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Colombian singer to pay 7.3m fine instead of risking prison sentence in deal that ends Barcelona trialThe Colombian pop star Shakira has reached a settlement with prosecutors to avoid a trial in Barcelona over charges she failed to pay 14.5m (12.7m) in Spanish income tax between 2012 and 2014.As part of the deal, she accepted the charges and a fine of 50% of the amount owed, more than 7.3m. Continue reading...

Prisoners in 1,485 cells in 21 prisons have to request access to facilities by ringing a bell and some use bucketsAlmost 7,000 prison cells in 50 jails in England and Wales do not have toilets, with many prisoners given buckets in case they cannotbe unlocked in time.At HMP Isle of Wight, almost half of the 1,000-plus prisoners do not have in-cell sanitation and inspectors have derided the disrespectful" practice of giving out plastic buckets to inmates, who had no means of washing their hands afterwards. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Officials fear secret courts will block climate action and divert billions into coffers of fossil fuel investorsA Jersey-based oil-refining company is suing the EU, Germany and Denmark for at least 95m over a windfall tax introduced during the Ukraine war that it sees as a pretext" for undermining fossil fuel firms, leaked documents show.Klesch Group Holdings Limited is taking action under a controversial secret court system enabled by the energy charter treaty (ECT), an agreement officials fear will stymie climate action and divert hundreds of billions of euros into the coffers of fossil fuel investors. Continue reading...

Ireland is seen as an outlier in the EU - but its sympathy for the suffering in Gaza is rooted in its own historic experienceThe video clips have pinged around the world on social media eliciting applause, anger and a puzzled question: why are Irish politicians so outspoken about Israel's bombardment of Gaza?The taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, described the assault as approaching revenge", the foreign minister, Micheal Martin, called it disproportionate" and opposition politicians went much further in calling it mass murder. Some wore the keffiyeh in parliament. Continue reading...

Kelly Bayer Rosmarin's resignation fuels speculation Optus executive and former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian could be top contender for CEO

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Agreement could involve limited ceasefire in Gaza Strip and release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails

Then-Morrison government minister's office organised for Di Sanh Duong to present novelty cheque to hospital boss, court hears

The 41 workers have spent almost 200 hours inside the tunnel as fears for their health and safety mountIndian officials have warned that 41 construction workers who have been stuck inside a collapsed tunnel for over a week could be trapped for several more days, as various rescue efforts have failed so far.Fears for the health and wellbeing of the workers continued to mount, having spent almost 200 hours confined inside the dark tunnel cavity in the state of Uttarakhand. Continue reading...

First-term MP says mediation with the party leader failed, as she seeks to return to the Liberal party room

Victory for TV celebrity-turned politician catapults South America's second-largest economy into an unpredictable futureJavier Milei, a volatile far-right libertarian who has vowed to exterminate" inflation and take a chainsaw to the state, has been elected president of Argentina, catapulting South America's number two economy into an unpredictable and potentially turbulent future.With nearly 90% of votes counted, the Mick Jagger impersonating TV celebrity-turned politician, who is often compared to Donald Trump, had secured nearly 56% of the vote compared to Massa's 44.1%. Continue reading...

Hundreds march through Keir Starmer's constituency to protest against failure to back ceasefire

British veteran actor also starred in the Hunt for Red October and the TV version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, SpyJoss Ackland: a life in picturesBritish actor Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95, his family have said in a statement.He appeared in films such as White Mischief, on TV playing CS Lewis in Shadowlands and in many stage productions including as Juan Peron in Evita. Continue reading...

Stewart, a Tory MP at the time, told activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei to go back to Bahrain' during row last yearA former Tory MP has said he will step down at the next general election after being found guilty of racially abusing an activist.Bob Stewart, who surrendered the Tory whip and now sits as an independent in Beckenham, south London, was found guilty of telling Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei to go back to Bahrain" during a confrontation in central London in December last year. Continue reading...

No 10 has discussed possibility of disapplying' key human rights law to emergency bill to head off legal challengesRishi Sunak is considering blocking a key human rights law to help force through plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda amid growing pressure from rightwing Conservative MPs.No 10 has discussed the possibility of disapplying" the Human Rights Act to an emergency bill in an effort to minimise legal challenges against the prime minister's key immigration policy. Ministers are aware such a proposal could face rebellions in the Commons and the Lords, which could vote down the proposals. Continue reading...

