World news | The Guardian

Excitement builds for final against Argentina as spectators, some draped in French and Moroccan flags, praised play of both teamsAmid a cacophony of beeping car horns, fireworks, and people hanging from car windows waving flags, cheering football fans poured on to Paris’s Champs-Élysées on Wednesday night to celebrate France beating Morocco to reach the World Cup final, hoping it would become the first country in 60 years to retain the title.“We’re in the final!” yelled Romain, 16, who had high school the next day but was planning a late night celebrating. “When France won the World Cup in 2018, I was 12 and couldn’t really celebrate in the streets,” he said. “It feels brilliant tonight, but facing Argentina will be close, nail-biting.” Continue reading...

RCN chief says members are acting across England, Wales and Northern Ireland with a ‘very heavy heart’Tens of thousands of nurses will strike across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday, sparking major disruption to services in the first such action in NHS history.Nurses will refuse to work at hospitals and other places of care across the three countries from 8am until 8pm, in the first of two days of scheduled walkouts over their pay claim. Continue reading...

Tony Radakin said Moscow’s ability to conduct ground operations in Ukraine is ‘rapidly diminishing’ as a resultRussia faces a “critical shortage” of artillery shells and Moscow’s ability to conduct ground operations in Ukraine is “rapidly diminishing” as a result, Britain’s armed forces chief has said.Adm Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of defence staff, told an audience at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) thinktank on Wednesday that the Kremlin had only planned for a short period to subjugate Ukraine, and has instead found itself embroiled in a conflict lasting nearly 10 months. Continue reading...

Former prime minister, who is still a sitting MP, travelled across globe in two months after stepping downBoris Johnson made more than £1m from four speaking engagements in just two months after leaving No 10, travelling across the globe to give paid speeches while still sitting as an MP.The former prime minister also accepted more than £40,000 in free accommodation from Tory donor Lord Bamford and his wife after moving out of Downing Street and Chequers in September, according to an update to the register of members’ financial interests. Continue reading...

Measure will suspend free movement over Christmas holidays as supporters of ousted Pedro Castillo take to the streets• What is happening in Peru and why are people so angry?Peru’s new government has declared a 30-day national state of emergency to quell violent demonstrations which have shaken the country following the ousting and arrest of President Pedro Castillo a week ago.The measure announced on Wednesday suspends the right to gather and move freely across the entire country – and comes just before the Christmas holidays when people typically travel extensively to visit family. Continue reading...

Experts said lessons appeared to have been learned from previous incidents as teams scrambled into action after dinghy capsizedThe emergency call came through at 2.53am. “Please help me bro, please, please, please. We are in the water. We have a family.”The unidentified man, on a stricken dinghy, used WhatsApp to contact the French NGO Utopia 56, a humanitarian association, which works to support migrants in the camps in northern France. Continue reading...

McSweeney pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault of law graduate in Ilford, east LondonThe man convicted of the “brutal sexually motivated murder” of law graduate Zara Aleena after breaching his licence conditions for a previous offence has been sentenced to life in prison.Jordan McSweeney, 29, pleaded guilty last month to the murder and sexual assault of Aleena in Ilford, east London, in the early hours of 26 June this year as she was walking home. Continue reading...

Self-described ‘free evangelical’ Ronald Train, who created his own church based on literal reading of scripture, says sons ‘lost their way’ before Queensland shooting

Officials say 13 Iranian-made drones shot down as air raid sirens sound in capital and surrounding area

James Stunt faces retrial after jury were unable to reach verdict on money-laundering chargeA jury has found James Stunt, the former son-in-law of Bernie Ecclestone, not guilty of forgery but he will face a fresh trial on charges of money laundering.Stunt, 40, the ex-husband of Petra Ecclestone, was one of eight defendants in the biggest money-laundering trial in British criminal history. Continue reading...

