Australia urgents needs farm workers

(ABC Rural: Lydia Burton). Mr Kirby said there had been no recorded cases of coronavirus from Vanuatu. The ABC understands the Government is on the cusp of announcing a pilot program that would allow up to 200 workers to travel from Vanuatu to harvest mangoes in the Northern Territory, possibly within weeks. Farmers across the country have become increasingly concerned that their crops could be left to rot, and sheep left unshorn, without access to the foreign workers that typically work on Australian farms.

Australia Zoo's tallest living giraffe

Australia Zoo's Kat Hansen with Forest, the world's tallest living giraffe. (Supplied: Australia Zoo) Forest has now been officially named by the Guinness World Records as the world's tallest living giraffe standing at 5.7 metres.

Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu linked to crime syndicate

Queensland police are investigating whether young women at the centre of the state's latest coronavirus controversy were coached by an organised crime syndicate to cover their tracks at the border. The crime syndicate is allegedly involved in the theft and transport of luxury items between capital cities. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-31/coronavirus-queensland-logan-cases-diana-lasu-family/12507852

Andre Rush, White House Chef

Andre Rush is the White House chef. He has worked with the administration of George Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. His career as a cook began in the US Army – right after school, he went to the service and “was engaged in something like the protection of VIP-persons, guests and generals.” In total, the chef served in the army for 23 years and was wounded in Iraq.

Richard Colebeck must take responsibility for deaths in aged care homes

Richard Colebeck must take responsibility for his appalling record as Aged Care Minister.

Brits looking to New Zealand for safe haven

Jacinda Ardern’s government has been successful in eliminating local infections in New Zealand HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY IMAGES. British citizens looking for a safe haven to see out the pandemic as a second wave of coronavirus looms are choosing New Zealand.

England records largest increase in death rates

England saw the largest increase in death rates in Europe, with Scotland seeing the third largest increase. The Office for National Statistics says that Spain saw the highest peak in rates of death in Europe. But the UK had the longest period of above-average deaths and so overall saw higher death rates.

Binyamin Netanyahu's Last Supper

The installation shows “the last meal of Israeli democracy”, according to Itay Zalait, the artist ODED BALILTY/AP. Israel’s prime minister complained that he had been victim of a threat of crucifixion yesterday after a satirical art installation of him feasting at a “Last Supper” was raised at a protest site in Tel Aviv. It shows Binyamin Netanyahu sitting before a large cake bearing an image of the Israeli flag, which he appears to have begun carving up. Near by are piles of food, bottles of champagne and a cigar.

China to stop Hong Kong British passports

Pro-democracy activists demonstrating in Hong Kong earlier this year ISAAC LAWRENCE / GETTY IMAGES. China will stop recognising British National Overseas passports (BNO) as valid travel documents, Beijing’s ambassador to London warned, potentially trapping up to three million people in Hong Kong. Liu Xiaoming accused Britain of breaking the terms of the handover agreement with Beijing by offering residents eligible for the BNO passport five-year visas and a route to British citizenship. “Since the UK violated the pledge and commitment on BNO we have to take other measures not to recognise the BNO as a valid travel document,” he said.

Dr Joseph Varon and his nurse Christina Mathers, Houston, Texas

Reuters / Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Dr. Joseph Varon, 58, the chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center, hugs Christina Mathers, 43, a nurse from his team who became infected with COVID-19, at United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC), during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Houston, Texas, July 25. Mathers was told she tested positive for COVID-19 after she reported feeling ill during one of her shifts. "That's the hardest thing to ever hear... It messes with you," said Mathers, who has been working every other day since April 29. "But I wouldn't go anywhere else but here." REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Beverly Hills 1975. Photograph: Terry O’Neill/Iconic Images

Thailand's pro-monarchy rally

Bangkok, Thailand. A person holds portraits of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, left, and his late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, during a pro-government and pro-monarchy rally Photograph: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

