Australia weather: rainy week forecast for Sydney and Brisbane – but BoM says summer isn’t over yet

Bureau of Meteorology says showers and storms a regular feature of Australian summer but warm and dry periods still to come

Showers are expected to continue for Sydney and Brisbane throughout much of the coming week but summer isn’t over yet, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

In fact, the senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said showers and storm activity were a regular feature of the Australian summer, especially for northern Australia, as well as south-east Queensland and eastern New South Wales.

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Netanyahu can attend Auschwitz memorial event, Poland’s Tusk says – POLITICO Europe

  1. Netanyahu can attend Auschwitz memorial event, Poland’s Tusk says  POLITICO Europe
  2. Poland says it will protect Benjamin Netanyahu from potential arrest  Al Jazeera English
  3. Polish President Seeks Protection for Netanyahu at Auschwitz Liberation Event  Bloomberg
  4. Poland says it will not arrest Netanyahu for ICC should he attend Auschwitz memorial  The Times of Israel
  5. Donald Tusk says Poland will shield Netanyahu from arrest at Auschwitz  Financial Times
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Harris cancels final foreign trip because of California wildfires – Yahoo! Voices

  1. Harris cancels final foreign trip because of California wildfires  Yahoo! Voices
  2. Harris Cancels Overseas Trip to Focus on Wildfire Response  Bloomberg
  3. Harris, Emhoff cancel trip to Singapore, Middle East, Germany amid California fires  The Hill
  4. US VP Kamala Harris cancels trip to Singapore, Bahrain and Germany due to California wildfires  CNA
  5. US Vice President Harris calls foreign leaders before her last trip abroad next week  Deccan Herald
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UK music industry hails proposals to crack down on ticket touting

Resale prices could be capped at 30% over face value, while resale websites face greater legal obligations

The price at which tickets for live events can be resold is to be capped under “gamechanging” proposals put forward by the government to crack down on touting in the sector.

In a move hailed by music industry figures, the culture minister, Lisa Nandy, has launched a consultation that she said would end the “misery” of fans being exploited by touts, some of whom have made huge profits by selling hundreds of tickets a year.

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Hiring freeze at dozens of NHS cancer and diagnostic units despite rising referrals

Royal College of Radiologists calls move ‘shortsighted’ and says it puts Labour’s waiting times plan at risk

Dozens of NHS hospitals have banned their cancer or diagnostic units from hiring new staff, despite GPs referring growing numbers of people who they fear may have the disease.

Doctors warned that widespread recruitment freezes imposed on both types of units over the last year risked undermining Keir Starmer’s drive, outlined this week, to cut waiting times for NHS care.

13 of 54 cancer centres (24.1%) had a recruitment freeze imposed on them last year, along with 29 out of 150 (19.3%) radiology departments.

The 42 hiring bans were imposed by 40 different NHS trusts or boards.

At least one freeze was implemented in each of the four home nations and each region of England.

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Will North Korea deploy up to 100,000 troops to help Russia’s war in Ukraine? – South China Morning Post

  1. Will North Korea deploy up to 100,000 troops to help Russia’s war in Ukraine?  South China Morning Post
  2. Blinken warns Russia is close to sharing advanced satellite technology with North Korea  CNN
  3. Experts: Russian technology could enhance North Korea's ICBM capabilities  VOA Asia
  4. US Warns Ukraine Conflict Helping North Korea Prepare for War in Asia  The Defense Post
  5. North Korea gains combat experience fighting in Ukraine, boosting regional threat, US warns  Kyiv Independent
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Anita Bryant, singer and anti-gay rights crusader, dies aged 84

Bryant was Miss Oklahoma and Florida Citrus spokesperson before leading anti-LGBTQ+ ‘Save Our Children’ campaign

Anita Bryant, a multi-Grammy nominated singer and former Miss Oklahoma who later became a high-profile campaigner against gay rights in America, has died at the age of 84.

In an announcement on Thursday, Bryant’s family announced that Bryant died at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma, on 16 December 2024. “May Anita’s memory and her faith in eternal life through Christ comfort all who embraced her,” her family said.

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As South Korea’s impeached president Yoon awaits fate, his party sees signs of revival – Reuters

  1. As South Korea’s impeached president Yoon awaits fate, his party sees signs of revival  Reuters
  2. South Korea presidential security chief warns against violent attempt to arrest Yoon  Reuters
  3. South Korean police question presidential security chief as rift over detaining president deepens  The Associated Press
  4. Impeached South Korean president resists new detention order  Euronews
  5. ‘Stop the Steal’ in South Korea? Why MAGA-like hats and slogans are part of President Yoon’s impeachment drama  CNN
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Gunman in ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy attack fatally shot by North Carolina police

During traffic stop, officers fire at Edgar Welch, 2016 shooter at eatery mistakenly thought to be center of pedophile ring

The gunman involved in the 2016 “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory attack on a Washington DC pizza restaurant that was mistakenly thought to be at the center of a pedophile ring has died after being shot by police in North Carolina during a traffic stop.

In a news release issued on Thursday, North Carolina’s Kannapolis police department announced that Edgar Maddison Welch died from his wounds caused by two police officers who fired at him after he pulled out a handgun during a traffic stop on Saturday.

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Two Offensives, Two Bloody Massacres—In Kursk, Drones Smash Attacks By Both Sides – Forbes

  1. Two Offensives, Two Bloody Massacres—In Kursk, Drones Smash Attacks By Both Sides  Forbes
  2. Ukraine takes another bite out of Russia as Moscow grinds on in Donetsk  Al Jazeera English
  3. Ukraine's 47th Brigade releases video of 'massive' Russian attack repelled in Kursk Oblast  Kyiv Independent
  4. Ukraine's New Kursk Offensive A Bid to Strengthen Peace Negotiations  OilPrice.com
  5. In Kursk, the Ukrainian invasion is back  The Hill
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Reasons given for Boris Johnson peerages ‘inadequate’, campaigner says

Martin Rosenbaum fought for 18 months to reveal who had supported nominations of two former special advisers

The reasons given for a peerage awarded by Boris Johnson have been described as “inadequate” and a “mystery” by a freedom of information campaigner after an 18-month struggle.

Charlotte Owen, a former special adviser in the Conservative government, was appointed to the House of Lords in Johnson’s resignation honours list in 2023.

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Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado ‘kidnapped’, allies say

Leader reportedly freed after being ‘violently intercepted’ having left hideout to lead protest against Nicolás Maduro

Allies of Venezuela’s most influential opposition leader, María Corina Machado, said she had been “kidnapped” from the streets of Caracas by regime officials after sneaking out of her hideout to lead a major protest against the authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro.

About three hours after the announcement, Machado supporters said she had been released having been knocked off a motorbike and “taken away by force” while leaving the rally and had been compelled to record a number of videos.

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US Senate advances Laken Riley Act, which would detain undocumented immigrants for theft

Laken Riley Act passed House on Tuesday by 264 to 159, showing Democrats are feeling pressure over immigration

The US Senate advanced a bill calling for the detainment of undocumented immigrants charged with theft-related crimes on Thursday, as Donald Trump and fellow Republicans press their hardline immigration agenda after their victories in the November elections.

The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote was 84 to nine, as dozens of Democratic senators joined Republicans in supporting the motion to begin debate on the bill. But some Democrats who voted to advance the legislation indicated that they wanted to see amendments to the proposal, raising questions about how many of them would support its final passage.

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