World news | The Guardian

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereRussia is increasing its efforts to capture Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, transporting battalion reserves to the area, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian army has said.Kupiansk was liberated from Russian occupation in September 2022 by the Ukrainian counteroffensive, and has been a target since then, as it serves as an important logistics centre for the Russian invasion's progression to the south and west. It was captured by Russia in February 2022. Continue reading...

Teenager believed to have been abducted by mother in 2017 was found in France earlier this weekAlex Batty, the British teenager who has been missing for six years, will return to the UK on Saturday afternoon.The 17-year-old is expected to be reunited with his grandmother, Susan Caruana, his legal guardian, who has not seen her grandson since he disappeared in 2017. Continue reading...

Home Office says 292 people made crossing on Friday, when one person drowned and another was left in critical conditionAlmost 300 people crossed the Channel from France to England in small boats on the same day a person died when a vessel sank off the French coast.The Home Office said 292 people made the crossing in seven boats on Friday. Continue reading...

Two others injured and man believed to be driver arrested after incident in Ilkeston at about 2am on SaturdayA man has died after a group of people were struck by a van in Derbyshire.Emergency services were called to Market Place in Ilkeston just before 2.10am, Derbyshire police said. Continue reading...

Renewed debate over issue follows Observer's publication of impassioned plea for legalisation by actor Diana Rigg recorded before her deathCampaigners for an assisted dying law are hoping to make 2024 a turning point in the public debate about the measure in the UK, amid a flurry of attempts to change the law across the British Isles.Efforts to create new rights for terminally ill people to seek assistance in ending their lives are due to take place in the Isle of Man and Jersey in the new year, with a bill also being debated in Scotland. Continue reading...

200% suspension rates at zero tolerance' trusts in England could affect highly vulnerable children, experts warnThe suspension rate at some of England's strictest academy schools is 30 times the national average, with experts warning that this is affecting some of the country's most vulnerable children.An Observer analysis of the latest Department for Education (DfE) annual data on suspensions has found that dozens of multi-academy trusts had suspension rates that far exceeded the national average in a number of their schools in 2021-22. Two of the country's biggest trusts, Astrea and Outward Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), had schools with a suspension rate of about 200% of their pupil numbers - although some pupils were counted several times because they were suspended repeatedly - compared with a national average of 6.9%. Continue reading...

Sparse 103-year-old tree was bought by the family of Dorothy Grant, who kept it until her death at 101One of the world's first mass-produced Christmas trees, bought for 6p in 1920, has sold for more than 3,400 at auctionDescribed by the auctioneer as the humblest Christmas tree in the world", it is 79cm (31in) tall and has 25 branches, 12 berries and six mini candle holders. The tree sits in a small, red-painted wooden base with a simple decorative emblem. Continue reading...

The ex-London schools commissioner and chief education officer for Birmingham was hailed by colleaguesTeachers and education experts this weekend paid tribute to Sir Tim Brighouse, one of the great educators of this century" and a delightful human being", who has died at the age of 83.The former schools commissioner for London and chief education officer for Birmingham and for Oxfordshire, who said he had learned from his own mistakes in teaching and believed in teachers' ability to change the world, died on Friday after a short illness. Continue reading...

A project from an anti-discrimination creative arts organization pairs LGBTQ+ youth in need of help with donors willing to give itAt first glance, they could be letters to Santa Claus from any excited young child, hoping they have been good enough to earn a special gift. Meek is looking forward to hearing sleigh bells: I think I have tried my best this year. I try to be positive," they wrote. Alex, meanwhile, would love a bicycle and gift cards to bring some cheer to the end of an extremely hard year".Look a little deeper, and all is not as it seems. The letters are genuine, but their authors are young people who are transgender or non-binary, writing not to the North Pole but to an alternative seasonal benefactor named Transanta, whose workshop exists in cyberspace. Continue reading...

Pump prices are at an average of 142.57p a litre, and could fall below 140p in the next weekPetrol prices have fallen to their lowest in more than two years, the RAC has said.A litre of unleaded petrol now costs 142.57p on average at the pumps, a price not seen since the end of October 2021. Continue reading...

Actor and comedian says Prince Harry's partial high court win shows need for tighter press regulationSteve Coogan has said the Duke of Sussex's partial victory in a high court phone-hacking claim shows there is an omerta ... of systemic concealment by the press" and has called for a bolstered system of independent regulation.The British actor and comedian, who is involved with the Hacked Off campaign, reiterated his calls for press reform after Prince Harry won a substantial part of his case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). Continue reading...

News anchor Maryam Moshiri said she was glad the footage showed she was joking with crewMillions have seen the viral clip of a BBC News presenter holding up her middle finger to the camera.Now the full video of the chief BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri counting down to her viral middle-finger moment has been released. Continue reading...

