Further slowdown likely amid interest rate rise and cost of living crisis, says surveyors’ body RicsProperty sales and house prices continued to decline across the UK in January, while new buyer demand and fresh listings were also down, surveyors have reported.A net balance of -47% for new buyer inquiries was reported, down from -40% in December, according to the latest monthly snapshot from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). The January return marked the ninth successive negative monthly reading for new buyer inquiries. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#68P34)
Jeremy Hunt urged to reconsider raising state-subsidised energy rate from April as market prices make delay affordableJeremy Hunt must act now to reverse plans to raise energy bills from April, MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis has warned, saying the change cannot wait until the spring budget next month.In a letter to the chancellor seen by the Guardian, Lewis warned more than 1.7m more households could be plunged into fuel poverty if he does not urgently commit to freezing energy prices. Continue reading...
by Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington and Tess McCl on (#68P2Y)
Researchers say food and energy security boosts prospects for civilisation to continue, along with Vanuatu, Iceland and Solomon IslandsThe lucky country can count on one more piece of good fortune, with researchers finding Australia – followed by neighbour New Zealand – best placed to survive a nuclear winter and help reboot a collapsed human civilisation.The study published in the journal Risk Analysis describes Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as the island countries most capable of producing enough food for their populations after an “abrupt sunlight‐reducing catastrophe” such as a nuclear war, super volcano or asteroid strike. Continue reading...
by Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies on (#68P24)
Kim Ju-ae attends anniversary military parade and banquet at which Kim Jong-un praises ‘strongest army in the world’North Korea has put on its biggest display yet of long-range missiles at a parade to mark a key military anniversary, as speculation grows that the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is grooming his daughter as a possible successor.State media said the nuclear-armed North displayed multiple long-range missiles at a parade late on Wednesday to mark the 75th anniversary of its army, with analysts saying they included what appeared to be a new, solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Continue reading...
Supreme court said bullfighting was part of Spain’s ‘cultural heritage’ but opponents see ruling as backwards stepThe debate over bullfighting’s place in Spanish culture and society has been reignited after the country’s supreme court ruled that the Socialist-led government had been wrong to exclude bullfights from a list of events available to young people through a free culture voucher scheme.Introduced last year, the bono cultural joven (youth culture voucher) entitles Spaniards turning 18 to a €400 (£355) allowance – half of which can be spent on attending cultural events such as festivals, concerts, plays, exhibitions and films. Continue reading...
Government plans to upgrade energy efficiency of homes will help only 5.8% of fuel poor households by 2030, campaign group claimsGreenpeace is threatening to take legal action against the government as it emerged a target to lift millions of struggling households out of fuel poverty is likely to be missed.Government plans to upgrade the energy efficiency of homes will help fewer than 6% of fuel poor households by 2030, according to the environmental campaign group. Continue reading...
Unknown patterns found on ceramics from Josephine Willis, which collided with steamer in 1856The wreck of a mid-19th century sailing ship transporting British people to New Zealand and with a cargo of exceptionally rare ceramics onboard has been listed for protection 167 years after it sank off the Kent coast.The Josephine Willis wooden packet boat, built in Limehouse and launched in 1854 by HH Willis & Co, foundered four miles (6.4km) south of Folkestone harbour following a collision with the steamer Mangerton on 3 February 1856, with the loss of 70 lives including Captain Edward Canney. The ship lies in two parts on the seabed, 23 metres deep. Continue reading...
Cuts represent an estimated 3.6% of Disney’s global workforce in effort to save $5.5bn in costs and follow major job losses at other top US companiesDisney has announced a sweeping corporate restructuring that will result in 7,000 people losing their jobs as part of an effort to achieve US$5.5bn (£4.5bn, A$7.9bn) in cost savings, at the same time as revealing plans for sequels to Toy Story and Frozen.The layoffs represent an estimated 3.6% of Disney’s global workforce and come after major job cuts at other US giants including Alphabet, Amazon, Ford and Meta. Continue reading...
