Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting charged with murder by New York prosecutors

Luigi Mangione, 26, suspected of shooting Brian Thompson, was charged following arraignment in Pennsylvania on gun and forgery charges

• What we know about the suspect

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspected in the shooting death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, has been charged with murder by prosecutors in New York, court records show.

The move follows his arraignment at the Blair county courthouse in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday night, where gun and forgery charges were read against him. The judge asked Mangione if he understood the charges against him, and he said he did. No plea was entered.

McDonald’s where New York shooting suspect caught flooded with negative reviews

Google removing one-star and disparaging reviews of the Pennsylvania location after police arrested suspect

Google on Monday removed derogatory reviews about McDonald’s after the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was arrested at its restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police say a customer alerted a local employee about him.

The negative comments aimed at McDonald’s were the latest in what is known as “review bombing,” where an establishment is hit with a litany of bad reviews based on a political view or an occurrence unrelated to its actual business.

Inside Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad – podcast

Foreign correspondent William Christou travels to Damascus, hours after Syria’s decades-long dictator Bashar al-Assad is ousted from power, and asks whether the country’s thirteen-year civil war can finally come to an end

Until this weekend, the Assad dynasty had ruled Syria for over fifty years – with a regime so brutal, so oppressive, it was known as “The Kingdom of Silence”.

As foreign correspondent William Christou explains, it had seemed as recently as two weeks ago that it would simply carry on. Bashar al-Assad, president since 2000, had crushed the uprisings that started thirteen years ago against his rule, and he had slowly taken back control of most of Syrian territory over the course of a decade-long civil war – the bloodiest conflict of the twenty-first century.

Israel, US and Turkey launch strikes in Syria to protect interests

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels free prisoners of the former president, Bashar al-Assad, who has fled to Russia

• Inside the hunt for hidden cells in Sednaya prison

Bombing raids have hit sites across Syria as regional actors in the Middle East scrambled to defend their interests in the country after the sudden fall of its president, Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow.

As rebels led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) freed regime prisoners, including from the notorious Sednaya jail – often referred to as the “human slaughterhouse” – Israel, Turkey and the US carried out military action and Assad’s former backers in Russia and Iran also engaged in efforts to shape a future Syria.

What is a ghost gun and are they legal?

Shooter of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was in possession of one made with a 3D printer when arrested

A person of interest has been identified in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Police say they found a “ghost gun” made with a 3D printer on the man, who has been charged in Pennsylvania with weapons, forgery and other crimes. The use of this type of firearm – whether made with a printer or bought online as a kit and assembled at home – has grown increasingly common in the past decade in part because they don’t have serial numbers and can’t be traced by authorities.

Here’s how they’ve gone from a pastime of gun enthusiasts and tinkerers to an increasing part of US gun violence – and the subject of a major supreme court case.

Ukraine war briefing: Our war dead 43,000 and Russia’s 198,000 says Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggests foreign troops to protect Ukraine until it can join Nato; Ukraine’s president woos potential next German chancellor. What we know on day 1,021

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the war, while of 370,000 injured, about half had been able to return to service after treatment. The Ukrainian president said 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and a further 550,000 injured. Almost 800,000 Russian troops are deployed in Ukraine, he said. The figures were not independently verified.

Zelenskyy on Monday made the case for a diplomatic settlement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and raised the idea of foreign troops being deployed in his country until it could join the Nato military alliance. It came after Donald Trump said Kyiv was ready to make a deal with Moscow to stop the war and that Vladimir Putin should make efforts toward negotiating a truce. The Ukrainian president told reporters he was hoping to call the outgoing US president, Joe Biden, in the coming days to discuss Nato membership.

“A troop contingent from one country or another could be present in Ukraine for as long as it isn’t part of Nato. But for that we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine becomes an EU member and when a Nato member,” Zelenskyy said. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, caused controversy in Europe in February when he raised the possibility of European nations sending troops to Ukraine. “Even if we get invited [to Nato], what happens then? Who guarantees our security? We can think about that and work on Emmanuel Macron’s proposal,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy asked for more support from Berlin against Russia while meeting with the current German opposition CDU party leader, Friedrich Merz, who is leading opinion polls ahead of elections in February. “We are counting on stronger, more decisive actions from Germany, from you personally. We are counting on it very much,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning Ukraine’s request for an invitation to join Nato and for long-range missiles. Merz has urged the current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to send Ukraine the long-range Taurus missile system, which could fire deep into Russian territory – something Scholz has refused to do.

The Estonian prime minister, Kristen Michal, was also in Kyiv on Monday to meet with Zelenskyy and other senior officials, including Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal.

Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks killed a 91-year-old woman in the village of Stara Mykolayivka in the Donetsk region on Monday, as shelling also wounded four others. A man was killed in the southern Kherson region, said the local governor, Oleksandr Prokudin.

Ukraine will soon get another €4.2bn after the EU’s member states approved the planned payment, the EU council announced. The money is intended to help Ukraine’s struggling economy.

‘What does AI mean?’: Amazon reveals UK’s most asked Alexa questions of 2024

From football to food to Taylor Swift, many of the most common subjects were what you expect – but others less so

Virtual assistant units have become a staple in many UK households, telling people whether it is expected to rain, what the time is, and what the result in the football was.

Among the most common used is Alexa, whose parent company Amazon has released the top questions and requests given to the software during 2024. Some were ones you would expect: “What is the value of bitcoin?”; “what is the population of earth?”; and “what does AI mean?”.

Exercising for 30 minutes improves memory, study suggests

Research shows walk or cycle improves cognitive performance for day ahead – and day after

For cycle-to-work commuters and those who start the day with a brisk walk, the benefits of banking some early exercise is well understood.

Now scientists believe activity is not just a good idea for improving the day ahead – physical activity could be associated with small increase in memory scores the next, too.

Why Murdoch’s succession case could be major blow to his rightwing legacy

Court ruling could mean that more liberal Murdochs may have say in content from world’s most powerful conservative media empire

A Nevada court dealt nonagenarian media mogul Rupert Murdoch a major blow on Monday. And one that could – potentially – shatter his plans to secure his rightwing legacy.

Behind closed doors, Murdoch has been involved in a legal battle for control of the family’s media assets, pitching the mogul and Lachlan Murdoch, his political protege and heir apparent, against the patriarch’s three other oldest children.

Brisbane is deciding on a 2032 Olympics stadium: how do the options stack up?

With the river city’s international reputation on the line, a 100-day review period hopes to cut through the political posturing and land on a main venue befitting of the Games

The 2032 Olympics have for a long time felt far away but it took Gout Gout to show they are just around the corner. The Brisbane teenager’s barely believable 200m national record on Saturday has upped the urgency for organisers to get Games planning right, as Queenslanders dream of an Olympic sprinting medal from a local hero.

The venue options for athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies are well-known and the deadlines obvious. But more than three years after Brisbane won the right to host the 2032 Olympics, uneven ambition and political manoeuvring means organisers have not yet decided on the site.

Somebody Somewhere season three review – remarkable TV that burrows into your heart

Bridget Everett’s gorgeous comedy bows out as it began: as a beautiful look at family, found family and, above all, friendship. If only HBO hadn’t cancelled it …

For anyone from a tight-knit small town who has moved away, the “what if I never left” question may be one that lingers in the mind. This is the story that fuels Somebody Somewhere, which stars the New York cabaret legend Bridget Everett as Sam, who moves back to Manhattan, Kansas, to nurse her sister as she dies of cancer, and ends up settling down, if you can call it that, in the town where she was born and raised. There has always been a sense that this show was fighting against the odds. It is a subtle and gentle tale in a TV landscape that rewards big bangs, and it is one of those beautiful, sad comedies that elicit the occasional belly laugh, but mostly leave behind a low-level hum of melancholy. This summer, HBO announced that this third season will be its last.

