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Russia-Ukraine war live: one million people reported without power in Ukraine after Russian attacks on energy infrastructure
Three regions in west hit by power outages with missile debris reported at two locations in KyivReuters has a quick snap that there are power cuts in Ukraine’s southern region of Mykolaiv as a result of Russia’s missile attack. It cited regional governor Vitaliy Kim.Zhitomir and Chernihiv region have ended their air alarms in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 08:38:32
Mohamed Al Fayed may have raped and abused more than 111 women, say police
Scale of the criminality would make Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, one of Britain’s most notorious sex offendersPolice believe Mohamed Al Fayed may have raped and abused more than 111 women over nearly four decades, with his youngest victim said to have been just 13 years old.The scale of the criminality would make Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, one of Britain’s most notorious sex offenders, and raises urgent questions about how he got away with his crimes. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:30:25
Doctors hail first breakthrough in asthma and COPD treatment in 50 years
Results of trial of benralizumab injection could be ‘gamechanger’ for millions of people around the worldDoctors are hailing a new way to treat serious asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease attacks that marks the first breakthrough for 50 years and could be a “gamechanger” for patients.A trial found offering patients an injection was more effective than the current care of steroid tablets, and cuts the need for further treatment by 30%. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 23:30:26
Yorkshire photographer who impressed Princess of Wales dies aged 17
Liz Hatton from Harrogate, who was being treated for rare terminal cancer, began photography bucket listA teenager whose pursuit of photography while being treated for terminal cancer led her to meet the Princess of Wales and work with the photographer Rankin has died.Liz Hatton, 17, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, died early on Wednesday morning, her mother, Vicky Robayna, announced on social media. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 08:36:29
Ex-supreme court president backs assisted dying law change
Exclusive: David Neuberger, who ruled on high-profile assisted dying cases, believes tight terms of bill cannot be expanded in courtsThe former president of the supreme court who ruled on the most high-profile assisted dying cases has declared his support for the law change, as MPs backing the bill say they believe they have the numbers for Friday’s historic vote to pass.David Neuberger, who ruled against high-profile assisted dying applications including Debbie Purdy in 2009 and Tony Nicklinson in 2015, told the Guardian he believed the status quo was failing “the fundamental aims of the law – to respect people’s right of personal autonomy, and to protect the vulnerable”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:07:20
UK government failing to list use of AI on mandatory register
Technology secretary admits Whitehall departments are not being transparent over way they use AI and algorithmsNot a single Whitehall department has registered the use of artificial intelligence systems since the government said it would become mandatory, prompting warnings that the public sector is “flying blind” about the deployment of algorithmic technology affecting millions of lives.AI is already being used by government to inform decisions on everything from benefit payments to immigration enforcement, and records show public bodies have awarded dozens of contracts for AI and algorithmic services. A contract for facial recognition software, worth up to £20m, was put up for grabs last week by a police procurement body set up by the Home Office, reigniting concerns about “mass biometric surveillance”.The Department for Work and Pensions has been using generative AI to read more than 20,000 documents a day to “understand and summarise correspondence” after which the full information is then shared with officials for decision-making. It has automated systems for detecting fraud and error in universal credit claims, and AI assists agents working on personal independence payment claims by summarising evidence. This autumn, DWP started deploying basic AI tools in jobcentres, allowing work coaches to ask questions about universal credit guidance in an attempt to improve the effectiveness of conversations with jobseekers.The Home Office deploys an AI-powered immigration enforcement system, which critics call a “robo-caseworker”. An algorithm is involved in shaping decisions, including returning people to their home countries. The government describes it as a “rules-based” rather than AI system, as it does not involve machine-learning from data. It says it brings efficiencies by prioritising work, but that a human remains responsible for each decision. The system is being used amid a rising caseload of asylum seekers who are subject to removal action, now at about 41,000 people.Several police forces use facial recognition software to track down suspected criminals with the help of artificial intelligence. These have included the Metropolitan police, South Wales police and Essex police. Critics have warned that such software “will transform the streets of Britain into hi-tech police line-ups”, but supporters say it catches criminal suspects and the data of innocent passersby is not stored.NHS England has a £330m contract with Palantir to create a huge new data platform. The deal with the US company that builds AI-enabled digital infrastructure and is led by Donald Trump backer Peter Thiel has sparked concerns about patient privacy, although Palantir says its customers retain full control of the data.An AI chatbot is being trialled to help people navigate the sprawling gov.uk government website. It has been built by the government’s digital service using OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. Redbox, another AI chatbot for use by civil servants in Downing Street and other government departments, has also been deployed to allow officials to quickly delve into secure government papers and get rapid summaries and tailored briefings. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 06:00:35
Iran says it could end ban on possessing nuclear weapons if sanctions reimposed
Comments made after nuclear inspectorate board passed motion censuring Iran for building uranium stockpileThe nuclear debate inside Iran is likely to shift towards the possession of its own weapons if the west goes ahead with a threat to reimpose all UN sanctions, the country’s foreign minister has said.Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in an interview that Iran already had the capability and knowledge to create nuclear weapons, but said they did not form part of its security strategy. He also said Tehran was prepared to keep supplying arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:35
Four killed and flights cancelled as heavy snowfall blankets Seoul
South Korea’s capital has been hit by some of the heaviest snowfall in a century, with dangerous conditions wreaking havoc on transportSouth Korea grappled with heavy snowfall for a second day on Thursday, with dozens of flights cancelled, ferry operations suspended and at least four people reported dead in a bitter winter, though conditions showed signs of easing.Thursday’s snowfall was the third-heaviest in capital Seoul since records began in 1907, the Yonhap news agency said, citing city data. The previous day broke all snowfall records for November. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 04:50:19
Reddit overtakes X in popularity of social media platforms in UK
Discussion platform takes fifth place in rankings and is the fastest growing large social media platform in the UKReddit, the American online discussion platform, has overtaken X to become the fifth most popular social media platform in the UK, according to the communications watchdog.Ofcom said Reddit, where users post on discussion threads within topic-based communities, was visited by 22.9 million UK adults in May this year, compared with 22.1 million on X. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 00:01:27
Posh olive oil, tinned fish and even salt are now du jour, says Waitrose
As sales of premium varieties rise the upmarket grocer details how chic-looking pantry staples are now middle-class status symbolsForget designer fashion and jewellery, trendy versions of pantry staples such as extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and tinned fish have become middle-class lust objects for home cooks, according to a new report.A food cupboard stocked with chic glass bottles, jars and decorative tins (in the front row at least) has become a status symbol, according to Waitrose’s annual food and drink report. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 06:00:34
‘It’s a sleepy little place’: disbelief in north Wales after dramatic arrest of US terror suspect
Daniel Andreas San Diego had been a fugitive from the FBI for two decades before he was found in Maenan villageMaenan, in north Wales, is not a place where very much happens. But earlier this week armed police descended on this tiny settlement, leaving neighbours in “disbelief”.They learned that a man they had sometimes seen near his home on the outskirts of the woods was in fact one of the FBI’s most wanted men. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 21:11:44
Long wait for NHS mental healthcare has ‘stark consequences for children’s life chances’
Consultant psychiatrist on why early intervention is key and why delays are unacceptableOne in three consultant child psychiatrist posts in England are vacant, analysis showsOne in three child and adolescent consultant psychiatrist posts in England are vacant, according to a “shocking” analysis laying bare the workforce crisis that experts say is fuelling “unacceptable” long waits for NHS care. Dr Elaine Lockhart, a consultant paediatric liaison psychiatrist who works in NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), describes the frustrating but rewarding daily battle to meet the soaring demand and to help those most in need.At a time when children’s mental health is supposed to be a public policy priority, waiting times for children’s and adolescent mental health services are unacceptably long. Some children wait more than two years to be treated. And that delay can have stark consequences for their mental health and their life chances. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:34
Sinn Féin optimistic but breakthrough unlikely in Irish election
Mary Lou McDonald’s party has risen to second place in the polls but analysts say the chances of victory are slimSinn Féin, the former political wing of the IRA, is hoping to stage a last-minute revival in the Irish general election after polls put it ahead of the party led by the taoiseach, Simon Harris.Ahead of Friday’s election, the party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, has said she sees a path to victory, after polls this week showed Harris’s centre-right Fine Gael dropping from first to third place and the progressive, populist, leftwing Sinn Féin moving into second behind Fine Gael’s government coalition partner, Fianna Fáil. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:36
‘By 8pm it is time to head home’: whatever happened to the big night out?
This week, the chief executive of a major bar group suggested 3pm is the new 9pm. Why have we stopped drinking and dancing the night away on a Friday and Saturday night?The atmosphere in the club is friendly, people generally aren’t drunk, and since it’s dark inside, it could just as well be 4am instead of 4pm. Welcome to the daytime rave, where you can dance, meet people and still be curled up on the sofa afterwards in time for Newsnight. It’s a home from home for Joyce Harper, who says she has been “a big clubber my whole life. In the 1990s, I used to go religiously twice a month and we’d stay up all night. We were knocked out for days and always felt terrible. I realised, as I’ve got older and wiser, the importance of sleep.”Last week she was at a day rave at the London club Fabric, and the week before that at Ministry of Sound. “I am aiming to do two a month at the moment,” says Harper, who is professor of reproductive science at University College London, as well as a podcaster and author. She’s 61 but, she adds, “For any age, staying up all night has so many disadvantages – obviously all the effects on sleep, but also things like getting home, having to wait for the first train.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:33
The great abandonment: what happens to the natural world when people disappear?
Across the globe, vast swathes of land are being left to be reclaimed by nature. To see what could be coming, look to BulgariaAbandonment, when it came, crept in from the outskirts. Homes at the edge of town were first to go, then the peripheral grocery stores. It moved inward, slow but inexorable. The petrol station closed, and creeper vines climbed the pumps, amassing on the roof until it buckled under the strain. It swallowed the outer bus shelters, the pharmacies, the cinema, the cafe. The school shut down.Today, one of the last institutions sustaining human occupation in Tyurkmen, a village in central Bulgaria, is the post office. Dimitrinka Dimcheva, a 56-year-old post officer, still keeps it open two days a week, bringing in packages of goods that local shops no longer exist to sell. Once a thriving town of more than 1,200, Tyurkmen is now home to fewer than 200 people. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:36
Can you take a clean cruise holiday and which vessels are the worst emitters?
