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Some want the chancellor to exploit newly flexible fiscal rules - others want a more creative approach, such as borrowing from marketsWith just 12 weeks to go until his first budget, new chancellor John Healey is seeking ways to ramp up public investment, without busting the Treasury's fiscal rules - and some economists are urging him to be bold.As he settles into No 11 Downing Street, the former defence secretary's most immediate challenges concern day-to-day government spending. Continue reading...

Investigation by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty and Legal Agenda shows Israel deliberately attacked Amal Khalil and colleague Zeinab Faraj knowing they were civiliansAn Israeli strike that killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and injured her colleague Zeinab Faraj in April was a war crime, three rights organisations said on Thursday.Investigations from Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International and Legal Agenda showed that Israel deliberately and directly attacked Khalil and Faraj, with apparent knowledge that they were civilians. The organisations called for the attacks to be investigated as war crimes, while HRW called for states to halt arm sales to Israel and put targeted sanctions on Israeli officials responsible for ongoing crimes. Continue reading...

Jean-Claude Perrottet, brother of former NSW premier, asked about messages referencing federal opposition leader and factional group Reformers

Van Viet Truong was critically injured after coming to the aid of a fellow retail worker in Sunshine

A 45-year-old man and 23-year-old woman were found dead in the Charleville home after a near eight-hour police siege

After Ukraine failed to shoot down a single ballistic missile fired by Russia on Wednesday, the president urged allies to increase supplies of Patriot interceptorsNato is working to get Ukraine the air defences it urgently needs", its secretary general has said, after Kyiv failed to shoot down a single Russian missile in an attack on Wednesday, and as Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was seeking to significantly boost missile production ahead of winter.Speaking at a National Security and Defense Council meeting on winter resilience, the Ukrainian president did not rule out the idea that stalling missile supplies from western allies were aimed at making Ukraine, so to speak, more willing to compromise" in peace talks with Russia. Continue reading...

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Jeanine John Taele faces new weapons charges as details of suspicious' behavior ahead of president's visit emergeA California man who was arrested at Donald Trump's Los Angeles-area golf course ahead of a presidential visit is facing more charges, as authorities released new details about the investigation.Authorities say federal agents first observed 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele near the golf grounds in Rancho Palos Verdes on 31 July, wearing an earpiece and capturing photographs and videos of security agents assessing the property. Continue reading...

Company is the third to report such an incident after Anthropic and OpenAI reported breaches during trainingMeta said on Wednesday that one of its AI models hacked another company during cybersecurity testing, after an error by its testing partner gave the model unintended internet access.The incident adds to a growing list of cases in which AI agents from major developers breached systems at other companies during testing, after Anthropic said last week that some of its models hacked three companies, and OpenAI disclosed that an AI agent breached the startup Hugging Face. Continue reading...

Burmese pythons are an invasive species in the Everglades, and the challenge is part of initiative to remove themThe winner of this year's annual Florida Python Challenge hunted down and eliminated 96 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades national park, as part of an initiative to remove hundreds of the snakes from the area every year.The challenge invites hunters to participate in 10 days of capturing and humanely euthanizing as many of the invasive snakes as possible across eight designated hunting locations, with the winner taking home a cash prize of $10,000. The event is hosted by Florida fish, wildlife and conservation (FWC), the south Florida water management district, the National Park Service and others. Continue reading...

Variety of prescriptions were found in blood of mother accused of strangling her three children, court hears

Chief executive Robert Thomson says crass kleptomaniac' AI companies are in possession of stolen goods'

Husic to take short' period of leave after collision on Sydney motorway on Tuesday

The 20-year-old's third calf is being monitored by officials as survival rates for the species are challenging, the zoo saidThe Toronto Zoo has announced the birth of a female pygmy hippo calf.Kindia, the zoo's 20-year-old pygmy hippo, started showing signs of labor at around 8.15am last Sunday, it said. Around four hours later, the calf's feet emerged and after 1.5 hours of active labor, Kindia successfully gave birth to the baby pygmy hippo. Continue reading...

