Jimmy Lai: conviction of Hong Kong pro-democracy figure decried as attack on press freedom

Rights groups dismiss ‘sham conviction’ of media tycoon on national security offences in city’s most closely watched rulings in decades

• The rise and fall of Jimmy Lai, whose trajectory mirrored that of Hong Kong itself

Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon, is facing life in prison after being found guilty of national security and sedition offences, in one of the most closely watched rulings since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.

Soon after the ruling was delivered, rights and press groups decried the verdict as a “sham conviction” and an attack on press freedom.

12/14: CBS Weekend News

At least 15 killed in attack on Hanukkah celebration in Australia; Trump pays respects to shooting victims.

Director Rob Reiner and wife, Michele, found dead in their Los Angeles home

Director Rob Reiner and wife, Michele, were found dead in their Los Angeles home, sources told CBS News, in what police called an apparent homicide.

Erika Kirk and Candace Owens to meet Monday

Erika Kirk said on X that she and Candace Owens would have a "private, in-person meeting" Monday.

Person being released after questioning in Brown University shooting

Two people were killed and nine more were wounded in a shooting Saturday afternoon in a building on the campus of Brown University in Rhode Island, authorities said.

Bondi beach terror attack: father and son duo alleged to be behind shooting using licensed firearms

Naveed Akram previously known to security agencies, prime minister says. His gun-owning father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene

• Follow the latest live updates on the Bondi beach shooting

• Victims named so far

• What we know so far about the Bondi terror attack

The alleged gunmen behind the Bondi beach attack are a father-son duo suspected of using legally obtained firearms to commit the massacre, according to police.

Naveed Akram, 24, was arrested at the scene and taken to a Sydney hospital with critical injuries. His 50-year-old father, who the Sydney Morning Herald first reported to be Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police. Police would not confirm their names.

Brown University shooting: authorities releasing sole person of interest

At least two people were killed and nine others injured in Saturday attack that occurred in engineering building on Providence, Rhode Island campus

A person of interest detained after a mass shooting at Brown University that killed two students and injured nine is being released after the investigation took law enforcement authorities in a “different direction,” officials said Sunday night.

The disclosure, made at a hastily convened late night news conference, represents a stunning turn of events in an investigation into killings that rattled the Ivy League campus, and came more than 12 hours after officials had announced that they had taken a person into custody.

The Rhode Island attorney general, Peter Neronha, said of the man who was detained earlier, there is “no basis to consider him a person of interest.”

People pulling own teeth due to lack of urgent NHS dental care in England, watchdog finds

Emergency help should be available, but some being forced to travel 100 miles or go private, says Healthwatch England

People needing emergency dental care in England are being denied help from the NHS despite guidance saying that it should be available, in some cases resorting to risky self-treatment such as pulling out their own teeth, the patient watchdog has found.

Patients who experience a sudden dental crisis such as a broken tooth, abscess or severe tooth pain are meant to be able to get help from their dentist or by calling NHS 111.

‘I am not happy with my output!’ Kate Hudson on taking risks, rejecting compromise – and finding her voice at 46

After years as Hollywood’s romcom darling, Hudson is putting music at the centre of her career – and after her show-stealing turn in Song Sung Blue, the Oscar buzz is growing

The first voice I hear when I enter the hotel room to meet Kate Hudson belongs to her 21-year-old son, Ryder, who speaks from the end of a phone: “Love you, Mum!”

Doesn’t everyone? You don’t have to be related to Hudson to consider her a joyous proposition – a great performer who hasn’t yet made a great film. It was a quarter-century ago in Almost Famous, her breakthrough picture, that she first proved she could hoist a movie out of the doldrums while making the task appear as effortless as blow-drying her hair. Without her performance as Penny Lane, the rock’n’roll muse who describes herself as a “band-aid” rather than a groupie, Cameron Crowe’s dopey valentine to the 1970s of his youth would have been Almost Forgettable.

‘We wrote it living on Tesco sandwiches and anxiety attacks!’ How Operation Mincemeat conquered the world

It started out as a fringe musical about an outlandish war plan – and became a West End and Broadway smash. As the show hits China, Australia and Mexico, its ‘nerd’ creators explain how they went global with a box of hats and a dream

Natasha Hodgson is wondering what to make of all the straight women who have developed a crush on her. Or, to put it more accurately, all the straight women who have developed a crush on her when she’s dressed as a second world war naval intelligence officer and speaking in a silly voice. But is it really Hodgson these woman have fallen for? Or is it Ewen Montagu, the bombastic, braces-wearing war hero she plays in the hit musical Operation Mincemeat?

“The confusion is real,” says Hodgson. “These women come to the show believing themselves to be straight, then they have a total identity crisis. But hey – if that’s not what musical theatre is for, I don’t know what is!”

The myth of traditional Italian cuisine has seduced the world. The truth is very different | Alberto Grandi

The comforting tourist-brochure idea of what Italian food looks like obscures a story shaped by hunger, migration and innovation

• Alberto Grandi is the author of La Cucina Italiana Non Esiste and a professor of food history at the University of Parma

Italy’s cuisine has now joined Unesco’s “intangible” heritage list, an announcement greeted within the country with the sort of collective euphoria usually reserved for surprise World Cup runs or the resignation of an unpopular prime minister. Not because the world needed permission to enjoy pizza – it clearly didn’t – but because the news soothed a longstanding national irritation: France and Japan, recognised in 2010 and 2013, had beaten us to it. For Italy’s culinary patriots, this had become a psychological pebble in the shoe: a tiny, persistent reminder that someone else had been validated first.

Yet the strength of Italian cuisine has never rested on an ancient, coherent culinary canon. Most of what passes for ancient “regional tradition” was assembled in the late 20th century, largely for tourism and domestic reassurance. The real history of Italian food is turbulent: a saga of hunger, improvisation, migration, industrialisation and sheer survival instinct. It is not a serene lineage of grandmothers, sunlit tables and recipes carved in marble. It is closer to a national long-distance sprint from starvation – not quite the imagery Italy chose to present to Unesco.

