Smith's Snackfood Company says it is installing extra fans in Adelaide factory where some workers reported symptoms including eye and skin irritationSmith's is installing extra fans in an Adelaide factory after workers claimed they were having difficulty breathing and experiencing skin irritation from dealing with the seasoning used to make flamin' hot" Doritos.SafeWork SA is looking into the claims after the United Workers Union alleged employees at the Smith's Snackfood Company factory raised significant safety concerns about the improper handling of strongly irritating substances". Continue reading...
Witnesses say people climbed on to vehicle to gather petrol after tanker overturned on roadsideMore than 40 people have been killed and dozens badly burned when a petrol tanker exploded in central Liberia, the country's chief medical officer has said.Witnesses said people clambered on to the lorry to try collect petrol leaking from its tank after it crashed and tipped into a ditch along a road in Totota, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the capital Monrovia on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Unidentified man in life-threatening condition after enduring temperatures of around -50C on Air Algerie flight from OranA man has been discovered hidden in the landing gear compartment of a commercial aircraft that flew into Paris from Algeria with severe hypothermia but alive, French authorities have said.The man, believed to be in his 20s, was found during technical checks after the Air Algerie flight from Oran, Algeria, landed at Paris's Orly airport in mid-morning, prosecutors told AFP. Continue reading...
Drivers in Brisbane bear brunt of record petrol prices this year - only now are we starting to see some relief'Australian motorists are copping the cost of volatile world oil prices but relief could be in sight.Drivers in Brisbane bore the brunt of record petrol prices this year, making the Queensland city the nation's most expensive capital to put fuel in the tank. Regular unleaded cost on average 193.4 cents a litre, an NRMA analysis of 2023 petrol prices across the country revealed. Continue reading...
Wellwishers are asked to plant flowers in Birmingham-born poet's name or donate to Vegan Society or InquestBenjamin Zephaniah was laid to rest at a private funeral on Thursday.The Birmingham-born British poet and campaigner died on 7 December aged 65 and had been diagnosed with a brain tumour shortly before his death. Continue reading...
Lawyers say enough evidence has emerged for police to consider prosecuting former Post Office executivesA public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal at the Post Office has produced enough evidence for police to investigate senior staff, according to lawyers for postmasters who were wrongly convicted of crimes including theft and fraud.Hundreds of people who owned and operated post offices were wrongfully investigated, prosecuted and convicted between 1999 and 2015 because of bugs in a computer system called Horizon. Continue reading...
Police arrest man on suspicion of breaching the peace after footage appeared to show landmark in flamesA man has been arrested after early reports of Blackpool Tower being on fire transpired to be video footage of orange netting blowing in the wind.The Welcome to Blackpool tourist information service had earlier written that the fire brigade with climbing gear are on their way up now". Continue reading...
At least 16 states will fund largely unregulated facilities that try to convince people to continue their pregnanciesIn the months since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, at least 16 states have agreed to funnel more than $250m in taxpayer dollars towards anti-abortion facilities and programs that try to convince people to continue their pregnancies.Much of that money is set to go to anti-abortion counseling centers, or crisis pregnancy centers, according to data provided by the Guttmacher Institute and Equity Forward, organizations that support abortion rights. It has been paid out throughout 2023 and will stretch into 2025. Continue reading...
Farmers in Texcaltitlan in central Mexico, tired of being extorted, chased down gang members and killed 10 earlier this monthA drug cartel in central Mexico has kidnapped 14 local residents, including four children, in apparent retaliation for an uprising by angry farmers earlier this month that killed 10 cartel gunmen, officials said.Farmers in the village of Texcaltitlan and a neighboring hamlet had apparently grown tired of cartel extortions. Armed only with sickles and hunting rifles, they chased down suspected gang members amid bursts of automatic gunfire on 8 December, hacking, shooting and burning them. Four villagers also died in the clash. Continue reading...
Departures are part of purge of figures linked to military, thought to be related to a procurement investigationThree senior aerospace and defence business leaders have been removed from a top political advisory body to the Chinese Communist party (CCP), in the latest purge of figures linked to China's military.State media reported that the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) had revoked the seats of Liu Shiqian, the chair of the weapons manufacturer China North Industries Group; Wu Yansheng, the chair of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation; and Wang Changqing, a deputy manager of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (Casic). Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6HEPC)
Study finds rhotic speech that survives in pocket of east Lancashire around Blackburn becoming less commonOne of the most distinctive accents in the north of England could be about to disappear, a study has found.The strong R sound found in some Lancashire accents is slowly being replaced with a weaker version more common in the rest of the country, the research by Lancaster University has found. Continue reading...
by Pjotr Sauer and Artem Mazhulin in Kyiv on (#6HE41)
Package including anti-aircraft missiles is likely to be last supplied without congressional approvalThe US announced a $250m (196m) Ukraine military aid package on Wednesday, the last remaining tranche of weapons available for Ukraine under existing authorisation.The package, provided through the presidential drawdown authority, will be pulled from Pentagon stockpiles, with Congress now needing to decide whether to keep supporting Kyiv's battle against Russian invasion. Continue reading...
