Home Office says eviction letters sent ‘in error’ and it is working to find long-term accommodationThousands of asylum seekers fear they could lose their Home Office hotel accommodation because some owners want to offer rooms to tourists and other travellers.One letter sent to a group of asylum seekers being accommodated by the Home Office in a hotel close to central London states: “Dear guests, we would like to kindly inform you that your accommodation with us is going to end on 31 January (2022). We advise you to get in touch with your local council for alternative accommodation.” Continue reading...
by Jon Henley, Pjotr Sauer in Moscow, Luke Harding in on (#5WBTJ)
Putin spokesperson says no concrete plans for leaders to meet following diplomatic efforts by FranceRussia has suggested that talk of a summit between Vladimir Putin and the US president, Joe Biden, is premature, saying the two leaders could arrange a call or meeting at any time but there were no concrete plans for an imminent high-level encounter.The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday tensions over Ukraine were rising but diplomatic contacts remained active, adding that the Russian president would soon address a special session of Russia’s security council. Continue reading...
Drama about a trans activist’s return to the small New Zealand town he fled as a teenager is straightforwardly told, but with great warmth and optimismThis heartfelt, straightforwardish drama from New Zealand ends with a belting cover of Bronski Beat’s LGBTQ+ anthem Smalltown Boy: a song about a young man leaving home to find love and acceptance in the city. Rūrangi picks up a similar story a decade later, when a trans man goes back to the dairy farm where he grew up. It’s a film that thrums with warmth and gives the rest a lesson in how to get trans representation right: all the trans roles are played by trans actors (and for good measure some non-trans – or non-specific – roles too).Elz Carrad gives a likably vulnerable performance as Caz, who ran away as a teenager to Auckland, where he has made a new family in the LGBTQ+ community, transitioned, found work as a trans activist and acquired a gorgeous boyfriend. When Caz arrives back in his home town Rūrangi, all the confidence vanishes. He feels as if he has to explain himself all the time. His dad Gerald (Kirk Torrance) doesn’t recognise him, then struggles to accept him. He also can’t forgive Caz for not coming back for his mum’s funeral. (She died of a rare cancer linked to chemical fertilisers.) Since then, old-school Gerald has become an environmental activist, so, right there you know he is capable of a change of heart. Continue reading...
Loose Women’s Brenda Edwards ‘devastated’ at death of music pioneer, 31, after ‘sudden illness’The mother of the SBTV founder and music entrepreneur, Jamal Edwards, has paid tribute to her “beautiful son”, who died on Sunday morning aged 31.In a statement, released on the official Twitter account of ITV’s Loose Women, on which she is a regular panellist, Brenda Edwards said her family and friends were “completely devastated” and confirmed that Jamal had died “after a sudden illness”. Continue reading...
Expert witness tells trial Aboriginal teenager’s chance of death could have been ‘around 1%’ had it not occurred in remote communityKumanjayi Walker would have probably survived being shot three times by Constable Zachary Rolfe had it happened in a city, the police officer’s murder trial has been told.The Aboriginal teenager was shot three times during a failed arrest attempt in the remote community of Yuendumu, 290km north-west of Alice Springs, on 9 November 2019. Continue reading...
by Mostafa Rachwani (now) and Cait Kelly (earlier) on (#5WBDN)
Perrottet urged to work with union over NSW train dispute; Peter Dutton says all signs on Ukraine ‘pointing in one direction’; at least 17 Covid-related deaths; Australia’s international border reopen for the first time in nearly two years. Follow the latest updates live
Expert group offers two options for statue of King Léopold II that pay tribute to millions who died under his colonial ruleA bronze statue of 19th-century Belgian king Léopold II in the centre of Brussels could be melted down and turned into a monument to the millions who died during his brutal rule of the Belgian Congo and other victims of colonialism, an expert group has suggested.The group of historians, architects and other specialists, commissioned by the Brussels regional government, also suggests a second option for the Léopold II bronze: creating an open-air statue park to house the equestrian work, along with other controversial monuments to figures of the colonial past. Continue reading...
