EU president Ursula von der Leyen says using Russian assets would be the most effective way to sustain Ukraine", although legal fears remain for some statesIf you're reading all this and think it could take some time to sort out a working coalition - you're right.Ideally, Jetten would want to form a broad coalition of D66 (26 seats), Yeilgoz-Zegerius's VDD (22), the left-wing GroenLinks-PvdA (20), and centre-right CDA (18). This would get him a clear majority in the parliament with 86 out of 150 seats in the parliament, but VDD is not keen on teaming up with the left. Continue reading...
Fallout from extraordinary briefing operation against Wes Streeting continues as calls grow for Starmer to sack his chief of staff Morgan McSweeneyWaiting lists in England have fallen slightly, after previously rising for three months in a row, NHS figures show.An estimated 7.39m treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of September, relating to 6.24m patients, down from 7.41m treatments and 6.25m patients at the end of August, PA Media reports.The NHS waiting list is 230,000 lower than July last year, even as the health service approaches its limit' with A&E and ambulances facing record demand ahead of winter.The overall waiting list for September was 7.39m (an estimated 6.24m patients) down 15,845 compared to the previous month and 230,000 fewer than July 2024.Thanks to the investment and modernisation this government has made, waiting lists are falling and patients are being treated sooner ...The past year is the first time in 15 years that waiting lists have fallen. There's a long way to go, but the NHS is now on the road to recovery.In the work of UN experts in monitoring counter-terrorism laws globally, abuse of laws to proscribe organisations as terrorist that are not genuinely so has more commonly occurred in states that are authoritarian and lack legal and political cultures of respect for human rights, legality, due process and independent judicial safeguards, in order to target civil society organisations, human rights defenders, political dissidents and minorities.It is deeply concerning that such practices appear to have spread to a number of liberal democracies. Organisations must never be listed as terrorist for engaging in protected speech or legitimate activities in defence of human rights.We are concerned that proscription and its consequences result in unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and the rights to take part in public affairs and to liberty. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#71EBJ)
Children's services did not identify Sara, 10, was at risk of abuse, did not question bruising and overlooked father's previous violenceServices failed to identify Sara Sharif was at risk of abuse, did not question unexplained bruising and almost all professionals overlooked her father's violence before her murder, a safeguarding review has found.Sara, 10, was killed by her father, Urfan Sharif, and her stepmother, Beinash Batool, in August 2023 after years of escalating brutality which left her with bruises, burns, human bite marks and at least 25 fractures. Continue reading...
Secretary for women presents plan, including prison sentences, after Claudia Sheinbaum was groped on streetThe shocking public groping of Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has prompted rapid political action to tackle sexual abuse, as well as public debate on how best to address the problem, which is widespread across the country.Citlalli Hernandez, Mexico's secretary for women, presented a presidential plan to confront the issue, which would include actions such as ensuring prison sentences for sexual abuse across Mexico, encouraging women to report incidents, and training prosecutors and other officials on how to handle the matter. Continue reading...
Messages sent months after former prince said he ended relations and also appear to confirm Virginia Giuffre photoNewly released Jeffrey Epstein emails have cast further doubt on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's account of when he cut ties with the child sex offender and his denials about meeting his accuser Virginia Giuffre.In March 2011, four months after he later claimed to have ended his relationship with Epstein, the former prince told him and the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell: I can't take any more of this," in response to allegations put to him by the Mail on Sunday. Continue reading...
Broadcaster suspended presenter last month over Facebook post he said happened after account was hackedThe presenter Mike Graham has been dismissed from Rupert Murdoch's digital channel TalkTV, after the company said he had failed to cooperate with an investigation into a racist post that appeared on one of his social media accounts.Graham, 65, was suspended by the broadcaster, owned by Murdoch's News UK, after concerns were raised about the message, which was posted on his Facebook account last month. Continue reading...
