News live: governor general warns of ‘fragility’ of Australian democracy on Gough Whitlam dismissal anniversary; Wiggles admit likely consumer law breach
Sam Mostyn voices concern about a ‘collision of apathy and disinformation’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJohn Howard says the Whitlam episode empowered Australians to better decide the country’s futureRN’s Sally Sara spoke to former prime minister John Howard this morning about his own reflection on Gough Whitlam’s removal. Howard called Whitlam an “outstanding parliamentarian”, and one of the best he ever saw.I think the greatest lesson is that we have a very durable and workable constitution, which ultimately allowed the people of Australia to decide the country’s future.And there wasn’t any doubt that once the Australian people had a clear run at deciding who was going to govern their affairs, what their answer was.For someone like my mum, who’d waited a long, long time, 23 years to see the election of a Labor government, it was seen to be this intervention that was very unfair, that was something that they didn’t expect could ever happen in Australia. Continue reading...
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Why the BBC Is Facing Its Gravest Crisis in Decades
The British public service broadcaster apologized on Monday for a misleadingly edited documentary about President Trump. But the scandal had already claimed two of its top executives.
‘Success is shutting them down’: Met police in fight against illegal vape and phone shops
Products that fail fire safety checks, are counterfeit and breach laws protecting children targeted in raids in LondonA rainbow of vapes and Apple-branded products light up the window of a south London shop as a small army of police prepare to march through the door.Officers have been watching the shop for months and have already carried out tests in independent labs on products bought there. Most have come back with a high risk rate for possible electrocution and fires. Continue reading...
China’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis finds
World’s biggest polluter on track to hit peak emissions target early but miss goal for cutting carbon intensityChina’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months, analysis reveals, adding evidence to the hope that the world’s biggest polluter has managed to hit its target of peak CO2 emissions well ahead of schedule.Rapid increases in the deployment of solar and wind power generation – which grew by 46% and 11% respectively in the third quarter of this year – meant the country’s energy sector emissions remained flat, even as the demand for electricity increased. Continue reading...
England’s children’s commissioner calls for closure of young offender institutions
Dame Rachel de Souza says hundreds of children are being locked up unnecessarily due to failing servicesCustody is being used as a “waiting room” for hundreds of children who are being unnecessarily locked up while awaiting trial or sentencing due to failing services, the children’s commissioner for England has warned.Dame Rachel de Souza said many children were being placed in custody not because they posed the greatest risk, but because the systems designed to support them were failing. She called for the closure of all young offender institutions (YOIs) in England. Continue reading...
NHS staff who visit patients at home say St George’s flags can mean ‘no-go zones’
Black and Asian staff left feeling ‘deliberately intimidated’, according to chief executive of one NHS trustNHS staff who care for patients in their own homes fear some areas have become “no-go zones” for them because of the presence of St George’s flags, health leaders have said.Black and Asian staff have been left feeling “deliberately intimidated” as a result of the flags that were put up in many parts of England during the summer, according to the chief executive of one NHS trust in England, who asked to remain anonymous. Continue reading...
UK retail sales growth slows as shoppers await Black Friday and budget
Industry body says shoppers are waiting for discount day, as Barclays reports falling consumer confidenceRetailers suffered the slowest sales growth since May last month as shoppers were cautious in the run-up to expected budget tax rises and held out for Black Friday discounts.Sales rose 1.6% in October, a step down from 2.3% the month before, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) trade body and the advisory group KPMG. Continue reading...
Councillors in England face suspensions for misconduct as part of government overhaul
Local authorities to be given powers to suspend rule-breaking officials and to withhold allowancesMayors and councillors in England face suspensions of up to six months for serious misconduct and repeated rule breaches as the government seeks to overhaul standards in local government.Under plans unveiled on Tuesday, local authorities will be handed powers to suspend rule-breaking councillors and mayors, including those found guilty of bullying and assault, and to withhold their allowances. Continue reading...
Schumer faces calls to resign as minority leader after some Democrats work with Republicans to end shutdown – live
Schumer, who did not vote in favor of the legislation, faces steep pushback from progressive lawmakers who blame him for the Democrats who defectedSenate Democrats who defected: ‘This was the only deal’Here’s how each senator votedThe eight Democratic and Independent senators who broke ranks with the party to advance a bill that would end the government shutdown – the longest in US history – have defended their decisions amid furor from their party and base.“What happened tonight is not the closing of a chapter. It’s the opening of an opportunity. What the chapter does close is the damaging shutdown that is only getting worse, that is only going to impact more and more people,” said Angus King, the Independent lawmaker from Maine who caucuses with Democrats. Continue reading...
Data centers meet resistance over environmental concerns as AI boom spreads in Latin America
An expert describes how communities in some of the world’s driest areas are demanding transparency as secretive governments court billions in foreign investmentThis Q&A originally appeared as part of The Guardian’s TechScape newsletter. Sign up for this weekly newsletter here.The data centers that power the artificial intelligence boom are beyond enormous. Their financials, their physical scale, and the amount of information contained within are so massive that the idea of stopping their construction can seem like opposing an avalanche in progress. Continue reading...