Animals arrive in Kent in spring 2022 and will create forest clearings – described as ‘jet fuel for biodiversity’“When you see them in the wild, there’s this tangible feeling of humility and respect,” says Tom Gibbs, one of the UK’s first two bison rangers. “The size of them instantly demands your respect, although they are quite docile. I wouldn’t say they are scary, but you’re aware of what they can do.”The rangers will manage the first wild bison to roam in the UK for thousands of years when four animals arrive in north Kent in the spring of 2022. The bison are Europe’s largest land animal – bulls can weigh a tonne – and were extinct in the wild a century ago, but are recovering through reintroduction projects across Europe. Continue reading...

Daily newspaper is new joy for Kuttiyamma, who began taking lessons from her neighbour a year agoFor almost a century, Kuttiyamma’s daily routine had been much the same. Rising early at home in the village of Thiruvanchoor in Kerala, the 104-year-old would begin her day’s work of cooking, cleaning and feeding the cows and chickens.But now, every morning, there’s something new to get up for. She eagerly awaits the paperboy to deliver Malayala Manorama, the local newspaper. Continue reading...

Sydney pub and club at centre of scare. Bushfire rages in Margaret River in Western Australia. This blog is now closed

April, 27, heritage project officer, meets Jake, 27, company directorApril on JakeWhat were you hoping for?

Anonymous artist says sales proceeds will go to the four people accused of Edward Colston statue damage ‘so they can go for a pint’Banksy says he has made T-shirts that he will be selling to support four people facing trial accused of criminal damage over the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston.The anonymous artist posted on Instagram pictures of limited-edition grey souvenir T-shirts, which will go on sale on Saturday in Bristol. Continue reading...

Antonio Stagliano was trying to focus on the story of Saint Nicholas when he told children Santa did not exist, says church in SicilyA Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily has publicly apologised to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.Bishop Antonio Stagliano didn’t mean the comments, and was trying to underline the true meaning of Christmas and the story of Saint Nicholas, a bishop who gave gifts to the poor and was persecuted by a Roman emperor, said the Rev Alessandro Paolino, the communications director for the diocese of Noto. Continue reading...

France threatens to push for legal action if there is no ‘sign of goodwill’ in granting its boats licences to fish in British watersAn EU deadline for the UK to grant licences to dozens of French boats in a post-Brexit fishing row has passed without an agreement being announced.There had been suggestions on Friday that negotiations over fishing licences for small French boats in British waters could lead to a breakthrough but sources said there was no announcement expected from the UK government as the midnight deadline came and went. Continue reading...

UK records 58,194 new cases of Covid-19 and a further 120 deaths; UK government shown ‘very challenging new information’ on Omicron

Foreign correspondent respected for his work in west Africa and the Middle East who went on to write books and poemsMark Huband, who has died aged 58 of pancreatitis and multiple organ failure, built a strong and lasting reputation over more than three decades as a foreign correspondent and business analyst, specialising in Africa and the Middle East.He and I met when he arrived in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in 1989 to take up the post of the Financial Times stringer and I was working for Reuters. He hit the ground running and, despite his youth, he soon became a well-known figure among the foreign journalists, diplomats and business representatives covering the west African region. He was sharp, engaged and committed to the story, and went on to work as Africa correspondent for the Guardian and the Observer before returning to London. He did not look at events from a distance but always saw something of himself in others. Continue reading...

Family say pop songwriter from chart-topping 1960s band died of natural causes at homeMichael Nesmith, who achieved global fame as a member of the pop group the Monkees, has died aged 78.“With infinite love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.” Continue reading...

Sale of a Holbrook property for $40m – which was $10m more than initial asking price – is indicative of record buyer demandFarmland prices are soaring at quadruple the rates of median growth in Australia’s capital cities – as 30-year price highs across agricultural commodities combine with low interest rates and generally good seasonal conditions.Experts are beginning to warn that the “exorbitant” price of farmland is prohibitive for those starting out, echoing city housing concerns. Continue reading...

Some franchises cannot endure, it turns out – but, happily, old box sets live foreverGood sex, like good comedy, relies on timing, and maybe, 17 years after the original show ended, 11 years after the second film departed cinemas, Sex and the City no longer has its finger on the clitoris when it comes to timing. “And Just Like That, It All Went Wrong” was the New York Times’s verdict on the wildly publicised, moderately anticipated SATC follow-up series, And Just Like That, which debuted its first two episodes this week. The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan described it as at times “excruciating”.Certainly the jokes are bad. Not “Lawrence of my labia” bad, as Samantha (Kim Cattrall) notoriously said in Sex and the City 2. But a far cry from the spit-out-your-wine-with-laughter-and-shock level of the original show, which ran from 1998 to 2004. And that’s the least of its problems. Continue reading...

