General news

• Revealed: how big businesses are rolling back public support for Pride

  22-12-2025 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Guardian analysis of 20 major companies in UK and US shows mentions of Pride on social media have fallen substantially in past two yearsThe UK’s biggest businesses are rolling back their public support for Pride celebrations, Guardian analysis suggests, prompting warnings that “clear signals” are needed in the face of growing global LGBTQ+ hostility.Analysis of social media posts by the country’s biggest companies found mentions of Pride had plummeted by 92% since 2023, m
  
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• Ukraine war briefing: UK earmarks £200m to prepare for possible Ukraine deployment

  10-01-2026 03:33 via theguardian.com
  British defence minister says money will be spent on vehicle upgrades, communication systems and counter-drone protection, ensuring troops are ready to deploy. What we know on day 1,417Britain said it was allocating £200m (US$270m) to fund preparations for the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine, after pledging its soldiers this week to a multinational force for the country in the event of a ceasefire. Visiting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, British defence minister John Healey
  
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• More than 100 buildings destroyed and 300,000 hectares burned as Victoria’s bushfires rage

  10-01-2026 02:30 via theguardian.com
  Fires may continue for ‘weeks’, authorities warn, as three missing people found safeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAt least 119 structures are believed to be lost in bushfires across Victoria and more than 300,000 hectares of bushland has been burned as the state continues to battle blazes that may rage for “weeks”.Emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, told the media on Saturday t
  
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• High Noon review – Billy Crudup brings classic Hollywood western back with a bang

  10-01-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Harold Pinter theatre, London
  Crudup and Denise Gough lead a tense adaptation that turns the film into a debate play whose McCarthy-era roots resonate powerfully todayHow do you turn a classic Hollywood western into West End musical fare? Add songs, many of Bruce Springsteen’s in this case, along with a few rounds of line dancing and a sizzling star in Billy Crudup. Still, it’s an odd experience initially as Thea Sharrock’s production switches from one brief filmic scene to the
  
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• Ronnie O’Sullivan pulls out of snooker’s Masters on medical grounds

  10-01-2026 00:59 via theguardian.com
  Eight-time champion withdraws two days before eventO’Sullivan also pulled out 12 months agoRonnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of the Masters two days before the tournament starts on medical grounds.O’Sullivan claimed a record-extending eighth win at the tournament in 2024 but opted against defending his crown 12 months ago, giving the same reason as he has for his latest withdrawal. Continue reading...
  
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• Maryland woman who says she is US citizen finally released from ICE custody

  10-01-2026 00:52 via theguardian.com
  Dulce Consuelo Díaz Morales was held for 25 days even after attorneys said they presented ICE with US birth certificateA Maryland woman has been released and reunited with her family after spending 25 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody – despite her attorneys saying documentation showed she was born in the US and therefore is a citizen.Dulce Consuelo Díaz Morales and her legal team maintain she was born in the US and possess records supporting that clai
  
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• Renee Nicole Good said ‘I’m not mad at you’ before ICE agent shot her, video shows

  10-01-2026 00:50 via theguardian.com
  Clip first posted by partisan outlet Alpha News shows perspective of ICE agent as Good was fatally shotRenee Nicole Good calmly said everything was “fine” and “I’m not mad at you” seconds before an on-duty Immigration Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot her in Minneapolis as she drove away, according to a cellphone video shared on Friday by Donald Trump’s White House.The partisan media outlet Alpha News first posted the video on X, a 47-second clip that sho
  
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• Washington National Opera to move out of Kennedy Center after Trump ‘takeover’

  10-01-2026 00:23 via theguardian.com
  Artistic director of US’s national opera also cites ‘shattered’ donor confidence and box office revenueThe Washington National Opera (WNO) announced on Friday it is moving its performances out of the John F Kennedy Center, in what could be one of the most significant departures from the institution since Trump took control of it.“Today, the Washington National Opera announced its decision to seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy
  
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• Iran’s supreme leader sets stage for harsher crackdown as protest movement swells

  10-01-2026 00:17 via theguardian.com
  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls protesters ‘vandals’ and ‘saboteurs’ and blames US for instigating the unrestIran’s supreme leader has vowed that authorities will not back down in the face of a rapidly growing protest movement, setting the stage for an intensified violent crackdown as demonstrations and a nationwide internet shutdown continued on Friday.Protests have raged in cities and towns across the country in recent days, posing a threat to the authority of the re
  
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• Trump ramps up Greenland threats and says US will intervene ‘whether they like it or not’

  10-01-2026 00:01 via theguardian.com
  US president doubles down on threats to acquire territory at White House meeting with oil and gas executivesDonald Trump has doubled down on his threats to acquire Greenland, saying the US is “going to do something [there] whether they like it or not”.Speaking at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House, the US president justified his comments by saying: “If we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland. And we’re not going to have Russia
  
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• Elon Musk’s X threatened with UK ban over wave of indecent AI images

