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Vanessa Hudson and Transport Workers' Union national secretary Michael Kaine to attend proceedings as penalties expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars

Supreme court says there's reasonable possibility the child, then aged 13, didn't know his conduct was seriously wrong'A Victorian judge has ruled a boy, who was aged 13 when Melbourne teenager Declan Cutler was killed, is too young to be held criminally responsible for his murder.The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced a judge-alone trial in July after he was identified as one of eight boys who attacked and killed 16-year-old Declan as he left a birthday party last year. Continue reading...

Dozens of blazes in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania as extreme heatwave moves north

Assistant competition minister highlights risk of deepfake videos and voice clones in speech

Forms have been sent out requiring names, positions, residential addresses and identity document numbers of locally employed staffChina has given foreign consulates in Hong Kong a month to submit the names, home addresses and job descriptions of their local staff, according to diplomatic sources and documents seen by several media outlets on Tuesday.The documents include a letter in English and Chinese bearing Monday's date from Beijing's Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (OCMFA), as well as two forms for consulates to fill in with their local staff details. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Some companies say restrictions have been placed to stop customers exploiting' offers

A fetus will now be referred to as an unborn child' on a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitutionIn this year's only opportunity for US voters to directly weigh in on the right to abortion, an upcoming ballot referendum in Ohio will include language that describes a fetus as an unborn child", in a disappointing loss for abortion rights activists in the state who had sued to stop voters from seeing language they say is misleading.Ohioans are set to vote on 7 November on a referendum to enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution. The outcome of the vote could not only determine the future of Ohio's six-week abortion ban, which is currently frozen pending litigation, but also for the midwest writ large. The state has become one of the few in the region to still permit abortions since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last year. Continue reading...

Researchers say discovery of trigger' that caused diamonds to rise closer to earth's surface could help efforts to find more of the rare and valuable stonesScientists said on Tuesday they have found the missing ingredient" for pink diamonds - some of the world's most expensive stones due their rarity and beauty - and the discovery could help find more.More than 90% of all the pink diamonds ever found were discovered at the recently closed Argyle mine in the remote north-west of Australia. Continue reading...

Lawyer for the accused did not reveal in Toowoomba court if he still plans to seek a suppression order ahead of Queensland law change

Research claims children whose fathers read and play with them see a small but significant' increase in their educational attainmentChildren whose fathers read, play, sing and draw with them show a small but significant" increase in their educational attainment at primary school, according to research that suggests just 10 minutes a day could make a difference.While it has long been recognised that parental engagement is critical for a child's education and development, a study led by the University of Leeds claims fathers have a unique and important effect" on children's educational outcomes. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president addresses UN summit; Biden warns against allowing Russia to brutalize' Ukraine without consequences

Moradian was shot dead in an underground carpark in Bondi Junction in June

Trump tell-all author returns with tale of Fox News strife which also includes prediction Ron DeSantis will be Republican nomineeIn winter 2022, at a hideaway in St Barts, Rupert Murdoch directed sudden fury" at Donald Trump, who he thought would lose the 2024 Republican presidential primary to Ron DeSantis, but who the media mogul also said was likely to cost him fifty million dollars", through a lawsuit regarding Trump's lies about the 2020 election.The lawsuit was filed by Dominion Voting Systems, over Fox News's broadcast of Trump's lies. Settled this April, it cost Murdoch considerably more than he predicted: $787.5m, to be precise. Continue reading...

BMA also offers to take non-pay investments into account to reach agreement - but No 10 insists pay talks will not be reopenedHospital consultants in England have offered to call off their strikes if they receive a pay rise of about 12% this year - double the increase that ministers insist is their final offer.Their proposal, and the disclosure of recent constructive" conversations with the government, appear to be a conciliatory move by the British Medical Association (BMA) to end their pay dispute. Continue reading...

Inspector reveals home secretary's decision as Brook House inquiry finds evidence of verbal and physical abuse

Campaigners reject justification that significant progress' has been made towards reform and describe news as insultingThe Home Office team that was tasked with transforming the department after the Windrush scandal has been formally disbanded, triggering disappointment from those affected and dismay from civil servants.The Home Office's annual report confirmed that the department's dedicated post-Windrush transformation" team had been wound down due to the significant progress we have made". Continue reading...

With 26 English local authorities at risk of following Birmingham in next two years, a longer-term view is neededIn Michael Gove's otherwise sombre speech to parliament on Tuesday announcing a team of commissioners to run the cash-strapped Labour-run Birmingham council, the communities secretary could not resist a swipe at his political opponents.I think it important for us to recognise that the intervention in Birmingham, and our [previous] interventions in Sandwell and Liverpool, have all been interventions in Labour-led local authorities in which comprehensive mismanagement extended back over years," he said. Continue reading...