Citizens Advice figures show an unparalleled number of people unable to pay their bills in 2023Record numbers of people sought help in accessing homeless services, food banks and energy bill support this year, finding it ever harder to find solutions", Citizens Advice said, amid the cost of living crisis.Figures from the UK's largest independent advice provider show that an unparalleled number of people were unable to top up their prepayment meters or meet their energy bills. Its clients' average council tax debts and energy bill arrears were also at record highs. Continue reading...
A levy would help the city to cope with its 4 million annual visitors, politicians and event organisers sayEdinburgh's council leader has called for a new visitor levy to be introduced urgently to help the city fund its festivals, including this weekend's loss-making Hogmanay street parties.Cammy Day, leader of Edinburgh's Labour administration, said the proposed visitor levy could help the city raise about 25m in extra funding for services and to subsidise tourism infrastructure. Continue reading...
Man who had history of psychiatric illness said voices told him to cause harm', prosecutor in Meux saysA 33-year-old French man has admitted killing his wife and their four children, saying he heard voices telling him to cause harm", the public prosecutor said on Thursday.French police on Tuesday arrested a man with a history of psychiatric illness on suspicion of murdering his Haitian-born wife and their children, aged nine months, and four, seven and 10 years old. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6HEHQ)
With another two-point slip from current polling, about 40% of Tory MPs would come from populist rightA catastrophic election defeat could lead to the parliamentary Conservative party tilting towards the populist right, Guardian analysis has indicated.A projection of the seats the Conservatives would retain if there was a further two percentage point swing to Labour before election day, using data from Electoral Calculus, shows that about 40% of the remaining MPs would come from this wing of the party. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6HEHR)
Asad Farooq, 25, claims club rejected his job application in favour of someone less experiencedA British Asian man is suing Liverpool Football Club, claiming it racially discriminated against him by rejecting his application for a job in favour of someone less experienced.Asad Farooq, 25, has a degree in stadium and event management, and has worked for Tottenham Hotspur and at the Qatar World Cup, but was not invited for an interview when he applied to Liverpool in November last year for a job in administration. Continue reading...
Emily Thornberry says country is desperate, and Labour is ready, for general electionLabour is talking up the prospect of a May 2024 general election, with the shadow cabinet minister Emily Thornberry saying it was the worst kept secret in Westminster" that a contest would be called then.Thornberry told Sky News on Thursday that the government's decision to announce a budget in early March - the earliest date in 13 years apart from during the pandemic - seems to confirm" that May is the most likely date. Continue reading...
From removing a House speaker and expelling an indicted member, it was not a great year for America's representativesBefore House Republicans left for their holiday recess this month, they addressed one last matter of business. They did not take up an aid package for Ukraine or pass an appropriations bill to fully fund the government through the fiscal year.The House chose instead to vote along party lines to formally authorize an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, even though Republicans have failed to uncover any proof that the president financially benefited from his family's business dealings. Continue reading...
Then PM thought move would be excellent' but Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam was scepticalNewly released state papers show that the former prime minister Tony Blair backed proposals for Wimbledon FC to move to Belfast but his Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam was more sceptical.Previously confidential state papers include a note from 1997 described as following up earlier informal discussions about the possibility of an English Premier League football club relocating to Belfast". Continue reading...
Former US president denies director's claims that he insisted on appearing in 1992 film in exchange for filming in his hotelDonald Trump has denied claims made by the director Chris Columbus that he bullied his way into" appearing in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.The former US president said on his social media platform Truth Social, that the film's production team were begging me to make a cameo appearance". Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6HEEE)
Party has asked former Ofsted head Sir David Bell to find new ways to increase levels of childcareLabour is considering creating thousands of nursery places inside existing primary schools in England and has tasked the former Ofsted head Sir David Bell with finding new ways to increase levels of childcare.In the latest evolution of Labour's policy in an area that still has a widespread shortage of spaces, plus a lack of affordability and staffing, Bell will advise on potential ways to tackle this, with detailed policies set out nearer the election. Continue reading...