Alberto Grandi is the author of La Cucina Italiana Non Esiste and a professor of food history at the University of Parma

Green sleeves? Laundry detergent being tweaked owing to gen Z’s love of matcha

Japanese green tea named stain of the year as survey finds Aperol spritz and bubble tea are also leaving their mark

It used to be curry sauce, egg yolk and red wine that ruined Britain’s clothes but in a sign of the times laundry detergents are being reformulated to tackle stains left by matcha lattes, Aperol spritz and bubble tea.

In a month when year-end gongs are dished out, from BBC Sports Personality to Pantone’s Colour of 2026 (a white called “cloud dancer”), matcha has received the dubious accolade “stain of the year”.

Matcha (39%).

Aperol/Cocktails (38%).

Lipstick/bronzer (37).

Protein shakes/sports drinks (35%).

Bubble tea (35%).

Nail polish (35%).

Sriracha/hot sauces (34%).

Deodorant (33%).

Makeup/foundation (32%).

Director and actor Rob Reiner found dead at home with wife Michele Singer Reiner

Authorities investigating ‘apparent homicide’ after 78-year-old director of Stand By Me and The Princess Bride was discovered dead at LA home with wife

• Gallery: Rob Reiner – a life in pictures

• Interview: Rob Reiner on Trump, family – and his brilliant, beloved movie

Rob Reiner, the director of beloved films including When Harry Met Sally, Misery, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride and This is Spinal Tap, has died aged 78 in an apparent homicide, along with his 68-year-old wife Michele Singer Reiner.

Reports first began to emerge on Sunday afternoon that the bodies of a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman had been found by authorities inside a home owned by Reiner in Brentwood, Los Angeles, after a medical aid request was made to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The rise and fall of Jimmy Lai, whose trajectory mirrored that of Hong Kong itself

Progressing from child labourer to billionaire, Lai used his power and wealth to promote democracy, which ultimately pitted him against authorities in Beijing

On Monday, a Hong Kong court convicted Jimmy Lai of national security offences, the end to a landmark trial for the city and its hobbled protest movement.

The verdict was expected. Long a thorn in the side of Beijing, Lai, a 78-year-old media tycoon and activist, was a primary target of the most recent and definitive crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Authorities cast him as a traitor and a criminal.

As shots hit Bondi beach, Jessica desperately searched for her toddler before diving to protect another child

One moment, Rozen was ‘eating donuts and celebrating light’ with her family. Then peace turned to terror as the attack began

• Bondi beach shooting live updates

• Bondi terror attack: full report

• What we know so far about the shooting in Australia

Jessica Rozen ran, searching desperately for her three-year-old son as the shots rang out at Bondi beach on Sunday.

Rozen had attended the Chanukah by the Sea event with her family when the terrorist attack began that evening, bringing a terrifying end to the day’s Jewish celebration of light.

12/10: CBS Evening News

U.S. seizes oil tanker off Venezuela coast; The "Grandma Stand" bringing comfort and connection to anyone who stops by

Yuletide Carolers keeping Christmas tradition alive

A Pew Research Center poll finds nearly 80% of Americans put up Christmas trees, but only 16% go Christmas caroling as adults. Jericka Duncan met a group of singers sharing some favorites while spreading yuletide cheer.

Winter weather hampering travel plans for millions of Americans

Travelers dealt with slowdowns at airports Sunday thanks to the arctic blast affecting parts of the country. Nicole Valdes reports.

High prices hitting Christmas shoppers hard

A new poll finds roughly half of Americans say they're finding it harder than usual to afford holiday gifts this year and 40% are having to dip into their savings. Ali Bauman reports.

Trump pays respects to shooting victims; Health care crunch continues in Congress

President Trump spoke Sunday about the horrific attacks at Brown University and in Australia. Willie James Inman has more on what the president had to say and what's ahead this week on Capitol Hill.

Jan. 6 police hero becomes go-to witness for Democrats in Congress

Daniel Hodges, a D.C. metropolitan police officer, says he's trying to block the whitewashing of the history of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

Deadly attack on Bondi Beach follows rise in antisemitic incidents in Australia

Australia, like other countries, has seen a rise in antisemitic attacks since the start of the war in Gaza.

What to know about the Brown University shooting

Police have detained a man in his 20s as a person of interest.

Chile shifts sharply right as José Antonio Kast wins Presidency

José Antonio Kast, a far-right politician, who has praised Chile's dictatorship, has won the presidency, signaling a sharp rightward shift fueled by fears over crime, migration, and the economy.

Former Prince Andrew is butt of the year’s best Christmas cracker joke

Two Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor gags make top 10 of public vote, along with jokes about Oasis and Nigel Farage

It’s safe to say it’s been a very bad year for the former Prince Andrew. Already stripped of his title and privileges, he is rounding off the year by becoming the punchline of the year’s most popular Christmas cracker joke.

The annual competition is commissioned by the comedy channel U&Gold (formerly Comedy Gold) and decided by the British public. It usually produces a topical winner that sends up one of the biggest stories of the year.

‘The frontline is everywhere’: new MI6 head to warn of growing Russian threat

Blaise Metreweli expected to say UK faces new ‘age of uncertainty’ in speech identifying Kremlin as key threat

Assassination plots, sabotage, cyber-attacks and the manipulation of information by Russia and other hostile states mean that “the frontline is everywhere”, the new head of MI6 will warn on Monday.

Blaise Metreweli, giving her first speech in the job, is expected to say the UK faces a new “age of uncertainty” where the rules of conflict are being rewritten, particularly in light of wider Kremlin aggression after the invasion of Ukraine.

Ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast elected Chile’s next president

The son of a Nazi party member and an admirer of Pinochet, Kast built his campaign on a promise to expel tens of thousands of undocumented migrants

The ultra-conservative former congressman José Antonio Kast has been elected as Chile’s next president.

