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Thick smoke rises above strategic neighbourhood of Solino as frantic residents call into radio stations for help

Mongkol Thirakot receives record sentence under kingdom's strict lese-majesty laws for posts on personal Facebook accountA Thai man has been given a 50-year prison sentence for criticising the monarchy - the longest jail term handed down under the kingdom's strict lese-majesty laws - a legal rights group said.The record-breaking sentence comes after several years in which Thailand has ramped up use of the legislation against pro-democracy protesters in what critics say is a tactic to silence dissent. Continue reading...

Co-defendant Michael Roman requests DA be stood down over claims of improper romantic relationship with special prosecutorThe Georgia judge overseeing the racketeering case charging Donald Trump and allies with attempting to overturn the 2020 election results in the state has scheduled a hearing for February to weigh whether the Fulton county district attorney should be disqualified from prosecuting the charges.In a one-page order, the Fulton county superior judge Scott McAfee set an evidentiary hearing for 15 February to address allegations raised by Trump's co-defendant Michael Roman that the district attorney Fani Willis had an improper romantic relationship with one of her prosecutors. Continue reading...

PM rebuts White House by saying all territory west of Jordan River would be under Israeli security control

Removing biggest serving would not affect total profits, research suggests, but customers might complainIt may cause sour grapes among those halfway through dry January, salivating over the thought of that sauvignon blanc in a fortnight's time.But experts at Cambridge University have found that taking the biggest serving of wine off bar menus could benefit the nation's health without hurting pubs' profits. Continue reading...

UK's biggest Rolex and Omega seller becomes latest luxury retailer to be hit by switch in spending by aspirational shoppersThe share price of Watches of Switzerland has dived by more than a third in one day - wiping 516m off its value - as the UK's biggest seller of Rolex and Omega timepieces became the latest luxury retailer to experience a reining in of spending by aspirational shoppers.The plunge on Thursday came after the company said full-year revenues would be 100m below expectations because well-heeled customers were switching their purchasing power to other categories such as fashion, beauty, hospitality and travel. Continue reading...

MPs questioned freeholder groups in committee hearing over leasehold reform billMPs have laid into freeholders for creating a rentier structure" in England and Wales in recent years, charging exorbitant" ground rents of 8,000 a year in some cases, as a freeholder group pushed back against proposed changes to leasehold laws.The government's long-awaited leasehold reform bill, which would make it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to extend their lease and buy the freehold, and will ban leaseholds on newly built houses - but not flats - in England and Wales, is at the committee scrutiny stage. Continue reading...

US rapper scheduled to appear in court on Thursday and is being held in a Santo Domingo jailAuthorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested US rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, who is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday on charges of domestic violence.The rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, is being held at a jail in the capital of Santo Domingo, where he was arrested Wednesday, officials said. Continue reading...

Many schools in Scotland remain shut amid lows of -13.6C with the Met Office indicating the temperature fell to -11C in EnglandHundreds of schools in Scotland have been closed, some for a fourth day, due to heavy snow amid weather warnings across many parts of the UK.Much of Britain endured temperatures below freezing overnight on Wednesday, with preliminary data from the Met Office indicating the mercury fell to -13.6C at Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands, and as low as -11C in England. Continue reading...

Prime minister says he wants first flight to leave as soon as practicably possible' but will not give date. This live blog is closedQ: When you said you would stop the boats, people thought that meant reducing them to negligble numbers. That is not going to happen, is it?Sunak says he is proud of the progress he has made. He always said it would be difficult. Continue reading...

Dalton Clark Stewart, 22, accused of lighting Canada's Barrington Lake fire, which burned for one month in 2023A Nova Scotia man has been charged for allegedly starting the eastern Canadian province's largest-ever wildfire.The charges against Dalton Clark Stewart, 22, come only days after a Quebec man, inspired by conspiracy theories, pleaded guilty to 14 charges of arson after deliberately lighting forest fires. Continue reading...

