Jordan Henderson’s first goal for Brentford was cancelled out by a towering header from Dominic Calvert-Lewin
13 min It’s all fairly cagey. Leeds, who look very comfortable for a side who only recently switched to a back three, are having plenty of possession in the middle third.
9 min Almost a chance for Leeds, who have settled nicely on the ball. Bogle slides a pass down the side to Calvert-Lewin, who slips Van den Berg cleverly and guides a low ball into the six-yard box. Okafor is slightly on his heels and Brentford are able to clear.
One gunman was also killed and another wounded; two police officers among the injured taken to hospital
Amid the horror of the shooting, one video has emerged showing incredible bravery – a bystander rushing one of the gunmen from behind to wrestle the firearm off him.
Praised a hero, he is being identified by some media as a 43-year-old fruit shop owner from the Sutherland Shire.
Shortly after the mass shooting targeting Australia’s Jewish community on Sunday, Rabbi Levi Wolff of Central Sydney Synagogue told reporters that “the inevitable has happened now”.
Wolff was speaking in Bondi, close to where two men armed with powerful rifles or shotguns had just attacked an event celebrating Hanukah, the Jewish religious festival. At least 12 people were killed, including one alleged gunman, and dozens were injured in Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in almost three decades.
The beachside attack on Australia’s Jews, targeting a Hanukah gathering, reflects growing bigotry and political violence
The shock and horror that have rippled out from Bondi Beach across the world are immense. At least 11 people died at a place packed with families. A further 29 individuals suffered serious injuries. For Sunday evening’s shootings to occur in one of the most idyllic and quintessentially Australian of locations, at one of the most joyous times in the Jewish calendar, only deepens the fear and anguish felt throughout the Jewish community, across Australia and more broadly.
Authorities were quick to identify the attack as terrorism, targeting Jews as they gathered to celebrate the beginning of Hanukah on the beach. The two gunmen – one now dead, another critically injured as of Sunday night – fired on the crowds from a bridge. Parents ran with their children in their arms; elderly people struggled to flee. A car containing improvised explosive devices was found nearby and late on Sunday police were still searching for a possible third offender. Without the extraordinary courage of the man who single-handedly wrestled a gun from one attacker at the beach, and the swift response of others, this violence would probably have been still more devastating.
The US president’s claims to have ended eight conflicts look shakier than ever as conflict reignites in south-east Asia and the Democratic Republic of Congo
When the hastily confected Fifa world peace prize was bestowed on Donald Trump last week, the ceasefire in the Thai-Cambodian border dispute was among the achievements cited. Mr Trump also boasted of having ended war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He brags of having brought eight conflicts to a close and has just had the US Institute of Peace renamed in his honour.
Yet the truce between Thailand and Cambodia has already fallen apart. Half a million residents along the border have fled renewed fighting and civilians are among at least 27 people killed. Meanwhile, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at least 200,000 people have fled the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels – days after a peace deal was signed in Washington.
Players and coaches need to realise they will not be immune if fortunes do not change in the third Test in Adelaide
There’s always a lot of white noise around an Ashes series but at the moment for England it must be overwhelming, not just given their performances in the first two Tests but because of the mid-tour break they’ve just been on, with assorted media and attention-seekers following them around the beaches of Noosa.
I absolutely understand that Brendon McCullum’s priority is to do what he believes is right for the team, but the optics around that trip were not great and many England fans, who have spent their hard-earned money travelling to Australia with little reward so far, will be quick to bring it up if they produce another poor display.
Former senator’s comments echo recent call from Erika Kirk that ‘everyone has responsibility’ to tone down hatred
Politicians should “calm down” and stop approaching one another in “attack mode” amid the US’s climate of political violence, former US senator Joe Manchin said on Sunday.
The West Virginia independent who generally caucused with Senate Democrats echoed similar comments made at a town hall Saturday by Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death in September.
