The Guardian - December 18, 2024

In this issue

December 18, 2024

Fury after Labour rejects 'Waspi women' payouts

\"Waspi\" campaigners for women who are affected by the rising state pension age reacted with fury yesterday after the work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, announced that they would not be compensated by the taxpayer.

2 mins

Moscow blast kills Russian chemical weapons chief

A senior Russian general died yesterday after an explosive device hidden in an electric scooter detonated outside an apartment building in Moscow in an attack by Ukraine that marks one of the boldest assassinations of a senior military official since Russia's invasion of the country began.

4 mins

Sara Sharif's mother says murderers are 'sadists'

The mother of Sara Sharif yesterday called her daughter's murderers \"sadists and executioners\" as they were jailed for life.

4 mins

Police illegally spied on journalists investigating Troubles massacre

Police officers unlawfully spied on two investigative journalists, a tribunal found yesterday in a landmark judgment.

3 mins

Surveillance 'This involves some of the biggest state organisations'

After a tribunal ruled that the investigative journalists, Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, were unlawfully spied on to find out their sources, the pair were at pains to stress that they considered what was uncovered to be just the tip of the iceberg.

2 mins

'I dared to dream big': Hodgkinson takes BBC sports personality prize

No one could stop Keely Hodgkinson on the track in 2024 - or, as it turned out, the battle for public opinion as the Olympic 800m champion lifted the BBC's sports personality of the year award.

3 mins

Analysis Toxic agent evidence is growing

Gasping - choking - on Ukraine's frontline, the country's soldiers report what statistics show: a persistent use of chemical weapons, mostly teargas, whose deployment on the battlefield is illegal.

2 mins

'We target the specialists' Death in Moscow suburb cements SBU's reputation for swift, brutal revenge

It was a gruesome morning scene. Two bodies lay sprawled in front of a shattered apartment block.

3 mins

No 10 denies rift with Mauritian PM over Chagos handover deal

Downing Street has denied that a deal with Mauritius to hand over control of the Chagos Islands is in peril after the island's new prime minister said it was not beneficial to his country.

1 min

Education Home school parents need oversight, says judge

The judge who jailed the killers of Sara Sharif has said the 10-year-old's murder \"starkly illustrates the dangers\" of parents automatically being able to home school their children.

2 mins

Pope reveals UK spies thwarted two attempts to blow him up on Iraq trip

The pope has said he escaped two suicide bombs in Iraq when the attempts on his life were foiled by British intelligence and Iraqi police.

2 mins

Historic England Tomb linked to Tintin among newest protected places

listering barnacles! Thundering typhoons! Who knew there was a 300-year-old tomb in Essex linked to Tintin's boozy best friend, Captain Haddock?

2 mins

Aircraft took off without pilot and flew over North Sea

A small but gutsy aircraft took off by itself from a grass strip north of Newcastle and flew to freedom over the North Sea earlier this year, according to the UK's air accident agency.

1 min

Audit of UK relations with China delayed until after Reeves Visit

A review of UK-China relations has been delayed until after the chancellor makes her first trip to Beijing next month, the Guardian has learned, amid a row over an alleged spy who befriended Prince Andrew.

3 mins

Prince Andrew Call for inquiry into 'opaque' finances

Getting information from government departments about the Duke of York's past business dealings is like playing \"whack-a-mole\", a researcher has claimed, as fallout over the alleged Chinese spy controversy continues, with China saying it was an attempt to \"smear\" it.

2 mins

MI5 Agency's 'interference alert' is lawful, judges rule

A lawyer who was accused of improperly trying to influence MPs and peers on behalf of China has lost a legal challenge against MI5, who said nearly three years ago that she was trying to interfere in British democracy.

2 mins

Doctors' groups urge ban on physician associates seeing patients one-to-one

The NHS should slow or scrap the recruitment of physician associates (PAs), and ban them from seeing patients one-to-one, medical groups have told ministers.

2 mins

Air pollution linked to greater risk of hospital admission for mental illness

Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased risk of hospital admission for mental illness, according to the most comprehensive study of its kind.

2 mins

Theatre review Dazzling, heady musical version of Tolstoy saga is terrific fun

The pithy, one-line character summaries in the opening song of Dave Malloy's compressed musical of War and Peace take some serious creative liberties with Leo Tolstoy's four-volume, 15-book doorstop of a story about love, friendship and life in the Napoleonic wars.

2 mins

Anonymous winner takes third-largest lottery prize

A UK ticket-holder has become the third biggest national lottery winner after receiving a £177m jackpot.

1 min

Avanti West Coast train staff to strike on New Year's Eve

Rail workers on Avanti West Coast will go on strike on New Year's Eve after rejecting a deal designed to resolve an ongoing dispute.

2 mins

Training up UK workers may not cut immigration, Starmer is warned

Keir Starmer's plan to bring down UK net immigration by improving domestic training and skills is not guaranteed to work, the government's independent advisers have concluded.

2 mins

Scotland Yousaf to quit frontline politics at Holyrood elections

Humza Yousaf, Scotland's former first minister, has announced he is to quit frontline politics at the next Scottish elections as he criticised Elon Musk's interference in the US election and his potential role in the next UK election.

2 mins

Parliament MPs call for electronic voting in the Commons

The House of Commons should consider moving to electronic voting, a group of more than 60 backbenchers have said, with the current system of filing physically through voting lobbies taking up to a fifth of an MP's working day.

2 mins

I have not changed my mind over Letby's guilt, insists expert witness

A doctor yesterday said claims that he had changed his mind over the causes of death for three of Lucy Letby's victims were \"unsubstantiated\" and \"inaccurate\".

2 mins

Young suspects may avoid court under terror laws shake-up

Young terrorism suspects could avoid prosecution if they agree to a diversion scheme under plans to tackle a post-lockdown surge in violent extremism.

2 mins

Removal of low traffic area in London legal, judge finds

Road safety campaigners in east London have lost a high court challenge against the mayor of Tower Hamlets over his decision to remove three low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Bethnal Green.

1 min

Police missed warning signs about far right before riots, report finds

Police intelligence missed clues about dangers posed by the far right before the summer riots that ravaged England, a policing chief has said.

2 mins

Hopes rise that ceasefire-for-hostages deal in Gaza could be done within days

The pace of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement in Gaza appear to be accelerating, amid claims that a deal may be within reach, perhaps within days.

3 mins

Syria HTS leader says rebel groups to be 'disbanded'

Syria's rebel factions will be \"disbanded\", the head of the group that led the ousting of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as he seeks to reassure minorities at home and abroad that the country's interim leaders will protect all Syrians, as well as state institutions.

2 mins

A win for Ankara How Erdogan's balancing act has paid off for Turkey

Less than a week after the deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, Turkish officials raised their flag over the embassy in Damascus.

3 mins

Trump attacks 'biased' judge for refusing to overturn conviction

Donald Trump yesterday launched a vitriolic attack on a New York judge who refused to overturn his conviction on a hush money case that made him the first sitting or past US president to be a convicted felon.

1 min

Girl, 15, who shot two dead at US school reportedly left manifesto

The 15-year-old girl who police say killed a teacher, a student and wounded six others before taking her own life at a school in Madison, Wisconsin, reportedly left a manifesto that investigators are now reviewing.

2 mins

Frontrunner hits out at Greens as German election campaign begins

The frontrunner to be Germany's next leader has pledged to put an end to the bitter infighting that has hobbled the country's politics in recent years, even as he railed against his most likely coalition partners.

1 min

'I'm hitting a wall' Heir's fight to regain Jewish collector's art stolen by the Nazis

German experts have long agreed that Michael Hulton, a San Francisco-based doctor who is the sole surviving heir to an illustrious Jewish art collector forced to flee the Nazis, has a strong case for restitution. But after years of waiting, he's running out of patience and time.

3 mins

Night curfew imposed to halt looting as death toll rises on Mayotte

The search for missing people continued yesterday on the French territory of Mayotte, after Cyclone Chido devastated the islands on Saturday before sweeping through south-eastern Africa, where the death toll is climbing in Mozambique and Malawi.

