AUSTRALIA

Optus loses court bid to keep report into cause of cyber-attack secret


Josh Taylor
Thu, 9 November 2023

Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images

Optus has lost a bid in the federal court to keep secret a report on the cause of the 2022 cyber-attack – which resulted in the personal information of about 10 million customers being exposed – after a judge rejected the telco’s legal privilege claim.

After the hack, the company announced in October last year that it had recruited consultancy firm Deloitte to conduct a forensic assessment of what had led to the cyber-attack.

Since then, the company has also faced an investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), and a class action case in the federal court.

Related: Optus outage: company’s offer of free data as compensation criticised as ‘hollow gesture’

As part of the class action case, law firm Slater and Gordon, acting for the applicants, had sought access to the Deloitte report that was never made public.

Optus had argued in court that the dominant purpose of the report was to assess the legal risk to the company. It claimed Deloitte’s report would assist the company’s internal and external lawyers on how to advise the company about the risks associated with the hack.

But Justice Jonathan Beach found that the company citing the Deloitte report in an October 2022 media release presented “a real problem” for Optus’s case it was for legal advice, because the release did not say the report was recommended by a lawyer or that it was for the purpose of legal advice.

He pointed to comments in the statement from Optus’s chief executive, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, who the release said recommended the review to the board, that it would “help ensure we understand how it occurred and how we can prevent it from occurring again”.

“It will help inform the response to the incident for Optus,” Rosmarin was quoted as saying in the statement.

“This may also help others in the private and public sector where sensitive data is held and risk of cyberattack exists.”

Related: Telcos could be forced to let customers roam rival networks during outages under plan Optus opposed

Beach said he would hear further orders on discovery, and indicated that while he had found the whole report not to be subject to legal privilege, that did not mean parts of the report might not be subject to legal privilege.

Orders will be made at a later date.

The report will not be made public unless it is used as evidence in the case – should it proceed – and Optus does not seek to prevent its public release.

It came as the embattled CEO faces pressure over the company’s handling of a 14-hour outage on Wednesday, that took phone and internet services offline for 10 million customers, delayed trains, disconnected call centres and hospital phone lines.

The company has not announced any independent report into the incident, but it is now subject to two government investigations and a Senate inquiry.

UK
Judge wrong to allow Met to seize journalist’s material, high court rules

Dan Sabbagh

THE GUARDIAN
Sat, 11 November 2023 

Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA

A freelance journalist has defeated an attempt by the Metropolitan police to seize protected source material, after the high court quashed an order obtained by the force as part of an Official Secrets Act investigation into alleged defence and intelligence leaks.

The high court ruled on Friday that Judge Mark Lucraft, the recorder of London, was wrong to have allowed police to obtain source material last year on the premise that information may have been stolen from the government.

Lady Justice Macur said the lower judge had made “a bold finding” that “flies in the face of binding authorities” that aim to strike a balance between the police’s right to investigate and public interest protections for sources and leakers.


Police were investigating LXP, the freelance journalist, and two crown servants, known only as X and Y. X and Y are accused of passing on sensitive national security information to LXP, who in turn sold the stories based on the material to newspapers.

Certain ministers and officials are believed to have been irritated by a stream of leaks about the government’s failure to prosecute individuals allegedly spying for China and defence procurement, although there is no proof they came from the individuals concerned. None of the three have been arrested or charged.

Dozens of officers from the police’s SO15 counter-terror unit raided the freelance journalist’s property in July 2022, seizing electronic devices and documents, and asserting that none of it enjoyed the normal legal protection for media materials.

The Met now has to decide whether to appeal against the ruling or to proceed as directed by the high court and conduct key word searches of LXP’s phone, laptop and other electronic devices in a complex process supervised by an independent counsel.

Home Office insiders said they hoped the Met would carefully consider how to proceed, suggesting they would rather see the inquiry dropped. “Press freedom should always be at the front and centre of our considerations. This looks like a concerning case and careful thought should be given to any next steps,” a government source said.

Journalist’s correspondence, notes and related material are protected in England and Wales from automatic police seizure under the 1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Officers have to apply to a judge to determine whether the material should be disclosed to investigators, according to the National Union of Journalists.

The idea is to balance the right of police to investigate with journalistic confidentiality, preventing officers from obtaining material unrelated to a criminal inquiry that could lead to other sources or leakers being identified.

Lawyers acting for LXP said “fundamental protections” applicable to journalists would have been lost if the Met won the case, partly because it is easy to assert that material leaked was stolen from the government or elsewhere.

Katie Wheatley, the head of crime, fraud and regulatory at Bindmans, said that “if the order had been upheld, vitally important legal safeguards that protect journalistic material would have been watered down”, and police could have obtained information from and about sources “no matter the public interest value”.

Met Police rebuked for raid on reporter’s home over national security stories

Robert Mendick
Fri, 10 November 2023 

The Metropolitan Police has been rebuked by a senior judge for raiding the home of a journalist as part of an investigation into a suspected breach of the Official Secrets Act.

In a significant victory for press freedom, the High Court quashed an order obtained by the police in a secret hearing that had allowed them to examine “journalistic material”.

Lawyers for the journalist, who cannot be named, said the original court order issued to police “would have ridden roughshod” over the “essential protections for journalistic material and the public interest in effective criminal investigations”.


The home and office of the freelance journalist – identified only as LXP – were raided at dawn on July 12 last year, four days after police had been granted a warrant.

The homes of two suspected sources – both of them public officials – were raided on the same day. They are accused of handing “stolen material” to the journalist.

The operation involved dozens of plainclothes Counter Terror Command Officers.

Police seized from LXP a large quantity of computer equipment and notebooks. LXP protested during the raid that, as a journalist, the materials were protected and should not be searched.
‘Journalistic protection’

Senior government sources questioned the decision by the Met to raid the journalist’s home.

The source said: “Press freedom should always be at the front and centre of our considerations. This looks like a concerning case and careful thought should be given to any next steps.”

In a long-running dispute that has cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds, a judge at an earlier hearing said documents suspected of being stolen did not enjoy legal protection from police examination.

