Referendum on 8 March cast as opportunity to remove outdated language in favour of inclusivity and equalityIreland has fired the starting gun on two referendums to widen the constitution's concept of family and the role of women in society.The Irish Electoral Commission launched an independent information campaign for the twin votes on 8 March, which, if passed, will remove the constitution's reference to women's duties in the home". Continue reading...
by Martin Belam (now) and Rachel Hall (earlier) on (#6J45H)
Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson says two other Russian military transport planes were simultaneously in airspaceUkraine's largest oil and gas company, Naftogaz, has reported that it is suffering a large-scale cyber-attack" on one of its datacentres. It reports via its Telegram channel that the website and call centre are currently down".Reuters is also carrying some quotes about the apparent attack on the oil refinery in Tuapse. A source told the news agency that Kyiv would continue attacking facilities providing fuel for the Russian military. Continue reading...
Ofcom figures show Virgin attracted about 32 complaints per 100,000 customers compared with 18 for Now BroadbandVirgin Media is the UK's most complained about broadband provider according to the latest figures, compounding woes for the firm, which is already under investigation by the communications regulator.Figures released by Ofcom on Thursday showed that the number of complaints made about Virgin's internet services between July and September were nearly double that of the next-most complained about provider, with Virgin attracting about 32 complaints per 100,000 customers compared with 18 for Now Broadband. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6J4CC)
Then first minister criticised PM's utter incompetence' in WhatsApp exchange with chief of staffNicola Sturgeon described Boris Johnson as a fucking clown" as he broadcast to the nation to announce a second Covid lockdown in October 2020, telling her chief of staff: His utter incompetence in every sense is now offending me on behalf of politicians everywhere."The former first minister's damning verdict on the UK government's communications strategy - which she dismissed as awful ... we're not perfect but we don't get nearly enough credit for how much better than them we are" - was revealed during evidence at the UK Covid inquiry, which is sitting for a second week in Edinburgh. Continue reading...
Researchers estimated likely number of rape-related pregnancies in 14 states with near-total abortion bans since Dobbs rulingNearly 65,000 rape-related pregnancies likely occurred in the 14 US states with near-total abortion bans following the US supreme court's 2022 Dobbs decision - yet just 10 legal abortions are performed monthly on average in these states, researchers found in a new analysis.The data demonstrates that abortion bans likely make it impossible for most victims of rape to obtain abortions in their home states, even for the minority of people who live in states with exemptions for rape, researchers said. Continue reading...
Objects to go on show at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi as part of Asante king's silver jubilee celebrationsGold and silver treasure looted from west Africa by the British army in the 19th century is to be loaned to Ghana in a three-year deal, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have announced.The precious regalia, which had belonged to the Asante royal court, is regarded as part of the national soul" of Ghana. Under the deal, 17 objects from the V&A and 15 from the British Museum, will go on show later this year at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of Asante region. Many of the items have not been seen in Ghana for 150 years. Continue reading...
Driven by social media, children are using expensive creams, drops and serums that could do more harm than goodThe Christmas wish list Keshara's daughter handed her in 2023 bore little resemblance to ones from years gone by. This time, there were no requests for toys. Instead, her child had made an extensive, meticulous list of skincare products: expensive eye-creams, anti-ageing serums, drops and oils with ingredients like retinol and polypeptides. One of the items, a Drunk Elephant eye serum to target fine lines and wrinkles and reduce puffiness", retails at 56. Keshara's daughter is nine.I asked how she knew about them - she said it was all on TikTok, and everyone knows about it," Keshara said. I told her, no way, you're really too young, it's not appropriate and really expensive." Continue reading...
Leader proposes taking steps to reduce availability of zombie' knives and creating bespoke plans for all offendersKeir Starmer has promised to get a grip" on soaring knife crime as he announced that a Labour government would bring in a bespoke plan for every offender, including tags and curfews.The Labour leader said there would be an urgent crackdown on the availability of machetes and zombie-style knives, along with interventions to help prevent young people getting involved with knife crime and tough sanctions for those who do. Continue reading...
