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Committee hears every family Austism Partnerships Australia worked with who challenged their NDIS funding rejection was eventually approved for intensive support

Officer feared for his life when he used his Taser to shock Ashley Charles Washington who later died in hospital, inquest hears

Father of veterinarian who took own life calls for more education on how much it really costs to own a pet

In today's newsletter: Despite a lower cap on energy bills, the cost of heating could remain crippling high and leave millions in fuel poverty Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.August is coming to an end and as the days begin to get shorter and temperatures start to drop, many people are paying closer to attention to their energy bills, particularly those who struggled last winter. They may be pleased to hear that Ofgem has lowered its price cap by about 7%, from 2,074 to 1,923 for the average household. It should be cause to celebrate, even if the decrease is relatively slim. However, the news will probably be of little comfort for millions of people who could still end up paying extraordinary sums. How could that be? The government has rolled back its financial support that proved to be a lifeline for many last winter. Continue reading...

ACT government also reveals Sofronoff report appeared to present paragraph from Australian newspaper as opinion of NSW supreme court judge

Gangs target minors who are out of school and BBC report shows rise in exclusions and suspensions in biggest drug-exporting areasHundreds of extremely vulnerable children at risk of being recruited by criminal gangs are being thrown out of schools in county lines hotspots.Figures obtained by BBC Radio 4's File on 4 programme revealed there were more than 1,200 exclusions and suspensions of children assessed by social services to be grooming targets in England's four largest drug-exporting regions between 2021 and 2023. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Pupils in north-east and London most likely to never have a teacher of similar ethnicity, study findsPupils in parts of England are likely to never have a teacher of the same ethnic background, in part because minority ethnic applicants are less likely to be accepted on to teacher training courses, research has revealed.The north-east has the least diverse teaching workforce in the country, with students of Pakistani or black-African origin likely to never have a teacher of similar ethnicity in their classrooms. Continue reading...

Despite Tom Tate's support, the Palaszczuk government has indicated it is focused on the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic events

Leo Hardiman has spoken at length to a Senate inquiry about how his complaints about a massive freedom of information backlog were ignored by OAIC leadership

China's eastern county of Changshan has made the offer in an effort to promote age-appropriate marriage and childbearing'A county in eastern China is offering couples a reward" of 1,000 yuan ($137) if the bride is aged 25 or younger, the latest in a series of measures to incentivise young people to get married amid rising concern over a declining national birthrate.The notice, which was published on Changshan county's official WeChat account last week, said the reward was to promote age-appropriate marriage and childbearing" for first marriages. It also included a series of childcare, fertility and education subsidies for couples who have children. Continue reading...

Police hopeful discovery may lead to closure for Victorian woman's family but say more forensic testing needed

Three hundred people packed into Armidale town hall to hear the yes campaigner, four months after New England hosted no campaign event

Exclusive: Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says opposition leader is seeking to cast doubt on legitimacy' of voice referendum

Decision by independent remuneration tribunal takes backbench MP salary from $217,060 to about $225,742, while Albanese's pay will rise to $586,929

State department says allegations against Robert Shonov are wholly without merit', as rare footage of detained US citizen Paul Whelan emergesThe United States has accused Moscow of attempting to intimidate and harass US employees, after Russian state media reported that a former US consulate worker had been charged with collecting information on the war in Ukraine and other issues for Washington.The FSB security service has accused Robert Shonov, a Russian national, of relaying to US embassy staffers in Moscow information on how Russia's conscription campaign was affecting political discontent ahead of the 2024 presidential election in Russia, according to Russian state news agency Tass. Continue reading...

Up to 150 killed in Enga Province as experts say weaker legal systems, weapons access and loss of hope' fuel deadly clashesAn outbreak of violence has killed up to 150 people in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, local police said, in what one expert described as a bushfire that has got out of control" as more forces are sent to calm clashes in the region.While tribal fighting is not unusual in parts of Papua New Guinea, the issue attracted international attention last week after disturbing footage appearing to show three naked men, tied-up and dragged behind a truck as onlookers cheered, circulated on social media. Continue reading...

Trump's White House chief of staff argues he acted in capacity as federal officer and that case should be moved to federal courtThe sprawling 41-count indictment of Donald Trump and 18 other defendants in Fulton county had its first test on Monday as Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, took the stand before a federal judge over his request to move his Georgia election interference case from state to federal court.Meadows testified for nearly three hours before the court broke for lunch, defending his actions as Trump's chief of staff while avoiding questions regarding whether he believed Trump won in 2020. Continue reading...

Embattled president increasingly isolated in World Cup kiss row after urgent meeting between chiefsThe Spanish football federation's regional presidents have demanded that Luis Rubiales immediately resign", pulling support for the football chief days after its members heartily applauded his vow to stay on.On Monday, more than a week after Rubiales grabbed forward Jenni Hermoso by the head and planted a kiss on her lips, the federation's regional presidents were summoned to an extraordinary and urgent" meeting in Madrid to assess the impact of the crisis. Continue reading...

