World news | The Guardian

Carefully scripted trip had to contend with racism row and sympathy for MeghanThe Prince and Princess of Wales returned to Britain on Saturday after a three-day US trip that combined messaging, friendship-politicking and symbolism accented with celebrity name-checks.But the trip, as carefully scripted as any, may also have missed an opportunity to tackle immediate domestic issues. Eight years ago, William and Kate were greeted by adoring crowds. The crowds were out again this week “but this time around it’s more tempered and more complicated”, says Arianne Chernock, professor of history at Boston University, who has written widely on the role of the British royal family in America. Continue reading...

The poisoned agent’s son Anatoly tells of the visit to his Moscow flat, as ITV prepares to screen a drama about the killing of his father, played by David TennantAnatoly Litvinenko: How the Kremlin tried to conscript me

Stencil image, which shows figure in nightgown and gas mask holding a fire extinguisher, was removed in Hostomel on FridayEight people have been detained over the theft of a mural painted by the elusive British street artist Banksy from a wall on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said.The stencil image of a person in a nightgown and gas mask holding a fire extinguisher, next to the charred remains of a window in the town of Hostomel, went missing on Friday, they said. Continue reading...

In published extracts former health secretary says he broke Covid rules because he ‘fell in love’Straight from appearing on the ITV reality show I’m a Celebrity, the focus on former health secretary Matt Hancock has turned to his upcoming memoir called Pandemic Diaries: The Inside Story Of Britain’s Battle Against Covid.Here are five key moments from the book, which have been revealed in extracts published by the Daily Mail and Mail+. Continue reading...

Hussain Bah, 18, becomes third person to be charged over deaths of Kearne Solanke and Charlie Bartolo, both 16A third teenager has been charged over the fatal stabbing of two 16-year-old boys a mile apart in south-east London, the Metropolitan police have said.Kearne Solanke was stabbed in Titmuss Avenue, Thamesmead, and Charlie Bartolo was found with stab wounds in Sewell Road, Abbey Wood, on Saturday 26 November. Continue reading...

Party says ‘no basis on which to investigate further’ following complaint about MP’s behaviour at October conferenceThe former minister Conor Burns has had the Tory whip restored after being cleared of misconduct at the party conference in October.Burns was sacked as trade minister by Liz Truss and had the whip withdrawn after a complaint about his behaviour at the annual Conservative party conference in Birmingham. Continue reading...

Big-name retailers are marketing the popular mode of transport, despite use of privately owned models being banned in public placesOn a wide road dotted with autumn leaves, a picture of a beaming woman rider promoted a £299 e-scooter on Amazon last week, which was described “as your best commuting or outdoor travel companion”.It is one of several models of popular e-scooters that are marketed in the run-up to Christmas by the online giant and other big retailers, including Halfords, Argos and Currys. There is just one snag: it is illegal to ride privately owned e-scooters on public roads in the UK. Continue reading...

Loosening controls further could spark a devastating outbreak, but tightening the rules again could trigger unrestAt the end of October, Xi Jinping had secured his position as China’s most powerful leader in decades, his grip on the country cemented by a norm-breaking third term in office.At the end of November, he faced the most widespread protests China had seen in decades, mostly focused on Covid restrictions but also featuring unprecedented calls for Xi to step down. Continue reading...

Course aims to help staff defend actions at future inquiry into how at least 27 people died last yearSearch and rescue staff from the UK coastguard are being provided with training that would help them to defend their actions at a future inquiry into how at least 27 people died in the Channel last year, the Guardian has learned.In August, HM Coastguard awarded a £19,200 contract to the training company Bond Solon to prepare operational search and rescue staff to give evidence in legal hearings, which will “provide assurances that they are performing their duties in line with expected processes that may be challenged in an inquest or inquiry”. Continue reading...

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fights extradition from Britain to US, where he is wanted on criminal charges. This blog is now closed

Exclusive: ACT director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold reveals he has made complaint about undisclosed matters that are currently under investigation

Thousands of prisoners still serving indefinite sentences in England and Wales, even for low-level crimeDominic Raab is being urged to show mercy to prisoners in England and Wales who remain jailed under a sentencing scheme abolished 10 years ago.The imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence was a form of indeterminate sentence in which offenders were given a minimum jail tariff but no maximum for a range of crimes. Nearly 3,000 legacy prisoners remain in jail under the scheme. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can find more of our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereRussia tested a new missile defence system rocket, its defence ministry said today.The missile was launched from the Sary Shagan testing range in Kazakhstan. Continue reading...

