IOPC makes 12 recommendations following inquiry into South Yorkshire policePolice must do more to support and listen to survivors of child sexual abuse, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), following a major investigation into South Yorkshire police’s response to allegations made in Rotherham.The report published on Tuesday makes 12 recommendations to national and local police forces, warning that some systemic problems, identified in the 91 separate investigations completed so far, still existed . Continue reading...
by Vincent Ni China affairs correspondent on (#5S82N)
Foreign ministry takes unrepentant stance to concerns in west over wellbeing of tennis playerChina’s foreign ministry has accused unnamed people of “malicious hyping” in the case of the tennis star Peng Shuai, in a hardline and unrepentant response to questions in the west over her wellbeing.The whereabouts and wellbeing of Peng, a former doubles world number one, has become a matter of international concern over the past three weeks, after she alleged in a message on the Chinese social media site Weibo that the country’s former vice-premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her. Peng ceased to be seen in public shortly after she made her allegation on 2 November. Continue reading...
The notion that South American neighbours had a ‘fourth ally’ in the 19th-century War of the Triple Alliance is a myth, author saysThe deadliest war ever fought between Latin American states saw Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay team up to invade Paraguay, kill its headstrong ruler Francisco Solano López and wipe out nearly half its people.Allegations are still voiced across the region – in schoolbooks, newspapers and documentaries, and by politicians and journalists – that a “fourth ally” was pulling the strings behind the 1864-70 war of the Triple Alliance: Britain. Continue reading...
When the UK’s jab programme began, expectant mothers were told to steer clear – so Samantha decided to wait until she had had her baby. Two weeks after giving birth, she died in hospitalIt was typical of Samantha Willis that she bought the food for her baby shower herself. No fuss; she didn’t want other people to be put out. She even bought a cheese board, despite the fact that, because she was pregnant, she couldn’t eat half of it.On 1 August, the care worker and mother of three from Derry was eight months pregnant with her third daughter. The weather was beautiful, so Samantha stood out in the sun, ironing clothes and getting everything organised for the baby. Continue reading...
When the roads are not up to it, a mobile clinic on hooves brings family planning and other medical supplies to remote communities. Photographer Ami Vitale visits Lekiji to see how the villagers have reaped the benefitsThirteen camels amble their way across the dusty, drought-stricken landscape, accompanied by seven men in bright yellow T-shirts and three nurses. The camels are loaded with trunks full of medicines, bandages and family planning products. It’s a mobile health clinic on hooves. When the camels arrive at their destination, men, women and children form a line as they wait for the handlers to unload the boxes and set up tables and tents.Among those waiting is Jacinta Peresia, who first encountered the health visitors six years ago after she nearly died giving birth to her 11th child, a daughter called Emali.No roads, no problem. Communities Health Africa Trust (Chat) delivers health care to hard-to-reach areas of Kenya Continue reading...
With up to one in five new mothers suffering depression or psychosis, experts say the need for help is ‘overwhelming’ IndiaA month after giving birth, Divya tried to suffocate her new daughter with a pillow. “There were moments when I loved my baby; at other times I would try and suffocate her to death,” says the 26-year-old from the southern Indian state of Kerala.She sought help from women’s organisations and the women’s police station, staffed by female officers, in her town. But Divya was told that the safest place for a child was with her mother. Continue reading...
She secretly wrote the first of her time-travelling novels while her husband slept. Now she’s published the ninth in the smash hit series. She talks explosive sex scenes – and where George RR Martin went wrongWriting a novel shouldn’t have been high on Diana Gabaldon’s list of priorities in the late 1980s. She already had two jobs, as a university professor at Arizona State, with an expertise in scientific computation, and as a software reviewer for the computer press. And she had three children under six. But she’d known since she was eight years old that she was “supposed to be a novelist”, so she decided it was time to give it a try.With three degrees – a bachelor’s in zoology, a master’s in marine biology, and a PhD in quantitative behavioural ecology (her thesis was on “nest site selection in pinyon jays”) – Gabaldon says she “liked science, I was good at it. But I knew that was not my vocation, that’s not my calling. So when I turned 35, I said to myself, well, you know, Mozart was dead at 36. If you want to be a novelist, maybe you’d better start.” Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#5S7W5)
Analysis shows job adverts requiring candidates to be jabbed rose by 189% between August and OctoberEmployers in the UK are following the lead of their counterparts in the US by stepping up demands for staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, analysis of recruitment adverts reveals.According to figures from the jobs website Adzuna, the number of ads explicitly requiring candidates to be vaccinated rose by 189% between August and October as more firms ask for workers to be jabbed before they start on the job. Continue reading...
Ministry officials say children are among the dead after a bus from North Macedonia crashed and caught fire on highwayAt least 46 people have died, including 12 children, after a bus caught fire on a highway in western Bulgaria on Tuesday, officials have said.“We have an enormous tragedy here,” Bulgarian interim prime minister Stefan Yanev, who travelled to the scene, told reporters. His interior minister, Boyko Rashkov, said: “The picture is terrifying, terrifying. I have never seen anything like that before.” Continue reading...
Court ruling made public on Monday finds Spacey violated his contract’s demands for professional behaviourKevin Spacey and his production companies must pay the studio behind House of Cards more than $30m because of losses brought on by his firing for alleged sexual misconduct, according to an arbitration decision made final on Monday.A document filed in Los Angeles superior court requesting a judge’s approval of the ruling says that the arbitrators found that Spacey violated his contract’s demands for professional behaviour by engaging in “certain conduct in connection with several crew members in each of the five seasons that he starred in and executive produced House of Cards”. Continue reading...
Violent fantasy series tops streaming ratings in more than 80 countries within 24 hours of its debutAnother South Korean fantasy horror series from Netflix has become an overnight global phenomenon, with Hellbound toppling Squid Game as the most-watched TV show on the streaming platform.According to FlixPatrol analytics, Hellbound became the world’s most watched Netflix television series on 20 November, topping the streaming ratings in more than 80 countries within 24 hours of the show’s debut. Continue reading...
Range of issues blamed for spike in cost to $20 a block, including inflation, Covid-related supply issues and high milk pricesFacing decades-high cheese prices, cheddar-loving New Zealanders are being forced to chase specials, downgrade their flavour expectations, or abandon the blocks entirely in favour of grated substitutes.A mixture of inflation, Covid-19 supply pressures and high milk prices was sending prices for hunks of cheddar through the roof, with blocks ranging from $11 to over $20 a block. Continue reading...
Questions mount about pact’s ultimate purpose and implications for other Asean countriesIt was initially seen as an audacious enlistment by Joe Biden of Australia into the 21st-century struggle against China, elevating the country in the process to a significant regional military power and finally giving substance to Global Britain and its tilt to the Indo-Pacific.But since then the “ruckus” about Aukus, as Boris Johnson described it, has not stopped. If this was the start of a new “anti-hegemonic coalition” to balance China’s rise, it has not quite blown up on the launchpad, but nor has it taken off as smoothly as intended. Continue reading...
The star of the new Amazon Prime fantasy series and granddaughter of Charles Perkins discusses her ‘dream role’, multiracial casting and finding freedom outside AustraliaWhen she walked into the London casting room of The Wheel of Time, Madeleine Madden scanned the faces – a sea of white – and thought, “Yep, standard.”To announce her presence, she politely inquired, “The Wheel of Time?” Continue reading...
Australians’ lived experiences show the PM can’t even convince his own base that he can manage their rising household expensesFor a master of political spin, our Prime Marketer should be entering the upcoming election cycle with a significant advantage: the enduring mythology that conservatives are better economic managers.Right now, you can see him grasping for a fight on the economy like a drowning man with a manic flurry of real-time iterative message testing from “can-do capitalism” to “cost of living”, anything to shift the political contest from the here and now to a hypothetical future under a reckless, profligate Labor government. Continue reading...
by Nick Evershed, David Fanner, Adam Adada on (#5S7JY)
The coronavirus pandemic in Australia has caused almost 2,000 deaths and resulted in close to 200,000 cases. In the worst-hit states of New South Wales and Victoria, high vaccination rates have now reduced the rate of hospital admissions. Here we have used an experimental mapping method to show how the outbreak spread across the two states from the start of the pandemic until now. Each dot represents a person who tested positive to Covid-19, and has been placed randomly within their postcode or local government area to visualise the number of cases in a region. It’s important to remember that this is not necessarily where they caught the virus and instead is where they live. Blue dots represent those who probably caught the coronavirus overseas, and red dots are those who caught the coronavirus locally. All dots fade to grey and are removed after two weeks► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube
Two men aged 34 and 67 have been arrested, as neighbours describe shock in quiet areaA murder inquiry has been launched after a husband and wife suffered fatal injuries at their home in a Somerset village while their young children were in the house.Neighbours said there had previously been rows in the street over parking, and though Avon and Somerset police declined to discuss a possible motive, the force referred itself to the watchdog because of previous contact it had had with those involved. Continue reading...
