Queenslander ordered to pay $350,000 plus interest and costs as judge finds his video about American gamer Billy Mitchell was recklessly' based on false claim
The Albanese government pledges to crack down on price-gouging', but there is no clear definition of what it is - and charging high prices is not illegal
Paul Marchant accepts behaviour fell below standards expected at owner Associated British FoodsThe boss of Primark has admitted an error of judgment" and resigned following an allegation made by a woman about his behaviour towards her in a social situation, the retailer's owner has said.Associated British Foods (ABF) said that Paul Marchant accepted that his actions fell below the standards it expected and had resigned with immediate effect. Continue reading...
by Ishani Mistry, James Parrish and Brendan Wood (Met on (#6W9QE)
Annual peak is lowest on record, covering 5.53m sq miles - about 30,000 sq miles below the previous low in 2017Winter sea ice in the Arctic has reached a record low in 2025, according to Nasa and the US's National Snow and Ice Data Center. The annual peak, recorded on 22 March, was the lowest since records began 47 years ago, with sea ice covering just 5.53m sq miles - about 1.1m sq miles less than last year - and 30,000 sq miles below the previous low in 2017. The Gulf of St Lawrence had almost no ice, while the Sea of Okhotsk experienced notably lower than average sea ice extent.In late January, sea ice extent in the Arctic unexpectedly decreased, losing an area the size of Italy (more than 115,000 sq miles). This can be attributed to cyclones pushing southerly winds in the Barents and Bering seas, causing ocean waves that broke apart and melted thin ice at the edge of the ice sheet. Temperatures up to 12C above normal were recorded between northern Greenland and the north pole. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6W9KE)
Exclusive: Meeting hosted by shadow housing minister for estate agents and landlords prompted accusations of collusionSenior Tories have held private talks with big landlords about how to thwart the government's renters' rights bill, the Guardian has learned, with ideas including launching a legal challenge under human rights law.Jane Scott, the shadow housing minister, recently hosted a roundtable meeting with several of the country's largest landlords and estate agents, at which they discussed a number of ways to delay or stop the bill altogether. The ideas included challenging it in the courts and delaying it with repeated rounds of Lords amendments, according to three people in attendance. Continue reading...
Ozgur Ozel expanded call to boycott companies perceived as close to President Recep Tayyip ErdoanTurkey's anti-government protesters are weighing their options, amid calls by the main opposition leader for weekly rallies, a growing economic boycott and a groundswell of fired-up student demonstrators determined to stay on the streets.The leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, expanded a call to boycott goods and services from companies perceived as close to the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoan, during a rally in support of the jailed Istanbul mayor, Ekrem mamolu. Continue reading...
by Malak A Tantesh in Gaza Emma Graham-Harrison and B on (#6W95F)
A nurse, a civil servant and a teacher, among thousands of Palestinians detained without charges, were not informed their relatives had died in Israeli attacks He insisted we take him to the graves': the Palestinian hostages coming home to catastrophe
Alaa Abu Zeid only discovered his wife and children had been killed after his release from an Israeli prison. His is a story repeated across Gaza They don't want them to know anything': Gaza civilians held in Israel not told families had been killedMore than a year after his abduction by Israeli soldiers, the first thing Alaa Abu Zeid wanted to do on his return to Gaza was hold his wife and children. He didn't know that Ali, his brother, would be the only person waiting when he arrived in Khan Younis earlier this month: Alaa's wife, Hala, and all five of the couple's children had been killed in an Israeli airstrike last summer.Abu Zeid, 48, the headteacher of a primary school funded by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) in Bureij in central Gaza, was arrested along with dozens of other men when Israeli troops raided the school turned shelter in December 2023. He would never see his family again. Continue reading...
Woman pulled to safety after 30 hours trapped in building a rare glimmer of hope in midst of devastationRescue workers battled for a second night to find survivors of Myanmar's devastating earthquake, which has killed at least 1,644 people and injured thousands more.Teams with little protective equipment, at times using only their bare hands, scrambled to free survivors from the rubble of countless buildings that were shattered by Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake. Continue reading...
Faye Hall had been detained since February along with a British couple before a court order led to her releaseA US citizen detained in Afghanistan in February by the Taliban administration has been released, the former US ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said on Saturday.American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home," Khalilzad posted on X. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok and Esther J on (#6W8ZF)
The military junta is calling for foreign aid but agencies and rescuers must navigate crumbling roads, an overwhelmed health system and ongoing fightingThe children at Bright Kids nursery in Kyaukse, a town south of Mandalay, were taking a nap when the earthquake struck on Friday afternoon. The two-storey building collapsed with dozens of children aged between two and four trapped inside. For hours, rescuers sifted through the rubble, searching desperately for survivors.We were clearing the building using diggers and rescuing people with manual tools," said Thar Nge, a volunteer. They needed better equipment - metal cutters and generators - but made use of what they had. Thar Nge helped carry a four-year-old girl to safety. She pleaded, over and over, for him to save her, he said. He held a bottle of water to her mouth before her dusty body was freed. Continue reading...
