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UN says about 100,000 people have arrived in Rafah after intense attacks on Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis Israel-Gaza war - live updatesA delegation of high-level Hamas leaders is visiting Egypt for talks aimed at bringing the devastating war in Gaza to an end, even as the Israeli military pushes deeper into the centre and south of the strip, displacing tens of thousands of people.The UN's humanitarian office said on Friday that over the past few days an estimated 100,000 people had arrived in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost town on the border with Egypt, after an intense new ground and aerial offensive around the central town of Deir al-Balah and airstrikes on the southern town of Khan Younis. Continue reading...

Court faces pressure to rule on Maine and Colorado's decisions preventing ex-president from appearing on presidential ballots

Average of 3,631 patients in hospital with Covid during Christmas week, data shows, a rise of 57% in a monthA surge in the number of flu and Covid admissions to hospitals in England is adding to a storm of pressure" facing the health service, NHS leaders have said.Figures released on Friday showed that in Christmas week, there were on average 3,631 patients with Covid in hospital, up 57% from the same week in November. Continue reading...

Environmental, economic and taste reasons cited as why makers may not take size opportunityEnglish wine producers look set to pass up the chance to sell wine by the pint, despite a triumphant announcement from the government that it had given them the Brexit freedom" to do so.In an announcement earlier this week, the Department for Business and Trade said British wine lovers would soon be able to purchase pint-sized bottles of still and sparkling wine, as a new 568ml size is introduced to Britain's supermarket shelves, pubs, clubs and restaurants". Continue reading...

Siyabonga Twala, who has a British son, was barred from returning to UK a year ago and remains in limbo in AnkaraA man who remains stuck in Turkey a year after he was barred from returning to the UK with his British son has applied for a judicial review of the Home Office's handling of his case.Siyabonga Twala has been in limbo in Ankara ever since he was blocked from boarding a flight back to Manchester last December. His son, Mason, nine, and his parents and siblings had to return home without him. Continue reading...

Reclusive billionaire twins notorious for use of tax havens met then prime minister Tony Blair in 1999The reclusive super-rich twins Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, who became notorious for their use of tax havens to manage their vast business empire, lobbied the Labour government to abolish inheritance tax altogether, Cabinet Office papers reveal.Sir David and Sir Frederick, then owners of the Telegraph and Spectator titles, as well as the latter's son Aidan Barclay, were present at a 1999 meeting with Tony Blair, then serving his first term as prime minister, the files show. Continue reading...

Any gains for lower half will be lost when income tax bills rise in April, says Resolution FoundationThe bottom half of earners will lose any gains from next week's lowering of national insurance payments when their income tax bills go up in April, a leading thinktank has warned.The Resolution Foundation said the combined effect of a cut in national insurance contributions (Nics) from 6 January and a freeze on income tax thresholds - pulling more people into paying higher rates as their wages rise - would only favour the top half of earners with incomes of 26,000 or more. Continue reading...

Conflict has changed Ukrainian poetry and boosted interest at home and abroad, but several poets have died or disappearedA year ago, the poet Borys Humenyuk sent a final message. For 24 hours, he and two fellow Ukrainian soldiers had been under relentless Russian fire. Shells rained down on their trench outside the eastern city of Bakhmut. We're running out of ammo. Down to the last bullet," Humenyuk said over a crackling radio. Those were his last words.Humenyuk had volunteered to relieve a group of exhausted service personnel at zero", the hottest part of the frontline. Now, he explained, he was wounded in the shoulder and unable to drag his injured comrade to safety. We are stuck," he reported. By the time an evacuation team reached the trench in the village of Klishchiivka, Humenyuk had disappeared. Continue reading...

Record high youth unemployment and struggling property sector are among increasingly sensitive topicsChina is cracking down on negative commentary about the financial market and other sectors as the authorities seek to boost public confidence despite challenging economic headwinds.This month the Weibo account Weibo Finance, which has more than 1.5 million followers, issued an instruction against posting any comments that bad-mouth the economy". The post appears to have since been deleted. Bloomberg reported that several other finance influencers had been told by Weibo to avoid crossing red lines" and to post less about the economy. Weibo did not reply to a request for comment. Continue reading...

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...

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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...

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...

Ukraine president thanks US for final aid package under current US legislation. This live blog is closed

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

BoM forecasts rain will probably have cleared for midnight firework celebrations in major cities, with Brisbane set to be the wettest

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...