The Guardian Articles

Keir Starmer has defended his government’s greater openness towards Beijing following revelations about an alleged Chinese spy who forged a close relationship with Prince Andrew, saying it was “important to engage”.

Questioned for the first time about the case, amid

calls from some MPs

Nearly 90% of the UK workforce at the telecoms company Lycamobile have been told they could be made redundant, the Guardian has learned, in an announcement that leaves more than 300 staff fearing for their jobs shortly before Christmas.

The company, owned by the multimillionaire Tory donor and

Ireland’s position on the war in Gaza “should not be seen as a hostile act”, the Irish deputy prime minister, Micheál Martin, has saidafter Israel decided to close its embassy in Dublin.

Israel

ordered the closure on Sunday,

UK businesses are cutting staff numbers at the fastest rate since the global financial crisis, according to a closely watched business survey blaming the

government’s tax-raising budget

The latest snapshot from the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) survey, which is monitored by the Treasury and the Bank of …

A widespread panic about drones or other unknown low-flying objects has gripped New Jersey in recent days, but many other parts of the US remain cheerfully gripped by another very American mystery in the skies that has had a modern resurgence of interest: UFOs.

At the newly opened

Emma Raducanu arrived in South Korea this September determined to end a complicated season with a strong Asian swing, her favourite time of year. She had started well, winning two matches at the Korea Open, only to suffer an all-too-familiar setback. Raducanu

retired from her quarter-final match

The worst cyclone to hit Mayotte for 90 years has devastated the French Indian Ocean territory’s health services, leaving the hospital severely damaged and health centres out of operation, a minister has said.

“The hospital has suffered major water damage and destruction, notably in the surgical, intensive care, maternity and …

A

new package holiday

That …

The US is seeking global support to give the UN clearer powers to interdict ships in the Red Sea heading for Houthi-controlled Yemen ports, as part of a concerted bid to weaken the Iranian-backed group, according to the US special envoy.

It is also considering redesignating the Houthis as a …

A woman who admitted to assault by beating after throwing a milkshake over Nigel Farage outside a Wetherspoon’s has been sentenced to 13 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

Victoria Thomas-Bowen, 25, hurled a cup containing the drink at the politician outside a pub in Clacton-on-Sea during the general …