Jonathan, Seychelles giant tortoise given to Saint Helena in 1882, is also oldest known living land animalIf there is a party animal at large this weekend, Jonathan is it: the Seychelles giant tortoise is about to celebrate his 190th birthday with a three-day bash.Living on Saint Helena since 1882, when he arrived as a gift to the governor of the small south Atlantic island, he is no stranger to fame, having scooped awards from the Guinness World Records for being the oldest known living land animal and the oldest chelonian – an order comprising tortoises, turtles and terrapins – ever recorded. Continue reading...

Publicans hard hit by a series of crises are hoping the Three Lions will go far at the Qatar World CupA nation will hold its breath on Sunday as England play Senegal in the knockout stages of the World Cup in Qatar, and nowhere more so than in the country’s pubs.An industry that has been battered by a toxic cocktail of rocketing energy bills, food inflation, staff shortages, rising wages and rail strikes is pinning its hopes on progress for England in the tournament providing a much-needed boost. Continue reading...

Documentary teaser comes at awkward time for royal family amid race row and Prince and Princess of Wales’ US tourThe biggest surprise of this week’s release of a trailer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s forthcoming Netflix documentary is that it appeared at all. Amid speculation that the programme – entitled Harry & Meghan – was still being edited or had been delayed until next year, here, finally, was a commitment that the tell-all would soon make it to the air.“When the stakes were this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?” Meghan is seen asking. Continue reading...

Moscow had hoped to easily capture Ukraine – having totally failed, it has resorted to simply destroying it

Police cordon off Madrid embassy while parcels also sent to eight other embassies and consulates

Conservative former cabinet minister joins growing exodus of high-profile members of party

Health Security Agency confirms that child in Ealing, west London, has died from bacterial infectionA fourth child has died in the UK after contracting Strep A, as health officials issued warnings to parents and school staff about signs and symptoms of infection.These include a sore throat, fever and minor skin infections. In rare incidences, it can become a severe illness, and anyone with high fever, severe muscle aches, pain in one area of the body and unexplained vomiting or diarrhoea should seek urgent medical help. Continue reading...

Since August, 199 people have died of acute kidney injury, prompting an inquiry and ban on some medicinesA dozen families, whose relatives died or fell ill after consuming cough syrup medicines, have sued the Indonesian government and companies accused of supplying the products.At least 199 people, many of them young children, have died as a result of acute kidney injury since August, prompting the government to ban some syrup medicines and launch an investigation. Continue reading...

People living near Tower of London site said largest diplomatic base in UK would put lives at riskLondon councillors have rejected plans for a new Chinese embassy, which would have been the largest diplomatic base in the UK, after residents and advocacy groups raised safety concerns.In a tense meeting, the Tower Hamlets council voted unanimously against the proposed development to move the current embassy to a 2-hectare (5-acre) site opposite the Tower of London. Local residents and advocacy groups, who feared being swept into protests, called the plans into question, saying they would endanger people’s lives. Continue reading...

Exclusive: More than 200 people have approached Indonesian embassy since July to report difficulties facedMore than 200 Indonesian fruit pickers have sought diplomatic help since July after facing difficulties working in Britain this season, the nation’s embassy has revealed.The Guardian has spoken to a pair of workers sent to a farm in Scotland that supplies berries to M&S, Waitrose, Tesco and Lidl. They claim pickers were sent back to the caravan if they could not work fast enough and left with large debts to repay. Continue reading...

Xiomara Castro has not yet fulfilled her promise to legalise emergency contraceptives and to address violence against womenAt her inauguration earlier this year, Xiomara Castro, the first female president of Honduras, ended her speech with a message to women.“Honduran women, I will not fail you, I will defend your rights, all your rights, count on me,” said Castro, whose resounding election victory ended a dozen years of conservative rule and generated high hopes for change in a country with one of the highest rates of femicide and most restrictive laws against reproductive rights in Latin America. Continue reading...

Little sign of Tory resurgence under Rishi Sunak after thumping win for Labour against difficult backdrop

Low pressure disrupts water and power supplies in Thessaloniki as meteorological winter beginsOn Thursday night last week, an area of low pressure formed off the southern coast of France. During the course of Friday, low pressure deepened into a storm as it travelled south-eastwards towards Italy.It brought heavy rain to much of Italy; however, the west coast received the brunt of the wet weather on Friday night with 197mm of rain recorded in 24 hours on the island of Capri. The island of Ischia, close to Capri, experienced flooding and a landslide early Saturday morning, which killed at least 10 people. Continue reading...