With more than 99% of polling stations counted, Kast took 58.16% of the vote, against 41.84% for the leftist Jeannette Jara, a former labour minister under the current president, Gabriel Boric.

Title hopeful Bunting survives huge scare at PDC World Championship

• World No 4 edges out Sebastian Bialecki 3-2 in first round

• Kumar becomes first Indian to win at the tournament

Stephen Bunting survived a scare before the No 4 seed progressed into the second round of the world championship on Sunday.

Bunting, a semi-finalist last year, was taken to a tie-breaker by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before edging through 3-2 at Alexandra Palace.

European football: Real Madrid relieve pressure on Xabi Alonso with crucial win at Alavés

• Rodrygo keeps Real within four points of Barça at top

• Inter win 2-1 at Genoa, as Milan draw and Napoli lose

Rodrygo secured a crucial 2-1 victory for Real Madrid at Alavés in La Liga, ending a dismal run of form and keeping them within four points of the leaders, Barcelona.

Real, under pressure after two successive defeats in all competitions, broke the deadlock through Kylian Mbappé’s stunning first-half strike. However, a resilient Alavés levelled in the 68th minute through Carlos Vicente. The visitors restored their lead eight minutes later, courtesy of a counterattack led by Vinícius Júnior, whose assist was converted by Rodrygo.

Trump says building DC triumphal arch is domestic policy chief’s ‘primary thing’

Trump praises Vince Haley, his ex-speechwriter tasked with creating Arc de Triomphe knockoff amid affordability crisis

Amid concerns that he has failed to address a worsening affordability crisis, with health insurance premiums about to spike dramatically for over 20 million Americans, Donald Trump revealed on Sunday that his domestic policy chief’s main priority is building a triumphal arch for Washington DC.

Speaking at a White House holiday party, the president praised Vince Haley, his former speechwriter and a longtime aide to Newt Gingrich who now leads the White House Domestic Policy Council.

US immigration crackdown forces teens to caretake after parents are detained

As federal agents target families, teens are left to care for siblings – from accessing bank accounts to medical records

Vilma Cruz, a mother of two, had just arrived at her newly leased Louisiana home when federal agents surrounded her vehicle in the driveway. She had just enough time to call her oldest son before they smashed the passenger window and detained her.

The 38-year-old Honduran house painter was swept up in an immigration crackdown that has largely targeted Kenner, a New Orleans suburb with a large Hispanic population, where some parents at risk of deportation had rushed to arrange emergency custody plans for their children in case they were arrested.

What we know so far about the Brown University shooting investigation

Journalist Paul C. Kelly Campos of Ocean State Media on the continuing investigation into Saturday's shooting at Brown University that left two people dead and at least nine more wounded.

Bystander hailed as a hero for disarming Sydney gunman

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns on Sunday praised the man's actions, calling it "the most unbelievable scene."

NFL roundup: Mahomes tears ACL as Chiefs miss playoff for first time since 2014

• Packers star Parsons also has suspected torn ACL

• Bills overcome 21-0 deficit to beat Patriots

• Myles Garrett closes in on sack record

The Los Angeles Chargers eliminated the Kansas City Chiefs from playoff contention when Derwin James picked off a pass by Gardner Minshew – who had just taken over for the injured Patrick Mahomes – in the closing seconds to preserve victory over the reigning AFC champions.

Benjamin Netanyahu blames Anthony Albanese for Bondi beach terror attack, as world leaders express horror

Israeli prime minister claims the Australian government ‘let the disease’ of antisemitism spread ‘and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today’

• Follow live updates

• Bondi beach terrorist attack: full report

• What we know about the Bondi beach attack

Leaders around the world expressed their horror at Sunday’s terrorist attack on Bondi beach, in which at least 16 people died, mixed in some cases with harsh words for the Australian government for alleged shortcomings in tackling antisemitism over the past two years.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had written to his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, in August, warning that the government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire … emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets”. He claimed Albanese had “replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement”.

Ukraine willing to drop ambitions to join Nato, Zelenskyy says

Move marks big shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join Nato as safeguard against Russian attacks

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to drop Ukraine’s aspirations to join the Nato military alliance, as he held five hours of talks with US envoys in Berlin on Sunday to end the war with Russia.

Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said “a lot of progress was made” as he and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met Zelenskyy in the latest push to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since the second world war – though full details were not divulged.

Anna Christie review – Michelle Williams is miscast in Eugene O’Neill misfire

St Ann’s Warehouse, New York

Oscar-nominated actor struggles to convince in an emotionally inert attempt to resurrect one of the playwright’s lesser-known works

Though it won a Pulitzer prize in 1922, Eugene O’Neill’s social melodrama Anna Christie is not among the venerated playwright’s most famous works. For the better part of a century, ambitious theater artists have endeavored to climb the mountains of Long Day’s Journey Into Night and The Iceman Cometh. Less so for Anna Christie, a strange piece about a supposedly ruined woman trying to get her life back in order.

It’s an interesting choice of vehicle for star Michelle Williams, making her return to the stage after a nine-year hiatus. Anna Christie is an erratic and now quite dated play, one whose moral outlook is hard to parse, its shifts in tone sudden and varied. There’s also the matter that at 45, Williams is about a quarter-century older than O’Neill’s heroine, who is meant to be a hardened and battered young woman trying to start her adult life on new footing.

Pilot narrowly avoids ‘midair collision’ with US air force plane near Venezuela

JetBlue pilot calls incident ‘outrageous’ and says US military refueling tanker didn’t have transponder turned on

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US air force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path ... They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

The Guardian view on the Bondi terror shootings: do not let these antisemitic attacks drive division | Editorial

The beachside attack on Australia’s Jews, targeting a Hanukah gathering, reflects growing bigotry and political violence

The shock and horror that have rippled out from Bondi Beach across the world are immense. At least 16 people died at a place packed with families. A further 29 individuals suffered serious injuries. For Sunday evening’s shootings to occur in one of the most idyllic and quintessentially Australian of locations, at one of the most joyous times in the Jewish calendar, only deepens the fear and anguish felt throughout the Jewish community, across Australia and more broadly.

