Exclusive: Survey finds 13% of British Indians back Nigel Farage's party compared with only 4% at last electionSupport for Reform UK among British Indians has tripled since the election, according to polling from a diaspora group that suggests Nigel Farage's party is gaining ground in some demographics where it has struggled.Research by the 1928 Institute, a group of Oxford academics who analyse the British Indian community, shows backing for Reform has jumped in the past year from 4% to 13%. Continue reading...
Soldier was first reported defection to South Korea across 248-kilometre-long militarised zone since August 2024A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea across the rivals' heavily fortified border on Sunday, South Korea's military said.The military took custody of the soldier who crossed the central portion of the land border, South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said in a statement. It said the soldier expressed a desire to resettle in South Korea. Continue reading...
Leaked emails suggest Andrew passed accuser's details to Met bodyguard hours before bombshell photo came to lightThe Metropolitan police are looking into claims that Prince Andrew asked his taxpayer-funded close protection officer to uncover information about Virginia Giuffre hours before the emergence of a bombshell picture of them together.Leaked emails that suggest Andrew passed his Met bodyguard Giuffre's date of birth and confidential US social security number were deeply concerning", said a government minister on Sunday. Continue reading...
Entries include Welsh language names for fields and hills in move to ensure preservation of stories and legendsDozens of placenames in Welsh, some hinting at ancient legends, others telling rich stories of how people used to live, have been submitted to a project designed to make sure they are preserved.The Welsh government appealed for people to add historical names that may be missing from online maps so they could be saved for future generations. Within two weeks, about 200 submissions were received, including local Welsh language names for fields, hills and areas.Dol y Tylwyth Teg (Fairy Folk Meadow/Fairies' Meadow) in Aberfan, south Wales. The person who sent the suggestion said the field was known by the Welsh name by people who spoke Cymraeg, the Welsh language. A nearby school that teaches through Welsh refers to the field by this name and uses it for events.Caeau Maelorddin (Fields of Maelor City) near Aberystwyth, west Wales, are a collection of fields near Tanybwlch beach. The contributor said his late grandfather recalled many people referring to a group of now individually named fields as Caeau Maelorddin. They were close to Pen Dinas, the hill where the giant Maelor Gawr was said to live.Ffynnon Glog (Rock Well) near Rhyd, in Gwynedd, north Wales, is a hidden well in a roadside bank, according to the contributor. The water in the well was once used as a remedy for ailments and takes its name from Y Glog, a prominent rocky outcrop nearby. Continue reading...
Levies thought to be under consideration by Rachel Reeves will remove profits, say bosses, with thousands of job lossesBetfred has said it will close all 1,287 of its high street betting shops if Rachel Reeves raises taxes on the gambling industry in next month's budget.The company's threat comes amid speculation that the chancellor is considering a tax increase worth up to 3.2bn on sports betting to help to close a potential 30bn shortfall in the public finances. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#70VSJ)
Louise Shackleton says current law is traumatising families and she wanted jury to assess her innocenceA woman who was under police investigation for accompanying her husband to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland said she wished her case had gone to trial so she could have proved her innocence in front of a jury.Louise Shackleton, 59, spent 10 months under investigation for assisting a suicide before North Yorkshire police announced this week that the Crown Prosecution Service had decided it was not in the public interest to prosecute her. Continue reading...
Exclusive: letter to Rachel Reeves from drinks, tourism and farming bodies calls for freeze on spirits duty in budgetA coalition of drinks, tourism and farming bodies has urged the chancellor to protect the Scottish whisky industry from a steeper sales slump and further job losses by freezing spirits duty in her budget next month.The grouping, which includes the Scottish arms of the National Farmers' Union, the Institute of Directors and UKHospitality, has written to Rachel Reeves to argue that a freeze in duty would be a strategic investment" that could increase tax revenues. Continue reading...
Connor Weston, 27, reportedly declared himself a non-offending pedophile' and threatened to kill himselfAn Ohio man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly stormed a stage at a Wikipedia conference in New York City with a gun - as well as a sign declaring himself a non-offending pedophile" - and threatened to kill himself.Connor Weston, 27, was reportedly tackled by organizers of WikiConference North America 2025, thwarting tragedy, before police said officers booked him on counts of criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. Continue reading...
