Five sets of ancestral remains seized in 19th century handed over by museums in Berlin and Lower SaxonyFive sets of ancestral remains from Australia that had been held in German museum collections since the 19th century were handed back at a ceremony on Thursday that a community representative described as a sad but very joyful" moment.The restitution is part of efforts by German museums and authorities to return human remains and cultural artefacts that were taken during the colonial era. Continue reading...
Approval for Marks & Spencer to rebuild flagship London store ends three-year planning battle over art deco buildingMarks & Spencer has been given the green light to demolish its flagship Oxford Street store, ending a fierce three-year planning battle over the art deco building.The housing secretary, Angela Rayner, ruled on Thursday that the plans could go ahead. Continue reading...
They might have sounded a tad familiar, but the prime minister is hoping these pledges will win back trustSir Keir Starmer's speech on Thursday mentioned the word milestone" eight times and missions" 13 times. There were also three promises" and a pledge".This all added up to one big thing: the prime minister attempting to turn the tide after a difficult start in government, by setting targets it must reach by the end of this parliament. Continue reading...
Gangs charging 8,000 for illegal travel packages that avoid crossing Channel on small boatsHundreds of people have been detained in Northern Ireland trying to get into Great Britain by crossing the border from Ireland in an operation aimed at cracking down on people smugglers.Criminal gangs are charging up to 8,000 for the illegal travel package they present as a safer route to crossing the Channel on small boats , say immigration officials. Continue reading...
Mandy Damari gives first news conference pleading for help to bring her daughter Emily and the 100 remaining hostages homeThe mother of the last remaining British hostage in Gaza has said she wants solutions, not sympathy" as she appealed to the government to help keep her daughter alive.
Eddie Ratcliffe, who was 15 when he and a friend murdered the schoolgirl, wanted 20-year minimum jail term to be cutOne of the two teenagers convicted of the murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey has failed in his attempt to reduce the length of his sentence after claiming a judge failed to take into account his immaturity".Eddie Ratcliffe was detained for life with a minimum term of 20 years in February for the murder, along with Scarlett Jenkinson, who received a minimum term of 22 years. Continue reading...
Prime minister sets out milestones for delivery but faces claims of watering down targets and ignoring immigrationKeir Starmer accused Whitehall of becoming comfortable with failure as he challenged civil servants to hit a series of policy targets and deliver on 150 major infrastructure projects".Ushering in the next phase" for the five-month-old Labour government, the prime minister urged a profound cultural shift away from a declinist mentality" and a relentless focus on getting things done.Higher real household disposable income and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita by the end of this parliament, as part of a long-term aim to make the UK the fastest-growing G7 economy.Building 1.5m homes in England and fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects.Putting the UK on track" to achieve at least 95% clean power by 2030.Meeting the NHS standard of 92% of patients in England waiting no longer than 18 weeks for elective care.Getting a record 75% of five-year-olds ready to learn when they start school.A named police officer for every beat, and 13,000 extra neighbourhood police officers for England and Wales. Continue reading...
Emmanuel Macron appears to have few good options after Michel Barnier's government became the first to fall from a no-confidence vote in more than 60 yearsThe French prime minister, Michel Barnier, resigned on Thursday morning, after far-right and leftist lawmakers joined forces to topple his government only three months after it took office.Barnier and his government will stay on in a caretaker capacity, taking care of day-to-day business until the appointment of a new government, the Elysee said in a statement on Thursday. Continue reading...
Michel Barnier resigns as prime minister but will stay on in caretaker role until new government is appointmentThe French president Emmanuel Macron has held meetings with parliament and senate leaders before a speech to the nation on Thursday evening, as pressure grows for him to swiftly appoint a new prime minister in the wake of the French government's historic collapse.The rightwing prime minister, Michel Barnier, met Macron for just over an hour in order to hand in his resignation letter, a day after his minority coalition became the first to be toppled by a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years and only three months after it took office. Continue reading...
Prime minister makes speech intended to to show Labour government is delivering change'Starmer says there is record dissatisfaction with the NHS. The public insititutions but that they are not beyond repair.
Sports Direct owner reports weaker consumer confidence before and after the budget as it cuts profit expectationsThe chief executive of the high street retail giant Frasers said that we felt we'd been kicked in the face" after Rachel Reeves' autumn budget.Frasers said it had witnessed weaker confidence among shoppers leading up to and since the budget, as the company reduced its profit forecasts for the year. Continue reading...
Richard Reyes has delivered Christmas gifts to low-income children in Houston area for decades in his red zoot suitA heart attack and subsequent surgery are preventing the Mexican-American version of Santa known to generations of Texas children as Pancho Claus from suiting up this Christmas.Yet members of Richard Reyes's community have taken it upon themselves to organize toy drives - and even don his iconic look - to keep his spirit alive for his scores of believers. Continue reading...
