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Royal Zoological Society of Scotland calls for tougher laws after three-month-old Roxie dies from Bonfire Night stressThe owner of Edinburgh zoo has linked the death of a baby red panda on Bonfire Night to fireworks and called for tighter regulations.The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said vets blamed the death of three-month-old Roxie on 5 November on her reaction to fireworks in the area. Continue reading...

The move has been described as chilling' by activists and rights groups as arrests mount over dress code breachesThe Iranian state has said that it plans to open a treatment clinic for women who defy the mandatory hijab laws that require women to cover their heads in public.The opening of a hijab removal treatment clinic" was announced by Mehri Talebi Darestani, the head of the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. She said the clinic will offer scientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal". Continue reading...

Australia votes with 158 other countries to recognise permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory'

The Waanyi writer, who won the Miles Franklin award and Stella prize this year for her novel Praiseworthy, has been recognised for her body of work and contribution to Australian cultureAlexis Wright has been awarded the $60,000 Melbourne prize for literature, capping off an extraordinary year in which she has won more than $200,000 in prize money after the publication of her epic novel, Praiseworthy.The Melbourne prize for literature, awarded every three years, recognises a Victorian writer whose body of published work has made an outstanding contribution to Australian literature and to cultural and intellectual life". Past winners include Christos Tsiolkas, Alison Lester and Helen Garner.Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

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Paramedic witness tells Sen Const Kristian White's manslaughter trial that 95-year-old Nowland didn't appear to acknowledge' warnings or instructions

Major supermarkets' takeover strategy prevents smaller grocers from growing into stronger competitors, inquiry hears

Bedfordshire farm was saved through public donations after a successful 1.5m crowdfunding campaignA unique farm that was accidentally" rewilded 35 years ago and is now a haven for endangered nightingales and other rare wildlife has been saved, thanks in part to the generosity of Guardian readers.Strawberry Hill in Bedfordshire has been successfully bought by the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants (BCN) after a crowdfunding appeal raised 1.5m. Continue reading...

Pharmacy owners to reduce hours and make fewer home deliveries of medicines unless there is better fundingPharmacies have said they will halt a number of services within weeks, including the end of free medicine deliveries and extended opening hours, unless the government drastically boosts funding for the sector to stem an escalating crisis".In a high-turnout ballot run by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents independent community pharmacies, 99% of pharmacy owners said they were willing to limit their services in the interests of patient safety if improved funding was not forthcoming.Serve notice on opening hours above the minimum required by their contract - meaning fewer pharmacies will be open in the evenings and at weekends.Stop making free home deliveries of medicines that are not funded.Withdraw from locally commissioned services, including some local addiction support services, emergency contraception and smoking cessation support.Refuse to cooperate with certain data requests above those required for patient safety and contractual minimums.Withdraw from supplying free monitored dose systems (medicine packs) that the NHS does not pay them to provide, other than those covered by the Disability Discrimination Act. Continue reading...

Exclusive: former Brexit negotiator seen as probable favourite to take over from Simon Case as cabinet secretaryThe former Brexit negotiator Oliver Robbins is one of 10 applicants on the longlist to take over from Simon Case as the UK's most senior civil servant, the Guardian understands.The candidates, who have their first round of interviews for the job this week and next, are predominantly internal applicants, with several permanent secretaries believed to have thrown their hats into the ring. Continue reading...

Rose Jackson says answer given during hard' live ABC radio interview pertained to what she thought people should pay, not what they paid on average

Biosecurity officials investigating after red imported fire ants found in lawn laid at Clunes property

Human Rights Watch says it has evidence that suggests the war crime of forcible transfer' of civiliansIsrael is using evacuation orders to pursue the deliberate and massive forced displacement" of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to a report by Human Rights Watch, which says the policy amounts to crimes against humanity.The US-based group added it had collected evidence that suggested the war crime of forcible transfer [of the civilian population]", describing it as a grave breach of the Geneva conventions and a crime under the Rome statute of the international criminal court". Continue reading...

