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Test to be offered to people with heartburn gives faster, cheaper diagnosis of precursor conditionThe NHS is to offer a 10-minute sponge on a string" test to 120,000 patients with heartburn in a trial to see if it should be used to screen millions of people for one of the world's deadliest cancers.Patients swallow a soluble pill attached to a thread which, when washed down with a glass of water, releases a sponge the size of a 50p coin to collect cells from the oesophagus as it is retrieved. Continue reading...

Insurer says 250p per share offer was highly opportunistic' and undervalues the companyDirect Line shares surged more than 40% on Thursday after the insurer rebuffed a 3.3bn offer from Aviva, prompting speculation that the company could attract a higher offer.Aviva's approach, which was revealed on Wednesday night, is the third rejected by Direct Line this year, with the company having snubbed two previous bids by the Belgium insurer Ageas that culminated in a 3.2bn offer in March. Continue reading...

Lebanese given conflicting information about whether they can return home, as Israeli army strikes cars and areas along boundary

Firms reach preliminary agreement on financial terms of deal that values Renewi at 870p a share

The young man who escaped Wandsworth prison offered a mixed picture of ineptitude and threat, according to policeAt the heart of the Daniel Khalife trial has been the question: is he an amateurish fantasist who convinced himself he was playing a game of chess with spies, or a consequential character in the global world of espionage?The answer, the police have said, is a bit of both. They believed Khalife to be inept in many regards. Khalife's own barrister, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, said he was hapless" and sometimes bordering on the slapstick" - more Scooby-Doo than 007. Continue reading...

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Ex-PM, who previously feared vulnerable people may be pressured to end lives, says legislation has extremely strong' safeguards

Human rights commissioner says David Crisafulli's LNP government risking state's international reputation with tough new youth crime laws

NT police lawyer Ian Freckelton KC tells inquest into death of 19-year-old it is important to call it as it is'

AEMC says electrification of homes, including ending use of gas for heating and cooking, could reduce costs by about $1,000 a year

Liberal National party moves to urgently repeal historic legislation, eliminating state's treaty-making body and truth-telling inquiry

In today's newsletter: Behind the celebratory scenes on the streets of Beirut lies a battered, divided country teetering on the brink of becoming a failed state Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. At 4am local time on Wednesday, a ceasefire began between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. By that time, some displaced residents of Lebanon's devastated south were already on their way back, many of them wondering as they travelled whether the homes they had fled were still there.The pause in hostilities has been broadly welcomed in Lebanon, Israel and beyond, both for those who have been exiled on either side of the border and as a step towards regional stability. There are even some optimistic claims that it might help bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. But as the Lebanon ceasefire begins, a formidable task remains: the reconstruction of a shattered region of a country that is perilously close to being a failed state.Assisted dying | The former president of the supreme court, who ruled on the most high-profile assisted dying cases, has declared his support for the law change. David Neuberger's intervention came as MPs backing the bill say they believe they have the numbers for Friday's historic vote to pass.UK news | Police believe Mohamed Al Fayed may have raped and abused more than 111 women over nearly four decades, with his youngest victim said to have been 13 years old. The Metropolitan police said that five unnamed individuals were being investigated for facilitating the offences.Ukraine | Ukraine's power infrastructure was under massive enemy attack" on Thursday, the country's energy minister said, after a nationwide air raid alert was declared due to incoming missiles.Weather | The third named storm of the autumn, Conall, has brought more disruption to the UK, with trains cancelled in parts of southern England on Wednesday and the Met Office warning of delays on roads and potential power cuts.Trade | Canada's federal government and the premiers of the 10 provinces have agreed to work together against a threat by US president-elect Donald Trump to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports. Possible retaliatory measures are under consideration after Trump said one of his first executive orders would be a 25% tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico. Continue reading...

Peter Malinauskas says the laws were not in his party's best interest, but critics say it'll mean more taxpayer dollars going to major parties

As MPs prepare to vote on a bill that would, for the first time, pass assisted dying into UK law, what are the arguments on either side? The Guardian's John Harris speaks to two campaigners: Liz Carr, an actor and disability activist who believes the bill would endanger many marginalised groups, and Mark Mardell, a broadcaster who thinks the legislation doesn't go far enough. Continue reading...

