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Guyana considers poll on Essequibo by Nicolas Maduro's government a step toward annexationVenezuelans are voting in a referendum to supposedly decide the future of a large swath of neighbouring Guyana of which their government claims ownership, arguing the territory was stolen when a north-south border was drawn more than a century ago.Guyana considers the referendum a step toward annexation and the poll has its residents on edge. It asks Venezuelans whether they support establishing a state in the disputed territory known as Essequibo, granting citizenship to current and future area residents, and rejecting the jurisdiction of the United Nations' top court in settling the disagreement between the two South American countries. Continue reading...

Many have little or no income after the closure of crossings into Israel and restrictions on workers, according ILOHundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank have lost their jobs or had their salaries frozen after the Israeli authorities cancelled their work permits and imposed severe restrictions on crossings after the 7 October attacks.Approximately 182,000 Gaza residents who work in Israel and the settlements had their employment terminated, initial estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO) suggest, while about 24% of employment in the West Bank has also been lost - equivalent to 208,000 jobs - as a result of the Israel-Hamas war. Continue reading...

Survey found stores put foods high in fat, salt or sugar in prominent locations despite government regulationsSome supermarkets are flouting pester power" rules aimed at tackling childhood obesity, a new report has found.In a survey, Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) and Food Active found that about a quarter of the 25 stores they visited had put sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks or other so-called less healthy" foods in prominent parts of the shop, such as close to checkouts or in end-of-aisle displays. Continue reading...

The journalism foundation board did not say it would withdraw Seven's shortlisting for the 2023 scoop of the year award for Liam Bartlett's interview with Lehrmann

Also on Sunday, families and friends of hostages taken by Hamas addressed a gathering at a Sydney synagogue

Adrian Schrinner says controversial plans for Brisbane's Gabba stadium were the final straw and accuses Palaszczuk government of ignoring stakeholders

People who worked for or were affiliated with the British Council may lose babies as government delays relocation to UKPregnant Afghan women who are eligible for resettlement in the UK have been told their babies may not survive unless they are urgently evacuated.The women, who worked for or are affiliated with the British Council, should be entitled to relocation through the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS). Despite Foreign Office and Home Office instructions to move to Pakistan and await relocation, they are stuck in hotels with limited access to medical care nearly two years after the scheme launched. Continue reading...

A health crisis is looming as residents fleeing the north are crowded into a small area that lacks basic services

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PM's blunder' highlights the issue of the disputed Parthenon sculptures, fuelling campaign to send them home to AthensAn air of optimism pervades the Acropolis Museum. Blown in on a breeze from Britain, it has come to fill its cavernous lobby, corridors and upper gallery, home of the embodiment in marble of the glory that was the golden age: the Parthenon sculptures.In a week when the row over the fifth-century BC antiquities has erupted with renewed vigour, the goalposts have moved in unexpected ways. Which is why Nikos Stampolidis, classical archaeologist by profession, and for the past two years the museum's director, is in ebullient mood. It has been a magnificent week," he told the Observer. I think it's fair to say events are moving us forward and are in our favour. I'm hopeful and very optimistic." Continue reading...

The magnitude 7.5 quake in Mindanao triggered tsunami warnings in Japan and more than 600 aftershocksPhilippine residents were allowed to return to their homes on Sunday after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the country's south, killing at least one person, with disaster officials reporting minor damage to some infrastructure.The Saturday night quake shook parts of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental provinces, triggering coastal evacuations and tsunami alerts in the country and in Japan. Continue reading...

The draft laws allow the government to apply to a court to put migrants released after a landmark high court decision back in detention

A team from Israel's Mossad intelligence services has been ordered home after talks in Qatar about another pause in fighting in Gaza reach a dead end'

Australian federal police says platforms allow players to act out an extremist ideological narrative, disseminate propaganda and recruit other users

Russia attempting to quell dissent from wives of soldiers deployed in Ukraine; former Ukraine president Poroshenko prevented from leaving the country

Police said the man was expected to be charged with murdering his wife after she was found dead

Labour leader says former PM set loose our natural entrepreneurialism' in appeal to Tory voters to back himKeir Starmer has praised Margaret Thatcher for effecting meaningful change" in Britain in an article directly appealing to Conservative voters to switch to Labour.Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the Labour leader said Thatcher had set loose our natural entrepreneurialism" during her time as prime minister. Continue reading...

