World news | The Guardian

Company hails battery another significant milestone in AGL's decarbonisation pathway and the transition of its energy portfolio'

MP tells Covid inquiry that then prime minister's chief of staff ignored repeated attempts to discuss matterPenny Mordaunt has told the Covid inquiry that a series of WhatsApp messages with Boris Johnson mysteriously disappeared from her phone, and that Johnson's then chief of staff ignored 14 attempts by her to arrange a meeting to discuss the matter.In a further twist to the saga of 5,000 WhatsApp messages lost by Johnson, Mordaunt said she was told by Cabinet Office officials it would cost about 40,000 to examine her phone to determine what had happened. Continue reading...

Twenty-year-old British student killed by Michel Fourniret, Monique Olivier's ex-husband, in 1990The ex-wife of the French serial killer Michel Fourniret has been found guilty of complicity in the murder of British student Joanna Parrish and two other French victims.Monique Olivier, 75, had admitted the accusations, but a panel of three judges and six jurors still took more than 10 hours to find her guilty after a three-week trial. Continue reading...

Labour given chance to win back seat after Tory MP found to have subjected staff member to bullying and sexual misconductLabour will get a chance to win back Wellingborough after voters there chose to trigger a byelection after the suspension of their MP, Peter Bone.The recall petition was opened when the former minister was suspended from parliament for six weeks after a watchdog found he had bullied a staff member and exposed his genitals near their face. Continue reading...

Ruth Baza, 51, said previous allegations against Depardieu provoked flashes' of memory of alleged 30-year-old assaultA Spanish journalist and author has filed a criminal complaint in Spain against Gerard Depardieu, claiming that the film star raped her nearly 30 years ago in Paris.Ruth Baza, 51, told AFP she filed the complaint with Spanish police on Thursday, saying the alleged rape happened when she interviewed the actor in Paris on 12 October 1995, for the magazine Cinemania. Continue reading...

John Joel Joseph, an opponent of the late president's party, is third of 11 suspects charged for plotting to assassinate Jovenel MoiseA former Haitian senator has been sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to kill Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in 2021, an assassination which caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.John Joel Joseph is the third of 11 suspects detained and charged in Miami to be sentenced in what US prosecutors have described as a plot hatched in Haiti and Florida to hire mercenaries to kidnap or kill Moise, who was 53 when he was shot dead at his private home near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on 7 July 2021. Continue reading...

In liaison committee appearance, PM also says he cannot say when he will deliver on stop the boats' pledgeRishi Sunak has refused to disclose whether any airline would be willing to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda, amid concerns they could face reputational damage if the deportation plan gets off the ground.The prime minister said he was confident that the UK government would be able to send asylum seekers to the African state but did not reveal whether any airlines had agreed to participate, citing commercial confidentiality. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Significant' number of staff sacked from digger firm after drug and alcohol testsJCB, one of the UK's biggest manufacturers, is investigating a spate of drug use among workers based at its headquarters and has sacked a significant" number of staff, the Guardian can reveal.A message sent to UK employees last week by the digger-maker's group human resources director, Max Jeffery, seen by the Guardian, said it had been conducting a series of investigations into substance misuse" over the past two months. This had resulted in a small but significant number of people leaving JCB". Continue reading...

Ukraine president seeks to boost morale after difficult year as Russian opponent claims to hold initiativeThe leaders of Ukraine and Russia have struck a defiant tone and vowed to reach their military goals as the war heads toward its third year.Speaking in Kyiv during his end-of-year press conference, Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought to boost the domestic mood and maintain western support that has been stuttering in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Ukraine's president is speaking to the world's media at an end-of-year press conferenceRussian air defences downed a hostile drone near Moscow on Tuesday, the city mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, has said. No casualties were reported.Two Moscow airports, Vnukovo and Domodedovo, had restricted flights, a measure often taken during drone attacks. Continue reading...

Grindavik residents had been preparing to spend Christmas back at home after being evacuatedUntil just after 10pm on Monday, when the earth opened up and spat out an otherworldly 4km-long wall of lava, Sigrun Isdal had been planning to spend Christmas at home in Grindavik with her family. Like many residents of the fishing town on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula, who were all evacuated on 10 November, she had been preparing to move back after more than a month spent in the limbo of temporary accommodation.Isdal, who works at Grindavik sports centre, had even been in the town briefly on Monday evening to pick up a few possessions, as residents have recently been allowed to do. There was just good weather and I didn't see anything," she said. Continue reading...

