Letter from 1547 reveals Spanish king’s fears of a French assassination plot against himA team of researchers have cracked a five century-old code that reveals a rumoured French plot to kill the Roman emperor and king of Spain Charles V.Charles was one of the most powerful men of the 16th century, presiding over a vast empire that took in much of western Europe and the Americas during a reign of more than 40 years. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6665X)
Daniel Libeskind attacks plans to sell off Cumbrian structure once owned by celebrated modern artistThe architect Daniel Libeskind has slammed plans to sell off a unique Cumbrian barn once owned by the celebrated modernist artist Kurt Schwitters.Merz Barn, near Elterwater, is set to be put up for auction next month after funding could not be found to save the studio, which Schwitters, an anti-fascist artist, had made into artwork in itself. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent on (#6663V)
Northern Ireland minister’s proposal comes as PM denies plans for Swiss-style relationship with EUNorthern Ireland minister, Steve Baker, is proposing reopening the Brexit trade agreement David Frost struck with the EU as a means of fixing the problems caused by the controversial Northern Ireland protocol.The proposals comes as Rishi Sunak moved to quell a rebellion in the Conservative party over suggestions Downing Street was mulling a Swiss-style relationship with the EU to ease wider trade barriers on food and agricultural products. Continue reading...
Green lawn-mowing method part of plans for site which include reviving ancient vineyardsA flock of lawn-mowing sheep have been mobilised to trim unruly grass surrounding the ruins of Pompeii as part of an agricultural initiative for the site that also includes plans to revive ancient vineyards.The 150 sheep arrived in Pompeii on Thursday morning and immediately got to work munching away in an unexcavated section of Regio V, a vast area to the north of the archaeological park. As part of a nine-month experiment, the flock will also be deployed to trim other grassed areas as well as maintain ancient and new vineyards as park authorities seek to boost the production of Pompeii wine. Continue reading...
by Lorcan Lovett in Bangkok and agencies on (#665Q9)
Challenges lie ahead with soaring inflation, slowing growth and former PM disputing election resultAnwar Ibrahim has been sworn in as the prime minister of Malaysia as five days of post-election deadlock were broken by a moment his supporters say has been two decades in the making.The 75-year-old rose from student activist to deputy prime minister in the 1990s, only to be convicted of sodomy before returning to parliament as opposition leader. Continue reading...
Northamptonshire-based footwear group’s half-year results show 5% fall in profits despite 13% rise in salesDr Martens is to step up the price of its boots by 6%, as it says the cost of labour, energy and supplies, including the bouncy soles and leather, has risen.The Northamptonshire-based footwear group will increase prices for the second year in a row on the classic boot, which currently costs about £159, adding £10 to the price. The rise will come next autumn to reflect higher production costs that the company has now locked in over the course of next year. Continue reading...
Irene Montero championed law after revulsion following ‘wolfpack’ gang-rape in PamplonaRight and far-right Spanish politicians have used the controversy surrounding Spain’s new “only yes means yes” consent law to launch bitterly sexist and personal attacks on Irene Montero, the Podemos MP and equality minister who championed the legislation.The law, introduced by Spain’s Socialist-led coalition government after the fury and revulsion that followed the so-called “wolfpack” gang-rape in Pamplona six years ago, made sexual consent a key factor in sexual assault cases. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#66600)
Nicola Sturgeon says tying general election to independence is only lawful way for Scots to express their willScottish opposition leaders will refuse to engage with Nicola Sturgeon’s plan to run the next general election as a de facto independence referendum, after the first minster said it was the only lawful way for Scots to express their will.Following Wednesday’s unanimous supreme court ruling that the Scottish government cannot hold a second referendum without Westminster’s approval – which four consecutive prime ministers have refused – Sturgeon told a news conference: “We must and we will find another democratic, lawful and constitutional means by which the Scottish people can express their will. In my view, that can only be an election.” Continue reading...
