World news | The Guardian

Rebel group's advance has had a devastating toll on the civilian population, UN secretary general saysAntonio Guterres has voiced alarm over the M23 rebel group's advance towards eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo's largest city in a renewed insurgency that has displaced more than 178,000 people in the past two weeks.In a statement though his spokesperson, the United Nations secretary general said M23's advance had had a devastating toll on the civilian population and heightened the risk of a broader regional war. Continue reading...

Electricity board says power cut unprecedented' and more expected as extreme winds continue to cause damage

Moody's changes outlook on firm from stable to negative as financial plans do not provide attractive risk-return balance'Thames Water's debt has been downgraded as the struggling utility company seeks to secure 3bn in emergency funding to stave off collapse, after it emerged that the government has approached potential administrators.The rating agency Moody's downgraded the company's debt rating, and increased its view of the probability of default, changing its outlook on Thames Water from stable to negative. Continue reading...

Pyongyang said to be planning to increase support despite high casualties among estimated 11,000 already sentNorth Korea is preparing to send more soldiers to fight in the Ukraine war, military officials in South Korea have said, despite reports of heavy casualties among troops from the communist state who have already been sent to the battlefield.The claim that Pyongyang could be planning to increase its support for the Kremlin came as Donald Trump suggested he would attempt to rekindle his relationship with Kim Jong-un, describing the North Korean leader as a smart guy" in an interview with Fox News. Continue reading...

Bridges collapse and houses and cars buried in thick mud after intense rainfall triggers landslides in central JavaHeavy rain across Indonesia has caused major flooding. On Java, the country's main island, flooding caused a landslidethat has killed more than 20 people, with several more missing. The landslide was triggered by particularly intense rainfall in the mountainous area close to Pekalongan in the central part of the island, leading to bridges collapsing and houses and cars being buried in the thick mud. Indonesia is vulnerable to flooding and landslides during its rainy season from November to April. However, the climate crisis appears to be increasing the intensity of the rainstorms, worsening the flooding, as well as allowing them to occur outside the usual season. Last May, 67 people died after torrential rain caused flash floods in West Sumatra.In stark contrast, a winter drought has been affecting parts of Pakistan. Eastern areas of Punjab province, where crop farming is the main activity and source of income, have received rainfall more than 40% below the average in the last four months. Agriculture accounts for nearly 25% of the country's GDP and employs nearly two in five workers. Many farmers are being forced to switch careers as the climate crisis brings increasingly unreliable rainfall during the winter months. Continue reading...

eSafety commissioner expresses great sadness' that Axel Rudakubana viewed video before murdering three girls in the UK, noting clear link' between online material and real-world violenceAustralia's online safety regulator has expressed great sadness" after it was revealed a British teenager who fatally stabbed three children in the UK had earlier searched for a video of a Sydney church stabbing on social media that her office had attempted to have taken down.An eSafety spokesperson on Friday said in attempting to have X remove the Sydney video it was guided by its mission to protect our community from harmful online material, including material that may severely traumatise, manipulate or radicalise vulnerable people, especially children and the young". Continue reading...

Claims private sector taking advantage of long waits as cost of procedure rises sharplyWomen in Britain are paying up to 11,154 for a hysterectomy in a private hospital, amid huge delays for NHS gynaecological care, research reveals.The cost of undergoing the procedure privately has soared by 19% from 7,385 in 2021 to 8,795 last year, at a time when NHS waiting lists have risen sharply. Continue reading...

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Detectives believe the boys, aged 15 and 17, were shot in a targeted attack during a Collingwood brawl involving up to 50 youths

PM labels opposition leader weak' for failing to make a single national press club address since 2022

But Queensland and New South Wales still hold out on agreement that will see southern states get a 5% boost in commonwealth public school funding

Deteriorating security environment and incidents in Baltic have forced military reassessment in northern EuropeSubmarines normally operate in secret, lurking in the deep. So when the British defence secretary, John Healey, authorised a Royal Navy Astute-class attack sub to surface close to the Russian spy ship" Yantar south of Cornwall in November, it was unusual enough.What was even more notable, however, was that the minister went on to tell the House of Commons on Wednesday what he had done. It was, Healey said, conducted strictly as a deterrent measure", as was his decision to accuse the Kremlin of spying on the location of undersea communication and utility cables that connect Britain to the world. Continue reading...

