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State department says Moscow turned down substantial' proposal to secure release of Evan Gershkovich and Paul WhelanRussia rejected a new proposal to free two detained Americans, the Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan, the US government has said.A state department spokesman, Matthew Miller, told reporters that the US made several proposals for a deal to return the two men, including a substantial one in recent weeks". Continue reading...

Martin Griffiths says continuing offensive has ended any possibility of meaningful humanitarian operations

James Cleverly's measures are not popular with health and hospitalityJames Cleverly's package of policies, aimed at bringing about the biggest ever reduction in net migration", has provoked a widespread backlash in short-staffed sectors across the economy. Here are some of its potential implications.Health and social care Continue reading...

Davinia Douglass and Chris Huhne among claimants to receive damages from publisher of the Sun and News of the WorldA victim of the 7/7 bombing whose face became one of the defining images of the 2005 attack has received an apology and substantial damages" from the publisher of the Sun and the defunct News of the World as it seeks to clear a raft of historical phone-hacking allegations.The Murdoch-owned News UK made a number of settlements at the high court on Thursday, including agreeing to pay damages to Davinia Douglass, at times referred to as the woman in the mask". Continue reading...

Ministers have given more than 140m to Rwandan government in hope of sending asylum seekers to east Africa

Consumer rights group took action against Yelmo, which runs a nationwide cinema chainParents frazzled by entreaties for barrels of popcorn, otherwise law-abiding citizens sweating over the contraband sweets in their pockets, and anyone else sick of spending more on drinks and snacks than on cinema tickets can rest easy. If, that is, they live in certain parts of Spain.The Basque Country's consumer affairs department, Kontsumobide, has fined Yelmo, the huge Spanish cinema chain, 30,001 for refusing entry to customers who buy their food and drink outside its premises. Continue reading...

Global governments should engage with the Taliban because some in the regime support reversing the ban, says Rangina HamidiThere are many Taliban officials who would support reversing the ban on schooling for girls in Afghanistan, according to the country's last education minister before the takeover.Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan has become the only country in the world where girls are banned from schooling beyond the age of 11. The group has also imposed what has been described as a policy of gender apartheid", banning women from most work and public spaces. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our European news coverage hereHere are more photos from Germany today.Train service disruptions are ongoing in areas of Germany.Even after the resumption of operations on the affected routes, it is likely that only a very limited train service will be possible due to the major weather-related restrictions.We therefore expect a very high capacity utilisation of the trains and continue to recommend postponing journeys to and from Munich. Continue reading...

National assembly votes unanimously for move to outlaw single-use e-cigarettes, or puffs'

The comedian posted a video of the shocking' amount of litter left behind after his performance in a panto, saying, You wouldn't treat your own home like that, would you?'It's behind you" is the customary cry from the audience during panto season. But the actor and comedian Jason Manford has called on theatregoers to also look beneath them - and to clean up their litter at the end of the show.After his performance in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Opera House in Manchester, Manford filmed himself walking through the theatre's stalls, pointing out spilt popcorn, crisp packets and drink containers left on the floor. Look at the bloody tip people leave," he said in the video, shared on X/Twitter with the message What's your take on litter inside a theatre? Is it audience or staff's responsibility? What dya reckon?" Continue reading...

The Great Pyrenees from Decatur, Georgia, defended his flock of sheep by killing eight coyotes and is up for a $5,000 cash prizeA heroic sheepdog who killed eight coyotes as he defended his flock of sheep from attack has been nominated for Farm Dog of the Year.Casper, a Great Pyrenees from Decatur, Georgia, performed the remarkable feat a year ago and was grieviously wounded during the fight but has since recovered. Continue reading...

Immigration minister accuses people crossing Channel in small boats of breaking into the country'

At 78, Lee becomes oldest person to top US singles chart, beating record held by Louis Armstrong since 1964Brenda Lee has smashed a series of US chart records as her perennial festive favourite Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, first released in 1958, has finally reached No 1 on the Hot 100.Written by Johnny Marks, the man behind Christmas favourites such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, the song was recorded when Lee was 13. Initially a flop, it rose to the US Top 20 in 1960 after Lee's pop career had taken off and earned her back-to-back No 1 singles earlier that year. Continue reading...

Treasurer says government committed to consider' proposals, including concessional finance to bankroll new transmission infrastructure

Cyclone Jasper, as it will be called, expected to form on Tuesday before intensifying and possibly crossing into Queensland next week

Government reveals $3.5m plan to reduce disruption but Greens say focus should be on socioeconomic and psychosocial challenges facing students

Thousands of homes will be built around eight stations, details accidentally published online by the planning department show

At the opening of parliament, lawmakers for New Zealand's Mori party used a word for Charles that can also be used to describe skin conditionsMori party MPs have departed from the traditional oath of allegiance to King Charles III at the opening of New Zealand's 54th parliament, sparking a debate about whether the Mori word they used to describe him meant Charles" or skin rash".As part of the formalities to open parliament, MPs must swear allegiance to New Zealand's head of state, something Te Pti Mori, a Mori political party, has long protested against. MPs can say the oath in either English or Te reo Mori. Continue reading...

