Palace refusing to explain why official state gifts worn by Princess of Wales and Camilla are not in the royal collectionBuckingham Palace is refusing to explain why 11 pieces of jewellery potentially worth £80m that were official gifts to the royal family are not held in a trove of national heritage.The jewels, which have been worn by Queen Elizabeth II; Camilla, the Queen Consort, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are not contained in the royal collection, the custodian of culturally significant items held in trust for the nation. Continue reading...
Chris McCausland says Channel 4 show gave him the experience of ‘being the most able’ competitorIt has recently been called one of television’s most ridiculous reality shows. But the new Channel 4 series Scared of the Dark will help audiences understand sight loss, a contestant has said.The blind comedian Chris McCausland is one of eight famous faces who stepped out of the spotlight and into a pitch-black bunker for eight days for the experiment, hosted by Danny Dyer. It will show how they cope with the pressures of light deprivation and humanity’s primal fear of the dark.It’s a Knockout, BBC One, 1966 Giant obstacle-based physical series that spawned a Europe-wide and royal version.Touch the Truck, Channel 5, 2001 Dale Winton-fronted endurance show featured contestants holding on to a truck for the longest to win it.Naked Jungle, Channel 5, 2000 A nudist Crystal Maze meets It’s a Knockout, fronted by Keith Chegwin.Shafted, ITV, 2001 Robert Kilroy-Silk’s ill-fated show created TV’s most infamous catchphrase, “to share or to shaft”.Celebrity Shark Bait, ITV, 2005 Richard E Grant and Ruby Wax were among the stars locked in a metal cage in shark-infested waters.Hole in the Wall, BBC One, 2008 Teams of celebrities tried to jump through shapes in a moving wall.Heads or Tails, Channel 5, 2009 Justin Lee Collins oversaw contestants flipping a coin to try to win £1m.Don’t Scare the Hare, BBC One, 2011 Contestants carried out a mad series of challenges against a giant robotic hare.That Puppet Game Show, BBC One, 2013 The Muppets’ short-lived move into gameshows.The Jump, C4, 2014 Insurance nightmare celebrity ski jump show created 34 casualties.Flockstars, ITV, 2015 Celebrities attempt sheepdog trials.Wild Things, Sky One, 2015 Couples dressed as animals competed on a woodland obstacle course.Apocalypse Wow, ITV2, 2021 Gladiators meets BDSM.Naked, Alone and Racing to Get Home, Channel 4, 2023 Race Across the World in the buff. Continue reading...
BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce among those funded, with aim of producing new aircraft by 2035The Ministry of Defence has awarded £650m to manufacturers working on its Tempest fighter jet, in the latest sign that the UK is pushing forward with the aim of producing the aircraft by 2035.The companies who will receive the money are led by manufacturer BAE Systems, jet engine maker Rolls-Royce, and the UK arms of Italy’s Leonardo and European missile-maker MBDA. Continue reading...
Daniel Urresti sent to jail for 12 years for his role in the 1988 killing of Hugo Bustíos at the height of the country’s civil conflictA former Peruvian presidential candidate, Daniel Urresti, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for his role in the murder of a journalist in 1988 at the height of the country’s brutal civil conflict.A court ruled on Thursday that Urresti, then a military intelligence army officer, took part in the ambush and murder of Hugo Bustíos, who was investigating human rights abuses. Continue reading...
People are seeking the advance provision of medication before Friday’s deadline, when the drug may become unavailableAbortion pill websites and providers are seeing a surge of interest following a series of court decisions that threaten to block access to one of the major abortion drugs, mifepristone.Carafem, a national abortion provider with a wide range of telehealth services, said it had seen a 38% increase in people booking virtual appointments since the first ruling on Friday upending the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone. Many customers have been asking whether they can order abortion medication before becoming pregnant – what is known as “advance provision”, a number of providers said. Continue reading...
Ex-president to be questioned in $250m suit against him for allegedly inflating assets to gain favorable loans and tax benefitsFormer US president Donald Trump was back in New York on Thursday to give a deposition in the state civil case accusing him of business fraud, as his legal woes continued to multiply.Trump arrived in New York a little over a week after appearing in New York criminal court on a different matter, pleading not guilty to dozens of felony charges related to hush-money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels and others during the 2016 presidential election. Continue reading...
NHS data for February shows 125,505 people spent at least 12 hours waiting to be admitted, transferred or dischargedOne in 10 people attending A&E in England face a “dangerous” wait of at least 12 hours for staff to deal with their problem, previously hidden NHS figures show.Data released on Thursday by NHS England for February showed that 125,505 people – 10% of everyone who sought help at a hospital-based emergency department in England that month – endured waits of at least 12 hours to be admitted, transferred or discharged. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6ARYD)
Darren Woods’ pay is ‘reflective of record company earnings and stock price performance’, says oil firmExxonMobil handed its chief executive a 52% pay increase to $35.9m (£28.7m) for 2022 after the oil company reported its highest ever profits amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Darren Woods’ salary rose by 10% to $1.9m last year while his bonus and share awards surged by 80% compared with the year before. The company said the bumper payday was “reflective of record company earnings and stock price performance”. Continue reading...
Zakir Hussain accused of sending malicious messages to Louise Brookes including threat to deface grave of her brother AndrewA man has denied sending abusive Twitter messages to the sister of a Hillsborough victim during his first hearing at magistrates court.Zakir Hussain, 28, of no fixed abode, pleaded not guilty to five charges of sending malicious communications regarding five separate Twitter messages that tagged Louise Brookes, whose brother, Andrew Brookes, who was one of the 97 victims of the disaster. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6ARYF)
Scientists are cautiously positive about the face cream, which is based on a deep understanding of the skinThe latest Boots No7 range, Future Renew, was launched this week to considerable fanfare, not merely a new face cream, but a “world first breakthrough in skincare research”.Since 2007, when a Horizon documentary on the science behind its Protect&Perfect range prompted an unprecedented consumer stampede, the Boots No7 team has been taking the “here comes the science bit” to the next level. Its latest collection of creams and serums was preceded by a presentation at the American Academy of Dermatologists’ (ADD) annual congress in New Orleans, and the launch took place, not at an exclusive hotel, but at the Science Museum in London. Continue reading...
Congress group drafts legislation targeting officials and government supporters, mainly affiliated to Fidesz partyA bipartisan group in Congress is drafting US sanctions that would target leading Hungarian political figures tied to the Orbán government, as the relationship between the two countries continues to spiral downwards.The sanctions bill would name former officials and government supporters, mostly affiliated with the Fidesz party of the prime minister, Viktor Orbán. Continue reading...
President back from Netherlands amid sustained unrest which unions say will continue even if bill is signed inHundreds of thousands of people demonstrated across France on Thursday, with trade unionists and strikers briefly storming into the Paris headquarters of the luxury goods company LVMH, in a fresh round of protests against Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plans to raise the minimum pension age from 62 to 64.“You’re looking for money to finance pensions? Take it from the pockets of billionaires,” said the Sud Rail trade unionist Fabien Villedieu, as the LVMH headquarters filled with red smoke from flares. The luxury group, whose brands include Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, is owned by Bernard Arnault, the world’s richest person, whose fortune exceeds $200bn (£160bn). Continue reading...
by Aubrey Allegretti Political correspondent on (#6ARRR)
PM calls fulfilling Channel crossings pledge ‘complicated’ in wide-ranging ConservativeHome interviewRishi Sunak has risked provoking the ire of Conservative MPs who want a swift end to people crossing the Channel illegally, by refusing to guarantee his pledge to “stop the boats” will be fulfilled by the next general election.A hot topic, given that the number of landings is expected to increase as summer approaches, the prime minister tempered expectations by stressing it would not be easy to deliver on his promise. Continue reading...
Mathias Döpfner’s reported comments on climate, Muslims and east Germany – and his apparent political manoeuvring – create shock wavesThe German CEO of Europe’s largest media publisher tried to use his flagship tabloid, Bild, to influence the outcome of Germany’s last election and fed the newspaper his personal views attacking climate change activism, Covid measures and the former chancellor Angela Merkel, leaked messages suggest.The internal chats, emails and text messages published by the German weekly Die Zeit on Wednesday clash with the public presentation of Axel Springer SE’s chief executive, Mathias Döpfner, who recently said he wanted to bring “non-partisan” journalism to a too-polarised US media landscape through his acquisition of the English-language title Politico. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6ARP9)
Regulator says Carlos Abarca ‘failed to take reasonable steps’ to ensure outsourcing firm was ready to migrate accounts en masseUK regulators have imposed an £81,000 fine on a former TSB information officer over the bank’s IT meltdown in 2018 that left millions of customers locked out of their accounts.The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) said Carlos Abarca, who was TSB’s chief information officer at the time of the meltdown, “failed to take reasonable steps” to ensure that an outsourcing firm owned by TSB’s parent company was ready to carry out the IT migration of customers en masse. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6ARHP)
Corporation says it will work with union to find alternatives to 20% reduction in rolesThe BBC has changed course on its proposed cuts to BBC English orchestras after pressure from musicians, the public and politicians.The cuts, which were announced in March, would have reduced roles in the BBC Symphony, Concert and Philharmonic orchestras by 20%. Continue reading...
Inquiry comes after tax raid on corporation’s offices and a documentary that was critical of PM Narendra ModiIndia’s financial crimes agency is investigating the BBC over alleged violations of foreign exchange rules, less than two months after the corporation’s Indian headquarters were raided by tax inspectors.According to officials, the latest investigation is being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a central government agency. Continue reading...
HSIB report identifies several barriers to child safeguarding in hospital emergency departmentsStaff in hospital emergency departments in England are struggling to spot when infants are being physically abused by their parents, raising the risk of further harm, an investigation has found.Clinicians often do not know what to do if they are concerned that a child’s injuries are not accidental because there is no guidance, according to a report from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) that identifies several barriers to child safeguarding in emergency departments. Continue reading...
The journal’s once-in-a-decade selection of the best fiction writers under 40 has broadened its selection of 20 to include authors who ‘regard the UK as their home’Granta magazine’s Best of British Novelists list, which hails the literary stars of the future, has this year expanded to include writers who “regard this country as their home” even if they don’t have a British passport. “The result is a more varied and encompassing portrait of the kind of writing that is happening today in Britain”, said Luke Neima, deputy editor of Granta.Running since 1983, the list spotlights 20 novelists under the age of 40 every 10 years, marking them out as stars of the future. This year’s authors include Booker prize-winner Eleanor Catton, Desmond Elliott prize-winner Derek Owusu, and debut novelist K Patrick, whose first novel Mrs S is out this summer. They follow in the footsteps of writers such as Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith and Kamila Shamsie, who have made the list in previous years. Continue reading...
Watchdog says six committed misconduct or gross misconduct in racist, ableist and other offensive messages on WhatsAppSix Greater Manchester police officers shared “abhorrent” racist, ableist and other offensive messages in a WhatsApp group, an investigation by the police watchdog has found.Examples included racist comments about people attending Eid celebrations in Manchester, ableist comments about people with autism, and shared photos of medication that appeared to be steroids. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6AQST)
Letter adds to pressure on health secretary after BMA reveals it is already talking to arbitration serviceNHS bosses have urged the health secretary to let the arbitration service Acas see if it can help to break the deadlock in his deepening dispute with junior doctors in England who are striking over pay.The NHS Confederation has written to Steve Barclay and the British Medical Association (BMA), the main doctors’ union, asking them to accept the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service as an honest broker that could set up talks to end the row. Continue reading...
Removal of ads on eBay and Etsy comes as new survey reveals more people now regard the toys as racistOnline retailers have removed listings for the sale of golliwog dolls amid new evidence that more people now regard the toys as racist.Collectors have continued to trade golliwog dolls on eBay and Etsy under the less offensive label “golly dolls”. On Wednesday afternoon, eBay listings included a “vintage golly soft toy” in with a starting bid of £14.99 and a “collectible plush golly by Lesser & Pavey” with an upper bid of £36. Continue reading...
Is the Duchess of Sussex staying home because of Archie’s birthday? Some say it points to a failure in negotiationsThe “Will they? Won’t they?” question of whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would attend has hung over King Charles’s coronation for months.Even after the couple was formally invited by email one month ago, reply there came none, with the deadline reportedly passing last week, and organisers said to be increasingly impatient. Continue reading...
Nearly 28,000 people arrived via sea route in first quarter, Frontex says, as UN decries deadliest period since 2017Three times as many people sought to reach the EU across the Mediterranean in the first three months of 2023 compared with a year before, the bloc’s border agency has said, as the UN’s migration arm decried the deadliest first quarter since 2017.Overall, the EU agency, Frontex, reported 54,000 irregular crossings into the bloc via all routes in the first quarter of the year, up a fifth from 2022. Continue reading...
by Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent on (#6AQK2)
Equity union welcomes increased funding while continuing to oppose move being imposed on ENO chorusThe English National Opera is set to receive £24m in public funding to support its move to a new base outside London while continuing to stage performances at the London Coliseum, its West End residence for more than 50 years.The opera company had its general public funding cut from £12.8m a year to zero in November as part of a drive by Arts Council England (ACE) to divert money outside the capital, reflecting the government’s levelling up agenda. Continue reading...
