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Freedom of information documents reveal mining magnate lobbying National Gallery chair over Vincent Namatjira portraitsBillionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart not only wanted two unflattering portraits of her removed from exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia; she wanted them permanently disposed of".According to emails released by the museum under freedom of information laws on Thursday, Rinehart sought the assistance of the NGA's chair, Ryan Stokes, on 8 April, sending the following email: Hi Ryan, I know [words redacted] but now that I'm told you're chair of the national gallery can u pl permanently dispose of the 2 so called portraits of me below."Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

NSW police fired at two men in a car allegedly driven at them, while in Hillside, Victoria police shot a man allegedly armed with a knife at scene of stabbing

West Australian senator acknowledges challenges' in office and apologised for the distress this may have caused'

Kenneth Newcombe, formerly CEO of C-Quest Capital, indicted over allegations of carbon credit manipulationA former carbon offsetting executive has been charged with fraud by US federal authorities, who allege that he helped to manipulate data from projects in rural Africa and Asia to fraudulently obtain carbon credits worth tens of millions of dollars.Kenneth Newcombe, former CEO of C-Quest Capital LLC and a leading figure in the offsetting industry, was indicted on Wednesday in New York with commodities and wire fraud. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Guardian analysis suggests foundation has reduced gambling group's tax bill by as much as 140mA charity set up by the billionaire boss of Bet365, Denise Coates, may have saved her online gambling empire more in tax than the foundation has yet given to good causes, Guardian analysis suggests.The Coates family are among Britain's biggest taxpayers, and contributed an estimated 376m to the exchequer in 2023 via business and personal taxes. That includes Bet365's corporation tax bill and levies on Denise Coates' record-breaking wages and dividends. Continue reading...

David Sullivan complains he is selling his six-storey house near Regent's Park at a loss as he reduces it to 65mDavid Sullivan, the British businessman who co-owns West Ham United football club, has cut the asking price of his London house by 10m and has blamed the promised crackdown on non-doms for rich people leaving the country.

Israeli former prime minister says in interview it is too late to significantly set back Tehran's nuclear ambitions, and that a massive' attack on Iran's oil facilities is likely

Bosses say cost of complying with zero-emission vehicle mandate is astronomical, and unsustainable'UK electric car sales hit a record high in September, even as bosses from big carmakers told the chancellor that government targets were putting too much pressure on the industry.The British industry sold 56,300 electric cars during the month, the highest on record, according to preliminary data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. Continue reading...

Defamation trial told of message from Sky News host to John Pesutto's chief of staff while helping to set up office

Opposition leader creates political timebomb with election pledge to resign if crime victim numbers do not fall under an LNP government

Review also finds by the time children are seven, 59% of calories come from UPFsToddlers in the UK obtain almost half of their calories from ultra-processed foods, rising to 59% by the age of seven, according to the largest study of its kind.The first comprehensive review of dietary intake at such an early age comes amid rapidly rising global consumption of UPF such as cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals and fast food. The findings were published in the European Journal of Nutrition. Continue reading...

Health service aims to sign up 30,000 people a year to meet rising demand and reduce use of more expensive importsMillions of women are now eligible to donate stem cells on the NHS for the first time amid rising demand for life-saving transplants and a drive to reduce reliance on expensive imports.Previously, only men aged 17 to 40 or women of Asian, black or mixed heritage aged 17 to 40 could join the NHS stem cell donor register. Now, all white women aged 17 to 40 are able to sign up. Continue reading...

People of Nabatieh are told to leave, adding to mass displacement, and multiple airstrikes are heard in capital

Republican former president made similar promises before 2016 election in Rust belt states with little resultDonald Trump has promised to make Michigan the car capital of the world again" as he told a rally in the bellwether county of Saginaw that he will bring back thousands of jobs lost when General Motors moved more than a dozen factories to Mexico.However, the former president made similar promises to Rust belt states before he was elected in 2016, with little result. Continue reading...

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith convicted of witness tampering in 2023 beating deathA jury has convicted three former Memphis police officers of violating Tyre Nichols' civil rights in a 2023 beating that led to the 29-year-old father's death.Jurors convicted Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith of witness tampering in the death of Nichols. Continue reading...

International Association of Fire Fighters vote by a margin of 1.2% to not back either White House candidateThe International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has declined to endorse a candidate ahead of next month's US presidential election, despite efforts by both the Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns to court the union.This decision, which we took very seriously, is the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity," the IAFF said in a statement. Continue reading...

Tina Peters, who was lauded by election deniers, convicted over scheme inspired by false claims about 2020 resultA local elections official who became a hero to election deniers was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday for leading a voting system data-breach scheme inspired by the rampant false claims that fraud altered the 2020 presidential outcome.Tina Peters allowed a man affiliated with the pillow salesman and election-lie trafficker Mike Lindell to misuse a security card to access to the Mesa county election system. Continue reading...

