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The Bureau of Meteorology is on the back foot after its new website launched to a flurry of online - and political - anger

Exclusive: Reforms expected to pass parliament with support of motley crew of MPS after Labor's SDA sub-faction attempts to curtail them

Exclusive: Former PM gave consent while foreign secretary for Royal Mint Court complex, a project still in limbo seven years laterBoris Johnson approved the China's super-embassy proposal in 2018 and welcomed the fact it would represent China's largest overseas diplomatic investment" anywhere in the world, the Guardian can disclose.In a letter to Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, Johnson gave his consent for Royal Mint Court to house a sprawling diplomatic complex in May 2018. The Chinese government bought the 20,000 sq metres site for 255m that same month. Continue reading...

BoM's statement comes after federal environment minister says site refresh not meeting many users' expectations'

NSW police say an investigation is under way following the death of a man at Sutherland hospital' while Vanessa Moulton, 42, has denied sabotage charges

Those in need of free emergency contraception no longer have to see their GP or attend a sexual health clinicThe NHS has made the morning-after pill available for free across pharmacies in England in an effort to reduce a postcode lottery" of access to emergency contraception.Almost 10,000 pharmacies are now able to offer the pill without charge, saving those in need of free emergency contraception from having to visit their GP or to get an appointment at a sexual health clinic. Continue reading...

Between 15 and 80 Binjareb Noongar people were killed in the massacre which was led by the then WA governor, James StirlingWarning: This article contains historical records that use racist and offensive language, and descriptions of events that will be distressing to some readers. It also contains references to Indigenous Australians who have died

Government defends prospect of paying more for barracks, saying people don't want asylum seekers in hotels'Downing Street has defended the prospect of paying more to house asylum seekers in disused barracks instead of hotels, arguing that quelling public disquiet was worth any extra cost.As refugee organisations and local politicians described plans to house tens of thousands of people in ex-military sites as fanciful" and too expensive", No 10 said that communities don't want asylum seekers housed in hotels, and neither does the government". Continue reading...

Governor says city at war' after gunfights between troops and Red Command drug traffickers who reportedly used weaponised dronesAt least 64 people have reportedly been killed in Rio's worst-ever day of violence as more than 2,500 officers and special forces stormed an area of favelas near Rio's international airport that is considered the headquarters of one of Brazil's most powerful organised crime groups.The predawn police raid - the deadliest in Rio's history - sparked intense gunfights in and around Alemao and Penha favelas, which are home to an estimated 300,000 people. Continue reading...

Wiltshire police leading investigation into allegations about enlistment examinations between the 1970s and 2016Hundreds of women have come forward to allege sexual abuse took place during British army medical examinations over five decades.Police are investigating claims of abuse at various army locations in the UK, and officers believe multiple alleged perpetrators may be involved. Continue reading...

The department is once again the subject of debate about whether it is beyond repair after immigration and prison problemsIt's not that the Home Office is too big. It's that the brains of many of the people who run it are not big enough," says one former departmental insider.Unwieldy, dysfunctional and plagued by poor morale, the Home Office is once again the subject of debate about whether it is beyond repair and should simply be chopped up into two more manageable units. Continue reading...

Tiphaine Auziere spoke at trial of 10 people accused of harassment by posting claims that French first lady was born a manBrigitte Macron's daughter has told a Paris court that false claims online that the French first lady was born a man had damaged her mother's quality of life, leaving her worrying every day about the clothes she wears and how she stands.Tiphaine Auziere, 41, a lawyer, was called as a witness at the trial of 10 people accused of online harassment of Brigitte Macron by creating or reposting social media posts falsely claiming she was a man. Continue reading...

Former PM says a pact would destroy the Conservatives for good and urges them not to desert centre groundJohn Major has told the Conservatives that forming an alliance with Reform UK would for ever destroy" the party, which he said had already left traditional supporters politically homeless" by lurching too far to the right.The former prime minister dismissed a pact with Nigel Farage's party as beyond stupid", saying that any Tories tempted to defect to Reform should go now because his own party would be better off without them. Continue reading...

