~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (3359)

Speaker on track to keep gavel after endorsement from Trump before a full House vote in the new yearHouse speaker Mike Johnson won the House Republican nomination on Wednesday to stay on the job, on track to keep the gavel after a morning endorsement from Donald Trump in advance of a full House vote in the new year.While Johnson has no serious challenger, he...

Surangel Whipps Jr retains power in Palau, which is important to the US military amid tensions with China and is among a dozen diplomatic allies of TaiwanPalau’s incumbent president Surangel Whipps Jr has been returned for a second term after a national election held last week, according to a final tally by the Palau Election Commission.The results showed Whipps Jr won 5,626 votes, defeating...

President-elect’s team has China hawks, an alleged Assad defender and a Fox News host – all have been vocally loyalAs Donald Trump rushes to fill out his cabinet and enact his America First agenda in the United States and abroad, a clear throughline for his foreign policy and national security team has been a vocal loyalty to the president-elect – at least in this...

Worn at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, the necklace has possible links to the downfall of Marie AntoinetteA mysterious diamond-laden necklace with possible links to a scandal that contributed to the downfall of Marie Antoinette has sold for $4.8m (£3.8m) at an auction in Geneva.The 18th-century item of jewellery containing approximately 300 carats of diamonds had been estimated to sell at the Sotheby’s Royal and...

Dozens held under emergency measures imposed after violence that erupted around football matchPolice have detained pro-Palestinian protesters rallying in central Amsterdam in defiance of a ban imposed after violence stemming from a football match between Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.Dozens of demonstrators, some with Palestinian flags, chanted “Amsterdam is saying no to genocide” and “Free Palestine”. Continue reading...

Collection of 1,700 pieces dating from third to 20th century is highest-value gift of objects in UK museum historyThe British Museum has been given a private collection of Chinese ceramics worth about £1bn, the highest-value object donation in UK museum history.The 1,700 pieces dating from the third to the 20th century have been given permanently by the trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation....

Alleged criminal ring is the biggest cryptocurrency investment scam in country’s history, according to policeSouth Korean police have arrested 215 people on suspicion of stealing 320bn won ($228.4m) in the biggest cryptocurrency investment scam in the country.Gyeonggi Nambu provincial police said on Wednesday that the arrests included the alleged mastermind of the organised crime group accused of selling 28 types of virtual tokens to...

Regulator issues online safety ruling after finding weak processes leave networks ‘exposed to terrorist content’Elon Musk’s X, TikTok and Meta’s Instagram have been ordered by Irish media regulators to take “necessary measures” to prevent terrorist content being platformed in order to comply with sweeping new online safety legislation.The Irish media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, said it issued the ruling after its investigations determined that...

Chancellor makes fiery appeal in parliament for opposition support ‘for the good of the country’The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has defended his decision to oust his finance minister, which has led to the break up of his government, arguing that the survival of the alliance would have come at the expense of national stability and international security.Scholz used his first speech to parliament since...

Medical charity says its staff members were violently attacked by police and vigilantes 100 meters from hospitalThe medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said that at least two of its patients were killed after one of its ambulances was stopped and attacked in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.MSF said its staff members were violently attacked on Monday after “members of a vigilante group and law...

Biggest tiger farms outside Asia are operating freely in South Africa, Four Paws animal charity saysThe largest tiger farms outside Asia are operating freely in South Africa, facilitating the illegal smuggling of tiger body parts, according to a report by an animal welfare charity.Research by Four Paws, which is campaigning to shut down South Africa’s big cat industry, found 103 places in the country...

Buckingham Palace accused of ‘burying’ news of GCVO bestowed on King Hamad, whose regime is accused of torturing opponentsKing Charles has been asked by exiles from Bahrain to rescind an honour he bestowed this week on the ruler of the Gulf kingdom.Charles was told in a letter by the exiles: “It is personally difficult for us to view this honour as anything other than...

