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Michael D Higgins compares Pogues frontman's songs with perfectly crafted poems'The Irish president, Michael D Higgins, has led Ireland's tributes to Shane MacGowan, describing the Pogues frontman as one of music's greatest lyricists".After the singer's death at the age of 65, Higgins compared MacGowan's songs with perfectly crafted poems" that captured the measure of our dreams". Continue reading...

Dutch version of book pulped after king and duchess named as speculating about skin colour of Harry and Meghan's son, in pages on unconscious bias'A royal author has said an investigation is under way into how the Dutch version of his new book named two senior members of the British royal family alleged to have discussed the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's unborn son.In an edition that has now been withdrawn from bookshelves, King Charles and the Princess of Wales were named as taking part in conversations about Prince Archie before his birth, according to allegations in the book that have been broadcast on TV programmes in the UK and the Netherlands. Continue reading...

Creative director targets east Asia's luxury market as his preppy streetwear is given a tropical twistFor his first show as men's creative director of Louis Vuitton in June, Pharrell Williams closed down the Pont Neuf in Paris, and counted mega-celebrities including Beyonce and Jay-Z, and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky as guests.His second effort took place in Hong Kong and focused on local stars in the front row. The actors Zhu Yilong and Chow Yun-fat were joined by three members of the Cantopop band Mirror and the rapper Tyson Yoshi. There was also a take on celestial stars, with a light show at the end rendering the Louis Vuitton monogram in twinkling lights across the city's harbour. Continue reading...

Matthew Hedges, tortured in UAE in 2018, tells reporters and activists to take clean phones and watch who they deal withJournalists and campaigners attending the Cop28 climate conference in Dubai should not be naive" and take steps to protect their physical and digital security, a British academic who was tortured in the summit's host country has warned.Matthew Hedges, who was detained in the United Arab Emirates for seven months in 2018, advised reporters and activists to take new, clean phones, think carefully about who they deal with and how and where they protest. Continue reading...

One of the all-time great bandleaders and writer of Christmas classic Fairytale of New York, MacGowan invigorated rock with the power of Irish folk musicShane MacGowan, the lead singer and songwriter of trailblazing Celtic punk band the Pogues and one of the all-time great bandleaders, has died aged 65 following a long period of ill health. His wife Victoria Mary Clarke said: Shane will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life."In December 2022, he was hospitalised with viral encephalitis, and as a result spent several months of 2023 in intensive care. Continue reading...

Lender to ramp up cost-cutting plans after rescue deal and assess seven-days-a-week branch modelMetro Bank plans to cut about 800 jobs by the end of March, and review its famous seven-days-a-week branch model, after ramping up cost-cutting plans in the wake of last month's multimillion-pound rescue deal.The lender said plans to cut a fifth of its 4,000-strong workforce followed further evaluation of the cost base", which found it could save up to 50m a year, including by investing in automation and potentially scaling back opening hours for its 76 branches. Continue reading...

Anthony Hurndall, whose son was shot by the IDF in 2003, has called on governments to challenge Israeli claims about deaths of women and childrenWestern governments are actively encourag[ing] the killing of women and children" in Gaza, because they are not willing to challenge Israeli accounts of the war there, the father of a British peace activist killed by an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) sniper has warned.Anthony Hurndall's son, Tom Hurndall, was shot in the head in April 2003 in Rafah, while he was helping Palestinian children. Continue reading...

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Defensive weapon called a sasumata gains popular appeal after jewellery store owner uses one to fend off attackersAn employee at a jewellery shop in Tokyo has been hailed a hero after thwarting an attempted robbery and giving chase after the three suspects fled. But the hero of the hour wasn't armed with a Taser or pepper spray, but with a weapon invented hundreds of years by samurai warriors: the sasumata, a pole with two prongs attached to the end.After footage of the attempted robbery early on Sunday evening attracted attention online, an auto parts manufacturer that also makes the forked pole reported a deluge of requests for the traditional weapon. Continue reading...

Opposition leader's call follows latest court order to free Iranian asylum seeker who had been detained since 2013

Family of Paul Rusesabagina, who campaigned to have him freed from jail, say country's justice system is a tool to oppress people'The Rwandan legal system is incapable of protecting refugees sent from the UK, according to the daughters of Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the Oscar-nominated movie Hotel Rwanda.Carine and Anaise Kanimba campaigned for more than two years to secure the release of their father, who was freed from a Kigali jail after three years of incarceration earlier this year, and they have detailed first-hand knowledge of the true nature of the Rwandan legal system. Continue reading...

With olives the largest single agricultural product on the West Bank, Palestinians say Israeli restrictions and settler violence are losing them $70mShaadi, Isa and Mahmud Saleh look out across the valley, bite their nails, wring their hands and worry. There is no work locally and travelling to find any is almost impossible because of restrictions imposed by Israel on the occupied West Bank after the 7 October attacks by Hamas that killed more than 1,200 people. The main road into their village has been almost entirely blocked. Their debts are mounting up.There has never been anything like this," says Isa, 73. Life is not normal." Continue reading...

As the Cop28 climate summit begins in Dubai today, a secret Saudi Arabian plan to get poorer countries hooked on its harmful products' has emerged. Damian Carrington reportsDelegates from every country in the world are meeting today at the beginning of the Cop28 climate talks in Dubai, hosted by the United Arab Emirates. The scale of the challenge ahead of them is immense: phasing out the fossil fuels that power the global economy before a planetary tipping point is reached.As the Guardian's environment editor, Damian Carrington, tells Michael Safi this week, that task has got even tougher. It has emerged that Saudi Arabia is driving a huge global investment plan to create demand for its oil and gas in developing countries. Critics say the plan is designed to get countries hooked on its harmful products". Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Follow the latest updates in our new Israel-Hamas blogForeign ministers of the Group of Seven countries have said in a joint statement that they support the further extension of the truce and future pauses in order to increase assistance and facilitate the release of all hostages.The group urged Hamas to release all the hostages immediately and unconditionally". Continue reading...

Seasonal bushfire outlook for 2023-24 suggests large areas of eastern Australia could burn but authorities say forecast not as dire as 2019's black summer

New Zealand's national icon is also one of its most vulnerable birds and conservationists believe it was absent from capital for generationsTwo kiwi chicks have been born in the wild around Wellington for the first time in more than 100 years, one year after an initiative began to reintroduce the national bird back to New Zealand's capital.The fluffy and flightless kiwi is one of the most vulnerable birds in New Zealand and conservationists believe it has been absent from the capital for generations. Continue reading...

The threatened bird index reveals largest declines were in Queensland and South Australia

Federal treasurer downplays prospect of posting a second successive budget surplus

Officials in the east African country are frustrated by delays in migrants arriving and negative attention scheme has engenderedThe UK and Rwanda remain committed to their controversial migrant deportation deal, sources have said, after reports emerged that support in Kigali for the agreement had cooled because of the continual delays.Westminster has already paid the Rwandan government more than 140m but nobody has been sent to the east African country yet. The first flight was scheduled for June 2022 but was cancelled after legal challenges. Continue reading...

STC says actors' demonstration hurt many in our community' while longtime board member resigns

Ten Israelis, two Russian citizens and four Thais have been handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza, according to the Israeli militarySixteen hostages have been released from captivity in Gaza, the Israeli military said, as diplomatic efforts continued to extend the truce further to allow for more exchanges.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said late on Wednesday evening that two hostages with Russian citizenship had crossed into Egypt. Continue reading...

Tory MP queries claims marked withdrawn as government tries to clear backlog by end of yearRishi Sunak has been accused of losing control of the UK's borders after the Home Office admitted that it does not know the whereabouts of 17,000 people whose asylum claims have been withdrawn.Amid a stalled Rwanda deportation scheme and rising costs for housing people seeking refuge in hotels, senior civil servants in the department were told by the Conservative MP and deputy party chair Lee Anderson they hadn't got a clue" after failing to provide answers on people seeking refuge in the UK or foreign offender removals. Continue reading...

Tony-winning actor was known for screen roles in Misery, ER and Cheers, and for stage roles in On Golden Pond and The HeiressFrances Sternhagen, the Tony award-winning actor known for playing formidable women on stage in Driving Miss Daisy and on screen in Cheers, Misery and Sex and the City, has died at her home in New York. She was 93.Her son, John Carlin, confirmed her death on Instagram. Frannie," he wrote. Mom. Frances Sternhagen. On Monday night, Nov 27, she died peacefully at her home, a month and a half shy of her 94th birthday ... Fly on, Frannie. The curtain goes down on a life so richly, passionately, humbly and generously lived." Continue reading...

Inquiry hears extracts from Patrick Vallance's diary as ex-minister Sajid Javid gives evidence to inquiry

Camps also springing up in London and other cities as Liverpool council warns of housing emergencyThe number of homeless refugees in Glasgow has doubled in recent months as the Home Office accelerates its plan to clear the asylum backlog by the end of the year.Mini refugee camps are also springing up across London, and Liverpool council has said the situation is nothing short of an emergency". Continue reading...

Rush to write legislation means clauses to ban the leaseholds will be added via amendmentsMichael Gove's flagship bill to end leaseholds on newly built houses in England and Wales contains no provision to end leaseholds on newly built houses in England and Wales, as the key clauses to do so were omitted in a last-minute rush to write it.The housing secretary unveiled his long-promised leasehold reform bill this week, after the government announced it in the king's speech. Gove has long promised to end what he calls the feudal" leasehold system, which is unique to England and Wales among developed nations. Continue reading...

Restoration planned for renaissance master's work located in Naples home after vanishing from Italy's state records half a century agoA painting by Sandro Botticelli that was forgotten" for more than 50 years after disappearing from the Italian state's art records has been recovered from a family home near Naples.The artwork, which dates to the 15th century and is believed to be worth about 100m, was initially housed in a church in the town of Santa Maria la Carita, before being entrusted to a local family who kept it at a private residence for generations. Continue reading...

Team who made breakthrough hope acclaim will lead to more awareness of their value and the risks of their workThe rat hole" miners who finally rescued 41 Indian workers who had been trapped in a mountain tunnel for more than two weeks on Tuesday have said the operation involved 26 hours of digging by hand, as they sought to highlight the harsh conditions and lack of dignity faced by manual labourers in India.Munna Qureshi, 33, was the first of the 12-man team to break through a wall of rubble and lay eyes on the 41 workers who had been trapped in the collapsed tunnel in the Himalayan mountains since 12 November. Continue reading...

Local authority issues section 114 notice suspending spending as it admits it cannot balance budget

Regulator says that big discounts for members may be restricting competition and disadvantaging those outside the schemesThe competition watchdog is to investigate the effect on consumers of the rise of loyalty card price cuts amid concerns that they could limit competition and lead to price rises for shoppers not signed up to such marketing schemes.Sainsbury's began offering special discounts for its Nectar card holders in April when the Co-op also brought in members' pricing on some products, while Tesco has ramped up use of its Clubcard discounts this year. Lidl launched a loyalty scheme in 2020 and updated it last year so that shoppers had to spend more to get the top level of discounts. Continue reading...

Legal expert says court ruling in case where information accessed on work laptop at Mecrus confirms Australians still don't have a right to privacy'

Police will not seek warrant to dig up London site where serial killer claims to have buried ChauDetectives have decided that the convicted serial killer Levi Bellfield was lying when he made repeated sworn confessions to the kidnap, murder and burial of Elizabeth Chau, who went missing in 1999, the Guardian has learned.The decision means the Metropolitan police will not seek a warrant to dig up the west London site where Bellfield claimed to have buried the remains of Chau, 19, a computer studies student. Continue reading...

