by Agence France-Presse in Tegucigalpa on (#71TX9)
US president favours Nasry Tito' Asfura of rightwing National party, as polls show three candidates are neck-and-neckHondurans have begun voting in an election held amid threats by Donald Trump to cut aid to the country if his preferred candidate loses.Honduras could be the next country in Latin America, after Argentina and Bolivia, to swing right after years of leftwing rule. Continue reading...
More than 100 lawyers have accused the Ministry of Justice of ignoring the legal profession's objectionsMore than 100 lawyers who wrote to the Ministry of Justice expressing significant concerns about plans to severely restrict jury trials say representations by the legal profession are being ignored.The government is expected to formally announce the changes, which have caused deep division among the judiciary and senior lawyers, as soon as next week. Continue reading...
Request is submitted weeks after Donald Trump called on Isaac Herzog to pardon Israeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu has asked Israel's president for a pardon for bribery and fraud charges and an end to a five-year corruption trial, arguing that it would be in the public interest".Isaac Herzog's office acknowledged receipt of the 111-page submission from the prime minister's lawyer, and said it had been passed on to the pardons department in the ministry of justice. The president's legal adviser would also formulate an opinion before Herzog made a decision, it added. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#71TVR)
MPs warn axing FCDO's migration and conflict directorate amid staff cuts risks undermining peace work and expertiseThe Foreign Office has been warned that a plan to axe its dedicated unit on emerging conflicts and refugee crises is a real error" that undermines UK security" as the department grapples with swingeing cuts.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) migration and conflict directorate, which employs about 100 civil servants, is being abolished at the end of this year and its work subsumed by the rest of the department. Continue reading...
Competition intensifies as former chief of Domino's says days of massive growth' are overPizza has become ubiquitous on British dinner plates, with chains such as Pizza Express, Franco Manca, Domino's and Goodfella's dominating the market - but is its popularity starting to cool?Domino's Pizza Group announced this week that its chief executive of two years had stepped down with immediate effect, less than two weeks after he appeared to suggest the UK may be approaching peak pizza". Continue reading...
The building was once home to the UK's first US-style multiplex. Now developers are seeking to demolish it for a new housing schemeForty years ago this month, British cinema-going changed for ever with the opening of The Point in Milton Keynes, the UK's first US-style multiplex. Looming over Midsummer Boulevard, the Point's mirrored glass ziggurat and red pyramidal frame audaciously synthesised Maya and Egyptian motifs in a futuristic, hi-tech temple of pleasure. As well as 10 screens (Back to the Future, The Goonies, and My Beautiful Laundrette opened proceedings), there were bars, restaurants, nightclub and even cup holders on seats, an unimaginable novelty for the time.Today, with its cinemas long closed, this now-languishing 1980s superstar is under threat of demolition, caught in a row between local campaigners, politicians and heritage groups trying to preserve it, and developers seeking to demolish it for a much-criticised new housing scheme. Continue reading...
Rescue teams find more bodies in burnt-out buildings of Wang Fuk Court complex after Wednesday's fireThe death toll in Hong Kong's apartment complex fire has risen to 146 after investigators discovered more bodies in the burnt-out buildings. A steady stream of people placed bouquets of flowers at an ever-growing makeshift memorial at the scene of the disaster, among the worst in the city's history.The Hong Kong police's disaster victim identification unit has been going through the buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex meticulously and has found bodies both in apartment units and on the roofs, the officer in charge, Cheng Ka-chun, said on Sunday. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#71TSG)
Eldonian village was a forerunner in neighbourhood regeneration. Thirty years on it is fighting for survivalIt was the utopian housing dream, a community project designed to support its residents from cradle to grave - 400 redbrick homes built around a village hall, leisure centre and playing fields, all of it owned and managed by the people who lived there.The Eldonian village in Liverpool was heralded at the time of its completion by the then Prince Charles as a leading example of a successful, community-led, bottom-up approach to neighbourhood regeneration". Continue reading...
Exclusive: French artist planning to cover bridge over Seine in tribute to Christo and Jeanne-ClaudeThe enigmatic French artist JR will undertake what he says is his biggest ever challenge next year when he wraps" Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge across the Seine River in Paris, in a tribute to a monumental art project by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.For three weeks next June, the 232-metre (761ft) long bridge will be wrapped in fabric, 40 years after the married artists known for their large-scale, site-specific environmental installations did the same thing. Continue reading...