2 mins

Thames Water wins first step in deal to secure £3bn lifeline

Thames Water has won court approval to secure a £3bn cash lifeline from some of its biggest creditors.

2 mins

Cost of HS2 line may top £80bn, with estimate up 15% in a year

The bill for building the HS2 high-speed railway could pass £80bn at current prices, with estimated costs having risen by 15% since the last parliamentary report just over a year ago.

1 min

Government blames IT scandal on 'arrogant' Post Office bosses

A Post Office led by \"weak and arrogant\" executives who were \"culpably dishonest\" and had a culture of \"contempt\" towards branch operators was primarily responsible for the Horizon IT scandal, the government has said.

1 min

Guy Hands property firm sells armed forces housing back to MOD for £6bn

A property company linked to Guy Hands has agreed to sell 36,000 military homes to the Ministry of Defence for almost £6bn, signalling an end to a long-running battle between the billionaire and the government.

2 mins

Latest data shows inflation is tricky to control amid bumper pay rises

Business figures have been sounding increasingly alarmed about the state of the UK's jobs market in recent days, with the recruiter James Reed claiming it augurs a recession.

2 mins

Rise in wages by 5.2% reduces chance of cut in interest rates

UK pay growth accelerated to 5.2% in October, putting pressure on the Bank of England to resist calls for lower interest rates when policymakers meet tomorrow.

3 mins

Van Leuven blazes trail and feels love from faithful in Doets defeat

From every corner of the West Hall, from the stands to the table seats, came a ringing of boos.

2 mins

'Sod's law' Stokes left to rue injury recurrence

Ben Stokes will go into 2025 with no plans to temper his approach to bowling.

1 min

Bell skittles South Africa to seal morale boost before Ashes

England claimed a 286-run victory in the one-off Test at Bloemfontein after rolling South Africa over for 64 in their second innings - their lowest total in women's Tests.

2 mins

Hodgkinson's kick to gold fully justifies BBC award

Paris win sent 800m athlete's star soaring but her immense talent and free spirit mean she still has more room to rise

3 mins

Macario at the double as Chelsea top group

A 10-minute storm brought by Catarina Macario was enough to see Chelsea through.

2 mins

Vinícius and Bonmatí crowned Fifa's best players

Vinícius Júnior and Aitana Bonmatí were named the top footballers of the year at Fifa's Best Awards in Doha last night, with Emma Hayes following up her Ballon d'Or win with the women's coach of the year accolade.

1 min

'I like to just be a simple guy. I don't want to be an icon'

Oleksandr Usyk boosted the morale of Ukrainian soldiers by beating Fury once before and is in mood to do it again

4 mins

Mudryk mystery deepens as doping test failure puts stalled career in jeopardy

One sad reality of misfiring winger's absence is that it will be unlikely to affect Chelsea's hopes of challenging for title

3 mins

Promoter expects Uefa to authorise new Super League plans

'Unify League' rebrand seeks governing body endorsement after initial rejection in 2021

3 mins

Suspended Slot admits Premier League referees are testing him

Arne Slot has said he must reflect on the touchline behaviour that has attracted three yellow cards this season, but he admitted Premier League referees are breaking his limits.

1 min

Fans face alcohol ban at Saudi World Cup matches

Football fans will be banned from drinking alcohol in stadiums at the 2034 World Cup after last week's controversial award of the tournament to Saudi Arabia.

1 min

Arteta wants Arsenal to reach last four and 'build momentum'

Mikel Arteta believes that lifting the Carabao Cup can be the springboard to Arsenal winning bigger trophies as they prepare to face Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals tonight.

1 min

Chelsea's £89m man Mudryk in 'shock' after failed drug test

Chelsea's Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football after being notified of a positive drug test by the Football Association.

1 min

'Ready for a new challenge' Rashford accepts United time is up but will not rock boat

Marcus Rashford's almost 20-year association with Manchester United looks set to come to an end after the striker acknowledged: \"I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps.\"

2 mins

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