by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6GBSC)
Families resorting to desperate measures' and struggling with frightening' level of hardship amid cost of living crisisAbout 2m UK households have been forced to turn off their fridge or freezer to save money as they continue to struggle with what poverty campaigners called a frightening" level of hardship.Nearly half of those households said that since May they had to disconnect their fridge or freezer for the first time, a sign the cost of living crisis was still hurting low-income families, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) charity. Continue reading...
Rishi Sunak's decision to bring a more moderate figure to his cabinet and oust Suella Braverman is viewed as likely to set up a clash with the Tory rightThe return of former PM David Cameron to government as foreign secretary has evoked surprise for many, shock for some, and anger among MPs on the right of the Tory party. The British papers reflect the full spectrum of reactions.The Guardian says: Cameron's shock return in high-stakes reshuffle", noting that the political comeback for the now Lord Cameron marks a return to a more centrist team for Rishi Sunak, particularly given the sacking of Suella Braverman as home secretary. Continue reading...
Incoming PM Christopher Luxon must bring together the libertarian Act party and populist New Zealand First, parties that have major differencesOne month on from New Zealand's general election, the country is still waiting for three parties to reach an agreement on the makeup of the next coalition government.On 14 October, the conservative National Party beat the current centre-left Labour party government, winning a razor-thin majority to govern in a coalition with the ring-wing Act Party. That majority disappeared once additional voting results were announced three weeks later, forcing National to rely on a third party, the nationalist New Zealand First, to reach the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.This story was amended on 14 November to correct the date of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi Continue reading...
by Helen Livingstone (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Richar on (#6GAVD)
This blog has closed. You can see all our Israel-Hamas war coverage here and see our latest full report on the conflict hereIn case you missed this earlier, hundreds of patients were trapped and thousands of people sought shelter around Gaza's largest hospital on Monday, as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters battled near the compound.On Sunday, witnesses at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City told AFP that violent fighting" raged throughout the night. Continue reading...
WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis fruit puree recalled as reported symptoms include headache, vomiting and diarrheaUS health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children after at least 22 toddlers in 14 states were sickened by lead linked to tainted pouches of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce.Children ages one to three were affected, and at least one child showed a blood lead level eight times higher than the level that raises concern, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Continue reading...
Regulator says access to DNA testing and genetic matching already allows identification without formally applying for details at age 18People who donate sperm, eggs and embryos to help others have children will lose the right to anonymity from the moment the child is born, under proposed changes to UK fertility law.Existing rules around IVF treatment state that children conceived from donor tissues can apply for details that identify their biological parents only once they reach the age of 18. Continue reading...
Authorities look into Jesus Ociel Baena's cause of death as activists urge full investigation into gender identity-related threatsMexico's first openly non-binary magistrate and a prominent LGBTQ+ activist has been found dead at home in the central state of Aguascalientes.Jesus Ociel Baena, who used they/them pronouns, was celebrated across Latin America for their work to advance the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Continue reading...
The academic was abducted in Baghdad nearly nine months ago and had not been heard from sinceAn Iraqi network has broadcast a video showing a kidnapped Israeli-Russian academic, in the first sign of life from Elizabeth Tsurkov since her abduction in Baghdad nearly nine months ago.Israeli authorities revealed in July that Tsurkov had been kidnapped, blaming pro-Iranian militants after she had gone missing in Iraq in late March. Continue reading...
Staff say they fear rising numbers of deaths at hospital on third day without power, and with shooting and bombing outsideDozens of corpses lay on the courtyard outside Gaza's largest hospital, covering the ground next to a blue refrigerated truck that had long ceased to be able to keep the bodies cool. Most of the bodies were shrouded in colourful blankets originally meant for the living, after the hospital ran out of white bodybags. A severely burnt arm protruded from one of the blankets. Elsewhere, according to video footage seen by the Guardian, the charred body of a child was visible among the soft folds of the material.We are under siege," said Munir al-Boursh, a doctor who is also a Palestinian health ministry undersecretary, speaking from inside Dar al-Shifa hospital. The hospital had intended to dig a mass grave, until Israeli tanks and snipers encircled the the complex on Friday, making movement around it impossible. Continue reading...
Presidential candidate calls former UK prime minister one of the great leaders in the history of humanity' during debateArgentina's libertarian presidential candidate Javier Milei has been pilloried by veterans of the Falklands war after he praised Margaret Thatcher as one of the great leaders in the history of humanity" during the final electoral debate before next Sunday's election.Milei - a self-described anarcho-capitalist - has frequently expressed admiration for Thatcher's free-market policies. But she is still reviled in Argentina for ordering the sinking of the General Belgrano cruiser, killing 323 people on board, during the 1982 war with the UK over the Falkland islands, which Argentina claims as Islas Malvinas. Continue reading...
