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Report foresees funding for childcare places in England falling by 8% over next three yearsThe fast pace of inflation will significantly erode funding for early years care in nurseries and childcare providers over the next three years, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.The IFS said funding for childcare places in England will in effect fall by 8% by 2024-25 as a result of inflation, with providers facing costs rising by 16% over that period, mainly as the result of higher wage bills. Continue reading...

Jenny Hayes will spend at least eight years in prison after pleading guilty to arson causing deathA Victorian woman who lit a deadly fire, killing a young couple and their 19-day-old baby, will spend at least eight years behind bars.Jenny Hayes, 48, faced the supreme court in Melbourne on Friday, where she was sentenced over the December 2020 fire after she had pleaded guilty to three counts of arson causing death. Continue reading...

Telco customers were not told their connections could not reach advertised speeds or given option to change plans, federal court hears

MP says there is ‘no excuse’ for his actions but is still ‘very much’ with Gina ColadangeloMatt Hancock has acknowledged there was “no excuse” for the actions that led to his resignation as health secretary after being photographed kissing a colleague during the pandemic, but insisted he “fell in love”.The Conservative MP for West Suffolk was asked by his campmates about his resignation after entering the Australian jungle in the reality show I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! Continue reading...

Scientists believe hydrogel injection blocks sperm supply to testicles for about two years and could be alternative to vasectomies

Prof Tom Marsh, 60, who had been missing since 16 September, described as ‘inspirational academic and mentor’A body has been found in the Chilean desert after a search was launched for missing astronomer Prof Tom Marsh, Warwick University has said.Marsh, 60, disappeared on 16 September while working at La Silla Observatory on the outskirts of the Atacama desert. Continue reading...

Video shows Ukraine’s forces about nine miles from city centre but Kyiv unable to confirm Russian retreat

Leaders meet before British-Irish Council summit, in first attendance by a UK PM since Gordon BrownRishi Sunak has said he wants to deepen ties between the UK and Ireland after a “very positive” first face-to-face meeting with the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, before the British-Irish Council summit in Blackpool.He said he was pleased with progress on the Northern Ireland protocol dispute and he was determined to end the impasse over the Stormont assembly. Continue reading...

Exclusive: armed forces personnel to get less than a week’s training under plan approved by Suella BravermanHundreds of military personnel will be trained to work as Border Force guards so they can fill in for striking workers under plans signed off by Suella Braverman.Members of the armed services could be asked to work on the frontline at ports and airports by the end of this month, Whitehall sources said. Defence sources said they had received a request for help from the Home Office, which was being evaluated. Continue reading...

Equalities watchdog tells judicial review of law on gender balance it is ‘regrettable but probably inevitable’ it is seen as partisanThe Equality and Human Rights Commission is a referee rather than a side-taker in the debate on whether transgender rights affect women’s legal protections, Scotland’s highest court has heard.The equalities watchdog was making a submission on the second day of a judicial review brought by the gender-critical campaign group For Women Scotland, which is challenging Scottish government attempts to include transgender women in legislation aimed at improving gender balance on public boards. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more about this story hereRussian president, Vladimir Putin, may take part in an upcoming summit of the G20 group of nations in Bali via video link, Russian state news agency RIA said on Thursday, citing the Russian embassy in Indonesia.“The format of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin’s participation is being worked out,” the agency quoted a diplomat as saying. “It is possible that he will take part in the summit via video conference.”The Pentagon declined the request based on concerns that providing the Gray Eagle MQ-1C drones could escalate the conflict and signal to Moscow that the US was providing weapons that could target positions inside Russia, US officials and other people familiar with the decision said.” Continue reading...

Teachers to take action in nearly all Scotland’s schools after EIS union members reject 5% pay offerTens of thousands of Scottish teachers are to take strike action later in November after union leaders won an overwhelming mandate to intensify a long-running wage dispute.The EIS, Scotland’s largest teachers’ union, said teachers would strike in nearly all Scotland’s schools on Thursday 24 November, in the first national stoppage by the union for almost 40 years, in pursuit of a 10% increase in pay. Continue reading...

Ocean Viking will bring 234 people to Toulon amid deepening row with Rome over Mediterranean rescuesFrance is to open its southern port of Toulon to a charity-operated ship carrying hundreds of asylum seekers rescued from the central Mediterranean, saying it is an “exceptional” move and criticising Italy’s new far-right government for its “incomprehensible” refusal to help the vessel.The Ocean Viking rescue ship, operated by the European charity SOS Méditerranée under a Norwegian flag, and whose 234 passengers include 57 children, is facing deteriorating sanitary conditions after Italy refused to give it a safe port for more than two weeks despite its presence in Italian waters. Continue reading...

