Three of the inquiries relate to shows hosted by politicians Esther McVey, Philip Davies and Jacob Rees-MoggGB News is being investigated for four further potential breaches of impartiality rules, as the media regulator Ofcom struggles with the rightwing channel's willingness to push the boundaries of British broadcasting rules.GB News has repeatedly shown itself willing to challenge the broadcasting code, mocking Ofcom's investigations on air and airing presenters who suggest Ofcom are guilty of hypocrisy and are targeting the channel. Continue reading...
Emerald Fennell's film, starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike, is a tale of privilege and desire' following a young student at OxfordSaltburn, writer-director Emerald Fennell's follow-up to Promising Young Woman, has been selected as the opening film for the 2023 edition of the London film festival in October, it has been announced.Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike, Saltburn is described as a tale of privilege and desire". Its published plot synopsis says: Student Oliver Quick (Keoghan) is struggling to find his place at Oxford University and finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten." Continue reading...
UK Scouts chief says organisation of event in South Korea had been poor, even before threat of Typhoon KhanunThe 1m cost of relocating the 4,500-strong UK contingent at the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea will affect the work of the Scout Association for as much as five years, the organisation's boss has said.Matt Hyde, the UK Scouts chief executive, said the association had been forced to dip into its reserves after the event's organisers decided to clear the campsite five days early because of an incoming typhoon that is expected to make landfall over the Korean peninsula in the coming days. Continue reading...
Site has been plagued by issues including heatwave that left hundreds ill last weekAll participants at this year's World Scout Jamboree in South Korea will be evacuated from the event's campsite before the scheduled end date of 12 August due to a typhoon that is expected to make landfall over the Korean peninsula in the coming days.The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) said on Monday it had received confirmation from the South Korean government that, due to the expected impact of Typhoon Khanun, an early departure would be planned for all participants at the global youth event in the south-western county of Buan. Continue reading...
Senator Chris Van Hollen says president should reassess military aid to Israel in light of extreme rightward tilt of governmentA leading Democratic senator has called on Joe Biden to get more personally engaged" in stopping racists" in the Israeli government from a land grab in the occupied territories and committing gross violations" of Palestinian rights or risk damage to the US's credibility.After a visit to Israel and the West Bank last month, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland told the Guardian in an interview that the US president should begin by reassessing the US's huge military aid to Israel to prevent it from being used to facilitate annexation of the West Bank and oppression of the Palestinians, including the army's complicity in escalating settler violence against the Arab civilian population. Continue reading...
Armed forces stand ready, says junta, as west African country defies threat of military intervention by EcowasNiger is waiting for a response from the west African regional bloc after coup leaders in Niamey ignored a deadline to reinstate the ousted president - a move the bloc has warned could lead it to authorise a military intervention.The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has said it will issue a statement on its next steps in response to the junta's refusal to cave in to external pressure to stand down by Sunday after the power grab on 26 July. Continue reading...
Items also include Queen singer's moustache comb and the piano used to write Bohemian RhapsodyAs the frontman of Queen, Freddie Mercury's musical legacy is undisputed - the band had more than 50 UK Top 40 hits across three decades. But, as an auction and exhibition opening this week at Sotheby's details, the singer was a style leader too.Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own is made up of the contents of his home, Garden Lodge - he left the property and everything in it to his close friend Mary Austin when he died in 1991, and she has decided to sell the contents. It includes 30,000 items, everything from the baby grand piano used to compose Bohemian Rhapsody to his personal Polaroids, original song lyrics, and paintings and drawings by artists including Goya and Salvador Dali. It is his clothing that dominates the exhibition rooms of Sothebys, with more than 200 items on display. Continue reading...
Mother of the Euphoria star, who was found dead a month after his father died, said that he might have accidentally' overdosedAngus Cloud's mother has dismissed speculation that the actor's recent and unexpected death - occurring within a week of his father's funeral - may have intentionally been of his own doing.Lisa Cloud McLaughlin published a statement on Facebook over the weekend which asserted that her son was reorganizing his room and placing items around the house with the intent to stay a while in the home he loved" before his death on 31 July shocked the entertainment world. Continue reading...
