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Current ambassador to UN to replace Peter Mandelson, who was forced to quit over Epstein linkKeir Starmer has appointed the career diplomat Christian Turner as the UK's ambassador to Washington, replacing Peter Mandelson who was forced to quit over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.Turner, the who was appointed ambassador to the UN in May, had previously been political director at the Foreign Office and had brokered a close relationship with the new Labour administration before taking up his UN role in New York. Continue reading...

Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, spoke candidly about Trump's inner circle and the piece made even bigger waves with its unsparing photos

PPE Medpro owes government 148m for supplying unusable personal protective equipment during Covid-19 pandemicThe company linked to the former Conservative peer Michelle Mone, which owes the government almost 150m for supplying unusable personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been put into liquidation.The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) applied for PPE Medpro to be wound up at a high court hearing on Thursday, arguing that the company was hopelessly insolvent" and should not continue in administration. Continue reading...

Report on Kamala Harris's loss to Trump would be a distraction' as party is putting our learnings into motion'The Democratic National Committee won't release a review of its election loss in 2024, saying it would be a distraction" from helping the party win going forward.The party has been working on a so-called autopsy of 2024 since Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says case for transfer of assets to fund war effort is morally clear and just'Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz confirms his support for the EU's reparations loan, saying he sees no better option."He diplomatically acknowledges Belgium's concerns, and says he hopes we can address them together" to send a signal of strength and resolve ... towards Russia." Continue reading...

Tory leader says Labour should focus on migrants from cultures that don't respect women' rather than tackling misogyny in schools

Lula acknowledges his decision to uphold 27-year sentence could be overridden by conservative lawmakersBrazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has promised to veto a bill passed by congress to reduce the prison term of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president who was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for masterminding an attempted coup to overturn the 2022 elections.Lawmakers passed the bill late on Wednesday after it was approved last week by the lower house. On Thursday, Brazil's leftist president - who, investigations showed, was the target of an assassination plan as part of the coup plot - acknowledged his veto could be overridden by the largely conservative congress. Continue reading...

The US-Ireland Alliance will give the actor the Oscar Wilde award at the event's 20th anniversary in Los Angeles in MarchAfter a varied career in which he has played a psychopath, a romcom heart-throb, an intergalactic warlord and a plucky newspaper editor among others, Domhnall Gleeson has won his first Hollywood award.The US-Ireland Alliance announced that Gleeson will receive the Oscar Wilde award at the event's 20th anniversary in Los Angeles in March in the run-up to the Oscars. It honours a body of work rather than a particular performance. Continue reading...

Fourth cut this year is good news for homebuyers and those due to remortgage, but returns on easy-access savings accounts could drop

Digital facilities that track wastage down to the gram have brought about behavioural change among usersMin Geum-nan walks towards a metal bin beneath her apartment block in Gangdong district, eastern Seoul carrying a small bag of vegetable peelings. She taps her resident card on the reader, the lid swings open, she empties the contents and scans again and a digital screen flashes: 0.5kg.You have no choice but to pay attention because you can see exactly what you're wasting," says Min, who has lived in the complex for 15 years and watched the system arrive in 2020. Continue reading...

Timing seen as reset moment after potential loss of hundreds of council seats in England and defeat in Wales and Scotland UK politics live - latest updatesKeir Starmer is planning for a new king's speech after the crunch May elections as a reset moment for the government amid speculation over the prime minister's future.Senior sources in parliament said planning was under way to end the parliamentary session the week after local elections in England and parliamentary elections in Wales and Scotland in May, making it a significantly longer session than normal, and nearly two years since Labour first set out its legislative agenda. Continue reading...

A country known for welcoming newcomers has reversed policy as immigration becomes increasingly a partisan issue

Sainsbury's, Barclays and University College London have all drawn on themes created by IWD site run by London business with no link to UNNobody owns International Women's Day, but if you asked the 193 countries, countless businesses and NGOs that mark it each year, they would probably agree it has been popularised, defined and formalised by the United Nations.The owner of the website internationalwomensday.com", a London-based marketing firm, disagrees. By selling merchandise, promoting a 160 lunch to awaken attenders' inner goddess" and creating a series of corporate partnerships, it has also seeded its annual themes with British brands and institutions that appear to have mistaken the site for the UN, the Guardian can reveal. Continue reading...

