Melbourne teen Bianca Jones dies in hospital after methanol poisoning in Laos

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A New Zealand citizen is also ill, while a US citizen has died following a suspected mass poisoning event in the town of Vang Vieng

Melbourne teen Bianca Jones has died from methanol poisoning in a Thai hospital, a week after the Melbourne teen and her best friend fell ill while travelling in neighbouring Laos.

Anthony Albanese confirmed the 19-year-old’s death on Thursday, after her parents travelled to Thailand to be with her.

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Chinese vessel under investigation after 2 data cables found cut in the Baltic Sea – NPR

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  1. Chinese vessel under investigation after 2 data cables found cut in the Baltic Sea  NPR
  2. Accident or sabotage? American and European officials disagree as key undersea cables are cut  CNN
  3. Chinese-Registered Ship Is Held in Baltic Sea Sabotage Investigation  The Wall Street Journal
  4. Resilient Internet connectivity in Europe mitigates impact from multiple cable cuts  The Cloudflare Blog
  5. Why Undersea Cables Are a Tempting Target for Saboteurs  Bloomberg
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To hit deep inside Russia, Ukraine has built its own drones – NPR

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  1. To hit deep inside Russia, Ukraine has built its own drones  NPR
  2. Ukraine's double challenge: Russia's advance and the return of Trump  BBC.com
  3. Exclusive | Killer Robots Are About to Fill Ukrainian Skies  The Wall Street Journal
  4. ‘War of robots’: How 1,000 days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spurred an automation boom  Reuters
  5. A night with the drone squad targeting Russian forces in micro battles  The Guardian
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Cop29 climate finance deal hits fresh setback as deadline looms

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Outcry after draft text contains only an ‘X’ instead of setting $1tn funding goal to support developing countries

Hopes of a breakthrough at the deadlocked UN climate talks have been dashed after a new draft of a possible deal was condemned by rich and poor countries.

Faith in the ability of the Azerbaijan presidency to produce a deal ebbed on Thursday morning, as the draft texts were criticised as inadequate and providing no “landing ground” for a compromise.

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NSW government bid to prevent Rising Tide protest in Newcastle harbour invalid, court finds

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Four-day exclusion zone an improper use of Marine Safety Act, judge rules, despite ‘skilful’ submission from transport minister Jo Haylen

The New South Wales supreme court has set aside a Minns government decision to cut off access to Newcastle harbour to try to prevent a four-day climate protest.

The court found the notice was invalid after hearing an urgent application from climate activist organisation Rising Tide on Thursday.

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Angela Merkel, once celebrated as one of the world’s most popular politicians, now faces growing scrutiny over her legacy – Fortune

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  1. Angela Merkel, once celebrated as one of the world's most popular politicians, now faces growing scrutiny over her legacy  Fortune
  2. Merkel: I mistook Trump for ‘someone completely normal’  The Guardian
  3. Merkel eviscerates ‘emotional’ Trump in upcoming memoir  POLITICO Europe
  4. Angela Merkel's legacy under fire as she publishes memoirs  Reuters
  5. Nato right to heed Russian anger over Ukraine accession plan, Angela Merkel says in memoirs  Financial Times
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World’s conflict zones increased by two-thirds in past three years, report reveals

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Wars have spread and intensified, with far-reaching impacts on global economic growth and food security, according to latest Conflict Intensity Index

The proportion of the world engulfed by conflict has grown 65% – equivalent to nearly double the size of India – over the past three years, according to a new report.

Ukraine, Myanmar, the Middle East and a “conflict corridor” around Africa’s Sahel region have seen wars and unrest spread and intensify since 2021, according to the latest Conflict Intensity Index (CII), published by risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft.

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Mineral Resources boss Chris Ellison tells shareholders ‘I hate what I’ve done’ after scandals rock company

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Perth businessman tells AGM he made ‘error in judgment’ as company’s executive pay plans are voted down

Embattled mining billionaire Chris Ellison has told shareholders he can’t stress enough “how much I hate what I’ve done” after a series of scandals engulfed the company he leads, Mineral Resources.

The Perth businessman has previously acknowledged he failed to disclose revenue generated by overseas entities to tax authorities earlier in his career. A company investigation later found he had also used business resources for his personal benefit.

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Sydney train strike: chaotic shutdown averted after 11th-hour crisis talks with union

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NSW government caves to rail union demands to prevent workers striking

A chaotic two-day shutdown of Sydney’s train network has been averted at the 11th hour after the state government caved to rail union demands to run 24-hour services to prevent workers striking.

However, the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has warned that despite securing a two-week hiatus on industrial action amid tense negotiations with rail unions over a new pay deal, there is no guarantee that the threat of a city-wide rail shutdown will not recur in a fortnight.

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Percival Everett wins National Book Award for fiction with retelling of Huckleberry Finn

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Everett’s novel, James, which focuses on Twain's enslaved character Jim, won the $10,000 prize

Percival Everett has won the $10,000 National Book Award for fiction, one of the US’s most prestigious literary prizes, for James, his acclaimed reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The 67-year-old author was also shortlisted for this year’s Booker prize for James, which focuses on Huckleberry Finn’s enslaved character Jim. The Guardian’s Anthony Cummins called the book “gripping, painful, funny, horrifying” in his review.

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