General news

• Jamaican city gripped by violence after police shooting of gang boss

  23-01-2025 22:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Spanish Town brought to standstill amid gunfire on streets after police kill Othneil ‘Thickman’ LobbanSchools and businesses in a Jamaican city have been closed and taxis and buses stopped running after the police shooting of a powerful gang boss prompted a violent backlash.Gunfire echoed throughout Spanish Town on Thursday and at least one business was burned hours after police shot dead Othneil “Thickman” Lobban, whom they described as a top leader of the One Order gang
  
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• How the Southport attack unfolded, as told by survivors

  23-01-2025 21:59 via bbc.com
  
  Survivors of the horrific incident have recounted how the deadly incident played out.
  
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• Canada’s top court to hear challenge to controversial Quebec secularism law

  23-01-2025 21:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Federal government appeals against law critics say disproportionately affects hijab-wearing Muslim womenCanada’s top court has agreed to hear a challenge to Quebec’s controversial secularism law, paving the way for a fierce debate over provincial powers and the fundamental rights of ethnic and religious minorities.The supreme court signaled on Thursday that it would grant leave to appeal against the 2019 law which prohibits certain public workers in positions of authority – inc
  
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• A 2,000-year-old statue is found abandoned in a garbage bag in Greece

  23-01-2025 20:39 via foxnews.com
  
  A marble statue of a woman believed to be more than 2,000 years old was found abandoned in a garbage bag near the Greek city of Thessaloniki, police said Wednesday.A resident discovered the 80-centimeter (31-inch) headless statue beside a trash bin in Neoi Epivates, outside Greece’s second-largest city. The man turned it over to local authorities, who contacted archaeologists to assess its significance.US RETURNS TO GREECE 30 ANCIENT ARTIFACTS WORTH $3.7 MILLION, INCLUDING MARBLE STATUESPo
  
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• Survivor of Nova music festival Hamas terror attack wins slot to represent Israel at Eurovision

  23-01-2025 20:27 via foxnews.com
  
  A survivor of the Nova music festival terrorist attack by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, has channeled her therapeutic journey through music and on Thursday secured the slot to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland.Yuval Raphael, 24, reportedly began singing as a way to cope with the trauma she endured after she, four of her friends and roughly 40 others attempted to hide in a roadside bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re'im after they fled the festival by car after the attack.
  
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• Hundreds flee Jenin amid Israel’s deepening West Bank crackdown

  23-01-2025 20:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Israeli assault enters its third day as army says it is targeting militants to prevent them ‘from regrouping’Hundreds of people have fled the Jenin refugee camp and surrounding areas as an Israeli assault on the West Bank city enters its third day, amid a deepening crackdown across the occupied Palestinian territory.“Most of the camp’s residents were forced out, and I was made to leave my neighbourhood,” said 65-year-old Saleh Ammar, who fled the Jouret al-Dhahab ne
  
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• Taxi dashcam shows Rudakubana moments before attack

  23-01-2025 19:50 via bbc.com
  
  Taxi dashcam footage shows the moment Axel Rudakubana arrived at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
  
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• ICC chief prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over persecution of women

  23-01-2025 19:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Reasonable grounds to believe crimes against humanity are being committed against women and girls in Afghanistan, application saysThe international criminal court’s chief prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for the Taliban’s supreme leader and Afghanistan’s chief justice on the grounds that their persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan is a crime against humanity.It marks the first time the prosecutor has built a case around systemic crimes against women and girls, l
  
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• Weekly Quiz: Which film came out top in the Oscar nominations?

  23-01-2025 18:48 via bbc.com
  
  How much attention did you pay to what has been going on in the world over the past seven days?
  
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• Benjamin Netanyahu comes to defense of Elon Musk: 'falsely smeared'

  23-01-2025 18:22 via foxnews.com
  
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended Elon Musk after media outlets described a gesture that the Tesla CEO made at President Donald Trump’s inauguration rally on Monday as a Nazi salute.Netanyahu took to X on Thursday to post that Musk is "being falsely smeared.""Elon is a great friend of Israel," the prime minister said. "He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. He
  
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• Harrowing crime has left officers struggling, lead detective says

  23-01-2025 17:29 via bbc.com
  
  Det Ch Insp Jason Pye speaks of the trauma faced by investigators in the case.
  
