by Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent on (#65R8H)
Academics with settled status had to leave four-month-old with family in India due to Home Office waitA German biophysicist and his neurophysicist wife have told how they were separated from their newborn baby amid Home Office delays processing a post-Brexit residency application for their little girl.Darius, an associate professor at a Russell Group university in England, and his Indian wife, Sunaina, arrived in the UK before Brexit and had settled status – entitling them and their direct family members to reside in the country. Continue reading...
The singer will release a recording of her recent appearance at Newport Folk festival, her first full performance in 20 yearsJoni Mitchell has announced a new live album of her recent surprise Newport Folk festival performance. Speaking to Elton John on his Apple Music radio show Rocket Hour in a rare, wide-ranging interview, Mitchell confirmed that she and her team are “trying to” release an album of the show, a collaborative performance with US Americana singer Brandi Carlile which featured guests including Blake Mills, Marcus Mumford, Wynonna Judd and more. It was Mitchell’s first full performance in more than 20 years, and found the iconic folk artist singing from an onstage throne; at one point, during Just Like This Train, she stood to perform a guitar solo. “I couldn’t sing the key, I’ve become an alto, I’m not a soprano any more,” Mitchell told John of the rendition. “I thought people might feel lighted if I just played the guitar part … it was very well received, much to my delight.”Elsewhere in the interview, which airs in full at 5pm today (12 November), Mitchell discusses the original reception to much of her work, which she says “made people nervous”: “People thought it was too intimate. It was almost like Dylan going electric. I think it upset the male singer-songwriters … It took to this generation, they seem to be able to face those emotions more easily than my generation.” She also expresses her “outrage” at wars (“I guess it’s an old hippy thought like make love, not war … you’d think we’d wise up and take care of the ecology situation instead of starting wars”) and describes Chuck Berry as the “goat”, an acronym for greatest of all time. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#65R7K)
PM’s stance on global issues not fully known but he will be keen for Russia not to be seen as calling the shotsWhen Rishi Sunak steps off the plane in Bali for what will be his first major diplomatic test as prime minister, there is a forecast for heavy rain on the Indonesian island paradise and a veil of gloom over the prospects for any agreement between G20 leaders.The longest shadow has been cast by Russia – and that country’s membership of the G20 means that British officials acknowledge it will be nearly impossible for the leaders to agree a communique at all. Continue reading...
Exclusive: request to train more than 500 personnel raises tensions between Home Office and MoDThe army is expected to begin training on 21 November to replace striking Border Force officers at ports and airports, Home Office staff have been told.The Guardian understands that more than 500 military personnel are expected to each receive five days of training before being asked to work in frontline jobs. The first are supposed to arrive for training a week on Monday, Home Office staff have been told. Continue reading...
by Aubrey Allegretti and Jessica Murray on (#65R7N)
Exclusive: Complaints include that too many turned a ‘blind eye’ to racist slurs and issue was not taken seriouslyOne of Labour’s biggest local branches has been plunged into a racism storm, with minority ethnic councillors claiming there is a “toxic culture” designed to keep them “in their place, which is at the bottom”.Leaders of the Labour group on Birmingham city council were accused of “not taking racism and discrimination seriously”, and criticised for a “frankly appalling” lack of representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) politicians in senior roles. Continue reading...
The much-anticipated release of the Marvel sequel is set to be one of the year’s biggest hits, but it arrives with a swell of sadnessThis time around, there were no filmgoers in brightly colored kente cloth outfits or other African garb waiting to greet the coming of the Black Panthers.Where the first film was a celebration of Black excellence, the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an elegy for the late Chadwick Boseman. The mood was somber at theaters in Atlanta, the closest place America has to a Wakanda on Earth (like the original, it was partly filmed here). Continue reading...
Councillors in the largest town in the former health secretary’s West Suffolk constituency have already called for his resignationIf he harboured any doubts about his decision, Matt Hancock gave little hint this week when challenged by a fellow I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! contestant about his decision to abandon his duties as an MP.“Rishi’s great. We’ll be fine,” came the breezy reply from the former Health Secretary as he reclined on the jungle set ahead of being covered in slurry and insects during the first of the show’s bushtucker trials. Continue reading...
