Beijing’s endless lockdowns are causing shortages for western firms such as Apple, and it may not be long before they move their supply chains elsewhereThe anti-lockdown unrest gripping China has forced the authorities in Beijing to respond by easing some restrictions in big manufacturing centres, as they map out a “new stage and mission” in the country’s deeply unpopular zero-Covid policy.There are concerns that more freedom of movement could allow the virus to rip through a population where immunity is lower than in the west. Those health risks mean the “world’s workshop” is heading for a difficult winter, casting a shadow over the prospects for international trade. Continue reading...

Labour demands government close loophole of pre-emptive cancellationsThe stark regional divide in railway reliability across Britain has been laid bare, with figures showing 20% of TransPennine Express (TPE) trains were cancelled in November, compared with 2.3% on one commuter line in and out of London and 4.5% on the London Overground.Exclusive figures obtained by the Guardian show the true level of disruption suffered by passengers because they include pre-emptive cancellations made by 10pm the night before, which are not counted in government statistics. Continue reading...

Testing booths removed in Beijing as cities across China ease commuter rules following unprecedented protestsCovid-19 testing booths were removed in Beijing on Friday, while Shenzhen followed other cities in announcing it would no longer require commuters to present their test results to travel, as an easing of Covid restrictions in China gathered pace.As daily cases hovered near all-time highs, some cities took steps to loosen coronavirus testing requirements and quarantine rules as China looks to make its zero-Covid policy more targeted amid an economic slowdown and public frustration that has boiled over into unrest. Continue reading...

Noongar woman Diane Miller and her unborn baby died in hospital three days after incident at Waterford Plaza shopping centreInstead of planning a baby shower, Diane Miller’s family is preparing for her funeral.The pregnant 30-year-old Noongar woman’s life support was switched off at 2am on Friday, three days after she was struck in the head with a concrete missile that was launched into her open passenger-side window at a Karawara shopping centre in Perth’s south-east. Continue reading...

The three men are employees of Qantas subcontractor Swissport, which says it is conducting an ‘urgent investigation’ into the incident

Over 10% of early years providers say they will close if energy bill relief scheme not extended, survey revealsSeven in 10 nurseries and preschools in England will have no option but to increase their fees without additional financial support from the government towards rising energy costs, according to a survey.The sector is warning the energy crisis could be “a nail in the coffin” for many settings, with more than one in 10 saying they will be forced to close permanently without an extension to the government’s energy bill relief scheme. Continue reading...

Four women at some of the biggest unions are on the frontline of the fight for better pay and conditionsChristina McAnea is the general secretary of Unison, the UK’s biggest union. Brought up on Glasgow’s Drumchapel estate, McAnea left school at 16 to join the civil service, before going to university at the age of 22 and earning a degree in English and history.A longtime union official, the no-nonsense McAnea has couched Unison’s demands for better pay and conditions for NHS workers, who include paramedics and ambulance staff, as a battle for the future of the health service. Continue reading...

As she steps down, outgoing TUC general secretary says female workers’ jobs are undervaluedThis winter’s wave of strike action will be powered by “a generation of women who are saying enough is enough” because the critical jobs they do are undervalued, the outgoing TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, has said.As she steps down after a decade as the TUC’s first female figurehead, O’Grady said on Friday that thousands of women who worked on the frontline during the pandemic were now saying to ministers, “don’t take us for granted”. Continue reading...

Lawyers for group including Prince Harry, Doreen Lawrence and Elton John filed claims two months agoThe Daily Mail has sought to delay the publication of potentially damaging court allegations about its journalism made by Prince Harry, Doreen Lawrence, Elton John and others.Lawyers acting for the group of high-profile individuals claim they have “compelling and highly distressing evidence” they have been the “victims of abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy” by Associated Newspapers over many years.The hiring of private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside people’s cars and homes.The commissioning of individuals to surreptitiously listen in to, and record, people’s live, private telephone calls while they were taking place.The payment of police officials, with allegedly corrupt links to private investigators, for sensitive inside information.The impersonation of individuals to obtain medical information from private hospitals, clinics, and treatment centres by deception.The accessing of bank accounts, credit histories and financial transactions through illicit means and manipulation. Continue reading...

Police make arrests and secure image of gas-masked woman in dressing gown sprayed on Hostomel wallA group of people have tried to take a mural in Ukraine by the graffiti artist Banksy, by cutting away a section of war-damaged wall where it was sprayed.The group managed to slice off a section of board and plaster bearing the image of a woman in a gas mask and dressing gown holding a fire extinguisher on the side of a scorched building. Continue reading...

Ron Saunders admits he wishes he had not called Thames Valley police for help with acute behavioural disorder of his son Neal, 39A man whose son died following police restraint during a mental health crisis has said that he has to live with the guilt of knowing that his son might still be alive had he not called them for help.Neal Saunders, 39, died on 3 September 2020 after he was restrained by Thames Valley police officers at his father’s home in Langley in Berkshire. Continue reading...

‘Newly identified’ governance and management issues prompt Charity Commission statutory inquiryThe Charity Commission has escalated its investigations into Mermaids, the regulatory body announced on Friday, responding to “newly identified issues” about the governance and management of the transgender children’s charity.A statutory inquiry has been opened after an earlier lower-level regulatory compliance case launched in September in response to safeguarding allegations. Continue reading...

Dozens of women turn out on streets of provincial capital, where men have been protesting for monthsBlack-clad women in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province have joined nationwide protests on Friday sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, in what a rights group called a rare move in the staunchly conservative region.Videos online showed dozens of women on the streets of the provincial capital, Zahedan, holding banners that declared “Woman, life, freedom” – one of the main slogans of the protest movement that erupted in mid-September. Continue reading...

Poland, which was pushing for low cap, says deal will keep it at least 5% below market rateEuropean Union member states have agreed to put a $60 a barrel price cap on Russian oil after Poland, which was holding out, gave the green light to the deal.In an effort to reduce the Kremlin’s income from fossil fuels, the EU has agreed to limit the amount that can be paid for seaborne oil to curtail Moscow’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Trench warfare in Bakhmut; fears for nuclear plants after emergency shutdowns; letter bombs in Spain

Elon Musk intervenes after rapper posted image hours after airing antisemitic views in Alex Jones interviewYe, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has been suspended from Twitter after he tweeted an image of a swastika blended with a star of David, less than two weeks after he returned to the platform.The suspension took place hours after Ye praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in an interview on InfoWars, a show hosted by the rightwing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Continue reading...

Tory colleagues have reported accusations against backbencher to the police and the partyThe Conservative party is facing calls to suspend an MP whom it is investigating over allegations of rape and sexual assault.Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson declined to comment on reports that the party had hired a law firm to look into the conduct of a Tory backbencher after complaints by colleagues. Continue reading...

Latest updates: byelection was first test at the ballot box since Rishi Sunak became prime ministerA Conservative MP leading a cross party delegation to Taiwan in the face of Chinese anger has said she and her colleagues are on the island “to listen and learn” and called on China to withdraw sanctions directed against named British parliamentarians who have criticised Beijing.China’s embassy in London on Thursday denounced the delegation’s trip as an interference in China’s internal affairs. Britain, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with democratically governed Taiwan but has stepped up its support for the island in the face of a rising military threat from China, as have other Western nations.We cannot cut off relations with China. We need to cooperate with China and to coordinate with them but we also have to challenge them and make sure that they know what our red lines are when it comes to protecting our people. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour says ministers have been told repeatedly that people with prepayment meters are not getting enough support

Partnership firm predicted it will overspend on power by £18m without action such as supermarket chain going to ‘half lighting’John Lewis is to turn down the temperature in its department stores and Waitrose supermarkets will dim their lights in an attempt to get runaway energy bills under control.The staff-owned John Lewis Partnership, which includes Waitrose, said its energy bill is threatening to go nearly £20m over budget. Continue reading...

Boys, aged 15 and 16, appear in court over fatal stabbings of Charlie Bartolo and Kearne SolankeTwo teenagers, aged 15 and 16, have appeared in court charged with the murders of 16-year-olds Charlie Bartolo and Kearne Solanke in south-east London.Kearne was stabbed in Titmuss Avenue, Thamesmead, and Charlie was found a mile away in Sewell Road, Abbey Wood, on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading...

South African president cancels all official engagements and is reported to be close to resigningFarmgate scandal: what is it and why does it matter?The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, is fighting for his political life as rivals and supporters face off in a divisive battle for control of the ruling party, the African National Congress.The power struggle came after an independent panel appointed by parliament said there was evidence suggesting the South African president committed “serious misconduct” after millions of dollars in cash were reportedly stolen from his private game ranch almost three years ago. Continue reading...