Tuesday: More voters say ALP better at managing economy for everyday Australians. Plus: BoM likely to declare La Niña todayGood morning. Voters believe the opposition would manage the economy better than the government. The Bureau of Meteorology is expected to declare a La Niña weather event as summer’s first tropical cyclone forms. And the international border will be further eased from next week.The Coalition’s traditional lead on economic management has been whittled away by Labor, as more voters say they believe the opposition would manage the economy in the interests of everyday Australians, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. The latest survey of 1,095 respondents also suggests voters want the government to increase the Abbott-era 2030 emissions reduction pledge, with 61% of respondents saying they want a higher 2030 target, and 39% saying it should remain a cut of 26 to 28% on 2005 levels. Continue reading...
Kate Mitchell’s body was found shortly after an emergency alarm was activated in her hotel roomA murder investigation has been launched in Kenya into the death of a British woman who worked for the BBC’s international development charity.The body of Kate Mitchell, a senior manager at BBC Media Action, was found on Friday in the capital Nairobi shortly after an emergency alarm was activated in her room. Police in Kenya said the window to her eighth-floor hotel room had been broken and the body of a man Mitchell had been with earlier was found on the ground below. Continue reading...
José Antonio Kast will face progressive former student leader Gabriel Boric in runoff election next monthChile’s right wing have claimed a jubilant victory after José Antonio Kast, a former congressman with a history of defending the Pinochet dictatorship, secured a surprise win in the first round of the country’s presidential election.Kast, who campaigned on a platform of public order, migration controls and conservative social values, confounded expectations to take 28% of the vote and beat the progressive former student leader Gabriel Boric by two percentage points. Continue reading...
Boris Johnson threw spotlight on show that has run for 17 years and been exported to 118 countriesTo many families taking their excited children to Peppa Pig World, the most surreal aspect isn’t the pastel-hued streets or the giant cartoon animals milling around; it’s the soundtrack. Piped from speakers spread around the park, the can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head theme tune plays on a continuous loop, and parents could be forgiven for feeling they’ve entered a nightmare rather than a toddler’s dreamscape.Not so for Boris Johnson. The prime minister was so buoyed by his Sunday enjoying delights such an egg-shaped boat ride overlooked by Grampy Rabbit, where he was photographed grinning alongside his one-year-old son Wilfred and wife Carrie, that he was moved to praise the New Forest amusement park effusively in a speech to business leaders on Monday. Continue reading...
People smugglers are putting hundreds to sea this autumn despite stormy weatherMore than 75 people are feared dead after their boat capsized in stormy seas off the coast of Libya while attempting to reach Europe in one of the deadliest shipwrecks this year, according to the UN.Fifteen survivors were rescued by local fishers and brought to the port of Zuwara in north-western Libya. They said there were about 92 people onboard the vessel when the incident took place on 17 November. Most of those who died came from sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading...
Man convicted of murdering British student asks for sentence, due to end in January, to be reducedRudy Guede, the only person definitively convicted of the murder of the British student Meredith Kercher, could be freed in the coming days after completing 13 years of a 16-year sentence.Guede’s sentence is due to end on 4 January, but he has asked magistrates to reduce it by a further 45 days. Continue reading...
Faha Al-Mana responds to a report on allegations of exploitation and abuse by migrant workers in the run-up to the 2022 World CupYour report (‘We have fallen into a trap’: Qatar’s World Cup dream is a nightmare for hotel staff, 18 November) fails to acknowledge the progress Qatar has made to improve living and working standards for foreign workers, including those in the hospitality sector.The impact of Qatar’s reforms is best highlighted through its numbers: over 240,000 workers have successfully changed jobs since barriers were removed in September 2020; more than 400,000 have directly benefited from the new minimum wage; improvements to the wage protection system now protect 96% of eligible workers from wage abuse; and hundreds of thousands of workers have left Qatar and returned without permission from their employer since exit permits were abolished. Continue reading...