In a booming sector where the biggest ships have doubled in size since 2000, pressure is growing to make cruising a greener, more sustainable way to travelRead more in this seriesToxic, filthy and cheap, the sludge-like substance known as heavy fuel oil has powered the shipping industry since the 1960s. What is perhaps less well known is that this same substance is still used to power more than half of cruise ships today, making what many choose as an alternative to flying one of the most environmentally damaging ways to travel.The good news is that the industry, under pressure from environmentalists and new regulations, is adopting new technologies, energy saving designs and studying alternative fuels. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 07:00:36
The Madness review – Colman Domingo’s slick, smart conspiracy thriller gets better and better
Colman Domingo is a charismatic presence in this expertly crafted cat-and-mouse story about a TV host caught up in far-right machinations – which really gains heft as it goes onJust because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. Words I have lived by since I first saw them on a badge at a Camden market stall when I was 14. And here I am, still alive to tell you about it. Makes you think, doesn’t it?It is the guiding principle behind all successful conspiracy thrillers, and The Madness has taken it to heart. Our hero is CNN-ish TV host and media pundit Muncie Daniels (Colman Domingo), who is on the brink of being offered his own show and all coming right with his world, professionally at least, and so takes a little break in the Poconos mountains to try to start his novel before fame interferes. Never do this, kids. You can write your book just as well in the safety of your own home as in a picturesque but isolated cabin, and there is less chance of coming across a murder scene in a sauna if you do. Alas, poor Muncie and his discovery of bits of his neighbour strewn across the polythene-sheeted floor of just such an amenity. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:33
‘Gentlemen shared their tattoos over dinner’: how our taste for tattoos started with the rich
Highly decorated skin is everywhere these days, but tattoos have a more elevated pedigree than you may think. A new book aims to make us think differently about Victorian aristocrats … and bank managersIn an age in which it appears impossible to walk down the high street every summer without being confronted by countless examples of inked flesh, you may be inclined to think that tattoos are no longer associated with the underground, or indeed the underclass. But the history of the practice is long and winding. A Vanity Fair account from 1926 is typical of many similar interventions both before and after: “Tattooing has passed from the savage to the sailor, from the sailor to the landsman. It has since percolated through the entire social stratum; tattooing has received its credentials, and may now be found beneath many a tailored shirt.”“There’s obviously a long, complicated and important history relating tattoos to sailors, and also to criminals and assorted ne’er do wells”, explains Matt Lodder, author of Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art), a handsomely illustrated new book on the subject. “But the main reason, certainly in Britain, we have a tattooing industry is because rich people wanted to get tattooed. I wanted to explore that industry and how it developed, and especially look at the people involved in it who have, with varying degrees of success, made tattooing a serious and standardised professional practice.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 08:00:37
Devon sent: a short, epic train ride into the wintry wonders of the Exe estuary
The spectacular estuary is a haven for thousands of migrant birds each winter, and perfect to explore on foot and by boatThe Christmas market doesn’t know what’s hit it. At 8.30 on a mid-November morning Exeter is a whirl of white, a city half-blinded by tumbling flakes. Four market workers, caught out by this overly authentic addition to the festive decor, are busy shovelling the ground in front of the bao stalls and craft gin chalets. Above them, the cathedral’s medieval towers stand tall and cold in the heaven-filling flurry. Winter has arrived in Devon with bells on.I’m here to catch a train to see some birdlife. A breakfast blizzard wasn’t part of the plan, but sometimes these things don’t go as expected. The city’s Queen Street has turned into a real-life snow globe – Narnia with sandwich shops – yet the little two-carriage train I’m catching trundles into Exeter Central bang on time. I find a window seat and settle in. Snowy rooftops roll by. Somewhere, an estuary lies in wait. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 07:00:37
All That Matters by Chris Hoy review – a champion’s shattering diagnosis
The Olympic medal-winner describes his treatment for cancer and reflects on lessons learned through sportWhen Chris Hoy began to feel pain in his shoulder in 2023, he thought little of it. As an Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist accustomed to pushing himself at the gym and on his bike, twinges weren’t unusual. But, as the pain became constant, his physiotherapist referred him for a scan where a tumour was detected. Further scans and a second consultation revealed prostate cancer that had spread to his pelvis, hip, ribs and spine. Then came the final blow: it was incurable. The prognosis was between two and four years.In a state of shock, Hoy – who is now 48 – went home with his wife, Sarra, to digest their new reality. The couple have two young children so, until they knew the treatment plan, they decided to keep the news to themselves aside from close friends and family. Hoy continued with his usual work commitments: talks, sports punditry and a weekly podcast. A few weeks later, he would begin a course of chemotherapy in a bid to stop the cancer spreading further. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 07:30:36
‘We’ve heard these promises before’: is this the end of the line for Irish fishing?
Devastated by quota changes post-Brexit, fishers are pinning all their hopes on Ireland’s politicians as they head into a general electionWords and pictures by Finbarr O’ReillyGale force winds gusting across the North Atlantic Ocean kicked up thick spumes of spray from the heaving swell soon after the Ocean Crest and Carmona trawlers left the main Irish fishing port of Killybegs in County Donegal. No other boats were fishing in the area when the storm swept over Ireland’s north-west coast. This was February, and the window for catching migrating mackerel was quickly closing but the two trawlers had yet to fill their quotas.“This weather is about the limit of what we can fish in,” said skipper Gerard Sheehy as the nose of the Ocean Crest plunged into the trough of a swell, sending a wall of white water crashing over the hull and wheelhouse windows, momentarily obscuring the view before the vessel tilted back upwards into an oncoming wave.Skipper Gerard Sheehy (centre) with his crew aboard the Ocean Crest in February Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:37
This society lauded a police officer who lied and cheated and ruined lives. At last, a reckoning | George Monbiot
As a ‘spy cop’, Bob Lambert betrayed a string of innocent women. The official inquiry must ask harsh questions of him – and the stateIt’s the testimony we’ve long been waiting for. On Monday, at the undercover policing inquiry, the man whose cruel and disgusting deceptions have come to epitomise the “spy cops” scandal will be questioned. Many of us are hoping for answers, not least because his story suggests a closing of ranks across the British establishment. Even if you think you’ve heard it all, some of the details in this column will take your breath away.Bob Lambert worked for the Metropolitan police’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) in the 1980s and 1990s, first as an undercover cop infiltrating environmental and animal rights protests, then as operational controller of the squad, supervising other spy cops doing similar work. In the course of his undercover assignments, while posing as a radical activist called Bob Robinson, he deceived four unsuspecting women, innocent of any crime, into starting relationships. He stole his identity from a dead child.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 06:00:36
Women are fed up with waiting – and they’re taking fertility into their own hands | Zoe Williams
We’ve climbed steadily from a place of little agency – waiting for the right partner to come along – before we could have childrenThe number of women without a partner having children by IVF or sperm donation has trebled in the past 10 years. IVF itself is not unproblematic; provision on the NHS varies wildly, with hurdles and prohibitions that range from random to downright cruel. There are trusts that won’t offer it over the age of 35, others that won’t if her partner has children from a previous relationship. Private clinics, meanwhile, can prey on people, gouging them for add-on treatments, exploiting hopes they know are unrealistic. Egg freezing – where numbers are also at a record high – is a similar racket, with the sector often accused of misleading promises or understating risks, and prices very high: the process typically costs £7,000. Fertility treatment, whether solo or with a partner, is not for sissies. Yet women’s increasing confidence to do it outside of a traditional partnership illustrates a sea change in attitudes to how families are made, and a positive one.It’s nearly 20 years since two obstetricians, Susan Bewley and Melanie Davies, published Which Career First: The most secure age for childbearing remains 20 to 35. I remember interviewing them at the time, feeling vexed by this intervention. In the surrounding media environment, various other ways of policing, judging and problematising female autonomy – abortion discourse, for instance – had passed out of fashion. Other hot-button issues that gave society licence to pass judgment on women’s morality and fitness – such as breastfeeding and behaviours in pregnancy – were only just getting going. Fertility and the risks around “leaving it too late” , however, were discussed constantly, and it had all the hallmarks of a patriarchal put-up job. People who didn’t really give a stuff about infertility as a lived experience – the complexity and pain of it – nevertheless had extremely strong views over what kind of risk “career women” posed to the greater good, and whether they would regret their choices down the line. The issue was used strategically to justify a broader opprobrium for women making any choices at all. I remember editors in the 90s (not at the Guardian!), always looking for starkest headline: anything along the lines of: “Have a baby by the time you’re 30, doctors warn”, was the holy grail. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 08:00:37
Why was Conor McGregor’s sinister cult of content lauded and rewarded for so long? | Jonathan Liew
It took defeat in civil case against a woman who accused him of rape for brands and fans to disown UFC fighterSome good news at last for Conor McGregor. Probably there’s a way of spinning it as bad news, which is what the scum mainstream media will do. But in the wake of his defeat in a Dublin civil case against a woman who accused him of raping her, as brands and fans scramble to disown him, as murals are hastily painted over across the island, you have to take your pledges of support where you can find them. Step forward: Andrew Tate.“Bullshit ruling against Conor McGregor,” Tate wrote from Romania, where he is facing his own legal issues, including charges of trafficking and rape. “Women sleep with rich men and if that man doesn’t fund their life afterwards, they lie and sue. Their brutal narcissism can’t take the L of being undesired. We’ve set a dangerous precedent. It’s literally impossible to be a man in the western world.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 08:00:36
Who will be Ireland’s next taoiseach? With only one day to go, it’s still wide open | Justine McCarthy
With a housing emergency and the cost of living weighing heavily on voters’ minds, anything could happen at the polls on FridayIn Easter, 1916, his epic poem about the failed Dublin rebellion that eventually led to Irish independence, William Butler Yeats declared: “A terrible beauty is born.” The same might be said about the marriage of convenience between Ireland’s old civil war enemies, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, as they attempt to recreate their history-making coalition government.The two parties are now in power alongside the Greens, but this time round their mission is to stop the main opposition, Sinn Féin, entering government as part of a three-way coalition in the Republic after Friday’s general election. Instead, their preference would be to coalesce with Labour, because of voter resistance to climate-change measures.Justine McCarthy is an Irish journalist and the author of An Eye on Ireland: Writings from a Changing NationDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 07:00:35
