Stranger than fiction MI5 tales revealed in first National Archives collaboration

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From Guy Burgess’s briefcase to microdots secreted in talc, an exhibition reveals remarkable items from the agency’s archives – and the extraordinary stories behind them

The agency that would become MI5, originally known as the Secret Service Bureau, employed just 17 staff in 1914; by the end of the first world war, the number working for Britain’s domestic counter-intelligence agency had swelled to 850, including a number of female administrators.

While valuable for managing the card index records, noted Edith Lomax, the controller of women staff in 1918, only women under the age of 30 should be recruited “on account of the very considerable strain that was thrown on [their] brains”.

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Doctors in NSW public hospitals threaten three-day strike over pay dispute, defying ban

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State government warns industrial action could halt elective surgeries, as doctors seek pay rise of up to 30%

Thousands of doctors in public hospitals across New South Wales are threatening to strike for the first time in decades as they seek a pay rise of up to 30%, as the state government warns the action could halt elective surgeries.

Doctors have threatened a three-day walkout from public hospitals from Tuesday. It marks the latest medical industrial dispute to potentially escalate into diminished patient care, after Guardian Australia on Wednesday revealed that the mass resignation of public psychiatrists over pay and conditions has led to the closure of the HIV psychiatry clinic at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred’s hospital.

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China military drills targeting Taiwan put region’s security at risk, says US

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Beijing continues drills in Taiwan strait, practising hitting key ports and energy infrastructure

The US has accused China of putting the region’s security at risk after it launched a second day of military drills targeting Taiwan with a rehearsal blockade and attack.

The China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) began the joint drills without notice on Tuesday morning, sending 76 aircraft and more than 20 navy and coastguard ships, including the Shandong carrier group, to positions around Taiwan’s main island.

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Queensland’s recovery to ‘take months and years’ after floods sweep across vast interior

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Bureau of Meteorology predicts flooding could continue for weeks as stock losses already estimated at over 150,000

Queensland’s premier has declared “day one” of a recovery that will take years as the state prepares to wake to clear skies that should reveal the vast scale of its outback floods.

But despite forecasts the rain will pass for soaked central and south-west Queensland by Thursday, towns and homesteads could be cut off or at risk of flooding for weeks to come, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist, Dean Narramore.

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Massive Myanmar earthquake reveals cracks in Bangkok’s ‘tofu buildings’ – South China Morning Post

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  1. Massive Myanmar earthquake reveals cracks in Bangkok’s ‘tofu buildings’  South China Morning Post
  2. The Tower That Crumbled in Thailand Tells a Wider Tale About Myanmar  WSJ
  3. Homeowners eligible for up to THB49,500 in earthquake compensation  Nation Thailand
  4. Bangkok Building Collapse Leads to Scrutiny of Chinese Company  The New York Times
  5. Thai watchdog had flagged concerns over building that collapsed in earthquake  Reuters
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Last summer was second worst for common UK butterflies since 1976

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More than half of Britain’s 59 native species are in long-term decline, UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme finds

Last summer was the fifth worst in nearly half a century for butterflies in Britain, according to the biggest scientific survey of insect populations in the world.

For the first time since scientific recording began in 1976, more than half of Britain’s 59 native species are in long-term decline.

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Trump set to announce new round of tariffs on his so-called ‘liberation day’

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President’s plans have rattled global stock markets and triggered heated rows with US’s largest trading partners

Donald Trump will announce his latest round of tariffs at the White House on Wednesday, threatening to unleash a global trade war on what he has dubbed “liberation day”.

Trump has rattled global stock markets, alarmed corporate executives and economists, and triggered heated rows with the US’s largest trading partners by announcing and delaying plans to impose tariffs on foreign imports several times since taking office.

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Disabled MPs speak of difficulties they face working in UK parliament

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Committee hears about ‘insane’ lack of provisions and arcane, time-consuming procedures

MPs with disabilities have spoken about the challenges they face working in parliament, criticising the “insane” lack of provisions and arcane, time-consuming procedures.

Lucy Powell, the Commons leader, who also chairs its modernisation committee, said she would be “very in favour of” bringing in call lists for when MPs will speak, one of the adjustments called for by MPs in the committee. Such lists are used for ministerial questions but not for debates, beyond a period during Covid.

