World news | The Guardian

EU leaders warn of consequences in response to further aggression against UkraineAfter months of sabre-rattling from Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, Russian officials have been on a diplomatic tour of Europe this week, meeting the US in Geneva and Nato in Brussels. Amid this diplomatic whirl, Europe’s biggest diplomatic club has been absent. The EU has no formal role in the talks, although its officials are drawing up possible sanctions to levy against Russia if the Kremlin decides to invade Ukraine.The EU’s exclusion from talks on war and peace in its own backyard hurts. “Between Putin and Biden, Europe is sidelined,” ran a Le Monde headline last week. The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell,struck an insouciant note. “I don’t care,” he said when the BBC asked whether the US should have gone ahead with the Geneva talks. The Russians, he said, had “deliberately excluded the EU from any participation” but he had been assured by the US that “nothing will be agreed without our strong co-operation, coordination and participation”. Continue reading...

Alfred Hitchcock described his third film, The Lodger, as the true beginning of his directorial career but it would prove a near fatal screen debut for its leading light June TrippDecember 1925 was a busy month for June. A fixture of the West End stage since childhood, her surname, Tripp, had been excised by the impresario Charles B Cochran because it “sounds a bit comical for a dancer”. She spent the days rehearsing for a musical, Kid Boots, the evenings starring in another, Mercenary Mary, and then would “rush to the studio at midnight”, to act in a horse-racing short film opposite the fading American film star Carlyle Blackwell. The studio was at Poole Street, Islington, in north London, built five years earlier by Paramount but now rented out, most often to a British company, Gainsborough, run by Michael Balcon.The short, Riding for a King, starred the celebrated jockey Steve Donoghue and had its premiere in January 1926, with June in attendance. Two days later, she collapsed during a performance of Mercenary Mary and shortly after underwent an appendectomy. Daily Express readers subsequently learned that she would “not be able to dance for six months”. By February, she was recuperating on the Riviera. It was there that she received a telegram from her old friend Ivor Novello, who offered film work. “No dancing required. You will act beautifully and we shall have fun.” Continue reading...

The deadly attacks come as Joe Biden raised concerns about recent airstrikes with Ethiopian PMNineteen people have been killed in drone strikes in Ethiopia’s Tigray, in the latest reported attacks in the war-stricken region.In the deadliest strike on Monday in the southern Tigray town of Mai Tsebri, 17 people working at a flour mill were killed, said one of the humanitarian workers, citing witness accounts. Continue reading...

Doncaster teenager not seen again after his image was captured on Kings Cross station CCTVDetectives investigating the disappearance of a teenage boy from South Yorkshire 14 years ago have arrested two men, aged 45 and 38, on suspicion of kidnap and human trafficking.Andrew Gosden was 14 when he left his home in Doncaster on a Friday morning, emptied his bank account of almost £200 and bought a one-way ticket to London. He was last captured on CCTV emerging from Kings Cross station. Continue reading...

Kärcher asserts political neutrality as presidential hopeful calls for pressure-washing criminals out of suburbsOne of the world’s leading makers of pressure washers and steam cleaners has formally asked French politicians not to use its name to score political points.Kärcher, a German family-owned company, issued a statement on Tuesday objecting to rightwing presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse taking its brand in vain. It is the latest of several similar complaints it has issued in recent years. Continue reading...

Latest data shows ‘we may be starting to turn a corner’, Nicola Sturgeon tells Scottish parliament

Rifleman Kasem Salem, 20, was called ‘Paki Rambo’ at north Yorkshire centre

For nearly three years, staff and volunteers have been going through about 70,000 boxes in a mammoth undertaking to digitise the collectionOutside the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan in south-western Sydney are four shipping containers with freezers inside.Over the next six months, more than a million plant specimens will be cycled through the containers, each spending about a week in the cold to rid them of any insects. Continue reading...

Money, media attention and fame will likely protect the tennis player from the same fate as those confined to years in detention by arbitrary and arcane law

After reviewing CCTV, prosecutors accuse Zandile Mafe of placing ‘lethal device’ in parliament complexA man suspected of starting a fire that gutted South Africa’s parliament appeared in court for a second time to face a new charge of terrorism, in addition to robbery and arson charges.Zandile Christmas Mafe, 49, was arrested around the parliament complex in Cape Town after the fire broke out on 2 January, and appeared in court three days later. Continue reading...

