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Workplace relations minister ‘devastated’ at breakdown in lengthy pay negotiations, but says industrial relations bill offers a solution

Public is tired of being told what to do, says presenter who finds modern need to avoid offending people ‘exhausting’It was a hit makeover reality show that ran for seven series, but What Not to Wear would not get commissioned today because people no longer enjoy being told what to do, the TV fashion guru Susannah Constantine has said.The BBC programme brought Constantine and her co-host, Trinny Woodall, to national prominence when it aired in 2001, introducing audiences to the pair’s straight-talking style advice and trademark boob-grabbing. Continue reading...

Doctors and nurses fear they will be unable to cope with flu, Covid and cost of living crisis, bosses sayDoctors and nurses are “absolutely frightened and petrified” about how bad this winter will be for the NHS in England, hospital bosses have revealed.Staff fear services will not be able to cope with a combination of flu, resurgent Covid, winter and the cost of living crisis damaging people’s health, and also the wave of looming strikes over pay. Continue reading...

Justice minister approves extradition of woman arrested on suspicion of the murder of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in AucklandA woman arrested in connection with the death of two children who were found dead in suitcases in Auckland will be extradited from South Korea within 30 days.South Korean justice minister Han Dong-hoon issued the order on Monday for the extradition of the woman to New Zealand, the ministry said in a statement. Continue reading...

PM, also under pressure to raise benefits and public sector pay with inflation, claims ‘compassion’ will be at heart of autumn statementRishi Sunak has given his strongest hint the government will protect the triple lock on pensions, saying pensioners “will always be at the forefront of my mind”.The rule, which applies to UK state pensions, means pensions must rise each year in line with the highest of three possible figures: inflation, average earnings, or 2.5%. Continue reading...

Organisation says event will start powerful conversations about stopping violence against women, but critics unconvinced

One of the original line-up of the BBC’s car show, Baker had been suffering from motor neurone diseaseSue Baker, one of the original presenters of BBC’s Top Gear and the Observer’s former motoring editor, has died aged 67. Baker, who joined the original format of the TV series in 1980, died on Monday morning after suffering with motor neurone disease (MND).She appeared on more than 100 episodes of the car programme until 1991. She then left to continue her work as a motoring journalist. Continue reading...

Exclusive: fresh claims that Simon McDonald relayed staff complaints to Raab when he was foreign secretaryDominic Raab was warned about his behaviour towards officials during his time as foreign secretary by the department’s top civil servant, who then informally reported his concerns to the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team.The Guardian understands that Simon McDonald, the then permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, spoke to Raab on several occasions during his tenure about how he treated staff in his private office and during meetings. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Steve Barclay not tasked with manifesto commitment, raising fears that shortage of doctors in England will continueRishi Sunak has fuelled concerns that the government will miss its target of recruiting 6,000 more GPs in England, which was promised in the 2019 Conservative manifesto.The prime minister omitted the pledge from his appointment letter to the health secretary, Steve Barclay, laying out expectations for what should be delivered by March 2024. Continue reading...

Critics claim latest effort to reduce Channel crossings is ‘throwing good money after bad’Conservative MPs have joined unions and refugee groups in condemning a £63m deal signed by Suella Braverman with her French counterpart to reduce the number of people attempting to cross the Channel in small boats.Natalie Elphicke, the member for Dover, and Tim Loughton, a senior home affairs select committee member, questioned whether the bilateral agreement will do enough to address a surge of new arrivals after it failed to establish joint patrols or guarantee that people smugglers are detained. Continue reading...

Former minister George Eustice tells Commons senior civil servant in charge of negotiations should be replacedThe UK’s flagship post-Brexit trade deal with Australia is “not actually a very good deal”, former environment secretary George Eustice has said.In highly critical comments, Eustice called for the resignation of Crawford Falconer, the interim permanent secretary for the Department for International Trade, telling the Commons Falconer “resented” people who understood technical trade issues better than him. Continue reading...

