World news | The Guardian

Five remaining members would continue to serve sentences upon returning under proposal, trade minister Don Farrell says

Shabana Mahmood has written to her constituents saying she is profoundly concerned' about Friday's Commons voteMPs will be placing the country on a slippery slope towards death on demand" if they back legislation on assisted dying in England and Wales this week, the lord chancellor and justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said in a letter to constituents before a historic Commons vote on Friday.Mahmood has received numerous letters about the bill from people in her Birmingham Ladywood seat, which has a big Muslim population, and sent out replies saying that she was profoundly concerned" about the legislation, not only for religious reasons but also because of what it would mean for the role of the state if one of its functions became helping people to die. Continue reading...

Rising temperatures now likely to cause widespread flooding due to melting ice and heavy rain, say forecastersThousands of homes were left without power on Saturday as Storm Bert continued to lash the country with winds of up to 70mph battering many areas.Forecasters said that as temperatures start to rise over the weekend, melting snow and heavy rain would also cause serious flooding across the country. Continue reading...

Charges against Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant mark first time western-affiliated leaders have been targeted for war crimesThe international criminal court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza has been welcomed by Palestinians as a landmark moment in their decade-long fight to challenge the Israeli occupation through international institutions.Thursday's announcement from the international criminal court's pretrial chamber of arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has sent shockwaves through the international legal system. As the first time that officials from a democratic, western-allied state have been charged with war crimes, it is widely seen as the most significant action taken by the court since it was set up at the turn of the century. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read our report on the storm hereThe PA news agency has some additional detail on reports that Newcastle International airport flights have been disrupted.It reports that the airport's online departure board shows many flights scheduled to depart this morning have been delayed, while the 9.30am British Airways service to Heathrow was cancelled.Due to Storm Bert, the airport has had continuous, heavy snow this morning.Our snow team is operational and are working hard to keep any disruption to a minimum and we will provide a further update later this morning. Continue reading...

Mossbourne academy accused of bullying and damaging children's mental health as local authority asked to step inParents have accused an academy school in east London of causing serious harm to children's mental health, with teachers humiliating and screaming" at pupils, and have urged the local authority to exercise extraordinary powers to intervene.A group of nearly 30 parents and former teachers has spoken out about treatment of children at Mossbourne Victoria Park academy (MVPA) in Hackney. Continue reading...

Darryl Cunningham blames fear of legal consequences' for reluctance to take on book, now only available in FrenchA biography by a British graphic novelist of Elon Musk is struggling to find an English-language publisher due to feared legal consequences".Elon Musk: Investigation into a New Master of the World is the latest graphic novel by Darryl Cunningham, from West Yorkshire. Cunningham, 64, has written and illustrated seven nonfiction books on topics ranging from the 2008 global economic meltdown (Supercrash), to Russian leader Vladimir Putin (subtitled The Rise of a Dictator). Continue reading...

Missing families feared dead after block of flats and nearby homes destroyed by airstrikes on Lebanese capitalAt least 11 people have been killed and 63 wounded in a series of Israeli airstrikes on an apartment block in the densely populated Basta neighbourhood of central Beirut.At least four bombs hit an eight-storey apartment building at about 4am on Saturday, without warning, producing blasts heard around the Lebanese capital. The strike levelled the building and destroyed seven smaller residential buildings in the surroundings, leaving meters-deep craters of rubble where the structures once stood. Continue reading...

Merging of daily newspaper and celebrity magazine employees is latest move by owner, Reach, to cut costsThe Daily Mirror is to merge its staff with those on the celebrity title OK! magazine in the latest move by the UK's largest commercial news publisher to further cut costs.The plan to combine staff across the newspaper, magazines and supplements, which are owned by Reach, was announced on Friday in an internal email to staff from the Mirror's editor-in-chief, Caroline Waterston. Continue reading...

One man found dead in car and another is in hospital with critical injuries after shooting in EdgbastonA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.Police were called to Rotton Park Road, near the junction with City Road, in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday to reports that two people had been shot. Continue reading...

The former deputy prime minister, who died this week, spoke freely and didn't care what journalists thought of him - he was everything today's guarded politicians are notOne of the bad things that comes with being a middle-aged interviewer, as opposed to a younger one, is the tendency to complain loudly that people in public life used to be so much less controlled, so much more wild and free and apt to say the wrong (the interesting) thing.No one likes a nostalgist, after all. But in the case of politicians, I'm afraid there's no getting away from it. In 2024, unbridled they aren't. Every word is rehearsed. Even their sandwich fillings have been focus-grouped. Continue reading...

