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A letter to the king has added a royal flourish to life at Rothera Research Station, where mail remains a vital link to the worldIt might be traditional to write to Father Christmas with a gift list, but when Kirsten Shaw wanted a new postbox for staff at the UK's Rothera Research Station in Antarctica, she wrote to the king.The request has resulted in a special delivery for Shaw – a station support assistant who, among myriad other tasks, runs the British Antarctic Territory post office at the station. Continue reading......

Drivers also told to take caution after complaints rise about long-stay meet-and-greet servicesTerence Baxter* had booked a meet-and-greet service to park his Volkswagen at Heathrow airport while he and his wife went on holiday. The couple handed over the keys at the drop-off site and were driven to the terminal – and that was the last they saw of their car. On their return they were informed by the company it had been stolen.Their case comes as airports and police forces are warning travellers to be wary of “unofficial” operators advertising cheap long-stay parking after a rise in complaints. Continue reading......

Cuban foreign ministry called US military action 'maritime terrorism' under a policy of 'economic suffocation'Cuban officials have denounced the US seizure of the Skipper oil tanker off Venezuela's coast on Wednesday, calling it an “act of piracy and maritime terrorism” as well as a “serious violation of international law” that hurts the Caribbean island nation and its people.“This action is part of the US escalation aimed at hampering Venezuela's legitimate right to freely use and trade its natural resources with other nations, including the supplies of hydrocarbons to Cuba,” the Cuban foreign ministry statement said. Continue reading......

Veja doesn't do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own wayIn the grand hierarchy of Paris fashion, it's tricky for a brand to stand out. Especially one whose coup de maître is a goes-with-everything white sneaker. Yet 20 years after Veja first began selling sustainable footwear, it has become the ultimate affordable It brand for scooter-wielding mums, sustainably minded millennials and A-list bigwigs who want to wear their values on their ethical leather-clad feet.Veja's co-founder Sébastien Kopp says he doesn't know if people buy his trainers because of how they are made or because of how they look. The company is fastidious about social and fairtrade practices, “but because we don't do surveys, we don't do marketing, we simply don't know this information”, he says, speaking from Veja's Paris headquarters. Continue reading......

New business rates regime that is poised to hit pubs and hotels is latest example of hasty decision-makingThere is a heavy cloud hanging over Labour's Christmas celebrations.The most recent figures show the economy is going backwards and worse, the slide is prompting recession talk in the corridors of City banks. Continue reading......

California governor says order pushes 'grift and corruption' instead of innovation just hours after president's dictumThe ink was barely dry on Donald Trump's artificial intelligence executive order when Gavin Newsom came out swinging. Just hours after the order went public Thursday evening, the California governor issued a statement saying the presidential dictum, which seeks to block states from regulating AI of their own accord, advances “grift and corruption” instead of innovation.“President Trump and David Sacks aren't making policy – they're running a con,” Newsom said, referencing Trump's AI adviser and crypto “czar”. “Every day, they push the limits to see how far they can take it.” Continue reading......

From pie-and-mash to the swank of a Michelin star, everyone has their own idea of what's 'best'. What's yours?Jonathan Nunn is the author of London Feeds ItselfAlmost 24 years ago, a small British food magazine called Restaurant assembled an all-star panel – made up of Gordon Ramsay, John Torode, Aldo Zilli and 65 other food guys – to adjudicate on the world's most stupid question: what is the best restaurant on the planet? It didn't matter that no judge had been to all the restaurants on the shortlist, or that two of the judges happened to be Jeremy Clarkson and Roger Moore – what the editors of Restaurant understood is that people love a list, and if you order a group of restaurants from 50-1 and throw a party, people might take it seriously.“This could run and run,” the editors wrote in their intro, half hoping. They were right. Within two decades, The World's 50 Best Restaurants had gone from what critic Jay Rayner described as a “terribly successful marketing exercise” to an insu...

Officials say raccoon that broke into Virginia liquor store on 29 November had previously hit DMV and karate studioThe raccoon that barged into a Virginia liquor store, smashed bottles of booze and passed out drunk in a bathroom this past Black Friday has at least two other break-ins under his belt, a local government official has revealed.Before burgling the Ashland ABC store on 29 November, the raccoon had separately broken into a karate studio and a department of motor vehicles office, all on the same block of businesses, Hanover county animal protection officer Samantha Martin said on an episode of the local government's official podcast published Thursday. Continue reading......

