Britain to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius ending years of dispute
Agreement to hand back UK’s last African colony follows 13 rounds of negotiations and international pressure
The UK has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain’s last African colony.
The agreement will allow a right of return for Chagossians, who the UK expelled from their homes in the 1960s and 1970s, in what has been described as a crime against humanity and one of the most shameful episodes of postwar colonialism.
Continue reading...‘I am going to die’: North Dakota teen in runaway vehicle saved by crashing into police car
Sam Dutcher, 18, was in SUV that sped up to 113mph on its own before he was advised to run into trooper’s vehicle
A teenager from North Dakota says he thought he was “going to die” when his SUV sped up on its own to more than 110mph (177km/h) and wouldn’t slow down – but he saved himself by intentionally crashing into the back of a Minnesota state trooper’s patrol cruiser.
As the North Dakota television station WDAY told it, 18-year-old Sam Dutcher was driving near Harwood – relatively close to the state’s border with Minnesota – as night fell on 17 September. His Honda Pilot suddenly accelerated on its own to 113mph, a speed so high that it would be virtually impossible to survive crashing.
Continue reading...‘People are giving, sharing’: Augusta comes together as Kamala Harris surveys damage
As the vice-president visited the Georgia city shattered by Helene, the sense of community spirit was palpable
As Kamala Harris descended Wednesday into Augusta, she met a city contemplating how much of their lives have been unmade by Hurricane Helene.
“I am here to personally take a look at the devastation,” Harris said after receiving a briefing by emergency response leaders in Georgia. “It’s particularly devastating in terms of loss of life that this community has experienced, the loss of normalcy, and the loss of critical resources.”
Continue reading...Anti-corruption officers raid Parliament House but remain tight-lipped on target of ‘ongoing investigation’
Exclusive: Nacc says ‘operational activity’ does not involve any current or former member of parliament
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Officers from the National Anti-Corruption Commission have conducted a raid at Parliament House as part of an ongoing operation that does not involve any current or former member of parliament.
Late on Thursday, the Nacc confirmed in a statement to Guardian Australia that its officers had been at the parliament during the day.
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Continue reading...Sinwar’s right-hand man: Hamas leader Rawhi Mushtaha announced killed – The Jerusalem Post
- Sinwar's right-hand man: Hamas leader Rawhi Mushtaha announced killed The Jerusalem Post
- Israeli military says it 'eliminated' Hamas government chief in Gaza Reuters
- Israel Says Hamas Government Chief, 2 Top Leaders Eliminated In Gaza NDTV
- Israel-Iran war latest: Israel assassinates Hamas leader’s right-hand man The Telegraph
- Three Hamas leaders killed months ago, IDF says BBC.com
India’s top court saves a poor student’s college dream
Tesco boss says new workers’ rights laws must not hurt growth
Bill is likely to include measures such as ending ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts and changes to sick pay
The boss of Tesco has called on the UK government to work with business to ensure new legislation to improve workers rights also increases productivity and growth as the retailer revealed better-than-expected profits.
Ken Murphy, the chief executive of the UK’s biggest supermarket, said he was keen to use a planned consultation on the wide-ranging employment rights bill, announced by the government in the king’s speech in July, to “make sure that whatever the government decides to put forward has the intended consequence of stimulating productivity and growth and protecting workers at the same time”.
Continue reading...Hidden runway bomb explodes just after plane takes off
Starmer repaid freebies to restore trust in politics, minister says
Sarah Jones suggests PM believes he should be held to higher standards now he is in government
Keir Starmer has repaid thousands of pounds in freebies to restore trust in politics, a minister has said as she ruled out accepting more hospitality.
Sarah Jones, the industry minister, said the prime minister’s motivation for repaying the money was “to do more to make people trust politicians”.
Continue reading...Europe’s exhausted oyster reefs ‘once covered area size of Northern Ireland’
Study uncovers vivid and poignant accounts of reefs as high as houses off countries including UK, France and Ireland
Only a handful of natural oyster reefs measuring at most a few square metres cling on precariously along European coasts after being wiped out by overfishing, dredging and pollution.
