Mining magnate and his company Palmer Leisure Coolum were charged by commonwealth director of public prosecutions for alleged takeover law breaches

Narelle Smith, who pleaded not guilty to murdering Peter McCarthy, initially told police she ‘didn’t really know him’

The wages price index for the September quarter fell far short of the 7.3% pace of consumer price increases

Scheme starting this month is aimed at improving Britain’s poor record on early diagnosisAll GPs in England will be able to refer suspected cancer patients for tests without them first having to see a specialist under an NHS initiative designed to speed up diagnosis.The scheme, which starts this month, will let family doctors send patients with potential symptoms straight to have a scan, X-ray or other diagnostic test. Continue reading...

Incident in which two people died probably falls short of threshold needed to prompt collective Nato action against Russia• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesIf it was a Russian missile that struck a Polish village on Tuesday, killing two people, it would be the first time a Russian weapon has ever come down on Nato territory.The Soviet Union and the US managed to get through the whole cold war without making such a mistake, because Washington and Moscow were well aware of the risks of going to war by accident or miscalculation. Continue reading...

Churches are adopting aggressive approaches towards survivors in cases where alleged paedophile priests and clergy have diedGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAnother major law firm has accused churches of using a recent ruling to attempt to low-ball abuse survivors seeking compensation in cases where alleged paedophile priests have died.On Tuesday, Guardian Australia revealed the Catholic church was adopting an aggressive new approach towards survivors in cases where alleged paedophile priests and clergy have died.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Forces opened fire as protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death swelled on anniversary of bloody 2019 crackdownIranian security forces have shot dead at least two protesters, as demonstrations sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death swelled on the anniversary of a bloody 2019 crackdown.The protesters were responding to a call to commemorate those slain in the 2019 crackdown, giving new momentum to the demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Amini in mid-September this year, after her arrest for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict dress code for women. Continue reading...

Singer has now received 88 Grammy nominations in her career, tying only with husband Jay Z as most nominated artistBeyoncé leads the 2023 Grammy race with nine nominations.The singer’s haul of latest nods makes her the most nominated artist ever, tying with husband Jay-Z, both scoring 88 nominations throughout their careers. Continue reading...

Acute shortage of social housing is one reason why landlords cannot move people to safer homes• Death of two-year-old from mould in flat a ‘defining moment’Nicola Calvert and her five-year-old son Tristan have lived with damp in a basement flat in Hastings for three years. The mould spreads across walls and ceilings and weevils that feed off moist plaster fall into their beds, she told the Guardian.There are rats too, but it’s the damp that scares Calvert, because it worsens her son’s asthma. Continue reading...

Moët Hennessy predicts ‘fabulous year’ for its champagne, with strongest growth in Europe and USThe company behind Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug and Dom Pérignon has said it is “running out of stock on our best champagnes” as the wealthy spend big on luxury goods in a new “roaring 20s” age of decadence.Working Britons may have suffered the biggest slump in living standards since records began in the 1950s, but according to the head of the LVMH luxury goods empire’s wines and spirits division, “pent-up demand” following the easing of coronavirus restrictions has prompted a run on the finest fizz. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Refugee Council says Home Office practice is not to name hotels housing migrants after targeting by far-right groupsThe House of Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle has been urged to stop Conservative MPs from naming hotels which will house people seeking asylum after concerns that it could lead to attacks by extremists.The Refugee Council has written to the speaker pointing out that it is Home Office practice not to name hotels where migrants are staying after they were targeted by far-right groups. Continue reading...

Union representatives claim UCL has tried to thwart the industrial action by hiring agency workersSecurity staff at University College London have begun strike action over better pay and union recognition as their representatives accuse bosses of trying to intimidate them by bringing in lower-paid agency workers.The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union said all overtime was cancelled at unusually short notice in the days leading up to the strike and given to agency workers, with UCL acknowledging on Monday that some shifts had been subcontracted out to help break the strike. Continue reading...

Health Canada says it secured a foreign supply of children’s acetaminophen that will be for sale ‘in the coming weeks’Canada’s public health agency has said that foreign shipments of children’s fever medication will help ease a nationwide shortage that has left families desperate and hospitals overwhelmed.“We are announcing that we have secured foreign supply of children’s acetaminophen that will be available for sale at retail and in community pharmacies in the coming weeks,” Health Canada said in a release on Monday. Continue reading...

Hospital staff did not notice William Warrington had escaped for two hours and then did not report him as dangerousThe family of a man with paranoid schizophrenia who stabbed his parents to death after absconding from a psychiatric hospital have criticised the authorities for not doing more to protect them.On the day before William Warrington carried out the killings on his mother, Valerie, 73, and father, Clive, 68, the family sent 11 emails to the Gloucestershire hospital where he was being treated expressing concern about him. Continue reading...