MP says investigation sparked by a letter to the Observer seen as arguing there is a hierarchy of racism is being run out of party HQDiane Abbott has accused Labour of leading a fraudulent" investigation into her comments about racism that left her suspended from the party.Abbott, who became the UK's first black female MP in 1987, has claimed the party's whips office is no longer conducting a formal investigation. Instead, she claims the internal inquiry is now run entirely out of the Labour party HQ, which reports to Keir Starmer - and there is no investigation". Continue reading...

Letter, spearheaded by Reading Rainbow's LeVar Burton, includes 175 signatories calling on Hollywood to fight bans in US schoolsAriana Grande, Guillermo del Toro, Mark Ruffalo and Amanda Gorman are among the over 175 actors, entertainers, authors, activists and others who have signed an open letter calling on Hollywood to use their influence to oppose book bans.The letter, spearheaded by Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton and published via the political advocacy organization MoveOn Political Action, calls out books bans in US schools as restrictive behavior" that is antithetical to free speech and expression". It also emphasizes the chilling effect" the bans, often implemented at the local level, can have on the broader creative field". Continue reading...

Khalistani groups who want independence of Punjab accuse India of killings in UK and elsewhere

Full inquiry under way at broadcaster into comedian's time there as it removes all his shows from catch-up serviceThe BBC has pledged to investigate whether Russell Brand used the broadcaster's taxis to pick up a 16-year-old girl from school, as it removed all of the comedian's shows from its catch-up services.Brand, then 31, has been accused of using cars paid for by his then-employers at the BBC to drive his young girlfriend around London. Continue reading...

NAO says Cabinet Office failed to follow proper processes when taxpayers' money was used to fund legal billsThe Cabinet Office failed to follow proper processes when it allowed taxpayers' money to be used to fund Boris Johnson's Partygate legal bills, the UK's public spending watchdog has said.The government's justifications for the 265,000 spend were also deemed to be borderline" and not wholly persuasive" by the National Audit Office (NAO). Continue reading...

Lloyd Austin urges allies to donate whatever air defence munitions they can

Liberty warns decision to prosecute Trudi Warner, 68, for contempt of court after protest outside London court was concerning'Civil liberty campaigners have warned that the prosecution of a woman for holding up a placard about the rights of jurors outside a court is part of the government's increasing attacks on the right to protest.Liberty said the decision to prosecute Trudi Warner, 68, for contempt of court for sitting outside a London trial holding up a sign was concerning". Continue reading...

Lawsuit is the company's first legal pursuit against Bankman-Fried's parents for their role in the companyFTX is suing the parents of Sam Bankman-Fried, two longtime Stanford Law School professors, alleging that the couple inappropriately used company funds to enrich themselves through gifts and donations.The cryptocurrency company, now operating under CEO John Jay Ray III, an expert in helping companies recover after bankruptcy, claims Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried received funds from their son's company in the form of gifts and donations to specific causes. Continue reading...

An unattended pastry truck was irresistible to a bear mom and her cub, who gorged on doughnuts before being chased awayTwo bears on an Alaska military base raided a Krispy Kreme doughnut van that was stopped outside a convenience store during its delivery route.The driver usually left his doors open when he stopped at the store but this time a sow and one of her cubs that loitered nearby sauntered inside, where they stayed for probably 20 minutes on Tuesday morning, said Shelly Deano, the store manager for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson JMM Express. The bears chomped on doughnut holes and other pastries, ignoring the banging on the side of the van that was intended to shoo them away, Deano said. Continue reading...

US secretary of state announced the formation of an international coalition to address crisis that has an immeasurable cost'US diplomats at the UN general assembly in New York have unveiled steps aimed at tackling the proliferation of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs which the American secretary of state, Antony Blinken, described as a global threat".At a meeting on Monday, the most senior US diplomat announced the formation of an international coalition to address the crisis, saying that the US may have been to some extent a canary in the coalmine when it comes to fentanyl, but alas, we are not alone". Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak's government seen as less competent that Boris Johnson's administrationThe UK economy is set to witness the highest inflation rate of the world's G7 advanced economies this year, according to new forecasts, PA Media reports. PA says:The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also increased its predicted average UK inflation rate for 2023 compared with its previous estimate.Economists at the globally recognised organisation also reduced their UK growth forecast slightly for next year amid pressure from higher interest rates. Continue reading...

