Nigeria reels after second mass school abduction in a week 21. November 2025 (14:01) Students taken from Catholic school in Niger state amid threats from Donald Trump to intervene to end what he calls a ‘Christian genocide’Unknown gunmen have abducted an unidentified number of students from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, the second mass abduction in the country in a week.The latest kidnapping, in Papiri community in Niger state, came against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s threat to intervene militarily to end a “Christian genocide”, which the Nigerian government has denied is happening. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump has assembled least diverse US government this century, study shows 21. November 2025 (14:00) President has chosen white men for key posts at expense of women and people of colour, Brookings Institution findsDonald Trump has assembled the least diverse US government of the 21st century, filling the corridors of power with white men at the expense of women and people of colour, research shows.Nine in 10 individuals confirmed by the Senate in the first 300 days of the second Trump administration were white, according to the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer rebuffs renewed talk of Andy Burnham leadership challenge 21. November 2025 (14:00) PM says Burnham doing ‘really good job’ as Manchester mayor and urges colleagues not to brief against each otherKeir Starmer has attempted to dampen the latest round of speculation about his leadership, insisting that one of his potential rivals, Andy Burnham, is doing a “really good job as mayor of Manchester” and warning colleagues not to waste their time briefing against each other.The prime minister gave his backing to Burnham on Thursday night as he travelled to the G20 summit in Johannesburg, after the Manchester mayor repeatedly failed to rule out challenging Starmer for his party’s leadership during interviews on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russia speeches 21. November 2025 (13:56) Police say Nathan Gill received at least £40,000 while he was an MEP from Oleg Voloshyn, an alleged Russian assetReform UK’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, has been jailed at the Old Bailey for 10 and a half years for taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia when he was an MEP.Gill, a member of the Ukip and Brexit party blocs led by Nigel Farage in the European parliament, had pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wetherspoon’s to open first pub in Spain – offering garlic prawns and beer from 6am 21. November 2025 (13:38) Opening in Alicante airport is the chain’s first move into mainland Europe, and will offer outdoor drinkingBusiness live – latest updatesWetherspoon’s is to open its first pub outside the UK and Ireland, serving alcohol from 6am every day to sun-seeking Britons waiting for their plane in the departure lounge at Alicante airport.The opening in Spain, scheduled for January, will be the first foray on to continental European soil for the pub chain, which said it expects to pursue more footholds on the continent in the coming years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Colombian scientists recover first treasures from ‘holy grail of shipwrecks’ 21. November 2025 (13:12) Cannon, three coins and a cup taken from San José, a 1708 wreckage that could hold items worth billions of dollarsA cannon, three coins and a porcelain cup are among the first objects recovered by Colombian scientists from the depths of the Caribbean Sea where the legendary Spanish galleon San José sank in 1708 after being attacked by a British fleet.The recovery is part of a scientific investigation authorised by the government last year to study the wreckage and the causes of the sinking. Colombian researchers located the galleon in 2015, leading to legal and diplomatic disputes. Its exact location is a state secret. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Workers inside Department of Education say Trump’s latest bid to dismantle agency ‘makes no sense’ 21. November 2025 (13:00) ‘Morale is completely lost,’ say workers as Trump administration strips some programs and transfers othersDonald Trump’s bid to gut the US Department of Education “makes no sense”, according to workers inside the federal agency, who accuse the administration of trying to make their lives “as difficult and traumatic as possible”.Three employees inside the department spoke to the Guardian, with one warning that morale has been “completely lost”, 10 months after Trump returned to the White House. All requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Eleven injured after grizzly bear attacks schoolchildren and teachers in Canada 21. November 2025 (12:40) Two critically hurt after attack on walking trail in British Columbia as police and conservation officers search for bearA grizzly bear has attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers on a walking trail in British Columbia, Canada, injuring 11 people, two of them critically.The attack happened late on Thursday in Bella Coola, 435 miles (700km) north-west of Vancouver. The Nuxalk Nation said the “aggressive bear” remained on the loose and police and conservation officers were on the scene. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
National security comes first, minister says amid reports Chinese embassy in London nearing approval – UK politics live 21. November 2025 (11:54) Liz Kendall says ‘we are clear-eyed about our relationship with China and national security will always come first’Prime minister Keir Starmer had a bilateral meeting with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Friday.The two leaders discussed the 11-hour flight from London to Johannesburg in brief remarks in front of reporters, according to the PA news agency.Energy bills are still far higher than five years ago, on top of sky-high mortgages and rents and prices in the shops.
The government has pledged time and time again to bring down energy bills – it is time for them to live up to their word and stop tinkering, committing to a real long term plan.
Liberal Democrats have a plan: we would slash energy bills in half by removing the renewables levy from bills, creating new energy loans for homeowners to insulate their homes and boosting renewables – the cheapest, cleanest and most popular form of energy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: US storms linked to ‘atmospheric river’ phenomenon 21. November 2025 (11:47) California faced evacuation warnings over flood risk, while Japan experienced heavy early season snowfallEvacuation warnings were issued last week in California as heavy rain brought the risk of flooding and landslides. The storms in the US were linked to a phenomenon known as an “atmospheric river” – a long filament of moisture-laden air that originates above the Pacific Ocean and provides vital replenishment of reservoirs and snowpack along the western coast of the US. However, they can also bring destructive volumes of rain, particularly along coastal areas.Elsewhere in the US, parts of Colorado experienced some of their longest stretches of snowless days ever this year, with Denver surpassing its third-latest snowfall date this week after recording its highest ever November temperature of 28C earlier in the month. The warm temperatures and lack of snowfall have also forced ski resorts to delay opening until December. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
