by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6HKCQ)
Analysts suggest popularity of A Guilty Conscience is down to portrayal of recent abuses in judicial systemHong Kong's highest grossing Chinese language film of all time is a Hong Kong-set courtroom drama exploring themes of power and justice in a city where many feel both have been abused in recent years.A Guilty Conscience, the directorial debut of the Hong Kong screenwriter Ng Wai-lun, tells the story of a single mother wrongly accused of murdering her daughter and the legal battle to clear her name. Continue reading...
Independent French auditors say UK information on people crossing Channel is very patchy'The UK is not coordinating sufficiently with France to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats or providing enough detailed information, French state auditors have said.The cour des comptes, an independent French body that examines the use of public funds, has published a report on the efficiency of French policy on illegal migration, in which it said France was struggling to develop operational cooperation arrangements" with its neighbours, including the UK. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6HKCR)
Man arrested after death of Keotshepile Naso Isaacs, 33, a mother of three who was found dead in North Berwick on New Year's DayTributes have been paid to a mother of three who was found dead at her home in North Berwick, East Lothian, on New Year's Day.Officers discovered Keotshepile Naso Isaacs, 33, at about 8.20am on Monday at a property in Craigleith Avenue after a report of concern". Continue reading...
Russian defence ministry says it shot down 10 Ukrainian missiles over CrimeaOne civilian was killed and eight wounded on Thursday in a Russian missile strike on Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine, damaging energy company buildings and causing power and water supply cuts, the regional governor said.Russia likely used an X-59 missile, governor Andriy Raikovych said at a briefing, according to Reuters. Raikovych said:Ordinary working people were injured ... One worker, unfortunately, died. A simple car mechanic.We have to state that the regime of Zelenskiy is not inclined to make peace.Its representatives think in terms of war and resort to highly aggressive rhetoric. Continue reading...
Arts organisations respond to plans to permanently slash core budget for the region's theatres and museumsArts organisations have called on Suffolk county council (SCC) to reconsider a proposed 100% cut to its culture budget.As part of its plans to make 64.7m in savings over two years, the council announced on Wednesday that it will stop core funding of 500,000 to art and museum sector organisations from April 2025. A shared statement from local organisations affected by the decision said the cut would make an extremely modest difference" to the council's overall finances but have a huge impact" on communities across the county. Continue reading...
Annual event sees inhabitants of zoo enjoy eating - or playing - with the unwanted conifersThere is a bit of post-Christmas cheer on the menu for elephants and other tenants at Berlin zoo: they can chomp on Christmas trees that didn't find a home.The trees arrived on Thursday in what has become an annual event. The elephants tore off branches with their trunks and either ate them or tossed them around their enclosure. Continue reading...
Potential loophole' in state's non-lethal strangulation laws could be closed by a statutory definition similar to that used in Western Australia, experts sayDomestic violence experts have raised concerns about a potential loophole" in Queensland's non-lethal strangulation laws, after a man argued in court he had not restricted a woman's breathing when he executed a chokehold designed to cut off the blood flow to her brain.The state made choking and strangulation a standalone offence in 2016, saying at the time that the act was a pivotal moment that reveals an escalation in the seriousness of the violence committed against a person". Research shows that domestic victims of non-lethal strangulation are seven times more likely to be subsequently killed. Continue reading...
Assistant treasurer Stephen Jones says concerns should have been raised about scheme that appeared to be selling worthless investment products'Chief executive of HyperVerse does not appear to existThe assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, has questioned why Australia's consumer watchdog did not issue a consumer warning against the HyperVerse crypto investment scheme in line with a number of overseas regulators.A Guardian Australia investigation has revealed widespread losses to the HyperVerse scheme, which escaped regulator attention in Australia despite one overseas authority warning it was a possible scam" and another describing it as a suspected pyramid scheme".Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
Researchers report drop in incidents of incivility among staff at facilities with eye signs on the walls, but say further measures are neededResearchers have found a unique way to tackle sexist" and humiliating" behaviour by surgeons in operating rooms across Australia.It is not uncommon" for surgeons to describe fellow medical staff in the operating theatre as incompetent", to roughly grab surgical instruments or to discredit nurses, says Rose Petrohilos, a junior doctor and intern representative for Bairnsdale Regional Health Service. Continue reading...