Race for state house seat, which will determine whether Republicans win control of chamber, separated by 14 votesTwenty ballots went missing in a Minnesota precinct this November, the type of error that would typically result in an internal investigation but not receive much public attention. But the implications are much greater right now, as the race for the district's state house seat is separated by 14 votes, and that seat will determine whether Republicans win control of the chamber.The missing ballots, which were probably the result of human error, were never counted. Officials tried to track them down, only to learn that they had been sent to the shredder. Continue reading...
Skipping Fridays appears to be part of unorthodox schooling' trend in England since pandemic, says reportParents who have been working from home since the pandemic are keeping their children off school with them, the chief inspector of Ofsted has suggested.Sir Martyn Oliver, who has launched his first annual report on education and children's social care in England, said the trend could be seen in lower attendance figures on Fridays. Continue reading...
NHS winter report reveals norovirus and RSV are also leaving thousands in hospitalThe NHS is facing a quad-demic" of health emergencies as it heads into winter, with hospitals busier than ever" for this time of year, the health service's most senior doctor has said.The number of people in hospital with flu in England has more than quadrupled compared with last year, while cases of Covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are also on the rise. Continue reading...
The nun is alleged to have been the conduit between the gang and its associates in prisonA nun was among 25 people arrested in Italy on suspicion of being part of a criminal gang with links to the country's most powerful mafia network, the 'Ndrangheta.The nun is alleged to have been the conduit between the gang and its associates in prison, according to reports in the Italian press citing the anti-mafia unit of the prosecutor's office in Brescia, northern Italy. Continue reading...
Construction firms say high borrowing costs and weak consumer confidence hitting housebuilding demandActivity in Britain's construction industry picked up in November but housebuilding weakened, throwing the government's new homes targets into further doubt.The S&P Global/CIPS UK Purchasing Managers' Index for the construction industry came in at 55.2 last month, up from October's 54.3. Continue reading...
Reece Galbraith charged with manslaughter and cannabis production over explosion that left seven-year-old boy and 35-year-old man deadA man has been charged with manslaughter and cannabis production after a house explosion in Newcastle that killed two people including a seven-year-old boy.The blast happened in Violet Close, in the Benwell and Elswick area of the city, in the early hours of 16 October. Continue reading...
TV presenter denies fresh claims of incidents that Shannon Kyle alleges happened when she was working on his 2012 autobiographyThe ghostwriter of Gregg Wallace's 2012 autobiography has claimed he sexually harassed her when she was working on the book.Shannon Kyle told BBC Newsnight that Wallace touched her thigh inappropriately while she was sitting in the passenger seat of his sports car and touched her bottom during an appearance at the Good Food Show. Continue reading...
Health officials say they are prioritising people with the highest needs for King Kong of weight-loss drugs'Fewer than 10% of patients in England who are eligible for what has been dubbed the King Kong of weight loss drugs" will initially be able to access it on the NHS after officials said they would prioritise people with the highest needs.The difficult decision" to roll out Mounjaro slowly over 12 years was made in order to protect other vital NHS services", the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said. Continue reading...
by Guardian international staff and agencies on (#6SQ43)
People Power party says it will vote against impeachment bill brought by opposition amid outrage over Yoon's attempt to declare martial lawSouth Korea's ruling party says it will block a move by the opposition to impeach the beleaguered president, Yoon Suk Yeol, as police said they were investigating Yoon for alleged insurrection over his botched attempt to impose martial law.The floor leader of the People Power party vowed on Thursday that its lawmakers would unite" to defeat the opposition-led motion to impeach the deeply unpopular leader. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Yoon Suk Yeol's shock declaration - and subsequent reversal - has sent South Korea into political chaos, and left their president facing impeachmentGood morning. South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is facing impeachment after he sent heavily armed forces into Seoul's streets with his baffling and sudden declaration of martial law on Tuesday. The move stirred memories of past dictatorships in the country, moving thousands to come out on to the streets and protest, with the military powerless, or unwilling, to do anything about it.Opposition parties submitted an impeachment motion hours after parliament unanimously voted to cancel Yoon's declaration, forcing him to lift martial law just six hours after it began. Impeaching Yoon requires the support of two-thirds of the national assembly and at least six of the nine constitutional court justices. The liberal opposition Democratic party holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament and has called for Yoon's resignation. A vote on his impeachment could come as early as tomorrow. Today we'll look at what happened and why. But first, here are the headlines. Continue reading...
Nika Gvaramia among numerous other opposition members to be arrested on Wednesday as police raid homes and officesGeorgian police have raided the offices of an opposition party and arrested its leader in an apparent attempt to quash a wave of mass protests triggered by the governing party's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union.Protesters on Wednesday night gathered for a seventh consecutive night of protests, facing off against riot police who have used water cannon and teargas to disperse them on previous nights. Protesters have thrown fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital's central boulevard. Continue reading...
Rebels within kilometres on three sides' of city, seen as crucial to Assad regime's defence of the capital, DamascusSyrian rebels encircled the key central city of Hama from three sides" on Wednesday, a war monitor said, despite a counteroffensive launched by government forces to retain control of the city.Hama is strategically located in central Syria and, for the army of Bashar al-Assad, is crucial to safeguarding the capital and seat of power, Damascus. The fighting around Hama follows a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels who in a matter of days wrested swathes of territory, most significantly Syria's second city, Aleppo, from the president's grasp. Continue reading...
Report highlights shocking' example of man left unable to swallow after waiting over two days mostly on a bed in a corridor without regular medicationAn elderly man was left unable to swallow after waiting over two days in A&E without being given regular medication, and died four weeks later.In a shocking" case that has raised fresh concerns over the state of urgent NHS care, the 85-year-old was sent to a hospital emergency department after a routine appointment. Amid massive delays, his A&E wait went into a third day, with most of it spent on a bed in the corridor. Continue reading...
Michel Barnier to present resignation to president after being ousted in record time by vote of no confidenceThe French prime minister, Michel Barnier, is expected to resign on Thursday, a day after his government became the first to be toppled by a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years and just three months after it took office - a record ouster.Barnier is due to present President Emmanuel Macron with his government's resignation on Thursday morning. The president would address the nation on Thursday evening, the Elysee said. Continue reading...
Allegations of violence against Hindus prompt mass protests in India and attack on Bangladeshi consulateGrowing tensions between India and Bangladesh have erupted amid accusations of attacks on Bangladesh's Hindu minority, which have prompted mass protests and assault on a Bangladeshi consulate in India.The relationship between the two countries has soured since August, when a popular uprising - now widely termed the monsoon revolution" - toppled Bangladesh's authoritarian prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Continue reading...
Human rights group says Israel brazenly, continuously and with total impunity ... unleashed hell' on strip's 2.3m populationA report from Amnesty International alleges that Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip constitutes the crime of genocide under international law, the first such determination by a major human rights organisation in the 14-month-old conflict.The 32-page report examining events in Gaza between October 2023 to July 2024, published on Thursday, found that Israel had brazenly, continuously and with total impunity ... unleashed hell" on the strip's 2.3 million population, noting that the atrocity crimes" against Israelis by Hamas on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war, do not justify genocide".The unprecedented scale and magnitude of the military offensive, which has caused death and destruction at a speed and level unmatched in any other 21st-century conflict;Intent to destroy, after considering and discounting arguments such as Israeli recklessness and callous disregard for civilian life in the pursuit of Hamas;Killing and causing serious bodily or mental harm in repeated direct attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, or deliberately indiscriminate attacks; andInflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, such as destroying medical infrastructure, the obstruction of aid, and repeated use of arbitrary and sweeping evacuation orders" for 90% of the population to unsuitable areas. Continue reading...
After a rocky start, PM sets out next phase' covering economic growth, NHS backlogs, energy, and a bobby on every beat'Keir Starmer will attempt to reset his premiership with a series of pledges to show he is delivering change", including 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and a named bobby on every beat".In a speech Labour hopes will set out the next phase" of government, the prime minister will detail half a dozen milestone" targets covering living standards, NHS backlogs, secure energy, housebuilding and children's readiness for school. Continue reading...
Soldiers and marines discover drugs in Sinaloa, while separately authorities arrest more than 5,200 migrantsMexican security forces have impounded more than a ton of fentanyl pills in what officials have called the biggest seizure of the synthetic opioid in the country's history.Soldiers and marines found the fentanyl at two properties in the northern state of Sinaloa, late on Tuesday - exactly a week after Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico unless the two neighbouring countries cracked down on the flow of immigrants and drugs across their borders with the US. Continue reading...
The blockbuster musical was named best movie while Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman picked up key acting prizesBlockbuster musical Wicked has launched into this year's Oscar race with a major win from the National Board of Review.The adaptation of the Broadway hit was named best movie by the group whose picks are seen as a major indicator of Oscar success. Wicked represents the pure magic that movies can bring to audiences," said the NBR president, Annie Schulhof. Every detail is beautifully crafted and designed, the actors are all exceptional and the music is second-to-none - together it adds up to a transporting experience like no other." Continue reading...
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