Cummins speaks about allegations in Usman Khawaja's book about the 2018 ball-tampering incidentCummins says there's a proper way to do things'Cummins says he believes there was a proper way to handle the sandpaper incident, pointing to the Cricket Australia investigation shortly afterwards.There's a very proper way to do things and improve. I think that investigation was a proper way to do it.Everyone was asked in the circumstances about a game very quickly after. So that's for CA. I think you can maybe argue whether the judgements were fair, but what can you do? I got asked all the questions, answered them all fairly.That's my story, so I think he's wrong.The details really matter in that difference. So perhaps there was conversations with Cameron Bancroft around taking sandpaper out and how to do it. That doesn't mean that everyone in that dressing room knew what was going on. Continue reading...
Chief financial officer Colette Kress to take over on interim basis but other names are in mix to be permanent successorThe hunt is on for a new Nvidia CEO. It comes after a whirlwind week, which saw the company head and co-founder, Jensen Huang, resign amid multiple allegations of extramarital affairs, including one that involved an alleged Chinese spy and two with company employees.Nvidia immediately named Colette Kress, the company's chief financial officer, as the interim CEO. It's possible she could stay on permanently, but the company could also name another candidate for the full-time role. Names that have been floated include Ian Buck, who manages Nvidia's AI hardware and software products, and Rene Haas, a former Nvidia employee and the current CEO of Arm Holdings, a UK-based chipmaker. Continue reading...
Hidden bunker, entered via a hatch in a field, controlled a gun battery used to attack German ships in ChannelIt has been kept secret for decades, buried four metres deep into the white cliffs of Dover. But from Friday, members of the public will finally be able to visit a pioneering command bunker that was ordered by Winston Churchill and proved a vital defence during the second world war.The Fan Bay plotting room, which is encased in concrete, housed the first land-based computer-aided targeting system. This acted as a brain" for a gun battery that was used to defend Dover and attack German ships in the Channel, according to Jon Stewart, who led the excavation project for the National Trust. Continue reading...
by Robert Mackey (now); Uwa Ede-Osifo, Chris Stein, F on (#79PXJ)
Defense secretary issues commendation to US army sentinel who told him and his aides to be quiet after laughter was heard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Allegations of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour made against ex-comedian who was jailed on MondayRussell Brand has been accused of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour by a further six women, according to a report.The comedian, 51, is accused of having sex with a woman without her consent and then apologising afterwards, an investigation by the Times and the Sunday Times said. Continue reading...
Kalshi announces mutual decision' as Democrats say they plan to investigate Trump family's investmentsDonald Trump Jr is no longer a paid adviser for Kalshi, the prediction market company said Thursday.Kalshi described it as a mutual business decision between the two parties that followed a decision by Trump Jr's investment firm, 1789 Capital, to increase its investment in Kalshi's biggest competitor Polymarket. Continue reading...
by Pjotr Sauer and Jennifer Rankin in Dublin on (#79QBX)
Russian president says he would target any foreign troops sent to Ukraine and refuses to soften territorial demandsVladimir Putin warned US negotiators that Russia would target any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, in a series of hardline remarks that came as the Ukrainian military faced renewed disruptions to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service.During the talks at the Kremlin with the US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff on Thursday, the Russian president refused to soften his territorial demands, insisting on full control over four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed. Continue reading...
Home Office sign-off also needed for site that would house 1,200 asylum seekers near Oxfordshire village that voted to leave UKThe communities secretary, Angela Rayner, has approved full planning permission for an asylum centre at a Ministry of Defence site near the village of Piddington in Oxfordshire.The decision approves plans to go ahead with the refurbishment and redevelopment of the former barracks. The Home Office insists that final approval is still to be determined. Continue reading...
Figures highlight spread of virus, officially declared eliminated in US in 2000, but CDC does not identify which states accounted for deathsThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported six measles-related deaths in the US this year, according to figures published on its website on Thursday, as the country faces its most severe resurgence of the disease in decades.The newly reported total is twice the number of deaths recorded in 2025, highlighting the spread of the highly infectious virus, which was officially declared eliminated in the US in 2000. Continue reading...
