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Political lobbyists with unfettered access to Australia’s parliament to be publicly named
The Guardian

Political lobbyists with unfettered access to Australia’s parliament to be publicly named

MPs who sponsor lobbyists’ entry to halls of power will also be listed online under new transparency rulesPolitical lobbyists with unfettered access to the halls of Parliament House – and the MPs who sponsor their passes – will soon be publicly identified in an online register, under a major shake-up of the pass system.Under the new rules, two MPs will need to sign for a lobbyist to register for a...

Australia news live: Labor promises ‘generous’ exemptions to small businesses and some trusts after backlash against capital gains tax reforms
The Guardian

Australia news live: Labor promises ‘generous’ exemptions to small businesses and some trusts after backlash against capital gains tax reforms

Anthony Albanese lifts threshold for small businesses to get an exemption from CGT to $10m, five times the previous levelGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCoalition says it’s good Hanson and One Nation getting the scrutiny of a party on the riseKevin Hogan, the shadow assistant treasurer, says he thinks it’s good Hanson was able to speak at the press club yesterday as One ...

One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts says he will push for party to adopt blanket abortion ban
The Guardian

One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts says he will push for party to adopt blanket abortion ban

Senator tells Brisbane Christian conference the party needs to ‘reconsider some things’ on abortion, contradicting Pauline Hanson’s positionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation should move to ban abortion entirely, Senator Malcolm Roberts has told a Brisbane Christian conference.His comments are at odds with those of the party’s leader Pauline Hanson, who told the ...

Trump signs Iran peace plan, claiming deal averts ‘worldwide depression’
The Guardian

Trump signs Iran peace plan, claiming deal averts ‘worldwide depression’

Details of the 14-point agreement revealed as senior US officials claim ‘major win’ despite significant concessions to TehranMiddle East crisis – live updatesReaction: Donald Trump’s Iran deal met with anger, relief and incredulityAnalysis: Trump’s Iran deal is result of unrealistic ambitions for an untenable warDonald Trump has signed a 14-point agreement with Iran, claiming it delivered a “major...

Trump says he has signed peace deal with Iran at Versailles – US politics live

Trump says he has signed peace deal with Iran at Versailles – US politics live

The Guardian

President tells reporters ‘it’s signed, yeah’, as he attends dinner in honor of 250 years of American independenceSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump also denied (again) that the memorandum of understanding includes a $300bn fund for Iran, and denied that he had asked the Gulf states to commit funding.“It’s false,” Trump told reporters as he sat alongside Egyptian president Abdel Fa...

Australia news live: Vodafone users hit by network ‘issues’; Virginia Trioli to leave ABC after 27 years

Australia news live: Vodafone users hit by network ‘issues’; Virginia Trioli to leave ABC after 27 years

The Guardian

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCoalition says it’s good Hanson and One Nation getting the scrutiny of a party on the riseKevin Hogan, the shadow assistant treasurer, says he thinks it’s good Hanson was able to speak at the press club yesterday as One Nation “needs to be put under much more scrutiny” amid surging support.The GetUp stunt completely...

Harvard and Bard face fresh questions from lawmakers over ties to Epstein

Harvard and Bard face fresh questions from lawmakers over ties to Epstein

The Guardian

Democrat Jamie Raskin seeks ‘comprehensive accounting’ and requests interview with outgoing Bard presidentHarvard University and Bard College are facing new questions about the institutions’ relationship with Jeffrey Epstein amid allegations that the convicted child sex trafficker leveraged his ties to the universities and their faculty to traffic women, while also burnishing his reputation to avo...

Australia news live: nonstop Sydney-London flights delayed again; Virginia Trioli to leave ABC after 27 years

Australia news live: nonstop Sydney-London flights delayed again; Virginia Trioli to leave ABC after 27 years

The Guardian

Qantas now says first Project Sunrise flight due to take off in November 2027. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCoalition says it’s good Hanson and One Nation getting the scrutiny of a party on the riseKevin Hogan, the shadow assistant treasurer, says he thinks it’s good Hanson was able to speak at the press club yesterday as One Nation “needs to b...

‘Most famous tree in the world’: Sherwood Forest’s 1,000-year-old Major oak dies

‘Most famous tree in the world’: Sherwood Forest’s 1,000-year-old Major oak dies

The Guardian

Nottinghamshire tree, one of Europe’s oldest and largest, fails to produce leaves after being stressed by series of hot, dry summersThe Major oak, one of Europe’s oldest, largest and most celebrated ancient trees, has died.The huge tree, which has grown in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, for at least 1,000 years, failed to produce any leaves this year, after becoming stressed by a ser...

