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Non-cancer electives could be delayed as early as next week as TGA issues shortage alert for multiple products used in surgery and critical care

Half a million people evacuated, 21 deaths confirmed so far and capsized tanker in Manila causes huge oil spillTyphoon Gaemi has been wreaking havoc, with the Philippines government forced to declare a state of calamity last week in its capital Manila, and flooding and at least three deaths in Taiwan. . Manila received more than 300mm of rainfall, with resulting floods reaching as high as one-storey buildings in places. More than half a million people have been evacuated or displaced, with 21 deaths confirmed so far.Gaemi initially developed on Sunday as a tropical storm to the east of the Philippines and then tracked north-west, strengthening until it achieved typhoon status on Monday as it drew level with the northernmost tip of the Philippines. Despite not making landfall in the Philippines, the typhoon interacted with existing monsoon weather systems, worsening the already heavy rains across the island of Luzon and causing several landslides. Continue reading...

Police complaints watchdog to investigate actions of armed officer who kicked Muhammed Fahir, 19, in faceThe family of the man who was kicked in the face by an armed officer have appealed for calm after a second night of protests over the barbaric" arrest at Manchester airport.Paul Waugh, the Labour MP for Rochdale, said the traumatised" family wanted to make clear they had no political agenda whatsoever" and called for calm in all communities". Continue reading...

Former work and pensions secretary announces candidacy, saying Tories have lost the trust of the British people'Mel Stride has become the latest Conservative MP to announce he intends to run for the leadership of his party, saying the Tories have substantially lost the trust of the British people".The former work and pensions secretary said on Friday morning he had won enough parliamentary support to run as a candidate in the leadership contest, which formally begins next week and will run until November. Continue reading...

Toowoomba religious sect leader, Brendan Luke Stevens, expressed confidence that eight-year-old would be healed by God, trial hears

WA police allege girl was victim of online grooming, sextortion and other online offences

Keir Starmer under pressure to allow vote as private member's bill to be introduced in upper chamberKeir Starmer is under pressure to fulfil a promise to allow a parliamentary vote on legalising assisted dying as a bill is to be introduced into the House of Lords on Friday.Lord Falconer, who was lord chancellor in Tony Blair's government, will propose a private member's bill to allow assisted dying for terminally ill adults after coming second in a ballot of peers last week. Continue reading...

Yasmine Ahmed of Human Rights Watch says the UK should not challenge the international criminal court's right to seek justice for alleged war crimesThe new UK government must withdraw Rishi Sunak's legal challenge to the international criminal court's jurisdiction over alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, the UK director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.Yasmine Ahmed said that it is absolutely critical" that the UK does not continue to challenge the right of the ICC to seek arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minster, Benjamin Netanyahu, and defence minister, Yoav Gallant, who the court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, believes could bear responsibility for crimes against humanity. Continue reading...

Former NSW premier sought review of corruption watchdog decision that she failed to declare a personal conflict of interest regarding two government grants

Democratic presidential contender strikes tough tone in public remarks following meeting with Israeli prime minister on US visit

