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Police and firefighters around UK gear up for Bonfire Night disorder
Leeds and Edinburgh among areas previously hit by fireworks-related violence, as fire brigades union warns of insufficient resourcesEmergency services are preparing for potential disorder in parts of the UK on Bonfire Night, amid concerns over the safety of firefighters from rising attacks and shortages of resources.Some communities have already been hit by unrest and antisocial behaviour in the days leading up to 5 November, with police in several towns and cities using enhanced powers, such as dispersal orders, to tackle groups letting off fireworks in public places. Continue reading...
UK can avoid euro but must accept free movement to rejoin EU, says former top Brexit negotiator – UK politics live
Michel Barnier says Britain could avoid having to join the single currency, but free movement is non-negotiableGovernment plans for eight new regional water councils in England have been dismissed as a “cover for inaction” by the Liberal Democrats.The proposals are being presented by the government as part of Andy Burnham’s devolution mission and they are intended to give all parts of England the advantages Greater Manchester has had from its regional water planning.Eight new regional water councils will bring local leaders, customers and businesses together to set the priorities for their region, helping shape billions of pounds of investment in water and flood infrastructure.Decisions about the water system are taken nationally, despite communities facing very different challenges. From Lake Windermere, where discharge of sewage has damaged local tourism, or in Cambridge, where drought and water shortages have stalled growth – local areas have not had enough influence over the decisions that directly affect them.Existing regional partnerships have already shown what can be achieved when decisions are shaped around local needs. Greater Manchester’s Integrated Water Management Plan has brought together planning, regulation and investment, with improved drainage helping support town-centre regeneration. In East Anglia, Water Resources East has brought partners together to tackle severe water scarcity, including the constraints it places on sustainable growth in Greater Cambridge.The government has dressed up these water boards as community empowerment but it’s clear already that this is just a cover for excusing the next decade of inaction on water. The secretary of state [Angela Eagle] herself couldn’t spell out a single power these councils will have to stop our waterways being trashed - and there’s no sight of the long promised water bill to deliver reform.What bill payers really need now is a new Clean Water Authority with the muscle to end the sewage scandal, ban unjustified bonuses and hold water executives legally accountable.This kind of abuse can include female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage.There were 3,145 honour-based abuse-related offences recorded by forces in the two nations in the year to March. Continue reading...
"80 Million Egyptians...": What Abdul El-Sayed's Family Said About Indian Wife
El-Sayed has also spoken warmly about his connection with his wife's Indian family. In an earlier interview, he joked that after nearly two decades of marriage, he might be "more Indian than I'm Arab".
Pound hits highest level since its crash after 2016 Brexit vote
Ten-year high shows sterling’s strength against other currencies following fall of dollar after US midterm electionsBusiness live – latest updatesThe pound has hit its highest level since its crash in the wake of the Brexit referendum a decade ago.Data released by the Bank of England on Thursday showed that the pound reached its strongest level against a basket of other currencies since 23 June 2016 – the day of the EU vote – on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Rural voters were feeling left behind before the midterms, poll shows
Polling done for the Guardian shows plummeting support from a former key constituency of Donald Trump’s basePolling conducted by the Harris Poll for the Guardian before the election shows just how angry voters were and points to one key reason Republicans lost so badly: plummeting support from rural voters, once a key constituency of Donald Trump’s base.Over the summer, 95% of Americans indicated they believed there was an affordability crisis, particularly because of steep gas and grocery prices. By October, 61% of voters believed the country was experiencing a recession, even though technically it wasn’t. Continue reading...
How elderly ‘unsung heroes’ powered Lula’s historic fightback in Brazil
Older voters praised for helping tip balance in leftwing president’s favour against far-right Flávio Bolsonaro in runoffIt had been nearly a decade since Celia de Oliveira Soares last voted, and months since the 101-year-old great-grandmother last left her home.But on 25 October, when Brazil held what many considered its most important presidential election in decades, relatives helped Soares into a wheelchair and drove her to a nearby school to make sure the far-right candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, did not prevail. Continue reading...
Security officer attacked and killed near Sri Lankan Embassy in Jordan's capital
Authorities say an assailant has attacked and killed a security officer near the Sri Lankan Embassy in the Jordanian capital Amman
Russia and Ukraine trade airstrikes as reconstruction and security talks resume
Russia and Ukraine have traded damaging airstrikes as talks resume in Brussels to discuss Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and security guarantees
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist faces sentencing in 2nd national security case
A Hong Kong court has sentenced activist Joshua Wong to 10 more years in prison under a national security law imposed by Beijing
Multiple flights in Europe diverted because of bomb threats after earlier hoaxes
Multiple flights in Europe made emergency landings on Thursday after being diverted because of bomb threats, authorities said. The incidents followed hoax bomb threats earlier this week that prompted searches, diversions and, in one case, a military escort.
Japan's Sony reports a hefty profit on the back of its blockbuster 'Spider-Man' movie
Japanese electronics and entertainment company Sony has reported a 44% surge in its profit in July-September, largely on the box office success of its movie, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
‘Bring it on’: Pauline Hanson to appeal Mehreen Faruqi racial discrimination ruling in high court
One Nation leader granted special leave to appeal after full federal court earlier this year agreed Hanson portrayed Faruqi as a ‘second-class citizen’Get our daily political email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s high court has agreed to hear Pauline Hanson’s appeal against a ruling that she engaged in racial discrimination against Mehreen Faruqi when she told the Greens senator to “pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan”.The One Nation leader was granted special leave to appeal on Thursday after the full federal court earlier this year unanimously upheld a 2024 decision. Continue reading...
