President Dissanayake has called ongoing rescue and recovery efforts the most difficult in the nation’s history. Intense rainfall in Sri Lanka has complicated recovery efforts in the wake of a powerful cyclone last week that killed hundreds and left tens of thousands displaced, according to officials. Over 130 mms (5.1 inches) of rain poured down in southern Sri Lanka over 15 hours on Thursday, said local authorities, with more heavy downpours expected across southern and south-western areas Friday. The continuing deluge has made clean-up and reconstruction operations difficult after Cyclone Ditwah – triggering the worst floods in a decade – left the island on Sunday. Like in Sri Lanka, numerous villages in Indonesia remain buried under mud and debris.

Fallout continues after Japanese prime minister said use of force against Taiwan would be 'survival threatening' for Japan. Japan and China have escalated their war of words at the United Nations following unprecedented remarks from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Tokyo’s role in a potential Taiwan conflict. Both times were in response to separate letters from China to the UN about Takaichi. The dispute began in November when Takaichi told Japanese legislators that should China ever use force against Taiwan, the move would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, according to Japanese media. Taiwan and Japan do not have diplomatic relations, but they are close neighbours and unofficial allies.

Canberra says it seeks to make early contact with the new administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles will head to Japan on Saturday for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, as the allies seek to advance bilateral defence cooperation amid growing tension in the Asia Pacific. An Australian government news release on Friday said Canberra is seeking to make early contact with the new administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, adding that Australia and Japan have a “shared vision for our region” amid “increasingly complex global challenges”. “I look forward to meeting with Minister Koizumi to progress our already strong defence relationship even further,” he added. Koizumi said Marles is set to tour the firm’s shipyard in the city of Nagasaki in southern Japan during his visit.

While the final death toll of the massacre remains unclear, British MPs have been briefed that at least 60,000 have been murdered in El Fasher. They are not thought to have left the city, and this grisly development comes amid increasingly gloomy speculation about their fate. Nathaniel Raymond, director of the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which has been closely analysing satellite images of El Fasher, said the city was eerily empty, with once-bustling markets now desolate. The Guardian has spoken to sources who describe El Fasher residents being held in detention centres in the city, though the numbers still detained are small. Meanwhile, there have been renewed calls for a thorough investigation into an RSF attack on the Zamzam displacement camp seven miles (12km) south of El Fasher six months earlier.

According to Indian officials involved in the preparation for the summit, the agenda includes talks on defence, energy and labor mobility, AP reports. US President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50% in August, citing New Delhi’s discounted Russian oil. India and the US set a target for the first tranche of a trade deal by autumn, but the deal hasn’t come through yet amid strains in relations. India is also in the final stages of talks on a trade agreement with the EU, which sees Russia’s war in Ukraine as a major threat. Putin’s India visit, “given the timing and geopolitical context, underscores New Delhi’s strategic tightrope walk between the West and the rest, chiefly Russia,” said Praveen Donthi , a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.

blinking-dot Live updates Live updates,LIVE: Israel sets military budget at $34bn, keeps attacking GazaPeople in the enclave fear the resumption of the full-scale genocidal war as Israeli ceasefire violations persist.

Quotable Israel “art-washing its war crimes” through EurovisionDorien Ballout on the boycott by the Netherlands and other countries of Eurovision 2026 after Israel was allowed to compete. Read moreDorien Ballout, a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigner, talks about the impact of the Netherlands and other countries boycotting Eurovision 2026 after Israel was allowed to compete.

The reported Russian advances came on the eve of US envoy Steve Witkoff’s arrival in Moscow for peace talks with Yury Ushakov, a key aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Observers have debated how the sacking of Zelenskyy’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, a week ago, could affect Kyiv’s standing in peace talks. Asked about peace last week, Putin told journalists, “We still have proposals coming in about ceasing hostilities. Virtually nothing is predetermined; everything can unfold in any direction.”Despite claims of seeking peace, Putin has not eased the campaign against Ukraine. During the week from November 27 until December 3, Russian forces launched just under 1,100 drones and 39 missiles.

