Rainbow lorikeet is our most commonly spotted bird, Australia’s largest citizen science event finds

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About 57,000 people participated in the Aussie Bird Count, with the lorikeet joining the noisy miner and magpie in the top three spots

The rainbow lorikeet and its colourful plumage has topped Australia’s largest citizen science event as the most numerous bird recorded across the country.

More than 4.1m birds were counted as part of BirdLife Australia’s annual Aussie Bird Count, a week-long event which involved 57,000 participants across the country last October.

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Rainbow lorikeet

Noisy miner

Australian magpie

Sulphur-crested cockatoo

Welcome swallow

Galah

Silver gull

Australian white ibis

House sparrow

Little corella

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Government will step in to support key industries amid tariff turmoil, says Starmer

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Carmakers will be given more flexibility over targets on transitioning to electric vehicles

Keir Starmer has said the government will step in to support key British industries, as business grapples with the economic turmoil unleashed by Donald Trump’s global tariffs.

As the government attempts to counter the impact of the White House hitting the UK with a 10% base levy on exports to the US, the prime minister will promise to help shelter vulnerable sectors and will implement key parts of the industrial strategy months early.

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Mali accuses Algeria of shooting down a surveillance drone, recalls ambassador – Reuters

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  1. Mali accuses Algeria of shooting down a surveillance drone, recalls ambassador  Reuters
  2. Alliance of Sahel States recall ambassadors as tension with Algeria rises  Al Jazeera
  3. Mali accuses Algeria of sponsoring terror after downing drone  BBC
  4. Sahel alliance recalls ambassadors from Algiers over downed drone  France 24
  5. Mali Summons Algeria’s Ambassador After Downing of Drone  Bloomberg.com
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Yemen’s Houthis say latest US air strikes kill at least four in Sanaa – Al Jazeera

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  1. Yemen’s Houthis say latest US air strikes kill at least four in Sanaa  Al Jazeera
  2. Far from being cowed by US airstrikes, Yemen’s Houthis may be relishing them  CNN
  3. Houthis say U.S. strikes killed 4, bombing video suggests higher overall death toll in Yemen  PBS
  4. U.S. Strikes in Yemen Burning Through Munitions With Limited Success  The New York Times
  5. Trump touts airstrike on Houthis, showing video: Will 'never sink our ships again'  Fox News
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Shabana Mahmood: lord chancellor with political nous unafraid to shake up system

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Her introduction to politics began as the child of the chair of Birmingham Labour party and as justice secretary she’s made tough decisions from day one

Shabana Mahmood’s potential as a future cabinet minister was first noticed by the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson in the 90s over tea and samosas at her family’s end-of-terrace Birmingham home.

Watson, a seasoned fixer, had become a close friend of her father, Mahmood Ahmed, the chair of Birmingham Labour party. When political problems arose, Watson and fellow Labour party organisers would be guided through to comfy sofas in the family sitting room.

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Shabana Mahmood: lord chancellor with political nous unafraid to shake up system

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Her introduction to politics began as the child of the chair of Birmingham Labour party and as justice secretary she’s made tough decisions from day one

Shabana Mahmood’s potential as a future cabinet minister was first noticed by the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson in the 90s over tea and samosas at her family’s end-of-terrace Birmingham home.

Watson, a seasoned fixer, had become a close friend of her father, Mahmood Ahmed, the chair of Birmingham Labour party. When political problems arose, Watson and fellow Labour party organisers would be guided through to comfy sofas in the family sitting room.

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Palestinian American teen shot dead by Israeli settler, officials say

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Omar Mohammad Rabea, 14, killed alongside two other teenagers in West Bank town as settler violence escalates

A Palestinian teenager with US citizenship was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, Palestinian officials said on Sunday, with the Israeli military saying it shot a “terrorist” who was allegedly endangering civilians by hurling rocks.

The incident is the latest in a surge of violence and near-daily confrontations in the volatile West Bank, where settler violence and clashes between Israeli forces and armed Palestinians have kept it on edge.

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Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph

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John Lithgow, Imelda Staunton, Romola Garai and Layton Williams are among the winners at the annual stage awards

The play Giant, which portrays children’s author Roald Dahl amid an outcry about his antisemitism, has triumphed at the Olivier awards on a star-studded night at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

US star John Lithgow took home the best actor prize for his performance as Dahl, Elliot Levey won best supporting actor (for playing publisher Tom Maschler) and Mark Rosenblatt received the award for best new play.

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Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph

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John Lithgow, Imelda Staunton, Romola Garai and Layton Williams are among the winners at the annual stage awards

The play Giant, which portrays children’s author Roald Dahl amid an outcry about his antisemitism, has triumphed at the Olivier awards on a star-studded night at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

US star John Lithgow took home the best actor prize for his performance as Dahl, Elliot Levey won best supporting actor (for playing publisher Tom Maschler) and Mark Rosenblatt received the award for best new play.

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ICC sent Hungary a request to arrest and surrender Netanyahu hours after his arrival – The Times of Israel

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  1. ICC sent Hungary a request to arrest and surrender Netanyahu hours after his arrival  The Times of Israel
  2. The Sordid Scandal Behind Netanyahu's Weekend Trip to See Viktor Orbán  Haaretz
  3. Israeli leader Netanyahu applauds Hungary's ICC exit on Budapest visit  Reuters
  4. Shuttle diplomacy in action: Netanyahu’s quick pivot to Washington  JNS.org
  5. Hungary welcomes Netanyahu and says it will leave the International Criminal Court  AP News
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Lesley Manville calls for better funding for UK regional theatre

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Actor, who won an Olivier for Oedipus, says her ‘bugbear’ is that venues outside London do not get enough money

Lesley Manville has called for better funding for theatres around the UK, saying her biggest “bugbear” with the stage industry was “there is not enough money thrown into regional theatre”.

Manville was speaking on Sunday night at the Olivier awards in London, where she was named best actress for her performance as Jocasta in Oedipus at Wyndham’s theatre.

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Lesley Manville calls for better funding for UK regional theatre

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Actor, who won an Olivier for Oedipus, says her ‘bugbear’ is that venues outside London do not get enough money

Lesley Manville has called for better funding for theatres around the UK, saying her biggest “bugbear” with the stage industry was “there is not enough money thrown into regional theatre”.

Manville was speaking on Sunday night at the Olivier awards in London, where she was named best actress for her performance as Jocasta in Oedipus at Wyndham’s theatre.

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US attorney general says Trump likely ‘going to be finished’ after second term

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Pam Bondi, Trump loyalist and top law enforcement official, expresses skepticism about recent third-term talk

Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, has expressed skepticism about the idea of Donald Trump serving a third term in the White House, saying that when her boss’s current presidency ends on 20 January 2029, he is probably “going to be finished”.

Bondi’s comments come just a week after Trump gave his most blunt indication yet that he was seriously considering trying for a third term to follow up ones that began in 2017 and this past January – despite the clear prohibition against doing so enshrined in the US constitution.

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Chinese woman detained by US border patrol in Arizona dies by suicide

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Officials reportedly didn’t publicly acknowledge death until inquiries were made about woman, 52, who overstayed visa

A woman being detained in Arizona by US border patrol for overstaying her visa has died by suicide, according to Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.

The woman, a 52-year-old Chinese national, had first been picked up in California after it had been determined that she had overstayed her B1/B2 visitor visa, Jayapal said in a statement. She was later sent to the Yuma station in Arizona where she stayed until her death on 29 March.

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