World news | The Guardian

Major incident declared in Wales and England and Scotland hit by power cuts due to rain, floods and windSeveral people have been killed as Storm Bert battered the UK and a major incident has been declared in south Wales.At least five deaths have been reported in England and Wales since the storm hit. Strong winds have been accompanied by flooding caused by heavy rain and thawing snow. Continue reading...

The University of South Australia is reintroducing the oral tradition of viva voce to test students' knowledge more effectively

Man in video identifies himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, and says he joined the International LegionA British national has reportedly been captured by Russia's forces in the Kursk region while fighting for Ukraine.In a video posted on pro-war Russian Telegram channels on Sunday, a man wearing combat fatigues identifies himself as 22-year-old James Scott Rhys Anderson from the UK. Continue reading...

Ministers also ban government advertising from critical newspaper that is widely respected internationallyIsrael's government is set to punish the country's leading left-leaning newspaper, Haaretz, by ordering a boycott of the publication by government officials or anyone working for a government-funded body and halting all government advertising in its pages or website.In a statement on Sunday, the office of Shlomo Karhi, the communications minister, said that his proposal against Haaretz had been unanimously approved by other ministers. Continue reading...

Comments part of debate over whether Beijing backs Kim Jong-un's decision to send troops to fight in UkraineChina is increasingly uncomfortable about North Korea's engagement with Russia and finds the growing cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow unnerving, Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state has said.He was leaning into a growing debate among the US's security partners in Asia on whether China supports the decision of North Korea's Kim Jong-un to send 10,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. It is said the North Korean troops are now inside Russia. Continue reading...

Senior Israeli minister says the war is far from over and Israel will stay for years' in the territoryThe Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of new areas of northern Gaza, setting off a fresh wave of civilian displacements on Sunday as intense airstrikes continued across much of the territory.In Jerusalem, a senior minister said the war in Gaza was far from over and that Israel would stay for years" in the territory. Continue reading...

UAE says it has arrested three people over the killing of Zvi Kogan, who worked for an Orthodox Jewish groupIsrael has said that an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates was killed in what it described as a heinous antisemitic terror incident".Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement about the death of Zvi Kogan, who worked in the UAE for an Orthodox Jewish group called Chabad and had not been seen since Thursday. Continue reading...

Councils, politicians and campaigners hope a tourist tax' would raise money to fund services in areas affected by high visitor numbersMillions of tourists to the UK could soon be asked to pay a local visitor levy as cash-strapped councils try to raise money to fund services.Nearly half of Scotland's local councils are considering a mandatory levy on overnight stays, known as a tourist tax, to help cope with a surge in visitors that has overwhelmed places such as Skye, the Callanish stones on Lewis and Orkney's neolithic sites. Continue reading...

A musician, the original Wheel of Fortune host and later a rightwing podcaster, Woolery died at home in TexasChuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of Wheel of Fortune, Love Connection and Scrabble who later became a rightwing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about Covid-19, has died. He was 83.Mark Young, Woolery's podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early on Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him," Young wrote. Continue reading...

Labour's Charlie Falconer says vocal opponents are leading voters to think government is against change

Third-century Roman plate and bust of Emperor Hadrian alleged to have links to man convicted of illegal dealingThe auction house Bonhams is facing calls to withdraw a Roman antiquity from its forthcoming London auction amid claims that it was looted from Turkey.A third-century Roman silver plate, decorated with a depiction of a river god, is lot 62 of the 5 December auction and is estimated to sell for between 20,000 and 30,000. Continue reading...

Sunday's election could lead to a battle between far-right's George Simion and Marcel Ciolacu of Social DemocratsRomanians are casting ballots on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election that could pit a far-right nationalist against the incumbent leftist prime minister in the runoff.Thirteen candidates are vying for the presidency in the EU and Nato member country and the vote is expected to go to a second round on 8 December. Polls opened at 7am local time (05.00 GMT) and will close at 9pm. Romanians abroad have been able to vote since Friday. Continue reading...

Recruitment group says more applicants are turning down offers that do not include hybrid workingRecruiters have received a surge in job applications from disgruntled workers at companies that are removing employees' flexibility over where they work after a flurry of return-to-office mandates were issued by large companies.Two-thirds of recruiters have seen an increase in applicants looking for new jobs who are working at companies that are mandating five days a week in the office, according to a survey. Continue reading...

Welsh town fights raging River Taff with sandbags and buckets as central street has second big flood in four yearsThe River Taff raged through the centre of Pontypridd on Sunday, overflowing its banks and overwhelming homes and businesses.Sion Street, which runs parallel to the river in the centre of the Valleys town, was flooded, with the murky water breaching several terrace properties. Residents desperately tried to empty their front yards of water with plastic buckets, while others frantically stacked sandbags on their doorsteps. Continue reading...

