Beijing orders investigations into local disputes after spate of deadly attacks

Seventeen missing after tourist boat capsizes in Red Sea

Sea Story was on diving trip with 31 tourists and 14 crew when it sent distress signalSeventeen people, including a number of British nationals, are missing after a tourist boat on a diving trip capsized in the Red Sea.The Sea Story was carrying 31 tourists from several countries and 14 crew when it sent a distress signal at 5.30am local time (0330 GMT), according to a statement from Egypt’s Red Sea governorate. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 18:18:12

Weather tracker: Swaths of Canada braced for heavy snow

Temperatures unlikely to exceed -20C in parts of Canada, while a red weather warning has been issued for Sri LankaAn area of low pressure moving along the US-Canada border brought heavy snowfall to parts of western Canada at the weekend. A weather warning has been issued for the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan for 150-250mm (6-10in) of snow.As the weather system moves, it is expected to bring further snow to eastern parts of the country early this week. Pressure building after the snowfall is expected trap cold air from the north, triggering severe frost. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 15:20:51

Islamic State is primed to be thorn in the side of incoming Trump administration

The terrorist group has been looking to be active this holiday season, with online chatter about attacks increasingAmid a presidential campaign with foreign policy discussions more focused on the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, the Islamic State stayed under the radar while calling on supporters and operatives to attack Americans on election day.The FBI thwarted a serious plot in Oklahoma City only weeks before the vote, prompting a similar public reaction to news involving the terror group that has become customary of late: is the Islamic State a renewed threat? Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-23 12:00:44

As Band Aid marks 40th anniversary critics take aim at Africa stereotypes

Latest version of Do They Know It’s Christmas fundraiser reignites debate about ‘problematic’ lyrics and imagery Forty years ago this week, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.Do They Know It’s Christmas, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure’s festive charity behemoth, would go on to raise almost £150m for famine relief and development in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa. To mark the anniversary, on Monday a new version of the single – its fifth – will be released under the name Band Aid 40. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-23 09:00:38

Hungary invites Netanyahu to visit as world leaders split over ICC arrest warrant

Viktor Orbán says he will not enforce ICC decision that requires court members to detain Israeli PM if he enters their countryMiddle East crisis – live updatesUK politics live – latest updatesHungary’s illiberal prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said he will invite his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to visit in defiance of an international criminal court arrest warrant, as world leaders split over the ICC’s momentous decision.The world’s highest criminal court issued warrants on Thursday for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and the Hamas commander Ibrahim al-Masri, commonly known as Mohammed Deif, who is believed to be dead, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-22 13:54:28

US moves to list giraffes under Endangered Species Act for first time

Climate crisis, habitat loss and poaching have reduced its numbers – but will Trump put the kibosh on protections?They are the tallest animal to roam the Earth and have become an icon of children’s books, toys and awed wildlife documentaries. But giraffes are in decline, which has prompted the US government to list them as endangered for the first time.Giraffes will be listed under the US Endangered Species Act, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed in a move that will cover five subspecies of the animal. The agency hopes the listing will crack down on the poaching of giraffes, as the US is a leading destination of rugs, pillowcases, boots, furniture and even Bible covers made from giraffe body parts. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-21 18:38:45

Uruguay election: opposition centre-left figure Yamandu Orsi wins presidential runoff

Former history teacher says the ‘horizon is brightening’ as all political rivals pledged to work together to move the country forwardCentre-left opposition candidate Yamandu Orsi secured victory in Uruguay’s presidential election, official results showed on Sunday, with 97% of votes tallied, ousting the conservative governing coalition and making the South American nation the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in a year of landmark elections.Yamandu Orsi, the pre-election favourite by a few points, secured 49.77% of the vote to conservative Alvaro Delgado’s 45.94%, official results showed. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 03:19:34

Nicaragua: Ortega and wife to assume absolute power after changes approved

Loyalist lawmakers give green light to constitutional amendment as authoritarian president, 79, tightens gripNicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega and his wife are set to assume absolute power after loyalist lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment elevating her to the position of “co-president” and boosting the pair’s joint control over the state.Under sanctions for human rights abuses, Ortega himself had proposed the change, which also increases the president’s control over the media and extends the presidential term from five to six years. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-22 21:51:32

