The government has signalled a U-turn over the controversial blocking of a Conservative MP’s suspension. Leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, told MPs on Thursday that a link “needs to be broken” between Owen Paterson’s case and a wider overhaul of parliament’s disciplinary processes. The change in the government’s position comes less than
Month: November 2021
The Bank of England has surprised investors and economists by leaving interest rates on hold at 0.1% for at least another month. However, the Bank used its quarterly Monetary Policy Report to signal that it was likely to increase borrowing costs in the “coming months”. The decision pushed the pound lower by more than a
Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson has said he will not use real guns “ever again” on film or TV sets following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Speaking on the red carpet for the world premiere of his new Netflix blockbuster Red Notice, the actor – best known as “The Rock” – said that films or
If The Offspring’s Dexter Holland were to make it into the Guinness World Records hall of fame, his accomplishment could be, he thinks, “the most stuff”. “Goddamn overachiever right here – I’m just drinking beer and watching YouTube videos,” says his bandmate, lead guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, as the pair contemplate over Zoom with Sky
A man has been charged over the alleged abduction of four-year-old Cleo Smith in Australia. Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, has been charged with various offences including forcibly taking a child under the age of 16. Kelly, from Carnavon, Western Australia, was arrested after police rescued Cleo from a locked house. Please use Chrome browser for
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer has claimed her client’s treatment in a New York jail “rivals scenes of Hannibal Lecter’s incarceration in the movie Silence of the Lambs, despite the absence of the cage and plastic face guard”. In a letter to a federal judge, Bobbi C. Sternheim yet again requested bail for Ms Maxwell. Five previous bail
Scores of major coal using countries like Poland, Ukraine and Vietnam have committed to phase out the fossil fuel, in a series of commitments announced at the COP26 climate talks. The countries who have signed up will rapidly scale up the deployment of clean power generation, the UK government said. It includes a commitment by
America’s central bank has confirmed that it is to start scaling back its emergency support for the US economy. The US Federal Reserve said that it will start reducing its $120bn a month programme of bond purchases by $15bn a month, which should mean they will end altogether by June. It comes a day before
More than 28 million “extra years of life” have been lost during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study has found. By comparing the lives cut short by COVID-19 and the estimated normal life spans of those who died, researchers, led by a team at Oxford University, calculated that millions of years of life have been
The Labour Party has confirmed that details of its members and supporters is among information affected by a “cyber incident” at a company which handles the party’s data. In a statement sent to all party members on Wednesday, Labour said the “significant” attack was on “‘a third party that handles data on our behalf” and
Dame Judi Dench and Stephen Graham are among the big name nominees at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA). Dame Judi has been given the nod for her supporting role in Belfast – Sir Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical film about his childhood in Northern Ireland, which leads the awards with 11 nominations. She’s joined by Caitriona
The US is sanctioning an Israeli spyware company that it accused of supplying technology to foreign governments “to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers”. NSO Group had been accused of assisting despotic regimes in targeting journalists, political dissidents, and human rights activists in reports earlier this year. The company responded
Boris Johnson has been accused of delivering “one rule for them and one rule for the rest of us” ahead of a Conservative bid to save a Tory ex-minister from an immediate House of Commons suspension. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner attacked the prime minister over his support for an overhaul of MPs’ standards rules
Cervical cancer rates are almost 90% lower in women vaccinated against HPV, a new study has found. Women offered the vaccine between the ages of 12 and 13 were found to have cancer rates 87% lower than in previous generations, according to a study published in The Lancet. Researchers also found a reduction of 62%
A cross-party group of MPs has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to urge him to take action on the barriers faced by performers and crews touring in the European Union. Since the Brexit deal was finalised last year, there have been suggestions from those in the industry that the rules around working visas after
US Navy investigators have identified the “unknown object” that collided with a submarine in the South China Sea in October – an uncharted underwater mountain. The USS Connecticut was in a “safe and stable condition” after the incident in the disputed waters, which provoked outrage from officials in China. But the risk of fallout following