Japan PM vows ‘resolute’ response after Chinese aircraft accused of locking radar on to Japanese fighter jets

China’s ambassador summoned over alleged weekend incident that saw Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft twice train their radar on Japanese F-15s

Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has vowed to “respond calmly and resolutely” after Chinese military aircraft were accused of twice locking radar on to Japanese fighter jets south-east of Okinawa’s main island at the weekend.

Takaichi told reporters on Sunday that Japan would take all possible measures to strengthen surveillance of maritime and airspace and closely monitor the Chinese military’s activities, amid worsening tensions between the two countries. On Sunday, China’s ambassador was summoned.

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau make their relationship Instagram official

The singer posted a photo of the pair smiling cheek to cheek and a video of them eating sushi together while in Japan

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau have launched their relationship on Instagram, after the singer posted a photo of the pair smiling cheek to cheek and a video of them eating sushi together while in Japan.

Perry’s post appeared to confirm the pair are in a relationship, after months of speculation about a possible romance between her and the former Canadian prime minister.

UN report sounds alarm over Māori rights in New Zealand

UN committee raised concerns over government policies including scrapping the Māori Health Authority and funding cuts for Indigenous services

A United Nations committee has warned New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights and entrenching disparities for the Indigenous population, in its most critical review of the country’s record on racial discrimination.

Last month, the UN’s committee for the convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination (CERD) examined New Zealand’s record as part of its eight year review cycle for signatories to the convention.

Rafael Ithier, a legend of salsa music, dies at 99

The pianist, composer and arranger spent more than six decades turning El Gran Combo into one of the premier salsa institutions of Latin America and beyond.

WWII vet may be final man alive who witnessed Japan's surrender

John Lauritsen reports on Del Thielke, thought to be the last person alive who was present on the USS Missouri when Japan signed its Instrument of Surrender, ending World War II.

Program that let Colorado prisoners work with wild horses coming to an end

The end is near for a decades-long program that allowed incarcerated men in Colorado the chance to care for mustangs rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management. Kati Weis has more.

Americans making tough decisions, relying on credit cards with holiday spending in full swing

Economists say holiday spending is growing over last year, but at a slower pace. Americans are facing higher prices without seeing more in their paychecks and that's leading to tough decisions at the register. Lisa Rozner has more.

Trump hosting Kennedy Center Honors, a first for a president

President Trump is hosting the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday after presenting medals to the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees during an Oval Office ceremony Saturday.

Russia praises Trump's new national security plan, calling it consistent with Moscow's "vision"

Russia is welcoming President Trump's new U.S. national security strategy, calling it largely consistent with Moscow's "vision." Leigh Kiniry reports.

Calls grow for video of second U.S. strike on alleged drug boat

Some lawmakers are calling for the release of video showing the second strike that killed survivors of an initial U.S. military attack last September against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. Willie James Inman reports.

Republicans in Congress mocked Trump privately, Marjorie Taylor Greene says

Georgia lawmaker says colleagues who made fun of president before 2024 win now support him out of fear

Republicans in Congress privately made fun of Donald Trump only to come around to support him when he won their party’s 2024 White House nomination, outgoing GOP House member Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Sunday.

“I watched many of my colleagues go from making fun of him, making fun of how he talks, making fun of me constantly for supporting him, to when he won the primary in 2024, they all started – excuse my language, Lesley – kissing his ass,” Greene, a Georgia Republican, said in a clip of an interview that is set to air on Sunday on CBS’s 60 Minutes program.

UK asylum policy causes more violence and deaths, say rights groups

Home Office drive to stop small boats crossing Channel is handing more power to people smugglers, report finds

The UK’s policy to stop asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats has led to an increase in violence, deaths and smuggler control, but has not deterred arrivals, according to a report by human rights organisations.

The 176-page report from Humans for Rights Network, includes contributions from 17 refugee and human rights organisations operating in northern France and six in the UK.

UK will not be haven for dirty money, Lammy to say in corruption crackdown

Exclusive: Justice secretary to announce measures aimed at countering illicit finance as well as bribery in public services

The UK will no longer be a haven for dirty money and dictators’ laundered assets, David Lammy is to promise as he announces a new anti-corruption strategy also aimed at tackling bribery and other misconduct across government and public services.

Setting out the plan in a speech in London on Monday, Lammy, the justice secretary and deputy prime minister, will announce a series of initiatives including extra funding for an elite anti-corruption police unit.

Stabbing on North Carolina train draws Trump's attention; suspect arrested

A suspect accused of stabbing a man on a Charlotte Area Transit System commuter train on Friday is undocumented and was previously deported, according to authorities.

Fine against Southwest for 2022 winter storm cancellations waived by DOT

Under a 2023 settlement reached by the Biden administration, Southwest agreed to a $140 million civil penalty after the company canceled thousands of flights during a winter storm in 2022​.

Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says

Astronomers have long been concerned about reflections from satellites showing up in images taken by telescopes and other scientific instruments.

As Congress fights over ACA subsidies, another path emerges

Craig Garthwaite, Director of the Program on Healthcare at Northwestern University and co-author of a new paper from the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, talks about reforms that could make healthcare cheaper and more efficient.

Nigerian state secures release of 100 out of 265 kidnapped schoolchildren

Gunmen abducted 315 pupils and staff last month from St Mary’s school in Niger state as part of spate of kidnappings

Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 100 kidnapped schoolchildren taken by gunmen from a Catholic school last month, a UN source and local media said on Sunday, though the fate of another 165 students and staff thought to remain in captivity remained unclear.

In November 315 students and staff were kidnapped from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in north-central Niger state, as the country buckled under a wave of mass abductions reminiscent of the infamous 2014 Boko Haram abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok.

