News

Rioters in Tunisia clash with security forces for third night

Clashes broke out for a third consecutive night on Sunday in several Tunisian cities, pitting stone-throwing youths against security forces despite a tight lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. In the working-class neighbourhood of Ettadhamen on the edge of the capital Tunis, young men hurled rocks at riot police who responded with volleys of tear gas. Authorities said they had arrested dozens of young people during consecutive nights of...

Best-seller joins Samaritans to send socially distanced message at Waterloo

Best-selling author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy has teamed up with the Samaritans to send a positive socially-distanced message to travellers on Blue Monday. The charity’s volunteers are usually out and about across the rail network today - which is regarded as one of the hardest days for people’s mental health - running their Brew Monday campaign encouraging people to take time out with friends or family. But Covid restrictions means the...

Trump, in wave of Tuesday pardons, so far not planning to pardon himself - source

Trump, in wave of Tuesday pardons, so far not planning to pardon himself - source

Councillors up in arms over plans to name estate after English baron

De Clare Gardens in Caerphilly, south Wales, has been named after Gilbert De Clare, an Englishman who built a castle in the town to keep the Welsh under his control.

Vegan entrepreneur sparks planning row after applying to build pool

Ophelia Froud, a former BBC TV producer, and her husband Jolyon submitted plans to build a pool on the boundary with their neighbours' gardens at their home in Dorset.

'The worst day of the year': Why not turn Blue Monday into Brew Monday?

People are being encouraged to turn Blue Monday into Brew Monday

Saudis vowed to stop executing minors; some death sentences remain, rights groups say

Saudis vowed to stop executing minors; some death sentences remain, rights groups say

Rioters in Senate chamber look for evidence against 'these scumbags'

The New Yorker has released video of Donald Trump supporters that invaded the US Capitol inside the Senate chamber.

DOI's Rufus Hound hailed for shaming government over school meals disgrace live on air

Comedian Rufus, 41, used Dancing On Ice tonight to blast Tory MPs over the school meals scandal

Japan PM vows to press ahead with Olympics despite virus surge

UK-OLYMPICS-2020-SUGA:Japan PM vows to press ahead with Olympics despite virus surge

When will lockdown end - and when will I get the vaccine? All the pledges this year

Here is your pocket guide to the dates when we've been promised things will happen this year by the Tory Government as the vaccine programme continues to ramp up

FBI checks 25,000 National Guard over fears of insider attack at inauguration

Fears about a potential insider attack at Joe Biden's inauguration have prompted the FBI to vet all 25,000 National Guard troops who will be on duty.

The presidency of Donald Trump in pictures

‘We The People’ concert: Connie Britton reveals moving moment with Joe Biden

In a moving speech, actress Connie Britton spoke at the Biden-Harris “We The People” concert, which kicked off the duo’s inauguration week on Sunday night (17 January). Recalling the day she attended the United State of Women Conference a few years ago, Britton described meeting then-Vice President Biden shortly after he gave a 45-minute speech about women’s empowerment at the event. Though the Vice President was about to be driven away after...

Shift to renewable energy eases key environmental burdens, EU says

Shift to renewable energy eases key environmental burdens, EU says

Fewer than one in 10 police officers fired after gross misconduct finding

Fewer than one in 10 British police officers found to have potentially committed gross misconduct by the watchdog are dismissed, the Guardian can reveal. Figures released by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) show 641 officers in England and Wales may have so seriously breached standards that they were liable to be sacked between 2015 and 2020, but just 54 (8.4%) were fired after disciplinary action was conducted internally....

BREAKING NEWS: Trump will leave the White House at '8am Wednesday'

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to leave the White House at 8am on Wednesday - the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration.

Proud Boys and Black Lives Matter supporters clash at Utah rally

As pro-Trump extremists, which President-elect Joe Biden later would label “domestic terrorists”, laid siege to the Capitol building on Wednesday, similar “Save America” gatherings erupted across several US cities, from Atlanta, GA, to Topeka, KS — albeit on a less grand scale. Some 2,000 miles away from DC, Utah’s sleepy capital city — which as of late only pierces the national dialogue bubble when Mitt Romney or Real Housewives-related news...

First stage of Jeremy Corbyn’s legal battle with Labour goes to High Court

Lawyers for the former opposition leader are applying for the disclosure of documents ahead of a possible legal challenge over his suspension.

