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Clin Georgescu, a critic of Nato, says people have cried out for peace' after he heads into runoff with 22.9% of voteAn ultranationalist, Moscow-friendly Nato critic is set to face a centre-right candidate in the runoff of Romania's presidential elections after a shock first-round result that has upended the country's politics and could jeopardise its support for Ukraine.With 99.98% of votes counted, Clin Georgescu, an independent who has praised Vladimir Putin as a man who loves his country", was on 22.9%, with the reformist Elena Lasconi, of the Save Romania Union (USR), second on 19.17%. Continue reading...

Experts point to increased risk of criminal and sexual exploitation and call for urgent action from governmentThe crisis in special needs education has left children vulnerable to criminal and sexual exploitation, experts have warned, as parents of victims described years of failed attempts to get support.Last year, 7,432 children were referred to the national referral mechanism - the framework for identifying potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Critics claim warnings and defences were inadequate but Met Office says storm was well forecast'

Government shuts down internet, blocks highways and brings in troops to stop protest by former PM's supportersPakistan's capital was put under lockdown as the government shut down the internet, blocked highways and brought in thousands of police and paramilitaries in an attempt to prevent supporters of the former prime minister Imran Khan protesting in Islamabad.Khan, who has been in jail for more than a year facing hundreds of charges, had issued a final call" for his supporters to descend on Islamabad to demand his release and protest against recent changes to the judiciary and constitution. Continue reading...

Exclusive: All-party parliamentary group on fair elections argues proportional voting system would help restore trustKeir Starmer is under renewed pressure over electoral reform after dozens of newly elected Labour MPs signed up to a parliamentary group calling for the UK to move to a proportional voting system.More than half of the nearly 100 MPs who have joined the new all-party parliamentary group on fair elections are from Labour, with 43 from the intake elected in 2024. The group, formed in September, says it is growing all the time. Continue reading...

Heavy attack launched in wake of deadly strikes on Beirut, and comes as talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal have stalledHezbollah has fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said, wounding seven people in one of the militant group's heaviest barrages in months, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with ceasefire efforts to halt the all-out war.Some of the rockets fired on Sunday reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel. Continue reading...

Strong winds and persistent rain could complicate clean-up effortsStorm Bert is expected to cause further disruption on Monday after torrential downpours caused devastating" flooding over the weekend and a major incident in Wales.The last of the Met Office's rain warnings ended at 11.59pm on Sunday but strong winds persist and rain from high ground will reach rivers, which could disrupt clean-up efforts. Continue reading...

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage says she hopes 35 recommendations will result in long-term change and lives will be saved'

Power supplies will become tight in New South Wales and Queensland this week, with parts of western Sydney tipped to approach 40C

Israel used US munition to target and kill three members of the press in Lebanon, Guardian investigation revealsA Guardian investigation has found that Israel used a US munition to target and kill three journalists and wound three more in a 25 October attack in south Lebanon which legal experts have called a potential war crime.On 25 October at 3.19am, an Israeli jet shot two bombs at a chalet hosting three journalists - cameraman Ghassan Najjar and technician Mohammad Reda from pro-Hezbollah outlet al-Mayadeen, as well as cameraman Wissam Qassem from the Hezbollah-affiliated outlet al-Manar. Continue reading...

Anika Wells says not all stakeholders accepted the Albanese government proposal but Andrew Leigh blames failure to secure numbers in Senate

Training for 10,000 hospitality workers announced as Keir Starmer hosts talks on tackling violence against womenThousands of bar staff will be trained to spot and stop spiking in England and Wales as the government steps up efforts to tackle violence against women and girls.About 10,000 hospitality workers will be trained in preventing and dealing with incidents of spiking by spring next year, Downing Street said before a meeting with police and hospitality leaders. Continue reading...

Ministers to launch public consultation on regulating managers in effort to end culture of cover-up' in NHSNHS managers who silence whistleblowers or endanger patients through misconduct face being sacked and barred from working in the health service for life under radical government plans to regulate thousands of bosses for the first time.Ministers will begin a public consultation on Tuesday seeking views on the proposals, which they say are designed to eradicate a culture of cover-up" in the NHS. It follows a series of scandals over the last decade at trusts including Morecambe Bay, East Kent and Shrewsbury and Telford. Continue reading...

