Thirty-one-year-old from Clifton area of the city is being questioned by detectivesA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after two children died following a fire at a flat in Nottingham.The 31-year-old from the Clifton area of the city is being held after the blaze in a first-floor flat in Clifton, at about 3am on Sunday. He remains in police custody for questioning. Continue reading...
Cause of death wasn’t immediately released, though multiple reports indicated Frank died by suicideThe actor and mixed martial artist Jason David Frank, who starred on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, has died, his representatives confirmed to the entertain news outlet Geek Ireland. He was 49 years old.Frank attained fame in the early 1990s as the green power ranger, Tommy Oliver, who then becomes the white power ranger on a children’s television show about superheroes who are particularly skilled in martial arts. The show generated spin-off movies, action figures and other toys.The Associated Press contributed reportingIn the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...
by Aubrey Allegretti Political correspondent on (#661BX)
Capital budget of £12bn a year to shrink to £11.7bn, putting Tories’ claim 40 hospitals in England will be built or renovated in doubtPlans by the government to construct and renovate 40 hospitals in England could be delayed because of new analysis suggesting the health and social care department’s capital spending budget faces a real-terms cut of £700m next year, according to the Liberal Democrats.With some hospitals said to be in dire need of repair, the health secretary twice refused to say on Sunday that the NHS was functioning properly and instead admitted it was under “severe pressure”. Continue reading...
Exclusive: after UK networks rake in £15.8bn, Sharon Graham says they are holding the public to ransomThe companies responsible for bringing electricity to UK homes have been accused of “rampant profiteering” by a leading union that is calling for the energy regulator to cap their earnings.Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, has written to Ofgem to ask it to clamp down on “excessive” profits generated by regional electricity distribution network operators (DNOs), which raked in £15.8bn in profits last year and have paid out £3.6bn in dividends between 2017 and 2021. Continue reading...
Mark Drakeford insists people of Wales would want nation’s leader to attend despite controversiesThe Welsh first minister has defended his decision to travel to Qatar for the World Cup, saying he feels that the citizens of Wales want their country’s leader there despite concerns about human rights and working conditions.Speaking in Doha on Sunday, Mark Drakeford admitted that the decision to attend was finely balanced but he said he believed it would have been wrong to leave seats allocated to the Welsh government at the opening ceremony and matches unoccupied. Continue reading...
Presenter says she is stepping down from hosting Channel Ten show after five years, saying the past six months have taken a toll on her and those close to her
by Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent on (#66178)
Former home of the 18th-century master exhibits the lesser-known works of Cedric Morris, thanks to Maggi HamblingWhen the first visitors cross the threshold of the refurbished Gainsborough House, the childhood home of the artist Thomas Gainsborough in Sudbury, Suffolk, on Monday,the work of another, less famous, local artist and knight of the realm will be competing for attention.Cedric Morris, plant enthusiast, landscape painter and portraitist, is being celebrated for the first time in the museum, which has undergone a £10m revamp. An entire room has been filled with his paintings, some of them given by the renowned artist and sculptor Maggi Hambling. The new space, set up in the grand former home of one of Britain’s best known 18th-century artists, will boast 15 of Morris’s works. “People may already know his flower paintings, but there is so much more. And there has been such a renaissance in Cedric’s standing, and new interest, that we wanted to dedicate a permanent display,” said Mark Bills, director of the new museum and gallery. Continue reading...
