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UK's largest housebuilder will waive conditions put on 2.5bn deal, set to be completed this week, from CMAThe housebuilder Barratt is pushing ahead with its 2.5bn takeover of rival Redrow this week despite concerns raised by the government's competition watchdog.Barratt said on Monday that it would waive conditions put on the deal - set to be completed this week - from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after it found that the merger could disadvantage homebuyers in the area around a town in Shropshire. Continue reading...

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Rachael Young tells court Higgins' medical state' forms part of the reasoning behind no longer calling her to give evidence

Nearly 1,000 train fans were at Sydenham station before 5am to ride the first service on the new city section

Queensland police sent to remote property had no idea about the correspondence and their checks raised no significant red flags, inquest hears

In parliament, opposition leader accuses Anthony Albanese of misleading the house by selectively quoting Australia's spy boss Mike Burgess

Cornwall Insight analysts predict price cap for October until end of December will increase by 9%Energy bills across Great Britain could rise by 9% this winter to an average of 1,714 a year for the typical household's gas and electricity, according to forecasts.Analysts at Cornwall Insight, a well-respected energy consultancy, have forecast that the government's energy price cap will rise for the average dual-fuel energy bill from October, up from its current level of 1,568. Continue reading...

Highest traffic levels since 2015 anticipated, though overseas visitors remain below pre-pandemic levelsBritain is set for the busiest August bank holiday getaway on the roads in nearly a decade, with severe delays expected on routes towards the Leeds and Reading music festivals, despite overseas tourists continuing to stay away.An estimated 19.2m leisure journeys by car are expected over the weekend, according to the RAC - the highest level since the breakdown services company began recording traffic data in 2015 - as drivers go day-trip crazy". Continue reading...

Discovery of Victorian network hiding under some of city's busiest streets set magical' new challenge for 150m projectWhen a contractor working on the site of the new London Museum at Smithfield market knocked a tentative hole in a bricked-up basement wall, all he could see, peering in with a torch, was a muddy pile of rubble and some scurrying rats.That unpromising beginning, however, would lead to an unparalleled" discovery. Behind the wall, once the detritus had been carefully removed, the architects and builders were astonished to find an enormous and beautifully constructed network of subterranean brick vaults that no one, even a year into the ambitious multimillion-pound building project, had known were there at all. Continue reading...

Payments finally received into accounts set up for each victim more than a decade after the fraudVictims of the Norton Motorcycles pension scandal have finally been paid 9.4m in compensation more than a decade after they had seemingly lost their life savings.The move represents some long-awaited good news for more than 200 people who fell victim to what is known as a pensions liberation fraud during 2012 and 2013, when they were tricked into allowing about 11.5m to be transferred out of their retirement plans. Continue reading...

Clemency Jacques told to pay extra 1,300 for accidental carer's allowance breach or have case sent to CPSA vulnerable unpaid carer threatened by benefits officials with prosecution for fraud unless she agreed to pay a 1,300 penalty for an accidental breach of carer's allowance earnings rules has described her experience as like blackmail".Clemency Jacques, a carer for her disabled son, was told by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators her case would be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) unless she paid a 50% charge on top of an existing agreement to repay 2,600 in carer's allowance overpayments - a total of 3,900. Continue reading...

Clement Jacques was questioned under caution and agreed to pay penalty for error that could have been spotted soonerClemency Jacques's interview under caution by benefits officials is seared into her memory. She was accused of benefits fraud and, utterly bewildered, she tried to defend herself. It did not go well. I sat there for two hours crying," she recalls.In a room at the local jobcentre, officials had read her her rights just like in the movies". She was warned that she could face police arrest, referral to the Crown Prosecution Service and a criminal court appearance. It was bloody scary", she says. Continue reading...

Comedian was in top 10 on three previous occasions - here are this year's best gags, as voted for by a public panelA joke by Mark Simmons has been declared the funniest of this year's Edinburgh fringe festival, chosen by a public panel from a shortlist compiled by comedy critics.Simmons, who got into comedy more than a decade ago after his friend convinced him to do an open mic night, won the television channel U&Dave's funniest joke of the fringe award with I was going to sail around the globe in the world's smallest ship but I bottled it". Continue reading...

