Vatican Swiss Guard member investigated over alleged antisemitic incident
VATICAN CITY — The Swiss Guard, the special military unit tasked with protecting the pope, is investigating one of its members after reports of an alleged antisemitic incident last month, the Vatican said on Monday (Nov 10). In a statement, the Vatican said the Swiss Guard was conducting an internal review after receiving a report concerning an "incident that occurred at one of the entrances to the Vatican City State, during which elements were allegedly identified that were interpreted as having antisemitic connotations". Leo condemned antisemitism in his speech for the occasion, promising that the Church "does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it". The Pontifical Swiss Guard, the world's smallest army, has protected popes since 1506. Known for their colourful uniforms, its members are seen frequently with the pontiff and are charged with guarding the gates into the Vatican.
Source:The Guardian
November 11, 2025 14:25 UTC
Mauricio Pochettino chooses caution with time running out before the World Cup
Pochettino could have selected McKennie, trusting that Spalletti is the first Juventus manager in years to be instantly convinced of the multifunctional Texan’s value. The absences mean that, at most, Pochettino will have a single international window to work with his full, first-choice team before he assembles it for next summer’s World Cup. In his year-and-change in charge, Pochettino has never had a full complement of his best players – whether they combine to form his best team or not. Richards’ club manager, Oliver Glasner, was upset at the October call-up, when Richards played all 180 minutes in the heat of Texas and at the altitude of Colorado in spite of an apparent calf issue. But all the caution and planning and diplomacy in the world can’t protect Pochettino and his US squad from it.
Source:The Guardian
November 11, 2025 13:04 UTC
Vatican Swiss Guard investigated for alleged spitting gesture at Jewish women
A member of the Vatican’s Swiss Guards, the world’s smallest army whose primary role is to protect the pope, is under investigation for allegedly making a spitting gesture towards two Jewish women. The alleged incident occurred at one of the side entrances to St Peter’s Square as people gathered for a general audience on 29 October, during which Pope Leo condemned antisemitism. When the guard was challenged, she added, he allegedly “made an act of spitting in our direction with clear contempt”. It is understood that the alleged incident arose when “a person … asked for a photo[of the Swiss Guard]”, and “it all started from there”, Cinotti added. “But to be clear – the Swiss Guard completely distances itself from any form of antisemitism,” Cinotti said.
Source:The Guardian
November 10, 2025 22:42 UTC
Putin ally who declared poverty had £217m of property, UK judge finds
A political ally of Vladimir Putin who declared poverty to a London divorce court had £217m-worth of property and land in London and Moscow as well as £21m in investments and a £4m art collection, a judge has found. David Allison, the solicitor representing Alona Sloutsker, said: “Unfortunately, Mr Sloutsker’s obstructive behaviour continued after trial until his death in late September. The couple had “spent millions of pounds on redecorating and renovating that large property”, the judge said. The family home in London was valued at £45m although Sloutsker had failed to pay about £27m or £28m in mortgage payments over the last 12 months. He had £4m in REYL bank in Switzerland and a family home in Moscow valued at £22m.
Source:The Guardian
November 10, 2025 22:09 UTC
Monday briefing: What to expect from Cop30 as the crucial climate conference kicks off in Brazil
The problem is the politics’View image in fullscreen A man sits in a polluted river in Belem, Brazil. “The climate crisis is a slow-motion disaster,” Natalie said, “but the news agenda thrives on quick, new, fast, ever-changing stories. Photograph: HandoutThe Guardian will be providing comprehensive coverage of the conference, with a significant team out in Brazil. “This isn’t just some sort of theoretical discussion in a conference room at a UN Climate Summit. “Trump row BBC boss: I quit” – that’s the Daily Mirror, while the Mail engages maximum castigation protocols: “BBC bosses quit in disgrace”.
Source:The Guardian
November 10, 2025 21:33 UTC
Second world war veterans applauded as king leads Remembrance Sunday tributes
Veterans of the second world war were applauded as they arrived at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, before being joined by royals and senior politicians to honour those who have died in conflict. King Charles laid the first wreath in recognition of those killed in wars and conflicts dating back to the first world war. View image in fullscreen Veterans lay wreaths at the Stone of Remembrance outside the City Chambers in Edinburgh. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PAAs well as royals and political leaders, 10,000 members of the armed forces participated in the Royal British Legion’s annual march past, including about three D-day veterans among the 20 second world war veterans marking 80 years since the conflict ended in 1945. Sid Machin, one of six 101-year-olds registered to march, is one of the last surviving Chindit special forces soldiers the second world war’s Burma (now Myanmar) campaign.
Source:The Guardian
November 10, 2025 21:11 UTC
Eight people die and several injured after car explosion in Delhi, police say
A car explosion outside the historic Red Fort monument in Delhi has killed at least eight people and started a fire in the surrounding area, according to police. Police said a slow-moving car had stopped at a red light just outside the Red Fort metro station before the blast. “An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” said the Delhi police commissioner, Satish Golcha. “Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening. About a dozen people were killed in a briefcase explosion outside the Delhi high court in 2011 – the last such major incident in the city.
