World news | The Guardian

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...

Yvette Cooper also plans to increase deportations for refused asylum seekers as part of illegal migration clampdownThe home secretary has announced plans to recruit 100 investigators and intelligence officers to target people-smuggling gangs as part of measures to clampdown on illegal migration.Yvette Cooper said that the National Crime Agency (NCA) will find specialists to dismantle and disrupt organised immigration crime networks that exploit asylum seekers. Continue reading...

Survey found almost a third of UK dog owners spent less than a day researching the breederWould-be dog owners are buying puppies with little thought, effort or research, the UK's leading dog breeding organisation has said, warning that convenience culture is having a devastating" effect on puppy welfare.According to research by the Kennel Club, almost a third (29%) of dog owners in the UK spent less than a day researching their decision and the breeder. Continue reading...

Nicole Shanahan says she and independent 2024 candidate could walk away and join forces with Donald Trump'Robert F Kennedy Jr is considering abandoning his campaign as an insurgent independent presidential candidate in order to help the election of Donald Trump, his running mate has said.The startling disclosure was made by Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy's vice-presidential candidate, who said the pair were considering dropping their campaign over fears it might help elect Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, as president. Continue reading...

Case will be transferred to Utah, where he faces unrelated charges of running prescription drug fraud ringThe rapper NBA YoungBoy has agreed to plead guilty to a federal weapons charge once the case is transferred from Louisiana to Utah, where he faces unrelated charges accusing him of running a prescription drug fraud ring.In court documents filed last week, the rapper, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, waived his right to a trial in Baton Rouge, news outlets reported. US district judge Shelly Dick then closed the Louisiana case and moved jurisdiction to the federal court in Salt Lake City. Gaulden also signed notice of his intent to enter his guilty plea once the case is transferred to Utah. Continue reading...

Report states unit failed to undertake necessary steps to reduce threat' that Army reservist posed to publicThe independent commission investigating the deadly mass shooting that occurred in Maine last year said on Tuesday in its final report that local authorities and the gunman's Army reserve unit missed several opportunities" that might have changed the course of events".The commission created by Janet Mills, Maine's Democratic governor, was formed shortly after Army reservist Robert Card shot and killed 18 people in Lewiston last October before taking his own life, in what became the state's deadliest mass shooting. Continue reading...

UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and daughter among those thought to have been trapped when storm hit off SicilySix people are now presumed dead after the super yacht they were onboard sank in a violent storm off the coast of Sicily.Divers tried in vain on Tuesday to gain access to the inside of the sunken 56-metre Bayesian luxury vessel, where rescue crews believe those missing may have been trapped. Continue reading...

Thomas was one of ten crew members onboard Bayesian yacht, says Italian coastguard, as passengers including tech tycoon Mike Lynch remain missing

More than 400 homes evacuated before 500kg bomb was blown up, decades after it was dropped by LuftwaffePolice and army experts have carried out a controlled explosion on a second world war bomb discovered in Newtownards, County Down, more than 80 years after it was dropped from a German plane.A plume of smoke rose over the Northern Irish town on Tuesday after a loud bang at 3.38pm signalled the destruction of the 500kg (1,100lb) bomb. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Charities say ending household support fund in England will increase hardship for struggling familiesMore than half a million children will go hungry during school holiday periods from the October half-term if the government fails to renew a 1bn local welfare crisis fund due to end in six weeks' time, charities have warned.English councils last year spent 370m from their household support fund (HSF) allocations on holiday food vouchers for pupils on free school meals (FSM) - but more than a quarter of authorities say this support could disappear if the fund is ditched. Continue reading...

Lee Crisp given sentence of more than three years for high octane' abuse of police and egging on crowdA man who shouted abuse at police guarding a hotel housing asylum seekers and celebrated as missiles were thrown at officers has been jailed for three years and four months, as more people were sentenced for their part in the riots on Tuesday.Sheffield crown court heard that Lee Crisp, 42, of Mount Road, Barnsley, was part of a group that gathered outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham. Continue reading...

Ernestas Juska, 20, accused of killing Nina Denisova, 39, and committing offence against her dead bodyA man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a woman and committing a sexual offence against her dead body.Ernestas Juska, 20, appeared at Sevenoaks magistrates court on Monday over the death of Nina Denisova, 39, and spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth. Continue reading...

Pontoon bridge across Seym River blown up as Ukrainian army reportedly captures another village in Kursk regionFierce fighting has continued inside Russia as Ukrainian troops tried to seize more territory and used kamikaze drones to blow up a Russian pontoon bridge across a strategic river crossing.Satellite images showed that the temporary bridge on Tuesday had disappeared and there were large puffs of grey smoke. Russian forces built the pontoon between the villages of Zvannoe and Glushkovo after Ukrainian missiles destroyed three bridges across the Seym River. Continue reading...

Party deletes video after viewers list gaffes, including scenes of US, Serbia and Slovenia - plus Russian jetsCanada's Conservative party has deleted a social media campaign video with a heavily nationalist message after much of the video featured scenes from other countries, including Ukrainian farmers, Slovenian homes, London's Richmond Park and a pair of Russian fighter jets.The video, titled Canada. Our Home" was initially posted to X on Saturday, with various scenes overlaid by a speech from the party leader, Pierre Poilievre. The Conservatives, who lead the governing Liberals in the polls, are preparing for what is widely expected to be a bitterly contested federal election. Continue reading...

Further excavation of burial pit hoped to help explain what happened to remains of thousands killed in 1815 clashThe fate of those killed in the notoriously bloody Battle of Waterloo has long been the subject of macabre speculation. Now, a team of archaeologists will seek to provide some answers by digging at the site where it took place in Belgium.About 20,000 men died in the June 1815 battle that took place in the province of Walloon Brabant. In 2022, an excavation at the site of a former field hospital at Mont-Saint-Jean farm discovered horses that had been put down, buried alongside a human skeleton. Continue reading...

If you ignore people at a point where they really need some of that earlier intervention ... then you're up for a higher cost', says expert

Zach Smith says federal government plan to appoint administrators has left members feeling their democratic rights have been stripped

After an often-heated parliamentary sitting, new figures show spike in ejections of opposition members as Kylea Tink labels behaviour unacceptable'