Two arrested during investigation into Dezi Freeman’s movements as police reveal killer likely travelled to NSW 16. June 2026 (08:37) Victoria and NSW police search seven properties as they examine where shooter travelled after killing two officers in PorepunkahTwo more men have been arrested as police continue their investigation into Porepunkah shooter Dezi Freeman’s months on the run after he killed two police officers in August 2025.In a statement on Tuesday, police also revealed they believed Freeman travelled between Victoria and New South Wales in the seven months between the shootings at Porepunkah and when he was found on a remote property in Thologolong, near Walwa on the Victoria-New South Wales border, on 30 March. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AI could help win ‘race against extinction’ of vital plants, say botanists 16. June 2026 (08:00) Tech is helping to identify and save new specimens and could open ‘genomic goldmine’ of fungi dataThe rise of AI and digitisation could be a turning point in the “race against extinction” faced by botanists trying to identify and save vital plants before they vanish, according to a major report from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.New technology is enabling scientists to track how flowering times have shifted by weeks around the world, rapidly identify new specimens and even get crucial genetic data from 180-year-old fungus specimens, potentially opening a “genomic goldmine”. Digitisation and online access to millions of specimens that were until now only accessible in archives is also producing new insights, especially in the global south. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mail on Sunday attacks Restore as split right creates headache for UK papers 16. June 2026 (08:00) Some titles that once backed the Tories now ‘flirting with Farage’ as they try to gauge where readers standIt was a Mail on Sunday headline with all the ferocity usually reserved for general elections, directed squarely at a political opponent. But in this case, the traditionally Conservative-supporting title was not targeting Labour.The party in its crosshairs was Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain, the vehemently rightwing outfit that regards Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as too weak on deporting migrants. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Birthkeeper hired by woman who died after freebirth tells inquest she was ‘not there to make a birth safer’ 16. June 2026 (07:57) Emily Lal – paid $6,000 to provide freebirth support package to Stacey Warnecke – tells coroner her role was primarily to be a ‘supportive friend’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA birthkeeper hired by a woman who died after giving birth at home has told a coroner that she was “not there to make a birth safer”.Emily Lal gave evidence on Tuesday at the inquest into the death of 30-year-old Stacey Warnecke, who died on 29 September in Frankston hospital after giving birth at home with her husband and Lal present. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Unbelievable’ waste and inefficiency at MoD, says ex-defence minister Al Carns 16. June 2026 (07:17) Exclusive: Carns, who quit last week, says he was angered by unwillingness to confront sunk costs of legacy programmesThere is “unbelievable” waste and inefficiency at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the former armed forces minister Al Carns has said, adding that every time he would “turn a stone over” he would get another shock.Carns said that during his time as a defence minister he had been angered by the unwillingness to confront the sunk costs of legacy programmes – and suggested mismanaged programmes such as tanks investment should be scrapped in favour of new technology. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Half of world’s children exposed to at least three climate hazards, Unicef says 16. June 2026 (07:00) Almost every child, including those from high-income countries, is now exposed to at least one hazardHalf of the world’s children are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards threatening their health, education and survival, according to a Unicef report.Globally, children face increasing threats from heatwaves, storms, floods and droughts as the climate crisis worsens, with more than one billion facing at least three of these at once. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
