Actor says she received ‘pushback’ from her management due to fears of the impact it could have on her careerRebel Wilson, one of Hollywood’s top comedy actors, has said her own team were opposed to her losing weight because she was “earning millions of dollars being the funny fat girl”.The Australian actor, 41, documented her physical transformation on social media after embarking on a health and fitness journey a couple of years ago. Continue reading...

British nationals and vulnerable Afghans stuck without help months after Taliban takeoverBritish nationals and vulnerable Afghans who have been approved for evacuation have spoken of their anguish and frustration as they remain trapped in Afghanistan months after it was taken over by the Taliban.After devastating testimony by a whistleblower in the Foreign Office, who claimed there was an incompetent and chaotic response to the fall of Kabul, those waiting to be evacuated have called for rapid action from the UK government. Continue reading...

Olaf Scholz takes over from Angela Merkel and brings with him a northern accent typical of HamburgGermany’s next coalition government, which will be sworn in on Wednesday, will come with a lineup of new faces, a new set of policy priorities and a new dose of energy. It will also speak with a distinctive accent.Olaf Scholz, the centre-left politician who will step into Angela Merkel’s shoes, is a man of the German north not only by upbringing but by voice. When the former mayor of Hamburg recently warned in parliament that Covid-19 had not yet been beaten, he leaned into the stretched out fricatives typical of Germany’s second-largest city: Scholz pronounces the word besiegt as besiecht. Continue reading...

Pro-independence groups have called for Indigenous voters not to take part in Sunday’s long-awaited ballot, saying proper campaigning has been preventedNew Caledonia is set to hold a referendum on independence from France this weekend, the third and final poll meant to conclude a decolonisation process initiated 30 years ago.For anyone who witnessed the first two referenda, the contrast with the vote set for 12 December is striking: instead of the countless Kanaky flags or the red, white and blue of the French tricolour that adorned houses, balconies, roadsides, pickups or even people in the run-up to the 2018 and 2020 votes, this year there is little to see. On the Place des Cocotiers, in the centre of Nouméa, the capital, the quiet is disturbed only by the incessant patrolling of police trucks, part of the increased security around the vote. Continue reading...

When they work, environmental or biodiversity offsets are supposed to prevent new roads, buildings and other major infrastructure from impacting negatively on the environment. But Guardian Australia has exposed serious concerns about the NSW offsets system, triggering multiple inquiries.Environment reporter Lisa Cox explains to Jane Lee how Australia’s environmental offsets policy, which was designed to protect Australian wildlife, ended up failing it.You can also read: Continue reading...

Officials refused Seyfu Jamaal’s asylum claim after he had waited more than three and a half yearsA runner from Ethiopia who dreams of representing Team GB is facing deportation back to his home country even though a state of emergency has been declared there.Seyfu Jamaal, 21, arrived in the UK aged 17 after travelling to the UK in the back of a lorry and claimed asylum. The Home Office accepts he was persecuted and trafficked before he arrived in the UK. But officials refused his asylum claim in May of this year after keeping him waiting for more than three and a half years for a decision, saying it would be safe for him to return home. Continue reading...

At least 56,000 homes and firms affected, with warning that storm could pose danger to life as it reaches UKMore than 56,000 homes and businesses in Ireland have been left without power after Storm Barra made landfall, with winds gusting up to 80mph (130km/h) as it moved east throughout the day.Heavy rain, sleet and snow fell on Tuesday over the north-west of Ireland and Scotland, threatening further disruption to areas only just recovering from lengthy power cuts in the wake of Storm Arwen. . Continue reading...

In Alex Gibney’s harrowing documentary, the tale of Abu Zubaydah, seen as patient zero for the CIA’s torture programme, is explored with horrifying new detailsFrom “a black site” in Thailand in 2002, CIA officers warned headquarters that their interrogation techniques might result in the death of a prisoner. If that happened, he would be cremated, leaving no trace. But if he survived, could the CIA offer assurance that he would be remain in isolation?It could. Abu Zubaydah, the agency said in a cable, “will never be placed in a situation where he has any significant contact with others” and “should remain incommunicado for the remainder of his life”. Continue reading...

Mass vaccination drive could cut risk of Covid surge in older relatives over holiday season, WHO says

Dr Annette Plaut, a physicist at Exeter University, claimed she was victim of race and sex discriminationA senior academic who claimed she was sacked because her bosses could not tolerate her “naturally loud” voice and passionate teaching style has won her case for unfair dismissal.Dr Annette Plaut, who had worked as a physicist at Exeter University for 30 years, was described as a “Marmite character” during the tribunal, valued by many but considered “overbearing” by others. Continue reading...

