Judge urges jury to make ‘a further attempt’ after ACT supreme court receives note indicating members ‘unable’ to agree

Kallista Mutten permitted to spend sentence in community for 2021 Blue Mountains robbery

Observers wonder whether there is anyone left in CCP to stop Chinese president making a rash moveXi Jinping’s purging of political rivals and elevation of loyalists to the top ranks of the Chinese Communist party has raised fears that his now unfettered and unquestionable power could increase the risk of an attack on Taiwan.Beijing has pledged to annex Taiwan under a disputed claim that it is a Chinese province, and in recent years has increased its military activity and other forms of harassment and coercion. No timeline has been set, but senior defence figures have said China could be capable of invasion as early as 2027. Others point to Xi’s pledge of “national rejuvenation” by 2047 – the centenary of the People’s Republic of China – as a potential goal. Continue reading...

Disgraced Hollywood producer denies accusations from five women who say he abused them between 2004 and 2013As Harvey Weinstein faces a new trial on multiple rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles, a prosecutor alleged a series of graphic rapes in hotel rooms across the city, and a group of women who were left terrified by Weinstein’s power within Hollywood.Opening statements began on Monday, with prosecutors in Los Angeles saying that eight women would testify about Weinstein’s alleged crimes, including Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary film-maker and actor who is now married to the governor of California, Gavin Newsom. Siebel Newsom alleges that Weinstein raped her during what she thought would be a business meeting in 2005, when she was a young actor trying to build her career. Continue reading...

Girlguiding survey finds girls and young women in the north of England are less likely to feel safe in their daily livesGirls and young women in the north of England feel less safe and less happy than their counterparts in London and the south, according to a survey by the Girlguiding charity, which is concerned about “stark” regional differences in attitudes.More than one in five (22%) girls and young women in the north aged 11-16 who took part in the survey published on Tuesday blamed fear of sexual harassment for holding them back at school. The figure was significantly lower at 16% in London and the south. Continue reading...

Man charged with murder of 15-year-old Cassius Turvey after police say alleged attacker approached a group of children as they were walking along the roadA man has been charged with the murder of a 15-year-old Aboriginal teenager in Perth, who police allege died from head injuries after being bashed with a metal pole.Police said teenager Cassius Turvey and a group of friends were approached by a 21-year-old man while walking home from school in Middle Swan on Perth’s outskirts on 13 October. Continue reading...

New prime minister likely to prioritise unity in offering ministerial jobs, although leading Trussites can expect the chopRishi Sunak has pledged to build a cabinet of all the talents but, given the swiftness of the leadership competition, relatively little has been briefed about his potential cabinet.His team say no roles have been promised to any backers and Sunak was in the enviable position as the frontrunner of not needing to promise roles to anyone. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak to meet monarch after Liz Truss chairs her final cabinet meeting at 9am

71-year-old member for Wakehurst on Sydney’s northern beaches says it’s time for a ‘new beginning’

Pair allegedly tried to bribe top US official as attorney general says DoJ ‘will not tolerate attempts to undermine the rule of law’Two Chinese intelligence officers tried to bribe a US law enforcement official as part of an effort to obtain inside information about a criminal case against the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment unsealed on Monday.The announcement of charges against the two alleged agents came as attorney general Merrick Garland detailed two other cases in which Chinese intelligence operatives harassed dissidents inside the United States and pressured US academics to work for them. Continue reading...

New Tory leader says he will put an end to party’s psychodrama and focus on ‘policies not personalities’

Practicals may be sorted, yet Truss will face her most difficult task, carving out role on Tory backbench as former PM

Antisemitic comments from US rapper have led to the shelving of a finished documentary and major talent agency CAA cutting ties as ex-wife calls hate speech ‘never ok’A completed documentary about Kanye West, also known as Ye, has been scrapped amid concern and industry backlash over the rapper’s string of antisemitic statements in recent weeks.“This morning, after discussion with our film-makers and distribution partners, we made the decision not to proceed with any distribution for our recently completed documentary about Kanye West,” the co-leaders of film and television studio MRC – Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley – wrote in a statement on Monday. “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform.” Continue reading...

US says Russia keeping lines of communication open after meeting between defense secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu. This live blog is now closed

Members at South Western Rail, Southeastern, West Midlands Trains, Northern and Great Western will strike starting from 3 NovemberA rail union has announced nearly a week of industrial action, including strikes in November in their ongoing dispute over pay, job security and conditions.Thousands of members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association at Network Rail will strike on Thursday 3 November, Saturday 5 November and Monday 7 November, while members at individual train companies will take strike action and action short of strike on 3, 7 and 8 November. Continue reading...

Owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield argued right to free speech and expression of religion trumps anti-discrimination lawA California judge has ruled in favor of a bakery owner who refused to make wedding cakes for a same-sex couple because it violated her Christian beliefs.California’s department of fair housing and employment had sued Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, arguing that owner Cathy Miller intentionally discriminated against the couple in violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. Continue reading...

Death of Anthony Bird in 1980 had remained a mystery until John Paul gave himself up to police in 2021A man is facing life behind bars after walking into a police station and confessing to a murder from more than 40 years ago.Anthony Bird, a 42-year-old porter and part-time barman, was found naked with his wrists bound at his flat in Kensington Gardens Square, west London, on 6 June 1980. Continue reading...

Allies show evidence MP had almost 100 backers and blame Boris Johnson for thwarting her campaign

Reported attack by military comes days before Asean meeting to discuss widening violence in countryMyanmar’s military has killed 60 people, including musicians, in a devastating airstrike that targeted a concert held by a rebel faction of the country’s minority Kachin ethnic group, according to organisers and a rescue worker.The reported attack came three days before south-east Asian foreign ministers were due to attend a special meeting in Indonesia to discuss the widening violence in the country. Continue reading...

Maritime experts believe wreck is sister ship of Vasa, which sank off Stockholm in 1629Swedish maritime archaeologists have discovered the long-lost sister ship of the 17th-century warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage, the Swedish Museum of Wrecks has said.Launched in 1629, Applet (Apple) was built by the same shipbuilder as the famed 69-metre Vasa, which was carrying 64 cannon when it went down in a strait off the island of Vaxholm, just outside the capital, Stockholm. Continue reading...

Incoming prime minister says Tories must ‘unite or die’ and rules out early general election

Bolsonaro ally Roberto Jefferson said he was resisting arrest ‘in the name of freedom, democracy and family values’Brazil’s toxic presidential election has taken a surreal and violent turn after a radical ally of the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, used hand grenades and a rifle to attack federal police officers as they attempted to arrest him.Roberto Jefferson, a former congressman who has called Bolsonaro a “personal friend”, launched the attack on Sunday after police arrived at his home in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro. Two officers reportedly sustained non-fatal shrapnel wounds, while photographs showed a federal police vehicle riddled with bullet holes. Continue reading...

The US artist’s next mass nude installation will take place in November at a Sydney beach. ‘We’re hoping for a rainbow of people,’ he saysThe US artist who has made an international name for himself by urging volunteers to strip naked en masse in public is returning to Australia.Spencer Tunick’s next “nude installation”, commissioned by the charity Skin Check Champions to raise awareness of skin cancer and coinciding with National Skin Cancer Action Week, will take place on 26 November at a Sydney beach.. Continue reading...

YouGov survey finds people in Australia more likely to favour sending troops than people in Japan and US

Attorney general accused of using public interest immunity ‘improperly’ and adding exceptional circumstances test as ‘political decision’

Former chancellor has previously said his faith gives him strength and purpose and is part of who he is

Indians react to news the UK will have its first Hindu PM and wonder how it will affect relations between the two countries

Labour, Lib Dems, SNP and Johnson supporters say former chancellor has no mandate to run country

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker also says new elections will be called if deadline to return to Stormont passesThe Northern Ireland minister, Steve Baker, has made a direct appeal to the Democratic Unionist party to accept EU-UK negotiations on the Brexit protocol and return to powersharing in Stormont.He also warned that if the DUP did not return to Stormont by Friday’s deadline, the government would call fresh assembly elections . Continue reading...

Late Irish actor’s poems, photos, plaques and even his wedding list among items handed over by familyRichard Harris blazed through life as an actor, singer, boozer and womaniser but few knew he was also a hoarder.Poems, photos, letters, script notes, artefacts, documents, rugby plaques, his wedding guest list – he kept it all. After his death in 2002, the trove spanning 50 years of cinema and theatre gathered dust in a lock-up in Oxford, known only to his family. Continue reading...

Several MPs supporting ex-PM’s return were caught out in awkward ways by news he would not run

Paper published Nadhim Zahawi article online just as news came through of Johnson’s withdrawal

Police say Arshad Sharif was shot after his car failed to halt at a roadblock near NairobiA senior Pakistani journalist living in hiding in Kenya was shot and killed by police after the car he was in sped up instead of stopping at a roadblock near Nairobi, police have said.Police said it was a case of “mistaken identity” that occurred during a search for a similar car involved in a case of child abduction. Continue reading...