Search crew finds body of man near Rosebud beach on the Mornington Peninsula after two-hour searchA kayaker has died in waters off Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.Emergency services were called to Rosebud beach about 3.30pm on Thursday. There were reports a man on an inflatable kayak had got into trouble and gone into the water up to 800 metres off shore. Continue reading...
Patterson allegedly served death cap mushrooms to visitors at the residence, three of whom later diedTwo people are under arrest following an alleged burglary at the home of accused triple murderer Erin Patterson in Victoria's east.
Body recovered from ocean off Dhilba Guuranda-Innes national park on the Yorke PeninsulaA teenage boy has died after a shark attack near Ethel Beach in South Australia, police say.At 1.30pm on Thursday police received reports of a shark attack in Dhilba Guuranda-Innes national park, on the Yorke Peninsula. Continue reading...
Tents and caravans were swept away during 30-minute deluge that inundated Buchan campsiteHolidaymakers have described the terrifying moment a wall of water inundated a popular camping site in regional Victoria on Boxing Day, leaving two people dead and millions of dollars worth of damage.Those who were at the Buchan Caves Campground, about 350km east of Melbourne, said the usually sedate Spring Creek that flows through the reserve became engorged without warning on Tuesday, before sweeping away tents and caravans. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: With US support uncertain and the world's attention drifting, what will happen next in Ukraine? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. There's something insidious about the idea of Ukraine fatigue": it could easily lead to the view that what really counts about the Russian invasion is how much interest it excites in the west. In truth, for Ukrainians, resisting the invasion continues to exact a devastating price in the service of an existential cause. While there are no official figures on the toll, an August report estimated 300,000 wounded on both sides, and 190,000 dead.Nonetheless, it is true that the prospect of some decisive breakthrough routing Russian troops from Ukrainian soil looks more remote than ever. Meanwhile, with another crisis raging in the Middle East, the appetite in western capitals to keep providing the funding and weapons that Kyiv needs has only diminished. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter, Nadeem Badshah and agencies on (#6HDV3)
High winds, heavy rain and snow disrupt electricity, rail and road networksAbout 16,000 homes were entering Thursday without power, Scottish authorities said, after Storm Gerrit wreaked havoc. Scotland's rail network has also experienced widespread cancellations and delays.Parts of Scotland have had significant heavy snow with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) saying workers had been dealing with wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers. Continue reading...
Head of psychiatry at Tel Aviv medical centre says hostages have undergone worst abuse she has witnessedMany of the hostages released from detention in Gaza by Hamas in November still require intensive treatment for the trauma from their weeks in captivity, a leading Israeli psychiatrist has said.Renana Eitan, the head of psychiatry at the Ichilov Tel Aviv medical centre, said the hostages had undergone the worst abuse and trauma she had witnessed in her career. Continue reading...
Arizona conspiracy theorist who was arrested in connection to Queensland terrorist attack seeking to have charges dismissedA US conspiracy theorist linked to the Wieambilla shooters has argued he was not seriously expressing an intent for violence when he said the devils come for us, they fucking die", and as such should be protected by the US constitution's first amendment.Donald Day Jr, a conspiracy theorist in Arizona, was recently arrested by FBI agents in connection with last year's religiously motivated terrorist attack on a remote Queensland property in Wieambilla. Continue reading...
Duo's music will always trump almost anything that Daryl does on his own or I do on my own' says Oates, weeks after Hall filed to stop him selling his share of their rightsJohn Oates, half of the hugely successful pop rock duo Hall & Oates, has opened up about his partnership with Daryl Hall amid their ongoing and fractious legal battle.Hall, 77, is suing Oates, 75, in an initially confidential lawsuit that came to light in November when Hall also filed for and received a temporary restraining order against Oates in a Nashville court. Continue reading...
by Amy Remeikis and Australian Associated Press on (#6HE3Z)
Ibrahim Bazzi died in Bint Jbeil alongside his wife, Shorouq Hammoud, who had a visa to settle in Sydney, and his brother Ali, an alleged Hezbollah fighterThe federal government has raised the deaths of two Australians with Israel, after the brothers and one of their wives were killed in airstrike in a home in southern Lebanon.The acting foreign minister, Mark Dreyfus, confirmed two Australians died in the Israeli airstrike in al-Dawra neighbourhood in the town of Bint Jbeil, and said the Albanese government had been in communication" with Israel after the deaths. Continue reading...
