The Guardian - December 03, 2024

In this issue

December 03, 2024

UK cybersecurity chief issues stark warning over hostile state threats

The UK is underestimating the severity of the online threat it faces from hostile states and criminal gangs, the country's cybersecurity chief will warn today.

3 mins

Political donors face caps under reforms

Caps on political donations are being considered by ministers as part of sweeping reforms to the UK electoral system.

3 mins

BBC rejects calls to pull MasterChef episodes

The BBC rejected calls yesterday to pull Gregg Wallace from its scheduled programmes after the MasterChef presenter apologised for dismissing his accusers as \"middle class women of a certain age\".

2 mins

Trump says he could free January 6 rioters after Biden clears son Hunter

Joe Biden's U-turn decision to pardon his son Hunter in the final weeks of his presidency has drawn criticism from Democrats and has been seized on by the president-elect, Donald Trump, to suggest he may grant clemency to some of the ringleaders of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

2 mins

Ministers to postpone full shift to eVisas next month

Ministers are to postpone a full shift to eVisas next month after concerns that UK residents could be stranded abroad because of glitches in the system, the Guardian has learned.

2 mins

Older couples who live apart enjoy mental health benefits of marriage but without the 'frictions'

It's known as living apart, together. Being in a serious relationship while remaining at separate addresses has long been a lifestyle more associated with people starting out in life.

3 mins

Old police dog remembers his old tricks to save missing man's life

A retired police dog rescued a vulnerable missing person on his first outing after having surgery.

1 min

French government faces no-confidence motion as Barnier fights for survival

The French government appears likely to fall this week after leftwing and far-right parties lodged motions of no confidence in response to the prime minister's decision to push through a belt-tightening budget without a vote.

3 mins

What next? Politicians flex muscles on both sides of the divide

What is article 49.3 and why is it being used?

3 mins

NHS gets green light to use pioneering drug for patients with rare eye cancers

Hundreds of patients in England with a rare form of eye cancer are to be offered a pioneering drug on the NHS that kills cancer cells and boosts the chances of survival.

2 mins

Frustration as natural history GCSE put on hold

The natural history GCSE has been shelved because it is \"seen as a Conservative party initiative\", one of the architects of the proposed qualification has said.

1 min

Speaker urged to say sorry after opening Betfred HQ

Anti-gambling campaigners have called on the Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to apologise after he opened Betfred's multimillion-pound new HQ with a plaque.

2 mins

Rising threat 'I would take it seriously... I don't think it's hyperbole'

The Swedish government checklist for surviving a war would not have looked out of place decades ago: bottled water; sleeping bags; extra batteries; enough cash for a week; and non-perishable food like rice and cereal.

3 mins

Letby's parents complained she was 'singled out for punishment'

Lucy Letby's parents wrote to hospital bosses expressing their \"intolerable anguish\" after police began investigating their neonatal nurse daughter, a public inquiry heard yesterday.

1 min

Rich nations 'must take legal responsibility for climate change impact'

A handful of countries should be held legally responsible for the ongoing impacts of climate change, representatives of vulnerable nations told the international court of justice yesterday.

2 mins

Stage review Piratical retirees delight with riotous take on high-seas tale

Who is the protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure story? The obvious answer is Jim Hawkins, the innkeeper's son who is drawn into a high-seas escapade complete with piracy and plundering.

1 min

Counselling charity Relate faces insolvency as 80 staff lose jobs

Britain's biggest relationships counselling charity is on the verge of insolvency after failing to overcome financial difficulties caused by a collapse in funding from NHS, schools and local authority contracts.

2 mins

Boost trust in politics or risk 'Trumpian' disaster, say campaigners

The next UK general election could be a disaster of \"Trumpian proportions\" if the Labour government does not adopt measures to boost public trust in the political system and stem the decline of \"elective dictatorship\", former ministers and campaigners have warned.

1 min

What is allowed under UK law

What are the rules on political donations?

2 mins

Allies Britain 'will not have to choose' between US or Europe

Keir Starmer has \"utterly rejected\" the idea that the UK must choose between the United States and Europe once Donald Trump comes to power, arguing it is in the national interest to work with both.

2 mins

Even a Trump-loving US thinktank can't cope with the Trusster in full world-war-three flow

It was a sight for sore eyes. At least for any speaker who has turned up to an event to discover the organisers easily outnumber the audience.

2 mins

Talks over Parthenon marbles 'well advanced', sources say

Talks concerning the Parthenon marbles between Athens and the British Museum are \"well advanced\", the Guardian has learned, even if officials have decided the cultural row will be low on the agenda when the prime minister, Keir Starmer, meets his Greek counterpart today.

