Homeless people camping in Queensland park ‘not treated as humans’ during council evictions, court finds

Moreton Bay council’s clearing of tent city breached human rights, supreme court rules

Homeless people living in tents in a park were “not treated as humans” while being evicted by a Queensland council, with the supreme court ruling it an unlawful breach of human rights.

A group of residents who had been living in a park off Goodfellows Road, Kallangur, challenged eviction notices issued against them by the City of Moreton Bay last year.

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Vice-chancellor calls for review into student loans for those without A-levels

Adam Tickell, of University of Birmingham, says money is loaned to people who ‘are not really capable of graduating’

A leading vice-chancellor has questioned whether students without A-levels should be eligible for government-backed student loans, as part of an effort to solve England’s university funding crisis.

Adam Tickell, vice-chancellor of the University of Birmingham, said universities face an “almost existential challenge” and falling public support that requires a radical review of higher education funding.

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Mass stranding of whales on Scottish beach caused by loyalty to their pod, report finds

The 55 pilot whales, which had to be euthanised, had been following a female having a difficult birth, scientists believe

The mass stranding and death of 55 whales on the Isle of Lewis in 2023 was caused by the mammals’ loyalty to their pod, a report has concluded.

It had been thought that the unusually large incident on Tràigh Mhòr beach, Tolsta, could have been caused by trauma, disease or acoustic disturbance from military or industrially generated noise.

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Iran-backed militias intensify attacks against US, Israel and allies

Iraq emerges as key front in new and often clandestine confrontation after launching dozens of attacks

Iran-backed militias around the Middle East are intensifying attacks against Israel, the US and their allies, in retaliation for the ongoing joint US-Israeli offensive against Tehran as the war draws in new armed actors, threatening wider chaos and violence.

Israel and the US have targeted Iran’s network of militant groups, with Iraq emerging as a key front in this new and often clandestine confrontation.

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NSW’s top prosecutor scores legal win in bias claim against senior judge

Recusal application against district court judge Penelope Wass yet to be determined amid row with DPP

New South Wales’ top prosecutor has been given the green light to continue her fight to get a senior judge removed from a historical sexual offences trial on the grounds of apprehended bias.

The ruling from the NSW supreme court is the latest development in a long-running row between the director of public prosecutions, Sally Dowling SC, and district court judge Penelope Wass. The dispute went before the NSW court of appeal last week.

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What to know about the Kurds and their potential involvement in the Iran war – AP News

  1. What to know about the Kurds and their potential involvement in the Iran war  AP News
  2. Why the First Shots in an Iran Ground War Could Come From the Kurds  WSJ
  3. Trump says Iranian Kurdish attack on Iran would be "wonderful," but will he help?  CBS News
  4. Trump calls on Kurds to aid U.S. effort in Iran, offers support  The Washington Post
  5. Israel and America want the Kurds to join the fight in Iran  The Economist
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Hezbollah warns Israeli residents to evacuate towns near border – Reuters

  1. Hezbollah warns Israeli residents to evacuate towns near border  Reuters
  2. Iran Live Updates: U.S. and Israeli Strikes, Bombs in Beirut and Trump War Powers Vote  The New York Times
  3. Lebanon Reels Under Waves of Israeli Strikes, Displacements  Bloomberg
  4. Israel pounds Hezbollah targets, daring Lebanon to reclaim sovereignty from Iran-backed terror proxy  Fox News
  5. Israel strikes Beirut’s southern suburbs after issuing a blanket evacuation order  AP News
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Ukraine to help US and its allies counter Iranian drones in Middle East, says Zelenskyy

Ukrainian president orders equipment and expertise to be provided to US in return to diplomatic support against Russia, saying ‘we help to defend from war those who help us’

The United States and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Various countries, including the US, have approached Ukraine for help in defending against the Iranian drones, Zelenskyy said late on Wednesday. He said he has spoken in recent days to the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible cooperation.

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