World news | The Guardian

Cloud Bai-Yun was asked to resign from Ecctis, which runs language and qualifications tests for UK visa applicantsAn entrepreneur who represented the UK on an ethics body was asked to resign from a company running government visa services after officials found it made a 13.64m gain on its not-for-profit contract.After the discovery of years of profit-making, the company, Ecctis, repaid the money to the government and a number of executives, including Cloud Bai-Yun, stood down from the firm, which runs language tests and qualification recognition for people applying for UK visas. Continue reading...

Troubleshooter for four previous prime ministers is charged with saving adult social care sector

Anti-corruption officials say they faced human wall of 200 presidential personnel at his official residence

British clothing and home furnishings brand sold by Gordon Brothers to Marquee BrandsLaura Ashley has been acquired by New York-based Marquee Brands, the owner of 17 businesses including Ben Sherman and Martha Stewart.The clothing and home furnishings brand, best known for its floaty floral frocks, has been sold by Gordon Brothers. Continue reading...

Wes Streeting hit back at claims that Casey commission would take too long to act, saying it's reporting next year'

Prefectures in north hit by falls of up to 30cm in a day as similar weather pattern affects parts of north AmericaHeavy snow fell across northern Japan on Thursday, with the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, Yamagata and Niigata particularly affected. Accumulations of 20-30cm over a 24-hour period were recorded across the affected areas, with local totals of more than 30cm near Aomori City.The snowfall was a result of heavy showers generated by a cold airmass moving in from the north-west across the relatively warm waters of the Sea of Japan. This resulted in warming of the lowest levels of the atmosphere, leading to rising motion and convective shower development caused by the increased moisture. Ascent was further aided by the mountainous terrain across northern Japan. Continue reading...

Officials entered the presidential compound to find themselves blocked by troops under the control of the presidential security service

Amazon mandates full five days and BT and Asda want staff in the office three times a week - but not everyone is convinced

Warrants for the arrest of Codye Thomson and Kaine Thomson-Gleeson have been issued over the killing of 23-year-old in Caboolture

Body recovered from water after tragic accident near a picnic area on the Duckholes Trail in Ku-ring-gai Chase national park

The prominence of the US flag at conservative rallies reflects a complex intersection of religion, politics and identity that defines South Korea's far-right movement

Investigations under way after jetski crashed into mangroves on the Barron River north of the Stratford Boat Ramp in far north Queensland

Witnesses say 28-year-old from Port Lincoln was attacked just after 7pm on Thursday while surfing south of Streaky bay on the Eyre peninsula

Helen Pidd attends the PDC World Darts Championship to find out why the sport has grown in popularity in recent yearsEver since the then 16-year-old Luke Littler stormed to the final of the World Darts Championship last year, Britain has gone darts mad.Tickets for this year's tournament sold out in record time. Today in Focus presenter Helen Pidd and producer Tom Glasser were lucky enough to get two, and they went along to see what the fuss is all about. Continue reading...

Eighteen-year-old was stopped in West Tamworth early Friday and allegedly resisted arrest before riding off and crashing into parked car, police say

Man in his 50s was reported missing on Thursday night when he failed to return after attempting a walk from Cockle Creek, on the South Coast Track

But final report on reforms would not emerge until 2028, which health leaders say is kicking crisis into the long grass'

Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia had fled to Spain after Nicolas Maduro declared victory in July electionsVenezuelan authorities have announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of exiled opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who insists he beat President Nicolas Maduro at the polls.Police published on social media a photo of the previously little-known ex-diplomat with the word wanted" under the image. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data from 524 firefighters who risked their lives showed 136 reported life-changing conditionsMore than a quarter of firefighters exposed to toxic smoke during the Grenfell Tower fire have had long-term health disorders, a study shows.Ministers are facing demands for an urgent review after data from 524 firefighters who risked their lives at the 2017 disaster showed that over the first three years, 136 reported life-changing conditions. These included 11 cases of cancer, 64 respiratory diseases, 22 neurological disorders and 66 digestive illnesses. Continue reading...

