4 h. ago Uproar as cars continue to be banned from idyllic Welsh beach

There are no plans to review the decision to end car parking on a north Pembrokeshire beach after it became car-free back in 2023

Events

4 h. ago Grassroots group’s bank account frozen due to ‘Palestine Action investigation’

Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine, which has no affiliation to direct action group, informed by deputy mayorA grassroots pro-Palestinian organisation in the UK has been told its bank account was frozen because of “an investigation into Palestine Action”, despite it having no affiliation to the direct action group.Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine (GMFP), which organises peaceful protests and vigils, had access to its funds cut off indefinitely by Virgin Money after Palestine Action was banned under the Terrorism Act and the account remains blocked. Continue reading...

Economics

3 d. ago Timeless Christmas hit is the gift that keeps on giving for Wizzard

Research shows 97% of the band’s streaming revenue comes from the 1973 single I Wish It Could Be Christmas EverydayIf you listen closely to the start of Wizzard’s yuletide standard I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, you’ll hear the kerching of a cash register.The sound might have been “a winning speck of cynicism in the tinselly facade” of 70s consumerism, according to the Guardian’s Alexis Petridis, but five decades on it has proved prophetic – the song accounts for nearly all of the band’s streams on Spotify. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago US military to stop shooting live animals to train medics for the battlefield

Defense department will still allow stabbing and burning, and ‘weapon wounding’ on animals to test weaponsThe US military will stop its practice of shooting pigs and goats to help prepare medics for treating wounded troops in a combat zone, ending an exercise made obsolete by simulators that mimic battlefield injuries.The prohibition on “live fire” training that includes animals is part of this year’s annual defense bill, although other uses of animals for wartime training will continue. The ban was championed by Vern Buchanan, a Republican congressman from Florida who often focuses on animal rights issues. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Christmas ads put on a diet as UK ban on TV junk food advertising bites

Gone are shots of puddings and sweets as advertisers try to market other foods to stay within rules coming into force on 5 JanuaryThe festive season is traditionally a time of national culinary overindulgence but eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that this year’s crop of big-budget Christmas TV ads have been decidedly lean and sugar-free.From Tesco and Waitrose to Marks & Spencer and Asda, the UK’s biggest exponents of extravagant festive food marketing have put their Christmas ads on a diet to comply with new regulations banning junk food products from appearing in TV ads before 9pm. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago London businesses continue to show they care with huge haul for food banks

London businesses continue to show they care with huge haul for food banks  CBC

Economics

6 d. ago German prosecutors file lawsuit against Greensill bosses over role in bank’s collapse

Bremen lawyers say three unnamed people charged with crimes relating to bankruptcy and misrepresentation of bank’s financesGerman prosecutors have brought criminal charges against three people involved in running Greensill Bank for their role in the 2021 collapse of the lender.The Bremen public prosecutor’s office said the unnamed people were charged with crimes related to the bankruptcy, as well as the misrepresentation of the German bank’s finances. Continue reading...

Economics

6 d. ago German prosecutors bring charges against Greensill officials over role in bank’s collapse

Bremen lawyers say three unnamed people charged with crimes relating to bankruptcy and misrepresentation of bank’s financesGerman prosecutors have brought criminal charges against three people involved in running Greensill Bank for their role in the 2021 collapse of the lender.The Bremen public prosecutor’s office said the unnamed people were charged with crimes related to the bankruptcy, as well as the misrepresentation of the German bank’s finances. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Washington state flooding damage profound but unclear, governor warns

Record rains have forced hundreds of rescues, swamped communities and left rivers high, with more storms forecastThe extent of the damage in Washington state is profound but unclear after more than a week of heavy rains and record flooding, according to the state’s governor, Bob Ferguson.A barrage of storms from weather systems stretching across the Pacific has dumped close to 2ft (0.6 metres) of rain in parts of the state, swelling rivers far beyond their banks and prompting more than 600 rescues across 10 counties. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Australia’s social media ban launched with barely a hitch – but the real test is still to come

The policy to cut off social media access for more than 2 million under-16s remains popular with Australians, while other countries look to follow suitOn the lawns of the prime minister’s Kirribilli residence in Sydney, overlooking the harbour, Anthony Albanese said he had never been prouder.“This is a day in which my pride to be prime minister of Australia has never been greater. This is world-leading. This is Australia showing enough is enough,” he said as the country’s under-16s social media ban came into effect on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago London venue ‘appalled’ after antisemitic imagery allegedly screened at Primal Scream gig