Paymaster general claims PM ‘retains confidence of the people of this country’ as Boris Johnson is criticised for failing to appear before MPs

Forza Italia leader will reportedly withdraw party from government if Mario Draghi is elected presidentSilvio Berlusconi has reportedly threatened to withdraw his Forza Italia party from Italy’s governing majority if the current prime minister, Mario Draghi, is elected president later this month.The scandal-tainted media tycoon, who served four times as prime minister, is in Rome from Tuesday on the hunt for votes as he ramps up his own presidential campaign. Continue reading...

Force considers next steps amid warning stance on alleged breaches is sapping public trust in policing

From his Afrocentric jazz with Miles Davis and Lonnie Liston Smith to his chart hits for Roberta Flack and Stephanie Mills, we celebrate the best of the late musician

Search and rescue mission launched after latest in series of fatal accidents amid heightened tensions with ChinaTaiwan’s air force has suspended combat training for its F-16 fleet after a recently upgraded model of the fighter jet crashed into the sea in the latest of a series of fatal accidents.The island’s air force announced earlier that an F-16 fighter jet went missing over the sea off western Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon, 30 minutes after it took off from the southern Chiayi air base for routine training. Continue reading...

Eddie Hughes says local authorities can use part of £28m protect and vaccinate scheme to incentivise jabs

Angela Rayner lambasts PM as junior minister sent out to answer urgent question over May 2020 garden party

Private contractor Clearsprings takes action after the Guardian exposed poor conditions in west LondonA Home Office accommodation provider is making urgent improvements to flats for asylum seekers in the prime minister’s constituency after the Guardian exposed poor conditions there.Eighteen flats in Uxbridge, west London, housing dozens of asylum seekers, were found to be rife with damp, mould, water leaks and pest infestations. The Home Office admitted that the conditions “clearly fall short of the high standards we expect from our contractors”. Hillingdon council said conditions in the properties were under investigation. Continue reading...

US treasury secretary says the writer and civil rights campaigner’s appearance on the coin represents ‘what we value, and how we’ve progressed as a society’Maya Angelou has become the first Black woman ever to appear on a US quarter, after a coin featuring the late poet and activist’s image went into circulation on Monday.The quarter features an image of Angelou with her arms uplifted, a bird in flight and a rising sun behind her, with a portrait of George Washington on the “heads” side. The US Mint said the image of Angelou was “inspired by her poetry and symbolic of the way she lived”. Continue reading...

Man, believed to be armed, barricaded himself inside property with eight-year-old son on SundayA police standoff with a man who is believed to be armed and has barricaded himself inside his house with his eight-year-old son has entered a third day.Police attended the property in Coventry at 12.20am on Sunday to conduct a welfare check on a man and child. Continue reading...

Settling of debt will allow Duke of York, who faces large legal bills over sexual assault lawsuit, to sell chalet reportedly worth £18mThe Duke of York has settled a £6.6m debt with a French socialite allowing him to sell a Swiss chalet as he faces escalating legal bills over the sexual assault civil lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, according to reports.Isabelle de Rouvre, 74, who sold the property to Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, in 2014 for a reported £18m, said: “The war is over. He has paid the money.” Continue reading...

Very low-budget shocker sees American family stalked by the spectre of a bereaved mother taking vengeance on other people’s kidsSet in some densely forested, geographically-non-specific corner of Mexico, this very low-budget horror story features Autumn Reeser as suburban SoCal mom Carly Candlewood, who arrives for a holiday with her husband Andrew (Antonio Cupo) and young son Danny (Nicolas Madrazo). Together, they’re hoping to heal as a family after Carly’s recent miscarriage. Unfortunately, no one mentioned in the TripAdvisor reviews that the canals near the small hotel where the Candlewoods are staying have been haunted for years by a spooky ghost lady called La Llorona (Zamia Fandiño).The name relates to the fact that she’s always crying for her lost child, and her own way of dealing with bereavement is to steal other people’s kids, especially at night or at least when the camera has a red filter attached to create a murky, nocturnal look. What’s more, all the locals know about her, and a memorial wall nearby is plastered with pictures of missing children: an unpleasant echo of the legions of people abducted throughout the country in real life. La Llorona usually takes the form of an ectoplasmic, diaphanous figure with a flowing gown, generous embonpoint and a half-smashed face. But of late it seems she’s been gaining corporeality; the upside of which is that bullets seem to temporarily repel her. But her growing strength represents a near and present danger for little Danny, whom she keeps catching and then losing as Carly fights her off. Continue reading...

