9 h. ago MPs warn that UK agreements with Donald Trump are ‘built on sand’

Exclusive: UK government’s ‘naive belief’ that Trump is a good faith actor ‘could cost UK taxpayer billions’, says health select committee chair Ministers and senior MPs have warned that the UK’s agreements with Donald Trump are “built on sand” after the Guardian established that the deal to avoid drug tariffs has no underlying text beyond limited headline terms.The “milestone” US-UK deal announced this month on pharmaceuticals, which will mean the NHS pays more for medicines in exchange for a promise of zero tariffs on the industry, still lacks a legal footing beyond top lines contained in two government press releases. Continue reading...

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16 h. ago Warner Bros Discovery urges shareholders to reject Paramount’s $108.4bn takeover bid

WBD had agreed to sell to Netflix but Paramount swiftly countered with an all-cash offer, which WBD’s board is calling ‘inadequate’Warner Bros Discovery has urged shareholders to reject a $108.4bn hostile takeover offer from Paramount Skydance, branding it “inadequate” amid an extraordinary corporate battle to control the legacy media conglomerate.WBD agreed to sell its storied movie studios, HBO cable network and streaming service to Netflix in a $82.7bn deal earlier this month, setting the stage for a seismic shift in Hollywood’s industrial landscape. Continue reading...

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46 h. ago ‘No water, no life’: Iraq’s Tigris River in danger of disappearing

Unless urgent action is taken life will be fundamentally altered for the ancient communities who live on its banksAs a leader of one of the oldest gnostic religions in the world, Sheikh Nidham Kreidi al-Sabahi must use only water taken from a flowing river, even for drinking.The 68-year-old has a long grey beard hanging over his simple tan robe and a white cap covering his equally long hair, which sheikhs are forbidden from cutting. He says he has never got ill from drinking water from the Tigris River and believes that as long as the water is flowing, it is clean. But the truth is that soon it may not be flowing at all. Continue reading...

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68 h. ago Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center should serve as a warning to UK arts institutions | Charlotte Higgins

Culture is not immune from the advances of the hard right – but it isn’t too late for resistanceInto the pale stone wall of the Kennedy Center, above its elegant terrace on the edge of the Potomac river, are carved bold and idealistic sentiments. “This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor. To further the appreciation of culture among all the people, to increase respect for the creative individual, to widen participation by all the processes and fulfillments of art – this is one of the fascinating challenges of these days.” Those are the words of John F Kennedy, after whom the US’s national performing arts centre is named. The impulse to build it came from Dwight D Eisenhower; it was given JFK’s name after his assassination; and it opened in 1971, to the music of Leonard Bernstein and the choreography of Alvin Ailey, in the presidency of Richard Nixon. The Kennedy Centre, in short, was designed to be bipartisan, a place of gathering for Democrats and Repub...

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3 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Britain’s spy chief to warn of Russia’s ‘expansionist threat’ as Berlin talks enter second day

MI6 chief to deliver remarks on Monday warning ‘chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach’; European leaders to join day two of talks in Berlin. What we know on day 1,391The head of Britain’s foreign spy service, known as MI6, will warn that Russia poses an “aggressive, expansionist, and revisionist” threat, in her first speech since taking office. Blaise Metreweli took over from Richard Moore in October, becoming the first female chief of MI6. “[Vladimir] Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraine’s behalf will be sustained,” Metreweli will say on Monday, according to advance extracts of her remarks. “The export of chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach to international engagement, and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus,” she said, according to the extract.Separately, Richard Knighton, head of Britain’s armed forces, will also call in a separate speech on Monday fo...

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3 d. ago Dire warning for motorists as Christmas 2025 expected to be busiest ever on UK roads

Friday predicted to be the busiest day on the roads - with 24.4 vehicles set to travel

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3 d. ago Frank warns Tottenham ‘not a quick fix’ after ‘very bad performance’ at Forest

Manager says it will take time to turn club aroundSpence reaction to substitution will be investigatedThomas Frank said Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest offered a sobering reminder his side remain a “work in progress” and amid increasing scrutiny the head coach reiterated improving Spurs’s fortunes is “not a quick fix”, saying: “If no one gets the time, no one can turn this around.”Spurs have been hit and miss since Frank took charge in June and are in mid-table in the Premier League after a run of one win in seven top-flight matches, though still only six points off fourth-placed Chelsea. Spurs registered a single shot on target at the City Ground, where Callum Hudson-Odoi scored twice and Ibrahim Sangaré sealed victory with a stunning first-time strike. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Strictly judge Shirley Ballas issued stern warning after behaviour towards 2025 star

Shirley Ballas has come under fire from Strictly fans following her behaviour towards one of the contestants

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5 d. ago Leader of California religious group arrested in connection with disappearance of two members

The leader of a religious group in California has been arrested for murder as he was not granted bail by the courts

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6 d. ago Jared Kushner – and three Arab monarchies – are at the heart of the Paramount

The president’s son-in-law is once again at the center of an international business deal that will require administration approvalOn Monday, Paramount Skydance launched a $108bn takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery, the entertainment giant that owns Hollywood movie studios, along with CNN, HBO and other media businesses. The bid is led by David Ellison, son of the tech billionaire Larry Ellison – a prominent Donald Trump supporter and Republican donor. Netflix had already prevailed over Paramount in a previous bidding competition for the purchase, but Trump announced on Sunday that he would “be involved” in his administration’s review of the Netflix deal. The president suggested the sale “could be a problem” because Netflix is already dominant in the US streaming market.Paramount left out a significant fact in the press release announcing its offer: the bid includes funding from the private equity firm owned by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, as well as three Arab monar...

