General news

• Questions remain for Williamson after U-turn on GCSE and A-level grades

  18-08-2020 01:01
  
  The Cabinet minister has apologised for the 'distress' caused by the abandoned policy.
  
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• Arsenal v Wolves: Premier League – live

  13-12-2025 22:12 via theguardian.com
  ⚽ Premier League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off
  ⚽ Live scores | Table | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Scott2 min: Doherty skittles Martinelli out on the left. An early free kick for Arsenal. Rice’s delivery is uncharacteristically poor, failing to beat the first man … and that first man is Doherty, who makes good his mistake by clearing.Arsenal get the ball rolling. They haven’t lost at home yet this season, winning ten from 11. Godspeed, Wolves. Continue reading
  
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• Tommy Robinson’s London ‘Christmas service’ draws about 1,000 people

  13-12-2025 21:51 via theguardian.com
  Number is stark contrast with estimated 110,000 at far-right activist’s ‘unite the kingdom’ rally in SeptemberThe far-right activist Tommy Robinson led a carol concert to “put the Christ back into Christmas” on Saturday in an event that had a huge drop-off in attendance from his last rally in London.The Metropolitan police said about 1,000 people attended the event at its peak, in stark contrast to the estimated 110,000 who turned up to Robinson’s “unite
  
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• Phil Foden’s rocky road is proof that a prodigy’s promise is no guarantee of glory | Jonathan Wilson

  13-12-2025 21:00 via theguardian.com
  The Manchester City midfielder is in sparkling club form but that doesn’t mean he is the right fit for Tuchel’s EnglandBy the time the World Cup comes around, nine years will have passed since Phil Foden won the Golden Ball as England lifted the Under-17 World Cup. That tournament can be seen in hindsight as a watershed for the English game, the first indication that the elite player performance plan (EPPP) and the England DNA project – taking youth football seriously – m
  
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• Death on high-speed roller coaster in Florida deemed accidental

  13-12-2025 20:59 via theguardian.com
  Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died from blunt-impact trauma on ride at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park A Florida sheriff’s office has concluded that the death of a 32-year-old man while riding a high-speed roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park was accidental.According to a report released Friday by the local medical examiner, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala suffered a deep cut on the left side of his forehead, a fracture to the bone ridge above his eye and bleeding above
  
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• Anderson sets sights on bigger Ally Pally stage after first-round world championship win

  13-12-2025 20:46 via theguardian.com
  Former champion shows mettle in win over Adam HuntGilding, Woodhouse and Davies victorious in first roundThe thought of playing in a “new” arena is keeping Gary Anderson going at the PDC World Darts Championship. The two-time champion edged through his first-round clash at Alexandra Palace, getting the better of Adam Hunt 3-2.Anderson is a threat to the favourites this year and, with the tournament moving to a new, bigger stage at the same venue as part of a new deal in the future, h
  
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• Three Americans killed in Syria by suspected Islamic State gunman, Pentagon says

  13-12-2025 20:14 via theguardian.com
  US Central Command reports an ambush on Saturday, the first attack to inflict US casualties since fall of Bashar al-AssadTwo US army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter have been killed and several other people wounded in an ambush on Saturday by the Islamic State group in central Syria, the Pentagon said.The attack on US troops in Palmyra is the first to inflict casualties since the fall of the former Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, a year ago. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘No issues to resolve’: Slot claims Salah matter over but talks expected during Afcon

  13-12-2025 20:14 via theguardian.com
  Liverpool manager: ‘There’s nothing for me to talk about’Slot refuses to divulge details of talks with SalahArne Slot claimed he had no outstanding issues with Mohamed Salah and would see the Egypt international after the Africa Cup of Nations following the forward’s positive return for Liverpool against Brighton.Salah was reintroduced to the Liverpool side as a 26th-minute substitute having been omitted from the Champions League win at Inter over the incendiary interview
  
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• Championship roundup: Fatawu strikes from own half as Leicester sink Ipswich

  13-12-2025 20:10 via theguardian.com
  Winger’s 65-yard lob helps Foxes to 3-1 winCoventry stay top; Boro tighten grip on secondAbdul Fatawu scored from inside his own half as Leicester cruised to a 3-1 win against Ipswich at the King Power Stadium. Fatawu’s remarkable lob from about 65 yards doubled Leicester’s lead two minutes before half-time, after Bobby De Cordova-Reid lashed home from distance on eight minutes.Leicester sealed the points on 52 minutes when Jordan Ayew converted Ricardo Pereira’s cutback
  
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• The moment I knew: as he opened the Uber door, he opened my eyes to a love beyond work

  13-12-2025 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Ash Jacks McCready had low expectations for her first date with Tom, but after an awkward start, their relationship moved fast and wildFind more stories from the moment I knew seriesIn high school I was in an all-consuming relationship with one thing: dance. Any free time I had was spent on working towards a coveted spot at a performance company.As soon as I graduated school in Brisbane, I left to begin my career as a performer. Continue reading...
  
