World news | The Guardian

Glen Coleman sentenced to minimum two years' jail after sexually touching 19-year-old without her consent in 2022

South Korea's capital has been hit by some of the heaviest snowfall in a century, with dangerous conditions wreaking havoc on transportSouth Korea grappled with heavy snowfall for a second day on Thursday, with dozens of flights cancelled, ferry operations suspended and at least four people reported dead in a bitter winter, though conditions showed signs of easing.Thursday's snowfall was the third-heaviest in capital Seoul since records began in 1907, the Yonhap news agency said, citing city data. The previous day broke all snowfall records for November. Continue reading...

All Victorians and many Australians need to prepare for multi-hazard events', warns Bureau of Meteorology

Health Services Safety Investigation Body reveals difficulties inmates have when they leave jail for treatmentA female inmate remained handcuffed to a male prison officer while she had a mammogram, in an example of prisoners being denied their dignity while receiving NHS care, a watchdog has revealed.The incident is highlighted in a report by the Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) into the difficulties prisoners can face when they leave jail to see a GP or visit a hospital. Continue reading...

Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey among properties being searched by officers investigating banned groupUK-based Kurdish advocacy groups have condemned the arrest of seven people by counter-terrorism police in London as part of an investigation into the banned Kurdistan Workers' party, known as the PKK.Four men aged 23, 27, 56 and 62, and two women aged 31 and 59, were arrested at separate addresses during dawn raids in the capital on Wednesday and remain in custody, the Metropolitan police said. A 31-year-old man was arrested Wednesday afternoon in west London. All are yet to be charged. Continue reading...

Operation Orion, a cooperative operation between 62 countries, busted narco submarines carrying drugsColombian authorities, in a joint operation with 61 other countries, have uncovered a new drug trafficking route to Australia using narco-submarines", seizing 225 tonnes of cocaine, in a new global record for any single anti-narcotics operation.In the six-week Operation Orion, law enforcement agencies halted six semi-submersible vessels stuffed with cocaine and confiscated 1,400 tonnes of drugs in total, including more than 1,000 tonnes of marijuana. Continue reading...

Scale of the criminality would make Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, one of Britain's most notorious sex offendersPolice believe Mohamed Al Fayed may have raped and abused more than 111 women over nearly four decades, with his youngest victim said to have been just 13 years old.The scale of the criminality would make Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, one of Britain's most notorious sex offenders, and raises urgent questions about how he got away with his crimes. Continue reading...

Regional leaders meet after undersea telecoms cables severed, while Chinese ship remains at anchor nearbyThe Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has said the Baltic sea is now a high risk" zone as he met Nordic and Baltic leaders days after a suspected sabotage attack on undersea cables.The Swedish prime minister declined to speculate on who may have been responsible for the severing of two fibre optic telecoms cables in the Baltic last week. A Chinese ship - the Yi Peng 3 - that sailed over the cables about the time they were severed has remained anchored in the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark since 19 November. Continue reading...

For Women Scotland is challenging ruling extending definition of woman' to transgender women with GRCTransgender people have a fundamental right" to be recognised in their legally acquired gender, the supreme court has heard in a case brought by Scottish campaigners to resolve how women are defined in law.For Women Scotland is challenging a prior ruling by the court of session in Edinburgh, which found that Scottish government guidance extending the definition of woman" to transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) was lawful. Continue reading...

Joe Biden may have revived diplomatic efforts, but after compromising in Lebanon, Netanyahu has even less leeway in GazaJoe Biden has revived diplomatic efforts to achieve a truce in Gaza with the hope of building on momentum generated by the newly agreed ceasefire in Lebanon.There are doubts, however, that such momentum exists outside the Biden administration, which is anxious to use its last few weeks to salvage scraps of diplomatic honour after the bloody past 14 months in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Party leader could revive deportations for people who arrive on small boats but did not recommit to Rwanda planKemi Badenoch is considering a new cap on visas if the Conservatives return to power and has admitted that previous Tory governments had failed to keep their promises on immigration.In her first policy intervention as party leader, she also said pulling out of human rights laws may not be the most radical thing" that her future government will have to do to control the flow of people into the UK. Continue reading...