From Henry VIII to the telegram network, how the state intervened in the private sector – and who got the moneyMany are calling for change in England’s private water sector. But what should replace it?Is the answer the state buying back the water companies? Or would that simply land the public sector with the problems created by wealthy owners, who would walk away with a payout? And if nationalisation did come back on the table, as it did in Labour’s 2017 manifesto, how much compensation should be paid to English water’s current owners? Continue reading...

Next ethics adviser, when appointed by Rishi Sunak, will probably face calls to open at least two complex casesForty potential breaches of the ministerial code have never been referred for investigation by the ethics adviser, data shows.It comes as a parliamentary committee warned historical breaches of the code may never be investigated or resolved, including the conduct of the home secretary or Islamophobia claims against a former chief whip.Meetings by Nadhim Zahawi and Kwasi Kwarteng with the Libyan politician Fathi Bashagha, organised by the lobbyist Mark Fullbrook who became Truss’s chief of staff.Michael Gove’s acceptance of £120,000 in donations from property developers while serving as housing secretary.Multiple meetings held by Anne-Marie Trevelyan with a Chinese state-owned nuclear power company with no record of what was discussed. Continue reading...

Bridgerton actor, who will also direct the production, says she wants to talk about ‘body pathologising’Was Richard III inherently evil? Or was he othered, excluded and pathologised because of societal prejudices? What happens when the person who has been punched down, punches up?These are the questions Adjoa Andoh will ask when she steps into the shoes of one of Shakespeare’s most notorious villains, who deceived and murdered anyone who stood in his path to becoming king of England. Continue reading...

Announcement comes weeks after singer’s final US show and will be his second appearance ever at a UK festivalElton John has announced that his last ever UK show will take place at next year’s Glastonbury festival.In the event’s first act to be revealed, John will perform on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday 25 June, closing out the main stage with only his second-ever appearance at a UK festival. Continue reading...

Party also questions whether troops would ‘bail out failing services rather than provide emergency back-up’Labour has complained that the British army is being used to “bail out failing services” in the UK, at a time when the threat from Russia remains acute and British forces are being withdrawn from Estonia.John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, has written to the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, to warn that troops “may be diverted from essential defence tasks” to plug staffing gaps caused by strikes in Border Force, the NHS and elsewhere. Continue reading...

Ex-minister claimed I’m a Celebrity appearance would raise profile of his dyslexia campaign but he only fleetingly mentioned itA charity has called on Matt Hancock to renew his efforts to raise awareness about dyslexia after apparently only fleetingly addressing the issue on I’m a Celebrity.The former health secretary defended his decision to take a break from Westminster and sign up for the ITV reality show in the Australian jungle by claiming he wanted to use it as a platform to raise the profile of his dyslexia campaign. Continue reading...

Crackdown launched on virtual private networks, which protesters and other citizens had used to access banned non-Chinese news and social media appsChinese authorities have initiated the highest “emergency response” level of censorship, according to leaked directives, including a crackdown on VPNs and other methods of bypassing online censorship after unprecedented protests demonstrated widespread public frustration with the zero-Covid policy.The crackdown, including the tracking and questioning of protesters, comes alongside easing of pandemic restrictions, in an apparent carrot and stick approach to an outpouring of public grievances. During an extraordinary week in China, protests against zero-Covid restrictions included criticism of the authoritarian rule of Xi Jinping – which was further highlighted by the death of former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin. Continue reading...

Organisers say accusation Red Sea event is a ‘reputation laundering tool’ for Riyadh smacks of western hypocrisyA glitzy international film festival in Saudi Arabia has laid out the red carpet for a host of famed actors and directors, promising a “zero-censorship” event that will feature LGBTQ+ themes despite being held in a country where homosexuality is criminalised.Only five years since the hardline Gulf monarchy lifted a decades-old ban on cinemas, the Red Sea international film festival launched 10 days of screenings on Thursday. Guests include the Lebanese actor and director Nadine Labaki, as well as fellow directors Guy Ritchie and the Oscar winner Spike Lee. Continue reading...

Review of Google and Meta agreements suggests ACCC look at what other social media platforms should be brought to table with publishers

The former Sydney schoolteacher and subject of the Teacher’s Pet podcast will be eligible for parole in 18 years

Infections climbing at slower pace than last month and death rate stable but experts say reporting changes making numbers harder to interpret

Decision announced by director of public prosecutions means retrial of Lehrmann, who pleaded not guilty, will not go ahead

Rising cases of respiratory syncytial virus after pandemic leading to critical hospital pressuresIntensive care doctors in Germany have warned that hospital paediatric units in the country are stretched to breaking point in part due to rising cases of respiratory infections among infants.The intensive care association DIVI said the seasonal rise in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases and a shortage of nurses was causing a “catastrophic situation” in hospitals. Continue reading...

