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Sharone Lifschitz says she is immensely proud' of her mother, who shook hands with a Hamas captor

Ruth Deech says making huge donations not enough in itself' and that one has to look at their other qualities'Peers should be more robustly vetted for suitability after public disquiet" over candidates who appear to have been picked for being big donors or friends of those in power, the new head of the House of Lords appointments commission has said.Ruth Deech, a leading lawyer and academic, who was chosen by the government to lead the commission, said she wanted to push for the peers to pass not just propriety vetting but an assessment of suitability - to determine whether they merit their appointment. Continue reading...

Justin Trudeau appoints Mary Moreau to bench of Canada's top court, which will be made up of five women and four menJustin Trudeau has nominated the Alberta judge Mary Moreau to Canada's top court, setting up the first majority-female bench in the supreme court's 148-year history.The naming of Moreau will give Canada's top court five female judges and four male judges. Moreau was most recently the chief justice of Alberta's superior court, and has worked in that court for 29 years. She will fill a vacancy on the supreme court created by the resignation of Russell Brown in June. Continue reading...

The former PM has written to her successor ahead of next week's summit at Bletchley ParkThe prime minister defended inviting China to next week's AI safety summit.Rishi Sunak told an audience in central London:We're bringing together the world's leading representatives, from civil society to the companies pioneering AI and the countries most advanced in using it.And yes, we've invited China.The Holodomor is a Ukrainian word that means to inflict death by hunger. Let us be in no doubt ... this was genocide ...It was a deliberate policy designed to eliminate the Ukrainian rural population, who were the embodiment and spirit of Ukrainian culture and nationhood.The Holodomor was an act of genocide. Continue reading...

Dismay as Border Force officials sent to Egypt to help evacuate those who wish to leave if fighting is paused

Scandal-plagued PwC would determine payout rates under scheme proposed by Catholic Church Insurance in effort to avoid insolvency

System of identifying shortages leads to skewing of resources towards wealthier areas, says Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Michael Keating to call for revenue review at Australia Institute summit as Labor provides update on multinational tax avoidance

New documents reveal 27 of 32 claim types including jobseeker experiencing blow out in wait times, following return to pre-pandemic staffing levels

PM says institute will test new types of AI for range of risks but says pause in developing powerful models is not feasible

Decision by regulator described as a kick in the teeth' for passengers with flight costs likely to soar

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Complainants hope to use principle of universal jurisdiction in three separate casesDossiers of evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine have been presented to German federal prosecutors at the start of a campaign to use the principle of universal jurisdiction to bring war criminals to justice.The cases were filed on Thursday morning by the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ), representing 16 survivors and the families of victims in three separate war crimes cases: an indiscriminate missile attack on a coastal resort near Odesa that killed 22 people; the execution of four men in occupied territory in the Kharkiv region in spring and summer last year; and a series of executions and acts of torture and sexual violence committed outside Kyiv in March 2022. Continue reading...

Publisher to double shareholder payout as demand grows for books by Sarah J Maas and Samantha Shannon

Attorney general says those in breach of proposed new rules could face up to two years in jail

Thirteen locations will revive medieval tradition that predated modern ritualsIt's trick or treat with a twist: no tricks, just the possible release of souls from their purgatory accompanied by a tasty oat-based biscuit.English Heritage is this weekend reviving the medieval tradition of souling, in which people go from door to door, singing and saying prayers for souls in exchange for a small round treat called a soul cake, or soulmass-cake.300g plain flour2 tsp ground mixed spiceA pinch of nutmeg150g butter, diced150g caster sugar75g currants2 egg yolks (or 1 whole egg, beaten)2 tbsp milk1 tbsp oats tbsp cider vinegarPreheat the oven to 180C, fan 160C, gas 4. Sift the flour, spices and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl, then add the butter and rub in with your fingers. Stir in the oats, currants and sugar.Whisk the egg, milk and cider vinegar together until just combined, then stir into the dry ingredients. Bring together into a soft dough, and add more milk if the dough is too dry.On a floured surface, roll out to about 5mm thick. Stamp out the soul cakes with a 6cm to 7cm round cutter, and score a cross lightly on the top. Transfer to two greased baking trays.Bake for 15-25 minutes until pale golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Continue reading...