MoD says any information on the potential whereabouts of captives will be shared with Israel

Drivers urged not to make unnecessary journeys as cars stuck in traffic and some roads impassableCumbria police have declared a major incident and warned against unnecessary journeys after heavy snowfall on the county's roads, as freezing conditions hit the UK.Police said a multi-agency response" is under way, with reports of cars stuck in traffic and some roads in the South Lakes area impassable due to the snow. Continue reading...

Actor, 50, sustains injury hours before the quarter-finals, leaving just four celebrities in competitionNigel Harman has withdrawn from Strictly Come Dancing after sustaining a rib injury just hours before the quarter-finals of the competition.The Casualty actor, 50, had been due to compete with a Charleston to Step in Time from Disney's Mary Poppins with his partner, Katya Jones, on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Conservative MP blames stress of job as under-secretary of state in Department for Environment for 2018 illnessThe Conservative MP Therese Coffey has claimed she came close to dying" from a brain abscess and blamed it on the stress of being a government minister.In an interview with the Sunday Times, Coffey revealed she was diagnosed with the rare brain abscess in May 2018, after she had pain in her head for several days. Continue reading...

As pressure grows on Israel to avoid civilian deaths, IDF believes killing leaders will collapse organisation

Exclusive: Minns government to place every aspect of housing under the microscope' as it confronts rental crisis

Local rallies and vigils organised as alternative to centralised marches that have seen hundreds of thousands out in London

Man who died has been named locally as James Smith, while a woman, 43, and a man, 54, were also taken to hospitalAn 84-year-old man who died after an explosion at his neighbour's house in Edinburgh has been named locally as James Smith, Police Scotland said.Police officers were called to the Baberton area at 10.25pm on Friday after multiple reports" about the blast. Continue reading...

Online system designed to order precise evacuations inaccessible to those without power or network access Israel-Hamas war - live updatesIsrael's new grid system for targeted evacuation warnings in southern Gaza risks turning life in the territory into a macabre game of Battleships", aid workers have warned.When Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza after a week-long ceasefire deal collapsed, it immediately signalled plans to intensify attacks on the south of the territory, in areas where Palestinian civilians had previously been urged to take shelter. Continue reading...

In markedly different tone from her predecessor, Victoria Atkins tells of her respect' for junior doctorsThe health secretary, Victoria Atkins, has spoken of her respect" for striking junior doctors in advance of fresh pay talks, in a move that highlights a markedly different tone from her predecessor, Steve Barclay.In an interview with the Times, Atkins said she wanted to build a new relationship with the British Medical Association" and had found the leaders of the BMA junior doctors' committee to be very constructive". Previously, Barclay had claimed that the BMA had a politically militant stance". He had also accused NHS staff in England of planning politically timed" industrial action. Continue reading...

UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, leads tributes to Maj Kevin McCool saying his death is tragic loss'A British soldier has died while off duty in Kenya, the Ministry of Defence has said.Maj Kevin McCool, 32, was reportedly on a motorcycle trip off base when he was attacked. The MoD said he died on 29 November but that it would not be releasing any more details. His next of kin have been informed. Continue reading...

Airstrikes near Damascus follow end to seven-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza Strip

Housing secretary, Michael Gove, calls in' planning rejection by Sadiq Khan, though firm behind sphere says it is no longer interestedThe London mayor's decision to reject planning permission for a huge Las Vegas-style entertainment venue is to be reviewed by ministers.The housing secretary, Michael Gove, has opted to use his powers to call in" Sadiq Khan's rejection of the 21,000-capacity, 300ft-tall MSG sphere in Stratford, east London, to decide whether it should stand. Continue reading...

Human rights groups record alarming rise in number of prisoners put to death by Tehran regime since 7 OctoberThe Iranian regime has executed more than 127 people, including women and children, since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, according to human rights groups.According to data collected by Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the Norway-based organisation Hengaw, which have been cross-referenced by the Observer, there has been an alarming rise in executions since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. Continue reading...

