44 minutes ago Starmer’s City minister Tulip Siddiq should be sacked, says Kemi Badenoch

But science secretary Peter Kyle defends anti-corruption minister over corruption accusations

Politics

15 hours ago The One Show's Alex Jones pauses show to make Elton John announcement live on air

Alex Jones went on to present a snippet of the iconic singer Elton John, speaking directly from his house.

Society

4 hours ago ‘A welfare state with a budget on the right side of zero’: Iceland’s youngest

Kristrún Frostadóttir, who entered politics just four years ago, speaks to the Observer about feminism, the far right and reopening talks on joining the EUNearly 45 years ago, Iceland made history by producing the world’s first elected female president of a country, setting it on a path to being the global feminist frontrunner it is today.Since then it has had multiple female presidents and prime ministers, but it wasn’t until three weeks ago, when social democrat Kristrún Frostadóttir took office, that the country’s two top positions were both held by women at the same time. It comes after Halla Tómasdóttir became Iceland’s second female president in August. Continue reading...

Economics

1 hour ago Man puts 25 dynamite sticks in mum's suitcase before plane explodes killing all on board

John 'Jack' Gilbert Graham hated him mum so much that he packed her suitcase bound for a flight to Alaska with 25 sticks of dynamite, ultimately killing all 44 people on board

Events

90 minutes ago Tulip Siddiq: Bangladesh leader calls for UK minister to apologise amid corruption probe

Kemi Badenoch calls on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq

Politics

20 hours ago We built our world with fire. Now heat is destroying our lives | John Vaillant

We fell in love with the power and speed that fossil fuels brought us. But the price being paid in California, and around the world, has become too highZero per cent contained. In layperson’s terms, that means “out of control and burning at will”. It’s a common designation for a wildfire – in the wild. But when a fire like this enters an urban area such as Los Angeles County, the most highly populated metropolitan area in the US, it becomes an exploding bomb, and this one has been detonating since last Tuesday.By now, the energy release from this wind-driven, drought-fuelled firestorm turned urban conflagration is into the megatons, and the nuclear-scale destruction is there for all to see: block after block and neighbourhood after neighbourhood levelled – roughly 12,000 structures destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, 55 sq miles of city and mountain burnt, nearly 200,000 residents evacuated – so far. There is more to come. Continue reading...

Society

5 hours ago Bible John author suffers DNA blow in bid to prove her theory on killer's identity

John Templeton was named as the possible killer of third victim Helen Puttock, in a book by Australian Jill Bavin-Mizzi.

Events

2 hours ago Elon Musk and the new world order: the hijacking of the global conversation

How can we publicly debate policy in the face of the rising – and polarising – influence of the X owner and others whose only aim is to serve themselvesHow should we as a society interact with one another, debate, come to decisions? What impels politicians to focus and act on one thing and not another?The Athenians had the Agora, where (male, slave-owning) citizens gathered to debate and decide the issues of the day. In the early 20th century, John Reith envisioned the BBC, in a most patrician way, as a space where the nation could come together to enhance the (supposedly) British values of democracy, reasonableness and debate. Continue reading...

Politics

13 hours ago Former Labour MP Ivor Caplin arrested after 'paedophile hunter' Facebook live stream sting

Sussex Police have arrested ex-Labour defence minister Ivor Caplin, MP for Hove between 1997 and 2005, in Brighton on suspicion of engaging in sexual communication with a child

Events

3 hours ago UK government to crack down on MPs earning extra cash from media firms

Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nigel Farage are among those who have earned large sums from broadcasters, but a tightening of rules on MPs’ outside interests is being consideredMPs would no longer be able to rake in huge sums that can see them more than double their ­parliamentary ­salaries by signing contracts with media outlets, under plans being ­considered by ministers.The Observer has been told that ­talks on further ­tightening rules on MPs’ ­outside interests, ­including media contracts, will be started by leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, at a hearing of the all-party standards committee on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Politics

16 hours ago UK going ‘backwards’ on online safety, Molly Russell’s father tells Starmer

Ian Russell called on Sir Keir Starmer to act urgently in order to protect young people online.

