Fraudsters use AI to fake artwork authenticity and ownership
Chatbots forge convincing sales invoices and other documents, say industry figures
Notable Events Around the World on - 2025-12-21
Will Trump’s ‘imperfect plan’ for ending the Ukraine war work?
Some European leaders feel sidelined as US mediation takes Russian priorities into consideration.
aljazeera.com
Russia criticises European moves to amend US plan to end Ukraine war
Yury Ushakov's remarks come a day after US and Russian officials held talks on the US proposal in Florida.
aljazeera.com
Barcelona see off Villarreal with goals from Raphinha and Yamal
Barca punish 10-man hosts Villarreal to win eighth consecutive La Liga game and move four points clear at the summit.
aljazeera.com
The Guardian view on Labour’s difficult year: denial of hard choices is no longer an option | Editorial
All the incentives in Westminster politics militate against confronting difficult issues, but a failing government may as well try honestyThe formula for stable government, according to Britain’s...
theguardian.com
Israeli arms companies’ revenues soared in 2024
Israel's defence exports increased 13 percent in 2024 compared with the previous year to a record of almost $15bn.
aljazeera.com
Suljovic denies slow play 'cheating' claim from Cullen
Joe Cullen says opponent Mensur Suljovic's slow style of play is akin to cheating after the 32nd seed was knocked out of the world championship.
bbc.com
Cullen says Suljovic's behaviour is 'not darts' after defeat in feisty encounter
Joe Cullen has responded with fury after being dumped out of the World Darts Championship by Mensur Suljovic, saying the Austrian's behaviour on stage is "not darts".
skysports.com
UK asylum seekers not widely abusing modern slavery rules, report finds
Exclusive: Thinktank’s findings undermine successive home secretaries’ statements about misuse of system in England and WalesAsylum seekers are not abusing the modern slavery system in a widespread...
theguardian.com
Betting against New York is always a losing proposition
Despite fears about what a Mamdani mayoralty might mean, big business continues to invest in the city
ft.com
Liverpool fear significant lower leg injury for Isak
Liverpool fear Alexander Isak has sustained a significant lower leg injury after the striker was forced off against Tottenham on Saturday.
bbc.com
As EU waters down 2035 EV goals, electric startups express concern
The future may be electric, but that future is being postponed. The European Commission, citing the need for flexibility, has softened its ambitious plan to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035...
techcrunch.com
Slaughtneil woes continue as Loughrea ease into All-Ireland final
Slaughtneil fall short in their attempt to reach a first All-Ireland Club Hurling final at the sixth attempt as Loughrea run out comfortable 2-22 to 0-15 winners in Sunday's semi-final.
bbc.com
Israel approves 19 new settlements in occupied West Bank
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the move was about blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state.
bbc.com
Foreign buyers snap up cheap UK companies as dealmaking hits new high
Year saw 74% rise in takeovers of British groups by overseas bidders, data shows
ft.com
Market upheavals drive biggest gains since 2008 for macro hedge funds
Swings in the dollar, gold and government debt have been fertile territory for funds such as Rokos and Caxton
ft.com
‘Orwellian Climate of Fear’: How China Cracks Down on Critics in the U.S.
The Chinese government once focused on political dissidents and exiled activists. Now, federal officials say, it is targeting artists in the United States whose creative protests test its tolerance.
nytimes.com
Taylor 'sincerely sorry' after failed drugs test
Dom Taylor says he is "sincerely sorry" after an "adverse" drug test meant he was excluded from the PDC World Darts Championship.
bbc.com
Lightning strikes twice! Schaper wins again via play-off eagle in Mauritius
Jayden Schaper secured his second DP World Tour title in as many weeks after a hole-out eagle at the second play-off hole saw him win the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
skysports.com
Do prawns feel pain? Why scientists are urging a rethink of Australia’s favoured festive food
Studies show crustaceans can learn, remember, solve problems and form relationshipsMore summer essentialsSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereCrust...
theguardian.com
Epstein files: Whose names and photos are in the latest document drop?
The latest trove of legal documents has been heavily redacted, but several famous figures are recognisable.
aljazeera.com
Can Alliance of Sahel States find a way to curb advance of armed groups?
