Author: Morgan

The BBC has partly upheld complaints over its decision to stream the punk duo Bob Vylan’s performance at this year’s Glastonbury festival.

The broadcaster’s executive complaints unit (ECU) said that doing so broke editorial guidelines in relation to harm and offence owing to frontman Bobby Vylan’s chant of “death, death to the IDF”, their use of the slogans “from the river to the sea” and “free, free Palestine”, as well as referring to record company executives “in the most abusive terms” as “fucking Zionists”.

“Taken in the round,” the ECU said, their comments could “fairly be characterised as antisemitic”, perpetuating “a certain stereotype of Jewish influence in the entertainment industry”.

However, the set was cleared of being likely to encourage or incite crime. The ECU concluded: “References to ‘free Palestine’ and ‘from the river to the sea’, while viewed by some as implying the disappearance of the state of Israel, can also be regarded as no more than expressions of support for aspirations to a Palestinian state and do not of themselves threaten violent action.

“‘Death, death to the IDF’ is clearly more problematic, but it is directed at an institution rather than individuals, and one which is not defined by ethnic or religious composition.”

It was also cleared of breaching BBC impartiality rules. The ECU said it “took the view that coverage of a music festival is clearly not on the same footing as coverage of news and current affairs; and, while there may be festivals the BBC would not cover on account of their polemical character, a wide tolerance for expressions of opinion by performers or audiences would be in keeping with audience expectations for events it does cover.”

Bob Vylan have repeatedly defended the statements they made at the festival; they also projected a message on stage that read: “Free Palestine – United Nations have called it a genocide – the BBC calls it a ‘conflict’”.

Glastonbury organisers said they were “appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan”.

BBC director general Tim Davie said: “I deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC.”

After the incident, the BBC removed the footage from on-demand services and said it would no longer broadcast live performances it deemed “high risk”. The BBC chair Samir Shah called it “unquestionably an error of judgment”.

Enquiries are continuing in Avon and Somerset police’s investigation into Bob Vylan’s comments at the festival. A spokesperson told the Guardian: “Our investigation team is considering all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes. It is also important we have a full understanding of any legal precedents, which is a complex process, and we are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for early legal advice, and with other UK police forces.

“We recognise the strength of public feeling around what took place, and we hope the ongoing enquiries provide reassurance and show the seriousness with which we are treating this investigation.”

The band also had their US visas revoked after Glastonbury.

Earlier this month, a forthcoming gig in the Netherlands was cancelled by the venue after Bobby Vylan was accused of celebrating the killing of Charlie Kirk on stage in Amsterdam. He called the late far-right influencer “an absolute piece of shit of a human being” and said “if you chat shit, you will get banged”.

The Tilburg venue 013 said that his comments went “too far” and pulled the band’s show. Bobby Vylan clarified in a subsequent video: “I did call him a piece of shit, that much is true, but at no point was his death celebrated.”

Deaths occurring in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) have reached at least 16 since January amid increasing mass detention across the country and growing concerns over conditions.

On Sunday, Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a 39-year-old Mexican national and former “Dreamer” – those given protections after being brought to the US as undocumented children in the past – died after being held at an Ice facility in Adelanto, California, according to a statement from the federal agency.

Ayala-Uribe’s death marked the 15th detention death officially reported by Ice, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.

However, an incident then followed in Texas on Wednesday when a detainee was killed by a gunman and two others were wounded at an Ice facility in Dallas, even though prosecutors said the suspect was targeting Ice, not detainees.

And Ayala-Uribe’s death followed a 42-year-old Honduran national who died last week while held by Ice in Nassau county, New York.

In response to Alaya-Uribe’s death, Ice said in a statement, in part: “ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay.”

According to the latest data from the Guardian, which has been tracking immigration enforcement under Trump, Ice was holding 59,762 people in detention as of 25 September. The number exceeded 60,000 in August, a record. On 26 January, roughly a week after Trump assumed office for a second term, Ice was holding 39,238 in detention and the total had been below 40,000 throughout 2024, although rising steadily later in the Biden administration.

Adam Sawyer, a migration data scientist with Relevant Research, based in Maryland, reviewed the current and prior administrations.

“A total of 26 people passed away during the 48 months of the Biden administration. That’s a bit more than one death every second month (0.54 deaths per month). Only [approximately] eight months into the second Trump term … we’ve already seen 15 deaths, or nearly two detainee deaths per month (1.88). About half of the detainee deaths (12 of 26) during the Biden administration took place last fiscal year 2024, so detainee death rates were ramping up before Trump took office in 2025,” he said.

Sawyer said even considering the increase in Ice detentions, the rising death toll remains worrying.

Earlier this week, Georgia US senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, Democrats, wrote to homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and acting Ice director Todd Lyons demanding information.

Citing the deaths of two detainees in Ice custody in Georgia, the senators said: “We write with serious alarm regarding the rise in the number of deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody nationwide … We request that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE immediately provide information about these individuals’ deaths and about the Trump administration’s plan to prevent further fatalities.”

Concerns surrounding detention conditions are rising.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Setareh Ghandehari, advocacy director of the Detention Watch Network, said in a statement to the Guardian: “Ice detention is inherently inhumane, and we’ve documented horrendous conditions for decades. What we are seeing now is an exacerbation of these conditions that is resulting in more deaths.”

Despite criticisms from immigration rights groups and lawmakers who have been denied entry to detention centers, Ice and DHS assert that conditions in detention are safe.

“All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care,” Ice said in a statement online.

Advocates are alarmed, however.

Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights in Washington DC, said: “The detention in America is higher than it’s ever been … If you were a xenophobic, racist wannabe dictator and you wanted to deport as many people as possible, you’d want to make sure that the detention system is in a place where people get as little help as possible.”

And Sawyer pointed to detention levels.

“When increasing the size of a population, in this case the national [Ice] detainee population, we would expect it to increase the total number of people experiencing health complications that might lead to death if not monitored … While the demographic and statistical aspects of Ice detention definitely impact mortality rates, the actual conditions at Ice detention centers might be more immediately relevant,” he said.

The Guardian has reached out to Ice and DHS for comment about the 2025 death toll.

London’s desalination plant has cost more than half a billion pounds since 2010 and has run only five times, delivering 7.2bn litres of drinking water, roughly seven days of London’s typical daily demand. Now Thames Water is planning a new £500m project to tackle drought in the capital.

The Thames Gateway desalination plant at Beckton, built for £270m and now largely mothballed, has racked up an estimated £200m in debt interest, about £45m in idle upkeep and about £3m in operating costs, according to Thames Water figures. That puts the lifetime bill at about £518m, or about 7p for every litre the plant has ever produced, which is 28 times more than customers usually pay for their water.

Thames Water now plans to build a new drought-resilience scheme on the Thames for an estimated cost of between £359-£535m which will be paid for by customers.

The Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) scheme would remove water from the river at Teddington, pump it to the Lee Valley reservoirs in north London, and replace it with treated effluent from Mogden sewage works in west London.

Map of Thames and plants

A senior water industry figure was blunt: “Father Thames is going to get hit because you’re taking clean water out and you’re putting dirtier water back in. They can’t argue that. If that was not the case, why wouldn’t they just take water from wastewater treatment works, put it through treatment, and use that for drinking water?”

The Beckton desalination plant is not a clean fix. It is energy intensive, produces brine and discharges effluent containing chlorine, chloroform and bromoform – disinfectant byproducts – into the Thames. Other waste streams are “chemically neutralised” before being mixed with outflows from the neighbouring Beckton sewage works and released into the river.

Thames Water says the plant is “not currently available” because of “reservoir safety related works”, essential maintenance and because it is awaiting drinking water inspectorate approval for new reverse-osmosis membranes.

However, according to official documents, the plant has been beset with big problems. Repeated chemical leaks have forced workers to wear protective chemical suits to enter parts of the site and Thames Water has admitted that system failures have “prevented the plant from ongoing running due to health and safety issues”.

Upgrades are under way, with the aim of getting 50m litres of water a day [Ml/d] by the end of the current five-year investment cycle and “75Ml/d during drought periods” by 2031, according to the water company’s documents.

A Thames Water spokesperson said the Gateway desalination plant is designed to provide up to 5% of London’s supply “during very dry conditions”, with decisions on operation based on long-term forecasts and storage levels. Once safety works and maintenance are complete it will run “in line with our water resources management plan”.

The TDRA is “needed in addition to the plant along with our significant investment in leaks and work to reduce demand for water through metering”, said the spokesperson. In 2023-24, Thames Water lost 570.4m litres a day through leaks.

The TDRA scheme would secure supplies for millions by providing up to 75m litres a day during drought by pumping Thames water upstream of Teddington Weir into the Lee Valley reservoirs. This would be replaced with “clean recycled water” from sewage treatment, it said. “Communities have our absolute assurance that no untreated sewage will enter the river … it is physically impossible by design,” said Thames Water.

“The project will not go ahead without demonstrating to the Environment Agency that the water is safe to return to the river,” the spokesperson added.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

In a meeting last year with the MP Munira Wilson, whose Twickenham constituency would house the TDRA, Thames Water’s chief executive, Chris Weston, acknowledged the desalination plant, which was originally mooted to provide about 100m litres of water a day, had been used only a handful of times and said that was because “it doesn’t work the way we expected it to”.

Wilson said: “Time and time again, Thames Water has told us that their Teddington scheme represents the ‘best value’ option. But it’s yet another example of Thames Water failing to invest in the essentials, whilst pouring millions of pounds of bill payers’ money into short-term fixes that do nothing but produce new assets for the company to borrow against.

“This leaves billpayers and residents rightly asking why they should fund yet another white elephant that could damage our precious river and people’s health for very limited gain. With Thames Water’s failures exposed for all to see, it’s high time the government cleaned up our water sector once and for all.”

Dr Janina Grey from Wildfish said: “Desalination is no silver bullet, but neither are the proposed alternatives. We must end the routine exploitation of rivers and groundwater. The toxic mix of drought on already stressed river systems is pushing iconic species like the endangered Atlantic salmon closer to extinction – while Thames Water continues to prioritise profits over the health of our rivers.”

Without action to secure water resources, England faces a shortfall of 5bn litres a day for public water supplies by 2055 – and a further 1bn litres a day deficit for the wider economy – according to Defra. Half of the predicted 5bn litres a day shortfall is in the south-east of England.

A Defra spokesperson said: “Pressure on our water system is soaring. This government is committed to increasing our water supply while protecting the environment and public health. To secure water supplies effectively, we need more water recycling projects like the TDRA, combined with new reservoirs. This project will be subject to further public scrutiny and rigorous assessment before any final decisions are made.”

Digital ID cards present “an enormous opportunity” for the UK, Keir Starmer has said, as the government braces for a civil liberties row over the proposals.

The prime minister will set out the measures on Friday morning at a conference on how progressive politicians can tackle the problems facing the UK, including addressing voter concerns around immigration.

The proposals for a “Brit card” would require legislation and are already facing opposition from civil liberty groups concerned about privacy.

Addressing those concerns, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said the government had “no intention of pursuing a dystopian mess”.

Speaking on Friday, Starmer said: “I know working people are worried about the level of illegal migration into this country. A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands, and this government is listening and delivering.

“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure.

“And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly – rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.”

The prime minister, writing in the Telegraph, said Labour had previously shied away from addressing concerns over immigration and that it was now “essential” to tackle “every aspect of the problem of illegal immigration”.

He argued that it was possible to be concerned about immigration while rejecting Reform UK’s “toxic” approach.

“There is no doubt that for years leftwing parties, including my own, did shy away from people’s concerns around illegal immigration,” he wrote.

Civil liberties groups reacted with concern over the proposals. Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said digital IDs would turn the UK into a “checkpoint society that is wholly unBritish”.

“Digital IDs would do absolutely nothing to deter small boats but would make Britain less free, creating a domestic mass surveillance infrastructure that will likely sprawl from citizenship to benefits, tax, health, possibly even internet data and more,” Carlo said.

“Incredibly sensitive information about each and every one of us would be hoarded by the state and vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

“Starmer has no mandate to force the population to carry digital IDs and millions of us will simply not do it. The cost to the public purse will likely run into the billions, much like Blair’s failed scheme, but the cost to our freedoms would be even more serious. He is making an enormous mistake and should drop the plans sooner rather than later.”

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK called the plans a “cynical ploy” designed to “fool” voters into thinking something is being done about immigration, while the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, dismissed the plans as a “gimmick that will do nothing to stop the boats”.

The Guardian revealed in June that Downing Street was exploring proposals for a digital ID card to crack down on illegal migration, rogue landlords and exploitative work.

The idea came from a Labour Together paper given to the No 10 policy unit proposing a Brit Card, which it claimed could help avoid another Windrush scandal.

The thinktank also said it would help reduce vast numbers of visa overstayers, saying half of those whose asylum claims were turned down over the past 14 years were probably still in the UK.

It proposed a free, secure digital ID, stored on a person’s smartphone using a planned gov.uk Wallet app, rebranded as the Brit Card app. That could then be verified by employers, immigration, banks and landlords using free software.

Under the possible plans, the technology is expected to be built on the government’s existing “One Login” infrastructure, which allows citizens to access about 50 government services, from applying for a job as a teacher to using a lasting power of attorney.

Ministers are pushing through powers to photograph, name and shame offenders who have been ordered to complete unpaid community work in England and Wales.

The sentencing bill, now moving through parliament, will for the first time give probation officers “a legal power” to take and publish the names and pictures of individuals ordered by courts to tidy grass verges, litter-pick or scrub graffiti.

The move, pushed through by the government “to build confidence” in community sentences, has sparked concern that it could instead be used to humiliate and embarrass offenders’ partners and children.

Martin Jones, HM inspector of probation, said it could result in more offenders dropping out. He said: “I am very concerned about seeking to name and shame people undertaking unpaid work.

“I think it could act as a disincentive to rehabilitation and some may refuse to turn up. If offenders are turning up to do the work I do not see a reason why they should also have their images published, particularly when the evidence shows that reintegration back into communities and employment are key to preventing reoffending.”

Ian Lawrence, the general secretary of Napo, the probation officers’ union, said the change would bring shame upon families of offenders, particularly children. He said: “This proposed policy serves no value to the rehabilitation of offenders but could have potentially devastating effects on innocent family members, namely children.

“It seems to only serve as a form of humiliation, not just for the offender but those around them. It also could potentially place people on unpaid work at risk, especially if it involves those that commit sexual offending.”

It comes as the government plans to rapidly expand “community payback” as an alternative to custodial sentences, as part of a plan to divert offenders away from overcrowded prisons.

Offenders can be sentenced to an “unpaid work requirement” (UWR) as a way to atone for crimes, under both community orders and suspended sentence orders.

The work can be imposed for between 40 and 300 hours and requires an offender, usually wearing a hi-vis jacket printed with the words “community payback”, to undertake projects within the local area.

According to a Ministry of Justice policy paper: “To build confidence in community sentences and increase the visibility and transparency of community payback, we will publish the names and photographs of individuals subject to an unpaid work requirement.”

Officials believe that publishing the names and photos of those subject to a UWR will demonstrate to the public that justice is being delivered.

To do this, probation officers will be given “a legal power to take and publish the names and photographs of individuals subject to an UPW requirement”.

The policy paper said: “During their initial appointment, practitioners will assess whether an individual’s circumstances pose a risk to themselves or others that justifies an exemption.”

Nearly 5m hours of unpaid work was carried out in the year to April 2024. A Ministry of Justice report into unpaid work last year found that many offenders felt “stigma and shame” because they were asked to wear hi-vis vests.

The report said: “People on probation and supervisors thought, in particularly public areas, having to wear the branded high-visibility vests could impact compliance.”

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

The government announced plans earlier this month to hand out thousands more unpaid work orders as part of a plan to release criminals into the community on tags.

A statement said: “This includes working with local authorities to determine how offenders could give back to their communities, whether by removing graffiti or cleaning up rubbish.”

Campbell Robb, the chief executive of Nacro, the social justice charity that works with offenders, said the government was making a grave mistake.

He said: “Naming and shaming those on community payback doesn’t deliver justice. Instead, it risks pushing people further to the margins, making it harder for them to find work, rebuild their lives and move away from crime.

“Stable housing, access to recovery, employment opportunities and wellbeing services are proven to reduce reoffending. If we want to break the cycle, we must invest in people’s potential – not just punish their past.”

Some offenders will be exempt from having their names and photographs published. Officials said these exemptions would be set out in legislation at a later date.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Unpaid work forces offenders to publicly atone for their crimes and give back to the communities they have wronged. It is punishment that works.

“Through the sentencing bill, we will increase the visibility of this sentence even further and allow the public to see justice being served. Anyone who refuses to comply faces a return to court or even time behind bars.”

The hip-hop artist Mudrat used Triple J’s video series Bars of Steel to deliver a blistering critique of the ABC’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and its treatment of Antoinette Lattouf.

The federal court found in June the ABC breached the Fair Work Act when it terminated the casual broadcaster for reasons including that she held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

On Thursday night’s program on the youth radio station the Australian artist Mudrat donned a Palestinian keffiyeh to perform a rap written for the show Bars of Steel, which features live studio performances by rappers.

_{Sign up: AU Breaking News email}

“Shoutout Antoinette Lattouf, my career’s in a noose, but I’ll take a blacklist over censoring the booth,” he sang.

“There’s blood on these walls for the lies that it spewed.”

Speaking to the host of the program, A.Girl, after his nearly three-minute performance, Mudrat said he was using the platform he had been given to be honest about his views.

“And so being in this [ABC] building today, you know, understanding sort of the complexities of the last few years, it was important that we spoke to truth,” Mudrat said.

“What is the truth? That this is not a conflict that is occurring, that this is a genocide, and so we use our music to speak to the truth.”

The song included the chant “Israel is committing genocide” and “free Palestine”.

The ABC uploaded his performance to all its platforms as well as broadcasting it on Triple J’s Bars of Steel program which showcases established and emerging rappers.

The performance has been streamed thousands of times, with more than 100,000 views on Instagram, and the comments are overwhelmingly positive and include many saying it was “brilliant”.

“Bruuuuuh calling out the ABC on the ABC is fire,” said one fan on YouTube.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

“The Mudrat track was reviewed before being published,” an ABC spokesperson said. “The track was preceded by an on-air content warning, which was also published in the video description on YouTube, and additional resources were allocated to moderate triple j social accounts.

“Artists from all genres use their art to express their views on political, social and cultural issues and current events. The ABC has a fundamental responsibility to ensure space for freedom of creative expression through music and we’re committed to upholding this for artists from all backgrounds and viewpoints.”

The rapper also sang about a historic incident in 1990 when the station was ordered to stop playing the hip-hop anthem Fuck Tha Police and instead played the song on repeat for 24 hours.

“You stood against censorship, stood against executives,” Mudrat sang. “But where do you stand now Triple J?”

The latest report from the ABC Ombudsman says war and conflict in the Middle East is the most complained about subject matter, broadly categorised as 50% (422) pro-Palestine and 45% (378) pro-Israel.

A controversial north Queensland mayor accused of misleading voters about his army service has resigned.

Troy Thompson was suspended on full pay in November while the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) conducted an investigation.

Last week the local government minister, Ann Leahy, issued Thompson with a two-week show-cause notice to explain why he should not be dismissed from the role.

In a video posted on Facebook on Friday, Thompson announced that he had “formally resigned as mayor”.

“Let me be absolutely clear about this, this resignation is not an admission of wrongdoing,” he said.

_{Sign up: AU Breaking News email}

“It is a deliberate and principled stand to protect the democratic rights of the people of Townsville.

“Political interference has no place in our democracy. Only the community should decide who leads this city.”

For 18 months Thompson had resisted widespread, bipartisan pressure for him to step aside, including a unanimous vote of no confidence by Townsville councillors.

Thompson has repeatedly used Facebook in recent days to allege the local government minister’s show-cause process has lacked natural justice.

In Friday’s video Thompson said his resignation renders the show-cause notice “moot” as there is “no office holder left to sanction”.

“Nothing in the law prevents me from running again,” he said.

“The only disqualifications relate to bankruptcy and criminal convictions, none of which apply to me. I will therefore nominate in the byelection so people of Townsville, and only the people of Townsville, can decide who should lead their city.”

Thompson called on Leahy to dissolve the Townsville city council and for an investigation into financial mismanagement and corruption at the local government body.

On Friday, Leahy said Thompson should report any complaints to the CCC or the office of the independent assessor.

Leahy issued last week’s show-cause notice after a briefing from the corruption commission in August.

She said Townsville electors “deserve that information” before casting a vote, but that the CCC “has specifically restricted me from releasing that information”.

“The avenue for the release of the information sits with the CCC,” she said.

Leahy said she hoped to have a byelection date by early next week and confirmed that Thompson was eligible to stand.

The acting Townsville mayor, Anne-Maree Greaney, said “the shadow of uncertainty and division that has been cast over our city and council” had been “lifted” by Thompson’s resignation.

Greaney said a byelection was required to be held within two months, and council would hold a special meeting on Monday to consider the voting methodology, subject to approval of the local government minister.

Thompson was backed by My Place Townsville in last year’s election. In 2020 he stood as a One Nation candidate for the state seat of Thuringowa, but was disendorsed by the party before election day.

During the election, he claimed to have spent five years in the army, including time at “SAS Swanbourne”, the Special Air Service base in Western Australia. In an interview with A Current Affair in May last year, he conceded he had served only three years as a reservist, largely in the catering corps.

“Those who know me know that I’ve had multiple concussions – 100 plus – and I suffer from epilepsy,” he told A Current Affair.

Thompson was also accused of exaggerating his qualifications.

He defeated long-term Townsville mayor Jenny Hill with a two candidate preferred vote of 52.62%.