Allegations of rape, beatings and collusion by EU-funded security forces prompt shift in migration arrangementsThe European Commission is fundamentally overhauling how it makes payments to Tunisia after a Guardian investigation exposed myriad abuses by EU-funded security forces, including widespread sexual violence against migrants.Officials are drawing up concrete" conditions to ensure that future European payments to Tunis can go ahead only if human rights have not been violated. Continue reading...

Tory leader backed 2015 inquiry but has now criticised Labour for having same concerns about counter-terror strategyKemi Badenoch, who criticised a Labour manifesto that warned the UK's Prevent programme could alienate communities, co-authored a report which expressed concern that the same anti-radicalisation scheme was alienating communities.The Conservative party leader backed an inquiry in 2015 that concluded the public must not be the forgotten partner in the fight against extremism" and noted that Prevent was subject to accusations of police heavy-handedness". Continue reading...

Randwick mayor says vandalism does disservice to reconciliation' but Greens councillor says statue marks devastating impacts of colonisation'A statue of Captain Cook in Sydney's eastern suburbs has been damaged and doused in red paint for a second year in a row.New South Wales police were investigating after the damage to the sandstone statue of the explorer and naval captain was discovered on Friday morning before the Australia Day long weekend. Continue reading...

Deadly wave of Covid that hit Sydney's Newmarch House made more severe by organisational failings, coroner says

One psychiatrist raises concerns about proposed back-up arrangements as health officials rush to fill staffing gaps

Serge Atlaoui is expected to be transferred after an agreement was reached with the government in Paris, Yusril Ihza Mahendra saysA French man who has been on death row in Indonesia since 2007 for alleged drug offences is expected to return home in weeks after an Indonesian minister said an agreement would be signed on Friday to allow his transfer.Serge Atlaoui is expected to return to France on 5 or 6 February, the senior minister for law and human rights affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, told Reuters on Friday. Continue reading...

General Osama Najim was released on a technicality and repatriated by Italy without any prior consultation, says international criminal courtItaly's interior minister said on Thursday a Libyan man detained under an international war crimes arrest warrant and then unexpectedly released had been swiftly repatriated because of his social dangerousness.Osama Najim, also known as Almasri, was detained on Sunday in Turin under an arrest warrant issued by The Hague-based international criminal court (ICC). Continue reading...

Homes in the city cost 8.5 times the annual earnings of the typical full-time worker, Nationwide saysChichester is the least affordable area outside London for first-time buyers to get on the property ladder, with homes in the cathedral city costing an average of 8.5 times the annual earnings of the typical full-time worker in the area, according to figures from Nationwide.The building society said there had been a modest improvement" in affordability across Great Britain over the past year, as wage rises had outpaced house price growth, and mortgage costs had fallen slightly. Continue reading...

Spanish Town brought to standstill amid gunfire on streets after police kill Othneil Thickman' LobbanSchools and businesses in a Jamaican city have been closed and taxis and buses stopped running after the police shooting of a powerful gang boss prompted a violent backlash.Gunfire echoed throughout Spanish Town on Thursday and at least one business was burned hours after police shot dead Othneil Thickman" Lobban, whom they described as a top leader of the One Order gang. Continue reading...

Teneo, Interpath and EY among those reportedly approached for the role if company falls into bankruptcyThe UK government has reportedly approached multiple restructuring advisers for the role of special administrator for Thames Water if the troubled utility falls into bankruptcy.Teneo, Interpath and EY are among the companies contacted by the government as it prepares contingency plans should Britain's largest water company be forced into nationalisation, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the process. Continue reading...

