‘She went through hell’: widow of Chornobyl engineer is killed in Russian drone strike on Kyiv 16. November 2025 (14:26) Zelenskyy says Nataliia Khodemchuk is victim of ‘new tragedy caused by Kremlin’, four decades after disasterThe widow of the first Soviet engineer to die in the Chornobyl nuclear power plant explosion was killed on Friday in Russia’s massive drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Nataliia Khodemchuk as the victim of a “new tragedy caused by the Kremlin”, nearly four decades after her husband, Valerii, was killed inside Chornobyl’s nuclear reactor number four. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How Google’s DeepMind tool is ‘more quickly’ forecasting hurricane behavior 16. November 2025 (14:00) ‘Less expensive and time consuming’ model helps with fast and accurate predictions, possibly saving lives and propertyWhen then Tropical Storm Melissa was churning south of Haiti, Philippe Papin, a National Hurricane Center (NHC) meteorologist, had confidence it was about to grow into a monster hurricane.As the lead forecaster on duty, he predicted that in just 24 hours the storm would become a category 4 hurricane and begin a turn towards the coast of Jamaica. No NHC forecaster had ever issued such a bold forecast for rapid strengthening. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Angela Rayner condemns Labour infighting but does not rule out running for leader 16. November 2025 (13:58) Home secretary Shabana Mahmood calls past week of leadership speculation ‘deeply mortifying’Angela Rayner has condemned the “arrogant tittle-tattle” and Labour infighting dominating the past week in her first major interview since her resignation.The former deputy prime minister, often considered as a potential successor to Keir Starmer, declined to rule out running for the job or returning to frontline politics, saying she had “not gone away”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dermatologists criticise ‘dystopian’ skincare products aimed at children 16. November 2025 (13:33) Marketing or celebrity-led treatments for toddlers and upwards described as ‘ridiculous’ and lacking in skin benefitDermatologists have criticised an actor’s new skincare brand, calling it “dystopian” for creating face masks for four-year-olds, warning that the beauty industry is now expanding its reach from teenagers to toddlers.It comes as a growing number of brands are moving into the children’s, teenage and young adult skincare market. In October, the first skincare brand developed for under-14s, Ever-eden, launched in the US. Superdrug has just created a range for those aged between 13 and 28. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Spanish Armada-era astrolabe returns to Scilly after mysterious global journey 16. November 2025 (13:30) Navigation aid from 16th century was on seabed for centuries before being bought and sold in US and AustraliaIt spent hundreds of years languishing on the seabed off the Isles of Scilly in the far south-west of Britain before being hauled back to the surface by divers and setting off a circumnavigation of the world.Finally the Pednathise Head astrolabe – a rare example of a 16th-century navigational instrument once used by sailors to determine latitude – is back on Scilly after being rediscovered on the other side of the Atlantic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
It’s all gravy: Thanksgiving air traffic to be normal after US government reopens 16. November 2025 (13:00) Experts say air traffic controllers quickly returning to work, with promise of full back pay, and even $10,000 bonusFears that it would take weeks or even months for flight schedules in the US to return to normal in the wake of the US federal government shutdown do not appear to be coming true and the busy upcoming holiday season should be normal for travel, experts say.That is at least in part because air traffic controllers are quickly returning to work, according to the Department of Transportation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chile votes for next president in contest dominated by crime and migration fears 16. November 2025 (12:55) Voters face seemingly extreme choice between communist and rightwing frontrunners, who both promise to fight foreign gangsChileans began voting for a new president and parliament on Sunday, in a contest expected to favour the hard right as candidates play on popular fears over organised crime and immigration.It is the first of an expected two rounds of presidential elections, as polls show none of the candidates clearing the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff scheduled for 14 December. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Asylum system in UK ‘out of control’ and dividing country, home secretary says 16. November 2025 (12:51) Shabana Mahmood to unveil new proposals modelled on Denmark’s controversial systemRefugees who have established lives with homes and families in the UK – including Ukrainians – will still face having to return if their home countries become safe, the home secretary has said.Shabana Mahmood said the asylum system was “out of control and putting huge pressure on communities” as she announced plans to end the permanent status of refugees, who would need to reapply to remain in Britain every two and a half years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Illegal migration is ‘tearing our country apart’ and system is broken, says Shabana Mahmood – UK politics live 16. November 2025 (11:47) Home secretary says it is ‘moral mission’ for her to tackle asylum systemUkrainians are in the UK on a “bespoke scheme”, Mahmood says, and it is on a temporary basis.If Ukraine becomes a safe country again and the conflict ends, “the principle of the new reforms are that if your country becomes safe then you will return,” she says. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK budget watchdog in danger of strangling economic growth, says TUC boss 16. November 2025 (11:15) Paul Nowak says OBR should be modernised to ditch ‘hardwired’ support for austerity economicsBritain’s budget watchdog is in danger of strangling growth and should be modernised to ditch its “hardwired” support for austerity economics, the Trades Union Congress has warned.Less than two weeks before Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget, the trade union umbrella group said the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was at risk of being a “straitjacket” on growth in living standards. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