1 min

Dry volcanic activity rules out 'Earth-like life' on Venus, say scientists

With a surface hot enough to melt lead and clouds of sulphuric acid in its atmosphere, Venus has been described as \"Earth's evil twin\" - similar in size, yet worlds apart.

2 mins

Most riot hotspots suffer 'torn social fabric' and deprivation

The majority of towns that saw rioting in the summer have a \"torn social fabric\" and have been bearing the brunt of economic deprivation, according to a report.

2 mins

Protection of Skripal and public was 'abject failure', inquiry told

There was an \"abject failure\" by the UK government to put in basic security measures to protect the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and to keep the wider public safe, the family of a woman who died in the Wiltshire novichok poisonings has said.

2 mins

Vocational T-levels to get a shake-up as placements prove hard to deliver

T-levels, the \"gold standard\" vocational qualifications in England that have been dogged by low uptake and high drop-out rates, are to be shaken up, the government said yesterday.

1 min

Resilient buyers fuel surge in UK house prices - with a nearby pub a big attraction

House prices rose at the fastest rate in nearly two years in November in a surprise acceleration, according to figures published yesterday by Nationwide.

2 mins

Scotland Ministers consider tax rises for wealthy as Greens and Lib Dems push spending priorities

Ministers in Scotland are contemplating modest tax increases for the better off and plan to scrap the freeze in council tax rates as they search for extra money in this week's budget.

2 mins

NHS bosses 'worried by new waiting lists pledge'

NHS bosses are said to be privately concerned about Keir Starmer's ambitious targets to cut waiting lists for routine operations, to be announced this week.

2 mins

Sanctuary owner says dogs may have to be put down

The owner of a sanctuary for traumatized dogs has said up to 17 animals will have to be put down unless she can find a new home for them within three weeks.

2 mins

Lego figures to wear sunflower lanyards in push for inclusivity

Lego is introducing characters that wear sunflower lanyards to its brick universe to raise awareness of a badge worn to indicate someone has a hidden disability such as autism.

1 min

Airstrikes hit hospitals in Syria as insurgents fight government forces

Hospitals and neighbourhoods in the rebel-held northern Syrian region of Idlib were pummelled by a wave of airstrikes as Islamist insurgents battled forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad after their assault on Aleppo.

3 mins

Concerns over ceasefire as Israel retaliates against Hezbollah rockets

Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon in response to Hezbollah rocket fire near a watchtower, the first time the group has attacked Israel since a ceasefire came into effect last week.

3 mins

Damascus Assad must engage with opposition, says Turkey

The crisis in Syria is the result of President Bashar al-Assad's refusal to engage in dialogue with the opposition, and not external interventions, the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said after meeting his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, for emergency talks in Ankara.

1 min

HTS Who are the group that seized Aleppo?

For about five years, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham has controlled the north-western Syrian province of Idlib, where it has set up what it calls the Syrian Salvation Government to administrate schools, clinics and courts for an estimated 4 million people.

2 mins

Anti-Franco guerrilla fighter sues for 'moral reparations' over torture

One of the last surviving fighters from the guerrilla war waged against the Franco dictatorship in the 1940s is suing the Spanish government for €1m in reparations.

2 mins

Vatican puts webcam at tomb of St Peter to launch holy year

St Peter's tomb will be livestreamed as the Vatican embraces technology to connect with Catholics in far-flung places during holy year, an event expected to bring as many as 33 million pilgrims to Rome.

1 min

After Putin call, Scholz promises £540m military aid on surprise Visit to Ukraine

Olaf Scholz has met with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an unannounced visit to Kyiv as he sought to reassure Ukraine of German support.

2 mins

Ireland's main centre-right parties expected to retain power

The two main centre-right parties in Ireland are expected to start talks on returning to government as the general election put the incumbents within touching distance of forming the 34th Dáil.

1 min

Belgium found guilty of crimes against humanity in colonial Congo

The Belgian state has been found guilty of crimes against humanity for the forced removal of five mixed-race children from their mothers in colonial Congo, in a landmark decision.

2 mins

Japan's case against me 'political', says jailed anti-whaling activist

The anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will learn within 14 days whether he is to be extradited from Greenland to Japan, a court has been told.

1 min

Trump's pick for defence accused of drunkenness and sexism

The US president-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth, was reportedly forced out of two leadership roles at veteran-focused non-profits amid allegations of financial mismanagement, drunkenness and sexist behaviour.

