Politics

Dominic Cummings ‘poisoned the atmosphere’ of Boris Johnson’s No 10, Covid inquiry finds

Report from inquiry’s second module also says Johnson as PM ‘at times actively encouraged’ chaotic culture ‘Too little, too late’: report condemns Covid response ‘Chaotic and indecisive’: UK’s response under Tories Dominic Cummings “poisoned the atmosphere” of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street during the Covid crisis, the official inquiry into the pandemic has found, saying he helped create a toxic and macho culture with the full connivance of the then prime minister. Johnson’s chief aide “strayed far from the proper role of a special adviser”, the report finds, making “key decisions in 10 Downing Street which were for the prime…

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Australia news live: Mark Dreyfus calls for republic referendum; Albanese heads to G20 in South Africa

Former attorney general says it is ‘past time’ for another vote. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese will advance Australia’s interests at a global summit without the spectre of Donald Trump hovering over him, Australian Associated Press reports. Albanese will be the first Australian prime minister to visit South Africa since 2013 as he jets to the G20 leaders summit where climate change, trade and security are expected on the agenda. Continue reading… Source link

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The Guardian view on devastation in Gaza: the world wants to move on, but Palestinians can’t | Editorial

Drenched by floods and abandoned amid the ruins, people in Gaza can draw no comfort from US plans The declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza in October brought initial relief to its inhabitants. Yet officials there said Israeli strikes killed 33 people, including 12 children, on Wednesday; Israel said its troops had come under fire. Another five Palestinians were killed on Thursday. Hundreds have died since the ceasefire was declared. Even if the shelling stops, the destruction of Palestinian life will carry on as Israel continues to throttle aid, and the consequences of two years of war unfold. The World Health…

Business

Serious Fraud Office arrests two men over suspected £20m crypto fraud

Law enforcement agency raids two sites in West Yorkshire and London as it appeals for information The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has arrested two men as it launched an investigation into a suspected £20m cryptocurrency fraud. The law enforcement agency raided two sites in West Yorkshire and London as it appealed for information about $28m (£21.4m) invested into a cryptocurrency scheme called Basis Markets. Continue reading… Source link

Politics

Familiarity breeds contempt as Shabana does her double act

Even Reform MPs failed to show up to hear the home secretary talk about migration, their specialist subject Truly we are spoiled. Not one, but two Commons announcements on immigration from the home secretary. Both of them statements of intent. Foreigners, your time is up. Britain isn’t just full. It’s super-saturated with all the wrong kind of people. Theresa May must be shaking her head. She got labelled with creating a hostile environment just for sending vans round to areas with a large proportion of immigrants, saying: ‘Piss off home. You’re not wanted.’ I guess those were gentler, kinder…

Technology

How to avoid bad Black Friday laptop deals – and some of the best UK offers for 2025

Here’s how to spot a genuinely good laptop deal, plus the best discounts we’ve seen so far on everything from MacBooks to gaming laptops • Do you really need to buy a new laptop?• How to shop smart this Black Friday Black Friday deals have started, and if you’ve been on the lookout for a good price on a new laptop, then this could be your lucky day. But with so many websites being shouty about their Black Friday offers, the best buys aren’t always easy to spot. So before you splash the cash, it might pay to do…

Politics

‘Chaotic and indecisive’: key findings of report on UK’s Covid response under Tories

Second pandemic report focuses on decision-making, organisation and messaging by senior politicians including Boris Johnson ‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response Dominic Cummings ‘poisoned the atmosphere’ of Boris Johnson’s No 10, Covid inquiry finds “Too little too late” is the key finding of Heather Hallett’s second report from the Covid public inquiry, which focused on politicians and the decisions they made at important points during the pandemic. At 760 pages long, there is no shortage of detail on exactly what went wrong and when in the UK during those tumultuous months in 2020 and 2021,…

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US in talks to attend G20 summit after initial boycott, South Africa says

Cyril Ramaphosa says US has had ‘change of mind’ but does not confirm Trump’s attendance in Johannesburg The US has changed its mind about attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa’s president has said, without confirming whether Donald Trump, who had said the US would boycott the event, now wanted to come. Trump has claimed that South Africa racially discriminates against the minority white Afrikaner community, which led the country during the apartheid regime that ended in 1994. Continue reading… Source link

