World news | The Guardian

Exclusive: It is expected Labor will adopt a suite of reforms to address an anticipated 56% increase in electricity prices

Art activism has increased in and outside the country since death of 22-year-old Mahsa AminiDozens of Iranian artists have called for an international boycott of cultural institutions run by or affiliated with the Islamic Republic in protest against the regime’s worsening human rights abuses.The call by artists, writers, film-makers and academics living in Iran and among its diaspora comes amid growing anti-government art activism by Iranians inside and outside the country after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Continue reading...

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Licensed venues can stay open if broadcasting vital group game against Denmark which kicks off 2am Thursday

Siberian cold front forecast to push into China, Mongolia and then UK by WednesdayA large area of high pressure covering the whole of eastern Europe is bringing severely low temperatures across Siberia. In a part of the world where temperatures are often below freezing at this time of year, the mercury has been 20C to 25C below average in areas over the weekend, with central and eastern Russia experiencing temperatures widely of -25C to -45C.Over the next couple of days, westerly winds will result in temperatures rising above average in northern Russia but temperatures will remain 10C to 20C below normal in southern Russia. The orientation of the high-pressure system will allow northerly winds to send the cold air southwards across central and eastern Asia over the next few days. Temperatures will fall widely below average here too, with northern and eastern parts of China and Mongolia particularly affected. Temperatures here will fall 10C to 20C below normal by midweek as the same area of high pressure builds in and traps the cold air with temperatures struggling to rise above freezing by day. Continue reading...

Ryan Smith confirms he would reinstate controversial MP Renee Heath to the party room while John Pesutto urges the party to connect ‘more widely’

Police treating both incidents, in which two 16-year-olds died in Thamesmead and Abbey Wood, as linkedA teenager has been arrested over the fatal stabbings of two 16-year-old boys a mile apart in south-east London, police said.Kearne Solanke was found with stab wounds in Thamesmead, and Charlie Bartolo was discovered in Abbey Wood, on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading...

16th-century work Epifania is one of only two existing cartoons by the Italian masterOne of only two surviving Michelangelo cartoons is undergoing delicate and highly technical conservation work at the British Museum in an attempt to stabilise the fragile work for the coming decades.Epifania, created by the Italian master artist around 1550, has degraded and been subject to repeated repairs over its almost 500-year history. Now it is laid out in the museum’s state-of-the-art conservation studios as specialists consider how best to preserve the complex structure and black chalk lines. Continue reading...

State-run media outlets largely ignore nationwide protests, but continue to push the importance of Covid restrictionsChinese media have largely ignored widespread protests across the country, with prominent state newspaper front pages instead choosing to focus on Taiwan’s local elections, a Chinese-built solar plant in Qatar and the rising number of Chinese women choosing to get tanned in beauty salons.Protests flared across Chinese cities over the weekend, with calls for political freedoms and an end to Covid lockdowns. Continue reading...

Bridget Archer says she is considering her position regarding the censure, reiterates her dismay at the previous prime minister’s actions

‘Every year there was a suicide,’ James Geercke says on first day of royal commission hearings in Wagga Wagga

The Liberals are yet to reach a position on the referendum, which is expected by the end of 2023

Guardian Australia brings together all the figures on Covid-19 cases, as well as stats, charts and state-by-state data from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA, WA, Tasmania, the ACT and NT. Here you can also find the numbers on the vaccine rollout and fourth dose booster vaccination rates.

Those from deprived backgrounds are particularly at risk of dying from cancer of the lungs, liver, bladder and oesophagusPoorer women in Britain have some of the highest death rates from cancer in Europe, an in-depth new World Health Organization study has found.They are much more likely to die from the disease compared with better-off women in the UK and women in poverty in many other European countries. Continue reading...

Spain-based Acciona Energia will double capacity of project 200km south-west of Brisbane

Chris Wilson, 34, killed in February while hanging below a helicopter to harvest eggs from crocodile nests for television show Outback Wrangler

Actor’s gesture draws gasps and cheers at charity auction, held after a performance of Jackman’s hit musical The Music ManNicole Kidman has surprised both Broadway audiences and Hugh Jackman by bidding US$100,000 (A$150,000, £83,000) for a hat signed by Jackman after a performance of her former co-star’s musical The Music Man.During an auction for the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids after the performance on Saturday, Kidman made her presence known by shouting her bid of $100,000 for the hat, which led to gasps and cheers in the crowd, then a standing ovation. Continue reading...

