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Oil-driven inflation is big challenge to world economy, lifting inflation and depressing growth, says bank's chair

The Coalition might be in opposition to Labor but it is hoping to stem its loss of voters to Pauline Hanson

George Robertson says Iran war should be wake-up call to address military underfunding in scathing remarks

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Luba Grigorovitch, one of four MPs promoted to Jacinta Allan's cabinet, says she has no regrets' over friendship with former CFMEU bossLuba Grigorovitch, one of four Victorian Labor MPs promoted to cabinet, says she has no regrets" about her past friendship with disgraced construction union leader John Setka, despite the opposition labelling her appointment appalling".The Victorian Labor caucus met on Tuesday and voted to elevate Grigorovitch, the member for Kororoit, along with Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke, Eureka MP Michaela Settle and Box Hill MP Paul Hamer, to cabinet. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: More than one-fifth of austerity-generation' British children live in poverty. Our social policy editor talks about the damage done and the way forwardThe austerity years cast a long shadow over Britain. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, a programme of cuts overseen by then-chancellor George Osborne and the work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith gutted parts of the welfare state, limiting the generosity of what is now universal credit, introducing a bedroom tax and the two-child limit for child benefit. By 2021, an estimated 37bn had been cut from welfare spending each year alone, with further cuts made to other branches of government.The consequences of these decisions are all around us. Around four million children were classified as living in poverty in the UK, according to the most recent figures. This week, a University of Oxford study revealed that more than one-fifth of all austerity generation" British children - that is, children born since 2013 - have been scarred by poverty for at least half their childhood.Southport attack | Axel Rudakubana was able to carry out the Southport atrocity because of catastrophic" failures by multiple agencies and the irresponsible and harmful" role of his parents, a damning inquiry has found.Middle East crisis | The US blockade of ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf began on Monday evening, turning the six-week-old conflict between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran into a test of economic endurance.Health | Metabolic liver disease (MASLD) will affect 1.8 billion people worldwide by 2050, driven by rising obesity and blood sugar levels, according to a new report. There are now 1.3 billion people worldwide living with MASLD, a 143% increase in just three decades.Scotland | A funding deal to raise 100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told, the Guardian has learned.XL bully ban | Police spending on kennels and veterinary bills in England and Wales has more than tripled since the XL bully ban came into force, with some forces recording an almost 500% spending increase since 2024. Continue reading...

Three human rights groups are seeking to compel the release of military export permit documents from Richard Marles

Australian airline is benefiting from demand for flights that transit through Asia - but says its jet fuel bill is rising sharply

A skull fragment found in a tray of unsorted fossils collected more than a century ago leads to discovery

Carney's Liberals will now be able to pass legislation without the support of opposition parties - and govern until 2029The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has secured a parliamentary majority for his Liberal government, CBC News reported. The victory will help him push through a legislative agenda he says is needed for an increasingly divided geopolitical world.Three special elections were held on Monday in Ontario and Quebec, with two in districts - known as ridings - that have long voted Liberal. Continue reading...

Consumer spending on travel is down for the first time in five years while card spending edges up in MarchUK consumers have cut back on travel spending for the first time in five years, as they worry about the rising cost of living amid the Iran war.Overall consumer card spending increased 0.9% year on year in March, down from February's 1%, according to data from Barclays. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ministers accused of trying to keep investment firm's withdrawal from partnership with NatureScot under wrapsA funding deal to raise 100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told.The Guardian has learned that Aberdeen, the investment firm, decided to withdraw from a partnership with the agency NatureScot to raise at least 100m for conservation projects from commercial and private investors late last year. Continue reading...

Data from 22 police forces shows spending has more than tripled since the ban came into force in 2024Police spending on kennels and veterinary bills in England and Wales has more than tripled since the XL bully ban came into force, with some forces recording an almost 500% spending increase since the new law was enacted in 2024.Data from 22 police forces obtained via freedom of information requests showed police spending had soared from an average of 137,400 per force in 2022-23 to 423,136 in 2024-25. Continue reading...

Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Queen Latifah and Joy Division/New Order will also be inducted, along with the late Luther VandrossPhil Collins, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Queen Latifah, Oasis, Sade and Joy Division/New Order will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with first-time nominees Wu-Tang Clan and the late Luther Vandross.The list was revealed on Monday night in the US, during an airing of American Idol. To be eligible, artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior. Nominees were voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals. Continue reading...