Ukraine's foreign minister calls on Hong Kong to prevent Russia from using region to circumvent sanctions; drone debris lands in Romania. What we know on day 884The Pentagon has found $2bn worth of additional errors in its calculations for ammunition, missiles and other equipment sent to Ukraine, increasing the improperly valued material to a total of $8.2bn, a US government report revealed on Thursday. In 2023, the Pentagon said staff used replacement value" instead of depreciated value" to tabulate the billions in materials sent to Ukraine. The $6.2bn error created a path for billions more to be sent to Kyiv.Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on Hong Kong to prevent Russia and Russian businesses from using the region to circumvent sanctions. Kuleba met with Hong Kong leader John Lee as part of a visit to China. He called on the administration to prevent Russia from using Hong Kong to circumvent restrictions resulting from Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a statement from the Ukrainian foreign affairs ministry. These restrictive measures are necessary to weaken Russia's potential to wage war and kill people in Ukraine," the statement said.A court in Moscow on Thursday ordered the head of a defense ministry's construction division to be detained for two months on suspicion of abuse of power, Russian news agencies reported, the latest in a series of arrests of high-ranking ministry officials this year. Andrei Belkov heads the Military Construction Company, which builds bases, hospitals, schools and other facilities for the military, according to its website.Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska, in a new show of expanding military cooperation that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday raises concerns. The flights Wednesday were not seen as a threat but it was the first time that Chinese bomber aircraft have flown within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone. And it was the first time Chinese and Russian aircraft have taken off from the same base in northeast Russia.The Turkish navy intercepted a marine drone in the Black Sea off Istanbul, authorities said, with media reporting that it contained explosives and might be Ukrainian. Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a number of mines suspected of having floated down from the conflict zone have been spotted off the Turkish coast. The public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation.Debris from what is believed to be a Russian drone landed in a rural area of Romania, the country's Defense Ministry said Thursday, in the latest apparent incident of drone wreckage from the war in neighbouring Ukraine falling on to the Nato member's soil.The Netherlands and Denmark are to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine before the end of summer", the Dutch defence minister announced Wednesday, saying Kyiv urgently" needed more military support. The two countries bought the German-made tanks last year for 165mn euros ($186m) before sending them for refurbishment.With Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters Continue reading...

Voice actors and motion capture performers to strike over AI protections after nearly two years of negotiationsHollywood's video game performers voted to go on strike Thursday, throwing part of the entertainment industry into another work stoppage after talks for a new contract with major game studios broke down over artificial intelligence protections.The strike - the second for video game voice actors and motion capture performers under the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra) - will begin at 12.01am Friday. The move comes after nearly two years of negotiations with gaming giants, including divisions of Activision, Warner Bros and Walt Disney Co, over a new interactive media agreement. Continue reading...

Chancellor may raise some taxes in the autumn due to what Labour describes as its shocking inheritance' from ToriesRachel Reeves is expected to reveal a 20bn hole in government spending for essential public services on Monday, paving the way for potential tax rises in the autumn budget.Labour sources said the blame lay with the Tory government, describing it as a shocking inheritance" and accusing the former chancellor of presiding over a black hole and still campaigning for tax cuts". Continue reading...

Doctors and nurses who have returned say death toll is more than 92,000, describe gruesome injuries and a sick and traumatized peopleDozens of US doctors and nurses who worked in Gaza have written to Joe Biden claiming that the true death toll from Israel's months-long assault is much higher than previously reported, demanding the US withdraw diplomatic and military support for Israel until there is a ceasefire.The eight-page letter, delivered on Thursday and addressed to Biden, the First Lady Jill and the vice-president Kamala Harris, said the medics saw evidence of widespread violations of laws governing the use of US weapons supplied to Israel, and of international humanitarian law. Continue reading...

From experiencing a sudden headache at work to being found slumped under a coat in hospital with a brain haemorrhage Inquest finds hospital missed two chances to treat Inga RubliteInga Rublite was on a break at work when she came down with a sudden headache. Less than 24 hours later, she lay dying on the floor of an overcrowded A&E waiting room under a coat, hidden in plain sight. The sequence of events that led up to her death show an NHS under strain and the risk of patients falling through the cracks. Continue reading...

Triage did not uncover full extent' of Inga Rublite's symptoms as she waited under coat for hours in Nottingham Timeline of events leading up to Inga Rublite's deathStaff at a hospital in Nottingham missed two opportunities to treat a woman found dying under a coat in a crowded emergency department, a coroner has concluded.An inquest into the death of Inga Rublite, 39, found she died of natural causes but medical staff failed to recognise persistent and escalating symptoms of brain haemorrhage" as she waited in A&E for more than eight hours. Continue reading...