UK cultural institution for central and eastern European people forced to seek alternative supportThe only publicly funded arts and culture organisation for central and eastern European people in Britain is losing its Arts Council funding, which it said would have a devastating impact on communities, including Ukrainian arrivals.Centrala, which supports performers and runs galleries, said its removal from the Arts Council’s national portfolio would have a disproportionate impact on communities from central and eastern Europe (CEE). Continue reading...
Student archaeologists unearth Huaca Pintada, described as ‘the most exciting and important find of recent years’A team of student archaeologists has rediscovered a 1,000-year-old multicoloured mural depicting a deity surrounded by warriors which was last seen a century ago in northern Peru.Known as the Huaca Pintada, the 30-metre-long wall painted with fantastical images depicting mythical scenes was first found in 1916 by a band of treasure-hunting tomb raiders in Illimo near the city of Chiclayo. Continue reading...
Azka, whose mother died in disaster, probably survived due to being protected by a mattress, while 40 people remain missing in CianjurDriving rain and the danger of landslides disrupted the work of Indonesian rescue workers searching on Wednesday for survivors of an earthquake that killed 271 people, with an official warning that time was running out for anyone trapped.As the search continued, rescuers pulled a five-year-old boy from the rubble, who had survived because he was protected by a mattress. Continue reading...
by Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent on (#665WB)
Arab teams’ performances have changed the mood among Doha’s recent foes who had refused to share in its excitementBefore the biggest event the Middle East has ever hosted, few regional states seemed to share in its neighbour’s excitement.As the host country, Qatar, frantically completed its plans, there were even hints of glee as finishing touches fell short. Potholed atriums, expensive rooms, an overrun airport and even the last-minute beer ban were met with knowing smirks from many Gulf citizens who refused to share in the bonhomie. Continue reading...
Prime minister urged to prevent future tragedies by relatives of 31 refugees who died one year agoSixteen bereaved relatives of 31 refugees who drowned in the Channel have written to Rishi Sunak on the first anniversary of their loved ones’ deaths, urging him to make changes to prevent future tragedies.On 24 November 2021, 31 people slowly froze to death in the Channel. They had repeatedly made SOS calls to French and UK emergency services but no help was sent to them. Of those on board the overcrowded dinghy 27 bodies were recovered. Four are still missing. Continue reading...
With the RBA challenged by the pandemic, surging inflation and calls for reform, one expert says its recent report card has been ‘mixed’The Reserve Bank review is assessing calls for changes to the central bank’s inflation target, the selection of board members and how authorities should manage shocks from asset bubbles to climate change.The review, launched in July with a reporting deadline for next March, has received more than 114 submissions, interviewed 230-plus people and surveyed almost 1,100 current and former RBA staff, the panel told a CEDA briefing in Sydney on Thursday. Continue reading...
Victory in World Cup opener sparks street celebrations and banishes painful memories in Doha of failure to qualify for USA 1994Japan’s shock victory over Germany in Qatar on Wednesday sparked late-night celebrations and calls to mark the Samurai Blue’s momentous feat in their 2022 World Cup opener with a public holiday.The clock was nearing midnight when Takuma Asano rifled Japan’s winner into the roof of the net at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha – a result that had seemed impossible after a poor first half from Japan, playing in their seventh straight World Cup. Continue reading...
Head of Brazil's electoral court rejects claim from outgoing president’s coalition that said voting machines malfunctionedThe head of Brazil’s electoral court has rejected an attempt by outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro’s party to overturn the results of October’s run-off election, which he lost.Alexandre de Moraes, a supreme court justice, also fined the parties in Bolsonaro’s coalition 22.9m reais ($4.3m) for what the court described as bad faith litigation. Continue reading...
