The Guardian

New data shows the federal government scheme has been used by high-income borrowers, including one couple earning an annual $674,000 Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The government’s 5% deposit scheme for first home buyers has enabled the purchase of nearly 1,500 properties that were turned into investments, new data shows. The scheme is also helping hundreds of Austra…

Add-on fees such as the new overhead locker baggage charge can make it harder to compare air fares, experts say Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Cut-price fares may now be merely a facade for seemingly endless add-on fees after Jetstar’s new carry-on luggage charge meant the airline joined a growing number monetising basic services in the sky. The new structure, announ…

The narratives of the right are seeping into mainstream EU policy, and Spain finds itself increasingly isolated in its humanitarian stance on borders • Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here It was over almost as quickly as it began. But the human cost of the mayhem in Ceuta over the last seven days, and the disunity it exposed within the EU, will take a lot longer to fix.…

Police arrested a woman in central London after four men were found with stab wounds in the shopping and entertainment district According to the Metropolitan Police , knife crime offences have dropped 3% for year-to-date 2026 compared to year-to-date 2025 across the Met service area. This includes an 11% reduction in knife-enabled robberies and a 1.5% reduction in knife-enabled crime where a knif…

Farmers advised to vaccinate after recent hot weather provides ideal conditions for virus-carrying midges There has been an “alarming” surge in the number of sheep affected by an outbreak of bluetongue in the UK, with farmers whose livestock are at risk being urged to move them out of areas where midges are plentiful. The virus, which does not necessarily kill sheep but makes them ill and can hav…

Metropolitan police say 47-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapon and assault A woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London, police said. Four people were taken to a major trauma centre after the incident on Endell Street on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Scientists at a biotech company have used gene editing to create two hypoallergenic beagles that don't trigger allergies Matt Walker couldn’t pet a dog without sneezing – until he and other scientists used a gene editing technique to produce a hypoallergenic beagle named Bailey. Now, he can feed Bailey spoons of peanut butter while she lies on his lap and play fetch with her in Central Park. His …

Progressive candidate will face Republican Mike Rogers in race to represent midwestern purple state in the Senate US politics live – latest updates Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for US Senate in Michigan , becoming the latest leftwing candidate to capture the party’s nomination ahead of November’s midterm elections. El-Sayed, a progressive, beat Haley Stevens, a moderate US representa…

Federal lawsuit alleges kids are being repatriated despite many of them qualifying to remain in the US legally The Trump administration is deliberately targeting children who came to the US unaccompanied by a parent or guardian as it pushes to quickly return them to the countries they fled – amid “drastic policy changes” in immigration courts, according to allegations in a federal lawsuit shared …

Men allegedly used exotic animals for photoshoots featuring a ring of fire in a parking garage in Maryland Two Baltimore, Maryland, men are facing charges for allegedly using exotic animals – including snakes, a lemur and a spider monkey – in photoshoots featuring three semi-clothed models and a ring of fire in a garage beneath a luxury shopping complex. Photographer Vernon Crowfey III, the 32-ye…

Wayve Uber wins first minicab licence for autonomous cabs from TfL but vehicles will have a safety driver (at first) The taxi app company Uber and the autonomous technology developer Wayve have been granted the first minicab licences in London, allowing them to offer self-driving taxi rides to paying customers – but with a human safety driver in place, for now. The companies said they would start…

Assassination attempt demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to continue clandestine operations deep inside Russian territory Europe live – latest updates The head of a leading Russian drone manufacturer has been critically injured in a car bomb near Ekaterinburg in what appears to be the latest in a series of assassination attempts targeting figures linked to the country’s war in Ukraine. Vladimir Tkach…

While Trump suggests deal could come as soon as today, Iran indicates that ongoing talks with Oman would not lead to its immediate reopening Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East. US officials, including Donald Trump, have said a deal over the strait of Hormuz could be reached today, with continued diplomatic efforts potentially paving the way for US-Iran talks to resume. The …

Investigators looking into whether incidents at Leipzig are linked after DHL plane forced to make emergency landing A DHL cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with an unknown object as it was climbing away from Germany’s Leipzig airport, where police later found a drone on the ground. The German government on Wednesday confirmed the incident, which led to serious di…

Cardinal Pedro Barreto received death threats and harassment during his almost 20-year campaign against a US mining company’s operations in the Andes A Peruvian cardinal who received a barrage of death threats when he challenged the firm behind a toxic smelter has called a $150m (£111m) out-of-court settlement to more than 1,000 people who were allegedly poisoned by the plant as children “a histo…