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Politics
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Man denied parole a second time over anti-Israel graffiti despite judge’s scathing critique of case
NSW parole authority says Mohommed Farhat followed ‘extremist ideology of antisemitic character’ while separately judge ruled ‘Fuk Israel’ was ‘political comment’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A Sydney man convicted of writing “Fuk Israel” on cars and setting another vehicle alight has had his release on parole rejected a second time, despite a supreme court judge stating the case appeared to be a “serious miscarriage of justice”. Mohommed Farhat, 22, was initially due to be released on parole in December after serving 10 months in prison following the November 2024 vandalism in Woollahra. Continue reading...
Major Sydney property developer collapses after ‘perfect storm’, leaving buyers in limbo
Bathla Group says softening sales and impacts from federal government’s May budget contributed it being placed in voluntary administration Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Embattled home builder Bathla Group has been placed into voluntary administration, leaving customers in limbo in what it says is a “perfect storm” of circumstances. It joins the long list of Australian residential builders and property developers which have entered voluntary administration or liquidation due to soaring material costs, labour shortages and fixed-price contracts. Continue reading...
eHarmony deceived customers with ‘subscription traps’ that cost hundreds of dollars, court finds
Australian consumer watchdog says it received hundreds of complaints about the US-based dating site and its memberships Dating website eHarmony engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct over subscription traps that cost thousands of customers hundreds of dollars each, the federal court has found. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sued the US-based eHarmony in 2023 over claims of providing free dating on its platform, and the information consumers were given on subscription costs and renewal terms when buying a premium subscription. Continue reading...
Canadians do not seek a trade war – but neither will we be bullied by Donald Trump | Jen Gerson
A fundamental rupture in the values that have united North America is not a problem that can be wished away: this is a warning to the western alliance The Canadians are exceedingly angry. I realise this can sometimes be difficult for foreigners to deduce, given our national struggle to express the full range of human emotion outside ice hockey riots. However, let me assure you that the prime minister Canadians saw take the stage on Saturday morning in the wake of the collapse in trade negotiations with the US was a Mark Carney practically vibrating with fury. “You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,” he said , in a rare press conference that was as candid and clear as he ever tends to be. “That’s fine … We’ve got the reserves, we’ve got the resilience, we’ve got the plan, we’ve got the focus. We’re gonna respond, we’re going to focus on what we can control and what we’re going to build.” Jen Gerson is a Canadian commentator and co-founder of The Line . She lives in Calgary, Alberta Continue reading...
‘Like smoking a cigarette’: Indonesia chokes on haze as blazes intensify amid super ‘El Niño’
In Indonesia’s Kalimantan, fires have ravaged tens of thousands of acres, with suffocating smoke reaching Malaysia and putting Singapore on alert Suwadi can barely see five metres in front of him when he steps outside his home in Indonesian Borneo. Each breath, he says, feels “like smoking a cigarette”. Continue reading...
Coogee shark attack victim describes moment she came to face-to-face with ‘monster’
In her first media interview since the June incident, Leah Stewart, 34, says her thoughts while being bitten were of her one-year-old daughter An Australian woman left without an arm after a shark attack at a beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has recalled the moment she came face-to-face with the “monster”. Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of a one-year-old daughter, was attacked by a large shark while on a morning swim at Coogee beach on 13 June. Continue reading...
Freddie Mercury’s ‘splendid things’ to go on display at V&A
Eight costumes spanning Queen frontman’s career will feature in a free trail developed with his former fiancee Eight famous costumes worn by Freddie Mercury, including the outfit featured on the cover of Queen’s debut album and the catsuit from the video for Bohemian Rhapsody, are to go on display at the V&A in London this autumn to mark what would have been the singer’s 80th birthday. Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things, a free trail developed with Mercury’s former fiancee and close friend Mary Austin, will run from 24 October 2026 to 17 January 2027. Austin is lending seven of the looks, which span Mercury’s career from the 1970s to his final years. Continue reading...
