World news | The Guardian

His ancestors were among the tens of thousands who left Croatia for Patagonia in the 19th centuryLike many in his home city of Punta Arenas, Gabriel Boric is of Croatian descent. His father’s ancestors were among the tens of thousands of Croatians who left their homeland at the end of the 19th century to travel to Chilean Patagonia in search of new opportunities. Many others sought fresh starts in neighbouring Argentina over the same period.Chile is now home to one of the largest Croatian diasporas in the world, with an estimated population of between 200,000 and 400,000 people of Croatian descent. Continue reading...

David Frost says his resignation as Brexit minister was over policy not Boris Johnson's leadership.In his resignation letter (pdf) Lord Frost cited two policy issues he said had prompted his resignation: Covid restrictions, and the 'current direction of travel' in terms of taxation and regulation, generally. But many commentators thought he was being disingenuous and that a dispute over Brexit policy was the key factor

Spectacular lava flow which drew hundred of thousands of tourists goes quite shortly after a record-breaking runAuthorities in Iceland have officially declared the country’s longest volcanic eruption in 50 years over. The spectacle drew hundreds of thousands of tourists to witness its lava flows.“It’s been three months since lava last came out, so this eruption is now considered over,” said Bryndís Ýr Gísladóttir, specialist in natural hazards at the Icelandic Meteorological Institute (IMO). Continue reading...

Gabriel Boric, a leftwing former student leader, will become Chile’s youngest president after storming to a resounding victory in a run-off vote against his ultra-conservative far-right opponent, José Antonio Kast.With nearly 97% of the vote counted, the 35-year-old claimed 55.8% to take a 12 percentage point lead over Kast, who quickly accepted his defeat and called Boric to congratulate him.

When you are an actor, you never say no to great work. But when I finally reached Accra, and walked on its red earth, I knew I would be back there soonMy Christmas memory begins in early summer 2004, on day two of rehearsals for Stuff Happens, David Hare’s brilliantly funny, heartbreaking excoriation of what took us to war with Iraq in 2003. I get to play Condoleezza Rice in Nick Hytner’s stunning production; Shostakovich, elegantly pointed chair action and top-of-the-range acting!Of-the-moment politics, while playing the thrillingly enigmatic “Condi” on the National Theatre’s Olivier stage, with an audience hungry for answers … heaven. Continue reading...

Judge says TV presenter proved Laura Murray’s post had caused serious harm to her reputationThe television presenter Rachel Riley has been awarded £10,000 in damages by a high court judge after suing a former aide to Jeremy Corbyn for libel.Riley, 35, the numbers expert on the Channel 4 show Countdown, sued Laura Murray over a tweet posted more than two years ago. Continue reading...

Leftist former student has vowed to unite country and tackle poverty and inequalityGabriel Boric has vowed to unite Chile, fight “the privileges of the few” and tackle poverty and inequality after winning a decisive victory over his far-right opponent to become the South American country’s youngest premier.The 35-year-old leftist former student leader won 56% of the vote in Sunday’s second-round presidential election, cruising past his ultra-conservative opponent, José Antonio Kast, who took 44.2%. Continue reading...

Pharmaceuticals firm says third dose of its Covid vaccine increases antibodies against variant by 37-fold

In this extract from his new memoir Devil in a Coma, the alt-rocker recalls how Covid-19 put him in hospital for months this year – and gave him a series of hallucinogenic visionsI had been feeling weak and sick for a few days and then woke up one morning completely deaf. My equilibrium shaky, and my mind in a surreal, psychedelic dream state, I lost my footing at the top of the stairs. Head over heels over head, I knocked myself out on the windowsill as I crashed down the narrow staircase at my house. Bang. My wife was out horseback riding for the day, and I came to hours later still unable to hear a thing, unable to move, two huge opened welts on my head and my knee not supporting any weight.For two days I tried to get from stairwell to couch, with no success. I could not move, nor could my wife support my 200lb body, so I lay suffering on some blankets on the hard floor. My ribs were cracked, my spine bruised, battered and sore, and my already chronically messed-up knee gone again, as if some tendons were ripped or a ligament severed. My leg was useless. Every attempted breath was a battle, no matter how hard I tried to take a natural one. Though I refused to go to hospital my wife finally called an ambulance behind my back and I was wheeled out of my yard on a gurney. I eventually ended up in intensive care, unable to draw oxygen, and was diagnosed with some exotic new strain of the coronavirus for which there was no cure, of course. I was put into a medically induced coma, none of which I remembered. Continue reading...

