World News Hub

Oil prices fall after peace deal signed – as it happened

The Guardian • 2 months ago

This blog is now closed – see our full report on the latest in the Middle East crisisTrump also addressed media reports of a leaked US-Iran deal (see post at 11:57), denying claims it includes a $300bn reconstruction fund for Tehran.“We’re not putting up 10 cents,” he said. “We are not investing and we do not have a fund.”It’s not final. It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don’t like it, ...

‘I wish it hit me’: Sydney mother shares anguish after children in pram hit and killed by car

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Katherine, five, and brother Harry, 14 months, died on Wednesday after their pram was hit by an SUV in CabramattaA tight-knit community is reeling after a kindergarten student and her baby brother were killed when an SUV collided with a pram shortly after school pick-up.The girl and her brother have been identified as Katherine, five, and Harry, aged 14 months – the only two children of 33-year-ol...

‘I wish it hit me’: Sydney mother shares anguish after siblings in pram hit and killed by car

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Katherine, 5, and Harry, aged 14 months – the only two children of mother Sok Ram – died on Wednesday after their pram was hit by an SUV in CabramattaA tight-knit community is reeling after a kindergarten student and her baby brother were killed when a SUV collided with a pram shortly after school pick-up.The girl and her brother have been identified as Katherine, five, and Harry, aged 14 months -...

Australia news live: press gallery ‘strongly objects’ to One Nation threats to ban journalists

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCoalition says it’s good Hanson and One Nation getting the scrutiny of a party on the riseKevin Hogan, the shadow assistant treasurer, says he thinks it’s good Hanson was able to speak at the press club yesterday as One Nation “needs to be put under much more scrutiny” amid surging support.The GetUp stunt completely backfired, it makes the...

Albanese announces ‘generous’ capital gains tax exemptions for small businesses after budget backlash

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Start-ups and testamentary trusts to receive carve-outs after criticism of Labor’s CGT changesAll of Australia’s 2.7m small businesses will receive “generous” exemptions from capital gains tax, as Anthony Albanese flagged startups and testamentary trusts would receive carve outs from the government’s contentious tax reforms.The prime minister’s announcement on Thursday follows weeks of sustained c...

Ebike thefts soar in NSW as Victoria’s crime rate drops for first time in four years

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Theft rises in both states, even as Victoria’s crime rate decreases 1.9% on the year beforeVictoria has recorded its first drop in crime in four years and fewer young people are offending, but a surge in theft is bucking the trend – mirroring concerns in New South Wales, where a sharp rise in ebike theft has helped drive stealing rates higher.The Victorian Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) on Thursday...

Trump says he has signed peace deal – as it happened

The Guardian • 2 months ago

This liveblog is closed. For the latest on the Middle East crisis, follow our new liveblog here.Sign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump also denied (again) that the memorandum of understanding includes a $300bn fund for Iran, and denied that he had asked the Gulf states to commit funding.“It’s false,” Trump told reporters as he sat alongside Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. “You...

Shelter-in-place ordered in LA as blaze engulfs roof of 500,000 sq-ft warehouse

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Clouds of dark smoke and ammonia rose from cold storage and freezing facility in Boyle Heights near downtownThe solar panel-covered roof of a 500,000 sq-ft cold storage facility in Los Angeles caught fire Wednesday, sending up thick clouds of dark smoke and ammonia, leading city officials to order nearby residents to shelter in place.About 110 firefighters responded in the afternoon to a blaze at ...

Political lobbyists with unfettered access to Australia’s parliament to be publicly named

The Guardian • 2 months ago

MPs who sponsor lobbyists’ entry to halls of power will also be listed online under new transparency rulesPolitical lobbyists with unfettered access to the halls of Parliament House – and the MPs who sponsor their passes – will soon be publicly identified in an online register, under a major shake-up of the pass system.Under the new rules, two MPs will need to sign for a lobbyist to register for a...

Australia news live: Labor promises ‘generous’ exemptions to small businesses and some trusts after backlash against capital gains tax reforms

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Anthony Albanese lifts threshold for small businesses to get an exemption from CGT to $10m, five times the previous levelGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCoalition says it’s good Hanson and One Nation getting the scrutiny of a party on the riseKevin Hogan, the shadow assistant treasurer, says he thinks it’s good Hanson was able to speak at the press club yesterday as One ...

One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts says he will push for party to adopt blanket abortion ban

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Senator tells Brisbane Christian conference the party needs to ‘reconsider some things’ on abortion, contradicting Pauline Hanson’s positionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation should move to ban abortion entirely, Senator Malcolm Roberts has told a Brisbane Christian conference.His comments are at odds with those of the party’s leader Pauline Hanson, who told the ...

Trump signs Iran peace plan, claiming deal averts ‘worldwide depression’

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Details of the 14-point agreement revealed as senior US officials claim ‘major win’ despite significant concessions to TehranMiddle East crisis – live updatesReaction: Donald Trump’s Iran deal met with anger, relief and incredulityAnalysis: Trump’s Iran deal is result of unrealistic ambitions for an untenable warDonald Trump has signed a 14-point agreement with Iran, claiming it delivered a “major...

