Snow hits UK coasts with Met Office warning worst-affected regions could face travel disruption and power cutsBlizzard conditions are possible in parts of north-east England where an amber warning for snow has come into force, the Met Office has said.Sleet and snow showers continued to hit UK coasts overnight into Thursday, with the worst-affected areas facing disruption to travel and potential power cuts, the forecaster said. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: With the Reform leader now a serious contender for PM, we look at the impact the allegations about his behaviour as a schoolboy could have on Britain Don't get First Edition delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning. For more than 30 years, Nigel Farage has been one of the most disruptive figures in British politics, known for building a brand on outrage and polarisation. He presents himself as the everyman, cigarette hanging out of his mouth or a pint in hand.Now that several polls suggest he is a serious contender to be the next prime minister, it feels high time to ask: what's the background of this supposed man of the people? The latest Guardian exclusive digs deep into just that question, where allegations from more than a dozen school contemporaries of Farage recount incidents of deeply offensive behaviour throughout his teenage years. This is not the whole picture. Others who knew Farage then remember he was bumptious, rude, provocative and enjoyed being the centre of attention, and do not recall the alleged behaviour.US news | Donald Trump has signed a bill directing the justice department to release files from the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, surrendering in the face of joint pressure from Democratic opponents and the president's conservative base.UK news | Up to 50,000 nurses could quit the UK over the government's immigration proposals, plunging the NHS into its biggest ever workforce crisis, research suggests.Middle East | Israel used widely banned cluster munitions in its recent 13-month war in Lebanon, photos of munition remnants in south Lebanon seen by the Guardian suggest.Ukraine | US and Russian officials have quietly drafted a new plan to end the war in Ukraine that would require Kyiv to surrender territory and severely limit the size of its military, according to reports.Health | The world's largest study into key substances in the bloodstream has paved the way for a swathe of pinprick tests that can detect early signs of disease more than a decade before symptoms appear, researchers say. Continue reading...
Exclusive: union leaders say proposed changes are immoral and could threaten patient safety if there is staff exodusUp to 50,000 nurses could quit the UK over the government's immigration proposals, plunging the NHS into its biggest ever workforce crisis, research suggests.Keir Starmer has vowed to curb net migration, with plans to force migrants to wait as long as 10 years to apply to settle in the UK instead of automatically gaining settled status after five years. Continue reading...
Study finds new party divide as backing for Labour and Conservatives plunges from 84% in 2020 to 58% in 2025A new party divide is emerging among British Jews, research has found, with support rising fast for the Greens - buoyed up by younger and anti-Zionist" Jews - while older Orthodox men turn to Reform UK as trust in the two main parties collapses".Support for Labour and the Conservatives among British Jews had fallen to 58% by July 2025 from nearly 84% in 2020, according to a report from the Institute of Jewish Policy Research (JPR), which said it was the lowest level we've ever recorded by some distance". Continue reading...
Murray Hunter charged with offence which carries a potential penalty of two years in jail, or a 200,000 baht (AUD$9,500) fineAn Australian academic and journalist faces up to two years in prison after being charged - in Thailand - with defaming the Malaysian government.Murray Hunter, a longtime resident of southern Thailand, will stand trial in Bangkok next month, charged with criminal defamation over articles critical of the Malaysian government's internet regulator. Continue reading...
Guo, who pretended to be Filipina to become mayor, found guilty of human trafficking after raid on compound where more than 700 people were forced to run scamsAlice Guo, a Chinese national who became a mayor in the Philippines while masquerading as a Filipina, has been sentenced to life in prison along with seven others on human trafficking charges, state prosecutors have said.Guo, who served as mayor of a town north of Manila, was found guilty of overseeing a Chinese-operated online gambling centre where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture. Continue reading...
French government withdraws funding after claims of toxic management and dismissal of staff member who lodged rape complaintOne of the world's most prestigious comic book festivals is under threat of cancellation after leading graphic novelists and publishers announced they would boycott the event and the French government withdrew a tranche of its funding.In the biggest crisis in its illustrious history, the Angouleme festival of la bande dessinee (comic strip) may not take place in 2026 after claims of toxic management and the dismissal of a member of staff who had lodged a rape complaint. Continue reading...
