Exclusive: Department for Education monitoring social media posts from England-based staff for criticism of its policiesThe government has been monitoring the social media accounts of dozens" of ordinary teaching staff, including teaching assistants, and is keeping files on posts that criticise education policies, the Observer has learned.Two weeks ago, this newspaper revealed how the Department for Education is monitoring the social media activity of some of the country's leading education experts. Now evidence has emerged that the monitoring is much more widespread, covering even the lowest paid members of staff. Continue reading...
Supporters of alleged rapist, girl's 39-year-old headmaster, stormed police station in effort to prevent arrestThe ombudsman's office in Bolivia has condemned threats against a 10-year-old rape victim and her family after teachers and school staff tried to prevent the arrest of the alleged rapist, a 39-year-old headmaster, by trying to invade a local police station and scuffling with police officers.Videos posted on social media show the group gathered outside the police station, trying to pressure the prosecutor and judge to release the alleged perpetrator. Continue reading...
Talks expected to take place next week but Department of Health and Social Care says issue of pay will not be on tableJunior doctors will meet government officials for talks aimed at ending the long-running dispute over pay and conditions in the English NHS.The British Medical Association (BMA) said it had agreed to the talks, although the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the issue of pay would not be on the table. Continue reading...
State pensioners could be dragged into the tax net next year, says former ministerHundreds of thousands of pensioners will have to start setting aside some of their state pension for unexpected tax bills, a former UK government minister has claimed.A combination of big increases in the state pension - with a rise of 8.5% scheduled for next spring - and a continued freeze in income tax thresholds means growing numbers of older people will be dragged into the tax net purely on the basis of their state pension", says the ex-pensions minister Steve Webb. Continue reading...
Joe Biden and family voice joy at release of Natalie and Judith Raanan, as Israeli forces pound Gaza Strip, where millions are pinning hopes on aid delivery via Egypt border crossing
Exhibition aims to establish common ground amid fractious debate over violence in post-independence IndonesiaIts political centre, The Hague, may call itself the city of peace and justice". But in few European countries is the process of confronting the colonial period proving as fractious and divisive as in the Netherlands, where opposing sides have in recent years struggled to agree on who was victim and who was perpetrator.This month, an exhibition at Amsterdam's Nieuwe Kerk gallery space and two new books in a major historical series try to establish common ground over the violence that ensued after Indonesia declared independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1945. Continue reading...
Joe Biden asks for $106bn package of emergency aid to Israel and Ukraine; former abbot of Ukrainian Orthodox monastery charged with justifying Russian invasion
by Peter Walker, Sammy Gecsoyler, Kevin Rawlinson and on (#6FR2G)
Keir Starmer's aides warn against complacency as huge swings from Tories raise prospect of 1997-style landslide next yearLabour has overturned massive Conservative majorities in a history-making pair of byelections, sending the Tories deeper into in-fighting and acrimony over the prospect of a landslide defeat at the upcoming general election.The wins in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth prompted gleeful talk within Labour of a possible 1997-type win on the horizon, but Keir Starmer's aides were quick to warn MPs and the party more widely against complacency. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant in Stockholm and agencies on (#6FR2H)
Police focusing on Newnew Polar Bear cargo ship that was in the area when gas pipeline was damagedFinnish police have said a Chinese ship whose movement coincided with the time and place of the suspected sabotage of a pipeline between Finland and Estonia that was damaged this month is now the focus of their investigation.After a leak led to the shutdown of the Balticconnector pipeline on 8 October, Finnish authorities have been investigating the damage they say was caused by external" activity. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam European Community affairs correspon on (#6FQZA)
Thimbo Samb, based in Madrid, was reunited with his older brother who had made boat journey from SenegalA Madrid-based actor who had travelled to the Canary Islands to report on the arrival of a near-record number of asylum seekers was reunited with his brother after finding out that he was among the thousands who have made the treacherous trip from Senegal to Spain in recent weeks.Thimbo Samb and his team had arrived in the archipelago hoping to tell the story of the more than 23,000 asylum seekers who have turned up on its shores so far this year. But the Senegal-born actor's trip took a different turn after he learned that his older brother was among the many who had recently set off on the risky route. Continue reading...
by Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent on (#6FQWA)
Musician vehemently opposed' to seat-holders selling unwanted tickets at inflated pricesEd Sheeran has objected to plans by the Royal Albert Hall to sell dozens of seats at the prestigious London venue to investors, some of whom sell them on for inflated prices.At the moment, 319 people own 1,268 - almost one in four - of the Royal Albert Hall's seats on 999-year leases. A bill going through parliament would grant the hall's governing body the power to sell an extra 52 seats to investors. Continue reading...
Last-ditch attempt by Barclay family to shut down auction with blockbuster 1bn offer thwartedThe sale of the Telegraph newspapers and the Spectator has kicked off, thwarting a last-ditch attempt by the Barclay family to shut down the auction with a blockbuster 1bn offer.On Friday morning, the boards of the parent companies of Telegraph Media Group (TMG), the parent company of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, and the Spectator said that the advisers Goldman Sachs had launched a sales process for each of the businesses. Continue reading...
Escape attempt failed and main actors' have been arrested, says regime spokesperson on state TVNiger's military rulers say they have foiled an attempt by Mohamed Bazoum, the former president they ousted in a coup in July, to escape custody.At around three in the morning, the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and his family, his two cooks and two security elements, tried to escape from his place of detention," the regime's spokesperson, Amadou Abdramane, said on state television. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The Conservative party suffered a crushing defeat as Labour wins Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire seats in historic byelections Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.So, here we go again. More byelections. Every political party has been tempering expectations: Labour said a victory for them in Tamworth or Mid Bedfordshire would be a moonshot", insisting that neither of them are on our target list". But no one has been more disheartened about their chances than the government. A leaked memo indicated that the Tories were expecting losses in both byelections, even though they have held Mid Bedfordshire comfortably since 1931.Israel | Western officials are warning that the risk of regional spillover" from the Israel-Hamas war is real, after US forces in the region faced increasing threats and American bases in Iraq and Syria were repeatedly targeted by drone attacks.Maternity | Almost two-thirds of maternity units provide dangerously substandard care that puts women and babies at risk, the NHS watchdog has said in a damning report. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated 65% of maternity services in England as either inadequate" or requires improvement" for the safety of care - up from 54% last year.EU | The EU has raised security concerns about the trade in golden passports" and vowed to tighten visa controls after revealing that five Caribbean states have sold citizenship to 88,000 individuals from countries including Iran, Russia and China.UK politics | Rishi Sunak's controversial fund to support startups during the Covid pandemic invested nearly 2m in companies linked to his wife, Guardian analysis has found. None of Akshata Murty's investments that benefited from the Future Fund appear publicly on Sunak's register of ministerial interests.Weather | The body of a 57-year-old woman has been recovered from a river in Angus, Police Scotland have said, as hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate their homes in a town in the east of the country because of fears that the River Esk will burst its banks during Storm Babet. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer's party wins seat for first time since bellwether byelection in 1996Historic:' Labour takes Dorries' former seat in Mid Bedfordshire byelectionLabour has overturned a near 20,000-vote Conservative majority in Tamworth, winning the area for the first time since a bellwether byelection in 1996.Labour's Sarah Edwards received 11,719 votes ahead of Andrew Cooper, the Tory candidate, who received 10,403 - a majority of 1,316 for Labour. It was a 23.89% swing to Keir Starmer's party. Voter turnout was low at 35.87%, little more than half the 2019 figure. Thursday night proved to be a signal occasion for Labour which also swept away a huge Tory majority to win Mid Bedfordshire, the former seat of Nadine Dorries. Continue reading...
Alistair Strathern overturns huge Tory majority to win seat vacated by former culture secretaryLabour have won the Mid Bedfordshire byelection, overturning a huge majority and delivering a significant blow to Rishi Sunak's hopes of holding on to power at the next general election - expected to be in 2024.Alistair Strathern takes the parliamentary seat vacated by the former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, beating the candidate hoping to hold it for the Conservatives, Festus Akinbusoye. Strathern overturned a majority of 24,664 - believed to be the greatest such result at a byelection since at least 1945. Continue reading...
US-Russian journalist detained in Russia; Ukrainian parliament votes to ban Ukrainian Orthodox ChurchUkraine's parliament has voted overwhelmingly to advance legislation seen as effectively banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church over its ties to Moscow, despite the church's insistence that it is fully independent and supportive of Ukraine's fight against Russian invaders.A Russian-American journalist has been detained in Russia on charges of violating its foreign agents law, reportedly due to her coverage of Russia's military mobilisation for its invasion of Ukraine. Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor with Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty's (RFE-RL) Tatar-Bashkir service, was detained on Wednesday.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he wants to build a forward-looking" relationship with Russia as he met with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, state media reported. The veteran envoy's two-day visit is expected to lay the groundwork for a trip to the country by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was invited by Kim last month at a high-profile summit in Russia's far east.US President Joe Biden was set to deliver only the second Oval Office address of his term on Thursday night to make the case for US backing of Ukraine and Israel. The administration plans to request billions of dollars for additional military assistance for Ukraine and Israel.Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy held a telephone conversation before Biden's address, in which the Ukrainian president thanked Biden and Congress for supplying long-range ATACMS missiles and said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukrainian soldiers are successfully using them on the battlefield".Ukraine claimed to make a small incremental gain of 400 metres to the south-west of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region. Military spokesperson Oleksandr Stupun said the southern advance was still difficult because of Russian minefields and heavily fortified defences.Kazakhstan has banned exports to Russia of 106 goods that could be used in the Ukraine war after the ex-Soviet state vowed not to help its ally circumvent western sanctions, local media said Thursday. On a visit to Berlin last month, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said his country will follow the sanctions regime", amid suspicions Moscow is still receiving vital goods via Kazakhstan.The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said the EU must collectively continue to financially support Ukraine in future. We have a clear stance here: This aid for Ukraine, for the financial stability of the country, we will have to provide this jointly as Europeans," Scholz told lawmakers, while adding that this cannot all be solved with additional funds".Ukraine's parliament gave initial approval for the 2024 budget, which will increase funding for the army and national defence. Finance minister Serhiy Marchenko said the government's priorities next year included accumulating funds for defence and security, and securing social payments for the population to bring Ukraine's victory closer".Nato is stepping up patrols in the Baltic Sea after recent damage to undersea infrastructure. The increased measures include additional surveillance and reconnaissance flights. A fleet of four Nato minehunters is also being dispatched to the area," Nato said in a statement.Finland's Ministry of Defence said on Thursday it had blocked three planned property transactions involving Russian buyers on grounds that allowing the acquisitions to take place could hamper the defence of Finnish territory. Continue reading...
Protesters oppose mayor's plan to move their trade to purpose-built erotic centre' away from city centreSex workers in Amsterdam have protested against the planned transfer of their famed red light district to an out-of-town erotic centre", in what is seen as part of a battle for the city's soul.Dozens of people, many wearing masks to shield their identity, marched through the streets towards City Hall, one carrying a banner saying: If sex workers are not to blame then why are we being punished?" Continue reading...
Top MEP says Iranian woman's death in police custody last year triggered a movement that is making history'Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year, sparking worldwide protests against the country's conservative Islamic theocracy, has been awarded the EU's top human rights prize.The award, named for the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honour individuals or groups who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. Sakharov, a Nobel peace prize laureate, died in 1989. Continue reading...
Italian former PM estimated to have spent 20m on artworks, often buying through TV auctionsThe heirs of Silvio Berlusconi inherited billions from his empire but now they are faced with a dilemma: what to do with his vast collection of mostly worthless artwork, including paintings of nude women and the Madonna, stored in a warehouse opposite his home near Milan.The former prime minister, who died in June at the age of 86, reportedly amassed the 25,000 works during the final years of his life, buying the majority from late-night shopping channels in his quest to become a top collector. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6FPV3)
Document reveals James Slack's messages about article prompted concern from Matt HancockBoris Johnson's top media official said the Daily Mail's eagerness to get people working in offices during the first Covid lockdown came from being desperate" to sell newspapers, according to documents released to the official inquiry.James Slack said a Mail headline in April 2020 predicting masks could allow people to return to work was spurred by a desire to revive their circulation figures. He had previously been the paper's political editor before working for Johnson in No 10. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6FPS5)
Prime minister to include draft bill banning conversion practices in king's speech, sources confirmRishi Sunak will push ahead with long-delayed plans to ban gay and trans conversion practices after Conservative whips warned MPs could rebel if they failed to do so.The prime minister will include a draft bill banning conversion practices in the king's speech, government sources confirmed, after the move was first revealed by the Times. Continue reading...
Country waiting to see who Andrzej Duda will task with forming a cabinet after ruling nationalists lost majorityPoland's president will meet parliamentary party leaders next week, his office said, as the country waits to see who he will task with forming a government after the ruling nationalists lost their majority in the general election.Pro-EU opposition parties secured a majority in Sunday's ballot, a huge shift for Poland after eight years of feuding with Brussels over issues ranging from judicial independence to LGBTQ+ rights. It also represents a setback for rightwing populism in the EU. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Serious concerns' raised about decision not to put man on trial over death of Darren Poole in 2015Two undercover police officers have raised serious concerns" about a decision not to prosecute a potential murder suspect they secretly recorded making an alleged confession, according to confidential documents seen by the Guardian.The target of the surveillance operation was at the time considered a suspect in the death of Darren Poole, a 38-year-old painter and decorator who was found dead in his flat in Birkenhead, Wirral, in August 2015. A coroner ruled Poole had been unlawfully killed. Continue reading...
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