headlines
Thursday
31
December
2015
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Iran accuses US of 'illegal meddling' over reports of 'arbitrary' new sanctionsPresident Hassan Rouhani gives instruction to increase ballistic missile capability after reports US preparing fresh sanctions against firms and individuals -
Skyscraper ablaze near New Year's Eve fireworksOne person suffers heart attack and 15 injured as fire shoots up high-rise city centre hotel building
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How tide turned against 'America's Dad'With his reputation already in tatters, the entertainer who shattered racial barriers now faces criminal charges -
highlights
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What we’ll be taking about at the movies next yearIn 2016, space invaders will take over from zombies, we shall laugh at international conflict and see Michael Bay finally getting serious
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Obama charms Jerry Seinfeld in Comedians in Cars Getting CoffeeHe’s not a comedian, and he doesn’t exactly tell jokes, but Obama is dry, relaxed and having fun – in a show that celebrates the US presidency as celebritocracy
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The Guardian view on Shakespeare’s 400th anniversaryEditorial: The Bard was the best of us, so to mark four centuries since his death we should make a resolution to see one of his plays this year, ideally in Stratford-upon-Avon
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Jennifer Lawrence wipes the floor with all comers in mop boss biopicLawrence’s star power is at its peak in this true-life tale of the single mother who made a fortune with a self-wringing mop, but its surprising surrealist streak doesn’t always benefit the storytelling
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Cause is hopeless but inspiration could come from pioneersThe 1930-31 West Indians were greeted awkwardly and then embraced by Australia, and their story shows Test cricket’s quirky twists of fate
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Louis van Gaal aims to end winless run against ‘ghost team’ SwanseaLouis van Gaal wants to end Manchester United’s eight games without a victory by defeating his ‘ghost team’ Swansea City
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Tom Jenkins picks his best photos of 2015The Guardian and Observer sport photographer Tom Jenkins selects his best images from 2015 and recalls in detail how each one was created
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Happy new year for England but it looks bleak for South AfricaEngland are riding high while South Africa cannot buy a Test win, have a captain in crisis and look set to face the return of Jimmy Anderson in the second Test
best of 2015
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Farewell to AmericaThe long read: After 12 years in the US, Gary Younge is preparing to depart – as the country’s racial frictions seem certain to spark another summer of conflict
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The world’s most charismatic mathematicianJohn Horton Conway is a cross between Archimedes and Mick Jagger. For years he feared his obsession was ruining his career – until he realised it could lead to extraordinary discoveries
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Why Isis fightsOur editors choose their top stories of 2015 Jihadi fighters in Iraq and Syria reveal the apocalyptic motivations of the militant movement that has hijacked the Syrian uprising – and transformed the Middle East
opinion
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Poland’s new leader seems hungry for total control. The west can’t look awayThe shackling of Poland’s top court is the latest troubling sign that Jarosław Kaczyński is taking his country in Hungary’s illiberal direction
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Star Wars (and 2015) showed us worlds of possibilities. May the force be with usMaybe new heroes, new alliances and female leadership can guide us beyond the wreckage of the past and into new, unexplored territory outside of theatres
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Landmark gun seizure law takes effect 1 January but amid concerns‘Gun violence restraining order’ law raises questions from pro-gun groups and lawmakers about civil liberties and how effective it will really be
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Almost 900 UK bankers paid €1m plus by US banks in 2014Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan disclose payments to comply with EU rules
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charity appeal 2015
in depth
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Ties that bindThe fate of police officers who kill often rests in the hands of the prosecutors they typically work alongside. A Guardian analysis reveals district attorneys cleared colleagues in more than 200 cases this year
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A shadow of violence hangs over New Year’s celebrationsDespite far fewer gunfire reports in New Orleans than in previous years, days of celebration can be a reminder it’s still among the deadliest cities in America
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Can tearjerker virtual-reality movies lure people to donate cash?By showing policymakers the reality of life in refugee camps and slums, the UN hopes pledges for humanitarian aid will rise
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Forget ambitious diets, plans to learn a language or unreachable exercise goals – start the new year with resolutions which actively challenge sexism, from buying books by female authors to volunteering at a women’s refugeWhat are your feminist resolutions for 2016?
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How Reddit took on its own users – and wonSince 2006, the site insisted anything that wasn’t illegal should be tolerated. Under Ellen Pao’s brief leadership, all that changed
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Anti-corruption prosecutor: graft is 'endemic, it has spread like cancer'Deltan Dallagnol, 31, is leading an investigation that has so far charged more than 70 politicians, lobbyists and industrialists, overturning decades of impunity
the big picture
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New Year's Eve preparations and temperatures tumbleThe Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of the best photographs from around the world
Guantánamo Former detainee speaks to hacker conference by video link