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Zoo staff brought Magic to Sphen's side to process the loss, and the penguin colony joined in his mournful call

Former Obama adviser David Axelrod says ex-president and wife made Trump alien to values most Americans share'

Officers called to house in Accrington on Tuesday after 53-year-old dog owner found deadPolice have launched an investigation after a man was killed by his own XL bully dog in Lancashire.Officers were called to reports of a canine attacking someone inside a house in Accrington shortly before 9.30pm on Tuesday, Lancashire police said. Continue reading...

Pentagon investment would make North America's first cobalt sulfate refinery as US looks to diversify supply chainThe US military has made its largest investment in Canada's mining sector in decades, spending millions amid a looming battle among nations to control the supply of cobalt.On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced a $20m grant to help build a cobalt refinery in the province of Ontario, saying the investment will create a more robust industrial base capable of meeting growing demand across both the defense and commercial sectors". Continue reading...

With hustle kingdoms' teaching young people the tricks of the trade, there has been a surge in blackmailing crimes

Exclusive: Agency says foreign gangs not safe from prosecution in UK and plans new recording label to track extent of the crime

English banker Jonathan Bloomer and American lawyer Chris Morvillo reportedly confirmed as among bodies recovered by Italian rescuersReuters, citing a source, reports that one of the two bodies found by divers is a heavily built man."Italian rescue divers have found two bodies inside the sunken luxury yacht, Reuters reported citing a source. Continue reading...

Identities not disclosed but UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter were among those onboard

Bodies of missing people recovered as witnesses and experts ponder fate of ship hit by localised storm off SicilyFishers in the Sicilian village of Porticello who witnessed the Bayesian superyacht sink rapidly in a violent storm on Monday say that the vessel was in the wrong place at the wrong time.But for Italian prosecutors investigating the incident, their focus will be on whether the captain and crew took all the necessary safety measures to prevent the tragedy. Continue reading...

Campaigners are warning the chancellor that any delay will keep hundreds of thousands of children in povertyRachel Reeves is coming under renewed pressure to end the two-child benefit cap at next month's budget, after the Guardian revealed the chancellor is preparing to keep it in place.MPs and anti-poverty campaigners are warning that any delay in scrapping the cap will keep hundreds of thousands of children in poverty, with just weeks until Reeves unveils her first major fiscal package. Continue reading...

Rightwing leader to speak at benefit dinner for climate-change denying thinktank, as he sunsets' party's chief executive roleNigel Farage is scheduled to make a third visit to the US in little more than two months since he was elected MP, speaking at a dinner for a rightwing think tank where tables cost up to $50,000 each to reserve.The Reform UK leader is listed as the main speaker at a benefit event for the Heartland Institute, an Illinois-based organisation which is a denier of human-created climate change. Its president, James Taylor, who is also speaking, has called climate change a sham". Continue reading...

Extreme heat affecting nearly 23m people across US south-west and pushing Texas's electrical grid to the limitA heat dome covering the US's south-west region is affecting nearly 23 million Americans, bringing with it some of the highest temperatures of the summer and putting pressure on the electrical grid in Texas.The heat dome phenomenon occurs when strong, high pressure traps hot air over a region, preventing cool air from traveling in and causing temperatures to rise on the ground and stay high. Continue reading...

Number of homes struck in Golan Heights, with one person woundedHezbollah has launched more than 50 rockets and a swarm of drones towards northern Israel, hitting a number of homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and wounding one person.The strikes on Wednesday by the Lebanese militant group came the day after the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, met mediators from Egypt and Qatar, even as Hamas and Israel poured cold water on any prospect of any imminent pause in the fighting in Gaza. Continue reading...

