The final episode of the first season of the hit Game of Thrones prequel has landed online days earlyThe season finale of House of the Dragon has leaked online just two days before it was set to premiere on HBO.According to an HBO spokesperson, the much-anticipated episode of the hit Game of Thrones prequel appears to have come from a distribution partner in Europe, the Middle East or Africa. Continue reading...
Family speak out after photo of 12-year-old, identified only as ‘Lola’, was displayed at far-right rallyThe parents of a French schoolgirl whose death stunned the country have urged rightwing politicians to stop using her photograph for political ends.A 24-year-old woman from Algeria with a history of psychiatric disorders was last week charged with the rape and murder last week of the girl, identified only as “Lola”. Continue reading...
President Mattarella gave Brothers of Italy leader mandate to govern with coalition members Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo SalviniGiorgia Meloni has formed Italy’s new ruling coalition, giving the country its first far right-led government since the end of the second world war.A presidential palace official announced that Meloni, set to become the first woman to serve as the country’s prime minister, and her cabinet would be sworn in on Saturday. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neo-fascist roots, was the top vote-winner in Italy’s national election last month. Continue reading...
Reports say athlete who competed in South Korea not wearing headscarf pressured into ‘forced confession’The Iranian climber who received a hero’s welcome on her return to Tehran after competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf has reportedly been placed under house arrest.Elnaz Rekabi competed last weekend in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, which is mandatory in Iran and a subject of nationwide protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the country’s notorious morality police. Continue reading...
Organisers grapple with increasing financial challenges amid ongoing effects of Brexit and the pandemicBritish music fans expressed dismay this week as Glastonbury announced that the cost of tickets for next year’s event will rise from £265 to £335.Emily Eavis, co-organiser of the not-for-profit festival, said: “We have tried very hard to minimise the increase in price on the ticket but we’re facing enormous rises in the costs of running this vast show, while still recovering from the huge financial impact of two years without a festival because of Covid.” Continue reading...
Election commission rules he misled officials about gifts received from foreign leaders while in officeThe former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has been disqualified from running for political office for five years, after the country’s election commission ruled that he misled officials about gifts he received from foreign leaders while in power.The decision announced on Friday is another twist in political wrangling that began even before Khan’s ejection in April, and is one of several legal battles being fought by the former international cricket star and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Continue reading...
With budgets always tight some smaller football clubs are looking to offset their soaring power costsShrewsbury Town’s fans had long since filed out of the Montgomery Waters Meadow stadium after the defender Chey Dunkley had scored an injury-time winner against Exeter, when Brian Caldwell looked angrily skyward. The League One club’s chief executive was unimpressed to see the ground’s floodlights still burning bright.Caldwell is among the football executives trying to limit the financial pain from huge energy bills. Faced with an even bigger surge in his annual costs, Caldwell was forced to settle for a £100,000 increase, to £180,000, when signing a new energy contract in April. “It’s a massive dent in our finances. Football clubs are not normal businesses, they’re set up to break even and put the money you can into the playing budget,” he said. Continue reading...
Baltic states and Poland have a long shopping list, but host of others seen as cautious of new measures• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesSince Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been subjected to the heaviest sanctions of any country in the world.A fossil fuel superpower, Russia is no longer able to export coal to the European Union and will soon lose 90% of its oil sales to the bloc. In the other direction, the EU has banned the export of hundreds of goods to Russia, from hi-tech military kit and semiconductors that could aid Russia’s military, to makeup, handbags and clothes that may turn a handsome profit for Russian entrepreneurs. Continue reading...
Rightwing networks says war correspondent turned pundit will not be invited back in view of ‘reprehensible statements’The rightwing US TV network Newsmax said it had no plans to interview Lara Logan again, after the award-winning war correspondent turned rightwing pundit launched a QAnon-tinged tirade on air.Speaking to host Eric Bolling, Logan said “the open border is Satan’s way of taking control of the world” and claimed world leaders drank children’s blood. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh and Artem Mazhulin in Kyiv on (#64ZR7)
President says destruction of Nova Kakhovka dam would mean large-scale disaster for towns and citiesUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of plotting to blow up the two-mile Nova Kakhovka dam in the south of the country, warning its destruction would cause “a large-scale disaster” affecting towns and cities.The 30 metre-high dam, which holds back 18m cubic metres of water, straddles the Dnieper River upstream from Russian-held Kherson and is about 20 miles from advancing Ukrainian forces hoping to recapture both it and the occupied city. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#64ZR9)
Paramedics in England missing 117,000 urgent calls each month, as CQC warns of ‘worrying new status quo’Paramedics in England cannot respond to 117,000 urgent 999 calls every month because they are stuck outside hospitals looking after patients, figures show.The amount of time ambulance crews had to wait outside A&E units meant they were unavailable to attend almost one in six incidents.673 patients had to wait 10 hours or more to be handed over to A&E staff – NHS guidelines say no one should wait more than 15 minutes.45,000 patients were delayed for at least an hour and 21,000 for at least two hours – just under the highest numbers ever seen.While crews spent 558,000 hours attending incidents, they were unable to complete another 117,000 “job cycles”, which equates to 21% of total ambulance capacity – huge rises on the 45,000 job cycles or 7% of capacity in October 2019. Continue reading...
Companies including EDF, Centrica and Octopus express ‘alarm’ over bill allowing ministers to overrule OfgemThe UK’s big energy suppliers haveurged the government to reverse part of its energy prices bill, saying it grants “extensive” new powers to ministers and puts billions of pounds worth of investment in jeopardy.The bill, which is making its way through parliament, was introduced as part of efforts to reduce household costs and address the broader energy crisis. Continue reading...
Families struggle to contact relatives ones as opposition groups call for movement to focus on plight of thousands in jailAlmost 12,500 people have been arrested and nearly 250 killed since the street protests began in Iran, according to a prominent human rights group, with thousands of anxious families struggling to make contact with loved ones who have gone missing and presumed to be in jail.The news came as the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Maj Gen Hossein Salami, said security forces were close to snuffing out the remaining protests in Iran: “Sedition is going through its last moments.” Continue reading...
Russian attacks and the prospect of power cuts have made people nervous and politicians angry• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesFor some it was a rude awakening. Those arriving into Kyiv’s busy central station on Monday morning suddenly found themselves in the middle of an unexpected and unwanted drone war; hammered by the sounds of panicked last-ditch gunfire from the ground that failed to stop five terrifying explosions in two hours.It was the second Monday in a row the centre of Kyiv had been targeted, and the first time the capital was hit by Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. The Russians had been aiming for a power plant a block from the station, but instead hit buildings and people elsewhere. Five died, including a pregnant woman, when a civilian apartment building was hit. Continue reading...
Anger erupts after open contest to design statue of Elsie Inglis scrapped and royal sculptor commissionedProposals to honour one of Edinburgh’s most famous feminists with a statue on the Royal Mile have been put on hold after a bitter row about the choice of sculptor.Campaigners planned to erect a bronze statue to Dr Elsie Inglis, a suffragist and medical pioneer who established hospitals for poor women and children in Edinburgh, near the site of a maternity hospital she founded. Continue reading...
Retailer reports third-quarter sales growth but warns of uncertain outlook and £7.5m hike in energy billThe DIY chain Wickes has said its energy costs could rise by £7.5m next year – a 75% increase – and warned of growing uncertainty regarding consumer confidence.The home improvement retailer said that total sales grew by 2.6% in the third quarter, strengthening in September after wilting during the heatwaves in July and August. Continue reading...
Experts say mini-budget has fed ‘sense of mounting dread’ into market with sales likely to plungeThe number of homes sold in September fell by nearly 40% as transaction levels returned to normal following the big spike caused by the Covid stamp duty holiday, with experts suggesting the real “house sales horror story” is still to come.Across the UK, 103,930 transactions were recorded in September, which was 37% lower than the same month in 2021, but roughly the same amount as in August, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures show. Continue reading...
Housing campaigner says rental giant’s donation is a ‘cultural greenwashing’ to offset their poor publicity over the housing crisisEnglish Heritage has accepted a £1.25m donation from Airbnb to support its bid to “boost heritage tourism” and to continue the conservation of the UK’s most important historical attractions and houses.The donation to the charity, which acts as a custodian to the country’s architectural legacy, follows the launch of the rental giant’s new historical homes category in July, which includes listings for historic places in which to stay. Continue reading...
Country debates whether chant is legitimate expression of national pride or an affront to victims of the TroublesA chant with five syllables, dating from the 1980s, has roared back to divide Ireland, anger British politicians and subvert history: ooh, ah, up the ’Ra.The chorus of Celtic Symphonies, a song by the folk group the Wolfe Tones, celebrates the IRA with a catchy, upbeat rhythm. For years it has been belted out in pubs and sporting clubs across Ireland, but usually in semi-private, away from the limelight. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#64ZHF)
British Airways and easyJet confident of fulfilling schedule in busiest weekend before ChristmasThe chaos affecting international air travel in the summer has been firmly stowed away, according to UK aviation firms, with a smooth getaway expected in the busiest weekend before Christmas.Passenger numbers for the biggest carriers and airports will peak at the start of what is for many the October half-term holiday, with easyJet and British Airways confident of fulfilling their schedule, and Heathrow to lift its passenger capacity cap later this month. Continue reading...
