Moscow passes laws to boost defences against Ukrainian strikes

Vladimir Putin authorises the guarding of fuel sites by reservists, internet blackouts and tighter sentencing for acts of sabotage

Russia has passed sweeping laws to bolster its defences at home against Ukrainian drone strikes and sabotage operations, reflecting the Kremlin’s expectation of a protracted war with Ukraine.

Almost four years into Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine – a full-scale invasion he expected to last only weeks – Moscow is being targeted almost daily by Ukrainian drones striking energy facilities, while Ukrainian operatives have assassinated a number of high-profile Russian military figures deep inside the country.

Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon kills 13 people

An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed 13 people and wounded several others, state media and government officials said.

‘We shoot at the good guys’: the role-players who train US troops – in pictures

Photographer Claire Beckett captured the soldiers and civilians who dress up as Afghans and Iraqis in military bases across America. They play everything from insurgents to shoppers in mocked-up firefights

The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco review – a masterclass in visual reportage

The author of Palestine turns his attention to the legacies of Indian partition in this brilliant portrait of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots

Joe Sacco is one of a very small number of graphic novelists who have smashed through into the mainstream. His masterwork is Palestine, a collected volume of single-issue comic books he created in the 1990s, documenting the violence in Gaza. His technique is to embed as a journalist in a war zone and interview people on the street, telling their stories with pictures. Lessons on global politics emerge from ultra-local conflict and depictions of day-to-day life.

Palestine propelled Sacco to fame, drawing comparisons with Maus, Art Spiegelman’s two-volume saga about Polish Jews during the Holocaust with Nazis portrayed as cats, and Jews as mice. These works are sold prominently in bookshops, not in musty basements packed with racks of polyethylene-sheathed superhero comics. Alongside a couple of others, Maus and Palestine signalled that graphic novels, as they became known, could be serious works of fiction, nonfiction and journalism. Palestine itself is as depressingly relevant today as it was in the 1990s. In December 2023, it was reprinted for the first time in a decade, after selling out following the 7 October attacks.

A moment that changed me: I broke my foot – and took up a sport that led to stratospheric success

I had run every day for ten years and cried when the doctor said I needed two months off. Then I borrowed an oversized road bike. At first, I couldn’t wait to ditch it, but something kept me going ...

I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment that I broke my foot. The injury didn’t seem like a big deal at first, because stress fractures sneak up on you. It just hurt, and wouldn’t stop hurting, except while running. Maybe because running was the only time I felt good about myself. But in the end the pain intruded there, too. I ran on stubbornly, with a limp.

Eventually I had to go to the doctor, and that’s when it hit me. She said it would take eight weeks to heal – no running. I couldn’t imagine even one week without running. I had run every single day for nearly 10 years and I loved it. I tried to find the words to explain, to say that this “rest” was just not possible, but I was too embarrassed. It was a minor injury by clinical standards – and self-inflicted, too. But afterwards, in the corridor, I cried.

Starmer’s squandering of a historic election victory is a tragedy nearing its finale | Rafael Behr

The tactics that gave Labour its huge majority in 2024 were no preparation for government – and the prime minister has proved he has nothing more to offer

The mood among Labour MPs these days follows Edgar’s law. This states that the scale of any misfortune can only be measured against unknown future disasters. As Shakespeare has the banished son of the blinded Earl of Gloucester say in King Lear: “The worst is not, so long as we can say ‘this is the worst’.”

According to Edgar’s law, there is no opinion poll so gloomy for Labour that it can’t be followed by one even bleaker; no fiscal forecast so bad that the Treasury can’t aggravate it with contradictory signals on tax; no misgivings about Keir Starmer that can’t be amplified by malevolent briefing about a leadership challenge; no social policy so nauseating to the party faithful that it can’t be made grosser still with a relish of cruelty.

Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist

‘Dangerous nostalgia’: did Spain’s ‘pact of forgetting’ after Franco leave new generation open to far right?

Events to mark the 50th anniversary of dictator’s death are intended to remind Spaniards, particularly the young, of the dangers of fascism

Mingorrubio municipal cemetery, which sits where the suburbs of north-west Madrid fade out into the countryside, must have been something of a comedown for a man who was originally laid to rest with a 150-metre-high cross for a headstone and four enormous bronze archangels to watch over him.

But six years after his remains were disinterred from the grotesque splendour of the Valley of the Fallen and flown by helicopter to Mingorrubio for reburial, Francisco Franco is at least in good company.

11/18: CBS Evening News

Epstein survivor says "we have been waiting for so long" as Congress votes on Epstein files; Retiree finds a new calling as volunteer EMT

Can weed help you drink less? Scientists study how well 'California sober' works

It's trendy in some circles to replace drinking with consuming cannabis. But can it help people with a drinking problem cut back? Scientists set up a bar in the lab to find out.

I grew up in Spain amid a collective amnesia about Franco. It is time we faced up to our dark past | María Ramírez

This week marks 50 years of Spanish democracy, but the failure to talk more about the crimes of the dictatorship leaves us vulnerable

Like most Spaniards alive today, I was born after the death of Franco 50 years ago. Even for my parents’ generation, the dictatorship that lasted from 1939 until 20 November 1975 is today a distant bad dream. Growing up, the stories I heard were mostly about the post-Franco democratic transition, a time full of promise and energy as younger people set about rebuilding everything from scratch.

My mother, who was pregnant with me when she voted in the first free elections in 1977, talks about that time as the happiest of her life. International media reporting from that year described “a broad optimism” in a soon-to-be “healthy, modern, lively nation”.

María Ramírez is a journalist and deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outlet in Spain

Keeping promises on renewables, energy efficiency and methane ‘would avoid nearly 1C of global heating’

Analysis published at Cop30 summit shows adhering to pledges offer world hope of avoiding climate breakdown

Sticking to three key climate promises – on renewables, energy efficiency and methane – would avoid nearly 1C of global heating and give the world hope of avoiding climate breakdown, analysis published at the Cop30 climate summit suggests.