David Harris insists Labor has not backflipped despite government delaying action until after next election

Katherine Boland, who created Fire Flower No 8 after the Tathra bushfire, says she hopes the PM used her work as an opportunity to discuss the climate crisis

There has been a 1,350% increase in hate crimes against Jewish people in London, according to the Metropolitan policeOn 7 October, Dave Rich and his team of volunteers at the Community Security Trust were doing what they always do on Jewish festivals: organising security.That weekend was a Jewish festival, supposed to be a very happy, celebratory time for Jewish people,' David tells Nosheen Iqbal. This meant that we at CST had a security operation in place for that weekend anyway, because there is an ongoing, very longstanding threat of terrorism that Jewish communities around the world face.' Continue reading...

Michele Bullock tells Senate estimates we might need to go again' as Westpac joins other big banks in predicting November rate rise

Allan government says federal laws are likely to render' Victoria's laws redundant, as Minerals Council announces multimillion-dollar campaign against bill

Seven arrested after police raid Changjiang Currency Exchange offices across the country for alleged connections with money laundering groups

Residents still unable to return home due to fire that has already claimed one life and destroyed 11,000 hectares of bushland

Move by Patricia Bullrich, who placed third in Argentina's presidential election, is not backed by other parts of her allianceThe defeated Argentinian presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich, who came third in Sunday's election, has endorsed the libertarian firebrand Javier Milei for next month's runoff vote.Bullrich took 23.8% of the vote in the first round, finishing third behind the surprise frontrunner - the economy minister, Sergio Massa, who won 36.7% - and Milei, who took just over 30%. Continue reading...

Powerful category 5 storm hits Mexico's coast leaving trail of destruction, though full scale of damage remains unclearHurricane Otis has smashed through the Mexican resort city of Acapulco as a category 5 storm, wrecking homes, hotels and hospitals, and leaving a trail of destruction, but with communications to the city still severed the full scale of the devastation remained unclear.As dawn broke on Wednesday, photos and videos posted online showed wrecked buildings and cars partially submerged in floodwaters as authorities in the southern state of Guerrero attempted to take a measure of the damage. Continue reading...

ICO will not take further action over Alison Rose speaking to BBC journalist about planned closure of Farage's accountsThe former NatWest chief executive breached data protection laws when she spoke to a BBC journalist about the planned closure of Nigel Farage's bank accounts, the UK's information watchdog has ruled.An Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) report seen by the Guardian said that Alison Rose broke rules on two counts: first by revealing that Farage had a banking relationship with its private bank, Coutts; and secondly by providing misleading information" that led the BBC to believe the bank was closing his accounts for purely commercial reasons, linked to his wealth. Continue reading...

Drill conducted after upper house voted to rescind ratification of a global nuclear test banRussia's military has conducted a simulated nuclear strike in a drill overseen by President Vladimir Putin, hours after the upper house of parliament voted to rescind the country's ratification of a global nuclear test ban.The bill to end ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, approved in the lower house last week, will now be sent to Putin for final approval. Putin has said that revoking Russia's 2000 ratification would mirror" the stance of the US, which signed but did not ratify the nuclear test ban. Continue reading...

Crisis worsening by the hour, says UN agency, with Israel blocking supplies on grounds Hamas would use them

Latest banned books list comes amid increase in type of books being banned from prison system, PEN America saysThe literary advocacy group PEN America has released a list of the most banned or restricted books in the US prison system, and the rundown comes with some unexpected entries.The list includes Amy Schumer's memoir The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, flagged by Florida officials for graphic sexual content and for being a threat to the security, order, or rehabilitative objectives; Sun Tzu's The Art of War; Barrington Barber's Anyone Can Draw: Create Sensational Artwork in Easy Steps; and Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars, which comes in as the most banned book. Continue reading...

Tensions between the two countries peaked after Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered in Canada earlier this yearIndia's embassy in Ottawa has announced that it will reopen visa services for Canadians, a move that could reduce tensions in a bitter dispute over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.Relations between India and Canada plunged after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month publicly linked Indian intelligence to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, allegations New Delhi called absurd". Continue reading...