This blog has now closed but you can read all our coverage of US politics hereMehdi Hasan writes for the Guardian today, asking Is Donald Trump a foreign policy dove?"You can read it here ...Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse. Continue reading...

Officer, known only as AB, would instead be found guilty of lesser charge of driving under the influence after fruitful' negotiations, court hears

In sentencing Gregory Geason to 12-month community corrections order, magistrate notes 63-year-old has not demonstrated any remorse'

Some travellers saved holiday plans by switching to Garuda Indonesia, which continued flying

VCAA says material inadvertently included' after it emerged students found hidden text on seemingly blank pages

Surangel Whipps Jr retains power in Palau, which is important to the US military amid tensions with China and is among a dozen diplomatic allies of TaiwanPalau's incumbent president Surangel Whipps Jr has been returned for a second term after a national election held last week, according to a final tally by the Palau Election Commission.The results showed Whipps Jr won 5,626 votes, defeating his brother-in-law Tommy Remengesau who received 4,103 votes. Continue reading...

The jobless rate in October was 4.1%, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics

Court hears Stephenson denies murdering Ballarat woman after her family last saw her leaving to go on a run

This year's ad is actually about going shopping and features Oxford Street store plus song by Richard AshcroftOver the years its Christmas adverts have featured a menagerie of lovable creatures but this year John Lewis is tugging on heartstrings with a Narnia-inspired tale of two sisters that for the first time gives its struggling department stores a starring role.After last year's lighthearted outing featuring a cheeky Venus flytrap, the ad is a distinct gear-change. It was filmed in John Lewis's high-profile store on Oxford Street in London and, at a time when the high street is facing severe headwinds, for once it is actually about going Christmas shopping - without a lovable penguin or snowman in sight. Continue reading...

Research has prompted claims firms such as Mars, Haribo and PepsiCo are in flagrant' breach of codes of behaviourMost TV adverts for sweets, crisps and chocolate shown when children are likely to be watching are placed by firms who claim not to promote their products to that age group.The disclosure, in new research by the University of Liverpool, has prompted claims that food giants such as Mars, Haribo and PepsiCo are in flagrant" breach of their own codes of behaviour. Continue reading...

Scientists say increase from 1990 to 2022 was largest in low- and middle-income countries and lack of treatment concerning'

Man and woman found dead after they failed to return to their caravan in Croydon, 500km south-west of Cairns

Collection of 1,700 pieces dating from third to 20th century is highest-value gift of objects in UK museum historyThe British Museum has been given a private collection of Chinese ceramics worth about 1bn, the highest-value object donation in UK museum history.The 1,700 pieces dating from the third to the 20th century have been given permanently by the trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation. They had been on loan to the London museum since 2009. Continue reading...

Alleged criminal ring is the biggest cryptocurrency investment scam in country's history, according to policeSouth Korean police have arrested 215 people on suspicion of stealing 320 billion won ($228.4m) in the biggest cryptocurrency investment scam in the country.Gyeonggi Nambu provincial police said on Wednesday that the arrests included the alleged mastermind of the organised crime group accused of selling 28 types of virtual tokens to about 15,000 people by promising high returns. Referred to as Mr A, he had fled to Australia but was arrested and extradited. Police have confiscated 22 Bitcoin from his accounts and have applied to seize some $34m more. Just 12 people of the 215 remain in custody, according to Yonhap. Continue reading...

Regulator issues online safety ruling after finding weak processes leave networks exposed to terrorist content'Elon Musk's X, TikTok and Meta's Instagram have been ordered by Irish media regulators to take necessary measures" to prevent terrorist content being platformed in order to comply with sweeping new online safety legislation.The Irish media regulator, Coimisiun na Mean, said it issued the ruling after its investigations determined that the social media networks were exposed to terrorist content" due to weak processes. Continue reading...

