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Officials say raccoon that broke into Virginia liquor store on 29 November had previously hit DMV and karate studioThe raccoon that barged into a Virginia liquor store, smashed bottles of booze and passed out drunk in a bathroom this past Black Friday has at least two other break-ins under his belt, a local government official has revealed.Before burgling the Ashland ABC store on 29 November, the raccoon had separately broken into a karate studio and a department of motor vehicles office, all on the same block of businesses, Hanover county animal protection officer Samantha Martin said on an episode of the local government's official podcast published Thursday. Continue reading...

Enfield's family-run Neco Tantuni, which specialises in Turkish street food, secured place among other Michelin-starred restaurants on Vittles 99-strong listOn a list of London's best restaurants, you would expect to see the usual Michelin-starred suspects such as The Ledbury, Ikoyi and The Ritz. But high among these culinary heavyweights sits a humble salonu tucked away in the depths of north London.Neco Tantuni, a small Turkish eatery specialising in the foodie delights of Mersin, a city located on the southern coast of Turkey, has been crowned the fourth best restaurant in London by Vittles, the trendy food magazine that has become a bible for those looking for the best (and more off-the-radar) grub in the capital. Continue reading...

Exclusive: A trio of candidates have been interviewed by the PM, but he could still decide to directly appoint someone elseKeir Starmer is poised to choose a new ambassador to Washington from a shortlist of three as relations with the US are tested over Ukraine and Donald Trump's attacks on European leaders.The prime minister held interviews with three finalists for the role this week, the Guardian has learned, with Downing Street preparing to make an appointment before the end of the year. Continue reading...

Drivers also told to take caution after complaints rise about long-stay meet-and-greet servicesTerence Baxter* had booked a meet-and-greet service to park his Volkswagen at Heathrow airport while he and his wife went on holiday. The couple handed over the keys at the drop-off site and were driven to the terminal - and that was the last they saw of their car. On their return they were informed by the company it had been stolen.Their case comes as airports and police forces are warning travellers to be wary of unofficial" operators advertising cheap long-stay parking after a rise in complaints. Continue reading...

Free2Move, Enterprise Car Club and Co Wheels among those eyeing growth, as well as peer-to-peer firm Hiyacar

Release of 43-second video comes as senior church figures speak out against dangers of Christian nationalismThe Church of England has released a video in response to a Christmas carols event on Saturday being organised by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson amid calls from a growing number of senior church figures to challenge Christian nationalism.In the 43-second video, Christmas Isn't Cancelled, posted on the church's YouTube channel, more than 20 people from the archbishop of York to schoolchildren speak about the joy, love and hope" of Christmas. The message is a simple reminder that Christmas belongs to all of us, and everyone is welcome to celebrate", the C of E said. Continue reading...

Palestinians who have worked the breadbasket' area for generations face being replaced by Israeli settlersThe death knell for the Palestinian village of Atouf, on the western slopes of the Jordan valley, arrived in the form of a trail of paper, a series of eviction notices taped to homes, greenhouses and wells, marking a straight line across the open fields.The notices, which appeared overnight, informed the local farmers that their land would be confiscated and that they had seven days from the date of their delivery, 4 December, to vacate their properties. A military road and accompanying barrier was to be built by Israel right through the area. Continue reading...

As Paramount, with close ties to the Trump administration, entered the bidding, experts predict any merger will raise red flags' among regulatorsOver the first 10 months of his second presidency, Donald Trump has not hidden his desire to control the US media industry - from encouraging TV networks to fire journalists, comedians and critics he dislikes to pushing regulators to revoke broadcast licences. Now he seems determined to set the terms for one of the biggest media deals in history.It's a deal that could have repercussions not just in the US, but across the world, with not just the future of Hollywood at stake but also the landscape of news. Continue reading...

As 27 European countries urge changes to laws forged after second world war, human rights chief says politicians are playing into hands of populistsThe battle had been brewing for months. But this week it came to a head in a flurry of meetings, calls and one heady statement. Twenty-seven European countries urged a rethink of the human rights laws forged after the second world war, describing them as an impediment when it came to addressing migration.Amnesty International has called it a moral retreat". Europe's most senior human rights official said the approach risked creating a hierarchy of people" where some are seen as more deserving of protection than others. Continue reading...

