Foreign powers urge opposition groups to end fighting and preserve single, united country at talks in QatarThe three key external national actors in the Syrian crisis tried to regain control of the rebellion on Saturday by calling for renewed direct dialogue between the country's President Bashar al-Assad and opposition groups, adding that it would be inadmissible" to use terrorists to gain control of the country.Meeting on the margins of the Doha Forum, in Qatar, Turkey, Russia, and Iran urged the Syrian opposition to heed the call to end the fighting and to preserve Syria as an integrated and united country. Continue reading...
Fears of higher death toll as mayor of Dutch city says chances of finding people alive under rubble are slimAt least three people have died after an explosion and fire caused a building to collapse in The Hague, the city's mayor has said, and there is little chance of finding more survivors under the rubble.The cause of the explosion in the Mariahoeve neighbourhood of the Dutch city early on Saturday morning was unclear. Continue reading...
Government says allegations deeply distressing' as dossier of allegations grows in wake of Observer investigation into Mossbourne schoolsThe government has expressed alarm at deeply distressing" allegations of emotional harm at one of the country's leading academy trusts after an Observer investigation.Almost 140 parents, students and teachers have now spoken out about systemic" and lasting" emotional harm to children stretching back two decades at two schools in Hackney run by the Mossbourne Federation. Continue reading...
The broadcaster's recently launched Naked Week will mix satirical humour and topical investigative journalismRadio 4's new topical comedy show, which replaces the long-running The Now Show, will break the news, not just make jokes about it, its creators have said.The Naked Week, which has taken the broadcaster's Friday night comedy slot, has brought Private Eye journalists onboard to dig up scoops. Continue reading...
Elizabeth Day joins husband in society founded in 1904 to encourage Dorset men to socialise in LondonThe Society of Dorset Men has admitted its first female member in 120 years, becoming the latest in a line of Victorian-style men-only clubs to allow women to join.Elizabeth Day has been approved by the society, which was founded in 1904 to encourage men from Dorset to socialise in London, after the committee voted to allow female members in August. Continue reading...
Gaie Delap was sent to prison in August for her part in disruptive protests on M25 in NovemberA 77-year-old activist is facing recall to prison because her wrists are too small for an electronic tag.Gaie Delap, from Bristol, was sent to prison in August, along with four co-defendants, for her part in a campaign of disruptive protests on the M25 in November 2022. Continue reading...
A 1561 charter granted powers to imprison young working-class women found walking with undergraduates after darkIn 1561, a little-known charter granted the University of Cambridge the power to arrest and imprison any woman suspected of evil". For nearly 350 years, the university used this law to incarcerate young working-class women found walking with undergraduates after dark in Cambridge.The women were considered prostitutes and could be forcibly taken to the university's private prison and sentenced to weeks of confinement by the vice-chancellor. More than 5,000 were arrested in the 19th century alone. Continue reading...
by Eromo Egbejule in Abidjan and Caleb Ahinakwah in A on (#6SRTM)
Once one of Africa's economic powerhouses, Ghana has struggled with a cost-of-living crisis and high inflationMillions of Ghanaians have headed to the polls in a presidential election after a campaign dominated by what many see as the west African country's worst economic crisis in a generation.Polls opened at 7am and will close at 5pm, with early results expected late on Saturday. The first official results will be released by Tuesday. Continue reading...
Police say the driver is assisting with inquiries after the death in Tipton, SandwellA four-year-old boy has died after being hit by a bus in the West Midlands.Police said the driver of the bus was assisting with inquiries after the death in Tipton, Sandwell. Continue reading...
Drugs found on a vessel that had arrived from Guatemala were bound for Belgium, authorities sayAuthorities in the Dominican Republic say they have confiscated nearly 9.5 tonnes of cocaine found in a banana shipment.It is the largest drug seizure in the country's history. Continue reading...