Black Friday is a startling reminder of how many companies we have thoughtlessly given our email to | James Colley
It’s the result of a system designed to weaponise our brain chemistry against us – oh, we shouldn’t buy that, but what if we did?I procrastinated starting this article. I was all set up and ready to begin writing when I received an email from a store I’ve never visited with a great deal on items I do not need and cannot afford, even with an outrageously good discount.Philosophically, I am not a materialist. Practically, I really enjoy things, and the having of them. Sorry, another quick delay as I look at this $550 chess board. Seems a little extravagant but when you consider the savings, it would be silly not to have it.James Colley is the head writer of the ABC’s Gruen and Question Everything as well as the author of The Next Big Thing published by Pantera Press Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:33:42
The message to Democrats is clear: you must dump neoliberal economics | Joseph Stiglitz
The party must return to its progressive roots. A new economy is needed with new rules and new rolesAs the shock of Donald Trump’s victory sinks in, pundits and politicians are mulling what it means for the future of the US and global politics. Understanding why such a divisive, unqualified figure won again is crucial for the Democrats. Did they go too far left and lose the moderate Americans who make up a majority? Or did centrist neoliberalism – pursued by Democratic presidents since Bill Clinton – fail to deliver, thus creating a demand for change?To me, the answer is clear: 40 years of neoliberalism have left the US with unprecedented inequality, stagnation in the middle of the income spectrum (and worse for those below), and declining average life expectancy (highlighted by mounting “deaths of despair”). The American Dream is being killed, and although President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris distanced themselves from neoliberalism with their embrace of industrial policies, as representatives of the mainstream establishment, they remained associated with its legacy. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 06:00:36
KemiKaze her own worst enemy after another scattergun PMQs | John Crace
Tory leader’s aim is as wild as her temper as she sets up Starmer’s rejoinders before madly demanding he resignIt appears that Kemi Badenoch is a slow learner. The Tory leader has now had three attempts at prime minister’s questions and has yet to make an impact. In fact, most of the damage she has caused has been self-inflicted. Turns out that being shouty and condescending in the Commons doesn’t do you many favours.Part of the problem is that KemiKaze clearly hasn’t been paying much attention for the last few years. There’s a reason it’s called PMQs. The questions may get asked but they very rarely get answered. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:47:32
Ben Jennings on the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah – cartoon
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Published: 2024-11-27 17:28:37
The Guardian view on closing the Bibby Stockholm: a parable of failed asylum policy | Editorial
Labour has restored some decency and pragmatism to asylum policy. The next step is courage in changing the terms of debateAs a place of accommodation, the Bibby Stockholm had only a minor function in UK asylum policy, but it loomed large as an emblem of that policy’s dysfunction. The barge moored at Portland in Dorset held 400 men at maximum capacity. The last of them disembarked this week, marking the end of the vessel’s service as a Home Office incarceration facility.The total number of people in the UK waiting for asylum claims to be processed is around 85,600. Taking one barge out of the equation doesn’t reduce overall numbers. But it does indicate progress towards the more rational approach that Labour promised in contrast to ostentatiously punitive Conservative methods.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:36:38
The Guardian view on the Lebanon ceasefire: a lasting regional peace must go through Gaza | Editorial
The US-brokered agreement is a breakthrough for suffering civilians. But a deal on Netanyahu’s terms offers scant hope to PalestiniansUnsurprisingly, Joe Biden struck an upbeat, optimistic note on Tuesday as he announced a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. “It reminds us that peace is possible,” said Mr Biden, as the deal brought to an end the 14-month conflict, during which close to 4,000 people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands were displaced.For the outgoing American president, who has signally failed to restrain Israel’s excesses after the heinous Hamas massacre of 7 October 2023, the agreement amounts to a valedictory breakthrough after months of weak and ineffective diplomacy. More importantly, it affords the suffering people of Lebanon some respite, after a bombing campaign and ground invasion that paid scant regard to the appalling impact on civilian lives. For the 60,000 citizens of Israel forced to flee the country’s northern border region by Hezbollah rockets, there is the prospect of a return home after spending more than a year in displacement camps.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:37:33
Dying people deserve a choice. Let them make it | Letters
Readers who believe the assisted dying bill should be passed into law in England and Wales respond to Guardian coverage• Letters from those who argue against the bill: ‘Every person should have care – not lethal drugs’Eight years ago, my husband Mark died. Our youngest child had just turned 11. Mark had been ill for five years. Finally, he waited till the kids and I were out of the house, and ended his own life. By the time he died, he was bedridden, in constant discomfort, doubly incontinent, unable to taste, smell, or see much, but when he was well, he was handsome and brilliant. He was an archaeologist and academic. He was also a dad, a brother, an uncle and a friend. The things he liked included fossils, Tom and Jerry cartoons, jazz, cycling, Rome, 19th-century novels and yellow climbing roses.Under the present English and Welsh law, ending your life because of physical suffering is a very lonely and isolating experience. Mark knew he wanted to die, but to protect me from prosecution, he could not have me with him at the end, or even share his plans with the person closest to him. He couldn’t access psychological support because all the professionals who might provide it are obliged to treat suicide as a risk, and something to be prevented in all circumstances. And, most of all, he had to die alone, with nobody holding his hand. His act was a brave and loving thing. It still hurts and angers me. Keeping assisted dying out of reach doesn’t stop people trying to end their lives. It just forces people to die bleak and derelict deaths. Dying people deserve better. They deserve choice. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:00:31
Every person should have care – not lethal drugs | Letters
Readers who believe the assisted dying bill shouldn’t be passed into law in England and Wales respond to Guardian coverage• Letters from those who argue in favour of the bill: ‘Dying people deserve a choice. Let them make it’The argument that the legalisation of assisted suicide in Oregon in 1997 has not started a “slippery slope” is dangerously misleading (‘Slippery slope’ fears over assisted dying have echoes of abortion debate, 24 November). While Oregon’s eligibility criteria have changed little, their interpretation has widened and safeguards have been relaxed. Oregon’s law, like Kim Leadbeater’s proposed bill, allows assisted suicide for adults with a “terminal illness that will lead to death within six months”. Interpretation of “terminal illness” has expanded such that physicians have prescribed lethal drugs to people with anorexia and arthritis.As for safeguards, Oregon’s 15-day “waiting period” (similar to that proposed in Kim Leadbeater’s bill) ceased to be mandatory in 2020. The following year, exemptions were made in one in five cases; the year after that, one in four. In the first three years after Oregon’s law passed, 28% of those seeking assisted suicide were referred for psychiatric evaluation; in 2022, only 1%. It is also worth noting that in the first year after Oregon’s legalisation passed, 13% of patients seeking assisted suicide cited fear of being a “burden” as a motivating factor. In 2021, that figure stood at 54%. Sick, elderly and disabled people are not burdens. They are, like every person, valuable. Like every person, they need and deserve care – not lethal drugs.Katherine BacklerOxford Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:00:26
Slot praises Liverpool academy talents for their role in ‘special’ Real Madrid win
Kelleher, Jones and Bradley ‘outstanding’, says manager‘It is a fair result,’ says Real manager Carlo AncelottiArne Slot hailed a statement Liverpool win against the team that have tormented them in the Champions League and said the basis for it came from the club’s academy players. The manager watched Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo score the goals in a 2-0 win against Real Madrid, which moved Liverpool back to the top of the table with a blemish-free record after five games.It was the goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher, the right-back Conor Bradley and the midfielder Curtis Jones who stood out as Liverpool finally got a result against the 15-time European champions. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 00:18:26
Bashir strikes late to keep sluggish England in hunt against New Zealand
First Test day one: New Zealand 319-8 v EnglandKane Williamson falls just short of ton on return to sideThe night before this series opener saw a reunion for the New Zealand side that first beat England back in 1978, with David Gower, though not in that touring team, providing an English voice on the panel. When Geoffrey Boycott’s seven-hour 70 came up, Gower joked that it was “seriously fucking rapid” by his old mucker’s standards – before apologising for his use of the word rapid.What followed from England on the opening day at Hagley Oval was not exactly breakneck either; Ben Stokes winning the toss, electing to bowl, and his side labouring through just 83 overs. And yet the cricket was still hugely engrossing for the 8,000 or so lucky souls who lined the grass banks of this gorgeous boutique venue. By stumps, with Kane Williamson top scoring on 93 and showing those hands are no less Oil-of-Olay-soft for missing the 3-0 series win in India, the hosts finished with 319 for eight and honours felt even. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 06:12:29
Emery has tools to fix Aston Villa but overloaded Watkins needs support | Jonathan Liew
Hosts’ struggle to break down Juventus showed extent of the burden being shouldered by England forwardSo. A football match definitely happened. This much at least we can be sure of. I have a lanyard, a programme and a set of cryogenically frozen fingers to verify that fact. Other people were here too, I think. I can sort of remember noises. Vague rasping noises. Disappointed noises. The noise you make when you’ve paid £97 to watch Federico Gatti make back-passes.But already the actual memories of the event are beginning to evaporate, like a quick-drying paint, like the last thing you see before you go under general anaesthetic. Did Emiliano Martínez do something? Was Alessandro Del Piero on the pitch at some point? Hang on, it’s going blurry. Can no longer feel legs. Can no longer feel anything. Just floating. Orbs through space. Still floating. So nice here. So nice. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 00:02:16
Rodri aiming to defy odds and make his Manchester City comeback this season
City said Spaniard would not play again this campaignIt would be ‘positive not to give up the season’Rodri is targeting a comeback this season despite the Manchester City midfielder having previously been ruled out until next year due to a serious knee injury.The Spaniard suffered ACL ligament damage in September’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. After undergoing surgery City announced he would not be available until next season. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 02:00:29