4,000-year-old canals used for fishing by Maya predecessors discovered in Belize

New research revealed canals used for about 1,000 years to channel and catch freshwater fish on the Yucatán peninsulaLong before the ancient Maya built temples, their predecessors were already altering the landscape of Central America’s Yucatán peninsula.Using drones and Google Earth imagery, archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old network of earthen canals in what’s now Belize. The findings were published on Friday in the journal Science Advances. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-22 21:29:53

Smugglers convicted after Indian family froze to death on US-Canada border

Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Shand were part of operation bringing increasing numbers of Indians into USA jury has convicted two men of human smuggling charges after an Indian family froze to death attempting to cross the Canada-US border.After a brief deliberation on Friday, a jury in Fergus Falls, Minnesota delivered the verdict in the case against Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who used the alias “Dirty Harry”, and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida. Prosecutors say the pair were part of a broader criminal enterprise that helped migrants cross from Canada into the United States. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-22 19:45:16

Removing Toronto bike lanes will make traffic worse, official document shows

In preparation for plan, Ontario has indemnified itself from liability if cyclists are killed on streets that once had bike lanesRemoving bike lanes from busy city streets will increase traffic congestion, according to a Canadian government document leaked amid a furious row over urban infrastructure.The findings, which come as the province of Ontario goes to war over cycling infrastructure in Toronto, undercut claims that the dedicated routes contribute to urban gridlock. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-22 17:21:53

Haiti summons French ambassador after Macron called its leaders ‘morons’

Government protests ‘unfriendly and inappropriate’ comments by French president caught on cameraHaiti’s government has summoned the French ambassador to the country to protest about “unfriendly and inappropriate” comments from Emmanuel Macron, who was caught on camera calling the country’s leaders “morons”.The French president had on Wednesday described the decision of the Caribbean country’s transitional presidential council to oust the prime minister earlier this month amid an escalation in gang warfare as “completely dumb”. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-22 16:47:57

Beijing orders investigations into local disputes after spate of deadly attacks

Mass stabbings and car rammings have prompted soul-searching about the state of society Beijing is ramping up scrutiny of “common” disputes such as those involving marriages and property, the justice ministry said, as the public reels from a recent string of deadly attacks.China has witnessed a spate of violent incidents in recent months – from mass stabbings to car rammings – a rare development for a country with a proud reputation for public security. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 00:35:08

China unnerved by Russia’s growing ties with North Korea, claims US official

Comments part of debate over whether Beijing backs Kim Jong-un’s decision to send troops to fight in UkraineChina is increasingly uncomfortable about North Korea’s engagement with Russia and finds the growing cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow unnerving, Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state has said.He was leaning into a growing debate among the US’s security partners in Asia on whether China supports the decision of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to send 10,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. It is said the North Korean troops are now inside Russia. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-24 20:04:46

Former Taiwan leader was due to visit UK for two days in October, leak shows

Exclusive: letter reveals dates for visit that was planned by Tsai Ing-wen before Foreign Office intervenedTaiwan’s former president Tsai Ing-wen had been due to visit the UK between 16 and 18 October before the Foreign Office intervened, the Guardian can disclose.Tsai was scheduled to visit London for two days as part of her first international tour since leaving office and was in discussions about addressing the UK parliament, according to a leaked letter. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-24 16:26:45

Laos government ‘profoundly saddened’ by deaths of tourists in Vang Vieng

Six foreign visitors died earlier this month after suspected methanol poisoning during night out in backpacker hotspotWhat went wrong in Laos?The Lao government has said it is “profoundly saddened” by the deaths of foreign tourists in Vang Vieng and has promised justice, as tributes were paid to victims of a suspected mass methanol poisoning which has claimed six lives.Two Danish citizens, two Australians, an American, and a Briton died after becoming ill following a night out in the small riverside town, a popular destination for backpackers. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-23 15:59:45

