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Travellers on flight from Los Angeles treated to an idyllic, if brief and unexpected Pacific holiday, but with a twist

Police believe the discovery of woman, 51, in Docklands is linked to the death of a 31-year-old woman found four days ago

From nuclear energy to sending weapons to Ukraine, Die Grünen embraced pragmatism in 2022. Can its politicians hold their nerve?Germany’s Green party once made its name campaigning against high military spending, nuclear power and dirty fossil fuels.Since taking office as part of Olaf Scholz’s three-party “traffic light” coalition government last December, however, Die Grünen have become the Bundestag’s most vocal advocates of supporting the Ukrainian resistance with heavy weapons. They have extended the running time of three nuclear power stations due to shut down at the end of the year, reactivated mothballed coal plants and built the country’s first terminals for importing fossil fuel in liquefied form. Continue reading...

Remains discovered wrapped in aluminium foil at Queretaro airport while being sent to South CarolinaFour human skulls were discovered inside a package at a Mexican airport that was due to be sent by courier to the United States, local authorities say.The skulls were found wrapped in aluminium foil inside a cardboard box at Queretaro intercontinental airport in central Mexico, the national guard said on Friday. Continue reading...

Ukrainian troops are either holding their positions or making small advances in Donbas, says Zelenskiy; Putin invites Xi to Moscow

Launches come five days after country reportedly flew drones into South Korea’s airspaceNorth Korea fired three ballistic missiles towards the sea east of the Korean Peninsula on Saturday, the South Korean military said.The launches were the latest in an unprecedented number of missile tests conducted by North Korea this year, as Pyongyang presses on with weapons development amid speculation it could test a nuclear weapon for a seventh time. Continue reading...

Prime minister’s new year message makes no mention of the chaos that has plagued the Tory party in 2022Rishi Sunak has blamed Covid and the Ukraine war for what he acknowledged had been a “tough” 12 months, and warned in a prime ministerial new year message that the country’s problems will not disappear in 2023.Often taking an openly party political stance, Sunak praised his government’s record and made no mention of the chaos within the Conservative party that contributed to 2022’s difficulties. Continue reading...

Roxanne Tickle claims she was unlawfully barred from using the app after the firm and its CEO said she was a man

Suit alleges ‘various acts of criminal sexual conduct’ were committed against teenager by singer over three-year periodA woman who says she had a sexual relationship with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler when she was 16 is suing him in California, under a state law that has temporarily extended the statute of limitations for adults to take legal action on sexual abuse they suffered as children.Julia Holcomb Misley, who has spoken out publicly for years about Tyler’s treatment of her as a teenager, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Tuesday alleging sexual battery, sexual assault and intentional infliction of distress during a three-year period in the 1970s. Continue reading...

Chris Bryant and Julian Lewis receive knighthoods while Michael Marmot gets Companion of HonourSir Michael Marmot, the world-leading expert on health inequalities, has been made a Companion of Honour in the new year honours, among a series of people to be rewarded despite their often outspoken criticism of ministers and government policy.Marmot, who headed a landmark inquiry into UK health inequalities and has since been vocal about the lack of action to address them, receives one of the most prestigious honours in existence. Continue reading...

Charity fundraisers and volunteers supporting refugees among those recognised for their contributionThe theme of public service is at the forefront of the new year honours list, with the majority of those receiving awards nominated for their work in their local communities.Tricia Ward-Jones, 69, from Shropshire, receives the British empire medal (BEM) after 17 years as a volunteer fundraiser for Promise Dreams, a charity based in Wolverhampton, which helps the families of children who are seriously or terminally ill create memories. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed, you can read more of our Russia-Ukraine war coverage hereDmytro Zhyvytskyi, the governor of Sumy region, which is in Ukraine’s north-east and borders Russia, has posted to Telegram to say that overnight three settlements in the area were fired on by Russia. He said details about the consequences were being clarified.Reuters has a quick snap to say that Ukraine’s air force has reported on Friday morning that Russia launched 16 so-called kamikaze drones overnight, and that Ukrainian air defences destroyed all of them. It added that the drones had been sent from the south-east and north. Continue reading...

