Category Archives: UK news

BBC building sprayed with red paint in ‘protest over Israel-Hamas coverage’

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Palestine Action says it was behind incident in London, accusing BBC of ‘manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes’

A pro-Palestinian protest group has claimed responsibility for throwing red paint over the BBC’s headquarters, accusing the broadcaster of having “blood on its hands” over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

The organisation Palestine Action identified itself as being behind the incident, which took place early on Saturday morning at Broadcasting House. It alleged that the broadcaster was “manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes”.

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Labour and Lib Dems in bitter battle over Mid Bedfordshire byelection

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Disagreements over who is best placed to take Nadine Dorries’s seat could threaten tactical voting strategies at general election

The fierce byelection battle in Mid Bedfordshire is poisoning relations between Labour and the Lib Dems and risks denting informal cooperation to remove the Tory government, senior Labour figures have warned.

An incredibly close three-way battle has emerged in the seat formerly held by Boris Johnson ally Nadine Dorries, who quit after being refused a place on the former prime minister’s peerages list. Labour and the Lib Dems are both convinced they have the better chance of overturning the colossal 24,664-vote majority and pulling off one of the biggest byelection wins in history this week.

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‘It’s a poor product ’: leading UK chefs join campaign to cast farmed salmon off menu

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Ethical concerns over sustainability and welfare have seen venues offering new choices to ubiquitous ‘chicken of the sea’

Salmon has undergone a rapid transformation in recent decades. Once a special treat, it is now ubiquitous. From drinks reception canapés to wedding functions, Christmas smoked salmon or simply wrapped in foil and baked on a week night, salmon is everywhere.

Scotland is world renowned for salmon production, and the fish makes up 40% of its total food exports; it is also Britain’s most valuable food export. Healthy, low in saturated fats and high in omega-3, salmon is a success story.

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Germany invites UK to reach improved Brexit trading deal

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Finance minister offers standing invitation to ‘intensify your trade relationship to the EU’

The German finance minister has issued an open invitation to the UK to reach a new deal to improve Brexit trading relations that would reduce trade barriers and “obstacles in daily business life”.

Christian Lindner told the BBC: “This is a standing invitation for the UK: if you want to intensify your trade relationship to the EU, call us. We really appreciate the United Kingdom and its values, its people … and I would really, really appreciate it if we can intensify [the trade relationship] again.”

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London police defy ban on badges linked to far right and white supremacy

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Met officers seen wearing divisive ‘thin blue line’ symbol at sensitive protests despite orders to remove them

Metropolitan police officers are openly defying orders not to wear badges appropriated by the far right and linked to white supremacy.

In July, the force’s chief, Mark Rowley, banned officers from wearing the “thin blue line” badge saying that in the US an equivalent symbol had been used by “hard-right groups”.

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Michael Caine confirms his retirement at the age of 90

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Actor brings seven-decade career to close, saying he wants to go out on a high note after his last role in The Great Escaper

Michael Caine has confirmed his retirement at the age of 90, drawing to a close a glittering career in which he won two Oscars.

After his comments last month that he was “sort of retired”, Caine made it official, telling the BBC’s Today programme: “I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well I am now.

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From field to classrooms in six weeks: Raac-hit Essex school’s new home

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Head of Honywood school says building of temporary structure is a near miracle after crisis it faced

“Three and a half weeks ago, there was nothing here,” said James Saunders, the headteacher of Honywood school, looking with pride – and disbelief – at the scene unfolding in front of him. “It was a field!”

Before us is a brand new school, built in the space of six weeks – a temporary home for the 800 pupils at Honywood in Coggeshall, Essex, one of the schools most severely affected by the recent concrete crisis that threw the start of the new term across England into chaos.

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‘They had no chance’: UK relatives of missing Israelis pray for their release

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London-based Noam Sagi and Sharone Lifschitz hope against hope for safety of their parents, missing after kibbutz massacre

As Noam Sagi watched footage of journalists reporting from the Nir Oz kibbutz near the border with Gaza last Saturday, his heart sank when he saw his 75-year-old mother’s burnt-out car in the background.

His family had not heard from Ada since she called in distress earlier that morning to say Hamas gunmen had stormed the kibbutz and she was sheltering in a safe room.

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Don’t avoid discussing Hamas-Israel conflict with children, say experts

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Ignoring tricky questions could drive young people on to the internet, where disinformation proliferates

As difficult as it might be, carers should not avoid discussing the Hamas-Israel conflict with children, experts have said. Doing so, they warn, could drive young people on to the internet where disturbing disinformation and images are easily found.

“Don’t avoid difficult questions,” said Emma Citron, a consultant clinical psychologist with extensive experience of working with children. “If those questions are in the heads of our young people, it’s our job to give them a balanced and reassuring – but also an honest – account.”

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Dylan Mulvaney says woman-of-the-year award ‘means so much more’ after Bud Light backlash

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Attitude magazine celebrates TikTok star who collaborated with beer maker who left her high and dry after conservatives boycotted

After gaining Attitude magazine’s first-ever woman of the year award, US trans activist Dylan Mulvaney said receiving such recognition from the UK-based LGBTQ+ publication “means so much more” after a substantial transphobic backlash undermined her Bud Light advertisement.

“No matter how hard I try or what I wear, or what I say, or what surgeries I get, I will never reach an acceptable version of womanhood by those hateful people’s standards,” Mulvaney said in social media videos that showed her accepting the award this week. “But as long as I have the queer community that sees me for my truth – I’m gonna be OK.”

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Lisa Cameron, SNP MP who defected to Tories, ‘forced into hiding’

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Cameron says she was threatened with being ‘bricked’ in the street after joining Conservatives on Thursday

Lisa Cameron, the SNP MP who defected to the Conservative party on Thursday, said she and her family have been forced to go into hiding in Scotland after she was threatened with being “bricked” in the street.

Cameron, her husband and their two daughters have moved to a secret location in the Scottish countryside after the MP was emailed threats of violence, including “I hope someone throws a brick at you in the street”, “I hope you burn” and “Think your mental health is bad now – wail til you see what abuse and nastiness yer [sic] going to have to put up with”.

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BBC makes financial settlement with Andrew Flintoff over Top Gear crash

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Former England cricket captain was hurt while filming the motoring show at its test track last December

The BBC has reached “an agreement” with Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff after he was involved in a crash while filming Top Gear, the corporation has said.

The former England cricket captain, 45, appeared with facial injuries in public for the first time in September, nine months after he was taken to hospital after he was hurt while filming the BBC motoring show at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome last December.

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Woman arrested after Brighton protest on suspicion of supporting Hamas

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South-east counter-terrorism policing unit investigating speech made by a woman at protest last Sunday

A woman has been arrested under terrorism laws on suspicion of supporting Hamas at a protest in Brighton on Sunday.

The 22-year-old was held on Thursday over allegations that she supported a proscribed terrorist organisation, the south-east counter-terrorism policing unit said. She was released on bail on Friday.

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Titanic salvage plan scrapped after Titan implosion killed mission head

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Paul-Henri Nargeolet was onboard the ill-fated submersible that was likely crushed by the ocean earlier this year, killing all five crew

The company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic shipwreck has cancelled plans to retrieve more artefacts from the site because the leader of the upcoming expedition died in the Titan submersible implosion, according to documents filed in a US district court this week.

The decision could affect a looming court battle between the company and the US government, which has been trying to stop the 2024 mission. US attorneys have said the firm’s original plans to enter the ship’s hull would violate a federal law that treats the wreck as a gravesite.

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Insurance issues delay UK attempts to bring citizens home from Israel

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British-organised repatriation flights cancelled but other countries’ flights are able to land in UK

British citizens trying to escape the war zone in Israel are having their repatriation flights repeatedly cancelled by the British government, while emergency flights arranged by US and Australian authorities are landing in the UK.

The government has failed in its attempts to organise repatriation flights for British nationals to return home from Israel because of problems obtaining insurance, an aviation source told the PA news agency.

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BMA in secret talks with government to end strikes by NHS consultants

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Deal on table would give consultants another 6% rise on top of the 6% Rishi Sunak described as final

Government officials and doctors’ leaders are holding secret talks with the aim of ending strikes by hospital consultants before the start of the NHS’s winter crisis.

In a remarkable move, the deal under discussion would give consultants in England a hefty further pay rise for this year in return for calling off their stoppages. That is despite Rishi Sunak’s previous insistence that he would not revisit the 6% award he described as final.

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More than £2bn of UK foreign climate aid channelled through consultancies since 2010

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Findings raise concerns among experts who say climate funding works best when invested directly in local communities

More than £2bn of UK foreign aid aimed at helping poorer countries cope with the escalating climate crisis has been channelled through private consultancies since 2010, according to an analysis.

The investigation by Carbon Brief found that more than 10% of UK foreign aid spent on climate-related projects had gone through consultants like KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Adam Smith International.

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Replica 1960s Black Country infants’ centre celebrates Windrush and NHS

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Museum’s re-creation of Wolverhampton institution marks 75 years of national health service and Windrush generation

From the exact shade of the orange juice to the colour of the lino, every last detail of a new 1960s replica of a Wolverhampton infant centre has been researched thoroughly by staff at the Black Country Living Museum (BCLM).

The Lea Road Infant Welfare Centre, open to the public from Monday, will commemorate 75 years of the NHS and the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving in the UK, through stories and characters from the period.

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UK to send navy ships and spy planes to support Israel

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British PM says aim is to support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation

Britain will send surveillance aircraft, two Royal Navy support ships and about 100 Royal Marines to the eastern Mediterranean from Friday to support Israel and help prevent any sudden escalation of fighting in the Middle East.

Patrol flights of Poseidon P-8 aircraft and other planes will begin on Friday, Downing St announced, tasked partly with monitoring any efforts to transfer of weapons from countries such as Iran or Russia to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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Women’s groups criticise move to delay sentencing in England and Wales

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Government accused of letting down victims as full prisons mean convicted criminals will spend longer on bail

Victims of crime in England and Wales are being let down by a government that has failed to provide adequate resources to the criminal justice system, women’s groups have said, after it emerged that sentencing hearings of convicted criminals currently on bail – including rapists and burglars – were to be delayed because prisons are full.

It has been reported that the senior presiding judge for England and Wales, Lord Justice Edis, issued the guidance on a private call with senior crown court judges. A government source told the Guardian it applied to those who had been on bail throughout the court process and had, therefore, already been assessed as lower risk.

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