Russell Brand back in Southwark crown court today where his rape and sexual assault trial is set to beginBrand was driven to the court in a black Mercedes-Benz van, which parked directly outside the court building, where crowds of reporters and photographers had gathered ahead of his trial.Brand waited inside the vehicle for around a minute before stepping out, wearing a dark suit, a black and white striped shirt, a long white tie and sunglasses. He reached out for his wife's hand before the pair walked together towards the court. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage says Kemi Badenoch misinterpreted his suggestion for a deal with Donald TrumpWhile in some respects the Nigel Farage/Kemi Badenoch Chagos Islands row (see 9.56am) is just a slightly manufactured spat between two leaders who are not in a position to decide the future of the Chagos Islands anyway, it is revealing about the state of opposition politics, in three respects.First, this is further evidence that the fight between the Tories and Reform UK is increasingly bitter. Here they are arguing over a policy where, essentially, their views are very similar. This time last year there was informal talk of a potential pact. Now there is an acrimonious fight to be the dominant party on the right.I'd have gone in and said, Right, you know what, mate? Chagos, it's yours. Diego Garcia, in perpetuity, the most strategic American military base in the world, which it is.Outside mainland America, Diego is the most important thing America has for nuclear subs, for long-range bombers, for all of it.Giving away British territory in return for someone keeping quiet is not a deal. It is humiliating.There is no pride in our country in the way he talks about us. This is careless, loose talk from a man who wants to be responsible for Britain's national security.This is totally dishonest journalism. I make it clear that I am opposed to the surrender of sovereignty to Mauritius. I would offer the use of Diego Garcia to the USA in perpetuity. In return I would want America to go quiet on the Falklands.No one has fought harder to save the Chagos Islands from being given away than I have, unlike the Tories and Labour trying to give them away. I have even helped repopulate the islands with Chagossians. Continue reading...
by Keely Aouga and Ramon Antonio Vargas on (#791NH)
Investigators determined professor responsible for urine found on a backpack, in trash cans and in water bottlesA former professor at Macalester College in the Minnesota city of St Paul is facing a felony charge for allegedly spilling his urine on a student's backpack while he still worked at the school, costing more than $2,000 in damages, according to a state criminal court document.Paul Fischer, 55, is at the center of the bizarre, alleged workplace misconduct case that led to his being cited for first-degree damage to property - and linked to at least a half dozen such incidents involving urine at the liberal arts college over the course of a year. Continue reading...
Canada-born singer-songwriter, 82, posts footage of citizenship ceremony to InstagramJoni Mitchell has become a US citizen, after first moving to the country in the mid-1960s. The Canada-born singer-songwriter, 82, posted footage of her citizenship ceremony on her Instagram account, along with a photo of her next to an American flag, accompanied by the caption: A journey that began 62 years ago."It means that Mitchell can now vote in US elections, something that she had complained she wasn't able to do. Continue reading...
Outage of terminals managed by Elon Musk's SpaceX comes as Russia launches ballistic missiles at Ukraine without any advance warning from USUkrainian soldiers in combat have suddenly had their access to Starlink satellite internet terminals restricted as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Ukraine to halt long-range strikes on Russia's oil industry immediately.The terminals, which are distributed and managed by Elon Musk's SpaceX, are a key component of Ukraine's military operations and the sudden restrictions on the high-speed terminals on Tuesday evening led to the failure of several combat missions, said an adviser on military technology to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...
Declining stocks and increased fishing pressure have led to lower sustainability ratings for two popular cod alternativesUK shoppers have previously been urged to avoid UK-caught cod and to buy European hake or coley instead - but now these fish are in trouble, too.The Marine Conservation Society (MCS), an environmental charity, publishes its Good Fish Guide to help consumers and businesses make sustainable seafood choices. It uses a traffic-light system to rate seafood according to the health of fish stocks and environmental impact. Continue reading...
Citizen scientists on UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme recorded insect visits to flowers during 10-minute surveysUbiquitous urban plants often derided as weeds" are the most attractive to pollinating insects.The autumn blooms of common ivy, rich in pollen and nectar, are the most visited by insects including bees and butterflies, according to an eight-year study. Continue reading...
