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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...

Expected departure of at least five deputies means party set to be replaced as main oppositionSyriza, the once radical leftwing force that set Europe alight with its anti-austerity rhetoric at the height of Greece's debt crisis, is on the verge of being replaced as the country's main opposition party after the removal of its leader Stefanos Kasselakis and his decision to start a new political movement.At least five Syriza deputies are expected to officially inform parliament on Monday of their decision to leave the party, a move that will result in the group's parliamentary presence being reduced to 30 lawmakers - one fewer than the centre-left Pasok. Continue reading...

Family of Callum Tindal-Draper, 22, say he died following his heart, soul and morals' and was as brave as they come'A British man has been killed while fighting in Ukraine for the country's foreign volunteer platoon.Callum Tindal-Draper, 22, had travelled to the country to join the fight against Russia despite his family's pleas for him not to. His father, Steven Draper, paid tribute to his son, a former NHS worker from Gunnislake in Cornwall, in an interview with BBC News. Continue reading...

Police say 37-year-old stabbed five people on Friday in broad daylight and possibly four others the day beforeA 37-year-old man who police say stabbed five people in Seattle in broad daylight on Friday and possibly four others the day before made his first court appearance Saturday where a judge ordered him held on $2m bail.People who live in and travel to the Chinatown-International District deserve to feel safe and be safe," said King county prosecuting attorney Leesa Manion after the judge found probable cause to hold him on five counts of first-degree assault. Continue reading...

Financial lifeline could alleviate fears end-of-life services are at risk of closure from tax hike and higher wage billsThe government is likely to offer a financial lifeline to the hospice sector amid fears end-of-life care providers are at risk of closure due to the double blow of the employers' national insurance rise and higher wage bills, the Guardian understands.Officials have been looking at the options for providing more funding to hospices and other end-of-life care through the NHS partly to offset the impact of the national insurance rise, which the sector believes could cost it 30m a year. Continue reading...

Those running hospices want any change in the law to go hand in hand with greater government investmentSitting at his wife's bedside, Len was grateful she was in the care of end-of-life experts in her last days. In the softly lit, tranquil room, he could spend as much time with Adela as possible, staying overnight on a pull-out bed if he wanted to, while waiting for her inevitable release from cancer.We were told in July that chemo was no longer working and her life was now limited," he said. At home, Adela had become weaker and weaker", unable to manage the stairs to the bathroom. Eventually, it was suggested she be admitted to St Joseph's hospice in Hackney, east London. Continue reading...

City's police chief says incidents on both sides' led to violent unrest as around 40' fined and releasedAuthorities have released details of the 62 people arrested after violent attacks took place around the football match between Amsterdam's Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday night.Violence after the game - described by the Amsterdam mayor, Femke Halsema, as hit and run attacks" on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters by boys on scooters" - provoked international horror. Continue reading...

Ukrainian strike on Moscow is biggest since full-scale invasion while Russia sends wave of record 145 dronesUkraine has carried out its biggest drone strike on Moscow since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion in 2022, Russian media said on Sunday, as the Kremlin launched its own record air attack over Ukraine.Three airports in the Russian capital were temporarily closed and flights were diverted. At least one person was injured. Russia said its air defences shot down 70 drones, nearly half of them in the skies above Moscow and the rest in western Russia. Continue reading...

Total number of arrivals by small boats reaches 32,691 this year, up 22% on same time last year but lower than 2022Nine boats carrying 572 people have been intercepted while attempting to cross the Channel, according to the Home Office.The latest crossings come after Keir Starmer announced plans to tackle what he described as the national security threat" of people smugglers, pledging an extra 75m and a new team of detectives. Continue reading...

Grey and misty weather has been a mainstay this month - but brighter skies should arrive soonIf things have felt especially gloomy this week, it is not just the politics.The grey mist that seems to have descended is down to an outlier weather event that has been under way since the start of November, with some regions of England recording just a few minutes of sunshine this month. Continue reading...

Focus on joy over voters' concerns about economy was Harris campaign's downfall, some Labour insiders sayThey say in every defeat there is a lesson. Senior Labour advisers say there are tough lessons some of their party critics need to learn from the Democrats' disastrous campaign in the US.When Kamala Harris's campaign had the most momentum, the core of it was joy. And although the final weeks were dominated by darker warnings of fascism under Donald Trump, Harris returned to that theme of optimism in one of her final messages to supporters, saying they had brought back the joy". Continue reading...

