Co-defendant says Girl X carved boyfriend's name into her arm and used to joke about dead babies'The 16-year-old girl accused of murdering Brianna Ghey carved her boyfriend's name into her arm and once claimed to be a satanist, a jury has heard.Her co-defendant, a 16-year-old boy known as Y to protect his identity, told police he saw the girl, known as X, stabbing Brianna in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington on 11 February, Manchester crown court heard. Continue reading...
Deal is thought to value the owner of the Balmoral and Brown's hotels at about 1.2bnSir Rocco Forte has agreed to sell 49% of his family's luxury hotel chain to Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.Rocco Forte Hotels, which owns 14 upmarket hotels including Brown's in London and the Balmoral in Edinburgh, announced on Monday that it had agreed to sell almost half of the company to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in a deal that values the hotel group at about 1.2bn. Continue reading...
Dr Alastair Bush's not-so-hairbrained decision to keep his pandemic-grown locks comes good in AustraliaA British GP has been crowned the holder of mullet of the year in Australia for the curls he grew during Covid lockdowns.Dr Alastair Bush's 30cm long light brown hair won for best international mullet at the annual Mulletfest competition in the small Australian town of Kurri Kurri, which attracts thousands of visitors. Continue reading...
East of country may fall to close to -50C, while Moscow has its third snowiest November this centuryTemperatures across large parts of Russia are expected to plummet in the second half of this week. A large area of high pressure will sit over a large portion of the west of the country, introducing arctic air to the region, and keeping temperatures well below the seasonal average.In Perm and Omsk, daytime temperatures are not forecast to rise above -25C later this week, which is about 20C below the seasonal norm. For the Perm region, this week is expected to be the coldest since 2016. Continue reading...
Calls grow for independent inquiry after the bank's internal watchdog found 21 cases of child sexual abuse by teaching staffThe World Bank has been accused of failing to prevent child abuse at a school chain it funded in Kenya.The bank's internal watchdog, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), found that the bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) had failed to satisfy its own environmental and social requirements before it started funding Bridge International Academies in 2014, and during its supervision of its investment in the project, which came to an end last year. Continue reading...
The band had a string of US and Canadian hits in the 1970s and 80s, including power ballad Just Between You and MeMyles Goodwyn, who fronted the popular Canadian classic rock band April Wine from its formation in 1969 until earlier this year, has died aged 75. His death was announced by his publicist, who did not give the cause but heralded Goodwyn's distinctive and immediately recognisable" voice and prolific songwriting.Goodwyn formed the band in Nova Scotia, after suffering the death of his mother to brain cancer as a boy alongside his two brothers. Four males living under the same roof, but there were never any hugs, never any communication," he later said of his home life. We were four lost souls roaming around that household. So I took to music. It was music that saved me." Continue reading...
Hong Kong court gives property developer until 29 January to formulate deal for creditorsThe property developer Evergrande has been granted an extension until late January to try to restructure its debts and avoid liquidation in one of the most high-profile cases in China's long-running property crisis.Evergrande was once China's biggest property developer, but a default on offshore debt obligations in 2021 started a lurch from one crisis to another. It has reported debts of more than $300bn (237bn), much of it to individuals whose properties were never built. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6GW5Q)
Imminent announcement likely to signal further cuts to broadcaster's staffing and programmesThe BBC will receive a below-inflation increase to the licence fee, the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, has effectively confirmedafter Rishi Sunak said he welcomed cuts made by the corporation to its spending and services.The 159 annual fee has been frozen for two years, and if it were to increase in line with inflation it would go up by about 15. During an interview round on Monday, Frazer said this was extremely unlikely to happen. Continue reading...
Rescuers say dozens of hikers were on the volcano when it erupted on Sunday, with three found alive and at least 12 missingIndonesian rescuers have found the bodies of 11 climbers after the eruption of the Mount Merapi volcano in West Sumatra.A rescue official said three people were found alive on the volcano and at least 12 climbers were still missing. Another official put the number of missing at 22. Continue reading...
Author blamed literary success of the fictional detective for his highbrow historical novels lying unread'Arthur Conan Doyle secretly hated his creation Sherlock Holmes and blamed the cerebral detective character for denying him recognition as the author of highbrow historical fiction, according to the historian Lucy Worsley.Doyle was catapulted from obscurity to worldwide fame" after his crime stories began appearing in a magazine in 1891, Worsley writes in the Radio Times. Eleven years later he was awarded a knighthood. Continue reading...
