Documents suggest Kilmar Ábrego García was retaliated against after wrongful deportation

Judge said newly unsealed government documents show ‘some evidence’ of vindictive prosecution by DoJ

A newly unsealed order in the criminal case against Kilmar Ábrego García reveals that high-level justice department officials pushed for his indictment, calling it a “top priority”, only after he was mistakenly deported and then ordered returned to the U.S.

Ábrego García, originally from El Salvador, has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Tennessee to charges of human smuggling. He is seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution is vindictive – a way for the Trump administration to punish him for the embarrassment of his mistaken deportation.

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Fireworks, drums and light shows: How the world is welcoming 2026

Countries around the world celebrated the new year with colourful shows and long held traditions.

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Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of JFK, dies after leukemia diagnosis

Schlossberg, 35, revealed in November diagnosis of rare mutation of cancer of blood and bone marrow

Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of the 35th US president, John F Kennedy, died on Tuesday after revealing in November she had been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. She was 35.

Her passing was announced in a social media post by the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,” the post said.

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Judge says Trump administration must continue funding consumer watchdog

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is at risk after Donald Trump vowed to shutter it since his return to office

A federal judge has ordered that the Trump administration must allow funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to continue.

The watchdog, which supporters say protects US consumers from financial harm by powerful banks, lenders and corporations, is at risk of collapsing after Donald Trump vowed to shutter it since he returned to office this year.

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FBI deploys more resources to Minnesota amid Trump’s targeting of state

Kash Patel claims $250m Covid aid fraud scheme is ‘tip of iceberg’ and blames state’s Somali population

The FBI has deployed additional personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs”, director Kash Patel said on social media on Sunday.

Amid the Trump administrations attacks on the state and its Somali immigration population, the FBI director said the agency had already dismantled a $250m fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during the Covid pandemic in a case that led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions.

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Bernie Sanders criticizes AI as ‘the most consequential technology in humanity’

Republican senator Katie Britt also proposes AI companies be criminally liable if they expose minors to harmful ideas

US senator Bernie Sanders amplified his recent criticism of artificial intelligence on Sunday, explicitly linking the financial ambition of “the richest people in the world” to economic insecurity for millions of Americans – and calling for a potential moratorium on new datacenters.

Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democratic party, said on CNN’s State of the Union that he was “fearful of a lot” when it came to AI. And the senator called it “the most consequential technology in the history of humanity” that will “transform” the US and the world in ways that had not been fully discussed.

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Brazil's Bolsonaro undergoes medical treatment for hiccups

The 70-year-old had suffered with the spasms for nine months, his wife says, and was already in hospital for hernia surgery.

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Man charged with displaying Nazi hate symbol after showing off tattoos at NSW beach

Man spotted at beach in Newcastle on Wednesday with tattoos linked to white supremacist ideology

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A man who allegedly displayed Nazi hate symbols by showing off his tattoos at a popular beach in New South Wales has been charged.

Ben Parsons was at Bar beach in Newcastle on 24 December with his children, when he noticed a man with tattoos linked to white supremacist ideology, including symbols associated with the Nazi SS.

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Man arrested after woman and man die in alleged double fatal stabbing in Sydney

Police called to Quakers Hill on Sunday morning after reports of disturbance

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A man has been arrested after a woman and a man – both aged in their 30s – died in an alleged double fatal stabbing in Sydney.

Police said emergency services were called to the home in Quakers Hill just before 5am on Sunday, responding to reports of a disturbance.

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Equal pay settlements for female council workers pass £1bn

GMB union says 30,000 claims settled with six local councils for average of £30,000 and expects 10,000 more in 2026

Equal pay settlements for female workers at local councils have passed the £1bn mark, with thousands more expected next year.

Legal claims have been brought against local councils on behalf of people in female-dominated roles, such as cleaners or carers, who for years have been denied the conditions and benefits given to employees in traditionally male-dominated jobs.

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Call for citizen scientists to monitor threatened turtle species on NSW beaches

Beachgoers from the Tweed to Batemans Bay have been asked to be on the lookout – and every nest reported to TurtleWatch NSW will be protected

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The first sea turtle nest discovery of the breeding season has led to a rescue mission and kicked off a campaign to protect an endangered species.

The nest, found recently on the New South Wales north coast, was too close to the water’s edge and the eggs needed to be moved to save them from being inundated by waves and the tides.

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Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for the Cure, dies aged 65

Starting as a roadie and guitar tech, Bamonte joined the band in 1990 after its breakthrough album Disintegration

Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band the Cure, has died. He was 65.

The band made the announcement on their official website on Friday.

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Three people missing after Boxing Day house fire near Stroud

Emergency services were called to property in Brimscombe Hill in Gloucestershire at about 3am

Three people are missing after a house fire in the early hours of the morning on Boxing Day, police have said.

Emergency services were called to a report of a fire at a property on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud, Gloucestershire at about 3am on the 26 December.

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Zelensky hails 'new ideas' on peace after talks with US envoys

Ukraine's leader gives an upbeat assessment after discussing the plan with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

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Russian opposition leader sentenced to six years in prison

Sergei Udaltsov, Putin critic affiliated with the Communist party, convicted of justifying terrorism

A court in Russia on Thursday convicted a pro-war activist and critic of Vladimir Putin of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front movement that opposes Putin and is affiliated with the Communist party, was arrested last year.

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Officials discover a million more documents potentially related to Epstein case

The US Department of Justice says reviewing the material could delay the full release of Epstein documents by a "few more weeks".

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Two dead after Pennsylvania nursing home explosions

Authorities are investigating whether a gas leak was to blame for the twin blasts and fire, which caused a partial collapse.

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Israel extends order allowing closure of foreign broadcasters

A bill passed by parliament expands temporary powers introduced during the Gaza war to shutter outlets seen as a security threat.

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Barry Manilow to undergo surgery for lung cancer

The 82-year-old singer says the disease is in its early stages and he plans to be back on stage in February

Barry Manilow has revealed that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will undergo surgery.

The 82-year-old singer, whose parade of high-spirited hits from Copacabana to Mandy has made him one of pop music’s most beloved showmen, will have surgery to remove part of his lung in an effort to fight off the disease, which is in its early stages.

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Mass power outages affect 130,000 in San Francisco and disrupt traffic

Traffic signals failed in large portions of the California city while Waymo robotaxis stopped in streets and intersections

A widespread power failure plunged San Francisco into darkness on Saturday night, disrupting traffic citywide and forcing numerous self-driving Waymo taxis to stop abruptly in the middle of streets and intersections.

As electricity went out across large portions of the city, traffic signals failed, leaving autonomous vehicles unable to operate as normal. Photos and videos shared by users on X showed Waymo robotaxis frozen in place, backing up traffic and creating hazardous conditions for other drivers.

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More than 800 people cross Channel in dinghies, breaking record for December

Saturday’s arrivals were the most on a single day in December and take the annual total to 41,455

More than 800 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Saturday, a record for a day in December, according to the Home Office.

December is traditionally one of the quietest months for Channel crossings, as a combination of low temperatures and stormy weather makes the journey particularly difficult. Poor visibility and less daylight have also been cited as factors influencing the crossings.

