News Update Today, Breaking News | Read Now

French striker scores and assists in 4-2 win over Sevilla Dybala scores twice in Roma’s 5-0 win against Parma Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé netted the opener and set up another goal as the hosts beat mid-table Sevilla 4-2 on Sunday to move up to second place in La Liga and close the gap on Atlético Madrid to one point going into the winter break. Mbappé scored with a thunderbolt from outside the box in the 10th minute before Federico Valverde put reigning champions Real two goals ahead from long-range 10 minutes later. Rodrygo fired home the third in the 34th from a cross by Lucas Vazquez. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/E4P02Zw

So far today I have dealt with 200 customers. I have smiled 200 times, but that’s getting harder. Consider me a checkout robot Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast You decided to do it differently this year. You usually buy online, with high-minded principle, from a company owned by the least-loathsome billionaire you can find. Instead, this Christmas you gritted your teeth and drove in a hot car to a local business where you (finally) found a park. Then you steadfastly hunted down the gifts that your family members simply must have, worked your way up the cattle race to the counter, upon which you triumphantly spread your purchases. With luck you’ll be out of here and home before the roads get too busy. That man behind the counter doesn’t look happy; who cares: as long as he’s efficient. That’d be me. I’ve been standing in one spot for the last six hours (OK, one toilet break) and have another three to go. I’ve worked in retail for 14 years, and so far to...

Ministers hail peer as a heavyweight but others question the selection of a previously outspoken critic of party policy Peter Mandelson has been formally unveiled as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, with a series of ministers hailing him as a political heavyweight who will be a reliable conduit into a potentially chaotic second Donald Trump administration. Some Labour MPs were, however, less enthusiastic, questioning why Keir Starmer would reward and trust a figure who had previously weighed in with outspoken criticism of the party’s policies and personalities. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/S75XCvJ

Chancellor pledges renewed focus on growth after Bank of England warning that Britain is on brink of stagnation Rachel Reeves insists she won’t “gaslight” working people over her plans to turn round the economy as she launched a scathing attack on Reform’s offer to voters, saying Nigel Farage “hasn’t got a clue”. With many people still struggling with the cost of living, the chancellor defended her approach, which has so far focused on economic stability, arguing that it was impossible to turn round years of poor performance under the Tories in just six months. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gzauRFS

PC Sevda Gonen hit the boy in the back of a police van as he was being transported to hospital in London A police officer who slapped a 16-year-old boy with mental health difficulties “multiple times in the face” as he was being transported to a hospital in London has been found guilty of assault. Judge Briony Clarke found Metropolitan police PC Sevda Gonen of assault for striking the boy “multiple times in the face with an open palm” after “she allowed her frustrations to get the better of her” on 13 November 2023, according to the prosecution. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vBzHFdS

Fiona Wood solves final conundrum to clinch victory and encourages other women to ‘give it a go’ A forensic accountant has become the first female Countdown champion in 26 years. Fiona Wood prevailed in the series final on Friday after correctly identifying the conundrum word as “lassitude”, meaning a state of physical or mental weariness. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jXGmDOi

The denial of Gisèle’s humanity by her rapists is the denial of violence done to every woman. At her side, we can now look the world in the eye I am looking at a colour photo of a woman with auburn hair entering the courthouse in Avignon. Around her, the impassive faces of her lawyers. This woman is about to hear a verdict. How much will he get? How much time in prison will be given to the man who drugged her senseless and remorselessly raped her? Judith Godrèche is a French actor, writer and film director Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LlpzKBx

American tech billionaires are no more entitled to meddle in British democracy than other foreign oligarchs Under most circumstances, a British politician seeking cash from a foreign oligarch would make the approach discreetly. Recipient and donor would worry about the relationship looking improper even if the deal could be done without breaching UK electoral law. Nigel Farage has no such qualms. The Reform leader has boasted of his recent meeting with Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. Nick Candy, a former Conservative donor and now the Reform party’s treasurer, was also present. Photographs and statements from the British visitors testify to their eagerness that the meeting – and the fact that money was discussed – attract maximum publicity. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Khazc8T

Kyiv’s targeted killings expose the reach of its intelligence services, challenging the Kremlin’s war machine while sticking to the laws of war Russia’s leadership is furious that one of their top commanders has been assassinated by Ukrainian spies. Yet their anger seems misplaced: the targeted killing of Lt Gen Igor Kirillov was not an unprovoked act, but a consequence of Russia’s ongoing offensive and Ukraine’s right to defend itself under international law. The explosion that shook a quiet Moscow neighbourhood – eliminating the head of the Russian military’s chemical, biological and radiological weapons unit, known as RKhBZ – also revealed the unexpectedly formidable capabilities of Ukraine’s secret service (SBU). The general and his assistant are the most senior figures assassinated since Russia’s 2022 invasion. The pair were killed when a bomb, concealed in a parked scooter outside a Moscow residential building, was remotely detonated. Continue reading... from The Guardian...

Past talk of renationalisation gives way to approval of takeover in which price of first-class stamp could be set from Prague Royal Mail takeover by billionaire Daniel Křetínský approved Who is Daniel Křetínský, the new boss of Royal Mail? Two general elections ago, Labour was promising to renationalise Royal Mail. Now, in office, it is happy to see the ancient institution fall to a leveraged takeover bid from a private equity-style company that will have the power to set the price of a first-class stamp from Prague. The decision is an outright gamble. Many European countries have privatised their postal services but there is a good reason why none have allowed ownership to pass overseas. Even in a digital age, businesses such as Royal Mail provide critical national infrastructure that has a social value on top. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2MQrhO4

Six goals, 10 yellow cards, extra time and a penalty shootout that was won by the narrowest of margins. It will be of no consolation whatsoever to Rangers that they played their part in a Hampden Park epic. The scale of Celtic celebration as they reclaimed the League Cup gave a tacit admission of how hard they had to work to get there. Ridvan Yilmaz proved the Rangers fall guy. Rangers’ Turkish full-back missed the only one of 10 spot kicks, Kasper Schmeichel saving low to his left. Celtic thereby took delivery of the one domestic trophy to elude them last season . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lPjR0LM

