Basketball star lands at Texas airbase after being swapped for Russian arms dealer Viktor BoutThe American basketball star Brittney Griner returned to the US early on Friday after being freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange from nearly 10 months in detention in Russia.The deal, in which she was swapped for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, secured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad and achieved a top goal for Joe Biden. But Washington failed to win freedom for another US citizen, Paul Whelan, who has been jailed for nearly four years. Continue reading...
World’s fifth-largest oil firm finally bows to pressure after invasion of Ukraine, removing representatives from Novatek boardTotalEnergies, the world’s fifth-largest oil company, has finally bowed to international pressure after the invasion of Ukraine and announced that it intends to “gradually withdraw” from its Russian investments.The French oil giant said on Friday, it would remove its two representatives from the board of Novatek, Russia’s dominant private gas exporter. Continue reading...
by Ayoub Simour and Angelique Chrisafis in Bondy on (#66P2R)
France’s bid to retain trophy has put smiles on faces in Bondy where their star striker is an inspiration for young peopleIn the town of Bondy in Paris’s northern suburbs, where Kylian Mbappé grew up and trained, Ismail Gencel was preparing his bar and pizzeria for the crowds who would come to watch Saturday’s France-England World Cup match.“Mbappé is our idol, our heritage, he’s put Bondy on the map,” said the 53-year-old, who once provided an upstairs room for Mbappé’s seventh birthday party – “a very active, smiling child,” he recalled, “who I now wish I’d taken a photo with”. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#66P2S)
Social justice secretary says plans do not conflict with work to advance women’s rights and equalityThe Scottish government has sought to reassure MSPs that plans to streamline how transgender people change the sex on their birth certificate will not compromise its work to advance women’s rights.In a letter sent to all MSPs on Friday, and seen by the Guardian, the cabinet secretary for social justice, Shona Robison, insists the reforms do not “in any way conflict with our work and commitment to protect women from discrimination and advance women’s rights and equality”. Continue reading...
Gabriele Galimberti says he had no input into objects used in images and brand’s delay in apologising led to further abuseGabriele Galimberti, the photographer who took pictures of children carrying teddy bears wearing S&M outfits for Balenciaga’s recent ad campaign, says he has received death threats in the aftermath of the scandal.Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “I get messages like ‘we know where you live.’ ‘We are coming to kill you and your family.’ ‘We are going to burn your house.’ ‘You have to kill yourself, fucking paedophile.’ ” Hesaid 90% of the messages were from people in the US. Continue reading...
Musician’s comments come after Elon Musk said he would grant ‘general amnesty’ for suspended accountsSir Elton John has said that he will no longer use Twitter after a change in its policy that he says will allow “misinformation to flourish unchecked”.The 75-year-old musician’s comments come after Elon Musk, who bought the social media outlet for $44bn (£35.9bn), said he was granting “general amnesty” for suspended accounts, which experts have said would lead to “superspreaders of hate” returning to the platform. Continue reading...
Belgian police seized cash and searched 16 properties across Brussels during major investigation into corruption and money launderingFour people have been arrested as part of an investigation into corruption and money laundering centred on a Gulf state’s attempt to buy influence at the European parliament, Belgian prosecutors have said.Belgian police seized €600,000 (£515,000) in cash, computers and mobile phones after searches at 16 properties across Brussels on Friday morning, according to a statement from Belgium’s federal prosecutor. It said the searches were part of a major investigation into alleged criminal organisation, corruption and money laundering. Continue reading...
Show’s makers to sift through cream of UK comics from Tom Allen to Ellie Taylor to find new co-hostWho will seize the whimsical baguette, so cheerfully passed on by Matt Lucas this week as he announced he would be stepping down as the co-presenter of The Great British Bake Off ?What other comedic genius would have the acumen to take on spring rolls and pistachio ice-cream? The compassion to wipe away Iain Watters’ tears over his sloppy, Baked Alaska “bingate” disaster in season five or the beginner-level intuition required to stay away from maracas and sombreros during Bake Off’s much-criticised “Mexican week”? Continue reading...
Fishing boat believed to be resting on seabed after collision with Condor Ferries freight vesselThe search for three fishers whose boat sank in the Channel after a collision with a freight vessel has resumed off the coast of Jersey.Lifeboats and a search aircraft were launched at first light to continue to scour the area to the west and north-west of the island. Continue reading...
Bob Seely says he was considering proposing private member’s bill even before recent controversy over Netflix documentaryA Conservative MP has said he is planning to bring forward legislation in an attempt to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their royal titles. Bob Seely told the PA news agency he could propose the short private member’s bill early next year in an attempt to amend the 1917 Titles Deprivation Act.If passed, it would see MPs vote on a resolution that could give the privy council the power to downgrade Harry and Meghan’s royal status. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#66NAX)
Foreign secretary criticised UK’s lack of robust approach at taking action against perpetrators around the worldBritish diplomats have too often acted as “commentators” rather than using leverage against human rights abusers, according to the foreign secretary, who said the culture of his department would shift so that dictators would “pay the price”.The UK is set to announce a raft of sanctions against individuals in 11 countries, including Iran, Russia, Mali and Nicaragua, targeting those responsible for acts of torture, sexual violence and the repression of protests. Continue reading...
Council of Europe report finds government’s attitude is weakening protections for the publicThe UK government has “an increasingly antagonistic attitude” towards human rights that is weakening instead of strengthening protections for the public, a European inquiry has found.Inflammatory language used by MPs and officials to describe lawyers could put their safety at risk, according to the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatović.Provisions in the PCSC Act that de facto criminalise Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities leading a nomadic lifestyle must be rescinded.There is “a high level of anxiety among stakeholders” about human rights protection in the UK, in view of the significant impact of recent and proposed legislation.The UK’s policies towards refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are eroding their rights. Proposals criticised in the report include newly introduced inadmissibility rules for asylum claims, the possibility of removing persons to Rwanda, and the criminalisation of asylum seekers arriving irregularly.The emergence of a harsh political and public discourse against trans people in the UK has a negative impact on their rights.The UK government should consider withdrawing the legacy bill, which offers a conditional amnesty to people accused of killings and other Troubles-related crimes. Continue reading...
Charlotte Charles pleased to have kept promise to son, but says US government still has questions to answerThe mother of the British teenager Harry Dunn has said her promise to win him justice has been fulfilled after his killer was sentenced, but said it was “despicable” that she had failed to appear in court.Although Anne Sacoolas, a US citizen who was driving on the wrong side of the road when her car struck the young motorcyclist in 2019, avoided jail, she received an eight-month suspended sentence and was disqualified from driving for 12 months. Continue reading...
Scrapping of adverts for foods high in fat, salt and sugar before 9pm will not now take effect until 2025Rishi Sunak faces a furious backlash from health experts after his government yet again delayed plans for a ban on pre-watershed TV advertising for junk food.A ban on adverts for foods high in fat, salt and sugar before 9pm was due to come into force from January 2023, as well as a ban on “buy one get one free” deals on junk food. However, in May, it was delayed for a year by the then prime minister Boris Johnson. Continue reading...
A new lawsuit claims the Backstreet Boys member sexually assaulted a minor after a concertBackstreet Boys member Nick Carter has been sued for sexual battery involving an incident with a minor in 2001.According to the lawsuit, first reported by TMZ and later obtained by Rolling Stone, Shannon Ruth, who was 17 at the time, claims she was invited by Carter, then 21, on to the Backstreet Boys’ tour bus after a concert in Tacoma, Washington. Ruth also spoke at a press conference today. Continue reading...
by Erum Salam in New York and agencies on (#66MMD)
Members of NewsGuild of New York say they are stopping work in protest at management’s failure to reach deal on new contractA large crowd filled with hundreds of journalists and media professionals, many dressed in red, gathered outside the New York Times headquarters on Thursday afternoon, as part of an employee walkout that demanded a higher living wage.It’s something that hasn’t happened at the famous newspaper in four decades: a union strike that stopped the reporting process and shut down the newsroom. Continue reading...
Court expected to decide if Pedro Castillo will be held in preliminary detention after failed attempt to close congressPeru’s ousted president Pedro Castillo has appeared in court to face charges of rebellion and conspiracy as his successor, Dina Boluarte, the country’s first female leader, pledged to set Peru on a new course and called a truce after months of political turmoil.Castillo looked sombre during Thursday’s hearing, giving simple yes or no answers, while his lawyer argued that he had been arbitrarily detained and forced from Peru’s presidency on trumped-up charges. Continue reading...
The ‘no complacency’ talk will continue, but Labour must now surely feel like it has turned a cornerAt the packed party for Frances O’Grady’s retirement as TUC general secretary, an among-friends Keir Starmer allowed himself to show a little bit more excitement.Labour spinners will brief fiercely about how the party is showing no complacency and there have been warnings from the shadow cabinet that its poll lead is soft. But Starmer showed in a relaxed speech at the gathering, packed with the left’s great and good, that he was starting to really believe. Continue reading...
Robert Browne, 56, had hurled abuse at man on a street in Cheadle after chasing him with two umbrellasA former soldier who pleaded guilty to a racist assault after chasing a teacher down the street with two umbrellas and using a racial slur has received a 10-week suspended sentence and ordered to pay his victim £300.Robert Browne, 56, pleaded guilty last month at Tameside magistrates court to racially/religiously aggravated common assault/beating on 25 July this year after a video showed him hurling racist abuse at Shabir Makim, 40, and striking him with umbrellas. Continue reading...
Barry and Honey Sherman were found dead at home in 2017 in a case that shocked Canada but remains unsolvedThe daughter of a billionaire couple whose unsolved murder shocked Canada’s largest city has pleaded for the public to come forward with any evidence ahead of the fifth anniversary of their deaths.Barry Sherman, the founder of drug giant Apotex, and his wife Honey, were found dead in their Toronto home on 13 December 2017. A realtor found the couple in the basement pool area of their home two days later, with belts looped around their necks and attached to a pool railing. Continue reading...
Comments from representative bodies as government continues to insist there are no shortagesGPs and pharmacists say they are struggling to get hold of antibiotics for infections including strep A, as the government continues to insist there are no shortages.It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the number of children under 15 who had died from invasive strep A illness in England had risen to 13, taking the UK total to 15. Continue reading...
London-based trio say ‘it’s truly a dream come true’ after their 90s-influenced pop-R&B wins over panel of critics and industry professionalsFlo have become the first group to win the Brits Rising Star award (formerly known as the Critics’ Choice award).The British girl group beat producer Nia Archives and songwriter Cat Burns to the prize. In a statement they described themselves as “shocked and grateful” at releasing their first music and winning a Brit award in the same year. Continue reading...
Major search and rescue operation under way off coast of Channel island after incident at 5.30am on ThursdayA Jersey fishing boat with a skipper and two crew members onboard is believed to have sunk in the Channel after a collision with a freight vessel.The 18-metre long (59ft) wooden fishing boat, L’Ecume II, collided with a Condor Ferries vessel, the Commodore Goodwill, off the Channel island at 5.30am on Thursday. Continue reading...
This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereWes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has issued this statement about the latest performance statistics from NHS England. (See 9.51am and 10.27am.) He said:The NHS is heading into this winter with more people waiting for treatment than at any time in history, and they are waiting longer than ever before.Behind the statistics are people suffering, sometimes for months or even years, putting their lives on hold because of their pain and discomfort.Gove prepared a statement on his way to a ministerial visit because he had to come back for an urgent question on the mine. He wrote up a statement for a UQ but it got turned into a ministerial statement.Instead of writing a more substantial response, he delivered a speech very different to what had been provided. Lindsay is livid as it means we don’t have a written copy. Continue reading...
Uncle of Mohsen Shekari, who was convicted of ‘waging war against God’, says family have not been told location of bodyIran has conducted the first known execution in relation to the anti-government protests that have rocked the country, hanging a man who was found guilty by a revolutionary court of “waging war against God”.Mohsen Shekari was accused of blocking a street and wounding a member of the pro-regime Basij militia on 25 September, during the early phase of the protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. Continue reading...
The Frasers Group company’s attention to the twentysomethings’ market is paying dividendsFrasers has announced it plans to open another six Flannels stores next year, at a time when some of the UK’s more traditional department stores are closing shops.While it might seem like a move against the run of play, it is betting on its established customer base – well-paid young people, typically living at home, who have that rare commodity in a cost of living crisis: spending money. It is precisely this demographic who have been credited with driving luxury into 2023. Continue reading...
Number of suspects revised upwards to 52, 23 of whom are currently in custody, and more police raids are plannedGermanyis trying to get the measure of how imminent a threat to the state was posed by the rightwing terror ring exposed on Wednesday, as police made further arrests in connection with the coup plot.In their biggest ever raid targeting rightwing extremists, German authorities arrested 25 people suspected of plotting to overthrow the government, install a shadow regime led by a 71-year-old aristocrat, and seek talks with Russia to renegotiate its post-second world war settlement. Continue reading...
Duke and Duchess of Sussex say in Netflix series that media is ‘destroying us’ for calling out racismThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex have accused the media of “destroying” them before they left the UK, and said the royal family failed to understand that Harry’s future bride required protection, in interviews aired in a Netflix documentary.The royal family questioned why Meghan should be “protected” following racist headlines and stalking by paparazzi after news of their relationship broke in 2016, Prince Harry said. Continue reading...
Action ‘could cost hospitality sector £1.5bn in lost sales’ in peak season as it continues to struggle with rising costsHotels, restaurants and pubs expect more than a third of their bookings to be cancelled this month as the threat of rail strikes during the peak Christmas party period hits trade.The trade body UKHospitality said it expected the strikes to cost businesses about £1.5bn in lost sales and other knock-on effects, with a lack of a breakthrough deal pushing up expected cancellations to between 35% and 40% from between 20% and 30% at present. Continue reading...
Two refused countries will try again after Austria raised concerns about unauthorised immigrationCroatia has been given the green light to join Europe’s open travel zone, but Bulgaria and Romania were kept out because of opposition led by Austria over concerns about unauthorised immigration.Croatia was cleared to become the Schengen zone’s 27th member after talks between the bloc’s interior ministers in Brussels. From 2023, people will not have to stop for border checks as they pass between Croatia and the rest of the zone. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Political correspondent on (#66MJG)
MP for Solihull in the West Midlands says he has been targeted by rumours and ‘threats involving blackmail’The MP Julian Knight has vehemently rejected any wrongdoing after the Conservative party removed the whip following a complaint about him to the Metropolitan police, saying he had been targeted by unfounded rumours, and potentially blackmail.The MP for Solihull in the West Midlands, who chairs the Commons digital, culture, media and sport select committee, lost the whip after a complaint about him was made on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Data shows 13 under-15s in England, one in Northern Ireland and one in Wales have died since SeptemberFifteen children under the age of 15 have now died in the UK from the invasive strep A illness, figures show.Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows 13 children under 15 have died of strep A in England since September. Two other such child deaths have been recorded in Northern Ireland and Wales, taking the UK total to 15. Continue reading...
Many papers denouncing royal couple for making Netflix documentary use series to pull in readersThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentary is highly critical of the British media – but the programme is sending millions of readers to the same news outlets they criticise in the film.Many of the newspapers that have denounced the royal couple for making a Netflix documentary about themselves are also providing wall-to-wall coverage about the contents of the same documentary. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#66MRM)
Girls’ participation in football up dramatically in five years, and children now as active as before pandemicThere are now 100,000 more girls playing football than there were five years ago, according to an annual survey of children’s fitness by Sport England, which also found secondary school girls are more active than they have ever been.Overall, children’s activity levels have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but the Active Lives survey revealed that not all groups have made the same progress, with children aged seven to nine lagging behind, their activity levels still 4.5% below where they were before Covid. Continue reading...
Two brothers, aged 13 and 15, were arrested at Shortlands station after one of them failed to produce an Oyster cardA woman whose two children were arrested after one had forgotten their Oyster card has said that they were treated with disproportionate force because of the colour of their skin.The two brothers, aged 13 and 15, were making their way to school on Monday when they were stopped by rail staff because the 13-year-old did not have an Oyster card with him. Continue reading...
Exclusive: comments by diplomat involved in recent Manchester clash appeared threatening, student saysA senior Chinese diplomat involved in the recent violence against pro-democracy protesters in Manchester has suggested Chinese students in Britain should “resist distorting and discrediting” China’s Covid policies.The comments by China’s consul general in Manchester, Zheng Xiyuan, at a symposium to discuss the work of international students were said by Lyndon Lee, 23, a second-year law student at York University, to appear threatening. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#66MPA)
Review of passenger operations by regulator paints damning picture of growing north-south divideCancellations and punctuality for train companies operating in northern England including Avanti West Coast worsened sharply this summer, despite them scheduling far fewer train services, statistics from the rail regulator reveal.A review of passenger train operators’ performance by the Office of Rail and Road showed that TransPennine Express and Northern both culled more than 15% of their timetable from the previous summer, far more than any other operators in the UK. Continue reading...
Premium holidays and low-cost locations such as Turkey more resilient than three-star resorts, says travel firm On the BeachHoliday bookings for three-star destinations are starting to drop as households hit by the cost of living crisis cut back amid surging bills, according to the travel company On the Beach.The online travel retailer said that while premium bookings by customers with deeper pockets were proving “resilient”, holidaymakers who traditionally would book cheaper trips had been forced to rein in their spending. Continue reading...
by Deepa Parent and Ghoncheh Habibiazad on (#66MMF)
Exclusive: Men and women coming in with shotgun wounds to different parts of bodies, doctors sayIranian security forces are targeting women at anti-regime protests with shotgun fire to their faces, breasts and genitals, according to interviews with medics across the country.Doctors and nurses – treating demonstrators in secret to avoid arrest – said they first observed the practice after noticing that women often arrived with different wounds to men, who more commonly had shotgun pellets in their legs, buttocks and backs. Continue reading...
Many shielded from rising food and energy costs continue to spend as Flannels and Jack Wills owner unveils 53% profit riseMike Ashley’s Frasers Group defied retail gloom in its first half as younger shoppers more shielded from the cost of living crisis continued to spend, including at its fast-growing designer chain Flannels.The group, which owns several chains including Sports Direct and House of Fraser, said younger people, which make up a large proportion of the group’s shoppers, were still prepared to spend on clothes as they were more protected from rising energy bills, mortgage rates and even food costs. Continue reading...
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