Top World News

Jun 8, 2023 - World

High court of Australia is considering a NSW court’s permanent stay in a case brought by a woman who alleges she was abused as a 14-year-oldFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe high court has pressed the Catholic church to explain why it didn’t have an adequate opportunity 50 years ago to investigate the extent of a priest’s abuse of children, given there were “red flags everywhere” about his crimes.The court on Thursday began hearing a key case about a legal tactic now routinely being employed by the church and other institutions to permanently shield themselves from abuse survivors’ civil claims for compensation.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Jun 8, 2023 - World

Scott Phillip White will be eligible for release in 2026, having already served part of his sentenceFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe man responsible for the death of a gay American mathematician who had “everything to live for” has been sentenced to nine years in jail.Having already served part of his sentence, Scott Phillip White will be eligible for release in 2026 for punching Scott Johnson, leading him to fall to his death in the late 1980s in Sydney.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Jun 8, 2023 - World

Russia intends to block European Union countries from hosting next year's U.N. international climate negotiations, according to internal emails seen by Reuters.

Jun 8, 2023 - World

Report demands accountability for war crimes and singles out Russia for ‘mind-boggling’ targeting of hospitals in Ukraine Russian attacks on medical facilities in Ukraine made 2022 the most violent year in a decade for hospitals and health workers operating in conflict zones, according to a new report by a coalition of humanitarian organisations.With 750 reported attacks in 2022, Russia set a 10-year record, according to the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, which includes Human Rights Watch and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health. Continue reading...

Jun 8, 2023 - World

Last week we ran a piece by Rowan Atkinson casting doubt on the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. Here Simon Evans of Carbon Brief offers his responseIn a widely shared comment piece for the Guardian, comedian Rowan Atkinson said he felt “duped” by the green claims about electric vehicles (EVs).In support of his contention, however, Atkinson repeats a series of repeatedly debunked talking points, often used by those seeking to delay action on the climate crisis.He says EV batteries only last “about 10 years”. Yet “most modern lithium-ion units are likely to last the lifetime of the car”, according to Autocar. Tesla’s batteries are “designed to outlast the vehicle”.He complains that new cars are only kept for three years before being sold. Yet he does not reference the secondhand market, and the fact that British people are keeping their cars for longer than ever.He claims that it is better to keep running old petrol cars than to replace them with EVs. Yet a new EV would start benefiting the climate in less than four years, relative to an old combustion engine.He claims that lithium-ion batteries contain rare earth elements. They do not. Continue reading...