World news | The Guardian

Moscow’s climbdown comes two days after large convoy of ships moved record tonnage despite warnings

Exclusive: CT Group’s activities on behalf of energy, tobacco and property firms raise questions over potential conflict of interestSir Lynton Crosby’s CT Group was lobbying ministers on behalf of a coal trader, a tobacco company, and property firms at the same time as providing political advice to Boris Johnson, the Guardian can reveal.The Australian election guru returned to provide “strategic political advice” to Johnson and his party after the Partygate scandal earlier this year, with the then prime minister promising discontented Conservative MPs in February that Crosby would be playing a bigger role. Continue reading...

Commission to focus on detention of journalist and political leader Zhanbolat Mamai after nationwide protestsThe state of human rights in the vast, mineral-rich central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan, including the continued detention of opposition leaders, is to be formally examined by senior UK parliamentarians including the former director of public prosecutions Lord MacDonald.He will lead an independent investigation into the detention and treatment of Zhanbolat Mamai, the leader of the unregistered opposition Democratic party in Kazakhstan. Continue reading...

Anonymous letter warned Lord Monteagle not to attend opening of parliament on 5 November 1605More than six centuries after Edward III first enshrined the crime of treason in English law, the letter that thwarted one of the most infamous acts in the nation’s history is to go on public display.The anonymous “Monteagle letter”, of 26 October 1605, warned the peer Lord Monteagle not to attend the opening of parliament on 5 November, “for they shall recyeve a terrible blowe this parleament and yet they shall not seie who hurts them”. Continue reading...

‘Extraordinary sale’ of 350 lots of seized customs contraband is valued collectively at about €1mFrance’s finance ministry is auctioning off customs contraband in an “extraordinary sale” featuring platinum bars seized en route to the UK, designer handbags, valuable historic coins, several collections of uncut diamonds and 2,016 bottles of vodka.The 350 lots – valued collectively at about €1m – also include a Volkswagen Golf stopped at France’s border with Spain and found to contain 480 kilograms of cannabis resin. Continue reading...

Sicilian mobsters said to have received more than €5m for farmland that was stolen or non-existentJudges in Italy have handed down prison sentences to 91 people, including alleged mafia members, following a large-scale EU agricultural subsidies fraud.According to magistrates in the city of Messina, Sicilian mobsters fraudulently received more than €5m (£4.3m) in subsidies between 2010 to 2017, including funds for thousands of hectares of “ghost” farmland in the east of the island that was either non-existent, stolen from farmers or owned by the Italian state or regional government. Continue reading...

UK dismisses Moscow’s accusations of Royal Navy involvement as ‘false claims of an epic scale’Moscow will “shortly” summon the UK ambassador to Russia, Deborah Bronnert, over its accusation that “British specialists” had been involved in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, the Russia foreign ministry has said.Russia has, without providing evidence, repeatedly blamed the UK for Saturday’s audacious attack, in which a swarm of drones attacked Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Continue reading...

Tenants Queensland says the hike is far more than the average increase of 35% that renters seek advice over

Experts say Australia is ‘definitely still in a rental crisis’ but there is only so much people can pay

Parliamentary budget office report shows high income earners will benefit most from negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions

Bolsonaro previously failed to explicitly concede defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in presidential voteJair Bolsonaro has reportedly thrown in the towel after his presidential election defeat in Brazil on Sunday, telling members of the supreme court: “It’s over.”He went silent for nearly two days after being beaten by the leftwing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the historic vote. When the rightwing populist finally appeared before the cameras on Tuesday afternoon, he failed to explicitly concede defeat or congratulate his vanquisher. Continue reading...

Voters have decided party ‘cannot be trusted to run the country’, says polling expert, but Sunak offering glimmer of hope

About 20% of normal services will run on strike days as passengers warned to travel only if necessaryA series of RMT walkouts will bring a week of disruption for rail passengers across the UK from Saturday, as unions consider the possibility of further strike action in the future.Three 24-hour national rail strikes will bring many train services around Britain to a halt. A London Underground strike is also planned. Passengers have been warned to travel only if necessary. Continue reading...