Thomas Hitzlsperger, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Roque Júnior are three of the 219 judges on the panel for our 10th listIt is that time of the year again when we prepare to present our list of the 100 best male footballers in the world. This will be our 10th list and notable football figures such as Luiz Felipe Scolari, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Roque Júnior joined the judges’ panel for the anniversary.Former players such as Javier Zanetti, Franky Vercauteren and Emre Belozoglu also join a selection of coaches, broadcasters, reporters, correspondents and editors from around the world to form a knowledgable and truly global jury. Continue reading...

A Catholic president, a cake, an inconvenient ship and a very clever tennis player: all this and more in trivia expert Bobby Seagull’s news quiz of the year• Try our kids’ quiz and bumper Saturday quiz, too Continue reading...

Former student leader Gabriel Boric claims 55.8% of votes counted to defeat far-right opponent José Antonio KastGabriel Boric, a leftist former student leader, will become Chile’s youngest president after storming to a resounding victory in a run-off vote against his ultra-conservative far-right opponent, José Antonio Kast.With nearly 97% of the vote counted, the 35-year-old claimed 55.8% to take a 12 percentage point lead over Kast, who quickly accepted his defeat and called Boric to congratulate him. Continue reading...

A Narrabeen woman has died after one of these severe storms delivered dangerous winds that felled trees and stripped roofs from houses

PM to discuss Omicron outbreak with premiers at national cabinet; refugee activist Shane Bazzi lodges appeal against Dutton; SA premier says state has ‘about 100’ new cases; Queensland records 59 new cases; no Covid-19 deaths in Victoria, 1,302 new cases with testing sites under pressure; NSW records 2,501 new local cases. Follow all the day’s news

Mass tourism had brought the archipelago to the brink of ecological catastrophe. Now Thailand hopes to make it the standard bearer for a sustainable tourism model as the country reopens to visitors after the Covid shutdown Continue reading...

We had been looking forward to watching unlimited television, but the set was on the blink. Then came a knock at the door …On Christmas Eve, a cheque arrived from our father so that our mother could get presents. She laughed bitterly and ripped it up.“But what will we thank him for?” cried my sister. Continue reading...

What a ride! The huskies and I were travelling as one – who knew such magical transport existed? More than anything I’ve tried, this experience has stayed with meI have a dream: that dream is to ride a dog like a horse. That isn’t possible. But I’ve heard the next best thing is possible, which is why I’m freezing in a field in Tewkesbury. Gloucestershire may not be Lapland but it’s where you can try mushing, organised by Arctic Quest. Single-handedly charioteering a sled powered by huskies? Sounds like a Christmas miracle to me. I gape in awe, as countless lupine beasts emerge from a trailer, yelping with excitement. It’s a few weeks before Omicron gathers strength, and I’m here for one last shot at feeling free.Vickie Pullin – a superb candidate for nominative determinism – set up Arctic Quest, and is a former world champion dog-sledder in four divisions, an achievement never equalled. (You have to be driven to get into husky sledding, ironically.) She has 36 dogs in total, all smaller than I imagined, total cuties with names like Azera, Frappe, Mocha and Cino. It would sound like a sitcom premise, were it not for Pullin’s no-nonsense demeanour. “The blue-eyed, fluffy husky thing? Hollywood PR,” she snorts. Continue reading...

Barak Ravid has written a fascinating account of four chaotic years in which some progress was nonetheless madeTrump’s Peace is a blockbuster of a book. Barak Ravid captures the 45th president saying “Fuck him” to Benjamin Netanyahu and reducing American Jews to antisemitic caricatures. Imagine the Republican reaction if Barack Obama had done that. Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham would plotz. But Trump? Crickets.Ravid also delivers a mesmerizing tick-tock of the making of the Abraham Accords, the normalization of Israel’s relations with four non-neighboring Arab states. Continue reading...

