The Guardian

Iraq’s national security adviser Qassim al-Araji says he told Australian ambassador that countries should repatriate prisoners Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A senior Iraqi government official has implored Australia to repatriate a group of suspected Islamic State fighters, raising the issue with Canberra’s top diplomat in Baghdad just weeks after the detainees were …

Chief executive of Acoss, who undertook the study, says ‘it’s clear this tax break funnels billions into the wealthiest parts of our country’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Investors who live in the wealthy electorate of Wentworth in Sydney’s eastern suburbs claimed about $1.8bn from the 50% capital gains tax discount, according to new research. It reveals how a hand…

Child welfare advocates demand accountability after revelations two children in care of state lived with triple killer Regina Arthurell Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A New South Wales minister says she is “not going anywhere” amid mounting calls for an independent review into why the state government allowed a c…

Kremlin appearing to ramp up control over internet, as it tests new ‘whitelist’ restrictions and pushes people to state-owned app Muscovites have been turning to walkie-talkies and pagers amid unexplained disruptions to internet services in the capital, as the Kremlin appears to ramp up control over online activity in Russia. Users in central Moscow, as well as in St Petersburg, first reported di…

Payment of 2% at employee-owned partnership follows sales increase to £13.4bn The owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has paid an annual bonus to workers for the first time in four years after underlying profits rose by 6%. The retail group’s 69,000 employees – which it calls partners – will share £35m, the equivalent of 2% of salary, after it recorded an increase in sales and profits. The payout am…

Proposed package comes after regulator finds ‘serious and unacceptable breaches’ in how company operates Welsh Water is to pay a proposed £44.7m after the industry regulator found “serious and unacceptable” breaches in the supplier’s sewage and network services. The water authority for England and Wales, Ofwat, said the non-profit Dŵr Cymru, or Welsh Water, failed to properly operate, maintain an…

Programme which supports schemes in six African countries was previously hailed as vital protection for Britain against future pandemics A flagship health project in Africa, which UK ministers said would play a vital role in protecting Britain from future pandemic threats, is being axed due to aid cuts, the Guardian can reveal. The Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP) which supported developm…

Sansevero Chapel Museum will host day of guided tours where visitors will be able to feel marble sculptures The Sansevero Chapel Museum in Naples will allow dozens of visually impaired visitors to take part in a rare tactile experience, letting them touch the celebrated works of art including the Veiled Christ, which is widely regarded as one of the most striking masterpieces in the history of sc…

More than 80,000 people waiting to be reassessed after rejection at end of 2025 – 91% more than a year before UK politics live – latest updates The backlog of people awaiting asylum appeals after having their initial application turned down has nearly doubled in a year, threatening to undermine a key pledge of Keir Starmer’s government. Home Office statistics released on Thursday show more than 8…

Exclusive: Judge describes Gerald Peck, who was banned from practising in the 1980s, as ‘a charlatan and a fraud’ A therapist who claimed he could heal birth trauma through sexual touching and oral sex has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Gerald Peck, who has live profiles promoting his work as a bodywork psychotherapist, was convicted of five sexual offences on 2 February, after being charg…

Foster carer dismayed at time it took to help woman, who is having therapy, attending college and growing her hair When she finally arrived in a safe place after suffering a quarter of a century of mental and physical torment, she was frail and timid. She could not bear to be hugged, and craved hot showers, getting up at 3am to try to get clean. The foster carer who took in the woman who had been…

Top US regulators met with Bill Anderson to discuss ‘supreme court action’ over glyphosate weed killer Top US regulators met with Bill Anderson, Bayer’s CEO, last year to discuss “litigation” issues – including “supreme court action” over its glyphosate weed killer – just months before the Trump administration took a series of steps to boost Bayer’s case at the high court, internal government rec…

Dyshan Best later died after having to wait 10 extra minutes for next ambulance, according to Connecticut investigation A man who was shot by police and later died had to wait 10 extra minutes for an ambulance after an officer having a “mild anxiety attack” took the first one that arrived at the scene, according to a newly released state investigation. Dyshan Best, 39, was shot in the back last y…

Oil prices again rise over $100 a barrel as Iran threatens long ‘war of attrition’. Plus, San Francisco slashes air pollution Good morning. Iran dramatically escalated its strategy of striking civilian infrastructure and transport networks across the Gulf on Wednesday, attacking commercial ships and targeting Dubai’s international airport as US and Israeli warplanes launched new waves of strikes.…

Court makes finding pending final hearing that trafficking victim ‘likely to suffer harm to his mental health’ if returned A high court judge has halted the removal of an Eritrean trafficking victim to France under the UK’s “one in, one out” scheme, after raising concerns that forcibly sending him back could cause him harm. The controversial deal, under which one asylum seeker who arrives in the …