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• Kevin McCloud: ‘We measure the value of a home by the number of toilets it has – which is bonkers’

  13-12-2025 20:00 via theguardian.com
  The Grand Designs presenter and co-host of Tim & Kev’s Big Design Adventure on living with bats, the most important room in a house and eating fermented sharkGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailThere’s an aphorism that Australians only want to talk about two things – sport and real estate. Do you think we talk too much about real estate?In my experience, Australians never talk about real estate but the Australian media talks about it all the time. It’s a little
  
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• Maresca’s cryptic comments spark confusion after Chelsea sink Everton

  13-12-2025 19:48 via theguardian.com
  What had seemed like a routine win for Chelsea became something a lot more mysterious thanks to a cryptic comment from Enzo Maresca in the post-match press conference. “The last 48 hours,” he said, “have been the hardest since I joined the club because so many people didn’t support me and the team.”But which people? It was far from obvious. There was a clear sense Maresca was directing a message to somebody: he made the statement in response to a question about Malo
  
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• Saracens fall just short in South Africa as Sharks survive Champions Cup storm

  13-12-2025 19:24 via theguardian.com
  Pool 1: Sharks 28-23 SaracensMuch-changed Sarries beaten in tough conditionsIt is a long way to go for just a point, but Saracens all but took the maximum against Sharks in biblical weather in Durban. Now that South Africa has been incorporated into the Champions Cup, these long trips are part and parcel. It meant Saracens changing 10 of their starting lineup. It meant Sharks changing 14 – and a head coach to boot.JP Pietersen, the former Springbok, stepped up to fill his new role this wee
  
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• Met will not investigate claims against Andrew relating to Virginia Giuffre

  13-12-2025 18:57 via theguardian.com
  Scotland Yard says it is sticking with earlier decision not to launch criminal inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-WindsorAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not be the subject of a criminal investigation in Britain over allegations he had sex in London with a teenager who was trafficked, and then put pressure on his police protection officer to dig up dirt on her.The Metropolitan police on Saturday said after weeks of review, it would not launch any formal criminal investigation into King Charles&rsquo
  
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• Pulp Fiction actor Peter Greene found dead in New York apartment

  13-12-2025 18:37 via theguardian.com
  Greene, 60, praised for the various villains he played during his career but manager says he also had ‘heart as big as gold’Peter Greene, the actor known for his roles in Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died at the age of 60.He was found dead at his New York City apartment on Friday, his manager said, and the cause of death has not been disclosed. Continue reading...
  
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• Israel says its military killed Hamas commander Raed Saed in Gaza City strike

  13-12-2025 18:27 via theguardian.com
  If Saed is dead he would be most senior militant to be killed since October ceasefire, in attack on car that reportedly left four deadThe senior Hamas commander Raed Saedhas been killed in a strike on a car in Gaza City, the Israeli military said on Saturday.The attack killed four people and wounded at least 25 others, according to Gaza health authorities. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medics that Saed was among the dead. Continue reading...
  
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• YouTube channels spreading fake, anti-Labour videos viewed 1.2bn times in 2025

  13-12-2025 18:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: More than 150 anonymous channels using cheap AI tools to spread false stories about Keir Starmer, study findsYouTube channels spreading fake, anti-Labour videos have amassed more than a billion views this year, as opportunists attempt to use AI-generated content to profit from political division in the UK.More than 150 channels have been detected in the last year that promote anti-Labour narratives, as well as outright fake and inflammatory accusations about Keir Starmer. Continue rea
  
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• Cuba denounces US seizure of oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast as ‘piracy’

  13-12-2025 17:34 via theguardian.com
  Cuban foreign ministry called US military action ‘maritime terrorism’ under a policy of ‘economic suffocation’Cuban officials have denounced the US seizure of the Skipper oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday, calling it an “act of piracy and maritime terrorism” as well as a “serious violation of international law” that hurts the Caribbean island nation and its people.“This action is part of the US escalation aimed at hampering
  
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• Racing honours Hunt family as outsider Glengouly hits jackpot at Cheltenham

  13-12-2025 17:25 via theguardian.com
  33-1 shot repels challenge of Jagwar and VincenzoRace capped a week of events for Hunt Family FundThis was an afternoon at the track when the big-race result was secondary to the cause it was supporting. For Faye Bramley it also marked a huge step forward in her training career as Glengouly, a 33-1 outsider, made all the running to win the Support the Hunt Family Fund December Gold Cup.The Hunt Family Fund was set up by the BBC racing commentator, John Hunt, and his daughter, Amy, after the murd
  
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• Belarus releases 123 prisoners including opposition leaders after US lifts sanctions

  13-12-2025 17:03 via theguardian.com
  Nobel prize winner Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava among those freed after US talks with Alexander LukashenkoThe Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has freed 123 prisoners, including Nobel peace prize winner Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava, after the US lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash, a key export.The announcement came after two days of talks with an envoy of the US president, Donald Trump, the latest diplomatic push since t
  
