World news | The Guardian

Pacific Zircon, linked to Israeli billionaire, said to have been ‘hit by projectile’ but suffered only minor damageAn oil tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran.The drone attack on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon happened on Tuesday night off the coast of Oman, a Middle East-based defence official told the Associated Press. Continue reading...

PM awaiting formal advice after pledge made when tax affairs came under scrutiny over wife’s non-dom status

Concerns raised after children classified wrongly as adults were assigned to a hotel where a serious stabbing took place last monthAt least 40 child asylum seekers were placed in a Home Office hotel designated for adults where one of them was a victim of a serious stabbing last month, the Guardian has learned.Lawyers and NGOs have repeatedly raised concerns about children being assessed wrongly as adults by the Home Office after arriving in the UK on small boats. Continue reading...

Ninety per cent of balloted union members vote to carry on industrial action across Network Rail and 14 train operating companiesMembers of the RMT union have voted to continue taking industrial action in their long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.The union said 90% of balloted members supported further strike action across Network Rail and against the 14 train operating companies. Continue reading...

Ukrainian investigators claim Russian forces took over juvenile detention centre, beating and killing people inside

‘We rang the SES but they couldn’t get to us, there was no boat,’ says the resident of Tichborne in the state’s central west

Incident off Oman involved vessel owned by Idan Ofer conglomerateOil prices have risen after a tanker owned by an Israeli billionaire was hit by a drone carrying a bomb off the coast of Oman.The attack on Pacific Zircon, which is owned by Idan Ofer and operated by the Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, sent Brent crude prices up 65 cents to $94.5 (£79.23). The Liberian-flagged tanker had departed from Sohar on Monday afternoon and was destined for Buenos Aires. Continue reading...

CPS authorises new charges against 63-year-old actor, of offences against one manKevin Spacey will be charged with seven additional sexual offences against one man, prosecutors have said.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had authorised the new charges against the 63-year-old actor, including three of indecent assault, three of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Continue reading...

This online tool will help you discover what is contributing to your household’s cost of living increasesInflation is soaring in the UK as people are hit by higher prices for everyday essentials.Now in double digits, the latest inflation rate for the 12 months to September 2022 means that goods and services cost over 11.1% more than they did a year ago – in most cases, surpassing any pay rises workers can expect to receive. Continue reading...

UK prime minister tells G20 press conference he did not discuss deal at his first meeting with Joe BidenRishi Sunak has played down the prospect of any US trade deal in the near future, just days after suggesting he was in no rush to complete a deal with India before he had re-examined the package.The prime minister also denied Brexit was playing a role in the UK’s economic downturn, which he said should be seen in a global context. Continue reading...

Swan suggested there might be a Covid link with deaths of Labor senator and cricketing legend

PM’s talks with Chinese president postponed in wake of missile strike near Poland’s border with UkraineA bilateral meeting between the UK and China at the G20 summit – billed as the first such talks between the countries in five years – has been cancelled because of emergency meetings among world leaders in the aftermath of a missile strike in Nato-member Poland near the border with Ukraine.Downing Street said there were “movements with timings on both sides” that led to the cancellation of the meeting, but said Sunak had wanted it to go ahead. “The prime minister obviously thinks it is still important to have that conversation with President Xi,” his spokesperson said. Continue reading...

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Ten days out from polling day, the opposition leader was swatting away questions over two separate electoral commission probes

TBS set to have most of its funding cut starting in 2024 after a decision by Seoul city government, led by president Yoon’s partyA popular South Korean broadcaster accused of political bias is set to lose its city funding amid concern press freedoms are being restricted under the Yoon Suk-yeol government.TBS, which operates two radio stations and a television channel, receives 70% of its funding from the Seoul city government. Continue reading...

Annastacia Palaszczuk says report into police responses to domestic violence will be released Monday

Return of Jenő Szemák’s portrait seen as ‘strong symbolic message regarding the current political climate in Hungary’A portrait of a far-right judge who served Hungary’s fascist wartime government has quietly been returned to the walls of the country’s highest court.One senior judge told the Guardian he was appalled by the decision to hang a portrait of fascist sympathiser Jenő Szemák in the supreme court, saying that it sent “a strong symbolic message regarding the current political climate in Hungary”. Continue reading...

Organisations want to recruit more women with autism, dyslexia and ADHD to work in cybersecurity rolesThe British spy agency GCHQ and weapons manufacturer BAE Systems have issued an appeal to attract more neurodiverse women to work for them in cybersecurity jobs.The employers are actively seeking women with autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for cybersecurity roles to address gaps in their workforces. Continue reading...