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, famous for arguing with Barack Obama on the campaign trail, died of pancreatic cancerSamuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who shot to brief fame during the 2008 US presidential election as Joe the Plumber", has died aged 49. Cause of death was pancreatic cancer, his wife, Katie Wurzelbacher, told news outlets.Fifteen years ago, Wurzelbacher became famous after arguing with the then Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, on the campaign trail in Toledo, Ohio. Wurzelbacher asked Obama if he would pay more taxes if the Democrat won. Obama, then a US senator from Illinois, conceded that he might. Continue reading...

Tests part of NHS drive to cut heart attacks as study finds risk for men twice as high as for womenMen are to be offered blood pressure checks in barbershops as part of an NHS drive to prevent heart attacks, as research reveals they face double the risk of women.Having high blood pressure raises the risk of a heart attack, but many men and women remain unaware they may be affected because typically there are no symptoms. Continue reading...

Prosecutor Monique Worrell says law enforcement agencies in central Florida were all working against me'An elected Democratic prosecutor whose removal Ron DeSantis boasted about during the first Republican presidential debate said the hard-right Florida governor and his allies ousted her because she was prosecuting their cops".Law enforcement agencies in central Florida were all working against me", Monique Worrell told the Daily Beast, because I was prosecuting their cops, the ones who used to do things and get away with them". Continue reading...

National air traffic services say they have fixed the issue that has caused a network-wide failure but significant flights backlog remains

Technical meltdown in air traffic control causes bank holiday misery, with 500 flights cancelled and others delayed

Poland and Baltic states demand mercenary group leaves Belarus; Ukraine says it has liberated village of Robotyne as counteroffensive continues. This live blog is closed

Home secretary calls the court politicised' and refuses to rule out mass tagging of asylum seekersSuella Braverman has reiterated her wish to leave what she called the politicised" European court of human rights (ECHR) and refused to rule out the mass tagging of asylum seekers, a move one refugee charity said would treat people as mere objects".Marking a return to the political fray after a summer recess in which a series of Home Office policy hiccups prompted speculation she could be replaced as home secretary, Braverman said the government would do whatever it takes" to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Continue reading...

Russian-born man in his 60s suspected of transferring Swedish and US technology with potential military useA man in his 60s whose arrest in a residential area near Stockholm last year prompted shock has been charged with gross illegal intelligence activities against Sweden and gross illegal intelligence activities against a foreign power.The man, who has lived in Sweden for 25 years after emigrating from Russia and has had Swedish citizenship since 2012, is suspected of having transferred advanced technology with potential military use to Russia. Continue reading...

Elaine and Philip Marco, who were due to celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary, were found inside their submerged MercedesA couple who died after their car drove through a flooded road in Liverpool were due to celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary next week, their family has said.Elaine and Philip Marco, aged 75 and 77, were discovered inside a submerged black Mercedes Class 180 on Queens Drive between North Mossley Hill Road and Dovedale Road on Saturday evening. Continue reading...

Cruise vessel's mooring ropes snapped in high winds, which blew liner into nearby oil transport ship off coast of PalmaA P&O cruise ship carrying thousands of British holidaymakers has crashed into an oil tanker off the coast of Palma in Mallorca after it snapped its moorings.The Britannia was blown by gales towards the other vessel on Sunday after a storm battered the island in the Balearics. P&O said a small number of people had sustained minor injuries. Continue reading...

Demonstrations have grown steadily throughout the south, centering around the province of SuwaydaA spate of protests and strikes across government-held areas in southern Syria have continued into their second week, with demonstrators increasingly unafraid to call for the removal of the president, Bashar al-Assad.Protesters gathered in the southern city of Suwayda on Monday, closing provincial roads. The province of Suwayda has remained under government control since Syria's 2011 uprising and is home to much of the country's Druze minority. Continue reading...

Union says GP shortages and high demand make aim of letting patients see same doctor an impossible ask'A Labour proposal for patients to be able to request a particular GP is an impossible ask" given the shortage of doctors, the British Medical Association (BMA) has said, heralding another possible clash with Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary.Streeting said on Monday that a Labour government would offer incentives for GP practices in England where patients were regularly able to see the same or a named doctor, and impose penalties on those less able to achieve this. Continue reading...

Federal police declines to provide more details about the reports, which were made in the year after Brittany Higgins went public

Human Rights Law Centre says there has not been a single successful case ... brought by a whistleblower" under federal laws designed to protect those who speak out

Exclusive: Branch will be part of attempts to spread Hungarian leader's populist philosophy across EuropeAttempts by Viktor Orban to spread his populist philosophy across Europe have reached the UK, with an outpost of a heavily Orban-influenced educational institute planned for London, along with significant sponsorship for groups linked to rightwing Conservatives, the Guardian has learned.Sources have said a Hungarian cultural centre near Trafalgar Square is expected to include a branch of Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), a private university sometimes likened to a madrasa for young Orban-sympathising scholars and future leaders. Continue reading...

Angeles Bejar says Luis Rubiales is incapable of hurting anyone', in row over World Cup kiss of Jenni HermosoThe mother of Spain's embattled football chief, Luis Rubiales, has reportedly shut herself in a church in southern Spain and declared herself to be on a hunger strike over what she described as the inhumane and bloodthirsty hunt" of her son.The decision by Angeles Bejar to lock herself into a 19th-century church is the latest twist in a saga that has gripped Spain for the past week after her 46-year-old son grabbed the Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso by the head and planted a kiss on her lips during the World Cup medal ceremony. Continue reading...

Kremlin uncertain whether Russian president will attend funeral with arrangements yet to be made public

National Trust buys Smith's Cliff, near Tintagel Castle in Cornwall where legend says king was conceivedRugged cliffs that plunge into the Atlantic on a stretch of Cornish coast renowned for its legendary links to King Arthur are to be turned into a haven for flora and fauna.The National Trust has acquired two plots of land, totalling 22 hectares (55 acres), bordering the remarkable Tintagel Castle, where Arthur was (so one of the many stories about him goes) conceived. Continue reading...

Poland and Baltic states say they will close borders if there is incident involving Wagner; Ukraine says it's troops have liberated key south-eastern settlement

Exclusive: Unite and Unison join campaigners urging government to exempt strike days from maternity calculationsThe UK's two biggest unions have backed calls for a review of the immoral" system where pregnant workers lose a portion of their maternity pay if they go on strike.Unite and Unison joined campaigners in calling for the government to exempt strike days from maternity pay calculations so that new parents are not penalised twice" for taking part in industrial action. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data shows more than 34,000 households placed out of area last year, with some moved more than 200 miles awayCouncils are moving homeless families out of their neighbourhoods at almost three times the rate that has been officially recognised, and some have been uprooted hundreds of miles from their support networks, according to research.Data released under freedom of information (FoI) revealed that 34,418 households were placed out of area last year, based on responses from 80% of English councils. This incomplete figure suggests a total that is 172% above what was officially recorded the previous year. Continue reading...

UK home secretary insists force has sufficient staffing numbers to tackle back-to-basics policing'The UK home secretary has insisted the police have the resources required to meet a pledge to follow all reasonable lines of inquiry" in a fresh crackdown on crime.Police forces in England and Wales have agreed to follow all evidence such as footage from CCTV, doorbells and dashcams, as well as phone data, to find suspect or stolen property. Continue reading...

Home secretary confirms government considering fitting some migrants with electronic tagsSuella Braverman has said the government will do whatever it takes" if its plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is thwarted in Strasbourg", and confirmed the government is considering fitting some migrants with electronic tags.In an interview with the BBC, the home secretary stepped up her attack on the European court of human rights (ECHR), calling it politicised and interventionist. Continue reading...

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Kenneth Fawcett and John Wandless to appear in court after Andy Foster died following attack on doorstepTwo men have been charged with the murder of a 26-year-old man who died after a suspected ammonia spray attack on his front doorstep.Andy Foster, 26, was attacked at a property in Wrekenton, Gateshead, at 11pm on 20 August. Continue reading...

Emails released to parliament show former Labor staffer made $500 donation to Jo Haylen's campaign before party won election

Syrian military source says latest attacks forced flights to be diverted to Damascus and LatakiaIsraeli airstrikes on Aleppo airport in northern Syria have caused the grounding of flights, the Syrian state news agency Sana has reported, citing a military source.During more than 12 years of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian army positions. Continue reading...

Bank data analysis suggests lenders could be unwittingly fuelling gambling problems by extending creditFinancial institutions in the UK may be lending more than 174m a month to people who are using a risky proportion of their income on gambling, an analysis of the spending patterns of loan customers suggests.The credit technology firm Abound looked at the open banking data of people who applied for its loans and used artificial intelligence to assess all their financial transactions over a six-month period. Continue reading...

Exclusive: MPs looking at how to respond to calls for UK to allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults to end their livesMore people believe it is acceptable to break the law to help a friend or loved who wants to die than believe it is wrong, a snapshot of UK public opinion on assisted dying has revealed.The finding comes as MPs weigh possible changes to laws governing end-of-life decisions and as a terminally ill Lancashire woman who is preparing to travel to Switzerland to end her life has described the UK law against assisted dying as cruel and anachronistic". Continue reading...

Commonwealth ombudsman says agency initially planned not to inform people affected by 15,803 potentially inaccurate child support assessments'

Inaccurate statement by the International Union for Conservation of Nature made as part of the 1982 process for world heritage status for Tasmanian wilderness area

Protesters in Tripoli wave Palestinian flags and block roads over what Libyan foreign ministry called a chance and unofficial encounter' with Israeli counterpartThe leader of Libya's government has suspended his foreign minister after her Israeli counterpart announced he had held talks with her last week in Rome, despite the countries not having formal relations.Prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said on Sunday evening that minister Najla al-Mangoush has been temporarily suspended" and would be subject to an administrative investigation" by a commission chaired by the justice minister. Continue reading...