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...
Singer says on social media that she didn't mean to offend anyone' with her new tell-all book The Woman in MeBritney Spears has criticised press coverage of her upcoming memoir and played down any bad blood, stating that it is not her purpose to offend anyone".The singer's tell-all book The Woman in Me is released on 24 October and pre-release coverage has highlighted some of the book's bigger revelations, including the details of her relationship with Justin Timberlake and her conservatorship. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6FR1C)
Watchdog to investigate why child with water pistol was knocked off bike by armed police in HackneyThe family of the black boy rammed off his bike by police who mistook his water pistol for a real gun have won their fight to have an independent investigation into the incident.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) today reversed a decision it had made twice to let the Metropolitan police investigate the actions of its own officers. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker, Kiran Stacey and Ben Quinn on (#6FR1D)
Sunak appears safe but divisions widening on strategy, as MP bemoans lack of support in TamworthSenior Conservatives have dismissed the idea of any attempt to unseat Rishi Sunak, even after two disastrous byelection defeats, but warned that the prime minister might instead be facing the equally grim prospect of a party on the verge of giving up.One Tory MP who campaigned in Tamworth, where the Conservatives lost to Labour by just 1,300 votes, said they were dismayed at the lack of top-level support, with one cabinet minister calling off a campaign trip the day they were meant to arrive. Continue reading...
by Kevin Rawlinson and Sammy Gecsoyler on (#6FR1E)
On the streets of Labour's new constituencies, there was anti-Tory feeling - but also much apathyIt was a stunning pair of victories - and among the most damaging byelection nights any government has suffered in living memory, according to the celebrated psephologist John Curtice.The question in the newly minted Labour constituencies of Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth the morning after was whether the opposition party can repeat the success at a general election. Continue reading...
Labour wins Tamworth with swing of 23.9 percentage points from Tories, then Mid Bedfordshire in largest ever turnaround of majority in UK byelectionProf Sir John Curtice told the Today programme that there were two points in this parliament when Tory support rapidly switched to Labour: when the first Partygate revelations came out, and Liz Truss's mini-budget. He said you could reasonably argue" that those two events were more important in explaining why Labour is now doing so well than Keir Starmer's changes to the Labour party. But if Starmer had not changed Labour, then the party might not have benefited to the extent it has, he said.Curtice ended his interview with a big what if?'Let us say those Partygate happenings had never happened, or at least we had never heard of them. And as a result Boris Johnson was still in 10 Downing Street today. Would Labour be doing as well in the polls as they are at present?These were always going to be challenging by-elections and the rule of thumb is that governments don't win them. We have seen little to no enthusiasm for Sir Keir Starmer who voters can see stands for nothing and always puts short term political gain first.The truth is these were not ordinary government losses. The swing in Tamworth, at just below 24%, is the second biggest swing from Conservative to Labour in postwar electoral history. And at just over 20% the swing in Mid Bedfordshire is also in the top 10.No government has previously lost to the principal opposition party a seat as safe as Tamworth. You have to go back to 1977 and the Ashfield byelection to find an equivalent.You can argue maybe there isn't as much enthusiasm for Labour as there is discontent with the conservatives. But, nevertheless, when Labour have been challenged, they still managed to win that challenge. Continue reading...
PM's much-criticised Future Fund, set up during the pandemic, gave 2m to companies co-owned by Akshata MurtyLabour has written to the standards watchdog to ask whether Rishi Sunak should have declared that companies co-owned by his wife were given 2m through his government scheme to help startups in the pandemic.Lucy Powell, the shadow leader of the House of Commons, wrote to the commissioner for standards to ask whether they should have been declared in parliamentary proceedings, after the Guardian reported that four companies linked to Akshata Murty had received investments from the Future Fund. Continue reading...
Sixth formers said tests displayed incorrect questions, repeatedly crashed or failed to record answersOxford University says it will not use results from its botched online admissions tests to award places on next year's English courses, after students and schools across the UK described multiple crashes, freezes and other frustrations using the new system.Sixth formers applying to Oxford said the online tests being used for the first time were plagued with difficulties, displaying incorrect questions and repeatedly crashing or failing to record answers, raising concerns it would damage their chances of admission as undergraduates. Continue reading...
