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Both major parties are under pressure with polls predicting minority government is the most likely outcome of Australia's federal election

President publicly supporting national security adviser to avoid admitting fault in security blunder, say sourcesDonald Trump has been unwilling to fire the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, or his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, over the now infamous Signal group chat because doing so would be a tacit admission of fault and seen as handing a victory to the Atlantic magazine, officials close to the president said.The president has been less interested in the possibility of the plans having been classified or the fact that they were shared in an unclassified commercial app, than the fact that Waltz had the number of the editor-in-chief of a magazine that Trump despises, the officials said. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese's ruling Labor party faces a challenge by the centre-right Coalition led by Peter Dutton at the 3 May vote

Karen Spragg, 60, and Julia Wandel, 23, to appear at courts in Leicester on FridayA 60-year-old woman has been charged as part of an investigation into the alleged stalking of Madeleine McCann's family.Karen Spragg, of Caerau, Cardiff, has been charged with one count of stalking involving serious alarm or distress between 3 May 2024 and 21 February this year, Leicestershire police said. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer's former chief of staff uses maiden Lords speech to emphasise importance of public servantsKeir Starmer's former chief of staff, Sue Gray, has told No 10 to be careful" about civil service cuts and derogatory language about the work of Whitehall.Making her maiden speech in the House of Lords, Gray made the case that civil servants are integral to realising the government's objectives and will be listening to language that refers to them as blobs" and pen-pushers", and talks about cuts with axes" and chainsaws". Continue reading...

Tom Hayes tells supreme court hearing that the jury in 2015 was guided by a judge who had made his mind up about me'The City trader jailed for Libor rigging in 2015 has said he believes he was convicted during a morality trial" of bankers' conduct, as he concluded his fight to clear his name at the UK's highest court.Speaking after a three-day hearing at the supreme court in London on Thursday, Tom Hayes said his original conviction a decade ago was a reaction to the 2008 financial crisis and a jury guided by a judge who had made his mind up about me". Continue reading...

Kerri Pegg, 42, also accused of accepting gift of Mercedes from man styling himself Jesse PinkmanA prison governor has denied two counts of misconduct in a public office after she allegedly entered into a relationship with an inmate and drug trafficker who called himself Jesse Pinkman, the name of a meth dealer from the TV show Breaking Bad, a court has heard.It is alleged Kerri Pegg, 42, became emotionally and personally involved with a serving prisoner", Anthony Saunderson, the boss of a drug dealing gang who used the Pinkman name as a handle during secret communications with other criminals. He has since been convicted of drug trafficking. Continue reading...

Mark Lowen considered threat to public order' after reports on nationwide anti-government demonstrations

French president Emmanuel Macron has called for authorities to free the novelist who was convicted in Algeria for allegedly undermining the country's territorial integrityFrench president Emmanuel Macron has called on Algeria to free Boualem Sansal, after the French-Algerian novelist was on Thursday sentenced to five years in prison and fined for allegedly undermining Algeria's territorial integrity.Sansal was arrested on 16 November at Algiers airport on arrival from Paris, after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet Frontieres that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era. Continue reading...

Support for Ukraine continues with divided opinion on Franco-British plan for reassurance force' to help ceasefireEuropean leaders have affirmed their support for Ukraine at a Paris summit and agreed now was not the time" to lift sanctions against Russia, but with splits remaining on Franco-British plans for a reassurance force" to help guarantee an eventual ceasefire.France's president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Thursday the meeting of more than two dozen heads of state and government had agreed unanimously that sanctions on Moscow should not be eased until peace has clearly been established" in Ukraine. Continue reading...

UK prime minister Keir Starmer calls out Russia for playing games' as French president Emmanuel Macron says Europe must prepare for any scenarioThe search continues for four US soldiers that went missing in Lithuania on Tuesday night, as their vehicle has been discovered submerged in water.The operation continues on Thursday with attempts to reach the area. Lithuanian defence minister Dovil akalien said that the vehicle was located at more than 5 meters down," and digging is under way to get to it. Continue reading...

