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Sergei Surovikin appointed on same day as explosion on Kerch bridge that has dealt blow to Vladimir Putin

The 85-year-old British artist plays with traditional still life in his latest exhibition – and stars in its enigmatic centrepiece“Fresh pictures of a very beautiful world” is how the artist David Hockney describes his latest works, a series of digital drawings of flowers that culminated in an extraordinary, 5-metre-long picture of the artist in front of these still-life images, revealed for the first time in the Observer today.Hockney is teasing the eye and playing with perspective and the passing of time in his newest creation. In a vast photographic drawing, entitled 25th June 2022, Looking at the Flowers (Framed), he has created an enigmatic, striking picture in which the onlooker sees the artist as onlooker, observing his own works. Continue reading...

Prisoner in his mid-70s had been sentenced for the murders of Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicolSerial killer Peter Tobin has died after becoming unwell while serving three life sentences.He was taken from HMP Edinburgh to hospital, thought to be the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, on Wednesday and subsequently died, sources said. Continue reading...

Archbishop of Canterbury joins others worried about impact Tel Aviv switch could have on Palestinian peace talksThe archbishop of Canterbury has expressed concern about the potential for the British embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.The UK prime minister, Liz Truss, told her Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid at the United Nations summit in New York last month that she was considering the relocation. Continue reading...

Police called on Friday night to reports of man in ‘distress’ and used incapacitant spray, watchdog understandsA man who had earlier appeared to be in “distress” died after allegedly being restrained by police officers, sparking an investigation by the police watchdog.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into the death of the man, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, in Hertfordshire in the early hours of Saturday morning. Continue reading...

Ceremonies under way in Uthai Sawan after king says ‘there are no words that can describe the sorrow’Toy trucks, baby bottles and flowers have been left beside the coffins of victims of the mass killing at a nursery school in north-eastern Thailand, as funeral ceremonies began.Inside wat Rat Samakee, a temple in Uthai Sawan where most of the child victims were taken, families sat beside their loved ones’ remains. A mother held on to her son’s red blanket as she stared ahead. Another woman hugged her loved one’s photo tightly. Continue reading...

Gordonstoun paid the sums out of court and has not admitted any liability for the alleged attacksThe King’s former school, Gordonstoun, has reached out-of-court settlements totalling more than £500,000 with two ex-pupils who alleged rape, bullying and severe sexual abuse at its junior school in the 1990s.The stories of Kate (not her real name) and John Findlay were first told in the Observer Magazine in 2015. Kate, who was a scholarship student, alleged she was raped when 13 years old by a gap-year teacher on a school camping trip, while John was drugged, sexually assaulted and photographed in his dormitory bed at Aberlour House, Gordonstoun’s junior school, by a different teacher. Continue reading...

Party members, who have strong views on issues such as free speech, are trying to reshape Conservative ideology in their own imageIt was near the end of a fringe event entitled Are We Losing the War on Woke? when Tory MP Miriam Cates suggested drastic cuts to higher education. Why? In part to save money. But also, she said, to stop young people being “indoctrinated” with liberal ideas.One overlooked feature of the just-ended Conservative conference was a battle waged away from the cabinet splits and the main conference hall – a concerted, if so far largely below the surface, effort to get the party fully engaged in a US-style culture war. Continue reading...

Section of Kerch bridge collapses after blast, seen as major blow to Russian military prestige

The uprising over the death of Masha Amini is like no other, but whether it leads to revolution remains to be seenThe Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, was holding court to a small group of journalists at the Millennium Hilton in New York on his first visit to the United States since his election in June 2021. At home, protests over the death in police custody of Masha Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, were entering their sixth day.At the start of the meeting, a 10-minute film was shown, part patriotic travel brochure and part paen to how the Iranian people “live peacefully together in a new model of democracy”. Given the events in Iran, it seemed like the kind of absurd propaganda only a severely self-deluded regime would screen. Continue reading...

Decision by Junts to pull out leaves government in minority hands of Catalan Republican LeftTensions between Catalonia’s two main pro-independence parties boiled over on Friday night when the hardline Junts party abandoned the regional coalition government, leaving the region in the minority hands of the more moderate Catalan Republican Left (ERC).The two parties, who formed a coalition after the regional election in February 2021, have profound and longstanding disagreements over the best way to achieve their shared aim of Catalan independence. The ERC wants a negotiated political solution, while Junts favours a more confrontational and unilateral approach to seceding from Spain. Continue reading...

