World news | The Guardian

Police say men over 35 were targeted by alleged scammers in the Philippines, where more than 250 people have been arrested

Worrying evaporation' in skills among professionals meant to protect victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse, report saysSafeguarding agencies are failing to listen to children who have been sexually abused by family members with devastating consequences, amid a worrying evaporation" of skills among the professionals meant to protect them, a report has found.A review of the experiences of 193 children in England who were victims of sexual abuse by a family member found seven went on to commit suicide, while 14 more - including a seven-year-old - either attempted suicide or talked about killing themselves. Continue reading...

The Royal Ballet and Opera have created a new role, allowing Jones to drive development and new commissionsThe Royal Ballet and Opera today announces that Netia Jones has been appointed to the newly created position of associate director of The Royal Opera.Over the past two decades the British-born Jones has carved a career spanning opera, theatre, concerts and immersive installation projects as a director, designer and video artist. Recently she directed the Royal Opera's first ever virtual reality opera Current, Rising, and her staging - as director and designer - of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream for Garsington Opera this summer was hailed as stylish and very funny". Continue reading...

Ministers to announce sweeping changes to welfare and out-of-work support, aiming to get people off benefitsTeenagers will get skills training at the Premier League, Royal Shakespeare Company and Channel 4 as part of a government drive to get hundreds of thousands into jobs or education and make sure no young person is left behind".Some of Britain's biggest cultural and sporting institutions will provide work or training opportunities as part of a 45m trailblazer" scheme across eight English regions, including Liverpool, Tees Valley and the East Midlands. Continue reading...

Figures show rise in numbers unable to access legal aid lawyer, with knock-on implications for clearing backlogKeir Starmer's pledge to clear the asylum backlog is under threat because of a shortage of legal aid solicitors, experts have said.More than 54,000 people seeking asylum or appealing against a refusal in a tribunal in England and Wales this year - 57% of the total - were unable to access a legal aid lawyer, figures show. Continue reading...

President's holiday event for the birds as Trump plans to hammer America's democratic institutions come JanuaryThis is the way Biden world ends. Not with a bang but a gobble.Joe Biden, 82, once the defender of democracy and saviour of America's soul, is heading for the door, about to trade the nuclear codes for golf clubs and beach loungers. Power is as fickle as fame. Continue reading...

All Surinamese adults to receive payment from recently discovered oil and gas reserves - no one will be left behind'Suriname's president has announced a program of royalties for everyone" as the South American nation plans for a boon from recently discovered oil and gas reserves.Suriname and its neighbor Guyana, both former Dutch colonies, expect to make billions in the years to come from rich offshore crude deposits. Earlier this month, Guyana announced all adult citizens living at home and abroad would received a payout of around 370 as part of an effort to redistribute its oil wealth. Continue reading...

Office of Health Economics says it also found one in four receiving palliative care in England have unmet pain needs'An estimated 20 terminally ill people in the UK die in unrelieved pain each day, according to a study by the independent Office of Health Economics (OHE).According to its research, to be presented to MPs on Tuesday, one in four people receiving palliative care in England have unmet pain needs". The OHE said it used the most conservative of estimates [suggesting] the true number is likely to be much larger". Continue reading...

Rupert Soames urged government to water down workers' rights plans after a budget tough on business'The chair of the Confederation of British Industry, Rupert Soames, accused the government of treating employers as a cash cow" on Monday as he urged ministers to water down plans for workers' rights.It's been tough on business. In the budget, business has been the cash cow and it's been milked. Don't go and whack it," Soames warned at the CBI's annual conference in Westminster. Continue reading...

Tafakory's blend of reality and fiction is a compelling exploration of displacement, memory and resistance' according to the judging panelIranian artist Maryam Tafakory has won this year's Film London Jarman award, which recognises British excellence in the field of moving image.Tafakory took the 10,000 prize for her work, which combines found footage with the cinematic traditions of post-revolutionary Iran. Her 2020 film Irani Bag used a split-screen technique to show how handbags were often deployed in films as stand-ins for human touch. The censorship of intimacy is a theme through Tafakory's work - from the abstract, non-linear narrative film Nazarbazi (2022) to the following year's Mast-del, which explored a forbidden relationship between two women. Continue reading...