Seven people sentenced to years in prison over 2021 race in Gansu province hit by extreme weatherOrganisers of a 2021 ultramarathon in north-west China during which 21 runners died in extreme weather conditions have been sentenced to years in prison for their roles, state media reported.Five individuals involved in planning the ill-fated event were given jail terms ranging from three to five-and-a-half years by a court in Baiyin, a city in Gansu, the province where the deaths occurred, the state news agency Xinhua reported late on Friday. Continue reading...

Short even of firewood, Palestinians are left burning solid waste as they struggle to cook and stay warm - but the pollution means respiratory illness is on the riseIsrael-Gaza war - live updatesWherever trees have been left standing in Gaza, they are being chopped down for fuel. When wood - furniture and doors included - cannot be found, Gaza's residents burn waste.To cook or heat themselves, people in the Palestinian enclave are burning what they can find in crude stoves they have made of clay, scrap metal or loose bricks to replace kitchen cookers or gas stoves. Israel's siege means it is no longer possible for people to find gas. Continue reading...

Nadia Murad and 430 US citizens of Yazidi background suing conglomerate over payments it made to terrorist groupAbout 430 Americans of Yazidi background and Nobel laureate Nadia Murad accused French conglomerate Lafarge of supporting brutal attacks on the population through a conspiracy with the Islamic State, according to a complaint reviewed by AFP.The civil suit, filed in a New York court by attorneys that include human rights lawyer Amal Clooney references a $778m US Department of Justice fine and guilty criminal plea in October 2022 by Lafarge, which was acquired by Swiss company Holcim in 2015. Continue reading...

Marketing of processed foods and sugary drinks plays significant role in influencing children's diets, expert says

People who want to buy property costing more than 450,000 say they unfairly face losing moneyCampaigners are pressing for changes to a UK government scheme for would-be first-time buyers that fines" people if they use it to buy a home costing more than 450,000.Martin Lewis, the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, is among those calling for an urgent revamp of the rules that apply to lifetime Isas, which let people save for a first home or for their retirement. Continue reading...

The militant group's ideology and its complex tunnel network means it is no ordinary enemyIsrael's insistence to the Biden administration that it needs more time to defeat Hamas has raised questions over the level of damage inflicted on the Islamist militant organisation, and whether it is changing tactics in its fight against the Israel Defense Forces.In a week in which nine Israeli soldiers were killed, including two senior commanders and several other officers in a single complex ambush in the Shejaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City, analysts and commentators have begun to question previously bullish assessments about Hamas's ability to fight. Continue reading...

Two men, one unarmed and the other already injured, died after being shot in a military raid on a refugee campIsrael has said it is opening a military police investigation into the killing of two Palestinians in the West Bank after an Israeli human rights group posted videos that appeared to show Israeli troops killing the men - one who was incapacitated and the second unarmed - during a military raid in a West Bank refugee camp.The B'Tselem human rights group accused the army of carrying out a pair of illegal executions." Continue reading...

Marina Hyde, John Crace and Polly Toynbee are among those ready to take your calls in support of refugeesReaders have the opportunity to talk to some of their favourite Guardian and Observer journalists on Saturday as part of the annual charity telethon, this year in support of refugees and asylum seekers.Journalists including Marina Hyde, John Crace, Polly Toynbee, Owen Jones, Peter Bradshaw, Sali Hughes, Simon Hattenstone, Nosheen Iqbal, Zoe Williams and many more will be on hand to take your calls and donations.Non-telethon donations can be made online by credit card, debit card or PayPal. Continue reading...

Residents absolutely fuming' about council's decision to shut Colvestone primary and transfer its pupilsHelen Davis could not believe her children's luck when Hackney council announced the borough's first 21st-century street" was going to be built on the doorstep of their local school.It still makes me tingle just to think about it," she said. Colvestone primary school was going to be at the heart of this new, pedestrianised, green space. Pupils were going to be able to grow their own vegetables, run conservation projects and have outside play activities. They were even planning an outdoor classroom." Continue reading...

London boroughs among hardest hit due to falling birth rate and family struggles with Covid and rising costsPrimary schools are being closed, merged and shrunk as councils across England to respond to falling numbers of pupils due to the falling birth rate as well as family upheaval triggered by rising costs, Brexit and Covid.London boroughs are among the hardest hit, with thousands of school places being lost, but the closures and cuts extend to other cities and areas as they adjust to fewer children being born or moving into their catchment areas. Continue reading...

