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President to meet Joe Biden and senators, with Congress holding back support, but UK hints it will increase fundingUkraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has flown to Washington DC in an attempt to rescue a critical $61bn military aid package, while the UK separately hinted that it could increase the value of the arms, ammunition and training that it donates to Kyiv.Zelenskiy is due to meet the US president, Joe Biden, on Tuesday, as well as US senators and the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, at a time when Congress is holding up future American financial support for Kyiv's war effort. Continue reading...

Second pause may rely upon Israel proving it has captured or killed some of Hamas's senior operativesDiplomats at the annual Doha Forum conference in Qatar have said they are not expecting any reopening to Gaza ceasefire talks for some weeks and say their resumption may turn on Israel being able to point to the killing or capture of some of Hamas's key leaders as a sign that its military operation has achieved its purpose.The US believes this can be achieved as early as Christmas, but different timeframes circulate. Continue reading...

Unlikely alliance of opposition MPs deal humiliating defeat to Emmanuel Macron and Gerald DarmaninOpposition MPs have succeeded in scuppering the French government's highly controversial immigration bill by having it thrown out before any debate began.In a humiliating defeat for Emmanuel Macron, a motion to reject the law - known as the Darmanin law after the interior minister, Gerald Darmanin - was passed on Monday by five votes. Continue reading...

Vote ends eight years of rule by nationalist PiS as Tusk vows to mend ties with EU. This live blog is closed

Northern Ireland secretary meets party leaders and increases pressure on DUP to drop power-sharing boycottUK ministers have offered Northern Ireland a financial package that they say is worth 2.5bn on condition that the Stormont executive is revived.Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, made the offer at a roundtable meeting of party leaders on Monday against a backdrop of political deadlock, budget overruns and crumbling public services. Continue reading...

Prime minister defends eat out to help out' and answers questions related to his role as chancellor during the pandemic

Bristol jury finds Osment guilty of murdering Claire Holland after he confessed to undercover police officerA former chef has been found guilty of murdering his ex-partner more than a decade ago after he confessed the crime to an undercover police officer during an extraordinary 20-month covert operation.Darren Osment, 41, was convicted of murdering Claire Holland, who was last seen alive when she left a pub in central Bristol in June 2012, when she was 32. Continue reading...

Sixteen-year-old admits killing Brianna was her idea but says it was just fantasy'A teenage girl accused of killing Brianna Ghey cried as she described seeing her co-defendant stab Brianna around five times" in a Warrington park before they both ran away from the scene.Giving evidence at Manchester crown court on Monday, the girl admitted that killing Brianna was her idea, and that she had handwritten a murder plan - but insisted it was just fantasy". Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin confirmed on Friday he will run for president in March 2024 election; Ukrainian military says 610 military shellings on town in past day

WHO chief says Gaza's health system is on its knees and collapsing' amid intensifying ground offensive

The Japanese director's animation beats The Hunger Games prequel and Godzilla Minus One on its opening weekend in the US and CanadaThe Boy and the Heron, reportedly the final film from Japanese master animator Hayao Miyazaki, has taken the number one spot at the box office on its North American release, as well as achieving record figures for the director.Preliminary box office returns report that The Boy and the Heron took $12.8m in the US and Canada on its opening weekend, putting it a significant distance ahead of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which managed $9.4m. In third place was another Japanese film, the monster movie Godzilla Minus One, on $8.3m. Continue reading...

Former Ukip leader calls Rishi Sunak's Tories total shambles' in interview after finishing third in I'm a CelebrityNigel Farage has suggested he could return to politics following his appearance on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here, but dismissed the idea he could rejoin the Conservative party under Rishi Sunak.The former Ukip leader finished third in the reality television programme over the weekend after being locked in a box of snakes for his final challenge. Continue reading...

Track written by Russell T Davies is raising money for Children in Need and will feature in festive TV specialFor the first time in its 60-year history, Doctor Who is releasing an official Christmas single.The Goblin Song, written by the show's composer, Murray Gold, with lyrics by Russell T Davies, is raising money for Children in Need. Continue reading...

The legislation, blamed for a rise in violence, has been criticised by the US and described as shocking and discriminatory' by the UNCivil society groups in Uganda will meet constitutional court judges this week as they attempt to overturn the world's harshest anti-LGBTQ+ law.The law, which received overwhelming support from MPs when it was passed in March, imposes the death sentence and life imprisonment for certain homosexual acts. Continue reading...

Australia's climate minister says Cop28 summit must aim to keep 1.5C goal alive as he names Saudi Arabia as a block to agreementThe Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has declared phasing out fossil fuels globally is central to Australia's push to become a renewable energy superpower, and named Saudi Arabia as a block to agreement on the issue at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai.Bowen said the most important issue at the conference was reaching an agreement that kept the goal of limiting heating to 1.5C within reach, and dealing with fossil fuels was key to that. Continue reading...

Kelly Higgins has told the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case that hearing about the alleged assault was a mother's worst nightmare'. Lehrmann has always denied the allegationBrittany Higgins' parents have given emotional testimony at the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial about how their vivacious" daughter dramatically changed and became withdrawn" and unrecognisable after she was allegedly raped.The court also heard from two federal agents who took Higgins' statement on 1 April 2019 who said Higgins gave a detailed account of the alleged assault, including that it was vaginal penile sex" and there was the smell of sex" when she woke up. Continue reading...

Heat in Australia is 15C above December average and comes as Cop28 nears endParts of south-east Australia have been experiencing extreme heat over recent days. Temperatures hit 43.5C at Sydney airport on Saturday. This was the highest temperature recorded at this station since records began in 1929, and is about 15C above the December average. Authorities have issued several bushfire warnings and banned fires across many parts of New South Wales.Temperatures will ease early this week across south and south-east Australia, but will intensify across northern, western and central parts as the week progresses. Here, temperatures could rise into the 40Cs widely by the weekend. Continue reading...

Panel set up ahead of National School Reform Agreement also recommends increased transparency about how schools use needs-based funding

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Seven West Media chair's decision means network won't have to hand over internal correspondence related to the case

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A public health agency report issues a stark warning: the impact of changing climate on health is proportionately negative to the most disadvantagedThe health inequalities between different ethnicities, neighbourhoods and social classes are already stark, with millions of women in the most deprived areas in England dying almost eight years earlier than those from wealthier areas.But according to the UK Health Security Agency's (UKHSA) report, these disparities will worsen as the impact the climate crisis has on health is disproportionately negative to the most disadvantaged groups. Continue reading...

Deputy premier refuses to say if he has numbers to replace Annastacia Paluszczuk as he takes charge of state's disaster management committee

Jones strongly denies allegations as NSW police confirm there is no current investigation into Jones but say sex crimes squad will try to contact complainant this week

Voter turnout gap between top and bottom earners growing since 60s, says IPPR thinktankThe next election is set to be the most unequal in 60 years thanks to a rising gap in voter turnout based on age, income, class, home ownership and ethnicity, a new study has found.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a centre-left thinktank, found that the turnout gap was negligible between social groups in the 1960s, but that it had grown by 2010 to 18 percentage points between the top set of earners - who are more likely to vote - and the bottom set. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leonid Kuchma describes history behind Putin's attack as new edition of his 2003 book Ukraine Is Not Russia is publishedUkraine's former president Leonid Kuchma has warned that the US will lose face before the entire world" if it abandons Kyiv, and said mistakes by the west contributed to Vladimir Putin's all-out invasion last year.In his first interview with a western publication since 2015, Kuchma described Putin as a career KGB operative. It's his profession, with everything that implies," he said, adding: People say his obsession with Ukraine is a kind of mania or mental disorder. Maybe it's true." Continue reading...

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Three court justices denied Danny Zayneh bail again on Monday, saying the trial should happen as quickly as possible as he poses a flight risk

Zoe Baker hits back after premier accuses Sydney councils of employing strategies to stop all development'

Victoria police say the boy's actions on 3 December were not racially motivated and he was educated' on law by officers

Melbourne gallery owner says the two words together made her sick, whatever the intention' of the artist, who denies they were juxtaposed

Zelenskiy to visit Washington in bid to break Senate deadlock on aid; Ukrainian president attends inauguration of Javier Milei in Argentina

Alleged drug mules arriving in Melbourne from Asia, who claim to be victims of a smuggling scam, have been arrested by AFP

Family of headteacher who killed herself calls on Amanda Spielman to resign over inadequate response to coroner's verdictRuth Perry's family has called on Ofsted's chief inspector to resign immediately after it was revealed its lead inspectors will spend just 90 minutes on a briefing to address concerns raised by the headteacher's suicide.Julia Waters, Perry's sister, said the shocking" response showed that Amanda Spielman had lost the plot" as chief inspector and should resign now ahead of her term finishing at the end of the year. Continue reading...

Move comes as defence secretary prepares to host Norwegian counterpart to discuss plans to help Kyiv

Friday 22 and Saturday 23 December expected to be the busiest days on the roadsFestive getaway traffic is expected to peak earlier than normal this year as Christmas Day falls on a Monday.The AA predicted that Friday 22 December and Saturday 23 December will be the busiest days on the UK's roads in the festive period. Continue reading...

Prices usually decrease at this time of year but fall is greater than 20-year average owing to high mortgage rates, says RightmoveThe average asking price for a UK home has dropped by almost 7,000 this month as sellers became more competitive as they fought to find a buyer for their properties.With prices expected to fall further in 2024, the property portal Rightmove has reported that the average new seller asking price fell by 1.9% month-on-month to 355,177. That is a drop of 6,966 compared with November. Continue reading...

Estate agent Hamptons estimates rise of 10.2% year-on-year means people paid record 85bn in rent this yearTenants in Britain last month were hit by the highest increase in rents for any November in at least a decade.Rents on new tenancies rose 10.2% year-on-year, according to the estate agent Hamptons, which is the strongest growth recorded in any November since its records began in 2014. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary says FCDO support for Scottish ministers could be withdrawn after Recep Tayyip Erdoan talksDavid Cameron has threatened to withdraw Foreign Office support for Scottish ministers after Humza Yousaf met the Turkish president without UK officials.The foreign secretary wrote to the Scottish National party government saying it was a breach of protocol for Yousaf to have discussed Gaza and other matters with Recep Tayyip Erdoan at the Cop28 summit. Continue reading...

PM's allies spend weekend pleading with groups on left and right of party in effort to prevent rebellion on flagship legislationRishi Sunak is facing the biggest week of his premiership, with his authority in the hands of two warring Tory tribes vying to set out their battle lines on his flagship Rwanda bill.The prime minister is beset by rebellion on the right and left of the party, with up to 100 MPs on each side due to meet on Monday afternoon to debate how to vote on the legislation. To avoid defeat at Tuesday's parliamentary vote, Sunak will need to keep the rebellion below 56 abstentions or 28 votes against. Continue reading...

Johan Floderus faces trial for spying for Israel' and corruption on Earth', one of Iran's most serious offencesIran has accused a Swedish EU diplomat held in a Tehran prison for more than 600 days of spying for Israel and corruption on Earth", a crime that carries the death penalty.Johan Floderus is accused of extensive measures against the security of the country, extensive intelligence cooperation with the Zionist regime and corruption on Earth," the judiciary's Mizan Online news agency said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Campaigners say monarch's decision to put Dr Michael Dixon in charge of royal medical household is inappropriate'King Charles's appointment of a pro-homeopathy head of the royal medical household has been described as worrying and inappropriate by academics and campaigners.Dr Michael Dixon, who has championed faith healing and herbalism in his work as a GP, has quietly held the senior position for the last year, the Sunday Times reported. Continue reading...

Radical libertarian likens his election to fall of Berlin Wall in inauguration speech with strong echoes of Trump's 2017 addressArgentina's new president, Javier Milei, has vowed to lead his country out of decades of decadence and decline" but said its punishing economic crisis would intensify over the coming months, as a who's who" of the global far right assembled in Buenos Aires to celebrate the radical libertarian's inauguration.Addressing tens of thousands of supporters outside Argentina's turquoise-domed neoclassical congress, Milei - a mercurial former TV celebrity known as El Loco or the Madman - - compared his shock election with the start of the Soviet Union's collapse. Continue reading...

Administration reportedly not carrying out continual assessments on whether war crimes being committed in Gaza

Two girls, 13 and 14, were arrested on Saturday and remain in custody after incident in Stamford HillPolice are investigating a possible hate crime after arresting two girls, 13 and 14, on suspicion of the robbery of a Jewish woman in north London.A 20-year-old woman, who is from the Orthodox Jewish community, was assaulted and had her handbag stolen in Stamford Hill on Thursday. Continue reading...

Storms bring warnings for north-east and south-west Scotland, north-west of England and West YorkshireThe UK will continue to be battered by heavy rain caused by the coming together of two storms, Elin and Fergus, with four yellow weather warnings for rain in place for Monday.The Met Office said heavy rain is expected in the north-east of Scotland including Aberdeen, the south-west of Scotland and most of the north-west of England and West Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Sir Richard Dearlove says the deal would be a profound security concern' and urges ministers to stop itThe former head of MI6 has labelled the planned Abu Dhabi-backed takeover of the Telegraph newspaper as completely unacceptable" and a profound security concern".Sir Richard Dearlove said an authoritarian state acquiring an influential newspaper poses a risk to the UK and its democracy, and urged ministers to intervene and block the deal. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president updates French president on military progress as he visits Argentina's far-right populist as he is sworn in

Forty fishing boats loaded with donations, Father Christmas figurines and nativity had set sail in disputed South China SeaA Philippine mission to bring Santa Claus to the South China Sea to spread holiday cheer to fisherfolk, troops and coastguard officials was cut short after organisers said Chinese vessels intimidated their convoy.The flotilla of 40 fishing boats loaded with Christmas donations, Father Christmas figurines and nativity displays set sail from El Nido in Palawan province at 1am local time on Sunday (1700 GMT Saturday), on its way to disputed areas that Beijing claims, without legal grounds, as its own. Continue reading...

Government says temporary migration system is broken' and changes to student and skilled worker visas are needed to address exploitation