World news | The Guardian

Low pressure troughs sitting over swaths of the country are being charged by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures, weather expert says

Groups providing vital services say impact of tax and minimum wage rises will lead to cutbacksCharities have warned of life-changing consequences" for a million vulnerable children and adults as a result of cuts to state-funded disability services driven by tax changes and wage rises announced in the budget.The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG), which represents 100 charities in England, said Rachel Reeves's decision to raise employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) had been ill thought through" and would put many local charity services at risk. Continue reading...

Foreign minister says talks continuing over Israel's stated objectives of pushing Hezbollah away from Israeli borderIsrael's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said on Monday that certain progress" had been made on ceasefire talks in Lebanon, where Israel has been engaged in fighting Hezbollah for more than 13 months.We will be ready to be there if we know, first of all, that Hezbollah is not on our border, is north of the Litani River, and that Hezbollah will not be able to arm with new weapons systems," Saar said. Continue reading...

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater's proposed legislation also includes powers for judges to cross-examine patientsA historic bill to legalise assisted dying will set out hardline safeguards, including lengthy prison sentences for coercion and powers for judges to cross-examine patients.The Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said she believed she had put forward the best possible legislation" but warned wavering MPs that parliament may not get another chance to vote again on the issue for another decade.Patients must be over 18, have the mental capacity to make a choice about the end of their life and must be terminally ill and expected to die within six monthsThey must express a clear, settled and informed' wish in two separate witnessed declarationsTwo independent doctors must be satisfied that the person is eligibleThe application must be approved by a high court judge who would hear from at least one of the doctors and may question the patient or anyone else involvedMedicine must be self-administered with doctors banned from assistingCoercion of a patient would be a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison Continue reading...

Ali Musse, 66, charged after Hilkiah McLeggan, 77, pronounced dead at scene in East Street, WalworthA man has been charged with murder after a fatal stabbing in south London.Police were called at about 10.40am on Sunday after reports of a number of people having been stabbed in East Street, Walworth. Continue reading...

Exclusive: inspectors raise alarm about mayor Lutfur Rahman, who previously served a five-year ban from officeMinisters are to intervene in the management of Tower Hamlets after inspectors raised the alarm about the leadership of the east London authority's controversial mayor, Lutfur Rahman.Sources have told the Guardian the government has decided to appoint an envoy to monitor management decisions at the council, which has been dogged by a series of controversies about public spending and senior-level appointments. Continue reading...

Urfan Sharif allegedly reported to police for controlling behaviour by three unconnected' women before his daughter's deathThe father of Sara Sharif was accused of abusing three girlfriends before his daughter's death, a court has heard.Urfan Sharif, 42, was allegedly reported to the police by three separate, unconnected women" who each accused him of holding them against their will and controlling behaviour. Continue reading...

Former England striker will relinquish role at the end of the 2024-25 season, but will stay at BBC until 2026Gary Lineker is to step down as the presenter of Match of the Day at the end of the season.He is believed to have signed an 18-month contract with the BBC that will cover the next Fifa World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, but will step back from the broadcaster's football highlights programme at the end of the 2024/25 season. BBC News said that an announcement would be made on Tuesday, after the Sun first reported the story. Continue reading...

Allegations against Karim Khan to be examined by outside body to ensure fully independent, impartial and fair process'The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court will face an external investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, the court's governing body has said.In a statement, the president of the body that oversees the ICC said the inquiry would examine the allegations against Karim Khan, which related to his alleged conduct towards a woman who worked for him. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Target is 81% emissions cut compared with 1990, but activists say it must be backed by plan of actionKeir Starmer will announce a stringent new climate goal for the UK on Tuesday, the Guardian can reveal, with a target in line with the advice given to the government by its scientists and independent advisers.The UK will pledge to cut emissions by 81% compared with 1990 levels by 2035, a target in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee. Continue reading...

Far-right government angrily condemns ruling that seven men detained in Albania must be transferred to ItalyItalian judges have ordered seven men detained in a migration hub in Albania to be transferred to Italy, in another blow to a controversial deal between the far-right Rome government and Tirana aimed at curbing the arrival of asylum seekers.The men arrived at the Albanian port of Shengjin aboard a military vessel on Saturday after being rescued in international waters while trying to make their way to Europe. Continue reading...

