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Upgraded Triton Island outpost in the Paracel archipelago expands China's surveillance capabilities in the regionThe Chinese military is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on a disputed reef in the South China Sea that would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities in the region, satellite imagery suggests.Analysis by Chatham House suggests China is upgrading its outpost on Triton Island, on the south-west corner of the Paracel archipelago, building what may be a launching point for an anti-ship missile battery, as well as the sophisticated radar system. Continue reading...

About 200,000 e-cigarettes found in Box Hill South after officers were told of reported burglary on Thursday

Keir Starmer to announce expansion in region that will also include business club to increase economic tiesThe UK will increase its military and economic presence in the Indo-Pacific to support regional stability, Keir Starmer will announce on Saturday.In an effort to counter China's influence, ministers will expand the Royal Navy's presence in the region and carry out more joint patrols with Pacific island nations. Continue reading...

Exclusive: move will cap amount that can be deducted from benefit payments to repay short-term loans and debtsMore than 1m of the UK's poorest households will be 420 a year better off on average as a result of a change to universal credit set to be announced in next week's budget.The measure is intended to primarily help the worst-off families, and will be seen as a way for ministers to head off criticism over decisions to cut winter fuel allowance for most pensioners and maintain the two-child benefit cap. Continue reading...

Since 2017 in NSW, 120 officers have been charged with domestic violence offences. But advocates believe many victims are too scared to report

VP party holds Maduro regime responsible for death of Edwin Santos who had been picked up by security officialsA major Venezuelan opposition party has said that one of its activists was murdered this week after being detained by security officials in the western state of Apure.Edwin Santos was murdered after being abducted by members of the state security forces" on Wednesday, Voluntad Popular (VP) party said, blaming the iron-fisted regime of the leftwing president, Nicolas Maduro. Continue reading...

Suspect is being held on suspicion of attempted murder after incident in DagenhamA man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman and two girls were stabbed in east London, police said.Police were called to reports of a stabbing in Dagenham at about 5.30pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Employees outraged at chicken-shit' move that breaks 30-year precedent, alleging Jeff Bezos quashed Harris supportThere was uproar and outrage among the Washington Post's current and former staffers and other notable figures in the world of American media after the newspaper's leaders on Friday chose to not endorse any candidate in the US presidential election.The newspaper's publisher, Will Lewis, announced on Friday that for the first time in over 30 years, the paper's editorial board would not be endorsing a candidate in this year's presidential election, nor in future presidential elections. Continue reading...

The musician was a founding member of the influential band and died surrounded by his family and full of love'Phil Lesh, the influential bassist of the Grateful Dead who powered many of the jam band's touring incarnations after the 1995 death of Jerry Garcia, has died. He was 84.Lesh's death was announced on his Instagram page. Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning," the caption reads. He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We request that you respect the Lesh family's privacy at this time." Continue reading...

Newspaper condemned for chicken-shit' decision on White House race as staffers say they are deeply concerned'

TV presenter praises and thanks staff at Birmingham women's hospital for exceptional' care his partner receivedThe comedian Joe Lycett has announced he has become a father to a baby boy.Lycett, 36, shared a picture on Instagram of him holding the infant, whom he said was born at Birmingham women's hospital. Continue reading...

Election workers contacted the district attorney's office after noticing several suspicious applicationsOfficials in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, are investigating about 2,500 voter registrations after election workers discovered signs that they may be fraudulent.The registrations under investigation were dropped off in two batches just before Pennsylvania's voter-registration deadline on Monday. Election workers contacted the district attorney's office after they noticed several suspicious applications that contained the same handwriting, signatures for voters that didn't match what was on file, and inaccurate personal identifier information, including names, addresses, social security and driver's license numbers, said Heather Adams, the district attorney, during a press conference on Friday. Continue reading...

Sister tells investigators Seattle boy, 15, accused of shooting parents and three siblings was in trouble for failing testsA 15-year-old boy accused of killing his parents and three of his siblings this week east of Seattle tried to pin the deaths on his younger brother, but a sister who survived after playing dead escaped to a neighbor's house and told police who really carried out the shootings, authorities said in a court document made public on Thursday.The boy was charged on Thursday in juvenile court with five counts of aggravated murder. Under Washington state law, a hearing is required before the case can be moved into adult court. Continue reading...

