Latest Headlines

Melbourne childcare worker charged with more than 70 offences against children in his care

by Benita Kolovos Victorian state correspondent on June 30, 2025 at 11:49 pm

Victoria police allege Point Cook man Joshua Brown sexually abused eight children at a western suburbs childcare centre

A Melbourne childcare worker has been charged with more than 70 offences after allegedly sexually abusing eight children in his care.

Victoria police issued a statement on Tuesday confirming they charged 26-year-old Point Cook man Joshua Brown last month with offences including sexual penetration of a child under 12, attempted sexual penetration of a child under 12, sexual assault of a child under 16 and producing child material for use through a carriage service.

The spiritual economy: young Chinese turn to fortune tellers as anxiety about the future rises

by Amy Hawkins in Beijing on June 30, 2025 at 11:45 pm

Growing popularity of mysticism can also be connected to increasing sense of cultural confidence as Chinese brands and products go global

Pass my exams. Meet Mr Right. Get rich. Pinned to a board by the entrance of a dimly lit fortune telling bar in Fengtai, an urban district in the south of Beijing, handwritten notes reveal the inner worries of customers coming for cocktails with a side of spiritual salvation.

One As All is one of several fortune telling bars to have opened in Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities in recent years. Hidden on the 12th floor of a commercial building, the bar serves a wide range of drinks starting at an auspicious 88 yuan (£9) (eight is considered to be lucky number in China). As well as enjoying a sundowner with a view over Beijing’s skyline, customers can consult the in-house fortune teller who specialises in qiuqian, known in English as Chinese lottery sticks, an ancient style of divination often found in Taoist temples. From a private side-room, the smell of incense burning in front of a genuine Taoist shrine wafts into the bar.

Idaho student murders suspect reportedly agrees to plead guilty on all counts

by Guardian staff and agencies on June 30, 2025 at 11:21 pm

Bryan Kohberger to be spared death penalty but will be given four consecutive life sentences, ABC News reports

Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four Idaho college students in 2022, has agreed to plead guilty to all counts, a move that would spare him from the death penalty, ABC News reported on Monday, citing a letter sent to victims’ family members.

Kohberger, who previously pleaded not guilty on charges of murder in the fatal stabbings, will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and waives all right to appeal, according to ABC News.

Senate holds vote marathon on amendments to Trump’s ‘one big beautiful bill’ – US politics live

by Cecilia Nowell (now); Lucy Campbell, Marina Dunbar and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on June 30, 2025 at 11:10 pm

Senators vote on potentially long list of amendments; White House confirms negotiations will restart after tech tax scrapped

Thom Tillis says he will not seek re-election after Trump clash

Nearly 300 current and recently terminated employees of the US Environmental Protection Agency published a declaration of dissent today, outlining five major concerns about how the Trump administration’s politicization of science and severe job cuts were undermining the agency’s mission.

The declaration to administrator Lee Zeldin was sent as another expected round of staff reductions looms and as the agency undergoes a major reorganization, including the dissolution of its office of research and cancelling of billions of dollars in grants.

Your decisions and actions will reverberate for generations to come. EPA under your leadership will not protect communities from hazardous chemicals and unsafe drinking water, but instead will increase risks to public health and safety.

Susan Sarandon ‘terrified but excited’ to make UK theatrical debut in September

by Chris Wiegand Stage editor on June 30, 2025 at 11:01 pm

The Oscar winner will appear alongside Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough when they play the same character at different ages in Tracy Letts’ play Mary Page Marlowe

Susan Sarandon is to make her UK theatre debut alongside Andrea Riseborough, when the pair portray the same woman at different ages, in Tracy Letts’ drama Mary Page Marlowe.

The play will be staged this autumn at the Old Vic in London by Matthew Warchus, in his final season as artistic director. Several actors portray the title character, which is described as a “time-jumping mosaic” spanning 70 years in the life of an accountant and mother of two in Ohio.

Jurors in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s sex-trafficking trial begin deliberations

by Anna Betts in New York on June 30, 2025 at 10:17 pm

Twelve-member jury in New York starts to deliberate following closing arguments from both sides

After seven weeks of testimony from more than 30 witnesses, jurors in the high-profile federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs have begun deliberations, but ended their day with no verdict.

The 12-member jury – made up of eight men and four women – began deliberating on Monday, following closing arguments from both sides that concluded on Friday and lengthy instructions from the judge.

Scottish firefighters tackle wildfires for third day as risk to life grows

by Sammy Gecsoyler and PA Media on June 30, 2025 at 10:10 pm

Dealing with very serious blazes means fire and rescue service has limited ability to respond to other emergencies

Firefighters battled wildfires in the Scottish Highlands for a third day on Monday in a situation the first minister has called “extremely serious”.

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA), which has helped tackle the blazes, warned the fires are “becoming a danger to human life” that are leaving “stretched” firefighters unable to attend other incidents.

UK court upholds Cayman Islands law legalising same-sex partnerships

by Natricia Duncan and agencies on June 30, 2025 at 10:08 pm

Advocates say the move could turn the tide for other British overseas territories battling for LGBTQ+ rights

A court in London has upheld a Cayman Islands law legalising same-sex civil partnerships, in a move that campaigners say could turn the tide for other British overseas territories battling for LGBTQ+ rights.

On Monday, the privy council, the final court of appeal for the British overseas territory, rejected an appeal that had argued the Caribbean island’s governor had no right to enact the bill, after lawmakers had rejected similar legislation.