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Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC says judge was correct to convict Dawson who had a possessive' relationship with a teenager

Schoolgirl once asked her grandfather if her alleged killer Justin Stein would make a good dad, NSW supreme court hears

Musician who played sax solo on Young Americans and released a series of Grammy-winning albums dies from prostate cancerDavid Sanborn, the Grammy-winning saxophonist whose expressive versatility across jazz and pop also made him a sought-after session player for tracks such as David Bowie's Young Americans, has died aged 78.A message on social media stated he died from an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications. Mr Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently. Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025." Continue reading...

Party reportedly copied in more than 300 email addresses in appeal to supporters to sign up for conferenceThe Conservative party has referred itself to the data protection watchdog over an alleged data breach after it revealed hundreds of email addresses in a pitch to sign up for its annual conference.The party's registration team, urging supporters to complete their applications for conference, reportedly copied in more than 300 addresses in a way that they could be seen by all recipients. Continue reading...

Aldi, IGA and FoodWorks have appeared at the pricing inquiry a day after Coles and Woolworths were grilled

In today's newsletter: A major new attack on territory known for Kyiv's biggest victory has led to a sense of Ukraine's prospects viciously unravelling, town by town Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. In September 2022, Kharkiv province was the site of the greatest Ukrainian victory of the war so far: the lightning counteroffensive that liberated at least 12,000 square kilometres from Russian control, pushed Moscow's artillery out of range of Kharkiv city and provided real hope that Vladimir Putin could not just be slowed down, but defeated.Over the past few days, Kharkiv has been the location of a very different shift. This time, it is the Russians who have made larger daily advances than at almost any other point in the war, and are now moving further forwards. Civilians who had come home are fleeing once more in their thousands, and even Kyiv admits that the situation is difficult". Further attacks could draw sparse Ukrainian resources from along the frontline, deal a heavy blow to Ukrainian morale and redraw the map before the resources belatedly provided by the US last month are in place to do anything about it.Medical research | A weight loss injection could reduce the risk of heart attacks and benefit the cardiovascular health of millions of adults in what could be the largest medical breakthrough since statins, according to a study. Trial participants who took semaglutide, sold as Wegovy and Ozempic, had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular disease.Housing | Rent rises should be capped for millions of people struggling to afford soaring rates, according to a landmark report commissioned by Labour. Leaked proposals from the independent report will put pressure on Keir Starmer to adopt measures that could ease pressure on tenants who saw an average 9% increase in rates last year.Donald Trump | Donald Trump told his one-time fixer Michael Cohen only weeks before the 2016 election to bury Stormy Daniels's account of an alleged sexual liaison, demanding that he just take care of it", Cohen told the former president's trial on Monday. In hours of testimony, Cohen linked Trump to a $130,000 hush money payment and said: Everything required Mr Trump's sign-off."Gaza | Israeli settlers attacked an aid convoy headed into Gaza on Monday, throwing packages of food into the road and setting fire to vehicles. The incident, condemned by the US as a total outrage", came as Israeli troops continued their offence across Gaza in the most intensive round of fighting for weeks.Women's health | Women in labour have been mocked, ignored, fobbed off with paracetamol and left with permanent damage by midwives and doctors, a damning report by MPs has found. The UK's first inquiry into birth trauma called for the appointment of a maternity commissioner and the creation of new specialist postnatal services to address the problems. Continue reading...

Premier Chris Minns says the statistics on Indigenous Australians in the state's jails represent a major issue'

Conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have led to a total of 68m IDPs across the worldConflict has forced more than 68 million people to leave their homes as of the end of 2023 - the highest figure since data became available 15 years ago.Natural disasters made a further 7.7 million people homeless, pushing the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) to a record 75.9 million, according to figures published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Lawyers open their case after Lynn, 57, pleaded not guilty to murdering the pair in Victoria's Wonnangatta Valley

The reptile, measuring more than four metres long, was caught at Cardwell Marina north of Townsville after multiple incidents

Hong Kong trade official, Border Force officer and immigration official charged under National Security ActA Hong Kong trade official working in London has appeared in court alongside a Border Force officer and an immigration enforcement official accused of monitoring, surveillance and harassment of pro-democracy activists in the UK.The three men, Chung Biu Yuen, 63, Chi Leung Peter" Wai, 38, and Matthew Trickett, 37, have been charged with unlawfully assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service and engaging in foreign interference by forcing entry into a British address. Continue reading...

