31-year-old man from Tranmere, Wirral, had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murderDetectives investigating the murder of Elle Edwards on Christmas Eve have released the third person arrested in connection with her shooting.Two other people have also been held over her death but no one has been charged. Continue reading...
Cabinet papers reveal Russia wanted to limit Australia’s access to its rocket technology and classified information, leading to ‘impasse’Plans to build a spaceport on Christmas Island with Russian technology were stymied in 2002 over fears that it would impinge on Australia’s sovereignty, cabinet papers reveal.Russia wanted to limit Australia’s access to its rocket technology and classified information, and had concerns that a planned detention facility on the island would put its security at risk. Continue reading...
by Harry Taylor (now) and Adam Fulton (earlier) on (#67BJA)
Ukrainian minister tells Russians that Putin is set to begin a new round of troop mobilisations. This blog is now closedThe governor of the Mykolaiv region, Vitalii Kim, has said there is an incoming missile attack on Ukraine.Posting on his Telegram account, he said it applied to “all regions”. Continue reading...
Maria Carolina Do Nascimento, 22, died after car in which she was travelling was involved in collisionFour men have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a 22-year-old woman died after a car collision on Christmas Day.Maria Carolina Do Nascimento died after the car in which she was travelling was involved in a crash on Hendon Way in Edgware, north London, just before 4am on Christmas Day. Continue reading...
This live blog has now closed, you can read more about the death of Benedict XVI hereThe UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, says he is saddened to learn of Benedict XVI’s death.His visit to UK in 2010 was a “historic moment for both Catholics and non Catholics”, he adds.Today I join with the church throughout the world, and especially with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and all in the Catholic Church, in mourning the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.In Pope Benedict’s long life and ministry of service to Christ in His Church he saw many profound changes in the church and in the world. He lived through the Nazi regime in Germany and served briefly in the Second World War. As a younger theologian and priest he witnessed first-hand the discussions of the Second Vatican Council. As a professor and then as an Archbishop he lived in a divided Germany but saw too the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of his homeland. Continue reading...
Met Office urges people to monitor its website or app for further weather warnings over the weekendLarge parts of the UK face heavy rainfall as well as icy and snowy conditions as people prepare to see in the new year.The unsettled forecasts come after flooding caused widespread travel disruption across Scotland on Friday as the effects the US “bomb cyclone” continued. Continue reading...
Company cites their harmful effect on the environment and the health of young people for the moveWaitrose has stopped selling single-use vaping products because of their negative impact on the environment and the health of young people.The popularity of products such as e-cigarettes has soared over the past year, with vaping in Great Britain reaching record levels. About 4.3 million people are regular vapers, according to a recent report. Continue reading...
Ben Francis, 30, among slew of businesspeople recognised for services to commerce and economy in new year honours listThe 30-year-old founder of the exercise clothing brand Gymshark has been awarded an MBE in the new year honours list, – just one of a slew of businesspeople to be recognised for their services to commerce and the economy.Ben Francis, who began his £1.25bn empire sewing his own gym clothes in his parents’ garage in Bromsgrove, near Birmingham, in 2012, is the youngest of those to be honoured for their services to business. Continue reading...
Brian May and Grayson Perry are knighted, Denise Lewis is made a dame and Frank Skinner becomes MBEThe fashion designer Mary Quant, the Lionesses and the Queen guitarist Brian May are among those recognised in the first new year honours of the king’s reign.Quant, 92, who as one of the most influential fashion figures in the swinging 60s popularised the miniskirt and hot pants, becomes a Companion of Honour, one of the top honours. Continue reading...
by Shaun Walker, Kari Paul and Dan Milmo on (#67AEJ)
Former kickboxer and reality TV star put in pre-trial detention alongside his brother and two other suspectsThe controversial online influencer and misogynist Andrew Tate has been put in pre-trial detention in Romania following his arrest on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group.The former kickboxer and reality TV star, who has been banned from a number of social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech, was arrested alongside his brother and two other suspects. Continue reading...
Bob Jordan says ‘I am extremely sorry’ as airline gets back towards normal after more than 15,000 flights canceledThe chief executive of Southwest Airlines has apologized for holiday period disruptions that saw more than 15,000 flights canceled across the US, stranding passengers and leaving many scrambling to find their luggage.“I am extremely sorry,” Bob Jordan told ABC News on Friday morning. “There’s just no way to almost apologize enough.” Continue reading...
