by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6QES4)
Prisoners serving time for lesser crime following serious one will be eligible under plan to free up jail space, officials confirmSome serious offenders will be eligible for early release under a scheme to free up prison space in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has admitted, despite saying previously they would not qualify.The MoJ has confirmed that prisoners who have completed a sentence for a serious crime and are now serving a consecutive sentence for a lesser one would be allowed to leave prison earlier than planned. Continue reading...
Political rival says prime minister sees himself as the state' as IDF declares secondary front' in West BankBenjamin Netanyahu's main political rival, Benny Gantz, has accused the Israeli prime minister of putting his personal interests before those of his country after he again insisted on the need for Israeli control of the Gaza-Egypt border on Monday, a position that has emerged as a key obstacle to a ceasefire deal.Speaking in Tel Aviv at the Israel Bar Association's annual conference on Tuesday, the centre-right National Unity party leader said Netanyahu had lost his way" and sees himself as the state ... this is dangerous," he said. Continue reading...
Court documents show then immigration minister wrote to Home Office after Dana Abu Qamar spoke at university demonstrationThe former immigration minister and Conservative leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick inquired into revoking a Palestinian student's visa, court documents have revealed.Dana Abu Qamar, 20, a law student who led the Friends of Palestine society at Manchester University, was stripped of her visa in 2023 after speaking at a university demonstration on Gaza's historical resistance to Israel's oppressive regime" and a subsequent interview with Sky News. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6QENS)
Office for Students found reports of widespread academic misconduct' and issues with recruitment agenciesEngland's higher education regulator has warned of serious risks to public money" in university franchise arrangements, with allegations that recruiters have faked language tests to get students on to courses without the minimum level of English.Research by the Office for Students (OfS) has raised multiple concerns about the growing enthusiasm for franchise partnerships in higher education, where a university contracts another organisation to teach all or part of a course on its behalf. Continue reading...
Ratio of refused visitor visas to approved ones was higher in recent months than any point since height of the pandemicCanada is taking steps, both official and unofficial, to curb the number of people coming to the country, highlighting the way in which immigration has become a political flashpoint ahead of a federal election.According to figures obtained by Reuters, the ratio of refused visitor visa applications to approved ones was higher in recent months than at any point since the height of the pandemic. Immigration officials rejected more applications than they approved in January, February, May and June 2024. Continue reading...
The British manufacturer saw its share price slump 6.5% after engines failed on a Cathay Pacific flight on MondayAn engine failure on a Cathay Pacific flight on Monday has put the spotlight on British manufacturer Rolls-Royce, which makes and maintains the power plant on the Airbus A350.Investors are trying to establish whether there will be broader implications for Rolls-Royce, as airlines that operate the twin-aisle plane inspect their fleets. The large A350, which carries up to 410 passengers, is used mainly on long haul routes. Continue reading...
Shona Robison, Scottish finance secretary, says current financial situation facing Scottish government is not sustainable'Tom Tugendhat, the former security minister, is launching his campaign for the Tory leadership. There is a live feed here.Tugendhat started by saying that he did not actually want the job, because he does not want to be leader of the opposition. He wants to be prime minister, he said.Politics is not a game, and we all know the cost when government isn't sober and serious. We saw it in the lives lost in Afghanistan and then in that wasted chaos of that withdrawal. We saw it during Covid, not just in the lost years of education that cost so many or the opportunities missed, or even in the grief for lost loved ones or those left to cope alone, but through the disrespect.That's why I'm standing before you today, because this country can change. We must change, and Britain deserves better, and we need a different government. Continue reading...
Yellow warning for downpours in south-east England and parts of Wales but western Scotland could reach 26CThe weather across the UK could be split this week with heavy downpours in southern England and a heatwave in western Scotland, with the expected rainfall prompting a yellow warning from the Met Office.Southern England will have a spell of unsettled weather" that could include thunderstorms, lightning, strong winds and hail, while the worst affected areas may experience more than 50mm of rainfall within two hours. Continue reading...
Prosecutors used densely written Post-its to build case against nurse, but she was told to write down her feelings to cope with extreme stress, sources say
Nicholas Winton's Kinder' return to Prague to honour man who organised rescue of 669 childrenAt the age of seven, Alexandra Pfeifer was taken by her father and two brothers to Prague railway station, and told she was going on holiday. I didn't know where or why I was going. I didn't know there was a place called England. I waved to my brothers out of the window when the train left the station," she said.This week, 92-year-old Alexandra Greensted - her married name - returned to Prague to honour the man who organised the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children, including herself, from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939 on the Kindertransport". Continue reading...
