Defence secretary gave order for strikes but did not say to kill everybody', according to White House spokespersonThe revelation that Trinidad and Tobago has approved the installation of a US military radar installation has stoked fears that the Caribbean could be drawn into the escalating crisis between the US and Venezuela.Trinidad and Tobago's prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, had attempted to allay concerns about a US C-17 aircraft that had landed in the country, claiming it was carrying marines to assist with a road construction project. Continue reading...
Officials from agency grilled by MPsThe former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner will lay an amendment on Wednesday to speed up the workers rights' bill, after considerable anger" that unelected Lords forced the watering down of day-one rights, Jessica Elgot and Pippa Crerar report.Twelve more prisoners have been mistakenly freed in the past month and two are still at large, David Lammy has said.I'm not going to give details of those cases, because these are operational decisions made by the police, and you'll understand if they're about to arrest somebody they don't want me to blow the cover. Continue reading...
Elderly people unable to reach water stations set up by South East Water after treatment site closedThousands of homes have been without water for four days in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, after South East Water accidentally added the wrong chemicals to the tap water supply.Schools across the area have been shut for two days, and residents have been filling buckets with rainwater to flush toilets. Cats, dogs and guinea pigs have been given Evian to drink as the people of Tunbridge Wells wait for their water to be switched back on. Currently, 18,000 homes are without water. Continue reading...
Questions mount over US attack in Caribbean Sea that killed survivors on boat allegedly carrying drugsA US navy admiral will provide a classified briefing to lawmakers overseeing the military on Thursday as they investigate a US attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea allegedly carrying drugs that included a second strike that killed any survivors.The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday said the second strike was carried out in self-defence" and in accordance with laws governing armed conflict. Continue reading...
Ashley Jenkinson, who died in the crash on 2 January 2023, was seen inhaling a white powder at a New Year's Eve partyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA helicopter pilot involved in one of Australia's worst air disasters was seen taking cocaine at a party a day before the fatal crash, a coroner has heard.Ashley Jenkinson, 40 was among four people who died when his Sea World chopper collided midair with another helicopter outside the Gold Coast theme park on 2 January 2023. Continue reading...
Tom Dolphin, who applied to be Labour candidate in 2024, says political career not relevant as he defends strikesThe head of the doctors' union has denied he is pursuing further strike action to progress his own political career after the Labour party overlooked him as a prospective candidate for parliament.The British Medical Association has announced that resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - in England will stage another five-day strike from 7am on 17 December until 7am on 22 December. Continue reading...
Justice secretary suggests he will stick to Levesen's recommended three-year sentence threshold, after cabinet feedback'David Lammy is expected to back down from removing jury trials for all but the most serious charges of murder, manslaughter and rape, but trial by jury will still be radically reduced for more minor offences.The justice secretary said there had been cabinet feedback" on the plans and suggested on Tuesday he was minded to follow the recommendation in a report by the retired senior judge Sir Brian Leveson that either-way" offences likely to result in a sentence of three years or less should be dealt with by the magistrates courts or a new judge-only division. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#71W5H)
Independent inquiry into fire and media questions to leader would not happen in mainland China, but crackdown on dissent has begunAs Hong Kong mourns the victims of its worst fire in decades, the response to the disaster reveals the ways in which the semi-autonomous city retains differences from mainland China - and how some of those differences are being eroded.Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, announced on Tuesday the creation of an independent committee" to investigate the blaze, which killed 151 people at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong's New Territories. Continue reading...
by Aanya Wipulasena in Colombo and Hannah Ellis-Peter on (#71VZ3)
Many uncertain about the future after losing everything in the country's deadliest natural disaster for yearsWhen the rains began, Layani Rasika Niroshani was not worried. The 36-year-old mother of two was used to the heavy monsoon showers that drench Sri Lanka's hilly central region of Badulla every year. But as it kept pounding down without stopping, the family started to feel jittery.Some relocated to a relative's house, but her brother and his wife decided to stay behind to collect the valuables. As they were inside, a landslide hit the family home. Continue reading...
