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Furious colleagues denounce decision that there are no compassionate grounds' to allow the child to join her motherDr Doseline Kiguru, a Kenyan expert in world literature, was overjoyed when she secured a permanent position at Bristol University. But that all changed last week when the Home Office refused to allow her six-year-old daughter to join her.The decision, which furious colleagues have called an act of unthinkable cruelty", will fuel fears that the government is disproportionately blocking academics from the global south from coming to the UK, despite Rishi Sunak's pledge to make Britain a global science superpower". Continue reading...

Al-Shifa complex, where thousands of displaced people are sheltering, is besieged' and totally cut off', says hospital chief

Organisers say rally on Armistice Day could be one of the largest political marches in British history

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereThat's all from today's shorter-than-usual Ukraine live blog.Here is a summary of the day's main events so far:Blasts were reported across Kyiv on Saturday morning, as the city came under Russian attack for the first time since SeptemberA former Nato secretary general has put forward a proposal for Ukraine to join the military alliance but stripped of the territories occupied by RussiaThe UK's Ministry of Defence says Russia is ramping up its attempt to weaponise historyTrains carrying cargo in Russia's Ryazan region were derailed Saturday morning due to unauthorised interference" Continue reading...

Former secretary general says partial membership would warn Russia it cannot stop Ukraine joining the allianceA former Nato secretary general has put forward a proposal for Ukraine to join the military alliance but stripped of the territories occupied by Russia.Anders Fogh Rasmussen has long worked alongside Andriy Yermak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, particularly ahead of the last Nato summit in Vilnius this year that ended with no invitation for Ukraine to join. Continue reading...

Four years after it fell out of the FTSE 100 the high street brand is again boasting strong salesFours years after it fell out of the FTSE 100, M&S has turned around its fortunes to become the UK's best retailer for women's wear.In May, strong sales figures were driven not only by bog-standard basics such as underwear and T-shirts, but by more fashion-forward categories, too. Now, sales of women's party wear are up 49%, and knitwear up 23% in October compared with last year. Continue reading...

Israelis are politically divided, but there's widespread agreement that Benjamin Netanyahu's government needs to go

Force raided freelance journalist's property last year, seizing electronic devices and documentsA freelance journalist has defeated an attempt by the Metropolitan police to seize protected source material, after the high court quashed an order obtained by the force as part of an Official Secrets Act investigation into alleged defence and intelligence leaks.The high court ruled on Friday that Judge Mark Lucraft, the recorder of London, was wrong to have allowed police to obtain source material last year on the premise that information may have been stolen from the government. Continue reading...

Claims on X and Telegram include downplaying 7 October Hamas attack and allegations Palestinians are faking scenes of suffering

Some locals say number of stag party-type visitors is down after campaign targeting young BritonsBrits on tour!" laughed Devon Bennett, finishing her English breakfast at the all-day brunch restaurant Greenwoods. The 23-year-old from Brighton was in Amsterdam with 20 old school friends, attracted by the city's reputation for freedom, fun and frolics. If weed wasn't legal," said her friend Chloe Bishop, people wouldn't come here just to get high."But there is some evidence that high times are ending for partying Britons, whose stag and hen nights have become a byword for tourist nuisance in Amsterdam's red light district. Continue reading...

Regulations for carriages, which have been accused of ripping off tourists, announced in king's speechOn their last night in London, and for the second time on their trip, tourists Edward and Tiffany, from California, jumped into a pedal-powered taxi cab, commonly referred to as pedicabs. We just want to experience all the culture of London and we love these," Edward said, pointing at the bike decorated in faux fur and neon lights.I started off selling food in the streets, so for me to be able to support him, it's important. I know he'll probably have a family he's supporting, so it's nice to just give back to the people," he said. Continue reading...

Research found speeding or jumping a red light less likely in a Skoda or Hyundai than in brands sold as performance driving'What came first, the boy racer or the sports car? Academics have called for further research into the marketing of cars after analysis of UK accident data suggested that drivers of certain brands are more likely than others to cause a crash.A study of more than 400,000 UK road accidents found that when risky or aggressive manoeuvres" played a part in collisions, there was a significant statistical difference in driver culpability across different brands. Continue reading...

Amid talk of stalemate, long waits for western weapons and attention diverted to Gaza, experts say the conflict could last into 2025Ukraine's counteroffensive has stalled, with progress on the two principal axes on the southern front modest since it began on 4 June. Kyiv's forces have advanced about 10km south of Velyka Novosilka and 9km south of Orikhiv and there appears no prospect of a breakthrough as the weather turns.Last week, the reality was acknowledged by Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Kyiv's military. Just like in the first world war, we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate," he said in an interview with the Economist, while in a related essay he added that the war, after nearly 21 months of fighting, is gradually moving to a positional form". Continue reading...