NSW man, 30, charged with driving without due care and attention causing death, failing to wear a seatbelt and using a mobile phoneA widower whose bride of 10 days was killed in a buggy accident on the couple’s tropical Queensland honeymoon has been charged over her death.The 30-year-old NSW man was driving a registered golf buggy with his wife on board on Hamilton Island in June when they crashed. Continue reading...

Police minister Mark Ryan says nation-leading incarceration rates reflect what the community wants

Mining magnate and his company Palmer Leisure Coolum were charged by commonwealth director of public prosecutions for alleged takeover law breaches

Narelle Smith, who pleaded not guilty to murdering Peter McCarthy, initially told police she ‘didn’t really know him’

The wages price index for the September quarter fell far short of the 7.3% pace of consumer price increases

Scheme starting this month is aimed at improving Britain’s poor record on early diagnosisAll GPs in England will be able to refer suspected cancer patients for tests without them first having to see a specialist under an NHS initiative designed to speed up diagnosis.The scheme, which starts this month, will let family doctors send patients with potential symptoms straight to have a scan, X-ray or other diagnostic test. Continue reading...

Incident in which two people died probably falls short of threshold needed to prompt collective Nato action against Russia• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesIf it was a Russian missile that struck a Polish village on Tuesday, killing two people, it would be the first time a Russian weapon has ever come down on Nato territory.The Soviet Union and the US managed to get through the whole cold war without making such a mistake, because Washington and Moscow were well aware of the risks of going to war by accident or miscalculation. Continue reading...

Churches are adopting aggressive approaches towards survivors in cases where alleged paedophile priests and clergy have diedGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAnother major law firm has accused churches of using a recent ruling to attempt to low-ball abuse survivors seeking compensation in cases where alleged paedophile priests have died.On Tuesday, Guardian Australia revealed the Catholic church was adopting an aggressive new approach towards survivors in cases where alleged paedophile priests and clergy have died.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Forces opened fire as protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death swelled on anniversary of bloody 2019 crackdownIranian security forces have shot dead at least two protesters, as demonstrations sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death swelled on the anniversary of a bloody 2019 crackdown.The protesters were responding to a call to commemorate those slain in the 2019 crackdown, giving new momentum to the demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Amini in mid-September this year, after her arrest for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict dress code for women. Continue reading...

Singer has now received 88 Grammy nominations in her career, tying only with husband Jay Z as most nominated artistBeyoncé leads the 2023 Grammy race with nine nominations.The singer’s haul of latest nods makes her the most nominated artist ever, tying with husband Jay-Z, both scoring 88 nominations throughout their careers. Continue reading...

Acute shortage of social housing is one reason why landlords cannot move people to safer homes• Death of two-year-old from mould in flat a ‘defining moment’Nicola Calvert and her five-year-old son Tristan have lived with damp in a basement flat in Hastings for three years. The mould spreads across walls and ceilings and weevils that feed off moist plaster fall into their beds, she told the Guardian.There are rats too, but it’s the damp that scares Calvert, because it worsens her son’s asthma. Continue reading...

Moët Hennessy predicts ‘fabulous year’ for its champagne, with strongest growth in Europe and USThe company behind Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug and Dom Pérignon has said it is “running out of stock on our best champagnes” as the wealthy spend big on luxury goods in a new “roaring 20s” age of decadence.Working Britons may have suffered the biggest slump in living standards since records began in the 1950s, but according to the head of the LVMH luxury goods empire’s wines and spirits division, “pent-up demand” following the easing of coronavirus restrictions has prompted a run on the finest fizz. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Refugee Council says Home Office practice is not to name hotels housing migrants after targeting by far-right groupsThe House of Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle has been urged to stop Conservative MPs from naming hotels which will house people seeking asylum after concerns that it could lead to attacks by extremists.The Refugee Council has written to the speaker pointing out that it is Home Office practice not to name hotels where migrants are staying after they were targeted by far-right groups. Continue reading...

Union representatives claim UCL has tried to thwart the industrial action by hiring agency workersSecurity staff at University College London have begun strike action over better pay and union recognition as their representatives accuse bosses of trying to intimidate them by bringing in lower-paid agency workers.The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union said all overtime was cancelled at unusually short notice in the days leading up to the strike and given to agency workers, with UCL acknowledging on Monday that some shifts had been subcontracted out to help break the strike. Continue reading...

Health Canada says it secured a foreign supply of children’s acetaminophen that will be for sale ‘in the coming weeks’Canada’s public health agency has said that foreign shipments of children’s fever medication will help ease a nationwide shortage that has left families desperate and hospitals overwhelmed.“We are announcing that we have secured foreign supply of children’s acetaminophen that will be available for sale at retail and in community pharmacies in the coming weeks,” Health Canada said in a release on Monday. Continue reading...

