Investigation under way into cause of explosion at social housing complex in Sydney's west that left one woman dead

Jim Everett-puralia meenamatta refused to attend court on charges of trespassing over an anti-forestry protest

Real-terms funding per pupil at 2010 levels, teacher pay at 2001 levels, and building investment 25% below mid-2000sSpending on each schoolchild's education in England has suffered an unprecedented 14-year-freeze since the Conservatives came to power, according to Britain's leading economics thinktank.Funding per pupil is now at 2010 levels in real terms, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said in its latest analysis of school spending, while teacher pay was at about the same real-terms level as in 2001. Continue reading...

The leader of the Morena party could pass legislation and budgets unopposed through congress

Far-right conspiracy theorist, who was forced to pay $1.5bn in damages over false hoax claim, complains of unfair treatmentRelatives of the Sandy Hook elementary school victims who won more than $1.5bn against the far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over his false claim that the 2012 mass shooting was a hoax to force Americans to accept gun control are demanding his businesses be liquidated.In a letter to a bankruptcy court judge on Sunday, relatives of those killed in the shooting, which left 20 children and six educators dead, requested the rejection of Jones's petition to financially reorganize his company, which includes Infowars. Continue reading...

The former Ukip leader is standing in the election for Reform UK and has made some eye-catching claimsNigel Farage announced his decision to stand for parliament in a typically colourful speech in which made several eye-catching claims. How many of these were accurate? Continue reading...

Expected new indictment may connect the disappearance of two additional women to Rex HeuermannThe suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann will be charged with a fifth murder, multiple news reports say, after police conducted new searches on New York's Long Island over the past few weeks.The expected new indictment may connect the disappearance of two additional women to Heuermann as part of an investigation into the remains of 10 people who were found on or near Gilgo Beach on Long Island 14 years ago. Continue reading...

Campaigners say operation to bus undesirable' people out of city and wider Ile-de-France region has intensifiedThousands of homeless people have been removed from Paris and the surrounding area as part of a clean-up" operation ahead of the Olympic Games, campaigners say.Those moved on include asylum seekers, as well as families and children already in a precarious and vulnerable situation, the collective Le Revers de la Medaille, which represents 90 associations, said in a report released on Monday. Continue reading...

The 46-year-old man who was bitten at Del Mar City beach suffered significant but not life-threatening injuriesA swimmer was seriously injured in a shark attack on the southern California coast on Sunday, prompting temporary beach closures, authorities said.The attack happened on Sunday morning at Del Mar City beach in Del Mar, about 20 miles (32km) north of San Diego, local officials said. Continue reading...

Electricity substations shut down, flights suspended and parliament gates blocked in protest over minimum wageNigeria's main labour unions have shut down the national grid, disrupted airline operations and blocked the gates to parliament as they began an indefinite strike over the government's failure to agree a minimum wage.A minimum wage of N30,000 (15) a month, agreed in 2019, expired this April. The unions are asking for an increase to N494,000 (257). Continue reading...

Party will have to pick coalition partners and then try to reform itself in response to declining supportSouth Africa's ruling African National Congress party has lost its three-decade electoral majority in devastating fashion. As the former liberation movement faces the task of building a coalition government, it remains to be seen how it will respond to the message sent to it by voters.The ANC's vote share collapsed from 57.5% in 2019 to 40.2% in last week's elections, amid chronic unemployment, degraded public services and high rates of violent crime. Continue reading...

The bullet would have ended up in the victim's neck' if not for the chain necklace, Commerce City police saidThe life of a Colorado man was apparently saved when a bullet fired at his neck during an argument became lodged in his silver chain necklace.A news release from the Commerce City police department included a photograph of the mangled, blood-stained necklace the man was wearing. Continue reading...

Sources say Abbott, who deleted post about Starmer, will be approved as election candidate on TuesdayDiane Abbott will be reselected to fight her seat at a meeting of the Labour party's executive on Tuesday despite having suggested on social media that Keir Starmer was a liar, the Guardian understands.Abbott will be on the list of 650 candidates picked to fight the general election that is rubber-stamped by the national executive committee (NEC), sources said. Continue reading...

