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Exclusive: Eight firms that received pandemic contracts to be urged to withdraw due to ‘clear conflicts of interest’Families bereaved by Covid will write to eight PR companies that received hefty government contracts during the pandemic asking them to withdraw from a tender process to manage part of the inquiry.The tender process is to run the Listening Project, announced earlier this year as a formal part of the Covid-19 inquiry, which is to be awarded to one of 12 firms on a pre-approved government list. Many of those firms also undertook work for the government during the pandemic, the Guardian revealed last month. Continue reading...

Secondary school competition ‘did not demonstrate the relevance to the contemporary art context of Aotearoa’New Zealand’s arts council has pulled funding for a Shakespeare festival that has been running in secondary schools for roughly three decades, after questioning its relevance to the country and because it focuses on “a canon of imperialism”.Every year, the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand runs the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare festival – a secondary school competition where students perform excerpts from Shakespeare’s plays. Continue reading...

Government critics and activists intimidated by police ahead of Sunday’s Communist party meeting, where Xi Jinping is expected to gain third term

Basic with Ads will launch in Australia on 3 November as the streaming service hopes to recoup its first subscriber losses in more than 10 years

Regional development minister Catherine King says uncontracted funding awarded by the Coalition is being heavily scrutinised

Higgins resumes giving evidence in trial of Bruce Lehrmann, who has pleaded not guilty

Court hears former Liberal staffer, who has pleaded not guilty, told police neither he nor Higgins was very drunk when they went to Parliament House in the early hours of the morning

Former minister’s chief of staff tells court Lehrmann, who denies rape allegation, told her later he went back to the office to drink whisky

Gregory Lee Roser has pleaded not guilty to murdering 54-year-old north of Brisbane in 2017, saying he feared he ‘would end up like Bruce’

A majority aren’t familiar with the term for non-consensual removal of condom during sex, a criminal act in four jurisdictions, so reporting is lowAustralians overwhelmingly agree that “stealthing” – the non-consensual removal of a condom during sex – should be a crime, but more work needs to be done to make people familiar with the term, new research has found.Stealthing is explicitly criminalised in four Australian jurisdictions – Tasmania, NSW, and Victoria following the lead of the ACT – with Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia either considering legislation or reviewing sexual assault legislation for gaps.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

With people aged 65 and over controlling 51% of Britain’s wealth, the logic for investors is simple• Canadian owners of care homes avoided UK taxes, researchers claimWith a spa, cinema and wood-panelled hall, Reigate Grange in Surrey, where Ann King was abused, is part of a growing trend for luxury care homes. Fuelled by global investors’ desire to capitalise on older people’s property wealth, luxury care applies a cruise-ship sheen to the grittier reality of dementia and the end of life.The logic for investors is simple. People aged 65 and over in the UK now control 51% of Britain’s wealth, up from 42% in 2008, the year of the financial crash, according to the Resolution Foundation. A large minority of older people can afford £100,000-a-year care home fees because they have houses worth far more that they no longer need. A person in a £1m home who survives for the typical two years of a care home resident would still leave £800,000 in their will. Continue reading...

Speculation that reversal on leadership campaign pledge risks split with her chancellor, Kwasi KwartengLiz Truss has bowed to intense pressure from Conservative MPs and the markets by agreeing to redraw her mini-budget, paving the way for a major U-turn on her signature corporation tax cut.In another serious blow to her authority as prime minister, government sources told the Guardian that a climbdown on the plan to scrap the rise in corporation tax was now “on the table”. Continue reading...

Latest in spate of ballistic missile launches further raises animosities between the two countriesNorth Korea has launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters and flew warplanes near the border with South Korea, the South’s military said, further raising animosities triggered by the North’s recent barrage of weapons tests.South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said the launch happened early on Friday local time but gave no further details including how far the weapon flew. Continue reading...

EU foreign policy chief rules out nuclear response to Putin but vows powerful answer from military

Move follows axing of 32 in February as ‘most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking’NatWest is to shut a further 43 branches on top of the 32 it axed earlier this year, claiming that most customers are shifting to mobile and online banking.The outlets will close in the first half of next year and the move means the group will have 678 UK branches, down from its current figure of 721. Continue reading...

Jimmy Carr-fronted show accused of seeking attention with something akin to book burningChannel 4 has come under fire over plans for a new show that will allow a studio audience to decide whether Jimmy Carr should destroy a painting by Adolf Hitler.As part of its latest season of programmes, the TV channel has bought artworks by a range of “problematic” artists including Hitler, Pablo Picasso, the convicted paedophile Rolf Harris and sexual abuser Eric Gill. Continue reading...

Ian Katz says new show celebrates the channel’s tradition of ‘iconoclasm and irreverence’Channel 4 has bought a painting by Adolf Hitler and will allow a studio audience to decide whether Jimmy Carr should destroy it.As part of its latest season of programmes, the TV channel has bought artworks by a range of “problematic” artists, including Pablo Picasso, as well as convicted paedophile Rolf Harris and sexual abuser Eric Gill. Continue reading...