Sketch duo Amy Gledhill and Chris Cantrill's solo shows have both been nominated for the fringe's top prize, alongside acts including LA clown Natalie PalamidesFor the first time in its 43-year-history, male comedians are in the minority on the shortlist for the prestigious Edinburgh comedy award. The nominations for the prize, formerly known as the Perrier, also include two closely entwined pairs of comedians, with Catherine Bohart lining up against her former partner Sarah Keyworth, and Amy Gledhill pitted against the other half of her sketch double-act The Delightful Sausage (themselves twice previously nominated for the award), Chris Cantrill. Also featuring on the list are 2017's best newcomer Natalie Palamides with the extraordinary Weer, and a pair of Australians: the tomfoolish Josh Glanc and the queer cabaret powerhouse Reuben Kaye.The awards' producer and West End impresario Nica Burns hailed the range of comic styles represented, from clowning to character comedy to musical comedy and traditional standup". The favourite is probably LA clown Palamides (already a Netflix star with her unforgettable special Nate), with an outrageous romcom pastiche that casts either side of her body as two lovers in a messy 1990s romance. East Midlander Keyworth's show My Eyes Are Up Here, about their recent top surgery, already has a top prize in the bag from this year's Melbourne comedy festival; acts including Hannah Gadsby with Nanette have done that awards double-whammy before. A victory for the singer and comedian Kaye would be seen as a vindication for his campaign, staged on and offstage, to resist burgeoning queerphobia in Australia and beyond. Continue reading...

Fans can stay at the Casbah Coffee Club where the Quarrymen, the precursor band to the Beatles, had a residencyThey are probably the most famous band in the world, but without a dilapidated building in Liverpool, a lucky bet on a race horse and one woman's ambitious dream, the Beatles may never have existed.The Casbah Coffee Club, owned by the mother of the band's original drummer, Pete Best, is where it all began for the Fab Four. She purchased the building after winning a bet and gave the Quarrymen - the precursor band to the Beatles - a residency. Continue reading...

Amnesty International UK says Labour is reheating' the previous government's rhetoric as Yvette Cooper vows to increase removalsClean water campaigner Feargal Sharkey has written an opinion piece for the Guardian about the ways in which privatised water firms have polluted English rivers and beaches with sewage, causing significant damage to public health.You can read it in full here: Continue reading...

Exclusive: In his parting words, the member for Moreton says people shouldn't underestimate the influence of backbenchers' who can make real change'

In the annals of Australian parliament's rough and tumble, this latest barb stands out as an oldie but a goodie

Attorney general approves legal assistance in relation to a defamation claim' made against PM and approval for claims against Bill ShortenThe attorney general has approved legal assistance for Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten in relation to defamation threats by a business associate of the former Liberal minister Stuart Robert.On 12 August Mark Dreyfus approved assistance in relation to a defamation claim" made against the prime minister on 23 July and for defamation claims on 23 and 25 July against Shorten, the government services and national disability insurance scheme minister, according to documents tabled to parliament. Continue reading...

Mayor says no damage or casualties reported as 11 drones are downedUkraine's parliament voted on Wednesday to ratify the Rome Statute, a senior lawmaker said, paving the way for Kyiv to join the International Criminal Court.In a Telegram post, Yaroslav Zhelezniak said 281 deputies had voted for the measure, a key requirement for Ukraine to eventually join the European Union. Continue reading...

Overcrowding in humanitarian zone dissuading those given evacuation orders by IDF from leaving, say UN officialsThousands of people facing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have been forced to abandon plans to comply with Israeli evacuation orders telling them to move to a designated safe humanitarian zone" because there is no space for them there.At the weekend the Israeli military told residents of multiple neighbourhoods in and around the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah to leave their homes ahead of planned attacks and go to the narrow strip of coast around the small town of al-Mawasi that was designated earlier in the war to receive displaced people. Continue reading...

Web developer arrested in Lahore and charged with cyberterrorism over dissemination of misinformationPolice in Pakistan have charged a man with cyberterrorism for his alleged role in spreading misinformation thought to have led to widespread rioting in the UK, a senior investigator has said.The suspect was identified as Farhan Asif, 32, a freelance web developer, said Imran Kishwar, the deputy inspector general of investigations in Lahore. Continue reading...

