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Secret translation of Nauruan president’s interview on NZYQ deal with Australia to stay suppressed for decade

Penny Wong says translation notes were ‘taken hastily’ by official who was not accredited translator and were ‘for internal purposes only’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A top secret translation of the Nauruan president’s public commentary on the NZYQ deal will remain suppressed for a decade after the Albanese government considered its release “inappropriate”. Nauru declined to endorse an informal translation by Australia’s high commission of the 10-minute public interview uploaded to Facebook in February, nor did it provide its own translation, newly released…

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Security fears rise in Nigeria after more than 300 schoolchildren kidnapped

Christian group revises up number of students and teachers missing after one of country’s largest mass abduction Gunmen have kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers in one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria, a Christian group said on Saturday, as security fears mounted in Africa’s most populous nation. The early Friday raid on St Mary’s co-educational school in Niger state in western Nigeria came after gunmen on Monday stormed a secondary school in neighbouring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls. Continue reading… Source link

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First rebuilt home in wake of LA fires celebrated in Pacific Palisades

Fire-resistant upgrades are included in replacement structure less than a year after fires destroyed 13,000 homes Did you lose your home in the Los Angeles wildfires? We’d like to hear how you’re spending the holidays Less than a year after the Palisades fire destroyed nearly 7,000 structures in Los Angeles, the first completed rebuilt home is being celebrated in Pacific Palisades. In a statement, mayor Karen Bass confirmed that the Los Angeles department of building and safety had issued the certificate on Friday, certifying that the home had passed inspection and was ready for occupancy. Continue reading… Source link

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Israeli airstrikes kill 33 people in Gaza in escalation of post-ceasefire attacks

Medical officials say 17 people killed in Khan Younis area and 16 in strikes on Gaza City Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed 33 people and injured many more, according to medical officials, in one of the most serious escalations of violence since the US-backed ceasefire came into effect last month. Officials at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said they received the bodies of 17 people, including five women and five children, after four Israeli airstrikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people. In Gaza City, medical officials said two airstrikes killed 16 people, including seven children and three women. Continue…

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Fundraisers warn of ‘catastrophic’ drop in donations to Gaza since ceasefire

‘The world thinks Palestinians don’t need help any more,’ aid organiser says, despite desperate need as winter nears Fundraisers collecting for Palestinian civilians in Gaza are seeing a “catastrophic” drop-off in donations since the ceasefire was announced in October. Donations collected by volunteers and funnelled to needy families living in temporary shelters and struggling with illness, hunger and malnutrition have been harder to raise since then, according to organisers, many of whom have been running volunteer initiatives for Palestinians in Gaza on third-party crowdfunding platforms over the past two years. Continue reading… Source link

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News live: Darwin hospital roof collapses as Tropical Cyclone Fina brings heavy rains; Australia signs G20 statement backing Paris Agreement

Top End residents told to stay sheltered at home until authorities give the all-clear. Follow updates live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Even though the worst of the storm has passed, authorities say residents should stay in their shelters until given the all clear. The bureau of meterology in its latest advice states: [The Northern Territory Emergency Service] NTES advises people about southern Bathurst Island and very exposed coastal locations around the Cox Peninsula, should stay calm and remain in a secure shelter while the destructive winds continue. Do not venture outside. Heed…

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Weather tracker: US storms linked to ‘atmospheric river’ phenomenon

California faced evacuation warnings over flood risk, while Japan experienced heavy early season snowfall Evacuation warnings were issued last week in California as heavy rain brought the risk of flooding and landslides. The storms in the US were linked to a phenomenon known as an “atmospheric river” – a long filament of moisture-laden air that originates above the Pacific Ocean and provides vital replenishment of reservoirs and snowpack along the western coast of the US. However, they can also bring destructive volumes of rain, particularly along coastal areas. Elsewhere in the US, parts of Colorado experienced some of their…

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South Africa’s dispute with US escalates amid row over G20 handover event