Since the 1967 Abortion Act, the law has been changed twice but the criteria have remained the same

Police say initial reports he was stabbed were incorrect, as three people arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and one for alleged affrayA man is fighting for his life in hospital after having a cardiac arrest on Westminster Bridge in London.Police were called to the bridge near the Houses of Parliament to an alleged fight at about 10.45am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: letter reveals dates for visit that was planned by Tsai Ing-wen before Foreign Office intervenedTaiwan's former president Tsai Ing-wen had been due to visit the UK between 16 and 18 October before the Foreign Office intervened, the Guardian can disclose.Tsai was scheduled to visit London for two days as part of her first international tour since leaving office and was in discussions about addressing the UK parliament, according to a leaked letter. Continue reading...

Presenter of BBC's The One Show, Desert Island Discs and 6 Music show says she is going back to work'Lauren Laverne, the presenter of Desert Island Discs, has said she has been given the all clear" after undergoing treatment for cancer.Writing on Instagram on Sunday, the 46-year-old said she would be back to work" on BBC One's The One Show on Tuesday after taking some time off to get better" and thanked the medical staff who had helped her, as well as everyone who had sent her messages of support. Continue reading...

Former German chancellor's book tells how she tried to help David Cameron win over Britain's EuroscepticsAngela Merkel has said she was tormented" over the result of the Brexit referendum and viewed it as a humiliation, a disgrace" for the EU that Britain was leaving.In her autobiography, Freedom, due to be published on Tuesday, the former German chancellor says she was dismayed by the notion that she might have done more to help the then British prime minister, David Cameron, who was keen for the UK to stay in the EU, but that ultimately, she concluded, he only had himself to blame. Continue reading...

New Queensland premier must tread carefully to avoid culture wars' that plagued previous LNP government

Lithuanian tourist pack rafting on Franklin River still fighting for life in Tasmanian hospital

Catherine Sonquist Forest, based in Santa Cruz where assisted dying was legalised eight years ago, says proposed British law is impressive'A California doctor who has helped dozens of terminally ill people end their lives at a time of their own choosing has said decades of experience in the US showed that there was no danger of a slippery slope" if assisted dying legislation was robustly framed.Dr Catherine Sonquist Forest, a family physician based in Santa Cruz, said the proposed legislation due to be voted on by MPs at Westminster this week was impressive". Continue reading...

Communications minister Michelle Rowland will also not unveil any gambling ad ban legislation in the last sitting week of the year

Unmanned aerial systems seen over RAF bases in Suffolk and Norfolk but US air force does not know if they were hostileA number of unidentified drones have been spotted over three airbases in Britain, the US air force has confirmed.Small unmanned aerial systems" were seen between 20 and 22 November over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk. Continue reading...

Careful management including weed control and a burn laid the groundwork for floral abundance in Boorhaman reserve

Heritage minister says Facebook made room for misinformation' after turning news off in 2023 as Australia mulls actions that could lead to Meta doing the same

Traditional allies such as Diane Abbott and John McDonnell are split over Friday's vote as politicians grapple with the issueDuring a Labour away day ahead of the last election, the party's candidates were put through their paces as parliamentary debaters. The topic chosen, assisted dying, was a deliberately intractable issue designed to test their analytical skills. Yet just months later, scores of new MPs find themselves having to make a very real decision over changing the law.I'm genuinely the most back and forth on this that I've been on anything," said one new MP who has found themselves on either side of the debate over recent months. Like so many, with the issues so finely balanced in their mind, a single conversation can sway their thinking. Continue reading...

Group's armed wing says unnamed woman's death established after long break in contact with her captorsHamas's armed wing said on Saturday that an Israeli woman taken hostage during the October 2023 attack had been killed in a combat zone in northern Gaza, as the Israeli military said it was investigating.The spokesperson for Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, said contact had been restored with the woman's captors after a break of several weeks and it was established that the hostage had been killed in an area of north Gaza where the Israeli army has been operating. Continue reading...

