Australian house prices hit new peak as rate cut drives buyer demand

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Tougher conditions for first home buyers – and renters, who are now often spending more than those with mortgages

National home prices hit a new peak in March as February’s rate cut reignited buyer demand, according to separate reports from Australia’s leading property analytics companies.

Property values increased 0.4% over the month – the second consecutive month of growth in the national index, CoreLogic reported, after a brief three-month decline where values dipped 0.5%.

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Guardian Essential poll: Albanese’s approval rating takes a hit but Labor inches ahead of Coalition

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Voters scored both PM and Peter Dutton poorly on key leadership questions including trust, competence and being out of touch

Labor has ticked ahead of the Coalition on a two-party-plus basis in the first Guardian Essential poll of the election period, as Anthony Albanese turns the blowtorch on Peter Dutton in the opening days of the campaign.

Essential’s “2PP+” measure, which allows voters to remain undecided, put Labor ahead 48% to 47%, with 5% undecided. The survey of 1,100 people was of a piece with recent major polls from Newspoll, Resolve and YouGov, which showed small movements toward Labor in recent weeks.

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The Footage From This Failed Rocket Launch is Spellbinding – PetaPixel

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  1. The Footage From This Failed Rocket Launch is Spellbinding  PetaPixel
  2. Rocket crashes back to Earth just moments after launch in Norway  BBC
  3. A private European aerospace startup completes the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle  AP News
  4. First orbital rocket launched from mainland Europe crashes after takeoff  The Guardian
  5. Germany’s largest rocket since V-2 crashes and explodes seconds after launch  Yahoo
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Politicians criticise US efforts to make EU firms reverse diversity initiatives

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Officials in France and Belgium hit out at ‘American interference’ amid growing transatlantic tensions

Officials in France and Belgium have hit back at American efforts to impose Donald Trump’s rollback of diversity measures on Europe, which in the US has seen Disney put under investigation.

Several companies across the EU have in recent days reportedly received letters informing them that the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives also applies to firms around the world looking to do business with the US government.

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Myanmar healthcare facilities overwhelmed, WHO says, and scale of earthquake deaths and injuries ‘not fully understood’ – as it happened

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World Health Organization issues flash appeal for $8m of emergency support amid frantic search for survivors

AFP has spoken to relatives anxiously waiting at the site of a collapsed building in Bangkok.

Daodee Paruay said she had been at the site for two days, hoping for a miracle. Her brother was an electrician working on site, and he is believed to be under the rubble. “We wait, we wait.” she said.

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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Says Netflix Hit ‘Adolescence’ Was Powerful: “It Hit Home Hard” – Deadline

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  1. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Says Netflix Hit ‘Adolescence’ Was Powerful: “It Hit Home Hard”  Deadline
  2. ‘Adolescence’ Has People Talking. Its Writer Wants Lawmakers to Act.  The New York Times
  3. Adolescence made free for schools as Keir Starmer meets creators  BBC
  4. 'Adolescence' will be shown in schools across the UK to spark conversations on social media harm  AP News
  5. 'Adolescence' gets support from British leader as the series will show in schools across the country  ABC News
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