Union organisation criticises Tory ‘litany of failures on workers’ rights’ five years on from Taylor reviewThe Trades Union Congress has criticised the Conservative party for “a litany of failures on workers’ rights” as it published analysis showing a rise in insecure jobs in the five years since the government pledged to make work in the UK fairer.At least 3.7 million people in Britain are in insecure jobs, up from 3.6m in 2021, out of a total workforce of 34 million, according to analysis of government data by the TUC. That compares to 3.2 million in late 2016, before the publication of the Taylor review, a landmark government-backed report on work in the UK. Continue reading...
Country’s film industry makes 20 horrors in last six years, as directors channel the vampires and banshees of traditional talesA century after Bram Stoker introduced Dracula to the world, Irish storytellers are again conjuring vampires – as well as zombies, ghosts, changelings and grisly, mysterious diseases – and this time on the big screen.Young film directors are channelling Ireland’s dark folklore and contemporary social ills into a wave of horror films that are finding mainstream audiences overseas. Continue reading...
Fergus Linehan calls for visa-free travel for British artists to solve logistical problems of touringThe outgoing director of the Edinburgh festival has called for the UK’s visa and exports rules to be greatly simplified to allow musicians and artists to travel overseas far more smoothly.Fergus Linehan, who directs his last international festival next month, said the UK’s post-Brexit visa rules had been a “disaster” for the arts and for artists by stifling collaboration and making it harder for British artists to tour abroad. Continue reading...
New supply chief Jonathan Mills starts drafting plans to safeguard winter supplies amid war in UkraineHe is the man charged with keeping the lights on this winter. A seasoned civil servant, Jonathan Mills was last month named director general for energy supply in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.In a blog entitled: “What do policymakers do all day?” – a nod to the children’s author Richard Scarry - he set out his approach to working in government earlier this year. “The way that I now think of a policy professional is as an ‘orchestrator’,” he said. Mills, who previously oversaw labour market policy, and before that electricity market reform, now faces the orchestration job of his life. Continue reading...
Exit polls show LDP retaining power with comfortable election victory as country mournsJapan’s ruling party has won a comfortable victory in elections overshadowed by the assassination of the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe.Exit polls showed that the Liberal Democratic party (LDP), which Abe led until he resigned in 2020, had secured more than half the 125 seats being contested in the 248-seat upper house. Continue reading...
South African police investigate reports group of men arrived in taxi and opened fire on patronsGunmen used automatic rifles and powerful handguns to kill 15 people and injure a further eight in a mass shooting at a tavern in Johannesburg’s Soweto township in the early hours of Sunday.The attack in the Nomzamo informal settlement occurred shortly after midnight when a group of men arrived in a Toyota minibus and entered the bar, neighbours told the Guardian. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#618GA)
New edition of Cambridge Latin Course to include more prominent female characters and better reflect empire’s ethnic mixA popular Latin course used to teach generations of British schoolchildren has undergone its biggest overhaul in 50 years to include more prominent female characters and better reflect ethnic diversity in the Roman world.A fifth edition of the Cambridge Latin Course (CLC), a mainstay of mainly private schools since the 1970s, is being published later this month, in response to concerns from teachers, academics and students about the representation of women, minorities and enslaved people in earlier versions. Continue reading...
Actor talks of time in Paris before she became highly paid star when she was asked to carry a suitcaseBefore she was a blockbusting Hollywood actor and before she was a “clean” wine entrepreneur, Cameron Diaz may have been an unwitting drug mule, she has revealed.Diaz has told the story of when, as young woman starting out in the world, she moved to Paris to pursue a modelling career. Continue reading...
President says it will not be attending forum because of failure to address concerns of Micronesian countriesThe key diplomatic body in the Pacific has been dealt a devastating blow on the eve of its first in-person meeting since the pandemic, as Kiribati announced it would be withdrawing from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).The Pacific has become a site of intense geostrategic competition, as a result of increased interest from China, and Kiribati’s withdrawal will weaken the forum at a time when Pacific regionalism in the face of fierce geopolitical attention has never been more important. Continue reading...
Pioneering female aviators delivered planes wherever they were needed in the second world war – armed with just a notebookThey flew together, died together, and are buried side by side. First officer Dora Lang and Flight Engineer Janice Harrington were killed on 2 March 1944 while delivering a de Havilland Mosquito Mk VI plane to an airfield in Hampshire. Their plane stalled as it approached the landing strip, and they crashed.This is just one of the untold stories of the heroic young women who, with minimal training, flew thousands of aircraft around the country and risked their lives to keep British planes in the air during the second world war. Now, the numerous achievements of these women – and the remarkable courage they showed, often before resuming their roles as housewives in postwar Britain – will be celebrated for the first time in a forthcoming exhibition at Biggin Hill Memorial Museum. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#618DB)
Campaigners want prime minister to advance compensation payments to those infected without delayCampaigners are to hand-deliver a letter to Boris Johnson on Monday urging him to deliver immediate interim payments to victims of the contaminated blood scandal before more of them die.The delegation, including people from all four UK home nations, want the prime minister to implement without delay the recommendation for interim compensation made by Sir Robert Francis QC in his government-commissioned report. Continue reading...