Group to say GMB is breaching Equality Act duties by failing to properly investigate sexual harassment and bullying claimsA dozen former and current GMB staffers and members are planning to complain to the equalities watchdog about allegations of institutional sexism and women being bullied out of their roles at the trade union.The group plans to argue to the Equality and Human Rights Commission that the GMB is failing to adequately investigate sexual harassment and bullying claims, which could be a breach of its duties under the Equality Act. Continue reading...

People are relieved to be home but face having to re-build lives among destroyed homes and villagesBefore the ceasefire had even come into effect, Zeinab and Dina were already driving south. The two sisters had been forced to flee to Tripoli, northern Lebanon, for 64 days - they had counted - and they could not bear another day without seeing home.We were laughing and crying at the same time when we heard the news of the ceasefire. We were packing our stuff and still we didn't believe it was happening, it was like a dream," said Zeinab Beezeh, a 28-year-old resident of the town of Zibqeen, south Lebanon.

Children's commissioner Rachel de Souza calls for urgent review after leak of CCTV footage from Whitefield schoolThe children's commissioner for England has called for an urgent review of the use of restraint and calming rooms" after leaked CCTV footage showed autistic children being pushed into a padded space where they were left distressed, self-harming and sitting in vomit.Footage obtained by the BBC as part of a three-year investigation into allegations of abuse and mistreatment of vulnerable children at a north London special school between 2014 and 2017 reveals for the first time the graphic reality of what happened. Continue reading...

Presenter who joined BBC in 1998 says her time at corporation has involved many memorable moments'Mishal Husain, the Today programme presenter and one of the BBC's highest-profile news journalists, is to leave the broadcaster for a new role at Bloomberg, she has confirmed.Husain has presented the flagship morning radio show since 2013, where she has won praise for her calm but forensic interviewing style. In 25 years at the BBC, she has become one of the key faces of BBC news, having hosted several recent general election debates and held key roles at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth and King Charles's coronation. Continue reading...

Multiple protesters said to be killed and dozens injured in Islamabad as supporters demanded Khan's release from jailPakistan's army and police have been accused of firing on civilians, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries to dozens of protesters who had stormed Islamabad on Tuesday to demand the release of the former prime minister Imran Khan from prison.As tens of thousands of Khan's supporters stormed the capital on Tuesday in defiance of government orders, the army and paramilitary forces were deployed in huge numbers and issued shoot to kill orders to try to stop the crowds reaching the heart of Islamabad's sensitive Red Zone which houses the parliament, supreme court and prime minister's residence. Continue reading...

1971 letter proposes group including Klaus Voormann and Phil Spector to bring back the balls in rock'n'roll'John Lennon wanted Eric Clapton to join a supergroup alongside Phil Spector in the early 1970s in order to bring back the balls in rock'n'roll", according to an eight-page letter that is being auctioned.The letter was written a few weeks after the release of Imagine and showed Lennon considering a dramatic shift in styles as his nascent post-Beatles solo career was taking off. Continue reading...

Stunned workers at London meat market first established in 1133 say closure will mean end of a way of lifeThe junction at Cowcross Street marks the place where for centuries cattle were driven daily to London's Smithfield Market. Nearby Cock Lane is another street name linked to the meat and poultry trade centred here since the 12th century, although some accounts attribute its origin to it being the only licensed place for sex work in the medieval city.Soon these will be among the last vestiges of a truly historic site that was central to London life, feeding the city's people, dispensing justice as a place of public execution and even, in a shameful chapter from the early 19th century, providing a place where a man wishing to avoid a costly divorce could sell his wife. Continue reading...

Luxury car maker wants to drive electrification and boost growth by taking on further debt and issuing new shares

Former foreign secretary and Oxford graduate wins online vote, ending hopes a woman would fill role for first timeThe former foreign secretary William Hague has been elected as Oxford University's next chancellor, ending hopes that a woman would fill the role for the first time in Oxford's 800-year history.In the first ever online election for the ceremonial role, Hague triumphed over Elish Angiolini, the principal of Oxford's St Hugh's College and former lord advocate of Scotland, and Jan Royall, the principal of Somerville College, who finished second and third respectively. Continue reading...

MPs to vote according to conscience on legalisation of assisted dying on Friday, with many undeclared UK politics live - latest updatesEsther Rantzen, whose terminal cancer diagnosis led her to campaign for the legalisation of assisted dying, has issued an impassioned plea to MPs to vote this week on a vital life and death issue".The television personality told MPs my time is running out" but the issue was one the public care desperately about". Continue reading...

A ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group has come into effect after 14 months of fighting

Double takes' as British Columbia mountain community tries to figure out how local animal came to don neon jacketIn a town of fewer than 1,000 people, it can be hard to keep a secret. And yet no one in McBride, a mountain community in British Columbia, can figure out how a local deer came to be wearing a zipped-up high-visibility jacket - or why the day-glo-clad cervid has been so hard to track down.The mystery began on Sunday, when Andrea Arnold was driving along the snowy outskirts of McBride on Sunday and witnessed a sight so baffling she slowed her vehicle to a crawl. Continue reading...

Reports of cars heading south inside Lebanon despite Israeli army warning displaced residents not to return home immediately

Min Aung Hlaing accused of crimes against humanity over deportation and persecution of Rohingya minorityThe prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) said he would seek an arrest warrant for Myanmar's military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, for crimes against humanity over the alleged persecution of the Rohingya, a mainly Muslim minority.A panel of three judges will decide if there are reasonable grounds" to believe Gen Min Aung Hlaing bears criminal responsibility for the deportation and persecution of Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Continue reading...

Roger Cook says he spoke to highest level' of federal government to reiterate his view the environment bills in their current form should not be progressed'

Worries about animal euthanasia and mishandling of complaints from students about racism among concernsThe University of Cambridge's prestigious veterinary course could be stripped of its professional accreditation after regulators uncovered ethical concerns" over animal euthanasia and mishandling of complaints from students who experienced racism and discrimination.Investigators from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) said Cambridge's veterinary medicine course failed to meet 50 out of 77 standards, and the head of department warned students they may not be able to work in the UK without additional qualifications. Continue reading...

Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss express opposition to change in law as MPs prepare to voteThree former Conservative prime ministers are against the assisted dying bill, it has been revealed.Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have expressed their opposition to a change in the law, days before MPs vote on assisted dying proposals affecting patients in England and Wales for the first time in almost a decade. Continue reading...

Lecturer questions if academics will have to explain context of every phrase they use, saying those who speak up on Palestine would be affected

One Nation leader says justice's decision raised alarm among Australians that their freedom of speech is constantly under threat'

Coroner urged not to sugarcoat' police officer's actions as inquest nears end

First day of snowfall this season is heaviest on record, says weather bureauSouth Korea's capital has been blanketed by what the weather agency said was the heaviest November snowfall since records began over a century ago. It was the first snowfall of this year's winter.The Korea Meteorological Administration said 16.5cm (6.5 inches) of snow fell by 7am on Wednesday, compared with Seoul's previous record of 12.4cm on 28 November 1972. It was the heaviest snowfall since records began in 1907, the KMA said. Continue reading...

A growing number feel single parenthood is liberating and only a sense of shame' around it is holding women backIt was Covid that gave Amy, 45, the final push to have fertility treatment on her own. I had been thinking about it for a while, and then with Covid, I thought: I'm never gonna meet anybody.' And I didn't really want to be that woman who's like: Hey, we've been on one internet date. Let's have a baby!"Amy struck lucky with her first embryo transfer and is now the mother of a three-year-old. I feel very blessed," she said. Continue reading...

Laila Soueif is to meet the foreign secretary, who in opposition called for the release of Alaa Abd el-FattahThe British-born mother of an Egyptian political prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 58 days is preparing to meet the foreign secretary, David Lammy, to urge him to secure her son's release.Laila Soueif's son Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British and Egyptian dual citizen who wrote eloquently about the Arab spring and its aftermath, was jailed for five years for spreading false news". He was due to be released in September, but has not been freed. Continue reading...

Director showcases images of the suffragettes, Kinder Scout trespasses and anti-fascist protests in LondonAfter retelling the story of the Blitz from a new angle, Steve McQueen's next project is an alternative photographic history of protest and campaigning in Britain, spanning a century from the suffragettes to the Iraq war protests.Resistance will open at Margate's Turner Contemporary in February 2025, which the gallery's director said would show how photography has really acted as a kind of catalyst for change" in the UK. Continue reading...

