Category Archives: UK news

Northern Ireland nationalists fear focus on reconciliation stalling push for unity referendum

Posted on by

Goal of reconciliation has become ‘undisguised unionist veto’, some argue amid dwindling momentum for vote

In Northern Ireland, it used to be the one goal that everyone could agree on: reconciliation. Whether the region stayed in the UK or united with Ireland, all sides acknowledged the need to heal wounds from the Troubles and to bridge differences between Catholics and Protestants.

Even those who riled the other side invoked reconciliation. How could they not? It was self-evidently a good thing.

Continue reading...

‘Intense’ novel about robot abused by her boyfriend/owner wins Arthur C Clarke science fiction award

Posted on by

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer wins £2,025 for ‘compelling tale that, like all good stories about robots, is ultimately about the human condition’

A novel told from the perspective of a robot girlfriend has been named winner of the Arthur C Clarke award for science fiction.

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer is “a tightly focused first-person account of a robot designed to be the perfect companion, who struggles to become free,” said chair of judges, the academic Andrew M Butler. The speculative novel follows Annie, the narrator, programmed to cater to the needs of her boyfriend/owner Doug, who treats her in a way that would be abusive if she were human.

Continue reading...

Goldsmiths apologises to Jewish students and staff over ‘culture’ of antisemitism

Posted on by

Inquiry concludes college’s management failed to help Jewish students ‘feel welcome and safe from antisemitism’

Goldsmiths College in London has apologised to Jewish students and staff after an independent inquiry found it had allowed a “culture” of antisemitism to build up on its campus over a number of years.

The inquiry concluded that Jewish students were subjected to antisemitism during their studies at Goldsmiths and that the college’s management failed to help Jewish students and potential applicants to “feel welcome, included and safe from antisemitism”.

Continue reading...

Scientists criticise cut in UK funding for global vaccination group

Posted on by

Five-year £1.25bn pledge to Gavi is 40% cut in real terms, which experts say will cost lives in developing countries

The UK has cut its funding to a leading global vaccination group by a quarter, a move that experts say will directly lead to the avoidable deaths of many thousands of children in developing countries.

The Foreign Office billed the £1.25bn commitment over five years to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) as a major boost to the group’s work as well as to the UK’s status as a developer of vaccines. A series of aid agencies praised the decision.

Continue reading...

Man found guilty of murdering Daniel Anjorin, 14, with sword in London

Posted on by

Marcus Arduini-Monzo convicted of killing schoolboy in Hainault, north-east London last year

A man has been found guilty of murdering a 14-year-old schoolboy with a samurai sword last year.

Marcus Arduini-Monzo, 37, carried out a marauding attack while in a state of cannabis-induced psychosis in Hainault, north-east London, on 30 April 2024, the Old Bailey heard.

Continue reading...

Briton accused of staging Disneyland mock wedding with child is charged with fraud offences in France

Posted on by

Sex offender was arrested after alleged hiring of Disneyland Paris for fake ceremony with nine-year-old ‘bride’

A British sex offender accused of staging a mock wedding with a child at Disneyland Paris has been charged with money-laundering and fraud offences in France.

Jacky Jhaj, 39, who in 2016 was found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds, was arrested this weekend at Disneyland Paris after the theme park was hired for a private wedding. Staff are said to have called police when they saw that the “bride” in a wedding dress was a nine-year-old girl.

Continue reading...

Hull teenager becomes second Briton ever to join professional sumo stable

Posted on by

Nicholas Tarasenko, 15, gets rare chance to break into professional sumo ranks after winning amateur tournaments and learning Japanese

A teenager from Hull has arrived in Japan to pursue his dream of becoming a grand champion sumo wrestler, as only the second Briton to win a place at one of the ancient sport’s professional stables.

Nicholas Tarasenko, 15, left Yorkshire for Japan straight after finishing his GCSEs, to become the first British hopeful to join a stable since Nathan Strange – a Londoner who fought under the ring name Hidenokuni – in 1989.

Continue reading...

Adults in Great Britain now spending more time on mobiles than watching TV

Posted on by

Daily average for watching all types of screen is now almost 7.5 hours, annual survey for IPA finds

The amount of time adults in Great Britain spend using their mobile phones has finally overtaken that spent watching TV, according to a report that calculates the daily average for watching all types of screen is now almost 7.5 hours.

For the first time a typical person aged 15 or over spends longer each day on their mobile (three hours and 21 minutes) than on watching a traditional set (three hours and 16 minutes), the annual TouchPoints survey found.

Continue reading...

Autoimmune disease may almost double risk of mental ill health, study suggests

Posted on by

Chronic exposure to inflammation may explain link to conditions including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, researchers say

Living with an autoimmune disease may almost double the risk of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, a study suggests.

The link may be explained by the chronic exposure to systemic inflammation that the autoimmune disease causes, researchers at the University of Edinburgh said.

Continue reading...

Five members of biggest British Jewish body suspended over Israel criticisms

Posted on by

Elected representatives of Board of Deputies were among signatories of open letter objecting to actions in Gaza Strip

Five elected representatives to the largest body representing British Jews have been suspended for two years after criticising the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza.

All 36 signatories to an open letter published in April have been found to have breached the Board of Deputies’ code of conduct after a two-month investigation.

Continue reading...

Widespread Labour dissent over welfare bill is sign things are going very badly for Starmer

Posted on by

Prime minister deployed ministers to contain rebellion after more than 100 Labour MPs signed amendment to bill

When a prime minister is forced to deploy his cabinet to try to contain a rebellion, it is not a sign that things are going well. For one with a working majority of 165 MPs, it suggests that things are, in fact, going very badly.

This was the scenario Keir Starmer faced on Tuesday after more than 100 Labour MPs signed an amendment to his welfare bill which could blow up his attempts to reform the disability benefits system.

Continue reading...

Iran-Israel ceasefire boosts markets risk appetite; UK inflation may ‘plateau’, warns Bank of England’s Greene – business live

Posted on by

Oil has fallen to its lowest level since June’s conflict began, while stock markets have jumped across Asia and Europe

Travel and leisure stocks across Europe are rallying too.

This has pushed up the STOXX Europe travel and leisure index by 4.1% in early trading, which Reuters reports it the biggest one-day jump since 10 April.

Continue reading...

Minister defends Liz Kendall’s handling of welfare reform brief despite major rebellion before vote – UK politics live

Posted on by

Pat McFadden insists welfare reform change vote will go ahead as planned but says party will ‘engage with’ rebels

Frances Ryan reports for the Guardian:

Downing Street’s disability cuts will have a “devastating” impact on women’s health and dignity and could breach equality law, the government has been warned.

Continue reading...

Google could be forced to change UK search as watchdog takes steps

Posted on by

CMA proposes tightening regulation, which could lead to site giving users option to choose alternative services

Google could be forced to make a series of changes to its search business, including giving internet users an option to choose an alternative service, after the UK competition watchdog proposed tightening regulation of the company.

The Competition and Market Authority is preparing to give the world’s largest search engine the designation “strategic market status”, a term for tech companies deemed to have considerable market heft that enables the watchdog to use extra powers to regulate them.

Continue reading...

Europe’s pledge to spend more on military will hurt climate and social programmes

Posted on by

Nato spending plan overlooks risks to security posed by environmental breakdown and social decay, say economists

Europe risks choosing militarism over social and environmental security, economists have warned, as the head of Nato said all 32 members had agreed to increase weapons spending.

Analyses drafted in anticipation of a Nato summit beginning on Tuesday warned of the opportunity cost that higher military spending would pose to the continent’s climate mitigation and social programmes, which are consistently underfunded.

Continue reading...

Man who called himself ‘Kardashian of Cheshire’ admits luxury handbag fraud

Posted on by

Jack Watkin, who featured in Rich Kids of Instagram, lured people to invest large sums on designer bags that failed to materialise

A fraudster who described himself as the “Kardashian of Cheshire” persuaded people to invest thousands of pounds in luxury handbags that failed to materialise by flaunting his luxury lifestyle on social media.

Jack Watkin, 26, of Alderley Edge, had gone on trial at Chester crown court on Monday, but on Tuesday – the second day of the trial – he changed his plea to guilty.

Continue reading...

UK energy meter switch-off delayed amid fears over heating and higher bills

Posted on by

RTS meters in 300,000 homes to be phased out rather than turned off on 30 June deadline

As the temperature climbed towards 30C the peril of turning off a system that could leave people with their heating stuck on full must have looked like an avoidable disaster.

On Thursday ministers confirmed the “widespread switch-off” of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS), which controls an old type of electricity meter, “will not happen” on 30 June.

Continue reading...

Noise pollution harms health of millions across Europe, report finds

Posted on by

About 110 million people suffer stress and sleep disturbance that lead to tens of thousands of early deaths

More than 110 million people across Europe suffer high levels of health-damaging noise pollution, according to a report. The resulting physiological stress and sleep disturbance leads to 66,000 early deaths a year and many cases of heart disease, diabetes and depression.

The report, from the European Environment Agency (EEA), focuses on noise from cars, trains and aeroplanes and found that 20% of the population of the European Economic Area (EEA) were affected. Separate research, using a slightly lower threshold for dangerous noise pollution, found that 40% of the UK population were exposed to harmful transport noise.

Continue reading...

Mick Ralphs, founding member of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, dies aged 81

Posted on by

The English guitarist, who had been bedridden after a stroke in 2016, is set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November

Mick Ralphs, singer, songwriter, guitarist and founding member of the classic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died aged 81.

A statement posted to the band’s official website on Monday announced Ralphs’ death. Ralphs had a stroke days after what would be his final performance with Bad Company at London’s O2 Arena in 2016, and had been bedridden ever since, the statement said. No further details on the circumstances of his death were provided.

Continue reading...

UK will commit to spending 5% of GDP on defence by 2035

Posted on by

Keir Starmer says investment in national security will also deepen Britain’s commitment to Nato

Britain will commit to spending 5% of its GDP on defence by 2035 after weeks of diplomatic pressure and intense negotiations with allies.

The decision came as Keir Starmer, the prime minister, prepared to join Nato leaders at a summit dominated by global conflict and expectations of European military self-reliance.

Continue reading...