World news | The Guardian

Albanese yet to reveal government's stance on South Africa's case in international court of justice but Coalition says Australia must support Israel's right to defend itselfThe opposition has urged the Albanese government to rule out any support for what it says is South Africa's unbalanced" case against Israel at the UN's international court of justice (ICJ).The unprecedented" case brought by South Africa at the beginning of the year will be heard in The Hague on 11 and 12 January with the potential for a provisional ruling within weeks. It accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has called the allegations a despicable and contemptuous exploitation" of the ICJ and urged the court to reject it. Continue reading...

Latest attempt to tackle pupil absences criticised as failing to tackle the magnitude of the problemThe government is to make a new effort to repair sagging school attendance figures in England, with the education secretary to announce funding for attendance mentors" in some of the worst-affected areas.Pupil absences remain stubbornly higher than before the Covid pandemic, and during a visit to Liverpool on Monday Gillian Keegan is expected to announce plans for caseworkers to offer one-to-one support for pupils in 10 areas including Blackpool and Walsall, where rates of unauthorised absences remain far above national levels. Continue reading...

Will Fransen was on a solo fishing trip south of Auckland in New Zealand when he was yanked into the water after hooking a big fishA New Zealand man who survived more than 23 hours in cold waters and an encounter with a shark has been rescued after fishers spotted the reflection from his watch.Will Fransen, 61, had set off on a solo fishing trip from Whangamat on the Coromandel Peninsula, south of Auckland, on 2 January, but was yanked overboard after hooking what he suspected was a marlin. Continue reading...

Woman in 70s taken to hospital after kicking accused in groin and scratching his face during attack in Coffs Harbour nursing home, police sayA man has been charged with breaking into an aged care home and allegedly assaulting an elderly woman on New Year's Eve on the New South Wales north coast.Emergency services were called to an aged care home in Coffs Harbour at about 2.30am on Monday after reports a woman aged in her 70s had been sexually assaulted, NSW police said on Friday. Continue reading...

Intense speculation over future role for Kim Jong-un's daughter, who is reportedly 10, comes as North Korea fires shells near South Korean islandsThe young daughter of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un is seen as her father's heir apparent, South Korea's spy agency has said, in the South's first such assessment on the girl.There has been intense outside debate and speculation about Kim Ju-ae, who is reportedly about 10 years old, since she made her first public appearance in November 2022 when she watched a long-range missile test launch with her father. Continue reading...

ONS data also reveals working mothers spend on average an hour and a quarter more a day on household chores than male partnersYou may not catch them on TikTok or Snapchat, but the latest data shows that the over-70s are spending more time online than any generation besides Gen Z.According to figures from the Office for National Statistics detailing how different Britons report spending their time, the 70-plus age group is second only to those in their 20s when it comes to the average amount of time using a computer or device as a primary activity (separate from working or watching streamed video). Continue reading...

Exclusive: Gavin Stephens becomes most senior serving officer to accept discrimination in policing operates at a fundamental level'The leader of Britain's police chiefs' organisation has become the most senior serving leader to say that policing is institutionally racist, as he called for a fundamental redesign of national policies and practices to eliminate discrimination.Gavin Stephens, the chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), said black people should no longer experience disproportionate use of force, and that too little progress had been made to reform policing, with some leaders slow to accept the size of the challenge. Continue reading...

Qantas and Jetstar to offer special airfares, with accommodation deals to come, as Queensland premier insists region is open for business' after Cyclone JasperImages of Tropical Cyclone Jasper's devastating impact on far north Queensland may have driven away tourists during peak season.But the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, insists the region is open for business", making a $5m pitch to lure visitors back. Continue reading...

Blaze broke out at Croydon building Friday morning, with firefighters highlighting risks from lithium batteriesAn e-bike workshop has been destroyed in an early morning fire in Sydney's inner west, causing road closures along the suburb's shopping strip.Residents were woken just before 5am on Friday after the fire broke out at the building on Elizabeth Street in Croydon. Continue reading...