Sea Story was on diving trip with 31 tourists and 14 crew when it sent distress signalTwo Britons are reported to be among 16 people missing after a tourist boat on a diving trip capsized in the Red Sea.The Sea Story was carrying 30 tourists from several countries and 14 crew when it sent a distress signal at 5.30am local time (0330 GMT), according to Egypt's Red Sea governorate. Continue reading...

Hundreds of properties flooded and Welsh town hit by landslip as major incident declared in NorthamptonshireForecasters, environment officials and politicians have been strongly criticised over the warnings issued before Storm Bert and the fitness of flood defences to cope with increasingly common extreme weather.A huge clear-up is under way across swathes of Wales and England, with hundreds of properties flooded and a former Welsh mining town hit by a landslip from a coal tip, leaving buildings deep in sludge and mud. Continue reading...

Inquiry hears Alison Kelly was told in 2016 about Letby link to rise in baby deaths at the Countess of Chester hospitalA hospital executive has denied being too slow" to act over concerns that Lucy Letby could be harming babies but admitted she failed to treat it as a safeguarding issue.Alison Kelly, the executive lead for safeguarding children at the Countess of Chester hospital, was told by senior doctors in May 2016 that Letby was linked to an increase in baby deaths on the neonatal unit. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary offers support for James Scott Rhys Anderson, who was fighting for Ukraine reportedly in KurskThe UK government has promised to do all it can to assist a former British soldier fighting for Ukraine who has been taken prisoner by the Russian army.Two videos of a man who identified himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson surfaced on Russian Telegram channels over the weekend. They featured interrogation of a bearded man in military fatigues, who had his hands tied and spoke slowly in English to give details from his biography, including that he served as a signalman in the British army between 2019 and 2023. Anderson is 22, according to the date of birth he gave in the video. Continue reading...

Annalena Baerbock raises possibility of hybrid incident' after cargo plane crash in Vilnius kills one and injures threeThe fatal crash of a DHL cargo plane as approached Vilnius airport could have been the result of sabotage or an accident, Germany's foreign minister has said.A Spanish crew member was killed and three others injured when the German plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital on Monday. Continue reading...

Steve Reed has criticised previous administration and promised 2.4bn to improve facilities

Leonardo Leo, rightwing billionaire who helped install conservative justices, outlines second term ambitionsLeonard Leo, who financed and directed the rightwing takeover of the US supreme court, admitted he wants to crush liberal dominance" across American society.I want to crush liberal dominance," the dark money impresario told NPR, in an interview published three weeks after Donald Trump's stunning election win. Continue reading...

The UK-based Hungarian Roma documentary photographer Bela Varadi spent months photographing the life of blood plasma donors after he realised several old friends saw payment for plasma donation as a way of getting byIn the rust belt of north-eastern Hungary, a new economy is thriving - one built on human blood. Private companies have found a way to profit from the desperation of the region's most marginalised population, the Gypsies. For many, the act of donating blood plasma has become a lifeline, a grim means of survival in a landscape of chronic unemployment and deprivation.Miskolc, Hungary. One man prepares for plasma donation, while the other shows his bandaged arm Continue reading...

Officers say girl was in vehicle in Ladbroke Grove with parents and younger sibling when gunman opened fireAn eight-year-old girl injured in a double shooting in west London was in a car with her parents and two-year-old sibling when a gunman opened fire, police have revealed.Her 34-year-old father was left with potentially life-changing injuries and the girl was having surgery on Monday but was in a stable condition, the Metropolitan police said. The pair were hurt in Southern Row, Ladbroke Grove, west London, just after 5.30pm on Sunday. Continue reading...

Amount of physical attacks, threats or sexual violence described as invisible epidemic' as reporting remains lowEvery third woman across the EU has experienced physical violence, including threats, or sexual violence, a survey has revealed, in what one official described as an invisible epidemic".The findings released on Monday are based on responses from women aged 18 to 74 from across the EU's 27 member states. Continue reading...

Vehicle drove water into businesses in Tenbury Wells, which local people say smashed windows and opened doorsPolice are investigating after a tractor drove through a flooded high street in Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire, triggering a wave of water that hit local businesses, smashing windows and knocking doors open.West Mercia police said they were aware of videos on social media showing the tractor driving through the flood water and that they were investigating. Continue reading...

CVC and France's Groupe TF1 among potential suitors amid interest in Studios production arm, says report

Campaigners say psychometric tests are discriminatory amid protests over case of Keira Alexandra KronvoldDenmark is under pressure to stop subjecting Greenlandic people to parenting competency" tests that campaigners say discriminate against them, amid uproar over the case of a mother whose baby was removed two hours after she gave birth.The psychometric tests are widely used in Denmark as part of child protection investigations into new parents, and have long been criticised by human rights bodies as culturally unsuitable for Greenlandic people and other minorities. Continue reading...

Ranem Abu Izneid, injured by shrapnel in Israeli-occupied Abu Dis, says there is no hope for me to regain my vision'

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Police are investigating after the child died in Innisfail on Monday

Prime minister pays tribute to Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles while families vow to turn tragedy into mission for change'

Project involves showing work in Gaza but also sending works across Israeli siege lines for exhibiting worldwidePalestinian artists in Gaza plan to stage a biennale" exhibition as an act of defiance against Israel's military onslaught and to focus attention on the plight of the territory's 2.3 million people under more than 13 months of bombardment.About 50 artists from Gaza will exhibit their work within the besieged coastal strip, and are looking for art galleries to host exhibitions overseas. But in order to hold their work to the eyes of the rest of the world, the artists are facing a unique challenge: how to get their art across Israeli siege lines. Continue reading...

Peri Pamir given suspended sentence after posting article about UK woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in SyriaA Turkish woman who shared a Guardian article on social media about a British woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria has described how she was twice convicted of sharing terrorist propaganda" in an Istanbul court.I am basically just an ordinary citizen, there is no reason why I should attract any special attention. This is the disturbing part," said Peri Pamir, a 71-year-old retired researcher. Continue reading...

Minor party says it is waving bills through after accepting government doesn't care enough about renters to do anything meaningful for them'

Eyal Yaffe, 57, allegedly transported 19-year-old's remains in a fridge and helped conceal her death from police

Visitors will be able to explore Palazzo Guiccioli in Ravenna, where Byron romanced its aristocrat owner's wifeA museum dedicated to the flamboyant British poet and satirist Lord Byron is due to open in the northern Italian city of Ravenna, housed in the same building where he pursued an intense affair with the wife of an aristocrat and completed some of his most famous works.Byron unabashedly moved in 1819 into Palazzo Guiccioli, owned by the husband of Countess Teresa Guiccioli, whom he met at a party in Venice. Continue reading...

Coca-Cola extracts largest amount of freshwater of any drinks company in England, FoI request finds

Quarter of teens who see violence online are being served clips via algorithms, survey in England and Wales findsHundreds of thousands of teenagers are afraid to go out because of the violence they see on their social media feeds, a major study of children in England and Wales has found.One in four teenagers who see real-life violence, including fist fights, stabbings and gang clashes, online are being served the clips automatically by algorithmic recommendation features, according to the study done by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and shared with the Guardian. Only a small minority actively searched for the violent content. Continue reading...

Jo Tarnawsky's legal action names commonwealth, deputy prime minister and PM's chief of staff but doesn't allege either bullied her

Former history teacher says the horizon is brightening' as all political rivals pledged to work together to move the country forwardCentre-left opposition candidate Yamandu Orsi secured victory in Uruguay's presidential election, official results showed on Sunday, with 97% of votes tallied, ousting the conservative governing coalition and making the South American nation the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in a year of landmark elections.Yamandu Orsi, the pre-election favourite by a few points, secured 49.77% of the vote to conservative Alvaro Delgado's 45.94%, official results showed. Continue reading...

