General news

• Ex-Twitter exec details ‘homophobic and antisemitic’ abuse over handling of Hunter Biden story

  08-02-2023 23:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Yoel Roth testifies before congressional committee that Elon Musk’s release of company’s internal records led to harassmentA former Twitter executive testified on Wednesday that he was forced to leave and sell his home following a campaign of “homophobic and antisemitic” harassment over the company’s handling of a New York Post story about Hunter Biden.Yoel Roth, the former head of safety at Twitter, made the comments while speaking to a committee in the newly Repub
  
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• Blackstenius sinks City to send Arsenal Women into Continental Cup final

  08-02-2023 23:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City aet: Continental Cup semi-finalArsenal will play West Ham or Chelsea in finalStina Blackstenius came off the bench to score the extra-time winner as Arsenal reached the Continental Cup final with victory over holders Manchester City.After a goalless 90 minutes, the Sweden international finished off a smart move to wrap up a deserved 1-0 win at Meadow Park. Jonas Eidevall’s side will now face either West Ham or Chelsea in the final at Selhurst Park on March 5. Co
  
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• Underwater team pull out of Nicola Bulley search after no body found

  08-02-2023 23:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Specialists ‘categorically’ believe 45-year-old not in section of river where detectives think she fell inA specialist underwater search team looking for Nicola Bulley have pulled out of the operation and believe “categorically” the 45-year-old is not in the section of the river where detectives believe she fell in.Peter Faulding, a leading forensic search expert and chief executive of Specialist Group International, said his team have been unable to locate Bulley in the
  
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• Sancho snatches point for Manchester United against managerless Leeds

  08-02-2023 23:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Jadon Sancho’s equaliser was a sweet moment for a player returning from physical and mental well-being issues. When he crashed in on 70 minutes the sound from Manchester United’s delirious fans was matched by the dazzling grin from Erik ten Hag: the manager hailed the goal but he also loved the identity of the scorer.Sancho, making only a second appearance since October, entered as a substitute into a rip-roaring contest in which Leeds had taken a 2-0 lead before United’s fight
  
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• Police visited home of Epsom College head over 2016 domestic row

  08-02-2023 22:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Emma Pattison and her young daughter were shot by George Pattison before he killed himself.
  
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• Peru’s deadly protests: what is happening and why are people so angry?

  08-02-2023 22:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Protests erupted after the president, Pedro Castillo, was ousted in December after attempting to temporarily suspend congressSince former president Pedro Castillo was ousted in early December, protests have broken out across the country. Demonstrators have blocked roads and intermittently stalled several airports in Peru’s south. Tourism has dropped away with the ‘indefinite’ closure of Machu Picchu, the Inca ruin and Peru’s preeminent tourist attraction. Continue reading
  
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• Kurzawa goal crucial as Fulham win at Sunderland to set up Leeds FA Cup tie

  08-02-2023 22:46 via theguardian.com
  
  If Fulham end up winning the FA Cup this year, they will surely regard their fourth round struggles to overcome Sunderland as pivotal.Thanks to goals from Harry Wilson, Andreas Pereira and Layvin Kurzawa, Marco Silva’s team succeeded at the second attempt and will host Leeds in the fifth round, but the tight scoreline reflected the verve and vibrancy of their Championship opponents. Continue reading...
  
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• Why Majorie Taylor Greene dressed like that at the State of the Union

  08-02-2023 22:45 via theguardian.com
  
  The congresswoman was trying to highlight Biden’s lack of comment on China’s spy balloon, an aide saysCruella De Vil, Kid Rock, Dr Zhivago – the internet was ablaze discussing who Marjorie Taylor Greene most looked like in the white knee-length coat and furry collar that she wore to the State of the Union. It turns out the question shouldn’t have been who but what.Greene apparently wanted to match the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the country last week. So she picked
  
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• Sunak says nothing off table as Zelensky asks for jets

  08-02-2023 22:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  President Zelensky steps up calls for the West to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, on a surprise visit to the UK.
  
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• George Santos is a ‘sociopath’, fellow New York Republican congressman says

  08-02-2023 22:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Nick LaLota is one of a growing number of people from both parties to call on Santos to quit over made-up résumé and investigationsGeorge Santos is a “sociopath” who thrives on negative attention, another New York Republican congressman said.“He’s a sociopath,” Nick LaLota told CNN on Wednesday, after Santos’s confrontation with Mitt Romney at Joe Biden’s State of the Union address made headlines the night before. Continue reading...
  
