Parts of UK have more recently gone decades without Christmas snow, and in the past it was more hardship than dreamBing Crosby may have been dreaming of a white Christmas, but it seems such nostalgia might end up becoming a thing of the past in the UK. Not only do records reveal that some parts of the UK have at times gone decades without a yuletide flurry, but experts say the chances of a white Christmas are becoming ever smaller as a result of the climate crisis.According to the Met Office, a Christmas in the UK is white if even one snowflake is observed falling somewhere in the 24 hours of 25 December. Last year was, technically, a white Christmas in the UK, though none of the Met Office observation stations reported snow lying on the ground. Continue reading...
Advance comes after three days of intense fighting that forced thousands to flee towards the southSudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have seized Wad Madani, the country's second city, which had taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees from the capital, Khartoum, early in the eight-month war between the regular army and the paramilitary RSF.Videos posted by the RSF on Monday showed fighters in pickup trucks driving along streets in the city, the capital of el-Gezira state. Continue reading...
Manchester crown court jury begin deliberations after being told they don't need to find explanation for why 16-year-old was killedTwo teenagers blaming each other for the frenzied" murder of Brianna Ghey in a Warrington park were in it together", jurors have been told before starting their deliberations.The 16-year-old was stabbed 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of 11 February this year. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Unite union finds some employers did not even allow simple adjustments such as fans for hot flushesMore than 80% of women in the UK say their employers provide no support at work for those with menopause symptoms, polling has found.A survey of 13,000 female union members by the Unite trade union about toilet, period and menopause dignity at work found that many women still struggle to get adequate toilet breaks or adjustments for their menopause symptoms. Continue reading...
Met says a man in his 40s attended a police station on Thursday for interview in relation to six alleged offencesScotland Yard detectives have interviewed Russell Brand for a second time over allegations of sexual offences, it is understood.Brand was interviewed under caution at a police station in south London in November in relation to three non-recent alleged sexual offences, it is believed, and has been interviewed under caution again in relation to six further non-recent alleged sexual offences. Continue reading...
Former Tory peer claims she never concealed her link to PPE Medpro from officials dealing with the contractMark Harper, the transport secretary, has announced in a written statement that Transport for London is getting a capital funding settlement worth 250m for 2024. It will fund upgrades to the Piccadilly line. Sadiq Khan, the mayor, welcomed that announcement but, as the Evening Standard reports, said a decent long-term funding settlement" from the government was still needed.Rishi Sunak has said that too many civilian lives have been lost in Gaza - but declined to back Ben Wallace's claim that Israel is engaged in a killing rage". (See 10.27am.)Israel obviously has a right to defend itself against what was an appalling terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas, but it must do that in accordance with humanitarian law.It's clear that too many civilian lives have been lost and nobody wants to see this conflict go on a day longer than it has to. Continue reading...
Labour MP makes call after branches' role highlighted in Cyprus Confidential and other investigationsThe accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has been urged to show that it is not using its complex international structure to evade responsibility for assisting with illicit financial flows and the undermining of sanctions".In an open letter to PwC, Dame Margaret Hodge, the veteran anti-corruption campaigner and Labour MP, raised concerns about the London-based firm's role in successive investigations by the Guardian and other media organisations, including the Cyprus Confidential leaks published last month. Continue reading...
Turner prize-winning artist joined on X by broadcaster Jon Sopel a fellow EDF customer, who complained of being asked for 18,000One is a Turner prize-winning artist, the other is a well-known journalist and broadcaster but both have been brought together by a seemingly evergreen gripe - inordinate energy bills.Grayson Perry, known for his ceramic vases and tapestries, revealed on X on Monday he had been stung with a 39,000 a month electricity bill - an astronomical leap from the previous charge of 300 a month. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6H7S2)
Department hopes to save 4.5m a year by digitising - then binning - about 100m wills that date back 150 yearsSheer vandalism" and insane". This is how leading historians on Monday described government plans to destroy millions of historical wills to save on storage costs.The Ministry of Justice is consulting on digitising and then throwing away about 100m paper originals of the last wills and testaments of British people dating back more than 150 years in an effort to save 4.5m a year. Continue reading...
Likeness on display at Grevin Museum since 1981 is removed as allegations against actor are back in spotlightA French museum has removed a wax likeness of Gerard Depardieu, the latest measure taken against the actor since he faced allegations of sexual assault.The Grevin Museum in Paris said on Monday it had taken away the waxwork following the negative reactions of visitors" passing in front of it, as well as comments on social media. Continue reading...
Serbia Against Violence opposition says it will not recognise results and will demand a rerun of the ballotSerbia's ruling populist party comfortably won Sunday's parliamentary elections, according to an early official vote count, but political tensions rose over allegations of irregularities in a local election race in the capital, Belgrade.An opposition group said it was robbed of victory in the Belgrade local election, would not recognise the results and would demand a rerun of the ballot. Continue reading...