Incident revealed after civil court found MMA fighter had assaulted Nikita Hand in December 2018A gang of masked men broke into the home of a woman who took a civil case against mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor accusing him of raping her, it can now be revealed.The incident was referred to at the start of the court case in Dublin but could not be reported until now as it emerged during legal discussion while the jury were not present. Continue reading...

The terrorist group has been looking to be active this holiday season, with online chatter about attacks increasingAmid a presidential campaign with foreign policy discussions more focused on the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, the Islamic State stayed under the radar while calling on supporters and operatives to attack Americans on election day.The FBI thwarted a serious plot in Oklahoma City only weeks before the vote, prompting a similar public reaction to news involving the terror group that has become customary of late: is the Islamic State a renewed threat? Continue reading...

Social media clip features models in colourful clothing but no car in what Rawdon Glover describes as a reimagining'The boss of Jaguar has defended the company's move away from traditional automotive stereotypes" after a clip of its new advert was met with a barrage of vile hatred and intolerance" online.This week, Jaguar Land Rover, the luxury UK carmaker owned by India's Tata Motors, posted a 30-second clip on X featuring models in brightly coloured clothing set against equally vibrant backdrops, without a car or the company's traditional cat logo. Continue reading...

Chain says it won't be able to stop buying fast-growing breeds by 2026 because poultry industry cannot supply enough higher-welfare animalsThe fast food chain KFC has ditched its pledge in the UK to improve animal welfare by sourcing its chicken from slower-growing breeds by 2026.Fast-growing meat chickens have been called Frankenchickens" because of welfare concerns, including higher mortality rates, lameness and muscle disease. More than 1 billion chickens are slaughtered in the UK each year for meat. Continue reading...

Jan Royall wants university to address male-female inequality in attainment and widen postgraduate accessA candidate bidding to become the University of Oxford's first female chancellor has said she would focus her efforts on narrowing the attainment gap between higher-performing male students and their female peers.Jan Royall, the outgoing principal of the university's Somerville College and a Labour peer, is one of five candidates to become Oxford's new chancellor. If she wins, she would be the first in its history since the position was first recorded in 1214. Continue reading...

Latest version of Do They Know It's Christmas fundraiser reignites debate about problematic' lyrics and imageryForty years ago this week, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.Do They Know It's Christmas, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's festive charity behemoth, would go on to raise almost 150m for famine relief and development in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa. To mark the anniversary, on Monday a new version of the single - its fifth - will be released under the name Band Aid 40. Continue reading...

While Putin conducts his missile diplomacy, restrictions around the use of long-range weapons may help KyivIn Kyiv, as autumn turns fast turns to winter, Ukrainians in the government describe a vacuum before the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House on 20 January that will be filled by more war as both sides jockey for advantage. Trump has said he wants to end the war within 24 hours. Nobody is more interested in this topic than Ukraine," a senior official told the Guardian.But the problem is, for the moment, everything is just speculation. Will it be the first peace plan, the second plan, the first variant, the 10th variant?" they said. Ukraine is in a difficult but not catastrophic position" and has little choice but to fight on and perhaps show Trump that backing Kyiv is not a losing bet. Continue reading...

International visitor aged in his 60s fighting for life in hospital after accident on rafting trip on Friday

Local government ombudsman report into SEND in England offers damning assessmentEngland's special education system is failing, causing thousands of children to have their development put back by months or even years, according to a damning report by the local government ombudsman.Amerdeep Somal, the local government and social care ombudsman, said her caseload was now dominated by complaints from families involving special educational needs (Sen) provision and schools, with more than 90% of complaints being upheld. Continue reading...

Gladiator II and Wicked filling up theatres but unlikely to replicate phenomenon of Barbie-Oppenheimer releaseThe great Barbenheimer clash of summer 2023 - when Barbie came out on the same day as Oppenheimer - will for ever be a part of cinema history for capturing the public imagination and bringing audiences back to cinemas in droves after years of Covid-induced antipathy.So it's unsurprising, that in an attempt to recapture some of the excitement, fans have come up with a new portmanteau: Glicked, used to refer to the face-off between Gladiator II and Wicked this week. Continue reading...

