General news

• Junior Taskmaster review – they’ve messed with perfection … and it’s a triumph

  08-11-2024 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  This child-based spinoff of the entertainment behemoth is hilarious, charming and hugely fun. Rose Matafeo and Mike Wozniak’s chemistry as hosts is spot on and the children so delightful the casting directors deserve awardsThe original Taskmaster is already a miracle of construction, its success balanced on a razor’s edge. It relies on the perfect, unforced chemistry between its hosts (Greg Davies and Alex Horne – the latter also the show’s creator), an array of tasks tha
  
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• We can hit UK’s big carbon cut without disruption to people’s lives, says Starmer – UK politics live

  12-11-2024 13:06 via theguardian.com
  PM confirms target of 81% emissions cut at Cop climate summit but says ‘I’m not going to tell people how to live their lives’Leadbeater introduces the next speaker, Nat Dye, who has terminal cancer. She says she thinks his views are the most important for people to hear at this press conference.He says he has known “positive” experiences of death. His fiance and his mother both had relatively peaceful deaths. He says palliative care can work for some people. Continu
  
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• The sea was coming closer, it was so painful to see my house being destroyed – This is climate breakdown

  12-11-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  When we built the house in 1978 we couldn’t see the sea. We never imagined that one day it would reach us. This is Sônia’s storyLocation Atafona, BrazilDisaster Rio de Janeiro coastal erosion, 2019 -23Born in Campos dos Goytacazes, Sônia Ferreira spent her childhood vacations in the seaside town of Atafona. After she and her husband married, they built a summer house there and in the late 1990s, she moved there permanently. Now 79, retired and widowed, Sônia still l
  
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• Nigel Slater’s recipe for orzo, smoked mozzarella and thyme

  12-11-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Dish up the rice-sized pasta grains in a cheesy, herby sauceIf I could choose just one dish for a cold autumn evening, it would be this calming, gentle pasta recipe with its creamy texture and mild smoky notes. The cheese melts into strings.Peel and thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic. Warm 30g of butter in a deep saucepan over a moderate heat, stir in the garlic and fry for a few minutes until pale gold. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Democrats presented no alternative’: US voters on Trump’s win and where Harris went wrong

  12-11-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Harris and Trump voters share their election opinions from a Guardian callout that received more than a thousand responses“It’s like being sucked into a tsunami,” said Vivian Glover, a Kamala Harris voter from South Carolina, about the realisation that Donald Trump had been re-elected as president.“The contrast between the two campaigns couldn’t have been more stark. On the one hand an intelligent, highly qualified public servant with a unifying message, and the opp
  
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• After Trump’s election, women are swearing off sex with men. This has been a long time coming | Cécile Simmons

  12-11-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The rise of ‘separatist’ movements rests on the idea that when misogyny reigns supreme, a sex strike can be a feminist actIt only took a few hours after news of Donald Trump’s re-election for a sad spectacle to unfold online and beyond. The far-right slogan “Your body, my choice”, tweeted by white nationalist pundit and organiser Nick Fuentes, spread online and off, sparking waves of abuse against women. “You no longer have rights” was one of many simila
  
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• UK grocery inflation picks up to 2.3%; unemployment rises while regular wage growth slows – business live

  12-11-2024 12:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Consumers started their Christmas shopping early, Kantar says; UK jobless rate rises to 4.3% while wage growth excluding bonuses is at a two-year lowThe UK can strike a US trade deal with Donald Trump while also rebuilding EU relations after Brexit to cement its status as a “beacon of stability” in an increasingly volatile world, a leading economist has said.Andy Haldane, the former Bank of England chief economist, said Keir Starmer’s government could show the UK was “ope
  
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• Middle East crisis live: Fresh Israeli strikes on Lebanon as new defence minister dismisses talk of ceasefire

  12-11-2024 12:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Reports of strikes in Beirut and elsewhere in south of country after Israel Katz warns there will be ‘no respite’Images sent over the news wires show smoke billowing over Beirut after Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital.Lebanese media is reporting that two people have been killed and six wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Hermel, which is in the north-east of the country near the border with Syria. Continue reading...
  
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• German backpacker was probably killed by her boyfriend, NSW inquest hears

  12-11-2024 12:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Investigator of 2005 cold case says it was ‘probable’ Tobias Moran killed Simone Strobel, despite charges being droppedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe lead investigator in the cold case of backpacker Simone Strobel has told an inquest he still believes she was probably killed by her boyfriend.Strobel’s naked body was found hidden under palm fronds at a sports ground in Lismore in the New South
  
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• Ofgem approves five more subsea power cables

  12-11-2024 12:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Great Britain prepares to use giant offshore windfarms to become net exporter of green electricity Projects to lay five major subsea power cables capable of powering millions of homes have been given the green light as Great Britain prepares to use its giant offshore windfarms to become a net exporter of green electricity in the 2030s.The energy regulator, Ofgem, has approved three subsea cable projects linking Great Britain to power grids in Germany, Ireland and Northern Ireland to help share r
  