Events

4 hours ago Note to No 10: one speed doesn’t fit all when it comes to online safety | John Naughton

Legislation to protect children in the digital realm is essential. But if it results in the loss of small cycling and cancer-care forums, something’s gone wrongLondon Fixed Gear and Single-Speed (LFGSS) is an admirable online community of fixed-gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London. Sadly, this columnist does not qualify for membership: he doesn’t reside in (or near) the metropolis, and he requires a number of gears to tackle even the gentlest of inclines – and therefore admires hardier cyclists who disdain the assistance of Sturmey-Archer or Campagnolo hardware.There is, however, bad news on the horizon. After Sunday 16 March, LFGSS will be no more. Dee Kitchen, the software wizard (and cyclist) who is the core developer of Microcosm, a platform for running non-commercial, non-profit, privacy-sensitive, accessible online forums such as LFGSS, has announced that on that date he will “delete the virtual servers hosting LFGSS and other communities, and effectively immedi...

Politics

17 hours ago Sammy The Bull Gravano's defiant words as he admits 'regrets' over murders of 19 people

Former Mafia underboss Sammy 'the Bull' Gravano reveals why he spoke out against John Gotti and shared his thoughts on his deadly time with the Gambino crime family

Events

19 hours ago How the climate crisis fuels devastating wildfires: ‘We have tweaked nature and pissed it off’

John Vaillant, the author of Fire Weather, explains why fires such as those in Los Angeles are different from those beforeWhen writing about the hot, dry Santa Ana winds and how they affect the behavior and imaginations of southern Californians, Joan Didion once said: “The winds show us how close to the edge we are.”I’ve lived here my entire life. I evacuated my family’s hillside home as a teenager. I’ve experienced the surrealism of watching ash rain down from the sky more times than I can count. But there is something different, supercharged, about the hurricane-force winds that fueled this week’s catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Events

5 hours ago Nicola Sturgeon aims for Gadd Globes glory alongside writer and pal Val McDermid

The ex-First Minister revealed she was inspired by Richard Gadd and would like to attend the Golden Globes with pal Val McDermid

Politics

20 hours ago Ons Jabeur: ‘Kids are dying everywhere in Ukraine or Gaza. I have to speak out and use my platform’

Former world No 2 shares her struggles with seeing suffering in Palestine and how she is working with the World Food Programme to help Few players wear their heart on their sleeve as much as Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian, whose sublime skills and smile have lit up the women’s Tour over the past decade, reached the Wimbledon final in 2022 and 2023 and earned herself the nickname Minister of Happiness.But somewhere along the way, Jabeur lost the joy. Keen to start a family, she had told herself that if she won Wimbledon in 2023, that would be the perfect time to take a break. It didn’t happen – she lost to Marketa Vondrousova – and so continued playing. But injuries, illness and the scenes of human suffering in Gaza made her struggle over the past year. Continue reading...

Events

6 hours ago Arsenal transfer news: Gunners to submit bid for £67.1m star as Nico Williams status made clear

Arsenal want reinforcements in the January transfer window but could find the deals they want to make are difficult to do as Mikel Arteta makes his demands clear for the coming weeks

Politics

20 hours ago Ons Jabeur: ‘Kids are dying everywhere in Ukraine or Gaza. I have to speak out’

Former world No 2 shares her struggles with seeing suffering in Palestine and how she is working with the World Food Programme to help Few players wear their heart on their sleeve as much as Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian, whose sublime skills and smile have lit up the women’s Tour over the past decade, reached the Wimbledon final in 2022 and 2023 and earned herself the nickname Minister of Happiness.But somewhere along the way, Jabeur lost the joy. Keen to start a family, she had told herself that if she won Wimbledon in 2023, that would be the perfect time to take a break. It didn’t happen – she lost to Marketa Vondrousova – and so continued playing. But injuries, illness and the scenes of human suffering in Gaza made her struggle over the past year. Continue reading...

Events

8 hours ago Labour must stop handing millions to Pakistan as country blocks removal of child sex abusers from Britain, former immigration minister claims

Robert Jenrick (left) has called for the financial aid to stop and for a visa ban to be implemented until the country cooperates with the deportation of citizens living in the UK such as Adil Khan (bottom right)

Politics

22 hours ago South Korean plane crash investigation in bombshell twist as black box 'stopped recording'

South Korea's transport ministry revealed on Saturday the black box on the aircraft, which was carrying 179 people, stopped recording just moments before the airliner hit a concrete structure at Maun Airport

Events

9 hours ago Minister's controversial academies reforms accused of being 'betrayal of Blair's legacy' in part of 'plot to succeed Keir Starmer'

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson faced claims her controversial school academy reforms are an attempt to play down her Blairite reputation and curry favour of Left-wing Labour MPs.