Noongar woman Diane Miller, 30, had been in critical condition after block was allegedly thrown through her car’s open window

Sentence to be handed down in NSW supreme court 13 weeks after judge found Dawson guilty of murder

Administration program to cancel billions of dollars of debt was blocked by lower court last monthThe US supreme court on Thursday agreed to hear Joe Biden’s attempt to reinstate his plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt after it was blocked by a lower court in a challenge by six states that have accused his administration of exceeding its authority.The justices deferred taking action on the president’s request to lift an injunction issued on 14 November by the St Louis-based eighth US circuit court of appeals blocking the program, but said in a brief order that they would hear oral arguments in the case in their session that runs from late February to early March. Continue reading...

Molten rock from Mauna Loa could damage the Big Island’s transportation infrastructure – and no one can stop itRivers of glowing lava oozing from the world’s largest volcano could swallow the main highway linking the east and west coasts of Hawaii’s Big Island as early as this weekend, and there’s nothing humans can do to stop it, experts said.Mauna Loa awoke from its 38-year slumber on Sunday, spewing volcanic ash and debris into the sky. The molten rock is drawing thousands of awestruck viewers to Route 200 as it passes near Hawaii Volcanoes national park, and they endure a thick smell of volcanic gases and sulfur to watch the wide stream of lava creep closer. Continue reading...

Director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold is expected to make a statement on Friday morning

The outgoing leader of the SNP’s Westminster group had a turbulent time recently with his own MPsAfter five years in Westminster, Ian Blackford will be remembered for his verbose yet pugnacious speeches in the Commons and the weekly chorus of loud groans he prompted from Conservative MPs at prime ministers’ questions.Despite his dogged efforts to hold a series of Tory prime ministers to account – going toe-to-toe with Boris Johnson in a way that the more cautious Keir Starmer never felt able – the outgoing SNP leader has had a turbulent time with his own MPs, much of it self-inflicted. Continue reading...

Beckmann painted work in Amsterdam after fleeing Nazi Germany and shows him as younger man with enigmatic smileA rare and remarkable self-portrait by the 20th-century German expressionist Max Beckmann has sold in Berlin for €20m (£17m), breaking the record for a work of art sold at auction in Germany.The striking Selbstbildnis gelb-rosa (Self-portrait Yellow-Pink) was painted by Beckmann during his wartime exile in Amsterdam after he fled Nazi Germany. The identity of its new owner was not immediately available. With fees and other charges, the cost to the buyer was €23.2m. Continue reading...

From Manchester to London, three people tell of stress, fear and eviction as cost of private renting rockets• Soaring rents making life ‘unaffordable’ for private UK tenants£8,000 a year; £300 a month; 60%. These are just some of the rent rises demanded from private tenants as winter approaches. The alternative can be eviction, sofa surfing or scrambling in an overheated market for another place. With homelessness the fear, it is extremely stressful.The already expensive housing markets of London and the south-east are worst affected but it is a national problem. In Manchester Clara Graziani, 27, a customer services worker, was paying £695 a month on a city centre flat until she was served with an eviction notice in September. Her landlord used the “no fault eviction” process the government has repeatedly pledged to abolish, but still hasn’t. Graziani had agreed to pay 8% extra, but then, without explanation, she was evicted. Continue reading...

‘It is a relic from the past’: strong opposition to oath from three political parties of French-speaking provinceQuebec’s premier, François Legault, said that his government would introduce legislation next week to end elected officials’ required oath to Britain’s King Charles, as pressure mounts in the Canadian province to cut such ties with the monarchy.Fresh legislation from the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) follows a separate bill introduced on Thursday by the left-leaning Québec Solidaire party that would allow elected officials to just take an oath to the people. of Quebec. Continue reading...

Councillors to use extra £3m expected to be raised by the move to tackle area’s ‘immoral’ homelessness crisisSecond-home owners in north Wales will have to pay a 150% council tax premium to tackle the area’s spiralling and “immoral” homelessness crisis.Councillors in Gwynedd agreed to raise the premium from its current 100% level – so already twice what permanent residents pay – and use the extra £3m it believes it will raise to provide more accommodation for people who are struggling to find a home. Continue reading...