Politics

7 d. ago NHL warns top players will not show up for Winter Olympics if venue is unsafe

Construction delays have beset ice hockey arena in Milan‘If the ice isn’t ready, we’re not going,’ warns NHL deputyThe NHL says it is “disappointing” that the main ice hockey venue for the Winter Olympics will not be ready until the new year – and warned that its top players will not show up unless the ice is shown to be safe.The men’s and women’s tournaments are expected to be among the highlights of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games with the NHL stars showing up for the first time since 2014. Continue reading...

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8 d. ago Netflix v Paramount: Trump wades into Warner Bros battle | The Latest

The battle to buy Warner Bros Discovery, has captured Donald Trump’s attention. The US President has declared he’ll be involved in the decision on the company’s sale, as both Netflix and Paramount fight to take over the entertainment giant. Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian US deputy business editor Callum Jones Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Japan tells residents to evacuate as powerful earthquake strikes north

90,000 people advised to take shelter after 7.5-magnitude quake, but tsunami warnings downgraded A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake has shaken north-eastern Japan, prompting orders for about 90,000 residents to evacuate and tsunami warnings that hours later were downgraded to advisories.The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially said a tsunami as high as 3 metres (10ft) could hit Japan’s north-eastern coast after the earthquake struck off the coast at 11.15pm (2.15pm GMT). Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Netflix buying Warner Bros is bad news for cinema and those of us who love it | Jesse Hassenger

The proposed acquisition would see yet more of Hollywood controlled by a tech company and one that doesn’t seem to care about the theatrical experienceDid Netflix just exacerbate a bunch of seasonal affective disorders in cinephiles? Timed to ruin holidays like a round of end-of-year layoffs, the streaming giant announced plans to buy Warner Bros, a movie and television studio with a full-century legacy. It’s possible that the acquisition won’t actually go through – and if it does, it won’t be for at least a year. But the news still looms over year-end awards and list-making, and it’s going to take more than a jingle-bell heist to steal back any holiday cheer for the entertainment industry, much less halt the march of corporate consolidation and monopolization. Even more depressing: the entity that seems most able to take action against this is another attempted consolidation. Paramount has launched a bid for a hostile takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, which would bring two big stu...

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9 d. ago Paramount launches $108.4bn hostile bid for Warner Bros Discovery

Offer for $30 a share for entire company comes after Netflix agreed to buy studio and streaming operationDavid Ellison’s Paramount Skydance is not giving up in its aggressive campaign to acquire Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), launching a hostile bid despite the announcement on Friday that Netflix had agreed to buy the company’s studio and streaming operation.Netflix’s accepted bid valued the company at $27.75 a share, though the entertainment company did not agree to acquire WBD’s traditional television assets, including the news network CNN. Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Kemi Badenoch accuses Labour of lacking 'political courage' to carry out grooming gangs probe that looks at role of 'Asian and Pakistani' men in crimes

The Tory leader called for the inquiry to examine the ethnicity and religion of offenders who targeted mainly teenage girls in English towns.

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9 d. ago Trump warns Netflix’s $83bn deal for Warner Bros poses competition concerns

President promises to get involved personally in controversial takeover called ‘unprecedented’ by ex-regulator bossBusiness live – latest updatesAnalysis: Netflix inks deal for troubled Hollywood giantDonald Trump has warned there could be competition problems around Netflix’s $83bn (£62bn) deal to buy Warner Brothers’ movie studio and streaming networks.The US president, speaking at an event in Washington DC on Sunday, confirmed he would be involved personally in the decision about whether the government would approve the takeover. Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Labour 'has done nothing on grooming gangs': Kemi Badenoch heaps pressure on government over 'stalled' inquiry

The Tory leader called for the inquiry to examine the ethnicity and religion of offenders, ahead of a press conference unveiling draft terms of reference drawn up with the help of victims.

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1 week ago Warner Bros Disaster? Netflix deal for Hollywood giant follows string of flops

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, promised ‘everyone’ would win by combining the storied Hollywood studios with his reality TV giant. Instead, many lostIt’s less than five years since David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, negotiated what looked like the deal of his career. Now as Netflix plans a landscape-changing takeover of Warner Bros, he’s in the middle of an even bigger one.Zaslav, or Zaz, is a hard-charging, well-connected executive who cut his teeth inside NBC, and ascended into New York’s media elite as he transformed Discovery Inc from a nature- and science-focused cable broadcaster into a reality TV giant. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Warner Bros Disaster? Netflix inks deal for troubled Hollywood giant

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, promised ‘everyone’ would win by combining the storied Hollywood studios with his reality TV giant. Instead, many lostIt’s less than five years since David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, negotiated what looked like the deal of his career. Now as Netflix plans a landscape-changing takeover of Warner Bros, he’s in the middle of an even bigger one.Zaslav, or Zaz, is a hard-charging, well-connected executive who cut his teeth inside NBC, and ascended into New York’s media elite as he transformed Discovery Inc from a nature- and science-focused cable broadcaster into a reality TV giant. Continue reading...

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