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Broadcaster also hits back during defamation trial at suggestion she was captured' by Brittany Higgins and had no desire to check or scrutinise anything she said'

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Kathleen Folbigg was considered country's worst female serial killer and spent two decades in jail. Now she is free and has cleared her nameKathleen Folbigg was reviled as a baby killer and Australia's most hated woman" when she was convicted in 2003 of murdering three of her children and for the manslaughter of another.But on Thursday, Folbigg's convictions were quashed by an appeals court following an inquiry that examined new scientific evidence and found there was reasonable doubt of her guilt. Continue reading...

Arif Ahmed will face a balancing act when his position - that legal speech gets protected - runs into messy realityEngland's newly appointed university free speech tsar, Arif Ahmed, finds himself in the same position as the leaders of three of the US's elite universities: having to nurture free speech on campus but struggling to explain those principles in real-life cases.Last week the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were at the centre of compelling political theatre as they were grilled by the Republican representative Elise Stefanik on the tension between free speech and antisemitism. Continue reading...

Arif Ahmed of OfS says universities that infringe rights to expression will face fines under new systemUniversity staff and students can make provocative statements on subjects such as Israel and Gaza as long as they do not break laws on incitement or harassment, under proposals by the government's campus free speech tsar.Arif Ahmed, the newly appointed director for academic freedom of speech at the Office for Students (OfS), said universities and colleges in England that infringed the rights to expression of individuals would face fines under the new complaints process. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Peter Johnson says police shouldn't be suspicious of footage if they are dealing with people properly'

This blog is now closed. See all our Israel-Gaza war coverage hereThe Times of Israel is reporting a little more detail on the incident in the Red Sea earlier, which caused the UK maritime trade operations (UKMTO) agency to issue a warning. [See 7.46 GMT]Citing US officials, it reports that two missiles fired from Yemen missed a commercial tanker near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It also reports that a US navy vessel shot down a drone that was heading towards it. Continue reading...

Forty thousand homes and businesses are without power, with flood warnings issued for the Daintree and Mossman River

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International claim that authorities failed to mobilise appropriate resources', while Greece says the ship's crew refused assistanceHuman rights groups have deplored the lack of progress made by Greek authorities in their investigation into the controversial circumstances in which a migrant ship sank off the Peloponnese - leaving more than 500 dead - in one of the Mediterranean's worst ever boat disasters.Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International claim there are credible allegations that the Hellenic Coast Guard's actions and omissions" contributed to the 14 June shipwreck. Continue reading...

Joblessness rate rose despite 61,500 new jobs because the number of people seeking work also grew strongly

League announces penalty less than 24 hours after Green hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurki and received foul and ejectionGolden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurki in the face and received a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection.The league announced the penalty handed down by operations chief Joe Dumars and said the suspension begins immediately. It's already Green's second suspension this season. Continue reading...

ACCC report finds there may not be enough market pressure on dominant port operators as companies blame high shipping charges for rising prices

EU leaders prepare for showdown with Hungary over Ukrainian membership talks; more than 50 injured in Russian missile attack on Kyiv

Speaking from Israel, MP plays down significance of UN resolution, saying violence won't end without Hamas being removed from power'

Research by Shelter finds 309,000 people set to spend festive season in a tiny hostel room or freezing doorway' after rise in rough sleepingNearly 40,000 more people than last year are expected to spend this Christmas homeless, in a sign that England's housing emergency is out of control, according to the charity Shelter.The 14% increase in people spending the festive season in hotels, B&Bs and other temporary accommodation emerged from official figures and freedom of information requests. Continue reading...

US navy request comes as Iran-aligned militia wade into the Israel-Hamas conflict, attacking vessels in commercial shipping lanes

SAS veteran Davis describes very vicious' clash outside parliamentThe Conservative MP David Davis has spoken of how he fought off an attack near parliament as he intervened to help a rough sleeper who was being beaten up.Davis, a former cabinet minister and leadership contender, said he aggressively stood between the attackers and the homeless man, and dodged two punches. Continue reading...