New York City officials have confirmed at least eight casualties - six adults and two children - in the collapseFlatbush Ave in Flatbush, New York, stood still and in shock after a three-storey apartment building collapsed on Wednesday afternoon near a construction site.The last time I saw something like this was when I went to work at 9/11," Prudence Foster said. Continue reading...
Mostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Javadi Manesh carried out surveillance in an effort to inflict violence on targetsTwo men of Iranian origin who were hired through social media as part of a plan to eliminate" journalists in the UK have been found guilty of assisting Tehran's intelligence services.Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, carried out surveillance and reconnaissance between August 2024 and March last year in an attempt to inflict violence on subjects" in the UK. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#79Q7F)
Government considers further curbs on non-disclosure agreements after Guardian investigation of TV personalityMinisters are looking at ways to change the law quickly to expand protections that stop non-disclosure agreements being used to cover up harassment or discrimination in the wake of the allegations about David Walliams.This could involve extending measures that mean an NDA cannot be used this way to silence an employee so that it also applies to others, such as freelancers or volunteers. Continue reading...
Many hemp companies are shipping their remaining inventory to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Tennessee, which have different regulationsAt midnight this morning in Illinois, hemp-derived THC drinks transformed from grocery store commodities into illegal narcotics, and manufacturers have been rushing to sell their inventory or ship it out of state.Republicans tacked a last-minute provision on to last year's spending bill that ended the government shutdown, banning all hemp-derived THC products, including the THC-infused alcohol alternatives sold at liquor stores and grocery stores. Under the new law, no container can have more than 0.4mg THC total. Continue reading...
by Andrew Sparrow (now) and Taz Ali (earlier) on (#79PWW)
This blog is now closedOn the Today programme this morning, the Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, a prominent leftwinger, indicated she might vote against legislation to implement the Alan Milburn proposals. She said she was concerned by the idea that the cuts would apply to people already getting sickness and disability benefits, and she said it appeared to be a breach of a promise given last year that people already getting Pip (the personal independence payment) would not lose it.She said:I just don't think that you get a disabled young person into work by taking away the money that helps them to get into work.The cuts seem to land on young disabled people, and many of them are in college already or already in work. So I don't see how you fix the first by punishing the second.Milburn said he concluded fundamental change was needed. He said:The whole system needs to be changed, because the system is geared to keeping people inactive when, for young people in particular, it's all about how can you make them active, get them earning, learning, so that they can rely on a wage rather than on a benefit. So, this is not about cutting one benefit, it's about rebuilding the system from scratch.He said that he decided existing claimants should be covered by the changes, not just new changes.It's a big rewriting of the welfare system. And obviously one of the conundrums was, Should this apply to only new claimants?'I came to the conclusion that wouldn't be right, not least because you've got hundreds of thousands of young people stuck in a benefit system that is trapping them in poverty, giving them no prospect of prosperity or a job.Milburn admitted this meant the plans would not be pain-free".I'm not saying that any of this will be easy or that it will be pain-free because it won't. You know, candidly, it could mean that some people will get less financial support at the beginning of their benefit claim than under the current system.He said he wanted the system to prioritise improving people's life chances in the long term over easing their financial hardship in the short term.Actually for young people there's a different debate that we've got to resolve, which is whether the priority is their longer-term life chances or just their immediate shorter-term finances.I think what the current system does, it prioritises the latter over the former. I believe that's the wrong choice and it needs to be the other way around.He said, alongside the cuts to benefits he is proposing (see 11.56am), he wanted to improve employment support for young people.We need to make sure people have the opportunities to get an apprenticeship, a job, a work placement, a pre-apprenticeship, a college place.The menu of opportunities has got to increase. They'll have a personal adviser, they'll be coached all the way through. The adviser will stick with them until they have found a job or an apprenticeship or college place.He also confirmed