World news | The Guardian

Prolific US hip-hop artists have used the track Watermelon Fantasy, created in 2018 by Daylight StudioSnoop Dogg has worked with artists including Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry and Mariah Carey - and now a small London charity for people with learning disabilities has joined that list.The rapper, with Dr Dre, sampled the song Watermelon Fantasy, released by the charity Daylight Studio in 2018, for the single Outta Da Blue from their new album, Missionary, which was released on 13 December. Continue reading...

Birmingham airport and Liverpool Street station are among hubs where visits are up, says office providerAfter working from home, now comes working on the go. The post-pandemic surge in hybrid working has prompted increasing numbers of professionals to carry out some work while on the move, logging in from airports and railway stations across the UK, according to research.Footfall at transport hub-based workspaces has soared by 31% on average since 2022, according to figures from International Workplace Group (IWG), one of the world's largest providers of serviced offices, whose brands include Regus. Continue reading...

Cecilia Sala, 29, was detained in Tehran three days after US warrant used to hold Swiss-Iranian businessman in MilanThe arrest of a renowned Italian journalist in Iran is reportedly in retaliation for the detention of a Swiss-Iranian businessman and suspected arms dealer in Italy three days earlier, according to media reports quoting the US state department.Cecilia Sala, 29, a war correspondent and reporter who works for the Italian newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained on 19 December while reporting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and held in solitary confinement for a week. Continue reading...

Sources close to Tory leader reject report amid tensions over Badenoch's claim Reform faked membership numbersAllies of Kemi Badenoch have dismissed as nonsense" claims that she asked GB News to cut airtime for Nigel Farage.It follows a row in which the Tory leader accused Reform of faking its membership numbers. Farage said Reform surpassed the Tories in membership on Boxing Day and has called on Badenoch to apologise for her accusations that the figures are manipulated. Continue reading...

Two years after Netflix introduced ads, streaming advertising is 30% of the size of traditional TV ad marketA little more than two years after Netflix moved to further disrupt the TV industry by introducing commercials, galvanising already fierce competition to grab budgets targeted at traditional TV, the market for streaming advertising in the UK will pass the 1bn milestone.For the first decade of the streaming revolution the received wisdom, most fervently espoused by Netflix, was that the days of the TV commercial were numbered, with consumers willing to pay in return for an uninterrupted viewing experience. Continue reading...

Salome Zourabichvili tells protesters she will leave presidential palace as far-right successor Mikheil Kavelashvili takes powerGeorgia's pro-western president, Salome Zourabichvili, has said she will leave the palace but remain the country's legitimate officeholder, after refusing to hand over the keys to her successor in the wake of a controversial general election.Zourabichvili spoke as thousands of protesters gathered in the capital, Tblisi, to demonstrate against the inauguration of Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former football player turned far-right politician backed by the ruling pro-Moscow and increasingly authoritarian Georgian Dream (GD) party, who was sworn in as president at a parliamentary ceremony. Continue reading...

The deaths make 2024 the deadliest year on record for small boat Channel crossingsThree people have died after falling from an overcrowded small boat trying to cross from France to the UK, as 2024 became the deadliest year on record for perilous sea crossings.The boat ran into trouble at about 6am on Sunday near Bleriot-Plage, a public beach in Sangatte close to the French Channel port of Calais, emergency services said. Several people fell into the water trying to board the overcrowded vessel. Continue reading...

Several MPs preparing to suggest amendments on key concerns including coercion and role of medicsUp to 30 MPs who backed assisted dying could withdraw support at the next parliamentary vote, MPs have said, as several prepare to suggest amendments on coercion and the role of medics.The committee that will examine the next stage of Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying bill will begin hearings in the new year, with MPs coalescing around several demands for changes to the legislation. Continue reading...

New powers come amid concerns that cyber-attacks and outages could put the country's financial stability at riskCity regulators will begin cracking down in the new year on tech firms providing critical" services to UK banks amid concerns that cyber-attacks and outages at companies such as Google or Amazon could put the country's financial stability at risk.From 1 January, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority will be handed powers to regulate companies that are becoming a crucial part of the day-to-day operations of the increasingly digital banking and payments sector. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Force reaches out-of-court settlement with Xanthe Wells, who was accused of being at pro-Palestine demonstrationScotland Yard has paid 5,000 in an out-of-court settlement after allegedly unlawfully imprisoning a 17-year-old who was wrongly accused of being at a pro-Palestine protest where a building was spray-painted.The case is said by civil liberties campaigners to be compelling evidence of a heavy-handed approach by the Met to the policing of demonstrations over the last year. Continue reading...