Politics

24 hours ago Indonesia and Japan promise deeper defense and economic ties as regional tensions spike

Japan and Indonesia have pledged to deepen economic and defense ties during a visit by the Japanese prime minister amid heightened global geopolitical tensions

Events

9 hours ago Special Forces secrets exposed... by the Ministry of Defence! Veterans slam officials for printing shadowy force's tests in magazine feature

Veterans have been angered by the disclosing of precise details of the tests applicants must take to apply for the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Service (SBS) and other secretive units.

Politics

27 hours ago Why we can't let John Swinney take two years to act on child sexual abuse

On Thursday, John Swinney could have pledged to introduce mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse at the earliest opportunity. Instead, he chose to prevaricate

Events

11 hours ago UK will not pit AI safety against investment in bid for growth, says minister

Peter Kyle is set to unveil the Government’s AI action plan on Monday.

Politics

28 hours ago Miss World bombshell Victoria Silvstedt couldn't live up to Portsmouth star's standards

There is seemingly nothing former Miss World finalist, Playboy model, actress, singer, TV host and movie star Victoria Silvstedt can't do – but ex-Premier League footballer John Utaka reckons there is

Events

12 hours ago Badenoch calls on PM to sack Treasury minister over property allegations

Media reports have raised questions about a number of properties connected to Labour MP Tulip Siddiq and her family.

Politics

13 hours ago European football: Harry Kane back with penalty winner for Bayern Munich

His 15th league goal of season keeps Bayern clear at topIn Serie A, Atalanta miss chance to go level with NapoliHarry Kane netted a penalty to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach in their first Bundesliga match after the winter break, keeping them four points clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.The England captain sent Gladbach keeper Moritz Nicolas the wrong way in the 68th minute to break the deadlock and bag his 15th league goal this season to maintain his status as the Bundesliga’s top scorer. Continue reading...

Politics

13 hours ago The school which launched the Reeves sisters into politics would fail under Labour reforms, claim Tories

Tories claim improvements to the school which educated two of Keir Starmer’s cabinet ministers would not have been allowed by Labour’s education reforms

Politics

13 hours ago Majority of public think Elon Musk has negative impact on UK politics – poll

Research also suggests almost half the British public think the billionaire’s comments about grooming gangs are ‘unhelpful’.

Politics

14 hours ago Arne Slot shows his true colours as Accrington Stanley boss reveals chat

Liverpool defeated Accrington Stanley 4-0 at Anfield in the FA Cup but the Lancashire side were able to take away positives from the clash with boss John Doolan paying tribute to Arne Slot

Politics

15 hours ago Majority of Britons believe Musk having negative impact on UK politics

More voters think tech tycoon’s comments on grooming gangs are unhelpful than those who back himMore than half of voters think Elon Musk is having a negative effect on British politics following his criticism of Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.The South African-born billionaire has spent much of the past week using his social media platform X to attack Starmer and the Labour government for their opposition to another national inquiry into grooming gangs. He accused Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, of being a “rape genocide apologist” and falsely claimed Starmer was “deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes”. Despite strong suggestions that Musk is preparing to make a large donation to Reform UK, he also recently tore into Nigel Farage, saying he was not up to the job of leading the party. Continue reading...

Politics

16 hours ago Joe Biden got plenty right at home, but on the world stage he let himself be taken for a fool | Simon Tisdall

In another era, the outgoing president would have made a great cold war leader. Instead, his tenure was dogged by errors, naivety and overcautionIn a week when the US bade a sad farewell to Jimmy Carter, presidential legacies came under particular scrutiny. Yet few presidents are widely remembered beyond their lifetimes, their “historic” achievements even less so. In the 20th century, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D Roosevelt, John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon make the truly memorable list. Most of the rest are mere school-book names and dates.Joe Biden’s standing in this unprepossessing pantheon is now being assessed, as he prepares to depart the White House on 20 January. Like his 44 predecessors, he reportedly frets about his “place in history”. All presidents do this. It smacks of vanity. They give valedictory lectures, endow foundations, build libraries, write memoirs. They confuse fame with continuing relevance. Continue reading...

Politics

17 hours ago Voices: Rachel Reeves is heading for the brick wall of an emergency Budget

The chancellor has only herself to blame for failing to give herself any escape routes from humiliation, writes John Rentoul

Politics