Court documents contain admissions by officials that they were unable to control the situation at the Kent facility where 18,000 asylum seekers were illegally detained

Cordons lifted after passengers were evacuated when a suspicious package was reportedPolice have carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious package at Euston railway station, the Metropolitan police have confirmed.Cordons were in place around the main line station in north London at lunchtime on Saturday and passengers due to travel were evacuated from the station. Continue reading...

Six foreign visitors died earlier this month after suspected methanol poisoning during night out in backpacker hotspot

This blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage here Continue reading...

Mike Johnston also said he was prepared to go to jail to stop the deportations that the president-elect has promisedDenver's Democrat mayor, Mike Johnston, has said he will encourage people to protest mass migrant deportations planned by president-elect Donald Trump in Colorado, as civic leaders in sanctuary cities" begin to plan their response to the threat.In an interview with Denver's channel 9, Johnston, 50, said he is willing to go to jail to stop any deportation efforts. Denver's neighboring city of Aurora has been a focus of the debate over migration after three apartment complexes were allegedly taken over by Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua. Continue reading...

About 300 families relocate after fresh violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims kills 32 peopleAbout 300 families have fled sectarian violence in north-west Pakistan as fresh clashes killed 32 people.Sporadic fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslims in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan has killed about 150 over the past months. Continue reading...

BBC presenter expected to take extended break in new year then move on to different roleHot on the heels of the news that Zoe Ball is to stand down as the host of the high profile Radio 2 Breakfast Show, another top female BBC presenter, Mishal Husain, is believed to be stepping down from her regular role on Today, Radio 4's flagship daily morning news programme.It is thought the presenter will stay on the show until the new year when she is due to take an extended break, a perk offered after serving for more than 25 years with the corporation. Continue reading...

Salary of at least 153,000 offered by Cabinet Office for principal adviser' to prime ministerMinisters are hiring a new EU negotiator as Keir Starmer seeks to reset Britain's relationship with Europe.The post, worth at least 153,000 a year and advertised by the Cabinet Office, would act as a representative for all of the UK's dealings with the bloc. Continue reading...

A cache of notes that will be auctioned this week include the artist's instructions to her bronze foundry and show how deeply involved she was with the casting processBarbara Hepworth's stone and bronze sculptures are recognised around the world for their distinct, curved forms. The oval alabasters and gleaming bronzes, punctured with holes and lozenge-like gaps, were all made in contrasting tones and surfaces, creating a new aesthetic.Now, Hepworth's unseen letters to the London foundry owner who made many of her bronze pieces offer a revelatory new guide to her work. The bundle of letters and draft sketches, which cover a decade of work and will be sold for the first time this week, also reveal the exacting standards of this pioneering woman, hailed as one of Britain's most important artists. Continue reading...

Weather warnings for wind, rain and snow cover much of country, with 16 flood alerts in placeStorm Bert has hit the UK, with snow closing roads and strong rains and winds expected to cause further travel disruption and potential flooding.Weather warnings and 13 flood alerts have come into effect across much of the country. Continue reading...

Despite new rules, many lenders have decided to implement the optional exemptionSome victims of bank transfer scams will not get a penny back despite beefed-up rules designed to better protect consumers from fraudsters, because several big banks have introduced an excess on refund claims.New rules requiring banks and other payment companies to reimburse fraud victims who have been tricked into sending money to scammers took effect last month, and included an optional 100 excess that firms can apply to a claim. Continue reading...

Players heard news of Holly Bowles' death as they gathered to remember her friend Bianca Jones, Beaumaris Football Club says

Woman who has become a feminist hero says she is determined to change society', as trial approaches its endMore than a hundred women formed a line and applauded as Gisele Pelicot left the courtroom of the French mass rape trial this week. Pelicot, whose husband has admitted drugging her and inviting dozens of strangers into her bedroom to rape her for a decade, thanked supporters, putting a hand to her heart.She would, she told the court, now go for walk. I heal by hours and hours of walking - it's a way to protect myself. That and my psychologist, music and chocolate ... Everyone has their own therapy for suffering." Continue reading...

