World news | The Guardian

Laura Cullen was among 5,000 people at a 2017 Sydney protest when she was knocked down and injured as NSW police tried to arrest a man

Government plans for publicly funded operator CalMac have been mired in controversy, with replacement vessels delayed and costs spirallingAlmost 100m has been spent over the past decade on repairs for eight of the largest publicly owned ferries in Scotland.The figure has been described as eye-watering" by Sue Webber, transport spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives, who obtained details of the repair bill from ferry operator CalMac. Continue reading...

Front dragging warm air from the Pilbara brings particularly hot' weather to SA, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania

More than 95 firefighters and 26 trucks deployed to Nunawading, with dozens of nearby residents evacuated

Microlight wreckage found after witness saw plane go down near Nambucca Heads on the mid-north coast

Closed roads, multi-vehicle collisions and train interruptions reported as Met Office yellow and amber warnings remain in placeHomes were left without power, roads were closed, cars stranded, and flights and train services disrupted on Saturday as heavy snow and freezing rain hit much of the UK.The National Grid said on Saturday night that power was cut to properties across the Midlands, south-west England and South Wales, including Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, and that work was under way to get services restored. Continue reading...

Police report road collisions and warn motorists only to travel if necessary while power cuts affect parts of England and WalesNational Highways warned a spell of disruptive snow" would spread across southern and central parts of the road network on Saturday night.The PA news agency reports that drivers in high-altitude areas, especially the Cotswolds and Peak District, were warned to take particular care. Gwent police issued a warning for black ice on Friday. Continue reading...

Chancellor Karl Nehammer to step down after failure to form government without far-right Freedom partyTalks between the two biggest centrist parties in Austria on forming a coalition government without the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) have collapsed, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Saturday, adding that he would step down in the coming days.The announcement came a day after a third party, the small, liberal Neos, threw the process into disarray by saying it was quitting the talks, blaming the other parties for failing to take the bold and decisive action it said it had called for. Continue reading...

The PM's milestones' include 92% of patients waiting no more than 18 weeks - but not one of the 124 trusts is hitting the markEvery acute hospital trust in England is failing to hit Keir Starmer's key target to treat 92% of patients within 18 weeks, analysis of NHS figures reveals.The new data exposes the scale of the challenge facing the prime minister this year as he tries to reform the NHS. The most recent waiting list data reveals that in some hospital trusts, more than half of patients are waiting longer than 18 weeks. Out of 124 acute trusts across the country, none are hitting the target, according to analysis of the figures by the Observer. Continue reading...

Family of now 19-year-old conscript Liri Albag appeals to PM to take decisions as if it were your own children there'The armed wing of Hamas has released a video it says is of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza since its October 2023 attack.Liri Albag, described by local media as a soldier, was 18 when she was captured by Palestinian militants at the Nahal Oz base on the Gaza border along with six other women conscripts, five of whom remain in captivity. Continue reading...

Unions concerned about potential rise in violence, drug abuse and the threat of riots at low-security facilities in England and WalesThe government is considering relaxing the restrictions on inmates who can be sent to open prisons, despite warnings that the move could increase violence, drug abuse and the potential for riots.Under an unannounced policy first introduced by the Conservatives and expanded by Labour, officials have already been accelerating moves from closed to open prisons in order to ease overcrowding. Continue reading...

Treasury has estimated how much industries including telecommunications, social media and banks will likely need to fork out

Callout ends in tragedy after an as yet unnamed person fell on Thursday and their body was recovered by a rescue teamA man has died after falling 70 metres from a mountain ridge.Keswick Mountain Rescue said its first callout of the year ended in tragedy after the man fell from Sharp Edge on Blencathra in the Lake District on Thursday. Continue reading...

Crowds gather outside South Korean presidential residence where suspended leader is protected by security officersThousands of rival South Korean protesters have rallied in the capital a day after a failed attempt to arrest the country's suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, for imposing a short-lived martial law decree that led to his impeachment.The country has been plunged into political chaos since last month, with Yoon defiantly holed up in the presidential residence surrounded by hundreds of loyal security officers who have so far resisted efforts by prosecutors to arrest him. Continue reading...

Itooka, who died at a care home in Ashiya, enjoyed bananas and had been a keen mountain climberA Japanese woman who was the world's oldest living person has died at the age of 116.Tomiko Itooka, who was awarded the Guinness World Record status last year, died on 29 December at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture in central Japan. Continue reading...