Police say two-year-old was pronounced dead in hospital before another boy was found at the same address, south-west of Rockhampton

French president's comments come as aid agency Doctors Without Borders says situation at main Gaza hospital catastrophic'

Strikes increasing near al-Shifa hospital, where it is said more than 50,000 people may have taken shelter

Authorities step up checks and name and shame' content creators who break rules in move to regulate industryWhen Marie Lopez started recording YouTube videos of makeup and hair tutorials in her bedroom in Lyon aged 16, she ate, slept and breathed" social media.By 21, she had an online community of millions and was one of the most watched French women on YouTube, posting about topics from bullying and acne to ecology. Now 28, under the name EnjoyPhoenix she uploads content from her life so many times a day that she is scared to count her working hours, aware that part of success is to reveal more and more" of your private life. Continue reading...

Jacinta Allan asks for increased police presence around Hawthorn Road after authorities break up scuffles near a synagogue close to where the Palestinian-owned burger shop was damaged by a blaze

After eight weeks of evidence that heard of chronic and shocking' underfunding, Elisabeth Armitage wraps up landmark inquiry into killings of four women at hands of their partner

Head of World Health Organisation says Gaza's health system is on its knees'. This blog is now closed

Ukrainian naval drones sink two Russian landing boats in Crimea; Russian forces attempting to surround town of Avdiivka, Kyiv says Continue reading...

Iranian foreign minister says wider regional conflict inevitable as death toll among militant group rises to 78

Kelly Bayer Rosmarin to appear in person before inquiry next week as it investigates network crash that endured for up to 14 hours last Wednesday

Travel website apologises to partners left out of pocket, but those told they do not qualify for compensation say it adds insult to injuryTravel website Booking.com has apologised and offered some hotel operators cash compensation for leaving hotels and partners out of pocket for months, but those who have been left out of the payment say it adds insult to injury.In an email sent out to hotel operators this week, the Booking.com chief executive, Glenn Fogel, apologised for the impact that our finance and payment systems maintenance and the resulting delay in payments may have had on you and your business". Continue reading...

Just nine weeks after breaking his back during a horror bike accident, this Sydney teen is ready to show the world what he can doFletcher Crowley is in many ways like any other 17-year-old boy growing up on Sydney's northern beaches.He loves hanging out with his mates, cracking jokes, riding bikes and being outdoors. He's just started year 12. He's close with his mum and dad, who he says are so chill" - although he was still nervous about them finding out he had a tattoo.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Man, 32, due to face court after shots allegedly fired on Pacific Highway and a body discovered on Thursday

Former Howard government minister tells Sharri Markson the ABC is aligning themselves with policies in place with national socialism during world war two'

UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan says war between army and paramilitaries is horrific'Violence against civilians in Sudan is verging on pure evil," a senior UNofficial has warned, as fighting escalates seven months into the war between the army and paramilitaries.We keep saying that the situation is horrific and grim. But, frankly, we are running out of words to describe the horror of what is happening in Sudan," said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan. Continue reading...

Powerful earthquakes rock country's southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, increasing likelihood of eventIcelandic authorities have declared a state of emergency after a series of powerful earthquakes rocked the country's southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, signalling the increased likelihood of a volcanic eruption in the region.The National police chief ... declares a state of emergency for civil defence due to the intense earthquake (activity) at Sundhnjukagigar, north of Grindavik," the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement. Continue reading...

Robert Jenrick banned Care4Calais from Napier barracks after suggestions it encouraged asylum seekers to talk to mediaRobert Jenrick has barred a leading refugee charity from offering help to asylum seekers at a Home Office accommodation centre over claims the charity encouraged people to complain" and talk to journalists, it has emerged.The order from the immigration minister was uncovered when Care4Calais made a freedom of information request to the Home Office after their teams were banned from the Napier barracks site in Kent. Earlier this year Jenrick ordered a reception centre for child migrants to paint over its cartoon murals. Continue reading...

Judge says owner Curt Johnson, 52, wilfully blind to the risk' and inflatable should not have been in use'The owner of an inflatable trampoline which killed a three-year-old girl when it burst, throwing the toddler 40ft in the air, has been jailed for six months for health and safety offences.According to witnesses, Ava-May Littleboy was thrown the height of a house" when the inflatable trampoline she was on, which had no safety valve", exploded in July 2018, Chelmsford magistrates court heard. Continue reading...