Governments have already agreed to triple the amount of renewable energy generated by 2030, double global energy efficiency by then, and make substantial cuts to methane emissions.

TikTok to give users power to reduce amount of AI content on their feeds

Platform reveals it hosts more than 1bn AI videos as it starts testing over next few weeks before global rollout

TikTok is giving users the power to reduce the amount of artificial intelligence-made content on their feeds, as it revealed the platform hosts more than 1bn AI videos.

The change, which is being tested over the next few weeks before a global rollout, comes as new video-generating tools such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo 3 have spurred a surge in AI content online.

Onboard the world’s largest sailing cargo ship: is this the future of travel and transport?

The Neoliner Origin set off on its inaugural two-week voyage from France to the US with the aim of revolutionising the notoriously dirty shipping industry

It is 8pm on a Saturday evening and eight of us are sitting at a table onboard a ship, holding on to our plates of spaghetti carbonara as our chairs slide back and forth. Michel Péry, the dinner’s host, downplays the weather as a “tempête de journalistes” – something sailors would not categorise as a storm, but which drama-seeking journalists might refer to as such to entertain their readers.

But after a white-knuckle night in our cabins with winds reaching 74mph or force 12 – officially a hurricane – Péry has to admit it was not just a “journalists’ storm”, but the real deal.

Tropical cyclone Fina on torrential path to hit northern Australian coast this week

If it makes impact on Friday, it would be the earliest cyclone of the season to make landfall in Australia since 1973

• Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here

If tropical cyclone Fina crosses the Northern Territory coast on Friday, it could equal the earliest cyclone to make landfall in Australia.

Fina, a category one cyclone about 370km north-east of Darwin, was moving east and expected to intensify to category two before turning south on Thursday.

Tesla obtains permit to operate ride-hail service in Arizona

The Arizona Department of Transportation said Tesla obtained a "transportation network company" permit in the state.

Gustav Klimt portrait painting sells for record $236 million at New York auction

A Gustav Klimt portrait painting has sold for a record $236 million at an auction where a solid gold toilet also sold for $12.1 million.

Curaçao complete fairytale with battling draw in Jamaica to qualify for World Cup

• Tiny Caribbean nation hold on for crucial point in Kingston

• Haiti also book improbable place at next year’s tournament

The tiny Caribbean nation of Curaçao became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup, as Haiti booked their return to the tournament for the first time in 52 years along with Panama.

A nerve-shredding finale to the Concacaf qualifying campaign saw Curaçao – with a population of just 156,000 – squeeze into next year’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a 0-0 draw against Jamaica in Kingston.

‘Exceptionally rare’ pink grasshopper spotted in New Zealand

The native species is typically grey or brown and the pink hue is thought to be caused by a genetic mutation

An “exceptionally rare” pink grasshopper has been spotted basking in the sun alongside a river in New Zealand’s South Island.

A group of department of conservation researchers were conducting their annual grasshopper survey near Lake Tekapo in the MacKenzie basin when they came across the dark pink female critter.

WHO to lose nearly a quarter of its workforce – 2,000 jobs – due to US withdrawing funding

Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the World Health Organization in January, prompting the agency to scale back its work

The World Health Organization has said its workforce will shrink by nearly a quarter – or over 2,000 jobs – by the middle of next year as it seeks to implement reforms after its top donor, the United States, announced its departure.

US President Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the body upon taking office in January, prompting the agency to scale back its work and cut its management team by half.

UN to hear human rights complaint over New Zealand’s treatment of Māori

UN committee to consider claim by prominent Māori leader Tureiti Moxon that alleges government policies have harmed Indigenous people

The United Nations has agreed to hear an urgent complaint against New Zealand’s coalition government alleging it is responsible for significant and persistent discrimination against Māori.

Prominent Māori leader, Lady Tureiti Moxon, has filed the complaint to the UN’s committee for the convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination (CERD).

Singer D4vd reportedly identified as suspect in death of teen found in Tesla

LAPD sources tell NBC4 singer has not been cooperative with investigation into death of Celeste Rivas, 15

The singer D4vd has been identified as a suspect in the death of Celeste Rivas, a teenager who went missing and was found dead in the singer’s Tesla in September, Los Angeles police department sources told NBC4 Investigates.

The decomposed body of Rivas, 15, was found on 8 September in the front trunk of a black Tesla registered to D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. The car had been ticketed in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood and then impounded in a tow yard in Los Angeles.

Gustav Klimt portrait sells for $236.4m, making it the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction

Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, which was looted by the Nazis and nearly destroyed in a fire during the second world war, sells at Sotheby’s auction

A painting by Gustav Klimt has sold for a record-breaking $236.4m (£179.7m, A$364m) with fees, making it the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction and the most expensive work of modern art sold at auction.

The six-foot-tall painting, titled Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, was painted by the Austrian painter between 1914 and 1916 and shows Lederer, a young heiress and daughter of Klimt’s patrons, draped in a Chinese robe.

India deepens energy trade with U.S. to mend relations amid tariff strain

India is increasing its energy imports from the U.S. in the hopes that the move could pave the way to a trade deal between the two countries.

Senate agrees to pass Epstein files bill after near-unanimous House vote

Legislation would next go to Trump who indicated he would sign bill after he and his allies backed down from opposition

• US politics live – latest updates

The Senate on Tuesday moved swiftly to approve legislation that would force the release of investigative files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, hours after a near-unanimous vote in the US House, nearly wrapping up a bipartisan effort Donald Trump had fought for months.

