The future of Team Sky is in doubt after broadcaster Sky announces it will withdraw backing at the end of 2019.

Protests against Emmanuel Macron have brought Paris to a standstill

UN investigator says six states approached complied, but UK and South Africa unhelpful A UN investigator looking into new evidence on the death of the UN secretary general

Nobody demanded that the New Zealand leader say sorry for Grace Millane’s murder. I can’t imagine British leaders showing such responsibilityThe story of

Boy aged 17 to appear in juvenile court over street killing of 15-year-old in Bellingham A teenage boy has been charged with the murder of 15-year-old Jay Hughes in London. The Metropolitan police said the 17-year-old accused from Penge, south-east London, was arrested on Monday evening. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

Technology company executive facing extradition to the US is given $7.5m bail by a judge in Vancouver A Canadian court has granted bail to the

Cosmonauts to collect samples for analysis after suspicions foreign sabotage caused leak Spacewalking astronauts have ripped through thick insulation on a capsule docked to the International Space Station looking for clues about a mysterious drilled hole that caused a leak four months ago. Russians cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Oleg Kononenko located the tiny hole in the external hull of the Soyuz capsule, more than five hours into their gruelling spacewalk.

Shareholders vote for first strike, saying cuts to bonuses over banking royal commission were not enough Westpac shareholders have handed the bank a first strike on executive pay in protest over bonus cuts they say did not go far enough. The bank’s chairman, Lindsay Maxsted, told shareholders on Wednesday that more than half the votes cast ahead of the bank’s annual general meeting in Perth had gone against the remuneration report.

Brendan O’Connor says collective bargaining needs to be expanded beyond a worker’s direct employer More needs to be done to tackle employers outsourcing and subcontracting work to drive down wages, Labor’s shadow industrial relations minister Brendan O’Connor has suggested. In comments delivered at the National Press Club on Wednesday, O’Connor will make the case for expanding bargaining beyond a worker’s direct employer, arguing that many people are employed in workplaces without a union representative.

Rare event will create thunderstorms from Queensland to Tasmania A tropical cyclone will hit Queensland this weekend, and rain and flooding will affect New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania as

Sexism row deepens as one university claims women ‘mature faster’ and male applicants need extra help A sexism row engulfing Japan’s medical schools has deepened after two more universities admitted discriminating against female applicants, months after it was revealed that Tokyo Medical University had

Practical jokers pretend to steal items and induce reaction from staff before pretending nothing happened A woman enters a jewellery store, asks to be shown a necklace from the cabinet, puts it around her neck and then sprints for the door. Panicked, the shop assistant leaps over the counter and runs after her, only to stop, embarrassed, when the woman stops to admire the necklace in a mirror as if she never intended to steal the piece of jewellery in the first place.

Tonne of chocolate flows out of factory in Westoennen, coating the pavement A street in a western German town got a repaving worthy of Willy Wonka when a tonne of chocolate flowed out of a factory and solidified on the pavement. The German newspaper Soester Anzeiger reported that a “small technical defect” involving a storage tank caused the chocolate to spill out from the DreiMeister chocolate factory in Westoennen.

Federal judge says porn star must cover attorney cost after her defamation suit against the president was dismissed The porn star Stormy Daniels must pay Donald Trump nearly $293,000 for his attorneys’ fees and another $1,000 in sanctions after her

Since its inception #MeToo has been accused of excluding as many people as it is empowering. What if you don’t fit the dominant narrative of #MeToo? When issues of race, sexuality, disability and gender identity intersect with the discrimination women face, how can we make sure we all move forward together?

Family of the British backpacker travelled to the bushland area near Auckland and attended a Māori blessing ceremony Grace Millane’s father and uncle have visited the bushland area in New Zealand where the 22-year-old backpacker’s body was found. Millane disappeared from Auckland on 1 December and was found dead in the Waitakere Ranges area west of the city a week later. A 26-year-old man has been charged with her murder and is being held on remand, scheduled to appear in the high court in January.