Neville Husband committed hundreds of offences while working at facility in County Durham from 1969 to 1985A man who worked as a prison officer and caterer in a youth detention centre was able to rape and torture boys for three decades while the abuse was ignored and dismissed", according to a report labelling him as possibly Britain's worst ever sex offender.Neville Husband carried out at least 368 sexual offences against young men and boys between 1969 and 1985 while working at Medomsley detention centre in County Durham, but is believed have committed hundreds more crimes, which would take the total past the 450 committed by Jimmy Savile. Continue reading...
Departure of figure who led talks that culminated in Gaza ceasefire follows weeks of speculation in Israeli mediaIsrael's strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, a key aide of Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced his resignation after weeks of media speculation.One of the most influential members of the country's rightwing government, Dermer led months of intense negotiations before the US-led Gaza ceasefire deal that came into effect last month. Continue reading...
Culture secretary also condemns MPs who dismiss BBC as institutionally biased' in swipe at Badenoch and Farage. This live blog is closedHere is a round-up of what various lawyers and commentators have been saying about Donald Trump's legal case against the BBC.Joshua Rozenberg, the legal commentator and a former BBC journalist, has said in a post on his A Lawyer Writes Substack that the corporation should settle. He explains:Given what Brito is claiming, the lawyer is unlikely to be impressed with the BBC's assertion that the purpose of editing the clip was to convey the message of the speech made by President Trump so that Panorama's audience could better understand how it had been received by President Trump's supporters and what was happening on the ground at that time".So the BBC would be well advised to draft a retraction and apology in terms that the president's lawyer finds acceptable. Brito is also calling for this to be broadcast as prominently as the original programme. And the corporation will have to pay compensation.George Peretz KC, chair of the Society of Labour Lawyers, says on Bluesky, commenting on Rozenberg's blog, that the BBC might be better off with a more robust approach.So at the moment, despite @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social's piece, I wonder whether a better BBC response would be the Arkell v Pressdram one. proftomcrick.com/2014/04/29/a...(At least to the extent he's seeking more than a formal apology limited to the obvious mistake and a very modest offer of compensation.)There is, after all, the risk of a dangerous precedent here. The BBC will often offend foreign leaders - some worse than Trump. Sometimes it will make factual mistakes in reporting on them. Yield to Trump now, and who next?Mark Stephens, a media lawyer, told BBC Breakfast that a court case could reflect badly on Trump. He said:Every damning quote that he's ever uttered is going to be played back to him and picked over - not great PR.Trump risks turning what's currently a PR skirmish with the BBC very much on the back foot into a global headline that the court finds Trump's words were incendiary ...George Freeman, executive director of the Media Law Resource Center in New York and a former lawyer for the New York Times, told the BBC that Trump has a long record of unsuccessful libel suits - and an even longer record of letters like the one you received that don't end up as lawsuits at all".Christopher Steele, the former MI6 officer who is trying to recover costs from Trump after the president sued him unsuccessfully in the UK, says Trump's latest threat is preposterous.Donald Trump's threat to sue the BBC in London is preposterous. He remains in breach of English High Court orders in a case he brought and lost against Orbis 18 months ago. So any further abuse of the UK courts by him for such legal tourism and intimidation should be prohibited.Robert Peston, ITV's political editor, says the BBC has been told Trump does not have a case.The legal advice to the BBC I am told is that President Trump was not meaningfully damaged by Panorama's manipulation of his 6 January speech, and that therefore there is no legal necessity to pay him compensation. The BBC board is therefore likely to resist and fight his demand to be appropriately compensated" out of court, and will risk him carrying through on his threat to seek $1bn in damages by going to court.These times are difficult for the BBC but we will get through it. We will get through it and we will thrive. This narrative will not just be given by our enemies. It's our narrative. We own things.I see the free press under pressure. I see the weaponisation. I think we have to fight for our journalism.We have made some mistakes that have cost us but we need to fight for that. Continue reading...
Local council unsuccessful in stopping use of Bell hotel in Essex, which became a flashpoint for protests this summerAsylum seekers can continue to be housed at an Essex hotel that became a flashpoint for anti-immigration protests during the summer, the high court has ruled.Lawyers for the local district council had sought a permanent injunction against the current use of the Bell hotel in Epping, arguing at the high court that it was a feeding ground for unrest and protest". Continue reading...
by Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Kim Willsher in Paris on (#71CZ7)
Groups from Italy and elsewhere alleged to have paid Serb soldiers to shoot Sarajevo residents during siegeProsecutors in Milan have opened an investigation into Italians who allegedly paid members of the Bosnian Serb army for trips to Sarajevo so that they could kill citizens during the four-year siege of the city in the 1990s.More than 10,000 people were killed in Sarajevo by constant shelling and sniper fire between 1992 and 1996 in what was the longest siege in modern history, after Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia. Continue reading...
The actor has over 250 screen credits, including Anna, The Way We Were and JFK, and collaborated with Andy WarholSally Kirkland, the Oscar-nominated actor and one-time member of Andy Warhol's the Factory, has died at 84.The star of films including Anna, JFK and Bruce Almighty had entered hospice care two days before her death after a period of ill health. Last year, a GoFundMe page had been set up to help her in the wake of life-threatening infections" and a number of falls. She had also been diagnosed with dementia. Continue reading...
Unnamed man in his mid-30s attends voluntary interview after police review legal advice from CPSA man in his mid-30s has been interviewed under caution in relation to comments made on stage during a Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury festival, police have said.Pascal Robinson-Foster, who goes by the name Bobby Vylan and is one half of the rap-punk duo, led chants of Death, death to the IDF", referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their show on the West Holts stage at the festival in June. Continue reading...
Margot Robbie's company to make movie based on Northern Ireland academics' stories of poverty and prisonIt started as a trawl of dusty archives for an academic project about female Irish emigrants in Canada and the US by two history professors, a worthy but perhaps niche topic for research.The subjects, after all, were human flotsam from Ireland's diaspora whose existence was often barely recorded, let alone remembered. Continue reading...
Men aged 20 to 39 lured to join mercenary force' in Donbas region have requested assistance to return homeSouth Africa is launching an investigation into how 17 of its citizens ended up in the war-torn region of Donbas in eastern Ukraine.The office of the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said it had received distress calls from 17 men, aged between 20 and 39, who had been lured to join mercenary forces involved in the Ukraine-Russia war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts" and were now requesting assistance to return home. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#719D3)
Alphonse Rudakubana says he lacked courage to tell police about son's weapons and he could have done far more'The father of the Southport killer has said his son turned out to be a monster" as he tearfully expressed regret for failing to tell police about the teenager's weapons or his attempted attack on his former school, days before he murdered three young girls.Alphonse Rudakubana broke down in tears on the second day of his evidence to the Southport inquiry, saying he was desperately sorry" to the parents of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. Continue reading...
Those paying discounted rent at Watermans Residences can't use pool or gym, either. Critics say segregation a dystopian microcosm of housing inequality'
French police are investigating Pelham Spong's allegations but she says Met are not calling it sex trafficking'A woman who says she was sexually assaulted by the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed has criticised the Metropolitan police for not investigating human trafficking claims against him relating to alleged abuses against her and other women.Pelham Spong, 40, from South Carolina, hit out at the Met after French police interviewed her this week as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking and pimping in connection with Fayed, who died two years ago. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#71943)
Justice minister promises digital overhaul of archaic' paper system partly blamed for average of 22 people being wrongly freed each monthPrison governors in England have been summoned to an urgent meeting with ministers as the government comes under pressure over the wrongful release of two more prisoners, including a convicted foreign sex offender.Alex Davies-Jones, a justice minister, told broadcasters she was furious" about the unacceptable" situation where an average of 22 people are wrongly released from prisons each month in England and Wales. Continue reading...
Peru's government has severed diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum claim of former Peruvian prime minister Betssy ChavezPeru's government has announced the country is severing diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum claim of the former Peruvian prime minister Betssy Chavez, who is under investigation for rebellion.The Peruvian foreign minister, Hugo de Zela, told reporters Mexico's decision to grant Chavez asylum at its embassy in Peru's capital, Lima, constituted an unfriendly act" that added to the existing tensions between the two countries. The office of Peru's president, Jose Jeri, issued a statement accusing Mexico's government of repeated interference in his country's internal affairs. Continue reading...
Department store chain banks on nostalgia to get customers into festive mood with Where Love LivesJohn Lewis is hoping that a dash of nostalgia will get consumers into the festive mood this year as it officially kickstarts the countdown to Christmas with the launch of its 2025 advert to the tune of the 1990s club classic Where Love Lives.The department store chain is appealing to ageing clubbers - and their teenage kids - with this year's ad focused on a middle-aged dad transported back to his clubbing days after receiving a vinyl record from his son. Continue reading...
None hurt after train travelling at about 80mph hits landslide on west coast mainline in stormy conditionsPassengers have described the panic and distress" when a train travelling at about 80mph partly derailed after hitting a landslide in Cumbria, north-west England.Emergency services declared a major incident after the high-speed Avanti West Coast service crashed in stormy conditions at 6.15am on Monday. Continue reading...
Four-month-old bird managed to fly away from Paradise Park on Sunday despite having feathers clippedFrankie the flamingo may have been tickled pink when she escaped her wildlife sanctuary in Cornwall but her keepers are worried by her disappearance.The four-month-old female flamingo managed to take flight on Sunday, despite having her feathers clipped, from the walled garden at Paradise Park near Hayle. Continue reading...
Authorities are investigating the incident as an attempted homicide and suspect was placed in restricted housingTwo California prison officers were hospitalized after an alleged attack by an incarcerated man, and authorities are investigating it as an attempted homicide, officials said Sunday.The incident happened Saturday at the California state prison in Sacramento as the suspect was being escorted from his cell to allow staff to conduct a search, according to the state department of corrections and rehabilitation. Continue reading...
Critics believe cut would mostly benefit better-off people with larger homes and increase carbon emissionsProposals being considered by Rachel Reeves to cut tax on electricity bills will backfire, experts have warned, resulting in a giveaway to richer homeowners and undermining the UK's climate commitments.The chancellor is understood to be looking at plans to eliminate the 5% VAT charge on electricity bills as a fast and simple way to reduce bills for consumers and ease the cost of living pressures that have aided the rise of Reform UK. Continue reading...
The Catalan star's epic new single is delighting and dividing classical music fans in equal measureThe Top 10 of today's Spotify Global Top 50 looks like business as usual: two Taylor Swift songs; Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' Die With a Smile hanging around for an eighth month; the eminently normal male pop stars Sombr and Alex Warren doing brisk business.But nestled among the crowd-pleasers is something of an outlier: a gothic, baroque assault powered by Vivaldi-style strings and operatic singing in German and Spanish. Continue reading...
Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces captured the city from the army after an 18-month siege - but who are they and what do they want?Another devastating chapter in Sudan's brutal civil war has taken place as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces captured El Fasher from the army after an 18-month siege that trapped tens of thousands of civilians in the city in Darfur. The RSF now controls all major urban centres in Darfur, a development that raises the possibility the country could face partition. Continue reading...
As a radicalised generation presses its calls for political change, a debate has opened up over whether to join battle by the ballot boxMidway through a 16-day, 250-mile (400km) march from Novi Pazar to Novi Sad, Inas Hodi was still remarkably energetic. Like thousands of other Serbian students, he was making his way to the city which, last autumn, become the scene of national tragedy.Sixteen people were killed when the newly renovated canopy of Novi Sad's main railway station collapsed on 1 November 2024, a disaster that critics say exposed much more than faulty construction and sparked Serbia's largest youth-led protest movement since the fall of Slobodan Miloevi. Continue reading...