Bill Burns says US is not ‘discussing settlement of war’ in Ukraine as Zelenskiy visits KhersonThe CIA director, Bill Burns, met his Russian counterpart in Ankara on Monday in a rare high-level meeting, but the US insists it is not engaged in secret peace talks with Moscow without Ukrainian officials being present.The meeting in the Turkish capital with the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, followed speculation that some senior US figures would like Ukraine to enter negotiations with the Kremlin to end the war. Continue reading...

UK foreign secretary says it is his job to ensure UK visitors stay safe as he defends attending the tournamentJames Cleverly has told LGBTQ+ football fans travelling to Qatar for the World Cup to “respect the law” of the host country, as the foreign secretary defended attending the tournament himself.While Cleverly said he understood why some people were uncomfortable with Qatar holding the event, which begins on 20 November, he said it was “my job to make sure those people who do visit stay safe”. Continue reading...

Kremlin-linked private military group posted video on Telegram of apparent execution in Russia of Yevgeny Nuzhin

US and Chinese presidents agree nuclear war ‘should never be fought’, White House says; Zelenskiy accuses Russia of more than 400 war crimes. This live blog is now closed

Footage released by fire and rescue service shows how blaze took hold at property in BordonAn exploding electric scooter battery caused a house fire in Hampshire on Sunday, which led to a man being treated by paramedics.Crews from Hampshire fire and rescue service (HRFS) were called to Bordon, a small town in the east of the county, just after 7pm. They found a blaze caused by the battery pack, which was on charge when it blew up. Continue reading...

The Grammy-winning singer ‘s manager has detailed the diagnosis of the condition, also known as Lou Gehrig’s diseaseA representative for Roberta Flack announced on Monday that the Grammy-winning musician has ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and can no longer sing.The progressive disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak”, Flack’s manager, Suzanne Koga, said in a release. “But it will take a lot more than ALS to silence this icon.” Continue reading...

Natalie Elphicke says small boats deal ‘short of what’s needed’ as PM says reduction in numbers crossing Channel will not happen overnightJames Cleverly, the foreign secretary, was criticised last month for saying that gay football fans visiting Qatar for the Word Cup should “be respectful”, and make allowance for the country’s intolerance of homosexuality.In an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Cleverly defended his comments, saying that the Foreign Office always advises people to obey local laws when they are travelling. He told the programme:My focus is to make sure that British visitors, particularly LGBTQ+ visitors to Qatar going to enjoy the World Cup, are safe and that they enjoy their tournament. So my advice was purely about ensuring that they have a safe and secure time at the World Cup.We always say that you have to respect the laws of your host nation. That is a universal element of British travel advice.I’ve spoken at length with the Qatari authorities on this and it’s worth bearing in mind that men and women don’t typically hold hands in Qatar, and other conservative Muslim countries like Qatar, so my strong advice is to look at the UK government’s travel advice.This deal is just the same as previous deals - spending money and resources on intercepting and obstructing people crossing the Channel, while doing nothing to address their need for safe access to an asylum system.The inevitable result will be more dangerous journeys and more profits led by ruthless smuggling gangs and other serious criminals exploiting the refusal of the UK and French government to take and share responsibility. Continue reading...

Student-run Nightline says growing numbers are seeking help for anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughtsThe pandemic is still taking its toll on UK university students’ mental health, experts are warning, as figures show that growing numbers are seeking help from peer-run helplines for anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.Nightline, which is staffed by anonymous student volunteers, said it had recorded a 51.4% increase in calls in 2020-21, and that this has grown since, with early data suggesting numbers for 2021-22 were 30% higher, and up a further 23% since the new academic year began. Continue reading...

Eleanor Williams is accused of perverting the course of justice after allegations that include being sold in an Amsterdam brothel for €25,000A restaurateur has wept in court as he claimed to have been falsely accused of trafficking and sexually exploiting a teenager in Barrow-in-Furness.Mohammed Ramzan was arrested and held in a cell for 40 hours after Eleanor Williams accused him of selling her in an Amsterdam brothel for €25,000 when she was 17, Preston crown court heard on Monday. Continue reading...