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Australian state plans to ban intifada chants after Bondi shooting

New South Wales will look at passing hate speech laws after Australia's deadliest shooting in almost 30 years.

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From praise to rage: conservative response to Epstein release is mixed

Republicans such as Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene slam redactions, but others express satisfaction

Conservative reaction to the partial release of documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case has been mixed, with Trump administration supporters highlighting the prominent presence of Bill Clinton and other Democrats in photographs, with others lamenting how the heavy redaction casts Donald Trump and Republicans in a bad light.

Administration officials defended the redactions with fervent hyperbole. “Never in American history has a President or the Department of Justice been this transparent with the American people about such a sensitive law enforcement matter,” said Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, who released a six-page letter describing the redaction process.

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Putin tells BBC Western leaders deceived Russia

BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg had the opportunity to ask Vladimir Putin about his plans for the future of the country.

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Trump critics praise Vanity Fair article for its scrutiny while allies dismiss it as hit piece

Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, spoke candidly about Trump’s inner circle and the piece made even bigger waves with its unsparing photos

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Critics of the Trump administration have praised Vanity Fair’s interview with the White House chief of staff, and particularly the unvarnished photographs of Trump’s inner circle that accompanied it, as overdue scrutiny of a controversial cabinet even as his allies rallied to dismiss it as a hit piece.

Over what the magazine said was 11 separate interviews by reporter Chris Whipple, Susie Wiles spoke candidly about her colleagues, describing Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality”, JD Vance, the vice-president, as being a “conspiracy theorist for a decade” and Russell Vought, the budget chief, as a “right-wing absolute zealot”.

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Oscars to move over to YouTube starting in 2029

Exclusive global rights to the year’s biggest night in film will move to the video platform for a four year period

The Oscars will be moving from broadcast to online as part of a multi-year new deal with YouTube.

From 2029, the video platform will have exclusive global rights to Hollywood’s biggest night, including the ceremony but also red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content and Governors Ball access. The deal will run until 2033.

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Spain to open network of climate shelters

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says the shelters will be in public buildings across the country.

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US date rape survivors file lawsuit accusing Hinge and Tinder of ‘accommodating rapists’

Civil suit, citing the Dating App Reporting Project, argues that dating apps could kick off serial rapists but don’t

The Dating Apps Reporting Project produced this story in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network and The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, and copublished with The Guardian and The 19th.

Six women who were drugged and raped or sexually assaulted by the same Denver cardiologist filed a lawsuit against Match Group on Tuesday, accusing the world’s largest dating app company of “accommodating rapists across its products” through “negligence” and a “defective” product.

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No news whatsoever as Keir bores everyone to death. He’s a natural | John Crace

The liaison super-committee has an unavoidable tri-annual encounter with the prime minister

An afternoon with Keir Starmer isn’t necessarily many people’s idea of fun. A period of time when every minute feels like five.

Sadly, for the select committee chairs who make up the liaison super-committee, they didn’t have the option of saying no. This was one of their unavoidable tri-annual encounters with the prime minister. Still, at least they all had the Xmas recess to look forward to at the end of the week. They would need a long lie down.

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Dozens killed in Morocco flash floods

At least 70 homes have been inundated in Safi's old city centre, officials say.

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Pilot narrowly avoids ‘midair collision’ with US air force plane near Venezuela

JetBlue pilot calls incident ‘outrageous’ and says US military refueling tanker didn’t have transponder turned on

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US air force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path ... They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

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Manchin urges lawmakers to stop acting in ‘attack mode’ amid political violence

Former senator’s comments echo recent call from Erika Kirk that ‘everyone has responsibility’ to tone down hatred

Politicians should “calm down” and stop approaching one another in “attack mode” amid the US’s climate of political violence, former US senator Joe Manchin said on Sunday.

The West Virginia independent who generally caucused with Senate Democrats echoed similar comments made at a town hall Saturday by Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death in September.

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BBC captures celebrations as Belarus frees political prisoners

Southern & Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford reports from Lithuania, where some of the released prisoners were taken.

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Washington state flood waters receding after days of rescues and evacuations

No fatalities reported in flooding, which prompted Trump to approve emergency declaration request from governor

Record-breaking flood waters in Washington state have started slowly retreating after days of devastation that saw neighborhoods inundated, emergency rescues from cars and rooftops, and widespread evacuations.

“This is not just a one- or two-day crisis,” Washington’s governor, Bob Ferguson, said during a press briefing. “These water levels have been historic, and they’re going to remain very high for an extended period of time.”

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Taylor Swift shown breaking down in tears after she met UK attack families

Backstage footage shows the singer in tears after meeting survivors of the attack during her world tour.

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Ghanaian influencer charged over $8m scam targeting elderly Americans

He is accused of using romance scams to defraud $8m, with the profits flaunted on Instagram.

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Disappointing Oracle results knock $80bn off value amid AI bubble fears

Weaker-than-forecast quarterly data for Larry Ellison’s tech company shows slowdown in revenue growth and big rise in spending

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Oracle’s shares tumbled 15% on Thursday in response to the company’s quarterly financial results, disclosed the day before.

Roughly $80bn vanish from the value of the business software company co-founded by Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison, falling from $630bn (£470bn) to $550bn and fuelling fears of a bubble in artificial intelligence-related stocks. Shares in the chipmaker Nvidia, seen as a bellwether for the AI boom, fell after Oracle’s.

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Brad Lander to challenge Dan Goldman for New York congressional seat

Outgoing comptroller and progressive ally of Zohran Mamdani launches primary bid for Congress

Brad Lander, the outgoing comptroller of New York City and a former candidate for mayor, announced on Wednesday that he is running for the US Congress in a challenge from the left to fellow Democrat and representative, Dan Goldman – with the backing of the city’s progressive mayor-elect.

Lander will run in the Democratic primary contest next year for a liberal district in lower Manhattan and north-west Brooklyn.

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Powerful storms dump heavy rain and swell rivers across US Pacific north-west

Series prompts high-water rescues as it passes Washington state and Oregon as flood watches put in effect along coast

A series of powerful storms hit the Pacific north-west, dumping heavy rain, swelling rivers and prompting high-water rescues in several states.

An unusually strong storm system called an atmospheric river is passing through the region, bringing heavy rainfall across western Washington and north-western Oregon and more than a foot of snow in the northern Rockies and north-western Wyoming.

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These young Australians grew up with social media - what do they think of the ban?

The BBC took to the streets of Sydney to find out what young people aged between 18 and 20 think of Australia’s under-16s social media ban.

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Ex-Trump lawyer Alina Habba quits as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey

Resignation comes despite administration’s efforts to keep her in place after courts found she was serving unlawfully

• US politics live – latest updates

Donald Trump’s former lawyer Alina Habba says she is resigning as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, she announced on social media.

Habba’s resignation came after district and appellate court rulings which found she was unlawfully serving in the role, a powerful post charged with enforcing federal criminal and civil law.

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Democrats urge Pentagon to release video of strike on alleged drug boat

Trump team faces mounting pressure as members of Congress allege that the deadly attack was unlawful

US Democrats on Sunday pushed the Trump administration to release video of a second strike on an alleged drug boat incapacitated in the Caribbean, continuing to escalate pressure on the Pentagon amid accusations the attack was unlawful.