The party has triggered outrage from conservative politicians and supporters of the war in UkraineA rapper who attended a celebrity party wearing only a sock has been jailed for 15 days, sponsors of some of Russia's best known entertainers have torn up their contracts, and President Vladimir Putin is reported to be unamused.A party with an almost naked" dress code at a Moscow nightclub, held at a time when Russia is engaged in a war with Ukraine and the authorities are pushing an increasingly conservative social agenda, has provoked an unusually swift and powerful backlash. Continue reading...
The former Democratic US senator was a popular figure in Wisconsin and donated to civic and educational causesHerb Kohl, a former Democratic US senator from Wisconsin and former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, has died. He was 88.His death Wednesday was announced by Herb Kohl Philanthropies, which did not give a cause but said he died after a brief illness. Continue reading...
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, died hours after the singer's 17 November show - a day when temperatures hit 40CHeat exhaustion caused the death of a Brazilian fan who attended a Taylor Swift concert in November, according to a forensics report obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday.Ana Clara Benevides, 23, passed out during Swift's second song at the show in Rio de Janeiro on 17 November and died hours later at a local hospital. Temperatures in the city that day were at about 40C (105F). Continue reading...
More than 250,000 vinyl records were sold last week, the most since the turn of the centuryVinyl records were a surprise hit this Christmas, with weekly sales in the UK soaring to their highest level this century during the festive shopping period, fuelled by artists including Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac and the Rolling Stones.The vinyl record resurgence, with a new generation of music lovers turning to retro formats such as LPs and cassettes, has fuelled a sales surge to their highest annual level since Elton John's Sacrifice and Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby topped the charts in 1990. Continue reading...
Pat Cullen urges RCN members in new year message to push ministers further'Politicians did only enough to save their own skins during strikes by nurses, a union leader has claimed, meaning there was just modest progress in NHS pay and staffing in 2023.Pat Cullen, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said Westminster stopped well short of the revolution needed". Continue reading...
Households will be able to drop off cables and other electrical waste in-store or have home collections, says DefraBritish households will benefit from improved routes for recycling electronic goods from 2026, under government plans to have producers and retailers pay for household and in-store collections.Consumers would be able to have electrical waste (e-waste) - from cables to toasters and power tools - collected from their homes or drop items off during a weekly shop, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in a consultation published on Thursday. The ambition is for retailers, rather than the taxpayer, to pick up the tab for these new ways of disposing of defunct, often toxic products safely. The measures are due to come into force in two years' time. Continue reading...
Head of Ukraine's armed forces calls for different war' in 2024; stop Putin or all of Europe at risk, says Moldova presidentThe US government has announced the release of what it said was its last available package of weapons available for Ukraine, with Congress needing to decide on future support. According to the state department, it is worth up to $250m and includes air defence munitions and components, Himars ammunition, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, anti-armour munitions, and over 15m rounds of ammunition.The war in 2024 must be different from 2023", the head of Ukraine's armed forces has said. Otherwise we will face what I wrote about in the article [the Economist]", said Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Unfortunately, I must state that the enemy is not far behind us. In recent days, we have had a powerful confrontation applying modern technologies. But we do not spare efforts. My main mistake was that I thought that the amount of losses we inflicted on the enemy would stop anyone. But not the Russian Federation."Zaluzhnyi, giving a press conference, said Ukrainian troops remained on a defensive line in the northern part of Maryinka. But I can say that this settlement no longer exists. The [Russian] method is the same as it was in Bakhmut. Street by street, block by block are destroyed. The fact that we have now moved to the outskirts of Maryinka, and in some places equipped positions beyond Maryinka, seems to me to be nothing that can cause a public outcry."As for the conduct of hostilities around Avdiivka," he continued, there is no need to dwell on it and make a show of it. The conduct of hostilities is subject to the laws of war, and they are not subject to what politicians or journalists want. The enemy now has the opportunity to concentrate forces; they can do to the city in two or three months what they have done to Bakhmut."Two people were killed in Russian drone attacks on Odesa, according to figures from the Odesa oblast governor, Oleh Kiper. A 17-year-old was among the wounded and remained in hospital.Russian shelling left 70% of Kherson without electricity, said the Kherson oblast governor, Oleksandr Prokudin. Shelling by Russian forces on Tuesday had badly damaged" the infrastructure of the city, he said, adding that it was difficult" to say when repairs would be completed. A railway station was attacked as a train was set to evacuate residents, killing one police officer and injuring four people.A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine has been denied the chance to run for president. Russia's central election commission refused to accept the former regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova's initial nomination by a group of supporters, citing errors in the paperwork, including spelling. After losing Wednesday's appeal against the commission's decision, Duntsova said she would start working on the creation of her own political party that would stand for peace, freedom and democracy".Poland is getting closer to ending the truck driver blockades of several border crossings with Ukraine, says the country's prime minister, Donald Tusk. Polish drivers have been blocking several crossings with Ukraine since 6 November, demanding the EU reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies need permits and the same for European truckers to enter Ukraine.The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, held talks in Moscow with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and said progress had been made on plans for Russia and India to jointly produce military equipment. Jaishankar added that he expected Vladimir Putin and the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, to meet next year.Russia says its newest howitzers will be deployed soon" against Ukrainian forces. The head of the state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, told the RIA news agency that testing of the new self-propelled artillery units, named Coalition-SV, had been completed and mass production had started, with the pilot batch to be delivered by the end of this year.Russian President Vladimir Putin must be stopped in his war against Ukraine or all of Europe will pay a much higher price, Moldova's pro-European president, Maia Sandu, said in an interview published on Wednesday. Continue reading...