Roman Abramovich’s fortune fell by 57% to $7.8bn, as the UK government froze more than £18bn of assets belonging to RussiansThe richest Russian oligarchs have lost almost $95bn this year amid strict sanctions imposed by western nations over the Ukraine war – shedding $330m a day since the Kremlin launched its invasion.Roman Abramovich, the former Chelsea FC owner, was the biggest loser, with his fortune falling by 57% to $7.8bn this year, according to the Bloomberg billionaires index. Continue reading...

Belfast shipbuilders famous for the Titanic suffer loss of revenues as it prepares for MoD contractHarland & Wolff has been hit by supply chain delays and order cuts worth at least £34m, in a blow for the owner of Belfast’s historic shipyard as it prepares to restart shipbuilding under a Ministry of Defence contract.The company said it will generate revenues of between £29m and £31m for 2022, significantly below the £65m-£75m it said it expected in September. Continue reading...

Many city workers heading home for holiday in late January are likely to take disease with themChina is preparing for another wave of Covid to hit its more vulnerable countryside in early 2023, as the current wave of infections overwhelms hospitals and intensive care units in many cities.The lunar new year, China’s most important holiday, falls in late January. It offers a chance of reunion after years of separation under the harsh internal travel restrictions and lockdowns of the previous zero-Covid policy. Continue reading...

Civic strike called in Santa Cruz on Friday after arrest of Luis Fernando Camacho on ‘terrorism’ chargeOutside the office of the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz, a powerful umbrella organisation in Bolivia’s biggest and richest region, hundreds of people – some in Dior sunglasses, others with makeshift riot shields – were screaming for immediate action after the arrest of Luis Fernando Camacho, the region’s governor and a prominent leader of the national opposition.After hours of deliberations, the committee announced a 24-hour civic strike on Friday, demanding Camacho’s release – with the implied threat of an indefinite strike that could cripple business and trade. Continue reading...

Spain joins Italy in requiring arrivals to show a negative result as Chinese state media calls move ‘discriminatory’European countries are preparing to scale up the monitoring of potential new coronavirus variants from China, as Spain becomes the second EU state to bring back mandatory testing at airports in response to Beijing’s rapid rollback of anti-infection measures.Spain on Friday followed Italy’s lead by requiring arrivals from China to show a negative test result, though unlike Rome it makes exceptions for those who can prove they are fully vaccinated. Continue reading...

Islanders will have to suspend accounts while in villa, as part of ITV show’s duty of care overhaulLove Island contestants will have to suspend their social media accounts during the next series to protect them from the “adverse effects of social media”.ITV will ask the islanders to make their accounts “dormant” while they are in the villa so nothing can be published on their behalf, as part of an overhaul of measures to discharge the duty of care to contestants. Continue reading...

Chaotic 2022 supplied us with resignations and U-turns aplenty, as well as the remarkable Hancock propheciesWell. 2022 wasn’t exactly what we needed after nearly two years of intermittent lockdowns and continuing health anxieties during the Covid pandemic. What we could have done with was something soothing. Something calming, to give us all time to ease back into our normal lives. Last December I wrote my predictions for the coming year. I suggested that Boris Johnson would be kicked out of No 10 by the early summer and that Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss would emerge as the two frontrunners to become prime minister. I even said that Truss would go on to win as the Tory party were hellbent on proving they had a sense of humour. Satire rewriting itself as history.Only I was far too cautious. I never dreamed that Truss would only last a few weeks and that the man the party didn’t want would become the MPs’ new champion. Or that the economy would be the second worst performing in the G20. Or that British politics would reveal itself to be terminally dysfunctional. So this year I am going to skip the predictions. Safe in the knowledge that 2023 will almost certainly be far, far worse than anything you can imagine. Instead, let’s reflect back on the past 12 months. Continue reading...

Outgoing commissioner says justice secretary expected her to be his ‘puppet on a string’The role of a victims’ champion in England and Wales has been “deceptively and deliberately” undermined, leaving people affected by crime voiceless in the corridors of power, the outgoing victims’ commissioner has said.In her first major interview since stepping down from the role in September, Dame Vera Baird accused the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, of seeking a “puppet on a string” while he undermined the rights of victims with his proposed bill of rights. Continue reading...

NHS England medical director urges people to have vaccinations against Covid and flu to minimise ‘twindemic’The NHS is facing an ongoing surge in flu cases, with the number of patients in hospital in England up nearly 80% in the past week.According to figures published on Friday, 3,746 people a day were hospitalised with flu in the seven days to 25 December, up from 2,088 a day in the week before, an increase of 79.4%. Continue reading...