In week before independent Monique Ryan and chief of staff Sally Rugg head to mediation, sex discrimination commissioner says cultural change is happening
Specialists ‘categorically’ believe 45-year-old not in section of river where detectives think she fell inA specialist underwater search team looking for Nicola Bulley have pulled out of the operation and believe “categorically” the 45-year-old is not in the section of the river where detectives believe she fell in.Peter Faulding, a leading forensic search expert and chief executive of Specialist Group International, said his team have been unable to locate Bulley in the area of the River Wyre. Continue reading...
Archbishop of Canterbury tells members not to be swayed by ‘groups or lobbies or outsiders’ at General SynodThe archbishop of Canterbury has warned MPs that he will ignore threats of parliamentary intervention to force the Church of England to allow same-sex couples to marry in church.Speaking at the C of E’s national assembly, the General Synod, Justin Welby said members should not be swayed on the issue by “groups or lobbies or outsiders”. He said he had heard such efforts to influence the church “over the last two weeks in parliament, and being told exactly what to do. I’m not doing any of it.” Continue reading...
Six more children injured in suburb of Laval, as driver arrested for homicide and reckless drivingTwo children have died and six others were injured when a city bus ran into a daycare center in the Montreal suburb of Laval.The bus driver, a 51-year-old employee of the Laval municipality’s public transit system, was arrested for homicide and reckless driving, police said on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Michael Gove’s department banned from spending money on new capital projects without Treasury approvalMichael Gove’s government department has been banned from spending money on new capital projects without Treasury approval amid concerns about how well public money is being managed.Insiders had signalled that Gove’s speech in Manchester on 25 January had prompted fears of rogue spending as he announced plans to fund a new round of local grants in northern counties. Continue reading...
More than 130 asylum seekers were living in Greenwich hotel and were given just a few hours’ noticeDozens of asylum seekers have staged a protest inside a Greenwich hotel where they have been for 18 months, after being given just a few hours’ notice that they were due to be moved to Bedfordshire.Four police cars, a police van and an ambulance arrived at the scene of the protest and some officers entered the hotel. One asylum seeker was arrested, handcuffed and taken away in a police van. Continue reading...
This blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereRishi Sunak was at Stansted to welcome President Zelenskiy, he reveals. That explains how they are going to fit in a meeting before PMQs. (See 10.47am.) It is very unusual for a visting leader to be greeted at the airport by the PM. Normally someone more junior is there to do the honours.To coincide with President Zelenskiy’s visit, the government will today announce further sanctions against Russia, “including the targeting of those who have helped Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin’s war machine”. The details are due out later this morning. Continue reading...
Rights groups say the move is a threat to the freedom of expression in a country currently facing deadly anti-government protestsPeru has called on citizens to report social media users suspected of supporting or inciting “acts of terrorism”, as the country reels from two months of violent anti-government protests which have claimed at least 59 lives.In a move widely condemned by human rights organisations, the country’s interior ministry said on Monday that the criminal definition of “apology for terrorism” was being modified to include the use of social media, after the first jail sentences for the alleged crime last month. Continue reading...
UK acts against Kremlin-linked firms and individuals including Svetlana Krivonogikh, who it is claimed had a daughter by the Russian leaderOne of the Russians targeted by UK sanctions on Wednesday to mark Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to London is Vladimir Putin’s alleged former lover, Svetlana Krivonogikh.The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, announced a new round of sanctions against Kremlin-connected individuals and military entities involved in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They included a drone manufacturer, a helicopter parts firm, and an aviation software company. Continue reading...
Internal report on rape of two women arrested during protests suppressed for fear of ‘misrepresentation by enemy groups’Members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards raped two women in an attack covered up by state prosecutors, according to an internal judicial document seen by the Guardian.The document, originally leaked to Iran International by hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali (Ali’s Justice), reveals the case of sexual assault by two IRGC officers of a woman aged 18 and a woman of 23 in a van during protests against the death in September of Mahsa Amini in police custody in Tehran. Continue reading...
