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Lamarre-Condon charged with murders of flight attendant Luke Davies, 29, and TV presenter Jesse Baird, 26, in February 2024

Coalition of rights groups says law covering collusion' could be abused to stifle government's opponentsCambodian parliamentarians have passed legislation allowing people who collude" with foreign countries to be stripped of citizenship, a law rights groups fear will be used to banish dissent.Rights monitors have long accused Cambodia's government of using draconian laws to stifle opposition and legitimate political debate. Continue reading...

Controversy over housing allowance, which is almost 10 times minimum wage, comes amid President Prabowo Subianto's austerity driveRiot police have fired water cannon and rounds of teargas at thousands of stone-throwing protesters in Indonesia's capital as anger over the lavish allowances of parliament members has fuelled public anger.Thousands of students, workers and activists demonstrated outside the nation's parliament on Monday against a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($US3,075) for MPs, which is almost 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage. Continue reading...

Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia say there were 357 deaths from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 - 27% more than the 10-year average

After lawsuit brought by AGs of 23 states, California AG Rob Bonta says agreement secured for funding to be restoredAfter a multi-state lawsuit over Donald Trump's abrupt decision to freeze more than $6.8bn in education funding to US schools, the Trump administration has agreed to restore the funds for a range of educational services, including after school and summer learning, teacher training, and support for English-learners.The administration did not give a clear explanation as to why it had withheld the congressionally-allocated funds, though a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget had indicated that review found instances of federal education money being grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda". Continue reading...

The power to immediately suspend an individual's working with children check during an investigation is among changes expected to pass parliament this week

Test that uses machine learning to find signs of the disease in blood could significantly improve patient outcomesScientists have developed a simple blood test to spot ovarian cancer early that could significantly improve" outcomes for women with the disease.More than 300,000 women, mostly over the age of 50, are diagnosed worldwide each year, according to the World Cancer Research Fund. Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed late, which makes treating the condition more difficult. Continue reading...

Law change, professional training and awareness campaign part of Labour's pledge to halve violence against women and girlsMinisters are introducing a clearer legal definition of honour"-based abuse in an attempt to catch more perpetrators and protect women and girls from violence and coercion.The law change is intended to improve how public services respond to honour"-based abuse in England and Wales, and forms part of Labour's plan for change, which includes a pledge to halve violence against women and girls. Continue reading...

Signed by lawmaker James Comer, letter is latest in events around disgraced late financier's links to powerful peopleA Republican-led congressional committee has subpoenaed documents from the estate of the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to a release on Monday.The subpoena was signed by congressman James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee. The estate is registered in the US Virgin Islands. Continue reading...

Musician held on bail after officers say he charged at them when they confronted him for walking naked down streetLil Nas X was charged on Monday with four felonies after police say he charged at them when they confronted him for walking naked down a Los Angeles street last week.Prosecutors charged the musician, whose legal name is Montero Lamar Hill, with three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one felony count of resisting an executive officer, the district attorney's office said. He was initially booked on suspicion of misdemeanor obstructing an officer on Friday. Continue reading...

Comments come after US ambassador accused government of failing to do enough to stem hate crimes against JewsCabinet ministers and Jewish groups have said France has no lessons to take" from the US on tackling antisemitism, as Washington's ambassador to Paris was summoned after accusing the government of failing to do enough to stem hate crimes against Jews.Charles Kushner, who is Jewish, was ordered to report to the foreign ministry on Monday after he wrote a letter to Emmanuel Macron criticising a lack of sufficient action" by the government to confront the dramatic rise" in antisemitism in France. Continue reading...

BBC's Stranded on Honeymoon Island tests whether love can flourish in toughest of conditions', says Davina McCallThe new BBC series Stranded on Honeymoon Island is a social experiment" about the reality of marriage that will teach audiences about moving forward with your life", its host, Davina McCall, has said.Made by the producers of Married at First Sight UK, the show features 12 singles looking for lifelong love who are matched with someone on a speed date and married". They are then stranded on a tropical island dressed only in their wedding outfit for a three-week honeymoon without phones, luxuries, family or friends. Continue reading...