Jonathan Coad, who represented former Tory peer, says sorry for unwittingly misleading the mediaA lawyer who represented Michelle Mone has offered an unqualified apology" for incorrectly claiming she was not connected to a firm that received PPE contracts worth 200m during the coronavirus pandemic.Two other lawyers who acted for the former Conservative peer, telling the media she was not connected to or involved in the company, PPE Medpro, said client confidentiality limited what they could say about the matter. Continue reading...

The prime minister has been facing questions on his government's performance from senior MPs on the Commons liaison committeeSocial care leaders felt blindsided" by recently announced changes to visa rules banning care workers from bringing their families to the UK and have grave concerns" it could drive people from the sector, the Commons health committee heard this morning. PA Media has filed this from the hearing.The head of Care England, which represents social care providers across the country, criticised a lack of consultation with the sector, saying it left them particularly concerned, annoyed and irritated".Prof Martin Green, its chief executive, told the committee the system is currently already creaking at the edges" due to a lack of funding, and spoke of the chronic workforce shortage" it faces.Today's guidance does not go far enough. During the many months we have been waiting for its publication, it has become increasingly clear that non-statutory guidance will provide insufficient protection and clarity, and that a change in the law of the land is required.That is why I am today asking the government to back my private member's bill which would change the law in this area to ensure children are fully protected. Continue reading...

Couple sold mask to dealer for 150 in 2021 before it was sold to unidentified buyer for 4.2mA French couple who sold an extremely rare" African mask for 150 only to discover it was worth millions have had a request to cancel the artefact's sale thrown out in court.The couple, in their 80s, sold the wooden mask in September 2021 to a secondhand goods dealer as part of the sale of a number of antiquities including African artefacts that they had kept in their secondary home in southern France. Continue reading...

Darren Hall, 36, given life sentence for killing Sarah Henshaw, 31, after argument at her Ilkeston homeA man who murdered his ex-partner during an argument and dumped her body near a motorway layby has been jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years.Darren Hall, 36, was jailed for killing Sarah Henshaw, 31, and driving her body 20 miles before leaving it in woodland outside Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Continue reading...

Nearly half of the 4,907 drug poisoning deaths in 2022 involved an opiate, ONS figures showDrug poisoning deaths in England and Wales have risen for the 10th consecutive year to the highest level since records began 30 years ago, with nearly half of deaths now involving an opiate.There were 4,907 deaths related to drug poisoning in 2022, equivalent to a rate of 84.4 deaths per million people, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Continue reading...

Campaigners criticise 50m tie-up with fossil fuel firm to help fund masterplan' redevelopment projectCampaigners have called the British Museum astonishingly out of touch" after it announced a 10-year, 50m partnership with BP to help fund one of the biggest redevelopments in its history.On Tuesday, the museum announced the energy company would be helping to fund its ambitious masterplan" project, a redevelopment estimated to cost 1bn. Continue reading...

Many users tried to switch after they faced price rises of more than 50% at the end of their broadband dealBroadband customers claim they are trapped in costly contracts with Virgin Media five months after the telecoms regulator launched an investigation into the company's cancellation procedures.Ofcom announced its inquiry in July after complaints that Virgin was placing unnecessary barriers" in the way of customers who wanted to switch to cheaper providers after their fixed-term contracts had expired. Continue reading...

US watchdog sues Dozy Mmobuosi for allegedly faking documents and making up companies out of thin air'A Nigerian businessman who appeared to be closing in on a takeover of the Premier League football club Sheffield United is being sued by the US financial watchdog for a fraud, in which he is alleged to have faked documents and made up companies out of thin air".The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Monday it had filed charges against Dozy Mmobuosi, claiming he inflated his companies' financial performance by hundreds of millions of dollars to defraud investors. Continue reading...

Chris Heaton-Harris says it is time to restore devolved government, in comments that appeared to surprise DUP leaderTalks with the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) over post-Brexit trading arrangements have ended and it is time to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland secretary has said.The announcement by Chris Heaton-Harris on Tuesday appeared to surprise and discomfit the DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who said the party still had concerns and that talks would continue. Continue reading...

