Singapore races to clean up beaches after oil spill
About 400 tonnes of oil has washed onto the city-state's southern shores after a shipping crash.
Why four court cases could unleash a new crisis in Thai politics
Cases involving the prime minister as well as the leading opposition party are due to be heard on Tuesday.
Ursula von der Leyen on track to keep job after EU elections boost
Macron’s move to call snap elections also seen as helping commission president’s bid for second term
Ursula von der Leyen is on track to remain for a second term as president of the European Commission, as EU leaders meet on Monday for a first discussion on divvying up the bloc’s top jobs.
The EU’s 27 heads of state and government will gather for dinner in Brussels in their first group meeting since European elections last week boosted nationalist and far-right parties and triggered Emmanuel Macron to call snap elections in France.
Continue reading...Global spending on nuclear weapons up 13% in record rise
States are on course to spend $100bn a year, driven by a sharp increase in US defence budgets
Global spending on nuclear weapons is estimated to have increased by 13% to a record $91.4bn during 2023, according to calculations from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) pressure group.
The new total, which is up $10.7bn from the previous year, is driven largely by sharply increased defence budgets in the US, at a time of wider geopolitical uncertainty caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
Continue reading...‘We need the world to wake up’: Sudan facing world’s deadliest famine in 40 years
Millions face disaster as Sudanese army and RSF accused of using food access as a weapon in on-going war
Sudan is facing a famine that could become worse than any the world has seen since Ethiopia 40 years ago, US officials have warned, as aid deliveries continue to be blocked by the warring armies but arms supplies to both sides continue to flow in.
With much of the world’s attention focused on Gaza, the scene of another human-made famine, Sudan is already the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and is slipping towards a humanitarian disaster of historic proportions, with far less media coverage and global concern. A UN humanitarian appeal for the country has received only 16% of the funds it needs.
Continue reading...Tony awards 2024: Stereophonic, Merrily We Roll Along and The Outsiders win big
At the annual celebration of Broadway, major acting winners included Jeremy Strong, Daniel Radcliffe and Sarah Paulson
The 77th annual Tony awards were dominated by major wins for shows Stereophonic, Merrily We Roll Along and The Outsiders as well as actors Jeremy Strong and Daniel Radcliffe.
Stereophonic, the most nominated play in Tonys history with 13 nods, picked up five awards including best play. It tells the story of a British-American rock band in the 1970s trying to make an album.
Continue reading...Albanese tells China’s Li Australia cannot be silent on key issues
Premier Li Qiang is the most senior Chinese leader to visit Australia since 2017.
Audiences suspicious of AI being used to create news, survey shows
News consumers most opposed to use of AI for sensitive topics such as politics, report finds.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 843
As the war enters its 843rd day, these are the main developments.
Why Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia are facing anti-monopoly probes
US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission are seeking to root out anti-competitive practices in field of AI.
Netanyahu reportedly criticises military tactical pause in Gaza amid divisions with IDF
Israel’s prime minister is said to have called the decision ‘unacceptable’ after Itamar Ben-Gvir said whoever decided it was a ‘fool’
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly criticised plans announced by the military to hold daily tactical pauses in fighting along one of the main roads into Gaza to facilitate the delivery of aid
On Sunday the military announced a daily pause that would begin in the Rafah area at 8am and remain in effect until 7pm along the main Salah al-Din road, to allow aid trucks to transit between the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel, adding that the pause would take place every day until further notice.
Continue reading...Virgin Australia plane makes emergency landing – as it happened
This blog is now closed
Ex-Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann arrives at a Toowoomba court
Bruce Lehrmann arrives at a Toowoomba court for a committal hearing into allegations he raped a woman in 2021.
Continue reading...At least 14 pilgrims die during hajj pilgrimage amid soaring temperatures
Jordanians died in Saudi Arabia after suffering heatstroke, said officials, with temperatures reaching 47C in Mecca
At least 14 Jordanian pilgrims have died while on the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as temperatures soar in the kingdom.
Jordan’s foreign ministry said “14 Jordanian pilgrims died and 17 others were missing” during the performance of hajj rituals. It said its nationals had died “after suffering sun stroke due to the extreme heatwave” and that it had coordinated with Saudi authorities to bury the dead in Saudi Arabia, or transfer them to Jordan.
Continue reading...‘Hackers leaked intimate photos after my laptop was stolen’
A Spanish filmmaker turned the cameras on herself and made a "sextortion diary" after being blackmailed.
Too much of a good thing? Spain’s green energy can exceed demand
Spain is looking at storing electricity or increasing demand to solve electricity oversupply.
More people turning away from news, report says
News avoidance is now at record high levels, the Reuters Institute's 2024 Digital News Report says.
UK manufacturers expecting boost in second half of 2024
Make UK survey foresees growth in sector, but warns next government must tackle skills shortage
Britain’s largest manufacturers are expecting orders and output to increase dramatically in the second half of the year, even as a chronic shortage of skilled workers is threatening the ability of some companies to do business.
Manufacturing is returning to normal business conditions after wild swings in demand during the pandemic, disruptions in prices after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the effect on supply chains of blockages and conflict around the Suez canal, according to a survey of 320 companies by the trade body Make UK.
Continue reading...Campaigners hope Labour will scrap two-child benefit cap once in No 10
Manifesto has no pledge to end rule Angela Rayner called ‘inhumane’ but there have been hints at more to come
Senior Labour figures have been crystal clear in the past about the two-child benefit limit, with Angela Rayner saying it was “obscene and inhumane” and Jonathan Ashworth calling it “heinous”.
Yet, as expected, Keir Starmer’s safety-first manifesto lacked any promise to reverse it, and shadow ministers have been wheeled out to underline the need to make “tough choices” and avoid unfunded promises. Rayner has said Labour has to “prioritise”.
Continue reading...Starmer faces further calls for Labour to axe two-child benefit cap
IFS research shows 670,000 more children will be hit by policy by end of next parliament if limit stays in place
Keir Starmer is facing renewed pressure to scrap the two-child benefit limit, as research reveals that 250,000 more children will be hit by the policy over the next year alone.
Labour’s manifesto for government, published last week, included the promise of an “ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty”, but no mention of the two-child limit.
Continue reading...Reform UK candidate resigns over previous comments backing BNP
Grant StClair-Armstrong will appear on the ballot paper but be an independent if he wins against Kemi Badenoch
The Reform UK candidate Grant StClair-Armstrong has resigned after it was discovered he had previously encouraged people to vote for the far-right British National party.
StClair-Armstrong, 71, is standing for election in North West Essex, challenging the business secretary, Kemi Badenoch.
Continue reading...