But Lady Justice Macur, sitting in the High Court, quashed that decision following a judicial review brought by LXP. Lady Justice Macur said: “With respect to the learned judge, it is a bold finding” that “flies in the face of a line of binding authorities.”

She said the original warrant had failed to consider whether material being seized enjoyed “journalistic protection”, adding: “If the stable door is opened by the police conducting the search, the horse named ‘journalistic protection’ has already bolted, before the judge has considered where the balance of public interest lies.”

Lawyers for LXP said the High Court ruling on Friday was of “real public importance and particularly significant for the press because, had the order been upheld, fundamental protections applicable to journalistic material in English law would have been undermined”.

The Crown servants - known only as X and Y - were suspected of breaching Section 1 and Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act (1989), respectively. LXP was under investigation for a suspected breach of Section 5 of the same Act.

The initial police warrants were granted over the allegation that X and Y had passed information to LXP, the freelance journalist.
‘Safeguards would have been watered down’

Metropolitan Police denies being aware that LXP was a journalist, prior to the raid on their home and office. For some months police continued to dispute LXP’s status as a journalist but have now accepted that was the case.

Lawyers for LXP said police have not specified which stories appeared in national newspapers they believe were the result of information given to the freelance journalist.

As part of Friday’s judgment, the Met police must now hand over the devices to an independent barrister and LXP is entitled to tell the barrister which material was used for journalistic purposes.

Police will then have to argue why there is an overriding public interest which would justify them being permitted to access any journalistic materials which they wish to inspect.

Katie Wheatley, of Bindmans law firm and LXP’s solicitor, said: “Parliament has established a delicate balance between essential protections for journalistic material and the public interest in effective criminal investigations. The order obtained by the Metropolitan Police would have ridden roughshod over that balance.

“If the order had been upheld, vitally important legal safeguards that protect journalistic material would have been watered down, making it easier for police to seize or obtain journalistic material, including confidential source material, no matter the public interest value of the story.”

She said LXP had asked her to thank publicly a number of organisations that had provided support, including Telegraph Media Group.

CRIMINAL MONOPOLY CAPITALI$M
Six Nations boss ‘tried to break competition law’ before Phones 4U collapse

James Warrington
Fri, 10 November 2023 

Ronan Dunne was chief executive of O2 between 2008 and 2016 

- David Rose

The chairman of Six Nations Rugby attempted to break competition law when he ran the O2 mobile network, the High Court has found.

Ronan Dunne, who was chief executive of O2 between 2008 and 2016, sought to engage in collusion by discussing pricing strategies with a rival, a judgement handed down on Friday said.

He was criticised by Mr Justice Roth as having a “rather cavalier attitude to competition law compliance” after attempting to discuss strategy and pricing with rivals in meetings and phone calls.


The comments followed a £1bn claim against O2, EE, Vodafone, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom and Orange.

Administrators for the collapsed retailer Phones 4U alleged that the mobile operators colluded to force it out of business in 2014.

Despite finding that Mr Dunne had attempted to collude, the High Court rejected all claims of breach of competition law, as well as a separate claim against EE for breach of contract.

Phones 4U’s administrators are understood to be considering an appeal.

High street retailer Phones 4U fell into administration in 2014 - Ian West/PA

A spokesman for O2 said: “From the outset, we have strongly refuted all allegations of collusion or anti-competitive conduct in relation to the decision to let our agreements with Phones 4U expire.

“We are pleased that the court supports our position and has ruled in our favour.”

Representatives for Mr Dunne were contacted for comment.

The findings against him focused on a lunch meeting with Olaf Swantee, then chief executive of EE, at the Landmark Hotel in central London in September 2012.

Mr Swantee told the court that he had been so alarmed by Mr Dunne’s approach that he secretly recorded the meeting on his iPad, although it had later been lost.

The findings against Mr Dunne focused on a lunch meeting with Olaf Swantee, 

then chief executive of EE - Jamie Lorriman

A note made by EE’s legal team shortly after the lunch documented that the O2 boss had suggested that price discounts could be offset by reducing supply through third-party retailers such as Phones 4U.

Mr Dunne talked about making some “unilateral steps” and playing some “big cards”, according to the note.

The judge concluded that Mr Swantee had resisted the attempts at collusion and that there was therefore no breach of competition law.

The judge also branded EE “deplorable” for giving regulator Ofcom an incorrect timeline of its plan to end its contract with Phones 4U, though he added: “It is unclear whether the misleading impression given to Ofcom was deliberate or just grossly negligent.”

A spokesman for EE said: “We’re pleased that the court has dismissed all the allegations made in the Phones 4U administrators’ case. Our code of business sets out how we compete to win fairly and connect for good.

“The judgement clearly demonstrates that EE’s decision to exit Phones 4U was taken independently, and based on sound business reasoning.”

FRANCE
Le Pen ally ‘worked with mafia’ in public-housing scandal

Henry Samuel
Fri, 10 November 2023

David Rachline said he intends to file a slander complaint against 'grotesque claims' - VALERY HACHE/AFP

Marine Le Pen’s “best friend” has been accused of involvement in a cash-for-contracts corruption scandal involving a local business tycoon.

David Rachline, the National Rally party’s number three, approved tenders for public works in return for “brown envelopes” – allegedly full of cash – in his role as a mayor of Fréjus, journalist Camille Vigogne Le Coat has claimed.

Her new book Les Rapaces (The Rapacious, or Raptors) also alleges that the 35-year-old has brazenly anti-Semitic friends and that “Nazi salutes” are common at his lavish all-night private soirées, some of which she claims took place in his town hall during lockdown.

The allegations will be an embarrassment to Ms Le Pen who will join a march against anti-Semitism on Sunday alongside other party leaders in Paris.

Mr Rachline was previously the hard-Right National Front’s poster boy for his “exemplary” running of the provincial town, in the southeastern Var department. It was the biggest office under the party’s control when he took over in 2014.

Marine le Pen and David Rachline who is now reportedly 'unwelcome' at events - FRANCE KEYSER

However, the allegations – some of which surfaced in January – have reportedly turned him into persona non grata at top party events, as Ms Le Pen seeks to ride polls suggesting a rising number of French no longer see her as a xenophobic threat to France.

