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Unrest came as demonstrator who was attacked near his home says government is trying to intimidate criticsEurope live – latest updatesRiot police armed with water cannon and teargas have been accused of beating protesters who picketed outside Georgia’s parliament to try to stop a final vote on a controversial “foreign influence” law.The fresh scenes of violence on Monday morning came as hundreds of masked...

Alfred ‘Al’ Blaschke, who first broke the Guinness World Record for at 103 in 2020, reached an altitude of 9,000ft in NovemberAfter retaking – at age 106 – the Guinness World Records (GWR) mark for oldest person to tandem skydive out of an airplane, Alfred “Al” Blaschke hailed his feat as living evidence that “everyone is more capable than they think”.“If you think you...

Finding that clearance of fluid in mice brains is lower in sleep and anaesthesia runs counter to dominant view in neuroscienceThe restorative effect of a good night’s rest is widely recognised and the popular scientific explanation has been that the brain washes out toxins during sleep.However, new findings suggest this theory, which has become a dominant view in neuroscience, could be wrong. The study...

Strong solar flares produce breathtaking displays across Europe and the US, with southern lights illuminating skies in New ZealandNight skies were lit up around the world by a spectacular display of the northern lights on Friday, with sightings seen widely across Europe, the US and even New Zealand (as the southern lights). The lights occur when charged particles emitted from the sun reach the...

Agnico Eagle will transfer a proportion of its funds from its Fosterville operation to the Dja Dja Wurrung peopleGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe operator of Victoria’s largest gold mine has struck the state’s first voluntary agreement with a First Nations traditional owner group, with the deal to funnel a portion of its annual profits to the...

Alleged murderer Justin Stein claims nine-year-old schoolgirl was shot dead by her mother, Kallista Mutten, not by him, jury toldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA man on trial for murdering Charlise Mutten claims it was the nine-year-old’s mother who shot the schoolgirl rather than him, a court has been...

Tech investor led £800m funding round into UK self-driving car software company WayveBusiness live – latest updatesThe Japanese tech investor SoftBank made a profit for the second consecutive quarter as it tries to turn its performance around before big planned investments in artificial intelligence.SoftBank reported net income of 231bn yen (£1.18bn) in the first three months of 2024, compared with a 57.6bn yen loss...

No sentence could adequately address the ‘devastating effect on the Lovell family’, judge saysGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA teenager has been sentenced to 14 years’ in jail for the “particularly heinous” murder of Emma Lovell in Brisbane in 2022.The Queensland supreme court justice Tom Sullivan said the then 17-year-old, who is now 19, hurt more than...

Far-right party’s poll numbers have fallen but analysts say negative headlines unlikely to sway its supportersScandals buffeting Germany’s far-right AfD are unlikely to do enough damage to blow the party off course before pivotal elections this year, analysts say, but the votes will offer crucial insights into whether the centre can hold against an anti-democratic onslaught.Embarrassing allegations of spying for China and collusion with...

The former Queensland judge leaked his own report to an ABC journalist and The Australian newspaper’s Janet AlbrechtsenFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe ACT’s integrity watchdog will investigate whether Walter Sofronoff acted corruptly by leaking his final report on the Bruce Lehrmann trial to select journalists ahead of its...

Men also charged with foreign interference under National Security Act, police sayThree men have been charged under the National Security Act with allegedly assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service and foreign interference, the Metropolitan police said.Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, of Staines-upon-Thames, Matthew Trickett, 37, of Maidenhead, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, of Hackney, east London, have each been charged with assisting a foreign...

Inquiry hears ‘harrowing’ testimonies and finds postcode lottery for quality of maternity careA health minister has apologised to women affected by birth trauma after a parliamentary inquiry that heard “harrowing” testimonies from more than 1,300 women about giving birth found a “postcode lottery” for maternity care.The birth trauma inquiry, led by the Conservative MP Theo Clarke and Labour MP Rosie Duffield, will call for...