Frank Farrell had loved magic since he was a child. But it was only after retiring that he began to perform professionally. Now he is living exactly the life he wants to liveWhen Frank Farrell’s retirement day came in 2018 – after 35 years of teaching – everyone thought he “would be straight down the pub to celebrate”. Instead, he stayed sober and prepared his materials: the next day he began his new career as a magician. He was 60, and he didn’t yet feel like a magician, but that weekend Mr Farrell the English teacher gave way to Magic Frank. Under this stage name, he performed 10 shows at a Harry Potter convention in Manchester.Farrell had been dabbling in magic since his 30s, but the scale of these gigs – he was paid nearly £2,000 – struck him as “a mark of respect” and validation. “I started to consider myself a magician, not someone who does a bit of magic on the side.” Continue reading...
The scenic Cowal peninsula west of Glasgow is once again attracting holidaymakers with its mix of unspoiled nature, community ventures and cool places to stayThe remote Cowal peninsula, extending into the Firth of Clyde, is not the sort of place you’d expect to find artisan coffee roasters, outdoor infinity pools and modern outdoor sculpture. Take it from me: my mum was born here, in the faded Victorian resort of Dunoon. Outside shinty circles – those familiar with the local hockey-like game - “the secret coast” is little known, even in Scotland.But a spotlight shone briefly on the village of Tighnabruaich last November, when artist David Blair’s vaulting 20-metre-long, six-metre-high Ark of Argyll – designed to raise awareness of the climate emergency – was visited by delegates to COP26. I’d heard about other new ventures breathing life into Cowal, so turned away from the Scotland of queueing campervans on Loch Lomond and went to investigate, with my 10-year-old daughter in tow. Continue reading...
Friends of Doski Azad said the 23-year-old makeup artist had received repeated death threats from male family membersThe Kurdish transgender woman Doski Azad shot dead by her brother last month, had been living in hiding from her family after repeated death threats, friends have said.According to friends, Azad had had to move home regularly after several death threats by male members of her family. Continue reading...
Ottawa police have abandoned their policy of de-escalation against anti-Covid mandate demonstratorsToday’s action to cordon off the occupation of parliament’s grounds and prevent it growing might go some way to restoring public confidence in the police, which has appeared to be eroding since the protests began a fortnight ago.So far, police have pursued a de-escalation strategy, but there have been calls for firmer action. The whole event has raised important questions about the relationship between the police and government, and about police independence and accountability.The police are an instrument of the crown […] but in the two principal roles of detecting and preventing crime and keeping the Queen’s peace they act independently of the crown and serve only the law. Continue reading...
Life can be tough for everyone and we never know what another person may be experiencing – take a breath to consider before you speakWe like predictability. We function best when we know what is going to happen. The irony here is that after all this uncertainty, predictability in this phase of the pandemic in New Zealand is increasing. As the Omicron wave gathers strength, we can most likely expect a version of what happened in other countries: a steep increase in case numbers, exerting pressure on the health and social care system.New Zealand’s successful management of the primary health impacts of the pandemic may have contributed to a sense of “kiwi exceptionalism”. This may be responsible for the jolt we may feel when we realise that what has happened elsewhere might actually happen in New Zealand, when, for most of this pandemic, our experience has been very different. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#5WBHJ)
The legendary guitarist tore the page of lyrics in two to sign autographs for fans after a gig in 1967Two halves of a rare signed manuscript of lyrics by Jimi Hendrix have been pieced together 55 years after they were torn in two.The legendary guitarist was in the early stages of his career when his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, played the Bath Pavilion on the evening of 20 February 1967, standing in for Chuck Berry who had cancelled. Continue reading...
