World news | The Guardian

Met Office warns of travel disruption in Scotland as arctic winds and snow showers move inland from northern coastsThe cold snap will continue across most of Britain throughout Sunday and into early next week, with warnings of potential travel disruption in Scotland.The Met Office has put in place yellow weather warnings of snow and ice for much of the north of Scotland throughout Sunday and Monday. Continue reading...

Letter shows the Lib Dem leader initially refused to meet a campaigner when he was a minister responsible for the serviceLib Dem leader Ed Davey has seen his personal popularity take a significant hit in the wake of the Post Office scandal, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.Davey was one of a series of ministers responsible for the Post Office during the crisis, holding the role between 2010 and 2012. He has received criticism after a letter emerged in which he refused to meet Alan Bates, the former postmaster and campaigner fighting for justice, telling him: I do not believe a meeting would serve any useful purpose." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Boy's mother says she had to withdraw her super and re-mortgage home to pay off his debts to criminals

A quote from Amol Rajan, host of the highbrow British quiz, has inspired a stream of samples in tracks - and invitations for him to perform liveDJs and musicians looking for a new sound usually draw on classic movies and hit songs for inspiration - not University Challenge. But the venerable BBC quiz show's new presenter, Amol Rajan, went viral last week after music producers decided something he said was too perfect to pass up.The 40-year-old journalist said he had become rather emotional" and had reconnected ... with my younger self" at the attention from DJs, record labels and music fans. Continue reading...

Parents fear government accountancy rules are severely impacting the chances of getting a care programme for Send childrenA council has warned that it could in effect become insolvent this year because of the huge financial deficits it has racked up on special education needs, in the latest development in the local government funding crisis.Most councils in England have overspent their budgets on special education needs and disabilities (Send) since 2015, when the government extended the age range of young people who qualify for Send support without providing councils with the necessary funding. These deficits have fed into councils' overall education budgets - known as the dedicated schools grant (DSG). Continue reading...

All Nippon Airways flight was en route to Toyama airport when crack found in window of Boeing 737-800A domestic flight of Japan's All Nippon Airways returned to its departure airport on Saturday after a crack was found on the cockpit window of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft midair, a spokesperson for the airline said.Flight 1182 was en route to Toyama airport but headed back to the Sapporo-New Chitose airport after the crack was found on the outermost of four layers of windows surrounding the cockpit, the spokesperson said, adding there were no injuries reported among the 59 passengers and six crew. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereRussia's defence ministry has said it destroyed its targets in a series of strikes on facilities producing ammunition and drones in Ukraine.This morning the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a group strike ... against facilities of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex," the defence ministry said in a daily briefing, AFP reports. Continue reading...

Lai's Democratic Progressive party wins unprecedented third term in result likely to anger ChinaTaiwan has voted for Lai Ching-te to be its next president, ushering in a historic third term in power for the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive party (DPP), in a result that will anger Beijing and heighten tensions across the Taiwan strait.The victory of Lai, who since 2020 had served as vice-president to Tsai Ing-wen, marks the continuation of a government that promoted a sovereign Taiwan and a national identity separate to China, and oversaw some of the deepest cross-strait tensions in decades as Beijing pushed towards its goal of annexation. Continue reading...

Charities report record demand for services as pressure increases on the government to address the problem nationallyThere has been a dramatic rise in the number of homeless young people in the UK since Christmas, charities have warned.The New Horizon Youth Centre in London said a record number of young people had asked it for help in the first week of January, while the charity Akt, which supports homeless LGBTQ+ young people, said it had seen more referrals than it would expect in a month. Roundabout in Sheffield and YMCA Trinity, which operates in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, also reported increases. Continue reading...

Before publishing his vampire classic in 1897, the author was employed as a personal secretary at the Actors' Benevolent FundThe imagination of Bram Stoker gave life to one of literature's most enduring terrors, Count Dracula. But the Irish-born writer's mind was not only full of flapping cloaks, dripping fangs and creaking coffins. Stoker, it can now be confirmed, also had a strong vein, or shall we say streak, of bureaucratic efficiency running through his personality.Researchers working for the Actors' Benevolent Fund, the charity that supports actors and stage managers in need, have discovered that the minutes of its founding meeting, back in 1882, were taken by Stoker. It has now been confirmed that the handwriting matches documents held by the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, with images of the notes released this weekend. Continue reading...

