State-backed body EDC has reportedly sold at deep discount two loans made to debt-ridden UK utilityCanada's state-backed export credit agency is reportedly nursing steep losses after lending debt-ridden Thames Water hundreds of millions of pounds.The British utility, which has said it could run out of cash by next June, received two loans from Export Development Canada (EDC) in 2018 and 2019 at the behest of the Canadian pension fund Omers. Continue reading...
Scottish photographer Dougie Wallace documented the Swifties from the UK and beyond decked in their finery to see their hero performAs Taylor Swift's Eras Tour sweeps across the globe, it's on track to gross more than $1bn (770m) by the end of 2024, having already become the first tour to pass that figure last year.Economists have even started talking about the Swift effect" or Swiftonomics. Rumour has it that the tour's impact may have played a role in the Bank of England's deliberations before cutting its interest rate at the start of this month. With almost 1.2 million fans attending concerts in the UK, each spending an estimated average of 848 on the overall experience of attending the concerts, the surge in spending sparked a short-term bump in inflation.Infectious energy that could only come from dedicated Swifties who had travelled from all corners of the UK and beyond. Being from Scotland and not into football meant I was visiting Wembley for the first time.' Continue reading...
South Korean military says it is investigating but can't confirm the person's exact motivations and goals'A North Korean has defected to South Korea by crossing the militarised border in the eastern part of the Korean peninsula, with Yonhap news agency reporting that the defector is a soldier.Seoul's military said on Tuesday it had picked up one suspected North Korean individual on the eastern front and handed them over to the relevant authorities". Yonhap news agency reported that the person was a staff sergeant. Continue reading...
1News Verian poll comes amid growing concern the coalition's policy direction will wind back Mori rightsNearly half of New Zealanders believe the government's policies have increased racial tensions, new polling shows, as pressure mounts on the government over policy changes that many fear will undermine Mori rights.The 1News Verian poll released on Monday found 46% of voters believed racial tensions have worsened as a result of the coalition's policies, while 37% said there had been no difference and 10% thought tensions had reduced. Another 7% of respondents said they didn't know or preferred not to comment. Continue reading...
Women 65 and 71 swept to their deaths, people trapped in cars, and hundreds of flights in New York canceledTorrential rains turned streets into raging rivers in parts of Connecticut and New York's Long Island, trapping people in cars and a restaurant, covering vehicles in mud, and sweeping two women to their deaths, authorities said.Dramatic rescues unfolded as a foot (30cm) of rain fell on some parts of western Connecticut late on Sunday and early Monday, coming down so fast that it caught drivers unaware. The Connecticut governor Ned Lamont, who declared a state of emergency, said more than 100 people were evacuated by search and rescue teams Sunday evening. Continue reading...
by Jamie Grierson, Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo and agenc on (#6Q3C9)
UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and daughter also among six unaccounted for after superyacht was hit by tornado and sankMorgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer is among those missing after a yacht carrying UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch sank off the coast of Sicily during a violent storm, an Italian official has said.Salvatore Cocina, head of the civil protection agency in Sicily, said Bloomer and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, were among the six people missing. Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, were also unaccounted for as of late Monday. Continue reading...
Kill Bill star arrested for domestic battery in Malibu after a disagreement' with his wifeMichael Madsen has been arrested on a domestic battery charge following a disagreement" with his wife.The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed that shortly after midnight on Saturday, they received a call from a woman alleging her husband pushed her and locked her out of the house". The woman was later confirmed to be the actor's wife, DeAnna Madsen. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6Q3AT)
Study also finds they are less likely to go on to further or higher education than those not suspendedYoung people who were suspended at least once while at secondary school in England are twice as likely to be out of education, employment or training by the age of 24 as their peers, according to research.They are also less likely to achieve level three qualifications such as A-levels and to go on to higher education than classmates who were not suspended, analysis by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) thinktank shows. Continue reading...
Government urges pensioners to check their eligibility for credit which will also qualify recipients for winter fuel supportMinisters have launched a pension credit publicity campaign to minimise the impact of the government's decision to radically restrict winter fuel payments.Last month the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, introduced a means test for the winter fuel payments, which have been a universal benefit available to all pensioners since 1997, so that only those on pension credit would qualify, as part of the difficult decisions" she had to make having inherited a dire state of public finances" from the Conservatives. Continue reading...
Jason Pascal Flore, 26, charged and remanded after woman confirmed dead at Crawley train station car parkA man has been charged with murder after a woman was found stabbed in a car park at Crawley train station on Sunday.Officers were called to a report of an altercation between a man and woman at about 7.10am on Station Way in Crawley. Continue reading...
