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

UN agency says fall in vaccination rates has paved way for ‘huge outbreak’ in Pacific island nationA measles epidemic in Samoa has killed 39 people, with the World Health Organization (WHO) blaming an anti-vaccine messaging campaign for leaving the Pacific island nation vulnerable to the spread of the virus.The UN health agency warned that a steep decline in vaccination rates in Samoa had paved the way for a “huge outbreak”, with almost 3,000 in a country of just 200,000 people. Continue reading...

Thousands of people, including survivors of torture and trafficking, likely to be entitled to compensationThe Home Office “falsely imprisoned” many asylum seekers who are now entitled to damages for their loss of liberty at the hands of the government, five supreme court judges have ruled.Thousands of asylum seekers are likely to be affected, many survivors of torture, trafficking and other forms of persecution. Their compensation could run into millions of pounds. Continue reading...

27 November 1961: The museum curator attempts to salvage parts of the city’s old shops and houses before bulldozers get to themThe curator of York Castle museum, Mr R. Patterson, has yet to be beaten in his races against bulldozers when the slums of York are being demolished. Sometimes, perhaps, the bulldozer is there at about the same time – but not before he has snatched the frontage of a shop or other material to be used in the reconstruction at the museum of a Victorian-Edwardian street.Related: From the archive: York citizens' theatre saved by public effort Continue reading...

Marc Veyrat sues institution for inspector’s notes on why his restaurant lost its third starIt began with the alleged snubbing of a cheese soufflé and turned into one of the most vicious battles in French restaurant criticism.The row between the celebrity French chef Marc Veyrat and the Michelin guide will go before a French court on Wednesday as the chef tries to force inspectors to hand over their confidential judging notes to explain why his restaurant in the French Alps was stripped of its coveted third star. Continue reading...

The 19-year-old allegedly lit fires on the south coast, left the area and then returned to fight themA teen volunteer with the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales has been charged after allegedly lighting seven fires in the Bega Valley area.The volunteer firefighter, 19, allegedly lit a fire on Tuesday afternoon next to the Bega river, left the area and returned to fight the fire for the RFS. Continue reading...

Winnie Byanyima says known cases of sexual harassment were ‘tip of the iceberg’ as she pledges to restore trust in organisationThe new head of scandal-hit UNAids has vowed to transform the agency’s culture to safeguard staff not only from sexual harassment – which she called “the tip of the iceberg” – but any abuse of power by those at the top.Winnie Byanyima said she would draw on lessons learned following allegations of sexual misconduct at Oxfam, of which she was international executive director until earlier this year, to address problems at the UN agency. Continue reading...

Guide will not rate Tokyo’s Sukiyabashi Jiro as it is no longer open to the general publicThe world’s best sushi restaurant has been stripped of its three Michelin stars.But the decision, announced in Tokyo on Tuesday, has nothing to do with the quality of its tuna belly or the consistency of its vinegared rice. It’s because it is no longer open to the general public. Continue reading...

Gifs depicting the much-loved character from the Mandalorian vanished, but were later reinstatedMeme and image-hosting site Giphy has apologised to Disney after pulling – and then reinstating – all gifs of The Mandalorian character nicknamed Baby Yoda from the internet this week.The character from the new Disney+ flagship streaming series and Star Wars spin-off has been evoking the increasingly fervent love of the internet since the show’s US premiere on 12 November. Continue reading...

Thirty-six-year-old arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic peopleA 36-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people in a lorry trailer found in Grays, Essex.The man, from Purfleet in the same county, was arrested on Monday morning at a property in Dalston, east London, Essex police said. He was also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. He remains in custody for questioning. Continue reading...

Showcase reverses decision after it and Vue faced claims of overreaction to clashTwo leading cinema chains have faced a backlash over their decision to withdraw a film about warring gangs after a mass brawl involving teenagers armed with machetes in Birmingham.West Midlands police is investigating what sparked the fight involving up to 100 young people but said it was “not jumping to any conclusions” or formally connecting it to the film, Blue Story. Continue reading...

The broadcaster cut out laughter during leaders’ debate on Question Time in later news bulletin clipThe BBC has claimed it made a “mistake” in editing a clip where it cut out an audience laughing at Boris Johnson, insisting the decision was made due to time constraints rather than political bias.In the Question Time leaders’ debate special, broadcast on BBC One on Friday night, an audience member asked the prime minister: “How important is it for someone in your position of power to always tell the truth?” Continue reading...