Democratic Republic of the Congo officials say 129 people died in failed jailbreak at Makala facility in KinshasaMore than 100 people were killed while trying to escape from a prison in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the early hours of Monday, the security minister has said.In a post on X on Tuesday morning, Jacquemain Shabani said 129 people had died and 59 others were injured in the escape attempt at Makala prison in Kinshasa. Twenty-four of those who died were killed by gunfire, while the others lost their lives in a crush during the chaos, he said. Continue reading...
Supermodel says she is in remission after being diagnosed seven years ago and rejecting traditional medicineElle Macpherson has said she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago but is now in remission despite refusing chemotherapy.The Australian supermodel and actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s, is publishing a memoir - Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself - in which she says she took a holistic approach to the illness, going against the advice of 32 doctors. Continue reading...
Nunggubuyu woman Selena Uibo is NT Labor's new leader, with an almost entirely Aboriginal caucusAfter a crushing defeat, Territory Labor has appointed the first Aboriginal woman to lead a major party in the nation's history.Member for Arnhem, Nunggubuyu woman, Selena Uibo has taken up the top job alongside an almost entirely Aboriginal caucus. Continue reading...
France led by caretaker administration since July snap electionLe Parisien reports that Emmanuel Macron is considering Xavier Bertrand and spoke on the phone with right-wing figures Gerard Larcher, Laurent Wauquiez et Bruno Retailleau to discuss.BFMTV reports that the French president is testing the possibility of naming Xavier Bertrand, the head of the northern Hauts-de-France region and a former minister from the right, or Bernard Cazeneuve, who was prime minister from 2016 to 2017 under Socialist president Francois Hollande, as the next prime minister. Continue reading...
Mother pays tribute to kind-hearted' son after boy was stabbed at his home in Oldbury last ThursdayTwo teenage boys have been charged with the murder of a 13-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in his West Midlands home, police have said.Jahziah Coke died after he was attacked in Lovett Avenue in Oldbury on Thursday. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Alternative fur Deutschland have deployed Nazi rhetoric throughout their rise - and they are pulling the mainstream further to the right Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. For the first time since the second world war, a far-right party has won a regional election in Germany. As well as finishing first in Thuringia, where it won nearly 33% of the vote, Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) finished second in Saxony, with 31% - and it did so with none of the normalisation strategy that similar parties have deployed in France or Italy. Instead, the AfD uses Nazi slogans and calls the Berlin Holocaust memorial a monument of shame".While the AfD demanded to be included in coalition negotiations in both states yesterday, a firewall" designed to keep the party out of government is likely to hold for the foreseeable future. Even so, its success is undoubtedly a seismic moment in German politics. For today's newsletter, I spoke to the Guardian's Berlin correspondent Deborah Cole about how the AFD did it, and whether this is a regional phenomenon or a signpost to something larger. Here are the headlines.Israel-Gaza war | The UK has broken with the Biden administration by announcing it is suspending some arms export licences to Israel because of a clear risk" the materiel may be used in violation of international humanitarian law. It came as Benjamin Netanyahu defied protests at home and criticism from Biden by vowing that Israel would not relinquish control over the strategic Philadelphi corridor along the Gaza-Egyptian border.Grenfell inquiry | Companies found at fault over the Grenfell tower fire are facing calls to be banned from public contracts. Ahead of the final public inquiry report's publication tomorrow, it emerged that about 250m in deals have been made in the past five years with firms involved in the high-rise's refurbishment.Politics | Jeremy Corbyn is to form an official parliamentary alliance with four independent MPs who were elected on pro-Gaza platforms, and has issued a call for more MPs to join. The group will have the same number of MPs as Reform UK and the Democratic Unionist party, who each have five MPs, and more than the Green party and Plaid Cymru, who each have four.France | A husband who allegedly drugged his wife and invited more than 80 strangers to rape her at their home for almost a decade will go on trial on Monday in a case that has shocked France. Fifty men accused of taking part in the abuse of the woman are also on trial at the court in Avignon.Society | Pride in Britain's history has fallen sharply over the past decade as the country has become more reflective about its place in the modern world, according to a leading barometer of the British public mood. The proportion of people saying they were proud of Britain's history fell from 86% to 64%. Continue reading...
In wake of Coalition criticism, Mike Burgess says support for Palestine not a problem but support for Hamas could rule out ability to come to Australia
by Malak A Tantesh in Gaza and Bethan McKernan in Amm on (#6QE69)
Vaccination is likely to be an uphill struggle after re-emergence of the disease in the territory, where war has decimated healthcareLike so many in Gaza, Eid al-Attar, a teacher from the north of the territory, now spends his days trying to find enough food and water to keep his family alive. Displaced eight times since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, the 42-year-old has tried his best to shield his five children from the conflict. Now the Palestinian territory is facing a new danger: the highly infectious and potentially deadly disease, polio.We cannot protect our children. We are exposed to death at any moment due to the constant bombardment and insecurity. And I cannot protect them from diseases either," he said in Deir al-Balah on Sunday as a UN-led vaccination campaign got under way. Continue reading...
Soldiers say they had no warning of what they were undertaking before the morale-boosting attack beganOn a recent morning deep in Ukrainian-occupied Russia, three soldiers from a Ukrainian special operations team jumped into their car, the back windscreen missing after being smashed out the previous day by explosives dropped from a Russian drone, and sped away in the direction of Ukraine.Six hours later, they would be in Kyiv, together with a precious cargo of documents stashed in boxes piled on the back seat, the fruits of a four-day mission into enemy territory for the trio. The documents included Russian interior ministry papers and military orders, seized from official buildings in Sudzha, the town at the heart of Ukraine's surprise Kursk operation, and from abandoned Russian trenches nearby. Continue reading...
The centre may be holding' but if the far right continues to win elections, the European project faces a rocky few yearsAlternative fur Deutschland's stunning success in Germany's regional elections was described as bitter" and worrying" by chancellor Olaf Scholz. It is also concerning for the EU, which is grappling with existential problems, from Russia's grinding war on Ukraine to the climate crisis, while at the beginning of a new five-year cycle after the European elections earlier this summer.A dark day for Germany is a dark day for Europe," said French centrist MEP leader Valerie Heyer. While the results in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony were not a surprise after the AfD's strong showing in June's European parliamentary vote, they confirm the steady rise of parties once considered beyond the pale. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6QE6D)
Exclusive: About 250m in UK deals made in past five years with companies involved in tower's ill-fated refitCompanies criticised by the Grenfell Tower inquiry are facing calls to be banned from public contracts as it emerged that about 250m in deals have been made in the past five years with corporations involved in the high-rise's refurbishment.A leading member of Grenfell United, which represents bereaved family members and survivors of the tower's 2017 fire, said companies found to have been to blame should no longer receive public contracts. Continue reading...
Exclusive: End focus on deportations and use language of compassion and humanity', says Refugee CouncilLabour will be at real risk of failing to reform the UK's broken asylum system unless it challenges Tory rhetoric and stops focusing on the deportation of asylum seekers, the head of the Refugee Council has said.Enver Solomon, the charity's chief executive, said Keir Starmer must use the language of compassion and humanity" in order to tackle the vilification of refugees. Continue reading...
100 local authorities say council housing finance model is broken' and more money is needed to build new homesAn unprecedented coalition" of councils in England has called for an emergency injection of 644m from the government to stabilise their housing accounts and prevent investment in new homes being delayed or cancelled.After Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, promised a council housing revolution", 100 local authorities have now warned that the financial model for council housing finances is broken", with a 2.2bn black hole" in councils' dedicated budgets expected by 2028. Continue reading...
Research covering UK outside Greater London places city ahead of Slough, Sandwell and othersManchester has been named the first-time buyer capital of Britain" after data revealed that those taking their first step on the property ladder accounted for 75% of home purchases made in the city with a mortgage last year.The research from the mortgage lender Halifax may also provide fresh evidence of how high house prices in London are forcing growing numbers of would-be capital dwellers to ditch that dream and look farther afield.ManchesterSloughSandwellLeicester/OadbyReadingThurrockDartfordKnowsleyWolverhamptonLuton Continue reading...
Shares in engineering firm slide as airline cancels flights after finding engine component failure on aircraftShares in Rolls-Royce, the leading British engineering company, were the biggest faller on the FTSE 100 on Monday after Cathay Pacific Airways identified an engine component failure on an aircraft and began inspecting its entire Airbus A350 fleet.The Hong Kong-based airline, which has cancelled 24 return flights so far while it performs the precautionary" checks, said a number of aircraft would be out of service for several days. Shares in Rolls-Royce closed down 6%. Continue reading...