The freezing temperatures in Iowa - fuelled by global heating - has not dampened Republican enthusiasm for oil and gasIn the wake of an Iowa primary election chilled in a record blast of cold weather - which scientists say may, counterintuitively, have been worsened by global heating - Republican presidential candidates are embracing the fossil fuel industry tighter than ever, with little to say about the growing toll the climate crisis is taking upon Americans.The remaining contenders for the US presidential nomination - frontrunner Donald Trump, along with Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis - all used the Iowa caucus to promise surging levels of oil and gas drilling if elected, along with the wholesale abolition of Joe Biden's climate change policies. Continue reading...

Aslef responds to operator's threat to impose minimum service levels at London-Scotland serviceThe train drivers' union Aslef has called an extra five days of strikes at LNER in response to the threatened imposition of minimum service levels at the state-run London-Scotland service.The controversial legislation, brought in by the government in late 2023, is likely to be trialled for the first time in the latest round of rail strikes. Continue reading...

Polling expert says similarity between two main parties and clear Labour lead also likely to suppress voting numbersThe polling expert Prof John Curtice has warned of low turnout at this year's general election, in part because voters regard Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to be as dull as dishwater".Speaking at an event for the Citizens Advice charity, Curtice cited boring leaders as one of three reasons why the voting numbers would be down. Continue reading...

Firm rejects union plan leaving UK on course to become only major economy unable to make steel from scratchThe owners of Port Talbot steelworks have rejected a trade union plan designed to keep its blast furnaces running, putting nearly 3,000 jobs at risk and leaving the UK on course to become the only major economy unable to make steel from scratch.In what one union said would be a crushing blow" to workers and UK steelmaking, Port Talbot's parent company, the Indian-owned Tata Steel, told workers' representatives that it could no longer afford to continue production at the loss-making plant in south Wales while it completed a four-year transition plan to greener production. Continue reading...

Drone and missile attacks in Sistan and Balochistan province come after Iran struck sites inside Pakistan

Combined action by about 150,000 nurses, teachers, cleaners and other sector workers is biggest in living memoryThousands of public sector workers have staged pickets and marches across Northern Ireland in the biggest strike in living memory.The combined action by nurses, teachers, bus drivers, carers, cleaners, civil servants and other sectors brought parts of the region to a standstill on Thursday and raised the stakes in a political crisis that has paralysed devolved government. Continue reading...

Proposals include the creation of a libraries minister and a high-profile libraries laureate to be the sector's public championAn independent review of libraries in England has found a lack of recognition" across government and a lack of awareness" among the general public of what libraries have to offer.The review proposes the creation of a libraries minister, the establishment of a libraries laureate and a branding campaign to raise awareness of the role of libraries, among other recommendations. Continue reading...

Company says there was briefly' a problem with inappropriate Arabic translations'

Costs listed in new report include optional items such as music instruments and outside tuition and are really inflated', expert says

Exclusive: Legal observer for volunteer group, Action Ready, says police were recording number plates of cars displaying Palestinian flags

Missed repayments on credit cards and loans will increase by more than any quarter since 2009, lenders forecastBusiness live - latest updatesBritain's biggest high street lenders expect the sharpest rise in defaults on unsecured lending since 2009, according to a Bank of England survey, as households come under growing pressure amid the cost of living crisis.The figures from Threadneedle Street show banks expect a marked rise in the number of people who fail to meet repayments on credit cards, loans and other forms of unsecured borrowing over the next three months. Continue reading...

Delivery company says nearly all festive deliveries arrived on time and its revenues roseRoyal Mail has said it had its best Christmas for four years, with nearly all festive deliveries arriving on time - despite missing a target that would have handed postal workers a 500 bonus.The delivery company's owner, International Distributions Services (IDS), on Thursday reported group revenues rose nearly 10% to 3.6bn in the final three months of 2023. Continue reading...

Ed Sheeran and Little Mix fans among those targeted by firm that resold on Viagogo and StubHubTicket touts acting out of greed and dishonesty" sold tickets worth 6.5m to music fans, a court has heard, as a woman known as the Ticket Queen" pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading nearly seven years after being named in an Observer investigation.TQ Tickets Ltd, owned by Maria Chenery-Woods of Norfolk, used fake identities to hoover up large numbers of tickets for acts such as Ed Sheeran and Little Mix, prosecutors for National Trading Standards said. Continue reading...

