General news

• Alibaba's restructuring and Jack Ma's homecoming are all part of China's plan

  29-03-2023 10:40 via cnn.com
  
  Alibaba's landmark restructuring has sent its shares soaring in New York and Hong Kong, as investors bet on the return of regulatory support for China's tech industry and private businesses after more than two years of a brutal crackdown.
  
  Read more

• Ukraine may need to cut drone production if no deal reached on frozen Russian assets, says Zelenskyy – Europe live

  18-12-2025 18:53 via theguardian.com
  Ukrainian president says case for transfer of assets to fund war effort is ‘morally clear and just’ Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz confirms his support for the EU’s reparations loan, saying he sees “no better option.”He diplomatically acknowledges Belgium’s concerns, and says he hopes “we can address them together” to “send a signal of strength and resolve … towards Russia.” Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Badenoch says teaching boys about misogyny shouldn’t be a priority because migrants more dangerous to women and girls – UK politics live

  18-12-2025 18:49 via theguardian.com
  Tory leader dismisses the government’s newly published strategy as a ‘complete distraction’Richard Adams is the Guardian’s education editor.The British public supports the government’s decision to rejoin the Erasmus youth education and work experience programme, according to snap polling released by YouGov. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Stay at home if you have flu symptoms, experts urge amid fears of second surge

  18-12-2025 18:38 via theguardian.com
  NHS England on high alert as admissions reach all-time high for this time of yearPeople should stay home over the Christmas period if they have symptoms of flu or Covid, experts have warned amid fears flu cases could see a second surge in the New Year.Flu levels appear to be plateauing, but it is too soon to say whether they have peaked, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). As a result, experts are urging people to wash their hands regularly, make sure indoor spaces are well venti
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• ‘Money today or blood tomorrow’: EU leaders race to secure deal for Ukraine

  18-12-2025 18:38 via theguardian.com
  Summit divided on idea of loan secured against Russian assets, as Belgium seeks guarantees if scheme goes wrongBelgian politicians and finance bosses targeted by Russian intelligence over seized assetsEU leaders are racing to secure a funding deal for Ukraine that has been cast as a choice between “money today or blood tomorrow”, but Belgium continues to oppose a loan secured against Russia’s frozen assets.At a summit billed as make or break, EU leaders are discussing an unprec
  
  Read more

• Trump administration unveils actions aimed at eliminating gender-affirming care for minors

  18-12-2025 18:20 via theguardian.com
  Proposal would prohibit Medicaid funds from being used to cover puberty blockers, hormone treatments or surgical proceduresUS politics live – latest updatesThe Trump administration unveiled new actions aimed at eliminating transition-related medical care for minors across the US on Thursday, referring to such treatments as “sex-rejecting procedures”, a term used by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).As part of the effort, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Ser
  
  Read more

• Copenhagen’s ‘ghetto law’ may be unlawful, EU court rules

  18-12-2025 18:19 via theguardian.com
  ECJ ruling brings hope to area of city targeted over high percentage of residents with ‘non-western’ backgroundsResidents of a Copenhagen neighbourhood that became an international symbol of a law in Denmark known as the “ghetto law” have said they are confident they can overturn the legislation in the Danish courts after the top EU court ruled that it may be unlawful.The controversial law, dating from 2018, allows the state to demolish apartment blocks in areas labelled
  
  Read more

• Thousands to avoid Christmas on streets as Home Office ordered to delay refugee evictions

  18-12-2025 18:15 via theguardian.com
  Move-on period extended from 28 days to 56 days if person recently granted refugee status is at risk of sleeping roughThe UK high court has halted evictions of thousands of new refugees who were at risk of spending Christmas on the streets.Concern had been mounting among lawyers and human rights campaigners that within days of celebrating being granted refugee status the group could find themselves rough sleeping. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Farage avoids police investigation over alleged electoral law breach

  18-12-2025 18:02 via theguardian.com
  Essex force says report falls outside timeframe for prosecution while watchdog says it is looking into claimsNigel Farage has avoided a police investigation into claims his general election campaign breached electoral law last year because too much time has passed since the alleged offences.The Reform UK leader may still face sanction by the Electoral Commission over claims his campaign exceeded spending limits after the watchdog said it was carrying out its own assessment of the claims. Continu
  
  Read more

• Angela Rayner to publish memoir amid talk of potential Labour leadership challenge

  18-12-2025 17:57 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Book to detail life from child poverty and teenage pregnancy to unions and Labour deputy leadership before fall from graceUK politics live – latest updatesAngela Rayner is writing a memoir about her rise to become deputy prime minister and her subsequent fall from grace, the Guardian can confirm, in a move that will be seen as an attempt to set the narrative ahead of any leadership contest.The book, which will detail the Labour politician’s life story from her impoverished
  
  Read more

• 'Barbaric and incomprehensible': Brian Walshe gets life sentence for wife's murder

  18-12-2025 17:33 via abcnews.go.com
  A Norfolk County jury found Brian Walshe guilty of first-degree murder on Monday, after deliberating for approximately six hours.
  
