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Brexit: EU prepares to grant UK three-month extension Exclusive: UK will have option to leave earlier if deal is ratified, leaked draft showsThe EU is preparing to sign off on a Brexit extension to 31 January 2020 with an option for the UK to leave earlier if a deal is ratified, according to a leaked draft of the agreement seen by the Guardian.Despite objections raised by the French government, a paper to be agreed on Monday circulated among member states suggests the EU will accede to the UK’s request for a further delay. Continue reading... Go to Source

Gender pay gap at its widest for women in their 50s, study reveals Rest Less analysis shows the average salary of women over 50 is 28% lower than men’sThe gender pay gap is at its most extreme for women in their 50s, new research has revealed, with women’s average salaries at that age being 28% – or £12,509 – lower than men’s.Women’s salaries drop by 8% in their 50s while men’s drop by 4% the analysis, based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also revealed. The discrepancy falls very slightly over the next decade but continues at 27.6% to retirement age. Continue reading... Go to Source

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in US raid, Trump confirms Isis leader ‘died like a dog’ in special forces raid on his Syrian safehouse, says presidentIsis leader killed – rolling updates and reactionThe Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in a raid by US special forces on his Syrian safehouse, Donald Trump announced on Sunday, ending a years-long manhunt for one of the world’s most wanted terrorists.Trump said the “impeccable” two-hour operation was conducted on Saturday night in the province of Idlib, one of the last areas of the country still outside Syrian regime control, and that US officials had confirmed Baghdadi, 48, was among those killed. Continue reading... Go to Source

Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese families fear for missing loved ones Relatives in Nghe An province, where 35 of the 39 dead are believed to be from, await worst news of allThe last time that Le Minh Tuan spoke to his son Le Van Ha, it was in a brief phonecall. “I have made it to France,” Ha told his father on Monday, “and I am about to get in a car to England.”It had been a long journey for Ha since he left his small farming community of Yen Hoi, in Vietnam’s Nghe An province, in July, in search of better prospects. He had flown first to Ho Chi Minh City, then travelled to Malaysia, then Turkey, then Greece and finally to France. Continue reading... Go to Source

No 10 to explore other routes towards election after Lib Dem proposal Downing Street hints at bill-based path if MPs do not back election motion on MondayThe government could try to force a pre-Christmas election via a simple majority for a parliamentary bill, Downing Street has said, following a Liberal Democrat-devised plan to try to end the House of Commons impasse.While ministers have dismissed a Lib Dem-Scottish National party idea to bring about an election on 9 December by amending the Fixed-term Parliaments Act as a “gimmick”, a Downing Street source said Boris Johnson’s government could consider a similar bill-based route. Continue reading... Go to Source

Oktoberfest 'produces 10 times as much methane as the city of Boston' First analysis of the environmental impact of the Munich festival reveals emissions costFor the millions of people who descend on Munich for the annual booze-drenched bash, Oktoberfest is a celebration of beer, bands and bratwurst.But as the dust settles for another year on the world’s largest folk festival, and die Bierleichen return to the land of the living, environmental scientists have released the first analysis of methane emissions from the 16-day party. Continue reading... Go to Source

Police investigating 'Kill Gina Miller' crowdfunding page Website apologises to anti-Brexit activist over page trying to raise money for hitmanPolice are investigating a crowdfunding page that advocated killing the anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller.The page, which has been on the GoFundMe website since April, sought to raise £10,000 for a hitman to kill Miller, but did not raise any money before it was taken down. Continue reading... Go to Source