Rapid Support Forces accused of killing more than 2,000 unarmed civilians in El Fasher in recent daysReports of ethnically motivated mass killings and other atrocities are emerging from El Fasher after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces took control of the city in Sudan's western Darfur region over the weekend.Video released by local activists showed a fighter known for executing civilians in RSF-controlled areas shooting a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground at point-blank range. Continue reading...

Former Conservative MP, who defected last month, sets out Reform's plan to change how government and civil service operate

The Ukrainian president stressed that this would not a plan to end the war' but one to begin diplomacy'EU's von der Leyen also gets asked about the balloons disrupting the Lithuanian airspace.She says she wants to express my full solidarity" with Lithuania, and calls it a provocation, a hybrid threat," which we cannot tolerate."We're in for the long haul. We are ready to cover the financing needs of Ukraine, so that we are standing by Ukraine for as long as it takes. Continue reading...

Dania Alafranji, 16, still waiting on visa from Home Office despite being offered school place in Berkshire 18 months agoA teenager from Gaza who has been denied an opportunity to attend school in Britain and be reunited with her mother has said she is stuck in hell", despite other European countries making exceptions for students from the region.Dania Alafranji, 16, was accepted on to the Nsouli Scholars Programme to attend Reddam House school in Berkshire more than 18 months ago, but has yet to receive a visa that would allow her to escape the war in Gaza, with her family saying that they feel helpless and have been going in circles" trying to get her to Britain. Continue reading...

Family of Bella Culley, 19, paid 138,000 in deal that could result in a two-year sentence in former Soviet republicThe family of a pregnant British teenager being held on drug smuggling charges in Georgia have paid 138,000 in a plea bargain deal that could result in a two-year jail sentence.It may mean that Bella Culley, a 19-year-old student nurse from Billingham, Teesside, will give birth while imprisoned in the former Soviet republic. Continue reading...

Party's Doge chief says he would cut civil service and close six government offices - most of which are already closing

Rights commission inquiry focused on south-east of country found drones targeted gathering points and critical infrastructure

Former Labour leader will make onscreen cameo as Wizard of Oz-lington' in drag production of Wicked WitchesHe has spent a whole career dealing with booing and hissing in the House of Commons. But now in the run-up to Christmas, the former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn will bring that experience to bear as he appears in pantomime at a north London theatre.The Islington North MP, who sits as an independent, will perform as the Wizard of Oz-lington" in a drag production of Wicked Witches. The venue said he would make an onscreen cameo. Continue reading...

The 4,000-capacity Eutopia is independently owned and run by clubland veterans - and despite being on the city's eastern fringe, clubbers say they're prepared to trekBetween redevelopment, inflation, licensing and noise complaints, keeping a nightclub afloat in London can be tricky: earlier this month Corsica Studios in Elephant and Castle joined the more than 50% of UK clubs which have been lost since 2013.Given that context, this weekend's opening of Eutopia, a 4,000-person independently owned nightclub and cultural venue in a former haulage warehouse in Barking, feels worth celebrating. But music fans who have been burned by the recurrent loss of the capital's best dancefloors, from Plastic People to Printworks, might also be sceptical. Is Eutopia here to stay, or another false dawn? And are people really going to trek out to the very eastern edge of the city, 12 miles from the West End, to go to a club across a river from a sewage treatment works? Continue reading...

Exclusive: All-party parliamentary group on black health found 27% not offered any treatment after diagnosisBlack women in the UK who experience symptoms caused by fibroids are facing delays, poor care and dismissal by healthcare professionals according to a parliamentary report.Published by the all-party parliamentary group on black health, the report included a survey of more than 500 women regarding their experience of uterine fibroids, with more than 70% of respondents being Black British. Continue reading...

Queensland checking all 172 schools sitting exam with pupils expected to claim special consideration after studying the wrong Roman emperor

Barracks in Inverness and East Sussex will house about 900 men as government aims to end use of hotelsHundreds of people seeking asylum in the UK will be moved to military sites as the government aims to end the use of hotels to house them.The Home Office confirmed that two barracks - Cameron barracks in Inverness and Crowborough training camp in East Sussex - would be used to house about 900 men temporarily. Officials are working to identify more sites. Continue reading...