Trump says he has signed peace deal with Iran at Versailles – US politics live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

President tells reporters ‘it’s signed, yeah’, as he attends dinner in honor of 250 years of American independenceSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump also denied (again) that the memorandum of understanding includes a $300bn fund for Iran, and denied that he had asked the Gulf states to commit funding.“It’s false,” Trump told reporters as he sat alongside Egyptian president Abdel Fa...

Australia news live: Vodafone users hit by network ‘issues’; Virginia Trioli to leave ABC after 27 years

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCoalition says it’s good Hanson and One Nation getting the scrutiny of a party on the riseKevin Hogan, the shadow assistant treasurer, says he thinks it’s good Hanson was able to speak at the press club yesterday as One Nation “needs to be put under much more scrutiny” amid surging support.The GetUp stunt completely...

Harvard and Bard face fresh questions from lawmakers over ties to Epstein

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Democrat Jamie Raskin seeks ‘comprehensive accounting’ and requests interview with outgoing Bard presidentHarvard University and Bard College are facing new questions about the institutions’ relationship with Jeffrey Epstein amid allegations that the convicted child sex trafficker leveraged his ties to the universities and their faculty to traffic women, while also burnishing his reputation to avo...

Australia news live: nonstop Sydney-London flights delayed again; Virginia Trioli to leave ABC after 27 years

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Qantas now says first Project Sunrise flight due to take off in November 2027. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCoalition says it’s good Hanson and One Nation getting the scrutiny of a party on the riseKevin Hogan, the shadow assistant treasurer, says he thinks it’s good Hanson was able to speak at the press club yesterday as One Nation “needs to b...

‘Most famous tree in the world’: Sherwood Forest’s 1,000-year-old Major oak dies

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Nottinghamshire tree, one of Europe’s oldest and largest, fails to produce leaves after being stressed by series of hot, dry summersThe Major oak, one of Europe’s oldest, largest and most celebrated ancient trees, has died.The huge tree, which has grown in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, for at least 1,000 years, failed to produce any leaves this year, after becoming stressed by a ser...

Sydney’s UNSW overtakes University of Melbourne in global rankings for first time

The Guardian • 2 months ago

University of New South Wales ranks 19th in QS World University Rankings, with nine Australian universities achieving record-high positionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe University of New South Wales has overtaken the University of Melbourne for the first time in a prestigious world university rankings list.UNSW ranked 19th in the QS World University Rankings, an im...

Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Wessex Archaeology suspect they have uncovered a prototype for world-famous Stonehenge site in WiltshireA 5,000-year-old monument that was aligned with the summer and winter solstices and may have served as a prototype for the later solar alignment at Stonehenge has been discovered close to the famous neolithic site, in what archaeologists have described as a “once in a lifetime” find.The structur...

Middle East crisis live: agreement signed by US-Iran presidents; Tehran claims it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Memorandum of understanding signed off on Wednesday; Tehran will charge ships after the 60-day negotiation period has ended, says chief negotiatorAnalysis: Where does Iran deal leave US-Israel relationship?Trump also addressed media reports of a leaked US-Iran deal (see post at 11:57), denying claims it includes a $300bn reconstruction fund for Tehran.“We’re not putting up 10 cents,” he said. “We ...

Middle East crisis live: Agreement signed by both presidents; Iran claims it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Memorandum of understanding signed off on Wednesday; Tehran will charge ships after the 60-day negotiation period has ended, says chief negotiatorAnalysis: Where does Iran deal leave US-Israel relationship?Trump also addressed media reports of a leaked US-Iran deal (see post at 11:57), denying claims it includes a $300bn reconstruction fund for Tehran.“We’re not putting up 10 cents,” he said. “We ...

Cannabis commercialisation not decriminalisation drives up usage, study finds

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Review reveals rise in users and rates of psychosis in countries where cannabis is sold commercially Decriminalising the possession of cannabis or strictly regulating access to the drug do not appear to drive up usage, but when the drug is sold commercially the number of users increases and more mental health problems are seen, a review has found.An international team analysed the dramatic shift ...

Top Republican decries Trump’s Iran deal: ‘Reagan is rolling over in his grave’

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Senator Bill Cassidy attacks ‘worst foreign policy blunder in decades’ while others in his party skeptical over peace dealA handful of Senate Republicans have sharply criticized the agreement Donald Trump reached with Iran, accusing the administration of committing “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.On Wednesday, the Trump administration released the text of an interim deal between Wash...

Trump’s Iran deal is result of unrealistic ambitions for an untenable war

The Guardian • 2 months ago

US entered war with maximalist goals and exits it with pragmatic decision to end conflict despite political costMiddle East crisis – live updatesAs the adage goes: no plan of battle survives first contact with the enemy.Donald Trump entered the war with Iran with maximalist goals: eliminating the country’s nuclear programme, destroying its ballistic missile programme and ending its support for reg...

Trump says he is ‘not a big fan’ of USMCA, free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada he signed – live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

The US has to approve a renewal of the existing agreement by 1 July, or announce its intention to exit the pact, a process that would take 10 yearsSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump also denied (again) that the memorandum of understanding includes a $300bn fund for Iran, and denied that he had asked the Gulf states to commit funding.“It’s false,” Trump told reporters as he sat alon...