Some bridges closed while train and ferry services suspended across ScandinaviaDenmark's Queen Margrethe II had ridden through the streets of Copenhagen in a horse carriage for the last time as monarch despite the cold weather, Reuters reports.She will hand over the throne to her son Crown Prince Frederik next week. Continue reading...
Actor says ancestry research shows he is related to the 11th Lord Lovat, who died at Tower of London in 1747Russell Crowe has claimed to be directly related to the last man executed by beheading in England - a Jacobite who lived a life of devious intrigue".Writing on X, the New Zealand-born actor said research into his ancestry had revealed he was related to Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, who was executed aged 80 in 1747 at the Tower of London for high treason. Continue reading...
Fashion and homeware chain warns of possible delays due to Red Sea attacks amid better-than-expected trading figuresNext has upgraded profit hopes for the year after ringing up 38m more in sales than expected in the run-up to Christmas but warned that difficulties in the Red Sea could mean problems with deliveries in the year ahead.The fashion and homeware chain said that full-price sales stepped up dramatically, rising by 10% in the last two weeks before Christmas. As a result, sales rose by 5.7% in the nine weeks to 30 December, far better than the 2% expected. Continue reading...
Queensland woman arrested after victims alleged dresses bound for dry-cleaning ended up for sale on social mediaA woman has been charged with running an alleged wedding dress business scam on dozens of unsuspecting brides in Queensland.The six-month police operation was launched after a Cairns woman allegedly gave her custom wedding dress to a bridal company in September 2022 for dry-cleaning, before spotting on social media that it had been sold to another person. Continue reading...
The 54-year-old died on the same night a code white' was declared across the city's public hospitalsA man has died after waiting more than 10 hours for paramedics in Adelaide's east, South Australia's ambulance employees association (AEA) has alleged.The 54-year-old SA man made a triple-zero call on 27 December, the same night a code white" was declared for emergency departments across the city. Continue reading...
Man, 49, in custody after reports of shots at shop, outside a cinema and at a nearby propertyA man has been arrested after shots were fired at three locations in Liverpool on Wednesday night, Merseyside police have said.The 49-year-old was arrested by armed response officers in Fazakerley after a Taser was deployed. Continue reading...
Only eight Australians were on the Japan Airlines flight that crashed in Tokyo rather than the 12 initially suspectedThere were four fewer Australians on the Japan Airlines flight that burst into flames after landing than originally feared but all are safe and accounted for.Only eight Australians were on the Japan Airlines plane rather than the 12 initially suspected. Continue reading...
Second year of falling prices expected though recovery is likely in the second half as interest rates come downBritain's housing market is past peak pain", the upmarket estate agent Savills has said. The big mortgage lenders Halifax and Nationwide building society have recorded monthly house price gains in recent months, which have taken some by surprise. But that does not mean the annual declines in property prices are over.Just over 60% of households (about 16 million) own their homes in England and Wales, but property has been an engine of economic growth since the financial crisis ushered in an era of low interest rates, with the wealth it creates fuelling spending on goods and services. When house prices rise - or fall - there is an economic ripple effect. So what will 2024 bring for the all-important housing market, and which geographic areas are likely to attract the most interest from buyers? Continue reading...
Thinktank says analysis shows obscene levels of pay inequality' and calls for workers to be given places on company boardsThe bosses of Britain's biggest companies will have made more money in 2024 by Thursday lunchtime than the average UK worker will earn in the entire year, according to analysis of vast pay gaps amid strike action and the cost of living crisis.The High Pay Centre, a thinktank that campaigns for fairer pay for workers, said that by 1pm on the third working day of the year, a FTSE 100 chief executive will have been paid more on an hourly basis than a UK worker's annual salary of 34,963, based on median average remuneration figures for both groups.Other FTSE 350 executives (comprising FTSE 100 executives other than the CEO, plus CEOs and other executives of FTSE 250 companies) earn an average of 1.3m, so would only need to work until 10 January for their pay to overtake the average worker.Partners at so-called magic circle" law firms earn an average of 1.9m, so would need to work until 8 January to do the same.Partners at the big four" accountancy firms have an average pay of 870,000, so would need to work until 16 January.Top bankers (so-called material risk takers") at the UK's five biggest banks earn 807,000 on average, and will also overtake average workers by 16 January.Everyone in the top 1% of full-time UK earners earns at least 145,000, so will overtake average median full-time worker by 29 March. Continue reading...
