The Guardian

A skull fragment found in a tray of unsorted fossils collected more than a century ago leads to discovery Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A prehistoric fossil, hiding in plain sight in museum storage for more than a century, has revealed that giant echidnas once roamed Victoria. The Owen’s giant echidna, Megalibgw…

In today’s newsletter: More than one-fifth of ‘austerity-generation’ British children live in poverty. Our social policy editor talks about the damage done and the way forward The austerity years cast a long shadow over Britain. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, a programme of cuts overseen by then-chancellor George Osborne and the work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith gutted part…

Carney’s Liberals will now be able to pass legislation without the support of opposition parties – and govern until 2029 The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has secured a parliamentary majority for his Liberal government, CBC News reported. The victory will help him push through a legislative agenda he says is needed for an increasingly divided geopolitical world. Three special elections we…

Australian airline is benefiting from demand for flights that transit through Asia – but says its jet fuel bill is rising sharply Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Qantas has lifted fares and cut domestic flights amid a surge in travel demand away from airlines that transit through the troubled Middle East. The Aust…

Consumer spending on travel is down for the first time in five years while card spending edges up in March UK consumers have cut back on travel spending for the first time in five years, as they worry about the rising cost of living amid the Iran war. Overall consumer card spending increased 0.9% year on year in March, down from February’s 1%, according to data from Barclays. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ministers accused of trying to keep investment firm’s withdrawal from partnership with NatureScot under wraps A funding deal to raise £100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told. The Guardian has learned that Aberdeen, the investment firm, decided to withdraw from a partnership with the ag…

Data from 22 police forces shows spending has more than tripled since the ban came into force in 2024 Police spending on kennels and veterinary bills in England and Wales has more than tripled since the XL bully ban came into force, with some forces recording an almost 500% spending increase since the new law was enacted in 2024. Data from 22 police forces obtained via freedom of information requ…

Premier Chris Minns says policy will give road users a ‘real alternative’ that’s cheaper than petrol Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Another 1,000 electric vehicle chargers will arrive in New South Wales in the next two years and businesses could find funding to switch to electric trucks, under the state governmen…

Regime hopes to capitalise on deepening transatlantic split by briefing previously sidelined European countries In a move designed to increase pressure on the US to make compromises in its conflict with his country, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi has been briefing European capitals on the nature of the offer Iran had been willing to make about its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and…

Lafarge fined more than €1m and its former boss jailed for paying nearly €5.6m to groups including Islamic State A French court has fined the cement group Lafarge more than €1m (£870,000) and sentenced its former boss to six years in prison for paying protection money to Islamic State and other terror groups to maintain its business in war-torn Syria from 2013 to 2014. The ruling follows a 2022 c…

Three human rights groups are seeking to subpoena permit documents from Richard Marles Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A trio of Palestinian human rights groups have launched a legal bid to force Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, to shed light on whether the government has approved Israel-bound export permits, which could violate international law. The gro…

Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Queen Latifah and Joy Division/New Order will also be inducted, along with the late Luther Vandross Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Queen Latifah, Oasis, Sade and Joy Division/New Order will be inducted into the Rock + Roll Hall of Fame, along with first-time nominees Wu-Tang Clan and the late Luther Vandross. The list was revealed on Monday night in the US, during…

Dispatch of vessel strike, like most of military’s statements on strikes conducted in area, did not provide evidence The US military said it killed two people in a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, claiming the targets were involved in “narco-trafficking operations”. The announcement, like most of the military’s statements on the dozens of strikes it has conducted in the …

Hezbollah says it will not abide by agreements that result from the Lebanon-Israel talks in the US; Trump claims Iran wants to make a deal US starts naval blockade of Iranian ports after deadline passes The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah will not abide by any agreements that may result from direct Lebanon-Israel talks in the US , negotiations it firmly opposes, a senior Hezbollah official has …

Péter Magyar would ‘talk to Russian president, but won’t initiate contact’; Ukraine welcomes defeat of Orbán. What we know on day 1,511 Péter Magyar, Hungary’s new leader , said he would ask Vladimir Putin to end the killing in Ukraine if they speak, and plans to review Hungary’s Russian energy contracts and renegotiate them if needed. Magyar said he would talk to the Russian president, but won’t…