#United Kingdom

Russell Brand has been convicted of rape and three sexual assaults. The Guardian reported that the verdicts came on Thursday at Southwark crown court in London, after a four-week trial. AFP also reported the convictions. The four offences targeted four women over five years of Brand's showbusiness career. Brand, 51, had pleaded not guilty to seven charges involving six women. They covered three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault, spanning 10 years from 1999. The jury of four women and eight men deliberated for eight hours and 30 minutes. It cleared him of two rape counts and the attempted indecent assault charge. According to the Guardian, the jury found that Brand raped a young fan at his London townhouse in early 2009. He had picked her out of the crowd after a gig at the Hammersmith Apollo. He was also convicted of sexually assaulting an MTV worker at a party in Soho in 2004. Another conviction involved a woman working at radio station Choice FM in 2004 or 2005. The fourth involved a Channel 4 worker during a filming project in 2009. The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, told Brand that a rape…

The Bank of England raised interest rates on Thursday for the first time since August 2023. The base rate rose by a quarter point, from 3.75% to 4%. The Bank said the move aims to curb inflation driven mainly by the Iran war's impact on oil prices, the BBC reported. According to the Guardian, the conflict has kept oil prices above $100 a barrel for months. Hopes of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have faded. The Bank now expects UK inflation to peak at 4.9% in mid-2027, up from 3.2% in its July forecast. Inflation reached 3.5% in September. The BBC reported that inflation could hit 6.2% in 2027 in an "adverse scenario" in which the war escalates. The Bank does not expect inflation to return to its 2% target until 2028. Eight of the nine members of the monetary policy committee voted for the quarter-point rise. The ninth, Catherine Mann, wanted a half-point increase to 4.25%. The minutes reveal splits over what comes next. Alan Taylor called the move a "one-for-now" insurance hike. Megan Greene said more hikes might follow, depending on wages, prices…

Married at First Sight UK will not return. Channel 4 announced the decision on Thursday after two reviews that followed a BBC Panorama investigation. In the programme, broadcast in May, two women alleged they were raped during filming. A third woman alleged she was subjected to a non-consensual sex act. According to the BBC, the men involved deny all the allegations. The format pairs single people who "marry" strangers they meet for the first time on their wedding day. The marriages are not legally binding. The BBC reported that the show was one of Channel 4's biggest hits, with audiences often topping three million. After Panorama aired, Channel 4 removed every episode from its streaming and linear services, the Guardian reported. A major sponsor also pulled out, according to the BBC. A review led by former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey found the show's safeguards were of a high standard. It said the show could reasonably continue with a stronger welfare framework and changes to the format. It also found that some elements could put implicit pressure on contributors to be intimate. Her suggestions included constantly monitored CCTV in all areas of the apartments, panic buttons and "safe words". A second review, by law firm Clyde & Co, found the welfare protocols complied with Ofcom's broadcasting…

Democrats won a sweeping victory in the US midterm elections. According to Semafor, the result could weaken President Donald Trump's leverage over allies who have previously gone along with his demands. A European diplomat told Semafor that "everybody is now obliged to look toward the post-Trump era." Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Europeans did "a lot of bending the knee" in the first two years of Trump's presidency. He predicted that this deference could fade. Allies, he said, feel they no longer need to accept such treatment. Trade deals could also be at risk, said Richard Fontaine,…

Kenya is targeting a 16.8 per cent rise in tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom by the end of the year, The Star reported. The goal is 199,645 UK visitors, up from 170,936 in 2025. The government is stepping up efforts to draw more visitors from Europe. The plan relies on more international marketing, airline partnerships and wider travel trade engagement. The aim is to turn growing interest in Kenya into actual bookings. Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) CEO June Chepkemei said the country was using the ongoing World Travel Market (WTM) London 2026 to strengthen partnerships and promote lesser-known destinations. Chepkemei said Kenya was selling itself as more than a wildlife safari destination. The pitch combines coastal tourism, culture, adventure, wellness and community-based experiences. "Visitors can combine wildlife, coast, culture and adventure in one destination," she said. She added that the campaign would also tackle affordability, safety perceptions and sustainability, all of which shape travel decisions. More than 40…

A British healthcare worker has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The worker is being flown to the UK for treatment. A UK government spokesperson confirmed the case in a statement on Wednesday, The Guardian reported. The spokesperson said the UK's "well-established procedures" had been activated and that the risk to the UK public "remains low". The patient has not been named and is in a stable condition. The worker was expected to land in Britain on Wednesday or Thursday, according to an official document seen by Reuters. A specialist ambulance will then take the patient to a "high consequence" infectious disease unit. The Royal Free hospital in London has a high-level isolation unit for diseases such as Ebola. Newcastle and Liverpool also have such centres. A humanitarian organisation had sent the worker to DR Congo to help fight the outbreak. The Guardian said it is the first case of a British national catching Ebola in the current outbreak. Ebola spreads through direct contact with body fluids, such as the blood or vomit of infected people, or…