‘Absurd’: children to see gambling logos on sports jerseys until 2032 in transition period condemned by Pocock

• The Gatestone Institute reports on the declining status and authority of the UN Secretary-General, a role traditionally viewed as the world's highest diplomatic position. • The analysis highlights a shift away from the "unwritten rule" that the Secretary-General should remain an impartial institution above the specific interests of individual member states.

• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged on Sunday that Iran is facing "many problems" and is effectively in a "full-scale war" due to mounting economic and social pressures. • The crisis is exacerbated by looming US sanctions designed to further isolate the Iranian regime and cripple its financial capabilities.

Academics – and a former director of Australia’s Classification Board – say Halloween: The Game’s ban due to ‘incentivised drug use’ highlights an incoherent set of standardsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHalloween’s Michael Myers is one of film’s most feared boogeymen, responsible for some of the most brutal on-screen deaths in horror cinema. US video game developer Illfonic looked to reproduce those terrors in its upcoming title Halloween: The Game, with gruesome killings a major focus of the gameplay: for instance, you can stomp another player’s head through a toilet seat, or fry their brain by throwing them through a television screen.But Australians will not be able to play Halloween: The Game, because it has been refused classification by the Classification Board, which means it is banned from sale within the country. And it’s not because of the violence or murders. Continue reading...

Hundreds of experts write to environment minister calling for stronger protections for ‘unique and distinct’ marine ecosystemsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government has been accused of leaving coastal waters largely unprotected by establishing the bulk of highly protected marine parks in remote areas.More than 270 leading marine scientists from 84 research institutes have written to the environment minister, Murray Watt, urging stronger protections for marine ecosystems, as a once-in-a-decade review of marine parks gets under way. Continue reading...

Exclusive: New entrants the only cohort making more loan applications amid interest rate rises and tax changes, mortgage broker saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFirst home buyers are still taking out a large number of loans, with government backing, even as investors step back from Australia’s property market.New entrants are now the only cohort applying for more loans than they were in June, according to new data from Loan Market, the mortgage broking company. Continue reading...

Many tools fail to help victims find hidden cameras, microphones and trackers, leaving them at risk of ongoing surveillanceCommercial detectors intended to help domestic abuse victims find hidden spying devices may actually give them a false sense of security, a study has found.The consumer detection tools claim to identify hidden cameras, microphones or trackers through methods such as signal-strength readings, infrared lens detection and scanning for wifi or Bluetooth devices. Continue reading...

Transport secretary asks ‘publicly owned operators to lay on extra services where possible’CrossCountry has cancelled almost all of its train services in Great Britain after a power cut in Birmingham hit its control centre on Sunday.Most services have been cancelled until further notice, including routes from Glasgow to Edinburgh, Manchester to Birmingham, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Newcastle to Edinburgh. Continue reading...

Michael Jeffries is ruled mentally competent to stand trial after being hospitalized for months for dementia symptomsThe former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch has been ruled mentally competent to stand trial as he faces sex-trafficking charges after being hospitalized for months for dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms.Michael Jeffries, who is 82 and free on bond for now, is scheduled to be tried in late October, alongside two co-defendants: his partner Matthew Smith and staffer James Jacobson. A pretrial hearing was slated for Thursday. Continue reading...

Prime minister sends video message to newlyweds instead after bride Sarah Burwin asked him not to ‘ruin’ vibe at Heron House weddingAndy Burnham fulfilled a bride’s wishes by not turning up for her wedding after she asked him not to spoil her big day as she got married at the building housing No 10 North.Sarah Burwin had pleaded on TikTok in July for Burnham not to work from the building in Manchester that day, which hosts the government’s northern headquarters and the city’s register office. Continue reading...

Woman remains missing more than five days after police found officer she was married to dead in their homeAn arrest warrant has been issued for a mental health advocate who remained missing on Sunday, more than five days after police found the Massachusetts officer she had been married to dead in their home.Karen Solomon, 58, was last spotted in a doorbell camera video, walking down a street in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops early Tuesday morning, just minutes after Worcester police officers responded to a call from the home where Kurt Solomon was found dead. Continue reading...

Defense files motion to dismiss state case after federal guilty plea but prosecutors say they are prepared to litigateAfter Luigi Mangione admitted in Manhattan federal court that he killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, most experts believe that the state murder case against is highly unlikely to proceed – though some still see a slim possibility that it may yet happen.Mangione, who pleaded guilty on 14 August to two federal stalking counts, was scheduled for a New York state trial on 8 September for murder and weapons charges in the December 2024 killing. In the wake of Mangione’s surprise plea, legal experts said New York’s state-level double jeopardy law – which means someone cannot be tried twice for the same crime – could derail his local prosecution. Continue reading...