Philippines says two coast guard vessels damaged by China's unlawful manoeuvres', while Beijing says it took control measures' after vessels illegally entered waters around shoal

President states he wants to stop cross-border attacks by Russian forces and that counteroffensive was much neededVolodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukraine's military incursion into Russia's Kursk region aims to create a buffer zone to prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border.It marked the first time the Ukrainian president had clearly stated the aim of the operation, which was launched on 6 August. Previously, he had suggested it aimed to protect communities in the bordering Sumy region from constant shelling. Continue reading...

Firefighters called to a Thomastown house, a hair salon, an apartment and a disused retirement building

All remaining employees will be retained and 100 new employees will be recruited after the sale of Australia's largest online bookseller

A report by the children's commissioner says nothing is found in half of strip-searches of children and its use has a racial disparity. Can its implementation ever be balanced?When is it reasonable, necessary and proportionate for agents of the state, such as police officers, to take actions that are likely to leave a child traumatised?There is little dispute that compelling anyone, let alone a child, to expose their intimate body parts against their will to a stranger causes real emotional pain. But police believe strip-searching can be a useful tool. Continue reading...

Children's commissioner finds wide disparity with white counterparts in year to June 2023, with 88% of searches aimed at finding drugsBlack children are four times more likely to be strip-searched by police officers across England and Wales than their white counterparts, according to the latest nationwide figures disclosed by a watchdog.The children's commissioner also found that children under the age of 15 are a bigger proportion of those subjected to intimate searches, official figures from the year to June 2023 showed. Fewer than half of all searches of children in that year (45%) were conducted in the presence of an appropriate adult. Continue reading...

POA chair says ministers could declare as soon as Monday that Operation Early Dawn is coming into forceThe launch of an emergency plan to avoid prison overcrowding in England could be announced as soon as Monday, the Prison Officers' Association has said.The longstanding measure, known as Operation Early Dawn, would allow defendants to be held in police cells until prison beds became available and could mean their court dates are delayed or adjourned at short notice. Continue reading...

US secretary of state flies into Tel Aviv amid signals that a breakthrough may not be as close as had been suggestedThe US secretary of state has arrived in Israel for 11th-hour talks aimed at shoring up a deal for a lasting ceasefire in the war in Gaza, amid signals from Israeli and Hamas officials that a breakthrough may not be as close as international mediators had suggested.Antony Blinken flew into Tel Aviv on Sunday as part of Washington's renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire in the 10-month-old conflict, negotiations seen as even more urgent after last month's back-to-back assassinations of a top Hezbollah commander and the Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh. Continue reading...

Key civilian leader says attack on Russia's Kursk region is first of several stages' in taking the fight to MoscowUkraine has captured more than 150 Russian prisoners of war on some days in the cross-border military operation that a key civilian official said was the first of several stages" in taking the fight to Moscow.Oleksii Drozdenko, the head of the military administration in the Ukrainian city of Sumy, said the attack had fared better than expected and there had been only 15 casualties needing hospital treatment on the first day. Continue reading...

Twenty-six-year-old suspect in incident, which happened on Sunday morning in Crawley, remains in custodyA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found stabbed in a car park on Sunday morning, Sussex police have said.Officers were called to a report of an altercation between a man and woman at about 7.10am on Station Way in Crawley, West Sussex. The area was searched and a woman was found in a nearby car park with stab injuries", the force said. Continue reading...

The highly anticipated Chatswood to Sydenham extension will drastically cut travel times in Sydney

Staff replaced stencil art of gorilla helping animals to escape with reproduction to preserve significant moment' for zooStencilled on a shutter at the entrance to London Zoo, the mural showed a powerful gorilla lifting up the metal barrier and creating a dark hole just big enough for other animals to use to make a speedy getaway.Now, Banksy's ninth and final artwork in his animal-themed London series has itself escaped, removed in an attempt by the 196-year-old zoo to properly preserve" a significant moment" in its history. Continue reading...

Adviser to imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan says he submitted application to run in October electionImran Khan, the imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan, is aiming to become Oxford's next chancellor when the university's graduates and staff vote later this year.Syed Zulfi Bukhari, one of Khan's advisers, said the former international cricket star had submitted an application to run in the election in October to replace Chris Patten, the former Conservative minister. Continue reading...

