Alice Guo, Chinese national who ran huge scam centre while Philippines mayor, sentenced to life in prison 20. November 2025 (06:24) Guo, who pretended to be Filipina to become mayor, found guilty of human trafficking after raid on compound where more than 700 people were forced to run scamsAlice Guo, a Chinese national who became a mayor in the Philippines while masquerading as a Filipina, has been sentenced to life in prison along with seven others on human trafficking charges, state prosecutors have said.Guo, who served as mayor of a town north of Manila, was found guilty of overseeing a Chinese-operated online gambling centre where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump and Mamdani to meet in Oval Office on Friday after months of bickering 20. November 2025 (06:15) President has previously criticised the New York City mayor-elect, labelling him a ‘communist’ and threatening to deport himDonald Trump has confirmed a long-awaited meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will happen in Washington this week, setting up an in-person clash between the political opposites who for months have antagonised each other.The sit-down, which Trump said on social media would take place on Friday in the Oval Office, could possibly represent a detente of sorts between the Republican president and Democratic rising star. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW police use capsicum spray to subdue 87-year-old man in Sydney nursing home 20. November 2025 (06:05) Police allege man ‘had reportedly threatened to harm other residents and himself while armed with a metal object’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales police have used capsicum spray to subdue an 87-year-old man in a Sydney nursing home.Police said the incident occurred at an aged care home in south-western Sydney on Wednesday at about 8pm. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Angoulême comics festival in crisis as creators and publishers declare boycott 20. November 2025 (06:00) French government withdraws funding after claims of toxic management and dismissal of staff member who lodged rape complaintOne of the world’s most prestigious comic book festivals is under threat of cancellation after leading graphic novelists and publishers announced they would boycott the event and the French government withdrew a tranche of its funding.In the biggest crisis in its illustrious history, the Angoulême festival of la bande dessinée (comic strip) may not take place in 2026 after claims of toxic management and the dismissal of a member of staff who had lodged a rape complaint. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wanna hear the one about the low-paid dad who took paternity leave? 20. November 2025 (06:00) MPs will tell ‘dad jokes’ in parliament to highlight ‘real joke’ of UK paternity leave, which is a class issueToe-curlingly bad jokes (“I’m reading a book about anti-gravity, it’s impossible to put down”) are not the preserve of fathers, but as a demographic, dads are widely recognised for their unique comic talents.Which is why on Thursday, dozens of MPs, many of them dad-joke specialists, will tell groan-worthy gags in the House of Commons to highlight the “real joke” of paternity leave in the UK.Winner: I gave my handyman a to-do list, but he only finished items one, three and five. Turns out he only does odd jobs.Runner-up one: I went shopping and someone threw a block of cheese at me. I said: “That’s not very mature.”Runner-up two: When I was a young boy I wanted to be a Gregorian monk. But I never got the chants. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Samoa PM suspends country’s only daily newspaper from press briefings amid dispute over coverage 20. November 2025 (05:14) Prime minister has accused the Samoa Observer of inaccurate reporting during his eight-week medical stay in New ZealandSamoa’s only daily newspaper has been banned from attending press conferences with the Samoan prime minister, in a move that critics say threatens the democratic integrity of the Pacific nation.Relations between La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt and the Samoa Observer have deteriorated in recent weeks, with the prime minister accusing the newspaper of inaccurate reporting during his eight-week medical stay in New Zealand. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rabih Alameddine wins National book award for fiction with darkly comic epic spanning six decades 20. November 2025 (04:45) True to his irreverent style, author of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) thanks his psychiatrist, his gastrointestinal doctors and his drug dealersRabih Alameddine has won the National book award for fiction for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), a darkly comic saga spanning six decades in the life of a Lebanese family.The novel, which traverses a sprawling history of Lebanon including its civil war and economic collapse, is told through the eyes of its titular protagonist: a gay 63-year-old philosophy teacher confronting his past and his relationship with his mother and his homeland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Larry Summers to relinquish Harvard teaching role amid Epstein investigation 20. November 2025 (03:52) Decision comes after ex-treasury secretary said he would step back from public commitments over links to EpsteinLarry Summers, the former president of Harvard University, will stop teaching at the school while it investigates his connection to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for Summers said on Wednesday.Emails recently released by the US House oversight committee reignited questions about Summers’ relationship with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex-trafficking minors. Many of the messages indicated a friendship that lasted well into 2019. Contact only ceased shortly before Epstein was arrested in July of that same year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