Force warns that different protests will be kept apart but some may seek out trouble on SaturdayLarge groups are preparing to travel to London to confront" a pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day that organisers predict will be one of the biggest demonstrations ever seen in Britain, the Metropolitan police has said.As many as half a million people who want a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas could take to the streets on Saturday, the coalition of organisers of the march have claimed, prompting a mobilisation of 1,850 police officers. Continue reading...

Home secretary's allies claim over 50 MPs are backing her but moderate Tories say PM must take actionRishi Sunak is facing a civil war in the Conservative party over the future of the home secretary, as he held off sacking her for saying police were biased for allowing a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day.Before what is expected to be one of Britain's biggest ever days of mass protest on Saturday, allies of Suella Braverman claimed more than 50 Tory MPs were fighting to help her keep her job. Continue reading...

But prince, Elton John and fellow claimants cannot use leaked copies of papers supplied to Leveson inquiry in their casePrince Harry, Elton John and Doreen Lawrence have welcomed a judge's decision to give them the green light to continue their legal case against the publisher of the Daily Mail, as the company lost an attempt to have it thrown out at the high court.The three, along with David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and Simon Hughes, brought legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) for alleged unlawful information-gathering. Continue reading...

London mayor's office believes audio clips have been generated using artificial intelligence softwareFaked audio of Sadiq Khan dismissing the importance of Armistice Day events this weekend is circulating among extreme right groups, prompting a police investigation, according to the London mayor's office.One of the simulated audio clips circulating on TikTok begins: I don't give a flying shit about the Remembrance weekend," with the anonymous poster going on to ask is this for real or AI?" in an effort to provoke debate. Continue reading...

Paul McCartney says success of band's final' song together has blown my socks off', as it becomes the fastest-selling vinyl single this centuryThe Beatles have broken UK chart records as they return to No 1 with their final" song together, Now and Then - their 18th chart-topper in total.Their 17th No 1 was The Ballad of John and Yoko in 1969, meaning they are now the artists with the longest gap between No 1 singles: 54 years, smashing the record set last year by Kate Bush when she reached the top with Running Up That Hill, 44 years after her No 1 with Wuthering Heights. Neither of the new songs the living members of the Beatles released in 1995 and 1996, Free as a Bird and Real Love, topped the charts. Continue reading...

Christmas classics enter at No 37 and No 40 respectively, ahead of increasing ubiquity over the festive seasonPeople who argue that Christmas seems to come earlier every year now have an important piece of evidence: the earliest ever appearance of Christmas songs in the UK Top 40.We're not halfway through November, but already the widely agreed-upon pair of greatest modern Christmas classics - Wham!'s Last Christmas and Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You - have entered the chart at No 37 and No 40 respectively. Last year, it took until the third week of November for a Christmas song to appear, namely All I Want for Christmas Is You. Each song will now almost certainly remain in the chart for the rest of the year, and possibly early 2024. Continue reading...

Clinicians hold placards of nearly 200 colleagues killed in Israeli bombardment and call on Rishi Sunak to push for urgent ceasefireBritish healthcare workers in uniform protested outside Downing Street on Friday to commemorate almost 200 clinicians killed in Gaza since Israel's bombardment began. The vigil was organised to call on Rishi Sunak to push for an urgent ceasefire.Many of the hospital workers taking part carried one of 189 different placards bearing the name of a healthcare worker killed in Gaza in the past month. Organisers said that in the time it took for the names to be printed, several more would have died. Continue reading...

Police to put tight controls on protesters' movements with hundreds of thousands expected at event on Armistice Day

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereAccording to Sky's Beth Rigby, some ministers think No 10 would be wrong to wait until the middle of next week before deciding Suella Braverman's fate.Senior minister: We can't continue like this" No 10 may want to wait & see what happens at w/end & & poss wait for Supreme Court on Weds [Rwanda decision] But relationship with police is v damaged. Credibility generally is low. Delay makes the govt look weak unfortunately"The home secretary's aides submitted a draft of the article to No 10 on Wednesday. Officials came back that evening with a series of amendments, toning down some of the most incendiary claims.Braverman accepted some of the amendments, including removing a warning to the police not to take a soft touch" approach at the Armistice Day protest, along with claims that there was ample evidence" that senior police officers were biased. She also removed a direct reference to Sunak at No 10's request. But she rejected further changes, including suggestions that she remove the comparison to rallies in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.One minister familiar with No 10's thinking said that Sunak's team would wait until after the Supreme Court publishes its judgment. They said: The bigger problem is the fact that we've got the Rwanda ruling next Wednesday. Surely people will want that to be finished before moving forward. You'd want to know the outcome of that before deciding what kind of home secretary you want going forward." Continue reading...