Locals gathered outside church pay tribute to ‘one-in-a-million’ MP’s generosity and sense of humourThe streets of Southend were lined with members of the public coming to pay their respects to an MP who died serving his constituents. Mourners at the funeral of Sir David Amess on Monday paid tribute to a man who always had time for a chat, loved a joke and was dedicated to the people he had been elected to represent.They thanked him with a round of applause as his coffin, draped in a union flag, was borne into and out of St Mary’s parish church in Prittlewell. Continue reading...
by Presented by Jane Lee, reported by Helen Davidson, on (#5S754)
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s recent allegations that she was sexually assaulted by a former vice premier, has shone an international spotlight on the #MeToo movement in China.One of China’s first high profile cases involved a young woman, Xianzi, alleging sexual harassment against a famous Chinese state TV host, which sent shockwaves around the country.Jane Lee speaks to the Guardian’s Taiwan correspondent Helen Davidson and activists Xianzi and Lu Pin about feminists’ ongoing struggle to overcome China’s state censors and closed courtsRead more: Continue reading...
Press organizations condemn arrest of Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano at pipeline protest in British ColumbiaPress organizations in Canada have condemned the arrest of two journalists who were detained while covering Indigenous-led resistance to a controversial pipeline project and remain in custody.Amber Bracken, an award-winning photojournalist who has previously worked with the Guardian, and Michael Toledano a documentary film-maker, were arrested on Friday by Royal Canadian Mounted police officers who were enforcing a court-ordered injunction in British Columbia. More than a dozen protesters were also arrested. Continue reading...
Leader of People’s party Pablo Casado’s appearance at service for dictator called a ‘coincidence’Leftwing parties in Spain have demanded explanations after the leader of the rightwing People’s party (PP) “inadvertently” attended a mass over the weekend where prayers were said for the soul of Francisco Franco on the 46th anniversary of the dictator’s death.Pablo Casado, who has led the PP since July 2018, was seen attending the mass in a church next to Granada cathedral on Saturday evening. The opposition leader was in Andalucía for a party conference and, according to PP sources, went to the mass as he thought he would be unable to make it to church the following day because of work commitments. Continue reading...
Moscow, which has nearly 100,000 troops near Ukraine border, also criticises ‘provocative policy’ of US and EU towards KyivRussia has accused the west of building up forces on its borders as well as those of Belarus in remarks that appeared tailored to mirror recent US warnings about Moscow’s aggressive positioning towards Ukraine.The Kremlin, as well as Russian intelligence, security, and diplomatic officials, have all gone on the offensive in the past 48 hours after Vladimir Putin publicly instructed his diplomats that tensions should be maintained with the west as a form of aggressive deterrence. Continue reading...
A new survey has found that nowhere is sacred for a society of phone addicts, not even weddings and funeralsAge: Fresh out of the poll oven. A new one, of 1,098 American adults by the games website Solitaired, finds we use our phones all the time and everywhere.No way! People are addicted to phones? I honestly had no idea … Hey, less of the sarcasm. You might not realise the extent of it. Nowhere or no occasion is sacred. Continue reading...
Regulator to rescue customers of Britain’s fastest-growing energy companyBulb Energy has gone bust and will be placed into an untested ‘special administration’ process to manage the fallout of the biggest energy supply collapse on record.The energy regulator drew up plans over the weekend to put the company into a special administration process designed to protect Bulb’s 1.7 million household customers and ensure continuity of supply, according to industry sources. Continue reading...
While some were inspired to make the most of life when they finally could, others say they felt unvalued and overlooked, as well as disappointed by the government
Kamila Shamsie, Monica Ali and China Miéville are among those who have signed a letter organised by Artists for PalestineMajor authors including Kamila Shamsie, Monica Ali and China Miéville have backed Sally Rooney’s decision not to sell translation rights to an Israeli publisher, describing it as an “exemplary response to the mounting injustices inflicted on Palestinians”.Rooney turned down an offer to sell Hebrew translation rights in her new novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You, to the publisher Modan, which had published her previous two books, and which had put in a bid. The bestselling Irish novelist said last month that she supported the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS), which works to “end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law”, and that she did not feel it would be right to collaborate with an Israeli company “that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people”. Continue reading...
Parties say deal is not coalition but ‘bespoke agreement’ to create a stable Senedd capable of delivering ‘radical change and reform’Radical plans ranging from strict restrictions on second home ownership to setting up a publicly owned energy company and driving forward a free nationwide social care system have been announced in an agreement between the Labour-led Welsh government and the nationalists, Plaid Cymru.Details of the “cooperation agreement” were unveiled by the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, and the leader of Plaid, Adam Price, on the steps of the Welsh parliament building, the Senedd, on Monday.“Immediate and radical action” to address the crisis of second homes and unaffordable housing, using the planning, property and taxation systems. Actions being planned include a cap on the number of second and holiday homes.A publicly-owned energy company for Wales could be created to encourage community-owned renewable energy generation.Set up an expert group to support the creation of a “national care service”, free at the point of need. Implementation plan to be agreed by by the end of 2023.Extend free school meals to all primary school pupils, over the lifetime of the agreement.Establish a national construction company to support councils and social landlords to improve the supply of social and affordable housing.Support plans to reform the Senedd, increasing its membership to between 80 and 100 members and having gender quotas enshrined in law.Improve the teaching of Welsh history and make its delivery mandatory in the new curriculum for Wales.Set new ambitions and incentives to expand the proportion of the education workforce who can teach and work through the Welsh language. Continue reading...
The actor, who was criticised at the film’s release in 2015, has said in an interview that he would not take the role on if offered it nowFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star Eddie Redmayne has described his participation in the trans drama The Danish Girl as “a mistake”, adding that he “wouldn’t take it on now”.Speaking to the Sunday Times, Redmayne agreed that the criticism he received for appearing in the film was justified, saying: “I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake.” Continue reading...
Jackie, 79, and Colin, 81, became pen friends in 1958 during his army service in Hong Kong and met two years later when he was home on leave. They recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversaryAt the end of 1958, Jackie was living with her parents in Kent and working as a filing clerk in London. Then a friend asked if she would like to write to a British soldier who was stationed in Hong Kong: “She knew a soldier out there and he wondered if any of her friends would like to write to him,” she says. “I thought it would be nice for them to get letters so far away from home.”She began to write to Colin and they soon struck up a friendship. “Jackie and I wrote about once a week, and talked about our lives,” he says. While he was living near the Chinese border, taking part in military exercises, Jackie was helping her mother to look after her father, who had a disability, and going out with friends in London when she had the chance. “Colin comes from a big family – he’s one of 16 children. I remember him telling me all about his brothers and sisters,” says Jackie.Want to share your story? Tell us a little about yourself, your partner and how you got together by filling in the form here. Continue reading...
Riot police and protesters clashed in the streets of Brussels on Sunday in demonstrations over government-imposed Covid-19 restrictions, with police firing water cannon and teargas at crowds. Protesters threw smoke bombs, fireworks and rocks at officers. Belgium tightened its coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, mandating wider use of masks and enforcing working from home, as cases surged in the country
by Allan Jenkins compiled by Molly Tait-Hyland on (#5S6QR)
From canapés to the ultimate turkey and roast potatoes, a celebratory vegetarian pie to steam ginger pudding and custard, we’ve got Christmas coveredPresenting Nigella’s drunken devils on horseback, Simon Hopkinson’s prawn cocktail, Edson Diaz-Fuentes’s Mexican bacalao. Feast on Lindsey Bareham’s foolproof turkey, trimmings and gravy, Trine Hahnemann’s salmon and Andi Oliver’s glazed ham. We have mince pies, a sherry trifle, Elizabeth David’s definitive St Emilion au chocolat. Plus, of course, Nigel Slater’s essential cake, without which Christmas is incomplete.Happy holidays all, from all at OFM. Continue reading...
Veryan Palmer should be looking forward to her Cornish hotel’s best ever November. Instead, she is having to shut rooms at the five-star establishmentThe Headland hotel in Cornwall has been in Veryan Palmer’s family all her life. Her parents bought the imposing Victorian pile overlooking Fistral Beach, Newquay, 43 years ago. Now Palmer, 37, is director. They have always had staff from Europe. “My parents would talk about when European countries joined the EU they would suddenly get an influx of staff from a new country,” she says. “They remember the summer that Poland joined and the sudden influx of Polish housekeeping staff who are just phenomenal.”In 2019, about half the staff were non-British. Palmer attributes the identity and the success of the hotel – one of just two in the county with five stars – to them. “There is no chance we would be where we are now without the skills of people coming from other countries.” Continue reading...
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