‘One in a million’: teen surfer found on remote island 14km off Australian coast

A search involving Marine Rescue NSW, police, PolAir and locals on and around Wooli beach led to Darcy Deefholts, 19, being rescued

A 19-year-old surfer is stable in hospital after being found safe on a remote island off the northern New South Wales coast of Australia in an outcome his dad described as “one in a million”.

Darcy Deefholts’ family were “fearing for the worst”, his father, Terry, said in an urgent post to Facebook calling for rescue help on Wednesday night.

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Segal says stripping universities of funding a ‘last resort’ – as it happened

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Australia’s biggest peanut supplier set to shut down

The corporate owners of Australia’s biggest peanut processor will scale down the century-old business in the coming 18 months before shutting it down for good.

There isn’t detail, and it’s unclear whether those tariffs will ever actually be applied.

We do know that the contributions from the pharmaceutical industry in the US to that investigation has been to urge the US government to focus their levers on non-friendly countries and not apply tariffs or punitive levers to allies such as Australia.

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Ukraine arrests Chinese father and son on suspicion of spying

Pair accused of spying on Neptune missile programme, which is seen as critical to defence against Russia

Ukraine says it has arrested a Chinese father and son on suspicion of spying on its Neptune anti-ship missile programme, a key part of Kyiv’s growing domestic arms industry that is critical to its defence against Russian forces.

The announcement by Ukraine’s security service (SBU) follows assertions by Kyiv in recent months that Beijing, which has sought to project an image of neutrality, is helping the Kremlin’s war effort.

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Indian workers go on a daylong nationwide strike against Narendra Modi’s economic reforms – NBC News

  1. Indian workers go on a daylong nationwide strike against Narendra Modi's economic reforms  NBC News
  2. Bharat bandh hits transport services as Bihar sees roadblocks, clashes | In photos  Hindustan Times
  3. 250 million Indian workers and farmers on the streets in a national strike  Peoples Dispatch
  4. Tens of millions of Indian workers join 1-day general strike against Modi government’s class war assault  World Socialist Web Site
  5. Trade unions, farmer bodies to go on general strike on Wed; may disrupt banking, other services  The Economic Times
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Royal Mail gets go ahead to axe second-class post on Saturdays

Deliveries will also alternate on weekdays to reflect changing behaviour of users but critics say regulator has let courier off the hook

Royal Mail has been given the green light to drop Saturday deliveries of second-class letters and provide services only on alternating weekdays from Monday to Friday under new rules announced by the regulator.

Ofcom said that reforms of the universal services obligation (USO) reflected changing behaviour of postal users, with fewer letters being sent across the country. The regulator said it could end up saving the postal delivery service between £250m and £425m each year.

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Gujarat: Survivors recall moment of bridge collapse – BBC

  1. Gujarat: Survivors recall moment of bridge collapse  BBC
  2. Vadodara bridge collapse: Structural failure caused collapse, says Gujarat Minister  The Hindu
  3. Siblings, Father Die In Gujarat Bridge Tragedy, Mother Kept Begging For Help  NDTV
  4. Ten dead after bridge collapses in India's Gujarat, NDTV reports  Reuters
  5. Vadodara bridge tragedy: Trucks buried in 10 feet slush; more bodies feared trapped, toll climbs to 18  The Times of India
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Zelenskyy urges west to hit Russia with sanctions after huge attack on Kyiv

Ukrainian president wants allies to speed up action against Putin after two killed in second night of major strikes

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukraine’s allies to speed up imposing new sanctions on Russia after another huge wave of strikes on his country’s capital killed two people and left more wounded.

“Sanctions must be imposed faster, and pressure on Russia must be strong enough that they truly feel the consequences of their terror,” the Ukrainian president said on social media. Ukraine’s air defence force said Moscow sent 400 drones and 18 missiles across the country in the early hours.

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Court rejects developer’s bid to turn Sydney boarding house into luxury apartments

Lord mayor Clover Moore says city ‘should not simply be an enclave for the rich’ and hopes case sets precedent

A court has rejected a developer’s bid to turn a boarding house into luxury apartments in a case the lord mayor of Sydney hopes will set a precedent to stop the ongoing loss of affordable housing.

In the wake of the court’s decision the mayor, Clover Moore, has also called on the Minns government to allow significant loss of individual homes as a ground for rejecting development applications.

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Abandoned van found in search for missing German backpacker Carolina Wilga in remote WA

The 26-year-old has not been seen or heard from since visiting a general store in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region

Police searching for German backpacker Carolina Wilga, who is missing in a remote part of Western Australia, have found an abandoned van believed to have mechanical issues.

The 26-year-old has not been seen or heard from since she visited a general store in the small town of Beacon, in WA’s north-east Wheatbelt region, on 29 June.

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Universities and artists face funding threat under antisemitism plan being considered by Australian government

Antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal also urges Labor government to bolster education and seek new powers to deport visitors

Universities and artists would have funding withheld if they fail to act against antisemitism, AI tools would be banned from sharing Jewish hatred, and the government would have new grounds to deport visitors under a wide-ranging plan put forward by Australia’s antisemitism envoy.