he wants to let young people do some work before they start losing benefits.They will get immediate access to support if that's what they need, if that's the thing that is holding them back from being in education or training.He admitted that offering better employment support and mental health support would mean his plans would initially cost money. According to the Times, he did not did not deny claims the whole package could cost 6bn. But, in the long run, there would be savings, he said.Obviously this costs money. And frankly it's a better use of money, both from the point of view of the young person and the taxpayer, to spend that money getting them into work rather than spending that money keeping them on benefits.This is the sort of fatuous thing about this debate. You've got to invest upfront in order to get savings out of the back end. Cost-free is fatuous. So we've got to be candid about that. It will need significant investment.To get a return on investment will take time ... the only way of cutting the benefits bill sustainably is by getting young people into work, paying their taxes and being less reliant on benefits. Unless you are prepared to put the investment upfront it will never be possible.He said he was confident" that Andy Burnham was full-square behind the changes that are needed." Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on (#79PTW)
US envoy Steve Witkoff's announcement come after his talks with Putin in MoscowLuxembourg's PM Luc Frieden looks to be absolutely chuffed to be representing all three Benelux countries at today's summit, as his Belgian and Dutch colleagues are too busy to attend as they face domestic crises.I have the privilege of representing 30 millions citizens today," he said on arrival to Dublin, with a massive smile on his face. Continue reading...
Government proposal aims to reduce number of children in custody in England and Wales and boost youth employmentChildren found guilty of robbery, dealing drugs to other children or violent disorder will no longer have to disclose their criminal records to prospective employers under sweeping government proposals to change the youth justice system.People in England and Wales will not have to share records of crimes committed when they were under 18 for the rest of their lives under the proposals, which ministers say will boost youth employment and make life fairer for people from disadvantaged backgrounds in particular. Continue reading...
Defeating Cindy Hyde-Smith makes the 43-year-old district attorney the first Black Mississippi senator elected since Reconstruction. Plus, the South Korean scarf vendor who has gone viral for telling people not to buyGood morning. In a stunning upset after more than a week of vote counting in one of the country's most reliably red states, the Democrat Scott Colom has defeated Cindy Hyde-Smith, the incumbent Republican senator, in Mississippi. He becomes the first Black senator elected in the state since Reconstruction.Colom's election capped a national wave of anger at Donald Trump's administration, sweeping away Republicans in places where Democrats had not been competitive in decades. With the addition of Colom, Democrats will hold at least 55 seats in the Senate, the party's largest midterm gain since 1986.What did Colom say about his victory? Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, said there had been times when his long-shot campaign felt defeated but I had to have faith". He told supporters: My commitment to you, each and every one of you, is that first I'm going to treat your children like I want my children to be treated. I'm going to treat your parents the way I want my parents to be treated. I'm gonna treat your future the way I want my future to be."How have Democrats responded to a White House threat? Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the oversight committee in the House of Representatives said it appeared Donald Trump had something to hide" after the White House threatened criminal investigations over the party's planned scrutiny of the administration. Garcia said in a statement that Congress's authority came from article I of the constitution, not from the permission of the White House". Continue reading...
Authorities say the boy was in the care of Michael Comer's mother, but she left him with her son to run an errandAn 11-month-old South Carolina boy who authorities say was buried alive in a dog crate by his father was found by rescuers after about 24 hours, crying and covered in dirt, his grandfather said about the dramatic rescue.But soon after, little Koah Sharp stopped crying, John Comer told the Associated Press on Wednesday night as he recalled the events that played out the day before in the woods on his neighbor's property. The infant was put on the back of a truck and sat up, Comer said. Continue reading...
Former Radio 1 DJ accused of new offences against women in London and now faces trial in January for 17 chargesThe former radio DJ Tim Westwood has denied two additional sex offences dating back to 1991 and 2004.His latest not guilty pleas mean he now denies 17 charges against nine women between 1983 and 2016. Continue reading...
