Suspect tried to convince the courts he was an orphan from Ireland who had never been to US
A man who has been fighting extradition to the US has been confirmed to be Nicholas Rossi, who faces rape charges, a Scottish sheriff has said.
The 35-year-old has spent the last 11 months trying to convince the Scottish courts that he is Arthur Knight, an orphan from Ireland who has never been to the US.
Continue reading...Church of England is ‘still discriminating against women’ 30 years after allowing them to become priests
Thirty years after the Church of England took the historic step of allowing women to become priests, equality campaigners say female clergy still face “institutionalised discrimination”.
Fewer than one in three paid clergy are female, according to 2020 data – the most recent published – although the same source showed more women (55%) than men had begun training for the priesthood.
Continue reading...Wiltshire council criticised for unveiling plaque littered with mistakes
Swindon borough council has been criticised for botching a tribute to key workers during the Covid pandemic with a plaque littered with mistakes.
Images of the plaque have been widely shared on social media, showing random capitalisation, punctuation errors and spelling mistakes.
Continue reading...Amid higher costs and worker shortages, British Chambers of Commerce says Brexit is another factor
When the minor ups and downs caused by the extra bank holiday for the Queen’s funeral are stripped out of the latest GDP figures, it is clear the long decline of Britain’s industrial base has accelerated.
Protected by the government through the coronavirus pandemic, this year, factory owners say ministers have abandoned them to cope with a long recession without so much as a glance in their direction.
Continue reading...Airport vows passengers will not face daily cap during biggest festive getaway in three years
Heathrow airport has said it is prepared for the biggest Christmas getaway in three years and promised that passengers will not have to face a return of the daily cap that was introduced as summer holiday travel descended into chaos.
Europe’s busiest airport, which said last month that on the busiest travel days over the festive period travellers may have to fly outside peak times to manage the festive rush, said it was working on contingency plans for potential strike action over the period.
Continue reading...Remembrance services to be held across country as foreign secretary hits out at ‘Russian aggressor’
People across the UK will fall silent on Friday to mark Armistice Day – as the foreign secretary condemned Russia for bringing back war to Europe.
Poignant services will be held nationwide for the anniversary of the end of the first world war, and a two-minute silence will be observed at 11am to remember those who have died in military conflicts.
Continue reading...Dollar slides and stocks rally in New York on hopes that the Federal Reserve will slow its interest rate rises
The cost of living crisis is driving UK food banks to “breaking point” with almost 1.3m emergency parcels given to people over just six months.
The Trussell Trust charity has said families face record-breaking levels of need, with one in five individuals referred to its network now coming from working households.
Continue reading...Sharp rise in people leaving labour market in past three years could be related to home working since Covid
Back and neck injuries caused by working from home during the Covid pandemic has been identified by the UK’s official number crunchers as a possible factor contributing to a sharp rise in people leaving the labour market over the past three years.
The Office for National Statistics said there had been a marked increase in disabilities often associated by medical experts with excessive screen use, after the increase in the number of people home working while offices were shut during the pandemic.
Continue reading...Firm reports £63m profit in year to August and prepares for strong Christmas sales at travel hubs
WH Smith will pay a dividend for the first time in three years as it expects a strong Christmas after a return to foreign holidays helped the books-to-stationery retailer return to the black.
The company reported a £63m profit in the year to August, after a loss of £116m a year earlier, as sales soared 58% to £1.4bn.
Continue reading...Aslef union says drivers at 12 companies will take action over pay
Train drivers are to stage another 24-hour strike later this month, disrupting rail services across Britain and dampening hopes of an imminent end to the dispute.
Aslef said drivers at 12 companies would take action on Saturday 26 November, as the union presses for a pay offer.
Continue reading...Around 100,000 civil servants, working in multiple government agencies, have voted to strike in a dispute over pay, pensions and jobs.
According to Pat Leahy, political editor of the Irish Times, the Irish government is doubtful about the prospect of a breakthrough in the coming weeks in the talks on the Northern Ireland protocol.
