Parliament has been getting frosty as winter closes in – but Labor may make one more gamble before the break

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As Labor pushes on with reforms, the Coalition must decide whether to join in the parliamentary deal-making

It’s the last week of parliament before the winter break, and not a minute too soon; tensions have been running a little high lately.

The lower house speaker, Milton Dick, has been yeeting MPs mere moments into question time and accused Angus Taylor of “demeaning” the parliament by calling Anthony Albanese a liar; Andrew Hastie claimed One Nation “has declared war on me, so they shall have war”; Labor has been goading the Coalition and its media “cheer squad” for opposing the budget; the Greens hate Labor’s NDIS bill; and people in the Coalition seem to be mad at everyone, including themselves.

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Biden calls Trump ‘a loser’, portraying him as incompetent, corrupt and vain

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Pugnacious speech invokes Trump’s ‘vanity projects’ to makeover Washington and the ‘brazen, blatant corruption’

Joe Biden called Donald Trump “a loser” in a pugnacious speech on Saturday that invoked his presidential successor’s attempted makeover of Washington DC to portray him as incompetent, corrupt and vain.

He delivered those remarks while giving the keynote address at a gala in Hanover, Maryland, hosted by the state’s Democratic party, which is hoping to help wrest control of Congress away from Trump and his Republican allies during November’s midterm elections.

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English influencer, 23, claims self-defense as she faces death penalty in UAE for boyfriend’s murder – New York Post

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  1. English influencer, 23, claims self-defense as she faces death penalty in UAE for boyfriend's murder  New York Post
  2. Influencer faces possible execution in Dubai after allegedly fatally stabbing man  Yahoo
  3. BREAKING: 23-Year-Old British TikTok Influencer Brooke George faces death penalty in Dubai  Prowly
  4. TikTok star from Kent faces death penalty for Dubai murder  BBC
  5. The inside story of the British TikToker who could face death by firing squad in Dubai  The Independent
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Poland records highest ever temperature as European heatwave moves east – Notes From Poland

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  1. Poland records highest ever temperature as European heatwave moves east  Notes From Poland
  2. Raging heatwave breaks Poland’s 100-year-old temperature record  TVP World
  3. Several European countries record their hottest day ever  Yahoo
  4. Poland on red alert as temperatures reach record-breaking 42 degrees Celsius  Global Times
  5. Poland and Germany Follows Denmark, Czechia, Slovakia, Austria, Italy and others as Europe Faces a Climatic New Breakdown Event With Intensifying 40°C Heatwave Waves, Atmospheric Omega Block Trapping, Infrastructure Fatigue, and Rapid Expansion  Travel And Tour World
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Donald Trump threatens to annihilate Iran after crossfire over Hormuz – as it happened

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Iran attacked Bahrain and Kuwait after US strikes, and threatened a ‘complete halt’ to talks

We will soon be closing this liveblog, but you’ll be able to stay up-to-date with our ongoing coverage of the Middle East here.

Here is a summary of today’s events:

Iran launched drone and missile attacks Sunday targeting Bahrain and Kuwait in response to US airstrikes that hit the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.

US president Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement in a post of social media and said the US may be “forced to militarily complete the job”. Iran also accused the US of violating the ceasefire agreement.

JD Vance continued to reiterate the administration’s triumphant line on the war with Iran hours before the latest round of strikes were exchanged. “America wins either way,” he said.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was in Baghdad for a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart. He called for a security framework to be established with the Gulf nations after it struck US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation to US strikes.

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRCG has said on state-run SNN TV that it will respond with more force if there are any more blow-for-blow attacks from the US.

Countries including Jordan, the UAE and Italy all condemned Iran’s attacks.

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Lucy Powell agrees Ed Miliband would be ‘good’ as Andy Burnham’s chancellor

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Labour deputy leader says she thinks energy secretary would suit Treasury but ‘tittle-tattle’ over posts ‘unedifying’

Ed Miliband would make a “good” chancellor to Andy Burnham, Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, has said, before the likely next prime minister’s first major speech on the economy since he returned to Westminster.

Powell, who served as Miliband’s chief of staff in opposition and is close to the former party leader, appeared to endorse him to run the Treasury – although some in Burnham’s camp acknowledge such a move could be politically risky.

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Burnham may have to boost defence spending to pass ‘Moscow test’, says ex-military chief

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Adm Sir Tony Radakin says UK currenly ‘falls short’ of level required to keep Russian threats at bay

The former head of the armed forces has told Andy Burnham that plans for defence spending must meet a “Moscow test” to keep Russian threats at bay, warning the UK currently “falls short” of that level of commitment.

Adm Sir Tony Radakin, who was the chief of the defence staff until last year, said that if the government’s defence investment plan (Dip), expected to be published this week, was “not enough” then the probable next prime minister would have to find more funding before the general election.

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More than 1,300 excess deaths linked to record-breaking Europe heatwave, WHO says – France 24

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  1. More than 1,300 excess deaths linked to record-breaking Europe heatwave, WHO says  France 24
  2. Record heatwave disrupts Europe as France warns death toll to rise  Reuters
  3. Europe’s record heat has overwhelmed Paris mortuaries and left families in distress  AP News
  4. France records around 1,000 additional deaths as extreme heat breaks European records  NBC News
  5. France Is Too Hot for Shutters and Ceiling Fans  The Atlantic
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Escalating US-Iran strikes threaten interim peace agreement

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Tehran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait amid efforts to open strait of Hormuz without Iran’s direct oversight

A new round of escalating strikes between Iran and the US has continued, further undermining the fragile interim peace agreement between the two countries, and prompting Donald Trump to threaten violence that would ensure Iran “will no longer exist”.

On Sunday, Tehran launched drone and missile attacks against Bahrain and Kuwait after new US strikes on sites in southern Iran, and threatened a “complete halt” to negotiations to end the war. Trump said that a moment might come soon when he abandoned talks and the US would “militarily finish the job”.

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