Vice-president Sara Duterte tells press conference she has given an assassin the instructions, prompting referral from Marcos's office over active threat'The Philippines' vice-president, Sara Duterte, said on Saturday she would have someone assassinate the president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, if she herself were killed, leading Marcos's office to vow immediate proper action".In a dramatic sign of a widening rift between the country's two most powerful political families, Duterte told a press conference that she had spoken to an assassin and instructed him to kill Marcos, his wife and the speaker of the Philippine house of representatives if she were to be killed. Continue reading...

Brine from pickled onions, beetroot, pickles and even oysters is now a fixture on bar menus across the UKIf Donald Trump has ruined Diet Coke for you, perhaps the answer is following Dua Lipa's lead. In a now viral video, the pop star empties the best part of a can of it into a cup filled with ice. To this she adds the brine from a tub of pickles, followed by the brine from a tub of jalapenos. Using both hands, she sips it like it's hot chocolate.It may seem like the latest in a series of drinks-based social experiments that only the most successful and famous can get us to try (see Tom Hanks' Diet Cokagne, or Diet Coke and champagne). But in truth it seems the singer is on to something. Over the past few months, when it comes to cocktails, there's been a notable uptick in all things salty and filthy. Continue reading...

Freedom of speech groups alarmed after events to promote book by Hope Not Hate employee are called offHanif Kureishi, Billy Bragg and freedom of speech groups have voiced alarm after a number of venues cancelled events to promote a book by an anti-racism campaigner amid threats and fears that the recent riots have emboldened the far right.An east London bookshop this week became the latest venue to pull plans to promote Rebel Sounds, a book about the role music plays in the fight against racism and other struggles. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president calls testing of nuclear-capable weapon on his country's territory an international crime'Vladimir Putin has vowed to launch more strikes using an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile as Ukraine decried the testing of the nuclear-capable weapon on its territory as an international crime".Speaking at a defence conference on Friday, Putin contested US claims that Russia possessed only a handful" of the high-speed ballistic missiles, saying that the military had enough to continue to test them in combat conditions" and would put them into serial production. Continue reading...

Cool change expected to push through state late on Saturday, bringing intense rain and thunderstorms across the wider region into next week

Gus gained 3.5kg during his 20-day stopover before being released back into the Southern Ocean on Wednesday

Markwayne Mullin stalls promotion of Lt Gen Christopher Donahue, photographed as last US soldier to leaveThe US general who was photographed as the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan is seeing a promotion blocked by a sole Republican senator, multiple outlets reported.The move comes amid separate reports that the incoming Trump administration is considering courts martial, for offenses including treason, for officers involved in the evacuation. Continue reading...

Loyalist lawmakers give green light to constitutional amendment as authoritarian president, 79, tightens gripNicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and his wife are set to assume absolute power after loyalist lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment elevating her to the position of co-president" and boosting the pair's joint control over the state.Under sanctions for human rights abuses, Ortega himself had proposed the change, which also increases the president's control over the media and extends the presidential term from five to six years. Continue reading...

Infection brings number of US bird flu cases this year to 55, including 29 in California, says CDCA California child has been diagnosed with bird flu, the first reported case in a US minor, health officials confirmed on Friday.The child had mild symptoms, was treated with antiviral medication and is recovering, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in announcing the test results. No details about the child have been released, except that they live in Alameda county, which includes Oakland and Berkeley, and attend day care. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, read our full report:

Rapper caps off 2024 with release of 12-track album featuring guest spots from SZA and Kamasi WashingtonKendrick Lamar has released a surprise album called GNX.The Pulitzer prize-winning rapper teased the release with a one-minute video before the 12-track album was then released. Continue reading...

McGregor ordered to pay nearly 250,000 in damages to Nikita Hand after he was accused of 2018 assaultA jury at a civil trial at Ireland's high court has found that the Irish martial arts fighter Conor McGregor assaulted a woman who had accused him of raping her at a hotel in Dublin in December 2018.McGregor was ordered to pay nearly 250,000 (210,000) in damages to Nikita Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin. Continue reading...

Labour peer Wajid Khan told the House of Lords that remediation work is yet to start on about 50% of properties with unsafe claddingFar too many high and medium-rise buildings are still unsafe after the Grenfell disaster, with dangerous cladding remaining on at least 2,400 blocks, a housing minister has warned.Wajid Khan, a Labour peer and housing minister, said on Friday that remediation work has not started at about 50% of properties being monitored for their unsafe cladding. Continue reading...