No 10 says issue is off the table for Commonwealth summit but other nations are prepared to defy UKLabour MPs have urged Keir Starmer to clarify his government's position on non-cash reparations for Britain's historical role in the slave trade, as No 10 says the issue is off the table.In the run-up to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), the government said it would not be issuing an official state apology. Continue reading...

Boyband also have three songs in Top 40 singles chart, including two in the Top 10, after singer's death last week Liam Payne of One Direction - a life in picturesThe whole of One Direction's five-album back catalogue has charted in this week's Top 40, as fans revisit their songs in the wake of Liam Payne's death.Midnight Memories from 2013 charted the highest at No 13, with Four at 22, Take Me Home at 25 and debut album Up All Night at 38. Continue reading...

Exclusive: MoJ attempts to fight back against brazen deliveries that often include household items like ketchup alongside drugsThe number of drones seen carrying drugs into prisons soared to more than 1,000 last year as police waged a constant battle" against gangs flying in cocaine and cannabis from miles away.Official figures reveal the number of drone incidents at prisons in England and Wales has risen almost tenfold since 2020, climbing to 1,063 incursions last year. Continue reading...

Neal's Yard Dairy delivered 22 tonnes of artisan cheddar after scammer posed as distributor for French retailerArtisan cheesemakers have been dealt a blow by fraudsters who stole more than 300,000 worth of award-winning clothbound cheddar in a sophisticated scam.Neal's Yard Dairy, a distributor and retailer of British artisan cheese, is working with UK and international law enforcement agencies to try to identify the scam's perpetrators. Continue reading...

Artwork satirically commemorates people who broke in to the Capitol and defecated on the House speaker's deskA new temporary bronze installation depicting a pile of feces on Nancy Pelosi's desk was erected in Washington DC this week across from the US Capitol, appearing to satirically honor" the people behind the January 6 insurrection.The scatological statue, which was installed on Thursday, features a swirl somewhat resembling the common poop" emoji sitting on a desk with Pelosi's name. Continue reading...

Jaskirat Kaur stabbed 10-year-old Shay Kang 11 times because she believed they were targeted by tech and lasers'A woman who stabbed her sleeping daughter 11 times in the chest because she believed they were being targeted by tech and lasers" has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.Jaskirat Kaur, 33, called 999 hours after she had killed 10-year-old Shay Kang with a Swiss army knife at their home in Rowley Regis, West Midlands, in March. Continue reading...

Far-right activist has been charged with failing to provide the pin to his mobile phone over an incident earlier this year in FolkestoneDowning Street is blocking moves to include a ban on smoking outdoors in the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes bill amid fierce opposition by the hospitality trade.No 10 officials privately believe that banning people from lighting up in pub gardens is an unserious" policy and is not backed by good evidence showing that it harms non-smokers. Continue reading...

Government scrambles to address challenging' situation after Ecctis Ltd passed fees on with no legal authority

Trade body Energy UK also estimates total energy cost of leaving bloc could reach 10bn by end of decadeBrexit has added up to 370m a year to the price of power supplies from Europe, according to industry representatives who calculate that the total energy costs of leaving the EU could amount to 10bn by the end of the decade.Energy UK, the sector's trade body, has called on Keir Starmer to negotiate a closer trading relationship with the bloc as part of the reset" he is seeking with Brussels. Continue reading...

Fresh funds are liquidity bridge' to stabilise firm and give it time to secure long-term investment, says bossThames Water is racing to secure a 3bn lifeline as the struggling water company battles for financial survival.The fresh funds are meant to act as liquidity bridge" to stabilise the business" and give it time to secure long-term investment, its chief executive, Chris Weston, said on Friday. It will further balloon its operating company's debt pile, taking it to 17.9bn by March next year, Alastair Cochran, Thames's chief financial officer, said. Continue reading...

