The Guardian - World News

Chi Onwurah speaks out after Marco Rubio accused five Europeans, including two Britons, of ‘seeking to suppress American viewpoints they oppose’ A senior Labour MP has accused the Trump administration of undermining free speech after Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, announced sanctions against two British anti-disinformation campaigners. Chi Onwurah, the chair of parliament’s technology select committee, criticised the US government hours after it announced “visa-related” sanctions against five Europeans, including Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford. Continue reading...

Legislation that seeks to curb harmful content is viewed as a threat to Silicon Valley by many Maga politicians UK politics live – latest updates For Maga politicians, European tech regulation hits hard in two areas: at the economic interests of Silicon Valley and at their view of free speech. The action against five Europeans who are taking on harmful content and the platforms that host it has had an inevitable feel to it, given the increasingly vociferous reactions to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA). Both pieces of legislation require social media firms to protect users or face the threat of sizeable fines . Indeed, Elon Musk’s X has been fined €120m (£105m) this month for breaching the DSA . Continue reading...

More than a year after the storm ripped apart families and farms, growers are bullish about strength of their industry Christmas tree farmers in western North Carolina are still rebuilding from last year’s devastating Hurricane Helene , but growers are optimistic about business and the overall strength of their industry in the region. “There’s still a lot of recovery that needs to happen, but we’re in much better shape than we were this time last year … sales are good,” Kevin Gray, owner of Hickory Creek Farm Christmas Trees in Greensboro, said earlier this month, while the buying season was in full swing. Continue reading...

Boy, 14, arrested on suspicion of harassment and later bailed after death of ‘one of a kind’ Madison Richardson A family has paid tribute to their “one of a kind” 13-year-old daughter after her death a month ago as police said they would continue to investigate the full circumstances. A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of harassment and later bailed after the death of Madison Richardson. Continue reading...

Strikes were latest violation of year-long ceasefire and targeted what Israel said were Hezbollah sites Israel has carried out several airstrikes in southern Lebanon on what it said was Hezbollah infrastructure, as a new year’s deadline for the Lebanese state to disarm the group in the south of the country loomed. Israeli warplanes bombed the valleys of Houmin, Wadi Azza and Nimeiriya in the southern Nabatieh area on Wednesday morning. Residents reported that Israeli drones continued to hover over the area and other areas of south Lebanon and its eastern Bekaa valley after the strikes. Continue reading...

France’s rule over Algeria from 1830 to 1962 is marked by mass killings and large-scale deportation Algeria’s parliament has unanimously approved a law declaring France’s colonisation of the country a crime and demanded an apology and reparations. Lawmakers, standing in the chamber wearing scarves in the colours of the national flag, chanted “long live Algeria” on Wednesday as they applauded the passage of the bill, which states that France holds “legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused”. Continue reading...

Water treatment and landfill companies given chance to make case that EPA rules should not apply to them Republicans are attempting to exempt some major polluters from paying for Pfas “forever chemical” cleanup. If successful, it could mark a major setback in US effort to rein in Pfas pollution. The Republican-led House energy and commerce committee recently held a hearing at which it invited representatives from the water treatment and landfill industries, among others, to make the case about why they should be exempted from rules that hold polluters financially accountable for the cleanup of two types of dangerous Pfas. Continue reading...

Critics compare offensive to Iraq war, citing familiar mix of regime-change rhetoric, security pretexts and oil interests Donald Trump’s recent claims that the US should keep Venezuelan oil from seized tankers are part of a broader belief in rightwing “resource imperialism”, experts say. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has escalated pressure on Venezuela, invoking drug-trafficking claims. This month, the US intercepted two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil and began pursuing a third, while intensifying its campaign against the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. Continue reading...

Critics say deployment is unwarranted and could cause fear in the city, which has seen a decrease in violent crime rates The Trump administration is deploying 350 national guard troops to New Orleans ahead of the new year, launching another federal deployment in the city at the same time that an immigration crackdown led by border patrol is under way. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on Tuesday that guard members, as they have in other deployments in large cities, will be tasked with supporting federal law enforcement partners, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Parnell added that the national guard troops will be deployed through February. Continue reading...

Christmas Day expected to be dry and bright, with low temperature warnings posing greater risk to vulnerable people Christmas Day will bring bright weather in much of the UK, but a cold health alert has been issued warning of a “greater risk to life of vulnerable people”. While the prospect of a white Christmas is “highly unlikely”, according to forecasters, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow cold health alert from 6pm on Christmas Day to noon on 27 December for south-west England. Continue reading...