NSW police charge solicitor who allegedly published details of a sexual assault complainant while representing the man charged in the case

Human Rights Watch says warnings were not issued before attacks, which have killed or injured dozens

Myanmar military has conscripted 1,000 Rohingya men and boys since February, with fears some are being used as human shields, according to NGOsFor more than four hours Abdullah* waited in the darkness as soldiers marched 30 of his neighbours from their homes in the Myanmar border state of Rakhine and forced them by gunpoint to join him on the truck that would take them all to a military base.By the morning they were standing in front of a military commander ordering them to fight with the army against a local rebel group - some of the 1,000 Rohingya people the Myanmar military has conscripted since February, according to Human Rights Watch. Continue reading...

McBride, who had pleaded guilty to stealing commonwealth information and passing it to the ABC, receives non-parole term of 27 months

Opposition say ruling party undermining democracy by using police to harass candidates into not contesting in electionsWhen the people of Gujarat cast their votes last week in India's six-week-long election, there was one constituency in the state that stood silent. There were no polling stations or impatient queues of people, and no one with the tell-tale inky finger. In Surat, no voting was necessary - the outcome was already decided.Mukesh Dalal, from the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), won the seat by default after every other candidate was either disqualified or dropped out of the race. It was the first time in 73 years that Surat's candidate was appointed, not elected. Continue reading...

Deputy vice-chancellor says Victorian university wants to ensure safety, security and amenity of all campus users' but protesters say request is Orwellian'

Oscar-winning actor enters row about pre-performance advisories, suggesting they kill the surprise of seeing drama in your own wayDon't go to the theatre, Dame Judi Dench has told sensitive" fans, in her response to pre-performance trigger warnings.The warnings, which inform audiences about potentially distressing content, including abuse, violence and loud noises, have become a point of contention in the industry in the last few years. Continue reading...

Domestic abuser among those freed from jail as part of plan to relieve overcrowding, watchdog revealsHigh-risk offenders including a domestic abuser who posed a risk to children have been freed from jail under the government's early release scheme, a watchdog has revealed.

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Ruling could have significant consequences for election administration in battleground state ahead of 2024 voteThe Wisconsin supreme court appeared prepared on Monday to overturn a ruling banning the use of ballot drop boxes", the secured containers for absentee ballots that came under attack in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.A ruling in the case could have significant consequences for election administration in the battleground state ahead of the 2024 election. Continue reading...

Labour and Conservatives say long overdue' measures improve standards of behaviour and safeguarding'MPs who have been arrested for serious violent or sexual offences face bans from the parliamentary estate under rules approved by just one vote.The House of Commons voted by 170 to 169 on Monday night to toughen up a proposal put forward by the government, which would have only applied to MPs who have been formally charged. Continue reading...

Former fixer tells hush-money trial Trump was really angry' after account of alleged sexual liaison with adult film star emergedDonald Trump told his one-time fixer Michael Cohen to bury Stormy Daniels's account of an alleged sexual liaison weeks before the election, demanding that he just take care of it", according to trial testimony in Manhattan court on Monday.This was a disaster, a fucking disaster," Cohen, after he took the stand, recalled Trump saying. Women will hate me." Continue reading...

Rapper's scathing song Not Like Us, from his headline-grabbing rap beef with Drake, becomes his fourth Billboard chart-topperKendrick Lamar has won the culture-consuming rap beef with Drake, at least as far as Billboard hits are concerned, as his diss track Not Like Us debuted at No 1 on the US Hot 100.The scathing track, which alleges that the Canadian hit-maker is a certified pedophile", is Lamar's fourth No 1 song, after a feature on Future and Metro Boomin's Like That earlier this year, 2017's Humble and his verse on Taylor Swift's 2015 track Bad Blood. Continue reading...

