Jobcentres, doctors, employers and social workers will be encouraged to suggest therapy and life coachingLife coaches and running clubs will be recommended to those on long-term sickness leave under government plans to get people back to work.Ministers are to launch a scheme to help reduce the numbers signed off sick in England. There are 2.2 million people claiming universal credit with no work requirements. The number of workers taking sick leave has hit a 10-year high. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6HFS7)
More than 33,500 videos sent to police in England and Wales in year to November, up 30% on 2022Dangerous drivers are being caught on camera and shopped to the police in increasing numbers, with other drivers and the general public having sent more than 100,000 video reports to UK police forces.The number of reports filed in 2023 increased by 30% compared with the previous year, with more than 33,500 videos submitted to police via the National Dash Cam Safety Portal until the end of November. Continue reading...
Russia's pro-Palestinian stance has inflamed tensions and underscored shift in relations since invasion of UkraineWhen Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone this month to Benjamin Netanyahu, their first conversation in weeks, the two leaders found themselves in an unusual dynamic, engaging not as partners but against the backdrop of historic tensions.Once touting their friendly relationship - Netanyahu has used billboards showing himself next to Putin during election campaigning in Israel, even last year - the events of 7 October and Russia's pro-Palestinian stance in the aftermath have brought a decisive schism in their ties. Continue reading...
Outcome of election scheduled for 13 January could lead to vastly different scenarios with Beijing next yearTaiwan's election on 13 January is the first of more than 40 national elections to be held around the world in 2024. It will determine the presidency and legislature governing 23.5 million people on an island that is similar in size to Belgium. But it has major implications for the world.There are a host of issues for Taiwan's voters, including the cost of living, housing and labour rights, energy, education, and elderly care. Taiwan has an ageing population and there is a significant wealth gap, with low minimum wages. The domestic campaign so far has seen standard cross-party sniping over competing promises, accusations of misconduct and corruption, and endless scandals ranging from allegedly plagiarised theses to charges of secret second nationalities. Continue reading...
by Pamela Duncan, Carmen Aguilar García and Philip M on (#6HFR7)
I have limited rizz' said an actor while Barbenheimer refers to the year's most talked about filmsHallucination, Barbenheimer and acabo were among the new and breakthrough words of 2023, according to an analysis of the Guardian archive. And do you have rizz"?Dozens of new words appeared on the newspaper's pages this year. And while the majority of these relate to people and placenames previously unrecorded on the news pages, some words were truly newly minted. Continue reading...
Addiction experts urge state to promote month of abstinence but alcohol lobby says idea is out of step with French cultureDry January is at the centre of a political row in France after more than 45 professors of addiction studies signed a letter urging the state to promote a month of abstinence from alcohol.A group of senior academics and doctors working on addiction have written to the French health minister to say that not enough is being done by the state to campaign on alcohol risks, and the government should support an alcohol-free month at the start of the year. Continue reading...
by Australian Associated Press and Mostafa Rachwani a on (#6HFP6)
Several waves of thunderstorms batter state as thousands in region remain without powerTwo people have been hospitalised after their vehicles were struck by lightning in two separate incidents in Queensland on Saturday, as severe thunderstorms return to the south-east of the state.Queensland Ambulance said one man was transported to Caboolture hospital - between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast - in a stable condition after the vehicle he was travelling in was reportedly struck by lightening while on the Bruce highway at about 9.20am. Continue reading...
Conditions 8C to 12C above average across large parts of Australia's north, with little reprieve for storm-ravaged areasA severe heatwave is expected to affect parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia heading into the new year.Large swathes have been put on alert, with conditions 8C to 12C above average. Continue reading...
