Controversial

Exclusive: Documents show $117,455.50 was spent in a single legal fight over laws rushed through after Bondi attackGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales government has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees to unsuccessfully defend constitutional challenges against protest laws that were expected to be struck down.The costs, outlined in documents obtained by Guardian Australia via freedom of information legislation, include $117,455.50 of taxpayers’ money on a single challenge to controversial public assembly restriction declaration (Pard) laws. Those laws were enacted following the Bondi beach terror attack and were in place during a now infamous rally against the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, in February. Continue reading...

• Streaming platform ZEE5 removed the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer film ‘Satluj’ from its Indian catalogue less than two days after its debut. • The platform has not provided an official explanation for the sudden removal of the controversial title. • The incident highlights the volatility of digital releases and the potential impact of censorship or legal disputes on high-profile Indian cinema.

Fifty-six state branches want the laws reviewed, while gambling, Aukus and Palestine are also on the agendaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFifty-six Labor branches have passed motions to the New South Wales state conference calling for controversial anti-protest laws to be repealed or reviewed, with the entire left faction backing a motion for two of the laws to be repealed.Gambling reform, Aukus and Palestine were also among the top issues in motions submitted by branches to the conference, the last before the March election and which is key in informing policy. Continue reading...

• The Israeli coalition is advancing a controversial Basic Law designed to protect Haredi draft evaders from legal sanctions. • In separate developments, Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed Iran has already obtained atomic bombs, a statement dismissed as a "lie" by Gabi Ashkenazi and Naftali Bennett. • The NCAG reported productive meetings in Cyprus intended to prepare a Palestinian technocratic committee for entry into Gaza.

• Europe is experiencing an intense heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in Germany, Italy, and Spain, and France recording its hottest day since 1947. • The extreme weather has forced school closures across the UK, Belgium, and France as the continent struggles to cope with the heat. • The crisis highlights a cultural and architectural divide, as traditional European norms and building designs have historically discouraged the installation of air conditioning in homes.

Marine veteran won 72% of the vote despite infidelity and abuse allegations that emerged during primary campaignPlatner shrugs off scandals to win Maine Democratic Senate primaryHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Graham Platner won the Maine Democratic primary for Senate and called for supporters to “believe people can change” amid his controversial candidacy.Redemption is not just some simple or easy destination; it’s a journey. I’ve made mistakes in my life, mistakes I regret, that I live with, that I continue to learn from. I’m still far from perfect. But every day I wake up and I try to be a little bit better and a little kinder than I was the day before. And if you give me the chance, I will be a senator for the people who cannot afford to buy a senator.House Republicans narrowly passed a reconciliation bill on Tuesday, by two votes, to provide another $70bn in funding over the next three years to the Department of Homeland Security, ensuring that agencies carrying out Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda remain funded until the end of his presidency.At nearly the same moment, the US struck Iran again, in retaliation for the downing of a US helicopter near the strait of Hormuz.JD Vance, the US vice-president, said that a deal with Iran to end the war launched by the US and Israel 102 days ago, “could happen in the next week, but the deal could also happen months from now.”Lesley Groff, longtime executive assistant to Jeffrey Epstein, the late child sex offender Trump socialized with for nearly two decades, testified before the House oversight and reform committee. Continue reading...

Plan backed by Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary had footprint reduced but concerns remain over its health impactsUtah residents have teamed up with a progressive non-profit organization to sue over an under-development AI datacenter backed by celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary, claiming the planned Stratos project facility “irrevocably” cuts off citizens’ rights by not allowing sufficient public input.Filed by the Alliance for a Better Utah and five unnamed residents of the Box Elder county area where the center is being developed, the lawsuit comes as Shark Tank co-host O’Leary agreed to scale back the physical footprint for the project. Continue reading...