Harrison Mann, who resigned from Defense Intelligence Agency in November, said he kept quiet about motives out of fearA former US military intelligence official released a letter on Monday that explained to his colleagues at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) that his November resignation was in fact due to moral injury" stemming from US support for Israel's war in Gaza and the harm caused to Palestinians.Harrison Mann, an army major, would be the first known DIA official to quit over US support to Israel. A US airman fatally set himself on fire in February outside Israel's embassy in Washington and other military personnel have protested. Continue reading...

The actor will play the lead in a stage adaptation of his Oscar-nominated journalism drama from 2005George Clooney is set to make his Broadway debut in a stage adaptation of his 2005 journalism drama Good Night, and Good Luck.The actor's sophomore feature as director will be transformed into a play set to premiere in spring 2025. Clooney, who played Fred W Friendly in the original, will now take on the role of Edward R Murrow. Continue reading...

Hamas-run ministry of health updates breakdown of civilian casualties but UN has not yet been able to verify data

Mystery of Mary Alice Pultz finally resolved when remains of Maryland woman dug up four decades ago identifiedHuman remains dug up four decades ago on a Florida beach have finally been identified as those of a Maryland woman who went missing in 1968, supposedly disappearing with her then-boyfriend.The mystery of Mary Alice Pultz was finally resolved last week when a Florida sheriff's office said that it had identified the remains found in a shallow grave on Crescent Beach, 50 miles south of Jacksonville, in April 1985. Continue reading...

Device in development fires electromagnetic pulse that tricks ebikes and scooters into shutting offPolice officers in Britain could be armed with Ghostbusters-style devices that fire electromagnetic rays to shut down the engines of ebikes being used in a crime.Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), said the weapon was in development and could be months away from being available, though it is expected to be longer than that. Continue reading...

Michael Emery allegedly asked teammates Anyone want a go?' hours after non-league side won at WembleyA footballer raped a sleeping woman twice in one night and sent naked photos of her to his teammates asking: Anyone want a go?", a court has heard.Michael Emery, 33, a reserve goalkeeper for Warrington Rylands FC, invited the woman to stay in his hotel room after his team won a non-league cup final at Wembley on 22 May 2021. Continue reading...

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates had pledged to continue work together through trial period after filing for divorce in 2021Melinda French Gates said on Monday she would step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's biggest private charitable foundations, which she co-founded with her former spouse more than 20 years ago.Her last day of work at the foundation will be 7 June, according to her post on Instagram. Continue reading...

Proposal, condemned by homelessness charities as dehumanising, had provoked threats of revolt among MPsMinisters will drop plans to criminalise rough sleepers for being deemed a nuisance or having an excessive smell after Conservative MPs threatened a revolt over the proposals.The plans, originally announced by the then home secretary, Suella Braverman, had been condemned by homeless charities as dehumanising. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak says Belfast judgment will not affect his plans and the Good Friday agreement should not be used to obstruct Westminster policySunak starts with global security threats.The dangers that threaten our country are real.There's an increasing number of authoritarian states like Russia, Iran, North Korea and China working together to undermine us and our values.People are abusing our liberal democratic values of freedom of speech, the right to protest, to intimidate, threaten and assault others, to sing antisemitic chants on our streets and our university campuses, and to weaponize the evils of antisemitism or anti-Muslim hatred, in a divisive ideological attempt to set Britain against Britain.And from gender activists hijacking children's sex education, to cancel culture, vocal and aggressive fringe groups are trying to impose their views on the rest of us. Continue reading...

IDF launches most intensive fighting in weeks as Oxfam warns Palestinians face deadly epidemicIsraeli troops have continued their offensives across Gaza, deploying tank fire, artillery bombardment and airstrikes against Hamas militants in the most intensive round of fighting for weeks.In the far south of the devastated territory on Monday, witnesses reported helicopter strikes and street battles in Rafah as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) consolidated their hold on neighbourhoods east of the strategic Salah al-Din road, which bisects the city. Continue reading...

