As played by Milly Alcock, the Supergirl trailer shows Kara Zor-El looking burdened and traumatised. Does this mean that the DC universe is getting darker? Since James Gunn’s Superman became the biggest superhero movie at this summer’s box office, the world has been waiting to find out what the rest of the DCU sandpit will look like. Now, with the debut trailer for Supergirl, we have our first proper glimpse. On this evidence, the new Kara Zor-El lives in a brave new universe of gods and monsters that reflects her loneliness and fury right back at her. Milly Alcock’s “woman of tomorrow” may not be like anyone we’ve seen on big or small screens before – which is impressive given how often Supergirl has been wheeled out over the decades. Helen Slater’s 1984 version is now widely regarded as a kind of sun-bleached Reagan-era artefact – a well-meaning but terminally camp experiment. Sasha Calle’s Supergirl in the recent The Flash looked soulful, angry and potentially gamechanging. And Melissa Benoist spent six seasons headlining a Supergirl series that was warmly received by its audience but rarely intruded into the consciousnesses of people who actually buy comic books. Continue reading...

Blaine McGraw accused of inappropriately touching and secretly filming patients during appointments on base Another 81 women have joined a civil suit against a US army gynecologist who was recently criminally charged in connection with accusations that he secretly filmed dozens of his patients during medical examinations. The civil lawsuit, which initially began in November, alleges that Blaine McGraw, a doctor and army major at Fort Hood in Texas, repeatedly inappropriately touched and secretly filmed dozens of women during appointments at an on-base medical center. Continue reading...

The country’s long summer holiday has sparked a national conversation, with arguments about whether the break is affecting productivity, or a vital respite It sounds idyllic: weeks off work at the warmest time of the year, with relaxation mode kicking in before Christmas and little rush to return to the office until late February. But in New Zealand, there are concerns that the traditional long summer break could be hurting the country’s productivity. Continue reading...

While it’s impossible to escape the emissions associated with flying, some travel methods are more carbon-intensive than others Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com As the Australian summer gets under way, many of us are planning holidays. When it comes to limiting emissions associated with travel, a staycation, or local holiday – by train, bus or car – remains the lowest impact option. But overseas travel by Australians has been increasing in recent decades, with Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan, the United States and China among the top destinations, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Continue reading...

Leicester 15-23 Leinster Gibson-Park and Sheehan score visitors’ tries Harry Byrne’s goal-kicking proved the difference as error-strewn Leinster held off a determined Leicester to claim a 23-15 Investec Champions Cup victory at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. Each team scored two tries but three penalties and a conversion from Byrne were decisive as the bottom side Leicester’s European campaign continued to falter and they remain pointless after their opening two fixtures. Continue reading...

Ex-Fed governor Kevin Warsh is at top of his list to succeed Powell as central bank’s chair, president says in interview Donald Trump declared he “should be listened to” by the Federal Reserve, as he weighs candidates to lead the central bank amid an extraordinary campaign by the White House to exert greater control over its decisions. The US president said on Friday that former Fed governor Kevin Warsh is currently top of his list to chair the central bank. Continue reading...

Repeated fall storms led to the temporary lake, known as Lake Manly, appearing in basin 282ft beneath sea level After record-breaking rains, an ancient lake in Death Valley national park that had vanished has returned to view. The temporary lake, known informally as Lake Manly, has appeared once more at the bottom of Badwater Basin, which sits 282ft beneath sea level, in California. The basin is the lowest point in North America, according to the National Park Service. Continue reading...

The decision is a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine’s defence – but Moscow is threatening to retaliate The EU has agreed to indefinitely freeze Russia’s sovereign assets in the bloc, as Moscow stepped up its threats to retaliate against Euroclear, the keeper of most of the Kremlin’s immobilised money. The decision by the EU to use emergency powers to immobilise €210bn (£185bn) of its central bank’s assets marks a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine’s defence against Russia. Continue reading...

