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Australian has died of heart complications after hip surgery, church leaders confirm

Russia’s mercenary firm Wagner claims it has taken control of eastern salt mining town of Soledar Continue reading...

Investigation finds ‘no evidence’ of corrupt or illegal behaviour by the Canterbury Bankstown mayor

Researchers find overall percentage increase from 0.06% in 2000 to 0.11% in 2019 although safety in children not fully establishedThe proportion of children and young people prescribed antipsychotics in England has nearly doubled in just two decades, prompting concern among some experts.The powerful drugs are often used to treat major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, in adults. They can be associated with serious side effects such as sexual dysfunction, infertility, and weight gain leading to diabetes. Continue reading...

Yevgeny Prigozhin poses with some of his mercenaries in Ukrainian town renowned for its salt minesThe head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has claimed his forces have completed the takeover of the Ukrainian town of Soledar, which if confirmed would mark Moscow’s first major battlefield success since last summer.“Wagner units have taken the whole territory of Soledar under control,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin in an audio message released on his Telegram channel late on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Alexandre Padilha says insurrection by Bolsonaro supporters was well-organized ‘act of terrorism’ aimed at toppling governmentThe insurrection that shook Brazil’s capital was a well-organised coup attempt that was thwarted thanks to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s swift and firm reaction, one of the president’s top ministers has told the Guardian.Speaking at the presidential palace on Tuesday, the minister of institutional relations, Alexandre Padilha, said he believed Sunday’s far-right assault on the three branches of Brazil’s government was “an act of terrorism” designed to bring down Lula’s week-old government. Continue reading...

Constantine was forced into exile in 1967 after clashing with military rulers, who later abolished monarchyGreece’s former King Constantine II, whose nine-year reign coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in the country’s political history, has died at a private hospital in Athens, his doctors announced late on Tuesday. He was 82.Constantine, a cousin of British monarch King Charles III, died “of a stroke”. He was admitted to an Athens hospital last week with breathing problems, Greek media reported. Continue reading...

Campaigners condemn government plan to update list of countries whose GR certificates are automatically recognisedRishi Sunak has been told he risks “re-toxifying” his government’s record on LGBTQ+ rights and introducing “an effective trans travel ban” after the equalities minister announced a review of countries whose process for changing gender on legal documents is recognised by the UK.Kemi Badenoch notified the Commons on Monday of plans to update the list of approved countries and territories whose gender recognition certificates (GRCs) are automatically recognised by UK officials. Continue reading...

Romanian court denies challenge and rules he must serve full 30 days along with brother and two female suspectsA Romanian court has rejected Andrew Tate’s appeal against his detention, ruling that the former kickboxer, influencer and professed misogynist must remain in custody while an organised crime investigation continues.Tate, 36, his brother Tristan, 34, and two Romanian female suspects were arrested by prosecutors on 29 December on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women. Both men have denied wrongdoing. Continue reading...

The striking similarities between events at the Capitol and Brasília stem from links fostered by the former presidents and their familiesIn the days following the 6 January 2021 storming of the US Capitol, a Brazilian professor and expert on disinformation, David Nemer, gave an interview predicting the same thing would happen in Brazil two years later.Sunday’s insurrection in Brasília came just two days after the second anniversary of the Capitol attack. Nemer said his prediction was not the work of a seer, but was based on analysis of the close and growing symbiosis of the hard right in the US and Brazil – a bond that was built up around the Trump and Bolsonaro families and their entourages. Continue reading...

Zholia Alemi allegedly forged qualifications despite failing medical degree and was paid up to £1.3m by NHSA “most accomplished fraudster” was paid between £1m and £1.3m by the NHS during the nearly two decades she posed as a qualified doctor after forging a degree certificate, a court has heard.Zholia Alemi, believed to be 60 years old, worked as a psychiatrist in the UK for 19 years after claiming to have qualified at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, a trial at Manchester crown court heard. Continue reading...

