Women tells court a doctor examined her injury three days after former NRL star allegedly attacked her in her bedroomThe woman who has accused Jarryd Hayne of raping her has testified at his trial that a doctor told her that her vagina injury looked like a bite.A doctor believed a woman had been bitten in an alleged bedroom attack by former NRL star Jarryd Hayne, his rape trial has heard. Continue reading...

Scott Morrison cites his appointments to AWM council as guarantee it will handle Brereton report sensitivelyScott Morrison has expressed confidence the Australian War Memorial will “respect the defence force” in its handling of findings of alleged war crimes, citing appointments to its council including Tony Abbott as a guarantee it will handle the matter sensitively.The prime minister made the remarks in response to the memorial director, Matt Anderson, arguing that Australians would “expect to see” the findings of the Brereton report into alleged war crimes by special forces in Afghanistan acknowledged. Continue reading...

Beijing says pontiff’s remarks have ‘no factual basis’ despite evidence a million of the Muslim minority group are being held in campsChina has dismissed criticism of its treatment of Uighurs in a new book by Pope Francis in which he describes the “persecution” of the Muslim minority group.A foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said Francis’ remarks had “no factual basis at all”. Continue reading...

After 10 weeks and mountains of mango, tonight saw the end of the bubbled baking extravaganza. But was it Laura, Peter or Dave who triumphed in the tent?

Four UK governments agree relaxed rules, and scientists expect rise in cases to follow

Wednesday: Gladys Berejiklian voted in parliament while waiting for Covid result. Plus: the lockdown silver lining for the Aria awardsGood morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 25 November. Continue reading...

Days of protests erupted after video showed Joao Alberto Silveira Freitas, who later died, being attacked by white security guardThe UN has said that the deadly beating of a black man by white guards in Brazil exemplified “structural racism”, and called for an independent investigation and urgent reforms in the country.Several days of protest erupted in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, after video footage last week showed 40-year-old welder Joao Alberto Silveira Freitas being punched in the face and head by a supermarket security guard while another guard held him. Freitas later died and the two men who attacked him are currently being investigated for homicide. Continue reading...

MSPs pass legislation after four-year grassroots campaign spearheaded by Monica Lennon

Latest updates: three households will be allowed to mix for up to five days in a plan to allow families to reunite at Christmas, government sources said

European court of human rights finds removal of Nigerian Charles Unuane violated his right to family lifeDeporting a Nigerian man who has a criminal record but whose children live in Britain, was “disproportionate” and not “necessary in a democratic society”, the European court of human rrights has ruled.Judges in Strasbourg found that the removal of Charles Unuane violated his right to family life as guaranteed by article 8 of the European convention on human rights. Continue reading...

A study examining the short-term health impacts of bushfire smoke found that poor air quality exacerbated respiratory illnessesThe 2019–20 Australian bushfire season saw unprecedented fires and black smoke sweep across the country, leading to increases in emergency department visits for respiratory problems and in sales of asthma medication.A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) published on Wednesday examined some of the short-term health impacts of the bushfires by examining hospital emergency department presentations in New South Wales from September 2019 to February 2020. Data from air quality monitoring stations in NSW, the Australian Capital Territory and parts of Victoria were also examined. Continue reading...

Minor jobs at border posts changing hands for up to $100,000, says Ali AllawiIraq’s economy is so riddled with corruption that minor border post jobs are changing hands for as much as $100,000, Iraq’s deputy prime minister, Ali Allawi, has admitted.In an extraordinarily frank speech about his government’s efforts to introduce reforms, he said there were no quick wins, adding the economy would probably remain in “existential crisis so long as oil does not reach $70 a barrel for a sustained period” and called for cuts in public spending as its revenues fall short. Continue reading...

Mohamed Ramadan suspended from stage and film union over online image

The ugly green coat in the HBO drama The Undoing has usurped a starry cast that includes Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. But what are the show’s makers trying to say, exactly?The real star of The Undoing, HBO’s absurd marital melodrama, is not Hugh Grant, the Manhattan skyline or even the pair of David Hockneys hanging inside a vast penthouse in episode one. It’s a coat.Sludge-green, calf-length, with wide lapels and a hood, this coat is worn again and again by Nicole Kidman’s character, a gnomic therapist called Grace, as she floats down Madison Avenue, through Central Park and even into the prison on Rikers Island, brooding over her marriage to a man who may, or may not, have just murdered his lover with a lump hammer. Continue reading...

