- UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh Resigns After Fraud Conviction Revealed The New York Times
- The 10 questions Starmer must answer over Haigh The Telegraph
- Louise Haigh ‘told to quit by No 10 over possible breach of ministerial code’ The Guardian
- UK's Starmer names new transport minister after embarrassing resignation Reuters UK
- Transport Secretary Louise Haigh admits pleading guilty to offence in connection with misleading police in 2014 Sky News
South Africa’s police minister promises to clamp down on illegal mining
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Senzo Mchunu says they don't know how many people remain trapped in Stilfontein mine.
Kremlin critic jailed for three more years over Ukraine war opposition
Former Moscow councillor Alexei Gorinov had already been serving a seven-year sentence.
First Thing: Trump victory ‘not a mandate for radical change’
US expert says models showed voters did not seek sweeping transformation. Plus: hiker found alive after 50 days lost
Good morning.
Despite Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the presidential election, a political scientist who developed a model that correctly predicted his sweep of battleground states warns that voters have not necessarily given the president-elect a mandate to make radical changes.
What did Trump’s Ukraine envoy pick controversially propose? The retired lieutenant general Keith Kellogg has written that the US could help end the war by withdrawing weapons from Ukraine if it does not enter peace talks – and giving even more weapons to Ukraine if Russia does not do the same.
What’s Musk’s latest big idea? The tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been tapped to run a “department of government efficiency” has said he wants to “delete” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal watchdog that helps protect consumers from predatory financial practices.
Did they discuss tariffs? No, according to Sheinbaum, but she nevertheless said that her conversation with Trump had reassured her that no tit-for-tat tariff battle would be needed in future.
Continue reading...Trump cabinet picks shaped by new power centers in his orbit
Boris Epshteyn, Susie Wiles and JD Vance hold outsized influence in the president-elect’s administration selections
Donald Trump’s picks for the incoming administration are being shaped by a combination of different power centers including one-man influences like top Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn and combined groups led by chief of staff Susie Wiles and vice-president-elect JD Vance.
The president-elect appears to have settled on a number of cabinet nominees himself without being aggressively pushed by advisers, including Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Russ Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget.
Continue reading...Even in blue Colorado, vaccine advocates worry about RFK Jr’s appeal and ‘medical freedom’ movement
Growing rates of infectious disease in state’s most populous region could indicate increased ‘vaccine hesitancy’
In deep blue Colorado, one of the only states that did not shift right in the 2024 presidential election, vaccine advocates see openings for Robert F Kennedy Jr.
An environmental lawyer and the nation’s most prominent propagator of vaccine misinformation, Kennedy is now the embodiment of where left meets right – the scion of a political dynasty who first ran as a Democratic presidential candidate and is now slated to join president-elect Trump’s administration as the nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
Continue reading...Restored Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris unveiled after 2019 fire
Macron inspects results of 700-million-euro restoration, including 19th-century Gothic spire returned to former glory.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s top spy pick, faces fresh scrutiny over Syria and Russia positions – BBC.com
- Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's top spy pick, faces fresh scrutiny over Syria and Russia positions BBC.com
- Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard are coming for the spooks The Economist
- Republicans push back against Democrats' claims that Trump intelligence pick Gabbard is compromised The Associated Press
- GOP Sen. Mullin: 'Outright dangerous' for Dem senator to call Trump's intel chief pick 'compromised' CNN
- OPINION: Tulsi Gabbard is a friend of Alaska Anchorage Daily News
Crypto entrepreneur eats banana artwork bought for $6.2m
Justin Sun described Maurizio Cattelan's infamous 2019 work as "much better than other bananas".
‘Most dangerous stage’: The view from Russia as Ukraine war escalates
Officials rage at the West for allowing Ukraine to attack deep within Russia as fears simmer on the streets.
China sentences journalist to seven years on spy charges, family says
Dong Yuyu was detained in 2022 after meeting Japanese diplomats named agents of ‘espionage organisation’
A veteran Chinese state media journalist has been sentenced by a Beijing court to seven years in prison on espionage charges, his family has said.
Dong Yuyu, a senior columnist at the Communist party newspaper Guangming Daily, was detained in February 2022 along with a Japanese diplomat at a Beijing restaurant.
Continue reading...Zimbabwe parliament hit by power cut after budget speech
Zimbabwe has faced daily 12-hour power cuts due to a drought affecting power supply at the Kariba Dam.
Police use water cannon as Georgia EU protests erupt for second night
Thousands gather in Tbilisi for a second night running, after the government suspended its EU membership bid.
‘Angela, please forgive me’: Putin apologises to former German chancellor as he tried to frighten her with his pet dog – Fortune
Israel warns against returning to 60 Lebanon villages – BBC.com
- Israel warns against returning to 60 Lebanon villages BBC.com
- Israel Warns Residents on Both Sides of Lebanon Border to Stay Away The New York Times
- Israel launches airstrike on Hezbollah for first time since ceasefire Axios
- Drone aerials show scale of destruction of Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon The Associated Press
- Middle East: Israeli military warns Lebanese not to go south DW (English)
Israel warns against returning to 60 Lebanon villages
The warning comes as Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of breaking the fragile ceasefire.
Tesla owners turn against Musk: ‘I’m embarrassed driving this car around’
The electric car brand was once a liberal favourite – but the CEO’s embrace of Trump has led to an angry backlash
As Elon Musk has embraced Donald Trump and various far-right conspiracy theories, he has left behind an aghast cohort of Tesla owners who suddenly feel embarrassed by their own cars. Many of them are now publicly displaying their dismay at Musk on their vehicles.
Sales of anti-Musk stickers have boomed since the world’s richest man declared his support for Trump and helped propel him to victory in the US presidential election, as owners of Teslas, the car brand headed by Musk, try to distance themselves from the South African-born multibillionaire.
Continue reading...Crypto entrepreneur eats banana art he bought for $6.2m
Conceptual work created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at auction in New York last week
The cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun has fulfilled a promise he made after spending $6.2m (£4.88m) on an artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall – by eating the fruit.
At one of Hong Kong’s priciest hotels, Sun, 34, chomped down on the banana in front of dozens of journalists and influencers after giving a speech hailing the work as “iconic” and drew parallels between conceptual art and cryptocurrency.
Continue reading...Negotiators get closer to agreeing on a plastic pollution treaty – The Associated Press
- Negotiators get closer to agreeing on a plastic pollution treaty The Associated Press
- Hope of breakthrough at international plastic treaty talks after two-year deadlock The Guardian
- Can countries agree to "end the world's plastic pollution crisis"? CBS News
- UN talks struggle for breakthrough on plastics treaty as deadline looms Reuters
- As Plastic Talks Continue, a Reminder of What We’re All Exposed To The New York Times
Israel Warns Residents on Both Sides of Lebanon Border to Stay Away – The New York Times
- Israel Warns Residents on Both Sides of Lebanon Border to Stay Away The New York Times
- Israel launches airstrike on Hezbollah for first time since ceasefire Axios
- Drone aerials show scale of destruction of Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon The Associated Press
- LIVE: Israel ‘hammers’ Gaza as Lebanese army claims ceasefire ‘violated’ Al Jazeera English
- Middle East: Israeli military warns Lebanese not to go south DW (English)