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...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6GAVH)
Exclusive: Yvette Greenway-Mansfield given compensation after Coventry's University Hospital was found to be medically negligentA woman who suffered traumatic complications from a vaginal mesh implant has been awarded a record settlement of at least 1m from the NHS.Yvette Greenway-Mansfield, 59, was given a mesh implant at Coventry's University Hospital in 2009 and went on to suffer serious complications. Her medical negligence claim against the hospital trust found that the surgery was carried out prematurely and unnecessarily and that her consent form had been doctored to include additional risks after Greenway-Mansfield had signed it. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6GAVJ)
A victory for the immigration and asylum policy on Wednesday will come with headaches, but a defeat could split the Conservative partyWednesday marks a potentially pivotal moment in the government's fortunes when the supreme court rules whether its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful.The decision could have significant implications not just for immigration and asylum policy, but also for the future direction of Rishi Sunak's government, and the Conservative party more widely. Here is what could follow from a government win or loss. Continue reading...
Third such case in less than a week in Canadian city but unclear if incidents are relatedA Jewish school in Montreal was hit by gunfire, according to local media, marking the Canadian city's third such attack in less than a week amid heightened tensions over the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.No one was injured when the facade of Yeshiva Gedola of Montreal was struck early on Sunday. Bullet marks and shells were found after residents heard gunfire, CBC News in Canada reported. Continue reading...
Pro-Ukraine fighters in Russia kill colonel of security service'; Russian forces try to regain territory around Bakhmut; temporary lull in Avdiivka battle
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6GASA)
Chinese and US presidents meeting amid a deteriorating geopolitical climate, with the countries on opposing sides of two major conflictsOne year after their last in-person talks, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden will come face to face once again on Wednesday in San Francisco, in an encounter that will dominate events at the Apec summit as the Chinese and US presidents seek to stabilise relations in an increasingly fraught geopolitical climate.The meeting, which could last several hours, is the culmination of months of lower level dialogues which took place over the summer, with Washington sending more delegates to China than Beijing did to the US. Continue reading...
Former military lawyer addresses supporters outside ACT court before trial over allegations he leaked material regarding war crimes in AfghanistanDavid McBride has declared today I serve my country" as he entered an ACT court to face trial for the alleged leaking of material later used to expose Australian war crimes in Afghanistan.McBride faces five charges, including the unauthorised disclosure of information, breaches of the Defence Act and the theft of commonwealth property. His trial started on Monday in the ACT supreme court.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Pension Insurance Corporation is building 125 affordable homes in London as part of 500m plan for 1,000 affordable homes over next five yearsThe UK's pension funds are increasingly stepping in to build affordable homes as the housing crisis worsens.Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension schemes, is the latest to enter the market. It is building 125 affordable homes in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, in partnership with the developer London Square and its affordable housing subsidiary, Square Roots. Continue reading...
Met and BTP seeking people in footage from Saturday's marches, in particular at a racially aggravated altercation' at WaterlooPolice are looking for people seen in pictures and videos featuring antisemitic and Islamophobic language and symbols after Saturday's pro-Palestinian and far-right marches in London.Both the Metropolitan police and British Transport Police (BTP) released images on Sunday of individuals they hoped to identify. Continue reading...