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Former lady-in-waiting stepped down from palace role after incident in which she asked guest where she ‘really came from’

Foreign Office targets 22 officials, including Denis Manturov, deputy prime minister responsible for troop supplies

Documents show Thurrock failed to act despite being cautioned about scale and risky nature of investmentsThe Tory-led Thurrock council, which is on the brink of bankruptcy after losing hundreds of millions of pounds on failed commercial investments, repeatedly ignored warnings from financial experts over the “unprecedented risks” it was taking with public money, it has emerged.According to documents obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ), Thurrock’s top finance official failed to act despite being cautioned about the scale, speed and risky nature of the council’s investments. Continue reading...

Penelope Schofield expresses ‘deep regret’ that families of 11 men killed in 2015 disaster have had to wait so longA coroner has apologised to the families of 11 men who were killed in the Shoreham airshow tragedy for having to wait so long for an inquest into their deaths to resume.The West Sussex senior coroner, Penelope Schofield, expressed her “deepest regret” that delays to the inquest had added to the ordeal endured by relatives of those who died. Continue reading...

Leaked evidence shows trail of missed opportunities to improve test-and-trace regime in early days of pandemicPublic health leaders were slow to act on repeated warnings over Christmas 2020 that contact tracing and isolation should be triggered immediately after a positive lateral flow test result, leaked evidence to the Covid inquiry shows.A scathing “lessons learned” document written by Dr Achim Wolf, a senior test and trace official, and submitted to the inquiry, gives his account of a trail of missed opportunities to improve the NHS test-and-trace regime in the first winter and spring of the pandemic – before vaccines were available. Continue reading...

PM Anthony Albanese leads the applause for the Socceroos, who were also cheered on by huge crowds in Melbourne and SydneyAustralia’s historic World Cup win over Denmark sparked wild celebrations across the country in the early hours of the morning as the team progressed to the knockout stages of the finals for only the second time.Thousands of fans had gathered in Melbourne’s Federation Square to watch the match in the middle of the night and erupted in ecstasy when Mathew Leckie scored to put them into the lead after an hour. Continue reading...

GMB union, announcing vote in favour of strikes across nine trusts, says action as much about patient safety as pay

State attempts to push through plans to shut hundreds of factory farms to cut nitrogen oxide emissionsThe Dutch government is offering to buy out up to 3,000 “peak polluter” farms and major industrial polluters in an attempt to reduce ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions that are illegal under EU law.The nitrogen minister, Christianne van der Wal, said farmers would be offered more than 100% of the value of their farms to quit. For the first time, the government has said that forced buyouts will follow next year if the voluntary measures fail. Continue reading...

State media say Jiang died from leukaemia and multiple organ failure in ShanghaiChina’s former leader Jiang Zemin, who was elevated to the head of the Communist Party as a loyalist during the Tiananmen protests and then presided over years of economic expansion, has died aged 96.The cause of death was leukaemia and multiple organ failure, state media said. His life ended in a hospital in Shanghai, the city that was his power base, and has beenthe scene of recent protests against the government and its Covid controls. Continue reading...

Draft regulations would ban mini-shampoo bottles and throwaway cups, with push towards reuse over recyclingThe EU executive wants to ban mini-shampoo bottles in hotels and the use of throwaway cups in cafes and restaurants, as part of sweeping legal proposals to curb Europe’s mountains of waste.A draft EU regulation published on Wednesday also proposes mandatory deposit and return schemes for single-use plastic drinks bottles and metal cans, as well as an end to e-commerce firms wrapping small items in huge boxes. Continue reading...

HSBC is to shut a further 114 branches – more than a quarter of its network. Here is the list of sites to close

It is notable that no other country has adopted a fully privatised model of water delivery

Redfern Legal Centre calls for compensation after withdrawal of 33,000 pandemic-era fines

Exclusive: Mother of former year 12 student discovered messages between teacher and her son after he died last year

Labour leader asks PM why he handed his old school Winchester £6m in taxpayers’ money

Footage shows fireworks and cheering across Iran and at Qatar stadium after team representing Islamic Republic lost 1-0Some Iranians have celebrated their team’s loss to the US and subsequent exit from the World Cup, as demonstrations against the government’s treatment of protesters took place inside and outside the stadium in Qatar and across Iran.The contest between the Iranian and American sides, whose countries severed diplomatic ties more than 40 years ago, took place under increased security to prevent a flare-up over the anti-government protests that have taken place across Iran since the death in custody of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on 16 September. Continue reading...