NFL roundup: Allen leads Bills’ thrilling comeback; Steelers notch crucial win over Ravens

• Buffalo score three touchdowns in final five minutes

• Indianapolis lose QB Daniel Jones to torn achilles

The Buffalo Bills (9-4) rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Cincinnati Bengals (4-9). Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and ran for one, and Christian Benford scored the go-ahead TD on a 63-yard interception return. Allen’s 40-yard TD rush broke his record for the longest by a Bills quarterback. Buffalo flipped the game with big plays on defense on a snowy afternoon. Benford and defensive end AJ Epenesa intercepted Joe Burrow on consecutive plays from scrimmage, leading to the Bills scoring three touchdowns in a span of 4:20 in the fourth quarter.

The Hepatitis B Foundation warns new guidance could undo decades of progress

Dr. Chari Cohen, president of the Hepatitis B Foundation, says there is no scientific basis for scaling back newborn hepatitis B shots.

Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future in doubt as Arne Slot faces Inter decision

• Forward may be dropped from Champions League squad

• Saudi clubs set to renew interest during transfer window

Mohamed Salah could be omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League trip to Milan to play Inter on Tuesday after his outspoken attack on the club and Arne Slot.

Salah’s future at Anfield is in question after the incendiary interview he gave at Leeds on Saturday, in which he accused the club of throwing him under a bus. The 33-year-old also claimed he no longer has a relationship with Slot, who omitted the forward from his starting lineup for a third game in succession.

Murder inquiry under way after woman and child die in house fire in Co Offaly

Police say the Edenderry home was deliberately set alight, leaving two dead and a third person seriously injured

A murder investigation has been launched after a 60-year-old woman and a four-year-old boy died in a fire in County Offaly in the Republic of Ireland.

Emergency services extinguished the blaze at a house in the town of Edenderry at about 8pm on Saturday but were unable to save the woman and child.

The War Between the Land and the Sea review – prepare to roll your eyes a lot at this fishy Doctor Who spinoff

Dodgy character names, zero subtlety, a dubious approach to female roles … Russell T Davies’s show about fishfolk is entertaining – but feels like a wasted opportunity to make genuinely great TV

The fishmen cometh. Or, to put it another way – The War Between the Land and the Sea, the long-awaited Doctor Who spin-off from Russell T Davies concentrating on the adventures of Unit rather than the double-hearted man from Gallifrey, is finally here.

RTD stalwart Russell Tovey stars as Barclay, an everyman figure who soon – two excellent puns incoming – finds himself out of his depth, nay a fish out of water, as he is forced to take the lead in the geopolitical crisis that surrounds him. Barclay is a low-level clerk with Unit who, through the kind of bureaucratic snafu that you may in your salad days have believed was confined to fictional romps aimed largely at children over the festive period until age and experience poured slugs into them, ends up being part of the operation sent to deal with the discovery by a group of Spanish fishers of – well, fishmen. Fishfolk.

Troops and warplanes deployed in Benin after ‘failed coup attempt’

West African Ecowas forces sent to country after group of soldiers announced dissolution of government on state TV

West African troops were deployed to Benin on Sunday after what the country’s president described as an unsuccessful coup attempt.

Benin’s president, Patrice Talon, said on Sunday that the situation was “totally under control” after security forces acted to end a coup attempt by a group of soldiers who attacked state institutions.

Democrats urge Pentagon to release video of strike on alleged drug boat

Trump team faces mounting pressure as members of Congress allege that the deadly attack was unlawful

US Democrats on Sunday pushed the Trump administration to release video of a second strike on an alleged drug boat incapacitated in the Caribbean, continuing to escalate pressure on the Pentagon amid accusations the attack was unlawful.

Eleven people died in the 2 September attack, including two men killed in a follow-up strike as they reportedly clung to wreckage for an hour. That killing has been met with intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes after the Washington Post reported defense secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill them all”. Adm Frank Bradley of the US navy, who oversaw the attack, told lawmakers on Thursday there was no such order – and the Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack.

Omar: Any link between alleged Somali fraud and terrorism would be a "failure of the FBI"

Rep. Ilhan Omar told "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that if allegations of a connection between tax dollars and terrorism are true, "that is a failure of the FBI and our court system."

Trump slams Rep. Cuellar for running again as a Democrat after pardon

President Trump took aim at Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democratic congressman from Texas whom he recently pardoned, in a Truth Social post.

Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Dec. 7, 2025

On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rep. Ilhan Omar join Margaret Brennan.

Himes says Pete Hegseth has "zero credibility" on boat strikes

Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that it's "really important" that video of the strikes "be made public."

Defense Department is reviewing boat strike video for possible release, Hegseth says

In a speech on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the strikes, saying: "President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation's interests."

Brighton ban Guardian from stadium over reporting on Tony Bloom

• Reporters and photographers barred from Amex Stadium

• Guardian says reporting is in the public interest

Brighton & Hove Albion have banned the Guardian’s reporters and photographers from attending matches at the Amex Stadium after it reported on allegations relating to the Premier League club’s owner, Tony Bloom.

The club notified the Guardian on Sunday to say it felt it “would be inappropriate for journalists and photographers from the Guardian to be accredited to matches at the Amex, starting from Sunday’s game against West Ham”. The move follows reports in the Guardian that have raised questions from MPs about the activities of Bloom, a billionaire who has made his money from gambling.

Man arrested after people at Heathrow allegedly attacked with ‘form of pepper spray’

Police think incident at airport car park involved theft of a suitcase and ‘people known to each other’

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after people were allegedly attacked with a “form of pepper spray” at a multistorey car park at Heathrow airport Terminal 3, police have said.

The Metropolitan police said armed officers were called to the terminal’s car park at about 8.11am to a report of people being assaulted.

