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New Coalition education spokesperson Jonathon Duniam says Peter Dutton policy to slash international enrolments not as constructive as it could have been'

Money in the bank is at a record high, so banks aren't having to compete for people's deposits,' Canstar's Sally Tindall says

No boxer has ever represented his country to this degree: Usyk is a living embodiment of his nation's defiance of the Russian invasionPerhaps the most striking part of the surge of controlled fury that ended this heavyweight title fight wasn't the short right or the clubbing left that took Daniel Dubois down midway through the fifth round.It was Oleksandr Usyk's smile before the second of those shots. More of a snarl perhaps, or a baring of the gumshield, as Dubois let his arms drop, giving Usyk time to freeze the moment, load up, take aim and unleash a fully extended left hand to the side of the jaw that made Dubois crumple, legs folding under him as his father, Stan, threw in the towel. Continue reading...

Overnight violence leaves nine police wounded, say authorities, who suspect a gang turf warDozens of masked assailants wielding metal bars, mortars and molotov cocktails attacked cars on a highway and clashed with police early on Saturday in the city of Limoges in central France, officials said.The overnight clashes left nine police wounded, according to authorities, who said they suspected a gang turf war. Continue reading...

Police in London detain scores of people and confiscate placards under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000More than 100 people have been arrested across the UK at events related to Palestine Action, in the third week of demonstrations since the group was banned as a terrorist organisation.Demonstrations were held in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Truro on Saturday as part of a campaign coordinated by Defend Our Juries. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterates willingness to meet the Russian president Vladimir Putin face to faceKyiv has proposed to Moscow a new round of peace talks next week, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, after negotiations stalled in early June.Two rounds of talks in Istanbul between Moscow and Kyiv failed to result in any progress towards a ceasefire, instead yielding large-scale prisoner exchanges and deals to return the bodies of killed soldiers. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Review of Home Office procedures ordered after shambolic' disciplinary process relating to Steve DannA Home Office investigation has found one of its most senior officials harassed and behaved inappropriately towards a female colleague, before being able to leave the civil service with an unblemished record after a shambolic" disciplinary process.The case has caused such alarm in the department that the new permanent secretary, Antonia Romeo, has ordered an immediate review of complaints, conduct and disciplinary procedures to ensure confidence in the integrity of the system". Continue reading...

Witnesses say scenes near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid hubs in the south of the territory resembled a massacreAt least 32 people were killed and more than 100 injured on Saturday morning when Israeli troops opened fire on crowds of Palestinians seeking food from two aid distribution hubs in southern Gaza, according to witnesses and hospital officials.People on the scene described it as a massacre", and claimed Israel Defense Forces fired indiscriminately" at the groups of Palestinians - reported to be mostly young men - who were making their way towards the hubs run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Continue reading...

This blog has now closed, you can read more on this story here Israeli troops opened fire on Saturday toward crowds of Palestinians seeking food from distribution hubs run by an Israeli-backed group in southern Gaza, killing at least 32 people, according to witnesses and hospital officials, the Associated Press (AP) reports.The two incidents occurred near hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In other violence, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, health officials said. Continue reading...

Six-hour bombardment of strategic hub in Dnipropetrovsk region came as airstrikes killed one person in OdesaRussia launched its biggest ever attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad early on Saturday, as part of a large wave of strikes across the country involving hundreds of kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles.The six-hour bombardment was the worst in the city's history. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Sergey Lysak, said a factory had been damaged, a fire station destroyed and a five-storey residential building hit. Continue reading...

Amber warning for London and south-east England, where heavy rain could cause fast flowing or deep floodwater'Thunderstorms and flooding could pose a danger to life in parts of the UK this weekend, according to forecasters.The Met Office issued an amber thunderstorm warning for London and much of south-east England for 4am to 11am on Saturday, when heavy rain could cause fast flowing or deep floodwater". Continue reading...

In a social media trend, the airline's joyful advert jingle is being played over cheerless summer holiday footageYou're the boss of a travel company, it's early summer and your brand is going viral. Millions of people are watching and sharing social media clips of people on holiday, the soundtrack to which is your company jingle.It sounds like a PR dream, but is it? Continue reading...

