by Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies on (#5T4SX)
Footage shows firefighters at eight-storey building that housed mental health servicesTwenty-seven people were feared dead after a fire swept through a mental health clinic in the Japanese city of Osaka, the local fire department said.The blaze is being treated as suspected arson, the Kyodo news agency said, quoting police sources saying that a man who appeared to be in his 60s had been seen carrying a paper bag leaking an unidentified liquid. Continue reading...
What should have been an end-of-schoolterm treat – a jumping castle on school grounds – resulted in a tragedy that has left the township of 26,000 in shock
Ukraine says separatists in east of country targeted its positions with grenade launchers and mortarsUkraine has said one of its soldiers was killed in fighting with pro-Russia separatists in the east of the country, as tensions with Moscow rise.Kyiv has been battling a pro-Moscow insurgency in two breakaway regions bordering Russia since 2014, when the Kremlin annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. Continue reading...
by Mostafa Rachwani (now) and Matilda Boseley and Tor on (#5T4D9)
Paul Kelly speaks as Australia passes 90% vaccine milestone; NSW records 2,213 Covid cases and one death; Victoria reports 1,510 cases and seven deaths as premier Daniel Andrews returns negative test; new mask mandate for Queensland as 20 cases reported; 64 cases in SA as state to relax restrictions on 28 December; NT locks down Tennant Creek after four new cases; ACT records 20 cases. Follow all the day’s news live
West Side Story, Dear Evan Hansen and In the Heights have all been box office flops this year, which has led to a questioning of the genre’s place in HollywoodIn a very strange year for movies, the failure of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is perhaps the most head-scratching development of all. The remake of the beloved 1961 musical grossed just $10m on its opening weekend, and while the film could certainly improve upon its lackluster debut over the holidays, it caps a year of disappointments for fans of the movie musical. In the Heights kicked off the summer with poor ticket sales and accusations of colorism for failing to have enough Afro-Latino actors in its cast. Dear Evan Hansen created the rare consensus of the year, hated by critics and audiences alike, and endured prolonged mockery on social media for its casting of the crow’s-footed Ben Platt as its teenaged protagonist. The less said about Diana: The Musical, a filmed version of the Broadway bomb that made its way to Netflix, the better.At least people seemed to like Tick, Tick… Boom!, the Lin-Manuel Miranda-directed adaptation of a work by the late Jonathan Larson, although we don’t really know how many – Netflix continues to be cagey about viewing numbers, and the film had only a nominal release in theaters. All in all, it was a catastrophic year for a genre that has been a mainstay of cinema since the advent of talkies. Historically, movie musicals have been an opportunity to highlight the best of the theatrical experience: these are films with big budgets, melodramatic plots that play well on the big screen, and expansive dance numbers, and they just don’t play as well at home, no matter how big your flatscreen or how expensive your sound system. Continue reading...
As North Korea marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il, we look at how official portraits of his son and successor have sought to portray him as both increasingly authoritative and popularThree generations of the Kim family have ruled North Korea with absolute authority since 1948, and analysts say the regime has used carefully crafted images to ensure their power.Outsiders regard Kim as a ruthless tyrant with an undying obsession about developing the country’s nuclear weapons, even at the cost of starving the population. But North Korea’s tightly-controlled state media shows something softer: Kim caressing weeping orphans, being mobbed by gushing female soldiers, or smiling broadly on a mound of potatoes. Continue reading...
Five children in Australia are dead and another three are in critical condition after a bouncy castle was blown into the air in an incident at Hillcrest primary school in Devonport
US lawmakers have ramped up pressure on China in a bid to censure the country’s treatment of the Muslim minorityThe United States has unleashed a volley of actions to censure China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority, with lawmakers voting to curb trade and issuing new sanctions on Beijing.The United States has been ramping up pressure on China amid a crop of disputes, with president Joe Biden’s administration a day earlier targeting producers of painkillers that have contributed to America’s addiction crisis. Continue reading...