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• ‘We were betrayed’: families of apartheid victims sue South African government

  23-01-2025 17:13 via theguardian.com
  
  High court case demands inquiry into 1985 Cradock Four killings and ‘constitutional damages’ worth £7.3mLukhanyo Calata’s first memory of his father was the funeral. His mother sobbing, the earth beneath his feet shaking from the number of people gathered at the graveside, and the fear he felt aged three as the red box holding his father, Fort, was lowered into the ground.Fort Calata was one of four men stopped at a roadblock in June 1985 by security officers. The Cradock
  
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• At least 12 train passengers killed in India after jumping onto tracks to flee alleged fire

  23-01-2025 16:27 via foxnews.com
  
  At least 12 train passengers were killed in western India Wednesday after being struck by another train on an adjacent track after they jumped from their coaches in panic to escape a rumored fire incident, the Press Trust of India reported.At least six other people were injured, the news agency cited police officer Dattatraya Karale as saying.The accident occurred in Maharashtra State, near the Pardhade railroad station, 255 miles northeast of Mumbai, India’s financial capital.INDIA STEPS
  
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• Putin reportedly concerned over Russia's economy ahead of possible Trump tariffs

  23-01-2025 15:10 via foxnews.com
  
  Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly worried about the state of his country’s economy as President Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office. According to a Reuters report citing five sources, Trump's push to end the war in Ukraine is only adding to Putin's concerns.Throughout his campaign, Trump pushed to end world conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, which began with Putin’s 2022 invasion."I really do have a lot of confidence in his [Trump’s] ability to actual
  
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• Family of jailed dissident urge Lammy to prioritise case as he visits Egypt

  23-01-2025 14:12 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Moment of truth’ for UK foreign secretary over Alaa Abd El Fattah, who is still being held in a Cairo prisonThe family of the jailed British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd El Fattah have urged the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, to prioritise the dissident’s release above trade deals during his visit to Egypt.Fattah remains in a Cairo jail even though his sentence for dissent has been served. His mother is on a hunger strike in London with her health now deteriorating. Continue r
  
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• Southport attacks: Axel Rudakubana removed from court during sentencing

  23-01-2025 13:07 via theguardian.com
  Rudakubana, 18, taken out of court after interrupting proceedings after earlier pleading guilty to murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot StancombeThe legal counsel for the defence and prosecution have entered court.The prosecution is led by Deanna Heer KC, with her junior Philip Astbury. Continue reading...
  
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• Kemi Badenoch wants Liz Truss to ‘shut up for a while’

  23-01-2025 13:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Tory leader told shadow cabinet last week she wanted predecessor to stop makingunhelpful interventionsUK politics live – latest updatesKemi Badenoch has told shadow ministers she wants a period of silence from Liz Truss, as the Conservative leader seeks to distance herself from her predecessor’s economic legacy.Badenoch told the shadow cabinet last week that she wished Truss would stop intervening in British politics after the former prime minister wrote a “cease and desist&rdq
  
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• ‘Fighting Goliath’: Amazon workers to hold union election at North Carolina warehouse

  23-01-2025 13:00 via theguardian.com
  NLRB-sanctioned vote in February of 4,300 workers could produce only second unionized Amazon warehouse in USAn independent group of workers at an Amazon warehouse in Garner, North Carolina, are seeking to form the second unionized warehouse at Amazon in the US.Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (Cause) filed to hold a union election at the warehouse, which, despite Amazon claiming they were “very skeptical” the group would have enough legitimate signatures for
  
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• Rejecting offer for UK to join Europe-wide customs scheme is ‘economic negligence’, Lib Dem leader says – UK politics live

  23-01-2025 12:55 via theguardian.com
  Ed Davey says it is ‘alarming’ the government will negotiate with China but won’t agree to better EU trading arrangementHere is Downing Street news release on the government’s plans to limit the extent to which judicial review can be used to hold up infrastructure projects. The plans will cover England and Wales.The RSPB, which describes itself as the UK’s largest nature conversation charity, has accused Labour of going back on its pre-election promises to protect n
  
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• Trump suggests it was a mistake for Biden not to pardon himself – US politics live

  23-01-2025 12:54 via theguardian.com
  US president says his predecessor gave ‘everybody pardons’ but says it is a ‘sad thing’ he didn’t give himself oneTrump defends January 6 pardonsArgentina’s president, Javier Milei, defended on Thursday what he described as an “innocent” hand salute made by US billionaire Elon Musk this week, as he criticised “woke ideology” in a fiery speech to the World Economic Forum.Musk ignited controversy with two fascist-style salutes during Dona
  
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• Europe live: Micheál Martin to be appointed taoiseach in Ireland following disruption in Dáil

  23-01-2025 12:52 via theguardian.com
  TDs gather in parliament for ceremony which had been due to take place yesterdayDonald Trump should be wary of giving Vladimir Putin too much prominence by agreeing to an early summit on Ukraine, Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski argued in Davos.Here is his argument in full:President Trump has started well by recognising that it is Putin who needs to shift his position, not Ukraine.If I can make one suggestion to the new administration, coming from the depths of experience of a coun
  
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• Metropolitan police out of special measures after ‘good progress’

  23-01-2025 12:48 via theguardian.com
  London mayor hails performance and culture reforms but inspectorate warns there is still significant work to be doneUK politics live – latest updatesThe Metropolitan police have been judged to be turning around extensive failings and removed from special measures after more than two years under extra scrutiny.The decision was announced by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services on Thursday. Continue reading...
  