Television presenter worries more about cars and drugs' than risks from three-week Interrailing trip with friendThe TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has defended her decision to let her 15-year-old son Interrail across Europe without her, on grounds that she worries more about cars and drugs" than travel.Allsopp's news sparked controversy on social media, with some people opining that her son, Oscar Hercules, who turns 16 on Wednesday, was too young to travel around Europe for three weeks with a teenage friend. Continue reading...

Man arrested in early hours of Wednesday at scene of blaze in which woman and three children diedA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman and three children died after a house fire in Bradford.Police were called in the early hours of Wednesday by the fire service, who had attended the blaze in a property in Westbury Road. Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves works on plan for 10-year formula to give councils and housing associations certaintySocial housing rents will rise by more than inflation over the next decade as part of UK government plans to boost affordable housebuilding and shore up the finances of struggling landlords.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is working on plans to introduce a 10-year formula to calculate social rent on homes that will result in rents increasing every year by the rate of the consumer prices index - which is now 2.2% - plus 1%, removing an existing cap on rises. Continue reading...

John Gummer, now Lord Deben, pays tribute to tech entrepreneur who is feared dead after yacht capsizedJohn Gummer, the former cabinet minister, said his missing friend the tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was at the beginning of a new life" when his yacht capsized in a violent storm off the coast of Sicily.Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah are among six people feared dead after the Bayesian rapidly sank early on Monday morning after being hit by tornadic waterspout. Continue reading...

Mother of Dwayne Johnstone urges government ministers to take note' of coroner's recommendation so no one else has to go through it'

Albanese government unveils proposal which could see MP's salary docked by more than $11,000 for misconduct

Micaela Cronin highlights concerns that payment systems are used to punish current and former intimate partners

Journalist Samantha Maiden was called to give evidence in the WA senator's defamation trial against her former staffer

Broadcaster Ray Hadley challenges cowardly' conservatives to have a bit of courage for the sake of NSW politics'

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Police found the body of the 50-year-old perpetrator in a creek in Auburn early on Wednesday morning

Routine' job that turned fatal would not have been initiated had NSW police passed on threatening emails to Queensland colleagues, court told

In today's newsletter: Following the return of six killed Israeli civilians, Benjamin Netantahu is facing calls from inside and outside the country to find a way to stop the conflict Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. There were 115 Israeli hostages, dead and alive, left in Gaza; now there are 109. Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces said that it had recovered the bodies of six civilians taken by Hamas on 7 October last year - Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Chaim Peri - from tunnels under the city of Khan Younis. While the families of all six had already announced that their loved ones were believed dead, that physical confirmation was devastating all the same.Meanwhile, at least 12 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school yesterday, Gaza's civil defence agency said, adding that the building was being used to house displaced people. Israel claimed that it was a command and control centre for Hamas. The count maintained by Gaza's health authorities of dead Palestinians stands at more than 40,000.Autumn budget | Rachel Reeves is planning to raise taxes, cut spending and get tough on benefits in October's budget, amid Treasury alarm over the state of the public finances. Changes could include rises in inheritance tax and capital gains tax, while Reeves may also reject pressure to remove the two-child benefit cap.US politics | Amid chants of Yes, she can!", Barack Obama gave the closing speech on the second night of the Democratic national convention and said: We are ready for a President Kamala Harris." He was introduced by his wife Michelle, who said that Harris had sparked hope and alleviated a palpable sense of dread about the future".Italy | Six missing people are now presumed dead after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily. They are tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah; Morgan Stanley International chair Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy; and lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda. A body recovered on Monday was confirmed as that of the vessel's chef, Recaldo Thomas.Health | Scotland's drug deaths remain the worst in Europe, as ministers pledged to intensify efforts to deal with the problem after a hugely concerning" 12% increase in fatalities last year.Spain | The world's oldest known person, Spain's Maria Branyas Morera, who was born in 1907 and lived through two pandemics and two world wars, has died in her home in north-eastern Spain at the age of 117. Branyas got Covid-19 aged 113 in 2020 but made a full recovery and was said to be completely lucid". Continue reading...

OAIC says decision stands that company must cease collecting images and delete those on record, but Clearview AI is yet to prove compliance

Unscripted remarks about the Japanese-administered islands were made during during a Chinese-language programme on the public broadcaster NHKJapan's public broadcaster, NHK, has apologised after a member of staff referred to the disputed Senkaku Islands as Chinese territory" during an internationally broadcast radio programme this week.The presenter, a Chinese national in his 40s, made the unscripted remarks for about 20 seconds during a Chinese-language broadcast on Monday on the NHK World-Japan and Radio 2 channels, according to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Continue reading...

Bill Shorten announces first ministers have agreed a number of co-governance changes to the $35bn scheme

Firms in England and Wales offer separate discounts but charities say central fund would help struggling customersMinisters are under pressure to end the postcode lottery" on water by introducing a single social tariff for households on low incomes, amid fresh signs consumers are struggling to keep up with bill payments.Water companies in England and Wales offer their own social tariffs, providing discounts to consumers on low incomes. However, some of the schemes are more generous than others, creating vast disparities in how much consumers pay in different regions. Continue reading...

Study finds serious impact on life chances and mental health of young people amid calls to reassess resits policy in EnglandThe government has been urged to reassess what a social mobility expert has called the national scandal" of teenagers leaving school without GCSE passes in English and maths despite multiple retakes.Ahead of this summer's GCSE results being published on Thursday, Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said his research suggested too many young people lacking the qualifications had lower chances of future success and increased reports of poor mental and physical health. Continue reading...

Grocer's five-year plan also includes up to four new big supermarkets as well as shop refurbishmentsWaitrose is planning to open 100 convenience stores over the next five years as part of a 1bn-plus investment in new outlets and shop refurbishments.The upmarket grocery chain is planning to unveil a revamped outlet in Finchley Road, north London, on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Spring-like temperatures in eastern states come as southern hemisphere experiences three weeks of record-breaking heat

Patterson expected to face trial in Victoria's Latrobe Valley in April. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges

The 85-year-old actor, who fell from London stage in June, says he still has agonising pains' and avoids leaving the houseIan McKellen says his fat suit saved" him after he fell off stage during a London performance in June, though he remains in agonising pain" while he recovers from the injuries.The 85-year-old actor was two months into a season of Player Kings - as Shakespeare's Falstaff - when he fell from the stage into the first row of the audience at London's Noel Coward theatre. He subsequently withdrew from the show. Continue reading...

Police dug up and removed the rust-caked projectiles, which belonged to US troops during the second world warWorkers at a school in Solomon Islands discovered a buried stockpile of the second world war munitions as they dug a hole for sewage", police said.More than 200 rust-caked projectiles - which once belonged to US troops - have been dug up and removed after they were found near a school staff member's house, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force said. Continue reading...

The US secretary of state's ninth visit to the region since the start of the conflict has ended without truce agreement

The ship was near the port of Rosario and authorities were alerted that a crew member was showing cyst-like lesions'Argentine authorities have quarantined a cargo ship in the Parana River over a suspected case of mpox onboard, the government said on Tuesday, as global public health authorities remain on alert for a new faster-spreading variant of the virus.The ship near Argentina's inland grains port of Rosario alerted authorities that one of its crew members of Indian nationality showed cyst-like skin lesions predominantly on the chest and face," the ministry said in a statement. Continue reading...

Lawyers allege the airline was obliged to refund payments to customers whose flights were cancelled during the pandemic, but failed to do so

Actors, dubbed Bennifer' in 2000s, married in Las Vegas in 2022 after re-sparking relationship from two decades priorAfter just over two years of marriage, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have filed for divorce.According to a report from Variety magazine, Lopez filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles county superior court. The official separation date is listed as 26 April. Continue reading...