The panel cited the risk of rare but sometimes fatal cases of blood clotting as well as a lower level of effectiveness against Covid in the J&J shotA panel of outside advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday voted to recommend directing Americans towards the mRNA vaccines for protection against Covid-19 – meaning the shots by Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna in the US – in preference to Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines, because of the risk of rare but sometimes fatal cases of blood clotting.The CDC’s advisory committee on immunization voted unanimously to make the recommendation. The regulator still needs to sign off on the guidance. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#5T47T)
Scottish Greens support investigation into 100 instances of alleged police intimidation against activistsThere are calls for an urgent Holyrood inquiry into more than 100 instances of alleged police intimidation, harassment and aggression towards activists at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow as a report challenges Police Scotland’s insistence that it would carry out a human rights-based operation.Supported by the Scottish Greens – now government partners after their post-election deal with the SNP – an extensive report by Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) and the Article 11 Trust argues that “systemic abuses of power” demand critical consideration by MSPs after Police Scotland’s repeated insistence that policing of protests at November’s climate conference would be “human rights-based” and “welcoming, friendly and proportionate”. Continue reading...
Resolution condemns ‘climate of hostility, distrust and polarisation’ in current holder of EU presidencyThe European parliament has rebuked Slovenia’s government for “attacks, smear campaigns and slander” against journalists and critics, in a vote that underlines rising alarm about the threat to media freedom.MEPs backed a resolution condemning the Slovenian government for a “climate of hostility, distrust and deep polarisation” and seeking to weaken independent prosecutors and interfere with state-funded media. Continue reading...
by Staff and agencies in Port-au-Prince on (#5T401)
Group of hostages, originally numbered 17 people, were abducted by a gang known as 400 Mawozo after visiting an orphanageThe remaining members of a group of Canadian and American missionaries who were kidnapped in October by a gang in Haiti have been released, police announced on Thursday.The group of hostages, which originally numbered 17 people, traveled to the Caribbean nation on a trip organized by Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries and was abducted by a gang known as 400 Mawozo after visiting an orphanage. Continue reading...
MPs promise to raise situation of Ali Mushaima’s father, Hassan, who has been detained in Bahrain for 10 yearsA Bahraini man whose father has been detained for 10 years in the Gulf country will end a 23-day hunger strike outside Bahrain’s embassy in London on Friday after MPs vowed to raise his father’s case in the Commons.Ali Mushaima said he was suffering from back pain and had found the cold nights on a pavement outside the embassy “tough to take”. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#5T42G)
Rusi researchers propose hybrid court to try accused terrorists, and taskforce to oversee repatriation of childrenTens of thousands of former Islamic State members held in detention in north-east Syria need to be put on trial or repatriated and deradicalised, a security thinktank has said.Researchers at Rusi argue that the current situation, in which 30,000 adults and 40,000 children from more than 60 countries are being held in camps and jails by Syrian Kurdish forces, cannot endure and requires a new global taskforce to resolve. Continue reading...
Witnesses say Ethiopian government behind atrocities after it launched a military offensive last yearGovernment-aligned forces in western Tigray have systematically detained thousands of ethnic Tigrayan people, while torturing and killing many in a campaign of violence, according to a report by two major rights groups that further reveals the scale of abuses in war-hit Ethiopia.In the past few weeks, Tigrayans identified by local police in the Amhara region and ethnic militia forces called Fano, have been routinely rounded up in house-to-house raids, with adults and teenagers over 15 detained in overcrowded prisons where scores are tortured and face starvation. Continue reading...
Investigation recovers 200 artefacts including statue unwittingly bought by reality TV star Kim Kardashian WestThe US is returning 200 antiquities, including an ancient Roman sculpture that almost ended up in the possession of Kim Kardashian West, that were stolen and smuggled out of Italy.The variety of Roman, Etruscan and Greek artefacts, valued at $10m (£7.5m), had been looted since at least the early 1980s before being smuggled out and sold to private collectors, museums or auction houses. Half were found at New York’s Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Art as part of an investigation led by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance. Continue reading...
