The Guardian - November 16, 2024

In this issue

November 16, 2024

Addiction to junk food costs UK £268bn a year

The growing addiction to unhealthy food costs the UK a \"staggering\" £268bn a year, far outstripping the whole NHS budget, the first ever research into the subject has found.

3 mins

Labour figures condemn Streeting remark that assisted dying could drain the NHS

Wes Streeting has been criticised by another Labour grandee for saying that assisted dying could drain NHS resources, as the battle over the private member's bill intensified in the run-up to the first Commons Vote this month.

3 mins

Ofsted proposes replacing single headline rating with five grades

Schools could be judged on a five-step scale of colours or descriptions across 10 separate areas, such as inclusion and belonging, according to proposals by England's schools inspectorate.

2 mins

'I'm just here for the selfie' Church mirror reflecting Rome's TikTok visitor boom

There are two entrances for visitors to Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola, a prominent 17th-century church in central Rome that has an illustrious baroque facade.

3 mins

Stephen King and Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia quit 'toxic' X

Stephen King has announced he is quitting X after describing the platform as \"too toxic\".

1 min

Less sex please, we're French: loss of virginity getting later, data shows

The French have a certain reputation when it comes to the vie d'amour. But the latest national study on their sex lives might offer up reason for a rethink.

2 mins

Weather warning for snow and ice in parts of Scotland and England

A yellow weather warning has been issued for snow and ice across parts of Scotland and the north of England.

1 min

US spy tech firm spoke to MOJ about analysing prisoners' 'reoffending risks'

The US spy tech company Palantir has been in talks with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) about using its technology to calculate prisoners' \"reoffending risks\", it has emerged.

3 mins

Three officers who accessed Everard files guilty of gross misconduct

A serving Metropolitan police officer has been sacked after accessing confidential files about the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.

1 min

Drug-resistant bugs need taking more seriously, says expert

The rising death toll from drug-resistant bugs is \"very scary,\" and people do not even realize it is happening, the UK's special envoy for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has warned.

2 mins

Rescue begins after mysterious deaths of at least 100 crayfish

A \"rescue mission\" to save native crayfish is under way in Northumberland after scores were found dead with mysterious patches on their shells.

1 min

A great escape The club where people switch off - and connect

For some of us, being without our smartphones for a few hours prompts panic. Think of all the messages we would miss. For others, however, going off-grid sounds like pure bliss.

3 mins

Kidman wants work with Scorsese - 'if he does a film with women'

In 2011 Meryl Streep famously said \"I would like Martin Scorsese to be interested in a female character once in a while, but I don't know if I'll live that long.\"

1 min

'Racist' tweet Telegraph columnist Pearson at heart of row with police

Daily Telegraph readers have woken up this week to successive front-page headlines alleging a grave threat to free speech, triggered by a star columnist's \"Kafkaesque\" encounter with police.

2 mins

Move over Moët: Tesco comes top for champagne

Tesco's Finest champagne has triumphed over the prestigious French label Moët & Chandon in a festive test - winning praise from judges at almost half the price of its rival.

1 min

Shrunken, not stirred Why there's a new thirst for mini martinis

When it comes to cocktails, a new word has been added to the traditional order: as well as \"shaken\" or \"stirred,\" drinkers are increasingly asking that their martini be \"small.\"

2 mins

Trump pick for top defense job accused of sexual assault in 2017

Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host chosen by Donald Trump to be his next defence secretary, was accused of sexual assault in 2017, it emerged yesterday, as extremism experts expressed alarm about his involvement in rightwing Christian nationalism.

3 mins

'This could be fatal' Health professionals express shock at rise of vaccine sceptic

The appointment of a US health secretary with anti-vaccine views could cause deaths and have profound consequences around the world, global health experts say.

2 mins

'It's like a shrine to him' Power and pantomime return to Mar-a-Lago

The shutters are down, the curtains are open, and Donald Trump's opulent waterfront palace of intrigue is open for business once more.

4 mins

Out of this world I'm soon happily turning somersaults as I join a zero-gravity training flight

It feels as if I'm hallucinating: as I lie on the floor, the ceiling suddenly sinks towards me and the walls begin to tilt at an impossible angle.

2 mins

Space travel is not just for the elite and we won't live on Mars, says astronaut

Space travel should not be restricted to elites, according to Britain's newly qualified astronaut, Rosemary Coogan.

2 mins

Climate cliffhanger World waits for China's response to Trump 2.0

China is facing crucial decisions on its climate policies as its hard-won relationship with the US on tackling the crisis looks likely to founder under the re-elected Donald Trump.