Warner Bros Discovery has entered exclusive talks to sell its streaming and Hollywood studio business to Netflix, a move that would dramatically change the established film and TV landscape. Prior to the closing of any deal, Warner Bros Discovery will complete a planned spin-off of its cable channels, which include CNN, TBS and TNT. Warner Bros formally put itself up for sale in October after receiving interest from several parties. Paramount accused Warner Bros of operating an unfair auction process that favoured Netflix. Warner Bros, Netflix, Comcast and Paramount declined to comment.

Children in Gaza City, traumatised from more than two years of mass bombardment and displacement, the loss of family, friends and the destruction of their homes and schools in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, are getting a brief reprieve through a local cinema initiative. “We’re here trying to present so many activities for children to live in a positive vibe,” said Minass al-Jabour, the initiative’s media coordinator. With 92 percent of the enclave’s schools severely damaged or destroyed, most children have had no access to formal education for two years. For many, the screenings offer the first chance to watch a movie since the conflict began. Advertisement“A child who has seen so much blood and loss can, through cinema, glimpse a better reality,” said al-Nabih.

The Cloudflare logo appears on a smartphone screen and on the background on computer screen Internal server error in this photo illustration on November 18, 2025 in Lviv, Ukraine. U.S. internet infrastructure company Cloudflare said on Friday it had issued a fix for an issue with its dashboard and related apps. Shares of the company fell 4.5% in premarket trading after global websites went down and Cloudflare said it was investigating. The company issued an update minutes later saying it had "implemented a fix" and was watching for results. It comes less than three weeks after a separate Cloudflare outage caused error messages across the internet.

Buyers attempting to get on to the property ladder in the UK have received a lift, after figures from Halifax showed they are in the best position to snap up a home in a decade. Britain’s biggest mortgage lender said that the average price of a UK property hit a record high of £299,892 in November, after a marginal month-on-month rise. However, Halifax said when property prices were compared with average incomes, affordability was at its strongest since late 2015. Halifax said that house prices were “broadly unchanged” in November, with its monitor recording 0% month-on-month growth, after a 0.5% rise in October. Comparing property prices to average incomes, affordability is now at its strongest since late 2015.

Cole, a resident of Woodbridge, Virginia was identified following a long investigation during which the FBI received thousands of tip-offs. Brian Cole, a 30-year-old man from Virginia, the United States, has been arrested for planting two pipe bombs in Washington, DC, during the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, the US Justice Department said on Thursday morning. Pipe bombs are a type of IED – any homemade or non-standard bomb constructed and deployed outside of conventional military production. Pipe bombs are generally equipped with a fuse, timer or remote trigger. On January 6, 2021, thousands of people descended on the US Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of the 2020 election results.

Hong Kong Baptist University student union says suspension was ‘unfounded’ and may have ‘ulterior motives’. A university in Hong Kong has suspended the operations of its student union after messages were posted on campus expressing condolences and urging justice for the victims of a major deadly fire. #HongKong authorities continue to squelch the angry, grieving voices of #HongKongers: Baptist U covers student union billboard: "Deepest condolences to the Wang Fook Court fire victims. pic.twitter.com/kcKXK4gtG8 — Hong Kong Democracy Council (@hkdc_us) December 3, 2025The wall was later blocked off by university security personnel with tall barricades, according to news reports from Hong Kong. On Thursday, reports said that authorities also arrested a Hong Kong YouTuber for alleged “sedition” over remarks about the Tai Po fire.

“[Modi is] not going to change the direction of Indian foreign policy because [the] Trump administration does not like it.”Harsh Pant, from the Observer Research Foundation, discusses the first time Putin has visited India since the start of Russia’s full-fledged war on Ukraine in 2022.

After a winter storm brought 20-30cm of snow across Wisconsin, and even up to 35cm in places last weekend, the focus of the winter weather hazards shifted elsewhere early this week. An area of dense fog helped to worsen conditions in northern Colorado on Thursday morning. With snowfall from this week’s system easing, another winter storm is set to move in this weekend. Abnormally cold weather will continue across large swathes of central and northern US this early winter. View image in fullscreen A person walks a dog on a slushy street after a winter snow storm in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

The issue is that the Barbican was built around them, meaning they need to be chopped up and removed. The Barbican was divisive when it opened (described by the Guardian as “the world’s most bewildering arts centre”) but it is celebrated by many today as an iconic part of London’s skyline and creative life. Opened in 1982, the Barbican arts centre is a unique cultural institution. Compared with the Young V&A, which has a building that dates back to the 1870s and has already been through several retrofits, it is a very young building. At one point the shop sold a T-shirt that read: “I found the Barbican Centre.” Simpson hopes that when construction starts in 2027, a new – more accessible – era begins.