Golf clubs, private schools and car washes may face tighter rules from water companies as England's drought continuesThree water companies are seeking to impose severe restrictions on businesses as the drought continues across most of England, putting rivers and wildlife under huge pressure.Golf clubs and private schools could be barred from using mains water to irrigate playing fields and courses, and commercial car washes stopped from operating, under non-essential use bans" being sought by the companies. Continue reading...
Special forces officer Serhii Kuznetsov denies involvement in the 2022 blasts that left pipelines badly damagedA Ukrainian soldier is to go on trial in Hamburg accused of taking part in one of the most brazen acts of sabotage in postwar European history - the 2022 attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany.Serhii Kuznetsov, a special forces officer from the Ukrainian military, is accused by prosecutors of being an accomplice to war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure, causing an explosion, damaging property and disrupting public services. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The collapse of the UK's one in, one out' asylum deal with France exposes the limits of border enforcement that did little to stop crossings, and only made them more dangerousGood morning. You'd be forgiven for missing it. Earlier this month, the government quietly scrapped its one in, one out" deal with France. The partnership was supposed to eliminate small boat crossings by deterring asylum seekers from making the treacherous journey across the world's busiest shipping channel.The deal, which lasted just 423 days, was beset with problems, had a negligible impact, and now joins a long list of policies that have tried and failed to address highly visible, often tragic small boat crossings. This morning, the Home Office announced that it would be doubling the number of riot police along the French coast in lieu of the deal.UK news | Extremists holding anti-immigration opinions are becoming increasingly likely to consider carrying out terrorist attacks against immigration centres and asylum hotels, the head of MI5 has warned.UK politics | Nigel Farage has denied that a Reform UK government would authorise lethal force against small boat crossings in the Channel.Ukraine | Andy Burnham will host Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street on Wednesday as the UK seeks to further underline its support for the Ukrainian president, in contrast to his difficulties with Donald Trump.US politics | Kimberly Guilfoyle is stepping down as US ambassador to Greece after weeks of reports that she sought payment from a Trump donor in exchange for access to administration officials.Pope Leo XIV | Pope Leo has lung cancer, the Vatican said late on Tuesday. Leo, 71, underwent an operation and had the lower lobe of his right lung removed, with tests confirming a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said. Continue reading...
Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das will spend spend five days in prison for entering Delhi's Jantar Mantar - a historic protest site that has been closed by authoritiesTwo leaders of India's youth-led Cockroach movement have been sent to jail for five days for violating a ban on protests at a site in central Delhi.A court ordered that Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, leaders of the Cockroach Janata party (CJP) movement, spend five days in Delhi's Tihar prison for jumping over police barricades, holding up slogans and waving the Indian flag at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Continue reading...
by Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondent on (#791M7)
Exclusive: Investigation finds racial inequality in live music industry rife and many genres labelled high risk' despite lack of evidenceBlack and south Asian music events in London face disproportionate cancellations, restrictions and licensing barriers compared with white events, according to a two-year investigation into racial inequality in the capital's live music industry.The Race Equality in Music Event Licensing (REMEL) report, led by Black Lives in Music, estimates that cancellations, displacement and events prevented from taking place cost London 127m to 141m annually, with projected losses exceeding 650m over five years. Continue reading...
Rights groups warn of Tehran regime's increasing use of executions to suppress dissent, with at least 600 this yearHuman rights groups have raised the alarm over the growing number of death sentences and executions in Iran, after reports that a 23-year-old woman, Najmeh Amini, has been sentenced to death for blasphemy over a social-media post.Amini, an accounting student, is being held in Vakilabad prison in the north-east city of Mashhad. She has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison and death in separate cases heard by a revolutionary and a criminal court. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins in Kharkiv region. Photographs by Juli on (#791K0)
Faced with deadlier threats, demining groups are coming up with new ways of working using drones and AICrouched over on her hands and knees in a field of weeds, Olena Kabanova is digging into the ground. With a shovel and a steady hand, the 58-year-old digs out a neat square around the spot where a mine detector has sensed a suspicious object.Four years ago, this field in eastern Ukraine was occupied by Russian soldiers. Now back under Ukrainian control, it is littered with landmines. Civilians such as Kabanova are trying to make the land usable again. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Shaikh Azizur Rahman on (#791J3)
Anger at electoral roll changes has boiled over, sparking a crisis for Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist governmentBorn into a small village in West Bengal, Shahida Fakir had always taken her vote for granted. That was, until it was suddenly taken away. She presented officials with her Indian birth certificate and family land documents from the village going back to 1962.Both her parents had been on the electoral roll going back decades, so she showed proof of that too. But when the final revised voter list came out in April, Fakir was not on it. Continue reading...
