World news | The Guardian

Beijing lodges formal complaint with US embassy as Washington throws criticism back at ChinaThe diplomatic row has escalated over the Chinese high-altitude balloon that flew across the US before being shot down, as the first wreckage was salvaged off the Atlantic coast.Beijing on Monday accused the US of “overreaction” and the “indiscriminate use of military force” in shooting down a Chinese balloon, warning of damage to bilateral relations. Continue reading...

Researchers say couples need not get along to benefit, and social isolation may increase type 2 diabetes riskPeople who cohabit with a partner have lower blood sugar levels, even if they do not get along with them, according to a study that warns social isolation may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.The researchers believe that living with someone is an important source of social support for adults in mid to later life, according to the study published in the British Medical Journal’s diabetes journal. They found the effects were the same regardless of whether the relationship was harmonious or acrimonious. Continue reading...

Party wants to shift MoD procurement to ‘urgent operational footing’ with stockpiles depleted by gifts of military aid to UkraineLabour will seek to shift defence procurement to an “urgent operational footing” to help buy fresh arms for Ukraine and replenish stockpiles depleted by previous gifts of military aid if it wins the next election.The opposition party believes it has taken too long for the Ministry of Defence to buy fresh munitions, citing a near year-long wait to agree a contract to replace the 4,000-plus Nlaw anti-tank bazookas sent to Kyiv before and in the early stages of the war. Continue reading...

Dozens of countries offer help as rescue workers and residents frantically search for survivors after devastating 7.8-magnitude tremor

GMB’s Rachel Harrison says staff will not be ‘fobbed off’ by PM ‘kicking the can’ into next year’s pay roundA health union leader has described Rishi Sunak as deluded for suggesting NHS staff should abandon their campaign to secure a bigger pay rise this year.The GMB’s national secretary, Rachel Harrison, made the remark in response to Downing Street’s insistence that it would not talk about improving the £1,400 pay award for frontline personnel for 2022/23 even though it has triggered the wave of NHS strikes. Continue reading...

Donetsk governor says Russian forces throwing new troops at frontline; António Guterres says ‘prospects for peace keep diminishing’. This live blog is now closed

Two powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria within 12 hours on Monday, killing at least 2,600 people, with death toll expected to rise

Police were under pressure not to send more cases to courts at time of attack a year before Plymouth shootingThe decision to not refer Jake Davison’s assault of two teenagers to the Crown Prosecution Service a year before he shot dead five people in Plymouth was wrong and posed a danger to the public, a detective has admitted.DS Edward Bagshaw said a case should have been sent to the CPS for it to consider charging him with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and battery. But the police were under pressure not to send more cases to the courts, which were struggling to deal with backlogs caused by the pandemic, and instead he was put through a restorative justice programme. Continue reading...

Senior judge makes ruling covering England and Wales amid concerns over vulnerable customersMagistrates have been ordered to stop issuing warrants allowing energy firms to force fit prepayment meters in England and Wales.One of the country’s most senior judges, Lord Justice Edis, has told the courts to halt the authorisation of warrants amid concerns over vulnerable customers. Continue reading...

Five are suspected of exploiting Indian students working at homes, after concerns were raised via helplineFive people suspected of recruiting and exploiting vulnerable Indian students who worked in care homes across north Wales have been handed slavery and trafficking risk orders (STRO).An investigation was launched by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) after concerns were raised about the workers’ appearance, with reports they always appeared to be hungry. Continue reading...

Court hears details of ordeal endured by victims of former Met police officer who carried out catalogue of ‘brutal sexual offending’

RCN says hundreds of thousands of nurses are striking, with ambulance workers also taking actionA union leader has accused the government of choosing to “punish” nurses after a health minister insisted there would be no re-examination of NHS pay for this year, as the health service in England faces what is expected to be the biggest strike in its history.The industrial action on Monday is the first time NHS nurses and ambulance staff in England have stopped work simultaneously, amid an ongoing dispute over pay and staffing. Continue reading...

Assault on Aqabat Jabr refugee camp comes as escalating violence sparks fears of a third intifadaIsraeli forces say they have killed several armed fighters during an army raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, the latest violence in a period of escalating tensions that has sparked fears of a third intifada, or Palestinian uprising.A statement from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday morning said “a number of armed assailants were killed after firing toward IDF soldiers who were operating in the area” overnight. Israeli media, citing Palestinian sources, put the number of dead at seven. The Palestinian health ministry did not give any details of deaths, saying that three people had been hospitalised after being shot by Israeli forces. Continue reading...