Suspect, 37, who authorities believe shot and killed himself before Tesla vehicle detonated, served as Green BeretThe person who died when a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives burst into flames outside the hotel in Las Vegas part-owned by Donald Trump was a highly decorated US army Green Beret who was deployed twice to Afghanistan, officials have said.The driver and lone occupant of the electric-powered Tesla Cybertruck that caught fire and exploded has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Continue reading...

Utah-born singer dies at hospital after massive stroke', making him first of hugely successful US pop group to dieWayne Osmond, the smooth baritone of pop group the Osmond Brothers and later the Osmonds, has died at the age of 73. Osmond died at a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a massive stroke", according to his brother Merrill Osmond.I've never known a man that had more humility," Merrill Osmond wrote on Facebook. A man with absolute no guile. An individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met." Continue reading...

Pro-Russia Moldovan region suffers major hit after Ukraine ends transit agreement, with only food producers functioningThe shutdown of Russian gas supplies to Moldova's breakaway Transnistria region has forced the closure of all industrial companies except food producers.The mainly Russian-speaking territory of about 450,000 people, which split from Moldova in the 1990s as the Soviet Union collapsed, has suffered a painful and immediate hit from Wednesday's cut-off of Russian gas supplies to central and eastern Europe via Ukraine. Continue reading...

Nazir Afzal and police whistleblower Maggie Oliver say previous lengthy inquiries were not acted upon

Total of 46,843 people broke the 2023 record, with nationals from Mali, Senegal and Morocco the most commonA record 46,843 people reached the Canary Islands illegally in 2024 via the increasingly deadly Atlantic route, the second consecutive year of unprecedented arrival numbers, according to official data.Last year Spain received 63,970 irregular migrants, the vast majority in the Canaries, up from 56,852 in 2023, the interior ministry said on Thursday. Continue reading...

The FBI believes the attacker acted alone, but he has been linked to Islamic State and such violence tends to clusterAs investigators examine the terrorist attack in New Orleans on Wednesday, they will be hoping to answer three questions: who was responsible, how was the attack executed, and why? All will be vital to answering the most pressing question of all: will there be another attack in the immediate hours or days to come?Their first priority will have been to identify the attacker. The FBI has said it believes Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old who drove a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating the new year, acted alone. He hired a vehicle and procured an assault rifle, as well as body armour and ammunition. He also fabricated what appeared to be several pipe bombs containing plastic explosives, which he may have positioned to target police. Continue reading...

UK public health agency issues amber alert for social care in England, as country braces itself for heavy snowPublic health bosses in the UK are expecting a rise in deaths from cold weather, amid severe weather warnings for snow and ice over the next five days.The UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an amber alert for social care in England, saying vulnerable people were at risk as the country braced for heavy snow and ice going into the weekend. Continue reading...

Party loses overall control of Broxtowe borough council over claims Labour has abandoned traditional valuesTwenty councillors at a local authority in Nottinghamshire have quit Labour, saying the party has abandoned traditional Labour values" under Keir Starmer's leadership.The move means Labour has lost overall control of Broxtowe borough council, which it gained in 2023, and those defecting include the council leader, Milan Radulovic, who had been a party member for 42 years. Continue reading...

The embattled Republican can only afford to lose one vote as GOP prepares to elect its congressional leaderMike Johnson's grip on the House speakership faces a crucial test on Friday, as mounting opposition from within his own Republican party threatens to derail his re-election bid, despite receiving an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump.With Republicans holding a razor-thin 219-215 majority in the House, Johnson can only afford to lose one vote - a threshold already reached after the Kentucky representative Thomas Massie publicly declared his intention to vote against the incumbent speaker. Continue reading...