Sydney’s UNSW overtakes University of Melbourne in global rankings for first time

Sydney’s UNSW overtakes University of Melbourne in global rankings for first time

The Guardian

University of New South Wales ranks 19th in QS World University Rankings, with nine Australian universities achieving record-high positionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe University of New South Wales has overtaken the University of Melbourne for the first time in a prestigious world university rankings list.UNSW ranked 19th in the QS World University Rankings, an im...

Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists

Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists

The Guardian

Wessex Archaeology suspect they have uncovered a prototype for world-famous Stonehenge site in WiltshireA 5,000-year-old monument that was aligned with the summer and winter solstices and may have served as a prototype for the later solar alignment at Stonehenge has been discovered close to the famous neolithic site, in what archaeologists have described as a “once in a lifetime” find.The structur...

Middle East crisis live: agreement signed by US-Iran presidents; Tehran claims it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz

Middle East crisis live: agreement signed by US-Iran presidents; Tehran claims it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz

The Guardian

Memorandum of understanding signed off on Wednesday; Tehran will charge ships after the 60-day negotiation period has ended, says chief negotiatorAnalysis: Where does Iran deal leave US-Israel relationship?Trump also addressed media reports of a leaked US-Iran deal (see post at 11:57), denying claims it includes a $300bn reconstruction fund for Tehran.“We’re not putting up 10 cents,” he said. “We ...

Middle East crisis live: Agreement signed by both presidents; Iran claims it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz

Middle East crisis live: Agreement signed by both presidents; Iran claims it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz

The Guardian

Memorandum of understanding signed off on Wednesday; Tehran will charge ships after the 60-day negotiation period has ended, says chief negotiatorAnalysis: Where does Iran deal leave US-Israel relationship?Trump also addressed media reports of a leaked US-Iran deal (see post at 11:57), denying claims it includes a $300bn reconstruction fund for Tehran.“We’re not putting up 10 cents,” he said. “We ...

Cannabis commercialisation not decriminalisation drives up usage, study finds

Cannabis commercialisation not decriminalisation drives up usage, study finds

The Guardian

Review reveals rise in users and rates of psychosis in countries where cannabis is sold commercially Decriminalising the possession of cannabis or strictly regulating access to the drug do not appear to drive up usage, but when the drug is sold commercially the number of users increases and more mental health problems are seen, a review has found.An international team analysed the dramatic shift ...

Top Republican decries Trump’s Iran deal: ‘Reagan is rolling over in his grave’

Top Republican decries Trump’s Iran deal: ‘Reagan is rolling over in his grave’

The Guardian

Senator Bill Cassidy attacks ‘worst foreign policy blunder in decades’ while others in his party skeptical over peace dealA handful of Senate Republicans have sharply criticized the agreement Donald Trump reached with Iran, accusing the administration of committing “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.On Wednesday, the Trump administration released the text of an interim deal between Wash...

Trump’s Iran deal is result of unrealistic ambitions for an untenable war

Trump’s Iran deal is result of unrealistic ambitions for an untenable war

The Guardian

US entered war with maximalist goals and exits it with pragmatic decision to end conflict despite political costMiddle East crisis – live updatesAs the adage goes: no plan of battle survives first contact with the enemy.Donald Trump entered the war with Iran with maximalist goals: eliminating the country’s nuclear programme, destroying its ballistic missile programme and ending its support for reg...

Trump says he is ‘not a big fan’ of USMCA, free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada he signed – live

Trump says he is ‘not a big fan’ of USMCA, free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada he signed – live

The Guardian

The US has to approve a renewal of the existing agreement by 1 July, or announce its intention to exit the pact, a process that would take 10 yearsSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump also denied (again) that the memorandum of understanding includes a $300bn fund for Iran, and denied that he had asked the Gulf states to commit funding.“It’s false,” Trump told reporters as he sat alon...

Middle East crisis live: US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed by both presidents, Iran state media says

Middle East crisis live: US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed by both presidents, Iran state media says

The Guardian

Senior US officials read out MOU text to journalists, insisting down-blending is a starting point; deal says sanctions relief tied to nuclear actionAnalysis: Where does Iran deal leave US-Israel relationship?Trump also addressed media reports of a leaked US-Iran deal (see post at 11:57), denying claims it includes a $300bn reconstruction fund for Tehran.“We’re not putting up 10 cents,” he said. “W...

Australia news live: nonstop Sydney-London flights delayed again; anti-abortion bill blocked in SA

Australia news live: nonstop Sydney-London flights delayed again; anti-abortion bill blocked in SA

The Guardian

Qantas now says first Project Sunrise flight due to take off in November 2027. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAll major medical organisations, including the Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (Ranzcog), the Australian Medical Association, and the College of Midwives, opposed the bill.The vast majority (more tha...