The memoir, which includes claims Prince William attacked him, records figures of 400,000 on its first dayPrince Harry’s autobiography has become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 on its first day on sale.The controversial memoir Spare has made headlines in the weeks leading up to its publication, finally hitting the shelves on Tuesday. Figures include sales for hardbacks, ebooks and audiobooks. Continue reading...

People in England and Wales advised to only request ambulance if a life is at riskPeople experiencing less serious health symptoms are being urged to visit a GP or pharmacy, or use the NHS111 telephone advice service instead of dialling 999, during Wednesday’s ambulance strike.NHS bosses have warned patients that ambulances will take even longer than usual to arrive and that some people may have to make their way to hospital themselves rather than wait for paramedics. Continue reading...

Missing British men named as volunteers Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry; Annalena Baerbock makes surprise visit to Kharkiv. This live blog is now closed

Annalena Baerbock promised Ukraine aid and arms but did not confirm release of Leopard 2 tanks

Authority admits it failed to properly inspect decaying willow that crushed Ella Henderson in school playgroundA council has been fined £280,000 for oversights that led to a six-year-old girl being crushed to death by a falling tree in her school playground.Newcastle city council pleaded guilty at South Tyneside magistrates court to a charge relating to the death of year 2 pupil Ella Henderson, who was killed when a decaying willow tree fell on her in high winds at Gosforth Park first school in Newcastle while she was playing at lunchtime on 25 September 2020. Continue reading...

Former Bolivia leader banned from Peru after weeks of unrest following leftist president Pedro Castillo’s removal from powerPeru has barred Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales from entering the country, as it accuses foreign interests of stirring up deadly protests in support of the imprisoned former president Pedro Castillo.Peru has seen weeks of violent unrest following last month’s removal from power of Castillo, who was arrested on 7 December after attempting to dissolve congress in an attempt to avert his impeachment trial. Continue reading...

Survey shows majority of indie booksellers had average sales over the festive period, with many concerned about the cost of living crisisIndependent bookshops largely saw “average” sales over the 2022 festive period, according to a new survey.A majority of bookshops – 39% – that took part in trade magazine the Bookseller’s annual survey said they had average sales compared with the same period of 2021, while 29% of bookshops said the period was “very good”. Continue reading...

Philip North’s appointment approved by King Charles after previous attempts stopped by protestsA prominent Church of England cleric who is opposed to the ordination of female priests has been appointed as a senior bishop after two earlier attempts were thwarted by protests.Philip North, the junior bishop of Burnley, was named by Downing St as the next diocesan bishop of Blackburn, with the appointment approved by King Charles. Moves to promote him in 2012 and 2017 failed after vigorous protests by women in the C of E and others over his theological position on female clerics. Continue reading...

The Serbian-American poet, who was the US poet laureate from 2007-2008, won the Pulitzer in 1990 for The World Doesn’t EndCharles Simic, the Pulitzer prize-winning poet who awed critics and readers with his singular art of lyricism and economy, tragic insight and disruptive humor, has died at age 84.The death of Simic, the US poet laureate from 2007-2008, was confirmed on Monday by executive editor Dan Halpern at Alfred A Knopf. He did not immediately provide additional details. Continue reading...

Beijing had said it would retaliate against countries that require negative tests from Chinese travellersChina has suspended issuing short-term visas in South Korea and Japan after announcing it would retaliate against countries that required negative Covid-19 tests from Chinese travellers.China has ditched mandatory quarantines for arrivals and allowed travel to resume across its border with Hong Kong since Sunday, removing the last major restrictions under the “zero-Covid” regime that it abruptly began dismantling in early December after protests against the curbs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Strike would aim to pressure government to improve pay offers in NHS, education, railways and civil serviceTrade unions are to meet to discuss holding a coordinated “day of action” across the public sector in an attempt to maximise pressure on the government to give workers a better pay deal.Unions representing staff in the NHS, railways, education and civil service were meeting on Tuesday at the Trades Union Congress headquarters to examine the possibility of escalating the current wave of strikes by all of them staging stoppages on the same day. Continue reading...