Festive season is peak time for organised criminals to import dodgy goods

But health chiefs say using more accurate, faster technique across UK will improve survival rates and save cash

Connor Hayes, 25, has been jailed for 21 months for inciting a 15-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity over the internet

The nine-year-old girl loved math and dreamed of becoming a scientist one day

This is the second year in a row an American official has been heckled at this conference

Aaron Trejo confesses to planning to kill classmate after learning about pregnancy

The ice cream shop's owner said critics were "on a crusade to destroy my business and my life"

Arson suspected as blaze puts plant out of operation indefinitely

Critics made repeated calls for the 45th president's impeachment since he took office. What would it look like for the president and the country?

Police overwhelmed by public response after footage released

Number has soared as Trump administration cracks down on undocumented immigrants

The national health impact could be substantial, preventing more than 190,000 cases of diabetes and 16,000 cases of cancer We don’t often equate the kilojoules we drink in our glass of wine or pint of beer with the weight that accumulates around our middle. But

The claim has been dismissed as 'desperate' and 'pure speculation'

Insects power up mandibles by pressing them together until tips slide over each other, like humans snapping their fingers

Feelings of being different believed to lead to self-harm and other mental health issues Young lesbian, gay and bisexual people start becoming depressed and self-harming from the age of 10 because they feel different from their heterosexual peers, research has found. LGB 16- to 21-year-olds are four times more likely to have felt depressed, harmed themselves and thought about killing themselves, according to a study based on interviews with 4,800 young people from in and around Bristol.

Patients waiting for treatment thoracic medicine, used for lung cancer, asthma and tuberculosis, up 128 per cent since 2011, as waits increase across the board

Major incident declared as ministers issue statement

President says he will shut down government over border wall

Lewis Ferguson's stoppage-time overhead kick gives Aberdeen a dramatic win over Livingston and moves them back into the top six.

The president’s heated public exchange with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer was the political equivalent of a custard pie fight It seemed to start on cordial terms, a brave new world of bipartisan dialogue on the great issues of the day, less than a week after the funeral of George HW Bush. Just kidding.

Shots were heard close to the Christmas market in Place Kleber, one of the central squares in the city

French police say at least 12 others injured by gunman who targeted Christmas market French police were searching for a gunman who shot two people dead and injured at least 12 others in a terror attack on Strasbourg’s celebrated Christmas market on Tuesday evening. After firing several volleys at passers-by in the busy city centre, the man was injured in an exchange of fire with patrolling soldiers. He then reportedly jumped in a taxi and disappeared.

A revealing look at the US president's social media account

Trial of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman is expected to last four months

Stormy is ordered to pay a portion of the president's legal fees in connection with her dismissed defamation suit

The key moments from Donald Trump's extraordinary heated row with Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. The president threatened to

Potential successors to John Kelly rule themselves out of job as Russia probe moves closer to White House

Shots were heard close to the Christmas market in Place Kleber, one of the central squares in the city

Campinas gunman Euler Fernando Gandolfo, 49, also wounded four others before killing himself

Potential successors to John Kelly rule themselves out of job as Russia probe moves closer to White House

Vanuatu’s foreign minister says worst offenders on global warming are blocking progress The United States and other high carbon dioxide-emitting developed countries are deliberately frustrating the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, Vanuatu’s foreign minister has said. His warning came as Pacific and Indian ocean states warned they faced annihilation if a global climate “rule book” could not brokered. In a bruising speech before ministers and heads of state, Vanuatu’s foreign minister, Ralph Regenvanu, singled out the US as he excoriated major CO2-emitting developed countries for deliberately hindering negotiations.

Police have closed down the area, warning the public to stay indoors

Police have closed down the area, warning the public to stay indoors

Shots were heard close to the Christmas market in Place Kleber, one of the central squares in the city

Potential successors to John Kelly rule themselves out of job as Russia probe moves closer to White House

Officers ‘dressed like soldiers’ in Arthur’s Hill area as man held for alleged terrorism offences Counter-terrorism investigators believe they have thwarted a potential fresh Isis-inspired plot after armed police arrested a 33-year-old man in Newcastle. Residents described seeing armed officers “dressed like soldiers” in the Arthur’s Hill area of the city as properties were evacuated near a primary school.

