Unexpected arrival is a boon for birdlife in New Zealand, where there are only 500 takahē left A pair of rare native New Zealand takahē birds who were believed infertile have stunned staff at the world’s largest urban eco-sanctuary, after hatching a “miracle” chick. The roughly seven-week old chick was discovered inside Zealandia, a fully fenced eco-sanctuary 10 minutes from Wellington’s city centre, in November, but its arrival has been a closely guarded secret to ensure its safety. Continue reading...

⚽ Afcon updates from the 7pm GMT kick-off in Morocco ⚽ Live scores | Fixtures | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail John As Jonathan Wilson says: “Perhaps attitudes are not quite as parochial as they once were, but it remains true that, in England at least, the Africa Cup of Nations is discussed less as a tournament in its own right than in terms of what it means for the Premier League.” There will be considerable Premier League contingent in Morocco, some real key names, too. Continue reading...

Photos suggest former Duke of York served as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s pass to British high society The former Prince Andrew at Sandringham lying across the laps of five elegantly dressed women as Ghislaine Maxwell looks on; Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein on a shoot near Balmoral; the three of them peering down from the royal box at Ascot. The images are just some of the “Epstein files” released by the US Department of Justice on Friday. Continue reading...

Ministers plan to outlaw sales of oral nicotine sachets to under-18s, as experts warn of increased risk of addiction One in eight teenagers aged 14 to 17 have used nicotine pouches, a survey has found, adding to health experts’ concern about their growing popularity. Users hold the small sachets, which look like mini-teabags and are often flavoured, in their mouths to enjoy the release of the nicotine they contain. They are also known as “snus”. Continue reading...

Barcelona head into new year on top of La Liga Koke, Gallagher and Griezmann strike for Atlético Barcelona secured a composed 2-0 La Liga victory at Villarreal on Sunday thanks to goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in a match that tilted firmly in the visitors’ favour when the hosts were reduced to 10 men just before the break. It took just 12 minutes for Barcelona to take the lead from the penalty spot after Santi Comesana blocked Raphinha with his back as the winger tried to break through and the Brazilian calmly converted the spot-kick. This story will be updated Continue reading...

Official indicates vessel is subject to sanctions after Trump’s ‘blockade’ on sanctioned tankers in and out of Venezuela US Coast Guard officials said on Sunday that they are tracking an oil tanker in international waters close to Venezuela, according to Reuters, marking the second such action over the weekend – and the third within the past week. One official indicated that the tanker is subject to sanctions. The officials, who requested anonymity, did not disclose the precise location of the pursuit. Continue reading...

All the incentives in Westminster politics militate against confronting difficult issues, but a failing government may as well try honesty The formula for stable government, according to Britain’s constitution, is a big parliamentary majority and divided opposition. Sir Keir Starmer’s predicament proves that those conditions are not sufficient. The prime minister’s inability to convince voters that he has an agenda for national renewal, and the demoralising effect that has had on the Labour party, make a leadership challenge look plausible after local elections next May. Maybe sooner. Continue reading...

Frenchman led team to promotion from second tier Second sacking of week after West Ham ditched Skinner London City Lionesses have sacked their manager Jocelyn Prêcheur, with the newly-promoted club sitting sixth in the Women’s Super League table. The Frenchman oversaw London City’s promotion to the WSL last season and has guided them to the top half of the top tier, but the big-spending club are known to be ambitious and their defeat away against Leicester a week ago was their sixth of the season. More details soon … Continue reading...

Cutting-edge therapies exist, but the market cannot deliver them cheaply. Britain must build NHS capacity so that cures become collective goods, not expensive products Just a small fraction of our 20,000 genes can cause disease when disrupted – yet that sliver accounts for thousands of rare disorders. The difficulty is: what can a doctor do to treat them? In a common condition such as type 2 diabetes, the underlying biology is similar for millions of patients. The doctor can prescribe metformin. But with a genetic disorder, the mutation might only affect a small number of people worldwide. In many cases, doctors won’t even know which mutation is responsible, let alone how to fix it. Novel gene-editing breakthroughs are making headlines. But therapies are expensive and complex to develop. The cost of bringing any new drug to patients is now around $2bn, in part because, as Brian David Smith notes in New Drugs, Fair Prices, the “success rate, from discovery to market, is tiny” and there are approved treatments for “less than 10% of the 8,000 diseases that affect humans”. Commercial incentives, he argues, skew innovation towards lucrative cancer drugs and long-term treatments for large populations. Complex gene therapies for very rare conditions are seen as too costly to develop and too small to profit from. Continue reading...

