Penny Wong warns Israel that occupying Gaza could violate international law

Australia’s foreign minister says two-state solution the only pathway to peace as Israel’s security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City

Penny Wong has urged Israel not to follow through on its plans to occupy Gaza, a step she said could constitute a breach of international law.

In a statement to Guardian Australia, Australia’s foreign minister pushed back on Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take control of the whole Gaza Strip. The plan approved by Israel’s security cabinet after an overnight meeting on Thursday – to take over Gaza City – stopped short of that, but will likely displace tens of thousands of Palestinians already suffering from famine.

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Neo-Nazi leader sentenced to 20 years for plot to attack Maryland’s power grid

Brandon Russell, founder of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, was convicted of plotting to blow up Baltimore power grid

The founder of a Florida-based neo-Nazi group has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring with his girlfriend to plan an attack on Maryland’s power grid in furtherance of their shared racist beliefs.

Brandon Russell, 30, was convicted by a jury earlier this year. Prosecutors presented evidence detailing his longstanding affiliation with white supremacist causes and his recent efforts to organize “sniper attacks” on electrical substations around Baltimore.

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Emergency care at Lucy Letby hospital falls short of legal standards, CQC finds

Countess of Chester receives urgent warning notice over ‘visibly dirty equipment’ and routine corridor care

Emergency care at the hospital where Lucy Letby worked is falling far short of legal standards, the healthcare watchdog has found, with routine corridor care and “critical gaps” in sepsis treatment.

The Countess of Chester hospital, in north-west England, was issued with an urgent warning notice after inspectors found “repeated breaches” of regulations in its emergency care unit.

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Released violent offenders to be ‘locked’ in restriction zones in England and Wales

Women’s safety campaigners welcome plan to switch from exclusion zones that ‘have made victims feel trapped’

Restriction zones aimed at “locking” violent offenders – rather than their victims – into specific areas when they are released from prison are to be introduced by the government in England and Wales.

At the moment, exclusion zones are often used to keep an offender away from their victim’s home but many campaigners for women’s safety have long called for this to be flipped.

Increased tagging for domestic perpetrators.

Requiring judges to flag domestic abuse at sentencing so prisons, probation and police can better identify and manage abusers.

Expanding specialist domestic abuse courts.

Bolstering transparency for victims at sentencing – including the provision of free copies of judges’ sentencing remarks for victims of rape and other sexual offences.

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Russian football clubs secure €10.8m in Uefa ‘solidarity’ funds since Ukraine invasion

Exclusive: Five Ukraine clubs failed to win similar payments due to allegedly being located in ‘zone of military operations’

Uefa has paid more than €10.8m (£9.4m) in “solidarity” funds to Russian football clubs since they were banned from taking part in European tournaments after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Guardian can reveal.

The payments were made despite five Ukrainian clubs failing to receive similar such funds allegedly due to their locations being in a “zone of military operations”.

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UK ministers push ahead with discount on bills for households near new pylons

Plans have provoked outrage from communities in areas of Great Britain expected to host new infrastructure

The government is pushing head with a plan to offer those who live near new electricity pylons a discount of £2,500 from their energy bills over the next 10 years to ease the backlash against its clean power plans.

Thousands of households within half a kilometre of new or upgraded electricity infrastructure could each receive up to £250 off their annual energy bill from next year to help speed up the rollout of infrastructure critical to the government’s targets.

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Bush pilot ditched Outback Wrangler star’s mobile phone after fatal helicopter crash, trial hears

Michael Burbidge gives evidence he told police Chris Wilson’s wife ‘doesn’t need to see what’s on the phone’

A bush pilot has told a court he ditched reality TV star Chris “Willow” Wilson’s mobile phone after a fatal helicopter crash, but can’t recall unscrewing the chopper’s console with Outback Wrangler’s Matt Wright.

Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright’s trial in the supreme court in Darwin on Friday.

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Police in England brace for disorder as far right promote anti-migrant protests

Restrictions in place on Friday in areas including Norwich and officers will monitor at least 12 other towns and cities

Police are braced for potential disorder in towns across England this weekend amid the far right’s promotion of a range of protests against asylum seekers, with anti-racism activists planning counter-protests.