EU to set up court to investigate war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine; Russian strikes in Zaporizhzhia region hit gas distribution point

North of Tyne mayor says he cannot be sure trains would get him to Manchester for meeting with minister

Largest banks would still be ringfenced, while smaller lenders might not need to follow rulesMinisters are considering relaxing rules brought in to stabilise the banking system after the credit crunch, as part of government plans to deregulate the City of London and spark a second big bang for financial services after Brexit.The ringfencing regulations, introduced in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, require lenders to separate their high street operations from other activities such as investment banking or international operations. Continue reading...

Court rules same-sex marriage ban is constitutional but says lack of legal protection is human rights violationA Tokyo court has ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional but said the lack of legal protection for same-sex couples violated their human rights, which plaintiffs welcomed as a step toward aligning Japan with other G7 nations.Japan is the only G7 nation that does not allow same-sex marriage and its constitution defines marriage as based on “the mutual consent of both sexes”. The ruling party of the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has disclosed no plans yet to review the matter or propose legislation, though several senior members support same-sex marriage. Continue reading...

PM tells business leaders his government is ‘working around the clock to deliver a solution’ and flags collaboration with states

New electricity price controls from 2023 to 2028 will keep costs to customers at about £100 a yearThe operators of Great Britain’s local energy networks will be forced to spend more of their profits on investing to future-proof the country’s electricity grid, after the regulator, Ofgem, said it would not allow any rises in household bills.In a new set of price controls that will run from 2023 to 2028, the energy watchdog said it would keep costs to customers unchanged at about £100 a year. Continue reading...

Heston Russell’s lawyer tells federal court readers were given ‘impression’ he was responsible for shooting an unarmed prisoner in Afghanistan

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NSW treasurer savaged his party’s preselection processes and warned that the community expects more diversity in its parliaments

ADF has never investigated whether course in coping with being interrogated or tortured was linked to deaths, royal commission hears

Brad Battin and Richard Riordan make up contenders in three-way contest after Ryan Smith withdraws

In today’s newsletter: Why a purported solution to concerns about voter fraud may create a whole set of new problems instead. An electoral systems expert explains how

New Zealand’s health services go to court over guardianship of four-month-old boy whose parents have not let heart operation go aheadNew Zealand’s health service has made a court application over the guardianship of a four-month-old baby whose parents are refusing to allow his life-saving heart surgery to go ahead unless non-vaccinated blood is used.The parents of the baby discussed their son’s health situation and their medical preferences in an interview with an anti-vaccination campaigner. Continue reading...

Former PM claims he would have answered truthfully if asked about any of the secret ministries he held and repeated past defence of arrangements

Headline CPI rate eases from 7.3% to 6.9%, lower than economists’ expectations, but fuel prices still rose as full excise rate returned

Death is third this month linked to NSW flooding crisis after Ljubisa ‘Les’ Vugec, 85, and Dianne Smith, 60, died in Eugowra

Rap mogul will pay ex-wife $200,000 a month in child support, and both will share custody of childrenKim Kardashian and Kanye West have reached a settlement in their divorce, averting a trial that had been set for next month, court documents filed on Tuesday showed.The former couple and their attorneys filed documents asking for a judge’s approval of terms they have agreed on, including $200,000 a month child support payments from Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to Kardashian. Continue reading...

‘Our dear Masha, we all hope that you will be alright!’ said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of trio of women who led 2020 protestsThe jailed Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova has been admitted to intensive care and undergone surgery, her allies have said.“Maria is in the emergency hospital in Gomel, in the intensive care unit,” said the press service of Viktor Babaryko, another opposition politician. Continue reading...

The Victorian artist wins for his small painting of artist and friend Lewis Miller, who was also nominated for his own portrait of Drendel

Role of church in parliament and schools questioned as census shows 5.5m fewer holders of faith in England and WalesCensus results revealing that England is no longer a majority-Christian country have sparked calls for an end to the church’s role in parliament and schools, while Leicester and Birmingham became the first UK cities with “minority majorities”.For the first time in a census, less than half of the population of England and Wales – 27.5 million people – described themselves as “Christian”, 5.5 million fewer than in 2011. It triggered calls for urgent reform of laws requiring Christian teaching and worship in schools and Church of England bishops to sit in the House of Lords. Continue reading...

Veterans of Hong Kong’s 2019 protests see echoes in mainland’s anti-Covid anger, but fear a similar outcomeJack*, a Hongkonger, used to have a grim view of mainland Chinese people, but the protests over anti-Covid restrictions that exploded across China last weekend changed his view.“Before, I thought they were mostly the arrogant and nationalistic people who just cared only about safeguarding ‘one China’ and the [Communist] party, and who boasted about the superiority of China,” said the 35-year-old IT professional, who did not want to give his real name for fear of repercussions from Beijing. Continue reading...