Concerts dates next August clash with festival fringe when city's hotels and rented rooms are already stretchedLetting agencies are charging up to 7,000 a night for rentals in Edinburgh next August after Oasis announced three concerts at Murrayfield stadium during the annual festival period.Nearly all the city's hotel rooms have been reportedly booked up for the three Oasis concert dates, with the last rooms on offer for more than 545 a night for a couple. Continue reading...
Shooting occurred at the Forest Park CTA Blue Line station early on Monday, according to policeFour people were shot and killed on a Chicago metro train early Monday, according to news reports.Police said they had received a 911 call at about 5.27am that three people were shot on a train at the Forest Park CTA Blue Line station. Continue reading...
Rebecca Gregory sentenced to three years after she was seen on CCTV threatening to kick one child in the headA nursery worker has been jailed for three years after she verbally abused four children in her care and threatened to kick one in the head.Rebecca Gregory, 25, had pleaded guilty to four counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing a child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said. Continue reading...
Harris campaign responds: In a stunning senile moment Trump suggested it was Harris who treated Pence poorly'Donald Trump has drawn ridicule and accusations of hypocrisy after accusing Kamala Harris of mistreating Mike Pence, the former vice-president who his supporters said should be hanged during the January 6 insurrection that he incited.The Republican's nominee's comments came in an interview with Fox News, when he also singled out Harris's 2018 cross-examination of Brett Kavanaugh during Senate confirmation hearings after Trump, then president, nominated him as a justice on the US supreme court. Continue reading...
Plans underline European carmakers' problems in switching from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric modelsVolkswagen is considering shutting two German factories, in what would be the carmaker's first closures ever in its home country, as it struggles with the transition away from fossil fuels.The Wolfsburg-based manufacturer on Monday informed its works council, which represents employees, that it was looking at closing at least one larger vehicle manufacturing plant and one component factory in Germany" in order to find cost savings worth billions of euros. Continue reading...
Tories found to have problems with relatability, and few voters could identify party leadership candidatesConservative party politicians have started to be seen as weird", with very few members of the general public - or even their own voters - able to identify the leadership candidates, new research has suggested.It showed 70% of voters either did not know or thought none of the candidates could win the next election - with James Cleverly the highest scorer on 8%, followed by Priti Patel. Continue reading...
Police tracked down long-lost fingerprint evidence, solving mystery of Pinnacle Man' whose body was found in 1977A man who was discovered frozen in a Pennsylvania cave almost five decades ago was finally identified after police tracked down long-lost fingerprint evidence, solving a mystery that had long baffled authorities in mountainous Appalachia.The Berks county, Pennsylvania coroner's office on Tuesday identified the man as Nicholas Paul Grubb, 27, of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, CNN reported. Continue reading...
Dmytro Kuleba calls on Kyiv's Asian partners to consider increasing military aid to Ukraine after Moscow stages missile attack on KyivRussian forces are fighting in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Selydove and Ukrainsk, pro-Russian bloggers said on Monday, as Moscow's forces try to smash through part of Ukraine's defensive line.There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the purported Russian advance, Reuters reported. Continue reading...
Lucy Connolly, 41, faces substantial' jail term over tweet calling for attacks on hotels housing asylum seekersA childminder who is married to a Conservative councillor is facing a substantial" prison sentence after she admitted stirring up racial hatred with an inflammatory social media post.Lucy Connolly tweeted about hotels housing asylum seekers on the same day three girls were fatally stabbed at a dance class in Southport. She said on X: Mass deportation now, set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards for all I care ... If that makes me racist, so be it." Continue reading...
Fans at London station left disappointed after fictional train's departure not announced on public address systemDisappointed Harry Potter fans booed after an annual announcement at London King's Cross railway station did not happen.People gathered at the station hoping to hear a message on the public address system that the fictional Hogwarts Express would depart from platform 9 3/4 at 11am, as happens in JK Rowling's books. Continue reading...
by Neha Gohil Community affairs correspondent on (#6QDQM)
EHRC investigation found 11 unlawful acts aimed at barring Irish Travellers from Pontins' holiday parksPontins has issued an apology to Gypsy and Traveller communities after an investigation by the equality watchdog uncovered discriminatory practices by the holiday park operator.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) served Pontins with an unlawful act notice in February after an investigation found practices aimed at barring Irish Travellers from its holiday parks between 2013 and 2018. Continue reading...
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