Australian health experts fear US vaccine scepticism is catching on as ‘anything Trump says filters through’

• Five years after the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan faces a severe human rights crisis, highlighted by the barring of 2.4 million girls from attending school. • Humanitarian funding has plummeted by nearly 70% since 2022, driven by donor fatigue and competing global political crises.

• President Vladimir Putin conducted his first visit to the disputed Kuril islands, signaling a strategic shift in Moscow's approach to territorial disputes and international relations. • The move reflects Russia's widening confrontation with Western powers and serves as a geopolitical signal that extends beyond the immediate territorial disagreement with Japan.

Revelation comes after it was disclosed that Reform UK backer had paid for spying on prominent journalistThe businessman and Reform UK backer Arron Banks commissioned a private intelligence firm to dig into the Conservative party chair, in addition to having paid for an investigation into a prominent journalist.Banks, a former Reform UK candidate and leave campaign donor, appeared to confirm on Sunday that he was behind an investigation into Kevin Hollinrake. Continue reading...

Suspect, 19, who is not enrolled at the university arrested in connection with shooting of five people, authorities sayA young man suspected in connection with the shooting of five people on Saturday on the campus of Virginia State University (VSU) hid in a dormitory closet for more than 14 hours being found and arrested, according to authorities.The suspect – identified as 19-year-old Camron Harris – was found in Seward Hall on VSU’s campus at 4pm, local police Lt James Lamb said, according to the Virginia news outlet WTVR. The shooting occurred at about 1.30am on Saturday. Continue reading...

Hundreds watched the 56-metre monument’s consecration, including anti-communist leader Lech WałęsaAn enormous statue of the Virgin Mary that is believed to be Europe’s tallest was inaugurated on Saturday in a small Polish village, in the presence of the anti-communist leader Lech Wałęsa.Hundreds of people took part in the consecration of the monument, which towers 55.6 metres (182ft) over Konotopie in central Poland, a village of fewer than 150 people. Continue reading...

Belgium battling biggest fire in more than a century as flames near German border and 600 people told to evacuateTwo people have died in fires on the Greek island of Salamis as firefighting aircraft were called on to help tame the biggest blaze in Belgium in more than a century in the latest wave of wildfires in Europe.The bodies of two people were recovered from the Peristeria beach area of Salamison Sunday after two fires broke out on the island, a fire department spokesperson told AFP. Hundreds of people have been ordered to evacuate. Continue reading...

After securing wage rises for low-paid workers, weathering death threats and working with three PMs – the ACTU secretary is ready for a breakGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSally McManus started her job as the country’s most powerful trade union leader amid howls of criticism.Shouted down for suggesting union members were right to break “unjust” industrial laws in a live TV interview, McManus quickly adjusted to the high decibel work of being secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Continue reading...

One seller says second world war memorabilia containing banned Nazi symbols is legal under exemptions to the lawsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNazi artefacts bearing prohibited symbols are being openly sold in Australia three years after the federal government made it illegal to do so, with vendors saying they are doing so for “educational” reasons.The government in 2023 outlawed the display and trade of items bearing the Nazi Hakenkreuz (swastika) and double-sig rune that was the logo of the Schutzstaffel (SS), after multiple states passed similar laws that banned the display of Nazi symbols and the performance of the Nazi salute. Continue reading...

Australia’s corporate watchdog says PM is the figure most commonly used in deepfakes to promote phony investment opportunitiesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThere has been a steep rise in scammers luring victims into phony investment opportunities using deepfakes of celebrities and politicians, Australia’s corporate watchdog has warned.And Anthony Albanese is the figure most commonly co-opted. Continue reading...

Force has seen busiest month in its history, with heatwaves putting added strain on criminal justice systemOn England’s hottest day of the year so far, Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester was thronging with pedestrians, many clutching ice-creams or cold drinks as they passed through the town centre.Officers from Greater Manchester police were also out in force, some in plainclothes, some stationed by a facial-recognition van, apprehending wanted suspects and stopping persons of interest. In total, officers made 54 arrests across the borough of Tameside as part of Operation Avro, GMP’s blitz on local crime which runs in a different district each month. Continue reading...

Neill won for his performance in legal thriller The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer, at a ceremony dominated by wins for the ABCLogies 2026 ceremony: the best moments and red carpet looks – in picturesSam Neill has won a posthumous best actor award at Australia’s biggest television awards, the Logies, with comedian Sam Pang taking home the night’s top honour, the Gold Logie award for most popular personality.Neill, who died in July, won his posthumous Logie for best lead actor in a drama, for his performance in legal thriller The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer. His close friend, the actor Heather Mitchell, accepted the award on his behalf. Continue reading...