Only one in five trains are running as more than 40,000 RMT union members begin 24-hour strikePassengers have been warned to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary on Saturday, when a national strike means only one in five of normal scheduled services are due to run.More than 40,000 members of the RMT union, including most Network Rail signallers and train crew and staff at 15 operating companies, are striking for 24 hours in the long-running dispute over pay and working conditions. Hundreds of TSSA members at three train operators are also on strike, while others will refuse to act as contingency staff. Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin opened road section in 2018 and Moscow had threatened reprisals if it was attacked

Trough tracking over NSW towards the coast is bringing intense rainfall and the risk of flash flooding, Bureau of Meteorology says. This blog is now closed

Blasts rock bridge linking Crimea to Russia; Zelenskiy warns on nuclear weapons; Moscow declares Russian rapper a ‘foreign agent’

Many landlords ignored violations of the terms of the lease during the pandemic – but that may now changeSome people who work from home or run a business from their flat or house could face legal action for violating the terms of their property’s lease, according to a legal academic.During the pandemic the number of people working from home ballooned, and many have continued to operate from their flats and houses after the Covid restrictions were lifted. Continue reading...

Seven-storey Knightsbridge property overlooking Hyde Park has more living space than American football pitchThe UK’s most expensive house – a 45-room “private palace” overlooking Hyde Park – is up for sale nearly three years after it was sold to a Chinese billionaire for more than £200m.The Guardian understands that at least five prospective buyers toured the seven-storey Knightsbridge property since it was quietly put on the market in the last few weeks. Continue reading...

Four defence force helicopters on standby as low-pressure system, forecast to persist until Sunday, brings flash flooding, landslides and damaging winds

The PM’s in tray looks ever more challenging with warnings of winter blackouts, NHS winter crisis and nuclear threat from RussiaLiz Truss is hoping her conference speech on “growth, growth, growth” will have set a new agenda for her party, drawing a line under the disastrous week of her U-turn over the 45p tax rate and 10 days of market turmoil after the mini-budget.However, she is facing a perilous few weeks and months ahead, with multiple potential crises on the horizon and warnings of a winter of discontent. Here are some of the most difficult and intractable problems. Continue reading...

A 38-year-old man died after being shot in the chest at close range at a home in Oxley in the early hours of Tuesday morning

Up to 30 people hurt, with some airlifted from scene in Creeslough in Donegal, while search for survivors continuesIrish police have confirmed there have been three fatalities in an explosion at a petrol station in County Donegal, as the emergency search operation continues at the site of the blast.Rescuers using sniffer dogs were digging for people trapped in debris on Friday night after a large explosion destroyed the petrol station and damaged apartments, causing multiple injuries. Continue reading...

Exclusive: former veterans minister Johnny Mercer and others had condemned plans to scrap free travelThe government has vowed to guarantee free rail travel for military personnel to attend remembrance services this year after facing criticism over moves to scrap the offer.Proposed plans to stop the free train travel after the government decided the cost would be “too great” had sparked an outcry and calls for a U-turn from the former veterans minister Johnny Mercer and others. Continue reading...

PM said to be planning shake-up of subsidy system whereby parents, rather than nurseries, get cash to spend as they see fitLiz Truss is said to be considering a shake-up of the childcare subsidy system whereby parents, rather than nurseries, would be given government cash to spend as they see fit.At present, all three and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 15 hours’ free childcare a week during term time, while some families can claim up to double that amount. Continue reading...

Prime minister authorized to ask international community to help end blockade of main fuel port that has led to crippling shortagesHaiti’s government has authorized the prime minister, Ariel Henry, to ask the international community for a “specialized armed force” to address a crisis caused by a blockade of the country’s main fuel port that has led to crippling shortages, according to a decree circulating on Friday.Haiti has ground to a halt since a coalition of gangs blocked the Varreux fuel terminal last month. The lack of gas and diesel has crippled transportation and forced businesses and hospitals to halt operations. Continue reading...