Concerns from party that significant cuts to key departments will set damaging tone for new governmentWhen Rachel Reeves stands up in the Commons on Wednesday, her budget will end months of speculation, allowing the government to fully set out what it stands for. And that, some Labour MPs fear, might herald a whole new set of problems.For all the expectation management about a disastrous economic inheritance and the fabled 22bn fiscal black hole, the sheer lack of money and tight constraints over tax rises mean that however well Reeves presents her choices, many of them will be painful. Continue reading...

Brandon Woolveridge was let out of prison under the government's early release schemeA man who was let out of prison under the government's early release scheme, after being jailed for blackmailing people over their missing pets, went on to blackmail one of his previous victims within a fortnight of being freed.Brandon Woolveridge, 25, had been jailed for 42 months at Preston crown court in October last year. On Friday, he was jailed for 27 months at the same court for what judge Heather Lloyd described as offence with an identical modus operandi". Continue reading...

Appeal court rules unlawful force used on Edwin Afriyie, who was standing with arms folded during road stopA black youth worker who was Tasered while standing with his arms folded during a road stop has won an appeal for damages from City of London police.The appeal court ruled that the police used unlawful force against Edwin Afriyie, 38, after he was pulled over in the City while driving home from a party in 2018. Continue reading...

Starmer says new low-tax zones, a policy inherited from the Tories, will have this government's stamp on them'Downing Street will announce five new freeports in next week's budget as part of its effort to drive economic growth.Ministers will set out plans to establish five new low-tax zones, plus an investment zone in the East Midlands, where businesses will benefit from tax breaks such as lower tariffs and customs. Continue reading...

Plus: Trump alleges foreign interference in the election while an Aussie hiker gives us all something to smile aboutFriends in New York with non-American accents are careful not to go canvassing in swing states (or anywhere else). Stuffing envelopes is one thing. But the assumption among those in the US with non-American backgrounds is that, to a person in Pennsylvania or Arizona, the single thing more annoying than having a canvasser at your door, is having a canvasser with a British, Australian or Canadian accent telling you who they think you should vote for. Continue reading...

Low-income writers and those without space to work will be prioritised under the RSL's new Scriptorium awards, with 10 people a year allowed to stay for up to a monthOn the wall of a Ramsgate house owned by Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo hangs a large-scale cover of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own. It might just as well read A Cottage of One's Own", as that is precisely what the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) president is offering: writers will be able to stay in the property for free.I bought this cottage as my pension, and I decided that I could put it to use as a writer's retreat," Evaristo says. The choice was in part motivated by her own experience - for many years I didn't have my own home, I led a very peripatetic lifestyle, and I didn't earn much money from my writing." Continue reading...

Court finds Fairvale high school failed duty of care in case of 14-year-old boy who was assaulted in 2017

Shareholders and property owners who also work not within PM's definition of working people'Keir Starmer has hinted at tax rises for those who earn their income from shares and property, saying that they did not fit his definition of working people".Ministers are expected to announce increases in inheritance tax and capital gains tax (CGT) in the budget next week. Continue reading...

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UK market rose to all-time high of 12.4bn last year, with NHS paying for nearly 3.5bn of procedures to ease backlogThe value of the UK's private healthcare market rose to a record 12.4bn last year as long NHS waiting lists fuelled demand from individuals and the health service paid for nearly 3.5bn of procedures to help ease the care backlog.As private medical insurance boomed, total revenues generated in the independent healthcare sector hit an all-time high in real terms pegged to 2003 prices, research revealed. Continue reading...

East Riding council promised to store Robert Bracewell's possessions after his disappearance, but disposed of themA council destroyed the belongings of a tenant who went missing, after banning his family from entering his flat.Robert Bracegirdle, 75, disappeared from his home in Goole in 2020 after struggling with mental health issues. A police search failed to find him and a coroner later ruled that he had died by drowning in the nearby River Ouse. Continue reading...

Traditional Britain Group's London conference includes speaker from Germany's AfD party and far-right activistsA group that emerged out of a faction of the Conservative party has become a forum for Britain's splintered far right.A private conference hosted earlier this month by the Traditional Britain Group (TBG) was attended by figures from the Homeland party, an extreme nationalist group, as well as rivals from other groups such as Patriotic Alternative. Continue reading...