A chemical attack on the town of Douma killed 43 people in 2018. Now Assad has fallen, the enforced silence of those who witnessed it is over For years, residents of Ghouta, an embattled opposition-held region on the outskirts of Damascus, grew used to death loudly announcing its presence. When Syrian and Russian jets or helicopter gunships roared overhead, bombs were never far behind. But the night of 7 April 2018 was different. According to an extensive investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), two yellow cylinders were dropped from a Syrian air force helicopter, crashing through the top floor of one apartment building and landing on a balcony of another, in the eastern Ghouta town of Douma. The noise they made was negligible compared with the explosions of barrel bombs and airstrikes. But the concentrated green-yellow chlorine gas that hissed out of the canisters was no less deadly. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ae...

Ampthill v Hartpury called off after clearance hits official Thomas was taken off on a stretcher following incident The RFU Championship rugby union match between Ampthill and Hartpury was abandoned on Saturday after the referee, Alex Thomas, was struck by the ball. Thomas, who has officiated games in the men’s and women’s Premiership, was hit by a clearing kick from Hartpury’s Harry Bazalgette in the 28th minute of the game in Bedfordshire. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZVTMRLa

Residents in several counties of the state have reported sighting drones, sometimes over military facilities Since about mid-November, hundreds of New Jersey residents have been calling law enforcement and state officials after spotting what appeared to be drones in the skies over about a dozen counties. The reports have become more frequent in recent days. In some sightings, mysterious car-sized flying objects, sometimes in groups, were seen above military installations and critical infrastructure such as energy facilities, railway stations and reservoirs. Republican state senator Jon Bramnick said it amounted to “ a limited state of emergency ”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/9fkYIFE

Statement from the Duke of York says he met the businessman through ‘official channels’ and ‘nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed’ The Duke of York has said he “ceased all contact” with the businessman accused of being a Chinese spy after receiving advice from the government. Prince Andrew met the individual through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement from his office said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VtFOfG8

Lawsuit filed by state attorney general Ken Paxton against Dr Megan Carpenter will be first to test power of shield laws The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has sued a New York doctor over accusations that she mailed abortion pills to a Texas woman in defiance of the state’s ban on the procedure . The lawsuit will test the power of “shield laws”, a post- Roe v Wade strategy designed to protect abortion providers and enable access to pills for women in states that have banned abortion. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/fbo3VdA

New Jersey governor urges Biden and federal agencies to further investigate unidentified aircraft sightings The governor of New Jersey has demanded that Joe Biden take control of an investigation into mysterious and more frequent appearances of multiple large drones flying over his state amid mounting frustration that federal officials are downplaying the incidents . Democrat Phil Murphy released on Friday a letter he wrote to the White House to express his “growing concern” after representatives from the Pentagon and FBI ruled out involvement by the US military, or hostile foreign actors, in numerous sightings of unexplained flying objects above about a dozen counties since the middle of November. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/geYPQlf

As thousands took to the streets of Damascus for the funeral of Mazen al-Hamadah, a victim of Assad’s brutal regime, the search for Syria’s disappeared continues The streets of Damascus have been filled with celebrations since Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia last Sunday in the face of an unexpected rebel offensive, ending more than 50 years of his family’s brutal rule over Syria. But at a public funeral for Mazen al-Hamadah – before his disappearance in 2020 one of the most vocal survivors of torture in the regime’s prisons system – the joy gave way to sorrow, as the country begins to grapple with the fact that many of the estimated 130,000 people missing may be lost forever. Thousands of people flooded the streets on Thursday, following Hamadah’s body, wrapped in a traditional white shroud, as it was driven slowly from a hospital to the Abdulrahman Abu al Ouf mosque for funeral prayers. At a vigil afterwards in nearby al-Hijaz square, thousands of men, women and children cried and hu...

Crowe’s safari-going Russian oligarch is the main redeeming feature of this Spider-Man-adjacent tale but there’s not much to like elsewhere Only the robust presence of Russell Crowe – and what might conceivably be a sly visual joke about exiled Russian plutocrat Mikhail Khodorkovsky – make this generic slice of superhero action worth watching. Kraven the Hunter has been an exotic, marginal figure in the Spider-Man part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but now he gets his own film and Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays him as an ultra-muscly super predator with Spidey’s skill in whooshing up and down buildings and a sense for something amiss – although the great arachnid himself does not appear. Kraven thinks of human beings as the only worthy game (that is: bad people who deserve what’s coming to them) and despises people who presume to kill noble beasts. Taylor-Johnson himself gets to fearlessly wrestle with a few digital big cats. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HW...

Needs assessment by NGO reveals the huge psychological impact of the war with Israel on young people Middle East crisis - live updates A new study of children living through the war in Gaza has found that 96% of them feel that their death is imminent and almost half want to die as a result of the trauma they have been through. A needs assessment, carried out by a Gaza-based NGO sponsored by the War Child Alliance charity, also found that 92% of the children in the survey were “not accepting of reality”, 79% suffer from nightmares and 73% exhibit symptoms of aggression. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MF8fCtq

Sara’s father and her stepmother were convicted of murder after a dramatic courtroom confession Sara Sharif ‘was doing her best to be a child’ – while suffering years of abuse What were the missed chances to prevent Sara Sharif’s death? Urfan Sharif’s family refused to believe he killed his daughter, Sara, even after he told jurors: “I want to admit that it’s all my fault.” His brother Imran Sharif told the Guardian at the time from the family’s eight-bedroom home in Pakistan’s northern city of Jhelum: “Urfan’s admission has left us devastated and heartbroken. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/yThOHzJ

Bipartisan legislation offers historic protections for journalists, banning secret surveillance and ensuring source confidentiality Fears of a press crackdown under Donald Trump’s second term deepened with his nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director – given his calls for retribution against journalists. Yet a rare chance to protect press freedom has emerged. The bipartisan Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (Press) Act , the strongest press freedom legislation in US history, is on the brink of a vote. While President-elect Trump has urged Republicans to block it, the Senate could still deliver it to Joe Biden before the lame-duck session ends in January. The Press Act would ban secret government demands for journalists’ communications from tech giants such as Google or Verizon and protect reporters from jail for refusing to reveal sources. For investigative reporters to do their jobs – holding government officials to account for corruption and wrongdoing – they need t...

