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Xi is expected to rebuff the offer, as attending the event might put the Chinese president in a subservient positionDonald Trump has invited China's hardline president, Xi Jinping, to his inauguration next month in an audacious diplomatic gambit that Beijing has reportedly indicated would be rebuffed.The president-elect's overture - which his staff said might also be extended to other leaders - broke with historic precedent, which holds that no foreign heads of state are expected to attend US presidential inauguration ceremonies. Continue reading...

The new building, 1 Undershaft, will be 309.6m tall, matching the height of the Shard to the centimetreThe Shard is going to have to share its title of the UK's tallest building after planning permission was granted for a new skyscraper in the City of London.When it is completed early next decade, 1 Undershaft will be 309.6 metres tall, matching the height of the Shard to the centimetre, the maximum allowed due to civil aviation rules. Continue reading...

Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell and Scott Jeff, 24, jailed after Isabella Jonas-Wheildon endured callous' campaign of abuseIt is thought that two-year-old Isabella Jonas-Wheildon had been dead for about three days when the girl's mother, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, and her partner, Scott Jeff, were captured on CCTV wheeling the toddler's body around Ipswich in a pushchair. Footage shows the pair pushing the child's body to a service station, a pub and to shops to buy video game equipment in the days after her death.Police believe that the child - described as perfect in every way" by her family - died on the evening of 26 June 2023 after a campaign of abuse by Jeff, 24, who had only been in her life for 36 days. On Friday, Jeff was sentenced to 26 years in prison for Isabella's murder. Her mother received a sentence of 10 years for allowing her daughter's death. Continue reading...

Briana Boston used same words written on ammunition at scene of killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian ThompsonA Florida woman has been arrested and charged after allegedly using the same language associated with the suspect in the murder of a top health insurance executive while on a phone call with her healthcare firm.Briana Boston, 42, had just had a medical claim denied and was talking on a phone call with a representative from Blue Cross Blue Shield. The Lakeland resident then allegedly said: Delay, deny, depose. You people are next." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Abu Hassan al-Hamwi's HTS group coordinated rebels to create a unified war effort that included a specialist drone unit

Joint-venture hailed as a pivotal moment' for the international aerospace and defence industryPlans to develop a sixth-generation British fighter jet to rival America's have taken a step forward with a deal to form a new company comprising defence and aerospace firms from the UK, Italy and Japan.BAE Systems, Italy's Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Company (JAIEC), which each hold a third of the as-yet-unnamed joint-venture is expected to be established by the middle of next year. Continue reading...

Mayor Sadiq Khan says inflation-busting increase forced on him by ministers but bus and tram fares remain frozenFares on London Underground and rail services in the capital will increase by an inflation-busting 4.6% next March, while bus and tram fares will remain frozen.The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the significant increase, double the rate of inflation, was forced on him by ministers who expected such a rise to unlock national funding for key transport projects. Continue reading...

Veteran centrist is the fourth French prime minister this year as country struggles with growing political crisisFrancois Bayrou, a veteran centrist and ally of president Emmanuel Macron, has been appointed French prime minister, after last week's historic vote of no-confidence ended the beleaguered and short-lived minority coalition of the rightwing Michel Barnier.Bayrou, 73, is the leader of the centrist MoDem party and a political heavyweight from south-western France who calls himself a man of the countryside". A former education minister, and mayor of the south-western town of Pau, he has been an ally and close confidente to Emmanuel Macron since he swept to power in 2017. Continue reading...

Ofcom said postal company took insufficient and ineffective steps' to improve its performance after 5.6m fine last yearRoyal Mail has been fined more than 10m by the postal regulator for missing its delivery targets, with more than a quarter of first-class mail arriving late.Ofcom, which fined the company 5.6m for the same failure of its regulatory obligations last November, said Royal Mail took insufficient and ineffective steps" to improve its performance this year. Continue reading...

RMT members were due to take action on 22, 23 and 29 December, causing major disruption to rail servicesTrain managers at Avanti West Coast have suspended strike action that would have caused significant disruption over Christmas, after the company submitted a revised offer to union members in a row over rest day working.Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) were due to take action on 22, 23 and 29 December, which would have caused major disruption to rail services running between London, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Continue reading...

