World news | The Guardian

Annual poll finds Taiwanese fear of conflict in coming months has fallen 15 percentage points in the past yearA declining number of Taiwanese people fear an imminent war with China, according to a new poll suggesting the rest of the world is far more worried than those at the centre of this potential geopolitical flashpoint.According to the poll, published on Thursday by Taiwan’s Commonwealth Magazine, 35.4% of respondents said they were worried about a military conflict breaking out over the Taiwan Strait within the next year, a decrease of nearly 15 percentage points on last year’s survey. The survey also found 59.7% of people do not think Beijing will ultimately use force to take Taiwan, while more than 35% believed it would. Continue reading...

Alleged sexual assault occurred when Duke of York, once second-in-line to the throne, was 41The stripping of Prince Andrew’s military roles and royal patronages marks a nadir for the Queen’s second son, since sexual assault accusations arose amid concern over his relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It’s a fall from grace for the 61-year-old, who was once second-in-line to the throne. Continue reading...

Emily Lewis, 15, died on a rigid inflatable boat that hit a buoy in Southampton Water on 22 August 2020Two men have been charged after a 15-year-old girl was killed in a speedboating accident in the Solent.Emily Lewis died when the rigid inflatable boat (Rib) hit a buoy in Southampton Water on 22 August 2020. Twelve people were taken to hospital after the crash in which two people were thrown overboard. Continue reading...

Russia calls talks a ‘dead end’ and it becomes clear that troop build-up is not a bluff to achieve other endsThe Guardian’s world affairs editor assesses the outcome of three rounds of talks this week about the fate of Ukraine, involving Russia, the US, Nato and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).Did the talks achieve anything? Continue reading...

Developer asks for application to be taken off agenda, hours after fire safety concerns raised in GuardianA property developer bidding to build a 51-storey apartment tower with only one staircase has put its planning application on hold just hours after the Guardian exposed fire safety concerns.On Thursday evening Ballymore had planned to seek approval for one of the UK’s tallest residential buildings close to Canary Wharf in east London, but withdrew its application after fire safety experts branded as “madness” its plan to build more than 400 flats in a tower two-and-a-half times the height of Grenfell with just one staircase. Continue reading...

‘Snaking conveyer belts of sand’ are easily disrupted by human activities. Fixing them is no easy taskGraham Slade says Point Lonsdale front beach was a site of many firsts: he was four years old when he first walked on to it, seven years old when he was given his first surfboard and a teenager when he took his first steps into adulthood on its sand.“As you go through life, everything happened at Lonsdale first,” Slade says. “You went out to a lot of parties in your late teens, getting towards 20 years old, and sampled a few things. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands take part in one-day strike, one of the biggest in the sector in recent years

Poland's foreign minister has warned that Europe is closer to war than it has been at any time in the last three decades, at the launch of his country's year-long chairing of the region's largest security organisation. Without naming Russia in his address on Thursday to envoys from the 57 members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Zbigniew Rau mentioned tensions in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova, all countries with active or frozen conflicts in which Russia has been alleged to be a party

Gone is the joy of series one, replaced with a cheerleading season truncated by Covid, stars that leave partway through the run and the darkness of child abuse allegationsIn retrospect, the first season of Cheer felt a little like the last good thing to happen to humanity. It blazed in out of nowhere in January 2020; a scrubbed-up, more accessible version of American football series Last Chance U, and effortlessly won over a world that didn’t know what was about to hit it. A documentary series about the world of competitive college cheerleading, it was not only spectacular to watch – brimming with sequences of young women being pinged miles into the air without a safety net – but packed full of heart. There was a joy to Cheer, and the grab bag of underdog stories it chose to tell.This week, the second series of Cheer dropped on Netflix and, well, the first season of Cheer still feels like the last good thing to happen to humanity. What a weird, unbalanced, curdled few hours of television this is. Just like the rest of the world, Cheer has spent the past two years growing shapeless and morose. It still qualifies as appointment TV, just don’t expect to actually enjoy any of it. Continue reading...

Requirement to isolate on arrival will also be scrapped but travellers will need evidence of negative Covid test

Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo among signatories to letter supporting Harry Potter actor accused of antisemitismMajor figures from the world of film, including Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Capaldi and Charles Dance have issued a statement in support of Emma Watson and Palestinian solidarity.Last week, Watson, best known for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise, was accused of antisemitism after she posted an image on Instagram showing a photograph of a pro-Palestinian protest with the banner “solidarity is a verb” written across it. It was accompanied with a quote about the meaning of solidarity from the intersectional feminist scholar Sara Ahmed. Continue reading...

