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Victorian and federal Labor governments greenlight Otway basin drilling project with potential to supply one-third of state's gas

Local, mayoral and parliamentary contests could upend political landscape as Reform, Greens and Lib Dems surgePolling has opened across England, Scotland and Wales in a series of local, mayoral and parliamentary contests - the biggest electoral test Keir Starmer and the Labour government have faced since the 2024 general election.As millions of people across Great Britain go to the polls on Thursday, party leaders are poised for a set of results that could fundamentally change the political landscape nationally in Scotland and Wales, and across local authorities in England. Continue reading...

Partnership between top startup DeepL and Amazon comes amid concern about Silicon Valley's monopoly over digital infrastructureAI companies in Europe risk losing their world-leading status in the field of machine translation, industry figures have said, after the decision by one of the continent's leading startups to partner with Amazon's cloud computing division provoked alarm.While businesses in the EU have generally lagged behind the US and China in AI adoption, a small group of European companies have cornered the global market for high-quality machine translations for professional use. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Taped conversations also cover playwright's relationship with fame, self-doubt and communismHe was one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century and she was one of the greatest actors. In newly unearthed recordings made over a period of nearly three decades, Arthur Miller opened up about his short-lived marriage to Marilyn Monroe, saying she wanted a husband who was a father, lover, friend and agent," and the child she longed for would have been an additional problem".In taped conversations with his friend and biographer Prof Christopher Bigsby, Miller said he had felt death was always on her [Monroe's] shoulder - always". He had believed that if he did not take care of her life" she would come to a catastrophic end". Continue reading...

Davis, 32, arrested on Wednesday and charged with inciting hatred and causing fear. Arrest comes after police criticised at royal commission into antisemitism

Julie, once a circus elephant, and Kariba, from a Belgian zoo, are to be moved to a former ranch in PortugalEurope's first large-scale elephant sanctuary, which is opening to offer a more natural environment for some of the 600 animals still held in captivity across the continent, is to receive its first arrivals.Julie, Portugal's last circus elephant, will be moved next month to the animal charity Pangea's multimillion pound sanctuary in the Alentejo, 200km (124 miles) east of Lisbon, close to the border with Spain. Continue reading...

Cap of 20mph in towns and cities and 60mph on motorways would cut fuel demand and combat rising prices, IPPR saysBritain should lower speed limits for drivers as part of a package of measures to reduce the impact of the Iran war on consumers, a thinktank has said.Capping legal speeds at 20mph in towns and cities and 60mph on motorways would help reduce fuel demand and combat soaring oil prices triggered by conflict, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Continue reading...

Al Nahyans' control over farmland in Europe has meant they receive proportion of payments to farmsThe United Arab Emirates' ruling royal family is benefiting from tens of millions in EU subsidies to grow crops destined for the Gulf, it can be revealed.A cross-border investigation by DeSmog and shared with the Guardian found subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyans collected more than 71m (61m) in six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy and Spain. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Voters remain split on issues critical to EU, such as support for Ukraine and dependence on Russian energyMore than three-quarters of Hungarians who voted for Peter Magyar in last month's election want his government to do more to address the climate crisis, and more than 70% want him to protect LGBTQ+ rights, a poll has found.Magyar's opposition Tisza party won a supermajority in the vote, bringing an end to Viktor Orban's 16 years in power. The new prime minister will be sworn in on Saturday, weeks after the results set off celebrations in Budapest and Brussels. Continue reading...

Authorities investigate Florent Montaclair over award given to himself and others including Noam ChomskyAt a ceremony at the French national assembly attended by Nobel prize winners, former government ministers, MPs, decorated scientists and academics, all attention was on a previously unknown literature professor.Florent Montaclair, then 46, a balding, bespectacled figure in an ill-fitting suit and rose-coloured shirt, was receiving the 2016 Gold Medal of Philology - the study of linguistics - from an international society of the same name. Continue reading...

