World news | The Guardian

Supreme court ruled rape shield' laws to limit intrusive cross-examination may breach men's right to fair trialScotland's most senior law officer has moved to reassure victims of sexual abuse that they will be protected after a supreme court ruling warned that Scottish laws designed to limit intrusive cross-examination could be breaching men's right to a fair trial.In a strongly worded statement, the lord advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, said: I would like to make clear that I understand sexual abuse inflicted upon women and children to be the single greatest challenge our justice system faces. Continue reading...

Hertfordshire police agree to pay 20,000 to Rosalind Levine and Maxie Allen, who were held for 11 hours after complaining about daughter's schoolTwo parents who were arrested after they complained about their daughter's primary school on WhatsApp have said they felt vindicated" by the police admitting the arrest was unlawful.Rosalind Levine and her partner, Maxie Allen, said they were held at a police station for 11 hours over their complaints about the school. Continue reading...

Understaffing driving workers to ill health and discouraging them for taking leave, says Royal College of Nursing CEONurses across the UK are working while unwell in understaffed hospitals, with stress as the leading cause of illness, according to research.A survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) of more than 20,000 nursing staff found that 66% had worked when they should have been on sick leave, up from 49% in 2017. Continue reading...

November drop of 1.8% is biggest for this time of year since 2012, with chancellor's plans loomingBudget speculation has depressed the UK property market, figures from a leading property website have suggested, with asking prices slipping in the run-up to Rachel Reeves's much anticipated fiscal set piece on 26 November.The average new seller asking price fell by 1.8%, or 6,589, month on month in November, the figures collated by the property website Rightmove set out, taking the average price tag on a British home put up for sale to 364,833. Continue reading...

There is understood to be growing unease in party over home secretary's sweeping overhaul of refugee rightsShabana Mahmood has warned Labour MPs that dark forces are stirring up anger" over migration, amid growing alarm among senior party figures over the most sweeping overhaul of refugee rights in a generation.On Monday, Mahmood will announce controversial new laws to overhaul refugee status, which must be reassessed every two years, as well as curbing asylum appeals and toughening the approach to rights to family life.Restricting asylum seekers to one single appeal rather than different appeals on multiple grounds.Creating a new body for fast-tracking cases for dangerous criminals and those with little hope of success.Legislating to restrict last-minute modern slavery claimsJoining other countries in seeking reform of ECHR article 3 rights, to more narrowly define the risk of torture and degrading treatment.Changing the Home Office's duty to provide support to asylum seekers to a discretionary power, enabling them to potentially be removed from accommodation. Continue reading...

Man, 29, arrested after Corinna Baker found at Netpool Boat Yard on River Teifi in CardiganA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 21-year-old woman was found dead in a boatyard in west Wales, police said.Corinna Baker was found shortly after noon on Saturday at Netpool Boat Yard, located on the River Teifi in Cardigan, Ceredigion. Continue reading...

Not appropriate' to use licence fee payer's money to pay US president after threat to sue for up to $5bn, says peerThe BBC should not pay any money to Donald Trump, the former BBC director general Tony Hall has said.The US president has said he plans to sue the BBC for up to $5bn (3.8bn) despite receiving the apology he demanded over a misleading Panorama edit of his 6 January speech. Continue reading...

Iran's foreign minister says it has had requests to reopen negotiations, which collapsed after nuclear site bombingsTehran is willing to restart nuclear talks with Washington as long as it is treated with dignity and respect", Iran's foreign minister has told the Guardian.Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy worked, and disclosed fresh requests had come from intermediaries to reopen negotiations with the Trump administration. He said Iran did not have any undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran could not yet allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit bombed nuclear sites for security reasons. Continue reading...

Gardai appeal for witnesses and Simon Harris pays tribute to first responders after two-vehicle collision on SaturdayIreland is in mourning after a road crash killed five people in their early 20s and left three other people injured.The two-vehicle collision happened at about 9pm on Saturday on a road near Dundalk in County Louth. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Detectives investigated veracity and motive' of Brisbane woman's allegations of domestic violence and coercive control - even after the horrifying attack that killed her and her children

Marketing or celebrity-led treatments for toddlers and upwards described as ridiculous' and lacking in skin benefitDermatologists have criticised an actor's new skincare brand, calling it dystopian" for creating face masks for four-year-olds, warning that the beauty industry is now expanding its reach from teenagers to toddlers.It comes as a growing number of brands are moving into the children's, teenage and young adult skincare market. In October, the first skincare brand developed for under-14s, Ever-eden, launched in the US. Superdrug has just created a range for those aged between 13 and 28. Continue reading...

