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With his acclaimed performance in the Guardian’s 2021 film of the year, The Power of the Dog, the actor talks about feeling the pain of his macho character, working with Jane Campion and the struggle to do taxidermy in LAEarlier this week, Benedict Cumberbatch picked up his first nomination this awards season: best actor in a drama at the Golden Globes for The Power of the Dog. It will not be his last. In Jane Campion’s western, adapted from the novel by Thomas Savage, he plays Phil Burbank, a brilliant but vile cattle rancher in 1925 Montana.Trained at the start of the century by an iconic cowboy called Bronco Henry, Phil bullies everyone: men, animals, his brother, George (Jesse Plemons) – and, particularly, George’s new wife, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and her delicate son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Continue reading...

Nomads’ herds are dying along with rare wildlife as the longest dry spell in memory edges pastoralists ever nearer starvationDahabley smells of rotting flesh. Bodies of starved cows lie in various stages of decomposition, after being dragged to the outskirts of the village in Wajir county, north-east Kenya. They are added to on a near-daily basis and fester in the heat amid multiplying flies.North-east Kenya is well used to spells of drought, but it is experiencing the worst in living memory. As the region’s short rainy season, which starts in October, draws to an end, parts of Wajir have only seen small showers and other areas have had no rain at all for more than a year. Continue reading...

Permits for UK and EU vessels will hinder efforts to protect marine life and may break habitats directive, conservation group warnsThe British government’s granting of fishing licences to more than 1,000 UK and EU vessels for 2022, which will permit bottom-trawling and dredging in marine protected areas, could be unlawful unless conditions to safeguard ocean habitats are imposed, the conservation group Oceana says.In a letter to George Eustice, secretary of state for the environment, parts of which have been seen by the Guardian, the group warned that licences expected to be granted this month could contravene UK law. This includes the habitats directive, aimed at protecting vital marine ecosystems. Continue reading...

The dish, originally cooked by slaves for their owners, has come to symbolise hope and dignity in the troubled Caribbean countryHaiti’s joumou soup, a symbol of hope and dignity for the world’s first black-led republic, has been awarded protected status by Unesco.The soup, made from turban squash and originally cooked by enslaved African people for their owners in Haiti, was on Thursday added to Unesco’s prestigious list of intangible cultural heritage. It is Haiti’s first inclusion on the list, and the country’s Unesco ambassador, Dominique Dupuy, cried as the announcement was made. The decision is expected to be officially endorsed by Unesco’s general assembly next year. Continue reading...

I had always smugly refused to engage with the kitschly sentimental show, but who was I kidding?In the creeping misery of post-summer, when dark, rainy days conspire with the grind of normal life to throw you into despair, Strictly Come Dancing dazzles like a glitter ball in the gloom. For nearly 18 years, avoiding Strictly’s omnipresence in the run-up to Christmas was a personal dogma. When asked for an opinion on who may be voted off or who would win, I’d respond with smug refusal to engage. I did not and could not watch the show.My strong reaction was in part founded on my inability to understand how watching people who already had money and got paid more to dance badly could ever be called entertainment. Adding insult to injury, the contestants would invariably huff into cameras, gushing about being grateful for the “journey”. No, thank you.Lola Okolosie is an English teacher and writer focusing on race, politics, education and feminism Continue reading...

Reconstruction after Covid: a new series of long readsWhile the rich nations focus on booster jabs and returning to the office, much of the world is facing devastating second-order coronavirus effects. Now is the time to build a fairer, more responsible international system for the future. By Kwame Anthony Appiah Continue reading...

Need some rest and some time with people you love or even better spend a quiet moment hiding alone in a tree

The shortening of booster intervals and spread of Omicron has created a huge demand for third jabs. We look at where and when can you get one

Helen Morgan wins seat the Conservatives have held for almost 200 years in a byelection called after environment secretary Owen Paterson resignedThe Liberal Democrats have won a stunning victory in the North Shropshire byelection, taking what had previously been a safe Conservative seat by a margin of nearly 6,000 votes, and capping a disastrous few weeks for Boris Johnson.Helen Morgan, the Lib Dem candidate, won 17,957 votes, ahead of the Conservatives’ Neil Shastri-Hurst, on 12,032, a majority of 5,925. Labour’s Ben Wood was third, with 3,686 votes. Turnout was 46.3%. Continue reading...

