66 m. ago Ukraine war briefing: Fire sale of Lukoil assets before start of US sanctions on Russia

Foreign properties may be nationalised if Lukoil doesn’t sell, or the proceeds frozen if it does; Zelenskyy grapples with corruption scandal fallout. What we know on day 1,359The foreign oil refineries and other assets of Russian company Lukoil are attracting potential buyers as time runs out to strike cheap deals before US sanctions come into force on 21 November. The sanctions, put in place in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, have already disrupted Lukoil’s operations in Iraq, at pump stations in Finland and a refinery in Bulgaria. Kazakhstan’s state firm KazMunayGas is studying a bid for Lukoil’s assets in the country, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Shell is interested in Lukoil deepwater assets in Ghana and Nigeria, two other sources said. Shell declined to comment to Reuters.The government of Moldova has started talks to nationalise Lukoil’s infrastructure at Chisinau airport, said the airport’s director, Serdgiu Spoiala. Bulgaria is working towards seiz...

Events

99 m. ago FAA says flight cuts will stay at 6% because more air traffic controllers are coming to work

The Federal Aviation Administration says flight cuts will stay at 6% because more air traffic controllers are coming to work

Politics

2 h. ago AC/DC review – a thrilling show stuffed with classics and your eardrums will never be the same

Melbourne Cricket Ground, then touring AustraliaIn the band’s ‘ancestral homeland’, Accadacca’s first Australian concert in a decade shows Angus Young is still a frenzied force to be reckoned withOn Wednesday afternoon, 374 bagpipers gathered in Melbourne’s Federation Square to play AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll), setting a new world record just up the road from where Bon Scott and the band famously played the song on the back of a flatbed truck riding up Swanston Street 50 years before.It’s the one hit AC/DC no longer plays live, retired out of respect to Scott after his death in 1980. But you barely notice it is missing when their live shows are this stuffed with classics: an audible thrill ripples through the 80,000 punters in Melbourne Cricket Ground when AC/DC opens with If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) then tears straight into Back in Black. Who else could play such a huge hit so early in a show? But Accadacca can, in what is essentially a great...

Politics

2 h. ago Starmer investigates briefing war as pressure on chief of staff grows

The Prime Minister was forced to condemn briefings against his Cabinet after reports about a possible Wes Streeting coup.

Events

2 h. ago Rents have soared near Elizabeth line stations — here's how much more renters pay since the line opened

New research reveals the staggering impact of the new underground line on local rents

Politics

2 h. ago The Hunger Games: On Stage review – thundering fight to the death in a dazzling dystopia

Troubadour Canary Wharf theatre, LondonEye-popping visuals and a strong lead performance energise Matthew Dunster’s production – but the emotion gets lost amid the actionA luminous bow hovers in the darkness as if suspended in the sky while the arena-like stage is filled with smoke. A figure emerges: Katniss Everdeen, the girl from District 12 in Suzanne Collins’ post-apocalyptic universe, played by Jennifer Lawrence in the film franchise. With her appearance, the 74th Hunger Games begin – and no special effect is spared.Closely following the plot of Collins’ first book in the young adult series, and the Lionsgate film of 2012, Matthew Dunster’s production is a grand-scale manifestation of dystopian Panem. It is a place in which the haves and have-nots are divided into districts, and in which children are pitted against each other as “Tributes” in a deadly TV gameshow, forced to kill for prime-time entertainment. The last one standing wins the prize of survival. Continue reading...

Sport

2 h. ago Biggest names in music urge UK government to honour cap on ticket resale prices

The statement highlights how resale platforms have allowed touts to bulk buy and resell tickets at inflated prices, forcing fans to either pay above the odds or miss out entirely

Politics

2 h. ago Kensington Palace gives major update on Kate Middleton's beloved Christmas tradition

The Princess of Wales is set to pay an emotional tribute to a late royal as the first details have emerged about her annual festive carol concert at Westminster Abbey next month

Politics

3 h. ago Transgender members of the Air Force sue over losing retirement pay

A group of 17 transgender members of the Air Force are suing the U.S. government over what they say is the military’s unlawful revocation of their early retirement pensions and benefits

Politics

3 h. ago SAS recruitment plummets under Labour over fears officers are not supported by chain of command

The Special Air Service is suffering an officer shortage caused by lawfare directed at soldiers and veterans. The crisis is said to have been caused by officers fearing they will face criminal actions.

Events

3 h. ago Starmer apologises to Streeting for briefing war and launches probe into source

The Prime Minister was forced to condemn briefings against his Cabinet after reports about a possible Wes Streeting coup.

Events

4 h. ago Smallville actress Allison Mack who went to prison for role in sex cult speaks out for the first time: ‘I was mean and I was forceful’

The 43-year-old actor was released from federal prison after serving 21 months of her three-year sentence

Events

4 h. ago Man who amputated leg after fork lift crash loses £1m compensation bid amid 'mystery' surgery

A judge threw out Mr Haley's compensation claim after he found that the amputee was not 'sufficiently disabled' or in enough pain to warrant having his leg amputated, with the judge ruling the surgery a 'mystery'

Events

4 h. ago Trump in Epstein meltdown as controversial GOP lawmaker is rushed to Situation Room summit

Top Trump administration officials met in the White House Wednesday regarding bipartisan efforts in the US House to force a vote on releasing the DOJ's case files related to Epstein.

Politics

4 h. ago Brits illegally streaming Sky TV warned as households lose £1,680 to fraudsters

While there is a crack down on those streaming illegally, this isn't the only price some households are paying.

Events

4 h. ago Congress set to force release of Epstein files after bitter seven

Grijalva is expected to be the final vote on a bipartisan discharge petition to release government files related to financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Politics

5 h. ago Arizona’s Adelita Grijalva sworn in after seven weeks in move that could force Epstein vote

Mike Johnson, the House speaker, had prevented the representative from taking her seat after a special electionArizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva was sworn in by Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, on Wednesday, ending a seven-week standoff that prevented the incoming congresswoman from taking her seat and clearing the path for a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.House Democrats burst into applause on the House floor when Grijalva took the oath of office during a ceremonial swearing in, shortly before the chamber was poised to take up legislation that would end the longest federal government shutdown in US history. The ceremony comes 49 days after Grijalva won a late September special election to succeed her father, the longtime congressman Raúl Grijalva, who died in March. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Trump calls Epstein emails a Democratic deflection after correspondence alleges president ‘knew about the girls’ – live

Trump says release of Epstein emails is a distraction from Democrats’ performance during shutdown; White House says they ‘prove absolutely nothing’Trump knew about Epstein’s conduct, newly released emails suggestDemocrat who could force Epstein vote to be sworn in after standoffIn a new batch of emails released by Democrats on the House oversight committee, Jeffrey Epstein wrote that Donald Trump knew about the late financier and sex-offender’s conduct. In the three emails released, Epstein apparently told his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump “spent hours” at his house with one of Epstein’s victims.In two other emails to author Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote that “of course he knew about the girls”, referring to the now-president. According to the exchanges, Epstein also solicited Wolff’s advice about how he should handle Trump discussing their friendship in an interview with CNN. “I think you should let him hang himself,” Wolff writes. “If he says he hasn’t been on the plane o...

Politics

6 h. ago By the Numbers: The government shutdown's toll on air travel in the US

In the fallout of the ongoing government shutdown, thousands of flights have been canceled and major airports are experiencing long delays

Politics

6 h. ago Andy Murray admits wife 'doesn't want to see him' as condition agreed after career change

Andy Murray has spent more time on golf since retiring from tennis, and he has already reached a high level, with the thoughts of wife Kim Spears clear.

Politics