At least 20 officers forced their way into property and police said some present were planning direct action in LondonPolice have raided a Quaker meeting house and arrested six women attending a gathering of the protest group Youth Demand.More than 20 uniformed police, some equipped with Tasers, forced their way into the Westminster meeting house at 7.15pm, according to a statement by the Quakers. Continue reading...
France has been urged to shun Maga America as #BoycottUSA hashtag spreads, but teenagers say they can't afford to join the actionOn the rainy Grands Boulevards in Paris on Friday, the branches of McDonald's and KFC were doing brisk business.There was little sign of le boycott" - a movement among French customers to reject American brands and products made in the US, in protest at Donald Trump's trade tariffs and anti-Europe rhetoric. Continue reading...
Hundreds of thousands gather for Ekrem mamolu outside Istanbul centre in move to keep momentum after clashes with policeTurkey's main opposition has rallied in defence of the jailed Istanbul mayor, Ekrem mamolu, in a move to sustain the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.Hundreds of thousands of people attended the protest called by the head of the opposition Republican People's party (CHP) in a spot far from the Istanbul city centre. The party leader, Ozgur Ozel, claimed 2.2 million people attended. Continue reading...
by Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem and agencies on (#6W8NR)
Body of team leader found almost a week after six rescuers went missing, Gaza's civil defence agency saysIsrael's military admitted on Saturday it had fired on ambulances in the Gaza Strip after identifying them as suspicious vehicles", with Hamas condemning it as a war crime" that killed at least one person.The incident took place last Sunday in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood in the southern city of Rafah, close to the Egyptian border. Continue reading...
New emails reveal panic' inside the Home Office at the case of Ali Kololo, who was wrongly imprisoned for the 2011 murder of British tourist David TebbuttA Kenyan man who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death over an attack on British tourists is suing the Metropolitan police over its role in the case.Ali Kololo was imprisoned for more than a decade in what his lawyers called appalling conditions" before being released when his conviction was quashed in 2023. Continue reading...
The high-stakes race will determine which party will control a court that will rule on abortion and voting rightsA race to determine control of the Wisconsin supreme court that has profound stakes for voting, abortion and labor rights in the state, is also shaping up to be a litmus test of Elon Musk's political power, making it one of the most consequential elections of Donald Trump's second term.Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority on the state supreme court, but the liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley is retiring. Susan Crawford, a liberal judge, is facing off on Tuesday against the conservative judge Brad Schimel for the seat. The winner will determine which party has control of a court that is set to rule on the future of the state's 1849 abortion ban, collective bargaining rights and the makeup of the state's six congressional districts. Continue reading...
Daughter of deceased graduate gives clock part back to Gonville & Caius College - but minute hand still missingThe hour hand of a university chapel clock that was taken in a student prank and replaced with a cardboard copy has been returned almost a century later.Trixie Baker inherited the hour hand on the death of her father, Geoffrey Hunter Baker, a Cambridge graduate who died in 1999 aged 83. Continue reading...
Brianna Stern details alleged abuse in lawsuit filed in Los Angeles and seeks restraining order against influencerAndrew Tate is facing a lawsuit from an ex-girlfriend, who has accused him of sexual assault and battery.Brianna Stern, a model, detailed alleged physical and emotional abuse that took place throughout their 10-month relationship in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles. She also sought a restraining order against Tate. Continue reading...
Governor Ron DeSantis leads push to loosen child labor laws as immigration crackdown leads to workforce shortageBeneath the smugness of Ron DeSantis, at Florida leading the nation in immigration enforcement lies something of a conundrum: how to fill the essential jobs of the scores of immigrant workers targeted for deportation.The answer, according to Florida lawmakers, is the state's schoolchildren, who as young as 14 could soon be allowed to work overnight shifts without a break - even on school nights. Continue reading...
