World news | The Guardian

Authorities close off 46-mile stretch of coastline after man attacked by tiger shark near HurghadaA Russian man has died after being mauled by a shark off one of Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, Egyptian and Russian authorities have said.Egypt’s environment ministry said the man was killed on Thursday after being attacked by a tiger shark in the waters near the city of Hurghada. Authorities closed off a 46-mile (74km) stretch of the coastline, announcing it would remain off-limits until Sunday. Continue reading...

Contractor says many of its staff rely on working 60 hours a week, but could see this reduced to 42 on averageDozens of security guards at one of the UK’s most prestigious universities face losing their jobs, while many more are likely to see pay cuts of as much as £13,500 a year during the cost of living crisis, their representatives have said.In the latest episode in the long-running fight by outsourced workers at University College London (UCL), the staff have been told that, with the risk of redundancy hanging over them, the roughly 260 existing workers would be expected to compete for around 220 remaining jobs, or leave. Continue reading...

Justices unanimously reject lower court ruling that defined Bad Spaniel chew toy as ‘expressive work’ exempt from trademark lawThe US supreme court on Thursday gave a boost to Jack Daniel’s in its trademark dispute with a dog accessory company that sold a parody chew toy resembling the distiller’s widely recognized black-label whiskey bottle.The 9-0 decision written by Justice Elena Kagan, from the liberal wing of the bench, threw out a lower court’s ruling that the pun-laden Bad Spaniels vinyl chew toy sold by an Arizona company called VIP Products is an “expressive work” protected by the US constitution’s first amendment. Jack Daniel’s Properties Inc is owned by the Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman Corp. Continue reading...

Al Arfat Hassan, who is on trial with 16-year-old, used ‘cupcakes’ as code word for bomb, jury hearsA drill rapper on trial for terrorist offences watched gruesome IS propaganda videos as he plotted to kill people in central London, a court has heard.Al Arfat Hassan, of Enfield, north London, is on trial at Sheffield crown court alongside a 16-year-old boy, both accused of preparing terrorist acts. Continue reading...

Alfred Dorris, 49, apologises to families of seven victims while giving evidence for the first time at Old Bailey trialThe driver in the Croydon tram disaster has apologised to the families of the victims, saying: “I’m sorry that I became disoriented.”Alfred Dorris, 49, was allegedly going three times the speed he was supposed to before his tram derailed on a sharp curve at Sandilands in south London, killing seven passengers and seriously injuring 19 more. Continue reading...

Geza Tarjanyi, 62, denies pushing former health secretary towards London underground escalatorMatt Hancock felt “physically intimidated” and feared being pushed down a London underground escalator by an anti-vaccination protester accusing him of murdering people during the coronavirus pandemic, the former health secretary has told a court.Geza Tarjanyi, 62, of Leyland, in Lancashire, who has denied causing harassment without violence, is accused of shoulder-barging the MP and shouting “ridiculous conspiracy theories” on two separate occasions on 19 and 24 January this year. Continue reading...

News photographer Moamen Sumreen, 22, had been covering the demolition of the apartment in RamallahA Palestinian news photographer is in serious condition in hospital after being hit in the head by a rubber bullet during a rare Israeli raid in Ramallah, the Palestinian administrative capital in the occupied West Bank.A convoy of Israel Defence Forces (IDF) vehicles entered the city late on Wednesday night in order to demolish the home of a terrorism suspect who had been accused of planting two bombs targeting rush-hour commuters in Jerusalem last November that killed two people and injured another 21. Continue reading...

Devon port among south coast sites examined by Home Office staff amid calls for legal challenge to policyPlymouth could become the latest site chosen for a giant vessel to house asylum seekers amid calls for the Home Office to be challenged in the courts over the policy.The Devon port is one of several places along the south coast that have been examined by Home Office staff, Whitehall and maritime sources have said. Continue reading...

Government publishes total of support to homes and businesses between October and MarchThe UK’s cost of keeping energy bills down for homes and businesses over the winter months added up to almost £40bn, the first official government total shows.The Treasury pegged the final cost of keeping a lid on the UK’s energy bills at £39.3bn between October 2022 and March 2023 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine propelled energy market prices to record levels. Continue reading...

