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Linda Burney says government will propose changes to modernise the century-old act before the end of the year

Ex-ambassador John Casson warns hunger striker’s situation at crucial stage after PM meets Egyptian leaderThe release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, the detained British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist who is on hunger strike, has become the defining issue for British-Egyptian relations, the former British ambassador to Egypt John Casson has warned.His comments came as Abd el-Fattah’s aunt, the novelist Ahdaf Soueif, said there was a danger the British “are allowing themselves to be fobbed off with the excuses they have been given since last December when we started asking for consular visits”. Continue reading...

Stephen Kinnock says identity scheme would help to reassure public ‘we have control of borders’

Avanti West Coast to run very limited service all day despite strikes being called offMany train services will start later than usual on Tuesday and Avanti West Coast will run a reduced timetable all day, despite the cancellation of planned strikes this week.Three 24-hour strikes planned by railway workers for 5, 7 and 9 November were called off last Friday, as the RMT union said it would enter “a period of intensive negotiations” with Network Rail and other train operators. Continue reading...

Former prime minister and media academics criticise reports, but Jeff Kennett says questions are ‘fair play’

‘Unprecedented’ deficits will force heads to make ‘catastrophic’ cuts and reduce support for vulnerable pupils, NAHT warnsThousands of schools in England are drawing up plans to make staff redundant in the face of a crippling funding crisis, and in many cases will also have to cut mental health support and Covid catch-up tuition, according to findings from one of the largest surveys of school leaders in recent times.Two-thirds (66%) of the 11,000 school leaders who took part in the poll by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said they will have to make teaching assistants redundant or reduce their hours, while half (50%) are looking at cutting the number of teachers or teaching hours as they grapple with rising costs. Continue reading...

Adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel will premiere at Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in AprilA stage production of a poignant novel about the death of William Shakespeare’s son from plague is to have its world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon next April.Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell, was published in March 2020, just as the world locked down in response to the Covid pandemic. It tells the story of a family racked by grief at the loss of the 11-year-old, focusing on everyday domestic detail while never naming the boy’s father. Continue reading...

Julie Inman Grant tells Senate estimates hearing she worries staff exodus and charging for blue tick could impact safety protections

The Hurun Rich list shows the Russia-Ukraine war and Beijing’s zero-Covid measures seriously affecting China’s most wealthyChina’s super-rich saw their wealth fall by the largest amount in over two decades, as the Russia-Ukraine war, Beijing’s zero-Covid measures and falling local stock markets pummelled fortunes, an annual rich list showed.The Hurun Rich list, which ranks China’s wealthiest people with a minimum net worth of 5 billion yuan ($690m), said only 1,305 people made the threshold this year, down 11% from last year. Their total wealth was $3.5tn, down 18% from last year. Continue reading...

Sessions will encourage students to call out misogyny to help prevent violence against women and girlsPupils in London are to be given “allyship training” as part of a package of measures designed to educate young people about healthy relationships and help prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG).The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has invested £1m in a new education toolkit, which is to be made available to all secondary schools in the capital to help pupils recognise and call out sexist and misogynistic behaviour. Continue reading...

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By saying he is continuing to interfere he appears to be trying to shape the idea that results can’t be trustedThe admission by Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin that he has interfered in US elections and would continue doing so in future, is both unsurprising – not least because it has long been known to be true – and, perhaps, not to be taken entirely at face value.While it is the first such admission from a figure who has been formally accused by Washington over Moscow’s efforts to influence American politics the timing of Prigozhin’s comments ahead of the midterm elections are also significant. Continue reading...

Gerald Bantag behind killing of Percival Mabasa in Manila suburb last month, authorities claimPolice in the Philippines have accused the country’s prisons chief of ordering the killing of a prominent radio journalist whose death sparked international alarm.Percival Mabasa, 63, who went by the name Percy Lapid on his programme, was shot dead in a Manila suburb on 3 October as he drove to his studio. Continue reading...

Gaffes have dogged the minister across various departments and roles, from A-levels to 5G

Users adopt Musk’s name after he announces suspension of accounts pretending to be someone elseElon Musk has banned a US comedian’s Twitter account after taking on users who impersonate him on the platform.Twitter’s new owner announced an immediate ban on accounts pretending to be someone else without flagging them as parodies. The move resulted in the removal of an “Elon Musk” account held by the comedian Kathy Griffin, who had changed her account name to match that of the Tesla chief executive. Continue reading...

António Guterres tells leaders ‘global climate fight will be won or lost in this crucial decade – on our watch’

Former president Moon Jae-in says he will give up gift of Pungsan dogs if no support from Yoon Suk-yeolSouth Korea’s former president Moon Jae-in has said he plans to give up a pair of dogs sent by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, as a gift after their 2018 summit, citing a lack of support from his successor.Moon has raised the white Pungsan dogs, named Gomi and Songgang, since their arrival and took them to his personal residence after his term ended in May. Continue reading...

