Steve Cropper, guitarist and member of Stax Records' Booker T and the M.G.'s, dies

Steve Cropper, who co-wrote classics including "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" and "In the Midnight Hour" during his years playing guitar at the legendary Stax Records in Memphis, has died. He was 84.

Pentagon reportedly knew strike on alleged drug boat left survivors - live

It is still unclear who ordered the strikes and whether US secretary of defense Pete Hegseth was involved, source tells Associated Press

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it had started its immigration enforcement operation in New Orleans today.

In a statement, the department said Operation Catahoula Crunch would target “criminal illegal aliens roaming free thanks to sanctuary policies”. New Orleans is the latest Democratic-run city (albeit in a Republican-led state) to see federal immigration agents on its streets. Most recently, the Trump administration targeted Charlotte, North Carolina, and touted the arrest of more than 300 undocumented immigrants.

Pop, smut and Swift: what Spotify Wrapped 2025 reveals about Australian tastes

Lack of local content is notable this year in the music platform’s analysis of users’ personal music, podcast and audiobook choices

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It may be Fred Again, Donna Summer or Barkaa. Your musical “listening age” could be 21, 57 or three. You have listened to 14 minutes or 40,000.

But it’s not likely to feature much Australian content.

Hong Kong fire death toll rises to 159 as officials order citywide scaffolding net removal

Police say number of dead may still be revised as ‘suspected human bones’ found during search require forensic testing

The death toll in Hong Kong’s apartment complex fire has risen to 159 as officials ordered all scaffolding mesh in the city to be removed by Saturday.

The blaze that last week engulfed Wang Fuk Court in the city’s northern Tai Po district has become the world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980.

Charles Shay, who saved lives on D-Day as a teen medic, dies at 101

D-Day veteran Charles Shay was awarded the Silver Star for repeatedly plunging into the sea and carrying critically wounded soldiers to relative safety.

Lawmakers obtain Epstein banking records, release new photos of private island

Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released "never-before-seen" images of Jeffrey Epstein's private island.

DoD watchdog finds Hegseth's Signal chat violated regulations, sources say

The Pentagon watchdog recently completed its report on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of Signal to share details about operations in Yemen.

Steve Cropper, acclaimed guitarist for Booker T. and the M.G.'s, dies at 84

Steve Cropper co-wrote several classics, including "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay," "Green Onions" and "In the Midnight Hour."

D-Day veteran Charlie Shay dies at 101

Charles Shay, a decorated Native American veteran who was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic when he landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and helped save lives, has died at the age of 101. Maurice DuBois looks back at his heroism.

CEO defends embryo screening for certain traits amid criticism

Big leaps in science are presenting parents with choices that were once impossible -- screening the DNA of embryos to help pick a future child with lower risks of disease, and higher odds of being taller or even smarter. But with the new technology comes a renewed ethical debate. Tony Dokoupil spoke to Nucleus Genomics CEO Kian Sadeghi.

Fraud scandal leaves Minnesota's Somali community bracing for crackdown

Minnesota is reeling from a fraud scandal involving $1 billion siphoned from multiple federal programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past three years, 87 people have been charged and 61 have been convicted -- most of Somali descent. WCCO's Jonah Kaplan reports the Somali community is now bracing for an immigration crackdown.

Newly released photos show Jeffrey Epstein's private island estate

Newly released videos and photos show the epicenter of some of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's crimes -- his private estate in the Virgin Islands. The footage was obtained by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. Scott MacFarlane reports.

Trump administration begins immigration crackdown in New Orleans

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday formally announced a new immigration enforcement crackdown in New Orleans, dubbed "Catahoula Crunch."

Social media ban: Instagram and Facebook begin shutting down under-16 accounts in Australia as ban looms

Ban due to take effect next week, but Meta has started deactivating accounts already

• Australia social media ban explained: everything you need to know

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Facebook and Instagram began shutting down half a million accounts of users under 16 years old on Thursday as the deadline for Australia’s social media ban looms.

The under-16s social media ban is due to take effect from 10 December, but Meta alerted users last month that it would begin shutting down accounts from 4 December.

Do you know more? Email [email protected]

UK farmers lose £800m after heat and drought cause one of worst harvests on record

Many now concerned about ability to make living in fast-changing climate after one of worst grain harvests recorded

Record heat and drought cost Britain’s arable farmers more than £800m in lost production in 2025 in one of the worst harvests recorded, analysis has estimated.

Three of the five worst harvests on record have now occurred since 2020, leaving some farmers asking whether the growing impacts of the climate crisis are making it too financially risky to sow their crops. Farmers are already facing heavy financial pressure as the costs of fertilisers and other inputs have risen faster than prices.

How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S.

Minnesota boasts the largest population of Somalis in the U.S. — a community that's recently faced attacks from President Trump. Here's a brief history of how they came to settle there.

Discussing breast density after mammograms may cause unneeded anxiety, study finds

Data from Australia shows women told about density had more anxiety and confusion, as measure considered in UK

Telling women whether they have dense breasts as part of their breast cancer screening results may leave them feeling unnecessarily anxious and confused, according to a study.

