World news | The Guardian

As Netanyahu takes an aggressively anti-Palestinian line, the White House will seek to avoid the humiliations heaped on ObamaThe more things change in Israel, the harder Joe Biden is working to make sure they stay the same.The new far-right government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes openly anti-Arab racists, is already causing concern in the White House with commitments to expand illegal settlements in the occupied territories and annex Palestinian land. Continue reading...

Man said to have attacked passersby during early-morning rush-hour before armed police wounded and arrested himSix people have been injured by a man wielding a knife during rush-hour at the Gare du Nord station in Paris, French authorities have said.Police arrested the man at the busy station, which serves as a hub for local transport as well as trains to London and northern Europe, after they opened fire and wounded him, said a police source, who asked not to be named. Continue reading...

Almost 2,500 NFTs to be released for the Australian Open, as Tennis Australia says it’s in for the long haul as ‘an innovative company’

There were heroes aplenty – Jennifer Coolidge, Colin Farrell and Michelle Yeoh among them – but only one villain at this year’s star-studded Globes award ceremony“I‘m here because I’m Black,” said incoming MC Jerrod Carmichael, who addressed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s tarnished reputation head-on in his opening monologue. “They didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd was killed,” he said, shrugging off much of their apparent rehabilitation efforts and saying he only took the gig for the $500,000 paycheck. Continue reading...

23-year-old tells story of how she joined Islamic State and life in a refugee camp in BBC podcast seriesShamima Begum, who left Britain to join Islamic State as a schoolgirl in 2015, has said she understands public anger towards her but insists she is “not this person that they think I am”.Begum, who was 15 when she left her east London home to join IS with her school friends Kadiza Sultana, 15, and Amira Abase, 16, has told the story of how she joined the terror group and life in a refugee camp in a 10-part BBC podcast, The Shamima Begum Story. Continue reading...

Discovery of stuffed animals from central Africa and recordings from ‘human zoo’ inspires exhibitionIt was when part of a Scarborough museum was being redeveloped more than a decade ago that builders found a blocked-up door. Behind it they discovered bags filled with asbestos and, under that, a collection of taxidermied animals that had been collected by a Victorian big game hunter and left to the museum.Neglected, outdated and ethically problematic, the temptation may have been to shut the artefacts away again. Instead, the Scarborough Museums and Galleries opted to do something else with the archive bequeathed by Col James Harrison – some of it much more morally challenging than stuffed antelope heads. Continue reading...

Survey of 1,000 factories for campaign group claims many cut rates in pandemic and have not increased them sinceLidl, Zara’s owner Inditex, H&M and Next have been accused of paying garment suppliers in Bangladesh during the pandemic less than the cost of production, leaving factories struggling to pay the country’s legal minimum wage.In a survey of 1,000 factories in the country producing clothes for UK retailers, 19% of Lidl’s suppliers made the claim, as did 11% of Inditex’s, 9% of H&M’s and 8% of Next’s. Continue reading...

Federal government estimates 12m swimming lessons were missed in the 18 months to December 2021

Locals in Farkawan village said that two bombs were dropped on the Indian side of the border but no one was hurtThe Myanmar military launched an airstrike on a prominent training camp for pro-democracy forces close to the Indian border, with jets dropping at least two bombs inside Indian territory according to eyewitnesses.The Myanmar junta, who seized power in a coup in February 2021 and are engaged in a bloody battle to crush pro-democracy insurgents, began bombing Camp Victoria in Myanmar’s Chin state, on Tuesday afternoon, a rebel commander confirmed to the Guardian. Continue reading...

Lorne Benussi says he found the pair 55km from North West Island, from where they had drifted out to sea

Japan says Beijing’s decision to halt visa processing is ‘extremely regrettable’, amid uncertainty as to whether China will take action against other countriesJapan has lodged a protest with Beijing over its decision to suspend the issuance of visas to Japanese citizens in retaliation for Covid testing requirements for travellers from China.Chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno characterised the move as an act of revenge rather than a public health measure and requested China reverse the decision. “It is regrettable that China unilaterally has taken visa suspension action for reasons other than steps for the coronavirus,” he said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Amid an escalating housing and homelessness crisis, San Francisco has seen increased attacks on unhoused peopleSan Francisco is once again reckoning with its treatment of unhoused people after a video of a business owner spraying a woman with water from a garden hose spread online.Collier Gwin, the owner of Foster Gwin Gallery in downtown San Francisco, admitted to the San Francisco Chronicle that he blasted water on an unhoused woman sitting on the sidewalk in front of his business. The video, captured on Monday morning by the owner of a nearby bakery, shows Gwin spraying the woman, who was crying out in distress. In a calm voice, Gwin then tells her, “Just move,” before spraying her again. Continue reading...

