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More than 40% of working women worried about impact of Covid on job prospects

SA premier Steven Marshall announces six-day lockdown for entire state amid Covid-19 outbreak and more cases in Parafield cluster. Here’s what you need to know

Aotearoa MPs are notorious for their love of ‘op-shopping’, and have offered advice to their US counterparts on the joy of buying second-handAfter the US election, congresswoman Cori Bush kicked off a conversation on Twitter about the high cost of acquiring a professional work wardrobe for Washington, saying she was heading to a secondhand shop to stock up.“The reality of being a regular person going to Congress is that it’s really expensive to get the business clothes I need for the Hill. So I’m going thrift shopping tomorrow,” she wrote. Continue reading...

Steven Marshall says state would not have gone into six-day lockdown if it had been known man had worked at Woodville Pizza BarSouth Australia’s six-day lockdown will end three days early at midnight on Saturday after it was revealed a male who tested positive for Covid-19 had lied to contact tracers over working in a pizza bar where another case had worked.The state’s premier, Steven Marshall, made the admission after contact tracers further investigated a male with Covid-19 who claimed to have only picked up a pizza from the Woodville Pizza Bar. Continue reading...

Al-Hudood (the Limits) has attracted ire of authorities in Middle East since 2013A groundbreaking Arabic satirical news site that skewers the Middle East’s politicians and pieties – dodging the ire of hostile governments and their online supporters – has launched an English language edition.Al-Hudood (the Limits), with deadpan headlines reminiscent of the US publication the Onion, has rankled authorities in the Arab world since launching in 2013. It gives new audiences a taste of groundbreaking humour that ranges from dry (“Students at local school memorise lesson in independent thinking”) to dark (“Intelligence service corrects beliefs of man who thought he only feared God”) to pitch-black (“Syrian dies of natural causes”). Continue reading...

What is that stuff running down Rudy Giuliani’s face? Is it hair dye? Has his brain-coal been liquefied by all the lies?

From further investigation to potential prosecutions and compensation, the explosive Brereton report will reverberate for a long timeAs the dust begins to settle on the explosive findings of Maj Gen Paul Brereton, a critical question looms.What comes next? Continue reading...

Inflatables taken on marches to mock authorities protect protesters from police violenceOn the frontline of Thailand’s pro-democracy protests a new and unlikely mascot has emerged: a giant, inflatable duck.When demonstrators tried to get past concrete barricades and gather outside parliament on Tuesday, they faced a police response that rights groups have described as unnecessary and excessive. The protesters, who are calling for democratic reforms including curbs on the power of the monarchy, were repeatedly fired at with teargas and water cannon. Some of the water blasts contained chemical irritants. Continue reading...

Foreign ministry rejects calls by western security grouping to reinstate ousted pro-democracy lawmakersChina has rejected criticism by the Five Eyes alliance of its Hong Kong policy, saying it “should face up to the reality” that the former British colony has been returned to China.Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian was responding to a statement on Hong Kong issued by the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, which together make up an intelligence partnership known as the Five Eyes. Continue reading...

Isolated from the rest of the planet since February, group learned about virus sweeping the globe but have escaped its impact – until nowIn February, just as the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold, four people set sail for one of the most remote places on Earth — a small camp on Kure Atoll, at the edge of the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.There, more than 2,200km from Honolulu, they lived in isolation for nearly nine months while working to restore the island’s environment. Continue reading...

They can celebrate diversity and gender equality, but Labour must deal with more traditional leftwing concerns like inequality and housingA very liberal revolution has been occurring in New Zealand politics. Our parliament and Labour-led government are more socially liberal and diverse than ever before, and that’s something for progressives to celebrate.Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister, embodies this, and is lauded as a breath of fresh air in a political world traditionally dominated by “stale, male, and pale” social conservatives. She has just reshuffled the cabinet of her re-elected government, bringing more women, Māori and Pasifika into senior positions. It is the most diverse cabinet in history. The appointment of moko kauae-wearing Nanaia Mahuta as the minister of foreign affairs epitomises this modernisation. Similarly, we have our first openly gay deputy prime minister. Continue reading...

