Man charged with offences linked to Manchester synagogue attacker 04. December 2025 (17:48) Mohammad Bashir faces one count of preparing terrorist acts and three counts of sharing terrorist publicationsA man has been charged with assisting the Manchester synagogue attacker Jihad al-Shamie with earlier reconnaissance on a UK defence facility.Mohammad Bashir, 31, was charged with four terrorism offences, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Spycops whistleblower says bosses stopped him revealing surveillance of Stephen Lawrence family 04. December 2025 (17:43) Peter Francis says he had ‘hostile’ exchanges over telling 1990s Macpherson inquiry into racist murder about covert operationSenior police officers resisted the idea of disclosing the covert monitoring of the family of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence to a public inquiry, a whistleblower has alleged.Peter Francis, the whistleblower, said that he wanted to reveal the surveillance of the family and their campaign by undercover police officers to the public inquiry that was led by Sir William Macpherson in the late 1990s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dawn Sturgess’s family say lessons have not been learned from her novichok poisoning 04. December 2025 (17:39) Relatives say British state has failed to ensure public safety after inquiry into 2018 death, linked to Russian attack on ex-spyThe family of a British woman killed in the Wiltshire nerve agent poisonings have strongly criticised the UK state for not doing more to keep the public safe, and believe lessons have not been learned from her death.Relatives of Dawn Sturgess, who was killed after she sprayed herself with a nerve agent smuggled into the UK by Russian agents to kill a former spy, expressed concern that an inquiry into her death had not set out how such a tragedy could be prevented in the future. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Macron believes US may ‘betray Ukraine on territory’ says Der Spiegel 04. December 2025 (17:35) Magazine says leaked note from call between European heads also contains similar concerns of other leadersEmmanuel Macron has reportedly warned European leaders that “there is a chance that the US will betray Ukraine on territory, without clarity on security guarantees”, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported, quoting a leaked note from a recent call.Der Spiegel said it had obtained an English summary of Monday’s call, featuring what it said were direct quotations from some of the heads of government in which they expressed fundamental doubts about Washington’s approach to the talks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump lashes out at Somalis again as Minneapolis stands behind community 04. December 2025 (17:19) Activists prepare for more targeting of Somali residents by ICE as Trump renews racist tiradeAs Donald Trump went on another extended racist tirade against Somalis on Wednesday, Minneapolis activists prepared for more targeting of the community by conducting trainings on their rights and planning how they would protect their neighbors.In the White House on Wednesday, a reporter asked the president about Minneapolis’s mayor, Jacob Frey, who has defended the Somali community. Trump responded: “I wouldn’t be proud to have the largest Somalian – look at their nation. Look how bad their nation is. It’s not even a nation. It’s just people walking around killing each other. Look, these Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. Billions and billions.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Major incident declared in Derby as two people held on suspicion of explosives offences 04. December 2025 (16:56) More than 200 homes evacuated, with police saying officers acted on intelligence about materialsMore than 200 homes have been evacuated and a major incident has been declared in Derby as police arrested two people on suspicion of explosives offences.An evacuation zone was put in place as officers carried out a warrant at an address in Vulcan Street after receiving intelligence about materials, Derbyshire police said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Outcry in Italy over sex education bill to crack down on ‘gender ideology’ 04. December 2025 (16:18) Legislation is needed to stop leftwing politicians ‘bringing drag queens and porn actors into schools’, minister saysA restrictive sex education bill backed by Georgia Meloni’s far-right government and intended to crack down on “gender ideology and the woke bubble” has provoked fury in Italy.Italy is one of the few EU countries not to have compulsory sex education in schools despite evidence showing that comprehensive relationship and sex education helps to prevent violence against women and girls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Irish authorities asked to investigate Microsoft over alleged unlawful data processing by IDF 04. December 2025 (15:59) Move follows Guardian revelations of Israel’s mass surveillance of Palestinians using Microsoft cloudIrish authorities have been formally asked to investigate Microsoft over alleged unlawful data processing by the Israeli Defense Forces.The complaint has been made by the human rights group the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) to the Data Protection Commission, which has legal responsibility in Europe for overseeing all data processing in the European Union. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York Times sues Pentagon over Trump team’s limits on press reporting 04. December 2025 (15:11) The paper says new rules limiting questions, movement and sourcing violate press freedoms and chill independent reportingUS politics live – latest updatesThe New York Times said on Thursday it is suing the US defense department and the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, after the Trump administration imposed restrictions for the press on access privileges and source-based reporting at the Pentagon.Journalists assigned to cover the Pentagon were asked in October to agree to new rules telling them not to solicit information that had not been approved by Hegseth. The extra restrictions were also designed to limit their movements around the military command headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington DC. As a result, many leading outlets turned in their credentials in protest. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US schools face big price swings for basics under Amazon’s ‘dynamic pricing’, report claims 04. December 2025 (15:00) Amazon calls the report ‘flawed and misleading’ and says it offers lower prices than competitorsSchool districts and local governments across the country appear to be overpaying for basic supplies because of Amazon contracts that bind them to dynamic pricing, according to a new report based on government data and public records analyzed by the non-profit Institute for Local Self-Reliance.A school district in Denver, Colorado, would have saved about $1m in 2023 had it been able to negotiate for and lock in the lowest of the platform’s continuously changing prices, according to one estimate cited in the report. Denver public schools, which spent $5.7m with Amazon that year, “could have saved 17 percent” had it “consistently received Amazon’s lowest prices”, the report said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