Holly LeGresley, 37, and Adriana Orme, 56 uploaded content of monkeys being tortured to online chat groupsTwo women have been jailed for their parts in a global monkey torture network described by a judge as depraved, sickening and wicked".Holly LeGresley, 37, and Adriana Orme, 56, were jailed for two years and 15 months respectively for uploading content of monkeys being tortured to online chat groups. Continue reading...

Firefighters battle fires from California to New York, while lack of rain could threaten drinking water suppliesRecord-setting dry conditions in some parts of the US are raising fears of new wildfires and also could threaten drinking water supplies if substantial rain does not fall in the coming months.Firefighters battled wildfires from California to New York on Wednesday, hampered by high winds and arid landscapes. Continue reading...

Malcolm Chenery left estate to Diabetes UK charity when he died in 2021, writing will on fish and mince pie boxesA will written on the back of cardboard food packaging has been found to be valid by the high court, meaning a charity stands to inherit 180,000.Malcolm Chenery, who died in 2021, left his estate, including a three-bedroom house, jewellery, cash and an extensive collection of ornaments and pottery, to Diabetes UK.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Chancellor makes fiery appeal in parliament for opposition support for the good of the country'The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has defended his decision to oust his finance minister, which has led to the break up of his government, arguing that the survival of the alliance would have come at the expense of national stability and international security.Scholz used his first speech to parliament since his traffic light coalition" lost its majority to plead for national cohesion. He called on opposition parties to support his minority government in the months before early elections to prevent Germany from becoming as polarised as the US. Continue reading...

Academy unveils new forfeiture process' after review prompted by case of disgraced Bafta winner Huw EdwardsThe British Academy of Film and Television will be able to strip future winners of their awards in cases of proven dishonesty" or if they're convicted of a serious criminal offence.New provisions added to the Bafta rulebook give the body the power to retrospectively revoke competition honours, starting with winners in 2025. Continue reading...

Ravi Jayaram say he lies awake at night wishing he had spoken up sooner after walking in on Letby shortly after Child K's breathing tube had been dislodgedA consultant paediatrician whose testimony helped convict Lucy Letby has said he should have had more courage" and voiced his concerns about the nurse sooner.Ravi Jayaram told a public inquiry that he lay awake at night thinking about why he did not say something at the time. Continue reading...

Medical charity says its staff members were violently attacked by police and vigilantes 100 meters from hospitalThe medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said that at least two of its patients were killed after one of its ambulances was stopped and attacked in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.MSF said its staff members were violently attacked on Monday after members of a vigilante group and law enforcement officers" stopped the ambulance, which was transporting three young people with gunshot wounds. Continue reading...

Stephen Doughty, foreign office minister, says if UK had not negotiated a deal with Mauritius, a legally binding decision against UK seemed inevitable'Wes Streeting has now delivered his speech to the NHS Providers conference in Liverpool, and it is being described as a potential turning point in his time as health secretary. Here is a verdict from Shaun Lintern, the Sunday Times' health editor.Bullish, specific. Streeting is beginning to move from era of reviews" to actual starting to direct the NHS on what Govt wantsWes Streeting at @NHSProviders conference gives a clear message and mission for ICBs and ICB leaders - you are a strategic commissioner and will lead the transformation to neighbourhood care Very good news to have a clear missionStreeting said the NHS was too hierarchical. As the Telegraph reports, he said:The NHS in 2024 is more hierarchical than almost any other organisation that I can think of. Even our armed forces ... are less locked and centralised into command and control.Streeting said that he wanted to give local managers more freedom but that he would take back power if they were underperforming.If performance dips I reserve the right to take those freedoms away and for those judged to be persistently failing, we will act, going from zero consequences for failure to zero tolerance.He said that he wanted a culture of honesty in the NHS, and that a culture that that stifles inconvenient truths ... ultimately puts patient safety at risk".He criticised the health thintanks that have complained about the settlement for health in the budget.He said the NHS had been living on borrowed time.The NHS is already living on borrowed time and if a Labour government can't improve the NHS then it simply won't survive.But if we get this right we can look back on our time with pride and say we were the generation that took the NHS from the worst crisis in its history, got it back on its feet and made it fit for the future.He said the 10-year plan for the NHS would be published in May.Analysis by i a month ago, when the idea was being debated only in principle, found 54 per cent of MPs currently expressing a degree of support for the legislation, while 35 per cent were opposed and 11 per cent were undecided.But since the bill was published this week more MPs are expressing their doubts about the legislation, with many citing the concern that although private members' bills are subject to the same stages as any other legislation, less time is allocated to them in parliament, meaning they are often discussed in significantly less detail before a vote ... Continue reading...

Justice campaigners say 580 Aboriginal deaths since 1991 royal commission point to ongoing gross overrepresentation' in system

Inquiry into spy cops' scandal hears Bob Lambert caused 340,000 of damage while posing as animal rights activistNew evidence has emerged to suggest that an undercover police officer set fire to a high street department store while posing as a committed animal rights activist, causing damage worth 340,000, a public inquiry has heard.The accusation against Bob Lambert, who also fathered a child while undercover and later became a senior police officer, is contained in testimony from one of the conspirators in the arson plot. Continue reading...

Tiffany Render previously told Carlisle police that Paul Irwin, 50, was abusive and had threatened to kill herA woman trapped" inside an aggressive and controlling relationship bled to death after a violent sexual assault, a jury has heard.Paul Irwin, 50, of Whitehaven, Cumbria, has denied the murder and sexual assault of Tiffany Render, 34, on 22 March. Continue reading...

Humanitarian groups say almost none of the US's demands that Israel improve conditions in Gaza have been metThe US wants real and extended pauses in fighting in Gaza so assistance can get to people who need it, US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told reporters on Wednesday.More details to follow ... Continue reading...

Star of Korean dramas Moon Embracing the Sun and Queen Woo was found dead at his home in SeoulSong Jae-lim, a South Korean actor known for his roles in dramas Moon Embracing the Sun and Queen Woo, was found dead at his home in Seoul. He was 39.Officials at Seoul's Seongdong district police station didn't immediately comment on the cause of death. Continue reading...

Regulator deems posters offensive, though Elexir Pharma argues term is not loaded in the same way as in the UK'The Swedish advertising ombudsman has criticised a company for using the C-word in posters to promote vaginal health supplements, saying the use of the gross profanity" is offensive to consumers.The ads, displayed on public transport in Stockholm and Gothenburg, feature the phrase you can cunt on us" in pink writing. Continue reading...

Up to 30 nominees for vacant federal judgeships could be confirmed by 3 January but potential obstacles remainSenate Democrats are racing to confirm up to 30 federal judges nominated by Joe Biden to avoid leaving vacancies that could be filled by Donald Trump when he retakes the White House.The expected flurry of judicial approvals has been triggered by the Democrats' loss of their single-seat majority in last week's elections, in which Republicans took 53 of the Senate's 100 seats. Continue reading...

College views posters as antisemitism as activists say they highlight school's support of Israel's Gaza offensiveThe University of Rochester is investigating after hundreds of wanted" posters featuring members of the university community were discovered around campus late on Sunday night.The president of the University of Rochester in New York, Sarah Mangelsdorf, denounced the posters in a statement. Mangelsdorf said that they targeted senior university leaders as well as members of faculty, staff and Board of Trustees, adding that several of those depicted appear to have been targeted because they are members of our Jewish community". Continue reading...

German chancellor confirms vote of confidence date, giving path to 23 February election, as Friedrich Merz attempts to create distance between partiesThe German parliament is bracing itself for a showdown of its main players, following a week of political turmoil. Sparked by the collapse of the German coalition over a lengthy row focused on how to balance the books and fill a multi-billion Euro hole in next year's budget, Europe's biggest economy now faces weeks of political uncertainty as it gears up for snap elections. These are due to take place on February 23, following a vote of confidence on December 16, which Olaf Scholz, the chancellor is expected to lose, paving the way for the elections.The eyes of many European political observers are on the parliament this lunchtime. Scholz is due to speak for half an hour, and is expected to attempt to justify why he considered it necessary to oust his finance minister Christian Lindner, of the pro-business FDP, thus triggering the early election, particularly at a time of national crisis, inextricably linked with an array of unprecedented global challenges, not least events unfolding in Washington following the re-election there of president elect Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Valery Trankovsky had ordered missile strikes from Black Sea on civilian targets, a Ukrainian official saidA senior Russian naval officer was killed in a car bombing in Crimea on Wednesday, the latest in a series of targeted attacks on Russian military personnel and pro-Kremlin figures in occupied Ukrainian territories as well as inside Russia.An official in Ukraine's security services told the Ukrainian Pravda outlet that the agency had orchestrated the car bomb attack in the Russian-controlled port city of Sevastopol that killed Valery Trankovsky, the chief of staff of the 41st Missile Brigade of the Russian navy's Black Sea fleet. Continue reading...

Unions criticise decision that puts up to 2,000 jobs at risk and comes amid inquiry into Horizon IT scandalThe Post Office plans to close more than 100 branches and says about 2,000 jobs are at risk in a move that has been condemned by unions as tone deaf and immoral" after the Horizon IT scandal.The Post Office confirmed on Wednesday it was seeking to offload 115 branches, known as crown post offices, it centrally owns, but said it expected to maintain the total network at 11,500 branches across the UK.AldwychAntrimBaker StreetBangorBarnes GreenBarnetBelfast CityBexhill-on-SeaBidefordBirminghamBransholme, HullBreck Road, LiverpoolBridlingtonBrixton, LondonBroadwayCaernarfonCambridge CityCanning TownChester-le-StreetCity of LondonClapham CommonCoshamCricklewoodCrossgatesCroydon High StreetDerehamDidsbury VillageDunraven PlaceEast Dulwich, LondonEcclesEccleston StreetEdinburgh CityFurness HouseGlasgowGloucesterGolders GreenGreat Portland StreetGrimsbyHaddingtonHampsteadHarlesdenHarold HillHigh HolbornHoundsditchHydeInvernessIslingtonKendalKennington ParkKensingtonKetteringKilburnKingsburyKingsland High StreetKirkwallKnightsbridgeLeighLeighton BuzzardLiskeardLondon BridgeDerryLower EdmontonLupus StreetManchesterMatlockMelville RoadMerthyr TydfilMilton KeynesMorecambeMorleyMount PleasantMutleyNailseaNewquayNewtownardsNortholtOld SwanOswestryOxfordPaddington QuayPaigntonPort TalbotPortsmouthPoulton-le-FyldePrestwichRaynes ParkRedditchRoman RoadRomseyRotherhamSalford CitySaltcoatsSheffield CitySouth OckendonSouth ShieldsSouthallSpringburn WaySt JohnsSt Peters StreetStamfordStamford HillStockportStornowayStroudSunderland CityTeignmouthThe MarketsVauxhall Bridge roadWealdstoneWestbourneWester HailesWindsorWorlds EndYate Sodbury Continue reading...

Sam Rose warns of severe consequences amid weakened US stance and points to ICJ demand to protect aid efforts

Homeware retailer The Range reportedly interested in deal to buy 75 existing stores in pre-pack sale arrangementThousands of workers at the Homebase DIY chain face uncertainty over their future amid reports that the retailer is close to appointing administrators, with homeware specialist The Range poised to snap up some of its stores.Homebase is expected to appoint Teneo to handle an insolvency process for its UK arm, which has about 130 stores. Continue reading...

The actor, whose work ranged from Shakespeare to EastEnders and the TV series Great Canal Journeys, with his wife Prunella Scales, was a familiar face to audiences from the 1960s onwardsThe actor Timothy West, whose career ranged from Shakespeare, Ibsen and Pinter on stage to TV appearances in Brass, EastEnders and Great Canal Journeys (with his wife, Prunella Scales), has died aged 90.His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West said in a statement issued by his agent: After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old. Continue reading...