In his Sky News interview Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, also suggested that large number of politicians in parliament are voting for Matt Hancock to perform “grim” tasks on I’m A Celebrity. My colleague Aubrey Allegretti has the story here.
Continue reading...Shadow climate minister says Britain is losing the race to create green jobs
Labour has accused the government of being “highly irresponsible” in sidelining a crucial piece of energy legislation, arguing that Britain is “losing the race” to create green jobs.
The energy security bill was published in July with the aim of boosting domestic, low-carbon power supplies and bringing down energy costs.
Continue reading...Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, claims ‘quite a lot’ of politicians downloading TV show app
A large number of politicians in parliament are voting for Matt Hancock to perform “grim” tasks on I’m A Celebrity, a senior minister has suggested.
After the former Conservative health secretary was pelted with sludge and insects on his first night in the Australian jungle, a former cabinet colleague said even technophobic peers back home in Britain were downloading an app used to vote contestants into performing gruesome “bushtucker trials”.
Continue reading...Call over protecting most vulnerable citizens comes before UN review of Britain’s human rights record
Angola has urged the UK to adopt an emergency poverty strategy to protect its most vulnerable citizens from the cost-of-living crisis.
The call – from a country where more than half of its population of 34 million people live on less than $2 (£1.75) a day, on behalf of citizens of one of the world’s richest – was among several concerns raised before a UN review of the UK’s human rights record today.
Continue reading...Source claims PM was given ‘general description’ of alleged incident but gave Williamson a job anyway
Rishi Sunak is facing scrutiny over whether he knew about Gavin Williamson’s alleged bullying of a senior civil servant whom he told to “cut your throat” before reappointing him to government.
Two sources claimed the prime minister had been alerted to Williamson’s “credible and substantiated bad behaviour” while defence secretary when he drew up his cabinet.
Continue reading...Former health secretary crawls through dark tunnels in Beastly Burrows first trial
In the run-up to Matt Hancock’s appearance on I’m a Celebrity, it was widely speculated that he would be subjected to all the most gruesome challenges. In that respect, his first episode did not fail to deliver.
The hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly – and probably much of the nation – could barely contain their delight as the former health secretary was forced to crawl through tiny, dark tunnels where he was showered with bugs and sludge.
I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! continues on Thursday at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
Continue reading...Complaint, which prosecutor has yet to accept, raises risk of Sanaa Seif’s detention during Cop27
The sister of the jailed hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been informed that a pro-government lawyer has filed a case against her with the Egyptian public prosecutor accusing her of espionage and “spreading false news”.
The news comes a day after Sanaa Seif spoke at an event at the Cop27 climate summit being held in Egypt, which was widely reported on. The case accuses her of “conspiring with foreign agencies against the Egyptian state, foreign agitation, and incitement against the Egyptian state and its institutions, and deliberately spreading false news.”
Continue reading...With No 10 seemingly one step behind events, prime minister cultivated his reputation for poor political judgment
On the steps of Downing Street just two weeks ago, Rishi Sunak sought to draw a line under both of his recent predecessors’ chaotic administrations, vowing that his would be one of “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”.
But on Tuesday the prime minister’s promises – already shaken by his appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary six days after she was sacked by Liz Truss, and his failure to fill the long-vacant ethics adviser role – took yet another battering as Gavin Williamson, the twice-sacked Cabinet Office minister, left the government under a dark cloud.
Continue reading...Footballer admits having parties during Covid lockdown but tells court any sexual contact was consensual
The Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has denied he is a “danger to women” who thinks the normal rules do not apply to him, a court has heard.
The Premier League player said his life went “crazy” and he was “taking risks” by partying during the Covid-19 lockdown, but he said he had never raped or sexually assaulted women.
Continue reading...RSA chief executive says more than a century of progress was now going into reverse
The worsening health of the British people is holding back economic growth for the first time since the Industrial Revolution after years of underinvestment in services, Andy Haldane has warned.
The chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) said more than a century of progress on health and wellbeing was going into reverse, with a direct impact on the economy and the cost of living emergency.
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