UNSW findings include sexual contact with anyone under 18, as well as online offences and consuming child sexual abuse images

Comedian and actor is understood to have been questioned under caution in south London last weekScotland Yard detectives have interviewed Russell Brand over allegations of sexual offences, it is understood.The comedian and actor is understood to have been interviewed under caution at a police station in south London last week. Continue reading...

UN agency visited al-Shifa hospital after raid by Israeli forces, who said it contained a Hamas control centreIsrael-Hamas war - live updatesDar al-Shifa, the Gaza Strip's largest hospital, has become a death zone", the World Health Organization has said, with a mass grave at the entrance and only 25 staff left to care for 291 seriously ill patients after orders from the Israeli army to evacuate the complex.The WHO managed to access the medical centre in Gaza City on Sunday after it was raided by Israeli forces earlier this week. Israel alleged the militant group Hamas used al-Shifa as a command centre, identifying it as a key target in its military operation despite international outcry. Continue reading...

Claim is by 234 players from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, including six womenDozens of England and Wales rugby union internationals are among more than 200 players taking the game's governing authorities to the high court next month over the devastating effects of repetitive head injuries amid what their lawyer described as an existential crisis" for the sport.Players including the former England hooker Steve Thompson, and Michael Lipman, who played for England from 2004 to 2008, are among 234 bringing a claim against the Rugby Football Union (RFU), World Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in a class action. Continue reading...

Black bicorne hat is one of 20 remaining that once belonged to French emperor, who famously wore them sidewaysA two-cornered hat worn by Napoleon Bonaparte during his reign as French emperor has fetched a record 1.932m (1.69m) at an auction in Paris.The black bicorne beaver felt hat was initially estimated at 600,000-800,000. The price reached surpassed the 1.884m paid for another of Napoleon's hats in 2014, also sold by the Drouot auction house, a spokesperson for the company said. Continue reading...

Political divisions and questions over the rule of law provide more fuel for Tory internal combustionRishi Sunak's government is resembling a coalition of different rightwing factions before this week's autumn statement, rather than one united Conservative administration.Those listening to Jeremy Hunt in broadcast interviews on Sunday morning referring to the enormous challenge that we faced when we came in" to office last year might have been forgiven for thinking he and the prime minister had taken power after a general election. Continue reading...

Passengers report flights being delayed or cancelled as airport imposes air traffic control restrictionsPassengers are facing delays at Heathrow airport after strong winds and staff shortages led to air traffic control restrictions.There were reports from angry passengers on social media on Sunday who said their flights had been delayed or cancelled. Continue reading...

Party has tweaked its name and is preparing to announce hundreds of new parliamentary candidatesIt was barely noticed, but a slight tweak last month to the name of the insurgent rightwing party Reform UK sought to resurrect a ghost that once terrified the Conservatives. In future, it is to be known as Reform UK: The Brexit party".The explicit move to tap into a reservoir of leave-voting nostalgia comes amid signs that the party, which struggled after its co-founder Nigel Farage focused his attention on his broadcasting career, could once again cause real problems for the Tories. Continue reading...

Research shows patients risk being readmitted after not being given help and advice after treatmentPatients are being left feeling confused and neglected" by not being told who to contact about their future care when they are discharged from hospital, an NHS watchdog has said.Research by Healthwatch England has found that 51% of people are not being given details when they leave of which services they can turn to for help and advice while they are recovering. Continue reading...

Tatsuya Terazawa says Albanese government must also consider carbon capture and storage and small modular nuclear reactorsAustralia's hope of becoming a clean energy superpower won't be realised unless it lifts support for hydrogen and considers carbon capture and storage or even small modular nuclear reactors, a visiting Japanese expert said.Tatsuya Terazawa, chief executive of Japan's Institute of Energy Economics and an Asia Society-Victoria distinguished fellow, said Australia's appeal for investors would also hinge on how it treated LNG projects.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Federal MPs including Amanda Rishworth asked to consider halt to the obligations during heatwaves

Police were stumped when crashed' plane was found in remote Yukon, but it was placed there last summer for rescue trainingWhen a hunter in British Columbia stumbled upon the crumpled remains of an airplane fuselage on 3 November, he reported the grim findings to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).Officers were dispatched to the remote crash site to survey the wreckage and concluded that the shell of the bush plane, with no motor, wings, doors or seats, was likely more than two decades old. Continue reading...