Experts urge people not to post images of pricey presents on social media as they may be rich pickings for thievesBurglaries soar during the festive season, with new smartphones, jewellery, bikes and other gifts offering rich pickings for thieves.So it's vital to know if you will be able to make a claim on your home contents insurance if you do fall victim to theft. Continue reading...
Exclusive: EU countries will share laboratory capacity but UK rules mean products cannot be tested abroadThe safety of tap water in the UK could be at risk because water companies are unable to use products to clean it, industry insiders have said, as all the laboratories that test and certify the chemicals have shut down.People in the industry have called it a Brexit problem" because EU countries will share laboratory capacity from 2026, meaning that if the UK was still in the EU, water companies would be able to use products that passed tests on the continent. Continue reading...
According to Weinstein's legal team, the disgraced movie producer has faced egregious conditions while jailedHarvey Weinstein's lawyers are afraid he will die during his incarceration at Rikers Island, where he has been since a 2020 rape conviction in New York was overturned on appeal, according to the Hollywood Reporter.According to Weinstein's legal team, the disgraced movie producer has faced egregious conditions while jailed, including being left to fester in blood-spattered clothes, wearing the same underwear for weeks and exposure to freezing temperatures. They also allege that he was denied basic medicine for cancer treatment. Continue reading...
USDA will test raw milk in attempt to stop spread of virus as more than 700 dairy herds infected since MarchAmerica's national milk supply must be tested for the bird flu virus under a new federal order by the US Department of Agriculture announced on Friday.The mandate comes at a time when authorities are seeking to grapple with the rapid spread of bird flu, known as H5N1, among dairy herds. Infections have spread to more than 500 dairy herds in California, the top state for dairy production. Continue reading...
Fourth named storm of season follows concern over lack of flood warnings for Storm Bert last weekA red warning for wind, signalling danger to life", has been issued by the Met Office for parts of Wales and south-west England on Saturday as Storm Darragh hits the UK.Gusts of 90mph (145km/h) or more were possible over the coasts and hills of west and south Wales, as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel with some very large waves on exposed beaches, the forecaster said. Continue reading...
Labour is discovering how hard it is to effect change but PM seems to have appetite to drive change in public sectorIt was a reset designed to invigorate Keir Starmer's premiership after flagging opinion polls, a scandal over the transport secretary and worries about the economy.The prime minister gave a speech setting out new milestones - fleshing out the missions of his government with targets on reducing NHS waiting lists, getting named bobbies on the beat and raising living standards. Continue reading...
by Coral Murphy Marcos (now) with Martin Belam and Am on (#6SR2X)
Rebels have captured key cities of Aleppo and Hama, dealing blows to president Bashar al-Assad 14 years after protests erupted across SyriaIran aims to send missiles and drones to Syria and increase the number of its military advisers there to support president Bashar al-Assad in his battle against rebels, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday.It is likely that Tehran will need to send military equipment, missiles and drones to Syria ... Tehran has taken all necessary steps to increase number of its military advisers in Syria and deploy forces," the official said on condition of anonymity. Now, Tehran is providing intelligence and satellite support to Syria." Continue reading...
by Ruchi Kumar and Zahra Joya for Rukhshana Media on (#6SRFM)
Afghan students and activists condemn halt to medical courses amid warnings of women dying from lack of healthcareThe Taliban's ban on Afghan women attending nursing and midwife courses has been condemned as an outrageous act of ignorance" by human rights organisations.The official decree detailing the ban has not been shared publicly, but several media reports confirmed that the order was announced at a meeting of the Taliban public health ministry on Monday and communicated to training institutes soon after. Continue reading...
London mayor expected to be awarded for political and public services, alongside Labour MPs and ConservativesThe mayor of London Sadiq Khan is understood to be in line to receive a knighthood in the new year honours list, alongside other senior politicians who will also be given awards.Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a UK capital, is expected to be awarded for political and public services after working for more than 20 years as a Labour politician, first as MP for Tooting followed by his mayoral role which he began in 2016. Continue reading...