Ally of Robert Buckland says Raab used ‘heavy-handed tactics’ in discussions over British bill of rightsRobert Buckland has confirmed that he and Dominic Raab had “a disagreement” when they were both in cabinet, after it was reported Raab tried to get Buckland sacked as Welsh secretary last year amid a fallout over policy.An unnamed ally of Buckland told the Times that while the former minister did not view Raab’s actions as bullying, Raab’s approach after Buckland publicly criticised plans for a British bill of rights was “very odd, very punchy”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: many struggling with ‘toxic’ workload, safety fears and vicarious trauma from helping desperate constituentsStaff working for MPs face similar levels of psychological distress as frontline NHS workers, a survey has found, amid a “toxic” workload and fears for their safety.A study of 315 parliamentary workers, the largest of its kind, found many were struggling with the vicarious trauma of helping desperate people in a worsening cost of living crisis.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Data collected by the state coroners court shows 756 suicides occurred in Victoria in 2022, up 9% from 2021

Don Farrell will fly to Beijing in the ‘near future’ amid a thawing of diplomatic relations with Australia’s largest trading partner

President’s centrist group is without a majority as parliament begins debating proposal to raise retirement age to 64As hundreds of thousands of people prepare to protest again this week against Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plan to raise the pension age to 64, the French president’s domestic standing is at stake.Macron, who came to power in 2017 promising a pro-business transformation of France to cut taxes and overhaul the social model and welfare system, has for months been under pressure to give some impetus to his second term in office. Continue reading...

The singer took home four awards in a night that also saw major wins for Kendrick Lamar, Adele and Harry StylesBeyoncé has become the most awarded artist in Grammys history during a historic evening in Los Angeles.The singer, who was a late arrival at the ceremony after being stuck in traffic, won for best R&B song, best dance/electronic recording, best dance/electronic album and best traditional R&B performance. She has now won 32 Grammy awards. Continue reading...

Gamblers will be able to set their own loss limits, which will only be able to be changed once a week

A tropical low forming near Vanuatu is expected to move west towards Mackay, but is not currently forecast to make landfall

Recovery of the wreckage could give the United States insight into China’s spying capabilities, officials sayThe US military said it is searching for remnants of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down, in a dramatic spy saga that has further strained American-Chinese relations.The US navy is working to recover the balloon and its payload and the coast guard is providing security for the operation, general Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American aerospace defence command and US northern command said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Committee says former minister Stuart Ayres showed ‘poor judgment’ during ‘flawed’ process

Anthony Albanese ‘very hopeful’ laws can be quickly introduced after successful referendum and says body’s advice would be ‘available for all’

The 65th annual Grammy awards has already seen wins for Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar, Steve Lacy and Beyoncé

Emma Pattison and family found at prestigious Surrey independent school early on Sunday morningThe headteacher of a prestigious private school in Surrey has been found dead alongside her husband and daughter.Emma Pattison, the head of Epsom College, was found at the school along with her husband, George, 39, and seven-year-old Lettie on Sunday morning. Continue reading...

‘There’s a real compounding perfect storm of factors right now that could increase the risks,’ lead researcher says

Head of president’s parliamentary bloc seems to confirm reshuffle of Oleksii Reznikov as Russians close in on BakhmutUkraine’s defence minister, under pressure from a corruption scandal, is to be reshuffled into another government job as Russian forces close in on Bakhmut amid heavy fighting, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has announced.The position of Oleksii Reznikov, one of Ukraine’s better-known figures internationally, has been under threat after it emerged the defence ministry paid twice or three times the supermarket price of food to supply troops on the frontline. Continue reading...

Police warn about social media speculation over missing woman as new images released from the morning she disappearedPolice searching for Nicola Bulley have condemned elements of social media speculation as family friends hit out at “vile” theories being posted online, and new images of the 45-year-old on the morning she disappeared were released.The search for the mother-of-two entered its second week with police continuing to pursue the theory that Bulley fell into the river while walking her dog in the Lancashire village of St Michael’s on Wyre. Continue reading...