As the draft law described by the US as Kremlin-inspired' nears final vote, opposition and youth groups said they would keep defending civil libertiesAs the foreign influence" bill was being nodded through the Georgian parliament's legal committee at 9am on Monday morning, a wet and tired Zviad Tsetskhladze, 18, and Luka Natsvlishvili, 17, were among thousands of others left with little other option than to simply shout chants at a grim wall of riot police.An overnight vigil designed to block the governing party's MPs from accessing the parliamentary estate had failed. Meanwhile, the opposition leader in the parliament, Tina Bokuchava, 40, had barely made it past the entrance of the imposing stone building. Her colleagues on the committee only got as far as the corridor outside. Continue reading...

UK government considers appeal after judge says act undermines post-Brexit human rights protections guaranteed in the region

Kyiv replaces commander overseeing north-eastern Kharkiv frontline in effort to turn the tide as fighting continues

Kharkiv region's governor says Russia is attempting to stretch front line; Ukrainian commander responsible for north-eastern frontline replaced

Josep Borrell reiterates concern about situation in Georgia, where pro-western protesters have continued to face a violent crackdown

Campus protesters say issue of police training center and its connections to Israel has been on their minds for monthsThe student-led protests at Emory University in Atlanta have distinguished themselves from others occurring across the US in at least one way: protesters are seeking transparency about and divestment from Israel but also from a $109m police training center known as Cop City".A broad-based movement against the training center, now in its fourth year, has drawn national and global headlines, particularly after police shot and killed one environmental protester at a campsite in a public park last year - the first such incident of its kind in US history. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: The Who's Roger Daltrey questions sellers' morals, and former hall president says he is ashamed by their conductThe Royal Albert Hall is embroiled in a scandal after its wealthy members were accused of using their dedicated ticket allocation to profit from celebrity charity performances for young cancer patients.Roger Daltrey, the lead singer of the Who, who performed this spring for the Teenage Cancer Trust, questioned the morals of those involved, while the charity lamented that members' tickets had been sold for private gain". Continue reading...

Minister, who had treatment for condition five years ago, says melanoma was found during routine scan in January

Small plane circled NSW airport for four hours burning fuel as authorities braced for emergency after landing gear failed

Unrest came as demonstrator who was attacked near his home says government is trying to intimidate critics

Alfred Al' Blaschke, who first broke the Guinness World Record for at 103 in 2020, reached an altitude of 9,000ft in NovemberAfter retaking - at age 106 - the Guinness World Records (GWR) mark for oldest person to tandem skydive out of an airplane, Alfred Al" Blaschke hailed his feat as living evidence that everyone is more capable than they think".If you think you can't, you're just underestimating yourself," the resident of Georgetown, Texas, remarked. [You] just need to make the decision to try." Continue reading...

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Birth trauma inquiry finds postcode lottery for quality of service with poor care frequently tolerated as normal'A health minister has apologised to women affected by birth trauma after a parliamentary inquiry that heard harrowing" testimonies from more than 1,300 women about giving birth found a postcode lottery" for maternity care.The birth trauma inquiry, led by the Conservative MP Theo Clarke and Labour MP Rosie Duffield, will call for an overhaul of the UK's maternity and postnatal care. Continue reading...

Alleged murderer Justin Stein claims nine-year-old schoolgirl was shot dead by her mother, Kallista Mutten, not by him, jury told

The Fawlty Towers actor has often played the monarch in the past and has now recorded audio for a new production at the festivalAt the age of 91, Prunella Scales has reprised one of her favourite roles. The actor, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia 10 years ago, has recorded the part of Queen Victoria for a production at the Edinburgh fringe this summer.She played the character more than 400 times in An Evening With Queen Victoria, a play written for her by Katrina Hendrey in 1979. She returned to the show on and off in performances around the world until 2007 and brought it to an end only because she was finding it hard to remember the lines. Continue reading...