Surrendering weapons is a central part of the November ceasefire agreement which seeks to end a conflict that has killed thousandsTigrayan rebels have begun handing in heavy weapons, a key part of an agreement signed more than two months ago to end a deadly conflict in northern Ethiopia, a spokesperson for the rebel authorities said.The demobilisation of Tigray forces is seen as central to the 2 November ceasefire agreement, alongside the restoration of services, resumption of humanitarian aid and withdrawal of Eritrean troops, who fought alongside Ethiopia’s army but were not party to the truce. Continue reading...

The 80th annual ceremony saw a diverse slate of winners as host Jerrod Carmichael took shots at its troubled historyA year after going on mute – no red carpet, no stars, no television broadcast in 2022 – the Golden Globes returned to form at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles: open bottles of champagne, over time and overstretched, gesturing toward improving its longstanding diversity issues while taking shots from host Jerrod Carmichael.The night’s big winners were The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical family drama that also won him best director, and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, while the network darling Abbott Elementary, HBO’s prequel House of the Dragon and The White Lotus took home the top TV awards. Continue reading...

Consumer prices rose 7.3% in the year to November, boosting the chances of another RBA interest rate rise in February

Conservative politicians remember Pell as a ‘saint’ and a ‘martyr’, while others prefer to acknowledge victims of child sexual abuse in the Catholic church

Then premier resigned after watchdog said it was investigating whether she broke the law

Australian has died of heart complications after hip surgery, church leaders confirm

Russia’s mercenary firm Wagner claims it has taken control of eastern salt mining town of Soledar Continue reading...

Investigation finds ‘no evidence’ of corrupt or illegal behaviour by the Canterbury Bankstown mayor

Researchers find overall percentage increase from 0.06% in 2000 to 0.11% in 2019 although safety in children not fully establishedThe proportion of children and young people prescribed antipsychotics in England has nearly doubled in just two decades, prompting concern among some experts.The powerful drugs are often used to treat major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, in adults. They can be associated with serious side effects such as sexual dysfunction, infertility, and weight gain leading to diabetes. Continue reading...

Yevgeny Prigozhin poses with some of his mercenaries in Ukrainian town renowned for its salt minesThe head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has claimed his forces have completed the takeover of the Ukrainian town of Soledar, which if confirmed would mark Moscow’s first major battlefield success since last summer.“Wagner units have taken the whole territory of Soledar under control,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin in an audio message released on his Telegram channel late on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Alexandre Padilha says insurrection by Bolsonaro supporters was well-organized ‘act of terrorism’ aimed at toppling governmentThe insurrection that shook Brazil’s capital was a well-organised coup attempt that was thwarted thanks to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s swift and firm reaction, one of the president’s top ministers has told the Guardian.Speaking at the presidential palace on Tuesday, the minister of institutional relations, Alexandre Padilha, said he believed Sunday’s far-right assault on the three branches of Brazil’s government was “an act of terrorism” designed to bring down Lula’s week-old government. Continue reading...

Constantine was forced into exile in 1967 after clashing with military rulers, who later abolished monarchyGreece’s former King Constantine II, whose nine-year reign coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in the country’s political history, has died at a private hospital in Athens, his doctors announced late on Tuesday. He was 82.Constantine, a cousin of British monarch King Charles III, died “of a stroke”. He was admitted to an Athens hospital last week with breathing problems, Greek media reported. Continue reading...

Campaigners condemn government plan to update list of countries whose GR certificates are automatically recognisedRishi Sunak has been told he risks “re-toxifying” his government’s record on LGBTQ+ rights and introducing “an effective trans travel ban” after the equalities minister announced a review of countries whose process for changing gender on legal documents is recognised by the UK.Kemi Badenoch notified the Commons on Monday of plans to update the list of approved countries and territories whose gender recognition certificates (GRCs) are automatically recognised by UK officials. Continue reading...

