The lesson from Canada’s collapsed trade talks with the US: negotiation may be futile

• 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.

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...

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...

Critics include Senator Chris van Hollen, ex-aide to Obama Tommy Vietor and ex-Republican congressman Adam KinzingerDemocrats and other Donald Trump critics reacted incredulously to a New York Times report on Sunday that House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Jared Kushner, the president’s influential son-in-law, to discuss possible areas of collaboration.The meeting comes months ahead of the November midterm elections in which Democrats are favored to retake the US House, a development that would make Jeffries speaker. If they are in the majority, Democrats are expected to use their oversight power to aggressively investigate the Trump administration, including self-enrichment by the president and his family. Continue reading...

Devoted Trump aide flooded her now-disabled profile urging people to ‘never concede’ on 6 January 2021The Donald Trump aide Natalie Harp flooded a since-disabled social media account with pro-Trump posts on the day that the president’s supporters attacked the US Capitol in early 2021, years before she went to work for him and developed an extraordinary close relationship with him, a new report has revealed.CNN on Saturday reported that a deactivated account which Harp had on what is now known as X was packed with fiercely pro-Trump messages on the day of the January 6 Capitol attack in Washington DC, including posts repeating his lies that the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden toward the end of his first presidency, had been stolen from by fraudsters. 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...

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...

Government says it hopes clubs will end jersey deals with wagering companies earlier, but calls it a commercial decisionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChildren across Australia will continue to see gambling logos on professional sport jerseys until up to 2032 despite the government’s pledge to break the link between sport and wagering.The Albanese government has banned gambling company logos on jerseys but legislated a five-year transition period to allow clubs and bookmakers to adjust. Continue reading...