by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6STA7)
Disciplinary tribunal upholds three charges of professional misconduct against Navjot Jo' Sidhu, who was once a contender to be director of public prosecutionsA former chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) inappropriately initiated sexual contact with an aspiring lawyer, a disciplinary tribunal has found.A five-person panel found three charges of professional misconduct to be proven against Navjot Jo" Sidhu, who was once a contender to be the director of public prosecutions. Continue reading...
Amnesty International UK says prime minister needs to challenge repression of human rights defenders' as he meets crown princeQ: [From Christopher Hope from GB News] Do you want to cut the number of civil service jobs? Do you favour ID cards? And would you give Dominic Cummings a job?McFadden says, in the past, when people have cut civil service numbers, they have ended up hiring more consultants, at greater expense. Continue reading...
Haenel says Christophe Ruggia subjected her to permanent sexual harassment' during making of film when she was between 12 and 15In one of the first French #MeToo cases to come to court, a film director has denied charges of sexual aggression against and harassment of the award-winning French actor Adele Haenel.A group of feminists gathered outside the Paris court on Monday to support Haenel who claims she was groomed and abused from the age of 12 to 15 by Christophe Ruggia. Continue reading...
Singer says he plans to install thunder and lightning features on lavish toy train setup he built over decadesHe may have had an international hit single called Sailing, but Rod Stewart's heart is in an altogether different mode of transport.Such is the 70s pop legend's love of model railways he has relocated his world-class" collection from his Los Angeles home to his country estate in England, and plans are afoot to upgrade the setup. Continue reading...
Hassan Sentamu killed the 15-year-old in row over teddy bear and perceived disrespect', prosecutor tells Old BaileyA youth fatally stabbed 15-year-old Elianne Andam in a fit of white-hot anger" after failing to hand over her friend's teddy bear, a court has heard.Hassan Sentamu, 18, had lashed out at Elianne with a kitchen knife during a prearranged meeting in Croydon town centre with his ex-girlfriend and her group, the Old Bailey was told. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#6ST3H)
Only richest 10% can afford to buy as figures show average household needs 8.6 times disposable income to meet asking priceOnly the richest 10% of households can afford to buy an average-priced home in England, according to official figures that lay bare the scale of Britain's broken housing market.Highlighting the result of decades of house price growth that has outstripped household incomes, the Office for National Statistics said the cost of buying a home was unaffordable" in every part of the UK except Northern Ireland. Continue reading...
Project would turn former commune where Jim Jones and more than 900 followers died into a tourist attractionGuyana is revisiting a dark history nearly half a century after the Rev Jim Jones and more than 900 of his followers died in the rural interior of the South American country.It was the largest suicide-murder in recent history, and a government-backed tour operator wants to open the former commune now shrouded by lush vegetation to visitors - a proposal that is reopening old wounds, with critics saying it would disrespect victims and dig up a sordid past. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6ST3K)
Specialist law firms and CMCs could be in line for massive payday with their cuts from consumer compensationA cloud of anxiety was hanging over the British Motor Museum. Alongside showrooms featuring the 1988 Le Mans-winning Jaguar XJR-9 and the Land Rover Defender used in opening scenes of the James Bond film Skyfall, were conference rooms filled with worried lawyers, bankers and compliance staff from across the motor lending industry.Attenders of the Financing and Leasing Association's annual motor finance convention in Warwickshire last month had spent weeks trying to get to grips with a shock court of appeal decision that sided with two aggrieved car loan customers. Continue reading...
Pop singer's 149-date tour, which ended on Sunday in Vancouver, more than doubles the previous record for a completed tourTaylor Swift's Eras tour has been confirmed as the most commercially successful tour of all time, raking in more than twice as much revenue as the previous record-holder.Following the tour's final date in Vancouver on Sunday, the singer's company Taylor Swift Touring confirmed the final revenue tally to the New York Times: $2,077,618,725 (1.62bn). This is the first official disclosure of the tour's revenue figures. Continue reading...
