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Storm Bert: UK hit with almost a month of rain in 24 hours
More than 100 flood warnings are still in force across the UK after storm Bert brought more disruption to large parts of the country. Roads and homes have been inundated by heavy rain and melting snow – while rail lines were blocked. Forecasters have warned winds could gust up to 70 miles an hour into…
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COP29: fury over $300 billion climate deal
Diplomacy gave way to accusation, insult and recrimination – but there’s a deal at the more than eleventh hour. The COP climate summit in Baku did finally reach an agreement, financing poor countries which suffer most, from rich countries’ carbon pollution and the climate crisis it is causing. But scores of developing nations are angry,…
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Assisted Dying: majority back option ahead of parliament vote
The Justice Secretary has expressed deep concern about the assisted dying bill – which goes before Parliament on Friday. MPs can vote according to their conscience on whether to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults with less than 6 months to live, rather than have to vote along party lines. Shabana Mahmood said the…
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Can assisted dying bill provide coercion safeguards? – Debate
We spoke to the Labour peer and former Justice Secretary Charlie Falconer, who introduced his own assisted dying bill in the House of Lords a decade ago, and Observer columnist, Sonia Sodha, who also served as a special advisor to Ed Miliband while he was Leader of the Opposition. She is opposed to the bill.…
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Prison artist John Costi – from armed robbery to London gallery
John Costi had an unconventional journey into the art world. After serving just over 3 years for armed robbery, he found solace in a programme which allowed him to follow his creative passion. While still behind bars, he submitted work to a competition run by the UK’s largest prison arts charity – Koestler. More than…
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Documentary tracks Israel’s illegal destruction of the West Bank – ‘No Other Land’
While Gaza continues to come under daily bombardment, Israel has also been intensifying its military raids in the occupied West Bank. A new documentary by the Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham sets out to document 20 years of illegal destruction to villages where Basel grew up. The film – No Other…
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Trump draws-up conservative blueprint for presidency
Donald Trump has named his Treasury Secretary as part of a flurry of nominations to his top team.
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Storm Bert: Two dead and thousands without power in UK
Two people have died, transport has been disrupted and tens of thousands of homes have been left without power – as Storm Bert batters parts of the country with strong winds, snow and heavy rain. 100 weather warnings are in force across northern England, Scotland and Wales – with winds of up to 70 miles…
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Rich countries must pay for ‘historical debt’ of emissions says climate lawyer
We were joined by the lawyer and climate campaigner Meena Raman, who is the head of programmes at the Third World Network and a former chair of Friends of the Earth International.
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‘No deal better than a bad deal’ – COP29 climate talks facing collapse
Walkouts, accusations and acrimony – now it’s going into the early hours for the second night past the deadline without agreement, at the UN’s climate summit or COP, in Azerbaijan. The sticking point is the toughest issue of all – money. Specifically, how much rich countries invest each year to protect poorer ones – and…
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Sixth person dies in suspected methanol poisoning in Laos
The parents of a British woman who died in Laos from suspected methanol poisoning have paid tribute to their “kind and loving daughter, with a spark for life”. Simone White is one of six tourists who’ve died, apparently after drinking contaminated alcoholic drinks.
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Trump names Pam Bondi as new prospective Attorney-General
Next week Donald Trump was due to face his reckoning with the law – sentenced before a Manhattan court for 43 counts of falsifying business records. Instead, that’s on hold – and he’s deciding who should oversee America’s justice system.
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What next after Russia’s hypersonic missile attack on Ukraine?
Top diplomats from NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks next week after Russia’s attack on the city of Dnipro with an experimental hypersonic missile.
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UN climate talk proposal ‘slap in the face’, says think tank director
Earlier we spoke to Mohamed Adow, founder and director of Power Shift Africa.
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Energy price rise puts pensioners under more pressure charity warns
The average household energy bill in England, Scotland and Wales is set to go up again in January – the second rise this winter. The energy regulator said its price cap would go up by £21 a year for a typical household, on top of a 10% increase in October.
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New data shows extent displacement in northern Gaza
There’s little hope in Gaza that the arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu will change anything on the ground. The International Criminal Court did not include allegations of ethnic cleansing – but human rights activists say that’s what’s happening in northern Gaza.
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Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue as ceasefire talks gain pace
Israel has pressed ahead with a series of air strikes in southern Beirut – as well as the south of Lebanon, even though American-led efforts to agree a ceasefire with Hezbollah are still going on.
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Netanyahu arrest warrant: Europe split over ICC ruling
In theory, Netanyahu and Gallant cannot now step foot in Europe without fear of arrest. But Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, ever at odds with the EU, has offered Netanyahu safe passage.
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‘I have value in this world’: Getting back to work after long-term sickness
A near-record 2.8 million people in the UK are currently not in a job or looking for a job because of long-term sickness.
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English National Opera unveils plans for Manchester after move
The English National Opera has unveiled its first plans for Greater Manchester, including a UK premiere of a five-hour immersive production by Philip Glass.