With the arrival of US hedge funders at Wrexham, there is no pretence any more. This is just another project, as it always was Tea and cake. Cobble-close streets. Collectivism. Sugar rush. Hollywood fairytales. And also, as of this week, a minority owner with historical links to celebrity paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Wait! Welsh cakes! Welsh tea! Aggregated tourism benefits. The sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea. And also, at one remove, historical links to deceased celebrity paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions after conviction of ex-president The US Department of the Treasury has lifted sanctions imposed on the Brazilian supreme court justice who oversaw the conviction of the former president Jair Bolsonaro. Justice Alexandre de Moraes had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions, which target individuals accused of human rights abuses, since July. His wife Viviane Barci de Moraes – who was added the sanctions list in September – was also removed from the register on Friday. Continue reading...

King extols early diagnosis which can give ‘invaluable time’ and backs launch of screening checker tool King Charles has hailed a “milestone” in his “cancer journey” and revealed he is to reduce his schedule of treatment in the new year, describing the news as a “personal blessing”. His treatment will move into a precautionary phase with its regularity significantly reduced as his recovery reaches a very positive stage, it is understood. His medical team will access how much longer he will require treatment to protect and prioritise his continued recovery. Continue reading...

Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, floods in Indonesia, the IDF in Gaza and the Nutcracker in Nairobi: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Continue reading...

A new Sky miniseries features 115 Mozart works, recorded on instruments as authentic as possible to the 18th century Forty years ago, Amadeus won eight Oscars, four Baftas and four Golden Globes – and introduced a new generation to 18th-century music. Millions bought the film’s Mozart soundtrack and it remains one of the bestselling classical music albums of all time, shifting more than 6.5m copies globally, and earning 13 gold discs. It even inspired a novelty hit when Falco mixed Europop with rap in Rock Me Amadeus – the first German language song to top the US Billboard chart (Nena’s 99 Luftballons only reached No 2 in the US, pop-pickers). Continue reading...

Prices 10 times those promised in initial bid Fifa not expected to change policy for 2026 The Football Association will pass on England supporters’ concerns about high 2026 World Cup ticket prices to Fifa. However, despite the growing outrage, it is understood none of the international federations expect world football’s governing body to change its policy. Anger among supporter groups continued on Friday after it emerged that the cheapest tickets will cost 10 times the price promised in the original bid for the United States, Canada and Mexico to host the tournament. For England fans it will mean having to pay at least $220 (£165) for group games – when the bid document’s ticket model stated the cheapest seats should be $21 (£15.70). Continue reading...

After deadly clashes between the two countries, the president announces renewal of peace deal made in July Thailand-Cambodia fighting explained Donald Trump has said that Thai and Cambodian leaders agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes had threatened to undo a ceasefire the US administration had helped broker earlier this year. Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting after calls with Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet. Continue reading...

A year-long investigation into the Free Birth Society reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors. Lucy Hough talks to the investigative correspondent Lucy Osborne about her reporting. Continue reading...

The US is ramping up the pressure on Nicolás Maduro with a tanker seizure and expanded sanctions following threats and boat strikes Early in his first term, Donald Trump mooted a “military option” for Venezuela to dislodge its president, Nicolás Maduro. Reports suggest that he eagerly discussed the prospect of an invasion behind closed doors. Advisers eventually talked him down. Instead, the US pursued a “maximum pressure” strategy of sanctions and threats. But Mr Maduro is still in place. And Mr Trump’s attempts to remove him are ramping up again. The US has amassed its largest military presence in the Caribbean since the 1989 invasion of Panama. It has carried out more than 20 shocking strikes on alleged drug boats. Mr Trump reportedly delivered an ultimatum late last month, telling the Venezuelan leader that he could have safe passage from his country if he left immediately. There was already a $50m bounty on his head. This week came expanded sanctions and the seizure of a tanker. Continue reading...

