Star turns from Helen Mirren, Andrea Riseborough and Toni Colette can’t stop cartoony sentimentality smothering this film directed by Winslet and written by her son Joe Anders

Kate Winslet’s feature directing debut is a family movie, scripted by her son Joe Anders; it’s a well-intentioned and starrily cast yuletide heartwarmer, like a two-hour John Lewis Christmas TV ad without the logo at the end. There are one or two nice lines and sharp moments but they are submerged in a treacly soup of sentimentality; in the end, I couldn’t get past the cartoony quasi-Richard Curtis characterisation and the weird not-quite-earthlingness of the people involved. Having said this, I am aware of having been first in the queue to denigrate Winslet’s Christmas film The Holiday, that is regarded by many as one of the most successful films of all time.

Helen Mirren is the June of the title, an affectionate but sharp-tongued matriarch who is diagnosed with terminal cancer in the run-up to Christmas, and her entire quarrelling clan will have to assemble in her hospital room. June, with a kind of benign cunning, realises that she can use her last days as a cathartic crisis that will cure her adult children’s unspoken hurt. They are a stressed careerist (Winslet), a stay-at-home mum (Andrea Riseborough), a hippy-dippy natural birth counsellor (Toni Collette) and a troubled soul (Johnny Flynn), plus all their various kids. There is also June’s daft old husband Bernie, played by Timothy Spall, who likes a drink and can’t talk about his feelings, and whose scatterbrained goofiness has a sad origin. Stephen Merchant plays Riseborough’s lovably useless husband and a gentle hospital nurse, played by Fisayo Akinade, is the ensemble’s self-effacing guide to a wiser future.

Interior ministry will tell 640 people awaiting sanctuary ‘there is no longer any political interest in their being admitted’

• Europe live – latest updates

Hundreds of Afghans previously promised sanctuary in Germany have been told they are no longer welcome, in a stark U-turn by the conservative chancellor, Friedrich Merz‪.

The 640 people in Pakistan awaiting resettlement – many of whom worked for the German military during the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan – will no longer be taken in, as Merz’s government axes two programmes introduced by its centre-left-led predecessor.

• Prices five times more than 2022 Qatar World Cup

• FA to confirm cost for England matches on Thursday

Fifa has been urged to halt World Cup ticket sales after it emerged countries’ most loyal fans faced paying “extortionate” prices for tickets, with the cheapest for the final coming in at more than £3,000.

The Croatian federation published details of prices in its participant member association (PMA) allocation, designed to be made available to fans who attend the most matches, with tickets at fixed rather than dynamic prices. It listed the cheapest tickets for the final on 19 July as costing $4,185 (£3,120, €3,563).

Jack Grealish is creating chances and Jordan Pickford is reliable as ever but Everton’s strikers need to join the party

By WhoScored

When Everton moved into their new ground after four years of relegation scraps, their more pessimistic fans must have feared the worst. Investing £750m in a 52,769-seat stadium when you are on a run of finishing 16th, 17th, 15th and 13th in the league is a bold move. The ground has proven a success and the team’s recent results have matched it. Any talk of qualifying for Europe in the past few years would have sounded delusional but, after a run of four wins in five, Everton are up to seventh in the table, just two points behind fourth-place Crystal Palace. Relegation worries have flipped to European dreams.

Their 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday showed how far they have come. Sean Dyche, back at the club for the first time since he was sacked as their manager in January, watched an Everton side he never got to coach. Dyche spent two years on Merseyside dragging the team away from the relegation zone through sheer grit. The team that beat his Nottingham Forest side at the weekend were composed, efficient and comfortable in victory.

Museum, which includes rich collection of Vermeers and Rembrandts, currently shows only fraction of its 1m objects

Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, which holds the world’s largest trove of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, has announced plans to open an outpost in Eindhoven.

The museum, which showcases only a fraction of its more than 1m objects, said on Thursday it would construct the 3,500 sq metre centre over the next six to eight years.

• Jordan says ‘today’s a good day’ as deal reached

• Trial exposed hardline France stance on charters

Nascar reached a settlement Thursday of the bruising antitrust lawsuit filed against the stock car series by two of its race teams, including one co-owned by NBA great Michael Jordan.

“Today’s a good day,” Jordan said as he waited in the gallery for attorneys to announce the deal. Details were not immediately released.

Unease grows in Washington, including among some Republicans, over Trump administration’s escalating military posture in the Caribbean

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Senior Democratic lawmakers and at least one Republican have condemned Wednesday’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker off the nation’s coast, with one saying Donald Trump is “sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela”.

There is growing, at least somewhat bipartisan unease in Washington over the administration’s escalating military posture in the region. Trump has accused Venezuela of facilitating drug trafficking, and increased the US military presence in the Caribbean to a level not seen in decades. The administration has also conducted a campaign of bombings of alleged drug boats, killing more than 80 people so far.

