Unregulated sperm donor still advertising services despite court warnings to women 01. November 2025 (08:00) Exclusive: Behaviour of Robert Albon, or ‘Joe Donor’, described as compulsive by judge who said he targeted vulnerable womenA prolific unregulated donor is still attempting to sell his sperm despite warnings from two family court judges, a Guardian investigation has found.Robert Albon, who calls himself “Joe Donor”, has appealed to the courts to gain access to at least four of his biological children against their mothers’ wishes. In a rare move, a judge named him in 2023 to warn women of the risks of using his services, which he promotes on social media. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hot summer and damp autumn cause UK boom in destructive honey fungus 01. November 2025 (08:00) Huge increase in tree-killing disease is result of climate crisis, experts sayA golden mushroom that grows in clusters and can attack and kill trees has increased by 200% in the UK in a year because of the hot summer and damp autumn.Recorded sightings of honey fungus are up by almost 200% compared with the same period last year, according to iNaturalist. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tanzania’s Hassan declared landslide winner in election that triggered violent protests 01. November 2025 (07:51) The result hands Hassan, who took power in 2021, a five-year term following opposition repressionTanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has been declared the winner of the country’s disputed election with more than 97% of the vote following violent protests across the country earlier in the week.The landslide result announced by Tanzania’s electoral commission hands Hassan, who took power in 2021 after the death in office of her predecessor, a five-year term to govern the east African country of 68 million people. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform UK, the Russian spy and rolls of Kremlin cash: the inside story of Nathan Gill 01. November 2025 (07:00) How did a former Mormon bishop end up pleading guilty to taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia in the European parliament?The first thing most people recall about Nathan Gill is his imposing height.At 193cm (6ft 4in), the one-time Reform UK leader in Wales towered over colleagues and opponents – and he was taller still in his favourite cowboy boots. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Luxury cruise cancelled after 80-year-old left behind on Lizard Island dies alone 01. November 2025 (06:49) The Coral Adventurer will return to Cairns, as investigations into Suzanne Rees’ death continueGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe luxury Coral Adventurer cruise has been cancelled in the wake of the death of passenger Suzanne Rees, who was left on the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island and wasn’t found until the next day.It will now return to Cairns, as investigations into Rees’ death continue. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather bureau warns of hail, flash floods and tornadoes as storms hit Queensland and northern NSW 01. November 2025 (06:05) Bureau of Meteorology says band of severe thunderstorms bearing down on Australia’s east coastGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDestructive winds, giant hail, flash floods and tornadoes could wreak havoc on southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.A major band of severe thunderstorms was bearing down on Australia’s east coast on Saturday, senior BoM forecaster Angus Hines said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gumnuts, baby! How two abseiling horticulturalists rescued specimens from an endangered tree 01. November 2025 (05:00) The threatened Jillaga Ash (Eucalyptus stenostoma) was spotted 90m down a cliff in Wadbilliga national park, in southern New South WalesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo horticulturalists have undertaken a daring abseiling mission to rescue gumnuts from an endangered tree on a 300m cliff face.Stan Wawrzyczek, a threatened flora ecologist at the Threatened Species Conservancy, spotted an endangered tree, Eucalyptus stenostoma (Jillaga Ash), 90m down the cliff in Wadbilliga national park in southern New South Wales. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nationals members vote to ditch net zero target from party platform 01. November 2025 (03:45) Policy position diverging from senior Coalition partner expected to be formalised at Nationals partyroom meeting on Sunday morningGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Nationals’ grassroots members have voted to ditch net zero, setting the scene to formally scrap the target at a meeting on Sunday morning.“We believe in reducing emissions, but not at any cost,” the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, told the party’s federal council on Saturday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pro-Israel activist suing Sydney restaurant claims he was shunned and vilified after News Corp stunt 01. November 2025 (00:00) Ofir Birenbaum is suing for defamation after deleted and retracted social media posts by Cairo Takeaway inferred he visited the restaurant with reporters to ‘stir up controversy’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA pro-Israel activist who visited a pro-Palestinian Sydney restaurant with News Corp reporters claims he was vilified and subject to an investigation by his employer after the restaurant allegedly implied he attempted to manufacture an “antisemitic incident”.Ofir Birenbaum went to Cairo Takeaway, a popular restaurant in Sydney’s Newtown, in February wearing a Star of David cap and necklace alongside reporters from the Daily Telegraph. The undercover operation, later revealed to be dubbed internally by the paper as “undercover Jew”, made international headlines after it backfired. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
A luxury cruise ship stopped at a remote Australian island. Suzanne Rees was left behind and died alone 31. October 2025 (22:33) Five hours after the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island without the 80-year-old, it turned back. Her body was found the next day, and her family want answersThe appeal of Lizard Island is its remoteness. The Great Barrier Reef island, 250km from Cairns in Queensland’s tropical north, is known for its impressive snorkelling, with giant clams nestled among the coral. It also has a scientific research station.Tourists are mostly kept at bay by its inaccessibility and eye-wateringly high accommodation prices. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