The UK art world is finally becoming more inclusive. But greater support must be given to the organisations that enable disabled artists to flourish The Turner prize is no stranger to sparking debate or pushing boundaries. This year it has achieved both. For the first time, an artist with learning disabilities has won. Glasgow-born Nnena Kalu took the award for her colourful, cocoon-like sculptures made from VHS tape, clingfilm and other abandoned materials, along with her large swirling vortex drawings. Kalu is autistic, with limited verbal communication. In an acceptance speech on her behalf, Kalu’s facilitator, Charlotte Hollinshead, said that “a very stubborn glass ceiling” had been broken. Kalu’s win is a high-profile symbol of a shift towards greater inclusivity that has been happening in the UK arts world over the past five years. Last month, Beyond the Visual opened at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, in which everything is curated or created by blind and partially sighted artists. The exhibits range from Moore sculptures (which visitors are encouraged to touch) to David Johnson’s 10,000 stone-plaster digestive biscuits stamped with braille. Design and Disability at the V&A South Kensington is showcasing the ways in which disabled, deaf and neurodivergent people have shaped culture from the 1940s to now. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Exclusive: As Labour ministers prepare long awaited strategy, campaigners accuse them of sidelining experts Leading organisations have criticised the development of the government’s flagship violence against women and girls strategy, calling the process chaotic, haphazard and “worse than under the Tories”. Ministers are gearing up for a policy announcement blitz before the publication of the long-awaited plan next week. Continue reading...

Five men who targeted vulnerable girls in park sentenced to terms of between 18 months and 14 years Five men who were part of a “horrific” grooming gang that raped and sexually assaulted schoolgirls in a park have been jailed for between 18 months and 14 years. The men targeted vulnerable girls in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, plying their victims with alcohol and cocaine. Continue reading...

Party says it has more than 268,000 members amid reports Labour membership has fallen below 250,000 Reform UK has claimed to be the largest political party in Britain, overtaking Labour which has reportedly seen its membership fall below 250,000. Nigel Farage’s party said it has more than 268,000 members on the live tracker displayed on its website. Continue reading...

The US also listed as a threat due to its growing interest in Greenland which is vital to America’s national security Danish intelligence services have accused the US of using its economic power to “assert its will” and threatening military force against its allies. The comments, made in its annual assessment released this week, mark the first time that the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) has listed the US as a threat to the country. Denmark, the report warns, is “facing more and more serious threats and security policy challenges than in many years”. Continue reading...

Nick Moss, Dr Deborah Talbot, Dimitra Blana and Mary Pimm on the prime minister’s plan to ‘protect our borders’ and Donald Trump’s accusations that Europe is ‘weak’ and ‘decaying’ There is something particularly sickening about Keir Starmer’s call for European leaders to “urgently curb joint human rights laws” (Starmer urges Europe’s leaders to curb ECHR to halt rise of far right, 9 December). It is not just that the human rights lawyer who wrote a key text on the Human Rights Act 1998 has become, as prime minister, an advocate of the act’s undoing, along with all the consequences for migrant families that will flow from that. It is that Starmer shows through this the complete dearth of ideas available to European social democracy. Continue reading...

A super flu epidemic is sweeping the country. Let us come together to protect the institution we all love Keir Starmer is the British prime minister I am a Labour prime minister who believes in workers’ right to strike. But let’s be clear about the strikes planned by resident doctors next week. They should not happen. They are reckless. They place the NHS and patients who need it in grave danger. I remain hopeful they can be averted. A good deal is on the table, and the British Medical Association (BMA) is putting it to members this weekend. My message to the doctors is simple – take it. Keir Starmer is the prime minister of the United Kingdom Continue reading...

Exclusive: PM’s outspoken attack on stoppages planned for 17-22 December risks inflaming tensions with medics Keir Starmer: Resident doctors, a fair deal is on the table. Please do not strike at this moment of crisis for the NHS Keir Starmer has said it is “frankly beyond belief” that resident doctors would strike during the NHS’s worst moment since the pandemic, in remarks that risk inflaming tensions with medics. Writing for the Guardian, the prime minister made an outspoken attack on the strikes planned for 17-22 December for placing “the NHS and patients who need it in grave danger”. Continue reading...