Secret tape recordings and ‘sham’ payments: the Liberals’ internal ideological war laid bare

US agency releases plan to lease millions of hectares of seabed off the coast of the Northern Mariana Islands and GuamA US government plan to lease out millions of hectares of seabed near the Mariana Trench for deep sea exploration has drawn opposition from US territories in the Pacific, as the Trump administration remains locked in a race with China for control of critical ocean minerals.On Tuesday, the Marine Mineral Administration (MMA), an agency under the US department of the interior, released a proposal to auction deep sea mining leases for 28m hectares (69m acres) of seafloor off the coast of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. Continue reading...

Resolution Foundation suggests economy may finally be emerging from shadow of 2008 financial crisisProductivity in the UK – a vital measure of economic health – is growing more strongly than official figures suggest, according to analysis from the Resolution Foundation.The thinktank suggests the chancellor, John Healey, may have inherited an economy finally starting to emerge from the long shadow of the 2008 global financial crisis. Continue reading...

Review will look at improving system for English and Welsh hospitality venues before next revaluation date in 2029 The government has promised that business rate valuations will be “made fairer” for pubs and hotels in England and Wales, as Andy Burnham faces growing calls to help the UK’s struggling hospitality sector.An independent review for England and Wales will look at improving the system for hospitality venues, which were hit by higher business rate bills this year after the end of pandemic-era relief and when new revaluations took effect. Continue reading...

PM will use independence day trip to announce sharing of classified information about Storm Shadow componentsBritain will boost Ukraine’s capacity to make its own long-range missiles, Andy Burnham will announce on Monday, as he travels to Kyiv for the country’s independence day on his first foreign visit as prime minister.Burnham will arrive in the Ukrainian capital on Monday morning at a crucial time in the war, with Kyiv braced for another wave of Russian missile attacks and the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing his most direct domestic challenge. Continue reading...

Lillian Smart of Ruston infected with fatal Naegleria fowleri, likely after swimming in Lake Claiborne, health officials sayAn eight-year-old Louisiana girl has died after contracting a rare, typically fatal brain-eating amoeba after a swim in Lake Claiborne.Lillian Smart, of Ruston, died on Saturday, one day after celebrating her birthday, her family announced in a public Facebook post on the “Love for Lillian” page. Continue reading...

Dump site in Conakry, which minister had just promised to move, collapsed after heavy rain in west African stateA ⁠landslide at a huge waste dump in Guinea’s capital has killed 30 people, the government said on Sunday, after heavy rains overnight prompted it to ⁠collapse, engulfing nearby tents and shacks.The incident occurred less than a week after the government announced plans to close the ⁠site and relocate the waste because of the threat it posed, especially during the rainy season, which causes landslides and fatal flash ⁠floods each year in crowded, underdeveloped cities across parts of West Africa. Continue reading...

Leah Stewart lost her arm in a great white shark attack at Sydney’s Coogee beach. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning. Nick Visser here to get the news going. Here’s what’s on deck:Leah Stewart, the woman who was bitten by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee beach, issued a thankyou to those who supported her after the attack. She wrote on GoFundMe: “After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I’m so happy that I’ve progressed enough to build some independence, and I can finally see some light after all of this.” Continue reading...

UK-born married couples under 35 with children would get priority under proposals to be outlined by Farage’s partyBritish citizens who were born abroad would be made to wait longer for social housing under proposals to be announced by Reform UK on Monday.Nigel Farage’s party will announce the policy at a press conference in London. Under the policy, people born in the UK and young married couples with children would be given priority for social housing. Continue reading...

Hawk fire has covered more than 10,500 acres as blaze approaches University of Nevada campus in RenoA fast-moving Nevada wildfire exploded to more than 10,500 acres (4,200 hectares) early on Sunday, pushing from the Sierra foothills toward the center of Reno and forcing nearly 14,000 homes to evacuate as flames threatened neighborhoods and reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus.The Hawk fire’s “GO NOW” evacuation zone had expanded to the edge of the university campus as strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation fueled the blaze, according to Truckee Meadows fire and Rescue in Reno. Continue reading...

Relatives of woman fatally stabbed on public transit allege death was preventable and Charlotte knew of violent crime issueThe family of Iryna Zarutska is suing Charlotte and a security company one year after the Ukrainian refugee was fatally stabbed onboard a light rail train in the North Carolina city.A lawsuit filed on Friday in Charlotte’s Mecklenburg county superior court alleges Zarutska’s death was preventable. It also claims the city and the company that provides security for the Charlotte Area Transit System failed to put adequate protections in place despite knowing about violent crime on and around the municipal light rail line. Continue reading...

Breakdown shows Washington now prioritises its own interests over any semblance of shared economic ground‘No more!!!’: Trump lashes out after US-Canada talks devolve into trade warThe calamitous collapse of trade negotiations between Canada and the United States is a warning to nations worldwide that pursuing any kind of dialogue with the current US administration is doomed at the outset, according to observers who say this recent episode indicates seeking a fair deal is futile.Andrea Lawlor, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University in Ontario, said: “No matter the closeness of the historical relationship, the American administration has signalled that it now prioritises its interests above those of some sort of global economic coordination or harmony. Continue reading...

Republican senator tries to assuage concerns but does not offer details of Graham’s national security experienceTim Scott defended fellow US South Carolina Republican senator Darline Graham’s knowledge of national security issues ahead of their state’s runoff election on Tuesday.Graham, who was appointed to fill the Senate seat held by her brother Lindsey Graham after his sudden death in July, is in a Republican primary runoff against South Carolina congressman Ralph Norman. During a debate between the two on Tuesday night, Graham struggled to answer a question about US national security interests in Taiwan and the South China Sea. Continue reading...