Literary critic, essayist and academic known for his erudite and pugnacious judgments on writers and his fellow dons
John Carey, who has died aged 91, bestrode the ever-narrowing bridge that connects the academic teaching of English literature to the world of literary journalism like a colossus. An Oxford don for more than 40 years – 25 of them as Merton professor – he combined his professional duties with a half-century-long stint on the books pages of the Sunday Times. All this gained him a formidable reputation as the most erudite and possibly the most pugnacious critic of his generation.
Carey’s take-no-prisoners approach to the business of literary journalism was the distinguishing mark of his early descents on Grub Street. He was anti-elitist, anti-Bloomsbury, anti-anything that, as he saw it, patronised the tastes of ordinary readers or hindered their enjoyment of literature, and capable of wielding his pen like a scythe.
Celtic now find themselves firmly in a mid-season crisis. Three games for Wilfried Nancy as the manager have resulted in the same number of defeats. The paucity of Celtic’s display in this League Cup final was so striking and so alarming that it is already fair to ask questions about Nancy’s suitability for this role. Celtic look a mess.
How St Mirren capitalised. This will rank among the finest days in the Paisley club’s history. St Mirren’s second-half showing in particular was excellent. They were fully deserving winners. Celtic had no reply to St Mirren’s tactical discipline.
On the face of it Northampton are flying in the Champions Cup courtesy of two consecutive bonus points wins. The more pedantic-minded might also point out that both their opponents to date have fielded below-strength sides but when the qualifying sums are completed next month that will not be the top line statistic as far as the Saints’ management are concerned.
Because regardless of the depth of the resistance in front of them, Northampton are once again underlining their ability to pick apart sides who give them too much space and time. On this occasion they rattled up a total of eight tries, including a hat-trick for George Hendy, two for the fit-again Ollie Sleightholme and one for the roaming Henry Pollock who once again showed a glimpse or two of his rare talent.
Your obituary records how Tom Stoppard’s Jewish family, the Sträusslers – Eugen, a doctor working for Bata shoes, his wife, Marta, and their two small boys, Petr and Tomáš – were helped to escape from Czechoslovakia early in 1939, when Adolf Hitler was poised to invade the country.
My doctor in Nairobi, Dr Gellert, also Jewish, told me a story about this. He had been a friend and colleague of Sträussler in Czechoslovakia. The chief executive of Bata shoes, Jan Antonín Bat’a, gave Gellert a ticket for his family to go to the Bata factory in Singapore, and he gave Sträussler a ticket for his family to go to Nairobi, to another Bata factory. Thinking that Singapore sounded more interesting, Sträussler offered to swap tickets with his friend. Gellert agreed and the fatal exchange took place.
Exclusive: Analysis of NHS data shows rise in patients ‘stranded’ in beds as flu crisis hits and resident doctors’ strikes loom
Hospitals in England face dangerous overcrowding this winter because even more patients than last year are “stranded” in a bed, according to an analysis of NHS figures.
The findings come as the health service struggles to cope with the early onset of its usual winter crisis driven by a crippling “flu-nami” and the NHS in England is bracing itself for a five-day strike by resident doctors starting on Wednesday.
The percentage of bed days used by patients whose discharge was delayed rose from 10.1% in 2024 to 11% this year, an increase of 9% or 19,000 bed days.
That rise was driven by an 8% year-on-year rise in the number of discharges, equivalent to about 3,800 patients a month.
The number of the NHS’s overall stock of about 100,000 general and acute beds occupied last winter by delayed discharge patients hit a peak of 14%, but it is likely to be even higher this winter.
Dr Richard Hassall, Allen Frances and Natasha Fairbairn respond to a column by John Harris which argued that the health secretary should not jump on a rightwing bandwagon about mental health
John Harris is misguided in his criticism of Wes Streeting’s review of UK mental health services (The right’s callous overdiagnosis bandwagon is rolling. Wes Streeting should not be on it, 7 December). While this review will inevitably examine questions of overdiagnosis, Harris is wrong to imply that Streeting’s main motivation is political. There is nothing unusual, of course, about ministers making decisions based on political considerations, but there is rather more to the review than Harris indicates.