This live blog is closedHere are some of the main points from Jonathan Reynolds's evidence to the Post Office inquiry so far this morning.Reynolds said he accepted as business secretary he was responsible for ensuring the compensation scheme operated properly. He said in the past there had been insufficient accountability".He said that since the general election there has been a significant increase" in the pace at which compensation is being paid. The journalist Nick Wallis (who wrote a superb book, The Great Post Office Scandal) is live tweeting from the inquiry, and he quotes Reynolds as saying:Since the general election there has been a significant increase in the pace at which compensation has been paid. The overall quantum of compensation is up in the last four months by roughly a third and the number of claims to which there has been an initial... offer being made in response to that claim has roughly doubled in the last four months [to] what it has been in the four months preceding the general election.Home Office officials do not believe Labour's plan to smash the gangs" will work as a way of bringing down illegal migration to the UK, i can reveal.They say that civil servants in the department have been underwhelmed" by the approach that was being outlined again this week by Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Continue reading...

Ex-chief medical officer says it is possible she may not have made a public warning over risksThe former chief medical officer for England claimed she had a strong recollection" of advising the public not to pick up objects they found near the scene of the novichok attack on the Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, despite there being no record of her making such a statement.Dame Sally Davies, who was speaking at the inquiry into the Salisbury poisonings in Wiltshire, said she had a recurrent nightmare that a child would find a discarded container of the nerve agent. Continue reading...

Helen-Ann Hartley says archbishop's position is untenable as members of Church of England's ruling body launch petitionA Church of England bishop has added her voice to growing calls for the archbishop of Canterbury to resign over his failure to pursue a sadistic abuser of children when allegations were brought to his attention.Helen-Ann Hartley, the bishop of Newcastle, said Justin Welby's position was untenable and he should quit. A line needed to be drawn, she added. Continue reading...

Confirmation follows progress at talks over government support for switch to less polluting technologyThe owners of British Steel are to keep the blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe site running past Christmas amid talks over government support for a switch to less polluting technology.The government is thought to be considering aid for British Steel at the same level or even higher than the 500m pledged to Tata Steel, which closed its two blast furnaces in Port Talbot in September. However, no decisions on the shape of a package have been made. Continue reading...

This live blog is closed.Lebanon's National News Agency reports Israeli planes carried out airstrikes again overnight on locations in the south of the country. There are, as yet, no reports of any casualties.Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from the Kerem Shalom crossing between Gaza and Israel. Continue reading...

US government wrote to Israel a month ago threatening sanctions if there was no increase in humanitarian supplies

The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley returns to Worcester in good condition' after being checked out in 1973A book published in 1899 which was 51 years overdue has finally been returned to a public library in Massachusetts.The book, titled The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley, was returned to the Worcester public library earlier in November. It had been checked out in 1973, with a due date of 22 May 1973, making its return just more than five decades late. Continue reading...

Sophie Lloyd was expelled in 1991 for deliberate deception' after being admitted while pretending to be a manThe council meeting of the Magic Circle on 9 October 1991 was a historic occasion, marking the moment when the first cohort of women, including Debbie McGee and Fay Presto, were admitted to its previously male-only ranks of magicians.But the meeting was also memorable for another, lesser known, reason. The council voted to expel a member named Raymond Lloyd, who was in fact a woman named Sophie Lloyd, who had been masquerading as a male" in order to gain access to the society. Continue reading...

French president offers fraternity and solidarity' as Israel discourages wearing of Jewish symbols' abroadEmmanuel Macron will attend the France-Israel football match at the Stade de France on Thursday in a gesture of fraternity and solidarity" after attacks on Jewish fans in Amsterdam last week.Thousands of extra police will be on duty for the game taking place against a backdrop of high tension caused by the conflict in Gaza. Continue reading...

