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ABS data shows consumer price index is stabilising, which will feed into the RBA's next interest rate decision in May

Damien Luscombe, 38, sentenced to six years' imprisonment over 239 fraudulent transactions

Kevin James Pettiford, 38, to spend at least 26 years in prison after admitting to 2019 murder of Andrew Whyte MurrayA man who brutally murdered a rough sleeper with a rock and slashed a fellow inmate's throat will spend the next quarter of a century behind bars, after avoiding a life sentence.Kevin James Pettiford, 38, was sentenced to 39 years' jail, with a non-parole period of 26 years, at a supreme court hearing in Sydney on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Oji Holdings said it would stop making children's nappies in September amid a sharp decline in demand. Japan has a rapidly ageing societyA nappy manufacturer in Japan is to stop making the products for babies and instead raise production of adult diapers, in a reflection of the country's rapidly ageing society.Oji Holdings, which specialises in paper products, said it would stop making children's nappies in September amid a sharp decline in demand. The firm has seen sales drop from a peak of about 700m in 2001 to 400m today. Continue reading...

Opposition says bill needs proper inquiry' to guard against possible unintended consequences' despite voting with government in lower house

Police say the man is in a stable and conscious' condition at Cairns hospital as investigation continue

Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne set to move motion to repeal changes that make it harder for teenagers to get bail

Yearly cost to people, business and public sector found to be twice as big as NHS England's annual budgetMental illness costs England 300bn a year, equivalent to nearly double its NHS budget, according to research.Researchers for the Centre for Mental Health thinktank analysed the economic, health and care impact of mental ill health, as well as human costs from reduced quality of life and wellbeing. Continue reading...

Only 24% of people in England, Scotland and Wales content with heath service, with long waits to be seen the commonest complaintPublic satisfaction with the NHS has fallen to its lowest ever level, with long delays to access care the biggest source of deepening frustration, a study has shown.Just 24% of people across England, Scotland and Wales - the fewest on record - are satisfied with the health service, according to the latest British Social Attitudes research.Eighty-four per cent think the NHS has a major or severe funding problem.Forty-eight per cent want the government to increase taxes and spend more on the NHS.Conservative voters are now almost as likely as Labour ones to not be satisfied with the NHS. Continue reading...

Deal had been thrown into doubt during election campaign in Tuvalu over sovereignty concernsAustralia and Tuvalu will go ahead with a security and climate migration pact, after the latter's new government agreed not to change the deal, Australia's Pacific minister, Pat Conroy, has told parliament.The two countries had announced the deal in November, but it was thrown into doubt during an election campaign in the remote Pacific atoll of 11,000 people that is threatened by rising sea levels. Continue reading...

Scheme was founded in 2012 to prevent at-risk children being enticed by Italy's most powerful mafia, the 'NdranghetaA project to save children from Italy's biggest mafia by removing them from mob families is being extended to organised crime groups in Sicily and Naples, the justice ministry has announced.The scheme aims to prevent at-risk children from following their parents into a life of crime, breaking the cycle by which power is passed down the generations through blood ties and family loyalty. Continue reading...

Strain of aiming to influence Israel's actions without leverage and also avoiding starvation is showing, say analysts

Allegations include prevalence of drug abuse' across the sport, MP tells House of Representatives

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Companies accused of facilitating gun trafficking and and of being responsible for bloodshed that their guns contribute to in MexicoA trial court in Arizona has ruled that the Mexican government may proceed in its trailblazing lawsuit against five US gun dealers, who stand accused of facilitating gun trafficking across the border into Mexico.Mexico argues that the companies' marketing campaigns and distribution practices mean that they are legally responsible for the bloodshed that their guns contribute to. Continue reading...

Palestinian authorities say deaths resulted from attempts to recover crates that fell in water after parachutes went wrongTwelve people drowned trying to get to aid dropped by plane off a Gaza beach, Palestinian health authorities have said, amid growing fears of famine nearly six months into Israel's military campaign.Video of the airdrop on Monday showed crowds of people running towards the beach, in Beit Lahiya in north Gaza, as crates with parachutes floated down, then people standing deep in water and bodies being pulled on to the sand. Continue reading...

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior's tearful comments prompt questions over why racist fans can still act with impunityAntiracism campaigners in Spain have called on the country's institutions to do more to crack down on racism in football, after Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior laid bare the personal toll exacted by years of racist insults.Breaking down in tears as he spoke of the systematic barrage of abuse he had faced at more than 10 Spanish grounds, the Brazilian player told reporters on Monday that the situation had gotten worse" during his time on the pitch. Continue reading...

