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Pontiff says Italy specifically could play role of mediator in talks between Russia, US and UkrainePope Leo stressed the importance of Europe's involvement in US efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine, while suggesting that Italy specifically could play the role of mediator.Russia and the US failed to make progress towards a peace deal for Ukraine during talks on Tuesday, with Vladimir Putin accusing Europe of preventing the US administration from achieving peace on Ukraine". Continue reading...

Prosecutors say two others also indicted in investigation into funding for school training young diplomats

Trust announces major grant to exhibit 4m Chew Valley Hoard, which was found by metal detectorists in 2019The coins were buried in a valley in the English West Country almost 1,000 years ago at a time of huge political and social turmoil.A millennium on, plans have been announced to bring the Chew Valley Hoard, 2,584 silver coins hidden shortly after the Norman conquest, back to the south-west of England. Continue reading...

Cleta Mitchell was compelled to testify in North Carolina over a recent law that hiked up requirementsDuring a federal trial in North Carolina over whether a new voter registration law discriminates against college students, a prominent rightwing election integrity activist previewed Republicans' long-range plans to end same-day registration.Judge Thomas Schroeder is deliberating over the future of provisions in Senate bill 747, which increased registration requirements for voters who cast ballots on the same day they register to vote during North Carolina's early voting period. Schroeder called for briefs at the end of November after a week-long trial in Winston-Salem. Continue reading...

City of London corporation names Albert Island near City airport in Docklands for meat and fish marketsA former industrial site in London's Docklands has been named as the new home for the capital's ancient Smithfield meat market and Billingsgate fish market, under plans unveiled by their owner.The proposal by the City of London Corporation - the governing body that runs London's Square Mile and also operates the markets - would relocate both to Albert Island. Continue reading...

Exclusive: CEO says decision taken with utmost regret and sadness' after supreme court ruling on definition of a womanThe Women's Institute will no longer accept transgender women as members from April following the UK supreme court ruling on the legal definition of a woman, the Guardian can reveal.Melissa Green, the chief executive of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, said the organisation had taken the decision with the utmost regret and sadness", adding it had no choice" but to exclude trans women from its membership. Continue reading...

One donor tells FT that Reform leader described an agreement as inevitable', despite denials from both sidesNigel Farage has told donors he expects a deal or merger between his Reform UK party and the Conservatives before the next general election.Reform donors told the Financial Times that the leader expected his party to join with or make a deal with the Tories. Continue reading...

The proposed changes, which the government claims are needed to combat AI-generated requests, would also reduce what documents can be released

In today's newsletter: With US pressure mounting and Ukraine signalling cautious openness, Moscow continues to project military momentumGood morning. On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin welcomed Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow for talks on ending the war on Ukraine, nearly four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.The summit came amid intense diplomatic activity. Two weeks ago the US presented a 28-point peace plan to Kyiv that was widely seen as favourable to Moscow. Since then US and Ukrainian officials have met in Geneva and in Florida to rehash the plan. That revised offer was to form the basis of discussions at the summit.UK news | The families of those who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster have said it is a bitter injustice" that no police officer will ever be held accountable for failings set out in the final report of the police watchdog after a 14-year investigation. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that 12 officers would have faced proceedings if they had not since retired.Royal family | The public accounts committee is to launch an inquiry into the crown estate and its leases on properties to members of the royal family after questions over the letting of Royal Lodge to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.Justice | David Lammy has been accused of making a massive mistake" by Labour MPs and peers after announcing radical plans to cut thousands of jury trials across England and Wales.Policing | A quarter of police forces in England and Wales are yet to implement basic policies for investigating sexual offences", an official report has found.Gender | Trans girls will no longer be able to join Girlguiding, the organisation has announced, saying it has made the decision after seeking legal advice as a result of the supreme court ruling on gender earlier this year. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: Allan government acknowledges more must be done' and will introduce new offence despite insisting laws already protect against it

Analysts say national accounts figures show how far the economy has come, with annual GDP growth hitting 2.1% compared to 0.8% this time last yearSurging investment in data centres to fuel the AI tech boom and rising household spending on essentials like electricity and rents buoyed economic growth through the three months to September.National accounts figures showed real GDP expanded by 2.1% in the year, accelerating from 2% in June. Continue reading...