Bama, Miami in, Notre Dame out and Indiana No. 1 in College Football Playoff rankings

Nobody paying attention for the past 24 months would be surprised to see Indiana – yes, Indiana – leading the way into this year's College Football Playoff.

Champions Cup roundup: Hendy tips see-saw battle with Pau Northampton’s way

• Wing’s late try key to Northampton 35-27 away win

• Charlie Atkinson’s late tries help Gloucester see off Castres

George Hendy’s late try ensured a winning start for last season’s beaten Champions Cup finalists, as Northampton saw off Pau 35-27 at the Stade du Hameau.

With the score locked at 27-27 with two minutes remaining, wing Hendy raced in at the corner to edge Saints ahead before Fin Smith’s penalty in the dying moments sealed his side’s thrilling win in their opening pool game.

Water leak in the Louvre damages hundreds of works, museum says

Open valve in heating system affects 300 to 400 items just weeks after a brazen jewel theft raised security concerns

A water leak in late November damaged several hundred works in the Louvre’s Egyptian department, the Paris museum said on Sunday, weeks after a brazen jewel theft raised concerns over its infrastructure.

“Between 300 and 400 works” were affected by the leak discovered on 26 November, the museum’s deputy administrator, Francis Steinbock, said, describing them as “Egyptology journals” and “scientific documentation” used by researchers.

Teen's sister looks to TikTok to help solve 25-year-old murder mystery

With her posts and pleas on TikTok, Molly Bish's sister hopes she will generate new tips that will finally solve her sister's Massachusetts murder case and put an end to a painful decades-old mystery.

The Guardian view on Marwan Barghouti: Palestinians need a political future as well as aid and reconstruction | Editorial

Pushing for the release of the jailed leader could prove central to the peace that Donald Trump claims to seek in the Middle East

In a sort-of ceasefire, the killings – including of children – have slowed, not stopped. Israeli military operations continue to displace hundreds of families in Gaza. Aid has increased but Israel is still blocking vital supplies. Palestinians desperately require security, humanitarian relief and reconstruction. But they need and expect a political horizon too. Donald Trump’s plans make only the vaguest and most conditional reference to a Palestinian state, and Israelis – as well as their ultra-right government – have entrenched their opposition since the atrocities of 7 October 2023. Yet after two years of annihilation, Palestinian nationhood has won international support that many thought unimaginable.

The political fate of Palestinians is bound to the personal fate of Marwan Barghouti. After more than two decades in an Israeli jail for murder, the charismatic 66-year-old is by far the most popular Palestinian leader, widely regarded as the only figure capable of uniting factions riven by ideology and enmity. Though a member of Fatah, Mr Barghouti has criticised abuses by the Palestinian Authority and has won respect within Hamas ranks. He has led Palestinian prisoners, while the PA’s old guard are seen as self-serving, ineffective, unaccountable and essentially as security contractors for Israel in the West Bank.

Keir Starmer to make Iceland boss Richard Walker a Labour peer

Appointment marks a rapid political transformation for a former Tory donor and potential candidate for MP

The formerly Conservative-supporting boss of the supermarket Iceland is to be made a Labour peer when the party appoints another 25 representatives to parliament’s upper house later this month.

Keir Starmer will appoint Richard Walker to the House of Lords, the Guardian understands, the culmination of an unusual and rapid political transformation for someone named as a prospective Tory MP candidate a little over three years ago.

The Guardian view on ageing research: our lives have more distinct phases than we thought | Editorial

Tech moguls may foolishly hope to stay forever young, but others could benefit too from evidence of the human body’s dynamic and varied journey through life

Ageing can feel remarkably sudden. One morning you awake to find new aches, or lapses in strength and memory that you could swear were not present just a few days prior. We do not literally age overnight, but as research is increasingly showing, we may not do so in a steady, linear path either.

Over the past decade a multitude of studies have suggested that ageing – at least for certain organs and bodily systems – may actually consist of long periods of stability, punctuated by inflection points or periods of rapid biological change. This shift in thinking has raised hopes for anti-ageing medicines. But it could also make us rethink our attitude to ageing in general, viewing it as a dynamic and varied journey – rather than simply a slow march of attrition and breakdown.

WSL roundup: Everton end Chelsea’s record-breaking unbeaten run

• Champions’ 1-0 loss first league reverse since May 2024

• Manchester United beat West Ham; Spurs see off Villa

Chelsea’s record-breaking unbeaten run in the Women’s Super League was brought to an end with a shock result as Everton won away against the defending champions, who had not lost any of the previous 34 league matches.

Everton’s 1-0 victory inflicted Sonia Bompastor’s first defeat as a WSL manager after a remarkable 18 months in charge, and was Chelsea’s first loss in the league since going down 4-3 at Liverpool on 1 May 2024 when Emma Hayes was still at the helm.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (Dec. 7)

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

Thousands of patients in England at risk as GP referrals vanish into NHS ‘black hole’

Exclusive: Watchdog finds 14% of cases not put on hospital waiting lists, with many reporting worsening health and rising anxiety

One in seven people in England who need hospital care are not receiving it because their GP referral is lost, rejected or delayed, the NHS’s patient watchdog has found.

Three-quarters (75%) of those trapped in this “referrals black hole” suffer harm to their physical or mental health as a result of not being added to the waiting list for tests or treatment.

Tough baptism for Wilfried Nancy as Hearts land title blow on Celtic

There will be ample time to assess adequately whether or not Wilfried Nancy can succeed as the manager of Celtic. In the meantime, it is worth pondering how on earth the club got into this pickle.

By the time Kieran Tierney cracked home a stoppage-time goal against Hearts, ordinarily the trigger for a cavalry charge by those in green and white, the stadium was all but empty. Hope had been abandoned by a supporter base who seem – rightly – to flick between mutiny and bewilderment.

Reborn and ruthless: can Manchester City realise their WSL title dream?