Ex-PM has now received earnings, hospitality and donations worth more than £5m since leaving Downing StreetBoris Johnson has received £2.5m as an advance for speeches, meaning he has received earnings, hospitality and donations worth more than £5m over the last six months since leaving office.The former prime minister has undertaken a lucrative tour of the global speaking circuit since exiting No 10, addressing investors in the technology behind cryptocurrency, insurers and investment bankers, as well as taking more than £500,000 as an advance for a memoir. At the same time, he has stayed on in his main job as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Continue reading...
Five members of group convicted of criminal damage and fined after gluing themselves to painting in LondonFive climate crisis activists who glued themselves to the frame of a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ in London have said they believe the painter would “100% agree” with their actions, after they were convicted today of criminal damage.The members of the Just Stop Oil (JSO) group were each ordered to pay £486 by a judge who described the case as an unusual one in that the evidence of every witness was credible and said he recognised the defendants “believe entirely” in their cause. Continue reading...
As part of a £250,000 Senned fund for biosecurity measures, the spaniel will work to sniff out rodentsA lively spaniel with a nose for sniffing out rats has been unveiled as a new weapon in the fight to protect precious seabird colonies on small islands off the Welsh coast.Billed as the UK’s first “conservation detection dog”, Jinx’s role will be to keep islands such as Skomer, off Pembrokeshire, famed for its colonies of puffins, clear of rats, which can decimate bird populations. Continue reading...
Housebuilder reports ‘modest uplift’ in reservations of new homes in January but remains cautiousBritain’s largest housebuilder, Barratt Developments, has reported grounds for optimism in the UK housing market after an increase in sales in January – but it said the trading outlook for 2023 remains “uncertain”.Barratt reported a “modest uplift” in reservations of new homes during the first month of the year, as a result of the return of more competitive mortgage rates for house buyers, combined with expectations that energy costs will come down and interest rates will not rise as high as previously predicted. Continue reading...
More than 180 workers reject pay deal, accusing company of ‘corporate greed’ after bumper £200m profitsWorkers at one of Britain’s biggest power plants are preparing to go on strike nine times over the next three months in a dispute over pay.More than 180 staff at the Drax plant near Selby, in North Yorkshire, plan to strike in February, March and April after rejecting a proposed pay deal. Continue reading...
Critics say former Australian PM’s membership of Global Warming Policy Foundation thinktank could affect trade dealsThe UK government is being urged to sack one of its trade advisers after he joined a thinktank that has denied the scale of the climate crisis and campaigned against net zero.Tony Abbott, a former Australian prime minister, announced this week that he had joined the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF). Continue reading...
The idea has been firmly rejected by the US and Germany, but similar red lines have often been overturnedThe British offer to train Ukrainian pilots on modern Nato fighter jets is a carefully couched hint to the rest of Nato that at some point it may have to provide modern jets to help Ukraine defend its airspace from the Russian air force.The offer of Nato jets to Ukraine briefly surfaced as an idea after the controversy over the provision of tanks was settled with as many as 150 tanks to be offered within the next year. Continue reading...
Increase comes after 2021 census included mental health in its question about disability for first timeOne in seven women in their 20s have been classed as disabled, after the census for England and Wales included mental health in its question about disability for the first time.The number of girls and young women aged 10 to 19 declaring a disability almost doubled and among those aged 20 to 24 it almost tripled in England to 15%. There were hotspots in Lincoln, Norwich and Brighton, places with large student populations. The increase among young males was smaller but still significant. Continue reading...