Trump has shown erratic and bizarre behavior throughout the year, leading to questions about his mental acuity In an address from the White House in December, Donald Trump claimed that, over the past 11 months, his administration had brought “more positive change” than any government in US history. “There has never been anything like it,” Trump added. America is respected again as a country. We were not respected with Biden. They looked at him falling down stairs every day. Every day, the guy’s falling down stairs.” I said: ‘It’s not our president. We can’t have it.’ I’m very careful, you know, when I walk downstairs for – like I’m on stairs, like these stairs, I’m very – I walk very slowly. Nobody has to set a record, just try not to fall because it doesn’t work out well. A few of our presidents have fallen and it became a part of their legacy. We don’t want that. Need to walk nice and easy. You not have – you don’t have to set any record. Be cool, be cool when you walk down, but don’t, don’t bop down the stairs. That’s the one thing with Obama, I had zero respect for him as a president, but he would bop down those stairs, I’ve never seen – da da da da da da, bop, bop, bop, he’d go down the stairs, wouldn’t hold on. I said, it’s great, I don’t want to do it. I guess I could do it, but eventually bad things are going to happen and it only takes once, but he did a lousy job as president.” Continue reading...

Ukraine accepts principle of demilitarised zone in east, while insisting Russia make similar concessions in pulling back forces Washington and Kyiv have edged closer to a jointly agreed formula to end the war in Ukraine amid continuing uncertainty over Moscow’s response and a number of unresolved issues. Revealing the latest status of the peace talks, brokered by Washington, Ukraine’s president, Volodmyr Zelenskyy, appeared to have secured several important concessions from earlier versions of the now-slimmed-down plan after intense talks with the US negotiating team. Continue reading...

Negotiations expected to last four days as each side calls on the other to show sincerity in words and actions Cambodian and Thai officials began four days of talks at a border checkpoint on Wednesday intended to negotiate an end to the deadly clashes between the two countries, Phnom Penh said. The meeting in Thailand’s Chanthaburi province had been at risk after Phnom Penh demanded a switch to a neutral venue. Continue reading...

Washington accused of ‘coercion and intimidation’ after five leading figures behind digital safety law campaign targeted European leaders including Emmanuel Macron have accused Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, after the US imposed a visa ban on five prominent European figures who have been at heart of the campaign to introduce laws regulating American tech companies. The visa bans were imposed on Tuesday on Thierry Breton, the former EU commissioner and one of the architects of the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), and four anti-disinformation campaigners, including two in Germany and two in the UK. Continue reading...

Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford among five Europeans hit with visa bans over claims they wish to ‘suppress American viewpoints they oppose’ Keir Starmer has called on Britons to show kindness to struggling friends or family this Christmas, saying being in touch with those in need can make a big difference, Jessica Elgot reports. Here is Starmer’s video message. Continue reading...

Martin Thomas Glynn, 39, was arrested in Yangebup where police allege they found firearms, ammunition and Hamas and Hezbollah flags A man accused of posting an antisemitic social media message in support of the Bondi massacre will spend Christmas behind bars. Martin Thomas Glynn, 39, was arrested in the Perth suburb of Yangebup and charged after a concerned member of the public reported him to police. Continue reading...

Stonepeak will acquire 65% of lubricants business as part of wider plans for the oil company to pay down its debt Business live – latest updates BP has agreed to sell a majority stake in its $10bn (£7.4bn) lubricants business Castrol to the US investment firm Stonepeak, as the new chair, Albert Manifold, rapidly reshapes the under-pressure oil and gas company. Stonepeak will acquire a 65% stake in Castrol, in a deal that values the division at $10.1bn including its debt. The deal, which will see BP retain a 35% stake in the business through a joint venture, is expected to close at the end of next year, the company said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Victoria Atkins says announcement to raise tax threshold from £1m to £2.5m days before Christmas ‘seems very odd’ UK politics live – latest updates Ministers “snuck out” the announcement that they had decided to U-turn on inheritance tax for farmers, the Conservatives have said after the government revealed the move in a press release two days before Christmas. The shadow environment secretary, Victoria Atkins, accused the government of trying to dodge scrutiny of its latest policy reversal, under which the threshold for taxing inherited farmland will rise from a planned £1m to £2.5m. Continue reading...

Police say incident a ‘domestic violence situation’ and suspect, who also died, was ex-partner of teenager’s mother A 13-year-old British boy has died after being stabbed at his home in Portugal in an incident that police described as a “domestic violence situation”. Authorities said the alleged perpetrator, who also died, was the former partner of the boy’s mother. Continue reading...