A study led by British scientists has discovered how extensive they once were, with reefs as high as a house covering at least 1.7m hectares (4.2m acres) from Norway to the Mediterranean, an area larger than Northern Ireland.
Continue reading...IDF shoots down drones targeting central Israel; Yemen’s Houthis claim attack – The Times of Israel
- IDF shoots down drones targeting central Israel; Yemen’s Houthis claim attack The Times of Israel
- Footage shows huge explosion at Yemen port BBC.com
- Iran-backed Houthis take responsibility for overnight drone attacks The Times of Israel
- Israel hits Yemen’s infrastructure again: What we know and why it matters Al Jazeera English
- CNN aboard Israeli tanker for strike on Houthi-controlled port in Yemen CNN
Graves could be reused under proposals to tackle lack of space for the dead
Law Commission also suggests reopening cemeteries declared full as part of England and Wales consultation
Graves could be reused and closed burial grounds reopened under proposals aimed at tackling a lack of space for the dead.
The Law Commission has suggested that cemeteries that have been declared full could be reused for new burials. The proposal is part of a public consultation by the commission on updating 170-year-old burial laws in England and Wales.
Continue reading...Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison in rare corruption case – NPR
- Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison in rare corruption case NPR
- Disgraced ex-minister gets jail time in rare corruption case for squeaky clean Singapore CNN
- Former Singapore minister is jailed for a year for receiving gifts in landmark case NBC News
- Singapore to Charge Billionaire Ong for Scandal Over Ex-Minister Bloomberg
- Singapore's disgraced former minister S. Iswaran jailed in landmark case Reuters
High-profile Sydney man had guilty conscience as he allegedly lied to police about intimate video, court hears
The man, who Guardian Australia cannot name, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including five counts of rape
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A high-profile Sydney man lied to the police with a guilty conscience after he allegedly threatened to distribute an intimate video of a woman, a prosecutor has alleged.
The crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson on Thursday concluded his closing argument in a sexual assault trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre expected to wrap up this week. Robertson told the court how the woman’s boyfriend had allegedly gone to the man’s home to retrieve the intimate video after he threatened to distribute it.
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Continue reading...Rally organisers and police reach agreement – as it happened
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- Pro-Palestine standing vigil and rally going ahead in Sydney after protesters and police reach agreement
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The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is speaking with ABC RN from New Zealand where he is meeting with regional counterparts.
Asked about the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, and whether “ceasefire negotiations in Gaza are now dead”, Marles said the “continued violence in the Middle East is obviously giving rise to enormous threat to civilian life”.
I think the international community is desperate to see an end to this violence, and certainly that’s how we’re exercising our international voice.
Israel has a right to defend itself. Every country has a right to defend itself, and to do so in a proportionate way. That said, we are calling for a ceasefire, along with the United States, along with other members of the international community.
The continued violence in the Middle East is giving rise to … unacceptable numbers of civilian lives lost, and the ongoing violence is a threat to civilian life. And we, along with international community, urge an end to this.
We have [been protesting for] 51 weeks in a row, [and it’s been] absolutely peaceful. Millions of Australians have come out, it’s not provocative at all.
What’s provocative is the fact that our government isn’t listening to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of Australians, who have signed petitions, called their MPs, have done everything they’re supposed to do within this democratic framework to say ‘enough’ …
Continue reading...Pro-Palestine rally and standing vigil going ahead in Sydney after protesters and police reach agreement
Decision reached after police launched supreme court action to have events scheduled for Town Hall on 6 and 7 October ruled unlawful
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Pro-Palestine organisers have claimed victory in court, after announcing that both a rally on 6 October and a standing vigil on 7 October will go ahead after a last-minute agreement with New South Wales police.
NSW police this week launched supreme court action to have both events deemed unlawful, citing concerns over expected crowd size and potential hazards including “planter boxes” at Town Hall.
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Continue reading...Dozens of tigers dead after bird flu hits Vietnam zoos
Man bailed over alleged arson attack at Friendlyjordies’ home
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
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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.
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Continue reading...Good eggs: fans delighted as new peregrine falcon chicks hatch on Melbourne skyscraper
Social media stars of 367 Collins Street welcome baby birds to the nest
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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.
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