Axing of Maki Otsuki performance in Shanghai the latest in spate of cancelled cultural events involving Asia's two biggest economiesJapanese One Piece" singer Maki Otsuki was forced to halt her performance on stage in Shanghai, her management said, one of the latest events hit by a diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing.Otsuki, known for the theme song of the popular anime, had been slated to perform for two days from Friday at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025 in the Chinese city. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#71TRC)
Exclusive: Shot as he barricaded the synagogue, Yoni Finlay describes the assault - and the climate that allowed it to happenIt was just after 6am and Yoni Finlay woke early with nerves. It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and the 39-year-old Mancunian was due to sing the dawn prayer, Shacharis, before hundreds of worshippers later that morning.After practising his verse, Finlay buttoned up his white robes and headed to Heaton Park shul in north Manchester. He greeted familiar faces - exchanging a cheery hello with Bernard Agyemang, the security guard - then took a seat on the stage, the bimah, and said prayers. Continue reading...
Men represent 50% of all infertility cases but poor understanding among GPs means it is often untreatedCouples are needlessly going through IVF because male infertility is under-researched, with the NHS too often failing to diagnose treatable causes, leading experts have said.Poor understanding among GPs and a lack of specialists and NHS testing means male infertility is often left untreated in couples struggling to conceive, despite men accounting for 50% of all infertility cases. Continue reading...
Pay mistake is latest setback to image of exclusive Qatar-owned London retailer after a series of crisesHarrods warehouse staff have been underpaid thousands of pounds after the temporary recruitment agency employing the workers failed to award them the correct levels of holiday pay.The error, which possibly equates to a six-figure debt owed to hundreds of lower-paid personnel, marks the latest setback to the image of the exclusive Knightsbridge retailer, which is owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and has spent the past 12 months firefighting a series of crises. Continue reading...
Two new books analyse what makes the perfect pub' and both come to a sobering conclusion: Irish pubs are in troubleLike triple-distilled whiskey, Irish pubs appear to have timeless appeal. They are staple setting in films, books and plays, draw tourists to Ireland, replicate themselves around the world and induce social media quests for the perfect snug and the perfect pint.Scholars have now bestowed academic imprimatur on this cultural treasure status by examining - and celebrating - pubs through the lens of history, sociology, architecture, psychology, design, art and literature. Continue reading...
Police on Saturday detained one person who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding accountabilityAnger over a deadly blaze at a Hong Kong high-rise apartment complex simmered on Sunday as Beijing warned against attempts to use the disaster to disrupt the city, while people across the financial hub continued to mourn for the more than 128 victims.Police on Saturday detained one person who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding government accountability, an independent probe into possible corruption, proper resettlement for residents, and a review of construction oversight, two sources familiar with the matter said. Continue reading...
Kyiv tries to pile pressure on Russia with attack on empty vessels on way to load up with oil for foreign marketsUkrainian naval drones hit two tankers operating under sanctions in the Black Sea as they headed to a Russian port to load up with oil destined for foreign markets, an official said on Saturday, as Kyiv tries to pile pressure on Russia's vast oil industry.The two oil tankers, identified as the Kairos and Virat, were empty and sailing to Novorossiysk, a major Russian Black Sea oil terminal, the official at the security service of Ukraine told Reuters. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh in Kyiv, and Jane Clinton on (#71TBV)
Strike on Kyiv cuts power to half of city amid Moscow's campaign to break civil resistance by attacking energy gridSix people were killed and dozens were wounded by a Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine.Nearly 600 drones and 36 rockets were fired into the country in an attack that its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said highlighted Ukraine's need for western help with air defence, as well as other financial and political support. Continue reading...
Two Palestinian children reportedly killed on Saturday as Israel continues its strikes after latest ceasefireThe Palestinian death toll has surpassed 70,000 since the Israel-Gaza war began, Gaza's health ministry said on Saturday, while a hospital reported Israeli fire killed two Palestinian children in the territory's south.The toll has continued to rise after the latest ceasefire took effect on 10 October. Israel still carries out strikes in response to what it has called violations of the truce, and bodies from earlier in the war are being recovered from the rubble. Continue reading...
