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Exclusive: Analysis suggests there are 32,000 hidden, often overcrowded large houses in multiple occupationNearly 160,000 people are living in hidden, often overcrowded and sometimes dangerous bedsit-style accommodation across England, analysis has found.Intelligence compiled by councils suggests there are almost 32,000 unlicensed large houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). These are believed to be home to at least 159,340 tenants, who are often drawn by cheaper rents amid the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

Colombian singer is accused of defrauding authorities of 14.5m and could face jail if found guiltyShakira, the Latin Grammy-winning singer, is due in court in Barcelona on Monday on charges of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of 14.5m (12.7m).The 46-year-old Colombian musician, who lives in Miami with her two children, could face up to eight years in jail and a 24m fine if found guilty. Continue reading...

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Apartment block bombed, killing 26, in area civilians were urged to flee to for their safety

Dossiers were compiled by 15 departments after scouring social media activity to vet people invited to speak at official eventsFifteen government departments have been monitoring the social media activity of potential critics and compiling secret files" in order to block them from speaking at public events, the Observer can reveal.Under the guidelines issued in each department, including the departments of health, culture, media and sport, and environment, food and rural affairs, officials are advised to check experts' Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts. They are also told to conduct Google searches on those individuals, using specific terms such as criticism of government or prime minister". Continue reading...

Footage to date fails to prove Gaza complex was nerve centre for attacks on Israel, as military has claimed Israel-Hamas war - latest updatesPrior to their capture of Dar al-Shifa hospital, the Israel Defense Forces went to great lengths to depict the medical complex as a headquarters for Hamas, from where its attacks on Israel were planned.The evidence produced so far falls well short of that. IDF videos have shown only modest collections of small arms, mostly assault rifles, recovered from the extensive medical complex. Continue reading...

Israeli military expansion seen as likely alongside acute shortages of of food and water

The WHO is aiming for the global elimination of the disease, and progress has been rapidAmanda Pritchard, NHS England's chief executive, announced an ambition this week to eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040. The country is not unique in its pledge to banish cervical cancer to the realms of historical diseases, the first time this would be achieved for any cancer.The WHO has a target of eliminating cervical cancer globally by the end of the century, which would mean the prevention of the deaths of millions of women. The moonshot has been propelled by two facts: cervical cancer affects a huge number of women (more than 600,000 cases and 340,000 deaths globally in 2020) and yet nearly all these cases are preventable. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereEnvironmental groups have installed radiation sensors across southern Ukraine to improve the quality of current readings and provide warnings in the event of a nuclear incident.Greenpeace, which worked with Ukrainian group SaveDnipro to install the detectors, said they had been placed in the city of Zaporizhzhia, home to Europe's largest nuclear plant, as well as in Yuzhnoukrainsk, Odesa, Tarutyne, Yuzhne, and Uman. Continue reading...

Groups behind ceasefire protests attended by hundreds of thousands say there will be events across UK

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Norzin Dolma said government should sanction Chinese officials for threatening the very existence ... of Tibetan identity'

Demonstrators chanted shame on you' after Rushanara Ali backed Keir Starmer on a vote on the Israel-Hamas conflictCrowds gathered outside the constituency office of Labour's MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara Ali, on Thursday, chanting vote her out" and Labour party shame on you" after she did not back a Gaza ceasefire vote in parliament.There were protests elsewhere against Labour MPs who backed Keir Starmer in the vote on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Continue reading...

Optus claimed on its parent company's Singtel Internet Exchange was responsible, but Singtel says its upgrade was not the cause

Exclusive: Labour leader is target of growing anger in party over how he has handled vote on Israel-Hamas warKeir Starmer faces more resignations from Labour's frontbench if he does not shift his policy on Gaza, amid growing anger in the party over how he has handled the vote on the Israel-Hamas conflict.The Labour leader suffered the biggest rebellion of his tenure on Wednesday night as 10 frontbenchers resigned or were sacked from his team after voting for a Scottish National party motion that called for a ceasefire. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Parents of Awaab Ishak speak out after two-year-old son died due to untreated mould in social housing flatThe father of Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died because of mould in a social housing flat, has pleaded with tenants to waste no time" in complaining and to simply get out" if they find themselves exposed to similar problems.Speaking in his first national newspaper interview since Awaab died, aged two, in December 2020 as a result of untreated mould in their one-bedroom social housing flat in Rochdale, Faisal Abdullah, 31, also called on the government to introduce strict deadlines for landlords to tackle mould in the private rented sector as well as in social housing - an extension of the so-called Awaab's law, which is due to come into effect for social housing. Continue reading...

