Drunk raccoon found passed out in Virginia liquor store 03. December 2025 (14:37) Store employee found masked bandit sleeping off a bender after invading booze store and tippling a tad too muchA liquor store employee in Virginia was startled on Saturday to discover smashed whisky bottles on the floor of the shop and, upon entering the bathroom, an apparently drunk, sleeping and spread-eagled raccoon.“He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything,” Samantha Martin, an local animal control officer, told the Daily Mail. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Paedophile admits sexually assaulting toddlers at London nursery 03. December 2025 (14:23) Vincent Chan, 45, pleads guilty to 26 offences from 2022 to 2024 including attacks on four young girls Warning: this article contains descriptions of offences readers may find distressing A man passed vetting to get a job at a London nursery where he sexually assaulted toddlers, some during their nap time, while they were in his care.Vincent Chan, 45, who worked at a north London branch of the Bright Horizons nursery group, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to 26 offences from 2022 to 2024, including attacks on four young girls whom he sexually assaulted and offences relating to more than 25,000 indecent images of children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The environmental costs of corn: should the US change how it grows its dominant crop? 03. December 2025 (14:00) Amid concerns over greenhouse gas emissions, the Trump administration has abolished climate-friendly farming incentivesThis article was produced in partnership with FloodlightFor decades, corn has reigned over American agriculture. It sprawls across 90m acres – about the size of Montana – and goes into everything from livestock feed and processed foods to the ethanol blended into most of the nation’s gasoline. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NIH funds new cat experiments despite pledge to phase them out, watchdog reports 03. December 2025 (14:00) White Coat Waste finds $1.7m in NIH grants for cat research months after officials said they were working to end studiesThe US National Institute of Health is continuing to fund new laboratory experiments on cats despite saying that they are “working tirelessly” to “phase out” such projects.In July this year, Dr Nicole Kleinstreuer, the NIH acting deputy director, announced in a podcast with Dr Jay Bhattacharya, the NIH director. that she doesn’t think the NIH should do research on dogs or cats. On the Director’s Desk: The Future of Animal Models in Research, Dr Kleinstreuer said: “I think it’s unconscionable” and “to phase them out, we are working tirelessly behind the scenes”. However, she added the NIH is constrained under the law to leave existing grants in place. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU to unveil €3bn strategy to reduce dependency on China for raw materials 03. December 2025 (13:55) ReSourceEU project aims to de-risk and diversify supply chains for critical rare-earth metals and elementsBusiness live – latest updatesThe EU is to unveil a €3bn (£2.63bn) strategy to reduce its dependency on China for critical raw materials amid a global scramble triggered by Beijing’s “weaponisation” of supplies of everything from chips to rare earths.The ReSourceEU programme will seek to de-risk and diversify the bloc’s supply chains for key commodities with a funding initiative to support 25-30 strategic projects in the sector. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pope Leo stresses importance of European involvement in efforts to end war in Ukraine 03. December 2025 (13:30) Pontiff says Italy specifically could play role of mediator in talks between Russia, US and UkrainePope Leo has stressed the importance of Europe’s involvement in US efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, while suggesting that Italy specifically could play the role of mediator.Russia and the US failed to make progress towards a peace deal for Ukraine during talks on Tuesday, with Vladimir Putin accusing Europe of “preventing the US administration from achieving peace on Ukraine”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Top ex-EU diplomat Federica Mogherini accused of corruption and fraud 03. December 2025 (13:26) Prosecutors say two others also indicted in investigation into funding for school training young diplomatsEurope live – latest updatesThe EU’s former chief diplomat Federica Mogherini and two other people have been formally accused of fraud and corruption, the European prosecutor’s office has said.The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) did not refer to Mogherini by name, but said the rector of the College of Europe in Bruges – her role – had been formally notified of the accusations. A senior staff member of the college and a senior official from the European Commission were also indicted, the EPPO said, after all three were questioned by Belgian police. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Norman conquest coin hoard to go on show in Bath before permanent display 03. December 2025 (13:00) Trust announces major grant to exhibit £4m Chew Valley Hoard, which was found by metal detectorists in 2019 The coins were buried in a valley in the English West Country almost 1,000 years ago at a time of huge political and social turmoil.A millennium on, plans have been announced to bring the Chew Valley Hoard, 2,584 silver coins hidden shortly after the Norman conquest, back to the south-west of England. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Whistleblower accuses Foreign Office of ‘censoring’ warning of Sudan genocide 03. December 2025 (12:40) Exclusive: Analyst claims UK officials deleted alert to threat of genocidal violence by paramilitaries to protect UAEWarnings of a possible “genocide” in Sudan were removed from a UK risk assessment by Foreign Office officials, according to a whistleblower whose testimony raises fresh concern over British failures to act on the atrocities unfolding in the war-ravaged country.The threat analyst said they were prevented from warning that genocide could occur in Darfur by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials in a humanitarian risk assessment collated days after Sudan’s brutal civil war erupted in April 2023. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
’Pretty obvious’ Putin does not want peace in Ukraine, Nato foreign ministers warn - Europe live 03. December 2025 (12:02) Comments come after Putin rejects peace deal after US talks and warned that Russia is ‘ready’ for war with EuropeWe are expecting the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to present the EU’s proposal on the reparations loan for Ukraine, backed by frozen Russian assets, later today.But Belgium – Brussels-based Euroclear holds most of Russia’s frozen assets – does not appear to be any closer to being convinced about the idea. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