By unanimous consent, the Senate agreed to pass the measure as soon as it arrived in the chamber from the House, which had overwhelmingly approved the bill earlier on Tuesday in a 427-1 tally. Once the legislation is forwarded to the Senate, it will be automatically approved and cleared for Trump’s signature. The president, who dropped his opposition after it was clear it would pass, has said he would sign it.

Retiree finds a new calling as volunteer EMT

Against all odds, a retiree passed a test to become an EMT and found his calling in the process. Scott MacFarlane has the story.

FBI probing stepsibling in teen's cruise ship death, filing suggests

Anna Kepner, 18, was on a family vacation aboard the Carnival Horizon with her father, stepmother, and three stepsiblings when she was discovered dead.

Roblox announces measures to strengthen protections for minors

Facing pressure from states and families, Roblox will require players to use AI-powered technology that helps verify their age.

Roblox rolls out new safety features including AI age verification

The massive online gaming platform Roblox, which is used by millions of children under the age of 13, announced it'll soon require every player to scan their face and use AI-powered facial technology to estimate their age. Jo Ling Kent reports it comes after dozens of families have sued Roblox and Discord for allegedly failing to protect children from sexual predators on their platforms.

U.S. citizen explains why she closed her bakery amid immigration crackdown

"The fact that a paper tells me you're now a citizen of this country doesn't take away from the fact that I look the way I look," Cristina Rojas told CBS News.

Charlotte baker who recently became citizen temporarily closes due to immigration crackdown

Cristina Rojas, who became a U.S. citizen in March, says she has temporarily closed The Batchmaker, the bakery she owns in Charlotte, North Carolina, fearing for her community's safety amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. More than 200 people have been arrested since the Department of Homeland Security launched what it's calling "Operation Charlotte's Web." Skyler Henry reports.

MBS tells Trump Saudis will increase investments in U.S. to near $1 trillion

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, also answered a question about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv seeks $44bn from Russia for climate-warming war emissions

The move marks the first time a country is claiming damages for such an increase in emissions. What we know on day 1,365

• See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage

Ukraine plans to seek nearly $44bn from Russia for the damage linked to an increase in climate-warming emissions from the ongoing war, a government minister told Reuters. The move marks the first time a country is claiming damages for such an increase in emissions, including from the fossil fuels, cement and steel used in fighting the war, and from the destruction of trees through resultant fires. “A lot of damage was caused to water, to land, to forests,” said Pavlo Kartashov, the country’s deputy minister for economy, environment, and agriculture. “We have huge amounts of additional CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases,” Kartashov said in an interview on the sidelines of the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil.

A Russian missile strike wounded at least 32 people in Ukraine’s Kharkiv overnight, its governor said early Wednesday, the third such attack on the eastern region in three days. Moscow has been intensifying its daily drone and missile barrages in recent months, targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and hitting a number of civilian sites ahead of winter. Kharkiv governor Oleg Synegubov said at least 32 people were wounded in the latest overnight attack, including two children and an 18-year-old girl.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will head to Turkey on Wednesday seeking to revive the United States’ involvement in diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion. Zelenskyy said he wanted to reinvigorate frozen peace talks, which have faltered after several rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul this year failed to yield a breakthrough. Moscow has not agreed to a ceasefire and instead kept advancing on the front and bombarding Ukrainian cities. Zelenskyy will meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Wednesday, he told reporters at a press conference in Madrid on Tuesday.

The United States on Tuesday approved a $105m sale to Ukraine to upgrade and sustain Patriot missile defences, as Russia keeps pummelling its smaller neighbour. The state department said it informed Congress of the deal for parts, training and services on the Patriots, which Ukraine relies on to shoot down incoming missiles. “The proposed sale will improve Ukraine’s ability to meet current and future threats,” a state department statement said.

Poland has identified two people responsible for an explosion on a railway route to Ukraine, prime minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday, claiming that they were Ukrainians who collaborated with Russian intelligence and that they had fled to Belarus. The blast on the Warsaw-Lublin line, which connects the Polish capital to the Ukrainian border, followed a wave of arson, sabotage and cyber-attacks in Poland and other European countries since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Spain will provide Ukraine with a fresh military aid package worth 615m euros ($710m) to support its fight against Russia’s invasion, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Tuesday. Speaking at a Madrid press conference alongside visiting Zelenskyy, Sanchez said that around 300m euros of the package would be allocated to “new defence equipment”. “Your fight is ours,” Sanchez said, adding that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “neo-imperialism” seeks to “weaken the European project and everything it stands for”.

During his trip to Spain Zelenskyy made also took the opportunity to view Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica”, a move laden with symbolism. Among the last century’s most famous paintings, “Guernica” depicts the horrors of war – specifically the bombardment of civilian targets. The enormous, black-grey-and-white painting features screaming women, flailing horses and a gored bull. Picasso used them to represent the bombing by Nazi and fascist Italian war planes of the town named Guernica in 1937, during Spain’s Civil War.

Trump welcomes MBS for White House visit with fanfare, military flyover and black-tie dinner

President Trump plans to seal major business and security deals during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's White House visit.

Texas appeals ruling that Trump-urged voting map is racial gerrymandering

A federal court in El Paso ruled that the redistricting backed by Trump and Republicans to reshape the map for the 2026 midterms was based on race, not just political advantage for the GOP.

Epstein accusers speak ahead of House vote: "This is one demand we all share"

More than a dozen of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers stood alongside Democratic and GOP lawmakers and pressed Congress to look beyond politics.

New details in FBI investigation of teen's death aboard Carnival cruise ship

Criminal charges may be filed against a step-sibling of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, a Florida high school cheerleader found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month, CBS News has learned. Cristian Benavides has the latest on the investigation.

NHS failing to cut waiting times as promised in recovery plan, report warns

Public accounts committee finds Labour’s progress ‘appears to have stalled’ despite billions of pounds in investment

The NHS has failed to cut waiting times as promised in its recovery plan despite billions of pounds in investment, the public accounts committee (PAC) has warned.