  09-01-2026 23:49 via theguardian.com
  Platform has restricted image creation on the Grok AI tool to paying subscribers, but victims and experts say this does not go far enoughElon Musk’s X has been ordered by the UK government to tackle a wave of indecent AI images or face a de facto ban, as an expert said the platform was no longer a “safe space” for women.The media watchdog, Ofcom, confirmed it would accelerate an investigation into X as a backlash grew against the site, which has hosted a deluge of images depict
  
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• Goalkeeper Okonkwo is the hero as Wrexham shock Nottingham Forest in FA Cup shootout

  09-01-2026 23:34 via theguardian.com
  North Americans have rarely been fans of draws in sport, so the unscripted FA Cup drama of seeing Arthur Okonkwo take a starring role in a penalty shootout after Wrexham were pegged back in the final minute of normal time must have brought joy to co-owner Ryan Reynolds in the stands. The club the Hollywood actor invested in were just about underdogs against Premier League Nottingham Forest in a game that included numerous plot twists, only to provide the romantic ending the majority wanted.The h
  
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• ‘I’ll make the decisions’: Liam Rosenior confident he will be in control at Chelsea

  09-01-2026 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Manager takes charge of first game on Saturday in FA Cup‘It’s not possible to be in this job and not be your own man’Liam Rosenior is confident he will make the decisions at Chelsea, insisting he would not have agreed to take over as head coach if he doubted his ability to work within the club’s structure.Rosenior, who takes charge of his first game when Chelsea visit Charlton in the FA Cup third round on Saturday night, was appointed after Enzo Maresca left in acrimoniou
  
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• ‘Boom, he’s out’: bear living ‘rent-free’ under California home has been removed

  09-01-2026 22:31 via theguardian.com
  The 550lb black bear was drawn out with paintball guns after it had resided under the home for more than a monthGetting rid of an unwanted houseguest can be difficult, but seldom does it involve a paintball gun and an electrified mat. A 550lb black bear that took residence under a southern California home for more than a month has finally been removed, KTLA has reported.Altadena resident Ken Johnson first noticed the bear was living in the crawl space below his home in late November. Continue re
  
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• Morocco sail into Afcon semi-finals as Díaz sparks fine win over Cameroon

  09-01-2026 22:25 via theguardian.com
  At last, Morocco have arrived at the tournament they are hosting. For four games they had played scratchy, crabbed football. Finally, in a spiky, ill-tempered quarter-final, there was something more like the Morocco that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup two years ago. If the game wasn’t fluent, that was largely Cameroon’s doing as they spoiled and delayed and sought treatment for injuries. But the hosts, for the most part, retained their cool, protecting a lead earned with ve
  
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• Zarah Sultana’s Your Party membership launch may be ‘criminal’ matter for police, ICO says

  09-01-2026 21:58 via theguardian.com
  Information watchdog says party’s data controller should consider ‘taking further action’ over unauthorised portalZarah Sultana’s unauthorised launch of a Your Party membership portal may have been “serious criminal activity” and should be referred to the police, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has advised.Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project (PJP), which referred Your Party to the information watchdog last September over a potenti
  
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• Ole Gunnar Solskjær set for face-to-face talks with Manchester United this weekend

  09-01-2026 21:19 via theguardian.com
  Coach is vying with Michael Carrick to be interim managerSolskjær due at Carrington training base on SaturdayOle Gunnar Solskjær will have face-to-face talks with Manchester United on Saturday regarding becoming the interim manager until the end of the season.The Norwegian is vying with Michael Carrick for the role and is expected to meet Omar Berrada, United’s chief executive, and Jason Wilcox, the director of football, at the club’s Carrington training base. Continue re
  
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• Storm Goretti batters UK with heavy winds and snow

  09-01-2026 21:02 via theguardian.com
  Met Office issues rare red warning as winter storm causes power cuts, travel disruption and school closuresSnow and ice are expected to grip much of the UK over the weekend as parts of the country continue to reel from the effects of Storm Goretti, which left thousands of people facing power cuts, school closures and travel chaos.The storm brought winds of nearly 100mph after forecasters issued a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds in the south-west, where more than 37,000
  
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• England ruthlessly privatised cricket – Australia embraces it with constant public displays of affection | Emma John

  09-01-2026 21:00 via theguardian.com
  If there is one takeaway for England from this Ashes tour it should be how cricket thrives in a nation where it is readily and freely available as the dominant summer pastimeThe drive to Bowral in New South Wales takes you through some of Australia’s most English countryside. Pastoral hills roll right up to the roadside and finish in grassy verges, flecked with yellow and white wildflowers. Alliums stand sentinel around vibrant lawns. Even the eucalypts are cosplaying as beech and oaks. Yo
  
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• University of Glasgow rector cleared by medical watchdog over alleged antisemitism

  09-01-2026 20:35 via theguardian.com
  Palestine activist and doctor Ghassan Abu-Sittah also cleared over alleged support for Hamas in case brought by GMCThe rector of the University of Glasgow has been cleared of misconduct by a medical watchdog over alleged antisemitism and support for Hamas.Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a plastic surgeon and prominent Palestinian activist, appeared via video link on Friday before a fitness-to-practise panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, where a case of misconduct against hi
  
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• Grok is undressing women and children. Don’t expect the US to take action | Moira Donegan