Department for Education survey finds that 40,000 – almost 9% of workforce – left state schools in 2021-22 before retirementTeachers in England are abandoning their profession in record numbers, according to official figures, with Labour claiming that “incompetent” government policies were to blame.The latest workforce survey by the Department for Education (DfE) found that 40,000 teachers resigned from state schools last year – almost 9% of the teaching workforce, and the highest number since it began publishing the data in 2011 – while a further 4,000 retired. Continue reading...

Murder inquiry launched and family of Alfred Swinscoe appeal for information after discovery in NottinghamshirePolice have launched a murder inquiry after human remains found in a Nottinghamshire field were identified as those of a miner who vanished after a night at a pub 56 years ago.A member of the public found the remains in farmland in Sutton-in-Ashfield in April, and Nottinghamshire police launched an appeal for information after a postmortem found that the person had been killed. Continue reading...

Stephan Schmidheiny found guilty of causing deaths of 392 people in Casale Monferrato in PiedmontA Swiss billionaire has been sentenced to 12 years in jail on aggravated manslaughter charges connected to the deaths of hundreds of people due to asbestos exposure, in what has been hailed as the most significant trial in Italy over workplace deaths.Stephan Schmidheiny, an industrialist and former main shareholder in the cement production company Eternit Italia, was sentenced by a court in Novara after being found guilty of causing the death of 392 people in Casale Monferrato, the Piedmont town that until 1986 was home to the largest of Eternit Italia’s six factories. Continue reading...

Sajad Hussain tricked women he met on dating sites into believing they were in relationship then used them as ‘human piggy banks’A “romance fraudster” has been jailed for five years and four months after admitting manipulating three women into giving him more than £200,000 to fund his gambling habit.Sajad Hussain, 45, of Swindon, Wiltshire, who had pretended to be a police officer, admitted five counts of defrauding three women he met on dating sites over a seven-year period. Continue reading...

Man targeted solicitor and court staff over months, says judge in what is believed to be first ruling of its kindA judge has banned a man from applying for contact with his child for a year after he “bombarded” court officials with abusive messages.The landmark ruling, thought to be the first of its kind, means the man, known as Mr B, can only make an application for a new hearing in the next 12 months if he first obtains permission from the judge. Continue reading...

Joran van der Sloot, already serving 28-year sentence, faces fraud and extortion charges linked to Alabama teen missing since 2005Peruvian police have handed over a convicted Dutch murderer to US FBI agents for transfer to the United States, where he faces extortion and fraud charges related to the killing of the Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway two decades ago.Joran van der Sloot, a Dutch national from the Caribbean island of Aruba, is set to face charges in the United States related to the mysterious disappearance and presumed murder of Holloway, an 18-year-old from a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, who vanished during a high school graduation trip to Aruba in 2005. Continue reading...

Awarding grants for explicit decisions of government risks ‘entrenching a system of permissible pork-barrelling’, barrister says

Many children on remand who may be exonerated or not sentenced are pleading guilty to escape long periods of detention

Guild says it adheres to all relevant privacy laws as medical association says patient’s personal information is ‘sacrosanct, not a plaything’

Applicants asked for proof of identity, rental and financial history, and references, with some listings being snapped up before first showing

Labor MP Tom Smith raises concerns after speaking to alleged victim who was taken in the back of a police car to a hospital 90 minutes away

Georgia Bilham, 21, is on trial in Chester for 17 sexual offences after allegedly deceiving shortsighted girlA teenage girl who pretended to be a boy in order to engage in sexual activity with a severely shortsighted girl also duped a second teenager, a court has heard.Georgia Bilham, 21, is on trial at Chester crown court for 17 sexual offences after allegedly deceiving a teenage girl into sex by pretending to be a boy. Continue reading...

Sir Mark Rowley makes apology in letter to activist Peter Tatchell, and says there is still ‘much for us to do’Scotland Yard has apologised to the LGBTQ+ community for past failings, in what campaigners have hailed as a historic first they hope other police forces around the UK will follow.The Met police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, made the admission in a letter to Peter Tatchell, the prominent British LGBTQ+ activist. Continue reading...

Bathgate mosque warns against speculation over death of 14-year-old at St Kentigern’s academyA mosque attended by the family of a 14-year-old boy who died at a school in Blackburn, West Lothian, has called for an end to “assumptions and speculations” as police continue their investigation.Emergency services were called to St Kentigern’s academy in Blackburn on Tuesday afternoon. The school said the incident, which is understood to have involved two 14-year-old boys, took place in the grounds on Tuesday lunchtime. A pupil was taken to hospital but died shortly afterwards. Continue reading...