Monday the largest in-person early voting day as Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker neck and neck before 6 December electionThe number of people casting early ballots in the runoff election for one of Georgia’s seats in the US Senate has already broken records since the process began on the weekend, with some counties posting staggeringly long wait times at early voting sites during the first days of early voting.Reports on Monday’s turnout varied from more than 250,000 voters to more than 300,000 on the first day of statewide early operation of the polls. Some counties began earlier. Continue reading...

Letter from 44 charities urges independent investigation into ‘appalling’ treatment of people at Kent processing centreSuella Braverman, the home secretary, is being urged by 44 leading charities to launch a Windrush-style inquiry into the crisis that engulfed Manston processing centre.Organisations including the Refugee Council, Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee have written a letter to the Guardian seeking an independent investigation into how people seeking refuge in the UK were forced to live in cramped and insanitary conditions. Continue reading...

Racing to wean itself off Russian gas supplies, Germany is set to buy 2m tonnes of liquid gas from Gulf stateGerman firms have signed a 15-year deal to buy 2m tonnes of liquid gas from Qatar, sending out mixed signals over the priority Germany places on human rights in the Gulf and its commitment to a carbon neutral energy supply.The deal was announced by state-owned Qatar Energy and deliveries will start from 2026. The gas will be sold by Qatar to the US company ConocoPhillips, which will then deliver it to the LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel, Qatar’s energy minister said in the capital, Doha. Continue reading...

Andriy Pavelko and general secretary accused of embezzling funds related to construction of artificial grass factoryTwo leading officials in Ukraine’s football association, including its head, have been arrested over fraud and money-laundering allegations related to the construction of an artificial grass factory.Andriy Pavelko, the president of the Ukraine FA, and Yuri Zapisotsky, the association’s general secretary, are accused of “embezzling” 26.5m Ukrainian Hryvnia (£600,000). Continue reading...

Harem Ahmed Abwbaker accused of being member of crime gang behind November 2021 attempted voyage in which dinghy sankA man has been arrested in the UK in connection with the deaths of at least 27 people who drowned while trying to cross the Channel in a dinghy a year ago.Harem Ahmed Abwbaker, 32, was detained at an address in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, at about 6.45am on Tuesday, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Continue reading...

Six to one ratio for recognising IWGB defies RSA management’s ‘pernicious’ attempt to vilify unionStaff at the Royal Society of the Arts have overwhelmingly voted for union representation in a bitter blow to the senior management team, who vigorously opposed a six-month-long grassroots campaign.Almost 86% of the votes cast in a ballot of RSA staff organised by the Central Arbitration Committee, a government tribunal, which handles union recognition disputes, were in favour of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) negotiating over pay, holidays and hours. Continue reading...

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Andrew Bailey tells Lords committee of ‘extraordinary process’ with ‘no formal communication’ between Treasury and BankThe governor of the Bank of England has indicated it was left blindsided by Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget, describing an “extraordinary process” in which there was “no formal communication” before the chancellor unveiled his measures.In candid evidence to the Lords economic affairs committee, Andrew Bailey said Kwarteng had broken with tradition by failing to brief the central bank, suggesting that even Treasury officials were not fully aware of his plans a day before the event. Continue reading...

Prison services confirm attack on Janusz Waluś, who was due to be released after nearly three decadesThe killer of the South African anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani has been stabbed in prison, days after the country’s top court ordered him to be released on parole, the prison service said.In a statement, the Department of Correctional Services said on Tuesday it was “able to confirm an unfortunate stabbing incident” involving Janusz Waluś, who has spent nearly three decades in jail for the 1993 killing. Continue reading...

Both were bailed hours before Iran faces US in World Cup, following release of hundreds of other prisonersIran has released two former members of its international football team who were arrested on charges related to countrywide protests, just hours before the national squad was set to play the US at the World Cup.Right-back Voria Ghafouri was detained last week and accused of tarnishing “the reputation of the national team and spreading propaganda against the state”, while retired goalkeeper Parviz Boroumand was arrested nearly two weeks ago on charges of participating in rallies in the capital, Tehran. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds many children do not know they are consuming highly addictive nicotine in vapes until it is too late

CMA’s findings will disappoint many artists who have struggled to make a meaningful income from streamingThe world’s biggest record labels and streaming services are not making excessive profits at the expense of artists struggling to make a living from the digital music revolution, a long-running investigation by the UK competition watchdog has concluded.The Competition and Markets Authority said artists’ concerns about low returns were understandable, but intervening in the market would be unlikely to help. Continue reading...