World news | The Guardian

Dozens of underperforming schools have been forced to wait more than a year to reopen under new managementDozens of schools rated inadequate by Ofsted have faced waits of more than a year before reopening, amid accusations from Labour that they were left to fester" by the former Conservative government.The state of schools and the future of academies has become the subject of an increasingly fraught political row. The Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, accused Keir Starmer last week of an act of vandalism" in new laws restricting freedoms enjoyed by academies. Continue reading...

Bedfordshire police officers were called to the woman's home on Thursday afternoon after reports of an injuryAn 83-year-old man has been charged with the murder of an 84-year-old woman, who was found dead in her home, police have said.Officers were called to Kingsbury Avenue, Dunstable in Bedfordshire, just after 1.40pm on Thursday, after reports that a woman had been injured. Continue reading...

People who deny the truth of the bitter past' could be jailed for up to five years under the law, which still needs parliament approvalCambodia's government has approved a draft law that will jail for up to five years anyone denying atrocities, including genocide, committed by the Khmer Rouge.The draft law - which aims to prevent a repeat of the Khmer Rouge's crimes and provide justice for victims - was approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister, Hun Manet, on Friday, the government spokesperson Pen Bona said. Continue reading...

People planning return to neighbourhoods to search for loved ones and assess damage to homes this weekendTens of thousands of people will risk death or injury this weekend from shells and bombs buried in rubble when they try to reach their ruined homes in areas of Gaza that have been inaccessible throughout much of the 15-month war, explosive disposal experts and aid officials have warned.To comply with the ceasefire deal that came into effect last Sunday, Israel must allow movement from southern Gaza to the north - where destruction has been most intensive - through a major checkpoint on the Israeli-held Netzarim corridor. Continue reading...

Trend forecasters predict wide-leg trend may be kicked out in favour of indie sleaze' narrow trousersAs the men's shows drew to a close this week, something looked different on the catwalk. Trousers hugged calves. Fabric that once billowed around thighs clung tight. Shoes usually hidden by hems were now visible.After several seasons in which wide-legged trousers had expanded beyond the catwalk to men who shop at Uniqlo, Muji, Zara and M&S and beyond, was the skinny, slimline, tapered trouser staging a comeback? Continue reading...

Ice given unprecedented authority to expedite deportations as US cities face raids and troops arrive at US-Mexico border

Russian president strikes noticeably favourable tone, downplaying Trump's previous economic threatsVladimir Putin has said he is ready to discuss the war in Ukraine with Donald Trump and suggested it would be a good idea for them to meet.In his first comments since Trump issued threats to inflict economic damage on Russia if it failed to end the war in Ukraine, Putin struck a favourable tone towards the US president. Continue reading...

The Holme in Regent's Park, which has 40 bedrooms, was put on the market two years ago for 250mA 40-bedroom mansion inside Regent's Park formerly owned by the Saudi royal family has been sold for about 139m in one of London's biggest ever property sales.The Holme, a 2,694 sq metre (29,000 sq ft) residence in 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of gardens, sits next to the park's boating lake close to London zoo and the US ambassador's residence, Winfield House. It was put on the market nearly two years ago, with agents reportedly seeking offers as high as 250m. Continue reading...

Succession star will play ghost of Adam Smith in James Graham's operatic' drama about the 2008 financial crashThe Dundee-born actor Brian Cox will return to the Scottish stage for the first time in a decade to play the ghost of the Scottish economist Adam Smith, a role he created for himself, in the first major drama to tell the story of Royal Bank of Scotland's role in the 2008 financial crash.Cox, whose performance as the ailing patriarch and media mogul Logan Roy in TV's acclaimed Succession won him a Golden Globe and multiple Emmy nominations, will play the Enlightenment-era economist in Make It Happen, an operatic in scale" production for the National Theatre of Scotland by the playwright and screenwriter James Graham. Continue reading...

