Boy, 15, who fatally stabbed teenager he did not know in Birmingham is jailed for life

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Muhammad Hassam Ali, 17, was killed by stranger after a four-minute conversation in city centre

A 15-year-old boy who followed a teenager he did not know through Birmingham city centre and stabbed him to death after a four-minute conversation has been jailed for life with a minimum of 13 years.

Muhammad Hassam Ali, known as Ali, was 17 when he died in hospital on 20 January, hours after he and his friend were confronted by two masked 15-year-old boys they had never met as they sat in Victoria Square, drinking hot chocolate and chatting about cricket.

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University graduates to save $680 a year, on average, as Albanese announces increase to Hecs threshold

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PM to announce change that would see minimum debt repayment threshold lifted from $54,000 to $67,000 from next financial year

Graduates will be able to earn more money before they start repaying their university debts under new laws to be introduced by the Albanese government next year.

The prime minister will announce the cost-of-living measure alongside the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, at a campaign rally in Adelaide on Sunday.

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Columbia pays $395,000 to student suspended over protest ‘fart spray’

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Israeli student filed lawsuit after suspension for spraying pro-Palestinian protesters with foul-smelling substance

Columbia University has reached a $395,000 settlement with a student who was suspended in January after spraying student protesters with a foul-smelling substance at one of several campus demonstrations in support of Palestine.

The Israeli student who received the payout had been suspended until May.

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In exchange for troops in Ukraine, Russian aid to North Korea may extend to space – Ars Technica

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  1. In exchange for troops in Ukraine, Russian aid to North Korea may extend to space  Ars Technica
  2. U.S. flies long-range bomber in drill with South Korea, Japan in reaction to the North’s missile test  CNBC
  3. North Korea boasts of new ICBM able to reach the U.S. mainland  NBC News
  4. See North Korea launch its ‘perfected’ ballistic missile  CNN
  5. North Korea vows to continue what it calls self-defense efforts, KCNA says  Reuters
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Fire danger in southern Australia as weather bureau warns of ‘damaging winds’ and soaring temperatures

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Bureau of Meteorology warns winds will ‘ramp up’ with fire risk in parts of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia

Soaring average temperatures and strong winds will lead to high and extreme fire danger warnings for parts of southern Australia this weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the elevated risk was caused by high temperatures in Western Australia’s interior – up to 16C higher than the average – being pushed eastwards across the country.

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Respawned: Queensland magazine the Cane Toad Times takes aim at a post-truth world

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It emerged from the slime of the sunshine state during Bjelke-Petersen’s oppressive regime. Now it’s back – but can it survive more sensitive times?

A man whose pseudonym is Johnny La Rue is holding a yellowed magazine with two toad-headed lovers embracing on the front. He reads aloud a headline that would likely trigger a firestorm on social media were it written today.

“Who wrote that?!” he exclaims.

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NSW pokies club promoted rewards scheme on first day of gambling harm awareness week, emails show

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Members urged to ‘use your mobile phone to quickly tap and connect to a gaming machine’, potentially at odds with gambling ad ban

On day one of a gambling harm awareness week, one of the biggest pokies clubs in Australia reminded members they could earn rewards by using their machines.

GambleAware week is an annual campaign run by the New South Wales government to raise awareness of gambling harm. It urges people to set limits, to stay sober while gambling, to balance gambling with other interests and not to chase losses.

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They have tentacles and taste great in pasta. What are the strange barnacles washing up on Australian beaches?

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Bondi beach’s newest residents may look strange to human eyes, but goose barnacles are a normal part of the natural marine environment

Goose barnacles look as strange as their name, with a long, noodle-like stalk emerging from smooth white plates. The crustacean, also known as percebes, is also extremely expensive – in Europe, where it’s enjoyed as a delicacy, a kilo might cost hundreds of dollars.

And this week, a bunch washed up at Horseshoe Bay, south of Adelaide.

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Australian construction industry calls for skilled migration overhaul to ease ‘desperate’ shortage of tradies

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Labour shortage is driving up construction costs and stopping industry from building enough homes to ease housing crisis, Master Builders says

Leading construction bodies are urging the government to change its approach to skilled migration and bring in more migrants to ease the shortage of tradies.

Industry bodies say a chronic shortage of workers across 12 different trades is impacting housing prices and affecting the flow of new homes into the market.

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US army soldier charged with murder of female sergeant found dead in trash bin

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Wooster Rancy, 21, accused in death of Sgt Sarah Roque, 23, whose body was found at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri

A US army soldier has been charged with murder in the death of a fellow service member at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, the military announced Thursday.

The army office of Special Trial Counsel charged the 21-year-old specialist Wooster Rancy on Wednesday with murder and obstructing justice in the death of 23-year-old Sgt Sarah Roque.

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Kim Jong Un has sent North Korean troops to Russia. What’s in it for him? – The Washington Post

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  1. Kim Jong Un has sent North Korean troops to Russia. What’s in it for him?  The Washington Post
  2. Zelenskyy warns North Korea, Russia alliance could spell trouble for Asia: China's 'silence is striking'  Fox News
  3. Zelensky Says Ukraine Needs To Use Long-range Missiles In Russia In Face Of N.Korean Troop Presence  Barron's
  4. 8,000 of the troops Kim Jong Un sent to support Russia are about to hit the front lines, the US says  Business Insider
  5. A Russian Officer Ordered 16 Scouts To Attack Ukrainian Machine Guns  Forbes
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Bolivia’s Arce says Morales backers behind military posts takeover – Reuters Canada

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  1. Bolivia's Arce says Morales backers behind military posts takeover  Reuters Canada
  2. Armed group kidnaps military personnel and seizes base in central Bolivia, military says  CNN
  3. Bolivia military post taken over and soldiers held hostage  BBC.com
  4. Bolivian Military Base Overrun by Supporters of Ex-President Evo Morales  Bloomberg
  5. Supporters of Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales take about 20 soldiers hostage  The Guardian
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Supporters of Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales take about 20 soldiers hostage

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Morales and current president are locked into a standoff for ruling party’s nomination in next year’s presidential contest

Supporters of Bolivia’s ex-president Evo Morales stormed a barracks in the central Chapare region and took about 20 soldiers hostage, military sources said on Friday, marking a dramatic escalation in their standoff with the state.

The hostage situation comes nearly three weeks after backers of Morales – the country’s first Indigenous leader – began blocking roads to prevent his arrest on what he calls trumped-up rape charges aimed at thwarting his political comeback.

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