Government also reveals it spent nearly $100,000 sending minister Anika Wells and two others to US during UN general assembly

Kremlin aide says Ukraine crisis is no closer to resolution after Witkoff talks, as Russian president accuses European powers of sabotaging peaceRussia and the US did not make progress toward a peace deal for Ukraine during their talks, a senior aide to Vladimir Putin has said, hours after the Russian president issued threats that Russia was ready for war with Europe.In remarks to Russian media, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that after a five-hour meeting with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the two sides were neither further nor closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine. There is a lot of work to be done." Continue reading...

Former political staffer was seeking to overturn 2024 ruling by federal court judge which found on the balance of probabilities he raped colleague Brittany Higgins

Court lifts order preventing details of former pilot's dealings with Victoria police before his former partner died in 1999

Report says systemic failures' led to collapse of trial, but found no evidence of UK government interferenceParliament's security committee has criticised prosecutors for pulling their charges against two men accused of spying for Beijing, in a damning report that concluded the handling of the case was shambolic".MPs said that a process beset by confusion and misaligned expectations" and inadequate" communication between the government and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had contributed to the collapse of the trial, while several opportunities to correct course were missed".It was unclear" why the CPS had concluded that a July 2024 ruling concerning a Bulgarian spy ring altered the legal landscape so significantly" that they had to change their approach.It was surprised" the CPS had deemed the government's evidence insufficient to put to a jury when it had set out how China posed a range of threats to the United Kingdom's national security" that amounted to a more general active threat".The government did not have sufficiently clear processes for escalating issues where there was a lack of clarity" and the level of senior oversight" from cabinet ministers and national security advisers was insufficiently robust". Continue reading...

Group including Margaret Atwood, Ian McKellen and Richard Branson sign open letter to free Marwan BarghoutiMore than 200 leading cultural figures have come together to call for the release of Marwan Barghouti, the jailed Palestinian leader seen as capable of uniting factions and bringing the best hope to the stalled mission of creating a Palestinian state.The prestigious and diverse group calling for his release in an open letter includes a variety of prominent names, including the writers Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Zadie Smith and Annie Ernaux; actors Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Josh O'Connor and Mark Ruffalo, and the broadcaster and former footballer Gary Lineker. Continue reading...

Soaring demand has led to shocking' rise in untreated patients leaving NHS emergency departments in England, data showsThe number of people in England walking out of A&E without treatment has tripled in the past six years, new figures show.Analysis of NHS data by the Royal College of Nursing shows soaring demand for urgent hospital care and long waits has led to what it describes as a shocking" rise in the number of patients leaving emergency departments untreated. Continue reading...

Exclusive: New laws will also curb questioning and aim to stop complainants being discredited over previous reportsRape victims will no longer be depicted as serial liars in courtrooms in England and Wales as part of the biggest shake-up in a generation", the Guardian can reveal.New measures will stop the profound injustice" of victims being questioned, sometimes without warning, about past rapes that they have reported to the police, said David Lammy, the justice secretary. Continue reading...

Petition says Colombia citizen Alejandro Carranza Medina was illegally killed in US airstrike on 15 SeptemberA family in Colombia filed a petition on Tuesday with the Washington DC-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleging that Colombia citizen Alejandro Carranza Medina was illegally killed in a US airstrike on 15 September.The petition marks the first formal complaint over the airstrikes by the Trump administration against suspected drug boats, attacks that the White House says are justified under a novel interpretation of law. Continue reading...

Billionaires aim to provide incentive for families to claim new investment accounts for children created as part of Trump legislationBillionaires Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25bn Tuesday to provide 25 million American children under 10 an incentive to claim the new investment accounts for children created as part of Donald Trump's tax and spending legislation.The historic gift has little precedent, with few single charitable commitments in the past 25 years exceeding $1bn, much less multiple billions. Announced on GivingTuesday, the Dells believe it's the largest single private commitment made to US children. Continue reading...

Putin's comments appeared aimed at driving a wedge between Washington and European capitalsIn parallel to Witkoff's meeting in Moscow, we will also follow Volodymyr Zelenskyy's first visit to Ireland.He has arrived in Dublin last night, and has a busy schedule today, paying a brief visit to the country's new president Catherine Connolly, before meeting with key government figures including the taisoeach, Micheal Martin, and addressing both chambers of the Irish parliament in the afternoon. Continue reading...