All the films and actors up for awards at the 77th edition of the British Academy film awards Oppenheimer beats Barbie as Bafta nominations announcedAnatomy of a Fall

Death row prisoner Kenneth Smith, 58, to be killed via nitrogen-gas procedure animal scientists have ruled out for ethical reasonsAlabama is preparing to execute a death row inmate using nitrogen gas, an experimental method that veterinarians in the US and across Europe have deemed unacceptable as a form of euthanasia for most animals.Barring last-minute appeals, Kenneth Smith, 58, is scheduled to be judicially killed on 25 January using a previously untested technique. Alabama's department of corrections is proposing to strap him to a gurney, apply a respirator mask to his face, then force him to breathe pure nitrogen which would cause oxygen deprivation and death. Continue reading...

Isaac Herzog also tells Davos that Gaza's population is entrenched in network of terror'. Plus, Greenland losing 30m tonnes of ice every hour

Exclusive: Sadiq Khan calls refusal to extend three-day pause horrifying' as local authority cold weather protocols continueThe Home Office has been urged to reintroduce a pause on asylum hotel evictions after resuming the practice in recent days, leaving refugees out on the streets in subzero temperatures.In December the Home Office said in a letter seen by the Guardian that it would halt evictions from asylum accommodation for up to three days while severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) was activated by a local authority. SWEP is activated when the Met Office forecasts a temperature of below 0C for a minimum of three nights. Continue reading...

Company exploring options as it plans to shift focus back to food and retail, rather than servicesSainsbury's Bank has opened the door to fresh takeover offers, after the supermarket group announced it would exit the banking business nearly 27 years after its launch.The company is exploring a number of options for its bank - which offers savings accounts, credit cards, travel money and insurance - after a strategic review suggested it could be a distraction from a years-long overhaul, meant to bring the supermarket's focus back to its core food and retail operations. Continue reading...

Unions call for bonuses and childcare provision after suggestion all officers will be mobilised during GamesPolice in France are holding a Black Thursday" of work stoppages and demonstrations to demand better pay and conditions during this summer's Olympic Games.Several police unions, led by the two largest, Alliance and Unsa Police, said there should be bonuses of up to 2,000 (1,720) as well as guarantees of holiday leave and childcare support for police this summer. Continue reading...

Kobe the husky becomes internet hero for video of him digging hole in concrete - leading his owner to detect presence of gasSome dogs earn the affectionate title of good boy" for obeying their owners' commands to sit or fetch. Others earn it by saving their neighborhoods from grappling with a potentially explosive gas leak days before Christmas.Philadelphia's Kobe the husky belongs in the latter category, according to a viral Instagram video published by his owner that has vaulted him to the status of internet hero. Continue reading...

Leading barrister signals House of Lords plans to revise bill, saying government is elevating itself above the law'

At least four women have been murdered since the start of the year, leading to accusations of government inactionRights groups are calling for the Kenyan government to urgently investigate and prosecute cases of femicide, after the brutal murders of two women.This is a national crisis - we are not doing enough as a country to protect women," said Audrey Mugeni, the co-founder of Femicide Count Kenya, an NGO that documents the number of women killed across the country each year. Continue reading...

Judge to determine whether agreement criticised by human rights groups violates constitutionA court in Albania is due to rule on whether a deal with Italy's far-right government would violate the constitution by allowing Albanian territory to be used for reception centres for people seeking to enter the EU by sea.The agreement, announced in November by the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, would result initially in the non-EU member state hosting about 3,000 people but ultimately processing up to 36,000 a year. Continue reading...

Maths teacher claims student made constant calls' to family home and says they tried to put a stop to it'

Building commissioner says he is confident defects at 900-apartment complex in Macquarie Park will be rectified', while minister says faults don't pose a risk

This blog is now closed.