Israel's decision to defend itself at the international court of justice will make it harder for it to brush aside any adverse findingSouth Africa's request for an interim measure by the international court of justice to prevent Israel from committing acts of potential genocide - primarily by calling for a halt to combat operations - has suddenly taken on an urgency and relevance that seemed implausible a fortnight ago.Crack legal teams are being assembled, countries are issuing statements in support of South Africa, and Israel has said it will defend itself in court, reversing a decades-old policy of boycotting the UN's top court and its 15 elected judges. Continue reading...
by Sarah Basford Canales and Amy Remeikis on (#6HJYN)
Department claims key documents outlining reasoning behind joining US-led invasion were not included in an apparent administrative oversight'Peter Dutton has thrown his support behind the release of documents relating to Australia's decision to join the Iraq war following the failure of the Morrison governmentto hand over all the 2003 cabinet documents for release.The opposition leader said on Thursday the papers should be released" while accusing the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, of focusing too much on the beltway issue" rather than cost-of-living. Continue reading...
The Ford Ranger usurps Toyota's HiLux as the most sold car model, while battery EVs accounted for 7.2% of salesNot a single sedan or hatchback ranked in the top 10 most bought cars in Australia in 2023 - a year that set an all-time record for new car sales - as the nation's love affair with fuel-thirsty SUVs and utes reached new heights.The top three most sold cars in Australia last year were utes, with the next seven most popular new cars all SUVs, according to new data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which said 2023 set an all-time record for new vehicle sales with more than 1.2m vehicles delivered. Continue reading...
Police were concerned for autistic man who went walking near Halls Gap and had not been seen since calling family on WednesdayCrews in Victoria have found a 20-year-old hiker who went missing in the Grampians national park after he called his family from a scenic lookout.Jack went on a hike near Halls Gap in the Grampians/Gariwerd park about 250km west of Melbourne on Wednesday, Victoria police said in a statement on Thursday. Continue reading...
Flight attendants needed permission from cockpit to open emergency exits, broadcaster reportsPilots on a Japan Airlines plane that became engulfed in flames just after all 379 passengers and crew escaped were initially unaware the aircraft was on fire, according to fresh details reported in local media.The airliner collided with a coast guard plane after landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday evening. All but one of the six people on the smaller aircraft were killed. Continue reading...
The mother and uncle of Ragi A Sckak were taken from Gaza in an operation coordinated by the US, Israel and Egypt, according to a US officialThe mother and uncle of a US service member were rescued from the fighting in Gaza in a secret operation coordinated by the US, Israel, Egypt and others, according to a US official speaking to the Associated Press.It is the only known operation of its kind to extract American citizens and their close family members during the months of devastating ground fighting and Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Continue reading...
US hedge fund manager Bill Ackman posts 4,000-word screed decrying racism against white people' after Gay's departureChief among the campaigners celebrating the resignation of Claudine Gay as president of Harvard University was a man who arguably did the most to push Gay, Harvard's first Black president, out the door: Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge-fund manager and Harvard alumnus.Ackman, who accused Gay of antisemitism and plagiarism, was a major player in what increasingly became a rightwing campaign against the Harvard president - who said many of the attacks against her were fueled by racial animus". Continue reading...
Archaeologists surprised to find graves of ordinary locals in place known as final resting place of rich and powerfulIn the heyday of the wonderful church, it was used as the final resting place for the rich and powerful: high-ranking clergy, wealthy landowners, lords who guarded the borderlands.But excavation work carried out at Tintern Abbey has found that after the gothic masterpiece fell into ruin following the dissolution of the monasteries, ordinary local people took advantage of the chance to bury their dead within the sacred - and beautiful - grounds. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6HJT3)
In a speech in the west of England, Labour leader will say he wants British people to believe in politics againA Labour win at this year's election will improve the mood of a downtrodden country", Keir Starmer will say, as he hopes to inject a note of optimism into what is set to be one of the most bitterly fought campaigns in recent history.The Labour leader will set out his pitch to voters at a speech in the west of England on Thursday marking the beginning of what Labour believes will be a five-month lead-up to the election. Continue reading...