Beyond the conflict in Gaza it has been a violent few weeks in the wider Middle East, from attacks on shipping in the Red Sea to bomb blasts in Iran and a killing by drone in Beirut. Julian Borger explains what may happen nextIran suffered the worst terrorist attack in the history of the Islamic Republic this week when dozens of people were killed in two bomb blasts in the city of Kerman. In Beirut a drone attack in a suburban area killed a senior Hamas commander, and in the Red Sea the US navy shot down two anti-ship missiles and sunk three small boats after responding to distress calls from a container ship that was attacked twice by Houthi rebels.The Guardian's world affairs editor, Julian Borger, talks to Hannah Moore about the significance and possible consequences of these events and examines their potential to trigger a regional war. He says there is increasing appetite in Israel for further conflict with Hezbollah at the Lebanese border, and growing rhetoric that a direct war with Iran - which backs Hezbollah and the Houthi movement - is inevitable. Can international leaders do enough to calm tensions in the region? Continue reading...

Spider measuring record 7.9cm across is almost as big as largest female collected in 2021, which was named Megaspider by Australian Reptile ParkWith fangs that could pierce a human fingernail, the largest male specimen of the world's most venomous arachnid has found a new home at the Australian Reptile Park where it will help save lives after a member of the public discovered it by chance.The potentially deadly Sydney funnel-web spider dubbed Hercules" was found on the Central Coast, about 80km north of Sydney, and was initially given to a local hospital, the Australian Reptile Park said in a statement. Continue reading...

The election has been branded a sham' designed to cement Hasina's rule by exiled opposition leader Tarique RahmanAn opposition boycott looks set to usher prime minister Sheikh Hasina to a fourth straight term in the Bangladesh election this weekend.The election has been described as a sham" designed to cement Hasina's rule by exiled opposition leader Tarique Rahman. Continue reading...

Capriccio gelateria becomes second ice-cream store in beachside community of Williamstown to be hit by a fire deemed suspicious by police

Awards ceremony will be first major hosting engagement for star of Doctor Who, Good Omens and BroadchurchDavid Tennant has been named as the new host of the Baftas in his first high-profile hosting engagement.The actor, best known for his work on the TV series Doctor Who, Good Omens and Broadchurch, will take the stage at the Royal Festival Hall for the ceremony on 18 February. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can read our full report on the latest developments in the Middle East here and all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war here.The Times of Israel is carrying some quotes from a relative of one of the hostages seized from Israel by Hamas who later died during a failed resuce attempt by the Israeli military. Merav Barkai described the situation as incredibly sad and difficult".Citing her appearance on 103 FM radio, it reports the aunt of Sahar Baruch said:When we received the notification that he had been killed, it could have been a different notification. This was a rescue attempt; we were so close to being there. We were scared from the beginning that there would be a military attempt to rescue him and it would end this way. It's incredibly sad and difficult. Hostages were freed, people left there alive, we felt like we were close, just a step away from that embrace. Continue reading...

Tewkesbury almost cut off as driver killed in Oxfordshire and people near River Trent warned to prepare for evacuationHeavy flooding continued across parts of England on Thursday as a major incident was declared in Nottinghamshire and communities in Gloucestershire were left almost totally surrounded by water.With the wind and heavy rain of Storm Henk expected to continue sweeping across the UK through the night, people were forced out of their homes in Shrewsbury, while parts of Worcester city centre were under water and emergency planners warned people in at-risk areas along the River Trent to make preparations in case they needed to evacuate. Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire was almost completely surrounded by flood water, with several roads cut off and authorities telling people who need to evacuate to make their way to a dedicated rest centre. Continue reading...

White House says Moscow likely to supply Pyongyang with advanced technologies in exchangeRussia has started using ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea to attack Ukraine, the White House has said.Washington also alleged Russia was in talks with Iran to buy short-range ballistic missiles. The US intelligence assessment is that Iranian missiles have not yet arrived in Russia, but that the deal will eventually be done. Continue reading...

Two killed and five wounded, militia officials say, before US secretary of state's tour of Middle East

PC Martin Binala dismissed after dishonestly claiming to have smelled cannabis before dragging Karo Grigoryan out of his carTwo Metropolitan police officers have been found guilty of misconduct after a botched stop and search operation resulted in an innocent man being taken to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.PC Martin Binala was ruled to have been dishonest when he recorded in his police report that he smelled cannabis coming from inside Karo Grigoryan's car. He was found guilty of gross misconduct and was dismissed. His colleague PC Stuart Dunne was found guilty of misconduct and given a written warning. Continue reading...