The Manchester-born author was a frustrated composer who often wrote about music. Now his previously unknown work for strings will find an audienceHe is best-known as the author of A Clockwork Orange, his 1962 savage social satire, but Anthony Burgess saw himself primarily as a thwarted musician. Although self-taught, he was a prolific composer, and now a previously unknown piece for a string quartet is to receive its world premiere following its discovery.The score was unearthed in the archive of the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, an educational charity in Manchester, his home city, where it had been overlooked among uncatalogued papers donated by his widow, the late Liana Burgess. Continue reading...

Chancellor says he will not throw away hard work done to tackle rising prices amid calls for income tax cutsJeremy Hunt has hinted that Conservative MPs pressing for income tax cuts could be disappointed, as he insisted he would not take any measures in this week's autumn statement to fuel inflation.In what is likely to cause unease among MPs pressing for a move to shore up the party's core vote, the chancellor said in a series of interviews that tax cuts were not going to happen overnight". Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor says he's found it quite hard' he's never been given key role at party conferenceAndy Burnham has told of his disappointment at being overlooked for a prominent role at Labour conference since becoming mayor of Greater Manchester, decrying Westminster's aggressive and negative" briefing culture in a tacit criticism of those close to his party's leadership.The relationship between Burnham, still regarded by many members as a potential leader in waiting, and Starmer has been marked by tensions while the mayor's backing for a ceasefire in Gaza is one area on which the two have diverged. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Older people also likely to be in poor health and out of work in the north of England, report saysOlder people in the north of England die earlier, spend more years in poor health and are more likely to be out of work compared with their contemporaries in the south, a shocking" report has found.The life expectancy difference is most acute between people in the north-east of England and the south-east, with men living an average of three years less and women 2.6 years less. Continue reading...

Standard tickets to the 2024 music festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset went on sale on Saturday morningStandard tickets to next year's Glastonbury festival have sold out in less than an hour, organisers said.The second batch of 360 tickets for the 2024 festival, taking place at Worthy Farm in Somerset, were all bought after being made available at 9am on Saturday. Continue reading...

PM's speech at food summit comes as humanitarian crisis caused by Israel-Hamas war reaches crisis point

Incredible tale of Melville House where, over a 30-year period, pupils uncovered treasures of antiquityIn 1952, a schoolboy was digging up potatoes, assisting a gardener in the grounds of his school in Fife as part of a punishment. He stumbled across a bulbous shape that he initially mistook for a potato, only to discover later that he had found an Egyptian masterpiece made some 4,000 years ago.The idea of finding ancient treasures buried in the Scottish countryside, rather than beneath the sands of Cairo, is somewhat unlikely. Yet this was to be the first of 18 Egyptian antiquities unearthed on three separate occasions by schoolboys over some 30 years in the most unexpected of places - Melville House, an historic building near the small parish of Monimail in Fife. Continue reading...

Populist provocateur appears slight favorite over Peronist Sergio Massa as 35m Argentinians vote to choose new president

Growing numbers are giving false information to obtain money, new study showsA growing number of people are committing fraud such as cheating on their council tax or trying to reclaim money on lost gambling bets, research has found.The cost of living crisis has led to a rise in first-party fraud" where people give false information, or misrepresent themselves, in order to make money, according to the fraud prevention service Cifas. Continue reading...

A surge in demand for the miniature models is driven by a desire for tradition and comfort in testing timesChristmas traditions may feel timeless, yet our choice of decorations can reveal a lot about our cultural preoccupations. In recent years, tinsel trees topped with plastic angels fell out of favour and were replaced with real pines, holly wreaths and baubles made of glass or wool. And this year, the favoured adornment for many British mantelpieces is set to be a group of twinkly Christmas houses and windowsills.The miniature ornamental buildings - usually featuring a candle or an LED light shining from within - are now available for every budget and aesthetic whim. A simple set of cardboard houses from Flying Tiger Copenhagen costs under a fiver, while a Georgian townhouse in hand-painted Wedgwood pottery is 120. Continue reading...

Expert claims to have indentified copies of mosaics at sites and in museums in Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and TurkeyAuthorities in New York have been accused by leading academics in France and Britain of repatriating fake Roman artefacts to Lebanon.Eight out of nine mosaic panels that the US authorities recently returned to the Middle Eastern country are not what they seem, according to claims made by Djamila Fellague of the University of Grenoble. Continue reading...