Breast density refers to the level of glandular and fibrous tissue relative to fat in breasts. Dense breast tissue is a risk factor for breast cancer, and can also make mammograms more difficult to read.

$700 for a bed? San Francisco startup plots ‘sleeping pod’ expansion

Brownstone firm buys building with plan for 400 pods in city where median apartment rent tops $3,000 a month

Can’t afford to rent an apartment in San Francisco? No problem. Now you can rent a bed.

Brownstone Shared Housing, a Bay-Area based “sleeping pod” startup, recently bought a six-level building in downtown San Francisco with the intention of housing up to 400 pods. The deal, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, represents a huge expansion for the company, which is currently operating about two dozen sleeping pods at a much smaller location in the city.

European football: Real Madrid’s Frenchmen run riot at Athletic Bilbao

• Mbappé scores twice and Camavinga once in 3-0 win

• Kane scores and gives away penalty as Bayern progress

Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless run in La Liga.

Mbappé’s France teammate Eduardo Camavinga also scored as Real moved back within a point of Barcelona, who defeated Atlético Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday.

Salesforce beats on earnings, issues better-than-expected revenue forecast

Salesforce said its Agentforce artificial intelligence business is generating over $500 million in annualized revenue.

European Commission plans ‘reparations loan’ to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets

Leaders focus on bolstering Ukraine’s finances as US-Russia talks to end war make little progress

The European Commission will move ahead with controversial plans to fund Ukraine with a loan based on Russia’s frozen assets, but in a concession to concerns raised by Belgium, which hosts most of the assets, the EU executive has also proposed another option: an EU loan based on common borrowing.

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday the two proposals would ensure “Ukraine has the means to defend [itself] and take forward peace negotiations from a position of strength”.

Design executive behind 'Liquid Glass' is leaving Apple

Alan Dye, who was part of the redesign of Apple's software interface called Liquid Glass, is taking his talents to Meta.

Gaza: Israeli strike kills five, including two children, says civil defence agency

Agency says missile struck citizens in Khan Younis, as Israel reports targeting ‘Hamas terrorist’ after clash with militants

An Israeli strike on Palestinian territory has killed five people including two children, Gaza’s civil defence agency told AFP on Wednesday.

“Five citizens, including two children, killed and others injured, some seriously, as a result of an Israeli missile strike,” in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Trump moves to roll back fuel economy standards set under Biden

The Trump administration proposed rules that would weaken fuel economy standards for vehicles set under President Biden in 2024.

Filmmaker Jafar Panahi is sentenced again in Iran as Hollywood's awards season starts

Panahi's latest film, It Was Just an Accident, won three Gotham Awards on Monday. The filmmaker has been imprisoned in Iran before — but continues to make movies.

Haitian gang leader sentenced to life in prison over U.S. missionary kidnappings

A man alleged to be the founder and leader of a Haitian gang has been sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the 2021 kidnapping of 17 people, including five children, who were on a missionary trip to the Caribbean country.

Florian Wirtz delivers but lacklustre Liverpool are held by Sunderland

The celebration was justified yet indicative of another worrying night for Arne Slot. It was the 94th minute and Federico Chiesa was waving his arms in front of Liverpool fans, rejoicing not in delivering a victory befitting his job as a striker but in saving the Premier League champions from certain defeat. Sunderland should consider their point at Anfield as an opportunity missed.

Chiesa’s celebration followed his goalline clearance to deny Sunderland a first win at Anfield since October 1983. Slot, though restrained in his technical area, must have been tempted to join in. His team were staring at a 10th defeat in 14 games when Wilson Isidor, on as a Sunderland substitute, raced through from goalkeeper Robin Roefs’s smart pass and rounded Alisson in the Liverpool goal. Chiesa, on as a substitute as Slot chased victory, had abandoned his attacking instincts to track back and produced a vital block. Liverpool were spared another inquest, just about.

Ex-officer pleads guilty to searching women's phones for nude photos during stops

Former Florissant Officer Julian Alcala admitted that over several months last year, he pulled over 20 women's vehicles and searched their phones for nude photos and videos.

Ao Tanaka’s cracker sets Leeds on way to upset victory against sloppy Chelsea

On the night when Leeds celebrated the career of one of their great managers, how fitting the timing felt that the 2025 class of Elland Road delivered a display and a result of which Howard Wilkinson would have been proud – and one which the incumbent manager desperately needed.

Leeds’s season may ultimately not be defined by a night such as this, but it could well be reignited by it. The pressure had been mounting after a run of four successive defeats that had dropped the side into the relegation zone, and left speculation swirling over Daniel Farke’s future at the club.

Steve Cropper, legendary guitarist for Booker T & the MGs, dies aged 84

Prolific musician was known for work on songs like Green Onions and Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay

Steve Cropper, the legendary guitarist whose work as an instrumentalist, producer and songwriter at Stax Records left an indelible impression on Memphis soul music, has died at the age of 84.

Hs son Cameron confirmed his death to Variety.

12/1: CBS Evening News

Midwest snowstorm triggers crashes, flight chaos; Cafés still struggling after coffee tariffs lifted.

