Man bailed over alleged arson attack at Friendlyjordies’ home

Posted on by

Andre Stepanyan, one of two men charged over an alleged arson at the home of YouTuber Jordan Shanks-Markovina in November 2022, will fight the charges

A man charged over the brazen firebombing of a controversial YouTuber’s house has been granted bail after a judge heard he had cut ties with an outlaw motorcycle group.

Andre Stepanyan is one of two men charged over an alleged arson attack at the home of Jordan Shanks-Markovina – who posts under the name Friendlyjordies – in November 2022.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Good eggs: fans delighted as new peregrine falcon chicks hatch on Melbourne skyscraper

Posted on by

Social media stars of 367 Collins Street welcome baby birds to the nest

Joy can be hatched in the most unexpected places. On Thursday, it was nestled into the ledge of a skyscraper in Melbourne’s CBD, where two peregrine falcon chicks entered the world for the first time.

The newest members of Melbourne’s favourite family hatched in the morning on top of 367 Collins Street, witnessed by more than 1,000 viewers on the building’s rolling live feed.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

No longer going gently: Israel’s new resolve in the face of Hezbollah – The Jerusalem Post

Posted on by
  1. No longer going gently: Israel’s new resolve in the face of Hezbollah  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Netanyahu's Lies in the United Nations  Haaretz
  3. PM to Iranians: Israel stands with you, you’ll be ‘free sooner than people think’  The Times of Israel
  4. Israel-Hamas war latest: Netanyahu warns Iran as Israel continues strikes in Lebanon  The Associated Press
  5. Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: Iran launches missiles at Israel, IDF says  ABC News
Posted in Uncategorized

BBC cancels Boris Johnson interview after Laura Kuenssberg message gaffe

Posted on by

Briefing notes mistakenly being sent to ex-PM meant it was ‘not right for the interview to go ahead’, says presenter

The BBC has cancelled a prime-time interview with Boris Johnson after the presenter Laura Kuenssberg accidentally sent the former prime minister her briefing notes.

Kuenssberg said she sent Johnson the notes “in a message meant for my team”. The former BBC political editor said it was “embarrassing and disappointing”, adding the error meant it was “not right for the interview to go ahead”.

Continue reading...

Unresolved water complaints in England and Wales rise to near-decade high

Posted on by

Customer disputes over sewage spills, billing mistakes and water meters soar in past year

The number of customer complaints that were unable to be resolved by water companies in England and Wales has risen by almost a third to the highest level in nearly a decade.

There was a 29% increase in 2023-24 in cases escalated to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) by households that failed to achieve a resolution from their supplier, the watchdog said.

Continue reading...

Singapore’s ex-transport minister jailed for 12 months in landmark ruling – Al Jazeera English

Posted on by
  1. Singapore’s ex-transport minister jailed for 12 months in landmark ruling  Al Jazeera English
  2. Disgraced ex-minister gets jail time in rare corruption case for squeaky clean Singapore  CNN
  3. Singapore's disgraced former minister S. Iswaran jailed in landmark case  Reuters
  4. As it happened: Iswaran gets jail after pleading guilty to 5 offences  CNA
  5. Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison in rare corruption case  NPR
Posted in Uncategorized

October 7 music festival survivor, IDF reservist hailed as a ‘hero’ after confronting shooters in Tel Aviv attack – CNN

Posted on by
  1. October 7 music festival survivor, IDF reservist hailed as a ‘hero’ after confronting shooters in Tel Aviv attack  CNN
  2. Hamas claims responsibility for deadly Israel shooting attack  Al Jazeera English
  3. Six victims of Jaffa terror attack named, as more details about shooting emerge  The Times of Israel
  4. Headlines for October 02, 2024  Democracy Now!
  5. Hamas claims responsibility for Tel Aviv shooting and stabbing attack  The Washington Post
Posted in Uncategorized

A small town in central Thailand is mourning the 23 who died in a school bus fire – The Associated Press

Posted on by
  1. A small town in central Thailand is mourning the 23 who died in a school bus fire  The Associated Press
  2. Thai police arrest driver and work to identify victims of the school bus fire that killed 23  CNN
  3. Memories and prayers are shared at small-town funeral for the victims of horrific Thai bus fire  The Hill
  4. Thailand: More than 20 children dead in Thailand bus crash  BBC.com
  5. Inferno bus owner ‘tried to hide illegal gas cylinders’  Bangkok Post
Posted in Uncategorized

Iran Exposed to Israeli Counterattack After Blows Against Its Allies – The Wall Street Journal

Posted on by
  1. Iran Exposed to Israeli Counterattack After Blows Against Its Allies  The Wall Street Journal
  2. A Wider War in the Middle East, From Hamas to Hezbollah and Now Iran  The New York Times
  3. The bloodshed in the Middle East is fast expanding  The Economist
  4. What’s Next in the Israel-Iran Conflict?  The New Yorker
  5. Iran Pushed Into Missile Fire by Sustained Israel Escalation  Bloomberg
Posted in Uncategorized

Former EU environment chief hits out at plans to delay anti-deforestation law

Posted on by

Credibility ‘damaged’ by proposed 12-month delay, which followed lobbying from governments and firms around the world

A former top environment official has said the EU’s credibility on its climate commitments has been damaged by plans for a one-year delay to a law to combat deforestation that followed intense lobbying from companies and governments around the world.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, a Lithuanian MEP who was the environment commissioner until mid-July, said postponing the deforestation regulation would be “a step backward in the fight against climate change”.

Continue reading...

Gulf leaders support Palestine – but many would not mind seeing Israel challenge Iran

Posted on by

The escalating Middle East conflict could create a dangerous vacuum – or an opportunity – for several states

The coincidental timing of an emergency meeting of Gulf foreign ministers in Doha with a visit to the same city by the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, for talks with Qatar’s emir raises questions about how the Gulf states will react if Israel pushes ahead with its plan to use its recent military success not just to weaken Iran, but reorder the Middle East.

This Sunni coalition of six Gulf monarchs is not naturally well disposed to Iran or its Shia proxies, and only in 2016 labelled Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. But they also oppose further Israeli escalation, and believe it is ultimately only Washington that has the means to restrain the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Continue reading...