Civil rights leader hosts protest outside office of alumnus who spearheaded campaign to remove Claudine Gay and criticized DEIThe civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton hosted a protest outside the office of the Harvard alumnus Bill Ackman on Thursday after Ackman criticized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Harvard following the resignation of the former university president Claudine Gay.[Ackman] declared war on DEI. He declared war on affirmative action. He's defining himself as a rightwinger in terms of dealing with racial equality," Sharpton told the Guardian during the protest alongside his organization, National Action Network, outside Ackman's office in New York City. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer vows to match Conservative attacks in what is shaping up to be a bruising campaignKeir Starmer has promised to fight fire with fire" against Conservative attacks this year, setting up what is likely to be one of the longest and most bruising general election campaigns in recent history.The Labour leader said on Thursday he would not shy away from aggressive campaign tactics, hours after Sunak indicated he was planning to go to the polls in the second half of the year. Continue reading...

Council leader says Tory austerity cuts have reduced funds by 100m a year for past decade and led to insolvencyNottingham city council has hit back at Rishi Sunak after the prime minister accused it of letting down its residents" and claimed the financial difficulties that drove it to effective bankruptcy last year were triggered not by cuts but poor management.The authority, which issued a section 114 notice in November after deeming it could not deliver a balanced budget, faces possible government intervention. Four English councils have declared insolvency in the past 12 months, two of them Tory-run. Continue reading...

A day after resigning, university's first Black president says the call to testify on antisemitism at elite colleges was a well-laid trap'The first Black president of Harvard, who resigned on Tuesday after a successful rightwing campaign to oust her, warned that the tactics used against her were merely a single skirmish in a broader war to unravel public faith in pillars of American society".Trusted institutions of all types - from public health agencies to news organizations - will continue to fall victim to coordinated attempts to undermine their legitimacy and ruin their leaders' credibility," Claudine Gay wrote in the New York Times on Wednesday, a day after she announced she was resigning from her position and returning to her role as a faculty member. Continue reading...

Accusations including the groping of a woman's breast and underage sex are given fresh airing in documentsThe release of court documents relating to the late child sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein reduces any hopes the Duke of York had of rehabilitating his reputation.The accusations against Andrew, from groping a woman's breast in an alleged encounter involving a puppet version of the prince, to claims he had sex with an underage Virginia Giuffre, are given fresh airing. Continue reading...

Alexander Lukashenko's law also bars exiled opposition leaders from standing in presidential electionsThe Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has signed a new law granting him lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution and preventing opposition leaders living in exile from running in future presidential elections.The law theoretically applies to any former president and members of his or her family. In reality, it is only relevant to the 69-year-old Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for almost 30 years. Continue reading...

Stores in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium will no longer stock PepsiCo drinks, Lay's and Doritos crisps and Quaker cerealsThe French supermarket chain Carrefour has said it will stop selling PepsiCo products in stores in four European countries because the global food company has put its prices up by too much.Shelves at Carrefours in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium will from Thursday carry signs saying the store will no longer stock PepsiCo products such as fizzy drinks, Lay's and Doritos crisps and Quaker cereals due to unacceptable price increases". Continue reading...

Analysts suggest popularity of A Guilty Conscience is down to portrayal of recent abuses in judicial systemHong Kong's highest grossing Chinese language film of all time is a Hong Kong-set courtroom drama exploring themes of power and justice in a city where many feel both have been abused in recent years.A Guilty Conscience, the directorial debut of the Hong Kong screenwriter Ng Wai-lun, tells the story of a single mother wrongly accused of murdering her daughter and the legal battle to clear her name. Continue reading...

Independent French auditors say UK information on people crossing Channel is very patchy'The UK is not coordinating sufficiently with France to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats or providing enough detailed information, French state auditors have said.The cour des comptes, an independent French body that examines the use of public funds, has published a report on the efficiency of French policy on illegal migration, in which it said France was struggling to develop operational cooperation arrangements" with its neighbours, including the UK. Continue reading...

Man arrested after death of Keotshepile Naso Isaacs, 33, a mother of three who was found dead in North Berwick on New Year's DayTributes have been paid to a mother of three who was found dead at her home in North Berwick, East Lothian, on New Year's Day.Officers discovered Keotshepile Naso Isaacs, 33, at about 8.20am on Monday at a property in Craigleith Avenue after a report of concern". Continue reading...