Paul Bean may have breached civil service impartiality rules over alleged social media postsCampaigners have complained to the Home Office after it was revealed a councillor for Reform UK also works for the government department processing asylum and immigration claims.Paul Bean, who serves as a councillor for Crook ward at Durham county council, declared his day job as a civil servant at the Home Office in his register of interests. Continue reading...

Francois Bayrou to seek parliamentary backing for his unpopular plans to shore up France's public financesFrance's embattled prime minister looks likely to be ousted and his government toppled next month in a high-stakes confidence vote that could plunge the EU's second-biggest economy into even deeper political crisis.Francois Bayrou said on Monday that he would seek parliamentary backing for his unpopular plans to shore up France's ailing public finances on 8 September, asking deputies to confirm the scale" of spending cuts he says are needed to save 44bn (38bn) a year. Continue reading...

In North Karelia the border guard is training conscripts, the only road crossing is empty - but there is still some limited cross-border cooperationAmong the serene lakes, thick forest and summer houses of North Karelia's border zone, the line between Finland and Russia is almost invisible. Walking along the border path in Meriinaho, part of the Finnish border guard station of Ilomantsi, we are closer to St Petersburg than to Helsinki. This is the most easterly point of the continental European Union.Every now and then a discreet pair of matching striped fibreglass posts pop up from the blueberry patches on either side of the frontier. One is painted blue and white to indicate Finland, the other green and red to mark Russia. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Environment department document states that Burrup peninsula site near Woodside gas plant under threat of injury or desecration'

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Ian Wilkinson says he is no longer Erin Patterson's victim' as Victorian supreme court hears of impact of crimes on family membersIan Wilkinson says he forgives Erin Patterson for trying to murder him but cannot offer her forgiveness for killing three other people with poisoned beef wellingtons, a Victorian court has heard.The supreme court also heard on Monday that the prosecution and defence both agreed that Patterson should receive a life sentence for her crimes, which Justice Christopher Beale agreed were horrendous". Continue reading...

Pre-sentencing hearing at Victorian supreme court concludes after Patterson was found guilty of triple murder and attempted murder in JulyCourt hears statement from sister of Gail Patterson and Heather WilkinsonProsecutor Nanette Rogers SC is reading a victim impact statement on behalf of Lynette Young, the sister of Gail and Heather. She says:I'm just so angry and so sad that my people are not here to be the loving parents and grandparents that they always were.She was more concerned about our own family, our work, our kids, than she was about her own sudden and unexpected health crisis ...I miss her daily and life feels less bright without her.The world seems colder and harsher knowing this. Continue reading...

The renowned Gokteik bridge was bombed on Sunday, with the ruling military junta and rebel forces blaming each other for its destructionA colonial-era bridge in Myanmar that was once the world's tallest railway trestle has been destroyed during fighting in the years-long conflict.A civil war has consumed Myanmar since a 2021 coup deposed the civilian government, with the military battling myriad pro-democracy guerrilla groups and ethnic armed organisations. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Health secretary says he will not let patients be ripped off' by pharmaceutical companies amid standoff

SPF50+ Collagen Glow Mineral Sunscreen stocked at leading beauty retailer Mecca, which confirms with brand that no other products affected

Tighter family reunification laws are causing long separations, traumatising children, and can push people towards traffickers, campaigners sayStanding outside Germany's parliament in June, Ahmad Shikh Ali fought back tears as he held up a blurry photo of his three-year-old son. Since fleeing Aleppo more than two years ago, Shikh Ali had done all he could to secure his son a safe future: moving to Hanover, getting full-time employment and wading through endless paperwork so that his wife and son could join him.He was close to reuniting with his family, with just two cases in front of his in the queue. That was, until Germany's lower house of parliament passed a bill in June to suspend family reunifications for migrants like him for at least two years. Continue reading...