Premier Peter Gutwein says the tragedy at Hillcrest primary school is beyond comprehension as police investigate bouncy castle accident and one child is released from hospital

Investigators say there could be evidence on the star’s iPhone relating to the death of cinematographer Halyna HutchinsA search warrant has been issued for Alec Baldwin’s phone in the investigation into October’s fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the actor/director’s film Rust, according to New Mexico court documents.The search warrant and accompanying affidavit were filed on Thursday in Santa Fe county magistrate Court nearly two weeks after a New Mexico prosecutor overseeing the probe said some of the individuals who handled guns on the film set may face criminal charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins. Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un emerged onto the world stage as a virtual unknown in 2011, a young man thrust into power at the head of North Korea – a nuclear-armed state – after his father's unexpected death.In the decade since, he has ruthlessly purged alleged political opponents, extended his country's nuclear capabilities, and tightened his grip on power as North Korea's supreme leader.From diplomatic summits with Donald Trump to executing members of his own family and failing to stave off famine in his own country, Guardian correspondent Justin McCurry charts the highs and lows of Kim's first 10 years in office. Continue reading...

Some observers said he would survive a few months as the head of a nuclear-armed state but, a decade later, the North Korean leader has proved them wrong

Italy reports 26,109 new cases, its highest daily number since 12 March; experts warn Ontario hospitals could be overwhelmed

Brexit minister David Frost is seeking agreement on customs and imports to NI and could drop insistence on total exclusion of ECJThe UK is to change tack in negotiations over the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol and will push for an “interim” deal to avert any further deterioration of political stability in the region.Brexit minister David Frost is set to propose a new approach based on a “staged solution” with a deal on customs declarations and physical checks on goods a priority to address the immediate impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. Continue reading...

In many states, healthcare systems are already under strain due to an increase in Delta infections over the Thanksgiving holidayJoe Biden on Thursday warned of “a winter of severe illness and death” for those not vaccinated against Covid-19, amid a wave of Delta infections and as new Omicron cases are beginning to surge in America.The US president spoke as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned the Omicron variant could peak as early as January and states are scrambling to prepare for overloaded hospitals. Continue reading...

Firefighters faced an ‘intense blaze’ throughout the ground floor of the property, said London Fire BrigadeFour children have died in a house fire in south London.The London fire brigade (LFB) said eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters were sent to Collingwood Road, Sutton, at just before 7pm on Thursday in response to reports of the fire. Continue reading...

First minister Mark Drakeford tells public to reduce Christmas socialising to stop spread of Omicron Covid variant

For opponents of the dictatorship Lucía Hiriart was a reviled symbol of the violent authoritarian regime and its bitter legacy

The Sex and the City actor claims that alleged assaults of two women were ‘consensual’Chris Noth, the actor best known as Carrie Bradshaw’s love interest Mr Big on Sex and the City, has been accused of sexual assault by two women who spoke to the Hollywood Reporter.The women, who do not know each other and contacted the publication separately as press swirled around the recent spinoff series And Just Like That, both describe similar alleged rapes by the 67-year-old actor more than a decade apart.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Friday: Experts encourage people to hold Christmas gatherings outdoors to help curb the spread of the Covid Omicron variant. Plus: writers and artists pay tribute to acclaimed author bell hooksGood morning. Governments around the world are bracing for a rise in Omicron cases with Australians being urged to hold Christmas gatherings outside to stop the spread. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson reportedly joined a Downing Street pizza party during the May 2020 lockdown.Experts are urging people to hold their Christmas gatherings outside during the day and to reduce the number of invitees, as Covid cases surge in New South Wales and Victoria. As both states ease restrictions heading into the Christmas break, there are growing concerns the spreading Omicron variant may jeopardise family gatherings. Prof Peter Collignon, an infectious disease physician, said that aside from getting a booster shot, the best way to keep gatherings Covid-safe was to hold them outside. “I think you’d get some protection, especially for your older relatives, if you tried as much as possible to hold your gatherings outside,” he said. As it becomes clearer that the variant is more infectious and more vaccine-evasive, how worried should we be? Continue reading...

