'Just put on a helmet' - Pope's scooter advice to England
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:49 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
bbc_feedOllie Pope tells his England team-mates to “put on a helmet” after they were caught riding e-scooters in Brisbane without them.
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guardianworldnews_feedTalks come after Witkoff led US discussions with Ukraine at weekend amid European concerns that Kyiv will be pressured to make concessions to Moscow
Who is Steve Witkoff? The American property developer turned loyal envoy to the US president has a friendship with Donald Trump dating back to a late-night encounter in a New York deli.
Now Witkoff is key to Trump’s efforts to secure a deal to end the war in Ukraine – and earlier helped broker the ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
Continue reading...One million people evacuated in Indonesia as death toll from floods surpasses 600
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:34 amguardianworldnews_feedIn Indonesia, 3.2 million people have been affected by the floods, while 2,600 have been injured and 472 people remain missing
The death toll from flooding and landslides across Indonesia’s Sumatra island has risen to 631, the country’s disaster agency said, as one million people were evacuated from high-risk areas.
Heavy monsoon rains and tropical cyclones have devastated parts of Asia this week, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Southern Thailand, killing more than 1,160 people across the region, destroying infrastructure and inundating towns.
Continue reading...A little noticed statue of St George and the Dragon in the City of London
Dec. 2nd, 2025 07:00 amianvisits_feedJust behind St Bride’s Church in the City stands a large sculpture of St George and the Dragon, surrounded by an unmistakable air of neglect.
Created by Michael Sandle, the work was commissioned by the Mountleigh Group for what, at first glance, looks like a quintessentially 1980s office block. In fact, the building was St Bridget’s House and built in the early 1950s and later reclad in the 1980s, when its main entrance was shifted from Bridewell Place to what had previously been a service yard on Dorset Rise. After a spell as KPMG’s offices, it was converted into a Premier Inn in 2012.
I had assumed the hotel had closed, as the entrance feels unused and rather forlorn, but it turns out it’s still open, and very large. And right in front of this relocated entrance is Sandle’s sculpture, instantly reminiscent of the public art that sprang up across Docklands in the 1980s.
Cast by the Morris Singer Foundry, the work depicts a stylised mounted St George atop a sloping grid, raised on a tall octagonal plinth of open metalwork. A dragon coils around the structure, its four brass tongues doubling as fountain spouts. Installed in 1988, it must once have made quite an impact.
Today, though, it looks decidedly unloved. The fountain is bone dry, and the surrounding landscaping is as plain as it comes. For the entrance to a large hotel, the area has the feel of being forgotten.
It wouldn’t take much to revive it – a working fountain and a small explanatory sign would go a long way. Despite its size and its very English subject matter, the sculpture is barely known, probably because it sits on a quiet backstreet that few people walk down unless they’re already familiar with the area or heading to the hotel.
Even for someone who thought he knew every street in the City, there are still surprises to be found.
England select spinner Jacks for second Ashes Test
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:30 ambbc_feedWill Jacks will play his first Test in three years as England include a spin option for the second game of the Ashes series against Australia.
What's behind snooker's 147 boom?
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:21 ambbc_feedRecords are tumbling as snooker stars crack the code of the 147 break. The record 16th maximum of a season that began in late June came in November - that is double the total achieved in the entire 1980s.
Fast-fashion firms Shein and Temu face calls for US investigation
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:18 ambbc_feedTwo senior US politicians accuse the platforms of malpractice, including intellectual property theft.
Car made famous by Bond was left to rust on a drive - now it's worth £1m
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:17 ambbc_feedLocal children jumped on the bonnet, and there was even a mouse nest in the highly-valuable car.
Our daughter died from meningitis after starting uni - a jab would have saved her
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:07 ambbc_feedMeg Draper was enjoying the social side of student life - within weeks she had died from meningitis.
Hong Kong leader orders investigation into deadly fire that killed 151
Dec. 2nd, 2025 05:58 ambbc_feedThe fire is the deadliest the city has seen in more than 70 years.
Costco sues Trump administration for 'full refund' of tariffs
Dec. 2nd, 2025 03:40 ambbc_feedTwo lower courts have already ruled against President Trump's use of emergency powers to impose tariffs.
Hong Kong leader orders investigation into deadly fire that killed 151
Dec. 2nd, 2025 05:58 ambbcnewsworld_feedThe fire is the deadliest the city has seen in more than 70 years.
guardianworldnews_feedAll-rounder replaces injured paceman Mark Wood for day-nighter
Jacks to provide spin option as tourists seek to level series at Gabba
Will Jacks will make his third Test appearance, and his first for nearly three years, as England attempt to level the Ashes at the Gabba after replacing the injured Mark Wood in the only change to the team that lost the series opener in Perth.
The move sees the tourists abandon the all-out pace attack that bundled Australia out for 132 in their first innings of the opening Test – and was then pummelled by Travis Head in their second – in favour of deepening their batting line-up and adding a spin-bowling option. The decision followed analysis of recent day-night games, including the role Nathan Lyon has played in his pink ball outings as well as Kevin Sinclair’s success for West Indies when they became the first and only team to beat Australia in a floodlit match, in Brisbane at the start of last year.