3 mins

No turning back on transition to renewable energy, says Miliband

Renewable energy is now \"unstoppable\", and no government can prevent the shift to a global low-carbon economy, the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said.

2 mins

Health secretary warns against going abroad for cosmetic surgery

Britons should resist the temptation to have cosmetic surgery abroad at \"rock bottom\" prices in case they are harmed by \"substandard\" care, the health secretary has said.

2 mins

Howard's not the end as niece to continue Cazalet Chronicles

Elizabeth Jane Howard's much-loved Cazalet Chronicles books will be continued by her niece, it has been announced.

1 min

Akenfield writer's home to become a nature reserve

Sitting in the Essex countryside at the end of a sunken lane, the modest home of the writer Ronald Blythe is to become an unlikely nature reserve.

2 mins

Peers warn not reforming IPP jail terms is akin to Post Office scandal

Peers have warned that the government is failing to deal with a miscarriage of justice akin to the Post Office scandal, after ministers refused to back legislation that would give new sentences to thousands of prisoners jailed indefinitely.

3 mins

Port Talbot Minister announces £80m aid for steelworkers hit by closures

Port Talbot steelworkers and their families affected by the closure of furnaces will be entitled to grants of up to £10,000 to start businesses, the Welsh secretary will announce today.

2 mins

Labour keeps eye orz threat from Reform

Two key rules of politics are to always look ahead, and to understand your opponent.

2 mins

Diwali event No 10 sorry for serving meat and alcohol

Downing Street has apologised to British Hindus after it served meat and alcohol at its annual Diwali celebration.

2 mins

Bullying Raab received resignation payout of £17k

Dominic Raab received a near-£17,000 ministerial payout on resigning as justice secretary in 2023 after an official report found he had acted in an \"intimidating\" manner towards civil servants, newly published accounts have shown.

1 min

Managers at Letby's hospital 'failed to tell inspectors about increase in baby deaths'

Hospital managers showed a \"lack of transparency\" in failing to tell a healthcare watchdog about an increase in baby deaths during an inspection that took place nearly a year into Lucy Letby's killing spree, an inquiry has been told.

2 mins

Phones...spreadsheet...tickets?Secrets to getting a Glastonbury ticket

Secrets to getting a Glastonbury ticket

2 mins

'It's seismic' No clear road to recovery for church reeling from abuse scandal

As the faithful give thanks to God in England's 16,500 parish churches tomorrow, beneath the comforting ritual of prayers and hymns will run a strong undercurrent of shame, anger, sadness and dread.

4 mins

Man, 45, and four teenagers guilty of murdering two boys

Four teenagers and a 45-year-old man have been convicted of murdering two boys whom they had mistaken for the perpetrators of an earlier attack on a house in Bristol linked to a long-running postcode rivalry.

2 mins

Want to live in a national park? Be ready to pay a 25% premium

Buying a home in a national park comes at a 25% price premium, with the New Forest the most expensive ofthe 13 parks in England and Wales, according to Britain's biggest building society.

1 min

Tudor tour Wolf Hall gives boost to historic buildings

At the locations where the original action took place, and those used in the series, there is rising excitement at a sharp increase in website traffic and Visitor numbers.

2 mins

Stone circles discovered on Dartmoor boost 'sacred arc' theory

Two neolithic stone circles have been discovered on Dartmoor, adding credibility to the theory that a \"sacred arc\" of monuments was built in the heart ofthe wild Devon upland by ancient people.

1 min

Stage review Epic dance through Atwood's dystopia

It makes complete sense that Wayne McGregor would be attracted to Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy, the story of a scientist who engineers a perfect race of people.

2 mins

Herbert Hound zs a dog of leisure. I'd say that's a sign he's smart

More than four years after it was established, the Post Office Horizon inquiry is finally coming to an end.

5 mins

TV review Dystopian sci-fi comes back bigger and better

As the nights draw in, there are few reasons to feel optimistic that 2025 will be filled with glorious testimonies to the innate goodness of humankind.

1 min

Israel Police question aide of Netanyahu over alleged tampering of phone records

Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff has been questioned by police investigating reports that official phone records of calls from aides to the Israeli prime minister on the morning of the 7 October attacks last year were altered.

2 mins

Anger in Lebanon as 21 emergency workers killed by Israeli airstrikes

Twenty-one civil defence rescuers have been killed in two Israeli strikes on Lebanon, marking one of the deadliest days for rescue workers since the fighting began between Israel and Hezbollah 13 months ago.

3 mins

Gaza Children in urgent need not allowed overseas for medical care

It was the morning of 8 June when Ahmed Damoo got the call that his home, a small concrete building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, had been hit by an IDF rocket. When he returned to what was left of his house, he learned that his family had been buried beneath the rubble.

4 mins

Valencia leader admits mistakes in handling of deadly flooding

The regional president of Valencia, who is under mounting pressure over his handling ofthe catastrophic floods that killed 216 people in the area, has conceded mistakes were made but refused to step down, claiming the unprecedented and \"apocalyptic\" scale of the disaster simply overwhelmed the system.

1 min

Dutch coalition in turmoil in wake of violence in Amsterdam

The violence that erupted on Amsterdam's streets last week has triggered a political crisis in the Netherlands, with the ruling coalition in turmoil over alleged racist remarks made by government officials during a closed-door meeting to discuss the events.

1 min

Pelicot trial: defendant proposed rape of own mother, court hears

A young vineyard worker accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot on six occasions over four years when she had been drugged by her husband also proposed drugging and raping his own mother, a court has heard.

2 mins

Tiana rides high Disney updates 'racist' Splash Mountain flume to honour its first black princess

In 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests over George Floyd's murder, Disney announced that its parks would be \"retheming\" a decades-old attraction, Splash Mountain, a log flume ride with a storyline drawn from a racist 1946 film.

2 mins

David Lynch urges smokers to quit after emphysema diagnosis

The film-maker and lifelong smoker David Lynch has spoken out about the dangers of the habit, revealing that he started smoking at the age of eight and now needs supplemental oxygen even to walk small distances.

1 min

Stop burning coal and wood, Delhi residents told, as pollution shuts schools

India's capital, Delhi, has ordered all primary schools to stop in-person classes while Pakistan's Punjab province has declared a health emergency, banning construction, shutting schools for another week and moving universities online, as both countries battle an air pollution crisis.

1 min

Scholz urges Putin to withdraw troops and negotiate with Ukraine in rare phone call

Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin held a rare phone call yesterday in which the German chancellor urged the Russian president to withdraw troops and negotiate with Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace.

2 mins

Pakistan military 'will not cut deal' with jailed politician Imran Khan

Pakistan's military has no intention of entering into negotiations or cutting a deal with the incarcerated former prime minister, Imran Khan, senior military sources told the Guardian, after Khan said he would be willing to engage with the army leadership from his jail cell.

2 mins

Small-scale battles A night in a Ukrainian drone squad bunker

The armoured car's bumpy high-speed journey comes to a halt, and the Guardian team is dropped off in the November darkness, where two Ukrainian soldiers await.

4 mins

Analysis Summer of dark warnings from the Treasury may have cast a shadow on growth

It was hardly surprising that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, declared herself \"not satisfied\" with the news that the UK's GDP expanded by a measly 0.1% in the three months to September.

1 min

UK economy slows amid jitters over Labour budget

The UK economy slowed to a near-standstill in the third quarter as uncertainty around Labour's first budget and high interest rates weighed on business and consumer spending.

2 mins

Contracting GDP adds to German woes as general election looms

Germany's looming general election will be fought against the backdrop of a stagnating economy, the European Commission has forecast, with GDP expected to have contracted in 2024.

1 min

Property firm back in profit as workers return to offices

One of Britain's biggest property developers has provided further evidence of the return to office working, saying occupancy in its central London offices is at an all-time high and the value of its portfolio has returned to growth.

2 mins

Aviation Flying taxis: destined never to take off?

In a dreary November day in the Cotswolds, the VX4 - a cross between a plane and a helicopter - rose from an airport runway, hovered a few feet off the ground and set back down.

2 mins

Brexit So how could Labour improve EU ties for the sake of growth?

The Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, said this week that Brexit had undermined the UK's economy, and urged the government to improve relations with the EU for the sake of growth.

2 mins

'A fork in the road' AI's bid to help on laundry days at Europe's tech summit

This year's Web Summit in Lisbon was all about artificial intelligence and a robot sorting laundry.

5 mins

Pensions An A to Z of how to save for your retirement

Everything you need to know to plan for your future and make the most of your finances. Rupert Jones and Hilary Osborne report

9 mins

Money hacks How to find a pet-sitter you can trust

Unless you have family, a friend or a neighbour who can care for your pet when you're away, you'll need to find a pet-sitter you can trust.

4 mins

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