Technology

Roblox to block children from talking to adult strangers after string of lawsuits

Gaming platform to use facial age estimation to limit chats to similar age groups, as allegations of grooming grow The online games platform Roblox is to start blocking children from talking to adult and much older teen strangers from next month as it faces fresh lawsuits alleging it has been exploited by predators to groom children as young as seven. Roblox has reached 150 million daily players of games including viral hits Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot but has been hit by legal claims alleging the system’s design has made “children easy prey for paedophiles”. Continue reading……

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Northamptonshire chief constable fined £50,000 for contempt of court

Judges spares Ivan Balhatchet a prison sentence, after an earlier ruling that the force had ignored repeated orders to turn over video footage of an arrest The chief constable of Northamptonshire police has been fined £50,000 for contempt of court, with his force condemned by three senior judges. The court of appeal ruled last week that Northamptonshire police were in contempt and had been “wilfully disobedient” for repeatedly failing to obey rulings to hand over video to a woman who complained she had been wrongly arrested by three officers. Continue reading… Source link

Business

UK is worst-performing market for JD Sports as youth unemployment hits sales

Lack of spare cash among under-25s feeds slide in sales with annual profits to be at lower end of expectations Unemployment among young people in the UK is hitting sales growth and profits at JD Sports, the owner of the trainer and sportwear chain has said, amid warnings about the high number of under-25s not in work, education or training. The UK was the worst-performing market for JD Group, which also owns Blacks, Go Outdoors and a number of US and European sports chains. Continue reading… Source link

Politics

‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response

Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of ‘toxic and chaotic’ culture inside Boris Johnson’s No 10 ‘Chaotic and indecisive’: key findings of report on UK’s Covid response under Tories Dominic Cummings ‘poisoned the atmosphere’ of Boris Johnson’s No 10, Covid inquiry finds The UK’s response to Covid was “too little, too late”, a damning official report on the handling of the pandemic has concluded, saying the introduction of a lockdown even a week earlier than happened could have saved more than 20,000 lives. The document also has stinging criticism of a “toxic and chaotic” culture inside Boris…

Technology

The 15 best tech gifts in the US, picked by a gadget reviewer who’s used hundreds

From Apple AirPods to VR headsets and the ultimate travel backpack for hauling gadgets, these are the tech gifts they’ll still be using years from now The 18 best Black Friday deals – plus picks for travel, home and kitchen Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things Tech enthusiasts can be notoriously picky to buy for: they have strong opinions about brands, operating systems, even standards like surround-sound formats. And the tech world moves fast. As a tech reviewer, many products that I pick up to evaluate are put back down…

Politics

Unelected Lords are blocking assisted dying – this is a democratic outrage | Simon Jenkins

Second chambers are a good idea, but they should not be able to overturn clear decisions reached by an elected body If ever a British institution needed assistance in dying, it is the House of Lords. Its handling of the assisted dying bill on Friday of last week, continuing this week, is all but unconstitutional. A bill passed by the House of Commons after years of public debate is being blocked by a small group of peers under the pretence of scrutiny. Their purpose is to kill the bill by filibuster and impose their religious or moral views on…

Word News

Migrants to UK will not get benefits until becoming citizens under new plans

Refugee Council says plans would create ‘expensive bureaucracy’ and keep people in limbo UK politics live –latest updates People who migrate to the UK will be eligible for benefits and social housing only when they become British citizens and those who arrive by small boats could wait up to 30 years for long-term residency under new plans outlined by the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood. The plans could result in migrants only becoming eligible for benefits and social housing if they first become British citizens, rather than upon being granted settlement as is currently the case. Continue reading… Source link

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Europe calls for role in Ukraine talks amid reported US-Russian peace deal

Foreign ministers express misgivings about draft US-Russian peace plan favourable to Putin Europe live – latest updates Europeans must be involved in any attempt to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia, the continent’s top diplomats said after reports of a US-Russia plan favourable to Kremlin interests emerged. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, welcomed any “meaningful efforts” to end the war, but said Ukrainian and European input was needed for any plan to work. Continue reading… Source link

Business

Tell us: have you visited or worked at a UK ‘warm bank’?

