The rise in nuisance influencers comes as tourism numbers in Japan near their pre-pandemic levelsA rise in the antics of nuisance influencers in Japan, who are accused of duping train ticket collectors and pretending to be homeless to get cash, has caused consternation in the country as tourism number near their pre-pandemic levels.A railway company in Japan is investigating allegations that a group of four popular foreign YouTubers had travelled long distances by train without paying. One of the suspected fare dodgers, known online as Fidias, posted a video to his 2.38 million subscribers over the weekend showing him and three others evading rail staff and blagging free food. Continue reading...
Police from Victoria and NSW raided residential properties in Bradbury, Yagoona and Campbelltown on Wednesday morning, before arresting a 22-year-old man
Secretary general's comments spark fierce row and Israeli calls for resignation as 700 deaths are reported in a day and hospitals close for want of electricity
Romance scams and ID theft among fastest growing categories with total of 1.4m fraud cases recorded thus far, says UK FinanceScammers were responsible for nearly 1.4m cases of fraud in the UK during the first half of 2023 - the equivalent of one every 12 seconds - with romance scams and ID theft among the fastest growing categories.Overall, criminals stole 580m in the first six months of the year, according to the banking trade association UK Finance, suggesting households are set to lose more than 1bn to fraudsters during 2023. Continue reading...
Brownfield site in Bexhill, East Sussex, being considered as a potential detention centre to house asylum seekersThe government paid 15.3m for a derelict piece of land last month that was sold just over a year ago for 6.3m, it has emerged.The brownfield site in Bexhill in East Sussex was previously used for Northeye prison and then for a training centre for students from the United Arab Emirates. Continue reading...
Katrin Jakobsdottir says she wants country to achieve full gender equality by 2030 as third of population attend event in capitalThe prime minister of Iceland has said she wants to achieve full gender equality in her country by 2030 as she joined an estimated 100,000 women and non-binary people in an all-day strike, the biggest protest the country has ever seen.Speaking outside her office before the start of a huge gathering in the centre of Reykjavik on Tuesday, Katrin Jakobsdottir said the world was dragging its feet on gender equality but that Iceland was doing its best to deal with huge issues" around the gender pay gap, gender-based violence and sexual harassment. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6FTWJ)
Inmates at HMP Frankland in County Durham, some of hardest to reach people in society', did course in a year with no internet accessInmates serving long sentences at one of the UK's most secure prisons have been allowed to study GCSE English for the first time and have outperformed many of their peers on the outside.More than three-quarters of the small cohort of prisoners who sat the exam at HMP Frankland in County Durham secured a pass at grade 4 or above - equivalent to a C - which is almost three times the success rate in further education colleges in England. Continue reading...
Party to encourage Wellingborough voters to sign petition if Commons votes to suspend Bone on WednesdayLabour is ramping up plans to force another byelection ahead of a vote on Wednesday to suspend Peter Bone from parliament for six weeks.Bone was stripped of the Conservative whip after being found by a watchdog to have bullied and harassed a member of staff and exposed his genitals near their face. Continue reading...
Health regulator says serious side-effects possibly caused by insulin in counterfeit versions of Novo Nordisk's OzempicSeveral people have been hospitalised in Austria after using suspected fake versions of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, the country's health safety body has said, the first report of harm to users as a European hunt for counterfeiters widened.The patients were reported to have suffered hypoglycaemia and seizures, serious side-effects that indicate that the product contained insulin instead of Ozempic's active ingredient semaglutide, the health safety regulator Bundesamt fur Sicherheit im Gesundheitswesen (BASG) said on Monday. Continue reading...
Brandon Stewart's pregnant mother feared for his life when police pulled over their car on the way to football practicePolice officers in California pulled over a pregnant woman and her eight-year-old son at gunpoint while on the way to the boy's football practice in a case of mistaken identity, according to the woman.What Shanice Stewart initially thought would be a mundane traffic stop on 17 October in Sacramento soon became a terrifying experience, she told ABC News on Monday. Stewart and her son Brandon are African American. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6FTNT)
Bonus cap to end on 31 October, a move condemned by unions as an insult to working people'The UK's financial regulators have formally scrapped the banker bonus cap, removing one of the key reforms introduced by the EU in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.The Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed that the cap would disappear on 31 October, nearly a year after Liz Truss's short-lived government first revealed plans to ditch the rules in a bid to attract more investment and shed EU rules post-Brexit. Continue reading...
The publisher's $10,000 Freedom of Expression prize invites teens to write about a banned book that changed their life, against a backdrop of rising censorshipPublisher Penguin Random House has launched a new writing award in the US celebrating freedom of expression in response to a rise in book bans across the country.The Freedom of Expression award invites applicants to write about one banned book that changed their life and why. The $10,000 (8,168) prize will be awarded to a high-school student planning to attend university in 2024. Continue reading...