Young Australians join Israeli Defence Force

Mai has lived in Australia all her life, but made the decision to join the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) when she turned 18. "My dad is Israeli, and my grandfather as well, and I always felt a deeper connection to the State of Israel," she tells ABC RN's Earshot. "I knew from the youngest age that I was going to turn 18, and go to the army, and nothing was stopping me."………… https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-31/young-australians-joining-israeli-defence-force-as-lone-soldiers/12465416

John Clarke's Phillip Island donation

Late satirist John Clarke's family has donated an eight-hectare section of Ramsar-listed, globally significant wetland on Phillip Island to the conservation organisation, Trust for Nature….. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-30/john-clarke-family-gives-phillip-island-property-to-conservation/12506334

Mystery of origin of Stonehenge megaliths solved

Image: Stone samples were removed during archaeological work in 1958. Archaeologists pinpointed the source of the stones to an area 15 miles (25km) north of the site near Marlborough. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-53580339?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bbbc.news.twitter%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D&at_medium=custom7&at_custom4=5E6E167E-D1C7-11EA-B5B1-

President Trump withdraws troops from Germany

Getty Images. Germany currently hosts by far the largest number of US forces in Europe The US is set to withdraw almost 12,000 troops from Germany in what it described as a "strategic" repositioning of its forces in Europe. "We don't want to be the suckers anymore," Mr Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday shortly after the move was announced. "We're reducing the force because they're not paying their bills; it's very simple."

Pakistani man on trial shot and killed in courtroom

(AP: Muhammad Sajjad) A young Pakistani man has walked into a courtroom in the north-western city of Peshawar and shot and killed a fellow Muslim who was on trial for blasphemy. It was not immediately clear how the assailant managed to get into the court amid tight security. Blasphemy can carry a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty in Pakistan.

Megan Markle to pay legal costs

The Duchess of Sussex has had to pay more than £67,000 in legal costs after losing the first round of her legal battle against the Mail on Sunday , the High Court has been told.

Migrants tested for Covid-19 in Paris

Migrants in the tent camp on the Saint-Denis canal northeast of Paris began boarding buses at dawn. They were taken to temporary shelters in gymnasiums in the Paris region where they were to be tested for COVID-19 as a precaution, the newspaper Le Parisien reported. Many of the migrants were from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Chad.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald arrives at the Convention Centre Dublin for a Dail session. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA. Sinn Féin won 37 seats in the 2020 election, an increase of 14 on the 2016 election

Princess Diana's dress on display

Princess Diana's dress from her dance with John Travolta going on display at Kensington Palace. The late Princess of Wales's gown is one of the most memorable from the 1980s. She wore the Victor Edelstein midnight blue velvet dress to a reception at the White House on Nov. 9, 1985 alongside then-President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan. And it instantly became famous when she and John took to the dance floor!

Pepper balls used by police in Portland

A federal law enforcement officer holds pepper balls during a protest against racial inequality and police violence in Portland, Oregon, July 28, 2020. A pepper ball is typically a projectile filled with pepper spray, usually launched from a device similar to a pistol. ... According to a company that manufactures pepper balls, they are designed to create a 12-foot cloud with an irritant designed to affect the eyes, nose and throat of the people who are hit by the cloud.

Hong Kong bans dine-in restaurants

A restaurant employee looks at empty tables at a Chinese food court in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has completely banned dining-in at restaurants as the region battles its worst coronavirus outbreak to date

Floating vegetable market, Srinagar, India

A floating vegetable market on Dal Lake, which is home to floating gardens that produce vegetables in all four seasons of the year. Photograph: Farooq Khan/EPA

Wakefield, UK

A young visitor runs past a work titled Solitaire, a 7-metre-high ring made of golden car wheel rims topped with a huge diamond crafted from crystal whisky glasses, by the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, as the Yorkshire sculpture park reopens. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu

Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu - fined $4000 for lying and potentially infecting thousands of Queenslanders with coronavirus. The Premier also revealed the pair were wanted by Victoria Police for allegedly stealing handbags from luxury stores during their trip to Melbourne.