Culture secretary says viewers will switch to streaming services if TV channels’ shows do not connect with them Britain’s TV industry will not survive unless it diversifies as viewers will switch to streaming services if shows do not connect with them, Lisa Nandy has warned. The culture secretary said it was clear the TV industry has a “major problem” with diversity, given the last survey on class found only 8% of people in the industry are self-defined working class compared with around 45-50% of the population. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/juIrMGE

Hamilton admits ‘turbulent year’ was a challenging one Lando Norris feels ‘incredibly proud’ of win for McLaren Lewis Hamilton described his time with Mercedes as the greatest honour of his life after the seven-time champion bowed out with his final race for the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After a superlative drive at the Yas Marina circuit, Hamilton also admitted that, after a difficult year, it was good to bid farewell on a high. Hamilton drove from 16th to fourth in Abu Dhabi, another mighty performance to sit alongside what has been an unmatched partnership of success with Mercedes since he joined the team in 2013. He has taken six titles with them and 84 wins over those 12 seasons and at his last race before he joins Ferrari next year , he took a moment to contemplate it all at the close when he was given a special place to park on the start-finish straight alongside the top three, where he knelt beside his car. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ry...

As everyone danced two full routines for the first time, JB Gill led the way, while Pete Wicks was rock bottom. But who is doomed to face the last dance-off of the series? The Hit List on BBC1 now. Better or worse than Alan Carr’s Numberwang , do we reckon? Because it’s a Strictly special, I’m saying better. Just a couple of minutes to wait… Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/uQrPzA5

The World Cup has never seemed quite so far from its founder’s ideals as it does now with the confirmation of the 2034 hosts The greatest trick the devil ever learned was to overwhelm the critical capacities of those who would hold him to account. Use the word “garbage” once and there is a mass outbreak of close reading, drilling into the true meaning: did he say “supporters” or “supporter’s” ? Be a convicted felon who splurges out insults and non sequiturs constantly, though, and the response becomes too disparate, too unfocused, moving always to the next outrage so that none ever quite sticks. Saudi Arabia will be awarded the right to host the 2034 World Cup on Wednesday. There may not even be a vote, just the applause of acclamation . Lise Klaveness , the Norwegian Football Federation president, has been an admirably consistent critic of Gianni Infantino, and last month raised a number of questions about the bidding process for 2034, but there seems little even she can do now. Ot...

The Christmas bird has now been financially weaponised I’m calling this column “Turkey, Revisited”, after “Toads, Revisited” by Philip Larkin, a poet who was most definitely not a gourmand (“I was too lazy to buy rations in London, so today has been a poached egg, macaroni & tinned spinach”). Some years ago, you see, I wrote about my dislike of the bird in one of these columns, a piece that continues occasionally to reverberate in the form of messages from readers. Riffing on an essay by the great American food writer Jeffrey Steingarten , who once tried a legendary turkey recipe whose stuffing has 32 ingredients, the piece in question detailed my adventures with a Kelly Bronze I’d mortgaged my house to buy: the baroque trumpets that played as it entered the kitchen; the spa treatments I administered to its skin; the tea towel of finest cashmere that covered it before it was carved. It also came to the conclusion that, in spite of all of the above, I had completely wasted my time....

Anger at salary and bonuses paid to top executives RFU reported £40m loss and made staff redundant Three former chairmen of the Rugby Football Union have called for the mass resignations of the union’s current hierarchy in the wake of the row over record financial losses and the salary and bonuses paid out to its top executives. In a year when the union has reported an annual loss of almost £40m, the RFU’s chief executive Bill Sweeney was paid a total of £1.1m, comprising a salary of £742,000 and a long-term incentive plan (LTIP) bonus of £358,000. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/fkPbzlO

The president needs to find a new PM to stabilise France’s standing on the world stage, even if that means turning to the Socialists Having failed to solve France’s political crisis with a prime minister dependent on the far right , President Emmanuel Macron is exploring a deal with the Socialist party (PS) to give the country a new government, pass an overdue budget and avert financial turmoil. But his room for manoeuvre is severely limited and a non-aggression pact with the centre left may be only a temporary fix. It has been a humiliating week for the centrist president, seen as a great hope for European leadership when he was first elected in 2017. Macron’s first choice of prime minister, after his impulsive dissolution of the National Assembly in June led to a hung parliament, was Michel Barnier, the EU’s master Brexit negotiator. But the silver-haired Alpine rambler failed to weave his consensus-building magic on stubborn French politicians who didn’t want to share responsibili...

Couple discovered animal in their driveway in northern Ontario, where climate crisis can change bear behaviour A man who “leapt on” a polar bear to protect his wife in a northern First Nations community in Canada is expected to fully recover from the severe injuries he sustained in the attack. But experts caution that changing environmental conditions will lead to a shift in where and when polar bears are spotted , increasing the risk of surprise encounters. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/yvxJ1We

French president has asked Barnier to stay on as interim prime minister until replacement is appointed Macron has said he intends to carry out his full mandate as president, meaning he would stay on until 2027. Macron has begun his address. He has started by defending his decision to call snap parliamentary elections this summer. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/B7Njtgp

The mortality rate for such games is high when developers stop updating them. But when Nintendo killed off Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, it found a novel way to extend its life – and now it’s even better At some point, most mobile games die. Apple’s iOS software updates have killed thousands of App Store games over the years: older games simply disappear, unless their developers make them compatible with every new device or software. (Most don’t, or can’t, devote such resources to that.) And for live mobile games, which encourage users to log in every day, the game’s popularity inevitably wanes and its developer stops updating it, leaving it inert and unplayable. Sometimes there is no warning. A game is there one day and gone the next. A bleak fate indeed. The mortality rate for mobile games is high: 83% of them fail within their first three years, according to one survey. But perhaps there’s another way. In 2017, Nintendo released a mobile version of its bestselling chill life-simu...