Police say postmortem inconclusive as to cause of death after discovery at house in Milton Keynes last weekHuman remains found in a loft space at a property in Milton Keynes have been confirmed as the body of Leah Croucher, who went missing in 2019.A Home Office postmortem conducted last week was inconclusive as to the cause of death, Thames Valley police said. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#64ZGQ)
Visitors to Children’s Country House can dress up in the saloon, curl up in the library and play in the kitchen“Normally when we walk around a place like this, it’s ‘don’t touch this, don’t touch that, keep your hands to yourself’,” said Dominique Lyle as her two sons, six-year-old Joel and two-year-old Jack, raced around the portrait gallery of Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire.They were among the first families to explore the Children’s Country House, a first-of-its-kind heritage experience by the National Trust where young visitors are invited to touch objects and explore every corner of the space. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Privilege Style causes problem for Home Office as it bows to pressure from campaignersA charter airline hired to remove people seeking refuge in the UK to Rwanda has pulled out of the scheme after pressure from campaigners.A plane operated by Privilege Style first attempted to fly asylum seekers to the east African country in June but was grounded by an 11th hour ruling by the European court of human rights. Continue reading...
Charles Steele runs against estranged brother Bill in Port Colborne mayoral race – but siblings keep mum on source of conflictWhen Charles Steele stepped on to a debate stage last week, it was the first time since the election campaign began that he’d confronted his lone opponent in a bitterly contested race to become mayor of a small Canadian town.The encounter also marked the first time he’d spoken to his brother Bill – the incumbent mayor – in more than 30 years. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Efficiency recommendations of experts rejected in European Commission ‘Euro 7’ proposalsAlmost 100m highly polluting cars could appear on Europe’s roads over the next decade after the European Commission moved to disown its own experts efficiency recommendations in a leaked proposal seen by the Guardian.About 70,000 premature deaths in 2018 were caused by road transport emissions, mostly nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), and the commission had been expected to tighten pollution limits in the next “Euro 7” regulation, which takes effect in 2025. Continue reading...
Bodies of four men, believed to be en route to South Africa, found less than a mile from where 25 bodies were exhumed in MzimbaAuthorities in Malawi have discovered four bodies in a forest close to where dozens more were found in a mass grave on Wednesday.Police say the bodies were found yesterday morning, less than a mile from where 25 others were exhumed in Mtangatanga Forest Reserve in the northern district of Mzimba. Continue reading...
Jury continues to deliberate on further 12 charges, which include genital touching of students on the outside of their swimming costumesSydney swim coach Kyle James Henk Daniels has been acquitted of four further sexual abuse charges while a jury remains split on others.The jury’s latest verdicts, handed down on Friday, mean Daniels has been found not guilty of a total of nine of the 21 charges brought against him. Continue reading...
US attorney in New York criticises ‘outrageous violations of national sovereignty’ and alleges campaign of harassment against US residentThe United States has charged seven Chinese nationals it accuses of waging a surveillance and harassment campaign against a US resident and his family as part of a bid by Beijing to forcibly repatriate one of them back to China.The eight-count indictment, unsealed on Thursday in a US district court in Brooklyn, New York, is the latest case by the justice department targeting China’s global overseas campaign, known as “Operation Fox Hunt”. Continue reading...
by Julian Borger in Washington and Dan Sabbagh in Kyi on (#64YZ1)
Iranians brought trainers and technical support to Crimea to help Russians use drones ‘with better lethality’, White House saysIran has significantly deepened its involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by providing technical support for Russian pilots flying Iranian-made drones to bomb civilian targets, the White House has confirmed.The national security council lead spokesperson, John Kirby, said on Thursday that it was the US’s understanding that the Iranian advisers were in Crimea to provide training and maintenance – but not to actually pilot the drones – after Russian forces experienced difficulties in operating the unmanned flying bombs. Continue reading...
The singer will perform at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre next June after recoveing from a brain aneurysm in 2015Joni Mitchell is set to perform at her first headline concert in 23 years.The singer will take the stage at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre on 10 June 2023, news that was initially revealed by Brandi Carlile on The Daily Show before official confirmation later. Carlile will also perform a headline set at the same venue, the night before. She called it “one of the most beautiful venues in the world”. Continue reading...
Weekly newspaper describes Britaly as ‘country of political instability, low growth and subordination to markets’Italy’s ambassador to the UK has criticised the Economist for rehashing old stereotypes after featuring Liz Truss dressed as a centurion and holding a fork of spaghetti under the headline “Welcome to Britaly” on the cover of its latest edition, which focuses on Britain’s political mayhem.Truss, who resigned as prime minister on Thursday after just 45 days in office, is also holding a pizza-shaped shield, with one slice eaten, in the colours of the union jack. Continue reading...
US citizen admits causing death of 19-year-old in road crash outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in 2019Anne Sacoolas has been requested by a judge to appear in person for sentencing before a UK court after she pleaded guilty to causing the death of the British teenager Harry Dunn by careless driving via a video link from the US.The plea – which was entered after she pleaded not guilty to another, more serious, charge of causing death by dangerous driving – had been accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after consultation with Dunn’s family, the Old Bailey was told. Continue reading...
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