The education minister joins Vaughan Gething, the economy minister, in contestJeremy Miles has entered the race to become Welsh first minister and said that as a young gay man from a working-class family he could never have imagined putting himself forward as the leader of Labour and Wales.Miles, the education minister, joins the current economy minister, Vaughan Gething, in the contest to replace Mark Drakeford, who announced his resignation last week. Continue reading...
Rock star is sued by unnamed woman who alleges he attacked her on board helicopter in 2003Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee has been accused of sexual assault, in an incident in 2003.A new civil lawsuit filed on Friday by an unnamed woman, Jane Doe - and reported by Rolling Stone - accuses Lee of forcibly groping, kissing and penetrating her with his fingers, and attempting to force her to perform oral copulation". The woman had been invited on to a helicopter by pilot David Martz and believed she would be on a sightseeing tour around San Diego, but was told they would be flying with Lee to Los Angeles. Continue reading...
Russia says 35 Ukrainian drones shot down overnight as Ukraine reports 20 Russian; Putin vows to make Russia a sovereign, self-sufficient power'Russia and Ukraine launched drones on each other's territory for the second day running. The Russian Defence Ministry said 35 Ukraine drones were shot down overnight in three regions in south-western Russia. A Russian airbase hosting bomber aircraft used in Ukraine was among the targets, according to a Russian Telegram channel critical of the Kremlin.Russian troops launched 20 Shahed drones in southern and western Ukraine, as well as one X-59 cruise missile from the country's occupied south. Ukraine's air force said it shot down the Iranian-made drones. A civilian was also killed overnight near Odesa, a key port on Ukraine's southern Black Sea coast, after the remnants of a destroyed drone fell on his house, Ukraine's military said.Russian president, Vladimir Putin, vowed to make Russia a sovereign, self-sufficient" power. In a campaign speech he accused the west of unsuccessfully trying to sow internal troubles" in Russia.Putin also warned of problems" with neighbouring Finland after it joined Nato earlier this year. Russia plans to reorganise military divisions to station more troops in its north-west region, by the EU and Nato border.But Putin dismissed claims from the US president, Joe Biden, that Russia could attack a Nato country as nonsense". It came after Biden said Russia would not stop at Ukraine if it secures victory, as he pleaded with Republican lawmakers to authorise further aid to Kyiv.The Freedom of Russia Legion, a Ukrainian-based paramilitary group of Russians who oppose Putin, claimed responsibility on Sunday for a cross-border attack a few kilometres into Russia's Belgorod region. The group said it had destroyed a platoon stronghold of Russian troops near Terebreno village. The Guardian could not verify their claims. Earlier on Sunday, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod region, which experiences frequent attacks by Ukrainian forces, said Terebreno was under fire from Ukraine's Armed Forces and that a shooting battle" was under way on the village edge.A 69-year-old was reported killed in a Ukrainian border village in the northern Sumy region, about 25 kilometers west of Terebreno. According to the Ukrainian regional prosecutor's office, the woman died after a Russian shell flew into her home. It wasn't immediately clear whether her death was linked to the reported clashes.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine will officially launch" an assessment with the European Commission. The country will begin assessing Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU legislation, Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Sunday. EU accession talks are expected in the spring.Ukraine foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has won sincere and well-deserved admiration" among Ukrainians for his role in the EU's recent decision to open membership talks for Kyiv, Ukraine.Ukraine security services reported a bug found in one of the offices of the country's army command. The bug was not found in the direct office of Ukraine army chief, Valery Zaluzhvy, but a premises which could be used by the army official, according to a statement. Continue reading...
by Aseel Mousa in Gaza and Emma Graham-Harrison on (#6H7C4)
With pupils and teachers uprooted and buildings destroyed, it is likely to be many months before classes can resumeMohammad Mosa packed his laptop when he fled his home in October and hoped he would still be able to Zoom into classes between airstrikes. The 14-year-old has his heart set on a competitive scholarship and has studied through wars before.Two months later, the only new thing he has learned is how to bake bread over an open fire. Intense bombardment and a tight blockade have meant that civilian life in Gaza has turned into a daily fight to survive, and education is one of the many casualties. Continue reading...
British artist, who has undergone multiple surgeries for cancer, says horrible complications' in her intestine were made a million times worse by flying'Renowned British artist Tracey Emin is recovering in Thailand after her small intestine nearly exploded" due to complications after an operation.Emin, one of Britain's best-known living artists, has battled cancer and undergone major surgery in recent years. On Sunday she shared on Instagram that she has been very unwell" and felt she had used another one of my nine lives". Continue reading...
Professor complains that show's Oxbridge bias is even more pronounced in Christmas specials and calls for public debateA campaigner has called on BBC bosses to defend the elitist" format of University Challenge in a public debate, after complaining that the show's Oxbridge bias is even more pronounced in its Christmas specials.Frank Coffield, an emeritus professor of education, has asked for fairer entry rules that would confine Oxbridge and Cambridge to one team each in line with all the other universities. In a yearlong campaign, he has argued that the current format is rigged in favour of Oxbridge colleges, which he claims breaches BBC rules on impartiality. Continue reading...