More heavy snow forecast for north-east this week, while South Africa endures third heatwave of summerWinter is well underway across the pond in North America with two distinct lake-effect snow events taking place since Thanksgiving. Lake-effect snow is common across the Great Lakes region, and happens when cold air originating from Canada passes over the relatively warm waters of the lakes, causing the layer of air near to the surface to absorb heat and moisture. Warmer than the air above it, this layer of air then starts to rise, cooling and condensing into clouds which deposit snow on the windward side of the lakes.In this particular event, an area of low pressure centred across eastern Canada dragged very cold Arctic air in from the north and plunged it into the north-east of the US. The dry, arctic air blew in from the north-west across the relatively warmer Lake Erie through Thanksgiving, picked up moisture and deposited snow across areas to the south and east of the lake. A dominant band of snow brought rates of 2.5cm to 7.6cm (1in to 3in) an hour to the Erie and Crawford counties. Within the first 12 hours, approximately 30cm of snow fell in Ashtabula County, Ohio, and by Saturday morning, there were reports of more than 90cm of snow in the far north-east of Ohio and north-west of Pennsylvania. As a result of this heavy snowfall, parts of the Interstate 86 and 90 were shut on Friday 29 November. Continue reading...
Property in Dorset town, known as Casterbridge in Hardy's novels, was where he was apprenticed to an architectA historic building in a Dorset town where the Victorian novelist and poet Thomas Hardy worked as an apprentice architect has been badly damaged by fire.More than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at the terrace in the county town of Dorchester, which was known as Casterbridge in Hardy's novels. Continue reading...
Gulf state to make decision this week on inviting US, Israeli and Egyptian negotiators to DohaQatar expects to decide in the next few days whether to ask senior US, Israeli and Egyptian intelligence figures to travel to Doha to negotiate the final stages of a Gaza ceasefire deal.The Gulf state was asked by Donald Trump's transition team to re-engage with the mediation after discussions with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyau, led to a belief that a deal that had been stalled for months was within reach. Continue reading...
Francis Ford Coppola receives lifetime achievement award at star-studded event with politicians, actors and directorsIt was an offer they couldn't refuse. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made one of their last high-profile appearances together on Sunday when big names from The Godfather films and other celebrities descended on Washington.The president and vice-president received a standing ovation and prolonged cheers at the 47th Kennedy Center Honors. Biden punched the air three times and blew a kiss to the Marine Corps band after it played the national anthem. Continue reading...
Report calls for radical rethink' of how ministers approach extremism, amid risk of declining trust in democracy and institutionsPoliticians have been criticised for using inflammatory language" and peddling conspiracy theories in a report that finds government policies are failing to prevent extremism spreading and taking root in the UK.The report from Dame Sara Khan, a former counter-extremism commissioner, urges a radical rethink" of how ministers tackle extremism amid a chronic risk of democratic decline" due to conspiracy theories, worsening social cohesion and other threats.Twenty-nine percent of people in the UK believe in the great reset" conspiracy theory that claims there are plans to impose a totalitarian world government.Forty-five percent of young men in the UK have a positive view of the misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate.One in 10 people shared the views of or sympathised with those who engaged in violent disorder and rioting during the summer. Continue reading...
Jay-Z denies allegations that unnamed girl was drugged and raped by him and Combs at a party after MTV music awards in 2000An amended lawsuit filed in federal court on Sunday alleges that rap moguls Jay-Z and Sean Diddy" Combs raped a 13-year-old girl during a party in 2000.Jay-Z denied the allegations on social media and lambasted the lawsuit, calling it part of a blackmail attempt" by the plaintiff's lawyer. In a statement posted by his label, Roc Nation, he said he was heartbroken for his family, and for having to explain the nature of the allegations to his and Beyonce's oldest daughter, Blue Ivy, 12. Lawyers for Jay-Z did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters. Continue reading...