Mompati Dodo Isaacs remanded into custody over death of Keotshepile Naso Isaacs on New Year's DayA 37-year-old man accused of murdering his wife on New Year's Day has appeared in court.Keotshepile Naso Isaacs, known as Naso, was found dead at a property in the Scottish seaside town of North Berwick on 1 January. Continue reading...

Books by bestselling author Grigori Chkhartishvili, who writes under pen name Boris Akunin, removed from shelves

Somaliland hoped to be recognised as a country after port deal with landlocked Ethiopia - but move has sparked fury in SomaliaSomalia is prepared to go to war to stop Ethiopia recognising the breakaway territory of Somaliland and building a port there, a senior adviser to Somalia's president has said.A memorandum of understanding signed on 1 January allowing landlocked Ethiopia to develop a naval base on Somaliland's coast has rattled the Horn of Africa, one of the world's most volatile regions. Continue reading...

Dan Neilde says Post Office unlawfully' claimed 934m relief for its payouts to victims of Horizon scandalThe Post Office could be facing a 100m bill and insolvency after claiming tax relief for its compensation payments to post office operators, according to a tax expert.Dan Neidle, the head of non-profit organisation Tax Policy Associates, said the Post Office claimed 934m tax relief for its compensation payments, and suggested it could be unlawful. Continue reading...

Beijing has criticised frontrunner Lai Ching-te as a separatist' as it seeks to intimidate self-ruling islandVote counting got under way on Saturday in Taiwan's presidential election, held under the shadow of threats from China that choosing a leader it disapproves of could set the stage for war on the self-ruled island.Beijing criticised frontrunner Lai Ching-te, the current vice-president, as a dangerous separatist" in the days leading up to the poll and, on the eve of the vote, its defence ministry vowed to crush" any Taiwanese independence attempts. Continue reading...

Ousting of Keith, Sian Phillips and others in 2022 led to watchdog admitting it made errors in handling of rowA long-running and acrimonious dispute at an actors' charity involving some of the best-known names of the British stage and screen is to return to the spotlight next week amid claims of boardroom coups and electoral gerrymandering.The quarrel at the 40m Actors' Benevolent Fund (ABF) has also triggered fierce criticism of the Charity Commission. In a rare admission of fault, the watchdog has accepted it made serious errors in its two-year handling of the controversy. Continue reading...

Younger employees could increase their retirement pot by more than 100,000 by saving monthly gainThe millions of workers who will get a bit more cash in their pay packet from this month have the perfect opportunity to increase their retirement savings before they get used to having the extra money, say experts.Younger employees could eventually increase their retirement pots by more than 100,000 by diverting their monthly gain from the national insurance (NI) cut into their pension. Continue reading...

Legal bodies, academics and human rights groups say treaty risks undermining rule of lawRishi Sunak's Rwanda treaty is unlikely to address concerns raised by the supreme court about the country not being a safe place to send asylum seekers, a House of Lords inquiry has been told.Ahead of next week's showdown on the Rwanda legislation, the Law Society, academics and human rights groups said the treaty risked undermining the rule of law and highlighted the untested nature of the proposed asylum system to be adopted by the east African country. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Review ordered by police commissioner Karen Webb after string of fatalities last year is more than two months overdueNew South Wales police have failed to hand a promised review of the way they respond to mental health crises to the government, as pressure again mounts on the force to enact reforms after the fatal shooting of a mentally unwell man.Alexander Stuart Pinnock died on Wednesday after being shot at by multiple officers outside a medical clinic in Nowra on the south coast following an almost two-hour standoff that began when the 34-year-old pulled out a gun, police said. Continue reading...