There are raindrops depicted on Manchester City’s third kit, with a deliberate nod to the often unsettled weather. Seeing the strip, what catches the eye first, though, is the fluorescent, neon green socks. You cannot fail to notice them and that is now also true of Manchester City in this season’s Women’s Super League title race; a team that quietly went under the radar initially, scarcely being spoken about as contenders, are now unmissable as they keep on winning, shining bright with a six-point lead at the top of the table.

Their latest victory, their ninth in a row in the league, not unlike the climate their kit honours, was not always particularly pretty. They spent well over an hour being frustrated by a Leicester side who were content to keep 11 players behind the ball with a deep, well-organised back five, but this is the sort of game, on a wet lunchtime in the East Midlands, when teams who go on to win titles manage to find a way through. Eventually, Manchester City did so, and then some, with two goals and an assist from Khadija Shaw delivering a 3-0 victory that more closely reflected their control of the contest than the 0-0 scoreline on the 73-minute mark had suggested. The visitors had 75.5% of the possession and 30 shots at goal compared to Leicester’s two.

Nicola Jennings on Putin’s dealings with Trump over Ukraine – cartoon

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Kremlin hails Trump’s national security strategy as aligned with Russia’s vision

Moscow welcomes White House document critical of the EU as talks to end the Ukraine war enter a key phase

The Kremlin has heaped praise on Donald Trump’s latest national security strategy, calling it an encouraging change of policy that largely aligns with Russian thinking.

The remarks follow the publication of a White House document on Friday that criticises the EU and says Europe is at risk of “civilisational erasure”, while making clear the US is keen to establish better relations with Russia.

210,000 power banks sold on Amazon recalled over fire and burn risks

The recall involves INIU 100,000mAh portable power banks, model BI-B41that were sold on Amazon between August 2021 and April 2022, the recall notice says.

Tom Gauld on the best conspiracy books of 2025 – cartoon

11/2: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," as the government shutdown stretches on, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner and Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw join to discuss the impacts. Plus, Anthony Salvanto breaks down the latest CBS News poll.

Nature: Alligators in Florida

We leave you this morning swimming with the alligators on the Myakka River in Florida. Videographer: Doug Jensen.

McLaren's Lando Norris wins first F1 title at season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the race with Norris placing third, which allowed Norris to finish two points ahead of Verstappen in the season-long standings.

Steel, courage and a sense of humour: how Lando Norris claimed his first F1 title | Giles Richards

After blows in mid-season the British driver rallied to hold off the challenge of his teammate Oscar Piastri and a stunning late run from Max Verstappen to make history in Abu Dhabi

“Just want to go have a burger and go home,” was the disconsolate entreaty from Lando Norris when he felt his Formula One world championship hopes had taken a mortal blow after he failed to finish at the Dutch Grand Prix in August. Yet it was testament to the resolution he has shown all season that while down he was far from out, as he proved in going on to claim the title that he felt had slipped away.

When Norris took the world championship with his third‑place finish in Abu Dhabi on Sunday he became the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton took his last title in 2020 and, similar to Hamilton for his first win in 2008, he had to show his absolute determination to close it out after a rollercoaster ride for the 26-year-old.

2025 holiday gift ideas from Techno Claus

Who dresses as St. Nick and speaks an odd brogue? Why, it's Techno Claus (a.k.a. David Pogue)! He offers "Sunday Morning" viewers his valuable tips for the gadget lovers on your gift-giving list.

2025 holiday gift ideas from Techno Claus

Who dresses as St. Nick and speaks an odd brogue? Why, it's Techno Claus, a.k.a. David Pogue! He offers "Sunday Morning" viewers his valuable tips for the gadget lovers on your gift-giving list.

Passage: Remembering architect Frank Gehry

"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week, including celebrated architect Frank Gehry, who brought a unique vision to skylines around the world.

First phase of Gaza ceasefire plan nearly complete, says Netanyahu

Israeli PM to discuss next steps with Donald Trump this month but timetable for lasting peace remains unclear

Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the first phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire plan is close to completion, and that the second phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

The Israeli prime minister said he would discuss the next steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

Nvidia has a cash problem — too much of it

Nvidia's recent slew of billion-dollar checks highlight the company's growing cash pile.

Book excerpt: "Family of Spies" by Christine Kuehn

Christine Kuehn uncovered a devastating family secret long hidden by her father: her grandfather, Otto, was a Nazi spy who passed military information on to the Axis powers in the run-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Lando Norris wins F1 world title in Abu Dhabi despite Verstappen’s GP win

• Norris is 11th Briton to win title after, tense third place

• Max Verstappen second in title race, Oscar Piastri third

In tears and almost rendered speechless by the sheer weight of emotion, what winning his debut Formula One world championship meant to Lando Norris was writ large across every inch of his face. What had begun as a childhood dream and at one point this season had ­seemingly slipped from his grasp was, finally, a reality he clearly found hard to take in, as he sealed it with third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

It would have taken truly a heart of stone not to have been moved by it all as he secured the title after what has been an enormously hard‑fought season across 24 gruelling races that went to the wire at the Yas Marina ­Circuit.

"Family of Spies": Christine Kuehn discovers her grandfather's Nazi past

In 1994 Christine Kuehn received a letter that revealed a family history from which her father had tried to shield her: Christine's grandfather, Otto, was a Nazi spy who was the only person tried and convicted for the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

"Family of Spies": Christine Kuehn discovers her grandfather's Nazi past

In 1994 Christine Kuehn received a letter that revealed a family history from which her father had tried to shield her: Christine's grandfather, Otto, was a Nazi spy who was the only person tried and convicted for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. David Martin talks with Kuehn about her German family conducting World War II-era espionage, a tale she recounts in her new book, "Family of Spies."

Almanac: December 7

"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date.

