Furore over whether Chidimma Adetshina was really South African led to invitation to represent NigeriaA beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country.Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and came runner-up to Denmark's Victoria Kjaer Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. Continue reading...
Detained pro-democracy activist spoke for first time about charges against him under Hong Kong national security lawJimmy Lai, the detained pro-democracy activist and media mogul who is the target of Hong Kong's most high-profile national security case, took the stand in court on Wednesday. For the first time since he was detained in December 2020, Lai spoke publicly about the charges against him, for which he faces spending the rest of his life behind bars.Four years after his arrest, the 77-year-old seemed older and not as strong as he used to be. His first words - swearing an oath on the Bible - were delivered hoarsely. Continue reading...
Despite Olivier awards success and a sold out run in the West End, the show received unfavourable reviews from US critics and performed poorly at the box officeTammy Faye, the musical created by Elton John, James Graham and Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears, is to close on Broadway less than a month after its opening night.The show about the eponymous TV evangelist sold out at London's Almeida theatre in 2022, received rave reviews and was nominated for best new musical at the Olivier awards the following year. But on Tuesday it was announced that it will have its final curtain at the Palace theatre in New York on 8 December. That will be its 29th performance; the musical also had 24 previews before opening. Continue reading...
Met Office yellow alert for ice remains for much of southern England, the Midlands and eastern WalesCommuters face widespread travel disruption after heavy snowfall and ice affected parts of the UK.The Met Office put in place a yellow warning for ice for much of southern England, the Midlands and eastern Wales from 5pm on Tuesday to 10am on Wednesday. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6SBQM)
Aimed at those with 100,000 to 2m, service in Mayfair will offer personalised banking and exclusive eventsHSBC is to launch its first UK wealth centre" in London's upmarket Mayfair district, offering more personalised banking services and exclusive events such as wine tastings as part of a drive to win more rich customers.The lender will take up two floors of the 16-storey Smithson Tower at 25 St James's Street - close to the Ritz Hotel and Fortnum & Mason department store - as part of a wider revamp of HSBC's premier-tier bank service. Aimed at the sought-after mass affluent" market, premier is a tier below private-banking clients and targets customers with 100,000 to 2m in income, assets or deposits. Continue reading...
Resolution Foundation says figures are overly pessimistic' as people in work are less likely to answer surveyPolicymakers have been left in the dark," by official jobs figures since the pandemic, which may have lost" almost a million workers according to the thinktank Resolution Foundation.In a report, the thinktank said the regular snapshot from the Office for National Statistics may have painted an overly pessimistic" picture of the UK labour market since the pandemic. Continue reading...
Live shows from acts including Coldplay, Elton John, Beyonce and Ed Sheeran help drive revenuesThe value of the UK music industry has hit a record 7.6bn after superstar acts including Elton John, Beyonce, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran embarked on Covid-delayed tours to cash in on pent-up fan demand for live shows.UK Music, the umbrella organisation representing the commercial music industry from artists and record labels to the live music sector, said that the economic value of the industry to the UK economy surged by almost 1bn in 2023. Continue reading...
Northern Mariana Islands governor says the world is changing in the Indo-Pacific' as work continues in the US territory on defense developmentThe governor of the Northern Mariana Islands says an $800m US military upgrade plan which includes a new airfield in the Pacific territory has to happen" amid concern over China's recent missile tests in the region.Tinian, home to about 3,500 people, is one of the three main islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated US territory. During the second world war, the US launched a nuclear bomb against Japan from Tinian, and now a major rehabilitation of a deserted airfield and other military upgrades are under way on the island. Continue reading...
Famed session musician, who also performed with the Beatles, Tom Jones, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, died after being diagnosed with Alzheimer'sVic Flick, the famed British session musician who picked out the famous jangly guitar motif on the James Bond theme song, has died aged 87.The musician's son, Kevin Flick announced his father died on 14 November, after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Continue reading...
Ofsted report says serious youth violence affecting children as young as 11Serious youth violence in England is widespread and not restricted to particular ethnic or demographic groups, according to investigators who were told that children as young as 11 are carrying knives for protection.The joint report by school, police and probation inspectors found that youth violence could be reduced by careful early intervention but warned that the dangers facing children were more far-reaching than realised by many adults. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff and agencies in Caracas on (#6SBHS)
Antony Blinken makes statement months after President Nicolas Maduro claimed to have won July contestThe US government has recognized Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the president-elect" of the South American country, months after President Nicolas Maduro claimed to have won the July contest.Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, recognized Gonzalez in a post on X in which he also demanded respect for the will" of Venezuelan voters. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot in Rio de Janeiro and Leyland Cecco on (#6SBF7)
Scholz, Starmer, Trudeau and Macron among leaders who say communique finalized by Lula not strong enough'Ukraine's western allies have criticised the final G20 communique as inadequate for failing to highlight Russia's invasion of its neighbour in 2022 as the conflict enters its 1,000th day.The final agreed text from the summit in Brazil was significantly weaker than that of the previous year, only highlighting humanitarian suffering in Ukraine and the importance of territorial integrity. Continue reading...