Newcastle 14-50 Bath Champions score eight tries against bottom side Bath returned to the summit of the Prem, exposing the gulf between top and bottom with maximum points at Kingston Park. Despite resting several front-liners, they ran in eight tries to bounce back from last week’s Champions Cup defeat in Toulon emphatically. They simply had too much firepower for Newcastle who were shut out for the last 53 minutes of the game. Continue reading...

Guardian readers celebrate the European exchange programme and the fact that Britain will be rejoining it in 2027 Julian Baggini is right to laud the opportunities for European student exchange activities, with the announcement that the UK will rejoin the Erasmus scheme in 2027 (Britain rejoining Erasmus+ won’t halt the nativist tide – but it’s a step in the right direction, 17 December). Until Brexit, there were diverse chances for students to sample courses, cultures and environments in unfamiliar settings, enriching their experiences in ways that had lasting benefits. As one example, I looked after the UK arm of a consortium of European universities that enabled up to 10 students each year from each of six participating universities from six European countries to attend a 10-day environmental field course in one of these countries. We were able to continue this arrangement without a break for 12 years from 1997, funded almost entirely through Erasmus, so the cost to students was minimal. The field course venue was hosted by rotation, so each university only had to organise the course once every five or six years. Every year, participating students experienced working closely with peers from each country, and were exposed to different ideas and ways of approaching environmental issues, and environments that included the Mediterranean, central Europe and the far north. Lasting international friendships developed that in many cases endured long after the end of the course, and everyone enjoyed the experience, including staff, who developed working collaborations across Europe. These opportunities were only possible through the Erasmus scheme – its reinstatement will allow future students the benefits of similar experiences and life enhancement. Graham Walters Walthamstow, London Continue reading...

Enough of the orchestrated outrage – the BBC needs to be clear that there’s no systemic dishonesty at play, writes Anthony Lawton. Plus letters from Michele Ryan and Mike Pender Your editorial (16 December) rightly calls for collective resistance to Donald Trump’s assault on the BBC. But it is important to name what we are witnessing: “entrumpification” – a political technology that attacks democratic institutions where they are strongest, not weakest. The BBC made an editorial error. It acknowledged it and apologised. That should have been the end of the matter. Instead came billion-dollar lawsuits, orchestrated outrage and ritual denunciations of “fake news”. Institutions built on accuracy find accuracy weaponised. A single mistake is reframed as proof of systemic dishonesty. This is the trap. Continue reading...

Peter Botha sings the praises of the Stuttering Foundation website’s ‘celebrity corner’ pages What a great piece by Ross Coleman about embarking on his speech therapy programme for stammering (My cultural awakening: Jonathan Groff inspired me to overcome my stammer, 6 December). Coleman was inspired by the example of Jonathan Groff, who is not a stammerer, tackling something head-on. The McGuire Programme that Coleman signed up for seems to have helped many people. While Groff served as his inspiration, there are no shortage of actual stammerers who have compelling stories to motivate people as they navigate the choppy waters caused by their speech. Continue reading...

Roland Rudd of Tate responds to an article by Jonathan Jones that questioned the organisation’s ambition and priorities. Plus a letter from Liz Goddard on Máret Ánne Sara’s installation at Tate Modern One of the joys of art is that it never fails to spark debate. In that spirit, I always enjoy Jonathan Jones’s reviews, but I must disagree with his particular criticism that Tate has hidden its treasures (Don’t blame Maria Balshaw for Tate’s failings. Its lack of ambition goes much deeper, 12 December). Rothko’s Seagram murals were lent to a landmark exhibition in Paris last year, but they returned to Tate’s walls as soon as they arrived home. The UK’s greatest collection of Picassos is also proudly on display in its entirety at Tate Modern in a show that has already welcomed more than 100,000 visitors. The much-loved greats – from Dalí to Duchamp, and Hepworth to Hockney – are not “out of view”. They are all there to be enjoyed, side by side with new discoveries, underappreciated gems and emerging talent. Roland Rudd Chair, Tate Continue reading...

