by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6JWG3)
Labour says government must come to the House of Commons to explain scheme that is a consequence of a lack of spaceA scheme that allows prisoners to be released early because of a lack of space has been extended for an undefined period".Leaked documents suggested the early release scheme - formally named the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) - has been expanded to more prisons for an extended time. Continue reading...
Isaac Herzog said haters try to drive us off every stage' as lyrics to October Rain scrutinised by organisersIsrael's president, Isaac Herzog, wants to ensure the country competes in the Eurovision song contest after the event's organisers said they were examining whether the lyrics sung by the Israeli contestant were too political.I think it's important for Israel to appear in Eurovision, and this is also a statement because there are haters who try to drive us off every stage," Herzog said on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported. Being smart is not just being right," he added. Continue reading...
by Yohannes Lowe (now) and Christine Kearney (earlier on (#6JWCQ)
US national security adviser says outline in place for proposal for temporary ceasefire in GazaAl Jazeera reports that six bodies have been recovered after Israeli bombing near the southern city of Khan Younis. The outlet writes:The bodies of six people have been recovered from the al-Satr area east of Khan Younis after overnight Israeli bombardment, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.This follows reports of intense Israeli artillery shelling in and around the southern city, with attack drones. Continue reading...
For the Tories he was a useful counterpart to the party's pinstripes and privilege brigade, but then he went too far. Or did he?Lee Anderson, the former miner turned MP for Ashfield, has caused more controversy in his four-and-a-bit years in parliament than most of the 2019 intake combined.Before he was even elected, Labour was calling for him to be sacked, after he suggested nuisance social housing tenants should be evicted into tents and made to pick vegetables. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6JWG1)
Members of Unite union reject UK regulator's offer and say it is failing to deal with salary shortfallStaff at the UK's financial regulator could be forced to rely on a hardship fund to make up for their objectively low pay", according to a union.Unite said a failure to address the salary shortfall at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) risked embarrassing the watchdog, whose workers supervise some of the country's largest banks and wealth managers. Continue reading...
Paris attraction was closed for six days after union criticised operator for seeking short-term profitability'The Eiffel Tower has reopened to visitors after a six-day strike by employees demanding changes to the landmark's business model and better maintenance of the 330m (1,083ft) structure, which is showing widespread traces of rust.The tower's operator said in a statement it had reached an agreement with unions under which parties will regularly monitor the company's business model, investment in works and revenue through a body that will meet every six months". Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6JWEP)
Move presents fresh challenge to speaker and Labour party after last week's chaotic scenes in parliamentThe Scottish National party will push for another vote on a Gaza ceasefire this week, creating a fresh challenge for the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, and the Labour party after last Wednesday's chaotic scenes in the Commons.Hoyle faced calls to quit after his decision to break with precedent and allow Labour to table a vote during an SNP debate calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which prompted a walkout by Conservative and Scottish Nationalist MPs. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6JWER)
Robert Buckland said comments by Lee Anderson about Sadiq Khan were repugnant' and crossed a line'Robert Buckland has launched a broadside against Lee Anderson, Suella Braverman and Liz Truss and said that any Conservative politician intent on stoking division had better get out and join another party".Buckland, the Tory MP for South Swindon and a former justice secretary, criticised his colleagues for dangerous" rhetoric in the past week. Continue reading...
Lawrence Morgan has convictions for firearms and drugs offences and has lived in the UK since he was sixA Jamaican man whose deportation was halted last November after passengers on a BA flight from Gatwick to Kingston protested when they witnessed him being restrained on board, is due to be deported on Sunday.Lawrence Morgan, 27, has convictions for serious firearms and drugs offences. During the Home Office's attempt to deport him last November, passengers on the flight protested after seeing him being restrained by escorts at the back of the plane. Continue reading...