US aircraft forced to take evasive maneuvers during latest incident over contested shipping, fishing and gas field-rich regionA Chinese military plane came within 10ft (three meters) of a US air force aircraft over the contested South China Sea last week and forced it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in international airspace, the US military said.The close encounter followed what the US called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft. Continue reading...
Huge crowds expected for funeral of footballing great as well as the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaBrazil has been gearing up for one of the most monumental new years in its history as the South America nation prepared to both welcome a new president and say goodbye to one of its most famous sons.Huge crowds are expected in Brasilia on 1 January to see Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva inaugurated for a four-year term, while a day later football fans will gather in Santos to bid farewell to Pelé, the football legend who died on Thursday. Continue reading...
Dawlat Khan had received a life sentence for the rape of a young deaf woman but a council of elders intervened to offer a compromiseA court in Pakistan has caused outrage after it freed a convicted rapist when he agreed to marry his victim.Dawlat Khan, 25, had been sentenced to life imprisonment in May by the district court of Buner, in north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, for the rape of a young deaf woman. Continue reading...
NGOs say measures including requirement to request port after first rescue could result in thousands of deathsSea rescue charities are rebelling against tough new anti-immigration measures imposed by the Italian government, arguing that they could result in thousands of deaths.Ship captains risk fines of €50,000 and having their vessels impounded if they break the rules, which include a requirement to request a port and sail to it immediately after undertaking one rescue instead of remaining at sea to rescue people from other boats in difficulty. Continue reading...
Authority says it is holding digital assets until they can be returned to creditors and former customersThe Bahamas securities regulator has said it has seized assets worth $3.5bn (£2.9bn) from the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX and plans to return them to creditors and former customers.The Securities Commission of the Bahamas said it had transferred all digital assets under the custody or control of FTX Digital Markets, a Bahamas subsidiary of the FTX operation, to its own digital wallets for “safekeeping”. Continue reading...
Storms followed months of heavy rain on the North Island, while temperatures in France and Spain rose to almost 20COver the Christmas period, the upper North Island of New Zealand experienced stormy conditions, grounding flights and flooding roads. Thunderstorms broke out on 22 December, leading to heavy rainfall and an incredible 4,500 lightning strikes in just two hours. Unfortunately, one of these lightning strikes set a property alight in the town of Waitōtara in the south of the island. Although no injuries were reported, the property and surrounding farmlands were mostly destroyed. Furthermore, a small tornado was spotted in the Southland region of the South Island, though thankfully, no damage was caused.Although there were long sunny spells on Christmas Day, thunderstorms arose once more on Boxing Day. Between 2pm and 7pm local time, about 25-40mm fell over the upper North Island, although one rain gauge in the Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu recorded 50mm in just one hour. Parts of the motorway close to Mount Wellington were consequently closed, and several flights grounded. This excessive rainfall comes after several months of above average precipitation for the area, which exacerbated the risk of ground flooding and landslides. Continue reading...
Move, applicable for 28 days, comes after police criticism of security at the Crane as ‘ineffective’A Birmingham nightclub where a man was stabbed to death on Boxing Day has had its licence suspended for 28 days after police said security was “ineffective”.Officers arriving at the Crane nightclub found a scene of “chaos and evidence of drug use”, West Midlands police said in its application for the licence suspension. Continue reading...
Annual growth rate cools in December and average price of property drops to £262,068, says NationwideProperty prices in the UK fell for the fourth month in a row in December, the longest run of declines since 2008, according to Nationwide.Annual house price growth also slowed sharply as the year drew to a close, to the lowest rate since mid-2020, with all regions of the country affected, according to the building society’s monthly survey. Continue reading...
National Archives documents show concerns raised over Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s proposalDowning Street feared that a group portrait of Tony Blair’s cabinet that the Scottish National Portrait Gallery wanted to commission to mark New Labour’s 1997 election victory would look “triumphalist” and be unlikely to win votes in Scotland, newly released documents reveal.The gallery proposed a portrait by Peter Howson, a distinguished member of the new wave of expressionist artists who emerged from the Glasgow School of Art in the 80s, and was willing to pay. With the fee likely to be “substantial”, Downing Street aides were also concerned about negative coverage if any public funds were used, the documents released by the National Archives show. Continue reading...