Miner who was seen on TV being beaten by officer said he was not aware of report's existence before it was destroyedDocuments destroyed by police relating to operations at Orgreave during the miners' strike in 1984 are believed to include a report on a notorious incident in which an officer beat a man over the head with a truncheon.In the ITV News at 10 report on the violent scenes at Orgreave, the officer, PC Martin of Northumbria police, was seen hitting the miner, Russell Broomhead, several times with his truncheon. Continue reading...

Division between minority populations drag Syria further into cycle of violence and attracts Israeli opportunismSeven months on from Bashar al-Assad's fall, Syria is descending into yet another wave of bloody sectarian violence.A local dispute between a Bedouin tribesman and a member of the Druze minority sparked clashes that drew in Syrian government forces and triggered Israeli airstrikes - leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Continue reading...

Police allege the man was armed with a machete and knife on The Strand in Townsville's North Ward on Saturday morning

Legislation will prevent award wage penalty rates from being cut in exchange for higher rates of base pay if it will leave workers worse off

Exclusive: Commitment comes as data shows serious pollution events involving water firms up by 60%Ministers will take action to tackle all forms of water pollution in England and Wales, the government has promised, as the sector awaits the findings of a report on the water industry on Monday.The commitment by Steve Reed, the environment secretary, aims to highlight that, while sewage spills into waterways are a significant source of public concern, runoff from farms and roads also makes up a critical part of the pollutants going into rivers and other bodies of water. Continue reading...

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the past seven days Continue reading...

Four people have died and two are missing after four days of heavy rain as authorities warn of landslides and floodingTorrential rains that lashed South Korea for a fourth day on Saturday kept nearly 3,000 people from returning to their homes, as the death toll reached four people.Rain is forecast to last until Monday in some areas, as officials urged extreme caution against the risk of landslides and flooding, with warnings issued across most of the country. Continue reading...

Two men and a woman, all aged 19, died at the scene in Mackay after a late night crash involving multiple vehicles

Scores of Venezuelans deported by US to El Salvador repatriated as Marco Rubio hails return of AmericansVenezuela released 10 jailed Americans on Friday in exchange for getting home scores of migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.The resolution represents a diplomatic achievement for the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, helps Donald Trump in his goal of bringing home Americans jailed abroad and lands El Salvador a swap that it had proposed months ago. Continue reading...

Defence minister Richard Marles says Australia is steadfast' in support of Kyiv as Abrams tanks go into action

Police commissioner says there has been intelligence of formation of organised crime syndicate intent on havocTrinidad and Tobago has declared its second state of emergency this year amid grave concerns" about a coordinated threat from organised crime gangs inside and outside the country's prisons.Announcing the decision on Friday, the commissioner of police, Allister Guevarro, said his force had received intelligence the day before that the gangs had formed themselves into ... an organised crime syndicate" and were intent on wreaking havoc and planning assassinations, robberies and kidnappings. Continue reading...

Austrian extreme skydiver, 56, lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over central ItalyThe extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, has died in a paragliding accident in central Italy.The Austrian, 56, lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant'Elpidio in the Marche region on Thursday and fell to the ground into the swimming pool of a hotel. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary says two agents were involved in planting spyware on a device used by poisoning victim Yulia SkripalThe UK has exposed 18 Russian spies and their units responsible for cyber-attacks in Britain and hacking one of the victims of the Salisbury poisonings, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has said.Announcing individual sanctions, Lammy said Russia had targeted media, telecoms providers, political and democratic institutions and energy infrastructure in the UK in recent years. Continue reading...

The president has threatened to sue the 94-year-old media mogul over a Wall Street Journal story but their relationship has survived previous tensionsThreats to sue. Angry calls to editors. Public denunciations. In the wake of the Wall Street Journal's story claiming Donald Trump contributed to a bawdy" letter to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein - featuring a drawing of a naked woman's silhouette around a typewritten personal message - the president's relationship with the outlet's proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, appears on the surface to have deteriorated from temperamental to terminal.Just a few days ago, the 94-year-old mogul was spotted among the president's high-profile guests at the Fifa Club World Cup final. Following the publication of the article, however, Murdoch now finds himself on the president's lengthy list of media opponents threatened with court action. Continue reading...