Mass stabbings and car rammings have prompted soul-searching about the state of societyBeijing is ramping up scrutiny of common" disputes such as those involving marriages and property, the justice ministry said, as the public reels from a recent string of deadly attacks.China has witnessed a spate of violent incidents in recent months - from mass stabbings to car rammings - a rare development for a country with a proud reputation for public security. Continue reading...

Some patients across UK turning to A&Es five or more times a year due to unresolved medical issues, charity saysOne in seven A&E patients are repeat visitors with unmet medical needs who feel they have nowhere else to go, according to research that found most are over 70 with multiple conditions or under 50 with mental ill health.Less than 2% of the population account for almost 14% of all A&E attendances, the British Red Cross study suggests. Across the UK, patients are turning to emergency departments five or more times a year due to unresolved medical issues", the charity said. Continue reading...

Wealthy nations agree to take the lead in helping developing countries shift to a low-carbon economy

Major incident declared in Wales and England and Scotland hit by power cuts due to rain, floods and windSeveral people have been killed as Storm Bert battered the UK and a major incident has been declared in south Wales.At least five deaths have been reported in England and Wales since the storm hit. Strong winds have been accompanied by flooding caused by heavy rain and thawing snow. Continue reading...

The University of South Australia is reintroducing the oral tradition of viva voce to test students' knowledge more effectively

Man in video identifies himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, and says he joined the International LegionA British national has reportedly been captured by Russia's forces in the Kursk region while fighting for Ukraine.In a video posted on pro-war Russian Telegram channels on Sunday, a man wearing combat fatigues identifies himself as 22-year-old James Scott Rhys Anderson from the UK. Continue reading...

Ministers also ban government advertising from critical newspaper that is widely respected internationallyIsrael's government is set to punish the country's leading left-leaning newspaper, Haaretz, by ordering a boycott of the publication by government officials or anyone working for a government-funded body and halting all government advertising in its pages or website.In a statement on Sunday, the office of Shlomo Karhi, the communications minister, said that his proposal against Haaretz had been unanimously approved by other ministers. Continue reading...

Comments part of debate over whether Beijing backs Kim Jong-un's decision to send troops to fight in UkraineChina is increasingly uncomfortable about North Korea's engagement with Russia and finds the growing cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow unnerving, Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state has said.He was leaning into a growing debate among the US's security partners in Asia on whether China supports the decision of North Korea's Kim Jong-un to send 10,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. It is said the North Korean troops are now inside Russia. Continue reading...

Senior Israeli minister says the war is far from over and Israel will stay for years' in the territoryThe Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of new areas of northern Gaza, setting off a fresh wave of civilian displacements on Sunday as intense airstrikes continued across much of the territory.In Jerusalem, a senior minister said the war in Gaza was far from over and that Israel would stay for years" in the territory. Continue reading...

UAE says it has arrested three people over the killing of Zvi Kogan, who worked for an Orthodox Jewish groupIsrael has said that an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates was killed in what it described as a heinous antisemitic terror incident".Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement about the death of Zvi Kogan, who worked in the UAE for an Orthodox Jewish group called Chabad and had not been seen since Thursday. Continue reading...

Councils, politicians and campaigners hope a tourist tax' would raise money to fund services in areas affected by high visitor numbersMillions of tourists to the UK could soon be asked to pay a local visitor levy as cash-strapped councils try to raise money to fund services.Nearly half of Scotland's local councils are considering a mandatory levy on overnight stays, known as a tourist tax, to help cope with a surge in visitors that has overwhelmed places such as Skye, the Callanish stones on Lewis and Orkney's neolithic sites. Continue reading...

A musician, the original Wheel of Fortune host and later a rightwing podcaster, Woolery died at home in TexasChuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of Wheel of Fortune, Love Connection and Scrabble who later became a rightwing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about Covid-19, has died. He was 83.Mark Young, Woolery's podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early on Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him," Young wrote. Continue reading...

Labour's Charlie Falconer says vocal opponents are leading voters to think government is against change