Pete Hegseth, who has been accused of drunken, irresponsible and predatory behavior, would be in charge of the world’s most powerful military It takes a lot to get a man’s mother to declare him an “abuser of women”. Mothers, as a rule, are not known for their ungenerous assessments of their sons’ behavior. But Penelope Hegseth, the mother of the Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense, once did just that in an email to her son . “I have no respect for a man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego,” Hegseth’s mother wrote to him. “You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains and embarrasses me to say that, but it’s the sad, sad truth.” The email – which Hegseth’s mother later disavowed – appears to have come around the time of the dissolution of Hegseth’s second marriage; during Hegseth’s first marriage, according to a new report by Vanity Fair, he confessed to n...

Former Fox host tries to charm Republican senators amid growing questions over suitability; Atkins named amid flurry of appointments Trump taps billionaire and private astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead Nasa Hegseth says he will ‘never back down’ amid rumors he’ll be replaced by DeSantis Conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh brought up the possibility that minors who receive gender-affirming care could later regret doing so. “You say there are benefits from allowing these treatments, but there are also harms, right, from allowing these treatments, at least the state says so, including lost fertility, the physical and psychological effects on those who later change their mind and want to detransition, which I don’t think we can ignore,” Kavanaugh said. The record evidence demonstrates that the rates of regret are very low for the population that has access to this treatment. So these are adolescents who have marked and sustained gender dysphoria that has worsened with the onset of p...

Minority coalition of PM Michel Barnier falls after three months, the shortest of any administration of France’s Fifth Republic France has been plunged into political crisis after a no-confidence vote brought down the government, ending the beleaguered minority coalition of the rightwing prime minister Michel Barnier after only three months. The no-confidence motion brought by an alliance of left-wing parties was supported by MPs from Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, far-right, National Rally. A total of 331 lawmakers — a clear majority — voted on Wednesday night to bring down the government. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/amWxB5S

The 50-year-old had climbed up the ranks of the health insurance giant over 20 years and lived in Minnesota Manhunt under way after UnitedHealthcare CEO killed New York shooting – latest updates For 20 years Brian Thompson, the healthcare executive killed in a Manhattan shooting on Wednesday, climbed to the top of UnitedHealthcare. The 50-year-old chief executive of the main division of the conglomerate UnitedHealth Group, the US’s largest health insurer, was gunned down in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning by a masked assailant in what police are calling a “brazen targeted attack.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TqiOb8A

The craven stance of Tesla’s board should not be lost in the legal back-and-forth The first time around, judge Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware court of chancery got it right. The $56bn pay package awarded by Tesla to Elon Musk in 2018 was indeed a governance abomination, a stitch-up in which ordinary shareholders weren’t told about the “deeply flawed” process whereby a “superstar ceo” secured wildly over-the-top terms from pliant directors. Her closely argued ruling in January spelt it out in persuasive detail. The company had “inaccurately described key directors as independent and misleadingly omitted details about the process”. Ira Ehrenpreis, the lead director negotiating for Tesla, had a 15-year business relationship with Musk. Another member of the working group regularly went on holiday with Musk’s family. A third was the company’s general counsel and Musk’s former divorce lawyer. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wb9eijN

The Georgian Dream government’s suspension of EU talks has sparked an existential struggle for democracy In recent years, Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has brazenly pursued a policy of gaslighting an overwhelmingly pro-European population. Rhetorically, it has paid enthusiastic lip service to the national goal of eventual accession to the European Union, an aim that is enshrined in the constitution. In practice, a party founded by the billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili – whose wealth was accumulated in Russia – has been pulling Georgia ever further into the authoritarian orbit of Vladimir Putin. “Foreign agent” legislation passed earlier this year – provoking large protests in Tbilisi – copied and pasted Russian laws designed to curtail the influence of independent civil society organisations. Subsequent restrictions placed on LGBTQ+ rights came from the same playbook. Having awarded EU candidate status to Georgia in 2023, these illiberal moves led Brussels ...

Former PM’s speech to the Heritage Foundation declares just about everyone alive be part of a communist conspiracy It was a sight for sore eyes. At least for any speaker who has turned up to an event to discover the organisers easily outnumber the audience. In an anonymous, windowless room in Washington DC, there were just a handful of people seated around a couple of circular tables for the latest session hosted by the rightwing – and conspiracy theory adjacent – US thinktank, the Heritage Foundation. Let’s hope there were rather more watching online. This is Liz Truss’s safe space. America, her last refuge. A nation that regards her 49-day tenure as prime minister a badge of honour rather than a sign of failure. In the UK, no one wants to know Liz any more. The Tory party just wish she would crawl under a stone. She’s the source of much of their embarrassment. Nor could her former constituents wait to see the back of her. Her loss was Norfolk’s gain. But in the US, she still has so...

By drawing attention to the troubling behaviour of a male celebrity, Kirsty Wark recalls the spirit of #MeToo Famous men should not take advantage of their status to engage in sexually inappropriate behaviour, or make explicit remarks, at work. If and when this happens, their bosses should ensure that it is stopped. This might seem obvious. But in an interview for BBC News last week, Kirsty Wark , the former Newsnight host, described how when she was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, she complained to the production company about the show’s co-presenter Gregg Wallace. She thought a sexualised monologue he delivered early one morning on set was so ill-judged that it made her angry, and worried that staff on short-term contracts would not feel able to object. BBC News also heard from 12 other people making various allegations. That it has taken so many years for these claims to emerge strongly suggests that the impunity enjoyed by celebrities is an ongoing cultural pro...

