China seizes 60,000 maps over ‘mislabelled’ Taiwan
The maps also omitted "important islands", the source of competing claims between Beijing and its neighbours.
‘Big John’ Fisher’s Australian takeaway: get the right visa next time
British social media star sent back by border force after apparently arriving on tourist paperwork but with several appearances scheduled
British social media personality “Big John” Fisher has cut short a tour and appearances in Australia after saying he was detained by immigration officers for arriving on the wrong visa.
Fisher, who is famous for his love of Chinese takeaway and reviews of fast food and has almost 700,000 followers on Instagram, said he was held for four hours by Australian Border Force officers after arriving in Perth on Tuesday.
Continue reading...Wednesday briefing: The new, devastating flood risk facing nearly all of Britain
In today’s newsletter: Flooding is predicted to become so bad that some towns may need to be abandoned, and it’s not even campaigners raising the alarm – but insurers
Good morning. For years, whenever I read about parts of Britain being wrecked by flooding, it always felt like something distant – because until your house is flooded, it’s hard to imagine it happening, isn’t it? Not any more.
According to a Guardian investigation, millions more homes across England, Scotland and Wales are at risk of devastating floods. In England alone, the number of properties exposed to flooding is expected to rise by more than a quarter, from 6.3m to 8m. The story gets worse for those in high-risk areas for flash flooding – which is harder to predict and protect against – where the frequency could surge by up to 66% by 2050. The picture is so bleak that, startlingly, some towns may one day have to be abandoned altogether.
Israel-Gaza war | The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced its first test on Tuesday when Israel said the flow of aid into the devastated Palestinian territory would be cut by half and the crucial Rafah border crossing with Egypt would not open as planned, blaming Hamas for delays in the return of bodies of hostages.
UK child abuse inquiry | Keir Starmer’s national grooming gangs inquiry has stalled amid wrangles over its remit and difficulties in finding a senior legal figure willing to become its chair, the Guardian has been told.
Economics | The global economy has shown “unexpected resilience” to Donald Trump’s tariffs, but the full impact is yet to be felt, the IMF has warned. The forecast for economic growth in the UK has also been modestly increased, from 1.2% to 1.3% this year – though slightly downgraded next year, also to 1.3%.
Madagascar | Andry Rajoelina, the president of Madagascar, has said he fled the country in fear for his life after a military rebellion but did not announce his resignation in a speech broadcast on social media. They were Rajoelina’s first public comments since the a military unit called Capsat turned against his government in an apparent coup.
Music | D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer who helped pioneer the sound of neo-soul, has died after a struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 51.
Continue reading...Candace Owens: Australia’s high court backs minister’s decision to deny visa to US rightwinger
Home affairs minister’s 2024 decision to reject visa application for planned speaking tour on character grounds upheld
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Australia’s high court has unanimously backed the government’s 2024 decision to refuse the rightwing provocateur Candace Owens a visa to enter the country.
The full bench of the court ruled on Wednesday that the minister’s denial did not infringe an implied constitutional freedom of political communication.
Continue reading...A quiet bite in: Charlie Bigham launches £29.95 ready meals for home diners
Supermarket supplier says new pricier range is still cheaper than bill for a night out at a restaurant
British consumers are looking to treat themselves with an alternative to dining out despite a squeeze on household finances, according to the food entrepreneur Charlie Bigham who is launching luxurious ready meals costing up to £29.95.
The supermarket supplier is selling a new five-option range, which includes a venison bourguignon made with wild-caught venison from the Scottish Highlands, in an attempt to snare consumers saving on the cost of a night out.
Continue reading...Plantwatch: An extraordinary orchid that lives and flowers underground
Botanist trying to conserve highly vulnerable rhizanthella that survives by feeding on nutrients from a fungus
Rhizanthella is an extraordinary orchid that lives its entire life underground. It flowers below ground, has no leaves and survives by feeding on nutrients from a fungus that gets its food from the soil and by connecting with roots of the broom bush, Melaleuca uncinata.
Rhizanthella was an international sensation when it was first discovered by a farmer ploughing a field in Western Australia in 1928. It still remains incredibly difficult to find, usually by searching areas with the right habitat and carefully scraping away soil searching for the blooms buried underneath – tiny reddish flowers wrapped in creamy-pink bracts. The blooms also have a heady scent of vanilla, and may be pollinated by termites or tiny flies.
