The Democratic party, the city's largest pro-democracy party, failed to secure enough nominations under new rules introduced by authoritiesHong Kong's leader has defended the rules for upcoming local elections as open and fair, even though an electoral overhaul means the city's remaining pro-democracy activists won't be part of the race.The city's largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic party, will be absent in December's district council election for the first time since its establishment in 1994. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: 50 hotels will be closed by January - where will the many vulnerable people be moved to, and why? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. I'm the Guardian's north of England editor, writing to you from slightly soggy Stockport, so don't be surprised if this briefing has a distinctly northern tinge.Today, we are looking at the government's announcement to stop housing asylum seekers in 50 hotels by the end of January - largely (and you may think unsurprisingly) in marginal Conservative constituencies.Israel-Hamas war | Hamas militants have reported clashes with Israeli troops in the north-west and southern Gaza Strip, as tanks and other armoured vehicles advanced on its main city.Coronavirus | Boris Johnson asked why damage was being inflicted on the economy during the pandemic for people who will die anyway soon" in a meeting with Rishi Sunak, the Covid inquiry has been told.Climate crisis | Banks pumped more than $150bn last year into companies whose giant carbon bomb" projects could destroy the last chance of stopping the planet heating to dangerous levels, the Guardian reveals today.Friends | Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer have issued a joint statement following Matthew Perry's death.Police | Black Metropolitan police officers have complained of being put under pressure by white colleagues to donate to a fund that has raised 130,000 for two officers sacked for lying over the stop and search of a black British athlete and her Olympian partner. Continue reading...
President William Ruto says change aims to boost trade and allow goods, services, people and ideas to move freely across continentVisas to visit Kenya are to be scrapped for other African nationals from next year as part of a movement towards opening up trade and travel within the continent.By the end of this year, no African will be required to have a visa to come to Kenya," Kenya's president, William Ruto, said at a climate change conference in Congo-Brazzaville.
The UN has said there is evidence that international humanitarian laws may have been breached by both sides in the conflictThe United Nations has said there is already clear evidence that war crimes may have been committed" by Hamas and the Israeli military since 7 October and that it is gathering evidence for potential prosecutions. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6G081)
Repeated failings in NHS maternity units cost NHS in England 2.6bn a year in damagesParents of babies who have died or been harmed as a result of poor care are demanding that ministers order a public inquiry into repeated failings in NHS maternity units.They want Steve Barclay, the health secretary, to set up a judge-led statutory inquiry to investigate recurring problems in maternity services, which cost the NHS in England 2.6bn a year in damages. Continue reading...
Statement asks government to help stop AI tools using copyright-protected works with impunity'Four leading publishing trade associations have urged the UK government to help end the unfettered, opaque development" of artificial intelligence tools that use copyright-protected works with impunity."The statement, released Tuesday, was co-signed by the Publishers Association, the Society of Authors, the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society and the Association of Authors' Agents. It is the first joint statement from the publishing trade bodies on AI. Continue reading...
by Helen Sullivan (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Gloria Ol on (#6FZ6M)
Hamas claims it is firing machine guns and anti-tank missiles' towards Israeli forces in Gaza; 33 trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, compared to 500 per day before war
by Presented by Michael Safi with Hazem Balousha and on (#6G06F)
As Israel steps up its military campaign in Gaza, residents trapped in the territory are facing a humanitarian crisisIsrael has begun a new phase in its war on Hamas as its armed forces move deeper into Gaza amid a continuous bombardment from the air. In a televised press conference on Saturday, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said: We have unanimously approved the widening of the ground invasion ... Our objective is singular: to defeat the murderous enemy. We declared never again', and we reiterate: never again, now'."In Gaza, where communications have been all but impossible in recent days, the reporter Hazem Balousha tells Michael Safi that the intensifying assault is making everywhere in Gaza unsafe. As he speaks, the boom of aerial attacks plays out behind him and at one point he is able to catch a leaflet dropped by the Israeli Defence Forces warning him and others to evacuate the area. Continue reading...
Payments group and TV shopping channel change small print after financial regulator steps inThe City regulator has taken action after finding that customers of two leading buy now, pay later providers were at risk of harm" because of potentially unfair and unclear small print.The US-based online payments group PayPal and the TV shopping channel QVC have changed the terms of their contracts after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) expressed concern" over the impact to customers. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6G02D)
Crackdowns on financiers, roiling political climate and slowing economy under Xi Jinping has many seeking exit plansBillionaires are notoriously difficult to track. It's no surprise - the easier they and their assets are to find, the easier they are to tax. But by all accounts, the number of uber-wealthy people in China is in decline. Of the world's estimated 2,640 billionaires, at least 562 are thought to be in China, according to Forbes, down from 607 last year.With crackdowns on financiers and a roiling political climate, many of China's rich people are looking to move their money, and themselves, out of the country. Continue reading...
South Yorkshire force looking into death of American Nottingham Panthers player during match in SheffieldPolice have said they are investigating the death of a professional ice hockey player during a match in Sheffield on Saturday night and have encouraged people to avoid speculation about the incident.Adam Johnson, 29, died after appearing to receive a catastrophic cut to his neck from the skate blade of another player during the Challenge Cup game between his team Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers. Continue reading...
Inquiry told of comments made by former prime minister during meeting discussing pandemic responseBoris Johnson asked why damage was being inflicted on the economy during the pandemic for people who will die anyway soon" in a meeting with Rishi Sunak, the Covid inquiry was told on Monday.At the start of what is set to be a bruising week for the former prime minister, with former political aides and senior civil servants to give evidence on his government's handling of the pandemic, the diary of a former private secretary revealed the damaging remarks made in March 2020. Continue reading...
Maria Corina Machado was overwhelmingly elected to take on Nicolas Maduro in presidential election expected next yearVenezuela's supreme court has suspended the results of the political opposition's primaries after Maria Corina Machado was overwhelmingly elected last Sunday to take on President Nicolas Maduro in a presidential contest expected for 2024.The court - which is stacked with Maduro's allies - also ratified bans on running for office which had been slapped on Machado and two others. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#6FZV9)
Israel-Hamas war stokes fears Iran may encourage radical groups or terrorist activities in UKBritish counter-terror officers are monitoring closely if Iran will try to exploit the Israel-Hamas war for its own ends in the UK, amid wider anxieties that Tehran is an increasing security menace to dissidents and critics.Concerns about Russia and China are well established, but Iran's campaign of intimidation and harassment has been the most visible development in the domestic threat picture over the last 12 months. Continue reading...
UK's chief medical officer said to have attacked Treasury scheme launched by Rishi Sunak that subsidised meals out in August 2020Keith shows a WhatsApp message from Simon Case, the cabinet secretary. It is date 20 December 2021 and in it Case says:PM is mad if he doesn't think his WhatsApps will become public via Covid inquiry - but he was clearly not in the mood for that discussion tonight! We'll have that battle in the new year. Continue reading...
Force makes first use of new powers under Public Order Act to curtail slow march protest outside parliamentPolice have arrested more than 60 climate activists taking part in a slow march outside parliament in the first use of draconian new anti-protest powers.The Metropolitan police used section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, which bans any act which interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure in England and Wales", to order an immediate end to a Just Stop Oil protest on Monday morning. Continue reading...
For years Palestinians have had to rely on slower networks than those in Israel, affecting the flow of informationAs Israel launched its heaviest bombardment of the war so far over the weekend, a communications blackout in Gaza meant Palestinians could not communicate via phone or internet with each other, aid groups or the rest of the world.Paltel Group, a Palestinian company that is a major internet provider in the region, said in a post on X on Sunday that landline, mobile and internet services were gradually being restored in the Gaza Strip as its technical teams worked to address the damage to the internal network infrastructure under challenging conditions". Continue reading...
Exclusive: Black officers complain of collection for men who lied about the stop and search of black athletesBlack Metropolitan police officers have complained of being put under pressure by white colleagues to donate to a fund that has raised 130,000 for two officers sacked for lying over the stop and search of a black British athlete and her Olympian partner.Andy George, the president of the National Black Police Association, said he had received multiple accounts from black officers who felt pressed to give money to Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks, who were sacked for gross misconduct last week. Continue reading...
Chinese buyer snaps up St John's Wood house that often featured in singer's Instagram postsA London mansion that Rihanna was renting for 18,000 a week has been sold to an undisclosed Chinese buyer for 27.5m.The sale of the eight bedroom 588 sq metre (6,332 sq ft) St John's Wood house, which became famous for its role in the background of the singer's social media posts, was agreed on Monday for 27.5m - almost 5m less than it was originally listed for in 2020. Continue reading...