Serie A match halted as Bove treated by paramedics Players form protective barrier around 22-year-old The Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove was taken off the pitch in an ambulance after collapsing shortly after the start of their Serie A match against Internazionale. Sky Sport Italia reported that Bove was transported to the Careggi hospital near the Stadio Franchi in Florence, was breathing on his own and had regained consciousness. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5rMsw37

World No 1 reels off six frames in a row to win 6-2 Wilson had beaten Trump in two finals this season Judd Trump reeled off six frames in a row to beat Kyren Wilson 6-2 and secure his place in the final of the UK Championship for the first time since 2020. The world No 1 capitalised on mistakes from his misfiring opponent to extract some measure of revenge for defeats in finals in Xian and Belfast this season. While Trump produced nothing like the form he showed when he swept aside Zhang Anda in the last eight , it proved more than enough to line him up for another shot at the prestigious trophy he lifted in 2011. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Yt6GMFU

He replaces Steve Cooper on deal to 2027 with club 16th First game will be on Tuesday not Brentford on Saturday Ruud van Nistelrooy has been confirmed as the manager of Leicester on a contract to June 2027, less than three weeks after he left Manchester United , but will not take charge of Saturday’s game at Brentford. Van Nistelrooy will be in the stands there and the first-team coach, Ben Dawson, will be in the dugout, supported by the coaches Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes. Van Nistelrooy will be presented by Leicester on Monday and his first game will be at home to West Ham on Tuesday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/sArmJSo

The ties have it: bows are in decline, replaced by an accessory once the preserve of power-dressers that’s being updated by a more fluid generation Generational divides have been spelt out in everything from hair partings to jeans and socks in recent years. A side parting or a pair of no-show trainer socks can brand you a millennial or gen X. And now the latest item to instantly highlight the generational divide is an accessory. If bows are a favourite of thirtysomethings, those in their 20s have discovered the neck tie. On the catwalk, at Saint Laurent, there were baggy, boxy trouser suits worn with ties. Celebrities are also wearing the look. Kelly Rowland wore a suit and tie to endorse Kamala Harris in October, Boygenius all wore ties at the Grammys in February and gen Z style whisperer Hailey Bieber wore a suit and tie to dinner last month. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1CRejWv

It is due to the courage of victims that we are learning why these undercover officers behaved as they did Even for those familiar with parts of the stories about women who were deceived into intimate relationships  with undercover police officers, the evidence that has emerged in recent weeks has been shocking. The litany of destructive behaviour either carried out by, or caused by, officers deployed to spy on campaigners, who were mostly active in leftwing causes, is being laid bare as never before: self-harm, heroin use, unprotected sex leading to emergency contraception, coercive control and the sudden abandonment of female partners and children. On Tuesday, Belinda Harvey told the public inquiry how she was manipulated by Bob Lambert, who tricked at least three other women into relationships as well. The son he had with one of them, and abandoned as a toddler, did not learn the truth for decades. The Metropolitan police has since paid the son a...

Under the auspices of holding the president elect to account, there’s the usual sucking up to power and money I have spent most of the last week on Zoom calls with accountants in New York, trying to figure out the personal finance implications of moving to the UK – lugging dual citizenship behind me. (Short version: they’re not good.) Since these conversations deal with economic outcomes it has felt, as a matter of form, necessary to mention that given the US just elected a maniac, at some level – don’t we think? – all bets are off. Joking not-joking: we can talk about pensions or college savings until the cows come home but really, why aren’t we screaming? A remark that has elicited, to a man, either blank looks or cheerful entreaties not to be so alarmist. It is three weeks since the presidential election and, crazy cabinet picks aside, Americans are in that strange interim period where normality resumes, and it is possible to convince ourselves that actually this might not be so b...

The environmental harm caused by this shapeshifting, underregulated industry must be tackled Local pushback against cruise ships in the world’s top tourist destinations is nothing new. More than three years ago, these vast vessels were barred from Venice’s lagoon on grounds of the risk they posed to the city’s historic buildings. This summer, cruise ships in Amsterdam and Barcelona were targeted by protesters, on grounds of chemical pollution but also as part of a wider movement against overtourism (as the negative impacts of huge influxes of visitors have become known). But – as revealed this week in a series of Guardian articles, The real cost of cruises – the environmental and social impact of this fast-growing industry goes way beyond individual cities, and requires action on a global scale. The carbon emissions of a cruise are roughly double that of the equivalent flights plus a hotel stay. The industry is also responsible for a vast quantity of waste discharged directly into...

Years of ugly attacks on benefit claimants mean Liz Kendall treads a delicate line as she sets out to boost employment That one in eight young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training is a dismal statistic. Nearly a decade after the school-leaving age was raised to 18 in England (in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it remains 16), and 25 years after Tony Blair aimed to have 50% of young people in higher education, Britain under the Tories went backwards. The problem of a shrinking workforce, and the rising benefits bill it entails, is not limited to young adults. The UK’s lack of a post-pandemic bounceback in employment is a concern in other age groups, particularly the over-50s. But the government is right to be alarmed by the phenomenon of young people emerging from 14 years of schooling unable to work or undertake training. Unemployment and long-term illness are not a great start to anyone’s adult life. Continue reading... from The Guardian https...