Sinn Féin leader said he would have faced ‘serious dilemma’ if he knew, according to declassified documentsGerry Adams would not have stopped the IRA bombing of the London Docklands in 1996 if he had known about it in advance, according to declassified documents.The then Sinn Féin leader told Irish officials that even with advanced knowledge of the blast, he would not have intervened. Continue reading...

Tributes paid as police say two people arrested in connection with killing outside pub have been releasedThe family of a woman shot outside a pub in Merseyside on Christmas Eve have paid tribute to “the most beautiful and bright star out there”.No one has yet been charged with the murder of Elle Edwards, who was shot dead at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, on Saturday. Continue reading...

This is what became of prime movers Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings, Nigel Farage, Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore• UK ministers pledged to match EU spending after Brexit. How’s that going?These five “bad boys” were the loudest voices behind Brexit, but they’ve all gone pretty quiet since then – what has become of them since? Continue reading...

Speaking to Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus on Radio 4, Martin Österdahl says contest is about ‘uniting through music’The Eurovision chief has said Russia’s ongoing ban from the international song contest has been hard but the event should stand for “the basic and ultimate values of democracy”.Russia was banned from competing in the Eurovision song contest in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s national broadcasters subsequently suspended their memberships of the European Broadcasting Union, which organises the show, preventing them from taking part in future contests. Continue reading...

Based on a British variety sketch, comedy is traditionally shown at new year across swathes of mainland EuropeA British music hall sketch that has sunk into obscurity in its country of origin but is an indispensable New Year’s Eve ritual in swathes of continental Europe will be given a new lease of life, after the German production powerhouse UFA announced this week it would start filming a six-part prequel next year.Originally scripted by the variety playwright Lauri Wylie and first performed in English music halls in the 1920s, Dinner for One was recorded as a black-and-white film for German television in the early 60s, it has been a staple of New Year’s Eve television schedules in countries also including Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland and Sweden for at least 50 years. Continue reading...

Figure worse than predicted and head of industry body expects ‘more business failures’ in early 2023The rail strikes have had a worse impact on the UK’s hospitality industry than expected – costing bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels £1.5bn in December alone – according to the head of the body representing the sector.Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality, said this had contributed to a “perfect storm” for businesses battling high energy bills and a cost of living crisis, adding this meant “undoubtedly we will see more business failures” in the next three months. Continue reading...

Soldiers’ boots are made from imported Indian leather as country’s trade with Russia soars by 400%Indian companies have been accused of enabling Russia’s war effort after exporting leather to Russian companies that make boots for its military in the months since the invasion of Ukraine.Russia and India have longstanding ties and Narendra Modi’s government has not joined western countries in openly criticising Moscow over the war nor stopped Indian companies trading with Russia. Continue reading...

Labour government received bid to relocate controversial London building before it was rebranded as the O2The “Swindon Dome” does have a ring to it.It has emerged Tony Blair’s government received a proposition to move the Millennium Dome – later redeveloped and rebranded as the O2 – to Swindon. Continue reading...

The Brazilian star makes the front pages of newspapers around the world on Friday, as they mourn a legend of the game

Nobel laureate found guilty of corruption as rights groups say array of charges fabricated to keep her detainedIn the last of a long list of closed trials that have spanned over a year, a military-controlled court in Myanmar has sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to an additional seven years of prison time.She was found guilty on five charges of corruption pertaining to the misuse of state funds for the purchase and lease of a helicopter. Continue reading...

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Pritzker prize winner who combined Asian and western influences said postwar ruins of Japan stayed with him in his workPritzker-winning Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, known for his avant garde style and category-defying works, has died at the age of 91, his office says.Isozaki died of old age at his home in Okinawa on Wednesday, with the funeral to be attended only by his close family, the office said in a statement on Friday. Continue reading...

Notes from 2002 record John Reid saying there was a potential ‘coalition’ trying to frustrate peace process in Northern IrelandThe Northern Ireland secretary in mid-2002 told a cabinet meeting that “elements in the security services” were part of a potential “coalition” trying to frustrate the peace process.John Reid was briefing fellow ministers a day after Tony Blair had told MPs that the IRA’s ceasefire was not enough. Continue reading...