Opposition parties renew call for deputy PM to be suspended amid eight bullying claimsYesterday Mark Harper, the transport secretary, claimed that public support for the rail strikes was declining. Today Ipsos has published some polling that backs up this claim, although support for the RMT has not collapsed, and public opinion is still divided. It puts support for the strikes at 30%, down from 43% in September. And opposition to the strikes is at 36%, up from 31%.Yesterday Savanta published polling showing a similar trend. It said that net support for the rail workers on strike was +21 in October (those supporting them, minus those not supporting them), and that now it was down to +13. Continue reading...

Twenty-nine of 54 members voted to expel country over regime’s suppression of protestsIran has been ousted from a UN body tasked with empowering women after​​​ world powers voted​ in favour of a motion submitted by the US, which said the Islamic Republic’s membership was an “ugly stain” on the group’s credibility.Activists and rights groups have said Tehran’s role in the 45-member commission on the status of women was a farce, considering the regime’s forces have beaten and killed women peacefully calling for gender equality. Continue reading...

European parliament due to vote on Thursday on resolution calling for release of Bahraini activistA senior MEP is facing questions over trips to Bahrain and his support for a “one-sided” resolution on a political prisoner from that country that echoes the talking points of the authoritarian Gulf state.Tomáš Zdechovský, a centre-right Czech MEP, who chairs the European parliament’s Bahrain friendship group, was found by the Guardian to have made an undeclared visit to the country in April 2022, where he met Bahrain’s chamber of commerce. Continue reading...

‘Devastating’ report exposing pressures in health service should be wake-up call to ministers, say senior medicsMinisters must get a grip on the crisis engulfing the NHS, senior doctors have warned, saying a “shocking” and “devastating” special report by the Guardian exposed the daily reality of pressures faced by health staff, the dire impact on patients and risk of the service collapsing.Thirty-three months after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 to be a pandemic, the Guardian spent 33 hours inside the NHS, reporting from inside a hospital, an ambulance service, a pharmacy and a GP surgery. Continue reading...

Duchess’s lawyer claims palace encouraged negative stories about the Sussexes to benefit other royalsThe royal households have been directly accused of deliberately planting negative stories about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to deflect attention from less favourable coverage of other royals as part of what a lawyer calls “a war against Meghan”.In the latest trailer for the Sussexes’ controversial Netflix documentary, the duchess’s lawyer, Jenny Afia, claims to have seen evidence of briefing from the palace against the couple. Continue reading...

Home secretary says fatalities are ‘sobering reminder’ as major search and rescue operation continuesAt least three people have died and 43 people have been rescued after trying to cross the Channel in freezing conditions overnight, according to reports.A member of a rescue team confirmed to Sky News that at least three people have died, as a major search and rescue operation continues off the coast of Kent. “Many” were rescued from the water, according to BBC reporter, Simon Jones, adding a small number are confirmed dead. Continue reading...

The fiendish mystery set by Observer crossword compiler Torquemada in the 1930s has only been cracked by four people to date. Can machines do better?Crowdfunding publisher Unbound has partnered with an AI platform to challenge people to use artificial intelligence to solve Cain’s Jawbone, a literary puzzle that has only ever been cracked by four people since it was published in the 1930s.Cain’s Jawbone is a novel by Edward Powys Mathers, who was then the Observer’s cryptic crossword compiler. It’s a murder mystery in which six people die, but it can only be solved if readers rearrange its 100 pages in the correct order. Unbound said the pages could be sorted to reveal the six victims and their respective murderers “through logic and intelligent reading”. Continue reading...

Late, inadequate and overbooked trains are costing the regional economy half a billion pounds a yearBosses of northern train operators conceded their companies are letting passengers and businesses down when they appeared before a parliamentary hearing examining this year’s rail “meltdown” in northern England.Thousands of trains have been cancelled at short notice in recent months and if passengers do get a service it has often been unbearably crowded, unduly expensive or both. Continue reading...