With a fraud investigation into Chiara Ferragni under way, she and fellow social media stars are under sharp scrutinyChiara Ferragni amassed a fortune through incessant selfie-taking as part of a marketing strategy that included imparting pearls of wisdom to her millions of online followers on how to be effortlessly cool".But now the influencer - one of Italy's most powerful - is struggling to maintain her own prestige after a scandal over a Christmas cake triggered a fraud investigation, leaving her empire teetering on the edge in what has become a cautionary tale for other social media stars. Continue reading...

Robin Garbutt hopes for fresh appeal against conviction that came after jury heard evidence using data from discredited IT systemA post office owner serving a life sentence for murdering his wife hopes to submit a fresh appeal against his conviction, claiming the discredited Horizon computer system was used to wrongly frame him for the killing.Robin Garbutt has maintained his innocence ever since his wife, Diana, was bludgeoned to death in their flat above the post office in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, in the early hours of 23 March 2010. Many of his former customers still visit him in prison regularly, refusing to believe he was capable of the brutal murder. Continue reading...

Department of Fire and Emergency Services issue emergency level warning for fast-moving blaze at WA town of Chittering

Bombing comes after Houthis threaten retaliation and anti-ship ballistic missile is fired at vessel in Red SeaThe US has carried out fresh strikes on Yemen, a day after a first raid triggered mass protests in the country's capital and other Middle Eastern countries voiced concern that the attacks could trigger further unrest in the region.The strike, carried out by the USS Carney early on Saturday, targeted a Houthi rebel radar site in Yemen and was a follow-on action" on a target associated with strikes taken on Jan 12 designed to degrade the Houthi's ability to attack maritime vessels", the US military said in a statement on Twitter. Continue reading...

The accused, 80, has been refused bail and will appear in Parramatta local court

Documents released by inquiry into Post Office scandal show ex-PM and adviser discussing concernsSir Tony Blair was warned the IT system at the centre of the Post Office scandal was flawed" before it was rolled out, a document shows.The warning appears in a memo written to the former prime minister by special adviser Geoff Mulgan in 1998, which has been released by the public inquiry into the scandal. Continue reading...

Authorities believe extreme heat and physical activity, rather than a single bad batch, exacerbated drug's impact at Hardmission

About 100 young athletes learn their contractual responsibilities and how wagering companies operate in session organised by the players association

Reporter Casey Newton takes more than 170,000 subscribers elsewhere over company's failure to police extremist contentPlatformer, a prominent tech newsletter founded by the veteran reporter Casey Newton, is leaving Substack over the company's failure to police extremist content.In a post explaining the decision, Newton said his team had identified seven Substack publications that conveyed explicit support for 1930s German Nazis and called for violence against Jews, among other groups". He said after weeks of back-and-forth discussions with company leaders about their laissez-faire approach to content moderation", he decided to part ways with the platform. Continue reading...

Wife of Desi Bouterse, sentenced last month to 20 years for 1982 killings of opponents, says he's not going to turn himself in'Surinamese authorities are searching for ex-president Desi Bouterse after he failed to turn himself in to start a prison sentence for involvement in the murder of 15 political opponents in 1982, the prosecutor general's office said on Friday.Bouterse was ordered this week to report to jail, but his wife, Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring, told journalists outside their home early on Friday: He's not going to turn himself in." Continue reading...

China mediates truce that would halt months of conflict that has displaced half a million people in country's northMyanmar's military and an alliance of armed ethnic minority groups have announced a China-mediated ceasefire after months of conflict that has posed the biggest threat to the junta since it seized power in 2021.Fighting has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced more than half a million people since October, when the alliance launched an offensive against the junta. Continue reading...

Saturday's march for Gaza ceasefire as part of global day of action will be followed by static rally for Israel on SundayHundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather in London over the weekend in protests over the war in Gaza as the conflict widens to Yemen.On Saturday, protesters are expected to gather at Bank Junction at midday as part of a global day of action involving 30 countries, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said. Continue reading...