Two Delhi restaurants both claim to have the right to call themselves the home of the original butter chicken recipeIt's one of India's most beloved dishes and can be found bubbling on kitchen stoves or served on silver in restaurants across the country.But exactly who came up with the recipe for rich and creamy butter chicken has long been a matter of dispute - one that has now reached India's courts. Continue reading...
by Presented by John Harris, with Miatta Fahnbulleh, on (#6J43T)
The government has an announced an extra 500million to help local councils in England. After years of squeezed budgets, many are facing bankruptcy. What can be done to prevent more from tipping over? The Guardian's John Harris hears from Bill Revans, the leader of Somerset council, the Guardian's social policy editor, Patrick Butler, and the Labour candidate for Peckham, Miatta FahnbullehArchive: New Statesman Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh, Rasmus Raun Westh, Joe Dyke and Maia on (#6J43V)
In first such admission, previously secret document says Danish aircraft participated in attacks linked to civilian deathsDenmark's defence ministry said it would launch a review after evidence emerged showing its air force participated in airstrikes on Libya that killed 14 civilians in 2011, the first time any of the 10 countries involved in the Nato bombing campaign has acknowledged a possible link to non-combatant casualties.Documents released under freedom of information show the Danish air force had concluded privately as long ago as 2012 that two F-16 attacks were connected to civilian casualty reports compiled by the UN, media and human rights groups.An airstrike on Surman, nearly 40 miles west of Tripoli, on 20 June 2011 that killed 12 civilians, including five children and six members of one family. A surviving family member said the target was solely a residential compound, owned by a retired Libyan government member, but Nato said at the time it was a legitimate military target", despite reports of non-combatant deaths.The bombing of an apartment block in Sirte, central Libya, on 16 September 2011 that killed two, a man and a woman who was five months pregnant. Although there were unconfirmed reports of snipers on the rooftop, questions were raised in the aftermath over whether an attack would have been proportionate, given civilians were killed. Continue reading...
Teachers at Colchester council say they're paid less than those at other councils despite bending over backwards' to provide classesTo those who turn up in Lycra to practise their sun salutations and downward dogs, a yoga class can represent a moment of calm reflection. For a group of instructors in Colchester, however, teaching yoga has become a much more stressful business.Yoga, pilates and aerobics instructors employed by Colchester city council are balloting on possible strike action, after what their union says is nearly a decade without a pay rise. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6J3KM)
Amid the paper's own crises, the intent seems clear: a new leader to lower taxes and crack down on immigrationThe Daily Telegraph has long been known as the Conservatives' de facto house journal. But, with its central role in recent manoeuvrings to undermine Rishi Sunak, it seems the paper is taking this a step further, and hopes to reshape the party in its ideological image.In the past 10 days, the Telegraph - itself experiencing flux with a takeover looming - has published not just a withering comment piece from a Tory MP calling for Sunak to go, but detailed polling seeking to explain why it would be better for the party if he did. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6J3NR)
Exclusive: more than 500 bosses from finance world will be in attendance at sold-out event in LondonLabour will use its sold-out business conference next week to unveil the party's City policy plans, the Guardian can reveal, as it tries to win over hundreds of UK executives before a general election.More than 500 bosses from across British finance will gather in London on 1 February for the event, where opposition leaders including Sir Keir Starmer, his shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the shadow business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, plan to showcase Labour's offer to business". Continue reading...
Police say death of Wayne Brown, reportedly under investigation over academic qualifications claims, not being treated as suspiciousWayne Brown, the chief of West Midlands fire service, has been found dead at his home in Birmingham. Police said his death is not being treated as suspicious.He was reportedly being investigated over claims on social media relating to his academic qualifications at the time of his death. Continue reading...
Thousands of places of worship have shut since 2013 and more than 900 on heritage at risk' registerThousands of church buildings are in such a dire state that they are facing closure, according to a campaign that says the situation is the UK's single biggest heritage challenge.
The streamer has decided not to go forward with The Mothership, a film that finished production in 2021 but was facing delaysHalle Berry-led sci-fi thriller The Mothership will not be released after Netflix decided to stop post-production.The Mothership, which completed filming in 2021, was originally set to be released in 2022 and a brief clip was teased by the streamer in a trailer for the year's big releases. But the film was the victim of multiple delays and has now been scrapped entirely, according to Variety. Continue reading...