RAC says traffic expected to reach highest level since pandemic, while Heathrow predicts busiest festive season Travel this Christmas Eve could be the UK’s busiest ever, as millions of drivers take to the roads and hundreds of thousands of passengers catch planes for festive getaways. Train journeys are also forecast to be very busy, with rail services ending earlier than normal. Continue reading...

Charity finds grants for crucial alterations take average 375 days, with many MND patients dying in this time People with motor neurone disease (MND) are dying waiting for grants to make their homes fit to live in due to a huge backlogs in applications, campaigners have said. The MND Association has found it takes an average of 375 days for people in England to get essential home adaptations through the government’s disabled facilities grant (DFG) due to growing delays in the system. Continue reading...

‘Explosive device’ was triggered when police approached a suspicious person, say officials Two traffic police officers and a third person have been killed in a car explosion in Moscow, Russia’s investigative committee has said. The committee, which investigates major crimes, said in a statement on Wednesday that an explosive device had been triggered when the officers approached a “suspicious person” near their police vehicle on Yeletskaya Street in the south of the capital. Continue reading...

Reports that Stanislav Orlov was killed by Moscow security services highlights careful managing of non-state power Beneath the frescoed ceilings and golden icons of Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, hundreds of men packed tightly into the lower hall as priests intoned prayers for the dead. Dressed in dark winter jackets, the mourners on Monday filled one of Russia’s most sacred spaces – a church usually reserved for moments of state ritual and national commemoration. Later, near his grave, the crowd lit bright flares and shouted: “One for all, and all for one.” They had gathered to bid farewell to Stanislav Orlov, better known by his callsign “Spaniard”, the founder of the far-right Española unit – a formation of football hooligans and neo-Nazi volunteers who fought as a paramilitary force on Russia’s side in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Introduced in response to the Bondi beach terror attack, the laws give police powers to ban on protests for up to three months after a terrorist event Ten minutes of terror: how the Bondi mass shooting unfolded in real time – video Follow the latest live updates The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has said it is up to the state’s police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, when to activate controversial new powers to ban protests – although he made it clear he would like them triggered quickly. The new laws, were assented to on Wednesday after being passed in a late-night sitting of the NSW upper house and affirmed on Wednesday morning by the lower house. Continue reading...

Security stepped up at mosques amid spate of targeted abuse as leaders mourn Bondi victims and say community will not ‘claim victimhood’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Threats and hate speech against Muslim Australians have surged in the wake of the Bondi beach attack, with one mosque receiving dozens of offensive phone calls and reports of people being targeted in the street. As Australia’s Jewish community deals with trauma from the attack that killed 15 people at a Hanukah event, religious leaders say societal and political divisions has led to other groups being targeted by hatred. Continue reading...

Home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said the government had ‘no time for hatred when it came to cancelling visas’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The federal government has cancelled the visa of a British man charged with displaying prohibited Nazi symbols, after police seized swords bearing “swastika symbology” from his Queensland home last month. Federal police announced earlier this month that a 43-year-old United Kingdom citizen living in Queensland had been charged with three counts of allegedly displaying prohibited Nazi symbols, and one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. Continue reading...

Prime minister says awards will celebrate extraordinary acts of courage and kindness in the wake of the terror attack Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese has announced the creation of a special honours list to recognise the bravery of those who helped respond to the Bondi terror attack, paying tribute to police, medical staff and ordinary citizens who leapt into action during the antisemitic massacre. The awards, to be presented next year after consultation with the New South Wales state government, will honour “the best of humanity”, the prime minister said at a press conference on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Video shows Gen Xu Qinxian explaining why he refused to deploy troops to crush 1989 student-led demonstrations Rare footage of a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) general who defied orders to lead his troops into Tiananmen Square and crush the 1989 student protesters has been leaked online, offering a highly unusual glimpse into the upper echelons of the military at one of the most fraught moments in modern Chinese history. General Xu Qinxian’s refusal to take his troops from the PLA’s prestigious 38th Group Army, a unit based on the outskirts of Beijing, into the capital has been the stuff of Tiananmen lore for decades. Continue reading...

Kimberlee Singler was arrested in London in 2023, a week after her daughter, 9, and son, 7, found dead in Colorado An American woman accused of killing two of her children after a Colorado judge demanded she comply with a custody order has been extradited from Britain, where she was arrested, to the United States to face charges. Kimberlee Singler was arrested in Kensington, west London, by officers from the UK’s National Crime Agency in December 2023, a week after her nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son were found dead in their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Continue reading...