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• MPs should not influence church on same-sex marriage, says Justin Welby

  08-02-2023 22:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Archbishop of Canterbury tells members not to be swayed by ‘groups or lobbies or outsiders’ at General SynodThe archbishop of Canterbury has warned MPs that he will ignore threats of parliamentary intervention to force the Church of England to allow same-sex couples to marry in church.Speaking at the C of E’s national assembly, the General Synod, Justin Welby said members should not be swayed on the issue by “groups or lobbies or outsiders”. He said he had heard suc
  
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• Nicola Bulley: Dive team pull out as search extended

  08-02-2023 21:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Divers say Nicola Bulley is "categorically not" in the section of river where police think she fell.
  
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• Damning report uncovers years of sexual harassment at transport union

  08-02-2023 21:39 via theguardian.com
  
  TSSA union’s future in doubt after Helena Kennedy inquiry uncovers unchecked sexist behaviour and leadership failingsWomen working at a transport union were subjected to sexual assaults, inappropriate and sexual touching and coercive and manipulative behaviour over many years, a damning inquiry has concluded.Helena Kennedy’s investigation into sexual harassment and leadership at the TSSA union has called for a tight-knit group of four senior figures to leave the organisation, saying
  
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• Ukraine denounces Roger Waters as ‘another brick in the wall’ of Moscow propaganda

  08-02-2023 21:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Kyiv outraged as Pink Floyd star accepts Russian invitation to speak at UN security council and calls for immediate ceasefireThe veteran Pink Floyd rocker, Roger Waters, has addressed the UN security council at Russia’s invitation, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. But he was denounced by the Ukrainian ambassador as “just another brick in the wall” of Moscow’s propaganda.Waters spoke via a video link, dressed in a light brown tweed jacket, appearing on a s
  
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• Drought may have doomed ancient Hittite empire, tree study reveals

  08-02-2023 21:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Examination of trees alive at the time shows three years of severe drought that may have caused crop failures and famineResearchers have offered new insight into the abrupt collapse of the ancient Hittite civilization, with an examination of trees alive at the time showing three consecutive years of severe drought that may have caused crop failures, famine and political-societal disintegration.Around 1200 BC, human civilization experienced a harrowing setback with the near-simultaneous demise or
  
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• Steve Bell on Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to the UK – cartoon

  08-02-2023 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
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• One Who Wants to Cross review – nail-biting dread in a story of desperate migrants

  08-02-2023 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Finborough theatre, London
  This two-hander, translated from the French, has a hypnotic narrative power as it considers the refugees’ dangerous journeyTwo men stand at opposite ends of the stage. One wants to cross the waters, represented by a mirrored shard on the floor. The other bars his way, demanding money or sounding doubtful warnings of the journey’s danger.Marc-Emmanuel Soriano’s play, translated from French by Amanda Gann, is a stripped-down, devastating drama about mig
  
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• Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes appeal for jets in address to British parliament

  08-02-2023 20:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Rishi Sunak asks defence secretary to look at options after Ukrainian leader’s plea in speech to MPs and peersRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesVolodymyr Zelenskiy made an emotional appeal to the UK to supply Ukraine with fighter jets on a surprise visit to the UK, forcing Rishi Sunak, previously opposed to handing over UK jets, to order a defence ministry review into whether Zelenskiy’s request can be met.In a historic address to members of the Commons and the Lords at W
  
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• Cross-party MPs shocked by Foreign Office talks with Xinjiang governor

  08-02-2023 20:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Erkin Tuniyaz ‘played central role’ in persecution of Uyghurs, says inter-parliamentary alliance on ChinaThe Foreign Office has shocked cross-party opponents of the Chinese treatment of Uyghur groups by revealing that it has asked the Xinjiang governor for talks.MPs belonging to the inter-parliamentary alliance on China (Ipac) called it “incomprehensible” that “anybody within government would think it appropriate to meet with someone who has played a cent
  
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• Biden enjoys State of the Union reviews as Republicans stoke culture-war fire

  08-02-2023 20:38 via theguardian.com
  
  President makes economic case to improve lives of working people while GOP opponents obsess over ‘hot-button’ social issuesJoe Biden was basking in positive reviews of his State of the Union address on Wednesday after a night that exposed the gulf between Democrats and Republicans heading into the 2024 race for the White House.The US president used his annual primetime speech to tout economic achievements and emphasise his appeal to working families, criticizing billionaires who pay
  