Ex-Fed governor Kevin Warsh is at top of his list to succeed Powell as central bank's chair, president says in interviewDonald 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......

Enfield's family-run Neco Tantuni, which specialises in Turkish street food, secured place among other Michelin-starred restaurants on Vittles 99-strong listOn a list of London's best restaurants, you would expect to see the usual Michelin-starred suspects such as The Ledbury, Ikoyi and The Ritz. But high among these culinary heavyweights sits a humble salonu tucked away in the depths of north London.Neco Tantuni, a small Turkish eatery specialising in the foodie delights of Mersin, a city located on the southern coast of Turkey, has been crowned the fourth best restaurant in London by Vittles, the trendy food magazine that has become a bible for those looking for the best (and more off-the-radar) grub in the capital. Continue reading......

Prices 10 times those promised in initial bidFifa not expected to change policy for 2026The 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......

The seizure of the Skipper on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019Venezuelan oil exports have reportedly fallen sharply since the US seized a tanker this week and imposed fresh sanctions on shipping companies and vessels doing business with Caracas, according to shipping data, documents and maritime sources.The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela's coast on Wednesday was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 and marked a sharp escalation in rising tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolás Maduro. Continue reading......

As Paramount, with close ties to the Trump administration, entered the bidding, experts predict any merger will 'raise red flags' among regulatorsOver the first 10 months of his second presidency, Donald Trump has not hidden his desire to control the US media industry – from encouraging TV networks to fire journalists, comedians and critics he dislikes to pushing regulators to revoke broadcast licences. Now he seems determined to set the terms for one of the biggest media deals in history.It's a deal that could have repercussions not just in the US, but across the world, with not just the future of Hollywood at stake but also the landscape of news. Continue reading......

California jury finds company knew its talc-based products were dangerous but failed to warn consumersA California jury on Friday awarded $40m to two women who said Johnson & Johnson's baby powder was to blame for their ovarian cancer.The jury in Los Angeles superior court awarded $18m to Monica Kent and $22m to Deborah Schultz and her husband after finding that Johnson & Johnson knew for years its talc-based products were dangerous but failed to warn consumers. Continue reading......

Several European nations are already planning similar moves while Britain has said 'nothing is off the table'Australia is taking on powerful tech companies with its under-16 social media ban, but will the rest of the world follow? The country's enactment of the policy is being watched closely by politicians, safety campaigners and parents. A number of other countries are not far behind, with Europe in particular hoping to replicate Australia, while the UK is keeping more of a watchful interest. Continue reading......

The watershed summit in 2015 was far from perfect, but its impact so far has been significant and measurableTen years on from the historic Paris climate summit, which ended with the world's first and only global agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions, it is easy to dwell on its failures. But the successes go less remarked.Renewable energy smashed records last year, growing by 15% and accounting for more than 90% of all new power generation capacity. Investment in clean energy topped $2tn, outstripping that into fossil fuels by two to one. Continue reading......

Free2Move, Enterprise Car Club and Co Wheels among those eyeing growth, as well as peer-to-peer firm HiyacarBusiness live – latest updatesSeveral car-sharing companies are considering launching or expanding in London, with the imminent closure of Zipcar's UK operation leaving a large gap in the market in one of Europe's biggest cities.Free2Move, owned by the carmaker Stellantis, said it was “closely monitoring the London market”, and “actively assessing” options for its services. It already operates fleets in cities including Berlin, Paris, Rome and Washington DC. Continue reading......

The decision is a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine's defence – but Moscow is threatening to retaliateThe 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 Russia's central bank's assets marks a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine's defence. Continue reading......

John Vincent on bouncing back after cutting branches, refreshing the menu, and staff learning from martial arts John Vincent is going back to the future. Four years after selling Leon, the fast food chain named after his father and founded in 2004 with two friends, he has bought it back with hopes of reviving its fortunes.“In a crisis you need a pilot in full control,” the martial arts fan says, speaking to the Guardian from Leon's headquarters near London Bridge. Continue reading......

GDP fell by 0.1% in October as activity failed to regain momentum after cyber-attack on Jaguar Land RoverBusiness live – latest updatesBritain's economy shrank unexpectedly in October as consumers held back on spending before Rachel Reeves's budget, and car manufacturing struggled to recover from the cyber-attack on Jaguar Land Rover.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed gross domestic product fell by 0.1%, after a 0.1% drop in output in September. City economists had predicted a 0.1% rise in October. Continue reading......