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• Louvre leaky, damaged and overcrowded, warns Paris museum’s director

  23-01-2025 12:38 via theguardian.com
  
  In leaked memo to culture minister, Laurence des Cars warns some areas not watertight, threatening artworksThe director of the Louvre has warned the French government about leaks, overcrowding and sub-standard catering in a leaked memo that has raised alarm about the state of the world’s most-visited museum.Laurence des Cars, the first woman to head the gallery, wrote a confidential note about her concerns to the culture minister, Rachida Dati, earlier this month which was published on Thu
  
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• Sainsbury’s to cut 3,000 jobs as it shuts hot food counters and cafes

  23-01-2025 12:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Supermarket chain to cut head office roles by a fifth amid rising labour costsBusiness live – latest updatesSainsbury’s is to cut 3,000 jobs in the UK through the closure of its hot food counters and cafes and by reducing senior management roles by a fifth, amid rising labour costs.Simon Roberts, the chief executive of the supermarket group, said he was making the job cuts as part of its already announced efforts to slash £1bn from costs as the business was “facing into a
  
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• Strongest storm in generations predicted as Storm Éowyn heads for UK

  23-01-2025 12:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Rare red weather warning for Northern Ireland and Scotland with gusts of up to 100mph forecastA rare red weather covering Northern Ireland and Scotland was issued on Thursday before what could be the strongest storm in generations.The Met Office said the arrival of Storm Éowyn on Friday could bring gusts of up to 100mph and “flying debris resulting in a danger to life”. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘A ritual for a dictator’: Lukashenko critics decry Belarus election

  23-01-2025 12:07 via theguardian.com
  Longtime president and Putin ally has silenced media and criminalised dissent as he eyes seventh termEurope live – latest updatesOn Sunday, five names will feature on the ballot in Belarus’s presidential election, but the outcome is a foregone conclusion: Alexander Lukashenko’s 31-year reign is poised to continue in the carefully managed vote, granting the dictator his seventh term in power.The elections, described by the opposition as a “farce”, come four and a hal
  
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• Rough Trade to expand New York store as music fans seek ‘experiences’, owner says

  23-01-2025 12:00 via theguardian.com
  British record store chain to triple size of Rockefeller Center location with 300-capacity room featuring built-in stageA mosh pit may seem out of place in Rockefeller Center, better known for its Christmas tree, rinks and hoards of tourists. But a British record store chain wants to change that.Rough Trade is tripling the size of its site at the major shopping center this spring, expanding its downstairs to create space for more vinyls, merchandise and events with artists. Continue reading...
  
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• Revealed: Microsoft deepened ties with Israeli military to provide tech support during Gaza war

  23-01-2025 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Leaked documents shed light on how Israel integrated the US tech giant into its war effort to meet growing demand for cloud and AI toolsThe Israeli military’s reliance on Microsoft’s cloud technology and artificial intelligence systems surged during the most intensive phase of its bombardment of Gaza, leaked documents reveal.The files offer an inside view of how Microsoft deepened its relationship with Israel’s defence establishment after 7 October 2023, supplying the military
  
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• Outcry in Italy over German board game based on Sicily’s mafia wars

  23-01-2025 10:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Sister of murdered judge Giovanni Falcone describes it as an offence to all those who have fought organised crimeA board game based on the mafia wars that raged in Sicily in the 1980s has caused controversy in Italy, with the sister of the murdered anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone describing it as an offence to all those who had fought to free Italy of organised crime.La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War, produced by the German firm Boardgame Atelier, won last year’s As d’Or, or Golden
  
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• Nato chief urges ‘step up’ in support for Ukraine

  23-01-2025 10:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Vladimir Putin victory would lead to bloc’s members spending ‘trillions’ more on defence, says Mark RutteBusiness live – latest updatesThe head of the Nato military alliance has called for a “step up” in support for Ukraine, to put Kyiv in the strongest position to achieve a sustainable peace deal with Russia.Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mark Rutte warned against scaling back support for Ukraine, saying it was essential to &l
  
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• How to protect your home before, during and after a storm

  23-01-2025 10:37 via bbc.com
  
  The rain and high winds experienced during stormy weather can damage homes and business properties.
  