Carlson attorney Bryan Freeman accuses network of attacking first amendment rights amid dispute over post-firing settlementResponding to Fox News’s contention that Tucker Carlson was in breach of contract when he debuted his Twitter show this week, a lawyer for the fired hard-right host accused the network of attacking his client’s first amendment rights.“Fox defends its very existence on freedom of speech grounds,” said attorney Bryan Freedman in response to reports, first by Axios, about a letter to Carlson from a lawyer for Fox. Continue reading...

The pair will star in a revival of Neil Simon’s marriage comedy Plaza Suite, which transfers from a hugely successful Broadway runSarah Jessica Parker is to make her West End stage debut opposite her husband, Matthew Broderick, in a comedy about marriage by Neil Simon.Plaza Suite will open in London in January. It is the West End transfer of a production directed by John Benjamin Hickey in 2022 in New York, where it became one of the highest-grossing play revivals in Broadway history. The London run is at the Savoy theatre, fittingly for a play set in a hotel suite. Continue reading...

Warsaw says it would not pay €22,000 ‘fine’ for each person it declines to host as ministers hold crunch talks in LuxembourgPoland has entered crunch talks aimed at making radical changes to the EU’s migration and asylum laws with the claim that the proposals could result in a “step back” to 2015, when more than a million people flowed into the bloc.The Polish deputy state secretary of the interior, Bartosz Grodecki, opened the summit of home affairs ministers in Luxembourg by declaring that Warsaw would refuse to pay proposed “fines” for not taking people. Continue reading...

Leaders urge government to publish long-awaited workforce plan as figures reveal unsustainable pressure on NHS

Influential founder of Christian Coalition and fixture of talkshow 700 Club ran for Republican presidential nomination in 1988The religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, who led the Christian Coalition and ran for president as a Republican, has died.On Thursday, the Christian Broadcasting Network announced his death. No cause was given. He was 93. Continue reading...

Two firms reach ‘amicable resolution’ after high street chain argued Pigs Mugs were too similar to its brandMarks & Spencer’s Percy Pig is wallowing in glory after the British confectioner Swizzels agreed to redesign a sweet that the retailer alleged had been masquerading as its popular pink treat.M&S said it had reached an “amicable resolution” with Swizzels under which the maker of Refreshers and Parma Violets had agreed to change the design of its Pigs Mugs sweets, which have been on sale since 1996. Continue reading...

Col Rabih Alenezi received advice after reporting death threats, of which he says he receives 50 a weekA Saudi Arabian dissident living in London was told to “emulate” the life of the US whistleblower Edward Snowden by a Metropolitan police officer, amid death threats he received after fleeing his country.Col Rabih Alenezi, 44, had been a senior official in Saudi Arabia’s security service for two decades, but sought asylum in the UK after he claimed to have been ordered to carry out human rights violations. His life was threatened for criticising the regime of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Continue reading...

The shortlist for the prestigious prize includes boundary-pushing stories about migration, capitalism … and technicolour cocktail barsFrom Nigerian Guinness factories to the British countryside via small German towns and distant galaxies, this year’s Film London Jarman award nominees take viewers on a dazzling tour of the world – and beyond.The £10,000 prize, which is named after groundbreaking film-maker Derek Jarman and recognises British artists who work with moving images, has a reputation for rewarding burgeoning talent within the UK art scene. Now in its 16th year, previous names on the shortlist have included Heather Phillipson, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Monster Chetwynd, Oreet Ashery, Project Art Works and Charlotte Prodger. Continue reading...

RNLI volunteer says paddleboarder was the ‘real lifesaver’ at Westward Ho! as lifeboats called inThree people on a giant inflatable duck have been rescued after it drifted out into the Bristol Channel from a beach in Devon.Witnesses reported how the men pumped up the duck, which has been nicknamed Quackers, at Westward Ho! and took it out to sea along with a friend on an inflatable kayak. Continue reading...

Report points to health risks of ultra-processing and calls for regulation to catch up with other countriesNearly a third of baby and toddler foods sold in the UK are ultra-processed, risking children’s long-term health and development, according to research.The report for First Steps Nutrition Trust found that ultra-processed products dominate the diets of British babies and preschool children. Continue reading...

France’s interior minister says attack took place in a square in the town of AnnecyFour children and an adult have been injured in a knife attack in the picturesque town of Annecy in the French Alps.At least three of the victims are in a critical condition in hospital. Continue reading...