After the voice referendum, John Pesutto appears non-committal on treaty - but it's unclear whether an about-face will be well-received in the Massachusetts of Australia'
Celebrated actor was nominated for multiple Olivier awards in her theatrical roles and best known for Drop the Dead Donkey and The Windsors on TVThe actor Haydn Gwynne has died of cancer at the age of 66. In a statement on Friday, her agent said that Gwynne had died in hospital surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends. We would like to thank the staff and teams at the Royal Marsden and Brompton hospitals for their wonderful care over the last few weeks."Gwynne, who played the sardonic assistant editor Alex Pates in Channel 4's newsroom satire Drop the Dead Donkey, had a celebrated career on stage. She received Olivier and Tony award nominations as the dance teacher in Billy Elliot the Musical (in London and New York) and three other Olivier nominations for the musical productions City of Angels, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (based on Pedro Almodovar's film) and The Threepenny Opera. Continue reading...
Actor says she hopes her children will feel free to pursue exactly what they want to do'Gwyneth Paltrow has hit out at the term nepo baby", calling it an ugly moniker" and saying children of famous people should not be judged negatively.Short for nepotism baby, the term refers to the children of celebrities who have succeeded in careers similar to those of their parents. Continue reading...
Despite being nowhere to be seen over a month of fashion shows, designer was name on everyone's lipsThe most talked about designer of this season did not have a fashion show at all. She was nowhere to be seen over a month of shows in New York, London, Paris or Milan. Yet despite not having made a single coat, dress or shirt for six years, and never once posting on Instagram, Phoebe Philo was the name on everyone's lips on every front row.Finally, on the last weekend of Paris fashion week, Philo made a fashionably late entrance, announcing that she would make her long-awaited return on 30 October. Continue reading...
Seat used during state opening of parliament takes centre stage in exhibition about royal powerThe Dutch throne has been moved for the first time from the 13th-century Ridderzaal in The Hague to be displayed in an exhibition, as the Netherlands' monarchy seeks to further open up to the public amid growing republican sentiment.The wooden chair, upholstered in red velvet, takes centre stage in the Power of the Throne exhibition at Paleis Het Loo, a summer retreat for the House of Orange-Nassau that continued to be used deep into the 20th century. Continue reading...
by Angelique Chrisafis in Sarcelles, Ashifa Kassam, K on (#6FQMP)
Protection of Jewish sites increased in towns and cities across continent after outbreak of war between Israel and HamasIn the usually bustling Little Jerusalem" area of Sarcelles, north of Paris, the popular falafel and grill restaurant was eerily quiet. People are not going out," said Jeremy, the 33-year-old restaurant owner.Lunchtime and evening crowds are common in one of the largest Jewish communities on the Paris outskirts. But many thought it wiser to stay home, fearing a growing number of antisemitic incidents in France and across Europe since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October and the ensuing bombardment of Gaza. Continue reading...
TV journalist Andrea Giambruno was recorded making suggestive comments towards a female colleagueItaly's far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has split from her partner, Andrea Giambruno, a television journalist who has made several embarrassing, sexist comments.My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost 10 years, ends here," Meloni wrote on social media, two days after two off-air recordings emerged of Giambruno, a presenter on Mediaset's news talkshow Diario Del Giorno, making foul remarks and suggestive comments towards a female colleague. Continue reading...
by Gaurav Pokharel in Kathmandu and Hannah Ellis-Pete on (#6FQMB)
Ten Nepali students died at kibbutz, leaving families for whom they were breadwinners bereftDhanbahadur Chaudhari now dreams of rivers of blood. Though he returned home to Nepal this week, flashes of the scenes he left behind in Israel won't leave him alone, and for days he has barely been able to sleep.Chaudhari, 25, was among almost 50 students from Nepal who were staying on a kibbutz in Alumim, the border area between Israel and Gaza, when it came under attack from Hamas militants on 7 October. Since the conflict broke out that day, at least 4,200 people have died in Israel and Palestine. Continue reading...
Actor Kulvinder Ghir speaks of cultural value of British Asian screenplays, especially history seriesKulvinder Ghir, one of the stars of the award-winning Goodness Gracious Me, has said more needs to be done to improve Asian representation on television and in film, 25 years on from the comedy show's first broadcast.The BBC sketch show, which aired between 1998 and 2001, is seen as having been instrumental in changing perceptions of the south Asian community in the UK, challenging racism and paving the way for its stars, who included Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia. Continue reading...