The new addition to the Sex and the City universe has tried to introduce a well-intentioned yet clumsy awareness of the show’s overwhelming whitenessMinor spoilers aheadRejoice! The new Sex and the City (SATC) reboot is not quite the depressing slog it appeared to be. Following two lackluster debut episodes, the third installment of And Just Like That finds our girls regaining their former strides. Carrie, spiraling from the discovery that her late husband just left his ex-wife $1m, is back to peak Carrie hijinx, unsuccessfully stalking Natasha only to barge in on her on the toilet. Charlotte stops crying, and an initially unbearable Miranda feels newly revitalized, with fans across the internet delighted to find out she might actually be queer!The latter remains unconfirmed, but what we do see is Miranda lingering at the afterparty of Che’s (Sara Ramirez) standup special, lavishing emphatic praise on to Carrie’s new boss. Seeking to quell Miranda’s hyper-enthusiasm, Che offers weed: “Do you mind if I shotgun you?” they ask, exhaling a stream of smoke in scintillating proximity to Miranda’s lips. As the scene unfolds in slow motion, guitar feedback drowns out all surrounding noise. It feels as though something profound in Miranda’s world has just changed. Continue reading...
Minister could have applied discretion when considering citizenship applications, says judgeMembers of the Windrush generation had their human rights breached when the Home Office refused to grant them citizenship, the high court has ruled.Eunice Tumi and Vernon Vanriel were refused citizenship after being told by the home secretary they did not fulfil the residence requirement of having been in the UK on the date five years before they made the application for citizenship, the court heard. Continue reading...
by Luke Harding , Volodymyr Yurchenko, Richard Spreng on (#5T3XZ)
With tensions escalating along the border with Russia, Luke Harding visits troops in Ukraine's Donbas region to gauge the mood ahead of a possible invasion. The war here has continued since 2014, when pro-Russian separatists seized Ukrainian cities. But in recent weeks large numbers of Russian troops have gathered on Ukraine's border, while talks between Vladimir Putin and US president, Joe Biden, have not provided the diplomatic solution many had hoped for Continue reading...
Move is seen as essential to preserve broader nuclear talks and lifting of US sanctionsIran and the UN inspector have reached an agreement on the imminent reinstallation of cameras at the Karaj nuclear facility, a move that is seen as indispensable to keeping alive the broader nuclear talks and the lifting of US sanctions on Tehran.Those negotiations appear to be hanging by a thread judging by a string of negative comments from European diplomats when they discussed the progress of the talks at the UN security council on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Private jet, which carried seven passengers and two crew members, was headed towards Orlando, FloridaNine people died in a jet crash on Wednesday in the Dominican Republic, including acclaimed Puerto Rican music producer Flow La Movie.The private jet, which carried seven passengers and two crew members, took off from La Isabela international airport in El Higüero and was headed towards Orlando, Florida. However, the pilots quickly declared an emergency and attempted to divert the flight to the nearby Las Américas international airport, crashing the plane in an attempted emergency landing. Continue reading...
by Daniel Boffey and Jennifer Rankin in Brussels on (#5T3T1)
Olaf Scholz faces calls from some EU leaders to threaten Moscow with termination of Nord Stream 2Germany’s new chancellor faced pressure from fellow leaders at his first EU summit to include the future of Nord Stream 2 as part of the “massive price” to be paid in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.Arriving in Brussels, Olaf Scholz, who replaced Angela Merkel last week, said his government was committed to protecting Europe’s borders, as Nato warned the number of Russian troops being mobilised by the Kremlin was continuing to grow. Continue reading...