FSB security agency said reporter was arrested on island of Sakhalin, alleging he was collecting information about Russia's defencesRussia has arrested a Japanese journalist on the far east island of Sakhalin and accused him of espionage, Moscow said on Tuesday.Russia regards Japan as an unfriendly" country because it has joined western sanctions over its war in Ukraine. Russia has arrested several citizens of unfriendly" countries in recent years, accusing them of working for western intelligence services. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#791H4)
New recruitment campaign to target adults in their 30s and 40s in bid to create 10,000 new foster care placesViennetta Basterfield, 67, spent two decades fostering more than 100 children in her west London home before she and her husband handed in the reins during Covid.Her own mother had died when she was nine and she was brought up by another woman who took her in. There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to dedicate her life to passing that gift on to others. Continue reading...
Former investor alleges BitMEX sold products in UK despite not being regulated by Financial Conduct AuthorityA cryptocurrency exchange founded by the billionaire Reform UK donor Ben Delo is being sued for 20m over claims that the company mis-sold financial products in the UK.Lewis Barber, who is a software engineer, alleges that BitMEX offered crypto derivative products to investors in the UK, despite not being regulated or approved to do so by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Continue reading...
by Esther Addley and George Francis Lee on (#791H7)
Historic eatery in capital's theatreland given to heritage charity after changing hands only three times in 228 yearsWhen Thomas Rule served his first oyster to diners on Maiden Lane in London's Covent Garden, mad" George III was on the throne of England, John Adams was US president and William Pitt the Younger had just come up with a wheeze called income tax to pay for the Napoleonic wars.More than two centuries later, Rules, the restaurant Thomas founded in what became the capital's theatreland, has outlasted nine British monarchs and 45 prime ministers - but has changed hands only three times. The interior of its four-storey home, stuffed with historic playbills and vintage caricatures and gilded antlers, is little changed from the 19th century, nor has the tone of its determinedly meaty menu - think rabbit rillettes, shin of veal and roast guinea fowl. Continue reading...
Research shows that the best linguists process unfamiliar foreign speech sounds more like non-speech soundsIf you want to get really good at French, Arabic or Hungarian, don't start with rote learning vocabulary and grammar, focus on how they sound instead, research suggests.A new study of how humans learn modern languages has found that the brains of the most talented linguists hear foreign terms as random noise, not words. Continue reading...
by Luke Harding, and Andrew Roth in Kyiv on (#79127)
Ukrainian president's comments on particularly vile' strikes come after US threatened to halt intelligence sharingUkraine received no early warning from its partners about a second night of Russian ballistic missile strikes on civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, including a critical power plant struck after dark, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.The Ukrainian president had earlier described an attack involving five missiles on Monday as particularly vile". He emphasised that receiving intelligence from Ukraine's western allies helps saves lives, and this is one of the most critical issues". Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#791F5)
Prime minister reiterates UK backing after the Ukrainian president's latest round of difficulties with Donald TrumpAndy Burnham will host Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street on Wednesday as the UK seeks to further underline its support for the Ukrainian president, in contrast to his difficulties with Donald Trump.The UK prime minister said his message to Zelenskyy and his country would be: We are with you for as long as it takes." Continue reading...
Vatican says pontiff had lower lobe of right lung removed in successful, on schedule and as planned' operation in RomePope Leo has lung cancer, the Vatican said late on Tuesday.Leo, 71, underwent an operation and had the lower lobe of his right lung removed, with tests confirming a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin, which followed an earlier statement saying the pope's operation had concluded successfully, on schedule and as planned". Continue reading...
by Sirin Kale Investigations correspondent on (#791AR)
More than 50 families call for investigation into how Vincent Chan was allowed to return to job after inquiry by nurseryThe parents of the victims of paedophile nursery worker Vincent Chan have reacted with fury to the news that he was cleared to return to work after significant concerns" were raised by the parent of a young girl.As first revealed in the Guardian, Chan was reported to his employer, the nursery chain Bright Horizons, by a concerned parent in 2021. Continue reading...
by Daniel Boffey in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands on (#7917T)
Exclusive: Caution urged over Javier Milei government's red notice' requests for arrest of individuals linked to oil projectBritain has appealed to Interpol to reject Argentina's requests for the arrest of individuals involved in a large oil project off the Falkland Islands.With tensions over the sovereignty of the British overseas territory reaching levels not seen since the war with Argentina in 1982, UK officials have sought urgent assurances from the international organisation. Continue reading...