Shadow chancellor also backs planning changes and industrial strategy, but no unfunded tax cuts'Rachel Reeves is proposing to shake up Britain's pension system as part of a three-pronged plan aimed at boosting the economy's sluggish growth rate if Labour wins the next election.The , wants more of the money saved for retirement schemes to find its way into support for expanding UK businesses, and says her reforms could increase the size of the average pension pot by up to 37,000. Continue reading...
Officials launch investigation after separatist leader posts video warning Sikhs against flying with airline on 19 NovemberCanadian officials and the Royal Canadian Mounted police are investigating alleged threats" against Air India after a separatist leader warned Sikhs against flying with the airline on 19 November.The US-based activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun posted a video last week in which he called for a boycott of India's flagship carrier. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6GB4V)
Whistleblower claims hospital director colluded with online intermediaries' to sell birth certificates for about 10,750Six people have been arrested in central China's Hubei province over alleged involvement in a baby-trafficking ring linked to a hospital in one of the province's biggest cities.The allegations about Xiangyang Jianqiao hospital first came to light on 6 November via a Weibo user by the name of Shangguan Zhengyi, who describes himself as an anti-trafficking volunteer". Shangguan posted a series of claims about the hospital's director, Ye Youzhi, whom he accused of colluding with online intermediaries" to sell birth certificates for 96,000 yuan (10,750). Continue reading...
Underlying profits, however, up 3.4% to 142m in half year to end of September, driven by higher market rentsSoaring rental rates and increasing demand for office and retail space have boosted profits at the property company British Land, but rising interest rates slashed almost 200m off the value of its portfolio.British Land, which owns sites including the Broadgate Centre in the City of London and the Paddington Central development, reported a 3.4% rise in underlying profits to 142m in the half year to the end of September. Continue reading...
Group famous for house-to-house visits is to open franchises as it also expands deal with SuperdrugAvon, the beauty company famous for building a global business by making house-to-house visits, is to open its first physical UK stores in its 137-year history.The company, which was founded in New York in 1886 by the travelling book salesman David H McConnell, has had to strategically rethink its business model after its 5 million door-to-door sales representatives had to stop making Avon house calls during the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#6GB1H)
Exclusive: Peter Wright calls for reform of private rented sector to address serious systemic failings'A loophole allowing landlords to rent out squalid homes is contributing to shameful" conditions of the type seen nearly a century ago, the head of England's environmental health chiefs has said.Peter Wright called for wholesale reform of how the private rented sector is regulated to address serious systemic failings" that leave tenants at the mercy of rogue landlords. Continue reading...
Change of tack sees government treading fine line between being more business friendly' and defending national interestThe UK government is looking to roll back powers to intervene in company takeovers less than two years after they were introduced, in an attempt to be more business friendly".Oliver Dowden said the government will review measures narrowing and refining" the National Security and Investment Act, which only entered into force in January 2022, and allowed much greater scrutiny of foreign investments in British companies. Continue reading...
Former senator was arrested after launching inquiry into ex-president's brutal war on drugs, now an ICC investigationThe most prominent critic of the former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's so-called war on drugs" has been granted bail, after more than six years in jail on what rights groups condemned as trumped-up charges.Leila de Lima, 64, a former senator and human rights commissioner, emerged from court on Monday to cheers from supporters, who chanted Justice" and Leila will soon be free". Continue reading...
Travel site Trivago says UK destinations are dominating Britons' hotel bookings in the latter half of 2024Blackpool is more popular than Benidorm for British holidaymakers booking trips away next year as soaring air fares lead people to opt for stayactions, according to accommodation search website Trivago.The group's chief executive, Johannes Thomas, said UK hotel bookings in the third and fourth quarters of 2024 are dominated by domestic destinations. Continue reading...
Entrance to Silkyara tunnel collapsed in early hours of Sunday with dozens of workers insideA huge operation is under way to rescue 40 construction workers trapped after a tunnel partially collapsed in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.The entrance to the Silkyara tunnel, which was under construction as part of a road project in Uttarkashi district, collapsed in the early hours of Sunday morning while dozens of workers were inside. Continue reading...
Heavy rain and gale-force winds moving from Ireland towards north-west England, Wales and ScotlandAn amber weather warning is in place for parts of north-west England on Monday as Storm Debi hits the UK, bringing heavy rain and severe gale-force winds - while much of the Republic of Ireland is covered by red and orange wind warnings until mid-morning.The alert for England is active from 10am until 4pm and has been issued for areas north of Liverpool up to Whitehaven and west to areas that include Blackpool. The Met Office has warned people should be wary of solid and disruptive winds with the possibility of flying debris. Damage to buildings and structures is likely and heavy items such as tiles blown from roofs may present a potential danger to life. Continue reading...