Murray Watt backs ‘no-go’ zones where development is banned – but not for Tasmania’s Robbins Island

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Environment minister says scientific evidence did not convince government that remote island qualified

Australia’s environment minister, Murray Watt, has backed the creation of “no-go zones” where development will be banned in some places under a revamped nature law, but said Tasmania’s remote Robbins Island – the site of a contentious windfarm proposal – does not qualify.

Watt this week said the Albanese government would accelerate its plan to overhaul the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act so that legislation was introduced to parliament this year, sooner than previously suggested.

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Video appears to show New Zealand fugitive who fled into wilderness with children 4 years ago – CBS News

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  1. Video appears to show New Zealand fugitive who fled into wilderness with children 4 years ago  CBS News
  2. New CCTV believed to show fugitive father who has spent years with his three children in the wilderness  CNN
  3. New video appears to show New Zealand fugitive dad with his child  BBC
  4. Fugitive Father Hiding in Wilderness with His Kids Seen in New Footage  People.com
  5. New Zealand fugitive and one of his children spotted on CCTV after four years on the run, police believe  The Guardian
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Celebrity crocodile wrangler Matt Wright lied about helicopter crash that killed co-star in Australia, jury finds – CBS News

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  1. Celebrity crocodile wrangler Matt Wright lied about helicopter crash that killed co-star in Australia, jury finds  CBS News
  2. Matt Wright: Famous croc wrangler found guilty in evidence tampering trial  BBC
  3. Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright found guilty on two charges after fatal helicopter crash but jury deadlocked on third  The Guardian
  4. Matt Wright guilty on two counts of hindering chopper crash investigation  Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  5. Netflix crocodile catcher guilty of lying about helicopter crash  The Times
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Japan, India to deepen security, economic ties amid U.S. tariffs – Reuters

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  1. Japan, India to deepen security, economic ties amid U.S. tariffs  Reuters
  2. Modi and Ishiba agreed to expand India and Japan’s ties. Here’s what they said  PBS
  3. Quad To Bullet Train And Semi-Conductors, PM Modi Has His Plate Full In Japan  NDTV
  4. Modi seeks closer ties on Asia tour to offset fallout from US tariffs  Reuters
  5. ‘Padharo Maare Des’: PM Modi gets traditional Rajasthani welcome in Japan | Watch  Hindustan Times
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India’s Modi and Japan’s Ishiba agree to expand ties. Here’s what they said – AP News

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  1. India’s Modi and Japan’s Ishiba agree to expand ties. Here’s what they said  AP News
  2. Indian PM Modi Tours Chip Plant With Japan’s Ishiba  Bloomberg.com
  3. Aging Japan is tripling its investments to $6.8 billion a year in a bid to get India's younger workers  Fortune
  4. Japan, India to deepen security, economic ties amid U.S. tariffs  Reuters
  5. Tokyo To Sendai: PM Modi's Bullet Train Ride With Japanese Counterpart  NDTV
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UN human rights staff urge leadership to declare Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide

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Internal letter also calls on UN member states to suspend arms sales, saying ‘criticising Israel is not enough’

Hundreds of employees of the United Nations’ leading human rights agency have backed an internal letter telling its leadership to declare Israel’s offensive in Gaza a genocide and to call on UN member states to suspend arms sales to Israel.

The 1,100-word letter, signed by about a quarter of the 2,000 staff of the Geneva- and New York-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), says the Israeli offensive in Gaza meets the legal threshold of genocide and that this means “arms sales, transfers and related logistical or financial support to Israeli authorities” constitutes a clear breach of international law by all those involved.

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Protests erupt in Indonesia over death of man hit by police vehicle

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Government faces calls for police reform amid violent clashes across Jakarta and demonstrations in other cities

Hundreds of Indonesians have protested at sites across Jakarta over the death of a man hit by a police vehicle, in the first big test for Prabowo Subianto’s nearly year-old government.

The man, a motorcycle ride-sharing driver, was hit at the site of violent clashes near parliament on Thursday as police sought to disperse demonstrators protesting about a number of issues including lawmakers’ pay and education funding.

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Norway Leader Rebukes US Senator Graham’s Criticism of $2 Trillion Fund – Bloomberg.com

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  1. Norway Leader Rebukes US Senator Graham’s Criticism of $2 Trillion Fund  Bloomberg.com
  2. Norwegian Wealth Fund Ditches Caterpillar Over Israel’s Bulldozer Use  The Wall Street Journal
  3. Lindsey Graham Calls for Sanctions on Norway After Major BDS Move  yahoo.com
  4. Graham floats retaliatory tariffs, visa restrictions over Norway BDS move  Jewish Insider
  5. Senator Lindsey Graham threatens Norway after wealth fund divests from Caterpillar  Middle East Eye
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UN to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission next year after Israeli and US pressure

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Unifil mandate extended but troops patrolling Lebanon-Israel border to be withdrawn in December 2026

The UN security council has voted to extend the body’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for a further 16 months, but ordered it finished at the end of 2026 under Israeli and US pressure.

