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Duke of Sussex tells ITV ‘it never needed to be this way’ and that ‘I want a family, not an institution’The Duke of Sussex has said he wants his father and brother back during an ITV interview due to be released this Sunday, two days before his memoir is published.The prince says “I would like to get my father back, I would like to have my brother back” in a preview clip from the interview with the ITV News at Ten presenter Tom Bradby. Continue reading...

Scotland, Northern Ireland and most of north of England affected by yellow weather warningDrivers are being urged to take care on the roads as a yellow weather warning for ice covered large areas of the UK.The Met Office issued the alert for Scotland, Northern Ireland and most of the north of England, and also warned pedestrians of the risk of slips on icy pavements. Continue reading...

Musicians from Missy Elliott to Questlove have paid tribute to the trailblazing female rapper, who was 15 when she appeared on the Memphis group’s cult classic debut Mystic StylezGangsta Boo, a former member of Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia, has died aged 43, her bandmate DJ Paul has confirmed. No cause of death was shared.The rapper, born Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, joined the group in 1995, upon which it changed its name from Triple Six Mafia to Three 6 Mafia. That year she appeared on their debut album, Mystic Stylez, which became a cult classic, a landmark southern hip-hop record and – with lyrics delving into gore and the occult – a defining example of the horrorcore genre. Continue reading...

Lib Dems say face-to-face GP bookings ‘almost extinct’ in some areas as their survey shows a rise in self-prescribingAlmost one in four people have bought medicine online or at a pharmacy to treat their illness after failing to see a GP face to face, according to a UK survey underlining the rise of do-it-yourself treatment.Nearly one in five (19%) have gone to A&E seeking urgent medical treatment for the same reason, the research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats shows. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: Official adviser recommends giving those arrested for low-level crimes a choice to accept help or face jail

The party voted in support of tax cuts while in opposition and went to the election promising no changes to the policy

Queensland’s figure of 299 lives lost was the worst in more than a decade, as lifting of Covid restrictions pushed up toll around the country

Man, 45, was caught in a rip after getting his 14-year-old son to safety at a beach on the state’s south coast

The military ramped up sorties and launched the largest war games in decades to protest against a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in AugustChina’s warplane incursions into Taiwan’s air defence zone nearly doubled in 2022, with a surge in fighter jet and bomber sorties as Beijing intensified threats towards the island democracy.Self-ruled Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion. Communist party rulers claim the island as part of China’s territory and have vowed to seize it one day. Continue reading...

More than 100 people were reportedly caught in a pedestrian underpass just before midnight

Chief executive is urging members to oppose state’s cashless gaming card to present ‘a more balanced view of gambling’RSL sub-branches and members have criticised the New South Wales executive for campaigning against gambling reforms, accusing senior leadership of being “tone deaf”.The chief executive of the NSW RSL and Services Clubs, Margot Smith, has urged members to oppose the state government’s cashless gaming card and to help spread “a more balanced view of gambling”.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Health minister defends country-specific testing as necessary due to ‘absence of comprehensive information’ on Covid’s spread in China

One in five takeaways in some areas of UK did not satisfactorily meet required standards, data showsTakeaways in poorer parts of England are twice as likely to need improvement in food hygiene as those in wealthier areas, with as many as one in five in some parts of the UK falling below required standards, according to Guardian analysis.Almost one in 10 takeaways in England’s poorest neighbourhoods did not satisfactorily comply with food hygiene standards, compared with just one in 24 in the richest, according to an analysis of almost 600,000 inspection reports at the beginning of December, 64,000 of them takeaways. Continue reading...

Woman, 39, found with serious injuries and pronounced dead at scene in Hayes, say policeA 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead in her home on New Year’s Eve.Police and paramedics were called to an address in Willenhall Drive in Hayes, west London, at 10.13am on Saturday. They found a 39-year-old woman with serious injuries, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...

Smaller military, greater religious diversity and terrorism concerns among differences from 1953When the St Edward’s crown is placed on the head of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, it will be part of a continuation of the longstanding traditions and pageantry of more than 1,000 years of monarchy.But his promise that his coronation “will reflect the monarch’s role today” signals some departure from the scale and extravagance of the ceremonial accorded to his late mother. How significant those departures will be is not yet known, but they are dictated by societal changes that took place over the 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Continue reading...

President says country ready to fight for return to normal life as Moscow launches latest wave of attacks

Last crossings were on Christmas Day, with none recorded in last six days of the yearA total of 45,756 people crossed the Channel to the UK in small boats in 2022, government figures show.The last crossings of the year took place on Christmas Day, when 90 people made the journey from France in two boats. The Ministry of Defence recorded no further crossings for the remaining six days of 2022, when the weather was poor. Continue reading...

