LA county sheriff investigating new sexual battery claim against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs 18. November 2025 (13:58) Hip-hop mogul is serving four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related convictionsThe Los Angeles county sheriff’s department said Monday it’s investigating a new sexual battery allegation against hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related convictions.A male music producer and publicist said he was asked to come to a photo shoot in 2020 at a Los Angeles warehouse, where Combs exposed himself while masturbating and told the accuser to assist, according to NBC News, citing a police report. Combs then tossed a dirty shirt at the man, the producer said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Sustainable’ Cambridge busway will cause irreversible ecological harm, inquiry told 18. November 2025 (13:55) Planned route linking Cambourne to Cambridge will go through one of county’s last traditional orchards A £160m busway scheduled to be built through one of Cambridgeshire’s last traditional orchards would cause irreversible ecological harm, a public inquiry has been told.The plans being examined for an off-road busway linking Cambourne to Cambridge follow a route through Coton Orchard, a 24-hectare (60-acre) orchard and nationally recognised priority habitat. A public inquiry, held by planning inspectors appointed by the transport secretary, is examining the scheme until 21 November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Saudi leader’s entourage for US visit includes official implicated in Twitter spy plot 18. November 2025 (13:54) Senior aide to Mohammed bin Salman allegedly led campaign to identify users who were posting critically about Saudi regimeA senior official in Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage, who is understood to be accompanying the crown prince on his first trip back to the US in over a decade, has previously been accused by US prosecutors of playing a central role in a conspiracy to infiltrate Twitter and identify users who were posting critically about the Saudi regime.Bader al-Asaker, who has headed Prince Mohammed’s private office since before he became crown prince, has never been formally charged by the US government for his role in the 2014-15 scheme, but was named in court in 2022 by a US government lawyer as having led the campaign to find a “mole” who would be able to extract sensitive information from the social media company, which is now known as X. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dan Wootton denies catfishing man who claims to be former colleague 18. November 2025 (13:47) Journalist rebuts accusation of obtaining sexual images by deceit in documents submitted to high courtThe journalist Dan Wootton has denied he catfished a man who claims to be a former colleague in documents submitted to the high court, it has been reported.It is alleged that Wootton exchanged sexual messages in 2010 with the claimant – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – while pretending to be “Maria Joseph” and encouraging him to send explicit photographs and a video. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
First Thing: ‘They have total impunity’ – West Bank settler violence rises after Gaza ceasefire 18. November 2025 (13:38) UN logs 260 attacks in October alone, its highest monthly tally. Plus, protests in North Carolina’s Charlotte after aggressive immigration arrestsDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Violence has increased across the occupied West Bank as Palestinian farmers try to harvest their olive trees before the end of the season, in the face of a campaign of harassment by groups of armed and aggressive Israeli settlers.How many attacks were there last month? The UN logged more than 260 attacks resulting in Palestinian casualties or damage to property in the West Bank in October alone – the highest monthly count since they began monitoring in 2006.What’s the latest on the Gaza peace plan? Yesterday, the UN security council endorsed proposals put forward by Donald Trump for a lasting peace in Gaza, including the deployment of an international stabilization force and a possible path to a sovereign Palestinian state. China and Russia abstained. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
MI5 issues alert to MPs and peers over Chinese espionage 18. November 2025 (13:19) Parliamentarians warned over two people linked to China’s spy agency ‘actively reaching out to individuals’ MI5 has issued an espionage alert to MPs and peers warning that two people linked to the Chinese intelligence service are actively seeking to recruit parliamentarians.The spy agency sent its warning about the two to Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the Commons, and his Lords equivalent, Lord McFall, on Tuesday morning, both of whom relayed the alert to MPs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says US will sell F-35 stealth jets to Saudis as Prince Mohammed visits 18. November 2025 (13:16) Kingdom’s de facto ruler to arrive on first White House trip since killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018Donald Trump is to welcome Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman to Washington on Tuesday, in a red-carpet visit expected to result in the sale of highly advanced US F-35 fighter jets to the Gulf monarchy.The crown prince’s arrival in Washington will be his first White House visit since the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist and critic of the kingdom Jamal Khashoggi. The CIA later determined Khashoggi’s murder was approved by the crown prince, leading to global condemnation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wagner Moura to lead Ibsen update in unique festival collaboration 18. November 2025 (13:11) Brazilian actor will star in The Trial: Enemy of the People, which examines modern political and environmental conflictsThe award-winning Brazilian actor Wagner Moura is to star in a new play being staged at three European festivals next year, in the first joint production since their foundation two years after the second world war.Moura, who is being tipped for an Oscar nomination for the Secret Agent, will take the lead role in a new production updating the Henrik Ibsen play An Enemy of the People to examine modern political and environmental conflicts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California farms applied millions of pounds of PFAS to key crops, study finds 18. November 2025 (13:00) ‘Forever chemicals’ sprayed on almonds, grapes, tomatoes and other crops as activists warn of ‘obvious problem’California farms applied an average of 2.5m lbs of PFAS “forever chemicals” per year on cropland from 2018 to 2023, or a total of about 15m lbs, a new review of state records shows.The chemicals are added to pesticides that are sprayed on crops such as almonds, pistachios, wine grapes, alfalfa and tomatoes, the review of California Department of Pesticide Regulation data found. The Environmental Working Group nonprofit put together the report. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia will not oppose Turkey staging Cop31 as Albanese signals policy shift 18. November 2025 (12:31) Prime minister says fight over hosting rights jeopardises global unity needed for action to help Pacific islandsCop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of the climate talks in BrazilGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has said Australia will not stand in the way of Turkey hosting next year’s Cop31 climate summit, insisting the interests of Pacific Island countries should be prioritised amid a deadlock over where the 2026 event should take place.As this year’s Cop summit enters its final days in Brazil, Albanese said Australia wanted to win the hosting rights, but conceded the risk of the event defaulting to Germany would present a poor outcome for global action on climate change. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