UKHSA urges public to take up boosters because of lower level of protection against new variant than against Delta

Inquest heard about a series of police failings in the investigations that were to have ‘terrible consequences’The inquests into the deaths of the four victims of the serial killer Stephen Port have been told of a catalogue of failings, described as unique by the Metropolitan police deputy assistant commissioner, Stuart Cundy, which had “terrible consequences”.The coroner Sarah Munro QC said the jury had to consider if there were missed opportunities in each investigation to catch Port sooner and so prevent deaths. Continue reading...

Soldiers and residents living in the shadow of Russia’s military buildup describe the toll of the long, unresolved conflictFor Misha Novitskyi, the question of whether Russia will invade Ukraine is not theoretical. The enemy is just 50 metres away behind a concrete slab. From time to time Russian voices float eerily across a wintry no man’s land of ragged trees and scrub.“When they light their stoves you can see the smoke,” Novitskyi – a senior lieutenant in the Ukrainian army – said, speaking from what is in effect Europe’s eastern front with Russia. He added: “Every day they shoot at us.” Continue reading...

Though the lawsuit was originally dismissed in 2018, a successful appeal by the plaintiffs means the pop star will face a jury trialTaylor Swift will face a jury trial over accusations that she plagiarised lyrics for her 2014 hit Shake It Off from another song.A US judge refused Swift’s request for the case to be dismissed on the grounds that a jury could find that the song copied Playas Gon’ Play, a song released by girl group 3LW in 2001. Both songs feature variations on the lines “players gonna play” and “haters gonna hate”. Continue reading...

You can’t force him to get vaccinated – but equally, he can’t force you to spend time with him. Face this head on and explain how you feelI’m sure I’m not the only one who’s faced this difficulty this year. One of my family members, who’s in his 40s, has consistently refused to be vaccinated against Covid and will not be moved from his position. He will not explain his reasons for rejecting the vaccine, whether it is ideological or simply rebellion against the so-called “nanny state”.He has already been (politely but firmly) excluded from one family get-together as a result of his intransigence. We have explained that he is not being rejected personally, but there are concerns within the family about his vulnerability to catching the virus and transmitting the infection to the children and their grandparents. Continue reading...

Eton scholar Jasamrit Rahala, a Child Genius finalist at 10, is in the knockouts and already looking for his next testIf TV quiz fans think Jasamrit Rahala’s face looks familiar, they would be right.The 17-year-old from Slough has reached the knockout finals of Channel 4’s Countdown, having been a fan of the programme since primary school. But for Jasamrit, identified as a maths prodigy aged nine, Countdown is just the latest in a string of gameshow endeavours, having become the youngest finalist on Child Genius aged 10 and competed in Britain’s Brightest Family. Continue reading...

The stories about Downing Street happenings that never happened are becoming increasingly surrealLast Christmas was probably the worst my wife and I had spent together in all the years we have been together. We had long since accepted there was no chance of our daughter coming over from the US but the final straw was when the Covid guidelines were changed and we were unable even to see our son and his girlfriend for the day. So we glumly ate a small chicken and watched TV before sneaking off to bed round about 9pm. Now it’s looking as if we were mugs for sticking to the rules as those inside No 10 were ignoring them by holding a series of after-work parties. So far the government has not tried to deny that these gatherings took place – other than to say whatever happened was not a party – and its lines of defence have become increasingly ropey. First we have had Boris Johnson saying no one cared what happened a year ago and that an investigation wasn’t in the public interest. This was a line pursued by Dominic Raab, the justice secretary, on the Marr programme when he said the police didn’t bother to investigate crimes that had happened in the past – news for watchers of Silent Witness and Unforgotten. Though possibly Raab is under the impression the only crimes worth solving are those that have yet to be committed. Then on today’s media round, we had Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, saying he had been assured that even if a party had taken place, – which he couldn’t confirm as he hadn’t been there – then it definitely took place within the guidelines because the music had been very quiet and someone had opened the windows. Or something. Despite the fact that any gatherings were banned. No 10 just doesn’t seem to get how angry everyone is about this. Nor how many will think twice about breaking the rules if they are changed again before Xmas. Continue reading...