The federal Labor government has not committed to the plan in full, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, saying he would consider the recommendations of his handpicked envoy, Jillian Segal, which also propose her office would “monitor” media coverage and bolster education in schools and workplaces.

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South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol back in custody over insurrection probe – CNN

  1. South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol back in custody over insurrection probe  CNN
  2. South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol rearrested  BBC
  3. South Korea issues arrest warrant for ex-President Yoon  Al Jazeera
  4. South Korean court approves new arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol  NPR
  5. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea Is Arrested on New Charges  The New York Times
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Armenia and Azerbaijan move closer to peace, pushing Russia out from the South Caucasus – Euronews.com

  1. Armenia and Azerbaijan move closer to peace, pushing Russia out from the South Caucasus  Euronews.com
  2. Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders meet for peace talks in UAE, no breakthrough  Al Jazeera
  3. ANALYSIS: Azeri and Armenian Leaders Meet: Is Peace in South Caucasus Still Possible?  Kyiv Post
  4. Armenia and Azerbaijan hold substantive talks, no big breakthrough  Reuters
  5. Galuzin: Moscow ready to contribute to settlement between Yerevan and Baku  NEWS.am
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Thursday briefing: Why young people fear ‘there’s nothing here for us’ in England’s coastal towns

In today’s newsletter: As a new Guardian project begins, we hear from the teenagers navigating deprivation, isolation and a sense of being forgotten

Good morning. A few weeks ago, 18-year-old Tamsin Jarman-Smith, born and raised in a small town just outside Blackpool, sat on a battered sofa at House of Wingz, a community youth organisation tucked down an alleyway a few streets from the beach, and explained what it felt like to be a young person growing up in a coastal town.

“I’m lucky because I found this passion for dancing and I come to this place, which has saved me I think, especially my creativity and hope for opportunities for myself, but lots of people my age feel like there is nothing here for them,” she said.

Europe | Talks over a British and French migration deal remained deadlocked on Wednesday night, as negotiators haggled over how much Britain will pay towards the cost of policing small boat crossings.

UK news | Campaigners have decried as “dangerously naive” the UK government’s sweeping deal with Google to provide free technology to the public sector.

Europe | Police have raided the headquarters of France’s far-right National Rally and seized documents as part of an investigation into alleged illegal campaign financing.

UK news | Thames Water has refused to claw back almost £2.5m paid to senior managers from an emergency loan that was meant to keep the failing utilities company afloat.

Housing | The Bank of England has rolled out looser mortgage rules that policymakers hope will help 36,000 more first-time buyers on to the housing ladder each year.

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Why is India forcing 80 million people to justify their right to vote? – Al Jazeera

  1. Why is India forcing 80 million people to justify their right to vote?  Al Jazeera
  2. Bihar Survey To Continue, Top Court Suggests These 3 IDs Must Be Considered  NDTV
  3. Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Dhulia to hear Bihar electoral roll revision case on July 10  The Hindu
  4. Continue, consider inclusion of Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards: SC to EC on Bihar roll revision  The Indian Express
  5. Bihar voter list row: Why are you getting into citizenship issue? SC asks EC; calls it MHA's domain  Times of India
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Lobbyists linked to Donald Trump paid millions by world’s poorest countries

Somalia, DR Congo and Yemen among states forced to sign deals and barter their minerals for aid or military support

Some of the world’s poorest countries have started paying millions to lobbyists linked to Donald Trump to try to offset US cuts to foreign aid, an investigation reveals.

Somalia, Haiti and Yemen are among 11 countries to sign significant lobbying deals with figures tied directly to the US president after he slashed US foreign humanitarian assistance.

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Senators Grill Kimberly Guilfoyle on Greece-Turkey Relations – GreekReporter.com

  1. Senators Grill Kimberly Guilfoyle on Greece-Turkey Relations  GreekReporter.com
  2. Kimberly Guilfoyle at Senate Confirmation Hearing as ambassador to Greece: What we know  The Palm Beach Post
  3. Ambassador Nominees Testify at Confirmation Hearing  C-SPAN
  4. Trump’s pick for US ambassador completes senate hearing smoothly  eKathimerini.com
  5. Guilfoyle vows to champion Cyprus, Greece, and Israel in U.S. foreign policy  Kathimerini.com.cy
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Estonia may veto EU’s 18th sanctions package if Russian oil price cap not lowered, foreign minister says – The Kyiv Independent

  1. Estonia may veto EU's 18th sanctions package if Russian oil price cap not lowered, foreign minister says  The Kyiv Independent
  2. Exclusive: European Commission to propose floating Russian oil price cap  Reuters
  3. Slovakia maintains veto on new package of EU sanctions against Russia  Euronews.com
  4. Fico: In the matter of stopping the supply of Russian gas, I wish for an early agreement with the European Commission  European Newsroom
  5. Estonia may veto EU’s 18th sanction package on Moscow over Russian oil prices [VIDEO REPORT]  TVP World
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