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Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal government has no real idea about agricultural chemicals’ impact on environment

More than 100 countries stress ‘the urgency and importance’ of filling appeal judge positions as US continues years-long disruption started by TrumpAustralia has teamed up with China and more than 100 countries to protest longstanding blockages at the World Trade Organization as the United States vetoes appeal judge appointments.Australia and China remain at odds over specific trade disputes between them – such as Beijing’s tariffs on Australian wine and barley – but are united in concern about the years-long disruption to a key appeal body. Continue reading...

Female employees of NGOs told to stop coming to work in latest move to curtail women’s freedoms in AfghanistanAfghanistan’s Taliban-run administration has ordered all local and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to stop female employees from coming to work, according to a letter from the economy ministry.The letter, the contents of which were confirmed by economy ministry spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib, said female employees of NGOs were not allowed to work until further notice. Continue reading...

Paper’s apology followed piece in which columnist said he ‘hated’ MeghanA spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has said an apology by the Sun over a column in which Jeremy Clarkson said he “hated” Meghan is “nothing more than a PR stunt”.The column has become the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s (Ipso) most complained about article, with more than 20,000 contacting it over the piece, according to Ipso. Continue reading...

Vehicle belonging to motor neurone disease fundraiser was targeted on Friday evening in West YorkshireThe former rugby league star Rob Burrow’s wheelchair accessible van was vandalised while his family were out for a Christmas meal, his father has said.Geoff Burrow said his son, who played for Leeds Rhinos between 2001 and 2017, had been out in Castleford, West Yorkshire, on Friday when the vehicle was targeted. Continue reading...

Dance group announces death of singer, saying he was ‘a lovely human being with time for everyone’Maxi Jazz, the lead singer of the dance group Faithless, has died aged 65.In a Facebook post on Saturday, the group wrote: “We are heartbroken to say Maxi Jazz died last night. He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. Continue reading...

Exclusive: those covering for staff have no power to stop suspected criminals if they have valid travel documentsSoldiers and sailors covering for striking Border Force staff at passport control do not have the power to detain people they suspect of criminal activity, leaked documents show.Emails reveal that people suspected of crimes such as carrying a false passport, drug smuggling, people trafficking and victims of modern slavery cannot be stopped by members of the armed forces if they hold valid travel documents. Continue reading...

Hundreds rally after three people allegedly shot by man awaiting trial for refugee camp attackProtesters have clashed with police as they call for justice over the killing of three people in a Kurdish neighbourhood in Paris.Several hundred representatives of France’s Kurdish community gathered at Republic Square on Saturday to demand answers over the killings, which they say have left the community afraid. Continue reading...

PM filmed asking man if he would like to ‘get in to’ financial services during visit to London shelterRishi Sunak has been criticised over an awkward exchange with a homeless person while volunteering at a soup kitchen in front of television cameras.The prime minister visited a shelter on Friday, where after a brief exchange he asked the man whether he worked in business. The man replied that he was homeless. Sunak then discussed his background in the finance industry and asked if it would be something the man would “like to get in to”. Continue reading...

Phoebie Turley pays tribute to Gaby Hutchinson, saying they ‘would have done anything for anyone’The partner of one of the people who died after the O2 Brixton Academy crush has demanded justice for the victims of the disaster, insisting someone needs to be “accountable” for what happened.Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died after fans tried to get into a show by the Nigerian artist Asake at the south London venue on 15 December. Continue reading...

Spectator political editor and Times columnist is friend of prime minister’sRishi Sunak has hired a close friend and journalist as a senior political aide as he prepares to focus on immigration, the NHS and education to arrest his party’s slump in support.The prime minister has hired James Forsyth, the political editor of the Spectator, as his political secretary. Continue reading...

Met Office warning for snow and ice in place for most of Scottish Highlands and some lowland areasThe Scottish Highlands could be in for a white Christmas, forecasters have said.A Met Office yellow warning is in place for most of the mountainous region and some lowland areas from 9pm on Christmas Day to 6pm on Boxing Day. Continue reading...

