by Prosper Heri Ngorora in Goma and Carlos Mureithi i on (#6V3N9)
Facilities unable to get supplies in or transport patients out left overwhelmed by incoming woundedPatients with gunshot and shrapnel wounds have crammed into overwhelmed hospitals in Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, many with serious injuries and in need of blood, after M23 rebels backed by Rwanda march into the city.At least 2,900 people have been killed and thousands more wounded since the militia entered the city on 26 January, according to the UN. Fighting raged for the better part of last week. Continue reading...
Katharine Birbalsingh launches attack on education secretary, claiming she had no interest in learning how her school achieved its resultsDuring PMQs yesterday Keir Starmer implied there were national security factors not in the public domain that explained why the government was so committed to transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.Alex Wickham from Bloomberg says he has cracked the secret. It is all to do with the International Telecommunication Union, apparently. He explains this in a post on social media. Here is an extract.The US and UK currently have full and unrestricted access to the electromagnetic spectrum at the Diego Garcia military base, allowing them to securely control American and British military and diplomatic communications in the region, as well as monitor hostile activity from foreign states, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity discussing sensitive information ...The US and UK are members of the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency based in Geneva, Switzerland which coordinates the electromagnetic spectrum and global satellite communications. If an international court was to rule in future that the US and UK were using Diego Garcia to run satellite communications in breach of international law, that would have consequences for the base and defense and technology companies involved in supply chains used there, the people said, highlighting the need to secure its legal status.There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian civilians should be able to return to and rebuild their homes and their lives. That is a right, guaranteed under international law.The UK is clear that we must see a negotiated two state solution, with a sovereign Palestinian state, which includes the West Bank and Gaza, alongside a safe and secure Israel with Jerusalem as the shared capital that has been the framework for peace for decades. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6V3NA)
Committee members blame toxic' reaction on social media and attacks on those giving evidence in public hearingsMPs in favour of assisted dying have privately raised concerns about the number of colleagues reconsidering their support amid growing splits on the committee scrutinising new legislation.One Tory source said they believed at least five Conservative MPs who had supported the bill at the last vote were likely to withdraw support at the next parliamentary stage. If that translates across, I think we are looking at around 30 dropping out," they said. Continue reading...
Area known as La Negresse will be renamed after court decides it is demeaning to people of African originA French court has ruled that the seaside city of Biarritz must rename its La Negresse historic district, possibly named after a black woman, after a case brought by activists who argued it was an outdated legacy of colonialism.The ruling caps a long-running attempt by activists to force authorities in the resort on the Atlantic coast to drop what they say are racist and sexist" placenames. Continue reading...
Weather alerts in place for 100 million people as states from Nebraska to Massachusetts brace for disruptionsA series of back-to-back winter storms will hit parts of the midwest, north-east and mid-Atlantic as weather alerts were put in place on Thursday for about 100 million people across 22 US states.Slippery and dangerous travel conditions are expected through the middle of next week. States from Nebraska to Massachusetts are seeing snow, sleet and freezing rain. Forecasters warn that the cold and hazardous weather may cause power outages and difficult travel conditions during Thursday's commute and beyond. Continue reading...
Experts fear consequences of Trump's restrictions on CDC as state sees one of largest outbreaks ever recorded in USKansas is experiencing one of the largest tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks ever recorded in the US, as public health powers at the state and federal level have been greatly curtailed.Outbreaks like these may become more common and dangerous as officials' efforts are hamstrung and their communications are limited, experts say. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative workers express concern, as recent changes there similar to those at MetaThe for-profit charity organization founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan told employees last month that its commitment to corporate diversity is not changing even after Meta eliminated its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.Employees of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) expressed concern in January after Meta's top HR executive announced that that company would no longer put resources toward hiring and working with diverse and underrepresented job candidates and business suppliers (a suite of practices often referred to as DEI, for diversity, equity and inclusion), according to internal CZI messages viewed by the Guardian. Continue reading...
Met Office says temperatures could reach as low as -7C in rural parts of Scotland from Friday into the weekendTemperatures are expected to plummet as low as -7C (19F) in parts of the UK and cold-health alerts have been issued.Subzero overnight temperatures are likely in many areas over the coming days, with a risk of icy patches developing and a chance of snow in the south, the Met Office said. Continue reading...