Authorities were quick to identify the attack as terrorism, targeting Jews as they gathered to celebrate the beginning of Hanukah on the beach. The two gunmen – one now dead, another critically injured as of Sunday night – fired on the crowds from a bridge. Parents ran with their children in their arms; elderly people struggled to flee. A car containing improvised explosive devices was found nearby and late on Sunday police were still searching for a possible third offender. Without the extraordinary courage of the man who single-handedly wrestled a gun from one attacker at the beach, and the swift response of others, this violence would probably have been still more devastating.

Storm drops heavy snow around Northeast as Pacific Northwest braces for more rain

Approximately 63 million Americans are under a cold weather advisory, and around 11 million are under a freeze warning — mainly in the Gulf States where such low temperatures are rare.

Sen. Cassidy says "there's a deal to be had" on health care after failed Senate votes

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, said "there's a deal to be had" on a plan to address health care costs after a pair of bills failed to secure enough support to advance in the Senate last week.

Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Dec. 14, 2025

On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado and Sen. Bill Cassidy join Margaret Brennan.

Calvert-Lewin header earns Leeds point after Henderson strikes for Brentford

This was a game to reflect the tyranny of analytics-based football, where thought and expression are abandoned for the playbook, set pieces rule, and long throws become key events. For Brentford’s Michael Kayode, read Leeds’s Ethan Ampadu, both taking an age before hurling the ball into a mass of bodies, before the ball was bundled away. How long can this tactic stay in vogue, now that every Premier League side is so well prepared?

Scoring a goal from open play remains a valid tactic and from such a situation Rico Henry set up Jordan Henderson to score his first goal in English football since 2021, via a deflection off the Leeds defender Jaka Bijol. In turn, Leeds found their deserved equaliser from open play, Dominic Calvert-Lewin heading home Wilfried Gnonto’s cross. Henry and Gnonto, both substitutes, had added dabs of quality to a previously constipated contest.

Ella Baron on Donald Trump following Putin’s lead this Christmas – cartoon

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Machado says "I absolutely support President Trump's strategy" on Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado said she's "absolutely" supportive of President Trump's strategy in the country.

Guardiola impressed with fighting spirit as City’s title push gathers momentum

• Head coach praises ‘real leader’ Dias as defence holds firm

• Win at Selhurst Park extends Manchester City’s run to five

Pep Guardiola has warned that Manchester City are growing in resilience after Erling Haaland and Phil Foden secured the side’s fifth win in succession and maintained pressure on the Premier League leaders Arsenal.

City gained revenge for their FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace in May with a ruthless 3-0 win at Selhurst Park after they saw off Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek. It means they have won all five matches since enduring successive defeats against Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen at the end of November and are back to within two points of Arsenal.

Nick Woltemade own goal ushers in pantomime season on Wearside | Barry Glendenning

German striker was given a sarcastic ovation by the Sunderland fans after his inadvertent match winner

On numerous occasions during the 75 minutes he spent on the pitch during the Wear-Tyne derby, Nick Woltemade cut an extremely isolated, peripheral and forlorn figure in the opposition box. A bad afternoon for Newcastle’s German striker got significantly worse shortly after half-time when he cut an even more isolated, peripheral and forlorn figure in his own team’s box after inadvertently heading a Nordi Mukiele cross past Aaron Ramsdale from six yards out.

Woltemade’s embarrassing own goal proved to be the unwitting match-winner in a contest that had until that point been high on full-blooded aggression but low on moments of real quality. As he made way for Yoane Wissa, it was no surprise the Sunderland fans granted the visibly deflated 23-year-old a sarcastic ovation. A fan favourite on Tyneside until the 46th minute of this match, Woltemade has now pulled off the unlikely feat of winning a permanent, bitterly ironic place in mackem hearts.

The Guardian view on Thailand and Cambodia: a Trump-brokered truce falls apart | Editorial

The US president’s claims to have ended eight conflicts look shakier than ever as conflict reignites in south-east Asia and the Democratic Republic of Congo

When the hastily confected Fifa world peace prize was bestowed on Donald Trump last week, the ceasefire in the Thai-Cambodian border dispute was among the achievements cited. Mr Trump also boasted of having ended war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He brags of having brought eight conflicts to a close and has just had the US Institute of Peace renamed in his honour.

Yet the truce between Thailand and Cambodia has already fallen apart. Half a million residents along the border have fled renewed fighting and civilians are among at least 27 people killed. Meanwhile, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at least 200,000 people have fled the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels – days after a peace deal was signed in Washington.

England need to be introduced to concept of consequences after Ashes flops | Mark Ramprakash

Players and coaches need to realise they will not be immune if fortunes do not change in the third Test in Adelaide

There’s always a lot of white noise around an Ashes series but at the moment for England it must be overwhelming, not just given their performances in the first two Tests but because of the mid-tour break they’ve just been on, with assorted media and attention-seekers following them around the beaches of Noosa.

I absolutely understand that Brendon McCullum’s priority is to do what he believes is right for the team, but the optics around that trip were not great and many England fans, who have spent their hard-earned money travelling to Australia with little reward so far, will be quick to bring it up if they produce another poor display.

Manchin urges lawmakers to stop acting in ‘attack mode’ amid political violence

Former senator’s comments echo recent call from Erika Kirk that ‘everyone has responsibility’ to tone down hatred

Politicians should “calm down” and stop approaching one another in “attack mode” amid the US’s climate of political violence, former US senator Joe Manchin said on Sunday.

The West Virginia independent who generally caucused with Senate Democrats echoed similar comments made at a town hall Saturday by Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death in September.

