Three Mogami-class frigates part of wider deal to replace ageing Anzac-class frigates and give navy a more lethal surface combatant fleet

Scotland says there have been 119 incidents on the rail network caused by Storm Floris, including 75 tree-related onesThe Scottish government has held emergency meetings in response to the significant disruption" caused by Storm Floris across the country, with warnings of further travel chaos on Tuesday as poor weather continues.On Monday night, the Scottish government's Resilience Room held a meeting to help decide an appropriate response to the storm, which has included power outages and almost 120 rail incidents. Representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland and transport and utilities companies were in attendance. Continue reading...

Application lodged for permanent legal protection of Victoria Park, where state and federal governments plan to spend billions on sports infrastructure

Both major parties want to expel Ward from parliament after he was convicted, but the Kiama MP has engaged lawyers from his prison cell

Anthony Albanese spoke to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday about humanitarian aid

Combs was acquitted last month of most serious charges in sex-trafficking trial but convicted on two lesser countsSean Diddy" Combs cannot go home from jail to await sentencing on his prostitution-related conviction, a judge said on Monday, denying the mogul's latest bid for bail.Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. He faced federal charges of coercing girlfriends into having drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers while he watched and filmed them. Continue reading...

Victims, also including Irish missionary and seven workers, were taken outside of Port-au-Prince in planned act'An Irish missionary and a three-year-old child are among nine people missing in Haiti after a mass kidnapping from an orphanage in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince.The victims were seized from the Sainte-Helene orphanage in the commune of Kenscoff, about 6.2 miles (10km) south-east of the capital on Sunday, officials said. Continue reading...

Air and ferry services also affected in Scotland with the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh cancelled; around 2,700 homes in Ireland still without powerAmber wind warnings are now in place for Scotland as we are past 10:00 BST. It is expected to be in place until 10pm and could bring injuries and danger to life in areas along the coast.Some roads and bridges will likely close, and there is a greater chance of power cuts and a greater risk of falling trees. Continue reading...

Lindsay and Craig Foreman were detained seven months ago on espionage charges while on global motorbike tripA British couple detained in Iran for seven months on espionage charges have been moved to separate prisons in and near Tehran, heightening fears for their welfare, their son said on Monday.Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52 and who previously split their time between south-east England and Spain, were seized in Kerman, in central Iran, in early January while on a round-the-world motorbike trip. Continue reading...

Girl died in hospital after initial treatment at scene, police say, as water park announces a day's closureA four-year-old girl has died following an incident at a swimming pool at Waterworld in Staffordshire, police have said.Officers were called to the water park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent at about 4.20pm on Monday to reports of a child in a critical condition. She was treated at the scene and then taken to hospital for further treatment but later died. Continue reading...

Former director general died on Sunday night surrounded by her beloved family and dogs'Stella Rimington, the first female director of MI5 and the first head of the domestic spy agency to be publicly named, has died aged 90.She died on Sunday night surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath", her family said in a statement. Continue reading...

Video posted online showed the far-right activist near a man lying on the ground at St Pancras stationThe far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson has been arrested by British police on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after a man was allegedly assaulted at a London railway station.Robinson was arrested on Monday evening at Luton airport as he stepped off a flight from Faro, Portugal. Continue reading...

Coastguard and police continue to scour land and sea for Michele Bourda, who was last seen on a sunbedA mammoth search-and-rescue operation for a British woman last seen lounging on a sunbed in Greece has intensified days after her mysterious" disappearance.The Hellenic coastguard, backed by a flotilla of pleasure craft and fishing boats, has fanned across the waters off Ofrynio beach near the northern town of Kavala, where Michele Bourda, 59, went missing on 1 August. Continue reading...