Europe director Hans Kluge demands immediate action to avoid Covid ‘tidal wave’ swamping health services

Newsrooms closures and exodus from territory are result of ‘draconian’ national security law introduced in 2020As the last news programme came to a close and anchors bade farewell to their online audience on 3 January, Chris Yeung, the founder and chief writer of Citizen News, gathered together his staff and tried to strike an optimistic tone.“Remember our very best memories,” he said, dressed in a blue shirt with sleeves rolled up and a crimson jumper draped on his shoulders. “No one knows what will happen next. Don’t worry. Just remember the happy things.” Continue reading...

Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has been in detention since 28 December and his lawyer says he has been torturedA prominent Ugandan writer and critic of the long-ruling leader Yoweri Museveni has been charged with communications offences related to tweets critical of the president and his son.Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has been in detention by the military since 28 December, when armed men broke into his house and took him away. His lawyer has said he has been tortured and that at one time he was urinating blood. Police and military have not responded to the allegations. Continue reading...

Figure of 176,035 differs significantly from government’s official count – which exceeded 150,000 at weekend

Health minister Ed Argar has said the public will be 'upset and angry' at revelations that a senior official invited more than 100 Downing Street staff to a 'bring your own booze' party during the first lockdown

Omicron cases prompt tough measures in Anyang, a city of five million, as concerns grows ahead of Winter Olympics

Fears over contagion mount as a company once considered financially sound is running out of cash to pay its debtsA Chinese developer previously considered financially sound is embarking on a fire sale of assets as the contagion of bad debts built up within China’s bloated housing sector continues to spread.Shimao Group Holdings, which is in the top dozen Chinese property companies, was plunged into crisis after it said it defaulted a trust loan last week after missing a 645m yuan ($101m) payment that it guaranteed. Continue reading...

London mayor urges people to make greener journeys as figures show fall in walking, cycling and use of public transportLondon could become mired in gridlock because of a shift towards driving as a means of transport during the Covid pandemic, the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan has said, warning that it risks creating a new health crisis from increased pollution.While levels of walking and cycling have risen in the capital, the overall proportion of people making sustainable journeys has fallen as a result of the collapse in numbers using public transport. Continue reading...

US chipmaker was criticised in China for asking suppliers to avoid the sanctions-hit region, and now faces ‘cowardice’ accusation at homeUS chipmaker Intel has deleted references to Xinjiang from an annual letter to suppliers after the company faced a backlash in China for asking suppliers to avoid the sanctions-hit region.Last month, Intel was slammed on Chinese social media for a letter to suppliers published on its website. The 23 December letter said Intel had been “required to ensure that its supply chain does not use any labour or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region” following restrictions imposed by “multiple governments”. Continue reading...

Staffing shortages and lack of access to Covid testing puts rural healthcare system under pressure

US Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell says bases and other agreements could be on the cardsThe Pacific may be the part of the world most likely to see “strategic surprise”, the US Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell has said, in comments apparently referring to possible Chinese ambitions to establish Pacific island bases.Campbell told Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies that the United States has “enormous moral, strategic, historical interests” in the Pacific but had not done enough to assist the region, unlike countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Continue reading...

Over 132,000 patients currently on US wards with Covid; Swedish measures include work from home mandate

Teenagers to appear in court on Tuesday in case concerning death of Edward Reeve, 35, in ChristchurchTwo 16-year-old boys have been charged with murder following the death of a man in Christchurch, Dorset.Emergency services were called to a property at just before 8pm on 4 January after police received reports of concern for the welfare of a man inside. Continue reading...

Ewing, also the mother of actor-director Rebecca Hall, died Sunday at her home in DetroitMaria Ewing, a soprano and mezzo-soprano noted for intense performances who became the wife of director Sir Peter Hall and the mother of actor-director Rebecca Hall, has died at age 71.Ewing died Sunday at her home in Detroit, spokeswoman Bryna Rifkin said Monday. Continue reading...