Nikos Christodoulides emerges as frontrunner and will face Andreas Mavroyiannis in vote next SundayThe race to become the eighth president of Cyprus will extend into a second week after the Mediterranean island’s former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides emerged as the frontrunner but failed to gain enough support to win outright.The 49-year-old independent will face Andreas Mavroyiannis, a veteran career diplomat backed by the leftist Akel party, in a runoff on 12 February. Continue reading...

University asks home secretary to intervene in move that would deprive him of scholarship and teaching rolesA Chevening academic will be forced to give up a doctorate, a scholarship and teaching roles under Home Office plans to uproot Afghan refugees from London and move them to hotel rooms in Yorkshire, a university has said.Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has been asked by the university’s provost to intervene after Ahmad, a PhD student in engineering, and his young family were told to relocate 200 miles away to Wetherby near Leeds. Continue reading...

Cate Blanchett wins actress of the year while Banshees picks up three acting awards, including actor of the year for Colin FarrellClassical music drama Tár and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin has won the main prizes at the the London Critics’ Circle film awards. The former, starring Cate Blanchett as conductor Lydia Tár, took three awards, including film of the year, while Banshees, written and directed by McDonagh, led the awards count with five, including British/Irish film of the year.Tár, which has sparked much comment over its controversial central character, picked up actress of the year for Blanchett, who is the red-hot favourite to win best actress at the Academy awards in March, as well as director of the year for Todd Field. Continue reading...

Stephen Flynn’s comments contrast with view of Westminster colleague Alyn Smith who said rebels should quit the partyScottish National party politicians’ opposition to gender recognition reform should be “respected like any other conscience issue”, according to its new Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn.Discussing the issue that has convulsed the SNP since he was elected Westminster group leader in December, the Aberdeen South MP said: “Ultimately, they are a member of the Scottish National Party just as much as I am”. Continue reading...

Government declines to act on call for legal duty of care for all students after death of Natasha Abrahart in 2018The parents of Natasha Abrahart, who took her own life while studying at the University of Bristol, have reacted with “absolute horror” to the government’s response to their petition calling for a statutory legal duty of care for all students in higher education.The Abraharts are one of 25 bereaved families who helped launch a parliamentary petition last October, calling on ministers to pass legislation to better protect students and arguing that their mental health, safety and wellbeing should be a government priority. Continue reading...

DfT also says bids for new £200m funding pot for England could include plans for better school routes and inclusive street designsCouncil bids for a £200m funding pot to boost walking and cycling must “take women’s safety into account”, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).A 2021 Office for National Statistics study showed half of women felt unsafe walking after dark in a quiet street near their home. Continue reading...

Was Beijing trying to sabotage talks with the US, monitor the speed of its military response, or just test Joe Biden’s mettle?Now the Chinese balloon has been brought down in a puff of smoke and debris by a US air-launched missile, after perplexing Washington with its three-day odyssey over the continental United States, the question is: what was it all for?Once the balloon was spotted, Beijing claimed it was a weather observation airship that had been blown off course, drawing a snort of derision from the Pentagon, which said the balloon was able to manoeuvre and had made some deliberate turns, bringing it at one point over Montana, home of some of the US arsenal of silo-based nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Continue reading...

Publisher says staff is ‘dispirited’ and that readers and fans feel let down as ticket prices went as high as $4,000-$5,000 for showsA leading Bruce Springsteen fanzine has announced that it will close after 43 years, citing among other reasons unchecked ticket price hikes the editors say many fans can no longer afford.In a letter to readers, Christopher Phillips, publisher and editor-in-chief of Backstreets magazine, said staff had been “dispirited, downhearted, and, yes, disillusioned” since tickets for 2023 shows by Springsteen, a singer known for his loyalty to his blue collar roots in New Jersey, went on sale last summer. Continue reading...

Former PM not trying to keep a low profile, but former allies have their own ambitions and few would risk a returnLiz Truss has been a looming presence in Westminster ever since her time in No 10 was cut short with the UK on the precipice of economic meltdown.Unlike her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, who has barely been sighted, Truss has not hidden away from Westminster and is seen frequently strolling through the atrium of Portcullis House and lunching in popular SW1 restaurants, including at the newly opened Old Queen Street Cafe, which is owned by the website Unherd. Continue reading...

