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Former Liberal staffer later regretted going public with rape allegation, David Sharaz said in messages with Samantha Maiden

Singer shares rollercoaster of emotions' at end of European leg of Eras tour, saying she is grateful we were grieving concerts and not lives'Taylor Swift has spoken for the first time about the three Vienna shows on her blockbuster Eras tour that were cancelled earlier this month after a foiled terror attack, saying she felt a new sense of fear" and a tremendous amount of guilt".The planned terror attack was uncovered by Austrian authorities who eventually arrested three teenaged suspects - aged 17, 18 and 19 - for allegedly planning an Islamist attack in the Vienna region, with Swift's shows being the focus" of the plot. Continue reading...

From July 2025, 180,000 families expected to benefit from 12% superannuation paid to parents using paid parental leave

Charmaine McLeod was at the wheel when her car collided with a truck on the Bunya Highway at Kingaroy, northwest of Brisbane, in 2019, inquest finds

Company reports growth opportunity as cost of living crisis puts pressure on household financesThe UK's largest pawnbroker has reported a rise in profits as its customers sought to secure small, quick loans against jewellery and watches, in a sign of the continuing strain of the cost of living crisis.H&T, which has 280 shops in the UK, said pre-tax profits had risen by 12.5% to 9.9m in the first six months of 2024 on the same period a year earlier. Continue reading...

It was an egregious breach of trust' that Natasha Frost shared logs of Jewish WhatsApp chat with 600 members, Jeremy Leibler says

Queensland police weren't warned of threats to law enforcement made by Trains before shooting, hearing told

Former foreign minister also tells defamation trial Higgins' alleged rape in parliament was devastating and incomprehensible

Ministers activate Operation Early Dawn, so defendants can be held in police cells as more are sentenced over riotsMinisters have been warned that they have placed a sticking plaster" over a crumbling criminal justice system after emergency measures were activated to ease prison overcrowding, as more people are sentenced for their role in the recent riots.The longstanding measures, known as Operation Early Dawn, allow defendants to be held in police cells until prison places become available and could mean their court dates are delayed or adjourned at short notice. Continue reading...

Man arrested after Alberta Obinim, 43, is fatally wounded in attack that left her daughter and husband critically injuredA care worker who was killed in a triple stabbing that left her daughter and husband in a critical condition has been described as a mother to everyone".Alberta Obinim, 43, died after an attack at the family home in Gorton, east Manchester, at about 11.20pm on Sunday. Her daughter, 17, and husband, 64, are in hospital with life-threatening injuries. Continue reading...

PM meets police officers and members of communities targeted

Professor says diverging content and results make move necessary for the exams to be compared accuratelyGCSEs should be branded to show if they were awarded in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, reflecting the increasing differences between each country's version of the exam, according to a professor of education.With about 800,000 16-year-olds waiting to receive their GCSE results on Thursday, Prof Alan Smithers of Buckingham University also said there could be wide variations in results between the national administrations this year. Continue reading...

Staff at a practice in Wales have accused its private-equity-backed owner of poor pay and overcharging customersStaff working at a chain of commercial vet surgeries have extended their strike, accusing their private-equity-backed owner of underpaying workers and overcharging pet owners as part of the first industrial action to hit the veterinary sector in the UK.Unionised vets, nurses and support staff at Valley Vets in south Wales, which is owned by one of the largest veterinary corporations in the country, VetPartners, decided last week to stay out until the end of the month, in the latest move in an increasingly bitter dispute. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall pledges to halt Tory salami slicing' of benefits, but Labour under fire for union pay dealsLabour will end the blame culture aimed at people out of work and will not repeat the salami slicing" of the benefits bill pursued by the Tories, the work and pensions secretary pledges today, as she warns that rising welfare spending is unsustainable.In her first newspaper interview since taking the role, Liz Kendall told the Observer that a drastic overhaul was required to fix a broken" back-to-work system, warning that the number of people who are economically inactive was now bigger than the population of London. Continue reading...

Victoria police said 20 protesters were outnumbered by 150 from another group, which hurled water balloons at the speakers'

Downing Street officials deny friction between Sue Gray and Morgan McSweeney, but negative briefings continue UK politics live - latest updatesKeir Starmer told his staff on his first day in office their duty was to return politics to service and to end self-interest.Yet it has taken less than a month for negative, personal briefings from within Downing Street to emerge in the press, suggesting all is not entirely well in the working relationship between the two big beasts close to the prime minister: Sue Gray, the prime minister's chief of staff, and Morgan McSweeney, Labour's election strategy guru. Continue reading...

Brazilian president calls Nicolas Maduro's administration a very unpleasant regime' as diplomats explore solutionsThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has said Venezuela is living under a very unpleasant regime" with an authoritarian slant", as the political crisis engulfing the oil-rich South American country intensifies before fresh street protests on Saturday.In an interview early on Friday, Lula - whose diplomats have been exploring possible solutions to Venezuela's post-election drama - offered some of his sharpest criticism yet of Nicolas Maduro's nominally socialist administration. Continue reading...