Stephen Chamberlain was VP of finance for Autonomy, the firm co-founded by British tech tycoon missing in SicilyStephen Chamberlain, once Mike Lynch's co-defendant in a US fraud trial, has died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire, his lawyer has said.Chamberlain, the former vice-president of finance at British software firm Autonomy, was hit on Saturday morning and had been placed on life support, Reuters reported. Continue reading...
President of university said policies are for a safe, inclusive climate' after pro-Palestinian protests swept across USThe president of the University of California has announced that the system would enforce bans on encampments as well as the use of masks to conceal identity" in guidance that comes as schools across the US are planning for protests in support of Gaza similar to those that roiled campuses across the country.Michael V Drake, the president of the 10-campus university system, said in a statement on Monday that the UC was taking steps to ensure a safe, inclusive campus climate that fosters a free exchange of ideas". Continue reading...
by Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Lorenzo Tondo in Pale on (#6Q36N)
Witnesses tell of absurd tragedy' and a mother describes how she fought to save her child from drowningThe 12 holidaying passengers had come from the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, occupying six luxurious suites of Bayesian, a 56-metre-long superyacht boasting the tallest aluminium mast in the world. Among the 10 crew members were people from Sri Lanka.The award-winning, British-flagged vessel, which was built in 2008 by the Italian shipbuilder Perini and managed by Camper & Nicholsons, left the calm blue waters of the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August, sailing for a few days around the Aeolian Islands and off the historic coastal village of Cefalu. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6Q36P)
Exclusive: RCN renews call for investigation into sector as unscrupulous employers target vulnerable workersThe number of foreign social care workers reporting that they are trapped in exploitative contracts has risen sixfold in the last three years, in the latest evidence of widespread abuse of migrants in the British care system.Data from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) shows that the organisation was contacted 134 times in 2023-24 by care workers reporting that their employers were demanding large sums of money from them to cover hiring costs", including visa processing, if they left their jobs. This figure was up from 22 such complaints just three years ago. Continue reading...
US secretary of state says Netanhayu supports US ceasefire proposal, after meeting with Israeli PMThe US secretary of state has said during a visit to Israel that the current round of ceasefire talks is maybe the last opportunity" to broker a truce and a hostage and prisoner swap in the 10-month-old war in Gaza.Antony Blinken met Israeli officials, including in a three-hour one-on-one with the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday during a 24-hour trip to Tel Aviv before he travels on to Egypt. Continue reading...
Huw Merriman calls for end to demonisation' of train drivers and apologises for failing to bring reformsA former Conservative minister has called for an end to the demonisation of train drivers and said he understood why the new Labour government had decided to cut a deal" with unions.Huw Merriman, who served as the rail minister for the entirety of Rishi Sunak's premiership, apologised for failing to bring in workplace reforms and his inability to reach an agreement to end the strikes. Continue reading...
Claremont Park neighborhood has seen increased numbers of coyotes, but officials say there's no need for concernOfficials are urging calm in a New York City neighborhood after it became alarmed by an increase in sightings of coyotes.Over the summer, residents around Claremont Park in New York's Bronx borough say that they have seen an uptick in coyotes, leaving some park-goers scared for their safety and that of their pets. Continue reading...
Concert giant of monopolistically inflating ticket prices and hurting artists in suit now including 26 states and DCAttorneys general from about two dozen US states are going after three times the monetary damages originally sought against Live Nation Entertainment and its ticket-selling unit, Ticketmaster. In an updated version of a lawsuit first filed in May, the states allege the concert giant monopolized markets across its industry.The attorneys general had sought damages under state law in the initial version of the lawsuit. By adding claims under the federal anti-monopoly law, states can seek three times the monetary damages, a penalty for especially egregious conduct known as treble damages. Continue reading...
Index on Censorship said 53% of librarians polled had been asked to remove books - and that in more than half of those cases books were taken off shelvesMore than two dozen school librarians in the UK have been asked to remove books - many of which are LGBTQ+ titles - from school library shelves, according to new survey data.The Index on Censorship survey found that 28 of 53 librarians polled - 53% - said that they had been asked to remove books. In more than half of those cases books were taken off shelves. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6Q30D)
Donna Conniff, 40, encouraged boy to throw missile at police and was seen kicking out at an officerA woman who threw a brick at police officers has been jailed for two years as more people were sentenced for their part in far-right riots in England.Donna Conniff, 40, encouraged a young boy to throw a missile at police and was seen kicking out at an officer in actions a judge called truly disgraceful". Continue reading...
Tories and allies have tried criticising Labour's willingness to negotiate with unions before to no effect, and unions have strong support at a time when the cost of living is highLabour caves in to unions. Fears of a wage-price spiral. Back to the 1970s and a new winter of discontent. The Conservative party and their friends in the media have been in full cry since the government made an offer to train drivers last week aimed at ending two years of disruption on the railways.The rightwing press needed little prompting to claim that Britain is taking a step back into the industrial anarchy" of the past and was eager to contrast the deal for the Aslef union with Rachel Reeves's decision to means test the winter fuel allowance for pensioners. The level of outrage was further ratcheted up on Friday when Aslef announced plans for 22 days of strikes at weekends from late August to November on LNER trains. Continue reading...
by Charlie Moloney (now) with Vicky Graham and Adam F on (#6Q2P9)
Israeli prime minister says meeting with US secretary of state was conducted in good spirit' as Blinken says latest push for ceasefire is last opportunity
Forecasters warn of life-threatening surf and rip tides: It's going to be really dangerous out in the water today'Tropical Storm Ernesto became a hurricane again on Sunday as it churned away from Bermuda and headed further out in the Atlantic, sending powerful swells toward the US east coast, generating rip currents associated with at least one death and prompting many rescues.The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said Ernesto's maximum sustained winds were 75mph (120km/h), just barely category 1 strength. Continue reading...
First minister told to justify secret meeting between Angus Robertson and Israel's deputy ambassador to UKJohn Swinney is under growing pressure to justify a meeting between a senior Scottish minister and an Israeli diplomat that caused a revolt within his Scottish National party.Senior figures in the SNP have criticised a secret meeting between Angus Robertson, Scotland's external affairs secretary, and Israel's deputy ambassador to the UK earlier this month, with some calling for Robertson to be suspended. Continue reading...
by Ben Morris (now) and Lili Bayer (earlier) on (#6Q2QF)
Ukrainian president says troops meeting their objectives and have taken more prisonersAn update to that earlier map, showing the three bridges hit by the Ukrainian air force:Ukrainian forces have struck and damaged a third bridge over the River Seym, near the village of Karyzh in the Kursk region of Russia, according to a member of Russia's Investigative Committee. The hit could seriously complicate Russian military logistics as Moscow attempts to fend off Ukraine's incursion into the region.Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin, has said that Ukraine's attack on Kursk means Moscow is not ready to hold peace talks for now. Proposed discussions aimed at negotiating a halt to strikes on energy and power infrastructure between the two sides had been planned to be held in Qatar.RIA News, a state-owned news agency, says Russian forces have captured 19 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region. The report has not been independently verified.Ukraine's air force said on Monday morning that the country's air defence units had repelled an overnight Russian drone attack on multiple cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Cherkasy. Continue reading...
As madrilenos head for the cooler Atlantic coast, those in the north have given them an unflattering nicknameGalicia and Spain's other Atlantic regions are becoming increasingly popular holiday destinations for Spaniards, and people from Madrid in particular, as they turn their backs on overcrowded and overheated Mediterranean resorts in favour of the more temperate north.But while welcoming the income from tourism, Galicians have also given a nickname to their notoriously haughty visitors from the Spanish capital: fodechinchos, which translates literally as fish thieves". Continue reading...
President to meet party and parliamentary leaders this week for series of exchanges' in effort to end stalemateEmmanuel Macron is to meet French party and parliamentary leaders this week for negotiations to break the political deadlock over who should form a new government.France has been led by a caretaker administration since the July general election failed to leave any party with a working majority in the national assembly. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#6Q2RX)
Debbie Duncan tells of online harassment she has faced since Slater's disappearance on holiday in TenerifeThe mother of Jay Slater, the British teenager who died while on holiday in Tenerife, says she has been terrorised" by internet trolls since her son's disappearance.Slater, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle near Accrington in Lancashire, disappeared after attending a music festival with friends on the holiday island in June. The 19-year-old's body was found about a month later in a ravine close to where he was last seen and an autopsy found he had died after an accidental fall. Continue reading...
UK's largest housebuilder will waive conditions put on 2.5bn deal, set to be completed this week, from CMAThe housebuilder Barratt is pushing ahead with its 2.5bn takeover of rival Redrow this week despite concerns raised by the government's competition watchdog.Barratt said on Monday that it would waive conditions put on the deal - set to be completed this week - from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after it found that the merger could disadvantage homebuyers in the area around a town in Shropshire. Continue reading...
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