China enters 2021 on rebound after recording lowest economic growth in 40 years

China’s economy picked up speed in the fourth quarter, with growth beating expectations as it ended a rough coronavirus-striken 2020 in remarkably good shape and remained poised to expand further this year even as the global pandemic raged unabated. The world’s second-largest economy has surprised many with the speed of its recovery from the coronavirus jolt, especially as policymakers have also had to navigate tense U.S.-China relations on...

'Another rocky road': UK theatre bosses eye 2021 with resilience and realism

‘We won’t do work that is comforting or safe’ Nikolai Foster, Curve, Leicester Last year we cancelled five productions which was heartbreaking but we learned a lot about resilience and are so determined now. When we thought we were coming out of lockdown we planned to stage Sunset Boulevard. We have a 350-seat space and a 970-seat auditorium and are able to fly out the dividing walls to create a 1,500-seat arena with a socially distanced...

Uighur campaigners to target 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics sponsors

Campaigners fighting against the persecution of Uighur Muslims in China are to target private companies sponsoring the Beijing Winter Olympics in an attempt to persuade them to use their influence with the Chinese government ahead of the 2022 event. Uighur campaigners in 10 different countries are coming together to write to companies asking them to use their platforms to educate and inform the world of the persecution under way in Xinjiang...

Government would recover 81% of cost of pay rise for NHS England staff – report

A substantial pay rise for NHS staff in England battling the coronavirus pandemic would cost the exchequer only a fifth of the headline price tag and boost Britain’s struggling economy, according to a report. Setting out the economic case for raising the wages of England’s 1 million nurses, midwives, health professionals and NHS support staff, researchers from the London Economics consultancy said 81% of the cost of a 5% or 10% pay rise would be...

Celebrities attending Biden’s inauguration (and performing!)

Giant inflatable Trump blimp 'consigned to history'

The Donald Trump blimp, which depicted the US president as an angry baby wearing a nappy and clutching a mobile phone, has finally been "consigned to history".

What the papers say – January 18

Vaccines opening up to five million more Britons is among the stories on Monday’s front pages.

Monday briefing: Benefit cuts risk 'levelling up' plan

Top story: poorer students at risk of ‘digital poverty’ Morning everyone: I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories to start your week. Boris Johnson has been urged not to go ahead with cuts to universal credit affecting 6 million families if he is serious about his “levelling up” agenda. The Resolution Foundation thinktank joined opposition parties, anti-poverty campaigners and many Conservative MPs in urging the government to extend the...

'The rot went deep' - US conservatives divided on Trump's future

Will Donald Trump be a spent political force when he is replaced on Wednesday by Joe Biden after a single term in office?

Families of citizens dying after contact with police still await justice

Relatives of people who have died after contact with the police have told of their distrust in and dissatisfaction with the ability of the complaints system to help deliver justice. “I feel the IOPC is there to shut families up and make us believe there is a thorough investigation,” said Carla Cumberbatch, sister of electrician Darren, who died at the age of 32 in July 2017 after he was punched up to 15 times, beaten with a baton, sprayed with...

Japan PM Suga: Will exhaust all means to protect pandemic-hit medical system

Japan PM Suga: Will exhaust all means to protect pandemic-hit medical system

Starwatch: Orion's treats for the naked-eye star watcher

The mighty constellation of Orion the hunter is one of the greatest sights in the night sky. To those of us in the northern hemisphere, it is currently bolt upright in the south during the late evening. Orion’s right shoulder is marked by the red star of Betelgeuse, and his left foot is signified by the white star of Rigel. Fainter stars, Bellatrix and Saiph, mark out the opposite shoulder and foot. The three stars of Orion’s belt, Alnitak,...

May all right thinking Stormont politicians try to stop the evil of abortion, which is happening in Northern Ireland

A letter from David Wilson:

Police break up fight in London between 40 men involving knives and a sword

A brawl between 40 men using knives, bottles and a sword has been broken up by police in west London. Police initially reported that two swords had been used in the fight in Southall in the early hours of Sunday, but later corrected this to “at least one sword”. At 8pm on Sunday, police released a statement saying that they had been called at “around 0200hrs to a large group of males fighting with knives and at least one sword in the area of...