Thomas changes plea over slashing boat with knife after watching occupants being helped by rescue servicesThe far-right agitator Daniel Thomas has admitted criminal damage after slashing a dinghy with a knife in the Channel.The 37-year-old, who is also known as Danny Tommo, changed his plea to the single charge when he appeared via video link from prison at Portsmouth crown court on Thursday. Continue reading...
by Seham Tantesh in Gaza and William Christou in Beir on (#79PWX)
Patients awaiting surgery die in attack on one of few remaining medical facilities in the strip, doctor saysAn Israeli airstrike on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza killed six people, including a surgeon and a disabled man, and wounded more than 20 others, the Palestinian news agency reported.The Israeli military carried out the attack on the hospital, in Khan Younis, early on Thursday saying in a statement it had struck a Hamas commander and other fighters there, without providing evidence. Continue reading...
Unprecedented view of cosmos provided by Euclid mission throws up many more cases of gravitational lensingA mission to create the largest ever 3D map of the universe has revealed more than 900m galaxies in its first major data release together with about 15,000 potential cases of a phenomenon that could help unlock the secrets of the dark universe".Launched in July 2023, the European Space Agency's Euclid mission promised to create the largest cosmic map ever made, encompassing a third of the sky and more than 10bn years of cosmic history. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Legal notice comes as Buenos Aires ramps up rhetoric over UK territory and seeks to halt Sea Lion projectThe Argentinian government threatened a British businessman involved in an offshore Falkland Islands oil project with jail, the Guardian can reveal.Sam Moody, the chief executive of Rockhopper Exploration, and his company's chief financial officer received the correspondence this autumn as Buenos Aires began ramping up its rhetoric over the British overseas territory. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: US intelligence reportedly believes the former tech executive was recruited by Beijing, raising questions about the security of the AI industry and Trump's close ties to Nvidia chief Jensen HuangGood morning. Espionage is supposed to be a secretive business, and spies are supposed to be virtually invisible. That hasn't been the case for Alice Huang, the mysterious Shanghai executive who formed a romantic relationship with Jensen Huang, the founder of Nvidia, one of America's most powerful tech companies.Many questions have arisen since it emerged that US intelligence believes that Huang (no relation of Jensen's) is an asset recruited by the Chinese intelligence services to spy on behalf of Beijing. This morning's newsletter explains what we know about the story, and what it tells us about the effectiveness of Chinese espionage. That's after the headlines.UK | Ministers are considering changing the law to force the entertainment industry to better protect women and children in the wake of the revelations over David Walliams and the conviction of Russell Brand.Climate | The UK government has appointed the world's first special representative for climate security, in the strongest sign yet of fears that climate breakdown will bring chaos to the country.US midterms | Democrat Scott Colom has become the first Black senator in Mississippi to be elected since Reconstruction, in a stunning upset after more than a week of vote counting in one of the country's most reliably red states.Europe | Millions of people across Spain have joined the country's first general strike in 14 years, setting up picket lines to protest against soaring housing prices before an election in which the far right could be catapulted into power.Technology | Police officers risk arresting innocent people, especially from ethnic minorities, if they treat inaccurate facial recognition data as evidence, an official report has found. Continue reading...
Since the US war on Iran began in February, there have been hundreds of oil spills, posing a generational' threat to wildlifeThe vast, dark slicks in the strait of Hormuz are visible from space. Throughout October, oil tankers were struck by missiles or sea mines in the waterway and spilled crude into the sea. The pollution has spread across the Gulf, contaminating coastlines and threatening to cause lasting damage to marine ecosystems that are home to dolphins, sea turtles and countless species of fish.Eight months into the war between the US and Iran, one of the world's busiest oil shipping routes has become a battlefield and the centre of a growing environmental disaster. Continue reading...