Knitwear designer was regarded as fashion royalty for bringing Italian ready-to-wear industry to global marketRosita Missoni, the esteemed Italian fashion designer who co-founded the eponymous knitwear brand, has died aged 93.Internationally admired for her colourful fashion house, which she established with her husband, Ottavio, in 1953, Missoni came to be regarded as fashion royalty for being one of a group of designers who brought the Italian ready-to-wear industry to a global market in the 1950s and 60s. Continue reading...

Police say they are treating Aidan Chapman's death as homicide and will review charges over incidentA man who was among four pedestrians hit by a car on Christmas Day in London's West End has died in hospital, the Metropolitan police said. They named him as Aidan Chapman.Chapman, 25, was seriously injured in the incident on Shaftesbury Avenue and died on New Year's Eve. Police said they were treating the death as homicide and an isolated incident which is not terror-related", and that a postmortem examination would take place in due course. Continue reading...

President cautions against jumping to conclusions' while president-elect labels country a disaster'

Director general of Gaza police among 11 reportedly killed in al-Mawasi encampment, designated a civilian safe zone

Foreign ministry summons ambassador as Cecilia Sala reportedly tells family she sleeps on floor of prison cellItaly's foreign ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday and urged the immediate release of an Italian journalist held in solitary confinement in Tehran.Cecilia Sala, a 29-year-old freelance journalist for Il Foglio newspaper and a podcaster, reportedly spoke of the harsh conditions of her detainment in the notorious Evin prison, including having to sleep on the floor of her cell without a mattress. Continue reading...

Musical theatre company, which runs eight venues in London, said healthy boost in revenues was offset

Explosives brought in from Poland and the Czech Republic are combined with household items for a bigger bangGerman officials have called for a clampdown on illegally imported and homemade firework bombs" after pyrotechnics for personal use killed at least five people across the country on New Year's Eve.The use of personal firecrackers is widespread and only lightly regulated in Germany, leading to hundreds of injuries and massive deployments of police and first responders in cities at the end of every year. Continue reading...

Arlene Holmes-Henderson wants all children in UK to have equal access to classical educationMy business school colleagues tell me that it's not called levelling up any more, it's rebalancing," says Arlene Holmes-Henderson, a Durham University professor. I think it's just doing the right thing."Holmes-Henderson is discussing her mission to help fix a problem many people don't know or think about, though she thinks they should. She wants people to care about the classics, and for all children in the UK to have equal access to classical education, whether that's the gladiators of Rome, or knowing your khaos from your chiasmus. Continue reading...

Alan Thorpe is Britain's last certified fixer of the Perkins brailler, a machine vital for teaching blind children to read and writeAlan Thorpe runs his fingers over the braille note attached to the latest repair job to arrive at his doorstep in Sheffield. Reading from the tactile note, he says: The paper won't wind in and the keys are jammed. Good luck."Thorpe, 60, is the only certified repairer in the UK of Perkins braille typewriters, the world's most widely used braille machines. Despite advances in digital technology, these 6kg analogue machines are still a vital communication tool for blind users and are especially crucial for teaching blind children to read and write. Continue reading...

Rapper banned from driving for nine months after pleading guilty to using mobile behind wheel of car in LondonStormzy has been banned from driving for nine months after an undercover police officer caught him using a mobile phone while behind the wheel of a Rolls-Royce in west London.The rapper, named Michael Ebenazer Owuo Junior, 31, pleaded guilty via a letter to driving the Rolls-Royce Wraith while using his device on Addison Road, west Kensington, shortly after 3.30pm on 7 March last year. Continue reading...

Finnish real estate company says deal for sports and entertainment venue will restore it to its former gloryHelsinki's main sports and entertainment arena is expected to reopen in the spring after getting caught in a Russian sanctions drama that left it disused, without power and starting to smell.Helsinki arena, also known as Helsinki Ice Hall, has been closed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, when its Russian oligarch owners were subjected to sanctions from the EU and US, which meant they were boycotted by the entertainment industry, and banks and insurance companies refused to provide essential services. The last events to be held at the 14,000-capacity venue were an ice hockey game and the televised Finnish sport gala in January 2022. Continue reading...