After underwhelming box office for seventh movie in Tom Cruise series, $400m-budgeted next chapter might be lastThe trailer for the eighth Mission: Impossible film has been released with a new title that suggests it might be Tom Cruise's final mission.Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which is set to be released next summer, was originally intended to be the second chapter of 2023's Dead Reckoning, with a title of Dead Reckoning Part Two. Continue reading...

Privatisation of bailed-out bank continues after plan to offer to retail investors was abandoned

Nation of homeowners is about to flip' to having more people renting, which presents policy challenges, researchers say

Exclusive: New survey data offers unique insight into the long-term psychological effects of offshore process'

Ads and emails making misleading claims about investment in specialist disability accommodation may breach consumer law, watchdog says

Khalife pleads guilty part way through trial at Woolwich crown court but continues to deny other chargesThe former British soldier Daniel Khalife has changed his plead to guilty of trying to escape from Wandsworth prison, part way through his trial.The 23-year-old, who is in the middle of giving evidence at his trial at Woolwich crown court, initially pleaded not guilty escaping from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London in September 2023. Continue reading...

With Trump returning to power, rightwingers may seek to replicate New College of Florida's experience across USNew College of Florida, which has been the subject of a rightwing takeover that has reversed its previous reputation as a liberal arts school, has hired ideologically aligned rightwing faculty and staff for a range of positions, in a process that an internal open letter said often replaced faculty expertise with administrative fiat".New College of Florida (NCF) was targeted by the state's governor, Ron DeSantis, who made transforming the liberal institution into a conservative one a centerpiece of his ill-fated presidential campaign that sought to take on liberal causes. Its board of trustees is now dominated by DeSantis allies, triggering campus turmoil and the exodus of some staff. Continue reading...

Ishiba's governing coalition lost majority and needs to find new partner or get consent from opposition to enact policyJapan's parliament re-elected the prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, on Monday after his governing coalition suffered the worst election loss in more than a decade.Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) and its junior partner, Komeito, together lost their majority in the 465-seat lower house, the more powerful of Japan's two-house parliament, in the 27 October election amid voter outrage over financial misconduct by his party and its lukewarm response. Continue reading...

Police investigating after truck crashes into playground in regional Victoria killing 43-year-old woman

When asked about Elon Musk's objection to regulation, Ed Husic says government will do what we have to do'

Meanwhile, unseasonable heat will continue across parts of Australia this weekThe northern Philippines is experiencing its fourth tropical cyclone in three weeks. Typhoon Toraji, also known as Nika, is passing westwards over the island of Luzon, with winds equivalent to a category 1 hurricane. Toraji follows cyclones Trami, Kong-rey, and Yinxing, which combined left 159 people dead and more than 700,000 displaced. The ongoing recovery efforts are being frustrated by the repeated onslaughts of dangerous weather.The Philippines is no stranger to cyclones, with about 20 hitting the nation each year, but it is unusual for the same region to experience so many in such a short space of time. The main concern for authorities is the sheer amount of rainfall in recent weeks, with torrential rain from Toraji falling on to soils that are saturated and waterways that are already full. About 2,500 villages have been evacuated, mainly due to the extreme risk of landslides, while dams are carrying out controlled releases of water in an effort to counteract flood risks. Continue reading...

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Scottish government drops proposed partnership with charity after backlash from violence against women sectorThe Scottish government's strategy to support women working in the sex industry has been cast into disarray after it was forced to ditch a proposed partnership with a charity whose founder has suggested most sex workers have had exposure to occult" activities, citing yoga as one example.The Scottish government abandoned plans to partner with the Luton-based Christian charity Azalea, which offers practical, emotional and spiritual support to women sexually exploited through prostitution", after a backlash from the violence against women sector. Continue reading...

Kristian White, 34, formally pleads not guilty in NSW supreme court at start of trial that could last three weeks into 2023 nursing home taseringFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

Shoppers got a rare look inside the basket of the discount grocer at the ACCC inquiry into supermarkets

Company says subcontractor was killed as blade was being prepared for installation, with WorkSafe to investigate

CIPD report says businesses face higher costs after tax rises in budget as public sector benefits from above-inflation pay risesPay awards for public sector workers in Britain are set to overtake the private sector for the first time in four years, according to a report, amid growing business alarm at the government's tax plans.After October's budget confirmed above-inflation pay rises for public sector workers and higher taxes on employment, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said there was a growing divide in the outlook for jobs and wages. Continue reading...

