Queensland concedes law imposing mandatory jail on some offenders as young as 10 breaches human rights pred 10 urami in 53 minutami State government says ‘breach bail, go to jail’ laws raise risk of overcrowding in jails, while one expert warns they may lead to ‘cruel outcomes’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Queensland government’s latest law and order crackdown – subjecting some children as young as 10 to a mandatory sentence of a year behind bars – could lead to “cruel outcomes”, according to human rights lawyers.In documents tabled with the legislation on Thursday, the government conceded its laws, dubbed “breach bail, go to jail”, would breach human rights and risk further straining the state’s overcrowded jails, youth detention centres and police watch houses. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK’s small power plants face higher cyber risk into 2030s despite Iran hack pred 10 urami in 54 minutami Decision not to improve resilience sooner described as ‘unacceptable gamble with our national security’Hundreds of Britain’s smallest power plants could remain at a higher risk to state-sponsored cyber-attacks until the 2030s despite a successful Iran-linked hack last month, it has emerged.Officials this week briefed energy bosses on the breach, which is understood to have shut an unnamed small gas power plant for four days last month, and put the industry on alert over the growing cyber threat facing energy infrastructure. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Vulnerable children deliberately self-harming to stay in care, research finds pred 10 urami in 54 minutami Report shines light on ‘catastrophic situation’ where young people make themselves more ill to avoid losing supportSome of the most vulnerable children and young people in care are deliberately self-harming to avoid being abandoned when they get better or turn 18 and face a “cliff edge” of no further support, according to research.Abi Booth, a psychotherapist who works with children and young people, said some were in a “catastrophic situation” in which they were hurting themselves to keep their place in therapeutic facilities.In the UK, the youth suicide charity Papyrus can be contacted on 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org, and in the UK and Ireland Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Albanese vows refugee intake won’t be slashed after earlier reports of Coalition-level cut pred 11 urami in 47 minutami Prime minister intervenes amid anger at news Tony Burke was planning to cut intake of 20,000 arrivals by a thirdFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has guaranteed Australia’s annual refugee intake will not be cut next financial year, shutting down plans for the arrivals quota to drop by one-third to Coalition-era levels.Labor MPs and refugee advocates reacted angrily to news on Thursday morning that the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, was planning to cut intake of 20,000 arrivals to 13,750 in 2027-28. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK urged to help free British-Egyptian ‘arrested in Cairo over sister’s activism’ pred 11 urami in 54 minutami Lawyers claim Eman el-Shazly, from Birmingham, was detained in effort to silence her sister, a critic of Sisi regimeThe UK Foreign Office has been asked to intervene to secure the release of a British-Egyptian woman who it is claimed has been arrested in Cairo because of her sister’s political activism.Eman el-Shazly, a 45-year-old based in Birmingham, was arrested on 16 August while visiting Egypt. Her lawyers say she has been detained in an attempt to silence her sister Mona, a relentless and harsh critic of the Egyptian government on her UK-based YouTube channel. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine’s drone attacks have left Russia desperately scrambling for oil imports pred 11 urami in 54 minutami The once world-leading producer of crude oil has plunged into an energy crisis as Kyiv targets its refineriesA sanctioned shadow fleet tanker carries oil from Nato member Turkey to a Russian Baltic port. A deal is signed for Russian oil to be processed in Kazakhstan. Fuel cargoes arrive from India via Egypt. The Kremlin pressures allies to sell it badly needed fuel.The data points may be diverse, but they point to a single inescapable conclusion. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘If you harm my project, I’ll harm you’: former NSW official tells Icac about fugitive developer’s call pred 12 urami in 4 minutami Former building commissioner David Chandler told inquiry of clashes with ‘loud and overbearing’ developer Jean NassifGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA fugitive Sydney developer allegedly warned the then-New South Wales building commissioner that he would “harm” him if he got in the way of his projects which were being inspected for defects, the corruption watchdog has heard.Giving evidence to the Independent Commission against Corruption on Thursday, David Chandler described an interaction he had with Toplace developments’ Jean Nassif. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Qantas may hike fares and expand Jetstar add-on fees as profits dip to four-year low pred 14 urami in 50 minutami Airline declines to predict impact of new carry-on luggage charge on Jetstar revenue or ticket sales, saying it is offering customers ‘choice’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas could increase ticket prices and plans to expand add-on fees at its low-budget carrier Jetstar, after the company said fuel costs contributed to its lowest pre-tax profits in four years.After delivering the airline’s annual results on Thursday, the Qantas chief executive, Vanessa Hudson, said the company could push for more revenue because passenger demand remained strong despite cost-of-living pressures. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Sad moments ahead’: Kew Gardens to fell rare trees in race to save Victorian greenhouse pred 14 urami in 54 minutami Horticulturalists begin moving and propagating plants before the rusty and warped Palm House begins renovation – but some are too tall to saveIt will be a gut-wrenching moment for the horticulturalists at Kew Gardens when some of the magnificent trees in the Palm House have to be felled.“There are some sad moments ahead,” said Palm House manager, Will Spoelstra, who knows all the plants inside the cathedral-like greenhouse. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Forever chemicals’ surge during pilot of Thames Water plan to combat drought pred 14 urami in 54 minutami Exclusive: utility company wants to draw off tens of millions of litres of water a day from Thames and replace it with treated effluentLevels of a toxic “forever chemical” rose to 13 times the legal limit during Thames Water pilots for a controversial multimillion pound water recycling scheme that will pump millions of litres of treated sewage into the River Thames during drought.The data from the pilots is in stark contrast to public comments from Thames Water that their water recycling project in south-west London will not harm the riverine environment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