At least 30 killed and 160 wounded across Ukraine in what Kyiv calls biggest Russian air attack of war; Poland claims Russian missile entered its airspaceRussia launched a huge wave of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, including the capital, in what Ukraine's defence minister called the biggest air attack of the war. At least 30 civilians were killed and 160 injured in the strikes on residential buildings in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and other cities in the west and south on Friday morning. A shopping centre and maternity hospital were hit in the central city of Dnipro, Ukrainian officials said. In Odesa, three people were killed and another 26 injured, including two children and a pregnant woman, when three rockets hit residential buildings. Rescue operations were continuing in the cities.The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 87 cruise missiles and 27 drones of a total 158 aerial targets" fired by Russia. Kyiv's defence minister, Rustem Umerov, said it was the most massive air attack of this war", which began in February 2022, and involved 18 strategic bombers. The army chief, Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said infrastructure and industrial and military facilities had been targeted.Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia launched about 110 missiles in the attack. Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal," the Ukrainian president said on social media. Russian terror must and will lose."Poland's armed forces said an unknown airborne object, which they identified as a Russian missile, entered the country's airspace from the direction of Ukraine for less than three minutes. It was monitored by us on radars and left the airspace," said Poland's defence chief, Gen Wiesaw Kukua. The object penetrated about 40km (25 miles), Poland said, adding that Nato radar also confirmed the object left Polish airspace. The Russian charge d'affaires, summoned to the Polish foreign ministry, said Warsaw had provided no evidence of a missile entering its airspace.At a hastily convened meeting of the UN security council, most council members - including the US, France and Britain - condemned the attacks. Tragically, 2023 is ending as it began, with devastating violence against the people of Ukraine," UN assistant secretary general Khaled Khiari said after briefing the council on the attacks.Britain will send about 200 air-defence missiles to Ukraine after the Russian strikes, the UK defence minister said on Friday. Grant Shapps posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Britain was moving rapidly to bolster Ukraine's air defence in the wake of Putin's murderous airstrikes". The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said on social media: These widespread attacks on Ukraine's cities show Putin will stop at nothing to achieve his aim of eradicating freedom and democracy."A Ukrainian strike on a residential building in the Russian city of Belgorod left one person dead, the regional governor said late on Friday. The attack killed one person and wounded four others, Vyacheslav Gladkov said, adding that the city's water supply system was damaged. The Russian defence ministry said air defence systems destroyed a total of 13 missiles over the region, which borders Ukraine.The US president, Joe Biden, demanded Congress step up" and overcome divisions on sending aid to Ukraine, saying the massive Russian air attack demonstrated that the Kremlin hoped to obliterate" the pro-western country. Biden said in a statement: Unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defense systems Ukraine needs to protect its people. Congress must step up and act without any further delay."Ukrainian officials urged the country's western allies to provide it with more air defences to protect itself against aerial attacks such as Friday's. Their appeals have come as signs of war fatigue strain efforts to keep support in place.Russia has suffered huge human and material losses in Ukraine and its army will emerge weakened from the conflict, a senior German military figure said in an interview published on Friday. Christian Freuding, who oversees the German army's support for Kyiv, said: The Russian armed forces will emerge from this war weakened, both materially and in terms of personnel." Continue reading...
Wiseman, who has died at the age of 33, represented England and Great Britain's deaf women's teamsTributes have been paid to former Team GB footballer Gemma Wiseman after her death at the age of 33.Wiseman represented England and Great Britain's deaf women's teams and helped guide GB to third place at the 2016 World Deaf Football Championships.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
Hassan Jhangur, 23, has been charged with the murder of man who was helping unconscious woman when he was hit by a carHassan Jhangur, 23, has been charged with the murder of Chris Marriott who was hit by a car after he went to the aid of an unconscious woman in Sheffield on Wednesday, South Yorkshire police have said.Earlier, Marriott's family said the circumstances of his death show the sort of man he was". Continue reading...
Bestselling author and journalist is incredibly bowled over' to receive DBEJilly Cooper has been given a damehood in the new year honours list for her services to literature and charity.The 86-year-old bestselling author and journalist who was awarded a DBE said she was delighted, bewildered and ecstatic", although for one who counts Rishi Sunak among her fans, the honour should perhaps not be that much of a surprise. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer will offer voters change - but how much is deliverable when public services are in a parlous state?Keir Starmer will obviously want to fight the coming year's election promising change and enthusing voters with his bright ideas - but just how much will the public be expecting him to transform the UK? And how much is actually deliverable in one term when infrastructure and services are in such a parlous state?Promising sunlit uplands and 350m a week for the NHS worked for the leave campaign in the Brexit referendum, appealing to hearts over heads. Boris Johnson also pulled off a campaign of blind optimism in 2019 promising 40 more hospitals and not to raise the rate of national insurance. Continue reading...