Business students at 9,250-a-year Regent College London raised series of complaints with Office for StudentsStudents at a private higher education college charging 9,250 a year were taught by staff reading out bullet points and showing videos, according to an investigation that found one tutor held an online class while appearing to be on public transport.The students attending Regent College London told investigators from England's higher education regulator that teaching staff changed frequently, including one cover tutor who arrived almost half an hour late" to host an online class and was clearly travelling or in a public place". Continue reading...

Villa Vie Odyssey passengers spent four months stuck in Northern Ireland while their vessel underwent repairsThe luxury cruise liner stranded in Belfast for four months has finally set sail after three days marooned in Belfast Lough.But in another twist to the beleaguered round-the-world voyage, passengers were initially under the impression they were taking a detour to Scotland, a reflection of a saga beset by chaotic communication. Continue reading...

President's off-the-cuff remark outside White House over possible retaliation triggers global oil price rise

Crisafulli tells TV debate that if he became premier and could not reduce the number of victims of crime he would stand down

Fashion Museum exhibition charts how shortlived Taboo and its founder, Leigh Bowery, inspired decade's fashionWith ITV's drama Joan on our screens and the bubble skirt back on the catwalks, the 80s are once again having a moment. An exhibition at London's Fashion Museum, Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London, takes a different look - by going deep into the creative explosion on the dancefloors of the decade.It focuses on Taboo, a London club that lasted barely a year but was pivotal in the careers of people including the singer Boy George, the designers John Galliano and Katharine Hamnett, the choreographer Michael Clark and the performance artist Leigh Bowery, who started the club in 1985. Continue reading...

Former PM's doorstop-sized tome, Unleashed, recounts chequered political career in familiar boosterish toneBoris Johnson's 772-page doorstop of a memoir, Unleashed, recounts a chequered political career in his familiar boosterish tone. Here are five things we learned (spoiler: he hasn't learned much at all): Continue reading...

Deveca Rose convicted of manslaughter after leaving two sets of twins at Sutton home while she went to supermarketA woman has been found guilty over the deaths of her four young sons in a fire at their home in London after she left them alone to go shopping.Deveca Rose went to Sainsbury's and left her two sets of twins - three-year-olds Leyton and Logan, and four-year-olds Kyson and Bryson - in the locked terrace house in Sutton before the blaze broke out. Continue reading...

Former security minister says UK decision to cede sovereignty means Mauritius could lease islands to ChinaThree of the four Tory leadership candidates have issued statement strongly denouncing the government's decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.Robert Jenrick, the favourite in the contest, called this a dangerous capitulation".It's taken three months for Starmer to surrender Britain's strategic interests.

Former PM argues in Unleashed he was victim of witch-hunt' and broke no rules with lockdown parties

Crew will include amputee ex-serviceman and cabin manager who began her career at age of 59A former serviceman who was injured on duty and a cabin manager who began her flight career at the age of 59 are part of an all-black airline crew flying from Manchester and London in celebration of Black History Month.The two flights, operated by the airline Tui, were flying from Manchester to Boa Vista in Cape Verde, and from London Gatwick to Jamaica on Thursday. Continue reading...

Uluru statement from the heart architect argues it is incontrovertible' current policies are not working and need consultation through an elected body

Advocates urge state government to scrap approval system and adopt charter of human rights similar to Victoria and Queensland

State counties are required to offer at least 13 days of in-person early voting. Many may struggle to meet thatThe devastating path charted by Hurricane Helene has taken at least 190 lives, decimated entire communities, and cut off access to food, water, and power for many. It could also disrupt voting, including in North Carolina, one of just a handful of states that will likely decide the 5 November presidential election.Long before the storm made landfall on Thursday, politicos have kept a close eye on North Carolina as a key battleground state, with polls showing the state is closely divided in the choice between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Continue reading...

The UK has agreed to hand the archipelago over to Mauritius after decades of diplomatic disputeThe UK has agreed to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a historic deal. Here we detail the history of the archipelago. Continue reading...

Hundreds of arachnophiles flock to La Junta to watch the creatures emerge in droves and look for love on the plainsLove is in the air on the Colorado plains - the kind that makes your heart beat a bit faster, quickens your step and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.It's tarantula mating season, when male spiders scurry out of their burrows in search of a mate, and hundreds of arachnophiles flock to the small farming town of La Junta to watch them emerge in droves. Continue reading...

Delusion and short-term relief brought a strange buzz to Birmingham, with the leadership race still wide openThree months on from almost their worst ever election loss, Conservative MPs were curiously gleeful at their Birmingham conference this week.Denial about the scale of the defeat, exaggeration of Labour's teething troubles in government and delusion about the party's chances of returning quickly were widespread. Continue reading...