I was drunkenly eating a kebab outside Halfords when I was mistaken for a master criminal. It wasn’t the only thing that went wrong that lovely, eventful winterNo one, my friends decided, should be alone at Christmas. Especially no one as desperately, soul-searchingly, what’s-wrong-with-me single as me. In the late 00s, when internet dating was for nerds, meeting people wasn’t easy – unless you got talking to someone at a party or something, which I never did, because I was too busy banging on to my mates about why I was so achingly single.Thus, a plan was hatched. Three friends would each set me up on a blind date. I’m good-looking (with a squint), charming (after a few drinks) and a good catch, they assured me. What could go wrong? Continue reading...

As the galleries reopened, Jean Dubuffet was recast as an incendiary prophet, Poussin revealed his raunchy side – and a giant Swedish ‘plyscraper’ showed the miracle of wood. Our critics rank the highlights of 2021 Continue reading...

When Wesley Rowell realised he was gay, he swapped church for the library, and became a performer. Then, in his seventh decade, he heard the call to join a seminary

Participants in women’s fasting relay will demand Boris Johnson repay £400m to Iran for 1970s arms dealWomen around the world will take turns to fast for 24 hours in an attempt to put pressure on the UK government to secure the freedom of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from detention in Iran.The campaign by FiLiA, a female-led volunteer organisation working for the liberation of women, follows the 21-day hunger strike Nazanin’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, mounted outside the Foreign Office in London until mid-November. Continue reading...

Leading academics want return of both indoor mask mandates in NSW and density limits for indoor venues

Legislative elections marred by record low turnout following crackdown on political dissentPro-Beijing candidates will occupy nearly every seat in Hong Kong’s new legislature, after party loyalists swept the first elections under a revamp by Beijing ensuring that only “patriots” could run for office.The elections were marred by record low voter turnout that observers say signal a general political apathy in the city, 18 months since authorities began a crackdown on political dissent in the name of national security. Continue reading...

Actor turned president has had profound political transformation in the face of Russian aggressionIn 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskiy rode a protest vote to victory in Ukraine, telling his supporters he would jail corrupt politicians and negotiate directly with Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s war in east Ukraine. Nearly three years later, Zelenskiy is staring down the threat of a Russian invasion, while he rallies western powers to his side and calls for aid. “We know what it means to defend one’s own state and land with weapons in hand,” he said during an address last week to the Kyiv Jewish Forum.Under pressure from Putin, Zelenskiy has undergone a profound political transformation. One thing is clear: he is no longer the same dove that he was on the campaign trail. Russia is pushing Ukraine toward Nato, he says, and a membership action plan is now central to his foreign policy. This month, Zelenskiy toured the frontline outside Donetsk. Wearing a flak jacket and helmet, he chatted with service personnel who will be the first line of Ukraine’s defence should tanks from Russia begin to roll. Continue reading...

Boric comes from a cohort that is grimly determined to bury dictator Augusto Pinochet’s bitter legacy once and for allFour months ago, 35-year-old Gabriel Boric confounded the polls to claim victory in a presidential primary he had barely been old enough to compete in. But on 11 March next year, he will now be sworn in as Chile’s youngest ever president – having amassed more votes than any presidential candidate in history.Boric is the driving force behind Chile’s abrupt changing of the guard. He belongs to a radical generation of student leaders who are grimly determined to bury dictator Augusto Pinochet’s bitter legacy once and for all. Continue reading...

The bill, yet to be signed into law, would tighten rules around foreign ownership of mediaPoles have staged nationwide protests including a thousands-strong rally outside the presidential palace to demand the head of state veto a law they say would limit media freedoms in the European Union’s largest eastern member.Unexpectedly rushed through parliament on Friday, the legislation would tighten rules around foreign ownership of media, specifically affecting the ability of news channel TVN24, owned by US media company Discovery Inc, to operate. Continue reading...

