Congresswoman Ilhan Omar sprayed with unknown substance at Minneapolis town hall pred 13 urami in 44 minutami Man arrested and charged with assault after spraying strong-smelling liquid at Minnesota Democrat from syringeCongresswoman Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unidentified substance by a man with a syringe on Tuesday as she gave her first in-person town hall of the year in Minneapolis, during which she called for ICE to be abolished “for good” and DHS secretary Kristi Noem to resign.Omar had only been speaking for a few minutes when a man in the audience got up and began to shout, while spraying her with the liquid. People at the meeting said the liquid had an acidic smell. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW school counsellor banned after having jelly shots and engaging in ‘sexual contact’ with students pred 14 urami in 48 minutami Health Care Complaints Commission finds Victoria Worsley poses ‘a significant and unacceptable risk’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA New South Wales school counsellor who invited students to her home for alcoholic jelly shots before engaging in “sexual contact” with them has been permanently banned from practising.The Health Care Complaints Commission found that Victoria Worsley, known as “Toy” Worsley, poses “a significant and unacceptable risk to the health and safety of the public”, permanently prohibiting her from providing any health services in paid or voluntary roles, including counselling and social work. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Attacks day after day’: Odesa in Russia’s crosshairs as war pivots back to Black Sea pred 15 urami Unable to get near Ukraine’s main port, Moscow is pounding the city from afar with missiles and dronesOutside the Kadorr apartment complex in Ukraine’s Black Sea city of Odesa, about 500 metres from the seafront, residents and rescue workers mill around in freezing temperatures.Above an office on the 25th floor, a block of wall has been blown out by a Russian drone. Below, rubble and glass have been moved quickly into piles as owners survey cars crushed by the falling masonry. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
England’s most deprived areas to get worse by next election, report for No 10 finds pred 15 urami Exclusive: the 613 most deprived areas will see higher crime rates and worse unemployment under current funding schemes, report saysThe country’s most deprived neighbourhoods will have higher crime rates and worse unemployment by the end of the parliament, according to a report written at the request of N 10.The forecasts from the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (Icon) show crime rates and unemployment will rise until the next election in England’s 613 most deprived neighbourhoods, despite the government’s promises to invest in local communities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Royal Mail delivered Christmas letters and parcels late to about 16m people pred 15 urami ‘No light at the end of the tunnel for consumers’ as 2025 figure is 50% higher than previous year, says Citizens AdviceRoyal Mail has been criticised for offering an “unacceptable” performance over the crucial Christmas period after it failed to deliver letters and cards on time to about 16 million people, Citizens Advice found.The consumer watchdog, which carried out research into Christmas deliveries, said that figure was 50% higher than in 2024, and the highest level over the festive period in five years, excluding when Royal Mail was hit by strike action in the run-up to Christmas four years ago. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Placebo make theatre debut with score for Brecht production by Royal Shakespeare Company pred 15 urami Alt-rockers will score Hitler allegory The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, with Mark Gatiss in the title roleAlt-rockers Placebo are set to collaborate with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) by scoring a new production of Bertolt Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.Written in 1941, the play is about a Chicago mobster who seeks to control the city’s vegetable trade through corruption, intimidation and violence: a clear allegory of how Adolf Hitler had swept to power during the 1930s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China’s ambassador warns Albanese reclaiming Port of Darwin will force Beijing to intervene pred 15 urami in 38 minutami Xiao Qian hits out at Labor’s policy to force the Chinese-owned company Landbridge to sell its 99-year lease on the portFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChina’s ambassador to Australia says plans by the Albanese government to remove the Port of Darwin from Chinese ownership will put at risk future trade growth and force an intervention by Beijing.Ambassador Xiao Qian hit out at Labor’s policy to force the Chinese-owned company Landbridge to sell its 99-year lease on the port, sparked by pre-election national security concerns from both Labor and the Coalition. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Stable genius? How a defective ‘crying horse’ toy went viral in China pred 15 urami in 38 minutami Toy becomes a popular symbol of workplace fatigue after manufacturing error gave it a frown instead of a smileOn 17 February China will celebrate the start of the year of the horse, the zodiac sign symbolising high energy and hard work. But the runaway success of a defective stuffed toy suggests that many Chinese are not feeling the vibe.A red horse toy produced by Happy Sister in the city of Yiwu in the west of China was meant to wear a broad grin, but a factory error meant it hit the shops sporting a despairing grimace. Because the smile was placed upside down, the horse’s nostrils could be interpreted as tears. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Can Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez become a Latin American Deng Xiaoping? pred 16 urami Maduro’s Sorbonne-educated successor is talking up an era of ‘reform and opening up’ modelled on China’s post-Mao boomAfter years of political and social upheaval, hunger and despair, the Great Helmsman departs and is replaced by a francophile economic reformer who catapults a traumatised country into a new era of prosperity and growth.That is what happened in China half a century ago when the croissant-loving communist Deng Xiaoping became paramount leader after Chairman Mao Zedong’s 1976 death and set in motion one of history’s biggest economic booms. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Scott Morrison accused of ‘deeply ill-informed’ attack on religious freedom after Islam speech pred 16 urami in 4 minutami Former PM called for national register and accreditation for imams, sparking backlash from Muslim leadersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLeading Islamic groups have condemned Scott Morrison as “deeply ill-informed” and “dangerous” after the former prime minister demanded a national register and accreditation for imams, and expanding foreign interference frameworks to capture foreign links in religious institutions.The former Liberal leader, speaking at an antisemitism conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday, claimed the measures were needed after the Islamic State-inspired Bondi terror shooting at a Hanukah event, which left 15 people dead. Morrison demanded a focus on “radicalised extremist Islam”, noting the two alleged Bondi shooters “were Australian-made” and demanding local Muslim bodies do more to stamp out hate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