Dr Mike Mew, whose videos for jawline shaping have gone viral on TikTok, faces misconduct hearingA orthodontist whose methods around shaping the jawline have gone viral advised treatment to young children that “carried a risk of harm”, a tribunal has heard. Dr Mike Mew, whose “mewing” techniques have racked up nearly 2bn views on TikTok, faces a misconduct hearing at the General Dental Council (GDC).Opening the hearing in central London on Monday, Lydia Barnfather, representing the GDC, said comments made by Mew, who claims to help “alter the cranial facial structure” on his YouTube channel, were “pejorative” about orthodontists. Continue reading...

Nurse was allegedly in process of killing newborn by injecting him with air before his mother walked in, jury toldThe mother of a newborn baby allegedly murdered by Lucy Letby heard his “horrendous” screams and saw blood around his mouth when she walked in on the nurse alone with her son, a court has heard.The witness, who cannot be named, told a jury she knew something was “very wrong” when she saw her five-day-old son in distress as Letby stood near his incubator. Continue reading...

Armed wing of party says it would not target civilians, after Turkish officials blamed Kurdish militantsThe armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) denied any role in an attack on a main Istanbul shopping street, shortly after Turkish officials blamed Kurdish militants for the deadly blast.Six people died and 81 were injured when a bomb struck Istanbul’s popular pedestrian thoroughfare İstiklal Avenue, timed to strike when it was most crowded. Turkey’s justice minister, Bekir Bozdağ, said that “a woman sat on a bench there for 45 minutes”, and that the explosion occurred moments after she left. Continue reading...

Populist leader of regional authority accuses opposition of ‘dirty tricks’ after at least 200,000 take to streetsMadrid’s rightwing regional government has sought to dismiss a huge protest against its healthcare policies that brought at least 200,000 people on to the streets of the Spanish capital as a “failure”, and accused opposition parties of using “dirty tricks” to exploit fears over the public health system.Sunday’s protest, coordinated by neighbourhood groups, medical unions and leftwing political parties, was held to defend public healthcare against creeping privatisation and to express concern over the regional government’s restructuring of the primary care system. Continue reading...

PM’s says he is not aware of any formal complaints against deputy prime minister

On a wet and miserable Monday, some waited for hours to cast their ballot as Liberals were given fresh hope by a poll saying Labor’s lead had narrowed

Prime minister says ‘we need to talk to develop mutual understanding’ as China declares it’s ready to meet Australia ‘halfway’

Reinstating whip to former leader ‘would be toxic’ to party’s chances of winning general electionJeremy Corbyn will never be permitted to stand as a Labour MP at an election again, senior Labour figures have said.The former Labour leader was told last year he had to apologise for his claims that the extent of antisemitism in the party had been “dramatically overstated”. Continue reading...

Forcing out Russia with minimal civilian casualties was an achievement, helped by the city’s isolated positionUkraine’s swift recapture of Kherson, whose abandonment was only announced publicly by the Russians on Wednesday, sets the stage for a critical phase in the war. An autumn of territorial concessions by Moscow leaves Russia occupying a core block of territory – the land bridge to Crimea – that Ukraine will want to split and inflict on the invaders a catastrophic political defeat.At first, it will be necessary for Ukraine to consolidate its gains in and around Kherson, restore power and other utilities, although there is no serious land threat, now that the retreating Russian forces have blown up so much of the principal Antonivsky road and rail bridges that led into the city several hundred metres across the Dnipro River, the barrier on which the Russians now hope to rely. Continue reading...

Swathes of the New South Wales central west were battered by rain and powerful storms overnight

Dwayne Johnstone was shackled when shot and killed outside Lismore Base hospital in March 2019. Officer A had pleaded not guilty to murder

Strong Grandmothers say government should work with communities instead of taking children found unsupervised on the street at night into custody

ACT coroner’s court is investigating 2020 Orroral Valley bushfire, which was started by helicopter’s search light

Tassal and Huon Aquaculture did not announce use of antibiotics, which may contribute to growth of antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Sunday’s cup final match in South Korea saw Glory to Hong Kong, a song linked to the 2019 protest movement, played in stadium at start of gameHong Kong’s government has strongly criticised a rugby sevens tournament after a song from the city’s protest movement was played in place of the Chinese national anthem during a match in South Korea.Hong Kong said it “strongly deplores and opposes” the playing of a song associated with “violent protests” and the pro-independence movement in 2019, when the Chinese national anthem, March of the Volunteers, should have been played. Continue reading...

