Top World News
Labor to wipe $3bn from Hecs and Help debts through indexation changes
Measure to ensure student debts can’t outpace wage growth by retrospectively capping indexation rate for loansGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government will cut around $3bn in student debts through a key change to the Hecs and Help programs, reversing last year’s horror indexation hike and delivering a $1,200 saving for the average person.The measure, to be outlined in this month’s federal budget, will ensure student debts can’t outpace wage growth in the future by capping the indexation rate for Hecs and Help loans.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
‘It’s going to be messy’: advocates balance climate action and conservation amid Queensland’s green energy boom
‘Some negative projects will get up, but we have to keep our eyes on the broader goals’, says WWF AustraliaGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA map of operating windfarms in Queensland does not take too long to survey – of the 100 or so across Australia, only six of them are in the sunshine state.But this is about to change in a very big way. According to state government data, there are 46 separate proposals for windfarms in Queensland with four already under construction.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Labour’s Richard Parker defeats Andy Street in tight West Midlands mayoral race after Sadiq Khan wins third term in London – live
Labour has secured mayoral victories in London, Greater Manchester, Salford, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Liverpool todayLocal elections 2024: full council results for EnglandRishi Sunak is braced for the result of key mayoral elections in London and the West Midlands, after the Conservatives were trounced in the first day of local election results.As Friday’s result declarations closed, the Conservatives had suffered a net loss of 371 seats, and lost control of 10 councils.CheshireDorsetHertfordshireKentMerseysideSussexThames ValleyWarwickshireWest MidlandsWiltshire Continue reading...
Labour’s Richard Parker beats Andy Street to become West Midlands mayor
The Tory incumbent’s hopes of a third term in the role dashed in a damaging result for his partyLocal and mayoral election results – liveLabour’s Richard Parker has narrowly beaten Andy Street to become the next mayor of the West Midlands, in the most tightly contested metro mayor ballot in England.It was a huge win for Labour, which had been briefing they expected to lose to Street and his previously formidable “Brand Andy” campaign. Continue reading...
Lib Dems ‘on course to topple leading Tories’ in general election
Local election results in England justify the decision to focus on Conservative areas, claim party strategistsThe Liberal Democrats are increasingly confident that they will claim more than one Tory “big beast” at the coming general election, pointing to local election results putting them ahead in a series of true blue constituencies.Ed Davey’s party has been criticised for failing to improve its polling performance in recent months, while its 17% projected vote share from last week’s local elections was down slightly on last year. Continue reading...
Sadiq Khan’s win heralds even bigger Labour victory at general election
‘Chipper’ Conservatives crumple in face of incumbent mayor’s broad appeal to London votersBefore the counting had even started, senior Tory sources were briefing that their candidate for London mayor, Susan Hall, had pulled off a spectacular, and unlikely, victory.Despite the Labour incumbent, Sadiq Khan, having a consistent polling lead throughout the contest, Tory insiders briefed journalists that the mood was “chipper” at the Conservative headquarters on Friday night after polls closed, and that they were “utterly convinced” Hall had won. Continue reading...
Will the US campus protests harm Biden – and benefit Trump?
Rightwing media have seized on campus protests to portray the president as weak. Will it have an impact in November?At the height of the tensions on US campuses this week, with Republicans gleefully seizing on student unrest as an election issue that could propel Donald Trump back into the White House, Joe Biden tried to steer a middle path.Weighing the democratic right to peaceful protest and the political necessity to stem disruption, Biden declared that “order must prevail”. Continue reading...
Death toll from rains in southern Brazil rises to 57
Hundreds of cities across Rio Grande so Sul hit by floods with 32,000 people displaced and infrastructure destroyedThe death toll from rains in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to 57, local authorities said on Saturday afternoon, while dozens still have not been accounted for.The state’s civil defence authority said 67 people were still missing and more than 32,000 had been displaced as storms affected nearly two-thirds of the 497 cities in the state. Continue reading...
Zebra on the run in Washington state for six days finally captured
Shug the pinstriped pony, who hoofed it as her trailer stopped on a highway, was eventually found horsing aroundA zebra that escaped from her owner in Washington state and went on the run for nearly six days has finally been rescued.In a statement released on Friday, the regional animal services of King county (Raskc) announced that the zebra – whose name is Shug – was captured near North Bend after roaming in the foothills of the Cascades for the better part of a week. Continue reading...
Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne left in ruins after Russian barrage
Kyiv says Moscow forces have gained ‘foothold’ in area north of Donetsk city after pounding depleted defendersPutin on our doorstep: Ukrainians watch as the frontline edges closerThe Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by the Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.Russian troops have been advancing in the area, pounding Kyiv’s depleted, ammunition-deprived forces with artillery, drones and bombs. Ukraine’s military has acknowledged that Russia has gained a “foothold” in Ocheretyne, which had a population of about 3,000 before the war, but says the fighting there is continuing. Continue reading...
Russia Says Downed 4 Long Range Missiles Supplied To Ukraine By US
Russia on Saturday said it had downed four US-made ATACMS long-range missiles recently supplied by Washington to Kviv over the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula.
Rap Music Serves As Evidence In Many Trials Across UK, Study Reveals
A recent study from the University of Manchester has revealed a concerning trend in England and Wales, where rap and drill music are being utilized as evidence in criminal trials, particularly those involving youth violence.