People waiting for breast cancer result and heart surgery for their child question why government isn’t doing moreThe four-day strike by junior doctors across England will result in an estimated 350,000 appointments, including operations, being cancelled.The action follows years of pay erosion and deteriorating working conditions in the health service. According to the British Medical Association (BMA), junior doctors’ pay has fallen by 26% in real terms over the past 15 years. Continue reading...
Britain has been criticised for loading cost of accommodating refugees on to overseas aid budgetThe UK is spending proportionately more of its overseas aid budget on housing refugees than most other major aid donors, new figures from the OECD show.The figures, published on Wednesday, show that the only two countries spending more than the UK in absolute terms on housing refugees in their home countries are Germany and the US, but their total aid budgets are much larger than the UK. Continue reading...
Report says revenues raised from a gradually imposed fuel tax could be used to transition to low-carbon fisheriesThe EU lavished up to €15.7bn in fossil fuel subsidies on its fishing industry over the last decade, but campaigners are now calling for those funds to be redirected towards decarbonisation.Fuel tax exemptions for the fishing industry save so much money that they could pay the salaries of 20,000 fishers every year – or pay for 6,000 new energy reduction and decarbonisation projects, according to a new analysis. Continue reading...
Female bear that killed Andrea Papi close to mountain village last week attacked a father and son in 2020A bear that killed a 26-year-old man while he was jogging in the woods close to a mountain village in northern Italy has been identified as a 17-year-old female that had previously attacked two people.Andrea Papi, whose funeral was taking place on Wednesday, was the first person in Italy to be killed in a bear attack in modern times. Continue reading...
Kauan Okamoto says Kitagawa evaded justice because victims knew speaking out would end their careersJohnny Kitagawa, one of the most powerful figures in Japanese entertainment, sexually abused multiple boys but evaded justice because his victims knew speaking out would end their pop careers, according to a former protege who has decided to go public with his allegations.Kauan Okamoto, a Japanese-Brazilian singer-songwriter, said Kitagawa had sexually abused him at least 15 times over a four-year period from 2012, when the pop hopeful was aged 15. Continue reading...
Hotel claimed Jerelle Jules was sent out-of-date and incorrect grooming policy banning ‘unusual hairstyles’A black job applicant who was told his hair was against the employee grooming policy of the Ritz has said an apology he subsequently received from the hotel was “disingenuous and lacklustre”.Jerelle Jules, 30, from Hammersmith, west London, had made it to the final round of interviews for a position as a dining reservations supervisor at the exclusive London hotel, when he was sent the company’s employee grooming policy. Continue reading...
Information minister says ‘no basis’ to form interim government, amid claims of February elections being fixedThe Nigerian president-elect, Bola Tinubu, will take office on schedule on 29 May despite court challenges to the election result, the country’s information minister has said.On a visit to the UK to counter claims that the 25 February elections in Africa’s most populous country had been fixed, Lai Mohammed said there was “no basis” for an interim government to be formed until the court challenges could be resolved. Continue reading...
by Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent on (#6AQ1A)
Production is at centre of collaboration with west London community affected by 2017 disasterThe National Theatre is to stage a verbatim play based on accounts by survivors and those bereaved by the Grenfell Tower fire almost six years ago as the centrepiece of a long-term collaborative project with the west London community.The play, Grenfell: In the Words of Survivors, is the work of the novelist and playwright Gillian Slovo, who spent five years gaining the confidence of community members and recording their accounts of the disaster in north Kensington which killed 72 people.Grenfell: In the Words of Survivors will be at the National Theatre from 13 July until 26 August. Continue reading...
Pearl is shorter than the standard television remote and about as long as a dollar bill, Guinness World Records saysWhat do you call a chihuahua dog that’s shorter than a popsicle stick and can fit in your pocket? The planet’s shortest living dog, Guinness World Records has announced.Pearl qualified for the title after a veterinarian at the Crystal Creek animal hospital in Orlando, Florida, where she was born, used a special dog-measuring wicket to determine she was just under 3.6in (9.14cm) tall and 5in (12.7cm) long. Those dimensions mean she is shorter than the standard television remote and about as long as a dollar bill, Guinness said in a statement. Continue reading...
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