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence unable to reach price agreement with manufacturers of EnhertuA breast cancer charity has said it was beyond devastated" that talks to make a life-extending drug available on the NHS to women with a terminal diagnosis have collapsed.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said it had not been able to reach agreement with the makers of Enhertu so that it could approve its use in England and Wales. Continue reading...
Eight of 15 board members give preliminary approval to controversial syllabus before official vote on FridayA preliminary vote held by the Texas state board of education indicates that the state is poised to pass its new controversial Bible-infused curriculum for elementary public schools.Eight of the 15 board members gave their preliminary approval to the proposed curriculum, called Bluebonnet Learning, in advance of an official vote expected to take place on Friday. Continue reading...
Billionaire founder of financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald was one of president-elect's biggest fundraisersDonald Trump has picked one of his biggest fundraisers for the position of commerce secretary.Howard Lutnick, the billionaire founder of the financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, will be nominated to serve as one of Trump's principal advisers on commerce and international trade. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff and agencies in San Salvador on (#6SBBR)
Army killing of six priests, their housekeeper and her daughter was one of civil war's most notorious crimesA court in El Salvador has ruled to bring a former president and retired military officials to trial for their alleged roles in the prominent murder of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teenage daughter during the country's civil war 35 years ago.Former president Alfredo Cristiani, a former congressman and nine retired military officials are charged with murder and acts of terrorism over one of the most notorious crimes committed during El Salvador's 12-year civil war, which left 75,000 civilians dead and only formally ended in 1992. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Sister says Harshita Brella reported abuse but police processes made her feel more scared and alone'The family of a woman found dead in a car boot in east London have accused police of not doing enough to protect her, saying she had filed a complaint alleging domestic abuse by her husband weeks before.The body of Harshita Brella, a 24-year-old Indian citizen who was living in Northamptonshire, was discovered last Thursday in a car in Ilford. Police have named her husband, Pankaj Lamba, as the main suspect for the killing and the police believe he has fled the country. Continue reading...
WHO says hijacking by armed men has aggravated already severe scarcity of food, medicine and other aidFood prices have soared in Gaza after the looting of nearly 100 aid trucks amid an already severe food crisis caused by more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas.This weekend's hijacking of 98 lorries of a 109-strong convoy by armed men - the biggest such attack to date - has aggravated food, medicine and other aid shortages, according to a World Health Organization spokesperson, Margaret Harris. It's getting harder and harder to get the aid in," she said on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Russian agents suspected of nerve agent attack may have used portable heat sealer during missing 33 minutes'Two Russian agents suspected of carrying out the Salisbury nerve agent poisoning may have used a portable heat sealer to repackage a fake perfume bottle containing novichok during a missing 33 minutes" when they vanished from CCTV cameras shortly after the attack, an inquiry heard.The police counter-terrorism chief who leads the investigation said it was possible they slipped into a toilet block, re-sealed the novichok container in plastic and left it in a bin in the city centre before re-appearing on security cameras. Continue reading...
Four military personnel and a police agent held on suspicion of plan to prevent inauguration of presidentBrazil's federal police have arrested four special forces military personnel and one of their own agents on suspicion of planning the assassination of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on 15 December 2022 to prevent his inauguration after his victory over the then president, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro.According to the police, the plot also included plans to assassinate the vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin, and the supreme court justice, Alexandre de Moraes, who at the time was already leading investigations into the so-called hate cabinet," as Bolsonaro mobs had become known. Continue reading...
Suspect in custody as investigators work to understand what propelled random attacks in ManhattanA man has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbings of three people in random attacks across Manhattan, police said on Tuesday.Ramon Rivera, 51, was taken into custody after he was found with blood on his clothes and the two kitchen knives, authorities said. Continue reading...
Human rights groups concerned after handing down of sentences of up to 10 yearsGovernments and human rights groups have expressed concern and outrage at the sentencing of 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong after the city's largest national security trial.On Tuesday, a court handed down sentences, ranging from four years and two months to 10 years, to activists, former legislators, councillors and academics, who with two people acquitted in May made up a group known as the Hong Kong 47. Continue reading...