Wholesale growers expect to increase tree costs between 5% and 15% as research suggests artificial trees gaining popularityFor millions across the country, a Christmas tree is an essential part of the holiday season.And every year comes the debate – an artificial tree or a real one? Continue reading...

Sobhraj arrives in Paris on commercial flight after release from Nepalese prison on health groundsCharles Sobhraj, a convicted killer known as “the Serpent” who police believe targeted western backpackers on the hippie trail in the 1970s, has returned to France after nearly two decades behind bars in Nepal, BFM TV reported.Nepal’s supreme court ordered the release of Sobhraj on Wednesday, citing his advanced age and health. Continue reading...

Blaze in Siberian city guts second floor of building housing unregistered home for older peopleTwenty-two people have been killed in a fire at an illegal nursing home in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, Russia’s emergencies ministry said.The fire broke out early on Saturday morning in the two-storey wooden building in the industrial city more than 2,000 miles east of Moscow. Initial reports say it may have been caused by a faulty heating boiler. Continue reading...

Prime minister facing industrial action records calls thanking public sector workers for ‘sacrifices’Rishi Sunak has chosen to record phone calls with public servants in which he thanks them for their “selflessness” rather than broadcast a Christmas message to the nation.The prime minister made apparently surprise calls to four workers and the crew of a naval ship to express his gratitude for their “sacrifices” after an “extraordinary year”. Continue reading...

North London Collegiate school has faced multiple malpractice allegations over way grades awardedA prestigious private school in London has faced multiple investigations into the way it awarded exam grades in 2021, when all its A-level entries received A* or A, the Guardian has learned.Senior leaders and teachers at the North London Collegiate school (NLCS) have been placed under investigation for alleged malpractice in setting teacher-assessed grades, which replaced formal exams cancelled by the government because of the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...

NHS makes slots available through to 27 December and urgently appeals for people to be vaccinated as hospital admissions riseDozens of sites across England will provide flu and Covid vaccinations on Christmas Day, and hundreds more are to open on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and the bank holiday on 27 December.More than 100,000 slots for jabs have been made available, as the NHS urgently appealed for people to come forward to be vaccinated. Continue reading...

Work created more than 500 years ago will go on display in Northern Ireland next year after export banA rare painting of the nativity created more than 500 years ago by Baldassare Peruzzi has been saved by the government as a “Christmas gift for the nation” after an export ban was imposed.The Nativity, the only work by Peruzzi in the UK, will go on display in Northern Ireland next year. It was acquired by National Museums NI after funds were raised to buy the work from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, Department for Communities NI and the Esme Mitchell Trust. Continue reading...

Button batteries can cause most damage, NHS says, as number of young people admitted to hospital doublesParents have been warned about the dangers of children swallowing small objects from Christmas presents and crackers.Leading NHS doctors said the number of young people admitted to hospital after ingesting small objects had doubled over the past 10 years to 228, according to the latest data. Continue reading...

The PM, an election winner in 2022, starts his festive address noting Christmas is ‘such a special time of year’

Airline apologises to passengers and promises to get them to Heathrow airport ‘early on Christmas morning’

Qantas has apologised to passengers and thanked them for their patience after a Singapore to London flight was forced to land at Baku airport – This blog is now closed

The figures reported by Qingdao’s municipal health chief were in stark contrast to official statistics from the central governmentHalf a million people a day are being infected with Covid-19 in a single Chinese city, a senior health official has said, in a rare and quickly censored acknowledgment that the country’s wave of infections is not being reflected in official statistics.A news outlet operated by the ruling Communist party in Qingdao reported the municipal health chief as saying that the eastern city was seeing “between 490,000 and 530,000” new Covid cases a day. Continue reading...

West Bank city gears up for festive season after two years of pandemic restrictionsThere’s once again no room at the inn in Bethlehem as the Palestinian city gears up for its first Christmas season after two years of pandemic restrictions.During the week of Christmas this year, 120,000 tourists and pilgrims from all over the world are expected to visit the occupied West Bank town, home to the Byzantine Church of the Nativity, which stands on the spot where it is believed Jesus was born. The predicted numbers for 2022 are almost on a par with 2019, when Bethlehem saw an all-time high of 150,000 visitors in the same time period, and 3 million visitors overall. Continue reading...