Competition and Markets Authority gathering evidence after drug firms accused of inflating pricesA watchdog has launched an investigation into the sharp rise in prices of antibiotics after a surge in the number of children falling ill with strep A.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Wednesday it had started an inquiry and was gathering evidence after prices soared over the past fortnight. Continue reading...

Peter Hunter and David Smith jailed in 2020 in first successful prosecution related to large-scale ticket fraudTwo ticket touts who were jailed for fraud related to large-scale ticket reselling have been ordered to pay £6.2m in a confiscation order.Peter Hunter, 53, and David Smith, 68, were sentenced to prison in February 2020 after a three-month trial in which the married couple were found guilty of fraudulent trading and possessing an article for fraud. Continue reading...

Fears in retail and hospitality sectors that severe drop in footfall could push some firms over the edgeTrain strikes, a cold snap and snowy conditions have kept workers and shoppers from city centres this week, emptying out high streets and office buildings, figures show.Footfall on Britain’s high streets and at shopping centres plunged on Tuesday morning as consumers stayed at home, according to research by the retail data analysts Springboard. Continue reading...

Consular staff wanted for questioning by police over beating up of activists recalled to BeijingChina’s consul general and five other diplomats have returned home and will escape questioning by Manchester police for their role in the beating up of a pro-Hong Kong democracy demonstrator outside the consulate in the city on 16 October.The Chinese, citing diplomatic immunity, decided to recall the diplomats after the UK Foreign Office gave the embassy a week to make the diplomats available for questioning by British police. Continue reading...

Formal complaints from civil servants mean deputy PM is under investigation for eight separate alleged incidents

Crime writer offers reward for return of computer, thought to have fallen out of bag during wintry weatherIt’s truly a novelist’s worst nightmare – losing a manuscript of a new book or work-in-progress.Now crime writer Ann Cleeves is experiencing just that – the award-winning novelist is appealing for help after losing a laptop containing the draft of half her next book in a blizzard in Shetland. Continue reading...

Labour leader accuses PM of putting political considerations above patient safety by refusing to discuss pay rises

Former England cricketer still in hospital after high-speed crash while filming latest series of BBC showAndrew “Freddie” Flintoff’s son has said his father was “lucky to be alive” following a car crash during the filming the latest series of the BBC’s Top Gear show.The former England cricketer received medical care at the scene before being airlifted to a hospital on Tuesday after a high-speed crash at a Surrey aerodrome. The BBC said he was still in hospital but that his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. Continue reading...

Emergency crews arrive from mainland Scotland and Orkney after snowstorm downs electricity linesMore than 100 engineers are being sent to Shetland after heavy snowstorms cut power to thousands of homes, many of which face being without electricity until the end of this week.A major incident has been declared, with householders urged to remain at home after heavy loads of ice and snow brought down electricity lines to nearly 4,000 homes earlier this week. Continue reading...

Cadoxton primary installs washing machines and dryer after noticing some pupils’ clothes were not cleanA primary school in a Welsh seaside town has opened an on-site laundry and is asking parents and other users to pay only what they can afford, to help them in the cost of living crisis.Two washing machines, a tumble dryer and washing lines have been installed in a converted shipping container at Cadoxton primary in Barry, south Wales. Continue reading...

Major search and rescue operation launched after incident off Kent coast

Ambulance service blames demand, staff sickness, and patient handover times for elderly man being taken to hospital on plankThe health board for the area where an 89-year-old man was taken to hospital strapped to a plank because no ambulances were available has said the flow of patients through its hospitals is blocked because hundreds of medically fit people have nowhere safe to be discharged to.They have urged people to stay away from emergency departments unless their need is dire. Continue reading...

Britain continues to struggle in freezing conditions, with power on Scottish islands not expected to be fully restored until end of weekThousands have been without power in Shetland for a second night as Britain’s infrastructure continues to struggle with sub-zero temperatures.The Met Office has extended a yellow warning for snow and ice to Friday in northern Scotland and north-east England. Continue reading...

