The Guardian

Whistleblower says chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of children, after alarm was raised The former director of UK special forces and other senior military officers tried to cover up concerns that SAS units were carrying out unlawful killings in Afghanistan, an inquiry has heard. A senior special forces whistleblower said the chain of command failed to stop extraj…

President plans to honor Sarah Beckstrom, who was fatally shot, as well as Andrew Wolfe, who is in critical condition Donald Trump said on Sunday that he invited the family of a national guard member fatally shot last week to the White House, adding that he spoke to her parents and they were “devastated”. US army specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in a shooting on Wednesday in Washington …

The prime minister is keen to change the conversation after the Tories called his chancellor’s ethics into question The political fates of Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are intertwined. Allies say that if one goes, the other is likely to follow. This is why, in the wake of the budget, the Conservatives have attempted to focus their response on the chancellor’s personal ethics , accusing Reeves o…

Exclusive: PM hits back at critics as he insists Rachel Reeves right to impose £26bn worth of tax rises at budget • Keir Starmer: Labour is getting on with the job of economic renewal Labour’s economic plan will take years to deliver in full, Keir Starmer has said as he tries to regain the narrative after a turbulent response to last week’s budget . In an article for the Guardian, the prime minis…

Victims who died in attack on banquet hall in Stockton were aged eight, nine, 14 and 21, county sheriff’s office says Police are searching for the suspect who killed four people, including three children, and injured 11 in a shooting at a family gathering in Stockton, California , on Saturday night – and they are appealing to the public for any tips people may have. “If you have surveillance foot…

Algerian foreign minister says African countries and peoples continue to pay a heavy price for colonialism African leaders are pushing to have colonial-era crimes recognised, criminalised and addressed through reparations. At a conference in the Algerian capital, Algiers, diplomats and leaders convened to advance an African Union resolution passed at a meeting earlier this year calling for justic…

Detectives claim to have uncovered Sydney-based network involving online distribution of child sexual abuse material involving ritualistic or satanic themes Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast NSW police say they have uncovered an “international satanic child sex abuse material ring” and charged four Australians for t…

Exclusive : Government to end exemptions to mandated closing times for pubs and clubs, including those that allow 24/7 gambling Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast More than 670 poker machine venues across New South Wales will lose their “outdated exemptions” to operate after 4am as the state government responds to pr…

The journalist and editor also led the British Board of Film Classification and served as the senior lay member of the Church of England Andreas Whittam Smith, the co-founder of the Independent newspaper and a former president of the British Board of Film Classification, has died aged 88. Whittam Smith was also the first editor of the Independent and served as First Church Estates Commissioner, t…

Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May says gas corporations have created a “crisis” that Australian households have had to pay for. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good morning, and happy December. Another month down, another season begins. Nick Visser here to get you started on the blog this morning – here’s what’s on deck. The Greens are calling …

Liverpool gathering lays bare bitter divisions within new party founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana The new leftwing party founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana will be called Your Party after a vote by members, but its weekend conference laid bare bitter divisions. Some 37.06% of members voted for the provisional name of “Your Party”, adopted when it was launched earlier this year, t…

Pontiff tells politicians and religious heads they must persevere with peace efforts despite facing ‘highly complex, conflictual’ situation Pope Leo has urged political leaders in Lebanon to make peace their highest priority in a forceful appeal as he is visiting the country, which remains a target of Israeli airstrikes, on the second leg of his first overseas trip as Catholic leader. Leo, the fi…

Plane skidded off runway and 45 cars were piled up as 53 million were under winter weather alerts over Thanksgiving A Thanksgiving weekend storm system brought over a foot of snow and strong winds across the US midwest and thunderstorms across the south, as 53 million people from South Dakota to New York were under winter weather alerts . Over the weekend, ahead of one of the busiest travel days …

Homeland security secretary also blamed ‘activist’ judges for defying court order to halt deportation flights Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, claimed on Sunday that the suspect in the national guard shooting in Washington DC was “radicalized” in the US and blamed the Biden administration, though the suspect’s asylum was approved under Donald Trump. The shooting suspect, 29-year-old …

US president favours Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura of rightwing National party, as polls show three candidates are neck-and-neck Hondurans have begun voting in an election held amid threats by Donald Trump to cut aid to the country if his preferred candidate loses. Honduras could be the next country in Latin America, after Argentina and Bolivia, to swing right after years of leftwing rule. Continue reading…