It hardly needs restating that mental health services are grossly overstretched and underresourced, and an inquiry is necessary. This is a particular problem in child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs). When I was working as a clinical psychologist and involved in a Camhs autism diagnosis team 15 years ago, the waiting time for an autism assessment was around four to six months. Nowadays a waiting time of up to two years is common.
They are not ‘bureaucrats’ who must be culled, writes Michael Joffe
The finding that one in seven GP referrals are getting lost, with harm to most of the patients involved (Thousands of patients in England at risk as GP referrals vanish into NHS ‘black hole’, 7 December), is no surprise to me. But it is not confined to GP referrals. Hospital patients are constantly in a similar position. I have experienced this myself many times, with investigations and/or outpatient appointments promised but never happening. Sometimes this follows an appointment being cancelled, with a “we will be in contact soon” message that turns out not to be true. Sometimes one just falls off the system, presumably included on a waiting list to be dealt with, that is then not dealt with. My experience is shared by large numbers of patients.
The administrators are, in my experience, competent and dedicated people – but the system is not working. The commonly heard complaint that “there’s too much bureaucracy in the NHS” is wrong. What is needed is a well-managed administrative system, where the chief priority is that somebody is responsible for ensuring coordination, and that gaps are filled, eg when an administrator is on leave, ill, or moves to a different job. The present dire situation also means that nurses and doctors have to add administrative tasks to their already-heavy workload, adding to their stress and burnout.
Australia is showing what is possible by not succumbing to the pressures of big tech. The UK needs to follow its lead, says Daniel Kebede
Lisa Nandy’s suggestion that an Australian-style restriction on social media for under-16s would lead to prosecuting children is a distraction (Young people have faced ‘violent indifference’ for decades, Lisa Nandy says, 9 December). No one is calling for teenagers to be criminalised for using platforms designed to keep them hooked. The responsibility lies squarely with the tech companies that profit from exposing children to harm. Why does the government still allow systems that erode childhood for commercial gain?
Teachers and parents witness the fallout daily: pupils too anxious and distracted to learn, children awake into the night because notifications demand constant attention, bullying that never ends, and content that pushes young people to extremes. This is not poor parenting or teaching – it is caused by the exploitative business models at the core of these addictive platforms.
DanceEast, Ipswich This colourful quest story is stylishly simplified for a young audience and an energetic cast of just four, choreographed by Luca Silvestrini to a melodious Frank Moon score
One of the things that’s so successful about this all-ages version of The Magic Flute is the way it effortlessly synthesises all of its ingredients – dance, text, operatic arias and a dreamy-folky reinterpretation of Mozart’s score – in service to the story. And that famously fantastically convoluted narrative is presented clearly enough for everyone to understand (recommended age is five-plus, and it’s delightful for grownups too).
Papageno the bird catcher is played with bags of personality by the brilliant Nathan Bartman, he’s cheeky and big-hearted with more than enough warm energy to fill the stage. Prince Tamino (Jacob Lang) is his more earnest foil, and the choreography sends them both in easy arcs, lilting and circling across the stage as they set off to find Princess Pamina (Faith Prendergast). Multitalented soprano Donna Lennard, meanwhile, swaps between roles, as comfortable landing the leaping notes of the Queen of the Night’s famous Der Hölle Rache aria, as she is dancing or making winking asides to the audience.
Long before the shocking killings in Sydney, the threat of antisemitic violence was often left unchallenged. That must change
Like all Australians, Bondi isn’t just a place to me, it lives in my heart as a symbol of who we are. As a child I spent many Sundays on the beach at North Bondi life-savers as a “nipper”, and as a former mayor of Waverley council and a local councillor for more than a decade, I have walked its concrete ramparts thousands of times, in all its seasons.