Actor says nose mistaken for prosthetic by new makeup artists: I said, That doesn't come off!'A makeup artist on The Brutalist tried to remove Adrien Brody's nose believing it to be a prosthetic, the actor has revealed.Speaking to Jimmy Fallon earlier this week, Brody said that a new makeup artist began busily working away with a solvent on my nose". Continue reading...
More than 1,000 staff at Devon-based group will get about 1,000 each after profits more than doubledEmployees of Riverford will share in a payout of 1.3m after the organic vegetable box company more than doubled profits last year.More than 1,000 staff at the Devon-based group, which began making deliveries from an old Citroen in 1993, will receive about 1,000 each as the employee-owned company nearly tripled its annual payout to workers. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Donald Trump's proposal is an attempt to reshape political reality that has historical precedent, explains architect and researcher Eyal WeizmanGood morning. Donald Trump's suggestion that Palestinians should be forced out of Gaza so that it could be rebuilt as a US-run Riviera of the Middle East" is so outlandish that many have returned to the reminder that we should beware of taking what he says too literally. And, it's true, the comments don't seem as if they came on the back of a detailed feasibility study; White House officials spent much of yesterday trying to walk his comments back.But it's also true that his proposal, which if enacted would amount to an unambiguous case of ethnic cleansing, tells us something about who Trump understands to be the stakeholders in Gaza's future: not Palestinian civilians, but the United States, Israel, and the contractors who could make it happen. And the idea has so delighted the Israeli right that it is easy to see how, even if no American soldier ever sets foot in Gaza, it creates the space for serious discussion of the same project by other means.UK economy | Bank of England policymakers are poised to cut interest rates and downgrade forecasts for economic growth, underlining the risks facing Rachel Reeves's budget plans. With inflation falling, the Bank's monetary policy committee is expected to cut rates by a quarter point to 4.5% - the lowest level since June 2023 - on Thursday.Democratic Republic of the Congo | Hundreds of women were raped and burned alive after a Rwandan-backed rebel group entered the Congolese city of Goma last week. The female inmates were attacked in their wing inside Goma's Munzenze prison during a mass jailbreak, according to a senior UN official.Energy | Keir Starmer will unveil plans for a historic expansion in nuclear power across England and Wales, pledging to use Labour's large majority to make new sites across the country available for new power stations. The prime minister said that he anticipated small modular reactors could be built by 2032 and could become commonplace across Britain.UK news | The families of Valdo Calocane's victims have called for doctors responsible for his treatment to be named and held accountable. The intervention followed the publication of a report detailing Calocane's mental health treatment before the attacks in Nottingham in 2023.Media | A high court judge has criticised lawyers representing Noel Clarke for unacceptable" allegations against Guardian journalists which should not have been made and publicly aired without foundation". Mrs Justice Steyn dismissed claims there had been any fabrication of evidence by them and said any deletion of documents was not in breach of any rule or duty" to preserve them. Continue reading...
Playwright calls for return to theatre's founding vision and to stop angling for West End'The National Theatre risks eroding the culture" by shifting away from its founding principles and putting on semi-commercial" plays angling for the West End", the playwright David Hare has said.The two-time Olivier award winner described the playhouse's shift from repertory theatre - a system where a resident acting company performs a rotation of plays - as standing in spite of George Bernard Shaw and Harley Granville-Barker's vision. Continue reading...
Charity urges ministers to fix broken food environment' as surge in type 2 diabetes drives record number of diagnosesOne in five adults in the UK are now living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, according to alarming" data that exposes the impact of soaring obesity levels, increasingly unhealthy diets and a broken" food environment.In total, 12.2 million people are affected, the data analysis from Diabetes UK shows, including 4.6 million with diagnosed diabetes, 1.3 million with undiagnosed diabetes, and 6.3 million with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, also known as pre-diabetes. It is the highest total ever recorded. Continue reading...