Leaders from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are hoping to find a way to repel advancing fighters linked to al-Qaeda.
aljazeera.com
A Boy Called Christmas review – Santa’s origin story should have more wonder than this
Chichester Festival theatreA musical adaptation of Matt Haig’s children’s book is visually delightful and heroically performed by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre but the songs are humdrumThis ori...
theguardian.com
Week in Pictures: From shooting in Australia to protest in Brussels
A global roundup of some of last week’s events.
aljazeera.com
Taylor sorry for 'blatant lying' after failed drugs test
Dom Taylor has apologised for "blatant lying" after he was thrown out of the World Darts Championship for failing a drugs test at the tournament.
skysports.com
Israel kills two Palestinians, including 16 year-old, in West Bank
Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank amid continued violence against Palestinians.
aljazeera.com
Manhunt under way in South Africa after mass shooting in Johannesburg
South African police have launched a manhunt in search of the suspects that carried out a mass shooting in Johannesburg.
aljazeera.com
No evidence Reform broke electoral law, watchdog says
The Electoral Commission says it has not identified evidence of rule-breaking in Farage's campaign for his Clacton constituency.
bbc.com
Palestinians attending wedding killed in Israeli attack on Gaza school
Six Palestinians have been killed in an attack by Israeli forces on a school sheltering displaced civilians in Gaza.
aljazeera.com
A new maritime security architecture for the UK and her neighbours
Europe’s front line is the exposed waters of the North and Baltic Seas
ft.com
Sea change: the drive to restore millions of oysters on the Norfolk coast
The first ever mass deployment of mother reef bricks aims to rebuild habitats – and could reshape the North SeaAllie Wharf’s career unfolded amid conflict. As a senior foreign producer for Newsnigh...
theguardian.com
Israel’s famed VC Jon Medved, diagnosed with ALS, backed the tech that will improve his life
In perhaps the last public interview of one Israel's most famous VCs, Jon Medved tells TechCrunch how tech will enhance his life.
techcrunch.com
MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio review – a magical choral performance
Barbican Hall, LondonRoderick Williams and Rhian Lois were the perfectly matched vocal soloists as James MacMillan conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a ferociously committed perform...
theguardian.com
NZ openers make Test history with centuries each in both innings
Tom Latham and Devon Conway earned a unique place in Test history when their 192-run second innings partnership paved the way for New Zealand's declaration at 306-2 on the fourth day of the third T...
skysports.com
Palestinian family left homeless after house collapses in storm-hit Gaza
A family’s heavily war-damaged home that had sheltered 25 people in Gaza City collapsed after a winter storm.
aljazeera.com
Rights groups condemn new record number of executions in Saudi Arabia
At least 347 people have now been put to death this year, according to the UK-based campaign group Reprieve.
bbc.com
There’s a new space race – will the billionaires win?
The commercialisation of the cosmos is already underway, and our current laws aren’t fit for purpose If there is one thing we can rely on in this world, it is human hubris, and space and astronomy...
theguardian.com
Not just love, actually: why romance fiction is booming
From Emily Henry to Rebecca Yarros and Alison Espach’s The Wedding People – romance has dominated the book charts this year. So why is it still dismissed by critics?People buy lipstick when the wor...
theguardian.com
There are reasons to be cheerful about UK plc in 2026. Here are four | Heather Stewart
Be it better prospects for consumer spending or the tentative signs of rising productivity, the doom and gloom of 2025 could be behind usStalling growth, sticky inflation and fragile bond markets,...
theguardian.com
Trail hunting to be banned as part of new animal welfare strategy
The government says the practice is being used as a "smokescreen" for the hunting of wild animals.
bbc.com
8 Best Space Heaters (2025): Tested, Measured, and Mistreated
These portable heaters will heat a room quickly, quietly, and safely.
wired.com
Russia-Ukraine war may “grind on for another 12 to 18 months”
“These peace negotiations are a farce.”
aljazeera.com
Thousands of candidates sit for government exam on airstrip in India
More than 8,000 candidates sat for a government exam on a runway in Odisha in India.
aljazeera.com
From California to Tehran, this year has been about the films that resist
Films such as One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent and It Was Just An Accident celebrate the importance of fighting back against oppressive forcesOn 8 March, Mahmoud Khalil became the first a...
theguardian.com
Scotland officials weigh up smoking ban exception for supervised crack use
Move follows increase in drug users switching from injecting heroin to smoking crack in Glasgow and EdinburghScottish ministers are considering a change in the law banning smoking in public places...