Oxxxymiron added to an updated list alongside four journalists and Dmitry Glukhovsky, a prominent writerThe Russian justice ministry has declared one of the country’s most popular rappers to be a “foreign agent”, a legal designation that has been used to hound Kremlin critics and journalists.Oxxxymiron, whose real name is Miron Fyodorov, was added to an updated list of foreign agents alongside four journalists and Dmitry Glukhovsky, a prominent writer. Continue reading...

Campaigner against violence against women was told her views on transgender issues conflicted with its rights policiesA city council has apologised to veteran feminist and lesbian activist Julie Bindel after cancelling a talk because of “the speaker’s views on transgender rights”.In June, Bindel was due to give a talk, organised by the Nottingham Women for Change group at Aspley library in Nottingham, one of three earmarked for closure. Continue reading...

While sea mail takes a long time to deliver, people opt for this service because it is cheaper

Figures show there is one counsellor for every 650 students, despite inquiry recommending ratio of 1:500

City beat 19 others to host 67th contest after Volodymyr Zelenskiy agreed staging event in Mariupol was not possibleThe Eurovision song contest will be hosted by Liverpool next year after it beat 19 other cites to stage the event on behalf of war-torn Ukraine.The annual extravaganza will be held in the UK for the first time in 25 years on 13 May as Ukraine is unable to host the event due to the Russian invasion. Continue reading...

Register of MPs’ interests shows ex-PM accepted gift from Lady Carole Bamford, wife of JCB chairman, Lord Anthony BamfordBoris Johnson accepted free accommodation worth £10,000 from the wife of the leading Tory donor who hosted his wedding party this summer, it has emerged.The updated register of MPs’ interests shows that the former prime minister accepted a £10,000 gift from Lady Carole Bamford, for “concessionary use of accommodation for me and my family in September”. Continue reading...

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Doctors for Choice UK claim they were asked to cover word ‘abortion’ at Royal Society of Medicine eventDoctors and academics have claimed they were asked by the Royal Society of Medicine to obscure the word “abortion” on signs and posters at a conference centred on the topic.The campaign group Doctors for Choice UK obscured the line “Clinicians for abortion rights” on their poster with three yellow Post-it notes which bore the word “censored”. Continue reading...

Councillors in north Wales vote to express opposition to ‘thorn in nation for centuries’A Welsh council has officially called for the title of Prince of Wales to be banned and said there should be no investiture of Prince William anywhere in the country.King Charles III’s decision to bestow the title on his son has been controversial among many people in Wales who feel that it is a symbol of English oppression. Continue reading...

Liz Truss asks trade minister to leave government with immediate effect as whips confirm suspension

Chris Bryant questions timing while Daily Mail publisher faces legal action over alleged privacy breachesThe peerage due to be awarded to Paul Dacre, the former editor of the Daily Mail, should be delayed during the legal action being taken against its publisher over alleged intrusion into privacy, Chris Bryant, the Labour MP and standards chair, has suggested.Bryant, who formerly chaired parliament’s media committee, questioned whether it was appropriate for Dacre to be handed a peerage by Liz Truss’s government, which is likely to come within days. Continue reading...

Williamson Pink Star sets world record highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auctionAn extremely rare “fancy vivid pink” diamond has sold for 453m Hong Kong dollars (£52m) – more than double its estimated price – and set a world record for the highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auction.The 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star diamond, which is named after another pink diamond given to Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding gift, was sold to an undisclosed buyer at auction by Sotheby’s Hong Kong on Friday. Continue reading...

Julian Kelly says potential sharp increase in funding gap due to Covid, bill for NHS staff pay rises and inflation in supply costsGP services, cancer care and mental health treatment may face cuts because of an NHS budget shortfall of up to £7bn next year, the health service’s finance chief has said.Waiting times could increase and overstretched A&E units could face even greater challenges in dealing with the surge in patients needing medical attention, he added. Continue reading...