Russian foreign minister praises Trump's effort and was defensive when asked if Putin was stringing along' TrumpRussia accused western European leaders on Sunday of not wanting peace in Ukraine, as Moscow's most senior diplomat praised efforts by Donald Trump to end the war, while Vice-President JD Vance said the US would keep on trying" to broker talks in the absence of a deal.Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, made the comments during a sometimes contentious interview on NBC on Sunday morning, during which he denied his country had bombed civilian targets in Ukraine. Continue reading...

After further demonstrations at hotels housing asylum seekers, MPs say harassment is worse than during BrexitMPs have raised the alarm about a rise in abuse linked to debates around immigration, with some reporting levels of online harassment and death threats worse than during the Brexit years.The warning came after a weekend of protests and counter protests at hotels used to house asylum seekers, with 15 people arrested on Saturday and demonstrations continuing into Sunday. Continue reading...

Moscow says operating capacity of reactor at Kursk site reduced by 50% as Kyiv celebrates independence dayMoscow has accused Kyiv of launching dozens of drone attacks, including one that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant, as Ukrainians marked 34 years since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union.The drone attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant in western Russia, 37 miles (60km) from the border with Ukraine, caused damage to an auxiliary transformer and forced a 50% reduction in the operating capacity of a reactor, Russian authorities said. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack. Continue reading...

Bystanders jumped in to help balloon land on residential road on Saturday, narrowly missing houses and carsA hot air balloon made a dramatic landing in the middle of a street in Bedford on Saturday in front of shocked residents.Sam Coldham said he saw the balloon descending in Bower Street in the east of England town at about 9.30am, while he was out walking the dog with his partner, Sian King. Continue reading...

American owner said to be working with bankers on review of chain, which has more than 2,000 UK outletsCosta Coffee could change hands again after it emerged that Coca-Cola has met potential buyers to discuss a cut-price deal to off-load the chain.The American soft drinks company is said to be working with bankers on a review of Costa, Britain's biggest coffee chain, that could lead to it being sold. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Legislation that will include Texas-style scheme to shorten jail time expected to be rolled out this yearMinisters will legislate next month to abolish most short prison sentences, toughen up community punishments and introduce a Texas-inspired system whereby inmates can earn early release as part of an attempt to avert another prison crisis.Government sources said the legislation, which will bring about the biggest shake-up in sentencing laws in England and Wales for three decades, would be introduced once MPs had returned to the Commons in September. Continue reading...

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In a summer of anti-migrant rallies, flags and nationalistic rhetoric, observers warn there is a lack of government voices pushing backThe Bell hotel in Epping has seen a lot since it was built in the 16th century as a coaching inn, serving travellers passing through the historic Essex market town and on to London, 15 miles to the south-west. This has long been a place that bustled with outsiders, though they have not always been welcome - the small green common opposite was once named after a beacon that local stories say was built to warn of invasion.Though now wrapped in ugly 1960s extensions that have stripped it of anything approaching charm, the unassuming building - close to agricultural land and a cricket pitch - is an unlikely place to spark a potential political crisis. Continue reading...

No plan to alter concessional measures on retirees' superannuation as part of tax reforms, Jim Chalmers says

Breaking from most of her peers in Congress, far-right Georgia Republican has also described crisis as a genocideAmid mostly silence in Congress, some US lawmakers on opposite sides of the political spectrum spoke out Saturday over a UN-backed report warning of famine in parts of Gaza.Let's be clear: President Trump has the power to end the starvation of the Palestinian people," Vermont's politically independent senator Bernie Sanders posted on X. Instead he is doing nothing while watching this famine unfold. Enough is enough. No more American taxpayer dollars to Nethanyahu's [sic] war machine." Continue reading...

