Rush Hour 4 in the works at Paramount after reports of Trump intervening pred 14 urami in 58 minutami Brett Ratner, accused of sexual misconduct by several women, will bring his hit franchise back to the big screenRush Hour 4 is reportedly a go at Paramount – after Donald Trump intervened on behalf of the movie.The studio will now release the next sequel by Brett Ratner, the director, who had retreated from Hollywood after numerous allegations of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
David Lammy considers scrapping jury trials for all but the most serious cases pred 15 urami in 13 minutami Senior lawyers criticise justice secretary’s radical plan, saying it could ‘destroy justice as we know it’Jury trials for all except the most serious crimes such as rape, murder and manslaughter are set to be scrapped under radical proposals drawn up by David Lammy.In proposals that drew a swift backlash from senior lawyers, who said that they would not reduce court backlogs and could “destroy justice as we know it”, the justice secretary has proposed that juries will only pass judgment on public interest offences with possible prison sentences of more than five years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Millions of UK workers to get pay rise as Reeves plans increased minimum wage pred 15 urami in 22 minutami Chancellor says people must be ‘properly rewarded for their hard work’ with 16- to 21-year-olds also in line for raiseMillions of low-paid workers in the UK are to get a pay rise of 4.1% next year, as Rachel Reeves confirmed that minimum wage rates will go up as part of the government’s ambition to improve living standards.The national living wage will rise from £12.21 to £12.71 an hour from April for over-21s, which the government said would increase the annual earnings of about 2.4 million workers by £900.A year in Westminster: John Crace, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar. On Tuesday 2 December, join Crace, Hyde and Crerar as they look back with special guests at another extraordinary year, live at the Barbican in London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets here Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK accused of caving-in to British Virgin Islands over access to companies register pred 15 urami in 40 minutami Parliamentary group urges government to clamp down on overseas territories before flagship anti-corruption summitThe UK government has been accused of caving-in to pressure from the British Virgin Islands by allowing it to limit access to a register of company share ownership to only those deemed to have a legitimate interest.The restriction, to be discussed at talks starting on Tuesday between Foreign Office ministers and leaders of the British overseas territories (BOTs) in London, is in defiance of legislation passed by the UK government as long ago as 2008 that would make the register available to all. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Protests erupt in China’s Guizhou province over cremation mandate pred 15 urami in 41 minutami Villagers demonstrate against drive for alternative funeral practices instead of burial to preserve land resourcesProtests have erupted in China’s southern Guizhou province, the latest in a string of rural demonstrations that have seen incidents of unrest increase by 70% compared with last year.The protests in Shidong town started over the weekend in response to a directive from local authorities that people should be cremated rather than buried after their death. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK gambling firms make extra £1bn from punters amid calls for tax rises pred 15 urami in 59 minutami Betting companies made £12.6bn in 12 months to March, with 15% rise in takings from online casino playersThe UK gambling sector made an extra £1bn from punters in the year to March, according to new data expected to buoy calls for the chancellor to raise betting taxes in Wednesday’s budget.Betting companies made £12.6bn from services excluding lotteries in the latest 12-month reporting period, the Gambling Commission revealed on Tuesday, a 9.3% rise on the £11.5bn the industry made during the previous year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mark Kelly: call for troops to disobey illegal orders is ‘non-controversial’ pred 16 urami in 32 minutami Senator hits back at Trump administration after Pentagon launches investigation for possible breaches of military lawUS senator Mark Kelly said it was “non-controversial” for him and other Democrats to implore military personnel to disobey “illegal orders” from the Trump administration – hitting back at accusations of “serious allegations of misconduct” leveled against him by the Pentagon.“I said something that was pretty simple and non-controversial – and that was that members of the military should follow the law,” the Arizona Democrat senator, a former US Navy officer and astronaut who flew on four separate space shuttle missions between 2001 and 2011, told MS Now on Monday night. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reeves’s plan to cut cash Isa limit could raise mortgage rates, say finance bosses pred 16 urami in 51 minutami Building societies fear consumers will be put off from saving if chancellor’s budget announces a 40% reductionBusiness live – latest updatesRachel Reeves’s plan to slash the annual cash Isa limit by 40% could lead to higher mortgage rates and deter consumers from saving, finance bosses have said.The chancellor is expected to cut the maximum amount people can put into tax-efficient cash individual savings accounts from £20,000 a year to £12,000 in Wednesday’s budget. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
CPS to train staff on ‘spectrum of abuse’ in violence against women and girls pred 16 urami in 57 minutami Five-year strategy aims to improve casework after analysis finds domestic abuse in more than third of rape casesThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will train its staff to recognise the “wide spectrum of abuse” in cases of violence against women, after new data found that domestic abuse was present in more than a third of rape cases, and in more than eight out of 10 cases of stalking and image-based abuse.Launching its five-year Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, the body said its main aims were to increase casework quality and increase trust in the CPS. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Queen of the Zoo’: Gramma, tortoise who lived through two world wars, dies aged 141 pred 17 urami in 23 minutami Gramma came to San Diego Zoo from Bronx Zoo in 1928 or 1931 and lived through 20 US presidentsAfter more than a century of munching on her favorite foods of romaine lettuce and cactus fruit, beloved Galapagos tortoise Gramma, the oldest resident of the San Diego Zoo, has died.Gramma was born in her native habitat and was estimated to be about 141 years old, zoo officials said. She died on 20 November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