Doctors are carrying out more consultations than before the pandemic, despite severe shortages in the professionGPs are struggling to cope with as many as 90 appointments and consultations a day – more than three times a recommended safety limit.General practices in England are carrying out more appointments than before the pandemic but face severe workforce shortages. More than 1.45 million patients waited at least 28 days to see a GP in September, according to the most recent NHS figures. Continue reading...
by Lorenzo Tondo and Isobel Koshiw in Kherson on (#6615R)
Residents in the newly liberated freezing city are gathering all the wood they can after the bombing devastated their power suppliesIf it were not for the war, Ukrainian children would have crowded the squares, parks and streets thisweek to play in the first snow of winter. If one of the most brutal conflicts of the last 50 years hadn’t been raging, Kateryna Sliusarchuk, 71, a resident of Kherson, would have taken advantage of the cold to prepare pyrizhky, typical baked, boat-shaped Ukrainian buns with a variety of fillings, and enjoyed them with her grandchildren.But this will not be a season like any other. The first snow to dust the streets of Kyiv, last Thursday, marked the beginning of what is expected to be the hardest winter in the country’s history. The Ukrainian cold is coming and with it a nightmare for millions as they face it without electricity, water or heating. Continue reading...
Some MPs would like Jeremy Hunt to revise tax rises, fearing impact on ‘squeezed middle’ and backlash from red wall areasTory MPs are desperately hoping that a surprise spring economic revival will allow Jeremy Hunt to alter his tax-raising plans, amid warnings that the chancellor’s “stealth tax” autumn statement will extinguish the party’s election hopes.While concerns have already been raised on the right of the party over the extent of the £25bn in tax rises announced by the chancellor last week, figures from across the party said that “emotional and mental exhaustion” had blunted a greater immediate backlash. Continue reading...
Leeds city council letter accepting responsibility believed to be the first of its kindCarrie* is no stranger to a legal challenge. In 2018, alongside other women, she won a landmark case against the Home Office when she challenged a requirement that prostitution offences, including those acquired below the age of 18, be disclosed under criminal record checks.While Carrie, now 49, was giving a detailed statement to her lawyer dealing with this case, she described her time in care. Her childhood was dominated by neglect, sexual abuse and exploitation. It became clear to her lawyers that there was a second case – against the body responsible for the child protection services that failed her so badly: Leeds city council. Continue reading...
Mystery surrounds embezzlement of tax revenues, which appears to have been facilitated by some of the highest offices in the countryIraqis have called it “the heist of the century” – a brazen multibillion-dollar plundering of state coffers that has gripped the country.The theft of $2.5bn was apparently facilitated by some of the highest offices in the land, according to sources and a series of government letters issued in the summer of 2021. The documents, signed by various government institutions including the then prime minister’s office, cancelled the audit of withdrawals from the Iraqi tax commission’s accounts. Continue reading...
Jeremy Hunt’s plans criticised for delay to reform, shifting burden to local authorities and ‘skewing the system’Jeremy Hunt’s decision to fund more social care through increases in council tax will deepen inequality and undermine the cause of “levelling up”, the architect of the government’s planned reforms said last night.The criticism from Andrew Dilnot, the economist whose blueprint for reform was delayed by another two years in Hunt’s first budget on Thursday, was echoed by senior figures in local government who said it would leave poorer areas at a disadvantage and was not the answer to the social care crisis. Continue reading...
Rich kids of Insta use strong dollar to fuel sales of high-end brands such as Burberry, Louis Vuitton and GucciThey’re young, rich and mortgage-free, and the scions of the 1% are having a roaring twenties.Despite the economic gloom currently shrouding the UK and many other western countries, sales of luxury brands have been booming and growing numbers of buyers are young adults. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#660KC)
Gareth Swarbrick fired four days after coroner found two-year-old Awaab died because of ‘chronic exposure’ to mouldThe boss of the social housing landlord of the mouldy flat that killed Awaab Ishak has been sacked, following days of growing pressure from the two-year-old’s family, ministers and MPs.Gareth Swarbrick, who on Thursday issued a defiant statement refusing to quit, was fired on Saturday by the board of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. Continue reading...
Airstrikes reported against towns including Kobane, held by Kurdish militia opposed by TurkeyTurkish airstrikes hit several towns across northern Syria, including the city of Kobane late on Saturday, Kurdish-led forces and a Britain-based monitoring group have said.The attacks come days after Ankara blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) for last Sunday’s deadly bombing in central Istanbul. Continue reading...
