World news | The Guardian

Nursing union gives ministers until Thursday to open pay talks as first signs emerge of bid to end dispute and prevent NHS collapse• How will NHS strikes affect you?Union leaders threatened on Saturday night to order a fresh wave of more severe strikes in the new year in which nurses would offer “less generous” support inside hospitals, in a dramatic escalation of their pay dispute with the government.The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), in a marked hardening of its line, said there would be “more hospitals and more nurses taking part than at present” in strikes throughout January, unless ministers backed down by Thursday. Continue reading...

Detention of one of Iran’s most famous performers sign state wants to crack down on celebrities who challenge regimeTaraneh Alidoosti, one of Iran’s most famous actors, has been detained by security forces in Tehran days after she criticised the state’s use of the death penalty against protesters.She had previously posted a picture of herself on her Instagram page in which she was not wearing the hijab and holding a piece of paper reading “women, life, freedom” – the slogan that has come to encapsulate the fight against the current Iranian regime. Continue reading...

‘Considerable portion’ of priceless treasures from Green Vault museum recovered amid trial of suspectsGerman authorities said they have found a “considerable portion” of items stolen in a spectacular 2019 robbery of priceless 18th-century jewels from a state museum.The authorities retrieved 31 individual items in the capital, Berlin, the police and prosecutors said. Continue reading...

Local authority leaseholders have to share costs, have no say over who does the job and can face financial ruinAn artist who bought a flat in a council-owned block faces homelessness after his local authority demanded he pay nearly £98,000 towards building repairs.Jamie Harris, 47, purchased the leasehold on a one-bedroom flat owned by Lambeth Council in 2007. Eight of the 10 flats in the converted Victorian villa are rented to council tenants and, unbeknown to him, he and the one other leaseholder share liability with the council for any building work. He’s now been threatened with legal action unless he pays £97,860 and says he will have to sell his home to settle the bill. Continue reading...

Firefighters put out blaze at Latin American restaurant MNKY HSE in Mayfair after flames rapidly spreadDiners were forced to flee a fire caused by Christmas decorations at a Latin American restaurant in London’s West End on Friday night.Video footage of the blaze showed people rushing to escape MNKY HSE in Dover Street, Mayfair, after the flames spread quickly. Two people were treated by ambulance staff for their injuries. Continue reading...

Government shelves plan to secure long-term contracts because ‘locking in while gas prices are this high doesn’t make sense’An energy security taskforce launched by Liz Truss has been scrapped by her successor, Rishi Sunak, after three months.The taskforce, announced by Truss towards the beginning of her brief tenure as prime minister, was created as part of a package of measures announced in September to reform the “broken” market. Continue reading...

Former England captain, whose role as ambassador was criticised by LGBTQ+ community, said he believes sport is ‘force for good’David Beckham has made his first public statement on his controversial involvement with the World Cup host nation Qatar, telling a US newspaper through a spokesperson that he “has always believed that sport has the power to be a force for good in the world”.“We understand that there are different and strongly held views about engagement in the Middle East but see it as positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated directly by the first World Cup being held in the region,” the statement continued. Continue reading...

One wheelchair user reported that pre-booked accessible spaces were filled with luggage and no staff were presentDisabled passengers travelling on Avanti services in the north of England say they are finding pre-booked accessible spaces filled with luggage and are having to resort to sitting in toilets while others are abandoning travelling on trains altogether.Haydn Smith, 26, a wheelchair user, and Alex Winstanley, 30, his non-disabled business partner, boarded an Avanti service from Wigan to London Euston last month. He said as they boarded the train, an Avanti member of staff warned them they would “struggle to get on”. Continue reading...

The legislation aims to tackle problems as wide-ranging as misogyny, disinformation and consumer fraudNearly two decades after the birth of Facebook ushered in the social media era, the EU is introducing ambitious legislation designed to clean up the world’s biggest online forums.Intended to tackle misogyny, protect children, stop consumer fraud, curb disinformation and protect democratic elections, the Digital Services Act (DSA) is wide-ranging. The UK is introducing its own statute, the online safety bill, but the EU’s rules are likely to have a bigger impact because they cover a bigger market, and the EU is more influential as a regulatory power. Continue reading...