Wolves need to know humans are bad,' says US department of agriculture representative, explaining unusual strategy to save cattleMarriage Story, Noah Baumbach's drama starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a divorcing couple engaged in a raging custody battle, won universal acclaim from critics and numerous awards, including six Oscar nominations and one win, for Laura Dern's barnstorming attorney.But perhaps the highest honour has just been revealed by the Wall Street Journal, which reports that audio of the central couple screaming at one another has been judged so upsetting it is now being used to deter wolves from attacking livestock. Continue reading...

Danish agency for palaces and culture requests removal of 14-ton sculpture from Dragor Fort in CopenhagenA debate has erupted in Denmark over the fate of a mermaid statue that is to be removed from public view after being decried as ugly and pornographic" and a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like".The Danish agency for palaces and culture is reportedly removing the 4x6 metre Den Store Havfrue (the Big Mermaid) from Dragor Fort, part of Copenhagen's former sea fortifications, because it does not align with the cultural heritage of the 1910 landmark. Continue reading...

Prime minister faces a choice between high tariffs or giving up cheap oil, putting New Delhi's non-alignment policy under severe strainThe relationship between India and the US is facing one of its most significant challenges in decades, as the Trump administration doubles down on its demands that India stop buying Russian oil or face punitive tariffs.The US president, Donald Trump, has refused to cut tariffs on Indian exports to the US, as he has for other countries, and on Monday said he would significantly raise them over its purchases of cheap Russian oil, which now account for one-third of its imported oil. Continue reading...

Witkoff expected to visit Russia as latest deadline set by Donald Trump exires on Friday, requiring Putin to agree to a ceasefire or face sanctionsUS special envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow is now expected to take place on Wednesday, Tass news agency reported citing sources.The latest deadline, set by US president Donald Trump, requiring Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face sanctions is set to expire on Friday. Continue reading...

Shipwreck in Gulf of Aden leaves only 32 survivors so far, with the rest missing and presumed dead, says UN agencyA boat has capsized off Yemen's coast leaving 76 people dead and 74 others missing, the UN's migration agency said.Yemeni security officials said 76 bodies had been recovered and 32 people rescued from the shipwreck in the Gulf of Aden in what a senior official from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) described as one of the deadliest" shipwrecks off Yemen this year. The UN migration agency said 157 people were onboard. Continue reading...

Mass accommodation site in Kent, marred by controversy since opening, had been due to close in SeptemberNapier barracks, one of the first mass accommodation sites opened to house asylum seekers, will not be closing as planned in the coming weeks, as the government attempts to deal with an influx of small boats arrivals.Officials informed parliament in a Home Office document uploaded to parliament's cross-party home affairs committee in March 2025 that the Home Office intend to occupy and deliver services at Napier until September 2025, at which point the site will be handed back to the Ministry of Defence". Continue reading...

Karin Keller-Sutter accused of mishandling talks as shares dive after Switzerland hit with 39% tariff

Ruth Szymankiewicz should have been under constant watch at Huntercombe hospitalA 14-year-old girl who was supposed to be constantly observed in a psychiatric hospital died after an agency support worker with a false identity left her alone, an inquest jury has heard.When he heard that Ruth Szymankiewicz, who was suffering from an eating disorder, had died, the worker fled from the UK to Ghana, the court was told.In the UK, Beat can be contacted on 0808-801-0677. In the US, help is available at nationaleatingdisorders.org or by calling ANAD's eating disorders hotline at 800-375-7767. In Australia, the Butterfly Foundation is at 1800 33 4673. Other international helplines can be found at Eating Disorder Hope Continue reading...

Alan Garber told faculty a settlement with the White House is not imminent, according to Harvard's student newspaperThe Harvard University president, Alan Garber, has told faculty a deal between the Ivy League institution and the Trump administration is not imminent - and denied reports that the university is considering a $500m settlement with the White House, Harvard's student newspaper the Crimson reported.The Crimson attributed that information to three unnamed faculty members in a report published early on Monday. Continue reading...