Conflict with Russia and Europe's ability to defend itself fuelling concerns across continent, candidates sayAsked how the Liberal Alliance chose to pursue a membership in the EPP, Dahl said to be quite honest, there is less wokeness in the EPP, and we are strongly against wokeness."We don't really mind other parties disagreeing with us on areas that are really not the jurisdiction of the EU," he added. Continue reading...

Law graduate's murder by Jordan McSweeney in 2022 highlights crumbling justice system', jury hearsThe family of Zara Aleena, who was sexually assaulted and murdered in east London while walking home after a night out, has been tortured" by thoughts her death was preventable - and that a crumbling justice system" contributed to it.As a jury-led inquest into the death of the 35-year-old law graduate opened at Walthamstow coroner's court on Monday, her aunt Farah Naz read a statement saying: Since her death we have been campaigning so that our daughters, sisters, friends can be safe and protected as Zara never was. This is Zara's legacy." Continue reading...

Three men charged after five coffins inscribed with French soldiers in the Ukraine' were left at tower

Chinese fast-fashion retailer close to filing prospectus for IPO in boost for London Stock Exchange, say reports

Boundary changes mean the 2024 British general election will be fought in altered seats. Enter your postcode to see a map of your constituency and how these seats would have voted in 2019

Texas representative says treatment may require her to be occasionally absent' from Capitol HillDemocratic US congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee revealed that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and said her treatment may require her to be occasionally absent" from Capitol Hill.In a prepared statement published on X on Sunday that alluded to her Christian religious beliefs, the 74-year-old Texas representative acknowledged that the road ahead will not be easy" yet added: I stand in faith that God will strengthen me." Continue reading...

Julianne Stewart has secured two-year contract despite agency employing 200 media and communication staff

Former NSW One Nation leader said he would strenuously defend' explicit tweet describing a sex act that MP claims was defamatory, court documents reveal

Tia Cameron died after a bus mounted a kerb and pinned her against a wall during peak hour on 8 March

Foreign minister also accuses the Greens of involvement in violent and aggressive protests' in Senate estimates

Properties will require air conditioning, external door seals and ceiling insulation under proposed new standards

Decision finds in favour of journalist who was sacked from casual presenting role on Sydney radio program

UN says aid shipments fell by two-thirds during May but number of trucks entering Gaza roseAid shipments into southern Gaza are being squeezed out by commercial convoys, humanitarian organisations say, at a time when Israel's military push into Rafah has choked off supply routes critical to feeding hundreds of thousands of people.Deliveries of food, medicine and other aid into Gaza fell by two-thirds after Israel began its ground operation on 7 May, UN figures show. But overall the number of trucks entering Gaza rose in May compared with April, according to Israeli officials. Continue reading...

Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, David Carneckij, 28, and boy, 16, accused of going on Wembley pitch during matchThree people have been charged with invading the pitch during the Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday, the Metropolitan police said.Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, David Carneckij, 28, and a 16-year-old boy are accused of going on to the playing area at a football match contrary to section 4 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991. Continue reading...

Leader launches party's election campaign as polling suggests it will pay high price for recent woesJohn Swinney has described July's general election as the biggest challenge the SNP has had for years" as he used his party's official campaign launch to repeatedly attack Labour, which is threatening the nationalists in dozens of seats across Scotland.Swinney, who told the rally of more than 200 activists and former MPs in Glasgow that it was a surprise" to be leading the SNP into an election campaign, added that voters are right to remind us never to take anything for granted". Continue reading...

Party veteran says she has never been offered Lords seat and would not accept if offeredDiane Abbott has said she intends to run and win" for Labour in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, days before a meeting of the party's executive is expected to rubber-stamp her candidacy.Keir Starmer said last week that Abbott was free to stand" as a Labour candidate after regaining the whip after a long suspension. It followed days of speculation that Abbot would be blocked from standing, culminating in her accusing Labour of carrying out a cull of leftwingers". Continue reading...