Police say Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, of Newham, died in hospital on SaturdayA woman has died after being injured in an apparent crowd crush at a concert in Brixton, south London, on Thursday.Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, was one of three people critically injured after fans attempted to gain entry without tickets to a show by the Nigerian artist Asake at the south London venue on Thursday. Continue reading...

Opposition groups are boycotting vote that one prominent party leader describes as ‘a still-born farce’Tunisians have gone to the polls to elect a new parliament, 11 years to the day since a vendor’s self-immolation sparked the fall of their ruling tyrant and triggered a wave of popular revolts across north Africa and the Middle East.In the troubled decade since, other regional states that once cracked under the strain of popular revolts have been increasingly smothered by counterrevolutions that clawed back civic gains and political freedoms championed by their citizens. Continue reading...

Micheál Martin hands over to Fine Gael leader after two years at head of coalition governmentLeo Varadkar has become Ireland’s taoiseach after swapping posts with Micheál Martin, who took over as tánaiste, or deputy prime minister.The Dáil, the Irish parliament, approved Varadkar’s nomination in a vote on Saturday that drew a line under Martin’s two-year premiership and put Varadkar at the head of the coalition government for the rest of its term. Continue reading...

Rise in infections across the UK has led to patients being offered alternative antibiotics to meet demandFive new serious shortage protocols (SSPs) have been issued to pharmacists in an attempt to offset penicillin supply issues caused by the rising number of strep A infections across the UK.The government introduced SSPs for three penicillin medicines earlier this week and has now increased the total to give pharmacists the flexibility to supply an alternative antibiotic or formulation of penicillin. Continue reading...

Observer survey shows half of state schools struggle to recruit vital teaching assistantsAlmost every state school in England is struggling to provide proper support for children with special educational needs because of insufficient support staff, a new survey has revealed.In a poll of 922 special educational needs and disabilities (Send) coordinators in primary and secondary schools across England, conducted exclusively for the Observer by education consultancy Sendco Solutions, only six schools said they did not have a problem with numbers of support staff for children with additional needs. With teaching assistants typically able to earn more working at their local supermarket, schools say crucial support workers are leaving “in droves”, and they cannot find anyone to replace them because the pay is too low. Continue reading...

Firefighters lead about 20 people to safety after being called to overnight incident in Belsize Road, CamdenPeople have been forced to evacuate from their homes because of a burst water main in a north London street.The water main in Belsize Road, Camden, burst at 2.50am, causing flooding of up to half a metre in depth “across an area of roughly 800 metres”, London fire brigade (LFB) said. Continue reading...

The £18m initiative, blocked by Liz Truss, claims people could save £230 a year through ‘simple measures’Grant Shapps has launched a public information campaign advising people how to make financial savings this winter – months after the former prime minister Liz Truss blocked it.The £18m campaign, called It Adds Up, claims people could save £230 a year by implementing what is says are simple measures.Turning your combi boiler flow temperature down to 60C could save you up to £100 a year.Turning down radiators in rooms you aren’t using or use less could save you up to £70 a year.Finding and fixing draughts could save you up to £60 a year.Insulating your hot water cylinder could save you up to £70 a year.Switching to energy saving lightbulbs could save you up to £55 a year. Continue reading...

Following another tragedy at sea and a ruling due on the Rwanda deal, is Britain complacent at home and complicit in refugee abuse abroad?At 9.46am on Wednesday, the Home Office cancelled a background briefing on the latest in a long line of policy announcements that have so far made no impact whatsoever in tackling small boat numbers.This time it concerned the finer details surrounding its new small boats operational command (SBOC); an “ongoing incident in UK waters” was cited as the cause of cancellation. Continue reading...

Invitation comes despite continued fallout from Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentaryThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have a place at the king’s coronation should they wish to attend, despite the continued fallout from their Netflix documentary, it has been reported.Harry and Meghan will be invited to Charles’s ceremony on 6 May, with all family members expected to feature on a guest list still to be drawn up, according to a report. Continue reading...

