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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...

For years Haredi men have been allowed to continue Torah study, but proposal could force some to enlistA proposed bill to extend compulsory military service to ultra-Orthodox students, historically exempt from conscription, has ignited a fierce debate in Israel, with Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly warning that failure to pass the law could jeopardise the stability of the government.Israel has mandatory army service but for decades made an exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews, also known as Haredi, who are allowed to continue full-time Torah study. The proposal, as Israel approaches six months since the 7 October Hamas attacks that began the war in Gaza, seeks to extend the duration of military service for conscripts and raise the age for reservists, while also urging an end to the customary exemptions granted to yeshiva students. Continue reading...

Opposition leader David Crisafulli says LNP would rewrite Youth Justice Act to put victims first' if it wins October election

David Lambourne may be forced out of the Pacific nation if he loses challenge to president Taneti Maamau's attempt to sack himDavid Lambourne, an Australian-born high court judge whose attempted deportation two years ago from Kiribati sparked a judicial crisis in the Pacific nation, appeared in court in a case closely watched by the United Nations and international legal groups.Lambourne, who has lived in Kiribati for 30 years and is married to opposition leader Tessie Lambourne, faces deportation if he loses a high court challenge to Kiribati president Taneti Maamau's attempt to sack him. Kiribati will hold national elections later this year. Continue reading...

The man, in his 30s, said he had been trying to retrieve his phone after it fell into the underground drain

Footage of four gunmen appears to support Islamic State's claim that it masterminded the worst terrorist attack in Russia in two decades. But the Kremlin has put Ukraine in the frame. Andrew Roth reportsThe attack on Crocus concert hall near Moscow was the worst act of terrorism carried out in Russia in more than 20 years. More than 130 people were killed after gunmen stormed the venue on Friday night.Islamic State quickly claimed responsibility for the attack and provided additional video footage of the massacre. Continue reading...

Victorian gambling watchdog says company has addressed failings identified in royal commission but action will be taken if there is any regression to old Crown'

Labor brings forward urgent bill, which would also create power to impose a bar on new visa applications from non-citizens in designated countries

Federal court rules authorisations on 2022 newspaper ads fell foul of electoral advertising laws

Matthew Trihey, former member of the Lads Society, opened the #WomenWillSpeak event in Melbourne on Saturday

Creation of a cohesion and conflict unit' in England is among recommendations in government-commissioned reviewSchool leaders have welcomed proposals for the creation of a cohesion and conflict unit" to support teachers who face freedom-restricting" threats and harassment during the course of their work.It is one of a number of recommendations in a government-commissioned review into threats to social cohesion in England, which highlights the case of a religious studies teacher at a school in West Yorkshire who was forced into hiding after accusations of blasphemy. Continue reading...

Footage of people panicking, designed to attack the London mayor's record on crime, was filmed in a New York subway stationThe Conservatives have deleted an online video that used scenes of a panicked crowd at a New York subway station to criticise Sadiq Khan's record on crime in London.The attack ad, posted on X in support of Susan Hall - Khan's rival for the London mayoralty, showed people panicking and rushing through New York's Penn station after false reports of gunfire in 2017. Continue reading...

Former Brazil president spent two nights at legation after two close aides were detained in February over alleged coup plotBrazil's foreign ministry has summoned the Hungarian ambassador to explain why the South American country's embattled former president Jair Bolsonaro spent two nights hiding" at Hungary's embassy in Brasilia last month as federal police investigators closed in on some of his closest allies.Security footage obtained by the New York Times showed that in early February - four days after two Bolsonaro aides were arrested on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the Brazilian government - the rightwing populist took shelter in the embassy, a short drive from the presidential palace Bolsonaro once occupied. Continue reading...

In rare admission, commander of Indonesian military in the province says horrific footage is a violation of the law', and confirms 13 personnel have been detained

Special rapporteur will tell human rights council Israel's actions reveal an intent to physically destroy Palestinians as a group'A UN human rights expert will deliver a report on Tuesday saying that Israel has carried out acts of genocide in Gaza and should be placed under an arms embargo.Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said in her report there were reasonable grounds" to believe that Israel was carrying out three of the five acts defined as genocide: killing Palestinians, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction" of the population in whole or in part. Continue reading...

