Author: The Guardian

Israeli forces have advanced further into southern Gaza’s main city, pounding areas near the territory’s biggest functioning hospital and sparking fears it could be forced to close due to Israeli bombardments and evacuation orders.Khan Younis residents and medical staff said the fighting had come within metres of Nasser hospital, the biggest hospital still partially working in Gaza, over the past week. It has been receiving hundreds of wounded patients a day since the fighting shifted to the south last month.Israeli officials have accused Hamas fighters of operating from Nasser hospital, which staff deny.Two-thirds of Gaza’s hospitals have now ceased functioning…

Two Madonna fans in New York City are suing the pop star for being late to her concert, claiming they “had to get up early to go to work” the next morning.In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden said they purchased tickets to the Dec. 13 show at Barclays Center as a celebration of Madonna part of the tour.The suit said the show was advertised to start at 8.30pm, but the 65-year-old musician did not take the stage until after 10.30pm.When two concertgoers left after 1 a.m., they were “stranded in the middle…

An estimated 3,000 Māori leaders, tribal representatives and a number of politicians are expected to meet this week, after the Kiingitanga* – the Māori king movement – called for a rare national meeting amid simmering tensions over the new National-led government’s direction for Māori.Late last year, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII issued the extremely rare royal proclamation asking iwi (tribes) to meet to “unify the nation and ensure all voices are heard when holding the new coalition government to account”.What is the Kiingitanga and what is its function?The Kiingitanga was founded in 1858, in an attempt to unite Māori…

Australia beat the West Indies by 10 wickets in the first Test and secured victory before lunch on day three at the Adelaide Oval. But not before opening batsman Usman Khawaja took a sickening blow to his helmet, causing him to vomit blood.Australia tied the score at 26 just 11 minutes before lunch to win 0-26, leading 1-0 in both Tests and making it their 13th consecutive title defense since 1994-95 Frank Worrell Trophy.However, something dramatic happened at the end when, with the score tied, Khawaja (No. 9) was hit hard on the helmet by Shamal Joseph’s short ball. The…

The federal judge overseeing the criminal case against Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results indicated on Thursday that the scheduled trial date would not hold as a result of the case being frozen while the former US president appeals to have the charges dismissed.The US district judge Tanya Chutkan last summer scheduled the trial in Washington DC to start on 4 March – allowing Trump and his team seven months to prepare his defense – and has taken pains to ensure that date would not be delayed.But when Trump appealed her decision in December to…

An Oklahoma lawmaker is facing backlash for introducing a discriminatory bill that would label Hispanics as “terrorists.”Republican state representative JJ Humphrey introduced HB 3133, a bill that would address issues such as drug and human trafficking in the state and punish those who commit these “acts of terrorism.”The penalty for this type of crime will be the forfeiture of all assets, including all property, vehicles and money.In addition to “members of criminal street gangs” and “persons convicted of gang-related crimes,” the bill defines a terrorist as “any Hispanic person residing in Oklahoma.”The move was met with fierce criticism.State Sen. Michael…

A billionaire couple is giving $100m to Atlanta’s Spelman College, which the women’s school says is the largest-ever single donation to a historically Black college or university (HBCU).The donation was announced on Thursday by Ronda Stryker and her husband William Johnston. She is the billionaire granddaughter of the founder of the medical device maker Stryker Corp and he is the chairman of the money management firm Greenleaf Trust. They live in Michigan.Spelman said that it would use $75m to endow scholarships. The rest of the money will be used for other purposes, including developing an academic focus on public policy…

key eventsShow only key eventsPlease enable JavaScript to use this featureWest Indies went all out for 120 runs, Australia needed 26 to win35.2 overs: West Indies 120-10 (Roach 11) Two batsmen ran out of the field to bowl and all 25 runs had to be defended. The partnership was 26 and the effort from the last pair was quite good. If a few more partnerships had been 26, West Indies might have had a chance in this match.wicket! S. Joseph St. Carey b Lyon 15, West Indies 120-10it’s all over. Joseph’s confidence led to his downfall as he kicked the…

In 2016, I scored my dream job at a travel magazine based in Bangkok. I moved there from Sydney with my partner, Leigh, who worked as a photographer and often accompanied me shooting my work assignments.Leigh and I loved to travel and we were craving adventure. Our Sydney life had become routine and we wanted a change of scenery – an escape from office jobs, to eat our way through Asia and tell stories along the way. Through work, my “offices” ranged from mountain lodges in northern Vietnam to glamping tents in the jungles of Laos or diverse local villages…

Canadian pole vault record holder and 2015 world champion Shawn Barber has died from medical complications. He was 29 years old that year.Barber’s agent, Paul Doyle, confirmed to The Associated Press that Barber died Wednesday at his home in Kingwood, Texas. The cause of death is unclear. Barber had been facing health issues.”Sean was not just an incredible athlete, he was a kind-hearted man who always put others before himself,” Doyle said Thursday. “To lose such a good person at such a young age It’s so miserable to be alone.”Barber was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, but his father,…