Charities and transport groups say hundreds more routes face axe without targeted help and long-term fundingBus services will not survive without sustained Treasury funding, campaigners and industry groups have warned the chancellor after the cutting of hundreds of routes in recent months.Transport charities and trade bodies have written to Jeremy Hunt asking for support before this week’s autumn statement urging him to guarantee short-term funding, give targeted help to local authorities, and bring in better long-term financial settlements. Continue reading...

‘Clear evidence’ of discrimination in terms of salary and careers despite academic progress, IFS study findsMost minority ethnic groups in the UK have made remarkable progress in educational achievement but “clear evidence” of discrimination remains in their pay and careers, according to a study published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.The IFS report found that most of the largest minority ethnic groups obtain English and maths exam results at least as good or better than those achieved by white British students in England, and are more likely than white teenagers to go on to university. Continue reading...

Leaders set for first face to face encounter at G20 summit after UK moots postponement of elections for StormontJoe Biden and Rishi Sunak will meet face to face for the first time on Wednesday as US diplomats stepped up pressure to agree a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol by the anniversary next year.The pair will meet at the G20 summit in Bali where both Ukraine and the protocol are expected to be on the agenda, as well as a potential bilateral gas deal. Continue reading...

UK PM and chancellor argue that financial markets have settled because they expect deep cuts to spendingThe prime minister and the chancellor have attempted to prepare the ground for a bleak autumn statement, saying that everybody should expect higher taxes and arguing that financial markets were expecting deep cuts to public spending.Speaking en route to the G20 in Bali, Rishi Sunak told reporters that the reason financial markets were no longer in turmoil was because they expected the government to clamp down on borrowing and squeeze spending. Continue reading...

People take stock after Ukrainian soldiers liberate city from forces that aimed to make them ‘suffer as much as possible’

Ex-health secretary faced former rugby star Mike Tindall for control of the I’m a Celebrity campsiteMatt Hancock has said being voted leader of the I’m a Celebrity campsite “more than makes up for” losing the 2019 Tory party leadership election.The 44-year-old Tory MP was among those who threw their hat into the ring to replace Theresa May, but he withdrew part way through the contest before putting his support behind Boris Johnson. Continue reading...

Group releases file containing hundreds of customer claims as government considers banning ransom payments for cybercrime

Exclusive: Acute lack of social care means people are not able to leave, often causing their health to worsen

Roman Holovnia said the humanitarian situation in the liberated city was ‘severe’ with a lack of medicine and bread

Union says warning of 140 possible job losses could trash proud history of ‘distinctive’ institutionA campaign is under way to fight “devastating” job cuts at Birkbeck, University of London, which has been described as one of the most distinctive institutions of its kind and “a jewel in the crown” of British higher education.On the eve of its 200th anniversary, staff have been warned of 140 job losses, reportedly to claw back funds to fill a £13m deficit. The University and College Union (UCU) said the cuts threatened to “trash” Birkbeck’s proud history and could jeopardise its contribution to social mobility and lifelong learning. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Study says reduced incarceration of non-violent offenders can deliver savings to taxpayers and get more people into work

Analysis: At first glance, the choice of Sing It Back for Daniel Andrews’ campaign launch was odd – but it soon made sense

More than a third of 441 fines in England and Wales for ‘amplified music’ events were issued to Black, Asian and mixed race peoplePeople of colour were more likely than white people to be fined for attending illegal raves or other events featuring “amplified music” during Covid lockdowns in England and Wales, data has shown.According to figures released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council under freedom of information laws, 441 fines were issued to people across England and Wales for attending events involving “amplified music” between the introduction of lockdown rules in March 2020 and the lifting of restrictions in July 2021. Continue reading...

Damning report questions regulator’s fitness to police the industry after so many suppliers foldedMPs have questioned whether the energy regulator, Ofgem, is fit to police the industry after it was blamed for costing British households billions of pounds as a result of suppliers going bust.Politicians on the powerful public accounts committee said Ofgem had failed to govern the sector “at a considerable cost to billpayers” in a damning report into the regulation of energy suppliers. Continue reading...