Arming Ukraine is swiftest path to peace, says UK foreign secretary; Ukraine warns of renewed Russian offensive this month

More than 1,100 workers who were left destitute to be compensated by owner of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin KleinMore than 1,100 garment workers in Haiti are sharing $1m (£830,000) in compensation from the owner of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein after being left destitute by the closure of a factory.PVH, which was one of several brand owners sourcing from the Vald’or factory in the Caribbean country, agreed to pay the sum to cover missed severance pay, pension contributions directly to workers and the government pension fund after involvement by the Worker Rights Consortium lobby group. Continue reading...

Officials locked in talks with tech firm’s Japanese owner, SoftBank, according to Sunday Times reportThe City watchdog is considering easing rules in an attempt to win the $40bn (£34bn) listing of Cambridge-based technology firm Arm Holdings, it has been reported.Officials are said to be locked in talks in a last-ditch attempt to persuade the semiconductor chip-maker’s Japanese owner SoftBank to consider a dual listing on the London Stock Exchange alongside New York’s Nasdaq technology market, according to the Sunday Times. Continue reading...

Sixty-six people hurt and 1,500 seeking refuge in shelters after 800 homes were destroyedRecord summer temperatures of more than 40C (104F) are hampering efforts to tackle dozens of wildfires across central Chile that have killed at least 23 people, destroyed 800 homes and prompted the declaration of a state of emergency in three regions.Sixty-six people have been hurt in the fires, while almost 1,500 others are seeking refuge in shelters, according to an update on Sunday from the national forestry agency, Conaf. The state body said 87 fires were being still fought and 148 had been brought under control. Continue reading...

Former governor general and archbishop of Brisbane expected to have fate in Anglican church decided in hearing due to begin on Monday

Push by parliamentary MPs to take up IHRA interpretation has been criticised as an ‘outright attack on academic freedom’

HM inspector of constabulary Matt Parr says entrants include those with links to criminality, and misogynistsOfficers with prior convictions and close links with criminals are among hundreds who have joined the police in the last three years who should not have been allowed in, according to the head of the police watchdog.HM inspector of constabulary Matt Parr also said that there was a real problem with misogyny within the police that had to be tackled, adding that most, if not all, serving female police officers had had to endure sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour from fellow officers. “The culture of misogyny within policing is something that is there, it’s real and it has absolutely got to be dealt with,” he said. Continue reading...

Police still looking for Jericho Labonte of British Columbia after he was released from hospital after ‘odd 48 hours’A man saved by a US coast guard rescue swimmer at the mouth of the Columbia river as a massive wave rolled the yacht he was piloting on Friday was wanted for a bizarre incident in which police said he left a dead fish at the Astoria, Oregon, home featured in the classic 1985 film, The Goonies.Officers had been looking for the man since Wednesday, when an acquaintance alerted them to a video he posted on social media of himself leaving the fish at the house and then dancing around the property, said the Astoria police chief, Stacy Kelly. Continue reading...

Naftali Bennett says Putin also dropped vow to seek disarmament of Ukraine and Zelenskiy agreed to give up on joining Nato

More than 100 people fall ill after eating tortilla de patatas dish at well-known Madrid restaurantSpaniards with a taste for oozing, fleetingly cooked tortilla de patatas have been urged to take care after more than 100 people fell ill with suspected salmonella poisoning from eating the famous egg and potato omelettes at a well-known restaurant in Madrid.So far, 101 people have become ill – 13 of whom have required hospital treatment – after eating at Casa Dani, a longstanding gastronomic institution in the Spanish capital. Continue reading...

Sharon Graham accuses Grant Shapps over ambulance cover remarks and says PM and Steven Barclay not engaging in pay talksThe Unite union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, has accused the government of lying about the state of NHS strike negotiations and said no talks on pay were happening “at any level”.Other unions, including Unison and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), have said the government has not made any further moves towards ending industrial action since talks in early January. Continue reading...

Woman tells how people-smugglers launched three children, aged 14, nine and five, on dinghy and left her behindThe mother of three Eritrean children seeking asylum, who were forced to cross the Channel from northern France in a dinghy without her after smugglers separated the family, has arrived in the UK and is desperate to reunite with her children.The woman, 31, was staying in northern France with her children in December last year, hoping to reach the UK. She paid smugglers for places on a dinghy for herself and the children, a boy aged 14 and two girls aged nine and five, to cross the Channel on 16 December. Continue reading...