by Helen Livingstone (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Martin on (#6HDJP)
This blog has now closed. You can read our full report on the latest developments in the Israel-Gaza war here and see all our Israel-Gaza war coverage hereLebanese state media is reporting that three people have been killed and one wounded by an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil.The claims have not been independently verified. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Social affairs correspondent on (#6HE5G)
Lib Dems' data analysis shows record levels of overheating and sharp rise in flooding, causing needless disruption'Record levels of overheating and a sharp rise in flooding at England's hospitals are putting vulnerable patients at risk, figures show.Analysis of NHS data by the Liberal Democrats found that the number of health trusts reporting overheating in clinical areas had doubled compared with six years ago, and floods had increased by nearly 60% from last year. Continue reading...
US artist became known for crawling along 42nd Street in New York in 1978 and recently exhibited at the South London GalleryThe American artist Pope.L, famous for performances in which he crawled through the gutters of busy American streets, has died aged 68, his gallery confirmed.His first show for a British non-commercial institution, the South London Gallery, opened only last month and was critically acclaimed. The artist attended the opening of the exhibition, which was titled Hospital. He died at home on 23 December in Chicago. Continue reading...
Man, 23, arrested on suspicion of murder and a 55-year-old is being held on suspicion of attempted murderA 46-year-old man has died and several others were injured after a car hit a crowd of people during violence in Sheffield, police have said.Emergency services were called to College Close in the Burngreave area of the city on Wednesday at about 2pm following reports of violence and disorder", South Yorkshire police said. Continue reading...
In social media posts, the singer thanked the sculptor Yino Marquez and his students for their enormous artistic talent'Shakira has been transformed into a 21.3ft (6.5 meters) bronze statue in her home town of Barranquilla, Colombia, where according to legend she began her trademark hip-shaking dance moves on the table in a Lebanese restaurant at the age of four.The Hips Don't Lie singer shared photos and video of the statue, which captures her making her trademark hip swivel, on her Instagram account. She captioned one post: Estoy muy emocionada por este homenaje a la mujer Colombiana y a las Barranquilleras dentro y fuera de mi tierra!" (I am very excited for this tribute to the Colombian woman and the Barranquilleras inside and outside my land!) Continue reading...
Tom and brother Dick's groundbreaking CBS show was pulled when they took a stance against Vietnam war and for civil rightsTom Smothers, half of the comedy group the Smothers Brothers, has died at the age of 86.Smothers was described as not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life", but as a one-of-a-kind creative partner", according to a statement by his brother Dick Smothers on Wednesday shared by the National Comedy Center. Continue reading...
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has met Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan for bilateral talks in St PetersburgAzerbaijani officials have said the country could be closing in on a peace agreement with Armenia to end their decades-long conflict following its lightning offensive in September to take control of its Nagorno-Karabakh region.In face of a decisive military advance, more than 100,000 people fled the mountainous south Caucasus enclave, which, following a war in the 1990s, had been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia. Continue reading...
by Emily Dugan, Edwin Okoth and Reuters on (#6HE1D)
Bodies of men missing for several days were retrieved from a river on Christmas Eve and Christmas DayKenyan police are investigating four suspected killings on a Del Monte pineapple farm after bodies were retrieved from a river on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.It follows a joint investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism into allegations of brutal assaults and killings by security guards at the farm in Thika, which is the single largest exporter of Kenyan produce to the world. Continue reading...
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