World news | The Guardian

Growing numbers of students are experiencing hidden homelessness or accepting poor accommodationStudent housing is reaching a “crisis point” not seen since the 1970s, when students slept in sports halls and their cars, and is set to worsen in the new year, a charity has warned.Since the start of the academic year, students at universities across the UK have complained of fierce competition for rooms in flatshares for the 2022 and 2023 academic years. Continue reading...

Former PM says Rishi Sunak can turn things round, but another senior Tory MP says it’s ‘almost impossible’The Conservative party can still win the next general election if it shows the public it is on their side, Theresa May has said.The former prime minister said Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt could rebuild the party’s reputation for “sound money and sound public finances” within the next two years, after the damage done by Liz Truss’s mini-budget. Continue reading...

Labour says plan to ditch national targets equates to ‘scrapping standards altogether’ , after review by Patricia HewittThe government is preparing to ditch NHS national targets in an attempt to “boost efficiency”, as part of recommendations from a review led by a former Labour health secretary.Patricia Hewitt led the government-commissioned review into the NHS in England, looking at how the new integrated care systems (ICSs) could operate efficiently. The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced the assessment during the autumn budget. Continue reading...

Delays and cancellations linked to 20 years of privatisation, rising costs and labour shortages worsened by pandemic, say expertsRail passengers have been delayed or disrupted on more than half of all train services departing from 15 of Great Britain’s busiest stations in the last year, Guardian analysis shows, exposing what has been described as a “broken” railway system that cannot easily be fixed.Experts said the figures – which show rail services in the north and Midlands as the hardest hit – demonstrated the impact of two decades of privatisation, which had increased costs and public subsidies, combined with labour shortages exacerbated by the pandemic. Continue reading...

At least seven international NGOs have suspended aid, saying they cannot work without female staffThe acting head of the UN mission in Afghanistan met Taliban leaders on Monday in a bid to persuade them to withdraw their ban on all women working for aid agencies.Ramiz Alakbarov met the Taliban’s economy minister, Din Mohammad Hanif, in Kabul, telling him that millions of Afghans need “humanitarian assistance and removing barriers is vital”. Continue reading...

President condemns anti-LGBTQ rhetoric after comment by Orit Strook, which she later said referred to certain proceduresA suggestion by one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming ministers that Israeli doctors should be allowed to refuse treatment to LGBTQ patients on religious grounds has heightened fears that the new government poses an unprecedented threat to gay rights.The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, has weighed in to condemn the growing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, saying: “The racist pronouncements of recent days against the LGBTQ community and other sectors of the public make me extremely worried and concerned.” The president, whose post is largely ceremonial but who commands a degree of authority, added that such rhetoric undermined Israeli “democratic and moral values”. Continue reading...

Concerns over increased influenza and RSV cases also high after indoor gatherings and abandoned preventive measuresUS public health officials are bracing for a possible Covid-19 surge in the coming weeks following indoor holiday gatherings among a populace that has largely abandoned preventive measures.Concerns over this uptick come amid rising influenza and RSV cases in America. This so-called “tripledemic,” experts warn, could further strain the already overburdened US health system. Continue reading...

Defence ministry says drone was shot down on approach to Engels airbase but falling debris killed three

The number of people who have made the dangerous journey this year is now 45,756Ninety people crossed the Channel in two small boats on Christmas Day, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.That takes the provisional total for people making the perilous journey from France during 2022 to 45,756, the highest total since the data was first collected in 2018. According to official figures, last year’s total was 28,526. Continue reading...

With reports of surf life saving rescues up in some states, there are fears of a repeat of last summer, when 145 people drownedAustralians are being urged to be safe in the water this week, as the country enters the most dangerous time of the year for fatal drownings.Two swimmers drowned on Christmas Day – a 36-year-old man in Sydney and a 19-year-old in Lorne in Victoria – and police divers in Western Australia are searching Black Diamond Lake near Collie in the state’s south-west after a 30-year-old man did not return from a swim. Continue reading...

Cloud Act deal will allow authorities to demand data from tech giants in days or weeks, rather than months or yearsA parliamentary inquiry has given the green light to greater information sharing with US law enforcement despite its concern Australians will be kept in the dark about the number of orders made for data.The joint standing committee on treaties has approved Australia’s Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (Cloud) Act agreement with the US, signed by the Morrison government in December 2021, labelling it an “important tool” for investigating serious crime. Continue reading...