Police say 18-year-old released pending further inquiries over death of Elizabeth Kennedy, 70, on New Year's EveAn 18-year-old man has been arrested after a woman died during an alleged hit-and-run incident in Renfrewshire on New Year's Eve.Elizabeth Kennedy, 70, was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck by a car on Barrhead Road in Paisley at 7pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Election manifesto promise to set up specialist tribunals to deal with huge backlog of cases has been put on holdThe government has backed away from plans to set up dozens of specialist rape courts to deal with a huge backlog of cases, amid warnings there are not enough lawyers to make the proposals work.Labour pledged during the election campaign to use vacant rooms and buildings on crown court sites to fast-track rape cases and reduce the numbers awaiting trial. Continue reading...

Cause of fire in city of Zhangjiakou in Hebei province is under investigationAt least eight people have died and 15 are injured after a fire broke out at a food market in northern China, according to state media.The fire at the Liguang market in the city of Zhangjiakou broke out at midday on Saturday and had been mostly extinguished two hours later, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing a government official in Qiaoxi district where the market is located. Continue reading...

Home Office is issuing digital visas without completing necessary checks, Freedom of Information quest revealsThe government is pressing ahead with a digital visa scheme to prove the residency rights of millions of people from outside the EU without having completed the necessary checks, campaigners are warning.The Home Office said in response to a freedom of information request from the Observer that it had not yet completed an equality impact assessment into the rollout of eVisas, despite launching the changeover last April. Continue reading...

First commercial flights since overthrow of Assad regime to begin from Tuesday, aviation chief saysSyria's main airport in Damascus is to resume international flights after commercial trips were halted following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.We announce we will start receiving international flights to and from Damascus International airport from [Tuesday]," the state news agency Sana reported, quoting Ashhad al-Salibi, the head of the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport. Continue reading...

Fashionistas are forking out a fortune as the humble anti-perspirant goes high endOnce humble, bought for a quid and used with little pleasure, deodorant has done an about-face. Where it used to be a simple case of misting armpits with Lynx or spritzing with Sure, in recent times the world of deodorant has evolved to offer products that cost as much as fancy face serums and smell as good as fine scents.. Encapsulating deodorant's shift from lowly to elevated is To My Ships, a brand launched last year in London. Apparently inspired by The Iliad, and yours for 35, it is inspired by a desire for cleaner armpits, and an intention to quell olfactory overload". If all that sounds highfalutin, this cultured personal care offer" speaks for itself with a delicious scent and an ability to rival pong.We created a deodorant from the world of fine fragrance, elevating a dark and smelly function with a combination of the care applied to skincare formulation and a unique seductive green citrus scent," says founder Daniel Bense, formerly at luxury cosmetics brand Aesop, as well as Sunspel, a company that takes the humble white T-shirt and turns it into an aspirational wardrobe hero. Continue reading...

Councils have received extra support to get homeless people off the streets amid cold weather warnings across the countryRough sleepers across the UK have been offered emergency shelter amid freezing temperatures.Councils have used the severe weather emergency protocol (Swep) to provide a bed for the night for rough sleepers as much of the country experiences a cold snap. Continue reading...

Islamic State has urged followers to attack the US, and the attorney general has called the group a top security concernThe Islamic State (IS) threat on the US homeland has caused renewed concern as more details emerge about the man allegedly behind what the FBI is calling an act of terrorism" in New Orleans on New Year's Day that killed 14 and injured scores more.US citizen and army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was killed in the attack after driving into partygoers on Bourbon Street and engaging police in a gunfight. Found inside his rental truck was the infamous black flag of IS; it was later revealed he had pledged allegiance to the group in a series of videos posted to Facebook mere hours beforehand. Continue reading...

Brando, Ava Gardner, Anita Ekberg and other A-listers are featured in a memoir about the glamour of the 1950s film industryMarlon Brando was the original angry young man, winning an Oscar for On the Waterfront, Elia Kazan's movie about union corruption. But anger got the better of him at the 1954 Italian premiere of the film, when he refused to watch it after discovering that his voice had been dubbed, a new book reveals.Why didn't somebody tell me I was going to see a dubbed version?" he spluttered in fury in the darkened cinema. His embarrassed agent, who had expected the original English-language version, recalled him staggering up from his seat as if from a heart attack", frantically whispering: Get me out of here!" Continue reading...

It was not clear whether Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held virtually incommunicado since 2021 coup, would be among those releasedMyanmar's military government will release about 6,000 prisoners and has reduced other inmates' sentences as part of a mass amnesty on Saturday marking the 77th anniversary of independence from Britain.There was no sign that the prisoner release would include Aung San Suu Kyi, 79, who has been held virtually incommunicado by the military since it seized power from her elected government in 2021. She is serving a 27-year sentence after being convicted of a series of politically tinged prosecutions brought by the military. Continue reading...