Angela Rye, once a contributor, says she believes texts from former host were related to her contract not being renewedThe former CNN host Chris Cuomo is accused of sending explicit texts to then colleague Angela Rye about a picture she posted on social media, with Rye connecting the incident to later not having her contract renewed with the TV network.The former CNN political commentator shared her experience involving Cuomo during an episode of her new podcast Native Land Pod, describing it as one of the most embarrassing, humiliating experiences I had". Continue reading...

As cartels and crime syndicates flock to Ecuador for cocaine trade profits, its murder rate has soared, with a TV station assault the crescendo of a week of bloodshedPolitical upheaval and street protests, gun battles and floods. Jose Luis Calderon has seen it all during his 23 years as one of Guayaquil's top television journalists. Never had the Ecuadorean reporter been the story himself.That changed just after lunch last Tuesday when the 47-year-old reporter heard shouts and the sound of people running in the corridors of TC Television, the channel where he works. At first ... we thought it was a fight," he remembered. But as the yelling intensified, it became clear it was not. Continue reading...

Rev Franco Reverberi is accused of crimes against humanity during country's military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980sItaly's justice minister has refused Argentina's request to extradite a priest accused of crimes against humanity during the country's military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s.The Rev Franco Reverberi, 86, who served as military chaplain during Argentina's 1976-1983 military regime, faces charges related to the alleged murder in 1976 of the 20-year-old political activist Jose Guillermo Beron, and his alleged participation in torture. Continue reading...

Foreign policy displays in Yemen and Ukraine may win PM reflected glory - but capping inflationary pressures will be his foremost wishReturning from an overseas trip last year that had been broadly seen as a success, Rishi Sunak was heard privately observing that a truism of foreign policy is that even when you get things right, voters tend to not especially notice or care.Time will tell whether Sunak's decision to throw in the UK's lot with US-led attacks on Houthi forces will stem a spate of attacks on international shipping. But for now, the strike has won support from the bulk of British MPs, despite a few qualms about a lack of prior parliamentary consultation. Continue reading...

Thousands flock to see the Palace of Aigai, the largest surviving classical Greek building, after 16-year reconstruction completedFor 2,170 years it had lain in ruins: a palace that symbolised the golden age of antiquity, three times bigger than the Parthenon, unprecedented in architectural ambition, unparalleled in beauty.It was here in 336BC that the king of ancient Macedonia, Philip II, was murdered; and here in the great peristyle - or columned courtyard - around which its banqueting halls coalesced that his 20-year-old son, Alexander the Great, would be proclaimed king, a moment that would change the course of history. Continue reading...

Party may allow non-domiciles to live in Britain for four years before ending tax break, it is understoodLabour plans to scrap non-dom tax breaks would raise about a billion pounds less than the 3.2bn previously claimed, under an option being considered to allow a four-year grace period for those with the status.Research suggesting that scrapping the breaks could raise 3.2bn a year was cited by Labour when it announced the plans in 2022 to scrap rules allowing some wealthy people to avoid tax on foreign earnings if they have lived in the UK for less than 14 years. Continue reading...

For those living out in open, lack of clothes, blankets and firewood is exacerbated by harsh winds and rain

Air Astana, which is 49% owned by the British defence firm, announces plans to float on London stock marketKazakhstan's national airline has announced plans to float on the London stock market, bringing a potential windfall to BAE Systems, which has been an investor for more than two decades.Air Astana, which is 49% owned by the British defence company, hopes to list in London and Kazakhstan and raise $120m (94m). The airline, which is majority owned by the Kazakh sovereign wealth fund, did not say how much of the company would be floated and is yet to confirm an expected valuation range. Continue reading...

Thousands were without power as cold snap spreads across country, promising bone-chilling caucuses in IowaThe National Weather Service posted on social media on Friday that a very active weather pattern" across the nation had prompted some kind of weather warning or advisory in every US state.Airlines in the US canceled more than 1,600 flights on Friday after a massive winter storm knocked out power and affected businesses in 12 states ahead of a likely brutal freeze over the weekend. Continue reading...