A shared sense of national history is proving to be a crucial weapon, spurring on Ukraine resistance and Russian soldiersThe Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko recalls a quote attributed to Otto von Bismarck: “Wars are not won by generals, but by schoolteachers and parish priests.” It’s a country’s taught collective memory, its shared sense of its own history, that are the decisive instruments for mobilisation, and are as important on the battlefield as weaponry.Few conflicts have been so shaped by the chief actors’ sense of their own national story as the Ukrainian war that began in February. It is the competing grand narratives of the past, not just in Russia and Ukraine, but in Germany, France, Poland, the Baltics, the UK, the US, and even the global south, that make this war so hard to resolve. Continue reading...

Warning shots fired after drones crossed military demarcation line from north, South Korea military saysSouth Korea scrambled warplanes and attack helicopters and fired warning shots on Monday after North Korean drones violated its airspace, the South Korean military said.South Korea tracked the drones crossing from North Korea over what is known as the military demarcation line between the two countries after detecting them in the skies of the western city of Gimpo at about 10.25am (0125 GMT), the military said. Continue reading...

No services on railways for second consecutive day as RMT union members strike over payThousands of people face Boxing Day travel chaos across Britain as a rail strike means no services will be running.Many have been forced to cancel or make alternative plans as the industrial action continues. Continue reading...

The slowdown is expected to intensify with price declines between 5% and 12%The housing market will cool sharply next year after a bumpy 2022, industry experts are predicting, as the UK contends with recession and higher mortgage rates.As the cost of living crisis has intensified amid soaring inflation and as interest rates have increased, house prices have already started falling month-on-month. The average house price dropped 2.3% in November from October – the most since the start of the financial crash in 2008 – according to Halifax. Continue reading...

Traces of contaminant found in Coles Finest Australian Organic Washed Rind Raw, sold in Victoria and Tasmania

Trio were surfing at Cumberland River beach just south of Lorne on Victoria’s Surf Coast on Sunday evening when one ran into trouble

Boxing Day sales could prove fruitful, with many of the most popular pieces on offerBirkenstocks, trouser suits and seam-free workout sets were three of the most purchased fashion items of 2022. For those looking to tap into trending items, the Boxing Day sales could prove fruitful, with many of the most popular pieces on offer.I Shop Therefore I Am reads the 1987 work of Barbara Kruger. So if we are defined by what we own, what does this say about consumers in 2022? Continue reading...

Some of the fundamental shift in attitudes towards caregiving during lockdown appears to have endured

Manhunt has begun for gunman after woman, 26, was shot dead in Lighthouse pub in WallaseyPolice have launched a murder investigation after a woman was shot dead in a pub on Christmas Eve in Wallasey, where she was celebrating the festive season with family and friends.Merseyside police are appealing for information after the gunman fled in a dark vehicle, believed to be a Mercedes, after the incident, which they said happened in a “busy venue full of young people” and injured a number of other people. Continue reading...

Labour says department has failed to make crimes such as rape, stalking and upskirting a priorityThe Home Office has been accused of breaking a promise made after the murder of Sarah Everard to elevate violence against women and girls to the same status as terrorism.Police forces are not yet required to make a group of misogynistic crimes such as rape, stalking and upskirting a major priority because of a failure to issue a proposed government directive, Labour said. Continue reading...

Ofcom reviews longstanding rules that allow pay-TV companies more ad minutes than public service rivalsThe pay-TV provider Sky could lose as much as £150m a year in TV advertising revenue from proposals aimed at enabling the UK’s biggest free-to-air broadcasters to make more money and better compete with streaming services.The broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, is reviewing historical rules that restrict the UK’s public service broadcasters (PSBs) – ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – from running as many minutes of advertising on their main channels as rivals such as Sky are allowed. Continue reading...

Ruling BJP accused of agenda of ‘Hindi imposition’ in a country with more than 700 languagesTensions are rising in India over prime minister Narendra Modi’s push to make Hindi the country’s dominant language.Modi’s Bharatiya Janaya party (BJP) government has been accused of an agenda of “Hindi imposition” and “Hindi imperialism” and non-Hindi speaking states in south and east India have been fighting back. Continue reading...

The Hemisphere programme helps teachers see how unconscious damages students’ prospectsOne of the UK’s most successful schemes supporting students of Black heritage to get into Oxford and Cambridge universities is expanding to help children as young as three years old to achieve their academic potential.Target Oxbridge has worked with more than 800 Black British students, of whom more than 350 have secured Oxbridge offers. In 2021, alumni from the scheme made up 24% of the Black British undergraduates starting at the universities. Continue reading...