The legislation aims to cut ballooning costs, and return the scheme to its original intent of supporting people with a permanent disability

Biden laments terrible accident' as six people still missing after Francis Scott Key Bridge snapped from collision with vessel

Environment secretary opposed waste plant plans that must be approved by body he overseesThe environment secretary has refused to say whether he abused his position when he tried to stop an incinerator being built in his constituency.But Steve Barclay apologised for not properly declaring his interest and recusing himself, when questioned about it on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Mayor says rescue efforts continuing after cargo vessel hit Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending vehicles into the water

South American neighbours respond to blocking of Corina Yoris, who was favoured to beat strongman Nicolas Maduro in electionsA chorus of Latin American nations, including Brazil and Colombia, have voiced concern over the deteriorating political situation in Venezuela after the opposition politician best-positioned to challenge its strongman leader, Nicolas Maduro, in July's presidential election was prevented from registering for the vote.Corina Yoris, an 80-year-old philosopher, was little-known outside academic circles until last Friday, when she was catapulted on to the frontline of Venezuela's long-running political crisis by being named as the substitute for Maria Corina Machado, a prominent opposition figure who had been banned from running in the election. Continue reading...

National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching investigators, but governor said Francis Scott Key Bridge was sound

Prime minister tells MPs the priority is to get inflation down even though English councils need another 4bn to maintain servicesRishi Sunak has denied there is a crisis" in local government funding despite warnings that well-run councils are on the brink of bankruptcy and local services at risk without more support.The prime minister admitted that councils faced challenges", in particular with inflation, which has significantly outpaced recent cash injections, at the cross-party liaison committee. Continue reading...

Up to 10 non-disclosure agreements signed in last year alongside substantial financial settlementsThe CBI has used gagging clauses to prevent staff from discussing their experiences of sexual misconduct and bullying at the organisation, the Guardian can reveal.Up to 10 non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have been signed in the past year after the lobbying group's sexual misconduct scandal, in which more than a dozen staff alleged they had been victims of sexual harassment, assault and rape. Those agreements have been accompanied by substantial financial settlements from the CBI. Continue reading...

The Boss says he is proud to become a fellow after being recognised for his impact on the UK's cultural landscape'There is perhaps nobody in the US's short history who is better-known for describing blue-collar American life.But Bruce Springsteen is to be recognised by the most British of institutions when he becomes the first foreigner to be inducted as a fellow of the Ivors Academy. Continue reading...

Tim Davie says 14 years of reductions have put its future at risk, as he announces 200m of cutsCuts to the BBC's budget by successive Conservative governments have been shortsighted" and risked undermining its future, the director general said in a speech on Tuesday.Announcing a further 200m of cuts to the corporation, Tim Davie said 14 years of cuts had reduced its budget by 30% in real terms and had chipped away at our income over many years and have put serious pressure on our finances". Continue reading...

While the musician faces several lawsuits alleging sexual assault, it was not clear if he was the target of the investigationThe Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Monday that agents have raided properties in Los Angeles, Miami and New York that local news outlets have reported are tied to rapper and mogul Sean Diddy" Combs.NBC News and local stations in Los Angeles and Miami first reported the activity at Combs's properties on Monday. Federal Homeland Security Investigations agents and other law enforcement were conducting searches of the properties as part of a sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York, two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press. Continue reading...

House of Lords Appointment Commission head says new forms for potential peers to be publishedRishi Sunak ad Keir Starmer will be asked to supply more due diligence about the peers they are proposing for the House of Lords, the appointments commission chief has said.Ruth Deech, the head of the House of Lords Appointment Commission (Holac), said party leaders currently only provide sketchy" information about the potential lords and ladies they put forward to her watchdog for vetting. Continue reading...

Poland's deputy foreign minister Andrzej Szejna tells Polish media Russia knows there will be a counterattack' if missiles go further into its territoryThe Kremlin has refused to be drawn on whether it believed there was a link between the Ukrainian leadership and Friday's Moscow concert hall attack, in which at least 139 people were killed.Asked during a call with reporters whether there was a direct link between Ukraine and the attack, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: I have nothing to add to what has already been said on this topic." Continue reading...

Timothy Snyder says former RNC chair tried to disassemble our democracy' and should not have been invited to take up positionThe former Republican National Committee chair turned NBC politics analyst Ronna McDaniel tried to disassemble our democracy" by supporting Donald Trump's electoral fraud lies and should not be given such a media role, a leading historian said amid uproar over the appointment.What NBC has done is they've invited into what should be a normal framework someone who doesn't believe that framework should exist at all," Timothy Snyder, a Yale professor and author of On Tyranny, told MSNBC, part of the network now employing McDaniel. Continue reading...

ENRC seeking compensation for losses it says were result of fraud inquiry dropped last year, court hearsThe UK government faces an extraordinary" $1bn damages claim, a court has been told, in a lawsuit brought by a mining company that has been bankrolled by Russian banks targeted by sanctions.ENRC, the UK-based arm of a global mining conglomerate belonging to oligarchs, is seeking compensation for losses it claims it suffered as a result of a decade-long Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation that was dropped last year, according to court documents. Continue reading...

