Man allegedly raped by Gareth Ward quizzed on route he took to NSW MP’s house

Kiama MP allegedly sexually assaulted political staffer after offering him place to stay following mid-week event

A political staffer has accepted he could be confused about his movements before and after he was allegedly sexually assaulted by a state MP who invited him to his house.

Kiama MP Gareth Ward, 44, is on trial in the New South Wales district court after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault charges.

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Warm winter forecast for Australia as SA and Victoria face unseasonal fire risk

BoM prediction follows much wetter than average autumn for northern and eastern Australia, and much drier one for south

Australia’s winter will be warmer and wetter this year, with higher than average day and night temperatures, and above-average rainfall likely in central and interior parts of the country.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s long-range forecast said parts of the tropical north, south-east and south-west could expect typical winter rainfall, including coastal areas of New South Wales affected by the May floods, and parts of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania where there have been prolonged dry conditions.

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Heartbroken mother tells inquest she’s ‘lost her way’ after ‘stuff of nightmares’ murders at Bondi Junction

Elizabeth Young, who is mourning her ‘slightly goofy’ daughter Jade, gives emotional evidence that 2024 attack was due to ‘cumulative failures’

The mother of Jade Young, a victim of the Bondi Junction stabbings, has described her daughter’s murder as the “stuff of nightmares” and the result of “years of neglect” within the mental health system.

Elizabeth Young told the New South Wales coroner’s court on Thursday that her words were “both a distillation and a manifestation of anguish”.

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Thursday briefing: What chaos at new Gaza food distribution point means for Palestinians facing famine

In today’s newsletter: The GHF supply system faltered as civilians were forced to flee gunfire at its first distribution site, deepening the hunger crisis

Good morning. If the new system for distributing supplies in Gaza is supposed to be an adequate replacement for the major aid organisations that were previously in place, it has got off to an inauspicious start.

On Tuesday, after the first food point run by the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – a non-government organisation (NGO) with Israeli support that uses US-based contractors – opened in Rafah, Israeli forces stationed at the perimeter opened fire. Panicked civilians fled the scene, most without the food they came for; dozens of people were injured, and at least one died.

UK news | The housing ombudsman has warned that “simmering anger at poor housing conditions risks becoming social disquiet”, as his office records a 474% increase in complaints. Richard Blakeway said it was “neither fanciful nor alarmist” to suggest anger at housing conditions would cause an “irreparable” fracturing of trust, saying the “shock of Grenfell Tower and Awaab Ishak’s death resonate still”.

Trump tariffs | A US federal trade court has blocked Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law. The ruling, which the White House is said to be appealing, would blow a hole in Trump’s strategy to use steep tariffs to wring concessions from trading partners.

Ukraine | Ukraine and Germany have agreed to future military cooperation in which Berlin will help finance long-range weapons production on Ukrainian soil. The deal came as Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia had amassed 50,000 troops in the Sumy region bordering Russia.

UK news | Prosecutors have confirmed they have authorised 21 charges against influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking. The Crown Prosecution Service said that the two men would not be tried in the UK until an investigation into charges they face in Romania is concluded.

School meals | Guidance urging schools in England to serve children meat at least three times a week should be overhauled to increase the eating of vegetables, a leading charity has said. The Food Foundation found that 80% of the most commonly eaten meat dishes in schools are either processed or red meat.

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Portugal’s Chega party becomes the main opposition and joins Europe’s far-right surge – NPR

  1. Portugal's Chega party becomes the main opposition and joins Europe's far-right surge  NPR
  2. ‘Nothing will be the same again’: Portugal’s Chega may be spot on  The Guardian
  3. Far-right Chega party becomes main opposition in Portugal  Financial Times
  4. Far-right Chega becomes Portugal's main opposition party in parliament  Euronews.com
  5. Portugal's far-right Chega becomes main opposition party  Reuters
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Doubts raised over Chinese paraglider’s claim of accidental 8,000-metre flight

Peng Yujiang says updraft took him nearly as high as Mount Everest but parts of flight video appear to be AI-generated

A Chinese paraglider’s story of being accidentally propelled more than 8,000 metres high by an updraft has been thrown into doubt after it emerged that parts of a video of the flight appear to have been AI-generated.

Peng Yujiang, who has been banned from the activity for six months, said he began from an elevation of about 3,000 metres in the Qilian mountain range in northern China, where he intended to test some secondhand equipment he bought without making a proper flight, according to an investigative report by the Gansu Provincial Aviation Sports Association.

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U.N. condemns U.S. aid scheme in Gaza after Israel opens fire on crowd – The Washington Post

  1. U.N. condemns U.S. aid scheme in Gaza after Israel opens fire on crowd  The Washington Post
  2. New U.S.-backed aid distribution system in Gaza quickly overwhelmed  PBS
  3. Four Palestinians die in storming of UN food warehouse a day after gunfire at new Gaza aid site  AP News
  4. Opinion | Hamas Goes Against the Grain  WSJ
  5. Hungry Palestinians flood new U.S. and Israel-backed aid center in Gaza  NBC News
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Israel Strikes Yemen’s Main Airport Again After Houthi Attacks – The New York Times

  1. Israel Strikes Yemen’s Main Airport Again After Houthi Attacks  The New York Times
  2. Israeli airstrikes target Yemen airport as Netanyahu warns Houthis, Iran  ABC News
  3. Israel attacks Yemen’s Sanaa airport; Houthis say won’t deter Gaza support  Al Jazeera
  4. Israel destroys Houthis' final aircraft in strike on Saana International Airport  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Israeli strikes destroy last plane at Yemen rebels' airport  France 24
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Canada wildfires: thousands in Manitoba ordered to evacuate as state of emergency declared

There are more than 130 active wildfires across the country, half of which are considered out of control

More than 17,000 people in Canada’s western Manitoba province were being evacuated on Wednesday as the region experienced its worst start to the wildfire season in years.

“The Manitoba government has declared a province-wide state of emergency due to the wildfire situation,” Manitoba’s premier, Wab Kinew, told a news conference. “This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people’s living memory.”

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