Airline staff were celebrating New Year's Eve in Nadi when the alleged incident occurred

Small FPV drones, which travel at 37mph, have become ubiquitous, evolving from a novelty to a weapon of choice'Denys, a soldier with Ukraine's Khyzhak brigade, describes a new kind of war. Standing in a barracks workshop with piles of basic Ukrainian First Person View (FPV) drones behind him, he says simply: There are fewer gunfights because there are more drone fights."Frontlines that were once a gunshot apart are now a killing zone several miles deep, as Russian and Ukrainian drone squads, hidden about one- to three miles behind the frontline, target each other's forces with simple aerial attacks. Back in 2022, we were still running around with machine guns from the tree lines," Denys says, almost with nostalgia. Continue reading...

Born Alfred Jesse Smith, his smash title has repeatedly been used in film and television showsThe soul singer Brenton Wood has died at the age of 83, TMZ and Variety reported. Wood's manager, Manny Gallegos, confirmed the news.Wood, born Alfred Jesse Smith, is best known for his 1967 hit The Oogum Boogum Song, which has repeatedly been used across film, television and in commercial campaigns. He died at his home in Moreno Valley, 63 miles east of Los Angeles, Gallegos told the publications. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meteorology says Melbourne's hot weather will peak at 38C on Saturday while Penrith will reach 39C on Sunday and 40C on Monday

Crime scene set up in Springbrook national park after a person discovered what police believe could be a set of human bones

Gabriel Boric is first Latin American leader to reach planet's southernmost point, according to his officeChile's president Gabriel Boric has made a historic trip to the south pole to reaffirm his country's claim to sovereignty" over its part of Antarctica, his office said.Boric is the first Latin American leader to reach the Earth's southernmost point, according to his office. Continue reading...

Speaking at party conference, its leader calls reports of tech mogul's potential $100m donation somewhat overexaggerated'Nigel Farage has hailed Elon Musk as a hero" and said he was very pleased he's backing our party", but he called reports that the tech mogul was preparing to donate $100m (80m) to Reform UK somewhat overexaggerated".Speaking at Reform's East Midlands conference on Friday night, the party leader said Musk's efficiency plan for Donald Trump's government was the blueprint we need" as he called for a complete change of culture in Britain". Continue reading...

Harsh day' of bombardments with several children among dead, says Gaza's civil defence agencyGaza's civil defence agency said about 30 people were killed in Israeli bombardments on Friday, as Hamas said indirect negotiations for a truce in the war were set to resume in Qatar.The Israeli military said three rockets targeted its territory from the Gaza Strip, the latest in a flurry of launches by militants in the devastated Palestinian territory. Continue reading...

Surprise move by Neos raises doubts about viability of forming centrist government excluding far rightThe smallest of three parties in talks to form Austria's next government has unexpectedly quit the negotiations, throwing into disarray an effort to form a centrist ruling coalition without the far-right Freedom party (FPO).The surprise move by the liberal Neos party raised serious doubts about the future of the coalition talks and buoyed the Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO. The FPO has railed against those negotiations since it was shut out despite winning the last parliamentary election in September with 29% of the vote. Continue reading...

Three Republicans voted for someone else, but two later changed their votes while all Democrats backed JeffriesAfter initially facing internal dissent, the Trump-endorsed Republican Mike Johnson secured the House speakership in the first round of voting on Friday.Johnson could not afford to lose more than one Republican vote, and three Republican members of Congress initially voted for someone other than the incumbent speaker. All but Kentucky's Thomas Massie, who backed Minnesota's Tom Emmer, later changed their votes to support Johnson and secure him the 218 votes needed to hold the speakership for his first full term with the gavel. Continue reading...

Skylar Dalziel's hard drives showed access to about 290,000 tracks from artists also including Shawn Mendes, police sayA dark web dealer who stole unreleased music from the likes of Coldplay, Shawn Mendes and Bebe Rexha has been given a suspended 21-month jail sentence.Skylar Dalziel, 22, made tens of thousands of pounds after accessing the copyrighted tracks by illegally accessing cloud storage accounts linked to the artists. Continue reading...

Union calls for regular health checks for 600 Grenfell firefighters after many developed long-term conditionsThe government needs to seriously look" at the effects of toxic smoke inhalation on firefighters who served at the Grenfell Tower fire, a minister has said.The comments from Andrew Gwynne, the health minister, came after the Guardian disclosed that more than a quarter of firefighters who battled against the fire eight years ago have long-term health disorders. Continue reading...

