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Marianne Smyth is accused of stealing more than $170,000 from people she met through her work at UK-based mortgage companiesA US-born woman who posed as an Irish heiress to scam thousands of dollars from several victims was flown on Tuesday to the UK to face additional charges there.Marianne Smyth is accused of stealing more than $170,000 from five people whom she met through her jobs at UK-based mortgage companies between 2008 and 2010. For years, Smyth feigned being a witch, psychic and friend of A-list celebrities to deceive others into giving her money. Continue reading...

Last time a Labor MP voted against the party position was 2005 when Tasmanian MP Harry Quick opposed anti-terrorism legislation

Finance minister Katy Gallagher says people who felt intimidated into paying back ATO debts so old they are impossible to verify will not get their money back

Health ombudsman says thousands' of sperm samples at fertility clinics are at risk of potentially devastating identification mix-ups

Labour is almost certain to retain Nottingham East but many plan to stay away or spoil their ballot

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Prime minister describes the 79-year-old politician as an institution in his own right'

Service offers more than 20,000 films and TV shows on-demand to compete with popular streaming platformsRupert Murdoch's Fox Corporation has launched its ad-supported streaming service, Tubi, in the UK.The platform will compete with services such as Netflix, Disney+, ITVX and Channel 4's streaming platform as well as BBC iPlayer. Continue reading...

BoM forecasts daily showers to continue along east coast until next week while Melbourne should brace for near freezing weather

Authorities in talks with Instagram and Facebook about taking part in $6.5m test of online safety measures

New president Jose Raul Mulino has vowed to close the route through which thousands of migrants travel to the US every yearThe US will cover the costs of repatriating migrants who enter Panama illegally, under a deal agreed with the Central American country's new president who has vowed to shut down the treacherous Darien Gap used by people travelling north to the United States.In his first address as president, Jose Raul Mulino promised to seek international assistance to find solutions to what he described as a costly humanitarian and environmental crisis". Continue reading...

University confirms police operation under way with 22-year-old man taken to Royal Prince Alfred hospital

Sources say Hungary's pro-Russia PM planning to visit president Volodymyr Zelenskiy one day after assuming EU presidencyHungary's Viktor Orban is expected to travel to Kyiv on Tuesday, according to three sources with knowledge of the plans, in a surprise visit for one of Europe's most pro-Russian leaders, which comes as Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the EU.Two sources in Budapest said Orban was expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, in the Hungarian prime minister's first trip to neighbouring Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion more than two years ago. Continue reading...

Peter Fouche set up Project Konstantin, which provides supplies and delivers aid to frontlineA British man who founded a charity providing support to Ukraine soldiers has died while fighting in the country, the organisation said.Peter Fouche died last Thursday in the battlefield" after getting badly injured in combat against Russian forces", Halyna Zhuk, commercial director and co-founder of Project Konstantin, said in a video message. Continue reading...

About 40 passengers taken to hospitals after flight from Madrid to Montevideo forced to make emergency landingAn Air Europa flight from Madrid to Montevideo has been forced to make an emergency landing at a Brazilian airport due to severe turbulence", the airline said.About 40 passengers, mostly with minor injuries, were taken to hospitals in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte state after the plane was diverted early on Monday. Continue reading...

PM says he loves this party dearly' and would always put himself at the service of it'Rishi Sunak is speaking at a campaign event in Staffordshire. As the advance briefing predicted, he has just told his audience.I tell you this: once you have handed Keir Starmer and Labour a blank cheque, you won't be able to get it back.We've had a strategy in place and we'll try to keep to it, which is to carve out really protected time for the kids, so on a Friday - I've been doing this for years - I will not do a work-related thing after six o'clock, pretty well come what may.There are a few exceptions, but that's what we do.[In politics] some people think, if you fill your diary 24/7 and don't do anything else, that makes you a much better decision maker. I don't agree with that, I think you've got to make space, so we do it ...Actually, it helps me, it takes me away from the pressure, it relaxes me, and I think, actually, not only is it what I want to do as a dad, it is better. Continue reading...

Marine Tondelier urges National Rally leader to take part in TV debate before second-round parliamentary electionMarine Tondelier, the head of the French Green party, has called on the far-right National Rally (RN) leader, Jordan Bardella, to take part in a TV debate with her before Sunday's second-round parliamentary election, accusing him of only wanting to debate with men.Tondelier, known for her trademark green jacket, has emerged as one of the main figures of the New Popular Front left alliance, which is positioning itself as a clear alternative to the far-right National Rally (RN) in many constituencies in the final runoff. Continue reading...

The federal government has banned tobacconists, vape shops, and convenience stores from selling vapes. But are they sticking to the rules?

