Deference was deafening as US president rolled out red carpet for world's biggest jailer of journalists - perhaps he was seeking tipsOne is an authoritarian who represses the media with a strong allergy to democratic elections. The other is head of the Chinese Communist party.Donald Trump welcomed the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to the White House on Thursday, setting the stage for a scene quite unlike anything the august old building has seen over more than two centuries. Continue reading...
Monthly thank you' payments for people hosting refugees to be cut from 350 to 100 from next yearUkrainian refugees in the UK fear they could be left homeless after the government quietly axed 70% of funding for hosts of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, reducing monthly thank you" payments to them from 350 to 100.The scheme was launched after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has provided support for 181,000 of the 234,000 Ukrainians who have since sought sanctuary in the UK. Continue reading...
If you're not in the internal market, you don't get the same protection,' says French minister of policy designed to curb Chinese competitionFrance is leading a push to exclude the UK from the EU's Made in Europe" policy that could result in British companies losing out in the race to supply European countries with low-carbon technologies and electric cars.The plans were raised by Andy Burnham when he met the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on the sidelines of the UN general assembly earlier this week. Continue reading...
Resolution Foundation says households outside London are paying hundreds of pounds a year more in council tax than they would be under a fair systemTim Shipman has written about what will be coming up at the Labour conference next week in his cover story for the Spectator. He says:Labour special advisers summoned last week to the pillared state room on the first floor of No. 10 to hear the plan for conference from Burnham's political secretary, Hayden Munro, left in no doubt that the PM wants to be a transformational figure. The conference narrative' these advisers were urged to push includes the telling line: This Labour government will bring forward the biggest change to Britain in 40 years, with a new political and economic model.' On the specifics, Burnham will pledge: We will make the choices that are needed to end rough sleeping, solve the social care crisis and get more young people into work.'Burnham will pledge to run a cost-of-living government' with further immediate action' to provide the breathing space people need', as well as outline plans to devolve power out of Whitehall', reindustrialise Britain' and take back public control of the essentials in life - such as energy, water and housing' to make them affordable again'.Ultimately, the election choice is Burnham's. If you knew what Keir's aides thought, you knew what he would do,' says a ministerial aide. But Andy has political opinions of his own.' Burnham may go for it. But those closest to him doubt it. He likes risk, but he has stuff he wants to get done,' says one close confidant. While outsiders think his ambitions require an election, Burnham thinks he can transform Britain without one. Andy really cares about the devolution stuff,' the ministerial aide observes. Most of Westminster roll their eyes but he thinks that will change the country. He thinks doing that will make him a great prime minister.'And those who think none of that will deal with Britain's economic problems seize on another clue. A Labour adviser concludes: Ultimately I think Burnham and his team will do what they often do with difficult decisions, and not make one.'What I imagine is that some schools will offer some of these subjects where their local labour market demands, and this is where our mayors and our local leaders are really helping to shape that in their area.So I wouldn't expect a school to offer all of these, as they don't offer all GCSEs at the moment. They will specialise in particular areas.If you're trying to do engineering or construction, for example, you know that involves a lot of problem solving, a lot of maths, a lot of thinking, as well as the hands-on skills that's required.So it's not dumbing down, it's the opposite of that, actually, because this is about raising the standards and the rigour and regulating these qualifications. Continue reading...
The incident is the latest in a series of recent cases involving people entering or departing the US city's sewer networkThree unidentified people were seen emerging from a manhole in New York City's Upper East Side neighborhood early Wednesday before fleeing the area, police said, in an incident that comes as many world leaders have gathered in the city for the United Nations general assembly.The incident is the latest in a series of similar cases involving people entering or emerging from New York City's sewer network in recent months that have gone viral online. Continue reading...
Warning comes hours after Poland says fire at Starlink satellite station was act of sabotage'Russia could launch a limited military attack against a Nato country in the coming months, Danish intelligence said, in one of the starkest warnings yet by western security services.In a report published on Thursday, the Danish defence intelligence service warned of a low but growing risk" that Russia could launch long-range strikes on Nato infrastructure supporting Ukraine, or carry out a limited incursion into a neighbouring country with a small number of troops, potentially operating without insignia. Continue reading...
