Proposals from Universities UK to raise funds for members include reset' on student maintenance loans and grantsUniversities have called for an increase in student tuition fees and government funding to fill a financial hole, according to reports.Universities UK, which represents 141 institutions, have put forward proposals to raise funds for their members, including fee increases, in the face of budget deficits, BBC Radio 4's Today programme said. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: What we know after law enforcement apprehended an armed intruder at a golf course near the former president's home on Sunday Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.On Sunday, former US president Donald Trump was rushed to safety after Secret Service agents noticed a gunman hiding just a few hundred metres away from him in the bushes of the Trump international golf course in Florida, close to the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort home. The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, fled the scene after agents opened fire on him. He was later apprehended by local authorities and charged with two gun-related crimes.Labour | Keir Starmer has suggested he will continue to accept gifts from the Labour peer Lord Alli, as he rejected accusations that he had not followed parliamentary rules relating to gifts of clothes to his wifeEmployment | Insecure work can often be a trap, rather than a stepping stone to a better life, according to new research that tracked the employment of 10,000 people across four years.UK news | The former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence, completing an extraordinary fall from grace after admitting accessing indecent photographs of children as young as seven.Europe | The death toll from torrential rain and flooding in central and eastern Europe has risen to at least 16, with several more people missing, as authorities reported deaths in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria and warned the worst may yet be to come.Health | Tackling Britain's growing ill-health crisis holds the key to increasing growth and the government needs to invest 15bn a year on a radical programme of reforms designed to improve wellbeing and national prosperity, a left-of-centre thinktank has said. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6QSKP)
Letter warns abstainers over future conduct, while the one rebel MP apparently retains whipLabour MPs who missed a controversial vote on removing the winter fuel payment from most pensioners have been stripped of potential privileges and warned about their future conduct, the Guardian has been told.While the sanctions have caused some anger, with one of the MPs calling the whips' behaviour feudal", the overall response to the rebellion has been seemingly less severe than in July, when seven MPs lost the Labour whip for rebelling. Continue reading...
Government must invest 15bn a year on a changes to improve wellbeing and prosperity, says thinktankTackling Britain's growing ill-health crisis holds the key to increasing growth and the government needs to invest 15bn a year on a radical programme of reforms designed to improve wellbeing and national prosperity, a left-of-centre thinktank has said.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said the UK's worsening health was affecting the supply of workers, worsening productivity, holding back pay, damaging the public finances and adding to regional inequality.Higher taxes on tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food companies to raise more than 10bn a year by the end of the parliament.Free school meals for all primary schoolchildren, the scrapping of the two-child benefit limit and the restoration of the Sure Start programme of family support.The creation of health and prosperity improvement zones with new powers and national investment to rebuild local health infrastructure - such as swimming pools and green spaces - in the most health-deprived areas.A right to try" for people on health or disability benefits - a government commitment to a new and guaranteed period where people in receipt of benefits can try" work with no risk to welfare status or award level.A new neighbourhood health centre" in every part of the country: a one-stop shop for diagnostics, primary care, mental health and public health with a focus on prevention. Continue reading...
Economists say living standards of poorest women will decline by 21% by 2027-28 if Labour sticks to Tory plansRachel Reeves should announce a significant uplift in public spending in next month's budget, or risk women bearing the brunt of continuing austerity, a group of campaigning economists argue.Analysis by the Women's Budget Group (WBG) suggests the living standards of the poorest women will have declined by a staggering" 21% between 2010 and 2027-28, if Labour sticks to Jeremy Hunt's spending plans. Continue reading...
Britain promises to send 4m to back Italian crackdown on irregular migrationKeir Starmer has shown great interest" in the Italy-Albania migration deal, the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said, as the UK vowed to send 4m to support her controversial crackdown on irregular migration.Speaking at a press conference in Rome, the prime minister agreed with Meloni, stressing the importance of the relationship betwen the UK and Italy. Continue reading...
Mayor to be given power to overrule Westminster council, which blocked previous plan amid concerns over rerouting busesTraffic will be banned from London's Oxford Street under plans announced by the mayor, Sadiq Khan, using new powers from Labour to push through long-thwarted pedestrianisation of the capital's famous shopping strip.Khan said urgent action was needed so that the mile-long street could once again become the leading retail destination in the world." Continue reading...
ICO says online gambling company passed customers' information to advertising technology companiesThe online gambling company Sky Betting & Gaming has been reprimanded by the data regulator for unlawfully sharing customers' information with advertising companies that could then target those users with personalised marketing.The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it had investigated Bonne Terre Ltd, trading as Sky Betting & Gaming, after a complaint by the campaign group Clean Up Gambling. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6QSE3)
Alison Rose appointed as diversity and inclusion adviser at leading firm Mishcon de ReyaAlison Rose, the former chief executive of NatWest, has taken a job as an adviser to one of the UK's top law firms as she tries to return to the City after a career-damaging row with Nigel Farage last year.Rose is joining Mishcon de Reya as a diversity and inclusion adviser, a role that will involve mentoring some of the firm's partners. She will also work closely with the equity, diversity and inclusion committee at the firm, which is known for having represented Diana, Princess of Wales during her divorce. Continue reading...
US Coast Guard reveals new details about final moments onboard vessel as hearings about cause of disaster beginAmong the last words heard from the crew of an experimental submersible headed for the wreck of the Titanic were all good here", according to a visual re-creation of the journey of the Titan before it imploded, killing all five on board.The US Coast Guard presented the animation on Monday on the first day of what is expected to be a two-week hearing on the causes of the implosion. Crew aboard the Titan were communicating via text messages with staff aboard the support ship Polar Prince, according to the presentation. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6QSBP)
Officials predict further gains if next Conservative leader focuses on winning back voters from Reform UKThe Liberal Democrats could take dozens more seats from the Conservatives at the next general election if the Tories select a leader who keeps pushing them to the right, Lib Dem officials believe.The prediction came as Ed Davey prepared to attack the Conservatives in his leader's speech to the Lib Dem conference, saying he wants his party to supplant them at the top table of our politics". Continue reading...
Telford's Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World urges public to report sightings of Cinnamon and not approach herA zoo has issued a plea on social media for help in finding a capybara named Cinnamon which escaped from its habitat in Shropshire.Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World posted to its Facebook page on Monday announcing its beloved capybara" was at large. Continue reading...
Murdoch, 93, in Nevada for case that could determine which family members will control businesses after his deathA probate court in Nevada is set to begin reviewing evidence behind closed doors in a case that could determine who will control Rupert Murdoch's media empire after his death.Murdoch, 93, arrived at court on Monday for the hearing. Last year, he moved to change the terms of his irrevocable family trust in an effort to ensure that his eldest son, Lachlan, remains in charge of his cadre of newspapers and television networks, including the Wall Street Journal and Fox News Channel, according to reporting by the New York Times based on a sealed court document. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6QS8Y)
Proposal for mega-resort on Lomond Banks turned down over concerns including loss of ancient woodlandProposals by the theme park operator Flamingo Land to build a mega-resort on one of Scotland's best-loved shorelines, on Loch Lomond, have been rejected, prompting celebrations among local people at the conclusion of a David and Goliath" planning battle.The Lomond Banks development, which would have included two hotels, more than 100 lodges, a waterpark and a monorail, had encountered fierce opposition, first from the village of Balloch, on the south-west shore of the loch, and then across Scotland, since it was first proposed in 2018. Continue reading...
Nathan Simpson had been released from prison a week before Rachel Simpson, 43, was killedA 21-year-old man has been charged with murdering his mother in Northern Ireland a week after his release from prison.Nathan Simpson of east Belfast appeared at Belfast magistrates court on Monday charged with the murder of Rachel Simpson, 43, on 13 September. No plea was entered. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6QS5S)
It is unclear when Simon Case will resign, with senior No 10 staff alleged to have made informal complaintsThe head of the civil service is facing pressure from ministers and No 10 insiders to bring forward his departure date, amid anger over a series of damaging leaks and briefings.In a sign of how low relations between ministers and Simon Case have sunk, the cabinet secretary has been privately accused of failing to get a handle on leaks about donations funding clothes for Keir Starmer and his wife, and rows involving his chief of staff Sue Gray. Continue reading...