In a few weeks, visitors from every corner of the globe will gather there to celebrate Christmas. For locals, it is a place of peace and play. For the small Jewish community, it is also a place where festivals are marked openly and proudly.
Details of financing structure to be reviewed by culture secretary and regulators before deal can proceed
The owner of the Daily Mail has secured funding for a £500m takeover of the Telegraph, in a crucial development that paves the way for the group to announce the terms of its acquisition on Monday.
Lord Rothermere’s Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) has agreed to pay the sum in two instalments, according to weekend reports. An initial payment of £400m will be funded by an increase in the group’s debt with its longstanding lender NatWest and existing company cash.
Eddie Howe is not the first, and is unlikely to be the last, manager outwitted by Régis Le Bris this season but few are likely to find the experience quite as painful.
Losing this most febrile of local derbies is a big deal and in past seasons has prompted Ruud Gullit and, later, Alan Pardew to swiftly relinquish their posts as Newcastle manager. Howe has far too much credit in the bank to contemplate such a notion, but a reverse sealed by Nick Woltemade’s spectacular headed own goal was still intensely chastening for a coach whose side never really got going.
When can Aston Villa dare to dream? When will Unai Emery accept that talk of a title challenge is far from fanciful?
Villa’s standards dropped and their legs looked heavy but their hunger knows no bounds at the moment. They were stretched by West Ham, who led twice before squandering a vital win in their battle against relegation, and still Emery’s indefatigable side dug deep for a response before emerging victorious for the 15th time in 17 games thanks to a virtuoso display from Morgan Rogers inspiring a second-half turnaround.
Just as Tottenham appeared to be generating some momentum, they put on a limp display and suffer an embarrassing defeat at Nottingham Forest. Ibrahim Sangaré leathered in a sensational first-time strike in off an upright that pinballed around Guglielmo Vicario’s net to cap the 3-0 victory and a deeply satisfying week for Sean Dyche, whose side established some welcome daylight between them and the relegation zone, moving five points clear of West Ham.
An unedifying defeat for Spurs was underpinned by another erratic performance by their goalkeeper, who was at fault for Forest’s first two goals, both scored by Callum Hudson-Odoi; Vicario’s hospital pass led to the opener and his positioning was exposed for a freakish second. By the end, the olés were out in force on a truly miserable afternoon for Thomas Frank.
Even in a week when they have beaten the mighty Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu, this ranked as one of Pep Guardiola’s most satisfying victories of the season.
It was Oliver Glasner who condemned the Manchester City manager to his first season without a major trophy since his first year in English football, when Crystal Palace enjoyed the greatest day in their history at the FA Cup final in May. So outsmarting one of the Premier League’s shrewdest operators gave Guardiola extra contentment, not to mention helping City to move back to within two points of Arsenal.
Campaigners call for quarterly data to be published in line with other departments instead of FoI route
Human rights and refugee campaigners are calling on the Home Office to be transparent about the numbers of asylum seekers who die in its care by publishing quarterly data as other government departments do.
The only way to obtain data about asylum seeker deaths is via freedom of information (FoI) requests to the Home Office, which officials do not always comply with. However, the NHS produces regular figures about deaths in hospitals and the Ministry of Justice does so with deaths in custody.
In an economy that rewards confession and self-labeling, pain is no longer something to survive – but something to brand, sell, and curate
In March 2023, Dr Gabor Maté, a retired family physician and among the most respected trauma experts in the world, boldly diagnosed Prince Harry with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), during a live interview.
Having read the Duke of Sussex’s ghost-written memoir, Spare, Maté said that he had arrived upon “several diagnoses” that also included depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. These were not evidence of disease per se, Maté went on to elaborate. Rather, he said: “I see it as a normal response to abnormal stress.”
With cheap drinks and friendly locals, Jimmy’s Corner is a New York institution. But a real-estate developer has ordered its closure – can it survive?