Any uncomfortable facts can simply be airbrushed out of history by an act of parliament, Jimmy Dimly revealsThis wasn't how it was meant to be. This wasn't his best life. It should have been him, not Lord Big Dave, who commandeered the private plane for a surprise visit to Ukraine. It should have been him who got the photo op of a handshake with President Zelenskiy. He was good at all that PR bollocks. Standing around with the great and the good while never really saying anything. The perfect job for a man of little brain.Instead he had been shifted to the Home Office bunker. Expected to actually do something while working with the batshit and the flatliners. In all probability a career-ending move. The ultimate crash and burn. To cap it all he hadn't even yet managed to locate the first-class compartment in the back of his government limo. Where was the fun in that?John Crace's book Depraved New World (Guardian Faber, 16.99) is out now. To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy and save 18% at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may applyA year in Westminster: John Crace and Marina Hyde live in London and online. On Monday 11 December, 8pm-9.30pm GMT, join John Crace, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar for a livestream discussion on another year of anarchy in British politics. Book tickets here or via theguardian.live Continue reading...

Postal service renews call to change universal service obligation as its revenues fallRoyal Mail has launched a bonus scheme worth up to 500 a worker in an attempt to meet delivery targets over Christmas, as its owner's losses more than doubled in the first half of the financial year.Some employees could earn up to 500 extra for hitting local and national quality targets", in what Royal Mail's renamed parent company, International Distributions Services (IDS), described as a one-off quality incentive scheme" to try to avoid a repeat of last Christmas, when days of strikes disrupted deliveries. Continue reading...

Judge jails Ron Evans for four years for assaulting woman he met while volunteering at a London drop-in centreA killer and rapist who spent more than half a century in prison before being released by the Parole Board has been jailed for carrying out a further sexual assault at the age of 81.Ron Evans, who killed a young woman in the 1960s, and in the 1970s was known as the Clifton rapist" for a series of attacks in Bristol, was jailed for another four years at the Old Bailey in London after being convicted of assaulting a woman he had befriended at a drop-in centre. Continue reading...

The prestigious awards are being held in Europe for the first time. But does this landmark moment for Spain' neglect the musicians at the forefront of Latin music innovation?Hordes of fans wait anxiously along fenced barriers clutching their phones, itching to catch a shot of some of the world's most famous musicians. Some scream in excitement as cars with blacked-out windows roll up outside the glitzy venues, eagerly anticipating the arrival of artists such as Shakira, Maluma, Camilo and Karol G in the run up to the ceremony on Thursday night (16 November). This is the Latin Grammys, the most prominent event recognising artists in the Latin music world - but this year, it's far from its usual lavish Las Vegas home. Instead, the awards are taking place in the Spanish city of Seville, the first time outside the United States in its 24-year history.The move is the result of a three-year sponsorship deal with Andalucia's regional government, which has allocated 22,748,000 to the ceremony and its satellite concerts. The president of the regional government, Juan Manuel Moreno, has said that the Latin Grammys in Seville presents a landmark moment for Spain, and for Europe". Continue reading...

Flyer campaign raises fears war could spread to areas IDF previously said were safe

US food company pays big premium for UK chocolates maker and says it will keep manufacturing in BritainHotel Chocolat's founders are set for a 280m payday after the upmarket chocolates maker agreed to a 534m takeover by American food company Mars at a big premium to its market value.The chief executive, Angus Thirlwell, and senior executive Peter Harris and their family trusts hold shares that will be valued at 140m apiece after the takeover of the London-listed business, announced on Thursday morning. Continue reading...

US president also repeats assertion that reoccupying Gaza would be mistake; Israel's ambassador to UN says Israel always adheres to international law' in response to resolution

Sweat, grass, oil, blood and makeup were among the difficult-to-remove stains in consumer watchdog's tests

Minister Catherine King releases independent review while suggesting Coalition engaged in economic vandalism' by announcing projects it couldn't deliver

Judge rules Qantas Ground Services discriminated against Theo Seremetidis as transport union hails decision as a victory for workers

Employers added a net 54,900 jobs in October as economy's resilience contributed to tight labour market

PM says legislation will confirm' Rwanda is safe country for asylum seekers - and says he is prepared to defy ECHR if necessary

Head of the World Health Organization calls decision to send troops into hospital totally unacceptable'

Foreign Office refuses to reveal former PM's recent roles or whether he has worked for other governmentsDavid Cameron is facing calls to disclose the businesses he was working for before being appointed as foreign secretary, after the Foreign Office refused to reveal which jobs and clients he was giving up to take on the role.The former prime minister has had a series of jobs since he left No 10 in 2016, including lobbying the government on behalf of a controversial, now-collapsed, financial firm, Greensill, which led to a scandal over his influence. Continue reading...

Fall in rotten teeth extractions in children aged 18 and under prompts calls for soft drinks levy to be extended to other productsFewer children in England have been having rotten teeth pulled out since the sugar tax on soft drinks began, prompting calls for the levy to be extended to sweets, biscuits and cereals.The number of children aged 18 and under going into hospital to have teeth extracted has fallen by 12% since the sugar tax came into force in April 2018. Continue reading...

If court decides against government on Wednesday, dozens of Tory MPs are likely to demand exit from European convention on human rights

Former environment secretary says government work stresses left her hospitalised for a month nearly five years agoTherese Coffey said she nearly died" due to the stress of being a government minister.Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, the former environment secretary said she was admitted to hospital after working [herself] into the ground". Continue reading...

Another 200,000 people flee northern Gaza as fighting rages around territory's biggest health facility

The longtime chief of Positif film magazine started working there in 1968, and was a passionate advocate of cinema until his deathMichel Ciment, the celebrated French film critic and longtime editor of Positif magazine, has died aged 85. The magazine reported the news on social media, describing him as Positif's master architect" after a 60-year career.Born in Paris in 1938, Ciment fell in love with cinema as a student, and joined Positif in 1968, becoming editorial director in 1973; he said he admired Positif over Cahiers du Cinema because the magazine was left wing" and influenced by surrealism. Ciment published a string of books about prominent film directors, including Kazan by Kazan (1973), Conversations with Losey (1979) and Stanley Kubrick (1980). Continue reading...

Investigation now indicates a total of five complaints directly to BBC, broadcaster saysTwo further complainants have come forward to the BBC since it launched a review into the behaviour of Russell Brand, the corporation has said.The nature of the allegations made by two further complainants are not specified in an update on the BBC review into Russell Brand's conduct. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Repeated delays to scrapping of section 21 evictions leave thousands of private renters at riskMore than 35,000 households will have been thrown out of their homes by bailiffs using no-fault" evictions by the time the practice is banned in England, after years of government delays.Since Theresa May was prime minister, successive governments have pledged to end the right of landlords to reclaim possession of their property without rent arrears or bad behaviour by tenants. Continue reading...

Greens and David Pocock accused the government of doing the bidding of fossil fuel companies to allow new and expanded polluting projects

Elizabeth Debicki has spoken about filming car chase through Paris that led to Diana's death for final season of royal dramaThe actor who played Diana in The Crown said the moments leading up to her death must have been completely unbearable" after the cast reenacted the car chase through Paris that led to her death for the final season of the divisive royal drama.The sixth season of The Crown deals with the weeks preceding Diana's death, as well as the fallout, after a car crash in Paris in August 1997. The first instalment of the season is released on 16 November. Continue reading...

Transparency group says donating companies should be banned from government contracts but constitutional expert disagrees

Exclusive: Voluntary organisations struggling as grants for local government and NHS contracts fail to cover costsCharities in England are on the brink of insolvency after subsidising heavily underfunded local authority and NHS contracts to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds donated to them by the public, voluntary sector leaders have warned.Donations, will legacies and charity shop profits are being used to prop up thousands of state-funded services in danger of closure, including care homes, homeless shelters, addiction projects and physical rehabilitation support schemes.The vast majority were subsidising the cost of providing public services. Nearly half had not received an uplift in the value of the contract in the past two years, despite increasing demand and rising wage and energy costs.Contracts were often only viable by freezing or cutting staff pay and conditions. One charity made a senior member of staff redundant, then took them back on as a volunteer to do their old job to keep vital services afloat.A social care charity started a public fundraising campaign, and sold a building it owned, to raise the cash to maintain a service the council would only part fund. [We are] not sure we can carry on unless something changes," it said. Continue reading...

Based on the prize-winning book by Fernanda Melchor, film depicts brutality stemming from war on drugs' that began in 2006A group of children find a body in the river: the village witch, her throat slit, writhing with snakes.The opening scene of Hurricane Season, a new Netflix movie based on Mexican novelist Fernanda Melchor's book, plunges the viewer straight into a tropical, lawless, superstitious version of rural Veracruz, Melchor's home state. Continue reading...

Prison guard cleared of murder and manslaughter after shooting escaping inmate Dwayne Johnstone who was shackled at the time

Owners sell to offset losses from tax changes and rate hikes, meaning fewer homes to rent and thus higher rentsThe great property sell-off by landlords has continued across Great Britain this year, in particular in Scotland, where the buy-to-let bubble appears to have burst.As the property website Rightmove reported that new seller asking prices dropped by 1.7% or 6,088 last month to an average of 362,143, Hamptons revealed that landlords were on target to have bought the fewest number of homes since 2010 - once the period of the first Covid lockdown is discounted from the data. Continue reading...

Recently elected leader Stefanos Kasselakis accused of Trumpian practices' and rightwing populism'A leftwing faction of Greece's main opposition party has announced that it is breaking away, accusing Syriza's recently elected leader of abandoning its core ideology for a sort of rightwing populism."Umbrella, a faction led by Euclid Tsakalotos, a former finance minister during Syriza's government of 2015-19, announced its departure with a blistering statement that accused Stefanos Kasselakis of Trumpian practices (and) right-leaning populism". Continue reading...

People of Grindavik, where eruption could happen within hours, permitted five minutes to collect pets and essentialsSome of the more than 3,000 residents evacuated from an Icelandic fishing town have been allowed to return briefly to their homes to collect pets and essential belongings, as experts warned that a volcano could erupt within days or even hours.One resident from each household in one district of Grindavik was permitted to enter their home for five minutes on Sunday in what Iceland's civil defence force called a planned and controlled operation under the orders of the police". Continue reading...

Prime minister's beleaguered home secretary, Suella Braverman, also attends ceremony led by King CharlesRishi Sunak was joined by all living previous prime ministers and his beleaguered home secretary, Suella Braverman, for this year's Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London.King Charles led thousands of veterans, senior politicians and members of the public in a service commemorating British military service people who died in the world wars and later conflicts. Continue reading...

Isabella Walsh has contacted embassies and consulates to repatriate 10 objects that her father wanted to be returnedAn Irish woman has been inspired by the Guardian to return her late father's collection of 19th-century African and Aboriginal objects to their countries of origin.Isabella Walsh, 39, from Limerick, has contacted embassies and consulates in Dublin and London to repatriate 10 objects, including spears, harpoon heads and a shield, after she read about other cases in the newspaper. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands of people rally against government offer of clemency to those who made illegal push for independence in 2017Tens of thousands of people have gathered across Spain to protest against the acting government's plans to secure another term in office by offering an amnesty to those who took part in the illegal and failed push for Catalan independence six years ago.The proposed amnesty law, which would apply to hundreds of people who participated in the unilateral effort to secede from Spain, has already led to a series of violent protests outside the Madrid headquarters of the governing Spanish Socialist Workers' party (PSOE). Continue reading...

Travel site Trivago says UK destinations are dominating Britons' hotel bookings in the latter half of 2024Blackpool is more popular than Benidorm for British holidaymakers booking trips away next year as soaring air fares lead people to opt for stayactions, according to accommodation search website Trivago.The group's chief executive, Johannes Thomas, said UK hotel bookings in the third and fourth quarters of 2024 are dominated by domestic destinations. Continue reading...