Child killed in house fire in south-west Melbourne home

• The Taliban administration has officially welcomed China's expanded role in managing Afghanistan-related discussions and draft resolutions at the United Nations. • This diplomatic shift indicates a growing reliance on Beijing to mediate Afghanistan's international standing and navigate complex UN processes.

• Max Hastings argues that the United Nations' global influence has significantly declined, leaving it unable to effectively mediate modern conflicts. • The analysis highlights a shift from Cold War-era relevance to a current state of great-power deadlock that hampers international cooperation.

• India expanded its defense diplomacy during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, with Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh conducting high-level bilateral meetings. • The engagements focused on strengthening security ties and strategic cooperation with senior counterparts from the Netherlands and Australia.

• Evidence suggests the current Ebola outbreak is broader, more fragmented, and more entrenched than the initial assessment of a regional emergency. • Public health officials are struggling to contain the virus, indicating that critical lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic have not been applied.

Modernisation bill would require GPs and hospitals in England to share data, reducing errors and duplicationSharing access to patients’ health data across NHS providers in England could result in 20,000 fewer A&E visits a year and save £20m annually, the government has claimed, before the second reading of the NHS modernisation bill on Monday.The bill, which would also abolish NHS England, sets out measures including single patient records (SPR) for every person receiving health and social care in England, requiring GPs and hospitals to securely share data as part of the government’s 10-year health plan. Continue reading...

Fans estimated at hundreds of thousands fill north London streets to celebrate women’s and men’s teams’ triumphsAbout 75 people had to be rescued from height and 16 people were arrested during Arsenal’s victory bus parade on Sunday, emergency services said.What were estimated as hundreds of thousands of fans lined the streets around the Emirates stadium in north London to celebrate the Gunners winning the men’s Premier League for the first time since 2004 and the women’s team lifting the first ever Fifa Women’s Champions Cup. Continue reading...

Social housing landlords to be able to evict perpetrators, while right-to-buy tenancy requirements to riseSocial housing landlords will be able to evict domestic abuse perpetrators under a new bill, which will also increase the tenancy required before residents qualify for the right-to-buy scheme from three to 10 years in England.The government said the bill, which will be debated in the House of Lords on Monday, would fix “the long-term decline in social housing” and offer new protections for social tenants who were subjected to domestic abuse. Continue reading...

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation now the most popular political party in the country, Redbridge Group/Accent Research poll suggests. Follow today’s news liveHappy Monday: Nick Visser here to take you through the news as we start off the week. Here’s what’s on deck:One Nation is the most popular political party in the country, a new survey suggests. The poll, published Monday by the Australian Financial Review, shows support for Pauline Hanson’s party has risen four points, to 31%. Labor’s primary vote is at 28% and the Coalition sits at 20%. Continue reading...

The Bristol trip-hop group will perform in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in AugustMassive Attack are set to tour Australia for the first time in 16 years.The influential British trip-hop group, made up of Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, will play Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in August. The upcoming tour will be the band’s fourth appearance in Australia and their first Australian shows since 2010. Continue reading...

Security came to inspect aircraft in Newark after report of Bluetooth device with a ‘certain four-letter word’A United Airlines plane bound for Spain from Newark Liberty international airport turned around mid-flight on Saturday due to a possible security threat.That came one day after another United Airlines flight bound for Minneapolis from Chicago was diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday because an unruly passenger evidently tried to breach the cockpit. Continue reading...

New data suggests success in Gavin Newsom’s crackdown, as Illinois, Hawaii and Florida also report notable decreasesCalifornia reported one of the largest decreases in homelessness over the past year, according to a new report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (Hud).The Golden state recorded a total unhoused population of 181,934 in 2025 – an almost 3% decrease since the year prior, placing it among the five states with the largest decreases from 2024. However, more significant drops were recorded in Illinois (44%), Hawaii (41%), Florida (11%) and New York (8%). Continue reading...