Traditional allies voice concern over Ukraine war as draft communique highlights damage to world economy

Energy situation ‘critical’ across Ukraine after strikes, which Kyiv says are Russian response to Zelenskiy’s G20 address

Some pumps run dry on the final day before the rebate on price of petrol and diesel is cutLong queues continued at French petrol stations, and some pumps ran dry on Tuesday as motorists rushed to fill up ahead of the French government scaling down its state-subsidised fuel discounts.From 16 November, the government is to limit its rebate on the price of petrol and diesel, which has been in place since April to help drivers cope with the high costs of fuel. Continue reading...

Nitrous oxide linked to more than 60 fatal crashes in the country in less than three yearsThe Dutch government will ban laughing gas from next year, amid growing concern about the risks it poses to health and road safety.From 1 January 2023, the sale, import and possession of laughing gas, formally known as nitrous oxide, will be banned in the Netherlands, with a few exceptions for medical use and the food industry. Continue reading...

Pair attack Death and Life painting in Leopold Museum in protest against fossil fuel ‘death sentence’Climate activists in Austria have attacked a painting by Gustav Klimt, with one throwing a black, oily liquid at it and another gluing himself to the glass covering the painting.Members of Letzte Generation Österreich (Last Generation Austria) tweeted that they had targeted the 1915 painting Death and Life at the Leopold Museum in Vienna to protest against their government’s use of fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Voucher aims to rekindle interest in live arts and boost industry after pandemicYoung Germans are to join other Europeans in being offered a voucher to spend on their choice of cultural offerings under a scheme launched by the government.The €200 Kulturpass, which will be made available to all 18-year-olds, has twin aims: to encourage young adults to experience live culture and drop stay-at-home pandemic habits; and give a financial boost to the arts scene, which has yet to recover from repeated lockdowns. Continue reading...

Exclusive: government will introduce new laws to make ‘immediate improvements’ ahead of fuller review in 2023, attorney general reveals

Pair of red triangular Phryges meant to represent floppy conical hats linked to French RevolutionFrance’s mascots for the 2024 Olympic Games have been likened to a giant “clitoris in trainers”, with the French newspaper Libération hailing it as a revolutionary departure from the traditional phallic symbol of the Eiffel Tower.When the two triangular red mascots, the Phryges, were unveiled last week for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they were presented as the shape of Phrygian caps, the floppy, conical hats associated with the French Revolution. Continue reading...

British-Egyptian political prisoner had been on a partial hunger strike of 100 calories or less a day for six monthsAlaa Abd el-Fattah, the British-Egyptian democracy activist jailed in Egypt, has told his family in a letter that he has ended his six-month-long hunger strike, which he began in protest against his detention conditions.“I’ve broken my strike. I’ll explain everything on Thursday,” he told them, in reference to his monthly family prison visits to the Wadi el-Natrun desert prison where he is being held. The democracy activist was sentenced to a further five years in prison last year for sharing a social media post about torture, shortly after gaining British citizenship through his mother. Continue reading...

Chief executive hits back in row over future of opera and call for shows to be held away from grand venues

Chancellor plans levy on companies’ ‘excess returns’ to ease cost of living crisis, according to reportJeremy Hunt is reportedly preparing to hit electricity generation companies with a 40% windfall tax on their “excess returns” as he attempts to fund measures to ease the cost of living crisis.The chancellor is considering a levy on the extra profits made by generators above a certain price per megawatt hour, which has yet to be decided. Continue reading...

Landsec says retailers are shutting shops to focus on ‘fewer but bigger’ storesLandsec has said property values are falling and new developments are drying up because of rising interest rates, as some retailers shut shops to focus on fewer but bigger stores in the best locations.The company, which owns the Trinity Leeds shopping centre and Bluewater in Kent, said higher construction costs and, more recently, a sharp rise in development finance costs would lead to a slump in new developments in London. Continue reading...

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Despite the damage residents say they’re proud of the resilience and community spirit in the small NSW town

People break barriers and argue with workers in hazmat suits in Guangzhou amid zero-Covid policyCrowds of people in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou crashed through Covid barriers and marched down streets in chaotic scenes on Monday night, according to videos posted online, in a show of public resentment over government restrictions.Among the latest outbreaks in China, Guangzhou has the biggest caseload, with new daily infections of Covid-19 exceeding 5,000 for the first time and fuelling speculation that localised lockdowns could widen. Continue reading...

South Australian regulatory board considering whether it should continue to allow access to the writing assistance program

World leaders meet in Bali with a packed agenda of events, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to overshadow the summit

PM’s remarks at G20 summit suggest shift away from Liz Truss pledge to redesignate Beijing as a ‘threat’Rishi Sunak has rowed back from officially recategorising China as a “threat”, saying he views the country as a “systemic challenge”, despite concerted pressure from Conservative MPs.The prime minister’s remarks are likely to draw ire from the large group of China sceptics on the Conservative backbenches, including former leader Iain Duncan Smith and others such as Alicia Kearns, who chairs the foreign affairs select committee. Continue reading...

