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PM expected to set target to carry out 92% of routine operations and appointments within 18 weeks

Vapes and batteries maker Supreme acquires collapsed 121-year-old tea company

There was significant snowfall in five states downwind of the Great Lakes, including 4ft in western New York stateAs meteorological autumn drew to a close at the end of last week, parts of the north-east of the US saw substantial snowfall thanks to a phenomenon known as lake-effect snow".This occurs when cold air passes over relatively warm lake waters, causing the layer of air near to the surface to absorb heat and moisture. Warmer than the air above it, this layer of air then starts to rise, cooling and condensing into clouds that deposit snow on the windward side of the lakes in extremely localised bands. Continue reading...

Independent senator referred to One Nation leader as convicted' racist despite civil finding of racial discrimination

Georgian media reports protests in at least eight cities and towns after Saturday's demonstrations leave 44 in hospitalProtesters rallied in Georgia's capital for a fourth consecutive night on Sunday and there were signs that opposition was spreading to the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union.For months, tensions have been rising between the ruling Georgian Dream party and opponents who accuse it of pursuing increasingly authoritarian, anti-western and pro-Russian policies. Continue reading...

The fast-moving offensive began on Wednesday, surprising forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and his allies

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BoM says rainfall to bring brief respite from temperatures in 30s for parts of Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and Queensland

In today's newsletter: President Bashar al-Assad's forces were driven from Aleppo over the weekend by a rebel offensive, forcing global attention to turn back to the country Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Eight years ago, indiscriminate Russian airstrikes helped Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad's forces drive rebels from Aleppo, the country's second-largest city. Assad's victory in Aleppo, once a symbolic stronghold of the Syrian rebellion, relied on a brutal surrender or starve" strategy that killed thousands of civilians and forced many more to flee. It was seen as a turning point in the country's civil war, which has largely been in a state of stalemate since 2020.But over the weekend, a stunning rebel offensive seized Aleppo again - leaving the Assad regime facing the greatest threat to its control in years. Yesterday, Syrian and Russian airstrikes pummeled opposition controlled areas in response. Whatever happens next, if the frozen conflict in Syria has become a forgotten war" as attention has focused on Gaza and Ukraine, it will now be impossible to ignore.US politics | Joe Biden has issued a full and unconditional" pardon to his son Hunter Biden covering convictions on federal gun and tax charges. Joe Biden, who has repeatedly said that he would not pardon Hunter or commute his sentence, said that his son had been selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted".Assisted dying | A new commission on palliative care has been set up to deliver better care for 100,000 people a year in the final stages of their lives. The commission - instituted after the parliamentary vote last week to legalise assisted dying - has been launched amid warnings of a postcode lottery in standards across the country.BBC | Outrage over Gregg Wallace's alleged conduct has intensified after the MasterChef presenter dismissed his accusers as middle-class women of a certain age". The corporation and other broadcasters are facing growing questions about why Wallace remained on screen despite allegations of inappropriate behaviour dating back to at least 2012.Immigration and asylum | The number of small boat arrivals since Keir Starmer took power has passed 20,000, with the Home Office claiming a record number of calm autumnal days in the Channel was responsible. 6,288 people crossed the Channel over 31 days in October and November, compared with 768 over the same period in 2023.Georgia | Protesters rallied in Georgia's capital for a fourth consecutive night on Sunday amid signs of widening opposition to the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. The crisis deepened after Thursday's announcement that the government would freeze EU talks for four years. Continue reading...

Written complaints about DWP double, while prisons, the NHS and higher education experience big increaseComplaints about public services have soared by more than a third since 2016 with substantial jumps in relation to benefits, prisons, the NHS and higher education, according to a leading thinktank.Demos, a cross-party organisation, found that between 2015-16 and 2023-24 complaints across key public services increased steadily by evermore than 100,000 from 309,758 to 425,624 - aside from a sharp drop during the pandemic. Continue reading...