Continuing our series on the people behind the 2021 headlines, the 28-year-old detained at the Clapham Common vigil for Sarah Everard discusses violence against women, receiving death threats, and her new passion for activism

Calls grow for Morrison government to follow US in diplomatic boycott of China over ‘ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity’

The tiny Pacific country scrambled over the weekend, before tests showed the positive case was historicalThe Cook Islands has spent recent days in a state of panic.On Friday, the tiny Pacific country, one of the few countries to avoid any Covid cases throughout the pandemic, announced its first case: a 10-year-old boy who arrived on a flight from Auckland to Rarotonga, the main island in the country. Continue reading...

The inquiry was reopened after a 2017 book claimed the white woman at the center of the case lied about Till whistling at herThe US justice department is ending its latest investigation into the death of Emmett Till, a Black teenager who was brutally abducted, tortured and killed in 1955, without filing any charges after failing to prove that a key witness lied.Till’s family said it was disappointed by the news that there will continue to be no accountability for the infamous lynching. Continue reading...

Johnny Mercer opposing government over high costs faced by soldiers from Commonwealth who want to settle in UKA former Conservative defence minister is trying to force ministers to waive hefty immigration fees faced by Commonwealth soldiers and their families who want to live in the UK at the end of their military service.Johnny Mercer – who was fired from the government last year – has the support of several senior Conservatives including Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence committee, and former leader Iain Duncan Smith. Continue reading...

Official says Washington would also impose economic measures, in a warning to Moscow on eve of talks between Biden and PutinThe US has said it would send reinforcements to Nato’s eastern flank in the wake of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as imposing severe new economic measures, in a warning to Moscow on the eve of talks between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.Biden will also make clear to Putin that the US will not rule out future Ukrainian membership of Nato, as the Russian leader has demanded, a senior US official said. Continue reading...

The health secretary has updated the Commons on the latest numbers of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus virus, as well as new travel restrictions for those arriving in the UK

Health secretary says cocaine trade causes ‘suffering, violence and exploitation at every stage’

Decision is response to what is described as China’s ‘genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang’ and other abusesThe White House has confirmed it will stage a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, in the latest move that will further widen the rift in an already strained bilateral relationship.“The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,” press secretary Jen Psaki said from the briefing room podium on Monday. Continue reading...

Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-tipped remake will not be showing in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar or the UAESteven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story will not be showing in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar or the UAE.The big-budget musical, tipped for Oscars, has reportedly been banned because of a transgender character Anybodys, played by Iris Menas, known for Jagged Little Pill. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film wasn’t granted a certificate in either Saudi Arabia or Kuwait and in the remaining countries, requests for cuts were made that Disney refused to make. Continue reading...

Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein claims Juan Carlos directed campaign of harassment after affair endedA former lover of the former king of Spain believes a book about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales was left in her home as part of a campaign of harassment directed by the monarch, the high court in London has been told.The former king Juan Carlos is seeking sovereign immunity at the court against claims he used Spain’s spy agency to harass a Danish businesswoman, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. Continue reading...

Actor and activist announces he will use future earnings to fund social projects after ‘turning point’ of organising 2019 Homeless World CupHollywood star Michael Sheen has said he is now a “not-for-profit actor” after selling his houses and giving the proceeds to charity.The actor and activist, 52, said organising the 2019 Homeless World Cup in Cardiff was a turning point for him. When funding for the £2m project fell through at the last moment, Sheen sold his own houses to bankroll it. Continue reading...

Race to restore power to homes hit by Storm Arwen before latest bad weather on Tuesday and WednesdayThere are warnings of dangerous coastal waves, atrocious driving conditions, travel delays, flooding and potential damage to buildings for when Storm Barra sweeps across Ireland and the UK.Engineers were engaged in a race against time to restore power to about 1,600 homes in north-east England still cut off after the havoc wreaked by Storm Arwen 10 days ago. Continue reading...

Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis sentenced to two years and nine months for taking and sharing photos of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa HenryTwo Metropolitan police officers who “dehumanised” two black murder victims “for their own amusement” by taking and sharing photos from the scene where they lay murdered have each been jailed for two years and nine months.Deniz Jaffer, 47, and Jamie Lewis, 33, were ordered to guard the scene in a London park where two sisters, Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were found stabbed to death in June 2020. Continue reading...

Two-thirds of contracts awarded before ‘eight-stage process’ was put in place were given out after referrals from ‘VIP lane’At least 46 PPE deals were awarded to firms put in a special “VIP lane” by Conservative ministers, MPs and officials during the Covid pandemic before a formal due diligence process was put in place, it has emerged.Ministers had claimed all PPE contracts were put through a rigorous “eight-stage process” for assuring quality and value for money, when criticised over the “VIP lane” via which £5bn in contracts were handed to companies with political or Whitehall connections. Continue reading...