Rise in delivery and processing costs combined with increased use of free returns service has led to 1.99 chargeThe Swedish fast fashion chain H&M has become the latest in its sector to start charging shoppers to return unwanted items bought online.The group, the world's second-largest clothing retailer after Zara-owner Inditex, will charge 1.99 to take back items that are not damaged or faulty - either in stores or via the post. Continue reading...

DfE says number where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete has been found has risen from 147 to 174

As Birmingham is placed in special measures the council reviews assets such as its library and stadiumAs government commissioners are sent to run Birmingham city council as it embarks on the challenge of pulling itself back from the financial brink, speculation is growing about which council assets could be at risk.Back in 2015 the local authority sold the NEC Group, which includes the National Exhibition Centre, International Convention Centre, Utilita and Resorts World Arena, for 307m to help fund its equal pay claim bill, which has only continued to rise since. Continue reading...

Evidence collected by New York Times suggests Russia may not have been responsible for strike

Virginia McCullough remanded in custody until plea hearing on 1 DecemberA woman has appeared in court accused of murdering her parents whose remains are believed to have been found at her house in Essex, police have said.Virginia McCullough, 35, appeared by prison video link at Basildon crown court charged with the murders of John and Lois McCullough, who were in their 70s. Continue reading...

Report identifies toxic culture' and breaches of human rights laws relating to torture and inhuman treatment

Watchdog launched inquiry after row over Coutts's handling of Nigel Farage's account

Emergency services called after Toyota Corolla smashes into Coles in Ballina and allegedly strikes woman

More than 1,800 cases of people criminalized for their pregnancies between Roe's emergence in 1973 and its end in 2022, report showsLaw enforcement carried out nearly 1,400 arrests of people for allegedly endangering unborn life" between 2006 and the fall of Roe v Wade in 2022, according to a new report released Tuesday, which found a sharp rise in how often people face criminal consequences over pregnancy.The report is the only comprehensive accounting of how law enforcement criminalized pregnant people during the Roe era. Notably, relatively few of the cases captured in the report involve abortion. Instead, they focus on individuals who lost pregnancies or were accused of child abuse" while pregnant. Continue reading...

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Former Liberal minister's response comes as Anthony Albanese urges respectful' referendum debate after conservative politicians were insulted at a no campaign event

Health secretary sets out proposals to extend minimum cover laws as 48-hour strike begins in EnglandThe health secretary has accused NHS staff in England of planning politically timed" industrial action as he outlined proposals to extend strike laws to ensure doctors and nurses in hospitals provide a minimum level of cover.As consultants began another 48-hour strike on Tuesday as part of a row over pay, one of their representatives warned Steve Barclay that the plans - which are unlikely to come into force until the new year - would only save up problems for later". Continue reading...

Lawyer for Australian Muslim Advocacy Network argues white supremacist's tweets caused harm to local Muslims

Danushka Gunathilaka has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a woman after the pair matched on Tinder and met for a date

Google-owned company says move is due to it violating our creator responsibility policy'YouTube has suspended Russell Brand's revenues from his channel on the platform following allegations of rape and sexual assault in a massive hit to his finances.The video-sharing and social media site said it had suspended Brand's channel from the YouTube partner program after serious allegations against him, meaning his videos are no longer able to monetise on the platform. Continue reading...

Week-long operation targeting criminal drug syndicates nets 814kg of methamphetamine and 182kg of MDMA

Go-it-alone approach to building network between Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong shelved entirely. This blog is now closed

BoM warns it's likely this summer will be hotter than average and certainly hotter than the last three years'

Ethiopian government is failing to protect its citizens from grave' human rights abuses, amid rising violence and hate speech - reportHuman rights abuses are still being committed in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region more than 10 months after a ceasefire formally ended the bloody civil war, according to a group of UN experts.The latest report by the UN's International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said the nation's government was failing to protect its citizens from grave and ongoing" human rights abuses being committed by militias and Eritrean troops, who fought alongside Ethiopia's federal military and remain in border areas of Tigray. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese praises Victorian government for not flogging off' site to developers as he announces project alongside Daniel Andrews

Exclusive: Firms call on future PM to introduce 15-per-hour minimum wage for frontline workersCare home bosses are demanding the next government funds a 44% pay rise for frontline staff to stabilise the crisis-hit sector and boost a system that is in an extremely precarious state".Care England, whose members include the largest care home chains, is calling for the next prime minister to set a 15-per-hour minimum wage for care workers as part of a 10bn a year support package. There are currently over 152,000 vacant posts, 430,000 people are on care waiting lists and scores of facilities are rated inadequate in the care system. Continue reading...

Prime minister defends social media bill amid concerns from Christian groups it could portray religious teachings as misinformation