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Heatwave warnings in place for parts of New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia

Future of Europe' at stake with Von der Leyen and Merz desperate to persuade Belgian PM to allow use of frozen Russian assetsGermany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will meet the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, and Belgium's prime minister, Bart De Wever, for emergency talks on Friday as the EU races to save its sorely needed financing plan for Ukraine.The three leaders will dine in private in Brussels, a German government spokesperson said on Thursday, as Belgian officials continued to express strong opposition to the scheme, which involves the unprecedented use of frozen Russian assets. Continue reading...

Owner of Sports Direct chain says consumer confidence very subdued' with sales at sports division down 5.8%The owner of Sports Direct and Flannels has said sales have fallen at its UK retail businesses amid heavy discounting by rivals and very subdued" consumer confidence.Frasers, which is controlled by the former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, said sales at its UK sports division were down 5.8% in the six months to 26 October to 1.3bn despite growth at the main Sports Direct chain because of planned decline" at its Game outlets and the Studio Retail online arm. Continue reading...

Number of overseas nurses and midwives registered between April and September was half that of a year agoThe number of overseas nurses and midwives coming to the UK is collapsing, figures reveal, with rising racism and changes to immigration rules blamed for the fall.Between April and September, 6,321 nurses and midwives from abroad joined the register of those licensed to practice in the UK, compared with 12,534 who did so in the same period in 2024. Continue reading...

Of patients diagnosed with condition in 2024/25, only 18% were assessed for fall risk and just 16% had a medical reviewGPs are failing to provide adequate support for people living with frailty, an independent watchdog has found.Frailty is a syndrome related to ageing and in which body systems gradually lose their in-built reserves. Symptoms include exhaustion and people living with frailty are more likely to be housebound. Continue reading...

Rewilding charity helps bolster Scottish stronghold of species that once came close to extinction in UKRed squirrels have expanded their range across the Highlands by more than a quarter after a 10-year reintroduction programme moved hundreds to new homes.The species once came close to extinction in Britain when foresters killed them as pests and their natural habitat was destroyed. A deadly virus carried by invasive grey squirrels has hampered their recovery. Continue reading...

Democrat Jim Himes calls footage one of the most troubling scenes' he's observed in public service

Reform leader suggests he would boycott BBC, saying he has had letter from Dulwich pupils defending himNigel Farage has turned on broadcasters for questioning him about his alleged teenage racism and antisemitism as the number of school contemporaries who recalled such behaviour to the Guardian reached 28.In an angry performance at a press conference in London, the Reform leader suggested he would boycott the BBC and said ITV had its own case to answer, as he repeatedly shouted Bernard Manning". Continue reading...

Lawyer for parents say allegations included children coming home injured and claims about how Vincent Chan treated toddlersMore claims have emerged that parents' concerns about the nursery worker Vincent Chan were not acted on before he was unmasked as a paedophile, as the government vowed to improve child safety after the scandal.Chan worked at a north London branch of the Bright Horizons nursery chain from 2017 until his arrest in June 2024. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to 26 offences including sexual assaults against girls aged two to four who were in his care, some carried out as children slept and some of which were filmed. Continue reading...

Bombs were placed near Republican and Democratic party HQs in Washington night before US Capitol attackUS authorities on Thursday made an arrest in connection with pipe bombs that were planted outside the headquarters of both the Democratic and Republican parties in Washington DC on the eve of 6 January 2021.Explosive devices were placed at night and then, on the afternoon of 6 January, the US Capitol attack occurred, when a mob of Donald Trump's supporters stormed Congress in an effort to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election. Continue reading...

An investigation found defense secretary put US forces at risk, triggering fresh demands for his resignationThe Department of Defense's inspector general released the much-anticipated unclassified report on Thursday about Pete Hegseth's disclosure of plans for military airstrikes in Yemen in a Signal group chat earlier this year.It found that Hegseth violated departmental policies when he shared information in the chat, and that if a foreign enemy force intercepted that information it could have endangered the lives of US troops, as the Guardian reported on Wednesday. Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send nonpublic DoD information through Signal risks potential compromise of sensitive DoD information, which could cause harm to DoD personnel and mission objectives," the report said. Continue reading...