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• Ben Youngs omitted from England Six Nations squad for Italy encounter

  08-02-2023 20:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Youngs, Ben Curry and Anthony Watson sent back to clubsHenry Arundell a ‘real talent’, says defence coach Kevin SinfieldBen Youngs has been omitted from an England Six Nations squad for the first time since 2014 as Steve Borthwick prepares to reshuffle his team to face Italy on Sunday. Youngs, Ben Curry and Anthony Watson all featured against Scotland but have been sent back to their clubs with Alex Mitchell, Jack Willis, Henry Arundell and Henry Slade all retained.The 33-year-old Le
  
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• Scottish police officer accused of raping six-year-old girl

  08-02-2023 20:16 via theguardian.com
  
  The officer, also accused of raping a woman multiple times, warned girl he would ‘beat her black and blue’ if she spoke outA police officer in Scotland raped a girl when she was about six years old, a court has been told.The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave prerecorded evidence to the high court in Edinburgh on Wednesday, alleging that Martyn Coulter, 36, raped her on one occasion in late 2014.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issue
  
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• The Guardian view on UK foreign policy: a post-Brexit void | Editorial

  08-02-2023 20:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Support for Ukraine is a good position that conceals an absence of strategic direction and engagement with the rest of Europe Foreign policy/UK support for Ukraine is a noble stance that masks a strategic voidIn an audit of Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister, one good decision to be recorded for posterity – perhaps the only one – was unflinching support for Ukraine when it was invaded by Russia.The importance of that alliance, and Ukrainian gratitude for it, were powerfully
  
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• The Guardian view on Biden’s State of the Union: deft politics - now to persuade voters | Editorial

  08-02-2023 20:06 via theguardian.com
  
  The president can take pride in real achievements. Can he convince Americans to give him credit?Few politicians manage, in Winston Churchill’s phrase, to make the weather. Joe Biden was particularly poorly placed to do so when he took office, inheriting a pandemic that was raging unchecked, a struggling economy and a crisis of democracy itself. War in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis soon followed; relations with Beijing continue to deteriorate, as last week’s row over the Chinese
  
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• Standing room only as Zelenskiy delivers a lesson in leadership | John Crace

  08-02-2023 20:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Westminster raises its game for the Ukraine president who hadn’t come to the UK on a jollyJust occasionally Westminster can raise its game. Though it usually takes someone from outside to make it happen. A British royal or a foreign head of state. But few visitors have been given the reception granted to Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Not merely extended applause. But a sense of awe. A patriot for any age. An inspirational leader whose country has been at war for nearly a year and who hasn’t o
  
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• ‘Deliberate’ bus crash into Montreal daycare center kills two children

  08-02-2023 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Six more children injured in suburb of Laval, as driver arrested for homicide and reckless drivingTwo children have died and six others were injured when a city bus ran into a daycare center in the Montreal suburb of Laval.The bus driver, a 51-year-old employee of the Laval municipality’s public transit system, was arrested for homicide and reckless driving, police said on Wednesday. Continue reading...
  
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• A solution to the climate crisis: mining the moon, researchers say

  08-02-2023 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Astrophysicists propose geoengineering solution to climate warming, although skeptics still urge ‘massive’ fossil fuel cutbacksProponents of a “moonshot” idea to deal with global heating have been handed a new, very literal, interpretation by researchers who have proposed firing plumes of moon dust from a gun into space in order to deflect the sun’s rays away from Earth.The seemingly outlandish concept, outlined in a new research paper, would involve creating a &ldq
  
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• Former X Factor star Katie Waissel welcomes extra support for TV contestants

  08-02-2023 19:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Katie Waissel says she had a "horrifying" experience during and after being on The X Factor in 2010.
  
