The Guardian - December 16, 2024

In this issue

December 16, 2024

Israel says it will close its embassy in Ireland

Israel announced the closure of its embassy in Ireland yesterday, citing Dublin's decision last week to support a petition at the international court of justice accusing Israel of genocide.

3 mins

MPs threaten to name Chinese 'spy' linked to Prince Andrew

Allegations raise calls for caution in UK over bid to re-establish China links

4 mins

Experts tell Reeves not to let City off the leash

Fifty economists and policy experts have issued a stark warning to Rachel Reeves that encouraging the City to expand could threaten financial stability and jeopardise growth.

3 mins

'A light that shines': McCausland helps Strictly regain entertainment crown

It has been a difficult year for Strictly Come Dancing. Just six months ago, questions were mounting about whether it should be axed after a string of allegations of bullying during rehearsals, amid fears controversy would hang over its 22nd season when it launched in September.

2 mins

Cates to leave Sky to replace Lineker on Match of the Day

The football presenter Kelly Cates is understood to be leaving Sky Sports to replace Gary Lineker on the BBC's Match of the Day.

1 min

Hundreds feared dead after Cyclone Chido wrecks French territory

At least several hundred people are feared to have been killed after the worst cyclone in almost a century ripped through the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday, uprooting trees, tearing houses apart and pounding the archipelago's already weak infrastructure.

2 mins

One in four babies delivered by caesarean in England last year

One in four babies born in NHS hospitals in England last year were delivered by caesarean section, official figures show.

2 mins

Woman dead and man in hospital after shooting in London

A woman has died after a triple shooting in Brent, north-west London, on Saturday night.

1 min

Daily life Schools, bars and shops in Damascus reopen while petrol shortage eases

Damascus appeared to be adjusting to a new normality a week after Islamist-led rebels forced President Bashar al-Assad to flee the country, with schools and universities reopening on the first day of the working week.

3 mins

Israel strikes dozens of sites inside Syria despite rebel chief's peace pledge

Israel struck dozens of sites in Syria overnight on Saturday, despite the Syrian rebel leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, saying his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group was not interested in conflict with Israel.

3 mins

'We fear a new oppression' Alawites worry as uncertain future unfolds

To prepare khubeiza, the leaves of the kale-like plant must be roughly chopped and sauteed with onions, garlic and a dash of salt.

3 mins

Syrian asylum seekers call on Home Office to end its 'cruel' pause on decisions

Syrian asylum seekers, left in limbo after the home secretary said the government was pausing their claims, have called the decision \"cruel\" and urged officials to resume processing their cases.

2 mins

Foreign Office £50m pledge to aid most vulnerable across region

The UK has announced £50m of humanitarian aid for vulnerable Syrians across the Middle East after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

1 min

Silt and sea air expected to make brussels sprouts 25% bigger this year

In a development likely to inspire both joy and dismay round the Christmas dinner table, farmers are forecasting brussels sprouts will be 25% bigger this year.

1 min

Man dies after falling from balcony at Birmingham's Bullring centre

A man has died after falling from a balcony at the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham, police said.

1 min

Water firms urged to step up bills help for vulnerable people

Water companies should spend more on helping vulnerable customers, according to consumer groups, as households in England and Wales brace for steep bill increases to be announced this week.

2 mins

Tories only spent a quarter of cash for levelling up, FoI requests show

The Conservatives spent only a quarter of the money they allocated to levelling up, according to freedom of information requests that underline how Michael Gove's key regional spending scheme failed to live up to expectations.

3 mins

'It's always 5%' Chancellor's call for civil service savings will sound very familiar

Experienced Whitehall officials would have been forgiven for experiencing a sense of deja vu when listening to the chancellor Rachel Reeves this month as she laid out her plans to drive efficiencies from the civil service as part of her spending review.

3 mins

Devolution Mayors to get powers to stop planning delays

Mayors will be given sweeping powers to unblock planning delays for major building projects in England, Angela Rayner has announced, as she promised a \"devolution by default\" approach to handing down authority from Whitehall.

2 mins

Small boats Cooper says UK 'making progress' on backlog

Small boat crossings would be \"thousands higher\" under the Conservatives, the home secretary said yesterday, though they remain 20% higher than this time last year.

2 mins

Comeback kid-US hit comedy Malcolm in the Middle returns after 18 years

It's been nearly 25 years since audiences first heard the now-familiar shout \"Malcolm!\" from the actors Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, but they are coming back with a new series of Malcolm in the Middle.

1 min

French police search for motive after five shot dead in Dunkirk

French police are still trying to establish the motive for five murders that were committed in the space of less than two hours near the port city of Dunkirk on Saturday afternoon.

2 mins

'Creepy' undercover Met police officer had sex with teen in 1990s, inquiry hears

A \"creepy\" undercover police officer in his 30s formed a sexual relationship with a teenage activist without disclosing his true identity to her, a public inquiry has been told.