Arrest at president's residence of Mariusz Kamiski and Maciej Wsik, of Law and Justice party, had sparked bitter political rowPoland's president, Andrzej Duda, said he had pardoned two jailed politicians from the opposition populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which lost its majority in October elections, and called for their immediate release.The former interior minister Mariusz Kamiski and his ex-deputy, Maciej Wsik, were imprisoned this month after being detained in the presidential palace. Their arrests sparked large protests by PiS supporters and both began hunger strikes claiming to be political prisoners".An earlier headline said the two pardoned men were former politicians. They are, in fact, current politicians and the headline has been corrected. Continue reading...
Girls aged eight and 12 and a 36-year-old woman died from knife wounds to the neckThe deaths of a woman and two children at a house in Norfolk are being treated as murder, police have confirmed.Kanticha Sukpengpanao, 36, Jasmin Kuczynska, 12, and Natasha Kuczynska, eight, were discovered with stab wounds to their necks on Friday. Continue reading...
Marc Bru repeatedly interrupted chief judge before the sentence was handed down, calling him a clown' and a fraud'A man who stormed the US Capitol with fellow Proud Boys far-right extremist group members was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in prison after he berated and insulted the judge who punished him.Marc Bru repeatedly interrupted chief judge James Boasberg before the sentence was handed down, calling him a clown" and a fraud" presiding over a kangaroo court".The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...
by Angelique Chrisafisin Paris and Kate Connollyin Be on (#6J3NS)
Impetus for change was US supreme court overturning Roe v Wade, while Germany passes law banning harassment of women at abortion clinicsThe French parliament has begun debating moves for France to become the first country in the world to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right, guaranteeing women access to the means to end a pregnancy voluntarily.The justice minister, Eric Dupond-Moretti, told the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, on Wednesday that abortion rights were not simply a liberty like any other, because they allow women to decide their future". Continue reading...
by Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Amy Sedghi, Martin Belam on (#6J347)
Ruling on request for provisional measures submitted by South Africa to come this week; White House says one missed and the other two were shot downThe United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (Ocha) has outlined some of the violence happening in the West Bank in its latest update. It describes the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank in 2023 as the highest" since Ocha started recording casualties in 2005.It also says the number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank was the highest" in the same time frame.Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, 360 Palestinians have been killed, including 92 children, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.Additionally, two Palestinians from the West Bank were killed while carrying out an attack in Israel on 30 November. Of these 360 fatalities, 350 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers.Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6J3KN)
Home Office rejects call for change from coroner in case of woman who died after ambulance delayThe minimum level of English language skills required for foreign care workers will not be raised despite the death of a care home resident after staff were unable to explain her critical state to 999 operators.The senior coroner for Somerset investigated the death of 91-year-old Barbara Rymell in August 2022 and found that the primary school standard of English required to get a health and care visa was wholly inadequate for those working in the direct care and protection of vulnerable people". But the Home Office has now ruled out any change. Continue reading...
Nn 10 hints prime minister would be prepared to have Anderson back, saying we have a lot of time for Lee'After PMQs there will be a Commons urgent question on resilience in the light of the recent storms. Labour has tabled it, and a Cabinet Office minister will respond.Labour would prosecute Amazon executives if they continued to allow dangerous knives to be sold on their platform, Keir Starmer has said this morning.Five months ago, Labour supported the government's pledge to introduce new legislation to toughen the rules on possession of machetes and zombie-style knives. There has been no action since, only warnings from experts that the proposals are too weak by excluding weapons like ninja swords.The government has published 16 press releases about zombie knives since 2015, yet despite repeated promises to toughen the rules, a full ban is still not in place ...The number of these deadly weapons on Britain's streets is terrifying, and unacceptable.For years, the Tories have made grand promises of action, but by failing to bring a proper ban on these killer knives and to crack down on online sales to kids, they're letting a generation down ... Continue reading...