The Reserve Bank of Australia keeps its cash rate on hold at 4.35% in line with expectations from economists after inflation continued to slow

Doctors back Australian Automobile Association push to tie road funding to publication of data in new federal-state agreement

Pro-Palestine protester held sign that read Shame Albo' at event in Sydney's west and reportedly interjected during prime minister's speech

US professors detected unusual trading activity on Tel Aviv and US stock exchanges before 7 October

Ofcom proposals will require online providers to seek proof of being over 18 to stop children accessing contentOnline pornography sites will be required to use age-checking measures to ensure users are over 18, under new guidelines.Communications watchdog Ofcom has launched a consultation under the Online Safety Act to stop children from accessing websites that display or publish pornographic content. Continue reading...

Domestic legislation also planned so parliament can assert country is a safe destination for asylum seekersJames Cleverly is travelling to Kigali to sign a new treaty with Rwanda, as Rishi Sunak responds to the UK supreme court's ruling against the policy to send people there.Domestic legislation is also planned so parliament could assert Rwanda is a safe destination for asylum seekers who arrive in Britain. Continue reading...

Attorney general signed off on AHRC's intervention in favour of the plaintiff NZYQ, provided it made clear it was doing so on its own behalf

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Estimate includes 63bn cost to people affected, 19bn cost to NHS and 15bn cost to societyBritain's weight problem costs almost 100bn a year, analysis suggests, prompting calls for a government crackdown on unhealthy food and a drive to promote fresh ingredients.The spiralling cost shows that the growing prevalence of people being overweight is an absolute public health disaster", said Henry Dimbleby, the government's former adviser on food. Continue reading...

Measures designed to cut number of migrant workers and their dependants entering UK could damage health sector, say expertsJames Cleverly has announced a package of measures designed to cut the number of migrant workers and their dependants entering Britain, making it far harder for employers to bring in overseas staff, including in the NHS and social care sector.The home secretary presented a five-point plan in which the minimum salary requirement for a skilled worker visa would rise to 38,700, while the rule allowing the most-needed professions to be hired at 20% below the going rate would be scrapped. Continue reading...

In a statement released with annual accounts, business lobby group says it has had to deal with exceptional costs'The Confederation of British Industry has said it is suffering a considerable level of financial stress" and there remains material uncertainty" that it can continue operating in the long term after sexual misconduct allegations.The scandal-hit business lobby group said it was emerging from an unprecedented situation" that had led to exceptional costs", warning there was also material uncertainty arising from the CBI's financial performance since the year end". Continue reading...

Player was charged hours before he was meant to appear for the Barbarians against Wales on 4 NovemberRugby player Api Ratuniyarawa has admitted to a series of sexual assaults committed days before he was due to play for the Barbarians in Cardiff last month.Appearing before Cardiff crown court, the 37-year-old Fiji international pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by penetration and one charge of sexual assault. Continue reading...

Israel orders people to evacuate areas marked on maps online, but move criticised as many in Gaza do not have internet access

Berkshire coroner's office hears there was one reference to managing stress given to inspectors before November 2022Ofsted inspectors were not given specific written guidance about what to do if a headteacher becomes distressed during an inspection, an inquest has heard.Ruth Perry's family have said she killed herself after a report from the schools watchdog downgraded her Caversham primary school in Reading from its highest rating to its lowest over safeguarding concerns.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Covid inquiry expected to be told former PM was open to military options' to obtain impounded' jabs from factory in LeidenBoris Johnson's appearance before the Covid-19 inquiry is not until Wednesday but it is already making headlines in the Netherlands amid a mixture of amusement and alarm at claims he asked for British spies to plan a raid" on a Dutch vaccine plant.The operation - according to sources who briefed Johnson's employer, the Daily Mail - would have taken place against the backdrop of a tit-for-tat row in March 2021 between the then prime minister and the EU, which was moving towards restricting exports of vaccines across the Channel. Continue reading...

French president says there is no lasting security for Israel if it comes at the cost of Palestinian lives

A number of community organisations say they were left struggling after bank closed or froze accounts without warning'Some charities, churches and other community groups have described being thrown into financial disarray after Barclays shut or froze their bank accounts without warning.Several of the organisations affected, which include charities helping young people, and a Methodist church in the midst of significant building works, have banked with Barclays for over 20 years. But they say that counted for nothing as cheques and direct debits were cancelled by the bank without warning. Continue reading...

Food Standards Agency says hygiene and labelling laws may not have been followedConsumers have been warned not to buy or eat fake branded Wonka or Prime chocolate bars over fears they could be unsafe.The Food Standards Agency said it had received reports of the bars being on sale, and was working with Trading Standards to protect consumers. Continue reading...

Co-defendant says Girl X carved boyfriend's name into her arm and used to joke about dead babies'The 16-year-old girl accused of murdering Brianna Ghey carved her boyfriend's name into her arm and once claimed to be a satanist, a jury has heard.Her co-defendant, a 16-year-old boy known as Y to protect his identity, told police he saw the girl, known as X, stabbing Brianna in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington on 11 February, Manchester crown court heard. Continue reading...