Wallace and Gromit stop-motion models and other beloved creations raise money to train new generations of animatorsWallace's reaction as the auction got into full swing might have been a trademark good grief!" - and the enthusiasm of some of the bidding could have caused even the phlegmatic Gromit to show surprise.Fans of Wallace and Gromit and other beloved creations of the Aardman studio seized the chance to grab souvenirs when more than 200 pieces - including Wallace, Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run puppets that starred in Aardman productions - went under the hammer on Thursday. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#78KSD)
Unions say record high of nearly 25,000, including assaults on rail workers and public, shows need for more staff and policingThe number of reported assaults on Great Britain's railways has risen by a fifth to a record high of almost 25,000 incidents in a year.Unions said the horrendous" figures showed the need for more staff and policing, as the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) revealed a sharp increase in assaults on the travelling public and on railway staff last year. Continue reading...
by Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi and agencies on (#78KW0)
Fighting escalates after TPLF forms new rebel coalition aimed at overthrowing Abiy Ahmed governmentThere are growing fears of a return to civil war in Ethiopia after an offensive by rebels from Tigray into the neighbouring states of Afar and Amhara, and the formation of a new rebel coalition aimed at overthrowing the government of the prime minister, Abiy Ahmed.Fighting from 2020 to 2022 between the Ethiopian army and the political party and paramilitary group Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) killed about 600,000 people. Both sides are now accusing the other of triggering a return to open conflict. Continue reading...
Mario David Coronado Juarez was killed when his car struck a tree and burst into flames as he attempted to avoid ICELeading Democrats and immigration advocates in Michigan are demanding transparency from federal authorities after a man died in a fiery car crash as he attempted to avoid agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Mario David Coronado Juarez, a Guatemalan national, was killed Sunday in Grand Rapids when his vehicle struck a tree at high speed and burst into flames shortly after the ICE officers tried to conduct a traffic stop. Continue reading...
MoD claims book by soldier known as Christian Craighead contains alleged breach of confidentiality contractAn injunction preventing a former member of the SAS from publishing a book about his role in a counter-terrorism operation has been extended after an application by the Ministry of Defence.The block on publication of the book in the UK will continue until the conclusion of a government legal action against the soldier, who is known only by the pseudonym Christian Craighead. Continue reading...
Taraneh and Romina Rahimi were charged with waging war against God' after joining protests against Tehran regimeThe family of 21-year-old twins who have been sentenced respectively to death and decades in jail for protesting against the Iranian regime have appealed to the United Nations for help.A formal submission of information" relating to the case of Taraneh and Romina Rahimi has been submitted by British human right lawyers on their family's behalf. Continue reading...
Paris public prosecutor opens investigation into online harassment of Riner, one of France's most popular sportspeopleParis's public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the racist abuse and online harassment of the French judo star Teddy Riner after he expressed concern about the rise of the far right.Riner, who has often been voted France's most popular sportsperson and is one of the most successful judo competitors of all time, told a TV sports show this month that he felt anxiety" about the rise of the far right in France. Numerous racist insults and hate messages were subsequently directed at him online, the prosecutor's office said. Continue reading...
Chore jackets and loose-fit trousers nod to nonconformist glamour' of Amelia Earhart and other pioneersThe Max Mara catwalk at Milan fashion week had well-cut coats, sturdy block-heeled boots, crisp white shirts and capacious suede handbags. What it quite deliberately did not have was shock value. I hope everyone watching this show can recognise something of themselves in what they see," said Ian Griffiths, the British designer who has been at this Italian house since 1987. I think that's really important. Without being critical of other brands or designers, so much of fashion alienates people and makes them feel that they aren't good enough or thin enough or young enough to wear what's being represented."Trousers were pleated and roomy, skirts long enough to be elegant but not long enough to trip you up. In shades of sand and chalk, grey and black, every piece was designed to work with everything else, and to blend into an existing wardrobe. The styling gestures - a popped collar here, a knotted belt there - stopped short of gimmick. The models could have walked off the runway and on to the Milan street - which, Griffiths said backstage, was the point. The catwalk show is only the prelude to what to me is the real presentation, which is when I see women walking down the street in my clothes." Continue reading...
Role for Anant Ambani, son of India's richest person, who also runs a controversial mega-zoo, met with incredulityNewcastle University is facing a backlash from conservationists over the appointment of the heir to an Indian oil and gas fortune who runs a controversial mega-zoo as a professor of sustainability.The university announced that Anant Ambani had been given a professorship of practice for his work in conservation, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and environmental stewardship" and significant contributions to advancing a more sustainable future". Continue reading...
Theatrical rollout across 56 territories planned for documentary about Israel's mass killing of civilians in Gaza before film will stream on Guardian websiteNAZA, the award-winning documentary from Israeli film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, is set to be released in cinemas in more than 50 countries before a digital global release on theguardian.com.The film, which the Guardian produced, premiered at the Venice film festival earlier this month, where it was met with a 25-minute standing ovation - a festival record. The documentary went on to win the special jury prize. Continue reading...
Duo had US hits with their cover of Always Something There to Remind Me as well as Promises, Promises and morePete Byrne, the frontman of British new wave group Naked Eyes who carried them to repeated chart successes in the US, has died aged 74.The news was announced on the band's website and social media on Wednesday, stating that Byrne died peacefully in Los Angeles on 14 September after a brief illness. Continue reading...