Southern Transitional Council, backed by UAE, told it could face airstrikes after its recent huge territorial gainsAs many as 20,000 Saudi-backed forces are gathering on the border of Yemen as the separatist Southern Transitional Council comes under pressure to withdraw from the huge territorial gains it has made in the last month in the vast, oil-rich governorate on Hadramaut in eastern Yemen.The STC is using its advance to raise its demand for Yemen to revert to two states, north and south, as it had been until 1990. Continue reading...

Drop is cause for public health concern, but news isn't all bad as acknowledging struggles is a good sign', experts sayA record low proportion of Americans rate their mental health as good" or excellent" according to a Gallup poll released on Thursday.The percentage of Americans polled who rated their mental health as excellent" dropped below 30% for the first time this year while the number who rated their mental health as either good" or excellent" also dropped to a record low 72%. Continue reading...

The Reiners' bodies were discovered on Sunday at their home in Los Angeles. Their son Nick was later arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and has since appeared in courtThe Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has released reports stating the cause of death of the film director Rob Reiner and his wife, the photographer Michele Singer Reiner.Both are listed on the organisation's website with the cause given as multiple sharp force injuries" and homicide" stated as the manner of death. The date of death, which had been the subject of some speculation, is given as Sunday 14 December. Continue reading...

Social mobility report highlights extreme regional differences' in terms of childhood, jobs, innovation and growthFormer industrial communities across Britain are facing entrenched disadvantages" stretching back decades, the latest social mobility research has said.It raises specific concern about the rising number of young people aged 16-24 not in education, employment or training (Neets), which was one in seven between 2022 and 2024. Continue reading...

O'Neill, who has led Woodside Energy since 2021, will be oil and gas company's first female chief executiveBP's board has appointed its first female chief executive in a move to revive the oil company's fortunes, after ousting Murray Auchincloss less than two years into his role.In an unexpected leadership shake-up, Auchincloss will step down as chief executive with immediate effect, but remain in an advisory role until the end of next year. Continue reading...

New South Wales has a gun problem that we must now confront. We have over 1.1m guns in this state', Greens MP says

As country prepares to host Africa Cup of Nations, families and rights groups tell of police brutality, with hundreds still heldThe arbitrary detention of hundreds of gen Z protesters in Morocco and alleged horrific" beatings have been condemned by human rights groups, as the country prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.A wave of youth-led demonstrations swept across Morocco in late September and early October - the biggest since the 2011 Arab spring - in protest at underfunded healthcare and education. Continue reading...

Australian prime minister unveils new measures to combat antisemitism as Coalition outlines own plan

Pressure is growing on member states to back a 90bn loan for Kyiv ahead of a Brussels summitEuropean leaders are being urged to decide whether to use Russia's frozen assets to fund Ukraine's defence at a time of unprecedented pressure from the US.At a critical summit in Brussels on Thursday, EU leaders will be asked to make good on a promise to find urgently needed cash for Ukraine, with Kyiv under pressure to cede territory as Russia ekes out advances on the battlefield. Continue reading...

John Harris, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey look back at the biggest political moments of 2025, and discuss what 2026 might bring Continue reading...

US alt-rock band announce they are finally parting ways, following fisticuffs, accusations and lawsuitsUS alt-rock band Jane's Addiction has announced they are parting ways after a tumultuous 15 months of fisticuffs, accusations and lawsuits.The veteran Californian group, who have a history of drama, dust-ups and bust-ups, prematurely terminated the US leg of their reunion tour in September last year after an onstage altercation in Boston between frontman Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro led to blows and, ultimately, a $10m lawsuit. Continue reading...

More than 32% of shareholder votes oppose executive pay report at heated Sydney AGM, after a year when bank was fined $240m by the financial regulator

From 1 January, contraceptives will be subject to a 13% VAT rate - part of a carrot-and-stick approach by the government to increase birthsChina is set to impose a value-added tax (VAT) on condoms and other contraceptives for the first time in three decades, as the country tries to boost its birthrate and modernise its tax laws.From 1 January, condoms and contraceptives will be subject to a 13% VAT rate - a tax from which the goods have been exempt since China introduced nationwide VAT in 1993. Continue reading...