You don’t need alcohol on Christmas Day. It may be far more enjoyable if you stay sober | The modern mind

Imagine what a relaxing and special celebration it could be if it was tailor-made just for you

• The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work

Now is the time of year when some of my clients want to talk about Christmas.

As a specialist in addiction, many are seeking my help for their drinking.

The kindness of strangers: I couldn’t afford a pricey hotel, then a student let me sleep on her dormitory floor

In retrospect, I can appreciate what a big chance she took. I hope the universe has repaid her many times over

• Read more in the kindness of strangers series

Back in 2006, I went to Canberra for a medical school interview. I figured I would book accommodation when I arrived but when I arrived, there was a big convention in town and all the backpacker hostels and budget accommodation were fully booked.

Coming from Singapore, I thought perhaps I could just sleep at the airport – but quickly found Canberra airport, unlike Singapore’s, was not open 24 hours. Not knowing quite what to do and getting a bit desperate, I caught a bus into town, then started wandering towards the casino, thinking I might spend the night in a place that was open all night. That wouldn’t put me in the ideal condition for nailing an interview the next morning, but as a broke student, I couldn’t afford a pricey hotel.

Ukraine is facing a painful choice | Christopher S Chivvis

Kyiv may be approaching its last chance to end the war with its sovereignty intact. If a peace deal includes two key elements, it should accept

The negotiations over the war in Ukraine are frustrating and tragic. On the one side, a victim of aggression whose plight is more and more desperate. On the other, a brutal aggressor, willing to go to extraordinary lengths to win the war. In the middle, a transactional American president eager for a deal.

It’s no surprise that so many observers have railed against the proposals recently put forward by President Donald Trump and his emissary Steve Witkoff. These proposals appear to offer much to Russia and little to Ukraine – other than an end to the violence. If the negotiations produce a plan that offers Ukraine no hope of security after the war, no Ukrainian leader will accept it. Security is the core of sovereignty, and it would be political suicide to trade Ukraine’s sovereignty for peace.

Christopher S Chivvis is a senior fellow and director of the American statecraft program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Forget Hadrian’s Wall. The UK citizenship test should ask about Corrie, bus queues and Greggs | Emma Beddington

Questions about the Corn Laws and habeas corpus are abstruse and unrelated to modern life – as my French husband is finding. The test should instead ask about soap operas and sandwiches

What medal did Mary Peters win in the 1972 Olympics? How many Scottish ski resorts are there? Where was Florence Nightingale born? Until I got these questions as exasperated screenshots from my husband, I had no idea, like any normal Briton (it’s gold, five and Italy, apparently). They came from an app he downloaded to revise for his Life in the UK test, a prerequisite for applying for citizenship. Other recent questions have featured the divine right of kings, Hadrian’s Wall fort names and trying minor crimes in Scotland. Can the test itself possibly be this hard? We’ll soon find out: he’s taking it next week, if he doesn’t give up and go back to France instead.

Much has been written about the absurdity of the Life in the UK test – it’s inaccurate, partial and sloppily worded, unfit for purpose, a “bad pub quiz” – and now it’s ruining my life (in the UK). Home is tense: my husband is tetchy because he has spent years here (he works, volunteers, pays taxes, can identify both Mitchell brothers and responds appropriately when asked “You all right?”), but now needs to prove he is assimilated by answering multiple-choice questions on the repeal of the Corn Laws. I’m mortified, partly because we’re making people pay £50 to take an absurdly hard exam – you need 75% to pass – and partly because it keeps humbling me. I’m a history graduate, but couldn’t tell you the date of the Habeas Corpus Act with a gun to my head.

Anna Maxwell Martin looks back: ‘I was bullied a little bit, but it didn’t affect me because I was a happy weirdo’

The actor on being an introverted extrovert, performing as a pearly queen, and becoming a single mother when her husband died

Born in Beverley, East Yorkshire, in 1977, Anna Maxwell Martin studied at the University of Liverpool and trained at Lamda. She made her name with a Bafta-winning performance in the BBC’s Bleak House and has since starred in Line of Duty, Motherland and Midwinter of the Spirit, as well as numerous stage productions. She lives in London with her two daughters. Their father, the director Roger Michell, died of a heart attack in 2021. Maxwell Martin is an Action for Children ambassador and stars in their Christmas short film, Santaland. To donate, visit iamsanta.org.uk.

I am five and having my picture taken at school. On my eye is a medical patch. That’s what they did to you in the 1980s if you had a squint. My dad cut my hair using a bowl, which is why it is such a tragedy.

Readers reply: What are the greatest life lessons?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

What are the biggest life lessons? Things like how to navigate uncertainty, or what clothes never to wash together? What are the best life-enhancing secrets – big or small – that took years to discover and now need to be shared? Campbell Norris, by email

Send new questions to [email protected].

Martin Parr, photographer acclaimed for observations of British life, dies aged 73

From sunbathers to Conservative clubs, Parr’s images were often in vivid colour with more than a dash of humour

• Martin Parr: the photographer’s career in pictures

• ‘There’s something very interesting about boring’: Martin Parr on his life in pictures

Martin Parr, the British documentary photographer who captured the peculiarities of the nation with clarity and hilarity, has died aged 73. He had been diagnosed with cancer in May 2021.

A statement from the Martin Parr Foundation on Sunday said: “It is with great sadness that we announce that Martin Parr died yesterday at home in Bristol.

Horses and carts and Christmas light ceremonies: photos of the weekend

A selection of the best images from around the world this weekend

A ban on feeding pigeons ruffles lots of feathers in Mumbai

The pigeon population has exploded — a result of people feeding the birds. For some it's a holy duty and a way to connect to nature. Critics point to health risks tied to exposure to pigeon droppings.