The Gruffalo creators are back with Superworm, their ninth festive special – that’s one more than Eric and Ernie. The Christmas TV royalty talk tinkering with Olivia Colman’s script … and the perils of mega successMeeting Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is a little like meeting the royal family. To learn anything about them is to be bombarded with an avalanche of statistics. In this country alone, a Julia Donaldson book sells every 11 seconds. In 2014 it was reported that 40p in every pound spent on children’s picture books went on a Donaldson title. And her work with Scheffler has taken on a rabid life outside of literature, too. Go to the woods and you’re likely to discover a Gruffalo trail. Chessington World of Adventures theme park is essentially a Donaldson/Scheffler temple, brimming with themed rides and marauding characters.And, let’s not forget, they are also the reigning king and queen of Christmas Day. Starting with The Gruffalo in 2009, one of their books has been sumptuously animated and proudly placed in every BBC One Christmas schedule. This year, Superworm – about an earthworm superhero captured by a wizard lizard – has received the treatment, narrated by none other than Olivia Colman and with Matt Smith as the titular creepy crawly. In grand Donaldson/Scheffler tradition the animation is bright and tactile, and the storyline has been augmented with a rich seam of festive melancholy. On a Christmas day dripping with repeats, this will not only go down as the BBC’s stand-out offering, but is also their ninth Christmas special. If you’re counting, Morecambe and Wise only managed eight. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent on (#5T3T3)
Latest Brexit red tape will come into force alongside a series of further checks at Dover and other portsVan drivers will be required to get new international operating licences if they want to travel back and forth to the EU from May next year, the government has announced.The new red tape will come into force next year alongside a series of further checks at Dover and other ports that were delayed three times in 2021 because of lack of preparation for Brexit in Great Britain. Continue reading...
Pattern of criminal behaviour seems to be emerging, says judge as another sailor is jailed for raping a colleagueA judge has called for a ban on parties in the armed forces involving excessive drinking after a Royal Navy sailor was jailed for raping a female colleague following a party at a hotel.The judge said a pattern of criminal behaviour seemed to be emerging and asked military chiefs to consider finding a way of clamping down on drink-fuelled parties that end with colleagues bunking down together. Continue reading...
From contracts for mates to flat makeovers and illicit parties, barely a day passes without a crisis at No 10. But using the tabloid language of the 90s doesn’t scratch the surface of this government’s sins
by Reni Eddo-Lodge, David Olusoga, Jay Bernard, Johny on (#5T3T7)
The activist and acclaimed author of Ain’t I a Woman and All About Love has died. Here, leading contemporaries pay tribute to her• A life in quotes: bell hooks• bell hooks, author and activist, dies aged 69British journalist and author of the bestselling Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#5T3RA)
Garage worker Koci Selamaj, 36, accepts responsibility for death but pleads not guilty to murderKoci Selamaj, 36, has accepted responsibility for the death of the schoolteacher Sabina Nessa in London in September 2021, but has pleaded not guilty to her murder during a pre-trial hearing at the Old Bailey.Nessa, 28, was found dead in Cator park, Kidbrooke, south-east London. Continue reading...
A festive collection from our archive of favourite starters, main courses and puddingsA decadent starter – and a godsend for cooks who like to get ahead. Continue reading...
Fifteen questions on general knowledge and topical trivia plus a few jokes every Thursday – how will you fare?The quiz master is already enjoying his Christmas break, but before he left he deposited 15 sealed envelopes in mysterious locations around London which have since been collated into the quiz you see before you. Fifteen questions to test your topical and general knowledge, featuring some of your favourite Thursday friends: Ron from Sparks, Kate Bush, and that Doctor Who reference to spot. Let us know how you get on in the commentsThe Thursday quiz, No 34If you do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers, please feel free to email martin.belam@theguardian.com but remember, the quiz master’s word is always final, and you don’t want him breaking in and stealing all your presents. Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips and John Bartlett in Rancagua on (#5T3N4)
As election run-off looms, José Antonio Kast’s opponents sound the alarmMaría Irene Campos was a woman on a mission.“I want to send the message that Chile will never again be communist,” the 74-year-old retiree proclaimed as she hit the streets last Friday to catch a glimpse of the man she believes can save her South American homeland from such a fate. Continue reading...