  09-01-2026 20:15 via theguardian.com
  Elon Musk’s reckless and degrading AI could be built differently. But Americans will have to speak upOver the past year, Elon Musk has made a series of protocol changes to Grok, the proprietary AI chatbot of his company xAI, which runs prominently on his social media site X, formerly Twitter. Many of these changes have been geared to make the bot more amenable to producing pornography. In August, Grok launched an image generator, branded as Grok Imagine, which featured a service geared tow
  
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• California is completely drought-free for the first time in 25 years

  09-01-2026 20:15 via theguardian.com
  Some wet years and recent winter storms have helped bring the state out of drought after years of insufficient rainfallCalifornia is completely drought-free for the first time in a quarter of a century, a significant development in a state that endured grueling years with insufficient rainfall.Over the last 25 years, drought conditions in California have intensified the state’s wildfire crisis and created challenges in its massive agricultural sector. But a few wet years, and a recent spat
  
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• Reform UK accused of betraying election pledges after council tax rises

  09-01-2026 18:53 via theguardian.com
  Four out of five councils controlled by party have proposed 5% council tax rises, the maximum permitted by lawNigel Farage’s Reform UK has been accused of betraying election promises to cut council tax after several councils it controls said they planned to increase rates close to the maximum allowed.They include Kent county council – the party’s flagship local authority and one viewed by it as the “shop window” for what a Reform-led government would look like &ndas
  
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• The Guardian view on Iran’s protests: old tactics of repression face new pressures | Editorial

  09-01-2026 18:52 via theguardian.com
  A brutal regime has failed to safeguard either the country’s physical security or basic living standards. But Donald Trump’s threats to intervene won’t help civiliansThe internet blackout across Iran is meant to prevent protests from spreading, and observers from witnessing the crackdown on them. But it’s also emblematic of the deep uncertainty surrounding this unrest and the response of a regime under growing pressure.Rocketing inflation and a tanking currency sparked th
  
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• The Guardian view on living more creatively: a daily dose of art | Editorial

  09-01-2026 18:51 via theguardian.com
  It can make us healthier, happier and live longer. Engaging in culture should be encouraged like good diet and exerciseThe second Friday in January has been dubbed “Quitter’s Day”, when we are most likely to give up our new year resolutions. Instead of denying ourselves pleasures, suggests a new batch of books, a more successful route may be adding to them – nourishing our minds and souls by making creativity as much a daily habit as eating vegetables and exercising. Rath
  
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• Pennsylvania man charged after alleged ‘horrific’ grave robbing from cemetery

  09-01-2026 18:49 via theguardian.com
  Over 100 pieces of human remains including skulls and headless torsos found in car and home of Jonathan GerlachA Pennsylvania man suspected of desecrating a historic cemetery in his state is facing hundreds of charges pertaining to grave robbery after authorities recently found more than 100 pieces of human remains in his possession, prompting one official to call the case “the most horrific thing”.Jonathan Gerlach, 34, had human skulls, bones, mummified feet, headless torsos and oth
  
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• Growing protests in Iran do not necessarily herald a return to monarchy

  09-01-2026 18:46 via theguardian.com
  Despite significant support for the shah, Iranian society may be looking for any ‘escape from a dead end’Supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s deposed shah, were claiming the crowds out in the streets of Iran were a direct response to his call to action. They described it as a referendum on his leadership and that the response showed he had won.Yet the issue of an alternative leadership for Iran remains unresolved. Many Iranians, eager to end the 47-year-long rul
  
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• EU states back controversial Mercosur deal with Latin American countries

  09-01-2026 18:27 via theguardian.com
  Agreement after 25 years of negotiations prompts farmers to block roads in Paris, Brussels and WarsawEuropean Union member states have backed the biggest ever free trade agreement with a group of Latin American countries, ending 25 years of negotiations but stoking further tensions with farmers and environmentalists around the bloc.The contentious Mercosur deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay prompted immediate protests in Poland, France, Greece and Belgium, with farmers blocking ke
  
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• From Caracas to Minneapolis, the threat is the same – an American president ruling like a global emperor | Jonathan Freedland

  09-01-2026 18:24 via theguardian.com
  Trump’s admission that he recognises no constraint outside his own morality was a horrifying moment of truth. It should galvanise all those who oppose himFor a serial liar, Donald Trump can be bracingly honest. We’ve known about the mendacity for years – consider the 30,573 documented falsehoods from the president’s first term, culminating in the big lie, his claim to have won the 2020 election – but the examples of bracing candour are fresher. This week both began
  
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• Racing holds its breath as deep freeze threatens weekend programme

  09-01-2026 18:23 via theguardian.com
  Warwick and Kempton face 8am Saturday inspectionsCautious approach adopted in face of falling temperature The valuable meetings at Warwick and Kempton on Saturday are subject to inspections at 8am due to the threat of overnight frost as cold weather continues to threaten the racing programme.Kempton was initially declared fit for racing on Friday afternoon but a revised forecast for sub-zero temperatures overnight forced Barney Clifford, the clerk of the course, to adopt a more cautious approach
  
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