Russian spy ship enters British waters and shines lasers at military pilots 19. November 2025 (14:12) Defence secretary reveals details of recent incursions as he warns UK is facing ‘new era of threat’ from hostile countries A Russian spy ship has entered British waters and shone lasers at military pilots, the defence secretary has said, as he warned the UK was facing a “new era of threat” from hostile countries.John Healey said on Wednesday that the Yantar surveillance ship had crossed in and out of the UK’s exclusive economic zone multiple times in recent weeks, not for the first time this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer urges Farage to explain himself over claims of past racist behaviour 19. November 2025 (14:08) PM raises Guardian reporting of allegations from more than a dozen school contemporaries of FarageUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has called on Nigel Farage to explain himself after the Reform leader wholesale denied numerous detailed allegations of racist behaviour during his teenage years.Responding to the Reform MP Lee Anderson at prime minister’s questions, Starmer raised the Guardian’s reporting of allegations from well over a dozen school contemporaries of Farage. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Meta starts notifying Australian teens of account shutdowns as social media ban looms 19. November 2025 (14:01) Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will be sent email, SMS and in-app messages in anticipation of 10 December when ban will beginGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will be notified starting Thursday that their accounts will be deactivated by 10 December, as Meta begins to comply with the Albanese government’s social media ban.Users affected by the ban will receive 14 days’ notice of their pending account deactivation through a combination of in-app messages, email and SMS before their access is cut off. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Owl described as ‘fighter’ set to fly free after falling into cement mixer in Utah 19. November 2025 (13:32) Staff at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab spent days cleaning the concrete-covered great horned owl An owl found partially encased in concrete after it got inside a cement mixer in south-western Utah is expected to fly free again after it was painstakingly cleaned by animal sanctuary workers who described the bird as a “fighter”.The great horned owl was found at the Black Desert Resort in the south-western part of the state and arrived at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, earlier this month with its face, chest and right wing covered in dried concrete. After making sure the bird could breathe, sanctuary workers spent days cracking apart the concrete using forceps and cleaning its feathers using toothbrushes, dish soap and their fingers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Disease fears as Argentina child vaccination rates hit historic lows 19. November 2025 (13:15) Sharp drop since 2024 in country regarded as a Latin American leader in childhood and adolescent immunisationArgentina’s childhood and adolescent vaccination rates have collapsed to a historic lows according to a new analysis, prompting warnings that once-eliminated diseases may resurge.The study of health ministry data by the Argentinian Paediatric Society (SAP) found that fewer than half of children aged five and six received several of their essential doses in 2024. All vaccines analysed were below the 95% level needed to reach herd immunity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shabana Mahmood accused of ‘ethnic stereotyping’ by Albania’s PM 19. November 2025 (13:05) Edi Rama says home secretary using ‘rhetoric of populist far-right’ after 700 Albanian families singled out for deportationUK politics live – latest updatesShabana Mahmood has been accused of “ethnic stereotyping” and “indecent demagoguery” by Albania’s prime minister after the home secretary singled out Albanian families and children for refusing to return to their homeland.Edi Rama, the Socialist party leader, has questioned why a Labour politician can “so poorly echo the rhetoric of the populist far-right” after Mahmood’s officials singled out 700 Albanian families for deportation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man wrongly jailed for 38 years says Merseyside police forced confession 19. November 2025 (12:48) Officers accused of using violence and threats to make Peter Sullivan confess to 1987 murder of 21-year-old Diane SindallA man wrongly jailed for 38 years has spoken of being beaten by police and bullied into making a false murder confession.Peter Sullivan, 68, the subject of one of the longest miscarriages of justice in British history, said he had lost everything and wanted an apology from Merseyside police. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
State department to cut 38 universities from research program over DEI policies 19. November 2025 (12:00) Trump administration proposal would exclude elite schools that use diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practicesThe state department is proposing to suspend 38 universities including Harvard and Yale from a federal research partnership program because they engage in diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices, according to an internal memo and spreadsheet obtained by the Guardian.The memo, dated 17 November, recommends excluding institutions from the Diplomacy Lab – a program that pairs university researchers with state department policy offices – if they “openly engage in DEI hiring practices” or set DEI objectives for candidate pools. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nearly all immigrants detained in Trump Chicago raid had no criminal conviction 19. November 2025 (12:00) Data sharply contradicts officials’ portrayal of immigration sweeps as effort to fight ‘worst of the worst’ criminalsMore than 97% of immigrants detained in the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago had no criminal conviction, according to federal court records.The data, released on Friday and first reported by the Chicago Tribune, sharply contradicts the Trump administration’s portrayal of the immigration sweeps as an effort to fight crime and, as Trump himself has described it, targeting the “worst of the worst”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mishal Husain calls for end to ministers picking BBC board members amid ‘existential crisis’ 19. November 2025 (11:48) Former BBC journalist calls for changes to win back public trust, as executives prepare to be questioned by MPsThe former BBC journalist Mishal Husain has said the current crisis at the corporation feels “existential”, as executives prepare to be questioned about it in the House of Commons early next week.Speaking on her podcast The Mishal Husain Show, the Bloomberg editor-at-large also said the director general role was “too vast” for one person. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