Founded by Jimmy Glenn, a former boxer turned trainer, in 1971, Jimmy’s Corner has stood, defiantly unchanged, as Times Square has boomed around it.
The neighborhood bar, a New York City institution which attracts locals and tourists alike, has had the same pictures on the walls for decades – some of the bar’s regulars have been coming almost as long – kept the same furniture, and maintained remarkably low pricing. In a perhaps unintentional nod to its history, there is also several years’ accumulation of dust in some areas.
In his joyous new comedy Finding Father Christmas, the star is on a mission to prove Santa really exists – and he’s got Stephen Fry to help him! He talks magic, trampoline mayhem and finally getting behind the wheel of a car
It’s time for a father to have an awkward conversation with his teenage son. No, not that one. This is far worse – Chris is 16 and still believes in Father Christmas. He needs to know the truth: all the presents, the fake snow on the roof, the soot in the grate, it was all his dad. “You’re Father Christmas?” says Chris, astonished. “You bring joy and happiness to billions of children all over the world?”
In Finding Father Christmas, Channel 4’s funny and moving comedy, Chris, played by Lenny Rush, bunks off school and sets out on a mission with his older cousin Holly (Ele McKenzie) to prove to his sceptic dad that Santa is real. Poring over a photograph taken at a celebrity party, Chris thinks he has identified four people who may have secret links to Santa – Stephen Fry, mathematician Prof Hannah Fry, the space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock and SAS: Who Dares Wins star Jason Fox. Finally, he follows clues to a secret secure facility in Milton Keynes and breaks in with the help of a mini trampoline and the magic of television (a bungee cord). “It was terrifying, but so much fun,” says Rush of the stunt. “I feel like if I was offered [to do it] and I said no, I’d kick myself on the way home. I wanted to give it a go and I’m happy I did. But there was an element of fear.”
Khadija Shaw’s phenomenal scoring record for Manchester City was extended to 103 goals in all competitions, with a stunning four goals in the league leaders’ 6-1 defeat of Aston Villa.
It was Shaw’s 120th appearance for City in all competitions and the Jamaica forward struck twice in the first half at the Joie Stadium to give City a commanding lead before Aoba Fujino and Vivianne Miedema scored either side of Lucy Parker’s goal for Villa.
Agency added Mary Carole McDonnell to Most Wanted list for loan fraud tied to phony heiress story
When Nigel Bellis went to work as a show runner for Bellum Entertainment in 2017, a friend gave him a warning: “They have a habit of not paying on time.”
Bellis spent the next several months in New Orleans, helping churn out more than 50 episodes of a true-crime TV show called Murderous Affairs. Though his payments came late, they always arrived. So when the company’s owner, Mary Carole McDonnell, offered him a new role in Los Angeles, he took it.
Howard Assembly Room, Leeds A TV cookery star becomes the main course, while doomed vegetables and a depressive egg create havoc, in this darkly comic show by the Scottish artist and composer David Fennessy at Opera North
Spare a thought for Amy J Payne, the gutsy mezzo-soprano who plays the title role in Opera North’s Pass the Spoon. Divas, of course, are used to leaping from castle walls or being swept away in avalanches but seldom is a singer required to be swallowed whole by a monstrous gourmand. Payne plays June Spoon, the vociferous host of a TV cookery programme, and whether or not she will be “passed” or, alas, be turned into excrement is the 11th-hour dilemma in this frankly bonkers show.
The idea was cooked up (pardon the pun) back in 2008 when Irish composer David Fennessy and director Nicholas Bone hooked up with David Shrigley, the visual artist famous for his distinctive, darkly humorous line drawings and witty captions. Described as “a sort-of opera,” it premiered at Glasgow’s Tramway in 2011.
British police forces are stepping up security in Jewish communities after the antisemitic terror attack that left 12 people dead on Bondi beach in Australia.
The Metropolitan police said they were increasing their presence around synagogues and other venues in London, where tens of thousands of Jews are celebrating Hanukah.
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