2 mins

Music review Beatlemania is back as McCartney gives his everything

I'm just going to take a little moment to enjoy it for myself,\" says Paul McCartney, standing aside to take in an atmosphere like that of an arena-sized Last Night of the Proms, with Beatlemania.

1 min

More than 1m vapes thrown away every day in the UK, research finds

Thirteen vapes are thrown away every second in the UK - more than a million a day - causing an \"environmental nightmare\", according to research.

2 mins

Guardian appeal Our readers give £500,000 for war victims

Generous Guardian and Observer readers gave £57,000 over the phones during our annual telethon for charities supporting the victims of war and conflict, with the overall total hitting more than £500,000.

2 mins

Mother of jailed dissident takes hunger strike to Foreign Office

A woman on hunger strike to secure the release of her son, the British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah, is to protest outside the Foreign Office each day to remind diplomats of his plight.

1 min

'Civilised' debate on equal rights impossible today, says Sturgeon

The \"civilised\" debate that led to the legalisation of equal marriage in Scotland would not be possible 10 years on because of a trend towards polarisation and inability to find common ground, Nicola Sturgeon says.

3 mins

Prince Andrew Why the royal is at the heart of another 'scandal'

The royal family's Christmas Day walk from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene church in Norfolk is a longstanding tradition. But it has become a barometer of internal pressures - so all eyes will be on whether the Duke of York is among those walking alongside the king and queen this Christmas after the alleged Chinese spy controversy.

2 mins

RAC warns drivers to avoid peak times this weekend

Drivers are being urged not to travel on major routes at peak times this Friday and Saturday, with record levels of holiday traffic expected to cause long queues in Britain roads.

1 min

Police seek driver after hit-and-run kills boy, 2, and injures four adults

A two-year-old boy has died and two adults have been left in a critical condition after a hit-and-run involving a stolen Porsche in the West Midlands.

1 min

Tributes paid after Mango founder Andic falls to death

Tributes have been paid to Isak Andic, the billionaire founder of the Spanish high-street fashion chain Mango, after his death in a hiking accident in Catalonia on Saturday.

1 min

British Sikhs asked about Views On India at UK airports, says MP

British Sikhs are being stopped at airports and questioned about their attitudes towards India, a Labour MP has said, raising concerns about Delhi's influence over British security checks.

2 mins

Solicitors refusing to deal with burglary cases because of legal aid funding gap

Lawyers are refusing to represent people charged with certain crimes amid a crisis over solicitors' pay, with one burglary suspect turned away by 12 legal firms, the president of the Law Society has said.

4 mins

How to fix our courts Five ways to clear the backlog and end the criminal justice crisis

Few would argue that the criminal justice system is not in crisis, with huge backlogs in the courts.

3 mins

'Something horrible': Somerset pit reveals bronze age cannibalism

A collection of human bones discovered 50 years ago in a Somerset pit are evidence of the bloodiest known massacre in British prehistory - and of bronze age cannibalism, archaeologists say.

2 mins

South Korea leader reportedly refused to obey summons in martial law case

South Korea's conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has reportedly failed to obey a summons from prosecutors investigating him as he faces impeachment after a botched declaration of martial law.

3 mins

Last members of Bali Nine free and back in Australia after 19 years in prison

The five remaining members of the Bali Nine jailed for life over a drug smuggling plot have returned to Australia under a deal negotiated with the Indonesian government.

2 mins

Serbians 'using new tools to illegally spy on activists'

Police and intelligence services in Serbia are using advanced mobile forensics products and previously unknown spyware to illegally surveil journalists and activists, according to a report by Amnesty International.

2 mins

Pelosi has hip surgery after fall in Luxembourg

The former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi had a hip replacement on Saturday at a US military hospital in Germany after falling while at an event in Luxembourg with other members of Congress.

1 min

Don't sabotage polio vaccine, McConnell says

The US Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, has condemned attempts to undermine the polio vaccine after reports that a lawyer affiliated with Robert F Kennedy Jr - Donald Trump's health secretary pick - petitioned for the Food and Drug Administration to revoke approval of the jab.

1 min

No known foreign links to US drone sightings says official

Alejandro Mayorkas, the US homeland security secretary, said yesterday federal authorities \"know of no foreign involvement\" in the apparent mass drone sightings across the north-east, as social and political anxieties surged over the weekend amid a lack of official information.

2 mins

Looking for the next big thing Global appeal of colossal fruit, vegetable or animal landmarks

Perched atop a traffic island in Banjarmasin, Indonesia, is a proboscis monkey. Leaping from a roundabout in Mahdia, Tunisia, is a swordfish. Sprouting from an intersection in Kundasang, Malaysia, is a cabbage.

4 mins

Fears of ecological disaster after two Russian oil tankers sink in Black Sea

Two Russian tankers carrying more than 4,000 tonnes of oil products have sunk in the Black Sea amid stormy conditions, threatening an ecological disaster.