Lebanese film-makers Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige explain how their experiences of war shaped their new film – and how art freed themOn 4 August 2020, a catastrophic explosion ripped through Beirut’s main port and into the city. In total, 218 people were killed. At the time, around 6pm, the artist and film-maker Joana Hadjithomas was in a cafe with a friend, around the corner from the studio she shares with her husband. The first thing she heard was a strange sound. “My friend and I just looked at each other. Instinctively, we went underneath the table. I curled up and protected my face.” As a teenager, she had lived through Lebanon’s civil war; taking cover was second nature, a survival reflex. Then came the massive blast.Afterwards, walking back to her apartment, she had no idea what was happening. An attack? An explosion? It was beyond comprehension. People were covered in blood; there was dust and rubble everywhere. “Wherever you looked, everything was destroyed. The scale was terrifying,” she says. In a state of shock, Hadjithomas had left her phone behind. When her husband, Khalil Joreige – frantic with worry – telephoned a couple of minutes later and a police officer answered, he feared the worst. Joreige tells the story with a shrug of helplessness, his face crumpling at the memory. Continue reading...

Sir Jonathan Van-Tam is stepping down as deputy chief medical officer for England at the end of March for a new role at the University of Nottingham. Described by the health secretary as a 'national treasure', Van-Tan takes with him a knack for analogies that have helped convey the twists and turns of the Covid crisis.Here are some of his most memorable moments in his role on and off the government podium

Period stuck inside No 10 comes at arguably fortuitous time for PM facing intense scrutiny over ‘partygate’

Suspects alleged to have been part of gang that carried out attacks on at least nine womenItalian police have detained two men accused of involvement in a series of sexual assaults during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Milan.Abdallah Bouguedra, 21, and Abdelrahman Ahmed Mahmoud Ibrahim, 18, are accused of “serious sexual assault accompanied by the robbery of mobile phones and handbags”, Milan’s acting prosecutor, Riccardo Targetti said. Continue reading...

Latest updates: health secretary says people can end isolation on day 6 after two negative LFTs; Tory party row continues as prime minister reportedly believes he did nothing wrong

The woman who managed weapons on the film set where a gun carried by Alec Baldwin was accidentally discharged, killing Halyna Hutchins, has said boxes of dummy rounds contained live bulletsHannah Gutierrez-Reed, who managed weapons and ammunition on the set of Rust, the western which saw live ammunition from the gun carried by lead actor and producer Alec Baldwin accidentally hit the film’s cinematographer and director, has filed a lawsuit against the supplier of guns and bullets.The lawsuit, against Seth Kenney and his company, PDQ Arm & Prop, alleges that boxes marked as inert dummy rounds actually included live bullets.

Leclerc destroying ‘dignity’ of profession for selling a baguette for 29 cents (24p)French bakers have taken aim at a major supermarket chain that is offering inflation-busting low prices for baguettes, saying the move will undermine competition in one of the country’s prized industries.The Leclerc group said in newspaper ads on Tuesday that “because of inflation, the average price of baguettes could increase significantly. That’s unthinkable”, vowing to cut into its profit margins to cap the cost of the signature French loaf at 29 euro cents (24p). Continue reading...

Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis, defends PM as he pulls out of public engagement in Lancashire

Aggrey Burke was the NHS’s first Black consultant psychiatrist. Rather than becoming a pillar of the establishment, he was forced to challenge it when he saw how other people of colour were treatedIn 1980 a man called Steven Thompson was just one week from completing a six-year prison sentence at Gartree prison in Leicestershire. Then the prison guards cut his hair off. Thompson was a Rastafarian and his dreadlocks were an important spiritual connection to his beliefs. So he resisted. It was taken as a sign of a violent psychiatric disorder – and, instead of going home, Thompson found himself committed to a secure hospital. His detention caused outrage in the Black community and, soon, Dr Aggrey Burke was asked to help getting him released.Burke – the first Black consultant psychiatrist in the NHS – remembers travelling through the snow to Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire. In a more than 40-year-long career he would fight tirelessly against discrimination in healthcare, sacrificing his own advancement to do so. He would take on racism in medical schools and offer psychological support to those traumatised by the infamous New Cross fire in 1981 that killed 14 young people. Yet Thompson’s case stuck in his mind as one that encapsulated many of the prejudices he had to battle. At the time, however, he just knew he would need to muster all his expertise and experience to convince the authorities Thompson was safe to release. Continue reading...