Eleven people died in the 2 September attack, including two men killed in a follow-up strike as they reportedly clung to wreckage for an hour. That killing has been met with intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes after the Washington Post reported defense secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill them all”. Adm Frank Bradley of the US navy, who oversaw the attack, told lawmakers on Thursday there was no such order – and the Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack.

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Trump criticises Democrat he pardoned over not switching political parties

Texas Representative Henry Cuellar is running for re-election as a Democrat after Trump pardoned him.

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Detained Georgia veteran deserves to stay in US after serving country, fiancee says

Jamaican-born US army veteran faces deportation as more non-US citizen military members are swept up by ICE raids

The fiancee of a Jamaican-born, decorated US army veteran who is now facing deportation under the Trump administration says she hopes his story might inspire legislative action to restore immigration protections for former military members.

“If you served this country, you deserve a chance to stay in this country,” said April Watkins, who is engaged to Godfrey Wade, one of tens of thousands who have been put in immigration detention under Donald Trump’s second presidency. “That is the hope for not only him but for any veteran who sits in a detention center. Look at their service that they gave this country and take that into consideration.”

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Man arrested after people at Heathrow allegedly attacked with ‘form of pepper spray’

Police think incident at airport car park involved theft of a suitcase and ‘people known to each other’

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after people were allegedly attacked with a “form of pepper spray” at a multistorey car park at Heathrow airport Terminal 3, police have said.

The Metropolitan police said armed officers were called to the terminal’s car park at about 8.11am to a report of people being assaulted.

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Senator says ICE ‘attack dog’ caused ‘horrific’ injuries to unresisting man as he was detained

Patty Murray of Washington state said ICE agents lied to Wilmer Toledo-Martinez to lure him outside before dog attacked him

A US senator has condemned the Trump administration after she alleged that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “attack dog” mauled one of her constituents.

Democratic senator Patty Murray of Washington state said Wilmer Toledo-Martinez suffered “horrific” injuries while ICE agents detained him in November.

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Can you ban kids from social media? Australia is about to, but some teens are a step ahead

The law comes into effect this week but critics worry it can't be enforced - and shouldn't be either.

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Boycotts and arguments - can the Eurovision Song Contest survive its biggest crisis?

The biggest crisis in the Eurovision Song Contest's history raises major questions about its future.

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Musicians must embrace ‘unstoppable force’ of AI, Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart urges

Producer says creatives need to own their intellectual property so they can license it to generative AI platforms

The Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart has said artificial intelligence is an “unstoppable force”, and musicians and other artists should bow to the inevitable and license their music to generative AI platforms.

These platforms use artificial intelligence to analyse existing songs and tracks, using that knowledge to generate completely new ones as prompted by a user. For example, someone could ask the AI platform to generate a song about a boozy night out in the style of a Britpop band, and it would draw on songs with similar sounds and themes to create its own.

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Iran to attend World Cup draw after reversing its planned boycott

• Three members of Iran football federation denied visas

• Iran among nations facing restrictions on entry to US

Iran has reversed its boycott of the World Cup draw, with team representatives due to attend the glitzy event in Washington DC on Friday.

Last week the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) said it would stay away after three members of its delegation were denied visas for entering the United States.

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Keir Starmer expected to award 25 new Labour peerages

Exclusive: Former union bosses and Labour staffers on list as prime minister aims to balance chamber

Keir Starmer is putting the finishing touches to a list of dozens of new peerages aimed at strengthening Labour’s hand in the Lords, with Rachel Reeves’s outgoing chief of staff expected to be among them.

The prime minister is planning to publish his list before Christmas, with a number of other former senior advisers, Labour party staff and former union leaders expected to be on it, the Guardian has been told by multiple sources briefed on the plans.

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Pope Leo urges Trump not to try to overthrow Venezuelan president with military force

Pontiff calls on US president to ‘seek dialogue’ as White House steps up campaign against Nicolás Maduro

Pope Leo has urged Donald Trump not to attempt to overthrow the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, using military force, and to instead seek dialogue.

Trump’s administration has been considering its options as it steps up its campaign against Maduro, who it accuses of links to the illegal drug trade. The country’s authoritarian leader has denied the accusations.

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What is Honduras ex-president accused of and why has Trump pardoned him?

Juan Orlando Hernández, once called the key figure in a drug trafficking scheme that flooded America with over 400 tonnes of cocaine, walks free after the pardon.

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Zillow deletes climate risk data from listings after complaints it harms sales

Site removes feature after real estate agents and some homeowners say scores appear arbitrary and hurt sales

Zillow, the US’s largest real estate listing site, has removed a feature that allowed people to view a property’s exposure to the climate crisis, following complaints from the industry and some homeowners that it was hurting sales.

In September last year, the online real estate marketplace introduced a tool showing the individual risk of wildfire, flood, extreme heat, wind and poor air quality for one million properties it lists, explaining that “climate risks are now a critical factor in home-buying decisions” for many Americans.

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Andreas Whittam Smith, co-founder of the Independent, dies aged 88

The journalist and editor also led the British Board of Film Classification and served as the senior lay member of the Church of England

Andreas Whittam Smith, the co-founder of the Independent newspaper and a former president of the British Board of Film Classification, has died aged 88.

Whittam Smith was also the first editor of the Independent and served as First Church Estates Commissioner, the senior lay member of the Church of England, from 2002 to 2017.

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Ukraine hits tankers in Black Sea in escalation against Russia

The two ships struck by drones were thought to be used to bypass Western sanctions on Russia.

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Your Party members vote to make name permanent at tense first conference

Liverpool gathering lays bare bitter divisions within new party founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana

The new leftwing party founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana will be called Your Party after a vote by members, but its weekend conference laid bare bitter divisions.

Just over 37% of members voted for the name Your Party, provisionally adopted when it was launched earlier this year, to become permanent. The votes for others on the shortlist were 25.23% to be called For The Many, 25.23% for Popular Alliance and 14.19% for Our Party.

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White House launches website to excoriate media for ‘biased’ stories

Trump administration lists reporting it objects to in latest escalation of attacks on US journalism

The White House rolled out a new section of its official website on Friday that publicly criticizes and catalogs media organizations and journalists it claims have distorted coverage.

At the top of the page, the text reads: “Misleading. Biased. Exposed.” The feature names the Boston Globe, CBS News and the Independent as “media offenders of the week”, accusing them of inaccurately portraying Trump’s remarks about six Democratic lawmakers who released of video encouraging military members to not follow illegal orders.

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‘The City can’t be taken for granted’: how banks won over Rachel Reeves

JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to expand UK presence after sector was spared from higher taxes in budget

Over canapés of beef and stilton pie, bone marrow gravy and mushy peas, the financiers at JP Morgan’s New York headquarters held their champagne flutes aloft for a toast: “His majesty the king.”

Just days before Rachel Reeves’s budget – amid the chancellor’s efforts to soothe business fears and bond market jitters – Jamie Dimon, the Wall Street banking company’s boss, was hosting a birthday celebration for King Charles at its new $3bn (£2.3bn) Manhattan headquarters.