Restrictions will be in place on Friday at locations including Norwich while officers will police at least 12 other towns and cities that evening.

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As Trump’s deadline for Russia comes due, White House preps for possible summit with Putin – CNN

  1. As Trump’s deadline for Russia comes due, White House preps for possible summit with Putin  CNN
  2. How Trump and Putin Reached a New Make-or-Break Moment on Ukraine  The Wall Street Journal
  3. Ukrainian troops have little hope for peace as Trump's deadline for Russia arrives  ABC News
  4. Trump and Putin’s relationship turns sour as president pushes for resolution with Ukraine  Fox News
  5. Trump’s Russia deadline is set to expire, with tariffs at stake  CNBC
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First Thing: New Trump tariffs come into force against dozens of countries – The Guardian

  1. First Thing: New Trump tariffs come into force against dozens of countries  The Guardian
  2. Trump tariffs kick in at highest rates since Great Depression  CNN
  3. Trump’s Tariffs Could Raise Prices on Many Consumer Goods  The New York Times
  4. Trump’s new tariffs go into effect as US economy shows signs of strain  AP News
  5. Trump may look like he's winning the trade war, but hurdles remain  Reuters
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Myanmar military junta using European technology for drone attacks, report says

Junta obtained ‘anti-jamming’ product made in Europe through a Chinese company, research finds, triggering calls for tighter sanctions

Myanmar’s military is using advanced European technology to protect its drone fleet as it carries out brutal aerial campaigns, research suggests, prompting calls for sanctions against the junta to be tightened.

Myanmar’s military, which has been widely condemned for its indiscriminate attacks against civilians, obtained “anti-jamming” technology made in Europe through a Chinese company, according to a report by Conflict Armament Research (Car).

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Israel Security Cabinet Approves Plan to Seize Gaza City – Bloomberg.com

  1. Israel Security Cabinet Approves Plan to Seize Gaza City  Bloomberg.com
  2. Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Full Military Takeover of Gaza  The New York Times
  3. Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City  Reuters
  4. Live updates: Israel’s security cabinet approves Netanyahu plan to occupy Gaza City  CNN
  5. Netanyahu’s office says Israel will take over Gaza City, escalating Hamas war amid hunger crisis  NBC News
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Netanyahu announces plan to take over Gaza City, marking another escalation in devastating war

Plan will likely displace tens of thousands of Palestinians already suffering from famine and comes after PM said he wanted to take control of entire territory

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said, marking another escalation in the 22-month offensive that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most of Gaza and pushed the territory into famine.

Ahead of the security cabinet meeting, which began Thursday and ran through the night, Netanyahu had said Israel planned to retake control over the entire territory and eventually hand it off to friendly Arab forces opposed to Hamas.

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Simulated Chinese blockade of Taiwan reveals Singapore as lifeline – Reuters

  1. Simulated Chinese blockade of Taiwan reveals Singapore as lifeline  Reuters
  2. Zero Day Attack: Taiwanese TV show imagines Chinese invasion and stokes debate  BBC
  3. Why Taiwanese fear China could take over from within  Financial Times
  4. Blockades, blackouts and bullets: China invades Taiwan on screen  The Economist
  5. Lights Out? Wargaming a Chinese Blockade of Taiwan  CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
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Six-year-old girl dies of influenza after twice being discharged from Sydney hospital

Girl was sent home from Sydney Children’s hospital in Randwick twice before being admitted to Northern Beaches hospital a day later, where she died

A six-year-old girl has died of the flu at Northern Beaches hospital after being twice sent home from the Sydney Children’s hospital, and the New South Wales health minister has said her parents “deserve answers”.

The girl presented to the emergency department at the Sydney Children’s hospital in Randwick on Monday and was discharged after a clinical assessment.

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Secret Service request to raise river level made ‘without knowledge’ of JD Vance, his office says

Decision to alter Ohio river flow ‘made solely by agents’, the security agency said in a statement

A spokesperson for JD Vance said he and his staff were unaware that the Secret Service decided earlier this month to ask military engineers to raise the water level of the Little Miami River ahead of a family boating trip, which took place on his birthday.

“The Secret Service often employs protective measures without the knowledge of the vice-president or his staff, as was the case last weekend,” the spokesperson said.

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