Emergency services called to Logan’s Meadow, a reserve near River Cam, after teenager was stabbed, but unable to save himA 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in a “targeted attack” in Cambridge on Saturday. Police were called to the scene by the ambulance service after a boy was stabbed at about 2.52pm near Logan’s Meadow, a small reserve next to the River Cam.Despite the efforts of emergency workers, the teenager was declared dead at 2.56pm, Cambridgeshire constabulary said. A murder investigation has been launched. Continue reading...
Failure of one coalition to achieve simple majority in election could bring further political inertia as country faces slowing growth and rising inflationMalaysia was facing a hung parliament for the first time in its history as support for a conservative Islamic alliance prevented major coalitions from winning a simple majority in a general election.Without a clear winner, political uncertainty could persist as Malaysia faces slowing economic growth and rising inflation. It has had three prime ministers in as many years. Continue reading...
The chancellor’s extra billions for healthcare will equate only to a real-term rise of 1.2%Health spending over the next two years will grow less than during the austerity era of the last decade, according to a new analysis of the autumn statement.The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, a former health secretary who previously campaigned for greater resources from the backbenches, announced last week that the NHS would receive an extra £3.3bn in each of the next two years. With severe pressures growing on the service, he said it would be one of his “key priorities”. Continue reading...
Home Office confirms person who arrived in UK on small boat a week ago was taken ill and later diedA man who arrived in the UK on a small boat a week ago and was being processed at Manston has died, the Home Office said on Saturday. He became ill while at the Kent detention site and was taken to hospital, but later died.It is understood that he arrived on 12 November and was taken ill on Friday evening. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Labour leader plans a new elected chamber after accusing successive Tory governments of handing peerages to ‘lackeys and donors’Keir Starmer will abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a new elected chamber as part of plans to “restore trust in politics”, the Observer understands.In a sweeping constitutional overhaul, the Labour leader has told the party’s peers that he wants to strip politicians of the power to make appointments to the Lords as part of the first-term programme of a Labour government. Starmer said that the public’s faith in the political system had been undermined by successive Tory leaders handing peerages to “lackeys and donors”. Continue reading...
by Haylena Krishnamoorthy, Rebecca Ratcliffe and agen on (#660FJ)
Clear winner from three main contenders looks unlikely in first election since voting age lowered to 18Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took a narrow lead in Saturday’s general election, though he and his main contenders were far short of a simple majority needed to form the government, early results from the election commission showed.The former premier Muhyiddin Yassin took an early close second, while the ruling coalition of the prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, put up the weakest showing among the three main contenders, losing ground in traditional strongholds, the results showed. Continue reading...
Opposition to Russian aggression has helped Poles and Ukrainians put bitter 20th-century history behind themPatriot missiles ring the airport in the Polish border city of Rzeszów, and US troops have taken over the Holiday Inn opposite the terminal. On its runway, once the preserve of budget carriers, private jets are lined up beside cargo planes crammed with weapons.The bristling circle of military protection, set up hastily in early spring as the historic town became the world’s gateway to the war in Ukraine, is both a shield and a constant reminder of the conflict on its doorstep. Continue reading...
by Jane Clinton (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Miranda Bry on (#660B5)
UK prime minister makes first visit to Ukraine since taking powerMykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to the Ukrainian president, has dismissed “conspiracy theories” about his country surrendering.“Ukraine will not kneel to Russians,” Podolyak wrote on Twitter.It is not a matter of politics. It is a matter of our existence.This is important for Russia as debt issuance is a key mechanism to sustain defence spending, which has increased significantly since the invasion of Ukraine.Debt issuance is expensive during periods of uncertainty. The size of this auction highly likely indicates the Russian Ministry of Finance perceives current conditions as relatively favourable but is anticipating an increasingly uncertain fiscal environment over the next year. Continue reading...
Florence + the Machine singer took a tumble during a performance at the O2 Arena in LondonFlorence + the Machine has cancelled its tour after lead singer Florence Welch broke her foot on stage on Friday night.Welch took a tumble during a performance at the O2 Arena in London, which was the first gig in England on the Dance Fever tour. Continue reading...