Nearly 200 charities and NGOs call on PM to keep spending at 0.7% rather than 0.5% of GDPNearly 200 charities and aid organisations have called on Boris Johnson to reconsider plans to cut billions from the international development budget by reducing it to 0.5% of GDP.Save the Children, Greenpeace UK, Christian Aid, VSO International and others urged the prime minister not to cut Britain’s aid spending while the world was in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

Royal couple release image showing them reading a card made by great-grandchildrenThe Queen and Duke of Edinburgh celebrate their 73rd wedding anniversary on Friday, and have marked the occasion by releasing a photograph of them reading a card made by their great-grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.The couple are pictured on a sofa in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle, where they are spending lockdown. Continue reading...

Bars and licensed eating outlets billed to re-open on 27 November to remain shut for another fortnight

Former leader told of further inquiry as NEC members attack Keir Starmer’s decision

Face-to-face talks in Brussels paused as member of Barnier’s team has coronavirus

Inquiry told that infiltration of political groups creates ‘hugely convoluted environment’

Hundreds have already died. The dangers are multiplying for the country and the region

First vaccines will be given to health workers, care staff and over-80s, says health secretary

Greece says replacement will not be ready until summer as watchdog finds ‘degrading’ conditions in some centresThousands of people who were relocated to a tent camp after fires gutted Europe’s biggest refugee facility on the Greek island of Lesbos will have to endure winter in the rudimentary settlement.As Greece faced criticism from the continent’s top human rights watchdog, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, over the appalling conditions of several of its refugee holding centres, officials conceded asylum seekers would have to languish in the settlement until well into the new year. Continue reading...

At least 19 people killed during protests following the arrest of the presidential candidate

Thousands of protesters rallied for a second day in Bangkok to condemn police use of teargas and chemical-laced water cannon jets against them. Demonstrators gathered outside the national police headquarters, hurling blue and yellow paint and spraying graffiti fiercely critical of the country's king. More than 50 people were injured during the violent clashes with police earlier in the week sparking calls for changes to the constitution, reform of the monarchy and the removal of the prime minister

Readers on the government’s announcements of a £16.5bn surge in ‘defence spending’ and £12bn for a ‘green industrial revolution’Your editorial (The Guardian view on Johnson’s green jobs plan: the right way to start, 18 November) says much of the government’s headline-grabbing pledge of £12bn for its “green industrial revolution” is spending that has already been announced. This is typical of the Tory political chicanery that the country has become accustomed to since 2010.But it beggars belief that at the same time – days before the spending review, when Rishi Sunak will almost certainly warn of impending austerity measures – the prime minister has agreed to a £16.5bn surge in “defence spending” (Boris Johnson agrees £16bn rise in defence spending, 18 November). It is true that, as Boris Johnson says, the “defence of the realm must come first”, but by equating “defence” with increased military spending, he reveals the limitations of his political understanding. Continue reading...

Comments from TV watchdog come after Prince William welcomed investigation

The audit was conducted to see whether lessons had been learned from the ABS’s 2016 census debacleThe Australian Bureau of Statistics has not fully implemented improvements needed after the 2016 census debacle, particularly in relation to developing its cybersecurity for the next survey, according to the auditor general.A worrying new assessment by the Australian National Audit Office has found planning for the next census is only “partly effective” and the ABS has “not put in place arrangements to ensure that improvements to its architecture framework, change management processes and cybersecurity measures will be implemented ahead of the 2021 census”. Continue reading...

The Brereton report highlights the folly of exhibiting on contemporary and current combat operations while the dust of battle is lingeringThree years ago the Australian War Memorial launched its exhibition about this country’s special forces, the Special Air Service and Commando regiments.From the Shadows: Australia’s Special Forces was an exemplar of the memorial’s direction under then chief executive Brendan Nelson to mount exhibitions about current conflicts, and was partly about the operations of special forces troops in the ongoing Afghanistan conflict. Continue reading...

I came from a stable family, had a good education and worked in corporate roles for many years. I learned that the system doesn’t favour anyone

Hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country, as federal troops battle rebels in the northern Tigray region.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter is deeply affected by the feelings of others – and it has made her a raw and tender voice for Generation Z

Court rules that French ban on marketing hemp-derived CBD products contradicts EU lawThe cannabis-derived compound CBD is not a narcotic drug because “it does not appear to have any psychotropic effect or any harmful effect on human health”, the EU’s highest court has ruled.The decision by the court of justice of the European Union deals a severe blow to efforts by some EU countries to limit the sale of CBD, while simultaneously giving the CBD industry a boost. Many products are currently sold in the EU in a legal grey area. Continue reading...