American Oversight has raised concerns over department of government efficiency' using encrypted appsA leading ethics watchdog has issued warnings to Donald Trump's billionaire ally Elon Musk and the department of government efficiency" (Doge), an agency Trump has stated he will create, claiming its use of encrypted messaging apps potentially violates the Federal Records Act (FRA).American Oversight, which uses litigation to obtain public records and expose government misconduct, argues that Musk's leadership of Doge raises significant ethical concerns about potential conflicts of interest", given his business empire and the substantial impact that Doge could have on federal agencies. Continue reading...

Federal government appeals against law critics say disproportionately affects hijab-wearing Muslim womenCanada's top court has agreed to hear a challenge to Quebec's controversial secularism law, paving the way for a fierce debate over provincial powers and the fundamental rights of ethnic and religious minorities.The supreme court signaled on Thursday that it would grant leave to appeal against the 2019 law which prohibits certain public workers in positions of authority - including judges, police officers, prison guards and teachers - from wearing religious symbols while at work. Other public workers such as bus drivers, doctors and social workers must only keep their faces uncovered. Continue reading...

Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins say they cannot support nominee, raising fresh doubts about confirmation chancesSenators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced that they would oppose the nomination of Pete Hegseth to become the next US secretary of defense, making them the first two Republican lawmakers to publicly reject one of Donald Trump's cabinet picks and raising fresh doubts about the controversial nominee's chances of confirmation.Murkowski indicated her opposition to Hegseth in a statement shared on social media on Thursday, in which she criticized the Fox News host and army veteran as lacking the experience and character needed to lead the Pentagon. Continue reading...

Rob Bonta is suing alongside other states to block birthright citizenship order he calls flagrant violation' of constitutionDonald Trump overreached by a mile" with his attempt to dismantle the longstanding constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, said.California along with a coalition of states and the city of San Francisco are suing the administration over an executive order issued just hours after Trump was sworn into office on Monday that would deny automatic citizenship to some children born in the United States - a move they argue is in flagrant violation" of the US constitution. Continue reading...

Rudakubana, 18, sentenced for murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe and attempted murder of 10 others

Bridget Curtis, 71, admitted causing death of eight-month-old Mabli Cariad Hall after losing control of carA woman has been jailed for four years for causing the death of an eight-month-old baby in a crash outside a hospital after losing control of her car while reaching for a handbag.Bridget Curtis, 71, collided with a pram carrying Mabli Cariad Hall as she was being pushed by her father, Rob Hall, outside Withybush hospital in Haverfordwest, south-west Wales. Continue reading...

Man, 30, arrested after five people injured at distribution centre on south London industrial estateA man has described how he fought and fended off a knife-wielding attacker with a fire extinguisher after barricading himself and others inside a warehouse where five people were injured during a mass stabbing.Police arrested a 30-year-old man after the attack at a warehouse close to a supermarket in Croydon, south London, after they were called to the incident in the morning. Continue reading...

Rev Alex Frost calls for church to encourage vocations as an alternative to theological studiesPlumbers, builders and other people from working-class backgrounds who are called to the priesthood should be offered apprenticeships as an alternative to studying at theological college, a Burnley vicar has said.Rev Alex Frost, who left school at 15 and worked for Argos before becoming a priest, is calling for the Church of England to develop an urgent national strategy to encourage vocations among working-class people. Continue reading...

Police to question 14-year-old arrested for alleged stabbing of Leo, 12, over separate assaults on elderly peopleA 14-year-old boy being held on suspicion of the murder of 12-year-old Leo Ross has been arrested for three assaults on elderly people in the same area of Birmingham shortly before the killing.Police said they had been granted more time to question the 14-year-old, who has now been arrested in relation to three assaults in the Hall Green area on 19, 20 and 21 January, with the last one taking place shortly before the stabbing of Leo. Continue reading...