Trump press secretary accuses Cyril Ramaphosa of ‘running his mouth’ after US boycott of summit in Johannesburg The dispute between South Africa and the US over the Trump administration’s decision to boycott the G20 in Johannesburg has continued, with South Africa objecting to a US plan for a junior embassy official to take part in the closing ceremony meant to mark the handover to the next summit, which will take place in Florida. The two-day summit, which opens on Saturday, comes at a febrile moment in global politics. The US has proposed a deal to end Russia’s invasion of…

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Trump’s DoJ investigating unfounded claims Venezuela helped steal 2020 election

Exclusive: Discredited election-rigging conspiracy theory could strengthen Trump’s military action against Maduro Federal investigators have been interviewing multiple people who are pushing unfounded claims that Venezuela helped steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump, the Guardian has learned. Two promoters of the conspiracy theory have repeatedly briefed the US attorney for the district of Puerto Rico, W Stephen Muldrow, and have shared witnesses and documents with officials, according to four sources. Muldrow declined to comment. Continue reading… Source link

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Starmer says Andrew should give evidence in US investigation into Jeffrey Epstein

Prime minister says in principle anyone with knowledge of child sexual offence cases should disclose what they know Keir Starmer has increased the pressure on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to cooperate with a congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, saying those who are caught up in child sexual offence cases should disclose any information they have. Asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last month, should respond to the US House oversight committee, the prime minister said those with “relevant information” should share it. The former prince had a long friendship with Epstein and is alleged to have sexually…

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A translation of the Nauruan president’s remarks will stay suppressed for a decade – but secrecy in Australia’s offshore policy is nothing new

From Scott Morrison’s ‘on-water matters’ to the Albanese government’s MOU with Nauru, successive governments’ attitude to legitimate scrutiny has been one of hostility Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Offshore, secrecy dominates. But it doesn’t stop at the water’s edge. In February, Australia brokered a new offshore arrangement with Nauru, striking a deal to send members of the so-called NZYQ cohort – non-citizens with criminal histories – to the Pacific island. Australia would give Nauru more than $400m in exchange. Continue reading… Source link

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Human rights fears over Australia’s role in F-35 parts after Trump’s decision to sell fighter jets to Saudi Arabia

Experts warn US deal on ‘lethal’ aircraft presents issues for Australia that ‘we’ve tried desperately to ignore with the Israelis’ Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to sell F-35 joint strike fighter jets to Saudi Arabia will rely on critical Australian components, prompting experts to warn Australia could become complicit in human rights abuses. The US president announced the deal during a meeting with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, this week, despite consistent concerns about the Saudi regime’s human rights record – including bombing raids on civilian targets…

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Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of JFK, announces terminal cancer diagnosis

Journalist, daughter of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, reveals she has acute myeloid leukemia Tatiana Schlossberg, a journalist and the granddaughter of John F Kennedy, disclosed on Saturday that she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, saying her doctor informed her that she has less than a year left to live. The environmental writer also addressed her cousin, Robert F Kennedy Jr, criticizing the influence his policies as secretary of health and human services have had on her experience with the illness. Continue reading… Source link

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Academics who say they are ‘pro-white’ and have ‘ethnic conception’ of Australia turn spotlight on Sydney’s Campion College

Higher education regulator investigates Catholic institute after comments by academics, including endorsing the White Australia policy Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast An influential Catholic college in Sydney is under investigation by the higher education regulator over a series of comments made by two of its prominent academics supporting the White Australia policy and calling for Anglo-Celtic Australians and Europeans to become a “supermajority” in the country. The federal education minister, Jason Clare, said the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Teqsa) was “undertaking a compliance process” with Campion College in relation to a…

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‘Cannot believe it’s still happening’: readers respond to ‘heartbreaking’ domestic violence homicides

