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Campbelltown hospital was due to expand beds for psychiatric patients from 66 to over 100, to deal with district's larger population

Lane reported the alleged serial abuse to another staff member only to be told you're not special', parliament hearsKeli Lane, who was convicted of killing her newborn baby daughter, was allegedly sexually assaulted every day for years by the notorious former prison guard Wayne Astill.Lane's alleged serial assaults by Astill were revealed by the Greens MP Sue Higginson who told the New South Wales parliament that Lane was a witness in a government inquiry into his abuse. Continue reading...

Counsel assisting NSW inquest says CCTV footage of Paul Thijssen in hours before attack at Sydney school not easy to watch'Lilie James was smiling and happy in the moments before Paul Thijssen used a hammer to murder his ex-girlfriend in a school gymnasium toilet, a coronial inquest examining their deaths has been told.James's body was found in the bathroom at St Andrew's Cathedral school in Sydney on 25 October 2023 after she'd been to water polo training with students.In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...

International rules of combat to deter impact on noncombatants have been loosened or ignored - and other regimes may followIt is a casualty rate that would have unimaginable before the start of the Israel-Hamas war. More than 400 Palestinians have been reported killed after 10 hours of resumed Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday, including, according to one early report, at least six members of one family in an attack on a car east of Khan Younis.Though it is too soon to determine how many noncombatants died in attacks that Israel says were directed at Hamas military commanders and political officials (casualty totals from Gaza's health ministry do not distinguish combatants from the uninvolved), the likelihood is that civilians will have been killed in large numbers. Continue reading...

There is one very tangible reason for the current outbreak of good spirits: Conservatives know things could be worseTheir party is flatlining in the polls, largely lacking in policies and on the verge of a heavy kicking in the local elections. And yet in Westminster, many Conservatives seem almost cheery. What exactly is going on?Critics - including some Tories - may argue this is wishful thinking and displacement activity by MPs and shadow ministers who cannot accept that Kemi Badenoch is not up to the job of leading a party in existential trouble. Continue reading...

Bill Browder says such visas a way for dodgy people ... to buy themselves legitimacy and insert themselves into countries'

The extraordinary demands of the Russian leader to weaken Ukraine would make a mockery of any peace deal

Rum'un growls like Nosferatu and sports fur made from recycled school polo shirts, track pants and backpacks

First title of series for tweens titled Game of Pets will be fantasy story to debut in 2026The Australian bestselling children's author Aaron Blabey has signed an eight-figure deal with the UK, US and Australian arms of Macmillan.The publisher announced the deal on Wednesday, contracting the actor turned writer to produce seven new titles across two new series for the tween reading market. Continue reading...

Russian leader refuses to commit to a full month-long truce after high-stakes phone call with Donald Trump

Canadian PM Mark Carney says deal on over the horizon' radar is part of effort to assert Canada's sovereignty over Arctic as US priorities shift

Aurelio Martinez was killed after plane crashed while taking off from Roatan island in CaribbeanGarifuna leaders have paid tribute to a prominent musician from their community who died in a plane crash that killed at least 13 people off the coast of Honduras.Aurelio Martinez was onboard a Lanhsa Airlines flight that crashed into the sea late on Monday while taking off from Roatan, one of the Central American country's main tourist destinations. Continue reading...

Amnesty International describes legislation as full-frontal attack' on country's LGBTQ+ communityMPs in Hungary have voted to ban Pride events and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attenders and potentially fine them, in what Amnesty International has described as a full-frontal attack" on LGBTQ+ people.The legislation - the latest by the prime minister, Viktor Orban, and his rightwing populist party to target LGBTQ+ rights - was pushed through parliament on Tuesday. Believed to be the first of its kind in the EU's recent history, the nationwide ban passed by 136 votes to 27 after it was submitted to parliament one day earlier. Continue reading...

Israeli prime minister bows to pressure from far-right over majority who prioritise deals to bring back hostagesAs the ceasefire in Gaza extended from days into weeks, and newly freed hostages began sharing grim details of their captivity, Benjamin Netanyahu's political room for manoeuvre seemed to shrink.He was caught between the far-right parties propping up his government, keen to return to war in Gaza, and the majority of Israelis who prioritised the fate of the remaining hostages over the total defeat" of Hamas demanded by their prime minister. Continue reading...

Disability charities call foul as welfare secretary buries austerity-like news under earnest talk of reform

Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, laid out plans for 5bn savings but faces rebellion from some Labour MPsUp to 1.2 million people with disabilities will lose thousands of pounds under the government's welfare overhaul, experts have said, as campaigners warn the plan will exacerbate the country's mental health crisis and push more children into poverty.Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, laid out her long-awaited changes to the benefits system on Tuesday, announcing a set of measures aimed at getting more people into work and saving 5bn by reducing disability payments. Continue reading...

Activists celebrate move, but note that a bull event without violence does not mean one without suffering'Mexico City's congress has voted to ban traditional bullfights and replace them with a new form of bloodless spectacle, marking the latest episode in a years-long legal battle to outlaw the practice in the capital.Animal rights activists celebrated the move on Tuesday - even if it wasn't the total ban on bullfighting they had been pushing for. Continue reading...