Romanian court denies challenge and rules he must serve full 30 days along with brother and two female suspectsA Romanian court has rejected Andrew Tate’s appeal against his detention, ruling that the former kickboxer, influencer and professed misogynist must remain in custody while an organised crime investigation continues.Tate, 36, his brother Tristan, 34, and two Romanian female suspects were arrested by prosecutors on 29 December on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women. Both men have denied wrongdoing. Continue reading...

The striking similarities between events at the Capitol and Brasília stem from links fostered by the former presidents and their familiesIn the days following the 6 January 2021 storming of the US Capitol, a Brazilian professor and expert on disinformation, David Nemer, gave an interview predicting the same thing would happen in Brazil two years later.Sunday’s insurrection in Brasília came just two days after the second anniversary of the Capitol attack. Nemer said his prediction was not the work of a seer, but was based on analysis of the close and growing symbiosis of the hard right in the US and Brazil – a bond that was built up around the Trump and Bolsonaro families and their entourages. Continue reading...

Zholia Alemi allegedly forged qualifications despite failing medical degree and was paid up to £1.3m by NHSA “most accomplished fraudster” was paid between £1m and £1.3m by the NHS during the nearly two decades she posed as a qualified doctor after forging a degree certificate, a court has heard.Zholia Alemi, believed to be 60 years old, worked as a psychiatrist in the UK for 19 years after claiming to have qualified at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, a trial at Manchester crown court heard. Continue reading...

The memoir, which includes claims Prince William attacked him, records figures of 400,000 on its first dayPrince Harry’s autobiography has become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 on its first day on sale.The controversial memoir Spare has made headlines in the weeks leading up to its publication, finally hitting the shelves on Tuesday. Figures include sales for hardbacks, ebooks and audiobooks. Continue reading...

People in England and Wales advised to only request ambulance if a life is at riskPeople experiencing less serious health symptoms are being urged to visit a GP or pharmacy, or use the NHS111 telephone advice service instead of dialling 999, during Wednesday’s ambulance strike.NHS bosses have warned patients that ambulances will take even longer than usual to arrive and that some people may have to make their way to hospital themselves rather than wait for paramedics. Continue reading...

Missing British men named as volunteers Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry; Annalena Baerbock makes surprise visit to Kharkiv. This live blog is now closed

Annalena Baerbock promised Ukraine aid and arms but did not confirm release of Leopard 2 tanks

Authority admits it failed to properly inspect decaying willow that crushed Ella Henderson in school playgroundA council has been fined £280,000 for oversights that led to a six-year-old girl being crushed to death by a falling tree in her school playground.Newcastle city council pleaded guilty at South Tyneside magistrates court to a charge relating to the death of year 2 pupil Ella Henderson, who was killed when a decaying willow tree fell on her in high winds at Gosforth Park first school in Newcastle while she was playing at lunchtime on 25 September 2020. Continue reading...

Former Bolivia leader banned from Peru after weeks of unrest following leftist president Pedro Castillo’s removal from powerPeru has barred Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales from entering the country, as it accuses foreign interests of stirring up deadly protests in support of the imprisoned former president Pedro Castillo.Peru has seen weeks of violent unrest following last month’s removal from power of Castillo, who was arrested on 7 December after attempting to dissolve congress in an attempt to avert his impeachment trial. Continue reading...

Survey shows majority of indie booksellers had average sales over the festive period, with many concerned about the cost of living crisisIndependent bookshops largely saw “average” sales over the 2022 festive period, according to a new survey.A majority of bookshops – 39% – that took part in trade magazine the Bookseller’s annual survey said they had average sales compared with the same period of 2021, while 29% of bookshops said the period was “very good”. Continue reading...

Philip North’s appointment approved by King Charles after previous attempts stopped by protestsA prominent Church of England cleric who is opposed to the ordination of female priests has been appointed as a senior bishop after two earlier attempts were thwarted by protests.Philip North, the junior bishop of Burnley, was named by Downing St as the next diocesan bishop of Blackburn, with the appointment approved by King Charles. Moves to promote him in 2012 and 2017 failed after vigorous protests by women in the C of E and others over his theological position on female clerics. Continue reading...