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Hungary's Orban defies EU partners and meets Putin again in Moscow

Russia's leader praised what he called Orban's "balanced position on the situation in Ukraine".

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US midwest and north brace for storm as nearly 82m people travel for holidays

Several flights are delayed and parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan could see six to 10 inches of snow

Parts of the US midwest and the Great Lakes region are bracing for a strong storm this weekend, as an estimated 82 million Americans travel to gather in celebration of Thanksgiving.

Some parts of the country are expecting cold, snowy conditions, and the weather has already caused some travel delays. On Thursday morning more than 800 flights were already delayed, most in the northern states.

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Trump calls New York Times reporter ‘ugly’ after branding another journalist ‘piggy’

In a Truth Social post, the president lashed out at journalist Katie Rogers after an article questioned whether he was slowing down

Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday against a New York Times reporter, calling her “ugly inside and out” in his latest personal insult against female members of the media after last week calling another “piggy”.

In a Truth Social post, Trump criticitized the newspaper for an article suggesting he was running low on energy in his 80th year, insisting he has “never worked so hard in my life”.

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'I am devastated': Hong Kong residents in disbelief after fire destroys blocks of flats

Efforts to control the blaze are continuing as locals wait for news of missing loved ones.

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Rush Hour 4 in the works at Paramount after reports of Trump intervening

Brett Ratner, accused of sexual misconduct by several women, will bring his hit franchise back to the big screen

Rush Hour 4 is reportedly a go at Paramount – after Donald Trump intervened on behalf of the movie.

The studio will now release the next sequel by Brett Ratner, the director, who had retreated from Hollywood after numerous allegations of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement.

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Trump envoy denies bias as he pushes for Sudan peace plan

Efforts to negotiate an end to the war, which has displaced 12 million people, remain unfruitful.

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Trump administration cancels temporary asylum for Myanmar nationals living in US

Homeland security claims country being ruled by military dictatorship ‘no longer continues to meet conditions’ for Temporary Protected Status

• US politics live – latest updates

The Trump administration announced it will cancel temporary asylum for around 10,000 Myanmar nationals living in the US, despite the country being ruled by a military dictatorship that has a record of executing dissidents.

On Monday the Department of Homeland Security said it was terminating the designation of Burma (Myanmar) for Temporary Protected Status relief. It claimed that after reviewing conditions in Myanmar and consulting with appropriate US government agencies, “the secretary (Kristi Noem) determined that Burma no longer continues to meet the conditions” for TPS designation.

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Bollywood's 'He-Man' Dharmendra dies at 89

Best known for the iconic role of Veeru in the all-time great Sholay, Dharmendra was India's "most handsome actor".

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Ukraine's Aonishiki becomes sumo champion in Japan

Aonishiki wins the November sumo tournament in Japan and becomes the first person from Ukraine to claim an elite-level sumo championship.

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Many prominent Maga personalities on X are based outside US, new tool reveals

Users posing as rightwing Americans are operating internationally, per the platform’s transparency feature

Many of the most influential personalities in the “Make America great again” (Maga) movement on X are based outside of the US, including Russia, Nigeria and India, a new transparency feature on the social media site has revealed.

The new tool, called “about this account,” became available on Friday to users of the Elon Musk-owned platform. It allows anyone to see where an account is located, when it joined the platform, how often its username has been changed, and how the X app was downloaded.

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Politicians shocked by Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation announcement

Some Republicans offered congresswoman plaudits, but AOC was scathing in her dismissal of her frequent sparring partner

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation from Congress late on Friday, saying she refused to be a “battered wife” following her public fallout with Donald Trump, has been slammed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congresswoman and Greene’s frequent sparring partner.

“She’s carefully timing her departure just 1-2 days after her pension kicks in,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement on her Instagram account, and criticized her voting record on healthcare.

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Shocked US driver calls 911: ‘I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield’

Motorist told dispatcher ‘you may not believe me’ and said windshield was shattered while driving on North Carolina highway

A motorist in western North Carolina escaped injury when the carcass of a cat crashed into the passenger side of her front windshield along a highway near the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

In a call to 911, the unidentified driver on US Route 74 in Swain county, near Bryson City, told a dispatcher that a bald eagle dropped the cat. Bryson City is about 65 miles south-west of Asheville.

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US judge resigns after being disciplined for wearing Elvis wig in court

In court, Judge Thornhill would play the singer's music from his phone and make "irrelevant" references to him.

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MI5 ‘very relaxed’ about proposed Chinese super-embassy in London, sources say

Senior Security Service officers told Commons speaker in private meeting they can tackle espionage risks

MI5 officers told the House of Commons speaker at a private meeting that they can tackle the risks of a proposed Chinese super-embassy in London, opening the door to its approval.

The Guardian understands that in a meeting held with Lindsay Hoyle in the summer, senior figures from the Security Service indicated they were “very relaxed” about the prospect of a 20,000 sq metre embassy being constructed at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge.

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'Huge columns of smoke': BBC at the scene of massive fire at COP30

Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt was at the UN climate talks in Brazil when a fire broke out.

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China’s power play: MI5 warns of relentless espionage attempts in Britain

Alert says Beijing trying to recruit British sources in parliament, even if potential gains may be unclear

An unexpected connection on LinkedIn. An offer of work from a headhunter, most likely a young woman, based in China. The chance to earn perhaps £20,000 part-time writing a handful of geopolitical reports for a Chinese company peppered with “non-public” or “insider” insights. Payment in cryptocurrency or cash preferred.

It may seem obvious, on this telling, that something about this approach would be amiss. Nevertheless, China’s powerful ministry of state security (MSS) still considers it worthwhile to deploy recruitment consultants to try it – leading MI5 to warn repeatedly about their activity online.

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Trial opens into North Macedonia nightclub fire that killed 63

Thirty-five people and three institutions are on trial. Prosecutors say years of failings turned the venue into a death trap.

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New Jersey man pardoned of fraud conviction by Trump back in prison for another fraud conviction

Eliyahu ‘Eli’ Weinstein, pardoned by Trump in 2021, was sentenced to 37 years for defrauding investors out of $35m

A New Jersey man whose lengthy prison sentence for fraud convictions was commuted by Donald Trump in 2021 is now headed back to federal prison for another fraud conviction.

The US district judge Michael Shipp, sitting in Trenton, handed down a 37-year sentence on Friday to Eliyahu “Eli” Weinstein, 51, of Lakewood, who is also known as Mike Konig. Shipp also ruled that Weinstein must pay $44,294,803 in restitution, which is due immediately, according to court documents.

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Zelensky to meet Trump envoy in Turkey in bid to 'intensify' peace talks

There were no plans for the Russian side to join the talks, the Kremlin said.

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David Nicholls to adapt The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ for BBC

One Day author leading writing team bringing one of the best-known literary creations of the 1980s to life

A writing team led by the One Day author, David Nicholls, and that includes Caitlin Moran is bringing Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ to the small screen in a 10-part BBC One adaptation of the classic tale of teenage life in British suburbia.

Nicholls, who described the book as “a classic piece of comic writing and an incredible piece of ventriloquism on Sue Townsend’s part”, will adapt the book that produced one of the best-known literary creations of the 1980s.

