World news | The Guardian

Demon young riders speeding at 40kph are making the once cycle-friendly streets dangerous – and the problem is spreadingDebby Nieberg was cycling home from the dentist last October, when she was knocked to the pavement and broke her shoulder.According to her police report, the youngster on an e-bike – overtaking Nieberg on Amsterdam’s narrow cycling lanes – got up and cycled off, a crime in itself. “This unfortunately has become a big part of my life because of the ‘need for speed’ of those on e-bikes,” says the 56-year-old freelance translator, who has just started cycling again. “The bike situation is definitely unsafe.” Continue reading...

Whether Iranian intelligence services genuinely believed Akbari was a spy is up for debate“I have to go. I am a soldier. It is my duty.” Alireza Akbari was explaining to his family why he felt he had to answer a call by his former boss, Ali Shamkhani to return to Tehran in 2019 to help advise on how the country should respond to the fateful decision of Donald Trump to withdraw America from the Iran nuclear deal.Some family members advised it might not be wise to do so since by 2019 the climate in the intelligence services was turning against Akbari’s belief in the value of the nuclear deal and the lifting of western economic sanctions. Continue reading...

Sending Challengers puts pressure on Germany to agree to re-export Leopard tanks as part of wider effort to boost military aid

Pope gives final blessing at service for Australia’s most senior Catholic, who was found guilty then acquitted of child abuseThe “premature death” of the controversial cardinal George Pell “caught us all by surprise”, said Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the college of cardinals, as he presided over Pell’s funeral in St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday.Pell, who was Australia’s most senior Catholic and was found guilty and then acquitted of child sexual abuse, had undergone a hip operation in Rome and died after a cardiac arrest on Tuesday at the age of 81. Days earlier, he had attended the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI in the same cathedral. Continue reading...

Former justice minister Anderson Torres was capital’s security chief when far-right rioters stormed government buildings

Demonstrators on Saturday demanded Kais Saied step down as they marked the anniversary of 2011 revolutionThousands of protesters in central Tunis have marched against the seizure of near total power by the Tunisian president, Kais Saied, demanding he step down as they marked the anniversary of a key date in the 2011 revolution that brought democracy.The central Habib Bourguiba avenue, the traditional site for major demonstrations, was crowded with thousands of protesters waving Tunisian flags, amid chants of “the people demand the fall of the regime”. Continue reading...

Former PM’s comeback plans are under threat as MPs stage televised interrogation over claims he misled parliamentBoris Johnson’s loyal band of supporters continue to believe he is the only politician with the box-office appeal to turn around the Tory party’s ailing fortunes. Before he has any chance of plotting a comeback, however, he will have to endure another box-office encounter that represents his biggest obstacle.In what will be a high-stakes spectacle, major broadcasters are planning to air the entirety of the former prime minister’s testimony to parliament’s privileges committee, which is examining whether he misled MPs about law-breaking parties during the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...

Singer’s 'final resting place’ will be at Memphis mansion she inherited from her father, Elvis Presley, family saysLisa Marie Presley will be laid to rest at Graceland, the Memphis mansion she inherited from her father, Elvis Presley, a family representative said.Presley died on Thursday at the age of 54 after being taken to a Los Angeles hospital following cardiac arrest at her home, according to reports. Continue reading...

UN nuclear watchdog boosting presence in Ukraine; hundreds of civilians trapped in eastern town of Soledar

Bushfire downgraded to ‘watch and act’ on Saturday afternoon as nine firebombers and spotter aircraft tried to contain the spread

Firefighters prepared for a long night battling an out-of-control blaze near Montacute in the Adelaide Hills. This blog is now closed

Charity Commission inquiry showed Ashley and Lee Dribben spent large sums meant for vulnerable people on themselvesFormer homelessness charity bosses who authorised spending thousands in funds on watches, 50-in TVs and spyware to eavesdrop on clients have been found guilty of misconduct by the Charity Commission.Ashley Dribben, an ex-trustee of the Ashley Foundation, and his father, Lee, its founder and former chief executive, personally benefited from funds intended to help vulnerable homeless people, the watchdog said. Continue reading...

