RSF kills dozens, mostly children, in war-torn Sudan’s Kalogi: SAF sources
Sudan Doctors Network says 'deliberate suicide-drone attacks' targeted a kindergarten and several civilian facilities.
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Chalmers cheers OpenAI’s new $7bn Sydney datacentre; emergency bushfire warnings in NSW – as it happened
Meanwhile sewage risked spilling into Sydney Harbour from a cracked wastewater pipe. This blog is now closedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian government’s controversial “adult time for violent crime” bill has passed parliament without amendment.The bill, which will move serious crimes committed by children as young as 14 from the children’s court to adult courts, passed at about 6pm on Thursday with the support of the Coalition.I’m pleased these laws can now be put in place as soon as possible to protect Victorians. There are no easy solutions to youth crime, and the best approach is always to stop crime before it starts. But we absolutely need serious consequences for violent youth crime to protect the community now. Continue reading...
Putin says Russia will take Donbas by force or Ukraine's troops will withdraw
The Russian leader's comments come as US and Ukrainian negotiators are due to hold a new round of talks.
Yegor Ligachev, Gorbachev’s No. 2 Who Turned Foe, Is Dead at 100
As the Kremlin’s hard-line Communist ideologist, he initially embraced his boss’s modernizing reforms before turning against them as threats to the Soviet order.
‘Three sheets to the wind’: how everyday phrases blew in from the sea
From ‘all at sea’ to ‘by and large’, windy weather has had quite an impact on the English languageSome everyday expressions have an obvious nautical origin such as “all at sea” and “an even keel”. But plenty of others have slipped into the language unnoticed, including a number derived from how sailors talked about the wind.Surprisingly, “overbearing” was originally a nautical term, meaning having an advantage over another ship by carrying more canvas safely and so being able to sail faster. The expression came to be used metaphorically to describe an approaching storm or anything else that could not be outrun. Similarly to “bear down” on something was to approach forcefully with the wind behind. Continue reading...
Holocaust survivors call on Nigel Farage to apologise over alleged antisemitic comments
Exclusive: Group’s open letter says Reform UK leader must take responsibility for behaviour as a schoolboyA group of Holocaust survivors have demanded Nigel Farage tell the truth and apologise for the antisemitic comments that fellow pupils of Dulwich College allege he made toward Jewish pupils.The Reform UK leader has said he never racially abused anyone with intent but may have engaged in “banter in a playground”. Continue reading...
‘We can tell farmers the problems’: experts say seismic waves can check soil health and boost yields
‘Soilsmology’ aims to map world’s soils and help avert famine, says not-for-profit co-founded by George MonbiotGeorge Monbiot: Over a pint in Oxford, we may well have stumbled upon the holy grail of agricultureA groundbreaking soil-health measuring technique could help avert famine and drought, scientists have said.At the moment, scientists have to dig lots of holes to study the soil, which is time-consuming and damages its structure, making the sampling less accurate. Continue reading...
Labour MP’s video explaining UK debt with biscuits racks up 3.3m views
Glasgow South MP Gordon McKee leading trend as politicians find traditional ways to reach voters no longer work A perennial head-scratcher for progressives is how to craft a simple, compelling message on the economy. One Labour MP found the answer in a few packets of M&S biscuits.Gordon McKee, who represents Glasgow South, has racked up more than 3.3m views on X with an 101-second video in which he demonstrates the UK’s debt to GDP ratio using stacks of custard creams and chocolate bourbons. Continue reading...
60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study
Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research findsMore than 60,000 penguins in colonies off the coast of South Africa have starved to death as a result of disappearing sardines, a new paper has found.More than 95% of the African penguins in two of the most important breeding colonies, on Dassen Island and Robben Island, died between 2004 and 2012. The breeding penguins probably starved to death during the moulting period, according to the paper, which said the climate crisis and overfishing were driving declines. Continue reading...
Putin, Modi kick off India summit as trade, US sanctions loom large
Meeting to boost ties comes as India seeks reprieve from US oil sanctions related to war in Ukraine.