The potential impact of the chancellor’s various options and which ones we think he will pursueWhen he was chancellor, Rishi Sunak’s Treasury would routinely leak many elements of his budgets in advance, and there has been a similar wealth of informed speculation about how, as prime minister, he can fill the estimated £60bn gap in the UK’s public finances in next week’s autumn statement.With much fiscal misery expected, there is a benefit for Sunak and his chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, in floating possible options to gauge the reaction – and it is likely that some ideas mentioned in newspapers never make the cut. But here are some of the ideas on the table, in terms of tax rises and spending cuts, and the likelihood of them being implemented. Continue reading...
by Harry Taylor (now); Ben Quinn and Samantha Lock (e on (#65PZ7)
This live blog has now closed, you can read more on Ukraine’s recapture of Kherson hereThe absence of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in connection with announcements about his forces’ retreat from key areas of Ukraine is being discussed by commentators.The distance has been deliberate, writes New York Times national correspondent Neil MacFarquhar, who adds:With each new pronounced setback in Ukraine, however, it is getting harder for Mr. Putin to separate himself from the whiff of failure, which is gradually eroding his image as a decisive, indomitable leader.There is a withdrawal of Russian troops to more fortified positions. But there were still populated points where we saw battles.They withdraw because they suffer losses, very heavy losses. What’s more, they don’t even take the bodies of their soldiers and leave the wounded behind. Continue reading...
Prosecutors say David Smith, 58, from Paisley, became disillusioned with west and contacted Russian militaryA security guard who worked for the British embassy in Berlin has pleaded guilty to passing secret material to a Russian military attache in a rare espionage prosecution.David Smith, 58, faces up to 14 years in jail after admitting to passing on information about the staff and layout of the British embassy – and other secret material between May 2020 and August the following year. Continue reading...
Lawyers for relatives of Dawn Sturgess, who was killed in Wiltshire in 2018, call for process to be speeded upThe family of a woman killed in the Wiltshire novichok poisonings more than four years ago has expressed concern that there is still no start date for the full independent inquiry into her death despite it raising pressing national security issues.Lawyers for relatives of Dawn Sturgess said there had been “substantial” delays and called for the preparation process to be speeded up and for extra resources to be made available if necessary. Continue reading...
Some excuse alleged behaviour of Raab, Patel and Williamson, but others want to clean up WestminsterLike the Westminster sex pest stories and the sleaze rows over lobbying, allegations of bullying just seem to keep on coming out of SW1.Priti Patel was said by the ministerial ethics adviser to have bullied civil servants but was let off by Boris Johnson; John Bercow was found to have bullied Commons clerks; and Gavin Williamson is accused of telling a civil servant to slit his throat and jump out of a window – the common thread is that they were targeting those they considered beneath them. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#65QEP)
Scientists caution against idea of fertility ‘insurance policy’ after Jennifer Aniston advice to freeze eggsJennifer Aniston revealed this week that she was trying to get pregnant through IVF at a time when tabloids were obsessively speculating about whether she would have children. The actor told Allure magazine she felt relief now that “the ship has sailed”, but that “I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me: ‘Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favour.’”Aniston has been widely praised for speaking out about a side to IVF that is not often talked about, but experts cautioned against the idea that freezing eggs is an “insurance policy”. Continue reading...
French government calls Italy ‘inhumane’ for refusing vessel but Italian PM hits back as rift deepensFrance and Italy have intensified their bitter row over migration after a charity-operated ship carrying hundreds of asylum seekers rescued in the central Mediterranean docked in the French port of Toulon after almost three weeks during which Italy’s far-right government failed to give it safe port.The French government called Italy “irresponsible” and “inhumane” for not coming to the aid of the ship, which had been stuck in Italian waters for weeks carrying sick passengers who had been rescued at sea between Libya and Italy. Continue reading...
Suspect tried to convince courts he was an orphan from Ireland who had never been to USA man who has been fighting extradition to the US has been confirmed by a court in Scotland as the rape suspect Nicholas Rossi.The 35-year-old has spent the past 11 months telling the court he is Arthur Knight, an orphan from Ireland, who has never been to the US. But on Friday, Edinburgh sheriff court found him to be Rossi, a man the US authorities have been seeking in relation to two rape allegations and one allegation of sexual assault. Continue reading...
