World news | The Guardian

Move aims to tackle US's chronic obesity problem, but poses a challenge to Trump's incoming administrationThe Biden administration is proposing to make miracle" weight loss drugs free for low-income people and retirees, in a move aimed at tackling America's chronic obesity problem but which throws down a gauntlet to the incoming president, Donald Trump.The proposal, unveiled on Tuesday, would see expensive drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound covered by Medicaid and Medicare, the federal government programs for the poor and the elderly. Continue reading...

Airstrikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon some of the war's heaviest to date, killing at least three people

Ofwat CEO says rules must be changed so that customers left without water get compensation automaticallyWater companies in England are using loopholes in order to not pay people who are left for days without running water, the CEO of the regulator has said.Tens of thousands of homes across the country have been left without water for days this year as ageing pipes burst. Continue reading...

Moscow says it is preparing measures after Ukraine twice fired Atacms missiles into the Kursk region in past three daysClin Georgescu, a Moscow-friendly independent candidate with a nationalist background, has taken a surprise lead in the first round of Romania's presidential election.As my colleague Jon Henley notes in this report, with 99.98% of votes counted, Georgescu, who has praised Vladimir Putin as a man who loves his country", was on 22.9%, with the reformist Elena Lasconi, of the Save Romania Union (USR), second on 19.17%. Continue reading...

PRA and FCA propose changes to bonus deferrals in bid to drive growth and improve UK competitiveness

Spending shortfall has seen 500 of 2,000 new protection projects abandoned despite growing severity of disastersStorm Bert brought devastating flooding to the UK this week, taking lives and destroying homes and businesses, in what has become a frequent occurrence during autumns and winters.Climate breakdown is making these extreme weather events more probable. Extreme rainfall is more common and more intense because of human-caused global heating across most of the world, and particularly in Europe. This is because warmer air can hold more water vapour, and flooding has become more frequent and severe as a result. But floods are also hitting communities with more intensity because of inadequate, underfunded flood defences. Continue reading...

Moscow is pushing hard on eastern frontline amid uncertainty as to how Trump taking office will affect war

John Tinniswood, born in 1912 and the oldest surviving male second world war veteran, died surrounded by love'John Tinniswood, the world's oldest living man, has died at his care home on Merseyside surrounded by music and love", his family said. He was 112.The former accountant was born on 26 August 1912, the same year that the Titanic sank; the year the character Tarzan first appeared and the doomed Polar explorer Captain Robert Scott wrote his last lines: It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more - R. Scott - For God's sake look after our people." Continue reading...

Security service accuses diplomat of reconnaisance and subversive activities' amid rising tension

Exclusive: president-elect's team planning for background checks to occur only after administration takes over bureauDonald Trump's transition team is planning for all cabinet picks to receive sweeping security clearances from the president-elect and only face FBI background checks after the incoming administration takes over the bureau and its own officials are installed in key positions, according to people familiar with the matter.The move appears to mean that Trump's team will continue to skirt FBI vetting and may not receive classified briefings until Trump is sworn in on 20 January and unilaterally grant sweeping security clearances across the administration. Continue reading...

Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, a former lord chief justice, says details of the legal process have not been worked outA former lord chief justice has warned that assisted dying could have a major impact on the court system, saying no one has grappled with the detail" of the impact of the legislation on family courts.Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who held the role between 2013 and 2017, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the process of the assisted dying requests coming before the courts needed working out precisely." Continue reading...

Girl, 17, given community service and driving suspension in state's first use of Sophie's Law

Michelle Rowland tells Labor party room platforms like Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit and X cannot compel people to submit personal documents

The 79-year-old pop veteran, fresh from UK No 1 album this year, will follow in the footsteps of Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie in much-loved Sunday teatime slotGlastonbury festival has announced its first act for 2025, with Rod Stewart booked to perform on the Pyramid stage in the Sunday teatime legends" slot.Stewart said he was proud and ready" to play at the festival, adding that - at the age of 79 - he was more than able to pleasure and titillate" the crowd. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Dual national understood to be in stable condition after tragedy which has claimed six lives

IDF would withdraw entirely from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah pull back its heavy weapons under agreementIsrael's security cabinet is due to meet on Tuesday to decide on a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon after more than a year of fighting between Israeli forces and the Shia militia Hezbollah.Under the deal being considered, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would reportedly withdraw entirely from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah would pull its heavy weapons north of the Litani River, about 16 miles (25km) north of the Israeli border, and the Lebanese army would move in to provide security in the border zone alongside an existing UN peacekeeping force, during an initial 60-day transition phase. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Victorian Greens confident of retaining inner Melbourne seat as former MP absolutely disputes' claims by intern

Risk of blackouts has receded in Sydney, while a WA bushfire has prompted emergency evacuation in parts of Shire of Dandaragan

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Thaw to continue despite points of contention over territory disputes in south-east Asia, Taiwan, China's ties to Russia and human rights abuses