Canada has one of the highest rates of euthanasia in the world, with 4.1% of deaths aided by doctors, but moves to make it more accessible are being questionedWhen Canada's justice minister announced plans to legalise medically assisted dying nearly a decade ago, she acknowledged the proposed law might prove divisive. For some, medical assistance in dying will be troubling," Jody Wilson-Raybould told reporters in 2016. For others, this legislation will not go far enough."A fresh delay in expanding the scope of who can access a medically assisted death has once again put a spotlight on the system, which critics and advocates agree is one of the most liberal in the world. But the two groups remain sharply divided on what that means for improving the quality of life - and death - in the country. Continue reading...
Britain's benefits system needs urgent reform, at a cost of 12bn, charities and experts warnLabour is being warned by a powerful alliance of thinktanks and charities that poverty will soar if it comes to power and then fails to spend many billions of pounds on welfare reform to help those struggling most with the cost of living.The Observer understands that shadow work and benefits secretary Liz Kendall met representatives of several organisations, including the centre-left IPPR thinktank which is influential in Labour's policy debate, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the independent Resolution Foundation, whose president is former Tory minister David Willetts, and Save the Children at a round table last week at which serious concerns were raised. Continue reading...
President Alexander Lukashenko's crackdown on dissent has continued as many forced into early votesPolls have opened in Belarus's tightly controlled parliamentary and local elections that are expected to cement the rule of the country's authoritarian leader, despite calls for a boycott from the opposition, which dismissed the balloting as a senseless farce".Alexander Lukashenko, the president who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for nearly 30 years, accuses the west of trying to use the vote to undermine his government and destabilise" the country of 9.5 million people. Continue reading...
UNRWA chief says humanitarian work in Gaza compromised after donors froze funds over alleged Hamas linksThe UN agency for Palestinian refugees has been forced to stretch every dollar" and juggle its finances in order to continue vital work in Gaza after 18 donor countries suspended funding over allegations of links to Hamas.The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is facing a shortfall of $450m from a budget of $880m as it confronts the biggest humanitarian crisis seen in the organisation's 75-year history. Continue reading...
Study by University of Oxford says prosecutions include children and victims of trafficking and tortureHundreds of people, including children and victims of trafficking and torture, have been convicted and jailed for arriving in the UK in small boats to claim asylum, according to a report.The prosecutions have largely slipped under the radar, although the issue has been highlighted by the case of the Senegalese teenager Ibrahima Bah. He was sentenced to nine years and six months detention after being convicted of four counts of manslaughter and one of facilitating a breach of immigration law after steering an overcrowded dinghy that got into difficulty, leading to the drowning of at least four people. Continue reading...
Disappointment in the candidates is palpable in the town, where people feel let down and neglected by the main partiesByelections are traditionally a chance for voters to lodge a protest vote. But when the people of Rochdale go to the polls on Thursday, they have barely anyone to protest against.The Labour and Green parties have ditched their candidates. The Conservative was abroad on a long-planned family holiday the week before polling day. The Lib Dem remains, but pulled out of the most high-profile political event, a local BBC radio debate. Continue reading...
Demonstration against Welsh Labour policy included No Farmers No Food campaign calling for end to climate measures, and Welsh Tory leaderRishi Sunak attended a protest alongside a group which has posted conspiracy theories about climate change, and which campaigns against net zero, the Observer can reveal.The prime minister has been accused of pandering to extremists" by farmers and wildlife groups, who have asked him to listen to reason and logic" rather than conspiracy theories. Continue reading...
Fears for impact on NHS workforce as leaked letter reveals ministers stall on aim to increase trainee doctors to 15,000 by 2031Ministers have dramatically stalled plans to double the number of doctors being trained in England by 2031 in a move that has caused dismay across the NHS, as well in medical schools and universities, the Observer can reveal.In June last year, ministers backed a long-term plan to expand the NHS workforce and pledged, amid great fanfare, to double medical school places by 2031 from 7,500 today to 15,000, with more medical school places in areas with the greatest shortages to level up training and help address geographic inequity". Labour is also committed to raising the number of doctors to 15,000 by 2031. Continue reading...
The earthquake hit parts of the Ishikawa region on New Year's Day killing 241 people and sparking a major fire, water remains cut off to some areasJapan will spend an additional $660m rebuilding areas ravaged by a devastating New Year's Day earthquake, prime minister Fumio Kishida said, taking the total amount of relief to $1.7bn.The new financial aid was announced by the prime minister on Saturday as he visited the quake-hit areas. Continue reading...