A day after Johnson launched the Tory manifesto, the Lib Dems have questioned whether he can be trusted. Keep up with the latest

Met police launched hate crime investigation after symbol found in Edmonton baseA suspected far-right sympathiser is feared at large in the Metropolitan police, having got away with scrawling a swastika in a secure area of a police station, the Guardian has learned.The hate crime was not made public by Britain’s largest force at the time and the culprit has not been caught. Continue reading...

Aged-care package ‘falls well short’ of what is required, Labor says; Morrison responds to Chinese spy plot allegations; and Jacqui Lambie ‘not supporting a repeal’ of medevac, Rex Patrick says. All the day’s events, live6.00am GMTI am shocked, SHOCKED* at this newsMy Health Record failed to manage cybersecurity and privacy risks, audit finds https://t.co/TBcFWMrJVM5.56am GMTThe latest family law inquiry is underway - but a Greens motion has just passed the Senate calling on it to be halted until the government can guarantee women who give evidence will have protections.That is because Pauline Hanson, the deputy chair, has already made her views known - asserting many women were “liars” in the court, in order to get custody. Continue reading...

Monday: Leaked Communist party documents reveal vast prison network detaining a million of China’s Muslim minorities. Plus: Full Story on Angus TaylorGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 25 November. Continue reading...

Documents confirm largest mass incarceration of an ethnic-religious minority since second world war

Excerpts from a 2017 ‘telegram’ from Zhu Hailun, the top security official for Xinjiang

Johnson says Tories will introduce 20,000 more police officers alongside tougher sentencing. Keep up with all the latest news

More voters than ever before think they may change their minds before polling dayWe are halfway through the election campaign and the Conservatives lead Labour by roughly 10-12 points. The lessons learned from the 2017 fiasco have been applied, and a more disciplined and focused campaign has produced a lead at half-time which is … exactly the same as the lead Theresa May held at the same point last time. Yet half-time in this race feels very different to the 2017 midpoint. What has changed?Trajectories matter. In 2017, May’s was already firmly downward – a lead that peaked at over 20 points soon after the election was called had already been cut in half by this point. A botched manifesto launch, arguments over the “dementia tax” social care proposals and May’s poor performances on the campaign trail had combined to produce a sense of crisis. Conservative polling this time has followed a gentle upward trajectory, like a well-executed jumbo jet takeoff. The campaign has featured the usual smattering of gaffes, wobbles and awkward encounters with angry voters, but nothing serious enough to blow things off course (yet). Continue reading...

Priti Patel’s resistance to bringing back the British orphans is not only wrong but it could create a security threat in the futureWhat is Priti Patel so afraid of? Is it British children orphaned during the conflict with Islamic State who want to return home? Or is she scared that fellow rightwing Tories may accuse her of being “soft” on terrorism? The home secretary says the stranded children, about 60 in total, pose “security concerns”. As the Observer reported last week, Patel and her predecessor, Sajid Javid, helped block a rescue plan that could have ended their ordeal.Thanks to the intervention of a Birmingham judge and a welcome show of compassion by the Foreign Office, the barrier to returnees erected by Patel was partially breached last week. A handful of orphans, apparently all from the same family, were allowed back into the country anonymously after a British diplomat travelled to meet the Kurdish officials holding them. Their parents, who took them to Syria in 2015 and later died, reportedly had links to Isis. Continue reading...

Relatives and councils offer sanctuary to get children home before winter closes inHomes for all the 60 British children still stranded in north-east Syria have been found in the UK as councils and relatives of the minors step forward to offer sanctuary, sources have revealed.So far, three British orphans have arrived home and are understood to have been made temporary wards of court, but will not be placed into care after UK relatives contacted the Foreign Office and said that they wanted to house them. Continue reading...

The three men are former members of a Hutu rebel group that is an offshoot of groups largely responsible for 1994 genocideThe Australian government has reportedly accepted a third Rwandan man who had been charged with murder as part of a refugee swap deal with the United States.In May it was revealed Australia had accepted two men as refugees for resettlement in November 2018, Leonidas Bimenyimana and Gregoire Nyaminani, and they were living in Australia. Continue reading...

Labour leader would negotiate new deal with EU, which would be put to a public vote alongside remain

Duke intends to keep working on mentoring scheme despite saying he would step back from public lifePrince Andrew is preparing to leave his private office in Buckingham palace as he seeks a way to maintain control of an entrepreneurial scheme he set up, despite having agreed to step back from public life.The palace confirmed on Friday that the Duke of York intended to continue working on the Pitch@Palace scheme, even as Barclays became the latest among a growing number of organisations to sever ties with him over his links to the convicted child sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Hearing told inquiry may be delayed beyond April due to ‘diabolical’ failure to provide key evidence

Medics warn of humanitarian crisis as protesters trapped inside campus for sixth dayHong Kong’s university siege stretched into a sixth day on Friday, as medics warned of a humanitarian crisis and the city prepared for weekend elections that will be a key barometer of public support for protesters.The new police chief, who was sworn in on Tuesday after the Polytechnic University had already been sealed off, is apparently trying to avoid more violent confrontation. Continue reading...

Violent clashes broke out in Bogotá's storied Bolívar Square on Thursday with police using thick clouds of teargas and water cannon to disperse protesters amassed there. People fleeing the scene were visibly affected by clouds of noxious gas. Earlier in the day, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country to demand the government maintain the minimum wage for young people and the universal right to a pension, even though the authorities have repeatedly denied they are considering those changes

Sana Muhammad died after 2018 attack by Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo but unborn son survivedA 51-year-old man has been found guilty of shooting his heavily pregnant ex-wife dead with a crossbow.Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo killed 35-year-old Sana Muhammad at her home on the morning of 12 November 2018. Continue reading...

Shane Rattenbury points to commonwealth’s ‘growing disregard for open justice’The Australian Capital Territory’s justice minister, Shane Rattenbury, has slammed the federal government for the “disturbing” and “extraordinary” secrecy it imposed on the prosecution and imprisonment of a mystery inmate facing unknown charges.Rattenbury said the secrecy was such that even he, as justice minister, had no knowledge of the case until recently. Continue reading...

Almost 90% do not meet recommended target of an hour of moderate exercise a day, a study has foundAustralian youth are among the most inactive in the world, the first global ranking of the physical activity of 11-17 year olds has found, with neighbouring New Zealand faring only slightly better.Researchers from the University of Western Australia and the Imperial College in London analysed data from 298 school surveys on physical activity levels from 146 countries, representing 1.6 million students. Australia was one of the worst performers, ranking in at 140. New Zealand came in at 138 in the ranking, which was published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal on Friday. Continue reading...

Sedentary lifestyles focused on screens are jeopardising health, says World Health OrganizationMore than 80% of adolescents worldwide are not active enough, putting their health at risk by sitting focused on a screen rather than running about, say World Health Organization (WHO) researchers.The proportion of insufficiently active girls in 27 countries rose to more than 90% in 2016, the latest year for which figures are available. There was a significant gender gap, with girls lagging behind boys in physical activity, in all but four countries – Afghanistan, Samoa, Tonga and Zambia. Continue reading...

Last British governor of region urges Foreign Office to object to Chinese remarksChris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, has warned that China’s threat to overrule the Hong Kong judiciary represents a dramatic threat to the autonomy of the region and may damage its chances of remaining a thriving financial centre.Patten called on the British government to speak out as soon as possible to express its concern at the Chinese remarks, which followed the overturning by Hong Kong courts of a ban on protesters wearing face masks, a move that infuriated Beijing. Continue reading...

When member of the public questioned value of the monarchy on ITV leaders’ debate, Buckingham Palace had to actAfter years successfully shrugging off questions about his judgement, his business relationships and, more seriously, his association with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew was finally undone not by a newspaper headline or a law enforcement agency, but by a woman called Sue from Leeds.It was Sue – surname as yet unknown – who submitted a question to ITV’s leaders’ debate on Monday, asking: “Is the monarchy fit for purpose?” Julie Etchingham, chairing the debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson, put the question to the two party leaders, asking for their answers “in as few words as possible, perhaps even a yes or no”. Continue reading...

Special repatriation prompts calls for ministers to allow all British children to return