Celebrations to McLean's jaw-dropping goal picked up by seismic activity monitors at Glasgow Geothermal ObservatoryWhen Scotland qualified for the men's football World Cup for the first time in 28 years, supporters were propelled into wild celebration - and even made the earth move in the process.According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), when Kenny McLean scored from the halfway line to seal a breathtaking 4-2 win over Denmark, which are ranked 18 places higher in the world than Scotland, the reaction at Hampden Park was equivalent to a very small earthquake. Continue reading...
Police detain teenager after responding to reports of disorder in Moredon on Friday eveningA 13-year-old schoolgirl has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman died inside a house in Swindon.Police detained the teenager after responding to reports of a disorder in Baydon Close, Moredon, at about 7pm on Friday. They arrived to find a woman in her 50s not breathing, with no other reported injuries. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Amy Sedghi (earlier) on (#71NBJ)
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereLeaders from Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia are expected to huddle on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Saturday to discuss the way ahead on Ukraine", an EU official said.A European diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse (AFP):We are working on making the US plan something more able to be applied, based on previous dialogue. Continue reading...
Women's groups welcomed the announcement on the eve of the international leaders' summit in JohannesburgHundreds of women gathered in cities across South Africa on Friday to protest against gender-based violence in the country before the G20 summit in Johannesburg this weekend.Demonstrators turned out in 15 locations - including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban - wearing black as a sign of mourning and resistance". Continue reading...
Louise Haigh criticises delivery company over treatment of workers who spoke out against pay cutsThe Labour government must back delivery workers who were sacked for speaking out about DPD's plans to cut of thousands of pounds from their pay, a former cabinet minister has said.Louise Haigh has heavily criticised the delivery firm over its treatment of the workers - one of whom said the row had cost them their livelihoods just in time for Christmas. Continue reading...
Robert James Purkiss faces extradition for alleged septic tank killing of Agnes Wanjiru near army training baseA former British soldier accused of murdering a Kenyan woman whose body was found in a septic tank in 2012 has spoken publicly about the allegations, saying: I do not believe I ever met her."Robert James Purkiss, 38, faces extradition to Kenya, where he is wanted for the alleged brutal" murder of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in Nanyuki, a town near a British army training camp. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Kanak leader Christian Tein, who was freed from prison in June, says France is deliberately dragging out' re-issue of his passportA pro-independence leader from the French overseas territory of New Caledonia has accused the French government of deliberately dragging out" his passport application, preventing him from flying home after his release from prison.Christian Tein, an Indigenous Kanak leader, was arrested in New Caledonia in June 2024 over allegations that he had instigated the deadly pro-independence protests that had taken place on the island a month earlier. Continue reading...
Billions will be spent on credit over the discount weekend but experts say the payment option is not risk-free'Black Friday bargain-hunters should be wary of the flood of buy now, pay later" offers at the checkout, money experts have warned, amid record numbers of people seeking help with shopping debts.Billions of pounds will be spent online and in shops over the coming weeks, with more than one in three Britons said to be planning to use this form of credit to help stagger their Black Friday spending. Continue reading...
When Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine posted complaints about their local primary school, they never expected six uniformed police officers to turn up at their doorBefore it catapulted a small school community in London's commuter belt into the centre of a global news story, the year-four class WhatsApp group at Cowley Hill school in Borehamwood was unremarkable - a place of snide comments, reminders about non-uniform day and flustered messages about being late for the school run.It was mum gossip, you know?" said one member, Sarah. A bit juicy, but it wasn't anything nasty." Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah and Alexandra Topping on (#71N6A)
Tom Player speaks out about incident in which Victoria Bond died along with two Mexicans and two GermansA survivor of the blizzard that killed a British woman and four others in Chilean Patagonia has said that tourists were concerned about adverse weather conditions ahead of the trek, but were told by staff it was normal" and they could proceed.Tom Player, a London-based composer, told the Guardian that during the brutal blizzard about 30 volunteers worked together in an attempt to try to rescue hikers. Continue reading...
Shumeet Banerji was away during crucial discussions that led to resignation of director general and BBC News chiefA member of the BBC's board has resigned after saying he was cut out of the discussions that led to the shock resignation of its director general, Tim Davie.Shumeet Banerji, a tech industry executive, was out of the country on the crucial days before the departure of Davie and the head of BBC News, Deborah Turness. Continue reading...
From Scott Morrison's on-water matters' to the Albanese government's MOU with Nauru, successive governments' attitude to legitimate scrutiny has been one of hostility
by Lucy Campbell (now); Tom Ambrose and Jakub Krupa ( on (#71MKK)
US president says Thursday is an appropriate time' in radio interview as Ukrainian leader weighs up US proposalGerman Bild tabloid is also reporting that Merz is expected to hold a phone call not only with Zelenskyy, but also with the US president, Donald Trump.Mind you: there's been no official confirmation yet. Continue reading...
by Daniel Boffey, Kiran Stacey in Johannesburg and Ma on (#71MKP)
PM says Reform UK leader also has questions to answer' about alleged racist comments and chants when at schoolNigel Farage has been accused of being spineless" by the prime minister and a coward" by Dulwich college contemporaries over his response to allegations of racism.Keir Starmer said the Reform UK leader had questions to answer" about alleged comments and chants as a teenager that include songs about the Holocaust, and accusations of bullying towards minority ethnic schoolboys. Continue reading...
Supermarket still losing market share despite effort under Allan Leighton to win over customers with price cutsAsda is selling off 24 stores and a distribution centre - and leasing them back - to raise 568m in what has been called a sign of weakness" as sales continue to fall.The Leeds-based supermarket group, which is expected to release its quarterly results next week, has continued to lose market share to rivals as sales have gone backwards, despite an effort to win over shoppers with price cuts and improved stores. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh defence and security editor on (#71K7T)
Beijing still trying to recruit British sources in parliament through LinkedIn regardless of provocationAn unexpected connection on LinkedIn. An offer of work from a headhunter, most likely a young woman, based in China. The chance to earn perhaps 20,000 part-time writing a handful of geopolitical reports for a Chinese company peppered with non-public" or insider" insights. Payment in cryptocurrency or cash preferred.It may seem obvious, on this telling, that something about this approach would be amiss. Nevertheless, China's powerful Ministry of State Security (MSS) still considers it worthwhile to deploy recruitment consultants to try it - leading MI5 to warn repeatedly about their activity online. Continue reading...
Defence secretary reveals details of recent incursions as he warns UK is facing new era of threat' from hostile countriesA Russian spy ship has entered British waters and shone lasers at military pilots, the defence secretary has said, as he warned the UK was facing a new era of threat" from hostile countries.John Healey said on Wednesday that the Yantar surveillance ship had crossed in and out of the UK's exclusive economic zone multiple times in recent weeks, not for the first time this year. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#71JY3)
Officers accused of using violence and threats to make Peter Sullivan confess to 1987 murder of 21-year-old Diane SindallA man wrongly jailed for 38 years has spoken of being beaten by police and bullied into making a false murder confession.Peter Sullivan, 68, the subject of one of the longest miscarriages of justice in British history, said he had lost everything and wanted an apology from Merseyside police. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#71JV5)
PM Mette Frederiksen's centre-left party loses control of Copenhagen for first time in more than 100 yearsMette Frederiksen has admitted that a fall in support for the Social Democrats was greater than we had expected" after her party suffered sweeping defeats across Denmark and lost control of Copenhagen for the first time in more than 100 years.While the Social Democrats remain the largest municipal party in Denmark, the prime minister's centre-left party lost more than 5 percentage points across the country in Tuesday night's municipal and regional elections, dropping from 28.4% in 2021 to 23.2%. Support for the far right Danish People's party, meanwhile, rose slightly from 4.09% to 5.9%. Continue reading...
Public should be told nature of threat posed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, says defence committee chairThe UK lacks a plan to defend itself from a military attack, MPs have warned as the government promised to boost readiness with new arms factories.The challenges facing the government and defence industry were laid bare in a stark report from the Commons defence committee about the UK's ability to fight a war and meet its Nato obligations in light of Russia's war in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Masked robbers forced their way into a car, seized valuables and forced victim to transfer bitcoinMasked robbers stole a 450,000 watch and 1.1m in cryptocurrency after forcing their way into a car in Oxford.Two men and three women were driving from the city to London on the afternoon of 4 November when the raiders struck, Thames Valley police said. Continue reading...
Vladimir Putin authorises the guarding of fuel sites by reservists, internet blackouts and tighter sentencing for acts of sabotageRussia has passed sweeping laws to bolster its defences at home against Ukrainian drone strikes and sabotage operations, reflecting the Kremlin's expectation of a protracted war with Ukraine.Almost four years into Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine - a full-scale invasion he expected to last only weeks - Moscow is being targeted almost daily by Ukrainian drones striking energy facilities, while Ukrainian operatives have assassinated a number of high-profile Russian military figures deep inside the country. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Despite the risks, many young people now see choking during intimacy as acceptable or even expected, which experts put down to the proliferation of increasingly violent online pornographyGood morning. Yesterday, I was shocked to read that nearly half of sexually active under-18s have either been strangled or strangled someone during sex.Choking", as it is known, has become normalised in young people's sexual habits. A study by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation, part of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians, published on Tuesday, found that 43% of under-18s had experienced the practice, despite much evidence of the dangers it can cause.Politics | Nigel Farage is facing fresh claims of racism and antisemitism while he was at school, with a Bafta-winning director among those making accusations against him. The Reform UK leader denies the allegations.Technology | A key piece of the internet's usually hidden infrastructure suffered a global outage on Tuesday. Cloudflare, whose services include defending millions of websites against malicious attacks, experienced an unidentified problem that meant internet users could not access some websites.Health | The NHS has failed to cut waiting times as promised in its recovery plan despite billions of pounds in investment, the public accounts committee has warned.Home Office | Shabana Mahmood is facing demands for compassion and clarity after it emerged that only a few hundred" asylum seekers would initially be permitted to come to the UK under three new schemes for refugees.Espionage | MI5 has issued an espionage alert to MPs and peers warning that two people linked to the Chinese intelligence service are actively seeking to recruit parliamentarians through LinkedIn. Continue reading...
UN committee to consider claim by prominent Mori leader Tureiti Moxon that alleges government policies have harmed Indigenous peopleThe United Nations has agreed to hear an urgent complaint against New Zealand's coalition government alleging it is responsible for significant and persistent discrimination against Mori.Prominent Mori leader, Lady Tureiti Moxon, has filed the complaint to the UN's committee for the convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination (CERD). Continue reading...
Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, which was looted by the Nazis and nearly destroyed in a fire during the second world war, sells at Sotheby's auctionA painting by Gustav Klimt has sold for a record-breaking $236.4m (179.7m, A$364m) with fees, making it the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction and the most expensive work of modern art sold at auction.The six-foot-tall painting, titled Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, was painted by the Austrian painter between 1914 and 1916 and shows Lederer, a young heiress and daughter of Klimt's patrons, draped in a Chinese robe. Continue reading...
Nearly two-thirds of prevention of future deaths' reports by coroners are not acted upon, say researchers at King's College LondonThe advice given by coroners in England and Wales to help prevent maternal deaths is not being acted upon, research suggests.Academics at King's College London looked at prevention of future deaths (PFD) reports issued by coroners in cases of pregnant women and new mothers who died between 2013 and 2023. They found these reports were not being systematically used nationally". Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#71JN2)
Public accounts committee finds Labour's progress appears to have stalled' despite billions of pounds in investmentThe NHS has failed to cut waiting times as promised in its recovery plan despite billions of pounds in investment, the public accounts committee (PAC) has warned.The influential parliamentary committee's verdict raises serious doubts over whether Labour can fulfil its key pledge to voters to fix the NHS" by ensuring that patients can once again get hospital care within 18 weeks by 2029.Key NHS targets to improve access to both planned care and diagnostic tests by last spring were missed".NHS England had spent 3.24bn setting up community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs but had not achieved the aim of reducing delays.In July, 192,000 people had been waiting at least a year for care, despite a pledge to eradicate that practice altogether by March 2025.22% of patients were having to wait more than six weeks for a diagnostic test, even though that was due to be cut to 5% by March. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer accused of failing to adequately strategise while in opposition, leading to uncoordinated policymakingKeir Starmer is failing to make major improvements to public services partly because he did not plan properly while in opposition, according to a report from the Institute for Government (IfG).The prime minister went into government without a clear idea about how to achieve his targets, the IfG found, resulting in haphazard attempts to reform various sectors, from the health service to the courts. Continue reading...
Four people also rescued alive at popular Torres del Paine reserve in Patagonia amid heavy snowfall and strong windsA British woman and four other foreign tourists have been killed in a blizzard at a nature reserve in southern Chile.Nine people went missing on Monday in the Torres del Paine reserve in Patagonia, a popular tourist destination, amid heavy snowfall and winds reaching up to 120mph. Continue reading...
US president also claims Mohammed bin Salman knew nothing' about murder of journalistDonald Trump has shrugged off the Saudi regime's 2018 murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the journalist was extremely controversial" and unpopular, dismissing the killing by observing things happen".The US president made the remarks at the White House on Tuesday while welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since Khashoggi's murder and dismemberment in Istanbul by Saudi state operatives. Continue reading...
by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent on (#71JBF)
As the government imposes stricter rules for families of asylum seekers coming to the UK, one mother tells how her son is growing up without herMy son says I miss you, when am I seeing you?' Sometimes I lie to give him false hope. There's a growing detachment there, because he knows I have lied to him."Kim is an asylum seeker based in Yorkshire, England. The 35-year-old, who has asked to use only a pseudonym out of fears for her safety, is among those in the UK who do not know when - or if - they will be able to see their children again, as the Labour government cracks down on the asylum system. Continue reading...
by Natricia Duncan Caribbean correspondent on (#71JE3)
On first official visit to UK, leaders say aim is not to break the British Treasury' but to find solution to help clean up mess' left by colonialismThe Caribbean's slavery reparations body has decried misleading press reports that suggest their aim is to break the British Treasury" by demanding trillions of pounds, as they mutually beneficial restorative justice programme.Prof Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC), which was set up to progress the Caribbean's pursuit of justice for centuries of enslavement and colonisation by European nations, made the comments during the body's first official visit to the UK. Continue reading...
by Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Lisa O’Carroll on (#71JBG)
Politically realistic' for UK to make financial contribution so it can access European single market, Irish minister saysThe UK must pay into the EU budget for future participation in the European single market, it has been confirmed, in what could become a major test for the post-Brexit reset.Ireland's Europe minister, Thomas Byrne, said EU member states had decided the UK should make a financial contribution for closer ties: Ireland wants to see Britain getting the benefit of closer engagement with the European Union. Continue reading...
Donald Tusk warns Polish parliament of an escalation' of Russian intelligence activities across the whole of Europe'. This live blog is closedPoland's prime minister Donald Tusk has just told lawmakers that the authorities investigating the rail sabotage incidents over the weekend identified two main suspects.He says the suspects are Ukrainian men, who crossed into Poland from Belarus this autumn, and are believed to have been working for Russian intelligence services. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa and Shaun Walker in Bobrowniki on (#71JBJ)
Donald Tusk says two saboteurs crossed border from Belarus hoping to cause divisive catastrophe'Polish authorities have identified two Ukrainian men, allegedly working for the Russian intelligence services, as the key suspects in two cases of rail sabotage, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has said.The men are alleged to have planted a military-grade explosive device and attached a steel clamp to rail tracks in two incidents on a strategic rail route used for aid deliveries for Ukraine. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#71J1G)
Spy agency says Amanda Qui and Shirly Shen have been using LinkedIn to obtain non-public and insider insights'MI5 has issued an espionage alert to MPs and peers warning that two people linked to the Chinese intelligence service are actively seeking to recruit parliamentarians.The two people operate as headhunters on the LinkedIn professional networking website aiming to obtain non-public and insider insights", MI5 said. They are said to also be targeting economists, thinktank staff and others with access to politicians. Continue reading...
German pop duo who last year said their wish was to leave together' had joint assisted death at their home in GrunwaldAlice and Ellen Kessler, the pop singing sisters who were famous in Europe in the 1960s, especially in Italy where they were credited for bringing glamour to the country's TV network, have died aged 89.The identical twins had chosen to have a joint assisted death at their home in Grunwald, close to Munich, on Monday, said Wega Wetzel, a spokesperson for Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Humanes Sterben (DGHS), a Berlin-based assisted dying association. Continue reading...
Dan Jarvis, the security minister, says China is trying to contact MPs and peers to get sensitive information about parliamentBack at the Reform UK press conference, Zia Yusuf, the party's head of policy, has just finished outlining his plan to cut spending on foreignersAs he finished, Yusuf claimed this was treachery".Labour is making the conscious and deliberate decision to continue funding extortionate amounts to foreign nationals, to the detriment of British citizens.And I don't know what to call that. Frankly, in my view, it's treachery. I think it's appalling. British people are sick and tired of it.Just a few months ago, Rachel Reeves was saying she couldn't afford to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Now it looks like becoming her latest U-turn.This isn't because the economic circumstances have improved. Quite the opposite. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#71J80)
US oil firm blames UK government policy and supply costs for closure of site near Cowdenbeath in ScotlandExxonMobil is to close a chemicals plant in Scotland that employs hundreds of workers within months, blaming the decision on the UK government's economic and policy environment".Workers at Fife Ethylene Plant were told on Tuesday that the oil company would shut the 40-year-old facility near Cowdenbeath by February next year owing to the difficult policy and market conditions in the UK. Continue reading...
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