Mark Smith says evidence of Gaza war crimes is clear, but that his complaints were brushed asideA Foreign Office official has resigned over the UK's refusal to ban arms exports to Israel because of alleged breaches of international law.Mark Smith, a counter-terrorism official based at the British embassy in Dublin, said he had resigned after making numerous internal complaints, including through an official whistleblowing mechanism, but receiving nothing but pro-forma responses. Continue reading...

Gross misconduct case over December 2020 incident that could lead to Met sackings may not be heard until 2025A date is still to be set for a disciplinary hearing that could result in three Metropolitan police officers being sacked for their alleged part in the strip-search of an innocent child in December 2020.Child Q, 15, was strip-searched at her school in Hackney, east London, while menstruating, having been wrongly accused of possessing cannabis. It was an experience she found traumatising and which has been widely condemned. Continue reading...

Head of IT was kidnapped in Tripoli and other executives threatened a week after siege at bankThe Central Bank of Libya said on Sunday it was suspending all operations" after a bank official was abducted in the capital, Tripoli, in a statement posted on social media.Musab Msallem, the head of information technology at the Central Bank, was kidnapped by an unidentified group from his house this morning", the statement said. Continue reading...

Troubled fashion retailer's 31 shops to close five months after chain went into administrationFashion brand Ted Baker's remaining 31 stores in the UK are to close this week, putting more than 500 jobs at risk.Started as a men's clothing label in Glasgow in 1988 by entrepreneur Ray Kelvin and becoming known for its quirky advertising and floral prints, Ted Baker's UK arm entered administration in March after racking up losses. Continue reading...

Former minister said Conservatives had deserved' to lose power and that he had not been shocked to lose his seatJacob Rees-Mogg has said he is very strongly" considering standing at the next general election after losing his seat to Labour.The former Tory cabinet minister told an audience at the Edinburgh fringe festival that the Conservatives had deserved" to lose the recent election, and that he was not shocked after losing his North East Somerset and Hanham seat to the former mayor of the West of England Dan Norris by more than 5,000 votes. Rees-Mogg had won it from Norris in 2010. Continue reading...

Home secretary orders review to identify gaps in system to tackle extremist ideologies including extreme misogynyThe home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has vowed to crack down on people pushing harmful and hateful beliefs", including extreme misogyny, as she announced a new approach to fighting extremism.The Home Office has commissioned a rapid review to inform a new government counter-extremism strategy on how best to tackle the threat posed by extremist ideologies online and offline. Continue reading...

Hezbollah fires 55 missiles at town in Israel after Israeli strike killed 10 Syrian workers and their relatives in LebanonFighting between Hezbollah and Israel has intensified over the weekend despite diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two and prevent an expected Hezbollah and Iranian attack against Israel.An Israeli attack on Saturday was one of the bloodiest for civilians since fighting began in October, killing 10 Syrian workers and their family members in what Israel said was a strike on a Hezbollah weapons depot in Nabatieh, south Lebanon. In response, Hezbollah launched a 55-missile barrage at the town of Ayelet HaShahar, in north Israel. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Legal loophole means there is no restriction on making sperm or eggs available for additional fertility treatments abroad

North Korean weaponry believed to have been used in Kyiv attack as Ukraine's incursion into Kursk continuesRussia has denied a report that Ukraine's attack on the Kursk region had derailed indirect talks with Kyiv on halting strikes on energy and power targets, saying there had been no talks with Kyiv about civilian infrastructure facilities.

Netflix's Boy Swallows Universe wins big at Australian television's biggest awards, as ceremony broadcaster Seven takes a battering from host Sam Pang

Celebrated actor and star of Plein Soleil and Le Samourai has died, his children have said

Abdullah tells why he likes living in the UK despite fears experienced during riots and after saving teenager and her motherTwo weeks ago Abdullah, a Pakistani-born man living in the UK, was watching the news in fear.Far-right riots had spread across the country, with mosques being attacked and hotels housing asylum seekers set alight. After a horrific knife attack on children in Southport, disinformation spread quickly on social media falsely claiming the perpetrator was a Muslim seeking asylum in the UK. Continue reading...