Deal is thought to value the owner of the Balmoral and Brown's hotels at about 1.2bnSir Rocco Forte has agreed to sell 49% of his family's luxury hotel chain to Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.Rocco Forte Hotels, which owns 14 upmarket hotels including Brown's in London and the Balmoral in Edinburgh, announced on Monday that it had agreed to sell almost half of the company to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in a deal that values the hotel group at about 1.2bn. Continue reading...

Dr Alastair Bush's not-so-hairbrained decision to keep his pandemic-grown locks comes good in AustraliaA British GP has been crowned the holder of mullet of the year in Australia for the curls he grew during Covid lockdowns.Dr Alastair Bush's 30cm long light brown hair won for best international mullet at the annual Mulletfest competition in the small Australian town of Kurri Kurri, which attracts thousands of visitors. Continue reading...

East of country may fall to close to -50C, while Moscow has its third snowiest November this centuryTemperatures across large parts of Russia are expected to plummet in the second half of this week. A large area of high pressure will sit over a large portion of the west of the country, introducing arctic air to the region, and keeping temperatures well below the seasonal average.In Perm and Omsk, daytime temperatures are not forecast to rise above -25C later this week, which is about 20C below the seasonal norm. For the Perm region, this week is expected to be the coldest since 2016. Continue reading...

Calls grow for independent inquiry after the bank's internal watchdog found 21 cases of child sexual abuse by teaching staffThe World Bank has been accused of failing to prevent child abuse at a school chain it funded in Kenya.The bank's internal watchdog, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), found that the bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) had failed to satisfy its own environmental and social requirements before it started funding Bridge International Academies in 2014, and during its supervision of its investment in the project, which came to an end last year. Continue reading...

The band had a string of US and Canadian hits in the 1970s and 80s, including power ballad Just Between You and MeMyles Goodwyn, who fronted the popular Canadian classic rock band April Wine from its formation in 1969 until earlier this year, has died aged 75. His death was announced by his publicist, who did not give the cause but heralded Goodwyn's distinctive and immediately recognisable" voice and prolific songwriting.Goodwyn formed the band in Nova Scotia, after suffering the death of his mother to brain cancer as a boy alongside his two brothers. Four males living under the same roof, but there were never any hugs, never any communication," he later said of his home life. We were four lost souls roaming around that household. So I took to music. It was music that saved me." Continue reading...

Hong Kong court gives property developer until 29 January to formulate deal for creditorsThe property developer Evergrande has been granted an extension until late January to try to restructure its debts and avoid liquidation in one of the most high-profile cases in China's long-running property crisis.Evergrande was once China's biggest property developer, but a default on offshore debt obligations in 2021 started a lurch from one crisis to another. It has reported debts of more than $300bn (237bn), much of it to individuals whose properties were never built. Continue reading...

Imminent announcement likely to signal further cuts to broadcaster's staffing and programmesThe BBC will receive a below-inflation increase to the licence fee, the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, has effectively confirmedafter Rishi Sunak said he welcomed cuts made by the corporation to its spending and services.The 159 annual fee has been frozen for two years, and if it were to increase in line with inflation it would go up by about 15. During an interview round on Monday, Frazer said this was extremely unlikely to happen. Continue reading...

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Rescuers say dozens of hikers were on the volcano when it erupted on Sunday, with three found alive and at least 12 missingIndonesian rescuers have found the bodies of 11 climbers after the eruption of the Mount Merapi volcano in West Sumatra.A rescue official said three people were found alive on the volcano and at least 12 climbers were still missing. Another official put the number of missing at 22. Continue reading...

A report by the national broadcaster found the prominent no campaigner did not agree to a single interview on a major broadcast program'

Author blamed literary success of the fictional detective for his highbrow historical novels lying unread'Arthur Conan Doyle secretly hated his creation Sherlock Holmes and blamed the cerebral detective character for denying him recognition as the author of highbrow historical fiction, according to the historian Lucy Worsley.Doyle was catapulted from obscurity to worldwide fame" after his crime stories began appearing in a magazine in 1891, Worsley writes in the Radio Times. Eleven years later he was awarded a knighthood. Continue reading...

Committee criticises NHS inaction as minority ethnic patients less likely to find right blood or organ matchNHS inaction" for more than a decade is causing unnecessary deaths of black, Asian and minority ethnic transplant patients, a report by MPs has concluded.An inquiry into organ donation in the UK found that minority ethnic and mixed heritage people faced a double whammy of inequity": they are more likely to need donors, because they are disproportionately affected by conditions such as sickle cell and kidney disease, and they are less likely to find the right blood, stem cell or organ match on donor registers. Continue reading...

John O'Connor says he was devastated to find out he had lower chance of finding a match due to his ethnicityDuring a trip to the US in 2016, John O'Connor's face became swollen and he initially thought he had been bitten. The side of my neck where the lymph nodes are were basically like a golf ball," he said.When he returned to the UK, the condition of his skin began to deteriorate, leading O'Connor to be misdiagnosed as having eczema and psoriasis. It was only after seven years of sustained efforts to try to find out what was happening, suspecting that it could be leukaemia, that he and his wife were able to find some answers. Continue reading...