Deputy PM says residents will be helped to move away from southern Ukrainian region partly occupied by invaders

Labour’s Barry Sheerman says BBC revealed as ‘incompetent’ in dealing with Alex Belfield’s harassment of female workersThe BBC is guilty of a “miscarriage of justice” over its “unacceptable” and total lack of support for female employees who were harassed for 10 years by the jailed stalker, Alex Belfield, an MP has said.Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield, said the BBC’s treatment of the women – who include his constituent, the BBC Radio Leeds veteran Liz Green – revealed an “incompetent and remote” organisation that failed to understand or care what was happening to its employees. Continue reading...

On visit to Port Moresby, defence minister says ‘it would be so meaningful’ for PNG to become National Rugby League’s 18th teamAustralia’s deputy prime minister has held talks with National Rugby League officials to push the case for a Papua New Guinea team, declaring “now is the time” to expand the competition.Richard Marles, visiting PNG in his capacity as defence minister, said on Thursday that he had “personally spoken with the NRL a number of times about this”.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Family of Yokun call for government apology and compensation as university says sorry for storing remains

High ownership of multiple residences among state MPs has prompted accusations they are ‘blind’ to the escalating rental crisis

Greens senator says she won’t put her energy into ‘yes’ campaign until there is ‘concrete progress’ on other elements of Uluru statement from the heart

NHS in England would need to spend £10.2bn to bring rundown buildings and kit up to standard, figures showThe cost of eradicating a huge backlog of repairs to NHS hospitals and equipment has hit £10bn for the first time, it has emerged.Figures from NHS Digital’s annual report into the condition of the NHS’s estate show it would cost the health service in England £10.2bn to improve rundown buildings and clapped-out kit. Continue reading...

Court of session rules criteria that meant Ola Jasmin missed out by 58 days breached her human rightsStudents from migrant families in Scotland will have the same right to free university tuition as their peers, after a landmark court judgment which legal experts say highlights the positive impact of human rights legislation.The court of session in Edinburgh found that Iraq-born Ola Jasim, who has lived in Scotland for nine years but missed out on the criteria for free tuition fees by 58 days, had her human rights breached. Continue reading...

Ryanair, easyJet and BA owner say trading holding up despite political instability and cost of living crisisAirline bookings and revenues have remained stronger than expected, according to the UK’s three main carriers, which said trading had held up in the face of political instability and the cost of living crisis.British Airways’ owner, IAG, said there was “no indication of weakness” in bookings, as it guided higher than expected profits, while both Ryanair and easyJet said they were confident customers would continue to book with them in the year ahead. Continue reading...

Images show banners emblazoned with protest messages hanging from overpass on major road in BeijingA rare protest against the Communist party in Beijing and fears over renewed Covid restrictions across Shanghai are stoking political tensions just days before President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third term in power in a key meeting on Sunday.On Thursday, at least half a dozen photos and videos emerged on social media, showing two banners emblazoned with protest messages hanging from an overpass of a major thoroughfare in the north-west corner of the Chinese capital. The photos show plumes of smoke billowing from the bridge. Continue reading...

Killing of Israeli soldier led to closure of refugee camp and worst violence in contested city in monthsIsraeli forces have used live fire during confrontations with hundreds of Palestinian protesters throwing stones and firebombs in the worst violence in the contested city of Jerusalem in months, sparked by the search for a suspected Palestinian gunman.The killing of an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint in the neighbourhood of Shuafat on Saturday led to raids and the four-day closure of a nearby sprawling refugee camp. By Wednesday, with tensions soaring, Palestinians across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank launched a general strike in solidarity with the residents of Shuafat, and demonstrations overnight quickly turned violent, with clashes lasting into the early hours of Thursday. Continue reading...

The chief mouser was seen on camera chasing away a larger intruder on his patch. Experts explain his behaviourLarry, the Downing Street cat, stepped up from mouser duties this week to chase an urban fox off his patch. The burly tabby was caught on camera intently stalking the fox before launching into a fully fledged pursuit when the trespasser tried to take cover in a flowerbed.Larry emerges the victor, but the encounter has led some to wonder what gives cats the brazen confidence to take on larger animals such as foxes or dogs. Continue reading...

Nurse accused of murdering seven babies on neonatal ward also wrote ‘I am a horrible evil person’, jury toldA nurse accused of murdering seven babies in a hospital neonatal unit wrote: “I killed them on purpose because I’m not good enough to care for them,” a court has heard.The trial of Lucy Letby was told on Thursday that police had recovered several handwritten documents from her home after her arrest in July 2018. Continue reading...

Gilts and pound rallied after speculation cuts to corporation and dividend taxes wouldn’t go ahead

Ignazio La Russa, party’s co-founder, filmed in 2018 showing off photos, medals and statue of MussoliniA Brothers of Italy politician who collects fascist memorabilia has been elected speaker of the upper house of parliament in the first step towards the formation of Italy’s most rightwing government since the second world war.Ignazio La Russa, a former defence minister whose father was secretary of Benito Mussolini’s fascist party, co-founded Brothers of Italy alongside leader Giorgia Meloni, who is poised to become prime minister of a government that includes Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former shadow Wales secretary will now sit as an independent in the CommonsA senior Labour MP has been stripped of the party whip after allegations of bullying her constituency staff, the Guardian can reveal.Christina Rees, who was shadow Wales secretary during Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader, will now sit as an independent in the House of Commons. Continue reading...

Women who fled regime are working hard to expose abuses in Iran and say this time real change is possibleIranian and Kurdish women living in the UK believe the prospect of freedom for millions of women in their home country has never been greater following protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested in Tehran for not wearing her headscarf correctly.Many of those who fled the Iranian regime because of its attacks on human and women’s rights are working hard behind the scenes to support women in their home country to expose the abuses in the hope of encouraging the international community to act to bring about regime change. Continue reading...

Alleged move by Biden administration came before mid-term elections in which petrol prices are key issueSaudi Arabia has claimed it was pressured by the Biden administration to delay by a month a decision to cut oil production, a move that would have reduced the likelihood of an unpopular fuel price rise just before the US mid-term elections.In its first remarks since the US president warned on Tuesday of consequences over the production cut, the Saudi foreign ministry said it rejected the overture and pressed on with the reduction. Continue reading...

Rural towns worked to evacuate livestock and dig trenches as rivers burst, with some areas facing the worst flooding in almost 50 years

Campaigners say DfT was wrong to only assess emissions against national carbon budgetA legal challenge has been launched against a road scheme that opponents say clashes with climate goals.Changes aimed at improving car journeys between Milton Keynes and Cambridge by upgrading junctions and building a 10-mile dual carriageway on the A428 between Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet were approved in the summer. The scheme, estimated to cost £810m-£950m, is listed in the government’s growth plan for accelerated delivery. Continue reading...

Woman, said to have been trafficked into Syria, is first adult allowed to return since end of ground war with ISA British woman and her child have been repatriated from a Syrian camp, the first time an adult has been allowed to come back to the UK from detention since the end of the ground war against Islamic State.The Foreign Office said that British policy to those held in Syria remained unchanged, and that it considered requests for help on “a case by case basis”, but campaigners said it was a significant first step. Continue reading...

Once-loyal papers such as the Sun and Daily Mail start to turn on PM amid financial turmoil

More than 150,000 fleeing poverty have reached Panama so far this year in pursuit of American dreamThe humanitarian crisis in Darién Gap has reached new heights as medical NGOs are overwhelmed by the record numbers of people risking their lives to cross the lawless strip of jungle in Latin America en route to the US.An exodus of Venezuelans fleeing socioeconomic collapse has led to more people embarking on the perilous journey across the only land bridge connecting South and North America so far this year than in the entirety of 2021, Panamanian authorities say. Continue reading...

Union announces 19 days of industrial action in long-running dispute in run-up to ChristmasPostal workers have launched a 24-hour strike in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions, with industrial action planned for the coming weeks.The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said its 115,000 members across the UK were taking action on Thursday, describing it as the largest strike in a year. The move comes amid industrial unrest across several industries, including rail. Continue reading...

One Nation MP will reportedly resign, with party able to fill vacant seat if he’s elected to a new one

Greens bill will see investors pay 5% levy on all residential property left vacant for more than six months

Delia Falconer and Nikki Gemmell latest writers to find out their works were selected for the HSC – after the exams

Exclusive: Diplomatic row breaks out over UK’s alleged delay in helping combat murders and drugs tradingA diplomatic row has broken out over the UK’s alleged delay in helping an overseas territory combat a spate of murders and untrammelled drugs trading.The de-facto head of state for the Turks and Caicos Islands is said to have questioned whether the UK was failing in its obligation to keep residents safe. Continue reading...

These interactive graphics use the latest data from the Australian census to show patterns of internal migration

US president says vote sends clear message that ‘Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map’

Musicians criticise ban that includes ‘urban slang’ to do with making money or acquiring wealthJamaica’s broadcasting regulator has banned music and TV broadcasts deemed to glorify or promote criminal activity, violence, drug use, scamming and weapons.The government has said the ban is meant to cut back on material that “could give the wrong impression that criminality is an accepted feature of Jamaican culture and society”. Continue reading...

Entry rules to island lifted to allow unfettered access, while mainland China remains one of the few places keeping borders closedTaiwan lifted all its Covid-19 entry restrictions on Thursday, allowing tourists unfettered access the self-ruled island after more than 2.5 years of border controls.Hong Kong and Taiwan, together with mainland China, required most visitors to complete a mandatory quarantine period throughout the pandemic, even as most countries reopened their borders to tourists. Continue reading...

RICS report says rise in repossessions will add to supply while soaring interest rates price buyers out of marketHomeowners will struggle to make mortgage repayments and repossessions will rise next year as soaring interest rates and falling prices mark the end of the UK’s 13-year housing market boom, according to a sobering report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).The number of inquiries from potential homebuyers fell for a fifth month in a row in September, while sales fell to the lowest level since May 2020 when the housing market all but ground to a halt during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, it said. Continue reading...