New plans include more aircraft and drones to grow foothold as other powerful countries seek base in far northCanada will boost its military and diplomatic presence in the Arctic to counter what it calls threats from Russia and others seeking a foothold in the far north, as part of a new doctrine unveiled on Friday.The government envisions the deployment of new patrol ships and navy destroyers, ice breakers and submarines capable of operating beneath ice sheets, as well as more aircraft and drones. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspon on (#6SRCG)
Out of 174 seats in the November election, 44 went to women in a representation of slightly more than 25%Ireland's new parliament has the lowest proportion of female parliamentarians in western Europe, an analysis has revealed, suggesting that a country that elected its first female president more than three decades ago has trailed behind when it comes to the inclusion of women in politics.An analysis of Inter-Parliamentary Union data by Bloomberg, published on Friday, described the Irish parliament as the worst for gender diversity in western Europe". Continue reading...
Abuse survivor accuses archbishop of Canterbury of making tone deaf' remarks amid safeguarding failuresThe archbishop of Canterbury has apologised after being accused of making light of serious safeguarding failures in the Church of England.Justin Welby made his final speech in the House of Lords on Thursday. The speech was criticised by a bishop who said she was deeply disturbed" by the language used, and by an abuse survivor who said it was tone deaf". Continue reading...
Ruling follows revelation of declassified intelligence alleging Russia ran online campaign to promote far-right outsiderA top Romanian court has annulled the first round of the country's presidential election, days after declassified intelligence alleged Russia ran a coordinated online campaign to promote the far-right outsider who won the first round.The momentous move by the court effectively voids the national election, which will have to be re-run. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6SR9P)
New laws to be introduced in England and Wales in attempt to reduce violence against women and girlsMurderers in England and Wales who kill their ex-partners or use strangulation will face longer prison sentences, ministers have said.Under new laws announced on Friday judges will have to consider tougher jail terms for murderers who strangle their victims or whose action is connected to the end of a relationship. Continue reading...
Black opaque tights are being shunted to the bottom of the sock drawer in favour of vibrant party season alternativesBlack opaque tights have been a winter staple for women for years, but this party season they are being shunted to the bottom of the sock drawer. Instead, retailers are reporting a spike in sales of fashion tights".This genre spans everything from vibrant coloured pairs to lacy and glitter versions. At Marks & Spencer, where a three-pack of 60 denier tights are habitually a winter rite of passage, this December customers are instead opting for lace styles. Sales are up 50% year on year, with a 12 French-inspired black heavyweight pair topping the sales charts. At John Lewis, sales of red tights are up 55% year on year. Other top sellers include fuchsia and fir-green versions. Continue reading...
Just in case you can't bear to watch the former Tory MP's new reality show, we equip you for it coming up in conversationJacob Rees-Mogg's new reality show may sound as appealing as flushing your entire head down a toilet. Yet Meet the Rees-Moggs (on Discovery+) is such a bewildering piece of television that it may well come up in conversation over the next few weeks. If that's the case, here's a handy bluffer's guide to just how weird the former Tory MP and his family are.Jacob Rees-Mogg's Somerset home is covered with portraits of Jacob Rees-Mogg. It is so heavily plastered with pictures of him that you will soon lose count. There's a painting of him as an adolescent. There's a painting of him mimicking Aaron Shikler's John F Kennedy portrait. There's a painting of him standing in front of another painting, which is quite Inception-y of him. The best one, though, is a painting of him that one of his six children is forced to stare at during trumpet practice.Jacob Rees-Mogg is a Greggs nut. Apparently, he says, he buys a ham and cheese baguette and a chocolate eclair for his lunch every day. He says this, however, during the election campaign and then never mentions it again after he loses his seat, so maybe it is simply a wrongheaded attempt to pander to the electorate.Jacob Rees-Mogg is a picky eater. Perhaps the Greggs infatuation is down to his bizarre