Polling suggests Andy Burnham is attracting progressives back to Labour, motivated by desire to stop Nigel Farage How Labour's majority depends on five progressive voter types - in charts
Roberto Hamidovic, 48, ran network of thieves who targeted tourists in Paris Metro and DisneylandA clan leader who sent gangs of child pickpockets to target tourists in the Paris Metro and popular attractions such as Disneyland Paris has been jailed for human trafficking.Roberto Hamidovic, 48, likened to Fagin, Charles Dickens's notorious criminal boss, ran a network of child thieves, mostly girls, some as young as 10, who brought in an average of 25,000 (21,500) a day, according to police. Continue reading...
IPPR finds failure to align testing standards has forced companies to abandon exporting to EU and is costing costing 0.18% of national incomeThe UK is losing out on annual exports to the EU that could be worth as much as 6.5bn without a deal with Brussels that allows manufacturers to jettison duplicate product testing.In the latest attempt to calculate the loss of trade with the EU after Brexit, the IPPR thinktank said many companies have given up selling goods to the EU or set up subsidiaries inside the trade bloc after successive governments failed to secure a mutual recognition agreement that would avoid the extra administration costs.Motor vehicle and part exports would have been between 2.48bn and 3.42bn higher each year.Electronic exports could have been between 1.17bn and 1.67bn higher.Pharmaceutical exports would have had an estimated annual uplift of between 740m and 820m. Continue reading...
by Emma Joyce explains it to Steph Harmon on (#78KM4)
For the first time in recent history there'll be no pre-game entertainment at the NRL grand final. But everyone has a different story about what actually went downEmma, the NRL and Tones and I seem to be at war - but I can't make sense of what's going on.I'll try to catch you up. The Dance Monkey singer made headlines this week after it was leaked she'd turned down an offer to perform at next weekend's NRL grand final. The rugby league boss Peter V'landys said negotiations broke down due to artistic differences", and some claimed it was because the Aria award-winning artist didn't want to play her biggest hit. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Levy that allows almost 16,000 houses to be built on Norfolk Broads will not cover cost of mitigating environmental damage, critics sayA new levy on developers to allow almost 16,000 homes to be built in the environmentally protected Norfolk Broads has been cut by tens of thousands of pounds per house, the Guardian can reveal.Ministers say the government's environmental delivery plans (EDPs) were created to unblock housing growth across the country and are a win-win" for development and nature. Continue reading...
by Lorenzo Tondo in Jerualem and Seham Tantesh in Gaz on (#78KK8)
Five desalination plants shut down for days, while Gaza remains in grip of severe water and sanitation crisisIsrael is facing weeks of water shortages after an exceptional algae bloom crippled much of its desalination capacity, in a crisis scientists say was triggered when Israeli attacks destroyed much of Gaza's wastewater infrastructure, causing a massive discharge of untreated sewage.Pollution does not recognise political borders," said the Zalul Environmental Association, an Israeli NGO dedicated to protecting the country's seas and shores. The discharge of untreated sewage from the Gaza Strip into the sea is contributing to the worsening crisis affecting the Israeli desalination facilities. The wastewater contains nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which feed microalgae and cyanobacteria and may intensify their blooms." Continue reading...
Die Linke candidate, a lawyer affected by her experiences as the child of political migrants from Turkey, poised to head Berlin coalition governmentElif Eralp launched her election bid last autumn with the blunt statement: People like me are actually not supposed to become mayor in this country." So the fact that the 45-year-old lawyer and daughter of political migrants from Turkey is on the verge of becoming Berlin's next mayor and the capital's first leader of Turkish origin is quite the moment in German politics.After last weekend's city state election, in which her far-left party, Die Linke, came first with more than a quarter of the votes, Eralp has become a household name. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh in eastern Ukraine. With photographs b on (#78KJC)
A conflict that began with tanks and then artillery is now pivoting around a new generation of drones focused on military, industrial, economic and civilian targetsFinally, in the dead of night, the threat above has passed. The rain has eased and the Ukrainian drones are ready, prepared by a ground crew shrouded in hard-to-detect green and red lights. A small succession of Ukrainian Fire Point FP-2 craft, miniature monoplanes with a 6-metre wingspan and more than 100kg of explosive, line up for an attack mission into occupied Luhansk, over 200 miles away.The drone's main piston engine is a familiar scooter's buzz, but its launch booster is something else. The jet sound reverberates, almost painfully. A burst of fire lurches into the distance, the last of which signifies it is time for Ukraine's 413 Raid drone regiment to pack and go.The launch of an FP-2 drone during the mission into occupied Luhansk Continue reading...