Harry Armstrong Evans, who is thought to have killed himself, told tutor about mental health concerns, inquest hearsThe mother of a University of Exeter student believed to have killed himself after a “disastrous” set of exam results has accused academics of failing to make her son feel like he was “wanted”.Less than a month before his death last year, Harry Armstrong Evans, 21, told his tutor in an email that isolation during the pandemic had affected his mental health and his performance in his third-year physics and astrophysics exams.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, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Russia welcomes report about attack that killed pro-Putin journalist Darya Dugina in August, denied by Kyiv

Home secretary lifts requirement for Afghans applying to join British family members after high court challengeThe home secretary has waived a requirement for Afghans applying to join British family members in the UK to do biometric tests, after a high court challenge.A judge ruled on Thursday that a mother and five children, currently in hiding in Afghanistan, would not need to do the tests before attempting to escape to the UK. Continue reading...

Disadvantaged children fall further behind peers as teachers and parents call on Truss to boost school fundingAttainment among seven-year-olds in England has fallen sharply across all subjects in the first set of tests since before the pandemic, with disadvantaged children’s results dropping even further behind, according to government data.Results for this year’s key stage 1 (KS1) tests show a significant decline in attainment in reading, maths and, most dramatically, writing, in which the proportion of year 2 pupils reaching the expected standard declined by 11 percentage points. Continue reading...

State Department counsellor Derek Chollet calls for transatlantic unity and better UK-EU relationsThe last thing the west needs now is another flare-up over Northern Ireland, Derek Chollet, the US State Department counsellor, has warnedDelivering a strong call for improved relations between the UK and Europe at a time of world instability, Chollet urged all sides to avoid unilateral gestures, including over the Northern Ireland protocol. Continue reading...

One lawyer says the matter contrasts with Israel Folau’s sacking, as views weren’t actually expressed

Exclusive: Greens senator says racism takes an ‘immense toll’ on wellbeing and those responsible ‘must be held to account’

Actor will address her ‘unconventional upbringing in Baltimore’ and ‘complicated marriage’ to Will Smith in tell-all due next yearJada Pinkett Smith is putting her experiences on record in a new tell-all memoir, the publisher Dey Street, an imprint of HarperCollins, announced on Thursday.The “no holds barred” memoir, due next fall, will chronicle “lessons learned in the course of a difficult but riveting journey – a rollercoaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery and the celebration of authentic feminine power”. Continue reading...

Result not to debate its own damning report shows many states are unwilling take sides in power struggle between China and westIn a display of raw Chinese political power, the UN has voted to turn its back on a report written by its own human rights commissioner that accused Beijing of serious human rights abuses and possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang province.The 47-strong UN human rights council meeting in Geneva voted on Thursday by 19 to 17 to reject an American-led call for a debate on the report at the next human rights council in spring. Eleven countries abstained. A simple majority was required. Continue reading...

Five Britons discuss their attempts to keep warm and reduce costs after the energy price cap riseFollowing the energy price cap rise on 1 October, many consumers are holding off putting the central heating on in an attempt to cut back on costs.Five people in the UK discuss how rising bills are affecting them and the measures they are taking to try to keep warm. Continue reading...

Hospitals struggle to cope even without more performance measures, say health leadersNHS bosses have told Britain’s political parties not to impose any new targets on the beleaguered health service in their efforts to win the next general election.The Conservatives and opposition parties should resist foisting new performance metrics on the NHS when it could not meet the hundreds under which it already operates, they said. Continue reading...

Sotheby’s describes 17th-century Cervantes editions as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for collectorsOne day in the early 1930s, a young Bolivian diplomat named Jorge Ortiz Linares walked into the illustrious Maggs Bros bookshop in London to ask if they might have a particularly fine edition of Don Quixote for sale.But even for Ortiz Linares – a dedicated bibliophile who also happened to be the son-in-law of Simón Patiño, the Bolivian tin magnate nicknamed the Andean Rockefeller – the answer was a polite no. The man at Maggs did, however, put his name on a waiting list and promise to get in touch should such a copy ever materialise. Continue reading...

Anthony Rapp has accused actor of trying to seduce him when he 14 at Spacey’s Manhattan apartment in 1986Kevin Spacey heads to court on Thursday to defend himself in a lawsuit filed by Anthony Rapp, the actor who in 2017 made the first in a string of sexual misconduct allegations that left the House of Cards star’s career in tatters.The trial, expected to last less than two weeks, will focus on an alleged encounter in New York City in 1986, when Rapp was a child actor and Spacey, then 26, was having a breakout moment on Broadway. Continue reading...