Ruud van Nistelrooy set to succeed Steve Cooper as Leicester manager
Cooper sacked last Sunday after defeat by ChelseaLeicester are 16th in table, one point above drop zoneRuud van Nistelrooy is poised to become the new Leicester City manager, making an almost immediate return to the Premier League after leaving Manchester United.Van Nistelrooy, a United hero, is expected to succeed Steve Cooper, who was sacked last Sunday. His last game was a home defeat against his predecessor, Enzo Maresca, now in charge of the high-flying Chelsea. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 20:41:18
Championship roundup: Leeds return to top, Portsmouth game hit by power cut
Leeds 3-0 Luton, Middlesbrough 0-1 BlackburnPompey v Millwall postponed after lights go outLeeds United moved back to the top of the Championship with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Luton Town at Elland Road.Sam Byram gave the home side an early lead when he reacted quickest to volley into the far corner after seeing his initial shot blocked. Joel Piroe made it 2-0 from close range in first-half injury-time after Pascal Struijk’s header from a corner was parried by Thomas Kaminski. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:37:48
Danni Wyatt-Hodge sets England run landmark in T20 win over South Africa
2nd T2o: England, 204-4, bt South Africa, 168-6, by 36 runsWyatt-Hodge first English woman to 3,000 T20I runsDanni Wyatt-Hodge celebrated becoming the first English woman to bring up 3,000 runs in T20 internationals with a blistering 78 from 45 balls, while Nat Sciver-Brunt brought up a third consecutive half-century, as England sealed the T20 series with a 36-run win.England amassed a mammoth 204-run total against October’s World Cup finalists – just the fourth time they have surpassed 200 in the format – and the series win will go some way to restoring confidence among a group of players who were bruised by the vocal criticism of their own premature World Cup exit. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:44:25
Two companies drop Conor McGregor after jury rules against him in rape case
Company behind Proper No 12 whiskey drops MMA starWoman won claim against him for damages in rape caseTwo companies have cut ties with Conor McGregor after a civil court jury in Ireland ruled last week that he must pay nearly €250,000 ($257,000) to a woman who accused the mixed martial arts fighter of raping her.Proximo Spirits, the owner of Irish whiskey brand Proper No 12, will no longer feature McGregor’s name or image on the drink. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 00:11:46
Plastics lobbyists make up biggest group at vital UN treaty talks
Fossil fuel and chemical industry representatives outnumber those of the EU or host country South KoreaRecord numbers of plastic industry lobbyists are attending global talks that are the last chance to hammer out a treaty to cut plastic pollution around the world.The key issue at the conference will be whether caps on global plastic production will be included in the final UN treaty. Lobbyists and leading national producers are furiously arguing against any attempt to restrain the amount that can be produced, leaving the talks on a knife-edge. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:14:27
Climate denial a unifying theme of Trump’s cabinet picks, experts say
Loyalists selected for important roles have offered staunch support to fossil fuels and downplayed climate crisisDonald Trump’s cabinet picks have been eclectic and often controversial but a unifying theme is emerging, experts say, with the US president-elect’s nominees offering staunch support to fossil fuels and either downplaying or denying the climate crisis caused by the burning of these fuels.Trump ran on promises to eviscerate “green new scam” climate policies and to “drill, baby, drill” for more oil and gas, and his choices to run the major organs of the US government echo such sentiments, particularly his picks relating to the environment, with Lee Zeldin chosen as the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Chris Wright as energy secretary and Doug Burgum as interior secretary. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 11:00:05
China’s CO2 emissions have peaked or will in 2025, say 44% of experts in survey
Research reflects rising optimism about country’s green transition as it takes leading position on climate actionNearly half of experts surveyed by a climate thinktank believe China’s carbon dioxide emissions have already peaked, or will do so in 2025, reflecting increasing optimism about the country’s green transition at a time when it is being called on to take a leading position on global climate action.According to a report published on Tuesday by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a research organisation, 44% of climate experts from academia and industry believe that China’s CO2 emissions will peak, at the latest, in 2025. In last year’s survey, only 21% of experts gave the same response. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 00:01:44
Backroom deals and betrayal: how Cop29’s late $300bn deal left nobody happy
While an agreement on climate finance was eventually reached in Baku, many poorer countries were outragedThe Lamborghini showroom and a Tiffany branch sit at either end of Baku’s long boulevards beside the Caspian Sea. Adorned with grand 19th-century mansions, all plaster nymphs and columned facades, that were built by the first oil millionaires, they are a testament to the enduring power of fossil fuels. Oil has been very good to Azerbaijan.It flows out of the ground here, and gas has seeped out, ignited and burned naturally in the area for so long that the country’s symbol is a flame and its nickname is the Land of Fire. Baku was the world’s first oil town, with wells exploited as early as the 1840s. Ilham Aliyev, the autocratic president, calls oil and gas “the gift of God” to his people. They represent 90% of Azerbaijan’s exports. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 06:00:02
Prisoners denied dignity while receiving NHS care, watchdog finds
Health Services Safety Investigation Body reveals difficulties inmates have when they leave jail for treatmentA female inmate remained handcuffed to a male prison officer while she had a mammogram, in an example of prisoners being denied their dignity while receiving NHS care, a watchdog has revealed.The incident is highlighted in a report by the Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) into the difficulties prisoners can face when they leave jail to see a GP or visit a hospital. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 00:01:27
David Lammy to appoint envoy to support Britons detained abroad
After Guardian reporting, foreign secretary looks at cases of thousands who need consular help each yearDavid Lammy has said he plans to appoint an envoy to deal with “complex detention cases” involving Britons abroad and give them a legal right to consular access.After the Guardian’s reporting on detained Britons, the foreign secretary said he had been “looking hard” at the thousands of cases a year involving people who require consular assistance. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:37
Direct Line shares jump 38% after rejecting Aviva’s £3.3bn offer to create insurance giant – business live
UK car insurer, which owns Churchill and Green Flag brands, said approach was ‘highly opportunistic and substantially undervalued the company’Peel Hunt analyst Andreas van Embden described Aviva’s offer as reasonable, but could be sweetened to up to 265p a share.The offer is reasonable, in our view, discounts Direct Line Group (DLG’s) full recovery potential, and includes a bid premium in our view.The rejection of Aviva’s proposal reflects the board’s confidence in DLG’s standalone outlook but we still believe engaging with Aviva makes sense.Engaging with Aviva to fully explore their offer in more detail would make sense in our view.Direct Line is playing hard to get, again, as the board rejects a tentative takeover offer from Aviva on the grounds that the 250p per share on the table significantly undervalues the company. It’s not a clean offer; the 250p would be split half as cash and half as Aviva shares, which always makes things a little more complicated.Direct Line is no stranger to takeover offers, having rejected multiple attempts from Belgian insurer Ageas earlier in the year. There’s a case to be made that Aviva is a better suiter, given it already shares markets with Direct Line in the UK, but it’ll need to up its game - and its offer - if it wants Direct Line to take the proposal seriously. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 08:44:59
One in three consultant child psychiatrist posts in England are vacant, analysis shows
Child and adolescent mental health services have highest vacancy rates of any psychiatric specialismConsultant psychiatrist on why early intervention is key and why delays are unacceptableOne in three child and adolescent consultant psychiatrist posts in England are vacant, according to a “shocking” analysis laying bare the workforce crisis that experts say is fuelling “unacceptable” long waits for NHS care.The number of children and young people requiring mental healthcare has soared in recent years, but many face lengthy delays before they can access treatment. Some are deteriorating to a dangerously severe state of mental ill-health while they wait. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:35
Jess Phillips on new anti-domestic violence measures: ‘I feel hopeful today’
Police say strict new restraining orders on domestic abusers will enable them to ‘manage offenders proactively’In a white-walled room at Croydon custody centre on Wednesday, Jess Phillips let out a little whoop.Talking about new strict new restraining orders on domestic abusers, which were launched that morning, DI Sharad Verma said: “We’ve issued two Dapos today … you should have the first national-level Dapos by the end of the day.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:17:04
Kemi Badenoch considering visa cap if Tories return to power
Party leader could revive deportations for people who arrive on small boats but did not recommit to Rwanda planKemi Badenoch is considering a new cap on visas if the Conservatives return to power and has admitted that previous Tory governments had failed to keep their promises on immigration.In her first policy intervention as party leader, she also said pulling out of human rights laws “may not be the most radical thing” that her future government will have to do to control the flow of people into the UK. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:39:46
Constituencies that elected Reform UK candidates blighted by poor roads, report finds
Exclusive: absence of good transport links now an emblem of areas that feel ‘left behind’ and failed by major parties, report claimsEvery constituency that elected a new Reform UK candidate at the general election has experienced long delays to road improvement schemes and resulting congestion, a report has found, in a possible clue to the growing appeal of populist parties.A series of other places where Nigel Farage’s party is now polling well are also lacking transport infrastructure, the report added, as well as a perception among locals that decisions were being made in London that made their lives more difficult could push them to abandon major parties. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:00:24
First UK arrest made over filming of women on nights out without consent
A 27-year-old man has been taken into custody on suspicion of stalking and harassment in Manchester city centreA man has become the first in the UK to be arrested over videos filmed of women on nights out without their consent, with some in vulnerable states.The 27-year-old from Bradford was taken into custody on suspicion of stalking and harassment after reports of women being followed, filmed and harassed in Manchester city centre. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 17:58:30
Counter-terrorism police arrest seven in London raids connected to PKK
Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey among properties being searched by officers investigating banned groupUK-based Kurdish advocacy groups have condemned the arrest of seven people by counter-terrorism police in London as part of an investigation into the banned Kurdistan Workers’ party, known as the PKK.Four men aged 23, 27, 56 and 62, and two women aged 31 and 59, were arrested at separate addresses during dawn raids in the capital on Wednesday and remain in custody, the Metropolitan police said. A 31-year-old man was arrested Wednesday afternoon in west London. All are yet to be charged. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 23:47:25