Footage appears to show Boeing 737-800 skidding along runway at Muan airport before hitting wall and catching fire

Incident highlights potential risks posed to disaster response by instability at highest level of government

Exclusive: UK teenagers placed in temporary housing until they are adults as there are fewer obligations to support them if they are not care leaversCouncils are treating teenagers like homeless adults and placing them in unsuitable temporary housing rather than taking them into care, new research has shown.Local authorities are waiting out the clock" when assessing vulnerable 16- and 17-year-olds until they can be classed as adults. The teenagers were kept in the dark about their rights after escaping harrowing" family situations involving physical and emotional abuse, addiction and mental health problems, according to research by the Coram Institute for Children charity. Continue reading...

Speakers banned after criticising government in social media postsThe information watchdog has been asked to investigate authoritarian" government vetting that caused speakers to be banned from official events for criticising ministers.Two experts, who discovered that civil servants had combed through years of social media posts to judge them unsuitable" to address conferences, believe the practice was covert and unlawful. Continue reading...

More walkouts planned in 2025 at V&A, Natural History and Science museums as workers demand living wageThree of the UK's biggest museums face the threat of strike action in 2025 by security guards over pay and conditions.Guards at the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum are in dispute with the external contractor, Wilson James. They want a basic pay rate of 16 an hour to cope with the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

As 2025 dawns, we look back at the star players over the last 12 months of economic drama, mishap and scandalThe end of the year is a time for pausing, reflection and exhaustion. But before throwing ourselves into 2025, it's worth sifting through the remnants of 2024 to see who in the business world has done something worth remembering.So, once more with gusto, the Observer Agenda page brings you its awards for the brightest - or perhaps most glaring - lights in the business world this year. Continue reading...

BoM says light winds are expected to temper the fire danger despite high temperatures, especially inland

Dangerous practice was supposed to be phased out but new data reveals thousands of incidents every yearMental health patients are being pinned face down by staff thousands of times a year, despite ministers and health experts repeatedly warning that it is dangerous.Prone restraint, in which someone is held chest down to defuse an incident, has been a source of controversy for years and been involved in the death of a number of people with mental health problems. Continue reading...

Sixty-year-old pilot dies but surviving passenger stable in hospital

The actor announced on social media that the legal wedding' was officiated by her sister

Prime minister announces disaster recovery payments for survivors as premier gives heartfelt' thanks to firefighters

Many flights at Heathrow and Gatwick cancelled or delayed on Saturday as murky conditions persistDisruption caused by thick fog is expected to continue until Sunday at some of the UK's busiest airports.Flights at Stansted airport were affected by the weather conditions on Saturday, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton and Manchester airports. Continue reading...

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko pardons 20 people jailed for extremism'

Visitor numbers to the African country lag far behind its neighbours due to lack of infrastructure and national planning. Now some are starting to demand changesAt the top of the Ado-Awaye hills lies a lake suspended 433 metres above sea level. Local people say the lake is named Iyake (Yoruba for crying woman") after a weeping, barren woman who fell in the water hundreds of years ago, conferring on it powers of fertility.This belief in the divine is evident in the foothills, where a huge boulder is emblazoned with the words, written in golden letters: Here we come: African Jerusalem." Continue reading...

Kamal Adwan in Beit Lahia was partially destroyed and critical patients are at grave risk, the UN body saysThe World Health Organization says it is appalled" by an Israeli raid which it said had shut down and partly destroyed the last major hospital still functioning in northern Gaza.Israel's systematic dismantling of the health system" combined with a siege of the population in the north of the coastal strip over the past 80 days puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk", the WHO said. Continue reading...

Police say man in 40s died at scene in Dunstable after incident at about 4pm on FridayA man in his 80s has been arrested after a pedestrian died following a road collision in Bedfordshire, police said.Officers were called just before 4pm on Friday to reports of a collision between a blue Saab car and a pedestrian in West Street, Dunstable. Continue reading...

Billionaire Trump adviser said his significant investments' in the country justified his wading into German politicsThe tech entrepreneur and close adviser to Donald Trump Elon Musk has taken a stunning new public step in his support for the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), publishing a supportive guest opinion piece for the country's Welt am Sonntag newspaper that has prompted the commentary editor to resign in protest.The commentary piece in German was launched online on Saturday ahead of being published on Sunday in the flagship paper of the Axel Springer media group, which also owns the US politics news site Politico. Continue reading...