Piedmont town near French border is now best budget ski resort in Europe for adults, figures showThe ski resorts of Bulgaria have long been seen as the best option for British skiers hoping to hit the slopes on a budget. Borovets and Bansko might not have the glitz of Verbier, the after-ski buzz of St Anton, or the picturesque villages of the Trois Vallees, but as the solid, wallet-friendly option, Bulgaria has been unbeatable for more than a decade.All that has changed, however, with the Bulgarian resorts this year being eclipsed by an unlikely budget rival: Bardonecchia in Italy. The Piedmont town, 96km from Turin and a few minutes' drive from the border with France, is now the best value ski resort in Europe for adults, according to research. Continue reading...

Authorities say lithium-ion battery fires happen every week across Australia and poorly built buys could lead to new wave of damage

This blog is now closed. See all our Israel-Gaza war coverage hereThe Israeli heritage minister, Amichai Eliyahu, of Otzma Yehudit, the far-right party led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, said in a radio interview that the Gaza Strip must be fully" occupied.In comments reported by Haaretz, Eliyahu said: Anyone who sells an illusion that [Hamas] will return to manage things does not want to remember what happened on Simhat Torah." Continue reading...

NSW Ambulance expects 10% uptick in calls and Bureau of Meteorology warns of the chance of destructive afternoon storms

Corporation halts production on world's longest-running sport quiz after 53 years and says it is not the final whistle'The BBC is pulling Question of Sport, the world's longest-running sport quiz, citing funding difficulties".The show began in 1970 with David Vine as presenter, followed by David Coleman, Sue Barker and the current incumbent, Paddy McGuinness, who took over two years ago. Continue reading...

Fate of more than a dozen islands hangs in the balance' because of climate crisis, with vexed questions about maritime jurisdiction

Contributing factors in Friends star's death included drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine'Matthew Perry died of the acute effects of ketamine", the Los Angeles county medical examiner said on Friday.The Friends star was found unresponsive in the pool at his residence" on 28 October and pronounced dead at the age of 54. The medical examiner ruled that the manner of death was an accident. Continue reading...

Online shoppers at the upmarket London grocer complain about being billed twice and being on hold for nearly 90 minutesCustomers of luxury grocer Fortnum & Mason have been complaining about difficulties placing orders and getting a response from customer services during a busy Christmas period for the retailer.Some shoppers at the store, which holds a royal warrant and is famed for its Christmas hampers, have taken to social media and review websites to complain about being charged multiple times after repeating transactions thinking they have not gone through. Continue reading...

IDF identifies hostages killed as Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer El-Talalqa, saying they were mistakenly believed to be a threat

Officers restrained Mario Gonzalez in a prone position as he struggled to breathe and blamed his death on drug useA California city has agreed to pay $11m to the family of a man who was killed by police in 2021 when officers restrained him in a prone position for five minutes as he struggled to breathe.The city of Alameda, just outside of San Francisco, announced on Thursday that it had settled the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estate of Mario Gonzalez, a 26-year-old who was killed in a similar manner to George Floyd in a case that led to protests and national outrage. The city said it was paying $11m to Gonzalez's seven-year-old son and $350,000 to Gonzalez's mother. Continue reading...

Friend of comedian known for appearances on talkshows says he is thought to have crashed his ebike at an intersection in BrooklynThe comedian Kenny DeForest has died after a bike accident in New York, his friend and fellow comedian Ryan Beck confirmed.DeForest, 37, best known for his appearances on talkshows such as Late Night with Seth Meyers and the Late Show with James Corden, was riding an e-bike on 8 December when he crashed. Continue reading...

Announcement follows pressure from allies in US to alleviate humanitarian crisis in besieged territory

TV documentary-maker says he might try cosmetic tattooing to replace browsLouis Theroux has announced that he has shaved off his eyebrows due to facial hair loss.The documentary-maker, who has alopecia, said on social media he was considering microblading - a semi-permanent form of cosmetic tattooing - in an attempt to create the illusion of having full eyebrows. Continue reading...

The Duke of Sussex's determination to have his day in court over phone hacking has once again lifted the lid on media standardsPrince Harry's victory against the Daily Mirror has placed phone hacking and media standards back under the spotlight, 11 years after the conclusion of the Leveson inquiry.While millions of pounds have been paid out to victims of phone hacking in the intervening years, they were largely via out-of-court settlements, which kept a lid on the reputational damage to the perpetrators. Continue reading...

French president accuses Hungarian PM of being dishonest to the public about his reasons for vetoing aidViktor Orban must not be allowed to take the EU hostage", Emmanuel Macron has said, after the Hungarian prime minister blocked a 50bn EU aid package for Ukraine in the early hours of Friday.As leaders of the European Union start working on the details of plan B to raise the money through cash and loans, the French president said Orban was being dishonest to the public about his reasons for vetoing the financial package and would ultimately come around. Continue reading...

