The obscure Jimmy Lai ruling that exposed the erosion of Hong Kong’s rule of law

Posted on by

The moves that barred the media mogul’s choice of lawyer are immune from legal challenge, giving the national security committee what one expert called ‘the powers of a police state’

The dwindling freedom in Hong Kong over the past few years has been described as “death by a thousand cuts”. Critics have been jailed, elections have been transformed into “patriots only” affairs, journalists have been harassed and hundreds of thousands of people have left.

This week, an obscure legal development has, in the eyes of some legal experts, inflicted another cut on the city’s once revered legal system.

Continue reading...

Melbourne teenager charged with murder after machete attack

Posted on by

Police allege victim, 24, was ambushed by up to 10 men and stabbed to death near Marriott Waters shopping centre on 14 March

An 18-year-old has been charged with murder following the fatal stabbing of a man by an alleged machete-wielding group amid plans to ban the weapon.

Timothy Leek was stabbed to death near the Marriott Waters shopping centre in Melbourne’s south-east on the night of 14 March.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Reeves to raise spectre of Liz Truss to persuade Labour MPs to accept cuts

Posted on by

Chancellor to tell party she is making steep cuts to avoid similar fallout to that which followed 2022 mini-budget

Rachel Reeves will raise the spectre of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget in the lead-up to next week’s spring statement as she tries to persuade her Labour colleagues to accept the steepest departmental cuts since austerity.

The chancellor will tell her fractious party she has decided to cut public spending rather than increasing borrowing because of the risk of a similar fallout to that which followed the then prime minister’s disastrous fiscal statement in 2022.

Continue reading...

Scientists discover dozens of deep-sea creatures beneath giant iceberg – Interesting Engineering

Posted on by
  1. Scientists discover dozens of deep-sea creatures beneath giant iceberg  Interesting Engineering
  2. Another giant iceberg breaks free leading to 'amazing' seabed find  Oceanographic Magazine
  3. A huge iceberg broke off Antarctica. What scientists found under it startled them.  The Washington Post
  4. Stunning Antarctic Sea Creatures Discovered after Iceberg Breaks Away  Scientific American
  5. Turns Out, The Antarctic Ice Sheet Is Hiding An Abundant Ecosystem  AOL
Posted in Uncategorized

IAF intercepts Houthi missile that triggered sirens in Jerusalem, surrounding areas – The Jerusalem Post

Posted on by
  1. IAF intercepts Houthi missile that triggered sirens in Jerusalem, surrounding areas  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Israeli military says it intercepted missile fired from Yemen; Houthis claim responsibility  Reuters
  3. IDF intercepts Houthi missile that triggered sirens across central Israel, Jerusalem  The Times of Israel
  4. Houthis declare Ben-Gurion Airport ‘no longer safe’ after renewed Gaza fighting  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Missiles from Yemen target Israel despite US threats  Al Jazeera English
Posted in Uncategorized

Falconer ‘extremely close’ to catching hawk attacking Hertfordshire villagers

Posted on by

Bird of prey’s violent reign in Flamstead could soon come to an end, according to parish council

It stole two woolly hats from the head of a 91-year-old pensioner. It clawed a jogger’s scalp and left him reeling. It is said to swoop in from behind without making a sound, has a penchant for tall men’s heads and – so far – has evaded capture.

But the violent reign of the Flamstead hawk, which has made men in the Hertfordshire village of Flamstead afraid to go out without covering their heads, may soon be at an end.

Continue reading...

Suzanne drives eight hours to get ADHD medicine from a specialist. Australian GPs say they need more prescribing powers

Posted on by

Exclusive: Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners urges Albanese government to increase range of medicines they can prescribe

Every three months, Suzanne Grobke makes an eight-hour round-trip to access the ADHD medicine her 12-year-old daughter depends on.

“My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD when she was three and we see a paediatrician in Sydney because it was up to a two-year wait to see someone regionally,” she said.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Victorian Labor’s tough-on-crime turn could mark the beginning of the end for Jacinta Allan

Posted on by

Victorian Labor has faced a ‘crime crisis’ before – but no matter how tough the premier talks on law and order, the Coalition is always willing to go tougher

It was meant to be the week Jacinta Allan took a firm stance on the “crime crisis”, but it could instead mark the beginning of the end for her government.