Government says lava appears to be flowing away from local town

US congressional commission has called for Li Qiaochu's release, citing reports she needs urgent medical treatmentLi Qiaochu, a human rights activist detained for nearly three years in China, has gone on trial in Shandong province charged with inciting subversion of state power".On the eve of the trial the chairs of the US congressional commission on China called for Li's unconditional release, citing reports that the labour rights and feminist activist needed urgent medical treatment. Continue reading...

Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland - due to retire in 2025 - said Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer a Senate employee'US senator Ben Cardin said he is angry" and disappointed" in a now-former staffer who allegedly recorded himself having sex in a Capitol Hill hearing room.Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Maryland Democrat declined to elaborate on either the ex-staffer or the episode, video of which was leaked. But Cardin said he considered the entire sequence a breach of trust". Continue reading...

Nicolas Puech begins legal process of adopting former gardener and cancel agreement with charityA descendant of the Hermes luxury handbag empire is engulfed in a public battle with the charitable foundation he founded after reports that he planned to cut its funding and instead adopt his 51-year-old former gardener and bequeath him billions.Nicolas Puech, 80, a secretive fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermes, who founded Hermes in 1837, has begun the legal process of formally adopting the unnamed former gardener and plans to leave him half of his 12bn (10.3bn) fortune, according to Swiss media reports. Continue reading...

From giving up sending cards to family secret Santas, people are trying a variety of ways to reduce festive excessRalph Morris's Christmas cards will include an addendum for his friends this year: that he's finished with Christmas cards.Before he retired from teaching Morris, 71, from Grimsby, used to send about 130 cards a year, which has steadily reduced to around 80" this year. But no more. Continue reading...

Singer's legal battle with former employee Asha Daniels continues, with lawyers arguing lawsuit is meritless and improperly filedLawyers for pop singer Lizzo have filed a motion to try to prevent a harassment lawsuit against her coming to court.In September, fashion designer Asha Daniels, who created stage outfits for the star and worked on tour with her, accused Lizzo and others of maintaining an unsafe, sexually charged workplace culture". She told NBC News: I was witnessing myself, the dancers and the background vocalists and my local team in every city be harassed and bullied regularly." Continue reading...

Government guidance says parents should not be excluded from decisions taken by a school or collegeSchools in England have been told there is no general duty" to allow children to change their gender identity in an educational setting, as the government publishes its transgender guidance.The Department for Education (DfE) has published its long-awaited draft guidance for schools and colleges on pupils who question their gender. Continue reading...

Officials say at least 118 killed and more than 500 injured after 6.2-magnitude quake in north-west Gansu and Qinghai provincesCold weather is hampering rescue efforts after an earthquake in China's north-west Gansu and Qinghai provinces that killed at least 118 people and injured more than 500.The strong shallow earthquake struck shortly before midnight on Monday, sending residents fleeing outside into below-freezing temperatures. Thousands of houses have been reported damaged, and state media said public infrastructure had been damaged to varying degrees". Continue reading...

Fearing a significant event, authorities had evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik

Clare O'Neil releases consultation paper on new cybersecurity legislation, which proposes changes to Security of Critical Infrastructure Act

Under new entry/exit system, facial scans will also be taken from UK passengers on first trip after launchA new EU digital border system that will require fingerprints and facial scans to be taken from British travellers on first use is expected to launch next autumn, according to reports.The entry/exit system (EES) is earmarked to start on 6 October 2024, according to the i and Times newspapers, citing Getlink, the owner of Eurotunnel. The Guardian has contacted Getlink for comment. Continue reading...

Prime minister claims significant progress in the Pacific' and implicitly rejects criticism of his international travel

Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown tells Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial she defied Linda Reynolds and Alex Hawke's orders as she did not want to take agency' from Higgins

Military evacuates 20 people to Cooktown as some residents of flooded Indigenous community choose to remain

Duck Creek fire in the Pilliga burning about 17km south of Narrabri, while more bushfires hit Sydney and Hunter regions