New guidance says parents should be told if pupils say they want to transition but stops short of blanket approachTeachers in England will not be made to automatically out" pupils who come to them with questions over gender identity, despite a push from Conservative rightwingers for a blanket approach, government guidance due to be published this week will say.Schools will be expected to inform parents if children tell staff that they want to take any steps towards transitioning, but they will not have to flag conversations if children are just asking general questions, or in the event of safeguarding issues. Continue reading...
Lawsuit, which was dismissed with prejudice in a Los Angeles court on Friday, had alleged the actor coerced sexual contact' with 14-year-old when he was 35A judge has thrown out a lawsuit that accused Warren Beatty of coercing a teenage girl into sex in 1973.Kristina Hirsch filed a lawsuit against the actor in November 2022, alleging Beatty had coerced her into sex in 1973 when he was 35 and she was 14 and 15.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...
Japan's government has called a meeting of its national security council in response to the launchesNorth Korea has fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, according to the South Korean military.The South Korean military said in a statement that the launch was made on Monday morning and that the missile flew about 1,000km before falling into the sea. Continue reading...
Greenpeace UK and Uplift are seeking a judicial review in the Scottish courts to stop opening of huge new oilfieldClimate campaigners have launched two separate legal challenges to government plans to open a massive new oilfield in the North Sea.Greenpeace and the campaign group Uplift argue that the decision to press ahead with the Rosebank development - the UK's biggest untapped oilfield - is incompatible with the UK's legally binding climate commitments, and say ministers' original analysis ignored the devastating impact of burning oil from the site. Continue reading...
Independent Monitoring Board also finds longer detentions and raises concern about treatment of vulnerable peopleAlmost 80% of people held in UK immigration detention centres in 2022 were released into the community rather than deported, according to a report.The purpose of immigration detention is to prepare people for deportation from the UK, but the annual report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) on the immigration detention estate found that the vast majority were released. Continue reading...
Clinicians ranked patient self-assessments as the least important type of evidence during diagnosisHealth experts say more attention should be given to patients' experiences after research found multiple examples of their insights being undervalued.A study led by the University of Cambridge and King's College London found clinicians ranked patient self-assessments as the least important when making diagnostic decisions. Continue reading...
Michael Gove to announce extra support for social care and housing as one in five English councils foresees going bustMinisters will announce a 6.5% increase in the funding for local councils in England in a desperate attempt to stop them going bankrupt.Michael Gove, the communities secretary, will announce the 64bn support package on Monday, less than a fortnight after he was warned that an unprecedented number of councils are likely to declare themselves bankrupt. Continue reading...
Award-winning director made most of his films in France, where he was free to be critical of his home countryOtar Iosseliani, an award-winning film-maker, has died in his native Georgia, his French distributor said Sunday. He was 89.Iosseliani made most of his films in France, where he was free to make films that were sometimes overtly critical of his home country. His death on Saturday night was confirmed by Regine Vial, from the Les Films du Losange company. Continue reading...
Jamell Demons, known as YNW Melly, to go on trial next year in Florida for allegedly killing two fellow rappers five years agoJamell Demons, known to millions of rap fans as YNW Melly, will go on trial early next year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a double murder he allegedly committed five years ago.But after a mistrial on the same charges in July, Florida prosecutors are now controversially planning to introduce his lyrics into evidence in a case that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted. Continue reading...
Fatalities in last 24 hours come amid public anger over mistaken killing of three hostages by Israeli forcesAirstrikes in the Gaza Strip have killed at least 100 people over the last 24 hours, as Israel's leadership faces growing international pressure for a ceasefire and calls at home to resume hostage negotiations after the Israeli army shot and killed three men kidnapped by Hamas.The health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory said on Sunday that at least 90 people had been killed by Israeli bombardment in the Jabalia camp in the north, and another 12 had died in bombings in the central city of Deir al-Balah, as fighting was reported in several parts of Gaza. Continue reading...
Small vehicles could travel through tunnel, which comes within 400 metres of Erez border crossingThe Israeli army has said it has uncovered the biggest Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip so far, just a few hundred metres from a key border crossing.Such was its size that small vehicles would be able to travel within the tunnel, an AFP photographer granted access to it reported. Continue reading...
Comedian and activist had hoped to be on ballot to try to take seat from Greens when Caroline Lucas stands downEddie Izzard has failed in her second attempt to be selected as a Labour candidate and represent the party as an MP at the next general election.The comedian and activist, 61, who first spoke about being trans in 1985, had hoped to stand as the Labour MP for Brighton Pavilion but was beaten by the music industry activist Tom Gray. Continue reading...
Response to Houthi attacks from Yemen seeks to reassure commercial shipping companies avoiding use of Red SeaThe US is to announce the launch of an expanded maritime protection force involving Arab states to combat the increasingly frequent Houthi attacks being mounted from Yemen's ports on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.The force, provisionally entitled Operation Prosperity Guardian, is due to be announced by the defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, when he visits the Middle East. Much like the Task Force 153 already operating out of Bahrain, the larger protection force is designed to provide reassurance to commercial shipping companies that Houthi attacks will be seen off, and that the sea remains safe for commercial shipping. Continue reading...
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