The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, on Monday revised the death toll from a high-rise fire in the Bronx on Sunday, saying 17 people were killed, two fewer than originally thought.Adams said nine adults and eight children had died. He did not immediately provide a reason for the lower count

Tuesday: Novak Djokovic ‘pleased and grateful’ to have visa rejection overturned. Plus: reorganising one shelf at a timeGood morning. Novak Djokovic’s visa cancellation saga continues despite his return to centre court ahead of the Australian Open next week. But he’s not the only tennis star in doubt for the grand slam – Nick Kyrgios has tested positive for Covid. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine persist, but security talks between the Kremlin and the US are under way this week.Novak Djokovic has thanked Judge Anthony Kelly for overturning his visa cancellation, but still faces potential deportations from Australia’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke. Hawke confirmed that he is considering the use of discretionary powers to deport Djokovic, which comes with a hefty three-year ban from re-entering Australia. His decision is expected this week. Meanwhile Djokovic’s family have criticised the Australian government and his mother said he was “subjected to torture and harassment” while in detention. But the family abruptly ended a press conference when questioned about why Djokovic, who is not vaccinated, was photographed in public last month without a mask after testing positive for Covid. Continue reading...

One of our favourite stories of 2021 looks at the career of Australian wheelchair racer Madison de Rozario, which started when she competed at the Beijing Paralympics at the age of 14. Now, the 27-year-old has cemented her place in the history books – breaking multiple records and winning three medals, including two gold, at the Tokyo Paralympics. De Rozario speaks to reporter Kieran Pender about her sometimes bumpy rise to wheelchair-racing fame and the power of the Paralympics as a vehicle for changeRead more: Continue reading...

The Comédie-Française is celebrating the 17th-century dramatist by recreating Tartuffe, the play that outraged the Catholic church and almost ended his careerFrench theatre is gearing up to pay tribute to one of its founding fathers: Molière, the 17th-century playwright whose biting comedies still form many French schoolchildren’s introduction to drama. On 15 January, 400 years after his baptism (the exact date of his birth is unknown), the venerable Comédie-Française company will open this anniversary year with the play that came perilously close to sinking Molière’s career: Tartuffe.While the first version of the play got the approval of Louis XIV himself in 1664, its satire of Catholic zealots drew the ire of the Catholic church. At the time, accusations of impiety could send a playwright to the stake, and Tartuffe was swiftly forbidden. Yet Molière persisted, switching gears and rewriting the play to suggest that his target wasn’t religion or true believers – but rather the hypocrisy of those who feign virtue. (The word “tartuffe” came to describe such characters in life, too.) Continue reading...

Students will resume classes a year above where they left in March 2020, minister says

Coming of age day is a Japanese holiday held every January to celebrate those who have reached 20, the official age of adulthood in Japan. Many ceremonies around the country have been scaled back as authorities continue to implement measures to tackle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic Continue reading...

Latest updates: prime minister says there is ‘argument to be had’ about isolation as spokesperson says government would like cut to happen ‘soon’

Asymptomatic and Covid-negative staff cleared to return to work in Australia’s disrupted food supply chain

French government wants whole bloc to act despite warnings other member states have no appetiteFrance will press the EU to negotiate an asylum and migration treaty with the UK in an attempt to deter people from making the dangerous Channel crossing.The French government, which last week took up the six-month rotating presidency of the EU council of ministers, wants the whole bloc to act, despite warnings that other member states have no appetite for a migration treaty with Britain. Continue reading...

Global heating continued unabated with extreme weather rife and greenhouse gases hitting new highsThe last seven years were the world’s hottest on record, with the first analysis of global temperature in 2021 showing it was 1.2C above pre-industrial levels.The assessment of the year, by the European climate agency Copernicus, also found carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached record levels and that the potent greenhouse gas methane surged “very substantially”, also to a new record. Continue reading...

Jane Campion’s colossal western and Steven Spielberg’s passionate West Side Story revival head up a list that snubs more transgressive offerings

Russian president says Moscow-led military bloc will take steps to ensure any future interference in region failsVladimir Putin has claimed the unrest in Kazakhstan last week that killed at least 164 people was the result of foreign meddling, and said a Russian-led military bloc should take steps to ensure future attempts to interfere in the region failed.“The events in Kazakhstan are not the first and far from the last attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of our states from the outside,” said the Russian president, who was speaking at a video conference of leaders of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a military alliance that deployed around 2,500 troops to Kazakhstan this week at the request of Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Continue reading...