Independent reviewer says need to protect against online threats is now as important as need for robust armed forcesThe UK's independent reviewer of terrorism laws has criticised the government's latest national security strategy for failing to take online threats more seriously, despite Keir Starmer claiming it would result in a hardening and sharpening of our approach" in the face of Russian menace.Jonathan Hall KC said it was a very surprising omission" that the 2025 national security strategy did not focus more on online risks, including from terrorists and hostile states, which he said were now a major vector of threat". Continue reading...
Discounts started earlier than usual as competition for customers hit fever pitch', says British Retail ConsortiumCompetition between retailers seeking to entice customers with early Black Friday deals led to a slowdown in shop price rises during November, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).The trade association for retailers said prices in shops rose by 0.6% last month compared with November 2024. This was down from a 1% rise in October and below the three-month average of 1%. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#71W3B)
Exclusive: Letter says L&Q appears to have systematically failed in its duty to provide adequate standard of livingUN experts have said that one of England's biggest social landlords appears to have systematically failed to ensure the habitability of its rental properties.In a letter to the UK government, they cite the case of a disabled tenant, Sanjay Ramburn, 55, who they say lived with his family of five in an L&Q group property in Forest Gate, east London, for several years with no electricity. They experienced four ceiling collapses, as well as severe damp and mould that affected their health. Continue reading...
New Zealand police allege 32-year-old ingested the 18-karat gold egg - a James Bond Octopussy locket - and say the object has not yet been recovered'A New Zealand man has been charged with theft after allegedly swallowing a Faberge James Bond Octopussy egg pendant worth more than $33,500 (US$19,200).Police were called to a central Auckland jewellery store, Partridge Jewellers, on Friday afternoon after staff reported a man had allegedly picked up the pendant and swallowed it, said Grae Anderson, the city's central area commander. Continue reading...
Sanae Takaichi's not-so-catchy remarks about everyone working like a horse did not go down well in a country notorious for its demanding work cultureIt is not, perhaps, a word many people in Japan will want to hear as they prepare for the bonenkai office party season and some well-earned time off over the new year.But the promise made by Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, that she would work, work, work, work, and work" on behalf of her country has clearly struck a chord. Continue reading...
by Warren Murray with Guardian writers and agencies on (#71W12)
Zelenskyy says redrafted peace plan looks better' but Kaja Kallas fears Moscow meeting will wrongfully put pressure on Kyiv rather than Kremlin. What we know on day 1,378An intensified diplomatic push to end the nearly four-year war has continued, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy visiting Paris on Monday - a day after the Ukrainian president's team held talks with US officials - and Vladimir Putin due to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday.Zelenskyy, speaking in Paris, said the Kremlin's claims of battlefield advances were exaggerated. He said Ukraine's priorities remained security guarantees, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as he insisted that Russia must not get rewards for its aggression on Ukraine. He said he hoped to have talks with the US president, Donald Trump, to discuss next steps once Steve Witkoff is back from his talks in Russia.Ukraine's president said that after revisions the peace plan circulating between Ukraine, Russia and Washigton looks better" and the work will continue. The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, warned however that talks between the Putin and Witkoff will again pile pressure on Ukraine to make concessions, write Jennifer Rankin and Pjotr Sauer. Kallas said: In order to have peace, we shouldn't lose focus that it's actually Russia who has started this war and Russia that is continuing this war and Russia that is really targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure every single day to cause as much damage as possible."The White House said it was very optimistic" of a deal being reached to end the war. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told reporters: Just yesterday [the White House team] had very good talks with the Ukrainians in Florida and now of course special envoy Witkoff is on his way to Russia." Witkoff has in the past returned to Washington conveying variations of Vladimir Putin's maximalist demands for Ukraine's total capitulation. His role has come under scrutiny following a report that he coached Putin's foreign affairs adviser on how to pitch to Trump.The Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said the Florida talks achieved significant progress" but that some issues remained unresolved. Zelenskyy, while trying carefully not to anger Trump, has refused US-backed calls for Ukraine to give up hard-fought territory that Russia has not been able to seize.Four people were killed and 40 wounded in a Russian missile attack on the eastern-central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Monday, Ukrainian officials said. Vladyslav Haivanenko, the acting governor of the surrounding Dnipropetrovsk region, said 11 of those injured were in a serious condition. Ukraine's emergency services said car service stations, other businesses, an office building and 49 cars were all damaged in the attack. Continue reading...