Michael O'Flaherty, director of agency for fundamental rights, says dramatic moments in our societies trigger antisemitic responses'Lovers and defenders of democracy, it's high time to stand up," tweeted the EU's coordinator on combating antisemitism Katharina von Schnurbein.She was responding to the incident in Dagestan, describing the mob as hatred unleashed by globally downplaying the barbaric acts of Hamas of 7 Oct and allowing antisemitism and anti-Zionism to fester around the globe."The authorities in European countries have a responsibility to make sure that everyone is safe and protected from violence and discrimination.It's also important for the authorities to protect people's right to peaceful protest and expression and ensure that governments' security responses to violence don't harm rights. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6FZ78)
Dominic Cummings will testify, plus senior aides and civil servants known to the public because of illicit partiesAfter four months of hearings, the official Covid inquiry reaches a week of hugely significant and potentially damning testimony, evidence that could shine a deeply unforgiving light on the inner workings of Boris Johnson's government.Among the witnesses are Dominic Cummings, Johnson's former chief adviser, and Lee Cain, his ex-communications chief, plus a string of other senior aides and top civil servants of the time - several of whom first became known to the public because of illicit Covid parties. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe, south-east Asia correspondent on (#6FZ5A)
The Sierra Madre, deliberately marooned by the Philippines in 1999, is crumbling but repair is being made impossible by an effective blockade by BeijingIt is perhaps the most unlikely kind of military base. For more than two decades, a second world war-era ship, BRP Sierra Madre, has stood deliberately grounded in the remote, shallow waters of the fiercely contested South China Sea, carrying the Philippine flag and guarding against Chinese expansion.But its future is increasingly precarious, and the ship has become a growing flashpoint in one of the world's most disputed waters. Continue reading...
by Benjamin Lee, Sian Cain, Alexandra Topping and Nin on (#6FYKB)
Cause of death unknown as Justin Trudeau and Adele and others speak fondly of actor best known as Chandler Bing in FriendsHollywood stars have hailed the comedic genius" of Friends star Matthew Perry after the actor's death at 54.The American-Canadian star, best known for playing Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends, was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Doctors increasingly having to interpret questionable' private tests and conduct follow-upsSoaring use of private healthcare for tests and treatments is piling pressure on overstretched GP surgeries, with family doctors warning that standard NHS care is being squeezed as a result.Record numbers of people are paying for private healthcare, with some having procedures such as cataract surgery and hip replacements, amid mounting frustration at NHS hospital waiting lists. Others are opting for private health checks, genetic testing or cosmetic surgery such as liposuction. Continue reading...
Fire at Kostenko mine is latest in series of deadly incidents, and has prompted nationalisation of global company's local affiliateKazakhstan held nationwide mourning on Sunday after 45 people died in a fire at an ArcelorMittal mine, the worst accident in the central Asian country's post-Soviet history.The tragedy, which struck at the Kostenko coalmine in the Karaganda region on Saturday, came after a series of deadly incidents at ArcelorMittal mines and has prompted the nationalisation of the company's local affiliate. Continue reading...
Guiness World Records to look into claims after scepticism over whether the Portuguese mastiff really lived to be 31The death of Bobi the Portuguese mastiff at 31 was history-making - no dog before had ever reached such a grand old age.But awe soon turned into scepticism, as vets wondered whether it was biologically possible for a dog to live for the equivalent of 200 human years. Continue reading...
Tom Pursglove, minister in DWP, photographed with Bone two days after suspension over bullying and sexual misconductA minister has been photographed campaigning with the former Conservative MP Peter Bone, who was suspended from parliament last week after an investigation found that he had engaged in bullying and sexual misconduct.Tom Pursglove, a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions, was photographed by the Sunday Mirror canvassing in Northamptonshire with Bone two days after his sanction was ratified by MPs. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer has listened' to rebels and will continue engaging', says Peter Kyle, amid mounting pressure from senior party figuresMembers of Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet will not be punished if they break party ranks by demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, because Labour is a diverse party", Peter Kyle has suggested.The shadow science, innovation and technology minister also rejected claims that Labour was taking Muslim votes for granted, and said the party was not basing its policy on the conflict around what might win votes. Continue reading...
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