Sarah Mullally laments loss of people coming together to watch a show and urges moments of togetherness' this ChristmasPeople are losing out on moments of togetherness" watching TV because they are streaming shows on separate devices, the bishop of London has said.Right Rev Dame Sarah Mullally said the profusion of choice meant that watching TV had become a more solitary and insular" experience. Continue reading...
After 152 shows, Swift's global tour has been the most successful of all time. At the final dates, fans explain their devotionBy now, nearly 21 months after Taylor Swift launched what would become the highest-grossing tour of all time, you could be forgiven for thinking both wait, Taylor Swift is still on the Eras Tour?" or that the globe-spanning, headline-dominating, literally seismic show would go on for ever.After all, the Eras era has spanned an epoch, at least in ever-quickening internet time. But after 152 shows, 10-plus million fans and several pop cultural takeovers, the Eras Tour reached the end of its road in fittingly rainy Vancouver, having become the highest-grossing tour of all time - though total revenue figures have not been released. Continue reading...
Firm disputes Transport and Environment's findings, which also ranked Deutsche Bahn as one of the least reliableEurostar is the worst-performing rail service on the continent and Germany's Deutsche Bahn is one of the least reliable, according to a ranking of 27 European operators.The report from the campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E) scored Europe's rail operators on factors such as ticket prices, punctuality and willingness to give refunds. It found that only 11 operators had punctuality rates above 80%. Continue reading...
Coverage of the extraordinary events in Syria have filled the front pages in the UK, US and AustraliaNewspapers covering the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his subsequent flight to Moscow have reflected on the Assad family's five decades of dynastic rule in Syria, jubilation across the country, and questions over what will happen next.The Guardian splashed with Rebels seize Damascus as Assad flees to Moscow", with a picture underneath of celebrations in Damascus. There was a pointer to Peter Beaumont's profile of Assad, in which he writes: Bashar is gone, swept out of power by an offshoot of al-Qaida. And with the dramatic ending of the half-century of Assad rule, a key section of the map of the Middle East has been utterly redrawn." Continue reading...
by Kate Lamb (now) Coral Murphy Marcos Yohannes Lowe on (#6SSAV)
This blog is closedWe have some more comments from Turkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, who has ben speaking in the Qatari capital of Doha. He said Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was probably outside Syria after Islamist-led rebels declared he had fled the country.Assad is probably outside of Syria", Fidan said when asked in Qatar about Assad's whereabouts and whether his life might be in danger. Continue reading...
US president Joe Biden says we think we can get him back', as family of Washington Post contributor ask for his safe returnJoe Biden believes missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared 12 years ago near the Syrian capital, is alive, and said that Washington is committed to bringing him home after Bashar al-Assad's ousting from power.We think we can get him back," Biden told reporters at the White House on Sunday, while acknowledging that we have no direct evidence" of his status. Continue reading...
IPPR and Save the Children call for measures including new not-for-profit nursery trusts and increased funding for deprived areasTwo-thirds of the poorest families in England are missing out on childcare, according to a report.Analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Save the Children has found that access to affordable and good-quality childcare is defined by class. Among the poorest fifth of parents with young children, only a third (36%) use formal childcare, compared with double that (73%) of the highest-earning families.Empowering local authorities to pool funding to secure new childcare in the areas of greatest need and organise the new schools-based nursery expansion.Ensuring childminders are paid monthly.Increasing funding for deprived areas and children living in deprivation.Reforming the SEND funding system. Continue reading...
Police launch new appeal over death of Lisa Hession, 14, who was strangled in an alleyway near her home in LeighPolice have offered a 50,000 reward as a new appeal for information is launched over the murder of a schoolgirl in Greater Manchester 40 years ago.Lisa Hession, 14, was sexually assaulted and strangled in an alleyway less than 200 metres from her home in Bonnywell Road, Leigh, after walking back from a party. Her mother, Christine, had expected her to return by 10.30pm and reported her missing 15 minutes later, according to Greater Manchester police (GMP). Continue reading...