Party wants to amend government's bill that would end tradition of hereditary peers to make reforms go furtherThe Liberal Democrats will attempt to hijack the government's bill to ban Lords from inheriting their seats in parliament this week in an attempt to force a vote on an entirely elected upper chamber.The government's hereditary peers bill, which is heading for its committee stage on Tuesday and is likely to clear the House of Commons the same day, will put an end to the tradition and ban the the current 92 lords who inherited their titles from sitting in the second chamber. Continue reading...

US president is running out of time to deliver funds and weapons before a predicted foreign policy change by Trump administrationWith little more than two months left in the White House, Joe Biden is running out of time to expedite the delivery of funds and weaponry needed to ensure Ukraine can stay in the fight against the Russian invasion.The White House is transferring weapons and up to $6bn (4.6bn) in remaining aid as quickly as possible to Ukraine while advocates for Kyiv are calling on the White House to repeal restrictions on long-range weaponry and find other sources of funding the war before Donald Trump enters office in January. Continue reading...

Sexual aggression said to be endemic' on route through Spain, Portugal and France with solo female pilgrims at risk

Nationals senator Matt Canavan and MP Keith Pitt both spoke out about the party's climate policy in the wake of Donald Trump's win

Humanitix co-chief executive calls for proper prosecution' for people and online sites that buy tickets for the sole purpose of reselling them at huge markups

Anthony Albanese praises then 19-year-old's exceptional bravery' for rescuing his wounded commander under intense enemy gunfire

Hamptons says modest' rises can be expected amid dampening effect' of higher interest rates overallExpectations that UK interest rates may stay higher for longer, as well as revenue-raising measures in the budget, have prompted a leading estate agent to cut its forecast for house price growth over the longer term.The revised forecast from Hamptons came days after Halifax and Nationwide banks said the annual rate of property price growth had slowed, with the former saying it was likely to be modest ... for the rest of this year and into next". Continue reading...

Public health concerns fuel restrictions across comparable markets, yet UK remains lenient'Great Britain lags behind" Europe on measures to restrict betting adverts, according to a report released days after official data showed a sharp increase in the number of children with a gambling problem.Restrictions on ads by bookmakers and casinos are increasingly becoming the norm" across Europe in response to public health concerns, according to a report commissioned by GambleAware, the UK's leading gambling charity. Continue reading...

Numbers leaving within 10 years of registering rose by 43% between 2021 to 2024, finds Royal College of NursingIncreasing numbers of UK-trained nurses are set to leave the profession in England within a decade of registering, in a trend that could jeopardise the government's overhaul of healthcare, according to a union.More than 11,000 will have quit the register within their first 10 years on it, according to analysis by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) of the latest official figures. Continue reading...

British and French leaders will discuss Ukraine and defence amid fears for future of Nato after Trump's re-electionKeir Starmer will join Emmanual Macron in Paris for the French Armistice Day service in a pointed show of European solidarity days after Donald Trump's re-election, with Ukraine and defence on the agenda for private talks between the two leaders.The visit will have a symbolic element with Starmer becoming the first UK leader to attend France's national commemoration event since Winston Churchill in 1944. Continue reading...

Swift wins best artist award for third time as Liam Gallagher, Calvin Harris and Sabrina Carpenter also triumphThere was something different about the announcements on the Manchester tram network this week. Instead of the usual voice calling out Deansgate-Castlefield and St Peter's Square, passengers have been listening to Rita Ora warning: Make sure you plan your journey - it's gonna be busy!"The pop star was in Manchester on Sunday to host the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs), one of the highlights of the global music calendar, at the city's Co-op Live Arena. Continue reading...

Jamison joined Alvin Ailey's dance company in 1965 and performed there for 15 years, premiering solo Cry in 1971Judith Jamison, an acclaimed dancer and choreographer who for two decades was artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, died on Saturday in New York, at the age of 81.Her death came after a brief illness, according to a post on the company's Instagram page. Continue reading...