Saga continues over property housing Caravaggio’s only ceiling fresco as fifth auction fails to attract bidsA princess living in a villa in Rome that contains the only ceiling fresco ever painted by Caravaggio has said she would “vigorously defend” her right to stay in the sprawling property after a judge ordered her eviction.The US-born Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi, the only occupant of the 16th-century Villa Aurora, has been embroiled in a long-running inheritance dispute with the three sons of her late husband, Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi, who was the property’s last owner. Continue reading...

Police have detained eight animals at the popular walking spot at Gravelly Hill, CaterhamEight dogs were detained at the scene of an attack that left a woman dead on Thursday, according to Surrey police. Detectives are keeping their owners up to date with the investigation.Police cordons have been lifted after the death of the 28-year-old woman at Gravelly Hill, Caterham, a popular local beauty spot. The victim is believed to have been walking a number of dogs when she was attacked Continue reading...

Around 20 people were seen kneeling in prayer in the church – typically used for baptisms and weddings – prior to funeral for Australia’s most senior Catholic

Duke of Sussex tells Telegraph that he has enough material for another memoir and his original draft was twice as longPrince Harry says he has enough material to write another memoir and chose not to publish some details as he was concerned his father and brother would never forgive him if they were made public.In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the Duke of Sussex also said the initial transcript for Spare was twice the length of the final draft and he had found it difficult to work out what to remove. Continue reading...

Fumio Kishida outlines step change in US-Japan security alliance after White House meeting with Joe BidenJapan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has pledged to modernise his country’s military alongside US president Joe Biden, warning that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had opened a dangerous new era and could embolden China.Welcoming Kishida at the White House, Biden hailed the Japanese government’s announcement last month that it will double defence spending over the next five years and develop new capabilities. Continue reading...

Brazilian government overturns former president’s 100-year ban to publish credit card recordsBrazil’s new government has released the personal spending accounts of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, revealing the far-right leader’s apparent penchant for expensive hotels, big meals out – and ice-cream.Bolsonaro, who lost his re-election bid in October, once boasted he did not withdraw “a single penny” from the corporate credit cards given to him and his closest advisers. Continue reading...

Gareth Roberts, 65, and Domingo David, 63, most likely to have caught virus from colleagues or patientsThe deaths of two nurses from Covid-19 in the early days of the pandemic have been ruled as industrial disease.Gareth Roberts, 65, of Aberdare, and Domingo David, 63, of Penarth, were found to have been most likely to have contracted the virus from colleagues or patients while working for hospitals under the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Continue reading...

Soledar is ‘Verdun for 21st century’, says Ukraine; hundreds of civilians trapped, including 15 children

The battle for Soledar; Putin reshuffles his military top brass again; west considers giving tanks to Ukraine

Spokesperson for Ukraine army says statements from Russia that it has captured Soledar ‘are not true’. This live blog is closed

Amendment seeks to give MPs not ministers the power to decide which Brussels-derived laws are abolishedA cross-party group of MPs including Labour’s Stella Creasy and the Conservative former Brexit secretary David Davis are launching an attempt to rein in the EU retained law bill that threatens to let ministers abolish 4,000 laws derived from Brussels at the end of this year.Creasy and Davis have put their names to an amendment that would give MPs, rather than ministers, the power to decide which laws are retained. Continue reading...

Move comes after coroner instructed government to take action after death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak

Coroner gives open verdict after cause of 49-year-old’s death undetermined following discovery of partially-mummified bodyA Japanese woman living an isolated, insular life with her brother, sister and mother in North Yorkshire lay dead for weeks while her family bought surgical spirit, convinced she was still alive.An inquest on Friday heard that the partially-mummified body of 49-year-old Rina Yasutake was found on a mattress in her home in Helmsley on 25 September 2018. Continue reading...