Northern Territory domestic homicide rate seven times the national rate, with systemic failings contributing to deaths, coroner's report finds

Andrews-era reforms to be introduced in state parliament on Tuesday will cap load-up to $100, $400 less than in New South Wales

Detectives investigate death of two-year-old girl in Innisfail, where temperatures peaked above 30C on Monday

But SQM research report warns that prices in other Australian capitals are likely to surge, depending on interest rates and population growth rates

Labor has been at pains to say people won't need digital ID or to hand over their passport - but there's nothing in legislation preventing it

Magistrate yet to decide if teenager will stand trial for murder after White, 70, died during an alleged carjacking outside a shopping centre at Redbank Plains

Police say men over 35 were targeted by alleged scammers in the Philippines, where more than 250 people have been arrested

Worrying evaporation' in skills among professionals meant to protect victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse, report saysSafeguarding agencies are failing to listen to children who have been sexually abused by family members with devastating consequences, amid a worrying evaporation" of skills among the professionals meant to protect them, a report has found.A review of the experiences of 193 children in England who were victims of sexual abuse by a family member found seven went on to commit suicide, while 14 more - including a seven-year-old - either attempted suicide or talked about killing themselves. Continue reading...

The Royal Ballet and Opera have created a new role, allowing Jones to drive development and new commissionsThe Royal Ballet and Opera today announces that Netia Jones has been appointed to the newly created position of associate director of The Royal Opera.Over the past two decades the British-born Jones has carved a career spanning opera, theatre, concerts and immersive installation projects as a director, designer and video artist. Recently she directed the Royal Opera's first ever virtual reality opera Current, Rising, and her staging - as director and designer - of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream for Garsington Opera this summer was hailed as stylish and very funny". Continue reading...

Ministers to announce sweeping changes to welfare and out-of-work support, aiming to get people off benefitsTeenagers will get skills training at the Premier League, Royal Shakespeare Company and Channel 4 as part of a government drive to get hundreds of thousands into jobs or education and make sure no young person is left behind".Some of Britain's biggest cultural and sporting institutions will provide work or training opportunities as part of a 45m trailblazer" scheme across eight English regions, including Liverpool, Tees Valley and the East Midlands. Continue reading...

Figures show rise in numbers unable to access legal aid lawyer, with knock-on implications for clearing backlogKeir Starmer's pledge to clear the asylum backlog is under threat because of a shortage of legal aid solicitors, experts have said.More than 54,000 people seeking asylum or appealing against a refusal in a tribunal in England and Wales this year - 57% of the total - were unable to access a legal aid lawyer, figures show. Continue reading...

President's holiday event for the birds as Trump plans to hammer America's democratic institutions come JanuaryThis is the way Biden world ends. Not with a bang but a gobble.Joe Biden, 82, once the defender of democracy and saviour of America's soul, is heading for the door, about to trade the nuclear codes for golf clubs and beach loungers. Power is as fickle as fame. Continue reading...

All Surinamese adults to receive payment from recently discovered oil and gas reserves - no one will be left behind'Suriname's president has announced a program of royalties for everyone" as the South American nation plans for a boon from recently discovered oil and gas reserves.Suriname and its neighbor Guyana, both former Dutch colonies, expect to make billions in the years to come from rich offshore crude deposits. Earlier this month, Guyana announced all adult citizens living at home and abroad would received a payout of around 370 as part of an effort to redistribute its oil wealth. Continue reading...

Office of Health Economics says it also found one in four receiving palliative care in England have unmet pain needs'An estimated 20 terminally ill people in the UK die in unrelieved pain each day, according to a study by the independent Office of Health Economics (OHE).According to its research, to be presented to MPs on Tuesday, one in four people receiving palliative care in England have unmet pain needs". The OHE said it used the most conservative of estimates [suggesting] the true number is likely to be much larger". Continue reading...

Rupert Soames urged government to water down workers' rights plans after a budget tough on business'The chair of the Confederation of British Industry, Rupert Soames, accused the government of treating employers as a cash cow" on Monday as he urged ministers to water down plans for workers' rights.It's been tough on business. In the budget, business has been the cash cow and it's been milked. Don't go and whack it," Soames warned at the CBI's annual conference in Westminster. Continue reading...

Tafakory's blend of reality and fiction is a compelling exploration of displacement, memory and resistance' according to the judging panelIranian artist Maryam Tafakory has won this year's Film London Jarman award, which recognises British excellence in the field of moving image.Tafakory took the 10,000 prize for her work, which combines found footage with the cinematic traditions of post-revolutionary Iran. Her 2020 film Irani Bag used a split-screen technique to show how handbags were often deployed in films as stand-ins for human touch. The censorship of intimacy is a theme through Tafakory's work - from the abstract, non-linear narrative film Nazarbazi (2022) to the following year's Mast-del, which explored a forbidden relationship between two women. Continue reading...