It was plainly too good to be true. Or to last. There were 82 seconds on the stadium clock when the Ruben Amorim era at Manchester United was jump-started. The new manager had put his faith in Marcus Rashford in the No 9 role and it was United’s great enigma who scored to put them in charge. Rashford charged about in the early running, a point to prove. And yet it was the prompt for a slow retreat by United for the remainder of the first half. The structure was different, United set up in Amorim’s trademark 3-4-2-1, but the players were the same, along with plenty of the frustrations from Erik ten Hag’s tenure. It is not Amorim’s fault. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/R8YbJXM

To be crowned the world’s best at something – from lowest roller skate limbo to longest under-ice free dive – is a huge achievement. What happens next? Some people train their whole lives to earn a Guinness World Record. For others, picking one up is a happy accident. After all, the more than 40,000 records currently maintained by Guinness run the gauntlet from fastest marathon (an impressive 1hr 59min) to the largest number of hotdogs eaten in one minute (six, including the bun). So what motivates someone to pursue a world record – and what happens to your life after you get one? To find out, we spoke to five record holders, past and present. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/R7P6TQV

It looks, smells and tastes like regular alcohol – so how can we protect ourselves after several people died after likely consuming methanol in Laos this week? Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The risks of methanol poisoning are in sharp focus this week after the tragic deaths of several young people in Laos, including Melbourne teens Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones . According to Doctors Without Borders, thousands of people are poisoned by methanol every year , with outbreaks killing 20% to 40% of victims. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AakldXE

The G20? Cop29? Totally pointless, said the Tory leader. World leaders getting up themselves and a load of virtue-signalling It had been shaping up to be another sleepy Thursday in Westminster. A day when hostilities were put on hold after the exertions earlier in the week. A time for MPs to be a little more playful with one another. To even, occasionally, agree with one another. And that’s very much how proceedings began. First, there were outpourings of sympathy from members of all parties for the family of John Prescott , who had died the day before. Tributes for a life well lived. Then the main business: a statement from Keir Starmer on Cop29 and the G20 . Taking the Lead by John Crace is published by Little, Brown (£18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com . Delivery charges may apply. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/hjRduKI

The Republicans were always the party of big business, but Mr Trump is turning them into a playpen for oligarchs One person turns up surprisingly often at Donald Trump’s side. Not his No 2, JD Vance, nor his wife, Melania, but another man a quarter-century younger and about $300bn heavier: Elon Musk. The two hunkered down in Mar-a-Lago on the night of the election, celebrating the results. This week they were in Texas, watching Mr Musk’s staff test-launch a spacecraft. During the campaign, Mr Musk personally chipped in $130m , made speeches at rallies and organised campaigns to “get out the vote”. Last week, the world’s richest man was picked by the president-elect to run a new “department of government efficiency”. So close are the pair that Mr Musk dubs himself “First Buddy”. American politics has always been coiled around money, tight as a vine around a trunk. Nearly 25 years ago, George W Bush joked at a swanky white-tie dinner : “Some people call you the elites; I call you m...

A letter by 79 firms voicing ‘significant concerns’ over the budget is likely to do little more than irritate Rachel Reeves While the farmers took to the streets of Westminster, the shopkeepers protested in the old-fashioned way. They wrote a polite letter to the chancellor voicing their “significant concerns” over “the sheer scale” of budget measures that, they say, will push up their industry’s costs by £7bn next year and “make job losses inevitable and higher prices a certainty”. A total of 79 firms signed, including all the FTSE 100 crew – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Next, Marks & Spencer, B&Q owner Kingfisher, JD Sports and the AB Foods-owned Primark. This display of unity will irritate the Treasury but, almost certainly, will not cause Rachel Reeves to rethink. The chancellor has already told firms how to deal with the rise in employer national insurance contributions (NICs), the most contentious measure and one that comprises £2.33bn of the £7bn. They should absorb it through...

Tax rises were needed, but Labour must not dismiss the difficulties faced by farming families No tax change is perfect. Systems can never be customised to take in every set of circumstances. There are always edge cases – people who are outliers in the groups that new measures are aimed at. Several hundred farming families seem likely to fall into this category, following the changes to inheritance tax in Rachel Reeves’s budget that have prompted this week’s angry protests. Those whose incomes will make it difficult for them to pay the new 20% rate on agricultural property above a £1m threshold may need to sell land, or adapt their businesses in other ways. Given that farms were previously exempt, it is not surprising that this has caused upset. Very few people want to pay more tax – especially on family-owned assets to which they are attached. There is a reasonable argument that more notice should have been given of the government’s plans, which were not in its manifes...

Hate your boring old eye colour? It is now possible to change it – but side-effects include infection, inflammation, light sensitivity and vision loss … Name: Keratopigmentation. Age: First described in AD150 , but not in a way that would tempt you. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CIz90wx

Private sector reform is overdue, but councils need funding if young people are to have the chances they deserve Curbs on profiteering in the children’s social care sector cannot come soon enough. It is getting on for three years since the Competition and Markets Authority found that children’s home owners in England, Scotland and Wales were making excessive profits while carrying too much debt – exposing children and councils to unacceptable risks. Of all the failed experiments in privatisation of the past 30 years, this has a case to be considered the worst. A situation in which children are regularly uprooted from their areas due to services having been shaped by market forces – rather than their needs – should never have been allowed. Bridget Phillipson’s announcement on Monday that the government will seek to limit the profits of providers in England, and restrict the use of agency social workers to promote a more stable workforce, was the clearest indication so far of the d...

England coach does not believe he will be sacked Freddie Stewart says players should shoulder blame Steve Borthwick has claimed his England players were not fit enough for Test rugby when they began their autumn internationals after Saturday’s defeat by South Africa extended their dismal losing run. In what could be construed as a tacit admission that Aled Walters’ departure has been keenly felt, Borthwick has risked the ire of Premiership clubs by stating that his players’ “condition” was not “where it needed to be” at the start of the month. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qQjOAhp

Pair took Britain past Germany into Sunday’s semi-finals Captain says: ‘I’m fortunate – I really believe we can win’ Throughout Anne Keothavong’s 12 years of diligently competing in the Billie Jean King Cup, the Great Britain team often seemed stuck. The Europe/Africa Group I, where they were positioned for more than a decade, is notoriously brutal and once a team is relegated to those zonal groups, it can be very difficult to escape. It was not until 2019, with Keothavong as captain, that Great Britain finally broke through and established themselves among the elite. Those struggles in the lower divisions only underline the massive strides Great Britain have taken. Two years after reaching the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals , they can now call themselves one of the best teams in the world after Friday’s efficient 2-0 win over Germany , which saw both Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu win in two sets. They will face the defending champions Canada on Sunday confident that they ...