Paul Thomas Anderson's comedy thriller named best film by Gotham awards and New York Film Critics CirclePaul Thomas Anderson's acclaimed comedy thriller One Battle After Another has emerged as an early best picture frontrunner as the awards season kicks off.The Thomas Pynchon adaptation, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an ex-revolutionary searching for his daughter, was named best feature at Monday's Gotham awards. I didn't expect this, actually," Anderson said on stage. I started to think I didn't know what was going on." Continue reading...

Approval of legislation to ban Pfas would be major win for advocates pushing for safer gear alternatives across USA new bill proposed in the New York city council would ban the use of toxic Pfas forever chemicals" in protective gear worn by the city's 11,000 firefighters.The New York fire department is the nation's largest firefighting force, and approval of the legislation would mark a major win for advocates who are pushing for safer turnout gear" alternatives across the US. Massachusetts and Connecticut last year became the first states to ban the use of Pfas in turnout gear, and Illinois enacted a ban this year. Continue reading...

Pop star calls out White House's inhumane agenda' after post that soundtracks immigration raids to her song JunoSabrina Carpenter has spoken out against Donald Trump's White House for using her song Juno to soundtrack videos of immigration raids.In response to a video posted on the official White House X account, which depicts Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officials arresting several people in what appears to be Chicago, the singer wrote: this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda." Continue reading...

Two-day meeting under new, RFK Jr-appointed chair could see radical overhaul of US childhood immunizations policyA reversal of a decades-long program of childhood immunizations, including a recommendation to scrap hepatitis B shots for newborn babies, could come as early as this week in a vote by an advisory committee of allies convened by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr.Speaking to the Washington Post, Kirk Milhoan, the new chair of the federal advisory panel on immunization practices, said members would vote whether to push for the axing of the hepatitis B requirement during its two-day meeting ending Friday. Continue reading...

Relations between French company Dassault and the German unit of Airbus are reportedly very strained'The leaders of France and Germany have a strong willingness" to build a new fighter jet together despite bitter internal rivalries, according to the chief executive of engine manufacturer Safran.A row over who should lead between French aerospace company Dassault and the German unit of Airbus has threatened to break apart the countries' efforts to make a next-generation fighter jet. Continue reading...

Release of convicted cocaine trafficker Juan Orlando Hernandez is latest US interference in election and comes despite Trump's apparent war on drugs'

Condemnation of system that allows officers to simply walk away, retiring without consequence'

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereThe former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner will lay an amendment on Wednesday to speed up the workers rights' bill, after considerable anger" that unelected Lords forced the watering down of day-one rights, Jessica Elgot and Pippa Crerar report.Twelve more prisoners have been mistakenly freed in the past month and two are still at large, David Lammy has said.I'm not going to give details of those cases, because these are operational decisions made by the police, and you'll understand if they're about to arrest somebody they don't want me to blow the cover. Continue reading...

Whistleblower says senior managers did not forbid intimate relationships and advised him to use condomsSenior managers running a covert unit permitted undercover police officers to deceive women into sexual relations, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Peter Francis, a former undercover officer who has become a whistleblower, said the sexual relations were a routine feature of the covert operations for years. He said they were an ordinary part of the undercover role ... it was regarded by officers and management alike as part of the work". Continue reading...

Janet's wishlist that ran in Leeds Mercury and letter from a girl in Hampshire in 1898 unearthed in newspaper archivesThe toys on the Christmas wishlist may have evolved in more than 140 years but children, it seems, do not change. That, at least, is the suggestion of a newly uncovered letter to Father Christmas dating from 1883, believed to be one of the earliest known such messages in the UK.The letter, addressed to DeAR SAnTA CLAus", was written by a six-year-old girl called Janet and preserves her idiosyncratic spelling and capitalisation. PLeAs BRIng a Doll to Me with a cRADEL, AND a TRuMPtet to JiMMie, AND SoMe OTHer THing to MA AND PA," wrote Janet, demonstrating both a touching concern for her family members and a canny nose for publicity. Continue reading...