Annual UCLA report finds viewers between ages of 10 and 24 also want more shows and films about platonic connectionsLess sex and more friendship - that's the verdict of gen Z on their preferences for US media, according to a new study by the Center for Scholars and Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA.According to the center's annual Teens & Screens report, today's adolescents want less of the sex and trauma seen in shows like HBO's Euphoria and The Idol, and more storylines reflecting lives like their own", namely more platonic relationships and less of a focus on romance. Continue reading...

Survey found 8% of charity's employees had used food banks in the last year and 22% had been unable to pay rentOxfam workers are voting to strike for the first time over pay as some staff say they have been forced to use food banks and cannot afford to pay their rent.

Labour seeks to downplay the gathering as an informal one between Labour leader and MPs amid tension within the partyKeir Starmer is in high spirits as he welcomes the new MPs who each won their byelections last week.Sunak also welcomes the new MPs and to big laughs and jeers, he makes a jab at Nadine Dorries:I join him and welcoming the new members to, after all, I suspect the new members from the base may actually support me a bit more than the last one.Although, I did notice that the new member said that they will be opposing new housing in their local area while the new member for Tamworth said they would protect green spaces.But with his track record of U-turns, who knows what his housing policy will be next week. Continue reading...

Qatar has negotiated release of four hostages so far, but says an Israeli invasion could jeopardise efforts for moreThe prime minister of Qatar has said he hopes there will soon be a breakthrough in negotiations led by the Gulf state to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, although his government has warned that an Israel invasion could jeopardise those efforts.There is some progress and some breakthrough and we remain hopeful," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at a press conference in the Qatari capital. Continue reading...

Populist heads to Brussels days after becoming leader for fourth time with coalition governmentRobert Fico has been appointed Slovakia's prime minister for the fourth time and will attend an EU summit in Brussels this week, where the nation-first populist's fellow leaders should get an early indication of how obstructive he intends to be.President Zuzana aputova on Wednesday formally approved the new three-party coalition government led by Fico, whose party won elections last month on pledges to end military aid to Ukraine and slash immigration. Continue reading...

Brandon Lewis given approval for advisory role at LetterOne, which is 49% owned by oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Petr AvenThe former cabinet minister Brandon Lewis has taken a six-figure job advising a company part-owned by two sanctioned Russian oligarchs.Lewis, a former justice secretary and ex-chair of the Conservative party, was given approval to take up the position at LetterOne, which is 49% owned by Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven. Continue reading...

Ex-member says action, expected to be largest in years, will send message abuse must stop' but Scientology says protest is harassmentProtesters are planning the largest UK demonstration against Scientology for 15 years, outside what the controversial organisation is calling its greatest gathering".The Scientology leader, David Miscavige, who has been served with lawsuits in the US, including for human trafficking, which he denies, is expected to fly in for the event at the former home of the religion's late founder, L Ron Hubbard, in East Grinstead, West Sussex, from 3 to 5 November. Continue reading...

Camfed calls for six-year plan to get 6 million girls into school, warning that drop-out rate is limiting children's chancesGovernments and donors need to redouble efforts to encourage girls back to school across Africa after the cost of living crisis pushed many to spurn education for low-paid work or early marriage, a charity has warned.Camfed, which operates in five African countries, said its partnership model proved this could be achieved and called for a six-year plan to get 6 million girls into school. Continue reading...

Worldwide sales volumes dipped 4.2% as prices rose 9.5%, leading to 2% increase in sales to 9.6bnHeineken sold less beer in the UK during the summer as it raised prices by more than 7% and cool rainy weather put a dampener on barbecues and outdoor celebrations.The drop, at the company which also owns Amstel, Birra Moretti and Tiger as well as its namesake brand, reflected an 7.6% fall in the amount of beer sold across Europe, with the average price of beer sold up 12%, driven by inflation and higher sales of premium beers. Continue reading...

Leaked quote during writers' strike alluded to studios' strategy of draining strikers' resources. Actors say they won't bow to pressureHollywood actors marked 100 days on strike last weekend, and while they're feeling the financial strain of months without work, they've found renewed resolution in their fight against the studios.Raquel Bell joined her colleagues on the picket line at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Friday for the first time since the beginning of the strike in July. It was the first day she had been able to make it away from her second job as a caregiver in a nursing home, and come kid-free. Continue reading...