Conservative Robert Buckland said he wants bill to be more compatible with European convention on human rights

Concerns raised over security, food and lack of information after resident's suicide as cost of vessel revealed to be more than 22mAsylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge are becoming increasingly desperate about their living conditions as the Home Office admitted that the vessel has cost taxpayers more than 22m so far.After the suicide of an unidentified resident on Tuesday, asylum seekers said that conditions had deteriorated since up to 300 people were moved on to the barge. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Key sectors of capital's economy worth billions to exchequer could be left understaffed, mayor warnsSadiq Khan has said ministers' plans to cut legal migration will lead to a full-blown recruitment crisis" in London, with vacancies in hospitality alone still higher than they were pre-pandemic.Net migration to the UK boosted the UK population by 672,000 in the year ending June 2023, and about half (48%) of the country's foreign-born population live in London or the south-east of England. Continue reading...

National Crime Agency calls for tougher sentencing and a new offence of running abuse websitesEight out of 10 people in the UK caught with images of children being sexually abused avoid going to jail, the head of the National Crime Agency has revealed.Graeme Biggar, the director general of the NCA, said some had been caught with thousands of images but avoided imprisonment, and others had been given rehabilitation orders and suspended sentences and then reoffended. Continue reading...

More than 36,000 homes without power but BoM downgrades storm to tropical low despite warning of more rain and high winds

Commission says Hungary has fulfilled set of judiciary reforms while critics say funds could have been unlocked to persuade Orban to stop blocking Ukraine-related decisionsThe leaders of major political groups in the European parliament have sent a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, outlining their objections to unfreezing EU funds for Hungary.In the letter, seen by the Guardian, the political group presidents wrote:We would like to express our deep concern as regards the imminent positive assessment of the Hungarian judicial reforms and their fulfilment of the four judicial milestones set out in the horizontal enabling condition under the Common Provisions Regulation.In our view, the horizontal enabling condition referring to the independence of the judiciary has not been fulfilled.We are most concerned about the implementation requirement regarding the strengthening of the National Judicial Council.We need to live up to our commitments on Ukraine and continue to be a reliable and strong partner. We must provide Ukraine with continued and sustainable political, financial and military support and, in particular, come to an agreement on providing 50bn for its long term stability.We also have to agree to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, thereby giving it a necessary signal and bringing it yet closer to our European family.A pivotal European Council lies ahead of us. Now is the time for decision-making. I call on you all to come equipped with a spirit of compromise, a sense of collective responsibility, with the union's interests and values at the forefront of your minds. Continue reading...

Yao Hui Charles Yeo, a lawyer and opposition politician, fears for health after recent death on bargeA prominent human rights activist who has been warned that he may be moved to the Bibby Stockholm barge has said he would prefer to die on the streets than go there after it was suspected someone killed themselves on the barge.Yao Hui Charles Yeo, 33 - a lawyer, activist and opposition politician in Singapore - claimed asylum in the UK after being persecuted and imprisoned in his home country. He has a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome and a degenerative disc condition, which causes moderate to severe" back pain, according to medical reports seen by the Guardian. He is also suffering from trauma as a result of a previous near drowning incident. Continue reading...

The prime minister faced PMQs for the final time before the Christmas recessRishi Sunak is about to take PMQs. It will be the last of 2023.Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question. Continue reading...

Wales's departing first minister won admiration in the crisis but problems in health and education blighted his record

Justices to rule on scope of obstruction of an official proceeding' charge after lower-court judge dismissed three casesThe supreme court on Wednesday said it will hear an appeal that could upend hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot, including against former president Donald Trump.The justices will review an appellate ruling that revived a charge against three defendants accused of obstruction of an official proceeding. The charge refers to the disruption of Congress's certification of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory over Trump. Continue reading...

A petition demanding that station outside of Paris does not use singer's name has received 4,000 signaturesHe was a poet-provocateur whose songs transformed French music and whose often outrageous behaviour on TV was shrugged off with a smile.But plans to name a new Metro station east of Paris after the singer Serge Gainsbourg have created a row and petition, as campaigners said he was a misogynist whose songs glorified child abuse and should not be celebrated. Continue reading...