Productivity Commission projects fourfold rise in total value of inheritances to 2050, driven by housing and unspent super

Tempting as it may be to leave swimmers rolled up in a towel at the bottom of your beach bag, they’ll last far longer if you treat them betterAny swimmer will tell you that once the weather warms up, their exercise routine becomes subject to disruptions from fair weather swimmers: people who haven’t learnt the politics of lap swimming. Things like not pushing off ahead of someone about to tumble turn; no board shorts in the fast lane; if someone is overtaking you it’s not an invitation to speed up; and only jerks do butterfly in a public pool.Now that summer is here, hopefully we’ll all find ourselves beside a pool or at the beach in the coming months, so we thought it was a good moment remember swimwear can benefit from good manners too. This week, we asked swimwear experts for advice on how to keep bathers in great shape. Continue reading...

Deliveries are being snatched minutes after they arrive – with Citizens Advice reporting more than 22,000 visits to its lost and stolen parcels webpage last monthName: Porch piracy.Age: the phrase porch pirate dates right back to the early 2010s, debuting in Urban Dictionary in 2011. Continue reading...

Dozens detained after protesters attacked at campaign rally for presidential candidate Éric ZemmourFrench prosecutors have opened an investigation into violence that erupted at the first major campaign rally held by the far-right French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour.Shortly after Zemmour began speaking on Sunday evening, some of his supporters attacked a group of protesters from the campaign group SOS-Racism who had entered the rear of the venue wearing T-shirts reading “No to Racism”. Continue reading...

Payout to Jack and Sarah Hawkins is thought to be largest settlement for a stillbirth clinical negligence caseA couple whose daughter died before birth after maternity staff failings have received a £2.8m payout from the NHS in what is believed to be the largest settlement for a stillbirth clinical negligence case.Sarah Hawkins was in labour for six days before Harriet was stillborn, almost nine hours after dying, at Nottingham City hospital in April 2016. Continue reading...

‘The first verse came to me as I was going up the stairs of a double-decker bus with a hangover’Neneh Cherry, singer and songwriter

Beijing highlights virtues of its own one-party model in slew of scathing criticisms of western systemChina has launched a campaign to discredit what it calls US-style democracy in advance of the first of Joe Biden’s two “summits of democracy” later this week.Over recent days, official Chinese media outlets and diplomats have made a string of scathing attacks on the US governing system, calling it “a game of money politics” and “rule of the few over the many”. Continue reading...

The policing minister, Kit Malthouse, said 'no rules were broken' if a party took place last Christmas at Downing Street, directly contradicting Dominic Raab, the justice secretary, who conceded on Sunday that a 'formal party' of the sort reported would have been contrary to the then-Covid-19 guidance.Malthouse claimed the police 'don’t normally look back and investigate things that have taken place a year ago', but said it would be right for police to follow up any formal complaints about the event.

The 26-year-old swimmer and father-of-one swept all before him at the Tokyo Olympics… but his exit from Strictly, he admits, was humbling

UN agency says world must support urgent rollout of new vaccine as it reveals new figures for malaria deathsThe World Health Organization has called for a “massive, urgent” effort to get the new malaria vaccine into the arms of African children, as it warned that about 180,000 more people were dying annually from the disease than had previously been thought.Dr Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO’s global malaria programme, said the RTS,S vaccine, recommended for widespread rollout in October, represented a historic opportunity to save tens of thousands of lives, mostly those of under-fives in sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading...

With $82.5m repayment due, property developer appears to be heading for restructuringShares in the struggling Chinese property developer Evergrande hit a record low on Monday after strong indications that it is on the verge of a potentially disastrous default and could be forced into a full-blown restructuring.The company has lurched from one crisis to another in recent months as it faced a series of repayments on debts – three times waiting until the last possible moment to stump up the cash needed to stay afloat. Continue reading...

Exclusive: at least 16 notices issued to prevent future deaths after inquests highlight care failures

Peter Jackson spent four years editing down 60 hours of unseen footage into the new three-part documentary series. Was it worth the wait?As a younger Beatles fan who grew up with the idea that the band were falling apart in January 1969, Get Back was a joy. My immediate thought was how bright and vibrant everything looked, compared with the graininess of the original Let It Be film. It could have been shot yesterday – apart from the outfits and hairstyles. While not exactly a big revelation for those of us who never believed that Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles, it’s great to see that her presence here didn’t upset Paul, George and Ringo nearly as much as it seemed to upset commentators. We see absolutely no evidence of her “interfering”, as has been claimed over the years, and I loved McCartney’s prescient remark that in 50 years’ time people would be saying the Beatles broke up “because Yoko sat on an amp”. Continue reading...