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New international student enrollments in US plunge this year, data shows

Enrollment fell 17%, the largest drop in a decade aside from the pandemic, amid Trump’s immigration crackdown

The number of international students enrolling in US colleges and universities plunged this year as the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown on higher education began to bite, data released on Monday reveals.

New international student enrollment fell 17% in the current academic year, the largest drop in more than a decade aside from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a fall snapshot published by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

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Ukraine to import US liquefied natural gas via Greece

Vital supplies are due to start flowing from the Balkans as energy infrastructure faces sustained Russian attack.

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Dozens reportedly arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, amid immigration crackdown

Trump administration has made the Democratic-led city its latest target despite fierce objections from local leaders

A top border patrol commander touted dozens of arrests in North Carolina’s largest city on Sunday as Charlotte residents reported a surge of encounters with federal immigration agents near churches and apartment complexes.

The Trump administration has made the Democratic-led city of about 950,000 people its latest target for an immigration enforcement crackdown it says will combat crime, despite fierce objections from local leaders and the fact that crime rates in the city are steadily declining.

The Associated Press contributed reporting

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Hertfordshire police admit unlawful arrest of couple in school WhatsApp row – report

Force said to have agreed to £20,000 payout to parents who complained about daughter’s school in Borehamwood

A police force has reportedly admitted it unlawfully arrested two parents in front of their nine-year-old daughter after they complained about her school on WhatsApp.

Rosalind Levine and her partner, Maxie Allen, said they were held at a police station for 11 hours over the complaints about their daughter’s primary school.

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Todd Snider, alt-country singer-songwriter of Alright Guy, dies aged 59

Influential musician who created Americana hits had recently been hospitalized with pneumonia

Todd Snider, the influential alt-country singer-songwriter who created Americana hits such as Alright Guy, has died at 59.

His passing was shared through announcements on his official social media accounts. Although no cause of death was provided, his family shared on Friday that he had recently been hospitalized with pneumonia.

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Man who stole Banksy print to pay off drug debt given 13-month sentence

Larry Fraser, 49, burgled Grove gallery in London, stealing limited edition print of Girl With Balloon series

A man who stole a Banksy print from an art gallery to pay off a historic drug debt has been given a 13-month prison sentence.

Larry Fraser, 49, stole the limited edition print belonging to the street artist’s Girl With Balloon series after breaking into the Grove gallery in Fitzrovia, central London, last September.

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Tanzania president promises probe into election protest deaths

The opposition says that hundreds of people were killed during the unrest but there is no official death toll.

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Thirteen hours by touch – inside one of the world's longest exam days

South Korea's national college entry exam is notoriously hard - but blind students face unique challenges.

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Georgia election board settles ethics lawsuit over private emails for $50,000

Republican-controlled board, which questions Trump’s 2020 loss, agrees to use government, not personal, accounts

The Georgia state election board has settled a lawsuit filed by a watchdog organization over access to board members’ emails for $50,000 and an agreement to conduct future business without using private email.

The settlement requires the Republican-controlled board, which continues to push for additional investigation into the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, to instruct its members to use official email accounts, and “not to use personal email accounts, text messaging, or messaging through other applications for that purpose”.

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At least 37 killed in Peru after bus plunges into ravine

The bus was carrying 60 passengers when it collided with a truck and careered off the road in the Arequipa region.

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Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine sign voice deal with AI company

The voices of the Oscar-winning actors can now be used to create AI-generated versions in a new deal with ElevenLabs

Oscar-winning actors Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have both signed a deal with the AI audio company ElevenLabs.

The New York-based company can now create AI-generated versions of their voices as part of a bid to solve a “key ethical challenge” in the artificial intelligence industry’s alliance with Hollywood.

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A jailed hacking kingpin reveals all about the gang that left a trail of destruction

One of the world's most prominent cyber-criminals speaks to the BBC in an exclusive interview.

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Ghislaine Maxwell eyeing commutation, whistleblower tells House Democrats

Epstein associate is also receiving special treatment in prison, Democrats say, according to whistleblower

Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime associate and co-conspirator who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes, is reportedly preparing a “commutation application” for the Trump administration to review, according to new allegations from a whistleblower shared with House Democrats.

Democrats on the House judiciary committee announced on Monday that they had received information from a whistleblower that indicates that the British former socialite, 63, is working on filing a commutation application. They also said Maxwell had been receiving special treatment at federal prison camp Bryan in Texas – the minimum-security facility she was transferred to earlier this year.

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Will Tim Davie’s resignation be enough to restore public trust in the BBC?

Senior insiders admit concern about big editorial errors and fear attacks are part of ongoing campaign to undermine the broadcaster

There is a joke regularly deployed by BBC staff that “deputy heads must roll” over big mistakes because they rarely appear to have any impact on those at the top of the organisation. That all changed on Sunday, when Tim Davie and Deborah Turness both quit their jobs.

Davie oversaw no shortage of scandals during his five years as director general – in recent months these included rows over a Gaza documentary and Glastonbury coverage – and was nicknamed “Teflon Tim” by BBC insiders because nothing seemed to stick.

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‘I have to take ultimate responsibility’: Tim Davie’s BBC resignation statement

Full text of director general’s note to staff and the resignation statement from head of news Deborah Turness

• Davie resigns as BBC director general after accusations of ‘serious and systemic’ bias in coverage

• BBC bias row: how a week of hostile headlines from rightwing media led to resignations

Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, and the head of BBC News have resigned after a former adviser to the corporation accused it of “serious and systemic” bias in its coverage of issues including Donald Trump, Gaza and trans rights.

This afternoon Davie sent the following note to staff:

Dear all,

I wanted to let you know that I have decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the Chair and Board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days.

Dear all,

I have never been more proud of the work that you do every day. You really are the best of the best.

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US private equity giant poised to take over online retailer The Very Group

Barclay family set to lose another part of former business empire, once known as Littlewoods, to Carlyle Group

The Barclay family is set to lose control of another part of their former business empire with a US private equity firm taking control of online retailer the Very Group.

Washington-headquartered Carlyle Group is expected to announce it has taken over the retailer as soon as Monday morning.

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BoM move to axe free flood warning tool has ‘potentially deadly consequences’, Queensland councils say

Bureau of Meteorology says current system will be phased out as it no longer meets ‘cybersecurity, stability and resilience’ standards

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Natural disaster-prone councils in south-east Queensland say the Bureau of Meteorology’s decision to axe its free real-time flood forecasting tool is a “cost shifting” exercise with “potentially deadly consequences”, with New South Wales emergency services also affected.

For nearly 30 years, the BoM has provided local governments, emergency services and water managers around the country with free access to Enviromon – a tool used to inform emergency alert systems which collects, displays and analyses data from rainfall and river level gauges for flood forecasting.

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Four held after protesters set off flares during Israeli orchestra concert in Paris

Clashes broke out during one of three disruptions to the performance featuring conductor Lahav Shani.

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US stock market values tumble amid reports of high layoffs and hiring freezes

The S&P 500 index fell 1% as the government shutdown left investors ‘groping around in the dark’ for up-to-date data

Fears that the US economy is slowing, with firms shedding jobs and imposing hiring freezes, sent Wall Street tumbling on Thursday.