Somebody Somewhere bows out as it came in, exploring the push and pull between loneliness and human connection. Sam is finally getting on with her surviving sister, Tricia (a fabulous Mary Catherine Garrison), now that Tricia’s divorce from Rick has come through. Tricia’s commercial empire, built on embroidering one particularly rude word on soft furnishings and homeware, is going great guns and has given her financial stability and a massive car. For Tricia, life as a single woman, whose daughter has left home, brings its own challenges. A related scene between Sam and Tricia, in a hotel bathroom in Kansas City, is one of the show’s rare and deserved belly-laugh moments.

Rupert Murdoch loses battle to control succession to his media empire

Media mogul’s three adult children will retain control despite attempt to give his son Lachlan complete control

• Analysis: Why Murdoch’s succession case could be major blow to his rightwing legacy

Rupert Murdoch’s three adult children will retain control over their father’s media empire upon his death, a Nevada court has ruled after Murdoch launched a campaign to wrest away their power and give it all to his oldest son.

The New York Times reported on Murdoch’s loss, citing a sealed court decision that was filed on Saturday. The family battle took place outside of the public’s eye, despite attempts from the media to gain access to the trial.

Soucek and Bowen stave off Wolves on emotional night for West Ham

Wolves could not convince Julen Lopetegui to stay at Molineux last year but they have kept him in his current job. Woeful defending from set pieces cost Gary O’Neil’s side again and, while West Ham hardly played with much style, they can continue to defer making a call on Lopetegui’s future after seeing off wasteful opponents thanks to opportunistic goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.

Ultimately the sense persists that West Ham are delaying the inevitable given that defeat here would have brought an end to their unpopular manager’s unhappy reign. They are in an odd place – nine points above the bottom three, seven off fifth place – and the overall vibe is unconvincing. This performance did little to energise the home crowd and, although it was important to win for Michail Antonio, who is recovering after his horrific car crash, West Ham would be kidding themselves to think a draw would have flattered Wolves.

Two New Orleans law firms charged with staging accidents for settlements

Federal indictment, more than five years in the making, claims attorneys and firms collected millions of dollars

In a blockbuster federal indictment more than five years in the making, two New Orleans-based law firms and their attorneys who specialize in car accident claims have been charged with several others for their roles in staging wrecks, faking injuries and collecting millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements.

Among those indicted on Monday is a television stuntwoman-turned-attorney named Vanessa Motta, who in May had two clients criminally charged with helping orchestrate the 2020 shooting death of another client of hers. The slain client of Motta – who was indicted along with her namesake firm – had been cooperating in the federal investigation that produced Monday’s indictment.

OpenAI makes AI video generator Sora publicly available in US

Firm announces tool that can create AI video clip based on user’s written prompts will be available to anyone in the US

Anyone in the US can now use OpenAI’s artificial intelligence video generator, Sora, which the company announced on Monday would become publicly available. OpenAI first presented Sora in February, but it was only accessible to select artists, film-makers and safety testers. At multiple points on Monday, though, OpenAI’s website did not allow for new sign-ups for Sora, citing heavy traffic.

Sora is known as a text-to-video generator, a tool that can create AI video clips based on a user’s written prompts. An example on OpenAI’s website has the prompt of “a wide, serene shot of a family of woolly mammoths in an open desert”. Its video shows a group of three of the extinct creatures slowly walking through sand dunes.

Monk abused children for decades on Welsh island ‘in plain sight’, review says

Thaddeus Kotik groomed, raped and sexually assaulted boys and girls on Caldey Island despite repeated complaints

A monk was able to abuse children for four decades on an island off the Welsh coast despite operating in “plain sight” and despite his victims’ repeated complaints, an independent review has concluded.

Father Thaddeus Kotik groomed, raped and sexually assaulted boys and girls on Caldey Island, which is home to a community of Cistercian monks and a popular destination for day trippers.

To protect all parties, contact between the monastic community and the visiting public be formalised and informal contact should cease – including selfies.

The current safeguarding arrangements should be strengthened by the addition of a survivor or survivors of child sexual abuse to sit on the board of the island.

The appointment of an independent visiting designated safeguarding professional.

‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year: ‘Something everyone agrees on’

The premier US dictionary’s pick, based on search traffic, reflects a year of political and celebrity division

Collins dictionary went with “brat”. Oxford chose “brain rot”. But in a brutally divided country, the US’s premier dictionary skipped the slang: Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “polarization”.

The announcement comes in an election year that put the concept on display, as Kamala Harris warned of fascism under Donald Trump, while Trump resorted to name-calling and claimed his opponent was running on “destruction”. As the dictionary put it, polarization “happens to be one idea that both sides of the political spectrum agree on”.

Recovery of journalist Austin Tice top priority in Syria, White House says

Former US marine was abducted in August 2012 while reporting on uprising against Bashar al-Assad

The White House is declaring the recovery of the American journalist Austin Tice a “top priority” in the wake of Syrian rebels running the autocratic head of state out of the country, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan told ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday that the US government was actively seeking information about Tice’s whereabouts, communicating through Turkish intermediaries and with contacts on the ground in Syria about the journalist who has been missing for over 12 years.

Postecoglou wrestles with injuries and fragility as Spurs fans demand more | David Hytner

Team’s vulnerabilities were exposed again leaving more questions than answers over commitment to attack

It was another example of how things keep on conspiring against Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham. At least, that was how the manager wanted to frame it after the 4-3 home defeat by Chelsea on Sunday. At 2-0 up it was looking good but this is Spurs, where stability has proved elusive, where problems can strike at any time. Often at the best of times.

So it was that Cristian Romero had to go off with a thigh injury in the 15th minute. The influential centre-half had passed a fitness test, having missed the previous four games with a toe issue, and, of course, he just had to feel the new setback after an extravagantly risky backheel move inside his own area on eight minutes.

F1 2024 awards: Max Verstappen joins the greats after hardest-won title

The Red Bull driver overcame an ‘undriveable monster', McLaren delivered and Lewis Hamilton ended win drought

With a fourth consecutive world championship, Max Verstappen deserves to be recognised as one of the greats, a place he has earned not least with this year’s title, his most hard-fought yet. After opening in a dominant Red Bull, he executed clinically to take four of the opening five races, keeping his head even as the controversy surrounding the team principal, Christian Horner, consumed Red Bull. However, McLaren’s upgrades at Miami launched a fightback from Lando Norris and after the Spanish GP with the McLaren a quicker ride, Verstappen had to buckle down and make the best of an unbalanced car that he described as an “undriveable monster”. He did so with the commitment and determination of an Alain Prost or Michael Schumacher. Repeatedly grinding out decent points between Spain and Brazil was vital and ultimately enough to ensure he closed it out, a champion’s performance. It was, however, one marked by an aggressive, uncompromising attitude on track that did him a disservice and for which he was penalised. That side of his character was not enhanced by his ill-tempered late-season spat with George Russell, nor the absurd dive he made on Oscar Piastri at the season finale in Abu Dhabi that meant nothing to him but could have affected McLaren’s championship challenge.

Who are the main actors in the fall of the regime in Syria?

Rebel alliance includes groups with roots in Islamic extremism, Arab and Turkmen fighters, and Kurdish and Druze coalitions

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS; Levant Liberation Union) is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, and is the dominant faction in the rebel alliance which toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad with a lightning offensive launched late last month from its stronghold in the north-west. The group has its origins in al-Qaida and Islamic State, and was formally founded in 2017 after breaking with both. HTS has since governed 2 million people in Idlib province, and evolved a more pragmatic ideology, many analysts say. Concerns remain about its extremist roots and the presence of veteran jihadist fighters among its forces.