Battery-powered system can down a drone travelling at 100km/h, according to its developers, Melbourne-based AIM Defence

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Moscow concert hall attack, read our latest report:

This live blog is now closed. For more on the UN security council vote, you can read our full report:

Deputy PM, who didn't really sign up for this, seemed reluctant to declare war on a superpowerThe deputy prime minister's statement on cybersecurity and China-backed attempts to undermine UK democracy had been briefed far enough in advance that MPs had had time to sharpen their insults. Iain Duncan Smith said Oliver Dowden's announcement was like watching an elephant giving birth to a mouse. The SNP member Stuart C McDonald accused Dowden of taking a wooden spoon to a gunfight. Labour's Chris Bryant called him wilfully blind, and therefore dangerous".The inattentive observer might come away from the statement unclear on who posed the greater threat to our national security, Oliver Dowden or the Chinese. Continue reading...

Woman arrested after Destiny Harrison, 24, and Linnea were killed while walking on Sunday morningThe family of a mother and her five-year-old daughter who died while walking in Plymouth have paid tribute to a strong young woman" and her larger than life" child.Destiny Harrison, 24, and Linnea Harrison died in the collision in the St Budeaux area on Sunday morning. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move comes as issue of membership of organisation that bars women is being taken seriously at highest levels of judiciary

Band will play Radio 1's Big Weekend in Luton in May and are being urged to sing club's colour instead of rivals'Luton Town fans have called for Coldplay to change the lyrics of their song Yellow to match the football club's orange home kit.The plea came after the band were confirmed as headliners for Radio 1's Big Weekend festival taking place at Stockwood Park, a 10-minute drive from the club's ground, Kenilworth Road, in May. Continue reading...

The Oscar nominee could follow in fellow Marvel star Chris Pratt's footsteps with a starring role in new dinosaur adventureScarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead a new Jurassic World movie.According to the Hollywood Reporter, the two-time Oscar nominated actor could follow on from her Marvel co-star Chris Pratt with a starring role in the latest installment of the dinosaur franchise. Continue reading...

6m scheme to fix section of B4069 near Lyneham submitted, but road may take another year to reopenIt became an unlikely hotspot for skateboarders and BMX riders who found that a landslip on a country road had created an attractive testing ground for spins, jumps and flips.Two years on, a planning application to restore a section of the B4069 in Wiltshire that had buckled as if it had been hit by an earthquake has finally been submitted but, to the dismay of local people, it may still take another year before the road is reopened Continue reading...

Brussels vote was cancelled after it became clear law would not pass final stage with majority voteThe EU's nature restoration laws are on the verge of collapse after a number of member states, including Hungary and Italy, withdrew support for the legislation.Spain's environment minister, Teresa Ribera, said it would be enormously irresponsible" for countries to drop the laws, which have been two years in the making and are designed to reverse decades of damage to biodiversity on land and in waterways. Continue reading...

Survey finds varying support for apology from government, firms that profited from slavery, and royal familySix in 10 Britons believe Caribbean nations and descendants of enslaved people should receive a formal apology from the government, the royal family or firms that profited from exploitation, a survey has found.The poll, released on the UN International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, will be delivered to ministers in parliament on Monday by the Repair Campaign, a group calling for a formal response to the historical horrors in the Caribbean. Continue reading...

Visiting medical team reported untreated open wounds, shortage of supplies to pin fractures and lack of food jeopardising treatment

Remy Gordon and Kami Carpenter convicted of Boxing Day nightclub stabbing of Fisher, who died at the scene from a chest woundTwo men have been found guilty of murdering the footballer Cody Fisher, who was stabbed to death inside a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing Day in 2022.Remy Gordon and Kami Carpenter had blamed each other for stabbing the 23-year-old former Birmingham City academy player, who died at the scene from a chest wound. Continue reading...

Regulator for Great Britain launches consultation on options including dynamic' pricing

Technology groups face hefty fines if they are found guilty of breaching Digital Markets Act

Bassirou Diomaye Faye leads Amadou Ba, the candidate for the ruling party who has refused to concede, in the presidential voteSenegal's anti-establishment candidate appears to be closing in on victory in the country's presidential election, an outcome that could steer the west African state in a radical new direction.Early results show opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye ahead, prompting several rivals to publicly concede defeat. Continue reading...