Barbie is now the biggest film to be directed by one woman, with director Greta Gerwig supplanting Wonder Woman's Patty JenkinsBarbie has broken the US$1bn mark since its debut more than two weeks ago, with director Greta Gerwig breaking a record for female directors previously held by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.Warner Bros Pictures announced on Sunday that the movie took in $459m from North American theatres and another $572.1m overseas over the weekend, for a total of $1.0315bn (A$1.56bn, 800m). The figure was confirmed by media analytics firm Comscore. Continue reading...
Six killed and a blood transfusion centre destroyed in overnight Russian missile strikes; Kyiv's Mother Ukraine statue has its Soviet-era hammer-and-sickle emblem replacedA multi-wave overnight assault on Ukraine - said to be in retaliation for successful strikes against Russian naval vessels - killed six people and destroyed a blood transfusion centre. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the guided air bomb" strike against the medical facility as a war crime of beasts".Despite the strikes, Zelenskiy said Ukraine was seeing significant results" from US and German air defence systems. Ukraine had shot down a significant part of Russia's attacks over the past week, which included 65 missiles of various kinds and 178 assault drones, including 87 Shaheds, he said.The Chonhar bridge to the occupied Crimean peninsula was damaged by a missile strike, the Moscow-installed governor said. Another of the three road links between Crimea and Russian-occupied parts of mainland Ukraine, near the town of Henichesk, was shelled and a civilian driver wounded, a Moscow-appointed official said.A hostile drone was destroyed by Russian air defences as it approached Moscow on Sunday morning, the city's mayor said. The capital's Vnukovo airport temporarily suspended flights.Russia has said its forces struck military airbases in the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne regions in western Ukraine and that all targets were hit". The deputy governor of the Khmelnytskyi region, Serhiy Tiurin, said on Sunday that a military airfield in Starokostiantyniv was among the targets. He said most of the missiles were shot down but explosions had damaged several houses, a cultural institution and the bus station, and a fire had broken out at a grain silo.The Mother Ukraine statue in Kyiv, one of the nation's most recognisable landmarks, has lost its hammer-and-sickle symbol after officials replaced the Soviet-era emblem with the country's trident coat of arms. The move is part of a wider shift to reclaim Ukraine's cultural identity from the Communist past.A weekend conference in Saudi Arabia of senior officials from some 40 countries including the US, China and India - part of a diplomatic push by Ukraine to build support beyond its core Western backers - ended with no concrete action beyond a commitment to further consultations. Zelenskiy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said the discussions had been very productive, but did not give details. Continue reading...
Committee's report says devices including home security systems used to coerce and control victimsMPs have called on the UK government to tackle tech abuse", as they warned devices including smart home security systems were being used to coerce and control victims of domestic abuse.The culture, media and sport committee launched an inquiry last year to consider the benefits and harms of connected technology, including virtual assistants and fitness trackers. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6DKST)
Tens of thousands of students face likely drop in As and A*s as ministers aim to return results in England to pre-pandemic levelsTens of thousands of A-level students face disappointment on results day next week, amid warnings that nearly 100,000 fewer As and A*s could be awarded as the government seeks to return grades to pre-pandemic levels.Up to 50,000 candidates this summer are likely to miss out on the top grades they might have expected last year, according to one estimate, throwing applications for the most competitive universities into doubt. Continue reading...
Offensive chants about tragedies such as Hillsborough can be public order offences under new guidanceFootball fans in England and Wales could be banned from matches if they mock tragedies such as the Hillsborough disaster, under updated guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service.The CPS guidance will state that actions such as singing, chanting or displaying offensive messages about disasters or accidents involving players or fans can be seen as a public order offence. Continue reading...