Some warn proposal will decimate US tourism industry as free speech advocates say it will lead to people self-censoring

Free speech advocates have accused Donald Trump of “shredding civil liberties” and “censorship pure and simple” after the White House said it planned to require visa applicants from dozens of countries to provide social media, phone and email histories for vetting before being allowed into the US.

In a move that some commentators compared to China and others warned would decimate tourism to the US, including the 2026 Fifa World Cup, the Department for Homeland Security said it was planning to apply the rules to visitors from 42 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia, France, Germany and Japan, if they want to enter the US on the commonly used Esta visa waiver.

Northern resident killer whales appear to use dolphins as ‘scouts’, in a surprising cooperative hunting strategy

Orcas and dolphins have been spotted for the first time working as a team to hunt salmon off the coast of British Columbia, according to a new study which suggests a cooperative relationship between the two predators.

The research, published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, shows interactions between northern resident orcas (also known as killer whales) and Pacific white-sided dolphins are not just chance encounters while foraging.

Maryland judge freed Ábrego as his case becomes a partisan flashpoint in battle over Trump’s deportation agenda

A federal court in Maryland has ordered the release of Kilmar Ábrego García from ICE custody on Thursday, and he will be advised on his release conditions in his separate Tennessee criminal case.

The case of Ábrego, a Salvadorian national who was a construction worker in Maryland, has become a proxy for the partisan struggle over Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration policy and mass deportation agenda.

Law passes despite fears it will ‘normalise Islamophobia’ and fact it could be struck down by constitutional court

Lawmakers in Austria have voted overwhelmingly to ban headscarves in schools for girls under the age of 14, despite concerns the legislation will deepen societal divisions and marginalise Muslims. The law could also be struck down by the country’s constitutional court.

The ban was proposed earlier this year by Austria’s conservative-led government, which took office in March after a far-right party came first in the elections but failed to form a government.

Analysis marking 10 years since Paris climate agreement underscores effectiveness of strong government policies

The once-rigid link between economic growth and carbon emissions is breaking across the vast majority of the world, according to a study released ahead of Friday’s 10th anniversary of the Paris climate agreement.

The analysis, which underscores the effectiveness of strong government climate policies, shows this “decoupling” trend has accelerated since 2015 and is becoming particularly pronounced among major emitters in the global south.

Compensation due to thousands of women and girls fitted with coils without their knowledge or consent

Victims of Denmark’s IUD scandal, in which thousands of Greenlandic women and girls were forcibly fitted with contraceptive coils without their knowledge or consent, have claimed victory in their legal fight with the Danish government after it was confirmed they will be eligible for compensation.

The Danish parliament, Folketinget, and the government reached an agreement on Wednesday that entitles about 4,500 Greenlandic women to claim 300,000 DKK (£35,000) each from a reconciliation fund.

Opera may be conspicuous by its absence, but the brilliance of Berlin Philharmonic’s Schoenberg and the exceptional South Korean Yunchan Lim gave us plenty to sink our teeth into this year

The survey of the new releases that my colleagues and I have enjoyed most in 2025 differs in one significant respect from the lists of previous years. This year’s top ten contains no operas. There has been a profound change in record companies’ policies of how and what they record. The glitzy, studio-based opera recordings of the last century now seem impossible to contemplate, and even releasing audio-only recordings taken directly from live opera-house performances often seems less viable than issuing DVDs of the same productions.

Some specialist labels devoted to specific areas of the operatic repertoire continue sterling work: operas feature prominently in Bru Zane’s mission on behalf of neglected French composers, while Opera Rara continues to crusade for forgotten, mostly 19th century, mostly Italian, scores which this year included the original 1857 version of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. Other companies continue to find treasures in Europe’s apparently inexhaustible baroque archives, while, on its own label, the London Symphony Orchestra has continued to release Simon Rattle’s Janáček series taken from his concert performances with the orchestra at the Barbican, the latest release being Jenůfa. If full-length operas are notably scarce in the schedules of the major companies, two exceptions this year were Decca’s release of the Oslo-sourced Flying Dutchman, with Lise Davidsen and Gerald Finley, and Deutsche Grammophon’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, part of Andris Nelson’s Boston-based Shostakovich series, both of which proved less than overwhelming.

• Operating profit up after £7m loss a year earlier

• United’s revenue down from £143.1m to £140.3m

Manchester United’s operating profit rose to £13m in the financial year’s first quarter, compared with an equivalent £7m loss 12 months earlier, and the chief executive, Omar Berrada, said this was down to “the difficult decisions made in the past year” by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Since Ratcliffe became the largest minority owner in February 2024, his budgetary adjustments have included making about 450 redundancies, which will take the head count to about 800. The Ineos chair has also ended Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role, saving about £2m a year, and cut free lunches for United employees.