Boat from Philippines with gifts for fishers, troops and coastguard in South China Sea slipped past vessels that intercepted festive flotillaIt looked, for a time, as if Christmas had been cancelled. A Philippine mission by volunteers to bring the festive spirit to the fishers, troops and coastguard crew in the disputed South China Sea was forced to turn back on Sunday after organisers said they had been shadowed and intercepted by Chinese vessels.But it later emerged that a smaller supply boat had managed to slip past the Chinese vessels. Continue reading...

Ukraine's capital comes under attack, with mayor saying children's hospital damagedNorway will donate 3bn crowns (220m) to Ukraine, the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, told a joint press conference with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Appeals court upholds a federal judge's decision to deny Trump's claim of immunity, dealing him another legal setbackDonald Trump cannot assert presidential immunity from a defamation lawsuit by E Jean Carroll, the writer who accused him of rape, a US appeals court ruled on Wednesday, dealing him another setback in litigation she has pursued.The second US circuit court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a federal judge's decision to reject Trump's claim of immunity. Continue reading...

Climate change minister says deal is not perfect but transition away' from oil and gas sends clear message to investors

Australian health department spokesperson says it is exploring options for viable cost-recovery'

Exclusive: Freedom of information documents reveal which cab companies have received most complaints, with one getting more than 300 in six monthsMore than 520 taxi drivers in New South Wales have been disciplined for refusing to use their meters or overcharging, with authorities progressing more than 300 cases against just one operator in six months.As the New South Wales taxi watchdog warns of an expected uptick in rogue behaviour from new taxi drivers entering the workforce, Guardian Australia can reveal the new taxi fare hotline has been flooded with hundreds of complaints in its first six months. Continue reading...

The double Tony-winning director staged acclaimed productions by Michael Frayn, Peter Nichols and many others in the West End and BroadwayMichael Blakemore, the actor turned theatre director who staged plays by Michael Frayn, Peter Nichols and many others over a lengthy career, has died at the age of 95. His death on Sunday, after a short illness, was announced on Tuesday by the talent agency United Agents.Blakemore directed acclaimed productions in the UK and the US over six decades. He was born and educated in Sydney, married the English actor Shirley Bush and arrived in London to train as an actor at Rada, where he graduated in 1952. He performed in rep around the UK but after a dozen years or so decided to concentrate on directing and staged work at the Citizens theatre in Glasgow where he had also been an actor. Continue reading...

The movie will be based on Racism from the Eyes of a Child - the pop mogul's book about his early life in pre-civil rights AlabamaA memoir by Beyonce Knowles' father Mathew Knowles is to become a feature film, detailing his early years as a student activist.According to a report in Variety, Knowles' 2017 book Racism from the Eyes of a Child is in active development as a film, with plans for a TV series as well. The book covers Knowles' childhood in pre-civil rights Alabama, during which he has said he attended all-white" high schools and universities: I had been beaten, I've been electrically prodded, I've been spit on, I've been humiliated, all sorts of trauma." Knowles graduated from Fisk University in Nashville, an HBCU (historically black college or university). Continue reading...

Senior officer from Golani Brigade dies after failed attempt to rescue injured troops in Shejaiya area

Rapper reportedly denies antisemitism on new album Vultures, a collaboration with vocalist Ty Dolla SignKanye West has worn a Ku Klux Klan-style hood at a listening party for his upcoming album Vultures, which is expected to be released on Friday.West wore the garment, a pointed black hood with eyeholes, on stage at the event in Miami, which also featured music stars including Chris Brown, Kodak Black, Offset and more, plus West's children North, Saint and Chicago. Continue reading...

Cutting down of dozens of trees on seafront of English riviera' town in Devon provokes public outcryPalm trees that have welcomed visitors to the English riviera" for a century have been cut down without warning in an act that residents have described as pure vandalism".The felling of 40 trees in Torquay, Devon, has provoked a furious public outcry and accusations that the council has wrought a soul-destroying", total destruction" of a world-famous seaside front. Continue reading...