FBI said it was working with state, local and federal law enforcement to gather, share and act on informationAt least nine state capitol buildings across the US were under evacuation orders on Wednesday due to bomb threats, according to officials.Government buildings in Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan Mississippi and Montana received bomb threats via email to offices of secretaries of states and legislative officials. Continue reading...
Row breaks out on first day of NHS's longest ever stoppage as requests to return to work rejectedJunior doctors' leaders have said they are prepared to stage yet more strikes after the longest stoppage in NHS history, as health leaders warned that this week's action alone could cripple the health service until spring.On Wednesday night, at the end of the first of six days of strike action, Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England's national medical director, said its impact would be felt for weeks and months" as tens of thousands of appointments and operations were ditched and will have to be rescheduled. Continue reading...
Steven Kabuye was stabbed by unknown assailants on a motorbike after receiving death threatsA prominent Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist is in a critical condition after he was stabbed on his way to work on Wednesday by unknown assailants on a motorbike.Steven Kabuye, 25, suffered knife wounds and was left for dead in the assault on the outskirts of the capital Kampala before being found by local residents, police said. Continue reading...
Stormy weather and exceptionally high tides have brought flooding and evacuations - and a surfing bonanzaStormy weather and exceptionally high tides have brought the largest waves in years crashing down on California's shores, with some reaching heights of 30ft (9 metres) or more.The conditions triggered flooding and evacuations, and caused injuries and damage in coastal towns. But they have also created a bonanza for surfers, who have thrown themselves headlong into the powerful swells in recent days. Continue reading...
US points towards Islamic State or Sunni extremists but Iran has accused IsraelIt is still unclear who is responsible for the double bombing of a crowd in the south-eastern Iranian city of Kerman but whoever is behind the outrage is clearly willing to risk igniting a regional war.In Washington, officials have been pointing towards the possible role of Islamic State or some affiliated Sunni extremist group, and away from the partnership of Israel and the secular Iranian rebel group, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MeK), who have reportedly been behind previous attacks deep inside Iran. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6HJMX)
Children's campaigner lived an extraordinary life encompassing social entrepreneurship, fame, politics, a fall from grace and a dramatic courtroom exonerationFamily and friends are squashed into the late Camila Batmanghelidjh's neat, tiny, kaleidoscopically colourful flat in north-west London. There are tears and hugs. Dates are passed round and cups of tea. One thing is for sure," said Lindita Berila, who has dropped in to pay her respects, everyone knew Camila was special."A few days previously, Batmanghelidjh had been here with colleagues helping to wrap thousands of Christmas presents to be delivered the next day to disadvantaged children. She looked fabulous," said her brother Bobby. There was no indication she was going to leave us." Continue reading...
Renee Poche accuses streamer and production company of emotional distress along with violations of labor and civic codesA new lawsuit alleges drugs, abuse, imprisonment and emotional distress behind the scenes on Love Is Blind, the hit Netflix reality series in which contestants court each other sight unseen.The lawsuit, filed against Netflix and the show's production company Delirium TV by Hollywood power lawyers Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos in California, seeks to nullify the contract of former contestant Renee Poche and claims intentional infliction of emotional distress, along with numerous violations of the state's labor and civic codes. Continue reading...
Previously only bots and AI had got game to its kill screen' but Willis Gibson managed to get game to freeze with score 999999A 13-year-old in Oklahoma is believed to be the first person ever to beat Tetris since the game's release more than three decades ago.Previously, only bots powered by artificial intelligence had forced the game, first released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), to its kill screen", where its signature blocks are falling so fast that the game itself can't continue. In a video documenting his feat and posted on Tuesday, the Oklahoma teenager, known as Blue Scuti online and by his legal name, Willis Gibson, plays for roughly 38 minutes and reaches level 157 before saying, Oh, I missed it," believing that a misplaced block scuttled his attempt. Continue reading...