Move adds to concerns about the stability of the Paris agreement after the election in the US of Donald TrumpArgentinian negotiators representing the government of the climate science denier Javier Milei have been ordered to withdraw from the Cop29 summit after only three days, adding to concerns about the stability of the Paris agreement.More than 80 representatives from the South American country are in...

Sam Rose warns of severe consequences amid weakened US stance and points to ICJ demand to protect aid effortsMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s plan to close the UN Palestinian relief agency, Unrwa, within three months is impossible and unrealistic without causing further untold suffering to the Palestinian people, its director of operations in Gaza has warned.Just returned from Gaza, where he said he...

Health secretary says bad managers are NHS’s ‘guilty secret’ in broadcast round ahead of first major speech on health service reformIn an interview with LBC Wes Streeting claimed there were “lots” of poor managers in the NHS. Asked about opposition to his plans, he said”Look, I know it’s not going to be popular with everyone in the system. I think people would rather sometimes...

Julie Conalty, bishop of Birkenhead, welcomes resignation of Justin Welby but says institutional changes neededA bishop and a cabinet minister have said more senior clergy in the Church of England may need to resign after a damning report into a sadistic abuser.Julie Conalty, bishop of Birkenhead and deputy lead bishop for safeguarding, said Justin Welby had “done the right thing” on Tuesday by resigning...

Humanitarian groups say almost none of the US’s demands that Israel improve conditions in Gaza have been metThe US military said on Tuesday it had conducted strikes against an Iranian-backed militia group’s weapons storage facility in Syria, according to Reuters.“These strikes were in response to a rocket attack on US personnel at Patrol Base Shaddadi. There was no damage to US facilities and no...

Utilities firm says 75% of class A bondholders back emergency package aimed at staving off collapseBusiness live – latest updatesThames Water has gained support from its top-ranking creditors to proceed to the next stage of securing a £3bn emergency funding package intended to stave off its collapse for at least a year.The struggling utility company said on Wednesday that 75% of the holders of...

American drummer who began in 1940s swing and bebop scenes played with Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and dozens moreRoy Haynes, a drummer who was one of the last remaining musicians of jazz’s swing and bebop eras, has died aged 99. His daughter Leslie Haynes-Gilmore said he had died following a short illness.Haynes’s energetic style, which also encompassed fusion and avant-garde jazz, earned him the...

TV chef and restaurateur says it is ‘too soon’ to watch high pressure depictions of kitchen life after diagnosis this yearHeston Blumenthal has said he fears that watching the high pressure depictions of kitchen life in the TV series The Bear could trigger a bipolar episode.The restaurateur and TV chef announced he was diagnosed with the mental health condition earlier this year, after previously...

Det Sgt David Mackie says he believed Tobias Moran knew police were likely secretly recording himFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice sent undercover officers to elicit a confession from the former boyfriend of backpacker Simone Strobel, but the lead detective on the case believes the then murder suspect “twigged” to their...

Pete Hegseth tapped for key role and Kristi Noem for homeland security amid flurry of nominationsDonald Trump has chosen the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as the next US ambassador to Israel and a Fox News host to be his new defense secretary.Huckabee has a track record of hardline, occasionally provocative, pro-Israel rhetoric and previously said Israel has a rightful claim to the West...

Fortieth-anniversary edition is spliced together by Trevor Horn from previous versions of the song, including snippets of George Michael, Ed Sheeran and moreFor 40 years, Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? has been praised by some as a triumph of charitable fundraising and festive songwriting – and condemned by others as the most high-profile example of white saviourhood in pop.Now, to mark its...

Welby worked hard to hold the Anglican church together, but in the end his own failings led to his downfallIn the almost 12 years that Justin Welby has been archbishop of Canterbury, the Church of England has both cemented its place at the heart of the establishment and become less and less relevant to the lives of most citizens.Welby has buried a queen, crowned...