Christopher Nolan's historical epic picked up three major acting awards while The Bear and Succession shared the big TV winsChristopher Nolan's hit biopic Oppenheimer has dominated this year's Screen Actors Guild awards.The cast of the biographical epic won for best ensemble, ahead of Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon. Cillian Murphy picked up male actor in a leading role, which was also contested by Paul Giamatti and Jeffrey Wright. This is extremely, extremely special to me because it comes from you guys," he told the audience at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Continue reading...
Joint statement says 18 sites across eight locations were targeted, including missile storage facilitiesThe US and UK carried out strikes against 18 Houthi targets including underground weapons and missile storage facilities in Yemen on Saturday in the latest round of military action against the Iran-linked group that continues to attack shipping in the region.The strikes were against Houthi targets across eight locations and also included air defence systems, radars, and a helicopter, officials said. Continue reading...
Politicians from Conservative and Labour parties get close protection and chauffeur-driven vehiclesThree female MPs have been given bodyguards and chauffeur-driven cars after concerns about their safety, it was reported. Representatives of the Conservative and Labour parties had their security upgraded after a risk assessment, according to the Sunday Times.The MPs, who have not been named, have been given close protection by private companies and chauffeur-driven vehicles. Many MPs are petrified by the abuse they are facing," a senior security source told the newspaper. Continue reading...
Froglets from species classed as near-threatened arrive for the second time at Cotswolds wildlife parkA frog species that is in a perilous state" due to an infectious disease has been successfully bred at a wildlife park in Oxfordshire.Keepers at the Cotswold wildlife park in Burford have again bred the near-threatened cinnamon frog, four years after it became only the second zoological collection in Europe to breed the species. Continue reading...
Ukraine's president met the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium in a show of unity after recent battlefield defeatsVolodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed western leaders to Kyiv on Saturday on the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, declaring that Vladimir Putin must lose absolutely everything".Ukraine's president met the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium - Giorgia Meloni, Justin Trudeau and Alexander De Croo - as well as the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Continue reading...
The sentence, passed in absentia, is part of the country's crackdown on opponents of president Kais SaiedA court in Tunisia sentenced former president Moncef Marzouki to eight years in prison in absentia as part of the country's crackdown on opponents of president Kais Saied.The judgment came as prominent opposition figure Jaouhar Ben Mbarek was sentenced to six months in prison. Continue reading...
Historic landmark closed for about an hour as activists call for ceasefire to the conflict in GazaPolice were forced to close Tower Bridge to vehicles and pedestrians following a protest by pro-Palestine demonstrators.Some activists were seen lighting flares and waving Palestinian flags and calling for a ceasefire to the ongoing violence in Gaza, according to footage on social media. The landmark was closed by City of London police at about 5.30pm on Saturday before being reopened approximately an hour later. Continue reading...
French president greeted by whistles from hundreds of demonstrators as some clash with policeHundreds of protesting farmers clashed with police in Paris as Emmanuel Macron toured the annual agricultural fair on Saturday. The French president had opened the fair as angry farmers blew whistles and shouted insults.Riot police initially kept the protesters at a safe distance as he toured the fair, tasting honey from Normandy and cheeses from the Alps, and shaking hands with exhibitors. But as he entered the fair's livestock area, hundreds of demonstrators crashed the gates and clashed with police. Continue reading...