The influential parliamentary committee’s verdict raises serious doubts over whether Labour can fulfil its key pledge to voters to “fix the NHS” by ensuring that patients can once again get hospital care within 18 weeks by 2029.

Key NHS targets to improve access to both planned care and diagnostic tests by last spring “were missed”.

NHS England had spent £3.24bn setting up community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs but had not achieved the aim of reducing delays.

In July, 192,000 people had been waiting at least a year for care, despite a pledge to eradicate that practice altogether by March 2025.

22% of patients were having to wait more than six weeks for a diagnostic test, even though that was due to be cut to 5% by March.

Lack of planning has hit Labour’s efforts to fix public services, says thinktank

Keir Starmer accused of failing to adequately strategise while in opposition, leading to uncoordinated policymaking

Keir Starmer is failing to make major improvements to public services partly because he did not plan properly while in opposition, according to a report from the Institute for Government (IfG).

The prime minister went into government without a clear idea about how to achieve his targets, the IfG found, resulting in haphazard attempts to reform various sectors, from the health service to the courts.

Neanderthals and early humans ‘likely to have kissed’, say scientists

Study from University of Oxford looks into evolutionary origins of kissing and its role in relations between species

From Galápagos albatrosses to polar bears, chimpanzees to orangutans, certain species appear to kiss. Now researchers suggest Neanderthals did it too – and might even have locked lips with modern humans.

It is not the first time scientists have suggested Neanderthals and early modern humans were intimately acquainted. Among previous studies, researchers have found humans and their thick-browed cousins shared the same mouth microbe for hundreds of thousands of years after the two species split, suggesting they swapped saliva.

Jeep reveals Wrangler-inspired Recon EV, starting at $65,000

Jeep's new Recon all-electric SUV will start at $65,000, the American SUV brand announced Tuesday when officially revealing the vehicle.

Congress approves Jeffrey Epstein files bill, sending it to Trump to sign

President Donald Trump, a former Epstein friend who fell out with him, recently dropped his opposition to the bipartisan bill to release the files.

Meta beats FTC case, won't have to spin off WhatsApp, Instagram

A federal judge ruled against the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust suit alleging that Meta had stifled competition by buying up its rivals.

Pope Leo calls out 'extremely disrespectful' treatment of migrants in the U.S.

The U.S.-born pope has spoken out several times against his native country's treatment of migrants in the U.S.

Why this GOP congressman voted against releasing the Epstein files

GOP Rep. Clay Higgins was the only House member to vote against a bill that would require the Justice Department to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Stephanie Gilmore to return from hiatus and surf on next year’s world tour at age 38

• Eight-time world champion accepts season-long WSL wildcard

• In her absence a new generation of surfers has emerged

Stephanie Gilmore may have achieved more than any other woman in surfing, and has spent recent years on sponsor-funded wave odysseys, playing guitar at gigs to adoring crowds, developing apparel collabs and launching her own tequila, but she will turn back the clock in 2026.

The 37-year-old, who turns 38 in January, will return to full-time competition on the elite tour after accepting a season-long wildcard to surf the World Surf League’s Championship Tour.

What are the Epstein files that could be released by DOJ?

If President Trump signs the bill passed by the House and Senate requiring DOJ to release documents tied to investigations of Jeffrey Epstein, here's what could be published.

Child care costs more than the rent in dozens of U.S. cities

In some metro areas, child care expenses amount to more than double what families spend on rent, LendingTree found.

Honda recalls nearly 257,000 cars over software flaw that can lead to power loss

Software error in some Honda Accord Hybrid vehicles can cause drivers to lose power, increasing the risk of a crash, NHTSA said.

Maps show how redistricting could affect congressional seats

See maps of how Texas, California, Missouri and North Carolina redistricting push could play out, based on the 2024 election results.

Why more Americans than ever are attending nondenominational churches

In 1972, fewer than 3% of Americans identified as nondenominational Christians. Now, it's up to 14%, or nearly 40 million people.

Trump, Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman brush off criticism of Khashoggi killing

The White House touted Saudi Arabia's commitment to investing $600 billion in the United States, which was announced earlier this year.

Wilson treble helps Wales thrash North Macedonia to boost World Cup dream

Wales saved their best until last, securing the best available berth in the World Cup playoffs with an emphatic demolition of North Macedonia that should worry any visitor to Cardiff next March. The performance and result understandably left Craig Bellamy reaching for superlatives.

“I said to the players at the end, I am not a perfect person, I haven’t come across anyone who is,” the Wales head coach said. “But maybe I take a little bit of that back because that was as close to a perfect performance as I’ve seen. That was incredible.” He was not exaggerating.

Tierney and McLean send Scotland to World Cup with thrilling win against Denmark

Hampden Park has hosted seismic occasions in a storied history dating back to 1903. Add this one to the list. Scotland’s long, long wait is over. You yearn for almost three decades to return to the men’s World Cup and do so with an overhead kick, a 22-yard stunner and a goal from the halfway line.

Steve Clarke, Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay, John McGinn; you shall go to the ball. So too Kieran Tierney, whose magnificent strike in stoppage time would have made all the headlines before Kenny McLean notched Scotland’s fourth. McLean broke forward, spotted Kasper Schmeichel in a state of desperation, and floated the ball over him. McLean was in the middle of the pitch when he shot. Cue bedlam. Cue wonderful bedlam.

Trump shrugs off Khashoggi murder during Saudi prince’s White House visit

Trump elevates Saudi Arabia to major non-Nato ally after claiming Mohammed bin Salman ‘knew nothing’ about murder of journalist

Donald Trump has shrugged off the Saudi regime’s 2018 murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the journalist was “extremely controversial” and unpopular, dismissing the killing by observing “things happen”.

The US president made the remarks at the White House on Tuesday while welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment in Istanbul by Saudi state operatives.

BXP chief says the office sector has bottomed, but buildings still need to be demolished

BXP is almost entirely invested in the top tier of the market, with many of its tenants in financial and legal services.

DoorDash to start delivering products bought at Family Dollar stores

Partnership lets consumers shop at 7,000 Family Dollar stores using the DoorDash app.

Cloudflare says it has fixed issues that caused outages at X, other apps

Web services company Cloudflare had said it was aware of problems impacting "multiple customers" amid reports of outages at apps including X.

Federal court blocks Texas from using new congressional map for 2026 elections

A federal court ordered Texas to use House district lines adopted in 2021 for next year's congressional elections.

Should you worry about an AI bubble? Investment pros weigh in.

The stock market has stumbled on concerns that the surge in artificial intelligence stocks could echo the dot-com bubble.

10-year Treasury yield ticks lower as investors navigate post-shutdown data deluge

The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped on Tuesday as investors prepared for the release of delayed jobs data after the 43-day government shutdown ended.

The Saudification of America is under way | Karen Attiah

Jamal Khashoggi’s plight and murder was a warning sign for the US, of the impending loss of freedom and censorship that would sweep the country

The first time I ever used the words “alhumdulilah”, which translates to praise be to God in Arabic, was the night of 16 November 2018. A Friday night news alert came through on my phone: “CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination.” I collapsed into my couch, repeating the words.

I am not Muslim. But Jamal, in life and death, has taught me a lot about faith and looking for hope in all the wrong places. As a writer with a history of criticizing America’s meddling in weaker countries, in normal circumstances, I should have been loath to celebrate the CIA.

Karen Attiah is a writer and educator whose work focuses on race, global culture and human rights

Bill targeting White House ballroom donations introduced by Democrats

The bill aims to impose restrictions on ballroom donors seeking to influence the administration.

MLS executive who built a powerhouse faced allegations of sexist, racist and homophobic behavior

Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner denies the allegations, which prompted a recently-concluded MLS investigation that could not corroborate them

• Read a summary of our investigation here

From a box above the field at PayPal Park in San Jose, Ernst Tanner looked on. It was 10 June 2023, and his Union team were losing a physical match 2-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes. Jamiro Monteiro, a player Tanner had brought to the Union in 2019 before trading him to San Jose, was being substituted. Monteiro, clearly exhausted, trudged to the Earthquakes’ bench as referee Nima Saghafi extended his arm and ushered him along, briefly making contact.

It wasn’t the first time Saghafi had touched the midfielder. In the first half, with Monteiro on the ground after being sent flying by a tackle, Saghafi placed his hand on Monteiro’s back, a small gesture meant to show concern.

Made multiple misogynistic comments, including saying “women don’t belong in men’s soccer” about a female MLS referee and telling a gathering of academy players that they “should never worry about a referee, unless she’s a woman.”

Spoke about Black players “like they were subhuman” and suggested that Black referees “lack intelligence and capability.”

Touched a co-worker inappropriately “numerous times,” an allegation for which he was reported to the Union’s HR department.

Hired an underqualified coach who was allegedly abusive toward players on the Philadelphia Union II, the club’s reserve team that is used as a proving ground for young players from its thriving academy.

U.S. deports dozens of migrants to Ukraine amid war

Immigration lawyers say those deported to Ukraine could be conscripted to fight in the war, contrary to international laws that prohibit deportations to places where people could face violence.

Meta prevails in historic FTC antitrust case, won't have to spin off apps

Meta has prevailed over an existential challenge to its business that could have forced the tech giant to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp.

Thigh injury could rule out Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães for at least a month

• Defender was injured playing for Brazil against Senegal

• Havertz has ‘minor relapse’ in recovery from knee injury

Arsenal fear that Gabriel Magalhães could be out of action for at least a month after he sustained a thigh injury on international duty last week, with the Brazil defender expected to miss a crucial part of the season for the Premier League leaders.

Gabriel limped off during Brazil’s 2-0 win against Senegal in a friendly at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and returned to the club for more tests this week after it was confirmed he had sustained a muscle injury in his right thigh.

New Social Security scam uses 'high pressure' scare tactics. What to watch for

A new scheme seeks to convince Americans that their Social Security numbers may be suspended due to criminal activities, according to a warning.

11/17: CBS Evening News

Behind Trump's reversal on releasing Epstein files; Judge accuses DOJ of "disturbing pattern" of missteps in Comey case.

China in ‘covert and calculated’ effort to recruit MPs and peers, minister says

Dan Jarvis gives Commons statement after MI5 alert about LinkedIn profiles of Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen

MPs and peers have been told they face “a covert and calculated” attempt to recruit parliamentarians through two LinkedIn profiles linked to the Chinese intelligence service.

After MI5 issued an espionage alert on Tuesday, saying that two people were operating on LinkedIn to obtain “non-public and insider insights”, the security minister, Dan Jarvis, told MPs the effort was focused on those “with access to sensitive information about parliament and the UK government”.

Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers could play through broken wrist against Bears

• Steelers evaluating Rodgers’ fractured wrist

• Tomlin: brace could allow QB to play Sunday

• Rudolph on standby after solid relief outing

Aaron Rodgers might get a chance to say goodbye to one of his favorite places after all.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday there’s a chance Rodgers and his fractured left wrist could still play on Sunday when the Steelers visit Chicago.

Ukrainians working for Russia were behind rail blasts, alleges Polish PM

Donald Tusk says two saboteurs crossed border from Belarus hoping to cause divisive ‘catastrophe’

Polish authorities have identified two Ukrainian men, allegedly working for the Russian intelligence services, as the key suspects in two cases of rail sabotage, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has said.

The men are alleged to have planted a military-grade explosive device and attached a steel clamp to rail tracks in two incidents on a strategic rail route used for aid deliveries for Ukraine.

England call up Noah Caluori for Argentina Test after triple injury blow

• Lawrence, George and Roebuck all ruled out

• Arundell, Pollock and Daly among wing options

England have been hit by a triple injury blow before their final autumn Test with Ollie ­Lawrence, Jamie George and Tom Roebuck all ruled out of the game against Argentina on Sunday. The 19‑year-old uncapped wing Noah Caluori has been called into the squad and could profit from ­Roebuck’s absence.

All three injured players started the 33-19 win against the All Blacks on Saturday, forcing Steve Borthwick into a significant reshuffle as his side targets an 11th successive victory and a clean sweep of four November Tests for the first time since Eddie Jones’s first autumn in charge in 2016.

Judge sides with Meta in antitrust trial, will not spin off WhatsApp and Instagram

A federal judge ruled against the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust suit alleging that Meta had stifled competition by buying up its rivals.

I can’t remember ever being so confident at the start of an away Ashes series | Mark Ramprakash

Australia have big injuries and concerns over their top order: if England start well in Perth they can win back the Ashes

It’s the Ashes in Australia and that is a series England have become used to losing, so much so that even Jimmy Anderson, the greatest English Test wicket‑taker of all time, has the home side as favourites. But if Australia have ever been there for the taking, it is now. Looking at how the two sides are shaping up before the opening game I feel punchy about England’s chances: the team are strong, settled, and I think that if Ben Stokes plays all five Tests they will win the Ashes and win them comfortably. I can’t remember ever being so confident before an away Ashes.

That confidence is based on a strong group of seamers and a top seven that have now played a lot of Test cricket and have a lot of runs under their belt. They will look at an opposition that will be without the injured Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in Perth and fancy their chances of racking up runs. Once you do that, you’re bossing the game.

Jeffrey Epstein victims' ad calls for files to be released, Trump urges GOP to vote for House measure

Trump for months has called the controversy over the DOJ's refusal to release the Jeffrey Epstein files a Democratic "hoax." But some Republicans want them.

Jeffrey Epstein files: Larry Summers steps back from public commitments over email fallout

Emails between Jeffrey Epstein and former Harvard President Larry Summers were among thousands of documents released by a House committee last week.

The Guardian view on crypto’s latest crash: it reveals who pays the price for a failing economy | Editorial

The bitcoin collapse lifts the lid on a society without opportunity, where risk is privatised and rightwingers sell illusions of freedom while ordinary punters bear losses

The crypto crash has come again. And it is as brutal as ever. In barely six weeks, more than $1.2tn has evaporated from cryptocurrencies’ market capitalisation. The sell-off has sent bitcoin back to levels last seen in April. The world’s largest cryptocurrency briefly fell below $90,000 this week, shedding almost a third of its value since its October peak.

The key to understanding crypto is that it has no “value” in any economic sense. It generates no income, commands no productive capacity and pays no dividends. Unlike state money, it is not backed by a tax base or a fiscal authority. What props up its price is not cashflow but expectation: the hope that someone else will validate today’s valuation tomorrow. When sentiment turns sour or people pull their money out, there is nothing to break cryptocurrencies’ fall. Prices don’t correct, they collapse. In 2023, MPs rightly said that cryptocurrency trading in the UK should be regulated as a form of gambling – a demand rejected by the then Tory government.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

The Guardian view on rogue landlords: past failures do not augur well for the new era | Editorial of renters’ rights

If the promise of a better private rental sector is to be realised, councils will need new staff as well as stricter rules

Tenants need rights. Apart from food and water, shelter is the most basic human need and relevant to almost everyone all the time – unlike, say, healthcare, which most people do not use on a daily basis. A rebalancing of the law towards renters and away from landlords, which the government has done in its Renters’ Rights Act, was sorely needed. Failures and abuses of power have been ignored for too long.

With no-fault evictions outlawed from next May, and tougher oversight from a new ombudsman to follow, life should be about to get better for England’s 4.6m households in the private rental sector. But will it? Troubling analysis by the Guardian shows that two-thirds of councils in England have not prosecuted a single landlord in the past three years, while nearly half didn’t issue any fines either. Over the same period, fewer than 2% of complaints led to enforcement of any kind. Just 16 landlords were banned from letting homes – a shockingly low number, given the volume of complaints and what has been revealed about the sector by the worst scandals.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Woman's conviction for husband's murder overturned after 2 decades

Blaming an inadequate and incomplete investigation and unfair trial, Jane Dorotik pushed for a new examination of the evidence that helped convict her.

Trump administration shares new moves to dismantle more of the Education Department

Opponents of the changes say Congress explicitly located some of these offices inside the Education Department, and the White House cannot legally move their work without Congress' approval.

Trump defends Saudi crown prince over question about killing of Khashoggi

President Trump lashed out a reporter in the Oval Office who was asking about allegations the crown prince orchestrated the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Sheinbaum again dismisses Trump’s threat of sending troops to Mexico: ‘We do not want intervention’

Mexico’s president responds to Trump’s latest warning that he could authorize strikes against drug cartels in country

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has again dismissed Donald Trump’s threat of military action against drug cartels inside her country, telling reporters: “It’s not going to happen.”

Sheinbaum made the comments on Tuesday morning in response to the US president’s latest warning that he could authorise strikes in Mexico.

Farewell, fair penny. You are finished, but never forgotten

This tiny disc of zinc with just a smidge of copper has played an outsized role in our national (and international) discourse. The U.S. Mint ended production of the one-cent coin last week.

