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Threefold increase since 2019 means focusing on immigration may be a risky move for the PM at next electionOf Boris Johnson's many broken promises, his failure to bring back control" of post-Brexit immigration is the one that Tory MPs believe matters most to their voters.Johnson has long fled the scene - Rishi Sunak is instead getting the blame from his new Conservative" backbenchers who predict they will be punished at the ballot box in the red wall" of the north and Midlands. Continue reading...

Trio of newcomers are joined by veterans Liam Gallagher, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Blink-182Reading and Leeds festivals have announced their headline acts for 2024, with Fred Again, Lana Del Rey and Gerry Cinnamon all headlining for the first time.Fred Again's booking continues his journey from backroom pop producer to underground dance star to bona fide mainstream name, having headlined Parklife festival this summer and secured one of the biggest crowds of Glastonbury 2023 for his performance on the Other stage. He - alongside sparring partners Four Tet and Skrillex - was also last-minute replacement for Frank Ocean to headline Coachella earlier in the year. He has said Reading and Leeds will be his only UK festival performances in 2024. Continue reading...

Crane operator says incident was very close call' as fire service confirms all people are accounted forTwo people have been saved from a burning high-rise building in a dramatic rescue using a crane.The operation was described as a very close call" by the man who was at the machine's controls. Glen Edwards was forced into action after a large fire broke out at the construction site in Reading. Continue reading...

UK foreign secretary hopes situation will provide opportunity to get hostages out and get aid into Gaza'

IDF claims al-Shifa hospital was Hamas command and control centre as footage of tunnels and underground rooms appears

People in Teesside town say comment attributed to James Cleverly was rude, wrong and revealing of Tory attitudesMelanie Greenwood had been helping to organise a books for children drive when she heard the news of the home secretary, James Cleverly, allegedly calling Stockton a shit-hole. She said: I was speechless. Angry. You work so hard and you think: is this what they really think of us?" She added: The annoying thing is that it was so off the cuff. I think that is what they think about underprivileged people, it speaks a lot about they truly believe."Greenwood co-owns the independent Drake the Bookshop in the town centre. A display had been hastily rearranged, away from the eyes of children, that summed up the vibe on Thursday morning. In the middle was a new activity book titled Fuck the Tories. Continue reading...

Group of owners and dog experts launch legal fight against rules due to be enforced in England and WalesA campaign group has launched a legal attempt to overturn the government's ban on American XL bully dogs after raising more than 160,000 to fund a potential judicial review.The group of XL bully owners and dog experts, Don't Ban Me - Licence Me, said it had instructed a lawyer and submitted a pre-action protocol to the government, and hopes to apply for an injunction to delay the ban before the end of the year. Continue reading...

Office for National Statistics raises previous figure by 140,000 and gives estimate for year to June of 672,000Net migration boosted the UK population by a record 745,000 in the year to December 2022, fuelled in part by a surge in overseas professionals arriving to work in the NHS and care homes and prompting a furious response from rightwing Conservatives.Amid signs No 10 might consider tightening guidelines on what has become a totemic issue for some Tory MPs, one group of backbenchers said a failure to deliver on the manifesto pledge to reduce net migration could prove existential" for the party. Continue reading...

For those who die with no will or heirs in parts of England, the king's estate claims their assets. Here are some of their stories

Pedro Sanchez says all civilians must be protected in Israel-Hamas war and reiterates call for two-state solution

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereAs the Netherlands - and European capitals - assess the unexpected outcome of the Dutch election, Geert Wilders is celebrating with cake.The Austrian Freedom Party's Harald Vilimsky said he is proud of his political friends, posting a photo with Italy's Matteo Salvini, France's Marine Le Pen and the Netherlands' Geert Wilders. Continue reading...

Annual report on England's schools highlights absenteeism, disruptive behaviour and parental challenges to rulesThe unwritten agreement" between parents and schools in England has broken since the Covid pandemic, according to Ofsted's chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, with pupil absences remaining stubbornly high and disruptive behaviour now more common.Delivering her final annual report in the role, Spielman said she had noticed a disturbing shift in attitudes" among pupils and parents. Continue reading...