Last winter’s gloom almost broke me, so here’s what I’ve learned about changing my mindset and embracing the long, cold, dark months

Most Covid doses are now dispensed at pharmacies and some are struggling to manage the workloadOfficials in the US are encouraging eligible adults to get boosters amid a new surge of the Covid-19 pandemic and the discovery of the Omicron variant, but some areas are facing shortages – not of the vaccines, but of pharmacy staff to administer them.More than two in three Covid vaccines are now given at pharmacies, the White House has said, but pharmacies are facing a double bind of increased workloads and staffing shortages and are struggling to keep up with demand for vaccination appointments. Continue reading...

Young woman says she was stalked, abused, punished and denied help by her chain of command until she became suicidal

Film about Carlos Marighella, released in Berlin in 2019, only arrived in Brazil last month after government cancellationsThe CIA considered him Che Guevara’s successor when it came to igniting new guerrilla movements in Latin America.Brazil’s military dictatorship, whose security agents ambushed and killed him in São Paulo in 1969, called him public enemy No 1. Continue reading...

The greatest tenor of his generation talks cancel culture, booing fans, and problematic roles

Ancient shrines, oral folklore and hip-hop cyphers are all part of a rich artistic heritage being ‘hollowed out’ in Xinjiang say Uyghur exiles and scholarsOn Thursday, the Uyghur Tribunal delivered its damning judgment on the human rights abuses allegedly committed by the Chinese state in Xinjiang. Over the past months this London-based people’s tribunal has heard testimony from international scholars as well as survivors of Chinese detention and “re-education camps”.While the ruling has no legal standing, the aim is to highlight the treatment of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic Muslims in north-west China. Rachel Harris, a British ethnomusicologist and Uyghur specialist, has described the state’s strategy as an attempt “to hollow out a whole culture and terrorise a whole people”. Continue reading...

As they chase a wildly lucrative market with their new Christmas albums, Gary Barlow, Jamie Cullum, Leona Lewis and more explain the financial – and emotional – pull of a seasonal hitIn July 1968, the visionary US guitarist John Fahey – whose albums, with names such as Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes, hadn’t exactly been money-spinners – was out the back of a record store. “I saw all these cartons of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas,” he later recalled. “The clerk said it always sells out. So I got the idea to do a Christmas album.”The New Possibility: John Fahey’s Guitar Soli Christmas Album has not achieved the ubiquity of Merry Xmas Everybody or Last Christmas, but it served its role. Purists might sneer – Mojo magazine once dismissed the album as “Cliff-territory bland” – but The New Possibility has never been out of print, selling more than 100,000 copies. Fahey ended up making five Christmas albums, and they served as a financial bulwark in a career that had its share of vicissitudes. Continue reading...

The new government headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz has a plan – and it is already being put to the testThe Lufthansa stewardess on the flight from London to Munich handed me one very small, yellow-wrapped bar of chocolate: the usual ration. When she saw that I was working my way through a long German document she gave me one more, exclaimingm Sie sind so fleissig! (”You’re so hard-working!”) I explained that this was actually the 177-page coalition agreement between the three parties forming her new government. Excitedly, she showered me with a whole handful of the miniature chocolate bars, followed by yet another handful. Most of them I offered to my neighbour, who had young children, but I slipped a couple into my pocket. A few days later, I presented one to a key minister in the “traffic light” government of Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats that formally took office in Berlin on Wednesday. He accepted it with appropriate ceremonial gravity.Some chocolate is called for. Given the difficulty of reaching common ground between three parties, the coalition agreement is remarkably coherent, substantial and ambitious. Parts of it are even well-written, with echoes of the inspirational rhetoric of the great chancellor of West German Ostpolitik, Willy Brandt. As befits a democracy now more widely respected than that of the US, it proposes a mixture of continuity and change. Yet the government headed by chancellor Olaf Scholz faces huge challenges from its very first day. As often before in German history, many of these lie in the east. They are Germany’s new Eastern Questions.Timothy Garton Ash is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Gold Coast lockdown ‘unlikely’ despite new community Covid cases; Alan Jones says new show and podcast a ‘pioneering initiative’; NSW records 516 new infections; two cases of Omicron variant as Victoria records 1,206 cases and two deaths; six new infections in ACT and four in NT; SA investigates possible Omicron cases.This blog is now closed

The Ardern government does not believe that the fate of the Indo-Pacific rests on US-China rivalryAfter the Biden administration’s announcement concerning the “diplomatic ban” of China’s Winter Games, Jacinda Ardern’s government has distanced itself from western allies once again – but it would be wrong to assume that Wellington has any illusions about China.The US government confirmed this week it would diplomatically boycott the Winter Olympic Games to protest against China’s persecution of the Uyghur people in the country’s Xinjiang province. Australia, UK and Canada subsequently indicated they would join the boycott. Continue reading...