Lawyer acting for Post Office agrees that important disclosure questionnaire replicated inaccuracies. This live blog is closed

Don't Look Left is culture minister Atef Abu Saif's shockingly graphic' day-by-day account of life in Gaza since the 7 October attacksA day-by-day account of life in Gaza since the 7 October attacks, written by Palestinian Authority minister of culture Atef Abu Saif, will be published next month.Comma Press will release the book, titled Don't Look Left: A Diary of Genocide, in English on or around 8 February. An early version, covering the first 60 days since 7 October, was released as an ebook on Boxing Day, while Abu Saif was living in a tent in Rafah. The physical version will cover 85 days of the Israel-Gaza war. Continue reading...

Initial proposals for historic site include plans for educational centre, museum and exhibition spaceIt has hosted medieval kings, housed the imprisoned Oscar Wilde, and been decorated by Banksy. But for a decade, the site of the former Reading gaol, built on the footprint of the town's medieval monastery, has been shuttered and empty, to the frustration of local politicians and campaigners.Now, a decade after it was mothballed by the Ministry of Justice, the former HMP Reading has finally been sold to a non-profit educational foundation for 7m, the government has confirmed. Continue reading...

Israeli legal team calls South African accusation of genocidal acts in Gaza a partial and deeply flawed picture'Israel has accused South Africa of presenting a profoundly distorted" view barely distinguishable" from Hamas as it presented its defence at the international criminal court of justice in The Hague against accusations of genocide.A day after South Africa argued that it had committed genocidal acts in Gaza with intent from the highest levels of state", Israel said on Friday that was a partial and deeply flawed picture". Continue reading...

Inquest continues into death of 13-year-old black boy allegedly pushed into Welsh river in summer 2019A teenager has repeatedly denied that he deliberately pushed 13-year-old Christopher Kapessa to his death in a Welsh river, telling an inquest he accidentally fell into" the boy as he stood on a ledge high above the deep, murky water.The 19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Christopher's inquest he could not remember asking a friend: Shall I push him?" and nor could he recall laughing after the boy, who was a weak swimmer, plunged into the river. Continue reading...

Plaintiffs accuse the university of tolerating harassment, assault and intimidation of Jewish studentsSeveral Jewish students have filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing it of becoming a bastion of rampant anti-Jewish hatred and harassment".The lawsuit filed earlier this week mirrors others submitted since the 7 October Hamas attack on southern Israel, including legal action against the Art Institute of Chicago, New York University and the University of Pennsylvania. Continue reading...

Women who were forced to give birth in UK by visa delays say ministers promised they would not be penalisedDozens of women who were stranded in the UK and gave birth there during the Covid pandemic have been saddled with expensive maternity care bills, after Home Office delays in processing their visas.Visitors to the UK, some on temporary visas such as fiancee visas, found themselves unable to leave the country after the pandemic took hold in March 2020. Continue reading...

Sian Hedges and Jack Benham subjected Alfie Phillips to cruel and brutal' attack in 2020, court hearsA woman and her former partner have been jailed for life for the murder of her toddler son who suffered broken ribs and limbs in a cruel and brutal" attack.Alfie Phillips was 18 months old when he was killed by his mother Sian Hedges, 27, and her former partner Jack Benham, 35, after the pair had been drinking whisky and taking cocaine, Maidstone crown court was told. Continue reading...

PC Perry Lathwood charged with assault by beating after woman injured during wrongful arrestA Metropolitan police officer has been charged with assault after an investigation into the arrest of a woman on suspicion of evading a bus fare in south London.PC Perry Lathwood, 49, who is attached to the Met's road traffic policing command, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on 14 February charged with assault by beating in relation to bruising injuries caused to the woman's arm during the incident on 21 July in Whitehorse Road, Croydon. Continue reading...

Renowned classical music conductor was arrested at Victoria station in London on WednesdayA world-renowned classical music conductor has been charged with child sexual abuse.Jan Latham-Koenig was arrested at Victoria station in London on Wednesday after an investigation by detectives from the Metropolitan police's specialist crime command, the force said. Continue reading...