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Decision brings to an end the police investigations into alleged breaches of UK lockdown regulationsNo individuals will receive a penalty from the Metropolitan police regarding a gathering in parliament in December 2020, the force has said.The gathering was said to have been arranged by the Commons deputy speaker, Dame Eleanor Laing, to celebrate the birthdays of the Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie and the peer Lady Jenkin while London was under tier 2 measures that restricted indoor socialising. Continue reading...

Staggering act of cultural vandalism' is part of proposals to cut degree courses in modern languagesMany of Scotland's best-known folk music stars have joined protests by Gaelic scholars, lecturers and politicians over plans by the University of Aberdeen to axe its languages courses.Award-winning Gaelic and Doric singers such as Iona Fyfe, Mary Ann Kennedy and Julie Fowlis have described the university's proposals as a staggering act of cultural vandalism", with protests now escalating among students and teaching staff. Continue reading...

Experts say alteration to holiday rights is one of the most significant erosions of employment protections since UK left EUMinisters are cutting holiday allocations and pay for irregular and part-time workers, at a cost to staff of up to 248m a year.The government is changing how holiday days and pay are calculated for people who do not work full-time throughout the year, such as shift-workers, school employees and those on zero-hours contracts. Continue reading...

Data shows cost of borrowing still falling from highs of summer, with five-year fix also down

Police investigation of Anthony Odiong began Wednesday after 2019 complaint to archdiocese spurred little actionA recently dismissed south-east Louisiana Catholic priest is under law enforcement investigation after facing allegations of clerical misconduct with multiple women as well as claims of financial improprieties, according to officials.The archdiocese of New Orleans on Wednesday reported Anthony Odiong in connection with at least one of those complaints to the sheriff's office of St Charles parish, Louisiana, the agency confirmed. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands who have evacuated to the safe zone' face lack of food, water and shelter and fear further bomb strikesAfter a short gasp, Shahd al-Modallal states flatly: Oh, there's a bomb." An explosion follows. An airstrike has targeted Rafah, Gaza's southernmost town and the most recent destination for the Palestinian enclave's displaced people.Tens of thousands of people have arrived in Rafah over the past week since the end of a temporary pause on fighting in Gaza. People are sleeping in the streets, in public buildings and any other available empty space. Schools and evacuation shelters are already full. Continue reading...

Party's X account uses picture of presenter raising middle finger to deride Labour, winning both condemnation and praiseConservative divisions over immigration have deepened further after the party posted an attack on Labour using an image of a BBC presenter with her middle finger raised, prompting jubilation from some Tory MPs and anger from others.The official Conservative account on X, formerly Twitter, posted an image on Thursday night of the presenter getting caught on camera jokingly raising her middle finger, accompanied by the caption: Labour when you ask for their plans to tackle illegal migration." Continue reading...

Unite union says average wages have been cut by 21% in real terms since 2018Hundreds of Oxfam workers are to go on strike from Friday for the first time in the charity's 81-year history.Members of the union Unite, who rejected the charity's latest pay offer, will take action on 17 days throughout December, including the last few shopping days before Christmas. The union said the strike of almost 500 workers would affect offices and 200 Oxfam shops. Continue reading...

Ministers criticised after civil servant tells MPs payment was made in April after 140m had already been sentUK ministers have been accused of using cloak and dagger" tactics after a leading civil servant revealed in a letter that they had paid Rwanda a further 100m to send asylum seekers there.Sir Matthew Rycroft, the Home Office's top civil servant, told MPs the payment was made in April after 140m had already been sent. He added that a further payment of 50m was expected next year. Continue reading...

Heavy rain and winds expected across large areas of Qld from Monday as category 4 cyclone continues towards coast

Exclusive: Matts Floderus says he is deeply worried about son Johan, who has been in detention for 600 daysThe father of a 33-year-old Swedish citizen and EU diplomat held in captivity in Iran for the past 18 months has revealed the levels of hell" his son has experienced, as his family and employers step up their fight for his release.Johan Floderus, who on Friday will have been incarcerated for 600 days in Tehran's Evin prison with no routine consular visits or phone calls, has been on hunger strike at least five times, his father said. Continue reading...