Assault condemned by Israeli authorities, with Netanyahu's office pledging trial for perpetrators Middle East crisis live - latest updatesDozens of Israeli settlers have attacked a Palestinian village near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, killing at least one person,in the latest deadly incident of settler violence amid surging tensions in the Palestinian territory.The Palestinian health ministry said one man was killed and another critically wounded by Israeli settlers who opened fire during the Thursday night attack in the village of Jit, in the north of the West Bank, which is surrounded by Israeli settlements. . Continue reading...

In issuing the protection order, environment minister Tanya Plibersek said protecting cultural heritage and development are not mutually exclusive'

Administrative bungle leaves party without a senior leader, four weeks out from statewide council elections

Judge says fire posed a very real danger' and robbed public of a heritage-listed home

Judge says the matter is settled in principle at a brief hearing attended by Laundy and his former staffer, lawyer Natalie Baini

Judge David Neuberger's judgment in Apple Daily founder case had been condemned by Chris PattenDavid Neuberger, the former president of the UK's supreme court, has resigned from his role as chair of a legal advisory board to an international media freedom coalition, citing the concern expressed" over his role as a judge in Hong Kong.Lord Neuberger said he had been considering his position as chair of the high-level panel of legal experts that advises the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), an international NGO, for several months. Continue reading...

Eldoret forced to remove statues of runners deemed a poorly done joke' on eve of event to confer city status on townAuthorities in a Kenyan town known for its athletics prowess rushed to remove statues of runners on Wednesday night that some people had deemed shoddy, on the eve of an event to confer city status on the municipality.The Rift Valley town of Eldoret, home to many great runners, had earlier this week put up a number of thematic pieces of art to showcase its agricultural and sports heritage. The sculptures included statues of athletes and one of a maize cob next to a wheat stalk. Continue reading...

Thurrock, which declared effective bankruptcy in 2022, claims Dubai-based Liam Kavanagh bought yacht and jetA debt-ridden English council has alleged in a high court lawsuit that a Dubai-based businessman misused 150m of its investments for personal gain, including buying a luxury yacht and private jet.Thurrock council in Essex, which formally declared effective bankruptcy in 2022 having run up debts of more than 1bn after a series of disastrous investments, is suing Liam Kavanagh and his firm Rockfire Capital in London's high court. Continue reading...

Hundreds of students and activists prevent Sheikh Hasina followers from visiting her father's former houseHundreds of student protesters and political activists armed with bamboo sticks, iron rods and pipes have assaulted supporters of the ousted Bangladeshi prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and prevented them from reaching the previous house of her father and assassinated independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka.The house in the Dhanmondi area of the capital was turned into a museum to showcase narratives and other objects about a military coup on 15 August 1975, when Rahman was killed along with most of his family members. The house, now called Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, was torched by the protesters hours after Hasina's downfall on 5 August following an uprising during which more than 300 people were killed. Continue reading...

Storm left hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans without power and water in sweltering heatHurricane Ernesto barreled toward Bermuda on Thursday after leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without power or water as sweltering heat enveloped the US territory, raising concerns about people's health.A hurricane warning was in effect for Bermuda, with Ernesto expected to pass near or over the island on Saturday. Continue reading...

Defamation trial in WA also hears the former defence minister was shaking' and looked weak' after her breakdown at Parliament House in 2021

Last long-running dispute between unions and English train companies will be resolved if members back offerTrain drivers and the UK government have reached a deal that could end more than two years of conflict between rail operators and unions during which wide-ranging strikes have led to weeks of misery for passengers.The drivers' union Aslef said on Wednesday a deal had been agreed in principle with the Department for Transport (DfT) that would result in a pay rise of 5% for 2022-23, 4.75% for 2023-24 and 4.5% for 2024-25 - all backdated and pensionable. Continue reading...

Storm moving over open waters towards Bermuda, bringing torrential rain and winds of 75mphStorm Ernesto has strengthened into a hurricane as it dropped torrential rain on Puerto Rico and left nearly half of all clients in the US territory without power.The storm was located about 175 miles (280km) north-west of San Juan, Puerto Rico and was moving over open waters towards Bermuda. It had maximum sustained winds of 75mph (120km/h) and was moving north-west at 16mph. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick says money would be better spent preventing crimeMinisters should scrap Conservative plans to build new mega-jails and pour 4bn into the prevention of crime and rehabilitation instead, the former chief inspector of prisons has said.Nick Hardwick, who is also a former head of the Parole Board, said a huge expansion of the prison system would not solve the problem, especially when average custodial sentences are rising. Continue reading...

Mohamed Abuel-Qomasan's wife and mother-in-law also killed in strike that hit home where they were shelteringFour-day-day old twins have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza while their father went to register their birth, he has said, as Israel continued its bombardment of the territory.Mohamed Abuel-Qomasan said his wife, Joumana Arafa, a pharmacist, had given birth by caesarean section four days earlier and announced the twins' arrival on Facebook, the Associated Press reported. Continue reading...