The king and queen's visit to the former colony is the first by members of the Dutch royal family in nearly five decadesThe Dutch king, Willem-Alexander, vowed on Monday that the topic of slavery would not be off-limits as he visits former colony Suriname, where the practice ended just over 150 years ago.The king arrived in the capital Paramaribo on Sunday with Queen Maxima, a week after the small South American country marked 50 years of independence from the Netherlands. Continue reading...
Research shows perpetrators use methods such as stopping mothers accessing bank accounts and child benefitsAlmost 4 million children in the UK are suffering the impact of economic abuse in their families, with some having pocket or birthday money stolen by the perpetrators, a charity has found.Data from charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) showed that over the past year 27% of mothers with children under 18 had experienced behaviour considered to be economic abuse, where a current or former partner has controlled the family's money. Continue reading...
Justice secretary expected to announce plans to tackle backlog of cases as he says system has been pushed to brink of collapseA courts emergency" that will surpass 100,000 outstanding cases without radical reforms is leaving victims waiting years for justice, David Lammy has said as he prepares to face MPs over plans to drop thousands of jury trials.The justice secretary proposed last week to reduce the 78,000 outstanding cases in England and Wales by allowing jury trials only for serious crimes such as murder, rape and manslaughter. Continue reading...
Home Office accused of putting criminality before dignity with rule seeking intelligence on people-smugglersChildren who arrive in the UK on small boats could be searched to check if they are concealing phone sim cards in their mouths under new Home Office rules.New measures will allow immigration enforcement officials to seize phones at the border if it is believed they contain useful intelligence about people-smugglers. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#71VXE)
Survey also reveals Britons' favourite festive film, views on tear-jerkers and family cinema tripsWhen Macaulay Culkin recently said he didn't consider Die Hard to be a Christmas film - wading into one of pop culture's most heated holiday debates - he was booed by a live audience.But it looks like the British people are behind the actor, with a survey revealing that Home Alone is the UK's favourite festive film, while Die Hard has officially been voted not a Christmas movie. Continue reading...
Move by firm, owned by US group Avis Budget, will remove access to shared fleet across London at end of yearThe world's biggest car-sharing company, Zipcar, has said it will close its UK operation, removing access to its shared fleet across London at the end of this year.The company, owned by the US car rental group Avis Budget, said it would suspend new bookings through its app after 31 December, pending the outcome of a consultation on possible redundancies. The UK operating company had 71 staff last year, according to its latest accounts. Continue reading...
Disgraced and incarcerated music mogul claims footage in docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning was stolenSean Diddy" Combs has taken issue with a splashy new Netflix docuseries on his life and many legal troubles, that is executive produced by his longtime rival 50 Cent.The former Bad Boy Records executive and hip-hop star, currently serving a four-year sentence for prostitution-related charges, blasted Sean Combs: The Reckoning as a shameful hit piece", and accused Netflix of incorporating stolen footage. Continue reading...
Iranian film-maker won Cannes film festival's Palme D'Or prize earlier this year for It Was Just an AccidentIran has sentenced the Palme d'Or-winning film-maker Jafar Panahi in absentia to one year in prison and a travel ban over propaganda activities" against the country.The sentence includes a two-year ban on leaving Iran and prohibition of Panahi from membership of any political or social groups, his lawyer Mostafa Nili said, adding that they would file an appeal. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Richard Hermer, a senior Jewish minister, says Reform leader clearly deeply hurt' many people with his alleged behaviourThe UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish government ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who claim the Reform UK leader racially abused them while at school.The attorney general, Richard Hermer, said Farage had clearly deeply hurt" many people with their descriptions of his behaviour, and that his constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing. Continue reading...
