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While the DUP conference may put a brave face on the crisis, public services and even the state's legitimacy are hollowing

Reed Wischhusen found guilty of possessing explosive substance and firearm with intent to endanger lifeA warehouse worker obsessed with mass killings has been convicted of plotting to carry out revenge" attacks at his old primary school, a police headquarters and his workplace.Reed Wischhusen, 32, was found guilty by a jury of having an explosive substance with intent to endanger life, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life and possessing a prohibited firearm without a certificate. Continue reading...

UN says Israeli military has given 1.1m Gaza residents 24 hours to move amid warnings it could cause devastating humanitarian consequences'

Move comes after assassination of former PM Shinzo Abe and growing criticism of fundraising activitiesJapan's government has asked a court to strip the Unification church of its status, amid growing criticism of the group's fundraising activities after the assassination last year of the former prime minister Shinzo Abe.If the Tokyo district court accepts the request, the church - whose members are colloquially known as Moonies - will be stripped of its status as a religious corporation and lose exemptions from corporate and property taxes, as well as a tax on income from monetary offerings. Continue reading...

Police were called to the museum in the inner-city suburb of Darlinghurst shortly before midday after alleged antisemitic display

Supporter Prof Megan Davis also expresses dismay at extraordinary' attacks from critics on eve of historic vote

But man's identity will remain secret for now after lawyers in court immediately flagged they would lodge an appeal

Exclusive: Central Queensland child protection investigation unit complained after family reported alleged assault in August

Gaza death toll passes 1,500, a third of them children; Human Rights Watch says Israel used white phosphorous in Gaza City port and rural Lebanon

As Nathanel Young, 20, was buried, the streets of the divided city remained uneasily empty with both sides fearing reprisals

Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon clash in heated final debate ahead of 14 October vote as left-leaning government trails right bloc in pollsThe leaders of New Zealand's two major political parties have made a last ditch effort to sway votes in their favour on the final day of campaigning before the country's general election.The leaders clashed in their most heated debate yet - the last of the campaign, which aired on TVNZ on Thursday night. In his final message, Labour's Chris Hipkins warned the public that a vote for the opposition would bake in poverty and see action on climate change go backwards. Continue reading...

Investigation comes amid heightened tensions in the city around the ongoing conflict between Israel and HamasPolice in New York are investigating at least three incidents targeting Palestinians and Jews in the city amid heightened tensions around the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.A series of attacks and threats were reported across the city on Wednesday night. Earlier this week mayor Eric Adams said that New York police were on high alert" for potential violence inspired by the latest Middle Eastern conflict. Continue reading...

Hamas attack deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust', says Biden; Gaza's only power station runs out of fuel

There is no sign of a trend back to a yes vote, which has an estimated 41.6% support nationally - but needs to be closer to 53%

Government accused of letting down victims as full prisons mean convicted criminals will spend longer on bailVictims of crime in England and Wales are being let down by a government that has failed to provide adequate resources to the criminal justice system, women's groups have said, after it emerged that sentencing hearings of convicted criminals currently on bail - including rapists and burglars - were to be delayed because prisons are full.It has been reported that the senior presiding judge for England and Wales, Lord Justice Edis, issued the guidance on a private call with senior crown court judges. A government source told the Guardian it applied to those who had been on bail throughout the court process and had, therefore, already been assessed as lower risk. Continue reading...

IOC suspends Russian Olympic Committee; Ukraine claims to have foiled attempted incursion into Sumy; Putin visits Kyrgystan

Ministers announce 3m extra funding for charity that helps protect Jewish community sites

International Olympic Committee says inclusion of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia merits immediate suspension

Humza Yousaf says Lisa Cameron's move was the least surprising news I've had as leader of the SNP'NHS waiting lists have hit a new record high, with more people facing long waits, PA Media reports. PA says:Figures for the NHS in England show 7.75 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of August, up from 7.68 million in July.This is the highest number since records began in August 2007 and comes despite Rishi Sunak saying cutting waiting lists is one of his priorities. Continue reading...

Footballer says becoming champions was the only way that we had left to be heard, respected and valued'The Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso has said Spain's World Cup win was part of a more human, more transcendent" battle for equality in her first public remarks since her team's triumph was overshadowed by an unsolicited kiss.The speech was made as part of an event in Mexico, where Hermoso plays for the football club Pachuca, and which featured a tribute to the world champion. The 33-year-old began by describing her emotions as she lifted the World Cup trophy alongside her teammates. Continue reading...