As the long-running inquiry into one the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history wraps up, we review the evidence from key playersMore than 1,000 days since the inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal first opened on Valentine's Day 2022, it is set to hear its closing arguments next week. The chair, Sir Wyn Williams, and his team will then go away to distil the millions of pages of testimony from more than 5,000 witnesses.The final report and its recommendations are expected to be published in 2025, with the hope it will help prevent a repeat of the mistakes that led to hundreds of wrongful convictions. Continue reading...

Campaigners condemn watchdog ruling and say the incident in Hackney, east London, traumatised' the boyThe actions of armed police who surrounded and arrested a 13-year-old boy after an officer mistook his water pistol for a real gun were reasonable in the circumstances", the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.The boy suffered soft-tissue injuries after he was rammed off his bike by a police van and handcuffed as he was confronted by marksmen in Hackney, east London, in July last year. Continue reading...

Seen as a controversial nominee, Patel is acquiring senate judiciary committee support for confirmationDonald Trump's nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, has broadly locked down support from Republicans on the Senate judiciary committee, paving the way for his confirmation to the role after the current director announced his intention to resign when the president-elect takes office in January.The idea of securing support from the judiciary committee, according to two people familiar with the matter, is that if the committee reports out his nomination perhaps unanimously, it would make it politically harder for any skeptical Republicans to oppose him later. Continue reading...

Amid Italian island's worst drought, towns such as Troina are fighting for survival as supplies run dry and tensions riseAn ancient Sicilian proverb goes like this: When water to two fountains flows, one will stay dry - that's how it goes." The residents of the small town of Troina in the heart of Sicily, struck by a long and unprecedented drought, perhaps understand its meaning better than anyone else. When authorities decreed that the little water left in their dam should be shared with the villages of another province, they took action, and, on 30 November, occupied the distribution centre of the reservoir, blocking access.It's a war between the poor; we are aware of it," says Salvatore Giamblanco, 66, owner of a bed and breakfast in Troina. But we had no other choice. The dam is drying up. We have difficulty finding water for ourselves. I had to cancel numerous reservations due to the lack of water. If we also have to share what little we have with other towns, we will all be left dry." Continue reading...

Like other colonies, the Caribbean nation retained the British monarch as head of state after independence in 1962The Jamaican government has taken its first step toward removing King Charles as head of state, presenting a bill in parliament to abolish the constitutional monarchy and transition the country to a republic.Like many former British colonies, Jamaica retained the British monarch as its head of state after achieving independence in 1962. The monarch is represented in the country by a governor general. Continue reading...

Karl Bareham inquest hears from father who travelled from UK to deliver statement to court

Russian military strikes targeted Ukrainian power grid, according to country's energy ministerRussia on Friday launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine, involving dozens of cruise missiles and drones.The Russian military targeted the Ukrainian power grid, the energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, wrote on his Facebook page. The enemy continues its terror," he said. Continue reading...

Chinese businessman known to Duke of York loses appeal over decision to bar him on national security groundsA Chinese businessman described as a close confidant" of the Duke of York has lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.The man, known only as H6, brought a case to the special immigration appeals commission (SIAC) after the then-home secretary, Suella Braverman, said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023. Continue reading...

Peter Dutton's nuclear plan is now tied to his own credibility, and the Liberal leader is banking on not having to explain the discrepancies in detail

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In today's newsletter: With protesters taking to the streets and parliament set to vote on ending his presidency, what does Yoon's failed declaration of martial law mean for his future - and that of the nation?Good morning. Is South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, on the verge of being forced out of office for declaring martial law last week?

National Audit Office says government on track to install 300,000 charge points by 2030 but areas outside south-east risk missing outPlans to roll out 300,000 electric vehicle charge points across the UK by 2030 risks creating a regional divide" between well-connected areas in London and the south-east and the rest of the country, according to the spending watchdog.The National Audit Office found that the government was on track to meet its goal for 300,000 charge points to be fitted by 2030, but that large swathes of the country were missing out. Continue reading...

Energy secretary to set out plan to boost renewable energy supply, such as building canopies of solar panels on outdoor car parksEd Miliband has pledged to bring in the most ambitious reforms to the country's energy system in generations" as he presses ahead with plans to accelerate the development of onshore windfarms in England.The energy secretary is to set out the government's clean power 2030" plan on Friday, including measures to boost the UK's renewable energy supply such as building canopies of solar panels on outdoor car parks.Reforming the system for connecting new projects to the national grid to prioritise the most viable projects;Speeding up decisions on planning permission by empowering planners to prioritise critical energy infrastructure;Expanding the renewable auction process to allow funding to be secured before planning permission in an effort to stop delays and get more projects connected;Allowing households to get access to cheaper tariffs at different times of day. Continue reading...

