimani’s wrecked car was still smouldering when the predicted consequences of his death started to rebound across the Middle East. There would be chaos, outrage, instability – maybe even war. Among those who opposed the killing and those who cheered it on, there was more or less consensus: things would never be the same again.One week on, that maxim still holds in a region still grappling with it’s impact. Yet the aftermath of the most significant assassination of modern times has not created the turmoil that many had predicted. If anything, the heartland areas of the Iranian general’s extraordinary sphere of influence are, thus far, eerily calm. His home front, on the other hand, remains unsettled and reeling – not so much as a result of his death, but because of those of 176 passengers onboard a Ukrainian airliner shot from the sky in the panicked days that followed. Continue reading...

Mother of Manchester Arena attack victim succeeds in effort to get airport-style searchesAirport-style security checks could be introduced across public venues after the government backed a campaign by the mother of a Manchester Arena attack victim.Figen Murray, whose son Martyn Hett was one of the 22 people who died in the 2017 attack, has lobbied for stronger anti-terror security measures. Continue reading...

US president states support for Iranian people in the wake of mistaken shooting down of Ukrainian passenger jetDonald Trump has warned Iran against cracking down on protests that broke out after it admitted shooting down an airliner by mistake, killing all 176 people onboard.“The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people,” Trump wrote. Continue reading...

Protesters speak out against supreme leader in response to deaths of Iranians in disasterIran’s embattled regime was shaken by a wave of international condemnation and domestic criticism on Saturday night after admitting its forces shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane with 176 people on board and lied in a bid to cover up its role in the tragedy.Facing possibly the biggest crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution, senior clerical, political and military leaders scrambled to contain the fallout from what President Hassan Rouhani termed a “disastrous mistake”. Continue reading...

Prime minister acknowledges he could have handled things better in the ‘strained’ emotional environment on the groundScott Morrison has indicated the government could bolster its carbon emission reduction targets as he flagged a royal commission into Australia’s horror bushfire season and warns of a “new normal” that will require a greater role for the commonwealth.Speaking at length about the government’s response to the bushfires, which have s claimed 28 lives and more than 2,000 homes, Scott Morrison also acknowledged for the first time that he could have done better in the “strained” emotional environment on the ground, despite visiting affected communities “in good faith”.

Tehran says its military unintentionally shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 people onboard

Incumbent’s success marks dramatic comeback for party that campaigned against unification with ChinaTaiwanese voters have re-elected incumbent president Tsai Ing-Wen in a landslide election that serves as a sharp rebuke to Beijing and its attempts to intimidate and cajole Taiwan into China’s fold.Winning more than 8m votes, the most any presidential candidate has garnered since Taiwan began holding direct elections for the position in 1996, Tsai easily defeated her opponent Han Kuo-yu, whose Kuomintang party promotes closer ties with China. Continue reading...

Pointillist works by Pissarro and Signac returned to the family of a Jewish art collector are expected to raise millions at auctionThree neo-impressionist masterpieces that were looted by the Nazis from the homes of a Jewish collector during the German occupation of France are to be auctioned in London.The works by Camille Pissarro and Paul Signac, described by experts as “exceptional”, were recently handed back to the heirs of Gaston Lévy, a successful businessman, property developer and art collector in Paris in the 1930s. Continue reading...

Shadow Brexit secretary says party has not done enough at launch of leadership bidKeir Starmer has vowed to lead the drive to stamp out antisemitism in the Labour party if he wins the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.The shadow Brexit secretary, who is launching his leadership campaign in Manchester, said the party had not done enough to tackle the issue. Speaking on BBC One’s Breakfast programme, he said: “We should have done more on antisemitism. If you are antisemitic you shouldn’t be in the Labour party. Continue reading...

After 12 of his relatives were killed in a single night, where was his anger and pain? And what does his refusal to permit himself these feelings mean for me?

Award-winning brewery start-up helps ex-addicts and other ‘unemployables’ change gear

Two decades on from the cult comedy, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Edgar Wright and Jessica Hynes reminisce about the making of a game-changing classic

March is first of eight planned for 2020, which looks set to be crucial year for movementThousands of independence supporters are expected the march through the streets of Glasgow, despite a rally that was planned to conclude the event being cancelled after Met Office warnings of high winds.The march on Saturday is the first of eight planned for 2020 by the grassroots organisation All Under One Banner in what is likely be a crucial year for the Scottish independence movement. Continue reading...

