International community urged to intervene as hundreds of thousands forced into refugee camps as homes and crops destroyed and aid workers attackedStarvation is being used as a weapon of war by South Sudan government forces against their own citizens, an investigation has found.Deliberate starvation tactics used by government forces and allied militia, and by opposition forces, are driving civilians out of their homes, exacerbating Africa’s largest refugee crisis, according to the report published on Thursday. Continue reading...
Six people killed amid evacuations and significant damage, with Albania particularly badly hitIn Europe, flooding due to heavy rain has killed six people, prompted evacuations and caused significant damage in parts of the Balkans. Low pressure centred over southern Italy brought moisture-laden south-westerly winds across the region through the weekend. The resulting torrential downpours led to the flooding of hundreds of homes, as well as thousands of acres of agricultural land. Parts of Albania were particularly badly hit, with up to 400mm of rain falling in 12 hours on 20 November, causing the Drini River to burst its banks by about 100mm. In nearby Montenegro, heavy rain caused the Morača River to rise by over 4 metres in 10 hours.Storm Denise brought heavy rain and strong winds to Spain and Majorca later on Monday 21 November and into Tuesday. A wind gust of 84mph was recorded at Serra d’Alfabia in Majorca and the fire brigade was called to 10 incidents, ranging from fallen trees to mountain rescues. The strong winds also caused damage to boats in Port de Soller. The storm brought significant waves, with some reaching up to 5 metres in height. Continue reading...
Dominic Perrottet says the two sides agreed to a Fair Work Commission process to resolve long-running fightThe New South Wales government says it has carved out a deal with the state’s rail union to modify a fleet of trains and halt industrial action, after months of bitter negotiation.The parties had been at odds over whether or not to make safety modifications to a multibillion-dollar Korean-built fleet of intercity trains, which have been in storage since 2019.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Royal College of Nursing confirms action in England, Wales and Northern Ireland after government ‘refuses’ to enter pay talksNurses across the UK will go on strike for the first time over two days in the fortnight before Christmas after ministers rejected their pleas for formal talks over NHS pay.The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said its members would stage national strikes – the first in its 106-year history – on 15 and 20 December. Senior sources said the industrial action was expected to last for 12 hours on both days – most likely between 8am and 8pm. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Jaguar Land Rover, hit by computer chip shortage, to scale down shifts at Solihull and HalewoodJaguar Land Rover is cutting production at its UK factories until the spring in a sign of its continued struggle to source semiconductors amid the global shortage.The carmaker, whose chief executive, Thierry Bolloré, last week announced his resignation, has decided to cut production at factories in Solihull and Halewood between January and the end of March as it tries to prioritise its most profitable models, said industry sources. Continue reading...
Regulator criticised because it will only ‘closely’ monitor suppliers’ use of credit balancesThe energy regulator has strengthened its rules to shield households after taxpayers had to pick up a £9.2bn bill when suppliers went bust – but it was criticised for failing to protect consumer deposits.Ofgem has announced a package of reforms designed to bolster consumer protection and ensure energy suppliers are more resilient to market shocks. Continue reading...
Pupils and staff of Ashford Church of England primary put on antibiotics after six-year-old died of group A streptococcal infectionA six-year-old pupil is reported to have died and another was being cared for in hospital after an outbreak of an invasive bacteria at a primary school in Surrey.The BBC reported the pupils at Ashford Church of England primary school were believed to be in the same year group, with the second child recovering in hospital. Continue reading...
Transport, health and education staff are among those going on strike amid the cost of living crisisTens of thousands of members of the University and College Union – including lecturers, librarians and researchers – went on strike on Thursday, over pay, working conditions and pensions. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#666MW)
Chief constable freed up officers’ time by cutting the amount of mental health work done by policeA police force has gone from being ranked as failing five years ago to being given the highest ever grades in the modern era by the policing inspectorate.Humberside police has been judged as outstanding in six out of nine categories by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Continue reading...