On post-No 10 lecture circuit, former PM says there must be ‘measures to protect public from Ponzi schemes’Boris Johnson has given a speech to a conference on blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrency, as part of his lucrative post-No 10 lecture circuit, despite controversy around the industry following the multibillion-dollar collapse of the FTX exchange.In his speech, the former prime minister suggested the advent of blockchain was full of possibilities and appeared to compare it to major technological innovations such as the invention of fire, the railways, and the internet. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak’s first test ends brutally, with 14-point swing pollsters say would give Starmer comfortable majority at election

Service faces six days of strikes this month, as Ofcom says it should stop blaming pandemic for delaysRoyal Mail has brought its final posting dates for Christmas forward by about a week amid industrial action by its workers, as the regulator told it to stop blaming the Covid pandemic for failing to make deliveries on time.Royal Mail, which is facing six days of strikes this month running up until Christmas Eve, has told the public to send their cards and presents even earlier than usual if they want them to arrive in time. Continue reading...

Media and the Liberal party were enthralled by the ‘toxic Dan’ narrative in the face of evidence to the contrary

Former federal court judge says independent advocates needed to ‘hold the hand of the victim-survivor at the time of greatest trauma’

Official’s comments come after Ursula von der Leyen estimated 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died or been injured

Prince’s Earthshot prize ceremony will round off week in which royal family has again faced accusations of institutional racismThe Prince and Princess of Wales are due to end their three-day trip to Boston on a high note, having landed in the middle of a palace racism row and then been blindsided by a trailer for the Sussexes’ documentary.A meeting with the US president, Joe Biden, and a star-studded award ceremony for Prince William’s environmental Earthshot prize, were scheduled to round off what could be described as a bumpy few days. Continue reading...

MPs expected to pass new criminal code that will also make insulting the president a crimeIndonesia’s parliament is expected to pass a new criminal code this month that would criminalise sex outside marriage and outlaw insults against the president or state institutions, prompting alarm from human rights campaigners.The deputy justice minister, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, said in an interview with Reuters that the new criminal code was expected to be passed on 15 December. “We’re proud to have a criminal code that’s in line with Indonesian values,” he said. Continue reading...

Backing down from existing policies remains a political problem of the first orderChina’s government looks to be starting to roll back its zero-Covid policy. But after three years of saying the resource-intensive, economically damaging elimination strategy is the only way to go, experts say it will be a medical and political challenge to end it.Much of China’s exit strategy is riding on vaccinations, but this is where Beijing has great challenges. China’s elderly population is disproportionately unvaccinated, leaving tens of millions of vulnerable people at far greater risk from the ravages of Covid-19. About 90% of China’s population is vaccinated, but among those over 60 only about 69% have had at least three doses. Above 80 years of age, the figure drops to about 40%. Continue reading...

There is a buzz in the air in the bustling capital and a real belief the Lions of Teranga can beat EnglandJust under 4,500 miles (7,200km) away from the shiny stadiums in Qatar, a man named Serigne Fallou confidently proclaims that he already knows what the result will be on Sunday when England take on Senegal in the World Cup’s round of 16.“Absolutely, Senegal will win, 1-0,” says Fallou, an apartment doorman in Dakar, Senegal’s bustling capital on the Atlantic Ocean. “I don’t have a doubt.” Continue reading...

Light relief from the 24 Hour Psycho creator, York becomes sin city, and the dark heart of modernist architecture is exposed – all in your weekly dispatchDouglas Gordon

Exclusive: England players received 1,546 abusive tweets during group stages, according to analysisHarry Kane was the most abused England player on Twitter during the World Cup group stages, accounting for nearly three out of 10 negative tweets directed at team members.England players were sent 1,546 abusive tweets during the group stages of the World Cup, according to analysis by the Alan Turing Institute, accounting for 2% of the more than 75,000 tweets mentioning players for the national team. Continue reading...

Ukraine says Croatian court has cleared way for sale of Viktor Medvedchuk’s Royal Romance yacht

Industry fears hastily designed scheme is leading to human rights abuses and debt bondage in supply chainsBritain’s hastily designed seasonal worker visa is causing a headache for supermarkets, which are concerned its structure is incompatible with their public pledges on preventing human rights abuses and debt bondage in their supply chains.All the big supermarkets have been holding urgent roundtable meetings with growers and others in the industry over the past month to try to find a way of preventing workers from being further exploited under it. Continue reading...