Det Insp Glen Browne said concerns the alleged fraudster had taken her own life were not given as much weight early in the investigation

Nick Coyle said it was positive that prime minister Anthony Albanese and foreign minister Penny Wong had raised her case with their Chinese counterparts

Exclusive: Report finds struggling families are having on average 10% of monthly income deducted to cover debtLow-income families in Scotland are having on average 10% of their monthly income deducted by the Department for Work and Pensions to cover debts such as universal credit advances or school meals payments, according to research.The report for Aberlour Children’s Charity, seen by the Guardian, found that families in receipt of universal credit (UC) are having their monthly income reduced on average by £80 to cover spiralling debt. Continue reading...

Property website data shows housing market is slowing, with 44% less demand for homes and sellers accepting 3% below asking pricePeople selling their homes have typically had to settle for below the asking price in recent weeks, according to Zoopla, which is predicting house prices will fall by about 5% next year.The average price achieved in recent weeks has been 3% below a seller’s asking price, when for much of 2021 and the first half of this year it matched the asking price, the property website said. Zoopla said it expects discounts to increase further in 2023. Continue reading...

Hikes set to hit warehouses and online retailers hardest in 2023 as UK government addresses ‘brick v clicks’ tax gapAmazon’s UK tax bill jump could jump by £29m next year as a result of changes to business rates that are scheduled to hit warehouses and online retailers the hardest.The online retailer is likely to be among firms facing big tax rises following the chancellor’s autumn statement, according to analysis from the real estate adviser Altus Group. Continue reading...

Call for semiconductor industry plan to be published urgently to help keep Britain in global supply chainThe UK is missing out on a wave of investment and falling behind other countries in the fast-growing semiconductor industry because of a lack of support from the government, MPs have warned.The government should urgently publish a long-delayed semiconductor strategy, and also look to create partnerships with allies to try to ensure the UK remains part of the semiconductor supply chain, according to a report published on Monday by MPs on parliament’s business committee. Continue reading...

Beijing students shout ‘freedom will prevail’, as Urumqi fire prompts levels of disobedience unprecedented in Xi eraPeople opposed to China’s stringent Covid restrictions have protested in cities across the country in the biggest wave of civil disobedience on the mainland since Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago.Protests triggered by a deadly apartment fire in the far west of the country last week took place on Sunday in cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan and Guangzhou, according to footage shared on social media, in defiance of a series of heavy-handed arrests of demonstrators on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Former England footballer won public vote, with actor Owen Warner in second place and ex-health secretary coming thirdJill Scott has been crowned queen of the jungle after winning I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! on Sunday night.The former England footballer, 35, who was the bookies’ favourite to triumph, accrued the most votes from the public, with actor Owen Warner finishing second after both spent 23 days in camp. Continue reading...

Prime minister to make first major foreign policy speech, favouring a long-term, pragmatic attitude to Moscow and BeijingRishi Sunak will pledge an “evolutionary approach” to British foreign policy, arguing that states like Russia and China plan for the long term and the UK needs to follow suit as he attempts to set out his vision for the country’s place on the global stage.In his first major foreign policy speech since becoming prime minister, he will draw on his years running the Treasury to say that the UK’s strength abroad must be underpinned by a strong economy at home as it stands up to competitors with “robust pragmatism”. Continue reading...

Reece Newcombe, 31, is believed to have been attacked with broken glass in a fight on Richmond BridgeDetectives have launched a murder investigation after a man was stabbed to death with broken glass during a fight on Richmond Bridge.Police were called to the scene in south-west London at about 4am on Saturday and found 31-year-old Reece Newcombe, who had suffered serious injuries. Continue reading...

Seven confirmed dead and search continues for people missing after Saturday’s disaster on IschiaAs rescuers continued to search for five people still missing after a catastrophic landslide in Ischia, anger was growing on the southern Italian island on Sunday over the years of rampant illegal construction that contributed to the disaster.Seven people, including a three-week-old baby and a pair of young siblings, are confirmed to have died in Saturday’s landslide, which was triggered by a violent storm that sent mud and debris from Monte Epomeo, a 789-metre (2,590ft) peak, crashing into the hamlet of Casamicciola Terme. One victim – 32-year-old Eleonora Sirabella – has been named. The others, who include the infant boy’s parents, a five-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother, a 31-year-old island resident and a Bulgarian tourist, have not yet been officially identified. Continue reading...

