Polls close in first phase of Myanmar elections widely condemned as a sham 28. December 2025 (14:58) Turnout appears low for vote in which most candidates seen as allies of junta and large areas excluded by warPolls have closed in conflict-racked Myanmar, ending the first phase of an election that has been widely condemned as a sham designed to legitimise the military junta’s rule.The military has touted the vote as a return to democracy almost five years after it seized power in a coup, ousting the country’s then de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and sparking a spiralling civil war. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump and Zelenskyy to hold talks amid heavy Russian airstrikes on Ukraine 28. December 2025 (13:56) Key topics include security guarantees from Europe and the US, with Putin yet to signal interest in latest negotiationsRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesDonald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are to meet on Sunday to discuss a plan to end the war in Ukraine, amid continuing Russian attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, and scepticism that Moscow is willing to drop any of its maximalist demands.Zelenskyy arrived in Florida on Saturday night with a Ukrainian delegation, before talks with the US president at his Mar-a-Lago residence. The two leaders are expected to discuss the latest iteration of a 20-point peace plan and the unresolved question of the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The little-known program contributing to a decline in overdose deaths in the US 28. December 2025 (13:00) Crisis intervention training helps police recognize substance use disorders and connect people with treatmentOverdoses have been declining nationally since the fall of 2023, and public health experts have been unable to agree as to why. The decline has been uneven across states, and West Virginia, long known as the epicenter of the opioid crisis, is also among the states that have most reduced overdose fatalities, as noted in a recent Guardian analysis.One little explored factor is the increased adoption of crisis intervention training (CIT) for law enforcement. Early research that compares jurisdictions that have CIT programs to those that do not show that this intervention is associated with a decline in overdose fatalities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Celebrity castings can help theatres in hard times, says new head of Bristol Old Vic 28. December 2025 (12:00) Big names can attract audiences as venues struggle with fallout from pandemic, austerity and high costs, Rebecca Dawson saysCasting big stars in stage productions is sometimes needed because theatre is in an “undeniably challenging” moment and must compete with streaming services for people’s time and money, the incoming director of the Bristol Old Vic has said.Rebecca Dawson will start as executive director and joint chief executive on 6 January, leading the oldest continually operating theatre in the English-speaking world into its 260th anniversary year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Florida for peace talks after Russia intensifies strikes 28. December 2025 (11:29) Ukrainian president will meet US president at his Mar-a-Lago home later today for their first in person meeting since OctoberUkraine’s anti-corruption agencies Nabu and Sapo raided national parliament offices in Kyiv on Saturday as investigators alleged some MPs were implicated in a new graft probe.A statement from Nabu, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, accused State Security Department guards of “resisting Nabu officers during investigative actions in committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine”. The anti-corruption agency did not reveal details of the investigation, but said suspects took bribes for votes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Branching out: why banks are back on the British high street 28. December 2025 (11:00) In towns such as Northampton, in-person help with finances is a promise many customers still depend upon
On a crisp Friday morning in early December, Abington Street in Northampton is starting to stir. Despite having lost high street stalwarts like Marks & Spencer, Moss Bros and H&M in recent years, it is drawing in locals for one end-of-week errand: banking.Along the pedestrianised road, customers are streaming in and out of HSBC, Barclays, Metro Bank and the building society Nationwide. But it is a rare scene that defies a wider trend: more than 6,000 bank branches in the UK have closed since 2015 as bosses try to cut costs and push millions of customers towards online services. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Brigitte Bardot, French screen legend, dies aged 91 28. December 2025 (10:50) Bardot became a celebrated sex symbol in 1950s and 60s, but later embraced animal rights activism and an increasingly controversial political stance• Brigitte Bardot: a life in pictures• Peter Bradshaw on Brigitte Bardot – a zeitgeist-force and France’s most sensational exportBrigitte Bardot, the French actor and singer who became an international sex symbol before turning her back on the film industry to become an animal rights activist, has died aged 91.“The Brigitte Bardot foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” it said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse on Sunday, without specifying the time or place of death. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kosovo goes to the polls in snap election in bid to end political crisis 28. December 2025 (10:15) PM Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination party may struggle to win majority after rival parties refused allianceVoters in Kosovo are casting ballots in an early parliamentary election in the hope of breaking a political deadlock that has gripped the small Balkan nation for much of this year.The snap vote was scheduled after the prime minister Albin Kurti’s governing Vetëvendosje, or Self-Determination, party failed to form a government despite winning the most votes in a 9 February election. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nepal TV host and ex-rapper mayor form alliance for election after youth revolt 28. December 2025 (08:27) Kathmandu mayor Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah will run for prime minister with presenter Rabi Lamichhane’s party after deadly protests that ousted governmentTwo of Nepal’s most popular political leaders have formed an alliance ahead of next year’s election in the wake of deadly youth-led protests earlier in the year that ousted the government.Television host Rabi Lamichhane, the 51-year-old chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra party (RSP), and the 35-year-old rapper turned Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah pledged to address the demands of the younger generation following September’s deadly anti-corruption protests. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Times have changed’: Germany’s military seeks recruits as it confronts new era 28. December 2025 (08:00) As young men face new rules forcing them to indicate their readiness to serve, the Bundeswehr drums up support at a trade showSitting in the cramped interior of a Panzerhaubitze 2000 armoured vehicle, Tom, 20, hangs on every word coming from Achim, an officer with the German military, as he breathlessly talks students through the workings of “the most modern tank in the world”.“What damage would you expect its ammunition to inflict?” Tom asks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
