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Revenue plunges as cash-strapped broadcasters spend less on commissioning amid ad slump and shift to streamingThe TV production sector in the UK suffered a 400m fall in revenues last year as cash-strapped British broadcasters reduced spending to the lowest level since the height of the pandemic.The latest annual industry survey found that total revenues made by UK production companies fell by 392m to 3.61bn in 2023. However, just as traditional broadcasters struggle, global streaming companies such as Netflix and Amazon continue to become an increasingly important income stream, the study showed. Continue reading...

Campaigners say MPs should overturn previous government's decision not to strengthen restrictionsLabour ministers are under pressure to overturn the previous government's bizarre" decision not to impose stricter regulation on gambling advertising, particularly around sport, from politicians, campaigners and figures from the world of football.At a summit held close to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, a succession of experts called on the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, to impose much stricter controls on how gambling is marketed, in order to protect children and vulnerable people. Continue reading...

Report reveals how US Christians, Catholic schools and Islamists fight sex education, LGBTQ+ and equal rightsExtreme religious groups and political parties are targeting schools around the world as part of a coordinated and well-funded attack on gender equality, according to a new report.Well-known conservative organisations aim to restrict girls' access to education, change what is on the curriculum, and influence educational laws and policies, according to Whose Hands on our Education, a report by the Overseas Development Institute. Continue reading...

Inspector of detention services warns of catastrophic consequences' of locking up young people in places not suitable for detaining children'

Despite criticism of the series in France, Macron will appear as herself in the show's fourth season when new episodes arrive on ThursdayFrench first lady Brigitte Macron will make a cameo appearance as herself in the Netflix series Emily in Paris when new episodes are released on Thursday.Macron will wear her own clothing, Elle magazine revealed on Tuesday, with no particular instructions given to her" by the series known for its fashion. Continue reading...

Exclusive: About 70 people who sought asylum in Australia remain in Port Moresby, having been previously held in immigration detention

Greenwich was awarded $140,000 in damages in the defamation action against Latham after the former federal Labor leader posted a tweet on 30 March 2023Former New South Wales One Nation leader Mark Latham has been found to have defamed independent politician Alex Greenwich and has been ordered to pay $140,000 in damages.Federal court justice David O'Callaghan handed down his judgment on Wednesday morning in Melbourne after the case was heard in May and June in Sydney. Continue reading...

The bodies of the boys, aged nine and 11, were discovered in the Faulconbridge home by their father, who contacted police

War damage, demolition and refurbishment blamed for disappearing roundels now themselves part of historyThe very first commemorative blue plaque was awarded in 1867, in honour of the poet Lord Byron at his house and birthplace in Holles Street, near Cavendish Square in London.But the plaque - the first in a long, prestigious tradition of recognising some of the most influential figures in history - was lost when the house was demolished in 1889. Continue reading...

Post-Brexit uncertainty partly blamed for low rate with just half of companies surveyed measuring their carbon footprintJust 65% of UK businesses have a plan to reduce their emissions to net zero by the 2050 deadline, the largest ever industry survey has revealed.The report covering 2,005 organisations across all sizes and sectors by UK Business Climate Hub, which included the CBI, the Institute of Directors and the British Chambers of Commerce, found that only half of those surveyed were even measuring their carbon footprint. Continue reading...

Nabil Arif, 36, told MP she would burn until her skin is no more' in messages Phillips said curbed her freedom and workA man has been jailed for three months for emailing Jess Phillips abusive messages including that she would burn until her skin is no more", which the MP said changed her life immeasurably" and limited her freedom.Nabil Arif, 36, was sentenced to 12 weeks for the abusive messages, which prosecutors said began with the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023 and continued through to February 2024. Continue reading...

Jessica Leeds said the Republican nominee grabbed and tried to kiss her while they were on a plane in the 1970s

Irishman ends sponsorship deal described as deeply offensive' after years of pressure from campaignersOne of the world's leading golfers, Shane Lowry, has ended his sponsorship deal with the insulation company Kingspan after it was criticised for persistent dishonesty" in the Grenfell Tower inquiry final report.The Ryder Cup player wore the logo of the Irish construction materials manufacturer on his sleeve for more than seven years but did not respond to previous calls to end the deeply upsetting and deeply offensive" deal from the bereaved and survivors of the 2017 fire that claimed 72 lives. Continue reading...

At least 19 people killed as missiles hit overcrowded area in attack that Israel says targeted a Hamas command centre

Accused tells police Brian Earl Johnston mentioned multiple times how he wanted to kill Kelly' and tie her up and burn her' in video shown to court

Fallout over Libyan central bank governor's dismissal presents immediate challenge for Sisi and ErdoanA new alliance between Egypt and Turkey designed to end a long-running dispute over events in the Middle East faces it first major test in the shape of a worsening political crisis in Libya linked to control of its oil wealth.Egypt and Turkey fell out in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab spring, primarily because of the Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's coup against his Islamist predecessor, Mohamed Morsi, an ally of the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoan. Continue reading...