Hospital staff did not notice William Warrington had escaped for two hours and then did not report him as dangerousThe family of a man with paranoid schizophrenia who stabbed his parents to death after absconding from a psychiatric hospital have criticised the authorities for not doing more to protect them.On the day before William Warrington carried out the killings on his mother, Valerie, 73, and father, Clive, 68, the family sent 11 emails to the Gloucestershire hospital where he was being treated expressing concern about him. Continue reading...

Traditional allies voice concern over Ukraine war as draft communique highlights damage to world economy

Energy situation ‘critical’ across Ukraine after strikes, which Kyiv says are Russian response to Zelenskiy’s G20 address

Some pumps run dry on the final day before the rebate on price of petrol and diesel is cutLong queues continued at French petrol stations, and some pumps ran dry on Tuesday as motorists rushed to fill up ahead of the French government scaling down its state-subsidised fuel discounts.From 16 November, the government is to limit its rebate on the price of petrol and diesel, which has been in place since April to help drivers cope with the high costs of fuel. Continue reading...

Nitrous oxide linked to more than 60 fatal crashes in the country in less than three yearsThe Dutch government will ban laughing gas from next year, amid growing concern about the risks it poses to health and road safety.From 1 January 2023, the sale, import and possession of laughing gas, formally known as nitrous oxide, will be banned in the Netherlands, with a few exceptions for medical use and the food industry. Continue reading...

Pair attack Death and Life painting in Leopold Museum in protest against fossil fuel ‘death sentence’Climate activists in Austria have attacked a painting by Gustav Klimt, with one throwing a black, oily liquid at it and another gluing himself to the glass covering the painting.Members of Letzte Generation Österreich (Last Generation Austria) tweeted that they had targeted the 1915 painting Death and Life at the Leopold Museum in Vienna to protest against their government’s use of fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Voucher aims to rekindle interest in live arts and boost industry after pandemicYoung Germans are to join other Europeans in being offered a voucher to spend on their choice of cultural offerings under a scheme launched by the government.The €200 Kulturpass, which will be made available to all 18-year-olds, has twin aims: to encourage young adults to experience live culture and drop stay-at-home pandemic habits; and give a financial boost to the arts scene, which has yet to recover from repeated lockdowns. Continue reading...

Exclusive: government will introduce new laws to make ‘immediate improvements’ ahead of fuller review in 2023, attorney general reveals

Pair of red triangular Phryges meant to represent floppy conical hats linked to French RevolutionFrance’s mascots for the 2024 Olympic Games have been likened to a giant “clitoris in trainers”, with the French newspaper Libération hailing it as a revolutionary departure from the traditional phallic symbol of the Eiffel Tower.When the two triangular red mascots, the Phryges, were unveiled last week for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they were presented as the shape of Phrygian caps, the floppy, conical hats associated with the French Revolution. Continue reading...

British-Egyptian political prisoner had been on a partial hunger strike of 100 calories or less a day for six monthsAlaa Abd el-Fattah, the British-Egyptian democracy activist jailed in Egypt, has told his family in a letter that he has ended his six-month-long hunger strike, which he began in protest against his detention conditions.“I’ve broken my strike. I’ll explain everything on Thursday,” he told them, in reference to his monthly family prison visits to the Wadi el-Natrun desert prison where he is being held. The democracy activist was sentenced to a further five years in prison last year for sharing a social media post about torture, shortly after gaining British citizenship through his mother. Continue reading...

Chief executive hits back in row over future of opera and call for shows to be held away from grand venues

Chancellor plans levy on companies’ ‘excess returns’ to ease cost of living crisis, according to reportJeremy Hunt is reportedly preparing to hit electricity generation companies with a 40% windfall tax on their “excess returns” as he attempts to fund measures to ease the cost of living crisis.The chancellor is considering a levy on the extra profits made by generators above a certain price per megawatt hour, which has yet to be decided. Continue reading...

Landsec says retailers are shutting shops to focus on ‘fewer but bigger’ storesLandsec has said property values are falling and new developments are drying up because of rising interest rates, as some retailers shut shops to focus on fewer but bigger stores in the best locations.The company, which owns the Trinity Leeds shopping centre and Bluewater in Kent, said higher construction costs and, more recently, a sharp rise in development finance costs would lead to a slump in new developments in London. Continue reading...

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Despite the damage residents say they’re proud of the resilience and community spirit in the small NSW town

People break barriers and argue with workers in hazmat suits in Guangzhou amid zero-Covid policyCrowds of people in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou crashed through Covid barriers and marched down streets in chaotic scenes on Monday night, according to videos posted online, in a show of public resentment over government restrictions.Among the latest outbreaks in China, Guangzhou has the biggest caseload, with new daily infections of Covid-19 exceeding 5,000 for the first time and fuelling speculation that localised lockdowns could widen. Continue reading...

South Australian regulatory board considering whether it should continue to allow access to the writing assistance program