Ministers announce higher penalties from next year in attempt to reduce pull factors' for people making small boat crossingsPeople who allow asylum seekers to work for them or rent their properties in breach of the law will face significantly increased fines from next year, as ministers attempt to reduce pull factors" for people making small boat crossings.Landlords found to be hosting a lodger without lawful immigration status for the first time could be forced to pay 5,000 - a huge increase from the existing maximum fine of 80. If they are found to be accommodating multiple occupiers for the first time they could face a fine of 10,000 for each occupier, a sharp increase from the 1,000 maximum fine brought in when the civil penalties were introduced in 2014. Continue reading...
Installation appears on hillside overlooking seaside town of Bray, where singer is to be buriedA fleeting installation honouring Sinead O'Connor has been unveiled on a hillside overlooking the Irish seaside town of Bray, where she is to be buried on Tuesday.A message in 30ft-tall letters spelling out EIRE SINEAD" that was visible from the air appeared on Sunday outside the County Wicklow town, south of Dublin, that was her home for 15 years. Continue reading...
Italian coastguard says two bodies recovered, amid reports of at least 30 people missing from two vessels that sailed from TunisiaThe bodies of a woman and toddler were recovered by the Italian coastguard after two shipwrecks overnight off the southern island of Lampedusa.Fifty-seven people were rescued and more than 30 were believed to be missing as of Sunday afternoon in what was described as more tragic news" regarding those making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in search of refuge in Europe. Continue reading...
Guests told to leave STF Kebnekaise mountain station and nearby campers evacuated from country's highest peakA popular lodge on Sweden's highest peak has been forced to temporarily close after a stomach bug rapidly spread among hikers.STF Kebnekaise mountain station, which lies at the foot of the 2,096m Kebnekaise massif, had quarantined several guests who had caught the bug in recent days but decided to take a more drastic measure after it was also detected in hikers camping in the area. Continue reading...
Thirty people reported dead and more than 90 injured after Rawalpindi-bound express overturnsA train has derailed in southern Pakistan, killing 30 people and injuring more than 90.Ten carriages of a Rawalpindi-bound train derailed and some overturned near the Pakistani town of Nawabshah on Sunday, trapping many passengers, said senior railway officer Mahmoodur Rehman Lakho. Officials said rescue operations had been completed by early evening. Continue reading...
Law minister claims new census needed for vote but supporters of Imran Khan, who is facing jail, believe his popularity is a factorConcerns are mounting in Pakistan that a general election due later this year could be delayed after the government announced that the vote could take place only after a new census was completed and new constituency boundaries drawn.The announcement from the nation's law minister that it could take four months to complete the process came on the same day that the former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested after a court sentenced him to three years in prison for corrupt practices", involving the sale of state gifts, and disqualified him from politics. Continue reading...
Supporters wave Niger and Russia flags as Ecowas deadline for military to cede power approachesThousands of coup supporters in Niger gathered on Sunday for a rally to cheer on the generals claiming power, as a deadline set by the west African bloc for the military to relinquish control or face possible armed intervention was due to elapse.The Ecowas bloc, chaired by regional military powerhouse and Niger's neighbour Nigeria, had given the troops that toppled President Mohamed Bazoum on 26 July a week to return him to power. Continue reading...
Former chancellor says payments went up considerably' after his tax cuts sent borrowing costs spirallingKwasi Kwarteng has admitted that he has a tracker mortgage for which the payments have risen a great deal" as a result of the economic turmoil after his mini-budget.In an interview with GB News, the former chancellor was asked whether he felt any sympathy for those affected by the rise in mortgage rates, before letting on that he was among them. Continue reading...
Households fear being thousands of pounds out of pocket as problems beset Homes England administratorHomeowners who used the government's help-to-buy loan scheme to buy a property are still reporting delays in getting hold of vital paperwork, weeks after the agency that runs the programme said it was working to put things right.Borrowers have reported that sales have been put at risk and remortgages delayed by problems at Homes England, resulting in them facing higher losses. Continue reading...