Sarah Hanson-Young urges people not to believe the claim that free-to-air TV needs gambling ad revenue to survive

Party unable to nominate in all of the local government areas that were put forward by the state executive'

Jacinta Allan doesn't rule out intervention after city council voted to ban rental e-scooters at Tuesday meeting

Hearing follows Justice Salvatore Vasta order to pay part of $309,000 in damages to Mr Stradford" who was sentenced to jail and then swiftly releasedCommon law principles relating to judicial immunity should not be weakened because of a rare and extreme case" in which a man suffered a gross miscarriage of justice, the High Court has been told.Opening a hearing in Adelaide on Wednesday, solicitor-general Stephen Donaghue KC told the court that the principles had always been recognised as serving an important role in preserving the independence of the judiciary. Continue reading...

Yingying Xu, 46, arrested and charged after Emmanuel College student Sophie Wang's body discovered at home in Emerald Lakes area of Carrara

Woman wins visiting rights to see daughter, but not son, in first recognition that child can have two legal mothersA woman fighting a landmark LGBT custody battle in China said she still has faith for the future" after winning the right to make monthly visits to her daughter.Last month, Didi, who is 42 and lives in Shanghai, travelled to Beijing to visit her seven-year-old daughter, who lives in the capital with Didi's estranged wife and their other child. It was the first time Didi and her daughter had seen each other in four years. Continue reading...

Ethan James Green says photos featuring semi-naked John Boyega and Padma Lakshmi are about collaboration'The photographer behind the next Pirelli calendar has vowed to make it sexy again after #MeToo forced everyone to take a pause" and the company began capturing a fully-clothed cast.John Boyega is among the celebrities posing for the 2025 edition, named Refresh and Reveal, with the musclebound British actor flexing and crouching on a Florida Keys beach - while an assistant splashes him with water for full effect. Continue reading...

From a diagnosis lottery to a spiralling bill we look at the UK's battle with the diseaseThe number of people living with dementia in England is at an all-time high, with close to half a million diagnosed cases as of June 2024.Dementia - Britain's biggest killer - is an umbrella term for many conditions and affects more than 55 million people worldwide. In England, about 7,000 people are diagnosed every month. Continue reading...

Earlier testing and specialist care could improve survival rates, says study across 24 hospitalsA quarter of women with the most deadly form of ovarian cancer could receive an earlier diagnosis if they were tested and fast-tracked for specialist care, research suggests.The analysis involved researchers looking at data from the Refining Ovarian Cancer Test accuracy Scores (ROCkeTS) study, which involved 24 hospitals across the UK. Continue reading...

John Wordsworth drowned when East India Company ship sank off Dorset in 1805 and its story is important, says Historic EnglandThe government has granted protection to the wreck of a ship that was captained by the brother of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth.The Earl of Abergavenny, part of the East India Company fleet, sank in stormy weather about 1.5 miles off the Dorset coast of Weymouth in February 1805. Continue reading...

Study shows fewer students in England combining humanities such as history or music with sciences or mathsA-level students in England have increasingly dropped humanities and arts subjects in favour of a narrower range of science-based subjects after being nudged by the last government's changes to A-levels made a decade ago.The changes, backed by the former education secretary Michael Gove, split A-level courses away from AS-level exams, and a new report by the British Academy and the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) says it has resulted in declining numbers of students combining humanities such as English or music with sciences or maths. Continue reading...

Up to 400 people received parcels that could contain the contaminated lolly as police open a criminal investigationA charity working with homeless people in Auckland, New Zealand unknowingly distributed sweets filled with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine in its food parcels, after the items were donated by a member of the public.

Kishida's three-year term has been marked by scandal, rising living costs and record defence spendingJapan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has said he will not run for the presidency of his ruling Liberal Democratic party [LDP] next month - a decision that will see the appointment of a new leader of the world's fourth-biggest economy.Kishida, who has been battling low approval ratings and a damaging funding scandal, said he would step down as LDP leader in September, telling reporters on Wednesday that the party needed an open contest to promote debate". Continue reading...

Chief executive Jeff Howard flags decline in advertising revenues and increase in debt for embattled media conglomerate

Telcos say majority of customers are now on compatible phones as government remains concerned about triple zero calls and medical devices

Climate change, living costs and China ties in focus as president Taneti Maamau seeks to extend his tenure in the Pacific countryPolls opened in the Pacific country of Kiribati on Wednesday, after an election campaign dominated by the cost of living, rising sea levels and questions about the benefit of deeper ties with China.A nation of 115,000 residents, Kiribati is considered strategic despite being small, because it is relatively close to Hawaii and controls more than 3.5 million sq km (1.4m sq miles) of Pacific Ocean. Continue reading...

CBA's result beat analyst expectations as CEO says economy remains resilient despite cost-of-living pressures