Congressman Don Beyer refused entry to US Institute of Peace after independent body taken over by Musk groupA senior Democratic congressman vowed to stop Doge's illegal power grab" after operatives from Elon Musk's so-called department of government efficiency" gained entry to the US Institute of Peace in Washington - an independent organization established by Congress - and forced out its leaders.I was at USIP tonight to conduct congressional oversight over Doge's break-in," Don Beyer of Virginia said on Monday. I spoke with [removed] acting president & CEO [George] Moose. USIP is an independent, non-profit entity and I will work to stop Doge's illegal power grab." Continue reading...

Nicholas Prosper, 19, planned to kill 30 pupils and two teachers after shooting his mother, brother and sister deadA 19-year-old man who shot dead his mother and two younger siblings had planned to kill 30 children at a primary school, a court has heard.Nicholas Prosper, from Luton, Bedfordshire, had wanted to carry out the killing at his former primary school to gain notoriety as a mass murderer, and had been planning it for months. Continue reading...

Work and pensions secretary says Benefits crackdown will save 5bn by 2030 but disability charities say cuts are immoral'. This live blog is closedQ: Why have you changed your mind on this?Badenoch says she has not changed her mind. As a member of the government, she abided by collective responsibility. She says in government she regularly questioned the case for net zero.The person who's been consistent in all this is me.I'm not going to pretend that I won't have critics ... This is politics. Being a politician is about being criticised.What I'm asking people to do is listen to what I'm saying. I am not doing what all the other parties are doing. We are changing the way we do things.That's not how it works. You can't just pull [a date] out of the air. And what we did was pick a target and then start thinking of how to get there.We need to start thinking about it in a different way. How does this impact families? How is business going to help us deliver? And that's what the policy commissions are going to do. Continue reading...

SpaceX, Musk's private rockets and satellites business, is now largest asset for the first time in five years

Vladimir Putin issues long list of conditions and demands that require further consideration'Speaking for the Greens, who are expected to back the CDU/CSU and the SPD today after a political deal struck late last week, Britta Haelmann offered her support for the proposal - even as she sharply criticised Merz's change of heart on this issue in recent weeks.Rejecting Merz's comments about the new, challenging global circumstances, he said the conditions are no different than they were on 1 January or in October last year," after Trump was elected. Continue reading...

German MPs have voted to pass a motion to loosen the country's strict borrowing rules, altering the constitution. The measure had been proposed by Friedrich Merz, the presumptive incoming chancellor, in the outgoing Bundestag, or federal parliamentA motion put before the outgoing Bundestag to alter the German constitution to allow for greater investment and borrowing, in part to fund higher defence spending. The vote needs a two-thirds majority to pass. Continue reading...

Trump appealed judge's decision that said mass firings of probationary workers were likely illegalDonald Trump's presidential administration in court filings has for the first time acknowledged that it fired nearly 25,000 recently hired workers - and said agencies were working to bring all of them back after a judge ruled that their terminations were likely illegal.The filings made in Baltimore's federal courthouse late Monday include statements from officials at 18 agencies, all of whom said the reinstated probationary workers were being placed on administrative leave at least temporarily. Continue reading...

US citizen girl deported with mixed-status family, who filed complaint over denied healthcare and poor conditions

Michael Jones convicted of planning burglary from Blenheim Palace in September 2019A man has been found guilty over the theft of a 4.8m gold toilet from the Oxfordshire country house where Winston Churchill was born.Blenheim Palace's 18-carat lavatory was stolen in September 2019 while it was featuring in an art exhibition. Continue reading...

Billionaire denies conflict of interest as he heads Trump initiative to cut costs throughout federal government

Met police arrest man on suspicion of causing death by careless driving after incident on the StrandA woman was killed and two pedestrians injured, including one seriously, when a van mounted the pavement on the Strand in central London.The driver of the van was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and driving with a concentration of drugs above the legal limit. Continue reading...

Inquiry recommends hospital alert system after staff failed to act on warning signs of difficult birthsA Scottish judge has ruled that the deaths of three babies during childbirth could realistically" have been avoided if maternity staff had been correctly trained.Sheriff Principal Aisha Anwar KC said hospitals across Scotland should introduce a trigger list" of early labour warning signs that would immediately lead to women being called in for hospital assessment. Continue reading...

Maria Ressa says rules-based order can perhaps still exist' but social media is being used to undermine democracy around the worldThe arrest of Rodrigo Duterte is a welcome sign that the rules-based order continues to hold, the Nobel laureate Maria Ressa has said, even as the global order has been marred by the US descending into hell" at the hands of the same forces that consumed the Philippines.Ressa's remarks came after Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, made his first appearance before the international criminal court (ICC) in The Hague, accused of committing crimes against humanity during his brutal war on drugs". Continue reading...

Welfare secretary announces changes aimed at cutting bill by up to 5bn in face of opposition from Labour MPs

Volker Turk calls for immediate end to violence and unconditional release of hostages

Donald Day Jr, facing charges over guns and making threats overseas, is trying to block testimony from Queensland police

Company's shares plunge as it estimates total costs of 200m this year from motor finance scandal

Palestinian health authorities report 400 deaths as IDF hits dozens of sites across territory

Man allegedly contacted the MP using social media multiple times between 7 January and 19 February this year

In today's newsletter: Why Benjamin Netanyahu ordered new attacks on dozens of sites in Gaza - and what happens nextGood morning. Just before 2.30am local time, Israel launched airstrikes on dozens of targets across Gaza. War planes hit sites across the territory, from Gaza City in the north to Khan Younis in the south. At least 330 people have been reported dead so far, Gaza's health ministry said, and Benjamin Netanyahu's office appeared to suggest that the two-month-old ceasefire is now over: Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," it said.You can follow the latest here at the Guardian's live blog. Today's newsletter explains what's happened overnight, and why. Here are the headlines.UK politics | Keir Starmer will unveil drastic cuts to disability benefits on Tuesday, despite deep opposition from Labour MPs and poverty campaigners, and warnings from economists against making kneejerk savings to hit fiscal targets. The changes are expected to affect some of the UK's most severely disabled people.UK news | Lucy Letby has called for the public inquiry into her crimes to be halted, arguing there is now overwhelming and compelling" evidence undermining her baby murder convictions. Lawyers for the former nurse took the extraordinary step of writing to Lady Justice Thirlwall on Monday to say that the inquiry - due to end on Wednesday - should be suspended immediately.Space | Two Nasa astronauts stranded" aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since last summer were finally on their way back to Earth on a SpaceX vessel on Tuesday, more than nine months after the failure of Boeing's pioneering Starliner capsule scuppered their originally scheduled week-long mission.Finance | The hedge fund manager Crispin Odey will be banned from the City and hit with a 1.8m fine by the UK's financial watchdog for deliberately attempting to frustrate" a disciplinary process into sexual harassment allegations.Second world war | The last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, John Paddy" Hemingway, has died aged 105. The Royal Air Force (RAF) said Hemingway, a member of the Few" who took to the skies during the second world war, died peacefully on Monday. Continue reading...

Crisis within British television is leading to an exodus of production talent, media executive saysThe UK's television industry is being hit by a perfect storm" that risks leading to British stories disappearing from the small screen, Elisabeth Murdoch has said.Murdoch, co-founder of the production company Sister, said that a crisis within British television was leading to an exodus of production talent - as well as a danger that British stories were struggling to be told. It follows warnings that cash-strapped British broadcasters are targeting their resources at dramas with international appeal. Continue reading...

Dutch national Paul Thijssen killed St Andrew's Cathedral school water polo coach in October 2023 before killing himself in Sydney's eastern suburbs

Hunter Wildlife Rescue started receiving numerous reports of sick and dead birds on Monday, centred on the suburbs Hamilton and Carrington

People earning $70,000 a year spend more than half of their income (52%) on the national median unit rent

Rajwinder Singh had pleaded not guilty to murdering the 24-year-old, who was found buried in sand in far north Queensland

Palestinian civilians cannot pay the price of defeating Hamas. It has now been two weeks since humanitarian aid last entered Gaza' says foreign minister. This blog is now closed.

In Islington, a panel of people with migrant and refugee backgrounds is allocating 500,000 in grants to directly help new arrivals who are where they once wereOn a cold morning in the heart of London, recently arrived refugees and more established migrants gather in a community centre. Their mission? To decide how 500,000 in funding will be used to support people like them.The initiative is part of the Borough of Sanctuary grants programme, which takes the government's commitment to devolution a step further, using it to empower migrants and refugees. Continue reading...

Global Times hails US president's order to strip back government funding to news organisations he deems radical'Chinese state media has reacted gleefully to the Trump administration's decision to slash government funding to media organisations such as Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA).The Global Times, a daily English-language tabloid and Chinese Communist party mouthpiece, celebrated the cuts to the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees broadcasters such as VOA and RFA. Continue reading...

Treasurer says he would welcome the opportunity to put the economy front and centre' in the upcoming election campaign

Drake's attorneys accuse Universal of being a greedy company' that is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation'.Universal Music Group have moved to dismiss Drake's defamation suit, characterising it as a misguided attempt" by the Canadian rapper to salve his wounds" after he lost a rap battle" with rival Kendrick Lamar.In the motion, filed on Monday in the US district court for the southern district of New York, Universal Music Group (UMG), which represents both artists, claimed that Drake lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated. Continue reading...

Liberals Against Nuclear say the policy would increase bureaucracy and impose massive taxpayer-backed risk'

Leafy seadragons, fish, and octopuses among creatures to have washed up dead on both Waitpinga Beach and Parsons Beach

Swedish furniture retailer's arrival is seen as crucial to hopes of reviving the London shopping streetIkea will be bringing its mix of meatballs, lampshades and kitchen planning to London's Oxford Street from 1 May, when the world's largest furniture retailer finally opens its store 18 months late.The company said its three-floor outlet, in the former Topshop base, would house a 130-seat Swedish deli and showrooms, as well as offering one-to-one design consultations. Continue reading...