French president says Hungarian leader told him he would not block aid to Ukraine if rules are met'. This live blog is closed

Trump's postmaster general appointee is implementing a 10-year austerity plan that will slash jobs and close sorting centersMore than 500,000 workers at the United States Postal Service (USPS) will be handling billions of deliveries through the holidays. For hundreds of them, this may be their last Christmas at their current mail sorting facility and workers are warning the impact on consumers will be severe.Donald Trump's appointee as postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, is currently implementing a 10-year Delivering for America" austerity plan that will slash jobs and close sorting centers. Continue reading...

Lead counsel's quizzing of leading politicians, officials and scientists has brought him to national attentionIt is not the traditional stuff of nightmares.But you could forgive Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak if their dreams this Christmas are haunted by a mellifluously voiced man in a double-breasted suit asking polite questions that are nonetheless extremely hard to answer. Continue reading...

Body found in search for 55-year-old woman who went missing after leaving work in Norwich last Friday afternoon. This live blog is closed

Kyiv hopeful all necessary legal procedures' will be completed at EU summit in JanuaryUkraine has expressed confidence it will receive a 50bn aid package from the EU, despite Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, vetoing the funding at a crucial summit in Brussels.In a statement, the foreign ministry in Kyiv shrugged off Orban's blocking tactics. It said it expected all necessary legal procedures" to be completed at an EU summit in January, with the aid delivered as soon as possible". Continue reading...

Retailer began selling bars of 24-karat gold online in September, with each release selling out within a few hours'Known for selling goods in bulk, Costco's latest such offering - gold bars - has proved a hit, with $100m worth sold in the most recent quarter, Business Insider reported.With demand for the precious metal rising globally amid the economic uncertainty of the past few years, Costco in September began selling 1oz (28g) bars of 24-karat gold exclusively online, with Costco members eligible to buy two apiece. The retailer has more than 72m paid memberships. Continue reading...

Elya Toledano was among estimated 240 hostages taken during Hamas attacks on 7 October

MPs and charities say asylum seekers paying appalling price' in week of suspected suicide onboardMore than 60 charities have demanded the immediate closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge used to accommodate asylum seekers after a man died following a suspected suicide there on Tuesday.The call comes in a letter published in the Guardian signed by 65 charities and three Labour MPs. The charities include Refugee Action, Refugee Council, Care4Calais and Refugees at Home. The MPs are Nadia Whittome, Kim Johnson and Olivia Blake. Continue reading...

Anneliese Dodds calls for more action to break up human trafficking gangs that are facilitating boat crossingsRishi Sunak will hold a trilateral meeting with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni and Albania's Edi Rama during a visit to Rome on Saturday, PA reports.A Downing Street spokeswoman said the talks will be focused on our joint efforts to tackle illegal immigration and organised crime", as well as other shared challenges such as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza".The focus will be on our existing partnerships and work with both Italy and with Albania, and the work that's already ongoing with them on illegal migration, and the returns deal, for example, with Albania that we already have.The prime minister's thoughts are obviously with all those who are affected.There is an ongoing French-led investigation, as you would have seen. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president Zelenskiy had hailed opening of accession talks, calling EU decision a victory for all of Europe'A joint UK-Ukrainian industry conference was held in Kyiv this week, with the largest British weapons manufacturers participating, the Ukrainian defence minister said on Friday, Reuters reports.I called on British defence companies to use Ukrainian factors, the possibility of testing weaponry in combat and getting quick feedback from the military for transparent and effective cooperation with Ukrainian manufacturers," Rustem Umerov, the minister, said on Facebook. Continue reading...

Barton House tenants express frustration at being stuck in hotel over holiday period as safety checks continueResidents of Barton House, the Bristol tower block urgently evacuated a month ago amid safety concerns, are worried that they will not be allowed back home for the Christmas and new year holidays.Most of the 400 tenants are staying at a city centre hotel while others have moved in with relatives or friends and a few have refused to leave. Continue reading...

Specialist underwater divers searching River Wensum seen pulling object in black bag from waterA body has been found in the search for Gaynor Lord, the 55-year-old woman who went missing after leaving work in Norwich last Friday afternoon, Norfolk police have said.Although the body has not been formally identified, Lord's family have been informed, police said. They continue to be supported by specially trained officers." Continue reading...

Independent review, launched after Nigel Farage's complaints, finds bank may have breached procedural rulesAn independent review has found no evidence that NatWest Group's private bank Coutts has been closing customer accounts due to their political views, but found it may have breached rules by failing to give due notice or explain why they were being shut.A report compiled by external lawyers, hired by NatWest after a dispute with the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, said their team found no evidence of discrimination in any of the exit cases, including no evidence of a customer's account being escalated for exit, or ultimately being exited, due to their political views or party-political affiliations, or any other protected characteristic". Continue reading...