Crossbenchers express surprise at lack of direct lobbying from resource companies who may have been blindsided by ‘reasonable pricing’ test

Exclusive: Ex-Tory who defected to Labour says constituents opened his eyes to hardship faced by claimantsChristian Wakeford will apologise on Wednesday for previously claiming asylum seekers “have a shopping trolley as to what they want as economic migrants” when he was a Conservative MP.The MP for Bury South crossed the floor to Labour earlier this year, criticising the Tory government’s policies for only worsening his constituents’ struggles . He said two of his constituents had opened his eyes to the difficulties many asylum seekers faced when arriving in the UK. Continue reading...

Former prime minister tells royal commission that public servants had ‘obligation and duty’ to disclose issues with debt recovery plan

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Indonesian authorities investigating death of West Australian university student Niamh Finneran Loader ‘following medical procedure’

Samantha Ratnam says Greens will work with Labor toward ‘progressive reform’ after her party quadruples upper house seats

Exclusive: In her first interview since being released from prison, Coco recalls how fires three years ago sparked her epiphany

Scheme will make 1,000 tickets available every week to those who cannot afford to pay for cultural activitiesUnsold theatre tickets are to be given to people struggling with the cost of living in a cultural variation on food banks.A London scheme, to be launched in the new year, will make about 1,000 tickets available each week to those who cannot afford to pay for cultural activities. Continue reading...

Exclusive: campaigners criticise failure to fill role after Dame Vera Baird’s departureDominic Raab blocked the reappointment of the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales earlier this year and is not expected to find a replacement for months, the Guardian can disclose.Victims’ groups said the lack of a commissioner meant critical legislation was passing through parliament without an independent tsar, in effect silencing victims and limiting scrutiny. Continue reading...

Nine’s barrister says cruise worker Mark Gillespie was still living with his relatives and Oscar the dog when he returned to Australia for vacations

Skulls’ removal from island in 1890s was colonial-era violation, say campaignersUnder cover of darkness in 1890, two headhunters climbed over a gate and crept into a graveyard on Inishbofin, a remote County Galway island on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. In the ruins of a medieval monastery they found dozens of skulls. They selected 13.“When the coast was clear we put our spoils in the sack and cautiously made our way back to the road,” Alfred Haddon later wrote in his diary. He and his accomplice, Andrew Dixon, smuggled the skulls on to a boat and sailed away. Continue reading...

New relationship caused rift in the family, including with father who was pastor at a conservative independent church

Motels used to temporarily house homeless people were found to often be unclean and unsafeNew Zealand’s emergency housing system that temporarily places homeless people in motel units is breaching human rights, with residents reporting filthy and unsafe environments, an inquiry has found.The report released on Wednesday by the Human Rights Commission included what it called, “distressing” testimonies from those living in emergency housing. It said that while the intent to house people was good, the system was in some cases exacerbating problems and trauma. Continue reading...

Rapper takes stand in case against Canadian-born musician, emotionally recounting night when she was shotMegan Thee Stallion delivered emotional testimony on Tuesday in the trial of Tory Lanez, the fellow musician and former friend who allegedly shot her following a party in Los Angeles.The Texas-born rapper, whose real name is Megan Pete, shared the most in-depth account yet about the moment that led to the shooting in 2020. She described how the attack left her with constant pain in her feet and said the reliving the incident in the public eye had been “torture”. Continue reading...

US rapper cancels Brisbane gig hours before she was due on stage, citing a past experience having a bottle thrown at her

The 42-year-old accused of the murder is the children’s mother, and was extradited from South Korea in NovemberA woman charged with the murder of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in New Zealand has pleaded not guilty to the charges.The 42-year-old woman accused of their murder is the children’s mother, and was extradited from South Korea on murder charges in late November. Continue reading...

Casey Jenkins is suing national arts body for withdrawing funding for performance exhibition Immaculate in 2020

Colleen Taylor tells royal commission that staff were told ‘not to interrogate’ injustices facing welfare recipients