The festival, started by Robert Redford in 1978, will move from its previous home in Park City, Utah, for 2027Boulder, Colorado, has been named as the new home for the Sundance film festival starting in 2027.The festival, which was started in 1978 by Robert Redford, will move from its home in Park City, Utah. Sundance brings more than 20,000 people a year to the ski town, which many had seen as too small to house something of this size. Continue reading...

Actor became resistant and belligerent' when challenged over treatment of female co-star, witness tells courtNoel Clarke told a producer to fuck off" after being warned that his behaviour with a female actor before a sex scene would end up on the front of a national newspaper", a witness has told the high court.The producer said he had approached the former Doctor Who star after being informed by a distressed actor, named as Maya, that Clarke had said things like we're going to fuck later on, we'll fuck next week'". Continue reading...

US attorney general lauded arrest of Salvadorian man, 24, accused of leading the street gang on the east coastThe alleged leader of the MS-13 gang on the US east coast has been arrested in Virginia, Pam Bondi announced on Thursday.The US attorney general lauded the early morning arrest of the 24-year-old man from El Salvador, who was described as one of MS-13's top three leaders in the United States, as a major victory in the Trump administration's effort to crack down on a gang known for brutal violence and extortion. Continue reading...

Coroner records Richard Woods' death as suicide after he crashed into family's car while driving wrong wayA former RAF pilot who killed a family of four and himself when he drove the wrong way for more than a mile on a motorway wanted to take his own life, an inquest has heard.Richard Woods was almost four times over the legal drink-drive limit when his Skoda Fabia hit a Toyota Yaris head on, at speed, on the M6 northbound in Cumbria in October last year. A two-thirds empty bottle of spirits was later found in Woods' car. Continue reading...

Top Republican and Democrat on Senate armed services committee urge inspector general to launch inquiryThe Republican chair and the ranking Democrat on the Senate armed services committee have written to the acting watchdog of the Department of Defense to demand an investigation into the scandal over how a senior American journalist was added to a Signal app group chat in which top government figures shared details of US airstrikes in Yemen at the weekend.Addressing Steven Stebbins, the acting inspector general at the Pentagon, the senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the committee chair, and the Democratic senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island wrote: On 11 March 2025, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, was reportedly included on a group chat on the commercially available communications application called Signal, which included members of the National Security Council." Continue reading...

Bloc set to accept compromise that would allow companies to trade carbon credits, in blow to climate financeThe long-awaited carbon levy on international shipping that was to supply vital climate finance looks set to be heavily watered down, after the EU appeared to be backing down in global talks, in a blow to vulnerable countries.The EU is set to accept a compromise that would allow companies to enter into a system of trading carbon credits, instead of paying directly for their emissions, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading...

More than $500m in grants axed as US risks decades of progress in protecting vulnerable workers worldwideThe Donald Trump administration has terminated 69 international programs aimed at combating child labor, forced labor and human trafficking, potentially undermining decades of progress in protecting vulnerable workers globally.The Washington Post obtained an email detailing how the US Department of Labor's bureau of international labor affairs (ILAB) will immediately end grants totaling more than $500m that supported labor standard enforcement across 40 countries, including critical initiatives in Mexico, Central America, south-east Asia and Africa. Continue reading...

Less use of gas and coal in electricity supply and industry sectors drove reduction, Department for Energy saysThe UK's carbon emissions fell by 4% last year, according to official figures.Provisional statistics published on Thursday by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) show UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions were 371m tonnes carbon equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2024, down from 385 MtCO2e in 2023. Continue reading...

Airline capacity between two countries reduced through October 2025 as high-profile incidents of Ice arrests on riseAirline travel between Canada and the US is collapsing" amid Donald Trump's tariff war, with flight bookings between the two countries down by over 70%, newly released data suggests.According to data from the aviation analytics company OAG, airline capacity between Canada and the US has been reduced through October 2025, with the biggest cuts occurring between the months of July and August, which is considered peak travel season. Passenger bookings on Canada to US routes are currently down by over 70% compared to the same period last year. Continue reading...

Ofcom acts after finding flaws in how subscription platform responded to request for details of challenge age' processOfcom has fined the subscription platform OnlyFans just over 1m for failing to provide accurate information about its age checks.In June 2022 and 2023, Ofcom asked OnlyFans' parent company, Fenix International, for information on its age checking procedures, including how effective its facial estimation technology was. Continue reading...

Officials point to ultra-dry conditions as death toll reaches 27 and fires threaten Unesco heritage sitesAuthorities in South Korea are battling wildfires that have doubled in size in a day in the country's worst ever natural fire disaster.At least 27 people have died and hundreds of buildings destroyed in the south-eastern province of North Gyeongsang, with the country's disaster chief saying the fires had exposed the harsh reality" of global heating. Continue reading...

Vicente Gonzalez tirelessly promoting Nayib Bukele, including reposting calls to impeach corrupt judges'A Texas Democrat is co-chair of a congressional caucus that has tirelessly promoted El Salvador's authoritarian president, Nayib Bukele, including on the caucus's X account by reposting calls to impeach the corrupt judges" who impede the actions of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.Bukeke is also currently at the center of a scandal in the US involving the transport of hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador, where they have entered the country's notorious prisons for gang members - despite clear evidence that some of them have no gang links. Continue reading...

Other winners include Francesca Amewudah-Rivers for Romeo & Juliet, Danny Sapani as King Lear and Giant playwright Mark RosenblattA modern-day version of Oedipus, which turned Sophocles' tragic leader into a politician awaiting election results, has won three prizes at the Critics' Circle theatre awards. Robert Icke won best director for the production (which he adapted), with Mark Strong named best actor and Lesley Manville best actress. All three are up for Olivier awards next month.Receiving ecstatic reviews, Oedipus became a hot ticket at Wyndham's theatre after previous runs using actors from Internationaal Theater Amsterdam at the Edinburgh festival and in the Netherlands. Continue reading...

Resolution Foundation says outlook for living standards remains bleak' after chancellor's cuts to welfare

Chinese-owned group will start consultation with workforce but unions call move devastating'

Opposition leader responds to Labor's pre-election budget. This blog is now closed

Public health experts are sounding the alarm over recent move by the NIH to collect information about funding for research into mRNA technologyA cutting-edge technology expected to foster new medical breakthroughs in treatments for cancers and infectious disease is being treated like a four-letter word" inside the Trump administration, causing panic among scientists who fear Trump-appointed health officials, driven by misinformation and conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 vaccine, will cut critical research in the field.Scientists and public health experts interviewed by the Guardian are sounding the alarm over a recent move by the National Institutes of Health to collect information about funding for research into mRNA technology. Continue reading...

Coalition leader says national gas plan will require LNG producers to set aside more supply for domestic use to protect Australia from global price shocks'

Retailer says big business cannot afford to finance excessive regulation' and government debtNext has rung up 1bn in annual profits for the first time but warned of growing risks to the UK economy, saying big business could not afford to finance excessive regulation" and government debt.The retailer said pre-tax profits rose 10% to just over 1bn in the year to January after sales increased 8.2% to 6.3bn, led by strong overseas growth and sales of other brands. Continue reading...

Transport regulator says Nurman Syarif also acted in an abusive manner' towards passengers and kicked them out if they insisted he use the meter

Two-year-old Joe Massa died after emergency department wait at Northern Beaches hospital in September 2024

Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre says tide is turning' in its negotiations to repatriate ancestral remains and important cultural items

UK youth parliament concludes tech firms should do more to protect users from violent and inappropriate contentBanning teenagers from social media is neither a practical nor effective" solution to the growing problem of youth violence, young people from across the UK have told MPs.Although Australia has implemented a social media ban for under-16s, a better solution would be to strengthen regulation deterring social media companies from promoting violent and age-inappropriate content, the youth select committee of the UK youth parliament concluded in its report examining the links between social media and youth violence. Continue reading...

