The Guardian

Activists claim use of laws to curtail internet freedoms part of well-documented history of cracking down on dissent When Gabon’s media regulator indefinitely suspended major social media platforms in February, citing security concerns during anti-government protests, it became the talk of town – literally. Within weeks of the announcement, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass the res…

Coroner will examine 95-year-old’s death and look at dementia training for aged care staff, police and ambulance officers Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Three years after police fatally Tasered an aged care resident, an inquest could save lives by improving training for first responders dealing with aggressive dementia patients. Then-senior constable Kristian James S…

The Murdoch papers sharpened their sickles and hammered Jim Chalmers’ budget for ‘the most radical redistribution of wealth since the Whitlam era’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter here The voters of New South Wales woke up in a communist state on Wednesday – at least according to the Daily Telegraph, which claimed…

Legal and child advocates have criticised the changes, which include eroding the Aboriginal child placement principle, as ‘dangerous, ignorant and wrong’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Northern Territory government is removing a protection introduced to avoid a repeat of the Stolen Generation as part of sweep…

Opposition leader Angus Taylor and shadow treasurer Tim Wilson say future Coalition government would reinstate generous rules for property investors Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Explore all of our 2026 Australia federal budget coverage Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Coalition has vowed to repeal Labor’s proposed changes to negative geari…

From supermarkets to corner shops, live facial recognition could be coming to retailers near you. Jessica Murray on the AI systems increasingly used by the police and stores Live facial recognition is being hailed as a powerful new frontier in the fight against crime, not only by police but by private companies too. Retailers from supermarkets to corner shops hope it will help them fight back aga…

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is about 60 times more carcinogenic than believed in 2006, research finds A new Trump administration plan to rescind 2024 regulations for toxic ethylene oxide (EtO) pollution more broadly aims to limit the Environmental Protection Agency ’s authority to strengthen public health protections around hazardous emissions and could result in more of the toxin being released into th…

Kouri Richins, 35, faces up to life in prison for killing her husband, and her three sons say they are ‘afraid’ of her The young sons of Kouri Richins, a Utah author, said ahead of her sentencing hearing Wednesday that they would feel unsafe if their mother was ever released from prison after she was found guilty in March of killing their father. Richins, 35, faces several decades to life in pris…

Police and sheriff’s office agree to settlement after Ronald Greene was fatally shocked and punched during 2019 arrest Louisiana’s state police and a local sheriff’s office have agreed to pay $4.85m to the daughter of Ronald Greene , a Black motorist who was fatally shocked with a stun gun, punched and dragged during a 2019 arrest. The settlement agreement was reached during a mediation that conc…

Party held out prospect of act while in opposition but plan did not make it into election manifesto Ministers should bring forward a new clean air act that would ban wood burning, clear diesel vehicles from the roads and force councils to cut pollution, a group of more than 60 charities have urged before the king’s speech on Wednesday. Labour held out the prospect of a clean air act while in oppo…

Researchers find 50+ hours a week can be detrimental to health but lighter responsibilities have positive effect The stresses and strains of caring for someone for 50 hours or more a week leads to “accelerated cognitive decline” in middle-aged and older people, research shows. However, providing care for only five to nine hours a week has the opposite effect, boosting brain health so much that th…

Despite concerns super-rich are leaving due to tax burdens, 88% of those surveyed were proud to live in UK and would pay more to fund public services Nine in 10 UK millionaires are proud to live in Britain and three-quarters would be willing to pay more tax to ensure public assets get the funding they need, according to research. Despite widely reported concerns that the wealthy are choosing to l…

FBI director also dismisses allegations of unexplained absences as Democrats challenge him over Atlantic report US politics live – latest updates Embattled FBI director Kash Patel has denied under oath recent allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences on the job, dismissing them as “baseless” during a fiery congressional hearing. Democrats challenged him over the “extremely alarmi…

Research on weight limits of elevators made in UK and Europe 1972-2004 raises concerns over safety and equity Lifts are no longer big enough to fit the UK’s larger citizens, according to researchers. A study of maximum capacity in elevators in the UK and mainland Europe found lifts have not kept up with increasing obesity levels, raising concerns about safety and equity. Continue reading...

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson says his objective is to ‘defeat’ changes to capital gains and negative gearing. Follow today’s news live See all our Australia budget 2026 coverage 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 Krishani Dhanji with the main action. There’…