Restoration of power-sharing follows support from Sinn Féin and DUP for British-Irish dealNorthern Ireland’s main political parties have agreed to a deal that will lead to the restoration of the power-sharing government in the region following its collapse three years ago.The Northern Ireland assembly will sit on Saturday at 1pm and elect new officials including the first minister. Continue reading...

The word is loaded with connotations of state suppression but NZ’s chief censor takes a different viewWhen David Shanks presents himself at international conferences, his peers recoil slightly.“I’d introduce myself as, ‘Hi, I’m David from New Zealand. New Zealand’s chief censor,’” he says. “And basically these people would take an involuntary step backwards, almost, on many occasions.” Continue reading...

Gemma Watts pleads guilty to seven sexual assault and grooming chargesA woman who posed as a teenage boy to groom and sexually assault up to 50 girls has been jailed for eight years.Gemma Watts, 21, travelled the country by train to meet the girls, who believed they were in a relationship with a boy close to their own age. Continue reading...

Congo-Brazzaville and Chad among hardest hit as campaigners warn spiralling repayments could trigger disasterPoorer countries are cutting public spending in response to a “growing debt crisis”, campaigners have warned.Debt in some countries has trebled according to new figures that calculate debt reimbursements, and their impact on government expenditure, in 60 countries. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Darryn Frost tells of fighting terrorist with narwhal tusk and of dangers of US policyThe man who used a narwhal tusk to tackle the London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan has accused Donald Trump of “feeding terror” with his belligerent Middle East policy, warning it will breed more murderous attackers like the one he and others faced.In his first interview since Khan killed two people and injured several more at a criminal justice conference on 29 November, Darryn Frost said the US president’s decision to assassinate General Qassem Suleimani would cost lives and added: “The next generation of terrorists will rise as a direct result of these actions and we must condemn them now.” Continue reading...

Dhaka University demonstrators demand prompt action following reported rape of 21-year-old womanPolice in Bangladesh have arrested a man in connection with the alleged rape of a student at Dhaka University amid angry protests on campus.More than 2,000 students and human rights activists – some brandishing placards asking: “Tell me, am I next?” – demonstrated this week following the alleged rape of the 21-year-old student. They demanded the death penalty for anyone found guilty of rape. Continue reading...

Fallout continues over royal couple’s decision to ‘step back’ from monarchyThe Duchess of Sussex has flown back to Canada, leaving senior royals to hammer out a way forward for her and Prince Harry to operate as “hybrid” royals.As Meghan returned to Vancouver, and the embrace of supportive friends, top royal aides were in unprecedented talks with government officials in the UK and Canada to seek a solution to end the latest crisis to engulf the monarchy. Continue reading...

The French literary establishment once protected a writer who boasted of his predilection for underage girls. No longer

PM wins majority of 99 in vote, as MPs reject pledge to reunite separated refugee familiesBoris Johnson’s Brexit bill cleared the House of Commons on Thursday in a major milestone that means the UK is on track to leave the EU on 31 January.The prime minister won a vote on the EU withdrawal bill at third reading by 330 votes to 231, a majority of 99. Continue reading...

Experts say debris fragments and sudden loss of fail-safe systems point to missileTo civil aviation professionals, including pilots, engineers and former crash investigators, there was something immediately puzzling about the crash of the Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet that fell burning out of the sky minutes after takeoff from Tehran.Conversation on forums, and in a risk assessment that was rapidly produced by the organisations OpsGroup, pointed to the sudden and catastrophic nature of the event, including the loss of both communications and tracking systems. Continue reading...

Victim, 26, had been in coma after being poisoned by co-worker, jailed for life last yearA man in Germany has died four years after being poisoned by a colleague and falling into a coma.The state court in Bielefeld, which convicted the man behind the poisoning last year, confirmed the death on Thursday, the German news agency dpa reported. The 26-year-old victim’s parents had spoken about his suffering during a trial last year. Continue reading...

The Sussexes are celebrated, praised and criticised in memes and hot takes as shock announcement sinks inThe news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be stepping back from their roles as senior members of the royal family has been met with shock, mischievous delight and plenty of blame around the world as the internet came to terms with “Megxit”.Related: 'Queen's fury': what the papers said about Duke and Duchess of Sussex bombshell Continue reading...

Thursday: In sober speech Donald Trump says Iran ‘appears to be standing down’. Plus, Prince Harry and Meghan to step back from royal familyGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Thursday 9 January. Continue reading...

