Belarus releases 123 prisoners including opposition leaders after US lifts sanctions
Nobel prize winner Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava among those freed after US talks with Alexander Lukashenko
Cuba denounces US seizure of oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast as ‘piracy’
Cuban foreign ministry called US military action ‘maritime terrorism’ under a policy of ‘economic suffocation’
Labour is procrastinating over policy as UK’s economy goes backwards
New business rates regime that is poised to hit pubs and hotels is latest example of hasty decision-making
Thailand denies Trump ceasefire claim as clashes with Cambodia continue at border
Thai PM says military will keep fighting and Cambodia suspends border crossings as casualties rise
Zoe Ball to leave role as presenter of her BBC Radio 2 show
Ball will be replaced by Emma Willis but will continue to host special programmes for the station
Psychedelic treatments show promise for OCD while cannabis doesn’t, review finds
Psychiatry professor theorizes that the difference is related to how the substances interact with areas of the brain
LSO/Pappano review – Musgrave’s Phoenix rises and Vaughan Williams’ London stirs the soul
An all British programme featured music by Thea Musgrave, Vaughan Williams and William Walton, with Antoine Tamestit an expressive and sensitive soloist in the latter’s Viola concerto
The Trump administration keeps picking fights with pop stars. It’s a no-win situation
By using music from SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo in ICE videos, the government is playing a game of rage-bait
Top Democrats call for investigation into share-buying spree by Trump allies
Fossil fuel execs Robert Pender and Michael Sabel deny wrongdoing after report on potential conflict of interest
Comedian Robin Ince quits Radio 4 show, claiming BBC found his views ‘problematic’
Ince says he resigned as co-host of Infinite Monkey Cage because of what he described as his lack of ‘obedience’
How did Mail on Sunday’s US editor become ‘rock solid friend’ of Meghan’s father?
Duchess of Sussex says journalistic ethics breached as dad turns to journalist first to break news of leg amputation
Gavin Newsom pushes back on Trump AI executive order preempting state laws
California governor says order pushes ‘grift and corruption’ instead of innovation just hours after president’s dictum
Two men arrested after Christmas tree in Durham village chopped down
Tree, which was planted more than 10 years ago, was felled hours after its Christmas lights were switched on
Wes Streeting calls for ‘cross-party consensus’ on gender identity ahead of puberty blocker trial
Health secretary wrote to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, urging her to ‘take heat and ideology’ out of debate
C of E responds to Tommy Robinson’s carols event with ‘Christmas is for all’ message
Release of 43-second video comes as senior church figures speak out against dangers of Christian nationalism