Differences between Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn and over admitting Socialist Workers members mean rows look likely to continueWhen the idea of a new leftwing party spearheaded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana was first mooted in the summer, it was so popular that hundreds of thousands of people expressed an interest in joining.Although it was quickly beset by arguments - its co-founders rowed bitterly over its initial leadership and funding model - many hoped this weekend's inaugural conference would signal a fresh start. Continue reading...
by Claire Armitstead and Chris Wiegand on (#71TEM)
A theatrical sensation since the 1960s, whose dramas included Arcadia, The Real Thing and Leopoldstadt, Stoppard also had huge success as a screenwriter
Independent MP Zali Steggall says it's not always clear who is behind disorderly behaviour - and sometimes it can be a whole section of a political party
Exclusive: Experts raise concern as Queensland's Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board turns focus to historical, rather than recent, data
Rightwing activist claimed Commons deputy speaker Nusrat Ghani should be barred because she was born in PakistanGB News is facing calls to cut ties with a regular contributor who has been accused of racism after claiming that the House of Commons deputy speaker, Nusrat Ghani, should not be allowed in the house because she was born in Pakistan.The comments by Lucy White, a rightwing activist, have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum amid warnings that explicitly racist language is becoming increasingly normalised in British life. Continue reading...
Sultana skips Saturday's proceeding in solidarity with delegates expelled over links to other partiesZarah Sultana has boycotted the first day of Your Party's inaugural conference, throwing the party's first official gathering into chaos amid disagreements with co-founder Jeremy Corbyn over how the party should be run.Corbyn confirmed to journalists on Saturday that he preferred a single leader and is likely to stand for the role but Sultana said she would vote for collective leadership and that she did not believe parties should be run by sole personalities". Continue reading...
Exit of Zelenskyy's most powerful aide could also have impact on Kyiv's negotiating position in talks over ending warUkraine's political system is bracing for a mini-revolution" as the county's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is forced to adapt to life without his closest adviser, chief enforcer and most loyal associate, Andriy Yermak, who resigned on Friday after his apartment was searched as part of a widening anti-corruption probe.Yermak's resignation could have tremendous consequences for domestic governance, as well as for Ukraine's negotiating position in talks over ending the war with Russia, where he had served as the head of Ukraine's delegation to peace talks with the White House. Continue reading...
Committee highlights allegations including dog attacks and sexual violence, raising concern about impunity for war crimesIsrael has a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture", according to a UN report covering the past two years, which also raised concerns about the impunity of Israeli security forces for war crimes.The UN committee on torture expressed deep concern over allegations of repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, waterboarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence". Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#71TBX)
Staff at human rights body said to be desperate for regime change' over inertia after court's legal definition of a womanThe ongoing impasse over guidance from the UK's human rights watchdog on access to single-sex spaces is distracting from other pressing issues, including the rise of the far right, insiders have told the Guardian.Some members of staff at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are described as desperate for regime change" ahead of the new chair, Mary-Ann Stephenson, taking up her post in December. Continue reading...
Venues promoting destruction as stress relief are appearing around the UK but experts - and our correspondent - are unsureIf you find it hard to count to 10 when anger bubbles up, a new trend offers a more hands-on approach. Rage rooms are cropping up across the UK, allowing punters to smash seven bells out of old TVs, plates and furniture.Such pay-to-destroy ventures are thought to have originated in Japan in 2008, but have since gone global. In the UK alone venues can be found in locations from Birmingham to Brighton, with many promoting destruction as a stress-relieving experience. Continue reading...
Move, which is part of crackdown on costs, comes after it emerged Home Office spends 15.8m a year on serviceAsylum seekers will be banned from taking taxis to medical appointments after it was revealed the Home Office spends about 15.8m a year on the service.From February they will have to use alternative transport such as buses, no matter how urgent their medical needs. Continue reading...
Account of visit to Gaza by French professor describes Israeli military attacks on security personnel protecting convoysA historian who spent more than a month in Gaza at the turn of the year says he saw utterly convincing" evidence that Israel supported looters who attacked aid convoys during the conflict.Jean-Pierre Filiu, a professor of Middle East studies at France's prestigious Sciences Po university, entered Gaza in December where he was hosted by an international humanitarian organisation in the southern coastal zone of al-Mawasi. Continue reading...
Nathan Law says moral obligation' to Hongkongers should extend to anyone fleeing from political persecutionAn exiled leader of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong has said the UK government risks reneging on a commitment to people from its former colony in its shake-up of legal immigration routes.Nathan Law, a former Hong Kong politician who arrived in the UK in 2020 and has a bounty on his head, said that the government should reflect on its moral obligations when enacting its increase of the standard qualifying period for permanent residence to a decade. Continue reading...
E3G thinktank warns retrofit sector could shed 10,000 skilled jobs as small firms struggle to surviveCuts to a scheme for insulation and heatpumps for low-income households will leave homes damp, draughty and unsafe over winter, experts have said.Housing have asked for a one-year extension to the scheme to ensure continuity and prevent small retrofit firms going bust. Companies say funding for solar panels and insulation is already being withdrawn, leaving homes cold and draughty as winter sets in. Continue reading...
Welsh government grants used to fund football club even though it is owned by wealthy movie starsWrexham AFC has risen meteorically through the English football leagues thanks to the deep pockets of Hollywood movie star owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Yet the club has also had 18m in help from other, unwitting backers: Welsh taxpayers.The club has received almost 18m in nonrepayable grants from the Welsh government via the local council, according to UK government state aid disclosures - far in excess of the direct aid listed for any other football club in Britain. Continue reading...
The PM becomes the first Australian leader to celebrate a wedding while in office with a private ceremony followed by a reception at his official residence, the Lodge
Locked away in prison for decades, Marwan Barghouti is a longstanding advocate for a two-state solutionA global campaign is being launched to secure the release of Marwan Barghouti, the Palestinian prisoner seen by many as the best hope of leading a future Palestinian state, as negotiations continue in the context of the current Gaza ceasefire.The campaign, being led by Barghouti's West Bank-based family with UK civil society support, is seeking to put the 66-year-old's fate at the centre of the next stage of the ceasefire. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#71T7V)
Exclusive: Rail regulator pulls Avanti service from timetable from mid-December but it is needed for staff travelThe good news for rail travel between Manchester and London is that a morning train will continue to link England's biggest cities in under two hours. The bad news: passengers will no longer be able to get onboard.The rail regulator has axed one of Britain's fastest and most lucrative intercity services, the 7am Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, as part of a timetable shake-up that will take effect in mid-December. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Concerns over impact on health and environment, as well as 1.63bn in avoided landfill taxThe UK is estimated to have at least 8,000 illegal waste sites, containing approximately 13m tonnes of rubbish, research has revealed.The scale of the criminal dumping means at least 1.63bn of landfill taxes have been avoided, according to an analysis of data from the satellite company Air & Space Evidence, shared with the Guardian and Watershed Investigations. Continue reading...
Woman cancels all benefits including disability living allowance for daughter after policy change announcementA low-paid carer from Ghana has cancelled all the benefits she is legally entitled to, including the disability allowance one of her children receives, owing to fears about her immigration status after the policy changes announced by the home secretary.The radical changes to legal migration announced by Shabana Mahmood on 20 November will penalise those who are living and working legally in the UK, but who claim benefits. Continue reading...
Councils consult on removing former prince's name as residents report embarrassment' and smirks' when giving their addressesStreets named after Andrew, formerly known as Prince but now plain Mountbatten-Windsor, can be found from Broadstairs to Belfast to Birmingham. Roads, avenues, terraces, lanes, crescents, closes, drives and ways are all afflicted - to the dismay of some residents.In Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, Prince Andrew Way, celebrating Mountbatten-Windsor's 1986 marriage to Sarah Ferguson, will be purged after Mid and East Antrim council passed a motion, described by one councillor as sad but necessary", to rename. A public consultation is under way. Continue reading...
Washington's Putin-appeasing plan for peace in Ukraine has failed, but many heard death knell sounded for European reliance on US protectionKaja Kallas, the European Union foreign policy chief, asked her officials this week to dig up the number of times Russia had - in its various guises - invaded other states in the 20th and 21st centuries. The answer that came back was 19 states, on 33 occasions. Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister, was not just indulging in some form of historical mathematics. She was seeking to make a point that lies at the heart of the dispute between the US and Europe over Ukraine's future, a dispute that has again revealed the chasm across the Atlantic about the true nature of the Russian regime.Kallas reads history books as a leisure activity and - drawing on her own country's history of Soviet occupation - has long maintained that the Soviet Union fell, but its imperialism never did. Russia has never truly had to come to terms with its brutal past or bear the consequences of its actions," she has said, arguing that the nature of the Russian regime means rewarding aggression will bring more war, not less": Putin will come back for more. Continue reading...
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