Tory trade minister promised to assist' plans to open 600m Puy du Fou site in Oxfordshire, emails showsA French business that is planning to build a vast 600m historical theme park in rural Oxfordshire won help for its plans from the previous government despite its founding family's ties to the far right and past praise of Vladimir Putin.Correspondence obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws showed the Conservative peer Dominic Johnson, a business and trade minister in Rishi Sunak's government, promised to assist" Puy du Fou - one of France's most popular theme parks - in finding a UK site. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#70VR2)
Lib Dem leader urges suspension of fines imposed on hundreds of thousands who fell foul of discredited rulesPenalties imposed on thousands of unpaid carers who fall foul of the discredited carer's allowance benefit rules should be suspended until the government has fixed the system, the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, has said.A Guardian investigation last year revealed hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers were landed with huge debts - and in some cases prosecuted for fraud - after being inadvertently trapped by chronic failures in the benefit's design and administration. Continue reading...
by Tiago Rogero South America correspondent on (#70VQE)
End of almost two decades of leftist rule could revive war on drugs' in change of approach to coca cultivationBolivians go to the polls on Sunday in an election that, whatever the result, will mark a complete shift to the right after nearly 20 years under the rule of the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).The country's first-ever presidential runoff pits the centre-right senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira, 58, who won the first round in August, against the rightwing former president Jorge Tuto" Quiroga, 65, who in recent weeks has overtaken Paz Pereira in the polls. Continue reading...
Club cited possible safety concerns' after West Midlands police decided to ban Maccabi fans from fixtureAston Villa told matchday stewards they would not have to work during the club's Europa League fixture against the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, citing possible concerns" over safety, it has been reported.West Midlands police decided to ban Maccabi fans from the forthcoming match, after saying the force would not be able to police the fixture safely owing to violent clashes and hate crime offences" at a previous match in Amsterdam in 2024. Continue reading...
by Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem and agencies on (#70VGG)
Authorities urge UN to intervene to protect unarmed civilian populations' after attack on bus that killed 11Gaza's media office has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with Hamas 47 times since the truce came into effect in early October, killing 38 Palestinians and wounding another 143.These violations have included crimes of direct gunfire against civilians, deliberate shelling and targeting, and the arrest of a number of civilians, reflecting the occupation's continued policy of aggression despite the declared end of the war," reads the statement. Continue reading...
Officials say reopening of gateway between Gaza and Egypt would depend on Hamas returning remains of dead hostagesThe Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will stay closed until further notice", Israel has said, after the Palestinian embassy in Cairo said the territory's sole gateway to the outside world would reopen on Monday.The statement by Benjamin Netanyahu's office said reopening Rafah would depend on how Hamas fulfils its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 dead hostages. Israel's foreign ministry earlier said the crossing would probably reopen on Sunday. Continue reading...
Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman calls spread of AI-generated misinformation a dangerous development'A Conservative MP has reported an AI-generated deepfake" video of him announcing that he has joined Reform UK to the police, according to reports.George Freeman, the MP for Mid Norfolk, denounced the video and, in a Facebook post, called the deliberate spread of misinformation through AI-generated content a concerning and dangerous development". Continue reading...
Five MTV channels will close at the end of the year in the UK, leaving just one - which mostly plays reality TV. And with budgets pinched, directors say they are strugglingThe launch of MTV, in 1981, ushered in a new era of music. Showing music videos 24 hours a day, the television channel redefined artist marketing and launched the careers of artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna, whose public personas became inseparable from the gripping, frequently controversial clips they produced to be played on the service.Now, that chapter of music history appears to be drawing to a close, with MTV's parent company Paramount announcing last week that its five dedicated music channels in the UK - MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live - will cease broadcasting after 31 December. (The flagship MTV channel, which broadcasts reality programmes such as Catfish, The Hills and Geordie Shore, will remain in operation.) Continue reading...
Decommissioning Hamas weapons seen as major stumbling block, with British diplomats advising on processA European and US-backed UN security council motion to give a planned international stabilisation force robust powers to control security inside Gaza is being prepared, with the strong expectation that Egypt will lead it, diplomats have said.The US is pressing for the force to have a UN mandate without being a fully fledged UN peacekeeping force and will operate with the kind of powers given to international troops operating in Haiti to combat armed gangs. Continue reading...
Canada isn't helping to repatriate refugee applicant Mahin Shahriar, a 28-year-old Bangladeshi man, his lawyer saysA refugee applicant living in Canada is trapped at a US immigration detention facility after he says he mistakenly crossed the border, but his lawyer says Canada isn't helping to bring him back.Mahin Shahriar, 28, who came to Canada from Bangladesh in 2019, told the Canadian Press he accepted an invitation from a friend" to visit a property near Montreal, which he now suspects was part of a broader human trafficking operation. Continue reading...
Tehran terminates 2015 deal under which sanctions were lifted in return for curbs on country's nuclear programmeAn international deal with Iran designed to keep the world safe from the spread of atomic weapons has officially ended, with Tehran announcing the termination of the decade-old agreement.Iran said on Saturday that it was no longer bound by the 2015 agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), under which international sanctions were lifted in exchange for limitations on Tehran's nuclear programme. Continue reading...
by Maya Yang (now); Tom Ambrose and Sarah Haque (earl on (#70TJG)
Ukrainian president repeats call for weapons but US president insists they're not easy for us to give you' and says Putin wants to end the war'The key to success is in the sky': the Ukrainian defenders struggling to stem Russia's air assaultFirst came the sound of drones. Then a boom that rattled windows. Shortly after that, two columns of black smoke rose over the Shebelinka gas processing plant in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. Towering flames threatened storage tanks. Continue reading...