Advocates and officials argue that consequences of Israeli siege are inextricably linked to tackling the climate crisisAs countries negotiate over climate finance, Palestinian officials and advocates have come to Cop29 in Baku to highlight global heating's intersection with another crisis: Israel's siege on Gaza.The Cop [meetings] are very keen to protect the environment, but for whom?" said Ahmed Abu Thaher, director of projects and international relations at Palestine's Environment Quality Authority, who had travelled to Cop29 from Ramallah. If you are killing the people there, for whom are you keen to protect the environment and to minimise the effects of climate change?" Continue reading...

British suppliers source from South Africa and South America as Spanish farmers struggle to harvest and shipSome British retailers and wholesalers have been forced to switch to sourcing oranges from South Africa and South America early after last month's catastrophic" floods in eastern Spain left farmers struggling to harvest and ship their crops.Companies in the UK have moved to buying fruit from the southern hemisphere several weeks earlier than in a typical year to prevent gaps emerging on supermarket shelves and amid fears over the quality of Spanish produce. Continue reading...

Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Shand were part of operation bringing increasing numbers of Indians into USA jury has convicted two men of human smuggling charges after an Indian family froze to death attempting to cross the Canada-US border.After a brief deliberation on Friday, a jury in Fergus Falls, Minnesota delivered the verdict in the case against Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who used the alias Dirty Harry", and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida. Prosecutors say the pair were part of a broader criminal enterprise that helped migrants cross from Canada into the United States. Continue reading...

Several weather warnings in place for weekend, with snow, wind, rain and ice predictedStorm Bert is expected to bring wind, rain, ice and snow to much of the UK over the weekend in what forecasters have called a multi-hazard event".The Met Office has issued several weather warnings - mostly yellow, but also including the more severe amber in Scotland - for Saturday and Sunday. Continue reading...

MP spent 21 days in young offenders' institute after kicking victim, according to court records

Government protests unfriendly and inappropriate' comments by French president caught on cameraHaiti's government has summoned the French ambassador to the country to protest unfriendly and inappropriate" comments from Emmanuel Macron, who was caught on camera calling the country's leaders morons".The French president had on Wednesday described the decision of the Caribbean country's transitional presidential council to oust the prime minister earlier this month amid an escalation in gang warfare as completely dumb". Continue reading...

PM's spokesman says legal obligations' would be followed if the Israeli leader was to visit the UKPolly Toynbee has written today about this week's farming protests, asking how will we ever make tax fairer amid such grumbling?Incidentally, we are anticipating that Keir Starmer, between 11am and noon, will be facing interviews on six different BBC regional radio stations. These media rounds have historically turned out a lot trickier than people often expect - Liz Truss in particular came unstuck. Continue reading...

Jake Reeves, 23, also pleads guilty to accepting payment from a foreign intelligence agencyA British man has pleaded guilty to an arson attack on a Ukraine-linked business and accepting pay from a foreign intelligence agency.Jake Reeves, 23, admitted aggravated arson in relation to a fire in March at an east London warehouse belonging to a man only referred to in court as Mr X. Continue reading...

Simone White was one of six people to die in suspected methanol poisoning incident in Vang ViengTributes have been paid to the beautiful, kind and loving" British tourist Simone White, one of six people to die in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos.The six died after allegedly being served drinks laced with methanol in Vang Vieng, a town popular with backpackers. These include the Australian teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, an American man and two Danish women aged 19 and 20. Continue reading...

Former PM, whose daughter died when she was 11 days old, says debate is moving too fast and calls for commission on palliative care Gordon Brown: We need better end-of-life care, not assisted dyingThe former prime minister Gordon Brown has declared his opposition to the legalisation of assisted dying, saying the death of his newborn daughter in January 2002 convinced him of the value and imperative of good end-of-life care".In a rare and poignant glimpse into the tragedy, he says the time he and his wife, Sarah, spent at their baby Jennifer's bedside as her life ebbed away" were among the most precious days of [our] lives". Continue reading...