Those close to PM worry voters are running out of patience and want reforms to directly help public

Exclusive: Patients in England to get direct referrals for tests without seeing consultant, but critics say plan is deluded'

Bulletin says vehicle-ramming attacks likely to remain attractive' and urges law-enforcement agencies to be alertUS law enforcement and intelligence agencies are reportedly concerned about copycat vehicle-ramming attacks following the attack in New Orleans by a US military veteran, Shamsud-Din Jabbar.According to a bulletin seen by Reuters, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the US National Counterterrorism Center are concerned about possible copycat or retaliatory attacks". Continue reading...

Firefighters used ropes to descend into decommissioned missile facility and bring boy to safetyFirefighters rescued a teenage boy after he fell into an abandoned missile silo in Colorado, authorities said.On Wednesday, crews from multiple fire stations in Arapahoe county worked to rescue the teenager who accidentally fell approximately 40 to 50 feet into the silo shortly before 4pm, local outlets reported. Continue reading...

Ex-health worker who exposed paedophile ring says billionaire's triggering of row ignores plight of survivorsElon Musk has politicised" the rape of young girls in the UK in an attempt to attack Keir Starmer, a former health worker who exposed a major paedophile ring has told the Guardian.Sara Rowbotham, who gathered evidence that led to the imprisonment of nine men in Rochdale, said the tech billionaire had launched a political swipe" at the prime minister that overlooked the plight of abuse survivors. Continue reading...

Choice of Thilo Mischke, author of Around the World In 80 Women, for ARD's flagship arts show criticisedMore than 100 prominent German writers and artists have signed an open letter refusing to appear on one of Germany's top culture programmes on public television after the broadcaster announced a new host who has been accused of sexism and racism in his writing.ARD said in late December it had picked the author Thilo Mischke, 43, to co-present its flagship culture show, ttt - Titel, Thesen, Temperamente (Titles, Theses, Temperaments), after the programme's veteran host Max Moor stepped aside. Continue reading...

President-elect says USA is breaking down' in bleak post seeming to wrongly pin two violent attacks on immigrationEven by Donald Trump's standards, the message was darkly apocalyptic - evoking memories of the infamous American carnage" image he conjured at his first inaugural address eight years ago.The USA is breaking down," the president-elect intoned grimly in a message posted on his Truth Social platform at six minutes past midnight on 2 January. Continue reading...

Committee chair Layla Moran says doctors' concerns about potential impact on vulnerable patients must be heededIt would be foolish" for the government not to heed warnings from doctors about palliative care as MPs press ahead with assisted dying legislation for England and Wales, the chair of the health and social care committee has said.The bill, which passed its first parliamentary hurdle in November, would give terminally ill adults with six months to live the right to end their lives. It will now be examined by a committee of MPs, who will hear public evidence, starting this month. It is likely to take a number of amendments before it returns to the Commons at the end of April. Continue reading...

Health secretary says initial reports from commission led by Louise Casey will come next yearAs well as being asked about plans for adult social care and a new national care service, Wes Streeting was questioned this morning on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme about progress on assisted dying legislation in England and Wales.As health secretary, Streeting intervened before November's vote, suggesting that legalising assisted dying in the two countries would have resource implications for the NHS, and might lead to healthcare cuts.The bill committee will work through those policy issues before the bill comes back to the Commons as a whole for further amendment, and then a final vote on a third reading before it goes to the Lords.So whatever my misgivings, I've said all the way through this that I've respected parliament, that this isn't the government's responsibility, the government is neutral. That is for the Commons and the Lords to decide. Continue reading...

Vice-president Sara Duterte is facing an investigation over her alleged threat to kill Ferdinand Marcos JrThe Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, has removed his vice-president, Sara Duterte, from the national security council (NSC) a month after she allegedly plotted to kill him, according to an executive order released on Friday.The order, signed on Monday by Lucas Bersamin, a lawyer and the Philippines' executive secretary, removed Duterte and all former presidents from the council, which advises the president on policies affecting national security. Continue reading...

Emilia Perez, The Brutalist, Wicked and Conclave aim for awards this weekend but without an Oppenheimer-sized juggernaut, it all remains up in the air

Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock call for peaceful transition in highest-level western visit since Assad's fallThe foreign ministers of France and Germany have said they want a new relationship with Syria and a peaceful, inclusive transition during the highest-level western visit to Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime last month.Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, the first EU ministers to travel to the Syrian capital since rebels seized control on 8 December, held talks with the country's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the People's Palace on Friday. Continue reading...

Civilian and armed groups in conflict-ridden state of Manipur using SpaceX's satellite internet, sources sayElon Musk's satellite-based Starlink - currently unlicensed for use in India - is being used by militant groups in the conflict-ridden state of Manipur to circumvent government internet shutdowns, fighters and security sources have said.The satellite internet service provider, operated by Musk's SpaceX company, is not permitted to legally operate in India amid security concerns but is allowed by Myanmar, which neighbours Manipur. Continue reading...