Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination will advance to full US Senate vote

• The United States has launched "Operation Economic Outcast," a strategic initiative designed to sever Iran's economic lifelines. • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the U.S. will intensify sanctions to choke off Iranian revenues and further isolate the nation globally.

• The US has introduced "Operation Economic Outcast," a strategic plan to launch an "economic onslaught" against the Iranian regime. • Under this initiative, the US threatens to target the economies of any third-party countries that continue to cooperate with Iran.

• Over 600 political prisoners are currently held in Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz, where severe overcrowding has become a critical issue. • The report suggests that these conditions are a symptom of deeper structural crises and escalating internal conflicts within Iran's political system.

• A "maximum worldwide alert" warning claiming that "the war begins" has spread rapidly across social media, causing widespread public concern. • The reports are characterized by dramatic imagery and recycled footage, raising significant questions about the authenticity of the claims.

• Iran has issued warnings of a "harsh response" following expectations that the United States will impose new economic sanctions. • The Iranian government indicated that the consequences of these anticipated measures could extend to its neighboring countries.

• Turkey’s Justice Minister Akin Gurlek has issued a formal request regarding the detention of activists in international waters. • The legal action stems from an armed intervention targeting civilians who were attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Bathla Group says softening sales and impacts from federal government’s May budget contributed it being placed in voluntary administrationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEmbattled home builder Bathla Group has been placed into voluntary administration, leaving customers in limbo in what it says is a “perfect storm” of circumstances.It joins the long list of Australian residential builders and property developers which have entered voluntary administration or liquidation due to soaring material costs, labour shortages and fixed-price contracts. Continue reading...

Australian consumer watchdog says it received hundreds of complaints about the US-based dating site and its membershipsDating website eHarmony engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct over subscription traps that cost thousands of customers hundreds of dollars each, the federal court has found.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sued the US-based eHarmony in 2023 over claims of providing free dating on its platform, and the information consumers were given on subscription costs and renewal terms when buying a premium subscription. Continue reading...

In Indonesia’s Kalimantan, fires have ravaged tens of thousands of acres, with suffocating smoke reaching Malaysia and putting Singapore on alertSuwadi can barely see five metres in front of him when he steps outside his home in Indonesian Borneo.Each breath, he says, feels “like smoking a cigarette”. Continue reading...

In her first media interview since the June incident, Leah Stewart, 34, says her thoughts while being bitten were of her one-year-old daughterAn Australian woman left without an arm after a shark attack at a beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has recalled the moment she came face-to-face with the “monster”.Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of a one-year-old daughter, was attacked by a large shark while on a morning swim at Coogee beach on 13 June. Continue reading...

True figure likely to be much higher as it only covers about half of continent and does not include August totalsAt least 35,000 more people died during Europe’s four record-breaking, back-to-back heatwaves this summer than would normally be expected, according to incomplete figures from barely half the continent.Excess mortality in three of the EU’s larger countries – Germany, France and Spain – alone has already exceeded 25,000, according to the provisional national figures, and experts say the toll will rise significantly once August totals are consolidated. Continue reading...

Rise in claims linked to heat-related deaths and illness, especially among older people, could drive up premiumsEurope’s intense heatwaves could hit insurers’ earnings as companies face a rise in claims linked to heat-related deaths and worsening health conditions, the rating agency S&P has said.While a long summer of extreme heat will have increased drought and wildfire-related claims, the rating agency said there would also be fallout for life and health insurers, and for the reinsurers who provide financial protection to insurance companies. Continue reading...