Transgender people have right to be recognised in legally acquired gender, court hears
For Women Scotland is challenging ruling extending definition of ‘woman’ to transgender women with GRCTransgender people have “a fundamental right” to be recognised in their legally acquired gender, the supreme court has heard in a case brought by Scottish campaigners to resolve how women are defined in law.For Women Scotland is challenging a prior ruling by the court of session in Edinburgh, which found that Scottish government guidance extending the definition of “woman” to transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) was lawful. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:42:42
Swedish PM says Baltic sea now ‘high risk’ after suspected cable sabotage
Regional leaders meet after undersea telecoms cables severed, while Chinese ship remains at anchor nearbyThe Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has said the Baltic sea is now a “high risk” zone as he met Nordic and Baltic leaders days after a suspected sabotage attack on undersea cables.The Swedish prime minister declined to speculate on who may have been responsible for the severing of two fibre optic telecoms cables in the Baltic last week. A Chinese ship – the Yi Peng 3 – that sailed over the cables about the time they were severed has remained anchored in the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark since 19 November. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:14:27
Middle East crisis live: Hezbollah says its hands are still ‘on the trigger’ amid uneasy ceasefire
Iran-backed Lebanese militia says it remains ‘fully equipped’ and will monitor Israel’s withdrawalAn Egyptian security delegation is reportedly expected to arrive in Israel in an effort to reach a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, writes the Times of Israel today.Citing the Hezbollah-linked al-Akhbar news outlet, the Times of Israel reports that officials from Cairo visting Tel Aviv are expected to present a “comprehensive vision” for an agreement.The report also says that Israel will initially be permitted to maintain its military positions within Gaza, but without carrying out operations.While not mentioned in the report, the potential deal is also assumed to include the release of Palestinian prisoners.”The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, said the Lebanon ceasefire was the “first ray of hope” in the regional conflict after the “darkness of the past months”. “It is essential that those who signed the ceasefire commitment respect it in full,” Guterres said on Wednesday. He reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In a sign of how volatile the situation remains, Israeli forces opened fire on a number of cars that attempted to enter what it said was a restricted area on Wednesday.Doubts over whether the ceasefire would hold were widespread on both sides. Supporters of Hezbollah, which has suffered heavy losses since October 2023, celebrated the group’s survival and waved its yellow and green flag across southern Beirut on Wednesday. Iran, Hezbollah’s ally, welcomed the end of Israel’s “aggression” in Lebanon. In Israel, the ceasefire has met a more mixed reaction where rightwingers and residents of Israel’s north have criticised the agreement. Dozens of people gathered outside the Israeli army’s headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night to protest against the ceasefire.The French government has claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu has immunity from arrest warrants issued by the international criminal court (ICC) for war crimes on the grounds that Israel is not an ICC member. The claim came soon after Netanyahu’s cabinet agreed to a French-backed ceasefire in Lebanon and is in contrast to Paris’s attitude towards last year’s ICC war crimes warrant issued against Vladimir Putin, another leader of a non-member country.Netanyahu said Israel had submitted to the ICC its intention to appeal against the arrest warrants, and demand a delay in their implementation. In a statement from his office, he said: “Should the ICC reject the appeal, this will underscore to Israel’s friends in the US and around the world how biased the ICC is against the state of Israel.”The ceasefire in Lebanon came after Israel launched the heaviest day of raids on Beirut, including a series of strikes in the city’s centre. At least 42 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut and the south of Lebanon before the ceasefire began. Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel, triggering air raid sirens.In Gaza, the death toll passed 44,282 on Wednesday. Gaza’s health ministry said an additional 104,880 Palestinians have been injured since October 2023. An Egyptian security delegation is reportedly expected to travel to Israel on Thursday to discuss a Gaza ceasefire deal. The US will renew a push for a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, president Joe Biden said.At least 12 Palestinians, including children and women, were killed in an Israeli strike on a school in central Gaza City on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. A pregnant woman and two other Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombing in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza and Khan Younis in the south on Wednesday, Wafa reported.Two journalists were injured when Israeli forces “opened fire” on a group of journalists covering a border town of Khiam in south-east Lebanon on Wednesday, Lebanon’s National news agency said. A video journalist told AFP that he was shot at while reporting in Khiam and that it was clear that the group were journalists.The Biden administration is reportedly pushing ahead with a $680m arms sales package to Israel. The package includes thousands of joint direct attack munition kits (JDAMs) and hundreds of small-diameter bombs, Reuters reported. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 08:45:11
Canada leaders agree to unite against Trump tariff threat amid reports of retaliatory measures
Deputy PM says ‘we need to be smart, strong and united’ after meeting on threat by US president-elect of a blanket 25% tax on imports from Canada Canada’s federal government and the premiers of the 10 provinces have agreed to work together against a threat by US president-elect Donald Trump to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, with one official saying the country was already examining possible retaliatory measures.“We agreed that we need to be smart, strong and united in meeting this challenge,” deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters on Wednesday after a virtual meeting with the premiers called by the prime minister, Justin Trudeau. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 01:41:27
Democrats criticize Harris for ‘self-congratulatory’ review of election loss
Top campaign staff also under fire for saying party has to ‘dominate the moderate’ in Pod Save America appearanceUS politics – live updatesSome Democratic figures have accused Kamala Harris’s campaign of being self-congratulatory after a series of recent public appearances from the candidate and her senior staff in which they declined to admit making any errors that could have contributed to her defeat.Some of the criticism was aimed at Harris herself, following a video call to thank campaign donors in which the vice-president expressed pride in her failed race for the White House. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:42:21
Bombshell police report details alleged Bolsonaro plot to stage rightwing coup
Former president accused of leading role in apparent scheme to overturn 2022 election defeat by rival LulaBrazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has moved a step closer to jail after a federal police investigation laid bare what it called a murderous authoritarian plot to explode the country’s democratic system with a military coup that the far-right populist allegedly helped mastermind.Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied involvement in an attempt to overturn the result of the 2022 presidential election, which he narrowly lost to his leftwing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:57:40
Von der Leyen calls for more EU defence spending after narrow election victory
European Commission president says average spending in Europe is 1.9% of GDP, while Russia’s is 9%The head of the EU executive, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for more defence spending in Europe over the next five years, as her top team was voted in by a wafer-thin majority of MEPs.The European parliament’s endorsement of the new EU executive by the narrowest-ever margin clears the way for von der Leyen and her chosen 26 European commissioners to start a five-year term on Sunday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 14:06:59
X trying to block transfer of platform’s InfoWars accounts to the Onion
Social network says it must give permission for accounts to be sold or transferred after sale of rightwing InfoWarsElon Musk’s X is trying to block the transfer of the platform’s InfoWars accounts to the Onion after filing a legal objection stating that it owns users’ accounts.The social network has filed a “limited objection” to the sale of InfoWars, a media platform run by the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to the satirical news outlet the Onion. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:07:18
New York City found in contempt over conditions in city jails
Despite 2015 settlement and consent decree, judge says conditions have worsened over the last decadeA federal judge found New York City in contempt on Wednesday over conditions in its city jails, saying things have only worsened in the nine years since the city settled accusations of abuse and violence.The judge, Laura Taylor Swain, in Manhattan issued a written ruling finding the city in contempt over 18 separate contempt claims. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:40:41
Dominique Pelicot has split personality caused by trauma, defence argues
Lawyer for man who drugged wife and invited strangers to rape her says she has felt like ‘devil’s advocate’Dominique Pelicot, the French man on trial for drugging his wife and inviting strangers to rape her, has a split personality caused by the effect of childhood trauma, his defence lawyer has argued.In her summing up on Wednesday, Béatrice Zavarro told the court in Avignon there were “two Dominiques”, one a man apparently devoted to his family and the other with a “certain perversity”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 17:26:35
Former Manchester City player becomes presidential candidate in Georgia
Ruling party picks Mikheil Kavelashvili for mostly ceremonial post in electoral college vote he is likely to winThe governing party in Georgia has picked a former Manchester City footballer as its candidate for president after a disputed victory in last month’s parliamentary election that has sparked protests.The Georgian Dream party nominated Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former national team and Premier League player, for the mostly ceremonial presidential post on Wednesday. He is all but certain to win the 14 December vote by the electoral college controlled by the ruling party. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:13:55
The 8 best e-readers, tried and tested – from Kindle to Kobo and beyond
In a world where books have to vie with smartphones for attention, a brilliant ebook reader is more necessary than everE-readers have been one of the greatest single-purpose gadgets for almost three decades. They offer an escape from technology and the endless distraction of mobile phones, despite also being tech devices.But that is starting to change. Colour ebook readers, for graphic novels, magazines and books, are now fairly common, and there are several models designed for note-taking. Plus, a whole family of these devices uses Android, meaning they can run all of those apps that often distract from reading.Best e-reader overall: Kindle Paperwhite£124.99 at AmazonBest colour e-reader: Kobo Libra Colour£179 at CurrysBest affordable e-reader: Kobo Clara BW£119 at AmazonBest phone-style e-reader: Onyx Boox Palma 2€299 at Boox Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:00:20
242 best Christmas gifts for 2024: perfect present ideas chosen by the experts
From Monty Don’s top garden tool to Sali Hughes’s perfect lipstick and Yotam Ottolenghi’s favourite ever present, we asked everyone what they wanted – so you don’t have toStuck for what to buy everyone for Christmas? You won’t be for long … From gifts for fitness fans and gardeners to presents for pets (and their adorable owners), teens and beauty lovers, we’ve got all bases covered.Best of all, they’re hand-picked from the experts themselves: we’ve taken out the guesswork and asked the kids, chefs, cyclists and more to tell us what they actually want this year. Merry Christmas! Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 08:11:16
The best robot vacuums to keep your home clean and dust free, tested by our expert
Our writer trialled the most powerful robot vacuums – some of which even mop your floors – and these are the ones he ratesRobot vacuum cleaners take the drudge work out of cleaning your floors and carpets. No more tiresome weekly stints of vacuuming, and no more last-minute panic sessions when you have visitors on the way. Instead, your compact robot chum regularly trundles out from its dock, sucking up dust, hair and debris to leave your floors looking spick and span.Over the past few years, robot vacuums have become much more affordable, with basic units starting at about £150. They’re also doing more than they used to, mopping areas of hard flooring and charging in sophisticated cleaning stations that empty their dust collectors and clean their mop pads for you.Best overall robot vacuum cleaner: Eufy X10 Pro Omni£579 at EufyBest robot vacuum for power cleaning: Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI+ £800 at John LewisBest for no-fuss robot vacuuming and mopping: iRobot Roomba Combo J9+£599 at iRobotBest robot vacuum cleaner for small homes and small budgets: Beko VRR61414VB RoboSmart £239 at Currys Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:00:36
Surviving Black Friday: what to know ahead of the UK sales
In this week’s newsletter: how to cut through the noise this Black Friday, gifts for fitness fanatics and the top coffee machines for 2024• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereBlack Friday may be a recent phenomenon, but sales have been a part of British winter for decades – and they’ve always been regarded with suspicion by those who feel they’re above such things. I remember 70s newsreaders chuckling over footage of fights in the Boxing Day sales between women of previously good character, all desperate to grab the last half-price vacuum cleaner. How amusing, and how sad, said the newsreaders’ faces.I don’t share their snobbery. Black Friday can save people an awful lot of money on things they’ve wanted to buy for themselves and others but have struggled to afford during the cost of living crisis. But writing about it is a tightrope. You want to offer sincere, useful shopping advice without coming across like a puppet of commerce, and that’s a tricky path to navigate.Air fryers, heated throws and the world’s best jeans: Black Friday deals on the products we loveChristmas gifts for swimmers: what to buy water babies, from swimming costumes to changing robes and bagsChristmas gifts for runners: the best shoes, socks and vests to buy the running enthusiast in your lifeThe best Christmas gifts for cyclists, from warm cycling gloves and socks to a portable headlampThe best iPhones in 2024: Apple smartphones tested, reviewed and ranked Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:08:10
Rupert Goold is an audacious innovator. He will make waves at the Old Vic | Michael Billington
Having worked his magic as director of the Almeida theatre, the gifted Goold is bound for greater glories: the National had better watch outRupert Goold, as director, has made the Almeida the most consistently exciting theatre in London over the last decade. Next year he will take over the Old Vic and the portents look promising. At the Almeida, Goold’s programming has combined respect for new writing with a highly imaginative approach to the classics. Although a fine director himself, Goold has nurtured younger talents with no sign of professional jealousy: Robert Icke, whose Oedipus is now in the West End, and Rebecca Frecknall, who will join Goold at the Old Vic, are two beneficiaries of his enlightened encouragement.I first became aware of Goold’s gifts, as director and head of a theatre, when he ran the Royal & Derngate, Northampton, from 2002 to 2005. Even though I wasn’t crazy about his Hamlet, set in a world of Paris existentialism, it managed to attract a star presence in Jane Birkin to play Gertrude. Goold’s Othello, in which Ron Cephas Jones’s hero became a second world war general and Finbar Lynch’s Iago a closeted homosexual, was, however, instantly striking. Over the next few years, whether running the Headlong company or working as a freelance, Goold proved himself, along with Stephen Daldry, to be a director whose work you wouldn’t want to miss. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 15:55:32
Novels about serial killers and loyal dogs voted Waterstones books of 2024
Booksellers chose true-crime inspired Butter by Asako Yuzuki as book of the year, while Ross Montgomery’s fun adventure I Am Rebel took the children’s prizeA novel about a serial killer and a children’s book about a dog are the books of 2024, according to Waterstones booksellers.Butter by Asako Yuzuki, translated from Japanese by Polly Barton, has been voted book of the year, while I am Rebel by Ross Montgomery has been named children’s book of the year. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 06:01:34
TV tonight: a hilarious drag queen comedy set in Middlesbrough
Phil Dunning’s Smoggie Queens is full of laughs and love. Plus: the Jackal continues to elude MI6. Here’s what to watch this evening10.10pm, BBC Three“Cheers queers!” Phil Dunning’s comedy about an LGBTQ+ group of friends in Middlesbrough is side-splittingly funny. He plays Dickie, a fabulous if foul-mouthed drag queen whose friends are “drag” Mam (Mark Benton), “hun” Lucinda (Alexandra Mardell), lager-guzzling Sal (Patsy Lowe) and newbie Stewart (Elijah Young). In the first episode Dickie is dumped and amid the endless laughter there is also a lot of tenderness. Hollie Richardson Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 06:20:34
Conclave review – Ralph Fiennes shines as papal election results in high-camp gripper
Fiennes is broodingly compelling as a potential English pope caught up in murky Vatican intrigue around choosing the next pontiffWho knew that the laborious process of democracy, of simply voting over and over again, could be so exciting and so amusing? Edward Berger’s drama is adapted with masterly flair by screenwriter Peter Straughan from the Robert Harris pageturner; Ralph Fiennes is on sumptuous form as the deeply troubled Cardinal Lawrence at the centre of a murky Vatican plot. The result is a high-camp gripper, like the world’s most serious Carry On film.Fiennes’ character is Italian in Harris’s book, but Straughan makes him an Englishman: an unquiet soul who is theoretically on the verge of becoming the first English pope since Adrian IV, although no one is so vulgar or nationalistic as to point that out. With the ailing pope in extremis, Cardinal Lawrence arrives at His Holiness’s death bed to find other ambitious cardinals, who have all cultivated an opaque, unreadable manner of cordially respectful friendship with each other, now manoeuvring to be considered the successor in the imminent conclave, or election. In this blue chip supporting cast Stanley Tucci plays Bellini, the liberal; Sergio Castellitto is pugnacious, reactionary Tedesco, a racist bigot; John Lithgow is Tremblay, whose blandly emollient manner is misleading; Lucian Msamati is the bullish Adeyemi; and Carlos Diehz is Benitez, an unknown figure who to everyone’s polite consternation had been created Cardinal Archbishop of Kabul without anyone realising. Yet all of these men are upstaged by the late pontiff’s confidante Sister Agnes, shrewdly played by Isabella Rossellini. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 07:00:36
Rage Against the Regime: Iran review – these stories of resistance are utterly astonishing
From the woman who risked her freedom by disguising herself as a man to watch football, to the separatist who had to abandon his family after urging a crowd to throw off the Islamic Republic – this is essential viewingMeytham Ale Mahdi was working for the National Steel Group in 2018 when Iran’s economy collapsed and unemployment reached 60%. As wages went unpaid for months and life became increasingly impossible, Mahdi did what so many Iranians have done during 45 years of authoritarian rule: he took to the streets. The protests spread across the country and expanded into an organised strike movement. The hunger for change in Iran was, once again, insatiable.Then came the crackdown. Mahdi was arrested, interrogated and forced to confess that he was a separatist leading the riots. He was ordered to tell the workers to stop striking. But when he returned to the protests, the fear he had experienced in the interrogation room evaporated. Mahdi smiles as he recalls the speech he made that day: “Together we can stand against all the powers. We are like raindrops, but together we turn into the sea.” After he spoke those words, he never went home again. In exile, he scrolls through photos of his children, who were seven and nine when he fled Iran five years ago. “Is there any suffering greater than this?” he asks. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:00:25
Flex your new visual super skills
We’ve all acquired new design smarts. Now it’s time to make the most of them Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-20 10:47:07
From manifesting to manifestos: Steven Bartlett is spearheading a new approach to achieving your goals
The entrepreneur has teamed up with Adobe Express to promote the benefits of creating your own personal manifestoSteven Bartlett might be a visionary entrepreneur but he’s all-too aware that having vision isn’t enough on its own. As part of a partnership with Adobe Express, the quick and easy content app, he’s now on a mission to show people how to turn their vision into actionable steps with the help of a carefully-conceived manifesto that aligns with their goals and values. Calling it the “Manifest-o Method”, the idea is to provide a framework that can help guide entrepreneurs in their early stages. As he put it in an interview with Adobe: “Manifestation without action is like setting your car’s sat-nav without turning the engine on.”When creating the Manifest-o Method, Bartlett, who is probably best known for The Diary of a CEO podcast and his appearances on BBC Dragons’ Den, drew on his own experience of creating and designing a business manifesto for his podcast company, Flight Studio, using Adobe Express. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-04 15:36:29
‘Time-chunking’ and great design … side hustle experts give their tips for success
Nearly half of us now run a side gig alongside our regular job. Here’s how to make it work …The side hustle has become central to modern living. Nearly 50% of Brits have a side hustle, with nine out of 10 “side hustlers” who are under 34 planning to transition said hustle into a full-time business. But juggling your side hustle with your day job can be tricky even for the most skilled multitasker. So here are some tips for managing multiple gigs without annoying your boss or colleaguesCompartmentalise while cross-fertilising Try to view your day job as a source of inspiration and insights rather than an obstacle to your side-hustle. Your life will feel more coherent and less draining. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-21 09:54:16
‘The best personal brands aren’t overly curated’: six dos and don’ts for the jobs market
Personal branding is far more complex than it once was, with evolving tech adding to the possibilitiesPersonal branding has undergone a radical rebranding. The way we showcase ourselves in the workplace and jobs market has been transformed by the tools at our disposal and societal shifts, such as the melding of work and life. Twenty-five years ago, you had a CV and, if you wanted a new job, you updated it and sent it to prospective employers. Your reputation may have enhanced your prospects but, when it came to job hunting, your qualifications and CV were pretty much the only showcase you had.With the internet everything changed – and then changed again with social media and smartphones. Suddenly, you were visible to millions of people on a device they carried around in their pockets. Those same tools gave you the ability to step up from CVs to slickly presented websites and slide decks. And social media gave everyone a platform to build and manage their own personal brand in real time. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-01 13:59:22
‘Zebra striping’: is this the best way to drink alcohol this Christmas?
Nearly a quarter of adults in Britain now ‘zebra stripe’ when they visit pubs and bars, alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinksName: Zebra striping.Age: The name is new, but the behaviour is old. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:12:17
I want to ignore beauty culture. But I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t look a certain way
Beauty improves only some qualities of life and demands high investment of time, money and energy, writes advice columnist Jessica DeFinoHi Ugly,How do I reconcile not wanting to become a victim to beauty culture rhetoric with the fact that being beautiful tangibly improves quality of life? I’m an undergrad in university and it’s hard not to feel like I’ll never get anywhere professionally or romantically if I don’t look a certain way, given that it seems like all the other girls on campus seem to be able to fulfill all their dreams and also casually look like That. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:00:02
A moment that changed me: at seven, I saw the truth of China’s one-child policy – and felt my parents’ pain
When a classmate said she’d be allowed a brother or sister, I realised what it meant: she might die young. It was a sudden insight into tragedy and traumaOne afternoon in the spring of 1997, as my seven-year-old classmate and I played in a tiny park in our Shanghai neighbourhood, she shared a secret: “I’m allowed to have a little brother or sister.” My jaw dropped. No one my age had a sibling except a pair of twins at school. People used the words “sister” and “brother” to mean cousin. Having siblings was an outlandish, outdated, even shameful concept, something older generations had done before the one-child policy was introduced in 1980.My parents carefully stored our One Child Honorary Certificate, with golden characters on a sleek red booklet, in a bottom drawer, right by my birth certificate. They were good citizens who, by definition, had only one child. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 06:55:52
‘It paid for six months of sandwiches!’ 7 tips for buying the perfect gift voucher
Gift cards can be divisive. But if you choose well, your friends and family will be able to buy or experience something otherwise out of reachWhen Stephen received an M&S voucher from his parents for Christmas, he did what many of us do: shoved it in his wallet and forgot about it. Months later, when buying a sandwich in the shop, he remembered he had it and handed it over.“The cashier took it and, handing it back, said something like, ‘You still have £96-something on your card.’ I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I continued to use it for incidental sandwiches for a further six months until it ran out. It’s the best Christmas present of my adult life – it just kept giving.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 10:00:02
The best new Christmas and winter attractions in the UK
From festive markets and light trails to floating saunas and chalet-oke sessions, there’s plenty of wintery fun to be had for all agesThis year, there are plenty of light trails to brighten up the winter gloom. The Northern Light is an immersive light and sound show at the Slieve Donard hotel in Newcastle, County Down, with projections conjuring up the Arctic, an ice cave, the stars and the aurora borealis (£35 adults/£22 children). Cornwall’s Eden Project has an immersive light show that transports visitors to a Christmas party, as well as a new theatrical experience and carousel (from £38 adults/£12 children, selected evenings until 5 January). Christmas at Westonbirt, the national arboretum in Gloucestershire, has been designed by the light trail producers behind Christmas at Kew. Expect neon trees, luminous birds and tunnels of light, plus a Christmas village (from £18 adults/£12 children, 29 November to 31 December). Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:53
How Britons can save on winter sports holidays
From where you choose to ski to self-catering there are deals to be had and ways of stopping costs snowballingWhen it comes to skiing and snowboarding, going to Europe will always be cheaper than flying to somewhere such as the US or Canada – but costs vary massively on the continent. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:53
Women in the UK: are you planning on having a baby on your own using fertility treatment?
We’d like to hear from women who are having a baby on their own or with someone else using IVF or DIAccording to a report by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the number of UK women who are single and undergoing fertility treatment has more than trebled in a decade.In total, 4,800 women without a partner had in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or donor insemination (DI) treatment in 2022. This represents a 243% increase from the 1,400 single women who had fertility treatment in 2012. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 11:31:46
Tell us: do you still live with your ex?
The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is looking to get in touch with former couples who still live under the same roofDo you still live with your ex? Break ups are expensive, and with the housing market in its current state, increasing numbers of couples are being forced to keep living together, after they’ve broken up.The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is looking to get in touch with former couples who still live under the same roof. We’re looking for exes of all ages, and life stages, all over the world. Whether you’re twenty-somethings stuck in the same flat-share because you can’t afford to rent elsewhere, or forty-somethings staying in the family home for the sake of your kids – we’d love to hear from you. At the moment, we are particularly keen to hear from exes in their twenties living together. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-02 11:03:50
Share your experience of buying weight loss jabs privately in the UK
We would like to hear from people who have bought weight loss jabs and the adverts they have seenWeight loss jabs like Wegovy and Mounjaro are becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK, and are available from many online pharmacies – including those run by high street companies. Yet concerns have been raised over whether these medications are being advertised or promoted.We’d like to hear from readers who have purchased these jabs privately, to discuss how you chose the pharmacy and your experience of adverts. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 14:56:19
Share your experience of being a celebrity lookalike
We would like to hear from people who have been told they look like a celebrityWith celebrity lookalike contests such as Timothée Chalamet taking place, we’re interested in finding out more about the celebrities you’ve been told you look like.Have friends or family said you look like a famous musician, sports person or Hollywood star? Have you had any experiences of mistaken identity? If so, what happened? We’re also interested in hearing from anyone who has taken part in a lookalike competition. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:48:44
Biden administration claims win with Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire – but will it hold?
Peace is shaky at best, as Israel will still strike targets in Lebanon and a power transition looms in the USThe Biden administration has claimed the long-awaited ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as a diplomatic triumph achieved under tremendous pressure during a lame-duck period with a hostile Donald Trump administration waiting in the wings.Speaking from a lectern in the Rose Garden of the White House, Joe Biden called the result “historic” and said that it “reminds us that peace is possible”. It would return civilians to their homes, he said, and had “determined this conflict will not be just another cycle of violence”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:39:45
‘Thank God we are home’: Lebanese return south after ceasefire with Israel
People are relieved to be home but face having to rebuild lives among destroyed homes and villagesBefore the ceasefire had even come into effect, Zeinab and Dina were already driving south. The two sisters had been forced to flee to Tripoli, northern Lebanon, for 64 days – they had counted – and they could not bear another day without seeing home.“We were laughing and crying at the same time when we heard the news of the ceasefire. We were packing our stuff and still we didn’t believe it was happening, it was like a dream,” said Zeinab, 28, a resident of the town of Zibqeen in south Lebanon. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:20:03
Colombia-led operation seizes world record 225 tonnes of cocaine, and uncovers new Australia trafficking route
Operation Orion, a cooperative operation between 62 countries, finds some of the record haul on a new drug route being used by a ‘narco submarine’Colombian authorities working with dozens of other countries have seized 225 tonnes of cocaine in the space of six weeks, a global record for any single anti-narcotics operation, finding some of that haul on a “narco submarine” travelling on a new drug trafficking route to Australia.In the six-week Operation Orion, law enforcement agencies and other organisations from 62 countries halted six semi-submersible vessels stuffed with cocaine and confiscated 1,400 tonnes of drugs in total, including more than 1,000 tonnes of marijuana. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 23:30:52
Trump’s return raises questions over future of CIA’s Russian recruitment drive
Intelligence agency has been trying to entice Russians disaffected by invasion of Ukraine but president-elect is likely to want to make an ally of KremlinFor the past three years, the CIA has run an unusually bold outreach programme. It targeted Russians within the country’s government and security services, attempting to turn them into double agents.Slickly produced recruitment videos portrayed cooperation with the US secret agency as the patriotic choice for officials disaffected with Vladimir Putin’s regime and the war in Ukraine. The videos ended with instructions on how to contact the CIA in a secure manner. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 05:00:51
Paradise lost? How cruise companies are ‘eating up’ the Bahamas
Another vast tourist resort project promising jobs and prosperity. But critics say such developments imperil the pristine environments they advertise Read more in this seriesJoseph Darville has fond memories of swimming with his young son off the south coast of Grand Bahama island, and watching together as scores of dolphins frolicked offshore. A lifelong environmentalist now aged 82, Darville has always valued the rich marine habitat and turquoise blue seas of the Bahamas, which have lured locals and tourists alike for generations.The dolphins are now mostly gone, he says, as human encroachment proliferated and the environment deteriorated. “You don’t see them now; the jetskis go by and frighten them off.Joseph Darville is worried that the big cruise lines and developers will ‘come in and eat what’s left of our country’. Photograph: Richard Luscombe/the Guardian Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 06:00:53
‘The science of fluoride is starting to evolve’: behind the risks and benefits of the mineral
With RFK Jr and a court ruling, conversation on fluoride, in about 72% of US community water supplies, has explodedA national conversation about fluoride’s health benefits exploded this fall after a federal toxicology report, court ruling and independent scientific review all called for updated risk-benefit analysis.Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral in some regions, has been added to community water supplies since the mid-20th century when studies found exposure dramatically reduced tooth decay. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:00:02
‘End of an era’: Smithfield traders absorb news that London market is to close
Workers stunned at City of London Corporation’s plan to close market, which was established in 1133 and survived Great FireThe junction at Cowcross Street marks the place where for centuries cattle were driven daily to London’s Smithfield Market. Nearby Cock Lane is another street name linked to the meat and poultry trade centred here since the 12th century, although some accounts attribute its origin to it being the only licensed place for sex work in the medieval city.Soon these will be among the last vestiges of a truly historic site that was central to London life, feeding the city’s people, dispensing justice as a place of public execution and even, in a shameful chapter from the early 19th century, providing a place where a man wishing to avoid a costly divorce could sell his wife. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:39:51
The Long Wave: How Brazil is celebrating its Black heritage
Afro-Brazilians marked Black Consciousness Day as a national holiday for the first time, but the celebrations are facing resistance. Plus, a fertility ‘miracle’ rattles Nigeria and Kendrick Lamar’s surprise dropDon’t get The Long Wave? delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereHello and welcome to The Long Wave. It was a big week in Brazil, where Black Consciousness Day on 20 November was a public holiday for the first time. I spoke to Tiago Rogero, our South America correspondent, about the significance of the day and the big changes happening in Brazil’s approach to race. But first, the weekly roundup. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 12:17:00
‘Doing it with no partner is easier’: the single women using fertility treatments
A growing number feel single parenthood is liberating and only a sense of ‘shame’ around it is holding women backIt was Covid that gave Amy, 45, the final push to have fertility treatment on her own. “I had been thinking about it for a while, and then with Covid, I thought: ‘I’m never gonna meet anybody.’ And I didn’t really want to be that woman who’s like: ‘Hey, we’ve been on one internet date. Let’s have a baby!”Amy struck lucky with her first embryo transfer and is now the mother of a three-year-old. “I feel very blessed,” she said. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:54
Bone-on-bone agony: the cruel reality of facing a three-year waiting list for a new knee
Before she retired in 2014, Alexandra McTeare had worked for the NHS for 30 years – and always believed in public healthcare. But when she experienced severe pain, she was forced to consider difficult choicesWhen Alexandra McTeare was told she might have to wait three years for knee replacement surgery, she felt desperate. “Because of how miserable your life is, how small it has become,” she says.The problems with her knee started in 2017. “It was painful and would swell up, particularly in the heat.” She would take painkillers and keep her leg elevated when she was sitting down, and did stretching exercises for her muscles. But over the next few years, “it gradually got worse, the intervals between swelling episodes reduced and the pain increased”. It reached a point where it was no longer bearable. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 05:00:50
MPs’ big assisted dying moment, and the people watching every move – Politics Weekly UK
As MPs prepare to vote on a bill that would, for the first time, pass assisted dying into UK law, what are the arguments on either side? The Guardian’s John Harris speaks to two campaigners: Liz Carr, an actor and disability activist who believes the bill would endanger many marginalised groups, and Mark Mardell, a broadcaster who thinks the legislation doesn’t go far enough. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:37
What’s going on with fluoride? – podcast
The conversation about fluoride’s health benefits has exploded recently after a US federal toxicology report, court ruling and independent scientific review all called for updated risk-benefit analysis. Ian Sample hears from Catherine Carstairs, professor of history at the University of Guelph in Canada, about how attitudes to fluoridation have evolved, and Oliver Jones, professor of chemistry at RMIT University in Australia, about where the science stands todayClips: the New York Sun, Columbia Pictures‘The science of fluoride is starting to evolve’: behind the risks and benefits of the mineral Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 05:00:34
Assisted dying: a historic vote comes to parliament - podcast
Deputy political editor Jessica Elgot explains how the assisted dying bill came to the House of Commons this week, and how MPs are feeling about their vote. Dr Lucy Thomas speaks about her experience in palliative care and her fears if MPs vote the bill throughOn Friday, MPs will vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) bill – a once-in-a-generation vote on whether those with terminal illnesses should have the right to an assisted death. The right, in other words, to end one’s own life with the help of medical professionals.As the Guardian’s deputy political editor Jessica Elgot explains, it would be a monumental social change, and has been compared to previous reforms on abortion, the death penalty and equal marriage. Yet with just a day to go, it is not at all clear which way the vote will go. Indeed, Helen Pidd hears from MPs in parliament, some of whom are still unsure whether they will support or oppose the bill. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 03:00:30
Manchester City trip up again as Arsenal shine at Sporting: Football Weekly - podcast
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Archie Rhind-Tutt as City’s crisis deepens and Arsenal produce their best performance in the Champions League this seasonRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today: Manchester City throw away a 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord. It’s not a defeat but almost feels worse this way. Is the crisis deepening? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:07:45
10 years of the long read: Seven stowaways and a hijacked oil tanker: the strange case of the Nave Andromeda (2022) – podcast
As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors.This week from 2022: In October 2020 an emergency call was received from a ship in British waters. After a full-scale commando raid, seven Nigerians were taken off in handcuffs – but no one was ever charged. What really happened on board? By Samira Shackle Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 05:00:51
How having babies became so political - video
The pronatalist movement in the US is gathering pace once again, rekindled by Silicon Valley personalities and hard-right conservatives who are becoming increasingly vocal about whether or not women are having enough babies. But it's not just in the US, some governments in other countries have launched marketing campaigns encouraging people to have more children, while others have offered financial incentives. But while many of these policies claim to be about halting population decline, there are other factors at play. Josh Toussaint-Strauss interrogates efforts around the world to boost birth rates, as well as the underlying political motivations, from bodily autonomy to immigrationBirthrates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide?When desperate measures to persuade women to have children fail, it’s time for fresh thinking Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-21 12:33:44
John Prescott: former deputy PM and New Labour stalwart – video obituary
John Prescott, who has died at 86, served as deputy prime minister for more than a decade under Tony Blair, and was seen as a custodian of the Labour party’s traditional values in the face of a modernising leadership. Blair and Gordon Brown led tributes, with Blair telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was 'one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics' John Prescott, British former deputy prime minister, dies aged 86 Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-21 11:40:20
Mistrust, anger and suspicion of Bill Gates: voices from the UK farmers protest – video
Amid a protest in central London on Tuesday against changes to inheritance tax announced by Labour, the Guardian discovered a mistrust of politicians, fear over the future of UK farming and suspicion of Bill Gates Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-20 14:00:22
Atacms: what are the missiles Ukraine has fired into Russia for the first time?
American and Ukrainian officials have confirmed Kyiv employed US-made Atacms missiles to strike targets within Russia. The Kremlin stated that six missiles were launched at the town of Karachev, with fragments from one reportedly causing a significant explosion.In response, Russia has announced it is adjusting its nuclear doctrine. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow would interpret any attack against it carried out by a non-nuclear state using weapons supplied by a nuclear state as a joint assault. But what exactly are Atacms, and why has their deployment unsettled Russia so deeply?Atacms: what are the missiles Ukraine has fired into Russia for first time?Russia-Ukraine war live Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-20 16:44:49
Sign up for the Fashion Statement newsletter: our free fashion email
Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, direct to your inbox every ThursdayStyle, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, delivered straight to your inbox every ThursdayExplore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you Continue reading...
Published: 2022-09-20 11:06:20
Sign up for the Guardian Documentaries newsletter: our free short film email
Be the first to see our latest thought-provoking films, bringing you bold and original storytelling from around the worldDiscover the stories behind our latest short films, learn more about our international film-makers, and join us for exclusive documentary events. We’ll also share a selection of our favourite films, from our archives and from further afield, for you to enjoy. Sign up below.Can’t wait for the next newsletter? Start exploring our archive now. Continue reading...
Published: 2016-09-02 09:27:20
Guardian Traveller newsletter: Sign up for our free holidays email
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors. You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays. From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors.You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays. Continue reading...
Published: 2022-10-12 14:21:58
Sign up for the Feast newsletter: our free Guardian food email
A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideasEach week we’ll send you an exclusive newsletter from our star food writers. We’ll also send you the latest recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Meera Sodha and all our star cooks, stand-out food features and seasonal eating inspiration, plus restaurant reviews from Grace Dent and Jay Rayner.Sign up below to start receiving the best of our culinary journalism in one mouth-watering weekly email. Continue reading...
Published: 2019-07-09 08:19:21
Feeling blue: how denim built America – in pictures
Originally used as workwear for back-breaking jobs, these vintage images show the fabric’s role in dragging the US out of the Great Depression Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-28 07:00:37
Rescued turtles and a field of illuminated flowers: photos of the day – Wednesday
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 12:33:15
Horse trading with Travellers and Romani Gypsies – in pictures
Photographer Sam Wright was warned not to attend a horse fair with his camera. He ignored the prejudice – and found a warm, welcoming community Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:54
Pride and protest: a photographic history of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights
Images by Fred W McDarrah feature in a new exhibition that follows key moments of community and liberationThe Manhattan photographer Fred McDarrah came to prominence documenting the Beat movement that overtook Greenwich Village in the 1950s, capturing, among others, Jack Kerouac (who sat for a portrait in McDarrah’s apartment) and one of the earliest photos of a very young and unknown Bob Dylan. It was this portfolio that made his name at the Village Voice, where he would work for an astonishing 50 years, but toward the end of the 1960s McDarrah began to photograph an entirely new movement sweeping over the Village.In spring 1966 at Julius’s Bar, a short walk from the Stonewall Inn, four gay men – Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons and Randy Wicker – engaged in what they termed a “sip-in” in order to challenge a law that made it a prosecutable offense for one man to buy another a drink. It was one of the first salvos in the incipient gay rights movement, and McDarrah was there to see it, perfectly capturing the decisive moment when a bartender – collaborating with the group – placed his hand over the drinks and stated that it was against the law to serve the men. The image is a perfect distillation of the encounter, a moment when customer and bartender are exchanging deep, meaningful looks that say so much more than words. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 09:04:05
‘Portal to space’: the place where astronauts take off and land – in pictures
Every three months in Kazakhstan, a trio of cosmonauts and astronauts head off to the International Space Station – then return in small capsules. What do the locals make of it? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 07:00:03
Hungary’s most deprived people donate blood plasma to survive – photo essay
The UK-based Hungarian Roma documentary photographer Béla Váradi spent months photographing the lives of blood plasma donors after he realised several old friends saw payment for plasma donation as a way of getting byIn the rust belt of north-eastern Hungary, a new economy is thriving – one built on human blood. Private companies have found a way to profit from the desperation of the region’s most marginalised population, the Gypsies. For many, the act of donating blood plasma has become a lifeline, a grim means of survival in a landscape of chronic unemployment and deprivation.Miskolc, Hungary. One man prepares for plasma donation, while the other shows his bandaged arm Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:51:57
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