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Campaigners reject justification that significant progress' has been made towards reform and describe news as insultingThe Home Office team that was tasked with transforming the department after the Windrush scandal has been formally disbanded, triggering disappointment from those affected and dismay from civil servants.The Home Office's annual report confirmed that the department's dedicated post-Windrush transformation" team had been wound down due to the significant progress we have made". Continue reading...

With 26 English local authorities at risk of following Birmingham in next two years, a longer-term view is neededIn Michael Gove's otherwise sombre speech to parliament on Tuesday announcing a team of commissioners to run the cash-strapped Labour-run Birmingham council, the communities secretary could not resist a swipe at his political opponents.I think it important for us to recognise that the intervention in Birmingham, and our [previous] interventions in Sandwell and Liverpool, have all been interventions in Labour-led local authorities in which comprehensive mismanagement extended back over years," he said. Continue reading...

MP says investigation sparked by a letter to the Observer seen as arguing there is a hierarchy of racism is being run out of party HQDiane Abbott has accused Labour of leading a fraudulent" investigation into her comments about racism that left her suspended from the party.Abbott, who became the UK's first black female MP in 1987, has claimed the party's whips office is no longer conducting a formal investigation. Instead, she claims the internal inquiry is now run entirely out of the Labour party HQ, which reports to Keir Starmer - and there is no investigation". Continue reading...

Letter, spearheaded by Reading Rainbow's LeVar Burton, includes 175 signatories calling on Hollywood to fight bans in US schoolsAriana Grande, Guillermo del Toro, Mark Ruffalo and Amanda Gorman are among the over 175 actors, entertainers, authors, activists and others who have signed an open letter calling on Hollywood to use their influence to oppose book bans.The letter, spearheaded by Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton and published via the political advocacy organization MoveOn Political Action, calls out books bans in US schools as restrictive behavior" that is antithetical to free speech and expression". It also emphasizes the chilling effect" the bans, often implemented at the local level, can have on the broader creative field". Continue reading...

Khalistani groups who want independence of Punjab accuse India of killings in UK and elsewhere

Full inquiry under way at broadcaster into comedian's time there as it removes all his shows from catch-up serviceThe BBC has pledged to investigate whether Russell Brand used the broadcaster's taxis to pick up a 16-year-old girl from school, as it removed all of the comedian's shows from its catch-up services.Brand, then 31, has been accused of using cars paid for by his then-employers at the BBC to drive his young girlfriend around London. Continue reading...

NAO says Cabinet Office failed to follow proper processes when taxpayers' money was used to fund legal billsThe Cabinet Office failed to follow proper processes when it allowed taxpayers' money to be used to fund Boris Johnson's Partygate legal bills, the UK's public spending watchdog has said.The government's justifications for the 265,000 spend were also deemed to be borderline" and not wholly persuasive" by the National Audit Office (NAO). Continue reading...

Lloyd Austin urges allies to donate whatever air defence munitions they can

Liberty warns decision to prosecute Trudi Warner, 68, for contempt of court after protest outside London court was concerning'Civil liberty campaigners have warned that the prosecution of a woman for holding up a placard about the rights of jurors outside a court is part of the government's increasing attacks on the right to protest.Liberty said the decision to prosecute Trudi Warner, 68, for contempt of court for sitting outside a London trial holding up a sign was concerning". Continue reading...

Lawsuit is the company's first legal pursuit against Bankman-Fried's parents for their role in the companyFTX is suing the parents of Sam Bankman-Fried, two longtime Stanford Law School professors, alleging that the couple inappropriately used company funds to enrich themselves through gifts and donations.The cryptocurrency company, now operating under CEO John Jay Ray III, an expert in helping companies recover after bankruptcy, claims Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried received funds from their son's company in the form of gifts and donations to specific causes. Continue reading...

An unattended pastry truck was irresistible to a bear mom and her cub, who gorged on doughnuts before being chased awayTwo bears on an Alaska military base raided a Krispy Kreme doughnut van that was stopped outside a convenience store during its delivery route.The driver usually left his doors open when he stopped at the store but this time a sow and one of her cubs that loitered nearby sauntered inside, where they stayed for probably 20 minutes on Tuesday morning, said Shelly Deano, the store manager for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson JMM Express. The bears chomped on doughnut holes and other pastries, ignoring the banging on the side of the van that was intended to shoo them away, Deano said. Continue reading...

US secretary of state announced the formation of an international coalition to address crisis that has an immeasurable cost'US diplomats at the UN general assembly in New York have unveiled steps aimed at tackling the proliferation of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs which the American secretary of state, Antony Blinken, described as a global threat".At a meeting on Monday, the most senior US diplomat announced the formation of an international coalition to address the crisis, saying that the US may have been to some extent a canary in the coalmine when it comes to fentanyl, but alas, we are not alone". Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak's government seen as less competent that Boris Johnson's administrationThe UK economy is set to witness the highest inflation rate of the world's G7 advanced economies this year, according to new forecasts, PA Media reports. PA says:The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also increased its predicted average UK inflation rate for 2023 compared with its previous estimate.Economists at the globally recognised organisation also reduced their UK growth forecast slightly for next year amid pressure from higher interest rates. Continue reading...

Rise in delivery and processing costs combined with increased use of free returns service has led to 1.99 chargeThe Swedish fast fashion chain H&M has become the latest in its sector to start charging shoppers to return unwanted items bought online.The group, the world's second-largest clothing retailer after Zara-owner Inditex, will charge 1.99 to take back items that are not damaged or faulty - either in stores or via the post. Continue reading...

DfE says number where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete has been found has risen from 147 to 174

As Birmingham is placed in special measures the council reviews assets such as its library and stadiumAs government commissioners are sent to run Birmingham city council as it embarks on the challenge of pulling itself back from the financial brink, speculation is growing about which council assets could be at risk.Back in 2015 the local authority sold the NEC Group, which includes the National Exhibition Centre, International Convention Centre, Utilita and Resorts World Arena, for 307m to help fund its equal pay claim bill, which has only continued to rise since. Continue reading...

Evidence collected by New York Times suggests Russia may not have been responsible for strike

Virginia McCullough remanded in custody until plea hearing on 1 DecemberA woman has appeared in court accused of murdering her parents whose remains are believed to have been found at her house in Essex, police have said.Virginia McCullough, 35, appeared by prison video link at Basildon crown court charged with the murders of John and Lois McCullough, who were in their 70s. Continue reading...

Report identifies toxic culture' and breaches of human rights laws relating to torture and inhuman treatment

Watchdog launched inquiry after row over Coutts's handling of Nigel Farage's account

Emergency services called after Toyota Corolla smashes into Coles in Ballina and allegedly strikes woman

More than 1,800 cases of people criminalized for their pregnancies between Roe's emergence in 1973 and its end in 2022, report showsLaw enforcement carried out nearly 1,400 arrests of people for allegedly endangering unborn life" between 2006 and the fall of Roe v Wade in 2022, according to a new report released Tuesday, which found a sharp rise in how often people face criminal consequences over pregnancy.The report is the only comprehensive accounting of how law enforcement criminalized pregnant people during the Roe era. Notably, relatively few of the cases captured in the report involve abortion. Instead, they focus on individuals who lost pregnancies or were accused of child abuse" while pregnant. Continue reading...

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Former Liberal minister's response comes as Anthony Albanese urges respectful' referendum debate after conservative politicians were insulted at a no campaign event

Health secretary sets out proposals to extend minimum cover laws as 48-hour strike begins in EnglandThe health secretary has accused NHS staff in England of planning politically timed" industrial action as he outlined proposals to extend strike laws to ensure doctors and nurses in hospitals provide a minimum level of cover.As consultants began another 48-hour strike on Tuesday as part of a row over pay, one of their representatives warned Steve Barclay that the plans - which are unlikely to come into force until the new year - would only save up problems for later". Continue reading...

Lawyer for Australian Muslim Advocacy Network argues white supremacist's tweets caused harm to local Muslims

Danushka Gunathilaka has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a woman after the pair matched on Tinder and met for a date

Google-owned company says move is due to it violating our creator responsibility policy'YouTube has suspended Russell Brand's revenues from his channel on the platform following allegations of rape and sexual assault in a massive hit to his finances.The video-sharing and social media site said it had suspended Brand's channel from the YouTube partner program after serious allegations against him, meaning his videos are no longer able to monetise on the platform. Continue reading...