Electric vehicle battery startup still seeking buyer or longer-term investor to avoid administrationBritishvolt has said it has secured five weeks of funding and its 300 staff have agreed to take a steep pay cut, as the UK government-backed battery startup races to find a buyer or new longer-term investor to avoid collapse.The company, which planned to develop a £3.8bn “gigafactory” creating 3,000 jobs in the north-east of England, had been preparing to appoint administrators on Monday after the government refused to bring forward £30m in previously promised grant funding. Continue reading...

Former PM appears likely to form next government, mostly thanks to alliance with Religious ZionistsDon’t call it a comeback. Benjamin Netanyahu was booted from office last summer by a broad coalition united by their distaste for the conservative Likud leader. But after Tuesday’s election – an unprecedented fifth poll in less than four years – the short-lived “government of change” is probably going to prove no more than a brief intermission in the political behemoth’s long career.With 80% of votes counted on Wednesday, but official results not due until next week, Bibi, as he is commonly known, appears the most likely candidate to form a new government. Continue reading...

Parties agree to settle claim over article about undocumented foreign workers Irish fishing industryA libel case against the Guardian brought by two Irish fishers accused of exploiting undocumented foreign workers as cheap labour on their trawler has been settled at the 11th hour by agreement of the parties.Lenny Hyde and Pat O’Mahony, the Cork-based owners of the Labardie Fisher vessel, sued the Guardian for libel after it published allegations made by one of their Filipino deckhands about his working conditions in 2015. Continue reading...

Food Foundation estimates cost of providing free school meals to families who claim universal credit would be £500m a year

State regulator tightens advertising rules to align society with ‘core socialist values’China has banned all celebrities from endorsing a range of products and banned those with “lapsed morals” from endorsing anything, as part of an ongoing drive to align society with “core socialist values”.The new regulations, announced by state regulators this week, bar Chinese celebrities from publicly endorsing or advertising health, education and financial commodities including e-cigarettes and baby formula. Continue reading...

Rallies from Perth to Sydney pay tribute to 15-year-old killed on his way home from school in Western AustraliaThousands of Australians have turned out for vigils in towns and cities across the country to mourn the death of Noongar-Yamatji schoolboy Cassius Turvey.A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder after the alleged attack when Cassius and his friends were walking home from school in Middle Swan on 13 October. He died from injuries sustained during the attack 10 days later. Continue reading...

Non-UK-born population increased to 10 million in 2021, latest figures show, a 33% rise in 10 yearsOne in six people living in England and Wales in 2021 were born in a different country, according to the latest census figures.Some 10 million people, usually resident in England and Wales (16.8%), were born outside the UK on Census Day, 21 March 2021, up from 7.5 million (13.4%) at the time of the last census in 2011. Continue reading...

Immigration minister says number of people at Manston processing centre has fallen substantially• UK politics live – latest news updatesHundreds of migrants have been moved out of an immigration centre in Kent amid concerns it had become dangerously overcrowded.The immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, said the number of people at the Manston migrant processing centre had fallen substantially on Tuesday, with more expected to be moved on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Atlanta-based Quality Control issues statement speaking of ‘monumental loss’, as Houston police appeal for any of 40 people at scene to come forwardMigos’s Atlanta-based record label Quality Control has shared a statement on the fatal shooting of their rapper Takeoff. “It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother Kirshnik Khari Ball, known to the world as Takeoff,” the label wrote on Instagram. “Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated. Please respect his family and friends as we all continue to process this monumental loss.”At a press conference, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner and police chief Troy Finner responded to the shooting, asking any of the supposedly 40 people who were present on the scene to come forward with details. Continue reading...

NT inquiry into death of Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 hears Rolfe separately bragged to paramedic he ‘mashed some dude’s face against a wall’

Councils receiving 5,400 new requests for help each day while capacity has reduced significantlyThe state of social care in England has “never been so bad”, the country’s leading social services chief has said, with half a million people now waiting for help.Sarah McClinton, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), told a conference of council care bosses in Manchester: “The shocking situation is that we have more people requesting help from councils, more older and disabled with complex needs, yet social care capacity has reduced and we have 50,000 fewer paid carers.” Continue reading...

Former health secretary says politicians ‘must wake up and embrace popular culture’Matt Hancock has said his decision to appear on I’m a Celebrity was motivated by a desire to showcase his “human side” and to use reality TV as a platform to “deliver important messages to the masses”.

Communication Workers Union rejects latest pay offer, describing it as ‘declaration of war on posties’Royal Mail workers will stage two 48-hour strikes around Black Friday and Cyber Monday after their union rejected the company’s latest pay offer and programme for change, describing it as a “declaration of war on posties”.The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents Royal Mail staff, announced on Tuesday night that workers would be striking on 24 November and 25 November, known as Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.

The then social services minister wanted Centrelink debt recovery proposal worked up for 2015 budget process, royal commission told

Father of two staying overnight on ‘roar and snore’ experience says family told to flee tents and ‘it was pretty shocking – imagine facing a lion’

Greg Jackson says he hopes to return profit to taxpayers after buying rival energy group following its government bailoutThe founder of Octopus Energy has said taxpayers need to benefit from the “upside” of emergency government bailout deals, after snapping up stricken former rival Bulb.Greg Jackson’s Octopus bought Bulb out of government-handled special administration last weekend and is set to take control of the company later this month, a year after it collapsed. Continue reading...

Mechelle Turvey says ‘outpouring of tributes across the nation has been so appreciated’ after her son was allegedly murdered

Expert refutes suggestion by deputy premier Paul Toole that technology ‘not available to introduce’

More than 40 psychologists speak out together for first time after ACP-UK’s statement on young people’s treatmentSome of the most senior gender identity specialists in the UK have accused their professional body of “contributing to an atmosphere of fear” around young people receiving gender-related healthcare.More than 40 clinical psychologists have signed an open letter to the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK in protest at the organisation’s recent position statement on the provision of services for gender-questioning children and young people. They say they believe there was a failure to properly consult experts in the field or service users, resulting in a “misleading” statement that “perpetuates damaging discourses about the work and gender-diverse identities more broadly”. Continue reading...

Government sources in Tirana say UK has failed to provide information or agree a deportation dealAn alleged failure by the Home Office to share with the Albanian government the routes taken by those arriving in Britain is being blamed for holding back efforts to stop the Channel crossings.Government sources in Tirana said that repeated attempts to get information from the UK about those travelling on the small boats had come to nothing, leaving them operating in the dark. Continue reading...

Friends of twice jailed human rights activist call for independent inquiry after body found in damaged wetsuit at Base G beach, JayapuraThe human rights campaigner Filep Karma – one of West Papua’s most famous former political prisoners – has been found dead on a beach in Jayapura, sparking calls for a full and independent inquiry into his death.Twice jailed for raising the West Papuan Morning Star flag banned by Indonesia, 63-year-old Karma was one of the most prominent and influential campaigners for West Papuan independence. Continue reading...

Victorian opposition leader rubbishes suggestions restored vehicle could be mistaken for a real ambulance

Shadow treasurer describes the policy as the greatest ‘marker of values in this term of parliament’

Comedian who dubbed himself the ‘people’s premier’, rose to fame ‘predicting’ NSW’s daily Covid-19 case totals

Special commission of inquiry into hate crimes begins hearings after 88 men were killed between 1976 and 2000

Abuse appears to be a response to Armstrong’s criticism of Gina Rinehart for not disavowing her father’s racism towards Indigenous people

UK intelligence agencies to broaden pool of talent by accepting anyone with British citizenshipThe selection criteria for spies are, perhaps unsurprisingly, quite opaque and presumed to be fairly stringent. But there is one thing that will no longer be required of would-be British agents: British parentage.The UK’s three intelligence agencies are seeking to broaden the pool of talent they can recruit from by accepting anyone who has British citizenship – regardless of where their parents are from. Continue reading...

ASA rules that UK Facebook ad showing white officer with black prisoner showed an ‘imbalanced power dynamic’An advertising campaign run by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) featuring a white prison officer and a black prisoner has been banned for perpetuating negative stereotypes linking race with criminal activity.The Facebook ad promoting jobs at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in London featured a prison officer talking to an inmate wearing an afro comb in his hair, alongside the caption: “We’re key workers, problem solvers, life changers.” Continue reading...