Navigation aid from 16th century was on seabed for centuries before being bought and sold in US and AustraliaIt spent hundreds of years languishing on the seabed off the Isles of Scilly in the far south-west of Britain before being hauled back to the surface by divers and setting off a circumnavigation of the world.Finally the Pednathise Head astrolabe - a rare example of a 16th-century navigational instrument once used by sailors to determine latitude - is back on Scilly after being rediscovered on the other side of the Atlantic. Continue reading...

Voters face seemingly extreme choice between communist and rightwing frontrunners, who both promise to fight foreign gangsChileans began voting for a new president and parliament on Sunday, in a contest expected to favour the hard right as candidates play on popular fears over organised crime and immigration.It is the first of an expected two rounds of presidential elections, as polls show none of the candidates clearing the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff scheduled for 14 December. Continue reading...

Home secretary says it is moral mission' for her to tackle asylum system. This live blog is closed

Move would secure future of steel production at Scunthorpe but raise questions over future of blast furnacesThe business secretary, Peter Kyle, has backed a shift to cleaner electric arc technology at the state-controlled British Steel plant, raising questions about the future of the UK's last remaining blast furnaces.Kyle said the government was keen to see that transition happen", as he works on a new steel strategy, which is expected to be published in December. Continue reading...

Resignations, suspensions and infighting lead to party losing crown of highest number of seats in the countyI know whenever I come back here next," Nigel Farage told a jubilant crowd of hundreds in a leisure centre in Redruth, Reform UK will become a dominant force, not just in Cornwall politics, but in British politics."That was in February and when the local elections arrived three months later it appeared Farage's prophecy was in part coming true - Reform took 28 seats on Cornwall council, the highest number of any party. Continue reading...

CRC mission will seek to deepen public understanding of Britain's colonial legacy and its lasting impactA delegation from the body leading the Caribbean's slavery reparations movement will be in the UK next week for a historic" first official visit to advocate for former British colonies.The Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC) will be meeting with UK parliamentarians, Caribbean diplomats, academics and civil society groups from 17 to 20 November. Continue reading...

City council and regional authority collaborate to guarantee renewable mobile energy for next summer's festival seasonArtists including Billie Eilish and Neil Young and festivals across the world have taken action to make their concerts more sustainable by harnessing green power.The concept is being taken a step further in the south-west of England next summer when a clean power hub" is set up in Bristol that festivals, large gigs and film crews will be able to tap into. Continue reading...

Taylor Wimpey chief Jennie Daly calls for revival of help-to-buy equity loan scheme to revive property marketThe boss of one of Britain's biggest housebuilders has urged the government to announce more support for first-time buyers to revive a property market that has cooled in the very long shadow" of the looming budget.Jennie Daly, the chief executive of Taylor Wimpey, also warned against an accumulation of regulation", arguing that a perverse outcome" of green measures could be that it becomes unviable to build new homes in poorer areas of the country. Continue reading...

Change to crime and policing bill backed by fathers' rights groups seeking support in cross-border abduction casesMothers fleeing domestic violence who keep their children overseas without permission would be criminalised for the first time under a new law.The change is introduced in a proposed amendment to the crime and policing bill, backed by fathers' rights groups and the Reunite International charity. The amendment has not been debated in parliament, and is now before the House of Lords. Continue reading...

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Two in critical condition after driver crashes into crowd at Walcha Motorcycle Rally about 90km from Tamworth

Jackson's songs are back on charts and biopic trailer racked up 116m views in 24 hours, yet there is a certain hesitationMichael Jackson's voodoo classic Thriller was high on Billboard's Hot 100 in the week of 15 November, handing the 16-years-gone King of Pop a record for having a Top 10 hit across six different decades. Simultaneously, Jackson also broke records for receiving 116m views in 24 hours for the trailer of a new biopic, Michael, set for release in April.Millions of fans may be excited and primed for a Jackson biopic. For comparison, the trailer beat out Taylor Swift's Eras tour preview and it will join a procession of recent music biopics about Bruce Springsteen, Amy Winehouse, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and Elton John. The most successful of all - the Freddie Mercury and Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody - took in nearly a billion dollars at the box office. Continue reading...

An inquest has found a Cheshire prison guilty of neglect after Alex Davies, 25, was found dead inside a segregation cell after a lifetime of mental health strugglesThere is a gap or a space where Alex should be," Stacie Davies said. Wherever I am, she's not there."At just 25 years old, her daughter, Alex Davies, was found dead in her segregation cell at Styal prison in Cheshire on Christmas Eve last year. Continue reading...

Gwent police name victim as Lainie Williams and have charged Cameron Cheng, 18, a British nationalA teenager has been charged with murder after a 17-year-old girl was killed in South Wales.The girl, named as Lainie Williams, was pronounced dead at the scene, Gwent police said. Continue reading...

