⚽ Afcon updates from the 4pm kick-off (GMT) in Group D ⚽ Live scores | Follow us on Bluesky | And email Michael That is a surprising XI from Nigeria! Not only because of who they have rested, but also who they have included. Only Bassey, Onyemaechi and Osimhen retain their place here from the XI that started against Tunisia. Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Semi Ajayi and goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali are all rested given the threat of suspension. The trio all received yellow cards in the group stage and another here would mean a suspension for the knockouts, so it’s smart to rest them. That makes the inclusion of superstar striker Osimhen all the more baffling, given he is also in the same boat. Éric Chelle will be praying the Galatasaray forward does not pick up another yellow here, or he will miss the last-16 match. Continue reading...

Sobriety tags worn by thousands released from prison or serving community sentences will monitor wearers’ sweat Thousands of offenders in England and Wales will have their alcohol levels tracked over the new year festive period by electronic tags that monitor the wearer’s sweat. The tags, which are now worn by 5,000 people who have been released from prison or who are serving a community sentence, are designed to keep criminals sober over the festive season and drive down drink-fuelled reoffending. Continue reading...

Move could be completed as soon as New Year’s Day City could let Oscar Bobb or Savinho leave Bournemouth expect Antoine Semenyo’s transfer to Manchester City to be finalised this week, with the only remaining issue being the payment terms of his release clause. The wide forward’s clause is worth slightly less than £65m, a sum that includes loyalty money and agent fees. City are thought to want to pay this over three years and Bournemouth believe an agreement will be sealed by Sunday at the latest but possibly as soon as New Year’s Day. Continue reading...

Moment of maximum danger will come in May’s local and regional elections and PM is already plotting his comeback Keir Starmer will begin his second full year in Downing Street as one of the least popular ever prime ministers – a spectacularly rapid reversal from his landslide election win of just 18 months ago. Yet Starmer believes this will be the year things start to improve for his beleaguered premiership and fractious Labour party. Continue reading...

Labour urges Conservative leader to reveal whether she knew David Wolfson was to represent Russian oligarch in legal case Kemi Badenoch is under pressure to act on the revelations that her shadow attorney general is representing the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, despite UK sanctions against him. David Wolfson, a Tory peer, is part of the legal team representing Abramovich as he attempts to recover billions in frozen assets he owns in the Channel islands. Continue reading...

When developers began circling Espíritu Santo island in the 1990s, a private conservation effort saw them off. But today the Unesco site faces a new threat: mass tourism On a clear day over the Sea of Cortez, Espíritu Santo looks untouchable. Turquoise water laps at the shores of the island’s rocky coves; whale sharks cruise past snorkellers; seabirds caw over ancient cliffs. The pristine island and its Unesco-protected surroundings – informally called “Mexico’s Galápagos” – are a cocoon of biodiversity. Yet an increase in tourist numbers has led to growing unease among the island’s longstanding stewards, as environmentalists report a decline in the area’s marine life and call for stricter regulations. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s sex advice column is coming to an end after 20 years. Here are some of the most memorable questions and answers • Pamela Stephenson Connolly on two decades of solving readers’ sex problems My wonderful new wife is everything I have always looked for in a woman. The issue is that she is openly and proudly bisexual. When we first became involved, she even joked that she didn’t want me getting mad when it was time for her to visit her friend on girls’ trips. A threesome with a bisexual woman has always been my fantasy. She even gave me permission to go online and find a “unicorn” for us. But when I set up a meeting, she didn’t seem to want to follow through with it, so I stopped looking. Recently, on holiday, she made a sexual comment about a girl in a bikini, so I again brought up the idea of a threesome. But she said she might have grown out of that phase of her life and just wants to be with me. She also said that adding another person would ruin the marriage, and I worry that things might change between us if we get together with another girl. I am at a loss as to what to do. If she is truly bisexual, I am worried that if those desires are not met, she may pursue them without me. My only rule is that if she is with a girl, I am also present. Most guys would love my situation – am I making this harder than it is? Continue reading...

Hereditary peer David Trefgarne will be forced to end 64 years in House of Lords when reform bill is approved At the age of 84, David Trefgarne is not the oldest active peer in the House of Lords. But now well into his 64th year in the upper house, he is very much the longest serving. And in the next few months, it will all end. The 2nd Baron Trefgarne, to use his formal title, is one of the few hereditary peers still helping to make UK law, the tail end of a legislative chain dating back to the 13th century and Magna Carta. When one of these laws, the House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill, receives royal assent some time in the spring, that will be that. Continue reading...

Seyed Araghchi claims US president’s Arab allies now view Israel’s recklessness as ‘a threat to us all’ You’ll never defeat us in Iran, President Trump: but with real talks, we can both win | Seyed Abbas Araghchi Donald Trump should defy Benjamin Netanyahu and realise renewed talks with Iran over its nuclear programme are a better bet and more likely to succeed owing to stronger support in the region for a successful outcome, the Iranian foreign minister, Seyed Araghchi, says in a Guardian article. He also suggests Trump’s Republican base want a deal and not further unnecessary wars. Araghchi was writing a day after Netanyahu held talks with Trump in the US in which Israel’s calls to consider fresh attacks on Iran were discussed alongside the Gaza peace plan. Continue reading...

The US president has been fooled into seeing Israel as a reliable ally and Tehran as the enemy. We say he should consider the evidence and rethink Seyed Abbas Araghchi is the Iranian foreign minister Report: Trump should defy Netanyahu over nuclear talks with Iran, says its foreign minister While Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year achieved his dream of dragging the US into a military confrontation with Iran, it came at a steep and unprecedented cost for Israel. Seeing Netanyahu beg Donald Trump to be bailed out from a quagmire, a rising number of Americans openly acknowledge that Israel is not an ally but a liability. In September, the US’s Arab allies also reached the conclusion that we Iranians have always underscored: Israel’s recklessness is a threat to all. This reality is paving the way for whole new relationships that may transform our region. The US administration now faces a dilemma: it can continue writing blank cheques for Israel with American taxpayer dollars and credibility, or be part of a tectonic change for the better. For decades, western policy towards our region has been mostly shaped by myths originating from Israel. The war in June was momentous for a number of reasons, including how it exposed the cost for the west of mistaking mythology for strategy. Israel and its proxies claim a “decisive victory”, with Iran left weakened and deterred. Yet our vast strategic depth – the country covers an area the size of western Europe, and has a population 10 times that of Israel’s – meant that most of our provinces were untouched by Israel’s aggression. In contrast, all Israelis experienced the might of our military. The narrative of invulnerability – central to Israel’s myth-making machine – has been shattered. Seyed Abbas Araghchi is the Iranian foreign minister Continue reading...

As 007 makes his gaming return, you can climb a mountain in Cairn, play a scaredy-cat in Resident Evil, and play a criminal couple in GTA VI Live your mountaineering fantasies and brave the elements in a wonderfully illustrated climbing game. You must carefully place climber Aava’s hands and feet to make your way up a forbidding mountain, camping on ledges and bandaging her fingers as you go. Like real climbing, it is challenging and somewhat brutal. • PC, PlayStation 5; 29 January Continue reading...

Meteorological office reports high temperatures across country and record measured at Seyðisfjörður in east Record temperatures of almost 20C were reached in Iceland on Christmas Eve, the local meteorological office has confirmed. Seyðisfjörður, a small town in the east of Iceland, hit 19.8C on 24 December. Average December temperatures in Iceland are between -1C and 4C. Continue reading...

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Khalil Dawas was thought to have been recruited from Israeli jail but large parts of his story remain shrouded in mystery On Tuesday 14 October, Hamas handed over four bodies to Israel as part of an exchange of the dead under the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire. Israeli forensic experts soon confirmed the identities of three of the bodies, but they said that one did not belong to them. Hamas insisted that the fourth man was an Israeli soldier. Continue reading...