  Read more

• Defense bill bans K-12 students from using cellphones on military bases

  18-12-2025 17:26 via abcnews.go.com
  The bill said it focuses on improving learning outcomes.
  
  Read more

• Brazilian president vows to veto bill cutting Jair Bolsonaro’s prison term

  18-12-2025 17:12 via theguardian.com
  Lula acknowledges his decision to uphold 27-year sentence could be overridden by conservative lawmakers Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has promised to veto a bill passed by congress to reduce the prison term of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president who was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for masterminding an attempted coup to overturn the 2022 elections.Lawmakers passed the bill late on Wednesday after it was approved last week by the lower house. On Thursda
  
  Read more

• White House says US would be ‘lucky’ if Trump stayed for third term

  18-12-2025 16:52 via theguardian.com
  Comments follow reports that US president discussed idea with constitutional scholar Alan DershowitzUS politics live – latest updatesThe US would be “lucky” if Donald Trump remained in office for a constitutionally prohibited third term, the White House has said following revelations that he discussed the possibility with the lawyer and constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz.The bold assertion came despite successive polls showing plunging approval ratings for Trump amid widesp
  
  Read more

• WATCH: A look back at the year 2025

  18-12-2025 16:48 via abcnews.go.com
  From news stories to heartfelt moments and laughs, "Good Morning America" takes a look back at the year that was.
  
  Read more

• Pope’s naming of New York archbishop signals continued challenge to Trump on immigration

  18-12-2025 16:43 via theguardian.com
  Ronald Hicks, who endorsed message condemning ICE raids, to lead one of biggest US archdiocesesPope Leo XIV has named a fellow Chicagoan as the next archbishop of New York, one of the biggest US archdioceses, in a signal that the church will continue its stance against the Trump administration on immigration.The US-born pope chose 58-year-old Ronald Hicks, the current bishop of Joliet, Illinois, to lead the church in New York, replacing retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan who has served for 16 years
  
  Read more

• US announces more than $10bn of arms sales to Taiwan

  18-12-2025 16:01 via theguardian.com
  Package includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, and has drawn an angry response from ChinaThe maps that show how China’s military is squeezing TaiwanThe Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10bn that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, drawing an angry response from China.The state department announced the sales late on Wednesday during a nationally televised address by president Donald Trump, who
  
  Read more

• Man sues Tennessee county after he was jailed over meme related to Charlie Kirk killing

  18-12-2025 15:54 via theguardian.com
  Lawsuit alleges that Larry Bushart’s first amendment rights were violated when he was arrested and jailed for 37 daysA former law enforcement officer in Tennessee is suing his county and sheriff after he was jailed for more than a month for posting a meme on Facebook related to the 10 September assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.According to the new 30-page lawsuit filed this week, 10 days after Kirk’s killing, Larry Bushart, 61, shared a post in the comments of
  
  Read more

• ‘Why isn’t everyone talking about Domhnall Gleeson?’ Irish actor wins first Hollywood award

  18-12-2025 15:47 via theguardian.com
  The US-Ireland Alliance will give the actor the Oscar Wilde award at the event’s 20th anniversary in Los Angeles in MarchAfter a varied career in which he has played a psychopath, a romcom heart-throb, an intergalactic warlord and a plucky newspaper editor among others, Domhnall Gleeson has won his first Hollywood award.The US-Ireland Alliance announced that Gleeson will receive the Oscar Wilde award at the event’s 20th anniversary in Los Angeles in March in the run-up to the Oscars.
  
  Read more

• ‘You learn tricks to reduce it’: the smart bins measuring food waste in South Korea

  18-12-2025 15:29 via theguardian.com
  Digital facilities that track wastage down to the gram have brought about behavioural change among users Min Geum-nan walks towards a metal bin beneath her apartment block in Gangdong district, eastern Seoul carrying a small bag of vegetable peelings. She taps her resident card on the reader, the lid swings open, she empties the contents and scans again and a digital screen flashes: 0.5kg.“You have no choice but to pay attention because you can see exactly what you’re wasting,”
  
  Read more

• Fact-checking Trump's presidential address claim he's brought prices down

  18-12-2025 15:28 via abcnews.go.com
  President Donald Trump said during his presidential address on Wednesday night that his administration is "bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin."
  