Frank warns Tottenham ‘not a quick fix’ after ‘very bad performance’ at Forest

• Manager says it will take time to turn club around

• Spence reaction to substitution will be investigated

Thomas Frank said Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest offered a sobering reminder his side remain a “work in progress” and amid increasing scrutiny the head coach reiterated improving Spurs’s fortunes is “not a quick fix”, saying: “If no one gets the time, no one can turn this around.”

Spurs have been hit and miss since Frank took charge in June and are in mid-table in the Premier League after a run of one win in seven top-flight matches, though still only six points off fourth-placed Chelsea. Spurs registered a single shot on target at the City Ground, where Callum Hudson-Odoi scored twice and Ibrahim Sangaré sealed victory with a stunning first-time strike.

Hendy hat-trick helps Northampton to Champions Cup stroll against Bulls

• Pool 4: Northampton 50-5 Bulls

• Saints score eight tries in Pool 4 win

On the face of it Northampton are flying in the Champions Cup courtesy of two consecutive bonus points wins. The more pedantic-minded might also point out that both their opponents have fielded below-strength sides, but when the qualifying sums are completed next month that will not be the top line as far as the Saints’ management are concerned.

Because regardless of the depth of the resistance they are facing, Northampton are again underlining their ability to pick apart sides who give them too much space and time. On this occasion they rattled up eight tries, including a hat-trick for George Hendy, two for the fit-again Ollie Sleightholme and one for the roaming Henry Pollock, who showed a further glimpse or two of his rare talent.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (Dec. 14)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

After the Bondi attack, all Australians must support the right of Jews to live without fear | George Newhouse

Long before the shocking killings in Sydney, the threat of antisemitic violence was often left unchallenged. That must change

Like all Australians, Bondi isn’t just a place to me, it lives in my heart as a symbol of who we are. As a child I spent many Sundays on the beach at North Bondi life-savers as a “nipper”, and as a former mayor of Waverley council and a local councillor for more than a decade, I have walked its concrete ramparts thousands of times, in all its seasons.

In a few weeks, visitors from every corner of the globe will gather there to celebrate Christmas. For locals, it is a place of peace and play. For the small Jewish community, it is also a place where festivals are marked openly and proudly.

11/9: Face the Nation

New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill and Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger join to discuss the past week's state and local elections.

Nature: Snow in South Dakota

We leave you this Sunday dreaming of a white Christmas at Good Earth State Park in South Dakota. Videographer: Kevin Kjergaard.

A guide to "Made in America" holiday gifts, state by state

The Made in America Holiday Gift Guide promotes products made in America – from cowboy hat racks produced in Wyoming, to giant stuffed animals from South Carolina. The list includes more than 150 companies from all 50 states. Luke Burbank talks with some of the small business owners for whom being included in this year's gift guide feels pretty close to a Christmas miracle.

ServiceNow in talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Armis in potential $7 billion deal, Bloomberg reports

Software company ServiceNow is in advanced discussions to acquire Armis, a cybersecurity startup last valued at $6.1 billion.

‘They’re selling everything as trauma’: how our emotional pain became a product | Katherine Rowland

In an economy that rewards confession and self-labeling, pain is no longer something to survive – but something to brand, sell, and curate

In March 2023, Dr Gabor Maté, a retired family physician and among the most respected trauma experts in the world, boldly diagnosed Prince Harry with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), during a live interview.

Having read the Duke of Sussex’s ghost-written memoir, Spare, Maté said that he had arrived upon “several diagnoses” that also included depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. These were not evidence of disease per se, Maté went on to elaborate. Rather, he said: “I see it as a normal response to abnormal stress.”

Fear of flying: Faith Salie on Secretary Duffy and the pajama resistance

When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy admonished air travelers who didn't "dress up" for their flights, flyers responded – by wearing pajamas. Faith Salie looks at what travelers think of the Secretary's flight of fancy.

Fear of flying: Faith Salie on Secretary Duffy and the pajama resistance

When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy admonished air travelers who didn't "dress up" for their flights, flyers responded – by wearing pajamas. Faith Salie looks at what travelers think of the Secretary's flight of fancy.

A prolific true crime producer was truly a criminal the whole time, the FBI says

Agency added Mary Carole McDonnell to Most Wanted list for loan fraud tied to phony heiress story

When Nigel Bellis went to work as a show runner for Bellum Entertainment in 2017, a friend gave him a warning: “They have a habit of not paying on time.”

Bellis spent the next several months in New Orleans, helping churn out more than 50 episodes of a true-crime TV show called Murderous Affairs. Though his payments came late, they always arrived. So when the company’s owner, Mary Carole McDonnell, offered him a new role in Los Angeles, he took it.

What are the prospects for laid-off workers?

In 2025, more than 1.1 million Americans were laid off from their jobs, the most since the COVID pandemic, even as corporate profits remain high. Business experts discuss the reasons why companies resort to layoffs.

What are the prospects for laid-off workers?

In 2025, more than 1.1 million Americans were laid off from their jobs, the most since the 2020 COVID pandemic. The layoffs were in numerous industries, by companies of all sizes, even as corporate profits remain high. Elaine Quijano talks with business experts who discuss why companies resort to layoffs and the psychological damage caused by firings, and why artificial intelligence is not filling those jobs – yet.

‘It was a massacre’: how antisemitic terror exploded the peaceful idyll of Bondi beach

Eyewitnesses describe acts of bravery from bystanders and police officers after gunmen opened fire on people enjoying a warm summer evening

• Bondi beach shooting: live updates

The killing went on so long, those fleeing had time to scream “they’re reloading” as they scrambled for any place of safety they could find.

Those who could not were pitilessly gunned down.

The kindness of strangers: I was so ill I couldn’t walk when a man virtually carried me to the toilets

I was determined not to vomit in front of six lanes of traffic, so I started crawling towards a nearby park

• Read more in the kindness of strangers series

When I was 19, I commuted to work every morning on an express bus. It was perpetually crowded and would always be standing room only by the time I got on.

One particular morning, I was feeling quite nauseous as the bus swayed around each corner. I kept telling myself to hold on another few kilometres until the bus got to my stop, and then I could make a mad dash for the nearest public toilet to throw up.

A hidden life in the era of social media can still change history, as the story of Jesus shows | Justine Toh

I see in Christmas an invitation to see differently: God in the social outcast, life on the margins reimagined as the centre of gravity

Do you want to be influential?

So do 57% of gen Zs in the US who aspire to be influencers, presumably lured by money and fame. But say you also want to make the world a better place. In that case, maybe the spiritual instruction you need emerges in the famous final lines of George Eliot’s 1871 novel Middlemarch:

Justine Toh is senior research fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity

Little Foot hominin fossil may be new species of human ancestor

Australian researchers think the skeleton found in South Africa is not the same species as two found in the same South Africa cave system

Little Foot, one of the world’s most complete hominin fossils, may be a new species of human ancestor, according to research that raises questions about our evolutionary past.

Publicly unveiled in 2017, Little Foot is the most complete Australopithecus skeleton ever found. The foot bones that lend the fossil its name were first discovered in South Africa 1994, leading to a painstaking excavation over 20 years in the Sterkfontein cave system.

Joely Richardson looks back: ‘Natasha’s death was life-changing. She was a figurehead to me’

The Nip/Tuck and Downton Abbey star on losing her sister, growing up in a theatrical dynasty, and how she feels about ageing

Born in London in 1965, Joely Richardson is an actor and campaigner. The daughter of actor Vanessa Redgrave and director and producer Tony Richardson, she trained at Rada, and rose to prominence with roles in 101 Dalmatians, Nip/Tuck and The Tudors, as well as in theatre and on Broadway. More recently, she appeared in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. Richardson is working for Save the Children’s annual festive fundraiser, Christmas Jumper Day, and also backing the charity’s new Christmas campaign.

I remember this as a happy day, but my eyes tell a different story. They look a little mistrustful. In my arms is my brother Carlo – we have different fathers; his is Italian actor Franco Nero. That day was Carlo’s christening, and it was obvious from my hand position that I’m not used to standing like that. Someone’s gone: “Put your arms out! We’re taking a picture of you holding the baby!” The whole thing looks awkward.

Let Donald Trump see inside my phone? I’d rather be deported | Emma Beddington

The potential demand that visitors to the US hand over their social media records, or even their phones, opens up a world of embarrassment

As someone with a child in the US, this new Trump threat to scrutinise tourists’ social media is concerning. Providing my user name would be OK – the authorities would get sick of scrolling through chicken pics before they found anything critical of their Glorious Leader – but what if I have to hand over my phone at the border, as has happened to some travellers already? I would rather get deported.

There’s nothing criminal or egregiously immoral on there; I don’t foment revolution or indulge in Trump trolling, tempting as that would be. But my phone does not paint a flattering picture of me. Does anyone’s? Those shiny black rectangles have become contemporary confessionals, and we would like to believe they abide by the same kind of confidentiality rules.

Bystander tackles and wrestles gun from alleged gunman during Bondi beach mass shooting

Video shows the man rushing one of the alleged gunmen who shot dozens of people on Sunday evening in Australia

• Bondi beach shooting live updates

• Bondi terror attack: full report

• What we know so far about the shooting in Australia

A bystander tackled and wrestled a gun from one of the two alleged gunmen during the Bondi beach mass shooting in which at least 16 people were killed, footage shows.

Seven News reported the man was a 43-year-old fruit shop owner from the Sutherland Shire named Ahmed al-Ahmed.

The cookies that fueled votes for women

Suffragists didn't just march. They baked, held bake sales and sold cookbooks to raise money for the cause of equality.

‘It’s not a coincidence’: journalists of color on being laid off amid Trump’s anti-DEI push

Black and brown former employees from CBS, NBC and Teen Vogue talk about the effects of being let go

Trey Sherman was traveling to work on the New York subway when he received an email from David Reiter, a CBS News executive, about an imminent meeting on 29 October. Sherman, an associate producer of CBS Evening News Plus at the time, suspected that he would be laid off. CBS News’s parent company, Paramount, had closed a merger with the Hollywood studio Skydance in August, and planned to slash more than 2,000 jobs as part of corporate restructuring.

Sherman, who is Black, and Reiter, who is white, had an amicable conversation, according to Sherman. Reiter told Sherman that he was being laid off because his show was being eliminated, Sherman said, and that Reiter was unable to assign the team to other positions. Sherman accepted the news and the two men wished each other good luck.

This year, I have seen a glimmer of hope: people are ditching a life led on screens for the real thing | John Harris

Whether it’s nightclubs banning phones or a drop in online dating, there are signs that we’re rediscovering the joy of being in the moment

It’s only a small rectangular sticker, but it symbolises a joyous sense of resistance. Some of Berlin’s most renowned clubs have long insisted that the camera lenses on their clientele’s phones must be covered up using this simple method, to ensure that everyone is present in the moment and people can let go without fear of their image suddenly appearing on some online platform. As one DJ puts it, “Do you really want to be in someone’s picture in your jockstrap?”

Venues in London, Manchester and New York now enforce the same rules. Last week brought news of the return of Sankeys, the famous Mancunian club that closed nearly a decade ago, and is reopening in a 500-capacity space in the heart of the city. The aim, it seems, is to fly in the face of the massed closures of such venues, and revive the idea that our metropolises should host the kind of nights that stretch into the following morning. But there is another basic principle at work: phones will reportedly either be stickered or forbidden. “People need to stop taking pictures and start dancing to the beat,” said one of the club’s original founders.

