Fire in black sheoak forest of East Gippsland would destroy the birds’ food supply, conservationist says
Glossy black cockatoos could be pushed towards extinction in Victoria if planned burns of 13,000 hectares of forest go ahead, ecologists and conservationists warn.
The Victorian government is being urged to abandon the burn, which is intended to reduce bushfire risk.
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Continue reading...Refusal rate at its highest in a decade, prompting concern among transparency advocates
The Australian government is refusing freedom of information requests at a rate not seen for a decade, data shows, prompting concerns for transparency and accountability.
Data held by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the watchdog overseeing the FoI system, revealed the proportion of FoI requests being completely refused has shot up to 27% in the December 2024 quarter.
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Continue reading...Cash-strapped council may seek to raise funds from rate-payers, state and federal governments, or road users to fix 85-year-old Story Bridge
When the ribbon was cut on Brisbane’s Story Bridge on 6 July 1940 it was not an auspicious time to open a new bridge.
Five days earlier, the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge had opened in Washington State.
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Continue reading...In social media posts, president also slammed Walmart for price increases and spread anti-Clinton conspiracy theories
Donald Trump has said that he will speak to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an effort to stop what he called the “bloodbath” war in Ukraine, in a barrage of new social media posts that included baseless conspiracy theories and a demand that Walmart not raise prices for customers because of tariffs he has imposed.
Trump, posting on his Truth Social account on Saturday, wrote that he will speak to Putin on Monday morning. “THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE ‘BLOODBATH’ THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE,” Trump wrote, in his customary all-capitalized prose.
Continue reading...Man, 26, apprehended at Luton airport by counter-terrorism police in connection with fires that included damage to a car
A second man has been arrested in connection with suspected arson attacks on two properties in London and a vehicle linked to Keir Starmer, police have said.
The 26-year-old was arrested at about 1.45pm on Saturday at London Luton airport on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, the Metropolitan police said.
The arrest was made by counter-terrorism officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, and the suspect has been taken into police custody in London, the force added.
Officers from the Met’s counter-terrorism command have led the investigation into the three incidents.
One was a fire at the prime minister’s family home in north-west London, which he lets to his sister-in-law, the Guardian understands. The blaze was reported to police by firefighters in the early hours of Monday. Police said damage was caused to the property’s entrance but nobody was hurt.
A car that Starmer had sold to a neighbour last year was set alight four days earlier on the same street.
On 11 May, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house where the Labour leader is understood to have lived in the 1990s before it was converted into flats. One person was helped to safety by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus, the London fire brigade said.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation has been asked to contact the Met.
A 21-year-old man, Roman Lavrynovych, has already been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life and appeared in court on Friday.
The Ukrainian national was remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster magistrates court. He did not enter any pleas to the charges.
Lavrynovych will appear next at the Old Bailey for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 6 June.
At least 19 deaths were in Kentucky, seven in Missouri and two in Virginia after storms spawned two dozen tornadoes
Storm systems sweeping across the midwest to the south left at least 28 dead in Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia.
Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, confirmed in a social media post that deaths in Kentucky had risen to 19 after the addition of a woman from Russell county. “Please join Britainy and me in praying for the families who are hurting right now,” the post read.
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