Workers tell of paying thousands of pounds to brokers for jobs that yield meagre wagesWhen Agung* arrived at Heathrow airport in July, he thought it marked the start of a better financial future for his family.He was expecting six months of lucrative farming work in Britain to help support his mother and siblings back home in Java. He did not realise the harvest was already well under way – or that the pay would be a fraction of what he hoped. Continue reading...

Years of under-investment and then the shock of the Covid pandemic has left many areas in the NHS struggling. This interactive shows how delays can affect four different patientsPatients are facing increased delays at almost every stage of their NHS treatment, as the health system struggles to find the resources to deal with demand.The latest data shows waiting lists across England have surpassed record highs every month for two years running, one of many major challenges currently facing the NHS. Continue reading...

Disney merchandise shows frowning bear looking at blank sheet of paper – a symbol of opposition to censorshipYears after he became character-non-grata in China, Winnie the Pooh is exacting quiet revenge against the country’s government in the form of Disney souvenirs.In what appears to be a case of incidental resistance, Disney stores in Japan are selling a line of merchandise featuring a frowning Pooh looking at a blank sheet of white paper – a symbol of ongoing protests in China against censorship and Covid-19 restrictions. Continue reading...

Waitrose shops in Bromley and West Ealing will be redeveloped, and vacant warehouse in ReadingThe John Lewis Partnership has struck a £500m deal with the investment firm Abrdn to build 1,000 residential rental homes, redeveloping three sites already owned by its Waitrose and eponymous retail store chains .The group intends to redevelop Waitrose shops in Bromley and West Ealing, and a vacant John Lewis warehouse in Reading, as the first part of a plan to build a total of 10,000 new homes over the next decade. Continue reading...

Enver Erdogan – Australia’s first parliamentarian of Kurdish descent – will join Natalie Suleyman on the frontbench for the first time

Sunak’s decision to reappoint home secretary raises concerns over how breaches of code are dealt with, say MPsRishi Sunak’s decision to reappoint Suella Braverman as UK home secretary sets a “dangerous precedent” for what should happen to ministers who are alleged to have broken the ministerial code, a Conservative-led committee of MPs has warned.The public administration and constitutional affairs committee released its latest report into government ethics on Friday, issuing a damning judgment on the government’s recent record in office. Continue reading...

Firefighters at 27 airports have decided not to strike next week. This blog is now closed

British oil giant had said it would ‘exit Russia’ but still owns nearly 20% of state-controlled fossil fuel firm RosneftThe chief economic adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has called on BP to exit Russia entirely after the fossil fuel firm was offered a £580m dividend by the oil giant Rosneft.Oleg Ustenko has written to BP’s chief executive, Bernard Looney, to demand the British company cuts ties with the state-controlled Russian firm nine months after announcing its intention to leave the country. Continue reading...

Increasing numbers of children cannot afford lunch and are coming to school without adequate clothesMore than half of school leaders in England are seeing more pupils who cannot afford a meal at lunchtime yet are not eligible for free school meals, according to a survey.Research by the Sutton Trust, an educational charity, found clear signs that the cost of living crisis was increasingly affecting young people’s education, with a growing number of pupils arriving at school tired, cold and hungry. Continue reading...

Prakash will remain in custody in Darwin before Australian federal police escort him to Melbourne to be charged with a range of offences

Hockeyroos, Kookaburras and wider community to benefit from world-class pitches at Perth centre after state government investment

If this week was an indication of the level of the debate, then Australia is in for a torrid time when the referendum process begins in earnest

Public Health Wales say severe symptoms extremely rare and it is unlikely other pupils will be affectedA primary school pupil has died after contracting invasive Strep A, Public Health Wales has confirmed.The authority said the child attended Victoria primary school in Penarth, four miles south of Cardiff, in the Vale of Glamorgan. Continue reading...

Labour expected to hold seat with new candidate after resignation of Chris MathesonPolls have closed in the City of Chester byelection as Rishi Sunak faces his first electoral test as prime minister.Labour is expected to hold the seat. It had a majority of 6,164 at the last election and polls had indicated a double-digit lead over the Conservatives in the expected share of the vote this time. A result is expected at about 3am. Continue reading...