Continue reading...Lehrmann heads to mediation as he sues government over anti-corruption raid for ‘James Bond-like allegations’
Former political staffer suing over legal costs during investigation into claims he misappropriated secret documents related to French submarines
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Disgraced former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann will head to mediation to push his bid to have the government foot his legal bill after a raid on his home.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission raided his home in June 2024 amid an investigation into claims he misappropriated secret documents related to French submarines.
Continue reading...Watch: Moment house drifts away from land as typhoon hits Alaska
The US Coast Guard rescued two dozen people after their homes floated away from shore during the storm.
Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged their deadliest fire in years. Here’s what we know – Yahoo News Singapore
Trump threatens to cut ‘Democrat’ programmes, extends funding to military
The White House says it will release a list of programmes to axe on Friday after cutting 4,200 positions last week.
President Zelenskyy removes Ukrainian citizenship of Odesa city’s mayor
Gennadiy Trukhanov is alleged to have Russian citizenship, which is prohibited in Ukraine.
EU executive to propose short-term rental rules to tackle ‘social crisis’ in housing
Bloc’s first affordable housing plan to cover issues such as tenants’ rights, property speculation and tourist lets
The EU executive will propose rules to tackle the “huge problem” of short-term rentals via platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com, as it seeks to confront the “social crisis” of people struggling to afford a home, its first-ever housing commissioner has said.
In an interview with the Guardian and other European newspapers, Dan Jørgensen said it was time for Brussels policymakers to take housing seriously or cede ground to anti-EU populists, who, he said, did not have the answers to the shortage of affordable homes.
Continue reading...Digital ID: Danes and Estonians find it ‘pretty uncontroversial’
Citizens have enrolled with little opposition, albeit with some concerns over security and privacy, as UK plans system
For Danish teenagers, getting enrolled for MitID (my ID) has become somewhat of a rite of passage.
From the age of 13, Danes can enrol for the national digital ID system, which can be used for everything from logging into online banking to signing documents electronically and booking a doctor’s appointment.
Continue reading...Pupils fear AI is eroding their ability to study, research finds
One in four students say AI ‘makes it too easy’ for them to find answers
Pupils fear that using artificial intelligence is eroding their ability to study, with many complaining it makes schoolwork “too easy” and others saying it limits their creativity and stops them learning new skills, according to new research.
The report on the use of AI in UK schools, commissioned by Oxford University Press (OUP), found that just 2% of students aged between 13 and 18 said they did not use AI for their schoolwork, while 80% said they regularly used it.
Continue reading...Bitcoin worth $14bn seized in US-UK crackdown on alleged scammers
The UK has also frozen assets linked to the alleged scammers, including a £100m London office building.
‘New Normal’: Is Pakistan trying to set new red lines with Afghan Taliban?
Amid growing clashes with the Taliban, Pakistan's moves mirror, ironically, an approach it has decried in the past.
Far-right U.S. influencer Candace Owens loses legal fight to enter Australia – NBC News
NATO agonizes over leaky air defenses while Russian threat grows – politico.eu
- NATO agonizes over leaky air defenses while Russian threat grows politico.eu
- NATO Defence Ministers focus on deterrence, counter-drone initiatives, defence investment, and support to Ukraine NATO - Homepage
- NATO seeks 'drone wall' amid Russian airspace incursions DW
- Nato in talks to make it easier to shoot down Russian jets The Telegraph
- NATO should 'not take the Russians too seriously,' alliance chief claims The Kyiv Independent
Xi directs quashing of Chinese feminists even as he praises advances at women’s conference
Chinese president is behind patriarchal turn in politics with activists silenced for ‘promoting gender antagonism’
Addressing dignitaries gathered in Beijing on Monday, Xi Jinping praised the “historic achievements” of women’s rights in China. In the past 30 years, the Chinese president said, maternal mortality rates had dropped by nearly 80%, and women were now participating in the project of national governance with “unprecedented confidence and vigour”.
Xi was speaking at the global women’s summit, an event on Monday and Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the historic UN’s world conference on women, which took place in Beijing. It was there in 1995 that Hillary Clinton, the then US first lady, delivered her “women’s rights are human rights” speech, lines now often quoted by people in China advocating for women’s rights.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,329
Here are the key events from day 1,329 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.