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Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Araimi, 26, was attacked in KnightsbridgeAn Omani student has been named as one of three young men killed in a series of unrelated stabbings in London in a little over 12 hours.Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Araimi, 26, was was stabbed in a suspected robbery near Harrods in Knightsbridge, west London, as he and a friend made their way home from a nearby restaurant late on Thursday evening. Continue reading...

Photographer Judah Passow has documented those were affected by the Bhopal disaster 35 years ago, which killed an estimated 25,000 people ad has left more than 150,000 suffering from chronic medical conditionsJudah Passow has waived his fee for this work. Contributions to the Bhopal Medical Appeal can be made at www.bhopal.org Continue reading...

Sharks, tuna, marlin and other large fish at risk from spread of ‘dead zones’, say scientistsOxygen in the oceans is being lost at an unprecedented rate, with “dead zones” proliferating and hundreds more areas showing oxygen dangerously depleted, as a result of the climate emergency and intensive farming, experts have warned.Sharks, tuna, marlin and other large fish species were at particular risk, scientists said, with many vital ecosystems in danger of collapse. Dead zones – where oxygen is effectively absent – have quadrupled in extent in the last half-century, and there are also at least 700 areas where oxygen is at dangerously low levels, up from 45 when research was undertaken in the 1960s. Continue reading...

The relationship between the Queen’s son and the late wealthy sex offender may have been closer than previously realisedAnalysis of legal papers, 20 years of newspaper reports and Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs shows that the deceased financier and convicted sex offender’s friendship with Prince Andrew may have been closer than formerly realised.Related: Photos contradict Trump's claim not to know Prince Andrew Continue reading...

Woman suffered 95% burns in latest case of violence against women to cause public outrageA 23-year-old rape victim who was set on fire by a gang of men, which included her alleged rapist, has died in a New Delhi hospital, the doctor treating her said.The woman was on her way to board a train in Unnao district of northern Uttar Pradesh state to attend a court hearing on Thursday over her rape when she was doused with kerosene and set on fire, according to police. Continue reading...

The Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013. Can the Democrats’ new bill revive it in time?On Friday the House of Representatives showed the country that it will not tolerate racial discrimination at the polls. It passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bill that would restore the 1965 Voting Rights Act to its full strength. Our country needs that reform and others to make the 2020 election free and fair for all.Since its founding, America has moved slowly towards granting suffrage to more and more Americans, bringing more people into the electoral process. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been instrumental to that progress. But in 2013 the supreme court dramatically weakened that law. Continue reading...

Officials call for global targets on protection of land, oceans and wildlife to be subject to Paris-style legal frameworkIf humanity wants to reverse the widespread destruction of the natural world, biodiversity needs legal protection like the Paris agreement on climate change, members of the European parliament have said.Action to halt biodiversity decline is based on voluntary commitments but, less than a year before a crucial UN biodiversity conference in China, MEPs pointed to the destruction of precious ecosystems and the more than 1m species facing extinction as evidence that the approach is failing. Continue reading...

Pontiff had been urged to cancel after Joseph Muscat quit in crisis over journalist’s murderThe Vatican has stressed Pope Francis’s commitment to press freedom before a meeting between the pontiff and the Maltese prime minister, Joseph Muscat.The private meeting is due to go ahead despite calls in Malta for the pope to cancel it amid a political crisis triggered by the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Continue reading...

Minister says Labour proposal to enfranchise 2m EU nationals would be ‘assault on democracy’

Rowland ‘Boon’ Gould had a long history of mental health issues, doctor told inquestA founding member of the pop band Level 42 who quit the music industry because of mental health issues and moved to Devon took his own life, a coroner has concluded.Guitarist Rowland “Boon” Gould, 64, was found dead at a friend’s home in Uffculme, Devon, on 30 April this year. Continue reading...

How many more years will it take trade union leaders to finally get it? asks Jonathan HarrisHow many more years will it take trade union leaders to finally get it? As John Harris’s perceptive article shows, for most voters they are an irrelevance (The ‘red wall’ is looking shaky. But the rot set in decades ago, Journal, 2 December). For many others who still remember the bad old days before Thatcher, they remain a ball and chain round Labour’s neck.Yet in the last few days before the most important general election in decades, the RMT has decided to press ahead with its own parochial strike (Rail users face months of chaos as South Western guards begin strike action, 2 December). Continue reading...

