Tougher asylum rules could cause migration concerns in Ireland, says Irish justice minister 17. November 2025 (21:25) Jim O’Callaghan says he will closely monitor changes proposed by Britain amid concerns over impactAttempts to toughen up asylum rules in the UK could have significant implications for relations with Ireland, Dublin’s justice minister has said, amid concerns that this could increase migration flows to Ireland.More than 80% of people who use irregular routes to Ireland originate from Great Britain, travelling to Belfast by plane or boat and then by road to Dublin to make asylum claims, the justice department has said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Woman killed herself after south London hospital neglect, coroner concludes 17. November 2025 (20:46) Michelle Sparman, 48, died after staff at Queen Mary’s hospital in Roehampton failed to search her possessions adequately, inquest findsA woman killed herself after a south London psychiatric unit failed to search her possessions adequately, a coroner has concluded.Michelle Sparman, a personal trainer and call dispatcher for the Metropolitan police from Battersea, south-west London, died on 28 August 2021 at Kingston hospital, four days after trying to take her own life. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Acting Fema head resigns after furor over handling of deadly Texas flooding 17. November 2025 (20:38) Trump administration official confirms David Richardson will depart agency after six months in roleThe acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) is leaving the agency, a senior Trump administration official said on Monday.David Richardson resigned after only a brief stint leading the agency amid a furor over his responsiveness, especially during the catastrophic flooding in Texas during the summer that swept away a children’s camp and killed more than 130 people. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer facing fresh challenge as Labour MPs condemn asylum plans 17. November 2025 (20:31) Significant divisions exposed within party as angry backbenchers vow to force changes to hardline proposalsKeir Starmer is facing another major challenge to his authority as angry Labour MPs vowed to force changes to new hardline migration measures that would bring an escalation in the deportations of children and families.The policies, which include the possibility of confiscating assets from asylum seekers to contribute to costs, have caused significant divisions within the party with some MPs accusing their colleagues of not taking seriously public anger about illegal migration and asylum. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nicki Minaj to spotlight plight of Nigerian Christians in UN speech arranged by White House 17. November 2025 (20:24) Rapper to give address on Tuesday after supporting Trump’s post condemning Nigerian governmentThe US-based Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj will work alongside the White House to highlight claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria.Minaj is expected to deliver a speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, according to a Time journalist who first posted about the collaboration on Sunday, adding that it was arranged by Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to Donald Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Agency staff to join Birmingham bin strike over bullying and harassment claims 17. November 2025 (20:21) Workers hired to cover long-running dispute will take part in industrial action after alleging unsafe workloadsAgency staff brought in as cover during the long-running bin strikes in Birmingham will join the picket line for the first time over claims of bullying and harassment.Hundreds of refuse workers have taken part in an all-out strike in the city since March in a dispute over pay and jobs, prompting the council to declare a “major incident”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Protests in Charlotte as aggressive immigration arrests continue 17. November 2025 (20:19) North Carolina governor says immigration crackdown ‘stoking fear’ as officials say at least 130 people detainedAggressive arrests by federal immigration agents continued in Charlotte on Monday after a weekend sweep in which authorities said they detained a total of at least 130 people in North Carolina’s largest city, as protests picked up.North Carolina’s governor, Josh Stein, on Monday warned that the crackdown was simply “stoking fear” and resulting in severe disruption. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
David Nicholls to adapt The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ for BBC 17. November 2025 (19:20) One Day author leading writing team bringing one of the best-known literary creations of the 1980s to lifeA writing team led by the One Day author, David Nicholls, and that includes Caitlin Moran is bringing Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ to the small screen in a 10-part BBC One adaptation of the classic tale of teenage life in British suburbia.Nicholls, who described the book as “a classic piece of comic writing and an incredible piece of ventriloquism on Sue Townsend’s part”, will adapt the book that produced one of the best-known literary creations of the 1980s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New international student enrollments in US plunge this year, data shows 17. November 2025 (19:12) Enrollment fell 17%, the largest drop in a decade aside from the pandemic, amid Trump’s immigration crackdownThe number of international students enrolling in US colleges and universities plunged this year as the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown on higher education began to bite, data released on Monday reveals.New international student enrollment fell 17% in the current academic year, the largest drop in more than a decade aside from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a fall snapshot published by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two long-lost organ pieces by JS Bach performed for first time in 300 years 17. November 2025 (19:03) Archive director in Germany says ‘missing piece of puzzle’ now in place to verify authorship after decades of researchTwo long-lost organ pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach have been performed in Germany, roughly 320 years after the composer wrote them as a teenage music teacher.Entitled Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178 and Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179, the pieces were added to the official catalogue of Bach’s works on Monday and played in public for the first time in three centuries inside Leipzig’s St Thomas Church, where Bach is buried. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
