As it happened: Albanese touches down in London; Trump’s warning to Americans on political violence

The Taylors and Southport woman Elaine Arch-Rowe, 81, were charged on September 15 following an investigation into the death of 43-year-old David Llewellyn Bedford at on April 11.

The trio allegedly used a charity for humanely killing beached whales and dolphins to obtain and sell veterinary drugs to people seeking to end their lives.

Brett Taylor founded the charity Cetacean Compassion Australia Ltd and registered it to a Gold Coast high-rise apartment with Ian Taylor reportedly listed as a director.

Police in July launched an investigation into Bedford’s death in response to correspondence from the Coroner’s Office.

Toxicology results from a post-mortem confirmed Bedford died from acute toxicity from a veterinary euthanasia drug.

Bedford was a former chef who was left paralysed by a car crash in August 2022, according to his previous submission to a Queensland parliamentary inquiry into voluntary assisted dying in 2020.

AAP

The ICAC is investigating allegations that Helmy was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with nine companies that were paid at least $343 million in contracts by Transport for NSW in return for kickbacks.

Helmy is alleged to have received $11.5 million in kickbacks from contractors for work on the state’s roads – including bundles of cash, gold bullion and cryptocurrency.

Before his arrest on Friday, he failed to answer his summons to appear before the ICAC in May and a family member had told the ICAC that he “took the rubbish out on a Sunday night and did not return”.

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Until recently, forecasters were pointing to an elevated likelihood of above-average rainfall until December. Now months of dry, hotter-than-average conditions could be on the cards.

University of NSW Climate Change Research Centre senior lecturer Martin Jucker said the heat spike above Antarctica had already changed the outlook for October and it could be dryer all the way to December.

“If a sudden stratospheric warming happens, we expect the seasonal weather to become drier and warmer on the eastern seaboard,” Jucker said.

Currently, the weather pattern known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, off the northwest coast of Australia, is in a negative phase – which has contributed to the wet conditions on the east coast.

Professor Julie Arblaster, of Monash University’s School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment, said the stratospheric temperature rise causes knock-on effects that filter down into the lower layer in the atmosphere – the troposphere.

This can weaken the polar vortex, which is a band of winds that spins around the north and south poles. In the southern hemisphere the vortex usually forms in autumn and eases throughout spring.

“CSL will be actively monitoring further announcements from the administration in relation to the detail of the tariffs,” a CSL spokesperson said in a statement.

“As per previous market guidance, we do not expect any material impact from these tariffs.”

The ASX blue-chip stock’s main exports to the US are medicines derived from blood plasma manufactured at its plant in Melbourne. The firm also has a substantial footprint in the US, where it employs 19,000 staff, or about two-thirds of its overseas workforce.

Due to prohibitions on sourcing blood plasma in Australia, CSL collects plasma in the US, ships it to its Melbourne factory and ships back the final product.

Most vaccines CSL sells in the US are produced at its vaccine-manufacturing plant in North Carolina and the company has announced further expansion plans in America.

Trump said a 100 per cent tariff would be imposed unless a pharmaceutical was building a manufacturing plant in the US by October 1.

AAP

Sanctioned by the US and other western nations, Myanmar’s military regime is deepening ties with longtime partners Russia and China as it seeks membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. After attending a forum in Moscow, Min Aung Hlaing will next travel to Kazakhstan.

The talks also covered defence and broader co-operation in areas such as nuclear energy, electricity, health and pharmaceutical production, agriculture and education, according to Myanmar’s National Defence and Security Council. Min Aung Hlaing also reiterated his plan to hold general elections in December and to invite international observers.

Bloomberg