Video footage allegedly showed student performing salute and another mimicking a Hitler moustache

NSW premier Chris Minns says police will track down people behind Maroubra attack and foreshadows new anti-hatred laws

Alex Cullen referred to Portelli by the nickname McLaren guy' on air after the mogul offered cash to the first TV presenter to do so

Unnamed gunman killed Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghisseh before shooting himself, Mezan reportsTwo judges have been killed in a shooting on Saturday at the supreme court building in Tehran, Iranian state media have reported.This morning, a gunman infiltrated the supreme court in a planned act of assassination of two brave and experienced judges. The two judges were martyred in the act," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported. Continue reading...

Report by Lancet Commission says BMI should be used as screening tool' rather than determining factorThis week, doctors confirmed what many people have felt for a long time: the way we think about obesity is not helpful, BMI (body mass index) is unreliable, and this needs to change.The Lancet Commission has urged a radical overhaul" of how obesity is diagnosed, warning that reliance on BMI has resulted in both under- and over-diagnosis of the condition affecting approximately 1 billion people globally. Continue reading...

Agreement earlier approved by the security cabinet will pause 15-month war in Gaza for an initial six weeks

Populist leader allegedly had a child with a teen girl in 2016, which would constitute statutory rape under Bolivian lawA Bolivian judge has ordered the arrest of the former president Evo Morales over his alleged abuse of a teenage girl while in office, raising the stakes in the state's months-long showdown with the former leader.The judge in the southern city of Tarija called for Morales, 65, to be arrested after Bolivia's first Indigenous president ducked out of a hearing on his possible pre-trial detention for a second time. Continue reading...

Verdicts against trio suggest legal representatives are latest target of Kremlin's crackdown on dissentRussia has sentenced three lawyers who had defended Alexei Navalny to several years in prison for bringing messages from the late opposition leader from prison to the outside world.The case, which comes amid a widespread crackdown on dissent during the Ukraine offensive, has alarmed rights groups that fear Moscow will ramp up trials against legal representatives in addition to jailing their clients. Continue reading...

PM stressed shared unbreakable commitment to Nato and Ukraine' with Poland in meeting with Donald TuskKeir Starmer has urged world leaders to double down" in their efforts to support Ukraine during a visit to Poland, days before Donald Trump's return to the US presidency risks jeopardising international solidarity on the issue.Speaking alongside the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, after the pair discussed a proposed defence-focused treaty, Starmer dodged questions on the possible impact of Trump, but insisted the only way forward was peace on Ukraine's terms". Continue reading...

Republicans and conservatives meanwhile are pouring in for celebrations with hotels being nearly 70% bookedAlejandra Whitney-Smith has plans for president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next week: spend a week in a cabin without technology.It [inauguration weekend] coincides with my birthday weekend, which I usually do spend in DC, but when the election happened, I told myself, Oh, no, I can't be here,'" said Whitney-Smith, whose mother was working at the Library of Congress during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol in 2021. I just remember that feeling of fear for her and then also just concern for me being in the city. I just knew for me - I didn't want to be around that sort of hostile negative energy." Continue reading...

Visit comes amid speculation that Democratic mayor hopes to seek pardon from president-elect on corruption chargesThe New York City mayor, Eric Adams, is scheduled to meet with Donald Trump at the incoming president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday.The visit between the two men comes amid speculation that Adams, who faces a federal indictment over corruption charges, hopes to seek a pardon from Trump and amid moves that have been widely seen as his attempt to get politically closer to the incoming US president. Continue reading...

Rare spherical egg could fetch in region of 200, with proceeds of sale going to charityA farm worker in Devon has discovered what she believes to be a one-in-a-billion" spherical egg.Alison Greene, who has worked as an egg handler on Fenton Farm near the Somerset border for three years and handled more than 42m eggs, said she had never found a round one before. Continue reading...

Senior officers say fraction of child abuse cases relate to gangs and resources could be diverted from current casesSenior police officers fear that government pressure to reinvestigate closed historic cases of gang grooming could make it harder to catch those targeting children today.The government on Thursday announced more reviews of past cases and also that victims, whose cases did not end in prosecutions, will be given a new right of appeal to have their investigations reopened. Continue reading...