Committee criticises NHS inaction as minority ethnic patients less likely to find right blood or organ matchNHS inaction" for more than a decade is causing unnecessary deaths of black, Asian and minority ethnic transplant patients, a report by MPs has concluded.An inquiry into organ donation in the UK found that minority ethnic and mixed heritage people faced a double whammy of inequity": they are more likely to need donors, because they are disproportionately affected by conditions such as sickle cell and kidney disease, and they are less likely to find the right blood, stem cell or organ match on donor registers. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6GW2T)
John O'Connor says he was devastated to find out he had lower chance of finding a match due to his ethnicityDuring a trip to the US in 2016, John O'Connor's face became swollen and he initially thought he had been bitten. The side of my neck where the lymph nodes are were basically like a golf ball," he said.When he returned to the UK, the condition of his skin began to deteriorate, leading O'Connor to be misdiagnosed as having eczema and psoriasis. It was only after seven years of sustained efforts to try to find out what was happening, suspecting that it could be leukaemia, that he and his wife were able to find some answers. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspon on (#6GW2S)
Ahmed Marcouch, directly targeted by Geert Wilders during his career, grapples with how best to heal country's woundsSoon after news broke that the populist Geert Wilders and his anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) had won the most votes of any party in the Dutch elections, Ahmed Marcouch found himself comforting his distraught eight-year-old.Earlier in the day, a teacher at his son's school had explained the election results, discussing the wide differences between parties. Now Marcouch's son was terrified that the family would have to leave the country. Continue reading...
Countries at loggerheads over access to fishing grounds in north Atlantic since Brexit referendum in 2016Irish fisheries leaders have warned of fresh conflicts with Scotland over fishing rights around the north Atlantic islet of Rockall as evidence emerged about the roots of the long-running sovereignty dispute.Scotland and Ireland have been at loggerheads over access to fishing grounds within 12 nautical miles of Rockall since the Brexit referendum in 2016, which signalled an end to the UK's membership of the common fisheries policy. Continue reading...
by Helen Livingstone (now); Maya Yang, Martin Belam, on (#6GVMN)
This blog has now closed. You can read our full report on the latest developments hereAl Jazeera is carrying a quote from Unicef's global spokesperson, James Elder, who had this to say about conditions inside al-Nassar hospital in Khan Younis:Everywhere you turn to, there are children with third-degree burns, shrapnel wounds, brain injuries and broken bones. Mothers crying over children who look as if they are hours away from death. It seems like a death zone right now.The UKTMO has received a report of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) activity including a potential explosion in the vicinity of the Bab el Mandeb originating from the direction of Yemen.Vessels in the vicinity are advised to follow industry guidance on loitering munitions and advised to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO. Continue reading...
Under proposed scheme, an application could be made about a person convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence punishable by seven or more years in prison. But is it legal?
US military says the destroyer Carney shot down three drones as US Central Command says they believe attacks fully enabled by Iran'Three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters in the southern Red Sea, the US military said on Sunday, as Yemen's Houthi group claimed drone and missile attacks on two Israeli vessels in the area.Today there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea," the statement from the US Central Command reads. We have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran." Continue reading...
EU and UK carmakers have secured just 16% of lithium, cobalt and nickel needed to hit 2030 targets, says studyEuropean carmakers have secured less than a sixth of the key raw materials they will need by 2030 to make electric vehicle batteries, according to analysis that highlights the expected scramble for green-tech resources.Carmakers have secured contracts for 16% of the lithium, cobalt and nickel required to hit their 2030 electric car sales targets, according to public disclosures analysed by Transport & Environment (T&E), a Brussels-based campaign group. Continue reading...
Director behind Dunkirk, Inception and the Dark Knight trilogy awarded honour for pushing limits' of cinemaChristopher Nolan, the film director behind movies including Oppenheimer, Dunkirk and Interstellar, is to be awarded a BFI fellowship for constantly pushing the limits" of cinema.The honour, which is often awarded to actors and film-makers towards the end of their careers, will go to Nolan at what appears to be the peak of his. Continue reading...
Person finally passed at Worcestershire centre, says AA, spending 1,38o in processA learner driver failed the theory test 59 times before finally passing after spending 1,380 and taking 60 hours, the AA Driving School has said.The person, who has not been named, passed at a test centre in Redditch, Worcestershire, taking the record for the most attempts ever made in the UK. Continue reading...