Akeela Ahmed, of British Muslim Trust, says experience is part of a wider rise in anti-Muslim hatredThe chief executive of the government's new official partner in tackling Islamophobia has spoken about being refused service in a shop for being Muslim, amid concerns about a rise in insidious anti-Muslim microaggressions".The British Muslim Trust (BMT) is launching a government-backed telephone and online reporting service for hate crimes. In July, the trust was selected as a recipient of the government's combating hate against Muslims fund", and in the months since its chief executive, Akeela Ahmed, has been meeting members of Muslim communities, including in Bradford in West Yorkshire, East Sussex, Greater London and Greater Manchester. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#714AS)
National Folklore Survey, the first in over 60 years, found people aged 25-34 most likely to believe in the paranormalIt is the time of the year when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, and spirits walk the earth once more.But it appears you are more likely to be visited by a ghost if you are under 35 years old, while spiritual creatures tend to avoid those who live in the East Midlands. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#714AT)
Status of pilot and potential passengers unknown as emergency crews attend incident near DoncasterA helicopter has crashed in a field in South Yorkshire, police have said.Emergency services were called to Ings Lane, Bentley, near Doncaster, at 10.15am on Thursday. Continue reading...
New EV models are offsetting a slump in demand but Europe's carmakers are bracing for shutdownsVolkswagen has signalled that its annual profit targets are at risk without sufficient computer chips, in the latest sign that an expected shortage of semiconductors from China could hit carmakers across Europe.The struggling German automotive giant said a series of cost cuts and new model launches are helping to offset a slump in Chinese demand but added that forecasts are based on the adequate availability of semiconductors". Continue reading...
New data ranks every area of England against a set of metrics for deprivation. Find out where yours figures in the statisticsThe English Indices of Deprivation are government figures that rank every neighbourhood from the most to the least deprived. Released roughly once every five years, the ranking is based around small areas known as lower layer super output areas" (or LSOAs) - each usually home to between 1,000 and 3,000 people.
Review launched after firm struggles to stem exodus of clients and compete with AI and data capabilities of rivalsJobs at WPP could be at risk as its new chief executive launched a review designed to revive the advertising group's fortunes after a fresh profit warning.Cindy Rose announced the review on Thursday, saying she was taking action to address unacceptable" performance at the company, which has struggled to stem a growing exodus of clients and compete with the AI and data capabilities of its rivals. Continue reading...
Guardian analysis finds ICE increasingly keeps people in holding rooms with little oversight, as some facilities see a 600% rise in detention lengthImmigration officials have been increasingly detaining people in small, secretive holding facilities for days or even weeks at a time in violation of federal policy, a Guardian investigation has found.These holding facilities - located at ICE offices, in federal buildings, and other locations around the country - are typically used to detain people after they have been arrested but before they are transferred or released. In many cases, they consist of small concrete rooms with no beds and are designed to only be used for a few hours.ICE has used at least 170 ICE holding facilities nationwide, including at 25 ICE field offices.The Trump administration and its campaign of mass deportation has led to a near across the board increase in the time people are forced to spend in detention in holding rooms. After Donald Trump's inauguration, the average time that people spend in detention increased at 127 hold rooms across the country.Despite ICE's rule change in June, the agency is continuing to violate its own policy by detaining people at these sites for multiple days at a time.In some cases, such as a New York City holding facility located on the 10th floor of a federal building in downtown Manhattan, time in detention increased by nearly 600% on average after the June rule change.In one case the Guardian discovered by looking through agency data, ICE documented that a 62-year-old man was held inside that same New York City holding facility for two-and-a-half months.The Guardian also found an additional 63 people at the site who were held there for longer than one week, between Trump's inauguration and late July. Continue reading...
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