Russia and Wagner likely to be in control of Soledar in Donbas, says UK; UK considering supplying small number of tanks to Ukraine

Primary schools close on Tuesday with secondary schools to shut on Wednesday after government and unions fail to reach deal

Jonathan Ashworth calls lack of support for disabled people a ‘scandal’ and says party would change assessments regime

Church to back community projects to compensate for financially benefiting from chattel slaveryThe Church of England has committed £100m to a fund it is setting up to compensate for its historical benefit from the international slave trade.A report for the Church Commissioners, the body that manages the C of E’s £9bn-plus endowment fund, traced the origins of the fund partly to Queen Anne’s Bounty, a financial scheme established in 1704 based on transatlantic chattel slavery. Continue reading...

Business department says bill will enforce ‘basic’ level of service from different sectors during stoppages

Zhao Lijian's shift to low-profile department seen by some as a sign of Beijing softening its diplomatic strategyThe face of China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy, Zhao Lijian, has been moved from his role as foreign affairs spokesperson to a low-profile department, in what some analysts say is a demotion.Zhao is the most well-known of the ministry of foreign affairs’ public-facing spokespeople, making a name for himself during his three years fronting the foreign press, with strong criticism and hostility towards the west and combative defence of China’s policies. Continue reading...

Design Museum exhibition to feature more than 90 saris, including first one ever worn to Met BallNearly 100 trailblazing saris, including the first ever to be worn at the Met Gala, will be displayed in the UK as part of a new large-scale exhibition examining the garment’s modern reinvention.The first-of-its-kind show at the Design Museum, entitled The Offbeat Sari, brings together more than 90 items that have been loaned by designers and studios across India to tell the story of what has been called a “fashion revolution”. Continue reading...

Army and riot police clear Bolsonaro supporters from Brasília as US, Mexico and Canada say they ‘stand by’ democratic institutionsThe far-right storming of Brazil’s supreme court, congress and presidential palace was a “grotesque and failed assault” on its institutions, the country’s ambassador to the UK has said, as troops moved in to break up protest camps set up by supporters of the former president Jair Bolsonaro.A day after the would-be insurrectionists attacked all three branches of government in a brazen effort to topple the democratically elected government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Fred Arruda, Brazil’s ambassador in London, said: “What happened in Brasília yesterday was a grotesque and failed assault on our institutions. As President Lula put it, democracy requires people to respect the institutions.” Continue reading...

An estimated 100 homes are feared uninhabitable in WA communities where it’s not uncommon to have up to 20 people living in a house

In today’s newsletter: For years Jair Bolsonaro set the anti-democratic tone that fomented Sunday’s attacks. Our Latin America correspondent explains how

Cancer death rates are 1.6 times higher than general population probably due to toxic chemicalsFirefighters are more than three times as likely to die from certain cancers than the general population, probably due to exposure to toxic chemicals while battling blazes, a study has found.Rates of prostate cancer, leukemia and oesophagal cancer appear to be 3.8, 3.2 and 2.4 times higher than the norm and overall firefighters have faced cancer death rates 1.6 times higher than the general population, according to the study published this week in the peer-reviewed Journal of Occupational Medicine. Continue reading...

Wes Streeting, Dan Jarvis and Yvette Cooper received donations from MPM Connect, which has no obvious line of businessLabour MPs have defended taking money from a little-known company that has emerged as one of Westminster’s biggest political donors.Wes Streeting, Dan Jarvis and Yvette Cooper have all said they did nothing wrong by accepting tens of thousands of pounds from MPM Connect, which is part-owned by Peter Hearn, a Labour donor, but does not have any obvious line of business. Continue reading...

Chinese envoy in Canberra largely positive about enhancing ties between countries while stepping up criticism of Aukus security deal

Pharmacists are having to convert tablets into liquid alternatives needed for small children

Premier says he believes best practice allows for passengers to use their own ‘handheld devices’

The British citizen is awaiting trial on national security charges in Hong Kong that could see him jailed for life if convictedLawyers for the Hong Kong activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai have reportedly requested a meeting with the British prime minister to discuss his case.Lai, a dual Hong Kong and British citizen, is awaiting trial on national security charges in one of the most high-profile cases brought by Hong Kong authorities against the pro-democracy movement. If convicted he could face life in prison. Continue reading...