CEO has fared well in an embattled sector, turning around the UK's biggest commercial public broadcaster despite the stubbornly low share priceAs Carolyn McCall enters her eighth year as boss of ITV she might be forgiven for wondering if maybe she shouldn't have turned down a chance to run Marks & Spencer instead.McCall revealed the approach back in 2016 while quashing speculation she was poised to leave easyJet, where her reputation soared having turned around the fortunes of the budget airline. Continue reading...
US president-elect claims Kyiv would like to make a deal' to end war with Russia and cites loss of 400,000 soldiers'Donald Trump has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, a day after meeting the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Paris, claiming Kyiv would like to make a deal" to end its war with Russia.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said both sides had suffered enormous losses in the war - which, he claimed on the US election campaign trail, he would be able to end in 24 hours" if elected. Trump has already appointed the retired army general Keith Kellogg as his Russia and Ukraine envoy, tasked with ending the war. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6SSDS)
Government to set out details of independent review into benefit overpayments and how problems can be fixedThe government has promised a new settlement" for unpaid carers, vowing to put an end to the scandal of carer benefit overpayments that has left hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in huge debt and in some cases facing prosecution.Ministers are expected to announce the details of an independent review of carer's allowance, the main benefit for carers, on Monday. The review will look at why the overpayments happened and how the problems can be fixed. Continue reading...
Ruling New Patriotic party concedes defeat after vote dominated by economic crisis and high cost of livingGhana's former president John Dramani Mahama has won a historic comeback election victory after voters appeared to punish the ruling New Patriotic party over its management of an economic crisis.The NPP's candidate, the vice-president, Mahamudu Bawumia, on Sunday conceded defeat in the weekend presidential election after failing to shake off widespread frustration over the high cost of living. Continue reading...
Archbishop of Paris consecrates the cathedral's new altar with perfumed oil to the sound of the restored organParisians, the French and the world rediscovered the breathtaking beauty of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral on Saturday evening, five years after it was devastated by fire.The French president, Emmanuel Macron, led a guest list of international heads of state and other dignitaries including Donald Trump, the Prince of Wales, politicians and celebrities in lauding what he described as a triumph of the French nation in raising the monument from the ashes and making his country united and proud". Continue reading...
Bestselling classical musician says he had to train himself to hear overtones and undertones of notes' againThe violinist Nigel Kennedy has said that he experienced partial deafness for about three months after having the third Covid vaccine in 2021.I wasn't in a fit state to play concerts," he said, recalling that his hearing loss coincided with the trauma of breaking the little finger of his left hand while trying to control his large dog. Continue reading...
Omar Fayed claims former Harrods Owner tricked police to escape justice over rape and sexual assault allegationsMohamed Al Fayed pretended he had dementia so he could evade prosecution for sexual crimes, his son has said.Police now believe Fayed may have raped and abused at least 111 women and girls over nearly four decades. Continue reading...
As an inquest begins, Roger Leadbeater's family believe there was a series of mistakes before he was killed by a woman who had absconded from a psychiatric wardWhen the family of Roger Leadbeater, a 74-year-old man stabbed to death while walking his dog yards from his home in Sheffield, went to lay flowers at the scene two days later, they were met with a horrifying sight.Nobody had cleaned the scene. It was the most barbaric thing I've ever seen," said his niece Angela Hector. There was blood everywhere. You could see the dog paw prints, the outline of his body. It was horrific. A dog walker stopped to talk to me, and his dog was licking Roger's blood." Continue reading...
Despite pledge to challenge claims, the prosecutions agency is not tracking how many cases it has droppedThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not know how many rape cases have collapsed after defence claims of sexsomnia" despite fears the rare medical condition is being exploited.The prosecutions agency for England and Wales has previously pledged to robustly challenge" sexsomnia claims after a string of high-profile cases where sexual offence suspects were acquitted - or had their investigations dropped - after the disorder was raised. Continue reading...
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