Huge election year worldwide sees weakening commitment to act on climate crisis

Among sweeping rightwing electoral victories across the globe, the ‘big loser of the elections has been climate’An unprecedented year of elections around the world has underscored a sobering trend – in many countries the commitment to act on the climate crisis has either stalled or is eroding, even as disasters and record temperatures continue to mount.So far 2024, called the “biggest election year in human history” by the United Nations with around half the world’s population heading to the polls, there have been major wins for Donald Trump, the US president-elect who calls the climate crisis “a big hoax”; the climate-skeptic right in European Union elections; and Vladimir Putin, who won another term and has endured sanctions to maintain Russia’s robust oil and gas exports. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-23 11:00:40

Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s deputy vows to have him assassinated if she is killed

Vice-president Sara Duterte tells press conference she has given an assassin the instructions, prompting referral from Marcos’s office over ‘active threat’The Philippines’ vice-president, Sara Duterte, said on Saturday she would have someone assassinate the president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, if she herself were killed, leading Marcos’s office to vow “immediate proper action”.In a dramatic sign of a widening rift between the country’s two most powerful political families, Duterte told a press conference that she had spoken to an assassin and instructed him to kill Marcos, his wife and the speaker of the Philippine house of representatives if she were to be killed. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-23 06:59:11

Albanese hands Chandler-Mather a political power lesson as Greens exhibit internal jitters

The Greens are trying to hold onto their older base while positioning themselves as the party of renters – and the balancing act is proving difficultGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen Anthony Albanese addressed Labor’s national conference in August 2023, he had some choice words for progressive voters considering a vote for the Greens.“They are the blockers – we are the builders,” he said.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news emailPaul Karp is Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 14:00:48

Australia should delay social media ban until age-check trial finishes, Google and Meta say

Coalition-backed bill is ‘inconsistent and ineffective’ and should not go ahead until after trial is completed next year, Meta saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government should delay passing legislation banning under-16s from social media until a trial of age-assurance technology is completed, Google and Meta have said.The federal government is pushing to pass the social media ban legislation by the end of this week, and has been accused of attempting to “ram” the bill through the parliament without appropriate consultation. The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has indicated the Coalition will support the bill.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 14:00:48

David Crisafulli gets his chance to redefine what it means to be a Queensland Liberal premier

Slashing crime is top of the new government’s agenda in its first sitting week, but other challenges loomGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor just the second time in Queensland’s history, a modern Liberal will sit in the premier’s chair in state parliament this week.It’s been 60,088 days since the sunshine state was granted responsible government, in 1860. For all but 1,000 days of the era of modern political parties, the boss has been either a Labor or Country/National MP. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 14:00:47

Australia’s former national security watchdog accuses successor of bowing to pressure from attorney general

Exclusive: Grant Donaldson faults Independent Security Legislation Monitor Jake Blight for ‘clarification’ to old annual report which criticised Mark DreyfusGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former independent watchdog on Australia’s national security laws has accused his successor of bowing to pressure from the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, in publishing a “clarification” to an old annual report that had criticised Dreyfus over a terrorism case.The current Independent Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM), Jake Blight, has confirmed to Guardian Australia that both Dreyfus and one of his staff separately raised concerns earlier this year about what they alleged was “ambiguity” in the INSLM’s 2022-23 report, written by his predecessor Grant Donaldson.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 14:00:44

Victorian doctor admits breaching medical code of conduct by asking patients to fund her teenage vape solutions clinic

Dr Carolyn Beaumont says she made ‘an error of judgment’ by asking for donations in an email to previous patientsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA doctor in Victoria has admitted she breached the medical board’s code of conduct by asking her patients for $150,000 so she could start a prescription vaping clinic for teenagers and write a book, among other things.On 14 October the GP, Dr Carolyn Beaumont, sent an email to patients stating: “You are receiving this email because you have purchased a nicotine vaping script from me in the past.”Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 14:00:44

Australian student injured in West Bank says life ‘flipped upside down’ as Palestinian community demands answers