Historian appears as expert witness at trial of four accused of criminal damage of Edward Colston memorialEdward Colston was “chief executive officer” of a company responsible for enslaving more Africans than any other in British history, the historian David Olusoga has told a court, as defendants argued they acted “lawfully” in toppling his statue.Appearing on Thursday as an expert witness in the trial of four people accused of criminal damage of the memorial to Colston, the presenter of the BBC’s A House Through Time series described the horrors of the trade. Continue reading...

Adele, Ed Sheeran, Abba, Lana Del Rey and Drake all found success in 2021 by delivering more of the same – a result of how our chaotic lives, on and offline, are informing our tasteThe biggest album launch of 2021 began with a social media statement tacitly assuring fans that nothing had changed. Adele was once more in a state of heartbreak – “a maze of absolute mess and inner turmoil … consumed by my own grief” – and that the contents of her album 30 would reflect that, as mired in romantic misery as its predecessors, 25 and 21. It was the musical equivalent, she said, of a friend who comes over “with a bottle of wine and a takeaway” to discuss the disastrous state of your love life.The second-biggest album launch of 2021 was preceded by its creators proudly announcing they had written it “absolutely trend-blind”. Abba had traversed a considerable musical distance over the course of their original career, buffeted by the shifting musical trends of the 70s and early 80s – from the clompy Europop of their debut album to the sophisticated, chilly electronics of The Visitors, by way of glam and sleek disco – but Voyage would offer them preserved in amber, exactly as they were in the late 70s, unspoiled by any musical trends from the 40 years since their split. Continue reading...

Rules due to come into force on 1 January postponed as act of ‘good faith’, says Brexit ministerThe UK has delayed the introduction of imminent trade checks on goods moving from the island of Ireland to Britain, as both sides sought to take the sting out of the rancorous talks over post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.The Brexit minister, David Frost, signalled his acceptance that the negotiations with the EU would continue into the new year, issuing a statement saying the checks due to come into force on 1 January would be postponed as an act of “good faith”. Continue reading...

Former hospital worker killed Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, and used access to mortuary to attack bodiesA former hospital worker who murdered two women and used his access to a mortuary to attack more than 100 corpses has been jailed for life, with grieving parents and partners giving harrowing accounts of the anguish he caused.David Fuller, 67, pleaded guilty last month to murdering two women in 1987 in Kent, changing his plea midway through his trial. Continue reading...

Rights groups warn 23-year-old Noof al-Maadeed is at imminent risk, despite reassurances from Qatar authoritiesHuman rights groups are demanding Qatari authorities show proof of life for a feminist activist, amid growing fears that she has been killed or detained.Noof al-Maadeed has been missing since mid-October after returning to Qatar from the UK. The young activist fled the Gulf kingdom two years ago, documenting her escape on social media, after alleged attempts on her life. She had recently returned to Qatar after being given reassurance by the authorities that she was safe. Continue reading...

There is a ‘very small window of opportunity’ to intervene, say aid workers, as poverty, conflict, drought and a freeze in humanitarian funding bring Afghanistan to the brinkLeading UK charities have launched a joint winter appeal to save the lives of 8 million people at risk of starvation in Afghanistan, as aid workers in the country warn of a “small window of opportunity” to intervene.A combination of conflict, economic collapse, drought and the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the country to a tipping point, according to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), the umbrella group of 15 aid agencies behind the appeal. Continue reading...

Head of UK Health Security Agency warns MPs to expect ‘staggering’ growth rate in coming days

This documentary is indescribably touching as it captures the Star Trek actor’s rocket voyage. Even if it is a Jeff Bezos ego tripThere are two competing schools of thought when it comes to William Shatner’s space mission. The first is characterised by a kind of awestruck wonder over the beautiful symmetry of it all: Shatner starred in Star Trek, Star Trek inspired a generation of engineers, the engineers built a rocket, the rocket flew Shatner into space. The second tends to think that letting a billionaire indulge an actor by flying him to the brink of the atmosphere in a spaceship shaped like a willy might not be the best use of our resources.Shatner in Space is firmly for the first crowd. A 45-minute documentary about his mission, it airs on Amazon Prime. Jeff Bezos owns Amazon Prime. He also owns the rocket that Shatner flew on. Anyone expecting even an iota of criticism would be better off looking elsewhere. Continue reading...