Russian leader has distanced himself from withdrawal decision but Kremlin appears keen to learn from mistakes

Report on conditions in Qatar alleges labour abuses are widespread and calls on Fifa to set up compensation fundMigrant workers who constructed stadiums for the World Cup in Qatar have endured “persistent and widespread labour rights violations”, which include nationality-based discrimination, illegal recruitment practices and, in some cases, unpaid wages, according to allegations in a new report by human rights group Equidem.While the report also documents a number of cases of good practice, including “adequate channels for reporting concerns with working conditions”, good access to healthcare, satisfactory safety measures and decent living conditions, Equidem’s findings conclude that Qatar has been a “hostile environment” for stadium workers. Continue reading...

Defence secretary changes stance under new PM after previously threatening to quit if pledge not metThe defence secretary has walked away from a Liz Truss commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 – just a few weeks after signalling he might resign from the government if the target was not met.When asked if he still supported the pledge, Ben Wallace, speaking at a meeting of European defence ministers, said he was “taking it budget by budget at the moment”, acknowledging the changed economic situation following Truss’s disastrous premiership. Continue reading...

Use of military personnel ‘not unrealistic’ says official as NHS and government draw up plans to keep service goingThe army could answer 999 calls if ambulance personnel on England go on strike over their pay, under NHS plans to keep services running during strikes.Military personnel will be brought in if, as looks likely, ambulance staff such as paramedics and emergency medical technicians withdraw their labour in the next few weeks. Continue reading...

Christ Church college spent £6m in legal fees and PR costs in effort to oust its headOne of Oxford’s most venerable colleges has been severely criticised by the Charity Commission over mismanagement and misconduct in a long-running battle to oust its former head.Christ Church, which was founded in 1546 and has educated 13 UK prime ministers and 17 archbishops, spent more than £6.6m in legal fees and public relations costs in its efforts to force out its dean, the Very Rev Martyn Percy. Continue reading...

Aura, born when just 94 Iberian lynxes remained, dies in Spain at record age and leaves a ‘phenomenal legacy’A grumpy, strong-willed Iberian lynx called Aura that helped snatch her species from the jaws of extinction, and whose genes live on in more than 900 of the spotted and tufty-eared felines, has died in southern Spain at the record age of 20.When Aura was born in Andalucía’s Doñana national park in 2002, there were a mere 94 Iberian lynxes on the peninsula. Decades of eradication efforts, together with a massive drop in rabbit numbers because of myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease – not to mention human encroachment – had left the animals on the brink of disappearing. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lack of time to implement photo ID rules ‘may prevent voting’ in English local elections in MayElectoral officials and councillors are urging ministers to delay the rollout of mandatory voter ID checks at May’s local elections, warning that a short timetable and lack of clarity about the rules could cause thousands of people to be disfranchised.One senior election official, who is responsible for voting in a major local authority, told the Guardian they feared a large number of election results could end up being challenged in the courts if the system was implemented as planned. Continue reading...

Party also reinstalls adviser to Sadiq Khan on shortlist of candidates hoping to stand in Camberwell and Peckham

Government says measures brought in following invasion of Ukraine are ‘crippling war machine’

Family history website makes cache of documents from National Archives available for public to viewOn 19 April 1915, Ethel Andrews, a young woman from Sherborne in Dorset, wrote to the foreign secretary to ask about her brother. Pte Gordon Gray had been captured at the battle of Ypres on 2 November, was being held as a prisoner of war at a camp in northern Germany “and I have not heard from him for so long,” she wrote to Sir Edward Grey.“I send him a parcel every week which costs me 5s4d, & I do feel so broken hearted because I have not heard if he have received one. I should be more than grateful if you would kindly do something for me.” Continue reading...

Nine in 11 tube lines shut as RMT and Unite stage latest 24-hour stoppage in dispute over jobs and pensionsCommuters in London battled travel chaos on Thursday morning, with nine out of the 11 tube lines closed due to a 24-hour strike by London Underground staff.Passengers have been urged to avoid the tube and check before they travel due to the latest strike by staff in the RMT and Unite unions in a long-running dispute over jobs and pensions. The Elizabeth Line, Docklands Light Railway, tram and national rail services are expected to run as normal but may be busier at peak times. Continue reading...

Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, claims ‘quite a lot’ of politicians downloading TV show app

NHS England says 401,537 people waiting more than 52 weeks to start treatment at end of SeptemberThe number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high.A total of 7.1 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of September, NHS England said. This is up from 7 million in August and is the highest number since records began in August 2007. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Britain’s Got Talent judge made sexually explicit comments about participant, leak showsThe Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams made derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants during the recording of an episode of the ITV show, according to a leaked transcript seen by the Guardian.Walliams, one of the UK’s best-known television personalities and children’s book authors, was recorded referring to one contestant as a “cunt” and saying of another: “She thinks you want to fuck her, but you don’t.” Continue reading...

Today’s disarmament activists are applying a new set of tactics to respond to threats including those from Putin in UkraineAs nuclear dangers gather momentum three decades after the cold war, a disarmament movement is rising to meet them, with a new generation of activists.In the late 50s and early 60s, and then again in the early 80s, when the US and the Soviet Union were pointing their missiles at each other in Europe, there were mass street protests against governments making plans for global annihilation. Continue reading...

Russia will be represented by foreign minister Sergei Lavrov at next week’s gathering of G20 leadersVladimir Putin will not attend a gathering of leaders from the G20 nations in Bali next week, Indonesian and Russian officials confirmed on Thursday, ending weeks of speculation about a possible confrontation with the US president, Joe Biden.Russia’s president will be represented by his veteran foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, officials said. “President Putin’s programme is still being worked out; he could participate virtually,” said Yulia Tomskaya, the chief of protocol as the Russian embassy in Indonesia.Putin may have wanted to avoid potentially explosive showdowns with western leaders including Biden, events that Russian media might have been unable to present to his benefit. Continue reading...

Higher electricity and gas prices offset weaker performance in Centrica’s household servicesBritish Gas owner Centrica has revealed plans to hand more money back to shareholders, as stronger profits from high electricity and gas prices help offset poor performance of its retail arm.In an unscheduled trading update on Thursday, the company said it expected profits to be at the top end of analyst forecasts, which are predicting earnings of about 15.1p to 26p a share for 2022. Continue reading...

War-induced price shocks being felt by households and businesses require government to step in, Treasury saysThe Albanese government will receive advice on possible interventions in the energy market as early as next week, including potential price caps, bargaining provisions for smaller energy users, and a legally binding code of conduct for the gas sector.At Senate estimates on Thursday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it was preparing advice on a range of options for a new mandatory code of conduct for the sector, along with guidance on other “regulatory gaps” in the market.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Diplomatic car driving then high commissioner to the UK was not damaged but local police want $26,320 for damage to two vehicles, Senate estimates hears

James Griffin repeatedly asked in parliament about controversial proposal, which Labor will oppose

Home owners can choose between paying ongoing tax or an upfront stamp duty for properties worth up to $1.5mFirst home buyers in New South Wales will now be able to choose between paying an annual land tax or an upfront stamp duty on their property after Dominic Perrottet’s signature tax reform was passed in parliament.The legislation, which passed on Thursday, covers all properties bought by first home buyers worth up to $1.5m.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Exclusive: former government insider said it was believed serious breach ‘could have only come from Gavin’Penny Mordaunt was forced to deal with a security leak during her time as defence secretary that the department believed came from her predecessor, Gavin Williamson, amid fears the information put “our people’s lives at risk”.Three sources told the Guardian that the breach was deemed so serious that Mordaunt was prepared to seek a D notice to warn any media considering publishing the information that it risked endangering Britain’s national security. Continue reading...

Trussell Trust figures reveal one in five referrals to its centres were from households where someone workedNurses, shop assistants and youth workers are among large numbers of people in low-paid jobs forced for the first time to accept charity food parcels to stay afloat as the cost of living crisis transforms the profile of the typical UK food bank user.Research by the Trussell Trust, Britain’s largest food bank network, found one in in five people referred to its 1,300 food bank centres in the summer were from households where someone worked. It also reported 145,000 families had used its food banks for the first time in recent months, an increase of 40%. Continue reading...

Media companies complain over the ‘incorrect’ way two female Victorian reporters were described in an AFR article

Integrity bill likely to be legislated before end of 2022 despite crossbench and Coalition disagreements on some issues

State audit office report shows a 57% rise in youth supervision orders for domestic violence offencesAn increasing number of Queensland young people on supervision orders has been recorded, with a report identifying a lack of support for children exposed to domestic violence.The state is failing to act proactively on the “intergenerational transmission of violence” and there are few services available to children and adolescents, the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) said in a new report.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Australian Federal Police warn public it is a criminal offence to seek out the data posted by a Russian ransomware group

Most extensive IR legislation in two decades now moves to the Senate where independent David Pocock is the swing vote

US president points to problems in Vladimir Putin’s war machine but Ukraine president warns there is ‘always resistance from the enemy’Russia’s troop withdrawal from Kherson showed its military faces “real problems”, US president Joe Biden has said, as his Ukrainian counterpart urged caution and warned his forces that a fight still lay ahead.In an announcement televised on Wednesday, the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the face of Ukrainian attacks. General Sergei Surovikin, is in overall command of Russia’s war operations, called it a “very difficult decision” but conceded that, “Kherson cannot be fully supplied and function”. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meteorology forecasts storms likely to produce damaging winds, hailstones and heavy rain

Jair Bolsonaro frequently raised doubts about integrity of election in the run-up to his loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaA much-awaited report by Brazil’s Defence Ministry has failed to indicate recent ballots were fraudulent, scuppering the far-right’s hopes of delegitimising the election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.The military sent the 63-page report to Brazil’s electoral authorities late on Wednesday after days of speculation that it would back claims by extremist president Jair Bolsonaro that the election was tainted. Continue reading...

Other audience members shushed heckler and 12-year-old Malakai M Bayoh received ‘wild applause’ for performance in Handel’s AlcinaA heckler has been banned for life from the Royal Opera House after shouting “rubbish” at a 12-year-old actor during a production of Handel’s opera Alcina.The incident occurred while Malakai M Bayoh was singing his lines at the opening night of the opera on Tuesday. Continue reading...

First, demonise the Labor leader and deify the opponent. If all else fails, focus on crime, particularly gang crime and, best of all, race-based gang crime …This is how I imagine a recent news conference unfolded inside Victoria’s most popular newspaper, the Herald Sun. The state was embarking on an election campaign so there were all sorts of important issues for the senior editorial staff to discuss, including debt, law reform and renationalising the state’s electricity grid.“Anyone got any ideas?” asked the editor. “Sure,” said a senior reporter, “I’ve got a hot tip about a cyclist colliding with a car driven by the then opposition leader’s wife nearly 10 years ago which has been thoroughly investigated and where no wrongdoing was found.” Continue reading...

Move will be widely seen as significant blow to Vladimir Putin weeks after he announced the ‘forever’ annexation of KhersonUkraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, is in Cambodia today, meeting prime minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh. Kuleba wrote on Twitter: “We focused on bilateral cooperation and global food security. I also congratulated prime minister Sen on Happy Cambodian Independence Day.”Eastern European countries are preparing to reopen reception centres and are restocking food supplies in anticipation of a possible fresh surge in Ukrainian refugees as winter looms and Russia targets Ukraine’s power grid and heating plants. Continue reading...

From M&S to Tesco, festive advertisers have plumped for themes echoing strong family or community valuesJohn Lewis has swept aside the fake snow, the celebrities and even the cute pets for a back to basics Christmas ad which raises awareness of young people in care.The department store’s annual campaign, a TV moment that has kickstarted the festive season in the UK for more than a decade, focuses this year on a middle-aged man’s efforts to prepare for the arrival of a new foster daughter – Ellie – by trying to share her passion for skateboarding. Continue reading...

Many sites have been saved but King Arthur’s Great Halls and 12th-century Malmesbury Abbey remain vulnerableKing Arthur’s Great Halls in Tintagel, a 12th-century Benedictine abbey and a steam-powered Victorian pumping station are among 175 heritage sites deemed at risk this year.Meanwhile 233 sites have been removed from Historic England’s annual “heritage at risk” register. Many have been saved as a result of rescue efforts by volunteers, community groups, charities and local councils, with £8.6m in repair grants awarded by Historic England, the public body that looks after the historic environment. Continue reading...

The drop follows two years of growth, although property professionals recorded some regional variationHouse prices stalled last month after more than two years of growth as a sharp rise in mortgage rates fuelled caution among buyers, according to Britain’s official surveyors body.The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) also predicted that rents will be 4% higher in a year’s time due to an imbalance between strong tenant demand and the supply of homes to let. Continue reading...