Competition among sellers will increase as mortgage rates settle at elevated' level, website predictsAverage house prices in the UK will fall by 1% next year as competition increases among sellers, Britain's biggest property website has forecast.Sellers were likely to have to price more competitively to secure a buyer in 2024, while mortgage rates would settle down though remain elevated", said Rightmove. Continue reading...
Suspect detained after German-Filipino man killed and two - one British and one French - injured near Eiffel TowerA 26-year-old man suspected of killing a German-Filipino tourist and wounding two others near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Saturday night had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a video released online.The French anti-terrorism prosecutor, Jean-Francois Ricard, said the French suspect, named as Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, had recorded a video before committing the act", in which he spoke in Arabic, swore allegiance to Islamic State and supported its jihadists in different areas from Africa to Iraq, Syria and Pakistan. Continue reading...
Post-Thanksgiving box office is notoriously slow, but concert movie defied odds, opening in first place with $21m in ticket salesBeyonce ruled the box office this weekend.Her concert picture, Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, opened in first place with $21m in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#6GVK9)
North Wales, the West Midlands, northern England and parts of Scotland expected to be affectedParts of the UK are forecast to see further snow and ice which is expected to cause local travel disruption on Monday.The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning of snow for north Wales, the West Midlands and northern England from 6pm on Sunday to 12pm on Monday. A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is also in place for the central eastern half of Scotland until midday on Monday. Continue reading...
Presenters make comments in reaction to question asking if Rishi Sunak might be a potential future campmateI'm a Celebrity ... Get Me out of Here! presenters Ant and Dec have called for the reality programme to take a break from having politicians as contestants.Asked whether Rishi Sunak would be a potential future campmate, Dec said: I think we do a year without any politicians." Agreed, agreed, agreed," Ant responded. Continue reading...
Minister, MEP and wife of Labour leader Neil, Kinnock, who has died at 79, spoke out on issues from nuclear weapons to apartheidThe campaigner and politician Glenys Kinnock, who died on Sunday with Alzheimer's disease, was born into an activist family in 1944.Her parents - Cyril Parry, a trade unionist and railway signalman, and Doris Evans - were credited with instilling in their daughter a strong sense of social justice and a love of Wales. She was born in Northamptonshire, but soon afterwards the family moved back to their native Holyhead, where Glenys learned to speak Welsh. Continue reading...
Committee head says report of 15m being paid on top of 140m already spent shows total disregard' for parliamentary scrutinyMinisters are deliberately hiding the mounting costs of the Rwanda deportation scheme from the public, the head of an influential parliamentary watchdog has told the Guardian, as insiders expect a new deal with the African country to be signed off within days.Dame Diana Johnson, the chair of the home affairs select committee, said the government had total disregard" for parliament's rights to scrutinise the key immigration policy after a senior civil servant said that any extra costs on top of the 140m already paid to Rwanda would not be disclosed until the summer. Continue reading...
Police say explosion at Mindanao State University gymnasium in Marawi could be revenge by pro-Islamic State militantsPhilippine forces were on high alert after a bomb killed four people and wounded many more during a Catholic mass in a university gymnasium in the south of the country, an attack the authorities called Islamist terrorism.I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists," said the president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society." Continue reading...
by Charlie Moloney (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on (#6GVJ3)
Ukraine says Russian troops committed war crime as video appears to show two men surrendering before being shotThere it is, on a wintry morning: charred masonry, gnarled metal, glass shards, rubble and dust.Yet another ravaged building in Ukraine: each has its own story, and this violation is against Kherson's regional library for children, a place of effervescent creativity with a wonderful collection, named Dnipro Seagull library, after the birds that soar over the city's mighty river - a symbol of the region. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6GVPQ)
Family say she died in her sleep and her husband Neil, the former Labour leader, was with her in her final momentsGlenys Kinnock, the senior Labour politician and wife of the former leader Neil Kinnock, has died aged 79.In a statement on Sunday, her family said: It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Glenys Kinnock. Glenys died peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of Sunday morning at home in London. She was the beloved wife and life partner of Neil, the cherished mother of Steve and Rachel and an adored grandmother." Continue reading...
Members campaigning against men-only rule say numbers opposed to change had fallen due to revised legal adviseThe slow-moving campaign to force the Garrick, one of London's last remaining gentlemen's clubs, to admit women has notched a partial victory with an internal poll revealing that a majority of members are in favour of dropping the men-only rule.This is the second significant development in the space of a year in the remarkably languid battle for gender equality at the club, which counts among its members the former supreme court judges Lord Neuberger and Lord Sumption, actors Hugh Bonneville and Stephen Fry, and Michael Gove, a cabinet minister. Continue reading...