East Sussex man killed Alexandra Morgan and Leah Ware, who he kept semi-captive in a shipping containerA builder who murdered two women, having kept one of them semi-captive in a shipping container, has been sentenced to at least 49 years in prison.Mark Brown, 41, who described himself as a “psychopath with a conscience”, killed Leah Ware, 33, and Alexandra Morgan, 34, in May and November 2021 at a remote farm near St Leonards in East Sussex. Continue reading...

Negotiators on both sides hopeful they may be able to enter intense ‘tunnel’ phase of talks next weekMinisters could shelve proposed legislation that would allow the UK to unilaterally rip up some Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland, as a sign of goodwill in negotiations with the EU, the Guardian has been told.EU and UK negotiators are hopeful they may be able to enter the “tunnel” phase of negotiations next week. That phase, which involves intense negotiations with no public comment, is likely to be scheduled after a meeting between the UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, and the European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič on Monday. Continue reading...

Teachers say parents are now more reluctant to send children to school or willing to let them stay homeHeadteachers and school leaders are becoming increasingly worried that a “cultural shift” in attitudes is causing a crisis in attendance, with more pupils absent than before the Covid pandemic.Teachers say parents are now more reluctant to send children to school and more resistant to efforts to encourage attendance, with school leaders in England warning that it may take years to repair national attendance figures. Continue reading...

Dennis McGrory likely to spend rest of life in jail for rape and murder of Jacqui Montgomery, nearly 50 years after first acquittalA man who murdered a teenager nearly 50 years ago has been told by a judge he will probably spend the rest of his life behind bars in the oldest double jeopardy case in England and Wales.Dennis McGrory was 28 when he sexually assaulted, stabbed and strangled 15-year-old Jacqui Montgomery during a “horrific, violent and sustained ordeal” at her home in Islington, north London, in 1975. Continue reading...

Kyiv hopes decision on heavy armour will pave way for Germany to allow re-export of Leopard 2s

Broadcaster, 45, who also appears on Netflix series Drive to Survive, says her speech has been affectedBBC Formula One presenter Jennie Gow, who regularly appears on Netflix’s series Drive to Survive, has said she has had a “serious stroke”.The broadcaster and journalist, 45, said her speech has been affected and thanked the medical teams at Frimley Park hospital in Surrey and St George’s hospital in London for taking care of her. Continue reading...

Brand calls in administrators for second time in less than three years but 12 branches are savedThe owner of the upmarket burger chain Byron has called in administrators for the second time in less than three years with almost half the 21-site chain closing immediately with the loss of more than 200 jobs.The administrators to Famously Proper, which also owns the Mother Clucker takeaway brand, said 12 branches were being saved and 365 jobs saved under a pre-agreed rescue deal with Tristar Foods. Both companies have the same owner, the private equity firm Calveton. Continue reading...

Psychologists and psychotherapists warn tell-all approach could hinder duke from coming to terms with pastPrince Harry’s revelations of his grievances against the royal family are counterproductive to their reconciliation and to healing his own childhood traumas, relationship experts have said.In TV interviews, Harry has defended publishing his autobiography, Spare, as a measure of last resort, driven by the royal family’s failure to address his “incredibly hurtful” experiences, and that none of his revelations were intended to harm them. Continue reading...

Police say it is suspected contracts were awarded ‘in return for personal financial and other rewards’A Unite employee is the subject of a criminal investigation into allegations of bribery, fraud, money-laundering and tax evasion, South Wales police have confirmed.The police said they were working with HM Revenue and Customs, the tax department, on an investigation into the union employee, as well as several companies. Continue reading...

French player will face another trial after no verdicts reached on one charge of rape and one of attempted rapeThe Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of raping four women and sexually assaulting another during alcohol-fuelled parties at his Cheshire mansion.The former French international slumped with his head in his hands as he was cleared unanimously of six counts of rape and one of sexual assault after a five-month trial at Chester crown court. Continue reading...