Five days of strike action over jobs and pay to take place from 17 to 22 DecemberThousands of doctors in England are to go on strike again this month, in a dispute over pay and job security.The British Medical Association has announced that resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - will begin a five-day strike action that will run from 7am on 17 December until 7am on 22 December. Continue reading...
Ukrainian president says focus remains on security guarantees, maintaining sovereignty and territoryUK prime minister Keir Starmer is delivering a major economy speech this morning.You can follow all the key lines on our UK live blog with my colleague Andrew Sparrow, but there's a particular line of argument that will no doubt reasonate in Europe, too.Let me be crystal clear, there is no credible economic vision for Britain that does not position us as an open, trading economy.So we must all now confront the reality that the Brexit deal we have significantly hurt our economy and so for economic renewal, we have to keep reducing frictions. Continue reading...
An official confirmed nearly a dozen deaths, including a mother and her child, in Artibonite region over the weekendHeavily armed gangs attacked Haiti's central region over the weekend, killing men, women and children as they set fire to homes and forced survivors to flee into the darkness.Police made emergency calls for backup, asserting that 50% of the Artibonite region had fallen under gang control after the large-scale attacks targeting towns including Bercy and Pont-Sonde. Continue reading...
Undercover unit monitored Stephen Lawrence's family, as well as thousands of mainly leftwing political activistsTwo senior officers who supervised an undercover Scotland Yard unit spying on political campaigns were horribly and incredibly" racist, a whistleblower has told a public inquiry.Peter Francis, a former member of the unit, testified that one regularly used the N-word", while the other used a repertoire of explicit racist slurs. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#71VJJ)
Avanti service was to have been axed from mid-December but would have still run because of needs out of EustonThe express Manchester-London 7am Avanti service will take passengers after all, after the rail regulator conceded defeat in the face of public outcry over a ruling that would have left it running as an empty ghost train" each day.The 7am train, the only service linking the cities in under two hours, was set to be axed from the passenger table from mid-December - but would, as the Guardian reported on Saturday, have kept running empty from Piccadilly each day so it could run morning trains back out of Euston. Continue reading...
Some foods can interact negatively with certain medication while medical moisturisers can make clothes more flammableChristmas might be a season of comfort and joy but health experts have warned of lurking dangers, ranging from the fire risk posed by skin creams to the possibility of festive foods interacting with certain medications.People using medical moisturisers known as emollient creams, often used for eczema and other dry skin conditions, should stay away from heat sources including candles and open flames because such creams can soak into fabrics and make them more flammable, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Continue reading...
Authorities face growing criticism for detaining at least two civilians who have called for accountabilityAuthorities in Hong Kong have arrested 13 people on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to last week's devastating fire, as they face growing criticism from residents over the arrests under national security laws of at least two civilians calling for accountability.Emergency services continued to search through the seven towers of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po on Monday, days after the city's deadliest fire in 75 years. The death toll rose to 151 and is expected to rise further as the search continues. About 40 people are still missing. Continue reading...
US president says he will look into reports US military was told to conduct follow-up attack on suspected drug vesselDonald Trump said on Sunday he would look into reports that the US military conducted a follow-up strike on a boat in the Caribbean that it believed to be ferrying drugs, killing survivors of an initial missile attack.The US president also said he wouldn't have wanted" a second strike on the vessel during the incident on 2 September - the first publicised operation in a series of attacks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that Washington says are aimed at combatting the drug trade. Continue reading...
Existence of phrase - to describe content intended to make you angry - shows people are aware of manipulation tactics used online, says Oxford Dictionary publisherGood news for those who find their blood pressure rising as they scroll through their online news feeds: the Oxford English Dictionary's publisher has highlighted the term they might need to describe how they often feel, naming rage bait" as its word of the year.According to the Oxford University Press' analysis, use of the phrase has tripled in the past 12 months. Continue reading...
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