CATEGORIES

WhatsApp exchanges Nuclear police and staff share jokes about racism and paedophilia

Specialist police officers and workers at some of the UK’s most secure nuclear sites have been sharing jokes about paedophilia, racism and homophobia in work-linked WhatsApp groups, the Guardian can reveal.

'Naive' amateur archaeologists find palace in back garden

When a group of amateur archaeologists set out to find the buried remains of a Tudor palace in their Northamptonshire village five years ago, they knew the odds were against them.

Shooting enthusiast appointed minister for animal welfare

Downing Street is facing calls to explain why it appointed a wealthy shooting enthusiast as animal welfare minister after it emerged he had backed culling seals and wild birds.

Murdered journalist's unfinished book to be published

A book begun by Dom Phillips, a foreign correspondent and Guardian contributor who was killed in the Amazon in June last year while researching the project, will be published in April 2025.

'Water has become a luxury' Gazans face daily struggle to find essential supplies

In a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, some of the women in a building housing 60 people decided to cut their hair short to save on water when washing. Others in southern Gaza say they are stretching out the time between showers, or flushes of the toilet. Everyone knows exactly how much water they have, and how much they can store. Above all they know that water, especially water that is both safe to drink and doesn't taste bad, has become precious.

'I just want my son home' Family's 60-day wait for news of hostage

On the Sabbath morning of 7 October, Sigalit Cohen could hear alarms sounding from her home in Tzur Hadassah, a village on Jerusalem's outskirts. Hours later she learned of the unprecedented attack by Hamas in southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage, including her son.

Met police investigates gang links to shooting that left woman dead

Detectives are investigating possible gang links to a shooting that left a woman dead and two people wounded in east London on Tuesday, just days after shots were fired on the same road.

Google releases new AI model with claim it can outperform ChatGPT in most tests

Google has unveiled an artificial intelligence model that it claims outperforms ChatGPT in most tests and displays \"advanced reasoning\" across multiple formats, including an ability to view and mark a student's physics homework.

Peas dividend: cheap veg on top in comfort food boom

The cost of living crisis has spurred a flight to \"comfort food\", with Britons choosing shepherd's pie, macaroni cheese and oven chips over more exotic dishes, while smashed avocados are being edged out by cheaper peas on toast.

Veteran television executive Samir Shah set to take on role as BBC chair

The veteran TV executive Samir Shah is set to be appointed as the next chair of the BBC.

Badenoch: gender care for children 'a form of conversion therapy'

Gender-affirming care for children could be considered \"a new form of conversion therapy\", Kemi Badenoch said yesterday.

'Casual, careless, chaotic' Bereaved relatives despair at Johnson's grasp of crisis

From the moment he slipped in at dawn, before most of the bereaved had arrived to confront him, to his departure in a hail of boos, Boris Johnson, in his first appearance at the UK Covid-19 public inquiry, proved by turns frustrating and enraging for many.

Cuttings from Sycamore Gap tree showing signs of growth

Salvaged seeds and cuttings from the felled Sycamore Gap tree are showing positive signs of being able to grow and provide \"new descendants\", the National Trust said yesterday.

Swift accepts Time honour and hits out at industry she knows all too well

Taylor Swift lambasted the music industry for its treatment of young pop stars yesterday as Time magazine named her person of the year.

Ministers refuse Hillsborough law at centre of families' call for justice

Ministers have rejected the \"Hillsborough law\" reforms that are central to a campaign by families of the 97 people killed in the 1989 disaster to prevent future police cover-ups.

'Deluded': Johnson condemned as he denies major Covid mistakes

Boris Johnson has admitted there were things his government \"could and should have done\" to stop the spread of coronavirus but denied he had made major mistakes and attempted to defend the chaotic and abusive culture in his top team.

'Best guy on planet Earth': United owner welcomes back Wilder

Sheffield United's owner, Prince Abdullah, described Chris Wilder as \"the best guy on planet Earth to take over the club\" as he welcomed back the manager as Paul Heckingbottom's successor.

Brook still learning after hectic year on England duty

Batter happy to be on the road and says he's found the right tempo- 'you've got more time than you think'

EU to delay Brexit tariffs on electric cars for three years

The European Commission looks set to propose a three-year delay to the 10% tariff on sales of electric vehicles between the EU and the UK, in a boost for car industries across Europe.

Thames Water faces Ofwat inquiry over £37m dividend

The water industry regulator is investigating whether Thames Water has breached the conditions of its licence by paying a dividend, as executives face the prospect of being recalled before MPs over financial concerns.

'We had death threats' Black Christmas queen fighting for inclusion in Belgium

The aim was to spread joy, hand out treats and carve out an inclusive celebration that could be added to the festive season's roster. But Queen Nikkolah - a female, Black character who offers children in Belgium a counterpoint to the festive figures of Sinterklaas and his controversial sidekick, Zwarte Piet, or Black Pete - has found herself in the eye of a cultural firestorm.

Bodies of more climbers found after Mount Marapi eruption

Rescuers searching the hazardous slopes of Indonesia's Mount Marapi volcano have found more bodies after a group of climbers were caught by a surprise eruption on Sunday. The discovery raised the number of confirmed and presumed dead to 23.

Germany halts green funding schemes in bid to plug budget gap

Germany has put an indefinite stop to a raft of subsidies viewed as key to meeting climate goals, a move that could undermine the rollout of heat pumps as it attempts to plug a multibillion-euro hole in its budget.

'No money must flow': EU warned against appeasing Orbán by unfreezing funds

The European Commission has been urged not to \"appease\" Viktor Orbán by unfreezing billions of euros for Budapest, as the Hungarian prime minister threatens to derail EU plans to open accession talks with Ukraine and grant Kyiv fresh aid.

Nigerian army drone strike accident kills 85 at Muslim festival

A Nigerian army drone strike accidentally killed at least 85 people observing a Muslim festival in the north-west on Sunday, the country's armed forces have said.

Victim of 7/7 attack paid damages over News UK hacking

A victim of the 7/7 bombings whose face became one of the defining images of the 2005 attack has received an apology and \"substantial damages\" from the publisher of the Sun and the defunct News of the World as it seeks to clear a raft of historical phone-hacking allegations.

Fighting in Gaza 'at its most intense since start of the ground offensive'

Israeli forces have reported the most intense day of fighting in Gaza since the ground attack began nearly six weeks ago, with offensives stepped up in northern and southern Gaza and reports of a rise in civilian deaths.

It's monstrous what we did, ex-wife of French serial killer tells court

The ex-wife of the French serial killer Michel Fourniret has described how he flew into a fury and beat a British student, Joanna Parrish, after discovering she had a boyfriend.

Robinson calls for rapid phase-out of fossil fuels in repost to Cop28 president

The former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, has called for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, in a diplomatic but firm response to the row over comments made to her by the Cop28 president, that were revealed earlier this week by the Guardian.

Māori oath to King Charles leaves room for interpretation

Māori party MPs have departed from the traditional oath of allegiance to King Charles III at the opening of New Zealand's 54th parliament, sparking a debate about whether the Mäori word they used to describe him meant \"Charles\" or \"skin rash\".