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• Treasury reins in levelling up spending amid Gove’s plan for more grants

  08-02-2023 19:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Michael Gove’s department banned from spending money on new capital projects without Treasury approvalMichael Gove’s government department has been banned from spending money on new capital projects without Treasury approval amid concerns about how well public money is being managed.Insiders had signalled that Gove’s speech in Manchester on 25 January had prompted fears of rogue spending as he announced plans to fund a new round of local grants in northern counties. Continue re
  
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• The Prevent review feeds a political lie: that fighting the far right lets Islamist terrorists off the hook | Sunder Katwala

  08-02-2023 19:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Many hoped for an impartial examination of the threat, what works and what doesn’t. Those hopes have been dashedWilliam Shawcross’s review of Prevent has been a long time coming. It was not only four years, but also four prime ministers ago that Theresa May’s government committed to an independent review. That had been championed by former counter-terror reviewer Lord Anderson as a way to defuse the polarised debates about the role of Prevent, and encourage more focus on the ev
  
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• Contempt ruling against environmental protester is a crime against justice | Letter

  08-02-2023 19:20 via theguardian.com
  
  The climate crisis is a much bigger nuisance than the jailed Insulate Britain activist David Nixon, writes Dennis LeachmanIt is truly shocking that a person has been tried while being prevented from explaining in court their motivation to the jury (Insulate Britain activist jailed for eight weeks for contempt of court, 7 February). By what definition is this justice? There are possible defences in law to the charge of causing public nuisance in these circumstances, but David Nixon – who ha
  
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• Some of the 1% are more generous than others | Letter

  08-02-2023 19:18 via theguardian.com
  
  In response to Tim Worstall of the Adam Smith Institute, Douglas Graham says being wealthy doesn’t preclude someone from working for a fairer worldRe the claim by Tim Worstall of the Adam Smith Institute (Letters, 31 January) that 25% of Guardian readers may be among the wealthiest 1% of the world’s population (and the implication that therefore their response to articles like Nesrine Malik’s is mere attitudinising), the model of human nature favoured by the Adam Smith Institut
  
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• Manchester United Q&A: could Qatari investors realistically buy the club?

  08-02-2023 19:04 via theguardian.com
  
  The Emir of Qatar is interested in purchasing United, but there are key barriers to a deal – including Uefa’s ownership rulesAccording to the Daily Mail on Wednesday, a group of “individual Qatari investors” will imminently bid to buy Manchester United, the 20-times champions of England. The Qatari offer, the Mail claimed, would “blow the competition out of the water”. Qatari interest in United has been confirmed by the Guardian, with Jamie Jackson reporting t
  
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• Archie Battersbee’s death was an accident, coroner concludes

  08-02-2023 19:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Coronor says 12-year-old from Essex was placed on life support after prank or experiment went wrongArchie Battersbee, whose parents fought a lengthy battle to prevent his life support being switched off, died as a result of a prank or experiment gone wrong, a coroner has concluded.After two days of evidence from Archie’s mother, Hollie Dance, medical staff and police, Essex’s senior coroner, Lincoln Brookes, said on Wednesday his official verdict was that the 12-year-old’s deat
  
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• Archie Battersbee died in prank gone wrong - coroner

  08-02-2023 18:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The 12-year-old was found unconscious at his home and died after a legal battle over life support.
  
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• Former counter-terror chief hits out at ‘insulting’ findings of Prevent review

  08-02-2023 18:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Neil Basu claims parts of government-backed review of scheme are driven by ‘rightwing viewpoint’Britain’s former top counter-terrorism officer has said parts of the government-backed review of Prevent appear to be driven by a rightwing ideology and are “insulting” to professionals fighting to stop attacks on Britain’s streets.Neil Basu, the head of counter-terrorism policing until 2021, revealed his concerns after a review of the official scheme to divert peop
  
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• Boris Johnson nears £5m in earnings since leaving office

  08-02-2023 18:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It comes after the former PM's latest declaration of a £2.5m advance payment for speaking events.
  
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• From Out of Sight to Magic Mike: our writers pick their favourite Soderbergh films

  08-02-2023 18:01 via theguardian.com
  
  With the release of Magic Mike’s Last Dance, Guardian writers argue why their Steven Soderbergh pick is better than the restAt the age of 26, Soderbergh conquered Sundance, won the Palme D’Or at Cannes and changed the indie film business forever – not bad for a first try. Having a killer title like sex, lies and videotape certainly raised eyebrows, but Soderbergh’s debut not only delivered on its seductive promise, but seemed to understand where human relationships might
  
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• Churchill, a helmet and a plea for planes: Zelenskiy’s speech at a glance

  08-02-2023 17:47 via theguardian.com
  
  The key messages contained in the Ukrainian president’s half-hour address in Westminster HallUK politics live – latest news updatesIt was a speech rich in emotion, humour and, as you might expect from an actor turned politician, not a small amount of drama. But addressing British parliamentarians in Westminster Hall on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy had some very specific asks. Here is a potted rundown of his half-hour speech.A nation at war Continue reading...
  