It began on Monday with the Victorian premier announcing a new police taskforce, Operation Hawk, which appeared, on the surface, a decisive move to combat corruption on government construction sites.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Nasa drops plan to land first woman and first person of color on the moon

Posted on by

Promise was central plank to space agency’s Artemis program, which is scheduled to return humans to the lunar surface in 2027

Nasa has dropped its longstanding public commitment to land the first woman and person of color on the moon, in response to Donald Trump’s directives to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices at federal agencies.

The promise was a central plank of the space agency’s Artemis program, which is scheduled to return humans to the lunar surface in 2027 for the first time since the final Apollo mission in December 1972.

Continue reading...

Will recapture of presidential palace change course of Sudan war? – BBC.com

Posted on by
  1. Will recapture of presidential palace change course of Sudan war?  BBC.com
  2. Sudan’s Army Retakes the Presidential Palace in Khartoum  The New York Times
  3. Sudan's army takes control of the presidential palace, 2 years after war broke out  NPR
  4. Sudanese military says it seized key buildings in Khartoum after retaking the Republican Palace  The Hill
  5. Sudan’s army seizes control of central bank amid steady gains in Khartoum  Al Jazeera English
Posted in Uncategorized

German tourist arrested after scaling Chichén Itzá pyramid during spring equinox – Mexico News Daily

Posted on by
  1. German tourist arrested after scaling Chichén Itzá pyramid during spring equinox  Mexico News Daily
  2. Tourist Attacked by Locals After Climbing Forbidden Mayan Temple in Mexico  PEOPLE
  3. Tourist booed for climbing sacred Mayan pyramid in Mexico  Yahoo
  4. Moment German tourist is attacked by furious locals while being dragged away by security after climbing the st  Daily Mail
  5. German tourist arrested at Mayan historical site of Chichen Itza for climbing ancient pyramid  Washington Times
Posted in Uncategorized

Columbia University caves to demands to restore $400m from Trump administration

Posted on by

Measures include empowering security officers to arrest people, and reassigning control of Middle East department

Columbia University has yielded to a series of changes demanded by the Trump administration as a pre-condition for restoring $400m in federal funding the government pulled this month amid allegations that the school tolerated antisemitism on campus.

The university released a memo outlining its agreement with Donald Trump’s administration hours before an extended deadline set by the government was to expire.

Continue reading...

Trump revokes legal status of 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans

Posted on by

Move takes effect on 24 April as president weighs also stripping parole status from some 240,000 Ukrainians in US

Donald Trump’s administration will revoke the temporary legal status of 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans in the United States, according to a Federal Register notice on Friday, in the latest expansion of his crackdown on immigration.

It will be effective on 24 April.

Continue reading...

Australian tourist killed and two injured as snorkelling boat capsizes off Bali

Posted on by

Boat carrying 13 people capsizes in rough seas while travelling to island of Nusa Penida

A snorkelling boat carrying 13 people, including 11 Australian tourists, capsized in rough seas off Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on Friday, killing a woman and injuring two others, police said.

The Sea Dragon boat was on its way from a port in Bali to Nusa Penida, a popular tiny island near Bali, when it was overwhelmed by high waves, local police spokesperson Agus Widiono said.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Tense protests grow in Turkey over Istanbul mayor’s detention – Reuters

Posted on by
  1. Tense protests grow in Turkey over Istanbul mayor's detention  Reuters
  2. Thousands rally in Istanbul as Erdogan issues warning against protests over mayor’s arrest  The Associated Press
  3. Violent clashes as Turkey protests continue over detention of Erdogan’s main political rival  CNN
  4. Turkey's market rout worsens amid protests, worst stock slump since 2008  Reuters
  5. Thousands join march in Turkiye’s Istanbul to protest mayor’s arrest  Al Jazeera English
Posted in Uncategorized