Civilians warned to evacuate outskirts of Sana'a ahead of biggest attack so far on Houthi energy infrastructureSaudi Arabia has launched a series of strikes on a strategic oil depot on the outskirts of Yemen's capital Sana'a, in a fresh escalation of the conflict between Riyadh and the Iran-backed Houthi forces.Before the attack on Tuesday, a Saudi spokesperson warned civilians to leave the target area, in an apparent attempt to strike fear into the local population ahead of the biggest attack so far on Houthi energy infrastructure. Continue reading...
by Jon Henley and Angelique Chrisafis in Paris on (#790Y2)
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joins teenagers calling for investment to fix teacher shortages and crumbling schoolsMore than 160,000 schoolchildren, students and trade unionists have marched in cities across France as protests over high school education continued into a third week and many demonstrators denounced policing tactics.Riot police fired teargas at the end of Tuesday's marches in Nantes and near the Montparnasse area of Paris, but most of the demonstrations over teacher shortages, overcrowded classes and crumbling school buildings held in cities including Lyon, Lille and Marseille were peaceful. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now) and Yohannes Lowe (earlier) on (#790VY)
Ukraine's president says his country has halted strikes on Russian oil refineries for two days after Trump's energy ceasefire announcementOn frozen Russian assets, Poland's Sikorski says the use of frozen Russian assets is a complicated issue," but takes a very clear stance in response to any suggestion of releasing them back to Russia.We are working on it, but there is also some rumours that some people are expecting these assets to be released back to Russia.I don't think I'm speaking just for myself in saying: over our dead bodies."Russia right now is not ready for ceasefire, but still, this only can encourage us to stay with Ukraine and to, strengthen, the pressure on Russia and always be ready for conversations, but and also especially for, for ceasefire negotiations.But, until this doesn't happen, we are with Ukraine. We are with the president the German government is is backing the Ukrainian government and the president, completely. He is the person to lead Ukraine, and we are with him." Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#7915B)
Abta advice comes as more than more than 150 websites offer service of securing entry to Schengen zoneBritons travelling to Europe have told not to apply for an Etias visa waiver, with more than 150 websites touting the service despite its introduction being delayed.Non-EU citizens, including UK travellers and those from other visa-exempt countries including the US, Australia and Canada, will soon need to pay 20 (17) for an electronic waiver to enter the Schengen zone under the European travel information and authorisation system (Etias). Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#7915C)
Ken McCallum says Kremlin attempted to influence vote through social media and TV reports but it had little impactRussia did try to interfere in the Brexit referendum through social media and television reports, the head of MI5 said on Tuesday, but he added that did not mean the Kremlin had any impact on the result.Ken McCallum endorsed comments by Andy Burnham, who raised the issue over the past two days, though he said continuing to debate it had given the Kremlin a needless propaganda victory. Continue reading...
Nearly half of species are in decline, with farmland birds and seabirds the worst hit, conservation bodies sayWild bird populations in the UK have fallen to their lowest level since records began, figures show, with nearly half of species in decline.Figures produced by leading nature conservation bodies for the government show that average populations across 132 native breeding species fell by 19% between 1970 and 2025, with farmland birds and seabirds the worst hit in recent years. Continue reading...
by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent on (#79128)
Conference to explore legacy of Naseem Khan's seminal 1976 report about exclusion of minority ethnic artistsIt is 50 years since cultural historian Naseem Khan's challenge to the British arts establishment was first published, and the question of who and what counts as British continues to be contested.The Arts Britain Ignores - Khan's groundbreaking 1976 report, commissioned by organisations including the then Arts Council of Great Britain, presented a vision of a pluralistic national culture, in which the creativity of Britons of diverse ethnic backgrounds - from bhangra music, to black painters and Ukrainian dance - should be recognised, supported and respected. Continue reading...
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