Ranem Abu Izneid, injured by shrapnel in Israeli-occupied Abu Dis, says ‘there is no hope for me to regain my vision’Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian dentistry student has lost her vision after being struck by shrapnel in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, sparking outrage in the Australian Palestinian community.Ranem Abu Izneid, 20, was studying in her room on 15 November at Al Quds University in Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, when she heard bombs and soldiers shouting.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 09:24:01

UK government vows to do all it can to help Briton captured by Russia

Foreign secretary offers support for James Scott Rhys Anderson, who was fighting for Ukraine reportedly in KurskThe UK government has promised to do all it can to assist a former British soldier fighting for Ukraine who has been taken prisoner by the Russian army.Two videos of a man who identified himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson surfaced on Russian Telegram channels over the weekend. They featured interrogation of a bearded man in military fatigues, who had his hands tied and spoke slowly in English to give details from his biography, including that he served as a signalman in the British army between 2019 and 2023. Anderson is 22, according to the date of birth he gave in the video. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 18:07:43

DHL plane crash in Lithuania may be result of sabotage, says German minister

Baerbock raises possibility of accident or ‘hybrid incident’ after Vilnius cargo plane crash kills one and injures threeThe fatal crash of a DHL cargo plane as it approached Vilnius airport could have been the result of sabotage or an accident, Germany’s foreign minister has said.A Spanish crew member was killed and three others injured when the German plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital on Monday. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 16:43:28

Ukrainian boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko calls out Rogan for ‘repeating Russian propaganda’

Olympic gold medalist argues in video that podcaster’s remarks about war in Ukraine is result of Putin-led plotThe podcaster Joe Rogan is “repeating Russian propaganda” about the war in Ukraine, the former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko charged in remarks on social media, adding that Rogan should invite him on his podcast to discuss the issue “like free men”.“I listen to your latest podcast,” said Klitschko, whose brother Vitali Klitschko was also a world champion boxer and is now mayor of Kyiv. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 16:01:55

Russia-Ukraine war: more than 20 injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv – as it happened

Casualties include 14 people who have been sent to hospitalJon Henley is the Guardian’s Europe correspondentAn ultranationalist, Moscow-friendly Nato critic is set to face a centre-right candidate in the runoff of Romania’s presidential elections after a shock first-round result that has upended the country’s politics and could jeopardise its support for Ukraine. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 15:48:02

Germany draws up list of bunkers amid Russia tensions

App planned for public to find emergency shelter in places including underground train stations and car parksGermany is drawing up a list of bunkers that could provide emergency shelter for civilians, the interior ministry has said, at a time of rising tensions with Russia.The list would include underground train stations and car parks as well as state buildings and private properties, a ministry spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 15:46:45

Prosecutors demand 20-year jail term for Dominique Pelicot

Pelicot has admitted drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle, and inviting at least 70 strangers to rape and abuse herFrench prosecutors have demanded that Dominique Pelicot be jailed for 20 years, the maximum available sentence, for having drugged and raped his wife, Gisèle, and invited at least 70 strangers to rape and abuse her over a decade.The demand came as the French government unveiled new measures to combat violence against women, including raising awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 15:12:36

Israeli cabinet to decide on ceasefire deal with Lebanon

IDF would withdraw entirely from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah pull back its heavy weapons under agreementIsrael’s security cabinet is due to meet on Tuesday to decide on a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon after more than a year of fighting between Israeli forces and the Shia militia Hezbollah.Under the deal being considered, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would reportedly withdraw entirely from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah would pull its heavy weapons north of the Litani River, about 16 miles (25km) north of the Israeli border, and the Lebanese army would move in to provide security in the border zone alongside an existing UN peacekeeping force, during an initial 60-day transition phase. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 15:52:11

Palestinian artists plan Gaza Biennale as ‘act of resistance and survival’