President-elect will be first to be sworn in inside since Reagan in 1985 when temperature was below freezing

Former leader and wife found guilty of illegally obtaining lucrative plots of land in deal with property tycoonPakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, another setback for the beleaguered leader who has already spent over 18 months in jail and is facing more than a hundred cases.Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were found guilty of illegally obtaining lucrative plots of land, worth billions of rupees, through a corrupt deal with a Pakistani property tycoon. Khan was given a 14-year sentence while his wife was given seven years, and Khan was fined 1m Pakistan rupees (2,900). Continue reading...

Call for prisons to lose immunity from prosecution after report into suicides of Katie Allan, 20, and William Lindsay, 16, at PolmontThe deaths of two young people in custody could have been avoided, according to the long-awaited report of a joint inquiry into their suicides within months of one another.The 419-page document, which identified a catalogue of failures" in the system that was charged with their care, prompted their families' lawyer to call on the UK government to end prisons' immunity from prosecution.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy defends Yvette Cooper's decision to order urgent review following pressure driven by Elon MuskThe Liberal Democrats have attacked Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch over her comments on potential means-testing of pensions.When asked during an LBC phone-in whether she would look at" the triple lock, Badenoch said: We're going to look at means testing. Means testing is something which we don't do properly here."First Kemi Badenoch came for the mothers and now she has set her sights on the grandmothers.Millions of pensioners felt betrayed by Labour's cut to the winter fuel payment, now it's clear their pensions aren't safe with the Conservatives.[Labour] deceived the British public by going back to type of absolute massive increases in taxing and massive increases in spending. They didn't tell the British public that in advance of the election.And this is key to British politics at the moment. We understand why the British public were angry with us at the last election and booted us out. The problem is they are now angry with Labour as well, because they lied to the British public, and they are not doing the things they said before the election. They've gone back to type. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Democrat writes to transition co-chairs calling for steps to avert scandals involving administration officialsThe Massachusetts Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren has called on Donald Trump to institute new ethics rules to guard against scandals involving appointees such as Elon Musk, the SpaceX, Tesla and X owner who will jointly lead an effort to slash federal spending after the new administration takes power on Monday.Trump can and should top" Joe Biden's ethics standards for government officials, Warren told Trump's transition co-chairs in a letter exclusively obtained by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Callum Parslow said he was angry and frustrated' about Channel crossings when he stabbed young man at a hotelA Nazi-obsessed terrorist who tried to stab an asylum seeker to death in a protest over Channel crossings has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years and eight months.Callum Parslow repeatedly stabbed Nahom Hagos, 25, in the attack at a hotel previously used to house asylum seekers in Worcestershire on 2 April last year. Parslow, who has Adolf Hitler's signature tattooed on his left arm, said he was exterminating the invasive species" in a terrorist manifesto" found on his phone after the attack. Continue reading...

Songwriter, 83, signs up to TikTok with platform facing Sunday deadline to sell US operationBob Dylan is TikToking on heaven's door after signing up to the social media app - days before it could disappear from his native US.The 83-year-old songwriter has set up an official account, which launched with a 50-second video montage accompanied by a soundtrack featuring Like a Rolling Stone, Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Hurricane. The post has attracted nearly 2m views. Continue reading...

Palestinians describe grief and anxiety as they seek news that the ceasefire is going ahead, and airstrikes continue

Aides signal his address will be noticeably more upbeat compared to grim American carnage' speech in 2017Donald Trump's aides have signaled that Monday's inauguration speech will strike a noticeably more upbeat tone than his equivalent address eight years ago, when he talked darkly about American carnage" and depicted the US as a country riddled by violent crime, drugs and economic degradation.News website Axios cited Trump associates as saying light" and unity" would be the guiding themes - exemplified by a one America, one light" prayer service for donors. Continue reading...

Oakland concert recording from 1967 features jazz standards alongside unheard Fitzgerald versions of the era's hits, including Alfie and Music to Watch Girls ByLost recordings of a 1967 Ella Fitzgerald concert, including her spin on the era's pop songs such as Alfie and Music to Watch Girls By, have been rediscovered and prepared for release.The iconic jazz vocalist was recorded live at the Oakland Coliseum, California, in June of that year, but until recently the tapes languished in the private collection of Norman Granz, the late founder of Verve Records. Continue reading...