Victoria reports 723 Conavirus cases

Victoria has broken its previous record for coronavirus cases by almost 200, confirming 723 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Thursday.

New Zealand suspends extradition treaty with Hong Kong

Beijing has accused New Zealand of ‘gross interference’ in China’s internal affairs after the nation suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong due to sweeping new national security laws imposed by Beijing.

China suspends extradition treaties with Canada, Australia and UK

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced the treaties’ suspension on 28 July. Photograph: Tingshu Wang/Reuters. China has suspended Hong Kong’s extradition treaties with Canada, Australia, and the UK, in a tit-for-tat move after similar decisions by those countries over its controversial new security law. On Tuesday, China’s ministry of foreign affairs said Hong Kong was suspending criminal assistance agreements, including extradition, accusing those countries of“politicising judicial cooperation”. Canada, Australia and the UK cancelled extradition agreements with the semi-autonomous territory after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law that critics fear will be used against government critics.

Gold hit all-time high

Gold prices are being pushed higher by aggressive monetary stimulus measures adopted by many central banks around the world since the pandemic plunged the global economy into a recession [File: Andreas Gebert/Bloomberg]. Gold hit an all-time high on Monday as tit-for-tat consulate closures in China and the United States rattled investors, boosting the allure of safe-haven assets although sentiment was mixed, with tech gains supporting some Asian stocks.

Shinzo Abe statue bowing to comfort woman in South Korea

Reuters / Tuesday, July 28, 2020. A statue symbolizing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe taking a deep bow to a "comfort woman" is pictured at Korea Botanic Garden in Pyeongchang, South Korea, July 28. The Japanese government reacted angrily to the statue that appears to depict Abe kneeling and bowing to a seated "comfort woman," a euphemism for women forced to work in Japan's wartime brothels. REUTERS/Daewoung Kim

Andrea Boicelli offended by Italian lockdown

Famed Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli has revealed he was offended by lockdown restrictions imposed by the Italian Government during the height of the country's COVID-19 outbreak, and did not comply with the rules after testing positive to the virus.

Volunteers wanted to care for joey kangaroos

Lisa's Kangaroo Retreat founder Lisa Rose with her joey au pair, Evelien Rosier.(ABC Pilbara: Karen Michelmore). Lisa's Kangaroo Retreat in Port Hedland has raised, rehabilitated and released more than 500 joey kangaroos over the past 10 years. It is a volunteer organisation desperate for new recruits to feed and cuddle the joeys……. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-28/pilbara-wildlife-nursery-needs-help-to-feed-50-joey-kangaroos/12495992?section=good-news

Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin removes four statues

The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin has taken down four statues which have stood outside it for the last 153 years because of their associations with slavery. The four bronze statues were commissioned by the Shelbourne Hotel’s owner in 1867 when the celebrated facade was erected. They depict two Nubian princesses from the lower Nile and their slave girls holding torches.

Van Gough's last painting Tree Roots

The artist spent July 29, 1890, painting Tree Roots before taking his own life ALAMY. The final painting produced by Vincent van Gogh on the day he died depicts twisted roots, marking the start of a new era of abstract painting and German expressionism. Now a French researcher appears to have discovered the exact spot where Van Gogh painted Tree Roots before apparently shooting himself on July 29, 1890, aged 37, in Auvers-sur-Oise, a village north of Paris

Natioialities coming to Europe

At least 100 Tunisians have left for Italy each day in the past month

Najib Razak found guilty

Najib Razak, centre, may escape prison for the time being via legal appeals and political manoeuvring FAZRY ISMAIL/EPA. Malaysia’s former prime minister, Najib Razak, faces decades in prison after being convicted of multimillion dollar corruption. Mr Najib, 67, was convicted on seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering connected to the plundering of $10 million from the Malaysian state investment firm, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), of which he was founder and chairman.