MPs will tell dad jokes' in parliament to highlight real joke' of UK paternity leave, which is a class issueToe-curlingly bad jokes (I'm reading a book about anti-gravity, it's impossible to put down") are not the preserve of fathers, but as a demographic, dads are widely recognised for their unique comic talents.Which is why on Thursday, dozens of MPs, many of them dad-joke specialists, will tell groan-worthy gags in the House of Commons to highlight the real joke" of paternity leave in the UK.Winner: I gave my handyman a to-do list, but he only finished items one, three and five. Turns out he only does odd jobs.Runner-up one: I went shopping and someone threw a block of cheese at me. I said: That's not very mature."Runner-up two: When I was a young boy I wanted to be a Gregorian monk. But I never got the chants. Continue reading...
Prime minister has accused the Samoa Observer of inaccurate reporting during his eight-week medical stay in New ZealandSamoa's only daily newspaper has been banned from attending press conferences with the Samoan prime minister, in a move that critics say threatens the democratic integrity of the Pacific nation.Relations between La'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt and the Samoa Observer have deteriorated in recent weeks, with the prime minister accusing the newspaper of inaccurate reporting during his eight-week medical stay in New Zealand. Continue reading...
True to his irreverent style, author of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) thanks his psychiatrist, his gastrointestinal doctors and his drug dealersRabih Alameddine has won the National book award for fiction for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), a darkly comic saga spanning six decades in the life of a Lebanese family.The novel, which traverses a sprawling history of Lebanon including its civil war and economic collapse, is told through the eyes of its titular protagonist: a gay 63-year-old philosophy teacher confronting his past and his relationship with his mother and his homeland. Continue reading...
RSPCA says pet abandonments in England and Wales rose by almost 25% in 2025 compared with 2024There is an epidemic" of dogs, cats and other pets being abandoned as owners struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis, the UK's largest animal welfare charity has said.The RSPCA said abandonments in England and Wales had risen by almost 25% in 2025 compared with last year, reaching their highest rate for at least five years. Continue reading...
Brown University researchers run joint-and-drink study to find alcohol consumption falls after smoking cannabisIt turns out that going California sober" may actually help you stay away from alcohol, according to new research published in the the American Journal of Psychiatry.A team of Brown University researchers conducted a study in which participants were given marijuana joints to smoke and then sent out to a controlled bar lab", in which they then were given the choice to have up to eight mini alcoholic beverages. The experiment was conducted three separate times: once with 7.2% THC cannabis, once with 3.1% THC cannabis and once with 0.03% THC cannabis, which was considered a placebo. Continue reading...
Critics warn move could have devastating impact on lives and wellbeing of those affectedNew Zealand has announced it is banning new prescriptions of puberty-blocking drugs for young transgender people, in a move that critics warned could worsen the mental health of those affected.The step comes amid growing global debate about the number of adolescents seeking to change gender, dividing those concerned about hastiness in prescribing such medications and those worried about access to remedies they deem lifesaving. Continue reading...
CCRC says new evidence undermines narrative Durrell Goodall, Reano Walters and Trey Wilson were in a gangThe convictions of three young black men for murder after a controversial 2017 prosecution under the joint enterprise" legal doctrine have been referred back to the court of appeal.The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) said on Wednesday that new evidence submitted on behalf of Durrell Goodall, Reano Walters and Trey Wilson, who were 20, 19 and 19 respectively when they were convicted, undermines a core of the prosecution's case that they were members of a gang. Continue reading...
Sixteen submerged canoes discovered along Lake Mendota's shore at a kind of prehistoric parking lotArchaeologists have identified more than a dozen ancient canoes that Indigenous people apparently left behind in a sort of prehistoric parking lot along a Wisconsin lakeshore.The Wisconsin Historical Society announced Wednesday that archaeologists have mapped the location of 16 canoes submerged in the lake bed of Lake Mendota in Madison. Tamara Thomsen, the state's maritime archaeologist, said the site lies near a network of what were once Indigenous trails, suggesting ancient people left the canoes there for anyone to use as they traveled, much like a modern-day e-bike rack. Continue reading...
Parliament suspends Laura Anne Jones, Reform's only Senedd member, for two weeks in further blow after party lost Caerphilly byelectionReform UK's only member of the Welsh parliament has been suspended for two weeks over a racial slur she posted in an office WhatsApp group.Laura Anne Jones used an offensive Chinese slur in a discussion about the threat of the Chinese government utilising TikTok for espionage. Continue reading...