As National Trust draws line under criminal act, members of public suggest future uses for timberSome saw the day as a chance to say farewell. One person described the event as a full stop" to the saga. But as the criminally felled, world-famous Sycamore Gap tree was carefully removed from its home on Hadrian's Wall, people also spoke of hope, optimism and rebirth.The irony of this criminal act is that we have reset the clock on this tree now," said Andrew Poad, the National Trust's general manager of the site. In forestry terms, it has been coppiced and it will regrow." Continue reading...

John Singer Sargent picture of soldiers blinded by mustard gas, the most popular at the Imperial War Museum, is seen in new lightSince it was unveiled just months after the end of the first world war, John Singer Sargent's monumental painting Gassed has been hailed as an era-defining artwork, going on to be the most popular in the collection of the Imperial War Museum in London.Enormous in scale - it is more than 6 metres wide - the painting depicts lines of soldiers, blinded by mustard gas, picking their way through a crowded battlefield, each with a hand on the shoulder of the man in front. In later decades many viewers have admired Sargent's uncharacteristic use of a greenish-yellow colour scheme, emphasising the flat khaki of the soldiers' uniforms and perhaps even a queasy atmosphere tinged with poison gas, in which two men lean over to vomit. Continue reading...

At press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, US secretary of state says America will always be by Israel's side

Several chief executives called for names to be made public so that they, and others, could know not to hire the studentsA group of US business leaders has demanded that Harvard University release the names of students who were part of organizations that signed a letter blaming Israel for deadly attacks by Hamas that triggered a severe escalation of violence across Israel and Gaza.Several chief executives called for the names to be made public so that they, and others, could know not to hire the students once they leave Harvard. Continue reading...

Head of US foreign affairs committee says warning was given, but it is unclear at what level', supporting claims reported from Egyptian sources

Senior judge quoted by the Times says biggest concern' over guidance is those convicted of sexual assault likely to stay on bailJudges have been told to delay the sentencing of convicted criminals currently on bail - including rapists and burglars - because prisons are full, the Guardian understands.The guidance reportedly came from the senior presiding judge for England and Wales, Lord Justice Edis, on a private call with senior crown court judges. Continue reading...

Republican South Carolina congresswoman refuses to support Steve Scalise, party's choice for US House speakerA Republican opposing Steve Scalise, the party's pick for US House speaker, claimed Democrats trusted Jim Jordan, the hard-right Ohioan Scalise defeated in an internal vote on Wednesday.I think Jim Jordan is not out of the mix," Nancy Mace of South Carolina told CNN on Wednesday night. I have talked to a lot of people who still support him. I have actually talked to Democrats who trust him at his word. I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility." Continue reading...

Nato ministers to be briefed on Balticconnector closure, as Finnish officials say Russia is now treating their country as hostile'

Winner of sustainable designer prize says we're consuming and we're discarding' but fashion's demands on resources far outweigh planet's supplyKit Willow of luxury brand Kit X cautioned against Australian fashion's crazy linear model of overconsumption" after receiving the sustainable designer award at the 2023 Australian Fashion Laureate.We're consuming and we're discarding, yet the price of raw materials are going up and the demand on virgin resources is far outweighing the supply, the Earth's supply," Willow said. Continue reading...

Bruising campaigns for and against recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have exposed enduring racial dividesAustralians look set to reject a referendum proposal to recognise Indigenous people in the constitution by creating a body to advise parliament, with polls showing a clear majority for no in almost all states before Saturday's vote.To be accepted, the proposal needs to achieve a majority national vote and a majority in at least four of the six states. No referendum has succeeded in Australia without bipartisan support and this one - the country's first since 1999 - looks no different. Continue reading...

Judges rule environmental impact in Narva-Joesuu had not been fully assessed after activists brought caseEstonia's supreme court has ordered the state energy company Enefit to halt construction on a shale oil plant because of the damage it will do to the environment.Young activists took the municipality of Narva-Joesuu to court over claims the building permit it granted breached international climate agreements. The court ruled it had assessed the climate impact well enough but not the environmental impact, and revoked the permit. Continue reading...