From ham and chicken croquetas to potato-filled fishcakes, there are plenty of interesting ways to use up the bits you have left over from the festivities What canapes can I make for New Year’s Eve with my Christmas leftovers that will still feel special? Ella, via email Finger food needn’t be fancy, so New Year is a good opportunity to clear the decks. The only real rule is to keep things to just one bite – no one wants to be manoeuvring a fork, after all. “People just want a big hug of comfort food with a decadent twist,” says Max Bergius, founder of Secret Smokehouse in east London. “If you’ve got a bit of smoked salmon left, get that on blinis and top with lumpfish caviar, which is only £2-£3 per 50g pot.” Mini fishcakes would also be just the ticket: “Whether you’ve got leftover smoked haddock or hot smoked salmon, fold it through mashed potato, mix with dill, lemon and fried leeks, then roll in panko and deep-fry.” Ella could also have a ball with croquetas, too, says Nieves Barragàn Mohacho, chef-director of Sabor and Legado, both in London. “Make the bechamel up to three days ahead, then use leftover ham or chicken, or mushrooms, for the filling. Whizz old bread into crumbs to coat, then fry.” Sausage roll fillings are, of course, another natural home for those crumbs, or use them as a jacket for chicken pieces, says Joanna Brennan, co-founder of Pump Street Bakery in Orford, Suffolk. “Seasoning-wise, all you need is a bit of lemon zest and thyme, and they’ll sing so much more.” Incidentally, she adds, croissants make excellent crumbs, too: “You know how people use cornflakes to bread chicken? Well, croissant crumbs are also delicious.” (As are croissant crisps: “Thinly slice croissants, bake low and slow, then dip in melted chocolate flavoured with orange zest.”) Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com Continue reading...

Calculating the actual savings and impact of the bulldozing US department that vowed to cut $1tn in waste is difficult Elon Musk, AI and the antichrist: the biggest tech stories of 2025 When Elon Musk vowed late last year to lead a “department of government efficiency” (Doge), he claimed it would operate with “maximum transparency” as it set about saving $2tn worth of waste and exposing massive fraud. Today, with Musk out of the White House, Doge having cut only a tiny fraction of the waste it promised, and dozens of lawsuits alleging violations of privacy and transparency laws, much of what the agency has done remains a mystery. Continue reading...

When the people of Waddington teamed up to broadcast self-written soap operas, horoscopes and magic tricks, little did they know it would be the most successful channel in the world – despite the chaos behind the cameras ‘What a cock-up!” Those were the words that ended the first broadcast on the world’s tiniest TV station. Hours earlier, four young locals had been wrangled into being live presenters at their quiet village Sunday school. Despite dead air and awkward line delivery, it was the poor transmission quality that made the stars – Michelle Hornby (31), Jonathan Brown (27), James Warburton (25) and Deborah Cowking (21) – apologise and cut the inaugural broadcast. But Cowking, not realising they were still on air, slipped past the censors and summed up the evening’s vibe perfectly: chaotic, amateur and unrelentingly British. This was The Television Village – a first-of-its-kind social experiment from 1990 that had the Lancashire village of Waddington “watch, make and become” television. For a short spell in the early 90s, the Ribble Valley was worth a fortune, as Granada Television shipped £3m worth of cutting-edge TV equipment to the rural hills of north-west England. Hidden cameras were set up in villagers’ living rooms to record viewing habits, day and night. Meanwhile, Channel 4 filmed the entire thing for a six-part documentary series. All of this was to monitor how people would react when the number of channels made the leap from four up to 30 – offering everything from sport, film and even porn, with villagers having access to terrestrial, cable and satellite channels, including from Europe and the US. Continue reading...

It’s a ridiculous time to be male – and that’s good news for a new genre of social media comedy poking fun at the shifting notions of masculinity “I’m gonna miss toxic masculinity,” says the comedian Kiry Shabazz. “I feel like it’s going to be in a museum someday.” In the ensuing standup routine, Shabazz describes a fight with a friend who, like him, is “doing the work” to be a better person. He called the friend several unprintable names while acknowledging: “I’m only calling you that because culturally that’s how I know how to express myself.” The friend’s reply to the torrent of insults: “I hear you and I receive that.” The whole thing, Shabazz says, made him “miss the good old days, when men handled beef like men”. Continue reading...

