World news | The Guardian

Exclusive: Craig Mokhiber, retiring UN official who criticised the body over its failure to protect civilians in Gaza, had been accused of bias in his social media

Harassment and bullying flourished within the elite display team, enabled by a sense that the rules don't applyIt was intended to be a hard-hitting review into allegations of sexism, harassment and bullying in the elite Red Arrows display team. The inquiry was concerned that the squadron was not a safe environment" for women and said it was highly likely" women would be subject to unlawful harassment.The report makes a generalised list, ranging from unwanted physical contact" to unwanted texts of a sexual nature; unsought invitations to engage in sexual activity to a broader attitude of male sexual entitlement". But what comes shortly after is a classic case of overzealous Ministry of Defence secrecy. Continue reading...

Number of planning applications received and decided increases by 25% as City workforce growsDemand for office space continues to rise in the City of London despite the shift to hybrid working, with a mock-up revealing how the capital's financial district will look in 2030 with 11 extra towers due to be built.The image shows all of the big developments that are under construction, have been approved or resolved to be approved over the past year, a period in which the number of planning applications received and decided rose 25% compared with the previous 12 months. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Group accuses programme of encouraging thought policing' and being incompatible with international human rightsAmnesty International has called for the abolition of the government's counter-extremism strategy Prevent, accusing it of severe human rights abuses and of encouraging a culture of thought policing".A report by the group said Prevent's legal duty on public sector workers, such as in schools and health, to report their suspicions was fundamentally incompatible" with international human rights obligations. Continue reading...

Sudden failure of voluntary group that hosted launch of Theresa May's anti-loneliness strategy was complete shock to staffA charity that hosted the launch of Theresa May's anti-loneliness strategy has gone bust, citing insurmountable" financial problems and warned that more voluntary organisations are set to follow it into insolvency in the coming months.The Cares Family, a group of charities that ran community projects tackling social isolation in London and the north-west of England, closed suddenly on Tuesday. It blamed the cost of living crisis, funding issues and a slew of other factors". Continue reading...

Decision on scheme run by British Business Bank pushes losses on to banks if borrowers fail to repayThe UK government has removed state guarantees from almost 1bn in Covid-19 emergency loans, pushing potential losses on to banks if borrowers fail to repay them.The taxpayer-owned British Business Bank (BBB), which runs the loan schemes, removed state guarantees from 10,786 loans worth a combined 979m up to 11 October, according to data released under freedom of information (FoI) laws. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereGert Jan Koopman, the head of the European Commission's directorate-general for neighbourhood and enlargement negotiations, has said Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress must continue" and in particular" on rule of law.The country should seize the momentum around enlargement & focus its efforts on the outstanding reforms", he added. Continue reading...

Marta Kauffman and David Crane recall last conversations with sitcom actor who died on SaturdayThe creators of Friends have recalled their last conversations with Matthew Perry, saying he was in a really good place" shortly before he died.In a joint interview on CBS's Today show, Marta Kauffman and David Crane also discussed their shock at the news of Perry's death at the age of 54 on Saturday. Continue reading...

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press on with ground offensive despite rising death toll

Workers had been braced for up to 3,000 job cuts and confirmation of the closure of two blast furnacesTata Steel has pulled an announcement that had been expected to detail steep job cuts at its Port Talbot steelworks, in a dramatic last-minute reprieve that has left workers in the dark over the plant's future.Workers had been braced for confirmation of the closures of the two blast furnaces after a board meeting on Wednesday. However, Tata communicated after the board meeting that it would not be releasing a statement on its plans. Continue reading...

Northumbria police arrest two men in relation to famous tree cut down in SeptemberTwo more people have been arrested over the deliberate felling of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland.Northumbria police said two men, both aged in their 30s, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Attendance in UAE confirmed a year after Truss government advised Charles not to attend Egypt eventKing Charles is to attend the opening ceremony of the Cop28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates, one year after he was advised by Liz Truss's government not to attend the Cop27 summit in Egypt.Charles will deliver the opening address at the world climate action summit, a gathering of global leaders at the start of Cop28, in his first major speech on the climate crisis since becoming monarch. Continue reading...