The S&P 500 index of leading firms was down 1% as investors also highlighted concerns about the potential for a slump in the value of businesses that have benefited from huge investments in artificial intelligence. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 1.5%.

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Afghan opium crop plummets after Taliban ban, UN survey finds

Afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of global opium but a Taliban ban has cut that to a fraction.

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Reddit added to Australia's social media ban on under-16s

The ban takes effect on 10 December and also includes Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

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Dick Cheney’s role in ‘war on terror’ may have paved way for Trumpism

Former US vice-president a key figure in expanding White House’s power and ‘corrupting the intelligence-policy relationship’ to sell Iraq war

• Dick Cheney, vice-president and giant of Republican politics, dies aged 84

Dick Cheney, who has died aged 84, came to be seen as a moderate in his later years for his staunch opposition to Donald Trump, but he also stands accused of paving the way for Trumpism by undermining the independence of the intelligence agencies and US adherence to international law.

As George W Bush’s second-in-command in the “war on terror” declared after the 9/11 attacks, Cheney made himself one of the most powerful vice-presidents in US history, and was a key protagonist in the push to invade Iraq, as well as the use of torture on suspected al-Qaida members detained without charge in the CIA’s offshore “black sites”.

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Curfew lifted in Tanzania's main city after election unrest

Families continue to search for or bury relatives, a day after President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in.

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Young Russians are being seduced by a cheap, dangerous weight-loss pill called Molecule

Those taking the drug, which contains a substance banned in many other countries, are experiencing severe side effects.

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John F Kennedy grandson says Julia Fox’s bloody Jackie Halloween costume ‘disgusting’

Jack Schlossberg says ‘dangerous’ to evoke grandfather’s assassination; Fox says it’s a ‘statement’ of Jackie’s ‘bravery

Political writer and commentator Jack Schlossberg has said it was “disgusting, desperate and dangerous” for actor Julia Fox to wear a Halloween costume evoking the assassination of president John F Kennedy, his grandfather.

Fox, however, has defended her controversial decision to wear a replica of the blood-stained, pink suit that former first lady Jackie Kennedy was seen wearing when her husband was shot dead by a sniper while the couple rode in a motorcade in Dallas in 1963. The Uncut Gems star has said she dressed as Jackie Kennedy as “a statement” about the poise and “extraordinary bravery” she showed when subjected to unimaginable “brutality”.

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Big belly, wavy fur and a nose for trouble: we exclusively reveal the new-look Paddington

It’s been the biggest secret in theatre: what will the marmalade-loving, hyper-polite Peruvian look like in Paddington the Musical? As the curtain rises, we speak to the new bear’s creator, a veteran of Star Wars and PG Tips ads

Paddington stands within touching distance. His fur flutters as he turns, his neat button nose sniffs the air, and his eyes soften with a smile. For years, design details of the bear for Paddington the Musical, directed by Luke Sheppard, have been kept top secret. Now here he is, in his blue duffel coat and red hat. A quiet theatrical marvel. “What we’re doing,” says producer Sonia Friedman, “has never been done before.”

Standing around 1.2 metres (just under 4ft) tall, the bear is beautifully round, all belly and sloping shoulders. He is not an exact replica of the Paddingtons we’ve seen in illustrations or movies, but something new. His shaggy, caramel fur has a gentle wave, and his white snout is dotted with a brown nose, ideal for sniffing out trouble. Around his neck sits a label, threaded through an old piece of string, asking for someone to look after him.

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Flights delayed across US amid air traffic controller shortages as shutdown drags on

Nearly 50% of 30 busiest airports facing absences as staff are forced to work without pay and shutdown hits 31st day

Nearly 50% of the 30 busiest US airports faced shortages of air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday, leading to flight delays nationwide as a federal government shutdown hit its 31st day.

The absence of controllers on Friday is by far the most widespread since the shutdown began, with one of the worst-hit regions being New York, where 80% of air traffic controllers were out, the agency said.

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Trump administration blocked from suspending Snap benefits for millions of Americans

One judge issues temporary restraining order while another judge rules the government must continue to fund program that helps low-income households

• US politics live – latest updates

Two federal judges issued back-to-back rulings on Friday in separate cases ordering the Trump administration to use contingency funds to continue paying for food stamps during the government shutdown.

A federal judge in Rhode Island on Friday afternoon blocked the Trump administration from suspending all food aid for millions of Americans, in a case brought by a group of US cities, non-profit organizations and a trade union.

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US judge blocks Trump administration from halting Snap food benefits

A federal judge said the plan to suspend food aid to millions of Americans during the ongoing US government shutdown is likely unlawful.

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OpenAI thought to be preparing for $1tn stock market float

ChatGPT developer is considering filing for an IPO by the second half of 2026, according to reports

OpenAI is reportedly gearing up for a stock market listing valuing the company at $1tn (£76bn) as soon as next year, in what would be one of the biggest ever initial public offerings.

The developer behind the hit AI chatbot ChatGPT is considering whether to file for an IPO as soon as the second half of 2026, according to Reuters, which cited people familiar with the matter. The company is thought to be looking to raise at least $60bn.

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Fed cuts interest rates for second time this year amid economic uncertainty

Central bank sets rates at range between 3.75% and 4% amid turbulence from government shutdown and Trump’s tariffs

The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Wednesday, the second rate cut this year amid economic turbulence from the federal government shutdown and Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The decision to cut the Fed’s benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a range of 3.75% to 4% comes at an extraordinary moment for the central bank. The Fed has been under immense pressure from Donald Trump to cut rates despite persistent inflation.

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Investigation after woman left behind by cruise ship dies on island

Crew of Coral Adventurer only realised the 80-year-old Australian was missing hours after they left Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef.

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Gavin Newsom tells supporters of redistricting proposal to ‘stop donating’

California governor launched the effort to counter Texas’s gerrymander and has far out-raised measure’s opponents

With just one week before California voters are set to head to the polls to decide on the state’s redistricting proposal, Gavin Newsom sent an unexpected message to would-be donors: keep your money.

“We have hit our budget goals and raised what we need in order to pass Proposition 50. You can stop donating,” the California governor said in an email.

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Confederate statue torn down during anti-racism protests reinstalled in Washington

General Albert Pike's statue, toppled during George Floyd protests in 2020, is restored under orders from President Donald Trump.

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Ivory Coast president, 83, secures fourth term after two rivals barred

Alassane Ouattara's win is unsurprising as his biggest rivals were barred from the election.

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Steve Coogan says Richard III film was ‘story I wanted to tell’ as defamed academic win damages

Case had been due to go to trial after judge ruled 2022’s The Lost King, which Coogan co-wrote, portrayed Richard Taylor as ‘smug and patronising’

Steve Coogan said his film about the discovery of the remains of Richard III was “the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did” after he and two production companies agreed to pay “substantial damages” to settle a High Court libel claim over the film’s portrayal of a university academic.

Richard Taylor, deputy registrar at the University of Leicester at the time of the find, sued Coogan, his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Productions for libel over his portrayal in the 2022 film The Lost King, which follows the amateur historian Philippa Langley and her search to find the king’s skeleton.

