Regional news

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, says there are ‘good reasons’ to hold federal integrity commission hearings in privateGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastOn Optus, Dreyfus describes the incident as a “wake-up call for corporate Australia” and flags changes to the Privacy Act.Keeping the very personal data of customers who had ceased to be customers years ago. I have yet to hear a reason why that was going on. And Optus failed to keep the information safe.Companies throughout Australia should stop regarding all of this personal data of Australians as an asset to them, they should think of it as a liability. This is a wake-up call for corporate Australia.We will look very hard at the settings in the Privacy Act. I may be bringing reforms to the Privacy Act before the end of the year, to try to both toughen penalties and make companies think harder about why they are storing the personal data of Australians.That report this morning is simply, in in one of newspapers is wrong. Union officials are not excluded. Any third party seeking to adversely affect public decisions making in corrupt way will be subject to investigation by the commission.The activities set up under this bill for this commission are directed at the public sector in Australia. It’s not directed at private activity. It’s directed at the public sector and is interaction third parties have with public officials, adversely affecting the way they go about their duties in a formal, honest manner. Continue reading...

Russian forces retreat from stronghold of Lyman hours after Putin declares it Russia’s ‘for ever’; Germany minister visits Ukraine; Nord Stream pipeline leak haltedSee all our Ukraine coverage Continue reading...

Outgoing club president insists AFL club is not in crisis and says it was ‘unfair’ for Indigenous players to speak with the media about alleged bullyingFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastOutgoing Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett says the leaking of racism allegations at the AFL club is “unfair” and he hopes the issue can be resolved by the end of the year.Kennett said on Saturday night the club was not in crisis and he described the serious allegations as a “bump along the highway”. Kennett was speaking at the club’s best and fairest awards function. Continue reading...

Guests, which included hedge fund managers, allegedly congratulated the chancellor and told him to ‘double down’Kwasi Kwarteng reportedly attended a private champagne reception with hedge fund managers at the home of a Conservative donor on the same day he delivered his mini-budget.The chancellor is alleged to have given guests information about forthcoming government spending cuts during the event at the west London home of Andrew Law, a financier, on the evening of Friday 23 September. Continue reading...

Violence erupted after Arema’s home loss to Persebaya SurabayaPolice reportedly fired tear gas into crowded stands in MalangMore than 120 football fans have reportedly died after chaos and violence erupted following an Indonesian league football match. Supporters of the Javanese clubs Arema and Persebaya Surabaya clashed after Arema were defeated 3-2 at the match in Malang Regency, East Java.The head of the Malang Regency health office, Wiyanto Wijoyo, said more than 120 people had died. Officials were still collating the numbers of injured victims, he added. The Associated Press has reported that 127 people were killed, including two police officers. Continue reading...

Military defeat in Donetsk comes hours after Moscow declared that the region was Russian territory ‘for ever’Russia-Ukraine war: latest developmentsRussia suffered a humiliating military defeat on Saturday when Ukrainian troops liberated the key eastern city of Lyman, with videos showing them raising a blue and yellow national flag and performing a victory dance.In a severe embarrassment for Vladimir Putin, Russia’s ministry of defence admitted its soldiers had retreated. They had been “withdrawn to more advantageous lines”, the ministry said, following their encirclement by Ukrainian forces. Continue reading...

No need to apply because £400 discount will ‘reach people automatically’, says Rees-Mogg A scam alert has been issued by ministers encouraging people not to fall foul of fraudulent messages asking them to provide bank details as the energy price guarantee comes into force.From 1 October, a limit on the price households pay for a unit of gas and electricity they use will mean a typical energy bill should be £2,500 a year. The first instalment of a £400 discount for households will also appear on bills. Continue reading...

Prime minister reportedly raised objections to him going during personal audience at Buckingham PalaceKing Charles III has reportedly abandoned plans to attend and deliver a speech at the Cop27 climate change summit on the advice of Liz Truss.The monarch, a veteran campaigner on environmental issues, had been invited to the 27th UN climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, next month. Continue reading...

Siamak Namazi, convicted along with father on espionage charges, freed from Evin prison on one-week renewable furloughAn Iranian American businessman who has been imprisoned in Iran for nearly seven years has been released from Tehran’s Evin prison on a one-week, renewable furlough, the United Nations announced on Saturday.The release of detainee Siamak Namazi comes as his father, Baquer Namazi, is being allowed to leave Iran for medical treatment, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Continue reading...

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's new title of prime minister, announced this week, could prove more significant abroad than inside the kingdom where he already wields enormous power.

Aides Alice Robinson and Mac Chapwell paid by company run by Liz Truss’s new chief of staffTwo of the prime minister’s most senior advisers are being paid through her new chief of staff’s lobbying company, it has emerged, days after Downing Street said it would employ the latter directly.The government admitted last weekend that Liz Truss’s chief of staff, Mark Fullbrook, was being paid through his lobbying firm, a move that could have helped him avoid paying tax. Continue reading...

Moscow says troops withdrawn from key city of Lyman to 'advantageous lines' following encirclement by Ukrainian forces.