No sign of an end to rancour among 14 parties elected to the Belgian capital's 89-seat parliament after 542 daysIt is a city that prides itself on the art of political compromise. But recently that quality has been sorely lacking in Brussels, which has gone a record-breaking 542 days without a government.The Brussels Capital Region, which governs the Belgian capital of 1.25m people, has has not had a government since elections in June 2024. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Staff were told of major changes to the way NDIS funding and support plans will be made during a recent internal briefing

Exclusive: Report finds ban on credit card use for online wagering results in most gamblers switching to transaction account payments

As US-Venezuela tensions have long simmered, Trump's alleged ultimatum may tip relations to boiling point

Ashley Jenkinson, who died in the crash on 2 January 2023, was seen inhaling a white powder at a New Year's Eve partyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA helicopter pilot involved in one of Australia's worst air disasters had a mental breakdown" and used cocaine the day before making tourist joy flights, a coroner has heard.Ashley Jenkinson, 40, was among four people who died when his Sea World chopper collided midair with another outside the Gold Coast theme park on 2 January 2023. Continue reading...

Hancock says facility is modern necessity' but opponents argue the noise would disrupt local businessesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGina Rinehart's company has claimed helicopter pads are a necessity of modern business as it fights to install one at its new headquarters in West Perth.The City of Perth on Tuesday recommended councillors block the request from Hancock Iron Ore to install a helipad as it redevelops its offices. Continue reading...

Official report says forces in England and Wales yet to implement policies for investigationA quarter of police forces in England and Wales are yet to implement basic policies for investigating sexual offences", an official report has found, with women still being failed despite promises of change after the murder of Sarah Everard four years ago.The report by Dame Elish Angiolini follows an inquiry set up after Everard was murdered by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, in March 2021. She was abducted off a London street while walking home. Continue reading...

Watchdog says trend of care homes being registered in cheap areas, not where need is greatest, is national scandal'The number of registered children's homes in England has risen to a record high, but providers are increasingly prioritising profit over care needs, Ofsted has warned.The watchdog said new children's homes were proliferating in areas of the country where housing was cheapest, suggesting the rise was driven mostly by profit and this was bending the system out of shape". Continue reading...

Elderly people unable to reach water stations set up by South East Water after treatment site closedThousands of homes have been without water for four days in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, after South East Water accidentally added the wrong chemicals to the tap water supply.Schools across the area have been shut for two days, and residents have been filling buckets with rainwater to flush toilets. Cats, dogs and guinea pigs have been given Evian to drink as the people of Tunbridge Wells wait for their water to be switched back on. Currently, 18,000 homes are without water. Continue reading...

Tom Dolphin, who applied to be Labour candidate in 2024, says political career not relevant as he defends strikesThe head of the doctors' union has denied he is pursuing further strike action to progress his own political career after the Labour party overlooked him as a prospective candidate for parliament.The British Medical Association has announced that resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - in England will stage another five-day strike from 7am on 17 December until 7am on 22 December. Continue reading...

Justice secretary suggests he will stick to Levesen's recommended three-year sentence threshold, after cabinet feedback'David Lammy is expected to back down from removing jury trials for all but the most serious charges of murder, manslaughter and rape, but trial by jury will still be radically reduced for more minor offences.The justice secretary said there had been cabinet feedback" on the plans and suggested on Tuesday he was minded to follow the recommendation in a report by the retired senior judge Sir Brian Leveson that either-way" offences likely to result in a sentence of three years or less should be dealt with by the magistrates courts or a new judge-only division. Continue reading...

Independent inquiry into fire and media questions to leader would not happen in mainland China, but crackdown on dissent has begunAs Hong Kong mourns the victims of its worst fire in decades, the response to the disaster reveals the ways in which the semi-autonomous city retains differences from mainland China - and how some of those differences are being eroded.Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, announced on Tuesday the creation of an independent committee" to investigate the blaze, which killed 151 people at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong's New Territories. Continue reading...

US has said it hopes other countries will follow as health policy experts say the agreement signals a shift away from value-for-money assessment

Many uncertain about the future after losing everything in the country's deadliest natural disaster for yearsWhen the rains began, Layani Rasika Niroshani was not worried. The 36-year-old mother of two was used to the heavy monsoon showers that drench Sri Lanka's hilly central region of Badulla every year. But as it kept pounding down without stopping, the family started to feel jittery.Some relocated to a relative's house, but her brother and his wife decided to stay behind to collect the valuables. As they were inside, a landslide hit the family home. Continue reading...

Former SBS newsreader defends sharing two X posts about a speech by the late Hezbollah leader as fair comment on a matter of public interest

Mansion tax' announced by Rachel Reeves will have limited impact on property market, building society says

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