Investigators treating incident as part of professional hybrid threat scenario', says Alexander Dobrindt The Leipzig drone bomb marks a dangerous escalation for EuropeGermany's interior minister has warned that the discovery of a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig airport marks a new level of danger" for the country, as authorities examine whether the thwarted attack could have been planned by a foreign power.The discovery of a small drone carrying explosives at Leipzig airport, a leading shipping and military hub, set off alarm and caused flight diversions on Wednesday morning. German police deployed a bomb disposal robot to defuse and destroy the explosive device. Continue reading...

Sociology professor to stand down after university announces investigation into his qualifications and career

Thames Valley chief says he may join Police Federation in court if Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers are freed from prisonThe chief constable of Thames Valley police has said he will consider joining legal action against the government if it fails to block the early release of two of PC Andrew Harper's killers.The Police Federation is contemplating going to court in its attempts to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed.The geographic coordinates for a shipping route through the strait of Hormuz have been agreed by Iran and Oman, and a joint announcement is being finalised, provided no third parties interfere, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday.Baghaei added that any such agreement between Iran and Oman would not, by itself, guarantee security in the strategic waterway. Continue reading...

Joint statement with Oman is being finalised, but Tehran says deal alone would not guarantee waterway's securityIran and Oman have reached an understanding on the geographic coordinates for a shipping route through the strait of Hormuz, and a joint announcement is being finalised provided certain third parties do not interfere, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Wednesday.Baghaei added that any such agreement between Iran and Oman would not, by itself, guarantee security in the strategic waterway. Continue reading...

State department informs Congress of planned closures in Canada, Grenada, Japan, Indonesia and CameroonThe US state department is to shut five foreign consulates and missions across Asia, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, drawing criticism that it is leaving a diplomatic vacuum at risk of being filled by China.The US Congress has been served notice of the impending closures, which are being justified on cost grounds and follow a reassessment of the US's bilateral relationships with a range of countries since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Continue reading...

University says it has new information' about academic career of Jason Arday, the youngest black professor in its historyJason Arday, the Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism and embellishment, is to face investigation by the university after it said it received new information" about his qualifications and career.Cambridge initially defended Arday - the youngest black professor appointed in the university's history, with a compelling life story of educational disadvantage - as the victim of a vile campaign". But as questions mounted over Arday's own claims, the university's leaders felt that Cambridge's reputation was in danger. Continue reading...

Data shows victims of torture and trafficking among those prosecuted for crossing Channel by irregular meansMore than 1,100 people, including survivors of torture and trafficking, have been convicted of illegally arriving in the UK since 2022, according to freedom of information data.The Home Office introduced the offence of illegal arrival in 2022 in a bid to deter those planning to come to the UK by small boat or by other irregular means such as lorries. Continue reading...

Sheikh Hasina, 78, plans a December comeback two years after being ousted in a bloody uprising led by studentsBangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return home by year-end, even though she faces a death sentence.They may put me in a cell. They may kill me. Anything may happen, but still I have to go," said the 78-year-old, speaking two years after a student-led uprising toppled her government. Continue reading...

Initial evidence suggests the drone, which was found near Ukrainian cargo planes at the German airport, came from RussiaThe armed drone found at Leipzig airport on Wednesday may not have exploded, but the fact that it got inside the perimeter, close to Ukrainian cargo planes, raises obvious concerns for the security of international aviation.Though the identity of the culprits is unknown, the initial evidence points firmly towards a Russian-orchestrated plot. It is the first time that a drone with explosives has been found in Europe far from the Ukrainian border. Continue reading...

Metropolitan police say 47-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapon and assault

Ukraine shoots down most drones but no ballistic missiles in overnight attack that mainly targeted civilian facilitiesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has blamed allies for not delivering air defences fast enough after Ukraine failed to shoot down a single Russian missile in a deadly overnight attack that killed at least 17 people and injured dozens more.Preliminary data from the Ukrainian air force showed its defences shot down 98 of the 115 drones fired by Russia overnight, but no ballistic missiles. Continue reading...

Police arrested a woman in central London after four men were found with stab wounds in the shopping and entertainment districtWorkers at the 2 Chairs Grooming Room said one of the victims ran into the shop and took his shirt off, revealing a large gash on his back.Two of the four men stabbed this afternoon have been discharged from the hospital, the Metropolitan Police posted on X. Continue reading...

Hits on two towns among deadliest bombings since start of June ceasefireAn Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon killed one person and injured 11, the Lebanese ministry of health said, in one of Israel's deadliest bombings since the start of the June ceasefire.Israel carried out an airstrike in the town of Tebnine, hitting a cemetery, the Lebanese health ministry said. It said the town of al-Mansouri, in south Lebanon, was also bombed, forcing families to flee. Continue reading...

Assassination attempt demonstrates Ukraine's ability to continue clandestine operations deep inside Russian territoryThe head of a leading Russian drone manufacturer has been critically injured in a car bomb near Ekaterinburg, in what appears to be the latest in a series of assassination attempts targeting figures linked to the country's war in Ukraine.Vladimir Tkachuk, the founder of the private drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, was rushed to intensive care on Wednesday after a bomb planted beneath his Mercedes exploded, according to Russian state media, citing emergency services. His bodyguard was killed in the explosion. Continue reading...

German state prosecutors including units working on extremism and terrorism prevention take over investigation into Leipzig incidentFor what it's worth, DHL Group CEO Tobias Meyer said the German logistics firm was studying the overnight incident which also involved an object clashing with one of its planes near Leipzig.We've got plans for cases like this, and we'll try to make sure that the influence on our customers will be as low as possible," Meyer said during a quarterly results call earlier this morning, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

New data shows the federal government scheme has been used by high-income borrowers, including one couple earning an annual $674,000

Add-on fees such as the new overhead locker baggage charge can make it harder to compare air fares, experts say

Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council to meet with Tory party but decline meeting with Joshua Bonehill-Paine

Exclusive: Rukhsar Ahmed was re-elected as an MP in Pakistan last week despite being on police bail in the UKA former Pakistani state minister has been arrested on suspicion of raping vulnerable young girls in Manchester in the 1990s, the Guardian can reveal.Rukhsar Ahmed, who was re-elected as an MP in Pakistan last week after five years out of office, is on police bail in the UK after his arrest in July 2024 on suspicion of rape and trafficking children in care as part of a grooming gang. Continue reading...

Police say man, 35, was known to nine-year-old girl, who was found seriously injured in industrial estate in ArbroathA man has been charged in connection with the death of a nine-year-old girl on a family camping trip in Scotland.The girl, from West Yorkshire, was found seriously injured just after midnight on Monday morning at the Elliot industrial estate in Arbroath, Angus. Continue reading...

Exclusive: cases of Afghan man, Ukrainian man and Saudi woman show repeated nasogastric tube insertions and lack of legal representationOne hunger striker in an immigration detention center was force-fed for almost six months.One detained immigrant with mental health problems was about to be force-fed, until his attorney intervened and stopped the process.Read part one and part two of our Ice force-feeding series Continue reading...

National Autonomous University of Mexico says applicants must take test in person after online debacleMexico's largest and most prestigious university has announced that about 58,000 students will have to resit their entrance exam after abnormally high test results raised suspicions of widespread cheating.The National Autonomous University of Mexico (Unam) said the exam would take place in person after its first attempt at a fully remote online version led to a debacle and thousands of annulled results. Continue reading...

