Alec Baldwin has admitted his acting career may be over after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust. “It could be,” the 63-year-old actor said in an interview to George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, adding that he did not care. Mr Baldwin also said he “didn’t pull the trigger” of the gun during the incident on 21 October in New Mexico. “Someone put a live bullet in a gun” he said. “I know it’s not me”. Mr Baldwin is best-known for his performance in the US sitcom 30 Rock, as well as his impersonation of Donald Trump on sketch show Saturday Night Live.(BBC)…[+]

The US Congress has passed a stopgap bill to fund federal agencies until 18 February, avoiding a costly government shutdown over the festive season. In a 69-28 vote, the Senate backed the measure approved earlier by the House of Representatives. President Joe Biden is now expected to sign it into law. “I am glad that, in the end, cooler heads prevailed,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.  The bill was passed hours before the funding would have stopped on Friday. This would have left unpaid millions of workers in the public sector over Christmas and New Year, and museums and parks would have been shut.A group of Republican Senators had threatened to derail the funding bill in protest over Mr Biden’s push for the federally-mandated Covid vaccination for employees at large companies.(BBC)…[+]

After 24 hours of political turmoil, Austria’s ruling People’s Party has chosen Interior Minister Karl Nehammer to take over as leader of both party and country. Mr Nehammer will be the party’s third choice of chancellor in weeks, after Sebastian Kurz stood down in October. Mr Kurz is under investigation after he was implicated in a corruption scandal. On Thursday he stepped down as party leader, prompting his replacement as chancellor to say he would resign too. Alexander Schallenberg said he was convinced the country should be run by the same person as the ruling party leader. The People’s Party (ÖVP) is in coalition with the Greens, who withdrew their support for Mr Kurz when prosecutors said they were investigating him. Mr Nehammer told reporters it was a great honour and privilege: “Today I was unanimously appointed by the ÖVP leadership as party head and at the same time as candidate for federal chancellor.“(BBC)…[+]

The US Supreme Court appears poised to accept a Mississippi law that would bar abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, even in cases of rape or incest. In Wednesday’s hearing into the case, conservative justices hinted that a majority backed upholding the law. A ruling, expected in June, may see millions of women lose abortion access. Anti-abortion activists are urging the court to “protect unborn children”, but experts warn of an increase in maternal mortality if abortion is restricted. Both sides of the debate regard this case, known as Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, as an all-or-nothing fight over abortion rights. Lawyers defending the Mississippi law have asked the court to overturn two previous landmark decisions regarding abortion.(BBC)…[+]

Home Alone fans can now live out their childhood dreams by spending the night in the film’s iconic house. The house – home to the McCallister family in the 1990 Christmas classic – has been made available on Airbnb for one night only. Located in the Chicago area, the home will be available to book from 7 December for $25 (£18). The successful applicants will be able to stay overnight on 12 December. It is available for a maximum of four guests. The blockbuster famously starred Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister. Guests will be greeted on arrival by Devin Ratray, who played his older brother Buzz.  “You may not remember me as particularly accommodating,” Buzz is quoted as saying in the press release. “But I’ve grown up, and I’d be happy to share my family home – my pizza, even – with you this holiday season. Just try not to let my tarantula, Axl, loose this time.”(BBC)…[+]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that Europe could be returning to what he called the “nightmare of military confrontation”. At a European security conference in Sweden, Mr Lavrov floated the idea of a new European security pact to try to stop Nato from expanding further east. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of “serious consequences” if Russia sought conflict with Ukraine. The meeting comes as Russia boosts its military near Ukraine’s border.  Ukraine says Russia has amassed more than 90,000 troops there. Moscow denies it is preparing an attack on Ukraine and accuses Kyiv of its own military build-up.(BBC)…[+]

Honduras looks set to elect its first female president, Xiomara Castro, after the ruling party conceded defeat. Ms Castro, the candidate for the left-wing Libre (Free) Party, has a preliminary lead of almost 20 percentage points over her rival. Her victory will bring an end to the 12-year reign of the right-wing National Party, which has been plagued by scandals and corruption accusations. Ms Castro will replace the divisive President Juan Orlando Hernández. He has been dogged by allegations of ties to the drugs trade after his brother Antonio was jailed for trafficking in the United States. Ms Castro has promised to “pull Honduras out of the abyss” of “a narco-dictatorship and corruption”. Her husband, Manuel Zelaya, ruled the country from 2006 until 2009, when he was ousted by a coup. She ran for office twice before in the years following his removal from power.(BBC)…[+]

At least 29 people, including schoolchildren, have died in northern Nigeria after a boat capsized in a river in Nigeria’s northern Kano state. Most of the victims were Islamic school pupils aged between six and 12 who were travelling to a religious event. Police say seven survivors have been taken to a hospital as search and rescue operations continue. The cause of the capsize is unclear, but previous accidents have been blamed on overloading and poor maintenance. There is also a lack of proper regulations to ensure the safety of passengers. The vessel was carrying more than 50 people from the village of Badau to the town of Bagwai when it capsized.(BBC)…[+]

Four people were hurt, one seriously, when a World War Two bomb blew up on a railway construction site in the German city of Munich. The fire brigade says it happened during drilling work near Donnersberger Bridge, close to the main station. As a result rail traffic in much of Munich was brought to a standstill. Unexploded wartime bombs are frequently found in Germany and prompt big evacuations, but most are defused by experts without exploding. Police say the bomb went off during tunnel work near the bridge. Local reports described a loud bang followed by a column of smoke. An excavator was overturned by the force of the blast.

Emergency services rushed to the area and bomb disposal experts were quickly at the scene examining the remains of the bomb. Rail operator Deutsche Bahn suspended travel to and from the central station but police said some long-distance lines had already returned to service.(BBC)…[+]

Officials in France have issued an international arrest warrant for a Japanese woman accused of keeping her two children from their French father, AFP news agency reports. The case has revived debate about “parental kidnapping” in Japan, where there is no concept of shared custody. Vincent Fichot says his wife disappeared from the family home in Tokyo with their two children three years ago. He has not seen his children since. France has now issued a warrant over allegations including parental abduction, the AFP news agency reports. Mr Fichot made international headlines when he staged a three-week hunger strike during the Tokyo Olympics this year to draw attention to the issue.(BBC)…[+]