The organised crime figure Tony Mokbel will be released on bail as a consequence of the “joint criminal enterprise” Victorian police entered with Lawyer X, Nicola Gobbo, a court has found. The Victorian court of appeal ruled on Friday that Mokbel should be released, and that there was a “very strong” chance his remaining convictions … Read more
The UK could experience its warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures higher than European holiday hotspots, after firefighters tackled wildfires across the country. Much of the country will be dry and sunny on Friday, and some parts of central England may hit 24C as weather “nearer to what we’d expect in July” … Read more
The official plan to increase access to NHS dental services in England has been a “complete failure”, and some of the government’s initiatives have worsened the crisis, a damning report warns. Millions of patients continue to be denied dental care, forcing them to pay for private treatment, build up mountains of credit card debt, or … Read more
Top congressional Democrats on Thursday protested against the reported firing of Gen Tim Haugh as director of the National Security Agency (NSA), with one lawmaker saying the decision “makes all of us less safe”. The Washington Post reported late Thursday that Haugh and his civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, had been dismissed from … Read more
At least £22,000 was spent by the Home Office on hiring lawyers in a failed attempt to prevent the release of a hard-hitting internal report that found that the roots of the Windrush scandal lay in 30 years of racist immigration legislation, officials have acknowledged this week. The government spent three years attempting to bury … Read more
Rare and fantastical 16th-century wall paintings which shine light on the interior design tastes of well-off Tudors have been revealed in a former hunting lodge. Historic England said the wall paintings at The Ashes in Inglewood Forest, Cumbria, were remarkable and warranted extra heritage protection. The black and white paintings most likely date from the … Read more
A parliamentary committee has recommended a bill that seeks to radically reinterpret New Zealand’s founding treaty between Māori tribes and the British Crown should not proceed. The treaty principles bill, which was introduced to parliament by the minor coalition Act party, seeks to abandon a set of well-established principles that guide the relationship between Māori … Read more
Hackers have targeted Australian superannuation funds this week, compromising some members’ data, the industry’s peak body says. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) said in a statement on Friday that hackers attempted to breach the cyber defences of a number of superannuation funds last weekend. While the majority of attempts were stopped, several … Read more
The Queensland government says it will allow police officers to issue instant year-long domestic violence protection orders – a proposal that experts say could put vulnerable women at greater risk of harm. The state’s police minister, Dan Purdie, says the plan would save “hundreds of thousands of hours” of police time. But domestic and family … Read more
Girls in England say they feel less safe at school and are more disenchanted with their education, research has found. Using data from an international study of pupils at primary and secondary schools, researchers said the steep fall in girls’ “emotional engagement” compared with the years before the Covid pandemic has become a pressing issue … Read more