Wednesday:

EU members warned of growing risk as May says UK is also stepping up contingency planning

French police say several more injured after shooting on Tuesday evening in city centre One person has been killed and three injured in a shooting near a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg, according to emergency workers. The killing took place at Place Kléber near the city’s Christmas market, which draws millions of tourists every year.

Michael Kovrig’s employer, the International Crisis Group, is seeking his release but it is unclear if the case is related to Meng Wanzhou A former Canadian diplomat has been detained in China, and his current employer, the International Crisis Group, said it was seeking his prompt and safe release. Michael Kovrig’s detention comes after police in

Pedro Muller and Hector Sibilla were sentenced 10 and 12 years, respectively, for 1976 kidnapping and torture of 24 workers An Argentinian court has convicted two former executives of a local Ford Motor Co plant of involvement in the abduction and torture of company workers during the country’s

Potential successors to John Kelly rule themselves out of job as Russia probe moves closer to White House

Populism and nationalism, as well as dangers from Isis, Iran, China and Russia 'all raising global dangers'

A revealing look at the US president's social media account

Follow all the latest updates

The activists who blocked a deportation flight from departing were charged under legislation introduced to counter terrorist threats. Their case sets a chilling precedentThe case of the 15 activists convicted on Monday over

US president tells Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer during a White House photocall that he will

Prime minister met with German and Dutch leaders today and will meet Irish prime minister tomorrow

Flaunting Élysée Palace’s gilded rooms does little to quell ‘president of the rich’ tag It was the

Potential successors to John Kelly rule themselves out of job as Russia probe moves closer to White House

Ricardo Salles says remaining part of international accord must not sacrifice Brazilian autonomy on environmental issues

Nasa detects ice retreat probably linked to ocean changes in region once thought stable A group of glaciers spanning an eighth of the East Antarctica coastline are being melted by the warming seas, scientists have discovered. This Antarctic region stores a vast amount of ice, which, if lost, would in the long-term raise global sea level by tens of metres and drown coastal settlements around the world.

Both sides are digging in their heels, risking a partial government shutdown

Google reportedly has plans to open a censored search engine in China

'There is no justification for these levels of pay at a university'

John Broadhurst 'totally lost it' during drug-fuelled sex session which left Natalie Connolly with more than 40 injuries

'We urge current and future senators to be steadfast and zealous guardians of our democracy'

The Arctic has been warmer for the past five years than at any other point since 1900 when records began, according to a US government agency.

Silver-eyed Minerva found by a farmer 10 years ago dates back to first or second century A 2,000-year-old Roman statuette of a silver-eyed goddess Minerva that for more than a decade was kept in a plastic margarine tub is among a record number of treasure discoveries made by the nation’s army of metal detectorists. The

'It was so scary I legged it away - it made a hell of a noise too'

Michael Kovrig’s employer, the International Crisis Group, is seeking his release but it is unclear if the case is related to Meng Wanzhou A former Canadian diplomat has been detained in China, and his current employer, the International Crisis Group, said it was seeking his prompt and safe release. Michael Kovrig’s detention comes after police in

The writer counselled his Prince to avoid being hated but to embrace being fearedLast Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron announced that the planned rise in fuel tax due to come into effect in January

Members of congress worry impeachment proceedings could backfire politically and fail without Republican support

The 52-year-old sex attacker could well spend the rest of his life behind bars after being ordered to serve a minimum term of 36 years for the murders of nine-year-olds Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows in 1986

Marco Bussetti to tell teachers festive period is ‘time of rest for students and families’ Italy’s education minister has urged schools not to overburden children with homework during the Christmas holiday so they can spend more time with their families. Marco Bussetti, from the far-right League, said he would send a circular to schools over the next few days asking teachers to reduce homework and reminding them the festive period is “a time of rest for students and families”.