Trips in electric vehicles will be exempt from the temporary fee of 5 cents a kilometre, rideshare firm says

Weakened economic activity, soaring fuel prices and rising inflation have created a horror scenario, RBA deputy governor says

Dispatch of vessel strike, like most of military's statements on strikes conducted in area, did not provide evidenceThe US military said it killed two people in a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, claiming the targets were involved in narco-trafficking operations".The announcement, like most of the military's statements on the dozens of strikes it has conducted in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, did not provide evidence to support its claims that the targets were engaged in narco-trafficking. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed - our live coverage continues hereCircling back to Donald Trump's coming naval blockade, the US military said it would block all Iranian Gulf ports on Monday at 10am ET on Monday (5.30pm in Iran and 1400 GMT), effectively seizing control of maritime traffic in the strait of Hormuz.The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," US Central Command said on X.This is like a game of chicken. It's who caves first. The Iranian regime is hoping that Trump will cave. Today, he showed he's not." Continue reading...

Peter Magyar would talk to Russian president, but won't initiate contact'; Ukraine welcomes defeat of Orban. What we know on day 1,511Peter Magyar, Hungary's new leader, said he would ask Vladimir Putin to end the killing in Ukraine if they speak, and plans to review Hungary's Russian energy contracts and renegotiate them if needed. Magyar said he would talk to the Russian president, but won't initiate contact. If Vladimir Putin calls, I'll pick up the phone," he said in his first news conference after his landslide win against Viktor Orban, a Putin ally. If we did talk, I could tell him that it would be nice to end the killing after four years and end the war. It would probably be a short phone conversation and I don't think he would end the war on my advice," he said.Ukraine welcomed with relief on Monday the defeat of Orban, its harshest critic in the EU, an outcome that paves the way for a 90bn ($105bn) loan that Kyiv urgently needs to fund the war with Russia.Higher oil prices caused by the war in the Middle East could raise inflation rates in Ukraine by 1.5 to 2.8 percentage points, Ukraine's top central banker said on Monday. The National Bank of Ukraine governor, Andriy Pyshnyi, said the central bank would stick to its target of lowering inflation to 5% in three years, using all available tools to ensure that goal was met. We're trying to walk on a razorblade," Pyshnyi said through an interpreter, noting prices have already started to rise.The Ukrainian military struck a Russian chemicals plant in Cherepovets in the Vologda region, Kyiv's drone forces commander said on Monday. The plant produces chemicals that serve as raw materials for TNT, hexogen and components for munitions, Robert Brovdi said on Telegram.Russian and Belarusian athletes will be permitted to compete in World Aquatics events with their respective uniforms, flags and anthems, the sport's governing body said on Monday. Competitors from both countries were banned from international sports events after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which was launched in part from Belarusian territory. Continue reading...

Kepner's body was found concealed under bed in a room she shared with two teens, including 16-year-old stepbrother

The US president's conservative, Christian supporters decried the Truth Social post, calling it disgusting'Less than a year after signing legislation that will pull nearly 12 million Americans off health insurance by gutting Medicaid, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself to Truth Social on Sunday depicting him as a Jesus-like figure, with divine light emanating from his hands as he heals a stricken man in a hospital bed with a demon from hell floating in the background.The president has since deleted the post, which also followed a lengthy tirade about Pope Leo XIV on the site the same day in which he called him weak on crime" and blamed the head of the Catholic church for being influenced by Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod. Trump refused to apologize to the pope, saying: He went public. I'm just responding to Pope Leo." Continue reading...

Iran warns Americans they face higher pump prices due to prohibition imposed on Monday evening

Leader of Catholic church says he will continue to speak out against war after president's extraordinary criticism

Gonzales, who admitted affair with aide who later died by suicide, says he will file retirement from office on Tuesday

FBI alleges Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, was captured on video throwing explosive device outside home of OpenAI chiefA Texas man was charged with hurling a molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and attempting to set fire to the AI firm's headquarters.Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, was captured on surveillance video throwing an incendiary device outside Altman's San Francisco residence, according to a FBI affidavit filed in federal court on Monday. Continue reading...

Galleries, theatres, museums and libraries to benefit from largest cash injection into the arts for a decadeMore than 100 cultural venues, museums, and libraries will share 130m extra funding as part of the largest cash injection into the arts for a decade, ministers have announced.The investment forms part of the Arts Everywhere Fund, a 1.5bn package to support cultural infrastructure projects over the course of this parliament, which was announced by the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, earlier this year. The fund aims to save more than 1,000 arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. Continue reading...

Chief inspector for England and Wales says prison remains in precarious state' more than year after urgent notificationThe Prison Service has made very little progress" in enforcing a formal demand to stop drones from delivering drugs into one of its worst performing jails, a watchdog has concluded.Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales, said HMP Manchester remained in a precarious state" after a failure to fix broken windows and install security to stop contraband being delivered to gangs. Continue reading...

Decision comes after House ethics committee announced it had opened an investigation into congressmanRepresentative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, said on Monday he would resign from Congress following multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that ended his bid for governor.Swalwell was a facing a growing chorus of bipartisan calls for him to step down or face an expulsion vote, a day after he announced that he would suspend his campaign for governor of California. Continue reading...