You could call it an act of friendship, except Nige sees Dicky less as a friend and more as a useful idiotAlas poor Dicky. Put not your trust in Nigel. For in him there is no salvation.It's not easy being Richard Tice. A man who has spent much of his recent life in Nigel Farage's shadow. Pushed around. Made to feel worthless. Losing what self-respect he may have had by the day. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereNigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said that in Essex county council elections were postponed. He said district councils were being replaced with a new pretty amorphous unitary authority". Because of that, the area also needed a clear elected figure", a mayor, he said.Fahnbulleh said the government wanted to create strong, unitary councils. He said that would be a difficult concept for Reform UK to understand, given the absolute shambles that we're seeing in the councils that they control".The government had a moral and a legal obligation to honour its side of the bargain Continue reading...

Reform UK leader launches tirade against broadcaster in latest effort to address claims of of abuse from school contemporaries

Mohammad Bashir faces one count of preparing terrorist acts and three counts of sharing terrorist publicationsA man has been charged with assisting the Manchester synagogue attacker Jihad al-Shamie with earlier reconnaissance on a UK defence facility.Mohammad Bashir, 31, was charged with four terrorism offences, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Continue reading...

Peter Francis says he had hostile' exchanges over telling 1990s Macpherson inquiry into racist murder about covert operationSenior police officers resisted the idea of disclosing the covert monitoring of the family of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence to a public inquiry, a whistleblower has alleged.Peter Francis, the whistleblower, said that he wanted to reveal the surveillance of the family and their campaign by undercover police officers to the public inquiry that was led by Sir William Macpherson in the late 1990s. Continue reading...

Relatives say British state has failed to ensure public safety after inquiry into 2018 death, linked to Russian attack on ex-spyThe family of a British woman killed in the Wiltshire nerve agent poisonings have strongly criticised the UK state for not doing more to keep the public safe, and believe lessons have not been learned from her death.Relatives of Dawn Sturgess, who was killed after she sprayed herself with a nerve agent smuggled into the UK by Russian agents to kill a former spy, expressed concern that an inquiry into her death had not set out how such a tragedy could be prevented in the future. Continue reading...

Der Spiegel quotes leaked call in which European leaders voice doubts about Washington's approach to peace talksEmmanuel Macron has reportedly warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy that there is a chance that the US will betray Ukraine on territory, without clarity on security guarantees", the German magazine Der Spiegel reported, quoting a leaked note from a recent call with several European leaders.Der Spiegel said it had obtained an English summary of Monday's call, featuring what it said were direct quotations from European heads of government in which they expressed fundamental doubts about Washington's approach to the talks. Continue reading...

Average of 1,717 flu patients in beds last week, up 56% on a year ago, after unusually early' start to seasonThe NHS is facing an unprecedented flu wave", a senior healthcare leader said, as the number of people with the illness in hospitals across England hit a record high.The statistics, published by NHS England as part of its first weekly snapshot of the performance of hospitals this winter, found that an average of 1,717 flu patients were in beds each day last week - more than 50% higher than last year - including 69 patients whose condition was critical. Continue reading...

Party is investigating Ian Cooper as Labour MPs call for him to resign as leader of Staffordshire county council

Meeting comes two days after Witkoff and Jared Kushner held five hours of talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow

Trade group tells Rachel Reeves her property tax changes threaten the survival of community pubs

Lord Evans of Watford and other directors of investment firm deny claims made in lawsuits they say are meritless'A peer suspended by the House of Lords for breaking lobbying rules is now facing claims that he received at least $1m (760,000) from an allegedly corrupt deal.Lord Evans of Watford, a longtime Labour peer, was found last week by the House of Lords watchdog to have broken its rules four times after undercover reporting by the Guardian, and will be suspended for five months. Continue reading...

Crypto investor Christopher Harborne previously gave 1m to Boris Johnson office and was one of biggest donors in UK politicsNigel Farage's Reform UK party has received a 9m donation from Christopher Harborne, a leading cryptocurrency, defence and aviation-fuel investor who previously bankrolled the Brexit party.Harborne gave the record donation to Reform over the summer in a boost to the party's finances before its autumn conference. Continue reading...

Experts say any change to the hepatitis B schedule could have significant and far-reaching consequencesRobert F Kennedy Jr's vaccine advisory committee convenes on Thursday to consider a reversal of a decades-long program of childhood immunizations, including a recommendation to delay hepatitis B shots for newborn babies.For decades, federal health recommendations have suggested that all newborns be vaccinated against the virus that can lead to serious liver disease. Kennedy, the US health secretary and a prominent anti-vaccine activist, has long pushed for delaying the shot. Continue reading...

Financial watchdog rejects claims Treasury officials deliberately misled reporters but leaves door open for follow-up inquiry

It comes after major policies such as freeze on income tax thresholds were reported in chaotic build-up to budget

As leaders try to break smugglers' business model, research suggests strategy so far has had opposite effectHardline migration policies adopted by governments across the globe have been a boon for people smugglers, fuelling demand and allowing them to raise their prices, according to a report.The findings, released on Thursday by the Mixed Migration Centre of the Danish Refugee Council, and based on interviews with thousands of migrants and hundreds of smugglers, come as officials prepare to gather next week in Brussels to discuss how best to combat smuggling. Continue reading...

Administrative review tribunal no longer authorised to alter a person's plan or reinstate funding, agency confirms

The Russian president's Delhi visit gives him a chance to reduce Moscow's isolation but both countries need each other to negotiate Trump's America and a powerful ChinaWhen Vladimir Putin last set foot in India almost exactly four years ago, the world order looked materially different. That visit - lasting just five hours due to the covid pandemic - saw Putin and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi discuss economic and military cooperation and reaffirm their special relationship.Three months later, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine would turn him into a global pariah, isolating Russia from the world and restricting Putin's international travel. Continue reading...

Government once seen as progressive on migration says aid cuts to blame for excluding countries not experiencing war'The Ugandan government has stopped granting asylum and refugee status to people from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia, citing severe funding shortfalls for the significant policy shift.Hillary Onek, Uganda's minister for refugees, announced that the government would no longer grant the status to new arrivals from countries not experiencing war". Continue reading...

Passengers welcome climbdown and say plan to turn Avanti West Coast service into ghost train' made no senseI don't think I've seen it this busy in years," said Liam, a customer service specialist struggling to deal with a growing line of tired customers onboard the 7am Avanti West Coast service from Manchester to London.They were made more agitated by the news that the microwave was broken and bacon sandwiches were off the menu. I don't think there's been this many people on the 7am since before Covid," said the beleaguered staff member. Continue reading...

Resort to be located on the banks of Penrith's Nepean River, 15km from Western Sydney airport, with plans for a 300-metre Olympic-class ski run

Exclusive: Senior minister raises significant concerns' over one of UK's biggest property managersA senior minister has said he has significant concerns" about one of Britain's biggest property managers after dozens of residents complained of high charges, slow repairs and aggressive debt collection techniques.It is the latest sign of growing anger in Westminster over the behaviour of FirstPort, which manages properties on behalf of 1 million people, and other leasehold management companies. Continue reading...

Artist who once draped Barbican in brightly coloured fabric says he is humbled by recognition in ArtReview rankingsThe Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has become the first African to be named the most influential figure in the art world in ArtReview magazine's annual power list.Mahama, whose work often uses found materials including textile remnants, topped the ranking of the contemporary art world's most influential people and organisations as chosen by a global judging panel. Continue reading...

Inaugural prize expected to be handed to Donald Trump but process' for choosing future winners to be proposed by controversial tycoon's committeeIt was the timing that set off the first alarm bells. With Donald Trump brooding over missing out on the Nobel peace prize, and shortly before Gianni Infantino, the president of world football's governing body, Fifa, was due to meet the US president in Miami, an announcement was made.In a press release and a post on his personal Instagram account last month, Infantino said Fifa would launch its very own peace prize, to be awarded each year to individuals who help unite people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions". Continue reading...

Seizures and warrants involve Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, who heads US-sanctioned Prince Group, and Cambodians Kok An and Yim LeakThailand has seized assets worth more than $300m, including shares in a major regional energy company, and issued arrest warrants for 42 people in a high-profile push against regional scam networks, officials said on Wednesday.Parts of south-east Asia, including the border areas between Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, have become hubs for online fraud, with criminal networks earning billions from illegal compounds where trafficking victims are often forced to work. Continue reading...

New South Wales south coast faces highest heatwave category, with extreme temperatures forecast elsewhere, including in Western Australia and the NT

Nine-country poll finds half of people believe risk of war with Russia is high and three-quarters want to stay in EUNearly half of Europeans see Donald Trump as an enemy of Europe", rather more rate the risk of war with Russia as high and more than two-thirds believe their country would not be able to defend itself in the event of such a war, a survey has found.The nine-country poll for the Paris-based European affairs debate platform Le Grand Continent also found that nearly three-quarters of respondents wanted their country to stay in the EU, with almost as many saying leaving the union had harmed the UK. Continue reading...

Lack of local content is notable this year in the music platform's analysis of users' personal music, podcast and audiobook choices

Monarch welcomed German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and promised both nations' support for UkraineThe UK and Germany are ready to bolster Europe" against the threat of further Russian aggression and both nations stand" with Ukraine, King Charles said as he hosted the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier..The visit comes at a difficult time for Europe in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine, and will aim to underscore the Kensington treaty signed in July - the first formal pact between the UK and Germany since the second world war - which sets out plans for closer cooperation on migration, defence, trade and education. Continue reading...

Ban due to take effect next week, but Meta has started deactivating accounts already

Naccom members accommodated record 4,434 refugees and migrants in 2024-25 but could not house another 3,450Thousands of refugees are facing a growing homelessness crisis, according to a network of more than 100 organisations across the UK who say homelessness has more than doubled among refugees in the last two years.Naccom, the national charity of 140 frontline refugee and migrant organisations, blames the increase on near-constant government policy changes" and the introduction of eVisas, which some refugees have not been able to activate in order to access vital services and support. Continue reading...

Leaders focus on bolstering Ukraine's finances as US-Russia talks to end war make little progressThe European Commission will move ahead with controversial plans to fund Ukraine with a loan based on Russia's frozen assets, but in a concession to concerns raised by Belgium, which hosts most of the assets, the EU executive has also proposed another option: an EU loan based on common borrowing.The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday the two proposals would ensure Ukraine has the means to defend [itself] and take forward peace negotiations from a position of strength". Continue reading...

Increasing number of people asking for help to regain access to accounts, with Google topping digital platform-related complaints

Former political staffer says Lehrmann's extended defamation action against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson was retraumatising'

Agency says missile struck citizens in Khan Younis, as Israel reports targeting Hamas terrorist' after clash with militantsAn Israeli strike on Palestinian territory has killed five people including two children, Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP on Wednesday.Five citizens, including two children, killed and others injured, some seriously, as a result of an Israeli missile strike," in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP. Continue reading...

MG4 only managed 281km of its claimed 405km range, while Tesla Model Y came closest to matching expectations

Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to giving actor ketamine in the month leading up to his deathA Los Angeles doctor who sold ketamine to Matthew Perry before his overdose death has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.Dr Salvador Plasencia, 44, had pleaded guilty on Wednesday to giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the Friends star's overdose death in 2023. Perry died at age 54 after struggling with addiction for years, dating back to his time as one of the biggest stars of his generation for his role as Chandler Bing.

US House and Senate lawmakers to meet with top admiral on Thursday about double strike on boats from VenezuelaAs the Trump administration continues military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, several Republican lawmakers are ramping up scrutiny on the administration over a double strike in early September.The strikes on suspected drug boats from Venezuela have drawn pushback from both parties - in particular, the second strike on a single boat to kill remaining survivors. The Washington Post reported that the order for a second strike came from the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, which Hegseth has denied. Continue reading...