Project involves showing work in Gaza but also sending works across Israeli siege lines for exhibiting worldwidePalestinian artists in Gaza plan to stage a “biennale” exhibition as an act of defiance against Israel’s military onslaught and to focus attention on the plight of the territory’s 2.3 million people under more than 13 months of bombardment.About 50 artists from Gaza will exhibit their work within the besieged coastal strip, and are looking for art galleries to host exhibitions overseas. But in order to hold their work to the eyes of the rest of the world, the artists are facing a unique challenge: how to get their art across Israeli siege lines. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:36

Turkish woman convicted under anti-terror laws for sharing Guardian article

Peri Pamir given suspended sentence after posting article about UK woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in SyriaA Turkish woman who shared a Guardian article on social media about a British woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria has described how she was twice convicted of “sharing terrorist propaganda” in an Istanbul court.“I am basically just an ordinary citizen, there is no reason why I should attract any special attention. This is the disturbing part,” said Peri Pamir, a 71-year-old retired researcher. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:34

Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets into Israel after strikes on Beirut

Heavy attack launched in wake of deadly strikes on Beirut, and comes as talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal have stalledHezbollah has fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said, wounding seven people in one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with ceasefire efforts to halt the all-out war.Some of the rockets fired on Sunday reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 05:52:21

Revealed: Israel used US weapons in strike that killed journalists

Killing of journalists in Israeli strike could be war crime, legal experts say after Guardian investigationA Guardian investigation has found that Israel used a US munition to target and kill three journalists and wound three more in a 25 October attack in south Lebanon which legal experts have called a potential war crime.On 25 October at 3.19am, an Israeli jet shot two bombs at a chalet hosting three journalists – cameraman Ghassan Najjar and technician Mohammad Reda from pro-Hezbollah outlet al-Mayadeen, as well as cameraman Wissam Qassem from the Hezbollah-affiliated outlet al-Manar. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 05:30:31

Israeli government orders officials to boycott left-leaning paper Haaretz

Ministers also ban government advertising from critical newspaper that is widely respected internationallyIsrael’s government is set to punish the country’s leading left-leaning newspaper, Haaretz, by ordering a boycott of the publication by government officials or anyone working for a government-funded body and halting all government advertising in its pages or website.In a statement on Sunday, the office of Shlomo Karhi, the communications minister, said that his proposal against Haaretz had been unanimously approved by other ministers. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-24 20:14:15

Pakistani capital under lockdown to block rally by Imran Khan supporters

Government shuts down internet, blocks highways and brings in troops to stop protest by former PM’s supportersPakistan’s capital was put under lockdown as the government shut down the internet, blocked highways and brought in thousands of police and paramilitaries in an attempt to prevent supporters of the former prime minister Imran Khan protesting in Islamabad.Khan, who has been in jail for more than a year facing hundreds of charges, had issued a “final call” for his supporters to descend on Islamabad to demand his release and protest against recent changes to the judiciary and constitution. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 09:42:43

Hundreds flee deadly sectarian violence in north-west Pakistan

About 300 families relocate after fresh violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims kills 32 peopleAbout 300 families have fled sectarian violence in north-west Pakistan as fresh clashes killed 32 people.Sporadic fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslims in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan has killed about 150 over the past months. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-23 14:50:30

Tributes paid to ‘kind and loving’ British tourist who died in Laos

Simone White was one of six people to die in suspected methanol poisoning incident in Vang ViengTributes have been paid to the “beautiful, kind and loving” British tourist Simone White, one of six people to die in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos.The six died after allegedly being served drinks laced with methanol in Vang Vieng, a town popular with backpackers. These include the Australian teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, an American man and two Danish women aged 19 and 20. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-22 17:00:07

More than 40 killed in north-west Pakistan in gun attack on Shia convoy

Violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa follows killing of dozens of people in clashes between Sunnis and minority ShiasAt least 42 people have been killed and 20 wounded after gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying Shia Muslims in Pakistan’s restive north-west, in one of the region’s deadliest such attacks in recent years, police said.The attack happened in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where sectarian clashes between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shias have killed dozens of people in recent months. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-21 21:39:19

Billionaire Gautam Adani charged in US over alleged $250m bribery plot

Indian chair of Adani Group, worth about $85bn, accused of agreeing to pay bribes to obtain solar energy contractsGautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men, has been indicted in New York over an alleged multibillion-dollar scheme to pay $250m in bribes and conceal it from US investors.Prosecutors charged the chair of the Indian conglomerate Adani Group and two other executives of a renewable energy company with securities fraud and conspiring to commit securities and wire fraud. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-21 10:57:04

Family of woman found dead in car in London accuses police of failing to protect her

Exclusive: Sister says Harshita Brella reported abuse but ‘police processes made her feel more scared and alone’The family of a woman found dead in a car boot in east London have accused police of not doing enough to protect her, saying she had filed a complaint alleging domestic abuse by her husband weeks before.The body of Harshita Brella, a 24-year-old Indian citizen who was living in Northamptonshire, was discovered last Thursday in a car in Ilford. Police have named her husband, Pankaj Lamba, as the main suspect for the killing. Officers believe he has fled the country. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-19 19:23:45

Humbug: vandal smashes gravestone of Ebenezer Scrooge

Damage to fictional gravesite, seen in 1984 adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, discovered on Sunday“Marley was dead: to begin with,” begins Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the ghostly morality tale of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge who, through a series of encounters with spirits in the early hours of Christmas morning, realises he needs to change his ways.It is an imagined story – there is no Scrooge and, unlike his unfortunate business partner, he is not dead. But that does not appear to have mattered to a vandal in Shropshire, where a gravestone of Scrooge used in a 1984 film adaptation has been smashed into multiple pieces. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:56:53

UK politics: Badenoch refuses to commit to reversing rise in employers’ national insurance in speech at CBI – as it happened

Tory leader says she will not ‘comment on every bit of micro-policy’Q: Are you feeling the pressure? There is a petition signed by 2 million people calling for another election.Starmer says he is not surprised that people who did not support Labour in the first place want the election to be re-run. But that is not how the system worked.I’m not surprised, quite frankly, that as we’re doing the tough stuff, there are plenty of people who say, ‘Well, I’m impacted.’I think anybody who’s turned around an organisation or a business will tell you, and they’re right, if you’re really going to turn something around, you have to do the hard yards upfront. Don’t look at a tough decision and then leave it for a year or two.So we’re doing the tough stuff. But in the budget, which is probably the toughest, I’m really pleased that we were able to put so much money into the National Health Service … Anybody watching this who uses the NHS will know we absolutely had to make that a priority. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:50:36

Inheritance tax on farms should be delayed to avoid unfairness, says thinktank

IFS suggests gifts of land before a certain date could be tax-free so that elderly farmers would not be caught outMinisters should give farmers an inheritance tax holiday for the next few years, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said as it warned that government changes to agricultural taxes risked treating some landowners unfairly.Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, announced in her budget last month that farmers with a business worth more than £1m could be subjected to 20% inheritance tax, prompting a tractor protest outside parliament. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:49:07

Oxford scientist resigns from Royal Society over Elon Musk’s continuing fellowship

Prof Dorothy Bishop said fellowship was ‘a contradiction of all the values’ of UK’s national academy of sciencesA leading scientist at the University of Oxford has resigned from the UK’s national academy of sciences over concerns about Elon Musk’s continuing fellowship.Prof Dorothy Bishop, emeritus professor of developmental neuropsychology and a leading expert on children’s communication disorders, said she handed back her fellowship of the Royal Society last week. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:43:17

George Stubbs dog painting expected to reach up to £2m at auction

The Spanish Pointer has not been seen by the public since 1972, when it sold for £30,000George Stubbs’s celebrated painting of a Spanish pointer dog is to be auctioned at Sotheby’s for the first time since 1972.The 18th-century painting is being offered for auction at £1,500,000-2,000,000. It was last auctioned for £30,000 in 1972, and fetched £11 when it was auctioned in 1802. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:15:39

‘Bin surfer’ may have found novichok bottle minutes after agents dumped it, inquiry hears