Yung, a senior pediatrician, died in hospital after allegedly being attacked in his Gilberton home early on Monday

Environmental activists claim success after partial overturn of state laws that criminalised protest actions near major hubs

BoM issues warnings as radar forecasts intense rain, destructive winds and possible flash flooding in parts of Queensland

Lehrmann has sued Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson for defamation in the federal court of Australia. Follow the latest news and updates from the trial today

Most states and territories to ban product on 1 July, with Commonwealth flagging an import prohibitionAustralia will ban engineered stone from 1 July 2024, following a meeting of state and federal workplace ministers.According to Queensland and Victorian governments, ministers on Wednesday agreed to ban the material, which is commonly used in kitchen and bathroom benchtops. Continue reading...

Supermarket says it protects personal data incredibly carefully' and move makes ads more relevant'The chief executive of Sainsbury's has defended its decision to sell data on the shopping habits of his customers to TV and consumer goods manufacturers looking to target their advertising.Simon Roberts has said the supermarket group protects personal data incredibly carefully" and that its strategy had made adverts more relevant" for shoppers. Continue reading...

Exclusive: survey finds 57% of people have never heard of physician associates even though they are widely usedMany people are deeply confused about the growing number of physician associates" in the NHS and wrongly assume they are doctors, research suggests.Around 4,000 physician associates work in the NHS in England. Ministers and health chiefs plan to increase the figure to 10,000 to help plug widespread gaps in the NHS workforce. Continue reading...

Historic England highlights remarkable gems' among 227 places added to national list in 2023An intact second world war radar station and a 1960s church that resembles an upturned boat have joined some of England's grandest buildings on the national heritage list.Historic England singled out 16 remarkable historic gems" that had been added to the list or had their entries updated in 2023. They include a 400-year-old structure regarded as England's earliest known modern-day car wash", an unusually long railway footbridge, an iron age cave and a Manchester primary school that still has its flashy art nouveau tiling from more than a century ago. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff warns the Europe puzzle' cannot come together without UkraineKyiv has increased pressure on the EU to open accession talks at a crucial summit this week, with Volodymyr Zelenskiy's most senior adviser warning that without his country the Europe puzzle' cannot come together".After the European Commission's recommendation last month that formal membership talks begin, the EU's 27 heads of government are due to discuss the proposal at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. Continue reading...

Independent body to review plans for Olympic and Paralympic games as new premier and deputy distance themselves from Palaszcuzuk-era policies

This blog is now closed. See all our Israel-Gaza war coverage hereReports are coming in from the Reuters news agency that three Palestinians were killed on Tuesday during an Israeli raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin - that's according to the Palestinian health ministry.An Israeli drone attack killed the three Palestinians and injured others, medical sources say, adding that the Israeli raid included the city of Jenin and its refugee camp.Between the afternoons of 10 and 11 December, 208 Palestinians were killed and another 416 were injured, according to the [Hamas run] Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. Heavy Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea across Gaza continued, especially in the central part, including Al Maghazi and An Nuseirat Refugee Camps, as well as in parts of northern Gaza. Meanwhile, intense ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued, especially in Khan Younis, Jabalya, and the northern parts of Gaza Strip. Additionally, air strikes have reportedly targeted residential homes in the western and central parts of Rafah, areas designated as safe for displaced Palestinians by the Israeli army. The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups into Israel also continued.Limited aid distributions are taking place in Rafah governorate. In the rest of the Gaza Strip, aid distribution has largely stopped over the past few days, due to the intensity of hostilities and restrictions of movement along the main roads, except for limited fuel deliveries to key service providers and a one-off high-risk mission on 9 December to Al Ahli hospital.On 11 December, as of 22:00, 100 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered Gaza from Egypt, the same volume recorded on most days since the resumption of hostilities on 1 December. This is well below the daily average of 500 truckloads (including fuel) that entered every working day prior to 7 October. The ability of the UN to receive incoming aid has been significantly impaired over the past few days by several factors. These include a shortage of trucks within Gaza; the continuing lack of fuel; telecommunications blackouts; and the increasing number of staff who were unable to travel to the Rafah crossing due to the intensity of hostilities. Continue reading...