Work to be carried out on Garisenda tower in new year after area around it was cordoned off due to collapse fearsOfficials have announced plans to repair one of two 12th-century towers in the Italian city of Bologna after the area around it had to secured last month over fears its leaning could lead to collapse.The city said the 4.3m (3.7m) project to shore up the Garisenda tower - one of the Two Towers that look out over central Bologna, providing inspiration over the centuries to painters and poets and a lookout spot during conflicts - would proceed in January and February. Continue reading...

Indigenous and environmental leader was shot in 2016 after campaigning to stop construction of an internationally financed damAuthorities in Honduras have issued an arrest warrant for the alleged mastermind in the case of the murdered Indigenous environmental leader Berta Caceres.Caceres was gunned down in her home in March 2016 in retaliation for leading a campaign to stop construction of an internationally financed hydroelectric dam. Continue reading...

Winter weather also disrupts train traffic and causes Bayern Munich v Union Berlin match to be called offHeavy snowfall has brought chaos to parts of southern Germany, with air and rail traffic blocked in the Bavarian state capital of Munich.After first suspending flights until noon on Saturday (1100 GMT), Munich airport later said it would remain closed until 6am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Greens win support for inquiry into effect of market concentration on food prices and pattern of major chains' pricing strategies

Nervous' government has cracked down on celebrations for Sheynnis Palacios in country where repression is absolute'When Sheynnis Palacios was recently voted Miss Universe, it came as a bolt of good news in Nicaragua. Joyous crowds took to the streets of Managua for the first time since mass protests in 2018 that were put down with lethal force.The Nicaraguan regime, paranoid about any hint of dissidence, initially congratulated Palacios, but has since cracked down on celebrations - not least because Palacios herself took part in the 2018 demonstrations, and opponents of the regime have taken her up as a symbol of hope and defiance. Continue reading...

Only 17 out of 82 companies investigated were found to use suppliers that paid cocoa farmers enough to live onLeading chocolate brands have been criticised for having inadequate" ethical standards in their cocoa supply chain in a report from Ethical Consumer. Only 17 out of 82 brands investigated by the consumer organisation were judged to use chocolate from suppliers that ensured cocoa farmers were paid enough to live on.As a result, there is a risk that Advent calendars, chocolate Santas and other Christmas treats will have been produced with child labour. About 60% of the world's cocoa comes from west Africa, and about six in 10 cocoa-growing households in Ghana are estimated to use child labour, with four in 10 in Ivory Coast. Continue reading...

Isla McNabb's ability to read back words written on an erasable tablet led her parents to contact Guinness World RecordsReading words aloud that adults scribble on an erasable tablet may not be the way many children spend their second birthdays. But it's how Isla McNabb celebrated turning two, and it put the native of Crestwood, Kentucky, on the path to become the youngest ever female member of Mensa, the world's oldest high IQ society, her parents said in a recent interview.In a conversation published on Monday, Isla's parents, Jason and Amanda McNabb, told the Guinness World Records website that they realized their daughter's intelligence should be assessed after an aunt gave her an erasable writing tablet as a second birthday present. Continue reading...

Inspectors say claims made to coroner about wellbeing training following death of Reading headteacher are nonsense'School inspectors have accused their employer, Ofsted, of misleading the court during last week's inquest into the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, the Observer can reveal.Over the past week the inquest has heard from Perry's colleagues that she looked extremely distressed and upset" and was unable to speak coherently only a few hours into the inspection. The chair of governors and two deputy headteachers at her primary school in Reading have told the coroner that there was a direct link" between the inspection and Perry's subsequent mental deterioration and death earlier this year. Continue reading...

Ex-PM will also argue when he appears before inquiry next week that his actions saved many thousands of lives, report saysBoris Johnson is reportedly expected to tell the Covid inquiry that he unquestionably made mistakes" in his handling of the pandemic.But the former prime minister will also argue that decisions he took, including ordering three lockdowns in England, ended up saving tens if not hundreds of thousands of lives", according to the Times. Continue reading...