Some Conservative MPs set to oppose withdrawal of benefits increase - FT

Some Conservative MPs set to oppose withdrawal of benefits increase - FT

China reports 109 new COVID-19 cases as infections persist in northeast

China reports 109 new COVID-19 cases as infections persist in northeast

What Biden can and can't get from an evenly divided Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) — So what does a 50-50 Senate get President-elect Joe Biden? Washington has barely had time to process the implications of Democratic control after two Georgia runoff elections that are delivering the Senate to Democrats. Hours after the races were decided, a mob of zealots ransacked the U.S. Capitol and reshaped the national and political landscape. The unexpected new balance of power giving Democrats only the barest control of...

SKorean court gives Samsung scion prison term over bribery

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Billionaire Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong is heading back to prison after a South Korean court sentenced him to two and a half years over his involvement in a 2016 corruption scandal that spurred massive protests and ousted South Korea’s then-president. In a much-anticipated retrial on Monday, the Seoul High Court found Lee guilty of bribing then-President Park Geun-hye and her close confidante to win government support...

Apple's Cook says Parler could return to App Store with reforms

Apple suspended all downloads of the Parler app following the attack on the US Capitol on January 6.

Gavin Williamson’s ‘incompetence’ has left children hungry – Labour

Children have gone hungry because of Gavin Williamson’s “incompetence” as Education Secretary, Labour has said, ahead of a Commons debate on free school meal provision. Shadow education secretary Kate Green accused her opposite number of letting parents down “time and time again”. Labour will use an opposition day debate in the Commons on Monday afternoon to say that eligible families should be guaranteed to receive the full value of free school...

Egyptian archeological mission discover Queen Neari in funerary temple

An Egyptian archeological mission discovered a funerary temple in Saqqara Necropolis, Eygypt, on Saturday 16th January dating back over 4,000 years, belonging to Queen Nearit, wife of King Teti. The expedition began in 2007.

Sulawesi quake death toll at 81 as Indonesia battles series of disasters

Sulawesi quake death toll at 81 as Indonesia battles series of disasters

Everyone arriving in UK must now self-isolate as travel corridors close

Everyone arriving in the UK from abroad must now self-isolate as the government order shutting all travel corridors comes into effect.

Moment the Trump baby blimp takes off

A giant Trump baby blimp has been launched over London by protesters.

Covid vaccinations to begin for over-70s and extremely vulnerable as rollout expanded

Over-70s and extremely vulnerable people will begin receiving invitations for coronavirus jabs this week

‘We’re filled with hope’: Bidens open inauguration events with message of positivity after Capitol violence

President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Dr Jill Biden opened Sunday night's “We The People” concert – and 2021 Inauguration Week – with a message of hope and unity, telling their audience how they were “filled with hope” at the days, months, and years ahead. Acknowledging the “difficult transition process” faced by the incoming Biden administration, Dr Biden expressed compassion for Americans who ”have experienced loss over the last year", which...

Twitter suspends Marjorie Taylor Green, QAnon-backing Republican

Twitter has temporarily suspended the account of the Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who has gained a large following on social media, in part by posting incendiary videos and comments. Greene, a Republican businesswoman, is the first candidate who expressed support for the baseless, far-right QAnon conspiracy theory to win a US House seat. Greene in November won the race for Georgia’s 14th congressional district after her...

ANDREW PIERCE: Cap'n Hindsight lacks foresight on council tax

ANDREW PIERCE: There was a rare policy announcement last week from Captain Hindsight, aka Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who called for a block on council tax increases in April.

China's Kuaishou to open books for $5 billion Hong Kong IPO next week - sources

China's Kuaishou to open books for $5 billion Hong Kong IPO next week - sources

Guatemalan security forces beat back caravan of Honduran migrants

Guatemalan police and soldiers launched tear gas and wielded batons and shields against a group of Honduran migrants that tried to push through their roadblock early Sunday. A group of about 2,000 migrants had stopped short of the roadblock the night before. The roadblock was strategically placed at a chokepoint on the two-lane highway to Chiquimula in an area known as Vado Hondo. It’s flanked by a tall mountainside and a wall leaving the...

Emicida, a rapper on a mission to recover Brazil's black history

When the black Brazilian rapper Emicida imagines his country’s whitewashed history, he sees a textbook missing a succession of key pages. In his songs and on stage, the São Paulo-born musician tries to correct that skewed telling, remembering the lives and times of black Brazilian academics, artists and activists in the hope of changing Brazil’s future. “If we’d been told about this story and these [black] contributions at school, we’d have a...