Infectious disease experts believe strategy more effective in slowing virus spread than new travel restrictions, as health data firm says thousands are likely dying daily in ChinaThe United States is considering sampling wastewater taken from international aircraft to track any emerging new Covid-19 variants as infections surge in China, as UK-based health experts estimate about 9,000 people a days are now dying of the disease in China.The proposed of testing wastewater by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would provide a better solution to tracking the virus and slowing its entry into the US than new travel restrictions announced this week, three infectious disease experts said. Continue reading...
Admirers of Pelé gather in Times Square and eulogize the three-time world champion and New York Cosmos crowd-pleaserFans of Pelé gathered at the store dedicated to him in New York’s Times Square on Thursday, to memorialize and celebrate a soccer player who electrified the city when he signed with the New York Cosmos in 1975 on a three-year, $7m (£5.8m) contract, a deal that made the 34‐year‐old player the highest‐paid team athlete in the world.“I grew up hearing about Pelé,” said Larisa Belyansky in front of a wall celebrating the king of football. “The style of his play was so different, the way he moved.” “We remember him as the greatest player”, said her husband, Alex, “because he was the only one to win three World Cups.” Continue reading...
Archives reveal PM’s early attempts to establish personal relationship with president after 2000 US electionTony Blair moved swiftly to place his relationship with George W Bush on a personal footing after the Republican won the 2000 US presidential election, asking him “early on” in their first telephone call if he could call him by his first name.“Bush warmly assented (but stuck himself with addressing the prime minister as ‘Sir’),” according to a note of their call, which is among government files released to the National Archives. Blair was the first foreign leader to call to congratulate the president-elect. Michael Tatham, a British diplomat, noted that the eight-minute conversation had established “as good a rapport as one could hope for” from such a short call. Continue reading...
Files show PM favoured allowing Putin ‘a position on the top table’ and encouraging him to integrate with westTony Blair was told by officials that he would be presenting Vladimir Putin with a new set of silver cufflinks from 10 Downing Street as he took up the Russian leader’s invitation to join him on his birthday during a prime ministerial visit to Moscow.The president would be the first leader to receive the special No 10 cufflinks, the prime minister was told in a memo before the October 2001 trip to Moscow, which has been released by the National Archives. Continue reading...
by Rachel Hall (now); Martin Belam and Helen Sullivan on (#679H9)
This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereMissiles are being launched at Ukraine from ships on the Black Sea, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Ukrainian military administration of Kryvyi Rih, on Telegram.As we get the first reports of the sound of blasts in Kyiv, Presidential office adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has written on Facebook that over 100 missiles were incoming in several waves and air raid alarms could be heard across the country. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Political correspondent on (#67A4H)
Alleged victim says end of suspension is ‘slap in face to anyone who has experienced sexual harassment’The SNP has restored the party whip to a senior MP who has sat as an independent since June after an independent parliamentary inquiry found he made an unwanted sexual advance towards a teenage party worker.Patrick Grady quit the SNP group at Westminster after a two-day suspension from parliament, imposed after the independent parliamentary standards commissioner found he had made the advances to the then 19-year-old man in 2016. The man to whom he made the advances said the end of Grady’s suspension was “a slap in the face to anyone who has experienced sexual harassment”. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey, Nicola Davis and Peter Walker on (#679Z2)
Politicians and experts call for border testing to be introduced, but others question usefulness of moveMinisters are coming under pressure to screen arrivals from China as the number of Covid-19 cases there continues to surge after Beijing’s abrupt decision to end most of its strict pandemic restrictions.The US became the latest country to impose controls on travellers entering the country from China on Wednesday, demanding that all such arrivals show proof of a negative Covid test. Continue reading...
Italy urges action at European level as more than 50% of recent arrivals from China test positive at Milan airportMember states of the European Union have resisted pressure from Italy to immediately impose mandatory anti-Covid checks on travellers entering the borderless Schengen area from China, with health officials in Brussels saying they would instead continue to monitor the consequences of Beijing’s rapid rollback of its previously stringent hygiene restrictions.In recent days more than 50% of passengers from China at Milan’s Malpensa airport have tested positive for the virus, and on Wednesday Italy brought back mandatory coronavirus tests for everyone arriving from China, after reports of rising infection rates in the world’s most populous country. Continue reading...