Labour to ask how Michelle Mone-linked firm was assessed as fit to agree deal worth more than £200mMinisters will come under intense pressure this week to explain how they assessed that a personal protective equipment (PPE) company linked to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone was fit to receive government contracts worth more than £200m during the pandemic.Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, has drawn up a list of parliamentary questions over the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) decision to award major public contracts to the firm and whether it took into account its tax record. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Adviser role for Bill Morgan also raises questions over potential conflict of interestRishi Sunak has appointed a private healthcare lobbyist with links to a series of controversial clients to advise him in Downing Street, raising concerns over further privatisation within the NHS.Bill Morgan, a founding partner of the PR and lobbying firm Evoke Incisive Health, joined No 10 as a health policy adviser earlier this month where he is believed to be helping drive through NHS efficiencies. Continue reading...

Shakespeare’s most violent play to be staged with actors’ candles being pummelled in scenes with bloodshedEight years after a stomach-churning, splatter-fest production of Titus Andronicus led to some audience members fainting, Shakespeare’s Globe is to ask how do you generate a similar murderous horror in a more intimate, candle-lit space?The solution? The candles get bumped off. Continue reading...

Exclusive: More than 4,000 European medics have chosen not to work in NHS since Britain left EU, data revealsBrexit has worsened the UK’s acute shortage of doctors in key areas of care and led to more than 4,000 European doctors choosing not to work in the NHS, research reveals.The disclosure comes as growing numbers of medics quit in disillusionment at their relentlessly busy working lives in the increasingly overstretched health service. Official figures show the NHS in England alone has vacancies for 10,582 physicians. Continue reading...

UK MoD says it has provided Brimstone 2 missiles to Ukraine; reports suggest there are signs troops could be getting ready to leave

Chinese leader will see widespread demonstrations against zero-Covid policy as threat to CCP’s authorityJust five weeks after being elected to a historic third term, President Xi Jinping suddenly faces cracks in the facade of unchallenged authority that he so successfully presented to the world at the 20th national congress of the Chinese Communist party.For groups of protesters, apparently without central coordination, to take to the streets across China and to social media, and for some then explicitly to call for Xi and the Communist party to stand aside, is a seismic shock. Continue reading...

Improved delivery times from suppliers has caught out many big-name shops such as Marks & SpencerBritish retailers are hoping that one of the traditionally busiest shopping periods of the year will help reduce the amount of clothing filling warehouses after being caught out by improving supplier-delivery times.Marks & Spencer is among the big retailers that have found they are receiving orders more quickly than expected, giving them an additional headache just as the UK economy braces for an expected recession. Continue reading...

Labour leader says it will be a ‘red line’ if party takes power, despite backing the policy three years agoKeir Starmer has ruled out bringing back free movement of people between Britain and the EU, saying it would be a “red line” for Labour if it gets into power – despite supporting the policy just three years ago.The Labour leader said free movement “won’t come back” if he becomes prime minister as Brexit has already happened and “ripping up” the deal would lead to years more wrangling with Brussels. Continue reading...

The government is being urged to explain their official data on the number of people with the diseaseThe Home Office is being urged to explain why official health data has shown only one case of diphtheria near Manston processing centre in recent months, despite there being 50 instances of the disease linked to the site.According to weekly figures about cases of infectious diseases in England, known as the notification of infectious diseases data (NOID), there has only been one case recorded since September that is likely to relate to Manston – in Ashford, Kent. Continue reading...

This year’s tournament has been dominated by off-field matters. We look at the issues around the labor used to build the tournament’s infrastructureThe deaths of migrant workers in Qatar in the build-up to this year’s World Cup have drawn criticism across the world. While the tournament’s organizers put the official count at 40, estimates by the Guardian put the figure in the thousands. Here we explore the key questions around an issue that has tarnished the World Cup for many fans. Continue reading...

People continue to struggle with no water, heating and electricity two weeks after city was recaptured

Rights activist Farideh Moradkhani releases video describing government as ‘murderous and child-killing’ after her arrestA niece of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on foreign governments to cut all links with Tehran’s “murderous and child-killing” regime in a video posted online two days after she was arrested.The video of a statement by Farideh Moradkhani, a well-known rights activist, has been circulating online after it was shared by her France-based brother Mahmoud Moradkhani on Friday. Mahmoud Moradkhani said his sister had been arrested on Wednesday after going to a prosecutor’s office following a summons. Continue reading...