Ousted prime minister allowed a resignation honours list despite lasting just 49 days in Downing StreetOusted prime minister Liz Truss has been allowed to confer a host of honours and three new peerages - including for one of the architects of Brexit, for a Tory donor and for her former deputy chief of staff.Truss was granted a resignation honours" list by Rishi Sunak, despite having to resign from No 10 after only 49 days because of turmoil in the financial markets caused by her chancellor's mini-budget. Continue reading...
Far-right president says not opportune' for Argentina - which had been set to become a member on 1 January - to be part of allianceArgentina has formally announced that it will not join the Brics bloc of developing economies, the latest in a dramatic shift in foreign and economic policy by Argentina's new far-right populist president, Javier Milei.In a letter addressed to the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - all members of the alliance - Milei said the moment was not opportune" for Argentina to join as a full member. The letter was dated a week ago, 22 December, but released by the Argentinian government on Friday, the last working day of 2023. Continue reading...
Bury North MP James Daly makes remark while outlining what New Conservatives group stands forA Conservative MP has claimed most children who struggle in his constituency are the products of crap parents".James Daly, the MP for Bury North, was outlining what the New Conservatives group of MPs stood for when he presented his perspective on how important a family unit is in giving children stability". Continue reading...
While a handful of politicians have openly discussed the stresses of their job, the scale of the problem appears far greaterIt was a year after they were made a minister when the MP had the second breakdown of their political career, and realised they simply had no idea what to do next: I was so terrified. I didn't know who to talk to. There didn't seem to be anybody I could trust.A family member told me to take time off. But as a minister if you were to say you needed time off sick, the whips would go, Yeah, fine. We'll get someone else to do your job.' It's often easier to keep your head down and pretend." Continue reading...
Artist says Tony Allen's surly stewards ended up as the most talked about part of his 2015 bemusement park'Banksy has paid tribute to a late comedian who trained 100 teenagers to be the most surly and incompetent employees in the history of hospitality" for his 2015 Dismaland exhibition.In a rare step, the reclusive graffiti artist has written a piece recalling his time with the comedian Tony Allen, which was read on BBC Radio 4's obituary programme, Last Word, on Friday. Continue reading...
Broadcaster expected to use Freedom of Information Act to stop full disclosure, tribunal toldThe BBC is expected to redact some of the almost 3,000 emails it must release about its handling of the Martin Bashir scandal, a tribunal has heard.A judge told the broadcaster to hand over the material earlier this month, two-and-a-half years after the journalist Andrew Webb used freedom of information (FoI) laws to ask to see it. Continue reading...
New Year's Eve revellers told to prepare for near-freezing conditions as parts of UK recover from Storm GerritGusts of up to 75mph (120km/h) are expected to batter the coasts of southern England and Wales this weekend as other parts of the UK continue to recover from the ravages of Storm Gerrit.The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for high winds in the south-east, south-west, East Anglia and Wales from 11am on Saturday until 3am on Sunday, New Year's Eve. Continue reading...
UK government plans to double number of offenders on devices aimed at reducing alcohol-driven crimeThe number of offenders being fitted with sobriety tags" that can tell probation officers if they have been drinking and potentially land them back in jail has increased by more than 47% this Christmas, government figures show.There were about 2,800 people in England and Wales wearing the tags this year compared with 1,900 last year after the government said it would increase use of the devices aimed at reducing alcohol-fuelled crime. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6HF5R)
The 22-year-old says his probation conditions meant he was under surveillance and could not workOne of the youngest people to be jailed under Hong Kong's national security law has fled to the UK, where he claimed asylum in the early hours of Thursday morning.Tony Chung, 22, was released from prison in June but was required to meet regularly with Hong Kong's national security police and abide by certain conditions, which included not leaving the territory without authorisation before June 2024. Continue reading...