Interviews follow raid on VK Garment factory, the subject of a UK lawsuit against the supermarket from 130 ex-workersThai police and civil servants have begun screening more than 100 former workers at a factory that supplied Tesco to determine if they were victims of forced labour.The Guardian revealed last week that Burmese workers who produced F&F jeans for Tesco in Thailand had reported being trapped in their work, enduring 99-hour weeks for illegally low pay in appalling conditions. Continue reading...
Effort to reduce new year collisions has been criticised for encouraging drivers to film others or stage violationsThai police are taking an alternative approach to their annual road safety campaign by offering cash prizes of 10,000 baht (£240) for the best – or worst – videos of traffic violations.About 22,000 people die each year in Thailand in road traffic accidents, one of the worst death rates in the world. The week over the new year, known locally as the “seven dangerous days”, has the biggest spike as people speed around the country. Continue reading...
Suspect arrested in London over death of Fisher, who was stabbed to death in a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing DayA third man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Cody Fisher, the semi-professional footballer stabbed to death in a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing Day.
At least 19 people now known to have died but figure could rise as rescue teams have not reached all areasA fire that lasted more than 12 hours in a Cambodian hotel casino killed at least 19 people and injured scores more, with an official warning that other people could be missing.“There are 19 dead so far as we see bodies and bones,” said Sek Sokhom, the director of the Banteay Meanchey provincial information department, warning “the dead figure could be higher” as rescue teams have not reached many parts of the complex. Continue reading...
Shadow justice secretary says party will put prevention at the heart of its approach to crimeLabour would overhaul the approach to antisocial behaviour with plans to allow victims to choose how offenders are punished, it has been reported.The shadow justice secretary, Steve Reed, has said he will update Tony Blair’s “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” slogan and put prevention at the heart of their approach, the Times reported. Continue reading...
Mystery surrounds the alleged involvement of top officials in the murder of the high-profile Philippine journalistIt was just past 8pm on 3 October and the veteran broadcaster Percy Mabasa was on his way to record his nightly radio show. Every weekday evening, tens of thousands of Filipinos, many living abroad, would tune in to listen to his news commentary and sharp humour.But on this evening, as Mabasa drove up to the entrance of his gated community where his studio is located in Las Piñas, Metro Manila, a motorbike began to trail him. Footage taken by a camera on the back of his car, and since released by police, shows two figures on the bike pulling up alongside him. Then gunshots can be heard. There’s a bang as Mabasa’s car slams into the vehicle in front. The motorbike turns and drives away. Mabasa was killed instantly. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#679NS)
Police say 31-year-old man from Tranmere held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder over Christmas Eve shootingA third person has been arrested over the death of Elle Edwards, who was shot dead at a pub on Christmas Eve.Merseyside police said a 31-year-old man from Tranmere had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. He is in custody, where he will be questioned by detectives. Continue reading...
World men’s tennis No 5 says return proves he is ready to move on from his deportation and begin quest for 10th Australian Open titleNovak Djokovic says there are no hard feelings on his return to Australia, but can’t guarantee he will ever completely move past the saga that torpedoed his 2022 Australian Open hopes and thrust him into the centre of a media frenzy.Djokovic was deported from Australia almost 12 months ago after arriving unvaccinated against Covid at a time when the country was still subject to strict biosecurity regulations. Such regulations have now been lifted and in November the Australian government overturned the three-year ban that came with Djokovic’s deportation and granted him a visa to return for the summer of tennis. Continue reading...
Appeal for UK authorities to bring over mother who was left in France after smugglers departed shore with her three childrenThe Home Office is under pressure to reunite a family of Eritrean asylum seekers after smugglers forced three children, the youngest aged just five, to cross the Channel on a small boat before their mother could get on board with them.The woman, 31, who was staying in northern France hoping to reach the UK, paid smugglers for places on a dinghy for herself and her three children, a boy aged 14 and two girls aged nine and five, to cross the Channel on 16 December. She said she believed the UK was the place where she would find safety and a respect for the human rights of her family. Continue reading...
Centre in London says record number born on site is a result of fewer people being able to afford cost of neuteringParsnip, Cranberry and Sprouts. Not your Christmas dinner, but a festive trio of fluffy black and white kittens, newly arrived at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Down the corridor in the cattery, another three newborns have just been taken in, along with their parents, in something approaching a feline nativity scene.The new arrivals are, according to Bridie Williams, Battersea’s cattery manager, “ridiculously cute”. And they come at the end of a year during which 133 kittens were born on site – considerably more than any year in the past decade. Continue reading...
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