‘Toddy tappers’ who collect sap used in everything from palm wine to ice-cream are enjoying a boost to business that has revived the traditional skill and improved their quality of lifeThe palmyra palm tree with its wide fan leaves is a distinctive and common sight across Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka, thriving in the arid conditions.Kutty, who goes by only one name, is a “toddy tapper”. Climbing the palms with his clay pot, he collects sap from the flower heads at the top of the great trees, which can grow to more than 30 metres (90ft). The sap is fermented to make toddy, an alcoholic drink also known as palm wine. Continue reading...

The Succession star Jeremy Strong has been widely scorned after a magazine profile revealed his ‘preening’ and ‘self-indulgent’ acting process. But many actors have been lauded for their method – so what has changed?Robert De Niro is the greatest actor of his generation. So claimed the headline in a popular magazine last year, and it’s not a controversial claim. The evidence offered for this opinion was the same that’s always wheeled out when discussing De Niro’s acting: “[He] took method acting to previously uncharted levels. He got a New York cab licence for Taxi Driver, learned Italian and lived in Sicily to prepare for The Godfather Part II, put on 60lbs to play Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, learned Latin for True Confessions and the sax for New York, New York. He was the hardest-working man in Hollywood,” wrote the journalist.For decades, this has been the general feeling about actors: the more method, the better. After all, if they don’t eat raw bison and sleep in an animal carcass (Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant), stay in a wheelchair and be spoonfed by the crew (Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot) or lose so much weight that they start to go blind (Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club), they’re just playing make-believe. And why should they get all that fame, adoration and money just for that? All of the above actors were rewarded for their efforts with an Oscar, and actors talking about their method efforts has become as much a part of the run-up to the Oscars as shops playing Do They Know It’s Christmas in the run-up to the holidays. Continue reading...

As Bosnian Serb assembly prepares to vote on opting out of Bosnian institutions, US officials plan a diplomatic offensiveThe US is determined to walk Bosnia “back from the cliff” amid secessionist threats from Serb nationalists and is exploring sanctions among other options, a senior state department official has said.Derek Chollet, a senior adviser to secretary of state Antony Blinken, was speaking ahead of a meeting on Friday of the Bosnian Serb assembly, which is expected to vote on whether to begin the process of opting out of the Bosnian army, judiciary and tax system. Continue reading...

Graham George Spencer says he was bitten 26 times in 10 seconds while out for a morning walkA man attacked by a pack of otters in a Singapore park has said that he thought he was going to die during the ordeal.Graham George Spencer, a British citizen living in Singapore, said he was chased, pinned down and bitten “26 times in 10 seconds” by a family of otters while out for an early morning walk in the botanic gardens. Continue reading...

Article that says ‘no party member should use any excuse’ to have only one or two children goes viral then disappearsAn editorial in a Chinese state-run news website has suggested Communist party members are obliged to have three children for the good of the country, as Beijing seeks to address plummeting birthrates.The editorial, which was first published last month, went viral this week and drew sharp reaction from Chinese internet users, with millions of shares, views and comments. As the wave of reaction grew, the original article disappeared from the website. Continue reading...

The government invests heavily to remove human contact from many aspects of life but fears of harmful social consequences persistFor Seoul-based graduate Lee Su-bin, the transition to a new lifestyle during the pandemic was no big deal.“At the university library, I would reserve my books online, which would then be sanitised in a book steriliser before being delivered to a locker for pick up,” the 25-year-old says. Continue reading...

Deadly clashes erupt in three separate areas with poor medical facilities as wider Darfur region slides into violenceTribal fighting has killed dozens of people over the past three weeks in three separate areas of Sudan’s West Darfur region and thousands of people have fled the violence, local medics have said.The West Darfur Doctors Committee said in statements on Wednesday and Thursday that attacks in the Kreinik area killed 88 and wounded 84, while renewed violence in the Jebel Moon area killed 25 and wounded four. Meanwhile, violence in the Sarba locality killed eight and wounded six. Continue reading...

Australia will begin administering vaccines for children from January; People and businesses in Scotland been urged not to go ahead with parties

Ecologists say numbers declined by about 99.5% three years ago, likely due to drought, pesticides and light pollution

US president makes pledge in phone calls to Ukrainian president and nine other statesJoe Biden has phoned the leaders of Ukraine and nine eastern European Nato states promising support if Russia attacks Ukraine and pledging to involve them in decisions about the region.After a 90-minute call with Biden late on Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Twitter that the two “discussed possible formats for resolving the conflict” in eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists have carved out a self-declared state. Continue reading...