Main venue remains closed but Courtauld Gallery reopens having not been affected by Saturday's blazeParts of the Somerset House complex in central London remain open to the public despite 125 firefighters being required to tackle a blaze at the venue on Saturday.While the main venue is closed until further notice, the Courtauld Gallery - home toworks including Vincent van Gogh's 1889 self-portrait showing him with a bandaged ear - reopened on Sunday. Continue reading...

Blaze started in one gondola and spread to another at the Highfield festival near Leipzig on Saturday nightAt least 23 people were injured when two gondolas of a ferris wheel caught fire at a music festival near Leipzig in eastern Germany, the dpa news agency reported on Sunday.The fire started in one gondola and spread to a second on Saturday night, police said. Four people suffered burns and one suffered injuries from a fall. Others, including first responders and at least four police officers, were to be examined in the hospital for possible smoke inhalation. Continue reading...

Corleone's leaders say Salvuccio Riina's message tarnished efforts to free community from reputation linked to crimeA son of a notorious Cosa Nostra mafia boss has sparked fury in the Sicilian town of Corleone after writing a message on social media that was condemned as a vile attack" against the Italian state.On Ferragosto, a beloved national holiday in Italy marked on 15 August, Salvuccio" Giuseppe Salvatore Riina, one of the sons of Salvatore Toto" Riina, wished his social media followers a happy holiday" from via Scorsone 24, Corleone, Italy". Continue reading...

Ship from which sailor fell overboard finds him crying out for help in dead of night more than 100 miles off CyprusA sailor was rescued unharmed from the dark waters of the eastern Mediterranean early on Sunday nearly five hours after falling off a commercial ship.Cypriot authorities said the 24-year-old Lebanese national needed no medical attention after the Nivin, the Panamanian-flagged vehicles carrier from which he had fallen 18 metres (60ft) into the water, plucked him from the sea. Continue reading...

Elizabeth Van Der-Drift, 93, who had dementia, may have mistaken capsules for sweets due to their bright packaging, report foundA coroner has issued a warning after a 93-year-old woman with dementia died after eating toxic laundry capsules she may have mistaken for sweets because of their bright packaging.Elizabeth Van Der-Drift died from a combination of aspiration pneumonia, ingesting the laundry tablets, and dementia on 19 March this year. A carer told the inquest into her death that the capsules' packaging bore more than a passing resemblance to a bag of sweets", according to a prevention of future deaths report (PFD). Continue reading...

Higher tuition fees and lifting visa restrictions could help with funding crisis, says Office for Students chairThe head of the universities watchdog in England has said the golden age of higher education" could be over and all options should be on the table as the funding crisis facing the sector is significant".The Office for Students (OFS) interim chair, Sir David Behan, said increased tuition fees and lifting visa restrictions on international students could help revive embattled institutions. Continue reading...

The artist's subversive work draws crowds and criminals alike, and owning an original is fraught with logistical problemsThe picture of a pair of masked men in south London this month making off with a ladder and a satellite dish, newly decorated by Banksy, made one thing clear: people want Banksy's art and believe it is extremely valuable. The culprits in Peckham Rye were photographed and filmed in action, so took a big risk, and two arrests were made later that day.But if an original sprayed stencil appears overnight on the side of your home or business, it would pose problems. After all, Banksy's team issue no manual of instructions on how to protect and maintain the artworks. In fact, the artist is understood to feel that whatever happens to his subversive images is all part of the initial creative intervention. Continue reading...

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Queensland police say the man remained in his tinny after the whale hit him in waters near Coolangatta

Party threatens legal action against NSW electoral commission after requests for deadline extension rejected

Researchers have found the competitiveness of men living in mixed flats on UK campuses significantly decreasedLiving with female flatmates at university makes male students less macho", new research from Essex University and Australia's University of Technology Sydney has found.The study, which followed a cohort of students at a UK university living in campus halls of residence over a one-year period, revealed that men living in mixed flats with female flatmates exhibited a significant decrease in competitiveness. There was no effect on women. Continue reading...

Most think Labour handled unrest well and agree with pursuit of those inciting racial hatred onlineVoters have given broad approval to the government's handling of the social unrest that broke out this summer, including its pursuit of those inciting racial hatred and violence online, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.However, the significant boost Keir Starmer enjoyed in his personal approval ratings immediately after his election win has dissipated, falling back to the levels he recorded during the election campaign. Continue reading...