Trump remained tight-lipped on details of call with Venezuelan president as tensions rise between countries
Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken with Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, but he did not provide details on what the two leaders discussed.
“I don’t want to comment on it. The answer is yes,” the US president said when asked if he had spoken with Maduro. He was speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One.
Whistleblower says chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of children, after alarm was raised
The former director of UK special forces and other senior military officers tried to cover up concerns that SAS units were carrying out unlawful killings in Afghanistan, an inquiry has heard.
A senior special forces whistleblower said the chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of two small children, after the alarm was first raised in early 2011. That failure allegedly allowed them to continue until 2013.
Savoy theatre, London State-of-the-art animatronics, imaginative staging, fabulous performances and some marvellous songs about marmalade make for an evening that will fill you with joy and melt your heart
Here is the Peruvian bear as we have never seen him before – or so we are led to believe from the marketing of this musical, which is based on the beloved 2014 film, based on Michael Bond’s beloved books. But this is in fact exactly how we have seen him before: initially alone in Paddington station with marmalade sandwiches under his felt hat and a pleading look in his eye for strangers to be kind to outsiders such as him.
This is not new fare, even if Paddington is brought to life with state-of-the-art animatronics: James Hameed is his voice and remote puppeteer, while Arti Shah is under his furry skin on stage (puppet design by Tahra Zafar). The Brown family are recognisable from the star-studded film: risk-averse dad (Adrian Der Gregorian), arty mum (Amy Ellen Richardson), adolescent Judy (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) and encyclopaedia-chomping wee Jonathan (Jasper Rowse on the night of attendance), along with houseguest Mrs Bird (Bonnie Langford, in national treasure mode).
An enormous Bowie knife whirls through the air and thuds into a wooden bar, sending a shudder of excitement through the cluster of men wearing leather hats, blue jeans, flannelette vests and dirty tees carousing in an outback pub.
Bursting through the front door, a man follows the knife, engaged, it seems, in mortal combat with a saltwater crocodile. But the drinkers erupt with laughter as the “mad bugger” – adorned in crocodile teeth and skin – wrangles the stuffed beast to the bar and orders two drinks: “One for me, one for me mate”.
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí has been ruled out of Spain’s Nations League final second leg at home against Germany after fracturing her left fibula in training.
The Barcelona midfielder, who has topped the Guardian’s list of the 100 best female footballers in the world for the past two years, fell awkwardly during a session on Sunday and tests have revealed a broken leg.
Judge last week’s budget in the light of our bold plans to sweep away red tape, tackle inactivity among young people and pursue a closer trading relationship with the EU
Keir Starmer is the prime minister of the United Kingdom
At the budget last week, we made the right choices for Britain, cutting the cost of energy with £150 off bills, protecting the NHS and tackling the scourge of child poverty by removing the two-child limit. We also ensured that the revenue we raised through taxes was done fairly, with everyone contributing but those with the broadest shoulders contributing their fair share. As a result of the choices we made, the budget created a more stable economic environment, driving down inflation and government bond yields. This is vital for protecting our public services, when £1 in every £10 spent by government goes on debt interest.
The budget builds on the action we have already taken to improve the economy: providing £120bn in extra capital investment in such things as roads, rail and energy; enacting the biggest planning reforms in a generation to back builders, not blockers; supporting the expansion of Heathrow and Gatwick; and signing trade deals with the EU, India and the US. Taken together, these have allowed us to exceed our growth forecasts.
Keir Starmer is the prime minister of the United Kingdom
Labour announces prevention programme as well as efforts to re-engage people who have fallen out of medical care
Ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030 is within reach thanks to an action plan that will include routine testing at A&Es, the government has said.
The HIV action plan, to be unveiled on World Aids Day on Monday, aims to re-engage the thousands of people who have left HIV care, bringing them back to lifesaving treatment. The £170m package also includes funding for opt-out HIV testing at A&Es during routine blood tests in areas with the highest rates, including London and Manchester.
Labour’s economic plan will take years to deliver in full, Keir Starmer has said as he tries to regain the narrative after a turbulent response to last week’s budget.
In an article for the Guardian, the prime minister hit back at his political opponents, insisting the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, was right to impose £26bn worth of tax rises.
Researchers now describe it as both historical phenomenon and public health model. Its success was remarkable
Past/Present is a column which places current events in historical context
Aids has always been laden with political and emotional volatilities. The possibility of blood- or sex-based transmission combined with its first emergence among marginalised and criminalised populations created a potent mix of primal terror and terrifying prejudice.
It can sometimes be difficult to remember just how potently misinformation, fear and outright hostility framed the knowledge and experience of Aids in the first decade or so of the pandemic. In this period, a positive result on an HIV test was a terminal diagnosis and medical knowledge about transmission and treatment was still cloudy.
Duplantis named World Athletics’ male athlete of year
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins top female award
Armand Duplantis has capped a remarkable 2025, in which he broke four world records and won another world title, by being named World Athletics’ male athlete of the year.
Immediately after picking up the award, the Swedish pole vaulter took aim at Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track, which collapsed in the summer and is still yet to pay athletes their full prize money.
Team failed to pit drivers behind safety car in Qatar
Max Verstappen won race to stay in title contention
Lando Norris, the championship leader, has decried the McLaren team strategy error at the Qatar Grand Prix that allowed Max Verstappen right back into the fight and forced a three-way battle at next Sunday’s title-deciding finale in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen won the race in Doha after McLaren chose not to pit their drivers under a safety car early in the race. It was a costly error that gave Verstappen the lead and the win. Norris could finish only fourth and his teammate Oscar Piastri, who was equally unhappy with the team, was second.