Organisers hope gatherings in Sydney and Melbourne will give a voice to values' not reflected in mainstream discussions

Rural firefighters' chief says Queensland in survival mode' amid dry weather, with 53 homes destroyed by fire in the Western Downs

Nationwide records monthly increase of 0.9% but average property value down 3.3% year on year

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Among the 241 annual reports released all at once are 45 children's deaths, triple-zero success and a fish misadventure' at the zoo

In today's newsletter: Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain gave evidence at Dorland House on Tuesday - what did they reveal? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Today we're headed to the Covid inquiry, which is increasingly revealing staggering - and foulmouthed (you've been warned) - insights into how Boris Johnson and his advisers handled the outbreak of the pandemic.Those who were once closest to the former prime minister have revealed Johnson was referred to as the trolley" by pretty much everyone" due to the inconsistency of his decision making and that he described coronavirus as just nature's way of dealing with old people".Israel-Hamas war | Israeli airstrikes destroyed apartment blocks and killed dozens of people at a refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to the Hamas regime, as the UN said the conflict had become a graveyard" for children.Transport | Plans to close railway station ticket offices in England have been scrapped in a government U-turn. The transport secretary, Mark Harper, said the government had asked train operators to withdraw their proposals" after a huge public backlash.AI | The Guardian has accused Microsoft of damaging its journalistic reputation by publishing an AI-generated poll speculating on the cause of a woman's death next to a Guardian article. The automated poll appeared next to a story about the death of Lilie James, a 21-year-old water polo coach who was found dead with serious head injuries at a school in Sydney last week. It asked: What do you think is the reason behind the woman's death?" Readers were then asked to choose from three options: murder, accident or suicide.Finance | Odey Asset Management is closing down, five months after allegations of sexual misconduct made by junior female members of staff against its founder Crispin Odey threw the hedge fund into turmoil.Weather | Forecasters have said Storm Ciaran poses a potential threat to life in southern England later this week, bringing gusts of wind likely to hit 80mph. Continue reading...

Consumer Affairs Victoria says it redirected extra staff to manage 120% rise in requests for rent increase reviews

Letter signed by at least 330 councillors says refusal to back end to violence is harming communities'At least 330 Labour councillors have signed a letter urging Keir Starmer to back a ceasefire in Gaza, despite the Labour leader's attempts to reassure the party over the issue.The councillors, two-thirds of whom the Guardian understands are not Muslim, have criticised the party's refusal to back the policy, which they say is harming communities across the UK". Continue reading...

Some have waited years in Pakistan for Britain to fulfil its promises - and are now at risk of deportationFor a year after the fall of Kabul and the swift withdrawal of international allies from Afghanistan, Jawed* and his family were in hiding, evading the ruling Taliban as they counted the days waiting for relocation promises from the British government to be realised.But that didn't happen. To this day, two years and two months [later], we're still living in limbo," Jawed, a former English teacher for the British Council, said from a hotel in Islamabad. Continue reading...

Medical professionals warn tobacco addiction is rising after years of decline and call for reforms on political donations and corporate sponsorships

Advocates fear blowout in wait time could force people to choose between homelessness or staying in an abusive relationship

Court rules that another aspect of Coalition-era laws to strip citizenship is invalid

Facebook and Instagram owner tells Defence we allow for such memes' following multiple emails over Pineapple Express page

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Lead appellant's case concerned NT housing authority's failure to provide a door, while other Ltyentye Apurte residents complained of leaking sewage and unstable electricity

Fund recommends further monetary tightening by RBA to ensure Australia's price rises return to target range by 2025

Incentives for doctors will triple in bid to help children, pensioners and healthcare card holders

The Australian Institute of Architects' 2023 awards took a turn to sustainable designs that make the most of inner-city infrastructure and the environment

Committal proceedings adjourned for six weeks while Lehrmann's solicitor reviews 400-500 files sent by Queensland police last week

Bolivia's leftwing government cuts diplomatic ties with Israel, alleging crimes and human rights abuses in Gaza, as Chile and Colombia recall ambassadors

More than 10,000 arrests and nearly 3,000 prosecutions, with 82% given jail including extraordinary high' proportion of childrenProtesters involved in the 2019-2020 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have been treated extraordinarily harshly by the criminal justice system compared with local and international norms, a report has found.The surge in arrests, detentions and charges in the wake of the anti-extradition bill protests that saw millions of Hongkongers taking to the streets to oppose closer ties with mainland China meant that the criminal justice system was put under extreme stress", according to Jun Chan, Eric Yan-ho Lai and Thomas E Kellogg at the Center for Asian Law of Georgetown University. Continue reading...

Until the appointment of Annelies Kusters, UK had only hearing people as full professors in the fieldTrains in the Indian megacity of Mumbai are famously among the most crowded in the world, but they have also become deaf meeting spots" where deaf people meet and socialise on their daily commute.These unexpected gatherings in carriages reserved for disabled passengers have been documented by Annelies Kusters, who has just become the first deaf scholar to be made a full professor in the field of deaf studies and sign language studies in the UK. Continue reading...

Inaugural exhibition at new museum space will chart more than a century of musical development, from calypso and reggae to grime and drillFrom jazz to calypso, dub poetry to UK drill lyrics, drum'n'bass raves to grime freestyles, the brilliance and cross-cultural richness of Black British music will be the focus for the inaugural exhibition at the V&A's new outpost in east London.Opening in 2025, The Music Is Black: A British Story will span from 1900 to the present day, celebrating everyone from pioneers such as Winifred Atwell and Janet Kay to today's generation including Stormzy and Little Simz, and explore how artists from Fleetwood Mac to the Beatles adopted elements of the music created by the UK's Black community. Continue reading...