Macron’s proposed retirement reforms are his latest attempt to erode the safety net. Tomorrow the people are fighting backIt’s shaping up to be one of France’s biggest strikes in recent memory. Responding to calls from unions to protest against the government’s proposed retirement reforms, an impressive swath of the workforce plans to walk off the job tomorrow – everyone from railway workers and truckers to judges, nurses, teachers and students.While it has yet to introduce legislation, Emmanuel Macron’s government has floated a proposal that would mark the deepest overhaul of France’s pension system since its creation in the aftermath of the second world war. This would effectively hike the earliest age at which one can collect so-called full retirement benefits from 62 to 64, overhaul the formula for calculating benefits and merge the country’s 42 existing pension schemes into a single regime – all in all, resulting in likely benefit cuts for millions. Authorities have defended their ambitions with the language of French republicanism, vowing to forge a “universal system” in which everyone is treated equally. But what they neglect to mention is that the new standard would be worse than today’s. Continue reading...

Squabbling, a spreading focus and Trump raise doubts about the effectiveness of the allianceSeventy years after Nato was founded – to protect western Europe from Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union – the military alliance returned this week to its first home in London to discuss an increasingly sprawling set of goals while bickering leaders competed to see who could offer the most contentious soundbite.Normally this is an arena that would be dominated by Donald Trump, although this time he was somewhat upstaged by Emmanuel Macron, whose pre-summit declaration that the organisation had become “brain dead” obliged Trump to describe his French counterpart’s comments as “very, very nasty”. Continue reading...

German company allowed to use words ‘aceto balsamico’ to market its vinegar productsItalian producers of balsamic vinegar have lost a legal challenge at the EU’s top court to prevent a German company from using the names “aceto” or “aceto balsamico” to market its vinegar products.The Consortium for Balsamic Vinegar of Modena sued the company, Balema, on the premise that it had violated the use of the geographical food designation term aceto balsamico di Modena (balsamic vinegar of Modena), which has been in place since 2009 and can only be used by producers in Modena, in the Emilia Romagna region. Continue reading...

Emissions reduction minister declines to say whether he has given download logs to Strike Force GarradThe embattled emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, says he has established “an administrative point of contact” with the New South Wales police, but has declined to say whether he has handed over relevant metadata and download logs to Strike Force Garrad.Taylor told parliament on Wednesday he had not yet been interviewed by detectives investigating a doctored City of Sydney council document but on Wednesday reported his office had established an administrative point of contact with the NSW police. Continue reading...

Attacker’s relatives express condolences to victims’ families as porter tells how he and others tried to stop KhanThe family of the Fishmongers’ Hall attacker, Usman Khan, have said they are “shocked and saddened” by the atrocity and “totally condemn” his actions.In a short statement issued through the Metropolitan police, they expressed their condolences to the two victims who died and those who were injured in the violence on Friday. Continue reading...

From the shanty towns of Khlong Toei to the hidden parts of Chinatown, Cody Ellingham walked Thailand’s capital every night for five weeks to photograph the city for his book Bangkok Phosphors

Exiled Somali Kamil Ahmed says her job at Gargaar FM is more important than ever as the threat of closure hangs over the campSitting in a small shipping container, Kamil Ahmed, 20, prepares to begin her live radio show.“I feel like the whole community is waiting for me,” the only female reporter at the station says, flicking through her notebook. Continue reading...

‘Cruel, heartless’ move provokes outrage from refugees, Greens and Labor as deal described as ‘dark day’ for Australia. Plus Nationals under pressure over Murray-Darling basin plan. Follow all the day’s political news live6.01am GMTGPs have slammed the government’s repeal of medevac laws, saying it will increase the risk of further deaths and compromise patient care.The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners refugee health network chair, Kate Walker, said the heads of 12 prominent medical colleges are united in their support for medevac for “good reason”.Without medevac, the government must take urgent action to ensure patient safety. They must be transparent in their processes and accept medical advice. Australia has a duty of care for those most vulnerable who remain offshore. Border protection is important but so is our duty of care to the health and safety of those in offshore detention.5.56am GMTGreens senator Richard Di Natale has welcomed news that Behrouz Boochani has applied for asylum in New Zealand. We’ve known for some time that this was likely.Breaking: Behrouz Boochani has applied for asylum in New Zealand, @jacksonw____ understands. He has the exclusive story on Sky now.We wish him all the best, we hope that he’s able to put this trauma behind him. Most people don’t.On behalf of the many decent Australians, we are so sorry for what Behrouz has had to endure. Continue reading...

Only a P2 mask sold in hardware stores is effective against PM2.5 particles. Those with health issues should stay indoors and limit exposure

More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, say officials, after Typhoon Kammuri slammed into the central Philippines.The typhoon, the country's 20th this year, brought winds of up to 124mph (200km/h) and caused flooding and landslides. Hundreds of flights at Manila's Ninoy Aquino airport were cancelled. At least three people are reported to have been killed

Police say cyclist was in collision with white van, whose driver fled the sceneA heavily pregnant woman has been seriously injured in an apparent hit-and-run in Leicester.Emergency services were called to a collision between a vehicle and a cyclist on Aylestone Road, near the junction with Park Hill Drive, at about 9.30pm on Monday, Leicestershire police said in a statement. Continue reading...

With rape and domestic abuse endemic in the lawless refugee camp, safe spaces have been set up to help the women affectedIn a small, dark hut within the world’s largest refugee settlement, a fan hums quietly as Faizal speaks. He says that last month his 12-year-old sister was raped here in their home. The little girl sits in silence beside him wearing a pink headscarf and red dress.Rape is endemic in the camp in Cox’s Bazar. Although the exact number of victims is unknown, many Rohingya women who experienced rape and torture fleeing Myanmar report facing sexual violence again in their new home. Continue reading...

Former prime minister says he was ‘visiting a friend’ but refused to confirm exactly who he sawThe former prime minister Tony Abbott has been filmed leaving the Melbourne prison where the convicted paedophile Cardinal George Pell is being held, with the former Coalition leader saying he was there “visiting a friend”.Abbott was filmed leaving the Melbourne Assessment Prison on Monday morning by a Seven News crew, but refused to confirm exactly who in the jail he was visiting. Continue reading...

The car left the road, rolled and and hit trees around 60kms west of Jabiru on Monday morningFive people have been killed after a car left the road, rolled and hit trees on the Arnhem Highway in the Northern Territory.The crash occurred about 60 kilometres west of Jabiru on Monday morning. Continue reading...

With commuters across south-west England facing an entire month of travel disruption, we’d like to hear your experiences

Ministry claims change will ‘protect the legitimate rights and interest of citizens in cyberspace’ but critics say it’s dystopianAll mobile phone users in China registering new SIM cards must submit to facial recognition scans, according to a new rule that went into effect across the country on Sunday.The guidelines, first issued in September, require telecoms companies to deploy “artificial intelligence and other technical methods” to check the identities of people registering SIM cards. All physical stores in the country have had until 1 December to begin implementing the new standards. Continue reading...

Faroese art provocateurs want to use canvas of Tal R’s Paris Chic as raw materialA court in Denmark will rule on Monday on whether to prohibit a pair of Faroese art provocateurs from destroying a painting by the Danish artist Tal R and using pieces of the canvas as decorative faces for a line of luxury wristwatches.Dann Thorleifsson and Arne Leivsgard, who five years ago founded the Kanske watch brand, bought Paris Chic, one of Tal R’s brightly coloured Sexshops series, for £70,000 at the Victoria Miro gallery in London in August. Continue reading...

Three emergency workers killed in Marseille while two men died in the French RivieraThree emergency workers were killed in a helicopter crash near Marseille while on a rescue mission in southern France where floods have left two dead, officials have said.Their EC145 helicopter lost radio and radar contact while on a rescue and reconnaissance flight in the Var region on Sunday night. Continue reading...

Video footage shows a puppy jumping when it hears a sonic boom that shook London at 4am. The dog, named Poppy, was sleeping when it heard the loud bang, caused by RAF fighter jets going supersonic. Sonic booms generate huge amounts of energy, which to the human ear can resemble an explosion.

The Westpac scandal highlights the problems Australian institutions have with detecting and reporting dodgy transactionsWestpac’s money laundering and child exploitation crisis has rocked the bank and thrown harsh light on the behaviour of the rest of the financial services sector.It’s also raised questions about why Australia lags in enforcing rules about monitoring potentially dodgy transactions. Continue reading...

Former Cambridge student was killed along with Jack Merritt, 25, in attack on FridayThe second victim of the London Bridge terror attack has been named by the Metropolitan police as Saskia Jones, 23, a former Cambridge University student from Stratford-upon-Avon.Her family paid tribute to her on Sunday as a “funny, kind, positive influence at the centre of many people’s lives”. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson visits scene and says system of automatic early release isn’t working

MP Yvette Cooper asked why Usman Khan was freed despite being deemed dangerous

Choristers, shoppers and traders not put off area targeted by terrorism for second time

London Bridge attacker was out of jail on licence after serving time over al-Qaida inspired plot with eight othersUsman Khan, the suspect shot dead in the 30 November 2019 terror attack near London Bridge, had been released from jail after being convicted of terror offences, including plotting to attack the London Stock Exchange in 2010.Khan was part of a gang of nine extremists from Stoke-on-Trent, Cardiff and London who were sentenced in February 2012 at Woolwich crown court. He had planned to establish a “terrorist military training facility” on land owned by his family in Kashmir, according to sentencing remarks. Continue reading...

When Taylor entered parliament six years ago, a glittering future seemed assured. Now, things look very differentWhen Angus Taylor was elected to federal parliament in 2013 he was feted as a man to watch, a prime minister-in-waiting.However, predicting who will thrive in the mercurial world of politics is fraught with danger. Ego, self-promotion, the ability to woo colleagues and a talent for the 10-second grab can prove far more decisive than intellect or a glittering CV, and Taylor has struggled to stand out from the pack of ambitious men (and a few women) in their 40s in the Liberal party. Continue reading...

Beneath the surface of the $10 million Reefworld Pontoon lie Australia’s first undersea hotel roomsFor $799 a night, tourists now have the opportunity to live out a Finding Nemo dream or a Dead Calm nightmare on the Great Barrier Reef.From 1 December, Reefsuites, a pair of underwater hotel rooms, will open to visitors. Continue reading...

Tenor says Spaniards are ‘warm, affectionate and loving’ in interview with Spanish online newspaperThe opera star Plácido Domingo has said accusations against him of sexual harassment in the US have been “a nightmare”.Speaking to the Spanish online newspaper El Confidencial, he denied the allegations, saying Spaniards are naturally “warm, affectionate and loving”, adding that he has always been “gallant”, but saying “gallant gestures are viewed differently nowadays”. Continue reading...

Activists welcome passing of key demands of protest movement that toppled BashirActivists in Sudan have welcomed a decision by the transitional government to dissolve the former ruling party and repeal a public order law used to regulate women’s behaviour under the former president Omar al-Bashir.Bashir has been in detention since being forced from power in April, when security forces withdrew their support for his regime after months of protests in which more than 100 people were killed. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson replaced by ice sculpture at climate debate … US donors influencing UK politics revealed … families voice fury at Hillsborough verdictGood morning. It’s been a dramatic 12 hours in politics-land after ice sculpture-gate caused some embarrassment for the Tories and led to them threatening Channel 4’s right to broadcast. We’ll also bring you the best of the rest of the news, and you can follow our rolling political coverage here. Continue reading...

Former PM shared world stage with Reagan and Thatcher but failed in his push to change country’s pacifist constitution

Over tea and tequila, the actor and the rock star discuss making Motherless Brooklyn, the dark forces behind Trump – and why Yorke was too messed up to score Fight Club

Customer asks for English translation about one of the national carrier’s airport loungesAir New Zealand has engaged in a provocative Twitter exchange with a customer who was disgruntled with the company’s use of te reo Māori.Māori is one of New Zealand’s three official languages and currently experiencing a revival in popularity and usage, with long waiting lists for te reo classes around the country. Continue reading...

Dresden white diamond worth £9m among items taken in raid by axe-wielding thieves

The European parliament has declared a 'climate and environmental emergency' in a symbolic moment when they promised to urge member states to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and push the climate crisis to the top of the EU’s agenda.The parliament voted 429-225 with 19 abstentions to using the term 'emergency'. Ursula von der Leyen, the incoming president of the European commission, declared this week that the EU would lead the fight against 'the existential threat' of the climate crisis

Numbers are lower than before EU8 countries such as Poland and Lithuania joined blocNet migration from the EU into the UK is at its lowest level since before the bloc was enlarged to take in countries including Poland and Lithuania, figures suggest.The difference between EU nationals arriving and leaving in the year ending June 2019 was 48,000, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show, the lowest level since 2003, when it was 15,000 and before the so-called EU8 countries joining the union: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Portrait of a Man (Léal Souvenir) will be among star items in Ghent exhibitionThe National Gallery in London is to make an exceptional loan of a painting by Jan van Eyck to a one-off exhibition celebrating the 15th-century Flemish master.Portrait of a Man (Léal Souvenir), one of the earliest dated works by the painter, will be among the star exhibits in Van Eyck – an Optical Revolution, which will open at the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) in Ghent, Belgium, in February. It will be the largest ever showing of Van Eyck’s works and probably the last major exhibition of its kind, curators said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: prime minister made comment on people’s ‘interest in money’ in a Spectator column