Ex-president says decision threatens to worsen humanitarian crisis, undermine peace effort and erode global support for IsraelSome of Israel's decisions in its war against Hamas - including cutting off food and water for Gaza - could harden Palestinian attitudes for generations" and weaken international support for Israel, Barack Obama said Monday.In rare comments on an active foreign policy crisis, the ex-US president said any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human costs of the war could ultimately backfire". Continue reading...
Labor MP who quit the party room in August strenuously denies the assault allegationDetectives from Victoria's sex crime squad arrested and interviewed the state MP Will Fowles over a serious" assault allegation before releasing him without charge earlier this month, police have confirmed.In August, Fowles had resigned from the parliamentary Labor party over the alleged incident at the request of the then premier, Daniel Andrews. Andrews had described the allegation - which Fowles strenuously denies - as a serious assault".Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Sweden says external force or tampering' broke cable to Estonia; US seeks forfeiture of Russian-owned yacht worth $300mDamage to a telecommunications cable between Sweden and Estonia this month was caused by external force or tampering", the Swedish government said.Three residents of Kherson oblast were arrested for allegedly helping Russian forces target locations for strikes in the city of Kherson, the regional prosecutor's office announced on Monday, according to the Kyiv Independent.In an intelligence update, the UK's Ministry of Defence said Russian government spending had become increasingly focused on the costs of its war on Ukraine.Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said Vladimir Putin's Russia is the most heinous evil the world has witnessed since WWII" and that the Russian president and other Russian perpetrators must face justice for their crimes".Kuleba cited Forbes as reporting that Russia has spent around $167bn (137bn) on the war between February 2022 and August 2023, with which it could have built almost 24,000 kindergartens across Russia, or more than 4,500 maternity wards, or about 17,000 schools. Instead, Russian war criminals have bombed Ukrainian kindergartens, maternity wards, schools, and hospitals, destroying almost 120,000 civilian structures in all."Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoan, has submitted a bill for Sweden's Nato membership to parliament for ratification, the Turkish presidency said. Turkey and Hungary are the only Nato members yet to ratify Sweden's membership request.Trade between Russia and India in the first eight months of 2023 more than doubled from the previous year, reaching a record high of almost $44bn, the Kyiv Independent cited Russian state-run media RIA Novosti as having reported.The US has sought forfeiture of a $300m superyacht, Amadea, that it says is controlled by sanctioned billionaire Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov. The yacht was seized in Fiji and is docked in San Diego. The case is before court in Manhattan. Kerimov and his family are worth $10.7bn, according to Forbes.A lioness rescued from a zoo in Ukraine could be rehomed in the UK with her cubs. BBC News reported that Aysa was pregnant when she was abandoned at a private zoo in the Donetsk region at the start of Russia's invasion. She was moved to another facility and gave birth to cubs Teddi, Emi and Santa. All four are temporarily homed at Poznan zoo in Poland. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6FT6T)
Education secretary's letter emphasises copyright cannot be used as excuse' to withhold RSHE teaching resourcesGillian Keegan has written to schools in England ordering them to make the materials used in children's sex education available to be seen by parents, warning headteachers there can be no ifs, no buts, no more excuses".It is the second letter the education secretary has sent to schools on the issue, which has been seized upon by some backbench Conservative MPs amid claims that children are being exposed to inappropriate material during relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) at school. Continue reading...
Damien Bendall killed his pregnant partner Terri Harris, her two children and one of their friendsSeveral very stark" failures by probation services led to a dangerous man being categorised as low risk before murdering an entire family, an inquest has found.Damien Bendall was found to be responsible for the brutal and savage" murders of Terri Harris, 35, his pregnant partner, her children John Paul Bennett, 13, Lacey Bennett, 11, and Lacey's friend Connie Gent, 11, in September 2021. Continue reading...
Major cleanup operations get under way in worst-hit areas after storm that left four people deadFresh danger-to-life flood warnings have been issued as water levels continued to rise in the wake of Storm Babet, while cleanup operations got under way in some of the worst-hit areas.Flooding was expected to last for days and two severe flood warnings, signalling danger to life, were later issued for Retford in Nottinghamshire. Continue reading...
China's Jingye Group said to be considering move as part of switch to using greener electric arc furnacesBritish Steel's Chinese owner is preparing to cut as many as 2,000 jobs as it battles losses believed to be running at 30m a month, according to reports.The potential cuts, which amount to almost half of the Scunthorpe-based firm's 4,500 workforce, are part of a switch to greener steel production using electric arc furnaces instead of polluting blast furnaces, which use coke to melt iron ore. Continue reading...
