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Ethan Scott Brown was wrongly told he had not earned geography degree despite marks being enough for a 2:1Glasgow University has been accused of failing" a student who killed himself on graduation day after being wrongly told he had not done well enough to earn his degree.Ethan Scott Brown, a 23-year geography student at Glasgow, was told repeatedly he had failed to get an essential grade for one course and so could not be awarded his degree in September 2024.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Man held in Poland on suspicion of causing explosions that damaged undersea pipelines between Russia and GermanyGermany is seeking to extradite a Ukrainian man arrested in Poland on suspicion of diving down to the Baltic sea bed to plant explosives in the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline attack.The man, identified in Polish media reports as Volodymyr Z and by Germany as Vladimir Z, is described as a trained diver and is sought by investigators in Germany, who believe he was part of a group that sabotaged the pipeline, consisting of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. Continue reading...

Giant red banner appears on Department of Housing and Urban Development page after lawmakers fail to reach dealIn an unusual move, Donald Trump's administration is using the US Department of Housing and Urban Development website to blame the looming government shutdown on the radical left".The giant red banner, splashed across the agency website on Tuesday morning, comes after Republican and Democratic leaders did not reach an agreement on government spending legislation beyond the Tuesday night deadline, which will result in hundreds of thousands of employees furloughed and agencies shutting down key functions. Continue reading...

Former PM seems a perfect fit for Trump's new era but his track record in the Middle East is not reassuringThe emergence of Tony Blair as a potential Gaza interim consul and member of Donald Trump's board of peace" marks his latest reinvention as a would-be power broker in the Middle East.As a key architect of the disastrous invasion of Iraq, a promoter of a simplistic interpretation of Islamist extremism as the world's main security challenge and a figure who has been accused of intertwining his own business interests with his political advocacy, he is in some ways a perfect fit for the new Trump era. Continue reading...

Sale of product from Scunthorpe plant came when Indian-owned firm tried to avoid US rules that were later dropped

Four women are suing influencer at high court but CPS rules legal test for criminal prosecution not metAndrew Tate will face no criminal charges over allegations made by four women who are suing him in a civil case at the high court in London.The women accuse the self-proclaimed misogynist influencer of sexual violence, including grabbing one by the throat on several occasions in 2015, whipping her with a belt and pointing a gun at her face. Continue reading...

Taliban authorities cut fibre-optic network in nationwide shutdown of communications to prevent vice'Afghans are living under a near-complete communications blackout after Taliban authorities cut internet and mobile phone service for a second day as part of an unprecedented country-wide crackdown.The former insurgents, who retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, began gradual restrictions on internet access earlier this month. The measures also affect telephone lines, as they are often routed over the internet. Continue reading...

After being welcomed by Arab, Islamic and European leaders, experts say onus now rests on Hamas to accept plan

Labour says service will deliver up to 8.5m extra NHS appointments in its first three years

International Distribution Services to create Royal Mail Shops for collecting, sending and returning parcels

Minister asks parent company to appoint external reviewer in attempt to restore Australians' faith in emergency calls

Another five people given suspended death sentences over alleged role in gang that operated scam centres and illegal gambling worth $1.4bnA court in China has sentenced 11 people to death for their alleged roles in a family-run crime syndicate accused of running illegal gambling and scam operations worth more than $1.4bn, and for the deaths of workers who disobeyed them.The Wenzhou intermediate people's court on Monday sentenced 11 members of the powerful Ming family in Kokang, Myanmar to death while another five were handed death sentences suspended for two years. Continue reading...

BRC says households are finding shopping increasingly expensive after annual shop price inflation rises to 1.4%Retailers have told the government that tax rises could further fuel inflation as the pace of shop price rises stepped up in September with increases on home improvement and gardening goods offsetting stabilising food prices.Annual shop price inflation rose to 1.4% in September, up from 0.9% in August, according to the latest monthly report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and analysts NIQ. Continue reading...

The treasurer celebrated an outcome that could have been worse, but a structural challenge remains as workers are left with the burden of repair

Plan calls for immediate end to war between Israel and Hamas but lacks detail on how key points will be executedThe White House peace plan for Gaza proposes an immediate end to the devastating war between Israel and Hamas that has raged in the coastal territory for nearly two years, while pointedly excluding the Palestinian militant group from any future governing role.Assuming both sides agree to a detailed list of conditions, the end of fighting will be accompanied by the release of all Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, within 72 hours" of Israel publicly accepting the deal. Continue reading...

Pair say proposal represents new chapter but Israeli PM threatens to finish the job' if Hamas officials fail to agreeDonald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, have delivered an ultimatum to Hamas, warning the militant group to accept their 20-point peace plan for Gaza or face the consequences.The two leaders met at the White House in Washington on Monday then held a joint press briefing in which they hailed their proposal as a historic breakthrough and new chapter for the Middle East. Continue reading...

Doctors' union says GPs will be overwhelmed by triage tsunami' and gives ministers 48 hours to take measuresGPs in England are threatening to take action over government plans to increase patients' online access to appointments which they say will lead to a tsunami" of extra demand.Ministers have been given 48 hours to put in place measures to stop GPs being overwhelmed when the new system - intended to help patients beat the 8am scramble" - starts on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor says he wants conference dominated by leadership speculation to be a success

Video posted on Truth Social touts CBD as a gamechanger' and promotes Medicaid coverage of CBD productsCannabis stocks are on a high after Donald Trump shared a video on Sunday promoting cannabis use for seniors and Medicaid coverage of CBD products.The nearly three-minute-long video, posted on the president's Truth Social platform, touts the usage of hemp-derived CBD as a gamechanger" that is a pain and stress reliever for seniors. Continue reading...

Schools must provide single-sex toilets and are encouraged to also offer access to gender-neutral or other facilitiesSchools must provide separate toilets and changing rooms for boys and girls to be used on the basis of a pupil's biological sex, the Scottish government has said in updated guidance.Transgender pupils can no longer use the facilities they feel most comfortable with", as was previously the case, but schools were encouraged to offer gender-neutral facilities or access to disabled and staff toilets for the relatively small number of children affected. Continue reading...

Zhimin Qian pleads guilty after wallets with 61,000 bitcoins, currently worth over 5bn, seized from north London homeA woman has been convicted for her role in a multibillion-pound bitcoin fraud after what is thought to have been the world's largest cryptocurrency seizure.Zhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, 45, orchestrated a fraud in China between 2014 and 2017 that left 128,000 people out of pocket. Continue reading...

Serbian nationals also accused by Serbian police of defacing Jewish sites, as French officials investigate foreign interferenceSerbian police have arrested 11 people, accusing them of inciting hatred" in France and Germany, and linking them to acts that include placing pigs' heads near mosques and defacing Jewish sites.The arrests came days after French prosecutors said foreign interference was probably to blame for a spate of provocative acts that had targeted Jewish and Muslim sites in France in recent years, as tensions run high over the war in Gaza. French officials have previously said they were investigating Russia's role in destabilising operations that have stoked social tensions and sown division in France. Continue reading...

Education secretary says means-tested grants for those who need them most' will be funded by new international student levyLabour is to bring back maintenance grants for tens of thousands of students from low-income backgrounds who sign up to priority" courses that support the government's industrial strategy.The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said the means-tested grants were aimed at those who need them most" and would be funded by a new international student levy, as outlined in a recent immigration white paper. Continue reading...

Some Nightjet services suspended from mid-December after French withdrawal amid public budget crisis

Peter Hummelgaard compared recent spate of hybrid attacks on Europe to 9/11 terrorism; 135,000 called up in RussiaBut Zelenskyy also warns about the worsening situation in Georgia and Belarus.That is why we cannot afford to lose a single day or a single country. After Moldova's election, we must keep supporting Moldova. The hardest task is to meet voters' expectations," he says.Russia failed to destabilise Moldova, even after spending huge, huge resources to undermine it and to corrupt whoever they could. Continue reading...

Ruling party holds on to its majority in Sunday's poll, which it says is strong mandate for EU accession'

Draft plan's critics say it hands power to international figures and splits Gaza from Palestinian Authority in West BankA plan for a postwar Gaza governing authority potentially headed by the former UK prime minister Tony Blair would sideline key Palestinian political figures, while giving significant authority to its chair on most key issues, according to a leaked confidential proposal.The 21-page draft document, seen by the Guardian and Haaretz in Israel, envisions the governance and reconstruction of postwar Gaza being led by international officials, with Palestinians relegated to subsidiary roles. It also proposes a Gaza investment promotion and economic development authority involving public-private partnerships and blended finance instruments" aimed at delivering commercially viable returns" for investors. Continue reading...

Chancellor tells party conference that higher borrowing to pay for public services risks serious damage to the economy

Russia's campaign to amplify societal distrust continues as membership talks have stalledIn the end, the results were better than Moldova's western allies had dared hope. Sunday's parliamentary elections saw the pro-EU party of president Maia Sandu win a convincing victory, confirming the westward path of this former Soviet republic of 2.4 million people.With nearly all votes counted, Sandu's ruling Action and Solidarity party had secured 50.03% of the vote, compared to 24.26% for the pro-Russian Patriotic bloc. The solid win came despite widespread reports of Russian meddling and a series of shocks that could have toppled any incumbent government. Continue reading...

Farrell was a key member of the hi-tech movement of the 1980s and 90s, with buildings including the TV-am studios and Embankment Place in London, and the Deep in HullSir Terry Farrell, the nonconformist" architect and planner, whose bold designs defined the hi-tech" era and included the MI6 headquarters in London, has died aged 87.The architect's studio in London confirmed the death in an Instagram post, writing: It is with deep sadness that, on behalf of his family, the partners and practice of Farrells acknowledge the death of our founder, Sir Terry Farrell." Continue reading...

The Stella prize-winning author used her acceptance speech to call out the Australian government's response to the war in Gaza, in a ceremony marked by pointed political commentary from the podium

From Colin Firth's wet shirt in Pride and Prejudice to Meryl Streep's safari gear in Out of Africa, Cosprop's outfits achieved cinematic realismWhen the costume designer John Bright founded the period costume house Cosprop in 1965, it was out of a desire to give the clothes seen in film and TV a greater realism" than viewers had been used to previously. I decided that if we made the stock as real as possible, it would be universal," Bright says. The truth is the truth for all times."Over the intervening 60 years, that relatively simple mission led to the creation of some of the most notable costumes of all time: the Regency-era shirt that, once wet, turned Colin Firth into an instant heart-throb in 1995's Pride and Prejudice; the safari gear worn by Meryl Streep in 1985's Out of Africa, which ended up inspiring countless high-fashion runways; Johnny Depp's dishevelled 1720s Pirates of the Caribbean suit, so artfully soiled that you can practically smell it through the screen. Continue reading...

Eight Australians, including Muslim activist Abubakir Rafiq, are part of the Sumud flotilla coalition which is hoping to reach Gaza this week. This blog is now closed

Country music superstar was due to play six-concert run at Caesars Palace in DecemberDolly Parton has postponed her upcoming Las Vegas concert residency due to health issues.Parton, 79, was due to begin a six-concert run at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on 4 December. She announced on social media that she has been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures". Continue reading...

Police appeal for witnesses over horrific crime' at St Mary's Church in Banbury town centreDetectives are appealing for witnesses after a woman was raped by a group of men in a churchyard in an Oxfordshire town.Officers said they wanted to trace a Good Samaritan" they believe might have tried to help the woman as well as anyone else who might have information. Continue reading...

Freya Fires Up night show cancelled but presenter to remain as co-host of a different program

Lana Collie-James was 14 when she began two years at home to protect her clinically vulnerable motherLana Collie-James was 14 years old in the midst of the Covid pandemic when she was offered a stark choice: her education or her mother's life. My mum's clinically vulnerable. She has a compromised immune system, along with a plethora of other illnesses that would make Covid hit very hard," she says.It meant when schools reopened to pupils after the initial closures, the single mother and her daughter living together in Bournemouth faced a wrenching decision. Continue reading...

Work Foundation says key elements of bill promote secure jobs amid fierce business lobbying against legislationEmployers will be forced to offer more secure terms to more than a million workers if the employment bill going through parliament is implemented, according to research by a leading thinktank.The Work Foundation said analysis of 2023-24 data calculating the impact of a ban on zero-hours contracts and day one" compensation after unfair dismissal - which are two key elements of the employment rights bill - showed 1.2 million workers would have been protected from severe insecurity" in the workplace. Continue reading...

A letter warns Shabana Mahmood that targeting refugees will do nothing to tackle' problems with housing and the NHSMore than 100 charities have sent a letter to the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, calling for an end to the scapegoating of migrants".The letter, sent before her speech at the Labour party conference in Liverpool on Monday afternoon, was coordinated by Refugee Action and signed by 105 organisations from a wide range of sectors - including Save the Children, Mind, Oxfam, Shelter, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, as well as dozens of migrant and anti-racism charities. It has also been signed by the PCS union, which represents Border Force workers. Continue reading...

Elsey Davis will tackle 18,000 metres of elevation on run to raise awareness of young-onset Alzheimer's for her mumMost runners are content with a lap of their local park. But for one Cornish woman that is not nearly enough: she is aiming to race around the perimeter of her home county and set the fastest known time for the route.Elsey Davis, 36, a professional trail runner and GP, calculates she will run about 400 miles and tackle more than 18,000 metres of elevation - the equivalent of two Mount Everests. Continue reading...

PM Christopher Luxon had suggested recognition was only a matter of time, prompting disappointment from opposition parties and activistsOpposition parties, Palestinian groups and a former prime minister have expressed dismay over New Zealand's decision not to recognise Palestinian statehood, saying it places the country on the wrong side of history and puts it at odds with its traditional allies.Last week, the UK, Canada, Australia and others formally declared their recognition of statehood ahead of a special UN conference in New York. As of this month, 157 of the 193 UN member countries have recognised a Palestinian state. Continue reading...

Paul Smith, 54, died in a crash in dense bushland near Moruya airport on Saturday

Hope Not Hate founder Nick Lowles has spent decades researching, infiltrating and helping communities to combat far-right groups. But now, he says, they have their sights on our multicultural society'For almost four decades Nick Lowles has been trying to push back against the far right. First with the research magazine Searchlight and later with the campaigning organisation Hope Not Hate that has helped foil bomb and murder plots, as well as working in communities to combat far-right propaganda.He tells Helen Pidd about growing up in the 1970s with the National Front on the rise and how in the 1980s he helped infiltrate organisations such as the BNP and Combat 18. More recently Hope Not Hate's work helped lead to Tommy Robinson being jailed. Through it all Lowles has had death threats and abuse. Continue reading...

Recruitment report identifies sharp rise in vacancies for warehouse staff and cleaners but large fall in graduate opportunities

Home secretary to set out proposed tougher conditions including not taking benefits and spotless' criminal recordCriminals and people who cannot speak English to a high standard" will be denied permission to settle in the UK, Shabana Mahmood will announce on Monday, in proposals intended to contain the growing electoral threat from Reform UK.In a speech framing herself as a tough home secretary", Mahmood will say people seeking indefinite leave to remain (ILR) will have to demonstrate they have integrated and contributed" to society through national insurance payments and voluntary work, and not relied on benefits. Continue reading...

PM says immigration proposals could tear country apart as Labour delegates gather for first day of party conferenceKeir Starmer has decried Reform UK's racist" plans to revoke the rights of thousands of people to live in Britain, as a number of cabinet ministers escalated attacks on Nigel Farage on the first day of the Labour party conference.The prime minister said Farage's plans to revoke indefinite leave to remain for families who may have spent years working in Britain could tear this country apart", though he said he understood that many people tempted to vote for Reform were frustrated at the slow pace of change. Continue reading...

PM calls Reform's policy immoral but says people who want to vote for them are not racist but frustratedKuenssberg ended her interview by asking about Andy Burnham, and the leadership.Starmer said Burnham was doing a very good job as mayor of Greater Manchester.Comments about leaders and leadership are part and parcel of being in politics.It is the bread and butter of politics, every leader get its, it always comes up, particularly at conference. It's in the job description.People are entitled to their views and I'm not sticking my fingers in my ear in the slightest.What I am saying is that it is important to keep focusing on what it is that we are delivering, and saying, absolutely in clear terms, the difference it makes to people's lives.One, have we improved living standards? Do people genuinly feel better off? Two, have we improved public services? Is the NHS in a better place, and people can feel it. And, three, do people feel safe and secure in their home, in their neighbourhood, and that their country is secure.It's a five-year mandate, and I will be judged at the end of that five years, and quite right too.I just need the space and get on and do what we need to do, and do those three things above all else.I am saying we have got the fight of our lives ahead of us because we've got to take on Reform and we've got to beat them. So now is not the time for introspection or navel-gazing.There is a fight that we are all in together, and every single member of our party and our movement - actually, everyone who cares about what this country is, whether they vote Labour or otherwise - it's the fight of our lives for who we are as a country. We need to be in that fight, united not navel-gazing. I'm absolutely clear in my mind about that, and that's what I will be talking about at conference.Sir Keir Starmer gave land to his parents via a trust that meant their estates would never pay inheritance tax on the asset whatever its eventual value, according to legal experts.The prime minister's decision to place a seven-acre field within the structure meant its value was excluded from his parents' estate, of which he was a beneficiary, when they died. Continue reading...

IDF launches 140 airstrikes in last 24 hours as tanks advance in Gaza City and death toll for same period is put at 77Israel has pressed on with its offensive in Gaza as Donald Trump claimed again to be on the brink of a breakthrough in negotiations for a ceasefire in the devastated territory.Witnesses and medics said Israeli tanks were advancing through central and western neighbourhoods of Gaza City towards crowded coastal areas where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering. Continue reading...

Labour MPs and members are relieved to hear him speak so unequivocally but are expecting a backlash from the rightPoliticians tend to prefer different awkward euphemisms when they talk about the extreme right. Divisive" has so far been the descriptor of choice for Keir Starmer.But on Sunday the prime minister went further. It was racist, he said, unequivocally, for Reform UK to pledge to end indefinite leave to remain, a policy that threatens the lives of people long settled in Britain. Continue reading...

Kathleen Whitehead, known with sibling as the Twinnies', put their long life down to wine, chocolate and exerciseBritain's oldest identical twin has died at the age of 105 - three years after her sister.Kathleen Whitehead died peacefully this month. Her twin, Dorothy Sivyer, died in July 2022. Continue reading...