Former security minister's slogan altered after eagle-eyed social media users spot scatological shorthandFrom Donald Trump's Make America great again" (Maga) to Margaret Thatcher's There is no alternative" (Tina), political acronyms have long distilled what leaders stand for. Tom Tugendhat has now inadvertently created his own four-letter calling card: Turd.The Tory leadership hopeful briefly adopted the slogan Together we can, Unite the party. Rebuild trust. Defeat Labour" when he launched his bid on Wednesday. A graphic breaking it down into four lines was visible on his campaign website. Continue reading...

And the best news is the leadership contenders can no longer do any harm to anyone but themselvesGo on. Admit it. There's a small part of you that's missed the psychodramas. Not necessarily the existential angst of lying in bed each night wondering what fresh hell the government was going to unleash on us the following day. But certainly the infighting. For the last five years or so, watching the Tories implode with little help from the opposition parties had become one of the country's favourite spectator sports.The general election had put an end to that. Most of us had forgotten what serious government looked like. Ministers going about their business in a calm and capable manner. No major crises. No meltdowns. Even seven Labour MPs losing the whip over the two-child benefit cap blew over in a matter of 24 hours. Hardly a ripple. Continue reading...

Largest survey of its kind shows estimated 2.5% of adults have struggled with problem gambling

Alert comes as hospitals in England asked to restrict use of O-type blood as aftershocks of June cyber-attack continueThe NHS has made an urgent appeal for more blood donors after a national alert over supplies dropping to an unprecedentedly low" level.O-negative blood - known as the universal blood type - is safe for all patients requiring blood transfusions. Making up about 16% of all hospital orders, it is used in emergencies or when a patient's blood type is unknown. Continue reading...

Warning of serious harm risked as synthetic drug spice found in vapes used by pupils at 28 schoolsOne in six vapes confiscated in English schools are spiked with the highly addictive zombie drug" spice, according to research.Analysis from 38 schools revealed that the synthetic street drug, classified as class B alongside ketamine and GHB, was in hundreds of devices. The researchers said they believed the substance was being put into vapes marketed as containing cannabis oil. Continue reading...

Artist known for photographic work was commissioned to create A Taste of Home in Terminal 4 tube stationThe UK needs more public art that confronts the major issues of the day, according to Joy Gregory, the award-winning artist who has just unveiled a new project at Heathrow airport that was inspired by more than 100 asylum seekers.Gregory, who is known for her photographic work and won the 110,000 Freelands award recently, was commissioned by Transport for London (Tfl) to create 24 billboards mounted in the airport's Terminal 4 underground station ticket hall. Continue reading...

Move paves way for fintech firm to hold customers' deposits and offer own-branded loans, including mortgagesRevolut has secured a UK banking licence - with restrictions" - more than three years after Britain's most valuable fintech firm lodged its application with regulators.It is a milestone for the company, and will help pave the way for an eventual stock market listing, but it may still be some time before it can hold its customers' deposits. Continue reading...

Sounkamba Sylla reportedly reaches compromise after France's strict laws on secularism threatened to bar herA French sprinter is expected to swap her headscarf for a cap in order to participate in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, in a compromise reportedly struck after the country's strict laws on secularism threatened to bar her from the event.Earlier this week Sounkamba Sylla, a Muslim member of France's 400m women's and mixed relay teams, said she would not be able to take part in Friday's ceremony because she wears a hijab. Continue reading...

Two out means two up and two in. Beyond that simple calculation, reconfiguring Labor's frontbench becomes more complicated

President seeks to reassure attendees including Elon Musk that France is still a good investment despite political crisisOver vintage bottles of wine from the Elysee Palace cellars and a cordon bleu lunch, Emmanuel Macron has sought to reassure 40 of the world's richest businessmen that the country remains a good investment despite its ongoing political crisis.Guests at the French president's event included Tesla's Elon Musk, Coca-Cola's James Quincey, AirBnB's Brian Chesky, Youtube's Neal Mohan and Eli Lilly's David Ricks. Continue reading...