Murray River forecast to peak in coming days as 241mm of rain falls on Timber Creek in the Northern Territory in 24 hours

Putin orders defence chiefs to quickly get military all it needs; Russian forces accused of cover-up in demolishing Mariupol theatre after deadly airstrike

Rabuka accused the outgoing government of Frank Bainimarama of stoking ‘fear and chaos’ in the aftermath of the close electionSitiveni Rabuka has become Fiji’s prime minister after a coalition of parties voted to install him, signalling an end to Frank Bainimarama’s 16 years in power.The appointment of Rabuka on Saturday ended 10 days of uncertainty after an election delivered a hung parliament. Fiji’s Social Democratic Liberal party (Sodelpa) held the balance of power and on Friday voted to form a coalition with Rabuka’s People’s Alliance and the National Federation party. Continue reading...

Report, which also recommends linking Sydney to Wollongong and ranks Canberra route as a lower priority, cost taxpayers $390,000

Monarch expected to pay tribute to late mother during festive address from St George’s chapelKing Charles has chosen to broadcast his first Christmas message from St George’s chapel at Windsor Castle, where the committal service of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, was held three months ago.In a photograph released before the broadcast on Christmas Day, the king is seen standing in the quire for his inaugural festive address to the country and the rest of the Commonwealth. Continue reading...

French media say a 69-year-old opened fire on group of people, and government says incident seemed to have been racially motivatedClashes have erupted in Paris after three people were killed in a shooting at a Kurdish cultural centre that the French government said appeared to have been racially motivated.French media reported that a 69-year-old man opened fire on a group of people at the Ahmet-Kaya centre on Rue d’Enghien in the 10th arrondissement on Friday morning. Shots were also fired at a hairdresser’s and a restaurant in the street. Three people have been wounded, one critically. Continue reading...

Paper says that ‘as a publisher, we realise that with free expression comes responsibility’The Sun has apologised for Jeremy Clarkson’s column, in which he said he “hated” the Duchess of Sussex, but has not stated whether any action has been taken against him.Last week’s column has become the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s most complained about article, with more than 17,500 people contacting it over the piece as of Tuesday morning. Continue reading...

US announces fresh sanctions; North Korea denies supplying weapons to Russia; Moscow-installed official in Kherson reportedly killed in car blast

Passengers report shorter queues than usual despite Border Force strike as military brought in to helpPassengers entered Heathrow braced for the sight of queues snaking their way around the airport and departure boards coldly telling them that their festive season was ruined.With concerns that travel problems could run into the new year as 1,000 Border Force staff began the first of eight days of strikes, those travelling through Europe’s busiest airport on the Friday before Christmas were apprehensive. Continue reading...

Symon Hill, 45, charged with using threatening or abusive words, or disorderly behaviour during Oxford eventA man has been charged over comments made during a proclamation ceremony for the king.Thames Valley police said on Friday that Symon Hill, 45, of Oxford, had been charged with using threatening or abusive words, or disorderly behaviour. Continue reading...

Inquest into men’s deaths hears they drowned after ‘wholly unsuitable’ dinghy capsized on 14 DecemberFour people who died when a small boat capsized in the Channel earlier this month are believed to be of Afghan and Senegalese heritage, an inquest into their deaths has heard.The four men’s identities have not yet been confirmed, the coroner’s court in Maidstone, Kent, was told on Friday. Continue reading...

Campaigners are putting teachers under pressure, says Jeremy Miles after verdict in high court challengeThe Welsh education minister has accused campaigners of putting teachers under pressure by deliberately spreading “misinformation” about the teaching of LGBTQ+ issues.Jeremy Miles also told of how he struggled to find his place in the world as a gay young person, in an era when “someone like me” did not exist as far as the school curriculum was concerned. Continue reading...