Letter signatories from Steve Coogan to Paloma Faith urge Keir Starmer to take stand' for human rights and international lawActors including Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes and Juliet Stevenson have joined forces with musicians, writers and directors in calling on Keir Starmer to halt arm sales to Israel if elected prime minister.The singer Paloma Faith, the film-maker Mike Leigh and the author Michael Rosen are among the more than 100 celebrities who have signed a joint letter, coordinated by Artists for Palestine UK, that urges the Labour leader to take a stand against the ongoing atrocities committed by Israel" in Gaza. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leaked internal documents show Pravfond has spent millions of euros to finance propaganda and legal campaignsLeaked internal documents have exposed the activities of a Russian state-backed legal defence foundation that European intelligence agencies and analysts say is in fact a Kremlin influence operation active in 48 countries across Europe and around the world.Internal documents from the Fund for Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad (Pravfond) indicate that the foundation finances propaganda websites targeted at Europeans, helped pay for the legal defence of the convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout and the assassin Vadim Krasikov, and has employed a number of former intelligence officers as the directors of its operations in European countries. Continue reading...

Shadow home secretary stops short of setting target, saying Conservatives have failed when they have done soYvette Cooper has said she expects net migration to the Uk to fall swiftly" under a Labour government, but refused to say by how much.The shadow home secretary told broadcasters on Sunday that it was clear net immigration must come down. She stopped short of setting a target, however, saying the Conservatives had failed when they had done so. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Experts raise alarm over national scandal' that has hallmarks of trafficking and modern slavery

Complaints made over slogans Labour for Largan' and Reform for Robert' and use of other parties' colours

Andrew Giles says tribunal did not apply common sense' when assessing visa cancellations - but sometimes common sense requires clear direction

Exclusive: Legal challenge discloses number of non-citizens already released by ministerial discretion higher than first thought

New leader tells activists in Glasgow that they must demonstrate the relevance' of independence to the cost of living crisisSign up for our Election Edition newsletterPlaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has said Keir Starmer wants to act as the puppet master within all of the Labour party" through his parachuting of candidates last minute to Wales".He told Sky News's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme that his party would support a no-confidence motion in Welsh first minister Vaughan Gething next week. Plaid Cymru ended its cooperation agreement with the Labour-led government in Wales last month.We have no confidence in the first minister. More importantly than that, the Welsh public don't have confidence in him. But it's Labour who will decide - Labour members of the Senedd in that vote of no confidence, but crucially also Keir Starmer, who has shown through his parachuting of candidates last minute to Wales that he very much wants to act as the puppet master within all of the Labour party. Continue reading...

Story of fish discovered and rescued by cardiologist in Newcastle grips millions on social mediaHow did a live goldfish come to be found on a Newcastle lawn? It is hardly the mystery of the century but it has confounded social media users ever since Ben Beska, a junior doctor, posted on X, formerly Twitter, about his unlikely animal rescue.Beska was alerted to the aquatic animal after spotting magpies squawking over something in his garden. Continue reading...

Thinktank says 1 lost in every 13 basic payment to repay debts to private landlords and utility firms and correct tax office errorsHalf of those on universal credit are losing money on every payment because of automatic deductions by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), according to research.Claimants are losing 1 in every 13 of basic payment to repay debts to private landlords and utility companies and correct mistakes made by the tax office, said the New Economics Foundation (NEF), a left-leaning thinktank. Each household with money deducted lost an average of 63 a month. This amounted to a total loss of 1.3bn from benefits support in 2022-23, NEF found through a series of parliamentary questions. Continue reading...

Dong Jun rails at length about democratic island's separatists' during Shangri-La Dialogue defence conference in SingaporeThe Chinese defence minister, Dong Jun, has warned that anyone who dares pursue independence for Taiwan will be crushed to pieces" and face destruction", as he accused external forces of dragging the island into a dangerous situation".In a speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's biggest defence summit, Dong said Beijing was committed to peaceful unification" with Taiwan, but that it was prepared for all kinds of extreme situations" and that any attempts to seek independence would be futile. Continue reading...