Competition among tenants for properties intensified by potential buyers delaying plans and lower supply of smaller homesDemand for rental homes across the UK has jumped by nearly a quarter in a year, research has found, piling more pressure on an oversubscribed market and pushing record private rents even higher.The number of people enquiring about homes to rent is up 23% on this time last year, according to the property website Rightmove, driven in part by some would-be buyers putting their plans on hold in the hope that mortgage rates will drop in the new year. Continue reading...
The murder in 2021 came after a man was falsely accused of lighting deadly wildfires that he had come to help fightAn Algerian court has sentenced 49 people to death for the brutal mob killing of a painter who was suspected of starting devastating wildfires – but had actually come to help fight them, according to defence lawyers and the state news agency.The killing in 2021 in the Kabyle region of north-east Algeria shocked the country after graphic images of it were shared on social media. It came soon after wildfires in the mountainous Berber region that killed about 90 people, including soldiers trying to tame the flames. Continue reading...
Viking-style vessel is based on the one that launched invasion of England in 1066 and its makers hope to sail it across ChannelOn 27 September 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, set sail in La Mora, the flagship of a huge fleet that would invade and conquer England. Now a historical society on France’s Normandy coast is going to re-create the ship that launched almost 1,000 years of cross-Channel enmity.The Bayeux tapestry, a 70 metre-long (230ft) embroidered account of the Norman Conquest, depicts La Mora as a Viking-style longship with a striped red and gold sail flying the papal banner on its masthead. On board was William, his most trusted knights, their entourage and horses, and 60 oarsmen. Continue reading...
James Cleverly, who says Russia will fail in its attempt to ‘break Ukrainian resolve’, announces fresh support packageThe foreign secretary, James Cleverly, travelled to Kyiv on Thursday to meet the Ukrainian leadership and promise the UK’s support for as long as it takes to defeat Russia’s brutal efforts to break the country’s resolve.In his first visit to Ukraine since his appointment as foreign secretary, Cleverly presented a package of support including money for the reconstruction of schools, ambulances, the victims of sexual violence, and grain sales to the world’s poorest markets, such as Sudan and Yemen. Continue reading...
Firm that has dressed royalty including King Charles III has been on market since previous owner went bustMike Ashley’s Frasers Group has bought Gieves & Hawkes, one of London’s oldest bespoke tailors.Frasers, which already owns Sports Direct, House of Fraser and the Flannels designer casualwear chain, is understood to have taken on the Gieves & Hawkes brand and five UK stores, including the flagship in the tailoring heartland of Savile Row. It is not clear how many jobs have been saved under the deal. Continue reading...
Jamie Barrow, 31, charged over death of Fatoumatta Hydara and her children aged one and threeA man has been charged with the murders of a mother and two children who died after a fire in their home in Nottingham.Nottinghamshire police said 31-year-old Jamie Barrow, of Clifton, Nottingham, had been charged with three counts of murder on Thursday. Continue reading...
Residents shelter in ‘invincibility stations’ offering power, water and food as Russian missiles knock out suppliesThe residents of Kyiv taking shelter in their local “invincibility station” were well aware that their own morale has become the central battlefield of the war, and it is not territory they are prepared to concede to Vladimir Putin.The insulated grey tent set up on a street corner in the Pecherskyi district of Kyiv, one of thousands established around the country this week, was offering electricity, warmth, tea and sandwiches in the wake of the latest Russian onslaught. Continue reading...
by Rachel Hall (now); Tom Ambrose and Helen Sullivan on (#665P4)
Head of Ukrainian nuclear power company says Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station on diesel generators on Wednesday; Kyiv releases Russian PoWsRussia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said contacts with the UN nuclear watchdog over safety at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine were “constructive” and showed some promise.The Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russia seized shortly after its invasion, was again rocked by shelling last weekend, prompting renewed calls from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to create a protection zone around it to prevent a nuclear disaster. Continue reading...