Interior ministry considering options against Martin Sellner after days of protests against AfDGerman authorities are closely examining the possibility of an entry ban for the far-right Austrian whose masterplan for the deportation of immigrants is at the heart of a storm gripping Germany over the rightwing populist AfD.Martin Sellner, the founder of the so-called identitarian movement, which preaches the superiority of European ethnic groups, could be banned from entering Germany if he is deemed to pose a threat to German democratic stability, according to members of the interior affairs committee of the Bundestag. Continue reading...
Biggest reduction since December 2021 will allow 1tn more yuan to be released in form of new loansChina's central bank has announced a surprise cut to the amount of cash that banks must hold in reserve, hoping to boost the lending available to households and businesses as policymakers try to steer the economy through a fragile recovery.Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), said on Wednesday that the reserve requirement ratio would be cut by 0.5% from 5 February, the deepest cut to the rate since December 2021. The move will allow about 1tn yuan (110.8bn) to be released in the form of new loans. Continue reading...
Letters warned employees that failure to follow return-to-office expectations could lead to further disciplinary action'Bank of America is cracking down on employees who aren't following its return-to-office mandate, sending letters of education" warnings of disciplinary action to employees who have been staying home.Some employees at the bank received letters that said they had failed to meet the company's workplace excellence guidelines" despite requests and reminders to do so", according to the Financial Times. The letter warned employees that failure to follow return-to-office expectations could lead to further disciplinary action". Continue reading...
Biden changes campaign leadership structure as he shifts into general election modeJoe Biden appears to have set his sights on an almost inevitable rematch with Donald Trump for the White House in November's election, after the former president's decisive win in the New Hampshire primary, on his sprint to the Republican nomination.Biden's campaign believes the presidential election has officially begun, Politico reported, with Trump's victory over Nikki Haley in New Hampshire on Tuesday officially kicking off what the outlet described as the longest and most grueling general election campaign in modern American political history". Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6J3F2)
Valdo Calocane, 32, who has paranoid schizophrenia, believed the agency was controlling him, says defence lawyerA man who killed three people in a series of attacks in Nottingham previously tried to surrender himself to MI5, in the belief the agency was controlling him, urging it to please arrest me".Valdo Calocane, 32, who has paranoid schizophrenia, believed he was being interfered with unnaturally" by malign forces" since 2019. Continue reading...
Raymond Grant says his time was limited' after being forced to appear at inquiry over minimum witness statementA former Post Office investigator has maintained that a branch owner-operator who had his conviction for embezzlement overturned last year was guilty.Raymond Grant, an investigator involved in the prosecution of the post office operator William Quarm who died in 2012 not knowing he would eventually be cleared years later, had to be legally forced to appear to give testimony at the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal. Continue reading...
Ministry of Defence clarifies it has no plans for conscription after Gen Sir Patrick Sanders says UK should take steps to place society on war footingThe people of the UK are part of a prewar generation" who must be prepared to fight a major war against Vladimir Putin's increasingly aggressive Russia if necessary, the head of the army argued in a speech on Wednesday.Gen Sir Patrick Sanders said ordinary citizens would be forced to reinforce the UK's small military - although in a clarification the Ministry of Defence said it was not calling for a return to peacetime conscription, which was abolished in 1960. Continue reading...
Owner says shutting Welsh blast furnaces will cut emissions, but it is opening a new one in IndiaThe owner of the Port Talbot steelworks has been accused of gross hypocrisy" as it prepares to open a new blast furnace in India, while citing a cut in carbon emissions for its decision to close two blast furnaces in south Wales, costing thousands of jobs.Tata announced last week that up to 2,800 jobs would be cut under plans to close Port Talbot's two huge blast furnaces and replace them with an electric arc furnace. Continue reading...
Rail services to and from Scotland suspended until at least midday with amber wind warning in place for parts of countryStorm Jocelyn has brought fresh travel disruption to much of the UK, less than two days after Storm Isha left two people dead and thousands without power.The 10th named storm of the season brought an amber warning for wind to parts of Scotland on Wednesday morning, with much of the UK covered by a yellow alert into Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...
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