The Guardian

Former Labor foreign affairs minister says belief US would defend Australia in event of an existential attack is a ‘ludicrous delusion’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Aukus will prove to be one of the worst defence and foreign policy decisions ever made by an Australian government and is only being permitted by D…

Defense says no evidence occasional Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht ignited deadly blaze on New Year’s Day 2025 The trial of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting last year’s deadly Palisades fire, kicked off on Wednesday with opening arguments. Prosecutors cast him as a vengeful arsonist who sought to hide his role from authorities, while his defense attorneys argued t…

Singer and actor has denied all charges after more than 20 women came forward with allegations going back to the 1990s The French singer Patrick Bruel has been charged with rape and sexual assault in one of the biggest #MeToo cases in the French music industry. The 67-year-old, a major figure in French pop culture, was placed under formal investigation over several cases that included alleged rap…

NSW police say two men and a woman will face court on Thursday over alleged involvement in large-scale drug supply scheme Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Mohammed Skaf, a notorious gang rapist, has been arrested in Sydney and charged with nearly two dozen alleged drug offences. New South Wales police said two men …

New name, Bristol Dockyards, and museum revamp aimed at becoming more rooted in community, says chief executive One of the UK’s maritime landmarks is being renamed as part of a drive to make it “cooler” and more inclusive. For a decade, the dockland site in Bristol that houses the ocean liner SS Great Britain, which was designed by the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, has been promoted…

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only passenger to survive the incident in June 2025, which killed 260 people The only survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people in June 2025 has called for “honesty, transparency and answers” a year on from the disaster, and spoken about his “significant psychological scars” and financial hardship. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, has pre…

Environmental groups say exchange between US government and SpaceX would worsen ecological risks Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Environmental groups on Wednesday sued in an attempt to stop the Trump administration from giving SpaceX more than 700 acres (280 hectares) of wildlife refuge in Texas , claiming it would worsen ecological risks to a Gulf coast region already transform…

Force disperses crowd of 300 people who burned truck and reportedly planned to target hotel hosting migrants Police have used water cannon against rioters in Northern Ireland in a second night of anti-immigration protests. Police used the cannon to disperse a crowd of about 300 people who burned a truck and threw bricks and other missiles near the Sandyknowes roundabout near Newtownabbey, eight m…

Any official reprimand will come from regulator Ofcom, but not for at least two months UK politics live – latest updates Elon Musk’s X will face no action to remove a mass of posts inciting violence in Northern Ireland for at least two months, despite widespread condemnation of the platform and its billionaire owner. Concern over the role social media played in spreading disturbing images and fue…

Shasta county passes measure requiring elections to be held in person on one day and limiting absentee ballots US politics live – latest updates Northern California ’s Shasta county, best known for its radical conservative politics and thriving election-skeptic movement, appears on track for another clash with the state over a newly approved ballot measure that would transform local elections. In…

Microsoft co-founder appears in closed-door session as part of lawmakers’ investigation into convicted sex offender Bill Gates is testifying in front of the House committee on oversight and reform on Wednesday, and told lawmakers in his opening remarks that he “never witnessed nor had any indication” that Jeffrey Epstein was “engaged in ongoing criminal conduct”. “I am here to answer your questio…

Federal prosecutors unsealed indictment against activists trying to force the school to cut financial ties to Israel Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Wednesday against eight pro-Palestinian activists who are accused of conspiring to run a criminal intimidation campaign against University of Michigan officials while trying to force the sc…

Peptides join melatonin, cannabis and weight loss medications as priority concerns. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action. A non-profit organisation that runs a helpline for young people says there is …

A cycle of threat, detente and deadlock repeats itself wearisomely as the president’s war in Iran drags on US politics live – latest updates As the story of the US-Iran war is written direct to social media, Donald Trump may be the genre’s premier unreliable narrator. Since the war began, Trump has again and again threatened Iran with fearsome consequences if Tehran doesn’t come to the table and …

US defense secretary continues ramp-up of pressure against country including sanctions and devastating oil blockade Pete Hegseth has warned Cuba against acquiring weapons that could threaten the United States, during a visit to the US military base at Guantánamo Bay. Washington has ramped up pressure against Cuba with sanctions and a devastating oil blockade, and Donald Trump has repeatedly signa…