Boots, hit show about a closeted teen joining the marines, has led to a statement on restoring the warrior ethos'The Pentagon has slammed Netflix for making woke garbage" after the release of the hit gay military drama Boots.The show, based on Greg Cope White's 2015 memoir The Pink Marine, tells the story of a closeted teenager who enlists in the United States Marine Corps in the 1990s. Continue reading...
by Guardian Staff and agencies in Washington on (#70TYN)
In the six attacks on similar vessels launched by Trump, this is the first where any survivors have been reportedThe US has seized survivors of a military strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean, the first since Donald Trump began launching deadly attacks in the region last month, according to officials in Washington.Trump later confirmed the attack, telling reporters that the targeted vessel was a narco-submarine. Continue reading...
University of Texas at Austin faculty fear changes from new taskforce that could restructure humanities programsFaculty at the University of Texas at Austin fear entire academic departments might be on the chopping block after the university quietly appointed a committee charged with studying the restructuring of its liberal arts programs.The university - the largest in the public University of Texas system - has not made any announcements about cuts or restructuring, but faculty there have learned the committee was established earlier this semester and tasked with a review that they believe is focused on ethnic and regional disciplines such as African and African diaspora studies, Mexican American and Latina/o studies, as well as women's and gender studies. Continue reading...
No 10 says talks happening at pace' over West Midlands police order banning fans from attending Aston Villa tieThe Home Office is offering extra support to West Midlands police in an effort to reverse its ban on fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv attending a match at Villa Park next month.After a political outcry about the police decision that would stop the Israeli team's fans going to the match, Downing Street said on Friday that discussions were happening at pace across government" to resolve the issue. Continue reading...
Group suspended following unanimous vote after Politico documented racist and antisemitic chats from membersThe New York Republican state committee has suspended the authorization of their Young Republicans chapter after members were implicated in highly offensive and racist messages that were obtained and published by Politico.The Young Republican National Federation is made up of members aged 18 to 40 and has an active chapter in every state. Their website calls them the oldest youth political organization in the US, with the aim being to recruit young voices to the GOP before equipping and encouraging them to run for office. Continue reading...
by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent on (#70TZY)
Musician and philanthropist was nominated in recognition of scholarship programme at the universityThe acclaimed musician and philanthropist Stormzy has been elected an honorary fellow of Jesus College at the University of Cambridge.The 32-year-old, whose full name is Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, was nominated in recognition of his cultural impact and philanthropic work, having launched the university's Stormzy Scholarship in 2018. Continue reading...
Members of white supremacist active clubs' spearheaded a US expansion of a Russian fighting group that has raised money for the Kremlin's illegal invasion of UkraineA Russian street fighting organization that has raised money for Moscow's illegal invasion of Ukraine expanded into the US earlier this year with the help of prominent American white supremacists from the extremist neo-Nazi active club" movement and the neo-fascist organization Patriot Front, the Guardian can reveal.The group, known as Streets Fight Club (SFC), also promoted violent, for-profit combat events featuring white nationalist extremists held in the US south to tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and YouTube. Continue reading...
Administration reportedly promises supercheck' covering shutdown pay for law enforcement officers across DHSThe Trump administration has promised tens of thousands of federal agents carrying out his immigration crackdown that they will be paid during the government shutdown, according to emails seen by Reuters, even as other federal workers go without pay.The pay plan was communicated to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff on Wednesday in separate internal emails seen by Reuters. Continue reading...
Alvin Bragg was appointed co-chair of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence and sets sights on addressing flow of gunsAt a time of intense focus on high-profile and local incidents of gun violence in the US, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, has been appointed to help lead Prosecutors Against Gun Violence (PAGV), a national group that has been trying to decrease shootings and violence since 2014.Bragg says he plans to bring his big city experience" to the national group, and wants to collaborate with his peers to address interstate gun trafficking. Continue reading...
Court of appeal rules in former actor's favour after finding tweets calling him racist did cause harm to his reputationLaurence Fox's libel claim after he was called a racist on social media will go to a retrial, the court of appeal has ruled.The former actor was successfully sued by Simon Blake, who is now the chief executive of Stonewall, and the drag artist Crystal over a row on the social media platform X. Continue reading...
Rudimentary but powerful device planted outside home of Report presenter Sigfrido Ranucci in Campo AscolanoA prominent Italian investigative journalist has been targeted in a bomb attack, with the rudimentary but powerful device almost destroying his car and causing damage to a neighbour's home.Sigfrido Ranucci, who hosts Report, an investigative programme aired by the state broadcaster, Rai, said the explosion happened about 20 minutes after he returned to his home in Campo Ascolano, close to Rome, on Thursday night. Continue reading...
John plays twinkling piano part in new song Talk to You, and says he truly loves' the Geordie singer-songwriterSam Fender has released a new song with Elton John entitled Talk to You, the day after winning the 2025 Mercury prize for his album People Watching.It features a twinkling piano line laid out by John, amid Fender's full-bodied guitar-led songwriting. Fender sings on the chorus Just wanna talk to you / Wanna talk with my best friend / Wanna let go of everything that I carry", and has said the song is about: the end of a long relationship - about the regret, the mistakes and the lessons that come with it. It's that feeling of losing your best friend, and coming to terms with that. I was playing around with the riff and thought, What I need is a really good pianist', and then, Hmmm, I wonder who I can call?' And of course, who better than Elton John?" Continue reading...
Typhoon Nakri sweeps through Izu Islands off Tokyo, a week after Halong, causing damage and disruptionThe Izu Islands in Japan have endured another powerful blow as Typhoon Nakri swept through on Monday, following in the footsteps of Typhoon Halong, which struck a week earlier.Officials on Hachijojima Island, south of Tokyo, reported disruption and damage to about 220 homes after the storm brought 37mm (1.5in) of rain in one hour and gusts of up to 95mph (152km/h). Airport operations were disrupted, infrastructure damaged, and heavy rainfall caused landslides across the island chain. The typhoon also generated 9-metre waves, creating dangerous coastal conditions. Off the Pacific coast in Oiso, in Kanagawa prefecture, three men were swept away while fishing, one of whom has been confirmed dead. Continue reading...
Owner and manager of venue which will be renamed say original decision was error of judgment' with mention of preferred mix' described as tone deaf and hurtful'
Fashion and art are familiar bedfellows but relevance of fashion at London contemporary art showcase has grown in past decadeWhen you are at the art fair, you push the fashion to be bold and experiment - no black allowed," says Belma Gaudio, at the opening of Frieze art fair in London.Gaudio is the founder of fashion boutique Koibird and an art collector, and carries a bright green Hermes bag, and her own knitted co-ords with pictures of insects to make her point. Continue reading...
The museum has declined to answer key questions about the decision to return the artwork, prompting the New York-based researcher who uncovered the story to challenge the NGV's handling of the case
by Jason Burke International security correspondent on (#70TH2)
With no law, order or any alternative administration under the ceasefire, the group is using violence to deter rivalsThroughout Israel's two-year war in Gaza, aid officials working in the territory avoided naming Hamas in conversations they suspected might be intercepted, instead referring to the militant Islamist group as the de facto authority".This careful euphemism for Hamas, which violently seized power in 2007, captured an important truth. Though the group was a less obvious presence in the last months of the conflict, in the absence of any alternative, it remained the closest the increasingly devastated territory had to a ruler. Continue reading...
Demonstrators clashed with police outside congress building amid public anger at crime crisis days after Jose Jeri assumed powerPeru is set to declare a state of emergency after at least one person was killed and dozens of police officers were injured in widespread protests against President Jose Jeri who assumed power just days ago.Prime minister Ernesto Alvarez said late on Thursday that the government would declare the state of emergency in Lima within hours and is preparing a package of measures to tackle rising insecurity. Continue reading...
Housing secretary and capital's mayor draw up plans to boost housebuilding, but homelessness charities protestDevelopers will be allowed to build lower numbers of affordable homes and claim higher subsidies to build them under plans being drawn up by the government to solve London's housebuilding crisis.Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, will announce the package within weeks, in what officials say will be a time-limited intervention designed to stall the sudden drop in new building in the capital. Continue reading...
Ceremony marks 80 years since release of the Rev W Awdry's first book and coincides with railway bicentenaryEighty years since the first of a beloved fleet of trains was introduced to the world, a national blue plaque is being unveiled at the redbrick house in Gloucestershire where the Rev W Awdry worked on his railway stories.The addition of the new Historic England plaque to Wilbert Awdry's old address in Stroud is expected to prompt fans of Thomas the Tank Engine and his fellow locomotives to make a pilgrimage to the street to pay their respects. Continue reading...
It is unknown whether US military rendered aid to survivors after attack on suspected narcoterrorist' vesselThe US military carried out a new strike on Thursday against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first such case, there were survivors among the crew, a US official told Reuters.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer additional details about the incident, which has not been previously reported. But it raises new questions, including whether the US military rendered aid to the survivors and whether they are now in US military custody. Continue reading...
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