Angela Rayner meets bereaved to tell them west London block will be carefully deconstructed'Grenfell Tower is to be demolished, bereaved families are understood to have been told by Angela Rayner.Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, met relatives and survivors on Wednesday evening and announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed", according to a spokesperson for Grenfell Next of Kin. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6V321)
Supermodel has alleged she was victim of systematic fraud' by fellow trustee at Fashion for ReliefNaomi Campbell has launched legal action in an attempt to overturn an order banning her from running a charity, claiming she was the victim of a systematic fraud" perpetrated by a fellow trustee who set up a fake email account to impersonate her.The supermodel was disqualified from being a charity trustee for five years in May 2024 after a Charity Commission inquiry found widespread evidence of financial misconduct at Fashion for Relief, the poverty charity she created. Continue reading...
Drivers raise safety concerns as projectiles aimed at' services close to Cambridge North station, damaging trainsTransport police are investigating a series of incidents in which trains were struck by projectiles in Cambridge.Services operated by Greater Anglia and Great Northern were hit between Cambridge and Cambridge North stations, with reports of up to 20 carriages damaged. British Transport Police said there had been no reported injuries. Continue reading...
US president's remarks will spark divisions within Iran over country's nuclear ambitions and sanctionsDonald Trump has said he wanted a verified nuclear peace agreement" with Iran and denied he wanted to blow Iran to smithereens, describing such reports as greatly exaggerated".But he said it was essential that Iran did not have a nuclear weapon, adding we should start working on it immediately". His remarks on his social media site truth social represent the clearest sign that Trump is willing to hold talks with Iran to try to replace the nuclear deal signed in 2015, but from which Trump pulled the US out in 2018. Continue reading...
by Jason Burke International security correspondent on (#6V2WH)
Academics fear US president's lack of reference to international law could lead to global breakdown of peace and securityDonald Trump's proposal to permanently move millions of Palestinians out of Gaza to allow its reconstruction under US ownership" could amount to a war crime or crime against humanity, experts in international law have said.The experts said the US president's framing of his plan without any reference to international law set a dangerous precedent that would encourage other world leaders to do similarly and contribute to a global breakdown of peace and security. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6V2WJ)
Prime minister and colleagues use political code to push back at proposal without directly criticising US presidentBy the time Steve Reed, the environment secretary, took to the early morning airwaves, the UK government's response to Donald Trump's Gaza plan had been carefully planned out: ministers would push back strongly, but only ever in a form of political code.Reed gave no direct criticism of the US president or his shock announcement that the US would remove Palestinians from Gaza - a stance repeated as the day went on by Keir Starmer and various Downing Street spokespeople. But Reed said Gaza's people must be able to return to their homes and rebuild their shattered lives". Continue reading...
Italian radiologist, who says injured pet was between life and death', also operated on animal at Aosta facilityAn Italian doctor has been placed under investigation after giving his cat a Cat scan at a hospital in Aosta before performing a life-saving operation on the feline.Gianluca Fanelli took the animal, called Athena, to Umberto Parini hospital in the northern Italian region, where he is a manager of the radiology unit, after she fell from a roof. Continue reading...
Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Richard Burgon suspended last July for backing SNP amendment to king's speechLabour has restored the whip to a further three MPs who voted against the two-child benefit cap, the Guardian understands.Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Richard Burgon were among seven parliamentarians who were suspended in July for supporting an amendment to the king's speech, tabled by the SNP. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey, Dan Milmo and Kim Willsher on (#6V2SG)
Exclusive: PM risks upsetting host Emmanuel Macron and missing chance to speak to JD Vance and Elon MuskKeir Starmer has decided not to travel to Paris for next week's international summit on artificial intelligence, despite the attendance of other world leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Narendra Modi and JD Vance.Sources have told the Guardian that the prime minister will not attend the summit, the latest in a series of international AI conferences started by the former prime minister Rishi Sunak last year at Bletchley Park. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#6V2SH)
Swedish officers working to identify victims and say evidence strongly suggests gunman shot himselfThe gun attack that left 11 people dead in the Swedish city of Orebro was a one-man operation", police have said, as they worked to identify the victims of the country's deadliest mass shooting.The suspected gunman was among the dead and six people were hospitalised after a shooter entered Campus Risbergska, a school specialising in adult education, just after 12.30pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Kennedy's hearing signifies how close a man with medically racist beliefs is to becoming the US's leading health officialDuring Robert F Kennedy Jr's Senate confirmation hearing on 30 January, Angela Alsobrooks, a Democratic senator from Maryland, pressed the nominee on his past claims that Black people have a stronger immune system than white people, and thereby should receive vaccines on a different schedule than them. What different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received?" Alsobrooks, who is Black, asked the health secretary nominee. Kennedy then referenced a series of studies" showing that to particular antigens, Blacks have a much stronger reaction".The exchange is cause for alarm for many, as it signified how close a man who holds medically racist beliefs was to becoming the country's leading health official. Dr Richard Kennedy - an author of the study referenced at the hearing, who is not related to Kennedy - told NPR that while it's true the immune response to vaccination can vary by race, sex and potentially dozens of other factors", the data does not support a change in vaccine schedule based on race. Continue reading...