Hungarian gymnast survived persecution of Jews in second world war and won five golds across two GamesThe Hungarian five-time Olympic champion gymnast Agnes Keleti, the world's oldest living Olympic gold medallist and a survivor of the persecution of Jews in the second world war, has died at the age of 103, the Hungarian Olympic Committee (HOC) said.Born as Agnes Klein in Budapest on 9 January 1921, Keleti joined the National Gymnastics Association in 1938 and won her first Hungarian championship in 1940, only to be banned from all sports activities that year because of her Jewish heritage. Continue reading...

Police identify attacker as 45-year-old Aleksandar Martinovi, who they say opened fire in a bar after a fightTwelve people, including two children, have been killed and four others seriously injured in southern Montenegro, authorities have said, in shootings that began in a restaurant and ended when the gunman shot himself in the head.The shooter, identified as Aleksandar Martinovi, 45, turned his weapon on himself after being cornered by police near his home in Cetinje, a small town about 40km (25 miles) west of the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, the interior minister, Danilo aranovi, said. Continue reading...

Pressure builds on authorities to establish cause of crash which killed 179 peoplePolice in South Korea have raided Muan international airport, the scene of Sunday's plane crash, in which 179 people died, as well as the office of the airline that operated the flight, media reports said.Jeju Air flight 2216 was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed on the runaway, before crashing into a barrier and bursting into flames. Two flight attendants survived the crash, the worst aviation disaster on the country's soil. Continue reading...

Cost of average home in December reaches 269,426, with value increasing over year by almost 12,000House prices rose for a fourth consecutive month in December, ending 2024 on a strong footing", Nationwide said, with the cost of an average home hitting 269,426.The building society's monthly tracker found prices in December rose 0.7% on the previous month and were up 4.7% on an annual basis. Continue reading...

Discount grocer records 7% increase in four weeks leading up to Christmas EveLidl made more than 1bn in sales in the run-up to Christmas for the first time in the three decades the discount grocer has been operating in the UK as cash-strapped shoppers cut costs.The German-owned discounter, which is close to overtaking Morrisons to become the UK's fifth biggest supermarket chain, said it made more than 1bn in sales in the four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve. Continue reading...

Electric Vehicles UK says hybrids without a plug should be banned or else confidence in electric cars will be damagedBritain needs to press ahead with a ban on the sale of new hybrid cars with no plug from 2030 or risk taking a catastrophic misstep" on the road to net zero, ministers have been warned.Cars such as the Toyota Prius, which charge a battery from an internal combustion engine, need to be excluded from the list of vehicles sold in the UK from 2030 or there will be a profound" fall in confidence in the government's commitment to electric motoring, according to the representative body Electric Vehicles UK (EVUK). Continue reading...

Yoon issues letter to supporters as he faces arrest over declaration of martial law and alleged insurrectionSouth Korea's impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has rallied his supporters in a letter saying he will fight until the end" as he faces an attempt by authorities to arrest him over his short-lived declaration of martial law, a lawyer said.I am watching on YouTube live all the hard work you are doing," Yoon wrote late on Wednesday to the hundreds of supporters who had gathered near his official residence to protest against the investigation into him. Continue reading...

Multiple calls made to triple zero before 39-year-old found critically injured outside high-rise unit block on River Road in Parramatta

Previous government spent almost 1m trying to prevent release of documents in 56 legal casesMore than 50,000 of taxpayers' money was spent on lawyers to try to prevent the release of a safeguarding review ordered after a disabled man starved to death in his own home.The costs were part of a bill of nearly 1m spent under the last government to prevent the release of various documents under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act. Continue reading...

Man believed to be in his 30s fatally shot by officers outside Manning hospital in Taree on the mid-north coast

Airline sends support staff to Nadi after reports of assault during a night out in the early hours of 1 January