Supreme court ruling on police inquiry into men interrogated by British army during Troubles described as ‘landmark victory’The UK supreme court has ruled that a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) decision in 2014 to discontinue an investigation into allegations that men were hooded and interrogated by the British army at the height of the Troubles was unlawful.The ruling, described as a “landmark victory” by the solicitor representing 14 men at the centre of the case, is the second legacy case this week to expose shortcomings in the application of the due process of law since the Troubles ended. Continue reading...

Inspectors say service must improve effectiveness in keeping people safe and responding to major incidentsThe fire and rescue service in Greater Manchester is “unprepared” to respond effectively to a terrorist attack and must do more to protect the public, a government inspectorate has said.The issue is particularly sensitive as the service has previously apologised for serious failures that meant it played “no meaningful role” in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena terror bombing in 2017. Continue reading...

Thirteen taken to hospital after blaze that reportedly broke out in an electrical switch roomFirefighters have rescued 350 people who were trapped on the roof of a shopping centre and office complex in Hong Kong after a fire broke out in one of the city’s busiest shopping districts.Smoke started billowing from the World Trade Centre in the Causeway Bay district at about noon on Wednesday. Firefighters battling the blaze with two water jets extinguished it at about 4.30pm. Continue reading...

From a Jacobean traveller’s travails in Sindh to the tangled roots of Nigeria, our pick of new nonfiction books that shine a light on Asia, Africa and South America• Share your top recommendations for books on the developing world in the comments belowYou Have Not Yet Been Defeated: Selected Works 2011-2021

South African former president is serving 15-month sentence for contempt of courtSouth Africa’s high court has ordered the former president Jacob Zuma to return to jail after setting aside a decision to release him on medical parole.The 79-year-old is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court after he ignored instructions to participate in a corruption inquiry. He began medical parole in September, and in the same month the court dismissed his attempt to overturn the sentence. Continue reading...

For Jane Rosenberg, a professional courtroom artist who has covered four decades of notorious trials, her viral sketch of Maxwell is just part of a strange and fascinating jobPastel drawings don’t typically go viral on the internet. But this month, thousands of Twitter users were mesmerized by a courtroom artist’s sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell – the alleged sex-trafficking accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein – staring at the artist and sketching back.Twitter users were disturbed. “I thought this was funny at first but it’s starting to haunt me,” one person wrote. Others commented on the picture’s bizarre, recursive quality – reminiscent of MC Escher’s drawing of hands drawing hands, and raising the possibility of some kind of infinite loop. Was Maxwell trolling us? Or sending the artist an ominous message? Continue reading...

Britain’s PM in the line of fire; Russia’s president in the firing line.

Dominic Perrottet defends relaxing mask and check-in rules as Western Australia further tightens border over surging coronavirus cases

The New South Wales government has picked Kerry Schott to chair its net zero emissions and clean economy board, hoping for a happier outcome than its first attempt.Earlier this year, the energy and environment minister Matt Kean chose former prime minister and mentor of sorts Malcolm Turnbull to lead that role.Dr Schott is one of the most outstanding public servants in the country and brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience which will be invaluable as NSW drives towards halving our emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050. Continue reading...

After a shocking season finale that rewrote the dynamic of the Roy family, all bets are off for how they might recoverFor all its whizz-bang caper-gone-wrong energy, and for all its subsequent emotional troughs, this week’s Succession finale might have been the most important in its entire run. Because, unless I am very much wrong, Succession – a show about people trying to forcefully mount a succession – just had its succession. And now everything has to change.The episode ended with Logan Roy defying his children by selling Waystar Royco to idiosyncratic Swedish tech bro Lukas Matsson. It’s an unexpected twist, like if King Lear contained a weird new beat where Lear hands the British crown to Jack Dorsey for a laugh, but it sets up a bold new future for the show. What will happen in season four? Here are some theories. Continue reading...

Christian King used his father’s phone to order multiple cakes and tubs of his favourite flavours from MessinaA four-year-old boy left his Sydney family gobsmacked after ordering more than $1,000 worth of gelato on a food delivery app, including a personalised birthday cake and tubs of his favourite flavours.Christian King used his father’s phone to order $1,139 worth of gelato and cakes from Gelato Messina on UberEats on Monday. Continue reading...