Inspectorate uncovers widespread vetting failures with officers cleared to join after committing serious crimesDefective vetting and failures by police leaders have allowed a “prevalent” culture of potentially thousands of officers who are “predatory” towards women to join and stay in the ranks, a damning official report has concluded.Officers staged unwarranted stops of women in an abuse of power known as “booty patrols”, with crimes such as sexual assault covered up and ignored along with large-scale harassment of female officers and members of the public.A special constable cleared to join despite a past conviction for indecent exposure seven times over a two-week period as a juvenile, when he had masturbated at his bedroom window, coughing to attract the attention of a woman. He also had a caution for threats to commit criminal damage.A support officer cleared to join after slapping his partner in the face.A police officer allowed to join despite robbing an 80-year-old woman, who was knocked to the ground and had her handbag stolen.A police officer cleared to join despite concerns he had a theft conviction and potential criminal links.A police officer arrested twice for assaults on women who were left with marks on their necks, and witness intimidation, as well as having a historical drink-driving conviction.An officer cleared to join despite an arrest for rape while a juvenile, about 20 years earlier.An officer, who still works with vulnerable people, given a final written warning for sending extremely sexually explicit and racist messages to a female colleague. Continue reading...

New mandatory advertising taglines based on new behavioural research come alongside a rise in rates of problem gambling in online punters

Turnout for fifth general election in just four years reaches 23-year high as voters attempted to break political deadlockThe former Israeli prime minster, Benjamin Netanyahu, may have scraped a razor-thin election win with the help of new far-right allies, according to exit polls in the country’s fifth vote in four years.His Likud party is projected to win 30 or 31 seats, Israel’s public broadcaster and two private channels said when polls closed at 10pm (8pm GMT) on Tuesday. The longtime leader’s rightwing religious bloc is set to win 61 or 62 seats overall – just clinching a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Continue reading...

Defeated president speaks after two days but fails to congratulate opponent and does not explicitly say he respects result

Exclusive: Whitehall officials have ‘war gamed’ Programme Yarrow, a blueprint for coping with outages for up to a weekThe government has “war gamed” emergency plans to cope with energy blackouts lasting up to seven days in the event of a national power outage amid growing fears over security of supply this winter.The Guardian has seen documents, marked “official sensitive”, which warn that in a “reasonable worst-case scenario” all sectors including transport, food and water supply, communications and energy could be “severely disrupted” for up to a week. Continue reading...

Allison Fluke-Ekren’s children told the court that their mother had a ‘lust for control and power’ and deserved the maximum sentenceA Kansas woman who led an all-female Islamic State battalion when she lived in Syria has been sentenced to 20 years in prison – the maximum possible sentence – after her own children denounced her in court and detailed the horrific circumstances and abuse she heaped on them.Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, admitted that she led the Khatiba Nusaybah, a battalion in which roughly 100 women and girls – some as young as 10 years old – learned how to use automatic weapons and detonate grenades and suicide belts. Continue reading...

The civil rights activist and his wife paid the hospital bill for the birth of the actor because her parents couldn’t afford itAn astounding but little-known fact about Julia Roberts has resurfaced after her recent 55th birthday prompted a consultant to call attention to a link between the actor’s birth and revered civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.Roberts, whose birthday was 28 October, first shared the story about the day she was born with journalist Gayle King this September in Washington DC during a HISTORYTalks live event for the History Channel. That day, she said during the talk, the activist known to many simply as MLK – as well as his fellow civil rights champion and wife Coretta Scott King – paid off the hospital bill for her birth because Roberts’s parents were poor and couldn’t afford it. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak’s cabinet hears variation of service across NHS will be ‘particular area of focus’Health spending will not be cut in the autumn statement, the Guardian understands, but cabinet ministers have been told there would be a programme of reform for underperforming trusts.Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor and a former health secretary, has warned against complacency and said the government expects the NHS and Department of Health and Social Care to find new efficiencies. Continue reading...

Rijksmuseum to display Girl With a Flute at exhibition despite National Gallery of Art, Washington, saying it is an imitationFrom the identity of the young woman in Johannes Vermeer’s most famous painting, the Girl With a Pearl Earring, to the techniques he employed, much about the Dutch master remains a mystery.The lack of certainty about the life and works of the Sphinx of Delft, as he was known, has now injected a little controversy – and perhaps even some inter-institutional tension, albeit politely denied – ahead of what is being billed as the biggest ever exhibition of his paintings, in Amsterdams’ Rijksmuseum, next February. Continue reading...