Zhongzhi, a wealth manager with links to China's ailing property market, says it is severely insolvent'One of China's biggest financial conglomerates with links to the country's ailing property market has admitted a shortfall of nearly 30bn as it warned investors that it is severely insolvent".Zhongzhi, an asset and wealth management company in China's shadow banking sector, said its total assets amounted to 200bn yuan (22.5bn) against obligations of up to 460bn yuan, in a letter to shareholders issued on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Pickard will leave post after next summer's classical music festival and says it feels like right time to goThe director of the BBC Proms has announced he will step down after nine years leading the classical music festival.David Pickard will leave the post after next summer's Proms and said he planned to explore new projects". Continue reading...

Scale of Netherlands vote for Geert Wilders' far-right party and its anti-Islam policies leads to concerns over rights and safetyGeert Wilders described it as the most beautiful day" of his political life. But for many across the Netherlands, news that Wilders' far-right, anti-Islam party had emerged with the most votes in Wednesday's election set off alarm bells over what might lie ahead in a country once regarded as a beacon of tolerance.These election results are shocking for Dutch Muslims," said Muhsin Koktas of the Contact Body for Muslims and Government. We did not expect such a party with a program that is against the basic principles of the rule of law to be so big." Continue reading...

An out-of-control blaze continues to challenge firefighters, with an emergency warning issued for Wanneroo, Jandabup, Mariginiup, Melaleuca, Sinagra and Tapping

Representative for Iovine says they are shocked and baffled' by allegations made in summons in New YorkJimmy Iovine, co-founder of Interscope Records and of the headphone brand Beats, has been accused of sexual abuse and harassment by an unnamed woman.Iovine was served a summons ahead of a lawsuit being filed against him. The New York court document contains allegations that the woman suffered as a result of being sexually abused, forcibly touched, and subjected to sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of anti-discrimination laws in or around August 2007". She is seeking compensation via damages. Continue reading...

Factories, dockers, postal workers and mechanics refuse to handle Tesla goods in fight to protect Swedish labour modelElon Musk has decried a wave of insane" strikes focused on Tesla factories in Sweden, as workers target the US electric car manufacturer in a strike calling for collective bargaining rights.In what has been portrayed as the largest fight to save Sweden's union model from global labour practices in decades, the powerful trade union IF Metall has been leading a strike across eight Tesla workplaces in Sweden for five weeks. Continue reading...

Malkinson will explore effects of wrongful conviction and will be joined by Ellie Goulding, James May and Hanif KureishiAndrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, will be one of BBC Radio 4's guest editors of the Today programme over the Christmas period.Malkinson will use his programme to explore the psychological impacts of wrongful detention, the barriers to education in prison and how his passion for science and astronomy helped him while he was incarcerated. Continue reading...

The 38-year-old is also accused of negligent driving after a ute was submerged in waters near ParkesA 38-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter and negligent driving after a five-year-old boy died when he became trapped in a car swept away by floodwaters last year.The boy's body was found inside a submerged ute in Tullamore, north-west of Parkes in central western New South Wales in late 2022. Continue reading...

As Seoul claims Russia helped Pyongyang carry out spy satellite launch, North Korea warns of stronger armed forces on borderNorth Korea has warned it will deploy new weapons and stronger armed forces along its heavily armed border with South Korea, as officials in Seoul claimed that Russia had helped Pyongyang carry out a satellite launch.In a sign of rising tensions on the peninsula, North Korea said on Tuesday it would restore all military measures" it had halted under a 2018 confidence-building agreement with South Korea. Continue reading...

Reports claim Japanese carmaker will build replacements for its Qashqai and Juke crossover cars in possible 1bn investmentNissan is expected to announce it will build two new electric models in Sunderland, securing the future of the UK's largest car factory.The Japanese carmaker will build replacements for its Qashqai and Juke crossover cars, according to Sky which first reported the news. Continue reading...

Ofgem increases minimum price for energy suppliers to charge customers after rise in global gas pricesHouseholds will begin the new year with a 5% increase in energy bills after the regulator raised the price cap to an average of 1,928 a year for the typical gas and electricity bill.Ofgem raised the maximum price that energy suppliers can charge their customers from 1,834 a year for the typical household between October to December, after a rise in global gas market prices after the start of the Israel-Hamas war last month. Continue reading...