US only nation likely to be able to persuade Netanyahu to drop plan condemned by 123 member statesWorsening relations between the United Nations and Israel appear to have reached a nadir with the imminent passage of a bill in the Israeli Knesset designed to make it impossible for the UN relief and works agency for Palestinians (Unrwa) to operate in Gaza and West Bank.Unrwa has long been a target of Israel, predating its claims that up to 12 members of the group's staff took part in the 7 October attacks , but the move to ban the agency altogether signals a fresh polarisation that may take years to reverse. Continue reading...

Opposition leader adds caveat to campaign vow on eve of Queensland election day as polls tighten

The man had pleaded not guilty to nine charges alleged to have occurred over a six-year period against five women on separate occasions

French-born goalkeeping coach Sebastien Bechaud to spend at least 20 months behind bars over 2021 assault

Some leaders had hoped Charles might use his speech at Chogm in Samoa as an opportunity to apologise for Britain's colonial pastKing Charles acknowledged painful aspects" of Britain's past while sidestepping calls to directly address reparations for slavery at the summit of Commonwealth leaders, saying none of us can change the past, but we can commit ... to learning its lessons".Charles was speaking to leaders representing 56 Commonwealth nations at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in the Pacific nation of Samoa, his first time attending the summit since taking the throne. In his speech, the king also addressed the climate crisis, development challenges and paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth. Continue reading...

Appen says nearly one-third of the company's contractors were left without pay on time as a result of issue with payment processing integration

In a visit to the region, secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US was working to progress ceasefire talks for Gaza and LebanonIsraeli strikes hit Beirut on Thursday evening, after the US warned against Israel being led into a protracted" campaign in Lebanon and efforts got under way to hold renewed talks over a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.Lebanese state media said several strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, about half an hour after Israel issued evacuation warnings for the Hezbollah bastion after intense strikes the night before. Continue reading...

Police say the vehicle veered off the Princes Highway and crashed into home near Warrnambool on Friday morning

This blog has now closed. You can read our full coverage of the continuing conflict in the region here.Warning sirens have again sounded in northern Israel.Lebanon's National News Agency reports that later today India will deliver 33 tons of medical aid to Lebanon. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Government spooked' by warnings of job losses and pub closures if it added ban to tobacco and vapes billDowning Street is blocking moves to include a ban on smoking outdoors in the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes bill amid fierce opposition by the hospitality trade.No 10 officials privately believe that banning people from lighting up in pub gardens is an unserious" policy and is not backed by good evidence showing that it harms non-smokers. Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves to encourage import of raw materials from Commonwealth countries to counter China's grip on marketBusinesses that import critical minerals to the UK will be given access to state-backed loans in a move to counter China's dominance in the market.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to announce extra government support to encourage the import of critical minerals such as lithium, graphite and cobalt in her budget next week. Companies that bring supplies of critical minerals into the UK will be able to access state-backed loans under the UK export finance mechanism. Continue reading...

Watchdog found 40% rise in alleged bad behaviour, including sexual harassment and bullying, last yearCity firms are only rarely docking pay and bonuses in cases of bad behaviour including sexual harassment, bullying and drug use, according to the industry's watchdog, which recorded a 40% rise in complaints about non-financial misconduct last year.The findings are the result of the City regulator's first survey looking at the issue, which was launched in the wake of high-profile allegations of sexual harassment, including those against individuals at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) lobby group. Continue reading...

Premier Chris Minns praises changes to laws, which require landlords to give reasonable reasons to end lease and make it easier for tenants to keep pets

Prime minister trying to secure tournament's future at Commonwealth summit in SamoaKeir Starmer will try to find a host country for the 2030 Commonwealth Games this week as ministers try to shore up the tournament's future.The prime minister's spokesperson said Starmer wanted to see a successful Commonwealth Games from 2030" and would spend time at this week talking to partners about who may be interested in taking that forward". Continue reading...

Special investigation unit seized hard drives and camera footage on orders from the public prosecutor's officeArgentinian police have raided the Buenos Aires hotel where ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne stayed before dying last week after falling from a third-floor balcony.A police special investigations unit went to the Casa Sur hotel late on Wednesday on orders from the public prosecutor's office. Officers seized items including computer hard drives and footage from hotel cameras, said a government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Continue reading...