Once thought to have been looted by Scottish tribes, the gilded limb is the centrepiece of a new exhibition on Roman Scotland in EdinburghA large bronze leg found in a bog in rural Scotland more than 200 years ago and then hidden away in a duke's storeroom is helping to rewrite the history of the Roman empire.Antiquarians argued that the so-called Mislington leg had been looted, perhaps from York, hacked off by marauding Scottish tribes and carried north over Hadrian's Wall. We cannot visualise the conditions which would have led to its erection anywhere north of the Great Wall," said one scholar, James Curle, in 1932. Continue reading...
Remains believed to have belonged to Africans or Afro-Brazilians repatriated after being flown back by diplomatsTwo skulls, including that of a man believed to have taken part in Brazil's greatest slave revolt but whose remains were taken to the United States and used in racist eugenics studies at Harvard University, were repatriated on Wednesday.The remains had been outside Brazil since the 19th century. One was taken about 190 years ago from Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia; the other, about 160 years ago, from Rio de Janeiro - and were welcomed back in moving, subdued ceremonies in both cities. Continue reading...
Driver, 61, faces DUI and murder charges after Tuesday crash critically injuring two others in North HollywoodA driver who reportedly crashed into pedestrians on a Los Angeles corner during Tuesday rush hour, killing three people and critically injuring two more, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and three counts of murder, police said on Wednesday.The fatal crash took place near a North Hollywood metro station. Continue reading...
Death of Javits Frimpong, who moved to the US from Ghana a year ago, has affected close-knit Ghanaian communityA 17-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong in the Bronx.The teenager was taken from his Bronx home for questioning Wednesday morning and brought to the New York City police department (NYPD)'s 42nd precinct. The suspect, whose identity has not been released, faces several charges, including murder, manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon and other firearm-related offenses. Continue reading...
Once a Dallas school teacher, Hall became a star in later life with roles in Soul Food and CollateralActor Irma P Hall, star of Soul Food and the Coen brothers' The Ladykillers, has died at the age of 91.Hall died on Tuesday, her family confirmed alongside a statement that described her as a beloved actress, author, poet, educator and public speaker whose contributions touched countless lives throughout her remarkable career". Continue reading...
Retailer's management to seek two-week extension of legal protection from creditors in high courtMPs have accused the owner of Poundland of extracting millions of pounds from the budget retailer when it was on a knife-edge" as it seeks extra time to secure a rescue deal.The management of Poundland, which employs 12,000 people and operates 600 stores in the UK and Ireland, will seek a two-week extension of legal protection from creditors from the high court on Thursday morning. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#79PEZ)
Paralympian Richard Whitehead gobsmacked' at Tory leader's speech over proposed 36bn welfare cutsThe double amputee marathon runner Richard Whitehead has criticised Kemi Badenoch for weaponising his sporting success" to justify her proposed 36bn welfare cuts.The Conservative leader used the example of double amputees running marathons" in a speech this week to explain the reasoning behind her proposed cuts to disability benefits, which she said were enabling people to live a life of dependency". Continue reading...
L/Cpl Nicholas Horne, from 4th Battalion of Royal Regiment of Scotland, charged with one count of rape on 23 OctoberA British soldier has been charged with the alleged rape of a UK army servicewoman in Cyprus.L/Cpl Nicholas Horne, who serves in the 4th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as The Highlanders, was charged with one count of rape on 23 October, the Defence Serious Crime Command (DSCC) said. Continue reading...
74-year-old Leonardo Bertulazzi, awaiting extradition to Italy, reportedly used harness to flee custodyA 74-year-old former member of Italy's radical Marxist group the Red Brigades has escaped from house arrest in Argentina, the country's security ministry confirmed on Wednesday, after he reportedly hid his ankle monitor inside a tube of pork and lowered himself from a fifth-floor balcony.Authorities placed Leonardo Bertulazzi under house arrest in Buenos Aires in 2024, prior to his extradition to Italy to serve a 27-year prison sentence. He had received the sentence in 1987 for joining a subversive association and belonging to an armed group. Continue reading...
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