Death toll surges past 200 as rescue efforts continue in towns on devastated island of BoholAt least 208 people have been killed in the devastation caused by Typhoon Rai, the most powerful typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.More than 300,000 people were forced to flee their homes by the storm, which barrelled into the country on Thursday with wind speeds of 195km/h (120mph). The typhoon smashed through the southern and central regions of the Philippines, destroying homes and infrastructure and causing flooding that has affected millions. Continue reading...

In another fraught year full of depressing news, animals, celebrities and headline writers kept things wonderfully absurdIn a year that began with the US Capitol attack, continued with the fall of Afghanistan and is ending with the rapid spread of Omicron, the global news cycle has at times felt overwhelming.But while 2021 has been another fraught year, not all the news has been negative. Here are a few of the funniest and weirdest stories and headlines published this year. Continue reading...

Only 30% of registered voters cast their ballots for lawmakers in Sunday’s pollHongkongers have snubbed a legislature poll taking place under new “patriots only” rules imposed by China, with the lowest turnout since residents started electing lawmakers three decades ago, according to official figures released on Monday.Only 30%, or 1,350,680 of the 4,472,863 registered voters, cast their ballots for city lawmakers in Sunday’s election, Hong Kong’s top election official, Barnabas Fung, told reporters. Continue reading...

Head of Catholic Church makes some of his strongest comments yet on violence against womenPope Francis has said that men who commit violence against women engage in something that is “almost satanic”.He made the comment – some of the strongest language he has used to condemn such violence – during a programme broadcast on Sunday night on Italy’s TG5 network in which he conversed with three women and a man, all with difficult backgrounds. Continue reading...

Afghan resettlement scheme still not up and running four months after fall of Kabul, says Refugee CouncilThe UK’s failure to create safe routes for vulnerable Afghans is forcing thousands to make the “gut-wrenching” decision to embark on “perilous, life-threatening journeys” to seek safety in Britain, the Refugee Council has warned.Four months since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August, causing mass displacement of hundreds of thousands, the government’s Afghan citizens resettlement scheme was not yet up and running, the charity said. Continue reading...

Video from Pyongyang shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un looking very dour as he attends the memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of his father's death. As part of the national memorial, North Koreans have been banned from showing any sign of happiness. The restrictions include an explicit ban on laughter and alcohol during the 11-day period of mourning. On the exact anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death, 17 December, North Koreans were even banned from going grocery shopping

Baritone had been performing with the band in the UK in December before tour postponed due to illnessThe Il Divo singer Carlos Marín has died aged 53, the group has announced.The baritone’s bandmates – David Miller, Sébastien Izambard and Urs Bühler – paid tribute to him on Sunday. In a statement on Twitter, they said: “It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marín, has passed away. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary is assuming responsibility for UK’s relationship with EU, says Downing StreetThe foreign secretary, Liz Truss, is to take over responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the EU after the Brexit minister David Frost’s resignation, Downing Street has said.She will be adding ministerial responsibility to her foreign portfolio with immediate effect. Continue reading...

Exclusive: photograph raises fresh questions for No 10 after denial of a social event at time of Covid restrictions

At first I was full of dread but as I pressed on I noticed things I had never seen in daylight

PC Will Scott-Barrett was charged after an investigation by the force’s online child sexual abuse commandA Metropolitan police officer is due to appear in court on Monday charged with sexual communication with a child.PC Will Scott-Barrett, who is based in the Met’s intelligence command, was charged in November after an investigation by the force’s online child sexual abuse and exploitation command. Continue reading...

The campaign has resurfaced deep divisions and revived bitter memories of the country’s recent pastChilean voters headed to the polls on Sunday to chose between two presidential candidates offering starkly contrasting visions for the future, in the country’s most divisive elections since it returned to democracy in 1990.Leftwing candidate Gabriel Boric, a tattooed former student protest leader, has pledged to empower women and Indigenous people and raise taxes and spending in order to create a fairer Chile. Continue reading...

Minister for the EU Clément Beaune admits to difficult relationship with ex-Brexit minister and calls for resetThe French government has called on Boris Johnson to use David Frost’s resignation as Brexit minister to “rebuild trust” with the EU amid uncertainty over the prime minister’s approach in the new year.Clément Beaune, France’s EU affairs minister, who had a series of run-ins with the prime minister’s pugnacious minister, suggested that Downing Street should use the moment to reset the troubled relationship. Continue reading...