Samantha Niblett highlighted government's multi-billion-pound deals with Microsoft and getting locked in'Microsoft has ripped off the NHS", it was alleged in parliament on Wednesday, as MPs called on ministers to divert more of the government's multibillion-pound computing budget away from US technology companies and towards British alternatives.The Seattle-based firm's UK government contracts include a five-year deal with the NHS to provide productivity tools reportedly worth over 700m, while the wider government spent 1.9bn on Microsoft software licences in the 2024-25 financial year alone. Continue reading...
Officials are reportedly taking their time on US president's long-promised chips plan to avoid a rupture with ChinaUS officials are privately saying that they might not levy long-promised semiconductor tariffs soon, potentially delaying a centerpiece of Donald Trump's economic agenda.Officials relayed these messages over the last several days to stakeholders in the government and private industry, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter and a third person briefed on the conversations. A fourth person following the matter also said the administration was taking a more cautious approach to avoid provoking China. The discussions have not been previously reported. Continue reading...
David Maltinsky, a 16-year veteran, says in lawsuit agency retaliated against him for engaging in protected speechA longtime FBI employee has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was fired for displaying a Pride flag at his desk, naming FBI director Kash Patel, the justice department and attorney general Pam Bondi as defendants.According to David Maltinsky, an intelligence specialist who had served with the bureau for 16 years, his wrongful termination earlier this year was unconstitutional and politically motivated". Continue reading...
More than 300 people most at risk are move to shelters as tallest peak on Java island unleashes clouds of hot ashIndonesia's Mount Semeru, the highest peak on Java island, has erupted, blanketing several villages with falling ash, prompting evacuations and leading authorities to raise the alert to the highest level.The volcano in East Java province unleashed searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that travelled up to 7km (4 miles) down its slopes several times from midday to dusk, while a thick column of hot clouds rose 2km into the air, Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a statement. Continue reading...
Health secretary says he is not comfortable with some elements, but that it is the right thing to do for the countryWes Streeting has admitted he is not comfortable with forcibly deporting families under the home secretary's migration plans, while maintaining it is still the right thing to do.The health secretary said he thought the number of forced removals would be low under the proposed model, which is similar to Denmark's, because there would be an increased financial incentive for people entering the UK illegally to return to their country of origin. Continue reading...
by Vivian Ho (now); Jakub Krupa(earlier) on (#71JT0)
Ukraine to raise the overnight attack on Ternopil, in which more than 70 people were injured, at the security council tomorrowThe Dutch economy minister said he had moved to take effective control of Nexperia to ensure Europe was not locked out of chip production in an emergency".He said the decision to lift the legal move to prevent Nexperia from moving intellectual property and physical assets from its European factory in Hamburg and its corporate headquarters in Nijmegen was the right step" after consultation with the European Commission and others.The Netherlands has considered it the right moment to take a constructive step by suspending the order under the Goods Availability Act, in close consultation with European and international partners. The Netherlands will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with the Chinese authorities in the period ahead." Continue reading...
Lords say culture department has mishandled process and suggest Cabinet Office or CMA oversee new auctionThe government has been urged to take control of the sale of the Telegraph through an auction run by a body such as the UK competition regulator or the Cabinet Office.Peers called on the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, to wrest the sale process from RedBird IMI, which is majority funded by the United Arab Emirates, in questions put to Labour minister Fiona Twycross in the House of Lords on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Unsealed indictment says Ryan Wedding tracked down witness who was then murdered before he could testifyUS authorities have charged a fugitive former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned drug kingpin with the murder of a witness who was prepared to testify against him.The attorney general, Pam Bondi, said on Wednesday that Ryan Wedding was accused in a newly unsealed indictment of tracking down a witness in Colombia who was then murdered before he could give evidence. Continue reading...
Agriculture minister calls for investigation over marketing of carbonara sauce containing wrong type of cured meatItaly's agriculture minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, has called for an immediate investigation after coming across what he claimed were jars of Italian-sounding" pasta sauce on the shelves of the European parliament's supermarket.Lollobrigida, of Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, was particularly vexed by a carbonara sauce made with Italiaanse pancetta" - the classic Roman pasta dish is made with a different cured meat, guanciale - and a tomato sauce containing oignons de Calabria", or onions from Calabria. Continue reading...