John Harris is a Guardian columnist. His book Maybe I’m Amazed: A Story of Love and Connection in Ten Songs is available from the Guardian bookshop

How to make nesselrode pudding – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

A luxurious iced dessert stuffed full of boozy dried fruit, candied peel and frozen chestnut puree

This festive, frozen chestnut puree dessert is often credited to the great 19th-century chef Antonin Carême, even though the man himself conceded that this luxurious creation was that of Monsieur Mony, chef to the Russian diplomat Count Nesselrode (albeit, he observed somewhat peevishly, inspired by one of his own chestnut puddings). It was originally served with hot, boozy custard – though I think it’s just enough as it is – and it makes a fabulous Christmas centrepiece,

Prep 15 min
Soak Overnight
Cook 20 min
Freeze 2 hr+
Serves 6

The Geminid meteor shower and hundreds of Santas: photos of the weekend

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Is it time to redraw our maps?

From migration to ecology, new knowledge makes new cartographic demands

In May, as part of his campaign to annex Canada, President Donald Trump called the border with his neighbour an artificial line that had been drawn with a ruler “right across the top of the country”. He suggested that the map of North America would look more beautiful without it.

Historians pointed out that the border reflected a complex history and an everyday reality for millions, but they also admitted that Trump wasn’t entirely wrong. Much of the border does follow a straight line – the 49th parallel – and the Americans and Britons who drew it up knew almost nothing about local geography.

Dim the lights, add a trinket tray and put out your best towels: how to spruce up your spare room

Impress your guests with interiors experts’ top tips for a stylish sleepover

When guests feel that they’ve been looked after with care, it sets the tone for a harmonious visit. Whether you have the luxury of a guest room, or a space that is somewhere between a home office and a laundry graveyard, there are lots of simple, thoughtful ways to give guests a genuinely warm welcome.

When friends and family are staying for just one night, it’s all about making their room comfortable and convenient – think cosy bedding, chargers by the bed, space for an overnight bag, etc. But if it’s a few days or more, it’s worth putting more effort in because, however close you are, you don’t want to be on top of each other. Create a space where they’re happy to relax, and everyone will be able to enjoy some time to decompress.

Voices of experience and hope soar in a song to prevent suicide

"Hold the Hope" was sparked by one woman's experience as a caregiver to someone who survived suicidal struggles. It started as a poem that has become a film, a song and even a dance.

Tanning bed users are at higher risk of skin cancer, especially in unusual places

Indoor tanning is trending among Gen Z. A new study finds tanning bed users not only have a much higher risk of melanoma, they also have DNA damage linked to cancer across nearly their entire skin.

At least 15 killed in mass shooting at Hanukkah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach

Hundreds had gathered for an event at Bondi Beach called Chanukah by the Sea, which was celebrating the start of the Hanukkah Jewish festival.

‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead

Exclusive: group behind notorious Florida immigration detention center created bid for reconstruction deal

Trump administration insiders and well-connected Republican businesses have been jostling to dominate pending humanitarian aid and reconstruction logistics in the shattered Gaza Strip, according to sources and documents reviewed by the Guardian.

With three-quarters of Gaza’s structures damaged or destroyed by two years of Israeli strikes, the rebuilding effort to come – estimated at $70bn by the United Nations – could be a rich prize for companies that specialize in construction, demolition, transportation and logistics.

This is how we do it: ‘We were childhood sweethearts – and 28 years later we’re still having sex every day’

Sarah and Scott have been together since school, but the sex just keeps getting better
• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

It took me a while to figure out what turned me on – I was well into my 20s when I first had an orgasm with him

US envoys arrive in Berlin for latest round of Ukraine peace talks with Zelenskyy

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, as Trump grows increasingly exasperated by delays.

‘It’s fun to go to war with God’: Will Sharpe and Paul Bettany on their sweaty, sacrilegious take on Amadeus

Last time the fierce enmity between Mozart and Salieri was adapted for the screen, it won a best picture Oscar. Now a new TV version turns up the temperature several notches – but will its stars develop a rivalry of their own?

“A prodigal son story with God as the father,” is how actor Paul Bettany describes Amadeus, the Peter Shaffer play that became a celebrated film in 1984. Both depict the rivalry between Austrian court composer Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a former child phenomenon whose towering talent exposes Salieri as mediocre and stuck in his ways. Salieri, who believes a composer’s gift to be divine, is so affronted by this upstart that he renounces God and sets about destroying Mozart.

Now Amadeus has been remade for TV, with Will Sharpe in the title role and Bettany as Salieri. The series, which begins with Mozart arriving in Vienna in a rickety carriage and promptly throwing up in the street, is written by Joe Barton, the Black Doves and Giri/Haji writer known for his leftfield approach to genre TV. Little surprise, then, that Amadeus takes liberties with the classic period drama, injecting it with modern-day dialogue and gloriously anarchic flourishes. While I won’t divulge the details of an early sex scene between Mozart and a young soprano, safe to say you won’t look at a macaron the same way again.

US wargames played out scenarios for Maduro’s fall. None of them ended well for Venezuela

Venezuelan politicians battling to end Maduro’s rule reject claims his downfall would thrust their country into maelstrom of bloodshed and retribution

Nicolás Maduro is chased out of office by a massive popular revolt but the Venezuelan military takes to the streets, turning its guns on the civilians who have brought him down.

A palace coup sends Venezuela’s authoritarian leader into exile, sparking a bloody power struggle between members of his disintegrating regime.

‘Happy by Pharrell is exceedingly annoying – but I love it’: DJ Roger Sanchez’s honest playlist

The Another Chance star does Journey at karaoke and gets the party started with Daft Punk. But which Stevie Wonder track would he like played at his funeral?

The first song I fell in love with
I grew up in New York City, so the emergence of hip-hop really connected with me when I was a kid. Rapper’s Delight by the Sugarhill Gang started me down the road where I am today.

The first single I bought
Let No Man Put Asunder by First Choice, on 12-inch vinyl from Rock and Soul in New York City, with money I’d saved from working part-time at the grocery store.