We return to the story of a journalist forced to flee as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August. Unable to return home without putting at risk everyone she loves and hounded by threatening calls, she remains in hiding in the country four months on

Who could be in at No 3 (clue: she’s not an extrovert, except when she is)? We continue to count down one LP per day to the best album of the year

Coziness has become a powerful aesthetic, but are we using it to chase a feeling that the outside world denies us?Take a peek on social media, and it’s obvious we are burrowed deep within “cozy season”. It surrounds us with clouds of neutral-toned knits and the steam of freshly-brewed hot drinks. Our socks encase our ankles with seasonal droopiness. Our beanies threaten to envelop our entire heads in their snuggly embrace. We have a candle burning, a new book ready to crack. We are not getting up from this spot.At the start of the season, I noticed that coziness was coming on with extra ferocity this year, even though seasons always announce themselves so loudly online. Coziness has become a powerful social media aesthetic, probably due to the pandemic and people being homebound. But do we really need another round of buffalo-plaid throw blankets lined with petroleum-based fleece? Do we really want another year’s worth of manufactured-to-look-handmade mugs with phrases like “Baby, it’s cold outside” stamped on them? Continue reading...

He avoided the pitfalls of childhood fame and became one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. He discusses controversial roles, the return of the Matrix, his friendship with Sondheim – and refusing to grow upNeil Patrick Harris may be approaching 50, but to a generation he will always be the child prodigy Doogie Howser, the 14-year-old doctor he played as a teenager. “It’s a little bizarre that people – what is it, 30 years later? – still refer to me as that. People say: ‘Hey, Doogie, I like your new show!’ But hey, better than anonymity, I suppose.”It is a long time since Harris, 48, has been anonymous. He made his acting debut at 15, starring opposite Whoopi Goldberg as a disillusioned teen in Clara’s Heart, a drama about a Jamaican woman who moves to Baltimore to become the housekeeper for a rich family. Since then, he has established himself as a versatile actor in musical theatre, film and TV (most notably the sitcom How I Met Your Mother) and a host and presenter of high-profile awards shows such as the Oscars. His CV is particularly impressive when you consider how often child actors struggle to establish adult careers, or find themselves traumatised by their formative experiences. Continue reading...

Councils won’t be able to block townhouses or apartments under a sweeping reform aimed at improving affordability – but will it work? And could the idea cross the Tasman?New Zealand’s cities could be reshaped for decades to come, forcing the long-entrenched dream of the quarter-acre block to the margins, after the government joined forces with the opposition to pass sweeping legislation in favour of housing densification.In a rare display of cross-party collaboration, Labour and National passed the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) bill – a policy that aims to counter urban sprawl and boost supply by up to 105,000 new homes in the next eight years by forcing councils to loosen restrictions on building in urban areas. Continue reading...

Lawyer says secret 2008 agreement between Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein protects prince from lawsuitA secret 2008 settlement that a lawyer for Britain’s Prince Andrew says would protect him against a lawsuit claiming he sexually abused an American when she was 17 should be made public, a judge said on Tuesday.The agreement was reached between Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting a sex trafficking trial in New York City. Continue reading...

Authorities say mostly Iraqi Kurds drowned in the Channel dinghy incident, including a teenager and one childFrench authorities have formally identified 26 out of 27 people who drowned last month in a Channel dinghy incident, with most of them being Kurds from Iraq.A statement from the Paris prosecutor said that there were 17 men among the deceased aged 19-26, seven women aged 22-46, as well as a 16-year-old teenager and a child aged seven. Continue reading...

Home Office changes follow PM’s ‘open arms’ promise to those who assisted UK forces or governmentThe Home Office has tightened the criteria allowing Afghans to enter the UK despite promises from Boris Johnson to give a “warm welcome” to those who assisted British forces or worked with the government.The department announced changes to the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap) which narrows the criteria from that used during the Operation Pitting evacuation in August 2021. Continue reading...

New Covid restrictions designed to slow the spread of the Omicron variant in the UK have passed through the House of Commons, with 369 ayes to 126 noes. However, opposition from 96 Tory MPs to Covid passes meant Boris Johnson had to rely on Labour support to get that new measure through Continue reading...

Soe Naing was arrested in Yangon while taking photos of a ‘silent strike’ protest against military ruleA freelance photojournalist in Myanmar has died in military custody after being arrested last week while covering protests.Soe Naing is the first journalist known to have died in custody since the army seized power in February, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 100 journalists have been detained since then, though about half have been released. Continue reading...