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• Israeli football fans and the violence in Amsterdam: what we know

  12-11-2024 12:51 via theguardian.com
  The trouble in the Netherlands when Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax last week horrified people around the worldViolence in Amsterdam around a Europa League football match between the local team Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv sparked horror around the world, against a backdrop of soaring antisemitic and Islamophobic abuse and attacks across Europe fuelled by the Middle East conflict.The Amsterdam mayor, Femke Halsema, has said she had not been told the match was high-risk, although earlier
  
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• Signs of cooling UK jobs market could be a headache for Reeves

  12-11-2024 12:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour market is in pretty good shape, but all eyes will be on impact of tax rises on employers UK unemployment rises as pay growth slowsBusiness live – latest updatesFor the past few years only cursory attention has been paid to the UK unemployment figures because the jobless rate has been low and there have been plenty of unfilled vacancies for those seeking work. But, thanks to a slowing economy and decisions made by Rachel Reeves in last month’s budget, that could be about to cha
  
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• Tell us your favourite Gary Lineker moments on Match of the Day

  12-11-2024 12:45 via theguardian.com
  
  We would like to hear your highlights from Gary Linker’s tenure on the football highlights programmeAfter 25 years at the helm, Gary Lineker is to step down as the presenter of Match of the Day at the end of the season, the BBC has said.We would like to hear your highlights from Gary Linker’s tenure on the football highlights programme. What was your favourite moment and why? And who would you like to see replacing him? Continue reading...
  
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• Dozens killed in China after car driven into sports centre, state media reports

  12-11-2024 12:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Man detained after incident on Monday night in Zhuhai, in which 35 people were reportedly killed and 43 injuredThirty-five people have died and 43 have been injured after a car was driven into people exercising at a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, state television CCTV reported on Tuesday.A 62-year-old man was detained after the incident on Monday night, on the eve of the country’s premier aviation exhibition by the People’s Liberation Army, hosted annually in t
  
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• The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Trump campaign for unauthorised Seven Nation Army use

  12-11-2024 12:30 via theguardian.com
  The move follows a bitter Instagram post byJack White condemning what the US can expectfrom choosing ‘a known, obvious fascist’The White Stripes have dropped their federal lawsuit against Donald Trump for unauthorised use of their song Seven Nation Army in a video posted by campaign deputy director of communications Margo Martin in August.Jack and Meg White are dismissing the case without prejudice and therefore could refile, Pitchfork reports. A lawyer for the band offered the websi
  
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• David Squires on … tough times for Manchester City and David Coote

  12-11-2024 12:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Our cartoonist on champions’ new habit of losing and that video of a Premier League referee slagging off LiverpoolBuy a cartoon from our Print ShopDavid’s new book, Chaos in the Box: order it now Continue reading...
  
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• Ødegaard out of Norway games and back at Arsenal after ‘listening to body’

  12-11-2024 12:11 via theguardian.com
  Midfielder started on Sunday for first time since AugustNorway manager says: ‘We cannot risk his health’Arsenal’s captain, Martin Ødegaard, says he has “listened to my body” and returned home after being ruled out of international duty for Norway. Ødegaard started for the first time since August in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Chelsea after an ankle injury.The 25-year-old flew to Oslo for Nations League fixtures against Slovenia and Kazakh
  
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• Curzon cinema chain acquired by Poundstretcher owner Fortress

  12-11-2024 12:03 via theguardian.com
  
  US private equity group buys company’s 16 UK cinemas, distribution arm and online streaming serviceThe British arthouse cinema chain Curzon has been acquired by the US investment firm that owns Poundstretcher and Majestic Wine.Fortress Investment Group has bought the chain, which has more than 350 employees at 16 cinemas across the UK, for an undisclosed sum. Continue reading...
  
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• Will the American project survive the anger of white men? | Carol Anderson

  12-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  At key moments throughout US history, white male anger has been privileged over national security, progress or basic welfareA friend recently asked: “Do you think the United States will survive the anger of white men?” As blunt as the question is, the core element is not so far-fetched. In fact, the majority of white men (and women) who voted in the presidential election in 2024 have rallied around a man who has called for the “termination of the constitution”, vowed to b
  
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• Tom Homan: Trump’s new ‘border czar’ who vowed to ‘run the biggest deportation’ the US has ever seen

  12-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Once Ice acting director and Heritage visiting fellow, Homan was called the ‘father’ of Trump’s family separation policyIn 2018, then acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) Thomas Homan told HuffPost that Congress needed to fix immigration laws because: “I’m the first one to say, I can’t arrest 11 million people.”Now, newly tapped as Donald Trump’s “border czar”, he will be tasked with just that. The president-
  
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• ‘No Americans putting on bad Belfast accents!’ How Disney drama Say Nothing brings the Troubles to life