In wake of Trump administration group chat scandal, department's chief operating officer tells Senate there is no ban on staff using the feature

Anthony Albanese's move would steal thunder from Peter Dutton hours after he delivers budget reply speech

In her farewell speech to parliament, WA senator accused Labor of a brutal campaign', which set off largest political scandal in Australian history'

Schools combining incentives with sanctions saw better response than those relying purely on punishmentPizza parties and iPads are being offered to pupils as incentives to improve school attendance, according to a new report which says sanctions alone are less likely to work.While some schools in England are using fines, detentions and letters home to crack down on absence, others prefer a rewards-based approach, with prize draws for bikes and iPads, trips and praise stamps" which pupils collect then trade in for chocolates or stationery. Continue reading...

Yvette Cooper says change needed in England and Wales after concerns over marches near synagogues and mosquesThe government plans to give police in England and Wales powers to change the route or timing of protest marches planned outside places of worship in order to give greater protection against intimidation.The government is to include the powers in an amendment to the crime and policing bill after concerns were raised about protests near synagogues and mosques. Continue reading...

Labor's tax cuts, $5 a week from 2026 and then $10 from 2027, would be replaced by halving the fuel excise to 25.4c per litre of fuel for one year

Deon De Groot, 26, was spotted stuffing eggs worth 220.50 into a duffel bag at a Tesco Express in PeterboroughA man who stole 325 Cadbury Creme Eggs from a petrol station has been banned from Cambridgeshire for three months.Deon De Groot, 26, was spotted when he stuffed 220.50 worth of the eggs into a duffel bag at a Tesco Express in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, and left without paying on Saturday. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader threatened legal action after political views cited as reason for closure of Coutts accountNigel Farage has settled his high-profile dispute with NatWest Group, nearly two years after the bank closed his accounts and triggered a row that ended with the resignation of the lender's chief executive.Dame Alison Rose stood down from the bank in July 2023 after she admitted being the source of an inaccurate BBC story about the reasons Farage had been debanked", for which she then issued an apology. Continue reading...

Senior officials warn nations including China, Pakistan and Iran could attempt to subvert vote with sophisticated toolsThe spectre of interference by India has already rocked the early days of Canada's federal election, with officials warning that sophisticated efforts from other hostile nations are expected in the coming weeks.As Canadians prepare to cast ballots on 28 April, senior officials say that India, China, Pakistan and Iran are all expected to make efforts to subvert the national vote through increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns. Continue reading...

Woman tells high court incident happened when she was working in entry-level position on actor's Brotherhood filmA young runner on a Noel Clarke film left the industry for three years after the actor followed her into the women's toilets, pulled out a condom and propositioned her, the high court has heard.Philippa Crabb, now a production manager, was working in an entry-level position on Brotherhood, the last of the Kidulthood trilogy, written and produced by Clarke, when he offered her a small role as a nurse. Continue reading...

Mark Rutte says Nato needs to know US has its back but Europe must also do its fair share. This live blog is closedMeanwhile, Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson has confirmed the country plans to increase the country's defence spending to a provisional target of 3.5% of GDP by 2030 in the largest push since the end of cold war.Sweden was expected to spend 2.14% in 2024, with projections reaching 2.4% this year, and 2.6% in 2028.Let's not forget that Russia is and remains the most significant and dark threat to our alliance. Let's not forget that Russia is moving into a wartime economy. And that will have a huge impact on their capacity and capability to build their armed forces.When it comes to the defence of Poland and the general defence of Nato territory, if anyone were to miscalculate and think they can get away with an attack on Poland or on any other ally, they will be met with the full force of this fierce alliance. Our reaction will be devastating.This has to be very clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and anyone else who ... wants to attack us. Continue reading...

Former intelligence head said leak and White House response was very worrying' to allies of the US

Cap on cash within 20,000-a-year personal allowance to encourage investment in equities could send billions flowing to UK stock marketHands off our cash Isas! Don't punish savers for choosing safety! Don't force everyone into stocks and shares! Think of the havoc you'll cause for first-time buyers if you deprive banks and building societies of their stickiest source of deposits! Don't fall for the self-interested lobbying of City fund managers!The cries were loud and furious before the spring statement and, in the event, Rachel Reeves did nothing on Isas. But prepare to have this quarrel all over again in the autumn because the documents confirmed the Treasury is still considering a cap on cash within an individual's 20,000-a-year allowance. Continue reading...

Families affected forecast to lose an average of 1,720 a year, according to official government analysis