Google's private underwater fibre-optic cable

The search giant’s private cable will travel to the US from Bude in Cornwall. GETTY IMAGES. Google is to build its first giant underwater fibre-optic cable stretching from Cornwall to New York to help boost internet speeds. The search giant is laying its own private internet cable from Bude in the UK, and from Bilbao in Spain, that will then connect up under the Atlantic Ocean before travelling to the US. It is one of the first undersea internet cables to connect the US and the UK since 2003 and the first one to do so that is fully owned by Google.

Russia first in world with coronavirus vaccine

Russia intends to be the first in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine, in less than two weeks — despite concerns about its safety, effectiveness and over whether the country has cut essential corners in development.

Bunnings CEO won't tolerate anti-maskers

Bunnings Managing Director Mike Schneider today said any suggestion some stores in metropolitan Melbourne or the Mitchell Shire had backed down over face mask rules was patently false. They will not tolerate anti-maskers in some of its Victorian stores and will refer belligerent customers to police.

Presidential debate cancelled

The University of Notre Dame announced Monday it will withdraw from hosting the first presidential debate in September due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The debate, scheduled for September 29, will now take place at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

New port near Darwin

Andrew Hastie has lashed out at the leasing of the Darwin port to Landbridge for 99 years.(ABC News) Building a new port near Darwin would "counterbalance" a Chinese-company's 99-year lease of Darwin's existing port, according to the Liberal MP chairing Federal Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee. The ABC has revealed the Commonwealth conducted preliminary planning to develop Glyde Point into a commercial maritime facility that could be used in the future by the Australian Navy and US Marines.

Alan Jones says it's time to stop the madness

We are rushing like lemmings off an economic cliff all because of a disease that, for eight out of 10 of us, will mean very little at all. It’s time to stop the madness before it’s too late, writes Alan Jones

Prince Harry burns his bridges

The Duke of Sussex was so intent on quitting the royal family that he initially refused the offer of a trial period allowing him and the duchess the chance of returning to the UK.

Kim Jong Un's commemorative pistols

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, sitting center, is surrounded by senior military officials holding “Paektusan” commemorative pistols they received from him during a ceremony in Pyongyang, July 26, 2020. (Photo released by the North Korean Government)

Jamie Frost sculpture

Scunthorpe, England. Jamie Frost installs his sculpture The Gaslighters Comeuppance for an exhibition at the Visual Arts Centre. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA. British artist Jamie Frost brings wood to life with powerful and captivating life-size sculptures. The modern term ‘Gaslighting’ means to manipulate someone by psychological means into doubting their own sanity.

Van, Turkey

Restoration work is carried out at Ayanis castle, the walls of which have been unearthed during excavation works. Works on the building, which was one of the most magnificent structures of the Urartu kingdom, has been under way for 31 years. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Bob Behnken takes a selfie from space

Nasa astronaut Bob Behnken taking a selfie. After two months onboard the International Space Station, Behnken and fellow astronaut Doug Hurley are planning to return home. The duo will splash down in the Atlantic ocean on 2 August, ending Nasa’s first crewed mission on a commercial spacecraft. Photograph: Nasa Handout/EPA

Terrigal beach, Australia

Coastal erosion damages properties in New South Wales. A severe weather warning was issued for the coast from the southern border to Newcastle. Photograph: James Gourley/EPA

Russian navy will be armed with hypersonic nuclear weapons

[Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via Reuters]. President Vladimir Putin has said the Russian navy will be armed with hypersonic nuclear weapons and underwater nuclear drones. Putin, who said he does not want an arms race, has often spoken of a new generation of Russian nuclear weapons he says are unequalled and can hit almost anywhere in the world……. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/russian-navy-hypersonic-nuclear-weapons-putin-200726160351237.html