Despite signs of renewed intensity, Real Madrid fell to their second loss in four days against Manchester City. How long can a positive reaction make up for negative results?

No attacker in Real Madrid’s history had gone without a goal for as long as Rodrygo but at last he was released and he had a message to deliver, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was starting only his fifth game this season, beat Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Manchester City. Then he turned and ran towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“It’s a difficult moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren’t coming off and I wanted to show people that we are together with the coach. People say a lot of things and I just wanted to show that we are united. We need that unity to keep going.” By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, another loss taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso said. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” state, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, hit the bar in the dying moments.

Success doesn’t mean you can speak your mind – and criticizing Paul Dano is like kicking a bunny at a birthday party

There are many things Hollywood is known for: lavish parties, subtle (or not so subtle) plastic surgery, the concept of juice as a meal. What it is not traditionally known for is honesty. I live in Los Angeles, work in the entertainment industry when I’m not moonlighting as a semi-reputable journalist and have done my fair share of lying … or, more accurately, omitting the truth. One of the least pleasant experiences in town is being asked to give honest feedback to someone who is at best an acquaintance. It’s worse yet if that person is a friend, lover or family member who actually takes your opinion seriously. Overall, the notion of offering honesty to a peer is akin to rubbing poison oak on your privates.

And yet, despite knowing how gruesome this can be, I still solicit feedback on scripts, films and even nascent ideas I’m toying with. Naturally, I feel guilty doing it. I blubber about how gracious the person is for taking the time to engage with my creative output, how generous they are and how crucial this step is to any sort of actual success in the industry. I’m even lying when I say that to someone. I should tell them: “I’m sorry I just asked you to do the equivalent of punching several of your own teeth out for free. Please don’t destroy my self-esteem completely. Let my mother finish the job.”

Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist

Thanksgiving travel and low vaccination rates have contributed to 27 new cases in state during past week

South Carolina health officials have reported an “accelerating” measles outbreak in the state in the wake of Thanksgiving travel and a lack of vaccinations, with hundreds of people in quarantine.

The outbreak, which appears centered on a single church and several schools in Spartanburg county in the state’s north-west, according to an epidemiologist for the state’s department of public health, totaled 111 cases.

Agreement comes amid anxiety in Hollywood over impact of AI on the industry, expression and rights of creators

Walt Disney has announced a $1bn equity investment in OpenAI, enabling the AI startup’s Sora video generation tool to use its characters.

Users of Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that draw on more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters as part of a three-year licensing agreement between OpenAI and the entertainment giant.

• Michigan fire head football coach with cause

• Coach accused of inappropriate relationship

• Moore detained by police after termination

Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was still jailed on Thursday morning, according to court records, less than 24 hours after he was fired for what the university said was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”

The Washtenaw County Jail did not provide information about why the 39-year-old Moore was detained, details on his bond or whether any court appearances were scheduled.

It is really satisfying for me to see beautiful, cranky lesbians take the lead in TV’s buzziest new shows, Pluribus and The Beast in Me

I recently went on a holiday for a few days, and as part of that holiday, I caught up on a lot of television shows. Don’t judge me, we all relax in our own ways! I looked at nature too! It’s sort of part of my job! (and other defences).

I am someone who keeps up with new TV shows. I watch everything that is popping off – but I’m happy to admit that as a didn’t-grow-up-with-women-kissing-each-other-on-TV lesbian, I will go out of my way to seek out ANY shows about queer people, especially if women are going to kiss each other.

A far cry from hand-scrawled letters to Santa, on graphic design platform Canva users have created a whopping 1.4m Christmas wishlist presentations

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Twas three weeks before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for my 13-year-old daughter, who emerged from her lair with a level of vim uncommon in daylight hours.

As she made her approach with laptop aglow, her droll little mouth was drawn up in a bow. It then became apparent that I was about to become the audience (some may say “victim”) of a recent cultural phenomenon: the Christmas wishlist slideshow.

Emma Walmsley’s praise for US pharmaceutical market piles pressure on UK government

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The chief executive of GSK has declared that the US is the best place for pharmaceutical companies to invest.

Emma Walmsley said the US led the world in launches of drugs and vaccines and, alongside China, was the best market for business development.

Prime minister makes announcement before parliament vote on no-confidence motion filed by opposition

Bulgaria’s prime minister has handed in his government’s resignation after less than a year in office following weeks of mass street protests over its economic policies and perceived failure to tackle corruption.

Rosen Zhelyazkov announced his resignation on television shortly before parliament had been due to vote on a no-confidence motion submitted by the opposition and before the country is due to join the eurozone on 1 January.