Health Security Agency confirms 30 cases across England and Scotland in patients aged seven to 81A person has died in Scotland after falling ill with E coli, in what appears to be the first fatality linked to an outbreak that has affected at least 30 people.The UK Health Security Agency said the death has been associated with this outbreak" and added later that it occurred in Scotland, but was unable to provide more information about the case. Continue reading...
Michelin-starred Aurelien Largeau, who ran restaurant at Hotel du Palais in Biarritz, says reports of incident are false and defamatory'A Michelin-starred chef has left his job at a French luxury hotel after an alleged hazing ritual in which a member of kitchen staff was reportedly tied up naked and humiliated.The public prosecutor has opened an investigation for sexual assault and violence into the incident earlier this month. Continue reading...
Appointment comes two months after Li Shangfu was ousted from the role amid corruption allegationsChina has announced the appointment of a new defence minister, two months after the previous office holder Li Shangfu was stripped from his position without explanation.The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress - China's de facto legislature - announced on Friday that Dong Jun, 62, would be the new defence minister. Dong was most recently the chief of China's navy. Continue reading...
Labour accuses government of holding back data on use of official alcohol stock between March 2020 and 2022Ministers have been asked to explain why a report on the UK government's consumption of wine during the Covid pandemic has been delayed four times over the last year.Labour said the Foreign Office, which holds the government's wine collection, should publish the data on its stocks for 2020 to 2022 immediately, as the delay was causing suspicion about how much had been used. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6HF6V)
Thoughts and prayers' for family of Christian Marriott who was killed while giving first aid to a womanA man who died when a car was driven into a crowd as he tried to help a stranger was much loved and will be remembered for helping others, his church has said.Police have described Christian Marriott, 46, as a Good Samaritan" who died after stepping in to help a stranger in their time of need". Continue reading...
Albina Yevko, 14, fled Ukraine for Dawlish and died after falling from barrier maintained by Network RailThe family and friends of a Ukrainian teenager who fled the war in her home country only to die after falling from a sea wall on the south-west coast of England have criticised rail chiefs for failing to fit the barrier with protective measures.Albina Yevko, 14, died in hospital after being airlifted from the beach in Dawlish, Devon, where she was found unconscious and with multiple injuries. Continue reading...
by Faye Hulton and Matt Williams for MetDesk on (#6HF6X)
Turkey also affected by fog, with 10 killed and 57 injured in serious road crash involving three busesDuring the Christmas period, parts of South America experienced intense showers and thunderstorms, resulting in substantial rainfall in various regions. On Monday, more than 100mm of rain fell in the Catamarca province in Argentina, which led to flash floods. A sudden surge in river water levels then caused the collapse of a pedestrian bridge, which was the only link between the towns of Rincon and Poman. While many other roads in the region were damaged and houses were flooded, no casualties were reported.The unique topography of Catamarca aided the formation of a near-stationary convective shower over Poman, unleashing several hours of torrential rain and causing catastrophic flooding. Continue reading...
The Great Western Highway is closed in both directions and is expected to remain a crime scene for some timeTwo people are dead and more than a dozen have been injured in a multi-vehicle crash west of the Blue Mountains in NSW.Emergency services were called to the scene of the five-car crash on the Great Western Highway at Wallerawang, 15km north of Lithgow, just before 1pm. Continue reading...
Some also noted rise in Islamophobia, as Muslim and Jewish charities condemn hateThe number of antisemitic hate crimes recorded by many of the UK's largest police forces jumped sharply in the weeks after the outbreak of the Gaza-Israel conflict, figures reveal.Islamophobic offences also rose for some forces, although the overall picture was more mixed across the country. Continue reading...