Justice Collins Rice says it is for politicians and not courts to change rules around two-child benefit capTwo women who conceived their eldest children while they were in violent and controlling relationships have lost a legal challenge to the rules around the two-child benefit cap.A high court judge said the accounts of the abuse the women faced when they were vulnerable girls barely out of childhood" were chilling". Continue reading...

Arrest under the Terrorism Act happened after the man refused to stop displaying the sign when asked by policeA man has been arrested in Glasgow for holding a paper sign allegedly supportive of the proscribed direct action group Palestine Action, the third arrest of its kind across the city in the past week.Police Scotland confirmed that the 64-year-old man, who had been speaking to a small group of protesters gathered at Nelson Mandela Place in the city centre on Friday afternoon, had been arrested in connection with an offence under the Terrorism Act for displaying a sign expressing support for a proscribed organisation". Continue reading...

Guilty verdict widely expected for Brazil's ex-president accused of plot to seize power after losing 2022 electionFederal police have raided Jair Bolsonaro's Brasilia mansion, banned him from communicating with foreign diplomats and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle tag amid fears Brazil's ex-president may abscond to avoid punishment over an alleged coup attempt.A supreme court trial examining claims that Bolsonaro masterminded a murderous plot to seize power after losing the 2022 election is expected to reach its conclusion in the coming weeks. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedJohn Healey has been accused by the Liberal Democrats of misleading parliament over the Afghan data leak.Ed Davey said that the defence secretary must urgently come before parliament to answer the question of whether he knowingly misled MPs and the public". Continue reading...

Leo urges Israeli PM to reach a ceasefire deal and expresses concern over heartbreaking toll' in regionTwo of Jerusalem's most senior Christian clerics travelled to Gaza on Friday after a deadly Israeli strike on the Palestinian territory's only Catholic church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, headed an ecclesiastical delegation" to meet local Christians after Thursday's strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, a statement read.Those responsible must be held to account.It is crucial that immediate steps are taken to prevent recurrence of such violence. Continue reading...

Music fans snap up wellies, scarves and light jackets, and shares rise 4% on better-than-expected performanceShoppers snapping up Burberry wellies, scarves and light jackets to wear at music festivals have helped the fashion brand to its best sales performance in 18 months despite lacklustre spending by tourists around the world.Sales of the luxury British brand fell 2% to 433m in the three months to the end of June, with a 1% decline at established stores, an improvement from the 6% fall in the previous quarter and the best performance since Christmas 2023. Continue reading...

Historic decision in Australia's federal court gives traditional owners in state's north-west the right to control access to their country

Low-lying areas of Punjab province hit by significant flooding after rivers overflow their banksThe south-west monsoon continued a deadly streak in Pakistan this week, with torrential rain on Wednesday killing at least 63 people. After beginning life as showers and thunderstorms in north-west India this week, a more organised area of low pressure developed, merging showers into a larger area of heavy rain as they moved into the Pakistani province of Punjab. This rain tracked roughly north across Punjab on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, hitting several major cities including Lahore and the capital, Islamabad. The greatest rainfall was in the city of Chakwal, which recorded 423mm (16.6in), more than double the July average.Rivers overflowed their banks, significantly flooding low-lying areas of Punjab. Though several of the deaths were attributed to drowning, most were the result of building collapses. A number of deaths were reportedly from electrocution. This latest deluge takes the death toll from this year's monsoon, which began in late June, to almost 180, more than half of which are children. Owing to its large low-lying regions, Pakistan is among the countries most endangered by the climate crisis, with significant flooding events becoming more common in recent years. Continue reading...

Maha Almassri, 61, who fled Gaza last year, was detained in Villawood after Julian Hill personally' cancelled her bridging visa

The 74-year-old Bega man was flying from Wangaratta in Victoria to Moruya in NSW when his plane vanished on Tuesday afternoon

Perth man, 42, reportedly died on Wednesday after jumping from the peak of Sass Pordoi in the Dolomites regionAn Australian who reportedly died earlier this week in an accident at a competition in northern Italy has been remembered as a much-loved member of the international Base jumping community.James Nowland, 42, died on Wednesday after jumping from the peak of Sass Pordoi in the Dolomites region during the Pordoi Base race, Italy's Ansa news agency reported. Continue reading...