Wicked: For Good review – Cynthia Erivo sweeps the field in explosive second chunk of Oz prequel

Bringing her black-belt screen presence to the role of Elphaba, Erivo leads a fine cast in a zingily scored conclusion to the hit origin story

Director Jon M Chu pulls off quite a trick with this manageably proportioned second half to the epic musical prequel-myth inspired by The Wizard of Oz – and based, of course, on the hit stage show. It keeps the rainbow-coloured dreaminess and the Broadway show tune zinginess from part one, and we still get those periodic, surreal pronouncements given by the city’s notables to the diverse folk of Oz, those non-player characters crowding the streets. But now the focus narrows to the main players and their explosive romantic crises, essentially through two interlocking love triangles: Glinda the Good, Elphaba the Wicked and the Wizard – and Glinda, Elphaba and Prince Fiyero, the handsome young military officer with whom both witches are not so secretly in love, as well as possibly having feelings for each other.

Jeff Goldblum is excellent as the Wizard, who pretty much becomes the Darth Vader of Oz: a slippery carnival huckster who is realising that his seedy charm is corroding his soul. Jonathan Bailey pivots to a much more serious, less campy, more passionate Prince and Ariana Grande is, as ever, delicate and doll-like as Glinda, though with less opportunity for comedy. But the superstar among equals is Cynthia Erivo, bringing her black-belt screen presence to the role of Elphaba, and revealing a new vulnerability and maturity. Elsewhere, Marissa Bode returns as Nessarose, Elphaba’s wheelchair-using half-sister; Ethan Slater is Boq, the Munchkin working as her servant; and Michelle Yeoh brings stately sweetness to the role of the Wizard’s private secretary Madame Morrible.

Microsoft unveils tool to help companies control, track AI agents

Microsoft has helped companies build AI agents that can do specific kinds of work. Now it has a way to spot and stop risky agents.

The Kessler Twins sisters Alice and Ellen die together aged 89

German pop duo who last year said their wish was ‘to leave together’ had joint assisted death at their home in Grünwald

Alice and Ellen Kessler, the pop singing sisters who were famous in Europe in the 1960s, especially in Italy where they were credited for bringing glamour to the country’s TV network, have died aged 89.

The identical twins had chosen to have a joint assisted death at their home in Grünwald, close to Munich, on Monday, said Wega Wetzel, a spokesperson for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Humanes Sterben (DGHS), a Berlin-based assisted dying association.

Plastic surgeons wrestle with requests for ‘Mar-a-Lago face’: ‘You’re going to look like Maleficent’

The puffy, artificial look is rising in popularity - thanks to Maga elite such as Kristi Noem and Matt Gaetz

Picture a plastic surgeon’s office. You might imagine a sleek Los Angeles practice, with discreet entrances meant to conceal celebrities from the paparazzi. Maybe a Dallas high-rise, where monied housewives spend on postpartum “mommy makeovers”. Or a Miami location, where influencers and OnlyFans stars film TikToks of their BBLs. One city you might not think of is Washington DC. But its buttoned-up reputation belies a newly buzzing industry.

Much has been made of the so-called “Mar-a-Lago face”, or the uncannily smooth and artificially voluminous features seen on the likes of Maga elite such as Kristi Noem, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Laura Loomer and Matt Gaetz. The bee-sting puffy lips, frozen brows and taut necks have been compared to Real Housewives stars, sleep paralysis demons and – ironically, considering the Republican party’s anti-LGBTQ+ culture war – drag queens (minus the campy fun).

Can ceramics be demonic? Edmund de Waal’s obsession with a deeply disturbing Dane

The great potter explains why he turned his decades-long fixation with Axel Salto – maker of unsettling stoneware full of tentacle sproutings and knotty growths – into a new show

Potter and writer Edmund de Waal, a dark silhouette of neat workwear against the blinding white of his studio, is erupting with thoughts, all of them tumbling out of him at once. He is giving me a tour of the former gun factory on a London industrial estate gently disciplined into architectural calm. It has work stations for his staff (it’s quite an operation); store rooms; and a main space nearly empty but for some giant black lidded vessels he made in Denmark, as capacious as coffins. At either end, up discreet sets of steps, are the places of raw creation. One, with its potter’s wheel, is where he makes; the other, with its desk and bookshelves, is where he writes.

He opens a door to the room housing his two mighty kilns, its back wall lined with rows of shelves with experiments in form and glaze, and tells me of his irritation when people comment on the sheer tidiness of the whole place. “It’s porcelain,” he says with passionate emphasis. Dust and dirt are the enemy. Potters, he points out, “have struggled for hundreds and hundreds of years to keep things clean so that they don’t blow up in kilns, or don’t bloat or don’t dunt or all the other myriad things that can happen”. He is old enough, he says, to have had the kind of potter’s apprenticeship that involved the endless sweeping up of clay dust. Dust is the traditional bringer of potter’s lung – the chronic condition, silicosis. Clouds of dust surround any pottery-making endeavour, if you’re not careful.

Cloudflare says outage that hit X, ChatGPT and other sites is resolved

OpenAI's ChatGPT and Elon Musk's social media platform X were among the sites impacted by the Cloudflare issues.

Stock market continues to fade as investors hedge against AI hype

U.S. stocks slumped in early trading on Tuesday as Wall Street questions the strength of AI-led rally.

Tell us your favourite late-arriving TV characters

We would like to hear your favourite characters whose gamechanging arrivals lifted the shows they were in

From Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones to the Hot Priest in Fleabag, we have picked our favourite 18 TV characters whose gamechanging arrival in later seasons have lifted their whole show. Now we would like to hear yours. Who is your favourite late-arriving TV character and why?

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Jeep eyes U.S. comeback following yearslong sales troubles

Jeep has been in a rut. It has experienced six consecutive years of U.S. sales declines amid a leadership carousel, dearth of new products and push into luxury.

Stellan Skarsgård starrer Sentimental Value leads nominations for European film awards

Director Joachim Trier’s family drama has five nominations, including best actor for Skarsgård, while Oliver Laxe’s techno thriller Sirāt has four nominations

Norwegian director Joachim Trier is leading the race for a triumph at the European film awards, with five nominations in key categories for his family drama Sentimental Value.