Royal Court, Liverpool Wolf-like property developers are set to evict the grandmother, who is on a night of drug-fuelled abandon, in this enjoyable show This is Liverpool, so the most frightening set of teeth are those of Cilla Black. Every time the baddies look at them we hear a round of Anyone Who Had a Heart. Laced with poison, they could be fatal. Did I say Liverpool? I should have said Lidlpool, a city where the middle aisle can save the day and where, in Kevin Fearon’s raucous script, the threat to Grandma comes from two metaphorical wolves. The old woman’s cottage is the only thing standing in the way of a multistorey car park. The lupine property developers, Cash and Carry (Andrew Schofield and Keddy Sutton), will stop at nothing – even Cilla’s teeth – to get her evicted. At the Royal Court, Liverpool , until 18 January Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CsMZFe4

Carl Alesbrook, now 19, unanimously convicted of murder over death of four-month-old Elijah Shemwell A teenager who shook his girlfriend’s baby to death has been jailed for life. Carl Alesbrook, who is now 19, was unanimously convicted of murder after breaking the ribs of four-month-old Elijah Shemwell and causing him “catastrophic” brain injuries when he was left alone with the infant as a 16-year-old in January 2022. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/P5x2UzY

Simon Harris has called a vote for 29 November because he is leading in the polls. But the current economic boom masks serious inequalities Ireland’s imminent general election on 29 November has aroused little interest in Britain. Many here may not even know it is taking place. No surprise there, unfortunately. It was ever thus for Britain’s insular political class. Compared with the attention lavished on the American election, albeit this year an exceptionally important one, the Irish election has barely registered. But is what happens in Wisconsin really more important for Britain than what happens in Wicklow ? Centuries of history suggest the opposite. It does not, however, require specialist knowledge of Irish politics to see why the Fine Gael taoiseach, Simon Harris, has called a snap election in just two weeks’ time. The previous Dáil, elected in 2020, could in theory have remained in existence until next March. But Mr Harris, who succeeded Leo Varadkar as his party’s leader i...

Trump was back in the Oval Office to discuss the transfer of power – a courtesy he never extended when he lost in 2020 Nancy Pelosi once said Donald Trump would be “fumigated out” of the Oval Office if he lost the 2020 presidential election. Joe Biden relished describing him as “the former guy” and “loser”. They thought the American nightmare was over. Then, like in the movies, Democrats woke up in a cold sweat only to realise it wasn’t a dream after all. Instead they are doomed to be supporting players in a sequel. Trump: The Revenge. This time, it’s personal. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/eLnTvBI

The health secretary is right to link investment to accountability, but he must be wary of creating perverse incentives For any government contemplating NHS reform, the 2012 Health and Social Care Act is a textbook case of what not to do. Despite promises of “no more pointless reorganisations”, the Tory health secretary Andrew Lansley did just that, abolishing management tiers and imposing new care commissioning and competition systems on reluctant doctors. The whole thing was a political nightmare that wasted resources, demoralised staff and undermined public confidence. In an independent report published earlier this year, Lord Darzi described the Lansley method as “ scorched earth ”, from which NHS management capacity has not yet fully recovered. And that was before the full social cost of austerity had weighed on the health service, and before it had been battered by the Covid pandemic. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit...

Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge on emissions is an encouraging step at a frightening moment Predictions that this will be the first calendar year in which the 1.5C warming limit enshrined in the Paris agreement is surpassed provide a stark backdrop to the UN’s 29th climate conference. This year – 2024 – has already seen the hottest-ever day and month, and is expected by experts to be the hottest year too. Addressing delegates on Tuesday, the UN chief, António Guterres, referred to a “masterclass in climate destruction” . The escalating pattern of destructive weather events, most recently in Valencia , is a warning of what lies ahead. When the 1.5C figure was included in the 2015 deal, it was known to be a stretch. The treaty says countries must hold the average temperature “well below 2C above pre-industrial levels” and aim for 1.5C. Busting this target in 2024 will not mean it has been definitively missed; the measurement of global temperatures relies on averages recorded ...

Where others began by expressing regret over the Horizon scandal, Kemi said nothing. Because she feels nothing Look on the bright side. Kemi Badenoch lasted two and a half hours in the witness stand at the Post Office inquiry without losing it. She didn’t get into an argument with Jason Beer, the counsel for the crown, though that could be because his questions were not unduly threatening. After all, we were there to hear Kemi’s version of events . Other versions of the truth may be available. Nor did she square up to any of those in the public gallery who laughed when Beer thanked her for answering “some” of his questions. Not that Kemi nailed it. Like many narcissists, she is a curious mixture of the thick- and thin-skinned. She likes to present herself as a no-nonsense, tough woman. Someone who isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with her opponents. Who can tell it like it is. But beneath the surface there’s a vulnerability that she despises. It’s why she lashes out so readily. The pers...

Scotland 15-32 South Africa Springboks hold off stubborn hosts at Murrayfield Not much arguing with this. Scotland threw everything at this match, setting their beloved stadium on a roar time and again, but four tries to none tells its own story. And a familiar one at that. South Africa, without ever really seeming to play much more than within themselves, were just too strong. The image of a lusty puncher failing to land a single blow came to mind, as the Springboks held a swinging Scotland at arm’s length, rarely too troubled, for all their opponents’ fire and enthusiasm. Time and again either side of half-time, Scotland broke out, but they could not quite score a try, let alone four of them. Eben Etzebeth, the only Springbok forward to play the whole match, was the icon, huge, commanding and, at times, laughing in his opponents’ faces. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Z0VLxl8

Updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off at Anfield Get in touch! Share your thoughts with Scott Slot also goes some way to explaining why Liverpool have been slow starters in most matches this season, picking up speed significantly in the second half. “There are many things we can do better … the threshold is quite high for us … I see that certain things are done better by other teams than us … you wonder which ones? … that’s what we talk about during the week … hopefully we keep improving … it’s necessary in a difficult league like this … Xabi Alonso has played the same style for one, two years I think … he came here playing Boniface as a left winger … that is a compliment to our players … every team that comes here feels they need a special plan … the good thing for us is that’s mostly the first time they play it, so you could argue it’s not an advantage for them to do that … but they feel it’s an advantage … in the first half we have to adjust a bit … then it’s a disadvantage for us ...