Afghan affiliate of IS claims responsibility for blasts in memorial crowd as Tehran tightens security on its eastern borders

Russian defence ministry says it shot down 10 Ukrainian missiles over CrimeaOne civilian was killed and eight wounded on Thursday in a Russian missile strike on Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine, damaging energy company buildings and causing power and water supply cuts, the regional governor said.Russia likely used an X-59 missile, governor Andriy Raikovych said at a briefing, according to Reuters. Raikovych said:Ordinary working people were injured ... One worker, unfortunately, died. A simple car mechanic.We have to state that the regime of Zelenskiy is not inclined to make peace.Its representatives think in terms of war and resort to highly aggressive rhetoric. Continue reading...

Arts organisations respond to plans to permanently slash core budget for the region's theatres and museumsArts organisations have called on Suffolk county council (SCC) to reconsider a proposed 100% cut to its culture budget.As part of its plans to make 64.7m in savings over two years, the council announced on Wednesday that it will stop core funding of 500,000 to art and museum sector organisations from April 2025. A shared statement from local organisations affected by the decision said the cut would make an extremely modest difference" to the council's overall finances but have a huge impact" on communities across the county. Continue reading...

Annual event sees inhabitants of zoo enjoy eating - or playing - with the unwanted conifersThere is a bit of post-Christmas cheer on the menu for elephants and other tenants at Berlin zoo: they can chomp on Christmas trees that didn't find a home.The trees arrived on Thursday in what has become an annual event. The elephants tore off branches with their trunks and either ate them or tossed them around their enclosure. Continue reading...

Potential loophole' in state's non-lethal strangulation laws could be closed by a statutory definition similar to that used in Western Australia, experts sayDomestic violence experts have raised concerns about a potential loophole" in Queensland's non-lethal strangulation laws, after a man argued in court he had not restricted a woman's breathing when he executed a chokehold designed to cut off the blood flow to her brain.The state made choking and strangulation a standalone offence in 2016, saying at the time that the act was a pivotal moment that reveals an escalation in the seriousness of the violence committed against a person". Research shows that domestic victims of non-lethal strangulation are seven times more likely to be subsequently killed. Continue reading...

Assistant treasurer Stephen Jones says concerns should have been raised about scheme that appeared to be selling worthless investment products'Chief executive of HyperVerse does not appear to existThe assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, has questioned why Australia's consumer watchdog did not issue a consumer warning against the HyperVerse crypto investment scheme in line with a number of overseas regulators.A Guardian Australia investigation has revealed widespread losses to the HyperVerse scheme, which escaped regulator attention in Australia despite one overseas authority warning it was a possible scam" and another describing it as a suspected pyramid scheme".Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Researchers report drop in incidents of incivility among staff at facilities with eye signs on the walls, but say further measures are neededResearchers have found a unique way to tackle sexist" and humiliating" behaviour by surgeons in operating rooms across Australia.It is not uncommon" for surgeons to describe fellow medical staff in the operating theatre as incompetent", to roughly grab surgical instruments or to discredit nurses, says Rose Petrohilos, a junior doctor and intern representative for Bairnsdale Regional Health Service. Continue reading...

Some bridges closed while train and ferry services suspended across ScandinaviaDenmark's Queen Margrethe II had ridden through the streets of Copenhagen in a horse carriage for the last time as monarch despite the cold weather, Reuters reports.She will hand over the throne to her son Crown Prince Frederik next week. Continue reading...

Actor says ancestry research shows he is related to the 11th Lord Lovat, who died at Tower of London in 1747Russell Crowe has claimed to be directly related to the last man executed by beheading in England - a Jacobite who lived a life of devious intrigue".Writing on X, the New Zealand-born actor said research into his ancestry had revealed he was related to Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, who was executed aged 80 in 1747 at the Tower of London for high treason. Continue reading...

Fashion and homeware chain warns of possible delays due to Red Sea attacks amid better-than-expected trading figuresNext has upgraded profit hopes for the year after ringing up 38m more in sales than expected in the run-up to Christmas but warned that difficulties in the Red Sea could mean problems with deliveries in the year ahead.The fashion and homeware chain said that full-price sales stepped up dramatically, rising by 10% in the last two weeks before Christmas. As a result, sales rose by 5.7% in the nine weeks to 30 December, far better than the 2% expected. Continue reading...