Country reports 31,444 new locally transmitted cases, the highest daily figure since pandemic beganChina has imposed a fresh series of Covid lockdowns, including in a city where workers at the world’s largest iPhone factory clashed with police this week, as a record daily high in Covid cases tested its commitment to follow the rest of the world in easing pandemic restrictions.The national health commission reported 31,444 new locally transmitted Covid cases on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since the coronavirus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. Continue reading...
Carrick, who served with parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, now faces 53 charges, including 27 counts of rapeA Metropolitan police officer who has already been charged with 44 offences has been charged with a further nine, including six counts of rape.PC David Carrick, an armed officer who served with the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command and worked on the parliamentary estate, now faces 53 charges, including 27 counts of rape. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#666AP)
Awaab Ishak’s family say they have no confidence in the board of Rochdale Boroughwide HousingThe family of Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died as a result of mould in a social housing flat, have said they have no confidence in the board of the landlord body and called for their mass resignation.In a statement on Thursday after a meeting in Rochdale with Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, they said: “While the current board remains, there is an ever present risk and danger to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing tenants.” Continue reading...
Russian billionaire Denis Sverdlov to swap roles with chair Peter Cuneo after chaotic strategy U-turnThe founder of the electric van start-up Arrival has stepped aside as chief executive shortly after a chaotic strategy U-turn in which it shifted focus from the UK to the US.Denis Sverdlov, a Russian telecoms billionaire, will be replaced by Peter Cuneo, the former head of Marvel Entertainment until its sale to Disney. Cuneo led the stock market listing early last year that injected $660m (£548m) into the company at the height of a global electric vehicle investment frenzy. Continue reading...
Actor, one of several high-profile women to reveal neurodiversity, says diagnosis gives reason ‘for chaos I’ve experienced throughout my life’Nadia Sawalha has revealed that she has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in her late 50s.Speaking on Loose Women on Thursday, Sawalha, 58, revealed that she had been living with the condition since childhood, but was only diagnosed after making a film about ADHD for the daytime show. Continue reading...
‘Systemic’ failures led to inaction on warning signals before murder of five-year-old boy, safeguarding board concludesHealth professionals and local authority staff missed a series of opportunities to protect Logan Mwangi, the five-year-old boy murdered by his mother, her partner and his stepson, a damning review into the tragedy has concluded.Staff saw that Logan, whose body was found in a Welsh river last summer, had suffered a series of “significant” injuries almost a year before he died but did not pass on their concerns. Continue reading...
Insurance issue related to diagnosis blamed for his removal from the Channel 4 show he fronted for 18 yearsTV presenter Jonnie Irwin has claimed that he was removed from hosting duties on Channel 4’s property show A Place in the Sun because he had terminal cancer. He said the production company took the decision on the basis of his cancer diagnosis’ impact on their insurance – leaving him feeling hugely upset.“I feel massively aggrieved. I could work on Escape to the Country – which is the same show, albeit better,” he told Good Morning Britain, of his continued work on the BBC house-hunting programme despite his diagnosis. “You know, I can travel away from home for three to four days. Continue reading...
Detention of Voria Ghafouri, former captain of Tehran club Esteghlal, seen as warning to World Cup teamIranian security forces on Thursday arrested one of the country’s most famous footballers, accusing him of spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic and seeking to undermine the national World Cup team.Voria Ghafouri, once a captain of the Tehran club Esteghlal, has been outspoken in his defence of Iranian Kurds, telling the government on social media to stop killing Kurdish people. He has previously been detained for criticising the former Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif. Continue reading...