Former business secretary claims he would have got to grips with Horizon IT scandal if MPs had come to speak to himThe former Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable has labelled Post Office managers thugs in suits" and claimed he would have got to grips with the Horizon IT scandal if MPs campaigning for branch owner-operators had bothered to have in-person meetings with him.Cable, who was business secretary for an unusually long period between 2010 and 2015, told the inquiry into the scandal that he never learned who lead campaigner Sir Alan Bates was until just before he left office. Continue reading...

Cable agrees with characterisation of leadership at state-owned body when he was business secretary from 2010-15 in testimony to hearings on Horizon IT scandalGreg Clark, the business secretary from 2016 to 2019, has begun to give his testimony at the public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.Clark was in place as the Post Office started to come under signifcant pressure as Sir Alan Bates and 554 other subpostmasters began - and won -- a high court action against the organisation.Given time I probably would have done, and should have done, [something]," he said. We were a day or so before the end of parliament I was beginning to smell a rat. Had parliament continued, or had I returned to office, I'd have got all these people around the table."And for the first time Mr Bates, I'd not heard of him until this point," said Cable. I'd have had them round a table and said what the hell is going on here?'. But I didn't have the time to do that." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lenny Henry, Anish Kapoor and Marianne Jean-Baptiste among actors calling for Keir Starmer to scrap rulesVoter ID laws are an attack on the democratic rights of people of colour" and should be scrapped, more than 50 eminent actors, artists, campaigners and others from minority ethnic communities have told Keir Starmer in an open letter.The signatories, including Sir Lenny Henry, the artist Anish Kapoor, the actors Sophie Okonedo, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, David Harewood and Paterson Joseph, the Bridgerton stars Adjoa Andoh and India Amarteifio and the writer Kamila Shamsie, said there was no reason for the new government to keep the rules. Continue reading...

Owner of Marmite, Dove and Ben & Jerry's says margins of 19.6% were helped by carry-over pricing'Unilever has defended on-going price rises despite a better-than-expected 17% rise in profits.The owner of Marmite, Dove and Ben & Jerry's said its profit margins had been helped by carry-over pricing from a period of higher inflation", as well as efficiency benefits from selling more products and more premium brands. Continue reading...

Pixar's sequel to its 2015 hit has now overtaken Frozen II and Barbie in global ticket sales, reaching $1bn in only 19 daysInside Out 2 has overtaken Frozen II to become the highest-grossing animation of all time. Pixar's sequel to its 2015 smash about emotions battling for primacy inside the head of a preteen girl has taken $1.46bn (1.13bn) over its first six weeks of release; Disney's follow-up to its wintry hit took $1.45bn (1.12bn) over its entire theatrical run in 2019.A third Disney film, the 2019 remake of The Lion King, made $1.65bn (1.28bn) but was categorised by Disney as live-action, despite being computer-generated. Nonetheless, even if that film were on the list, the odds of Inside Out 2 bumping it down in coming weeks look high. Continue reading...

The star of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is standing down in order to spend more time with his familyFormer James Bond actor George Lazenby has announced his retirement at the age of 84. The Australian actor, best known for playing 007 in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, made the statement on X on Thursday.This hasn't been an easy decision but it's time to announce my retirement from work," he wrote. Therefore, I won't be doing any more acting or making public appearances, doing any more interviews or signing any more autographs as of today." Continue reading...