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In today's newsletter: The fallout in Israel after the IDF killed Alon Shamriz, Samer Al-Talalka and Yotam Haim on Friday Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. On Friday morning, in broad daylight, three young Israeli men who had been taken hostage by Hamas emerged near an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) position in Gaza, waving a white flag. They were unarmed, and shirtless, to show that they were not carrying explosives. An IDF sniper shot two of them dead, and wounded the third.The survivor fled to a nearby building. He was heard shouting for help in Hebrew. When he reemerged from cover, he too was shot dead. A search of the building was carried out, revealing banners bearing the messages Help, 3 hostages" and SOS".PPE Medpro | A furious row has broken out between the disgraced Conservative peer Michelle Mone and the government over how much they knew about her links to a company that won lucrative deals during the pandemic. On Monday, as Rishi Sunak said he was taking the case incredibly seriously", Mone claimed the government knew about my involvement from the very beginning".China | At least 118 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in an earthquake in China's north-west Gansu and Qinghai provinces, state media has reported. The strong shallow earthquake struck shortly before midnight on Monday, with the toll rising on Tuesday as rescuers reached affected areas.Technology | TikTok has given special status to certain high-profile accounts, with moderators in Europe encouraged to be more lenient with content posted by people including Russell Brand, according to internal messages seen by the Guardian. TikTok said it was inaccurate to say that staff had been asked to be less stringent with certain accounts and its guidelines are applied to everyone who uses the app.Iceland | A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted after weeks of intense earthquake activity. Fearing a significant outbreak on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities had evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik and closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.Assisted dying | The ChildLine founder and broadcaster Esther Rantzen has said she has considered the option of assisted dying if her ongoing lung cancer treatment does not improve her condition. She told the BBC that there should be a free vote on the subject so that family members of people in her position do not face prosecution if they provide support. Continue reading...

The chance of a severe thunderstorm in the late afternoon and evening should bring cooler conditions to much of the city

Guardian investigation has revealed areas that need attention at nuclear site in CumbriaThe GMB trade union has called on the government and nuclear authorities to take urgent action" to address concerns over safety at Sellafield.The union has written to the energy minister, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Sellafield's chief executive to demand greater investment into keeping the 11,000 employees at the vast nuclear rubbish dump in Cumbria safe. Continue reading...

Simon Geoffrey Raymond handed probation and good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to seven chargesA man who admitted making threats to kill Victorian federal MP Anne Webster has been handed a good behaviour bond.Simon Geoffrey Raymond has pleaded guilty in a Brisbane court to three counts each of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill and using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and one count of using a carriage service to make a threat to cause serious harm. Continue reading...

Melbourne businessman Di Sanh Duong the first to be prosecuted under 2018 laws, over a $37,000 hospital donation

National Education Union says too many LGBTQ+ young people still find school a negative experienceSchools in England must be involved properly" in developing new transgender guidance that needs to work alongside their existing safeguarding duties, the UK's largest education union has warned.As the government prepares to publish its first draft of the long-awaited guidance, the National Education Union (NEU) said many LGBTQ+ young people still found school a negative experience. Continue reading...

He faced a police investigation over an alleged contract killing, but Volodymyr Saldo is now beyond the reach of Ukrainian lawThe Russians were Volodymyr Saldo's salvation. The wealthy Ukrainian in his 50s had done a stint in the national parliament and won three terms as the mayor of the southern city of Kherson, but at the start of 2022 police had opened a case against him for ordering a contract killing.I wanted to jail him," says Oleksandr Prokudin, Kherson's police chief at the time and now the city's governor, sitting in the basement he uses for meetings since the Russians blew the roof off his office. Continue reading...

Australian pilot accused of training Chinese military denies he is a flight risk in letter requesting NSW home detention

Electronic monitoring and rules on who he can associate with will be imposed by Victorian supreme court

As the Ukraine war heads into a new calendar year, the country is battling not just the Russian army but also on the diplomatic front, to secure further aid from its allies. Luke Harding and Dan Sabbagh reportOn the face of it, support for Ukraine from its allies in Europe and the US has been unwavering: ministers and officials fly in and out of Kyiv to back Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his government's grinding fight to keep Russian troops at bay.But that moral support is more solid than the financial backing. As Dan Sabbagh tells Hannah Moore, funding packages worth tens of billions of pounds have been held up in the US Congress by Republican politicians, and in the EU by Hungary's prime minister, Victor Orban. Continue reading...

The $1.7bn offer for Azure Minerals comes during a rush of dealmaking for the metal used in batteries

White House warns US only has enough funding for one more aid package this year; Ukraine's top general says situation on frontline has not reached stalemate

Opposition leader says Fyles' alleged actions a profound betrayal of public trust'

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