Meeting comes amid fears Middle East tensions will lead Iran to redouble its efforts to acquire a nuclear weaponIran's deputy foreign minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, will meet his European counterparts in Geneva on Friday after the collapse of a deal last week under which Iran would have limited its uranium enrichment to 60% purity, just below the threshold to make nuclear weapons.The offer was regarded by Iran as a first step to rebuilding confidence between it and the west over what it insists is its civilian nuclear programme. There are growing fears that wider tensions in the Middle East could result in Tehran redoubling efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon and trying to declare it necessary for its national self-defence. Continue reading...

Canadian pension fund said to be in talks with minority shareholders as it seeks to cash in on post-Covid revivalBirmingham, Bristol and London City airports have reportedly been put up for sale by their Canadian pension fund owner as it looks to cash in on a resurgence in air travel after the pandemic.The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) is said to be in talks over a potential sale of its stakes in the UK airports to minority shareholders. The portfolio, which also includes Copenhagen and Brussels airports, is estimated to be worth more than 10bn. Continue reading...

Exclusive: two senators sponsor Senate motion calling for a review of rules covering discriminatory language and behaviour

Researchers find providers stand to lose 46% of possible income if they rent to young people compared with those on higher welfare payments

Two-day bash in London was part of lifestyle brand' push to snare younger customersThousands of bank customers braved the wind and rain of Storm Bert on Saturday night, forming queues that snaked through the streets surrounding London's Tottenham Court Road station.But this was no bank run. In fact, there was not a bank branch in sight. Continue reading...

Centres had been open for over a month but received just 24 asylum seekers, whose detention was deemed unlawfulDozens of Italian police officers and social workers deployed by Italy's far-right government in migrant centres in Albania have returned home, after it emerged that the facilities, praised as a model to reduce refugee arrivals, have been empty for weeks.Just over a month after the much-publicised opening of the multimillion-euro detention centres for asylum seekers in Albania, which were supposed to receive up to 3,000 men a month, more than 50 police officers were moved back to Italy two weeks ago while dozens of social workers have left over the weekend, with their presence in Albania considered needless". Continue reading...

Tsai Ing-wen says Kyiv needs weapons more urgently than Taipei and says Ukrainian victory will be effective deterrent to future aggression'Taiwan's former president urges US to prioritise aiding Ukraine over Taiwan for now, says report. Former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen has suggested that the US should prioritise helping Ukraine over Taiwan - in the immediate future - as Kyiv needs weapons more urgently than Taipei. Speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, the former Taiwanese leader was quoted by Politico as saying: They should do whatever they can to help the Ukrainians ... We [Taiwan] still have time."Moscow offers debt forgiveness to new recruits. Vladimir Putin has signed a law granting debt forgiveness to new army recruits who enlist to fight in Moscow's war on Ukraine. According to Russian state news agency Interfax, the new legislation allows those signing up for a one-year contract to write off bad debts of up to 10 million rubles ($96,000; 77,000).An air alert has been sounded almost daily' across Ukraine this week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says as he pleads for more air defences. Zelenskyy has posted to Telegram saying that his country needs more air defences to protect itself against relentless Russian attacks. He said that Russia used more than 800 guided aerial bombs, about 460 attack drones, and more than 20 missiles over the past week.Russia prepared to launch cyber-attacks on UK, minister to warn. Russia is prepared to launch a series of cyber-attacks on Britain and other Nato members as it seeks to weaken support for Ukraine, a senior UK cabinet minister will warn in a speech on Monday. Moscow will not think twice" about exploiting defence gaps to target UK businesses, and allies must not underestimate" the threat it poses, Pat McFadden, a senior UK minister whose portfolio includes national security, will say. In a speech to the Nato cyber defence conference at Lancaster House, the minister is expected to say: Military hard-power is one thing. But cyberwar can be destabilising and debilitating. With a cyber-attack, Russia can turn the lights off for millions of people. It can shut down the power grids. This is the hidden war Russia is waging with Ukraine."No red lines' when it comes to support for Ukraine, France's foreign minister says. The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, has told the BBC in an interview that western allies should not put any limits on support for Ukraine against Russia, and not set and express red lines". Barrot's comments are significant, coming a few days after US and UK long-range missiles were used in that way for the first time. Barrot said that Ukraine could fire French long-range missiles into Russia in the logics of self-defence", but would not confirm if French weapons had already been used.Vladimir Putin has signed a law granting debt forgiveness to new army recruits who enlist to fight in Moscow's war on Ukraine. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Families of people detained overseas fear diplomats are pushing back against foreign secretary's plansFamilies of prominent British prisoners detained abroad have urged the foreign secretary to deliver on pledges to help secure their release amid signs of growing resistance from diplomats.David Lammy, the foreign secretary, vowed in opposition to appoint a special envoy to help secure the freedom of those detained for years without a fair trial. Giving British citizens a legal right to consular access when they run into trouble overseas was also a Labour manifesto pledge. Continue reading...

