World News Hub

Bondi attack hero Ahmed al-Ahmed says he’s ‘shocked’ after being charged with assaulting his father

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Police allege the 44-year-old lauded for disarming one of the gunmen in December’s attack put his father in a headlockGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Sydney man who disarmed one of the Bondi terror attackers has been charged with assaulting his father.Ahmed al-Ahmed, 44, is accused of allegedly putting his father in a headlock on 9 March at a house in Bankstown, in t...

Graham Platner says allegations of physical abuse of former partner ‘are simply not true’ – US politics live

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Democratic candidate for Maine Senate seat tells MS NOW that accusations reported by New York Times are ‘statements of somebody politically motivated’Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner rejects new allegations of abusive behaviorSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump’s former national security adviser-turned-foe John Bolton is expected to plead guilty over mishandling classified docu...

Graham Platner says allegations of physical abuse of former partner ‘are simply not true’ – live

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Democratic candidate for Maine Senate seat tells MS NOW that accusations reported by New York Times are ‘statements of somebody politically motivated’Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner rejects new allegations of abusive behaviorSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump’s former national security adviser-turned-foe John Bolton is expected to plead guilty over mishandling classified docu...

More than 100,000 cockroaches worth $200,000 seized from NSW breeder in record-breaking bust

The Guardian • 3 months ago

The invertebrates were likely destined for the pet trade, including as reptile foodMore than 100,000 live, exotic cockroaches have been seized from a commercial breeder in New South Wales in a record-breaking bust linked to the pet trade.Biosecurity officials seized the animals, which have a commercial value of up to $200,000, from a commercial breeder in Bathurst in the state’s central west this ...

Australia news live: Barnaby Joyce clarifies One Nation housing policy after interview blunder; John Howard signs open letter urging gambling reforms

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJane Hume, the deputy opposition leader, accused the government of being “sneaky”, saying discussions around tax reforms in parliament were much too short to properly address so-called “generational” tax reforms.“What the government has done is essentially prevented scrutiny of the changes that this legislation is g...

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner rejects new allegations of abusive behavior

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Platner says claims in New York Times article of physical misconduct and offensive remarks ‘politically motivated’Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate, has rejected an explosive new report about his treatment of women, insisting that allegations of abusive behavior are “politically motivated”.Platner, a progressive running for election in Maine, was responding to a New York Tim...

Trump claims Bill Pulte will investigate ‘rigged elections’ in temporary intelligence role

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Pulte, who is the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is a staunch loyalist of the presidentDonald Trump has suggested his controversial ally Bill Pulte will investigate “rigged elections” while serving as the country’s top intelligence official, as the US president continues to make unfounded allegations about voting.But Pulte, whom Trump appointed as acting director of national intel...

Australia news live: Jane Hume says Labor being ‘sneaky’ on tax changes; John Howard signs open letter urging gambling reforms

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJane Hume, the deputy opposition leader, accused the government of being “sneaky”, saying discussions around tax reforms in parliament were much too short to properly address so-called “generational” tax reforms.“What the government has done is essentially prevented scrutiny of the changes that this legislation is g...

Trump claims Pulte will investigate ‘rigged elections’ in temporary role

The Guardian • 3 months ago

US president’s appointee for acting director of national intelligence has sparked bipartisan criticismDonald Trump has suggested his controversial ally Bill Pulte will investigate “rigged elections” while serving as the country’s top intelligence official, as the US president continues to make unfounded allegations about voting.But Pulte, whom Trump appointed as acting director of national intelli...

Zelenskyy calls for face-to-face Ukraine war negotiations in letter to Putin

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Ukrainian president proposes meeting in neutral third country as Trump says both sides have to ‘make compromises’The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.The letter, the first Zelenskyy has publicly written directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2...

Australia news live: John Howard signs open letter urging gambling reforms; Julian Hill claims Labor has ‘won the debate’ on housing tax changes

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNSW has officially abolished the use of “good character” references when it comes to sentencing for all offences, the first such change in the nation.The new legislation passed in legislative council on Thursday night, and will apply for all offences, including homicide, domestic violence and road crimes. It means c...

Pam Bondi claims Todd Blanche was ‘in charge’ of ‘entire release’ of Epstein files

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Blanche, whom Trump plans to nominate to replace ex-attorney general, served as Bondi’s deputy at DoJFormer attorney general Pam Bondi told lawmakers that Todd Blanche, the man Donald Trump has lined up to replace her, was “in charge” of the US Department of Justice’s controversial handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.Appearing before the House oversight and reform committee, which is investigati...

Zelenskyy calls for face-to-face negotiations in letter to Putin

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Ukrainian president proposes meeting in neutral third country as Trump says both sides have to ‘make compromises’The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.The letter, the first public letter Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion...