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• Thailand denies Trump ceasefire claim as clashes with Cambodia continue at border

  13-12-2025 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Thai PM says military will keep fighting and Cambodia suspends border crossings as casualties riseThailand-Cambodia fighting explainedThailand’s caretaker prime minister has denied the existence of a ceasefire with Cambodia, despite Donald Trump announcing that both countries had agreed to halt fighting.As heavy clashes continued along the border between the two countries, Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday that Thailand had not agreed to a ceasefire with Cambodia and that its forces wou
  
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• Psychedelic treatments show promise for OCD while cannabis doesn’t, review finds

  13-12-2025 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Psychiatry professor theorizes that the difference is related to how the substances interact with areas of the brainA recent review of alternative treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) indicates that psychedelic treatments show promise for the disorder while cannabis does not.Dr Michael Van Ameringen, a psychiatry professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada and lead author of the review published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, said that 40-60 % of OCD patients get e
  
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• Labour is procrastinating over policy as UK’s economy goes backwards | Phillip Inman

  13-12-2025 17:00 via theguardian.com
  New business rates regime that is poised to hit pubs and hotels is latest example of hasty decision-makingThere is a heavy cloud hanging over Labour’s Christmas celebrations.The most recent figures show the economy is going backwards and worse, the slide is prompting recession talk in the corridors of City banks. Continue reading...
  
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• Zoe Ball to leave role as presenter of her BBC Radio 2 show

  13-12-2025 16:57 via theguardian.com
  Ball will be replaced by Emma Willis but will continue to host special programmes for the stationZoe Ball has announced she is leaving her role as presenter of her BBC Radio 2 show.Speaking on the show, the 55-year-old said she would be replaced by the broadcaster Emma Willis. Ball will present her last programme next Saturday and will continue to host special programmes on the station. Continue reading...
  
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• How did Mail on Sunday’s US editor become ‘rock solid friend’ of Meghan’s father?

  13-12-2025 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Duchess of Sussex says journalistic ethics breached as dad turns to journalist first to break news of leg amputationWhen Thomas Markle received bad news about his health earlier this month, he immediately texted someone close to him to let them know. The 81-year-old had been admitted to hospital after one leg swelled up and turned black. “Going to lose the leg today,” he wrote.The message was not sent to his son, Thomas, who lives with him in Cebu in the Philippines, nor to his older
  
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• Two girls, 9 and 11, awarded $31.5m after sister’s California torture death

  13-12-2025 15:52 via theguardian.com
  Arabella McCormack, 11, died after being tortured and starved by adoptive family and police and church failed to interveneA lawsuit over the death of an 11-year-old California girl who was allegedly tortured and starved by her adoptive family reached a settlement on Friday totaling $31.5m from the city and county of San Diego as well as other groups.The suit was brought on behalf of the two younger sisters of Arabella McCormack, who died in August 2022. The girls were ages six and seven at the t
  
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• Two men arrested after Christmas tree in Durham village chopped down

  13-12-2025 15:33 via theguardian.com
  Tree, which was planted more than 10 years ago, was felled hours after its Christmas lights were switched onTwo men have been arrested in relation to a “disgusting act of mindless vandalism” after a Christmas tree which had stood in a village for more than 10 years was cut down.On Wednesday, the tree in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, was felled sometime between 10pm and 11pm, just hours after the Christmas lights were switched on. Continue reading...
  
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• Wes Streeting calls for ‘cross-party consensus’ on gender identity ahead of puberty blocker trial

  13-12-2025 15:23 via theguardian.com
  Health secretary wrote to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, urging her to ‘take heat and ideology’ out of debateThe health secretary, Wes Streeting, has called on the Conservatives to maintain the cross-party consensus on gender identity services built before the last election in a letter to Kemi Badenoch.Streeting wrote to opposition leader on Friday urging her to “take the heat and the ideology” out of debate amid controversy over a puberty blocker trial for children.
  
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• Comedian Robin Ince quits Radio 4 show, claiming BBC found his views ‘problematic’

  13-12-2025 15:15 via theguardian.com
  Ince says he resigned as co-host of Infinite Monkey Cage because of what he described as his lack of ‘obedience’The comedian and author Robin Ince has resigned from his role as co-host of the long-running BBC Radio 4 podcast The Infinite Monkey Cage after a fallout with BBC executives over “problematic” opinions and what he described as a lack of “obedience”.Ince, who has co-presented the popular science show alongside Prof Brian Cox for 16 years, posted on so
  
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• Olivia Smith erases all doubt for Arsenal after frenetic first-half spell at Everton

  13-12-2025 15:14 via theguardian.com
  The Women’s Super League’s December goal-of-the-month compilation will probably include three contributions from this match. Arsenal scored two of them and climbed to second in the table as half-volleys from Katie McCabe and Olivia Smith helped them on their way to a valuable victory.It will have felt all the more satisfying for Arsenal after Chelsea dropped points against Everton last Sunday. They were momentarily given a scare when Honoka Hayashi levelled the scores in a frenetic f
  
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