Human rights commissioners say urgent action is needed after program shows images of forcibly restrained children in Perth facility

The NT inquest into Kumanjayi Walker’s death is conducting informal sittings in Yuendumu so coroner can hear from community members

Industrial action to begin within weeks unless deals can be reached on unions’ demands for pay awards well above inflationUnions representing hundreds of thousands of health workers are to meet the health secretary for talks aimed at averting the wave of strikes set to hit the NHS in coming weeks.Steve Barclay on Monday invited six unions to the “round table” at 10 o’clock the following day at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), near the Houses of Parliament in central London, “to discuss workforce issues”. Continue reading...

Guardian Australia brings together all the figures on Covid-19 cases, as well as stats, charts and state-by-state data from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA, WA, Tasmania, the ACT and NT. Here you can also find the numbers on the vaccine rollout and fourth dose booster vaccination rates.

Cheshire Cheese Company bought by Joseph Heler Cheese, which has maintained EU presenceA British cheesemaker has sold his business to a larger rival to regain access to customers in the European Union after Brexit left him with an estimated £600,000 black hole in lost EU sales.Simon Spurrell, who made headlines when he highlighted prohibitive export costs after the UK’s exit from the single market, will remain managing director of the Macclesfield-based Cheshire Cheese Company and retains a stake in the business. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Alina Khan, star of award-winning Joyland, speaks out as the movie’s licence for domestic release is revoked, putting its Oscar contention in doubtA transgender star of an award-winning Pakistan film that depicts a love affair between a man and a trans women has said she is very sad at the government’s decision to ban the film and hopes it will be reversed.Alina Khan, who stars in Joyland, the first major Pakistani film to feature a trans actor in a lead role, said: “I’ve been very sad. There’s nothing against Islam [in the film] and I don’t understand how Islam can get endangered by mere films.” Continue reading...

Minutes of November Reserve Bank of Australia meeting say board is ‘prepared to keep rates unchanged’ while it assesses state of economy and inflation

Victorian Electoral Commission says all boxes next to candidates’ names should be numbered on the cards

Katarina Carroll says she hopes to keep her position when report examining police culture is released

Health minister Mark Butler says a surge workforce is ready to step in for aged care sector if new variant wave hits

Leaders of Kent and Hampshire county councils say even ‘drastic cuts’ to services will not be enoughTwo of England’s largest Tory-run local authorities have warned the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, that they will be forced to declare bankruptcy within the next few months because of the unprecedented financial crisis enveloping both councils.The leaders of Kent and Hampshire county councils said even “drastic cuts” to current services would not be enough to patch up the huge holes in their budgets created by soaring inflation and rising pressures in adult and children’s social care. Continue reading...

Wife of California governor claims disgraced movie mogul raped her in 2005 when she was a struggling actor seeking career adviceJennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary film-maker and the wife of California governor Gavin Newsom, has taken the stand at the rape trial of Harvey Weinstein, becoming the most prominent woman so far to testify against the former Hollywood producer.More than 90 women have publicly accused Weinstein of rape, sexual assault or sexual misconduct, including powerful A-list actors such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. But none of the women who have previously testified in criminal trials against Weinstein in New York and Los Angeles have had anywhere near the prominence of Siebel Newsom, an accomplished film-maker whose partner recently sailed to a second term as governor of the nation’s most populous state and could eventually make a White House run. Continue reading...

Comedian taken to burn center but eye and ear are not severely damaged: ‘I am OK’Jay Leno is being treated for burns at a Los Angeles hospital after one of his cars burst into flames in his garage over the weekend and seriously injured the comedian’s face.Leno told Variety in a statement: “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am OK. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.” Continue reading...

Prime minister says stopping people crossing Channel in small boats is his ‘most pressing priority’Rishi Sunak has restated his promise to cut overall migration to the UK, but suggested he would delay a cap on refugee numbers that was promised in his leadership campaign.Sunak also said he was fundamentally against any moves towards using ID cards to stop people working illegally in the UK, after Labour revived the prospect. Continue reading...

Man in his 30s also arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of third man found with stab wounds in Houghton RegisPolice have arrested a man suspected of the murder of two men and the attempted murder of a third.Officers were called to reports of a man being struck by a vehicle in Tithe Farm Road, in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, at 1.18am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Business Council of Australia chief Jennifer Westacott sees a chance to ‘start building relationships’ damaged by trade and human rights disputes

Manchester City boss tells court he does not know what player does with private life as he is ‘not his father’The Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has told jurors in the rape trial of Benjamin Mendy that the footballer is a “really good boy” but he does not know what the player does with his private life, adding: “I’m not his father.”The 28-year-old French international is accused of sexually assaulting women during parties at his Cheshire mansion or at an apartment in Manchester city centre. Continue reading...

PM keen to define policy towards Moscow after previously warning over financial impact of sanctions when chancellorRishi Sunak has called Russia a “pariah state” on the eve of his first meeting of the G20 in Indonesia, where he has vowed to confront Moscow’s representative in public and on the sidelines of the summit.The UK prime minister said he would take every opportunity during the summit to confront Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, attending in Vladimir Putin’s absence, and said that would be not only in the hall itself but at any opportunity if the two came face-to-face. Continue reading...