Small crowd enjoys singer's free concert in MacArthur Park, which has often drawn headlines for less cheery reasonsWith no announcement and little fanfare, Justin Bieber performed a free acoustic set on Monday at a Los Angeles park often in local headlines for less cheery reasons.In videos that surfaced online, four musicians flanked the global phenom, who wore a plain T-shirt and shorts as he sang hits including Daisies and Yukon. The low-key affair with a small crowd stood in stark contrast to Bieber's recent blockbuster World Cup and Coachella performances. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham under pressure to revisit Brexit as poll suggests pledge to rejoin could boost Labour's electoral chancesBritain should work towards rejoining the EU in the next decade, Tony Blair has said, adding to growing pressure on Andy Burnham to abandon Labour's reluctance to revisit the 2016 referendum.The former prime minister has urged Burnham to use his 10-year plan in November to put the country's membership of the union back on the table, a decade after it voted to leave. Continue reading...
Hundreds gathered on Tuesday night in anticipation of a small boat arriving in GosportThree people have been charged in connection with anti-migrant protests that drew hundreds of demonstrators to a marina in Hampshire on Tuesday night.Six people were arrested by police, as anti-migrant activists who mistakenly believed a small boat was due to arrive at Gosport gathered in an attempt to disrupt the arrival of any asylum seekers. Continue reading...
Approach to treating high blood pressure not fit for purpose', say researchers, with 59% of cases undiagnosedOnly half of people being treated by a GP for high blood pressure in England have it under control, and millions more are completely unaware they have the silent killer" condition, research reveals.Most people with hypertension (59%) are in the dark and undiagnosed, raising their risk of stroke, heart attack and early death, according to the largest ever study of its kind. Continue reading...
El Nino poses critical threat to nations' defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministersThe UK has warned countries around the world that the climate and nature crises and the coming El Nino threaten their national security and defence, presenting foreign ministries with the findings of an explosive report suppressed under Keir Starmer.Ed Miliband, the UK's foreign secretary, made a presentation to the foreign ministers of the EU as well as Kenya and other countries on Wednesday night at a private meeting during the UN general assembly in New York, based on the report by the UK's spy chiefs that found the collapse of natural systems around the world would lead to conflict, migration and food shortages. Continue reading...
Wes Streeting says he leads a ministry for growth' as Labour seeks to show more defence spending will create UK jobsDefence contractors have promised to create 40,000 apprenticeships, work experience placements and jobs for young people each year, as Wes Streeting claimed to be overseeing a ministry for growth".Labour is keen to demonstrate that the rapid increase in defence spending planned for the coming years, which may necessitate tax rises, will result in jobs in the UK. Continue reading...
Whether produced by Russia, China or far-right influencers, deepfakes and disinfo are being used to spread deceitful narrativesRussian disinformation campaigns are varied in their falsehoods and strategies.The narratives range from a deepfake Tom Cruise slamming the Paris Olympics to portraying a recent Russian attack on a train near the Ukraine-Poland border as a false-flag operation. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#78K95)
Warning from Charity Commission for England and Wales concludes two-year investigation after death of Hisham al-Hakimi in October 2023The international aid charity Save the Children has been issued with an official regulatory warning over management failures and misconduct that put staff at its Yemen office at serious risk.The warning concluded a two-year investigation by the Charity Commission for England and Wales into the running of the office after the death of its safety and security director, Hisham al-Hakimi, in October 2023 after he was detained by the Yemeni authorities. Continue reading...
Argentinian president accuses United Nations of being filled with parasites' in bellicose general assembly speechJavier Milei has condemned the UN as he warned that Argentina would take matters into our own hands" in its dispute with Britain over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.In a caustic speech at the general assembly in New York, the Argentinian president criticised the UN for being ineffective when it came to the long-running tensions over the British overseas territory in the south Atlantic known in Argentina as the Malvinas. Continue reading...
Witness says T2 Hawk aircraft, which was being used for a training flight, was basically on fire' on takeoffAn RAF jet crashed and exploded moments after two pilots ejected during a training flight over Anglesey (Ynys Mon) in north Wales on Wednesday.The aircraft, a Hawk T2, had just taken off from RAF Valley on the west of the island when the incident occurred, witnesses said. Continue reading...
Agreement with Mauritius over Diego Garcia unlikely to be revived unless president changes his mind, insiders believeThe Chagos Islands deal is on hold for as long as Donald Trump objects to it, UK officials believe, with no immediate signs it can be adapted to suit the US president.After Trump savaged the three-way plan as a terrible deal" during a meeting with Andy Burnham at the UN general assembly, the prime minister said he was confident" the UK would be able to find a solution to revive the idea. Continue reading...
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