World news | The Guardian

Country’s ‘slick branding machine’ can’t hide ‘entrenched inequality’, says Ricardo Menéndez MarchNew Zealand’s first Latin American MP has had a controversial start: he’s been labelled “disrespectful” for his attitude to senior citizens, called out the government for hypocrisy over the country’s “100% Pure” marketing campaign, and upset monarchists with a chihuahua meme about having to swear allegiance to the Queen.Ricardo Menéndez March, who describes himself as a “proud socialist, transgressive queer”, is one of three new Green party MPs in parliament after a huge swing to the left in October’s general election. Continue reading...

Ofcom imposes £20,000 penalty on Republic TV for ‘highly pejorative’ comments on talk showA rightwing Indian news channel known for its strong pro-government stance and firebrand host has been fined by the UK regulator Ofcom for broadcasting hate speech about Pakistan.Republic TV was fined £20,000 for airing a segment on its UK service, which conveyed the view that all Pakistani people are terrorists, including “their scientists, doctors, their leaders, politicians […] Even their sports people”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: experts sign letter warning against slashing spending on public-private programmesExperts fear a push to cut the UK’s aid budget will slash spending on global health research, handicapping international public-private programmes that have helped combat the world’s deadliest diseases over the last decade.In a letter addressed to the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, last week, prominent parliamentarians sought reassurance that the planned cuts would not lead to “dramatic reductions” in investment for devastating diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, Aids and a clutch of neglected tropical diseases. Continue reading...

Tony Blair and others make argument for giving more people a single jab rather than two

Metropolitan police arrest two males in connection with incident which took place in Newham

The past 12 months has been a year of non-stop headlines – coronavirus aside. The Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, joins Anushka Asthana to reflect on the stories of 2020. There was the killing of George Floyd and the global anti-racism movement Black Lives Matter, and then the US election in which Americans voted president Donald Trump out of office. And the biggest story of all: the continuing climate crisis which, despite a pandemic-induced reduction in travel, resulted in only a 7% drop in global emissions

Joe Biden to be lobbied to reverse Trump decision to pardon security guards jailed over massacreIraqis have reacted with outrage to Donald Trump’s move to pardon four security guards from the security firm Blackwater who had been jailed for a 2007 massacre that sparked an outcry over the use of mercenaries in war.The four men were part of a security convoy that fired on civilians at a central Baghdad roundabout, killing 14 people including a nine-year old child and wounding many more. Continue reading...

Lipa facility had been criticised by rights groups for failing to provide basic servicesA fast-moving fire has destroyed a migrant camp in Bosnia strongly criticised by rights groups as inadequate due to its lack of resources.The blaze broke out at the Lipa camp, close to the border with Croatia, on the same day the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had declared the effective closure of the facility, saying Bosnian authorities had ignored its appeals to supply basic services. Continue reading...

The week before Christmas quickly turned chaotic as the health secretary, Matt Hancock, announced a new, more contagious strain of coronavirus had been found in south-east England. The news resulted in a last-minute government U-turn over Christmas mixing rules, the implementation of a new, stricter coronavirus tier, and dozens of countries suspending travel from the UK days before the end of the Brexit transition period, prompting 'Plague Island' to trend on Twitter. Here is a look back at the week of chaos

People in tier 4 areas must stay at home over Christmas and not meet up with other householdsLarge areas of England are to join London, the south-east and east of England in tier 4, amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and alarm about a new strain of coronavirus spreading rapidly. The new areas include Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, the parts of Essex that were not already in tier 4, Waverley in Surrey, and Hampshire excluding the New Forest. It means another 6 million people will be in the tier, bringing the total to 24 million, or 43% of the population. Continue reading...

A huge fire has destroyed the main tents in what was designed to be a temporary migrant camp to stop the spread of Covid-19 in northern Bosnia.Thick black smoke rose from the Lipa camp near the Croatian border on Wednesday, where about 1,200 people had been staying since the summer Continue reading...

Muted response to Scotland’s first minister being photographed at wake without a mask

Exclusive: Most recent donation in 2017 was year plastic-filled panels contributed to rapid spread of fireA major shareholder in Arconic, the company that made Grenfell Tower’s combustible cladding, donated nearly £25,000 to Boris Johnson and the Conservative party, it has emerged. The most recent donation was recorded in 2017, the year in which Arconic’s plastic-filled panels were the main cause of the rapid spread of fire that killed 72 people.The bereaved and survivors on Tuesday night called on the prime minister to return the money to Elliott Advisors UK, the British arm of a US private equity company that has a 10% holding in the $14bn (£10.4bn) annual turnover business. Continue reading...

Ex-Cumhuriyet newspaper editor given verdict in absentia on charges described as politically motivatedA prominent Turkish journalist has been sentenced in absentia to more than 27 years in jail on terrorism-related charges that his legal team have described as politically motivated.Can Dündar, who edited Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper before fleeing to Germany in 2016, was previously found guilty by an Istanbul court of espionage and aiding an armed terrorist organisation. Continue reading...

Citizens are finally getting the urban patios and parks promised when the cramped medieval city was extended in the 1900sAt the turn of the 20th century, the Catalan engineer Ildefons Cerdà had a revolutionary idea for extending Barcelona beyond the cramped confines of its medieval walls. In the grid system of the extension he planned, each city block would be built around a large open space or patio, designed to be a park for residents.When he began his work, the old city was hemmed in physically and psychologically, desperately overcrowded and disease-ridden, with frequent outbreaks of cholera and a lower life expectancy than London or Paris. Continue reading...

Research suggests elegy on arrest of Protestant reformer was the work not of the German artist but of a monkIt has been described as “one of the greatest spontaneous prayers in world literature”, but Albrecht Dürer’s elegy on the arrest of Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, may not have been written by the German painter, printmaker and writer after all, research suggests.Considered one of Dürer’s best-known writings, the Lament on Luther could instead have been the work of a contemporary monk that was slipped into the artist’s diary, possibly for political reasons, according to what the National Gallery describes as “very convincing evidence”. Continue reading...

Data suggests people’s attitude to dating has changed during the pandemic with people looking for more meaningful connections

The writer and star of the dysfunctional-family sitcom on his top shows of 2020 and the touching legacy of his hit seriesWas there a show that everyone else loved this year that you just couldn’t get on with?

As the crisis worsens, Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government has hardly changed its minimal restrictionsWhen Rufino Pacheco arrived at the hospital, his breath jagged and his legs buckling, a doctor thrust papers at his stepdaughter, asking for her approval to put him on a ventilator. But the elderly patient balked.Less than 12 hours later, Pacheco died, hooked up to an oxygen tank in his bedroom, as his wife cried out, “Don’t leave me, old man.” Days later, she too fell sick with Covid-19, along with her adult son. Continue reading...

Alek Minassian, who has admitted killing 10 and injuring 16 others, claims he is not criminally responsible because of his mental stateLawyers for Alek Minassian do not deny that he drove a rental van down a crowded sidewalk on Toronto’s busiest street on a spring afternoon two years ago, unleashing a frenzy of terror and pain in Canada’s largest city.Related: 'This lady died in front of me': Toronto shocked into silence after van fatalities Continue reading...

Against the odds, small-scale farmers are learning new ways to survive in an age of industrial-scale competitionVideos: Dom Bush‘I can tell you a story about every cow’ Continue reading...

John Crichton-Stuart charged with six others for travelling from London to Scottish island home

Man opened fire on gendarmes attending domestic violence incident in village south of Clermont-FerrandA man suspected of killing three gendarmes who were responding to a domestic violence incident in the Puy-de-Dôme region of central France has been found dead, the French interior minister has said.“Tonight, the gendarmerie has lost three of its own,” Gérald Darmanin tweeted. “The nation bows before their courage and devotion.” He added that the body of the presumed killer had been found and that he was on his way to the scene. Continue reading...

Media tycoon who faces charges of fraud and foreign collusion released under house arrestThe media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has been granted bail by Hong Kong’s high court, after 20 days in jail on charges of fraud and foreign collusion.Lai was released into house arrest on a HK$10m (£960,000) bond on Wednesday afternoon. He was ordered to surrender all travel documents and banned from speaking to the press, making public statements, using social media, meeting foreign officials and “colluding with foreign forces”, local media reported. Continue reading...

Sydney to keep 10-visitor rule but from 24-26 December children under 12 not counted; lockdown continues in half of northern beaches, but small Christmas gatherings allowed. This blog is now closed

Group’s head sends letter to all-male leadership after former member shares allegations she was abusedThe head of the secretive Christian faith group People of Praise, which reportedly counts the supreme court justice Amy Coney Barrett as a member, has called on its leaders to report any allegations of previous sexual abuse to a lawyer the group has hired to investigate such claims.The letter from Craig Lent to the leaders of the group, who are known as coordinators, was sent shortly after one of the group’s former members, Sarah Kuehl, shared her own story of alleged childhood abuse at the hands of a member who lived with the family. Continue reading...