Critics decry Christian-dominated blueprint in country with South America's second-highest rate of teenage pregnancyParaguay, which has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in South America, is about to approve its first national sex education curriculum.But activists, students and parents have expressed concern about the new guidelines, which warn that condoms cannot be trusted, masturbation leads to loneliness and make no mention of LGBTQ+ people. Continue reading...

Sales of fromage frais, cereal and fruit bars rise 14% over last week of August compared with a year ago

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State passes groundbreaking legislation to regulate fertility industry in win for donor-conceived people

Major insurance brokerage says it will look into inappropriate strata title insurance behaviours' but denied brokers misled customers

Concern has been growing in the popular tourist destination about the strain that visitors place on the local infrastructure, environment and cultureIndonesia will suspend the construction of new hotels in some areas of Bali, amid fears about overdevelopment of one of its most famous tourist destinations.Tourism has rebounded in Bali after the Covid pandemic, but there is growing concern about the strain visitors are placing on local infrastructure, the environment, and culture. Continue reading...

Peter Dutton's opposition also puts up new roadblocks to potential deal on government's aged care reforms

Premier says agreeing to 15% pay rise this year would lead other workers to knock on my door' demanding the same

Sizeable minority' of survivors of crime have not been informed that perpetrators will be freed on TuesdayHundreds of survivors of crime are unaware that their perpetrators will be freed on Tuesday despite requests that this would not happen, the victims' commissioner has claimed.As the government prepares to release 1,700 offenders to ease overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales, Helen Newlove said some victims were unaware of their offender's release" and could not seek protective measures. Continue reading...

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report gives police largely clean bill of health on impartiality after accusations of biasThe former prime minister Rishi Sunak and his home secretary Suella Braverman have been criticised in an official report for wrongly lambasting the Metropolitan police's handling of pro-Palestinian protests.The report from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services gives police a largely clean bill of health about its impartiality. Continue reading...

Changes proposed after as many as 750,000 people may have been excluded from 2024 election due to lack of documentsMinisters should expand the ID that people can use to vote, the elections watchdog has recommended, after a report found as many as 750,000 people might not have voted in the 2024 general election because they lacked the necessary documents.The Electoral Commission said the government should also look at allowing people without ID to vote if someone who did have proof of identity was able to vouch for them at a polling station. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Foreign minister Penny Wong says she welcomes' the British move and Palestinian civilians cannot pay the price' of defeating Hamas

Rachel Reeves tells Labour MPs that axing allowance for all but poorest pensioners will help plug 22bn hole in financesThe chancellor has faced down would-be rebels in a private meeting of Labour MPs ahead of the crunch vote on the government's controversial plan to scrap the winter fuel allowance.Rachel Reeves told a gathering of the parliamentary Labour party that the move was necessary, despite fears about the impact on millions of less-well-off pensioners, as it would help to plug a 22bn gap in the public finances. Continue reading...

PM expected to make clear in key Brighton speech that he will not risk economic stability under any circumstances'Keir Starmer will warn public sector unions on Tuesday that future pay deals will be constrained by the tough choices" necessary to protect economic stability.Soon after coming to power, Rachel Reeves signed off plans for above-inflation pay increases in the NHS and for teachers; and the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, settled a long-running dispute with train drivers. Continue reading...

Mother tells hearing the loss of Yousef Al-Kharboush at nine days old in 2014 was worst experience a parent could have'A mother whose premature baby died in hospital after receiving contaminated intravenous food has told her son's inquest it was the worst experience a parent could have".Yousef Al-Kharboush was nine days old when he died at St Thomas' hospital in London on 1 June 2014 after developing sepsis from liquid food infected with bacteria called Bacillus cereus. Continue reading...

Public warned not to approach men believed to have escaped high-security facility with help from outsideA British inmate is among five prisoners on the run after breaking out of a high-security prison in Portugal, local authorities have said.The man, named locally as Mark Roscaleer, and his fellow fugitives were said to have escaped from the Vale de Judeus facility on Saturday with help from people on the outside. He is serving a nine-year prison sentence for kidnap and robbery, according to Portuguese media. Continue reading...

Policy always shot down immediately' by Tories but was part of prepared series of options presented to Rachel Reeves, insiders say

Conductor who attacked singer at French performance last year says he has learned important lessons'An internationally renowned conductor who pulled out of the BBC Proms last year after punching and slapping a soloist has started a new orchestra and choir.

Video message released by Kensington Palace says Catherine plans to return to limited public engagements in coming monthsThe Princess of Wales is cancer free" after completing chemotherapy treatment and is planning to return to limited public engagements in the coming months, she has announced.In a video message released by Kensington Palace on Monday, Catherine said she was relieved that her course of preventive chemotherapy was over after an incredibly tough" and scary" nine months for her and her family. Continue reading...

Statutory inquiry begins into about 2,000 deaths over 23 years after previous inquiry's calls for evidence ignoredHundreds more avoidable deaths than previously estimated will be uncovered in the first statutory inquiry into mental health services, its chair said on the opening day.The inquiry into mental health services in Essex was initially expected to examine about 2,000 deaths between 2000 and 2023. While opening proceedings in Chelmsford on Monday, its chair, Kate Lampard, said she expected to uncover significantly in excess" of this number. Continue reading...