Amid news on strikes on US bases in Iraq and revolutionary songs, citizens weigh up Tehran’s response after Suleimani deathThe giant, billowing Iranian flag that filled the screen gave way to footage of missiles launching into the sky and cries of “God is great”.“I want to bring your attention to this footage we’ve just received,” said the news anchor. “Revolutionary Guard missiles fired in revenge for Qassem Suleimani’s death by American terrorists.” Continue reading...

‘Boys and men put on heavy bear costumes, often made of real fur, and make their way to a stage – where a Gypsy with a knife cuts them open to let a demon out’The Bucovina and Moldova regions in the north-east of Romania are rich in traditions and ancient customs. Lots of towns and villages host winter festivals and parades; one of the biggest is the Festivalul de Datini și Obiceiuri Strămoșești (the festival of customs and ancestors’ customs) in Comănești on 30 December. Different groups come from miles around to participate, and it has become best known for its bear dancers: groups who process through the streets in bear costumes, often made from real animal furs, some as much as 50 years old.The bear was a sacred animal in ancient Romania. It’s thought that the tradition of dancing bears originated many centuries ago among the Roma who would visit villages just before New Year with real bears on leashes to dance and chase away bad spirits from the outgoing year. When the country was under communist rule, it was banned; bear dancing was made illegal in 1998; and, when Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007, the last of the dancing bears were bought from their owners and “retired” to a bear reserve in the Rila mountains. Continue reading...

Patriotism | Geography | Longevity | WordsearchReading Gary Younge (Nationalism needn’t be negative – but it has to be honest, Journal, 3 January), I couldn’t help but view it all through the lens of the comment by Stephen Maturin, in Patrick O’Brian’s novel Master and Commander, that patriotism is a word “that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile”.

Australia appears set to remain in Iraq, even as other US allies such as Germany and Canada pull their troops outScott Morrison has told the chief of the Australian defence force “to take whatever actions are necessary” to protect Australian troops and diplomats in Iraq after Iran began bombing allied military bases. All defence and diplomatic staff in the country were now safe, Morrison said.Australia’s military appears set to remain in Iraq as long as the US does, even as other allies such as Germany and Canada pull their troops out of the country. Continue reading...

Once a campus fundamentalist who hid his sexuality, today Bagia Arif Saputra helps others find harmony in Indonesia’s capitalWhen Bagia Arif Saputra was growing up in a university town near Jakarta, becoming a jihadist seemed a natural choice for young men like him, who were steeped in the teachings of Islamic fundamentalism. Less easy was reconciling this identity with his sexuality.“I was living a double life,” says Saputra. “I would go to the campus mosque, try to focus on my prayers … and find myself checking out a guy and thinking, ‘Nice ass’. And then immediately, ‘Astaghfirullah [God forgive me]!’ So then I would have to redo my prayers. It was a vicious cycle.” Continue reading...

European and US benchmark prices were up as much as 4% in the immediate aftermath of the attackOil prices surged on Wednesday after an Iranian missile attack on US and coalition military bases in Iraq that sparked fears of all-out war between Iran and America.European and US benchmark prices were up as much as 4% in the immediate aftermath of the attack, with the price of Brent crude busting through the US$70 mark. Continue reading...

Two rangers have been killed in three months and whistleblowers face intimidation and ostracismIn the hamlet of Deia, nestled in the forested hills of Suceava county in northern Romania, Ilie Bucșă and his brother Dumitru have become pariahs. Recently an angry mob attacked the brothers, leaving Ilie with concussion and wounds all over his body. Old friends cross the road to avoid the brothers, having been warned to stay away or face losing their jobs. One night, someone even poured anti-freeze into the brothers’ fish pond, killing half their fish.Their sin? They have been methodically filing complaints about illegal logging in the area. Continue reading...

‘Urgent measures’ taken to protect UK interests amid rising tensions with Iran, MPs toldBritish warships, helicopters and several hundred military personnel have been put on standby of 48 hours or less for deployment in or near Iraq, to respond if there is a further military escalation of the Iran crisis.The backup forces – including a handful of twin-engine Chinook helicopters – could be used to evacuate British troops if the security situation in Iraq dramatically worsens in the aftermath of the US assassination of Gen Qassem Suleimani. Continue reading...