Leader praises his soldiers for turning danger zone into a safe one' during ceremony in Pyongyang welcoming them back from Ukraine warNorth Korea sent troops to clear mines in Russia's Kursk region earlier this year, leader Kim Jong-un said in a speech carried on Saturday by state media, a rare acknowledgement by Pyongyang of the deadly tasks assigned to its deployed soldiers.According to South Korean and western intelligence agencies, North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia's nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Several European nations are already planning similar moves while Britain has said nothing is off the table'Australia is taking on powerful tech companies with its under-16 social media ban, but will the rest of the world follow? The country's enactment of the policy is being watched closely by politicians, safety campaigners and parents. A number of other countries are not far behind, with Europe in particular hoping to replicate Australia, while the UK is keeping more of a watchful interest. Continue reading...

The seizure of the Skipper on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019Venezuelan oil exports have reportedly fallen sharply since the US seized a tanker this week and imposed fresh sanctions on shipping companies and vessels doing business with Caracas, according to shipping data, documents and maritime sources.The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela's coast on Wednesday was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 and marked a sharp escalation in rising tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolas Maduro. Continue reading...

Mike Waltz warns spoilers' will be held to account as rebel fighters escalate offensive in South Kivu provinceThe US has accused Rwanda of violating a US-brokered peace agreement by backing a deadly new rebel offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, and warned action will be taken against spoilers".The remarks by the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, came as more than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels escalated their offensive in eastern Congo's South Kivu province, according to officials who also say Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira. Continue reading...

Updated wording expands definition of party political duties' as Labor politicians come under scrutiny for spending

Consisting of 6.8km of tunnels and 9.2km of elevated roads, the project will provide a new river crossing and an alternative to the West Gate Bridge

The decision is a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine's defence - but Moscow is threatening to retaliateThe EU has agreed to indefinitely freeze Russia's sovereign assets in the bloc, as Moscow stepped up its threats to retaliate against Euroclear, the keeper of most of the Kremlin's immobilised money.The decision by the EU to use emergency powers to immobilise 210bn (185bn) of Russia's central bank's assets marks a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine's defence. Continue reading...

Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions after conviction of ex-presidentThe US Department of the Treasury has lifted sanctions imposed on the Brazilian supreme court justice who oversaw the conviction of the former president Jair Bolsonaro.Justice Alexandre de Moraes had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions, which target individuals accused of human rights abuses, since July. His wife Viviane Barci de Moraes - who was added the sanctions list in September - was also removed from the register on Friday. Continue reading...

Citizens told to stay at home while ELN guerrillas carry out exercises in response to US president's cocaine warningColombia's ELN guerrilla group has ordered civilians in areas under its control to stay home for three days starting on Sunday, while it carries out military exercises in response to intervention" threats from Donald Trump.Trump said earlier this month any country that produces cocaine and sells it to the United States was subject to attack". Continue reading...

Judiciary panel Democrats ask Aileen Cannon ahead of special counsel's deposition next weekDemocrats on the House judiciary committee on Friday will ask Aileen Cannon, the judge who presided over the case against Donald Trump for allegedly hiding classified documents, to release the portion of special counsel Jack Smith's report concerning his prosecution.Smith is scheduled to appear next week for a behind-closed-door deposition with the Republican-led committee, where he may discuss his investigation into allegations that Trump took classified materials to his properties and then hid them from federal authorities. The special counsel dropped that case against Trump, as well as another concerning his meddling in the 2020 election, in the aftermath of his re-election victory last year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: As Labour ministers prepare long awaited strategy, campaigners accuse them of sidelining expertsLeading organisations have criticised the development of the government's flagship violence against women and girls strategy, calling the process chaotic, haphazard and worse than under the Tories".Ministers are gearing up for a policy announcement blitz before the publication of the long-awaited plan next week. Continue reading...

Five men who targeted vulnerable girls in park sentenced to terms of between 18 months and 14 yearsFive men who were part of a horrific" grooming gang that raped and sexually assaulted schoolgirls in a park have been jailed for between 18 months and 14 years.The men targeted vulnerable girls in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, plying their victims with alcohol and cocaine. Continue reading...

Nigel Farage's party says it has more than 268,000 members amid reports Labour membership has fallen below 250,000Reform UK says it is now the largest political party in Britain and has overtaken Labour, which has reportedly seen its membership fall below 250,000.Nigel Farage's party says it has more than 268,000 members on the live tracker displayed on its website. Continue reading...

As Wham! top singles chart, Minogue draws level with David Bowie, Eminem, U2 and Rod Stewart in the album league table, thanks to a reissue of her 2015 Christmas LPKylie Minogue has scored her 11th UK No 1 album, putting her level with David Bowie and Eminem in the league of all-time album chart-toppers.The album, Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), will sound familiar to her fans: it's a reissue of her 2015 album Kylie Christmas (which only reached No 12), containing four newly recorded tracks and an altered tracklisting. It had already been reissued once before, in 2016, as the Snow Queen Edition. Nevertheless, the Fully Wrapped version counts as a new album in chart terms, and so continues a non-consecutive run of No 1s that began in 1988, when Minogue's self-titled debut spent six weeks at the top. Continue reading...

