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Parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security report says scheme set up in 2018 public register has ‘significant flaws’
An Australian government scheme to bring foreign influence out of the shadows has “significant flaws” and enforcement has “focused almost exclusively on China with little success”, an inquiry has found.
In a damning report published on Wednesday, a powerful parliamentary committee said the scheme had achieved “such meagre results that it would be difficult to justify the ongoing compliance burden and resources without major reform”.

Dig in: Pekin Pavillion on Jefferson serves large portions of American-style Chinese food for a bargain, at least in 2024 money. I ordered sesame chicken, fried rice and an egg roll ($10.95) and six ...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping met more than a dozen US CEOs and academics on Wednesday as Beijing renewed efforts to woo back foreign investors and mend strained relations with the United States.

Plus, Beyoncé’s country album.

Jenn Tran, one of the contestants on ABC's "The Bachelor" this season, was named the new "Bachelorette" during the show's finale Monday night.

Jenn Tran, one of the contestants on ABC's "The Bachelor" this season, was named the new "Bachelorette" during the show's finale Monday night.

Robert Halfon quits as skills, apprenticeships and higher education minister as James Heappey confirms decision to step down
In interviews this morning Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, admitted that special educational needs provision was in crisis, Ben Quinn reports.
Universities in England could be told to terminate their arrangements with foreign countries if freedom of speech and academic freedom is undermined, the government’s free speech tsar has said. As PA Media reports, Prof Arif Ahmed, director for freedom of speech and academic freedom at the Office for Students (OfS), said many universities and colleges in England have “international arrangements” – including admitting overseas students on scholarships and hosting institutes partly funded by foreign governments. PA says:
The higher education regulator launched , ahead of universities, colleges and student unions taking on new free speech duties.
The guidance includes examples to illustrate what higher education institutions may have to do to fulfil their new duties – due to come into effect in August – to secure freedom of speech within the law.
University A accepts international students on visiting scholarships funded by the government of country B. Scholars must accept the principles of the ruling party of country B, and direction from country B’s government via consular staff. Depending on the circumstances, these arrangements may undermine free speech and academic freedom at University A. If so, that university is likely to have to terminate or amend the scholarship agreement.
If it means that there are people who are employed by an institute who are preventing legitimate protests or shutting down lecturers from covering certain kinds of content regarding that country for instance, or that country’s foreign policy … If that behaviour amounts to a restriction of freedom of speech within the law, and someone brings a complaint to us, then we may find that the complaint is justified and then we make recommendations …
If there are problems, universities will have to do everything they can to act compatibly with their freedom-of-speech duties. Insofar as that means a rethinking of their relationship with other countries, obviously that’s something that would be a good idea for them to start thinking about now.

Beijing’s chargé d’affaires told that UK government will not tolerate ‘threatening’ cyber-attacks
Ministers summoned a senior Chinese diplomat to the Foreign Office on Tuesday after accusing Beijing-backed hackers and .
The department called in China’s chargé d’affaires and told him the UK would not tolerate “threatening” cyber-attacks.

Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver killed while en route from Islamabad to dam construction site
Six people have been killed after a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a dam project in north-west Pakistan, in the third significant attack on Chinese interests in the country in a week.
The first two attacks targeted a Pakistani naval airbase and a strategic port used by China in the south-west province of Balochistan where Beijing is investing billions in infrastructure projects.

Jenn Tran is your new Bachelorette. During Joey Graziadei 's season finale of The Bachelor, Charity Lawson and Jesse Palmer announced the physician assistant student as the leading lady for season 21 ...

Tran, a 25-year-old Vietnamese American physician’s assistant student, competed on the latest season of “The Bachelor.” ...

The dating franchise, which has been criticized for its handling of race, has cast its first Asian American lead after more than 20 years on air.