Chelsea manager complains of inconsistent refereeing
Maresca agrees Moisés Caicedo tackle warranted red card
Enzo Maresca complained of inconsistent refereeing after Moisés Caicedo was sent off for Chelsea and Arsenal’s Piero Hincapié escaped a potential red card during a bruising 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Although Maresca accepted that Caicedo deserved to see red for a dreadful tackle on Mikel Merino midway through the first half, the Italian still cried foul. The head coach cited Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur not being sent off for a poor tackle against Chelsea at the start of November and he was similarly bullish when told about Reece James arguing that Arsenal should have been reduced to 10 men when Hincapié left Trevoh Chalobah with a black eye during an aerial duel.
Bryce Young completed 15 of 20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns – two of them coming on fourth down – and the Carolina Panthers (7-6) forced three turnovers by Matthew Stafford to beat Los Angeles (9-3) and snap the Rams’ six-game winning streak. Carolina’s defense intercepted Stafford twice with Mike Jackson returning one for a 48-yard touchdown and ended the 37-year-old’s NFL record of 28 straight TD passes without an interception. Derrick Brown, who tipped a ball resulting in one of Stafford’s first pick, came up with a key strip-sack with 2:25 left in the game to preserve the win. Stafford completed 18 of 28 passes for 243 yards with two touchdown passes to Davante Adams, his 13th and 14th of the season.
Detectives claim to have uncovered Sydney-based network involving online distribution of child sexual abuse material involving ritualistic or satanic themes
NSW police say they have uncovered an “international satanic child sex abuse material ring” and charged four Australians for their alleged involvement.
Detectives from the sex crimes squad said that as part of Strike Force Constantine, an investigation into the online distribution of child sexual abuse material involving ritualistic or satanic themes, they disrupted a Sydney-based network.
Algerian foreign minister says African countries and peoples continue to pay a heavy price for colonialism
African leaders are pushing to have colonial-era crimes recognised, criminalised and addressed through reparations.
At a conference in the Algerian capital, Algiers, diplomats and leaders convened to advance an African Union resolution passed at a meeting earlier this year calling for justice and reparations for victims of colonialism.
Arsenal would surely have taken a draw beforehand, against a Chelsea team that have emerged as surprise title rivals in recent weeks – and especially when they realised they had to play without William Saliba, who injured himself in training on Saturday.
It was a different story when, in the 38th minute, Chelsea were reduced to 10 men after Moisés Caicedo’s X-rated challenge on Mikel Merino. It was one of those that made you wince upon each replay, the stand-in Arsenal striker fortunate to emerge unscathed.
Liverpool gathering lays bare bitter divisions within new party founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana
The new leftwing party founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana will be called Your Party after a vote by members, but its weekend conference laid bare bitter divisions.
Just over 37% of members voted for the name Your Party, provisionally adopted when it was launched earlier this year, to become permanent. The votes for others on the shortlist were 25.23% to be called For The Many, 25.23% for Popular Alliance and 14.19% for Our Party.
Pontiff tells politicians and religious heads they must persevere with peace efforts despite facing ‘highly complex, conflictual’ situation
Pope Leo has urged political leaders in Lebanon to make peace their highest priority in a forceful appeal as he is visiting the country, which remains a target of Israeli airstrikes, on the second leg of his first overseas trip as Catholic leader.
Leo, the first US pope, arrived in Beirut on Sunday from a four-day visit to Turkey where he said that humanity’s future was at risk because of the world’s unusual number of bloody conflicts, and condemned violence in the name of religion.
Norris only fourth in Qatar, making Abu Dhabi decisive
McLaren failure to pit on safety car costs their drivers
Max Verstappen believed he had long since “checked out” from being able to defend his world championship. Yet the Dutchman, while down, was far from out and has, with victory in the Qatar Grand Prix, battled and bludgeoned his way back into contention just as McLaren have somehow contrived to leave Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri vulnerable to his late charge, as Verstappen forced the title race to the wire at the final round next weekend in Abu Dhabi.
With Lando Norris, the title leader, fourth and his teammate Oscar Piastri second in Doha, after McLaren made an egregious strategy error, there will now be a three-way fight to the finish at the season finale, with 16 points separating all three drivers. Verstappen is 12 points back from Norris, with Piastri a further four worse off. It is a scenario that was all but unthinkable when Verstappen was 104 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix on 31 August and he had in effect written off his championship ambitions.
Plane skidded off runway and 45 cars were piled up as 53 million were under winter weather alerts over Thanksgiving
A Thanksgiving weekend storm system brought over a foot of snow and strong winds across the US midwest and thunderstorms across the south, as 53 million people from South Dakota to New York were under winter weather alerts.
Over the weekend, ahead of one of the busiest travel days of the year on Sunday, a 45-car pile-up occurred on interstate 78 in Indiana and a Delta Air Lines plane skidded off the runway in Des Moines, Iowa, during landing.
Tory special needs reforms upended council finances, but Labour’s plan to rebuild public provision won’t come cheap if it’s done properly
The crisis over special educational needs and disabilities in England is not just a question of cash. Children and parents spend months and years battling for support to which the law entitles them, schools lack the funding to meet needs, and specialist provision is inadequate. An adversarial system shunts families towards tribunals that councils almost invariably lose.
Tory reforms created obligations for local authorities but did not adequately fund them – allowing ministers to duck responsibility. The result has been financial chaos, with the overall overspend on special educational needs and disabilities (Send) predicted to reach £6.6bn by next March, and keep rising. Taking responsibility for funding away from councils and handing it to the Department for Education is the right move. But the most important questions about Send go beyond accounting. A white paper on reform was postponed in October. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, told MPs that she would consult further before deciding on the future of education, health and care plans, which set out entitlements for individual children, and the tribunals where parents can challenge council decisions.
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