Putin and Modi discuss trade and peace at summit talks in IndiaNewsFeed Putin and Modi discuss trade and peace at summit talks in IndiaIndia’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi as talks began on boosting trade with India, the top buyer of Russia’s arms and seaborne oil. The visit comes as India holds talks with the Unites States to cut tariffs imposed over its Russian oil purchases.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBinance Holdings, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, named a new co-CEO Wednesday in a major shake-up of its leadership structure. The move comes after U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned CZ, who had previously pleaded guilty to enabling money laundering while heading the cryptocurrency exchange. Her social profiles list her most recent position as Chief Customer Service Officer at the crypto exchange. She was then working at cryptocurrency exchange OKCoin and recruited CZ to join her. The company also included a public statement from Yi He, in which she emphasized her and Teng's "complementary perspectives and shared vision."

Flights are resuming at Edinburgh airport after it suspended operations on Friday morning because of an IT issue in air traffic control. Flights were beginning to take off at about 10.40am, according to a statement posted by the airport on social media. Passengers were earlier advised to contact airlines for information on flights as the airport and its service provider worked to resolve the problem. About 15 million people a year – an average of 43,000 a day – fly from Edinburgh, making it Scotland’s biggest airport, with flights to 155 destinations. The airport also closed because of a global IT problem with Crowdstrike last July.

Tesla has launched the lower-priced version of its Model 3 car in Europe in a push to revive sales after a backlash against Elon Musk’s work with Donald Trump and weakening demand for electric vehicles. Musk, the electric car maker’s chief executive, has argued that the cheaper option, launched in the US in October, will reinvigorate demand by appealing to a wider range of buyers. The move follows the launch of a lower-priced Model Y SUV, Tesla’s bestselling model, in Europe and the US. New taxes on electric cars in last month’s budget could undermine UK demand, critics have said. UK electric car sales grew at their slowest rate in two years in November, at just 3.6%, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

11.46 CET Flights resume at Edinburgh airport following issue with air traffic control provider Gwyn TophamFlights are resuming at Edinburgh airport after it suspended operations on Friday morning because of an IT issue in air traffic control. Flights were beginning to take off around 10.40am, according to a statement posted by the airport on social media. Passengers were earlier advised to contact airlines for information on flights as the airport and its service provider worked to resolve the problem. About 15 million people a year – an average of 43,000 a day – fly from Edinburgh, making it Scotland’s biggest airport, with flights to 155 destinations. Air traffic control issues – and IT failures – have become one of airlines’ most recurrent problems.

In an angry performance at a press conference in London, the Reform UK leader denied saying anything racist 'with malice' when he was a student at Dulwich college, but appeared to lose his temper as questions were asked about the allegation. Farage's comments came after the BBC’s Emma Barnett pressed Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, on Farage’s 'relationship with Hitler'. Citing television shows including Are You Being Served? and It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Farage accused the BBC of 'double standards and hypocrisy'. He said: 'I want an apology from the BBC for virtually everything you did throughout the 1970s and 80s.'

Qatar opens Lawh Wa Qalam museum dedicated to India’s most famous painter, who was hounded into exile by the Hindu right. Lawh Wa Qalam: MF Husain Museum inauguratedLast month, Qatar inaugurated a stunning new museum, Lawh Wa Qalam (meaning the board and the pen), dedicated to Husain’s life and works that spanned more than six decades. In 2008, India’s Supreme Court quashed the cases against Husain, saying the Bharat Mata painting was a work of art. His contribution to Indian art was recognised by the government. But Husain himself never let the attacks stop him from pursuing his work: He used his time in exile to work on art projects in Qatar and Dubai.

In total, Willow Wealth investors have lost at least $208 million, according to CNBC reporting. Willow Wealth also removed a decade of historical performance data from public view in recent weeks. But the still-unfolding collapse of its real estate funds demonstrates the risks the private markets hold for retail investors. After last week's disclosures, nine out of the 30 real estate deals reviewed by CNBC since August are now in default. Willow Wealth has blamed the failures on the Federal Reserve's interest rate hiking cycle in 2022, which made repaying floating-rate debt harder.