Government has officially announced ban on reselling for profit, described by minister as no-brainer'Last May, in a dimly lit basement beneath London's South Bank, the UK's most prolific ticket touts gathered to discuss Labour's plan to effectively put them out of business.One seasoned ticket trader" pleaded with colleagues to help fund a war chest to lobby against the party's election manifesto pledge to ban reselling tickets for profit. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#71K4B)
Tom Pickup confirms he was member of group in which one participant allegedly called for mass Islam genocide'A Reform UK councillor has been suspended for participating in a WhatsApp group where members allegedly called for a mass Islam genocide".Tom Pickup, who was elected to Lancashire county council in May, confirmed to the Guardian he was a member of the group set up by a rightwing activist. Continue reading...
Proposed legal case understood to allege that app has breached data protection law varying driver pay ratesUber has been hit with legal demands to stop using its artificial intelligence driven pay systems, which have been blamed for significantly reducing the incomes of the ride hailing app's drivers.A letter before action - sent to the US company by the non-profit foundation, Worker Info Exchange (WIE), on Wednesday - is understood to allege that the ride hailing app has breached European data protection law by varying driver pay rates through its controversial algorithm. Continue reading...
Andrew Paul Johnson, 44, faces multiple charges in Florida and has pleaded not guilty to the crimes, authorities sayA man who took part in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol and was pardoned by Donald Trump earlier this year has been arrested on multiple child sexual abuse charges in Florida, according to local authorities.The man, identified as 44-year-old Andrew Paul Johnson, was taken into custody in August in Tennessee and extradited to Florida where, according to arrest records, he faces charges of lewd and lascivious child molestation of a child under 12, lewd and lascivious child molestation of a child between 12 and 16, as well as lewd and lascivious exhibition, and transmission of material harmful to a minor. Continue reading...
Health secretary still maintains that forced removals are right thing to do for the country'Healey is now taking questions.Q: How close are are we to war?It is Labour that is the party of defence. Continue reading...
Former Met officer convicted of offences in pattern of horrific' offending dating back 35 yearsEx-police officer David Carrick has been found guilty of molesting a 12-year-old girl and raping a former partner in a pattern of horrific" offending dating back 35 years.Carrick, 50, who served as an armed officer in the Metropolitan police, sexually assaulted the child in the late 1980s. More than 20 years later, he repeatedly raped a woman and subjected her to degrading and humiliating" abuse during the course of a toxic relationship. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#71K1Q)
Move welcomed by critics, who have been calling for end to morally unacceptable' deals since 2016The British Museum has ended a controversial sponsorship deal with a Japanese tobacco firm after reports that the government had raised questions about the deal, which some critics said was deeply troubling".The Guardian understands that the museum's board chose to not renew the 15-year partnership with Japan Tobacco International (JTI), which ended in September. Continue reading...
Events to mark the 50th anniversary of dictator's death are intended to remind Spaniards, particularly the young, of the dangers of fascismMingorrubio municipal cemetery, which sits where the suburbs of north-west Madrid fade out into the countryside, must have been something of a comedown for a man who was originally laid to rest with a 150-metre-high cross for a headstone and four enormous bronze archangels to watch over him.But six years after his remains were disinterred from the grotesque splendour of the Valley of the Fallen and flown by helicopter to Mingorrubio for reburial, Francisco Franco is at least in good company. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#71JR2)
Trains between Oxford and Milton Keynes put back to 2026 partly due to dispute, Chiltern Railways saysThe start of passenger services on the new East West Rail line will be delayed until at least 2026 with no start date confirmed, the operator has said, partly due to a row over guards on the trains.Passenger trains were supposed to come into service between Oxford and Milton Keynes this autumn, the first stage on the new railway along the Oxford-Cambridge arc where the government hopes for rapid economic growth. Continue reading...
New series in Lancet medical journal finds UPFs, which make up nearly half the average Australian diet, driving escalating' burden of many chronic diseases
Victim was hospitalized in critical condition and suspect taken into custody following incident on city's train systemA woman is currently hospitalized after being set on fire on the Chicago train system, according to police.At around 9.25pm on Monday, a 26-year-old woman was riding the Chicago Transit Authority system's Blue Line near the Clark/Lake station when she got into an argument with an approximately 45-year-old man. Continue reading...
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