Socialist-led coalition to rename offence ‘aggravated public disorder’ and reduce maximum sentence to five yearsSpain’s Socialist-led coalition government has announced plans to overhaul the archaic sedition law that was used to prosecute the Catalan leaders who tried to secede from the rest of the country after the illegal and unilateral referendum held five years ago.Under the Spanish penal code, the offence of sedition – which dates back to 1822 – is defined as “rising up publicly and tumultuously to prevent, through force or beyond legal means, the application of the law”. It carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. Continue reading...
Curators introduce playful touches to confound expectations about how art should be displayedFrom the outside the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp looks like the epitome of convention. The grand neo-classical monument, modelled on a Greek temple, first opened in 1890 and bears all the pomp and circumstance of its age. Yet behind the imposing facade are some playful and surprising touches.In one room, a painting hangs at a crooked angle. In another, a luminous green cat sits menacingly in a cage with the door ajar. Elsewhere, a wall “comes to life” as an eerie curtain of rustling leaves. It is all part of a visit to the Royal Museum, known as KMSKA, which reopened in September after being closed for 11 years following a €100m (£87m) renovation. Continue reading...
After hack allegedly carried out by Russians, details of abortions, drug addiction, mental health issues and alcoholism emerge onlineNearly 10 million Australians have had their private health data hacked – with sensitive medical records detailing treatments for alcoholism, drug addictions, and pregnancy terminations already posted online – in a cyber-attack believed to have been coordinated from Russia.The Australian Federal Police have said they know the identity of the Russian ransomware criminal organisation that hacked into the databases of Medibank, Australia’s largest private health insurer, stealing customer data over weeks inside the company’s computer systems. Continue reading...
Concerns grow that people relying on communal heating may not receive state discount promisedThousands of people living in homes with centrally supplied electricity are still waiting to hear if and when the UK government will pay them the £400 promised under the energy bills support scheme.While those living in conventional homes with standard electricity meters are due to receive their second monthly payment of £66, concern is growing among some of the several hundred thousand households that receive their electricity via a communal supply that they will not see any of the money they have been promised. Continue reading...
Church of England is ‘still discriminating against women’ 30 years after allowing them to become priestsThirty years after the Church of England took the historic step of allowing women to become priests, equality campaigners say female clergy still face “institutionalised discrimination”.Fewer than one in three paid clergy are female, according to 2020 data – the most recent published – although the same source showed more women (55%) than men had begun training for the priesthood. Continue reading...
Wiltshire council criticised for unveiling plaque littered with mistakesSwindon borough council has been criticised for botching a tribute to key workers during the Covid pandemic with a plaque littered with mistakes.Images of the plaque have been widely shared on social media, showing random capitalisation, punctuation errors and spelling mistakes. Continue reading...
Airport vows passengers will not face daily cap during biggest festive getaway in three yearsHeathrow airport has said it is prepared for the biggest Christmas getaway in three years and promised that passengers will not have to face a return of the daily cap that was introduced as summer holiday travel descended into chaos.Europe’s busiest airport, which said last month that on the busiest travel days over the festive period travellers may have to fly outside peak times to manage the festive rush, said it was working on contingency plans for potential strike action over the period. Continue reading...
Report foresees funding for childcare places in England falling by 8% over next three yearsThe fast pace of inflation will significantly erode funding for early years care in nurseries and childcare providers over the next three years, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.The IFS said funding for childcare places in England will in effect fall by 8% by 2024-25 as a result of inflation, with providers facing costs rising by 16% over that period, mainly as the result of higher wage bills. Continue reading...
Jenny Hayes will spend at least eight years in prison after pleading guilty to arson causing deathA Victorian woman who lit a deadly fire, killing a young couple and their 19-day-old baby, will spend at least eight years behind bars.Jenny Hayes, 48, faced the supreme court in Melbourne on Friday, where she was sentenced over the December 2020 fire after she had pleaded guilty to three counts of arson causing death. Continue reading...
MP says there is ‘no excuse’ for his actions but is still ‘very much’ with Gina ColadangeloMatt Hancock has acknowledged there was “no excuse” for the actions that led to his resignation as health secretary after being photographed kissing a colleague during the pandemic, but insisted he “fell in love”.The Conservative MP for West Suffolk was asked by his campmates about his resignation after entering the Australian jungle in the reality show I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! Continue reading...