The logo of multinational tech company Foxconn (also known as Hon Hai), which is a major manufacturer for Apple products, in Taipei, Taiwan, on April 16, 2025. Foxconn , a key Nvidia partner in its artificial intelligence buildout, saw its revenue spike 26% year-on-year in November, as demand for servers continued to ramp up amid the AI boom. Foxconn on Friday reported "strong growth" year-on-year for its cloud and networking products, pointing to "momentum for AI server racks," in its monthly revenue report. A longstanding partner to many of the world's largest tech companies including Nvidia and Apple, Foxconn has become a key player in the rollout of AI infrastructure in recent times. It was announced in May that the company would provide infrastructure to a major AI factory in Taiwan, in collaboration with Nvidia and the Taiwanese government.

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has been fined €120m (£105m) after it was found in breach of new EU digital laws, in a high-stakes ruling likely to put the European Commission on a collision course with the US billionaire and potentially Donald Trump. The historic ruling by the European Commission is a part closure of an investigation that started two years ago. The commission continues to investigate whether there have been breaches of laws prohibiting incitement to violence or terrorism. After the takeover, users who subscribed to X Premium were then eligible for blue tick status. Senior EU officials said the ruling was independent of any pleadings by the US delegation in Brussels last week to meet trade ministers.

“It used to be on the west side of the White House there were large glass conservatories and stables for a short period of time. The chief usher is responsible for making the White House as comfortable a home as possible for the first family. “Mrs Reagan wanted to make sure that her guests at the White House were treated extremely well,” he notes. “I showed him around the White House and I even took him outside and showed him what we saved from the burning of the White House in the war of 1812. When we repainted the White House, we didn’t paint a couple of areas: we left the scorch marks there as a remembrance.

Lebanese leader urges UNSC to press Israel to respect the November 2024 ceasefire it has repeatedly violated. “We look forward to pressure from your side,” said Aoun, in comments carried by the NNA. The UN visit comes amid tentative signs of potential deeper engagement between Lebanon and Israel, which have technically been at war since 1948. However, Israeli forces continue to occupy at least five positions inside Lebanese territory and have not withdrawn despite the agreement’s terms. Lebanon’s government has committed to disarming Hezbollah, but the group’s leader, Naim Qassem, has flatly rejected the idea as long as Israel continues to bombard and occupy Lebanon.

As United States naval deployments in the Caribbean intensify and rhetoric heats up, the prospect of a US attack on Venezuela feels increasingly close. Here is what we know:How could the US attack Venezuela? “There will be no boots on the ground because US ground forces in the region are not strong enough for an invasion,” Cancian said. Ferrer described the idea of an attack as opening a “Pandora’s box”. Cancian, the retired Marine Corps colonel from CSIS, said the US, through the CIA, is working to undermine the loyalty of the Venezuelan military to the Maduro government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon arrival at the Palam Air Base in New Delhi, India December 4, 2025. Russian President Vladimir Putin has underlined Moscow's willingness to provide "uninterrupted shipments of fuel" to India, as the U.S. pressures New Delhi to give up importing their oil. This followed a tariff of 25% on India for buying Russian oil in August. But India has to walk a tightrope because it has close ties to the U.S. while also relying on Russia for fuel and access to military hardware. While Trump has acknowledged that India has cut back its Russian oil imports, experts told CNBC that this may be a temporary trend.

After Spanish police and Europol’s counter-terrorism section arrested three suspected members of the Base – a globally proscribed neo-Nazi terrorist group – in the eastern province of Castellón, its American leader living in Russia was defiant and signaled further actions. Nazzaro and the Base are also suspected of harboring links to Kremlin spy agencies and aiding their broader sabotage efforts. Similarly, the Spanish cell advocated online for “calculated ruthlessness” against its perceived enemies and to “acquire mountain land to form protected, self-sufficient and self-managed white communities”. A data dump of the Base’s Spanish Telegram activities reviewed by the Guardian contains propaganda videos, photos, and other posts with what appear to be automatic rifles and other firearms. “The potential ties to Russian sabotage operations in Europe, whether or not the cell members were aware of it, are also incredibly concerning,” said Fisher-Birch.