Charlie Falconer says Labour colleague and justice secretary has religious reasons' for opposing assisted dyingCabinet ministers should not impose their religious beliefs on others in their objections to assisted dying, a leading proponent of changing the law has said.In response to an intervention from Shabana Mahmood, Charlie Falconer, a Labour peer and ally of Keir Starmer, said the justice secretary had religious and spiritual reasons" for being opposed to assisted dying. Continue reading...

Work and pensions secretary says she will transform opportunities as Starmer bemoans bulging benefits bill'Young people who refuse to take up jobs or training will lose their benefits in the government's crackdown on worklessness, Liz Kendall has said.The work and pensions secretary said on Sunday: If people repeatedly refuse to take up the training or work responsibilities, there will be sanctions on their benefits." Continue reading...

Survey reveals appetite for rethinking relationship between the boardroom and low or middle earnersChief executives should have their pay capped to maintain a fair balance between workers and bosses, according to a survey that found a majority of respondents in favour of restricting top salaries.A poll by the High Pay Centre thinktank of more than 2,000 people found that 55% agreed that chief executive pay should be set as a multiple of workers' low or average earnings so that pay differences between the high and low or middle earners don't grow too wide". Only 15% objected. Continue reading...

Large group of kayakers paddled into shipping channel at Newcastle's coal port

Police shot a gunman who had fired at a police patrol in the Rabiah neighbourhood of Amman, officials and media reportA gunman was dead and three policemen injured after a shooting near the Israeli embassy in Jordan, a security source and state media said on Sunday.Police shot a gunman who had fired at a police patrol in the Rabiah neighbourhood of Amman, state news agency Petra reported, citing public security, adding investigations were ongoing. Continue reading...

Four gilt-bronze sconces that lit up home of Louis XV's mistress are set to go on sale at Sotheby's in DecemberFor almost 140 years, four massive gilt-bronze wall lights have hung in the 18th-century drawing room at Swinton Castle in Yorkshire, now an opulent luxury hotel.Guests will almost certainly have noticed the one metre-high rococo appliques with their entwined branches decorated with leaves, berries and cherubim, and passed them off as impressive reproductions of more valuable original works. Continue reading...

Children's campaigners say national crisis' adds to trauma for vulnerable young people, amid huge fall in numbers fosteringThe number of foster carers in England has sunk to a 10-year low, prompting urgent calls for the recruitment of thousands more families, improved retention and moves to tackle a national crisis" that is exacerbating trauma for the most vulnerable children in society.The latest figures produced by Ofsted show the number of foster carers fell from 43,405 to 42,615 in the year to March 2024. For the past three years, more carers have been quitting than signing up, meaning the sector has suffered a 2,920 net loss in carers during this period. Continue reading...

Sam Hibbins announced resignation from parliament three weeks after confessing to consensual relationship with staff member

The work and pensions secretary is to overhaul benefits system, pushing young people into work or educationBritain's network of jobcentres has become a hollowed-out benefit administration service" that is shunned by employers and jobseekers alike, a cabinet minister has warned before a government overhaul of out-of-work support that will oblige young people to take up education or employment.In an interview with the Observer, Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, warned that the nation's 650 jobcentres are no longer fit for purpose" and need to become hubs for those looking for work or a better position, as well as those dependent on welfare. Reforms to integrate the jobcentre network with healthcare and careers services in England will be unveiled this week, as part of a long-awaited plan to deal with economic inactivity. Continue reading...

Led by King's College London, study will recruit 360 people in England and Wales to explore benefits of schemeResearchers are conducting the UK's first major scientific trials to establish whether giving homeless people cash is a more effective way of reducing poverty than traditional forms of help.Poverty campaigners have long believed that cash transfers are the most cost-effective way of helping people, but most studies have examined schemes in developing countries. Continue reading...

Pat McFadden will tell cyber summit that Russia won't think twice about targeting British businesses' and danger to Nato must not be underestimatedRussia is exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber realm" and no one should underestimate" the threat to Nato, a senior UK minister will warn in a speech on Monday.Pat McFadden, whose portfolio includes national security, will tell a Nato cybersecurity conference in London that Moscow won't think twice about targeting British businesses", according to excerpts of his address released on Sunday by his ministry. Continue reading...

Bianca Jones's father urged Laos government to investigate deaths to the fullest' and ensure it could not happen again

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...