Troubled startup battery maker formally abandons long-shot plan to build 60GWh plant in QuebecBattery startup Britishvolt has formally abandoned a long-shot plan to build a second factory in Canada, as it focuses on securing new funding for its struggling UK project.Britishvolt’s main project is an attempt to build a factory near Blyth in north-east England capable of producing batteries with a capacity of 30 gigawatt hours (30GWh) every year. Continue reading...

Critics say telecoms firms such as BT – which made £1.9bn profit last year – can afford to keep customers on benefits connectedBT has warned that the telecoms industry cannot afford an estimated potential annual loss of up to £2bn providing low-cost broadband to millions of the UK’s most financially pressured households, but critics have said they have an obligation to do so.Marc Allera, the chief executive of BT’s consumer division, which includes the mobile company EE, said the industry needed government support to help cover the ongoing cost of providing cheap tariffs, the same way households have been helped with energy bills. Continue reading...

The ultimatum to English National Opera was attacked as ‘cultural vandalism’, but raised some hopes nearer ManchesterWhen the Arts Council halved English National Opera’s funding earlier this month and made its new £17m grant contingent on the company leaving London – possibly for Manchester – the diktat was greeted as “madness” by the Evening Standard, “cultural vandalism” by Melvyn Bragg and an order that would kill off the institution by April by the company’s chair, Harry Brünjes.The battle over ENO’s future soon became the latest frontline in the culture wars as debate raged over what it meant to level up culture. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Mark McDonald believes Russell murders case will turn out to be a serious miscarriage of justice“He rings me every day, we talk every day,” says Mark McDonald, the barrister who for the past two decades has represented Michael Stone, the man convicted of one of the most notorious crimes in British history: the murders by hammer of Dr Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, and the attempted murder of her eldest child, Josie, the sole survivor.Sat at a table in a sparsely decorated office in his chambers off London’s Chancery Lane, McDonald reaches past a pile of papers for a phone to check his call records. Continue reading...

UK defence ministry confirms providing missiles to Ukraine as civilians in Kherson flee from Russian shelling

Leonid Volkov warns Russian opposition leader’s health is at risk from indefinite solitary confinementAlexei Navalny’s survival may depend on his value to Vladimir Putin as a future bargaining chip, his chief aide said, warning that the opposition leader’s health was at risk after being forced into indefinite solitary confinement.Leonid Volkov, speaking on a visit to London, added that Navalny had lost access to his family and was being permanently detained in a “8 by 12ft” cell following the isolation decision by Russian authorities last week. Continue reading...

Head of West Midlands police warns of rising crime in poorest areas as forces are stretched beyond capacityA child experiencing a mental health crisis had to live in a police station for two days due to a lack of psychiatric places, a chief constable has revealed, as he condemned austerity for hitting the poorest areas hardest.Sir David Thompson, who leads West Midlands police, said his force – which is still missing officers and funding after cuts – was being asked to do too much, and warned of rising crime as desperation increases in the poorest areas.Dismissed attacks from government and rightwing media that claim the police are too woke.Condemned those trying to drag policing into the “culture wars”.Revealed fears that the poorest areas would be hit hardest again by the cost of living crisis, fuelling a “real risk” of rising crime.Said that bias explained some of the reasons that black people experienced more use of force and coercive powers than other groups.Called for a radical rethink on tackling the problems blighting society, as public services work in “silos”.Warned that police were being expected to do too much, including in the field of mental health. Continue reading...

Man and woman in their 70s found dead at property in Dore, say South Yorkshire policePolice have launched a double murder inquiry after the bodies of a man and a woman, both aged in their 70s, were discovered at a property in Sheffield.A 51-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the deaths at the address in Terrey Road, Dore. Continue reading...

Charlie Bartolo and Kearne Solanke, both 16, were stabbed to death a mile apart on Saturday afternoonPolice have named two teenage boys who were stabbed to death a mile apart in south-east London and confirmed they are treating the murders as linked.The boys, both aged 16, have been identified as Kearnie Solanke and Charlie Bartolo. Continue reading...

Visits for retail and recreation have boosted activity in Sydney and Melbourne, but work from home preferences are keeping office trips low