Asio facing scrutiny over investigation of alleged attackers as Jewish community in Bondi prepares for a second round of funerals

Cuts, which affect projects focused on issues including early identification of autism, made without prior notice to AAPThe US department of health and human services (HHS) has terminated several multi-million-dollar grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics following the association's criticisms of health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's policies.The funding cuts, which affect projects focused on issues including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and early identification of autism, were first reported by the Washington Post and made without prior notice to the AAP. Continue reading...

Actor rememberers late director of When Harry Met Sally and hopes something positive will come from impossible tragedy'Meg Ryan has posted a tribute to the late Rob Reiner, who directed her in hit romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally.Reiner was found dead with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, at their Los Angeles home at the weekend. Continue reading...

Manchester, Bradford and outer London boroughs among those to receive increases ministers hope will restore pride'

Exclusive global rights to the year's biggest night in film will move to the video platform for a four year periodThe Oscars will be moving from broadcast to online as part of a multi-year new deal with YouTube.From 2019, the video platform will have exclusive global rights to Hollywood's biggest night, including the ceremony but also red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content and Governors Ball access. The deal will run until 2033. Continue reading...

Allowing entry on the basis of self-identification of gender rather than biological sex is unlawful, high court toldRules permitting trans women to share female changing facilities and swim in a women-only pond are discriminatory and unlawful, the high court has heard.The City of London Corporation is breaching equality legislation by allowing trans people to use the single-sex ponds on Hampstead Heath, according to a claim brought by the rights group Sex Matters. It is seeking permission to challenge the admission regulations. Continue reading...

Labour chair urges Electoral Commission to investigate claims Reform leader spent too much in Clacton campaignNigel Farage is facing a possible second investigation into allegations he overspent on his Clacton election battle by 9,000 after the official watchdog said it was assessing the claims.The Electoral Commission was asked by Labour to look into Reform UK's election expenses after a whistleblower told the Daily Telegraph that the party failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office. Continue reading...

More than 300 women file complaint after video shows French first lady calling feminist protesters sales connes'Brigitte Macron is facing a legal complaint from several organisations, including women's rights groups, after she was filmed saying feminist protesters at a theatre show in Paris were stupid bitches".More than 300 women - specifically 343, a historically symbolic number in French feminism- this week filed the complaint against the French first lady for public insult. Continue reading...

The EU has unveiled its first-ever housing strategy, but is it enough to see off the far right and rescue a generation shut out of affordable living?

The $40m film - directed by Brett Ratner, who has been accused of sexual misconduct - follows Melania Trump in the days before the 2025 inaugurationAmazon has released the first trailer for next year's documentary on Melania Trump.The film will follow the first lady in the 20 days before the 2025 inauguration and has unprecedented access" with promises of exclusive footage capturing critical meetings, private conversations, and never-before-seen environments". Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says oligarch must commit funds from sale of Chelsea football club or face court action

Directors blame challenging market conditions' as losses widen from 25m in 2024 to 33mSales at Stella McCartney's fashion label sank by more than a quarter last year tipping it further into the red and adding to fears it could run out of money by 2028.Pre-tax losses at the British brand led by the daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney widened to 33.6m in 2024 from 25m the year before, while sales fell 27% to 16m, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Continue reading...

PM condemns perversion of Islam' that police allege may be behind the attack

Few bookable slots left as NHS urges people to get vaccinated amid surge in cases because of new strainSoaring demand has caused a major shortage of flu jab appointments across England, the Guardian can reveal.NHS leaders have issued urgent pleas to the public for them to get their flu jabs and help the health service cope with a crippling flu-nami", which last week led to hospitals in England treating record numbers of seriously ill patients with flu. Continue reading...

Philippine police dismiss speculation Naveed and Sajid Akram may have carried out training during four-week stay in Davao CityThe Bondi terror attacks suspects spent their entire four-week visit to the Philippines in Davao City, rarely leaving their hotel expect for an hour or so at a time, and never talking to any other guests or receiving visitors, according to Philippine police and hotel staff.The initial police investigation casts more light on the four-week trip by the alleged gunmen, father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, amid speculation that they went to the Philippines to receive military training from Islamist groups believed to operate in the country. Continue reading...

Dispute with clerical staff over below-inflation pay rise comes as NHS resident doctors start BMA-backed strikeThe British Medical Association is facing a strike over pay by its own clerical staff, prompting calls of hypocrisy as NHS resident doctors in England launch five days of strike action with the union's backing.Talks between the BMA and the GMB union failed to come to a resolution on Tuesday, raising the prospect of a strike by clerical and administrative staff at the health union in the new year, sources said. Continue reading...