The Cannes Grand Prix winner is nominated for best European film, best screenplay and best director, with further best actor and best actress nominations for Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve.

‘I drove a tank and went to Bratislava with my hairdresser’: how Ian Smith turbocharged his standup

The Yorkshire comic was going nowhere with his act which relied on gimmicks, set-pieces and standing on tables. So he decided it was time to live a more interesting – and stressful – life

What’s the opposite of an overnight success? Should we call Ian Smith a slow burner, a sleeper hit? The Yorkshireman’s last two shows, both fantastic, were nominated for the Edinburgh comedy award, he has a popular Radio 4 series, Ian Smith is Stressed, and growing TV visibility. Now he’s embarking on a second UK tour. But breakout success was a long time coming for the 37-year-old. “I did my first gig when I was 17,” he tells me over coffee in London, “which I find horrific. It makes me feel old.”

What took him so long? Might one factor be that Smith’s is a traditional brand of standup – fretful everyman sends up his own anxiety – in a culture that prizes the new and different? That can’t be it, he says. “Because I had so many gimmicks! That was a big part of my standup.” He cites the high-concept shows (comedy in a bath; comedy on a bed) that made Tim Key’s name. “I loved standup with slightly theatrical set-pieces. That was my voice for four shows. I got a review that said, ‘Ian substitutes writing jokes with standing on tables and shouting at people.’ And it was fair enough. I went through a real standing-on-tables phase.”

Will Marjorie Taylor Greene turn the Maga movement against Trump? | Arwa Mahdawi

Whatever her motives, the Republican congresswoman’s ‘revenge tour’ against the president is proving surprisingly effective

There are 535 members of Congress; only a dozen or so are household names. If you want to achieve that sort of brand name recognition, there are a few tried-and-tested ways to do so. You can spend years working your way up the ranks until you’re a power-broker like Nancy Pelosi. You can burst on to the scene and dramatically unseat an incumbent like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did. Or you can go the Marjorie Taylor Greene route and achieve notoriety by being utterly unhinged.

Since becoming a congresswoman for Georgia in 2021, Greene has kept herself in the news by spouting conspiracy theories, fighting with colleagues, and being one of Trump’s biggest cheerleaders. In recent months, however, something strange has been happening. Greene has continued to generate headlines, but largely because she has turned on her party and is part of a growing Maga civil war. Greene was the first Republican lawmaker, for example, to say that there is a genocide in Gaza and has been one of the loudest voices demanding that the Epstein files be released. She has also criticised the Maga movement for not focusing on affordability or putting America first. Now, things have escalated to the point where Greene is making Trump see red; the pair are in a full-blown feud.

Panera lost diners by cutting portions and staff. It's reversing course to win them back

Panera Bread has unveiled a turnaround strategy to reverse years of traffic declines.

‘Deeply shocking’: Nigel Farage faces fresh claims of racism and antisemitism at school

Bafta-winning director among contemporaries urging contrition and apology from Reform UK leader, who denies the allegations
Portrait: Tom Pilston

It is the hectoring tone, the “jeering quality”, in Nigel Farage’s voice today that brings it all back for Peter Ettedgui. “He would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right,’ or ‘Gas them,’ sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers,” Ettedgui says of his experience of being in a class with Farage at Dulwich college in south London.

Ettedgui, 61, is a Bafta- and Emmy-winning director and producer whose credits include Kinky Boots, McQueen and Super/Man: the Christopher Reeve Story.

Bhutan PM on leading the first carbon-negative nation: ‘The wellbeing of our people is at the centre of our agenda’

Exclusive: Tshering Tobgay says his country is doing ‘a lot more than our fair share’ on climate and west must cut emissions ‘for the happiness of your people’

The wealthy western countries most responsible for the climate crisis would improve the health and happiness of their citizens by prioritising environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth, according to the prime minister of Bhutan, the world’s first carbon-negative nation.

Bhutan, a Buddhist democratic monarchy and biodiversity hotspot situated high in the eastern Himalayas, is among the world’s most ambitious climate leaders thanks to its people’s connection with nature and a strong political focus on improving gross national happiness rather than just GDP, Tshering Tobgay told the Guardian.

Extortionate tickets and matches moved at Trump’s whim: are you ready for the ‘greatest World Cup ever’? | Marina Hyde

You may have thought Qatar and Russia were tournament lows. You didn’t account for the US president and his Fifa soulmate, Gianni Infantino

“It’s very clear,” claimed haunted Fifa cue-ball Gianni Infantino not so long ago, “that politics should stay out of football and football should stay out of politics.” But is it clear? Is it really? On Monday, the worst man in world sport was – yet again – to be found in the Oval Office, this time nodding along to Trump’s declaration that games could be moved from host cities for next summer’s World Cup if the US president deems there’s “a problem” with security or that the cities are non-compliant in some other way. In practice, that seems to mean if they’re run by a Democrat/“communist”. Amazing that the Fifa president will gladly allow his tournaments to be held in any old violent autocracy but, for the purposes of the White House cameras at least, might need to draw the line at Boston.

Honestly, the very sight of Infantino these days causes decades of writing about Fifa to flash before my eyes. How could it have happened? How could we have ended up with an even bigger horror in charge of world football’s governing body than the various ones who went before? When Sepp Blatter was thrown from a moving gravy train in 2015 amid an explosive corruption scandal, it would have felt like a genuine feat of sporting excellence to have beaten his record for craven awfulness.

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

A year in Westminster: John Crace, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar
On Tuesday 2 December, join Crace, Hyde and Crerar as they look back at another extraordinary year, with special guests, live at the Barbican in London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets here or at guardian.live

Judge pauses release of grand jury material to Comey after magistrate hints at dismissal

President Donald Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to criminally charge former FBI Director James Comey shortly before he was indicted in Virginia.