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Ex-TV star launches viral video a day before debate with mayor Karen Bass and city council member Nithya RamanLos Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt reposted a scathing AI-generated ad on X on Tuesday, which cast the city as a bleak hellscape under its current leadership.In the viral video, created by film-maker Charlie Curran, flames engulf the Hollywood sign; a socialist militia patrols the streets; and California's political brass, including governor Gavin Newsom, mayor Karen Bass and former vice-president Kamala Harris, are depicted as royal bourgeois who care little for their subjects' plights. Continue reading...

Argentina, where the MV Hondius cruise departed, consistently ranked by WHO as having highest incidence of hantavirus in regionOfficials and experts in Argentina are scrambling to determine if their country is the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has gripped an Atlantic cruise ship, amid reports that a number of passengers have already returned to their home countries.Argentina, where the cruise to Antarctica departed, is consistently ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having the highest incidence of the rare, rodent-borne disease in Latin America. Investigators there are working to contact trace the source of contamination. Continue reading...

The 16-page report was led by Trump-ally Sebastian Gorka, and places drug cartels in the Americas at the centre of counter-terrorism effortsThe Trump administration has accused Europe of being an incubator" for terrorism fuelled by mass migration, in a new counter-terrorism strategy unveiled on Wednesday.The strategy also focuses on rooting out violent left-wing extremists" including radically pro-transgender" groups, as Trump's conservative administration steps up its political attacks on opponents. Continue reading...

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Four women and nine children expected to return to Australia on Thursday with all apart from a mother and her child expected to go to Victoria

Clinical consensus statement' also urges heart doctors to advise patients to not eat late at night, and chew slowlyWant to reduce your intake of ultra-processed food? If so, cook at home more often, don't eat late at night and chew your food more slowly.Those are among some of the tips doctors have offered to help people limit the amount of UPF they consume given the acute and growing danger it poses to human health worldwide. Continue reading...

Michael Marx was shot by authorities multiple times and then taken to a hospital after bystander was woundedA man accused of firing a gun at law enforcement officers near the Washington monument this week was walking along the path of JD Vance's motorcade before the shooting and made a vulgar remark about the White House after the confrontation, according to a court filing on Wednesday.Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was shot multiple times during Monday's confrontation and was in the back of an ambulance on his way to a hospital when he said: F-k the White House' and Kill me, kill me, kill me'", a Secret Service agent said in an affidavit. Continue reading...

University of California at Los Angeles says admissions are based on merit' and it complies with state and federal lawsThe US Department of Justice found on Wednesday that the medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles illegally considered race in admissions as the Trump administration ramps up scrutiny of colleges' processes for selecting students.The finding escalates the Trump administration's ongoing standoff with UCLA, which has focused mostly on the main campus's response to allegations of antisemitic harassment. Continue reading...

British guide Martin Anstee, 56, among those evacuated from MV Hondius, which is now heading for Canary Islands

Democrats sharply criticize the US commerce secretary's testimony, saying he was dishonest' and should resignThe US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, appeared before the House oversight and reform committee on Wednesday to answer questions over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.Lutnick agreed in March to sit for a transcribed interview with the committee after the justice department's release of millions of documents related to Epstein, which included documents showing that Lutnick continued correspondence with Epstein after the disgraced financier had been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The session is part of the committee's broader investigation into Epstein. Continue reading...

Powerful property and farming firm Grosvenor Group says knock-on effect of Iran war could arrive next yearFertiliser shortages caused by the Iran war have driven up costs for UK farmers by up to 70% and will have a dramatic" impact on food prices globally next year, according to one of Britain's most powerful property and farming companies.Mark Preston, executive trustee of the 349-year-old Grosvenor Group, controlled by the Duke of Westminster, said fertiliser was already quite expensive" before the 50% to 70% surge in prices since the start of the Iran war in late February. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood has announced plan to cut leave to remain from five years to 30 months, to concern of UN refugee agencyTwo Sudanese asylum seekers are challenging a central element of Labour's plans to strip refugees of basic rights, rejecting the home secretary's accusation that they are asylum shoppers".Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to halve refugees' leave to remain in the UK, from five years to 30 months. Previously, people could apply for permanent settlement after five years but now refugees will have to wait 20 years before being eligible. Continue reading...