theguardian.com
Algeria bill seeks to criminalise French colonial rule: What to know
Algerian parliament is set to vote on Wednesday on the draft law, which speaker calls a 'defining milestone'.
aljazeera.com
Concerns over Winter Olympics skiing snow levels
The president of the International Ski Federation raises concerns over snow levels for the skiing and snowboarding events at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
bbc.com
Recovery period after doctors’ strikes is concern for NHS, says Streeting
Health secretary says service is coping at the moment but recovery from five-day action comes at NHS’s busiest timeUK politics live – latest updatesWes Streeting has said the NHS is “coping” with r...
theguardian.com
Israel’s yellow line in Gaza has become a “site of killing”
“People don’t know exactly where [Gaza’s yellow line] exists … when they pass it, they become targets.”
aljazeera.com
Hidden seismic signals hint at a tsunami threat in Alaska
Researchers studying a massive landslide in Alaska have detected strange seasonal seismic pulses caused by water freezing and thawing in rock cracks. These faint signals could become an important e...
sciencedaily.com
UK failure to seal EU tax exemption hands industry mountain of paperwork
Brussels confirms Christmas carve-out from green levies will not happen, leading to Brexit-style requirementsUK manufacturers are to be hit with mountains of Brexit-style paperwork in January on £7...
theguardian.com
Sources: HR record-setter Murakami picks ChiSox
Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, who hit 56 home runs in Nippon Professional Baseball in 2022, has agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract with the White Sox, sources told ESPN.
espn.com
Freed From a Belarus Prison, a Nobel Peace Laureate Experiences ‘Oxygen Intoxication’
Ales Bialiatski, flanked by a Belarusian opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, outside the U.S. embassy, in Vilnius, Lithuania, this month.
nytimes.com
Cycling is changing at speed – but is Britain keeping pace?
Emulating the bike-friendly highways enjoyed by our continental neighbours will take a lot more money and political willEver since Team GB’s velodrome successes at the 2008 Olympics, campaigners a...
theguardian.com
The plants that thrive in salt: could halophytes help save coastal farming?
As rising seas salinise the soils of the Venice lagoon, scientists and chefs are turning to long-forgotten wild herbsOn the scrubby banks of the rural swathes of the Venice lagoon, an evening choru...
theguardian.com
LIVE: Israel continues ceasefire violations; 1 Palestinian killed in Gaza
One Palestinian killed by Israeli army in Gaza while two Palestinians, including a child, are shot dead in West Bank.
aljazeera.com
Betting lines for each CFP quarterfinal, other bowl games
Lines for Miami-Ohio State, Oregon-Texas Tech, Alabama-Indiana, Ole Miss-Georgia and more.
espn.com
New Zealand openers break Test records against WI
New Zealand's Tom Latham and Devon Conway become the first openers in Test history to score centuries in both innings as the Kiwis set the West Indies a record 462-run chase for victory.
bbc.com
Streeting says NHS ‘coping’ during resident doctors’ strike but faces difficult recovery over Christmas – UK politics live
Five-day industrial action is due to end tomorrow, and health secretary says talks will resume in new yearIn this analysis piece, the Guardian’s health policy editor, Denis Campbell, looks at the h...
theguardian.com
‘My dog hates my singing’: Beverley Knight’s honest playlist
She is an unabashed karaoke show-off and thinks a certain Spice Girls hit absolutely rocks, but which diminutive pop sexpot does the soul diva want played at her funeral?The first song I fell in lo...
theguardian.com
Ancient sewers expose a hidden health crisis in Roman Britain
Sediments from a Roman latrine at Vindolanda show soldiers were infected with multiple intestinal parasites, including roundworm, whipworm, and Giardia — the first time Giardia has been identified...
sciencedaily.com
Sixty years ago, the world tried to stop racial discrimination and failed
Decades after the passing of the UN convention on the elimination of discrimination, systemic racism is still rampant.
aljazeera.com
Kylian Mbappe equals Ronaldo record in Real Madrid win over Sevilla
Real Madrid star forward scores his 59th goal in a calendar year to equal Cristiano Ronaldo's record tally at the club.
aljazeera.com
Winners of the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2025 – in pictures
The winners and runners-up of this year’s RSPCA Young Photographer Awards have been announced with an image of a stag lit up in the darkness by Thomas Durrant, 17, from London, named the overall wi...
theguardian.com
Israeli death penalty bill violates international law: Palestinian analysts
Israel pushes death penalty for Palestinians, prompting accusations of racism and violations of global conventions.