Shocking dossier of systematic violations of asylum seekers along the notorious ‘Balkan route’ compiled by watchdog groupsA 1,500-page “black book” documenting hundreds of illegal pushbacks against asylum seekers by authorities on Europe’s external borders was released last week and handed over to the EU commission.Compiled by the watchdog organisation Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN), the Black Book of Pushbacks is a collection of 892 group testimonies, detailing the experiences of 12,654 victims of human rights violations along the Balkan migration route, one of the most gruelling in the recent migrant crisis given the alleged violence of border police officers. Continue reading...

With fewer people travelling abroad this year, open water swimming has gained popularity in Essex, particularly among women. Photographs by Stefan Rousseau. Written by Sam RussellAn Essex town is experiencing an explosion in popularity of cold water swimming. One Facebook page for people wanting to swim in Leigh-on-Sea, which launched in mid-October, reached almost 650 members within two months as numbers rocketed through lockdown 2. Swimmers say working from home has given people more time to enjoy simple pleasures and the sea allows a moment to step away from normal life in uncertain times. Continue reading...

John Sweeney ‘cracked up’ after leaving the BBC when an investigation went bad. He talks about his long obsession with the Maxwells – and the show that relaunched his career“You can feel sorry for someone,” says John Sweeney, “and still want them to face justice.” He’s talking about Hunting Ghislaine, the compelling podcast in which the investigative reporter unpicks the story of Ghislaine Maxwell, the 58-year-old British socialite who is currently in jail, awaiting trial for procuring and trafficking underage girls for the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and others. Ghislaine, who denies the charges, faces 35 years in jail if convicted.Does he think she’s evil? By way of reply, Sweeney tells me that in January he testified against Darko Tasic, the Serbian fighter later jailed for his role in the 1999 massacre of 113 Albanian men and boys in Kosova. “That,” he says, “was evil.” Continue reading...

The man allegedly jumped a fence into a nearby backyard and threatened the officers which resulted in a scuffleA 20-year-old man has been shot dead by NSW police after allegedly grabbing an officer’s gun during a confrontation in Sydney’s west.Four police officers approached the man in St Marys about 10.30am on Wednesday while they were patrolling the area. Continue reading...

About 4,000 lorries, and thousands more small vans, were waiting to cross the Channel on Wednesday morning

Fashion designer’s scheme provides secondhand shoes, clothes and jewellery free to women who can’t pay for their big dayA section of a boutique in Pappinisseri town in Kerala’s Kannur district brims over with colourful bridal lehengas, saris, gowns and shiny salwar suits.An exuberance of fabrics adorns mannequins that stand next to tables spread with sparkly sandals, shoes, bangles and beaded bags. Tableware, bedlinen and miscellaneous items are scattered in other spaces. Continue reading...

Guests grounded by Covid can ‘wake up to the refreshing view of the majestic HSBC Rain Vortex’ or peg a bargain in the shops

Inspired by Xi Jinping’s ‘operation empty plate’, new law means restaurants will be able to charge patrons for leaving leftoversXi Jinping’s war on waste is set to be enshrined in law, with the submission of draft legislation to China’s highest legal committee recommending large fines for businesses that enable or promote wasting food.In August the Chinese leader said the amount of food wasted nationally was shocking and distressing, declaring in a speech that: “waste is shameful and thriftiness is honourable”. Continue reading...

Wealthier countries will be dealing with coronavirus in 2022 and beyond, says UN humanitarian agency chief

Joint Russia and China patrol over the Pacific signals stronger military ties between Moscow and BeijingJapan and South Korea have scrambled fighter jets to track Russian and Chinese bombers which flown a joint patrol mission over the western Pacific in a show of increasingly close military ties between Moscow and Beijing.The Russian military said a pair of its Tu-95 strategic bombers and four Chinese H-6K bombers flew over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Scotland’s first minister was photographed breaking rules by taking her face mask off at a wake

PM, health minister and Lombardy president named in action by 500 bereaved families

Investors and Labor criticise report amid warning that undermining class actions could damage Australia’s ability to attract investmentInvestor groups and class action lawyers have denounced a Liberal-dominated parliamentary inquiry’s recommendation to permanently water down laws requiring listed companies to keep the market fully informed.The Keep Corporations Honest group, an alliance of class action lawyers and litigation funders, said the inquiry’s recommendations were “an early Christmas present for corporate criminals”. One of Australia’s leading proxy advisers, Dean Paatsch of Ownership Matters, warned that undermining private lawsuits could damage the country’s ability to attract investment. Continue reading...