Key prosecution witness set to take the stand after tough week for Trump in which court heard vivid testimony from Stormy DanielsDonald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial enters its 16th day on Monday in New York with the potential for bombshell testimony as his former fixer turned prosecution witness, Michael Cohen, is expected to take the stand.Cohen is core to the case against Trump, as...

Petition by 49 employees could lead to Holy See being taken to court for ‘undermining dignity and health’Forty-nine employees at the Vatican Museums have started an unprecedented legal dispute over job conditions and workplace safety, which could lead to the Holy See being taken to court.The staff, mostly custodians who have worked at the museums for years, claim they are treated as “commodities” by...

As Putin’s forces press towards ruined Chasiv Yar, Ukrainians try to survive under bombardment in the shadow of the frontlineFor months, Serhiy Gorbunov has been trying to persuade residents of Chasiv Yar, Russia’s current target in eastern Ukraine, to leave. “There’s intense shelling. The place is being bombarded. It’s a difficult situation,” he said. “People are living underground in basements. We tell them: ‘Please...

Nearly 20 missing after monsoon rains trigger flash floods, sending torrents of volcanic material and mud down slopes of Mount Marapi volcanoHeavy rains triggered flash floods and caused torrents of cold lava and mud to flow down a volcano’s slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 41 people and leaving more than a dozen others missing, officials have said.Monsoon rains and a major...

Antony Blinken highlighted the ‘horrible loss of life of innocent civilians’, in some of the strongest criticism of Israel from the US to dateThe US may block more weapons systems to Israel if it goes ahead with a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has said.The US has already suspended the shipment of 3,500...

Trial for New Jersey senator will start Monday as he insists he’s innocent of 16 felony charges, including bribery and extortionThe criminal corruption trial of Democratic US senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is scheduled to get under way in a Manhattan federal court Monday, with prosecutors preparing a colorful tale of a greedy politician with a fondness for gold bullion, fast cars, and...

About 1,000 were at party when altercation began and gunfire erupted, resulting in victims that sheriff says are mostly ‘younger’Three people were killed and at least 12 were wounded Saturday night in a shooting at party in south Alabama.Andre Reid with the Baldwin county sheriff’s office’s investigation division told WALA-TV that about 1,000 people were attending a May Day party near the community of...

Sales to proceed despite failing to regain control of its website as staff and cybersecurity scramble to fix issueThe success of New York’s spring art auctions was in jeopardy Sunday, a day after auction house Christie’s confirmed that its website had been hacked, potentially shutting out some bidders on $850m worth of art work going up for bid this week.Yet despite failing to regain...

Ex-president calls Hopkins’ cannibalistic Lecter ‘late, great’ while condemning ‘people who are being released into our country’Donald Trump on Saturday praised fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter “as a wonderful man” before segueing into comments disparaging people who have immigrated into the US without permission.The former president’s remarks to political rally-goers in Wildwood, New Jersey, as he challenges Joe Biden’s re-election in November were a...

Heavy bombardment and airstrikes reported in devastated north while clashes also seen in south as tens of thousands flee RafahThousands protest in Israel amid anger at Netanyahu over hostages held in GazaFierce battles were under way across much of the devastated north of Gaza on Sunday, with heavy bombardment and airstrikes reported as Israeli forces attacked Hamas militants in areas that have already seen...

Darfur is on the brink of another disaster as fighting intensifies around El Fasher, the last city in the region not controlled by the Rapid Support ForcesAt the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people on the northern fringe of El Fasher in North Darfur, about seven people a day arrive with injuries sustained from nearby clashes between fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces...

Demonstrators call for deal to bring hostages home as well as elections and PM’s resignation as Israeli troops advance on RafahLatest from the Middle East – liveThousands of Israelis joined protests over the weekend calling for a deal to bring home hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas, early elections and the immediate resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister.The large protests came amid...