Continue reading...guardianworldnews_feedTalks come after Witkoff led US discussions with Ukraine at weekend amid European concerns that Kyiv will be pressured to make concessions to Moscow
Amid the intensified diplomatic push to end the Ukraine war, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the Kremlin’s claims of battlefield advances are exaggerated and that Kyiv’s priorities remain security guarantees, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Ukrainian president also insisted that Russia must not get rewards for its aggression on Ukraine.
In order to have peace, we shouldn’t lose focus that it’s actually Russia who has started this war and Russia that is continuing this war and Russia that is really targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure every single day to cause as much damage as possible.
Continue reading...guardianworldnews_feedExclusive: Swedish carmakers push to retain target as Germany lobbies to help its own industry by softening cutoff date
As the battle lines harden amid Germany’s intensifying pressure on the European Commission to scrap the 2035 ban on production of new petrol and diesel cars, two Swedish car companies, Volvo and Polestar, are leading the campaign to persuade Brussels to stick to the date.
They argue such a move is a desperate attempt to paper over the cracks in the German car industry, adding that it will not just prolong take up of electric vehicles but inadvertently hand the advantage to China.
Continue reading...guardianworldnews_feedLabour backbenchers have been cheering it as a win for the most vulnerable in socety. In fact it was aimed at the bond markets
The charge is a grave one: that Rachel Reeves has just lied to Britons, spooking them into paying billions in extra taxes that she can splash out on higher benefits. However hyperbolic, this isn’t the usual Westminster sparring; this time, someone might get hurt. A week ago, critics of Reeves and Keir Starmer were, rightly, calling their budget “chaotic”. Today, it’s denounced as lies, and Kemi Badenoch is demanding the chancellor quit.
It’s an accusation that demands straightforward answers, so let me give mine. Did the chancellor tell lies? On the available evidence, no. There were no whoppers, no falsehoods, no porkies. But despite Starmer’s comments yesterday, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see here and we can all move along. Reeves did mislead the public about the factors shaping her decisions. Was it all to funnel cash to “benefits street”, as the Tories claim? No, and the figures prove it.
Reeves has sustained another hit to her reputation but, if facts still have anything to do with politics, Badenoch should call off her lynch mob. Perhaps the resignation yesterday of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) chief, Richard Hughes, over the leak of its own documents will quench SW1’s thirst for blood.
Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist
Continue reading...guardianworldnews_feedOur beauty editor reveals her festive wish list, from silky socks and home comforts to the perfect blush
• The best self-care gifts for Christmas
I am told that buying for me is difficult, but I’m more easily pleased than people imagine. A vintage Welsh blanket from eBay to add to my collection, a gift voucher, olive oil, a vintage magazine or a perfect mug (they have to be large, pottery, not porcelain, for heat retention, and white inside so I can properly gauge the colour of the tea) will all keep me very happy.
I’ve nonetheless received some brilliantly imaginative presents over the years. My husband once bought me the complete catalogues of the late Elizabeth Taylor’s belongings, which I treasure (and subsequently bought for my best friend). My girlfriends once adopted me a rescue goat, because I adore them. And recently, all my friends clubbed together to commission the ceramicist Alice Mara to make a miniature replica of my house, and it is now my most beloved item.
Continue reading...UK terror watchdog warns national security plan ignores escalating online threats
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:00 amguardianworldnews_feedIndependent reviewer says need to protect against online threats is now as important as need for robust armed forces
The UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism laws has criticised the government’s latest national security strategy for failing to take online threats more seriously, despite Keir Starmer claiming it would result in “a hardening and sharpening of our approach” in the face of Russian menace.
Jonathan Hall KC said it was “a very surprising omission” that the 2025 national security strategy did not focus more on online risks, including from terrorists and hostile states, which he said were now a “major vector of threat”.
Continue reading...Christmas main course made easy: Max Rocha’s braised turkey legs with colcannon – recipes
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:00 amguardianworldnews_feedRoast turkey breast is often dry and overcooked, so why not give everyone a leg instead and serve it with a traditional Irish potato-and-cabbage side?
We often braise chicken and rabbit legs at Cafe Cecilia, because all the preparation and cooking can be done ahead of time, and it’s then just about heating them gently to serve. For Christmas, I often employ much the same process for turkey legs – it’s a lovely way to eat them. Serve with colcannon, although basmati rice, boiled new potatoes or roast carrots would also go great.
Continue reading...Report detailing risks to UK gas security was not one to bury on budget day | Nils Pratley
Dec. 2nd, 2025 06:00 amguardianworldnews_feedFacts in Neso’s stark assessment have been ignored for years – yet running out could be government-toppling event
Chris O’Shea, the chief executive of British Gas-owning Centrica, tells an eye-popping tale from his early career in the North Sea offshore industry. During a routine underwater inspection in the 1990s, an unexploded bomb from the second world war was discovered close to the pipeline carrying oil ashore from the large Nelson field.
Happily, the danger was dealt with. The point of the story is only that risks to critical pieces of infrastructure can come from unexpected sources. Stuff can happen.
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