Europe’s heatwaves threaten insurers’ earnings, rating agency S&P says
Rise in claims linked to heat-related deaths and illness, especially among older people, could drive up premiums Europe’s intense heatwaves could hit insurers’ earnings as companies face a rise in claims linked to heat-related deaths and worsening health conditions, the rating agency S&P has said. While a long summer of extreme heat will have increased drought and wildfire-related claims, the rating agency said there would also be fallout for life and health insurers, and for the reinsurers who provide financial protection to insurance companies. Continue reading...
NHS England to offer women ‘gamechanging’ free home testing kits for cervical cancer
NHS has target of eliminating the cancer by 2040, but up to 4 million eligible women are not up to date with screening Millions of women in England who have missed cervical screening appointments will be offered free home testing kits on the NHS. The move comes amid concerns that only two-thirds of women attend in-person cervical screening appointments when asked to do so, leaving as many as 4 million women not up to date. Continue reading...
At least 35,000 excess deaths recorded in Europe’s back-to-back heatwaves
True figure likely to be much higher as it only covers about half of continent and does not include August totals At least 35,000 more people died during Europe’s four record-breaking, back-to-back heatwaves this summer than would normally be expected, according to incomplete figures from barely half the continent. Excess mortality in three of the EU’s larger countries – Germany, France and Spain – alone has already exceeded 25,000, according to the provisional national figures, and experts say the toll will rise significantly once August totals are consolidated. Continue reading...
Woolworths’ Ooshies craze causes Coles sales slump with parents shopping at rival supermarket to collect toys
Coles full-year results show that despite gaining market share over past 12 months, sales fell over four weeks of ‘competitor’s collectables campaign’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Woolworths’ latest Disney “Ooshie” collectables have not only captivated Australian children, they have led to a short-term slump in competitor Coles’ sales. The latest rubber figurine promotion was scheduled to end on Tuesday, but strong customer interest meant Woolworths prematurely ran out of Ooshies a week ago. Continue reading...
Woodside scraps long-term emissions and clean energy targets despite windfall oil profits caused by Iran war
Australia’s biggest oil and gas company recorded a 27% increase in sales profit to $1.67bn in the six-month reporting period Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Woodside Energy has scrapped its long-term emissions and clean energy targets, even after enjoying a period of windfall oil profits caused by the Iran conflict. Australia’s biggest oil and gas company recorded a 27% increase in sales profit to $1.67bn ($A2.33bn) in the six-month reporting period, according to financials lodged on Tuesday, after the price of crude surged amid disruptions to global supplies. Continue reading...
Scots college students charged with sexual assault of teen girl appear in court
Three boys, two aged 14 and one aged 13, on bail and yet to enter a plea after alleged assault in Sydney’s east Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Three teenage boys from a prestigious Sydney private school who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in an alleyway in Sydney’s eastern suburbs have faced court for the first time. On Tuesday the three boys, two aged 14 and one 13, all pupils at Sydney’s Scots College, had their matter heard in Surry Hills children’s court but remained outside the courtroom. Continue reading...
Trump administration plans to revoke 200,000 visas of asylum seekers
The state department will revoke B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026, whose holders have sought or are now seeking asylum Donald Trump’s administration said on Monday it planned to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the US, marking its latest step in a sweeping immigration crackdown. A state department spokesperson said it was coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security “to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently”. Continue reading...
Japan enlists 1,800 people to drag a 360-tonne castle keep using ropes and rollers
After repairs to Hirosaki Castle in Aomori prefecture, officials employed a technique known as hikiya to move the structure more than two metres To chants of “so-re, so-re”, about 1,800 people came together in northern Japan over the weekend to pull a 360-tonne castle keep a little more than two metres closer to its original resting place as part of ongoing renovations. The keep – a fortified tower within a castle – had to be moved to repair a wall that was damaged in a major earthquake. Continue reading...
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella announces immigration crackdown
Far-right leader echoes ally Donald Trump and says operations to ‘track down illegal immigrants’ should begin this week, amid earthquake aftermath Colombia’s far-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has announced a crackdown on immigrants, ordering authorities to detain and deport people who are in the country irregularly or have committed crimes. In office for just over two weeks, the millionaire former lawyer made the announcement on Sunday as the country continued to grapple with the aftermath of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake on 10 August that killed more than 300 people and destroyed more than 30,000 homes. Continue reading...