Health authorities warn people living in or visiting coastal areas to cover up in warmer months as a precaution against the mosquito-linked condition

Premier launches review of Queensland's Games infrastructure proposal amid controversy over escalating costs

As tensions in the Middle East continue to rise, this week John Harris speaks to Niku Jafarnia of Human Rights Watch about the regional conflicts. The Rwanda bill passed its third reading and Pippa Crerar, the Guardian's political editor, reveals what happened behind the scenes. And the former No 10 adviser Gavin Barwell talks about the increasingly vicious struggles within the Conservative partyArchive: GB News Continue reading...

Union says government's plans for General Medical Council regulation diminishes role of doctors and could confuse patientsSenior doctors are urging MPs to reject government plans to regulate physician associates", whose growing use in the NHS has divided the medical profession.The British Medical Association has said that allowing the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate physician associates (PAs) would blur the lines" between doctors and non-doctors. Continue reading...

Sixteen unions take action as collapsed Stormont leaves pay for nurses, teachers and road workers stagnantPublic sector workers have launched what is being billed as one of the biggest strikes in Northern Ireland's history amid a dispute over pay and political deadlock.Sixteen unions representing nurses, teachers, transport workers, civil servants and other sectors started a joint action on Thursday that was expected to cause widespread disruption across the region. Continue reading...

Hungarian PM met a who's who of rightwing leaders on his travels in 2023, as critics point to failures at homeEurope's pariah prime minister, Viktor Orban, is jetting across the globe in search of friends.Hungary, an EU and Nato member that has been backsliding on democratic norms for more than a decade, has become even more isolated in the western club over the past months. Orban has irritated allies by blocking a much-needed EU financial aid package for Ukraine, while Hungary's parliament has dragged its feet on ratifying Sweden's bid to join Nato. Continue reading...

At least four experts quit Great Ormond Street team after disputes over text of training module for recruits, sources sayA string of resignations from a team preparing for the launch of the new NHS children's gender clinic has further complicated plans to open the services in April.Disagreements over the text of a training module for medical recruits to the new gender service have prompted NHS England to remove the training materials project from a team at Great Ormond Street hospital and outsource it to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Continue reading...

Just a few years ago it was one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America. But last week drug gangs stormed a live TV broadcast and unleashed a wave of terror. Tom Phillips reportsCompared with its fellow Latin American countries Colombia and Mexico - which for decades have been destabilised by violent drug gangs - Ecuador was calm and peaceful. But a wave of terror last Tuesday showed just how quickly things have changed.After the prison break by an infamous drug baron, chaos erupted. Masked men and boys interrupted a live TV broadcast and held journalists at gunpoint. Elsewhere, police officers and prison guards were taken hostage, explosions were heard and violence spread. Continue reading...

This blog is closing soon. You can read our full report on the latest US strikes on the Houthis in Yemen here and all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war here.US Navy Seals boarded a boat heading for Yemen and seized Iranian-made missile components and other weaponry bound for Houthi forces, in an operation in which two Seal commandos went missing, the US military has said.US Central Command (Centcom) posted pictures of the missile parts on X, including what appeared to be the components of a complete small missile, rocket motors and guidance systems, as well as a photograph of the small cargo vessel that was allegedly carrying the arms. Continue reading...

Teen boys charged over death of Gordon after an alleged aggravated burglary in Doncaster have faced court

US missile strikes came after a bulk carrier was hit by Houthi drones in the Gulf of AdenThe US military has fired another wave of missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites, marking the fourth time in a week that it has directly targeted the group in Yemen.The strikes were launched from the Red Sea, hitting more than a dozen sites - the officials told the AP news agency - and came after a drone launched from areas controlled by the Houthis hit a US-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden. Continue reading...

Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former vice-president of the European parliament and co-founder of Spain's Vox party, was shot in the head in Madrid last yearColombian police say they have arrested a Venezuelan suspected of involvement in the alleged attempted assassination in Madrid last year of a co-founder of Spain's far-right Vox party.Greg Oliver Higuera Marcano was wanted in connection with last year's shooting of Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former leader of Spain's main rightwing political party in Catalonia who went on to co-found Vox, and is a former vice-president of the European parliament. Continue reading...

Deaths inside Tulkarem refugee camp and near Balata camp are latest in an explosion of violence in the Palestinian territory since the start of Israel's war on Gaza