After the landmark tribunal ruling in her favour last week, Maya Forstater reveals the toll the case took – and explains why it was worth itA full 48 hours after she received the final judgment in her long-running employment tribunal, Maya Forstater still looks a little dazed. It is, she admits, difficult to believe that she is now free to get on with the rest of her life.“I am very happy,” she says. “I do feel vindicated. The tribunal found that I was a victim of discrimination, and not a perpetrator, which is the story that has been told about me for the past three years. But it is weird, too. This case took on a life of its own a long time ago. It is both about me, and not about me. The implications of the judgment are going to have a huge impact. The most important thing I ever did, it seems, was to lose my job.” Continue reading...
by Philip Oltermann in Berlin, Daniel Boffey in Bruss on (#618CN)
The PM’s frivolous style won’t be missed in the EU, but his serious side emerged on UkraineBoris Johnson’s supporters last week championed his legacy as a bullish enforcer of the British people’s will against European technocrats.The reality of his diplomatic record over six years in office, first at the foreign office and then at 10 Downing Street, is rather different. Negotiators in Brussels found the old Etonian more malleable than they had expected. Continue reading...
Officers are sharing racist content online, with some wearing the ‘thin blue line’ avatar, associated with white nationalism among US policePolice forces in the UK and across Europe are suffering from a growing “culture of extremism”, according to a report that warns of an increase in officers sharing racist and far-right content online. The report, by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), says UK policing has a growing extremist problem, and highlights issues across Europe. In France, 81% of gendarmes declared they would vote for far-right politician Marine Le Pen.In France, Belgium, Germany and Hungary former high-ranking police officers have become extreme-right mayoral and parliamentary candidates. Continue reading...
In true blue constituency in the heart of the fens, residents give Johnson credit for Brexit and stance on war in UkraineSpalding is the heart of the Fens and the soul of Toryland. This Lincolnshire town is among the safest Conservative seats in the UK – the constituency of South Holland and The Deepings returned its MP, Sir John Hayes, with 75.9% of the vote in 2019.So the disappointment expressed by Conservative-supporting townsfolk in Spalding at the decision to cut short Boris Johnson’s premiership should ring alarm bells for his successors. If Johnson is looking for a country retreat after he hands back the keys to Chequers, he’ll find an enthusiastic welcome here. Less so his parliamentary colleagues. Continue reading...
PM’s repeated flouting of uncodified rules highlights the need for a trustworthy, future-proofed systemIn keeping with his entire tenure in No 10, Boris Johnson’s departure from the premiership is proving a test of the UK constitution’s heavy reliance on convention and principle. His final weeks or months in the job provide yet more questions about what the UK does with its constitution in the post-Johnson era.Before the 2010 general election, the House of Commons justice committee met constitutional experts and the then cabinet secretary, all to discuss whether the UK needed to set out rules for any “caretaker government”. The worry then was if the general election produced a hung parliament it could take time before a government was formed, and the rules for any interim government should be set out in advance. Though there were some principles and precedents about what should and should not happen, it wasn’t explicitly set out anywhere. Continue reading...
Heat-health alert issued for south and east of England, while South West Water appeals to customers to conserve waterHealth warnings have been issued about this week’s heatwave, which is expected to bring the hottest day of the year, with prolonged temperatures higher than in the Greek islands, and intensify pressure on water supplies.Parents were advised to keep their children out of the sun this week, while a water company revealed that it was already looking at ways to avert introducing water restrictions for the first time since the relentless heatwave of 1976. Continue reading...
Susan Sullivan’s hospital records suggest she was denied potentially life-saving treatment because of her disability. Now her family are demanding answersWhen Susan Sullivan died from Covid-19, her parents’ world fell quiet.She would no longer burst into her dad’s room at dawn to say: “Morning, chief! Sun’s shining!” And when songs would play by Abba, Queen or Kylie, she was no longer there to blast out the words. Continue reading...
Rishi Sunak, the ex neighbour from No 11, is off to a strong start … but bad blood seems likely, whoever moves in at No 10Shortly after Boris Johnson struggled through prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, as the list of resignations from his government grew, a senior Tory MP sat down in a quiet corner of the House of Commons and agonised alone over what to do.He had been loyal to Johnson until then but could see the way the wind was blowing. “I really don’t know,” he said, grimacing and shaking his head when asked where he stood on the great question of the moment. “I know we can’t go on like this. But I can’t think of anything worse right now than a leadership contest.” Continue reading...
Senior Tories hit out at ‘disgraceful’ promotion of Sarah Dines, who has been fiercely criticised for her handling of groping claimsAnger is growing among senior Conservatives over the promotion of an MP criticised for her alleged handling of groping claims made against the former deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher.One senior Tory said the appointment of Sarah Dines as a justice and home office minister was an “absolutely disgraceful decision”. Dines, who had been an assistant whip, has been accused by one of Pincher’s alleged victims of asking him if he was gay. According to an account from one of the complainants, she is alleged to have said the fact he was gay “doesn’t make it straightforward”. Continue reading...
Police pledge thorough investigation into security flaws as polls open for upper house elections amid increased police presencePolice in Japan have admitted there were “problems” with security for Shinzo Abe, as voters went to the polls for upper house elections two days after the former prime minister was assassinated on the campaign trail.The head of police in the Nara region where Abe was killed admitted on Saturday that there were “undeniable” flaws in security for the former leader. Continue reading...
Ottowa defies Ukraine’s objections to return of equipment for Nord Stream 1 pipeline, saying it needs to support Europe’s access to ‘reliable and affordable energy’
by Nadeem Badshah (now); Tom Ambrose, Harry Taylor an on (#617QK)
String of candidates announced on Saturday including Kemi Badenoch, Liz Truss, Grant Shapps and Nadhim ZahawiTory MP Rehman Chishti has confirmed he is “actively considering” running for leader.
Special constable Paul Hoile, 40, was arrested on Wednesday after incident in ShropshireA serving Metropolitan police officer has appeared in court charged with rape after an incident near Newport, Shropshire.Special constable Paul Hoile, 40, based in the force’s north-west command unit, was arrested in Benfleet, Essex, at about 10.30pm on Wednesday on suspicion of rape and was charged on Friday. Continue reading...
Want to get your hands on some baggies? Then head for one of the many new shops selling ‘curated’ retro clothingOn the face of it, 194 Local looks like any other secondhand shop in London’s Brick Lane. The graffiti covered shutters are down and the shopfront is understated. But as soon as it opens at 11am, the store is packed with stylishly dressed young people. The queue for the changing cubicle is long and the shop assistant is inundated with questions.What’s everyone there for? To get their hands on the latest vintage military overpants, a pair of £98 baggy trousers that are right on trend for men and women. Within minutes, most sizes have sold out. Continue reading...
Tempers frayed and tension grew in Whitehall as ministers argued with the PM’s inner circle late into the nightIn a large state room in the heart of Downing Street, as they waited to deliver their fateful verdict to Boris Johnson, a group of cabinet ministers was forced to mingle awkwardly with the prime minister’s closest allies.The delegation had slowly grown throughout Wednesday evening. Nadhim Zahawi, who had accepted the job of chancellor less than 24 hours earlier, home secretary Priti Patel, trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, cabinet office minister Kit Malthouse, Welsh secretary Simon Hart and transport secretary Grant Shapps were all present at various points. Even Simon Clarke, the Treasury minister and one of Johnson’s most loyal supporters from the earliest days of his leadership campaign, joined by phone. “Everybody in that room agreed the game is up,” said one present. “Every single person was there to say that.” Continue reading...
The Eta group’s kidnap and murder of a young councillor in 1997 united a country in revulsion and the wounds are still open todayThe place where it happened is out past the hotel, the roundabout, the pharmacy and the blocks of flats hung with washing and geraniums, out where the small Basque town of Lasarte-Oria gives way to a narrow road fringed with trees and ferns.Today, little carries on the humid coastal air save for birdsong, the barking of a distant dog and the growl of a cultivator. But, 25 years ago this week, two shots from a .22 calibre Beretta pistol rang out beneath the trees and echoed across the length and breadth of Spain. Continue reading...
Prime minister Fumio Kishida warns violence will not be tolerated in defiant speech after the murder of former leaderMany Japanese voters will go to the polls on Sunday with a heavy heart, but also with a sense of quiet defiance, as they cast their ballots just two days after Shinzo Abe, the country’s most influential politician of modern times, was shot dead while making a campaign speech.As the country struggled to come to terms with the first assassination of a current or former leader for almost 90 years, officials in the Liberal Democratic party (LDP), which Abe dominated for a decade, insisted his death would not derail the democratic process. Continue reading...
Beijing’s ‘alignment with Russia’ is complicating relations, US secretary of state tells Wang Yi in talks aimed at defusing tensionsChina’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine is complicating US-Chinese relations at a time when they are already beset by rifts and enmity over numerous other issues, the US secretary of state has told his Chinese counterpartIn five hours of talks in their first face-to-face meeting since October, Antony Blinken said he expressed deep concern to the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, about Beijing’s stance on Russia’s actions in Ukraine and did not believe Beijing’s protestations that it was neutral in the conflict. Continue reading...
Temperatures predicted to hit 33C on Tuesday, with level 2 heat health alert issued for south-east EnglandParents are being advised to keep children out of the sun as the UK braces for a heatwave.With temperatures predicted to hit a high of 33C (91.4F) on Tuesday, Sheffield children’s hospital says children should wear sun cream, light-coloured clothing and stick to the shade to avoid overheating. Continue reading...
Man wielding knife is shot by police officers after holding people hostage at Ruijin hospitalFour people have been wounded in a stabbing at a Shanghai hospital, local police said, before the knife-wielding attacker was shot and subdued by officers.Huangpu district police said on social media that they received emergency reports at 11.30am local time (0430 BST) on Saturday of a stabbing at Ruijin hospital. Continue reading...
Authorities say blaze brought under control but likely to take days to extinguish amid drought conditions, heat and strong windsNearly 1,000 firefighters backed by water-dropping planes have been deployed to battle a massive blaze in France’s southern Gard region that burned 600 hectares (1,500 acres) and forced the evacuation of residents.Local authorities said on Friday the wildfire had been brought under control but would take days to extinguish. Continue reading...
by Maya Yang (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Martin Belam a on (#616G1)
Vladimir Putin dares west to beat Russia on battlefield; Serhai Haidai says Sievierodonetsk ‘is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster’The situation in occupied Sievierodonetsk “is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster” and the city is being widely looted by Russian troops, according to Ukraine’s governor of Luhansk, Serhai Haidai.He posted to Telegram this morning, claiming:In Sievierodonetsk, 80% of housing was destroyed or damaged. Some people try to return for things, but more and more often … they find an empty apartment, even if it survived. Having entered the city, the Russians first deported part of the local population, took away the keys, and then began to rob everything. They drive up to high-rise buildings in trucks. If the furniture is good, they take it away. It is no longer just about household appliances.The city is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster – there is no centralised water supply, gas supply, or electricity supply.Last night, for the first time in several weeks, there was no night shelling of Kharkiv. But we have no right to lose our vigilance. After all, just yesterday evening, the enemy massively shelled the Nemyshlyan district of the city. Damaged houses, garages, containers, outbuildings. In total, four people died and nine were injured in Kharkiv oblast during the day.Active hostilities continue on the contact line. In the Kharkiv direction, the enemy is shelling the positions of our defenders and the civilian population with artillery and rocket systems. Continue reading...
James Sinclair stabbed Shadika Patel in the early hours as she waited to take a food parcel to her teenage sonsA man who stabbed a woman to death as she was taking a food parcel to her two sons has been jailed for 41 years, the Metropolitan police said.James Sinclair, 31, was handed the prison sentence after being found guilty of the murder of Shadika Patel and the attempted murder of a 48-year-old woman, after a trial at the Old Bailey. Continue reading...
Rubens Villar Coelho ‘produced a fake Brazilian ID’ to investigating officer and had other aliases in Peru and ColombiaPolice have arrested a man linked to the killing of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous advocate Bruno Pereira but officials in the Amazonian city of Manaus warned his detention has not yet produced any evidence he is implicated in the 5 June murders.Media in the area around Brazil’s border with Peru and Colombia where the couple went missing named Rubens Villar Coelho as a possible suspect in the case that brought global attention to the remote Amazonian region last month. Continue reading...
TV presenter’s elder brother, a Catholic priest based in County Durham, died aged 55 after collapsing on Thursday eveningDeclan Donnelly has said he is “heartbroken” following the death of his brother, Father Dermott Donnelly, at the age of 55.Donnelly, who had been a Catholic priest for 30 years – most recently based at St Joseph’s Church in Stanley, County Durham – died peacefully in hospital on Friday afternoon after reportedly collapsing on Thursday evening. Continue reading...
Conduct of Deniz Jaffer, jailed over sharing of images of murdered sisters, further damned in IOPC reportA disgraced police officer who was jailed for taking photos of two murdered women claimed to friends that he covered up an assault on a group of Asian men.Deniz Jaffer, 47, who used racist slurs to describe the men, admitted in a WhatsApp group that the attackers were released after chatting with them “off the record”. Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason, Aubrey Allegretti and Peter Walker on (#6177C)
After Boris Johnson’s resignation, critics keen to lay blame at door of ‘too casual’ communications directorWhen he walked into Downing Street five months ago as Boris Johnson’s communications director, Guto Harri drew attention to himself with an interview that branded his new boss as “not a complete clown”.Now, in the postmortem and recriminations that inevitably follow any prime minister’s downfall, fingers are pointing at Harri over a tenure some describe as almost as gaffe-prone as that of his boss. Continue reading...
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