Tropical Storm Rafael gains intensity in Caribbean as it nears Cuba

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Storm expected to reach hurricane status but should weaken before it hits the US Gulf coast

Tropical Storm Rafael has grown more powerful in the Caribbean Sea and is poised to reach hurricane strength on Wednesday, carrying the risk of damaging wind and rainfall. But it should weaken as it approaches the US Gulf coast, where several states have not been hit by a hurricane in November, according to records maintained since the early months of the US civil war.

Portions of the Florida Keys could see tropical storm conditions starting on Wednesday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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Dutch school bars parents from marks-sharing app in push to lower pupil stress

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Experiment for a term prompted by research showing that sharing every result put added pressure on students

A secondary school in the Netherlands is blocking parental access to children’s grades for a term in an attempt to reduce the pressure on pupils to perform.

Like many countries, the Netherlands has a system under which students need a certain grade average to progress to the next year, but Jordan – Montessori Lyceum Utrecht found that a widely used app that shares every mark with parents was increasing stress among children.

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Riot prevention teams deployed to disperse Hindu community protest in Canada – The Tribune India

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  1. Riot prevention teams deployed to disperse Hindu community protest in Canada  The Tribune India
  2. Indian PM condemns violence after Canada temple incident  BBC.com
  3. Violent clash in Brampton, Indian Jurassic Park, and accident at bullet train site  The Indian Express
  4. Demonstration outside Canadian Hindu temple broken up after police spotted weapons  The Associated Press
  5. Canada Cop Who Attended Khalistani Protest Outside Hindu Temple Suspended  NDTV
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UK introduces a bill that would eventually make the purchase of cigarettes illegal – The Associated Press

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  1. UK introduces a bill that would eventually make the purchase of cigarettes illegal  The Associated Press
  2. Smoking to be banned outside schools and hospitals in England, but pubs get reprieve  The Guardian
  3. Labour confirms U-turn on proposed ban on smoking and vaping in pub gardens  Sky News
  4. Smoking banned outside schools – but pub gardens are safe  The Telegraph
  5. UK government aims to ban smoking outside schools and hospitals  Financial Times
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Chaos and destruction as Israel strikes deep in Lebanon’s valley – BBC.com

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  1. Chaos and destruction as Israel strikes deep in Lebanon’s valley  BBC.com
  2. Rescuers pull 30 bodies from a building in central Lebanon hit in an Israeli strike  The Associated Press
  3. LIVE: Israel pounds southern Lebanon, attacks continue across Gaza  Al Jazeera English
  4. Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon are hitting civilians without warning  The Washington Post
  5. IDF’s 8th Brigade neutralizes dozens of Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon  The Jerusalem Post
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Australian foreign minister raises allegations of India targeting Sikhs in Canada – The Associated Press

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  1. Australian foreign minister raises allegations of India targeting Sikhs in Canada  The Associated Press
  2. Canada alleges Indian minister ordered campaign targeting Sikh separatists  CNN
  3. Australian counterpart on dais, EAM S Jaishankar slams Canada  The Times of India
  4. Is Canada cutting the number of visas issued to Indians? What MEA says  The Economic Times
  5. Modi’s Top Aide in Spotlight as India-Canada Feud Worsens  Bloomberg
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Kremlin Scorns Pro-West Moldovan President’s Election Victory – Bloomberg

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  1. Kremlin Scorns Pro-West Moldovan President’s Election Victory  Bloomberg
  2. Pro-West Leader Wins High-Stakes Vote in Former Soviet Republic  The New York Times
  3. Putin’s latest election meddling effort failed. It’s unlikely to stop him trying again  CNN
  4. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 3, 2024  Institute for the Study of War
  5. Opinion | Moldova just voted for freedom. But what happens if Trump wins?  The Washington Post
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Pedro Almodóvar and Jacques Audiard lead European Film Awards nominations

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Emilia Peréz and The Room Next Door are both up for honours in prizes regarded as Oscars bellwethers

A genre-bending musical about a trans cartel boss and a Spanish veteran director’s English-language debut lead the nominations for this year’s European Film Awards, with Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Peréz and Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door both up for honours in four categories.

The French and Spanish auteurs gained nominations for best film, best director and best screenwriter, the European Film Academy announced on Tuesday ahead of this year’s ceremony in the Swiss lakeside city of Lucerne on 7 December.

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Iran says German-Iranian died before execution was reported – BBC.com

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  1. Iran says German-Iranian died before execution was reported  BBC.com
  2. Iran claims German-Iranian dissident died before he could be executed  The Guardian
  3. An Iran official claims Iranian-German prisoner died before he could be executed  The Associated Press
  4. Germany Shuts 3 Iranian Consulates Over Execution of German-Iranian Man  The New York Times
  5. Germany says Iran is responsible for death of Sharmahd  The Jerusalem Post
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China blocking UK plans in Beijing amid east London mega-embassy dispute

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Exclusive: UK rebuild of Beijing embassy held up as Angela Rayner faces fraught decision on Royal Mint Court site

China is blocking requests to rebuild the British embassy in Beijing while the fate of its controversial mega-embassy in east London is being decided, the Guardian can disclose.

Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, faces a politically fraught decision over whether to approve plans for a new Chinese embassy at Royal Mint Court.

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‘Deplorable’: nurse slammed therapy doll dementia patient believed was real baby on table, NSW tribunal hears

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Sudiksha Ahuja found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and her nursing registration cancelled

An aged care nurse who slammed a dementia patient’s therapy doll on a table and laughed at the distressed patient who believed it was a real baby has been found to have been “callous and deplorable”.

Sudiksha Ahuja was found guilty in August of unsatisfactory professional conduct after being prosecuted by the Health Care Complaints Commission before the New South Wales civil and administrative tribunal, the commission said in a statement on Tuesday. On Monday, the commission cancelled Ahuja’s registration as an enrolled nurse.

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2GB’s Ben Fordham pulls out of Liberal event, saying he didn’t realise it was fundraiser for party

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Nine radio star says he speaks to political organisations, Scouts, charities and preschools but draws the line at political promotion

Nine’s 2GB radio host Ben Fordham has pulled out of a Liberal party fundraiser in Kirribilli, saying he did not realise the event was raising money for the political party when he accepted the invitation to speak.

“Kirribilli Branch is honoured to be joined by Ben Fordham, Sydney’s No.1 radio presenter,” the invitation said. “Ben will provide a review of the major stories he has uncovered and covered this year and the very important election year on the horizon.”

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Drilling for Sydney to Newcastle high-speed rail begins but Labor accused of uncosted ‘fantasy project’

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Two drill rigs, installed on barges, have started work on the Hawkesbury River at Brooklyn and at Brisbane Water near Gosford

Drill rigs have started boring into rocks and riverbeds to determine the best route for the tunnelling megaproject needed for a high-speed rail line between Sydney and Newcastle, but the fast train’s future is far from certain amid questions about its cost.

Almost three years after Labor came to power on a promise to build the fast train, two drill rigs have begun geotechnical examinations on the Central Coast of New South Wales, the Albanese government announced on Tuesday, as its newly formed High-Speed Rail Association (HSRA) works on a business case for the project’s first stage.

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