Former elite soldier, who last year won a defamation case against the ABC, said he allowed himself to become too intoxicated' at 2022 event

Legal Observers NSW says several officers' at Port Botany protest - where 19 people were arrested - wore thin blue line patch on uniform

Heavy rainfall brings landslides to country's south-east. Elsewhere, a wild temperature fluctuation in IberiaBrazil was hit by devastating floods over the weekend that have so far claimed 20 lives in the resultant landslides and mudslides. There was heavy rainfall in parts of the south-east, including Rio de Janeiro, Petropolis and the larger Espirito Santo region, with hourly rainfall totals of about 20mm recorded in places. Cumulative totals from Friday through Sunday were close to 250mm, particularly along the coast: this is far higher than the monthly average.Landslides and mudslides occurred across the region, and a number of houses collapsed. Rescue operations are under way to look for people who may have been stranded by the floods. Although there may still be a few showers over the following days, the worst of the rain has now passed. Continue reading...

Company says work is already under way to double the size of the Rolls-Royce Submarines site in the UK

Revelation comes as the new independent monitor raises concerns about the laws which can send someone to jail for up to 10 years for revealing classified information

Authorities to launch inquiry into allegations of mismanagement at country's national oil corporationLibyan authorities have said they will investigate allegations of wholesale mismanagement in the country's National Oil Corporation, with officials telling the Guardian rampant smuggling is helping to fuel the civil war in Sudan.Mohamed al-Menfi, the chair of the presidential council, will launch an inquiry this week, t he scope of which is likely to also cover the widespread practice of fuel smuggling and its key beneficiaries. Continue reading...

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The PM was captured on video at Sydney Eras concert with his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, apparently on balcony of corporate box

Karen Webb says checks still under way in the appointment of Channel Seven journalist Steve Jackson to the role of police media adviser

Victoria police say assistant commissioner was caught driving at 58km/h in a 50km/h zone in FebruaryThe assistant police commissioner responsible for road policing in Victoria says he's deeply embarrassed and disappointed after being caught driving at almost 10km/h over the speed limit while on the way to a meeting.Victoria police on Monday issued a statement confirming assistant commissioner Glenn Weir was caught speeding on 29 February in Parkville, in Melbourne's inner north. Continue reading...

National Audit Office says merging DfID with Foreign Office has led to loss of dedicated senior rolesBritain's capability and expertise on foreign aid has been diminished since international development was merged into the Foreign Office, the UK's public spending watchdog has found.The National Audit Office, which reports to parliament on public spending, said the transfer of the department to the Foreign Office, overseen by Boris Johnson, had caused a loss of dedicated senior roles in development. Continue reading...

New date for Antoni Gaudi's basilica announced but enormous, controversial stairway will take another eight yearsBarcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica has a new completion date of 2026, which will come 144 years after the first stone was laid.The president of the organisation tasked with completing Antoni Gaudi's masterwork announced the date last Wednesday, which coincides with the centenary of the death of the building's architect. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Surge in nurses originally from outside the EU moving overseas prompts concern Britain is a staging post' in their careersAlmost 9,000 foreign nurses a year are leaving the UK to work abroad, amid a sudden surge in nurses quitting the already understaffed NHS for better-paid jobs elsewhere.The rise in nurses originally from outside the EU moving to take up new posts abroad has prompted concerns that Britain is increasingly becoming a staging post" in their careers. Continue reading...

Bank holiday weekend and start of school holidays take place at same time, with high traffic volumes expectedDrivers are being warned to expect long delays over Easter as millions of getaway trips lead to soaring traffic volumes and congested motorways.The RAC said that more than 14m journeys on some popular routes could take twice as long as normal, as the first bank holiday weekend of the spring coincides with the start of a two-week holiday for many schools. Continue reading...

Wrestler, whose real name is Mikiya Ishioka, triumphs in Osaka to secure Emperor's Cup despite injuring his ankle the previous dayThe ancient Japanese sport of sumo is celebrating a new hero, after Takerufuji became the first wrestler for more than a century to win a top-division tournament on his debut.There were wild celebrations at the Edion Arena Osaka on Sunday after he ended the 15-day contest with an unassailable record of 13 wins and two defeats. Continue reading...

Australia Post logged more than 81,000 hazards in the past year according to handheld digital tool used to warn other posties of potential dangers

Some professors will submit their resignations while others will cut their hours over a government plan to boost medical school admissionsMedical professors in South Korea have said they will reduce the hours they spend in practice, while some say they plan to resign, in a widening of a doctors strike in the country.The move will begin on Monday in support of trainee doctors who have been on strike for more than a month over a government plan to boost medical school admissions. Continue reading...