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Wage price index increase in line with expectations as Fair Work minimum wage decision helped pay packets close gap with inflation

Strikeforce Tromperie targeted syndicate allegedly linked to movement of $1bn through firearm, drug, tobacco and money laundering offencesAustralian police say they have disrupted if not eliminated what they allege is the biggest criminal network or enterprise in Australia" following 43 raids that resulted in 28 arrests.A year-long investigation involving New South Wales police, the NSW Crime Commission and Australian Border Force targeted the activities of the syndicate hailing from Lebanon. Continue reading...

Research in 21 countries suggests a growing a la carte' approach where states mix and match' partners on different issuesAs the US and Chinese presidents meet on Wednesday in high-stakes diplomacy intended to reduce tensions between the world's two superpowers, a survey of 21 countries shows that geopolitical alliances no longer fit a west v the rest" frame.Many in the west think it is in decline, many outside it want China to be more active in their economies and believe Russia will win its war against Ukraine, and many beyond Europe reckon the EU will not last another 20 years, according to the research, which concludes that global relations are becoming increasingly a la carte". Continue reading...

Former home secretary tells PM he broke promises he made to gain her support during party leadership contestRishi Sunak took something of a risk when he decided to sack Suella Braverman. Her hardline, anti-immigration rhetoric was popular, not just with rightwing MPs, but with most of the Tory press (particularly the Daily Mail), and this morning those papers might have come out in her defence.But, judging by their editorials, they are broadly supportive of Sunak. They have not turned on him - at least today.Moving the impressive James Cleverly to Home Secretary is smart, as is appointing Esther McVey as Common Sense Tsar' to oversee the anti-woke agenda.Will this be enough to placate the Tory Right? Only time will tell, but any MP who thinks salvation lies in yet more no- confidence letters - and trying to unseat another leader - needs their head testing.The seeds of his downfall were planted that year when his promise of an EU referendum was included in the Tory manifesto, not least to see off a populist threat from Ukip. Mr Sunak is facing something similar in that the country is increasingly alarmed by high levels of immigration, both legal and illegal, and extremism. The recent pro-Palestinian marches and the rise of anti-Semitic hatred have brought much of this to a head.Mrs Braverman articulated many of these concerns, and those who agree with her will be angry that she has been dropped, seeing it as appeasing the Left and deepening Tory divisions.[Cameron's] central achievement in 11 years as party leader, often overlooked after the Brexit debacle, was to give the Conservative party a much broader base. In his time, great strides were made in making sure a fiscally conservative party was also socially liberal and internationalist: advancing the careers of women in politics, championing same-sex marriage, expanding development aid and becoming the natural home of ethnically diverse British leadership, of whom Rishi Sunak himself is the outstanding embodiment.Cameron's renewed prominence is a reminder that the cabinet in which he will be sitting is mainstream and centre-right, looking to reduce taxation but only in a financially responsible way, controlling migration effectively but without divisive language, improving the UK's relations with Europe while eschewing nationalistic rhetoric. That is what Sunak has been doing but against the backdrop of mixed messages from former PMs and some of his own cabinet. The Conservatives after this reshuffle are more unmistakably the party that some of its disenchanted former voters will recognise as their own. Continue reading...

Downing Street says it is not focused on tick-box diversity' and women get senior jobs elsewhere

Sacked home secretary pulls no punches in letter to Rishi Sunak but some of them may miss the mark UK politics live - latest updatesSuella Braverman's parting shot to Rishi Sunak after he sacked her is a stinging letter in which she makes a series of attacks on his policies and style of government. Here we analyse her key points.Braverman wrote:As you know, I accepted your offer to serve as home secretary in October 2022 on certain conditions. Despite you having been rejected by a majority of party members during the summer leadership contest and thus having no personal mandate to be prime minister, I agreed to support you because of the firm assurances you gave me on key policy priorities ... This was a document with clear terms.Include specific notwithstanding clauses" into new legislation to stop the boats, ie exclude the operation of the European convention on human rights, Human Rights Act and other international law that had thus far obstructed progress on this issue.You have manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on every single one of these key policies. Either your distinctive style of government means you are incapable of doing so. Or, as I must surely conclude now, you had no intention of keeping your promises ... These are not just pet interests of mine. They are what we promised the British people which led to our landslide victory. They are what people voted for in the 2016 referendum.I have become hoarse urging you to consider legislation to ban the hate marches and help stem the rising tide of racism, intimidation and terrorist glorification threatening community cohesion.In October of last year you were given an opportunity to lead our country. It is a privilege to serve and one we should not take for granted. Service requires bravery and thinking of the common good. It is not about occupying the office as an end in itself. Continue reading...

New foreign secretary faces pressure to provide evidence against suspects in one of his first bilateral meetingsThe UK is being pressed to help provide more evidence against suspects involved in protests outside the Indian high commission in London in March.The pressure came as the new UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, met the Indian external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, in one of his first bilateral meetings. Jaishankar is backing demands from the Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) for further cooperation over those involved in the violence. Continue reading...

Council declares major incident at 65-year-old Barton House after survey finds three flats pose structural riskHundreds of people have been evacuated from a 65-year-old tower block in Bristol after a major structural risk was discovered, with some families being put up in emergency shelters.About 400 people - roughly 100 of them children - were told to leave Barton House in Barton Hill on the edge of the city centre. The city council declared a major incident, a mechanism that makes it easier to get help from outside organisations, and emergency services were put on alert as a precaution. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff says Ukraine's forces established on Dnipro's east bank in Kherson region. This live blog is closed

Sacked home secretary says PM agreed during leadership election to enact rightwing policies - but then failed to do soSuella Braverman's letter to Rishi Sunak in fullSuella Braverman has launched a devastating attack on Rishi Sunak the day after he sacked her as home secretary.The prime minister signed up to a secret pact to implement key rightwing policies to secure her backing during the Tory leadership contest in 2022 - but then betrayed" the country by failing to deliver, Braverman claimed on Tuesday evening. Continue reading...

Five people who died including three children are believed to have been members of the same familyTributes have been paid to victims of a fire in which five people from the same family died in west London at the weekend.Ten fire engines and about 70 firefighters were called to the blaze in Channel Close, Hounslow, at 10.26pm on Sunday, London fire brigade said. Continue reading...

In-development film comes after controversy around the re-creation of late stars' voices, such as Anthony BourdainSixty years after her death, Edith Piaf's voice will be re-created using AI to narrate her biopic.As reported by Variety, Warner Music Group (WMG) has partnered with the Piaf estate to produce the feature-length film Edith. Artificial intelligence has been trained to replicate Piaf's voice by feeding it hundreds of voice clips, with WMG promising the resultant re-creation will further enhance the authenticity and emotional impact of her story". Continue reading...

Biggest ever leak of financial data from Cyprus raises concerns over EU state's role in managing Russian fortunesCyprus has vowed to tighten controls on its financial sector as an investigation published by the Guardian and its reporting partners reveals oligarchs transferred hundreds of millions in assets while sanctions loomed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.The role of the blue-chip accountants PwC Cyprus and other advisers in managing transactions as Vladimir Putin's forces launched their assault has emerged from Cyprus Confidential, a cache of 3.6m files leaked by an anonymous source to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Germany's Paper Trail Media, which shared access with the Guardian and other reporting partners. Continue reading...

New Conservatives group says reshuffle indicates major change in policy direction after sacking of Suella Braverman

The GB News presenter could give a voice to the Tory right with her stance on LGBT education, diversity training and the ban on petrol and diesel cars

Dr Cathy Foley says overhaul needed to improve confidence in how researchers are assessed for hiring, promotion and funding

The original German name refers to strength in battle so it's an appropriate name for a team that has inspired so many people,' lexicographer says

Twelve documentary makers withdraw after organisers condemn use of From the river to the sea' by onstage protesters

Rita Roberts identified through appeal seeking information on 22 women killed in Belgium, Netherlands and GermanyA woman's body found 31 years ago in Antwerp has been identified as that of a British national, Rita Roberts, after police appealed to the public for help in identifying 22 women murdered in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany over the past 50 years.Operation Identify Me was launched in May by the Belgian, Dutch and German police which, together with Interpol, the international policing organisation, released details of the cases that would normally only be available to law enforcement agencies. Continue reading...

Mohammad Javad Zarif says Israel wants to expand Gaza conflict in order to drag the US into the fightingThe former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is urging his country not to become embroiled in a direct war with Israel or the US.The best way to defend the Palestinian people was to avoid giving the west a reason to claim they are acting as a proxy of Iran, Zarif said, adding that Israel was trying to lure Iran into such a battle. Continue reading...

British artist's 1947 painting Beach Scene, Lancashire to go to auction after 70 years in Canadian collectionIt is a beach painting full of cheerful hustle, bustle, play and paddling, though the jumpers and hats reveal it is a long way from Saint-Tropez.he 1947 work Beach Scene, Lancashire is a snapshot of an English summer's day, probably in Lytham, and is considered one of LS Lowry's finest seascape paintings. Continue reading...

MPs such as Kwarteng and Rees-Mogg are resentful of ex-PM's Brexit stance and see his comeback as an affront

Owner of Bluewater and Trinity Leeds also says brands are looking for fewer, bigger, better' storesOne of Britain's biggest property developers is shifting its London portfolio from the City of London to the West End as tenants want to be in vibrant locations with easy access to shopping and leisure activities.Landsec, which owns offices and shops around Victoria station and Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London, has sold 2.5bn of properties since 2020 - mostly single-let office buildings in the City, such as the Deutsche Bank and Deloitte headquarters, as well as the Harbour Exchange office block in Canary Wharf. More than three-quarters (76%) of the developer's portfolio is now in the West End and Southwark south of the Thames, up from 58% in 2020, while its City assets are down to 24%. Continue reading...

Defence minister Boris Pistorius confirms what diplomats and officials have suspected for months

Masaya reportedly tortured and his body dumped on outskirts of Harare after being abducted while campaigningA Zimbabwe opposition activist has been found dead after he was abducted on Saturday during a political campaign just outside Harare, the Citizens Coalition for Change party has said. It was the second abduction in weeks of an opposition party member.Tapfumaneyi Masaya was reportedly bundled into a vehicle by unknown men while campaigning for the CCC's candidate ahead of byelections on 9 December, the party said. Continue reading...

Party leader warned that Labour MPs likely to vote for SNP motion calling for immediate halt to fighting

Its insistence that customers need a police report to get a refund after goods fail to turn up could go against Consumer Rights ActAmazon has been accused of showing contempt for UK consumer law by insisting that customers whose orders fail to arrive submit a police report in order to qualify for a refund.Some buyers have been left hundreds of pounds out of pocket after the retail giant required them to report missing deliveries to police, then refused to accept their crime reference number. Continue reading...

Education department will meet experts to decide if shark patrols and others measures are enough to let students back into the water

Crown argues solider turned whistleblower swore an oath to the ADF but defence says argument ignores higher duties'

Albanese government move to make states pay at least 50% of new infrastructure project bills receives pushback from premiers

Amnesty says heritage body has fallen short' in its responsibility to thousands of families thrown off the complex in CambodiaUnesco has fallen short of its responsibility to uphold and promote human rights" amid mass evictions at Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple complex, Amnesty International has claimed in a new investigation.The Cambodian government has used intimidation, harassment, threats and acts of violence" to remove about 10,000 families from the world heritage site, the report said. In an unusual move, Amnesty also named Unesco as a responsible actor", arguing that the UN body was made aware of alleged human rights abuses for months but did not investigate or acknowledge them.Additional reporting by Keat Soriththeavy Continue reading...

The barrister has been welcomed as a competent and intelligent choice by centrist ToriesVictoria Atkins might not have the public profile of cabinet peers, but her appointment as health secretary caps several years of steady, if unshowy, handling of briefs in junior ministerial roles.An MP since 2015 and a backer of Rishi Sunak in the 2022 Conservative leadership contest, her elevation has been warmly welcomed by colleagues in the centrist wing of the Conservative party, who also emphasised what they regarded as her competence. Continue reading...

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In today's newsletter: Why the former prime minister has returned to frontline politics as Rishi Sunak's foreign secretary Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. David Cameron really is the new foreign secretary. In a way, Rishi Sunak warned us: just over a year ago, he told Tory party conference that his mission was to break with a failed 30-year political consensus and usher in something genuinely different. All the same, I don't know if anyone could have predicted that he was planning to go back to a 60-year-old idea, instead. Even Cameron, truly the grown-up's grown-up, was barely out of nappies when Alec Douglas-Home, the last former prime minister to take over at the foreign office, got the job in 1970.On the other hand, it seems ... quite hard to break with a 30-year consensus by appointing one of its architects, even if doing so successfully drives the firing of home secretary Suella Braverman - who lost her job via an unceremonious phone call - from the front pages. He was the future once," the new cabinet minister once teased Tony Blair at prime minister's questions. We can now say that Cameron was the past once, a significantly more mind-bending proposition. The weirdest fact of the day: seven years after his resignation as prime minister, he's still four years younger than Keir Starmer.Israel-Hamas war | Israeli forces have reached the gates of Gaza's largest hospital as hundreds of patients, including dozens of babies, remained trapped inside. Thousands of people have fled al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, but health officials said the remaining patients were dying due to energy shortages amid intense fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants. For the latest, head to the live blog.Iceland volcano | Iceland's prime minister has sought to reassure the nation as it braces for a volcanic eruption. Between midnight and early afternoon on Monday, the Icelandic meteorological office detected about 900 earthquakes amid warnings of the significant likelihood of the Fagradalsfjall volcano erupting within days.Fertility | People who donate sperm, eggs and embryos to help others have children will lose the right to anonymity from the moment the child is born, under proposed changes to UK fertility law. The proposal, prompted by the ease with which people can sidestep formal routes to trace donors via private DNA testing and social media, is one of several proposals published by the regulator today.Environment | BP and Spotify were among companies who bought carbon credits at risk of being implicated in potential Uyghur forced labour, an investigation has found. A Guardian investigation found that provider South Pole was aware of the risk of forced labour linked to the scheme in 2021.Counter-terrorism | Downing Street's plan to ban the glorifying of terrorism risks criminalising supporters of the suffragettes, Nelson Mandela, or even the crowd at Murrayfield belting out Flower of Scotland", a former independent reviewer of terror legislation has warned. Continue reading...

The government may increase premiums paid by businesses if Labor's WorkCover bill is defeated, Jacinta Allan says

NSW police took adversarial' approach to special inquiry, counsel assisting says in final address

Families resorting to desperate measures' and struggling with frightening' level of hardship amid cost of living crisisAbout 2m UK households have been forced to turn off their fridge or freezer to save money as they continue to struggle with what poverty campaigners called a frightening" level of hardship.Nearly half of those households said that since May they had to disconnect their fridge or freezer for the first time, a sign the cost of living crisis was still hurting low-income families, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) charity. Continue reading...

Channel 10 morning show will not return in 2024, but hosts Angela Bishop, Narelda Jacobs and Tristan MacManus will remain with the network

Exclusive: ALP branch members in Marrickville say their position reflects deeply held anguish' within rank and file over Australia's response to Gaza

Rishi Sunak's decision to bring a more moderate figure to his cabinet and oust Suella Braverman is viewed as likely to set up a clash with the Tory rightThe return of former PM David Cameron to government as foreign secretary has evoked surprise for many, shock for some, and anger among MPs on the right of the Tory party. The British papers reflect the full spectrum of reactions.The Guardian says: Cameron's shock return in high-stakes reshuffle", noting that the political comeback for the now Lord Cameron marks a return to a more centrist team for Rishi Sunak, particularly given the sacking of Suella Braverman as home secretary. Continue reading...

The regional NSW council made the submission at a state parliamentary inquiry into the management of pounds

Chaos caused after routine maintenance led to large amount of water on roads, with traffic described as bumper to bumper'

Incoming PM Christopher Luxon must bring together the libertarian Act party and populist New Zealand First, parties that have major differencesOne month on from New Zealand's general election, the country is still waiting for three parties to reach an agreement on the makeup of the next coalition government.On 14 October, the conservative National Party beat the current centre-left Labour party government, winning a razor-thin majority to govern in a coalition with the ring-wing Act Party. That majority disappeared once additional voting results were announced three weeks later, forcing National to rely on a third party, the nationalist New Zealand First, to reach the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.This story was amended on 14 November to correct the date of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi Continue reading...

This blog has closed. You can see all our Israel-Hamas war coverage here and see our latest full report on the conflict hereIn case you missed this earlier, hundreds of patients were trapped and thousands of people sought shelter around Gaza's largest hospital on Monday, as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters battled near the compound.On Sunday, witnesses at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City told AFP that violent fighting" raged throughout the night. Continue reading...

Member for Monash will remain in parliament as independent after losing Liberal pre-selection for next election

WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis fruit puree recalled as reported symptoms include headache, vomiting and diarrheaUS health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children after at least 22 toddlers in 14 states were sickened by lead linked to tainted pouches of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce.Children ages one to three were affected, and at least one child showed a blood lead level eight times higher than the level that raises concern, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Continue reading...

Butchaski, a keen angler, has been missing since Sunday after he went on a solo fishing trip at Olive River on the Cape York Peninsula

Regulator says access to DNA testing and genetic matching already allows identification without formally applying for details at age 18People who donate sperm, eggs and embryos to help others have children will lose the right to anonymity from the moment the child is born, under proposed changes to UK fertility law.Existing rules around IVF treatment state that children conceived from donor tissues can apply for details that identify their biological parents only once they reach the age of 18. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Teal MP to introduce bill exempting voluntary assisted dying appointments from criminal code

Authorities look into Jesus Ociel Baena's cause of death as activists urge full investigation into gender identity-related threatsMexico's first openly non-binary magistrate and a prominent LGBTQ+ activist has been found dead at home in the central state of Aguascalientes.Jesus Ociel Baena, who used they/them pronouns, was celebrated across Latin America for their work to advance the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Continue reading...