  12-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A new series is stepping into the fraught territory of Northern Ireland in the 70s by telling the real-life story of a woman abducted by the IRA. Its creators talk about truth, reconciliation and trying to depict both sides of the conflict“To be honest, I’d always thought of the Troubles as a male story,” says the US author and journalist Patrick Radden Keefe, when asked what first attracted him to the events covered in his 2018 bestselling nonfiction book Say Nothing. “S
  
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• Make no mistake: this Trump presidency will continue to attack abortion rights | Moira Donegan

  12-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Just because Trump is publicly distancing himself from abortion does not mean Republicans won’t enact a national banAbortion rights initiatives were on the ballot in 10 states on Tuesday, and won in seven of them. One of the losers was prop 4, Florida’s abortion rights measure, which received a whopping 57% of the vote but failed to meet the state’s unusually high 60% threshold, meaning that the state’s six-week ban will remain in place. Asked about the Florida abortion r
  
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• Hyper: The Stevie Hyper D Story review – massively entertaining portrait of legendary MC

  12-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Even those unfamiliar with 90s drum’n’bass will feel invited in and educated by an impeccably crafted account of this charismatic and vibrant pioneer Deep diving, broad ranging and impeccably crafted, this film about the late Stevie Hyper D, an MC from west London whose music and performances in the 1990s helped to create and shape drum’n’bass, is simply terrific. Not least because it manages to introduce the genre in such a way that even viewers entirely unfamiliar with
  
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• Cattle, crops and ancient olive groves: Lebanon’s farmers ‘lose everything’ to Israeli bombs

  12-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Thousands of hectares of fertile land, including olive trees that have survived for millennia, have been destroyed in the country’s agricultural heartlandThe house is gone but the land is still at the forefront of his mind. “We were supposed to harvest the ashta now. They’re hanging on the trees just waiting for us,” says Munif Zein, sitting on the terrace of a relative’s house in Hammana, in the Lebanese mountains. The ashta, or custard apples, he is talking about
  
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• Germany poised to hold snap election on 23 February

  12-11-2024 11:45 via theguardian.com
  Leading Social Democrats and opposition conservatives reach agreement but date must be approved by presidentGermany is expected to hold a snap election on 23 February after an agreement reached on Tuesday morning by parliamentary factions from the leading Social Democrats and the main conservative opposition CDU/CSU.The date must be officially confirmed by the president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, but this is considered to be a formality. Continue reading...
  
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• AstraZeneca says it takes China investigation ‘very seriously’

  12-11-2024 11:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Britain’s biggest pharmaceutical company raises 2024 profit forecast and announces $3.5bn US investmentBusiness live – latest updatesAstraZeneca has said the drugmaker is taking investigations by Chinese authorities into its business in the country “very seriously” and will “fully cooperate” with them.Authorities are thought to be investigating the importation of two cancer treatments manufactured by Britain’s biggest pharmaceutical company into China. C
  
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• Iran cites 19th century British maps in row over ownership of islands

  12-11-2024 11:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Tehran cites 1888 charts in effort to prove ownership of islands near strait of Hormuz that are also claimed by UAEMaps drawn up more than 130 years ago on the instruction of the Marquess of Salisbury, the then British foreign secretary, have been cited by Iran in its deepening dispute with the Gulf states over the ownership of three strategic islands at the entrance to the critical strait of Hormuz waterway.The dispute is threatening to damage Iran’s current efforts to form closer relatio
  
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• Justin Welby urged to resign in solidarity with C of E abuse victims

  12-11-2024 11:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Victim of serial abuser John Smyth joins calls for archbishop of Canterbury to quit as 10,000 people sign petitionThe archbishop of Canterbury has been urged to stand in solidarity with abuse victims by resigning after a report into a cover-up in the Church of England.A petition started by three members of the General Synod – the church’s parliament – calling for Justin Welby to quit has reached more than 10,000 signatures.In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800
  
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• From presenting in pants to political controversy: Gary Lineker’s Match of the Day career

  12-11-2024 11:10 via theguardian.com
  
  With the former striker’s exit from the presenter’s chair confirmed, we look back at his most notable momentsBBC confirms Lineker’s Match of the Day departureNo one gave Leicester City a hope of winning the 2015-16 Premier League: apparently not even Lineker, who began his playing career with the Foxes in 1978 and remains a loyal fan. In mid-December 2015, the BBC1 anchorman vowed to present an episode of Match of the Day wearing only his pants if Claudio Ranieri’s side u
  
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• Woman from Wales died after gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey, inquest hears

  12-11-2024 11:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Janet Savage went into cardiac arrest after injury to abdominal aorta during operation in August last yearA woman died during an operation after travelling to Turkey for slimming surgery, an inquest heard.Janet Savage, 54, was undergoing a gastric “stomach sleeve” operation but never came around from the procedure. Continue reading...
  
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