The search for Francine the Cat

A favorite fixture at a Lowe's store in Richmond, Va., Francine the Cat, had vanished. So, manager Mike Sida launched a far-reaching effort to locate her – from deploying tempting treats, to the use of surveillance cameras and heat-detecting drones, as far away as a massive Lowe's distribution center in a neighboring state. Steve Hartman reports on the mission to find a beloved feline.

UN humanitarian chief: world needs to 'wake up' and help stop violence in Sudan

The UN's top humanitarian and emergency relief official has told NPR that the lack of attention from world leaders to the war in Sudan is the "billion dollar question".

Ben Stokes says England have been ‘letting the pressure get to us’ in Ashes

• Captain says his dressing room ‘isn’t a place for weak men’

• Coach McCullum says England were ‘overprepared’

Ben Stokes has admitted that the way England have folded in key moments during the first two Ashes Tests has led him to question the character of his players, and said: “A dressing room that I am captain of isn’t a place for weak men.”

After Australia won the second Test in Brisbane by the same eight-wicket margin with which they secured the first, Stokes suggested the telling difference was that the home side had been superior in the “moments in the game where the heat is on and the pressure is really, really cooking” whereas his players “have all been guilty at moments [of] letting the pressure, the occasion, the circumstances, get to us”.

Two marathon organisers arrested in Iran over women running without hijabs

Judiciary says a criminal case has been opened after online images showed a number of unveiled female competitors

Judicial authorities in Iran have arrested two organisers of a marathon held on an island off the country’s southern coast after images emerged showing women taking part in the race without hijabs.

The arrests on Saturday come as the authorities face increasing criticism from ultraconservatives who accuse them of inadequate efforts to enforce a mandatory headscarf law for women amid fears of growing western influence on the Islamic republic.

An animal rights activist was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for 15 years. Will he be returned to the US?

Daniel Andreas San Diego, now 47, is fighting extradition from the UK amid accusations he set off three pipe bombs in 2003

Twenty-two years ago, a dark-haired, bespectacled young man vanished off the streets of San Francisco. Daniel Andreas San Diego, a 25-year-old information technology specialist, diehard vegan and animal rights activist, was the FBI’s main suspect in a series of pipe bombings that exploded in front of the headquarters of Chiron Corporation and Shaklee Corporation, two Bay Area companies, in August and September of 2003.

Communiques attributed to the Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade were posted to the website of an animal rights magazine, claiming the attacks were carried out to highlight both firms’ alleged work with Huntingdon Life Sciences, a British research company that conducted tests for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other chemical companies and had drawn the ire of activists on both sides of the Atlantic opposing its tests on animals.

How to make the perfect Dubai chocolate bar - recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …

The pistachio-crammed craze makes a superb gift. Our in-house perfectionist tries all the fiddly bits for you …

If you’re asking what on earth chocolate has to do with a city with an average annual temperature of 28C, then you must have been stuck in the desert for the past three years. Because, since its creation in the UAE in 2022, apparently to satisfy chocolatier Sarah Hamouda’s pregnancy cravings for pistachio and pastry, this bar has taken over the world. Though food (among those with the luxury of choice, at least) has never been immune to the absurdities of fashion, the internet has supercharged and globalised the process, so much so that pistachios, which back in January were dubbed “the new pumpkin spice” by this very newspaper, are now everywhere, from Starbucks lattes to Aldi mince pies.

The thing is, however, that whatever your thoughts on green, sugary, coffee-adjacent beverages, Hamouda’s Dubai chocolate developed for Fix Dessert Chocolatier has triumphed, because it really does taste as good as it looks: crunchy pastry, sweet chocolate and rich, slightly savoury nut butter are an incredibly satisfying combination, so a big bar of it is guaranteed to impress under the Christmas tree. Experience demands that I suggest you wrap it in a pet-proof box, however – emergency vet bills are no one’s idea of a great present.

‘You have to stay curious’: Michael Kors on his inclusive brand’s global rise

With a return to thinness in the fashion industry, catwalks spanning size, age and race may be the secret of the Kors appeal

The sale of Versace to Prada this week in a $1.4bn deal marked a new chapter for two storied Italian fashion houses.

It also left Versace’s former parent company, Capri Holdings, with an even greater focus on Michael Kors, the 44-year-old brand know as America’s Armani that made up about 70% of sales in its last financial year.

African swine fever outbreak in Spain may have leaked from research lab, officials say

Authorities say strain of virus that has killed wild boars in Catalonia is one often used for experiments in secure facilities

Spanish authorities investigating the African swine fever outbreak in Catalonia are looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility and are focusing on five nearby laboratories as potential sources.

Thirteen cases of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November, prompting Spain to scramble to contain the outbreak before it becomes a serious threat to its pork export industry, which is worth €8.8bn (£7.7bn) a year.

Sydney Sweeney says her silence over jeans advert backlash ‘widened the divide’

Actor speaks out over controversy around American Eagle advert in the summer that critics say flirted with eugenics

The actor Sydney Sweeney has said she should have addressed the controversy surrounding her American Eagle jeans advert, which was accused by critics of flirting with eugenics, saying not doing so “widened the divide” between people.

Sweeney, who made her name in HBO’s Euphoria and has since become a leading Hollywood star, told People magazine she regretted staying silent during the row, in which Donald Trump at one point intervened.

What we get wrong about the Montgomery bus boycott – and what we can learn from it | Jeanne Theoharis

The movement’s success was never a given. It took much longer and required repeated action and tremendous sacrifice, without any certainty it would work

The Montgomery bus boycott, which began 70 years ago on 5 December 1955, is now understood as one of the most successful American social movements. And yet, much of how it is remembered is romanticized, inaccurate and even dangerous – distorting how we imagine social change happens.