Volodymyr Zelenskiy in first UK visit since war began; UK adds 15 new designations to Russia sanctions listVolodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in the UK on his first visit since Russia’s invasion to address parliament and meet prime minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian troops being trained by British armed forces. Sunak will expand the training offered by the UK to include fighter jet pilots and marines “ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future”.King Charles III will hold an audience with Ukrainian president Zelenskiy at Buckingham Palace has said. The audience between the king and Zelenskiy will take place at Buckingham Palace this afternoon.Britain has added 15 new designations to its Russia-related sanctions list, including six entities providing military equipment such as drones for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions also target eight individuals and one entity connected to financial networks that help “maintain wealth and power amongst Kremlin elites”, the UK government said in a statement.Zelenskiy is expected to visit Brussels on Thursday, Reuters is reporting, citing an EU diplomat. The Ukrainian president was reported to be planning a trip to meet EU leaders in person at a summit and address the European parliament in an extraordinary session.Ahead of his UK visit, Zelenskiy urged partners on Wednesday to counter the International Olympic Committee’s exploration of options to permit Russian athletes to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, made clear she does not want a Russian delegation at next year’s games. Her remarks came after five Olympic committees in the Nordic region – Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway – urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesdayto ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from participating in international sports.Russia said on Wednesday that work to unblock Russian exports under the Black Sea grain deal was unsatisfactory, accusing the European Union of failing to deliver on its promises, the Tass news agency reported. The comments refer to the United Nations-brokered agreement between Moscow and Kyiv that aimed to free up grain exports held up at Black Sea ports by the war in Ukraine.The latest update from the UK’s Ministry of Defence says since Russia withdrew its forces from the west bank of the Dnipro in November, “skirmishing and reconnaissance” has continued on the network of islands comprising the Dnipro delta. “It is highly unlikely that Russia will attempt an assault crossing of the Dnipro,” the update said. “It would likely be extremely complex and costly”.Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that European Union moves to add what he called “exemptions” to its price cap on oil products showed that Russian oil was still in demand, Reuters reports.Russia has demanded that the US embassy in Moscow stop spreading what Moscow regards as fake news regarding its military operation in Ukraine and has threatened to expel US diplomats, Reuters reports, citing an original report in the Tass news agency. Continue reading...
Campaigners accuse Museveni regime of evading international scrutiny after shock move to end agreement with OHCHRRights activists and campaigners have condemned the Ugandan government’s decision to shut down the country’s UN human rights office, describing it as “shameful”.In a letter to the Office of the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) in Uganda dated 3 February, the foreign affairs ministry said it will not renew the host country agreement it signed with the OHCHR, which established its initial mandate in the country in 2005. The current mandate, signed on 9 February 2020, expires in August. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#68N0Z)
Wilson to enact single, seven-minute scene on loop with 100 men to explore gender rolesRuth Wilson has called a new stage role in which she will perform the same scene repeatedly for 24 hours straight an “extraordinary, once in a lifetime experience”.The Golden Globe and Olivier award winner will star in the UK premiere of the internationally acclaimed epic The Second Woman at the Young Vic this spring. Playing Virginia, Wilson will enact a single, seven-minute scene on loop, with 100 different men performing opposite her as her lover Marty, one after the other. Most of the men are non-actors who have volunteered for the role.The Second Woman, a Young Vic & Lift co-production, produced in association with Ruth Wilson, is at the Young Vic, London, 19-20 May. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#68MZN)
Girl was found near Galashiels after search involving divers, a helicopter and mountain rescue teamA 53-year-old man has been charged in connection with the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl who was later found in the Scottish Borders, as police thanked the public for their “huge effort” in helping to find her.The child was reported missing in Galashiels on Sunday but was found nearby at about 9.30pm on Monday. Continue reading...
Giant teddy bear Bordesley is put in charge of Birmingham city council’s £3bn budget in Stan’s Cafe’s fun new production All Our Money“It came from a place of … what is the worst idea you could possibly have for a theatre show?” says director James Yarker, as he flicks through a heavily annotated 90-page copy of Birmingham city council’s three-year financial plan.His latest production, All Our Money, is a 50-minute exploration of the complexities of council budgets, told with the help of 6,000 gold blocks and a football mascot. Continue reading...
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