The Syrian National Army (SNA) is a coalition based in northern Syria backed by Ankara. It was founded in 2017 and includes a diverse range of Arab and Turkmen groups and fighters, including some veterans from the very earliest days of the rebellion against the Assad regime. The SNA participated in the campaign against IS, but has also intensively battled the Kurdish forces in Syria. In recent days, the SNA has launched an offensive against Kurdish groups and has made gains around Manbij, a strategic northern town. Turkey wants to prevent Kurdish groups establishing a solid, contiguous presence on the Syrian side of its southern border and stabilise the zone to allow the return of refugees.

Everton reward young fan who flew from Australia for postponed Merseyside derby

• Mackenzie Kinsella meets players at training ground
• James Tarkowski offers teenager tickets for Arsenal game

It was not the final league derby at Goodison Park but Everton have ensured the young fan who travelled from Australia for the game did not have a wasted journey after all.

Mackenzie Kinsella, a 15-year-old from Sydney, used his savings to attend the historic Merseyside derby only for the match to be postponed four hours before kick-off on Saturday because of the impact of Storm Darragh. A rearranged date for Everton’s final league meeting with Liverpool at Goodison has yet to be decided.

Pope Francis and advocates add to pleas for Biden to clear federal death row

Pope encourages prayers for people with death sentences as pressure grows for Biden to act before Trump takes office

Pope Francis has called for commutations for people on death row in the US, as religious leaders, civil rights groups and current and former prosecutors urge Joe Biden to take executive action on capital punishment.

In his Sunday prayer, Pope Francis, who has been a vocal death penalty opponent, said: “It comes to my heart to ask all of you to pray for the prisoners in the United States who are on death row. Let’s pray that their sentence would be commuted [or] changed.”

Will emergence of HTS in Syria raise level of global terrorism threats?

Intelligence chiefs have to decisively analyse the risk posed by group once affiliated to islamists al-Qaida

When Sir Richard Moore, the head of MI6, warned in a speech given 10 days ago that he had “never seen the world in a more dangerous state” Syria was mentioned just once. The context was that jihadist terrorism was on the retreat in the country, but after the lightning success of the rebel offensive, questions will inevitably be asked again.

Intelligence chiefs are now having to quickly reassess the triumphant Syrian rebels, and in particular, the leading group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), now designated as a terror organisation by the US and the UK. Once a Syrian offshoot of al-Qaida, HTS cut its affiliation in 2016 and under the leadership of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani the group has sought to project a moderate image as it has led the counter offensive from Idlib to Damascus. In an interview with CNN, al-Jolani said he would respect Syrian minorities and “no one has the right to erase another group”. Early reports from Aleppo suggest the Christian minority in Aleppo was unaffected after the HTS capture of the city a week ago.

The Guardian view on Romania’s annulled election: a wake-up call for democracies | Editorial

The social media-driven success of a pro-Putin candidate confirmed the extent to which Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics are now a threat

Famously, 2024 has been the biggest election year in history, featuring polls in 72 countries affecting 3.7 billion people. In Romania, sadly, it is now destined to be remembered as a year in which democracy was derailed rather than celebrated.

The unprecedented move by the country’s constitutional court last week to annul the results of the first round of the presidential election, amid allegations of Russian interference, is a landmark moment in the increasingly embattled arena of eastern European politics. The decision followed an astonishing surge to first place by a far-right admirer of Vladimir Putin, who had been polling in low single digits until the eve of the election. According to declassified intelligence reports, Călin Georgescu benefited from a vote that was manipulated by various illicit means, including cyber-attacks and a Russian-funded TikTok campaign. Analysts found that about 25,000 pro-Georgescu TikTok accounts became active only two weeks before the first-round vote.

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.

I want a top international coaching job – but not Wales, admits Ronan O’Gara

• La Rochelle coach has won two Champions Cup titles
• ‘I’d prefer Ireland, England or France,’ says former fly-half

Ronan O’Gara has declared his interest in taking a top international coaching role in the foreseeable future but will not be a contender for the Wales job should it fall vacant. The ambitious coach is contracted to La Rochelle until 2027 but says he would be open to talking about a position with Ireland, England or France if the opportunity arose.

O’Gara, who won 128 caps for Ireland and represented the British & Irish Lions, has made no secret of his desire to try coaching at Test level, having steered La Rochelle to successive Champions Cup titles in 2022 and 2023. He has now revealed, however, that he would ideally love to try one of the jobs currently held by Andy Farrell, Steve Borthwick and Fabien Galthié.

They ‘didn’t look the type’: how the media was fooled by Bashar and Asma al-Assad | Zoe Williams

Some journalists underestimated the threat of the brutal president, while his first lady was glamorised in a Vogue feature

As Bashar al-Assad is ousted as Syria’s brutal president, his wife Asma and children having fled to Russia shortly before, the scenes are too astonishing to settle. We can’t call it a finished revolution, but we can call Assad’s a finished regime and mark the end of the Syrian civil war: 13 years of heinous bloodshed; 580,000 people killed – more than 230,000 of them civilians, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, which attributes about 90% of those non-combatant deaths to Assad’s forces.

He never looked the type, foreign correspondents say. Adrian Blomfield in the Telegraph calls Assad “awkward and gangly, his mannerisms unassuming”. John Simpson found him “meek and anxious to please”. And who could forget how un-bloodthirsty, how incongruous, Asma al-Assad looked? Neat and understated, like a wife in a miniseries.

Rebecca Hendin on the fall of President Assad – cartoon

Continue reading...

EU should ban space mirrors and other solar geoengineering, scientists say

European Commission scientific advisers say technology to offset global heating could wreak havoc on weather

Europe should ban space mirrors, cloud whitening and other untested tools being touted to reflect the sun’s rays, the European Commission’s scientific advisers have said, but said the door should be left open for research into their development.

The scientists said the risks and benefits of solar radiation modification (SRM) – also known as solar geoengineering – were “highly uncertain”. They called for an EU-wide moratorium on using it as a way to offset global heating.

French film director faces charges of sexual harassment of child actor Adèle Haenel

Haenel says Christophe Ruggia subjected her to ‘permanent sexual harassment’ during making of film when she was between 12 and 15

In one of the first French #MeToo cases to come to court, a film director has denied charges of sexual aggression against and harassment of the award-winning French actor Adèle Haenel.

A group of feminists gathered outside the Paris court on Monday to support Haenel who claims she was groomed and abused from the age of 12 to 15 by Christophe Ruggia.

Golden Globes 2025: a lively list guaranteed to get under President-elect Trump’s skin

Sebastian Stan gets a best actor nomination for playing younger Trump in The Apprentice and a there’s a musical about a gender-reassigned Mexican gangster. Trump won’t be happy

• Golden Globes 2025: Emilia Pérez scores 10 nominations as Kate Winslet, Selena Gomez and Sebastian Stan each take two

• Full list of 2025 nominations

The Golden Globes nomination list once again raises the curtain for awards season in this new, uncertain era for the movies: post-strike, post-pandemic, but very much pre-AI. Of course, the Globes cover TV as well, and may well in years to come find themselves in a new era of relevance as so many, rightly or wrongly, claim the distinction between the two is blurring. It is certainly supposed to be a new era of respectability for the Globes, which (it hopes) has put to bed accusations of non-diversity and kickbacks. It’s hoping also that this year’s presenter Nikki Glaser will do better than last year’s icily received turn from Jo Koy.

It’s a great Globes list for streamer Netflix, hip distributor A24 and indeed the Cannes film festival, whose films are well represented. But awards lists will always annoy someone and this year that someone is going to be President-elect Trump, who will no doubt be infuriated at the best actor (drama) nomination for Sebastian Stan, who plays young Trump in the early-years biopic The Apprentice. Trump hates it, although I thought the movie went pretty easy on him. Jeremy Strong picks up a best supporting actor nomination for playing Trump’s toxic mentor Roy Cohn.