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Royal Ballet to perform Justin Peck’s Everywhere We Go, with music by Sufjan Stevens

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Director Kevin O’Hare announces staging of NYCB choreographer Peck’s 2014 piece, as well as new works by Akram Khan and Cathy Marston

A ballet by one of New York’s hottest choreographers, set to the music of Sufjan Stevens, and Akram Khan’s first work for the Royal Opera House stage are two highlights of the Royal Ballet’s 2025-26 season, announced on Wednesday. They will be seen alongside the first commission for a UK company from choreographic duo Paul Lightfoot and Sol León, premieres from Wayne McGregor and Cathy Marston and a new ballet based on Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, with live music by John Grant.

“It’s about working with new voices, looking for what we haven’t experienced and what’s important to see,” said artistic director Kevin O’Hare about what will be his 14th season in charge of the company.

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Thousands of Ford Kuga hybrid drivers ‘left in limbo’ after fire risk warnings

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Carmaker reportedly has yet to announce plan for repairs after telling motorists not to charge their cars

Thousands of drivers have reportedly been left in limbo after warnings that their car could catch fire due to a battery defect.

Ford issued an urgent recall of its Kuga plug-in hybrid car in early March, warning drivers not to charge the battery because of a risk it might short-circuit while on the road. The problem could cause a loss of power or a fire, according to the recall notice. Four weeks later, the manufacturer has yet to announce a timescale for repairs and owners report that it is failing to respond to their requests for an update.

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Val Kilmer, star of Top Gun and The Doors, dies aged 65

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Known for his roles in Batman Forever, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Tombstone, the prolific actor’s cause of death was pneumonia

Val Kilmer, the actor best known for his roles in Top Gun, Batman Forever and The Doors, has died at the age of 65.

His daughter Mercedes told the New York Times that the cause of death was pneumonia. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered, after treatment with chemotherapy and trachea surgery that had reduced hisability to speak and breathe.

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Outrage in New Zealand after 11-year-old girl sent to psychiatric ward and drugged in identity mix-up

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Report finds police mistook girl for missing woman in blunder that has appalled political leaders

An 11-year-old girl was restrained, injected with anti-psychotic drugs and placed on a mental health ward after New Zealand police mistook her for a missing woman, a report found on Wednesday.

Health officials and police have scrambled to explain the mix-up, which has appalled political leaders and stoked outrage across the country.

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A wary Europe awaits Rubio with NATO’s future on the line – AP News

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  1. A wary Europe awaits Rubio with NATO’s future on the line  AP News
  2. Secretary Rubio’s Travel to Brussels  U.S. Department of State (.gov)
  3. At Brussels Foreign Ministers Summit, All Eyes Will Be On Marco Rubio  Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
  4. US keeps NATO allies in the dark on Russia relations  Euractiv
  5. Ukraine's foreign minister to attend NATO foreign ministers' meeting this week, may meet US secretary of state  Українська правда
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Nike, Bulls Quiet as Trump Admin Links Apparel to Gangs – Sportico.com

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  1. Nike, Bulls Quiet as Trump Admin Links Apparel to Gangs  Sportico.com
  2. ‘He is not a gang member’: outrage as US deports makeup artist to El Salvador prison for crown tattoos | US immigration  The Guardian
  3. U.S. immigration scorecard for deportations relied on tattoos, social posts, court filings show  NBC News
  4. The Makeup Artist Donald Trump Deported Under the Alien Enemies Act  The New Yorker
  5. Advocates say flawed 'checklist' targets Venezuelans for deportation under archaic wartime act  NPR
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US bombing of Yemen compounding dire humanitarian situation – rights groups

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Anti-Houthi air campaign, details of which were revealed in Signal scandal, has brought further destruction to country

A ramped-up US bombing campaign on Yemen has killed civilians and brought further destruction and uncertainty to the poorest country in the Middle East, compounding an already dire situation after Donald Trump cut aid, according to local people, humanitarian workers and rights groups.

“Now the rampant bombing has started, you never know which way things will go,” said Siddiq Khan, who works as a country director in Yemen for the aid charity Islamic Relief.

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White House studying cost of Greenland takeover, long in Trump’s sights – The Washington Post

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  1. White House studying cost of Greenland takeover, long in Trump’s sights  The Washington Post
  2. How much will it cost Trump to acquire Greenland? White House preparing an estimate  Firstpost
  3. Can US fund Trump’s expansionist ambitions in Greenland? White House does cost analysis  The Indian Express
  4. The 'smartest thing' Greenland can do as Trump amplifies takeover talk  MSN
  5. US assessing cost of maintaining Greenland if acquired – The Washington Post  RBC-Ukraine
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