Reform UK suspends another member of Kent county council pred 9 urami in 58 minutami Isabella Kemp’s departure means party has lost nine of 57 councillors elected in May, including four after video leakNigel Farage’s Reform UK has suspended another member of its “flagship” county council in Kent as it held its first full meeting since the party’s councillors were thrown into crisis by a leaked meeting revealing bitter internal tensions.The departure of Isabella Kemp, who had also worked as a data protection officer at Reform’s HQ, means that the party has lost nine of the 57 councillors elected during the local elections in May. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Scientists criticize ‘straw man’ arguments in Bill Gates climate memo pred 10 urami in 11 minutami Tech billionaire relying on ‘false binary’ with call to focus less on emissions and more on aid for poor, experts sayA new memo on the climate crisis from Bill Gates relies on “straw man” arguments about the threat to humanity and “false dichotomies” between spending on climate or aid for the poor, some climate scientists say.Published last week, the tech billionaire’s 17-page missive called for a “strategic pivot” away from focusing on slashing emissions and towards preventing poverty and suffering. It was quickly picked up by some on the right, including Donald Trump, who hailed it as a much-needed backpedaling on climate efforts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What Tuesday’s elections mean for the future of abortion rights pred 11 urami in 11 minutami Democrats’ commanding victories have breathed new life for supporters of the reproductive health fightSupporters of abortion rights have spent much of the last year trying to fight Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine access to the procedure. Now, Democrats’ commanding victories in the 2025 elections have breathed new life into the fight.Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill’s respective gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey will shield abortion rights in two states that have become havens for people fleeing abortion bans. In Pennsylvania, voters decided to retain three liberal supreme court justices, maintaining Democratic control of a bench that could decide the future of abortion rights in the deeply purple state. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Malaysian rapper Namewee arrested over alleged murder of Taiwanese influencer pred 11 urami in 15 minutami Namewee detained after Hsieh Yu-hsin found dead in a Kuala Lumpur hotel room on 22 OctoberA well-known Malaysian rapper and film-maker, Namewee, has been arrested in relation to the alleged murder of a Taiwanese woman in Kuala Lumpur.Hsieh Yu-hsin, 31, a former nurse turned internet celebrity who posted under the name Nurse Goddess, was found dead in a hotel room on 22 October. Police this week reclassified her death as murder, after unspecified new evidence emerged. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Louvre heist a ‘deafening wake-up call’, says auditor pred 11 urami in 27 minutami Report says Paris museum prioritised ‘visible and attractive’ projects over security in run-up to robberyEurope live – latest updatesThe spectacular theft of an estimated €88m (£77m) of crown jewels from the Louvre last month was “a deafening wake-up call” for the “wholly inadequate pace” of security upgrades at the Paris museum, the head of France’s state auditor has said.Presenting the report, which was completed before the dramatic heist at the world’s most-visited museum, Pierre Moscovici said the Louvre had sufficient funds for the improvements and “must now implement them without fail”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US ends deportation protection for South Sudanese nationals pred 11 urami in 59 minutami South Sudanese people with temporary protected status now have 60 days to leaveThe US is ending temporary deportation protection for South Sudanese nationals, which for more than a decade allowed people from the east African country to stay in the US after escaping conflict.In a notice published on Wednesday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said conditions in South Sudan no longer met the statutory requirements for temporary protected status. The agency said South Sudanese nationals with status through the programme had 60 days to leave the US or face deportation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine faces ‘forever war’ unless Europe steps up pressure on Russia, says ex-Nato chief pred 12 urami in 11 minutami Anders Fogh Rasmussen calls for air shield on Nato territory and deployment of European protection force for UkraineUkraine is facing a “forever war” and a slow erosion of territory unless Europe dramatically increases pressure on Russia, including by deploying troops and establishing a missile and drone shield on Nato territory to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks on its infrastructure, a former Nato secretary general has said.Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who held the Nato post from 2009 to 2014 and was the prime minister of Denmark from 2001 to 2009, said in an interview with the Guardian that if countries such as Poland agreed to host such air defences, Russia would understand that an attack on then would be an attack on the whole of the Nato alliance. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Workers decry Trump officials as ‘out of control’ as longest shutdown drags on pred 12 urami in 11 minutami Key figures accused of harassment, bullying and attacks as US employees work without pay to keep services runningAs the US federal shutdown enters its second month, government workers are accusing the Trump administration of being “out of control” and bullying people who are “simply trying to do their best”.The shutdown surpassed 35 days this week, beating the previous record set under Donald Trump’s first presidential term. About 700,000 federal employees are furloughed without pay, and about 700,000 additional federal workers have been working without pay through the shutdown. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Belgium holds emergency security council meeting to address drone sightings – Europe live pred 12 urami in 20 minutami Security services believe state actor, ‘probably Russia’, to be behind drone flights at military bases and airportsA Dutch court threw out a case brought by pro-Palestinian activists seeking to force the Netherlands to halt trade and weapons exports to Israel over the war in Gaza, AFP reported.A group of 10 NGOs had accused the Dutch state of doing too little to prevent what they described as “genocide” in Gaza with a “clearly unlawful” foreign policy towards Israel. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sainsbury’s urges Rachel Reeves not to fuel inflation with tax rises on retailers pred 12 urami in 31 minutami Boss says shoppers delaying spending in run-up to budget, as supermarket pays extra £250m to shareholdersThe boss of Sainsbury’s has urged Rachel Reeves not to fuel inflation with tax rises on retailers and their suppliers and says shoppers are delaying spending in the lead-up to her budget later this month.Simon Roberts, the chief executive of the UK’s second biggest supermarket, which also owns Argos and Habitat, said his customers were “going to be cautious on discretionary spending, not least because of uncertainty out there and [household] budgets are tight”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