Massachusetts woman suspected of killing police officer husband found dead
Karen Solomon had been missing for six days after her husband Kurt Solomon was found dead at their home A mental health advocate suspected of killing her police officer husband was found dead on Monday, six days after she disappeared from her Massachusetts home, authorities said. Karen Solomon, an advocate who called for improvements and greater awareness of police mental health issues, had disappeared after Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon was found dead at their home just before 5.30am on 18 August. Officials had named Karen Solomon a suspect and said she was believed to be armed. Continue reading...
‘Immense drop-off’ in support contributing to care leaver deaths in England, review says
Death rate three to four times higher than among general population blamed on isolation of those leaving care ‘He was left on his own’: the care-leaver lives lost to a system that abandons them at 18 Profound isolation contributed to the deaths of more than 100 care leavers in England in a year, with a dramatic drop-off in support from social services at 18 leading to catastrophic consequences, a review has found. A government-commissioned report into the early deaths of young people who left care described the problem as a national tragedy and said many were left on their own “at the height of vulnerability” before they died. Continue reading...
Lindsay Clancy trial: psychologist says he doubts claim she was hallucinating
Dr Kirk Heilbrun says he believes Clancy took children’s lives so they wouldn’t ‘suffer’ after she killed herself With just days to go before the murder trial for Lindsay Clancy concludes, a forensic psychologist called by the prosecution testified on Monday that he did not believe she was experiencing acute psychosis when she killed her three children. Kirk Heilbrun, who reportedly performed psychiatric tests on Clancy in April, told the court that he questioned her claims that a hallucinated voice commanded her to commit the act, and that he believed she took their lives so they wouldn’t “suffer” after she killed herself. Continue reading...
Burnham backtracks on spending housing fund only on building social homes
About 40% of £10bn from Affordable Homes Programme will now go on types of housing such as sheltered and shared ownership Andy Burnham has backtracked on his proposal to rip up the government’s housing plans and boost social home building. Ministers laid out plans on Monday to spend an initial £10bn from the 10-year Affordable Homes Programme on a mix of subsidised housing types in England, in line with the Starmer government’s policy. Continue reading...
Target apologizes for ‘offensive’ Halloween costume after backlash
Retailer removes kid’s clown costume after people said it resembled a racist caricature used in minstrel shows Target, the US retail corporation, said it pulled a controversial Halloween costume off its shelves after criticism across social media that it resembled a racist caricature . The ad image for the costume, sold as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume,” depicted a Black child in a bright orange and black top with solid black gloves and a mask with a wide, toothy smile. Both the child’s pose and the costume’s gloves and mask were likened to caricatures of Black people used in minstrel shows. Continue reading...
US supreme court rules Trump can proceed with crackdown on mail-in voting
Justices’ ruling comes after lower courts had blocked president’s election order ahead of November midterms Donald Trump’s administration can proceed with a nationwide crackdown on mail-in voting, the US supreme court has ruled, approving its emergency appeal. It remains unclear, however, how his administration can implement the decision in time for the midterm elections in November, and the ruling leaves room for legal challenges. Continue reading...
Nevada files lawsuit challenging federal plan for Colorado River revival
In Trump administration’s plan, California, Arizona and Nevada face about a 20% cut to water supply over two years Nevada filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging the Trump administration’s new plan for the imperiled Colorado River, launching what could become the first of many court battles over the waterway that supplies 40 million people, dozens of tribes and 5.5m acres of farm land across the American west. The federal plan, issued Friday, cut roughly 20% from the water supplied to lower basin states – Nevada, Arizona and California – over the next two years, with a potential for harsher cutbacks in the future, based on conditions. Continue reading...
Australia news live: Sydney trains plagued by morning cancellations due to ‘urgent’ repairs to overhead wires
Commuters warned journey may take an extra 45 minutes as ‘limited’ buses replace north short trains. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good 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. We begin with a classic “commuter chaos” update: there are widespread train cancellations in Sydney this morning due to problems with overhead wiring at a major hub. Continue reading...