12/2: CBS Evening News

Major snowstorm that walloped Midwest hits East Coast; Sasha DiGiulian becomes first woman to free-climb El Capitan's longest route, despite storm

U.S. offering $5 million for tips leading to Tren de Aragua leader's arrest

The U.S. has increased its reward to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of an alleged leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Trump says he will repeal Biden-era fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks

Move marks president’s latest effort to dismantle pollution regulations and support for cleaner-running vehicles

Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is repealing the Biden-era federal fuel economy standards, significantly weakening fuel efficiency requirements for tens of millions of new gasoline-powered cars and light trucks.

It marks the US president’s latest effort to dismantle pollution regulations and federal support for cleaner-running vehicles and renewable energy. Burning gasoline is a significant contributor to global heating and transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Merino and Saka down Brentford but Arsenal made to sweat on more injuries

A night after the chaos of Manchester City almost capitulating during their 5‑4 victory against Fulham, Arsenal seized the opportunity to prove that they are a sturdier proposition than Pep Guardiola’s side.

The Gunners kept their eighth clean sheet of the season, despite losing another centre-back to injury, and restored their five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League by seeing off Brentford thanks to an early header from Mikel Merino and a late goal from Bukayo Saka.

LA doctor who sold Matthew Perry ketamine sentenced to prison

Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to giving actor ketamine in month before overdose death in Los Angeles in 2023

A Los Angeles doctor who sold ketamine to Matthew Perry before his overdose death has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Dr Salvador Plasencia, 44, had pleaded guilty on Wednesday to giving Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the Friends star’s overdose death in 2023. Perry died at 54 after struggling with addiction for years, dating back to his time as one of the biggest stars of his generation for his role as Chandler Bing.

Trump administration rolls back fuel economy standards

At the White House this afternoon, President Trump said he was terminating "ridiculously burdensome" fuel economy rules. It's part of a series of changes relaxing or eliminating rules promoting cleaner cars.

Trump's South Korea tariff cuts are major boost for Hyundai and GM

The Trump administration said the tariff rate for vehicles from South Korea will drop to 15% as part of a trade deal.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang talks chip restrictions with Trump, blasts state-by-state AI regulations

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters on Capitol Hill that he had just met with President Trump, and the two "talked in general about export controls."

ICE tapped to target undocumented Somali immigrants in Twin Cities, source says

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been directed by the Trump administration to target undocumented Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities, according to the New York Times.

CDC's vaccine advisers meet to question long-used vaccines

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention will scrutinize the childhood vaccine schedule and may start to upend it.

Shredded cheese sold at Walmart and other stores recalled due to metal

The FDA said more than 1 million bags of shredded cheese sold at major retailers are being recalled because they may contain metal fragments.

Pentagon watchdog finds Hegseth risked the safety of U.S. forces with use of Signal

A forthcoming inspector general report finds that had intel shared by Hegseth been intercepted by an adversary, it would have endangered servicemembers, according to a source who viewed the findings.

Jeffrey Epstein island photos and videos released as top banks share files with House Oversight Committee

The release comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi is on a deadline to publicly share files related to Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

‘Fifa cannot be silent’: human rights groups speak out over 2026 World Cup concerns

• Sport and Rights Alliance has made seven requests for action

• Amnesty International USA worried by US government’s role

Fifa risks becoming “a public relations tool of an increasingly authoritarian US government”, human rights organisations have warned as they call on football’s international governing body to do more to protect the rights of residents and supporters at the World Cup next summer.

With concerns rising over the possibility of local communities and travelling fans being subjected to immigration raids or arbitrary detention during the tournament, the Sport and Rights Alliance has made seven requests for action from Fifa before the World Cup draw in Washington on Friday.

Maps show how redistricting could affect congressional seats

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

The Ukraine peace deal has stumbled yet again over an inevitable obstacle: Putin

Russian leader’s rejection of latest peace proposal was predictable and shows the Kremlin continues to hold the trump card

Before the harsh white glare of the Kremlin reception room came a telling prologue: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s self-described “deal guys”, being led by Kremlin officials through the sparkling streets of a festive Moscow.

Wasn’t it lovely, Vladimir Putin asked later, as both sides sat down to a five-hour negotiation that seems to have led right back to where they started. “It’s a magnificent city,” Witkoff replied. Then the cameras cut out.

November private payrolls unexpectedly fell by 32,000, led by steep small business job cuts, ADP reports

The payrolls decline marked a sharp step down from October, which saw an upwardly revised gain of 47,000 positions.

Micron stops selling memory to consumers as demand spikes from AI chips

Demand driven by the AI infrastructure boom is creating shortages for certain products like memory.

British troops accused of human rights violations and sexual abuse in Kenya

Kenyan parliament says UK army training unit ‘dismissed most complaints as false, without publishing its findings’

A report by the Kenyan parliament into the conduct of troops stationed at a British military base close to the town of Nanyuki in Kenya has alleged human rights violations, environmental destruction and sexual abuse by British soldiers.

The inquiry into the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (Batuk) was carried out by Kenya’s departmental committee on defencе, intelligence and foreign relations.

The establishment of a survivor liaison unit to offer legal aid to victims of crimes linked to Batuk personnel.

For the British and Kenyan governments to negotiate “mechanisms to hold Batuk soldiers accountable for child support”.

The creation of a military-linked crimes taskforce to oversee investigation and prosecution of offences committed by foreign military personnel.

Data shows spike in immigration arrests of those without criminal histories

In some cities where federal agents have conducted large-scale immigration operations that officials said would largely target criminals, more people without criminal records were detained in recent months.

Rebecca Hendin on US-Russia talks over the war in Ukraine – cartoon

Trump uses 'Third World' in a social media post. What's up with that term?

"I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover," he wrote on Truth Social. That label raises the issue of how to classify certain nations.

Check your cheese: Shredded and grated varieties are recalled nationwide

The FDA is urging customers to toss certain brands of grated Pecorino Romano; at the same time, it escalated an existing recall of numerous shredded cheeses.

The Guardian view on US-Russia talks on Ukraine: a warning to Europe to move faster on security cooperation | Editorial

Washington’s betrayal of its allies has been averted for now, but preparations must be made for a world where its support cannot be relied on

Donald Trump’s desire to end the war in Ukraine might be sincere, but his motives are selfish. He wants the glory of having brokered a deal and does not care whether it is fair or not. As for Vladimir Putin, he only wants peace on terms that achieve things which the Russian army has failed to manage with force. The Kremlin demands territory not yet won on the battlefield and limitations to Ukraine’s capacity to act as a fully sovereign state.

Mr Trump has never shown much natural aversion to giving Mr Putin what he wants. He has not applied serious pressure on the Kremlin to end its aggression, nor rebuked the Russian president for starting the war. He sees nothing wrong with a process that discusses the fate of a country, including de facto partition of its territory, without representatives of that country at the table.

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

Trump pardoning Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat facing bribery charges

Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar was indicted last year on more than a dozen federal charges.

The Guardian view on a four-day week for teachers: a clever way to end the staffing crisis

England’s teacher shortage is fuelled by burnout and unpaid overtime. New working patterns would help without compromising results

Can you guess which professionals in England work 26 hours of overtime a week without compensation, give up time with friends and family to deal with the workload and often find themselves on call in the holidays? Not CEOs, bankers or even doctors, but teachers. No wonder, then, that teaching vacancies are at the highest level ever. Workload is the top concern that teachers cite for leaving the profession, with almost as many quitting as those who joined last year. The consequences are stark: a quarter of English schools do not have a physics teacher, and many key subjects aren’t being offered at A-level in the poorest places.

The 4 Day Week Foundation believes that a shorter working week could alleviate these pressures if trialled in a way similar to the Scottish proposals of a four-day week, with a flexible fifth day that allows dedicated time for marking and lesson preparation. This means the work that teachers are currently forced to do at weekends and evenings would be integrated into the working week instead of being unpaid overtime.

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

Reform council leader accused of racism after alleged remarks about Sadiq Khan

Ian Cooper allegedly called Khan ‘narcissistic Pakistani’ and made comments about lawyer Shola Mos-Shogbamimu

A Reform UK council leader has been accused of racism after allegedly describing Sadiq Khan as a “narcissistic Pakistani” and saying a black British lawyer should have “F’d off back to Nigeria”.

Ian Cooper, the leader of Staffordshire county council, is also said to have attacked the justice secretary, David Lammy, in a social media post that said: “No foreign national or first generation migrant should be allowed to sit in parliament.”

House Democrats release new images of Epstein’s private Caribbean island

Images and videos taken in 2020, a year after he died in jail, show the late sex offender’s home

• US politics – live updates

House Democrats released photos and videos from Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island on Wednesday, offering a rare glimpse into a secretive place where Epstein is alleged to have trafficked young girls.

The new images and videos show Epstein’s home, including bedrooms, a telephone, what appears to be an office or library, and a chalkboard on which the words “fin”, “intellectual”, “deception” and “power” are written. Several photos show a room with a dentist chair and masks hanging on the wall. The New York Times reported that Epstein’s last girlfriend was a dentist who shared an office with one of his shell companies. The videos appear to be a walk-through of the property.

How did teen Danni Houchins die? Her family's search for the truth

For years, the death of 15-year-old Danielle "Danni" Houchins had been shrouded in mystery. Montana investigators initially said it could have been a tragic accident, but her family always suspected something more sinister.

Alone with a killer in the Montana wilderness

Danni Houchins was found dead in a swamp in Montana. Decades later, a friend of Danni's sister realized she'd been alone with Danni's killer in the wilderness.

Jack Smith subpoenaed for closed-door testimony before House committee

A lawyer for former special counsel Jack Smith indicated he would comply with the subpoena for testimony.

Did the Trump administration commit a war crime in its attack on a Venezuelan boat?

Washington Post reporter Alex Horton talks about the Sept. 2 U.S. military strike on a boat with alleged "narco terrorists," in which a second strike was ordered to kill two survivors in the water.

Delta says government shutdown cost it $200 million, but forecasts strong travel demand into 2026

Delta trimmed its fourth-quarter profit forecast, citing the government shutdown.

Goodbye avocado, hello ssamjang: here is the new posh nosh

Waitrose has published its annual report on what goes into the middle-class shopping trolley – and the results are spicy

Name: Posh nosh.

Age: We’re talking new food trends here, so – new.

Maro Itoje eyes World Cup glory after England dodge big guns in 2027 draw

• England ‘welcome whatever comes’ says bullish captain

• Ireland and Scotland meet for third successive tournament

Maro Itoje has set his sights on Rugby World Cup glory in Australia in 2027 after England were handed a potentially favourable path through the tournament when the draw was made in Sydney on Wednesday.

England, who have risen to third in the world rankings after an 11-match winning streak, emerged on the other side of the draw from the reigning world champions, South Africa, the three-times winners New Zealand and France.

Bessent says Trump admin will be able to replicate tariffs even if it loses Supreme Court decision

The Treasury secretary cited several sections of 1962 Trade Act that give the president sweeping powers over import duties.

Women’s prisons report finds 97 deaths in decade as self-harm hits record high

Charity director warns ‘more deaths will follow’ unless government changes tack and closes women’s prisons

Over the past decade 97 women have died in prisons in England and Wales and incidents of self-harm among female prisoners have reached the highest level on record, a report has found.

Inquest, the charity that produced the report, collated Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures since 2015 to arrive at a total number of deaths. It said the numbers were evidence for its case that all women’s prisons should be closed.

Cummins conundrum is key as Australia try not to overthink tactics

Will the captain return? Will Nathan Lyon play? Who will open? Ashes hostilities are renewed and the hosts don’t need to ask too many questions

At last, at long last, an Ashes series is about to start. It feels that way, anyway, after so many months of lead-up, such an eternal blur of preview and prediction and preamble, were supposed to reach their end – only to find that the end was instead a momentary interruption, a hiccup, an indigestion-dream of a Test from Perth, a contest done in the span of 31 hours, leaving everyone to return to punditry and prognostication for a further 11 blasted and benighted days.

We are, for pity’s sake, in a discussion cycle about Ben Stokes correctly applying a bike helmet while not on a bike, or Steve Smith correctly applying eye-black stickers in his Tim Tebow tribute act, or the archaeologically uncovered fact that Australian teams have a good record at the Gabba. Like farmers waiting for the rains, we are praying for play to start to let us talk about something that has happened, rather than something that might. Even the day-night format means another wait, four more hours than would usually be the case before the balm of the first ball.

‘I thanked him for ending my acting career!’ – theatre directors on their debt to Tom Stoppard

Carrie Cracknell, Nina Raine and Belarus Free Theatre’s Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin share memories of working with the playwright and ‘guardian angel’

Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin, co-founding artistic directors of Belarus Free Theatre

Greetings from Ukraine, where churchgoers seek respite ahead of another winter at war

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

Paul Anka on his incredible, star-studded career: ‘Revenge is a motivator like you wouldn’t believe’

The musician, who wrote My Way and Puppy Love among others, talks career longevity, shrewd business and which star bullied him in his youth

In 1956, when Paul Anka was 15 years old, he idolized Chuck Berry. So, when the star came to play his home town of Ottawa, Canada, the ambitious kid made sure to sneak backstage with his guitar to play him a song he’d just written. “I started singing Diana to Chuck Berry when, suddenly, he stops me and says, ‘That’s the worst song I’ve ever heard in my life, go back to school.’”

Rather than slink away from such a pronouncement, however, Anka used it as a spur. “Revenge is a motivator like you won’t believe,” the 84-year-old star said with an eruptive laugh the other day. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to show him.’ That attitude has prevailed for me through my entire life.”

EU looks at legally forcing industries to reduce purchases from China

Commission unveils €3bn strategy to de-risk and diversify supply chains for critical rare earth metals and elements

• Business live – latest updates

The EU is considering legally forcing industries to reduce purchases from China to insulate Europe from future hostile acts, the industry commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, says.

He made his remarks as the European Commission unveiled a €3bn (£2.63bn) strategy to reduce its dependency on China for critical raw materials amid a global scramble caused by Beijing’s “weaponisation” of supplies of everything from chips to rare earths.

Broadcast station owners want to consolidate. They're struggling to get deals to the finish line

Nexstar, Tegna and Sinclair are among the broadcast station groups eager to consolidate as the industry awaits regulatory changes.

Jimmy Kimmel on the Trump administration: ‘They have better-quality cabinets at Ikea’

Late-night hosts discussed a bizarre televised cabinet meeting, dismal approval ratings and yet another Trump posting spree on Truth Social

Late-night hosts tore into Donald Trump’s five-hour Truth Social posting spree and his inability to stay awake during cabinet meetings.

Bad jobs report caused by shutdown, deportations — not tariffs, Lutnick says

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's defense of President Donald Trump's tariffs came as experts warn that the trade policies could hurt domestic head count.

