US Secretary Rubio Visits Vatican to Repair Ties After Trump-Pope Clash Over Iran and Migration

Warringah MP among those most active in alliance discussions while Monique Ryan, Helen Haines and Kate Chaney distance themselves from possible moveFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastZali Steggall says funding rules that disadvantage independents and looming changes to donations laws are factors in favour of “teal” independents forming their own party, but some fellow MPs have already ruled out the idea.Sources close to crossbench MPs say discussions about forming an alliance of independent politicians are not new and have been happening for months, but that there is no general agreement – even among the more closely aligned inner-city members referred to as teals – about such a plan. Continue reading...

Directions hearing over deaths of Victoria police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart told of new details of Porepunkah shootingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe alleged sexual assault of a child has been revealed as the reason for a search warrant against Dezi Freeman that ended with him shooting dead two Victorian police officers.Fresh details into the August deaths of Det Leading Sen Const Neal Thompson, 59, and Sen Const Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, at Freeman’s home were detailed in a coroner’s court directions hearing on Monday morning. Continue reading...

The actor, who played Tracy Jordan’s gentle bodyguard in 80 episodes of the beloved comedy, died in his sleep after years of health problemsGrizz Chapman, best known for his role as Grizz on the hit comedy 30 Rock, has died aged 52.His cousin, the Harlem Globetrotter Donte Harrison, confirmed Chapman’s death on social media on Saturday. Continue reading...

Mexican-themed Australian fast food chain accused of terminating staff without adequate pay or notice as it pulls out of the USAmerican workers at Guzman y Gomez’s shuttered US stores have launched a class action lawsuit against the Mexican-themed Australian fast food chain over allegations staff were terminated without adequate pay or notice.The legal claim, filed in a US federal trial court in Illinois, was sparked by GyG’s decision last week to immediately close its string of Chicago stores after giving up on its highly vaunted plans to expand in the US. Continue reading...

Nearly a third of vice-chancellors would cut hardship support if necessary over next three years, according to pollVice-chancellors have said they may need to cut hardship support for impoverished students and reduce outreach activities aimed at disadvantaged groups if the dire funding struggles at universities continue.The anonymous poll of leaders by Universities UK (UUK) revealed the extent of the budgetary quagmire facing higher education, with more than two-thirds prepared to cut staff jobs by compulsory redundancy if difficulties continue over the next three years, while nearly 90% said they were looking at hiring freezes or voluntary redundancies. Continue reading...

Definition of green facilities made in 2022, before release of ChatGPT, says Action to Protect Rural ScotlandA Scottish government policy designed to encourage datacentres to build in Scotland could lead to a massive volume of carbon emissions being ignored, according to an analysis by a Scottish charity.“Green datacentres” are at the heart of Scotland’s ambitions to develop economically. Enshrined in national policy, they are part of a larger, UK-wide effort to attract big AI investment to Scotland. Continue reading...

Russia suspected of obstructing signal on flight bringing John Healey home from visit to British troops in EstoniaAn RAF jet carrying the defence secretary, John Healey, had its signal jammed for the entire three-hour flight after it flew near the Russian border.Healey had been visiting British soldiers in Estonia and was travelling back to the UK when the electronic attack happened, the Times reported. Continue reading...

Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall said to be exploring ways independents can work more closely together. Follow today’s news liveTeal party speculation ‘not a surprise’ says cabinet ministerMark Butler says he’s not surprised to see speculation that the community teal independents could form a party – with the political spectrum in “flux” right now.They’ve [teal independents] obviously made inroads in particular communities in Australia. They’ll make their own assessment about whether that works for them.There obviously is a lot of flux in the non-Labor parts of politics right now, so to see speculation like that’s perhaps not a surprise. Continue reading...

Helen Haines says ‘the clock is ticking’ on replacing deputy commissioner Nicole RoseGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA key architect of the National Anti-Corruption Commission says parliament should consider new merit-based and independent selection processes for major appointments, urging the Albanese government to use an existing vacancy to restore public confidence in the watchdog.Independent MP Helen Haines, who helped craft legislation to establish the Nacc, sits on its parliamentary oversight committee. She said “the clock is ticking” on replacing deputy commissioner Nicole Rose, who announced her resignation this month. Continue reading...

Lee Zeldin says ‘low-volume release’ of flammable chemicals is most likely amid fears of explosion at Orange county facility near DisneylandGovernment officials in Orange county, California, have warned that an overheated chemical tank “will fail” and could result in a chemical explosion in the area, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator said on Sunday.“We’re being told that the tank will fail, but there are different scenarios as to what that means,” Lee Zeldin, told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. Zeldin, a former Republican congressman with no prior experience in environmental policy, was chosen by Trump as the head of the EPA. Continue reading...

World Health Organization says outbreak poses ‘very high’ risk for Congo, but risk of disease spreading globally remains lowCongolese authorities say that suspected Ebola cases have now passed 900 in the ongoing outbreak in the east of the country.The Congolese Ministry of Communication, in a post on X on Sunday, said there were 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths. Continue reading...

Announcement comes after Alan Milburn says Britain has neglected generation of young people struggling to access work and training opportunitiesMinisters are expanding youth work experience and training schemes, after Alan Milburn warned Britain is spending £25 keeping young people on benefits for every £1 spent helping them into work.Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary will announce plans for 300,000 extra work experience placements over the next three years as Labour attempts to tackle what the minister described as a “quiet crisis” in youth employment. Continue reading...