Trump has pushed unfounded claims of Tylenol use in pregnancy being tied to a very increased risk of autism'Taking acetaminophen - known in the US by the brand name Tylenol - during pregnancy has no effect on later autism diagnoses, according to a sweeping new study from Denmark published on Monday.The Trump administration has targeted Tylenol use in pregnancy as a major cause of autism in children, which appears to have led to a drop in pregnant people taking the pain reliever. Continue reading...

TMTG drops defamation claim over report that prosecutors were investigating payments received as possible money launderingDonald Trump's media corporation has dropped a defamation claim against the Guardian and two other defendants over a report that federal prosecutors were investigating $8m in payments the company received from entities with ties to Vladimir Putin as possible money laundering.A filing in the 12th judicial circuit in Sarasota county, Florida, on Friday confirmed that Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of the president's Truth Social platform, was withdrawing its claims without prejudice, meaning it could refile the lawsuit at a later date. Continue reading...

Immigration judges Roopal Patel and Nina Froes among six judges terminated by Department of JusticeTwo immigration judges who ruled against the Trump administration in the deportation cases of pro-Palestinian university students have been fired by the Department of Justice.The New York Times reported over the weekend that the justice department had terminated six judges, including Roopal Patel and Nina Froes, who oversaw deportation proceedings against Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi, two students who were arrested last year as part of Trump's campaign against the Gaza protest movement. Continue reading...

Stephen Doughty says US withdrawal of support means bill cannot complete passage through parliamentA treaty over ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has become impossible to agree at political level" and the corresponding bill will not complete its passage through parliament, a Foreign Office minister has said.Stephen Doughty told the Commons that the agreement with Mauritius was initially negotiated in close coordination with the US, but Donald Trump's position appears to have changed". Continue reading...

Brian Hooker says wife Lynette fell overboard from dinghy but family members have cast doubt on that accountPolice in the Bahamas on Monday were set to again interview a US man who said his wife fell overboard from their boat.In a statement on Sunday to the Guardian, Brian Hooker's attorney, Terrel Butler, said: The police have requested another interview with [Brian Hooker] tomorrow." Continue reading...

US president's previous threat to block strait of Hormuz had led to a 6.9% increase in earlier trading

Review of original train order is meant to prevent service problems north of Birmingham, but it may do the oppositePlans to change the size of HS2 trains to maximise capacity are likely to inflate costs and mean fewer seats and slower services north of Birmingham, a senior government and rail industry figure has warned.The 2bn order for 54 high-speed trains, to be built in Britain by a joint venture of Alstom and Hitachi, is under review as HS2 Ltd seeks to cut costs and renegotiate contracts. Continue reading...

Alexandre Ramagem fled country after he was sentenced to 16 years for his role in plotting military coup in BrazilWhen Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for an attempted coup, six other members of his cabinet were also found guilty and all began serving their sentences - except for one.Days before the verdict, Alexandre Ramagem, Bolsonaro's former spy chief, fled by car to Guyana and boarded a flight to the United States, where he has remained ever since. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysis of government figures indicates public finances will gain 600m not 10bn if migrants' access to benefits is reducedShabana Mahmood's migration changes are expected to save just 600m - about 6% of the 10bn the home secretary claimed, according to the government's own data.Under the plans, most people would have to wait 10 years to qualify for settled status, rather than the existing five-year period, which the home secretary argued would save costs on public services. Continue reading...

Orban is out in Hungary and talks have failed to end the war in Iran - ill-fated roadtrip has been setback for Maga aimsShortly before JD Vance's ill-fated week crisscrossing the world, Donald Trump asked him during a private Easter brunch about how the Iran negotiations were shaping up. If it doesn't happen, I'm blaming JD Vance," Trump said to laughs in the room. If it does happen, I'm taking full credit."The joke at Vance's expense contained an unfortunate nugget of truth: this is not an administration that rewards failure. Continue reading...

Dozens of feral pachyderms linked to drug kingpin to be killed because of threat to native species and villagersColombian officials have authorized a plan to cull dozens of hippos descended from animals brought to the country in the 1980s by Pablo Escobar, after the feral beasts displaced native species and threatened local villagers.The environment minister, Irene Velez, said the decision was reached because other methods to control their population had been expensive and unsuccessful, including neutering some of the animals or moving them to zoos. Velez said that up to 80 hippos would be affected by the measure. She did not say when the hunting would begin. Continue reading...