‘It was legs out all the time!’ June Squibb on starring in Scarlett Johansson’s directing debut – and Broadway’s original Gypsy

She brought the house down as a stripper in Gypsy, going on to star in films with Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson. Now, at 96, she’s stealing the show in Eleanor the Great. What’s her secret? ‘Be a looker-ahead’

It is surely a comfort to anyone still awaiting mega-success to know that June Squibb was in her mid-80s before she hit the big time. Her role as a foul-mouthed matriarch in the 2013 film Nebraska brought her an Oscar nomination, and she had her first leading role in last year’s action comedy, Thelma. Now she’s playing the lead again, in the new film Eleanor the Great and she’s currently in rehearsals for a show on Broadway. Is Squibb, who has just turned 96, sick of talking about her late-peaking success? “I think people are interested, so no, it’s not a bad thing,” she says. “But it is funny, because when I first came to New York – it was the 50s – I did The Boy Friend, a musical, and I was a big hit.” But it was theatre, she concedes. “The film thing is so different.”

In Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, Squibb plays Eleanor Morgenstein, a 94-year-old woman who, mourning the loss of her best friend Bessie, moves from Florida to New York to be near her daughter. Encouraged to make new friends, Eleanor goes to the local Jewish community centre to join a choir, but the woman belting out Stephen Sondheim is enough to make anyone rush for the door. “Oh god,” mutters Eleanor, backing away, before being scooped up by the Holocaust survivors group, meeting at the same time, who erroneously assume she’s one of them. Lonely and grieving, US-born Eleanor finds herself passing off Bessie’s survival story as her own.

HSBC has a new chair but the succession process should have been slicker

This is the UK’s second-largest listed company, and the European bank most exposed to declining US-China relations

It turns out that Sir Mark Tucker, 67, retired as chair of HSBC in September to make way for an older man. Say hello to Brendan Nelson, 76, a former KPMG partner, who has been doing the job on an interim basis for a couple of months but was regarded as a rank outsider to get the gig permanently.

Just how permanent remains to be seen because the HSBC chief executive, Georges Elhedery, clearly unaware that Nelson had thrown his hat into the ring, appeared to rule him out when speaking at an FT conference only on Monday. He said Nelson didn’t wish to do a full term of six to nine years, a remark that didn’t feel controversial at the time. After all, while US presidents may go on into their 80s these days, chairs of globally important banks tend not to.

Germany to host Women’s Euro 2029 after pledging to smash ticket sales record

• Germany’s bid won 15 of 17 votes

• Eight cities will host tournament

Germany will host the 2029 Women’s European Championship after receiving the vast majority of the votes from Uefa’s executive committee. The German campaign pledged to smash records for ticket sales and was selected ahead of a bid from Poland and a joint submission from Denmark and Sweden. Portugal withdrew from the bidding process in November and the Italian Football Federation withdrew in August.

The decision came in the first round of voting, with 15 of the 17 votes going to Germany. The remaining two votes were for the Denmark/Sweden bid.

Trial of aid workers accused of facilitating illegal entry of migrants into Greece set to begin

The accused, including Syrian refugee Sarah Mardini and Irishman Sean Binder, were among those providing humanitarian assistance in Europe’s migration crisis

Twenty four former aid workers accused of facilitating the illegal entrance of migrants into Greece, and other crimes that carry lengthy prison terms, are set to appear in court on Lesbos in a trial being closely watched internationally.

Human rights defenders from around the world, including Sarah Mardini, the Syrian refugee immortalised in the Netflix movie, The Swimmers, are slated to take the stand when proceedings before a court of appeals begin in the island’s capital, Mytilene, on Thursday.

Raccoon passes out on Virginia liquor store bathroom floor after drunken rampage

An employee at the Ashland, Virginia, area liquor store on Saturday found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.

Boxing robots, a mass wedding and a home as art: photos of the day – Wednesday

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

Dan Houser on Victorian novels, Red Dead Redemption and redefining open-world games

As the Grand Theft Auto co-writer launches a new project, he reflects on his hugely successful open-world adventures and where game design might go next

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It is hard to think of a more modern entertainment format than the open-world video game. These sprawling technological endeavours, which mix narrative, social connectivity and the complete freedom to explore, are uniquely immersive and potentially endless. But do they represent a whole new idea of storytelling?

This week I met Dan Houser, the co-founder of Rockstar and lead writer on Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, who has been in London to talk about his new company, Absurd Ventures. He’s working on a range of intriguing projects, including the novel and podcast series A Better Paradise (about a vast online game that goes tragically wrong), and a comedy-adventure set in an online world named Absurdaverse. He told me that, 15 years ago, he was doing press interviews for the Grand Theft Auto IV expansion packs when he had something of a revelation about the series.

An Italian powerlifter defies gravity: Mattia Zoppellaro’s best photograph

‘When I saw him leaning back on the floor, I said, “Donato, please don’t move!” Then I jumped on a ladder and shot him from above’

This image is part of a series commissioned by the Italian Paralympic Committee. They asked me to photograph the country’s leading athletes before the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. I probably covered 30 different people over three days – I’m a quick shooter. I started out photographing on film, which is still my preferred medium. Even when I’m shooting digitally, I’m very selective and take care with every click.