We want to hear people’s experiences with the rise of ‘warm spaces’ in the UK Bitter Arctic air has swept across the UK this month, causing winter to arrive early for millions of people, with temperatures in some places plunging below zero. On 1 October the energy price cap rose 2% to £1,755 for a typical annual dual-fuel bill in Great Britain. That was on top of existing debt to energy suppliers of £4.4bn in June, according to Ofgem – which should “ring alarm bells” for lawmakers, said a coordinator at the End Fuel Poverty Coalition. Continue reading… Source…

Politics

UK government insists it is ‘taking time to get this right’ on single-sex spaces

Labour accused of delaying new rules to avoid backlash, after leak of EHRC guidance saying trans people could be questioned based on looks The UK government has insisted it will take as much time as necessary to “get right” new rules on access to single-sex spaces after a leak of guidance submitted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) raised concerns that its publication was being deliberately delayed. The equalities watchdog submitted its formal guidance on how public bodies, businesses and other service providers should respond to April’s landmark supreme court ruling on biological sex to the UK…

Technology

How generative AI in Arc Raiders started a scrap over the gaming industry’s future

The use of AI in the surprise game-of-the-year contender has sparked a heated cultural and ethical debate, and raised existential questions for artists, writers and voice actors • Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Arc Raiders is, by all accounts, a late game-of-the-year contender. Dropped into a multiplayer world overrun with hostile drones and military robots, every human player is at the mercy of the machines – and each other. Can you trust the other raider you’ve spotted on your way back to humanity’s safe haven underground, or will they shoot you and take…

Word News

Joy Crookes says UK and Ireland in ‘dark time’ amid rise of far-right politics

Musician says seeing national flags on recent visits to London and Dublin ‘doesn’t make me feel safe’ The UK and Ireland are entering a “dark time”, according to the singer Joy Crookes, who said the influence of far-right ideology on mainstream politics was comparable to the 1970s when the National Front was at its peak. Crookes, who has just played two sold-out shows at the O2 Academy in Brixton, said the recent wave of nationalism and the far-right march through central London in September made her feel unsafe in the UK. Continue reading… Source link

Technology

The 15 best Black Friday and Cyber Monday tech deals in the US – so far

From phones to TVs, smart-home cameras and headphones, now’s the time to buy the gadgets you’ve been patiently waiting all year for sales on Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things The very best US Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, curated and vetted Black Friday started off as a way to score some great deals on gifts, but let’s be honest: it’s also a chance to pick up some nice, deeply discounted goodies for yourself. This is especially true in the world of tech, where high prices and personal taste…

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Reeves to back £1.7bn extension of London’s Docklands Light Railway

Funding announcement expected in next week’s budget as part of attempt to secure thousands of new homes Rachel Reeves is expected to announce funding for an extension of the Docklands Light Railway at next week’s budget in an attempt to secure thousands of new homes. A Treasury source said the chancellor is expected to back the extension of the DLR to Thamesmead, in south-east London. Continue reading… Source link

Business

European Commission accused of ‘massive rollback’ of digital protections

Proposed changes to AI Act would make it easier for tech firms to use personal data to train models without consent The European Commission has been accused of “a massive rollback” of the EU’s digital rules after announcing proposals to delay central parts of the Artificial Intelligence Act and water down its landmark data protection regulation. If agreed, the changes would make it easier for tech firms to use personal data to train AI models without asking for consent, and try to end “cookie banner fatigue” by reducing the number times internet users have to give their permission to…

Word News

Man arrested in Sydney for alleged harassment of federal MP over neo-Nazi criticism

AFP allege the 30-year-old sent a ‘menacing message’ to an MP believed to be Allegra Spender after she condemned far-right protests Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged by Australian police after allegedly harassing a politician who condemned a neo-Nazi protest outside the New South Wales parliament. The Australian federal police arrested the man in the Sydney suburb of Bondi and allege he sent a “menacing message” that encouraged abusive and hateful messages to be directed towards a federal politician as a result of the condemnation Continue…

Technology

‘We excel at every phase of AI’: Nvidia CEO quells Wall Street fears of AI bubble amid market selloff

Jensen Huang opens earnings call with attempt to dispel concerns after his $5tn firm beat Wall Street expectations Global share markets rose after Nvidia posted third-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street estimates, assuaging for now concerns about whether the high-flying valuations of AI firms had peaked. On Wednesday, all eyes were on Nvidia, the bellwether for the AI industry and the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, with analysts and investors hoping the chipmaker’s third-quarter earnings would dampen fears that a bubble was forming in the sector. Continue reading… Source link

Technology

French authorities look into Holocaust denial posts from Elon Musk’s Grok AI

X chatbot suggested gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau were ‘designed for disinfection’ not mass executions Europe live – latest updates French public prosecutors are investigating allegations by government ministers and human rights groups that Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, made statements denying the Holocaust. The Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday night it was expanding an existing inquiry into Musk’s social media platform, X, to include the “Holocaust-denying comments”, which remained online for three days. Continue reading… Source link

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How to avoid bad Black Friday TV deals – and some of the best UK offers for 2025

We’ve rounded up the best early Black Friday TV deals, from 50in OLEDs and small smart TVs to big-name brands like Samsung and LG • Do you really need to buy a new TV?• How to shop smart this Black Friday When it comes to buying a new TV during Black Friday, careful prep and a canny eye for detail are everything. Sometimes that big-screen bargain isn’t quite the steal you might think, and even if the price is right, niggling problems could sour long-term satisfaction. And it may be that you don’t need a new TV at all…

Business

Uber hit with legal demands to halt use of AI-driven pay systems

Proposed legal case understood to allege that app has breached data protection law varying driver pay rates Uber has been hit with legal demands to stop using its artificial intelligence driven pay systems, which have been blamed for significantly reducing the incomes of the ride hailing app’s drivers. A letter before action – sent to the US company by the non-profit foundation, Worker Info Exchange (WIE), on Wednesday – is understood to allege that the ride hailing app has breached European data protection law by varying driver pay rates through its controversial algorithm. Continue reading… Source link

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US and Russian officials have reportedly drafted 28-point plan to end Ukraine war

Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet Pentagon envoys amid fears proposed deal would hand Ukrainian territory to Russia Europe live – latest updates US and Russian officials have reportedly drafted a plan to end the war in Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Pentagon officials in Kyiv on Thursday for discussions. The full details are not clear but the key tenets of the 28-point deal – reported first by Axios, the FT and the New York Times – are believed to include a demand for Ukraine to cede the rest of the Russian-occupied eastern Donbas region, cut its armed forces by…

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Trump and Mamdani to meet in Oval Office on Friday after months of bickering

President has previously criticised the New York City mayor-elect, labelling him a ‘communist’ and threatening to deport him Donald Trump has confirmed a long-awaited meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will happen in Washington this week, setting up an in-person clash between the political opposites who for months have antagonised each other. The sit-down, which Trump said on social media would take place on Friday in the Oval Office, could possibly represent a detente of sorts between the Republican president and Democratic rising star. Continue reading… Source link

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‘Kim Kardashian had no pretensions that she was a great actress’: Glenn Close hits back at zero-star All’s Fair reviews

Actor praises co-star in abominably reviewed Ryan Murphy legal drama, and claims show deserved more appreciation Glenn Close has hit back at the critical mauling for her recent series All’s Fair. The actor stars in Ryan Murphy’s legal drama, which has received a string of zero-star reviews. In her appraisal, the Guardian’s Lucy Mangan described it as: “Fascinatingly, incomprehensibly, existentially terrible.” The series currently holds a 3% rating on reviews site Rotten Tomatoes. According to Close, the main issue was the choice to air the worst three episodes first. “I personally think that the first three episodes were the…

Business

Ticket touts’ worst nightmare has finally come true in the UK

Government has officially announced ban on reselling for profit, described by minister as ‘no-brainer’ Last May, in a dimly lit basement beneath London’s South Bank, the UK’s most prolific ticket touts gathered to discuss Labour’s plan to effectively put them out of business. One seasoned ticket “trader” pleaded with colleagues to help fund a war chest to lobby against the party’s election manifesto pledge to ban reselling tickets for profit. Continue reading… Source link

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Alice Guo, Chinese national who ran huge scam centre while Philippines mayor, sentenced to life in prison

Guo, who pretended to be Filipina to become mayor, found guilty of human trafficking after raid on compound where more than 700 people were forced to run scams Alice Guo, a Chinese national who became a mayor in the Philippines while masquerading as a Filipina, has been sentenced to life in prison along with seven others on human trafficking charges, state prosecutors have said. Guo, who served as mayor of a town north of Manila, was found guilty of overseeing a Chinese-operated online gambling centre where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture. Continue reading……

Word News

Australian living in Thailand faces trial over alleged criminal defamation of Malaysian government

Murray Hunter charged with offence which carries a potential penalty of two years in jail, or a 200,000 baht (AUD$9,500) fine An Australian academic and journalist faces up to two years in prison after being charged – in Thailand – with defaming the Malaysian government. Murray Hunter, a longtime resident of southern Thailand, will stand trial in Bangkok next month, charged with criminal defamation over articles critical of the Malaysian government’s internet regulator. Continue reading… Source link

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‘My husband collects pictures of old men’s faces to give me’: Keira Knightley on art, ghosts and West Ham’s prospects

As she launches her first children’s book, the actor answers your questions on Alan Partridge, her iconic green dress and thrilling 10-year-olds with a bullseye Have you read or listened to the delightful chapter in Alan Partridge’s Big Beacon where he demands: “We came for Knightley, we want to see Knightley, where’s Knightley?” dcieronNo! Do I want to see it? Or is it something that will make me cringe and want to hide under the sofa? I do like Alan Partridge. He’s kind of terrifying but amazing, so now that I know I’ve been a part of Alan Partridge,…

Business

Staffordshire student confronts lecturer for using AI-generated slides – video

Students at the University of Staffordshire have said they feel ‘robbed’ after a course they hoped would launch their digital careers turned out to be taught in large part by AI. A recorded meeting shows student James confronting a lecturer about using slides generated by AI to teach a coding module. ‘I do not want to be taught by GPT,’ said the student. This year, the university uploaded a policy statement to the course website appearing to justify the use of AI, laying out ‘a framework for academic professionals leveraging AI automation’ in scholarly work and teaching ‘We could…

Word News

Cop30 live: ‘We need to think about how to live without fossil fuels’ Brazilian president Lula tells summit

Brazilian president underlines need to reduce emissions as Turkey set to host next year’s summit On Wednesday evening I joined a crowd of journalists, including my colleague Fiona Harvey, veteran of many Cops, to wait outside a plenary room in the artificially Baltic surroundings of the Cop30 conference centre. Rumour had it that the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who had earlier arrived at the UN climate summit, would soon emerge to speak to journalists. What exactly we would do if he did emerge was unclear. Continue reading… Source link

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‘My husband and daughter went down to the garage in case it flooded. Then I heard a strange noise’ – This is climate breakdown

She was sure that there would be warnings if there was any danger. But then the floods came. This is Toñi García’s story Location Valencia, Spain Disaster Floods, 2024 Toñi García lives in Valencia. On 29 October 2024, devastating storms hit the Iberian peninsula, bringing the heaviest rain so far this century. The national alert system sounded at around 8.30pm local time; by then, however, flood waters had already broken through the city. Scientists say the explosive downpours were linked to climate change. Continue reading… Source link

Business

Could you do better than Reeves as chancellor? Play our interactive budget game

Could you keep the markets calm and your MPs happy as you pull the economic levers to deliver a budget? On 26 November, Rachel Reeves will deliver this year’s budget to parliament. As in all years, the chancellor has to strike a balance between: Raising the money needed to fund the services that voters demand. Keeping taxes at levels that are acceptable to voters. Persuading the government’s creditors in the bond markets that it will continue to be able to pay its debts. Continue reading… Source link

Word News

Why does MoJ want to curtail jury trials in England and Wales?

Right to trial by jury seen as bedrock of justice system but Sir Brian Leveson says court backlogs could lead to ‘total system collapse’ The courts minister, Sarah Sackman, has said the government plans to press ahead with radical proposals by Sir Brian Leveson to take thousands of trials in England and Wales away from the jury system to be heard instead by judges and magistrates. What is the reason for these changes, how would they work and why are they controversial? Continue reading… Source link