World

‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran says

Iranian forces seize two ships in critical waterway as Washington and Tehran maintain separate blockadesMiddle East cri…

Democrats hail Virginia’s redistricting plan and warn Republicans’ plan to redraw Florida could backfire – live

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries says, ‘we will not let Trump rig the midterms’ and that the result should serve…

Virginia votes on new congressional map with control of House at stake

Backed by Abigail Spanberger, the measure could boost Democrats and counter Donald Trump’s redistricting pushVirginia v…

Pentagon asks for $54bn in pivot towards AI-powered war

Budget outlines funding for autonomous drone warfare program as experts say military unprepared for risksThe Pentagon i…

Georgia congressman David Scott dies aged 80

Scott, who represented Atlanta suburbs since 2003, had qualified to run for a 12th term before his deathDavid Scott, a…

Middle East crisis live: Iran says it has seized two ships in strait of Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire

State media says the ships have been transferred to Iran’s coastTrump announces ceasefire extensionWhy Trump’s erratic…

Trump’s FCC launches inquiry into gender identity in kids’ TV shows

Federal Communications Commission will look into the TV ratings system and whether shows with transgender or non-binary…

Roman Abramovich takes Jersey to European human rights court over criminal investigation

Lawyers for oligarch claim freezing of £5.3bn of assets ‘unfair and abusive’ amid row over use of funds for Ukraine Rom…

Tourist charged with damaging historic Florentine fountain in pre-wedding prank

Police catch woman, 28, climbing colossal 16th-century statue of Neptune to touch its genitals as a dareA tourist has b…

UK politics: Labour MP calls for Starmer’s resignation to end ‘psychodrama’ – as it happened

Jonathan Brash says ‘own goals’ are distracting from Labour’s achievementsUK inflation accelerated to 3.3% in March aft…

British woman died in Ghana trying to recoup money from scammers, inquest told

Janet Fordham died in crash after travelling to see man who claimed he would help to recover money from earlier scamsA…

Four people arrested over suspected £44m UK home insulation scam

Serious Fraud Office investigation relates to firms allegedly submitting false invoices for work they failed to carry o…

Strait of Hormuz is hosting gunboat diplomacy as US and Iran vie for most effective blockade

Iran’s goal is to maintain chokehold on the global economy, even as some say it could run out of oil storage by SundayM…

Britain’s military dependence on US ‘no longer tenable’, says former Nato chief

George Robertson says diplomatic tone from White House is at ‘historic low’ and two allies are likely to keep diverging…

Palestine Action activist who hit officer with sledgehammer ‘panicked’, court told

Samuel Corner, 23, says he struck Sgt Kate Evans to protect co-defendant amid 2024 Elbit Systems raid near OxfordA Pale…

Zelenskyy says EU unblocking of €90bn loan for Ukraine is ‘the right signal’ as Hungary drops opposition – as it happened

European Union formal procedures expected to conclude on Thursday as Druzhba pipeline reopensDuring his press conferenc…

EU agrees to unblock €90bn loan for Ukraine after Hungary lifts veto

Agreement for urgently needed loan reached after Ukraine resumed pumping Russian oil to Hungary and SlovakiaEU member s…

Governments failed to deliver $160m of river improvements including for now-parched NSW wetlands, report finds

NSW and Queensland governments ‘severely underdelivered’ on promised infrastructure to improve water flows, independent…

Podcast interviews of NSW couple jailed for abusing their daughter in the spotlight

Exclusive: Corrective Services investigates how Richard Guilliatt of The Australian was able to interview Rob and Karen…

How Ireland’s war-driven fuel blockades revealed the true cost of Europe’s oil addiction

Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran could speed the EU’s green revolution – if panicking governments can hold their nerve…

Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff, to be questioned by MPs

Exclusive: McSweeney summoned by foreign affairs select committee in rare step, as Mandelson vetting row continuesMorga…

Palestinian boy, 14, among two killed in settler attack near West Bank school

Local officials and witnesses say attackers shot at students first then at those who arrived to helpTwo Palestinians, i…

Gaza’s yellow line creeps forward as Israeli forces expand zone of control

Residents waking to find line has moved overnight and they are now in free-fire zone as army takes more territoryIsrael…

At least 160,000 to be cut from NDIS amid concerns vulnerable people will be left without care

Announcing a major overhaul of the scheme, health minister Mark Butler said it was costing ‘too much and is growing too…

Gas companies spending millions on Australian advertising blitz to fight export tax, inquiry told

Shell Australia says campaign needed to ‘counterbalance’ claims by levy advocates – but Ed Husic urges industry ‘do not…

Mouse plague hits WA grain farmers as numbers surge in SA: ‘You literally can’t get away from them’

CSIRO researcher says there are reports of up to 4,000 mouse burrows per hectare in parts of Western AustraliaGet our b…

El Salvador holds mass trial for 486 alleged members of notorious MS-13 gang

Human rights groups have warned that the collective prosecutions violate due process and block defendants from accessin…

Heatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report finds

Research shows natural hazards linked to climate crisis disrupted 23 elections in 18 countries in 2024Democracy is unde…

Millions in India stripped of vote before critical state election, as government seeks to ‘purify’ electoral roll

Experts say Muslims and other minorities have been disproportionately deleted from the electoral roll ahead of the West…

Condom prices could rise 30% due to Iran war, says world’s top producer Karex

Karex produces more than 5 billion condoms annually and is a supplier to leading brands like Durex and Trojan, as well…

Trump officials consider sending 1,100 Afghans who aided US forces to Congo

Discussions reportedly come after Trump’s decision to stop initiative that allowed group to apply to resettle in the US…

Taiwan president blames China for forced cancellation of Eswatini trip

Lai Ching-te abandons visit after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoke overflight permission Taiwan’s president…

Two US officials who died after Mexico drug raid reported to be CIA agents

Mexico to investigate possible breach of its constitution and assess US’s role in anti-drug operation near ChihuahuaMex…

Carney names broad team to advise on tense US-Canada trade talks

Conservatives and former provincial premiers among those PM names to advisory committee on economic relationsCanada’s p…

Student allegedly jailed in China for six years after taking part in pro-democracy protests in Australia

Exclusive: The Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect overseas students from political…

Timor-Leste parliament questions president over proposed resort’s links to ‘scam’ empire

Jose Ramos-Horta urged by opposition to explain diplomatic passport given to businessman behind resort project, who den…

George Ariyoshi, first US governor of Asian American descent, dies aged 100

Democrat led Hawaii from 1973 to 1986, coinciding with the party’s rise to power in the stateGeorge R Ariyoshi – Hawaii…

‘We were terrified they were going to kill us’: fishers who survived US boat strike speak out

An Ecuadorian fishing crew describe their ordeal as victims of Trump’s purported war on ‘narcoterrorists’By 4pm, the li…

Sam Neill says New Zealand goldmine supporters have threatened him with violence

Actor, who has publicly objected to plans to fast-track project near his farm, says he has received personal abuseThe a…

Cabinet Office suggested Mandelson did not need security vetting, says Robbins as he describes ‘pressure’ from No 10 – UK politics live

Olly Robbins was forced out as Foreign Office permanent secretary over the Peter Mandelson security vetting revelations…

EU optimistic over approval of €90bn loan for Ukraine following Orbán defeat – Europe live

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirms she expects ‘some positive decisions tomorrow’ on the €90bn loanGerman for…

Middle East crisis live: Iran claims it has ‘new cards for battlefield’, and weighs talks in Pakistan

Iranian official stresses no decision made on taking part, as US vice-president JD Vance is set to travel to Islamabad…

Foreign Office was asked to find role for senior Starmer aide, says Olly Robbins

Ex-civil servant testifying about Peter Mandelson says there was a ‘creep’ of senior diplomatic roles going to politica…

Trump’s Federal Reserve chair pick to face lawmakers at key confirmation hearing – US politics live

The hearing marks a key hurdle Kevin Warsh must overcome in order to succeed Jerome Powell when his term ends on 15 May…

US ‘restricts intelligence sharing with South Korea’ after minister identified suspected nuclear site

Washington reportedly limits satellite data after minister spoke publicly about suspected facility in North KoreaThe US…

Minnesota boy fighting for life after rescuing younger brother from creek

Ashkan Thibodeaux, five years old, saved his kid brother Wyatt after he fell into ‘icy water’ of creek they were explor…