After 31 January, consumers with non-valid versions will have to send off a form to secure a swapRoyal Mail is urging consumers to use up stamps without barcodes by 31 January 2023, when imprints featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II will cease to be valid for postage.There are 100 days left for people to rummage through wallets and drawers to track down stamps to use before the deadline, otherwise they will have to swap them for new barcoded stamps in order to send a letter or parcel. Continue reading...

Cameras are credited with huge drop in crime by and against law enforcement but Bolsonaro ally prefers ‘to trust the police’Two years ago, São Paulo became the first state in Brazil to issue body cameras to its police officers, and the results were stunning: the number of people killed in clashes with police fell by more than half and the number of people resisting arrest fell by almost two-thirds.So what is the favourite in the race to become São Paulo governor talking about doing? Removing the cameras. Continue reading...

View forming within Medibank that details were then sold on a Russian-language cybercrime forum

MP Christopher Chope says there will be continuing rebellions unless Sunak holds general election if he becomes PM

Companies including Suncorp, Nissan and Origin Energy say they will continue to support the code

Google-owned company accused of misleading consumers about their rights under Australian law

Decline comes as RBA documents indicate values may sink as much as 20% nationally from their February peak by end of 2024

Nathaniel Drummond, 19, was competing in a race at South Australia’s Seacliff Beach when the large shark attacked his vessel

Prosecutors to decide whether to pursue third trial after jurors acquitted Mosman swim instructor of 10 charges but could not reach decision on others

New laws to strip citizenship from dual citizens suspected of terrorism are likely to pass parliament after Coalition indicated support

Roslyn hit land as category 3 hurricane before weakening as it headed inlandTwo people died on Sunday from destruction caused by tropical storm Roslyn after it made landfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast as a powerful hurricane before weakening farther inland, authorities said.A 74-year-old man was killed in the town of Mexcaltitan de Santiago Ixcuintla when a beam fell on his head, Nayarit state’s ministry of security and citizen protection said. A 39-year-old woman died when a fence collapsed in the state’s Rosamorada district. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson dropped out of the race, and Rishi Sunak has secured at least 165 supportersFormer prime minister Boris Johnson has ended his bid to return to power within months of being ousted, claiming that although he had the numbers, he would not run to replace Liz Truss, who resigned as Conservative party leader on Thursday after just 45 days in office. Johnson claimed to have won the support of 102 colleagues – two clear of the threshold needed – but only about 60 had publicly stated their support for him.Johnson said he reached the decision reluctantly after recognising he would not lead “a united party in parliament”. He said, “In the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do,” and, “You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.” Read his full statement here.Former chancellor Rishi Sunak appears set to become party leader and prime minister. He ended Sunday with more than 165 supporters ahead of Monday’s nomination deadline. Sunak came second in the race against Truss over the summer.The chances of a general election have risen, according to some estimations. Johnson supporter Nadine Dorries has said an election was now “impossible to avoid”. Labour, which has opened up huge poll leads, is demanding an election. Angela Rayner, the deputy leader, said: “The Tories are about to hand the keys of the country to Rishi Sunak without him saying a single word about how he would govern. No one voted for this. Perhaps it’s not surprising he’s avoiding scrutiny: after all, he was so bad that just a few weeks ago, he was trounced by Liz Truss.”Contender Penny Mordaunt, who missed out on the last contest’s run-off by just eight votes, will now come under pressure to concede rather than force the contest to a vote of members. However a source on the Mordaunt campaign insisted her campaign was continuing and that she wanted to get on the ballot so party members could decide the result.Johnson and Sunak held talks late into Saturday night, according to reports. The ex-leader also reportedly spoke on Sunday to Mordaunt, who was said to have rebuffed his calls to back him, noting her supporters were likely to split more for Sunak.Mordaunt could yet win over any former Johnson supporters who want to stop Sunak. Each needs to submit nominations by 2pm on Monday. If both get more than 100 nominations, 150,000 Tory members will be asked to decide the result.Sunak launched his official campaign with a declaration that “fixing the economy” was his priority, but he gave no media interviews or formal manifesto. If Sunak succeeds on Monday he will become Britain’s first non-white PM, and as a Hindu, his victory will be sealed on Diwali.Mordaunt spoke to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, telling her she would be a “halfway house” between Sunak and Johnson but refused to be drawn on any economic policies or decisions on tax and spending.A survey by Conservative pollster James Johnson still found all three Tory candidates had negative favourability. The survey found that Johnson was on -24, Mordaunt -15 and Sunak -2. Continue reading...

More than 165 MPs declare for ex-chancellor after Johnson said he would not run despite claiming he had 102 supporters

However much the ex-PM blew his own trumpet he knew he did not have enough MPs on side to get back to No 10

Former PM says he is withdrawing from Tory leadership contest for sake of party unity despite ‘very good chance’ of succeeding