Counter-protests also taking place, with police separating rival groups in BristolProtesters have clashed with police as demonstrations against hotels housing asylum seekers began to take place across the UK.Demonstrations under the Abolish Asylum System" slogan were being held in towns and cities across England, including Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Horley in Surrey and Canary Wharf in central London. Continue reading...

Relatives of Annie Lewis Marffy in red-tape limbo' over recovery of her body and issuing of death certificateThe family of a British aid volunteer reportedly killed in a drone strike in Ukraine said they were very disappointed by the reaction from the Foreign Office.Annie Lewis Marffy, 69, travelled from her home in Silverton, near Exeter in Devon in late May to deliver supplies packed into a green Toyota Rav4 in a mission arranged by the non-profit organisation Aid Ukraine UK. She was to take the vehicle in convoy with a British volunteer to Kramatorsk in the contested Donbas region. Continue reading...

Three people suffered life-threatening injuries in blaze in Gants Hill area of east London on Friday nightScotland Yard is investigating a suspected arson attack on a restaurant in Ilford, east London, which has left three people in a life-threatening condition.Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene in Woodford Avenue, Gants Hill, at about 9pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Caspar Veldkamp resigns after cabinet reaches deadlock on adopting harsher measures over situation in Gaza

Actor says she finds the condescension she faces when holding hands with her husband in public insultingIt's a sight that makes even the most hard-hearted millennial coo: an octogenarian couple expressing their affection towards one another.But Helen Mirren has railed against being so insulting", saying such condescension makes her want to tell people to fuck off". Continue reading...

Maxwell also said she was not aware of any client list' of Epstein's, released documents from DoJ interview show

Gourmand' fragrances with notes of biscuit or cherries are also trending among young consumers onlineA rise in the number of sweet, food-scented perfumes on the market could be linked to an increase in the use of weight-loss medication, according to the market research firm Mintel.Food-inspired fragrances, with scent profiles that feature vanilla, coffee and caramel and referred to in the industry as gourmand" perfumes, have surged in popularity in the past three years. Launches of sugary-scented, dessert-themed fragrances increased by 24% last year alone, Mintel said. Continue reading...

Women who gave evidence in failed libel trial against Guardian say industries need to safeguard women from sexual predatorsThe culture of the television and film industries needs to change to protect women from the actions of sexual predators, women who gave evidence against Noel Clarke in his failed libel action have said.Noel's behaviour was an open secret, everyone knew," said Penelope, a pseudonym for an actor who filmed a sex scene with Clarke. He didn't work alone. Those who enabled and protected him should be accountable. Continue reading...

Nationals leader rails against regional Australia becoming littered with transmission lines, solar panels and wind turbines at LNP conference

In Kramatorsk, 12 miles from the frontline, daily life goes on amid the constant threat of attacksIn a branch of the Ukrainian coffee chain Lviv Croissants in the frontline city of Kramatorsk, there is a noticeboard where people leave coloured Post-it notes with simple hand-drawn messages. One just says Kramatorsk", with red hearts below and a yellow and blue semi-circular fan above, the colours of Ukraine.Among those looking at the notes is Bohdan, a 26-year-old, who has been serving in the army for the past three years. The soldier, now in logistics, has chosen to spend his one day off in Kramatorsk with his dog Arnold to photograph for himself recent Russian bombing on a city where he was based for 18 months. Continue reading...