eating habits. He doesn't like yellow food, for example, and a member of his household staff points out: He isn't a fan of vegetables or onions or anything like that."Jacob Rees-Mogg describes the same member of staff, a man named Shaun, as someone who does everything that needs to be done in a busy household". This includes making our cider and looking after the Bentley". His duties also appear to include scrubbing the words posh twat" off election campaign posters and, in one instance, doing the wanker" sign at a portrait of Robert Peel.Jacob Rees-Mogg sleeps completely still. As if he was in a tomb, he says. Chilling.Jacob Rees-Mogg quotes his election concession speech all the time. When he lost his seat this year, he quoted Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by saying: From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success." He also uses this exact phrase when his dog eats one of his daughter's sausages off the floor.Jacob Rees-Mogg is sent into apoplexy by the notion of commuting badgers. During his post-election doldrums, and inspired by his daughter's desire to emulate Carrie Johnson, he briefly entertains the idea of digging a duck pond in his garden. When the planning permission report points out that the pond might disrupt the path of commuting badgers, he throws a little tantrum and gives up.Jacob Rees-Mogg does not pack his own suitcases.Jacob Rees-Mogg has a private chapel. It contains some of his most prized possessions: a fragment of the true cross, a fragment of the crown of thorns and a piece of Thomas More's hair shirt. It is illegal to buy and sell this sort of item, he says, but not necessarily illegal to buy and sell the containers that they happen to come in. What an unexpected wheeler dealer.Jacob Rees-Mogg is capable of emotion. But only briefly and only if you look hard enough. He doesn't flinch when he loses his seat, nor does he flinch when the promise of becoming Conservative party chairman is snatched from him at the last minute. But when he Facetimes his daughter shortly after she has been sent to boarding school - something he struggled to adapt to as a child and she clearly isn't thrilled about either - he very briefly clams up in a very repressed, English, privately educated way. Maybe, buried deep beneath the multiple self-parodic layers he's constructed around himself, he does actually have a heart.Jacob Rees-Mogg makes his children dress in black tie for dinner on Saturday nights. Continue reading...
by Kiran StaceyPolitical correspondent on (#6SR79)
Pattern of behaviour' by Rami Ranger warranted him losing the honour, forfeiture committee saidA top Conservative donor and peer has been stripped of his CBE after a string of controversies, including harassing a journalist and making derogatory comments about Pakistanis.Rami Ranger, who has given 1.5m to the Tory party over his lifetime, lost the honour on Fridayafter months of revelations about his personal behaviour. Continue reading...
Danielle Carr-Gomm, 71, fell fatally ill after she stopped taking insulin for type 1 diabetes during Hongchi Xiao's retreatAn alternative healer who promoted a slapping therapy" taken up by millions of people across the world has been jailed for the gross negligence manslaughter of a British woman who died at one of his workshops in Wiltshire.Hongchi Xiao was sentenced to 15 years after a jury found him guilty of the manslaughter of Danielle Carr-Gomm, 71, who had type 1 diabetes and fell fatally ill after she stopped taking her insulin and fasted during one of his paida lajin therapy retreats. Continue reading...
Property prices increase by 1.3% in November, the fifth consecutive monthly riseThe average price of a house in the UK has hit a record high as homeowners enjoy a fifth success month of increases in the value of their properties, Britain's biggest mortgage lender has said.Halifax's monthly house price index found that the cost of an average home stood at 298,083 in November, up almost 5,000 on the previous record set in October. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Australian Submarine Agency's ten-month contract with McKinsey says it'll deliver skills currently unavailable' within government department
Fighters led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group rout government troops after five-day battle amid sweeping offensiveIslamist insurgents have captured the Syrian city of Hama in a battle to seize a vital location on the road to Damascus, marking the latest challenge to Bashar al-Assad's control of the country.Militants led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered the city from the east on Thursday after surrounding it during five days of fighting with forces loyal to Assad. Continue reading...