'Quite honestly, those people who don't understand, we don't want them'

Trial of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman is expected to last four months

Drunk motorist was 'careless beyond belief - it's sheer luck more people weren't injured,' say Manchester police

Ex-England player will stand trial in January

Recession and rising prices have left the book trade fighting for its life, with one publisher appealing to readers for help by buying books at Christmas “These are dark days for the book in Brazil”, one of the country’s leading publishers has warned, after crises at the country’s two largest bookstore chains have left many worried that many towns may be left without a single bookstore. After announcing the closure of 20 stores in

Potential successors to John Kelly rule themselves out of job as Russia probe moves closer to White House

The largest earth tremor so far has been recorded at Cuadrilla's fracking site near Blackpool, forcing the company to pause operations.

Theresa May was forced to shelve a vote on her Brexit deal to avoid a catastrophic defeat

Police use stun gun on suspected trespasser inside Palace of Westminster A man has been arrested by armed police near an entrance to the Houses of Parliament. The incident, during which officers used a stun gun, is not believed to be terrorism related. The man was held by parliamentary and diplomatic protection officers.

Egyptian officials have ordered Cairo retailers to ban sales of reflective vests to walk-in customers after they become symbol of protest in France

Trio face lengthy terms for opposing the ruling system amid accusations of ‘propaganda’ Iran has sentenced two human rights lawyers to six years in prison and a third to 13 years, according to newspaper reports. The Arman daily said Ghasem Sholeh-Saadi and Arash Keikhosravi were sentenced to five years in prison for taking part in an “illegal gathering” and one year for “propaganda” against the ruling system. It added that they could appeal against the verdict.

Barack Obama promises "no memes" in a new video reminding people to sign up to healthcare coverage before a Sunday deadline.

Police searching for three men release CCTV footage of incident

Majority of respondents agree in-car entertainment options are the 'best they have ever been'

'Exploring the deep subsurface is akin to exploring the Amazon rainforest ... there is life everywhere'

Many Britons say they are too busy to remember everything in lead-up to holidays

Trump administration officials attend reception connected to 'aggressive' public relations campaign for foreign government

Luca Campanaro was captain of Bedgrove Dynamos

Woman in 20s tells Gardai she was sexually assaulted in city centre during early hours of Monday morning

Former prime minister says 'he made a promise' to the British people

Vacancies have fallen by 39 per cent. The problem with that is banks and bankers contribute a sizeable portion of the UK's overall tax take that pays for services people rely on

Collective of journalists, embodied by murdered Washington Post reporter, honoured for their sacrifices in 'war on truth'

Golden State Warriors star and other basketball players cast doubt on lunar mission, while discussing popular conspiracy theories

Russian president's East German secret police membership uncovered in files, report says

French president’s address divides opinion in France as blockades and strikes go ahead as planned Protests and

An apparent intruder has been shot with a stun gun and arrested by armed police after being spotted running towards an entrance gate at the Houses of Parliament.

Reading, playing board games, and playing musical instruments could help instead, researchers say

The function gives customers the power to block payments under any one of five headers. It's easy enough to unblock them, but the facility could still prove to be beneficial

Emergency crews called as school day ended

The prime minister has begun a series of meetings with key EU figures in a bid to squeeze further concessions out of Brussels

Verdict comes as Jeremy Corbyn faces growing pressure to push for a no-confidence vote - because of the deepening Brexit chaos

'Absolutely criminal' that pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment is not more widely available, say activists

David Lipton says world is unprepared for downturn and Fund needs more resources The storm clouds of the next global financial crisis are gathering despite the world financial system being unprepared for the next downturn, the deputy head of the

Veteran anchor known as cool master of ceremonies makes way for Fiona Bruce

Tesco and Sainsbury's lose ground as supermarkets get ready for record-breaking festive period

'Why would anybody want to be Donald Trump's chief of staff unless you want to steal the office supplies before they shut the place down?'