State department accuses group of pressuring tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints through regulation of disinformation The state department has barred five Europeans from the US, accusing them of leading efforts to pressure tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints, in the latest attack on European regulations that target hate speech and misinformation. Secretary of state Marco Rubio said the five people targeted with visa bans – who include former European Commissioner Thierry Breton – have led “organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose.” Continue reading...

Known as Tea Tyme, Tynesha McCarty-Wroten arrested over 3 November death of Darren Lucas in Zion, Illinois The social media creator who allegedly hit and killed a pedestrian as she hosted a livestream while simultaneously driving through a Chicago suburb has been arrested, according to authorities. Known best to her online followers as Tea Tyme, Tynesha McCarty-Wroten was arrested Tuesday for her role in the 3 November death of 59-year-old Darren Lucas, said Lt Paul Kehrli of the Zion, Illinois, police department. Continue reading...

Prime minister calls on people to show kindness to friends or family as leaders broadcast their festive messages Keir Starmer has called on Britons to show kindness to struggling friends or family this Christmas, saying being in touch with those in need can make a big difference. Starmer, whose brother died last Boxing Day, said people should channel the spirit of the many volunteers and public sector workers who are on duty this Christmas by resolving to get back in touch with those who might find the time of year difficult. Continue reading...

Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib, on remand at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, had refused food for almost 50 days in protest at the ban on Palestine Action Two Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners have paused their hunger strikes due to deteriorating health but have vowed to resume the protest next year. Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib have temporarily resumed eating, according to a statement released by Prisoners for Palestine group on Tuesday evening. Continue reading...

Home affairs minister says royal commissions ‘always ask for extensions’ and Dennis Richardson will urgently lead review of intelligence agencies instead Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Sabra Lane signs off as host of AM after eight years The ABC journalist Sabra Lane has signed off as the host of flagship radio current affairs program AM after more than eight years in the role. Continue reading...

People at Silver Lake healthcare center in Bristol Township injured and trapped inside after partial building collapse An explosion at a nursing home just outside Philadelphia collapsed part of the building and left people injured and trapped inside, authorities said. A plume of black smoke rose from Silver Lake healthcare center in Bristol Township, as emergency responders across the region gathered there. Continue reading...

In a 6-3 decision, the high court sided with a lower court ruling that blocked deployment of troops to the Illinois city The US supreme court refused on Tuesday to let Donald Trump send national guard troops to the Chicago area , in an important reining-in of the US president’s efforts to expand the use of the military for domestic purposes in historic moves against a growing number of Democratic-led jurisdictions. The nation’s highest court denied the US justice department’s request to lift a judge’s order in October that has blocked the deployment of hundreds of national guard personnel in a legal challenge brought by Illinois state officials and local leaders, who had opposed any federalization of those troops to offer backup to immigration enforcement. Continue reading...

Files also include details about Epstein’s relationship with Larry Summers and apparently fake letter to Larry Nassar A newly released batch of the so-called Epstein files on Tuesday includes many references to Donald Trump, including a claim by a senior US attorney that the US president was on a flight in the 1990s with the now-deceased convicted child sex offender and a 20-year-old woman. There is no indication of whether the woman was a victim of any crime, and being included in the files does not indicate any criminal wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Justice department says FBI confirmed letter is fake and lists why it was not deemed genuine by authorities US politics live – latest updates The Department of Justice said on Tuesday afternoon that a disturbing letter released as part of the Epstein files and appearing to be from the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to convicted sex abuser and former Olympic gymnastics coach Larry Nassar is a fake. The contents of the purported letter dated 2019 were released by the DoJ early on Tuesday and had appeared to have been written by Epstein to Nassar and discussed a love of “young ladies”. Continue reading...

The family of the specialist doctor and former member for the Victorian seat of Higgins announced her death on Tuesday Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Former federal Liberal MP Katie Allen has died aged 59, her family has announced. Allen served as the member for the former seat of Higgins in Victoria from 2019 to 2022. Tributes to the popular MP poured in from across the political spectrum, led by prime minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Sussan Ley, and former colleagues Peter Dutton, Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison. Continue reading...

Libyan PM says Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad died after aircraft lost radio contact above Ankara The Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has been killed in a plane crash after leaving Turkey’s capital, Ankara. The prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognised government confirmed on Tuesday evening that Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad had died and that four others were on the jet with him. Continue reading...

Avon and Somerset police says there is ‘insufficient’ evidence for realistic prospect of conviction An investigation into chants by the rap duo Bob Vylan at Glastonbury festival will not lead to any further action by prosecutors as there is “insufficient” evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, police said. Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, led crowds on the festival’s West Holts stage in chants of “death, death to the IDF”, referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their performance in June. Continue reading...