Drone raid sparks blaze in Dnipro hotel and restaurant complex and injures 19; Ukrainian president says too early to judge Washington's expanded proposal. What we know on day 1,130
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6W88S)
Billboards in Birmingham cite party leader's remarks about a new funding model as local elections campaigning beginsLabour has begun an all-out assault on Nigel Farage over his views on the NHS in the run-up to key elections in May, as the Reform UK leader prepared to host what is billed as his party's biggest ever rally in Birmingham.In a coordinated campaign before Farage spoke at a 10,000-person event in the city on Friday evening, Labour paid for nearly a dozen billboard posters around the city with messages about his talk about replacing the NHS with an insurance-based healthcare system. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6W8BD)
Jing Lusi said Clarke had boasted of previous Bafta award at a dinner where he propositioned and threatened herA prominent actor said Noel Clarke's honorary award from Bafta was handing him a loaded gun" to seduce and silence women, the high court has heard.Jing Lusi, who stars in Gangs of London and Red Eye, is one of more than 20 women whose allegations of sexual misconduct by Clarke were reported by the Guardian in 2021-22 and which form the basis of Clarke's libel claim against the publisher. Continue reading...
Milton, sentenced to four years in prison last year, had donated $1.8m to a Trump re-election campaign fundTrevor Milton, the founder of electric vehicle start-up Nikola who was sentenced to prison last year, was pardoned by Donald Trump late Thursday, the White House confirmed Friday.The pardon of Milton, who was sentenced to four years in prison for exaggerating the potential of his technology, could wipe out hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution that prosecutors were seeking for defrauded investors. Continue reading...
US president says he and Canadian prime minister agree on many things' after first talk since Carney assumed roleDonald Trump described a long-awaited call with the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, as extremely productive" amid a trade war between the two nations launched by the US president.The Friday morning call, requested by the White House, marks the first time the two leaders have spoken since Carney became prime minister on 14 March. Continue reading...
Plumes of smoke rise from suburb of Dahiyeh in Lebanese capital after airstrike that threatens fragile truceIsrael has conducted an airstrike on Beirut for the first time since signing a November ceasefire with Hezbollah.Huge smoke plumes rose from the site of the attack in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh and residents reported hearing the explosion from the mountains surrounding the Lebanese capital. Continue reading...
US rejects suggestion and Kremlin later clarifies idea is just one of the options' and has not been raised with TrumpVladimir Putin has suggested Ukraine could be placed under a temporary UN-led government to organise fresh elections as both Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of breaching an energy ceasefire agreed this week.The idea was quickly rejected by a US spokesperson, and it was not clear how far it was meant to be taken seriously, given that the Kremlin clarified that Putin had not raised this idea in recent phone calls with Donald Trump. Continue reading...
Justice secretary says all options are on the table' and threatens to change lawKeir Starmer has said that he is disappointed" at the Sentencing Council's refusal to agree to the government's request to withdraw the guidelines that have led to claims it is promoting two-tier" justice. (See 11.44am.) Asked about the Sentencing Council's letter this morning, he said:Look, I'm disappointed in this response, and the lord chancellor is obviously continuing to engage on this, and we're considering our response.All options are on the table. I'm disappointed at this outcome, and now we will have to consider what we do as a result.Farage wants you to eat chlorinated chicken just so he can keep licking the boots of his idol Donald Trump.
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi, and Gaurav Pokhare on (#6W86S)
Dozens of royalists injured in clashes with police fuelled by political instability and economic discontentTwo people have been killed and dozens injured after protests in Kathmandu calling for the restoration of Nepal's monarchy ended in clashes with police.Thousands of protesters rallied in Nepal's capital on Friday to demand a return to the Hindu monarchy, which was abolished in 2008, and the re-establishment of the country as a Hindu rather than secular state. Pro-democracy and republican groups held a counter-protest that passed peacefully. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6W810)
Justice secretary criticises response and threatens to change law over guidance to judges aimed at tackling biasThe Sentencing Council for England and Wales has rejected demands from Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, to review guidelines she called a two-tier" system of justice.Mahmood criticised rules drawn up by the independent body that devises judges' sentencing guidelines after claims they discriminated against white men. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#6W811)
Marcin Majerkiewicz, 42, sentenced to life for murder of flatmate Stuart Everett, 67, last yearA man who murdered and dismembered his friend before dumping parts of his body in public spaces across Salford and north Manchester has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 34 years in prison.Marcin Majerkiewicz, 42, was sentenced at Manchester crown court on Friday having previously been found guilty of the murder of Stuart Everett, 67, following a two-week trial at the same court. Continue reading...
Scores of poultry operations in the US have been reinfected by bird flu since 2022, costing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal payouts, according to documents obtained by the Guardian.The recurring outbreaks highlight the need for more aggressive prevention, including poultry vaccination and changes to how poultry is farmed, experts say. Continue reading...