Actor Dirk Bogarde was ‘disturbed’ by KGB sting warning, declassified files reveal

MI5 told Bogarde in 1971 that he had been identified as ‘practising homosexual’ of interest by Russian spies

The film star Dirk Bogarde was “clearly disturbed” and “troubled” after MI5 warned him that his name had been given to the KGB as a “practising homosexual” and he risked being compromised in a sting operation, newly declassified intelligence files show.

Bogarde, who died in 1999 and never came out publicly but lived with his life partner and manager, Anthony Forwood, was told by security services that his name was on a list of “six practising British homosexuals” given to the Russians by an unnamed source who had himself been sexually compromised during a visit to Moscow in the late 1950s.

Continue reading...

Charities forced to ‘evict’ adults in their care to stay solvent, survey finds

Annual sector review says tax and wage rises and council funding cuts have left services in ‘state of acute precarity’

Charities providing specialist care to thousands of vulnerable adults with learning disabilities and severe autism are having to “evict” residents to avoid insolvency because of tax and wage rises and local authority funding cuts.

Non-profit providers say their work is in a “state of acute precarity” with many preparing to cut services, close doors to new residents and effectively evict tenants because the fees councils pay no longer meet the cost of care.

Continue reading...

MI5 files suggest queen was not briefed on spy in royal household for nine years

Documents indicate monarch was informed Anthony Blunt was Soviet agent in 1973, though he confessed in 1964

The late Queen Elizabeth II was not told for almost 10 years that Anthony Blunt, a surveyor of the queen’s pictures and a member of the royal household, had confessed to being a Soviet double agent, previously secret security files suggest.

Declassified MI5 documents throw intriguing new light on how the security services closely guarded news that the art historian, of the notorious Cambridge Five spy ring, had confessed in April 1964, with records indicating the queen was only informed in 1973.

Continue reading...

ABC names Hamish Macdonald as new Sydney Mornings radio host after dumping Sarah Macdonald

Decision not to renew former presenter’s contract triggered angry backlash from listeners and colleagues

Hamish Macdonald will replace Sarah Macdonald as host of ABC Radio Sydney’s Mornings program, two months after listeners and staff reacted angrily to the axing of the popular female presenter.

In November Sarah Macdonald revealed on air that her contract would not be renewed after two years in the slot, sparking a backlash and delaying the announcement of a replacement.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Why Trump Turned to Manifest Destiny – The New York Times

  1. Why Trump Turned to Manifest Destiny  The New York Times
  2. Column: Trump wants to grab control of Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal. He's already bungled it  Los Angeles Times
  3. Donald Trump isn’t even in office yet and silly season has already begun | Sidney Blumenthal  The Guardian
  4. Trump Criticizes Foreign Allies  The Atlantic
  5. Breakingviews - Trump and Musk’s ally-bullying weakens the West  Reuters
Posted in Uncategorized

Reliance on fertility apps on rise in England and Wales, study shows

Trend away from hormonal contraception corresponds to rise in abortion rates, say researchers

Women in England and Wales are increasingly ditching the pill in favour of fertility-tracking apps, raising the risk of a rise in unplanned pregnancies, a study suggests.

Researchers concluded there had been a shift in attitudes towards contraception in the last five years, from “more reliable” hormonal options, such as the pill and the implant, to “fertility awareness-based methods”.

Continue reading...

No. 2 Senate Democratic leader will back Rubio for secretary of State – The Hill

  1. No. 2 Senate Democratic leader will back Rubio for secretary of State  The Hill
  2. Rubio’s Authority as Secretary of State Threatened Even Before Trump Term Begins  Bloomberg
  3. Marco Rubio’s first headache  POLITICO
  4. US secretary of state has an expansive job that could make or break peace deals and key foreign alliances  The Conversation United States
  5. Durbin Statement On Meeting With President-Elect Trump's Secretary Of State Pick, Senator Marco Rubio  Senator Dick Durbin
Posted in Uncategorized

Biden insists US is ‘winning’ on world stage – what would losing look like?

The president defended his record on Ukraine, Gaza and Afghanistan but foreign policy successes have been few

On paper, few US presidents could boast the foreign policy bona fides of Joe Biden, a veteran statesman with nearly a half-century of experience before he even stepped into office.

