Top World News
Moscow warns that foreign troops in Ukraine would be seen as legitimate targets – as it happened
Members of the pro-Ukraine “coalition of the willing” this week reasserted their desire for such a force after a cessation of hostilitiesMeanwhile, the Kremlin has rejected Lithuanian president’s warnings about a potential Russian attack on critical infrastructure (10:06), dismissing them as “horror stories” intended to “prepare public for further militarisation.”Reuters reported that the Kremlin said these comments were merely a “pretext for further deployment of Nato military infrastructure to Baltic states.” Continue reading...
Greater gliders not as great at gliding as thought – but still look like magic carpets, experts say
While new study challenges assumptions about how far they travel, witnessing them in action still takes your breath away, scientists sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThey may look like a fluffy flying carpet, but greater gliders are not as great at gliding as previously thought, Australian researchers have discovered.The first study to measure the aerial ability of Australia’s largest gliding marsupial has found they soar across an average distance of 19 metres – far shorter than the 100 metres suggested in an 85-year-old study. Continue reading...
Almost 145,000 Australians will lose support for autism under NDIS reforms, documents reveal
Internal estimates show 144,600 people will be taken off the scheme by 2030, many of them under 18Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlmost 145,000 Australians receiving support for autism on the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) are expected to be removed by the end of the decade, internal estimates show, as the federal government moves ahead with plans to narrow the focus of the “diluted” $52bn scheme toward those with significant and complex needs.From 2028, almost two-thirds of the 241,000 participants set to lose access to the NDIS will be aged 18 or under, health department documents released to Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws show. Continue reading...
Albanese’s AI plan is admirable – but will face tech giants more powerful than most national governments
Challenges of regulating social media or stopping hate speech show these firms can set their own terms and prices for countries like AustraliaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese took a trip back in time during his much anticipated speech on artificial intelligence on Wednesday.Seeking to harness the momentous change bearing down on our lives, the prime minister told an audience at the University of Sydney that his government would keep pace with AI, even seeking to “get out in front” of the technological tidal wave. Continue reading...
Albanese’s AI blueprint sparks calls for datacentre moratorium until new regulations in place
Prime minister’s plan will create energy regulations for datacentres in AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEnvironmental and community groups have called for a pause on datacentre development until new regulations are in place after Anthony Albanese promised “greater clarity and speed” over their approval.In his landmark speech on artificial intelligence at the University of Sydney on Wednesday, the prime minister said Australia would create a legal obligation for large-scale datacentres to underwrite new power supply, pay their full share of grid connection, and add as much energy to the grid as they take out of it. Continue reading...
As Russia’s assault continues, Ukraine’s politics shift and an old alliance begins to fray
Beneath the drone strikes and talk of ceasefires lies a battle over history that is testing Kyiv’s chances for an end to the conflict• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereI’ve just come back from a trip to Kyiv, where after more than four years of war, it can feel like the political and diplomatic news agenda has become cyclical: a suggestion that some kind of peace deal could be around the corner, followed by the swift intervention of reality that the Kremlin has no interest in abandoning its maximalist goals, and we all go back to the drawing board.We are now in a period where Russia has again stepped up its air attacks on the Ukrainian capital. Frequent mass drone and missile attacks keep Kyiv residents awake, and some even get through to the city centre, whereas in the past Ukrainian air defences were usually able to repel them. Nights can be noisy and scary: one attack while I was there killed 27 people. Thousands head into the metro to get some sleep. Continue reading...
Venezuela’s interim government and opposition to begin formal talks
Nobel laureate María Corina Machado will not lead negotiations over new elections, contrary to expectationsThe interim government of Venezuela has announced it will begin formal talks with the opposition aimed at “strengthening democracy” in the country.The move is backed by the US, which says it is seeking a “democratic transition” in a country still recovering from the twin earthquakes that killed more than 4,700 people. Continue reading...
Taiwan intelligence: Chinese sub fired missile from surface
China's recent test of a long-range ballistic missile did not launch from a submerged submarine but was fired from the ocean's surface near the coast, according to a senior Taiwanese defense intelligence official.
Police arrest man who threatened to shoot Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage
London police have arrested a man who threatened to shoot Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage on social media
Hong Kong booksellers are reportedly arrested over alleged sales of seditious publications
Local media are reporting that authorities in Hong Kong have raided two bookstores and arrested five people for allegedly selling seditious publications
China’s economy grows at 4.3%, one of its lowest rates on record
Worse-than-expected figures for three months to June come amid concerns over lopsided economyBusiness live – latest updatesChina has posted worse-than-expected growth figures for the three months to June as its economy expanded by just 4.3% – one of its lowest quarterly readings on record.The rate, which came in under the government’s target of 4.5% to 5%, was one of the weakest since reporting on official quarterly GDP figures began in the early 1990s. Continue reading...
The band playing when a Bangkok bar caught fire mourns its members among the 32 dead
Victims of this week's flash fire at a Bangkok music ba r that took more than 30 lives included four of the six core members of the band playing when the blaze broke out.