Prince Andrew’s accuser wants vindication of herself and her claims, says David BoiesThe Duke of York’s accuser Virginia Giuffre would be unlikely to accept a “purely financial settlement” to end her sexual assault civil lawsuit against the royal, her lawyer has said.David Boies was speaking after a US judge rejected Prince Andrew’s motion to have the civil case against him dismissed, paving the way for a possible civil trial in the autumn. Continue reading...

Small businesses say latest rules are frustrating, while unions say workers are being forced to put themselves in harm’s way

Scott Morrison announces widespread easing of close contact isolation rules; no decision on Novak Djokovic visa status after Australian Open draw delayed; NSW records 92,264 Covid cases and 22 deaths; Victoria reports 37,169 cases and 25 deaths; Queensland records 14,914 cases, six deaths; ACT reports 1,020 cases, NT 550; more than 3,800 Covid hospitalisations. Follow all the day’s news

The year promises murder mysteries, slashers and fan service sequels hoping to tempt audiences back to the big screenNow arguably more than ever, it’s hard to predict what will and won’t connect with cinemagoers over the next 12 months, a tumultuous time of uncertainty extending until an unknowable date. While the rough release schedule is more than certain to change (a number of January releases have already moved as a result of Omicron), what it does do is show us what the industry is banking on right now, outside of the bread-and-butter business of superheroes.Here’s a look at what you’ll be seeing the most of in 2022: Continue reading...

Prime minister Scott Morrison says he expects authorities to be ‘implementing the policy of the government’ when it comes to Covid vaccination exemptions

Watchdog says younger children were targeted by online predators on an industrial scale during lockdownsInternet grooming of children has surged during lockdown, according to new research that found a threefold increase in online sexual abuse imagery featuring seven to 10-year-olds.The Internet Watch Foundation reported its worst year on record for child sex abuse online in 2021 as it confirmed 252,000 URLs containing images or videos of children being sexually abused, compared with 153,000 in the previous year. The UK-based charity said it had seen a large increase in self-generated material – where children are manipulated into recording their own abuse before it is shared online – with the fastest growing increase in such material occurring among seven to 10-year-olds. Continue reading...

Buying spree provides stock for free tests for some Australians but may exacerbate shortages elsewhere

The singer who defined the sound of mid-century girl groups as the frontwoman of the Ronettes has died at age 78

David Kirk admits he was unaware of deal until he noticed the Israeli government logo on the program in November

Sarwar Danish arrived in the country from Turkey in December, while other Afghans who worked for New Zealand forces remain in fear of their livesNew Zealand’s decision to resettle a former vice-president of Afghanistan and 13 family members has sparked controversy, with some asking why hundreds of Afghans who helped New Zealand forces or were associated with them remain trapped abroad and in fear for their lives.Sarwar Danish had already escaped to Turkey before recently arriving in New Zealand, according to Stuff, which first reported the news. Continue reading...

UK reports 129,587 new positive Covid-19 cases and 398 more deaths; Germany should make vaccinations mandatory for adults, says Olaf Scholz

Economy would get a major boost if people in most-deprived regions were as healthy as those in rich areasEndemic ill-health in England’s “left behind” neighbourhoods costs the country almost £30bn a year because people are often too ill to work and die earlier, a report claims.The cost of lost productivity results directly from those very deprived areas having much worse health than the rest of the country, according to parliamentarians and academics. Continue reading...

Influential singer of hits including Be My Baby, who married abusive producer Phil Spector, dies of cancerRonnie Spector, the singer who defined the sound of mid-century girl groups as the frontwoman of the Ronettes, has died aged 78.A statement on her website states:Our beloved earth angel, Ronnie, peacefully left this world today after a brief battle with cancer. She was with family and in the arms of her husband, Jonathan.Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude. Continue reading...

Police were called to reports a man had scaled front of building with chisel to attack artwork by Eric GillA man has been arrested after allegedly damaging a statue outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House on Wednesday.Officers were called to reports of a man scaling the building in Portland Place, central London, and using a chisel to damage the statue in question. Continue reading...

Senior Tories call on PM to resign after Downing Street garden party admission

France says Fariba Adelkhah’s unexplained return to prison will damage efforts to revive 2015 curbs on nuclear programmeIran has sent back to prison from house arrest French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, a shock development in the midst of delicate talks on the Iranian nuclear drive.Adelkhah was sentenced in May 2020 to five years in prison for conspiring against national security, accusations her supporters have always denounced as absurd. She was allowed home in Tehran in October 2020 with an electronic bracelet. Continue reading...