Plans are understood to show where cameras and sensors are, triggering fears of weapon smuggling and escapesDetailed prison blueprints have been leaked, triggering a security alert at jails in England and Wales, it has emerged.The leak, first reported by the Times, involves prison layouts being shared on the dark web in the last fortnight, prompting an investigation by the National Crime Agency. Continue reading...

Settlement was reached in case against once-rising but now embattled former Marvel starJonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend has dropped her assault and defamation lawsuit against the once-rising Hollywood star after reaching a settlement.Lawyers for Majors and Grace Jabbari agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, according to a joint filing in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. Continue reading...

Security cordon lifted and train services resume, though thousands of people have had their travel plans disruptedGatwick's southern terminal reopened for passengers on Friday afternoon after a security alert caused disruption for thousands of people.Travellers were unable to check in for more than four hours after the terminal building was evacuated on Friday morning as bomb disposal experts responded to reports of a suspected prohibited item in the luggage area. Continue reading...

In preparation for plan, Ontario has indemnified itself from liability if cyclists are killed on streets that once had bike lanesRemoving bike lanes from busy city streets will increase traffic congestion, according a Canadian government document leaked amid a furious row over urban infrastructure.The findings, which come as the province of Ontario goes to war over cycling infrastructure in Toronto, undercut claims that the dedicated routes contribute to urban gridlock. Continue reading...

Kremlin dispatched weapons as payment for 10,000 troops deployed to support war in Ukraine, says South Korean official

Former Criminal Bar Association chair Navjot Sidhu denies predatory behaviour towards two womenA former chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) made a woman who was an aspiring lawyer have sex with him against her wishes, a disciplinary tribunal has heard.Navjot Jo" Sidhu, who was once a contender to be the director of public prosecutions, is charged with 10 breaches of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) rules for alleged predatory behaviour towards two women. Continue reading...

Viktor Orban says he will not enforce ICC decision that requires court members to detain Israeli PM if he enters their country

Brella's body was found in a vehicle in Ilford, east London earlier this month, with her husband the main suspectThe family of Harshita Brella, who was found dead in the boot of a car in east London, have said they will never forget you till our last breath" in a tribute to the 24-year-old.Harshita, you left this world but you are still with us in our hearts and will always be there," they said in a tribute issued through Northamptonshire police on Friday. Continue reading...

Media Concierge submits 56.2m cash offer for National World, underbidder in the auction for the Telegraph titles

Swedish maker of battery cells for electric vehicles says it has enough cash to support operations for only a week

More than 300 people had sued MI5 on grounds its failure to prevent the 2017 atrocity breached their human rightsThe families of the Manchester Arena bomb victims have said they are extremely disappointed" after judges ruled they could not continue their legal action against MI5.More than 300 people affected by the suicide blast had sued the Security Service on the grounds that its failure to prevent the atrocity on 22 May 2017 breached their human rights. Continue reading...

US Senator Elizabeth Warren sounds alarm over president-elect's refusal to sign MOU and failure to release ethics planDonald Trump's refusal to cooperate with the outgoing Biden administration is putting national security at risk and weakening safeguards against corruption, the US Senator Elizabeth Warren has warned.The president-elect has broken from precedent by refusing to sign memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the current White House team and failing to release a comprehensive ethics plan. Continue reading...

Government urged to dismiss recommendations, including unchanged poker machine operating hours

Ex-Ukip councillor Colette Fairbanks loses claim that she was bullied in charity job because of political stanceSupporting Brexit is not a belief that is protected from workplace discrimination, an employment tribunal has ruled, as a former Ukip councillor lost her claim that she was bullied and harassed by her charity employer because she supported the UK's departure from the EU.Colette Fairbanks was sacked from her job at the drug and alcohol rehabilitation charity Change Grow Live after sharing offensive" posts about immigrants on social media, a tribunal hearing was told. Continue reading...

Low-pressure system brings deaths and power outages to region, while an Arctic blast sweeps swaths of EuropeLarge parts of the US have been battered by severe weather this week, as low pressure developed over the north-west coast. The weather system intensified into a phenomenon known as a bomb cyclone, which rapidly intensified to an estimated central pressure of 942 hectopascals (hPa) - close to the lowest pressure recorded in that area.To be classified as a bomb cyclone, the central pressure of a low pressure system must fall by at least 24hPa in 24 hours. Wind speeds exceeded 70mph (113km/h) near Seattle, while Canada had the strongest winds with gusts of about 100mph. There were two deaths and almost 500,000 people in the region were left without power. Continue reading...

Commission chair reopens submissions and says report will be finished and tabled in parliament