Cancellation of meeting with Greek PM has Europeans wondering how Cameron will work with No 10The Greek foreign minister, Giorgos Gerapetritis, was attending a two-day Nato summit in Brussels on Tuesday when he received an unexpected message from the British delegation. The foreign secretary, David Cameron, was hoping the minister might be available for an unscheduled meeting. There was much to discuss on migration, as well as the relief operation in Gaza. There was one condition from the UK: that there be no cameras.Gerapetritis readily agreed, and one can only assume it took only an un-minuted raised eyebrow from Lord Cameron for the former prime minister to distance himself discreetly from Rishi Sunak's bizarre decision to cancel a scheduled Downing Street visit with his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, set for 12.30pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Continent must have more resilient health systems and local vaccine manufacturing to prevent next pandemic, says public health bodyAfrica's leading public health body is using the first ever health day at Cop on 3 December to call for increased funding to fight the health impacts of the climate crisis on the continent and create more resilient systems to ensure it is prepared for the next pandemic.The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) launched the second phase of its three-year, $1.5bn Saving Lives and Livelihoods drive this week, but its director general, Dr Jean Kaseya, said multiple disease outbreaks combined with the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and recovery from Covid means that much more financial support is needed. Continue reading...

Defence minister Richard Marles and counterparts from the UK and US say new technologies will be deployed by militaries

Smaller marches will take place instead of single larger event and will be policed locallyPolice said protests are expected in around 13 boroughs" in London on Saturday after the seven-day Israel-Hamas ceasefire ended.There are no plans for any major central London demonstrations of the sort that have been seen over the past two months, but a number of smaller events are planned, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Treasury select committee highlights concerns over data privacy and increased possibility of bank runsThe idea of creating a digital pound should not even be considered until the UK government and Bank of England address concerns over data privacy and the increased risk of bank runs, a parliamentary committee has warned.MPs on the Treasury select committee said that while it was true that the rollout of a central bank digital currency could trigger fresh innovation and competition in the payments sector, serious questions remained about whether the positive effects outweighed the risks and costs. Continue reading...

Book claims it is hard to find another currently existing society' better than that in Skerries, near DublinPhilosophers have long debated the concept of the good life and whether such an exalted state exists but the reality turns out to be not so elusive: you drive north from Dublin on the M1, turn right onto the R132, take another right at Blake's Cross and keep going until you reach the sea. Then, if you have any sense, you stay put for ever because you are in Skerries.This town of 11,000 people on Ireland's east coast does not look remarkable. There is a high street, a harbour, a library, a community centre, a SuperValu supermarket, cafes, pubs, sports pitches. Residents walk their dogs, play bingo, sit on benches. Yet amid the ordinariness there is, apparently, an answer to a riddle pondered by Aristotle, Kant and Hegel: the good life? It's right here. Or at least the good enough life. Continue reading...

Danny Macklin, who left his role at AFC Wimbledon in September, went missing in EssexA former football club managing director has been found by police after he was reported missing.In a post on X, Danny Macklin said he had been found by police in Cornwall. Earlier, Essex police said its officers had been trying to find Macklin, who was last seen on foot in Great Notley near Braintree, Essex Continue reading...

A book has named Charles and Catherine as royals alleged to have discussed skin colour of Harry and Meghan's unborn sonThe royal race row that erupted more than two years ago, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey that a member of the royal family had remarked on Prince Archie's skin colour before he was born, has simmered ever since. Now it has exploded once more as the Dutch version of a new book appears to have named King Charles and the Princess of Wales as family members alleged to have made such remarks. Continue reading...

Copies of book about British monarchy changing hands on resale websites for up to 175Dutch first editions of the book Endgame, which names two members of the British royal family alleged to have discussed the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's unborn baby, are selling online for many times above the original retail price of 22.99.As parts of the British press reached fever pitch trying to find out whether the Dutch version had contained a mistranslation, or had failed to adopt final excisions or was running a strange publicity stunt, bids for a Dutch version on Marktplaats on Thursday reached 175 (150). Continue reading...

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