Mark Harper says all parties want rail dispute to end but RMT general secretary says union will not move to end strikes until ‘reasonable offer is on the table’Neil O’Brien, the health minister, told MPs that 90% of the bids to provide PPE for the government during the pandemic that were processed through the so-called VIP lane (because they were referrals via ministers) were unsuccessful. Referring to the process during the urgent question earlier, he said:Over the course of the programme, due diligence was done on over 19,000 companies, and over 2,600 companies made it through that initial due diligence.With huge demand for PPE, all across the world, and with many countries introducing export bans, our risk appetite had to change.Around 9,000 people came forward, and all ministers will have experienced endless people directly ringing them up to try and help with the huge need that there was at the time.It did not give you any kind of successful guarantee of a contract. Indeed, 90% of the bids that went through it were not successful.I want a sustainable, thriving rail network, but with 20% of passengers not having returned following the Covid pandemic, reform is vital. I would urge all trade union leaders to get back around the table with employers to hammer out the detail of that reform.The government will work to facilitate this and to that end I will be meeting with trade union leaders in the coming days.We’re expecting a positive meeting. We’re [hoping for a] constructive approach. And we’ll see what he says. Continue reading...
Official says country is in ‘fully fledged human rights crisis’ as fact-finding mission launchedThe UN’s human rights council has voted overwhelmingly to set up a fact-finding investigation into human rights abuses in Iran, where an estimated 300 people have been killed and 14,000 arrested since protests began 10 weeks ago.At a special session convened by Germany in Geneva the HRC voted by 25 to six to set up the inquiry, with 15 abstaining. The vote is regarded as a significant victory for human rights defenders, since a mechanism now exists to file evidence of abuses by the state, making the possibility of prosecutions in international courts more likely. Continue reading...
Insurance issue related to diagnosis blamed for his removal from the Channel 4 show he fronted for 18 yearsTV presenter Jonnie Irwin has claimed that he was removed from hosting duties on Channel 4’s property show A Place in the Sun due to having terminal cancer. He said the production company took the decision on the basis of his cancer diagnosis’impact on their insurance – leaving him feeling hugely upset.“I feel massively aggrieved. I could work on Escape to the Country – which is the same show, albeit better,” he told Good Morning Britain, of his continued work on the BBC house-hunting programme despite his diagnosis. “You know, I can travel away from home for three to four days. Continue reading...
Agency’s chief executive tells MPs it is missing its own targets after backlog built up during pandemicAlmost 170,000 motorists with health conditions are waiting for driving licences to be issued as civil servants struggle to clear a backlog of nearly 50,000 applications that built up during the pandemic.DVLA’s chief executive, Julie Lennard, confirmed in evidence to MPs on Thursday that 168,000 medical driving licence applications, including new licences and renewals, were pending as of 23 November. Continue reading...
MPs across house condemn what one called ‘sickening, shameful’ disclosures about Covid procurementThe growing controversy over a PPE company linked to the Tory peer Michelle Mone has sparked an angry reaction in parliament, as MPs demanded an investigation into wider concerns over what one called “absolutely sickening, shameful and unforgivable” instances of politically connected firms profiteering from unusable PPE during the pandemic.Parliamentarians asked ministers for more information about how PPE Medpro was awarded more than £200m in government contracts after it was referred to ministers by Lady Mone. Continue reading...
Latest figures also show nearly a third of patients arriving by ambulance at hospitals in England waiting at least half an hourThe NHS is facing a “perfect winter storm” with 10 times more people in hospital with flu than this time last year, and ambulances experiencing deadly delays when arriving at A&E with sick patients.There were an average of 344 patients a day in hospitals in England with flu last week, more than 10 times the number at the beginning of last December. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6665Y)
Author and patron for torture-survivor charity criticises politicians for encouraging ‘mean spiritedness’Julian Barnes has said Britain is a “bifurcated place nowadays” and accused politicians of encouraging “mean spiritedness”.Barnes, who won the Booker prize in 2011 with The Sense of an Ending, has been a patron of Freedom from Torture – a charity which provides therapeutic care to survivors of torture who seek protection in the UK – for 25 years. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6665T)
Artistic director of English National Ballet decries Arts Council England move to divert money from capitalOne of the ballet world’s biggest stars has accused Arts Council England of “simplistic” decision-making by transferring arts funding out of London.Tamara Rojo, the outgoing artistic director at English National Ballet, told the BBC that “punishing” the capital would not help anyone, and expressed concern about the UK’s future as a global centre for culture. Continue reading...
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...
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