The 45-year-old has the perfect CV for the role, with experience at the Bank of England and in private finance - but how has her background shaped her tough stance on public finances?

Both men deny claims by actor Judith Godreche, who has formally accused them of abusing her as a teenagerFrench authorities detained leading film directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon on Monday for questioning over accusations of sexual abuse, sources close to the case said.An AFP journalist saw both men, who have denied the allegations, arrive at a police station in Paris on Monday morning, accompanied by their lawyers. Continue reading...

Minister says sale could disturb stability in the region and potentially threaten Norwegian interests'The Norwegian government has called off a plan to sell the last privately owned piece of land on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard in order to prevent its acquisition by China.The remote Sore Fagerfjord property in south-west Svalbard - 60 sq miles (sq km) of mountains, plains and a glacier - was on sale for 300m (277m). Continue reading...

Study reveals support for measures to maintain public services, regardless of impact on household financesTwice as many Britons support tax increases to pay for public services as those who believe they should be reduced even if it means further public service cuts, according to new a report.A study released by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, a research body set up by the fund manager, said the public are willing to support policies that they don't think will benefit their own finances, despite almost two in five (39%) of households now classed as having serious financial difficulties. The number of households with finances in distress has increased by 2.9 million since the last election in 2019, when 28% were in that situation. Continue reading...

Reset with Europe is priority for man who is on course to be foreign secretary, amid two wars and crisis in FranceDavid Lammy will be the first Labour foreign secretary succeeding a Conservative government since Robin Cook in 1997, if his party triumphs in the general election. On his arrival in office, Cook's first two acts were to expand the Foreign Office newspaper subscription list to include the Racing Post, and, perhaps more momentously, give an interview to the Observer hailing an end to xenophobia".Lammy will be less bothered about racing tips, but he is tempted to send a broadly similar signal to Cook's about how the UK under Labour is going to reconnect with the world. Continue reading...

Kaspersky, Moscow-based company deemed security risk in US, has been dropped from Australian consumer watchdog website partner list

Exclusive: Alan Milburn, Jacqui Smith and Sally Morgan would be contenders to take over from Richard MeddingsLabour is poised to axe the chair of NHS England if it wins the election and replace him with a party loyalist to help implement its plans to revive the broken" health service.The party is considering replacing Richard Meddings with the former health secretary Alan Milburn, the ex-home secretary Jacqui Smith, or Sally Morgan, who served as Tony Blair's political secretary. Continue reading...

Some 68,000 people are expected to die alone and unnoticed in Japan this year, police say, as the population continues to ageWe occasionally greet each other, but that's all. If one of my neighbours died, I'm not sure I would notice," says Noriko Shikama, 76. She lives alone in a flat Tokiwadaira, in Tokyo's commuter belt and has come to the Iki Iki drop-in centre to catch up with residents over cups of coffee served by volunteers.Here, amid the everyday discussions about the merits or otherwise of dyeing grey hair, people also share news about the latest lonely death, or kodokushi - officially defined as one in which a person dies without being cared for by anyone, and whose body is found after a certain period". Continue reading...

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Only a third of shifts have enough nurses on duty, the Royal College of Nursing says its analysis showsNHS patients are being left unseen in pain and in some cases to die alone because shifts do not have enough registered nurses, a survey shows.The Royal College of Nursing said analysis of a survey it carried out showed that only a third of shifts had enough registered nurses on duty. Continue reading...

Thirty-five bodies recovered in March from company's premises, along with ashes of unknown number of peoplePolice in Humberside have met with more than 160 families whose loved ones' remains could be among human ashes found at the Legacy funeral home in Hull that will never be identified.A total of 35 bodies were recovered in March from the company's premises on Hessle Road, along with the ashes of an unknown number of people, after reports of concern for care of the deceased". Continue reading...

Tories make last-ditch attempt to persuade their voters to turn out for Thursday's electionLabour would use a landslide victory to shift politics to the left and stay in power for decades, Rishi Sunak will warn on Monday, as he launches a last-ditch attempt to persuade Conservative voters to turn out for Thursday's election.The prime minister will address a rally at the beginning of the final week of the election campaign, which polls suggest will end in the Conservatives being ousted from power. Continue reading...

Music festival eschews football screening out of respect for headliners, but people wheel out portable TVs

Incoming government would need to urgently restore faith in politics through deeds, not words', says leaderKeir Starmer has said a new Labour government would have to stave off a rise of the populist right by urgently restoring faith in British politics through deeds, not words" and making a material difference to people's lives.As the election campaign enters its final days, the Labour leader said that while hope has been kicked out" of people, his plans for economic growth across the country, the NHS and the transition to renewables could help bring it back. Continue reading...

Israel's military says large number' of militants dead in Shujaiya area near Gaza City amid reports of bodies in streets

Exclusive: Dr George Dimitroulis has not yet been required to respond to claims, but previously denied negligence in relation to first case reported by Guardian Australia

Greens use Parliamentary Budget Office analysis to demand Labor wind back both policies in return for support on Help to Buy scheme

Ukraine president says long-distance strikes and modern air defences crucial to halting Russian terror'The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has renewed his calls for more air defences and long-range weapons after a missile attack in southern Ukraine killed seven people including two children.Ukrainian officials released photos showing bodies covered with picnic blankets in a park in Vilniansk, a town near the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, alongside deep craters in the scorched earth and the charred remains of a nearby building. Continue reading...

Five others wounded in attack police sources say may be linked to settling of scores between drug traffickersOne person has been killed and five others wounded in north-east France after masked gunmen opened fire at a wedding ceremony, police said.Sources suggested the attack in Thionville could be linked to a settling of scores between drug traffickers. Continue reading...

Prime minister says he's fighting very hard' as campaigning reaches final days with Labour retaining the lead in polling for the ObserverRishi Sunak said the slur used about him by a Reform UK canvasser was deeply inappropriate and racist".The prime minister told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show that anyone becoming a politician expects a degree of criticism because it comes with the territory". Continue reading...

Prime minister reiterates stance that Britain's economic problems are the result of Covid and war in Ukraine

Man-made crises in Gaza and Sudan leaving millions of people at risk, says retiring British diplomat Martin GriffithsSudan is facing horror beyond imagination", the outgoing UN aid chief has warned, with 750,000 people under imminent threat of famine and with conditions in danger of worsening even further.The British diplomat Martin Griffiths will retire from his job as the UN's undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs at a time when famine on a historic scale is looming over Sudan and Gaza. Continue reading...

Alfie Friedman delves into the dark side to star in Linnie Reedman and Joe Evans' Southwark Playhouse productionIt was Oscar Wilde's only novel, but one whose subject matter about the desire for eternal youth still resonates more than 130 years after its publication. Now The Picture of Dorian Gray has been turned into a contemporary musical with an emphasis not just on self obsession and fame, but also gay sex and hard drug-taking.Oscar would be delighted for his novel to be adapted as a musical celebrating open queerness," says Linnie Reedman, creator and director of Dorian: The Musical. Yet our Dorian also has moral quandaries and tortuous moments." Continue reading...

David Pocock urges government to fix gap in the law after 28 complaints, but Labor says it will not support amendment

The voice of Gaelic football and hurling for half a century, RTE Radio commentator's wry, deadpan remarks were sporting folkoreWhen the time came for Micheal O Muircheartaigh to leave the field and discover if there are Gaelic Games in the afterlife, Ireland mourned a radio broadcaster who for half a century had been the voice of sport.Sadness at news of his death on Tuesday at the age of 93 swiftly alchemised into a celebration of a singular ability to paint pictures with words, lyricism and wisecracks that made the nation laugh and entered folklore. Continue reading...

Adam Bandt says misinformation during referendum campaign shows need for deeper discussion about the truth of our country's history"

Women should be at centre of climate policies as they face increased rates of violence and homelessness after disasters, researchers say

Celebrities including Kit Harington, Deborah Meaden and Jason Manford back Keir Starmer's partyElton John has led a lineup of celebrities who have announced their support for Labour at the general election.The singer-songwriter and his husband, David Furnish, joined actors Kit Harington and James Norton, singer Beverley Knight, comedian Jason Manford and businesswoman Deborah Meaden in bringing some stardust to a Labour supporters' meeting held in the final days before next week's poll. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents reveal the ADF has conducted more than a dozen investigations into allegations about army and navy personnel since 2022

Concerns mount for the UK's non-EU migrants, as even those who have lived in Britain for decades will have to provide proof of residencyThe government is telling migrants who have lived in Britain for decades to provide proof for every year of their residency as part of the controversial transition to digital visas, immigration lawyers have warned.Under a process that critics say risks a repeat of the Windrush scandal, the Home Office is changing how non-EU migrants prove their residency rights, switching from physical biometric residence permits (BRPs) to digital eVisas" at the end of this year. Continue reading...

A list compiled by spymaster Robert Cecil gives an insight into the beginnings of the secret service, says historianFor more than a century, it lay undisturbed in the National Archives: a single sheet of paper, headed The names of the Intelligencers, with the power to unveil a hidden network of secret Elizabethan spies.Now, the 428-year-old secret dossier of Robert Cecil, spymaster to Elizabeth I and the man who discovered the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, has been pieced together using this key document. It reveals how Cecil set up and used a clandestine espionage network to spy on European monarchs for the English throne. Continue reading...