Halifax reports steepest monthly drop since February 2021 amid interest rate risesUK house prices fell by 0.4% in October after Liz Truss’s mini-budget drove a sudden rise in mortgage rates, the lender Halifax said.The decline in the average price to £292,598 was the third in the past four months and the steepest since February 2021. The annual rate of growth in house prices slowed to 8.3% in October from 9.8% in September. Continue reading...

Above-average temperatures across northern hemisphere come amid an extremely warm year for BritainThe UK and much of Europe experienced well above normal temperatures during the second month of the meteorological autumn, in what was a very warm month for the northern hemisphere as a whole.Persistent low pressure in the Atlantic and higher pressure across central and southern Europe helped feed mild air from the south/south-west for prolonged periods in October. Continue reading...

Airline reports greater traffic at higher fares than the same period in 2019, before Covid lockdownsRyanair has reported a surge in profits to a record €1.4bn (£1.2bn) for the first half of its financial year, as the airline said it was seeing no letup in the demand for air travel going into winter after record summer passenger numbers.The airline reported greater traffic at higher fares than the same period in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, the first time that has been achieved since the first Covid-19 lockdowns. Continue reading...

Rival teams begin launching aerial artistic creations that explode with fireworks once (hopefully) in the skyThousands of people have gathered in the hills of central Myanmar for the annual Tazaungdaing light festival marking the end of the rainy season with a fiery display of exploding hot-air balloons.The celebration in the former British hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin has not been held for two years because of the Covid pandemic and unrest after a military coup. Continue reading...

Albanese government has agreed amendments to get business on board but independent senators won’t be bullied into passing omnibus legislation

‘Limited chance’ such a move would result in return of data or prevent it being published, health insurer chief says

Proposed laws may allow access to sensitive and confidential information and could undermine public confidence, commissioner says

Earlier document warned proposed debt recovery measures would have ‘fundamental impacts on social security policy and legislation’, royal commission told

NSW police want details of case suppressed while Gunathilaka’s lawyer has suggested T20 World Cup player could appeal bail decision

Faith centres, village halls and other warm spaces will struggle to stay open this winter, says reportThe “last line of defence” against the cost of living crisis is under threat as churches and other community hubs could be forced to close their doors because of spiralling bills and shrinking donations, two UK elder statesmen have said.Former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and ex-archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams say: “The UK’s faith and voluntary sectors find themselves as precarious as the people they are helping.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Support for developing countries will be critical issue at Cop27 but new data shows rich countries are laggingThe US, UK, Canada and Australia have fallen billions of dollars short of their “fair share” of climate funding for developing countries, analysis shows.The assessment, by Carbon Brief, compares the share of international climate finance provided by rich countries with their share of carbon emissions to date, a measure of their responsibility for the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission takes action against operator over misconductMelbourne’s Crown Casino has been slapped with a record $120m in fines for breaching gambling laws spanning more than a decade, including consistently failing to stop people gaming for long periods.The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has taken disciplinary action against Crown for ongoing misconduct, imposing two fines.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Moscow’s growing need for armaments from Pyongyang is likely to lead to greater alignment of diplomatic and military interestsRussian arms procurement from Iran and North Korea heralds an increasing convergence of military and diplomatic interests between Moscow and two countries regarded as international pariahs.Amid renewed accusations from Washington that Russia is attempting to procure large amounts of artillery ammunition from Pyongyang, on top of the missiles and kamikaze and other drones it has already bought from Iran, Moscow’s arms procurement blitz has flagged up the mounting logistical problems in Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. Continue reading...

‘We were only notified on the day’ delegation arrived in Australia, secretary of federal Attorney-General’s Department says

NSW premier believes cards will reduce crime and help problem gamblers, but industry body says measures should target ‘the bad guys’

Scandal over Malcolm MacArthur killings destabilised a government and spawned an acronymNo single adjective could do justice to the events that rocked Ireland in July and August 1982, so the then taoiseach, Charles Haughey, used four: “Grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented”. An acronym was soon born: Gubu.That summer, Malcolm MacArthur, a socialite with a yen for bow ties and cravats, had bludgeoned a young woman to death, killed a farmer with his own shotgun and attempted to rob a retired US diplomat, sparking a huge manhunt. Continue reading...