Paul Nowak calls new law spiteful' and says TUC will defend any worker who exercises their right to strikeRishi Sunak's spiteful" new anti-strike laws have created a galvanising moment" for the UK's trade union movement, the TUC general secretary has said.Speaking before a special congress of union leaders on Saturday about how to respond to the Strikes Act, Paul Nowak promised the TUC would throw its weight behind any worker hit by the new law. Continue reading...

Tarrin-Macen O'Sullivan's mother charged with murder more than two years after son found dead in back yard pool in Munbura near Mackay

This week, Joe Biden admitted that he probably would not be running for re-election if Donald Trump was not likely to be the Republican candidate. The thoughts of a rehashed presidential race in 2024 has many Americans dreading next year, and some are looking to third-party or independent candidates as potential alternatives.So why hasn't an outsider been more successful in the past? Is running independently of the Democrat and Republican parties a legitimate offer to voters, or nothing more than an election spoiler? And if the answer is the latter, why should the president be the one to worry?This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to Nitish Pahwa of Slate about why Democrats are worried that Biden could suffer the same fate as Hilary Clinton in 2016Archive: CNN, CSPAN, CBS News, AP News Continue reading...

Chinese military aircraft including 12 fighter jets also detected in Taiwan's air defence zone in past 24 hoursTaiwan's defence ministry has said that a Chinese balloon crossed the Taiwan Strait median line on Thursday, about a month before Taiwan's presidential election.The ministry of national defence (MND) earlier described it as a surveillance balloon" but the defence minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng later told reporters at parliament: our initial understanding is that it was a sounding balloon". Continue reading...

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Strike action will place lives at risk', NSW health minister says, as paramedics reject offer to increase wages by 19% on average

Faulty electric cables cause hours of disruption for passengers and many people are still trapped onboard trainsHundreds of passengers have been stuck on cold, dark trains in west London for hours as travellers suffered significant delays due to damaged overhead electric cables.All trains have been stopped between London Paddington and Reading, Network Rail Western confirmed. Great Western Railway said disruption was expected on the London Paddington to Reading line until the end of Thursday. The disruption also affects the Elizabeth line. Continue reading...

Winning ham is just $8 a kilo, while worst rated option in consumer group taste test is also one of the most expensive

Campaigner Justin Gutmann alleges EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 have systematically exploited millions of loyal customers'The UK's biggest mobile phone companies face a 3.3bn class action lawsuit alleging that long-standing customers are being ripped off by loyalty penalties", under which the same services are offered to new customers at a better price to lure them from rivals.The legal action, which has been brought by the campaigner Justin Gutmann and the law firm Charles Lyndon, targets BT-owned EE, Vodafone, Three and O2, which is part of Virgin Media O2. Continue reading...

Prime minister holds emergency press conference to try to regain control over immigration debate as Tory rebellion grows

Handwritten note allegedly written by teenage defendant has details on how she and co-accused would stab Brianna and cover bodyA plan for how to kill Brianna Ghey, allegedly written by the girl accused of murdering her, has been given to a jury and details how, where and when she and her co-defendant would stab the teenager to death in a Warrington park, a court has been told.The neatly written note, which has a love heart and a smiley face in the corner, was given to jurors on the ninth day of the two 16-year-olds' murder trial at Manchester crown court, along with a second note that described her alleged accomplice as a sociopath". Continue reading...

President of Turkey signs friendship accord, saying longtime foes could provide an example to the world'Greece and Turkey have sought to put years of tensions behind them with a friendship accord signed during a historic visit to Athens by president Recep Tayyip Erdoan.The two Nato members - longtime foes in the air and sea - agreed to reset ties, sealing a declaration on good neighbourly relations" that it is hoped will pave the way to settling disputes that have defied resolution for decades, including over undersea energy resources and the divided island of Cyprus. Continue reading...