Jazwell Brown, 49, also charged with two counts of attempted murder after Christmas Day incidentA 49-year-old man has appeared in court charged with two counts of murder after two women died after a suspected stabbing in Milton Keynes on Christmas Day.Jazwell Brown, 49, has also been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count each of possession of a knife blade or sharp-pointed article in a public place, and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, a police dog. Brown appeared in court wearing a grey tracksuit. He spoke only to confirm his name, age and address and was remanded in custody. Continue reading...

Court found 51 men guilty including Dominique Pelicot, who was given a 20-year prison sentenceAt least 15 of the men found guilty of raping or sexually abusing Gisele Pelicot have appealed against their convictions and will be given a second trial.All 51 men, including her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, were convicted and given prison sentences of between three and 20 years before Christmas after a trial lasting three and a half months. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years. Continue reading...

Biographer says government departments give contradictory refusals to requests and accuses them of cover up'Researchers have called for greater transparency from the Foreign Office over the files it holds on the Duke of York. Officials responding to freedom of information requests have given a variety of reasons why the files cannot be released.Andrew Lownie, an author who is researching a biography of Prince Andrew, was told that the files could not be made public until 2065, and implied there was a general rule that papers relating to members of the royal family must remain closed until 105 years after their birth. Continue reading...

Kirsty Carless, 33, charged after death of Louis Price, 31, on Christmas DayA 33-year-old woman has been charged with murder after the death of a man on Christmas Day in Staffordshire.Officers were called to a property in Norton Canes, near Cannock, at about 3.25am on Wednesday, where Louis Price, 31, was in cardiac arrest. Despite medical efforts, Price died a short time later. Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands gather in central Seoul to protest against president suspended over martial law declarationHundreds of thousands of South Koreans flooded central Seoul on Saturday in the latest wave of protests demanding the removal of the country's suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, a day after parliament voted to impeach his acting replacement.Organisers claimed that more than 500,000 people participated in the rally, which took place amid a large police presence. Continue reading...

People line New Delhi streets to pay tribute to man who steered India through some of its most turbulent economic timesIndia bade farewell to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, the architect of the country's economic transformation, with a state funeral in New Delhi, complete with full honours and a 21-gun salute.Sikh priests chanted hymns as Singh's flag-draped coffin, strewn with rose petals, was carried on a carriage through the capital, pulled by a ceremonially decorated army truck. Congress party supporters chanted: As long as the sun and moon remain, your name will remain," and Long live Manmohan Singh" as Singh's body was removed from the headquarters of the left-leaning party, where it had been lying in state. Continue reading...

Tool uses machine learning to analyse medical data for red flags relating to undiagnosed atrial fibrillationThousands of strokes could be averted in the UK each year after doctors developed an algorithm that spots patients at risk by scanning millions of GP records.The tool uses machine learning to scour medical data for red flags that could identify patients with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart condition that significantly increases stroke risk. Continue reading...

Newly released documents show Irish officials sought return of cannon sold by gang of British treasure hunters'Rare cannon allegedly smuggled out of Irish waters by a gang of British treasure hunters and acquired for a knockdown price by a Tower of London official were at the centre of a decades-long dispute between British and Irish officials, according to newly released records.Irish officials made extensive efforts to convince UK authorities to return the bronze cannon after claiming they were illegally smuggled" from a Waterford shipwreck and sold to the Tower of London. Continue reading...

New opposition leader puts focus on crime crackdown - and not on all-male leadership team

Gavin and Stacey actor among celebrities including Ellen MacArthur and Damon Albarn who will join celebrationsWhat's occurring with the Shipping Forecast? The Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones is to read the seafarers' bulletin to celebrate a centenary of the shipping news on the BBC.It will be Jones's last performance in her Gavin and Stacey role as no-nonsense Nessa after the sitcom's triumphant Christmas finale. Gavin and Stacey won the festive TV ratings war with 12.3 million viewers, becoming the most watched programme on Christmas Day for 16 years. Continue reading...

Minister says request regarding welder arrested in 2005 on drugs charges will be discussed in January amid spate of transfer of high-profile detaineesIndonesia has received an official request from France to transfer a French death row inmate imprisoned on drugs charges since 2005, a senior Indonesian minister said on Saturday.We have received a formal letter requesting the transfer of Serge Atlaoui on 19 December 2024. The letter was sent on behalf of the French minister of justice," senior Indonesian law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra told Agence France-Presse. Continue reading...