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• EU trade chief says it ‘could consider’ UK joining pan-Europe customs deal

  23-01-2025 10:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Maroš Šefčovič says ‘the ball is in the UK’s court’ as British ministers reportedly consult businessesBusiness live – latest updatesThe EU’s new trade chief has said the bloc could consider including the UK in a pan-European trade agreement, but emphasised that “the ball is in the UK’s court”.While the UK’s Labour government has ruled out returning to the single market and customs union after Brexit, the possibility of
  
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• Labor calls Coalition’s tax breaks for business lunches a ‘farce’ as Dutton fails to clarify cost

  23-01-2025 08:13 via theguardian.com
  
  Policy pitched as incentive for businesses to spend more at local venues amounts to using taxpayer money ‘to shout your boss steak tartare’, government saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Labor government has ridiculed the Coalition’s plan to allow small businesses to claim tax deductions on meals and entertainment, saying it amounts to using taxpayer money to “shout your boss steak tarta
  
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• Australia ‘not giving up’ on Paris climate agreement despite Trump withdrawal, Bowen says

  23-01-2025 08:05 via theguardian.com
  But climate change and energy minister says government will not announce its 2035 emissions target before electionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, is “not giving up” on the Paris climate agreement despite the US president, Donald Trump, moving to pull the world’s second-largest polluter out of the global accord.Bowen made the comments as the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, all but rule
  
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• Two men arrested after alleged attack on off-duty police officers in Newtown

  23-01-2025 08:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Constable, 25, battling ‘serious head injuries’ in Sydney hospital after alleged late-night assault on Enmore RoadFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo men have been arrested as police investigate an alleged attack that left two off-duty police officers in hospital in Sydney.Police said the officers, both 25-year-old male constables, had been walking along Enmore Road in Newtown after attending a concert w
  
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• LNP denies decision has been made on Brisbane Olympic venues – as it happened

  23-01-2025 07:55 via theguardian.com
  
  This blog is now closedLabor calls Coalition’s tax breaks for business lunches a ‘farce’ as Dutton fails to clarify costGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAsked about the future of the weekly pro-Palestinian protests across Australia, Malarndirri McCarthy said as long as they are respectful and peaceful, “they are part of our democratic way”.It’s interesting, isn’t it? I mean, we are a democracy. Whatever the rally or protest is,
  
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• Thursday briefing: With a new wave of violence, the West Bank is on edge

  23-01-2025 07:43 via theguardian.com
  
  In today’s newsletter: As Israeli security forces launch an operation in the city of Jenin and violence by settlers escalates, Emma Graham-Harrison explains what happens nextGood morning.A few days after a ceasefire brought at least temporary relief to Gaza, violence erupted in the occupied West Bank. On Tuesday, the Israeli military launched what was described as an extensive raid in the city of Jenin, a day after Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians, setting vehicles and property ablaz
  
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• Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog charges 28 more people over allegations of bribes to register builders

  23-01-2025 06:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Ibac says it has charged one Victorian Building Authority employee and 27 people involved in building registration applicationsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged a further 28 people as part of its investigation into allegations the Victorian Building Authority accepted financial bribes in exchange for registering builders.The state’s Independent Broad-based An
  
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• Is TikTok a national security threat – or is the ban a smokescreen for superpower rivalry?

  23-01-2025 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Washington looks happy for the video app to harvest users’ data – as long as China does not reap the rewardsIf the Chinese-owned TikTok is deemed definitively by the US to be a national security threat, it is hard to see how the UK or other western countries could conclude differently.But the fact that Donald Trump has walked into the White House talking of a reprieve for the video-sharing network, which restored its service in the US after going dark for a day, suggests something si
  
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• Splendour in the Grass festival cancelled for second year running

  23-01-2025 05:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Organisers say festival ‘needs a little more time to recharge’ after last year cancelling due to ‘unexpected events’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Splendour in the Grass festival has been cancelled for the second year in a row.In a post to Facebook, organisers said they needed “a little more time to recharge” and would come back “bigger and better” when the time i
  
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• Letter to federal employees warns of ‘adverse consequences’ if they do not report disguised DEI efforts – as it happened

  23-01-2025 04:36 via theguardian.com
  
  This blog has now closed. You can read all our coverage of the Trump administration hereThe Wall Street Journal has spoken to some federal workers affected by the slew of executive orders signed by president Donald Trump at the outset of his second term as president, and reports “a sense of anxiety and confusion” among staff.One person, a product-support manager for the US navy, said “It’s leaving a lot of uncertainty that folks have never really had to feel. It seems lik
  
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• Cargo ship crew held by Houthi rebels released after more than a year in captivity

  23-01-2025 02:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Houthis in Yemen said 25-member crew of Galaxy Leader had been freed ‘in support’ of the Gaza ceasefire agreementSee all our Middle East crisis coverageYemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized the Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV has reported.It said on Wednesday the crew were handed to Oman “in coordination” with the three-day-old ceasefire in Gaza&rsqu
  
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