She was ignored for decades, but now Suter has been rediscovered as a pioneering eco-artist. We meet her, and her 97-year-old collagist mum, in the wilds of GuatemalaA large dog romps across a blue and white canvas, leaving a trail of brown paw prints. “Oh well,” shrugs Vivian Suter. “They’re part of the work now. I don’t think anyone will mind.” I realise Bonzo – one of three Alsatian crossbreeds that shadow the artist wherever she goes in her Guatemalan home – has just put the finishing touches to an artwork that will shortly be on public display thousands of miles away.The painting lies on the floor of her “laager” – a storage barn open to the elements, apart from a metre-high stone wall, which you have to clamber over with the help of a rickety chair. The wall is to guard against mudslides, she explains, gesturing at a ghostly tideline that rings the interior. Most of her works hang from a rack; the piles on the floor are for three upcoming exhibitions in Berlin, London and Madrid. Having just opened a 53-piece installation at Tate Liverpool, Suter is halfway through choosing the 200 works that will feature in her Camden Arts Centre exhibition, which opens next week. Continue reading...

About 70 firefighters battle largest blaze on North Island’s east coast while power outages hit thousands of people on both islandsBushfire season has begun in New Zealand with hundreds of hectares of forest going up in flames at half a dozen separate blazes on the east coast of the North Island.Seven helicopters and two planes are working to combat the largest blaze, in the Waipatiki forest outside of Napier, with about 70 firefighters on the ground, Fire and Emergency said. Continue reading...

One US serviceman and two US Department of Defense contractors killed, while five attackers were killedAl-Shabaab extremists have overrun a key military base in Kenya, killing three American Department of Defense personnel and destroying several US aircraft and vehicles before they were repelled.The attack on the Manda Bay airfield early on Sunday was the al-Qaida-linked group’s first attack against US forces in the East African country, and the military called the security situation “fluid” several hours after the assault. Continue reading...

Prime minister has spoken to Donald Trump about US drone strike on Iranian generalBoris Johnson has said that assassinated Iranian general Qassem Suleimani was “a threat to all our interests”, and that while “we will not lament his death” he called for de-escalation from all sides.The prime minister spoke to the US president, Donald Trump, on Sunday after the US drone strike on Iran’s top military leader on Friday. Continue reading...

The French president has been chastened by strikes and protests but there is all to play for in 2020Consider a tale of two New Year’s Eve messages. Boris Johnson, speaking from London on social media, was brief, jolly and vacuous. Emmanuel Macron, speaking from Paris on nationwide television, was wordy, abstract and downbeat.President Macron pledged that the 2020s would be a decade led by “France and Europe”. He managed to make even that sound dull. Johnson spoke in the giddy aftermath of a great election victory. Macron spoke during the longest rail and metro strike in recent French history. Continue reading...

His experience was invaluable in Tehran’s effort to extend its reach into Lebanon and Yemen. So, for many, there are few tears to be shedThe killing of the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani could prove to be the most consequential US slaying of an enemy operative in recent memory. It will eclipse in its significance the killing of Osama bin Laden almost a decade ago or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October. Not because it might spark another Middle East war, as many have warned, or merely because Suleimani was irreplaceable. Rather, his killing came at a time when the project he had led – to create an Iranian hegemony in the region – is facing unprecedented challenges in Iraq and Lebanon, through cross-sectarian and grassroots protests, while in Syria the project is still in its infancy. One can add to this picture a more aggressive policy adopted by the US.Indeed, Suleimani was killed while he was trying to deal with these very challenges. His successor is unlikely to be able to complete that mission and contain the spiral of events in countries where, only a year ago, Iran declared major victories – in Syria against the rebels, in Lebanon through a Hezbollah-friendly government and in Iraq and Syria against Isis. Continue reading...

Melbourne Stars allrounder avoids suspension after pleading guilty to abusing Melbourne Renegades bowler Kane RichardsonMelbourne Stars allrounder Marcus Stoinis has been fined $7,500 but avoided suspension for a homophobic slur during Saturday evening’s Big Bash League derby against the Melbourne Renegades. Stoinis fronted a hearing after he guided the Stars to victory, having been charged with ‘personal abuse’ of Kane Richardson under Cricket Australia’s code of conduct.The remark, which came when Stoinis was batting, was directed at his World Cup teammate and friend Richardson. Stoinis accepted the level-two charge and his penalty, leaving the BBL’s leading run scorer free to play in the Stars’ clash with Sydney Thunder on Wednesday. Continue reading...

We asked organisations on the front line about the best ways to contribute to the firefighting and recovery effort

Dozens dead in Indonesian capital and surrounds as role of global heating is acknowledged in ‘extreme’ eventIndonesia carried out cloud seeding to try to prevent further rainfall over the capital, Jakarta, and surrounding areas as the death toll reached 47 on Saturday amid flash floods and landslides.Two small planes had earlier been readied to drop sodium chloride to break up potential rain clouds in the skies above the Sunda Strait, Indonesia’s technology agency said. Continue reading...