40 m. ago Canada’s environmental ‘realism’ looks more like surrender | Tzeporah Berman

At a time when the UK and other countries are finally taking bold steps for climate, Canada is preparing a new oil pipelineLast week, the United Kingdom did something all too rare: it chose leadership by backing science and prioritizing public safety. The Labour government announced it would ban new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, strengthen a windfall tax and accelerate phasing out of fossil-fuel subsidies.These are not symbolic gestures. They are an acknowledgment that the global energy system is shifting and that mature economies must shift with it.Tzeporah Berman is a Canadian environmental activist, campaigner and writer Continue reading...

Politics

57 m. ago Infantino’s lickspittle World Cup draw promises a tournament autocrats will love

Friday’s ceremony in Washington DC was cringe-inducing and craven enough to make football fans nostalgic for the reign of Sepp BlatterWell, that was awful, wasn’t it? Donald Trump’s heroic victory over a field of one to claim the inaugural Fifa peace prize, on-stage banter so dead it was already fossilized, Gianni Infantino doing crowd work, and Wayne Gretzky struggling through the pronunciation of “Macedonia” and “Curaçao” in the draw’s linguistic group of death: even with the benefit of a few days’ distance it’s impossible to overstate how impressively bad the draw for the 2026 World Cup, held last Friday at the Trump-purged Kennedy Center in Washington DC, was.“This is America, so we have to put on a show!” roared Fifa president Infantino, resembling a Sphinx cat in a borrowed suit, at the beginning of the ceremony. And put on a show Fifa did – just not one that anyone wanted to watch, least of all a desperately bored-looking Trump, who sat through Andrea Bocelli’s Nessun Dorma w...

Politics

76 m. ago Joey Barton is SPARED jail after being found guilty of six charges over 'offensive tweets' aimed at Jeremy Vine and female football TV pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward

Joey Barton has been handed a suspended sentence, a two-year restraining order and 200 hours of community service after being found guilty of six charges over 'offensive tweets'.

Events

96 m. ago Weather tracker: Atmospheric rivers to bring heavy rain and snow to Pacific north

Flood and weather alerts in place across western half of region as parts of Iraq and Iran also face significant rainWeather alerts are in effect across the Pacific north-west this week as a series of atmospheric rivers are forecast to deliver multiple rainfall events and heavy mountain snow from western British Columbia in Canada, to Washington and Oregon in the US.More than 200mm (8ins) of rainfall is expected across the western half of Washington state and north-west Oregon by Friday, with between 100-150mm expected in cities such as Seattle and Portland. About 400mm are possible on the western side of the Cascades, while more than a foot of snow is expected above 1,800-2,100 metres. Continue reading...

Politics

98 m. ago Virgin Media cut £200 off Sky Sports bundles giving bill payers three months free

Virgin Media is offering three months free on Sky Sports bundles

Economics

1 hour ago More than 200 environmental groups demand halt to new US data centers

Exclusive: Congress urged to act against energy-hungry facilities blamed for increasing bills and worsening climate crisisA coalition of more than 230 environmental groups has demanded a national moratorium on new data centers in the US, the latest salvo in a growing backlash to a booming artificial intelligence industry that has been blamed for escalating electricity bills and worsening the climate crisis.The green groups, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Food & Water Watch and dozens of local organizations, have urged members of Congress halt the proliferation of energy-hungry data centers, accusing them of causing planet-heating emissions, sucking up vast amounts of water and for exacerbating electricity bill increases that have hit Americans this year. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago The once formidable Kansas City Chiefs look old, tired and out of ideas

Patrick Mahomes has led his team to seven straight AFC Championship Games, winning three Super Bowls on the way. That run appears to be overThis is how great runs end. Not with a single catastrophic collapse, but with a slow drift towards the finish, looking old, tired and out of ideas. For the Chiefs, that sense of finality arrived on Sunday night, delivered by the Texans in a 20-10 defeat at home that felt more lopsided than the score.For much of this season, there had been a gnawing sense of inevitability about the Chiefs. Whether judging by the eye test or the advanced data, this year’s group has been slightly better than the 15-win team who trudged through one-score victories last season, got hot in the playoffs and then were crushed by the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Even as the losses mounted this year, it felt like the Chiefs still had a run in them. If they could figure out their disjointed offense and find any juice on defense, they could sneak into the playoffs. And in a on...

Politics

2 h. ago Storm Bram will lead to strong winds and heavy rain, forecasters warn

Many parts of the UK will be affected into Tuesday, with yellow and amber warnings for wind and rain.