Visiting monarch speaks of sorrow and deepest regret for past wrongdoings' under British ruleKing Charles has spoken of Britain's abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence" committed against Kenyans during their fight for independence, but stopped short of an apology despite human rights groups demanding one.The monarch made the comments in a speech, delivered during a banquet in Kenya held in his honour, in which he referred to the greatest sorrow" and deepest regret" for the wrongdoings" of the past. Continue reading...

Disciplinary panel had found Julian Bennett guilty of gross misconduct for refusing test when accused of smoking cannabisA senior Metropolitan police commander who wrote the force's drug strategy has been sacked after he was found guilty of gross misconduct for refusing to take a drugs test when he was accused of smoking cannabis.A disciplinary panel cleared Julian Bennett, who has served in the force since 1976, of using the drug at home in late 2019, but found that he had breached force standards for honesty and integrity, orders and instructions, and discreditable conduct by refusing to provide a urine sample for a drug test on 21 July 2020. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson's former chief adviser denies contributing to an atmosphere of misogyny at No 10, saying he was much ruder about men'Heather Hallett, the chair, intervenes at this point. She asks Cain if he is defending the 10-day gap. She says she finds that curious if he is.Cain says locking down the country is a huge, huge undertaking. In government terms, that is government acting at speed. But it was longer than you would hope", he says.Do I understand from what you said earlier that you would defend the 10-day gap between the decision taken that there had to be a national lockdown and actually implementing that decision? Because I find that curious.As I said, I think it is longer than you would like, but I think it's important just to emphasise the amount of things that had to be done and the amount of people we had to take with us to deliver a nationwide lockdown.It's a huge, huge undertaking and to be honest, from my understanding of government, that is government moving at a tremendous speed - which maybe says more about government than other things. Continue reading...

Three men found guilty of terrorist crimes including attacks on immigrants and critical infrastructureThree Finnish men who embraced neo-Nazi ideology have been found guilty of committing crimes with terrorist intent including plotting attacks against immigrants, critical infrastructure, and their perceived political opponents.Prosecutors told the court that the men had produced semi-automatic weapons using a 3D printer in preparation for a race war" against their opponents. Continue reading...

Israeli military says it bombed Jabalia camp to target a key Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari

Evidence from the conflict zone suggests the IDF is seeking to encircle Gaza City as the military and Hamas report fierce initial battles

Sentences range from eight to 20 years for men guilty of offences committed between 2004 and 2006Five men from Rochdale have been sentenced to between eight and 20 years in prison after being found guilty of grooming and abusing two girls between 2004 and 2006.The longest sentence was given to the oldest defendant, Jahn Shahid Ghani, a 50-year-old care worker. He was at least 30 when he took advantage of the girls when they were 14 or 15. He would pick them up from school while they were still in uniform and ply them with drink and drugs before exploiting them. Continue reading...

Breed will be added to banned list from 31 December and owners have until end of January to register themAmerican XL bully dogs will be added to the list of banned breeds from 31 December, the government has confirmed, as it released further details of how the ban will be implemented.Rules coming into force at the end of year will make it illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow to stray XL bully dogs in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Communities who have clung on for decades are leaving their homes in the face of rising attrition by Israelis

Lloyd Austin guarantees Putin will be successful' if US support for Kyiv ends during Senate hearing on Joe Biden's request for funding

Local authorities argue that Home Office would act unlawfully by moving refugees to RAF Scampton and RAF WethersfieldCouncil bosses have called for the high court to quash government plans to use the land of two former RAF bases to house asylum seekers.Lawyers representing West Lindsey district council in Lincolnshire argue that plans to use the disused RAF Scampton, where the dambusters" were based during the second world war, are unlawful. Continue reading...

Some told police they had been forced to quit their job and move house to avoid Michael SellersAt least eight women were harassed by the man who went on to murder Gracie Spinks, with some reporting that they had to quit their job and move house to avoid him, an inquest has heard.Michael Sellers, 35, is believed to have stabbed Spinks to death after he became obsessed" with her, having met her through work. Continue reading...

Labour leader criticises Israeli bombardment but says ceasefire is not the correct position now'

Russia makes first known arrests of its own soldiers after 2022 invasion on suspicion of killing Ukrainian civilians

Artist spent months in a chamber below the Medici Chapels to evade Pope Clement VII's death sentenceMichelangelo Buonarroti left behind a trail of artistic marvels, including his statue of David and the sublime frescoes that adorn the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.Now a secret" room in Florence whose walls are sketched with doodles that the Italian Renaissance master is believed to have created while evading a death sentence ordered by Pope Clement VII amid his falling out with the powerful Medici family is to officially open to the public for the first time. Continue reading...