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Nige thinks Pochin’s comments were ugly and unpleasant. But he agrees with them | John Crace

Reform is no place for racists, and every party has its bad apples. But the benchmark seems to be higher at Farage’s party

It’s the hottest new competition in Westminster. The accolade some MPs will do anything to win. It’s Racist of the Week. To Robert Jenrick’s intense annoyance, the Tory whip Katie Lam won it at a canter last week. Chin up, Honest Bob. Your time will come again. Though probably not this week. It may only be Monday but the Reform MP Sarah Pochin has already stretched out a commanding lead. It will take an immense effort from someone to knock Nurse Ratched back into second place.

Weirdly, it always seems that those people who complain the loudest about political correctness gone mad and how you can’t say anything these days are the ones who seem to find a way to let everyone know how they feel. It’s almost as though they do protest too much. Poor Sarah. Think how she suffers. Imagine the things she might come up with if only she didn’t have to hold herself back. She is just too good for such a cruel world.

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Russia says it has tested nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile

The experimental weapon is hailed as having a potentially unlimited range - though Western experts have questioned its value.

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Labour must counter ‘growing sense of despair’, Streeting warns after Welsh defeat

Health secretary urges party to take Caerphilly result to heart as Lucy Powell gets to work as deputy leader

Senior Labour figures including Wes Streeting have said the government must project optimism and delivery after losing a Welsh Senedd byelection amid rising concern about midterm fatigue and a loss of momentum.

The health secretary warned that the party must counter a “growing sense of despair” and show voters tangible proof of change after its defeat last week in Caerphilly, a town that had been Labour for more than 100 years.

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Hispanics’ support of Trump plunges since he started second term

Notable majority feel the country is headed in the wrong direction, and only 27% approve of his job performance

Donald Trump’s standing with Hispanic adults has dropped notably since he took office at the start of the year, according to a new poll.

Polling by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests growing unease among a voting bloc that was crucial to his 2024 re-election victory. The October survey shows that 25% of Hispanic adults now hold a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of Trump, down sharply from 44% in an AP-NORC poll conducted just before he began his second term.

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Honduran immigrant dies while fleeing ICE, bringing raids death toll to three

Jose Castro Rivera, 24, was killed Thursday morning after running onto a highway and being struck

A 24-year-old Honduran man died while trying to flee Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Virginia, bringing the death toll among those trying to escape detention in the Trump administration’s mass deportation crackdown to at least three people.

Jose Castro Rivera was killed on Thursday morning after running onto a busy highway and being struck and fatally injured while trying to evade ICE agents, local authorities said.

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Connolly declared president of Ireland after landslide win

The result, long clear from early tallies, was officially announced at Dublin Castle.

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East Wing of White House reduced to rubble as part of Trump’s ballroom construction

Despite president’s promise to preserve it, the eastern section of the building is now completely destroyed

The East Wing of the White House has now been completely destroyed to pave way for Donald Trump’s $300m planned gilded ballroom, just days after the administration announced it would happen and contradicting Trump’s earlier promise that the existing building would not be touched.

Satellite images on Friday showed the historic building’s eastern section reduced to rubble, to the outrage of historians, former White House officials and much of the public.

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NBA stars and mafia among dozens arrested in illegal gambling crackdown

It follows a sweeping FBI investigation into illegal sports betting and rigged, mafia-linked poker games.

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NBA injuries, x-ray poker tables and the mafia: What we know about gambling arrests

Authorities said the "mind-boggling" fraud involved tens of millions of dollars and included members of organised crime.

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The decades-old exemption that lets Trump fast-track White House rebuild

The White House and several other buildings are exempt from the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

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Protests erupt in New York City after ICE raids Chinatown over ‘counterfeit goods’

Demonstrators were seen near a federal building after an unknown number of detainees were taken by agents

• US politics – live updates

Hundreds showed up to protests that broke out in New York City on Tuesday evening after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids related to “selling counterfeit goods” were conducted in the Chinatown neighborhood earlier in the day and resulted in an unknown number of people being detained.

Hours after federal agents descended on lower Manhattan, demonstrators were seen assembling near the 26 Federal Plaza Immigration Building where they believed detainees were taken. Many shouted chants including “ICE out of New York” and “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA.”

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Albanese hints US could still seek changes to Aukus agreement amid review

Speaking in Washington, the prime minister downplayed US comments about ‘ambiguity’ but conceded he knows that the Pentagon want some updates

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Anthony Albanese has indicated the United States could seek updates to the Aukus agreement a day after Donald Trump’s navy secretary spoke of his hopes to “clarify some of the ambiguity” in the nuclear submarine deal, amid an ongoing Pentagon review.

The prime minister downplayed the comments from naval secretary John Phelan, telling media “don’t look for something that’s not there” and noting Trump’s strong support for the plan to even be accelerated. Following successful meetings with President Trump and senior US politicians in Washington DC, Albanese boasted of the substantial support for the agreement on Capitol Hill, and revealed he even presented Trump with a gift of a model submarine.

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US investigates Waymo robotaxis over safety around school buses

Top transport safety regulator to determine if self-driving vehicles failed to follow traffic laws for stopped buses

The US’s main transportation safety regulator said on Monday it had opened a preliminary investigation into about 2,000 Waymo self-driving vehicles after reports that the company’s robotaxis may have failed to follow traffic safety laws around stopped school buses.

The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the latest federal review of self-driving systems as regulators scrutinize how driverless technologies interact with pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.

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from World news | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/20/waymo-robotaxi-investigation-safety-nhtsa

Israel receives body Hamas says is Gaza hostage

Before Monday, Hamas had handed over all living hostages and 12 out of 28 deceased hostages under a ceasefire.

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George Santos says prison sentence was ‘disproportionate’ but ‘large slice of humble pie’

Disgraced former congressman who was meant to serve seven years for fraud and identity lashes out at critics

Disgraced former US congressman George Santos said on Sunday that his prison sentence had been “disproportionate”, but that he had been served “a very large slice of humble pie”, while lashing out at his critics in his first interview since Donald Trump commuted his sentence.

Speaking to Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union, Santos said he was “all politicked out”, and called for his former campaign staffer, Sam Miele, to also receive a commutation.

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US driver kills one and injures at least 14 in car-ramming attack at child’s party

Driver turned himself in to Maryland authorities after initially fleeing scene, where eight children were injured

A driver rammed into a group of people at a children’s birthday party outside of Washington DC late on Saturday, killing a woman in her 30s and injuring at least 14 others, eight of whom were children.

In a statement released by the Bladensburg police department in Maryland, they announced that the driver of the striking vehicle had turned himself in and had been identified as a 66 year-old man from the surrounding area.

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Tory MP reports ‘AI-generated deepfake’ video announcing his defection to Reform UK

Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman calls spread of AI-generated misinformation a ‘dangerous development’

A Conservative MP has reported an “AI-generated deepfake” video of him announcing that he has joined Reform UK to the police, according to reports.

George Freeman, the MP for Mid Norfolk, denounced the video and, in a Facebook post, called the deliberate spread of misinformation through AI-generated content a “concerning and dangerous development”.