Amelie Osborn-Smith says she feels ‘very lucky’ in first interview after incident while rafting in ZambiaA British teenager who was mauled by a crocodile in southern Africa feared she would need to have her foot amputated, and said she felt “very lucky” during an interview from her hospital bed.Amelie Osborn-Smith, 18, was left with her right foot “hanging loose” and a dislocated hip after the attack in the Zambezi River in Zambia while she was taking a break during a white water rafting expedition. Continue reading...

Scotland’s unique scheme offers young arrivals ongoing support from navigating bureaucracy to grasping local slangJoseph was just 16 years old when he arrived completely alone in Scotland – a country he had never heard of – seeking safety, after travelling across the world for six months from Vietnam to the UK, living in forests and being smuggled across the Channel.On his journey, Joseph had learned not to trust people, so when he first met his guardian – an “on your side” adult allocated to every unaccompanied young arrival – he had doubts. “She was saying nice things but I wasn’t sure she was going to help me,” he says. Continue reading...

The far-right French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour appeared to be put in a headlock by a protester at his first campaign, days after he formally declared his candidacy in a video highlighting his anti-migrant and anti-Islam views.Videos online appeared to show Zemmour being grabbed by a man at the heated rally near Paris on Sunday, during which anti-racism activists were also reportedly attacked. He was later reported to have suffered slight injuries

Continuing our series looking behind the headlines of 2021, the former Royal Marine on his perilous evacuation of hundreds of dogs and cats during the fall of Kabul – and how he answers the sceptics

Commission claims provider’s litany of alleged failures left the safety of Merna Aprem – who had autism and epilepsy – at ‘real and significant risk’

The recent coup dashed hopes raised by the end of the military regime but newly liberated artists refuse to submit quietlyIn the new dawn of a heady post-revolutionary era, Suzannah Mirghani returned in 2019 to the country of her birth for the first time in years. Her mission was to shoot a short film on Sudanese soil. It proved unexpectedly straightforward.“When the revolution happened, there was this exuberance,” she says, from her Qatari home. “When we came to make our film, we were given the green light. We were told: ‘Anything you want’. Continue reading...

Search to resume when ‘a bit safer’, rescuer says, while some residents reported to have returned home after weekend eruption to check belongingsIndonesia’s Mount Semeru spewed more ash on Monday, forcing rescuers to suspend the search for survivors as aerial images showed the extent of the devastation unleashed by the volcano’s deadly weekend eruption.People living near the volcano were earlier on Monday warned to remain vigilant after the eruption, as heavy wind and rain brought search-and-rescue efforts to a halt. Continue reading...

The self-taught assouf star broke out of the underground with a stunningly adventurous album that fused psychedelia, introspection and rock-star flair

After suffering bereavements and a dark period in her 50s, Siobhan Daniels, 62, decided to embrace adventure. So she swapped her flat for life on the roadSiobhan Daniels is giving a virtual tour of her home. “I’ve got my gin bar,” she says, flicking on decorative lights, “an oven big enough for Christmas lunch ... and a full-size shower and toilet.” The moment she walked in, she knew it was the home for her. She gave up her flat in Kent, disposed of most possessions – and moved into this two-berth Auto-Trail Tribute motorhome.Daniels, 62, is speaking from a farm in Dorset, where she volunteers in exchange for free electric hook-up. She has recently travelled south from Scotland, where she arrived via Sussex, Herefordshire and the Brecon Beacons. Of course, everywhere now is both an arrival and a departure. “I lie here and look at the map and think: ‘Where am I? Where do I want to go?’ It’s as random as that.”Tell us: has your life taken a new direction after the age of 60? Continue reading...

The creation of the modern, interconnected world is generally credited to European pioneers. But Africa was the wellspring for almost everything they achieved – and African lives were the terrible cost. By Howard W French Continue reading...

Researchers say Beijing used cloud-seeding to create artificial rain and lower pollution in July, in latest example of ‘blueskying’ effortsChinese weather authorities successfully controlled the weather ahead of a major political celebration earlier this year, according to a Beijing university study.On 1 July the Chinese Communist party marked its centenary with major celebrations including tens of thousands of people at a ceremony in Tiananmen Square, and a research paper from Tsinghua University has said an extensive cloud-seeding operation in the hours prior ensured clear skies and low air pollution. Continue reading...

Commuters are being urged to plan ahead as bus and train drivers stage walkouts over pay equality while teachers protest ‘unmanageable’ workloads