Three-month subsidy widely welcomed but passengers may need longer-term incentives to use routesA temporary £2 cap on fares that the government hopes will reinvigorate some of England’s bus services starts on Sunday – but campaigners are already warning of more route cuts when the funding runs out.The three-month “get around for £2” campaign, announced last month, will reduce single fares by more than 80% on some journeys, such as Plymouth to Exeter in the south-west, or Leeds to Scarborough. Continue reading...

Despite public bullishness, overflowing hospitals across the country suggest its leader may have made a huge miscalculationChina’s leader Xi Jinping told his country it stands on “the right side of history” in a new year address on Saturday, but experts have warned that the president starts 2023 diminished by his chaotic U-turn on Covid strategy.He may struggle to deflect blame for the human and economic costs of zero-Covid’s failure, and control the national narrative, even if public signs of dissent are crushed. Continue reading...

RSPCA shares some of most ‘weird and wonderful’ incidents its officers were called to across yearA frog that travelled more than 4,000 miles on a bunch of bananas and a hedgehog extracted from a drainpipe with barbecue tongs were among animals rescued from the trickiest situations in 2022.The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has shared some of the most “weird and wonderful” incidents the charity’s officers were called to across the year. Continue reading...

Calder Valley people tell of the debt the area owes to Sally Wainwright’s hard-hitting and regionally accurate cop show

Social media firms in spotlight after allowing conspiracy theories that could affect human-trafficking investigation into ‘king of toxic masculinity’ in RomaniaSocial media firms are under fire this weekend for allowing the spread of misinformation by followers of “king of toxic masculinity” Andrew Tate after his arrest in connection with a human trafficking investigation.In the hours after his detention, TikTok and Twitter were flooded with posts falsely claiming he had been freed and conspiracy theories saying he had been set up, Observer analysis shows. Continue reading...

Documents show ministers knew of problems with office before it was overwhelmed by post-Covid surgeThe government has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ cash after being forced to pay record levels of compensation to people affected by disruption at the Passport Office.New figures show that £3.1m was paid out in “reimbursements” in the seven months to December 2022, significantly more than the £2.2m paid out in the whole of 2021-22. Continue reading...

Family hail singer as ‘the one that kept all of us close and together for so long’Anita Pointer, one of the Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters whose string of pop, country and R&B hits in the 1970s and 80s included I’m So Excited, Jump (For My Love) and Fire, has died of cancer aged 74, her publicist said.Pointer was surrounded by family at her Beverly Hills home when she died on Saturday, publicist Roger Neal said. Continue reading...

Forces are increasingly aware that high-stakes betting is a form of addiction and a driver of crime similar to alcohol or drugs

Health minister Mark Butler argues decision ‘will not come as any surprise to the Chinese government’

Indigenous Australians minister says yes campaign likely to begin in late February with vote held as early as August

Man dies from injuries in hospital after falling from bull and then being struck by it

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Ship hasn’t docked in a port since it cast off from Wellington in New Zealand on Boxing Day

Elections in several countries, film awards shows and sports tournaments among highlights1 January

Chinese leader speaks of continuing struggles as thousands gather in Wuhan, epicentre of the pandemic three years agoChinese President Xi Jinping has called for more effort and unity as the country enters a “new phase” in its approach to combating the pandemic, in his first comments to the public on Covid-19 since his government changed course three weeks ago and relaxed its rigorous policy of lockdowns and mass testing.In a televised speech to mark the New Year, Xi said China had overcome unprecedented difficulties and challenges in the battle against Covid, and that its policies were “optimised” when the situation and time so required. Continue reading...

North Korean leader marks New Year with fresh ballistic missile launch just hours into 2023Kim Jong-un has vowed to increase the production of nuclear warheads “exponentially” and build a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, North Korean state media reported on Sunday, signalling deepening animosities with the United States, South Korea and others.The leader’s statement at a key ruling party meeting was released hours after North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards its eastern waters, starting 2023 with another weapons test following a record number of missile launches last year. Continue reading...

48-year-old man pronounced dead at scene and 40-year-old taken to hospital in Fort WilliamA man has died and another has been injured after an avalanche on the north face of Ben Nevis.Police Scotland said they were made aware of the avalanche at about 3.35pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Kami Carpenter, 21, and Remy Gordon, 22, have been charged over Boxing Day killing of footballerTwo men have been charged with the Boxing Day murder of footballer Cody Fisher.Kami Carpenter, 21, and Remy Gordon, 22, have been charged with killing the 23-year-old at the Crane nightclub in Digbeth, Birmingham, just before midnight on Boxing Day, West Midlands police said on Saturday. Continue reading...