Move comes after parent successfully challenged LNP's previous ban on new patients under 18 accessing hormone treatments for gender dysphoria

Extracts of planned changes to the EPBC Act prompt anger' from conservation organisations that fear nature protection will be weakened

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NSW police allege water and gas mains were cut at first hospital in Sutherland before gas main switched off at nearby facility

In today's newsletter: Rising numbers of prisoners released by accident are laying bare systemic failings in England and Wales, from overworked staff to issues with probationGood morning. Maybe the most gobsmacking detail about the accidental release of Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford was this, from a delivery driver who was delivering equipment to the prison as he left: Kebatu, who was serving a sentence for sexual assault and was due to be deported, appeared baffled as he walked free, and lingered outside the gates for an hour and a half before heading away. They [the officers] were basically sending him away, saying, Go, you've been released, you go,'" the driver told Sky News. He kept scratching his head and saying, Where do I go, where do I go?'"On its face, that might look like incompetence. But the fiasco of Kebatu's release may point to much bigger issues in the prison system. Yesterday, the justice secretary, David Lammy blamed human error" - while the Prison Officers' Association (POA) called the suspension of a single officer unjust".Hurrican Melissa | Jamaicans have started to take shelter from Hurricane Melissa as the category 5 storm neared the coast amid warnings of catastrophic flooding, landslides and extensive infrastructure damage. The slow-moving giant is set to make landfall early on Tuesday.Climate crisis | Humanity has failed to limit global heating to 1.5C and must change course immediately, the secretary general of the UN has warned. In his only interview before next month's Cop30 climate summit, Antonio Guterres acknowledged it is now inevitable" that humanity will overshoot the target.Reform UK | Nigel Farage has defended remarks made by a Reform MP who said seeing adverts full of black and Asian people drives her mad". The Reform UK leader said if he felt Sarah Pochin's words were deliberately and genuinely racist", he would have taken action" against her.Sudan | Fears grew for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in El Fasher after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said it had captured the city, which it has been besieging for more than a year in Sudan's civil war.Ministry of Defence | At least 49 family members and colleagues of Afghans affected by the MoD's mass data breach have been killed, according to research submitted to a parliamentary committee. Continue reading...

UK tax agency apologises after flagging people as having emigrated, often when they return via different routesParents who went from Liverpool to Amsterdam with their autistic children are among thousands who have had their child benefit wrongly stopped as part of a crackdown on benefit fraud, it has emerged.The error by HM Revenue and Customs emerged 48 hours after the Guardian and the Detail reported on hundreds of families in Northern Ireland who had child benefit stopped after they returned home from holiday via Dublin airport, leaving HMRC with the impression they had taken a one-way ticket out of the country and were fraudulently collecting child benefit. Continue reading...

Deal between federal government and Nauru expected to last 30 years and apply to around 350 people released under high court's NZYQ ruling

Reduction comes from energy generated from windfarms and lower cost of gas owing to lower demandWind power has cut at least 104bn from energy costs in the UK since 2010, a study has found.Users of gas have been among the biggest beneficiaries, the research suggested. Continue reading...

Prosecutor tells Victorian court of abuse afflicted by Lachlan Young, after judge holds a minute's silence for McGuire

Michele Bullock plays down concerns about rising joblessness as economists pencil in February for next reduction in borrowing costs

Board was found covered in barnacles and mussels in Raglan, nearly 18 months after it was lost during a boat trip near TasmaniaA surfboard lost off Australia's coast nearly 18 months ago has washed up on one of New Zealand's most famed surf beaches, thousands of kilometres from where it was last seen.New Zealand-based French surfer Alvaro Bon was kite surfing in Raglan on the North Island's west coast on 15 October, when his kite caught in the water and he began drifting out to sea. Continue reading...

Education secretary promises clear timelines' are in place to permanently remove crumbling concreteAll schools in England that received grant funding to pay for the removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) should be free of it by the end of this parliament, the education secretary has pledged.Setting out a new timeline for dealing with the crumbling concrete crisis in schools, Bridget Phillipson said: We inherited a crumbling education estate, but I won't let that be our legacy. Continue reading...

Peers say woeful' record on prosecutions has led to a low-risk, high-reward' criminal cultureOrganised crime groups in the UK are making millions every year from illegally dumping and burning rubbish, peers have told ministers, after an inquiry found a lack of enforcement made it a low-risk, high-reward" criminal enterprise.Criminality is endemic in the waste sector," a Lords committee told the government on Tuesday, after it found at least 38m tonnes of waste was illegally managed every year, leading to serious environmental, economic and social consequences". Continue reading...

Deputy PM tells MPs party must pick clearer fights that show its values after byelection slumpDavid Lammy has urged Labour MPs to see the party's defeat in the Caerphilly byelection as a moment of reflection, arguing progressive governments around the world have recovered from worse to win big".The deputy prime minister pointed to Canada's Liberals, Norway's Labour party and Australia's Labor party as examples of centre-left groups that roared back" from midterm slumps to secure significant victories. Continue reading...

Defence minister says Xi Jinping should note resolve to stay the course by global democratic alliance, including AustraliaDefeating Russia's invasion of Ukraine is critical to restraining China in the Indo-Pacific, Finland's defence minister has said, warning Europe and democratic partners, including Australia, face a fight of global consequences.Antti Hakkanen praised Donald Trump's decision to impose sanctions on two Russian oil companies last week, calling the move a major sign of resolve by the US president against Vladimir Putin's three-year long war. Continue reading...

Consultation over future pathway with employees as smelter struggles with high power prices

Customers urged not to go to domestic airline's airports as customers and staff offered train travel on suitable routesThe UK domestic airline Eastern Airways has suspended operations and all of its flights have been cancelled.Customers of the airline, which operated regional services from airports across the UK, are urged not to go to the airport as flights will not be operating, the UK Civil Aviation Authority said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Red Cross acts as neutral intermediary' to recover hostages' remains in areas under Israeli controlThe International Committee of the Red Cross has accompanied members of Hamas inside areas of Gaza still under the control of the Israeli military to facilitate the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages, as the Palestinian militant group delivered the remains of another captive.Under the US-brokered ceasefire, which took effect on 10 October, Hamas is required to return the remains of all Israeli hostages as soon as possible. In exchange, Israel has agreed to hand over 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli. Continue reading...

Protester asks whether monarch pressed police to cover up' for his brother as pressure grows on palace to take further actionKing Charles was heckled by a protester who asked whether he had asked the police to cover up" for his scandal-ridden brother, as pressure mounts on the monarchy to take further action against Prince Andrew.During a visit to Litchfield Cathedral today, a man in the crowd asked the king a string of questions, including: How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?" Continue reading...

That's the highest number recorded by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses since they began tracking deaths 10 years ago

Julia Wandelt, 24, says McCann family were misled' about missing girl's case by police, who are still abusing cases'An alleged stalker who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has told a court she has sympathy" for the missing girl's family and never" meant any harm.Julia Wandelt, a 24-year-old Polish national, claimed the McCann family had been misled" about Madeleine's case by police, who were still abusing cases". Continue reading...

Case had been due to go to trial after judge ruled 2022's The Lost King, which Coogan co-wrote, portrayed Richard Taylor as smug and patronising'Steve Coogan has said his film about the discovery of the remains of Richard III was the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did" after he and two production companies agreed to pay substantial damages" to settle a high court libel claim over the film's portrayal of a university academic.Richard Taylor, deputy registrar at the University of Leicester at the time of the find, sued Coogan, his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Productions for libel over his portrayal in the 2022 film The Lost King, which follows the amateur historian Philippa Langley and her search for the king's skeleton. Continue reading...

Trial is latest phase in legal battle against false claim that French first lady is a man named Jean-Michel TrogneuxTen people have gone on trial in Paris charged with online harassment of Brigitte Macron - the latest phase of a legal battle on both sides of the Atlantic against the false claim that the French first lady is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.The president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit in the US at the end of July, in connection with a rumour amplified and repeated online that Brigitte Macron was born a man. Continue reading...