Judge says verdict is tentatively' three or four months away after 10 months of hearingsThe long-running national security trial of a group of pro-democracy figures known as the Hong Kong 47 began hearing closing arguments on Wednesday, more than 1,000 days after the accused were first arrested and after 10 months of hearings.The trial is Hong Kong's biggest since authorities introduced the national security law in June 2020. Ten days have been allowed for closing arguments and on Wednesday one of the judges, Andrew Chan, said a verdict was tentatively" three or four months away. Continue reading...

About 40 branches in New South Wales have now passed motions demanding a full ceasefire

Workers could be restricted to bringing one relative under plans to reduce migrationThe number of dependants that foreign care workers are allowed to bring in to the UK could be cut under government plans to reduce immigration, a cabinet minister has said.Steve Barclay, the environment secretary, said restrictions on dependant numbers were being considered by the home secretary, James Cleverly, as an option to reduce figures. Continue reading...

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Border force suggested man was non-compliant' but Guardian understands he was not read his visa conditions or fitted with ankle bracelet

Arnold Dix describes having to dig 100 millimetres at a time' to save workers stuck in Silkyara-Barkot tunnel for 17 days

Labor move follows review that found trust had been dramatically eroded' by controversial grant decisions made by former Coalition ministers

Israel says Palestinians have been freed after nine women, a child and two foreign nationals were handed to the Red Cross

Police offer $500,000 reward on anniversary of 30-year-old's disappearance and release CCTV of Holden station wagon which drove to the Blue Mountains

Victoria police hunt man accused of conning prospective tenants by hiring short-stay accommodation and advertising it for lease

The self-decribed Marxist from Long Island' documented working class lives and the elite of show business and Manhattan societyLarry Fink, an acclaimed and adventurous photographer whose subjects ranged from family portraits and political satire to working class lives and the elite of show business and Manhattan society, has died at 82.Robert Mann, owner of the Robert Mann Gallery, told the Associated Press that Fink died Saturday at his home in Martins Creek, Pennsylvania. Mann did not cite a specific cause of death, but said that Fink had been in failing health. Continue reading...

Premier Jacinta Allan says the affect of female MPs' voices can be seen throughout their work in parliament

Shocking' poll in England and Wales shows nearly one in five reluctant to hire women they think may go on to have childrenA significant minority of human resources executives believe men are better suited to senior management than women, according to the results of a shocking" poll.Nearly one in seven HR decision-makers rate men as better for top jobs and nearly one in five admitted they were reluctant to hire women they thought might go on to start families, the survey of personnel managers in England and Wales for the charity Young Women's Trust (YWT) found. Continue reading...

Sr Const Kristian White, 33, was previously charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and common assault

Tamimi, 22, on list released by justice ministry as ceasefire deal with Hamas extended for another two days

Book reportedly revealed name who expressed concerns' about what skin colour Harry and Meghan's son would haveA new book about the royal family has been taken off shelves in the Netherlands after reports it named the person who allegedly expressed concerns" about what skin colour Harry and Meghan's son Archie would have.Xander, publishers of the Dutch translation of Endgame by the journalist Omid Scobie, have put sales of the book on hold temporarily" over what it called an error". Continue reading...

About 22,000 people have been displaced amid murders, looting, kidnappings and widespread sexual violence, new UN report saysHaiti's brutal gang wars have spread from the capital to key farming heartlands, displacing tens of thousands of people and having a devastating impact on access to food staples, the United Nations has warned.Violence has gradually escalated in the Bas-Artibonite region north of the capital, the source of staples such as rice, according to a new report released on Tuesday, which said about 22,000 had been displaced amid murders, looting, kidnappings and widespread sexual violence. Continue reading...

Tax office says we will review our overall approach to debts on hold before progressing any further' after letters draw comparisons to robodebt scheme