Penrith in city's west reached 39.9C on Wednesday as premier called on residents to cut back on power usage between 3pm and 8pm

Lawyers for the disgraced movie mogul prepare lawsuit accusing Rikers Island jail of negligence and failing to provide adequate medical treatmentHarvey Weinstein's lawyers have filed a legal claim against New York City alleging he is receiving substandard medical treatment in unhygienic conditions while in custody at the Rikers Island jail complex.The notice of claim - the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city - accuses the facility of failing to manage the former movie mogul's medical conditions, which include chronic myeloid leukemia and diabetes, and negligence ranging from freezing" conditions to a lack of clean clothes. Continue reading...

Policy costs surging for many households, committee report finds, especially those facing the brunt of climate-driven disasters'

Wildlife group claims win as environment department says granting licence for bird was an error'

Swapo party could lose its majority for the first time since independence in 1990, if youth voter turnout is highNamibians are going to the polls with the longtime ruling party's parliamentary majority under threat if dissatisfied young people turn out in big numbers amid a wave of anti-incumbent sentiment globally.The Swapo party could also be forced to contest a second round in the presidential election for the first time since the sparsely populated southern African country became independent from South Africa in 1990. Continue reading...

Prior to Wednesday's figues, both headline and underlying inflation had retreated for five consecutive months

National Audit Office finds significant uncertainty' as to whether pledge for extra 1.5m treatments will be fulfilledPlans to end the deepening crisis in access to NHS dental care are failing, leaving patients unable to get treatment, according to a warning from the government's spending watchdog.The National Audit Office's (NAO) damning verdict on the dental recovery plan" prompted patient groups to voice alarm that people's struggles with decayed teeth represents a serious public health concern". Continue reading...

Stellantis says it will shift production from Bedfordshire to plant at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

Exclusive: James McGovern and Thomas Massie warn US president they are deeply concerned' the WikiLeaks founder's plea deal sets worrying precedent

Members' venue in central London popular with the media and arts world closes as police inquiry explores recent crimeThe Groucho Club has been forced to close as police investigate whether the venue was the scene of a serious criminal offence.On Tuesday Westminster council ruled that the licence of the club, which counts many A-list celebrities among its members, should be immediately suspended for 28 days. A full hearing will then take place. Continue reading...

Senior Brazil military figures backed plot to seize power after Bolsonaro's election defeat, federal documents allegeBrazil came within a whisker of a far-right military coup and the assassination of a supreme court judge just days before President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took power in January 2023, a federal police report has claimed.The report about the alleged plot to help the rightwing populist Jair Bolsonaro cling to power was made public on Tuesday, and paints a chilling portrait of how close one of the world's largest democracies came to being plunged back into authoritarian rule. Continue reading...

Kiena Dawes left note saying she was murdered' by Ryan Wellings, who is standing trial for her manslaughterA young mother killed herself and left a note saying I was murdered" after suffering years of abuse at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, a court has heard.Kiena Dawes, 23, a hairdresser, said in her note that Ryan Wellings killed me", a jury heard. Continue reading...

Child was found severely malnourished, unable to walk or speak and had never seen daylight before her rescueThe mother of a three-year-old girl who was kept in a drawer and had never seen daylight or another human face has been jailed for more than seven years.The girl was found severely malnourished and unable to walk or speak in February 2023 by a partner of her mother's who had gone upstairs to use the toilet and heard a noise that sounded like a baby. Continue reading...

Kremlin bans UK cabinet ministers including Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Yveette Cooper from entering countryThe Federation of Small Businesses applauds the ambition in the government's Get Britain Working, but says that overcoming the pervasive poverty of ambition" about employment in the public sector won't be easy. This is from Tina McKenzie, the FSB's policy chair.This is a start - but only a start - in fixing the pervasive poverty of ambition in the Jobcentre, health and other state systems when it comes to getting people back into work. Increasing employment is ultimately the most sure-fire way to drive up living standards and economic growth.

City of London Corporation rejects plan for new Dagenham site and will offer traders about 300m in compensationLondon's historic Smithfield meat market is to close for good after the City of London Corporation voted to pull out of plans to relocate it and Billingsgate fish market to Dagenham.The corporation, which owns and operates the central London site of the centuries-old market, had earlier this month put on hold relocation plans to a new 1bn site in Dagenham, east London, to review the financial sustainability" of the planned move. Continue reading...