It comes as another Qantas flight leaving Sydney for London on Christmas Day was delayed from taking off due to a technical issue

Merseyside police have called on the public to provide information while the gunman remains at largeA murder investigation has been launched after a woman was killed and multiple people were injured in a shooting incident in Wallasey near Liverpool, police said.Merseyside police said officers were called to the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village, Wallasey about 11.50pm on Saturday after reports of gunshots. Continue reading...

With three-time winner Ichi Ban not competing and a favourable weather forecast, a crowd of challengers is likely for what is shaping up to be a fast raceAustralia’s recent domination of Sydney to Hobart overall honours is under threat from a high-quality contingent of overseas boats in this year’s race.With handicap colossus Ichi Ban not racing this year, Australia’s recent ironclad grip on overall Sydney to Hobart honours could be loosened, with a number of high-quality overseas boats competing. Continue reading...

Victoria police have charged a Melbourne woman with theft after the dog was allegedly taken from outside a supermarketPolice have reunited a Melbourne woman with her therapy dog after it was allegedly stolen on Christmas Eve, in what its owner described as the best Christmas present she had ever received.Kyron the dog was returned to its owner in the early hours of Christmas morning, hours after it went missing from a supermarket in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon. Continue reading...

Eight people confirmed dead and more than 50 injured as Russian shelling hits city of KhersonUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the shelling on Kherson that has killed five and injured 20 others is “terrorism”.Posting photographs of the aftermath of the attacks, including casualties lying on the street, he said: “The terrorist country continues bringing the Russian world in the form of shelling of the civilian population. Kherson. In the morning, on Saturday, on the eve of Christmas, in the central part of the city. Continue reading...

City of Kherson suffers worst toll as Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemns killing ‘for intimidation and pleasure’

Traffic blocked after vintage vehicle carrying several Santas gets wedged in narrow laneA vintage armoured vehicle filled with Santas had to be freed by police after getting stuck in a Cornish lane.The Santas, who were believed to be on a pub crawl, got wedged in a hedge at Marsh Lane, near Hayle. Continue reading...

Sympathy and irritation from public as thousands of RMT union members at Network Rail prepare to strikeRail passengers were facing delays as they rushed to get the last trains before Christmas Eve services came to a halt, while Britain’s roads were braced for extra traffic as a result of the strikes on the railways.People embarking on festive getaways or heading home for the holidays gathered on the concourses of major stations including London Euston and Birmingham New Street. Continue reading...

Police say the death of the four-year-old at the Longleat Forest resort is not being treated as suspiciousA four-year-old boy has died at a Center Parcs resort in Wiltshire.A statement issued by Wiltshire police said they had attended the Longleat Forest holiday park just after 11am. Continue reading...

People who quit during pandemic may be offered ‘midlife MOT’ as way to address labour shortagePlans to coax middle-aged retirees back into work to boost the economy are being considered by the government, according to reports.Older people who have given up work could be offered what is being described as a “midlife MOT” to entice them back into employment, the Times has reported. Continue reading...

Furtive transactions a thing of the past as retailers tentatively sell decorations openlyIn previous years during the run-up to Christmas, Alia Obaidi would go to the local market in Riyadh, summon an Indian merchant and whisper her order. A short time later, he’d return with a cardboard box from a back room and furtively collect money.But things have changed. When Alia, a Lebanese resident of the Saudi capital, made her annual trip to source Christmas decorations this year, she no longer needed the merchant, or the subterfuge. Continue reading...

All state and territory capital cities besides Hobart are expecting temperatures from the high-20s to the low-30s

WA police allege the man, 19, who was an employee at the facility south-east of Perth, strangled the woman to deathA teenage worker has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of a 70-year-old aged care resident in Western Australia.Police allege the 19-year-old from Orana was an employee at an aged-care facility in Albany in the great southern region, south-east of Perth, where the victim lived. Continue reading...

Industrial action by rail workers will not only hit train journeys but add to congestion on the roads; disruption at airports tooThe great Christmas getaway continues on Saturday as millions of people travel across the UK to be with friends and family for the festive season.But strikes mean journeys home could be severely hampered by industrial action on the roads, railways and at airports, as Britain’s transport network reaches breaking point. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereIn early 2022, the Ukrainian photojournalist Evgeny Maloletka was covering violence in Kazakhstan when his attention turned back home: there were several reports signalling that Russia was preparing an invasion.He didn’t have to think twice: he knew he had to be back in his home country. By mid-January, he was already working on assignment for the Associated Press in the city of Kharkiv and the Donbas region, in eastern Ukraine, where there was a growing tension among Russian proxies. Continue reading...