Metropolitan police launch investigation and appeal to anyone with information to come forwardPolice are investigating the death of a man who was stabbed in the chest in a London park.Officers found the 29-year-old on Straker’s Road in Peckham Rye Park, south London, at about 8.30pm on Friday after reports of a stabbing. Continue reading...

First female network news anchor in US achieved a celebrity status on par with the rulers, royalty and entertainers she interviewedBarbara Walters, the foremost American TV interviewer of her generation and the first woman to lead a US network evening news program, has died aged 93.Over the course of her 50-year career, Walters was queen of the “get” – a term for securing the first interview with prominent figures making news, whether that was a movie star, politician or figure of criminal notoriety. Continue reading...

Chief medical officer Chris Whitty told health secretary Steve Barclay there was no evidence tests on travellers would have any effectRishi Sunak’s decision to perform a U-turn and impose Covid checks on travellers from China was dismissed on Saturday night as a purely political manoeuvre that would make no difference to the rise or fall of cases in the UK.The health secretary Steve Barclay was briefed by the chief medical officer Chris Whitty on Thursday and was told there was no clear evidence of significant benefits from testing travellers from China. The Observer has learnt that on the following day, Barclay discussed the issues with Sunak, who nevertheless decided it was more important for Britain to align itself with those nations – the US, Japan, Italy and Spain – that had already imposed such tests. Continue reading...

More than dozen also injured as over 20 rockets launched in second major strike in three days

Gary McKee, 53, from Cleator Moor has nearly hit target of raising £1m for charityA fundraiser has completed his mission of running a marathon every day of 2022, and has nearly hit his target of raising £1m for charity.Gary McKee, 53, from Cleator Moor in Cumbria, raised his arms in victory and was cheered by a crowd of supporters as he completed his 365th marathon of the year on New Year’s Eve. Continue reading...

The return of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has led to an outpouring of optimism in the South American country – and relief at the downfall of Jair BolsonaroThey are billing it as Lulapalooza – a momentous explosion of Brazilian politics and dance – and Mayse Freitas wouldn’t miss it for the world.“I think it’s going to be the greatest show on earth … It’ll be the happiest day of my life,” said the social activist from the Complexo do Alemão, one of Rio’s largest favelas, as she geared up for the festivities. Continue reading...

Rising costs have led to staff redundancies and curtailed opening hours as nine out of 10 sites fear they could close permanentlyTheatres, museums, castles and other heritage sites are making staff redundant, turning down the heating, shutting rooms to the public and closing early.The findings come from research that shows nine in 10 such sites across the UK now fear for their future. Continue reading...

With a strike ballot looming, school leaders say erosion of services for children and families has made their jobs untenableHeadteachers are breaking down in tears, suffering migraines and even passing out, with six in 10 admitting they have considered changing jobs in the past year because of increased level of stress.The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union says more school leaders than ever before are considering leaving the profession, and “fewer and fewer” middle leaders are aspiring to take on the job because they see how punishing it is. They are balloting members on strike action, with a deadline of 11 January, but a spokesperson said school closures would remain a “last resort”. Continue reading...

Chief medical officer, Frank Atherton, cautions against taking undue risks while service is so overstretchedThe chief medical officer for Wales has called on New Year’s Eve revellers not to drink too much to help reduce pressure on the overstretched health service.Sir Frank Atherton told BBC One’s Breakfast programme: “I agree people generally behave very sensibly. Sadly, when alcohol gets thrown into the mix, and it gets thrown in a big way in new year, that can sometimes go out of the window, and so we are asking people to behave sensibly, don’t put themselves at risk, don’t put others at risk, look after each other when you’re out and about, don’t drink too much and don’t get into trouble. Continue reading...

Sahand Noor Mohammadzadeh is accused of damaging public property during anti-government riots and ‘waging war against God’Iran’s supreme court has accepted a protester’s appeal against his death sentence for allegedly damaging public property during anti-government demonstrations, and sent his case back for review, the judiciary said on Saturday.Sahand Noor Mohammadzadeh, 25, was arrested on 4 October and sentenced to death two months later on the charge of “waging war against God” for allegedly trying to break a highway guardrail in Tehran and setting a rubbish bin on fire. Continue reading...

Melbourne police investigate a potential double murder and Sydney-bound passengers stranded in the Pacific. This blog is now closed

Figure compares with 189 during same three days of 2021, but detentions at Manchester airport rose slightlyThe number of passengers detained for further checks at the UK’s busiest airport plummeted in the run-up to Christmas after the armed services were asked to cover for striking Border Force staff, leaked figures show.Just nine people were stopped at passport control and held at Heathrow over three strike days from 23 to 25 December, compared with 189 people over the same three days in 2021 – a 95% drop. Continue reading...

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