Former refugee says scheme could help people with family connections to Britain and those in need of medical aidAlf Dubs, the veteran Labour peer and former child refugee, has called for the creation of a resettlement scheme for Palestinians with family connections to Britain and those in need of medical aid.The peer, who came to Britain from Austria as a child fleeing the Nazis, also spoke of his concerns about rising antisemitism and Islamophobia against the backdrop of the crisis in Israel and Gaza. Continue reading...
Fighting intensifies in South Kordofan state and also threatens Gezira state, to where hundreds of thousands of people have fledFighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has spread south of Khartoum towards Gezira state, endangering the lives of thousands of people who have fled there from the capital.The conflict is also intensifying in , where a large rebel force, the SPLMN, that mobilised in June, has been relentlessly attacking army barracks, and in Darfur, where Arab militias backed by or affiliated to the RSF have been accused of conducting a brutal campaign of ethnic violence. Continue reading...
Czech PM calls on western capitals not to fall for Russian leader's tactic to break European unityEuropean leaders must not fall" for the tactics of Vladimir Putin, the Czech president, Petr Pavel, has said, two days after Hungary's prime minister shook hands with Russia's leader.Viktor Orban, in a rare move for the leader of a country that belongs to the EU and Nato, met Putin in Beijing on Tuesday for what the Hungarian leader's office described as a discussion on energy cooperation and peace. Continue reading...
Pentagon report also says Beijing is intensifying pressure on neighbours to push back on US efforts to contain itA Pentagon report on China's military power says Beijing is exceeding previous projections of how quickly it is building up its nuclear weapons arsenal and is almost certainly" learning lessons from Russia's war in Ukraine about what a conflict over Taiwan might look like.The report released on Thursday also warns that China may be pursuing a new intercontinental missile system using conventional arms that, if fielded, would allow Beijing to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska." Continue reading...
Spokesman for musician says allegations are baseless and absurd' and Elfman will vigorously defend these claims in court'A second woman has filed a lawsuit against the award-winning composer Danny Elfman, accusing him of taking advantage of his power in the industry to strip naked in front of her on numerous occasions and masturbate while she lay sleeping next to him.The suit, filed in Los Angeles superior court on Wednesday, comes three months after it was revealed that Elfman was previously accused of similar behavior in a different lawsuit and agreed to pay $830,000 in compensation under a legal settlement. Continue reading...
MPs overwhelmingly back move in initial vote, despite church claim it has cut ties with MoscowThe Ukrainian parliament gave initial approval on Thursday to a law that would ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church after Kyiv accused it of collaborating with Russia following last year's invasion.The UOC, which says it no longer aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, denies the charges levelled at it by Kyiv and said the draft law would be unconstitutional. Continue reading...
Apra Amcos boss calls for tax incentives to revive the sector, after report reveals number of venues for small to medium gigs shrank by a third over three years
Sag-Aftra's advice is to eschew characters played by real people and instead take inspiration from animated TV shows not in its remitSpiders are in but Spider-Man is out, after the US actors' union Sag-Aftra warned its members that dressing up as their favourite film or television characters this Halloween could break strike rules.Now into its fourth month, the actors' strike shows no sign of resolution, after talks broke down again between Sag-Aftra and the body representing studios, networks and streaming services, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), on 11 October. Continue reading...
by Helen Sullivan (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Gloria Ol on (#6FPFY)
This blog is now closed. You can find the latest updates here.Egypt and Jordan flank Israel on opposite sides and share borders with Gaza and the occupied West Bank, respectively. Both have have been reticent to allow displaced Palestinians in.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi made his toughest remarks yet on Wednesday, saying the current war was not just aimed at fighting Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, but also an attempt to push the civilian inhabitants to ... migrate to Egypt." He warned this could wreck peace in the region. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6FQBK)
Budgets under pressure like never before' due to inflation and rising demand for social care, with deep cuts to services likelyMany more councils in England are at risk of bankruptcy, town hall leaders have warned, as unprecedented financial pressures force local authorities to prepare drastic cuts to services to cope with a collective 4bn deficit.The bleak message, set out in a letter to the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said council budgets were under pressure like never before" because of the rapid deterioration in their finances caused by inflation and soaring demand for social care. Continue reading...
Country forced to reduce diplomatic presence amid tensions over Sikh separatist killing and says it will not take retaliatory stepsCanada has withdrawn 41 diplomats from India amid a dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist, announced foreign minister Melanie Joly, adding that Ottawa would not take retaliatory steps.New Delhi last month asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence after prime minister Justin Trudeau said there was credible evidence of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder in June of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, who was shot outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia. Continue reading...
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