Monday: Vaccinated international travellers to arrive as Australia reopens border for first time in nearly two years. Plus: the fall of Prince AndrewGood morning. There will be excitement at airports today as Australia’s international border reopens to vaccinated travellers, nearly two years after the border closed to help stop coronavirus from spreading.Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron have agreed to try to secure a ceasefire in the east of Ukraine and to put together an urgent summit at the highest level on the future of the country, the Élysée Palace said in a statement. The two leaders spoke on the phone for 105 minutes, and the outcome, broadly confirmed by the Kremlin, suggests Russia might be willing to step back from the brink of a full invasion of Ukraine to allow renewed diplomatic discussions. Meanwhile, Russian troops sent to Belarus for military exercises will remain in the country indefinitely, Belarus’s defence ministry has said, in a decision that will further fuel concerns Moscow is planning an imminent Ukraine invasion. Continue reading...
Celebrated author and illustrator’s work inspired by Polish childhood and experience as wartime refugeeJan Pieńkowski, the beloved illustrator and author of more than 140 children’s books, has died aged 85.Pieńkowski, whose work included the Meg and Mog pop-up books, had been living with Alzheimer’s. Continue reading...
Mitie admits failure to ‘escalate’ whistleblower complaints made two years ago about racist WhatsApp group postsThe Home Office is investigating allegations of racist WhatsApp messages sent by immigration staff, as the contracting firm Mitie admitted that they received complaints two years ago but failed to “escalate them”.The messages by workers for Mitie, revealed by the Sunday Mirror, include derogatory references to Chinese people and the mocking of the Syrian refugee crisis. Continue reading...
Police pushed back protesters in Canada’s besieged capital on Saturday, arresting 170 people and towing away dozens of vehicles. Many more trucks were driven out of the city, raising authorities’ hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the country’s Covid restrictions. Police in tactical gear quickly gained ground on the second full day of one of the biggest police enforcement actions in Canada’s history, for which officers were drawn in from around the country
Parents of Romello McCook believe their son’s death was not properly investigated because of his raceThe police watchdog has ordered a force to re-examine its handling of the case of a black student killed on a railway line after his parents complained their son’s death was not properly investigated because of his race.Romello McCook, a talented and popular 22-year-old, was hit by a train after a night out in Plymouth, where he was about to begin a course in architectural engineering. Continue reading...
‘We are not punishing the Taliban, we are making it worse for the people,’ says former UK foreign secretaryThe west has inflicted catastrophic damage on Afghanistan and its own reputation by imposing a policy of starvation on the country, according to David Miliband, the former UK foreign secretary and chief executive of the International Rescue Committee.“If we wanted to create a failed state we could not have a more effective policy mix than the one we have at the moment,” he told the Guardian. Continue reading...
Police announce 170 arrests after more confrontations on Saturday with anti-Trudeau protestersCanadian police on Sunday were making possibly a final push to clear the capital city, Ottawa, of demonstrators who have paralyzed it by parking trucks and camping on the streets for more than three weeks to protest against pandemic restrictions.Police had made 170 arrests and towed 53 vehicles since they began efforts to bust up the protest on Friday morning. To do so required the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to invoke rarely used emergency powers. Continue reading...
Video footage shows Ukrainian officials, soldiers and foreign journalists running away from what appeared to be shelling as they visited the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine on Saturday. David Arakhamia, the faction leader of the ruling Servant of the People party, said the group drove to an 'observational outpost' in the Donetsk region and took shelter when it came under fire by '120mm calibre ammunition'. The group had to be evacuated to a shelter, the spokeswoman for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party said on Saturday
by Aubrey Allegretti Political correspondent on (#5WAZP)
PM says he ‘can’t comment’ after returning questionnaire to Met police on alleged No 10 partiesBoris Johnson has repeatedly refused to say whether he would resign if fined by the police for breaking Covid laws at a series of alleged Downing Street parties.After handing back a questionnaire to the Metropolitan police, which is expected to defend his presence at some of the dozen events under investigation, the prime minister dodged a series of questions about the issue. Continue reading...
