As China mourns, some question delay in release of information about deadly car attack

It took authorities more than a day to release details of the incident, in which a man drove his car into a crowd, killing 35 people

In the hours since a 63-year-old man rammed his car into a sports centre in Zhuhai, killing 35 people and severely injuring 43 others, questions have swirled on Chinese social media about why it took authorities so long to reveal the details.

The driver, identified by his family name of Fan, was discovered in the car with self-inflicted knife wounds to his neck. Police said their preliminary investigation suggested he was dissatisfied with the split of assets in his divorce.

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Israeli strikes kill dozens in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, medics say – NPR

  1. Israeli strikes kill dozens in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, medics say  NPR
  2. Video: Palestinian families speak on camera as they flee northern Gaza  CNN
  3. Updates: Israeli strikes kill 28 in Lebanon; thousands flee northern Gaza  Al Jazeera English
  4. Israeli forces kill 22 people in Gaza, force new displacement in the north  Reuters
  5. Middle East latest: 3 young siblings killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes leave 6 dead in Lebanon  The Associated Press
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Delhi: India’s capital chokes as air pollution turns ‘severe’ – BBC.com

  1. Delhi: India's capital chokes as air pollution turns 'severe'  BBC.com
  2. Delhi’s air hits ‘severe’ for first time this season  The Indian Express
  3. Smog Blanket Over North India, Air Quality Drops To "Severe" Level  NDTV
  4. Can't shake off a cough this pollution season? Doctors warn against taking it lightly  The Times of India
  5. Delhi becomes world’s most polluted city as AQI levels reach 1,000  The Independent
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Meat, oil and pesticide industry lobbyists turned out in record numbers at Cop16

Questions raised over influence after 1,261 business and industry delegates registered for biodiversity summit in Colombia

Record numbers of business representatives and lobbyists had access to the UN’s latest biodiversity talks, analysis shows.

In total 1,261 business and industry delegates registered for Cop16 in Cali, Colombia, which ended in disarray and without significant progress on a number of key issues including nature funding, monitoring biodiversity loss and work on reducing environmentally harmful business subsidies.

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Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over mishandling of abuse allegations – The Washington Post

  1. Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over mishandling of abuse allegations  The Washington Post
  2. Archbishop of Canterbury Resigns Over U.K. Church Abuse Scandal  The New York Times
  3. ‘Church in crisis’: what the papers say about the archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation  The Guardian
  4. Who is Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and why did he resign during an abuse scandal?  The Associated Press
  5. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to resign over handling of youth abuse scandal  Episcopal News Service
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News live: Birmingham says Australia could learn lessons from ‘disrupter’ Trump in making government more efficient

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The treasurer, Jim Chalmers will today announce funding of $900m for states and territories through a new national productivity fund to boost competition and productivity across the economy.

Launching the plan in a speech to the Australian Business Economists in Sydney, Chalmers is hoping the plan will will incentivise states to achieve productivity gains through pro-competitive policies such as streamlining commercial planning and zoning, and removing barriers to the uptake of modern construction methods.

In March this year, on behalf of the Council on Federal Financial Relations, I asked the Productivity Commission to model the potential impacts of a revitalised NCP.

Its final report landed this month and the benefits on offer are substantial, if not staggering. The PC found a revitalised NCP could boost GDP by up to $45bn a year and reduce prices by 1.45 percentage points. That GDP boost represents about $5,000 per household, per year.

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Fears for local news diversity if rightwing startup buys Southern Cross regional TV network

Fringe news streaming channel ADH TV, which launched with Alan Jones at the helm, confirms offer for 93 regional free-to-air stations

Diversity of local news may be at risk if a rightwing startup, ADH TV, is given the green light to purchase Southern Cross Austereo’s regional television network, an expert has warned.

Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has confirmed it has received an offer from the fringe streaming news channel to buy its 93 regional free-to-air TV stations. The digital broadcaster, which is chaired by the former ABC chair Maurice Newman, was launched in December 2021 with the former 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones at the helm.

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Police ‘should have done more’ to save Melbourne woman stabbed to death by ex-partner in front of children

Family violence unit officers missed opportunities to protect Noeline Dalzell before James Fairhall murdered her, Victoria’s coroner says

Police missed an opportunity to protect a woman who was stabbed to death by her ex-partner in front of their three children, Victoria’s state coroner has found.

Noeline Dalzell was murdered by James Fairhall at her home in Melbourne’s south-east in February 2020, three months after he was released from custody for breaching a family violence intervention order.

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Houthis launch missile, drone attacks on US warships off Yemen’s coast – Al Jazeera English

  1. Houthis launch missile, drone attacks on US warships off Yemen’s coast  Al Jazeera English
  2. 2 Navy Destroyers Attacked by Barrage of Houthi Drones, Missiles Off Yemen Coast  Military.com
  3. Explosions reported near Red Sea ship in suspected Houthi attack  The Times of Israel
  4. Houthis Attack Two U.S. Destroyers Leaving the Red Sea, Pentagon Says  USNI News
  5. Houthis escalate tensions with US in Red Sea - analysis  The Jerusalem Post
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Police to charge man who allegedly carjacked 70-year-old and held father and toddler in Melbourne siege

The 26-year-old Snake Valley man remains in hospital with police expecting to charge him on Wednesday afternoon

A man will be charged after allegedly carjacking a 70-year-old woman before breaking into a Melbourne home and holding a father and his toddler inside in an hours-long siege.

A 26-year-old Snake Valley man, known to police, allegedly carjacked the woman in the western Victorian town about 2.30pm on Tuesday.

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Trump picks Huckabee as Israel envoy and Fox News host as defense secretary

Pete Hegseth tapped for key role and Kristi Noem for homeland security amid flurry of nominations

Donald Trump has chosen the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as the next US ambassador to Israel and a Fox News host to be his new defense secretary.

Huckabee has a track record of hardline, occasionally provocative, pro-Israel rhetoric and previously said Israel has a rightful claim to the West Bank, which he refers to by its Hebrew and biblical name of Judea and Samaria.

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Senior Trump adviser suggests Rudd’s time as US ambassador could be up with hourglass gif

Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton and Tony Abbott defend suitability of former PM after Dan Scavino social media post, despite Rudd’s past criticism of president-elect

A senior adviser to US president-elect Donald Trump has fuelled speculation about the future of Australia’s ambassador to Washington, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, by reposting Rudd’s congratulatory statement to Trump on social media with a gif of an hourglass.

The provocative time-is-running-out post by former Trump deputy chief of staff for communications Dan Scavino reignited suggestions that the incoming president may prefer another Australian representative in Washington when he takes office in January.

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Elon Musk handpicked by Trump to carry out slash-and-burn cuts plan

World’s richest man has been an enthusiastic cost-cutter – but he may find the public sector an entirely different beast

Donald Trump, president-elect of the US, announced on Tuesday that he has selected Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, with plans to reduce bureaucracy in the federal government by roughly a third.

Musk had pushed for a government efficiency department and has since relentlessly promoted it, emphasizing the acronym for the agency: Doge, a reference to a meme of an expressive Shiba Inu. Trump said the agency will be conducting a “complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, and making recommendations for drastic reforms”.

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Flights to Bali cancelled after volcano spews dangerous ash cloud 9km into air

Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin flights in and out of Australia were cancelled after Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted

Three Australian airlines have cancelled flights to and from Bali after a volcanic eruption near the Indonesian holiday spot created a dangerous ash cloud.

The groundings affected Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving passengers stranded.

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