Aide’s suggestion of ‘accuracy’ regulations for press was dismissed as ‘probably suicidal to try’Tony Blair’s government struggled to control a “juvenile” media as cabinet ministers failed to “do message”, often “kiboshing” each other’s announcements, previously secret documents reveal.A despairing Alastair Campbell, Blair’s press secretary, told him the basic lack of professionalism of ministers in dealing with media interviews was “beyond a joke”. Continue reading...

Measures, including a maximum of 10 years for car theft, condemned by rights and legal reform advocates

Halifax data shows the cathedral city bucking wider trend of stalling house price growth to shoot up by 23%In a year of rising interest rates, and with stalling house price growth, it was the cathedral city of York that bucked the trend and recorded the strongest house price rises in England and Wales, new figures reveal.Over the past year, house prices in the city have grown by 23.1%, or £69,648 on average, according to Halifax. Continue reading...

Swedish government thought to be reluctant to alienate far-right Sweden DemocratsHopes of a breakthrough in EU policy on migration have receded as Sweden’s government – supported by the far right for the first time – takes charge of the bloc’s rotating presidency on 1 January.The EU has been deadlocked over plans to share the management of asylum seekers since the arrival of 1.3 million refugees in 2015 triggered a political crisis. The latest proposals, dating from September 2020, abandoned the idea of mandatory refugee quotas for member states, but they have been making slow progress through the EU council of ministers, the key decision-making chamber. Continue reading...

Arts minister Tony Burke reveals policy that will also put ‘First Nations first’ and ensure artists get more ‘fair remuneration’

Passengers should use a 24-hour hotline to report cabbies who refuse to turn on meters, David Elliott says

Freedom of Information request reportedly reveals that at least 1,837 recruits have already quitMore than 1,800 police officers recruited under Boris Johnson’s manifesto pledge to increase numbers have reportedly already resigned.Johnson had promised to add 20,000 police officers to forces in England and Wales by March 2023 in an attempt to address the austerity cuts introduced by his Conservative predecessors. Continue reading...

Files show Downing Street felt former South African leader’s attempt to mediate was ‘unlikely to be helpful’Downing Street believed Nelson Mandela’s attempt to play mediator between it and the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over the question of compensation after the Lockerbie bombing was “unlikely to be helpful”, documents reveal.But despite misgivings, No 10 aides did not rule out using Mandela “back against [Gaddafi] if Libya rejected a reasonable offer”, the documents released by the National Archives in the UK show. Continue reading...

Sara Khadem and family plan to set up residence in an unnamed Spanish city, according to reportsOne of Iran’s top-ranked female chess players is reportedly planning to settle in Spain after photographs emerged of her taking part in an international tournament without a headscarf.Sara Khadem, ranked 804 in the world and 10th in her home country, was not planning to return to Iran after the tournament due to fear of reprisals, two sources told Spanish newspaper El País. Continue reading...

Ministers refusing to negotiate on wages say they must follow official review bodies – but who sits on these boards and how accountable are they?As we head towards the new year, striking workers are squaring up for a long battle with the government. Increasingly under the spotlight in these disputes are the nine independent review bodies that make recommendations on how much to pay 2.5 million staff across the public sector, from prison officers to teachers.Ministers have refused to negotiate on pay, saying they must follow the official recommendations. Continue reading...

Arab citizens and LGBTQ+ community fear return of veteran leader will damage democracyIsrael’s most rightwing cabinet ever has been sworn in, with Benjamin Netanyahu heading an administration that could open the door to fervently nationalist and religious politicians to radicalise the country and policies towards the Palestinians.Israeli liberals fear the veteran leader’s return to power in alliance with anti-Arab, ultranationalist and ultraorthodox parties will damage democratic aspects of the country’s governance. Arab citizens and the country’s LGBTQ+ community are both alarmed at what may be in store. Continue reading...

Colony cages are larger but animal welfare campaigners say the birds are still not able to behave naturallyBattery cages for layer hens will become illegal in New Zealand from 2023 but animal welfare campaigners are urging the government to scrap the replacement colony cages, which they say are just as bad.The plan to ban battery cages has been 10 years in the making – in 2012, the previous National party government committed to phasing them out by 1 January 2023. Continue reading...

After Boris Johnson took political patronage to new levels by his appointments, Labour sees public mood is ripe for radical reform

Exclusive: 27 members of House of Lords have donated almost £50m in total to Conservatives

Attacks targeting infrastructure across country come as Moscow rejects Ukrainian peace plan