Secretary of state tells staff sex is not changeable' in email following Trump executive order on gender

Call to stop civil rights cases follows order putting staff on federal DEI programs on leave as a prelude to shutting programs down

Eighteen-year-old had pleaded guilty to murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe and 10 charges of attempted murderThe Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the ferocious" and sadistic" murders of three young girls and attempted murder of 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.The 18-year-old refused to appear in the dock when a judge said the teenager would likely never be released and he will be in custody for all his life" for the harrowing and atrocious premeditated attack" last summer. Continue reading...

TDs gathered in parliament for ceremony which had been due to take place yesterday

Mayday Saxonvale scheme is given the go-ahead after an extraordinary meeting of town council executiveResidents of a renegade" Somerset market town have won their battle to create an innovative 5-hectare (12-acre) community-led development that includes homes, workspaces and a lido, after county councillors agreed to sell a large brownfield site to the not-for-profit social enterprise behind the project.The Mayday Saxonvale scheme in Frome, which hundreds of residents have spent five years fighting for, also features two public squares, and a community-owned boutique hotel and cafe. Continue reading...

High court case demands inquiry into 1985 Cradock Four killings and constitutional damages' worth 7.3mLukhanyo Calata's first memory of his father was the funeral. His mother sobbing, the earth beneath his feet shaking from the number of people gathered at the graveside, and the fear he felt aged three as the red box holding his father, Fort, was lowered into the ground.Fort Calata was one of four men stopped at a roadblock in June 1985 by security officers. The Cradock Four were beaten, strangled with telephone wire, stabbed and shot to death in one of the most notorious killings of South Africa's apartheid era. Continue reading...

Owner ABF says lower income consumers have cut back on spending amid uncertainty and actual unemployment'

Downing Street says EU's suggestion of UK joining agreement would not cross its red lines' for closer ties

Rare red weather warning issued as storm forecast to bring gusts of up to 100mphA rare red weather warning covering Northern Ireland and Scotland was issued on Thursday before what could be the strongest storm in generations.The Met Office said the arrival of Storm Eowyn on Friday could bring gusts of up to 100mph and flying debris resulting in a danger to life". Continue reading...

Relatively minor tweak to finance bill is part of Labour push to show UK is attractive place to invest

Fianna Fail leader's formal reappointment to role of taoiseach comes 24 hours after chaotic scenes in the Dail

European court of human rights sides with French woman whose husband obtained divorce on grounds she was only person at fault Europe live - latest updatesA woman who refuses to have sex with her husband should not be considered at fault" by courts in the event of divorce, Europe's highest human rights court has said, condemning France.The European court of human rights (ECHR) sided on Thursday with a 69-year-old French woman whose husband had obtained a divorce on the grounds that she was the only person at fault because she had stopped having sexual relations with him. Continue reading...

Longtime president and Putin ally has silenced media and criminalised dissent as he eyes seventh term

British record store chain to triple size of Rockefeller Center location with 300-capacity room featuring built-in stageA mosh pit may seem out of place in Rockefeller Center, better known for its Christmas tree, rinks and hoards of tourists. But a British record store chain wants to change that.Rough Trade is tripling the size of its site at the major shopping center this spring, expanding its downstairs to create space for more vinyls, merchandise and events with artists. Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin victory would lead to bloc's members spending trillions' more on defence, says Mark Rutte

Policy pitched as incentive for businesses to spend more at local venues amounts to using taxpayer money to shout your boss steak tartare', government says

But climate change and energy minister says government will not announce its 2035 emissions target before election

Constable, 25, battling serious head injuries' in Sydney hospital after alleged late-night assault on Enmore Road

Exclusive: Office for National Statistics to spend 8m in deal with employment agency Randstad to recruit hiresThe government's statistics agency is spending 8m to hire an army of low-paid temporary workers amid efforts to fix its virtually unusable" data on unemployment and wages in Britain.Under pressure over the quality of its data, the Office for National Statistics last month agreed the multimillion-pound deal with the employment agency Randstad to recruit interviewers to help increase the reliability of its labour force survey (LFS). Continue reading...