Keep up with all the games | Message Graham Bears stun Packers in wild OT comeback win on Saturday Happy holidays football fans, may week 16 be merry and bright for you all! And good luck to all in your fantasy playoff semi-finals … if you made it that is! Now, on we march to the harsh reality of the NFL in deepest December. There are playoffs places, seedings and stragglers still to sort out and eliminate, we begin in the early window of seven games starting at 12pm CST/1pm EST/6pm GMT (home teams listed first): (7-7) Carolina Panthers v Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) (3-11) Cleveland Browns v Buffalo Bills (10-4) (6-7-1) Dallas Cowboys v Los Angeles Chargers (10-4) (6-8) Miami Dolphins v Cincinnati Bengals (4-10) (4-10) New Orleans Saints v New York Jets (3-11) (2-12) New York Giants v Minnesota Vikings (6-8) (2-12) Tennessee Titans v Kansas City Chiefs (6-8) Continue reading...

2018 champion Cross untroubled in win over White Cullen accuses Suljovic of ‘cheating’ during defeat Rob Cross eased into the third round of the PDC World Darts Championship with a 3-1 win over the veteran Ian White. It has been a disappointing year for the 2018 champion, with a host of early exits in the major tournaments. But he still has dreams of adding a second world title and guaranteed a return to Alexandra Palace after Christmas with an accomplished display. Continue reading...

Putin’s top foreign policy aid says proposed changes could prolong conflict as talks with US negotiators are held in Miami Russia has renewed its criticism of efforts by Europe and Ukraine to amend US proposals to end the war in Ukraine, saying they did not improve prospects for peace. Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters on Sunday that the proposed tweaks to Washington’s plan could prolong the conflict. Continue reading...

Striker hurt by Van de Ven tackle when opening scoring MRI scan results to reveal length of spell on sidelines Liverpool fear their record signing Alexander Isak has sustained a significant injury and is facing a lengthy period on the sidelines. The league champions are waiting on the results of an MRI scan after the £125m man was injured against Tottenham in the Premier League clash on Saturday night. The 26-year-old sustained the problem while scoring the opener against Spurs – his second league goal of an already injury-hit debut season – in the 2-1 win after defender Micky van de Ven slid across and caught his leg as the striker planted it on the floor. Continue reading...

Decision takes the total number of new settlements to 69 in past few years as construction binge continues Israel has approved a proposal for 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as the government pushes ahead with a construction binge in the territory that further threatens the possibility of a Palestinian state. It brings the total number of new settlements over the past few years to 69, a new record, according to the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who has pushed a settlement expansion agenda in the West Bank. The latest ones include two that were previously evacuated during a 2005 disengagement plan. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Warning from head of Social Mobility Commission comes after UK report found ‘entrenched disadvantages’ Keir Starmer has no “coherent” strategy to tackle entrenched inequalities harming the life chances of millions of people, the government’s social mobility commissioner has said. A major official report warned last week that young adults in Britain’s former industrial heartlands were being left behind as a result of failed or abandoned promises by successive governments. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: Thinktank’s findings undermine successive home secretaries’ statements about misuse of system in England and Wales Asylum seekers are not abusing the modern slavery system in a widespread manner, according to a report from a centre-right thinktank that undermines statements from successive home secretaries. The report from Bright Blue finds limited evidence that asylum seekers are falsely claiming to have been the victims of modern slavery to stay in the country, despite several home secretaries blaming the system for stopping them deporting more people. Continue reading...

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Rangers arrived in Edinburgh with a view to reminding onlookers they can be a key component in this season’s Scottish title race. They departed as the latest victims of the Hearts juggernaut. Back to back wins against Celtic had already been secured before Hearts repeated the trick against Rangers. Dreams of a first Hearts title since 1960 are not merely alive. They are growing. Rangers are a dozen points adrift of Derek McInnes’s team after this, a first away league defeat of 2025. Hearts are 18 games and halfway towards the promised land. Rangers had arguably been the better side before Hearts whacked them with two, decisive first-half goals. Stuart Findlay claimed the first of them, the centre back rising highest after Alexandros Kyziridis combined with Claudio Braga for a short corner. Kyziridis’s cross was pinpoint. The Greek winger had earlier threatened the Rangers goal twice, the visitors having a potential opener ruled out for an offside against Bojan Miovski. Continue reading...

Quarter-final: Liverpool 1-9 Chelsea Rytting Kaneryd scores hat-trick as Blues run riot It is not supposed to be this easy, in a quarter-final between two top-flight sides. Chelsea barely broke sweat as they put nine goals past woeful Liverpool, including a hat-trick from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and two goals from an in-form Sam Kerr. It took just 13 minutes for Chelsea to take the lead. Niamh Charles’s low ball into the box found Kerr, who darted in front of her marker with ease and found the near, bottom corner. Continue reading...