Glaswegians resigned to trade-off between Covid restrictions now and freer Christmas

France, Germany and Spain remain watchful, while Italy has cleared Babbo Natale to travel

The classics are back in the charts even earlier than usual – alongside the perennial row about the Pogues. So why not discover these lesser-known festive bangers?Judging by the number of trees and lights going up already, the UK is rounding off the worst year ever by turning Christmas 2020 into a six-week celebration of successful vaccine trials. Sure enough, sales and streams of festive songs are up by 50% compared with the same week last year, with Mariah Carey leading the charge and likely to go Top 40 today. But to avoid being thoroughly sick of All I Want for Christmas Is You before you have even opened an Advent calendar, consider adding these lesser-known tracks to your playlists. Continue reading...

It wasn’t just slovenly grooming and sweatpants, male fashion embraced the outdoors when the pandemic hitThis week, Twitter’s CEO, Jack Dorsey, raised eyebrows with his appearance. He testified remotely before the Senate judiciary committee with a Gandalf-esque growth of beard and a gap-year nose ring. A few days earlier, the rapper Tyler, The Creator had appeared at the People’s Choice awards wearing a deerstalker on top of his head, sporting a cream puffer jacket and carrying a man bag. Both Tyler’s inversion of an award-show tux and Dorsey’s Zoom-call chic are articulations of where menswear and men’s grooming are at in 2020.During the pandemic, men’s self-image has taken a beating. Eleven per cent of British men say they feel as if they look at least five years older as a result of the stress and anxiety brought on by the pandemic, while 29% of them have reported visible signs of stress and premature ageing because of it, according to research commissioned by Uvence, a cosmetic clinic. Continue reading...

Her delicate beauty and starring roles made her seem fragile. But having endured an unloving mother and a perilous childhood under Nazi occupation, such an impression belied Hepburn’s remarkable strength, compassion and resolve“Very alert, very smart, very talented, very ambitious.” That was the director William Wyler’s verdict after watching a screen test for Roman Holiday by a young chorus girl called Audrey Hepburn in 1951. She got the part, won an Oscar and the rest is history. For decades, Hepburn has been adored for her graceful beauty and style. But somehow, the “smart”, “talented” and “ambitious” woman Wyler described never makes it into the books about her enduring charm with titles such as How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way. Now a new documentary, Audrey, gives us a more complex picture of the woman.Directed by Helena Coan, the film features never-before-seen archive footage of Hepburn alongside intimate interviews with her family and friends. Speaking on Zoom from his home in Italy, Hepburn’s eldest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, says his mother’s steeliness is often overlooked. “She was no pushover. You have to fight in Hollywood for every little bit, and she did. But she played the part of the ingenue. And that’s who she was, too. None of us are just one way or another.” Continue reading...

Footballer’s wife seeking vindication after being accused of leaking stories to the SunRebekah Vardy has brought a libel action against Coleen Rooney only as a last resort to “vindicate her reputation”, the high court was told at a preliminary hearing of the high-profile dispute between the wives of two England footballers.Vardy has faced “widespread hostility and abuse” as a result of being accused of leaking details about the private life of her former friend, her barrister told the court on Thursday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: three years on, some of the Saudi detainees reveal what they say took place

BLM protests and fresh historical evidence are raising questions over the legacy of the founder of modern Switzerland, Alfred EscherAlfred Escher wielded so much power and influence during his lifetime that he was nicknamed King Alfred I. An immense bronze statue of modern Switzerland’s founding father stands, fittingly, in front of Zurich’s main train station. Escher was a politician, but he was also an entrepreneur who founded the country’s railway network along with its leading university and the banking giant Credit Suisse.The statue in Zurich has memorialised Escher for more than 100 years, but it may not be there much longer. A recently published study on Zurich’s involvement in slavery details problematic connections to Escher. The Escher dynasty owned a coffee plantation in Cuba with more than 80 slaves and Escher himself was involved in its sale. Continue reading...

Men are spending more time with their children and businesses are seeing economic benefits of flexible working

Second devastating hurricane in two weeks lashes fragile nation and leaves villages submergedNery Benitez was working shifts as a baggage handler at San Pedro Sula’s airport when it got flooded by Hurricane Eta. This week it was inundated again as Hurricane Iota struck.“I had gone seven months without work and three days after I got called back this flooding happened,” the 50-year-old said. “We have family and children. How are we going to feed them?” Continue reading...

Retirement income review to emphasise Australians using ‘voluntary savings’, saying a lift in compulsory super rate would hurt wages growthThe Morrison government is laying the groundwork to scrap the already legislated increase to the superannuation guarantee, declaring the retirement income review has found current policy settings are suitable.A summation of the retirement income review distributed by treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s office ahead of the report’s official release on Friday put greater emphasis on Australians using “voluntary savings”, including equity within their homes, ahead of raising compulsory superannuation contributions. Continue reading...

The new administration has promised to undo Trump’s discriminatory policies, but advocates want to see bold support for queer and trans rightsJoe Biden has promised to undo years of anti-LGBTQ+ policies by Donald Trump’s administration, but advocates and civil rights leaders are urging the president-elect to go further in expanding protections and opportunities for queer and transgender people.In its four years in office, the Trump administration systematically attacked the fundamental rights of LGBTQ+ people, stripping away safeguards enacted in the previous administration in education, immigration, healthcare, housing and criminal justice. Continue reading...

From ‘peace’ deals to gutting aid, the US president has had a major impact on the regionDonald Trump has cast himself as an isolationist president focused on Americans. However, in one major foreign policy issue, Israel and Palestine, the US leader has possibly made more of an impact than any of his predecessors. Continue reading...

Amid ongoing unrest, judge calls for establishment of independent complaints systemThe Hong Kong government breached its bill of rights on protection from torture and cruel treatments by failing to provide an independent mechanism for complaints about police, the region’s high court has ruled.The finding comes as a report by international experts who quit a Hong Kong police brutality inquiry last year said officers’ crowd-control tactics had radicalised protesters and worsened perceptions of the force’s legitimacy. Continue reading...

The Nature of Middle-earth will cover topics including Elvish immortality, the geography of Gondor – and which races could grow beardsA previously unpublished collection of writings by JRR Tolkien, exploring the world of Middle-earth in essays tackling topics ranging from Elvish reincarnation to which characters had beards, is to be published next summer.Related: How Tolkien created Middle-earth Continue reading...

The 35-year-old man, who had been under police guard in hospital since Monday, was taken to a police station and chargedA man has been charged with murdering young Melbourne woman Celeste Manno.The 35-year-old Roxburgh Park man was taken to a police station on Thursday and charged with one count of murder over her death. Continue reading...

A hard border will begin at midnight tonight with only freight drivers and those with medical or emergency reasons allowed to cross. Follow live

Comments prompt concern that this could include the use of lese-majesty that bans criticism of the monarchyThe Thai prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has threatened to use “all laws, all articles” to take action against pro-democracy protesters, prompting fears that the kingdom’s harsh lese-majesty law could be used against individuals.The law shields Thailand’s powerful royal family from criticism with one of the world’s strictest defamation criteria, under which anyone who “defames, insults or threatens the king, queen, heir-apparent or regent” can face up to 15 years on each charge. Continue reading...

A proposed island megacity off Karachi puts precious wetlands – and the millions of jobs that depend on them – at riskOn the island of Bundal, off Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast, people gather in their thousands, as they have done for decades, to honour their saint, Baba Yousaf Shah.As the sun shines on the festivities around the shrine, colourful flags flutter energetically as the air fills with the vibrant clamour of music, singing and feasting. Continue reading...

Many people pushed into financial difficulties by Home Office errors are still waiting for compensationApplicants to the Windrush compensation scheme have spoken about the difficulties they have experienced in securing payouts. Some are concerned by the long delays between applying and being awarded damages, others have expressed unhappiness about the amount they have been offered.Their testimony comes after the Guardian revealed that the most senior black Home Office employee in the team responsible for the scheme resigned earlier this year, describing it as systemically racist and unfit for purpose. Continue reading...