Local rescue service chief says two helicopters had to be used after man, 60, ventured on to path closed due to riskA British hiker has been charged more than 14,000 (12,000) by the Italian mountain rescue service after ignoring danger warnings in the Dolomites.The man, aged 60, had to be rescued after venturing to the Ferrata Berti, a rocky mountain path at an altitude of 2,500 metres (8,200ft) in the San Vito di Cadore area of the northern Italian peaks where dozens of paths were closed last week because of the high risk of landslides. Continue reading...

Rodent said to be 22in (56cm) long from nose to tail found in Normanby, where rat problem is said to be worseningCuts to council pest control services are being blamed for a town's rodent problem, which includes the discovery of a supersize rat said to be 22in (56cm) from nose to tail.The giant rat, about the length of the carry-on luggage people might be wheeling on to a flight - or, if not on holiday, a desktop monitor - was found inside a person's home in Normanby, Teesside. Continue reading...

Pit bull faced traffic and led a stranger to a secluded' tent encampment where a man and woman were unconsciousA dog reportedly braved heavy traffic to catch a stranger's attention and get life-saving emergency help to the animal's two owners after they became unresponsive in a tent encampment in Pittsburgh recently, earning the canine feting as a hero.As local resident Gary Thynes put it both in a social media post and an interview with the Pittsburgh television station WTAE, he was playing with his dog at a park on the evening of 29 July when a pit bull approached barking and evidently trying to get someone's attention. Continue reading...

Flights delayed after technical fault with a single metal detector' but airport says there is no safety or security threat

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Lawyers for founder of Giggle for Girls app says special measure' under Sex Discrimination Act allows for women-only safe space'

The prime minister is seeking a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu this week, after a pro-Palestine protest marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge

Low-lying residents in the northern tablelands and Hunter warned to prepare for floods with alerts also issued along the Namoi River

Damning review exposes ongoing issues at Forensic Services Queensland, including failure to properly test sample from violent unresolved crime

Video from local tip and police search of Patterson's Leongatha home made public by Victorian supreme court

Exclusive: School leaders say plans lack precision and do not account for new Send education requirementsProposals for overhauled school inspections have been criticised as cosmetic, vague and potentially out of date by school leaders and Department for Education (DfE) officials, just days before approval by Ofsted's management.Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, has made changes to its new school inspection toolkit - how it will carry out inspections - after earlier criticisms. It plans on renaming grades and shrinking the number of evaluations areas from nine to seven, in the latest draft seen by the Guardian, but appears unlikely to win over sceptical teachers in England. Continue reading...

South Australian premier says more than 15 national and international parties have passed final EOI phase

Organiser claims riot gear and bridge blockade part of display of force' against civilians as Victorian premier backs police response

Group surprised' when their song was used to disrupt an interview with Alice Weidel - but now they face a backlashIt was while Alice Weidel was being interviewed on the terrace of a parliament building overlooking the River Spree in Berlin that members of the Corner Chor's mobile phones began to ping with alerts as their song in protest at her far-right party, Schei AfD Jodler (Shit AfD Yodellers), blasted out from a 100,000-watt sound system on the other bank.We were hugely surprised and truly happy to hear at that moment that our song was receiving such a public airing," one choir member told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Overture from new president Lee Jae Myung is latest effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang that stalled under his predecessorSouth Korean authorities have begun removing loudspeakers that blare propaganda broadcasts along its border with the North, Seoul's defence ministry said on Monday, as the new government of President Lee Jae Myung seeks to ease tensions with Pyongyang.South Korea's dismantling of the loudspeakers was a practical measure that can help ease inter-Korean tensions without affecting the military's readiness posture," the ministry said in a statement. Continue reading...

A man on a black e-scooter has tagged offensive phrases' on the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation five times between March and July, police say

Home Office's announcement follows growing number of protests outside asylum seeker hotelsMinisters will spend an extra 100m on measures to deter Channel crossings, including on the planned one in, one out" returns agreement with France, the Home Office has said.In a third immigration policy pledge within 24 hours, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the money would pay for up to 300 more National Crime Agency officers, as well as new technology and equipment to step up intelligence-gathering on people-smuggling gangs. Continue reading...