An Observer investigation has revealed 40% of internal inquiries into serious accusations were overturned on reviewCampaigners are calling for the police to be stopped from marking their own homework", after the Observer found 40% of internal investigations by forces into serious complaints were overturned following independent reviews.This newspaper identified 1,532 finalised complaint cases from April 2022 to March 2023 involving forces in England and Wales where the outcome was found to be not reasonable and proportionate" after a review. Continue reading...

Reporter's legal team argues that excessive costs awarded to Brexit backer violates her right to journalistic freedom of expression and will take case to European Court of Human Rights in StrasbourgA coalition of organisations championing press freedom have rallied behind the award-winning Observer and Guardian journalist Carole Cadwalladr, stating they are deeply disappointed" she has been refused permission to appeal against a ruling that ordered her to pay significant legal costs to the prominent Brexit backer Arron Banks.The supreme court refused to let Cadwalladr contest a cost order six months ago making the journalist responsible for hundreds of thousands of pounds of Banks's legal costs. The coalition, which includes Index on Censorship, the Guardian, the Observer and Reporters Without Borders UK among others, warns that the decision risks stifling public interest journalism in the UK. Continue reading...

Two planes involved were Viper S-211 Marchetti jets with second aircraft safely landing at Essendon airport after incident, authorities say

Organisers say growing popularity of protests speaks to abhorrence at the way our government is dragging its feet in calling for an immediate ceasefire'

Home Office approach to tackling drug operations is based on racialised tropes', says new studyThe Home Office's approach to tackling county lines drug operations is based on unproven assumptions and racialised tropes" that criminalise Black boys and young men, according to new research.The study also found that the policing strategy towards county lines stigmatised Black youngsters in a similar way to how the Metropolitan police's discredited gang violence matrix database was found to be discriminatory. Continue reading...

A damning parliamentary inquiry has revealed hundreds of thousands of children are learning in potentially unsafe buildingsThe state of disrepair of some schools is so bad that 700,000 pupils are learning in classrooms that need a major rebuild or refurbishment, according to a damning parliamentary inquiry into the school estate.This year's crisis over crumbling and potentially dangerous concrete means that other schools in dire need of an overhaul will not be included in the government's current rebuilding programme. Continue reading...

Like many UK village schools, Lerryn primary was struggling financially but parents now hope to make it sustainableLerryn Church of England Primary School, near Lostwithiel in Cornwall, was told by its academy trust at the end of the last academic year that lack of funding would mean they had to scale down to only one class. This would have left one teacher juggling the education of children from reception age up to year 6.This could have been the end of the story - another struggling school left to manage with depleted resources. Instead, residents of this tiny Cornish village have raised more than 30,000 to hire a second teacher and keep their school open. Continue reading...

Former PM's promotion of Beijing-backed development in Sri Lanka has increased concern he could be a pawn for Xi JinpingWhen Chinese president Xi Jinping cut the ribbon on Sri Lanka's Port City Colombo construction site in September 2014, it was promoted as a future major hub in China's global infrastructure project, the belt and road initiative.With a financial centre, beach-front villas and an international yacht marina, the city is aiming to be a rival to Dubai and Singapore. China has already invested $1.4bn in the development, which is due to be completed by 2041. Continue reading...

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The socialist leader's pact with separatist activists has returned him to power for now, but it's a strategy fraught with political uncertaintyAt the end of an investiture debate that had been fraught, savage and bizarre, even by recent standards, the defeated leader of Spain's conservative opposition offered his triumphant socialist rival a handshake. It was not accompanied by his warmest wishes.This was a mistake," said Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the leader of the People's party (PP), as he pressed the flesh with a smiling Pedro Sanchez on Thursday. And you're responsible for what you've just done." Continue reading...

The raid on al-Shifa hospital by Israeli forces forced out thousands of patients and medical staffIn the early hours of Saturday morning, over piles of concrete and rubble, crowds of doctors and patients walked miles through the destroyed streets of Gaza City, forced to evacuate on foot from what remained of its hospitals. Medics said they feared leaving critically ill patients behind in a city now largely reduced to rubble and overtaken by Israeli forces, where hospitals had been operating without power, fuel, water or food.It's basically hell on earth," said William Schomburg, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, describing what remained of life inside the city. Continue reading...

Defence ministry detects nine Chinese aircraft crossing Taiwan Strait's median line after tensions were a focus of Biden-Xi talks at Apec summitTaiwan has reported renewed Chinese military activity including nine aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait and warships carrying out combat readiness patrols".Democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past four years of regular Chinese military patrols and drills near the island, as Beijing seeks to pressure Taipei over its sovereignty claims. Continue reading...