aljazeera.com
Transfer rumors, news: Real Madrid, Man City, Liverpool eye Bayern star Olise
Bayern Munich's Michael Olise is wanted by a host of other top European clubs. Transfer Talk has the latest news and rumors.
espn.com
TV tonight: Will Sharpe is Mozart in a rompy period drama
Paul Bettany also stars in this fun new adaptation of Amadeus. Plus: a mischievous Beyond Paradise festive special. Here’s what to watch this evening9pm, Sky Atlantic Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Nine People Killed in Mass Shooting at Tavern in South Africa
The police in Johannesburg say they have begun a manhunt for the suspects.
nytimes.com
Nine People Killed in Mass Shooting at Tavern in South Africa
The police in Johannesburg say they have begun a manhunt for the suspects.
nytimes.com
Scientists found a hidden clock inside dinosaur eggshells
Researchers have found that fossilized dinosaur eggshells contain a natural clock that can reveal when dinosaurs lived. The technique delivers surprisingly precise ages and could revolutionize how...
sciencedaily.com
China has set a bear trap for Keir Starmer – and our naive PM is walking straight into it | Simon Tisdall
The conviction of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong is another hostile act. How can Britain ignore Beijing’s provocations and human rights abuses?The UK pushed hard to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, the new...
theguardian.com
'Luke is a different breed' - NHS worker Davies looking to upset Littler
David Davies says Luke Littler is a “different breed” but is hoping to cause a major upset when the pair meet in the second round of the World Darts Championship on Sunday night.
skysports.com
McCullum admits he's made mistakes after Ashes defeat
Brendon McCullum says his side haven't lived up to "high hopes and expectations" after failing to regain The Ashes, but that fans can expect his side to "show what we're capable of achieving" in th...
bbc.com
South Africa shooting live: At least nine people killed near Johannesburg
At least nine people have been killed and 10 wounded in a mass shooting in the Bekkersdal township.
aljazeera.com
Al Jazeera launches new integrative AI model, ‘The Core’
Al Jazeera Media Network says initiative will shift role of AI 'from passive tool to active partner in journalism'.
aljazeera.com
At least nine people killed in shooting at South Africa tavern
South African police say that a manhunt is underway after a mass shooting killed at least 9 people and injured 10 more.
aljazeera.com
The Pompidou Center Has Been Emptied of Its Art. We Watched It Happen.
Tabula, 1974, by Simon Hantaï.
nytimes.com
The Pompidou Center Has Been Emptied of Its Art. We Watched It Happen.
Tabula, 1974, by Simon Hantaï.
nytimes.com
Alcohol consumption falls to record low in Britain
Data suggests the trend is being driven by more moderate drinking habits rather than teetotalism
ft.com
Royal Mail’s new pension scheme falls 5% in first six months
Pioneering CDC product underperforms benchmark index by a percentage point
ft.com
Inside Tencent’s deal to use Nvidia’s best AI chips in Japan
Contracts with Chinese tech giant have rapidly turned Datasection into one of Asia’s biggest ‘neoclouds’
ft.com
'Congress is in a coma.' Former lawmakers sound alarm on health of the House
Congress is wrapping up the year without a lot of legislative accomplishments under its belt and a growing list of lawmakers who are retiring. Former members say the challenges on Capitol Hill have...
npr.org
Emotional Stokes laments end of Ashes dream | 'It hurts'
Ben Stokes said the death of his England side's Ashes dream "hurts" and "sucks" as Australia clinched a series win inside 11 days with an 82-run victory on the final day of the third Test in Adelaide.
skysports.com
US, Russian officials meet in Miami for talks on Ukraine war
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev says the talks were 'constructive' and will continue on Sunday.
aljazeera.com
Scientists found climate change hidden in old military air samples
Old military air samples turned out to be a treasure trove of biological DNA, allowing scientists to track moss spores over 35 years. The results show mosses now release spores up to a month earlie...
sciencedaily.com
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,396
These are the key developments from day 1,396 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
aljazeera.com
Comedian Bowen Yang announces Saturday Night Live exit
Yang, one of the most prominent cast members, also hosts a podcast and stars in the Wicked film series.
bbc.com
Neither Russia nor France: One West African country walks a diplomatic tightrope
As some West African nations choose to cement old ties with France or a new ally in Russia, Togo wants both.