Breakthroughs in computing have changed how high-level chess is played, making draws all too common. But the Norwegian champion’s stunning performance in Dubai wrests the game back from the grip of the supercomputers, Guardian US deputy sport editor Bryan Graham reportsNearly 25 years ago, world chess champion Garry Kasparov was defeated by the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in a series of matches watched around the world. The Guardian’s US deputy sport editor, Bryan Graham, tells Michael Safi he vividly remembers those games, played in his home town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It seemed as if chess had been changed forever.Now the game of chess is in the midst of another pivotal transformation. With the rise of online chess and the recent success of the Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit, the game has never been more popular – or accessible. But breakthroughs in computing have made it increasingly bloodless: top players simply study and memorise the ‘perfect’ moves (as determined by computers), reinforcing a style of play that more often than not ends in a draw. Continue reading...

Three centuries after repeal of Witchcraft Act thousands tried as witches could get official apologiesFrom allegations of cursing the king’s ships, to shape-shifting into animals and birds, or dancing with the devil, a satanic panic in early modern Scotland meant that thousands of women were accused of witchcraft in the 16th-18th centuries with many executed.Now, three centuries after the Witchcraft Act was repealed, campaigners are on course to win pardons and official apologies for the estimated 3,837 people – 84% of whom were women – tried as witches, of which two-thirds were executed and burned. Continue reading...

‘Everyone will go shopping in Belgium and Germany,’ retailers warn as four-week closure beginsDutch shopkeepers say they have been “broken” by the Netherlands’ new Christmas lockdown, which has come into effect.“Nowhere in Europe is there such a strict regime as in the Netherlands,” said Jan Meerman, the director of INretail, the Dutch retailers association. Continue reading...

Unsettled weather to give way to cold and bright conditions in run-up to Christmas DayA white Christmas could be possible for some northern parts of the UK while much of the country is likely to see cold and bright weather, according to the Met Office.Unsettled weather in the lead-up to Christmas is forecast to give way to colder, clearer conditions on 25 December, the weather service said. Continue reading...

Cult Los Angeles lyricist reportedly attacked by group of people at Once Upon a Time festival in his home cityDrakeo the Ruler, the critically acclaimed Los Angeles rapper, has died after a reported stabbing at a music festival. His press representative confirmed his death to the Guardian but did not give further details.The 28-year-old, whose real name was Darrell Caldwell, had been scheduled to perform at the Once Upon a Time festival in Los Angeles. A source speaking to the LA Times said Caldwell had been attacked on the festival site by a group of people on Saturday evening. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he later died. Continue reading...

‘The Great Frost’ remains a man on a mission with hopes of a political career beyond the present administrationOn what would prove to be his penultimate day as Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister, during which he spoke with his EU counterpart Maroš Šefčovič for one last time, David Frost was disappointed.He was disappointed with the state of the talks over the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland. He was disappointed with the EU for failing to finalise the UK’s involvement in its €95.5bn Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. Continue reading...

Thousands mark anniversary of revolt against Bashir regime with protest over military takeoverTens of thousands of Sudanese protesters have rallied to mark three years since the start of mass demonstrations that led to the ousting of the dictator Omar al-Bashir, as fears mount for the country’s democratic transition.Security forces fired teargas - leaving several wounded, witnesses said – at a huge crowd of protesters near the republican palace in the capital, Khartoum, chanting slogans against the military chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led a coup on 25 October. Continue reading...

Crowds brave sub-zero temperatues after Taliban announces it will resume issuing travel documentsHundreds of people have braved sub-zero temperatures in Afghanistan’s capital to queue outside the passport office, a day after the Taliban government announced it would resume issuing travel documents.Many began their wait the previous night and most stood patiently in single file – some desperate to leave the country for medical treatment, others to escape the Islamists’ renewed rule. Tense Taliban personnel periodically charged crowds that formed at the front of the queue and at a nearby roadblock. Continue reading...