But as his term comes to an end, critics have said that the president will leave a legacy of cautious and underpowered diplomacy, as even allies have conceded that the administration is still grasping for a cornerstone foreign policy success.

Continue reading...

Girl airlifted to hospital and horse put down after hit-and-run in Devon

A 61-year-old man has been arrested and remains in police custody after incident on Sunday

An eight-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital and the horse she was riding put down after a hit-and-run incident on Sunday.

Devon and Cornwall police said they were called to reports of a collision involving a white Ford Transit van and a horse at Higher Treween, Altarnun, near Launceston, at about 2.20pm. The girl was seriously injured and was airlifted to hospital. A 12-year-old who was leading the horse was uninjured.

Continue reading...

US oil group under pressure to exit Russia after Biden administration widens sanctions – Financial Times

  1. US oil group under pressure to exit Russia after Biden administration widens sanctions  Financial Times
  2. Oil jumps on expected hit to China and India's Russian supplies  CNBC
  3. Russian LNG Shipment Lands in Spain After New US Sanctions  Bloomberg
  4. Oil prices remain near 4-month highs as Russia sanctions weighed  Reuters
  5. Oil Price Rally Continues After U.S. Sanctions Russia's Biggest Oil Sellers  OilPrice.com
Posted in Uncategorized

Dangerous winds expected to amplify California wildfires as death toll hits 24

Warning of ‘particularly dangerous situation’ with gusts expected as LA fire chief says: ‘We are not in the clear yet’

Firefighters battling the disastrous wildfires around Los Angeles were prepared for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the flames as the death toll in the tragedy has hit at least 24.

Fierce gusts known as Santa Ana winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires into devastating infernos that leveled huge tranches of neighborhoods around America’s second-largest city, which has also been hit by drought.

Continue reading...

FBI warns of potential ‘copycat or retaliatory’ New Orleans attacks

Agency and DHS report possible threat from extremists in response to attack that killed more than a dozen people

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday warned of a potential public safety threat from violent extremists in response to the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“The FBI and DHS are concerned about possible copycat or retaliatory attacks due to the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers. Previous attackers inspired by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) who have conducted vehicle attacks in the United States and abroad have used rented, stolen, and personally owned vehicles, which are easy to acquire,” the agencies said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Where there’s fire, there’s smoke: Los Angeles blazes raise fears of ‘super toxic’ lung damage

Concerns that dangerous fine particle pollution can become embedded in bloodstream and lungs

The Los Angeles wildfires have claimed the lives of at least 24 people and have burned more than 100,000 structures. While the focus is understandably on avoiding the flames, another immediate danger lurks across the county and beyond, one more difficult to escape: smoke.

The most dangerous component of wildfire smoke is fine particle pollution, also known as PM2.5 or soot. These tiny particles, smaller than one 20th the width of a human hair, can, if inhaled, become embedded in the bloodstream and lungs. It is estimated that about one-third of all particulate matter pollution in the US now comes from wildfire smoke.

Continue reading...

Some Israeli soldiers refuse to keep fighting in Gaza – Yahoo! Voices

  1. Some Israeli soldiers refuse to keep fighting in Gaza  Yahoo! Voices
  2. Israeli soldiers refuse to fight until Gaza ceasefire is signed  The Telegraph
  3. Growing number of Israeli soldiers say they will lay down arms if there is no ceasefire in Gaza  Yahoo! Voices
  4. No more ‘cannon fodder’: Parents of troops, slain hostages demand Gaza deal  The Times of Israel
  5. 'Movements like these end wars': Israelis attend conference calling for IDF refusal  Haaretz
Posted in Uncategorized

At least 100 illegal miners have died while trapped in a South African mine for months, group says – The Associated Press

  1. At least 100 illegal miners have died while trapped in a South African mine for months, group says  The Associated Press
  2. South Africa launches operation at illegal gold mine amid fears many dead  The Guardian
  3. Footage shows trapped miners, dead bodies underground after South Africa raid  Reuters
  4. Operation under way to rescue trapped miners from South African gold mine  Al Jazeera English
  5. South Africa starts rescuing illegal gold miners trapped for months  MINING.com
Posted in Uncategorized