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Previous provincial government said most patients were misdiagnosed and instead had dementia or cancerThe newly elected premier of New Brunswick has called on Canada's federal government to aid in a full, open scientific investigation" into the mysterious brain illness that has plagued the province for years, in a move that those suffering from the condition hope could finally bring answers.We need to conduct a thorough investigation into what is making people sick," the premier, Susan Holt, told the National Post. Continue reading...

Carl Alesbrook, now 19, unanimously convicted of murder over death of four-month-old Elijah ShemwellA teenager who shook his girlfriend's baby to death has been jailed for life.Carl Alesbrook, who is now 19, was unanimously convicted of murder after breaking the ribs of four-month-old Elijah Shemwell and causing him catastrophic" brain injuries when he was left alone with the infant as a 16-year-old in January 2022. Continue reading...

Myles McHugh, one of three officers found guilty of gross misconduct over files, is dismissed without noticeA serving Metropolitan police officer has been sacked after accessing confidential files about the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.PC Myles McHugh was among three officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct at a three-week disciplinary tribunal in south-east London. Continue reading...

Senior official Bassem Naim says militant group ready for ceasefire' and urges Donald Trump to pressure' 'Israel to end the aggression'Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, is reporting that two Palestinian people were killed in an Israeli artillery attack in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. Three other Palestinians were killed in a separate Israeli airstrike near the general security junction in western Gaza City, according to Wafa. A renewed Israeli assault was launched on the northern part of the Gaza Strip last month, with the Israeli military claiming it was to stop Hamas fighters regrouping there. The blockage of aid and food deliveries and the targeting of civilian infrastructure, however, have led to accusations that Israel is committing the war crime of seeking to forcibly displace the remaining population. The entirety of northern Gaza has been under Israeli evacuation orders but it is unclear how many people remain.We have some comments coming through from Ali Larijani, the senior advisor to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. He has been speaking with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, in Beiurt. Continue reading...

Ministers told they risk more miscarriages of justice by not backing bill to replace indefinite jail terms with fixed onesPeers have said the government is failing to deal with a miscarriage of justice akin to the Post Office scandal, after ministers refused to back legislation that would give new sentences to thousands of prisoners jailed indefinitely.James Timpson, the prisons minister, said the 2,964 people currently serving indeterminate sentences would in future have a better chance of being released, with more regular reviews of their readiness every six months. Continue reading...

Regulator approves bid by open-access operator Go-op to run trains in south-west England from late next yearThe UK's first co-operatively owned railway service could begin running trains in the south-west of England late next year.The Office of Road and Rail (ORR) has approved a bid from open-access operator Go-op to run several new services between Swindon, Taunton and Weston-super-Mare, and compete with Great Western Railway on the line. Continue reading...

Mel Stride said there must be no suggestion of the UK going back into the EU single market or customs unionIn news that will disappoint those of you who enjoy a Liberal Democrat stunt, PA has just reported that Ed Davey will not, as was planned, be taking a bus-driving lesson at a depot in Oxfordshire, due to logistical issues. Instead he will be visiting high-street businesses.It is part of a campaign by the Liberal Democrats to get Labour to keep the bus fare price cap at 2 in England when it extends the scheme into next year.The fare cap increase is like a bus tax for people across the country, impacting bus users and commuters already struggling to make ends meet. MPs must be given a say on this bus fare hike on behalf of their constituents.Our communities have already paid too high a price for years of Conservative neglect and incompetence. This bus fare hike will hit cherished local businesses and high streets, many of which are already struggling.Uncertainty around Labour's first budget and high interest rates played their part, but [the GDP figures are] still a blow for Rachel Reeves, as [it] underlines difficulty of reaching her ambitious growth target.Some in Labour want to recalibrate economic focus away from growth and towards cost of living ie will people feel better off by time of next election?" Continue reading...

Attacks on Thursday night bring total number of emergency workers killed by Israel in Lebanon to more than 200

General Motors unit to pay $500,000 fine after failing to disclose key details of 2023 San Francisco crash to NHTSAGeneral Motors' self-driving car unit, Cruise, admitted on Thursday to submitting a false report to influence a federal investigation and will pay a $500,000 criminal fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, the justice department said.The department said Cruise failed to disclose key details of an October 2023 crash to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in which one of its robotaxis in San Francisco struck a pedestrian after she was hit by another vehicle and dragged her 20ft (6.1 meters). Continue reading...