Anthony Esan, 24, is accused of repeatedly stabbing Lt Col Mark Teeton near barracks in GillinghamA man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with the attempted murder of an army officer in uniform near a barracks in Kent.Anthony Esan, 24, is accused of repeatedly stabbing Lt Col Mark Teeton in Gillingham on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Prof Trevor Burnard's expertise helped lead to apology by the Scott Trust, owner of the Guardian, over links to tradeTributes have been paid to Prof Trevor Burnard, who died on Friday at the age of 63. He was described as a prolific academic" who will be remembered for his brilliance and his compassion", and his work on Atlantic slavery.Burnard, who was a professor of slavery and emancipation and considered one of the foremost experts on Atlantic slavery, joined the University of Hull in 2019, continuing his career-long interest in plantation societies in the Americas and their impact on global economic systems. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Discovery of Emirati passports in wreckage suggest covert boots on the ground, despite Gulf state's denialsPassports recovered from battlefields in Sudan suggest the United Arab Emirates is covertly putting boots on the ground in the country's devastating civil war, according to leaked documents.A 41-page document, sent to the UN security council and seen by the Guardian, contains images of Emirati passports allegedly found in Sudan and linked to soldiers of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the African nation's notorious paramilitary. Continue reading...

Police say they are searching for a male who allegedly vandalised the inner-west Sydney office in what is the latest political graffiti attack

Labor is carefully considering' the ICJ findings on the occupied Palestinian territories - and soon it will have to give its view

Editorial staff from the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial Review, the Brisbane Times and WAtoday reject improved pay offer

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A judge accepts Craig Keogh will never work again after developing pneumoconiosis from working in NSW and Queensland mines

Flight CX110 was left without sufficient flight crew after the second officer was suspended by the airline

National Gallery of Australia director sent a warning to federal arts minister that mining billionaire was rallying' influential friends, documents reveal

Prime minister to announce remade cabinet on Sunday after two ministers announce intention to retire

Penny Wong says settler violence in West Bank includes beatings, sexual assault and torture' as she announces Magnitsky-style sanctions

Use of online tools rather than face-to-face consultations has led to misdiagnoses, missed illnesses and delayed carePatients have died after describing their symptoms to a GP in an online form rather than at a face-to-face consultation, the NHS's safety investigations body has revealed.Online consultations with GP surgeries involve risks to patients' safety and have led to sometimes serious harm and even death, an investigation by the Health Services Safety Investigations Branch (HSSIB) found. Continue reading...

Watchdog raises concerns about Home Office decision in annual report about incident last summerAn Albanian man who was being held in a secure psychiatric unit was taken directly from his hospital bed to a Home Office deportation flight, a report has revealed.The Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB), a watchdog for prisons and immigration removal centres, has raised concerns about the incident last summer in its annual report published on Thursday. Continue reading...

Deloitte Access Economics report argues a return to monetary tightening would wipe out benefits of tax cuts and wage gains

UN says it is horrified' by violence in three villages in East Sepik province as it warns death toll could pass 50At least 26 people were killed, including 16 children, during violent attacks on three Papua New Guinea villages last week, according to the UN, which warned that the final death toll could pass 50.I am horrified by the shocking eruption of deadly violence in Papua New Guinea, seemingly as the result of a dispute over land and lake ownership and user rights," the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Hadi Matar, 26, faces three new charges almost two years after writer was attacked on stage in Chautauqua, New YorkThe man accused of attacking and stabbing the author Salman Rushdie in 2022 in New York has been charged with new federal terrorism charges.Hadi Matar, 26, was indicted by a grand jury on three counts including attempting to provide material to support a foreign terrorist organization, committing terrorism transcending national boundaries for the stabbing of Rushdie, and providing material to support terrorists, according to court documents. Continue reading...

LVMH shares down 5% and Kering 4% amid tailoff in demand as cost of living squeeze hits middle classesDisappointing figures from the luxury goods conglomerates LVMH and Kering as shoppers reined in spending on handbags, designer clothing and champagne have hit the value of firms in the sector around the world amid fears of ongoing weak demand.Shares in LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, Dior and Tiffany, slid nearly 5% as it revealed that sales in the key Asian markets, excluding Japan, were down 14% in the three months to June amid weak demand for Cognac in China and slowdowns in demand for fashion, watches, leather goods, perfumes and cosmetics. Continue reading...