On a logistical level, it was much easier for me to work in a studio, though that was something I don’t usually choose to do. I’m more of an outside photographer: I like to go on location or shoot people in a park.

Oh. What. Fun. review – Michelle Pfeiffer leads Amazon’s underbaked Christmas turkey

Starry cast, including Felicity Jones and Chloë Grace Moretz, can’t save misfiring cross between Home Alone and The Family Stone

If you’ve already over-indulged in Netflix’s brand of cheap and, overwhelmingly, cheerless Christmas movies this season, then Amazon has something a little meatier to add to your plate. Like Netflix, it also has more than enough tinnily made Hallmark ripoffs (step forward, Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy), but it’s also aiming a little higher with Oh. What. Fun. It’s a more robustly made attempt to recall something we used to see on the big rather than small screen with a cast to match, a starry cross between Home Alone and The Family Stone with an all-new soundtrack from some unusually upper-tier artists.

Given the low budget and even lower ambition of the genre, it’s easy to be blinded by the names attached. The film is directed by Michael Showalter, the trusted hand behind films like The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer and The Idea of You! It stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Danielle Brooks and Chloë Grace Moretz! There are new songs from Fleet Foxes, Gwen Stefani and Sharon Van Etten, among others! Enough experience might have shown us that even the most talented people do not tend to make the greatest films, but there’s something about the sheer effort being poured into this one that feels notable as others have seemingly given up trying. Could actual fun be on the Christmas cards?

Design boss behind new Jaguar leaves JLR weeks after change of CEO

Gerry McGovern reportedly removed from role of chief creative officer after 20 years with business

The Jaguar Land Rover design boss behind the Range Rover and the polarising Jaguar relaunch has abruptly departed the business just four months after its new chief executive took charge.

Gerry McGovern left the role of chief creative officer on Monday after 20 years at the business in which he oversaw the design of some of the company’s most successful cars as well as the launch of a new-look, pink electric Jaguar that drew the ire of Donald Trump.

The niche real estate sector that’s luring big money for small kids' care

Since the end of 2024, the number of early education properties available for sale has grown by 14%, reaching a total of 158, according to B+E.

Colombia’s president warns Trump: ‘Do not wake the jaguar’ with threats of military strikes

Gustavo Petro responded to intimations by US president of military strikes on Colombian soil to fight drug trafficking

Colombia’s president has warned Donald Trump that he risked “waking the jaguar” after the US leader suggested that any country he believed was making illegal drugs destined for the US was liable to a military attack.

During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the US president said that military strikes on land targets inside Venezuela would “start very soon”. Trump also warned that any country producing narcotics was a potential target, singling out Colombia, which has long been a close ally in Washington’s “war on drugs”.

Home prices could dip in 22 U.S. cities next year, report says. See where.

A new report from Realtor.com projects that the housing market will shift in a more buyer-friendly direction in 2026.

Partygoers are pushing for clubs to offer free water: ‘It costs as much as a beer’

New York venues aren’t required to give out water – but nightlife workers say it could make the difference between a safe evening out and an ER visit

When the Brooklyn metal band Contract performs around New York, they expect a mosh pit: thrashing bodies shoving and jumping along to the music. They also want to make sure the amped-up, usually drunk crowd stays hydrated. Without water, a mosher might feel sick, faint or pass out. “You don’t want anyone to get injured or hurt,” frontman Pele Uriel said.

Most of the spaces Uriel plays or visits have water stations where customers can easily fill up. But some do not. The worst offenders sell bottles of water at astronomical prices, from $5 to $10. “There have been times when I asked for water, but they charged a lot, so I went to the store next door to buy some,” Uriel said.

Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: ’tis the season to party. Time to recap Christmas dressing rules

Amid all the fairy lights and tinsel, an understated getup can look a bit curmudgeonly – you need to add some fashion sparkle

Christmas has begun. Don’t come for me with your pedantry about partridges and pear trees. The lights are lit, the turkey sandwiches are in Pret: ’tis the season, already. For the next few weeks we will be in a bubble that has its own festive rules. This is an alternate universe in which it is perfectly acceptable to have Michael Bublé on your Spotify playlist and to drink at lunchtime (to be fair, it is almost dark by then) and non-negotiable to play parlour games.

Christmas also comes with its own set of fashion rules, some of which are set in stone, and others which are updated every year. So I thought it may be helpful to have a quick refresher on how to dress for Christmas. Not least because one of the ways in which this time of year is its own little world is that even people who don’t like parties go to parties.

Drunk raccoon found passed out in Virginia liquor store

Store employee found masked bandit sleeping off a bender after invading booze store and tippling a tad too much

A liquor store employee in Virginia was startled on Saturday to discover smashed whisky bottles on the floor of the shop and, upon entering the bathroom, an apparently drunk, sleeping and spread-eagled raccoon.

“He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything,” Samantha Martin, a local animal control officer, told the Daily Mail.

