Paul Trevor’s new book, Market Day, captures the lively, chaotic energy of London’s Sunday markets, showcasing a contrast between vibrant market activity and the rundown, pre-gentrification East End

• Market Day is available now from Hoxton Mini Press

Continue reading...

Donald Trump’s choice of Robert Kennedy Jr has drawn sharp criticism, setting the stage for fiery scenes in the senate; plus, how do Trump’s 2024 picks compare with 2016?

• Don’t miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts

Donald Trump has nominated Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the Health and Human Services department, and chosen government posts for members of his own legal team in the latest raft of appointments given to his most loyal backers despite ongoing criticism .

Public health experts warned that the choice of RFK Jr on Thursday could cost lives because of his vaccine denial and notorious support of conspiracy theories . His role still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, and some senators have already expressed doubt that some of Trump’s nominees will garner sufficient votes despite a Republican majority in the chamber.

The FBI should investigate both Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard before they are confirmed for their cabinet posts , Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton has said. Gabbard, who Trump nominated as director of national intelligence, is known for her tolerant view of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad .

Elon Musk reportedly met Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, and discussed how to defuse tensions between Iran and the US, two Iranian officials told the New York Times . As Trump prepares to address conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Musk, the world’s richest man, has been assisting in discussions with foreign officials, establishing himself as the country’s most influential civilian come January.

Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are seeking Americans who are “high-IQ small-government revolutionaries” and willing to work over 80 hours a week to join their new department , at zero pay. Trump named Musk to co-lead the newly created government efficiency department that sits outside the federal government.

Advocates have urged state governments to find new ways to defend immigrants and block Trump’s mass deportation plan. California shielded many non-citizen residents from removal in Trump’s first term but immigrants rights groups warn an aggressive, multi-pronged response will be needed .

A Democratic lawmaker will file a motion specifically mentioning Trump can only serve two terms , after the president-elect joked he would be willing to serve an unconstitutional third term as president while meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday.

Trump announced his former Georgia congressman Doug Collins as secretary of veterans affairs. Collins ran for Senate in 2020, finishing third in the primary. He also “ provided counsel to Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election as Trump sought to challenge Georgia’s election results”.

Continue reading...

Investigating the war on drugs being waged at sea. Plus: Vernon Kay and co are doing it for the kids. Here’s what to watch this evening

7.30pm, Channel 4

Continue reading...

The negotiations continue with plenty of disagreement about the way forward, as we approach the halfway mark in Baku, Azerbaijan

Good morning! This is Bibi van der Zee, and we’ll be live blogging the events of the day at Cop29.

It’s day five, and things are beginning to get a little testy, after some extremely highly esteemed Cop watchers declared that the system is no longer ‘fit for purpose’.

Future UN climate summits should be held only in countries that can show clear support for climate action and have stricter rules on fossil fuel lobbying, according to a group of influential climate policy experts.

The group includes former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, the former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, the former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres and the prominent climate scientist Johan Rockström.

Continue reading...

Plant a tomato bush then lecture it on how it should grow tomatoes

• Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published
• Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints

Continue reading...

Kick off the festive season in velvet, silk and cosy knitwear

Continue reading...

Higher education regulator says sector needs to take ‘take bold action’ and consider mergers or cost sharing

England’s universities face financial turmoil with nearly three in four expected to be in the red next year, according to gloomy forecasts from the higher education regulator.

The Office for Students (OfS) said the sector would have to take “bold and transformative action” to compensate for a £3.4bn drop in income forecast for 2025-26, with universities needing to consider mergers or cost sharing.

Continue reading...

Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden were on committee that supported paying £15m for asbestos-ridden former prison

Leading Tories Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden were on the committee that backed plans for the “rushed and misjudged” £15m purchase of an asbestos-ridden site for asylum accommodation, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has disclosed.

The then immigration minister and the former chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster were members of the small ministerial group that oversaw the purchase of the Northeye site in Bexhill, East Sussex, as the government attempted to move asylum seekers from hotels.

Continue reading...

As disenchantment grows with mainstream parties, these collectives argue that the time is right – but there will be big obstacles

Ever since Keir Starmer began shoving Labour rightwards in 2020, a space has been opening up in British politics. The limited enthusiasm for Labour at the election and since has widened that space further, as has a more general dissatisfaction: a common feeling that our party system doesn’t properly represent voters on many issues, from inequality to Gaza.

Until recently, the pandemic and then the protracted collapse of the Conservative government distracted most people from this void to the left of Labour. The fact that the more radical leadership of his predecessor ended badly , with Labour’s heavy 2019 defeat, also discouraged further leftwing experiments. Of the many thousands who had been drawn in by Corbynism, some left Labour for the Greens, while others gave up on party politics, threatening to become a lost generation of progressives.

Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist

Continue reading...