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Coalition of political, faith and community leaders aims to combat extremism and bring people togetherA coalition of political, faith and civil society leaders is attempting to bridge divisions over the Israel-Gaza war that are threatening community cohesion, according to its co-founder, Brendan Cox.Together for Humanity is organising a mass vigil on 3 December, bringing together people who have lost family in Gaza with people who have lost loved ones in Israel in an acknowledgment of the pain and grief on both sides of the conflict. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Why Sam Altman was fired as the company's CEO, why he was rehired - and what it all means for the field Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Boardroom coups are always pretty absorbing; a boardroom coup at a company that has set itself the lofty goal of building artificial general intelligence (AGI) that is safe and benefits all of humanity" is more absorbing still.The removal of chief executive Sam Altman from OpenAI, which made the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, has therefore been the subject of breathless attention since it was announced last Friday. Now Altman has got his job back, and there's even more to get your head around.Israel-Hamas war | Israeli officials have said a four-day Gaza truce and hostage release will not start until at least Friday, stalling a breakthrough deal to pause the bloody seven-week-old war and thwarting the hopes of families that some captives would be freed on Thursday.Autumn statement | Jeremy Hunt sought to blunt the impact of the highest levels of taxation since the second world war with a cut in workers' national insurance contributions, fuelling speculation about a snap spring general election. The chancellor used a fresh squeeze on public spending to pay for a reduction in NICs worth 450 a year to the average employee. See the key points and what it means for you.Netherlands | Geert Wilders' far-right, anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) is on course to be the largest party in the Dutch parliament, according to exit polls, in a major electoral upset whose reverberations will be felt around Europe. The PVV was predicted to win 35 seats in the 150-seat parliament, but may not be able to form a governing coalition.Covid inquiry | Prof Sir Jonathan Van-Tam and his family were advised by police to move out of their home during the pandemic because of a threat that they would have their throats cut, he has told the Covid inquiry. Van-Tam said that he feared the scale of such abuse would put people off taking up similar roles in the future.US and Canada | Four border crossings between the US and Canada were closed on Wednesday after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls, reportedly killing two people. Governor of New York Kathy Hochul said there was no indication of a terrorist attack". Continue reading...

Former Liberal staffer also tells defamation trial that he didn't tell Brittany Higgins he was leaving office because he wasn't even sure she was still there'

Hundreds rally in CBD to call for an end to the war in Gaza and for Australia to stop military aid to Israel

Sam Altman and Toner reportedly discussed a paper she had written criticising the timing of OpenAI's release of ChatGPT shortly before Altman was fired

Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson says group's reported arrival is a further sign that Labor has failed on border security'A group of people was detected at an isolated section of the northern Western Australian coast on Wednesday after arriving by boat, prompting Coalition accusations about resumption of dangerous boat journeys.The Coalition has claimed the group, of whom 12 are now in Australian Border Force (ABF) custody, is the 10th people smuggling venture to reach Australia since the election of the Albanese government. It is not yet clear if they are asylum seekers or fishers.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Ambulances are on standby in the state of Uttarakhand to take the workers for treatment, as families of trapped describe feeling optimisticThe rescue operation to free 41 construction workers trapped for nearly two weeks in a collapsed tunnel in northern India has run into trouble in the final stretch of digging.According to officials, some blades of the drilling machine were damaged by a metal object lodged in the debris. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can read our full report on the latest news hereHere is everything we know about the deal to release hostages from Gaza, pause fighting for four days and release Palestinian prisoners:US President Joe Biden has released a statement welcoming the deal for a pause in fighting and the release of hostages and prisoners. Biden thanks, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt for their critical leadership and partnership in reaching this deal".I welcome the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist group Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7th.