India revokes order to preload smartphones with state-owned security app

Tech companies including Apple and Google made it clear they would not comply due to privacy concerns

India’s government has backtracked on an order for all smartphones to be pre-installed with a state-owned security app after a mass outcry over privacy concerns and refusal by technology companies to comply.

The department of telecommunications confirmed it had revoked its previous order for all technology companies to mandatorily install the government’s Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on to every smartphone in India within 90 days.

Mr Men and Little Miss feature film in the works from Paddington producers

David Heyman has joined the French media company StudioCanal with plans to bring one of the bestselling children’s book series of all time to the screen

The film-makers behind the successful Paddington series are to embark on a feature film adaptation of another British family favourite, the Mr Men and Little Miss series of illustrated children’s books.

David Heyman, whose Heyday Films produced Paddington and Paddington 2 as well as the Harry Potter series, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and White Noise, is to join with the UK arm of French media company StudioCanal to make the film.

Illustrating the ‘postcolonial experience’: 40 years of Peepal Tree Press

As the publisher celebrates an important milestone, we chart its journey from an ‘expensive hobby’ to an international household name

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Hello and welcome to the Long Wave. This week, I had the huge pleasure of an audience with Peepal Tree Press, which has been home to authors such as Bernardine Evaristo and Roger Robinson. Peepal Tree publishes books from the Caribbean and its diaspora, and has just celebrated its 40th anniversary. I spoke to its founder, Jeremy Poynting, and fiction editor Jacob Ross, and what ensued was a masterclass not only in publishing, but in diasporic art.

Women’s Institute will no longer accept trans women as members from April

Exclusive: CEO says decision taken with ‘utmost regret and sadness’ after supreme court ruling on definition of a woman

The Women’s Institute will no longer accept transgender women as members from April following the UK supreme court ruling on the legal definition of a woman, the Guardian can reveal.

Melissa Green, the chief executive of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, said the organisation had taken the decision with the “utmost regret and sadness”, adding it had “no choice” but to exclude trans women from its membership.

Spotify Wrapped is taking over our feeds, but you don’t have outsource your relationship with music to AI | Liz Pelly

The streamer’s annual charts are just another version of the tech that’s alienating us from our inner lives. Hold on to your musical memories and reclaim ownership of your taste

I like year-end list season. I like an opportunity to remember and reflect on the records that stuck with me over the course of a year – especially when there is a chance to recommend something that others may have overlooked. I like looking through friends’ favourites for albums that I missed completely, and making a big listening queue. I like following along as critics attempt to determine the year’s “best”, even when I end up yelling into a group chat about how wrong they all are. I like it because it all requires looking back, racking your brain and processing your year in listening. It requires thinking.

This year, as Spotify Wrapped takes over social media feeds again, I am struck by how the whole concept seems to discourage that critical practice for something more passive. It nudges listeners away from deep consideration and towards accepting a corporate-branded scorecard reflecting a very specific perspective on musical value. It encourages music fans to believe that the records they streamed the most must be the ones they liked the most, which is surely not always the case.

Cracks have emerged in the Maga coalition | Moira Donegan

The Republican party is far from moving beyond Trump – but signals of his waning influence are everywhere

The sharks can smell blood in the water. After a decade in eerie command of the Republican party, with primary voters in his cult-like thrall and down-ballot elected officials feeling they have no choice – and often no inclination – to diverge from him, Donald Trump suddenly seems not quite in control of his own political machine.

Fractures have emerged in the Maga coalition; Trump’s approval is sinking; the Democrats, long anemic and risk-averse in the opposition, showed signs of life in elections last month; and the cumulative effect of a series of long-running scandals, most particularly the Epstein affair, seem to have alienated core components of the Trump faithful. Trump has faced some rebukes from a once largely compliant federal judiciary: his personal attorney, Alina Habba, was recently declared ineligible to serve in the US attorney role Trump had appointed her to, and his signature tariffs seem likely to be struck down by a conservative supreme court majority.

Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist

How to turn excess nuts and seeds into a barnstoming festive pudding – recipe | Waste not

Love ice-cream, don’t love Christmas pudding? This make-ahead semifreddo, jewelled with dried fruits, might just fit the bill …

Last Christmas we visited my in-laws in Cape Town, where, at over 30C, a traditional Christmas pudding just didn’t feel quite right. But my mother-in-law and her friend created the most delicious feast: a South African braai (barbecue) followed by an incredible ice-cream Christmas pudding made by mashing vanilla ice-cream with a mix of tutti frutti, candied peel, raisins and cherries. This semifreddo is a take on that dessert: a light frozen custard that still carries all the festive flavours.Tutti frutti semifreddo Christmas pudding

We stopped using clingfilm in our kitchen 15 years ago now, because it’s not easily recycled and because of health concerns about the possible transfer of microplastics into our food. Most semifreddo recipes tell you to line the freezer container with clingfilm, but I suggest using no liner at all, or silicone-free, unbleached baking paper instead.

Mortgage rates finally moved lower last week, but that didn't do much for demand

Mortgage rates moved slightly lower last week after rising for much of the past month, but it wasn't a big enough move to impact mortgage demand.