Events

2 h. ago Man United get fresh Adam Wharton transfer stance as Crystal Palace chief accepts fate

Adam Wharton is one of the most in-demand Premeir League players and Manchester United's will be on red-alert following comments from Crystal Palace chief Steve Parish

Politics

2 h. ago The Royals' controversial property agreements — from Princess Alexandra's £2,200

As an inquiry is launched into Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s living arrangements, the rest of the Royal Family is under scrutiny. Here’s how they pay for their homes

Politics

2 h. ago Storm Bram: Island of Ireland warned to brace for strong winds

Status orange wind warnings have been announced for 11 counties in the Republic of Ireland, with the entire island facing other weather advisories.

Events

2 h. ago My dream of jet set glamour has died – in a pleather chair full of other people's crumbs | Emma Beddington

The use of airport lounges is soaring, born of a desire to feel a bit special. The reality is we’re all going to end up crammed into the same awful, environmentally disastrous metal tubeThe New Yorker has published a deliciously fact-stuffed long read on the airport lounge: there are more than 3,500 worldwide, of which 37 are in Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. American Airlines opened the first in 1939 and called its VIP members “admirals”.There are almost more admirals than ordinary seamen now (a weird metaphor in an air travel context, yes; blame American Airlines). The “mostly low- and mid-tier” lounge network Priority Pass saw a 31% increase in usage last year, including me: my credit card came with this seemingly seductive perk. I was thrilled to join the global elite in what I imagined would be a cashmere and champagne cocoon, saved from the usual three hours (my husband is one of those travellers) crouched by a bin in the purgatorial wasteland of Manchester Terminal 3, nursi...

Events

2 h. ago O2 dishes out huge free data perk to UK iPhone and Android users

O2 is handing out 10GB of free data to millions of users across the UK.

Technology

2 h. ago Storm Bram: 11 Irish counties under status orange weather warning

Status orange wind warnings have been announced for 11 counties, with the entirety of the Republic of Ireland facing other weather advisories.

Events

3 h. ago GMB forced to halt live show for urgent Prince Harry announcement

Good Morning Britain was halted for a breaking update on Prince Harry as presenters shared he may get his armed protection back when he comes to the UK

Politics

3 h. ago UK mortgage rates fall to lowest since September 2022; China’s trade surplus hits $1tn – business live

Trade data shows China’s exports topped forecasts in November, driven by a surge in shipments to non-US marketsBack in China, car sales have fallen for the second month running.Retail vehicle sales fell about 8% to 2.1 million units in November, according to data published by the China Passenger Car Association today. This shows a 22% slump in sales of gasoline cars, with new-energy vehicle sales rising 4.2% for the month.“Usually the trend at the end of the year is that the car market should get stronger and stronger from October. But the retail sales in November compared to previous years is unusual.”“Mortgage rates continue on the downward trend and November was particularly fruitful for fixed rate cuts.The re-pricing by lenders led to the average five-year fixed rate dropping below 5% for the first time in over two years and sits at its lowest point since before the ‘mini-Budget’ in September 2022, alongside its two-year counterpart. Continue reading...

Economics

3 h. ago Trump jokes about renaming Kennedy Center after himself while taking center stage at honors show

Trump took center stage at gala honoring Sylvester Stallone, Gene Simmons, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, and Michael Crawford

Politics

3 h. ago M6 traffic LIVE: Major UK motorway shuts all lanes after crash causes severe delays

Drivers on the M6 have found themselves stuck in long queues after a crash earlier this morning sparked tailbacks and brought rush hour traffic to a grinding halt

Events

4 h. ago Trump reveals he ‘didn’t prepare very much’ ahead of hosting Kennedy Center Honors

Trump notably skipped the Kennedy Center Honors entirely during his first term

Politics

5 h. ago Extracting hangovers from beer: inside Budweiser owner’s ‘nolo’ brewery in south Wales

AB InBev unveils its ‘de-alcoholisation’ annex at Magor site as demand for once ‘lousy’ low- or no-alcohol beer rises A “de-alcoholisation facility” sounds like somewhere to check in after a boozy Christmas, but in the new annexe of a brewery in south Wales they are extracting hangovers from beer.With demand for no-alcohol and low-alcohol (“nolo”) beer taking off in the UK, the hi-tech brewing apparatus enables the plant at Magor, which produces more than 1bn pints of Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois a year, to make the increasingly popular teetotal versions too. Continue reading...

Politics