With gas more than $6 in state, delivery of about 2m barrels is last planned shipment to pass through strait of Hormuz

After two years in parliament, the Reform UK leader has brought in 2m on top of his Commons salary

Reform UK leader has registered wide range of financial interests on top of his Commons salary since July 2024

Video shows looksmaxxing' influencer shooting an apparently already dead alligator in the EvergladesA controversial social media influencer known as Clavicular is facing charges in connection with a live stream showing him shooting an apparently already dead alligator in the Everglades, local Florida media has reported.Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Eric Peters and is known for the practice of looksmaxxing", faces charges of unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place or residential property, according to legal files obtained by television station ABC6 in South Florida. The charges stem from his alleged actions in a 26 March live stream. Continue reading...

Utz issues voluntary recall for certain varieties of Zapp's and Dirty potato chips over contamination linked to seasoning

Suit says director used Q'orianka Kilcher's features without permission after seeing her in advert for The New World

Though Trump's popularity has dwindled, staying loyal to him seems to still be a winning strategy among the GOP

Sarah Schloegl was unable to board flight home from Spain as 11-month-old lacked documents needed under new rulesA British woman from Aberdeen has been stranded abroad after her 11-month-old baby was prevented from boarding a flight because of new rules regarding dual nationals.Sarah Schloegl was unable to board a Ryanair flight from Alicante last week after she went to Spain for a short break with her Austrian husband, Philipp, their three-year-old daughter and 11-month-old baby. Continue reading...

Approval for exploration in 70 new areas prompts fierce backlash from fossil fuel opponentsThe Norwegian government has been heavily criticised for approving plans to reopen three North Sea gasfields nearly three decades after they were closed to help fill the gap in energy supplies created by the Middle East war.Amid sharp price rises in oil and gas since the US and Israel's attack on Iran in February, Oslo has also given its approval for oil and gas companies to explore in 70 new locations in the North Sea, Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea. Continue reading...

Finding would explain why type of stroke affecting about 35,000 a year in UK is not as responsive to some medicationThe cause of a type of stroke that affects about 35,000 people across the UK each year has been uncovered by researchers and may explain why some medications are ineffective as treatment.Lacunar strokes, which account for a quarter of all strokes in the UK, had been linked to the blockage of arteries in the brain by fatty deposits. However, a study published on Wednesday suggests they are not caused by blocked arteries but by the enlargement and widening of arteries in the brain. Continue reading...

Researchers found that TikTok's For You pages prioritized pro-Republican content in New York, Texas and GeorgiaA study published Wednesday in the journal Nature finds that TikTok's algorithm systematically prioritized pro-Republican content in three states leading up to the 2024 US elections.Researchers created hundreds of dummy accounts and conditioned them to mimic real users' behavior by watching a set of videos either aligned with the US Democratic or Republican parties. Then, they tracked the videos TikTok recommended on these accounts' For You pages, TikTok's main feed. Continue reading...

Councillor announces plan to withdraw from government-funded programme on eve of local elections

Mamata Banerjee says Narendra Modi's party forcefully captured' election that ended her party's 15 years in powerA political showdown is taking place in the Indian state of West Bengal as the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee - India's most powerful female politician - has dramatically refused to resign after she lost elections to the prime minister's party this week.On Monday, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) won an overwhelming victory in the state elections in West Bengal, where Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party (TMC) have been in power for 15 years. Continue reading...

New owner Modella Capital, which rebranded shops to TG Jones, blames weak consumer spendingDozens of former WH Smith stores are likely to close, putting thousands of jobs at risk under a radical restructuring plan by their new owner, which had rebranded the shops to TG Jones,The investment company Modella Capital, which bought WH Smith's chain of 480 high street stores for 76m last year, blamed weak consumer spending" as it set out the plan to landlords on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy has announced the strait of Hormuz could reopen following the end of threats from aggressors'Job vacancies in the UK bounced back in March but remained near a five-year low, and openings for graduates slumped more than a third.UK job vacancies showed signs of recovery in March, rising 3.74% month-on-month to 752,711 - the second monthly increase after an extended period of decline, according to the job matching platform Adzuna. Yet despite this tentative rebound, the overall picture remains tough for job seekers. Vacancies are still 13.60% lower than in March 2025, and the market remains near its weakest level since 2021.Like BP last week, these are unearned windfall profits driven by Trump's war with Iran.Equinor now wants to cash in even more by developing the Rosebank oil field, which would be a terrible deal for the UK. This government must put the needs of the British public - for affordable energy and a safe climate - ahead of this Norwegian oil giant's relentless pursuit of profit. Continue reading...