Energy minister says Australian households and energy reliability will be protected by new federal legislationEnergy minister Chris Bowen says the federal government will override state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.Bowen said he expected his counterparts in Queensland and the Northern Territory - who had protested the new federal rules at a meeting last week - to be unhappy with the move, but said the Albanese government was committed to powering the AI revolution with renewable energy. Continue reading...

UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurityAbout 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the rapidly developing El Nino weather system, according to forecasting.This is in addition to the hundreds of millions of people already facing dangerous levels of hunger, owing to years of drought in parts of Africa and pressure on food prices from the war in Iran. Continue reading...

Sarah Henderson says bill ignores gambling inducements, uniting parties and independents against controversial legislation

In a Choice test of 48 products, the Aldi powder also came out on top for top loaders

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Emergency services were seen outside Hilton's home in Miami on Tuesday night after members of the public reported seeing Hilton harm himselfThe celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has been hospitalised after livestreaming footage of himself self-harming on TikTok.Emergency services were seen outside Hilton's home in Miami on Tuesday night after concerned members of the public reported seeing Hilton harm himself in a graphic video streamed live on TikTok. Hilton's TikTok account was suspended minutes later. Continue reading...

Flurry of articles has raised eyebrows and drawn response from Kemi Badenoch defending stance on net zeroNobody can deny that the UK is getting warmer and high temperatures are becoming a clear threat to homes, nature and food security," read the lengthy news report, which explored the devastating effect of British wildfires on families in recent years.The article's conclusions, written after the wildfires in Suffolk last week, were no surprise given the UK's changing climate. However, the fact that the piece appeared in the Telegraph, the rightwing title that has been a leading critic of green policies, did raise eyebrows among some readers. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: The past week shows how quickly images, rumours and right-wing political opportunism can eclipse the facts on the groundGood morning. Last week, an estimated 72,000 migrants began crossing into a tiny Spanish enclave on the tip of Morocco. Within 24 hours, most of them had headed home. At least 88 people died after attempting the crossing, according to local officials. This isn't the whole story of what happened over the last week, but the facts are worth remembering.At an emergency meeting yesterday, EU interior ministers sought to draw a line under Ceuta, insisting that the passport-free Schengen area had never been at risk from the arrival of migrants at this scale. Despite this, much of the media coverage has suggested that events in Ceuta represent a territorial threat to Europe, sparking calls for greater security across the region's borders.Environment | Eight of the biggest oil companies amassed profits of more than $90bn (67bn) in just three months as the Iran conflict sent energy prices soaring and the emissions-fuelled climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves.UK politics | Women should not feel pressurised into experiencing an ideal birth", the new health secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said, promising a root-and-branch reform of standards after several damning maternity scandals.Middle East | Jordan is convening an emergency meeting over an imminent" threat of an Israeli takeover of the most important Muslim site in Jerusalem, with the potential to trigger a religious conflict".Ukraine | Russian strikes in and around Kyiv killed at least 14 people, injured 27 and damaged warehouses, emergency service officials said. Some reports put the death toll at 15.Ceuta | Hundreds of people have gathered in the northern Moroccan town of Fnideq, near the border with Spain's Ceuta, flashing photos of their missing loved ones to passersby in the hope of tracking them down. Continue reading...

Kellie Sloane says leaking a report is never good' as Reformer Jean-Claude Perrottet tells inquiry group signed up members to dodgy' branches

Victorian corruption watchdog finds serious and concerning' conduct by senior Andrews government members in dealings with union boss

Airline says struggling to find room in overhead lockers on planes a stressful part of the airport experience'

Increasingly erratic weather patterns due to climate change mean people are losing homes, crops and livestockAs rain lashed the Pir Panjal mountains before dawn on 19 July, Haji Mohammad Latief stepped outside his home in Murrah, a remote mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir. His daughter had asked him to move the family's car to a safer place as the rain got heavier.I had only just parked it," Latief recalled. When I turned around, I saw the water coming." Minutes later, a cloudburst sent mud, boulders and water crashing down the hillside. Continue reading...