City regulator says motorists should start to get payments in 2026 with most payouts likely to be under 950'

Latest mass capture' in Zamfara state shows banditry crisis shifting from land conflict to organised crimeGunmen have kidnapped more than 50 people in north-west Nigeria in a mass abduction, according to a private conflict monitoring report created for the UN and seen by Agence France-Presse on Sunday.Armed bandits" targeted the village of Sabon Garin Damri in Zamfara state Friday, the report said, the latest attack in a region where residents in rural hinterlands have long suffered gangs who kidnap for ransom, loot villages and demand taxes. Continue reading...

Man understood to have been sitting in London stadium's upper tier was pronounced dead at the sceneOasis have said they are shocked and saddened" after a man fell to his death at Wembley Stadium during the band's Saturday concert.The man was understood to be sitting in the upper tier of the 90,000-seat stadium - the highest stands of which are 50 metres above the ground - as the Gallagher brothers performed as part of their reunion tour. Continue reading...

Itamar Ben-Gvir attended holy site in breach of status quo' arrangements with Muslim authoritiesThe Israeli army has said it entered southern Syria overnight, seized weapons and questioned several suspects it said were involved in weapons trafficking in the area.In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the raids followed prior intelligence surveillance and an in-depth field investigation." Continue reading...

Six more people die from malnutrition, while Itamar Ben-Gvir is first minister to publicly pray at sensitive siteAt least 27 people were killed by Israeli forces while trying to get food and six others died from starvation or malnutrition in Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian officials said, amid a regional outcry over an Israeli minister's visit to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site.Witnesses said Israeli forces fired on hungry crowds who were attempting to get food aid from a distribution site run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the south of the territory, with some describing the fire as indiscriminate. Continue reading...

Police say 27-year-old charged with ill treatment and neglect of a child after bus driver spotted a bag movingA New Zealand woman was arrested on Sunday after travelling on a bus with a two-year-old girl trapped in her luggage.DI Simon Harrison said the 27-year-old woman had been charged with ill treatment and neglect of a child. Continue reading...

Video shows black smoke pouring from facility in Sochi, while Russian attack on Mykolaiv wounds seven peopleAn overnight Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi ignited a raging fire, as the two countries traded strikes at the end of one of the deadliest weeks in Ukraine in recent months.More than 120 firefighters worked to put out the blaze, said the regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, as emergency officials reported a fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres (70,000 cubic feet) had burned before it was extinguished. Continue reading...

Relatives call for aid to be allowed to reach Evyatar David after video is released showing him emaciated and weak

Programme about performer Bonnie Blue condemned for glamorising and normalising' extreme pornographyThe new pornography taskforce will propose legislation this autumn aimed at banning a type of barely legal" content produced by the porn star Bonnie Blue, the Guardian has learned.The proposed action by the independent pornography taskforce, launched last month by the Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, comes in response to the broadcast of the Channel 4 documentary 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story. The programme followed the performer as she filmed herself having sex with 1,057 clients over the course of 12 hours. Continue reading...

Government to announce taxpayer-funded initiative after three children were brought to UK under private schemeThe UK government will evacuate seriously ill and injured children from Gaza to the UK for NHS treatment under a scheme to be announced within weeks.Ministers will enable children in severe need to receive taxpayer-funded care. Three children were brought to the UK this year through a private scheme by the charity Project Pure Hope. Continue reading...

New archbishop of Wales says faith kept her going through decades-long struggle for acceptance as a woman and lesbian in the Anglican churchThe new archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Cherry Vann, has told of how she kept her sexuality secret for decades as part of her struggle to be accepted as a female minister in the Anglican communion.Speaking to the Guardian on Thursday, the day after her appointment, Vann, 66, said that without the strong belief that God had called her to the priesthood she would not have survived" her journey through the ranks of the church. Continue reading...