Sea Story was on diving trip with 31 tourists and 14 crew when it sent distress signalTwo Britons are reported to be among 16 people missing after a tourist boat on a diving trip capsized in the Red Sea.The Sea Story was carrying 30 tourists from several countries and 14 crew when it sent a distress signal at 5.30am local time (0330 GMT), according to Egypt's Red Sea governorate. Continue reading...

Hundreds of properties flooded and Welsh town hit by landslip as major incident declared in NorthamptonshireForecasters, environment officials and politicians have been strongly criticised over the warnings issued before Storm Bert and the fitness of flood defences to cope with increasingly common extreme weather.A huge clear-up is under way across swathes of Wales and England, with hundreds of properties flooded and a former Welsh mining town hit by a landslip from a coal tip, leaving buildings deep in sludge and mud. Continue reading...

Inquiry hears Alison Kelly was told in 2016 about Letby link to rise in baby deaths at the Countess of Chester hospitalA hospital executive has denied being too slow" to act over concerns that Lucy Letby could be harming babies but admitted she failed to treat it as a safeguarding issue.Alison Kelly, the executive lead for safeguarding children at the Countess of Chester hospital, was told by senior doctors in May 2016 that Letby was linked to an increase in baby deaths on the neonatal unit. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary offers support for James Scott Rhys Anderson, who was fighting for Ukraine reportedly in KurskThe UK government has promised to do all it can to assist a former British soldier fighting for Ukraine who has been taken prisoner by the Russian army.Two videos of a man who identified himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson surfaced on Russian Telegram channels over the weekend. They featured interrogation of a bearded man in military fatigues, who had his hands tied and spoke slowly in English to give details from his biography, including that he served as a signalman in the British army between 2019 and 2023. Anderson is 22, according to the date of birth he gave in the video. Continue reading...

Annalena Baerbock raises possibility of hybrid incident' after cargo plane crash in Vilnius kills one and injures threeThe fatal crash of a DHL cargo plane as approached Vilnius airport could have been the result of sabotage or an accident, Germany's foreign minister has said.A Spanish crew member was killed and three others injured when the German plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital on Monday. Continue reading...

Steve Reed has criticised previous administration and promised 2.4bn to improve facilities

Leonardo Leo, rightwing billionaire who helped install conservative justices, outlines second term ambitionsLeonard Leo, who financed and directed the rightwing takeover of the US supreme court, admitted he wants to crush liberal dominance" across American society.I want to crush liberal dominance," the dark money impresario told NPR, in an interview published three weeks after Donald Trump's stunning election win. Continue reading...

The UK-based Hungarian Roma documentary photographer Bela Varadi spent months photographing the life of blood plasma donors after he realised several old friends saw payment for plasma donation as a way of getting byIn the rust belt of north-eastern Hungary, a new economy is thriving - one built on human blood. Private companies have found a way to profit from the desperation of the region's most marginalised population, the Gypsies. For many, the act of donating blood plasma has become a lifeline, a grim means of survival in a landscape of chronic unemployment and deprivation.Miskolc, Hungary. One man prepares for plasma donation, while the other shows his bandaged arm Continue reading...

Officers say girl was in vehicle in Ladbroke Grove with parents and younger sibling when gunman opened fireAn eight-year-old girl injured in a double shooting in west London was in a car with her parents and two-year-old sibling when a gunman opened fire, police have revealed.Her 34-year-old father was left with potentially life-changing injuries and the girl was having surgery on Monday but was in a stable condition, the Metropolitan police said. The pair were hurt in Southern Row, Ladbroke Grove, west London, just after 5.30pm on Sunday. Continue reading...

Amount of physical attacks, threats or sexual violence described as invisible epidemic' as reporting remains lowEvery third woman across the EU has experienced physical violence, including threats, or sexual violence, a survey has revealed, in what one official described as an invisible epidemic".The findings released on Monday are based on responses from women aged 18 to 74 from across the EU's 27 member states. Continue reading...

Vehicle drove water into businesses in Tenbury Wells, which local people say smashed windows and opened doorsPolice are investigating after a tractor drove through a flooded high street in Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire, triggering a wave of water that hit local businesses, smashing windows and knocking doors open.West Mercia police said they were aware of videos on social media showing the tractor driving through the flood water and that they were investigating. Continue reading...

CVC and France's Groupe TF1 among potential suitors amid interest in Studios production arm, says report

Campaigners say psychometric tests are discriminatory amid protests over case of Keira Alexandra KronvoldDenmark is under pressure to stop subjecting Greenlandic people to parenting competency" tests that campaigners say discriminate against them, amid uproar over the case of a mother whose baby was removed two hours after she gave birth.The psychometric tests are widely used in Denmark as part of child protection investigations into new parents, and have long been criticised by human rights bodies as culturally unsuitable for Greenlandic people and other minorities. Continue reading...

Ranem Abu Izneid, injured by shrapnel in Israeli-occupied Abu Dis, says there is no hope for me to regain my vision'