2 mins

Spain begins giving back 5,000 artworks seized under Franco

Spain's culture ministry has begun to fulfil its promise to return more than 5,000 works of art that were taken by the Franco regime after restoring a painting seized by the dictatorship 84 years ago to its rightful owners.

1 min

Brazil's leader leaves hospital days after emergency brain operation

Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was discharged from hospital yesterday after emergency surgery on Tuesday to drain a haematoma in his brain.

1 min

Voters broadly accept £40bn tax rises in budget, survey shows

Voters broadly accept that Rachel Reeves's £40bn in tax rises in the autumn budget were necessary to improve public services, despite the majority expecting to be worse off as a result, according to research.

1 min

Britain joins trans-Pacific bloc in largest trade deal since Brexit

Britain officially became the 12th member of a trans-Pacific trade pact yesterday as it seeks to deepen ties in the region and build its global trade links after leaving the European Union.

1 min

Canal+ listing is major boost for UK markets, says Reeves

Canal+, the international pay-TV company and owner of the studio behind the Paddington film franchise, is to make its multibillion-pound stock market debut in London today, providing a much-needed shot in the arm for the capital's stock exchange.

2 mins

Germany's original greens Wellness shops hold their own against new rivals

Wellness, organics and sustainability have become buzzwords in consumer marketing, but the popularisation of \"green\" lifestyles is creating challenges for the German retailers that pioneered these products.

2 mins

Council tax: This is a regressive and madly unfair system - its reform is long overdue

It's a fairness thing. Just the idea that somebody sitting in a two-bedroom house in Hartlepool is paying more council tax than somebody who's living in a mansion - it's just offensive.

4 mins

Return journey: Northumberland railway line reopens 60 years on

A previously abandoned railway line between Newcastle upon Tyne and Ashington in Northumberland has reopened, with passengers able to use the service for the first time in 60 years.

1 min

Memento Spoty Saying goodbye to two British greats may force me to sue for severe distress

It's BBC Sports Personality of the Year tomorrow, so ask yourself: are you prepared for montage season? It's dangerous to go into these things cold. You never know which clips are going to hijack your limbic system and leave you a gulping, snot-strewn mess.

4 mins

'A hostile spell' Collingwood praises 'special' New Zealand

England tend to push a coach out the dressing room door after a blow-out with the bat and on the second day in Hamilton, with control of the third Test having been seized by New Zealand, this dubious honour fell to Paul Collingwood.

1 min

Skittish England collapse as O'Rourke keeps Kiwis on top

There is rarely a dull moment with this England team, although there are times when their bowlers must surely crave the odd one.

3 mins

Masterful Dupont orchestrates brutal humiliation of Exeter

Another lop-sided pool game and a further reminder of life's fluctuating fortunes.

3 mins

Bouchier's 'unforgettable' debut ton puts England on top in Bloemfontein

The last time a women's Test took place in South Africa was March 2002: India won the toss, inserted themselves, scored 404 for nine before declaring and went on to win the match by 10 wickets.

3 mins

Russo keeps Arsenal's revival in full swing

As Arsenal's players lapped up the full-time applause, the sound of Wham!'s Last Christmas was ringing in the air while the travelling supporters gave their hearts to their interim head coach, Renée Slegers.

2 mins

Celtic eye treble after Maeda holds his nerve to settle final thriller

Six goals, 10 penalties, 11 yellow cards and the unmistakable whiff of controversy.

3 mins

Maddison and Son on target as Spurs demolish sorry Saints

As a battle of the Premier League's two most idealistic managers, it registered as a no-contest.

3 mins

Cucurella red mars win but Jackson keeps Chelsea flying

Keeping up the pretence that this is no title challenge is becoming harder for Chelsea to maintain.

3 mins

Hürzeler left incensed by referee as Palace cruise

If Michael Oliver isn't on Oliver Glasner's Christmas card list, then the Crystal Palace manager may want to get one in the post before it's too late.

3 mins

Diallo drives United on to deepen City's despair

When Ruben Amorim oversaw his previous victory over Manchester City - with his old club Sporting in the Champions League - it was to push the reigning Premier League champions towards crisis.

3 mins

This Was elite football reimagined by a robot With a hangover

It was deeply fitting Amad Diallo should decide this Manchester derby, mainly because for long periods he seemed to be the only person on the pitch not playing under heavy sedation.

3 mins

'I'm not good enough' Guardiola takes blame after Diallo stuns City

Pep Guardiola said he is \"not good enough\" after Manchester City fell to a dramatic late derby defeat to Manchester United which extended their dire run to eight losses in 11 games.

2 mins

Wolves target Pereira after sacking O'Neil as head coach

Wolves aim to make a swift appointment after the club took action in their relegation fight by sacking Gary O'Neil yesterday morning.

1 min

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