David Miliband, Peter Mandelson and Cathy Ashton thought to be on shortlist for diplomatic role A decision on a new US ambassador is likely to be taken within days, with David Miliband, Peter Mandelson and Cathy Ashton all on the shortlist, the Guardian understands. Whitehall sources said Downing Street is determined to press ahead with the appointment of a new US ambassador now that Donald Trump has been confirmed as the next US president. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EWiuqUH

The Purple One and Orange Crunch are both lighter and now the same shape as the Caramel Swirl First they ditched the plastic wrappers, then they introduced paper tubs . But for many, changing the shape and size of some of the nation’s favourite Quality Street chocolates was a step too far. Nestlé announced the shape changes to the Purple One and Orange Crunch in March, but shoppers realised they were lighter too. They are both now the same shape as the Caramel Swirl. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/o9qfluW

Single Trade Window designed to reduce friction on imports and exports will be halted until at least 2026 amid cost fears A key part of the UK’s post-Brexit border strategy has been put on pause for more than a year amid government concerns over the cost of implementing the scheme. The introduction of the Single Trade Window (STW), which is designed to reduce friction for traders moving goods in and out of Britain, had already been delayed from late October to January next year, but will now be halted until at least 2026. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xNOhmYv

How else to explain Honest Bob Jenrick winding up as shadow justice secretary? Spare a thought for the losers. Not those like James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Steve Barclay. Or Jeremy Hunt and Oliver Dowden, who politely declined all offers to serve in the shadow cabinet. They had their self-worth to consider. Hard to believe, but true nonetheless. Instead, consider those who desired high office – if that isn’t an oxymoron for the shadow cabinet. Take Suella Braverman and Esther McVey. Gutted to have been overlooked. Their credentials impeccable. Both with an unblemished track record of insanity and incompetence. How much more useless did they have to be for Kemi Badenoch to give them the nod? Imagine the insult. Thought to be less hopeless than Priti Patel or Chris Philp. You’re never going to recover from that. Just left to wander the backbenches. Taking the Lead by John Crace is published by Little, Brown (£18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbo...

Jostling for position before eventual debt for equity swap gives opportunity to fight for £3bn lifeline with least worst terms Roll up, roll up, who wants to lend £3bn to Thames Water, a company already drowning in debt? It turns out a lot of people do. Two rival groups of existing creditors – one representing the A class of bondholders, the other the junior Bs – have tabled proposals to provide the company with a “liquidity runway”, meaning emergency cash to get it through the next year or so. At some point in that period, it is hoped, Thames would set about the more fundamental task of imposing losses on those same debtholders to clear the decks for new shareholders to inject capital. None of this is straightforward and some of today’s bondholders will probably also be tomorrow’s shareholders, assuming a debt-for-equity swap is possible. And “runway” is probably the wrong metaphor. We’re really talking about a sticking plaster before the main surgery on the balance sheet can begin....

League Two side into second round after 1-0 victory AFC Wimbledon beat bitter rivals MK Dons Harrogate pulled off an FA Cup upset as the League Two side beat Wrexham 1-0 to reach the second round. Jack Muldoon scored the only goal of the game with a glancing header midway through the first half and League One high-fliers Wrexham struggled to create clear-cut chances to equalise. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vIWUKas

Elias Visontay rides aimlessly to see how friendly or antisocial Sydneysiders really are. Along the way he discovers why many drivers can’t stand Uber Pool Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast As kids we’re warned not to accept rides with strangers. But when my editors told me to take Uber Pools around Sydney and write about the characters I meet, I had little idea I’d be in for fashion critiques, tales of backseat romances, plenty of awkward silences – and mostly solo rides. When it first launched before Covid, Uber Pool was perhaps the truest form of ride sharing. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/yKH2da0

They came more in expectation than hope: a modern-day record 3,110 of them crammed into the Sussex Transport Community Stadium like the mackerels that adorn Worthing’s badge. Some mooted cup upsets are born of the heart, fuelled by an alluring backstory that taps into society’s natural inclination to cheer for underdogs that have overcome adversity to challenge those more distinguished. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2fZsVI5

The former president leaned heavily into his agenda of hate and menace in a week as unedifying as it was unhinged There was racism and misogyny by the bucketload. There was a firing squad death threat to a former congresswoman. And there was the extraordinary sight of a Republican candidate for president of the United States playing dress-up as a sanitation worker in the cab of a garbage truck. Donald Trump’s final full week on the campaign trail was as unedifying as it was bizarre. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5PvCBWt

Russell Bruce Moncrief, 75, faces counts of human trafficking and racketeering over ‘sickening scheme’ A bail bondsman is facing criminal charges in Florida for allegedly approaching incarcerated women and offering to bond them out if they give him sex in return. Russell Bruce Moncrief faces counts of human trafficking and racketeering – along with accusations that he used his authority within the criminal justice system to prey on particularly vulnerable women, said a recent news release from the office of the state’s attorney general, Ashley Moody. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/A3FtNbj

Piotr Kucharski wore insignia for proscribed terror group on combat clothing at Suffolk Viking re-enactment A builder has been jailed for claiming at a Viking re-enactment that he had fought for the Wagner group in Ukraine. Piotr Kucharski, 49, wore combat clothing bearing badges with insignia for the proscribed terror organisation to an event in Stonham Aspal, in Suffolk. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UQuZMJh