Wiltshire police believe perfume container used for nerve agent was discarded by assassins only to be picked up by partner of Dawn SturgessA “bin surfer” may have found a fake perfume bottle containing a deadly nerve agent just minutes after it was discarded by agents trying to assassinate former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, a police counter-terrorism chief has said.A CCTV still, revealed for the first time at the Wiltshire poisonings inquiry, shows Charlie Rowley apparently on the hunt for valuables in charity shop bins in Salisbury city centre shortly after the Russian suspects were in the area. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:06:56

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for leaders of ‘sanctuary cities’ to defend need for federal funding – live

Republican tapped to work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) indicates that cities protecting immigrants could lose federal fundingCorey Lewandowski, an adviser to Donald Trump, has said that he and the president-elect have “no concerns at all” regarding Pete Hegseth’s confirmation by the Senate as the next US secretary of defense.During an appearance on NewsMax, Lewandowski was asked if Trump had any concerns about Hegseth and his nomination, to which Lewandowski responded: “We have no concerns at all.” Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 18:20:28

Texas woman dies after receiving inadequate treatment for a miscarriage

Porsha Ngumezi, 35, is the fifth pregnant woman ProPublica reports to have died in connection to the fall of Roe v WadeA Texas woman has died after receiving inadequate medical treatment for a miscarriage, according to a new report from ProPublica – the fifth pregnant woman the publication has found to have died since the fall of Roe v Wade after receiving inadequate care or being denied a legal abortion.Porsha Ngumezi, a 35-year-old mother of two, died in June 2023 after experiencing a miscarriage in Texas, where nearly all abortions are banned, ProPublica reported Monday. Ten weeks into her pregnancy, Ngumezi started to bleed and went to Houston Methodist Sugar Land, which is part of the Houston Methodist hospital chain and located in the Houston metropolitan area. While at the hospital, Ngumezi continued to bleed for several hours. She underwent multiple blood transfusions. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:43:13

Blue Man Group to end run in New York City after more than 30 years

Group had their New York debut in 1991 and will play their last show in the city in FebruaryThe Blue Man Group will conclude its off-Broadway New York run in February 2025 after playing 17,000 plus performances over more than 30 years.The group is known for its iconic blue-faced, bright-eyed bald humanoids that perform a myriad of stage antics, such as paint-splattering, drum-playing and marshmallow-catching. They are set to play their final performance on 2 February. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:38:27

California could offer electric vehicle rebates if Trump eliminates tax credit

Governor Gavin Newsom plans on creating new version of state rebate program as president-elect threatens EV creditsCalifornia could offer state tax rebates for electric vehicle (EV) purchases if the incoming Trump administration eliminates the federal EV tax credit, the state’s governor said Monday.Gavin Newsom will propose creating a new version of the state’s successful Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which was phased out in 2023 after funding 594,000 cars and saving 456m gallons of fuel, the governor’s office said in a statement. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:36:58

US senators urge Fifa to spurn Saudi 2034 World Cup bid over human rights

Kingdom is all but certain to host 2034 tournamentConcerns have been raised over Saudi human rightsTwo United States senators urged Fifa on Monday not to pick Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host next month, a decision seen as inevitable despite the kingdom’s record on human rights.Democrats Ron Wyden of Oregon and Dick Durbin of Illinois wrote to Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, declaring that “we urge you to seek out a host country with a record of upholding human rights.” Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 17:34:05

Macy’s says single employee was responsible for hiding up to $154m in expenses

Largest US department store chain delays release of quarterly earnings report to investigate ‘erroneous accounting entries’Macy’s revealed on Monday that a single employee was responsible for hiding up to $154m in expenses over the course of nearly three years, prompting the company to delay the release of its quarterly earnings report.The US’s largest department store chain, which owns other brands such as Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, found so many internal accounting irregularities that they were forced to conduct an independent forensic accounting investigation. Their full quarterly earnings report, originally planned for release on Tuesday, will now not roll out until 11 December. Continue reading...

Published: 2024-11-25 16:16:18

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