1 min

Ghana Showman would-be president aims to fire up youth

It was a bombastic statement from the man who wants to disrupt Ghana's two-party system. \"I'm here to represent Africa's greatest hope,\" Nana Kwame Bediako told an audience in a Westminster committee room in October, referring to the continent's youth.

2 mins

Hard-driving Stellantis boss will leave a divisive legacy

Carlos Tavares is known as one of the most outspoken leaders in the car industry.

1 min

Government 'will miss housing target' without planning reform

Labour will miss its manifesto target of building 1.5m homes in England before the end of this parliament without more radical reform to the planning system, the thinktank the Centre for Cities warns today.

2 mins

'No sign of recovery' for Europe's manufacturers as UK orders also slow

Europe's manufacturers suffered a slump in demand last month with \"no sign of a recovery\", as UK factory owners also reported a slowdown in orders.

3 mins

Trading blows Will Trump finish what the Seattle protesters started?

The sting of teargas was a price worth paying, said Michael Dolan as he looked back on the Battle of Seattle and how the World Trade Organization's attempt to break down the barriers to international trade was derailed by anti-globalisation protesters.

4 mins

Sticky wicket Oil, geopolitics and cricket collide in Guyana but players are shortchanged

In 1899 an international tribunal controversially settled a border dispute between Venezuela and British Guiana in favour of the British, and 125 years later Liam Dawson is walking back to the Providence Stadium pavilion, run out for a duck after failing to slide his bat into the crease.

3 mins

'It does feel like the first day of school but I like to challenge myself'

A superstar signing for Bristol and English women's rugby, Ilona Maher is ready to take a leap into the unknown

4 mins

Teams demand FIA clarity after Norris penalty

Formula One teams are demanding more from the sport's governing body after controversy over decisions at the Qatar Grand Prix which have caused criticism within the sport and prompted McLaren to call for a review into the penalty imposed on Lando Norris.

1 min

'A great man and a great player': game's legends lead tributes to Griffiths

The seven-time world snooker champion Stephen Hendry has led the tributes to Terry Griffiths, who has died aged 77, calling him \"a great man and a great player\".

2 mins

Bold Bethell had 'no doubt' he would thrive at No 3

Fearless 21-year-old hit an unbeaten half-century on Test debut and it looks as if there is plenty more to come

3 mins

All Women's Championship matches to be streamed live

Every Women's Championship match will be streamed live on the league's YouTube channel from next season onwards, the Guardian can reveal.

1 min

Wiegman ready to make Lionesses 'uncomfortable' in Euro 2025 push

Sarina Wiegman says she has wanted England's players to feel uncomfortable so they can learn new things before Euro 2025.

2 mins

Yoro in line for overdue Manchester United debut

Ruben Amorim has revealed \"special talent\" Leny Yoro could make his Manchester United debut at Arsenal tomorrow evening.

1 min

Saudi Arabia seals more than 900 sponsor deals amid World Cup drive

Saudi Arabia has struck more than 900 sponsorship deals across the sporting landscape and made dozens of formalised agreements with football federations as it prepares for a controversial coronation to host the 2034 World Cup.

2 mins

Amorim's FA Cup bow comes at Arsenal in 2005 final rerun

The FA Cup holders Manchester United enter the fray at next month's third-round stage with a visit to the record 14-time winners Arsenal, in a repeat of the 2005 final.

1 min

Van Dijk still Liverpool's spirit animal as City's decay deepens

Imperious defender is central to Slot's success and makes a stark contrast to Haaland's struggles in City's attack

5 mins

Definitely maybe: Slot looks imperious at Anfield but could Guardiola be forced from Etihad?

Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of Sunday afternoon at Anfield was how ordinary it all felt. Everybody came for something apocalyptic and what they got was a league game that felt like pretty much any other league game in which Liverpool beat a side who aren't as good as them.

3 mins

'So far so good' Coach perfect fit for Reds, says captain

Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool found the \"perfect match\" for their tight-knit, experienced squad when appointing Arne Slot as Jürgen Klopp's successor.

2 mins

Van Nistelrooy's 'hurt' New Leicester manager stung by his enforced United exit

New Leicester manager stung by his enforced United exit

3 mins

West Ham look to Conceicao as Lopetegui pressure grows

West Ham are considering Sergio Conceicao as a replacement for Julen Lopetegui, whose future as manager is under growing pressure after his team's 5-2 defeat at home against Arsenal last Saturday.

1 min

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