It looks as if USS simply overpaid and underestimated the effort and catch-up investment requiredWe continue to view Thames Water as a long-term investment," said the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the 75bn pension fund for UK academics, as it wrote down the value of its stake in the Thames' parent by nearly two-thirds, or almost 600m. Top marks for cheerfulness, but it's a line that recalls the old joke about the definition of a long-term investment: a short-term investment gone wrong.USS and Canadian pension fund Omers, the other late arrival on Thames' register in 2017 (they replaced the departing Macquarie and its co-travellers), surely cannot have imagined that the long term would stretch quite so far over the horizon. As USS says, it's taken no dividends so far, and the current business plan imagines no income for shareholders until 2030 at the earliest. That's a near-eternity in investment terms for utility assets, which are supposedly prized for their ability to generate steady cash. Continue reading...
Both sides release more than 200 troops in first exchange since August after UAE-mediated negotiationsUkraine and Russia have announced the largest exchange of prisoners since the start of the war, involving the return of more than 200 soldiers from each side in a deal mediated by the United Arab Emirates.The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Wednesday in a message on social media, along with images of some of the freed PoWs: 230 of our people. Today, 213 soldiers and sergeants, 11 officers, and six civilians returned home." Continue reading...
Clayton and Carrie Law withdrew $4,000 in cash and placed it on their counter when seven-year-old Cecil decided to eat itA Pennsylvania dog shocked his owners and veterinarian after eating $4,000 in cash.Cecil, a seven-year old goldendoodle from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is usually well behaved, according to his owners, Clayton and Carrie Law. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6HJET)
Some UK applicants had to quit Turing scheme as places were not confirmed or they failed to receive fundsStudents taking part in the government's post-Brexit replacement for the EU's Erasmus+ student exchange scheme were forced to drop out because places were confirmed too late, while others failed to receive any funding until after their return, according to research.The first official analysis of the Turing scheme, which launched in 2021 after being announced by the then prime minister Boris Johnson, found that four out of five universities (79%) had difficulties with the application process which was overly complex, repetitive and tedious". Continue reading...
Nigel Farage does not appear at Reform UK press conference as Richard Tice says a good poker player does not show his hand early'Vaughan Gething, economy minister in the Welsh Labour government and favourite in the contest to succeed Mark Drakeford as first minister, has criticised the council tax system as broadly regressive".He made the comment in an interview with the Financial Times in which he defended the Welsh government's plan to reform how the tax operates in the UK. It is consulting on three options, one of which would just involve a property revaluation, but two of which would involve getting the owners of valuable homes to pay more, and cheaper homes to pay less, possibly with the creation of new bands.The council tax consultation is not about trying to raise the average council tax or hit people in the middle or lower scale, it's about how can you rebalance how that works.You could have people at the top end paying more and people at the bottom paying less.In the future local authorities would decide what to do, it wouldn't be a Wales-wide measure, the tourism levy would be a choice for different authorities to make.If I am elected Welsh Labour leader and First Minister in 2024, here are 5 things I will do in my first week as FM:
Jungle between Colombia and Panama marks the start of the dangerous trek north from South America to the United StatesA record 520,000 people crossed the treacherous jungle between Colombia and Panama known as the Darien Gap in 2023, more than double the number reported the year before, according to new figures from the government of Panama.The people who made the journey that marks the start of the dangerous trek north from South America to the United States last year were mostly from Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti and China, according to the numbers from Panama's migration agency. Continue reading...
Compensation from QBE is said to be key step towards many more businesses getting paymentsOne of the world's largest insurance companies has been forced to pay thousands of pounds in interest to small businesses who suffered delayed payouts on Covid insurance claims.The QBE Group's initial payout just before Christmas of over 386,000 to 86 companies raises the potential for a total outlay by insurers of up to 1.6bn in interest to customers, it is claimed. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6HJBV)
Murals, colourful chairs and fairy lights help create a mood that is more soft play than pre-theatre at Royal Hospital for ChildrenWhen I was last here, there was nothing much to cheer you up," says 10-year-old Joseph Hay, perusing the intricate mural that now dominates one wall of the operating theatres unit at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. Joseph, who has undergone numerous procedures here after being diagnosed with bone marrow failure, remembers most of all the apprehension of the general anaesthetic. You're just waiting for the moment. This wasn't a place you'd really want to be at all."But now, the largest paediatric theatre unit in Scotland doesn't even feel like a hospital", as Joseph joins other former patients and their families to inspect the million-pound transformation they have helped to bring about in a unique collaboration between children and creatives, the first of its kind in the country. Continue reading...
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