The Shining, burritos and $5 gifts: readers’ unusual holiday traditions

Their answers are a reminder that the holidays can be whatever you want them to be

Holidays and tradition go hand in hand: Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas trees, menorah lighting, New Year’s Eve kisses.

But some traditions are more quirky and idiosyncratic. I knew a family who decorated a chair every Christmas instead of a tree. My own family spends every Christmas morning watching The Godfather (parts one and two – not part three). And Mariah Carey, the queen of Christmas, once said she gets “one or two horse-drawn sleighs” for her family and friends to go “riding in the snow under the stars”. Sounds nice!

RFK Jr to research unsupported link between vaccines and autism, Trump says

President-elect boosts discredited claims peddled by his health secretary pick Kennedy in NBC interview

Donald Trump has said Robert F Kennedy Jr, his nominee for health secretary, may investigate a supposed link between vaccines and autism – despite a consensus among the medical establishment debunking any such connection.

In a wide-ranging interview with NBC, the US president-elect claimed an investigation was justified by the increasing prevalence of autism diagnoses among American children over the past 25 years.

Clusters of unidentified drones spotted in New York and New Jersey

FBI investigation under way as residents across US north-east report mysterious aircraft sightings for weeks

A spate of mysterious drone sightings have been reported in New York and Philadelphia as the FBI continues investigating similar sightings across New Jersey over the past month.

Since mid-November, local residents in several counties in New Jersey have reported seeing clusters of drones – and in recent days, additional drone sightings have been reported in parts of Pennsylvania and New York’s Staten Island.

How does the UK respond to the regime change in Syria? – Politics Weekly Westminster

The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss how the UK government will approach the change of regime in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. And, how deep are tensions between the Labour government and the civil service, and should we be viewing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as the unofficial opposition?

This year the Guardian and Observer’s annual charity appeal is asking for your support to help individuals whose lives have been turned upside as a result of conflict. We’re partnering with War Child and MSF to help support individuals affected by the horrors of war, providing assistance from emergency aid to psychological support. Plus, we’ve also teamed up with Parallel Histories who help schools teach children about contested conflicts. If you can, please donate now at theguardian.com/donate24

Google unveils ‘mindboggling’ quantum computing chip

Chip takes minutes to complete tasks that would otherwise take 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years

It measures just 4cm squared but it possesses almost inconceivable speed.

Google has built a computing chip that takes just five minutes to complete tasks that would take 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years for some of the world’s fastest conventional computers to complete.

‘Some see religion – others porn’: Louise Giovanelli on the paintings that made Manchester hot

Warned she would never get collectors to the ‘grim north’, the artist is now at the forefront of a booming scene. She discusses celebrity worship, her working-class art school – and why she’s obsessed with curtains

There is no other person in sight when I show up at the Maple industrial estate in Ardwick, Manchester. The sprawling, red-bricked complex has the air of an army barracks or an airport hangar. Doors are shuttered, the grass is overgrown, and discarded car parts line the perimeter. It’s also freezing. “Everyone struggles with directions to get here,” says Louise Giovanelli, when she eventually finds me walking in circles outside. The British artist is dressed in black jeans and a black hoodie flecked with paint. As I follow her through a network of tunnels, I feel like we’re about to attend a secret partisan meeting, rather than enter her studio.

But there is a cause being championed here today: the north – and, more specifically, Manchester. The 31-year-old, one of the most talked-about artists of her generation, is at the forefront of a new movement of painters who refuse to bow to industry pressure and relocate to London. A number of them – recently dubbed the “Ardwick Realists” – work together out of this same estate.

Referee David Coote sacked after Klopp comments and second video allegations

• He was suspended over foul-mouthed Klopp remarks
• Video allegedly showed him snorting white powder

David Coote has had his contract as a Premier League referee terminated after an investigation into his off-field behaviour. The refereeing body PGMOL said Coote had been found to be “in serious breach” of his terms of employment and had been removed from his position with immediate effect.

The investigation found against Coote on two key claims that emerged in November, part of a series of leaks that claimed to involve the 42-year-old. The first related to a video leaked online that showed Coote making foul-mouthed comments about the then Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. The second related to a video published by the Sun that allegedly showed Coote sniffing what appeared to be white powder.

US polygamous leader with 20 ‘wives’ faces sentencing for sexual abuse of children

Samuel Bateman has pleaded guilty to a years-long scheme to transport girls across state lines for his sex crimes

A polygamous religious leader who claimed more than 20 spiritual “wives” including 10 underage girls faces decades in prison at his sentencing on Monday for forcing girls as young as nine years old to submit to criminal sex acts with him and other adults.

Samuel Bateman, whose small group was an offshoot of the sect once led by Warren Jeffs, has pleaded guilty to a years-long scheme to transport girls across state lines for his sex crimes, and later to kidnap some of them from protective custody. His plea agreement called for 20 to 50 years in prison, though each conviction carries a possible life sentence.

In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline at 800-422-4453 or visit their website for more resources and to report child abuse or DM for help. For adult survivors of child abuse, help is available at ascasupport.org. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review – whip-smart, fascist-fighting, open-world adventuring

The archeologist heads to Vatican City and the Egyptian Pyramids in this unconventional blockbuster, for lots of cleverly designed stealth, combat and puzzle-solving fun

Making an Indiana Jones game today seems like a straightforward endeavour: you take Uncharted’s Nathan Drake, send him back in time 80-odd years, give him a fedora and a bullwhip and sit back and watch the golden idols roll in. The Uncharted developer Naughty Dog perfected the template for Indy-inspired globetrotting action games more than a decade ago, and nobody would blame Swedish studio MachineGames if it stuck to it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle opts not to. Instead, it often goes out of its way to frustrate such comparisons. This unconventional blockbuster has more in common with games such as Dishonored and Hitman than it does with Uncharted. Sure, it has action and spectacle and occasionally dabbles in platforming, but it places far greater emphasis on puzzles, open-ended stealth, and letting you beat the snot out of fascists while dressed as a priest.

Why Anthony Hopkins’ Netflix Herod is Hot Frosty 2 – sort of

The august actor clearly sees his role as Herod in Netflix’s festive offering Mary as an audition for the more tinselly films next Christmas

Something of a catastrophic category error seems to have happened at Netflix. For some reason it seems to be billing its new film Mary as a Christmas film, when it doesn’t appear to be anything of the sort.

We all know what elements a film needs to have to be considered festive. A big-city career girl. A plaid-wearing apple farmer. A local school that needs to be saved. Maybe a naked snowman who comes to life to teach a hot widow how to love again. Almost certainly Lindsay Lohan. And yet Mary has none of these. It’s all deserts and angels and babies being born in mangers and king Herod. It really isn’t very Christmassy at all.

Golden Globes 2025: Emilia Pérez scores 10 nominations as Kate Winslet, Selena Gomez and Sebastian Stan each take two

• Jacques Audiard’s crime musical becomes frontrunner
• Winslet up for Lee and The Regime
• Hugh Grant, Ralph Fiennes and Daniel Craig vying for best actor
• Demi Moore, Pamela Anderson and Zendaya up for best actress
• Snubs for Blitz, Hard Truths, The Outrun – and One Day
• Full list of nominations
• Peter Bradshaw: a lively list guaranteed to get under Trump’s skin

Fresh from its sweep at the European Film awards on Saturday, Jacques Audiard’s daring crime musical Emilia Pérez has dominated the Golden Globe nominations in Hollywood, taking 10, including nods for best comedy or musical, best director, and for its leading performer, Karla Sofía Gascón.

Gascón plays a Mexican cartel kingpin in the film who transitions to a woman in order to fulfil her dream – and evade the local mafia. Should she win, Gascón will be the first trans actor to take a film Golden Globe; three years ago, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez triumphed for her role in TV show Pose.