Source:The Guardian
November 10, 2025 21:00 UTC
Syrian president holds talks with Trump at White House
Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has held talks with Donald Trump at the White House, the first such official visit by a Syrian leader since national independence in 1946. Trump met the Syrian leader for the first time last May in Riyadh on the sidelines of a Gulf Cooperation Council summit. In September the ex-jihadist, who had been previously affiliated with al-Qaida, became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN general assembly in New York. The interior ministry said Syrian security forces carried out 61 raids, with 71 people arrested and explosives and weapons seized. While Israel and Syria remain formally in a state of war, with Israel still occupying Syria’s Golan Heights, Trump has expressed hope that the two countries can normalise relations.
Source:The Guardian
November 10, 2025 20:45 UTC
Sarkozy freed from prison and put under ‘judicial supervision’ pending appeal – as it happened
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy arriving at his residence in Paris, France. View image in fullscreen Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy arriving at his residence in Paris, France. Photograph: Jumeau Alexis/ABACA/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Jean Sarkozy and Pierre Sarkozy, sons of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, are seen in Paris. View image in fullscreen Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy seen arriving at his flat in west Paris after leaving La Sante Prison earlier today. View image in fullscreen Vehicles believed to be carrying former French President Nicolas Sarkozy leave the Sante prison in Paris, France.
Source:The Guardian
November 10, 2025 20:31 UTC
Twice as effective as nets: shark-spotting drones to become ‘permanent fixture’ on Queensland beaches
Queensland will roll out shark-spotting drones to more beaches, after a major study found drones detected more than double the number of sharks caught in adjacent nets. Shark nets had a substantially higher environmental impact, with 123 non-target animals (not including non-target sharks) caught in nets across 10 beaches during the trial period. In May, the Crisafulli government announced it would expand the use of shark nets, a position it has maintained despite more than a dozen whales becoming entangled in recent months. The state now deploys 27 nets and 383 drum lines designed to catch and kill seven target species of shark. “While drones are a good augmentation of the program, they cannot replace core program gear such as drum lines and nets at this time,” the spokesperson said.
Source:The Guardian
November 10, 2025 19:31 UTC
Chess: Russian star and top Americans fall in World Cup but Adams wins 10-game epic
The $2m (£1.5m), 206-player World Cup taking place in Goa, India, has a brutal format designed to maximise the chance of shock results. The major incentive besides the prize money is three places in the 2026 Candidates, the pathway to the world title. After losing to the little-known Indian Diptayan Ghosh, Nepomniachtchi posted a laconic message: “There’s nothing to say about the chess part. Niemann was outplayed by Italy’s Lorenzo Lodici, so will have to postpone his ambition to become the first US world champion since Bobby Fischer until at least 2028. View image in fullscreen 3997: GM Levon Aronian (US) v IM Aronyak Ghosh (India), World Cup, Goa 2025.
Source:The Guardian
November 07, 2025 15:30 UTC
Ukraine war briefing: Ukrainian court jails Russian soldier for killing PoW in landmark sentence
A Ukrainian court has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison after finding him guilty of killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war – the first time Ukraine has jailed a suspect on such charges. The court in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia found Dmitry Kurashov, 27, guilty of shooting dead Vitalii Hodniuk, a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered in January 2024 when his dugout was captured by Russian forces. Kurashov, who was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces along with other Russian troops soon after and pleaded guilty in court, although he later told reporters he was innocent and wanted to be exchanged in a prisoner swap. Sweden and Ukraine said they had signed a letter of intent to establish a hub in Ukraine to develop new weapons technologies. The plans would see Swedish personnel working on site in Ukraine, said the Swedish defence minister, Pal Jonson.
Source:The Guardian
November 07, 2025 15:20 UTC
Weatherwatch: reduced European snowfall spells disaster for skiing
For a long time now it has been obvious the climate crisis is reducing snowfall across much of northern Europe. Snow-making machines are keeping the industry alive. For the first time the Swiss have been able to quantify their snow loss. The height of Swiss ski resorts in between those extremes varies enormously. These figures spell potential future economic disaster for those lower down, since snow-making machines are expensive to operate – sometimes as much as 50% of a resort’s energy costs.
Source:The Guardian
November 07, 2025 15:00 UTC
Disgraced former king of Spain’s memoir details ‘enormous respect’ for Franco
View image in fullscreen Juan Carlos said he regretted his affair with the Danish-German socialite Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, saying it had harmed his reputation. He was summoned aged 10 to Spain by Franco, who trained him to be his successor. “I respected him enormously, appreciated his intelligence and political sense,” Juan Carlos said of Franco. “He took my hand and said, as if it was his last breath: ‘Your highness, I ask you just one thing: keep the country united,’” Juan Carlos recalled. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter.
Source:The Guardian
November 06, 2025 23:25 UTC
Famed Florentine diamond surfaces in Canada after century-long disappearance
The Florentine diamond, a 137-carat pear-shaped stone that glimmers with a “fine citron” hue, adorned European royalty for centuries. View image in fullscreen A glass replica of the Florentine diamond. Another theory is that the diamond was cut by a European – the famed Flemish jeweller Lodewyk van Bercken – into a pyramidal shape. Briefly, the Shah of Persia, a 99-carat stone recut from larger diamond, was believed to part of the missing Florentine. But the stone unearthed in Canada is most certainly “the genuine, historical ‘Florentine Diamond’”, said Christoph Köchert of AE Köchert, once Austria’s imperial court jewellers.
Source:The Guardian
November 06, 2025 23:23 UTC