Energy company says vote will be on 4 December so shareholders can consider offer from Brookfield and EIG

Australian archaeologists say discovery of a pump well and section of bow strengthens theory that wreckage in Newport Harbour, Rhode Island is famous vessel

Extensive search under way for Adrian Banciu who was last seen at his Macquarie Park home on 12 November

Coalition MP says he has spent an awful lot of time' researching topic, and official theory that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone is implausible'

Cameron Ortis from RCMP convicted of violating Security of Information Act in one of Canada's largest ever security breachesA jury has found the former head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police intelligence unit guilty of leaking state secrets, the first time a Canadian has been convicted under the country's Security of Information ActOn Wednesday afternoon, jurors said Cameron Ortis was guilty of three counts of violating the act and one count of attempting to do so. They also found him guilty of breach of trust and fraudulent use of a computer. Continue reading...

Voters cast ballots until 9pm in elections that could set country on different course after Mark Rutte's four consecutive governments

Independent reviewer says change could harm freedom of speech and further strain overtaxed security servicesNo 10 should not implement plans to amend the law on glorifying terrorism after the pro-Palestine marches as it would do no favours" to police, MI5 or the probation service, a government adviser has said.In a 15-page report submitted to the Home Office, Jonathan Hall KC, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said there was no need to respond to the marches with new terrorism legislation, adding that there was good reason for caution" given both the risk of unintended consequences and the drain on limited state resources. Continue reading...

April De Angelis comedy, to be premiered in Hampstead, explores life of actor at a time when married women were legally dead'She was known as the Queen of Drury Lane and the first truly respected female actor in theatre, achieving an astonishing level of celebrity at the end of the 18th century.But despite her notoriety there are no contemporary biographies about Sarah Siddons, who was labelled by her contemporaries as tragedy personified". Continue reading...

Fifty-eight others rescued, with many suffering from hypothermia after dinghy capsizes less than a kilometre from French shoreA man and a woman are reported to have drowned on Wednesday trying to cross the Channel to the UK in a small boat.Fifty-eight others were rescued, with many of the survivors understood to have been suffering from hypothermia. Continue reading...

Increasing pressure from the US and from the families of Israeli hostages were vital in securing agreement for the four-day truceThe hostage deal that was finally agreed by the Israeli cabinet in the early hours of Wednesday was very similar in outline to what was on the table a month ago, according to sources familiar with the discussions.In the intervening weeks, a lot has happened to turn the proposal to exchange women and children prisoners during a ceasefire into a near-reality. Continue reading...

Group announces 2024 arena tour in celebration of Sarah', who died from breast cancerGirls Aloud are to reunite for an arena tour in 2024 in memory of their late bandmate Sarah Harding.Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh shared the same video on social media to announce the news on Wednesday. The post read: Announcing The Girls Aloud Show arena tour next May/June 2024. Continue reading...

New questions raised over appointment of foreign secretary as a result of his remuneration from lender that collapsed in scandalLabour has demanded that the prime minister answer questions over David Cameron's tax affairs when he worked for the collapsed lender Greensill Capital.Pat McFadden, the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has written to Rishi Sunak after the Guardian revealed HMRC was examining perks and payments received by Lord Cameron, the new foreign secretary, while he lobbied for Greensill, the finance firm that collapsed amid scandal in 2021. Continue reading...

Politicians and union say assessment of grant applications should no longer be outsourced to private companies

Presence of officers can increase distress, according to a study in which people with lived experience suggest they could be talked down

British government still owns 38.6% of the high street bank it bailed out in the 2008 financial crisis

Classmates and colleagues spoke warmly of Wilf Fitchett, Jevon Hirst, Hugo Morris and Harvey OwenFour lit candles, representing each of the teenagers killed in a car crash at the weekend, could be seen in the windows of many homes and businesses in their home town of Shrewsbury.Wilf Fitchett, Jevon Hirst, Hugo Morris and Harvey Owen were college students with a love of the outdoors who died when their car came off the road while they were driving through Snowdonia to go camping. Continue reading...

Thinktank attacks chancellor's giveaways as OBR warns of challenges' for councils and services

Lib Dems call for 1bn support package to improve help for carers through access to respite care and increased carer's allowanceA third of carers with poor mental health have considered suicide or self-harm, data shows.Figures given to the Liberal Democrats by Carers UK reveal that many of the UK's millions of carers who look after relatives have bad mental health, with some at breaking point". Continue reading...