UNSC members voted unanimously on Thursday to extend the mandate for the UN interim force in Lebanon (Unifil) ahead of its expiration on Sunday, prompting relief from Lebanese officials who rely on it. The approved resolution said Unifil would begin an “orderly and safe withdrawal” of its 10,800 peacekeepers from Lebanon in December 2026.

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IDF declares famine-hit Gaza City a combat zone, ending ‘tactical pauses’ that allowed limited food delivery – Middle East crisis live

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Around one million Palestinian people expected to be displaced in shattered city where famine has been declared

A spokesperson for the Israeli military said earlier this week that the evacuation of Gaza City is “inevitable”. Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will launch its Gaza City assault while simultaneously pursuing a ceasefire, though talks have stalled.

The Israeli prime minister has claimed the assault is the best way to weaken Hamas and return hostages, but many hostage families disagree and fear it will endanger hostages lives.

In accordance with the situational assessment & directives of the political echelon, starting today at 10:00, the local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone.

The IDF continues supporting humanitarian efforts while conducting operations to protect Israel.

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Gun used in Emmett Till’s lynching is on display at museum 70 years later

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Mississippi museum announces display on anniversary of boy’s murder, a pivotal moment in civil rights movement

The gun used in the lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till is now on display for the public to see, 70 years after the killing.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History unveiled the .45-caliber pistol and its holster during a news conference on Thursday, which is the 70th anniversary of Till’s murder.

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Judges due to rule on Epping hotel injunction – UK politics live

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Home Office and Bell Hotel owner have challenged injunction granted to council that would stop dozens of asylum seekers being housed there

UK bank shares tumbled on Friday, cutting the stock market value of the sector by almost £8bn in morning trading, as fresh calls for a windfall tax on large lenders in the autumn budget spooked investors.

Calls for a tax grab, in a paper written by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) thinktank, took a toll on some of the UK’s biggest high street banks. NatWest Group suffered the biggest drop on Friday morning, registering a decline of as much as 5% in its share price, while Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays followed close behind, falling 4.5% and 3.6% respectively. HSBC dropped more than 1%.

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Backlash as White House chooses Robert F Kennedy Jr deputy to run CDC – US politics live

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Senators’ fury at developments at US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Jim O’Neill picked to replace Susan Monarez

Nearly 1,000 “worker over billionaire” protests are being planned in all 50 states starting this weekend as part of a Labor Day week of action organized by labor unions and advocacy groups in opposition to the Trump administration’s policies.

The actions include marches and rallies in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles, a Labor Day parade in New York City, rallies in Palmer, Alaska, Freeport, Maine, and a planned protest at the state capitol in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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‘So aware of their emotions’: Pupils are standout stars in new series about Yorkshire academy

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Educating Yorkshire Part 2 shows inspirational teachers negotiating challenges in young people’s lives

“Basically, there’s summat wrong with me. I’m like … a psychopath. Genuinely!” A teenage girl with the face of an angel is confiding in Mr Wilson, one of the student managers. He listens solemnly, but his mouth twitches with the beginnings of a smile.

“I’m going to start by disagreeing with you,” he says with all the seriousness he can muster. “You’re not a psychopath.” The girl in the sky-blue hoodie relaxes and rewards him with a broad smile.

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Hurricane Katrina victim identified 20 years later: ‘finally where she belongs’

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Guardian US partner WWL Louisiana called in Ray Theriot, who used utility bills, driver’s licenses and property records

A woman who died at home during Hurricane Katrina in a community outside New Orleans, but who remained unidentified for nearly two decades, has finally been named before the storm’s 20th anniversary on Friday.

The woman, who was identified with the help of New Orleans’s CBS affiliate, WWL Louisiana, has been named as Dorothy Virginia Driggers Taquino, 81.

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US soldiers could be liable for war crimes in Gaza. Will they be prosecuted?

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Human Rights Watch says US military personnel could face criminal prosecution for assisting Israel’s war in Gaza

Human rights groups and activists who protest against continued US support for Israel have focused primarily on the flow of US weapons, warning that continuing to send weapons to a state which has been documented using them in probable war crimes makes the US complicit.

However, this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlighted another facet of US military support for Israel: military cooperation and intelligence sharing.

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