Judges rule that son’s alleged killer, Anne Sacoolas, had diplomatic immunity at time of crashThe family of Harry Dunn, 19, who was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car being driven on the wrong side of the road, was dealt a severe legal blow when the high court ruled the driver, Anne Sacoolas, did have diplomatic immunity at the time of the crash.The judgment, delivered on Tuesday, lifts a cloud over the UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, who has been accused by the Dunn family of caving to the demands of the US government in his handling of the issue. Continue reading...

Like many people, I’m planning a reduced celebration. I could despair, but I’ve decided to innovate – bring on Sidesgiving!Few people know this, but the perfect meal was discovered in New York in 2005.It was a frigid night on the Upper West Side and a special occasion. I was turning 13, which meant I got to choose the restaurant. I selected an upscale bistro in our neighborhood with a pleasing tile backsplash and real candle sconces. The mandate from our parents had been sweeping – order whatever you want. I splashed out with steak, medium-rare, plus a caesar salad. My sister (cleverer than me) closed her menu with a flourish. “I know what I want,” she said. The waiter looked at her, expectant. “I’d like french fries and mashed potatoes, please.” I think someone must have gasped. We were that awed. Continue reading...

Leftwing members protest during Zoom meeting against election of Starmer’s ally as governing body’s chairLeftwing members of Labour’s governing body have staged a mass walkout in protest of the actions of the Labour leadership, including the election of a key ally of Keir Starmer as the body’s chair.The Guardian understands 13 members of the national executive committee (NEC) – including senior members of the trade unions Unite and the FBU, as well as constituency representatives including the ex-MP Laura Pidcock – staged a pre-planned walkout in protest of the election of MP Margaret Beckett as NEC chair. Continue reading...

The series was cancelled in 2013 but its biggest crime was being born too soon. Now streaming in Australia, here’s hoping it gets the audience it deservesWhat happens when an annoying narcissist has a spiritual awakening? Do they become different? Better? Or does real change require much more than learning how to meditate?Enlightened, starring Laura Dern, aired for two seasons on HBO from 2011 to 2013. Critics loved it, a third season was on the cards – but it never got the mainstream viewership it deserved and was cancelled due to poor ratings. Continue reading...

String of deaths puts focus on safety, poor pay and conditions for riders, as well as the lack of compensation for families left behindAnother food delivery worker has been killed in Sydney, in what is the fifth death among food delivery workers across Australia in the past two months.A deliverer for Uber Eats was killed on Monday night in a road collision on the intersection of Chalmers and Cleveland streets in Surry Hills at 6.40pm. The man died at the scene after he was hit by a truck carrying an excavator, police said. Continue reading...

Francis contrasts opposition to Covid measures with ‘healthy indignation’ over racism

Exclusive: Landmark case in federal court to test handcuff use when transferring mentally ill detaineesAustralia’s use of handcuffs to transfer mentally ill asylum seekers to medical appointments is unlawful, inhumane, traumatising and illegally restricts access to healthcare, a landmark new case alleges.The Public Interest Advocacy Centre on Monday launched a test case in the federal court on behalf of an asylum seeker, with the pseudonym of Yasir, who is challenging the lawfulness of handcuff use when transferring those in immigration detention to and from medical appointments. Continue reading...

The Palestinians are hoping a Biden presidency will slow the growing rapport between Saudi Arabia and IsraelDuring the last year of Donald Trump’s presidency, the question of whether Saudi Arabia would make peace with Israel had come down to a question of when.

Warning comes as man admits using Messenger to coerce children into sending explicit picturesPolice and a children’s charity have warned that a man who admitted 96 counts of child sexual abuse could have escaped justice if technology giants had already toughened their encryption.David Wilson targeted young boys aged from four to 14, getting them to send compromising pictures and video. Some were so traumatised that they considered ending their lives. Continue reading...

Israeli PM flew to Saudi Arabia to meet Mohammed bin Salman and the US’s Mike PompeoBenjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia over the weekend to meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, according to an Israeli cabinet member.The Sunday night visit would mark the first reported meeting between leaders of the long-time foes, one that Israel has been pushing for in its efforts for regional acceptance despite previously being considered a far-fetched ambition. Continue reading...

MI5 assessments read out at start of appeal over revoking of Isis recruit’s citizenship

Voices of Boothby has enlisted help from Voices 4 Indi, which helped elect independent and local farmer Cathy McGowanThe movement to find independent challengers to Coalition MPs has spread beyond New South Wales and Victoria into South Australia, with Voices of Boothby emerging in the marginal Adelaide seat held by Nicolle Flint.The group formed a few months ago and has begun holding kitchen-table discussions in an attempt to get more voters in the suburban Adelaide seat to engage in politics. The electorate runs from the Adelaide Hills to Glenelg on the coast. Continue reading...

Cornish inquest finds deaths of five people in two incidents were accidental but criticises firmA leading appliance brand should have acted more quickly to stop the sale of cookers linked to 18 deaths in the UK and Ireland, a coroner has concluded.Geraint Williams said Beko was too slow to react when it learned that people had died and tests revealed that its cookers could cause potentially fatal buildups of carbon monoxide. Continue reading...

Pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong, Ivan Lam and Agnes Chow arrived at West Kowloon magistrates courts to face charges related to illegal assembly stemming from a protest last year in Hong Kong.The trial was scheduled to begin on Monday, but after pleading guilty they were taken away ahead of a sentencing hearing on Wednesday next week.The trio of high-profile pro-democracy activists and former politicians, were facing multiple charges over an unauthorised protest outside police headquarters in June last year, and inciting others to take part.They face a penalty of up to five years in prison

Plants are compulsive communicators, but now one expert thinks they may also have different character traits – with some more nervy than others

Oxford/AstraZeneca findings have certain advantages over those from other versions

Among a growing number of films about coronavirus, artist-activist Ai Weiwei takes a citizen’s-eye view in China while Alex Gibney counts the cost of America’s distrust of scientific adviceAs early as April this year, Vulture reported that at least 20 coronavirus-related documentary projects were shooting or seeking funding. Seven months later, five significant feature documentaries about the virus have been completed, with countless more due to follow. Made from various perspectives, each film has something different to say about the earliest days of the pandemic. Continue reading...

City angered by apparent theft of bike chained to post near stencil of hula-hooping girlA bicycle with a missing wheel accompanying a Banksy mural in Nottingham has vanished, prompting sadness and frustration in the city.The artwork depicts a girl appearing to hula hoop with a tyre from the bike, which was chained to a nearby pole outside a beauty salon. Continue reading...

Welsh Interpreter includes ‘You are giddy because you look down’ (Y’r ydych wedi pendroni o rhan i chwi edrych i lawr)In the 19th century the wilds of Wales began to draw the intrepid traveller but there were sometimes communication breakdowns between visitors and Welsh-speaking locals.A 182-year-old phrasebook, compiled to make it easier for English tourists to speak with what the volume, uncomfortably, calls the Welsh “peasantry”, has emerged from archives in Cardiff. Continue reading...

Prime minister says diplomatic difficulties Australia is navigating are ‘a foretaste’ for others around the worldScott Morrison has used a speech to the British Policy Exchange to call for a more nuanced appreciation of national interest, and more flexibility, when countries pursue relationships with America and China, because “stark choices are in no one’s interests”.In a section of his speech outlining the challenges of navigating Australia’s fraught relationship with China in an era of escalating geopolitical competition, Morrison on Monday night said “greater latitude will be required from the world’s largest powers to accommodate the individual interests of their partners and allies” because “we all need a bit more room to move”. Continue reading...

Independent Sage proposes community celebrations with food and drink in the street

The Dolce by Wyndham Hanoi Golden Lake hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, is billed as the first in the world to be golden both inside and out Continue reading...

Congo in Conversation is an online collaborative reportage with Congolese journalists and photographers, curated by Finbarr O’Reilly and Fondation Carmignac. Over six months, they documented the human, social and ecological challenges DRC faces today, within the context of the Covid-19 crisisThe 11th Carmignac photojournalism award is dedicated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and to the human, social and ecological challenges it faces today. It has been awarded to photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly. His reportage was due to start in January 2020, but because of the global coronavirus pandemic and gradual closing of international borders, the mission as originally planned was put on hold. O’Reilly and the Carmignac team came up with a new approach, creating Congo in Conversation – a collaborative online chronicle addressing the human, social and ecological challenges that DRC faces through close cooperation with Congolese journalists and photographers.The challenge of taking on a curatorial role was to manage the photographers without perpetuating outsider perspectives ... Continue reading...

Regional democracies including US, Japan and India step up cooperation on cybersecurityAustralia will spend $500,000 setting up a tech network among the “Quad” democracies – Australia, the United States, Japan and India – against the backdrop of worsening tensions with China.The move signals an increased focus on cybersecurity and sensitive technology issues – such as protecting 5G networks and ensuring artificial intelligence is not misused – in a regional grouping viewed warily by Beijing. Continue reading...

NatWest denies accusation made by Bill Browder in thinktank report into practice of ruining reputationsA longstanding critic of Kremlin corruption has accused NatWest of closing his bank account in the UK because it had been influenced by an intense and pervasive “black PR” campaign mounted against him by Russian actors in their home country.“Black PR” is a term referring to a series of connected practices used by Russian state and non-state actors seeking to discredit individuals as part of political or business disputes, and can involve trying to create or obtain kompromat (compromising material) or generating fake media reports. Continue reading...

Changing Rooms’ flamboyant master of maximalism has made a great living out of being himself. But is lockdown altering him? Is he suddenly dressing down, or brooding on the tragedy that marked his childhood? And does he have any decor tips for our interviewer?If curating your surroundings for a Zoom call is an art, then Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen is its maximalist master. Immersed in the dark colours of his 17th-century manor-house living room, he sits with enviable poise, one arm cocked and propped on his thigh, as though modelling for a portrait. Flanked by a medley of blue velvet and patterned cushions, the latter matching his William Morris-inspired sofa, he is lit by an assortment of lamps.It is a stark contrast to my more modest framing – a single pine bookshelf and a large houseplant. I show him the rest of my living room: pale blue walls, a navy/charcoal sofa, a single cushion with Julianne Moore’s face, a coffee table, a few more palms and a TV unit. Britain’s best-known interior designer doesn’t spare my feelings. Continue reading...

Official Secrets Act used to prevent volunteers discussing ‘disturbing’ conditions at ex-barracks

Joshua Wong urges everyone to ‘hang in there, add oil’ as he, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam are taken away ahead of sentencing next weekHong Kong activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam face the prospect of jail after pleading guilty to charges relating to protests outside a police station last year.The trial was scheduled to begin on Monday, but after pleading guilty they were taken away ahead of a sentencing hearing on Wednesday next week, where they face a penalty of up to five years in prison. Wong said he expected to be jailed. Continue reading...

Three members of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights detained over ‘fake news’Emboldened Egyptian security forces have stepped up their crackdown on human rights groups with a series of unprecedented recent moves triggering widespread alarm, experts are warning.Last week the head of a leading human rights organisation and two of its staff members were detained after the group met with foreign diplomats in Cairo. Continue reading...

Episode six of the new season focuses on Charles and Diana’s 1983 tour of Australia – but none of it was shot thereThe blockbuster premiere of the Crown’s fourth season has delighted a world deeply in need of distraction – but one episode is causing mirth among Australian audiences for all the wrong reasons.The season, which landed on Netflix on 15 November, focuses on the Windsors in the 1980s, featuring Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Emma Corrin as Princess Diana. Continue reading...

Report says UK hardest hit by pandemic, with payouts falling by 47%

Abiy Ahmed urges ‘peaceful’ end to three-week conflict after generals say civilians in the regional capital Mekelle will be shown ‘no mercy’Ethiopia’s prime minister has given Tigrayan rebel forces 72 hours to surrender before the army begins an offensive on the capital of the wartorn region.As army tanks gathered around the city of Mekelle, Abiy Ahmed posted a message on Twitter on Sunday night which read: “We urge you to surrender peacefully within 72 hours, recognising that you are at the point of no return.” Continue reading...

Queensland police say the crash at Wyaralong killed two children and left a third child critically injuredTwo children have died and another child is critically injured after a car carrying six people crashed into a dam at Wyaralong, in south-east Queensland.Queensland police said the car was submerged in the water before the occupants were recovered by emergency services and witnesses on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading...

Heiko Maas criticises young protester who compared herself to Sophie Scholl, a German student executed by the Nazis

Monday: US president faces pressure from Republicans to drop court battle over election results. Plus: platypus threatened by shrinking habitatGood morning, this is Imogen Dewey bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 23 November. Continue reading...

The wife of Hugh Lindsay, who was killed while skiing with Prince Charles, had asked show not to feature the disasterThe widow of a British army major who died in an avalanche while skiing with Prince Charles has criticised the producers of The Crown as “unkind” for dramatising the disaster against her wishes.Major Hugh Lindsay, a former Queen’s equerry, was skiing off-piste at the Swiss resort of Klosters in 1988 with a group including senior royals when disaster struck, with his friend the Prince of Wales and others reported to have dug snow with their hands in a vain attempt to save his life. Continue reading...