The 12 condiments of Christmas

Everyone needs a hand in the kitchen, and in lieu of any sous elves, Claire Dinhut – AKA Condiment Claire – picks the ones that will make your feast sing

Salt, sweet, bitter, acid, umami. While we don’t think to use too much “sweet” before dessert, it can counterbalance and enhance other flavours. Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice during the holidays because it just tastes cozy. Add it to roasted root vegetables or a poultry glaze, and it’s especially tasty in drinks, from hot apple cider to eggnog and even mulled wine.

‘The adventure can turn into a disaster’: the digital nomad families ‘worldschooling’ their children

Forget homeschooling, how about taking your family on a perpetual gap year and quitting the nine-to-five? Families who did just that share the hostel horrors and mid-trip meltdowns behind the Instagram feed

It was going to be the adventure of a lifetime. Late last year, Josy and Joe Davis decided to quit their jobs, sell their home and pull their two young daughters out of school to travel the world. Though their life in Gloucestershire was good on paper, post-pandemic it had been increasingly feeling like a grind. Josy, 35, a police dispatcher, worked shifts that swung from early morning to late night. Joe, also 35, a logistics manager, was often on call until 10pm. Neither felt as if they could ever switch off – let alone enjoy family time.

Exhausted, Josy caught herself being short with her daughters, Lola and Zara, six and four. “I felt like I spent my days off recovering, rather than actually being present,” she says. Though only in Year 1, Lola was feeling the pressure at school, fretting about where she ranked in the class.

Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson and ... Liz Truss? Inside the former PM’s audition for Maga

Her delivery might be stilted – but Truss’ new YouTube show has grand ambitions: a ‘Trump revolution’ in Britain with the help of an influential US conservative ecosystem

Liz Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, began the first edition of her YouTube show with a vow to unmask “the evil-doers” attempting to bring down Britain, the US and Europe. She would, she explained, reveal how an “international network of leftists work to subvert democracy and the will of the people”.

Despite her bleak monologue, Truss pointed to hope from across the Atlantic. “We’re going to look at the Trump revolution and see how this can be achieved in Britain,” she said. “We’ll be talking to the leading lights of the Maga movement.”

Welcome to our age of impunity – where the ICC prosecuting atrocities is a rare feat | Simon Tisdall

The jailing of a Sudanese militia leader is an anomaly in a world where Putin, Netanyahu and yes, Hegseth, act without fear of international law

It was a rare success for international courts struggling to resist a rising tide of official lawlessness. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman, a leader of the notorious, government-backed Janjaweed militia that committed genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region from 2003 to 2005, was jailed for 20 years last week by the international criminal court (ICC). He had been found guilty on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Although hundreds of militia were involved, Abd-al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, is the first person to be convicted of atrocities in Darfur, now again the scene of terrible violence in Sudan’s civil war. The ICC has charged Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president at the time, with genocide and war crimes. Ahmad Harun, a former minister, faces similar charges. But both men have evaded arrest.

My dad has given my brother 80% of his business and I feel horribly dismissed

You’re reluctant to discuss this with your parents – but doing so might help you shake off the feeling of injustice

I am struggling with the different way my parents have treated me and my brother. My dad started a business when I was five. Now it’s worth several million. My brother was invited by my dad to go into the business when he left university. I was not. By then, the business was well established and my dad stayed on as CEO. My dad gave my brother 80% of it. He will now sell the business and realise millions, meaning he can retire early.

My dad helped me with university fees and house purchases. He’s told me I will inherit the house and whatever money is left when my parents pass away, which is likely to be in about 20 years. I doubt there will be anything left.

7 highlights from Erika Kirk's CBS News town hall

Erika Kirk recalls the emotional fog of Charlie Kirk's assassination, addresses conspiracy theories and takes questions during a CBS News town hall hosted by Bari Weiss.

At least 2 killed, several wounded in Brown University shooting; manhunt on for suspect

The shooting occurred in a first-floor classroom of a school engineering building during final exams, authorities said. The gunman remains at large.

Erika Kirk has a "call to action" for parents

Charlie Kirk's widow Erika Kirk tells CBS News that it's easy to blame others for political violence, but she has a message for parents.

Drone strike on UN facility in war-torn Sudan leaves six peacekeepers dead

UN secretary general António Guterres says ‘unjustifiable’ attack on base in city of Kadugli ‘could be war crime’

A drone strike has hit a United Nations peacekeeping logistics base in war-torn Sudan, killing six peacekeepers, the UN secretary general António Guterres has said.

Eight other peacekeepers were wounded in the strike on Saturday in the city of Kadugli in the central region of Kordofan. All the victims are Bangladeshi nationals, serving in the UN interim security force for Abyei (Unisfa).

Giuffre family ‘disappointed’ Met police not investigating claims against Andrew

Relatives of Virginia Giuffre say they are surprised Scotland Yard made decision just before release of Epstein files

The family of Virginia Giuffre have expressed their “deep disappointment” that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not face a criminal investigation in the UK over allegations against him.

It was alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor had sex in London with a teenager who was trafficked, and then put pressure on his police protection officer to dig up dirt on her.

Comedy icon Dick van Dyke celebrates turning 100: "I still try to dance"

The famed star sang and danced his way into America's heart through his illustrious career that has spanned nearly eight decades.

The moment I knew: as he opened the Uber door, he opened my eyes to a love beyond work

Ash Jacks McCready had low expectations for her first date with Tom, but after an awkward start, their relationship moved fast and wild

• Find more stories from the moment I knew series

In high school I was in an all-consuming relationship with one thing: dance. Any free time I had was spent on working towards a coveted spot at a performance company.

As soon as I graduated school in Brisbane, I left to begin my career as a performer.

Belarus releases 123 prisoners including opposition leaders after US lifts sanctions

Nobel prize winner Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava among those freed after US talks with Alexander Lukashenko

The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has freed 123 prisoners, including Nobel peace prize winner Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava, after the US lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash, a key export.

The announcement came after two days of talks with an envoy of the US president, Donald Trump, the latest diplomatic push since the Trump administration started talks with the autocratic leader.