After Guardian reporting, foreign secretary looks at cases of thousands who need consular help each yearDavid Lammy has said he plans to appoint an envoy to deal with complex detention cases" involving Britons abroad and give them a legal right to consular access.After the Guardian's reporting on detained Britons, the foreign secretary said he had been looking hard" at the thousands of cases a year involving people who require consular assistance. Continue reading...

Glen Coleman sentenced to minimum two years' jail after sexually touching 19-year-old without her consent in 2022

South Korea's capital has been hit by some of the heaviest snowfall in a century, with dangerous conditions wreaking havoc on transportSouth Korea grappled with heavy snowfall for a second day on Thursday, with dozens of flights cancelled, ferry operations suspended and at least four people reported dead in a bitter winter, though conditions showed signs of easing.Thursday's snowfall was the third-heaviest in capital Seoul since records began in 1907, the Yonhap news agency said, citing city data. The previous day broke all snowfall records for November. Continue reading...

All Victorians and many Australians need to prepare for multi-hazard events', warns Bureau of Meteorology

Health Services Safety Investigation Body reveals difficulties inmates have when they leave jail for treatmentA female inmate remained handcuffed to a male prison officer while she had a mammogram, in an example of prisoners being denied their dignity while receiving NHS care, a watchdog has revealed.The incident is highlighted in a report by the Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) into the difficulties prisoners can face when they leave jail to see a GP or visit a hospital. Continue reading...

Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey among properties being searched by officers investigating banned groupUK-based Kurdish advocacy groups have condemned the arrest of seven people by counter-terrorism police in London as part of an investigation into the banned Kurdistan Workers' party, known as the PKK.Four men aged 23, 27, 56 and 62, and two women aged 31 and 59, were arrested at separate addresses during dawn raids in the capital on Wednesday and remain in custody, the Metropolitan police said. A 31-year-old man was arrested Wednesday afternoon in west London. All are yet to be charged. Continue reading...

Operation Orion, a cooperative operation between 62 countries, busted narco submarines carrying drugsColombian authorities, in a joint operation with 61 other countries, have uncovered a new drug trafficking route to Australia using narco-submarines", seizing 225 tonnes of cocaine, in a new global record for any single anti-narcotics operation.In the six-week Operation Orion, law enforcement agencies halted six semi-submersible vessels stuffed with cocaine and confiscated 1,400 tonnes of drugs in total, including more than 1,000 tonnes of marijuana. Continue reading...

Scale of the criminality would make Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, one of Britain's most notorious sex offendersPolice believe Mohamed Al Fayed may have raped and abused more than 111 women over nearly four decades, with his youngest victim said to have been just 13 years old.The scale of the criminality would make Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, one of Britain's most notorious sex offenders, and raises urgent questions about how he got away with his crimes. Continue reading...

Regional leaders meet after undersea telecoms cables severed, while Chinese ship remains at anchor nearbyThe Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has said the Baltic sea is now a high risk" zone as he met Nordic and Baltic leaders days after a suspected sabotage attack on undersea cables.The Swedish prime minister declined to speculate on who may have been responsible for the severing of two fibre optic telecoms cables in the Baltic last week. A Chinese ship - the Yi Peng 3 - that sailed over the cables about the time they were severed has remained anchored in the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark since 19 November. Continue reading...

For Women Scotland is challenging ruling extending definition of woman' to transgender women with GRCTransgender people have a fundamental right" to be recognised in their legally acquired gender, the supreme court has heard in a case brought by Scottish campaigners to resolve how women are defined in law.For Women Scotland is challenging a prior ruling by the court of session in Edinburgh, which found that Scottish government guidance extending the definition of woman" to transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) was lawful. Continue reading...

Joe Biden may have revived diplomatic efforts, but after compromising in Lebanon, Netanyahu has even less leeway in GazaJoe Biden has revived diplomatic efforts to achieve a truce in Gaza with the hope of building on momentum generated by the newly agreed ceasefire in Lebanon.There are doubts, however, that such momentum exists outside the Biden administration, which is anxious to use its last few weeks to salvage scraps of diplomatic honour after the bloody past 14 months in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Party leader could revive deportations for people who arrive on small boats but did not recommit to Rwanda planKemi Badenoch is considering a new cap on visas if the Conservatives return to power and has admitted that previous Tory governments had failed to keep their promises on immigration.In her first policy intervention as party leader, she also said pulling out of human rights laws may not be the most radical thing" that her future government will have to do to control the flow of people into the UK. Continue reading...