Microsoft to tighten human rights measures after inquiry into Israel’s use of its tech

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Announcement seeks to close a difficult chapter for the company after the Guardian revealed its platform was used in mass surveillance of PalestiniansMicrosoft has said it will tighten human rights controls when working with national security agencies after an inquiry into how the Israeli military used its cloud technology for the mass surveillance of Palestinians.On Thursday, Microsoft announced ...

DoJ investigates 15 medical schools over alleged discrimination in admissions

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Announcement follows DoJ’s recent findings that medical schools at UCLA and Yale illegally used race in admissionsThe US Department of Justice’s civil rights division has launched investigations into 15 medical schools over allegations of potential race discrimination in their admissions processes.Thursday’s announcement follows the DoJ’s recent findings that the medical schools at the University ...

Australia news live: Julian Hill claims Labor has ‘won the debate’ on housing tax changes; homelessness soars in NSW

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Labor MP has declared victory in the debate over the government’s tax reforms, engaging in a bit of meta-commentary at the end of parliament’s sitting fortnight.Julian Hill made the comments on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing on Thursday.I believe the government’s won the debate on negative gearing. I believe we’ve w...

Mule deer already using incomplete $20m wildlife bridge in California

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Within the last few days, a camera trap caught images of three mule deer using structure for the first timeA trio of mule deer have already scuttled across a not-quite-finished $20m wildlife bridge in Siskiyou county, marking a triumph for the California department of transportation (Caltrans).The bridge and accompanying fencing over Route 97 in Siskiyou county is the first wildlife crossing const...

Trump uses wartime powers to dole out $700m to ‘clean, beautiful’ coal

The Guardian • 3 months ago

US president accused of ‘putting polluters first’ by invoking Defense Production Act to prop up coal outputDonald Trump is using wartime presidential authority to hand $700m to coal-fired power plants in the US, the latest move by the president to bolster what he called “clean, beautiful coal”, despite it being the dirtiest of fossil fuels.“Today, we’re taking historic action to bring down the pri...

Senate Republicans narrowly block bid to bar Trump’s $1.8bn fund to pay allies

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Three GOP senators joined Democrats as dispute over proposed payouts exposed party divisionsUS politics live – latest updatesSenate Republicans on Thursday narrowly scuttled an attempt by Democrats to stop Donald Trump from creating a $1.8bn fund to pay his allies, even as signs emerged that dissent over the proposal was spreading inside the US president’s own party.Democratic Senate minority lead...

Wildfire smoke has reversed US progress toward ozone air quality, study finds

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Since 2015, destructive fires have undone years of effort to reduce ozone levels, underscoring a growing public health crisisThe highly destructive wildfires that have battered the US and North America in recent years have significantly increased emissions and been linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths, but their impact on air quality is greater than previously known, according to new re...

Hampstead Heath ponds to remain trans-inclusive after public back existing rules

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Policy agreement means trans people will continue to have access to Kenwood Ladies’ and Highgate Men’s ponds in north-west LondonThe bathing ponds at Hampstead Heath in north-west London will remain trans-inclusive after a public consultation overwhelmingly favoured its existing rules.There are gender-segregated ponds for men and women, with trans people able to swim in whichever they feel most ap...

Top Democrat urges end to secrecy over proposed ICE child detention center

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Ron Wyden tells of ‘grave concerns’ over plan, first revealed by Guardian, to hold families at sprawling Louisiana facilityThe ranking member on the US Senate’s influential finance committee has demanded transparency over a proposed “first-of-its-kind” ICE family and child detention center in Alexandria, Louisiana, citing reporting by the Guardian that first revealed the Trump administration’s pla...

Senate Republicans vote to block motion to ban Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund – live

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Republicans vote against amendment to kill fund after acting attorney general Todd Blanche told lawmakers earlier this week that DOJ was ‘not moving forward with the fund’Sign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump’s former national security adviser-turned-foe John Bolton is expected to plead guilty over mishandling classified documents, multiple outlets are reporting.According to CNN, whic...

Family of girl left brain-damaged at birth accept £28m NHS payout

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Mother demands overhaul of maternity care after settling case over birth at Queen’s hospital in Romford in 2019The family of a girl left brain-damaged at birth have agreed to accept £28m in damages after the NHS trust involved admitted that its mistakes led to the tragedy.Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS trust failed to monitor the baby’s heart rate while her mother was in labour or ask an obst...

Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns storms out of meeting after discussion of Henry Nowak murder

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Exclusive: Greater Lincolnshire mayor walks out on cabinet minister after row over social media role in community tensionsAndrea Jenkyns walked out of a meeting with a cabinet minister and several other metropolitan mayors on Thursday after a heated discussion about the murder of Henry Nowak and the civil unrest that has followed.The Reform mayor of Greater Lincolnshire walked out of the meeting w...