Bluemoose publishes no more than 10 books a year but Kevin Duffy knows how to pick a winnerThe two-up, two-down terrace on a cobbled Hebden Bridge street does not look like the headquarters of a multi award-winning publishing house. There is no gleaming edifice, no sign and certainly no reception desk. The green front door leads straight into Kevin Duffy's living room, the nerve centre of Bluemoose books, his independent literary hit factory.It is at a cluttered table in the corner that Duffy has built a business with a success rate that billion-pound publishers regard with envy. Continue reading...
Human rights lawyer says he has been unable to sleep in anticipation of move to Bibby StockholmAn asylum seeker who was jailed in Iran for his human rights campaigning says he has not been able to sleep since receiving a notice that he is being moved to the Bibby Stockholm barge and said it would be another jail" for him.The man, who cannot be named for security reasons, worked as a human rights lawyer and campaigner in Iran and was imprisoned for his anti-government activities. He managed to escape from Iran and claimed asylum on arrival in the UK several months ago, citing political persecution in his home country. Continue reading...
International art project will visit Manchester, where 30 people will be tattooed with one letter of 1948 UN documentThirty people in Manchester will have one letter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights tattooed on them as part of an international art project arriving in the UK for the first time.The project intends to tattoo the 1948 document on to the skins of 6,773 people, one letter at a time. The tattoos are 1cm squared, and people aged between 18 and 30 in the UK have been invited to submit applications to participate. Continue reading...
I want to apologize to the Jewish community,' says actor, who clarified that post was directed at fake friend' who betrayed himThe actor Jamie Foxx has apologized after a social media post from him drew accusations of antisemitism.Foxx's post - on Instagram - read: They killed this dude name Jesus ... what do you think they'll do to you???! #fakefriends #fakelove". But the 55-year-old entertainer deleted the post after fellow users asserted that it echoed the hateful belief that Jewish people all together as one crucified and killed Jesus Christ. Continue reading...
Only known portrait of a female second world war naval officer to go on display - but no one knows who she isThe faces of some of those who served in peril on the sea" in the second world war are still familiar to us from portraits and archive news footage. This means a shared debt to those who served in the Royal Navy can at least be honoured, if not repaid. But many faces and names have been lost to time - especially if they were women.Now the Royal Museums Greenwich are keen to reclaim one of those missing names. They have recently bought an extraordinary, characterful and rare portrait of a serving Wren - the name, from the acronym for the Women's Royal Naval Service, then used for female naval officers working on shore. But the museum curators don't know who she is. The image, painted in 1945, will go on show in a rehang in the historic Queen's House and the museum is appealing today to readers who may recognise the face of a grandmother or aunt - or even, conceivably, see their own younger self reflected. Continue reading...
Ex-cabinet minister calls on foreign secretary to reveal how many British minors are being held in campsThe UK must urgently end its policy of funding the illegal detention of children in north-east Syria, and disclose how many British minors are being held in camps run by Syrian Kurds on behalf of the west, the former cabinet minister David Davis has said in a letter to the foreign secretary, James Cleverly.The letter comes after it was revealed that Yusuf Zahab, a 19-year-old Australian citizen locked up in Syria since he was 14 and presumed killed in a July 2022 Islamic State (IS) attack on a prison in the city of Hasakah, may be alive after all. A year-old video of him speaking and dated after the IS attack was released on Tuesday. Continue reading...
by Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent on (#6DKC0)
Musical whodunnits and political backstabbing dominate the escapist agenda this yearA sleuth in search of clues to putting on a successful show at the Edinburgh fringe will not need to reach for a magnifying glass. There is already proof positive that 2023 is expected to be the year of cosy crime", when world-weary fringe punters will turn to the comfort and escapism of a whodunnit.And, whether you fancy watching Drunk Women Solving Crime or Murder on the Disorient Express, there are mysteries aplenty to choose from. Among the 3,500 shows on the fringe, the range of improvisational detective comedies, musicals and parodies offers all the evidence needed that this genre is now seen as a safer bet. Continue reading...
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