Exclusive: PM's outspoken attack on stoppages planned for 17-22 December risks inflaming tensions with medics

Kristi Noem says Ethiopia no longer meets conditions' for US to provide work authorization and legal protectionThe US is ending temporary legal status for citizens of Ethiopia in the United States, according to a government notice on Friday, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on legal and illegal immigration.After reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate US government agencies, the secretary determined that Ethiopia no longer continues to meet the conditions for the designation for Temporary Protected Status," homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said in a notice posted in the Federal Register. Continue reading...

Milton Otto Martin III, who has been accused by several alleged victims of assault, convicted of indecent behaviorA Pentecostal pastor in Louisiana charged with sexually molesting a teenage girl in his church has been convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile - but was acquitted of the more serious crime of statutory rape.Milton Otto Martin III, 58, faces up to seven years in prison and must register as a sex offender after a three-day trial in Chalmette, Louisiana, resulted in a guilty verdict against him on Thursday. His sentencing hearing is tentatively set for 15 January in the latest high-profile instance of religious abuse in the New Orleans area. Continue reading...

Defeat complicates the picture for Republicans across the US as they seek to redraw districts in an increasingly messy battleThe Indiana legislature's rejection of a new map that would have added two Republican seats in Congress marked one of the biggest political defeats for Donald Trump so far in his second term and significantly damaged the Republican effort to reconfigure congressional districts ahead of next year's midterm elections.The defeat showed that Trump's political might is not unlimited. For months, the president waged an aggressive effort to twist the arms of Indiana lawmakers into supporting a new congressional map, sending JD Vance to meet in person with lawmakers. Trump allies also set up outside groups to pressure state lawmakers. Continue reading...

Bart De Wever will also discuss migration, security and economy ahead of coalition of the willing meeting and EU summit next weekRussia's central bank said it was suing the Belgium-based Euroclear financial group, which holds Moscow's frozen international reserves, as the EU moves closer to using the funds to support Ukraine, AFP reported.The bank said it was filing a lawsuit against Euroclear in the Moscow Arbitration Court" due to what it called the illegal actions" of the institution. Continue reading...

Week-long event organised by Brothers of Italy party looks like winter wonderland but is chance for PM to flaunt powerWhen, out of curiosity, Leila Cader and her friends entered the gardens surrounding Castel Sant'Angelo, a prominent Rome monument that once served as a refuge for popes during times of war, they thought they'd chanced upon an enchanting winter wonderland.With the scent of mulled wine wafting through the air, Santa's elves wandering around, stalls selling nativity-scene figurines and skaters merrily gliding on an ice-rink, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Continue reading...

Peace prize winner says escape voyage, in which she feared US forces could strike vessel she was on, was very spiritual'The most dangerous moments came when salvation seemed finally assured.Many miles from land, the small fishing skiff carrying the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel prize laureate Maria Corina Machado had been lost at sea for hours, tossed by strong winds and 10ft waves. A further hazard was the ever present risk of an inadvertent airstrike by US warplanes hunting alleged cocaine smugglers. Continue reading...

Ya'akub Vijandre, held in ICE detention in Georgia, tells Guardian he is concerned for safety of family and friendsYa'akub Vijandre, a Muslim photojournalist, martial arts teacher and first responder who ICE detained in October for posting on social media, told the Guardian that the government is attacking my faith" and that he was concerned about the safety" of his family and friends.Speaking in his first interview from Georgia's Folkston detention center, the 38-year-old said guards treat detainees like animals", yelling at them when they don't understand English. One guard responded to his request to use the bathroom during a visit to the detention center's library by telling him, just piss on yourself". Continue reading...

Five years after legalizing psilocybin to treat a raft of health problems, practitioners worry the industry has become too costly, too white, and too regulated. Can the landmark program find its footing?Jenna Kluwe remembers all the beautiful moments she saw in a converted dental clinic in east Portland.For six months, she managed the Journey Service Center, a psilocybin service center" where adults 21 and older take supervised mushroom trips. She watched elderly clients with terminal illnesses able to enjoy life again. She saw one individual with obsessive compulsive disorder so severe they spent hours washing their hands who could casually eat food that fell on the floor. Continue reading...

