Exclusive: Met investigating two alleged sexual assaults at site, amid growing fears over safety of refugee facilitiesA teenage boy was allegedly raped by a man in his 30s at a hotel used to house refugees in east London, with another alleged sexual assault against a child taking place in the same facility.The Metropolitan police confirmed they were investigating both incidents, which come amid growing fears of chronic overcrowding and unsafe facilities for refugees that have put significant pressure on the home secretary, Suella Braverman.
Fuller pleads guilty to 16 offences relating to dead women in Kent mortuaries between 2007 and 2020The double murderer David Fuller has admitted sexually abusing 23 dead women in hospital mortuaries.The 68-year-old pleaded guilty at Croydon crown court on Thursday to 12 counts of sexual penetration of a corpse and four counts of possession of extreme pornography between 2007 and 2020. Continue reading...
Mull and Iona islanders want to replace ferries run by state-owned CalMac after years of ‘inefficiency’Scottish islanders who are fed up with the country’s crisis-hit ferry service are to investigate running their own ferries, claiming they have lost patience with government bungling.After years of service cancellations and break-downs, islanders on Mull and Iona want to replace the car ferries run by the state-owned company CalMac with their own community-run service, using three faster catamarans. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Political correspondent on (#65DKZ)
Immigration minister says legal action has begun on behalf of some detainees in Kent processing centreThe government has conceded that the asylum processing centre at Manston in Kent is not operating legally, after the immigration minister said legal action had begun on behalf of some of those held there.The centre is supposed to hold a maximum of 1,600 people, and each for just 24 hours while initial checks are made. However, up to 4,000 have been at the centre, some staying in terrible conditions for weeks. Continue reading...
In today’s newsletter: The former prime minister is close to winning office less than 18 months after losing it, in Israel’s fifth election in four years. This is how he pulled it offGood morning. When Benjamin Netanyahu lost power last June, he insisted he would be back. “With God’s help,” he said in a valedictory speech, “that will happen much sooner than you think.” 16 months later, he looks all but certain to be prime minister of Israel again.The count of the votes in the country’s fifth election in four years will not be completed until later today, and coalition talks could take weeks to complete. But by the tally so far, Netanyahu’s rightwing Likud party is the largest group in the Knesset – and the broad coalition formed to topple him last year looks likely to be thrown into opposition.Asylum | The Home Office abandoned asylum seekers from the Manston immigration centre in central London without accommodation or warm clothing, the Guardian can reveal. Amid acute overcrowding at Manston, charity volunteers said 11 people were left at Victoria station on Tuesday evening with nowhere to stay.Interest rates | Mortgage rates are expected to jump on Thursday in response to the largest increase in the Bank of England’s base rate since 1989, as the central bank tries to bring down inflation. The base interest rate is expected to go up by 0.75 percentage points to 3%.Poverty | The United Nations’ poverty envoy has warned Rishi Sunak that a new wave of austerity in this month’s budget could violate the UK’s international human rights obligations and increase hunger. Olivier de Schutter said he was “extremely troubled” by likely multibillion-pound spending cuts.Policing | Two Metropolitan police officers have been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment after sharing racist, homophobic, misogynistic and ableist messages in a WhatsApp group with Wayne Couzens before he murdered Sarah Everard. The two men were bailed ahead of an appeal.Media | Eric Allison, who became the Guardian’s prison correspondent aged 60 after spending much of his life in jail, has died aged 79. Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger said Allison “cast a steady light on a world successive governments would rather were kept in the dark”. Continue reading...
Mars to trial No Bounty tubs this Christmas after 40% of consumers felt the fabled ‘taste of paradise’ tasted like hellWith its creamy coconut centre, a Bounty bar claims to taste of paradise, but it seems one person’s heaven really is another’s hell: Mars has decided to trial a “No Bounty” tub of Celebrations this Christmas after its consumer research confirmed their status as the least popular sweet.The experiment comes after nearly 40% of those polled told the company the Bounty should be permanently axed from the Celebrations line up, where it struggles to compete with the star power of “all-time favourite” Maltesers. Continue reading...
Researchers found not much has changed since 1969, with many saying their accents had been mocked or criticised at workThe problem of “accent bias” has not gone away in the UK, according to research that says many people with working-class or regional English accents fear their careers might suffer because of how they speak.Researchers who surveyed thousands of Britons found that young people from the north of England and the Midlands were much more likely to be concerned that their accent would count against them, compared with people from the south of England (other than London). Continue reading...
Energy costs, staff pay rises and inflation have left schools unable to pay for repairs, mental health services and tripsSecondary school heads across England are warning MPs of cuts to mental health provision, school trips and essential building repairs because rising costs and energy bills are wrecking their budgets.Ahead of the government’s autumn statement on 17 November, headteachers are telling local MPs and councillors about their struggles to adjust their budgets to cover unexpected costs of hundreds of thousands of pounds in higher pay and bills. Continue reading...