Home secretary expected to change system to deny help to those who can work or who have assetsShabana Mahmood is expected to announce changes to Britain's asylum system on Monday in an attempt to quell rising fears about immigration.The home secretary plans to amend laws that guarantee housing and financial support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Continue reading...

LNER's Samir Zitouni, known as Sam, was seriously injured in mass stabbing and is credited with saving multiple livesA train crew member who was seriously injured while protecting passengers during a mass stabbing onboard a train in Cambridgeshire has been discharged from hospital, police have said.

Africa CDC says at least nine cases have been detected of Ebola-like illness, which kills up to 80% of those infectedEthiopia has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the south of the country, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said.The Marburg virus is one of the deadliest known pathogens. Like Ebola, it causes severe bleeding, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea and has a 21-day incubation period. Continue reading...

As Liberals join Nationals in abandoning a 2050 emissions target, we unpick some of the opposition's talking points

Grenades filled with rubber pellets and other so-called less lethal' munitions have been increasingly deployed, despite being linked to serious injuries and even deaths

Australian companies have exported nearly $300m weapons over five years to the UAE, which has denied shipping weapons to a paramilitary group in Sudan

Major incident declared in Wales, with rescues and evacuations in Monmouth after river bursts its banksSnow could be on the way for parts of the UK with a cold snap set to arrive in the coming days in the wake of Storm Claudia, the Met Office said on Saturday.The storm had a significant impact in Wales where a major incident was declared, with dozens of people rescued from their homes or evacuated in the town of Monmouth following severe flooding when the River Monnow burst its banks. Continue reading...

Police believe device was deliberately planted near frontbench to disrupt proceedings, prompting heightened security in parliamentPolice have arrested two men in connection with a mobile phone hidden in the House of Commons that was reportedly planted there to play sex noises during prime minister's questions.The phone was found near the frontbench during a routine sweep of the chamber. It is believed to have been intended to interrupt the keynote weekly showdown between Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch in September. Continue reading...

Bangkok had earlier said it was suspending ceasefire, accusing Cambodia of laying landmines along the borderThe US has put pressure on Thailand to recommit to a ceasefire with Cambodia, warning trade talks could be halted as Washington seeks to keep a Donald Trump-brokered truce agreement from falling apart.Earlier this week, Thailand said that it was suspending the ceasefire deal, accusing Cambodia of laying fresh landmines along the border, including one it said wounded a Thai soldier on patrol, who lost a foot in the explosion. Continue reading...

Business secretary Peter Kyle says appeal of far-right parties like Reform due to their dogma of disruption, division and despair'Nigel Farage is today's incarnation of the politics of Enoch Powell", the business secretary, Peter Kyle, said at the Co-operative party conference.Kyle described Reform UK as far right", while stressing that boosting economic growth was needed to build an economy and a politics that people can trust to deliver for themselves, their families and their communities". Continue reading...

As party's rise fuels fears over future visa rules, people share how the lives they have built are in jeopardyAs Reform UK soars in the polls, Britain's migrant communities are facing an uncertain future.The party has announced a swathe of hardline immigration policies, including its plans to abolish indefinite leave to remain - the right to settle permanently in the UK after five years of residence. Continue reading...

Cooke, who worked for the Observer for 25 years and was described as its backbone', was diagnosed with cancer earlier this yearTributes have been paid to the journalist and critic Rachel Cooke after her death from cancer.Cooke, 56, was diagnosed with the illness earlier this year and died on Friday. She worked for the Observer for 25 years, where she was described as the backbone of the paper". Continue reading...

PM makes opposition to support for Ukraine central to Fidesz campaign as it loses ground over cost of living crisisHungary's prime minister has kicked off a weeks-long anti-war roadshow", turning criticism of European support for Ukraine into an early campaign message before next year's elections.Viktor Orban' is scheduled to stage an event in five cities before the end of the year, and started with an assembly on Saturday in the north-western city of Gyr. Continue reading...

Natalie Boucly says supplies are ready but only about half of what is needed is getting into territoryIsrael is breaching international law by continuing to impose restrictions on aid flows into Gaza, where the population remains critically short of food and life-saving goods as winter sets in, a senior official at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said.In an interview during a recent visit to Brussels, Natalie Boucly, an Unrwa deputy commissioner general, said the whole world - including the EU and US - needed to increase the pressure on Israel's government to ensure the unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza. Continue reading...

One possible alteration was thought to be tax-free cash drawdowns, but the chancellor may have turned to salary sacrifice schemesRumours about what Rachel Reeves may, or may not, do to pensions in the budget continue to swirl.One much-debated possible change - cutting the amount of tax-free cash that people can take from their pensions - is said by some to be off the table, but reports have emerged that the chancellor has salary sacrifice" pension schemes in her sights. Continue reading...