Police appeal for witnesses after tree put up in tribute to war dead cut down in act of mindless vandalism'A Christmas tree that had stood in a village for more than a decade has been chopped down hours after having its lights switched on.The tree, in Shotton Colliery in County Durham, was felled between 10pm and 11pm on Wednesday. It is believed to have been cut down deliberately. Police are appealing for witnesses. Continue reading...

Scottish rock band says image meant to provoke debate, not hate' after many at concert accuse group of antisemitismThe Scottish rock group, Primal Scream, has defended displaying an image of a swastika inside a Star of David during a London gig, in response to accusations of racism and antisemitism.During a performance at the London's Roundhouse, a video was shown on stage of a swastika in the centre of a Star of David that was then superimposed over eyes of images of political figures, including the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the US president, Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Lilian Greenwood condemns Conservative mixed messages' and promises a system that works for everybody

Exclusive: Force to pay damages to Aisha Jung, who was put into a police van and held until 4amThe Metropolitan police have agreed to pay 7,500 in damages to a woman arrested at a Gaza protest for holding up a placard that said: Apartheid Israel, what a cuntry."Aisha Jung, 53, from south London, was with her husband and two of her sons, aged 10 and 11, when police arrested her at the November 2023 demonstration in Trafalgar Square, central London, telling her that the sign could be considered offensive. Continue reading...

Decision would anger environmental campaigners, who say it would amount to gutting' of green deal

My offer to host dinner is declined. My cooking is never good. Triumph lies in the fact food is cooked and not full of bacteriaYeah, I'm gonna say it - stop with the fetishisation of sandwiches, already! Obviously we've had the annual rejoicing over the advent (Ha! See what I did there?) of the Pret Christmas offering and the paler imitations thereafter by lesser chains and retail outlets. Now Harrods is getting in on the act with a 29 version on sale at its steakhouse, the Grill on Fifth. It consists of a burger patty (and listen, let's get rid of the word patty' while we're about it, shall we? Why? Because it's viscerally hateful, that's why), roast turkey breast, stuffing, a pig in a blanket, spiced red cabbage, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy. Continue reading...

Retailer, which also owns Funky Pigeon, says economic pressure has hit shoppers' confidenceCard Factory has delivered an unwelcome early Christmas surprise for investors by issuing a shock profit warning during the greetings card retailer's peak trading period, which sent shares plunging by more than a fifth.The retailer, which also owns the online card and gift brand Funky Pigeon, said economic pressure on shoppers has hit confidence in its most important trading period of the year. Continue reading...

Reality TV star jailed for trying to cover up evidence after the 2022 crash that killed co-star Chris Willow' Wilson

Lords' demand for 1,150 changes include many that are unnecessary' and likely to run down clock, says Kim Leadbeater

Fires are burning across NSW, with Tasmania also facing an emergency, while in US, Washington state braces for floodsBushfires have been ravaging Australia, with more than 50 burning throughout New South Wales, destroying homes and causing at least one death. Nine blazes remained out of control on Monday as flames ripped through homes and critical infrastructure. Scorching temperatures - peaking at 41C in Koolewong - combined with fierce, erratic winds to spread the fires rapidly and made them harder to control.On Sunday night an Australian firefighter was killed after a tree fell on him while he worked on a fire near Bulahdelah, about 150 miles (250km) north of Sydney. The blaze scorched 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) and destroyed four homes over the weekend. NSW, one of Australia's most fire-prone regions, is particularly vulnerable because of its hot, dry climate and vast eucalyptus forests, which shed oils that become highly flammable. Continue reading...

Sussan Ley offers bipartisan truce to work on reform as attorney general Michelle Rowland refers expenses for independent audit

Health secretary urges resident doctors to accept pay offer as he warns of pressures on health service from flu casesWes Streeting has warned resident doctors that strikes and a jump in flu cases over the Christmas period could be the Jenga piece" that forces the NHS to collapse.The health secretary said the NHS faced a challenge unlike any it has seen since the pandemic" and urged resident doctors to accept the government's offer and end their actions. Continue reading...

Committee asked to consider if parliamentary rules broken when submission from judge Penelope Wass was used against her by ODDP

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Former defence minister's application to have former staffer bankrupted has been approved in a Western Australian court

Home secretary to order special investigation amid concern inadequate checks during hiring spree may pose criminal riskThe home secretary is to order an independent special inquiry into whether the Metropolitan police allowed hundreds of recruits to join without proper vetting amid fears they may pose a criminal risk.The Guardian has learned that the inquiry will be carried out by the policing inspectorate, with concerns centred on 300 new officers hired between 2016 and 2023. Continue reading...

Milestone reached as journalists including Polly Toynbee and John Crace prepare for fundraising event on Saturday