Even leavers might be changing their minds, but there’s little incentive for the opposition to revisit the issue, say analystsWhile Brexit may have been chased out of the headlines in recent months by the cost of living crisis and the chaos in Westminster, the tectonic plates of public opinion on this deeply divisive issue have been quietly shifting.The opposition parties have shied away from blaming Brexit for the UK’s woes, but voters’ scepticism about the project has increased through the past 18 months, as the economic outlook has darkened. Continue reading...

Bank slashes predicted 2023 European wholesale price by 30% as mild weather reduces demandHSBC has slashed its forecasts for future wholesale gas prices in response to mild weather in Europe – raising hopes of a sharp decline in household energy bills.The bank cut its 2023 forecasts for the price of gas traded in Europe by about 30% and its forecast for 2024 by 20%. Continue reading...

Video with DJ Bizarrap ridiculing footballer’s new relationship racks up 63m views in 24 hoursA savage new song by Shakira in which the Colombian star, philanthropist and committed believer in the veracity of hips ridicules her former partner Gerard Piqué has logged more than 63m YouTube views in 24 hours, making it the most watched new Latin song in the platform’s history.Shakira and Piqué, who played football for Barcelona, Manchester United and the Spanish national team, separated last year after more than a decade and have two children. The former centre-back, 35, has since begun a relationship with a 23-year-old woman, Clara Chía. Continue reading...

Minister says ultranationalists in coalition want to dismantle body and create ‘new reality in the West Bank’Senior allies of the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, have expressed fears that Benjamin Netanyahu’s new ultranationalist coalition in Israel will seek to dismantle the Palestinian Authority (PA), established after the 1993 Oslo peace accords.The Palestinian social development minister, Ahmad Majdalani, said members of the government intended to destroy the authority, which administers a degree of self-rule in parts of the West Bank and is considered by Abbas as the institutional building block for a future Palestinian state. Continue reading...

Views range from sympathy for the Sussexes in light of treatment by royals and tabloids, to regarding them as being ‘as entitled as the others’Prince Harry’s tell-all autobiography has become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book ever. The memoir has been controversial, with Harry making claims that Prince William physically attacked him and accusing his father of putting his own interests first.The Guardian asked readers – some of whom had already begun reading the book – for their views on the memoir and the publicity around it. Many said their views on the royal family had been changed, while others said it strengthened existing positions. Other readers also made the point that the book was more balanced than had been presented by parts of the media. Continue reading...

Harry May, 21, threw object because he believed monarch’s visit to ‘poor area’ was in ‘bad taste’, court hearsA 21-year-old man has admitted throwing an egg towards King Charles during a walkabout in Luton because he thought the monarch’s visit to a “poor area” was in “bad taste”.Harry May pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court in London on Friday to a public order offence relating to the incident on 6 December. Continue reading...

Move marks shift in focus by Beijing as it tries to extend influence and keep sector in checkChina is to take “golden shares” in two of its biggest tech companies, Alibaba and Tencent, as Beijing extends its influence on the country’s star tech firms and its most powerful and wealthy business people.Beijing’s move marks a shift away from imposing hefty fines and sanctions in its two-year tech crackdown, which was launched after Alibaba founder, Jack Ma, criticised regulators, Continue reading...

Warnings of ‘great cost’ to individuals, workplaces and the economy as people struggle to access diagnosis and treatmentADHD awareness hassoared among women in the UK in the past year, but waiting times and the dearth of clinical awareness are leaving people awaiting diagnosis in a perilous position, leading experts have warned.Dr Max Davie, a consultant paediatrician and co-founder of ADHD UK, said that people talking openly about their diagnoses – such as the Loose Women presenter Nadia Sawalha – had led to more people seeking referrals for the condition. Continue reading...