Southern Water warns households may begin losing water from Christmas Eve as system rapidly loses supply Thousands of households in Hastings could face a Christmas with no water after a mains pipe burst. Southern Water has warned that households may begin losing water from the evening of Christmas Eve as the system is rapidly losing supply. Continue reading...

Documents give further insight into former royal’s ties to sex offender and raise fresh questions for Donald Trump Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor asked Jeffrey Epstein’s fixer Ghislaine Maxwell to arrange meetings with “inappropriate friends” while she sought “friendly and discreet and fun” girls on his behalf, the latest documents from the Epstein files appear to show. The largest release yet of files concerning the financier and convicted child sex offender – which also raise fresh questions for the US president, Donald Trump – include emails in the name of “A” exchanging detailed messages with Maxwell that appeared to identify the author as Andrew. Emails recording that Britain’s Metropolitan police contacted the FBI last month to inquire whether there were any ongoing investigations related to the disgraced former prince’s association with Epstein. Emails showing US lawyers claiming “various factual inaccuracies” in a statement provided on Andrew’s behalf during their investigation of Epstein. Multiple references to Donald Trump , including a claim by a senior US attorney that Trump was on a flight in the 1990s with Epstein and a 20-year-old woman. There is no indication of whether the woman was a victim of any crime, and Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing. Files featuring redactions that were found to be removable through Photoshop techniques or simply highlighting text to paste into a word processing file. Continue reading...

The omnibus bill, which included amendments to multiple pieces of legislation, was criticised by both progressives and conservatives Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The New South Wales government has passed controversial changes to gun laws and new powers for police to ban street protests for up to three months, after a marathon debate in the upper house. The laws, which were drafted in response to the 14 December massacre at Sydney’s Bondi beach in which two gunmen fired on a Hanukah event, killing 15 people , were voted through at 2.51am on Wednesday. Continue reading...

U-turn lifts limit from £1m to £2.5m after protests and warnings that family farms were at risk Ministers will increase the threshold for taxing inherited farmland from £1m to £2.5m after months of pressure from campaigners and MPs representing rural areas. In a statement slipped out just before Christmas, the environment department announced the U-turn, which will apply from April when the tax kicks in. Continue reading...

Leading human rights lawyer accuses government of ‘dismissive approach’ based on ‘ludicrous’ reasoning One of the UK’s leading human rights lawyers has criticised the government’s refusal to engage with Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners who are on hunger strike as based on “ludicrous” reasoning. In its strongest statement yet, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said that meeting with the hunger strikers risked creating “perverse incentives” but this was roundly rejected by Michael Mansfield KC, known for his work on landmark cases such as the Grenfell Tower fire, Stephen Lawrence and the Birmingham Six. Continue reading...

Tips include flushing rat, squirt soap into toilet or if the rat is too large close toilet lid and call pest control experts Residents in Washington state have been told to be aware of unwanted festive visitors before Santa comes down the chimney – rats coming up from the toilet. Health officials in Washington warned that recent flooding in the state “may sweep rodents into the sewer systems”. In a Facebook post , the Seattle and King county public health department wrote: “If a rat visits your toilet, take a deep breath and follow these tips,” before outlining the steps to take if a rodent emerges from your commode. Continue reading...

Sasse, who is 53 and formerly represented Nebraska, says he has ‘metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer’ US politics live – latest updates Ben Sasse announced on Tuesday that he has terminal stage-four pancreatic cancer. The former Republican senator revealed his diagnosis in a post on X , calling it a “death sentence”. “Friends - This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die,” he wrote. Continue reading...

DoJ issues rare defense of president, saying claims included in material mentioning him are ‘unfounded and false’ In another released email exchange from November 2001, Ghislaine Maxwell appears to be organizing an instructor for Epstein who “ has to be female youngish and attractive otherwise he will lose interest rapidly ”. Maxwell emails someone called “Gibby”, saying: “JE is looking for an exercise instructor to work out with. He is looking for someone who can tone, flex and stretch.” “I am counting on you,” she adds. He likes, well you know what he likes. Continue reading...

Work under way to refloat boats on emptied waterway after earthwork more than 200 years old fails The dramatic breach of a canal in the early hours of Monday, which sent two narrowboats tumbling into a hole and left others stranded , was caused by the collapse of an artificial embankment that had stood for more than 200 years. As emergency services declared the major incident phase over more than 24 hours after the embankment failure, work was beginning to isolate the damaged section of the canal and refloat boats still stranded either side of the emptied section of waterway. Continue reading...