Former BBC newsreader admitted offences involving photographs of children as young as sevenThe former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence, completing an extraordinary fall from grace, after admitting accessing indecent photographs of children as young as seven.Edwards, 63, who spent four decades at the BBC, looked pale and tired in the dock at Westminster magistrates court as the chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, handed down the sentence. Continue reading...
Social media and a perception of Oxbridge elitism at the BBC also featured in experts' reportsHuw Edwards's downfall was of his own making, the chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, concluded in his sentencing remarks, but that was not the entire picture painted by the BBC star in his interviews with forensic medical experts.The consultant psychiatrist and neuropsychiatrist Michael Isaac wrote two reports in which the broadcaster's father, the Welsh academic Hywel Teifi Edwards, who died in 2010, was pinpointed as the source of some of the mental anguish that led to the criminal behaviour of 2020 to 2021. Continue reading...
Trial of retired electrician, 71, and 50 other men had been adjourned while he was taken to hospitals for testsThe trial of Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men accused of rape will resume on Tuesday after he was deemed well enough to attend court.The hearing was adjourned last week after the 71-year-old retired electrician, who has admitted drugging his wife, Gisele, and inviting up to 90 men to rape her while she was unconscious and he filmed the attacks, was reportedly diagnosed with a urine infection and prostate problems and taken to hospital for tests. Continue reading...
The six finalists include five books by women - the highest number of female writers shortlisted in the prize's 55-year history Justine Jordan: Each of the six shortlisted novels does something uniquePercival Everett, Rachel Kushner and Anne Michaels are among the writers whose novels have been shortlisted for the 2024 Booker prize. The list of six includes five books by female authors, the highest number of women shortlisted in the prize's 55-year history.Novels by Samantha Harvey, Charlotte Wood and Yael van der Wouden feature on the shortlist, which was announced at an event held at Somerset House in London on Monday evening. Continue reading...
Deveca Rose is on trial for alleged manslaughter of her sons, who died after the blaze in south London in 2021Four young boys living in a house strewn with rubbish and human excrement died hiding under a bed as their home went up in flames after their mother left them home alone to visit a supermarket, a court has heard.Deveca Rose, 29, is on trial for the manslaughter of her two sets of twins, Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, and Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, and child cruelty. Continue reading...
UK to contribute 4m to Italian project on irregular migration, PM announcesHere are some pictures from Keir Starmer's meeting with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, at the Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome. They seem to be geting on pretty well.Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has been urged by leading economists to loosen the government's fiscal rules to allow more public investment.The challenge of renewing Britain requires the rebuilding of crumbling public services while also investing in the clean infrastructure needed to meet our climate targets and create an economy that is more resilient in the future. This challenge cannot be met by the private sector alone, it requires a step change in levels of public investment.Yet the government has inherited spending plans that imply substantial real-terms cuts in public investment over the current parliament. We do not see how the planned decade of national renewal" can take place if these cuts are delivered. To follow through on these plans would be to repeat the mistakes of the past, where investment cuts made in the name of fiscal prudence have damaged the foundations of the economy and undermined the UK's long-term fiscal sustainability. Continue reading...
Move comes amid concerns from suppliers that checks on goods coming from EU could lead to higher pricesPlanned post-Brexit checks on fruit and vegetables brought into Britain from the EU have been delayed for the third time, amid concerns from suppliers that they could lead to higher prices for shoppers.The government said plans to introduce checks on some fruit and vegetables, such as celery and tomatoes, from 1 January would now be postponed by six months, in a move that would give it more time to understand the impact on businesses. Continue reading...
US planemaker says strike of about 33,000 workers, which began last week, jeopardizes recovery in a significant way'Boeing is freezing recruitment and drawing up plans to furlough many" employees as the aerospace giant scrambles to curb spending after tens of thousands of its workers went out on strike.Warning that the industrial action jeopardizes our recovery in a significant way", the US planemaker said it would pause most employee travel and suspend non-essential capital expenditures. Continue reading...
Department says it has reconsidered case of Tajwer Siddiqui, whose autistic adult daughter was refused visaA doctor from Pakistan who feared he would have to leave his job at a GP surgery in east London is celebrating after a Home Office U-turn over a decision that would have separated him from his family.On Monday morning the Guardian reported on the case of Tajwer Siddiqui, 59, and his wife, Shehlar Tajwer, 50, who had been granted visas to come to the UK while their daughter, Alina Tajwer Siddiqui, 19, had not. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6QRZ6)
Leaseholders of building in which Emin owns a flat want to replace windows but opponents say it will ruin block's authenticityThe 18-storey Arlington House in Margate has long been considered a brutalist masterpiece. It inspired the English rock band Hawkwind's song High Rise and recently featured in Sam Mendes' Bafta-nominated film Empire of Light.But now, the building, which sits on Margate seafront next to the railway station and the amusement park Dreamland, has become the cause of a bitter dispute among local people. Continue reading...
According to the research, the first of its kind in Australia, 1.2% of people born in the state were responsible for more than 50% of recorded offences
Labor faces mixed results in what premier Chris Minns calls a massive wake up call for the major parties', and Liverpool mayor returns amid corruption inquiry
The third of nine Jackson children and last to release a solo project, Tito was an incredible man who cared about everyone'Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the pop group the Jackson 5, has died at the age of 70.Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, including global superstars Michael and Janet. Continue reading...
Former Tesco boss will hope to speed turnaround at parent company of retailer and Waitrose chainThe John Lewis Partnership's new chair, Jason Tarry, faces a full in-tray as he starts work on Monday, after his predecessor Sharon White signed over control on Friday.The former Tesco executive will be hoping to accelerate a nascent turnaround at the business, which owns the Waitrose supermarket chain and 34 department stores, sufficient to announce the first annual staff bonus in three years in March next year. Continue reading...
Deaths reported in Romania, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic where police say seven people are also missingWatch footage from Central Europe, which has been hit with torrential rain and flooding.Hungary's Viktor Orban, who was scheduled to speak at the European parliament this week, said he is postponing all my international obligations" due to the ongoing floods. Continue reading...
Nicholas Prosper charged over deaths of Juliana Prosper, 48, Kyle Prosper, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13An 18-year-old has appeared in court charged with the murder of a woman and two teenagers in Luton.The bodies of 48-year-old Juliana Prosper, 13-year-old Giselle Prosper and 16-year-old Kyle Prosper were found at a flat in the north-west of the town on Friday. Continue reading...
Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia among worst affected as extreme rainfall and floods result in number of deathsA deep area of low pressure over central and eastern Europe has resulted in extreme rainfall and catastrophic flooding over the past few days. Named Storm Boris, the severe weather has particularly affected Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Alpine regions of southern Germany, Austria and into Hungary.As well as the torrential rain and flooding, which has resulted in significant loss of life, exceptional snowfalls have blanketed upland regions of the Alps, with strong winds aiding huge snowdrift formation. The unsettled weather is expected to last through Monday and Tuesday but, gradually, high pressure will build from the north, allowing conditions to settle down, although it will take several days for river levels to subside. As high temperatures this week cause snow to melt in Alpine regions, some rivers may remain elevated. Continue reading...
Flow of foreign artists to China has slowed to a trickle, but economic pressures could be forcing authorities to rethinkWhen Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, took to the stage in Haikou on Sunday, his Chinese fans could barely believe it. One of the biggest and most controversial foreign acts in the world had been allowed in by China's notoriously censorious regime.Ye's only China show - all the more shocking for skipping big cities in lieu of the holiday island of Hainan - was announced just days earlier, and more than 42,000 tickets sold out within minutes. It was his first time back in the country for 16 years. In that time the Chinese government's tolerance for western musicians has diminished, while Ye's reputation for controversy has grown. Continue reading...
Hope Rowe, 32, charged with murder of 31-year-old woman named by police as Charlotte LawlerA woman has been charged with murder after another woman was stabbed to death in east London, police have said.Hope Rowe, 32, from the Tower Hamlets area of the capital, has also been charged with possession of a bladed article, and is due to appear at Thames magistrates court on Monday morning, Scotland Yard has said. Continue reading...
Period epic is first non-English language series to win for best drama as breakout hit takes home four awardsShgun has made Emmys history as the first ever non-English language series to win for best drama.The historical epic, based on the 1975 novel, picked up four awards during the evening, including Emmys for lead stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, the first Japanese actors to win their respective awards. Continue reading...
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