Whether for reasons of cost, changed gender roles or the desire for privacy, eating out is no longer such a big part of finding loveIt is an unusual option for a January date, but after meeting twice, 42-year-old Sasha thinks she is ready to take things to the next level with the man she has just started seeing. She is planning to take him for a sea swim near her home in East Sussex, followed by a beachside sauna. “I’m just putting it out there: here’s my body. It’s not the body I had when I was 20 but it is what it is.”They have chatted a lot, first online and then in person, but have never been out to dinner together. “Oh no, I would never go out for dinner with anyone. It’s just so intense and awkward. If someone asked me out for dinner or the cinema, I know they’re not for me.” Asking someone to dinner is “unimaginative and boring”, says Sasha (not her real name). “I just think: snore alert.” Continue reading...

Travel packages advertised as interest surges in mRNA vaccines unavailable on mainlandPrivate services offering Chinese travellers access to mRNA vaccines are attracting droves of mainlanders to Hong Kong and Macau seeking a booster shot that their government has refused to approve.As part of its dismantling of the country’s zero-Covid policy last month, China’s government also lifted quarantine and other border restrictions. It prompted a wave of interest in overseas travel, particularly for the upcoming lunar new year holiday later this month. However, there also appears to be a large contingent chasing the mRNA bivalent vaccines. Continue reading...

PM says NHS already has ‘record funding’ as health secretary privately admits more money needed to end strikesRishi Sunak has refused to back calls to boost the health service budget in an attempt to alleviate staffing pressures that have already led to strikes by nurses and ambulance workers, and could soon prompt junior doctors to strike as well.Asked on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland whether there was scope for a one-off increase in health spending, the prime minister added: “There is record funding already going into the NHS … in spite of the difficult decisions we have had to make to get a grip of borrowing and tackle inflation.” Continue reading...

Year-long revamp intended to inspire next generation of ‘creatives, inventors and scientists’ and tie in with city’s 2025 stint as capital of cultureThe National Science and Media museum is to close for a year for a “radical, once-in-a-generation” revamp that will allow more visitors to attend and provide the ability to tell stories in a more dynamic way, bosses say.The museum in Bradford has a vast, dizzyingly diverse collection of more than 3.2m objects, from the first photographic negative to the original puppet of Zippy from Rainbow. Continue reading...

Trial of Sarah Mardini and fellow defendants lifts lid on ‘farcical’ treatment of humanitarians, say campaignersSarah Mardini, the refugee immortalised in the recent Netflix movie, The Swimmers, was the talk of Lesbos this week as the long-awaited trial of 24 aid workers accused of espionage, got underway on the island.Eight years after the Syrian and her younger sister, Yusra, saved 18 fellow passengers from a sinking dinghy off the isle, it was Mardini’s name that stood out as appeals court judge, Styliani Spyridonidou, conducted a roll call of defendants at the start of a hearing that has fuelled widespread human rights concerns. But,although Mardini’s story hogged the Greek headlines, the 27-year-old student, accused of spying after returning to the island to assist refugees, was not present. Continue reading...

Brazilian art collector says he paid $3.7m for the 1888 oil called The Novel Reader, when a third party took possession of itA painting by Vincent van Gogh on display at the Detroit Institute of Art was stolen, a new lawsuit claims.The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by Brokerarte Capital Partners and its sole proprietor, Gustavo Soter, a Brazilian art collector. It claims the DIA borrowed the painting from an unnamed party that is not its legal owner. Continue reading...

Swedish government distances itself from hanging of presidential dummy in Stockholm stunt by Kurdish groupTurkey has summoned the Swedish ambassador after a Kurdish group hung an effigy of the Turkish president in Stockholm, in a stunt that has inflamed tensions between the two countries over Sweden’s bid to join Nato.Sweden’s foreign minister, Tobias Billström, said his government strongly distanced itself from “threats and hatred against political representatives”. Without naming any specific country, he added: “Portraying a popularly elected president as being executed outside City Hall is abhorrent.” Continue reading...