Aboriginal elder alleges he has been prevented from visiting Robert Barnes because he raised the matter with the state's First Nations voice

Case that exposed France's rape culture and shocked the world has been made into play to be shown in Avignon, where trial was heldA stage play based on the trial of the men who drugged and raped Gisele Pelicot will be staged this week in the southern city of Avignon, as France continues to debate the lessons for society from the country's biggest ever rape trial.The three-hour performance, The Pelicot Trial: Tribute to Gisele Pelicot, has been created by Milo Rau, the Swiss director and playwright acclaimed for his theatre interpretations of court proceedings, including the Moscow trial of the Russian punks Pussy Riot and the trial of the Romanian despot Nicolae Ceauescu. Continue reading...

Colbert told shocked audience he only found out the night before, as CBS announced it will end the entire Late Show franchise after 33 yearsThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been cancelled and will end in May, with network CBS announcing it will retire the Late Show entirely after a 33-year run.Colbert, who has hosted the talkshow since 2015, announced the news during Thursday night's taping, telling the audience he had only been told the news the previous night. Continue reading...

Initial 15.5m will go to schemes such as launch of large regional park to improving green spaces along canalsA coalition of environmental and heritage bodies has launched a billion-pound mission to bring nature into the heart of urban areas in the UK.The first phase of the Nature Towns and Cities initiative will involve 15.5m being invested in 40 towns and cities across the four nations. Continue reading...

Party investigating after MP said she did not regret remarks about people experiencing racism in different waysDiane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour party for a second time after saying she did not regret her past remarks on racism, as Keir Starmer once again attempted to reassert his grip over his backbenchers.The veteran MP now faces an investigation over her defence of remarks more than two years ago that people of colour experienced racism all their lives", which was different from the prejudice" experienced by Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers. Continue reading...

Witnesses say John Caravello did not throw teargas canister at agent during raid that resulted in farmworker's deathAcademics and colleagues are rallying around a California university professor who was arrested and charged with assaulting a federal officer during a chaotic immigration raid at a cannabis farm that resulted in a worker's death.John Caravello, a math and philosophy professor at California State University Channel Islands, joined a crowd of protesters who confronted immigration agents when they arrived at Glass House cannabis farm in Camarillo, a community about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Talks focused on resident doctors' working lives as health secretary refused to reopen negotiations on payHopes are rising that next week's strike by resident doctors in England will be called off after their leaders had a constructive" meeting with the health secretary and agreed to hold further talks.The co-chairs of the British Medical Association's resident doctors committee met Wes Streeting for 90 minutes - longer than the hour they had planned - in Westminster on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading...

White House says no viable path forward for planned 800-mile system aiming to connect San Francisco to LADonald Trump said on Wednesday the transportation department was rescinding $4bn in US government funding for California's high-speed rail project.The department said there was no viable path forward for California's high-speed rail development and it was considering potentially clawing back additional funding related to the project. Continue reading...

Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, 38, was arrested outside Guidepost Montessori school after agents stopped him en routeAn Oregon father was taken into US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) custody while dropping off his child on 15 July at a preschool in the Portland-area town of Beaverton, the agency confirmed.The man, identified by Ice as 38-year-old Iranian citizen Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, was arrested outside Guidepost Montessori school after being stopped by agents en route. An Ice spokesperson said in a statement that Khanbabazadeh entered the country legally but overstayed his visa. Continue reading...

Sources say leak included details of Britons who endorsed Afghan applications to be brought to UK after Taliban takeoverDetails of members of the SAS are among more than 100 Britons named in the database of 18,700 Afghans, the accidental leak of which by a defence official led to thousands being secretly relocated to the UK.Defence sources said the highly sensitive document contained names and email addresses belonging to people sponsoring or linked to some individual cases. Personal information about MI6 officers was also included. Continue reading...

16 and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in all elections as part of changes including easier voter registration and crackdown on foreign interference

Those from Asian or British Asian backgrounds are more likely to be waiting longer than 18 weeksPatients from the most deprived areas of England face longer waits for NHS treatment and make up a higher proportion of those waiting for care, according to figures.Data released by NHS England on Thursday provides a breakdown of the health service's waiting lists by ethnicity and deprivation levels for the first time. It shows that people in the most deprived areas of England and people from ethnic minority backgrounds make up a disproportionate and growing proportion of those waiting for NHS treatment. Continue reading...