‘It is quite creepy’: Keira Knightley flagged ‘stalkerish’ aspects while shooting Love Actually

The actor has commented on the ‘creep factor’ of the cue cards scene in Richard Curtis’s festive romance film, in which she featured as a 17-year-old

Keira Knightley has said that she found the much debated placards scene in festive favourite Love Actually “quite creepy” during the shoot.

Richard Curtis’s romcom, originally released in 2003 and screened on both small and big screens around Christmas ever since, features multiple intertwined storylines involving various sets of friends, relatives and lovers.

How anger at Australia’s rollout of renewables is being hijacked by a new pro-nuclear network

An alliance of political groups is harnessing real fears about the local impact of wind and solar farms – and using them to spruik nuclear power

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

The entrance is marked by an AI-generated image of a dead whale, floating among wind turbines. On the first floor of the East Maitland bowling club, dire warnings are being shared about how offshore wind may impact the Hunter region – alongside a feeling of not being consulted, of being steamrolled.

“Environment and energy forums” like this one in late November have been held up and down the east of Australia, aiming to build a resistance to the country’s renewable energy transition.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Smoked salmon pancakes, mincemeat mascarpone, fig ice-cream – Nigel Slater’s Christmas treat recipes

Sweet and savoury dishes to share throughout the festive season, including pork and lemon meatballs and hazelnut and pistachio praline

No matter what time of year it is, the smell of toasted nuts will always make me think of Christmas. Yes, I might spot the occasional chestnut roaster on the street, but more so the nuts on my own kitchen hob, slowly turning golden brown in the pan before they are tossed with salt or coated with chocolate. This year, hazelnuts and pistachios will be toasted, coated in brittle caramel and partially dipped in chocolate. Something to pass around after dinner, or simply a treat for all-comers.

Think of a curl of smoked salmon or trout on a soft pillow of potato pancake, or plump balls of pork stuffing, freckled with herbs, eaten hot from the frying pan. What about crisp shards of praline, their sweetness tempered by bitter chocolate, or a hot, sweet mincemeat sauce for a silky mascarpone cream; and ice-cream too, crunchy with chocolate and chopped figs? All festive, and perfect for the season.

The 50 best albums of 2024: 50-31

Adrianne Lenker makes a record in the woods, Jack White returns with ripping riffs and Mach-Hommy gives a lyrical masterclass as we start counting down our critics’ picks of the year

• More on the best culture of 2024

***

Domestic issues pile pressure on Iran’s president amid foreign policy setbacks

Tensions over executions and plans for petrol price rise and hijab law add to reversals in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the latest in a string of foreign policy reversals for Iran including the weakening of its allies in Lebanon and Gaza, has coincided with growing domestic frustration over rising executions, planned increases in the price of petrol and a proposed law that imposes heavy fines and loss of access to public services to any woman not wearing the hijab.

The confluence of events is putting unprecedented pressure on Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, to demonstrate what reforms he has introduced since being elected in June. He is viewed domestically as a consensual figure and faces a conservative parliament, but his supporters are impatient for changes that will lift the economy.

BP shifts offshore wind to joint venture amid retreat from renewables

Energy company’s deal with Japan’s Jera will allow it to focus on exploiting oil and gas assets

• Business live – latest updates

BP has agreed a deal worth up to £4.5bn to build offshore windfarms with Japan’s biggest power producer, in a shift that will allow it to gain some access to zero-carbon wind energy while focusing on fossil fuels.

The FTSE 100 company will create a 50-50 joint-venture with the Japanese power generator Jera to combine their offshore wind assets, the companies announced on Monday.

Cross-country runners and Syrians’ joy: photos of the day – Monday

The Guardian’s staff select photographs from around the world

The Nutcracker ballet in Nairobi – in pictures

The beloved Christmas ballet, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was first performed in 1892. Known for its enchanting score and festive themes, it has become a holiday tradition worldwide

Almost 200 massacred in Haiti as Vodou practitioners reportedly targeted

Killings overseen by ‘powerful gang leader’ convinced his son’s illness was caused by followers of the religion

About 200 people were killed in violence in Haiti’s capital over the weekend, many in a massacre in which a gang boss reportedly targeted Vodou practitioners.

The killings of at least 110 people were overseen by a “powerful gang leader” convinced that his son’s illness was caused by followers of the religion, according to the civil organisation the Committee for Peace and Development (CPD).

‘It is ambitious, but ambition builds the world’: can the Gambia’s bold plan to cut plastic pollution work?

Tourists flock to the country’s dazzling beaches, but its vast, smoking waste sites tell a different story – one that the government is keen to change

Travelling through the Gambia, it is hard to avoid the makeshift dumpsites burning along the roadsides, filling the air with toxic fumes. Outside the tourist areas, beaches and waterways are littered with plastic rubbish.

The Gambia has long acknowledged it has a problem with plastic. For nearly a decade, it has attempted to solve it through legislation, including an anti-littering law in 2007 and a ban on plastic bags in 2015.

Mexico flight crew detains passenger who tried to divert plane to US

Plane was diverted to Guadalajara, where the person – identified only as Mario – was handed over to authorities

A passenger on a domestic flight in Mexico on Sunday tried to divert an aircraft to the US by force, Volaris airlines said in a statement on social media.

The crew managed to detain the passenger, and all those aboard the Airbus A320 that had departed from León, Guanajuato, are safe, according to the company, which is one of the country’s main airlines.

Moscow reaches out to new Syrian leadership in move to secure bases

Having labelled Syrian rebels ‘terrorists’, Moscow is now making diplomatic efforts to protect its military assets in the country

Moscow is seeking to secure the future of its key military bases in Syria while making inroads with the country’s new rebel leadership, after the dramatic collapse of the Assad regime threatened to erode Russia’s influence in the Middle East.

Russia has kept a sizeable airbase in north-west Syria and a naval facility at the Mediterranean port of Tartus since Moscow’s military intervention helped President Bashar al-Assad reclaim most of the country after nationwide protests that began in 2011.

Joy for Chelsea in Spurs thriller but more misery in Manchester – Football Weekly

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen, Will Unwin and Chris Paouros as Chelsea beat Spurs 4-3 to move just four points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today; are we taking Chelsea seriously enough? A great win at Spurs takes them to within four points of Liverpool (who have a game in hand). Did Chelsea play well or do Spurs have themselves to blame?

Syrian diaspora: share your reaction to the fall of Assad

We would like to hear from Syrian refugees and the diaspora on how they have been affected by the regime change

Crowds in Syria have been celebrating the end of five decades of dynastic rule following the fall of the dictator Bashar al-Assad who has fled to Moscow.

People waved the Syrian revolutionary flag and pulled down statues and portraits of the president and his father, Hafez. Families have been reunited with loved ones long lost to the dark of the regime’s notorious prison system.

Taylor Swift’s Eras tour smashes touring revenue record with more than $2bn in ticket sales

Pop singer’s 149-date tour, which ended on Sunday in Vancouver, more than doubles the previous record for a completed tour

Taylor Swift’s Eras tour has been confirmed as the most commercially successful tour of all time, raking in more than twice as much revenue as the previous record-holder.

Following the tour’s final date in Vancouver on Sunday, the singer’s company Taylor Swift Touring confirmed the final revenue tally to the New York Times: $2,077,618,725 (£1.62bn). This is the first official disclosure of the tour’s revenue figures.

Embrace the fog, savour the dawn, light up your home: readers’ top 10 tips for combating winter gloom

Guardian readers share their tried and tested ways to brighten up the darkest, dampest days

It can be hard to retain a sunny disposition when it’s grey and dismal outside. But even when the weather is bleak, there are things you can do to help make your day feel a little brighter. With this in mind, we asked readers to share their tips for combating the gloom and boosting their mood now the nights have drawn in.

‘Currying favor with Trump’: Eric Adams’ rightward drift sparks speculation as prosecution looms

New York mayor embroiled in legal troubles raises concerns over his apparent ties to Republican president-elect

Eric Adams was elected New York mayor as a centrist-sounding Democrat. A Black former cop who talked tough-on-crime but fit fairly squarely in the overwhelmingly Democratic politics of the city.