Despite the post-#MeToo era, TV sex is hotting up and on the increase. What does all this mean for actors and audiences?What’s the story with the modern television sex scene? Are there too many of them? Or not enough? Are they overtly pornographic and shocking, or becoming so numerous they verge on monotonous? What about the actors who perform sex scenes: in the era of the post-#MeToo intimacy coordinator – this golden age of on-set respect and sensitivity – is TV sex feeling good for everyone?TV sex is nothing new (the still-legendary I, Claudius aired in 1976), but increasingly the small screen is all panting, writhing bacchanalia. Continue reading...
Why did ancient Scots build their mysterious ‘skyscrapers’? Now modern Scots are to build one to help us find outIf Ken McElroy gets his way, a very unusual feature will soon be added to the wild Caithness landscape at the northern edge of mainland Britain. He plans to re-create a 50ft-high iron age “skyscraper”, known as a broch, one of the most intriguing and mysterious types of building ever constructed in the British Isles.The elaborately built, drystone structures stood several storeys high and were erected only in Scotland, with hundreds being constructed between 600BC and AD100. The identities of the people who built them remain a mystery. Continue reading...
Prince’s Foundation middleman says in 2014 he attended talk about award for billionaire donorA businessman involved in arranging donations for Prince Charles’s charitable ventures has confirmed how a 30-minute meeting at Clarence House helped secure an honorary CBE for a Saudi billionaire, which is now at the centre of a police investigation.Michael Wynne-Parker, who acted as a middleman for donations for the Prince’s Foundation, attended a meeting in September 2014 with Royal aide Michael Fawcett. A key topic of the meeting was the ambition of securing an honour for the Saudi billionaire and charity donor Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz. Continue reading...
Osgur Breatnach, one of three people jailed in Ireland for the 1976 Sallins heist, claims his confession was wrongly obtainedIt was one of the most audacious heists in Irish history when a 17-strong armed gang posing as police held up the night mail train at Sallins, County Kildare, snatching the equivalent in today’s money of £1m in cash.The IRA would later twice claim responsibility for the 1976 robbery but the lives of the three men wrongly convicted and sentenced to between nine and 12 years for a crime they did not commit were ruined. Continue reading...
David Hare, Ali Smith, Steve McQueen, Russell T Davies, Meera Syal, Melvyn Bragg and others tackle some difficult questions about the corporation’s prospects to mark its centenary – and pick the shows they’d like to take to a desert islandDavid Hare, playwright
Cases, deaths, and hospitalizations have plummeted – but transmission remains high across the nationAs some US companies begin asking people to return to the office and governors lift mask mandates, talk has emerged of life after the Covid-19 pandemic in America.But infectious disease experts aren’t quite ready to declare that it’s safe for individuals, rather than governments and health officials, to determine whether precautions such as masking indoors are necessary. Continue reading...
Western governments have expressed solidarity with Volodymyr Zelenskiy but behind scenes there has been exasperationWhen Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought to become Ukraine’s president he stood on a platform of peace. Zelenskiy promised to sit down with Vladimir Putin and to reach a deal with Russia. He would end the unpopular war in the east and concentrate on important domestic reforms. These included ridding the country of corruption and oligarchs.The plan didn’t work out. Nearly three years after winning a landslide victory, Zelenskiy is a president on the brink of war. About 190,000 Russian troops are poised on Ukraine’s borders. The US president, Joe Biden, has warned of an attack on Kyiv. A Kremlin military offensive – whether full-scale or more limited in scope – seems likely, possibly within hours or days. Continue reading...
by Patrick Wintour in Munich, Luke Harding in Kyiv an on (#5WAPH)
Invasion ‘must be seen to fail’, says Boris Johnson, as western allies hold secret talks about how to give military backing to KyivSecret discussions are under way between western allies over how to arm what they expect to be fierce Ukrainian resistance in the event of a Russian invasion that topples the Kyiv government.Boris Johnson laid bare the case for such a move in a dramatic speech to the Munich security conference where he stated it was in the collective self-interests of the west for any Russian invasion to “fail and be seen to fail”. Continue reading...
by Samantha Lock (now), Lauren Gambino , Jem Bartholo on (#5WA3R)
European Council urges Moscow to ‘de-escalate’ its military buildup; Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says global security architecture is failing