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• LeBron James' NBA record: How will it help British basketball?

  08-02-2023 17:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  LA Lakers' star LeBron James scores 38 points to become the all-time leading scorer in the NBA.
  
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• Biden’s State of the Union speech was in stark contrast to Britain’s dearth of economic ideas | Martin Kettle

  08-02-2023 17:34 via theguardian.com
  
  The US president’s strategy is a world away from anything the Tories have to offer. Labour needs to learn from itLike every State of the Union address by every US president before him, Joe Biden’s speech to Congress on Tuesday was aimed squarely at the domestic audience. The United States may be a global superpower, but the rest of the world counts for little when the president makes his annual winter journey up to Capitol Hill. The Beltway rituals of the evening – the obligato
  
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• Jared O'Mara: Former MP found guilty of fraudulent expenses claims

  08-02-2023 17:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Jared O'Mara is convicted of trying to claim almost £24,000 to fund a cocaine habit.
  
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• Drink, drugs and defrauding the state: the spectacular fall of Jared O’Mara

  08-02-2023 17:14 via theguardian.com
  
  A shock election winner in 2017, O’Mara rarely went to parliament and ‘just lay in bed all day’Six years ago, Jared O’Mara was seen as a breath of fresh air for British politics. “You don’t see people like me – young, working-class lads with disabilities – in parliament, but now you’re going to,” he said with understandable pride.Today, O’Mara’s reputation is in tatters, his fall as spectacular as his rise. The former MP for
  
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• Age has caught up with me – and it feels appalling | Adrian Chiles

  08-02-2023 17:09 via theguardian.com
  
  I have reached the age my father was when I first heard him described as ‘old’. What can I say? Except it’s better than the alternativeOf all the things to find triggering, T-shirts are a funny one. I mean the T-shirts bearing daft or clever – clever-dick? – slogans, maxims, aphorisms, puns and so on. You know the kind of thing: I might be wrong (but it’s highly unlikely); Football is my second favourite F word; Right wing. Left wing. Chicken wing. Etc. You se
  
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• Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s surprise visit to the UK – in pictures

  08-02-2023 17:03 via theguardian.com
  
  The Ukrainian president flew into Britain on Wednesday for only his second trip abroad since Russia invaded nearly a year ago Continue reading...
  
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• Ring discovered around dwarf planet Quaoar confounds theories

  08-02-2023 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Astronomers find ring much further away from planet than is normal, leaving them wondering how it remains stableAstronomers have spotted a ring around a Pluto-sized dwarf planet called Quaoar in the outer reaches of the solar system.The observations, by a powerful telescope on La Palma, reveal the ring to be much further away from the planet than is typical, calling into question how such systems form. Continue reading...
  
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• MH17: ‘strong indications’ Putin signed off on supplying missile that hit plane

  08-02-2023 15:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Investigators say findings suggest decision to provide Buk system to Donetsk separatists ‘taken at presidential level’Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesThere are “strong indications” the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, personally signed off on a decision to supply the missile that downed flight MH17 in 2014, a team of international investigators has said.The Boeing 777 was flying over eastern Ukraine when it was shot down by a Russian-made surface-to-air mi
  
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• West Lancashire byelection: Labour odds-on favourite to hold seat

  08-02-2023 15:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Contest was triggered by MP Rosie Cooper’s resignation after being targeted in rightwing plotWest Lancashire constituents will vote for their next MP on Thursday in a Westminster byelection triggered by the resignation of Labour’s Rosie Cooper.Cooper announced she was stepping down last autumn after more than 17 years, after being targeted in a rightwing plot in 2017 in which a 23-year-old extremist had planned to “replicate” the murder of Jo Cox using a machete. Continue
  
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• International garden photographer of the year – in pictures

  08-02-2023 15:14 via theguardian.com
  
  The international garden photographer of the year competition is now in its 17th year, with a growing number of special awards and partnerships with Unesco world heritage sites such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Blenheim Palace. Here are a selection of category winners and commended entries, described in the photographers’ own words Continue reading...
  
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• Ukraine conflict: 'Wings for freedom' - Zelensky presents gift to Speaker

  08-02-2023 15:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ukraine's president gave the speaker of the House of Commons a helmet, as he visited Parliament to address politicians.
  
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