Met Office issues yellow warnings of ice for much of Scotland and the north-west of England for SaturdayWeather warnings of severe cold, ice and snowy conditions are in place for the weekend before blizzards are expected to sweep across the north of the country.The Met Office has issued yellow warnings of ice for much of Scotland, the north-west of England and Wales for Saturday, with this extending to snow for the north and ice for most of the rest of England on Sunday. Continue reading...

City’s kindergartens and childcare centres also to stop in-person lessons as cases rise across China after easing of restrictionsShanghai’s education bureau has told schools to hold classes online from Monday as rising numbers of Covid infections hit cities across China.On Saturday the bureau also instructed kindergartens and childcare centres in the city to shut all in-person classes, according to an online statement. Continue reading...

Decision follows legal challenge over amount of financial support given to asylum seekers during cost of living crisisThe home secretary is acting unlawfully in failing to ensure the rate of support for more than 50,000 asylum seekers is adequate by not implementing an increase of almost £5 a week recommended by officials, the high court has found.In a case brought in the high court in Manchester by an asylum seeker known only as CB, the amount of financial support given to asylum seekers during the cost of living crisis was challenged. Internal Home Office advice to ministers was disclosed, which revealed that officials told ministers the current rate of £40.85 a week was no longer sufficient to meet basic needs because of the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

Emergency services respond to several incidents in days following deaths of four children who fell through ice in SolihullEmergency services across England have issued warnings to the public after people were spotted walking on frozen lakes days after four children died in Solihull after falling through ice.Brothers Finlay, 8, and Samuel Butler, 6, their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10, died after falling into water at Babbs Mill Park near Solihull. The children were in cardiac arrest when they were pulled from the water and died in hospital. Continue reading...

With industrial action expected to hit the railways and the roads, a guide to when might be a good time to travelIt is that time of year when millions of people will travel to see friends and family, take a well-earned break, or make a last-minute dash to the shops to pick up a Christmas present.The festive getaway could be trickier than usual this year as Britain has been hit by wide-ranging industrial action across the transport network.M25M5 between Bristol and Weston-super-MareM6 around BirminghamStretches of the M1 smart motorway from Luton northwardsM60 and M62 in north-west EnglandM4 and M27 in Hampshire. Continue reading...

Teams visited 15,019 care homes, also offering flu jabs, and boosted 88.6% of eligible residentsNHS vaccination teams have visited every care home across the country to offer Covid boosters and flu jabs.A total of 15,019 care homes have been visited by vaccination teams – with 88.6% of eligible residents boosted, NHS England said. Continue reading...

Frost, who quit last December, received taxpayer-funded payout for ‘loss of office’ after nine months as ministerBoris Johnson’s chief Brexit negotiator got a more than £26,000 taxpayer-funded payout for stepping down from the government having served as a minister for just nine months, the Guardian can reveal.David Frost, who quit last December citing concerns about the “direction of travel” of future relations with the EU and making the most of post-Brexit “opportunities”, was given the compensation for “loss of office”. Continue reading...

Lawyer says Duggan maintains his innocence after US accused him of training Chinese military pilots to land on aircraft carriers

All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office was set up to track unidentified objects in the sky, underwater or in spaceA new Pentagon office set up to track reports of unidentified flying objects has received “several hundred” new reports, but no evidence so far of alien life, the agency’s leadership has told reporters.The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) was set up in July and is responsible for not only tracking unidentified objects in the sky, but also underwater or in space – or potentially an object that has the ability to move from one domain to the next. Continue reading...

A second Briton was injured and treated in hospital, while a third was detained following the ‘non-work related incident’The family of a 38-year-old man who died after a “non-work related incident” involving three Britons onboard an oil rig in Qatar have paid tribute to a “one-of-a-kind, beautiful soul”.Robert Robson, of Tyne and Wear, was working on the Seafox Burj oil rig off the coast of Qatar when he died after an incident in the early hours of Monday. Continue reading...

Ciro Gómez Leyva was unharmed when an attacker fired at his car, but 42 journalists have been killed during Amlo’s termOne of Mexico’s most prominent news anchors has survived an apparent assassination attempt near his home in the capital, in one of the most brazen attacks against a journalist the country has seen in recent decades.Ciro Gómez Leyva, a news anchor for the national news network, Grupo Imagen, was driving a bulletproof SUV when the pillion rider on a motorcycle opened fire on him late on Thursday. Continue reading...

Particulate matter, which is hazardous to lungs, has been pulled in from India by Cyclone MandousIn Sri Lanka, schools were forced to close on Friday last week owing to high levels of pollution pulled in from India via Cyclone Mandous. The cyclone was situated in the Bay of Bengal, with winds blowing anti-clockwise around the central low pressure, sweeping the polluted air from India across the Palk strait into Sri Lanka. Subsequently, this merged with Sri Lanka’s local air pollution, leading to unhealthy pollutant concentrations that created a haze across parts of the country, including the capital, Colombo.Most people are aware of air pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and methane, and the impacts they have in contributing to global warming. However, other air pollutants pose a more immediate threat to human health. Particulate matter refers to tiny particles or droplets in the air, and is split into two categories depending on diameter; up to 2.5 microns (0.0025mm, PM2.5) or up to 10 microns (0.01mm, PM10). Continue reading...

Exclusive: Head of Cancer Research UK says waiting lists for care could get even longer unless health service’s problems are fixedMinisters risk cutting the survival chances of cancer patients and undoing two decades of progress in lowering death rates unless they tackle the NHS workforce crisis and resolve the pay row, the head of Britain’s biggest cancer charity has warned.Although efforts have been made to prioritise cancer patients, Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said the impact of next week’s planned strikes by nurses and ambulance workers would be cumulative and the NHS would find it “harder and harder” to prevent cancer patients dying early. Continue reading...

The deal will see Mike Ashley add Liam Gallagher’s fashion label Pretty Green to his retail empireMike Ashley’s Frasers Group has snapped up a basket of 15 brands including former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green and 1980s brand Tessuti in a £47.5m cash deal with JD Sports.JD, which owns Size?, Finish Line in the US and Spain’s Sprinter as well as its main retail chain, said the sale of the “non-core” brands would allow it to focus on other priorities, particularly the “international and digital expansion of the group’s core premium sports fashion” retail brands. Continue reading...

UKHSA pilot scheme shows strep A infections lower in areas where nasal vaccine offered to all young childrenGiving children the nasal flu vaccine may help protect them against strep A, according to analysis by the UK Health Security Agency.UKHSA data shows at least 19 children have now died as a result of strep A across the UK, while there are 7,750 cases of scarlet fever so far this season. This is more than treble the 2,538 cases reported during the same period over the last comparably high season – the winter of 2017-18. Continue reading...

Power outages reported after barrage of rockets fired at several regions in second such attack in days

Exclusive: White powder residue found after events held at Chevening and Downing Street, say sourcesTraces of a suspected class A drug were found at a government grace-and-favour home after parties attended by political allies of Liz Truss, the Guardian has been told.The white powder was discovered at the Chevening estate last summer in the days before Truss won the Tory leadership contest and became prime minister, according to sources. Continue reading...

French prosecutors are investigating the source of blaze at seven-storey residential building in suburb of cityFrench prosecutors are investigating the source of a pre-dawn blaze that killed 10 people, including five children, in a dilapidated seven-storey block of flats in a Lyon suburb.The country’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said at the scene of the fire on an estate in Vaulx-en-Velin that it was too early to draw conclusions about the cause, but acknowledged the building housed a squat and was a known drug dealers’ hangout. Continue reading...

Matthew Selby, who is autistic, pleaded guilty to manslaughter with diminished responsibilityAn man has been jailed for choking his 15-year-old sister to death on a family holiday in what a judge described as an “extremely unusual and sad case”.Matthew Selby, 20, admitted fatally attacking his younger sister, Amanda Selby, following an argument at their caravan in north Wales. Continue reading...

Exclusive: government hopes ban in UK waters will protect birds, including puffins, that feed on small fishSandeel fishing in UK waters could be banned next year under “gamechanging” government plans to protect puffin and kittiwake numbers, the Guardian can reveal.The sandeel is a small fish that is critical to marine food webs in the UK, and is an important part of many seabird diets. For example, the kittiwake – which is particularly sandeel-dependent – has seen its UK numbers fall by half since the 1960s, with diminishing availability of prey during the breeding season thought to be mainly responsible. Continue reading...

High court overturns acquittal of six activists who were charged with aggravated trespass at London siteSix environmental activists who occupied a tunnel close to Euston station in protest against the HS2 rail project last year face a retrial after their acquittal was overturned in the high court.Charges against the protesters in connection with the occupation in London were dismissed by a judge in October last year. Continue reading...

Women facing deportation as Pakistan moves to expel refugees will be targeted by Taliban, crossbencher Rebekha Sharkie says

Even among the soaring cost of spreads, one offering stands out, priced at £55 – or £105 with a dishIt has long been a kitchen staple in Britain but with prices soaring, butter is fast becoming a luxury item.Now an unsavoury milestone has been passed, with a 150g block arriving on shop shelves with a price tag of more than £50. Continue reading...

Nurse Anju Asok, 35, and her young children Jeeva and Janvi Saju were found with fatal injuries on ThursdayA woman and two children who died in a suspected murder in Northamptonshire have been named by police as 35-year-old Anju Asok, six-year-old Jeeva Saju and Janvi Saju, four.In a statement on the triple murder inquiry launched on Thursday in Kettering, police said the victims were thought to be Asok, a NHS staff nurse, and her two children. Continue reading...

Lab technician to serve minimum of 23 years for killing colleague at his parents’ home in LeicestershireRoss McCullam has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years for the murder of his colleague Megan Newborough.The 30-year-old lab technician strangled Newborough, 23, and cut her throat at his parents’ house in Leicstershire before dumping her in nearby woodland. Later, he left a voicemail on her phone professing his love for her to try to cover his tracks. Continue reading...

US welcomes doubling of military spending but critics express unease over abandoning seven decades of pacifismJapan has approved its biggest military buildup since the second world war, warning that China poses the “greatest strategic challenge ever” and outlining plans to develop a counterstrike capability funded by record defence spending.The plans, announced by the government on Friday, reflect growing alarm over a more assertive Chinese military and a North Korean regime that continues to improve its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. Continue reading...

Director says media has ‘rewritten history’ to expunge ex-Labour leader and attacks Starmer regime for ‘manipulating the rules’The film director Ken Loach has attacked the BBC for its “absolutely shameless role” in what he describes as “the destruction of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership” of the Labour party.In an interview with Equal Times, Loach said that the BBC “played a prime role” in the departure of the former Labour leader and Corbyn’s “whole political project, that nearly became the government three years ago, has been wiped out of the public discourse.” Continue reading...

Lender says market rebalancing after years of growth, as mortgage rates and cost of living push prices downRising mortgage costs and the broader cost of living crisis will push house prices down by about 8% next year, according to a forecast by the lender Halifax.Halifax, which in November reported the largest monthly fall in house prices in 14 years, said the market was now rebalancing after years of conditions that have resulted in some of the biggest rises in house prices ever recorded. Continue reading...

Hundreds face waiting until next week for power after Monday’s blackout, amid amber weather warning for ScotlandHundreds of homes on Shetland face being without power until early next week as engineers battle with tough road and weather conditions, five days after last Monday’s widespread blackout.Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, which has shipped in 125 emergency engineers, convoys of 4x4s and mobile generators to Shetland this week, said it could take until at least Monday to restore supplies to about 800 homes and businesses in West Mainland. Continue reading...

‘Elaborate and complex’ operation allegedly included more than 100 members and involved people being signed up and given fake email addresses

Discounts and football fail to get shoppers spending in November as households cut budgetsRetail sales unexpectedly fell in November as Black Friday discount deals and football’s World Cup failed to boost spending, with the cost of living crisis forcing households to cut budgets.Sales in Great Britain dropped by 0.4% in November, against a forecast of a 0.3% rise by industry analysts, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Continue reading...

Animals returned unharmed after apparently walking out of a display at Bridgeman Downs church in the early morning