Group to say GMB is breaching Equality Act duties by failing to properly investigate sexual harassment and bullying claimsA dozen former and current GMB staffers and members are planning to complain to the equalities watchdog about allegations of institutional sexism and women being bullied out of their roles at the trade union.The group plans to argue to the Equality and Human Rights Commission that the GMB is failing to adequately investigate sexual harassment and bullying claims, which could be a breach of its duties under the Equality Act. Continue reading...

People are relieved to be home but face having to re-build lives among destroyed homes and villagesBefore the ceasefire had even come into effect, Zeinab and Dina were already driving south. The two sisters had been forced to flee to Tripoli, northern Lebanon, for 64 days - they had counted - and they could not bear another day without seeing home.We were laughing and crying at the same time when we heard the news of the ceasefire. We were packing our stuff and still we didn't believe it was happening, it was like a dream," said Zeinab Beezeh, a 28-year-old resident of the town of Zibqeen, south Lebanon.

Children's commissioner Rachel de Souza calls for urgent review after leak of CCTV footage from Whitefield schoolThe children's commissioner for England has called for an urgent review of the use of restraint and calming rooms" after leaked CCTV footage showed autistic children being pushed into a padded space where they were left distressed, self-harming and sitting in vomit.Footage obtained by the BBC as part of a three-year investigation into allegations of abuse and mistreatment of vulnerable children at a north London special school between 2014 and 2017 reveals for the first time the graphic reality of what happened. Continue reading...

Presenter who joined BBC in 1998 says her time at corporation has involved many memorable moments'Mishal Husain, the Today programme presenter and one of the BBC's highest-profile news journalists, is to leave the broadcaster for a new role at Bloomberg, she has confirmed.Husain has presented the flagship morning radio show since 2013, where she has won praise for her calm but forensic interviewing style. In 25 years at the BBC, she has become one of the key faces of BBC news, having hosted several recent general election debates and held key roles at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth and King Charles's coronation. Continue reading...

Multiple protesters said to be killed and dozens injured in Islamabad as supporters demanded Khan's release from jailPakistan's army and police have been accused of firing on civilians, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries to dozens of protesters who had stormed Islamabad on Tuesday to demand the release of the former prime minister Imran Khan from prison.As tens of thousands of Khan's supporters stormed the capital on Tuesday in defiance of government orders, the army and paramilitary forces were deployed in huge numbers and issued shoot to kill orders to try to stop the crowds reaching the heart of Islamabad's sensitive Red Zone which houses the parliament, supreme court and prime minister's residence. Continue reading...

1971 letter proposes group including Klaus Voormann and Phil Spector to bring back the balls in rock'n'roll'John Lennon wanted Eric Clapton to join a supergroup alongside Phil Spector in the early 1970s in order to bring back the balls in rock'n'roll", according to an eight-page letter that is being auctioned.The letter was written a few weeks after the release of Imagine and showed Lennon considering a dramatic shift in styles as his nascent post-Beatles solo career was taking off. Continue reading...

Stunned workers at London meat market first established in 1133 say closure will mean end of a way of lifeThe junction at Cowcross Street marks the place where for centuries cattle were driven daily to London's Smithfield Market. Nearby Cock Lane is another street name linked to the meat and poultry trade centred here since the 12th century, although some accounts attribute its origin to it being the only licensed place for sex work in the medieval city.Soon these will be among the last vestiges of a truly historic site that was central to London life, feeding the city's people, dispensing justice as a place of public execution and even, in a shameful chapter from the early 19th century, providing a place where a man wishing to avoid a costly divorce could sell his wife. Continue reading...

Luxury car maker wants to drive electrification and boost growth by taking on further debt and issuing new shares

Former foreign secretary and Oxford graduate wins online vote, ending hopes a woman would fill role for first timeThe former foreign secretary William Hague has been elected as Oxford University's next chancellor, ending hopes that a woman would fill the role for the first time in Oxford's 800-year history.In the first ever online election for the ceremonial role, Hague triumphed over Elish Angiolini, the principal of Oxford's St Hugh's College and former lord advocate of Scotland, and Jan Royall, the principal of Somerville College, who finished second and third respectively. Continue reading...

MPs to vote according to conscience on legalisation of assisted dying on Friday, with many undeclared UK politics live - latest updatesEsther Rantzen, whose terminal cancer diagnosis led her to campaign for the legalisation of assisted dying, has issued an impassioned plea to MPs to vote this week on a vital life and death issue".The television personality told MPs my time is running out" but the issue was one the public care desperately about". Continue reading...

A ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group has come into effect after 14 months of fighting

Double takes' as British Columbia mountain community tries to figure out how local animal came to don neon jacketIn a town of fewer than 1,000 people, it can be hard to keep a secret. And yet no one in McBride, a mountain community in British Columbia, can figure out how a local deer came to be wearing a zipped-up high-visibility jacket - or why the day-glo-clad cervid has been so hard to track down.The mystery began on Sunday, when Andrea Arnold was driving along the snowy outskirts of McBride on Sunday and witnessed a sight so baffling she slowed her vehicle to a crawl. Continue reading...

Reports of cars heading south inside Lebanon despite Israeli army warning displaced residents not to return home immediately

Min Aung Hlaing accused of crimes against humanity over deportation and persecution of Rohingya minorityThe prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) said he would seek an arrest warrant for Myanmar's military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, for crimes against humanity over the alleged persecution of the Rohingya, a mainly Muslim minority.A panel of three judges will decide if there are reasonable grounds" to believe Gen Min Aung Hlaing bears criminal responsibility for the deportation and persecution of Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Continue reading...

Roger Cook says he spoke to highest level' of federal government to reiterate his view the environment bills in their current form should not be progressed'

Worries about animal euthanasia and mishandling of complaints from students about racism among concernsThe University of Cambridge's prestigious veterinary course could be stripped of its professional accreditation after regulators uncovered ethical concerns" over animal euthanasia and mishandling of complaints from students who experienced racism and discrimination.Investigators from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) said Cambridge's veterinary medicine course failed to meet 50 out of 77 standards, and the head of department warned students they may not be able to work in the UK without additional qualifications. Continue reading...

Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss express opposition to change in law as MPs prepare to voteThree former Conservative prime ministers are against the assisted dying bill, it has been revealed.Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have expressed their opposition to a change in the law, days before MPs vote on assisted dying proposals affecting patients in England and Wales for the first time in almost a decade. Continue reading...

Lecturer questions if academics will have to explain context of every phrase they use, saying those who speak up on Palestine would be affected

One Nation leader says justice's decision raised alarm among Australians that their freedom of speech is constantly under threat'

Coroner urged not to sugarcoat' police officer's actions as inquest nears end

First day of snowfall this season is heaviest on record, says weather bureauSouth Korea's capital has been blanketed by what the weather agency said was the heaviest November snowfall since records began over a century ago. It was the first snowfall of this year's winter.The Korea Meteorological Administration said 16.5cm (6.5 inches) of snow fell by 7am on Wednesday, compared with Seoul's previous record of 12.4cm on 28 November 1972. It was the heaviest snowfall since records began in 1907, the KMA said. Continue reading...

A growing number feel single parenthood is liberating and only a sense of shame' around it is holding women backIt was Covid that gave Amy, 45, the final push to have fertility treatment on her own. I had been thinking about it for a while, and then with Covid, I thought: I'm never gonna meet anybody.' And I didn't really want to be that woman who's like: Hey, we've been on one internet date. Let's have a baby!"Amy struck lucky with her first embryo transfer and is now the mother of a three-year-old. I feel very blessed," she said. Continue reading...

Laila Soueif is to meet the foreign secretary, who in opposition called for the release of Alaa Abd el-FattahThe British-born mother of an Egyptian political prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 58 days is preparing to meet the foreign secretary, David Lammy, to urge him to secure her son's release.Laila Soueif's son Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British and Egyptian dual citizen who wrote eloquently about the Arab spring and its aftermath, was jailed for five years for spreading false news". He was due to be released in September, but has not been freed. Continue reading...

Director showcases images of the suffragettes, Kinder Scout trespasses and anti-fascist protests in LondonAfter retelling the story of the Blitz from a new angle, Steve McQueen's next project is an alternative photographic history of protest and campaigning in Britain, spanning a century from the suffragettes to the Iraq war protests.Resistance will open at Margate's Turner Contemporary in February 2025, which the gallery's director said would show how photography has really acted as a kind of catalyst for change" in the UK. Continue reading...