The group is aiming to make savings of £275m per year after losing 40 per cent of its value in the last 12 months

Christine Blasey Ford, Ryan Coogler and Meghan Markle among the list of potential candidates

Recreating 'authenticity' to engage audiences risks undermining a proper reliance on archive sources, says Robert Fisk

UK wages rose at an annual rate of 3.3 per cent in the three months to October

PM referred to as 'desperate', 'running scared' and 'truly stuffed'

Nicola Sturgeon accuses prime minister of planning to 'run down the clock' to Brexit day next March - saying: 'Parliament can't allow her to get away with that'

Border Force patrol officers took group ashore at Dover after early-hours discovery

Sister Mary Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St James Catholic School are believed to have embezzled funds over several years using separate bank account

There's more to esteemed composer Philip Glass than you might presume. Anne Midgette meets with him in his Manhattan home to discuss his long life in music

'Someone may have come across it, picked it up and taken it home. We need to speak to that person or anyone who has seen it'

British backpacker’s death sparks national conversation about violence against women The murder of the British backpacker Grace Millane has provoked an unprecedented outpouring of collective shame and grief in New Zealand, and sparked a national conversation about violence against women. The Grief Centre in Auckland said many New Zealanders were experiencing “vicarious trauma”, exacerbated by the country’s small size.

Potential successors to John Kelly rule themselves out of job as Russia probe moves closer to White House

Follow all the latest updates

Obscure law preventing police from disrupting services to make arrests

Payments that fall within a switched off category - such as gambling or premium rate websites - will be automatically declined

There is "no room whatsoever" to renegotiate Theresa May's Brexit deal, the president of the European Commission has said.

Two pilots of Hornet fighter jet found by rescue teams but one died

Number of financial services professionals looking for work slumps 28 per cent

Auckland police appeal to public for help as they continue to piece together what happened to the British backpacker Police investigating the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane are looking for a shovel believed to be connected to the inquiry. Millane, 22, went missing from a hostel in Auckland on 1 December and a body was found in the Waitakere Ranges on Sunday.

Watch the latest UK weather forecast from the Independent for today.

If no deal made with state before election, Labor to backdate funds to start of 2019 Federal Labor has offered to backdate payments to Victorian schools if Daniel Andrews’s government fails to reach agreement with the Coalition before the next election and education funding is withheld. While federal Labor provided support to its Victorian counterpart in a battle that could break the Coalition’s school funding model, the premier, Daniel Andrews, hinted his government might still find “common ground” with the federal government while still rejecting “a multi-year deal that shortchanges Victorian kids”.

Lack of accountability in security programme fuels allegations that UK taxpayers are unknowingly complicit in rights abuses MPs have expressed concern over the government’s flagship £1.28bn global security programme, saying a lack of transparency and accountability lends weight to allegations from rights groups and watchdogs that taxpayers are unwittingly complicit in human rights abuses. Campaigners at Reprieve have accused the government of failing to release full details of a new “rule of law” initiative in Pakistan, granted £9.3m in foreign aid and an undisclosed amount in non-aid funding. The failure to release a human rights assessment of the initiative for 2018-19 raised “the appalling prospect that British taxpayers are unknowingly complicit in torture and death sentences”, it said.

Legislation comes ahead of a referendum on recreational marijuana use in next two years New Zealand’s government has passed a law that will make medical marijuana widely available for thousands of patients over time, after years of campaigning by chronically ill New Zealanders who say the drug is the only thing that eases their pain. The legislation will also allow terminally ill patients to begin smoking illegal pot immediately without facing the possibility of prosecution.

Worst quarter in Sydney since March 2005 and in Melbourne since September 2008 Property price declines in Sydney and Melbourne are no longer confined to expensive dwellings, with the price falls spreading to middle and lower segments of the market. Bureau of Statistics figures show property prices in Australia’s eight capital cities fell 1.5% on average in the September quarter, marking nine consecutive months of price declines.

Men declared dead almost a week after fighter jet and tanker plane collided over Pacific Japan has ended its search for five US marines who went missing after a suspected

Leaders of Labour, SNP, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru join forces against PM as she makes last-ditch bid to rescue Brexit deal

Hugo Blick tore up the TV rulebook with a pulsating drama that forced us to reflect on Rwanda’s horrifying chapter in modern history

The opposition should get behind a second referendum – and vote to remainSometimes, in politics, you just have to fight for what you believe in. I believe that – amid the current geopolitical meltdown – staying in the European Union and reforming it is safer than casting ourselves adrift with a bunch of rightwing Tory xenophobes at the helm. But since the referendum, I’ve understood that a leftwing Labour government can only be achieved by building a coalition of voters across the Brexit divide. It’s a belief based on the experience of the 2017 general election, when I campaigned in solidly working-class areas where, to keep a doorstep conversation going for more than 30 seconds, the first sentence had to be: “We will deliver Brexit.”

If no deal made with state before election, Labor to backdate funds to start of 2019 Federal Labor has offered to backdate payments to Victorian schools if Daniel Andrews’s government fails to reach agreement with the Coalition before the next election and education funding is withheld. The recently re-elected Victorian government is demanding that the education minister, Dan Tehan, increase the federal share of funding under the Gonski 2.0 model from 20% of the school resource standard for public schools to 25%.

Smugglers increasingly take advantage of island’s partition and proximity to Middle East When Rubar and Bestoon Abass embarked on their journey to Europe they had no idea that Cyprus was the continent’s easternmost state. Like most Iraqi Kurds heading west, their destination was Germany, not an EU nation barely 100 miles from war-torn Syria. “I had never heard of Cyprus,” said Rubar, reaching for his pregnant wife’s hand as they sat gloomily in a migrant centre run by the Catholic charity Caritas in the heart of Nicosia. “The smugglers told us it was much cheaper to get to and was still in Europe. We paid $2,000 [£1,590] for the four of us to come.”

Area that has been home to foreign embassies and key ministries has been inaccessible to most Iraqis since 2003 US-led invasion Iraq has begun removing cement walls from areas surrounding its capital’s most fortified enclave, opening parts of the so-called Green Zone to traffic in a symbolic move coinciding with nationwide celebrations to mark

Now 18-year-old has admitted sympathy with Isis but denies knives bought for terrorism A Sydney teenager has been jailed for at least 12 years for preparing a terrorist act, with a judge finding an attack was imminent when the boy was arrested near a Bankstown courthouse and police station in 2016. The now 18-year-old, who was found guilty by a jury in September, has admitted he sympathised with Islamic State when he bought fixed-blade knives from a gun shop in October 2016.

Opposition leader Michael Daley condemns haste, citing risk of asbestos exposure New South Wales Labor has ramped up its attack on the state government over its plan to knock down Allianz Stadium, citing environmental concerns including the risk of asbestos exposure. The opposition leader, Michael Daley, says the government is rushing to demolish the Sydney stadium at Moore Park before the March election, despite warnings from the Environment Protection Authority and other public agencies.

Auckland police appeal to public for help as they continue to piece together what happened to British backpacker Police investigating the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane are looking for a shovel believed to be connected to the inquiry. Millane, 22, went missing from a hostel in Auckland on 1 December and a body was found in the Waitakere Ranges on Sunday.

Google was represented by empty chair at earlier hearing

Tom Green and Daisy Maskell will replace Rickie, Melvin and Charlie, who are leaving to join Radio 1.

Christopher Kelaher and George Venardos replaced on interim basis as shares sold off The managing director and chairman of IOOF Holdings have stepped aside following

Service to be closed four months earlier than expected in light of lapse that exposed names, email addresses and other information Google is still having trouble protecting the personal information on its Google+ service, prodding the company to accelerate its plans to shut down a little-used social network created to compete against Facebook. A privacy flaw that inadvertently exposed the names, email addresses, ages and other personal information of 52.5 million Google+ users last month convinced Google to close the service in April instead of August, as previously announced. Google revealed the new closure date and its latest privacy lapse in a Monday blogpost.

The man reportedly reacted after seeing another woman kiss his victim on the cheek

'Young people are pessimistic about their future and it is vital we take urgent steps to address this'