The Guardian's Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey talk about Labour's first big test in parliament over their winter fuel payments policy. Plus, will Keir Starmer's trip to Washington be awkward after his decision on arms licences to Israel? Continue reading...

Trial for Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith Jr, and Demetrius Haley begins on charges linked to 29-year-old's 2023 deathThe federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols begins Monday.Ex-officers Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith Jr, and Demetrius Haley will stand trial for federal civil rights and conspiracy charges in connection to Nichols's death, according to an announcement from the Department of Justice last year. Continue reading...

Supermarket has come under pressure as rivals such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have promised to match its prices

A ceremony at Bude Sea Pool could be held in the sea, or on it such as in canoes - or nearby at the beach huts or rocksCouples could soon be able to get married while floating on the tide, should Bude Sea Pool in Cornwall become the first such venue in England to receive a wedding licence.A mass commitment ceremony was held earlier this month to raise funds for the application, with organisers saying they believe it would be the only place in the country people would be able to marry in seawater. Continue reading...

Draft bill requires social media platforms to stop children in the restricted age range from accessing their services

After three years and more than 5000 submissions, royal commission into veteran suicide hands down its full report. Here are its key points

Research group describes health workers waiting until patients on brink of death' before providing careMore than two years after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, state abortion bans are forcing doctors to provide substandard medical care, new research released Monday shows.The study describes how one woman, whose water broke too early on her pregnancy, ended up in the ICU with severe sepsis because she could not get an abortion to end her doomed pregnancy. Her story is one of dozens of narratives collected by the research group Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, which is housed at the University of California, San Francisco. Continue reading...

Victory might be decided by which of the quasi-incumbents can rebrand as a breath of fresh air in a weary nationWhen Kamala Harris sat down for her first interview as the Democratic presidential nominee, she praised Joe Biden for his intelligence, commitment, judgment and disposition. But twice she used the phrase turn the page". And twice she used the phrase a new way forward".This was no accident. US voters are yearning for a shift in direction, with two in three saying the next president should represent a major change from Joe Biden, according to a national poll conducted by the New York Times and Siena College. Yet in November they face a choice between two known quantities: Harris, the sitting vice-president, and Donald Trump, a former president with an inescapable four-year record. Continue reading...

ACCC fields 66 complaints about Meg's Flowers, which fulfilled orders by using other brands under the Flowercorp group parent company

TUC and Unite leaders express real concerns' over policy as many Labour MPs expected to abstain in Commons voteThe government is facing renewed pressure from unions to change course over its decision to strip the winter fuel allowance from the bulk of pensioners, as a minister said she understood why many Labour MPs could struggle to back the policy.With as many as 50 backbenchers predicted to abstain or be absent when the policy is voted on in the Commons on Tuesday, union leaders reiterated their call for a U-turn as the Trades Union Congress (TUC) gathered for the start of its annual conference in Brighton. Continue reading...

National Audit Office says trail of tax debts left by small UK retailers is widespread and increasing every yearThe UK is missing out on billions of pounds of revenue each year from small retail businesses that exploit weaknesses in government systems to evade paying tax, the public spending watchdog has warned.The National Audit Office (NAO), which monitors tax and spending by the government, said the trail of tax debts left by small retailers was widespread and increasing every year. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Diane Abbott, Suella Braverman and Sadiq Khan received between them 85,000 abusive messages, study findsThe UK's most prominent politicians were subjected to a deluge of abuse on X during the general election period, one of the most comprehensive studies of online abuse in politics has found.Five politicians - Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Diane Abbott, Suella Braverman and Sadiq Khan - were, between them, sent more than 85,000 clearly abusive messages between 1 May and 30 July, according to the findings from researchers at the University of Sheffield. Continue reading...

Mark Saxby, 56, says he is in limbo because of Spanish authorities' petty' concern about his medical insuranceA British teacher has told how he is sick" with nerves about returning to his home in Spain amid a three-year battle to get post-Brexit residency after being denied it because he was missing one month's medical insurance in the first year after the UK left the EU.Mark Saxby, 56, says he feels trapped" in a nightmarish limbo unable to convince anyone that he has the right to live in Spain despite the EU-UK withdrawal agreement guaranteeing residency rights for those in the country before Brexit. Continue reading...

Group praises nearly 70% of UK adults who bought Fairtrade products in past year despite cost of living crisisNearly 70% of UK adults have bought Fairtrade products such as bananas, tea or coffee in the past year despite pressure on personal finances, as concern that the climate crisis could push up the price of imported food drives conscious consumerism", the charity said.Against the backdrop of this year's big spikes in the price of coffee and cocoa, a YouGov poll, commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation, revealed that 79% of Britons were concerned that climate breakdown could affect the price of food while 69% were worried it could disrupt supply to the UK. Continue reading...