Experts concerned over the Fox & Friends host, his Christian nationalist ideology and militant languageExtremism experts are sounding the alarm about Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, whose writings and online presence reveal someone immersed in a culture of rightwing Christianity, political extremism and violent ideation.The Fox & Friends host, who has served in the US army but has no experience in government, drew shock from Pentagon officials when Trump nominated him. Hegseth's books on American culture and the military, his commentary on Fox and his frequent posts on social media showcase his far-right ideology. On these platforms, Hegseth telegraphs paranoia and anger toward leftists", an ultra-masculine Maga persona and apparent revulsion toward service members who do not fit his vision - including women. Continue reading...

Duke is one of two claimants whose claims are still live' against NGN, court told, the other being ex-MP Tom WatsonThe Duke of Sussex is continuing his lawsuit against the publisher of the Sun over allegations of unlawful information gathering, the high court has heard.Prince Harry is one of two claimants whose claims are still live" against Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN), his barrister David Sherborne said, with the other being the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson. The court was told 39 cases had been settled since a previous hearing in July. Continue reading...

Four teenagers and man, 45, convicted of killing Mason Rist and Max Dixon, whom they wrongly blamed for house attackFour teenagers and a 45-year-old man have been convicted of murdering two boys who they had mistaken for the perpetrators of an earlier attack on a house in Bristol linked to a long-running postcode rivalry.Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were fatally attacked in the Knowle West area of the city on the evening of 27 January. Continue reading...

After rare accord with Biden White House on climate, China may now be more wary of adopting robust policy measuresChina is facing crucial decisions on its climate policies as its hard-won relationship with the US on tackling the crisis looks set to founder during Donald Trump's second presidential term.World leaders and heads of delegations from many countries gathered at the Cop29 UN climate summit are trying to salvage commitments that China has made during Joe Biden's term, which ends in January. Continue reading...

Schools ordered to close in Delhi and Punjab province as neighbouring countries battle dangerous air pollutionIndia's capital, Delhi, has ordered all primary schools to cease in-person classes until further notice while Pakistan's Punjab province has declared a health emergency, banning construction, shutting schools for another week and moving universities online, as both countries battle an air pollution crisis.Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently tops world rankings for air pollution in winter, which is estimated to reduce life expectancy for the capital's residents by up to seven years. Continue reading...

CAA called suspension of 30 arms exports to Israel obscene' and said UK's decisions were hostile to Jewish state'The Charity Commission is assessing a statement by the Campaign Against Antisemitism in which it called the government's decision to suspend 30 arms export licences to Israel obscene".The review follows a complaint by the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who wrote to the commission asking how the blogpost was consistent with the CAA's stated charitable objectives, amid allegations that it represents improper political activity. Continue reading...

Air mass from Azores results in new world record for warmest November night above 60 latitudeRecord-breaking warmth was observed in Iceland on Monday night as temperatures reached 22.9C at a site on the Olafsfjararvegur Road near Sauanes in the far north.Other weather stations in the region recorded temperatures in the high teens and low 20s celsius, making it the warmest place in Europe that night and setting a world record for the warmest November night above 60 latitude. These temperatures are typically 10-15C warmer than July averages. Continue reading...

Authorities matched fingerprint of Timothy Joley, 71, from taxi application to evidence on truck of one of the victimsAuthorities investigating a 1978 double murder in Massachusetts have arrested a suspect in Florida after matching his fingerprint from a taxi application to evidence on the truck of one of the victims.The arrest of Timothy Joley, 71, in the shooting deaths of Mark Harnish, 20, and Theresa Marcoux, 18, not only demonstrated the power of forensic fingerprint analysis - but it brought a measure of justice to families who had shown patience, resolve and ... faith" for nearly 46 years, Hampden county, Massachusetts, district attorney Anthony Gulluni said at a news briefing on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Public officials targeted by Trump say they're preparing for extreme scenarios, including possibility of being arrestedMembers of Congress and other US public officials targeted for retribution" by Donald Trump say they are taking extraordinary security precautions for themselves and their families and are now bracing for scenarios as extreme as the possibility of being rounded up and arrested, after Trump returns to the White House.Two Democratic House members who have been vocal in their criticisms of Trump and his policy agenda told the Guardian they and their colleagues are preparing for some pretty surreal and dystopic scenarios". They range from bogus investigations or tax audits of present and former members of the federal government to out-and-out violence inspired by Trump's rhetoric of revenge. Continue reading...

Man charged with assaulting police, false imprisonment, threats to kill and other offences following a carjacking and siege

UK property developer says occupancy across central London portfolio has climbed to almost 98%

Statement acknowledges mistake' that prompted complaints from some Hindus, including a Tory MP

Blow to Rachel Reeves as first quarter under Labour shows services and manufacturing struggled in run-up to budget

Speaking from his jail cell, the former superstar cricketer had told the Guardian he would be willing to engage with army leadershipPakistan's military has no intention of entering into negotiations or cutting a deal with incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, senior military sources told the Guardian, after Khan said he would be willing to engage with the army leadership from his jail cell.Khan, who is being held in Pakistan's Adiala jail, is banned from meeting journalists but the Guardian was able to submit questions through his legal team. Continue reading...

Liliana Goodson is capable of rehabilitation' after being caught travelling from US to Australia with firearm, lawyer says

State's housing pattern book, launching in 2025, seeks to cut red tape and reduce development application times with pre-approved designs

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Agency hopes tens of thousands of people will log details of their flatulence on an app to help researchers better understand gut health

Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden were on committee that supported paying 15m for asbestos-ridden former prisonLeading Tories Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden were on the committee that backed plans for the rushed and misjudged" 15m purchase of an asbestos-ridden site for asylum accommodation, Whitehall's spending watchdog has disclosed.The then immigration minister and the former chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster were members of the small ministerial group that oversaw the purchase of the Northeye site in Bexhill, East Sussex, as the government attempted to move asylum seekers from hotels. Continue reading...

Higher education regulator says sector needs to take take bold action' and consider mergers or cost sharingEngland's universities face financial turmoil with nearly three in four expected to be in the red next year, according to gloomy forecasts from the higher education regulator.The Office for Students (OfS) said the sector would have to take bold and transformative action" to compensate for a 3.4bn drop in income forecast for 2025-26, with universities needing to consider mergers or cost sharing. Continue reading...

New analysis on the cost of decarbonising Australia's power grid runs closely to the national market operator's own - but you wouldn't know it from the headlines

Jewish and Muslim communities speak of heightened fears as questions linger about events around football matchCarrying white signs scrawled with messages urging unity, they took turns laying white roses at the statue of Anne Frank, steps away from the home where she, her family and four other people had hidden from Nazi persecution.Days after Amsterdam was gripped by what officials described as a toxic cocktail" of hooliganism, antisemitism and anger over the war in Palestine and Israel, the handful of imams and rabbis from European organisations had travelled to the city in an attempt to calm tensions. Continue reading...

Victorian premier furious' as unveiling of festive season attraction in Melbourne's Bourke Street mall scrapped

Paul Brereton says blame culture' deters people from owning mistakes as he insists watchdog will not be influenced by public pressure

Dennis Richardson claims an effort to make Rudd's life untenable' is at play, despite others also criticising Donald Trump in the past

Billionaire mining executive made headlines earlier this year when he said of workers I want to hold them captive all day long' in office

Andrew Bailey callls for relations with EU to be rebuilt as Trump plans US tariffsThe Bank of England governor has urged ministers to rebuild relations" with the EU, warning that Brexit has undermined the UK's economy.Speaking at the Mansion House dinner in the City of London on Thursday evening, Andrew Bailey said he took no position on Brexit per se", but added: I do have to point out consequences." Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. You can read all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war here and all our coverage of Israel's war on Lebanon hereOvernight the IDF announced that six soldiers had been killed in clashes with Hezbollah inside southern Lebanon.The Times of Israel reports it was one of the heaviest single-day losses in the operation that began in late September," and that according to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with at least four Hezbollah operatives inside a building in a village in southern Lebanon." Continue reading...

Skirmish quickly quashed by security guards at stadium as riot police is deployed at high-risk' gameA skirmish involving Israel fans broke out in the stands of the Stade de France during a tense match between Israel and France's men's football teams, but a heavy police presence ensured a repeat of the serious violence in Amsterdam was avoided.The game had been designated as high risk" after the hooliganism and antisemitism witnessed in the Netherlands before and after a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv last week. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands deported from Caribbean states, as Dominican Republic pledges to return 10,000 people a weekActivists have called on Caribbean governments to halt the mass deportation of Haitians fleeing escalating gang violence that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.In the past month, tens of thousands of people have been deported to Haiti, including 61,000 from the neighbouring Dominican Republic, whose president recently pledged to deport 10,000 migrants a week. Continue reading...

Law banning puberty blockers and hormones for treating transgender children upheld by appeals courtA federal appeals court has upheld an Indiana law banning the use of puberty blockers and hormones for transgender children under the age of 18, one of numerous such laws passed by Republican-controlled states.The 2-1 decision from the seventh US circuit court of appeals on Wednesday comes as the US supreme court prepares to hear a challenge to a similar law in Tennessee, which may ultimately determine whether all such state laws around the country can be enforced. Continue reading...

Police say family of 17-year-old have asked for privacy after she was fatally struck by car on motorway in SomersetA teenage girl who fled a stationary police vehicle on the M5 and was fatally struck by a car has been named as Tamzin Hall.The 17-year-old from Wellington, Somerset, died after being struck by a vehicle travelling southbound on the motorway between Bridgwater and Taunton shortly after 11pm on Monday. Continue reading...

Naccom report says gaps in state support have led to more than 1,940 refugees having no accommodationHomelessness among refugees has doubled in the last year to reach record levels as charities hand out tents and sleeping bags to those forced to live on the streets for the first time, according to research.The No Accommodation Network (Naccom), an umbrella organisation for 140 frontline organisations working with asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants across the UK, has collated the data and shared it with the Guardian. Continue reading...

Report reflects persistence of inequity, with strong disparities across ethnicity, geography and socioeconomic backgroundInfant mortality has risen for the third year in the row, with the risk of death for babies born in deprived areas almost three times higher than those from wealthier postcodes, new figures show.The rate of deaths for children under one year old increased from 3.8 to 3.9 per 1,000 births last year, although the overall number of infant deaths has decreased by 2%, due to a lower birthrate. Continue reading...

Chancellor uses Mansion House speech to suggest it is time to loosen some constraints brought in after 2007-08 crashRachel Reeves has told City bankers attending her Mansion House speech that regulations put in place to protect the economy after the global financial crisis had gone too far".Speaking at the glitzy annual gathering in the Square Mile on Thursday, the chancellor called the financial services sector the crown jewel" of the UK economy. Continue reading...

Ally of Boris Johnson gave Reform UK leader a 8,000 trip to tour his JCB site, raising eyebrows among ToriesA firm run by the major Conservative donor Anthony Bamford has funded a 8,000 helicopter trip for the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage.Lord Bamford, who sat as a Conservative peer until his retirement from the House of Lords this year, has given millions of pounds to the Tories and been a close ally of Boris Johnson - funding the former prime minister's accommodation after he left office. Continue reading...

IDF hits Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, with analysts saying air raids could be aimed at piling on pressure for ceasefire

Satirical news outlet purchases media platform run by Alex Jones at a court-ordered auctionThe satirical news outlet the Onion has purchased Infowars, the rightwing media platform run by the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, at a court-ordered auction.The news was confirmed on Thursday morning in a video by Jones himself, as well as the head of the Onion's parent company. Continue reading...

Judge considering complaint by fishing firm Samherji rules artist Odee unlikely to be able to defend work as parodyThe property rights of Iceland's largest fishing company prevail over the right to artistic expression of an artist who spoofed the firm's website to draw attention to a high-profile corruption scandal, London's high court has ruled.For his 2023 work We're Sorry, the Icelandic artist Oddur Eysteinn Fririksson, who goes by the moniker Odee, copied the corporate identity of Samherji, a major supplier to Britain's fish and chips industry, and uploaded on to the spoof website a statement titled Samherji Apologizes, Pledges Restitution and Cooperation with Authorities". Continue reading...

Group says it has identified the Galix defence system on armoured vehicles imported from the UAE and calls for government to investigateFrance must investigate the use of its military systems by Sudan's paramilitary forces, which could be in breach of an arms embargo, Amnesty International has said.The group said it had identified the French-made Galix defence system being used in Sudan on armoured vehicles manufactured in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - considered a key supplier of weapons to the Rapid Support Force (RSF). Continue reading...

Exclusive: Malkinson, who spent 17 years in jail, told he must wait months to learn if he is even eligible for compensationAndrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in jail for a crime he did not commit, says the Ministry of Justice has left him to rot" after telling him he is likely to have to wait months before learning if he is even eligible for compensation.Malkinson was freed last year after being treated by the state as a sex offender after he was wrongly convicted of a 2003 rape in Greater Manchester. Continue reading...