World news | The Guardian

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...

This blog is now closed. You can read our full dispatch from the funeral here:

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

Number of hospital beds occupied by patients with flu has increased by 70% in a week, with norovirus, RSV and Covid-19 all forecast to riseThe number of hospital beds in England occupied by patients with flu has increased by 70% in a week, NHS England said, as it warned of a tidal wave of flu hitting hospitals".Health leaders said that people eligible for their free flu jab should get vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid festive flu". Continue reading...

Electronics retailer says national insurance increase will add costs and depress investment and hiringCurrys said price rises were inevitable" as it told shareholders that it expected to face 32m in extra costs due to policies from the budget.The electronics retailer, which runs 715 stores, revealed that group revenues increased by 1% to 3.92bn for the half-year to 26 October, compared with the same period a year earlier. Continue reading...

Singer-songwriter follows Paul McCartney and others in speaking out as ministers consider opt-out systemKate Bush has called on ministers to protect artists from AI using their copyrighted works amid growing concerns from high-profile creatives and ongoing political uncertainty over how to handle the issue.The reclusive singer-songwriter has joined the actors Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Rosario Dawson, Stephen Fry and Hugh Bonneville in signing a petition, now backed by over 36,000 creatives, which states the unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted". Continue reading...

Concerns also raised over allegations about labour practices at fast-fashion retailer's suppliers Continue reading...

Press freedom NGO describes Israeli killing of reporters working in Gaza as an unprecedented bloodbath'

Premier David Crisafulli's controversial adult crime, adult time' regime becomes law despite widespread criticism from human rights advocates

Ofgem aims to provide choice as Martin Lewis describes daily fees as a poll tax' on gas and electricity billsEnergy suppliers will have to offer customers a zero" standing charge tariff by next winter to address criticism of the daily fees described by the consumer champion Martin Lewis as a poll tax" on gas and electricity bills.Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, said the zero standing charge option will be offered by suppliers under its quarterly price cap, alongside existing tariffs, as part of an industry shake-up. Continue reading...

US voices concern over continuing offensive by Turkish-backed rebel groups against Kurdish groups guarding prisons and campsShamima Begum and the other 65 Islamic State-linked Britons detained in prisons and camps in north-east Syria face an uncertain future as Turkish-backed rebel groups continue an offensive against the Kurdish groups who guard them.While the Assad regime has collapsed after the fall of Damascus, Turkey has sought to exploit the instability across Syria by attacking Kurdish forces who have been aligned with the US and UK in the fight against IS for a decade. Continue reading...

Energy industry group calls for policy push on faster renewables rollout as ACTU energy adviser says Coalition's proposal won't create a single job'

Country also votes with vast majority of nations to demand Israel reverse its ban on Palestinian aid agency Unrwa

Kaja Kallas, the EU's new high representative for foreign affairs, said Kyiv had a legitimate claim for compensationBillions of Russian state funds frozen in the European Union should be used to aid Ukraine, the EU's top diplomat has said.Kaja Kallas, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security, told the Guardian and four other European newspapers that Ukraine had a legitimate claim for compensation and that Russian assets held in the EU were a tool to pressure Russia". Continue reading...

Ad Standards received 4,000 complaints amid year-on-year rises, but only two of the 10 most controversial ads found to have breached rules

Court finds Victorian Liberal leader defamed then party-room colleague when referring to rally gatecrashed by far right

Yoon Suk Yeol disputes insurrection charges and calls martial law decreee an act of governance' amid reports of a second attempt by police to raid his officeSouth Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to fight until the end" attempts to remove him from office after his short-lived imposition of martial law, as police reportedly again attempted to raid his office as they investigate him over allegations of insurrection.In a defiant and lengthy TV address on Thursday, Yoon defended his shock decision last week to impose martial law - a move designed to suspend political activities and press and civic freedoms - describing it as a legitimate act of governance" and denied attempting to foment insurrection. Continue reading...

Experts from Imperial College London cite alarming declines' in 12 key metrics of patient safetyThe NHS is forced to spend a staggering" 14.7bn a year treating people who have been harmed by mistakes made during their care, a report reveals.And a stark north/south divide on patient safety has opened up across England, with double the amount of death and disability caused by medical negligence in the north-east than in London. Continue reading...

Documentary about amateur theatre group's take on classic horror film made available to wider audienceFor anyone who is weary of the usual feelgood festive films - Love Actually, Elf, Miracle on 34th Street and so on - a more offbeat offering involving a bunch of bus drivers and a joyfully amateur retelling of the space horror Alien may just appeal.The documentary Alien on Stage tells the unlikely story of how the bus drivers, plus friends and relatives, decided that rather than put on their usual pantomime they would have a bash at Ridley Scott's classic - and how, despite shaky sets, dodgy special effects and uneven acting (to put it kindly), they ended up in London's theatreland. Continue reading...

Albanese government unveils charge to incentivise digital platforms to pay publishers

Europe-wide polling finds UK and EU leaders now out of step with public opinion and pursue ambitious reset'A majority of Britons who voted to leave the EU would now accept a return to free movement in exchange for access to the single market, according to a cross-Europe study that also found a reciprocal desire in member states for closer links with the UK.Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump's election as US president had fundamentally changed the context" of EU-UK relations, the report by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) thinktank said. Continue reading...

Judge finds Himalee Arunatilaka's treatment of worker from 2015 to 2018 egregious and exploitative' after diplomat fails to engage court process

Lachlan Gardner ordered to serve 24-month community corrections order after pleading guilty to three charges

ABS reveals robust labour market as jobless rate drops from 4.1% to 3.9%, its lowest since March

A blanket suppression order has been lifted but accused's identity remains secret

Researchers say Chinese students feel they are treated as revenue sources rather community membersUniversities in the UK are being urged to provide better support for students from China to improve integration on campuses amid concerns about ethnic clustering".Chinese students make up a quarter of all international students and the 2.3bn fees they pay every year play a vital role in propping up the UK's cash-strapped higher education sector. Continue reading...

Binding targets will compel authorities to build 370,000 homes a year with government to say how many per areaEngland's housing crisis cannot be solved without forcing councils to build more homes, the government has said, as ministers confirm binding targets that will compel authorities to build 370,000 homes a year.Keir Starmer said his government owes it to working families to take urgent action", as he and the housing secretary, Angela Rayner, announce how much each area must build over the next parliament. Continue reading...

PCS union says its members, which include 999 call handlers, overwhelmingly' backed industrial actionMetropolitan police staff have voted to go on strike in a row over plans to cut back on the time they can work from home.The Public and Commercial Services union said there was overwhelming support for the action". It would be the first time Scotland Yard employees, which is believed could include 999 call handlers and child protection officers, have ever voted for a walkout. Continue reading...