Zelenskiy visits flood-affected region of Kherson after destruction of dam; at five people dead in occupied Kherson due to floods

The federal court will consider the audio and text messages of Higgins and her partner David Sharaz published by several media outlets

Oversight committee to investigate allegations that US has possession of ‘intact or partially intact’ alien vehiclesThe House of Representatives plans to investigate claims that the US government is harboring UFOs after a whistleblower former intelligence official said the US has possession of “intact and partially intact” alien vehicles.James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee, said the committee would hold a hearing into claims by David Grusch, who led analysis of unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP) within a US Department of Defense agency, that the government had been collecting non-human craft for “decades”. Continue reading...

Ukraine president says it is impossible to predict death toll in Russian-occupied areas as he appeals for assistance

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Federal court dismisses appeal from broadcaster that argued it was still using the mark, ending two-year legal spat

Labour shortage at 97% of centres has led to longer waiting times and delays in treatment, survey suggestsCancer patients face lethal hospital delays and the prospect of more gruelling treatment due to NHS staff shortages, senior radiologists have warned.A poll of all 60 directors of the UK’s cancer centres by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) found staff shortages at 97% of the centres were leading to longer waiting times and delays in treatment. Continue reading...

Party-commissioned report sets out roadmap for a national care service to tackle inadequate state provisionSignificant reform of England’s beleaguered adult social care sector could be ushered in by the next Labour government under plans that include boosting pay for care workers, expanding the scope of free support, and a £50 weekly contribution towards costs for those who need it.A report by the Fabian Society thinktank, requested by the shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, and commissioned by the trade union Unison, sets out a roadmap for a national care service (NCS) that is hoped would address the existing patchy, impersonal and inadequate state provision. Continue reading...

Secret service decided backstory of purported Russian security service officer was not crediblePoland has deported a purported former Russian FSB officer who sought asylum in the country back to Russia, accusing him of lying about his past and background.Emran Navruzbekov claimed to have been a senior officer in Russia’s FSB security service in the southern region of Dagestan, and had recently given numerous media interviews about FSB operations and alleged misdeeds. He was handed over to Russia at Poland’s land border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on Tuesday. Continue reading...

The former country singer was arrested and charged on Thursday over the alleged murder in 2018

‘Every element’ of the facility is failing, with young people confined to cells for long periods of time due to staffing shortages, the report says

Britain also ranks low in 30-country poll on support for access to public facilities matching gender identityLess than half of people in Great Britain agree that transgender teenagers should be allowed to receive counselling and hormone treatment, polling suggests.Britain placed 28th out of 30 countries for the proportion of people agreeing that teenagers with parental consent should be able to access “gender-affirming” care. Only Hungary, which banned transgender people from legally changing their gender in 2020, and the US recorded lower levels of support than Britain’s 47%. Continue reading...

High court of Australia is considering a NSW court’s permanent stay in a case brought by a woman who alleges she was abused as a 14-year-old

Scott Phillip White will be eligible for release in 2026, having already served part of his sentence

Report demands accountability for war crimes and singles out Russia for ‘mind-boggling’ targeting of hospitals in UkraineRussian attacks on medical facilities in Ukraine made 2022 the most violent year in a decade for hospitals and health workers operating in conflict zones, according to a new report by a coalition of humanitarian organisations.With 750 reported attacks in 2022, Russia set a 10-year record, according to the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, which includes Human Rights Watch and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health. Continue reading...

Last week we ran a piece by Rowan Atkinson casting doubt on the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. Here Simon Evans of Carbon Brief offers his responseIn a widely shared comment piece for the Guardian, comedian Rowan Atkinson said he felt “duped” by the green claims about electric vehicles (EVs).In support of his contention, however, Atkinson repeats a series of repeatedly debunked talking points, often used by those seeking to delay action on the climate crisis.He says EV batteries only last “about 10 years”. Yet “most modern lithium-ion units are likely to last the lifetime of the car”, according to Autocar. Tesla’s batteries are “designed to outlast the vehicle”.He complains that new cars are only kept for three years before being sold. Yet he does not reference the secondhand market, and the fact that British people are keeping their cars for longer than ever.He claims that it is better to keep running old petrol cars than to replace them with EVs. Yet a new EV would start benefiting the climate in less than four years, relative to an old combustion engine.He claims that lithium-ion batteries contain rare earth elements. They do not. Continue reading...