by Maya Yang (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Tom Ambrose an on (#664D6)
Russia launches 70 missiles in ‘large-scale attack on critical facilities’; cyber-attack hits European parliament after MEPs declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism
by Nadeem Badshah (now) ,Andrew Sparrow (earlier) on (#664GQ)
Rallies in Edinburgh and across country after ruling says Scottish parliament cannot hold independence referendum without Westminster approvalReed says the Scotland Act gives the Scottish parliament limited powers. It cannot legislate on reserved matters. Those include fundamental matters, including the union of the UK.If legislation related to the union, or the UK parliament, the Scottish parliament would have no power to enact it. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#665AH)
Government ‘committed’ to financial regulators’ independence says City minister in Tory U-turnThe government has made a U-turn on plans to introduce sweeping powers that would allow ministers to override regulators, including the Bank of England, after multiple warnings that such a move would harm the UK’s global reputation.The Treasury confirmed on Wednesday evening that it would “not proceed with the intervention power at this time”, noting that the government was “committed” to the independence of City watchdogs, which include the Financial Conduct Authority. Continue reading...
NHS heads warn patients dying every day as A&E logjams cause 169,000 hours of crew delays in worst-ever monthAmbulance crews could not respond to almost one in four 999 calls last month – the most ever – because so many were tied up outside A&Es waiting to hand patients over, dramatic new NHS figures show.An estimated 5,000 patients in England – also the highest number on record – potentially suffered “severe harm” through waiting so long either to be admitted to A&E or just to get an ambulance to turn up to help them.18% of ambulance handovers took more than an hour last month, when the NHS target is 15 minutes – a nine-fold increase on the 2% seen in October 2019.The average handover time was 42 minutes, up 12 minutes from October 2021 and up 23 mins from Oct 2020.The number of one, two, three and 10-hour handovers was the highest ever recorded.Delays exposed an estimated 41,000 patients to potential harm, of whom about 5,000 were put at risk of, or experienced, “severe harm”, including death. Continue reading...
Lawyer says home secretary failed to consider ‘serious consequences’ of removing 23-year-old’s citizenshipShamima Begum would face the death penalty if sent to Bangladesh, her parents’ country of origin, and is now effectively stateless, a court has heard.The 23-year-old’s legal appeal at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) was told that the then home secretary, Sajid Javid, had failed to consider the “serious practical consequences” of removing Begum’s UK citizenship in 2019. Continue reading...
Person arrested in Isfahan province accused of sharing information with BBC and Iran International, says state mediaAn unnamed British-Iranian citizen was arrested in Iran’s Isfahan province on Wednesday for allegedly sharing information with foreign-based news channels, Iranian state media reported.“The Revolutionary Guards’ Intelligence Organisation arrested a British-Iranian citizen who communicated with the BBC and Iran International,” the Islamic Republic of Iran’s News Network said, before adding the person was born in Britain. Continue reading...
CWU members to strike on dates around Black Friday and Christmas after spurning ‘final’ pay offer up to 9%Strikes by postal workers around Black Friday and in the run-up to Christmas are to go ahead after their union rejected a pay offer that Royal Mail said was final.Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will strike for 48 hours on Thursday and Friday and on 30 November and 1 December, and will also carry out single days of action on 9, 11, 14, 15 and 23 December and on Christmas Eve. Continue reading...
Initial findings show explosions were result of nails and explosive devices left in bags at two sites, say policeA teenage boy has died and 22 people have been injured in two blasts targeting rush-hour commuters in Jerusalem, attacks that hark back to the violence of the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising.The first explosion occurred shortly after 7am local time on Wednesday near a bus stop packed with civilians on the western outskirts of the divided city. The second blast, half an hour later near a busy junction in the Ramot settlement, north of Jerusalem, injured another five people. The child who died from his injuries in hospital was named as a dual Israeli-Canadian citizen, Aryeh Schupak, 15. Continue reading...
Mayor of Greater Manchester steps into row over opera company’s mooted move to outside LondonAndy Burnham has told the English National Opera (ENO) that the company is not welcome in Manchester if it does not want to relocate there from London.“If they think we are all heathens here, that nobody would go, I’m afraid it doesn’t understand us and therefore it doesn’t deserve to come here. If they want to come, come willingly. If you can’t come willingly, don’t come at all,” the mayor of Greater Manchester said on Wednesday. Continue reading...