A growing number of people are discovering the joys of going to makers' markets, where the public buy directly from craftspeopleWhen product designer Ben Watson went to his first ever craft fair in October, he didn't have great expectations. I thought it would be akin to a car boot sale, with retirement-age couples having a nose around to fill their Sunday," he says.Watson is part of Green Grads, a scheme that supports makers using recycled or waste materials. So the University of Northumbria student had already had his elegant lamps made from discarded vape cases displayed at Heal's furniture store in London and at Grand Designs Live, Birmingham. A stall at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (GNCCF) at Victoria Baths, Manchester, didn't seem like a big deal. Safe to say I was surprised at the huge variety of attendees, most of whom engaged with makers throughout the day, creating a buzzing atmosphere," he says. Each stall offered something wholly unique, which made walking the halls of the fair a real journey of discovery, never quite sure what's around the corner." Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6GVPS)
Staff at Iceni Care Home say vulnerable residents were treated as if they were on a farm' to reduce workloadCare workers at a private care home forced dementia sufferers out of bed as early as 5am and woke them by blasting loud radio music to save money, whistleblowers have alleged.The management of Iceni Care Home in Swaffham, Norfolk, received repeated complaints about the practice this summer, as concerned staff said vulnerable residents were being treated as if they were on a farm" in order to reduce the workload on daycare staff. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6GVMP)
Labour leader risks wrath of his own party by hailing sense of mission' of former Conservative prime ministerKeir Starmer has praised Margaret Thatcher's sense of mission" as he makes a pitch for Conservative voters heading into the next election.The Labour leader picked Thatcher as one of three former prime ministers he wanted to emulate if he became prime minister, alongside his Labour predecessors Tony Blair and Clement Attlee. All three, he said had a drive and sense of purpose that defined their premiership. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6GVK8)
Health secretary, Victoria Atkins, urges doctors to settle with government over pay and conditionsRishi Sunak is in danger of missing his target to cut NHS waiting lists unless doctors drop plans to take industrial action over the coming months, the UK health secretary has warned.Victoria Atkins on Sunday urged doctors to come to an agreement with the government over pay and conditions, suggesting the prime minister's waiting list pledge would not be hit unless they do. Continue reading...
The Royal College of Nurses is demanding an improved pay offer after generous deal with consultantsRishi Sunak has been warned he faces the prospect of more strike action in the new year unless the government corrects" a decision to hand nurses one of the lowest pay rises in the public sector.Nursing leaders said it was an absolute disgrace" that their members had not been prioritised in the last year, adding that they would consider reballoting members over strikes if necessary once they had guided the NHS through winter. The warning follows a pay deal for NHS consultants that came on top of rise that was already larger than that offered to nurses. Continue reading...
Guyana considers poll on Essequibo by Nicolas Maduro's government a step toward annexationVenezuelans are voting in a referendum to supposedly decide the future of a large swath of neighbouring Guyana of which their government claims ownership, arguing the territory was stolen when a north-south border was drawn more than a century ago.Guyana considers the referendum a step toward annexation and the poll has its residents on edge. It asks Venezuelans whether they support establishing a state in the disputed territory known as Essequibo, granting citizenship to current and future area residents, and rejecting the jurisdiction of the United Nations' top court in settling the disagreement between the two South American countries. Continue reading...
Many have little or no income after the closure of crossings into Israel and restrictions on workers, according ILOHundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank have lost their jobs or had their salaries frozen after the Israeli authorities cancelled their work permits and imposed severe restrictions on crossings after the 7 October attacks.Approximately 182,000 Gaza residents who work in Israel and the settlements had their employment terminated, initial estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO) suggest, while about 24% of employment in the West Bank has also been lost - equivalent to 208,000 jobs - as a result of the Israel-Hamas war. Continue reading...
Survey found stores put foods high in fat, salt or sugar in prominent locations despite government regulationsSome supermarkets are flouting pester power" rules aimed at tackling childhood obesity, a new report has found.In a survey, Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) and Food Active found that about a quarter of the 25 stores they visited had put sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks or other so-called less healthy" foods in prominent parts of the shop, such as close to checkouts or in end-of-aisle displays. Continue reading...
The journalism foundation board did not say it would withdraw Seven's shortlisting for the 2023 scoop of the year award for Liam Bartlett's interview with Lehrmann
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