Update on condition of Armita Geravand, 16, could revive protests that followed death last year of Mahsa AminiAn Iranian teenager who fell into a coma this month after an alleged encounter with officers over violating the country's hijab law is said to be brain dead, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.Follow-ups on the latest health condition of Armita Geravand indicate that her health condition as brain dead seems certain despite the efforts of the medical staff," the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network said. Continue reading...
Met police say no offence took place but immigration minister says chanting was completely reprehensible'People chanting jihad" on the streets of London are inciting terrorist violence and should be tackled with the full force of the law, Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, has said.Jenrick's comments appear to be at odds with the position of the Metropolitan police, which suggested this weekend that officers did not consider it to be against the law. Continue reading...
by Emma Graham-Harrison, Julian Borger and Ruth Micha on (#6FRY1)
Israel's dilemma is that destroying Hamas would leave a power vacuumFor two weeks Israel has pounded Gaza with missiles, as it gathers tanks and troops for a ground invasion with one stated goal, to destroy Hamas.It is a deceptively simple target, one which sounds urgent and necessary to many in a nation profoundly traumatised by the massacres of 7 October, hoping to reclaim their sense of security, and a military determined to restore its damaged authority. Continue reading...
Successor to the Brexit party is gaining support in red wall seats, senior Conservatives warn as they demand more radical policiesConservative MPs are warning that their party risks being wiped out in the red wall by an emerging threat on its right flank, amid alarm after two disastrous byelection losses.The right of the party is seizing on the dire results in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth - two supposedly safe Tory seats - to demand a harder line on immigration and tax cuts designed to nullify the threat posed by Reform UK, the successor to the Brexit party. Continue reading...
Pubs in south-west London, where many of the UK's 200,000-plus South Africans live, are hosting viewing partiesExcited fans of England and South Africa are gathering in bars, pubs and community centres around the UK to watch the tense Rugby World Cup semi-final between the two nations.England secured their spot in the final four after overcoming Fiji 30-24 in a close-run quarter-final in Marseille, while South Africa narrowly defeated the hosts - and erstwhile favourites - France last weekend, 29-28. Continue reading...
Georgia Harrison says she has had conversations with a couple of Labour MPs' about standing in EssexThe former Love Island contestant Georgia Harrison has said she has had serious conversations with a couple of Labour MPs" about representing an Essex constituency.The Only Way Is Essex star, 28, has in recent years become a campaigner on tackling violence against women and girls following a revenge pornography court case. Continue reading...
Police say car carrying six people crashed into wall in village of Shelf, near Halifax, on Friday nightA 19-year-old man has died and an 18-year-old man was critically injured after a car carrying six people crashed into a wall in Calderdale, West Yorkshire.Police were called to reports of a crash on Brow Lane in Shelf at 11.17pm on Friday. Continue reading...
Noam Alon, whose partner Inbar Haiman was abducted by Hamas in the October 7 attack in Israel, is calling on international leaders to make the safe return of hostages their priorityTwo weeks on, Noam Alon still isn't ready to watch the video that shows his girlfriend, Inbar Haiman, being dragged towards Gaza as a hostage.My parents prefer that I don't see it," says the 24-year-old art student. They've described every bit of it to me - and they haven't made it any better or worse than it really is - but I still haven't watched it. I don't want it scarred in my mind. I'm trying to keep my mind as positive as I can and to do everything I can to bring her back." Continue reading...
by Adam Fulton and (earlier) Léonie Chao-Fong, Richa on (#6FQBH)
White House says US president was only commenting on whether he wanted to see more hostages released; schools told to evacuate are in Gaza City close to the Al-Ahli Baptist hospital. This blog is now closed
Tories may also reduce stamp duty in bid to win back voters and reduce pressure on PM, reports sayRishi Sunak is considering a tax cut for the 5 million highest earners and reducing stamp duty in an attempt to ease the pressure on his leadership after two historic byelection defeats, it has been reported.The Conservatives may raise the 40% income tax threshold after Labour's victory in Mid Bedfordshire, Nadine Dorries' former seat. It was the largest majority to be overturned at a byelection. Continue reading...
Moscow using spy network, state-run media and social media to shake confidence in democracy, report sent to 100 countries claimsRussia is using its spy network, state-run media and social media to undermine public trust in elections around the world, according to a US intelligence report that has been shared with about 100 countries.Russia is focused on carrying out operations to degrade public confidence in election integrity," said the report released on Friday, citing findings from the US intelligence community. Continue reading...
Vincent Van Quickenborne stands down after it emerged Islamic extremist had been denied asylum and was sought for extraditionBelgium's justice minister has resigned after it emerged that the Islamic extremist who shot dead two Swedes in Brussels this week had been denied asylum and was sought for extradition by Tunisia.Justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said late on Friday that he and other officials had been searching for details to understand how Abdesalem Lassoued had disappeared off the map two years ago after being denied asylum. Continue reading...
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