Week-long operation targeting criminal drug syndicates nets 814kg of methamphetamine and 182kg of MDMA

Go-it-alone approach to building network between Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong shelved entirely. This blog is now closed

BoM warns it's likely this summer will be hotter than average and certainly hotter than the last three years'

Ethiopian government is failing to protect its citizens from grave' human rights abuses, amid rising violence and hate speech - reportHuman rights abuses are still being committed in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region more than 10 months after a ceasefire formally ended the bloody civil war, according to a group of UN experts.The latest report by the UN's International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said the nation's government was failing to protect its citizens from grave and ongoing" human rights abuses being committed by militias and Eritrean troops, who fought alongside Ethiopia's federal military and remain in border areas of Tigray. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese praises Victorian government for not flogging off' site to developers as he announces project alongside Daniel Andrews

Exclusive: Firms call on future PM to introduce 15-per-hour minimum wage for frontline workersCare home bosses are demanding the next government funds a 44% pay rise for frontline staff to stabilise the crisis-hit sector and boost a system that is in an extremely precarious state".Care England, whose members include the largest care home chains, is calling for the next prime minister to set a 15-per-hour minimum wage for care workers as part of a 10bn a year support package. There are currently over 152,000 vacant posts, 430,000 people are on care waiting lists and scores of facilities are rated inadequate in the care system. Continue reading...

Prime minister defends social media bill amid concerns from Christian groups it could portray religious teachings as misinformation

India rejects as absurd' allegation by PM that it was responsible for fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soilJustin Trudeau has said there is credible evidence" India is responsible for the alleged assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Canadian Sikh leader, a claim Delhi dismissed as absurd".The Canadian prime minister told the House of Commons of Canada on Monday that, in recent weeks, national security authorities had been probing allegations that New Delhi was behind a state-sponsored assassination. Continue reading...

NSW treasurer Daniel Mookhey points to largest debt any incoming state government has ever inherited' as he hands down party's first budget in more than a decade

Ukraine president visits wounded soldiers in New York and questions Russia's right to a security council seat ahead of key speech at UN general assembly

Figures reveal NSW is expected to be back in the black next financial year and will focus on paying down debt

The comedian, presenter and actor has been accused of sexual assault, emotional abuse and rape between 2006 and 2013 - allegations Brand denies. Alexandra Topping explains why such stories can be particularly difficult to investigateRussell Brand's public persona has always been outrageous, controversial and sexually explicit. Yet despite multiple falls from grace he became a ubiquitous presence in the British media as a TV and radio presenter and comedian. After yet another scandal he left the UK for the US - starring in Hollywood films and being briefly married to the pop star Katy Perry.But now he has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse. The allegations against him come from a number of women, one of whom says Brand started a sexual relationship with her when she was 16 years old that spanned seven years. Nosheen Iqbal hears how alongside serious assaults, former colleagues say his inappropriate behaviour on and off air went unchallenged. Continue reading...

Police allege the man initially attacked a male student with a frying pan then stabbed two female students

Acting commissioner says use of bean bag rounds suspended in state after Krista Kach Tasered and shot by officers in Newcastle last week

China's latest missing minister underscores the move to centralised rule, and how questioning Xi's judgement has become increasingly dangerousThree weeks after he was last seen in public, there is still no official confirmation about what has happened to Gen Li Shangfu, China's defence minister and the latest senior official to be seemingly swept up in China's political purges.Last week, Reuters reported that Li, along with eight other senior officials, was under investigation for the corrupt procurement of military equipment relating to his time at the helm of the equipment division of the Central Military Commission, the military's ruling body, between September 2017 and October 2022. US intelligence has also made similar conclusions. Continue reading...

Former PM became lighting rod for discontent' among some voters as analysts say her time in office associated with Covid falloutAs the final month of campaigning in New Zealand's election begins, one figure is noticeably absent for observers abroad: former prime minister Jacinda Ardern.

Police allege Stanley Turvey fired a shot in the air during attempted arrest near Shepparton

Recapture of two villages near Bakhmut by Ukraine hailed as important breakthrough; Kyiv dismisses six deputy defence ministers Continue reading...

Hundreds have demonstrated demanding urgent' international investigations into the disaster that left thousands deadProtests broke out in the Libyan city of Derna on Monday, with hundreds venting their anger against authorities and demanding accountability one week after a flood that killed thousands of residents and destroyed entire neighbourhoods.Later in the evening, angry protesters set fire to the house of the man who was Derna's mayor at the time of the flood, Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi, his office manager told Reuters. Continue reading...

Residents warned to be prepared on Tuesday as weather bureau predicts Wednesday could be even hotter with extreme fire danger

Leaders insisted war in Ukraine had not distracted them from sustainable development goalsWestern leaders have gone on a charm offensive on the opening day of the UN general assembly as they were forced to defend their record in meeting the organisation's sustainable development goals (SDGs), and insist that the war in Ukraine had not distracted them from this commitment to end global inequality.At a special summit in New York amounting to a halfway stocktake on progress towards meeting the goals by the target date of 2030, all sides acknowledged there was little chance that the ambitious set of commitments set in 2015, including ending extreme poverty and safeguarding the environment, will be met on schedule. Continue reading...

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