Trent Wayne Lawson, 38, pleaded guilty to common assault, wilful damage, stealing and torture for 2021 attack and can apply for parole

New cricket documentary The Test reveals former PM added Cummins to messaging group not long after he became captain

The rapper rejected the use of Still DRE by the ‘divisive’ Republican in a video posted to TwitterThe rapper Dr Dre has spoken out against the use of his song Still DRE in a self-promotional video by the Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to celebrate her role in electing fellow GOP lawmaker Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House.“I don’t license my music to politicians, especially someone as divisive and hateful as this one,” the rapper and producer told TMZ on Monday morning. Continue reading...

Total sales for the month increased by 6.9% compared with a year earlier despite cost of living crisisBritain’s retailers benefited from a sales boost in December fuelled by Christmas shopping and the World Cup, despite growing concerns over the impact of the cost of living crisis on the high street.The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said sales growth picked up over the pivotal festive buying period, with a sharp rise on the same month in 2021, as consumers braved cold weather and strikes to ensure friends and family received the gifts they wanted. Continue reading...

Charles, Camilla and the press all come under attack, but the charge sheet against William is longHarry’s wrath. Harry’s revenge. Harry’s truth. The Duke of Sussex’s memoir Spare is finally hitting bookshops and its pages are dripping with accusation, anger and sorrow.Harry’s brother, the Prince of Wales, the “heir” to Harry’s “spare”, is portrayed as taking sibling competitiveness to “Olympiad” levels, throwing tantrums over Harry encroaching on his territory: Africa. Continue reading...

Cross-party committee agrees with findings of Kathryn Stone that Conservative MP breached rules on multiple occasionsThe Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen has been suspended from the House of Commons for five days after being found to have breached rules on paid lobbying and declaring interests.The MP for north-west Leicestershire was found to have repeatedly broken the MPs’ code of conduct by a cross-party committee, which endorsed findings from Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards. Continue reading...

Nineteen-year-old man charged after drivers on M1 at Ourimbah and Somersby reported nail gun shots from white Mitsubishi

Some suggest political naivety played a role as No 10 admits it is taking a ‘new approach’ by discussing payAt the end of talks over next year’s pay deal for NHS workers, which broke up without resolution on Monday, union negotiators told Steve Barclay: “You know we’re going ahead with strikes?” One of those in the room said the health secretary shrugged his shoulders in resignation. “I accept that,” he told them.But the fact ministers sat down with unions to discuss pay at all is, in itself, a breakthrough. For weeks the government has been indicating that, while it would meet unions to avert further strikes, reopening this year’s pay deal was not an option. Continue reading...

Masked men broke into Olympian’s house and stole two expensive watches, trial hearsThe Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish described in court how a knife was held to his face before masked intruders took two high-value watches belonging to him and his wife from their home.The masked men broke in as Cavendish was asleep upstairs with his wife, Peta, on 27 November 2021, Chelmsford crown court heard. Continue reading...

Claire Perry O’Neill, who was part of Theresa May’s cabinet, lauds Labour leader’s ‘sober’ and ‘competent’ leadershipA former Conservative minister has quit the party, claiming it is dominated by “ideology and self-obsession”, and has instead thrown her support behind Keir Starmer.Claire Perry O’Neill, who was part of Theresa May’s cabinet and was briefly retained by Boris Johnson to help run preparations for the Cop26 summit, praised the Labour leader’s “sober, fact-driven, competent political leadership”. Continue reading...

Ex-film mogul faces up to 18 additional years in prison after being convicted of forcibly raping a woman in CaliforniaHarvey Weinstein’s sentencing on his second rape and sexual assault conviction in Los Angeles has been delayed until February, as his lawyers ask for a new trial.Winstein, 70, faces up to 18 additional years in prison after being convicted of forcibly raping a woman in California in 2013. He is already serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of rape and sexual assault charges in New York in 2020. Continue reading...

PM changes tack to allow negotiations on wages but unions remain frustrated at lack of clear offer