Activists fear for their safety after limited UK riposte to assault on demonstrator outside Chinese consulateHong Kong migrants who fled repression by China said they fear for their safety and are calling on the UK government to take a bolder stance after a pro-democracy protester was beaten in the grounds of a Chinese consulate two weeks ago.The assault in Manchester drew swift condemnation from activists and politicians across the Commons as videos circulated showing a senior Chinese diplomat forcefully grabbing a pro-democracy protester’s hair before the protester was wrestled to the ground and beaten by a group of men. Continue reading...
Scholz’s coalition government seems uncertain about what sort of relationship it wants with BeijingRussia’s war in Ukraine has woken Germany up to the risk of having an economy that is too reliant on raw materials provided by an autocratic strongman. But as the Germany chancellor, Olaf Scholz, heads to Beijing at the end of this week, there are questions as to whether he would rather leave lessons from the recent past at home in Berlin.Scholz is the first representative of a liberal democracy to be granted a state visit to China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan in 2019, and will be the first major political leader to meet Xi Jinping since the Chinese president consolidated his power with a shake-up at the top of the Communist party. Continue reading...
by Presented by John Harris with David Gauke and Miat on (#65DFC)
Criticism of Suella Braverman is mounting, with the home secretary under fire over her handling of an immigration centre in Kent. The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by the former Conservative MP and justice secretary, David Gauke, and economist Miatta Fahnbulleh, to look at what this says about Rishi Sunak’s political judgment, and the Conservatives’ immigration policy Continue reading...
New York attorney general’s office says CBS executives conspired with a Los Angeles police captain to conceal sexual assault allegations against MoonvesCBS and its former president, Leslie Moonves, will pay $30.5m as part of an agreement with the New York attorney general’s office, which says the network’s executives conspired with a Los Angeles police captain to conceal sexual assault allegations against Moonves.Under the deal announced Wednesday by the attorney general, Letitia James, the broadcast giant is required to pay $22m to shareholders and another $6m for sexual harassment and assault programs. Continue reading...
Intercontinental ballistic missile is believed to have suffered in-flight malfunction, says Seoul, as Japan PM criticises ‘outrageous’ launchNorth Korea’s launch of a suspected new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) may have been a failure, military chiefs in South Korea have said. The missile was one of three fired on Thursday morning.The ICBM was fired from the suburbs of Pyongyang but then appeared to have failed during normal flight after the separation of the propellant and warhead sections, defence sources told multiple South Korean media outlets. Continue reading...
Tuo Shilei said his son was delayed in receiving treatment due to strict lockdown conditions in city of LanzhouThe father of a three-year-old boy who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in north-west China said strict Covid-19 policies “indirectly killed” his son by causing delays obtaining treatment.The boy’s death on Tuesday sparked outrage on social media and is the latest incident to trigger blowback against China’s strict zero-Covid policy. Continue reading...
Ghibli Park, which opened this week, offers an immersive glimpse into the worlds created by the likes of Hayao Miyazaki, but don’t expect any rollercoaster ridesFans of Studio Ghibli have begun flocking to a new theme park based on films made by the beloved anime hit factory that opened in Japan this week.Set in a little over seven hectares of green parkland in Aichi prefecture, about 250km west of Tokyo, Ghibli Park has no rollercoasters or other rides. Its aim, instead, is to immerse visitors in the worlds created by the studio’s co-founder and director, Hayao Miyazaki. Continue reading...
Pastor quit church in March after being charged with concealing information about alleged child sexual offences committed by his father. He has pleaded not guilty
Letter in a bottle from overcrowded Kent processing centre compares facilities to prison and says sick people are held thereA note thrown over the fence by a young girl at the Manston processing centre begging for help has compared facilities to a prison and claimed that pregnant women and sick people were being held there.Witnesses said they saw security guards at the site ushering detainees back inside when members of the press were walking by the fence. The girl was among a group of children who broke past them at the controversial Kent centre where concerns are growing over the mental health of people detained for weeks in cramped and unhygienic conditions. Continue reading...
Doctors and nurses report seeing hungry children on a daily basis as they urge government to actDoctors and nurses have called for a major expansion of free school meals to combat the growing risk of malnutrition, obesity and other health conditions affecting children in low-income families hit by the cost of living crisis.A letter signed by scores of clinicians and health experts said NHS professionals were seeing the impact of hunger and poor nutrition in their work every day following a recent doubling in food insecurity across the UK. Continue reading...
Charity’s analysis finds widespread disruption to NHS services and ‘vast backlog of time-sensitive cardiac care’More than 30,000 heart patients in England have died needlessly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, amid continuing ambulance delays, inaccessible care and soaring waiting lists, a report says.The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said significant and widespread disruption to heart care services was still driving a surge in excess deaths. Continue reading...