21-year-old Taewoo Kim last seen going for a swim at Moonee beach, near Coffs Harbour, on Boxing Day; police say another man's body found in sea south of Wollongong

Fan Weiqiu, angry at his divorce settlement, caused great social harm' when he drove into people as they exercised in the city of Zhuhai, court saysA court in China has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month by driving into a crowd, in an attack that raised national concern about mass killings.Fan Weiqiu was venting his anger because he was unhappy with his divorce settlement, the court in the southern city of Zhuhai said in handing down the sentence on Friday. The victims were exercising at a sports centre at the time of the attack. Fan pleaded guilty to endangering public safety by dangerous means, a court statement said. Continue reading...

Critical incident team from Bankstown Police Area Command to investigate circumstances surrounding 33-year-old's death

UN humanitarian body warns that dramatic increase in harm to children should not become the new normal'Nearly one in five of the world's children live in areas affected by conflicts, with more than 473 million children suffering from the worst levels of violence since the second world war, according to figures published by the UN.The UN humanitarian aid organisation for children, Unicef, said on Saturday that the percentage of children living in conflict zones around the world has doubled from about 10% in the 1990s to almost 19%, and warned that this dramatic increase in harm to children should not become the new normal". Continue reading...

First of Kim Jong-un's soldiers to be taken was detained in Kursk region of Russia, according to Ukrainian reports

Il Foglio war correspondent Cecilia Sala taken in by police while reporting in Tehran, says Italy's foreign ministryAn Italian journalist has been arrested while reporting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and held in solitary confinement for a week, according to Italy's foreign ministry.Cecilia Sala, 29, a war correspondent and reporter who works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained on 19 December, the ministry said, but her arrest was only made public on Friday. Continue reading...

IDF says missile was intercepted before it reached Israeli airspace, as Netanyahu says strikes on Yemen will continueHouthi rebels in Yemen claim to have retaliated against Israeli airstrikes on Sana'a's airport early on Friday with a missile aimed at Israel's Ben Gurion airport and a drone attack on Tel Aviv.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said their defences intercepted the ballistic missile before it reached Israeli airspace, though residents in the centre of the country were ordered into shelters for fear of falling debris. There were no reports in Israel of hostile drones over Tel Aviv. Continue reading...

Labour blames appalling legacy' left by Tories after milestone for number of arrivals was reached on Boxing DayLabour has blamed the Tories for leaving an appalling legacy of border security" after figures showed more than 150,000 people have arrived in the UK in small boats since 2018.The milestone was reached after Home Office figures confirmed that at least 850 people landed in small boats on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Continue reading...

Carrier suspends flights to five Russian airports after early findings of investigation into crash on Christmas DayThe aircraft that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, killing 38 people, experienced external physical and technical interference", according to preliminary results of an investigation, Azerbaijan Airlines said on Friday.The early findings led the carrier to suspend flights to five Russian airports, citing potential risks to flight safety", adding to the two routes that were suspended immediately after the crash. Continue reading...

Jane Doe alleges Shaun Carter and Sean Diddy' Combs sexually assaulted her at a 2000 MTV awards afterpartyJay-Z's legal efforts to dismiss a case accusing him of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 have been denied by a judge in New York, with the judge in the case condemning a lawyer for the hip-hop mogul for aggressive tactics.Jay-Z, whose given name is Shawn Carter, has denied the allegations, but the judge in the case used strong language in attacking his legal team's actions. Continue reading...

Coroner calls for improvements after Chloe Every was wrongly prescribed morphine shortly before she diedA coroner who ruled that gross failure" in the hospital care of a disabled woman possibly contributed to her death" has called for improvements to protect patients.Graeme Irvine, the senior coroner for east London, said the inquest into the death of Chloe Every had revealed matters giving rise to concern" while she was in the care of Barking, Havering and Redbridge university hospitals NHS trust. Continue reading...

Protests have erupted nationwide after disappearance of boys not seen since they were approached by soldiersThe disappearance of four boys in Ecuador after they came into contact with the armed forces is posing a severe challenge to President Daniel Noboa's war on drugs".The four - all black, aged between 11 and 15, and residents of Las Malvinas, a poor area in the country's largest city, Guayaquil - were returning from a football game near their homes on 8 December when 16 air force soldiers approached them. Continue reading...