The Serbian-American poet, who was the US poet laureate from 2007-2008, won the Pulitzer in 1990 for The World Doesn’t EndCharles Simic, the Pulitzer prize-winning poet who awed critics and readers with his singular art of lyricism and economy, tragic insight and disruptive humor, has died at age 84.The death of Simic, the US poet laureate from 2007-2008, was confirmed on Monday by executive editor Dan Halpern at Alfred A Knopf. He did not immediately provide additional details. Continue reading...

Beijing had said it would retaliate against countries that require negative tests from Chinese travellersChina has suspended issuing short-term visas in South Korea and Japan after announcing it would retaliate against countries that required negative Covid-19 tests from Chinese travellers.China has ditched mandatory quarantines for arrivals and allowed travel to resume across its border with Hong Kong since Sunday, removing the last major restrictions under the “zero-Covid” regime that it abruptly began dismantling in early December after protests against the curbs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Strike would aim to pressure government to improve pay offers in NHS, education, railways and civil serviceTrade unions are to meet to discuss holding a coordinated “day of action” across the public sector in an attempt to maximise pressure on the government to give workers a better pay deal.Unions representing staff in the NHS, railways, education and civil service were meeting on Tuesday at the Trades Union Congress headquarters to examine the possibility of escalating the current wave of strikes by all of them staging stoppages on the same day. Continue reading...

Russia and Wagner likely to be in control of Soledar in Donbas, says UK; UK considering supplying small number of tanks to Ukraine

Primary schools close on Tuesday with secondary schools to shut on Wednesday after government and unions fail to reach deal

Jonathan Ashworth calls lack of support for disabled people a ‘scandal’ and says party would change assessments regime

Church to back community projects to compensate for financially benefiting from chattel slaveryThe Church of England has committed £100m to a fund it is setting up to compensate for its historical benefit from the international slave trade.A report for the Church Commissioners, the body that manages the C of E’s £9bn-plus endowment fund, traced the origins of the fund partly to Queen Anne’s Bounty, a financial scheme established in 1704 based on transatlantic chattel slavery. Continue reading...

Business department says bill will enforce ‘basic’ level of service from different sectors during stoppages

Zhao Lijian's shift to low-profile department seen by some as a sign of Beijing softening its diplomatic strategyThe face of China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy, Zhao Lijian, has been moved from his role as foreign affairs spokesperson to a low-profile department, in what some analysts say is a demotion.Zhao is the most well-known of the ministry of foreign affairs’ public-facing spokespeople, making a name for himself during his three years fronting the foreign press, with strong criticism and hostility towards the west and combative defence of China’s policies. Continue reading...

Design Museum exhibition to feature more than 90 saris, including first one ever worn to Met BallNearly 100 trailblazing saris, including the first ever to be worn at the Met Gala, will be displayed in the UK as part of a new large-scale exhibition examining the garment’s modern reinvention.The first-of-its-kind show at the Design Museum, entitled The Offbeat Sari, brings together more than 90 items that have been loaned by designers and studios across India to tell the story of what has been called a “fashion revolution”. Continue reading...

Army and riot police clear Bolsonaro supporters from Brasília as US, Mexico and Canada say they ‘stand by’ democratic institutionsThe far-right storming of Brazil’s supreme court, congress and presidential palace was a “grotesque and failed assault” on its institutions, the country’s ambassador to the UK has said, as troops moved in to break up protest camps set up by supporters of the former president Jair Bolsonaro.A day after the would-be insurrectionists attacked all three branches of government in a brazen effort to topple the democratically elected government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Fred Arruda, Brazil’s ambassador in London, said: “What happened in Brasília yesterday was a grotesque and failed assault on our institutions. As President Lula put it, democracy requires people to respect the institutions.” Continue reading...

An estimated 100 homes are feared uninhabitable in WA communities where it’s not uncommon to have up to 20 people living in a house

In today’s newsletter: For years Jair Bolsonaro set the anti-democratic tone that fomented Sunday’s attacks. Our Latin America correspondent explains how

Cancer death rates are 1.6 times higher than general population probably due to toxic chemicalsFirefighters are more than three times as likely to die from certain cancers than the general population, probably due to exposure to toxic chemicals while battling blazes, a study has found.Rates of prostate cancer, leukemia and oesophagal cancer appear to be 3.8, 3.2 and 2.4 times higher than the norm and overall firefighters have faced cancer death rates 1.6 times higher than the general population, according to the study published this week in the peer-reviewed Journal of Occupational Medicine. Continue reading...