He has not been photographed by her side this year.

Ms Le Pen said she had “full confidence” in Mr Rachline “on principle, barring proof to the contrary”. No legal investigation has been opened into his conduct.

Mr Rachline has said he intends to file a slander complaint against “grotesque claims” from “local opponents and ousted colleagues”.
‘Mafia system in Var’

Ms Le Coat claims that his colleagues call Mr Rachline “The Christmas Tree” owing to his love of clinking luxury watches and other accoutrements.

He runs a “mafia” style system in Var with a powerful local businessman – Alexandre Barbero – who regularly hands him “brown envelopes” in return for public works contracts, she alleges. Mr Barbero has denied any wrongdoing.

Mr Rachline handed one wad of notes, the book alleges, to his former chauffeur who used it to buy a €15,000 Hublot watch that the politician regularly sports.

The mayor’s entourage has dismissed the book as based on “rumours” and point out that he was resoundingly re-elected for a second mayoral term in 2020 in the first round.

The release of the book comes amid controversy over Ms Le Pen’s announcement that she will attend a march this Sunday to protest rising anti-Semitism in France in the wake of the Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing Israeli offensive on Gaza.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, her father and Front National party founder, was repeatedly convicted of anti-Semitic hate speech and played down the scope of the Holocaust.

Credit agency Moody’s cuts outlook on US government to negative

Callum Jones in New York
Fri, 10 November 2023

Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The credit ratings agency Moody’s reduced its outlook on the US government from stable to negative, citing division in Washington DC and risks to the nation’s fiscal strength.

While Moody’s maintained the US’s current top-grade AAA rating, it raised the prospect that this may be cut.

Moody’s warned that the US’s deficits are likely to remain “very large” in the face of higher interest rates. It also cautioned that “continued political polarization” in Congress rasies the risk that governments “will not be able to reach consensus on a fiscal plan to slow the decline in debt affordability”.

The federal government is on the brink of another shutdown, with just a week left for the Republican-led House, Democratic-led Senate and Biden White House to reach a breakthrough on funding.

The Biden administration said it disagreed with the decision, which comes just three months after another major agency, Fitch, downgraded its top rating for the US. Standard & Poor’s, the other leading ratings agency, had already done so.

“In the context of higher interest rates, without effective fiscal policy measures to reduce government spending or increase revenues, Moody’s expects that the US’s fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability,” the agency said in a statement.

Wally Adeyemo, the US deputy treasury secretary, said: “While the statement by Moody’s maintains the United States’ AAA rating, we disagree with the shift to a negative outlook. The American economy remains strong, and treasury securities are the world’s pre-eminent safe and liquid asset.”

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, suggested the move was “yet another consequence of congressional Republican extremism and dysfunction”.

Why Germany’s economic miracle is facing a new reality

Larry Elliott Economics editor

YAHOO Finance
Fri, 10 November 2023 

Photograph: POPPERFOTO

Germany has come a long way in 100 years. Back in November 1923, people were trundling wheelbarrows stacked high with cash through its streets to buy a loaf of bread. Now its reputation is that of an economic powerhouse.

That episode of hyperinflation left deep scars on the nation’s psyche. Government printing presses were working flat out to produce mountains of worthless bank notes and the currency collapse was so severe a single US dollar was worth 1tn marks. “Never again” has been the mantra ever since.

Germany’s rebound from the triple shocks of the first half of the 20th century – the collapse of the currency in 1923, the Great Depression and defeat in the second world war – was remarkable. So spectacular was the recovery in the 1950s and 60s that a word was coined to describe it: Wirtschaftswunder – or economic miracle.


That economic miracle is now in trouble. Nowhere near as much as it was 100 years ago, but the war in Ukraine, slower growth in China and the retreat from globalisation have taken a toll. Germany has deeper problems too: an ageing population and an industrial model showing its age.

Evidence that Germany might just be an analogue economy struggling to make the transition to a digital age comes from the latest manufacturing data. Industrial production has fallen for five straight months and is more than 7% below its pre-pandemic levels. The International Monetary Fund expects Germany to be the weakest economy in the G7 group of leading rich nations this year, and the only one to see output fall.

Carsten Brzeski, the global head of macro at ING bank, says Germany’s problems were a mixture of the cyclical and the structural. “How much is down to each? It is impossible to disentangle but it’s both.”

After shrinking this year between July and September there was a good chance, according to Brzeski, of a similarly weak performance in the final three months of 2023. Those two consecutive quarters of contraction would leave the economy in a technical recession.

Germany has managed to find alternative sources of energy to make up for the loss of Russian gas from the Ukraine war but it has been more expensive. Energy-intensive sectors such as chemicals have been particularly hard hit.

There have been other adverse shocks. Germany’s strong export performance in the years running up to the pandemic was in part due to strong demand from China, which has now moderated. Meanwhile, its motor industry is being attacked on two fronts – from cheap Chinese electric cars, and from the incentives provided by Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act for low-carbon manufacturing to migrate to the US.

“The biggest issue was that companies did not see the need to change when times were good,” Brzeski says. “That showed a lack of foresight. The good times were going to come to an end and companies should have acted pre-emptively.”

David Marsh, the chair of the thinktank OMFIF, agrees that Germany’s problems are more than temporary: “Something structural is going on there. Many times in the past people have called time on the German economy and the German economy has always bounced back. This time it might be slightly different.”

After Angela Merkel committed to shutting down Germany’s nuclear power stations, the country became over-reliant on cheap Russian gas – ‘They put all their eggs in the Russian basket.’

 Photograph: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images

Marsh says that after Angela Merkel committed to shutting down all of Germany’s nuclear power stations in 2011 months after the Fukushima disaster in Japan, the country became over-reliant on cheap Russian gas to meet its energy needs. “They put all their eggs in the Russian basket,” he says.

Moreover, Germany’s struggles had come at a time when other eurozone countries were becoming more efficient. Marsh suggests that if Germany still had its own currency it would be falling due to the need to regain competitiveness.

“I am surprised. I thought they would have done better. There has been a failure to digitalise the economy in many ways.”

The Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank, became a symbol of the country’s postwar success. Fiercely independent, it saw its role as ensuring there would be no return to the dark days of 1923, when a postage stamp cost as much as a villa had done a few years earlier. Money in circulation, which stood at 120bn marks in 1921, reached 2,500,000,000,000,000,000 marks in October 1923 and 400,000,000,000,000,000,000 marks the following month.

Since the creation of the European Central Bank a quarter of a century ago, the Bundesbank no longer sets German interest rates or has responsibility for price stability, but its president, Joachim Nagel, remains an influential figure at home and abroad.

Speaking in London this week, Nagel admitted it was a mistake for Germany to be so dependent on Russian gas, but expressed optimism about the economy’s ability to bounce back. He said: “Some people say Germany is the sick man of Europe. I don’t believe this is the case.”

Children playing with paper money, which was rendered virtually worthless by hyperinflation. Photograph: FPG/Getty Images

As a large open economy exposed to problems in global supply chains and the slowdown in China, the current weakness had come as “no surprise” to the Bundesbank, he said. “But we are not looking at a hard landing,” Nagel said. “There is strong turnaround potential.” Businesses would rise to the challenge as they had in the past.

Brzeski said the success of reunification showed Germany could get out of tricky situations, but it wouldn’t be easy.

“It’s not just energy. It is changing global supply chains. It is the role of China. It is demographics and an ageing population. I wouldn’t underestimate the willingness of German companies to adapt and survive, but it’s going to be a long and difficult process.”

UK
Jeremy Hunt set on giving businesses £10bn tax cut in Autumn Statement

TAX CUT FOR THE 1% IS AUSTERITY FOR THE 99%

Ben Riley-Smith
Fri, 10 November 2023 

Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, publicly ruled out any tax cut that increases prices for businesses - KIRSTY O'CONNOR/HM TREASURY

Jeremy Hunt is determined to give businesses a £10 billion tax cut by extending “full expensing” at his Autumn Statement this month, The Telegraph understands.

The Chancellor believes the move would help boost long-term economic growth, one of the central aims in the package.

Full expensing allows companies to write off the cost of investments. For every £1 they invest, a firm is able to cut their taxes by up to 25p.


Extending the tax cut scheme by three years – to 2028-29 – would not be inflationary, Treasury officials have concluded, meaning it passes one of Mr Hunt’s key tests.

On Friday, the Chancellor publicly ruled out any tax cut that increases prices, arguing that halving inflation this year remains the Government’s top priority.

But that means major tax cuts for households rather than businesses are being planned for next spring rather than this autumn, so any political boost comes closer to the general election.

The challenge of avoiding recession was underscored on Friday when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there was zero economic growth between July and September.

Asked if he was ruling out tax cuts for families, Mr Hunt told Sky News: “I can rule out any tax cut that is going to fuel inflation because that would be the wrong thing to do when we are making such good progress against inflation.

“In the long run, though, what I would say is we do want to bring down the tax burden. There are no shortcuts.

“We’ve got to be smarter about the way we spend taxpayers’ money, we’ve got to reform the welfare system. Those are difficult long-term decisions that the Prime Minister and I are willing to make.”


The message pushed back against a group of vocal Tory MPs who have been calling for sizeable tax cuts this autumn to kick-start the economy and boost the party’s political fortunes.

But it left the door open to tax cuts that would not drive up prices, with the Treasury seeing inflation and affordability as the two critical limiting factors for what they can do.

A third, linked factor is electoral politics, with some Tory strategists fearing a tax giveaway this autumn would have been forgotten by voters if, as expected, the general election is held next autumn.

The Chancellor wants to keep the full expensing scheme in place until 2028-29, The Telegraph understands – the end of the five-year fiscal plan that will be mapped out in the Autumn Statement.

Doing so would cost around £10 billion a year. The final decision is yet to be taken, with new forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility still to be handed to the Treasury.

But Mr Hunt is pressing officials to make the numbers work so he can announce an expansion of the full expensing policy on Nov 22, when he delivers the Autumn Statement in the House of Commons.

Gross domestic product (GDP) – which measures the value of goods and services produced – showed no growth in the three months from July to September, the ONS said on Friday.

Some pointed to the impact of successive interest rate rises. Analysts had predicted a 0.2 per cent fall for the quarter, meaning the figure was a little better than expected.

Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow chancellor, used the lack of growth to criticise the Tories for their past tax rises, something which is a point of frustration for Conservative MPs.

Ms Reeves said: “The Conservatives now have increased taxes 25 times.

“And that means working people have got less money in their pockets. I would like taxes to be lower, but I will never make a commitment without being able to say where the money comes from.

“That is the mess the Conservatives got us in last year, with their mini-Budget that crashed the economy.”

UK

'I can't think of a better day to march for ceasefire': Why protesters are marching on Armistice Day

Sky News
Updated Fri, 10 November 2023 



"As humans we can't stand for this," says Isa Ahmed from Birmingham. "It's against human rights. It's against international law."

The 17-year-old youth worker says he is traumatised by the images he's seen on social media and that's why he will be travelling to London to take part in Saturday's march.

He said: "You see horrific images; videos of people being murdered in Palestine and Gaza.


"I feel like I need to go out there, have a voice because they've been denied their voice. They've not been able to speak out.

"The internet has been blacked out. It's a complete siege and we need to go out there and show people that, as humans, we shouldn't be standing by this."

We've heard many opinions from politicians to columnists about why people are going to the pro-Palestinian March in London, but what do the protesters themselves say?

'No more bloodshed'

Isa's brother-in-law Abdul-Rahman Ahmed, 19, also plans to attend the rally.

He said: "All we are calling for at the moment is a ceasefire. A ceasefire for Palestinians, the Israelis and ensure that there's no more bloodshed."

Many in the Jewish community feel that some of the anger during the protests has been wrongly directed at them.

Language used by some on the march has been antisemitic. The Home Secretary Suella Braverman described the protests as "a hate march".

But Abdul-Rahman said: "It's our right, regardless as to whether it's to do with Palestinian issues or whether it's to do with Black Lives Matter.

"Protest is a legal right in this country. The organisers have ensured that everyone is safe and everyone who is protesting is doing it peacefully, and my message for anyone who is going to turn up and cause trouble - it's better you just stay at home."

'A duty to turn up'

Marlon Kameka and his friend Georgia from North London will also be joining the march. Neither are Muslims but both are activists who have campaigned before for the rights of Palestinians.

Georgia said: "We are stepping into an era where a genocide can be live-streamed into our phones and the people in power who are supposed to protect us are doing nothing and the media are trying to divert public opinion away.

"So, all the people of Palestine have are ordinary people, and so we have a duty to turn up for them.

"I think (the protest) has been entirely misrepresented for political agenda, which I think is incredibly shameful."

Marlon adds: "When we've got a government and an opposition who can't say the word ceasefire, it's down to us to go out there and speak for the people who are being slaughtered."

Read more:
'Disrespectful' pro-Palestine march will go ahead on Armistice Day, PM says

Is Israel-Hamas war driving a wedge between Jewish and Muslim communities in UK

The counter argument is that this is war.

Sadly civilians die in conflict, and Israel is a population trying to defend itself, striking back, albeit with more force, against a horrific attack on 7 October where hundreds were killed and hostages taken who are still being held by Hamas.

Marlon said: "This was not started on 7 October. You have to go back and look at it in a historical context.

"And it's not a war - because in a war you have two equal powers. The Palestinian people do not have the military capacity that the Israelis do. What we need to look at is the fact that civilians are dying.

"I want us to amplify Palestinian voices, and the first thing we should be asking them is not 'do you condemn Hamas?'.

"The first thing we should ask is 'what do you want?' and I believe what they want is freedom and liberation and I believe once you get that, the violence will stop."

March to coincide with Remembrance Day

The demonstration is not planned to go near the Cenotaph. But it is coming to the capital on a weekend of reflection and mourning.

It's feared it will cause disruption to those who want to remember the sacrifices made to defend this country.

"Armistice means ceasefire," Georgia said.

"I can't think of a better day to march for ceasefire than on that day. It's poetry and it's essential we live the values that Armistice Day is supposed to represent.

"For my relatives who died in World War One and World War Two, I know they would want us to turn up to make sure we reduce conflict to save lives."

Nearly 75pc of Tory voters back Suella Braverman’s call for Armistice Day protest to be banned

Genevieve Holl-Allen
Fri, 10 November 2023 

Palestine protest

Nearly three-quarters of Tory voters back Suella Braverman in calling for Saturday’s pro-Palestine march to be banned, The Telegraph can disclose.

Exclusive polling shows that more than 72 per cent of Conservatives believe that the planned protest should not be allowed to go ahead on Armistice Day.

In contrast, just a quarter of Labour voters believe that the march should be halted.

The polling, conducted on Thursday, also suggests that only 16 per cent of those aged over 65 believe the protest should be permitted, compared with over one in four of those aged between 18 and 24.

In total, just over half of respondents believe the London march should not go ahead, compared with 26 per cent who think it should.

It comes after Mrs Braverman became embroiled in a row with the Metropolitan Police over Saturday’s planned march, urging Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to intervene.

Rishi Sunak has accepted that the protest will go ahead, but warned the Met Police chief that he would be held accountable if Remembrance events were to be disrupted.

The Prime Minister has also faced calls to sack the Home Secretary over comments she made in an article in The Times, accusing officers of “playing favourites” with Left-wing protesters.

No 10 did not sign off the final version of Mrs Braverman’s article, with her team ignoring some of the edits requested by Downing Street.

However, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said on Friday that he had “full confidence” in the Home Secretary.

The polling, conducted by Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now, also reveals a divide among young adults about whether Israel has the right to defend itself with military action in Gaza, with 25 per cent in favour and 28 per cent against.

In total, 46 per cent of all respondents believe Israel has the right to defend itself militarily.

This rises to 65 per cent among Tory voters in 2019, but falls to just over 28 per cent among Labour voters.

Meanwhile, the polling reveals that the public believes that neither Mr Sunak nor Sir Keir Starmer are handling the Israel-Gaza situation well - but the Prime Minister narrowly comes out on top.

Just 6 per cent of those surveyed believe that the Labour leader is handling the situation well, compared with 9 per cent for Mr Sunak.

Sir Keir was warned this week that he faces a dozen resignations from his front bench over his refusal to call for a ceasefire in the conflict.

Martin Baxter, the chief executive of Electoral Calculus, said: “The poll shows the public is not supportive of the pro-Palestine march in London on Saturday.

“People are also fairly supportive of Israel’s right to self-defence, which is the policy of both Conservative and Labour parties.”

The poll took place on Nov 9 and involved 2,001 British adults

Suella Braverman meets Met chief amid Tory row over protest article

Sky News
Updated Fri, 10 November 2023 



Suella Braverman has met the head of the Metropolitan Police to offer the force her "full backing" ahead of controversial pro-Palestine protests taking place this weekend.

On Wednesday, the home secretary wrote an article for The Times newspaper - which was not signed off by Number 10 - attacking the force for "playing favourites" with left wing protesters, and accusing them of "double standards".

It followed her earlier remarks describing the demonstrations as "hate marches".

Politics live: Sunak warned to 'tread carefully' over Braverman row

Ms Braverman's comments have ignited a row within the Conservative Party, with some backing the home secretary, while others are calling for her to resign or be sacked.

Numerous ministers have also distanced themselves from the remarks, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who said on Friday: "The words that she used are not words that I myself would have used."

Opposition parties also accused her of picking a fight with the police, and demanded she be ousted from the Home Office.

But Number 10 continued to say they had "confidence" in her.

Now in an apparent climb down, the minister has met with the head of the force, Sir Mark Rowley, with a source close to Ms Braverman saying she "emphasised her full backing for the police in what will be a complex and challenging situation and expressed confidence that any criminality will be dealt with robustly".

The prime minister has been under increasing pressure to take action over Ms Braverman's comments about this weekend's protests that coincide with Armistice Day.

While the pro-Palestinian march is not set to take place until almost two hours after the nation holds a two-minute silence, and is not due to go to past the Cenotaph in Whitehall, some - including the home secretary - have branded the event offensive and inappropriate.

Sir Mark was summoned to Downing Street earlier in the week to discuss policing of the march with Rishi Sunak, who vowed to hold the most senior office in the UK "accountable" for what happens on Saturday.

But, despite airing his own concerns about the protest - calling it "disrespectful" - the prime minister conceded there was "a right to peacefully protest" and the march could go ahead.

The Met chief stood by his decision to let the protest take place throughout the week, saying the "legal threshold" to stop it on security grounds "had not been met".

However, despite the statements from both Mr Sunak and Sir Mark, the home secretary took to the papers to express her anger at the force's actions - and publicly contradict her party leader.

After causing a rift within the Conservatives - brought into sharp focus by WhatsApp messages leaked to Sky News - Ms Braverman now appears to be attempting to smooth over relations with the Met.

A source close to her said: "The home secretary and the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police met this afternoon to discuss the policing of demonstrations to be held tomorrow, on Armistice Day.

"The commissioner outlined plans to continue working to maintain public order, ensure compliance with the law and maintain the safety of participants, police officers and the general public.

"The home secretary emphasised her full backing for the police in what will be a complex and challenging situation and expressed confidence that any criminality will be dealt with robustly."

Earlier on Friday, the Met released details of the "significant" operation it planned to run in London over the weekend to ensure Remembrance services are protected from disruption by both the march and any counter-protests, which some fear may be held by the far right.

The force said more than 2,000 officers will be on the streets, an exclusion zone had been set up around Whitehall - where Sunday's main Remembrance event will take place - and putting a 24-hour police presence around the Cenotaph.

In a lengthy statement, they added: "We'll be using an extensive set of powers to prevent any disruption whatsoever to Remembrance events, policing the demonstration as it passes through parts of the capital, while protecting our communities from those intent on inciting hate, violence and disorder."

Shortly before news broke of Ms Braverman's meeting, the prime minister also issued a statement saying he had been "reassured" by the police over their operation that Remembrance services would be protected.

Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman have been in contact over article critical of police but no sacking … yet

Ben Riley-Smith
Fri, 10 November 2023 

Suella Braverman, pictured on Friday, remains in post for now but some in her own party want Rishi Sunak to sack her - Eddie Mulholland

Rishi Sunak has been in touch with Suella Braverman, The Telegraph can disclose, as he considers calls to sack her after she wrote an unauthorised article accusing the police of bias.

The Prime Minister and his team are continuing to look into how edits Number 10 demanded be made to the Home Secretary’s draft piece for The Times were not included in the final version.

On Friday, Jeremy Hunt became the most senior Cabinet minister to distance himself from Mrs Braverman’s rhetoric, saying he would not have said “the words that she used”.


There were fresh Tory calls for her to go, with Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a Conservative MP, arguing that if Mrs Braverman did not agree to be less publicly critical of the police she should be moved.

But supporters on the Tory benches were also becoming more vocal, including David TC Davies, the Welsh Secretary, and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary.

A Cabinet minister told The Telegraph they believed the Prime Minister had decided against a “summary sacking” of Mrs Braverman, a position echoed by Number 10 insiders.

Amid continued speculation about if and when a cabinet reshuffle could take place, some government figures suggested it could be delayed until after Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision on the Government’s Rwanda deportation scheme.

For the second day running, Downing Street refused to publicly say whether Mr Sunak had talked to Mrs Braverman about her Times piece on the police’s handling of protests.

But The Telegraph understands that the Prime Minister has been in touch with Mrs Braverman as Number 10 tries to get to the bottom of what happened. How the PM has communicated with the Home Secretary and what exactly was discussed is unclear. By 9pm on Friday no sacking had been announced.
Row continues over article

Mrs Braverman spent a large part of Thursday in hospital by the side of a close family member who was undergoing an operation. She was at home on Friday.

The row centres on an article in The Times published online on Wednesday evening in which Mrs Braverman accused police officers of showing bias in how they handled different demonstrations.

She wrote protests must be policed “even-handedly”, adding: “Unfortunately, there is a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters.

“During Covid, why was it that lockdown objectors were given no quarter by public order police yet Black Lives Matters demonstrators were enabled, allowed to break rules and even greeted with officers taking the knee?”

The article piled pressure on the Metropolitan Police ahead of the pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day in London and came just hours after Mr Sunak had defended the right for people to protest.

It then emerged that Number 10 had demanded some lines of Mrs Braverman’s article were rewritten before publication, but the requested edits were not incorporated.

Debates about who would replace Mrs Braverman should she be moved from the Home Office by Mr Sunak are playing out in private among Tory MPs and advisers.
Potential home secretaries

Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, Oliver Dowden, the Deputy prime minister, Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, and Victoria Atkins, the financial secretary, have been named as possible successors in the speculation.

Mrs Braverman’s article and the implication on her Cabinet future has split Tory MPs, with moderates calling for a sacking and figures on the Right rallying to her side.

Mr Hunt distanced himself from the Home Secretary’s remarks. He said: “As many other Cabinet ministers have said, the words that she used are not words that I myself would have used.

“But I have a productive relationship with her as a colleague and I have always given her the money that she needs to fund the police, bring down crime and to fund the immigration and asylum system.”

He added: “The Prime Minister has said that he has full confidence in her and I have nothing further to add.”

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the 1922 Committee treasurer, said Mr Sunak should have a “very serious conversation” with Mrs Braverman to make sure she changes her behaviour or “possibly consider it is time for her to move to another job in the Cabinet”.

But Mr Davies said Mrs Braverman should stay in position because “police don’t always get it right”, adding: “I have read the article and I didn’t read it the way everyone else seems to have done.”

Sir Jacob said: “The Home Secretary has said what many people are thinking and the calls to sack her seem to be disproportionate because whether she’s broken the ministerial code or not is something of a moot point.”

UK subsidies for offshore windfarms likely to increase amid rising costs


Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent

THE GUARDIAN
Fri, 10 November 2023 

Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

The government is poised to offer higher subsidies for new offshore windfarms to avoid missing its green energy targets as developers grapple with a rise in supply chain costs.

Ministers are expected to set out within the next week a new starting price for the next subsidy auction, which is likely to offer higher levels of support to offshore wind developers.

The new auction ceiling, which is expected to be set out on Thursday, follows weeks of crisis talks between the offshore wind industry and Whitehall officials over the sector’s rising costs.


Offshore wind developers are struggling to move ahead with new projects, after costs in the sector soared by about 40% because of inflation across their supply chains and higher interest rates.

Concerns reached a peak after none of the companies hoping to build offshore windfarms in the UK took part in the government’s most recent annual clean energy auction, having repeatedly said that the maximum price the state would pay for electricity was set too low to make the projects economically viable.

Related: What went wrong at UK government’s offshore wind auction?

One industry source said: “Government officials have been really engaged with the industry since the failed auction to make sure that fiasco doesn’t happen again. They’ve really been listening.”

That auction was described as “an energy security disaster” by the Labour party, which said that the UK could miss out on billions in investment and face higher energy bills if it derails the UK’s plan to triple Britain’s offshore wind power capacity by 2030.

The industry has called on the government to lift the starting price for the auction, which awards contracts to generate renewable electricity for 15 years at a set price based on the lowest bid. There have also been calls for contracts to be longer, which would allow for a lower price.

The government started its failed auction at a price of £44 per megawatt-hour after the previous round of bidding led to record low contract prices of just over £37/MWh. Officials are preparing to announce a new starting price of between £70 and £75/MWh to reflect the industry’s higher costs, according to a report by Bloomberg.

“These figures seem speculative. We won’t be sure what the government is going to do until the plans are announced next week,” a second industry source said. “We expect to hear more on Thursday, but there is so much going on in the government that we can’t even be sure of that.”

Rising costs have triggered concerns for the global offshore wind industry. Earlier this month, the Danish wind company Ørsted cancelled two major projects off the New Jersey coast in the US. Sweden’s Vattenfall has also scrapped plans for a huge offshore windfarm off the UK’s Norfolk coast because rising costs meant it was no longer profitable.

A spokesperson for the government said its clean energy auctions were “a UK success story” and it was “committed to a successful next auction round that includes offshore wind”.

How unpredictable weather is squeezing the arteries of global trade

Melissa Lawford
Thu, 9 November 2023 

Around 5pc of all goods that are shipped around the world travel through the Panama Canal - M. Timothy O'Keefe

The Panama Canal has a water problem: there’s not enough of it

Ships travel through the canal using a system of freshwater locks. Each vessel that passes through the canal uses more than 50 million gallons of water, which comes primarily from Lake Gatun. But Lake Gatun is drying out.

“Rain last month was half what it should have been,” says Steven Paton, director of the Physical Monitoring Program at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Water levels in the lake are the lowest seen at this time of year in 98 years of data. November is the last month of rain before the dry season starts.

“As soon as the rains stop, that level is going to plummet,” says Paton, who is based in Panama.

It is not just the Panama Canal. Last year, a historic drought in the Rhine derailed European trade. Earlier this year, water levels in the Mississippi hit an all-time low.

Storms have triggered a wave of port closures across China. And wild weather in Brazil has triggered the collapse of a port on the Amazon river.

Extreme weather conditions are increasingly disrupting key shipping routes around the world, slowing global trade and pushing up prices.

In Panama, low water levels at Lake Gatun are adding millions of dollars to companies’ costs.

Before the water problems began, 38 ships passed through the canal each day. But with less water to maintain the freshwater lock system, just 24 have been allowed to pass through daily since November 7. At the current rate, the number will fall to just 16 by February.

Some ships are rerouting and taking months-long detours through the Suez Canal in Egypt, adding to fuel and crew costs.

Others are paying through the nose to get a berth on the Panama Canal. On Wednesday, Japanese oil and gas company Eneos paid a record $3.98m at auction to buy a slot. This was more than four times the typical $900,000 fee.

As well as reducing the number of ships that pass through, canal authorities have also reduced the amount that the ships can carry to maintain a minimum gap beneath the keel of the ships and the bottom of the canal.

“Some ships are already carrying 40pc less,” says David Jinks, head of consumer research at Parcel Hero.

The significance of the disruption should not be underestimated: around 5pc of all goods that are shipped around the world travel through the Panama Canal.

The delays are a particular blow for the US. Two fifths of all US container traffic travels through Panama.

“All kinds of things like clothes, toys and phones are going to be impacted just in time for Christmas,” says Jinks.

The Panama hold ups have little direct impact on the UK but there is a risk of repercussions across the global supply chain.

While the world’s inflation crisis is receding, higher shipping costs could reignite it, says Ariane Curtis of Capital Economics. During the worst of the Covid supply chain crisis, global shipping costs soared by 260pc.

This flowed into a 1.5pc increase in global consumer prices, according to Capital Economics.

For now, shipping costs on routes through Panama are still well below the levels recorded during the pandemic. However, if rates start to climb permanently this will flow into higher costs for goods, Curtis warns.

Restrictions will be a major problem for ships carrying oil and gas because they tend to book slots more last minute, unlike container ships that have predictable cargoes and can book a year in advance.

Freight rates for very large gas carriers (VLGCs) have already jumped by around 15pc since the canal authority announced restrictions on the daily number of ships in October.

Ships are increasingly travelling through Suez. However, detours are adding 30 days to the journey times for ships carrying gas and an extra third to their costs.

Heavy reliance on Suez comes with its own risks as the 2021 blockage of the waterway by the Ever Given container ship showed.

On the Mississippi River in the US, water levels have also hit historic lows. Recent storms have somewhat replenished it but supply chains that rely on the river are not running at full efficiency.

“This is driving up costs for everyone involved,” says Peyton Coker, operations manager at Braemar. “Barges are not able to carry their full capacity and trips are taking longer due to delays and bottle-necking.”

It is a similar story in Brazil, where the Amazon and its tributaries have not only been hit by a major drought but also smoke from fires around Manaus that have made the river harder to navigate.

Transport of goods in and out of Manaus, a city of 2 million people, has been suspended and is not expected to resume at reduced capacity until mid-November.

Knock-on effects have been significant: the extended dry period means part of the port in Itacoatiara in the Amazonas has collapsed.


Back in Europe, a drought in the Rhine meant freight on Europe’s inland waterways slumped to the lowest level in 12 years in 2022.

All these crises trace their roots back to the changing climate. The world is getting hotter, which is making weather more unpredictable and extreme. A month’s worth of rain can fall in a day, followed by weeks of drought.

“The very short answer is any extreme weather anywhere has the potential to interrupt the supply chain,” says Matthew Wilmshurst, partner at Holman Fenwick Willan law firm.

“If we get more examples of extreme weather, then there will be more supply chain disruption.”

Perhaps counterintuitively, flooding is also likely to become a bigger problem as well as rivers running dry, says Wilmshurst. Last year in Durban, South Africa, countless shipping containers were washed away from storage facilities after the region recorded its heaviest rainfall in 60 years.

Back in Panama, “this is now our third extreme water deficit in the last 25 years,” Paton says. “That is a huge red flag. It is very worrying that something may be altering rainfall patterns.”

As well as more frequent water shortages, Panama is experiencing more storms. The region has had eight of the 10 biggest storms in its history over the last quarter century.

“That is wholly consistent with climate change,” says Paton.

Air temperatures are rising, which in turn increases evaporation from the lake.

“It’s a worst case scenario for what you don’t want to happen if you want to use water.”

Solutions are tricky. The Panama Canal watershed also provides more than half of the country’s drinking water, and the population is growing fast. Using seawater in the canal is not an option because that would mean mixing two ocean ecosystems.

“It would be a total ecological disaster,” says Paton.

In the meantime, companies are scrambling to adapt and overcome.

“This may be the new normal,” says Coker.

UK supermarkets ‘selling canned tuna caught by harmful fishing method’

Rebecca Speare-Cole, PA sustainability reporter
Thu, 9 November 2023 




Almost all major UK supermarkets are selling canned tuna that could have been caught using a harmful fishing method, according to campaigners.

The Blue Marine Foundation, alongside environmental groups Bloom and Greenpeace UK, carried out a six-month investigation into fishing practices and policies in supermarket supply chains.

They found huge disparities between the sourcing policies of their own-label canned tuna and the brand-name tuna they sell.


Most supermarkets were found to be selling tuna caught using drifting aggregating devices (FAD) – a type of trackable fishing gear that drifts freely around the ocean, gathering tuna beneath them.

But FADs are controversial as they catch tuna juveniles before they have had the chance to breed, leading to overfishing, as well as endangered, threatened and protected species.

The devices have also been known to drift through marine protected areas and other countries’ exclusive economic zones while the gear is often discarded or lost in the sea, causing plastic pollution and ecological damage.

The environmental groups said Marks and Spencer was the only one of the top 10 supermarkets who could demonstrate that none of the canned tuna sold in its stores was caught using this method.

Several other retailers including the Co-op, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons all have tuna sourcing policies that clearly prohibit the use of drifting FADs.

However, this includes only their own-label products with all four supermarkets also found to be selling brand-name tuna such as John West and Princes.

The groups claim these brands source tuna from fleets that use drifting FADs in the Indian Ocean.

The investigators found Iceland sells only the brand-name tuna.

Meanwhile, several other retailers, including Tesco and Aldi, reference the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in their own-label sourcing policy.

However, the group said this does not guarantee that drifting FADS were not used, citing a recent report from Bloom that found more than half of the tuna certified as sustainable by the MSC comes from fisheries that rely on FADs.

The three organisations are calling on UK retailers to stop selling tropical tuna caught around drifting FADs in the Indian Ocean by not entering into any new supply agreements for tuna caught in this way.

They urged the retailers to extend this policy to both own-label tuna and brand-name tuna products.

Jess Rattle, head of investigations at Blue Marine Foundation and the author of the report, said: “Drifting FADs are a scourge that do untold damage to fragile marine habitats and important tuna stocks.

“UK retailers are well aware of this – many of them acknowledge how harmful drifting FADs are in their own-label sourcing policies, but then turn a blind eye to the tins of brand-name, FAD-caught tuna on their shelves.

“UK consumers deserve better, and we call on retailers to stop selling tuna caught using drifting FADs by not entering into any new supply agreements for tuna caught in this way.

“This is especially urgent in the Indian Ocean where governments representing commercial fleets choose to object to drifting FAD management measures put in place to protect overfished stocks”.

A Waitrose spokesperson said: “All our canned own-label tuna is pole-and-line caught and MSC certified, helping preserve fish stocks for future generations. We only stock brands that use the pole-and-line method or are MSC certified.”

A Tesco spokesperson said: “None of our own brand tuna is sourced from the Indian Ocean and we do not source any of the tuna for our own brand products using Fish Aggregating Devices. We continue to advocate for robust management at RMFO level through our industry partnerships.

“We are committed to promoting the sustainable management of marine fisheries and aquaculture, in order to ensure future generations of customers can enjoy seafood in the way we do today. We are members of the Global Tuna Alliance and also work in partnership with NGOs such as WWF, and our suppliers to ensure we are a trusted voice in marine sustainability.”

David McDiarmid, corporate relations director at Princes, said: “Princes sources tuna from purse seine – with and without FADs – and pole and line methods, and supports conservation measures taken by RFMOs to improve FAD management, monitoring and the sustainability of tuna stocks, based on scientific advice.

“Princes has committed to 100% Marine Stewardship Council certified tuna by the end of 2025. The MSC is the only wild-capture fisheries certification and ecolabelling program that meets best practice requirements set by both the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) and ISEAL, the global membership association for sustainability standards.”

The PA news agency has contacted Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi and Thai Group – owner of John West – for comment.