War debate: Iran, Ukraine, China and the decline of American power

Lawyers also argue commonwealth does not have the power to ban a political party, as the high court ruled in 1951 over attempt to ban the Communist partyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLawyers for an outlawed neo-Nazi political party have argued anti-hate laws passed after the Bondi terror attack rely on the opinion of a politician and are “authoritarian in nature”.The White Australia party, formerly known as the National Socialist Network (NSN), was designated as an illegal hate group in May after the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation passed on its recommendation to the home affairs minister, Tony Burke. Continue reading...

Draft legislation enforces digital duty of care including limiting children’s exposure to misogynistic and eating disorder contentAustralia will allow social media account holders to opt out of the powerful algorithms pushing dangerous and divisive content into users’ feeds, part of new laws designed to boost online safety.Users over 16 years of age will be given new tools to turn off algorithm-driven content, with platforms facing fines of more than $100m for non-compliance. Continue reading...

Former 2GB and 2UE radio host has denied 22 indecent assault and sexual touching chargesA friend of Alan Jones who has denied witnessing an alleged assault in a Mosman restaurant has agreed in court that he sent the broadcaster a text message saying “if you need me to refute any lies, I of course will”.Under cross-examination by prosecutor Georgina Wright, the witness agreed he was a loyal and “very good friend” to Jones and the two men shared an “unbreakable bond”. Continue reading...

Nearly half of respondents say spending on personal independence payments should be increasedThere is little appetite for cuts to disability benefits even among Conservative and Reform voters, and proposals to reduce spending could prove politically risky, according to an authoritative national survey.The British Social Attitudes (BSA) report found that while support for welfare spending as a whole had dipped sharply in recent years, just 7% of respondents backed cuts to disability benefits – and 49% said they should be increased. Continue reading...

US-Israel war on Iran and political instability in Somalia lead to pirates targeting cargo ships off Horn of AfricaThe scourge of Somali piracy targeting cargo ships and smaller dhows off the Horn of Africa has returned to levels not seen in a decade, driven by a convergence of factors including disruptions to the shipping industry caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran and a resurgence of political instability in Somalia.Since late April there have been eight hijackings by Somali pirates, including two within the space of a fortnight in August: one targeting an oil tanker with ties to Iran, the other a Cameroon-flagged vessel, the Lutuf, carrying military equipment for Turkey. Continue reading...

Mount Isa city council to auction off first of 24 homes after Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Welfare Services accrues almost $1m in unpaid debtsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA rural Queensland council is auctioning off 24 homes to recover unpaid rates, potentially forcing First Nations families into homelessness.Residents claim they were left in the dark about the debt, which stretches back years, until five months ago. Continue reading...

Jim Chalmers says One Nation’s superannuation policy is ‘an absolute shambles’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBarnaby Joyce, One Nation’s Treasury spokesperson, says his party has not modelled the potential impact on retirement incomes and inflation from his party’s plan to give millions of households early access to their super savings in his second combative interview in two days.The morning after telling the ABC’s 7.30 program that he “was not Jesus Christ” and so could not be expected to know everything, Joyce on Tuesday ridiculed any suggestion that One Nation’s proposal should have included the economic analysis that typically accompanies major policy proposals. Continue reading...

Foreign minister Shisir Khanal tells the Guardian the world’s biggest economies need to help Nepal, which contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation for the recent devastating floods, as a senior minister called on the world’s most polluting countries to “wake up” and accept shared responsibility for a disaster that led to the death or disappearance of more than 6,000 people.Scientists believe the climate crisis had a role to play in the floods, which were triggered when a melting glacier partially collapsed and set off a deadly landslide and flash flooding through Chinese-controlled Tibet and Nepal in late August. So far, more than 1,300 are confirmed dead and more than 5,500 still missing, with hopes of their survival diminished after 12 days of rescue operations. Continue reading...

Corie Walsh charged with murder after two-year-old Barrett found dead in basement of Illinois family home last weekAn Illinois woman charged with killing her two-year-old son had been closely following the murder trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy and was texting friends about the case just hours before her son was found dead, prosecutors said.Corie Walsh, 40, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder after her son, Barrett, was found dead in the basement of the family’s suburban Chicago home last Tuesday, according to court records obtained by NBC Chicago. Continue reading...

Counter-measures covering several sectors come after Trump announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods Canada is set to impose retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of American imports early on Tuesday, escalating a trade fight with its largest trading partner as tensions between US president Donald Trump and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney intensify.The tariffs, which take effect at 12.01am on Tuesday, will range from 15% to 50% and apply to products covering C$27.6bn in imports from the US. The measures will target sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics – industries that have been most affected by US tariffs. Continue reading...

OS index examines which ‘urban heat islands’ suffer the most – and which cope the best with rising temperaturesPortsmouth, Leicester, Exeter, Bristol and Nottingham will be among the cities that warm the most by the end of this century as global heating turns British cities into urban heat islands, according to research.Analysis from Ordnance Survey (OS) has created a heat vulnerability index for all cities in Great Britain. Portsmouth, which sits on the south coast of England and is home to 208,000 people, is the most vulnerable to extreme heat today and into the future, according to the research from the OS, the Met Office and the data analysis company 4 Earth Intelligence. Continue reading...