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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...

Coroner finds medical professionals' neglect contributed to death of William Gray at hospital in SouthendThe death of 10-year-old boy after a severe asthma attack was avoidable and was contributed to by the neglect of healthcare professionals, a coroner has concluded.William Gray died at Southend University hospital on the 29 May 2021 following a cardiorespiratory arrest due to an acute and severe asthma attack. Continue reading...

Former deputy chief medical officer said police advised they move out of their home at one point in pandemic

Alex Cunningham, MP for Stockton North, claims James Cleverly made comment during Wednesday's PMQs

Francesco Lollobrigida accused of treating Italy's rail service as his personal luxury car'Italy's agriculture minister has been accused of treating Italy's rail service as his personal luxury car" after he allegedly forced a high-speed train to make an unscheduled stop near Rome so that he could get off and continue on his way.Francesco Lollobrigida, the rightwing brother-in-law of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, was reportedly heading to Caivano, on the outskirts of Naples, to inaugurate an urban park when the train he was travelling on suffered a series of delays. Continue reading...

Climate experts lament a lack of boldness in Jeremy Hunt's measures, which made no mention of energy efficiency

Questions over loss of UK refining capacity as owner Petroineos plans to convert facility into gas import terminal as soon as 2025Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland is to cease operations and could do so as early as 2025 under plans announced by its owner, Petroineos, part of the petrochemicals empire owned by Monaco-based British billionaire Sir James Ratcliffe.Trade unions raised concerns about the job security of the 500 people directly employed at the facility, near Falkirk, and on the UK's fuel supply from the closure of one of the country's six large oil refineries. Continue reading...

Streaming giant says tweaks will bring more revenue to artists and away from fraudsters, but some musicians are worried about further creeping changeSpotify has confirmed there will be long-rumoured changes to their royalty payments from early 2024, which include a controversial policy requiring tracks to get a minimum of 1,000 listens every year to receive royalties.Certain styles of noise" tracks such as white noise and sleep sounds must now be at least two minutes long, and Spotify will levy a new fee on labels or distributors who they deem to be generating artificial streams - where bots or click-farms are used to fraudulently inflate an artist's streaming figures, and siphon off royalty payments from Spotify. Continue reading...

Fears South Korean court will impose harsh penalty on Kwon Pyong to appease BeijingThe father of a Chinese dissident detained in South Korea said his son will die if he is sent back to China, a country he escaped from on a jetski in a life-threatening journey in August.A court in South Korea will decide on Thursday the fate of Kwon Pyong, who is charged with violating the immigration control act. Kwon, 35, pleaded guilty and appealed for leniency as prosecutors requested a sentence of two-and-a-half years, which experts say is unusually harsh. Continue reading...

Israeli military and intelligence services are reported to have backed deal but are clearly committed to continuing efforts to crush' Hamas

James Witham, 41, Joseph Peers, 29, Niall Barry, 26, and Sean Zeisz, 28, sentenced to life in prisonFour men have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Ashley Dale, who was shot dead in her Liverpool home last August.James Witham, 41, Joseph Peers, 29, Niall Barry, 26, and Sean Zeisz, 28, were found guilty on Monday at Liverpool crown court of the murder of the 28-year-old council worker. Continue reading...

Chief medical officer for England says ministers caused confusion by even debating the idea

Widspread escalation in violence across number of states poses greatest challenge yet to military ruleMyanmar is gripped by the worst escalation in violence since the military seized power in a coup almost three years ago, the UN has warned, with intense clashes taking place across a number of states and regions.The UN said an escalation in the fighting that began late in October was the largest in scale and most extensive geographically" since the military coup, and has affected vast swathes of the country. Continue reading...

MPs Nadia Whittome and Kim Johnson, plus figures including Shami Chakrabarti and Annie Mac, support Art Not Evidence campaign against contentious use of lyricsBaroness Shami Chakrabarti, DJ Annie Mac and Labour MPs Nadia Whittome and Kim Johnson are among the figures lending support to a new campaign to change how rap lyrics are used as evidence in UK criminal hearings.According to research by the University of Manchester, at least 240 people in the UK have had rap music used against them as criminal evidence in court in the last three years, including allegations of gang membership and alleged confessions of criminal activity within lyrics. High-profile recent examples include chart-topper Digga D being given a criminal behaviour order with terms that stop him from using certain names, locations and themes in his lyrics, and prosecutors attempting to use drill lyrics in a murder case against rapper Unknown T, who was later acquitted. Continue reading...

Second such announcement in three months from Kingfisher, which cuts forecast from 590m to 560mThe owner of B&Q and Screwfix has issued its second profit warning in three months as sales fell almost 4% in its financial third quarter.Kingfisher, which also owns Castorama and Brico Depot in France and also operates in Poland, Iberia and Romania, reduced its profit forecast from 590m to 560m for its financial year to the end of January. Continue reading...

Michele Bullock warns prices are rising strongly for the majority of the goods and services we all consume'

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Rolfe had applied for Elisabeth Armitage to recuse herself on the grounds of apprehended bias after she met Yuendumu community members

Chris Minns says NSW police acted responsibly' despite condemnation from protesters and civil rights groups

Working group pushes for independent ombudsman - but education ministers seek further consultation

Fijian leader anticipates collaboration' with Beijing on projects amid rising concern over China's ambitions in Pacific

Afghans waiting to be resettled in the UK and other western countries face steep charge in unprecedented' movePakistan's decision to impose hundreds of dollars in exit fees for every Afghan refugee who fled the persecution by the Taliban has been condemned as shocking and frustrating" by western diplomats and the UN.The unprecedented" move targets refugees who are waiting to leave Pakistan for western countries under resettlement schemes, and charges about $830 (660) for each person. Continue reading...

Cases in which body is found decomposed have been steadily increasing since 1980, researchers sayGrowing numbers of people in England and Wales are being found so long after they have died that their body has decomposed, in a shocking trend linked to austerity and social isolation, doctors have said.Such deaths have been rising steadily in England and Wales since 1980 and are a product of wider societal breakdown, although Covid may also have played a part, according to new research. Continue reading...