Persian language channel said threats to journalists had escalated in response to coverage of protestsArmed vehicles have been deployed outside the Iran International television studios in London after two of its journalists were threatened by Tehran, the channel said.There were about seven vehicles outside the studio in Chiswick Park, west London, after “severe and credible” threats were recently made against two of the UK-based channel’s journalists, one of its spokesmen told AFP. Continue reading...
Analysis of ONS figures suggests average woman’s salary has fallen from £30,250 in 2010 to £29,680 todayWomen are £570 a year worse off than they were before the Conservatives came into power 12 years ago and the autumn statement will leave them even worse off, Labour has claimed.Citing analysis of ONS figures, Labour said that in real terms, the median full-time female worker’s salary has fallen from the equivalent of £30,250 in April 2010 to £29,680. Continue reading...
LGBTQ+ activists call on fans to boycott games or use social media to highlight human rights abusesPeter Tatchell has warned Qatar that the world’s eyes will be on the country during the World Cup, as protesters gathered outside its embassy in London to highlight the dangers faced by LGBTQ+ people, women and migrant workers.Tatchell said t was “outrageous” that figures including David Beckham were promoting Qatar and the tournament, in effect asking fans to ignore human rights abuses and the country’s record on LGBTQ+ issues. Continue reading...
Seriously injured victim airlifted to hospital after escaped animal went on rampage in Carmarthenshire villageAn elderly man has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after being attacked and trampled by an “dangerously out-of-control” cow, police said.Dyfed-Powys police received reports that the cow had escaped from Whitland Mart in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Continue reading...
Charity warns of ‘significant risk’ that those on old prepayment meters will be unable to redeem vouchers offering £400 discountThe poorest and most vulnerable people in the UK risk missing out on the energy bill support and cost of living payments they are entitled to, because of a lack of clarity over what is available from the government and how to get it, charities have warned.Under the energy bills support scheme announced by Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor, all households are eligible for a £400 energy bill discount, paid across six instalments starting last month. Continue reading...
Singer thanks fans for ‘coming back to me’ and says she has never been so nervous as she launches residencyThe nerves were all part of the show when Adele launched her long-awaited Vegas residency on Friday night. After the notorious rescheduling of her dates at just one day’s notice in January, it was never going to be possible to ignore the high stakes – even in a town built on colossal bets.“I’m so nervous and I’m so scared and I’m so happy,” she said. “It might be a bit wobbly at times because my nerves are out of control … It’s a bloody massive week for me this week. It’s the Walking Dead finale on Sunday!” In an Instagram post on Thursday night, she wrote that she had “never been more nervous before a show”. Continue reading...
At least 27 people died when their dinghy capsized in November 2021, but the UK investigation has yet to talk to their relativesA UK investigation into the drowning of at least 27 people trying to cross the Channel in a small boat has yet to contact most of the victims’ families 12 months after the tragedy, the Observer can reveal.The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has not yet been in touch with the majority of the families despite legal sources claiming it has all their contact details, prompting accusations that the inquiry’s progress is “dehumanising” the dead. Continue reading...
Cuban American, who started recording career at 90 after decades of performing for family and friends, says ‘it’s never too late’Don’t ever tell Angela Álvarez it’s too late for dreams to come true – the 95-year-old just brought home a Latin Grammy for best new artist, becoming the award show’s eldest winner ever.The Cuban American musician’s crowning moment came after decades of writing songs but performing them only for friends and family – until, at the age of 90, she went to the Avalon, the historic Hollywood nightclub, and gave her first concert. Continue reading...
Experts attack claim that 90,000 pupils would be forced into state schools by tax change that Labour says could fund thousands of extra teachersEducation experts have slammed Jeremy Hunt’s use of data from the leading private school lobby group to justify his decision not to raise £1.7bn by adding VAT to school fees.Delivering his autumn statement on Thursday, the chancellor took a swipe at Labour’s policy of boosting funding for struggling state schools by ending tax breaks for private schools, saying he would be “practical” instead of being “ideological”. Referring to “certain estimates” that this would result in up to 90,000 private school pupils switching to state schools, he failed to mention that this statistic came from a 2018 report by the Independent Schools Council lobby group. Continue reading...
Woman seen in river in Aberdeenshire on Friday after heavy rain and winds hit Scotland and north-east EnglandA search has resumed for a woman who was reported swept into the River Don in Aberdeenshire after heavy rain and winds hit eastern Scotland and north-east England.Police Scotland and HM Coastguard resumed their search on Saturday morning near Monymusk after reports of someone getting into difficulty in the river on Friday. Continue reading...
Exclusive: lessons from the death of Awaab Ishak in Rochdale ignored, say experts, as environmental health inspectors told to focus on lifestyleThousands of renters could be blamed for toxic black mould and other potentially deadly hazards under a government overhaul of the housing enforcement system.Leaked documents seen by the Observer suggest councils inspecting rented properties will be formally instructed to examine residents’ behaviour when deciding whether to take action against landlords over dangerous conditions. Continue reading...
Glendinning, working on refinery and held over alleged debt, was reunited with family on SaturdayA man who was held in an Iraqi jail over an unpaid debt had an emotional reunion with his family when he returned to Scotland.Brian Glendinning, 43, arrived at Edinburgh airport on Saturday after being held in a prison in Iraq. Continue reading...
Ministers will only appear on shows like BBC Radio 4’s Today and ITV’s GMB three times a week under PM’s plansRishi Sunak will reportedly usher in a new approach by reducing the number of appearances by government ministers on TV and radio breakfast news.Under the new approach, first reported by the Daily Mirror, ministers will be offered to broadcasters just three mornings a week, only appearing when there is an “announcement” or new government policy to cover. Continue reading...
Experts say the approval of new infrastructure in geologically vulnerable areas is endangering the lives of residentsJomary Ortega lives in Ciales, a town located in Puerto Rico’s central mountain range. To get to work and take her daughter to school, she takes PR-146, a highway built on land susceptible to landslides, resulting in a treacherous commute for locals.But after Hurricane Fiona made landfall on the island in September, Ortega says that much of the highway slid away, or was subsumed by tumbling rocks and mud. “I feared that the road would slide more and I would be a victim – and who would take care of my children?” Ortega said. Continue reading...
Mark Rowley reveals one in 10 officers are not fully deployed due to worries over their performance or health issuesThe chief of Britain’s largest police force has called for greater powers to sack racist, sexist and failing officers, as he revealed that one in 10 cannot do their jobs properly due to problems with health and performance.Sir Mark Rowley, who started as Metropolitan police commissioner in September, said bureaucracy was making it difficult to dismiss officers who were falling short of expectations and called on the government to change regulations to make the process easier. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll, Libby Brooks and Rowena Mason on (#660BZ)
Legal experts say bill, which threatens key workers’ rights, is reckless and badly designedThe government will face attempts to delay the deletion of up to 4,000 EU laws from UK statute books and stop the scrapping of key workers’ rights, with opposition parties set to table dozens of amendments next week.The Scottish National party is planning to table about 50 amendments to the retained EU law (revocation and reform) bill, which has been described as “reckless” by legal experts who say it is badly designed and gives unprecedented powers to ministers to personally decide which laws stay and which go. Continue reading...
Raab allegedly allowed only a handful of senior staff to engage with him near the final stages of the operationDominic Raab’s refusal to speak to some Foreign Office staff he considered “time-wasters” led to “blockages” during the Afghanistan evacuation, with staff at two departments he ran forced to take sick leave because of his alleged behaviour, sources have told the Guardian.New claims emerged about the deputy prime minister’s conduct compounding the chaotic exit of British forces during the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021, which officials warned had been “costly” and caused “long-lasting” damage. Continue reading...
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