Families of eight women killed confront the Gilgo Beach serial killer: ‘Save a spot in hell’

Families of eight women killed confront the Gilgo Beach serial killer: ‘Save a spot in hell’

The Guardian

New York judge imposes life without parole after emotional statements at Rex Heuermann’s sentencingSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe families of eight women killed by Rex Heuermann spoke at the Gilgo Beach killer’s sentencing in Riverhead, New York, on Wednesday, more than three decades after the 62-year-old Manhattan architect began his killing spree.Heuermann pleaded guilty to...

LA leaders back investigation into police killing of two-year-old dog

LA leaders back investigation into police killing of two-year-old dog

The Guardian

Officers responding to call about ‘screaming woman’, who was celebrating Knicks win, shot dog named JamesonAs the Los Angeles police department faces mounting scrutiny after officers shot and killed a two-year-old golden Saint Bernard doodle, the city’s political leaders have backed calls for an investigation into the incident.On Saturday, LA police officers responded to a radio call about a “scre...

Federal Trade Commission sues leading transgender health group

Federal Trade Commission sues leading transgender health group

The Guardian

Four states file alongside FTC, claiming WPath made deceptive claims about gender-affirming care for minorsThe Federal Trade Commission and four states sued the World Professional Association for Transgender Health on Wednesday, in the latest push by Donald Trump’s administration and others to limit gender-affirming care for transgender minors.The suit alleges the group, known widely as WPath, mad...

Georgia Republicans decline to redraw congressional map in defiance of Trump

Georgia Republicans decline to redraw congressional map in defiance of Trump

The Guardian

Lawmakers cite rushed timeline and public input despite pressure to redraw districts after supreme court opinionGeorgia Republicans declined to redraw the state’s congressional map during a special session, defying calls from Donald Trump for widespread redistricting in the wake of a recent US supreme court decision that effectively gutted a major section of the Voting Rights Act.“We believe that ...

Federal Reserve holds rates steady but signals possible hike before year’s end

Federal Reserve holds rates steady but signals possible hike before year’s end

The Guardian

Open markets committee says ‘economic activity is expanding at a solid pace’ in first meeting under new chair Kevin WarshUS stock markets dropped Wednesday afternoon after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and signaled a possible rate hike before the end of the year.The Fed was widely expected to keep rates at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, where it has remained since December. The deci...

Australia news live: Non-stop Sydney-London flights delayed again; anti-abortion bill blocked in SA

Australia news live: Non-stop Sydney-London flights delayed again; anti-abortion bill blocked in SA

The Guardian

Qantas now says first Project Sunrise flight due to take off in November 2027. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.The first bill to re-criminalise abortion in the nation’s history passed South Australia...

Even as Florida moves detainees from ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, activists fight for its permanent closure

Even as Florida moves detainees from ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, activists fight for its permanent closure

The Guardian

Groups cite detainee maltreatment and degradation of surrounding land as reasons to close facility permanentlySign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailAn alliance of environmental groups has welcomed reports that detainees have been moved from Florida’s notorious “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail, but have promised to press ahead with legal action to ensure its permanent closure and th...

Oklahoma congressional candidate drops out amid texting infidelity furor

Oklahoma congressional candidate drops out amid texting infidelity furor

The Guardian

Jackson Lahmeyer, a Christian nationalist and Pastors for Trump founder, loses Trump endorsement to competitorOklahoma congressional candidate Jackson Lahmeyer announced Wednesday that he is suspending his campaign, after the Christian pastor once endorsed by Donald Trump, who had advanced to a Republican primary runoff, was reported to have sent extramarital, intimate text messages.“After prayerf...

Mississippi officer put on leave after killing baby in car outside Walmart

Mississippi officer put on leave after killing baby in car outside Walmart

The Guardian

Protests erupt in Senatobia after one-year-old Kohen Wiley killed after police responded to report of shopliftingA Mississippi police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a shooting while responding to an alleged shoplifting complaint killed a one-year-old child – and prompted local protests.Demonstrations erupted in Senatobia after the police killing on Sunday of Kohen Wiley. Tha...

US air force names eight killed in Boeing B-52 test flight crash in California

US air force names eight killed in Boeing B-52 test flight crash in California

The Guardian

Victims include four airmen, a reservist and three civilians as inquiry into Edwards crash continuesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailAir force officials have released the names of the eight men killed in this week’s fiery crash of a B-52 during a test flight at Edwards air force base in southern California.The deceased, whose identities had initially been withheld while the militar...