Fossil of ‘largest snake to have ever existed’ found in western India pred 14 urami in 6 minutami Scientists estimate Vasuki indicus was up to 15m long, weighed a tonne and would have constricted its preyFossil vertebrae unearthed in a mine in western India are the remains of one of the largest snakes that ever lived, a monster estimated at up to 15 metres in length – longer than a T rex.Scientists have recovered 27 vertebrae from the snake, including a few still in the same position as they would have been when the reptile was alive. They said the snake, which they named Vasuki indicus, would have looked like a large python and would not have been venomous. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US man arrested for allegedly throwing pipe bomb at Satanic Temple pred 14 urami in 18 minutami Sean Patrick Palmer, of Oklahoma, arrested after explosive device found last week near porch of Satanic Temple in MassachusettsAn Oklahoma man was arrested on Thursday morning in last week’s bombing attempt of a Satanic Temple in Massachusetts.Sean Patrick Palmer, 49, of Perkins, Oklahoma, was arrested on charges of “using an explosive to cause damage to a building used in interstate or foreign commerce”, the United States’ attorney office for the district of Massachusetts said in a statement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Black death row inmates suffer botched executions at twice rate of whites in US pred 14 urami in 36 minutami A glaring racial disparity is evident in the 73 botched procedures involving lethal injections since 1976, report by Reprieve findsBlack incarcerated people have been subjected to prolonged and painful botched executions in the US at more than twice the rate of white death row inmates, a new study has found.While glaring racial disparities have long been visible in US capital punishment, the report from the international human rights group Reprieve finds that the inequities exist even inside the death chamber. It reveals a shocking racial disparity in the rate of botched executions in which lethal injections went awry, both nationwide and in individual death penalty states. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Writers withdraw from PEN America literary awards in support of Gaza pred 14 urami in 41 minutami Authors and translators say PEN America has ‘had no criticism of American complicity in the bombardment of Gaza’, in stark contrast to other national centres of the organisation Thirty-one authors and translators have withdrawn their work from consideration for or declined PEN America’s 2024 literary awards over the organisation’s “failure to protect” Palestinian writers in Gaza.Nine out of 10 longlistees for the PEN/Jean Stein book award, worth $75,000 (£60,143), have withdrawn their books. Christina Sharpe, Catherine Lacey and Joseph Earl Thomas are among the withdrawing writers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man arrested after two schoolgirls injured in knife attack in France pred 15 urami in 10 minutami Police say girls aged six and 11 sustained superficial wounds in attack close to their school near StrasbourgA man has been arrested after two girls aged six and 11 were injured in a knife attack close to their school in the east of France.The 11-year-old was stabbed outside school in the town of Souffelweyersheim, just outside Strasbourg, while the six-year-old was allegedly attacked by the same man nearby. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
High-ranking Queensland police officers under scrutiny over offensive social media activity pred 15 urami in 52 minutami Exclusive: Ethical standards command launches internal review as Guardian Australia unearths Facebook posts dating back yearsGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastQueensland police’s ethical standards command is conducting a review after high-ranking members of the service appeared to publicly share and comment on lewd social media posts over a number of years, including one about a sexual assault.From 2017 to 2022, Det Supt Benjamin Fadian publicly tagged a number of officers in dozens of Facebook posts about subjects including pornography, masturbation and dildos.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Love nest: how a musk lorikeet fell for a red-tailed black cockatoo pred 15 urami in 52 minutami Two parrots have formed a unique relationship after arriving at a Tasmanian wildlife sanctuaryGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAfter struggling to bond with members of their own flock, a matte black cockatoo and bright green lorikeet have become unexpected friends.Greg Iron, director of Bonorong wildlife sanctuary in Tasmania, described their relationship as being “love at first sight” for Raphael, a musk lorikeet who was previously kept without a permit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian states and territories united in support of federal bill banning non-prescription vapes pred 15 urami in 52 minutami Governments concerned vapes attractive to children, aren’t helping hardened smokers to quit Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s state and territory governments support federal legislation before parliament that, if passed, would force vape stores to close by preventing the domestic manufacture, advertisement, supply and commercial possession of non-prescription vapes.A special communique issued by all Australian health ministers on Thursday described the legislation as “world leading”.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Landlords charging Centrepay transaction fees to vulnerable tenants against scheme policy pred 15 urami in 52 minutami Administration fees for debit system should be covered by business but renters – including a disability pensioner – have still been made to pay Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastLandlords are wrongly making vulnerable tenants cover the costs of administering the government-run Centrepay debit system, in one case passing it on to a blind disability pensioner.A Guardian Australia investigation has revealed multiple failings with Centrepay, a system allowing businesses early access to welfare payments, prior to money hitting a welfare recipient’s bank account.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UN watchdog warns Australia after failure to provide timely report on detention conditions pred 15 urami in 52 minutami Body says no update has been made on treatment of prisoners one year after it accused Australia of a ‘clear breach’ of its obligations under anti-torture treatyGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe United Nations’ anti-torture watchdog has issued a blunt warning to the Australian government for dragging its feet after a failure to update progress on improving the treatment of detainees across state prisons and immigration detention facilities.The UN human rights body suspended its tour of Australian detention facilities in October 2022 after it was denied entry to facilities and information, accusing the country of a “clear breach” of its obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (Opcat).Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...(The Guardian)