Landscape recovery is the most ambitious part of the environmental land management schemes (Elms), which were introduced by the previous Conservative government to replace EU farming subsidies. Initially, the schemes were to be split into three strands, with landscape recovery receiving a third of the £2.4bn a year funding pot. Jake Fiennes is the director of conservation at the Holkham estate, one of the government’s first pilot schemes for landscape recovery in 2022. A tiny fraction of it for the most ambitious nature schemes.”Spread across the landscape recovery schemes, it will amount to only a few million pounds a year. A Defra spokesperson said: “The £500m for landscape recovery projects is a downpayment which will go a long way to protecting and restoring nature across England.”

After a delay and an unusually contentious meeting, a federal vaccine advisory panel was expected to vote on Friday whether to change the longstanding recommendation that all newborns be immunized against hepatitis B. The shot is currently recommended for all infants within 24 hours of birth to prevent infection of hepatitis B, which can cause serious liver damage. The advisory panel, hand-picked by Donald Trump’s controversial health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, includes longtime anti-vaccine advocates. Experts say any change to the current hepatitis B vaccination recommended schedule could have significant and far-reaching consequences for childhood health in the US. “OK, got it.”The advisory panel can only make recommendations to the head of the CDC, acting director Jim O’Neill.

Initially, Vanity Fair stayed mum about Lizza’s initial revelations, allowing four days to pass before releasing a statement saying simply: “We were taken by surprise, and we are looking at all the facts.”Since then, the magazine has said nothing about Nuzzi’s status. Vanity Fair employees have also been kept in the dark recently about the magazine’s review of their colleague, the Guardian understands. Asked about Nuzzi’s status and the magazine’s review, which is ongoing, a Vanity Fair spokesperson declined comment. But, notably, Nuzzi is not a full-time employee at Vanity Fair – rather, she is on a temporary contract that expires at the end of the year, meaning it would need to be renewed by the magazine. And I had violated that.”So far, the scandal seems to have done little for Nuzzi’s book, which has received mostly negative reviews.

At least 27 Super Lig club players are suspected of having bet on matches involving their own teams. Among the arrested players, 27 were suspected of having bet on matches involving their own teams, the public prosecutor’s office in Istanbul said in a statement on Friday. The prosecutor’s office said police had so far detained 35 of the 46 people named in the arrest order. So far, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended more than 1,000 Turkish players, 25 of them from the Super Lig, with the sanctions ranging from 45 days to 12 months. In October, the TFF suspended nearly 150 referees for betting on matches, all of whom have since been dismissed.

What one month of ceasefire in Gaza looks like

Netflix announced Friday it's reached a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing a swift end to a dramatic bidding process that saw Paramount Skydance and Comcast also vying for the legacy assets. The deal is comprised of cash and stock and is valued at $27.75 per WBD share, the companies said. Shares of Netflix were down about 3% in premarket trading Friday. Shares of the newly merged Paramount Skydance were down about 2%, while shares of WBD were down about 1% and shares of Comcast were flat.

Planes line up on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport on Nov. 10, 2025 in New York City. Southwest Airlines cut its 2025 earnings forecast on Friday, citing a demand dip during the federal government shutdown, the longest ever. The carrier said it expects 2025 earnings before interest and taxes of about $500 million, down from a previous forecast of $600 million to $800 million because of lower revenue in the shutdown and higher fuel prices. "Following the temporary decline in demand related to the shutdown, bookings have returned to previous expectations," Southwest said in a securities filing. Earlier this week, Delta Air Lines said the shutdown cost it $200 million but demand looks strong going into 2026.

Social media giant X has been hit with a 120 million euro ($140 million) fine by the European Commission for breaching transparency obligations, in the latest challenge to a U.S. big tech company by the bloc. The Commission said breaches include "the deceptive design of its 'blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers." X has been approached for comment. This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

Two men who survived a US airstrike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean clung to the wreckage for an hour before they were killed in a second attack, according a video of the episode shown to senators in Washington. “The video follows them for about an hour as they tried to flip the boat back over. Later on Thursday, the Pentagon announced another deadly strike on a boat suspected of carrying illegal narcotics, killing four men in the eastern Pacific. Adm Frank Bradley of the US navy, who commanded the attack, told lawmakers on Thursday there was no such order to kill everyone on board. after newsletter promotionThey added that the video shows three additional munitions being fired at the damaged vessel.

Modi said he had discussed the war in Ukraine with Putin and conveyed that India has “stood for peace since the beginning”. Ukraine’s allies in Europe and the US had hoped New Delhi would persuade Putin to agree to a peace deal. The Trump administration accuses India of effectively financing Putin’s war machine in Ukraine by buying crude oil. The war in Ukraine, however, has tested the friendship between Moscow and New Delhi – a relationship that goes back decades. AdvertisementSince the end of the Cold War, India has deepened strategic and military ties with the US while trying to keep its friendship with Russia afloat.

Four killed in ‘drug boat’ attack ordered by US defence chiefNewsFeed Four killed in ‘drug boat’ attack ordered by US defence chiefThe US military says it killed four people in an air strike on a suspected drug boat in in the Eastern Pacific. The attack was ordered by US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is under scrutiny over a previous attack in which survivors were killed in a follow-up strike.

blinking-dot Live updates Live updates,LIVE: FIFA World Cup 2026 drawFollow our live build-up, with analysis and all the latest news, ahead of the draw for next year’s FIFA World Cup.

Syrians gather to celebrate first anniversary of Assad’s fallNewsFeed Syrians gather to celebrate first anniversary of Assad’s fallTens of thousands of Syrians have gathered in Hama to celebrate the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The Assad regime was toppled by a lightning offensive led by opposition forces in 2024.

Unresolved anger and mistrust from the 2019 protests have hung over the response to the deadly Tai Po fire. Mobilisation is in Hong Kong’s “DNA”, a Hong Kong professor familiar with the city’s governance structure told Al Jazeera, requesting anonymity because of fears of professional repercussions. AdvertisementThe protests brought Hong Kong to a standstill for months but began to fizzle in 2020 as authorities enacted COVID-19 containment laws. Issie, the Hong Kong resident, said there were parallels between the government’s response in 2019 and 2025. Hong Kong leader John Lee has also called for an independent committee to investigate the fire and review Hong Kong’s building works system, although only a limited number of details have been released.

Visa, whose European headquarters is currently at Paddington in the west of London, has signed a 15-year, 300,000 square foot lease at One Canada Square in Canary Wharf, according to Canary Wharf Group. Canary Wharf was hit particularly hard as the coronavirus pandemic fueled a move to hybrid and remote working. The Docklands Core submarket, which includes Canary Wharf, hit record high vacancy rates in the first quarter of 2025, at 18.5%, according to data from CoStar. There are three main reasons for a resurgence of the district, Shobi Khan, CEO, Canary Wharf Group, told CNBC in September, at which point Canary Wharf's vacancy rate was 6%. "Canary Wharf is thriving," he added.

Emmanuel Macron has said there is “no mistrust” between Europe and the US, a day after a report claimed the French president had warned privately there was a risk Washington could betray Ukraine. And I say it again and again, we need to work together,” Macron told reporters during a visit to China. The transcript quoted Macron as warning Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that “there is a chance that the US will betray Ukraine on territory, without clarity on security guarantees”. The alleged leak risked angering Donald Trump, whom European leaders have been at pains to flatter, knowing he is the key player in any mediation efforts with Moscow. It also came as European leaders rushed to salvage a sorely needed financing plan for cash-strapped Ukraine.

A teenager who got out of an ambulance on a motorway hard shoulder was Tasered by police before being hit and killed by a car, official watchdogs have said. Logan Smith, 18, was being taken to hospital when the ambulance pulled off the northbound carriageway of the M5 in Somerset because paramedics were concerned. The IOPC said body-worn video footage showed the officer tried to engage with Smith before firing a Taser, causing the Weston-super-Mare teenager to fall to the ground. He was then hit by a car travelling along the southbound carriageway and died at the scene despite emergency first aid. On Monday, Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at such a devastating time.

As mockery in the press rose to a shriek on Monday, so Nuzzi’s defenders started to rally. Monica Lewinsky, who along with Amanda Knox has become the most ubiquitous figure of our age, reached out to Nuzzi to offer sympathy. WednesdayHere’s David Dimbleby, look, not a day over 87 and appearing rather rakish and fierce in his dotage. To survivors of Thursday’s 3.3-magnitude quake in Lancashire and the southern Lake District, therefore, I wish the same pleasures. Digested week in pictures