Shopping centre eatery said to have begun sinking before lunch service and observers describe it as ‘going down like the Titanic’A restaurant on a converted paddle steamer has begun to sink into a lake in Essex.Photographs of the Miller & Carter Steakhouse at the Lakeside shopping centre showing it partially submerged emerged online on Friday. Some observers described the venue as “going down like the Titanic”, while one wrote online: “Looks like my family meal is cancelled!” Continue reading...

Michael James Pratt, given life sentence in US for sexual assault and producing child sexual abuse images, was staying in MadridSpanish police have arrested one of the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives, who was staying at a hotel in Madrid under a false identity.Michael James Pratt, a New Zealand citizen, had been sentenced to life in prison in the US for sexual exploitation and sexual assault, and producing child sexual abuse images. Continue reading...

Nathan Daniels, 21, and Bradley Green, 24, damaged enclosures and allegedly threw bottle at giraffe’s headTwo men have admitted breaking into a zoo and damaging the penguin and giraffe enclosures during an incident in which a bottle was allegedly thrown at a giraffe’s head.Nathan Daniels, 21, admitted damaging the penguin enclosure at Marwell zoo, near Southampton, while Bradley Green, 24, admitted damaging an enclosure containing giraffes. Continue reading...

GMB says it would ballot members on even a below-inflation deal, as nurses announce two more days of action

Prime minister says ‘lots of people’ have concerns about the reform and it is right for the UK government to ‘have a look at it’This will be my last Politics Live blog of 2022, and so I’d like to wish all readers a merry Christmas and a happy new year. And I would also like to thank you for your support. Journalism can’t function without an audience, and so thank you just for reading. And if you are one of the many, many readers who contribute, thank you even more. We can’t fund our news gathering just by selling printed copies of the newspaper and adverts, and people who donate are helping to ensure that we can continue to publish our reporting online, to everyone, for free. And if you post comments here below the line, thank you too. I find the comments mostly encouraging, often very interesting, and almost always helpful. The blog is always better as a result of feedback. Do keep it coming in the new year.And here is the full quote from Rishi Sunak when he was asked about Scotland’s gender recognition reform bill this morning. He said:Lots of people have got concerns about this new bill in Scotland, about the impact it will have on women’s and children’s safety.So I think it is completely reasonable for the UK government to have a look at it, understand what the consequences are for women and children’s safety in the rest of the UK, and then decide on what the appropriate course of action is. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police say incident occurred during pursuit of a suspected stolen vehicleA 53-year-old woman has died in Oldham after a collision involving a police car that was pursuing a suspected stolen vehicle.Greater Manchester police said it was about 10am that officers started a pursuit of the vehicle. Continue reading...

VK Garment factory in Mae Sot is subject of a UK lawsuit against the supermarket from 130 ex-workersThai police have raided a clothing factory previously used by Tesco that is the subject of a UK lawsuit over alleged sweatshop conditions.The Guardian revealed earlier this week that Burmese workers who produced F&F jeans for Tesco in Thailand reported being trapped in, in effect, forced labour, working 99-hour weeks for illegally low pay in appalling conditions. Continue reading...

Blunder became apparent after seven-hour abdominal procedure at Alexandra hospital in RedditchA hospital is investigating how a pair of metal surgical forceps were left inside a patient after they had been stitched up following abdominal surgery.Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS trust has apologised unreservedly and said the incident at Redditch’s Alexandra hospital was “exceptionally rare”. Continue reading...

People taking refuge are grateful to their hosts but rue spending the festive season far from their familiesLike many Ukrainian refugees, Yuliia Kashperenko will spend Christmas away from home this year.She feels upset at the thought of being away from her family and friends in Ukraine, but comforted to know she will spend the holiday with her host and their children in south London. Continue reading...

As country prepares for first ‘normal’ Christmas since 2019, experts warn some precautions may be needed

Governments, peak bodies and advocates set to discuss security and verification polices next monthA criminologist has called for dating apps to introduce criminal history checks on users as the federal government is set to hold a summit into the security measures used by the platforms.Dr Rachael Burgin, lecturer of criminology at Swinburne law school, said there was a clear need for dating apps to implement robust verification systems and criminal checks.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...