Centrepoint records 564 instances of gatekeeping' including dozens involving young people who were pregnant or had children

Medical centre is target of second attack on central city this week after eight IDF soldiers killed on frontier

Man in Rotterdam faces 100 penalty after law introduced across Netherlands to tackle harassment in public spacesA court in the Netherlands has fined a man for harassing and intimidating a woman on a street in Rotterdam, in the first conviction under a new law tackling sexual harassment in public spaces.The 33-year-old man was fined 100 (84) by a court in Rotterdam on Wednesday, months after he was accused of grabbing a woman on the street by the hips and holding her. The court set out an additional fine of 180 if he is caught reoffending. Continue reading...

New details emerge that Trump's then lawyer tried but failed to urge Michigan legislator to install fake electorsRudy Giuliani texted the wrong number as he tried to persuade Michigan legislators to help overthrow the 2020 election.According to a document unsealed in federal court on Wednesday, on 7 December 2020, Giuliani tried to send a message urging someone unspecified to help in the plan to appoint a slate of fake electors. Continue reading...

Agreement to hand back UK's last African colony follows 13 rounds of negotiations and international pressureThe UK has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain's last African colony.The UK expelled the Chagossians in the 1960s and 1970s, in what has been described as a crime against humanity, when it retained possession of what it called the British Indian Ocean Territory, or BIOT, after Mauritius gained independence in 1968. Continue reading...

Several missing and more than 120 injured after storm makes landfall in Kaohsiung, with authorities pleading for people to stay insideTyphoon Krathon has made landfall in Taiwan, bringing destructive wind and rain to the island's second biggest city.The storm has killed at least two people with another several reported missing and more than 120 injured. Continue reading...

Regulator says advert by publisher of the Citizen newspaper likely to harm national unity'Tanzania has suspended the online operations of a top newspaper publisher after one of its publications ran an animated advert depicting the country's president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, and referencing a spate of recent abductions and killings of dissidents.The advert, published on X and Instagram on Tuesday by the Citizen, an English-language newspaper, showed the president flipping through TV channels. Each channel showed people speaking about loved ones they had lost through disappearances. Continue reading...

Trial told Thomas Kwan, 53, disguised himself as a nurse and told Patrick O'Hara he was getting a Covid jabA GP worried about his inheritance disguised himself as a nurse and injected deadly poison into his victim after duping them into believing they were being given a home-visit Covid booster jab, a court has heard.Thomas Kwan was not injecting Covid vaccine into Patrick O'Hara, prosecutors allege, but a poison that gave his victim a rare and life-threatening flesh-eating disease. Continue reading...

International Longshoremen's Association members walk out on east and Gulf coasts over pay and automation disputeA parade of tractors without their trailers made their way through the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine terminal on Wednesday morning, blaring their horns, to cheers from the picket lines.Tens of thousands of longshoremen walked off the job at dozens of ports across the east and Gulf coasts earlier this week. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirms most operations have been shut down as a result of the strike. Continue reading...

As the vice-president visited the Georgia city shattered by Helene, the sense of community spirit was palpableAs Kamala Harris descended Wednesday into Augusta, she met a city contemplating how much of their lives have been unmade by Hurricane Helene.I am here to personally take a look at the devastation," Harris said after receiving a briefing by emergency response leaders in Georgia. It's particularly devastating in terms of loss of life that this community has experienced, the loss of normalcy, and the loss of critical resources." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Nacc says operational activity' does not involve any current or former member of parliament

Bill is likely to include measures such as ending exploitative' zero-hours contracts and changes to sick pay

Sarah Jones suggests PM believes he should be held to higher standards now he is in government

Law Commission also suggests reopening cemeteries declared full as part of England and Wales consultationGraves could be reused and closed burial grounds reopened under proposals aimed at tackling a lack of space for the dead.The Law Commission has suggested that cemeteries that have been declared full could be reused for new burials. The proposal is part of a public consultation by the commission on updating 170-year-old burial laws in England and Wales. Continue reading...

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Andre Stepanyan, one of two men charged over an alleged arson at the home of YouTuber Jordan Shanks-Markovina in November 2022, will fight the charges

The former TV personality announced her own death from motor neurone disease in a prepared statement, saying it was an end to a very tough few months'Australian TV host Fiona MacDonald, known for her work on shows including It's A Knockout and the children's program Wombat, has died aged 67 of motor neurone disease (MND).MacDonald was diagnosed with MND in November 2021, a terminal degenerative disorder that causes people to lose the use of their limbs and ability to speak, swallow and breathe. There is no cure; those with MND die, on average, 27 months after diagnosis. Continue reading...