In Doncaster, at the insurgent rightwing party's biggest ever' gathering, one absence is on everybody' lipsOn a sunny day at Doncaster racecourse, those gathered for Reform UK's biggest ever party conference" were presented with a dizzying array of pledges to cut tax and freeze non-essential" immigration as its leading lights published a programme to save Britain". Yet even as the sun beamed down, the shadow of one absent figure seemed to hang over proceedings.There was a jubilant mood at the South Yorkshire gathering as they cheered leader Richard Tice's demands for an inquiry into vaccine harms, to break with the World Health Organization and to fire headteachers who refused to drop critical race theory". Continue reading...
by Ruth Michaelson and Julian Borger in New York on (#6JW4M)
Closed-door negotiations in Paris and UN efforts in New York yield conflicting reports of progress, but city of Rafah remains in Israel's firing lineA closed-door meeting of spy chiefs, military officials and diplomats has briefly renewed hopes of a potential ceasefire deal amid fierce debates at the United Nations, but observers have warned that time is running out to make progress and prevent a looming Israeli offensive on Gaza's southernmost city.The secretive talks at an unknown location in Paris involved David Barnea, the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, conducting separate meetings with Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel, head of the CIA William Burns and Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. Continue reading...
London mayor condemns Rishi Sunak for ignoring comments that accused him of being controlled by Islamists'Sadiq Khan has accused Lee Anderson of pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred" after the former Tory deputy chair said Islamists had got control" of London and its mayor.The mayor of London said Anderson's comments were Islamophobic and put across the notion that Muslims were fair game" when it came to racism. Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah, Tom Ambrose and Kevin Rawlinson on (#6JVX4)
Spokesperson for the Russian opposition politician, who died in prison last week, said funeral arrangements are still to be determinedKing Charles III praises the determination and strength" of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. The monarch said he was greatly encouraged" by the UK's efforts to support Ukraine and commended their true valour". He has said:The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year.Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely.Right now, it looks as though Russia will not take part in a first round of the conference.We're in the process of starting off with a very broad alliance consisting of the BRICS countries, countries from the Arab world, as well as from the global south. Continue reading...
RMT boss says getting rid of Tories is his number one priority' but he will not give a Labour government a free pass'Mick Lynch has said voters have to grow up a bit" and recognise Keir Starmer as the only realistic alternative to the current government, the removal of which he described as my number one priority".Last week, Labour's shadow Scottish secretary, Ian Murray, challenged prime minister Rishi Sunak to put the country out of this Tory misery" and call a general election now. Continue reading...
Remains handed to Lyudmila Navalnaya nine days after Putin critic's death in Arctic prison, say supportersThe body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother nine days after he died in an Arctic prison, his spokesperson announced on Saturday.In a post on X, Kira Yarmysh thanked all those who had demanded" the return of his body, but added that she did not know if the authorities would allow a public funeral to be held. Continue reading...
Claim by Ashfield MP that London mayor had given our capital away' to Islamists prompted widespread outrageLee Anderson has been stripped of the Conservative whip after refusing to apologise for remarks about Sadiq Khan on GB News that the London mayor described as Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist".The MP for Ashfield's comments on Friday night caused widespread outrage, and Khan accused the former Tory deputy chair on Saturday of pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred". Continue reading...
Critics of Ukraine war among dozens who may be at risk in penal system, say campaigners and journalistsJust days after the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a prison colony, human rights activists and journalists are warning that dozens of other political prisoners may be at risk of death from deliberate abuse of ill convicts in the Russian prison system.Dmitry Muratov, the Nobel-prize winning editor of Novaya Gazeta, told the Observer that Navalny's death had sent a clarion call for the world to save the Russian political prisoners who could die next. Continue reading...
by Caitlin Cassidy Higher education reporter on (#6JW00)
Universities accord also urges government to dramatically scale up access to higher education for disadvantaged groupsAccess to higher education among disadvantaged Australians must be dramatically scaled up and the financial burden of studying eased if the country is to meet acute skills shortages, a major report has found.The highly anticipated universities accord final report, being released by the education minister, Jason Clare, on Sunday, was expected to lay out the blueprint for the tertiary sector over the coming decades. Continue reading...
A new biography has revealed how the Labour leader and his allies planned his challenge in advance of the electionKeir Starmer had assembled a leadership team about six months before the Ddecember 2019 general election that led to Jeremy Corbyn's resignation as Labour leader.The team, codenamed the Arlington Group", began planning in earnest how Starmer could capture the leadership from June of that year - including a detailed breakdown of how Labour's membership could be convinced to support him. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian