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Chinese president signalled that the pandas would be sent after his first face-to-face meeting with Joe Biden in 12 months

In today's newsletter: After the supreme court rejected plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, the government is considering its options Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.580 days after the government pledged to send some asylum seekers thousands of miles away to Rwanda for processing and settlement, the UK supreme court has rejected the plans, undermining Rishi Sunak's key pledge to reduce migration. It is a crushing blow for the prime minister, who is now facing a rightwing rebellion from his MPs while also dealing with a huge, costly policy failure.Israel-Hamas war | Eight Labour frontbenchers including Jess Phillips have resigned as Keir Starmer was hit by a major rebellion over a vote for a ceasefire in Gaza. Overall, 56 Labour MPs voted against the Labour leader's instruction. The UN security council has backed a resolution calling for urgent extended humanitarian pauses" allowing aid access.China | The US president, Joe Biden, has said that his summit meeting with China's Xi Jinping has brought substantial progress, including agreements on limiting narcotics trafficking and restoring military lines of communication, as well as opening up conversations on the risks posed by artificial intelligence. However, the meeting had not brought the US and China any closer on Taiwan, which remains a dangerous sticking point.Housing | Leaked documents have revealed that government safety experts last year warned that many tower blocks built from concrete panels that may pose a collapse risk have not been fixed. The news comes as hundreds of families were evacuated from Barton House, a 15-storey tower block in Bristol, over fears an explosion could pose risk to the structure".Science | Nasa's James Webb space telescope has revealed a planet where specks of sand fall as rain. The groundbreaking observations give an unprecedented glimpse of a strange and exotic world beyond our solar system that features silicate sand clouds and rain, scorching temperatures, raging winds and the distinct burned-matches scent of sulphur dioxide.Crime | Two 12-year-old boys have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 19-year-old man was stabbed to death in Wolverhampton on Monday, West Midlands police have said. Continue reading...

Unions say move could force Tata's automative steel factory at Llanwern to close, costing 600 jobsLarge parts of the Port Talbot steelworks will be closed or mothballed for years, and would leave the plant and its few remaining workers reliant on imported steel, according to proposals under consideration by the owner, Tata Steel.Tata Steel has briefed union representatives on the proposals but has yet to announce a final decision. Workers, who marched through the town in protest on Saturday, were left in limbo two weeks ago after the company's board in India decided to pull an announcement about its plans for the plant at the last moment. Continue reading...

ACT supreme court says law provides no duty to members of the military to act in the public interest

Real and serious problems' in UK medical homecare sector going unaddressed due to failures in regulation, damning review saysPrivate healthcare companies are harming NHS patients in their own homes by failing to deliver vital medicines, and then escaping censure amid an alarming lack of oversight by ministers and regulators, members of the House of Lords have warned.More than 500,000 patients and their families rely on private companies paid by the NHS to deliver essential medical supplies, drugs and healthcare to their homes. The homecare medicines services sector is estimated to be worth billions of pounds. Continue reading...

Whitehall officials were told that at-risk buildings have not been remediated, with the market prioritising profit over safety'Government safety experts last year warned that many tower blocks built from concrete panels that may pose a collapse risk have not been fixed, leaked documents reveal.Minutes of the government's structural stability working group revealed that experts warned Whitehall officials in 2022 that buildings which were supposed to have undergone remedial work in previous decades have not been remediated", and there were consequential safety implications for such buildings". Continue reading...

Proposals aimed at choking off commercial revenues include total ban on sale of Russian rough diamondsThe European Commission is proposing a 12th round of sanctions against Moscow, including restrictions on scores of individuals apparently including the son of the former president Dmitry Medvedev and a relative of Vladimir Putin's.Among the 47 individuals the commission wants added to existing sanctions lists are Putin's cousin Anna Tsivileva, who chairs the defenders of the fatherland" foundation that supports Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Maria Vamvakinou and Fatima Payman joined by Coalition's Mark Coulton to receive petitions signed by thousands of Australians

Court rules Hungry Jack's had not infringed on trademark, but had misled consumers over 25% more Aussie beef' claim

Enrolments in bachelor degrees dropped from 934,000 in 2016 to 815,000 in 2022

Wet weather, strong winds and large hail are predicted for parts of NSW and Queensland over coming days starting on Thursday

I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,' said the late-night show, who hosted the Academy Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2023Jimmy Kimmel is returning as host of the Academy Awards for the second straight year and fourth time overall, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.Broadcaster ABC is turning again to its late-night host a year after bringing Kimmel back for a 2023 ceremony that drew 18.7 million viewers, the most since 2020's pre-pandemic broadcast but still the third worst ever recorded. In the wake of Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Kimmel led a cautious ceremony that helped stabilize the Academy Awards after years of turmoil. Continue reading...

Drink itself will not change but must be rebranded after consumer complaints and backlash from health bodies

Recruiters at @hiremehiltonau target gen Z workers - but say they will accept written resumes too

Victoria police say 37-year-old was found dead after emergency services were called to a property

Developers surprised by the extent of the state identified as less suitable' for wind energy in Labor's draft guideline

Birmingham Yardley MP leaves Labour frontbench after voting against party whip on Israel-Hamas conflictJess Phillips has become the most high-profile Labour MP to quit the frontbench over Keir Starmer's stance on Gaza, after voting in the Commons for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.The Birmingham Yardley MP said it was with a heavy heart" that she quit the Labour frontbench and her role of shadow domestic abuse and safeguarding minister.Dear Keir,This week has been one of the toughest weeks in politics since I entered parliament. I have tried to do everything that I could to make it so that this was not the outcome, but it is with a heavy heart that I will be leaving my post in the shadow Home Office team. Continue reading...

SNP motion calling for ceasefire in Gaza defeated 294-125Reed says the court has had to decide whether the Rwanda policy breaches the non-refoulement rule.The policy is in the Home Office's immigration rules, he says. Continue reading...

Frontbenchers including Jess Phillips quit roles to back ceasefire motion, dealing blow to Labour position on Israel-Hamas war

Thousands of Palestinians, carrying just a few possessions, move slowly through rubble of city they once called home

Court papers also reveal subpoena request against William Barr in bid to show investigation subject to undue political interferenceLawyers for Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden, have issued subpoena requests against Donald Trump in an effort to show the former US president applied political pressure to high-ranking officials to push for a criminal investigation into his affairs.The move, revealed in court papers filed on Wednesday, comes as Hunter Biden fights charges of illegal gun ownership in a case that threatens to reach a climax at the height of the 2024 presidential election campaign, in which Joe Biden and Trump are likely to be the two main candidates. Continue reading...

International pressure grows for proof of Hamas HQ at al-Shifa as military operation continues

International study finds those on England programme have bigger drops in BMI, blood sugar and bad cholesterolPeople at risk of diabetes reduce their weight and levels of bad cholesterol after undergoing lifestyle counselling" in the NHS's diabetes prevention programme, a major international study has found.The health service launched the programme in 2016 to help prevent patients in England from developing diabetes through intensive weight loss, diet and exercise goals. Prediabetic patients referred to the scheme attend at least 13 group sessions over nine months. Latest figures from NHS England show that 1.3 million people have been referred to the scheme so far and 120,000 patients are due to take part this year. Continue reading...

Three others also subject to warrants over use of sarin gas in two attacks in Syria in August 2013 that killed more than 1,000 peopleA French court has issued an international arrest warrant for the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for complicity in war crimes against humanity linked to chemical weapon attacks on civilians.Three others - including Assad's brother Maher, head of an elite army unit - are also subject to warrants over the use of banned sarin gas in two attacks in August 2013 that killed more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of children. Continue reading...

In interview, Fani Willis said trial against the ex-president and 19 defendants would probably extend past election dayThe trial in the Georgia racketeering case against Donald Trump and 14 other defendants relating to an alleged conspiracy to subvert the 2020 election could stretch into early 2025, the Fulton county prosecutor, Fani Willis, has said.In an interview at a global women's summit held on Tuesday by the Washington Post, Willis said that though she expected the case to be on appeal for years", the trial itself would probably take many months". She envisioned it ending in the winter or the very early part of 2025". Continue reading...

Robert Fico describes leading broadcasters and newspapers as hostile and says they are unwelcome guests at government office'Slovakian journalists and international watchdogs have expressed alarm after the new prime minister, Robert Fico, described leading media outlets as hostile and threatened to restrict their access.Fico, who took over as Slovakia's leader in October as part of a coalition government led by his populist Smer party, said this week that some of the country's biggest outlets were not welcome in his office. Continue reading...

Workers describe hands and arms being targeted in merciless' beatings as protests over low wages turn increasingly violent in DhakaWhen Masuma Akhtar arrived at the garment factory where she works on the outskirts of Dhaka on 31 October, she was expecting a normal shift. Instead, she was met with brute violence. The moment I walked through the factory gates, a group of armed men began beating me with wooden sticks," says Akhtar. I fell down on to the ground. Even then they wouldn't stop beating me."Akhtar, 22, is a seamstress at Dekko Knitwears in Mirpur, where she spends long days churning out clothes for western fashion brands, including Marks & Spencer, C&A and PVH Corp, which owns Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. Continue reading...

At least six MPs will submit letter of no confidence in prime minister, says Andrea Jenkyns, who has already submitted her own

Office for National Statistics says figure stood at 291,000 after first annual fall for more than a decade

Group of 40 trapped underground for 72 hours with rescue efforts hampered by rubble falls and machinery faultsFears are mounting for 40 constructions workers in India who have been stuck in a collapsed tunnel for more than 72 hours, as rescue efforts are hampered by fresh debris and those inside begin reporting illness.The road tunnel, which had been under construction in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand, collapsed in the early hours of Sunday after a landslide. Continue reading...

Judges uphold appeal court ruling over risk to deported refugees and deals blow to PM's stop the boats' strategy

Marketing executive Jeff Hahn, 59, credits three miracles' for his survival in extreme heat in Big Bend Ranch state parkA Texas marketing executive who got lost for more than a day and fell prey to heat exhaustion while on a hike through a state park desert under a searing sun in mid-June drank from a puddle and ate tadpoles to survive, according to a compelling report of his ordeal.Jeff Hahn's tale, as told to the publication Texas Highways, defied the deadly outcomes that other hikers in peril have met in recent months, when the climate crisis fueled the US's summer of record-breaking heat. Continue reading...

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In today's newsletter: Attack on alleged Hamas command centre beneath hospital is a key test for Israel's military and its ability to protect civilians Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. In the last few hours, Israeli soldiers have stormed Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital. Israel says that the raid, which is still underway, is a precise and targeted operation against Hamas", which it accuses of operating a command centre beneath the medical facility, a claim Hamas denies.The attack at al-Shifa is militarily significant - but it is also taking place in the arena of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe that has drawn huge global attention, with conditions rapidly deteriorating on the site since the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) surrounded it last week. And so whether Israel is able to carry out the pinpoint attack it has promised is likely to be a critical test of the international community's view of its conduct of the war.Conservatives | Suella Braverman has launched an astonishing attack on Rishi Sunak the day after he sacked her as home secretary, claiming he had betrayed" the country by failing to deliver on secret promises he made her last year. Braverman indicated she will spearhead a Tory rebellion over the government's Rwanda asylum plan, which faces a crucial legal test on Wednesday.Cyprus confidential | Chelsea FC is facing questions over how its former owner Roman Abramovich funded the club's success, after leaked files revealed a string of secret payments that may have breached football's strict financial fair play" rules. The disclosures are part of an international investigation into a cache of 3.6m leaked offshore records in Cyprus.Cost of living | The UK inflation rate has dropped to 4.6%, down from 6.7% in September, it has just been announced. That is an even larger fall than was expected. Head to the business live blog for more.Ukraine | The Ukrainian president's chief of staff has said for the first time that Ukraine's forces in the Kherson region have a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river, potentially opening a new line of attack towards Crimea. Andriy Yermak claimed that the advance was part of a developing counteroffensive.Health | A vaccine to protect against chickenpox should become a routine childhood jab in the UK, government advisers have said, adding that it would not only reduce the number of children who become sick from the virus, but also cut the number of cases that can become fatal. Continue reading...

Multimedia artist recognised for fragile sculptures borne from microscopic images, and for her leadership among Victoria's Indigenous art scene

Australian company, world's biggest poker machine maker, boosts profit by 21% thanks to US expansion and focus on mobile

Yarra council says residents asked for traditional play equipment' and it was included - but park users say Collingwood reserve now a monstrosity'

Announcement after Central's Austrian partner Signa Group was placed in hands of restructuring expertThailand's largest department store owner, Central Group, has announced it has taken control of Selfridges department stores.Central Group and Rene Benko's Austrian real estate company Signa Group bought Selfridges in 2021 in a deal worth $5bn. Continue reading...

Swedish giant's move comes after Safe Work Australia report that called for ban on composite material commonly used in kitchen benchtops

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Presence of Ukrainian troops on Russian-held side of Dnipro river is acknowledged for first time and opens up potential route to CrimeaThe Ukrainian president's chief of staff has acknowledged for the first time that Ukraine's forces in the Kherson region have a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river, potentially opening a new line of attack towards Crimea.Russian troops abandoned the western bank of the river a year ago and took up positions on the eastern side from which they have been regularly shelling towns and villages opposite. Continue reading...

Signals Directorate says infrastructure of interest to malicious actors because of its broad attack surface and connected systems

Former military lawyer has pleaded not guilty to five charges in ACT supreme court over decision to leak material that was used as basis for ABC series on war crimes

Home affairs minister says it's garbage' that legislation could completely reverse high court decision that led to 81 leaving immigration detention

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...