Mike Burgess issues rare public statement asking all parties consider the implications for social cohesion'

Regulator to look into use of freelancers and agencies to produce, create and broadcast content across UKThe competition watchdog has launched an investigation into a group of broadcasters, including the BBC and ITV, over their use of freelance staff and services.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had reasonable grounds to suspect one or more breaches of competition law" in the use of external services and non-permanent staff to produce, create and broadcast their TV content across the UK. Continue reading...

Comments heard at a recent pro-Palestine protest in Sydney would come under the laws which aim to crack down on vilification, lawyers say

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LNP opposition says women should expect a lot better' while health minister apologises for year 11 student's experience and says hospital will improve its processesA 17-year-old alleged rape victim says she is disappointed" that it took reporting by the media for her to receive an offer of an apology from a Queensland hospital, seven weeks after the last correspondence regarding her complaint.Guardian Australia revealed on Thursday the year 11 student, Tilly*, left the hospital in tears without undergoing a full examination in August after waiting three hours due to no trained staff being available. Tilly said that when a doctor did come, she admitted to not being qualified to perform the procedure and appeared aggravated".Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Angelene Falk responds to Leo Hardiman's extraordinary accusations to a Senate inquiry which he claimed led to his resignation

Abdullah Al-Taay, 23, allegedly verbally abused the teens who had unfurled an Israeli flag across their car in Bellevue Hill on Monday

US president decries campaign of pure cruelty' and warns Iran to tread carefully as Israel conducts significant airstrikes on Palestinian enclave

Former CEO Luke Sayers says Project Kookaburra' sought to sell off consultancy business amid concerns about conflicts of interests

Inquiry into rejection of airline's request for extra flights was too focused on Qantas, complainants say

Vladimir Putin fails to condemn attack on Israel, instead blaming the situation on failed US diplomacyIsrael's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has long portrayed himself as a friend of Vladimir Putin. In a memoir published during Russia's war on Ukraine, Netanyahu repeatedly lauded the Russian leader for his intellect and his particularly friendly attitude" toward the Jewish people.Putin, too, has over the years cast himself as a loyal ally of the Israeli state, promoting cultural ties and visa-free travel between the two countries. Continue reading...

Writer could be imprisoned if found guilty over comments castigating Italian PM for her vitriol about Mediterranean rescuesA Rome judge is poised to deliver a verdict in a criminal defamation trial against the Italian anti-mafia author Roberto Saviano for calling the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, a bastard".In a case that has attracted international attention and criticism of Italy's draconian defamation laws, Saviano, who has lived under police protection since the publication of his bestselling book Gomorrah, faces up to three years in prison if found guilty at Rome's criminal court on Thursday. Continue reading...

If neither the ruling party nor Donald Tusk's opposition wins outright on Sunday, the door could open to alliance with ConfederationThe big political battle in Sunday's Polish parliamentary election may be between the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, seeking a third term in office, and the opposition Civic Platform (PO) led by Donald Tusk, the former prime minister and European Council president.But with polls suggesting that neither side will have the votes to form a government outright, the decisive say in who rules Poland for the next four years could lie with Confederation, an eclectic far-right coalition of nationalists, libertarians and monarchists. Continue reading...

ACCC alleges Elon Musk's electric vehicle company failed to conduct required safety tests for some key fob and illuminated door sill models

Troop buildup continues in preparation for expected ground invasion of Gaza as pressure grows for humanitarian corridors

Food Standards Agency drops advised daily limit from 70mg to 10mg in surprise reversal, citing risk to liver and thyroid issuesUK food regulators have slashed the recommended safe daily dose of cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis extract present in thousands of high street products from muffins to coffees, citing a risk of liver damage and thyroid issues.In a surprise reversal of previous official guidance, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and its Scottish counterpart have updated their advice on what was once hailed as a wonder ingredient. They are now recommending healthy adults limit their intake of CBD from food to 10mg per day, which equates to four or five drops of 5% CBD oil. Continue reading...

Play based on the beloved 1987 comedy will open at Birmingham Rep next year directed by Sean FoleyIt is one of British cinema's most quotable comedies: a tale of destitute London actors drifting into the arena of the unwell" who go on holiday by mistake to the Lake District. Now, the inebriated world of Withnail and I - complete with the notorious super-sized joint called the Camberwell carrot - is destined for the stage, adapted by the much-loved 1987 film's writer-director, Bruce Robinson.The play will have its world premiere at the Birmingham Rep in May, directed by Sean Foley, who described Withnail and I as part of the furniture of British comedy" and said if it wasn't so funny, it would be tragic". Continue reading...