Crowdfunding and significant donation from Nigel West - who has a family connection to Charlotte's husband - secure property, with plans to transform it into a cultural and education centreCampaigners have saved the birthplace of the Bronte sisters and are now fundraising to turn the building into a cultural and education centre - helped by a man with a link to the literary family.Nigel West, who traces a family connection to Charlotte Bronte's husband, made a significant donation" to the crowdfunding appeal, which aims to transform 72-74 Market Street in Thornton, Bradford, into a tourist destination. Continue reading...

The Oscar-nominated director will adapt the recent biography by Walter Isaacson after independent studio A24 won a heated' bidding war for rightsA biopic of billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk is now in the works after independent studio A24 won the adaptation rights to Walter Isaacson's recent biography, with Black Swan's Darren Aronofsky on board to direct.Variety magazine reports that A24 triumphed in a heated competition" bidding war to acquire Isaacson's authorised biography Elon Musk, which was published in September. It was heavily criticised in some quarters, with the Guardian describing it as a dull, insight-free doorstop of a book", and it generated a number of controversies itself, with Isaacson forced to correct a suggestion that Musk had ordered his Starlink satellite communications network to be turned off to stop a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian warships. Continue reading...

Seven key moments, including top civil servants' exasperation at chaotic environment in Downing Street

Proposal comes after study showing 50% increase in risk of uterine cancer for users of straighteners, who are frequently Black womenThe Biden administration is proposing banning hair straighteners that contain formaldehyde, products in the US which are largely used by Black women.The move comes after years of pressure from public health advocates and follows recent calls from the US congresswomen Shontel Brown and Ayanna Pressley, both Black women, to ban the products. Continue reading...

Judge says he isn't attacking free speech, but practice of using lyrics as evidence has been widely denounced by major record labels and stars including Jay-ZA judge has said lyrics will be admissible as evidence in the trial of star US rapper Young Thug, a controversial practice that has been decried by free speech groups and other stars such as Jay-Z and Coldplay.Known for his distinctive vocal timbre, Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed rappers in the US, whose albums So Much Fun and Punk both topped the charts there. He will shortly go on trial in his home city of Atlanta for racketeering, accused of running what prosecutors call a criminal street gang" called YSL (Young Slime Life, also Young Stoner Life), members of which have been charged with murder, carjackings and other alleged crimes. Williams's legal team maintain YSL is a record label and music collective, with lawyer Brian Steel saying the rapper has committed no violation of law whatsoever". Continue reading...

Supermarket chain to remove self-checkouts from all but two of its stores, saying we're not great fans'Some people love the speed and efficiency of supermarket self-checkouts. But then there's the not recognising your bag, the unexpected item in the bagging area, the surprising item on the scale, the point-blank refusal to scan something, the constant coupon confusion, and that's all before the long - so long - wait to get your alcohol or paracetamol approved.Booths, a high-end northern England supermarket chain, is siding with the dislikers and has announced it is removing self-checkouts in the majority of its stores. We're not great fans of self-checkouts," the Booths managing director, Nigel Murray, told the Grocer. We pride ourselves on great customer service and you can't do that through a robot." Continue reading...

Politicians have long sought to silence the genre, but previous clamp downs have only boosted its popularityA typical song by Peso Pluma, one of Mexico's most popular singers, might start with a guitar and a trumpet, sounding like something for the older crowd - but then come the lyrics telling of drug shipments, stacks of cash and diamond-encrusted pistols.Peso Pluma has produced some of the most notorious recent examples of narcocorridos - ballads celebrating the exploits of the Mexican underworld that are hugely popular not just at home but across Latin America and the US. Continue reading...

Actor and singer was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 and revealed it was terminal last AugustJohnny Ruffo, the former Home and Away actor and X Factor contestant, has died aged 35.Ruffo was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017, and underwent surgery to remove a tumour, but the cancer returned three years later. Last August, Ruffo revealed that his diagnosis was terminal. Continue reading...

Move follows resignation of CEO over row linked to closure of former Ukip leader's bank accountsNatWest is expected to scrap most of a potentially 10m-plus payout to Alison Rose, the banking group's former chief executive, who was forced to resign over a scandal linked to the closure of Nigel Farage's bank accounts.The board of NatWest is poised to announce that it will not pay most of the discretionary elements of Rose's remuneration package that are linked to performance, in an attempt to draw a line under the controversy. The taxpayer still owns almost 40% of NatWest, 15 years after it was bailed out by the UK government during the financial crisis. Continue reading...

Long-beaked echidna with spines of a hedgehog and snout of an anteater photographed on last day of expeditionScientists have rediscovered a long-lost species of mammal described as having the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater and the feet of a mole, in Indonesia's Cyclops Mountains more than 60 years after it was last recorded.