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Australian banks ignore thousands of customers’ hardship requests

Exclusive: Automated systems have generated ‘cookie cutter’ responses that fail to account for individual circumstances, financial watchdog says

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Banks are outright ignoring or offering “cookie cutter” responses to a rising number of hardship requests from struggling customers, despite repeated regulatory crackdowns.

Nearly 2,900 customers complained their bank had failed to respond to pleas for assistance in 2024-25, new data from the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (Afca) showed.

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Major highway in California to shut down as US marines fire live artillery over it

Highway patrol announces last-minute, multihour closure due to military celebration including 155-mm artillery shells

A celebration marking the US marines’ 250th anniversary will shut down a major freeway artery through southern California on Saturday as the military plans to fire live 155mm artillery shells over the site.

The California highway patrol announced the closure at 6am Saturday, saying it would shut down an approximately 17-mile (27km) stretch of Interstate 5 for four hours near Camp Pendleton, a 125,000-acre (50,585-hectare) base in Oceanside in north-western San Diego county. The closure will remain in effect from 11am to 3pm.

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Faculty at Texas university fear entire liberal arts departments will be slashed

University of Texas at Austin faculty fear changes from new taskforce that could restructure humanities programs

Faculty at the University of Texas at Austin fear entire academic departments might be on the chopping block after the university quietly appointed a committee charged with studying the restructuring of its liberal arts programs.

The university – the largest in the public University of Texas system – has not made any announcements about cuts or restructuring, but faculty there have learned the committee was established earlier this semester and tasked with a review that they believe is focused on ethnic and regional disciplines such as African and African diaspora studies, Mexican American and Latina/o studies, as well as women’s and gender studies.

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Airline apologises for asking dead flight attendant for paperwork

The woman's death has triggered widespread anger in Taiwan following speculation that she was overworked.

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Al Pacino on co-star and ex-girlfriend Diane Keaton: ‘She lived without limits’

The actor has paid tribute to his Godfather co-star and one-time romantic partner, saying she had a ‘once-in-a-lifetime gift’

Al Pacino has paid tribute to the his co-star and ex-romantic partner Diane Keaton who died last week.

The 85-year-old actor had been filming in Paris and reportedly needed some time to put together his thoughts and feelings on Keaton, who died of pneumonia on Saturday at the age of 79.

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Bangladesh garment factory fire kills at least 16

The dead have been burned beyond recognition and officials have warned that the toll could rise.

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Johnson says ‘I don’t have anything to negotiate’ as US shutdown drags on

Republican House speaker says he won’t negotiate with Senate Democrats ahead of scheduled eighth funding vote

The top House Republican said he won’t negotiate with Senate Democrats as the government shutdown dragged into its 14th day on Tuesday, while defending the Trump administration’s decision to shuffle Pentagon funds to make sure military personnel get their paychecks.

Speaking to reporters, the House speaker, Mike Johnson, claimed: “I don’t have anything to negotiate” and accused Democrats of playing games ahead of the Senate’s scheduled eighth vote Tuesday evening on a House-passed measure to fund the government.

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Miss Major, trailblazing US trans rights activist and Stonewall veteran, dies aged 78

Longtime organizer and founder of House of gg earned reputation as champion for liberation of Black trans women

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a trailblazer of the transgender rights movement, longtime community organizer and veteran of the Stonewall riots, died on Monday, her representatives announced.

The acclaimed activist died at her home in Little Rock, Arkansas, surrounded by family, the House of gg (the final organization she founded and led) announced. She was 78, and the group’s statement did not give a cause of death.

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French pair sentenced in Iran on spying charges

The defendants are believed to be couple Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were arrested in 2022.

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Israel identifies bodies of four dead hostages returned by Hamas

The first four deceased hostages to be returned are Guy Illouz, Bipin Joshi, Yossi Sharabi and Daniel Peretz.

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'Indescribable happiness' as detainees return to Gaza

Israel says it has released 1,968 prisoners and detainees as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

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Eurovision organisers postpone vote on Israel's inclusion in contest next year

The European Broadcasting Union had previously announced it would hold a vote on Israel's participation in November.

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Drone captures huge fire engulfing homes in Peru

According to local media, dozens of houses have been damaged and it's suspected the blaze was caused by an illegal pyrotechnics warehouse.

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'She left trail of fairy dust': Tributes pour in for Diane Keaton

First Wives Club co-star Goldie Hawn says Diane Keaton left "memories beyond imagination" following her death aged 79.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says she is terrified her sons will ‘join manosphere’

Nigerian-American author tells Cheltenham literature festival audience having boys made her ‘worry more’

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has said she is terrified that her young boys will “join the manosphere”.

Speaking at Cheltenham literature festival on Saturday, the Nigerian-American author of works including Americanah told an audience that having two boys has made her “worry more” about men and boys.

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'We are inventing captivity medicine': Hospital prepares for freed Israeli hostages

Several of the hostages will be brought from Gaza to the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva.

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Trump completes ‘semiannual’ physical before traveling to Middle East

White House had described doctor visit as ‘routine yearly checkup’ although president had annual physical in April

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Donald Trump – the oldest person ever to be elected US president – had what he has described as a “semiannual physical” at the Walter Reed national military medical center on Friday.

The visit, which the White House announced earlier this week, comes as Trump is preparing to travel to the Middle East on the heels of a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described it as a “routine yearly checkup”, although the president had his annual physical in April.

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Zarah Sultana compares Jeremy Corbyn reunion to Gallagher brothers

MP says pair have reconciled after bitter dispute as they appear together at Manchester leftwing festival

Zarah Sultana has said she and Jeremy Corbyn have patched up their combustible co-leadership of a new leftwing party, with the MP comparing the duo to Liam and Noel Gallagher.

Speaking alongside Corbyn at The World Transformed political festival in Manchester, the Gallaghers’ home city, Sultana insisted they could cooperate over the organisation still only known, unofficially, as Your Party.

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Trump officials cancel major solar project in latest hit to renewable energy

Esmeralda 7 in Nevada would have produced enough energy to power 2m homes

The Trump administration has killed a huge proposed solar power project in Nevada that would have been one of the largest in the world, indicating that the White House plans to attack not only wind power but all renewable energy.

On Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) changed the status of the Esmeralda 7 project to say its environmental review has been “cancelled”, the climate publication Heatmap first reported.

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Jeremy Bowen: There's now a realistic chance of ending the war - but it's not over yet

For the first time since the Hamas attacks on Israel two years ago, there is a realistic chance of ending the horrors

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Naked mole rats' DNA could hold key to long life

The bald, subterranean rats are the world's longest-lived rodent.

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US shutdown deadlock deepens as senators reject competing bills

Proposals from both sides fail to receive enough support as no senators changed their votes from recent days

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The deadlock over ending the US government shutdown deepened on Wednesday, with senators once again rejecting competing bills to restart funding as Democrats and Republicans remain dug in on their demands for reopening federal agencies.

The funding lapse has forced offices, national parks and other federal government operations to close or curtail operations, while employees have been furloughed. Signs of strain have mounted in recent days in the parts of the federal government that remained operational, with staffing shortages reported at airports across the US as well as air traffic control centers. Further disruptions may come next week, when US military personnel and other federal workers who remain on the job will not receive paychecks, unless the government reopens.

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