The pair bonded as teenagers after chance meeting at Salvation Army drop-in centre while they were sleeping rough on Adelaide's streets

High-profile trial is scheduled to start 10 February, almost two and a half years after the 15-year-old teenager died in a Perth hospital

Victoria police say they are searching for a man after deaths at Mornington Peninsula home following an altercation

Emma Kamio describes abuse' of act after daughter's alleged involvement in action against Israeli arms companyA Swansea woman has said she was left traumatised after being arrested under the Terrorism Act and held incommunicado for five days because her daughter was allegedly involved in an action against an Israeli arms company.Emma Kamio, 57, who runs her own homeopathy and pilates business, was led away in handcuffs from her home in front of her son and neighbours and had three laptops and mobile phones seized, after a Palestine Action protest at an Elbit Systems UK building near Patchway on the outskirts of Bristol. Continue reading...

Pope will inaugurate the livestream as part of efforts to connect with faithful around the world during holy yearSt Peter's tomb will be livestreamed as the Vatican embraces technology in its quest to connect with Catholics in far-flung places during holy year, an event expected to bring as many as 33 million pilgrims to Rome.Pope Francis will inaugurate the live webcam on Monday, which has been installed at the tomb of the apostle beneath the main altar of St Peter's Basilica. Continue reading...

NSW police say investigation into Saturday incident at Homebush DFO ongoing

Screenwriter co-wrote Annie Hall and Manhattan, penned the Jersey Boys musical, and wrote for Johnny Carson's Tonight Show and The Muppet ShowMarshall Brickman, the Oscar-winning screenwriter who wrote some of Woody Allen 's best films, the Broadway musical Jersey Boys and a number of Johnny Carson's most beloved sketches, has died aged 85.Brickman died Friday in Manhattan, his daughter Sophie Brickman told the New York Times. No cause of death was given. Continue reading...

Latest disclosures include clubs who claim millions spent on their own golf and racecourses as donations to broader community

Assad regime seeks to repel Islamist rebels in north as Iran's top diplomat visits Damascus in show of support

Exit poll suggests leftwing PSD poised to defeat resurgent far-right movement in parliamentary electionRomania's main centre-left party was on track to finish first in parliamentary elections, according to early exit polls, seemingly beating an advancing far right boosted by the shock victory of an ultranationalist in last week's presidential first-round ballot.The ruling Social Democratic party (PSD) was forecast to receive 26% of the vote, ahead of the far-right nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) on 19%, while the National Liberal party (PNL) and centre-right Save Romania Union (USR) were vying for third on 15-16%. Continue reading...

Campaigners say problems with digital transfer could affect hundreds of thousands of people on 10-year route' visasThe Home Office has admitted that many people who have the right to live and work in the UK cannot access their eVisas and provide proof that they are allowed to be in the country.Human rights campaigners have said problems with accessing eVisas could lead to a scandal involving hundreds of thousands of people. Those affected are allowed to be in the UK but cannot show their right to work or rent a home. Continue reading...

Home secretary to highlight data showing record number of calm autumnal days that made Channel crossings likelyThe number of small boat arrivals since Keir Starmer took power has passed 20,000, with the Home Office claiming a record number of calm autumnal days in the Channel was responsible.A 31-day period in October and November had the highest ratio of so-called red days" - when weather conditions make crossings likely or very likely - since records began in 2018, according to a leaked analysis. Continue reading...

Andrew Cunningham, 61, held after death of Margaret Cunningham, who was found at address in Surrey QuaysA 61-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a 57-year-old woman in south-east London.Officers were called to an address in Greenland Quay, Surrey Quays, at about 3pm on Friday after reports that a woman had been stabbed, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Syria's second largest city left reeling after anti-government fighters seized control in surprise offensive

Ex-spy had information about Putin's embezzlement' of profits from metals production, intelligence official saysVladimir Putin may have ordered the assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal because the former Russian spy harboured secret information about the Russian president's criminal embezzlement" of profits from metals production, the UK government believes.A leading intelligence official on Russia has said he took at face value" Skripal's assertions that secrets he knew about how Putin may have made money led to the nerve agent attack on him in Salisbury. Continue reading...

Exclusive: High risk services' will be removed, including companies providing consumer leases and household goods

British Transport Police exposed to a substance believed to be alkaline' at railway stationTwo schoolboys have been charged after a suspected chemical attack at Surbiton railway station that caused two police officers to be taken to hospital.The suspects, aged 14 and 16, were at the station in south-west London at about 4.20pm on Friday when they were spotted by British Transport Police acting suspiciously". Continue reading...

Met police say 34-year-old was arrested in Hertfordshire after reports of rape at London venue in NovemberA man has been arrested on suspicion of rape as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual attack at the Groucho Club in central London.The Metropolitan police said a 34-year-old man was arrested on Saturday evening at an address in Hertfordshire and remained in custody. Continue reading...

MPs says what terminally ill people really' need is access to hospice care and proper end-of-life careDiane Abbott has warned it could soon be cheaper for GPs to encourage seriously unwell patients to sign on the dotted line for assisted suicide" than to find them a place in a hospice.The senior Labour MP voted against changing the law because she fears vulnerable people will get swept up in the assisted dying route when actually what they really need is access to hospice care and proper end-of-life care". Continue reading...

Wallace stepped back from role on MasterChef last week while allegations of sexual misconduct are investigatedThe MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has said accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from middle-class women of a certain age".Speaking in a video posted on his Instagram page, the 60-year-old said: I've been doing MasterChef for 20 years, amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef, and I think, in that time, I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life. Continue reading...

Recent polling puts party above 10%, which could result in up to 12 MSPs at next Scottish parliament electionsReform UK is celebrating an extraordinary sense of momentum" north of the border, as Scotland's top polling expert predicts the populist right party could end up deciding the next Holyrood government.The deputy leader, Richard Tice, said his party's mood was bullish and optimistic" as it held its first Scottish conference in Perth on Saturday. Continue reading...

One in 10 of working-age population claim sickness benefit as Britain struggles with aftermath of austerity, pandemic and cost of living crisisLabour has inherited a country that simply isn't working", Keir Starmer said when he launched his employment strategy this week. Britain's economy, he added, was grappling with chronic unemployment, skills shortages and a misfiring job market.Much of the debate since has focused on the record 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness, and the 4.2 million claiming incapacity and disability benefits. But questions remain over whether Britain is more unhealthy than it used to be. If not, there must be other reasons why claims have increased. Here, the Guardian asks if the rising cost is really out of control and what more could be done to help ill and disabled people into work. Continue reading...

Little-known Beate Baumann's partnership with the former German chancellor goes back to 1992In the opening of her autobiography, Freedom, Angela Merkel is clear: she couldn't have written it without one key person. Neither her sister, Irene Kasner, warmly acknowledged at the close of her book for having helped bring memories of my childhood and youth back to life", nor her husband, Joachim Sauer, who she thanks for his constant support.The individual without whom one of the most highly anticipated political memoirs in years might not have happened is Beate Baumann. The 61-year-old has worked at Merkel's side for over 30 years, having first been recruited by her as an office manager. When Merkel retired in 2021, Baumann, it was understood, would continue by her side, but from now on under the revised title of political adviser of the out-of-service German chancellor". Continue reading...

Directed by a woman with a cast of female leads, the film is the latest to be centred around female experiences and prove a box office success in ChinaThe recent box office success of Her Story, a Chinese comedy directed by a woman with a cast of female leads, has led commentators to dub the movie China's answer to Barbie.The second feature film by Chinese director Shao Yihui, Her Story revolves around a newly unemployed single mother with a daughter and their young female neighbour, as they explore their experiences and struggles as women in Shanghai. Continue reading...

Record number of deportees includes children who may have spent most of their lives in the UKMore than 600 Brazilians, including 109 children, have been secretly removed from the UK - on the three largest Home Office deportation charter flights in history - since the Labour government came to power, the Observer has learned.The Home Office has never before removed any nationality in such large numbers on individual deportation charter flights. It is thought that children have never before been removed on these flights. Continue reading...

Families placed in hotels in England are being forced to live on snack foods, putting young people's health at riskHomeless children placed in hotels are developing rickets and other diet-related health problems because their parents lack anywhere to cook.The Magpie Project, which works with homeless mothers in the east London borough of Newham, where more households are living in temporary accommodation than anywhere in the country, said families living in hotels were eating an unhealthy diet of takeaways and snack foods because they had no cooking facilities or anywhere to store fresh produce. Continue reading...

A new electric model will be unveiled this week. Will it turn round the culture war embroiling the marque?When German manufacturer BMW took over the Mini brand and launched the Mini Cooper in 2001, some people were outraged. Drivers with previous models even slapped on bumper stickers reading this is a real Mini". The BBC reported that executives insisted the car is not a small BMW".The storm died down, and Mini has gone on to sell more cars each year (about 300,000) than ever before, many of them emblazoned with union jack tail-lights - whatever the ownership of the factory. Continue reading...

Without a subsidy, patients could pay $750 a year to treat the condition which has no cure and can last decades

Information campaign directed at diplomatic missions expected after court cases highlighted slave-like' working conditions for domestic workers

Allan Chiem, 31, will remain in custody after allegedly murdering his father, 69, and mother, 68

Surprise offensive by rebels marks biggest challenge to Bashar al-Assad's control in yearsIslamist rebels once exiled to a mountainous pocket of the Syrian countryside now roam the streets of central Aleppo, taking pictures below its ancient citadel and tearing down symbols of President Bashar al-Assad's rule.The surprise offensive in which insurgents seized territory across north-western Syria appears to have dramatically shifted the balance of power in Aleppo, the country's second largest city, and marks the most serious challenge to Assad's control in years. Continue reading...

The supermarkets also heavily promote unhealthy foods, often displaying them prominently, Guardian analysis shows

As election looms, Albanese government will be hoping the national electricity market does not buckle and black out in next three months

Palestinian news agency reports that three employees of World Central Kitchen were killed in Israeli strike on vehicle in Khan YounisThe Israeli military has killed a charity worker employed by the World Central Kitchen in Gaza, saying the person targeted in the attack was a Hamas militant involved in the 7 October attacks.The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that three employees of World Central Kitchen were killed when an Israeli strike targeted a civilian vehicle in southern Gaza. Continue reading...

Sponsors of legislation for England and Wales warned that vote was close and many MPs will seek further reassurances on matters of concernA wavering group of MPs who backed parliament's historic vote in favour of assisted dying may yet oppose its passage into law without further reassurances, the bill's supporters are being warned, amid concerns that significant hurdles still remain.MPs voted in favour of a change with a 55-vote majority on Friday, after a momentous five-hour debate over allowing assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live. Continue reading...

The granular detail of Kim Leadbeater's bill for England and Wales is yet to be agreed, and some MPs want reassurances before finally backing itAs a few low murmurs broke out in a respectfully reflective House of Commons chamber after its historic vote on assisted dying in England and Wales, one figure in the public gallery had a special interest in the result.Back in 2015, Rob Marris, the former Labour MP for Wolverhampton South West, had tabled the previous attempt to pass a bill changing the law. It was comprehensively defeated. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage herePoland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk traveled Saturday to his country's border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad to inspect progress in the construction of military fortifications along the eastern frontier, calling it an investment in peace."The better the Polish border is guarded, the more difficult it is to access for those with bad intentions," Tusk said at a news conference near the village of Dabrowka as he stood in front of concrete anti-tank barriers. Continue reading...

Jon Brilliant says Fayed created a culture of fear at the business to mask' his abusive behaviourA former Harrods director has claimed he was handed envelopes of cash by Mohamed Al Fayed as part of the billionaire's plan to control and manipulate senior management and cover up alleged incidents of sexual abuse.Jon Brilliant, who worked in Fayed's private office for 18 months, claimed his former boss would sack those he could not control. Managers were let go or quit so often that a national newspaper began to publish a regular count, which reached 48 in 2005, he said. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereMeanwhile, the government has thrown its weight behind a bill to crack down on puppy smuggling as part of a commitment to strengthening animal welfare.Ministers announced on Friday that they were supporting a private member's bill sponsored by Danny Chambers, a Liberal Democrat MP and veterinary surgeon, to crack down on the pet-smuggling trade. Continue reading...

Layla Moran and Diane Abbott say end-of-life care needs more funding after bill passed for England and WalesMPs on both sides of the debate over assisted dying have called for improvements to palliative care, regardless of whether parliament eventually enacts legalisation.Layla Moran, who supported the bill at its second reading on Friday, and Diane Abbott, who did not, agreed that more funding was required to improve end-of-life care during a joint-interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Continue reading...