Minister says law change is right thing to do' while Keir Starmer gives strongest hint yet that he will vote for billThe health minister Stephen Kinnock has said he will vote in favour of the assisted dying bill next week, arguing that it is the compassionate" thing to do and will not automatically place NHS palliative care services under extreme pressure.Kinnock, the minister responsible for palliative care, said he did not believe there was a conflict between backing a change in the law and supporting hospices, as had been suggested by his boss Wes Streeting, the health secretary. Continue reading...
Two more rhesus macaques trapped after 43 primates fled compound that breeds them for medical researchFour monkeys remain free nearly two weeks after a group of 43 escaped from a South Carolina compound that breeds them for medical research, authorities said.Two more rhesus macaques were trapped on Monday outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, bringing the total of recovered monkeys to 39, the chief executive, Greg Westergaard, said in a statement relayed by police in a social media post. Continue reading...
Twenty works owned by late Linda Bean go under hammer in New York alongside Rockwell painting valued at $3-5mTwenty Wyeth paintings from the estate of one of LL Bean's granddaughters are set to go up for auction on Tuesday.The collection from Linda Bean is valued at more than $3m and is part of a larger auction, American Art, by Bonhams in New York. It includes paintings and illustrations by Andrew Wyeth, his son Jamie Wyeth and his father, the illustrator NC Wyeth. Continue reading...
Marius Borg Holby, detained in August after an incident at a woman's apartment in Oslo, was arrested on Monday eveningThe 27-year-old son of the Norwegian crown princess, Mette-Marit, has been arrested on suspicion of rape, according to police.Police said in a statement that Marius Borg Hoiby, who was born from a relationship prior to Mette-Marit's 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne, had been arrested on Monday evening. Continue reading...
Draft resolution for UN general assembly seeks to protect the aid agency and allow it to keep functioning in GazaNorway is to seek an international court of justice (ICJ) advisory opinion condemning the Israeli government for ending cooperation with the UN Palestinian relief agency Unrwa.The Israeli Knesset passed two bills last month banning Unrwa from Israeli territory and prohibiting Israeli state contact with the agency, moves that would prevent it from delivering aid to Gaza, after allegations by Israel that members of Unrwa staff in Gaza were involved in the 7 October attacks by Hamas. The UN launched an investigation into the Israeli claims and fired nine Unrwa staff as a result. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Ukraine can now fire US-made long-range missiles into Russian territory - but it may be too little, too late for Volodymyr Zelenskyy Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.The US president, Joe Biden, has lifted the longstanding ban on Ukraine using American-made long-range missiles to fire into Russian territory. The Biden administration secretly first sent the army tactical missile systems, or Atacms, to Ukraine earlier this year under the stipulation that Ukraine would not use it inside Russia. That has now changed, and the US has given Kyiv the green light after reports emerged that 10,000 North Korean troops were in Ukraine.Hong Kong | 47 of Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy figures have been jailed - one for 10 years - in the territory's largest national security trial, following a prosecution that has been widely criticised as politically motivated and controlled by China's Communist party government.Poverty | More than one in three children and a quarter of adults are living in poverty in the UK as deprivation levels rise to the highest in the 21st century, according to a landmark report.Cop29 | Raising money needed to tackle the climate crisis need not be a burden on overstretched government budgets, leading economists have said. The sums needed - approximately $1tn a year by 2030 - are achievable without disruption to the global economy, and would help to generate greener economic growth for the future.Labour | A government policy to create 100,000 new nursery places using spare capacity in English primary schools is unlikely to work" because of a geographical mismatch between capacity and demand, according to research by Frontier Economics, one of the largest economic consultancies in Europe.Environment | More than 51 million chickens are being industrially farmed in the river valleys of the Severn and Wye - the equivalent of 79 chickens for every person in the region, according to new figures. The exponential rise in large intensive poultry units (IPUs) in the valleys is a key driver of river pollution. Chicken dropping contains more phosphates - which starve fish and river plants of oxygen - than any other animal manure. Continue reading...
Despite large poultry units being a key driver of river pollution, their number has soared near the Wye and SevernMore than 51 million chickens are being industrially farmed in the river valleys of the Severn and Wye - the equivalent of 79 chickens for every person in the region, according to new figures.The exponential rise in large intensive poultry units (IPUs) in the valleys is a key driver of river pollution. Chicken dropping contains more phosphates - which starve fish and river plants of oxygen - than any other animal manure. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian