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Media group's future is again in limbo - and it faces questions over the asking price as well as regulatory hurdles

Artwork that hung for centuries at St John's Almshouse in Sherborne will be sold to raise funds for social housingThe blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no sorrow with it," so says the Bible, Proverbs 10:22.On Friday, a church almshouse was counting its blessings after discovering that a triptych painting that has hung in the chapel for centuries is a 15th-century Flemish masterpiece worth 3.5m. Continue reading...

Ipsos survey reveals fake news, lack of accountability, extremism and corruption seen as biggest threatsSatisfaction with democracy is below 50% in eight out of nine western countries surveyed in a poll, and majorities in all but one fear for its future, with fake news, lack of political accountability, extremism and corruption seen as the biggest threats.An Ipsos survey of almost 10,000 people in Croatia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US found satisfaction with democracy low in all except Sweden, with deep concerns about the future state of electoral politics. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Charlie Maynard, public interest representative in case, accuses utility of retaliation' for failed bid for costs in supreme court appealThames Water argued that an MP should be forced to pay its hefty legal costs after he represented the interests of the British public in court, a move he described as retaliation" for pushing for government control of the crisis-hit utility, the Guardian can reveal.The UK's highest court this week rejected Thames Water's arguments that the Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard should pay legal fees as high as 1,400 per hour. Continue reading...

US private equity group pulls out of sale amid threat of regulator intervention and newsroom criticism

Councils say 59 authorities could go bankrupt by March 2028 without urgent structural reformSpecial educational needs services in England face total collapse", with councils on course to have run up debts of 18bn by the end of the decade as a result of increasing numbers of children requiring extra teaching support in schools.Without urgent structural reform of the system, the cost of accelerating demand for special educational needs and disability (Send) support could push about 59 upper-tier authorities into effective bankruptcy by March 2028, councils have warned. Continue reading...

Authoritarian leader calls for US to make peace amid military buildup and strikes against alleged drug smugglers

About 600,000 people seeking compensation a decade on from disaster that killed 19 and devastated villagesA London judge has ruled that the global mining company BHP Group is liable in Brazil's worst environmental disaster, when a dam collapse 10 years ago unleashed tons of toxic waste into a major river, killing 19 people and devastating villages downstream.Mrs Justice O'Farrell said at the high court that Australia-based BHP was responsible despite not owning the dam at the time. Continue reading...

Egyptian authorities prevented Alaa Abd el-Fattah from attending human rights awards in LondonAlaa Abd el-Fattah, the British-Egyptian writer and human rights campaigner who was freed from jail in September, was stopped from flying to the UK by Egyptian passport control, his family has said.Abd el-Fattah was pardoned after more than 10 years in jail but his status, including his right to travel back and forth between Britain and Egypt, was left unclear and subject to discussion between the family and authorities. Continue reading...

Culture secretary says she shares concerns that such appointments have damaged trust, amid calls for Robbie Gibb to go

Brisbane expected to get 80mm of rain, while damaging winds, large hail and possible flash flooding on the cards for Queensland

Home secretary to set out plans to deter migrants from coming to the UK and make deportations easierThe home secretary is due to announce sweeping changes next week aimed at making the UK less attractive for illegal immigrants and modelled on the Danish system.Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out plans to deter migrants from coming to the UK and make it easier to deport those who do in a statement to MPs on Monday. Continue reading...

Met Office upgrades warnings to amber with persistent and heavy' rain, strong winds and thunderstorms forecast for FridayStorm Claudia is expected to bring torrential rain to parts of England and Wales as the Met Office upgraded its warnings.Amber warnings for persistent and heavy" rain come into force from noon on Friday until the end of the day and cover parts of Wales, the Midlands, the south-west, the south-east and east of England. Continue reading...

Ex-politicians and candidates warn the decision will likely cause a loss of votes from younger people

Investigation by Guardian and Carbon Brief finds just a fifth of funds to fight global heating went to poorest 44 countriesChina and wealthy petrostates including Saudi Arabia and UAE are among countries receiving large sums of climate finance, according to an analysis.The Guardian and Carbon Brief analysed previously unreported submissions to the UN, along with data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), that show how billions of dollars of public money is being committed to the fight against global heating. Continue reading...

Radio host uses chart songs that didn't quite make top spot to highlight issue of Windermere pollutionIf you Sit Down and wonder why Britain's streams, rivers and lakes are so filthy, you're probably Holding Out for a Hero to halt this Scandalous discharge of sewage.Step forward the Lake District Radio DJ Lee Durrant, who will go Radio Ga Ga with a 24-hour live broadcasting marathon on Friday, playing songs that peaked at No 2 in the charts to highlight the ongoing stench of not quite Golden Brown number twos" floating downstream. Continue reading...

Thirteenth action since March 2023 will put further pressure on stretched budgets, say NHS groupsThousands of resident doctors have begun strike action across England in a dispute over pay.The five-day action, which began at 7am on Friday, is the 13th walkout by doctors since March 2023 and health leaders have warned that the NHS may have to cut frontline staff and offer fewer appointments and operations if the strikes continue. Continue reading...

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The man that former Spanish football president claimed was his uncle threw three in the direction of the 48-year-oldThe disgraced former Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales had eggs flung at him, allegedly by his uncle, during the presentation of his new book on Thursday in Madrid.Rubiales, convicted of sexual assault for a forced kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, appeared to be struck on the back by an egg as the man Rubiales claimed was his uncle threw three in the direction of the 48-year-old. Continue reading...

Former ACCC chair condemns proposed exemption allowing minister to approve projects that don't comply with law

Denmark has slashed asylum numbers by granting only short-term status and by targeting ghettoes', which critics say has damaged the country's valuesOf all the measures introduced to deter people from seeking asylum in Denmark over the last decade, it is the impermanence of refugees' status that is often cited as the most effective.Before 2015, refugees in Denmark were initially allowed to stay for between five and seven years, after which their residence permits would automatically become permanent. But 10 years ago, when more than a million people arrived in Europe fleeing conflict and repression, largely from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Eritrea, the Danish government dramatically changed the rules. Continue reading...

From Taradell to Galicia, cooperatives are supplying cheap, clean electricity to homes and helping tackle fuel povertyIt began in the small Catalan town of Taradell as a plan to provide local people with allotments where they could grow their own food.Four activists came together with the aim of promoting good environmental practices in local agriculture and business, as well as supplying renewable energy. The project, however, was about much more than growing vegetables. Continue reading...

Testing and remediation to take place in 16 schools after a consumer safety recall was issued for coloured sand used in sensory play and arts and crafts

Climate advocates fear the project, proposed by Japanese oil and gas giant Inpex, would turn the area into the world's largest carbon dumping ground'

Takaichi caused a stir last week after she summoned aides to her office for a 3am meeting to prepare for a budget committee hearingJapan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has said she gets by on just two to four hours sleep a night - prompting concern over her commitment to a better work-life balance among the country's fatigued employees.Pointing to the bags beneath her eyes, Takaichi told MPs that she survives on minimal sleep - a habit she shares with her political hero Margaret Thatcher - after being asked how she would tackle Japan's notoriously long working hours. Continue reading...

Case has attracted attention from Chinese Australian community and on social media due to her lavish wealth and speculation about her background

Labour had laid the ground to break a manifesto pledge on taxes for working people but has now made a U-turnRachel Reeves is set to abandon a plan to raise income tax in her budget with the chancellor reportedly ripping up" the main measures in the wake of turmoil in the party.A source told the Guardian that plans to break the manifesto pledge on income tax had been ditched by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the chancellor. Continue reading...

Death of 28-year-old childhood educator in Forbes, NSW, intensified a national campaign against domestic and gendered violence

Row continues between camps of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, whose company holds hundreds of thousands of pounds of party fundsThe leftwing Your Party, set up by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, is embroiled in another public row over donations to the party.A statement from Corbyn along with Shockat Adam MP, Adnan Hussain MP, Ayoub Khan MP and Iqbal Mohamed MP states that hundreds of thousands of pounds were donated to the party by supporters in good faith, but have since remained beyond its reach", which they describe as being extremely frustrating and disheartening". Continue reading...

We strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim', reads statement expressing sincere regrets' over Panorama episodeThe BBC has apologised to Donald Trump over the editing of a Panorama documentary that led to the resignation of its director general, Tim Davie, and the BBC News chief, Deborah Turness.However, the corporation has rejected his demands for compensation, after lawyers for Trump threatened to sue for $1bn (760m) in damages unless the BBC issued a retraction, apologised and settled with him. Continue reading...

Revelation comes despite US justice department downplaying possibility that other men involved in Epstein's abuseWhile Donald Trump's justice department has downplayed the possibility that other men were involved in Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of teen girls, an email released on 12 November as part of the House oversight committee's Epstein investigation shows an exchange between the late financier and an associate where they discuss girls" and travel.Epstein sent an email asking what is your schedule?" on 23 July 2010 to an associate. The latter responded the next morning saying: the other girl name is [redacted]." The Guardian is withholding the associate's name, as attempts to identify and contact him were unsuccessful. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move could cause huge disruption and present ministers with major new headache

Diana Santillana Galeano's detention sparked outrage after agents dragged her from a daycareA Chicago daycare worker whose arrest by federal agents last week sparked widespread outrage has been released from custody.On Thursday, Diana Santillana Galeano's attorney said she was released from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Clay county, Indiana, on Wednesday night. Her release followed a federal judge's ruling earlier in the day that her arrest was unlawful" as she had not had a preliminary bond hearing. Continue reading...

Lawsuit against US government alleges life-threatening' medical neglect and says residents frequently go hungrySeven people detained at California's largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center have sued the US government, alleging they have been denied essential medications, frequently go hungry, and are housed in a decrepit" facility.The federal class-action complaint filed against ICE on Wednesday challenges the inhumane conditions" at the California City detention center, which opened in late August inside a shuttered state prison. The suit alleges life-threatening" medical neglect, with the plaintiffs saying they have been denied cancer treatment, basic disability accommodations and regular insulin for diabetes. Continue reading...

Republican Kevin Stitt commutes Tremane Wood's death sentence to life in prison for 2002 murder of Ronnie Wipf

Bells ring out across French capital marking 10th anniversary of country's deadliest peacetime attack

Closeup of studded stilettos in trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 causes fashion debate on social mediaPosting the first trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Instagram on her birthday this week, the film's star Anne Hathaway captioned the video with it's everybody's birthday", prompting copious comments featuring emojis of flames, hearts and - of course - the red shoe now associated with the film's poster.But with the trailer circulating on social media, it's the shoes that have become the focus of fashion debate - and not in a good way. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed, you can read more on this story herePA Media has more on what the monthly performance figures from NHS England show. PA says:The data shows 180,329 people in England had been waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment at the end of September, down from 190,549 at the end of August.Some 2.4% of people on the list for hospital treatment had been waiting more than 52 weeks in September, down from 2.6% the previous month.The NHS waiting list is 230,000 lower than July last year, even as the health service approaches its limit' with A&E and ambulances facing record demand ahead of winter.The overall waiting list for September was 7.39m (an estimated 6.24m patients) down 15,845 compared to the previous month and 230,000 fewer than July 2024.Thanks to the investment and modernisation this government has made, waiting lists are falling and patients are being treated sooner ...The past year is the first time in 15 years that waiting lists have fallen. There's a long way to go, but the NHS is now on the road to recovery. Continue reading...

Proposal includes 72,000 social homes to tackle housing crisis, but critics call it old wine in a new bottle'The Irish government has announced a long-awaited plan to tackle the country's severe housing shortage by building 300,000 new homes within five years.It plans to boost supply by increasing construction capacity and the amount of zoned and serviced land, and to increase support for vulnerable groups, according to proposals published on Thursday. Continue reading...

Judges in Luxembourg said EU law clearly prohibited the term non-alcoholic gin', after a case was brought against the makers of Virgin Gin AlkoholfreiThe makers of spirits may be raising a toast to the European judges of Luxembourg, after the EU's court ruled that non-alcoholic drinks cannot be called gin.Only spirit drinks based on ethyl alcohol flavoured by juniper berries with a minimum alcoholic strength of 37.5% by volume can be known as gin, the court said in a judgement issued on Thursday. Continue reading...

Unfair labor practice strike on red cup day' in over 40 cities comes amid stagnant negotiations with coffee chainMore than a thousand Starbucks workers have commenced a strike in more than 40 cities across the US on Thursday amid stagnant negotiations with the world's largest coffee chain over a first union contract.On the company's annual red cup day", hailing the start of the lucrative holiday season, Starbucks Workers United is launching an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike, with rallies planned in locations including New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; and Anaheim, California. Continue reading...

Yulia Svyrydenko says government will conduct major audit of Energoatom and other state-owned firms in bid to fight corruption allegationsA bitter battle over the future of a Chinese-owned chipmaker in the Netherlands that threatened to cripple the global car industry is a wake-up call to Europe and the west", the minister at the heart of the row has warned.The six-week standoff between the EU and Beijing over Nexperia and its vital supplies of automotive semiconductors has served up a sobering lesson to world leaders over their dependency on China, says Vincent Karremans. Continue reading...

Health secretary has always been open about his ambitions but recent actions hinted at reasons for potential coup plot

Billionaire populist Andrej Babi insisting he will meet legal obligations before taking officeAndrej Babi, the self-proclaimed Trumpist" billionaire who won last month's Czech election, has refused to sell his huge business empire, but insisted he will resolve a conflict of interest that threatens to bar him from becoming prime minister.Babi, whose ANO party finished a comfortable first in the October vote but failed to secure a majority in parliament, said in a social media post on Thursday he would not sell his Agrofert farming, food processing and chemicals conglomerate. Continue reading...

Lots include the annotated shooting script for Die Hard and a hand-drawn Halloween card from his Harry Potter co-star Rupert GrintAlan Rickman's obsessive attention to detail is revealed in the copious annotations he made on all his scripts, as a number of film-related items from the late actor's personal collections are put up for auction including screenplays from Die Hard and Harry Potter.Propstore, the Los Angeles and London-based auction firm that specialises in entertainment industry memorabilia and recently sold a Star Wars lightsaber for 2.7m, is staging a three-day sale in which a number of lots originating from the Alan Rickman archive will be available. Continue reading...

System introduced in 2012 across England and Wales has faced criticism from police chiefs

Education secretary says report highlights glaring failures and missed opportunities' by various agenciesServices in Surrey failed to identify that Sara Sharif was at risk of abuse, did not question unexplained bruising, and staff members visited the wrong address the day before her murder, a safeguarding review has found.Sara, 10, was killed by her father, Urfan Sharif, and her stepmother, Beinash Batool, in August 2023 after years of escalating brutality that left her with bruises, burns, human bite marks and at least 25 fractures. Continue reading...

British luxury brand urges chancellor to pursue progressive policies' in budget to increase spending sprees by foreignersBosses at Burberry have urged Rachel Reeves to reinstate a tax-free shopping scheme for tourists in the budget to unlock further growth" and increase tourist spending.Executives at the British luxury brand called on the chancellor to pursue progressive policies" to boost shopping sprees from tourists, pointing specifically to a value-added tax (VAT) refund programme for foreigners that was scrapped five years ago. Continue reading...

Secretary for women presents plan, including prison sentences, after Claudia Sheinbaum was groped on streetThe shocking public groping of Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has prompted rapid political action to tackle sexual abuse, as well as public debate on how best to address the problem, which is widespread across the country.Citlalli Hernandez, Mexico's secretary for women, presented a presidential plan to confront the issue, which would include actions such as ensuring prison sentences for sexual abuse across Mexico, encouraging women to report incidents, and training prosecutors and other officials on how to handle the matter. Continue reading...

Cabinet minister says PM would not have backed attacks on Wes Streeting but briefing is longstanding aspect of politics'