Nathan Blakeley lodged claim after comment made by boss when female colleague won award at the company partyA marketing executive at a party balloon company has lost a sex discrimination claim lodged after his female boss said sorry boys" as she revealed that a woman had won an award.Nathan Blakeley, 27, was left so deflated after missing out on a prize at the Christmas party that he launched legal proceedings against the firm in Hampshire on the grounds that he had been overlooked due to his male gender. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6V2G4)
Health experts urge ministers to do more to tackle drinking-related harm by bringing in minimum unit pricingAlcohol-related deaths in the UK have hit a record high, with 10,473 people dying in 2023 as a result of heavy drinking, statistics have revealed.That is an increase on the 10,048 deaths the Office for National Statistics recorded across the four countries of the UK during 2022, the first time more than 10,000 such fatalities had occurred. Continue reading...
Guardian review of new political appointees also finds president is largely reappointing officials from his first termDonald Trump is stacking his proposed Environmental Protection Agency leadership with former industry lobbyists, executives, and attorneys who have spent their careers attacking protections covering everything from water quality to greenhouse gas emissions to toxic chemicals.A Guardian review of new political appointees also finds the president is largely reappointing officials from his first term. Since 2016, while working at the EPA or for industry, environmental campaigners say these veterans have led efforts to shred Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, kneecap drinking water limits for toxic PFAS, ram through new chemicals without proper review, undo an asbestos ban, or defend the nation's biggest polluters. Continue reading...
Breakfast host joined channel when it started in 1989 and became known for blunt questions and gaffesKay Burley, the face of Sky News known for her tenacious interviewing but also some high-profile gaffes, has announced her retirement.The veteran broadcaster, who has been with Sky News since it began in 1989, bowed out after hosting her last Sky News Breakfast programme on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...
Anger at policies that roll back Mori rights surface as rightwing Act party leader David Seymour has microphone removed twice and protesters stage walkoutIf New Zealand's coalition government had prepared for political fireworks from Indigenous leaders on the eve of the country's national day, they were met with something arguably even louder: turned backs and silence.Under a blazing hot sun on Wednesday, political leaders gathered at the Waitangi treaty grounds in New Zealand's far north to celebrate Waitangi Day, which marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. The treaty, signed by Mori chiefs and the British Crown is considered New Zealand's founding document and is instrumental in upholding Mori rights. Continue reading...
School system says it has not been served with a filing and will vigorously defend' its admissions practicesA newly formed group dedicated to fighting what it calls the covert use of affirmative action in admissions decisions by colleges in the University of California system announced on Monday that it was filing a lawsuit, aiming for an injunction to prohibit any consideration of race in student admissions.The University of California has not been served with the filing," a spokesperson for the UC system, Stett Holbrook, said on Tuesday. If served, we will vigorously defend our admission practices" Holbrook added. We believe this to be a meritless suit that seeks to distract us from our mission to provide California students with a world class education." Continue reading...
by Presented by Hannah Moore with Andrew Roth; produc on (#6V2B2)
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited Panama on the weekend to put pressure on the country over how it runs the canal and its ties with China. Andrew Roth reportsChina is operating the Panama canal and we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back."Donald Trump's claim in his inauguration speech that Panama had broken its promises" to the US was alarming for many Panamanians. Washington relinquished control of the canal in 1977, so why is Trump pressing the issue now? Continue reading...
Palestinian-Australian man has not had word as to whereabouts of his brother or his brother's wife and children for more than a year - and he is not alone in his uncertainty and grief
World news | The Guardian