The recorded incidence of autism has increased 787% in 20 years. For many parents, getting help for an autistic child alerted them to their own traitsWhen John Purnell’s 10-year-old son was diagnosed as autistic, he knew exactly how to respond. “I’ve always been fascinated by research, by detail, by finding out everything there is to find out about something,” he says. “So I did a really deep dive.”As he pored over academic papers and delved into medical science – including how many autistic people have a propensity and appetite for copious research – an unexpected realisation crept into his mind. “I was reading about the traits of an autistic person, the difficulties they often have in social situations, the need for order and planning: and suddenly I thought: this person they’re describing isn’t just my son – it’s me.” Continue reading...
by Cait Kelly and Australian Associated Press on (#5T3C4)
Police say children fell about 10 metres after wind lifted a bouncy castle into the air at Hillcrest primary school in DevonportA fifth child has died and three remain critically injured after they fell about 10 metres from a jumping castle that was blown into the air in north-west Tasmania.Police confirmed two girls and two boys, in year 5 and 6, died in the tragedy at Hillcrest primary school in Devonport on Thursday morning. In a statement on Thursday evening police confirmed a fifth child died in hospital. Continue reading...
Hu Xijin became leading voice of strident nationalism with millions of social media followersA Chinese state tabloid editor who became a leading voice of strident nationalism with millions of social media followers has announced his retirement.A self-described former pro-democracy protester turned outspoken newspaper editor, Hu Xijin helped usher in a new era of brash, assertive nationalism under the president, Xi Jinping. Continue reading...
Climate experts warn that plans to repurpose waste gas is not a solution, but more like placing a Band-Aid over a gaping woundIn January of 2019, Chase Lochmiller and Cully Cavness, recently reunited prep school pals from Denver, drove out to the snow-covered plains of Wyoming to bring a piece of tech culture to the American heartland. Trembling in -20F (-29C) temperatures, they wired up a prototype of their brainchild: a machine that harnesses the “waste gas” from oil rigs to power mining for cryptocurrency.Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, the most-popular decentralized digital currency, have a notoriously large carbon footprint (bitcoin mining alone consumes about half as much electricity in a year as all of the UK). So to leverage a cheap source of energy to run their bitcoin mining operations, Lochmiller and Cavness found themselves partnering with oil companies to repurpose a byproduct, primarily methane, that’s typically vented or burnt off in flares. Continue reading...
by Elias Visontay (now) and Caitlin Cassidy (earlier) on (#5T35B)
Jim Chalmers has responded to the mid-year budget update; six injured in Melbourne crash; Qantas forecasts loss exceeding $1.1 billion; Queensland reports 22 new coronavirus cases, 24 in South Australia, NSW records 1,742, Victoria records 1,622; first Omicron case in New Zealand – follow all the day’s news
Shortfall of 16p a day leaves children living on just rice as suppliers to Nike, Zara and H&M in Karnataka underpay by estimated £41mGarment workers making clothes for international brands in Karnataka, a major clothing production hub in India, say their children are going hungry as factories refuse to pay the legal minimum wage in what is claimed to be the biggest wage theft to ever hit the fashion industry.More than 400,000 garment workers in Karnataka have not been paid the state’s legal minimum wage since April 2020, according to an international labour rights organisation that monitors working conditions in factories. Continue reading...
The peatlands of Soomaa national park are host to a stunning variety of birds and beasts – and even the odd white-thighed bog swimmerAhead, the jellied earth sways. As I approach a natural pool at the edge of a wide, wild expanse in central Estonia, the bog feels untrustworthy, if not quite menacing. This far into the Soomaa national park, the ground is so unsure of itself that even trees have given up. My guide, Aivar Ruukel, tells me that it’s not the same animals – wolves and bears are among the creatures that patrol these lands, hoping to find a meal trapped in the mire.Elsewhere in this wilderness there are elk and raccoon dogs. Recently, wolverines from the north have been spotted, too. “People have been seeing golden jackals,” says Aivar, “and normally they are in Turkey.” The reason for this extraordinary menagerie is, perhaps inevitably, linked to Estonia’s low human population. Despite being slightly larger than the Netherlands, Estonia has about 7.5% of its population, making it one of the most sparsely populated nations in Europe. In Soomaa, it’s easy to believe these stats. Continue reading...