Exclusive: thinktank report finds health secretary has failed to improve productivity, with the health service unlikely to meet its targetsWes Streeting has been accused of taking a chaotic and incoherent approach" to reforming the NHS which makes it unlikely the government will hit its own targets, according to a damning report by the Institute for Government (IfG).The report praises elements of how the health secretary has managed the health service in his first year in office, including improving performance and staff retention in hospitals. Thepay settlement he reached with resident doctors last year avoided a winter plagued by NHS strikes Continue reading...

US president says he will sue the corporation for anywhere between a billion and $5bn'Donald Trump has said he still plans to sue the BBC despite receiving the apology he demanded over a misleading edit of one of his speeches.The row, over an episode of Panorama from last year about the Capitol riot in 2021, led to accusations of bias at the broadcaster and the resignation of two of the most senior executives at the BBC: the director general, Tim Davie; and Deborah Turness, the chief executive of news. Continue reading...

Katrin Jakobsdottir and her co-author want the 350,000 people who speak the language to fight for its futureIceland's former prime minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir, has said that the Icelandic language could be wiped out in as little as a generation due to the sweeping rise of AI and encroaching English language dominance.Katrin, who stood down as prime minister last year to run for president after seven years in office, said Iceland was undergoing radical" change when it came to language use. More people are reading and speaking English, and fewer are reading in Icelandic, a trend she says is being exacerbated by the way language models are trained. Continue reading...

Duncan Ivison, president of Manchester University, says government's 6% surcharge plan will hurt the sector'A levy on tuition fees paid by international students is wrong", will hurt the sector" and is not in the long-term interests" of the UK, according to the vice-chancellor of one of the country's leading universities.Duncan Ivison, who took over as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester (UoM) last year, was speaking ahead of the budget later this month when the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to flesh out her plans for the proposed 6% surcharge. Continue reading...

The accidental explosion comes days after a deadly car blast in New Delhi which killed at least eight people near the city's historic Red FortAt least nine people were killed and 32 injured after a cache of confiscated explosives detonated inside a police station in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police have announced.The blast occurred in the Nowgam area of Srinagar, the region's main city, late on Friday while a team of forensic experts and police were examining the explosive material, said Nalin Prabhat, the region's police director general. He ruled out any foul play, saying it was an accident. Continue reading...

Campaigners claim AI algorithms are behind hefty increases in renewal quotes for home and car coverShortly after her husband died, Kay Lawley* received renewal quotes from the couple's home and car insurance provider, Ageas. She told the company of his death and was stunned that the quotes then increased by up to 15%.Her car insurance quote went from 301 to 348, while her home and contents policy rose by almost 12% - from 1,039 to 1,161. Continue reading...

Anne Wood says algorithms bypass the responsibility of art' and have failed to support high-quality children's contentLots of programmes for children on YouTube are empty" and do nothing to encourage the imaginative life of children", the Teletubbies creator has cautioned parents.Anne Wood, the veteran children's producer who devised the popular TV show for preschool children, said children's television had long been undervalued and she feared we're losing a tremendous amount and nobody can see it because it's not considered important". Continue reading...

After Tim Davie's resignation, the next director general will face internal strife, external noise and looming talks over the corporation's existence and purposeAs BBC senior editors arrived at its New Broadcasting House headquarters in central London on Monday, the most pressing question was what had convinced Tim Davie, the corporation's director general, to quit suddenly. Like any good BBC drama, it was a plot twist no one had seen coming.As they assessed the brutal pressures that had finally proved too much for Davie, a second question soon arose. Was running the BBC now simply an impossible job? Continue reading...

Campaigners say train image of two wheelchair users does not reflect reality of single wheelchair space in standard classCampaigners have accused one of the UK's leading train companies of virtue signalling without the virtue" after it used images of wheelchair users that they say do not reflect the reality of travelling with a disability.Baraka Carberry, a digital artist, created a new livery for Avanti West Coast, which provides rail links between London and Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland, that shows scenes of people, culture, colours and joy". Titled Together We Roll, the images stretch across all seven carriages of the new Evero train, which the company says reduces carbon compared with the old fleet of trains. Continue reading...

Embattled Hungarian leader says he won an indefinite reprieve from sanctions on oil and gas from Russia, but the US has since disputed thisAs Viktor Orban would tell it, he had the perfect meeting with Donald Trump.After visiting the White House last week, the embattled Hungarian prime minister quickly declared victory, saying he had secured an indefinite exemption from US sanctions on oil and gas imported from Russia. The deal would shield Hungarians from skyrocketing energy prices ahead of parliamentary elections next year and potentially boost Orban's chances of extending his 15-year rule. Continue reading...