Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid become first Swedes to be knighted by their monarch for almost 50 years
Abba have received one of the most prestigious Swedish knighthoods after being awarded an order of chivalry last handed out almost 50 years ago.
The pop legends were recognised by King Carl XVI Gustaf on Friday for their cultural impact, which has taken Swedish pop music to a huge global audience.
Continue reading...High Commission to meet leaders at university after currency crash in home country meant students couldn’t pay for tuition
Delegates from the Nigerian high commission in London are to meet bosses from Teesside University to discuss the treatment of a group of students who were ordered to leave the UK after failing to meet tuition repayments.
The Nigerian students were left distressed and in some cases suicidal after they were involuntarily withdrawn from their courses and ordered to leave, in what has been described as a “serious diplomatic issue”.
Continue reading...The Ukraine president told the PM he needs as many nations as possible to attend next month’s summit in Switzerland. Follow the day’s news live
Immigration minister Andrew Giles is speaking to ABC radio AM as the ministerial directive 99 fall out continues.
Asked why he stilled has a job, Giles says:
Well, because there’s so much work to do to clean up the mess to rebuild a migration system that was left in tatters under the leadership of Peter Dutton that was left when he was the minister responsible.
Continue reading...University says it is working with police and failure to comply could lead to disciplinary action
Student protesters in Canberra have been given a noon deadline to disband a pro-Palestine encampment but say they will defy the order and risk disciplinary action and arrest.
On Monday the Australian National University dramatically escalated its response to the occupation. An ANU spokesperson said the university was working with Australian Capital Territory police to ensure the “safe removal of people”.
Continue reading...Officers urge mother to go to hospital to receive care for herself and her child
Police are searching for a mother and newborn baby after finding evidence she may have given birth by a Sydney riverbank.
Emergency services were called to Cooks River at Earlwood in the city’s south-west on Monday afternoon after a resident walking his dog found what police believed to be a placenta and umbilical cord.
Continue reading...Batemans Bay, Bunbury and the Sunshine Coast post biggest quarterly rental increases
Regional property prices have soared to record highs as Australia’s housing crisis continues to grip the nation.
When it comes to rent, all but three of 50 non-capital city areas studied by CoreLogic posted an increase in the past three months, with 37 areas reaching record highs.
Continue reading...Australian passengers were on a flight to Dublin that hit turbulence that left eight passengers in hospital. Follow the day’s news live
SA premier signs deal for state’s suppliers to supply Virginia class submarine program
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has recently returned from a visit to the United States where he signed a deal with Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) – the biggest military shipbuilding in the US.
We know that building nuclear submarines is going to take a national enterprise and a national effort, but our ambitions to be able to build these submarines domestically requires a supply chain and an industry that are capable of delivering the parts that are required.
Now, in order to be able to do that, I think as a first big step – we’ve got to see if we can’t participate in the nuclear submarine supply chain in advance of the … Aukus submarines construction commencing later this decade. So, what we’ve negotiated with [HII], that builds the Virginia class submarines, is an opportunity for South Australian suppliers to supply to the Virginia class program.
Continue reading...Dozens also injured in strikes on busy DIY store and residential building that Zelenskiy says are ‘clearly terrorism’
Russian strikes on a crowded DIY hardware store and a residential area in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least four people and injured dozens on Saturday, local officials said.
Four people were killed after two guided bombs hit the DIY hypermarket in a residential area of the city, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on national television, while 40 people were injured in the attack and 16 still unaccounted for.
Continue reading...Rapper detained at Schiphol on suspicion of ‘possessing soft drugs’ hours before show in Manchester
Nicki Minaj has been arrested at an airport in the Netherlands hours before she was due to perform at Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday and appeared to livestream the encounter with security staff.
The 41-year-old rapper was detained on suspicion of “possessing soft drugs” at Schiphol airport while travelling from Amsterdam to Manchester for her Pink Friday 2 Tour show.
Continue reading...Protesters say they will dismantle tents after claiming partial success for their aims; more than half the Australians who want to leave New Caledonia have returned home
Circling back to news that the University of Melbourne students occupying a building on campus in support of Palestine have said they will dismantle the camp:
The decision by the Melbourne students to take down their camp could help take the political heat out of the issue for the government, which is also under fire for its cautious response to the international criminal court prosecutor’s pursuit of the leaders of Israel and Hamas.
Continue reading...Legislation expected to be brought by end of 2025, with service for residents in place by mid-2027
Jersey is to move ahead with allowing assisted dying for people with a terminal illness after a vote in its parliament on Wednesday.
Legislation is expected to be brought before the island’s states assembly by the end of 2025, and an assisted dying service for residents to be in place by mid-2027.
Continue reading...High temperatures in Mexico have been linked to dozens and perhaps hundreds of deaths of howler monkeys
It’s so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees.
At least 83 of the midsize primates, who are known for their roaring vocal calls, were found dead in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. Others were rescued by residents, including five that were rushed to a local veterinarian who battled to save them.
Continue reading...Operation Amarok VI ran from Wednesday to Saturday across the state. Follow the day’s news live
New South Wales police have charged more than 550 people during a four-day operation targeting alleged domestic and family violence offenders.
Operation Amarok ran from Wednesday to Saturday last week and saw a total of 1070 charges laid among 554 arrested, with police from every district across the state involved.
These results show how seriously the NSW police force take domestic and family violence.
We saw significant arrest numbers in our regional communities, and we also saw arrests for offences that occurred allegedly while the offender was in jail.
While the organisers had confirmed separate locations and routes for their events, protestors from one group moved to Spring Street, Melbourne East to counter protest. To ensure safety and prevent violence, Victoria Police were required to form lines between the two opposing groups.
Of those, one person was arrested for bill posting, three for hinder police, one for hinder and state false name, and one for assault police and possess a drug of dependence.
Continue reading...Exclusive: EPA chief executive says ‘foundational’ rule changes put climate impacts ‘front and centre' of planning process
New coalmines, gas fields and other big sources of greenhouse gases in New South Wales will need to provide more rigorous plans to minimise pollution and reduce carbon emissions before they are approved, under new rules imposed on Monday.
Revised assessment requirements and guidelines from the Environment Protection Authority mark a “foundational” tightening of rules for firms planning new projects or modifying existing ones that emit at least 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year, said Tony Chappel, the NSW EPA chief executive.
Continue reading...‘Bakery scent’ added via microcapsules to postage stamp celebrating ‘jewel of French culture’
The French Post Office has released a scratch-and-sniff postage stamp to celebrate the baguette, once described by President Emmanuel Macron as “250 grams of magic and perfection”.
The stamp, which costs €1.96, depicts a baguette decorated with a red, white and blue ribbon. It has a print run of 594,000 copies.
Continue reading...In texts received in Spanish and translated to English, the girl tried to describe her location, though she did not know where she was
Authorities rescued a 17-year old girl after she was trafficked to Ventura county, California, from Mexico two months ago and texted 911 for help.
On Thursday, the Ventura county sheriff’s office announced that on 9 May authorities rescued the girl after she sent messages to 911. The text message correspondence began with a call taker at a 911 communication center, according to the sheriff’s office, which added that the messages were received in Spanish and translated into English.
Continue reading...Lebohang Kganye blends oral traditions, family photos and theatre in a ‘new and fresh way’ to trace personal history of apartheid era
The South African artist Lebohang Kganye has won the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation prize for her work that uses large-scale cutouts and elements of set design to trace and depict her family history during the apartheid era.
The Johannesburg-based artist took home the £30,000 prize for her winning exhibition, which is on display at the Photographers’ Gallery in central London and is called Haufi nyana? I’ve come to take you home.
Continue reading...Petition launched to halt mass ceremony that organisers say is for 100 orphans whose parents were killed by gangs
Human rights activists in Nigeria have launched a petition to stop a plan to push 100 girls and young women into marriage in a mass ceremony, which has caused outrage in the west African country.
The plan, sponsored by Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, the speaker of the national assembly in the largely Muslim north-western state of Niger, were criticised by Nigeria’s women’s affairs minister, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye. She said she would seek a court injunction to stop the ceremony next week and establish if any of the girls were minors.
Continue reading...Suspect in custody after assassination attempt that has raised fears across Europe of rising political violence
Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, has been left with life-threatening injuries after an assassination attempt that has sparked warnings across Europe of rising political violence.
Video captured on Wednesday appeared to show the moment five shots were fired at Fico, 59, as he shook hands with a small group of supporters in the town of Handlová, about 90 miles (150km) north-east of the capital.
Continue reading...US secretary of state promises long-awaited $60bn Ukraine aid package will make ‘real difference on battlefield’
US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has arrived in Kyiv delivering a message that Washington remains committed to supporting Ukraine as the country’s forces face their toughest situation on the battlefield for months.
Russia in recent days has launched an offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and on Tuesday hit the centre of Kharkiv, the country’s second biggest city, with airstrikes.
Continue reading...Treasurer will be able to boast back-to-back surpluses when he speaks tonight; defence whistleblower to learn his fate
The man who leaked classified military documents that revealed allegations Australian soldiers committed war crimes in Afghanistan will find out his punishment after pleading guilty, Australian Associated Press reports.
David McBride pleaded guilty to stealing classified material and leaking it to journalists.
Continue reading...Economic impact laid bare by findings has implications for UK where about two-thirds of people are overweight or obese
Overweight and obese people are significantly more likely than peers who are a healthy weight to take time off work because they are ill, a European study has found.
Someone who is overweight has a 12% higher chance of needing to take sick leave, and those who are obese – with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more – are much more likely to be absent on health grounds.
Continue reading...Russian president proposes replacing Shoigu, who has been defence minister for years, with Andrei Belousov
Vladimir Putin is to remove Sergei Shoigu as defence minister and appoint him as secretary of Russia’s national security council.
The Russian president has proposed appointing Andrei Belousov in place of Shoigu, who has served as defence minister for years.
Continue reading...Dina Boluarte, caught up in ‘Rolexgate scandal’, denies accepting watches in exchange for favours amid police raids on key allies
Police in Peru have detained the brother and the lawyer of the embattled president Dina Boluarte, as part of a widening corruption inquiry, weeks after a similar raid on the Peruvian leader’s home.
Boluarte’s brother Nicanor and her lawyer Mateo Castañeda were placed under preliminary detention on Friday, accused of influence trafficking and belonging to a criminal organisation. Six other people were also detained.
Continue reading...Jeremy Skibicki, charged with four counts of first-degree murder, is believed to have left bodies of at least two victims in a landfill
An accused serial killer in Canada, who police believed disposed of his victims by dumping some of them in landfills, has admitted to killing four Indigenous women, with his lawyers arguing a mental disorder meant he was not criminally responsible for the crimes.
Jeremy Skibicki is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and an unidentified woman, who was named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe (Buffalo Woman) by Indigenous leaders. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and had been due to stand trial this week.
Continue reading...Emergency package gives new funds to existing programs and includes prevention and support measures. Follow today’s news live
Education minister on new payments for student teachers and nurses
As Paul Karp reported this morning, student teachers, nurses, midwives and social workers will receive a $320 weekly payment during their mandatory placements under a new cost-of-living measure in the May budget.
Teaching students do about 600 hours as part of their degree in a classroom, nurses do about 800 hours in a hospital, and sometimes they’ve got to give up their part time job to do [this]… We’ll work with unions as well as the university sector to make sure that we sharpen and define the means testing model that we’ll put in legislation to make sure that we’re giving this to the people who need it the most.
Continue reading...Families of men presumed to be two Australian and American who went missing in Baja California arrive in Tijuana to identify bodies
The bodies believed to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing in the Pacific coast state of Baja California showed the three men were killed with gunshots to the head, Mexican authorities said on Sunday.
María Elena Andrade Ramírez, the state’s attorney general, said the families of the missing men had arrived in Tijuana to verbally identify the bodies. Authorities expect to have official confirmation shortly.
Continue reading...‘Some negative projects will get up, but we have to keep our eyes on the broader goals’, says WWF Australia
A map of operating windfarms in Queensland does not take too long to survey – of the 100 or so across Australia, only six of them are in the sunshine state.
But this is about to change in a very big way. According to state government data, there are 46 separate proposals for windfarms in Queensland with four already under construction.
Continue reading...Ethereal scenes of flowing super-heated material may help explain why atmosphere is hotter than surface
The sun’s otherworldly landscape, including coronal moss, solar rain and 6,000-mile-tall spires of gas, is revealed in footage from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft.
The observations, beamed back by the European Space Agency probe, reveal feathery, hair-like structures made of plasma and also capture eruptions and showers of relatively cooler material falling to the surface.
Continue reading...Hundreds have fled their homes as violence once again gripped Port-au-Prince after new prime minister sworn in last week
Gunmen have launched a string of fresh attacks in Port-au-Prince, burning homes and exchanging gunfire with police for hours in one of the biggest outbreaks of violence since Haiti’s new prime minister was announced.
The attacks, which forced hundreds of to flee their homes, began late on Wednesday in neighborhoods including Solino and Delmas 18, 20 and 24, south-west of the main international airport, which has remained closed for nearly two months.
Continue reading...Parliamentary questions dominated by partisan attacks a day after Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre ejected from chamber
Canada’s Liberal and Conservative parties have redoubled their parliamentary clash a day after the Tory leader was ejected from the House of Commons for calling Justin Trudeau a “wacko”.
Under the guise of a debate over British Columbia’s decision to decriminalize some hard drugs, the parliamentary question period on Wednesday was dominated by deeply partisan attacks.
Continue reading...Kenya Red Cross rescues more than 90 people from hotels and lodges as heavy rainfall continues
Scores of tourists have been evacuated by air from Kenya’s Maasai Mara national reserve after more than a dozen hotels, lodges and camps were flooded as heavy rains battered the country.
Tourist accommodation facilities were submerged after a river in the Maasai Mara broke its banks on Wednesday morning. The reserve, in south-west Kenya, is a popular tourist destination because it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania.
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