‘Failed experiment in human suffering’: Alligator Alcatraz immigration jail to close

After drawing delighted crowds since first sighted in Orkney the young male has swum 400 miles across the North SeaA peripatetic walrus who became a local celebrity as he toured the north-east coast of Scotland has now been spotted in Norway, bringing to an end his Celtic sojourn.The young male was christened Magnus after he after first hauled his estimated 2.5-metre frame out of the sea on to Stronsay pier in Orkney on 16 April. Continue reading...

Richard Werstine, wanted in connection with killing of Cold as Life vocalist Rodney Barger, was arrested in PanamaA suspect accused of murdering his rock singer friend in 1993 has been apprehended in Central America after spending more than 30 years successfully evading authorities.According to the US marshals service, Richard Werstine, who was wanted in connection with the killing of Cold as Life vocalist Rodney Barger, was arrested in Panama. Continue reading...

French football captain warned against prospect of far-right National Rally party gaining powerThe French football captain, Kylian Mbappé, has angered Marine Le Pen’s far-right party after expressing concerns about it winning next year’s presidential election.Mbappé, 27, who grew up in Paris’s northern suburbs, in a family with Algerian and Cameroonian heritage, told Vanity Fair this week: “I know what it means and what consequences it can have for my country when people like them come to power.” Continue reading...

Justices said decision was due to ‘improper external influences on the jury’ by a court clerk during the trialSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe South Carolina supreme court on Wednesday overturned the murder convictions of Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced South Carolina attorney, due to “shocking jury interference” and ordered a new trial in the 2021 killing of his wife and son.In a unanimous opinion, the justices said that “although we are aware of the time, money, and effort expended for this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial” because of what they described as “improper external influences on the jury” by a court clerk during the trial, according to CNN. Continue reading...

Case attracts widespread attention as example of China balancing enthusiastic adoption of AI with job securityA court in China has ruled in favour of a worker whose company replaced him with artificial intelligence (AI), awarding him more than £28,000 in compensation.The worker, whose surname is Zhou, joined a tech company in the eastern city of Hangzhou in 2022 to work as a quality assurance supervisor overseeing large language models used in AI products. Continue reading...

Uline, owned by billionaire Republicans Richard and Liz Uihlein, halts construction of a new facility in KenoshaUline, a business and shipping supplies company owned by billionaire Trump supporters Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, is pausing the construction of a new distribution facility in Kenosha, Wisconsin, citing economic uncertainty.The construction pause comes in a key battleground state, where Trump won in 2016 and 2024, but lost to Biden in 2020. Continue reading...

Figures show the treasurer’s reforms will make the tax system fairer but some will not have the advantages enjoyed by their parents As Jim Chalmers was doing the round of the parliamentary press gallery on Tuesday, he was encouraging journalists to see the tax reforms in the budget as the most ambitious since the turn of the century.The core of the tax package is that instead of paying tax on just half of profits on the sale of investments held for more than a year, we will return to the pre-1999 version where investors would get a discount based on inflation. Continue reading...

Researchers say rise not inevitable and it is important to unpick what is behind differences in obesity trendsA continuing rise in obesity around the world is not inevitable, research suggests, with rates in some countries levelling off or potentially in decline.Researchers say focusing on what has been described as a global epidemic of obesity hides large variations in trends across different countries, sexes and age groups. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Young inmate took own life in Long Bay prison five months after independent inspector warned of ‘ligature points in cells across all areas’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA 19-year-old man has died in a Sydney prison unit that an independent watchdog previously recommended be closed because it “simply cannot provide a safe environment”.The man was on remand, awaiting a hearing or sentencing, when he hung himself on Sunday in Long Bay correctional centre’s Metropolitan Special Programs Centre (MSPC). Continue reading...

Australia Palestine Advocacy Network says criticism of Israel is routinely misrepresented as antisemitic – and that Palestinian voices are being excluded from debateGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPalestinian voices are being excluded from the debate on social cohesion, the peak body for Palestinians in Australia has said after it was refused leave to appear before the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion.The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) made detailed submissions on the issues of antisemitism – including how it is defined – as well as on racism and social cohesion, but was told it did not have a “direct and substantial” interest in the public hearings, which are under way in Sydney. Continue reading...

The country’s new leadership has pledged to reverse years of democratic backsliding, but they must act quickly• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereUnder blue skies on Saturday, crowds cheered as the EU flag was raised on the facade of the Hungarian parliament after a long absence. It was a powerful symbol on the day Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister, with a declaration that Hungarians had given his party a mandate to launch “a new chapter” in the country’s history, and change the system.The new government, seen as an experienced technocratic team, immediately signalled its new direction. “Hungary’s place is in Europe; naturally, firmly and without question,” foreign minister designate Anita Orbán said. Soon after, Hungary dropped its long-standing veto over sanctions against violent Israeli settlers – a sign it no longer sought to be outside the EU mainstream. Continue reading...