Mark Drakeford also urges mask-wearing in pubs as Covid cases likely to rise ‘quickly and sharply’

Friday: Australia’s coal-fired power plants are likely to shut at almost triple the pace now announced. Plus: a moth once famed for blocking out the moon is now listed as endangeredGood morning. Australia’s coal-fired power plants are likely to shut more rapidly than expected. The Omicron variant is in 57 countries. And the bogong moth has been added to the endangered species list.Coal-fired power plants are likely to shut at almost triple the pace now announced, with Victoria’s brown coal fleet to be closed in just over a decade and the main electricity grid becoming coal-free by 2043, according to the market operator. The draft Integrated System Plan 2022, an industry blueprint updated every two years and released today, plots how the grid serving eastern Australia will change to meet emissions reduction and market goals. It details four scenarios based on extensive consultation over 18 months. The most probable path, dubbed the “step change” option, anticipates a nine-fold increase in large-scale renewable energy. Continue reading...

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan accuse state of breaching terms including a prisoner release agreementTaliban militants in Pakistan have declared an end to a month-long ceasefire arranged with the aid of the Afghan Taliban, accusing the government of breaching terms including a prisoner release agreement and the formation of negotiating committees.The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are a separate movement from the Afghan Taliban and have fought for years to overthrow the government in Islamabad and rule with their own brand of Islamic sharia law. Continue reading...

Art museum announces change in the wake of leading members of the family being blamed for fueling the deadly US opioids crisisNew York’s famed Metropolitan Museum of Art is going to remove the name of arguably its most controversial donor groups – the billionaire Sackler family – from its galleries.The news comes in the wake of leading members of the US family, one of America’s richest, being blamed for fueling the deadly opioids crisis in America with the aggressive selling of the family company’s prescription narcotic painkiller, OxyContin. Continue reading...

France willing to re-engage on Channel crossings, but UK economy relies on illegal labour, says presidentRelations between France and Britain are strained because the current UK government does not honour its word, president Emmanuel Macron has said.Macron accused London of failing to keep its word on Brexit and fishing licences, but said France was willing to re-engage in good faith, and called for “British re-engagement” over the “humanitarian question” of dangerous Channel crossings, after at least 27 migrants drowned trying to reach the British coast. Continue reading...

Home Office figures reveal 25 under-18s arrested in year to September, the highest for a 12-month periodPolice arrested a record number of children for terror offences over a 12-month period, a development that investigators have linked to the shutdown of schools during the early stages of the pandemic.Figures released by the Home Office show that 25 under-18s were arrested in the year to September, the vast majority in relation to far-right ideology. Continue reading...

Beijing accuses nations of using Games ‘for political manipulation’ amid diplomatic boycottsChina has said Australia, Britain and the US will pay a price for their “mistaken acts” in deciding not to send government delegations to the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February, in the latest warning demonstrating China’s escalating diplomatic tensions with the US and its major allies.The US was the first to announce a boycott, saying on Monday that its government officials would not attend the February Games because of China’s human rights “atrocities”, weeks after talks aimed at easing tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Continue reading...

Annalena Baerbock has sympathy with US demands, but there is considerable Social Democrat support for Russia’s pipelineGermany’s new foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has been caught a diplomatic vice days into the job, as US puts pressure on the coalition government in Berlin to vow to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the event of Russia invading Ukraine.The controversial pipeline project, which runs from Vyborg in Russia to Lubmin in north-east Germany, is also likely to be the first test of the new German government’s unity of approach. Continue reading...

Actor, who believes reporter illegally obtained medical records, speaks after accepting settlementSienna Miller has said the Sun forced her to make decisions “about my own body that I have to live with every single day” after the newspaper found out she was in the early stages of pregnancy.The actor said the then Sun editor Rebekah Brooks, now the chief executive of Rupert Murdoch’s News UK business, phoned her agent in 2005 to discuss the pregnancy before the actor had had the opportunity to discuss it with close friends and family. Continue reading...

With Last Christmas sailing up the singles charts again, now’s the time to reappraise Michael’s best tracks, from sublime pop to haunting elegiesTucked away on the B-side of The Edge of Heaven, Battlestations is a fascinating anomaly in the Wham! catalogue. Raw, minimal, and influenced by contemporary dancefloor trends – but still very much a pop song – it gives a glimpse of what might have happened had the duo stayed together and taken a hipper, more experimental direction. Continue reading...

Analysis: scientists say home working makes sense but voice fears over advice to go ahead with parties amid steep trajectory in cases