Deposed Syrian president and his family are unlikely to live an extravagant lifestyle in Russia. Instead, they will probably be hidden away in a secluded estate, shielded from public viewHe was whisked away without a last message to his people, the aircraft's transponder deliberately switched off to avoid detection as it departed from an airbase in Syria.The operation was carried out with such secrecy that even the dictator's brother reportedly was not informed. Continue reading...

Opposition leader spruiks Frontier Economics modelling but Labor insists it won't pass the pub test'

The character, chosen by public vote, has won in previous Olympic years but also reflects public anger at a damaging financial scandal inside the ruling Liberal Democratic partyThe kanji character kin - which can mean gold or money - has been chosen as Japan's word of the year to reflect the country's medal sweep at the Paris Olympics and a damaging financial scandal inside the ruling party.The single character, which can also be read as kane (money), was unveiled this week at Kiyomizu-dera, a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, whose head priest, Seihan Mori, reproduced it with a huge brush on a white washi paper canvas. Continue reading...

Police allege the 34-year-old man broke into the Central Coast aged care home in November 2023 and assaulted the woman, who died from her injuries

Monkeys, which were given to Launceston by Japanese sister city Ikeda in 1981, will die out in about 25 years as a result of a council decision

President has struggled to find candidate who satisfies enough lawmakers in bitterly divided parliamentPresident Emmanuel Macron is expected to name a new prime minister on Friday after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier, whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis.Barnier was toppled in a historic no-confidence vote on 4 December and there had been expectations Macron would announce his successor in an address to the nation even a day later. Continue reading...

Police allege devious and cruel scheme' caused significant and serious psychological harm to the 6-year-old child and his sibling

Buildings housing displaced families and aid convoy security personnel reportedly targeted amid food shortages and fears of famine in the regionIsraeli attacks have killed dozens of people in Gaza, including children, Palestinian health officials reported, as the region is gripped by food shortages and fears of famine.The attacks were launched hours after the UN general assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Continue reading...

Rival forces backed by US and Turkey seek to secure territory after Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham toppled regimeAbout 1.1 million people have been displaced since Syrian rebels launched the offensive that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, the UN's humanitarian agency has said, as fighting between different factions continues.As of 12 December, 1.1 million people have been newly displaced across the country since the start of the escalation of hostilities on 27 November. The majority are women and children," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement. Continue reading...

Readers reach donation milestone before Saturday telethon, securing money to help families in Gaza and Ukraine Donate to our charity appeal hereMore than 250,000 for charities supporting families hit by war and violence in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere has been raised by Guardian and Observer readers less than a week after the appeal launched.The milestone was achieved before the annual fundraising telethon on Saturday 14 December. Journalists who will be on hand to take donations over the phone include Polly Toynbee, John Crace, Marina Hyde and Zoe Williams. Continue reading...

Two people have been taken to hospital after a fairground ride failed and crashed'Two people have been taken to hospital after a fairground ride failed and crashed" in Birmingham, the West Midlands fire service said.Officers and paramedics attended the scene at Centenary Square, Birmingham, at 7.30pm on Thursday after the ride dropped to ground level whilst in operation", according to the fire service. Continue reading...

Inflatable Santa Claus punctured and wires on Christmas lights cut in spate of Scrooge-like incidentsAn inflatable Santa Claus was punctured and wires on Christmas lights were cut in a spate of Scrooge-like incidents of criminal damage in five Suffolk villages.Officers are appealing for information about at least a dozen reported incidents that they believe are linked, and which happened between the evening of 5 and 6 December. Suffolk police said no arrests had been made. Continue reading...

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Government report outlines how it intends to build 1.5m homes by the end of the parliament

John Does claim rapper fed them spiked drinks and sexually assaulted them while unconscious as recently as 2022Three more accusers have filed sexual assault lawsuits against Sean Diddy" Combs alleging they were drugged with spiked drinks and then raped by the rapper and music mogul in incidents dating as recently as 2022.The new lawsuits, first reported by TMZ, were filed separately through a New York lawyer by anonymous plaintiffs. The suits allege that the plaintiffs went to parties with Combs, in two cases in hotels and the third at his mansion in the Hamptons, where he gave them alcoholic drinks after which drinking they quickly passed out and came to when he was raping them. Continue reading...