Netanyahu's office says cabinet will convene on Friday amid concerns the delay could slow start of truce

Jake Fahri served 14 years in jail for the murder of the London schoolboyA rapper who served 14 years in jail for the murder of a London schoolboy has been recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions after media reports exposing the lyrics to his music.Jake Fahri, then 19, was given a life sentence in 2009 with a minimum term of 14 years for killing Jimmy Mizen by throwing an oven dish at him. The glass dish shattered and severed blood vessels in the 16-year-old's neck in a south London bakery. Continue reading...

Ministers prepared to back change in law to prohibit misuse of gagging clauses by employers, it is understood

Region hit by strong winds, flash flooding and giant hailstones, causing one death and widespread power cutsSevere thunderstorms have been wreaking havoc across eastern Australia this week, unleashing heavy rain, strong winds, flash flooding and giant hailstones.In some regions there were wind gusts of more than 100mph (160km/h) and strong winds caused operational disruptions at Sydney airport as well as extensive damage nearby, including roofs being torn off buildings. An 80-year-old man died after a tree fell on his car in New South Wales, and several other injuries have been recorded. The storms also triggered lightning strikes, leading to widespread power outages that affected more than 200,000 homes and suspending rail services. Continue reading...

Charities and experts call for national conversation to move away from sensationalism after Musk criticismKeir Starmer must move the conversation on child sexual exploitation away from sensationalism to support for victims who have had help and protection reduced in recent years, charities, campaigners and experts have said.A joint statement, whose signatories include government services contractors such as the Salvation Army and the Snowdrop Project, says changes in the law have made it harder for survivors to be recognised as victims and to access support services. Continue reading...

More than 1,000 trees have fallen in Sydney as wild weather causes problems around city

House in Dover Heights doused with red paint in what NSW premier labels a targeted' and disgusting and dangerous act of violence'

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Chancellor says she has the ideas needed to turn things around after week of speculation about whether she can remain in postRachel Reeves has said she is not going to let her critics get her down after a bruising week of speculation about whether she could be ousted as chancellor.Reeves said she is qualified for the job and has the ideas to turn things around, amid worries about falling business confidence and the rising cost of government borrowing. Continue reading...

Police believe 27-year-old Katie Tangey's death was a case of mistaken identity as friends rally to raise funds for her family

After 15 months of war, a ceasefire deal in Gaza has been reached. In his farewell address to the nation, Joe Biden tried to convince the US public that it was just one of many successes he'd had in the White House. But is that how his time in office will be remembered? Jonathan Freedland speaks to the author Franklin Foer about Biden's legacyArchive: CBS, PBS Newshour, CBS Chicago, CNC, WPLG Local 10, BBC Continue reading...

Experts criticise Defra's decision not to use OECD definition of PFAS, with one asking if move is politically based'

This blog is now closed, please follow live coverage on our new liveblogKey mediator Qatar said that 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would be released in the first stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory.Israel earlier said it would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first stage of a Gaza truce agreement, Israeli and Palestinian sources reported Tuesday. Continue reading...

Lawyers say impeached president will not attend questioning, with investigators expected to seek warrant to extend his detentionSouth Korea's arrested president, Yoon Suk Yeol, will not attend a new round of questioning by investigators on Friday, his lawyer said, as authorities face an imminent deadline to obtain a warrant to extend his detention or release the embattled leader.In order to hold Yoon in custody for longer, investigators are expected on Friday to ask a court to approve a detention warrant for up to 20 days, legal experts said. Continue reading...

Neighbours told to stay inside as police seek information on stabbing deaths of two men from same family

Sunshine Coast mother, 34, appears in court charged with giving her one-year-old unauthorised prescription medications

Calls for central bank to reduce unfair' costs for consumers and stop businesses being gouged'

Israeli prime minister's demand before expected cabinet meeting threatens to derail peace negotiations