Daniil Brodsky and two board members stepped down after local group said the report had not proved genocidal intent'The chair of Amnesty International's Israeli branch and two board members have resigned over the human rights group's report accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.Daniil Brodsky and the board members stepped down on Thursday, after the group said in a statement the report had not proved genocidal intent beyond a reasonable doubt". Continue reading...
State's governor, a former member of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro's cabinet, said critics can go to hell'A Sao Paulo state police officer is seen leading an unarmed man to the edge of an overpass in an impoverished neighbourhood of Latin America's largest city.Seconds later, the officer pushes the man, who falls backwards from a height of three metres into a shallow stream of murky, sewage-laden water. Three other officers can be seen watching the scene unfold, taking no action. Continue reading...
Rising prosecutions, higher maximum sentences and soaring number of people on remand driving growth from 86,000 todayThe prison population could top 100,000 within five years in England and Wales, official estimates show.The justice department acknowledged that a perfect storm of rising prosecutions, politicians bringing in higher maximum sentences, and soaring numbers of people on remand - meaning they are in jail awaiting trial or sentencing - are responsible for the projected rise. Continue reading...
Rice wine enshrined as part of cultural heritage of humanity'Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It's brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savoured in the country's pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts.Now, the smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan's culinary traditions - and is a favoured tipple of celebrities such as Cate Blanchett - has been enshrined by Unesco, which has put it on its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity". Continue reading...
Jailed neonatal nurse's lawyer condemns leaking by police' as possible link to Liverpool Women's hospital emergesLucy Letby maintains her innocence, her lawyer said on Wednesday as he condemned leaking by the police" after it was confirmed the neonatal nurse had been interviewed over more suspicious deaths of babies.Letby, who is serving a whole-life sentence for killing and maiming newborns in her care, was questioned under caution about other unexpected deaths and collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester hospital and, for the first time, at Liverpool Women's hospital where she trained as a student, Cheshire police said. Continue reading...
Alistair Carns says a casualty rate similar to Russia's invasion could lead to the army being expended' within six to 12 monthsThe British army would be wiped out in as little as six months if it was forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict, a defence minister has warned.Alistair Carns said a rate of casualties similar to Russia's invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being expended" within six to 12 months. Continue reading...
Torode, who has presented alongside Wallace since 2005, confirms he will stay with the programmeMasterChef's John Torode has said he found the recent allegations of harassment against co-host Gregg Wallace truly upsetting".In his first comments since a fresh wave of allegations were made against Wallace, Torode confirmed he would remain part of the programme and supported the investigation that was under way. Continue reading...
UK and foreign law enforcement agencies say networks laundered cash and cryptocurrencies for organised crime gangs across the westOperatives said to be behind a billion-dollar Russian money-laundering network - used by drug dealers, financial criminals and foreign spies - have been sanctioned and arrested in a coordinated international investigation led by the National Crime Agency.The UK law enforcement body, which tackles serious and organised crime, said the actions constituted the most significant money laundering operation" it had undertaken in the past few years. The operation involved America's Federal Bureau of Investigation, France's Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire and Ireland's Garda. Continue reading...
Historical drama depicts Price carrying out 1972 killing of mother and alleged informant Jean McConvilleThe veteran republican Marian Price is taking legal action against Disney+ after she was depicted killing Jean McConville in its show Say Nothing. The historical drama series, which is based on the book by the award-winning writer Patrick Radden Keefe, portrays the murder and secret burial of McConville by the IRA in 1972.McConville is known as one of the Disappeared, a group of 17 people who were abducted, killed and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries during the Troubles. Continue reading...
Royal Albert Hall will host five-day event in October, after bringing in specialist soil and a strengthened stage the last time it was staged thereLondon will host only the second professional Sumo wrestling event ever staged outside of Japan at the Royal Albert Hall next October.The Grand Sumo Tournament will take place at the 153-year-old venue in partnership with the Japan Sumo Association, Nihon Sumo Kyokai, to help mark its centenary. Continue reading...
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