The revenue from fuel excise is falling but it's not only because of EVs, which make up less than 2% of cars on the roads

US justice department released transcripts of interview with Jeffrey Epstein associate - here's what we have learnedThe US Department of Justice has released the transcripts and audio recording of an interview conducted by Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, with the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.The transcripts include redacted documentation from a two-day interview on 24 and 25 July and several audio recordings. Here's what we know so far at a glance:Maxwell said that she never" saw Donald Trump receive a massage. She also said that she never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way," adding that, whenever she saw the president, he was a gentleman in all respects".One notable point is that Maxwell denied ever recruiting masseuses from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. I've never recruited a masseuse from Mar-a-Lago for that, as far as I remember. I can't ever recollect doing that," she told Blanche. A reminder that Trump claimed his falling-out with Epstein stemmed from Epstein's efforts to hire workers away from Trump's Florida club.Maxwell detailed the social relationship between Trump and Epstein, who cultivated a wide and powerful social circle for many years. I don't know how they met, and I don't know how they became friends. I certainly saw them together and I remember the few times I observed them together, but they were friendly. I mean, they seemed friendly," she said.Maxwell also did not recall former US president Bill Clinton receiving a massage while travelling with Epstein.Blanche said, on the record, that the conversation was not promising to do anything" for Maxwell. He said that anything she said could not be used against her, unless she provided false statements or there was a retrial in her case.According to Maxwell, Epstein did not have any video or photographic evidence of any high-profile individuals committing sexual offences. And to that point, Maxwell also said she didn't hear or witness any instances of Epstein blackmailing powerful people.Maxwell said she recruited a number of masseuses for Epstein but never checked their age or credentials". She added that, throughout her time with Epstein, she never heard any examples of sexually inappropriate contact" between Epstein's guests and in-house masseuses.Despite her claims that Epstein did not extort anyone, Maxwell said she did not believe that Epstein died by suicide. She chalked that up to mismanagement" at the Bureau of Prisons.In the interview, Maxwell said she did believe that Epstein did a lot of, not all, but some of what he's accused of". But she maintained that he became that man over a period of time".Maxwell did not remember whether Trump submitted a letter for Epstein's 50th birthday album, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. She also could not remember asking Trump to contribute.Maxwell said Hillary Clinton did not associate with Epstein. When Maxwell was asked if Epstein knew or had any sort of visit, dealings or associated with Hillary Clinton," Maxwell responded: I would say no." Continue reading...

Navy pilot Donald McPherson shot down five Japanese service members and earned Congressional Gold MedalThe second world war pilot who was believed to be the US's last surviving ace" - a title he earned by shooting down five enemy combatants - has died.Donald McPherson was 103 when he died on 14 August, according to his online obituary. Continue reading...

War dashboard' showing number of militants killed was objective in itself with no plan for how Gaza could be governed afterwards, say sources in elite Unit 8200As Israel gears up for a new offensive in Gaza, figures from a classified database suggest the country's political and military leadership has for two years misled their country and the world about a war that has overwhelmingly killed civilians.In May this year, Israel's military intelligence database of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters had 47,653 names. Of them, 8,900 were marked as killed, or probably killed, a joint investigation by the Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call has found. Continue reading...

Far-right agitator or leadership hopeful? MPs call hypocrisy as former minister rails against system he expandedRobert Jenrick had been migration minister for just a few days in 2022 when he gave a broadcast interview that could easily have been given by a minister in the current government.Suella Braverman [the former home secretary] and her predecessor, Priti Patel, were procuring more hotels," he told Sky News. What I have done in my short tenure is ramp that up and procure even more. Because November, historically, has been one of the highest months of the year for migrants illegally crossing the Channel." Continue reading...

Mark Carney says change will go into effect on 1 September but tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos will remainCanada will drop its counter-tariffs on some American goods in the coming days, Mark Carney has said, as the country's prime minister looks to end a protracted trade war with longtime ally the United States.From 1 September, the Canadian government will remove some levies on US goods that comply with the North American free-trade pact, a move meant to match" how the White House treated Canadian goods. Levies on steel, aluminum and autos will remain in place. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary referred himself to Environment Agency after hosting Vance at Chevening country retreatDavid Lammy has received a formal warning after reporting himself for fishing without a licence with the US vice-president, JD Vance.The foreign secretary took Vance angling at his official country retreat in Chevening, Kent, on 8 August as he hosted him at the start of a holiday in Britain. Continue reading...