Soldiers may provide basic care needs and ancillary support amid rise in staff absences due to Covid

US state department says it is seeking clarification over detention of Omar Abdalmajeed As’adAn 80-year-old Palestinian-American manhas been found dead after being detained and handcuffed during an Israeli raid on a village in the occupied West Bank.The US state department said that Omar Abdalmajeed As’ad was a US citizen and that it had sought clarification from Israel over the incident. His body was found in Jiljilya in the early hours of Wednesday morning with a plastic zip-tie still around one wrist. Continue reading...

It remains unclear if the North America’s largest music festival, rescheduled four times since 2020, will go on due to the Omicron surgeKanye West, Billie Eilish and Harry Styles are expected to headline the 21st Coachella music festival in April, Variety reported on Wednesday ahead of the festival’s official full lineup announcement, which is expected later this week. The trio will also be joined by Swedish House Mafia, though it is unclear whether the house music supergroup will also headline.North America’s largest music festival, which has already sold out, is scheduled to take place on the weekends of 15-17 April and 22-24 April at its usual haunt, the Empire Polo Ground in Indio, California, east of Los Angeles. Continue reading...

From financial damages to military titles, the cost of Virginia Giuffre’s case going ahead could be highPrince Andrew has been forced to scale back his royal duties in the wake of sexual assault allegations from Virginia Giuffre, claims he strenuously denies.Aside from his royal roles, private firms such as BT and Barclays have also severed ties with him in recent years. Continue reading...

Thursday: pubs and restaurants say latest Covid wave has been worse than lockdown. Plus: embrace the era of the password manager

Court rules region of Valencia failed to protect medics in early days of pandemic

Two men are suspected of staining the famed Sicilian beauty spot with red powder on FridayItalian police have identified two men suspected of having vandalised the famed white limestone Scala dei Turchi (Stairway of the Turks) cliff in Sicily, which features prominently in the Inspector Montalbano books by the late author Andrea Camilleri.The cliff, shaped like a huge staircase jutting into the Mediterranean from the coast of Realmonte, was on Friday defaced with red iron oxide powder which left red stains running down the limestone. Continue reading...

Attorney general says she believes Frankie Smith’s punishment over child’s death to be ‘unduly lenient’The eight-year jail sentence handed to Frankie Smith for causing or allowing the death of her toddler daughter, Star Hobson, has been referred to the court of appeal.Suella Braverman, the attorney general, said the case was “tragic and extremely upsetting” and she believed 20-year-old Smith’s sentence was “unduly lenient”. Continue reading...

Skiing holidays could soon be given the green light, following the ease of travel restrictions in the ‘next few days’British skiers could soon be able to return to French slopes after an announcement that France is due to lift its blanket ban on non-essential travel from the UK.The French government’s official spokesman, Gabriel Attal, said after a weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday that Paris would ease travel restrictions from the UK to France in the next few days. Continue reading...

Robert Koch Institute registers 80,430 new cases where previous record was 65,000 in November

Analysis: Win or lose, sexual assault case is unprecedented chapter in royal family’s modern historyThe New York court ruling that the civil sex assault case against the Duke of York will proceed is a devastating blow for Prince Andrew and the royal family after more than a decade of allegation and innuendo.Aside from any appeal Prince Andrew may be able to mount against Wednesday’s ruling, he faces the ignominious prospect of having to give evidence in a sex assault lawsuit and face cross-examination on aspects of his private life to clear his name. Win or lose, it is an unprecedented chapter in the royal family’s modern history. Continue reading...

Amiri, 34, back in UK after Iran’s supreme court overturned 2019 conviction and 10-year prison sentenceAn Iranian woman who worked for the British Council has been freed from detention in Evin prison and returned to the UK after being acquitted of spying charges.Aras Amiri’s lawyers had mounted an appeal to the Iranian supreme court that led to her release. She is now at an undisclosed address in the UK. Continue reading...

Government’s use of system to award deals to two firms during first Covid wave found to be unlawful

No one has been charged over attacks on forest road near Lake Annecy in French AlpsA man has been detained in connection with the unsolved case of three British family members and a French cyclist who were shot dead in the French Alps in 2012.Saad al-Hilli, an Iraqi-born engineer, his wife Ikbal and her mother, Suhaila al-Allaf, were gunned down in a lay-by on remote forest road outside the village of Chevaline, near Lake Annecy. The couple’s two young daughters survived the attack. Continue reading...