Brethren church denies paying far-right activists to stage election stunts targeting Albanese and others
The Guardian •

Brethren church denies paying far-right activists to stage election stunts targeting Albanese and others

Church director tells parliamentary inquiry reporting by Nine newspapers a ‘complete lie’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has denied it secretly paid far-right influencers to stage stunts targeting Anthony Albanese and other politicians during an appearance at a parliamentary inqu...

UK men with heart disease at higher risk of developing and dying from cancer
The Guardian •

UK men with heart disease at higher risk of developing and dying from cancer

Decade-long study finds stark gender difference in outcomes of people with heart diseaseMillions of men with heart disease have a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer, according to a decades-long study.The biggest drivers behind male cases were smoking, obesity and drinking too much alcohol, researchers said, with the link most pronounced in lung and oesophageal cancers. Continue readin...

Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show

Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show

The Guardian •

National Trust’s Holnicote estate says restored wetlands and rivers offer proof of resilience to drought, wildfires and floodingAerial footage of an estate in Somerset has revealed the benefits of rewilding land in the face of extreme weather brought about by the climate crisis.The area of the National Trust’s Holnicote estate where rivers have been returned to their natural courses and wetlands h...

Chinese regulators slap US$7.8m penalty on Guotai Haitong arm amid capital flow crackdown

Chinese regulators slap US$7.8m penalty on Guotai Haitong arm amid capital flow crackdown

SCMP •

An asset-management arm of Guotai Haitong Securities, a leading Chinese brokerage, was ordered to pay 52.5 million yuan (US$7.8 million) in fines and penalties for activities undertaken by its offshore investment business as Beijing tightens its scrutiny of capital flows. Guotai Haitong Securities Asset Management was fined 25.9 million yuan and ordered to forfeit 26.7 million yuan in illegal gain...

Are Malaysian Muslims less corrupt? PAS leader skewered over divisive politics

Are Malaysian Muslims less corrupt? PAS leader skewered over divisive politics

SCMP •

Malaysia’s Islamist opposition leader Abdul Hadi Awang has sparked outrage and ridicule with unproven claims linking religion to dishonesty, suggesting that Muslims are less corrupt than non-Muslims. Hadi’s remarks, which drew demands for evidence, came amid a series of attacks by his Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) on the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a predominantly ethnic Chinese party in Pr...

Russia’s missile tests around disputed islands anger Japan

Russia’s missile tests around disputed islands anger Japan

The Guardian •

Pacific fleet launched missile drills near what Moscow calls the Kuril Islands but Japan regards as its Northern TerritoriesJapan has criticised missile tests carried out by Russia’s navy around the disputed islands visited by Vladimir Putin last week amid continuing tensions between the two countries.Russia’s Pacific fleet said on Thursday that it had fired Bastion surface-to-ship missiles from E...

Russia’s simulated enemy attack around disputed islands angers Japan

Russia’s simulated enemy attack around disputed islands angers Japan

The Guardian •

Russian fleet launched missile drill near what Moscow calls the Kuril Islands but Japan regards as its Northern TerritoriesJapan has criticised missile tests carried out by Russia’s navy around the disputed islands visited by Vladimir Putin last week amid continuing tensions between the two countries.Russia’s Pacific fleet said on Thursday that it had fired Bastion surface-to-ship missiles from Et...

Philippine flood-control scandal resurfaces after latest monsoon deluge

Philippine flood-control scandal resurfaces after latest monsoon deluge

SCMP •

The latest floods to hit Metro Manila and parts of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon have turned a familiar seasonal disaster into a renewed test of political accountability for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, as anger over allegedly corrupt flood-control projects returns to the centre of public debate. Analysts said the deluge had sharpened scrutiny of the slow-moving investigation into alleg...

Australia news live: Transport watchdog investigates fourth Sydney airport incident; Swans AFLW skipper says club will work to build back fans’ trust

Australia news live: Transport watchdog investigates fourth Sydney airport incident; Swans AFLW skipper says club will work to build back fans’ trust

The Guardian •

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoman behind allegation of sexual assault linked to Sydney Swans reportedly says she wants ‘justice’The woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted in a Melbourne hotel told the Herald Sun “all I care about is justice”.I don’t want money. All I care about is justice. I’m going to stand up for what is right. And I’m...

China’s ‘smart’ diabetes probiotics; life sentence for Hui Ka-yan: SCMP’s 7 highlights

China’s ‘smart’ diabetes probiotics; life sentence for Hui Ka-yan: SCMP’s 7 highlights

SCMP •

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese team aims to put ‘smart’ diabetes probiotic on US shelves within 2 years Chinese researchers have engineered a probiotic that ...

Former Liberal MP condemns Coalition for backing gambling reforms that ‘let down’ vulnerable Australians

Former Liberal MP condemns Coalition for backing gambling reforms that ‘let down’ vulnerable Australians

The Guardian •

Jenny Ware, member of inquiry that recommended wagering advertising ban, says ‘public health crisis’ demands stronger response from major partiesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former Liberal MP Jenny Ware has condemned her one-time Coalition colleagues for backing Labor’s gambling legislation, claiming “vulnerabl...

Why the US is deporting migrants to Liberia instead of their home countries

Why the US is deporting migrants to Liberia instead of their home countries

Times of India •

The United States deported twenty non-Liberian nationals to Liberia. This marks a significant expansion of the US third-country deportation program. Liberia agreed to accept up to twelve hundred individuals under this humanitarian arrangement. The agreement allows deportees to seek asylum within Liberia if they wish. This policy aims to manage immigration and strengthen border security.

Python named Jodie Foster first snake to receive pioneering cancer treatment

Python named Jodie Foster first snake to receive pioneering cancer treatment

The Guardian •

Chester zoo resident, 23, ‘back to her usual feisty self’ after electrochemotherapy for tumour in her jawA 15ft (4.5-metre) python is believed to be the first snake in the world to be given a pioneering, life-saving cancer treatment normally used on humans.The 50kg reticulated python, named Jodie Foster after the Hollywood star, has just turned 23 and lives at Chester zoo. Keepers first became con...

Anxiety over war, wildfires and cyber-attacks leads to growth in cash stocks in EU

Anxiety over war, wildfires and cyber-attacks leads to growth in cash stocks in EU

The Guardian •

Value of banknotes in circulation rises from €1bn in 2016 to €1.6bn in 2026 as people advised to keep stash of cashThe number of banknotes in circulation in the EU is increasing despite widespread smartphone payments, new data shows, with wildfires ripping through parts of Europe fuelling demand for an emergency stash of cash.While cash plays second fiddle to contactless payments in many cities ac...

Hong Kong convicts two Tiananmen vigil activists of inciting subversion

Hong Kong convicts two Tiananmen vigil activists of inciting subversion

France 24 •

Two pro-democracy activists who organised annual vigils to mark Beijing's 1989 deadly Tiananmen crackdown were on Friday convicted of inciting subversion by a Hong Kong court. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance and their case was viewed as a bellwether for freedom of expression in the Chinese city. 

Swiss village lives in the shadow of an unstable mountain

Euronews •

Kandersteg, a picturesque Swiss Alpine village, sits beneath the unstable Spitze Stei rock formation, which could trigger a major landslide if it collapses. Scientists say rising temperatures are melting glaciers and thawing mountain permafrost, making slopes increasingly unstable across the Alps.