But Adams was also always famed for his eccentricities and foibles – scandals over the true extent of his veganism, whether or not he might actually live in New Jersey, and some of the tall tales he would recount from his past.

A Nonsense Christmas With Sabrina Carpenter review – an exceptionally good gift

She promises us the ‘ho-ho-ho-iest’ hour of all … and she delivers! The gloriously droll star brings the festive special bang up to date

The last time I was this entertained by a Christmas special was in lockdown, when Mariah Carey waved, regally, from a sleigh, for what I remember being about seven hours. But that was four years ago and there hasn’t been a decent one since. So Santa hats off to Sabrina Carpenter for coming up with a holiday special that feels entirely of the moment, right down to its starry duets, carefully curated off-the-cuff moments and internet-baiting comedy skits. Netflix has given her an unlimited budget, she says drolly, as long as she goes viral.

What Carpenter has pulled together in A Nonsense Christmas is a buzzy blend of comedy sketches in the style of Saturday Night Live and duets with other pop stars who are similarly hot to go. While every production is a miracle of teamwork, the behind-the-scenes interludes suggest Carpenter has had more input than simply being moved around like a marionette. The comedy is fine, the duets are fun, but it is the Carpenter charisma that keeps it all flowing nicely. Fans will have a field day with clips of her as a toddler, asking for cake instead of Christmas presents, or gags about skimpy costumes, although newcomers may need a primer on a running joke about the ad-libbing at the end of her 2022 hit Nonsense.

‘Time is running out’: 12 Nobel laureates urge Keir Starmer to intervene in case of jailed activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah

Writers JM Coetzee, Annie Ernaux, Kazuo Ishiguro and Olga Tokarczuk are among the laureates imploring the prime minister to act on behalf of the British Egyptian political prisoner

A group of Nobel laureates have written to the British prime minister Keir Starmer urging him to intervene to help free the imprisoned writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah.

Twelve laureates including JM Coetzee, Annie Ernaux, Kazuo Ishiguro and Olga Tokarczuk have signed the letter.

Biden has been wrecking his legacy, but he still has time to do the right things | Judith Levine

Biden is a lame duck, free to do what he wishes. He could start by saving a few – or a few thousand – lives

President Joe Biden seems intent on demolishing his legacy.

For months, the Democrats begged him to drop out of the presidential race. He defied them until the 11th hour. Kamala Harris lost.

Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept and the author of five books

Ferocious, calm and deadly: why the Mets agreed to pay Juan Soto $765m

The outfielder has reportedly agreed the largest contract in sports history with the Mets. It is a deal that will change baseball and the balance of power in New York

Juan Soto agreed to a reported 15-year, $765m contract with the New York Mets on Sunday night, the largest contract in the history of professional sports by total value. But as well as the brain-frying amounts of cash involved, it also represents a shift in the dynamics of baseball.

The obvious thing to say is that $765m is an obscene amount of money, which it is. But baseball salaries were obscene long before Soto’s deal was agreed. The 26-year-old got $65m more than the Los Angeles Dodgers committed to Shohei Ohtani last winter, albeit over a contract that is five years longer. Soto’s contract, various reports on Sunday indicated, does not include the kind of deferred payments that comprised almost all of Ohtani’s pay from the Dodgers. Soto’s contract is a generational haul and could upend the balance of power in an already strong National League East.

Carla’s spiced pear and chocolate jam: Rachel Roddy’s homemade gift recipe | A kitchen in Rome

Among the many gifts and fond memories left behind by the late Italian cook Carla Tomasi are her recipes for preserves, among them this velvet-smooth pear and dark chocolate spread

In the days running up to the sale, Alice messaged several times to remind me to spread the word, because she was worried about Carla’s cakes. It was December 2015, the first Christmas bake sale at Alice’s new studio, which was also a “gentle opportunity” for cook, teacher and preserver Carla Tomasi to come into the centre of Rome (something she hadn’t been in the habit of for a number of years) to meet friends and to sell her preserves. It was Carla who made it clear that being involved in a collective bake sale was a big step for her after a reclusive time, and that she intended to make just a few things.

In the weeks running up to the sale, however, Carla started sending pictures of the fruit she had picked off the trees in her garden, and of the crates of blueberries that her partner had driven back to Rome from Poland. Then came the photographs of bubbling pans filled with red, orange, brown and pink, and of carefully sterilised jars arranged on clean tea towels. These were followed by images of upturned jars (this creates a good seal) – dozens and dozens of them – filled with apple, caramel and sage butter, mustard-yellow piccalilli, date and apple chutney, fig and onion marmalade, clementine marmalade, blueberry and thyme jam, spiced quince, plum and pomegranate chutney, and Indonesian cauliflower pickle. Carla also announced that she had made “a few” Christmas cakes as well, each one fed meticulously, and that she was considering baking a couple of sorts of biscuits. “A couple” turned out to be seven.

The pet I’ll never forget: I lost my mum, career, livelihood and hope – but Bertie the cat was determined to fix me

He was found under floorboards and it was as if his humble beginnings gave him extra empathy. When people around us died and I became homeless, he gave me a clear purpose

Bertie was found in 2005 under the floorboards of a building where homeless people were taking shelter. He was a tiny kitten with a cleft palate, runny nose and a chest infection. Those first friends loved him but when he needed regular medication and surgery to clear his throat they had no choice but to hand him over to a charity. Giving Bertie a second chance was such an enormous act of selflessness; I only hope they were afforded the same.

I was a university lecturer in social work then, caring for my mum, who had dementia. We were a team, Mum, Bertie and I, along with Derek and Pat, the retired couple next door. We’d spend hours chatting over the fence, then I’d get the call: “Come round for tea – bring the cat!” I would tuck Bertie under one arm and Mum under the other and off we’d go. Birthdays, Christmas and every season in-between, that was us.

Inside the hunt for hidden cells in Sednaya prison, Syria’s ‘human slaughterhouse’

Exclusive: The Guardian gains access to Sednaya jail, where prisoners are rumoured to be trapped underground – as desperate relatives wait for news

The celebrations in Damascus were interrupted by a whisper.

On the outskirts of the city, a door had been found. Beyond it lay a vast underground complex, five storeys deep, containing the last prisoners of the Assad regime, who were gasping for air.

I’ve seen how declining British high streets can be brought back to vibrant life | Holly Lewis

New powers to force landlords to let empty shops is a good step – and there are other ways to revitalise these community spaces

If you have been reading anything about high streets recently, the chances are at least some of it included the reporting of another closure or collapse: M&S and Boots shutting stores, banks closing branches, pubs withdrawing. The list is long, and perhaps we would be less concerned if we were all confident that one ailing business would be replaced with another, more dynamic one. But for many of our high streets, that is not the case.

Against that gloomy backdrop, a report published at the end of November by the House of Lords’ built environment committee makes for refreshing reading, opening with evidence of “an optimistic and flourishing future” for our high streets.

Holly Lewis is a co-founding partner at the research, urbanism and architecture practice We Made That, and town architect for the London Borough of Hackney

How did a healthcare CEO become a target of such violent hatred? | Francine Prose

I’m horrified by the assassination of Brian Thompson. I’m also horrified that we let people die without medical care

Assassinations are despicable. I don’t much care if the targets are politicians or mafia bosses. It’s the method I despise. For those who are old enough to remember the killing of Patrice Lumumba, then JFK, then Malcolm X, then MLK, then RFK, every assassination is (I hate this word) a trigger. Assassinations are destabilizing. The shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off the first world war. Targeted violence has always been a sign – an augury – that the social order is breaking down. I would have preferred to see Osama bin Laden brought to justice so that we might have understood his methods and motives. I know that trials can be rigged, corrupted, biased, but so far the courtroom is the best place we have in which to decide between guilt and innocence – and to assign an appropriate punishment. Assassination is a death sentence without benefit of judge or jury.

