Casey Bloys responds to report alleging he used employees to respond to critics under fake accounts, calling it a dumb idea'The HBO CEO and chairman, Casey Bloys, has apologised for tasking employees with creating fake Twitter accounts to attack TV critics.Bloys was responding to a bombshell Rolling Stone report that referenced alleged text messages between himself and Kathleen McCaffrey, HBO's senior vice-president of drama programming. In six conversations, the pair discussed a secret army" that could respond to TV critics who gave HBO shows a negative review. Continue reading...
Lt Col Salman Habaka was among first Israeli troops to arrive in Israel's south after attack on 7 OctoberAn Israeli tank commander who was hailed as a hero for his actions during Hamas's attack on Be'eri kibbutz, the scene of one of the worst massacres on 7 October, has been killed while commanding his tank battalion in northern Gaza.Lt Col Salman Habaka, 33, a member of Israel's Druze minority, had rushed to Be'eri with his troops when news of the Hamas attack broke on the morning of 7 October, bringing two tanks to the kibbutz, which engaged members of the militant Islamist group in houses where they were hiding. Continue reading...
Rights groups repeat calls for apology while President William Ruto says much remains to be done to achieve full reparations'King Charles's expression of greatest sorrow and deepest regret" over colonial atrocities committed by British forces in Kenya has been criticised as a miss" in the east African country.Reactions to the king's statement were mixed, with the president, William Ruto, diplomatically welcoming Charles's courage and readiness to shed light on uncomfortable truths that reside in the darker regions of our shared experience", but calling Britain's colonial suppression of Kenya's freedom movement monstrous in its cruelty". Continue reading...
Judge accuses local authority of a lackadaisical' attitude to the 16-year-old's care after regulated providers refused to give him a placeA teenage boy who has been accused of multiple rapes was housed in Airbnbs by a local authority after regulated accommodation providers said it would be too risky for them to house him.Airbnbs and other temporary accommodation have been deployed because no secure placement can be found anywhere in England that is prepared to accommodate the child, who self-harms, makes weapons, assaults staff members, damages property and has been taken to hospital after expressing suicidal thoughts. He has been arrested on numerous occasions. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: More than 30 councillors have resigned from the party in protest against Starmer's position - here's why, in their own words Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Today, we're going to Bradford to meet city councillor and bus driver Taj Salam. He is one more than 30 Labour councillors who have resigned from the party in anger at Sir Keir Starmer's refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.They are part of a growing rebellion within the party over Starmer's refusal to publicly advocate for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Instead, he has called for humanitarian pauses" to allow the urgent alleviation of Palestinian suffering".Israel-Hamas war | Joe Biden has said there should be a pause" in the fighting in Gaza to enable the release of hostages, as Hamas said nearly 200 people had been killed in two days of Israeli airstrikes on the enclave's Jabalia refugee camp.AI | The UK, US, EU and China have all agreed that artificial intelligence poses a potentially catastrophic risk to humanity, in the first international declaration to deal with the fast-emerging technology.UK news | Northumbria police have said that two more people have been arrested over the deliberate felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland.Media | Noel Clarke's legal action against the Guardian has suffered a setback after a high court judge rejected his lawyers' arguments on the meaning of eight articles that he says unfairly defamed him.Covid-19 | The pandemic has caused sustained harm to the brain health of people aged 50 or over, rapidly speeding up cognitive decline regardless of whether or not they caught Covid, researchers have discovered. Continue reading...
Mahsa Yazdani convicted of blasphemy and insulting supreme leader' as Iran regime targets families of those killed in protestsA mother in Iran, whose son was reportedly killed after being shot repeatedly at close range by security forces, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by an Iranian court after she demanded justice for her child on social media.Mahsa Yazdani, whose 20-year-old son Mohammad Javad Zahedi was killed at an anti-regime protest in September 2022, was convicted on charges of blasphemy, incitement, insulting the supreme leader, and spreading anti-regime propaganda, according to human rights groups and family members. They say she will serve the first five years with no chance of parole. Continue reading...
Talks expected on Monday would be first since Obama administration and follow visit to Washington by Wang Yi, Chinese foreign ministerChina and the United States will reportedly discuss nuclear arms control next week, the first such talks since the Obama administration.The talks would be led on Monday by Mallory Stewart, a senior state department official, and Sun Xiaobo, the head of the arms control department at China's foreign ministry, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Australian government to grant federal circuit court and family court judges the same protections as other commonwealth judges under new legislationThe federal government is preparing to introduce reforms granting greater protections to inferior court judges after a landmark case in which a wrongfully imprisoned man successfully sued Salvatore Vasta.Vasta, a judge in the federal circuit court, was successfully sued this year by a man who he falsely imprisoned during a routine property dispute after a series of serious and fundamental errors" and gross and obvious irregularity of procedure". Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6G1ES)
West Midlands police investigate after animals released in two restaurants by people shouting slogans such as boycott Israel'A man has been arrested after boxes of live rodents were released at McDonald's restaurants in Birmingham, apparently as part of pro-Palestine protests.Police said they were investigating three separate incidents in the region where live rodents were thrown into the fast food venues, and were also seeking a second man, Billal Hussain, 30. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Craig Mokhiber, retiring UN official who criticised the body over its failure to protect civilians in Gaza, had been accused of bias in his social media
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#6G1WE)
Harassment and bullying flourished within the elite display team, enabled by a sense that the rules don't applyIt was intended to be a hard-hitting review into allegations of sexism, harassment and bullying in the elite Red Arrows display team. The inquiry was concerned that the squadron was not a safe environment" for women and said it was highly likely" women would be subject to unlawful harassment.The report makes a generalised list, ranging from unwanted physical contact" to unwanted texts of a sexual nature; unsought invitations to engage in sexual activity to a broader attitude of male sexual entitlement". But what comes shortly after is a classic case of overzealous Ministry of Defence secrecy. Continue reading...
Number of planning applications received and decided increases by 25% as City workforce growsDemand for office space continues to rise in the City of London despite the shift to hybrid working, with a mock-up revealing how the capital's financial district will look in 2030 with 11 extra towers due to be built.The image shows all of the big developments that are under construction, have been approved or resolved to be approved over the past year, a period in which the number of planning applications received and decided rose 25% compared with the previous 12 months. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6G1S0)
Exclusive: Group accuses programme of encouraging thought policing' and being incompatible with international human rightsAmnesty International has called for the abolition of the government's counter-extremism strategy Prevent, accusing it of severe human rights abuses and of encouraging a culture of thought policing".A report by the group said Prevent's legal duty on public sector workers, such as in schools and health, to report their suspicions was fundamentally incompatible" with international human rights obligations. Continue reading...
Sudden failure of voluntary group that hosted launch of Theresa May's anti-loneliness strategy was complete shock to staffA charity that hosted the launch of Theresa May's anti-loneliness strategy has gone bust, citing insurmountable" financial problems and warned that more voluntary organisations are set to follow it into insolvency in the coming months.The Cares Family, a group of charities that ran community projects tackling social isolation in London and the north-west of England, closed suddenly on Tuesday. It blamed the cost of living crisis, funding issues and a slew of other factors". Continue reading...
Decision on scheme run by British Business Bank pushes losses on to banks if borrowers fail to repayThe UK government has removed state guarantees from almost 1bn in Covid-19 emergency loans, pushing potential losses on to banks if borrowers fail to repay them.The taxpayer-owned British Business Bank (BBB), which runs the loan schemes, removed state guarantees from 10,786 loans worth a combined 979m up to 11 October, according to data released under freedom of information (FoI) laws. Continue reading...
This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereGert Jan Koopman, the head of the European Commission's directorate-general for neighbourhood and enlargement negotiations, has said Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress must continue" and in particular" on rule of law.The country should seize the momentum around enlargement & focus its efforts on the outstanding reforms", he added. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6G1NC)
Marta Kauffman and David Crane recall last conversations with sitcom actor who died on SaturdayThe creators of Friends have recalled their last conversations with Matthew Perry, saying he was in a really good place" shortly before he died.In a joint interview on CBS's Today show, Marta Kauffman and David Crane also discussed their shock at the news of Perry's death at the age of 54 on Saturday. Continue reading...
Workers had been braced for up to 3,000 job cuts and confirmation of the closure of two blast furnacesTata Steel has pulled an announcement that had been expected to detail steep job cuts at its Port Talbot steelworks, in a dramatic last-minute reprieve that has left workers in the dark over the plant's future.Workers had been braced for confirmation of the closures of the two blast furnaces after a board meeting on Wednesday. However, Tata communicated after the board meeting that it would not be releasing a statement on its plans. Continue reading...
Northumbria police arrest two men in relation to famous tree cut down in SeptemberTwo more people have been arrested over the deliberate felling of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland.Northumbria police said two men, both aged in their 30s, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Attendance in UAE confirmed a year after Truss government advised Charles not to attend Egypt eventKing Charles is to attend the opening ceremony of the Cop28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates, one year after he was advised by Liz Truss's government not to attend the Cop27 summit in Egypt.Charles will deliver the opening address at the world climate action summit, a gathering of global leaders at the start of Cop28, in his first major speech on the climate crisis since becoming monarch. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain gave evidence at Dorland House on Tuesday - what did they reveal? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Today we're headed to the Covid inquiry, which is increasingly revealing staggering - and foulmouthed (you've been warned) - insights into how Boris Johnson and his advisers handled the outbreak of the pandemic.Those who were once closest to the former prime minister have revealed Johnson was referred to as the trolley" by pretty much everyone" due to the inconsistency of his decision making and that he described coronavirus as just nature's way of dealing with old people".Israel-Hamas war | Israeli airstrikes destroyed apartment blocks and killed dozens of people at a refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to the Hamas regime, as the UN said the conflict had become a graveyard" for children.Transport | Plans to close railway station ticket offices in England have been scrapped in a government U-turn. The transport secretary, Mark Harper, said the government had asked train operators to withdraw their proposals" after a huge public backlash.AI | The Guardian has accused Microsoft of damaging its journalistic reputation by publishing an AI-generated poll speculating on the cause of a woman's death next to a Guardian article. The automated poll appeared next to a story about the death of Lilie James, a 21-year-old water polo coach who was found dead with serious head injuries at a school in Sydney last week. It asked: What do you think is the reason behind the woman's death?" Readers were then asked to choose from three options: murder, accident or suicide.Finance | Odey Asset Management is closing down, five months after allegations of sexual misconduct made by junior female members of staff against its founder Crispin Odey threw the hedge fund into turmoil.Weather | Forecasters have said Storm Ciaran poses a potential threat to life in southern England later this week, bringing gusts of wind likely to hit 80mph. Continue reading...
Letter signed by at least 330 councillors says refusal to back end to violence is harming communities'At least 330 Labour councillors have signed a letter urging Keir Starmer to back a ceasefire in Gaza, despite the Labour leader's attempts to reassure the party over the issue.The councillors, two-thirds of whom the Guardian understands are not Muslim, have criticised the party's refusal to back the policy, which they say is harming communities across the UK". Continue reading...
Some have waited years in Pakistan for Britain to fulfil its promises - and are now at risk of deportationFor a year after the fall of Kabul and the swift withdrawal of international allies from Afghanistan, Jawed* and his family were in hiding, evading the ruling Taliban as they counted the days waiting for relocation promises from the British government to be realised.But that didn't happen. To this day, two years and two months [later], we're still living in limbo," Jawed, a former English teacher for the British Council, said from a hotel in Islamabad. Continue reading...
Lead appellant's case concerned NT housing authority's failure to provide a door, while other Ltyentye Apurte residents complained of leaking sewage and unstable electricity
The Australian Institute of Architects' 2023 awards took a turn to sustainable designs that make the most of inner-city infrastructure and the environment
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