Kunti Kamara given life sentence for complicity in crimes against humanityA Paris court has made history in convicting a former Liberian rebel commander for complicity in crimes against humanity under the principle of “universal jurisdiction”.Kunti Kamara was also found guilty acts of barbarity, including torture, cannibalism and forced labour during the country’s first civil war more than 25 years ago. He was given a life sentence. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#65D1R)
Chief constables most to blame for crises sapping legitimacy of policing, says Police Federation leaderPolice chiefs have been covering up the misogyny suffered by female officers and staff, and must stop using gagging orders to silence victims, the leader of rank and file officers has revealed.Steve Hartshorn, chair of the Police Federation, which represents 130,000 officers up to the rank of chief inspector, said there should be a “hostile environment” for corrupt officers. He told the Guardian that chief constables bore the brunt of the blame for the crises that were sapping the legitimacy of policing. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#65CZJ)
‘Complexity and uncertainty’ ahead as NHS struggles to deliver standard of care patients deserve, says Amanda PritchardThe NHS in England is facing even tougher challenges now than when Covid-19 struck, the service’s boss has said.The many problems confronting the health service meant it was harder now for it to do its job, and it would become even more difficult, said Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s chief executive. Continue reading...
by Harry Taylor (now); Martin Belam and Helen Sulliva on (#65C3N)
This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereMaksym Kozytskyi, the governor of Lviv, has given an update on the situation in his western region of Ukraine. He said that aside from one air alert, the night was quiet. In the last 24 hours, he said that 100 people arrived in the region on evacuation trains from the east of the country, and that 544 people departed for Poland.The pro-Russian authorities in the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), one of the areas of occupied Ukraine that Russia has claimed to annex, have reported that two civilians were killed and two others injured overnight by shelling from Ukrainian forces. The claims have not been independently verified. The DPR is recognised as a legitimate authority by only three UN member states: Russia, Syria and North Korea. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#65CZK)
Exclusive: Olivier de Schutter says cuts could violate human rights laws, calling instead for higher taxes on richThe United Nations’ poverty envoy has warned Rishi Sunak that unleashing a new wave of austerity in this month’s budget could violate the UK’s international human rights obligations and increase hunger and malnutrition.Olivier de Schutter, the UN rapporteur on extreme poverty, said he was “extremely troubled” by likely multibillion-pound spending cuts – including possible real-terms reductions in welfare payments to millions of the nation’s poorest families. Continue reading...
Unite survey of 600 parliamentary staff show quarter had experienced or witnessed bullyingMPs’ staff report being undermined, humiliated and shouted at in public, having doors slammed in the office and bullied for asking for a pay rise in anonymised evidence given to an inquiry by the Speaker of the House of Commons.Two unions, Unite and the GMB, said the current system for supporting those who work for MPs was not adequate in submissions to the Speaker’s conference on employment of members’ staff. Continue reading...
Prime minister Yair Lapid says nothing final until ‘last envelope is counted’ as Likud’s rightwing coalition partners see support surgeBenjamin Netanyahu has thanked voters for a “huge vote of confidence” as his rightwing religious bloc extended its lead with about 87% of all votes counted in the country’s fifth election in four years.The former prime minister’s Likud party appears to have added one seat to the 30 it held in the last Knesset. But a surge in support for his new far-right allies, the Religious Zionists, and what appears to be a poor showing for two pro-Arab rights parties and the leftwing Meretz party, means the scandal-plagued former leader is at present the most likely candidate to be able to form a coalition government in the aftermath of Tuesday’s election. Continue reading...
Jury agrees with officer’s assertion that he feared for his life when he shot 28-year-old dead outside Huddersfield in 2017A Huddersfield man who was shot dead by police on the M62 in West Yorkshire nearly six years ago was lawfully killed, an inquest has found.A jury on Wednesday agreed with the police’s version of events, that the officer who shot 28-year-old Yassar Yaqub had feared for his life. Continue reading...
by Andrew Sparrow (now) and Rachel Hall (earlier) on (#65C82)
Labour leader questions PM over small boat arrivals and overcrowding at Dover site; Sunak to attend Cop27 after earlier refusal to goThis is from Bloomberg’s Alex Wickham, who has been engaging in the time-honoured lobby practice of U-turn counting.Alok Sharma, the Cop26 president, said he was “delighted” Rishi Sunak will now be attending the Cop27 summit in Egypt. And he said he completely agreed with Sunak’s comment that “there is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change”.It’s extremely good news that Rishi Sunak will continue to champion the UK’s climate leadership and Cop26 legacy with Alok Sharma. I look forward to also attending Cop27 to highlight how the net zero review is an opportunity to better deliver greater prosperity and economic growth. Continue reading...
Lorry traffic is turning picturesque village into ‘wild west’, say residents after death of Eloise JacksonA seven-year-old girl died when she cycled into a lorry outside her home, an inquest heard, as residents expressed anger over the number of HGVs turning the picturesque Wiltshire village where she lived into the “wild west”.Eloise Jackson had only recently learned to ride when she fatally collided with the wheels of a moving HGV metres outside her front door on 13 July 2021, a coroner was told. Continue reading...
Police joked in WhatsApp group about raping female colleague and Tasering children and people with disabilitiesTwo Metropolitan police officers have each been sentenced to three months in prison after being found guilty of sharing racist, homophobic, misogynistic and ableist messages in a WhatsApp group with the officer who murdered Sarah Everard.PC Jonathon Cobban, 35, and Joel Borders, 45, who has left the force, joked on the encrypted messaging platform about beating and sexually assaulting women, raping a colleague and using Taser weapons on children. Continue reading...
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