Messages group shared referred to Duchess of Sussex, the queen and Rishi Sunak among other public figures, according to chargesSix former Metropolitan police officers have been given suspended prison sentences for sending offensive and racist WhatsApp messages.The group, who retired between 2001 and 2015, were given sentences of between six and 14 weeks in prison, all suspended for 12 months, on Thursday. Continue reading...

Ex-PM says No 10 staff were unfairly maligned and some representations were absolutely absurd'Boris Johnson was accused of shocking disrespect" by families bereaved by Covid after he claimed it was unfair to have expected him to stop parties held by hard-working" aides in Downing Street during lockdown.In a second lengthy and sometimes difficult day of testimony to the Covid inquiry, the former prime minister also prompted anger by calling media coverage and TV adaptations of the No 10 parties absurd" and a travesty of the truth". Continue reading...

Jonathan Lehrer, 57, and alleged accomplice appear in court after bodies of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand were foundAn American chocolatier and his alleged accomplice have been charged in the Caribbean island of Dominica with the murder of a Canadian animation innovator and eco-resort owner and his partner days after their bodies were found in a burned-out car.Jonathan Lehrer, 57, and Robert Snider appeared in magistrates court in Roseau, the capital, on Wednesday to face charges relating to the murders of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand. They did not enter a plea. Continue reading...

Scotland to become first devolved nation to incorporate UNCRC into domestic law unless Westminster intervenes againCampaigners, politicians and young people who led grassroots efforts to put international children's rights standards at the heart of Scottish law are celebrating the passing of a landmark Holyrood bill.The Scottish parliament voted unanimously on Thursday afternoon for Scotland to become the first devolved nation to incorporate the UN charter on the rights of the child (UNCRC) into domestic law. Continue reading...

Head of investigation tells broadcaster it should set clear guidelines to ensure good behaviours'Phillip Schofield's patronage" of a younger male colleague he was having an affair with clearly assisted the man's early career at ITV before he then made his way on his own", an independent KC-led investigation into the scandal has found.The This Morning presenter quit after admitting that he had lied about an unwise, but not illegal" affair, amid allegations that ITV bosses had turned a blind eye to his relationship with the co-worker, who was a runner on the show. Continue reading...

Pair accused of charging elderly householders between 300 and 2,100 for services they did not needFrench police have arrested two men on suspicion of fraud after they allegedly sold bedbug pest control services for large sums to elderly people who did not need them.The two men, operating in eastern France, phoned their victims, usually women over 90, telling them there had been a bedbug infestation in their neighbourhood, authorities said. Continue reading...

The former PM addressed Partygate, letting it rip' and eat out to help out' in his second day of evidence

Tory election fund boosted by 10m from John Sainsbury's will as party benefits from No 10's decision to raise spending limitsThe Conservatives raised three times as much as Labour in the last quarter boosted by 10m from the will of supermarket tycoon John Sainsbury, showing they are on course to benefit from No 10's decision to raise election spending limits.The Tories brought in 15.8m overall for its election war chest in the three months to September, while Labour drew 3.1m in private donations from individuals and trade unions as well as getting 2.5m in public funds. Continue reading...

Former PM suggests he was suspicious of being outflanked politically and feared friction and leaksJohnson has walked back claims that Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance were present to properly discuss" the eat out to help out scheme before it went live, conceding that no scientists attended meetings about the scheme.Johnson said he had frankly assumed" they were involved in talks about the scheme with the Treasury and that he was surprised it was smuggled past them". Continue reading...

String of incidents where Islamic text was burned in Denmark and Sweden prompted intensively debated bill

Somerset Capital will be wound down after UK's largest wealth manager shifts 2bn mandate to another fundSomerset Capital Management, the investment fund co-founded by Jacob Rees-Mogg, has said it will be wound down, days after it emerged that it had lost two-thirds of its assets and its largest client.The firm said on Thursday that it would be closing its London business, which manages funds on behalf of institutional clients such as asset managers and pension funds, and that it was in advanced talks to transfer the remainder of its top performing funds to a new investment adviser. Continue reading...

Big things are happening with Chanel and Factory International, but we hear Blue Monday a few too many timesIt has been a big few months for Manchester. First came the opening of Factory International, the 242m arts centre on the River Irwell, billed as the most significant UK cultural venue since Tate Modern. Then came the announcement that the wider city region had been chosen as the new home for English National Opera, reluctantly forced out of London as part of the government's levelling up agenda.Finally, on Thursday, Chanel strutted into town, taking the bold/lunatic decision to stage an alfresco catwalk show in the city's Northern Quarter. So is the soggy Cottonopolis - the French fashionistas at least had the sense to bring their own roof -having something of a moment? Continue reading...

The dub poet and author of collections including Talking Turkeys has died of a brain tumourBenjamin Zephaniah, the British poet whose work often addressed political injustice, has died aged 65.Zephaniah died in the early hours of Thursday morning after being diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks ago, a post on his Instagram page stated. Continue reading...

News presenter Maryam Moshiri says gaffe was private joke' not intended to be viewed by publicA BBC news anchor who was accidentally captured giving the middle finger at the start of a programme has apologised for a silly joke" meant for friends but not for a live broadcast.On Wednesday, Maryam Moshiri, one of BBC News's chief presenters, was seen at the start of the BBC News bulletin at noon with her middle finger - and eyebrows - raised, after the end of the programme's recognisable countdown. Continue reading...

Actors to make merry mischief' in Samuel Beckett's play at Theatre Royal Haymarket in SeptemberBen Whishaw is to star in a new London production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, the play that inspired him to quit his art foundation course as a teenager and study acting instead. Whishaw will play Vladimir opposite Lucian Msamati as Estragon in the tragicomedy, directed by James Macdonald. It opens at Theatre Royal Haymarket in September.When I was 18, I was doing an art foundation course in Bedford and went one night with a friend to London to see a play that was part of a season of plays by Samuel Beckett at the Barbican theatre," said Whishaw. The play was Waiting for Godot. The next day I dropped out of my art course, having decided I wanted to study acting instead." Continue reading...

Payout from TCI, where Rishi Sunak was once employed, amounts to more than 1m for every working dayThe billionaire British hedge fund manager Sir Chris Hohn paid himself $346m (276m) this year - more than 1m for every working day.However, the payout from his TCI hedge fund, where Rishi Sunak worked between 2006 and 2009, is half the 574m Hohn collected a year earlier. Continue reading...

Liberal senator says widely reported letter by Shane Drumgold to AFP caused significant loss and damage'

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Matteo Lepore compares project to save 12th century Garisenda tower from collapse to 10-year effort to preserve the tower of PisaWork to prevent the collapse of a leaning medieval tower in the heart of the northern Italian city of Bologna will cost 20m ($21.5m) and take 10 years at least, its mayor has said.Last weekend, the city unveiled a 4.3m (3.7m) project to shore up the Garisenda tower - one of the city's two towers that look out over central Bologna, providing inspiration over the centuries to painters and poets and a lookout spot during conflicts. Continue reading...

Safe drinking water is becoming ever harder to come by, with disastrous consequences for those who can't afford itIn a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, some of the women in a building housing 60 people decided to cut their hair short to save on water when washing.Others in southern Gaza say they're stretching out the time between showers, or flushes of the toilet. Everyone knows exactly how much water they have, and how much they can store. Above all they know that water, especially water that is both safe to drink and doesn't taste bad, has become precious. Continue reading...

Analysts believe better ties with Greece are key to repairing Turkey's strained relationship with EuropeTurkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoan, will be arriving in Athens on Thursday for the first time in six years, determined to move on with a win-win approach" from the disputes and tensions left by his previous trip to the city.The last time the Turkish leader visited the Greek capital - exactly six years ago to the day - what had been billed a historic tour descended into a verbal theatre of war as Erdoan, dispensing with diplomatic niceties, went on the offensive. Continue reading...

Wright is accused of perverting the course of justice after crash that killed co-star Chris Wilson last year

Parliament told man arrested in connection with an outstanding warrant