National park closes areas near Old Faithful after attack by one or more bears, with incident under investigationTwo hikers were injured in a bear attack on Monday on a trail in Yellowstone national park, park officials said.The National Park Service said in a statement on Tuesday that the hikers sustained injuries on Monday by one or more bears" on the Mystic Falls trail near Old Faithful in Yellowstone national park. Officials did not specify which species of bear. Continue reading...

Leading newspaper La Nacion calls US's barring of board members indirect attack on press freedom'The US state department has cancelled tourist visas for more than half of the board members of Costa Rica's leading national newspaper, La Nacion, which has been a critical voice against the country's president, Rodrigo Chaves, an ally of Donald Trump.During Chaves's 2022 presidential campaign, La Nacion published several articles documenting allegations of sexual harassment against him that had forced him out of his job at the World Bank. The paper also reported on allegations of illegal campaign financing, which Chaves denied. Continue reading...

Biologists had guessed coyote paddled a shorter distance to former prison in the San Francisco Bay earlier this yearA lone coyote stunned biologists and others when earlier this year it paddled its way to the remote Alcatraz Island, a former federal prison in the San Francisco Bay surrounded by swift, choppy waters notorious for thwarting prisoners' escapes.At the time, biologists guessed the coyote swam from San Francisco, which is a little over 1 mile (1.6km) from the fortress. But it turns out the male coyote actually made an even longer swim from nearby Angel Island, 2 miles (3.2km) away. Continue reading...

Researchers say 481-metre wave in fjord was triggered by rockslide linked to climate crisisA mega tsunami in Alaska last year in a fjord visited by cruise ships is a stark warning of the risks of coastal rockslides and glacier retreat fueled by the climate crisis, a new study warns.Scientists recorded the world's second-tallest tsunami after it struck the Tracy Arm fjord in south-east Alaska last August after a massive rockslide around the toe of a glacier. The tsunami reached 481 metres (1,578ft) in height; by comparison the Eiffel Tower is 330 metres (1082ft). Continue reading...

Polls suggest Reform could win most seats in Senedd election but party is unlikely to be able to form government

Team of 100 extra officers is aimed at providing more consistent model of protection' for Jewish communities

With most major European cities well-served by trains and buses, bringing US transit up to par would cost $4.6tnThe only train station in Houston, the US's fourth-largest city and one of the fastest-growing conurbations in the country, is a diminished, morose sight. Intercity trains arrive at this squat, shed-like Amtrak building, which cringes in the shadows of roaring highways, just three times a week.That such a meager train station could ostensibly serve a metropolitan area of about 7 million people is a stark symbol of how the sprawling, car-dominated US has fallen behind cities around the world where people can rely on extensive, high-quality public transport to get around. Continue reading...

Owner of Japan nightclub says This is a response to a year of insults directed at us - as a country - by the United States'A Mexico City nightclub has gone viral for charging Americans a nearly $300 cover charge, while citizens from any other country pay just $20 for access, and Mexicans and other Latin Americans pay only $14.The Instagram announcement from the nightclub Japan in the Roma Norte neighborhood has been liked over 26,000 times and received more than 200 comments, mostly supporting the policy as part of a broader revolt in the capital against what many see as a US takeover. Continue reading...

Green party leader also accuses rightwing media of politically motivated attacks as popularity grows

The third day of hearings of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion heard further evidence from Jewish Australians

Janine Roebuck, from London, says she no longer considers herself deaf after double cochlear implants restored hearingAn opera singer who hid her deafness for more than 30 years has described life-changing" surgery that has the potential to become the norm for thousands of NHS patients.Janine Roebuck, 72, from London, had double cochlear implants fitted to restore her hearing, a method now being trialled nationwide to see whether it can transform the lives of thousands more people. Continue reading...

Home affairs minister Tony Burke says government continues to refuse to help the group of 13