Two people also injured in shooting in Sydenham, while a man and a woman were injured in Walworth stabbingA man has died and two people were injured after a shooting in a residential area of south-east London, while another man died in a separate knife attack a few miles away.Police appealed for witnesses to come forward after what was described as a senseless act of violence" in the area of Wells Park Road, Sydenham. Continue reading...

An unprecedented eight former prime ministers stood together in Whitehall, while 10,000 veterans marched pastCrowds fell silent at war memorials in villages, towns and cities across the country on Remembrance Sunday as generations gathered to commemorate lives lost in conflicts.In Whitehall, the Princess of Wales joined King Charles to honour the fallen, after a year in which they had both been diagnosed with cancer. A two-minute silence was led by the king who was the first to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph. Continue reading...

Regional vice-president says we cannot abandon the victims' after huge protest over handling of disasterThe Valencian regional government, which has been heavily criticised over its response to the deadly floods that have killed at least 222 people in Spain, has ruled out any imminent resignations over the matter, arguing that the departure of senior leaders would constitute a betrayal of the victims of the disaster.Growing public anger over the authorities' handling of the emergency brought 130,000 people on to the streets of the city of Valencia on Saturday night to call for the resignation of the regional president, Carlos Mazon. Continue reading...

Documentary shows the fight to recover paintings that Jewish art dealer was forced to sell by the NazisFrom the Benin bronzes to the Parthenon marbles, debates over the restitution of cultural artefacts are now a fact of life in an international art world forced to reckon with the often controversial history of its treasures.Museums around the world are having to consider implications of retaining items many argue were taken from their owners under persecution or duress. Continue reading...

Split comes despite chair's preference for deal from group including US hedge funds Elliott Partners and Silver Point plus othersThames Water's board is split over two competing deals from its lenders aimed at saving the UK's biggest water supplier from going insolvent.Two classes of creditors, group A bondholders and group B bondholders, are offering high-interest 3bn rescue packages intended as a liquidity lifeline while the company burns through cash and seeks to restructure its debts. Continue reading...

Treasurer says he spoke about tariffs to a key member' of Trump's economic team before the US election

With an estimated 41,000 people living in modern slavery in Australia, Chris Evans' role to address exploitative practices such as forced marriage and deceptive recruiting

Critics say extending life of Woodside's North West Shelf gas processing plant on Burrup Peninsula could result in billions of tonnes of climate pollution

Women's Aid Northern Ireland says failure to tackle one of Europe's highest femicide rates is result of sectarian divisionA leading women's rights charity has called for the establishment of a domestic abuse commissioner in Northern Ireland to tackle one of the highest rates of femicide in Europe.There is heightened concern that policies tackling domestic violence in Northern Ireland have been held back by decades of sectarian division sucking political resources. Continue reading...

More than 200 leading restaurant, pub and hotel companies say tax rises will cause unprecedented damage'Hospitality businesses will be forced to close while others will have to slash jobs and investment as a result of changes to national insurance announced in the budget, according to a letter to the chancellor signed by the bosses of more than 200 of the UK's largest restaurant, pub and hotel businesses.The letter - with signatories including the Premier Inn owner Whitbread and pub and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers - comes as reports suggested Tesco would face an additional 1bn in costs over the course of the current parliament as the result of the increase in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs). Continue reading...

Chief secretary to the Treasury says security and defence spending are a priority but require trade-offs'

BBC presenter says unrest over the summer has made her question her beliefs about British toleranceThe BBC presenter Mishal Husain has said her experience of racism in Britain over the last year has been more pronounced than at any other time in her career.The presenter of Radio 4's Today programme said that she had been left shaken" at times and the summer riots had made her question her beliefs about British tolerance. Continue reading...

Lifesize hologram of Betty Szabo in red light district is intended to jog memories and help find 19-year-old's killerCold-case detectives in the Netherlands are hoping that an innovative lifesize hologram of a young sex worker who was murdered in Amsterdam 15 years ago will jog people's memories and help bring her killer, or killers, to justice.Bernadett Szabo, known as Betty, was born in Hungary and left for Amsterdam when she was 18. Once there, she started earning money as a sex worker in the red light district. She continued to work after becoming pregnant and gave birth to a son who was placed with a foster family. Continue reading...

People with vouchers for Glynn Purnell's Michelin-starred restaurant, Purnell's, told they cannot be refundedA Michelin-starred restaurant run by the Saturday Kitchen chef Glynn Purnell has left customers with gift vouchers hundreds of pounds out of pocket after announcing its sudden closure.Purnell said he could only apologise for this difficult situation" after customers were told their vouchers, many worth hundred of pounds, could not be refunded or redeemed. Continue reading...

Associated Press declares Trump victory in state, giving him expected final total of 312 electoral college votes

Ancient grazing rights for the famed cattle are at risk in budget rethinkSince the middle ages, they have grazed on the commons of Cambridge, crossing paths with the scholars of colleges beside the River Cam. But the sight of cows chewing the cud on public land in the centre of the city could soon become a thing of the past.Cambridge city council is considering budget cuts that farmers say will force them to withdraw their cattle from grazing on council-managed sites such as Midsummer Common, Coe Fen and Sheep's Green. Continue reading...

Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick is planning to stack the incoming White House staff with Trump loyalistsScrambling to construct an administration in the wake of his shock victory eight years ago, Donald Trump looked far beyond his inner circle, and those who ardently embraced his agenda. Not this time.The president-elect has charged Howard Lutnick, a longtime friend, and one of the few high-profile figures in corporate America to vocally endorse his campaign, with recruiting officials who will deliver, rather than dilute, his agenda.A masculinity researcher on the Democrats' fatal miscalculation'Election deniers use Trump victory to sow more doubt over 2020 resultWhat a second Trump presidency means for big US tech firmsWho could be in Trump's new administration Continue reading...

Director sets out to unmask the secret underwater agent known as Hvaldimir in new documentaryWhen a white whale, mysteriously kitted out with covert surveillance equipment, was first spotted in icy waters around Norway five years ago it seemed like an improbable chapter from a spy thriller. But working out the true identity and secret objectives of this beluga, nicknamed Hvaldimir by the Norwegians, quickly became a real-life puzzle that has continued to fascinate the public and trouble western intelligence analysts.Now missing clues have surfaced that finally begin to make sense of the underwater enigma. The makers of a new BBC documentary, Secrets of the Spy Whale, believe they have traced the beluga's probable path and identified its likely mission. Continue reading...

Calls for UK to work more closely with the EU on everything from defence and trade to immigration grow following Trump's re-electionKeir Starmer's government is coming under fire for having failed over more than four months to appoint new MPs and peers to a key EU-UK inter-parliamentary forum, as pressure grows for closer co-operation with the European Union after Donald's Trump re-election to the White House.Today in an article for the Observer online the MEP and former Italian government minister Sandro Gozi, recently elected as the new chair of the 70-strong UK-EU parliamentary partnership assembly (PPA), and the chair of the Labour Movement for Europe Stella Creasy MP say failure to reconstitute the PPA since the July general election is an issue that urgently" needs to be addressed. Continue reading...

Prince and Princess of Wales will join the king and senior politicians to remember those who have died in conflictKing Charles will lay wreaths at the Cenotaph and lead the nation in a two-minute silence at 11am to remember the dead who gave their lives in two world wars as well as those who have died in other conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.The Prince and Princess of Wales will join the king and senior politicians for the national service of remembrance at the Cenotaph to honour all those killed. Continue reading...

A proposal to protect part of rural Wales has sparked a furious debate over who the countryside is forPlans to create a new Welsh national park stretching from the dunes of north-east Wales to the wild Berwyn mountains and the peaceful, wooded slopes of Lake Vyrnwy further south have captured the imagination of many ramblers, cyclists and other outdoor lovers.But the Welsh government's proposals to improve access to nature have been dismissed by an opposition group as creating a play area for townies", sparking a furious debate about who the countryside is for. Continue reading...

Terra Verde's contract demonstrates the huge competitive interest' from global construction companies, Jacinta Allan says

Premier says misinformation' and fake news' should not interfere with efforts to improve society, after opposition MP suggests talks being held in secret'