An unnamed source told the New York Times the Reiners' daughter, Romy, had discovered only her father's body, and disputed reports the couple argued with their son, Nick, at a party the previous eveningNew details have emerged about the deaths of film director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, whose bodies were discovered at their home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on Sunday.A report in the New York Times, quoting a person close to the family" who remained anonymous, says that a massage therapist arriving for an appointment first raised the alarm after not being able to gain access for an appointment on Sunday. The therapist contacted their daughter Romy Reiner, who lives nearby, who entered the house and found Rob Reiner's body. The Times said that Romy fled the house in anguish" without realising that her mother's body was also inside, and that her roommate, who had accompanied her, called 911. Emergency responders then discovered Michele Singer Reiner's body. Continue reading...

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Josh Frydenberg says three police patrolling the event were ill-equipped' to protect citizens, but NSW premier again defends response

NHS leaders warn more patients are likely to feel the impact of this round of strikes than the previous two'Resident doctors in England have begun five days of strike action after rejecting the government's latest offer to resolve the long-running dispute over pay and jobs.The British Medical Association (BMA), and the health secretary, Wes Streeting, met on Tuesday in a final attempt to reach an agreement, but failed to do so. Continue reading...

The 2025 appeal is helping charities that bring divided communities together and promote toleranceThe Guardian's Hope appeal has raised more than 350,000 for inspirational grassroots charities that bring divided communities together, promote tolerance and positive change, and tackle racism and hatred.The figure, raised in less than two weeks, includes more than 30,000 donated during the annual telethon last Saturday, when more than 40 journalists including John Crace, Polly Toynbee and Simon Hattenstone were on hand to take readers' calls. Continue reading...

Open letter to Reform UK leader expresses dismay and anger' at his response to racism and antisemitism allegationsNigel Farage has been told to apologise for his alleged teenage racism by 26 school contemporaries who have written an open letter telling of their dismay and anger" at his response in recent weeks.In a united challenge to the Reform UK leader, the alleged victims and witnesses condemn him for what they describe as his refusal to acknowledge his behaviour at Dulwich college. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: The BBC is bracing for a high-stakes legal fight after the US president sues over an edited Panorama clip, and questions mount about the broadcaster's future funding and political vulnerabilityGood morning. On Tuesday, the UK woke to the news Donald Trump had filed his threatened $10bn lawsuit against the BBC, alleging that the corporation intentionally, maliciously and deceptively" defamed him. Later that day, the government launched a review of how the beleaguered corporation will be funded into the 2030s - they will ask the public for their views on options, including a subscription service or adverts, amid a drop in licence holders.While there remains a lack of consensus over the latter issue - in itself enough to worry BBC executives over its future - few would argue that licence fee payers should be funding a multimillion pound compensation claim to the increasingly litigious US president.Australia | The alleged Bondi attacker who survived a shootout with police has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, after waking from his coma on Tuesday.European Union | An agreement to rejoin Erasmus - the EU's student exchange programme - is expected to be announced on Wednesday as part of the UK government's drive towards closer relations with Brussels.Venezuela | Donald Trump has ordered a total and complete" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country's authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro.UK news | A former Royal Marine is starting a 21-year jail term for mowing down dozens of Liverpool football fans in a truly shocking" act that defies ordinary understanding".US news | Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, the acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner and the photographer Michele Singer Reiner, authorities announced on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Members of Franz Ferdinand, Del Amitri and more call for pause to schedule shake-up aimed at foregrounding mainstream, easy-listening tracks'Musicians including Eddi Reader, Nadine Shah, Hamish Hawk and members of Franz Ferninand, Del Amitri, Idlewild and more have voiced disapproval at planned changes to BBC Radio Scotland's late-night programming, claiming the changes will harm career-igniting" opportunities for Scottish artists.The BBC has announced it will replace four shows that currently air between 10pm and midnight from Monday to Thursday, and will either remove or reallocate their presenters. These shows will be replaced by Up Late, which the BBC says will feature a curated blend of well-known classics from the 1970s to the present day. The music will highlight a strong Scottish influence, showcasing both Scotland's most established musicians and its rising talent". Continue reading...