Bank of England forecast to make as many as four interest rate cuts in 2024, which will slash returnsIf Christmas hasn't cleaned you out financially, now could be the last chance to grab one of the UK's highest-paying fixed-rate savings accounts.With the money markets convinced that interest rates are heading on a downward trajectory, the smart savings cash is heading for a fixed-rate bond - while rates above 5% are still available. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Doctors, psychologists and campaigners say the diabetes drugs are not appropriate for everyoneThere may be huge pressure to lose weight in the new year after a season of overindulgence, but experts have warned against purchasing slimming jabs to shed the festive pounds.The diabetes drugs have shot to fame after it was found they can help people lose weight by mimicking hormones that make you feel full after eating. But while they have been hailed as an important tool in tackling obesity, their popularity - fuelled by celebrity endorsements - has also led to concerns. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Homelessness as a lifestyle choice, extreme sex ed and Rishi Seven Bins' Sunak - we round up the best of 2023's culture war chaos Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. If the season of confected fights over phantom Christmas-haters isn't the right time of year to reflect on the impact of the culture wars, I don't know when is. In 2023, as the Conservative party ran out of ideas, voters and halfway plausible candidates to replace the latest prime minister, they naturally intensified their interest in the next best thing: picking weird symbolic fights about nothing anyone really cares about that might garner a bit of coverage in the Daily Mail.You have probably lost track of these, what with everything else. Today's newsletter therefore brings you a seasonal review of 2023's most risible political pantomimes, and at the end, you can gratefully say that it's behind you. Here are the headlines. Continue reading...
by Caroline Davies and Kevin Rawlinson on (#6HF2V)
Report set out radical measures' to reduce numbers arriving, including setting up holding camps on Scottish island of MullSending asylum seekers to holding camps on the Scottish island of Mull and removing them to safe havens" in third-party countries such as Turkey, South Africa and Kenya, was among the nuclear options" considered by Tony Blair's government, documents reveal.Twenty years before the Conservative government's Rwanda plan, big bang" solutions were discussed after Blair expressed frustration that ever tougher controls" in northern France had failed, and demanded we must search out even more radical measures" to tackle the growing number of asylum claims, which had reached 8,800 in October 2002. Continue reading...
by Kevin Rawlinson and Caroline Davies on (#6HF2T)
Government papers released to National Archives show animosity between broadcaster and No 10 in early 2000sThe former No 10 spin doctor Alastair Campbell suggested setting lawyers on the BBC, while Tony Blair was warned to expect a magisterial rebuke" from senior figures at the broadcaster, as the row over its coverage of the war in Iraq intensified in the early 2000s, government papers show.The Cabinet Office files, placed in the National Archives on Friday, illustrate the extent of the animosity between Blair's No 10 and the BBC. Continue reading...
by Presented by Jonathan Freedland, with Al Sharpton, on (#6HF20)
The Politics Weekly America team are taking a break. So this week, we're looking back at one of our favourite episodes of the year.From August: Jonathan Freedland sits down with Rev Al Sharpton to discuss why he believes Martin Luther King Jr's I have a dream' speech has been abused by some on the right, why he is still fighting for police reform, and how James Brown was so influential on his lifeArchive: City News, ABC News, MSNBC, NBC News Continue reading...
Exclusive: Nicole Jacobs says policy flies in the face of ministers' claims to take domestic violence seriouslyAbusive men in England and Wales will walk free from court under a new sentencing policy that flies in the face of ministers' claims to take domestic violence seriously, an independent government watchdog has said.Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner, said ministers had not done enough to protect women from a decision to lift the pressures on overcrowded prisons by scrapping short prison sentences. Continue reading...
by Caroline Davies and Kevin Rawlinson on (#6HEWG)
Then PM was advised to encourage' British Museum to agree long-term loan in return for Greek supportTony Blair considered a long-term loan" of the Parthenon marbles to Greece in the hope of support for a London 2012 Olympic Games bid, newly released documents reveal.Twenty years before Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, over the ownership question of the sculptures, Greece was lobbying Blair, the then prime minister, for a long-term loan, bypassing the issue of ownership. Continue reading...
Antonia Hay has had multiple surgeries following infection her father believes came from food stall in BuckinghamshireA 17-year-old student has been in intensive care for two weeks after she caught a strain of E coli.Antonia Hay, who has had to undergo multiple surgeries, is believed to have caught the bacterial infection from food at a Christmas market in November. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian