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Reports suggest comedian is to step down, though BGT spokesperson says no decision made after apology for ‘disrespectful comments’David Walliams is expected to step down as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent after a Guardian report that revealed he had made disrespectful comments about contestants on the show.A spokesperson for Britain’s Got Talent said next year’s judging lineup was yet to be finalised and that no decision has been taken on whether Walliams would be involved. A report in the Sun, however, stated that he would be leaving the programme after 10 years. Continue reading...

With a deadline to declare their intentions nearing and facing likely election defeat, as many as 50 may opt not to stand

Education secretary says she looks forward to ‘de-escalation’ as unions in England ballot over industrial actionThe education secretary has made a veiled plea for teachers in England to “de-escalate” and avoid industrial action, arguing that progress can be made on pay and other concerns without the threat of “harmful” strikes.All four major teaching unions in England are balloting their members on possible strike action over pay, with the National Education Union and NASUWT saying that the pay rise given in September – about 5% on average – is inadequate given rampant inflation and the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

Declaration comes amid Adidas investigation and fashion brands dropping the rapper over antisemitic commentsThe disgraced rapper and designer formerly known as Kanye West has said he plans to run for president in 2024, amid a series of antisemitic tirades and new far-right associations.The declaration of his candidacy, which referenced several political figures and aides associated with US white supremacist and anti-democracy movements, would make him the second person to enter the race after Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Russian president sits down with handpicked group of women to calm public anger over mobilisation

Chair of Migration Advisory Committee warns that some institutions would struggle to survive financiallyUniversities could go bankrupt if the government limits the number of foreign students in a bid to bring down net migration, an adviser on immigration policy has warned.Rishi Sunak’s potential plan to clamp down on international students taking “low-quality” degrees could “send many universities over the edge”, particularly in poorer regions, the chair of the government’s Migration Advisory Committee said. Continue reading...

Belfast court convicts David Jonathan Holden over 1988 killing of Aidan McAnespieA former soldier who shot dead a civilian as he walked through a British army checkpoint in Northern Ireland during the Troubles has been convicted of manslaughter.Belfast crown court on Friday found David Jonathan Holden, 53, guilty of gross negligence when he shot Aidan McAnespie on 21 February 1988, making the former Grenadier Guardsman the first army veteran to be convicted of a historical offence in Northern Ireland since the 1998 Good Friday agreement. Continue reading...

Saima Suleman criticises review, which others have labelled a potential ‘whitewash arranged by white people’

In valleys town of Treorchy, there is disappointment at defeat by Iran but hope that England can be beatenThey consider themselves pretty hardy in the south Wales valleys town of Treorchy, but there were tears in the eyes of grown men and women as their country’s first World Cup finals adventure for 64 years was dealt the heaviest of blows.Graham Jones, 76, struggled to find the words to describe his mood after watching the game against Iran in the Lion pub. “Absolutely deflated … devastated,” was his best attempt. Continue reading...

Rolling blackouts continue and 60% of Kyiv without electricity two days after Russian strikes on infrastructure

Though neither Israel nor Palestine are playing in the tournament, the latter has featured prominently in QatarOne video shows an Egyptian football fan smiling serenely as an Israeli broadcaster introduces him live on air. Then he leans into the microphone with a message: “Viva Palestine.”Another clip from the streets of Doha this week shows a group of Lebanese men walking away from a live interview with a reporter they have just learned is Israeli. One shouts over his shoulder: “There is no Israel. It’s Palestine.” Continue reading...

Damaging optics of ‘family’ photo at CSTO summit highlights fragility of Russia’s influence in wake of war in Ukraine

Sources say the Liberal strategy of focusing the campaign around the premier is working, with Labor unsure of how to respond

Mother of two urged to free up crisis accommodation for others amid a huge blowout in social housing wait times

Bundestag hopes move will serve as ‘warning’ to Moscow as Ukraine faces potential hunger crisis

Rarely seen work painted during artist’s Dutch exile from Nazi Germany has an estimate of €20m-€30mA moody self-portrait of the 20th-century expressionist Max Beckmann painted during his Dutch exile from the Nazis is predicted to break the record for a price secured at auction in Germany when it goes under the hammer in Berlin next week.Art lovers have been flocking first to New York and then to Berlin to see the painting in preview showings, which have offered a rare opportunity to view a masterpiece that has always been in private hands. Continue reading...

New complaint against deputy prime minister received by Cabinet Office on Tuesday, says No 10

Heidi Crowter argued that the law was discriminatory and stigmatised disabled peopleA woman with Down’s syndrome has lost a court of appeal challenge over the UK’s abortion laws.Heidi Crowter, who brought the case alongside Máire Lea-Wilson, whose son Aidan also has Down’s syndrome, had argued that allowing pregnancy terminations up to birth if the foetus has the condition is discriminatory and stigmatises disabled people. Continue reading...

Beijing court finds Chinese-born singer raped three women in November and December 2020A Beijing court has sentenced the Chinese-born Canadian pop star Kris Wu to 13 years in jail after finding him guilty of crimes including rape, just over a year after his arrest in China, where he was born and built a lucrative career.The court in Chaoyang district said investigations showed that from November to December 2020, Wu, also known as Wu Yifan, raped three women. Continue reading...

Ideas for growth shelved as PM grasps managing economic crisis, NHS and small boat crossings are his survival route

Towns say they are not driven by nostalgia as they opt for horsepowered bin collections and school runsThe clip-clop of hooves marked the start of the morning rubbish collection in the Brittany town of Hennebont, as Dispar, a Breton draft horse, pulled a small cart towards the waste bins on a central street.“This job is so much nicer with an animal,” said Julien, 38, who usually worked emptying bins on to a motorised rubbish-truck in another town but was training in horse-drawn techniques. “People see you differently, they say hello instead of beeping. This is the future, it saves on pollution, petrol and noise. And it makes people smile. Normally, I’d be constantly breathing in exhaust fumes behind my lorry, so this feels much healthier.” Continue reading...

Appointment of Itamar Ben-Gvir raises fears of further escalation in Israeli-Palestinian tensionsThe extremist Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has a long record of anti-Arab rhetoric and stunts, will become the country’s next minister of national security, according to the first of what are expected to be several coalition deals struck by the former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.Likud announced an agreement with Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party on Friday. Negotiations with three other potential far-right and ultra-Orthodox coalition partners are continuing. If successful, Netanyahu would return to the prime minister’s office and preside over the most rightwing and religious government in Israel’s history. Continue reading...

Whodunnit running in the West End since 1952, interrupted only by Covid, will open in New York in 2023The world’s longest-running play, The Mousetrap, is to finally make its Broadway debut. The announcement was made on Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the London production of Agatha Christie’s whodunnit.The only surviving piece of the original set from 1952, a mantelpiece clock, will be loaned from London for the run in New York when it opens in 2023. The play will be co-produced by The Mousetrap’s UK producer, Adam Spiegel, and US producer Kevin McCollum, whose credits include Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights and the Broadway outings of the British am-dram spoof The Play That Goes Wrong and the musical Six. Continue reading...

International community urged to intervene as hundreds of thousands forced into refugee camps as homes and crops destroyed and aid workers attackedStarvation is being used as a weapon of war by South Sudan government forces against their own citizens, an investigation has found.Deliberate starvation tactics used by government forces and allied militia, and by opposition forces, are driving civilians out of their homes, exacerbating Africa’s largest refugee crisis, according to the report published on Thursday. Continue reading...

Arrest follows $1m reward offered for the location and arrest of 38-year-old Rajwinder Singh in relation to alleged murder of Queensland woman

Six people killed amid evacuations and significant damage, with Albania particularly badly hitIn Europe, flooding due to heavy rain has killed six people, prompted evacuations and caused significant damage in parts of the Balkans. Low pressure centred over southern Italy brought moisture-laden south-westerly winds across the region through the weekend. The resulting torrential downpours led to the flooding of hundreds of homes, as well as thousands of acres of agricultural land. Parts of Albania were particularly badly hit, with up to 400mm of rain falling in 12 hours on 20 November, causing the Drini River to burst its banks by about 100mm. In nearby Montenegro, heavy rain caused the Morača River to rise by over 4 metres in 10 hours.Storm Denise brought heavy rain and strong winds to Spain and Majorca later on Monday 21 November and into Tuesday. A wind gust of 84mph was recorded at Serra d’Alfabia in Majorca and the fire brigade was called to 10 incidents, ranging from fallen trees to mountain rescues. The strong winds also caused damage to boats in Port de Soller. The storm brought significant waves, with some reaching up to 5 metres in height. Continue reading...

Dominic Perrottet says the two sides agreed to a Fair Work Commission process to resolve long-running fightThe New South Wales government says it has carved out a deal with the state’s rail union to modify a fleet of trains and halt industrial action, after months of bitter negotiation.The parties had been at odds over whether or not to make safety modifications to a multibillion-dollar Korean-built fleet of intercity trains, which have been in storage since 2019.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Royal College of Nursing confirms action in England, Wales and Northern Ireland after government ‘refuses’ to enter pay talksNurses across the UK will go on strike for the first time over two days in the fortnight before Christmas after ministers rejected their pleas for formal talks over NHS pay.The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said its members would stage national strikes – the first in its 106-year history – on 15 and 20 December. Senior sources said the industrial action was expected to last for 12 hours on both days – most likely between 8am and 8pm. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Jaguar Land Rover, hit by computer chip shortage, to scale down shifts at Solihull and HalewoodJaguar Land Rover is cutting production at its UK factories until the spring in a sign of its continued struggle to source semiconductors amid the global shortage.The carmaker, whose chief executive, Thierry Bolloré, last week announced his resignation, has decided to cut production at factories in Solihull and Halewood between January and the end of March as it tries to prioritise its most profitable models, said industry sources. Continue reading...

Regulator criticised because it will only ‘closely’ monitor suppliers’ use of credit balancesThe energy regulator has strengthened its rules to shield households after taxpayers had to pick up a £9.2bn bill when suppliers went bust – but it was criticised for failing to protect consumer deposits.Ofgem has announced a package of reforms designed to bolster consumer protection and ensure energy suppliers are more resilient to market shocks. Continue reading...

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Pupils and staff of Ashford Church of England primary put on antibiotics after six-year-old died of group A streptococcal infectionA six-year-old pupil is reported to have died and another was being cared for in hospital after an outbreak of an invasive bacteria at a primary school in Surrey.The BBC reported the pupils at Ashford Church of England primary school were believed to be in the same year group, with the second child recovering in hospital. Continue reading...

Transport, health and education staff are among those going on strike amid the cost of living crisisTens of thousands of members of the University and College Union – including lecturers, librarians and researchers – went on strike on Thursday, over pay, working conditions and pensions. Continue reading...

Chief constable freed up officers’ time by cutting the amount of mental health work done by policeA police force has gone from being ranked as failing five years ago to being given the highest ever grades in the modern era by the policing inspectorate.Humberside police has been judged as outstanding in six out of nine categories by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Continue reading...

Competition among tenants for properties intensified by potential buyers delaying plans and lower supply of smaller homesDemand for rental homes across the UK has jumped by nearly a quarter in a year, research has found, piling more pressure on an oversubscribed market and pushing record private rents even higher.The number of people enquiring about homes to rent is up 23% on this time last year, according to the property website Rightmove, driven in part by some would-be buyers putting their plans on hold in the hope that mortgage rates will drop in the new year. Continue reading...

The murder in 2021 came after a man was falsely accused of lighting deadly wildfires that he had come to help fightAn Algerian court has sentenced 49 people to death for the brutal mob killing of a painter who was suspected of starting devastating wildfires – but had actually come to help fight them, according to defence lawyers and the state news agency.The killing in 2021 in the Kabyle region of north-east Algeria shocked the country after graphic images of it were shared on social media. It came soon after wildfires in the mountainous Berber region that killed about 90 people, including soldiers trying to tame the flames. Continue reading...

Viking-style vessel is based on the one that launched invasion of England in 1066 and its makers hope to sail it across ChannelOn 27 September 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, set sail in La Mora, the flagship of a huge fleet that would invade and conquer England. Now a historical society on France’s Normandy coast is going to re-create the ship that launched almost 1,000 years of cross-Channel enmity.The Bayeux tapestry, a 70 metre-long (230ft) embroidered account of the Norman Conquest, depicts La Mora as a Viking-style longship with a striped red and gold sail flying the papal banner on its masthead. On board was William, his most trusted knights, their entourage and horses, and 60 oarsmen. Continue reading...

Labor spent more than $116,000 boosting attack ads using page before Facebook took it down due to alleged breach of policies

Three guest panellists give their verdict on how the parties performed in the final week of the campaign

Carole Ruthchild said gay women ‘couldn’t be out and open and not get a bad response’ in the past

Anthony Albanese says his government will accept all recommendations of Bell report on former PM’s secret ministries

Rate of hospitalisations and infections ‘starting to taper’ in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland

Federal government assures western Sydney mayors the area will not be a ‘dumping ground’ for repatriated family members

James Cleverly, who says Russia will fail in its attempt to ‘break Ukrainian resolve’, announces fresh support packageThe foreign secretary, James Cleverly, travelled to Kyiv on Thursday to meet the Ukrainian leadership and promise the UK’s support for as long as it takes to defeat Russia’s brutal efforts to break the country’s resolve.In his first visit to Ukraine since his appointment as foreign secretary, Cleverly presented a package of support including money for the reconstruction of schools, ambulances, the victims of sexual violence, and grain sales to the world’s poorest markets, such as Sudan and Yemen. Continue reading...

Ruling DPP puts Beijing at centre of campaign while rival KMT steers clear, in first vote since tensions in the Taiwan Strait escalated

Thinktank says it expects chancellor’s autumn statement to leave ‘poisoned inheritance’ for next government

Firm that has dressed royalty including King Charles III has been on market since previous owner went bustMike Ashley’s Frasers Group has bought Gieves & Hawkes, one of London’s oldest bespoke tailors.Frasers, which already owns Sports Direct, House of Fraser and the Flannels designer casualwear chain, is understood to have taken on the Gieves & Hawkes brand and five UK stores, including the flagship in the tailoring heartland of Savile Row. It is not clear how many jobs have been saved under the deal. Continue reading...

Jamie Barrow, 31, charged over death of Fatoumatta Hydara and her children aged one and threeA man has been charged with the murders of a mother and two children who died after a fire in their home in Nottingham.Nottinghamshire police said 31-year-old Jamie Barrow, of Clifton, Nottingham, had been charged with three counts of murder on Thursday. Continue reading...

Residents shelter in ‘invincibility stations’ offering power, water and food as Russian missiles knock out suppliesThe residents of Kyiv taking shelter in their local “invincibility station” were well aware that their own morale has become the central battlefield of the war, and it is not territory they are prepared to concede to Vladimir Putin.The insulated grey tent set up on a street corner in the Pecherskyi district of Kyiv, one of thousands established around the country this week, was offering electricity, warmth, tea and sandwiches in the wake of the latest Russian onslaught. Continue reading...

Head of Ukrainian nuclear power company says Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station on diesel generators on Wednesday; Kyiv releases Russian PoWsRussia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said contacts with the UN nuclear watchdog over safety at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine were “constructive” and showed some promise.The Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russia seized shortly after its invasion, was again rocked by shelling last weekend, prompting renewed calls from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to create a protection zone around it to prevent a nuclear disaster. Continue reading...