Readers share the impact of Guardian Australia’s two-year investigation Broken trust, which underlined the ‘shocking realities of domestic violence-related deaths’ Guardian Australia’s Broken trust series has uncovered allegations of policing failures before domestic and family violence homicides, and cases that were not adequately investigated. Over the course of the week, we revealed new information about the cases of Hannah Clarke and her children, Gail Karran and Kardell Lomas. Continue reading… Source link

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‘Dangerous and undermines our systems’: Tanya Plibersek condemns serious police failures in Queensland DV deaths

Plibersek said those victims – Hannah Clarke and her children, Kardell Lomas and her unborn child, and Gail Karran – ‘should have been kept safe’ Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The federal social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, says Guardian Australia’s “devastating” revelations of failures to protect women fleeing violence must prompt action from governments “at every level”. Broken Trust, a two-year Guardian investigation, uncovered evidence and allegations of serious police and support service failures in multiple domestic violence homicides in Queensland. Continue reading… Source link

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Politicians shocked by Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation announcement

Some Republicans offered congresswoman plaudits, but AOC was scathing in her dismissal of her frequent sparring partner Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation from Congress late on Friday, saying she refused to be a “battered wife” following her public fallout with Donald Trump, has been slammed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congresswoman and Greene’s frequent sparring partner. “She’s carefully timing her departure just 1-2 days after her pension kicks in,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement on her Instagram account, and criticized her voting record on healthcare. Continue reading… Source link

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‘This is not right’: grassroots campaign aims to repeal Missouri Republicans’ gerrymandering

A new congressional map was abruptly passed by Republicans in mid-September – but voters have a chance to rebuke politicians and stop it from going into effect When canvassers fan out across neighborhoods, they usually rely on sophisticated lists that will tell them things like a voter’s political party and how likely they are to support a given cause. Jill Imbler isn’t bothering with any of that. The 69-year-old has lived in Moberly – a Missouri town of about 14,000 people – her entire life. She doesn’t use a GPS when she drives around, knows where people live, and…

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End of fossil fuel era inches closer as Cop30 deal agreed after bitter standoff

Wealthy countries agree to triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal The world edged a small step closer to the end of the fossil fuel era on Saturday, but not by nearly enough to stave off the ravages of climate breakdown. Countries meeting in Brazil for two weeks could manage only a voluntary agreement to begin discussions on a roadmap to an eventual phase out of fossil fuels, and they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries. Continue reading… Source link

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Boris Johnson took four days off as NHS warned Covid could ‘overwhelm’ system

Files show then PM was walking dog, riding motorbike and hosting guests as pandemic planning stalled in ‘lost month’ Boris Johnson took four days off from official government business during a key period in the UK’s Covid preparation when the NHS was bracing to be “overwhelmed” by the virus. Official disclosure for the period in February 2020 – described by the Covid inquiry as a “lost month” in the country’s crisis response – reveal Johnson enjoyed an extended break during the half-term holidays at Chevening, a governmental estate in Kent, where he spent time walking his dog and taking…

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Western leaders at G20 say US peace plan for Ukraine ‘will require work’

European leaders say Washington’s proposal needs major changes, as Macron warns G20 risks losing relevance Western leaders have said the US peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine “will require additional work” at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, which Trump boycotted. The draft plan, which was leaked earlier this week, endorsed some of Russia’s demands, such as handing over areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, limiting its military, and relinquishing its ambitions to join Nato. Washington has given Kyiv a deadline of Thursday to respond. Continue reading… Source link

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Eleven injured after grizzly bear attacks schoolchildren and teachers in Canada

Two critically hurt after attack on walking trail in British Columbia as police and conservation officers search for bear Eleven people were injured, two of them critically, when a grizzly bear attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers on a walking trail in British Columbia, Canada. The attack happened on Thursday in Bella Coola, 435 miles (700km) north-west of Vancouver. The Nuxalk Nation said the “aggressive bear” remained on the loose and police and conservation officers were on the scene. Continue reading… Source link