Move away from traditional date of 7 January directed against pro-Putin head of Russian Orthodox church

The southern occupied city and surrounding settlements lost power over the weekend, the first time the region has seen such an energy cut

Exclusive: Attorney General’s Department dismissed criticisms, prompting a Rudd staffer to claim it was operating a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy

AEC disclosures reveal Atlassian founder Scott Farquhar was the biggest Climate 200 donor, giving $1.5m, followed by Mike Cannon-Brookes

New Zealand PM tells party conference ‘we are not done yet’ as poll shows Labour’s support at 5-year low ahead of elections in 2023In the darkened amphitheatre of a south Auckland conference centre, a youth choir swayed, as crowds waited for the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, to take the stage. “Give me one more chance,” they sang, in a medley featuring the Jackson 5’s I Want You Back. “Won’t you please let me back in your heart.”It was an apt-enough score for the annual Labour conference, with the party facing a steep uphill road to persuade New Zealanders to return them to office for another three years. “We are not done yet,” Ardern told the party faithful, as delegates sought to map a pathway to election victory in an increasingly sour economic and political landscape. Three days of speeches and discussions built a picture of a party girding itself for a bitterly fought campaign: speeches were laced with jabs at centre-right opposition leader Christopher Luxon, warnings of the prospect of gains rolled back under a National government, and encouragement to stay the course under fire. Continue reading...

Mark Dreyfus tables letter to Senate that raises concerns over ‘apparent extensive disclosure of cabinet information’ in book by News Corp journalists

Layoffs come after $80bn wiped off company’s market value last month amid global economic downturnFacebook’s parent company, Meta, is reportedly preparing to cut thousands of jobs after $80bn (£69bn) was wiped off its market value last month amid the global economic downturn.On Sunday the Wall Street Journal reported that the cuts, to be announced on Wednesday, were expected to affect thousands of Meta’s 87,000 employees globally. Continue reading...

Guardian understands early drafts of UK government’s autumn statement include at least £35bn reduction in spendingJeremy Hunt will set out tax rises and spending cuts totalling £60bn at the autumn statement under current plans, including at least £35bn in cuts, the Guardian understands.Ministers must submit the key points of the autumn statement to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) by Monday morning. Continue reading...

Ed Davey sets out plans for mortgage protection fund that would provide grants of up to £300 a monthA quarter of homeowners are concerned about losing their homes or defaulting on payments, new research for the Liberal Democrats has found, as the party urged Rishi Sunak to provide help for mortgage payments.Ed Davey said the Tories are no longer the party of homeowners, business or fiscal responsibility but “the party of chaos”, as he stepped up calls for an immediate general election in an autumn keynote speech. Continue reading...

Rule change, a UK first, will save more than 100 lives over a decade, research claimsSetting the default speed limit at 20mph in residential roads in Wales will save £100m in the first year alone as deaths and injuries are reduced, according to research.The move, a first in the UK, will save more than 100 lives over a decade, the research claims, though a second study has found many people are concerned the limit will be very difficult to enforce and do not believe drivers will respect it. Continue reading...

Research shared with the Guardian also shows offshore holdings in London are worth a combined £55bnMore than 138,000 residential and commercial properties in England and Wales are owned by offshore companies, with holdings in London worth a combined £55bn, according to research shared with the Guardian.The findings come as the government begins a crackdown to dismantle the secrecy that surrounds offshore property ownership, which it says has been used by “corrupt elites laundering money through UK property”. Continue reading...

Original guitarist of British new wave group reveals diagnosis in a letter read by his bandmates while being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of FameDuran Duran’s original guitarist Andy Taylor has been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, the band has revealed while being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which Taylor had to miss due to ongoing treatment.The renowned British new wave group revealed Taylor had been diagnosed four years ago while reading a letter from him to the audience at the Hall of Fame ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Dr Cathy Gardner, whose father died from Covid in a care home, urges viewers to boycott ITV showA bereaved daughter who won a high court ruling that Matt Hancock’s policy on care home discharges at the start of the Covid pandemic was unlawful has urged TV viewers to boycott his appearance on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!Dr Cathy Gardner, whose father was among more than 11,000 care home residents in England whose deaths involved Covid in March and April 2020, said “to see him just paraded on television, like he’s some kind of fun figure, so he can make some money and make himself into some kind of fake celebrity” was “insulting” and “completely sick”. Continue reading...

MoD has apologised for delays by outsourced firms awarded repair contracts worth £650m six months agoA scandal over the state of military accommodation has deepened as it emerged that nearly a third of homes require repair, despite firms being awarded maintenance contracts worth £650m six months ago.Among 47,900 service family accommodation (SFA) properties made available by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), a total of 13,900 are awaiting works. Continue reading...

Government guidance would empower consumers, helping them save on bills, says thinktankA public information campaign to encourage consumers to cut their gas usage this winter could save households nearly £400 and the Treasury £9bn, a study has shown.An analysis by the cross-party thinktank the Social Market Foundation found that households could save between £250 and £400 a year if a UK campaign similar to Germany’s national energy-awareness drive were launched. Continue reading...

Comedian will kick off with shows in Manchester later this year as tickets go on sale on 12 NovemberPeter Kay has announced his first live standup tour in 12 years.Tickets will go on sale for the UK gigs at 10am on 12 November from his website, following an announcement on the comedian’s Twitter account. Continue reading...