In mirror world', Trump is martyr and Biden is autocrat, as calls for violence erupt on internet after ex-president's convictionThe posts are ominous.Pick a side, or YOU are next," wrote conservative talkshow host Dan Bongino on the Truth Social media platform in the aftermath of former president Donald Trump's 34 felony convictions. Continue reading...

Premier Roger Cook said the update was part of a wider plan to toughen the state's firearm laws

City saw 143mm of rain on first day of winter - more than the June average of 132mm

Keir Starmer launched his campaign bus on Saturday with his senior shadow cabinet members, but Tory big beasts' appeared to have deserted the PM in RedcarWe may be in an era when elections are fought with TikTok memes and Instagram reels, but one thing has stubbornly refused to give way in the digital age: the good old battle of the campaign buses. On Saturday, Rishi Sunak unveiled the Conservatives' bus that will tour the country during the 2024 election, emblazoned with the slogan: Clear plan. Bold action. Secure future."It is - arguably - a slightly snappier version of John Major's bus in 1997, which bore the words: You can only be sure with the Conservatives." Continue reading...

Arrival of Israeli troops in the southern border town has choked aid supplies, as hunger deepens in southern GazaFayiz Abu Ataya was born into war and knew nothing else. Over his first and only spring, in a town stalked by hunger, he wasted away to a shadow of a child, skin stretched painfully over jutting bones.In seven months of life, he had little time to make a mark beyond the family who loved him. But when his death from malnutrition was reported last week, it sounded a warning around the world about a rapidly deepening crisis in central and southern Gaza, triggered by the Israeli military operation in the southern town of Rafah. Continue reading...

Even her toughest opponents admit she's played it cleverly. Yet the long-term aims of Italy's prime minister remain unclearWhen she became Italy's prime minister in October 2022, Giorgia Meloni looked like Brussels' worst nightmare. Until then, the fiery leader of the Brothers of Italy - a party with neofascist roots - had seemed anything but EU-friendly.For years, railing against the bloc had been Meloni's stock in trade: the euro amounted to enslavement, the European Commission was effectively a loan shark. Bring down this EU!" she urged the 2019 conservative CPAC conference in the US. Continue reading...

Federal cabinet minister Murray Watt also claims Labor has deported more criminals in its first year than under Peter Dutton's reign

Last week's conviction of dissidents came in the biggest case since introduction of a new national security lawThe verdict wasn't surprising but outside room no 2 of the West Kowloon courthouse, people still wept. The panel of Hong Kong national security judges had set down two days for the hearing but dispensed with the core business in about 15 minutes. In the city's largest ever national security trial - involving the prosecution of pro-democracy campaigners and activists from a group known as the Hong Kong 47" - almost all the defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion.Their crime was trying to win an election, holding unofficial primaries in 2020 attended by an estimated 600,000 residents. Continue reading...

Myra Coutinho-Lopez, 82, who had dementia became confused at bank counter, leading to altercation with Courtney Richman, 26A 26-year-old woman who killed an elderly pensioner with dementia during a row over a long queue at a bank has been given a suspended sentence.Courtney Richman had been waiting behind 82-year-old Myra Coutinho-Lopez when the argument began on 6 December 2021 at a branch in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, a court heard. Continue reading...

The US president's announcement on Friday suggested a ceasefire might be close, but Benjamin Netanyahu's rebuke was swift and decisiveThe latest peace plan for Gaza was given a launch worthy of a historic turning point, with the US president delivering remarks directly to camera from the White House state dining room, declaring it finally time for this war to end".Yet even as Joe Biden spelled out the proposal - leading in theory to a permanent end to hostilities, large-scale food deliveries and the start of reconstruction, there was clearly something awry. Continue reading...