The home secretary made the comments after an inquiry revealed that the system completely failed'Keir Starmer has confirmed that he wants to stop children being exposed to addictive scrolling features on their phones as part of measures to protect them from social media.The PM is under pressure to implement an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s, and the government is consulting on whether to go ahead with a full ban, or whether to just impose more specific restrictions.It's not a question of if we do something, it's what we do.The addictive scrolling mechanisms are really problematic to my mind, they need to go.Despite some lower-income households receiving a long-overdue real-terms increase in their benefits, we now estimate - based on market-forecasts for the rise in energy prices consistent with market pricing after the announcement of a ceasefire - that average income growth for the poorest fifth this year is now set to be just 1.2 per cent, down from 2.8 per cent before the conflict.The picture is brighter for families in the bottom half of the income distribution with three or more children. Even after the inflation shock, the abolition of the two-child limit is estimated to deliver 7.7 per cent income growth for this group this year - compared to 0.0 per cent for poorer families with fewer than three children.Despite hopes for a sustained peace, the path of this conflict remains uncertain and energy prices remain well above pre-war levels, meaning many households face a decline in their purchasing power this year. Continue reading...

Wife of Pawel Bukowski criticises care husband received over depression he suffered following failed procedureA man who took his own life was suffering from depression after a failed dental procedure in Turkey left him without any teeth, an inquest has heard.Pawel Bukowski, a 48-year-old forklift driver, had travelled to a private clinic in the country in January 2025 to have his teeth replaced after suffering from periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection that can erode the gums and lead to tooth and bone loss.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Exclusive: Pre-chemotherapy tests previously did not look for gene variant that put some ethnicities at higher risk of serious side effectsThousands of cancer patients from minority ethnic backgrounds will have access to groundbreaking" genetic testing on the NHS that previously discriminated against them.This routine form of genetic testing, used before chemotherapy treatment, could save the lives of Black and minority ethnic cancer patients who already face poorer health outcomes after diagnosis compared with their white counterparts. Continue reading...

Geoffrey Robertson says proposals to reduce backlog are betrayal of party's values and a cure worse than the disease'The founder of Keir Starmer's barristers' chambers has condemned the planned restriction of jury trials in England and Wales as a betrayal of the values for which Labour purports to stand".Geoffrey Robertson KC, founding head of Doughty Street Chambers, where the attorney general, Richard Hermer KC, and the justice secretary, David Lammy, also had their professional homes, has written a more than 9,000-word polemic to coincide with the committee stage of the courts and tribunals bill. Continue reading...

Report finds there were dozens of warning signs about Axel Rudakubana as far back as 2019 and identifies five main failures of those involved

Judge rules complaint fails to outline malice after Trump argued lewd drawing allegedly sent to Epstein at heart of story was fakeA Florida judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed last summer by Donald Trump over a Wall Street Journal report that he had sent a bawdy" letter to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, though the judge has given the US president two weeks to refile the case.Trump, who has had a habit of suing media companies inside and outside the White House, had argued that a lewd drawing at the heart of the story was fake. The lawsuit was especially notable because one of the defendants was Rupert Murdoch, one of Trump's top media allies, whose News Corporation media empire owns the Journal. Continue reading...

The Tisza leader said the electorate voted not just for a change of government but for a change of the regime'in BrusselsThe EU will start work with the new Hungarian government as soon as possible" to make progress on issues including energy and the release of frozen European funds, the head of the European Commission has said.We will start working with the government as soon as possible on the topics you mentioned and much more to make a swift and overdue progress to the benefit of the Hungarian people."I think moving to qualified-majority voting in foreign policy is an important way to avoid systematic blockages as we've seen in the past. And we should use the momentum now really to move forward on that topic." Continue reading...

Michelle Dick accused of dousing musician with unknown substance in March and damaging his car before fleeingA woman who is accused of stalking former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham has been arrested in Indiana, according to local police.Authorities in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said in a statement over the weekend that they took 55-year-old Michelle Dick into custody on Saturday as she was wanted on a warrant out of California for stalking" Buckingham. Continue reading...

Shortage of pickled mini-cucumbers has caused Pret a Manger to pull its jambon beurre from the shelvesWith their sharp flavour and crunch, pickled cucumbers are an essential component of any sandwich worth its salt.But an unexpected shortage of cornichons has caused consternation in sandwich shops across the country as cafes scramble to get their hands on jars of the small green pickles. Continue reading...

Lafarge fined more than 1m and its former boss jailed for paying nearly 5.6m to groups including Islamic StateA French court has fined the cement group Lafarge more than 1m (870,000) and sentenced its former boss to six years in prison for paying protection money to Islamic State and other terror groups to maintain its business in war-torn Syria from 2013 to 2014.The ruling follows a 2022 case in the United States in which the French firm pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to US-designated terrorist" organisations and agreed to pay a $778m fine (580m) - the first time a company had faced the charge. Continue reading...