Roundhouse apologises after animation projected behind band appears to show Star of David entwined with swastikaA music venue in London has apologised after antisemitic imagery was allegedly displayed on stage during a Primal Scream gig.A video appearing to show the Star of David entwined with a swastika appeared to be screened during the Scottish band’s show at the Roundhouse in Camden on Monday. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Are Australian kids breaking the law if they sneak onto social media? – video

Does Australia’s social media ban mean kids aged under 16 will get in legal trouble for circumventing the ban? Will parents get in trouble for letting their kids use banned social media sites? There is a lot of misinformation about how the world-first ban will actually work. So whether you’re a parent of a child, or a child watching this on a VPN, Guardian Australia’s Matilda Boseley is here to clear up what the social media ban meansAustralian social media ban explained: everything you need to knowHow is Australia’s social media ban affecting you and your family? Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Are Australian kids breaking the law if they sneak on to social media? – video

Does Australia’s social media ban mean kids aged under 16 will get in legal trouble for circumventing the ban? Will parents get in trouble for letting their kids use banned social media sites? There is a lot of misinformation about how the world-first ban will actually work. So whether you’re a parent of a child, or a child watching this on a VPN, Guardian Australia’s Matilda Boseley is here to clear up what the social media ban meansAustralian social media ban explained: everything you need to knowHow is Australia’s social media ban affecting you and your family? Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago River Taff bursts banks as Storm Bram continues to batter Wales

River levels have been extremely high throughout Tuesday and parts of Blackweir in Cardiff are now flooded

Events

2 w. ago Chancellor’s Budget to help bring down inflation from spring, say Bank officials

Clare Lombardelli, deputy governor of the central bank, pointed towards the continued easing of inflation on Tuesday.

Economics

2 w. ago Trump slams ‘lack of loyalty’ after pardoned Democrat says he won’t change party

Henry Cuellar launched House re-election bid as Democrat days after Trump pardoned him over bribery chargesDays after issuing him a pardon, Donald Trump criticized US House member Henry Cuellar of Texas for deciding to run for re-election as a Democrat.Trump pardoned Cuellar and the congressman’s wife on Wednesday as they faced bribery charges. They were alleged to have accepted thousands of dollars from Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for advancing their interests. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Homeland security head reveals plans to widen US travel ban to more than 30 countries

Kristi Noem said the list of countries from which travel to the US is prohibited will increase to an unspecified numberUS politics live – latest updatesThe US plans to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Kristi Noem, has announced.Noem, in an interview on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle on Thursday evening, was asked to confirm whether the Trump administration would be increasing the number of countries on the travel ban list to 32. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Holocaust survivors call on Nigel Farage to apologise over alleged antisemitic comments

Exclusive: Group’s open letter says Reform UK leader must take responsibility for behaviour as a schoolboyA group of Holocaust survivors have demanded Nigel Farage tell the truth and apologise for the antisemitic comments that fellow pupils of Dulwich College allege he made toward Jewish pupils.The Reform UK leader has said he never racially abused anyone with intent but may have engaged in “banter in a playground”. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago HSBC has a new chair but the succession process should have been slicker

This is the UK’s second-largest listed company, and the European bank most exposed to declining US-China relationsIt turns out that Sir Mark Tucker, 67, retired as chair of HSBC in September to make way for an older man. Say hello to Brendan Nelson, 76, a former KPMG partner, who has been doing the job on an interim basis for a couple of months but was regarded as a rank outsider to get the gig permanently.Just how permanent remains to be seen because the HSBC chief executive, Georges Elhedery, clearly unaware that Nelson had thrown his hat into the ring, appeared to rule him out when speaking at an FT conference only on Monday. He said Nelson didn’t wish to do a full term of six to nine years, a remark that didn’t feel controversial at the time. After all, while US presidents may go on into their 80s these days, chairs of globally important banks tend not to. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago New York City bill aims to ban toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in firefighting gear

Approval of legislation to ban Pfas would be major win for advocates pushing for safer gear alternatives across USA new bill proposed in the New York city council would ban the use of toxic Pfas “forever chemicals” in protective gear worn by the city’s 11,000 firefighters.The New York fire department is the nation’s largest firefighting force, and approval of the legislation would mark a major win for advocates who are pushing for safer “turnout gear” alternatives across the US. Massachusetts and Connecticut last year became the first states to ban the use of Pfas in turnout gear, and Illinois enacted a ban this year. Continue reading...

Events