Shah found guilty of gross fraud and given longest sentence for financial crime in country's historyThe British businessman Sanjay Shah has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud against the Danish state - the longest sentence for a financial crime in the country's history.Glostrup court on Thursday found Shah guilty of gross fraud, ruling that he played a central and controlling role" in a major tax fraud of more than 9bn DKK (996m) involving dividend tax refunds. Continue reading...

Lady Meyer found to have breached harassment rules with behaviour towards Lord Dholakia that had racial element'A Conservative peer is facing suspension from the House of Lords for calling a British-Asian peer Lord Poppadom" and touching an MP's braids without permission.Catherine Meyer was accused of referring to Navnit Dholakia, a Liberal Democrat peer, as Lord Poppadom" twice while in a taxi during a visit to Rwanda with a parliamentary committee this year. Continue reading...

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underwent followup operation to reduce risk of bleeding and recovery is on trackBrazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is expected to leave intensive care on Friday after doctors successfully carried out a follow-up operation to reduce the risk of bleeding following his unplanned brain surgery earlier this week.The president's personal doctor, the cardiologist Dr Roberto Kalil Filho, said that Lula was awake and talking" after the procedure on Thursday morning, which involved sedation but did not require general anaesthesia. Continue reading...

Roughly 96% of deaths by euthanasia in 2023 were for those with a terminal condition, as growth in overall cases slowsA growing share of deaths in Canada are from euthanasia, but the vast majority are for terminal illnesses, according to new government figures.More than 15,000 people received medical assistance in dying in Canada in 2023, the highest figure on record. But federal statistics show the growth in cases has slowed significantly, with assisted death making up 4.7% of deaths, compared to 4.1% the previous year. Continue reading...

Staff told 400 civil servant roles will go in voluntary exit scheme, with Whitehall braced for further cutsThe Cabinet Office is to cut 400 jobs as it moves to a smaller, clearer structure", it has been announced.On Wednesday, it emerged that ministers were expected to shrink the size of the civil service as part of an efficiency drive, with more than 10,000 roles set to go. Continue reading...

Dr Charlotte Proudman had faced disciplinary tribunal over Twitter thread criticising a ruling in a case she worked onA barrister has attacked misogyny in the legal profession after a misconduct case brought against her for calling out a boys' club" attitude was thrown out.Dr Charlotte Proudman, who specialises in family law and is also a women's rights campaigner, had faced a Bar Standards Board (BSB) disciplinary tribunal over a Twitter thread criticising a ruling in a case she worked on. Continue reading...

Travis Pete Timmerman, from Missouri, says he was imprisoned for seven months after travelling to Syria on a pilgrimageAn American citizen found in the suburbs of Damascus on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago.The man in question was identified later as Travis Pete Timmerman, aged 29, from Missouri, last seen in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, in late May.

Sentence for Levi Fishlock was joint highest passed down so far for the nationwide disorder over the summerA rioter who tried to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers has been jailed for nine years - the joint highest sentence passed down so far for the nationwide disorder over the summer.A judge told Levi Fishlock that he played a part in almost every aspect of the racist mob violence on that terrible day in August", calling him a prominent figure in the disorder outside the Holiday Inn Express at Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August. Continue reading...

Displaced residents face acute hardship, fleeing airstrikes and suffering from disease and hunger as temperatures plummetTens of thousands of people sheltering on Gaza's exposed Mediterranean coastline face harsh winter conditions with inadequate shelter, food and fuel, as temperatures plunge in the devastated territory and a series of storms destroy their makeshift tents.In recent weeks, bad weather has forced hundreds living in the coastal strip of Gaza around al-Mawasi to evacuate their shelters, ruining cooking utensils, clothes, stocks of food and precious firewood. Al-Mawasi was designated a humanitarian zone" by Israeli military offensives and is packed with people displaced during 13 months of fighting, airstrikes and artillery bombardment. Continue reading...

Marjorie Fiterman and Bernie Littman met at Philadelphia nursing home after both of their longtime spouses diedThey have written songs about looking for love in all the wrong places and hopeless ones. But now songwriters could have inspiration for a new number.Marjorie Fiterman and Bernie Littman found love in their Philadelphia nursing home after their longtime spouses passed away. And, after dating for nine years, they became the world's oldest newlywed couple, as Guinness World Records recently recounted on its website. Continue reading...

Review led by Sir Brian Leveson will consider creating intermediate courts' heard by judge in bid to speed up trials