Zelenskyy welcomes US decision to give landmines to Ukraine amid criticism from aid groups – Russia-Ukraine war as it happened

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In a television interview in France, foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has dismissed Vladimir Putin’s approval of a new nuclear doctrine yesterday as rhetoric, and, Reuters reports, said “We are not intimidated.”

The change in nuclear doctrine yesterday lowered the threshold for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons, with a significant development being that Russia says it now considers a nuclear response justified if it is on the receiving end of aggression by a non-nuclear power that is being aided by a nuclear power.

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E.ON must pay £14.5m to prepayment customers after billing failures

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Ofgem says nearly 250,000 people will each receive average of £144 in compensation and refunds

The energy regulator has ordered power supplier E.ON Next to pay £14.5m in compensation to nearly 250,000 prepayment customers, after an investigation found “unacceptable” failures to pay credit they had on accounts or final bill payments they were owed.

Ofgem found that the customers were affected over an 18-month period from early 2021 to late last year by an error in E.ON Next’s billing system. About 100,000 of the affected accounts were also in credit.

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UK failing animals with just one welfare inspector for every 878 farms – report

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Only 2.5% of more than 300,000 farms were inspected at least once in 2022 and 2023, researchers find

There is just one local authority inspector for every 878 farms in England, Scotland and Wales, according to a report, which says that the current welfare system is continuing to fail animals.

Researchers for the Animal Law Foundation found that only 2.5% of the more than 300,000 UK farms were inspected at least once in 2022 and 2023, a marginal decrease from 2018-21 when Covid-19 might be expected to have affected inspection rates.

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Russian spy chief says NATO aid for Ukraine missile strikes will be punished – Reuters

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  1. Russian spy chief says NATO aid for Ukraine missile strikes will be punished  Reuters
  2. For Russia, Nuclear Weapons Are the Ultimate Bargaining Chip  The New York Times
  3. Putin just approved a new nuclear weapons doctrine for Russia. Here's what it means.  CBS News
  4. Ukraine foreign minister: ‘The United States cannot afford to look weak’  The Hill
  5. China Reacts As Putin Approves Russia's New Nuclear Weapons Doctrine  Newsweek
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Uber to limit surge pricing and commuters urged to work from home amid Sydney train shut down

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Government to meet union officials again on Thursday after a Wednesday meeting didn’t resolve the industrial dispute

Sydney’s trains are set to shut down this weekend after an emergency meeting between rail unions and the New South Wales premier on Wednesday produced no solutions.

The government will meet leaders from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union again on Thursday in a final bid to avert industrial action from train staff, which would see trains stop running across the city on Friday, Saturday and into Sunday.

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Hong Kong hears from jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai for the first time in four years at his trial – CNN

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  1. Hong Kong hears from jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai for the first time in four years at his trial  CNN
  2. Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong Media Mogul, Takes Stand in National Security Trial  The New York Times
  3. He Rose to Riches in Hong Kong. Now He’s a Symbol of China’s Crackdown.  The Wall Street Journal
  4. Tycoon Jimmy Lai denies asking US to act against HK, China in landmark trial  Reuters
  5. Media publisher Jimmy Lai defiant as he takes the stand in Hong Kong  The Washington Post
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UK’s inflation jump dashes hope of interest rate cut in December | Heather Stewart

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Rate cut unlikely until 2025 as energy prices blamed for stronger-than-expected inflation of 2.3%

Any lingering hope that the Bank of England might deliver a pre-Christmas interest rate cut next month appears to have evaporated, after official data showed inflation jumping to 2.3% in October.

The CPI measure had been expected to tick up, after dipping to 1.7% in September, but 2.3% was stronger than expected.

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Labor bill could lead to lengthy detention of migrants before deportation to countries paid to take them, committee warns

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Bipartisan human rights committee says there could be a ‘significant intervening period’ before non-citizens are accepted by other countries

The human rights committee has warned the Albanese government’s migration bill could result in lengthy spells in detention before non-citizens are deported to countries paid to take them.

In a report tabled on Wednesday the bipartisan committee, chaired by Labor MP Josh Burns, threw up significant roadblocks to the controversial bill and also queried the move by the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, to reimpose ankle bracelets and curfews on those released from immigration detention.

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Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai defiant as he gives evidence in foreign collusion trial

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Founder of Apple Daily paper denies seeking to influence foreign policy against China and says advocating for the independence of Hong Kong was ‘a reality too crazy to think about’

Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai has said he “never” tried to influence foreign policy or ask foreign officials to take concrete action on Hong Kong, on his first day giving evidence at his national security trial.

Lai has been charged with one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications and two counts of conspiracy to foreign collusion, under the city’s punitive national security law (NSL), introduced in 2020.

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China’s Xi visits Brasilia to cap tour flexing diplomatic clout – Reuters

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  1. China's Xi visits Brasilia to cap tour flexing diplomatic clout  Reuters
  2. In Brazil, Xi Jinping Cultivates a Friend as He Braces for Trump  The Wall Street Journal
  3. Brazil courts China as its Musk feud erupts again  The Economist
  4. Lula’s Embrace of Xi Sets Up a Clash Over Trump’s China Policy  Bloomberg
  5. Seven Decades of China-Brazil Friendship: Cultural Diplomacy, Agrarian Reform, and the Cold War  MR Online
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A surge in mass attacks has killed dozens in China in recent months – NPR

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  1. A surge in mass attacks has killed dozens in China in recent months  NPR
  2. China’s Crackdowns Belie Fears Within the Regime  The Dispatch
  3. A Mass Killing Tests China’s Crime Narrative  Bloomberg
  4. After Deadly Car Rampage, Chinese Officials Try to Erase Any Hint of It  The New York Times
  5. Mass casualty attacks in China put focus on mental health as economy slows  Reuters
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US admiral says sending Israel and Ukraine weapons like Patriot missiles is eating into what’s needed for countering China – Yahoo! Voices

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  1. US admiral says sending Israel and Ukraine weapons like Patriot missiles is eating into what's needed for countering China  Yahoo! Voices
  2. US support for Ukraine and Israel is eating into weapons stockpiles, Indo-Pacific commander says  The Associated Press
  3. Top US Admiral Sounds Alarm on Weapons Stockpile  Newsweek
  4. Ukraine, Middle East conflicts eating into US air defense stocks, US admiral says  Reuters
  5. Conflicts "Eating Into" Critical Munitions Stockpiles Needed For China Fight Top U.S. Officer In Pacific Warns  The War Zone
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Victoria to build $370m state-owned solar farm and battery in state’s west

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Jacinta Allan says project will be able to power more than 51,000 homes and include 119MW solar facility and 100MW two-hour battery

The Victorian government will spend $370m to build a massive solar and battery farm able to power more than 50,000 homes, which it says will be the first state government-owned energy project since the electricity grid was privatised in the 1990s.

Jacinta Allan announced the new project in Horsham, in Victoria’s west, which is the second investment made by the government-owned State Electricity Commission.

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Dutton’s position on international student caps ‘utterly reckless’, Giles says – as it happened

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Oxfam reacts to Australia’s Cop29 pledge

Oxfam Australia has welcomed the government’s Cop29 pledge of $50m towards a global loss and damage fund to help the world’s most vulnerable people to repair the damage from climate breakdown.

If climate change losses and damages are not included in the new global climate finance goal, the new fund for responding to loss and damage risks becoming an empty vessel.

The danger is that developed country governments will prioritise meeting the new and ambitious climate finance goal, and will not prioritise a fund that doesn’t count towards it.

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G20: Germany’s Scholz voices regret over final communique – DW (English)

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  1. G20: Germany's Scholz voices regret over final communique  DW (English)
  2. Lula cuts G20 discussion short on Ukraine, irking Europeans  Reuters
  3. G-20 Ends in a Whimper After Lula Skips Closing Remarks  Bloomberg
  4. As Trump Looms, Biden Makes a Twilight Pitch on Ukraine to Global Leaders  The New York Times
  5. Trump isn't yet U.S. president, but his plans for the war in Ukraine loom large over G20  CBC News
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Residents in Haiti’s capital stand with police in a battle to repel gang attack – NPR

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  1. Residents in Haiti's capital stand with police in a battle to repel gang attack  NPR
  2. More than two dozen gang members killed after attempted attack in Haiti  Al Jazeera English
  3. Haiti: ‘It’s Not Back to Where We Started — It’s Worse’  The New York Times
  4. Doctors Without Borders halts operations in Haiti's capital amid threats from police  FRANCE 24 English
  5. More than two dozen killed after attempted attack on Haiti suburb  Reuters Canada
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Australian women to get home self tests for chlamydia and gonorrhoea – but experts urge caution

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People with genital or pelvic symptoms may feel a sense of false reassurance with a negative result, sexual health expert warns

With rates of some sexually transmitted infections in Australia on the rise, women will soon be able to test themselves for chlamydia and gonorrhoea at home – but sexual health experts have urged caution.

Australia’s drugs regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has approved the rapid home test for sale, and it is expected to be available in pharmacies from 13 December, with a recommended retail price of $24. The test involves taking a vaginal swab, which is then placed in a container with testing solution.

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