It was the end of a fabulous decade, when spontaneous, unpredictable parties seemed not just possible but typical. A new millennium was dawning. What could possibly go wrong? ‘We wish you peace,” said Tony Blair as the clock struck 8pm. It was New Year’s Eve 1999, a Friday night, and I was on the banks of the Thames. Britain’s fresh-faced prime minister – only two years into the job – was giving a gimmick called The British Airways London Eye its first spin. The Eye was physically unremarkable and harrowingly slow, but it didn’t matter because it only had a five-year lease and definitely wouldn’t still be around a quarter of a century later, littering the skyline. It was the end of the 90s and, as the Thatcher/Major doldrums whizzed out of view like the subplot of Sliding Doors, we maintained a Bridget Jones-like innocence and entrusted the future to guys like Blair, Peter Mandelson and Bill Clinton, who didn’t seem like (respectively) warmongers, abuse excusers or sex pests. Continue reading...

Figure would be a club-record transfer for Palace Johnson yet to decide with Bournemouth also interested Crystal Palace have agreed a club-record £35m fee with Tottenham for Brennan Johnson but are facing strong competition from Bournemouth to sign the Wales forward. Palace are desperate for reinforcements in attack after a punishing schedule that has seen them play 30 games in all competitions this season because of their Conference League commitments. With Senegal forward Ismaïla Sarr away at the African Cup of Nations, the club identified Johnson as their primary target for the January window and opened talks with Tottenham several weeks ago. Continue reading...

With the club game hurtling along a Premier League-trodden path, women’s football is at a crossroads Where will women’s football in England be in a decade’s time? How can we possibly begin to imagine the scale of the interest, attendances and participation then? How will the game on the pitch have developed, with each generation of players training and playing in better and better environments and at younger ages? In truth, it’s near impossible to make even educated guesses. Women’s football in England is at a crossroads. The Women’s Super League and Women’s Super League 2 are now run independently of the Football Association, leading to increased outside investment, the rise of multi-club ownership groups, and the million-pound transfer barrier being broken twice in one summer. Minimum standards in the WSL and WSL2 have also been extended or raised, and while there is always talk of maintaining the connection between players and supporters, the women’s game is hurtling along a Premier League-trodden path at a fierce pace. Continue reading...

Eurostar “strongly advise” passengers to postpone their journey to a different date, after a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel Tunnel and a failed Le Shuttle train European stocks have hit a record high today, ending a strong year on the front foot. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index has risen by over 0.2% this morning to 590.65 points, a new peak. The Euro area and UK economies proved more resilient in 2025 than we anticipated. US tariffs weighed on exports and real GDP growth in Q2 and Q3, but domestic demand has generally been more robust than we anticipated. As a result, Euro area and UK GDP growth, while still underperforming the US this year, have turned out higher than in our forecast at the end of 2024. Continue reading...

I’m fascinated by Maundy Gregory, who sold honours for Lloyd George. He wouldn’t be tolerated today, but don’t assume our system is flawless And so the new year honours list is out. The people – some of them at least – have spoken: here comes a fresh tranche of the great and good. Many questions remain about this process of elevation, but it’s worth saying that in the past, there were many more. As we think about the probity of politics now, from PPE procurement scandals to a one-time MEP bribed by the Russians, one might frown – but things have been degrees worse. Stephen Bates is a former senior Guardian correspondent and the author of The Man Who Sold Honours, published by Icon Books Continue reading...

Brother Dong is one of a growing band of Chinese volunteers who are lending their support to Ukraine Are you looking for a way to stay sane in an environment that has been torn apart by war? Then perhaps what you need is a bubble tea. That is the philosophy guiding Brother Dong, a Chinese-German volunteer in Ukraine. The 52-year-old former officer in China’s People’s Armed Police drives once a month from his home in Frankfurt to collect a haul of tapioca pearls from a warehouse in Berlin. From there he drives across Poland to reach Ukraine. Continue reading...

PDC hot favourite was jeered during quarter-final victory ‘It definitely fuelled me up and it made me play better’ Luke Littler admits he “lost” his head when reacting to the hostile crowd during his fourth-round World Championship win over Rob Cross and still has some learning to do. The 18-year-old was booed and jeered as he beat Cross 4-2 to book his place in the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace. Littler let the emotion out after throwing the winning darts, running around the stage gesturing to the crowd, who had wanted Cross to win. Continue reading...