Prof Tom Marsh, 60, who had been missing since 16 September, described as ‘inspirational academic and mentor’A body has been found in the Chilean desert after a search was launched for missing astronomer Prof Tom Marsh, Warwick University has said.Marsh, 60, disappeared on 16 September while working at La Silla Observatory on the outskirts of the Atacama desert. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent on (#65PJ3)
Leaders meet before British-Irish Council summit, in first attendance by a UK PM since Gordon BrownRishi Sunak has said he wants to deepen ties between the UK and Ireland after a “very positive” first face-to-face meeting with the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, before the British-Irish Council summit in Blackpool.He said he was pleased with progress on the Northern Ireland protocol dispute and he was determined to end the impasse over the Stormont assembly. Continue reading...
Exclusive: armed forces personnel to get less than a week’s training under plan approved by Suella BravermanHundreds of military personnel will be trained to work as Border Force guards so they can fill in for striking workers under plans signed off by Suella Braverman.Members of the armed services could be asked to work on the frontline at ports and airports by the end of this month, Whitehall sources said. Defence sources said they had received a request for help from the Home Office, which was being evaluated. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#65PJ6)
Equalities watchdog tells judicial review of law on gender balance it is ‘regrettable but probably inevitable’ it is seen as partisanThe Equality and Human Rights Commission is a referee rather than a side-taker in the debate on whether transgender rights affect women’s legal protections, Scotland’s highest court has heard.The equalities watchdog was making a submission on the second day of a judicial review brought by the gender-critical campaign group For Women Scotland, which is challenging Scottish government attempts to include transgender women in legislation aimed at improving gender balance on public boards. Continue reading...
by Harry Taylor (now); Martin Belam and Samantha Lock on (#65NN2)
This live blog has now closed, you can read more about this story hereRussian president, Vladimir Putin, may take part in an upcoming summit of the G20 group of nations in Bali via video link, Russian state news agency RIA said on Thursday, citing the Russian embassy in Indonesia.“The format of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin’s participation is being worked out,” the agency quoted a diplomat as saying. “It is possible that he will take part in the summit via video conference.”The Pentagon declined the request based on concerns that providing the Gray Eagle MQ-1C drones could escalate the conflict and signal to Moscow that the US was providing weapons that could target positions inside Russia, US officials and other people familiar with the decision said.” Continue reading...
Teachers to take action in nearly all Scotland’s schools after EIS union members reject 5% pay offerTens of thousands of Scottish teachers are to take strike action later in November after union leaders won an overwhelming mandate to intensify a long-running wage dispute.The EIS, Scotland’s largest teachers’ union, said teachers would strike in nearly all Scotland’s schools on Thursday 24 November, in the first national stoppage by the union for almost 40 years, in pursuit of a 10% increase in pay. Continue reading...
Ocean Viking will bring 234 people to Toulon amid deepening row with Rome over Mediterranean rescuesFrance is to open its southern port of Toulon to a charity-operated ship carrying hundreds of asylum seekers rescued from the central Mediterranean, saying it is an “exceptional” move and criticising Italy’s new far-right government for its “incomprehensible” refusal to help the vessel.The Ocean Viking rescue ship, operated by the European charity SOS Méditerranée under a Norwegian flag, and whose 234 passengers include 57 children, is facing deteriorating sanitary conditions after Italy refused to give it a safe port for more than two weeks despite its presence in Italian waters. Continue reading...
Report on conditions in Qatar alleges labour abuses are widespread and calls on Fifa to set up compensation fundMigrant workers who constructed stadiums for the World Cup in Qatar have endured “persistent and widespread labour rights violations”, which include nationality-based discrimination, illegal recruitment practices and, in some cases, unpaid wages, according to allegations in a new report by human rights group Equidem.While the report also documents a number of cases of good practice, including “adequate channels for reporting concerns with working conditions”, good access to healthcare, satisfactory safety measures and decent living conditions, Equidem’s findings conclude that Qatar has been a “hostile environment” for stadium workers. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#65P4K)
Defence secretary changes stance under new PM after previously threatening to quit if pledge not metThe defence secretary has walked away from a Liz Truss commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 – just a few weeks after signalling he might resign from the government if the target was not met.When asked if he still supported the pledge, Ben Wallace, speaking at a meeting of European defence ministers, said he was “taking it budget by budget at the moment”, acknowledging the changed economic situation following Truss’s disastrous premiership. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian