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Prosecutors say David Smith, 58, from Paisley, became disillusioned with west and contacted Russian militaryA security guard who worked for the British embassy in Berlin has pleaded guilty to passing secret material to a Russian military attache in a rare espionage prosecution.David Smith, 58, faces up to 14 years in jail after admitting to passing on information about the staff and layout of the British embassy – and other secret material between May 2020 and August the following year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Some civil servants may have still been traumatised by his previous stint there, sources say

Lawyers for relatives of Dawn Sturgess, who was killed in Wiltshire in 2018, call for process to be speeded upThe family of a woman killed in the Wiltshire novichok poisonings more than four years ago has expressed concern that there is still no start date for the full independent inquiry into her death despite it raising pressing national security issues.Lawyers for relatives of Dawn Sturgess said there had been “substantial” delays and called for the preparation process to be speeded up and for extra resources to be made available if necessary. Continue reading...

Locals raise Ukrainian flags around Svoboda Square, as wounded Russian soldiers reportedly abandoned

Some excuse alleged behaviour of Raab, Patel and Williamson, but others want to clean up WestminsterLike the Westminster sex pest stories and the sleaze rows over lobbying, allegations of bullying just seem to keep on coming out of SW1.Priti Patel was said by the ministerial ethics adviser to have bullied civil servants but was let off by Boris Johnson; John Bercow was found to have bullied Commons clerks; and Gavin Williamson is accused of telling a civil servant to slit his throat and jump out of a window – the common thread is that they were targeting those they considered beneath them. Continue reading...

Scientists caution against idea of fertility ‘insurance policy’ after Jennifer Aniston advice to freeze eggsJennifer Aniston revealed this week that she was trying to get pregnant through IVF at a time when tabloids were obsessively speculating about whether she would have children. The actor told Allure magazine she felt relief now that “the ship has sailed”, but that “I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me: ‘Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favour.’”Aniston has been widely praised for speaking out about a side to IVF that is not often talked about, but experts cautioned against the idea that freezing eggs is an “insurance policy”. Continue reading...

French government calls Italy ‘inhumane’ for refusing vessel but Italian PM hits back as rift deepensFrance and Italy have intensified their bitter row over migration after a charity-operated ship carrying hundreds of asylum seekers rescued in the central Mediterranean docked in the French port of Toulon after almost three weeks during which Italy’s far-right government failed to give it safe port.The French government called Italy “irresponsible” and “inhumane” for not coming to the aid of the ship, which had been stuck in Italian waters for weeks carrying sick passengers who had been rescued at sea between Libya and Italy. Continue reading...

Suspect tried to convince courts he was an orphan from Ireland who had never been to USA man who has been fighting extradition to the US has been confirmed by a court in Scotland as the rape suspect Nicholas Rossi.The 35-year-old has spent the past 11 months telling the court he is Arthur Knight, an orphan from Ireland, who has never been to the US. But on Friday, Edinburgh sheriff court found him to be Rossi, a man the US authorities have been seeking in relation to two rape allegations and one allegation of sexual assault. Continue reading...

Socialist-led coalition to rename offence ‘aggravated public disorder’ and reduce maximum sentence to five yearsSpain’s Socialist-led coalition government has announced plans to overhaul the archaic sedition law that was used to prosecute the Catalan leaders who tried to secede from the rest of the country after the illegal and unilateral referendum held five years ago.Under the Spanish penal code, the offence of sedition – which dates back to 1822 – is defined as “rising up publicly and tumultuously to prevent, through force or beyond legal means, the application of the law”. It carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. Continue reading...

Curators introduce playful touches to confound expectations about how art should be displayedFrom the outside the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp looks like the epitome of convention. The grand neo-classical monument, modelled on a Greek temple, first opened in 1890 and bears all the pomp and circumstance of its age. Yet behind the imposing facade are some playful and surprising touches.In one room, a painting hangs at a crooked angle. In another, a luminous green cat sits menacingly in a cage with the door ajar. Elsewhere, a wall “comes to life” as an eerie curtain of rustling leaves. It is all part of a visit to the Royal Museum, known as KMSKA, which reopened in September after being closed for 11 years following a €100m (£87m) renovation. Continue reading...

Global spotlight on host country has heightened scrutiny of human rights record, with Biden due to meet Sisi

After hack allegedly carried out by Russians, details of abortions, drug addiction, mental health issues and alcoholism emerge onlineNearly 10 million Australians have had their private health data hacked – with sensitive medical records detailing treatments for alcoholism, drug addictions, and pregnancy terminations already posted online – in a cyber-attack believed to have been coordinated from Russia.The Australian Federal Police have said they know the identity of the Russian ransomware criminal organisation that hacked into the databases of Medibank, Australia’s largest private health insurer, stealing customer data over weeks inside the company’s computer systems. Continue reading...

Remembrance services held across country as foreign secretary hits out at ‘Russian aggressor’

Concerns grow that people relying on communal heating may not receive state discount promisedThousands of people living in homes with centrally supplied electricity are still waiting to hear if and when the UK government will pay them the £400 promised under the energy bills support scheme.While those living in conventional homes with standard electricity meters are due to receive their second monthly payment of £66, concern is growing among some of the several hundred thousand households that receive their electricity via a communal supply that they will not see any of the money they have been promised. Continue reading...

Church of England is ‘still discriminating against women’ 30 years after allowing them to become priestsThirty years after the Church of England took the historic step of allowing women to become priests, equality campaigners say female clergy still face “institutionalised discrimination”.Fewer than one in three paid clergy are female, according to 2020 data – the most recent published – although the same source showed more women (55%) than men had begun training for the priesthood. Continue reading...

Wiltshire council criticised for unveiling plaque littered with mistakesSwindon borough council has been criticised for botching a tribute to key workers during the Covid pandemic with a plaque littered with mistakes.Images of the plaque have been widely shared on social media, showing random capitalisation, punctuation errors and spelling mistakes. Continue reading...

Airport vows passengers will not face daily cap during biggest festive getaway in three yearsHeathrow airport has said it is prepared for the biggest Christmas getaway in three years and promised that passengers will not have to face a return of the daily cap that was introduced as summer holiday travel descended into chaos.Europe’s busiest airport, which said last month that on the busiest travel days over the festive period travellers may have to fly outside peak times to manage the festive rush, said it was working on contingency plans for potential strike action over the period. Continue reading...

Daniel Andrews also listed first in his seat in Mulgrave, while Matthew Guy will appear sixth in Bulleen

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Chief health officers urge people to take up protective measures as Covid hospitalisations double in some states

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...