Sydney accountant Vanda Gould, only last week sentenced to three years in prison, is suing tax commissioner Chris JordanAmong Australia’s monied elites, it is one of the most eagerly awaited defamation cases for years, a showdown that involves a range of allegations, from offshore cash being used to buy multi-million-dollar houses to possible insider trading, money laundering and rorting of the legal system.These are just some of the many extraordinary allegations that Australia’s tax commissioner, Chris Jordan, has made in defending himself against a suit brought by one of his most stalwart opponents, Sydney accountant Vanda Gould. Continue reading...

EU nationals and those with ‘legitimate’ reasons can also enter with all-clear result from past 72 hours

Bolsonaro ally Marcelo Crivella accused of leading ‘well-structured and complex criminal organisation’Rio de Janeiro’s outgoing mayor Marcelo Crivella, an ally of Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been arrested and charged with corruption.Four carloads of police and prosecutors arrived at the mayor’s house in the affluent Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood before 6am. Continue reading...

Pope Francis likens 1990 killing of ‘boy judge’ Rosario Livatino to a hate crime against Catholic faithAn Italian judge who was killed by gunmen in the Sicilian mafia in 1990 will be beatified as a martyr, the Vatican has announced.In a decree of martyrdom published on Tuesday, Pope Francis wrote that Rosario Livatino had been murdered for his faith, and likened his killing to a hate crime against the Catholic faith. Continue reading...

Detention of Selahattin Demirtaş contrary to ‘very core of the concept of a democratic society’The European court of human rights has ordered the immediate release of the prominent Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş from prison in Turkey, finding that his detention goes against “the very core of the concept of a democratic society”.The grand chamber ruling issued on Tuesday said that Demirtaş, a charismatic figure who could face a sentence of 142 years if convicted in the main trial against him, had had his freedom of expression, liberty and other rights violated. Continue reading...

John and Linda Burke-Monerville were in court for the sentencing of son David’s killers; no one has been convicted over the deaths of two other sonsA couple who have lost three sons to separate killings said they had got justice for the first time after three men were sentenced for a total of 58 years for their roles in the fatal stabbing of David Bello-Monerville.John and Linda Burke-Monerville were in court on Tuesday for the sentencing of the three men involved in the murder of their son David, who was killed in north London in June 2019. Nathan Harewood, 29, was sentenced to 31 years for his murder. Khalil Rehman, 27, and Francis Appiageyi, 28, were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 13-and-a-half years each. All three were found guilty of aggravated burglary and unlawful wounding of David’s brother Taiye, 35. Continue reading...

About 1,500 lorries are stuck in Kent after France imposed a ban on any accompanied freight or cargo entering the country from Britain because of the new coronavirus variant discovered in the UK. The move triggered government crisis plans at Dover and other major pinch points, with some drivers redirected to a nearby airfield to ease congestion on the roads

Pakistani workers describe trying to survive on the less than £50 a month many of them earn making items for firms such as Boohoo

Jonty Bravery, 19, who threw boy off balcony at gallery, receives 14 weeks for attacks at BroadmoorA teenager who threw a six-year-old boy from the viewing platform of the Tate Modern has been jailed for another 14 weeks after admitting attacking Broadmoor hospital staff.Jonty Bravery, 19, punched a nursing assistant, Sarah Edwards, in the head and face before pulling her hair, after she said she was going to clean his room. He then bit Maxwell King, a rehabilitation therapist assistant, on his finger after he came to his colleague’s aid. Continue reading...

Husband says foul play cannot be ruled out after body of 37-year-old dissident discovered in TorontoA dissident Pakistani human rights activist living in exile in Canada has been found dead in Toronto after going missing.Karima Baloch, 37, was granted asylum in Canada in 2016 after her work as a human rights activist in the troubled Pakistan state of Balochistan had led to her being followed and threatened by the authorities. Continue reading...