Military chief says review into chaplaincy found unacceptable views about minority groups, women, LGBTQI+ persons'Some religious chaplains in the air force hold unacceptable views about minority groups, women [and] LGBTQI+ persons", posing a mental health risk to members, the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide has heard.And part of a review commissioned by the defence department into the air force chaplaincy unit - quietly tabled as evidence to the royal commission - found tension between theology and values, notably in relation to gender and LGBTI inclusion".Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Central Asians go to Russia attracted by higher salaries but live in cramped apartmentsFormer colleagues and clients at the small barber shop where Muhammadsobir Fayzov once worked were stunned when they saw the news.They knew the 19-year-old as a promising, hard-working stylist, and saw no signs that together with three other Tajik gunmen he would commit last Friday's bloodbath at a concert city hall in Moscow. Continue reading...

Netanyahu's office said Israel will not cave to Hamas's delusional demands', ending immediate attempts to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal

Mayor hits back after Conservatives pull online video showing panicking crowd in New York to criticise crime record

This year's total tally has now outpaced last year's numbers, with 64 confirmed cases in 17 states so far, compared with 58 in 2023Measles cases in the US are rising, as major health organizations plead for increased vaccination rates and experts fear the virus will multiply among unvaccinated populations.Most notably, this year's tally of measles cases has now outpaced last year's total. Continue reading...

Rescue operations are under way after at least seven vehicles fell into the water. Plus, UN security council demands immediate ceasefire in GazaGood morning.Maryland is in a state of emergency, the governor, Wes Moore, has announced, after at least seven vehicles fell into a river after a bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being hit by a cargo vessel early on Tuesday.How many people fell into the water? A spokesperson for the Baltimore city fire department, Kevin Cartwright, said it was too early to know, but labeled the collapse a developing mass-casualty event". The latest updates are on our liveblog.Why did the US veto? It requested a condemnation of Hamas minutes before the vote, which was resisted. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US envoy to the UN, said the US did not agree with everything in the resolution but fully supported some of the critical objectives. You can follow our liveblog here. Continue reading...

Lender says move is unrelated to takeover talks with Coventry Building SocietyThe Co-operative Bank has unveiled plans to cut 400 jobs as part of the lender's largest cost-cutting and restructuring programme since it was bailed out by hedge funds in 2017.The job cuts aim to reduce the size of its 3,000-strong workforce by about 12% Redundancies will affect staff across the business, including at its 50 branches. Continue reading...

Former CEO of shared office space rental company has reportedly been in talks with investors

Christopher Tape, indicted in 2022 before charges were dismissed, says office will stop giving exam that helps collect key evidenceHaving been elected against no opposition despite prior charges of child molestation, the chief medical examiner of a south-east Louisiana community with more than a quarter-million residents took office Monday, poised to deliver on a pledge to eliminate an agency program that has helped collect key evidence in cases of sexual assault.Dr Christopher Tape, 53, is expected to ultimately face an effort from voters to subject him to a recall election and force him from office, the top local government official in St Tammany parish has told the outlet, which exposed the new coroner's criminal history. Continue reading...

Former aide to Craig Kelly found guilty of sex crimes against four victims aged between 19 and 24 at time of offending

Johnny Mercer given 10 days to reveal source of claims British troops engaged in war crimesThe minister for veterans' affairs, Johnny Mercer, has been given 10 days to reveal the source of allegations British troops engaged in war crimes in Afghanistan, or face a potential prison sentence.Mercer in effect admitted last month in front of the public inquiry into the claims that he believed members of the SAS had engaged in dozens of unlawful killings of Afghan civilians between 2010 and 2013. Continue reading...

Israeli PM cancels White House visit by two ministers and says US abandoned its policy in the UN' after abstaining on voteThe UN security council has voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, after the US dropped a threat to veto, bringing Israel to near total isolation on the world stage.The vote result sets up the strongest public clash between US president Joe Biden and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the war began. Continue reading...

Human Rights Law Centre says bill deliberately separates families' and risks non-compliance with obligations under refugee convention

Federal government investigating deaths as a matter of priority', with efforts under way to treat remaining animals

A local man whose property is on the Herbert River in Cordelia said the reptile had started to come for us'

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Parts of South Australia, NSW and Victoria can expect heavy rain as remnants of Cyclone Megan and a low-pressure trough over the Northern Territory and Queensland move south

From expensive rent to efforts to keep up with fashion, a young man's missives on display in Cumbria are relatable to todayWhen Ben Browne set off on horseback from his small village in the north of England for the bright lights of London in 1719, his concerns were not so different from those of today's young people. Mainly: please send money, everything is so expensive.About 65 letters sent by Browne to his father back in Troutbeck, in the historic county of Westmorland, now part of Cumbria, have survived the intervening 300 years. On Tuesday they go on display at Townend, the Browne family home that is now cared for by the National Trust. Continue reading...