In the fable, Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat, Black Montgomery residents rise up, a young Martin Luther King Jr is introduced to the world, and injustice is vanquished. The right action is all it takes – furthering a mythology that, without deep preparation or sacrifice, Americans can make great change with a single act. Today, in the face of rising injustice, many criticize young activists for being too disruptive, too disorganized, too impractical. But, in fact, the Montgomery movement began much earlier and took much longer than we imagine and entailed tremendous sacrifice. It required hard choice after hard choice without evidence these actions would matter, and was considered too disruptive by many at the time – all of which gives us important lessons for how to challenge injustice today.

Jeanne Theoharis is a distinguished professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the author of King of the North: Martin Luther King Jr’s Life of Struggle Outside the South and The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks.

Trump vows to slam America’s doors shut as he heaps scorn on immigrants

National guard shooting prompts extraordinary outburst and targeting of people from startling range of countries

When the history of Donald Trump’s second presidency is written, 26 November 2025 may well go down as a particular landmark.

On the eve of Thanksgiving, a lone gunman shot two West Virginia national guards, Sarah Beckstrom, and Andrew Wolfe, as they were on patrol outside Washington DC’s Farragut West metro station, a short walk from the White House – and thereby opened the floodgates to a wave of racist and anti-immigrant invective that seemed extreme even for Trump.

Goodbye angels, hello Ozempic needles – what’s behind the boom in bizarre Christmas baubles?

This year’s most-wanted ornaments include weight-loss syringes and favourite foodstuffs. When and why did Christmas trees become so commercialised?

it was the second Tuesday in November but Christmas was already in crisis. Sarah Gibbons had just received a shipment of baubles at her Glasgow homeware shop, Modern Love Store, and some crucial ornaments were missing. She hopped on a long-distance phone call to her suppliers in the US – she needed to sort this out. After all, her customers were clamouring for them. “People aren’t just buying one,” the 39-year-old shopkeeper told me after discovering the missing decorations, “they’re buying three or four at a time.” Three what? Turtle doves? Nutcrackers? Or perhaps some classic candy canes? Of course not. This year’s must-have bauble is in the shape of a lightly glittered syringe of Ozempic.

Growing up, my favourite Christmas ornament was a little pink plastic baby Jesus resting in a manger. He was bought by my great-aunt in Oberammergau, Germany, in 1990 – and although his battery hasn’t been changed since, you can still press his belly to hear Silent Night play. Today, decorations are a little different. Ozempic isn’t the only needle hanging from our needles: Britons can also purchase Christmas tree ornaments shaped like syringes of Botox and filler. Meanwhile, Selfridges is selling a dirty martini bauble, M&S is peddling a hanging prawn cocktail and Aldi is offering an ornament shaped like an air fryer. Move over, baby Jesus; glass has now been blown into the likeness of Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White.

Dining across the divide: ‘She’s not unwelcoming or racist but she thinks immigration is creating a brain drain elsewhere’

They had different opinions on social media, asylum seekers and ‘woke’ politics, but which Stewart Lee sketch got them both laughing?

Samuel, 34, London

Occupation Communications professional

Canada may approve a new oil pipeline. First Nations fear another ‘worst-case scenario’

Mark Carney is considering lifting a tanker ban that has protected coastal communities for 53 years

The distress call went out to the Canadian coast guard station after midnight on an October night. The Nathan E Stewart, an American-flagged tugboat, sailing through the light winds and rain of the central British Columbia coast, had grounded on a reef.

The captain tried to reverse, moving the rudder from hard over port to hard over starboard. The boat pivoted but did not move, and the tug repeatedly struck the sea bed.

Supreme Court to hear major test of presidential power in case over FTC firing

President Trump's efforts to reshape the executive branch and flex his presidential power are set to be tested at the Supreme Court on Monday.

This is how we do it: ‘Her work crush led to us having clinging-on-for-dear-life sex’

Growing up gay in the 90s, Verity and Darya lacked the confidence to talk about their desires. Verity’s attraction to a colleague changed all that

• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

I never felt that stomach-churning excitement and uncertainty we associate with desire

From 400-year-old globes to cosmic shrouds: A Maine library brings maps to life

From 400-year-old globes to cosmic funeral shrouds, how the Osher Map Library in Maine shows people that maps aren't just for navigation — but windows into history, culture, and how we see the world.

Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale has become ‘more and more plausible’

Canadian author discusses US under Donald Trump and says setting of dystopian novel has ‘become much closer’

Margaret Atwood has said the plot of her book The Handmaid’s Tale, which tells a story of an authoritarian regime under which women are forced to reproduce, has become “more and more plausible” in recent years.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Atwood said she believed the plot was “bonkers” when she first developed the concept for the novel because the US was the “democratic ideal” at the time.

The ultimate unsung superfood: 17 delicious ways with cabbage – from kimchi to pasta to peanut butter noodles

Over the last 50 years, cabbage consumption in Britain has declined 80%. But it’s versatile, full of vitamins, and perfect on a winter night. Here’s how to make the most of it

It’s not good news: despite a lot of messaging about healthy eating, Britons consume 12% less vegetables per week than they did in 1974, when the government’s Family Food survey began. And while the consumption of some specific vegetables – courgettes, say – has risen over the past 50 years, others have experienced a sharp decline. Among the biggest losers is cabbage. Cabbage consumption in the UK dropped by 80%, beaten only by brussels sprouts (87%) which are, after all, a kind of cabbage.

This is a tragedy, not just because cabbage is an unsung superfood containing essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, as well as protein and dietary fibre, but because it’s a flexible, abundant and potentially delicious culinary ingredient. It even comes in different colours.

Faith and Reform: is the religious right on the rise in UK politics?

Powerful Christian figures are emerging in Britain but there are important differences from the US, where evangelism has fuelled Trump

At recent Reform UK press conferences, two very distinctive heads can often be spotted in the front row: the near-white locks of Danny Kruger, the party’s head of policy, and the swept-back blond mane of James Orr, now a senior adviser to Nigel Farage.

As well as guiding the policy programme for what could be the UK’s next government, the pair have something else in common. Both are highly devout Christians who came to religion in adulthood and have trenchant views on social issues such as abortion and the family.

‘Witness (1 Hope) by Roots Manuva gives me some bad girl energy’: Eliza Rose’s honest playlist

The DJ, producer and singer likes the kind of dancehall her dad disapproves of, and her funk to be electronic. But whose songs make her feel bougie?

The first single I ever bought
Aaliyah, Rock the Boat. My nan sent me and my cousin to pick up some bits in Dalston and there was some change left over so I went into HMV and bought this CD for £1.99. I shouldn’t have been stealing my nan’s change but I felt so grownup. If my Jamaican dad had found out, he wouldn’t have been happy. I would have got a couple of licks.

The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit of …) by Lou Bega. I was working on my album recently and realised I knew every word. I was so impressed because I barely remember my own lyrics.

Putin should have accepted Trump’s deal. Now Russia’s collapsing economy could lead to his downfall | Simon Tisdall

The war against Ukraine has hit ordinary Russians hard, and the deteriorating situation is likely to inflame tensions

People in Britain who think they are governed by fools should take a closer look at the Russian and US presidents. Vladimir Putin is systematically ruining his country. His war of choice in Ukraine is an economic, financial, geopolitical and human calamity for Russia that worsens by the day. For his own murky reasons, Donald Trump, another national menace, offered him a lifeline last week. Yet Putin spurned it. These two fools deserve each other.

On the table in Moscow was a “peace” deal that, broadly speaking, rewarded Russia’s aggression by handing over large chunks of Ukrainian land, compromised Kyiv’s independence and weakened its defences against any future attack. The Trump deal, if forced through, would have split the US and Europe; ruptured Nato, perhaps fatally; reprieved Russia’s pariah economy; and probably toppled Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government.

Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator

Supermarché sweep: the treats we love to buy on holiday in Europe

Italian sweets, Irish smoked fish, honey cakes in Belgium … travel writers choose the stores and local delicacies they make a beeline for when travelling

I fell in love with Belgian snacks when cycling the amateur version of the Tour of Flanders some years ago. The feed stations along the route were crammed with packets of Meli honey waffles and Meli honey cake. I ate so many that I suffered withdrawal symptoms after finishing the last of them at the end of the 167-mile route.

‘No one knows where it came from’: first wild beaver spotted in Norfolk in 500 years

Cameras capture lone creature collecting materials for its lodge in riverside nature reserve

A wild beaver has been spotted in Norfolk for the first time since beavers were hunted to extinction in England at the beginning of the 16th century.

It was filmed dragging logs and establishing a lodge in a “perfect beaver habitat” on the River Wensum at Pensthorpe, a nature reserve near Fakenham in Norfolk.

‘What choice do we have?’: no end in sight for Ukraine’s war-weary frontline troops

As peace hopes falter, infantry soldiers face more long deployments risking their lives against Russian attacks

For almost all of their 62-day deployment on the frontline east of Pokrovske, Bohdan and Ivan hid – first in a village shop, then, after a deadly firefight with Russian soldiers, in a tiny basement where the infantrymen from Ukraine’s 31st Brigade had to survive seven more weeks.

Food, water, cigarettes and other supplies were airlifted in by a friendly drone, their toilet was their 3 sq metre room, their nearest comrades 200 metres or so away. Their only hope was to remain underground, because they knew if they were detected a Russian drone could kill them all.

The loggers and ranchers are closing in but still Brazil’s Kawahiva people wait for protection

Bureaucratic delays and funding shortages stall plans to carve out a forest reserve for the uncontacted Indigenous group on the southern fringe of the Brazilian Amazon

In 2024, agents of the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) walked more than 60 miles through rainforest on the southern fringe of the Brazilian Amazon on a mission to monitor and help protect a group of Indigenous people who had no contact with the modern world.

What they found was a small basket freshly woven from leaves, a child’s footprints on the bank of a creek, and tree trunks hacked open hours before to extract honey. There were huts abandoned a year before that were sinking into the forest floor, and brazil nut pods discarded around old campfires. They were all signs that the Pardo River Kawahiva people were there.

I’m no hate-watcher. I really do love Meghan and her Christmas special | Polly Hudson

The Duchess of Sussex is back and suddenly her show makes sense. It is cringingly ultra-extra, of course, but isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

No matter the time of year, ’tis always open season on the Duchess of Sussex’s televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Critics, professional and armchair, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping series one and two of the lifestyle show to shreds. The consensus was that there has never been a greater royal outrage than when she took some pretzels out of a labelled bag, put them in a different bag, then labelled it. And she didn’t even attempt to explain herself to Emily Maitlis afterwards.

Now, like a merry renegade master, she is back once again with a “Holiday Celebration” (aka a Christmas special). But this time, it’s different. There are still the usual elements we’ve come to expect – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – but in the context of a yuletide episode, suddenly it all makes sense. The pieces have fallen into place; it’s a perfect snow storm.

David Ellison's hunt for WBD made David Zaslav richer — and it may not be over

Paramount is considering taking an offer to WBD shareholders, thinking its deal has a better chance of gaining regulatory approval than Netflix's, sources said.

Mulletfest 2025: bogan games, beer pong and 1-metre pony tails – in pictures

Held in Kurri Kurri, NSW, the annual celebration of the hair style has something for mullet wearers of all stripes and ages, from the 0-3 years category to the ‘vintage’ for over 50s to the ‘ranga’ and ‘rookie’. Events including timed-tyre lifting and drink-sculling rounded out the festivities

• Photographs by Simone de Peak