  Read more

• German prosecutors file lawsuit against Greensill bosses over role in bank’s collapse

  18-12-2025 15:27 via theguardian.com
  Bremen lawyers say three unnamed people charged with crimes relating to bankruptcy and misrepresentation of bank’s financesGerman prosecutors have brought criminal charges against three people involved in running Greensill Bank for their role in the 2021 collapse of the lender.The Bremen public prosecutor’s office said the unnamed people were charged with crimes related to the bankruptcy, as well as the misrepresentation of the German bank’s finances. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Social media companies allow antisemitic hate to flow ‘unchecked’, Australia’s race commissioner says

  18-12-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Giridharan Sivaraman warns of a surge of racially motivated violence in wake of Bondi shooting, saying ‘it’s going to get worse before it gets better’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s race discrimination commissioner says social media companies have allowed racist and antisemitic hate to flow “unchecked” – and warned of an imminent outbreak of racially motivated violence after the Bondi beach terror attack.“Ther
  
  Read more

• Peak Jewish body calls Labor’s plan to combat antisemitism an essential ‘first step’ but some warn it risks division

  18-12-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Critics of proposed changes in response to Bondi beach terror attack say they could be used to ‘pursue agendas that divide communities’ Victims of Bondi beach shootingTen minutes of terror: how the Bondi mass shooting unfolded in real time – videoAustralia’s peak Jewish body has labelled the Albanese government’s plan to combat antisemitism in response to the Bondi beach terror attack an essential “first step”, but some groups have warned the measures wi
  
  Read more

• Former Townsville mayor claimed to have epilepsy in endorsement of wellness bracelet sold by business linked to his partner

  18-12-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Queensland corruption body investigation into Troy Thompson found ‘no direct evidence’ to support claims he was diagnosed with the conditionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe controversial former Townsville mayor Troy Thompson, who was found last week to have made unsubstantiated claims he had been diagnosed with epilepsy, referenced the condition when endorsing an electromagnetic pulse bracelet sold online by a business linked to his partner.Th
  
  Read more

• US prices continued to rise despite Trump claims they are ‘rapidly’ falling

  18-12-2025 14:40 via theguardian.com
  Longest federal government shutdown meant data was only collected for second half of NovemberUS prices rose 2.7% in the year to November, according to federal data released a day after Donald Trump claimed they were falling “very fast” on his watch.The latest consumer price index, released on Wednesday morning, was down from 3% in September, and short of economists’ expectations of about 3.1% for last month. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Canada’s population drop reflects souring of attitudes to immigration

  18-12-2025 14:09 via theguardian.com
  A country known for welcoming newcomers has reversed policy as immigration becomes increasingly a partisan issueCanada sees large drop in population amid international students crackdownStanding in Canada’s House of Commons in 2023, the then-prime minister, Justin Trudeau, gave an impassioned speech on the value of welcoming newcomers.“Canadians know that immigration is one of our greatest assets. It helps us compete,” he said. “If we want to boost our economic success si
  
  Read more

• Rainfall creates crimson spectacle at beach on Iran’s Hormuz Island

  18-12-2025 13:56 via theguardian.com
  Streams of soil turn sand and surrounding water red, creating sharp contrast with blue waters of Persian GulfRainfall on Iran’s Hormuz Island briefly transformed the coastline of its Red Beach into a striking natural scene this week, as red soil flowed into the sea and turned the water shades of deep red.The beach is known for its vivid red sand and cliffs, created by high concentrations of iron oxide. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• WATCH: World's 1st gene-edited baby takes 1st steps

  18-12-2025 13:43 via abcnews.go.com
  KJ Muldoon received the first-of-its-kind gene therapy for a potentially fatal disease and is now marking major developmental milestones.
  
  Read more

• WATCH: 3 rescued after car plunges into icy Illinois pond

  18-12-2025 12:55 via abcnews.go.com
  Dramatic body camera video shows the moment police officers rescued three people after their vehicle crashed into an icy pond in Glendale Heights, Illinois. The driver was arrested on a DUI charge.
  
  Read more

Follow @newslock_news on Twitter!