All of which is to say that I was deeply horrified by the assassination of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in cold blood, in broad daylight, in front of the Hilton hotel, in Manhattan.

Francine Prose is a former president of PEN American Center and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Is it true that … we should all drink more water?

Do we really need to gulp down eight glasses of water a day – or is it a myth? We ask an expert

Sorry Stanley cup devotees, the environmental physiology professor Lewis Halsey at Roehampton University says there has been an “overselling of concerns” about consuming enough H2O.

“It’s a tricky one,” Halsey says. “Obviously people can become dehydrated. We are set up to have quite a high water turnover rate: we sweat it out to keep cool, and we therefore need to recover those fluids. However, we can, at least in the short or even medium term, lose quite a lot of fluids and be fine.”

‘It’s about total freedom’: Jeff Wall on his photographs of fallen horse riders and flooded graves

A new exhibition displays 40 years of work by the artist who stages scenes to painstakingly replicate the images in his mind – and some, he says, are definitely easier than others

Jeff Wall has long been championed as the master of slow looking. Back in 1985, the year before he turned 40, the British Columbia-born artist received a tip from a close friend. He had, by that point, published landmark scholarly essays, held professorships and made some seminal images, though not that many. His friend had seen a woman fall off her horse, and thought that was something Wall should photograph. “He said: ‘That kind of looked like a subject you could do,’ and I totally disregarded it because I just wasn’t interested at the time. But, two years ago, it came back to me.”

Over the past 40 years, Wall has utilised the speed and precision of photography to make exquisite, arresting works based on furtive moments just like this. Ask him how he decides what to shoot and he’ll likely say he’s not sure. Somehow, a vision bubbles up to the surface of his mind. As the viewer, the work he makes in response demands your stillness.

Drylands now make up 40% of land on Earth, excluding Antarctica, study says

An area nearly a third larger than India turned permanently arid in past three decades, research shows

An area of land nearly a third larger than India has turned from humid conditions to dryland – arid areas where agriculture is difficult – in the past three decades, research has found.

Drylands now make up 40% of all land on Earth, excluding Antarctica. Three-quarters of the world’s land suffered drier conditions in the past 30 years, which is likely to be permanent, according to the study by the UN Science Policy Interface, a body of scientists convened by the United Nations.

A new start after 60: I gave up work – and began travelling the world alone

After 40 years of work, Bally Bhamra went hiking in Nepal. Now 74, she still travels solo across Africa and Asia, staying with local families

When Bally Bhamra retired at 60, she decided this was her time. She started travelling alone, hiking in Nepal, “to prove that senior citizens shouldn’t be afraid to go out and have adventures”.

Now, 14 years on, Bhamra is 74 and each winter she has ventured to a different part of the world. Last month, she left her home in Berkshire, UK, for south-east Asia, having recently returned from nine months exploring southern Africa and Madagascar. “If I can do it at this age, anybody can,” she says.

US woman caught with golden gun in luggage at Sydney airport jailed for a year

Liliana Goodson travelled to Australia in 2023 to attend clown school with the gold-plated pistol, worth about $3,000, in her luggage

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

A US woman who flew to Australia with a gold-plated pistol in her luggage has been sentenced to a year in jail, despite claiming she brought it with her for protection.

Liliana Goodson pleaded guilty to charges of illegally importing an unauthorised firearm and illegally importing ammunition.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Down by the sea: poverty brings Blackpool life expectancy to UK low

Resort town struggles with squalid housing, poor nutrition for children and now, statistics show, earlier deaths

It is a league table that no one wants to top. For the first time in 20 years, Blackpool, a once-glamorous seaside resort, this week overtook Glasgow to have the lowest average male life expectancy in the UK.

Men born in Blackpool will now live until just after their 73rd birthday on average, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) study, six years less than the average in the rest of England.

Tanzania opposition laments its ‘naivety’ over president as repression intensifies

Recent killings and arrests of government critics suggest end of reformist approach under Samia Suluhu Hassan, say political rivals

When Samia Suluhu Hassan took office as Tanzania’s president in 2021, many in the east African country hailed what they hoped was a new dawn after the authoritarian and repressive rule of her predecessor John Magufuli.

The signs were positive in her first few years in office: Hassan ended bans on newspapers and political rallies, and legislation that kept pregnant girls and young mothers out of school, all policies that Magufuli had endorsed.

10 years of the long read: ‘All that we had is gone’: my lament for war-torn Khartoum (2023) – podcast

As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors.

This week from 2023: Since Sudan’s capital was engulfed by violence in April, life there has been all but destroyed. As we tried to get family members to safety, the ruination of my former home became hard to fathom. By Nesrine Malik

‘It shouldn’t be that easy’: inside the illegal wildlife trade booming on social media

Social media sites have become crucial tools for the sale of endangered species and platforms should do more to combat it, say experts

When the baby parrots were delivered to Alice Soares de Oliveira’s desk they had no feathers and could barely open their eyes. Housed in a dirty cardboard box, the pair were barely a month old, and showed signs of underfeeding.

The parrots – along with a pair of young toucans that arrived just under a month later – were victims of wildlife traffickers. Snatched by poachers, perhaps from their mother’s nest, they were all advertised for sale on social media.

Bashar al-Assad’s palace burned and ransacked – in pictures

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow. Islamist-led rebels declared they had taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. The presidential palace in Damascus has been overrun by rebel forces and now people are taking selfies in the grand reception rooms

• Syrians celebrate fall of Bashar al-Assad after five decades of dynastic rule
• ‘Our father did not die for nothing’: disbelief turns to jubilation in Damascus

Climate crisis deepens with 2024 ‘certain’ to be hottest year on record

Average global temperature in November was 1.62C above preindustrial levels, bringing average for the year to 1.60C

This year is now almost certain to be the hottest year on record, data shows. It will also be the first to have an average temperature of more than 1.5C above preindustrial levels, marking a further escalation of the climate crisis.

Data for November from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) found the average global surface temperature for the month was 1.62C above the level before the mass burning of fossil fuels drove up global heating. With data for 11 months of 2024 now available, scientists said the average for the year is expected to be 1.60C, exceeding the record set in 2023 of 1.48C.

How Trump’s victory sparked a crypto boom – podcast

Guardian US tech editor, Blake Montgomery, explains what the US president-elect’s embrace of the cryptocurrency world might mean for his second term

Bitcoin has never been more valuable. Last week, it reached a record $100,000 (£79,000) per bitcoin – the climax of a surge in cryptocurrencies overall since the election of Donald Trump in November.

As Guardian US tech editor, Blake Montgomery, explains to Michael Safi, the relationship between Trump and crypto has not always been so smooth – as recently as his first presidential term, he called bitcoin a “scam against the dollar”.

Tears of joy and sadness as ‘disappeared’ Syrians emerge from Assad’s prisons

Men, women and children, many jailed for speaking out against regime, reunite with their families

• Syria live – latest updates

As Syrian rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured city after city on the road to Damascus, forcing Bashar al-Assad to flee the country, they also opened the doors of the regime’s notorious prisons, into which upwards of 100,000 people disappeared during nearly 14 years of civil war.

Many emerged frail and emaciated into the bright December sunlight, greeted by weeping family members who had no idea they were still alive. Some struggled to comprehend that Assad was gone; a few held even longer had never even been told that he had succeeded his father, Hafez, who died in 2000.

Syrians around the world celebrate fall of Bashar al-Assad regime – video

Syrians in cities across the world celebrated the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. People cheered, danced with flags and beeped car horns after the Syrian government was ousted in an end to the Assad family's 50-year rule

• Syria live – latest updates

Syrian rebels seize the capital: How the night unfolded – video

The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, is believed to have fled the country his family has ruled over for 50 years, after rebels said they had captured the capital after a lightning advance completed in just under two weeks. Footage from the capital, Damascus, showed rebels storming the presidential palace and destroying the Iranian embassy. State television soon declared the end of Assad's rule and celebrations erupted on the streets across Syria. In a matter of hours, queues formed at the Lebanese border with Syria as displaced families began to return to their homes

• Middle East crisis - live updates

• Bashar al-Assad reported to have fled Syria as rebels say they have captured Damascus

Fentanyl may enter the US from Mexico, but the drug of choice there is different

Use of crystal meth is soaring among workers, partiers and the young and threatening a public health crisis

All night, Daniela stares at screens in the warehouse where she works as a security guard. The challenge is to stay awake. So, before every shift, she smokes crystal meth for the euphoric focus it gives her.

When Donald Trump threatened a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico if it did not stop fentanyl crossing the border, Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, shot back with a public letter stating that it was drug demand in the US that caused crime and death in Mexico. “We don’t consume synthetic drugs,” she asserted.

The fall of Damascus: in pictures

Islamist-led rebels declared they had taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on 8 December, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Employees are being marched back to the office. But why? | Eva Wiseman

The pandemic gave us a valuable opportunity to change our ways, yet many workplaces have rebuffed the lesson

When I work in the office (the canal flashing down to my left, to my right a desk of conversations that veer between fascinating and deadly, it being part of my job to lean in to catch the former before they dissolve) a piece that might take a morning to finish at home will here be stretched long into the evening. It’s 3pm and the sky is the colour of an infected eye, and the fluorescent lights are more noise than lamp, their hum a soundtrack to the soundtrack – the wet coughs, booming meetings, clickering keyboards, a deep existential drone.

Phones don’t ring any more, instead desks vibrate with neighbours’ texts, and our large water bottles teeter on piles of books, and Post-it notes uncurl themselves from computer screens, and I love it. I do, I love it – the ways we cobble ourselves into unlikely families, the moaning, the tea. I used to love it because I felt legitimised by coming to work, a real person. I liked the ceremony of putting on a little outfit and swishing into town, swiping my office card, checking my pigeonhole. I got older. The novelty wore off, but still, I liked my colleagues and the work and felt increasingly grateful to be doing something I enjoyed. The headaches weren’t great. The lights, the commute. One doctor suggested I wear “a visor” at my computer, which is not a possibility as unfortunately I have a reputation to protect. A visor! I would cluck back painkillers at my desk, and return home vaguely sunken, but still it was almost a whole life.

Business in the front, party in the back: Mulletfest 2024 – in pictures

Mullet hairstyles judged in categories grubby, everyday, ranga, vintage, extreme, international and junior at grand final raising funds for brain cancer in Abermain, NSW

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

How the Brian Thompson shooting unfolded – video timeline

On 4 December, Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in New York near the midtown Manhattan branch of the Hilton hotel. The search for his killer has entered its third day, with police revealing clues about the suspect's identity. However, many details surrounding the shocking shooting remain unclear. Here is a timeline compiled by The Guardian covering the incident and the suspect's escape route

• Brian Thompson: search for shooter continues for third day as police reveal clues

Michel Barnier's coalition falls after no-confidence vote topples French government - video

French far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined forces to back a no-confidence motion against prime minister Michel Barnier and his government, with a majority 331 votes in support of the motion. The minority coalition of Barnier falls after three months, the shortest of any administration of France’s Fifth Republic

• France in political crisis after no-confidence vote topples government

How the South Korean president's martial law declaration unfolded – video

After South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country, thousands of protesters took to the streets alongside the leading opposition Democratic party, urging MPs to head to the national assembly and vote it down. Following a dramatic night in which soldiers attempted to block MPs from entering parliament, lawmakers unanimously adopted a bill rejecting the martial law declaration, prompting the president to backtrack. Here is how the night unfolded in Seoul

• Declaration of martial law awakens ghosts South Koreans thought were laid to rest

• South Korea gripped by uncertainty as MPs defy president’s declaration of martial law

How Europe closed its borders and betrayed its values – video

Border walls and fences around European countries have grown by 75% in just 10 years and EU leaders have increasingly been open to making deals with autocrats, creating a virtual border across the Mediterranean to stop migrants arriving on their shores.

The Guardian's senior global development reporter Mark Townsend looks back at a decade in which Europe has become a fortress, militarising its borders and moving away from the commitment to human rights on which it was founded

Share your experience of being a celebrity lookalike

We would like to hear from people who have been told they look like a celebrity

With celebrity lookalike contests such as Timothée Chalamet taking place, we’re interested in finding out more about the celebrities you’ve been told you look like.

Have friends or family said you look like a famous musician, sports person or Hollywood star? Have you had any experiences of mistaken identity? If so, what happened? We’re also interested in hearing from anyone who has taken part in a lookalike competition.

How having babies became so political - video

The pronatalist movement in the US is gathering pace once again, rekindled by Silicon Valley personalities and hard-right conservatives who are becoming increasingly vocal about whether or not women are having enough babies. But it's not just in the US, some governments in other countries have launched marketing campaigns encouraging people to have more children, while others have offered financial incentives. But while many of these policies claim to be about halting population decline, there are other factors at play. Josh Toussaint-Strauss interrogates efforts around the world to boost birth rates, as well as the underlying political motivations, from bodily autonomy to immigration

• Birthrates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide?

• When desperate measures to persuade women to have children fail, it’s time for fresh thinking

Atacms: what are the missiles Ukraine has fired into Russia for the first time?

American and Ukrainian officials have confirmed Kyiv employed US-made Atacms missiles to strike targets within Russia. The Kremlin stated that six missiles were launched at the town of Karachev, with fragments from one reportedly causing a significant explosion.

In response, Russia has announced it is adjusting its nuclear doctrine. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow would interpret any attack against it carried out by a non-nuclear state using weapons supplied by a nuclear state as a joint assault. But what exactly are Atacms, and why has their deployment unsettled Russia so deeply?

• Atacms: what are the missiles Ukraine has fired into Russia for first time?

• Russia-Ukraine war live

Share your experience of lightning strikes in Latin America and the Caribbean

We’d like to hear about the impact of dramatic lightning strikes in the region. How have you been affected?

Scientists have warned for years that rising temperatures across the planet are likely to cause more lightning. The Caribbean is among those regions that have experienced an increase in damaging strikes over the past two decades, according to experts.

Have you been affected by dramatic lightning strikes in the Caribbean? Do you have experiences or pictures of lightning impact in Jamaica, Belize, Barbados or any other country in the region? Or perhaps in Latin America?

How Russia is winning the arms race in Ukraine – video

Russia is engaging in a 'shadow war' with Nato states, which is reportedly part of a deliberate strategy to undermine the alliance’s ability to support Ukraine. At the same time Russia's military industrial complex is producing arms at a formidable rate, and with Nato countries struggling to keep up in term of numbers, the arms race is having a big impact on the frontline. Josh Toussaint-Strauss finds out how Russia is using hybrid warfare alongside boosting its arms industry to outpace Nato, and what this all means for the war in Ukraine

• West’s spy chiefs alarmed at recklessness of Russian counterparts

• Russia to raise defence budget by 25% to highest level on record

• ‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners

Share your thoughts about the collapse of the German coalition government and the snap election

We’re interested to hear how people feel about the collapse of German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government, and which issues may decide their vote at the general election

The collapse of Germany’s three-party ruling coalition has triggered a snap election that is to take place in February 2025.

The German government collapsed after the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, unexpectedly sacked his finance minister, Christian Lindner, during a row over the 2025 budget, plunging Europe’s largest economy into political disarray, after months of bitter infighting that has contributed to the administration’s growing unpopularity amid a stagnating German economy.