Election commission data gives ruling party large win but critics decry captured institutions being abused'

Queensland woman arrested after victims alleged dresses bound for dry-cleaning ended up for sale on social mediaA woman has been charged with running an alleged wedding dress business scam on dozens of unsuspecting brides in Queensland.The six-month police operation was launched after a Cairns woman allegedly gave her custom wedding dress to a bridal company in September 2022 for dry-cleaning, before spotting on social media that it had been sold to another person. Continue reading...

The 54-year-old died on the same night a code white' was declared across the city's public hospitalsA man has died after waiting more than 10 hours for paramedics in Adelaide's east, South Australia's ambulance employees association (AEA) has alleged.The 54-year-old SA man made a triple-zero call on 27 December, the same night a code white" was declared for emergency departments across the city. Continue reading...

Man, 49, in custody after reports of shots at shop, outside a cinema and at a nearby propertyA man has been arrested after shots were fired at three locations in Liverpool on Wednesday night, Merseyside police have said.The 49-year-old was arrested by armed response officers in Fazakerley after a Taser was deployed. Continue reading...

Only eight Australians were on the Japan Airlines flight that crashed in Tokyo rather than the 12 initially suspectedThere were four fewer Australians on the Japan Airlines flight that burst into flames after landing than originally feared but all are safe and accounted for.Only eight Australians were on the Japan Airlines plane rather than the 12 initially suspected. Continue reading...

Second year of falling prices expected though recovery is likely in the second half as interest rates come downBritain's housing market is past peak pain", the upmarket estate agent Savills has said. The big mortgage lenders Halifax and Nationwide building society have recorded monthly house price gains in recent months, which have taken some by surprise. But that does not mean the annual declines in property prices are over.Just over 60% of households (about 16 million) own their homes in England and Wales, but property has been an engine of economic growth since the financial crisis ushered in an era of low interest rates, with the wealth it creates fuelling spending on goods and services. When house prices rise - or fall - there is an economic ripple effect. So what will 2024 bring for the all-important housing market, and which geographic areas are likely to attract the most interest from buyers? Continue reading...

Thinktank says analysis shows obscene levels of pay inequality' and calls for workers to be given places on company boardsThe bosses of Britain's biggest companies will have made more money in 2024 by Thursday lunchtime than the average UK worker will earn in the entire year, according to analysis of vast pay gaps amid strike action and the cost of living crisis.The High Pay Centre, a thinktank that campaigns for fairer pay for workers, said that by 1pm on the third working day of the year, a FTSE 100 chief executive will have been paid more on an hourly basis than a UK worker's annual salary of 34,963, based on median average remuneration figures for both groups.Other FTSE 350 executives (comprising FTSE 100 executives other than the CEO, plus CEOs and other executives of FTSE 250 companies) earn an average of 1.3m, so would only need to work until 10 January for their pay to overtake the average worker.Partners at so-called magic circle" law firms earn an average of 1.9m, so would need to work until 8 January to do the same.Partners at the big four" accountancy firms have an average pay of 870,000, so would need to work until 16 January.Top bankers (so-called material risk takers") at the UK's five biggest banks earn 807,000 on average, and will also overtake average workers by 16 January.Everyone in the top 1% of full-time UK earners earns at least 145,000, so will overtake average median full-time worker by 29 March. Continue reading...

Elvis Evolution promises immersive' experience with concerts also planned for Las Vegas, Tokyo and Berlin

Israel's decision to defend itself at the international court of justice will make it harder for it to brush aside any adverse findingSouth Africa's request for an interim measure by the international court of justice to prevent Israel from committing acts of potential genocide - primarily by calling for a halt to combat operations - has suddenly taken on an urgency and relevance that seemed implausible a fortnight ago.Crack legal teams are being assembled, countries are issuing statements in support of South Africa, and Israel has said it will defend itself in court, reversing a decades-old policy of boycotting the UN's top court and its 15 elected judges. Continue reading...

Department claims key documents outlining reasoning behind joining US-led invasion were not included in an apparent administrative oversight'Peter Dutton has thrown his support behind the release of documents relating to Australia's decision to join the Iraq war following the failure of the Morrison governmentto hand over all the 2003 cabinet documents for release.The opposition leader said on Thursday the papers should be released" while accusing the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, of focusing too much on the beltway issue" rather than cost-of-living. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed