World news | The Guardian

Peers call on Labour to carry out fundamental review' amid rising concerns over retention of Tory plans for 3bn in cutsLabour must carry out a root-and-branch overhaul of the UK's incapacity benefits system if it is to rein in rising heath-related welfare spending, an influential cross-party Westminster committee has warned.The House of Lords economic affairs committee - whose members include two former Treasury permanent secretaries and a former chancellor - said major reform was needed to address the rising social and fiscal costs of disability benefits. Continue reading...

Three Israeli hostages, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, were released by Hamas earlier

Rapper says he is honoured to perform for the US president after he and other acts, including Village People and Billy Ray Cyrus, faced criticismNelly has defended his decision to perform at US president Donald Trump's inauguration ball after a backlash, saying it is an honour for me to perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office".The Hot in Herre singer is booked to perform alongside country singer Jason Aldean and the Village People on Monday at the Liberty Inaugural Ball, one of three official balls marking Trump's return to office. Other acts who are performing at Trump's various inauguration events include Carrie Underwood, Gavin DeGraw and Billy Ray Cyrus, who have also faced a backlash from fans. Continue reading...

Analysis shows local billionaire wealth rose by 8% last year, meaning tycoons such as Gina Rinehart make 1,300 times more than average person's pay

Leeds surgeons first to use new type of surgery that gives hope to patients whose cancers were previously inoperableMedics have performed a UK-first operation to remove a previously inoperable brain tumour using keyhole surgery through a patient's eye socket.Ruvimbo Kaviya, 40, became the first person in the UK to have a brain tumour removed from the cavernous sinus, the space beneath the brain and behind the eyes, via the pioneering new type of surgery. Continue reading...

One in six Welsh species threatened with extinction but report says Welsh government lacks action and investment'The Welsh government is failing to halt the alarming" decline in nature, putting iconic species at risk, a report has concluded.Labour ministers were accused of overseeing delays, undelivered commitments and missed deadlines" by the Senedd's cross-party climate change, environment and infrastructure committee. Continue reading...

Regional inequality means annual pay in the capital almost 20,000 higher than in the lowest-paid places in UKThe average London worker could quit their job in August and still be paid what an average worker in Burnley would make in a year, according to a report highlighting Britain's stark regional pay divide.Calling on the government to close regional pay divisions and increase economic growth, the Centre for Cities said the average annual wage for an employee in London was almost 20,000 higher than in the lowest-paid places in the UK. Continue reading...

Freeland casts herself as battle tested leader' and most capable of negotiating with an unpredictable White House

Seventeen-year-old girl fell off waterfall at Queensland's Wappa Falls and 17-year-old boy died after jumping in to help her

Hundreds of aid trucks queue to enter Gaza as territory awaits release of 90 Palestinian prisoners

Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher return to Israel after 15 months in captivity

Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo's five-year jail term increased after prosecutor's objection, according to reportsAn Iranian court has sentenced the popular singer Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, known as Tataloo, to death on appeal after he was convicted of blasphemy, according to local media reports.The supreme court accepted the prosecutor's objection" to a previous five-year jail term on offences including blasphemy, the reformist newspaper Etemad reported on Sunday. Continue reading...

Damari, one of three freed female hostages, reunited with family after 471 days in captivity in Gaza

Former Labour leader and former shadow chancellor due to be interviewed under caution following protest in LondonJeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell were due to be interviewed under caution by police after a pro-Palestine march in central London on Saturday.Nine people have been charged with public order offences after protesters allegedly breached conditions as they marched through the city, allegedly breaking through a police line in the process. Continue reading...

Cheryl Bennett has been paid substantial damages after fake clip taken when she was canvassing for Labour was viewed millions of timesA teacher subjected to a torrent of abuse after doctored footage falsely alleged she used a racist slur while canvassing for the Labour party has said she was forced into hiding and feared it would ruin her career.Cheryl Bennett, a PE teacher from Wednesbury in the West Midlands, was helping her colleague, Qasim Mughal, hand out Labour leaflets during the local elections in May last year when she was recorded on a household security camera. Continue reading...

Celebrations break out across the territory but many are worried the deal will break down and war will resume

Israel says it will prevent public displays of joy' by families when Palestinians are released as part of Gaza ceasefire

Liverpool Black History Research Group accused America's oldest private investment bank of sanitising its historyThe links between the founders of the US's most prestigious investment bank and enslavement have come under scrutiny after a campaign by historians in Liverpool.Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) is Wall Street's oldest private investment bank, known for the role alumni have played in shaping US politics and the global economic order, with former partners including Prescott Bush, patriarch of the Bush political dynasty. Continue reading...

A British-Israeli citizen, a Nova festivalgoer and a veterinary nurse are the three women to be freed

Three-phase deal requires new negotiations to advance and is highly vulnerable amid little trust between the sides

Newspapers had reported that new president would veto UK pick, as ministers brace for a turbulent four yearsDonald Trump will not block the appointment of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the US, according to a London-based ally of the president-elect, as ministers brace for a turbulent four years of British-American relations.Greg Swenson, the head of the UK branch of Republicans Overseas, told the BBC on Sunday he did not believe Trump would prevent the Labour peer from taking up his post in Washington, despite reports to the contrary. Continue reading...

From showers to unlocked rooms, types of spaces offered to mothers wanting to express have been a source of dismayAn employment judge has ruled that a healthcare worker suffered harassment related to sex" after a suitable private space for her to express breast milk was not provided to her by an NHS health board.Robyn Gibbins told an employment tribunal that she was not given a room that she could lock and felt let down by the trust in Cardiff. A trust spokesperson said the Cardiff and Vale university health board was committed to ensuring all colleagues are treated respectfully, with dignity and without discrimination or prejudice. Continue reading...

Financial analysis shows clubs took $2.1bn in gambling revenue over 10-year period but spent 12 times more on business expenses than support programs

Figures reveal number of beneficiaries of temporary three-year visa since it was introduced by Labor in October

Agency pursuing $4.9bn in unpaid debts, including some potentially calculated with controversial method, question to parliament reveals

Shipments fell nearly 10% last year with French firms blaming economic and political anxiety, and cheaper drinksChanging habits and the gloomy state of the world are taking the fizz out of French champagne sales, the producers' association has said, with shipments down nearly 10% last year.Consumers in crucial markets such as the US and home country France cut down on the luxury beverage, as economic and political anxiety dampened the party mood. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Complaints said report was 'inaccurate' and biased in favour of ousted Sheikh Hasina's governmentA group of MPs has withdrawn a controversial report into Bangladesh after complaints that it was biased in favour of the ousted government of Sheikh Hasina.The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on the Commonwealth issued a report on Bangladesh last November that criticised the current regime in Dhaka but was accused of significant inaccuracies. Continue reading...

Fifty years after his death, On the Road author's spiritual reflections show him in a whole new lightHe made his name as the thrill-seeking author of the cult novel On the Road, an anti-establishment icon of the beat generation. But the extent of Jack Kerouac's deep spirituality is now revealed in his Buddhist writings, which are to be published for the first time.About 30 semi-autobiographical spiritual and soulful stories, musings and poems - with titles such as The Long Night of Life and A Dream Already Ended - have been unearthed more than half a century after his death. All but two short snippets are previously unpublished. Continue reading...

The Duke of Sussex and the former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson are the last two claimants still suingAn extraordinary personal legal battle which has been years in preparation is to pit one of the most famous members of the British royal family against the world's best-known media baron this week. On Tuesday Prince Harry's lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's newspaper group, owners of the Sun and the now defunct News of the World, will officially begin at the High Court in London.Fifth in line to the throne, King Charles's younger son lives in self-imposed exile in California, but is due to appear in court in person once the case gets fully under way next month. The Duke of Sussex, 40, is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), over claims that journalists on his popular titles worked unlawfully with private investigators, delving into his private life, between 1996 and 2011. He sees himself as the last man standing in a struggle to get the newspapers to take legal responsibility for the crimes he and others have alleged. Another surviving case brought by Lord Watson, the former Labour deputy leader, will be heard alongside the Prince's. Continue reading...

CPS lead says she is not deterred from similar cases after Ryan Wellings, who was accused of causing partner's suicide, was found not guilty of killing herThe not guilty verdict in the trial of a man accused of driving a young mother to suicide will not deter future manslaughter charges, with more such prosecutions already in the pipeline, a senior prosecutor has said.Ryan Wellings, 30, was acquitted of the manslaughter of 23-year-old Kiena Dawes, who had left a note on her phone saying Wellings killed me". While he was jailed for six and a half years for assault and coercive and controlling behaviour, Dawes's mother said: Justice has not been done in the way we all hoped."In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

On Monday the 47th president will be sworn in - and critics say Trump's second term will be more radical than his firstCome 12pm on Monday, on what is expected to be a bone-chillingly cold day, it will be done. Donald Trump, a convicted criminal described as a fascist by some who worked for him, will placed his hand on a Bible and and again be sworn in as president of the United States.The 45th and 47th president will then deliver an inaugural address that sets out his agenda for the next four years. His speech eight years ago became synonymous with the phrase American carnage". This time he may promise a new golden age" of America. But the content and tone of his remarks will be dissected for clues to what Trump 2.0 has in store for America and the world. Continue reading...

Imaginations of science fiction community used to help policymakers prepare for potential crises in BritainIt's a scenario that would make Tesla's founder, Elon Musk, shudder: a future where self-driving cars are the norm but a catastrophic electronic breakdown traps thousands of people inside them.This dystopian vision of the future was one sketched out by science fiction writers at an event this week where experts were asked to prepare Britain for threats ranging from pandemics to cyber and nuclear attacks. Continue reading...

The outgoing US president rallied support for Ukraine but his stance on Gaza delighted no oneWhen asked about his foreign policy doctrine in 2014, Barack Obama described it as an attempt to avoid errors".You hit singles, you hit doubles; every once in a while we may be able to hit a home run," he said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Social housing finance crisis' has already led 37% of local authorities to cut back on repairs and maintenanceMore than a quarter of English councils expect to have to sell homes to balance their housing budgets while over a third have cut back on repairs and maintenance in what has been described as a crisis in social housing finance.Based on responses from 76 stockholding councils, which manage their own social homes, the study found that nine in 10 expect to use emergency funds to try to balance the books in the next few years, and 71% say they are likely to delay or cancel ongoing housing projects. Continue reading...

Concerns had been mounting over future of 200m a year scheme providing food and activities for vulnerable childrenMinisters are to safeguard the Marcus Rashford-inspired scheme providing food and activities to vulnerable children during school holidays for another year, following concerns it could fall victim to a desperate search for savings across Whitehall.More than a million people signed a petition from the Manchester United star calling for the scheme after a huge grassroots campaign in 2020. Continue reading...

Collection of seven shorts due out in 2025 tells story of conflict from perspective of animalsThe occupying Russian soldiers paid little attention to the elderly woman shuffling through the farmland surrounding the villages outside Kyiv, taking her goat to pasture. But she was focused closely on them. After locating their positions, she headed back home with the goat, and later called her grandson, a soldier in the Ukrainian army, to give the coordinates.The story is one of seven episodes, based on real events from the first year of Russia's full-scale invasion but lightly fictionalised, that make up a feature film about the war in Ukraine, due out later this year. All seven of the shorts have one thing in common: they tell the story of the conflict from the perspective of animals. Continue reading...

Bereaved relatives claim betting industry is not being held to account, report revealsFamilies of gambling addicts who took their own lives have told of being let down by the coroner service, which they say failed to properly investigate the role of betting firms, a new report has revealed.Campaign groups believe that gambling is a factor in hundreds of suicides each year, but in only one inquest has a gambling company been named as an interested person". Continue reading...

Beijing has prepared for increased tariffs but its actions will not be enough to offset falling demand from the USWhen Donald Trump enters the White House for the second time on 20 January, the view from the Oval Office will look very different to the one he encountered in 2017. A pandemic, the war in Ukraine and a trade war with China have caused ripples through the global economy that are still being felt midway through the decade.Beijing will be watching closely. Trump has promised to impose tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese imports, partly in retaliation for the flow of fentanyl from China to the US. Continue reading...

Facilities giant called uncaring' by low-paid cleaners, who believed they were covered by a fair-pay pledgeLow-paid cleaners have accused the Living Wage Foundation of giving accreditation to an uncaring" outsourcing company paying less than the living wage.Facilities services giant OCS is accredited under a bespoke scheme for outsourcing firms. But the company has only committed to paying a living wage to its centrally employed staff. The scheme does not cover the majority of OCS's 50,000 workforce, who are tied to external contracts. Continue reading...

New collection of author's diary entries provides tragic insightFrankenstein's monster, as horror fans know, did not really spark into life with a bolt of lightning, but was born inside the mind of Mary Shelley during a dreary holiday on a mountainside above Geneva. The inspiration came as volcanic ash clouds unexpectedly blocked out the sun that summer of 1816 and she andher friends, including the infamous, bad boy" poets Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, competed to tell scary stories.But a new collection of the young author's personal diary entries, out in March, provides strong evidence that, although the stay in the Alps set the grim mood of her novel, her imagination was ignited by something personal and much closer to home. Continue reading...

Bar Council calls for pandemic restrictions to help reintegrate non-violent offenders into society and ease pressure on overcrowded jailsConditions similar to Covid lockdowns should be imposed on criminals as an alternative to overflowing prisons, barristers have told the government.In an official submission to an ongoing sentencing review led by former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, the Bar Council called for consideration of more creative use of punishment". Ideas put forward by the body, which represents barristers in England and Wales, include enhanced home detention measures for non-violent offenders and part-time prisons" that would help inmates reintegrate into society. Continue reading...

Small businesses would be able to claim tax deductions on food and entertainment expenses for up to $20,000 under a Coalition policy

Prime minister says US has promised Israel will have the weaponry it needs to return to military campaign if necessary. This blog is now closedIn an update on the previous post, the Israeli military said sirens sounded in central Israel on Saturday as it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.Explosions were heard over Jerusalem on Saturday morning, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists reported. Continue reading...

Firefighters pulled a child and adult from the Rokeby home on Sunday morning but were unable to reach the infant in time

Premier says alleged Kingston domestic violence incident has rocked' Queensland as woman, 34, remains in hospital

Premier pledges crackdown on anyone preaching hatred in the community' as prime minister hopeful Israel-Hamas ceasefire will hold

Former deputy prime minister kicks off run for top job with video of Trump disparaging her for being tough negotiatorChrystia Freeland, Canada's former deputy prime minister, kicked off her bid to lead Canada by boasting: Donald Trump doesn't like me very much" in a campaign video that quickly went viral.For Freeland, who led Canada's re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade agreement (Nafta) with the United States and Mexico during Trump's first term, video of Trump disparaging her for being a tough negotiator is a selling point. Continue reading...

Cleanup continues in parts of NSW as tropical low threatens heavy rain between Port Hedland and Ningaloo

Protesters smash windows after officials cite concerns the impeached president could destroy evidence if releasedA South Korean court has extended the detention of the impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday citing concerns he could destroy evidence linked to his martial law declaration, enraging his supporters, who attacked the court building.Hundreds of pro-Yoon protesters smashed windows and broke down doors to enter the court after the decision was announced, chanting the name of the president, who plunged South Korea into its worst political chaos in decades with his bid to suspend civilian rule. Continue reading...

Thousands gather in Whitehall and allegedly break through police line to advance to Trafalgar SquareMore than 70 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested in central London on Saturday on suspicion of breaching protest conditions after some allegedly broke through a police line as they marched from a rally in Whitehall.Thousands of people had gathered to protest Israel's 15-month war in Gaza, a day after a ceasefire deal was agreed with Hamas, with signs saying Stop arming Israel" and Free Palestine". Continue reading...