ONS survey finds 79% of adults plan to buy fewer presents and 73% say gifts will be cheaper than last yearMillions of shoppers are expected to rein in their spending as they head into the last day of Christmas shopping, according to official data that shows eight in 10 adults plan to buy fewer presents.Shoppers also plan to buy less expensive gifts to cope with a cost of living crisis in which soaring prices are eating into the spending power of the average household at a record rate. Continue reading...

More than half of Brisbane company’s digital assets were deposited with Sam Bankman-Fried’s exchange

Bombs exploded outside the consulate and in the basement of the Bondi club on 23 December 1982

Australia’s financial intelligence agency warns that Russian paramilitary groups are soliciting crypto via social media to buy weapons for Ukraine conflict

Treasurer reveals goal alongside MPs and candidates who are facing off against teal challengers at March election

Nida Mohammad Nadeem says ban was necessary to prevent mixing of genders as rare protests break outThe minister of higher education in Afghanistan’s Taliban government has defended his decision to ban women from universities – a decree that triggered a global backlash and protests inside the country.Afghanistan’s Taliban-run administration announced earlier this week it had closed universities to women partly due to female students not adhering to its interpretation of the Islamic dress code and interaction between students of different genders. Continue reading...

The member for Calare, who will now sit as an independent, said he ‘fundamentally disagreed’ with party’s position

PwC predicts increase in divorces, slide in house prices and drop in happiness indexBritish wages next year will fall back to 2006 levels, while 2023 will also bring a slide in house prices and an increase in divorces, according to a forecast that finds the UK is on course to be a less happy place to live.The consultancy firm PwC said a look ahead to 2023 showed there were few positive indicators, with most measures of the UK’s economic and social performance going into reverse. Continue reading...

Take care using candles and electric heaters, fire authorities warn, as Ofgem reveals gas and electricity bills are up by 86%Fire authorities have urged householders to take care when using candles, wood burners and electric heaters to cut energy bills this Christmas after a spate of recent house fires.Flat fires in Uxbridge and Harwich this month were caused by candles; fire chiefs in Cumbria, Hereford and Worcester reported more fires as householders used unswept chimneys and candles; and last month in Wakefield a blaze was caused by a tumble dryer being used overnight to save money. Continue reading...

Damien Bendall, who went on to murder his pregnant partner and three children, rated as ‘medium’ rather than ‘high risk’The probation officer who judged Damien Bendall, who has been jailed for life for murdering three children and his pregnant partner, to be “medium” rather than “high risk” has reportedly been sacked for gross misconduct.Bendall, 32, was sentenced to five whole-life sentences this week for the killings in Killamarsh, Derbyshire last September, which took place three months after he was given a suspended sentence for arson. Continue reading...

Ambulance workers to take further industrial action in January and nurses union also expected to keep up the pressure on ministersThe NHS is facing months of disruption early next year as health unions ramp up their campaign of strikes in protest against the government’s “pitiful” pay award and refusal to countenance improving it.Ambulance services in England will be hit by two days of strikes on 11 and 23 January by members of Unison, and the union has decided that these stoppages will last for longer and involve more staff than this week’s strike, as part of a deliberate escalation of its industrial action. Continue reading...

Teenager was killed on Tuesday night in central London in incident in which another 16-year-old was injuredA 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in central London on Tuesday night has been named by police as Jamaly Samba Baibu.The teenager was killed following an incident just after 10.30pm in Seward Street, Clerkenwell, the Metropolitan police said. Another 16-year-old boy was injured. Continue reading...

Threatening to use UK powers to block law is a gift to independence campaigners but weaponises trans issue in run-up to general electionJust moments after the Scottish parliament voted to pass the SNP’s gender recognition legislation on Thursday, the debate was disrupted by protesters shouting from the public gallery, underlining just how controversial the new law is.Yet Nicola Sturgeon, who has fought for six years to get the measures on to the statute book, regards it as a big win. But within minutes the UK government had announced it was pressing pause on the act, throwing the Scottish government’s plans into disarray and threatening a constitutional crisis. Continue reading...