Anglicans in West Bank say they are utterly perplexed' by archbishop of Canterbury's statements on Israel-Hamas war

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Robert Jenrick says process of revoking visas of foreign nationals who spread hate and division' has already begunThe immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, has suggested that visitors to the country will be removed from if they incite antisemitism, even if their conduct falls below the criminal standard".Jenrick said he could not get into specific cases" of visa-holders whose conduct is being reviewed, saying there was a legal process that must be followed properly", but noted some people had been seen glorifying" terror activities and praising Hamas". Continue reading...

Police say officers were called to a disturbance in Logan, south of Brisbane, on Wednesday afternoon

Judges reject requirement for trans people to remove reproductive organs for state-recognised gender changeA law requiring transgender people in Japan to undergo sterilisation surgery in order to officially change their gender is unconstitutional, the country's supreme court has ruled.The decision by the top court's 15-judge grand bench was its first on the constitutionality of Japan's 2003 law requiring the removal of reproductive organs for a state-recognised gender change, a practice long criticised by international rights and medical groups. Continue reading...

Australian foreign minister calls for humanitarian pauses on hostilities' as Amir Maimon urges world not to look away' from Hamas' actions

In today's newsletter: As Rishi Sunak gets ready to host a global AI summit at Bletchley Park, our global technology editor explains how experts want to mitigate its risks and harness its power Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Does artificial intelligence (AI) pose an extinction-level threat" to humankind or is it a remarkable force for good" that could develop new drugs and gene therapies for previously incurable diseases (and make big tech firms billions of dollars along the way)?Scientists, mathematicians and politicians from around the world will next week battle it out at the world's first AI summit at Bletchley Park, the Buckinghamshire country estate where Alan Turing cracked the Enigma code that helped end the second world war.Israel-Hamas war | The UN secretary general has called for an immediate ceasefire to end epic suffering" in the Gaza Strip. Antonio Guterres portrayed the 7 October atrocities by Hamas as a reaction to 56 years of suffocating occupation" - leading Israel's UN envoy, Gilad Erdan, to call on Guterres to resign immediately for justifying terrorism and murder".Europe | One person died and four were missing after a British cargo ship sank off the coast of Germany following a collision in the North Sea.Cost of living | Britons are planning to party at home and save on trips out this Christmas as the cost-of-living crisis continues to put a dampener on celebrations.US news | Lawyers for Donald Trump are raising new challenges to the federal election subversion case against him, telling a judge that the indictment should be dismissed because it violates the former president's free speech rights and represents a vindictive prosecution.Health | The average number of abortions performed each month in the US rose in the year after the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade and allowed more than a dozen states to ban the procedure, according to data from a research group backed by the Society of Family Planning. Continue reading...

China's Tsingtao beer reportedly experiences a consumer backlash in South Korea after video of a worker appearing to urinate into a beer tank goes viralRestaurants and consumers in South Korea have quickly lost their taste for Tsingtao beer, according to media reports, after a video that appeared to show a brewery worker urinating into a tank at one of the firm's plants in China went viral.The clip, which has been viewed tens of millions of times on social media since it appeared last Thursday, shows a man wearing a helmet and blue uniform clambering over the side of a high-walled container and apparently relieving himself over its contents. Continue reading...

Report by all-party parliamentary group says policies must be guided by local needs, not a national template'England's most left behind" neighbourhoods will remain places where human flourishing is limited and potential squandered" without changes in government levelling up policy, an all-party group of MPs and peers has said.The neighbourhoods, where 2.4 million people live, could even see inequalities worsening over the next two decades without reform. Continue reading...

Library photographs and uploads its entire collection of manuscripts by author of The Canterbury TalesThe entire collection of Geoffrey Chaucer's works held by the British Library is being made available in digital format after the completion of a two and a half year project to upload 25,000 images of the often elaborately illustrated medieval manuscripts.In a major milestone" for the library, which holds the world's largest surviving collection of Chaucer, it is hoped the digital platform will enable new research into the 14th-century poet, courtier, soldier, diplomat, and MP who is most famous for his Middle English epic, The Canterbury Tales. Continue reading...