The Guardian

Research shows natural hazards linked to climate crisis disrupted 23 elections in 18 countries in 2024 Democracy is under mounting threat from the climate crisis, with new analysis documenting how elections are increasingly shaped not only by political forces but also by floods, wildfires and extreme weather. At least 94 elections and referendums across 52 countries have been disrupted by climate…

Senior manager at supermarket giant gives evidence on day two of case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A senior Woolworths executive has defended relaxing rules designed to protect shoppers from misleading discounts by preventing the supermarket or suppl…

Officials warn a conflict situation could cause disruption similar to recent major ransomware incidents The UK could face “hacktivist attacks at scale” if it becomes embroiled in a conflict and the impact could be similar to recent high-profile ransomware incidents , according to the head of the country’s online security agency. Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre…

Sacked civil servant acknowledges ‘debate’ about release of documents after question about alleged ‘cover-up’ Olly Robbins responded to a question about an alleged “cover-up” on Tuesday by confirming that government officials had considered withholding Peter Mandelson’s secretive vetting documents from parliament. Robbins, who was sacked by Keir Starmer as the Foreign Office’s top civil servant l…

Federal health minister Mark Butler announces major changes and says scheme is costing ‘too much and is growing too fast’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast At least 160,000 people are expected to be removed from the National Disability Insurance Scheme by 2030, as the Albanese government looks to claw back savings b…

Two staff suspended after damning review finds department was warned last December that triple murderer Regina Arthurell was living in the home Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two staff members in the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice have been suspended following a review into why two foster c…

Experts say Muslims and other minorities have been disproportionately deleted from the electoral roll ahead of the West Bengal elections this week Millions of people in the Indian state of West Bengal have been stripped of their vote ahead of a critical state election this week, after a controversial electoral revision described by critics as a “bloodless political genocide” and mass disenfranchi…

2Apply’s over-collection of personal information adds to the power of the real estate industry in the competitive rental market, Carly Kind says Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An online rental platform has been urged to stop collecting users’ personal information after the Australian privacy commissioner found th…

Research finds global heating has already lengthened the pollen season in addition to worsening heatwaves and droughts Climate breakdown has extended the pollen season in the UK and mainland Europe by between one and two weeks since the 1990s, a study has found, adding itchy eyes and runny noses to the harm wrought by fossil fuel pollution. The finding may be less dramatic than the floods and wil…

Not using capital punishment ‘really a requirement’ for Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly, says president Israel’s observer status at the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly could be suspended over the country’s new law mandating the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of some offences, the president of the body has said. Petra Bayr, an Austrian Social Democrat and president …

US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent says Iran’s Kharg Island storage facilities will be full and their ‘fragile’ oil wells shut in mere days because of the blockade; oil prices rise amid ongoing uncertainty Trump announces extension of Iran ceasefire until ‘discussion concluded’ Donald Trump posted to Truth Social about 10 minutes ago, claiming Iran is “collapsing financially” and was losing $500…

Calls for ‘urgent, sustained action’ over rising number of children who do not have permanent home Living in temporary accommodation has contributed to the deaths of 104 children in England in the past six years, 76 of whom were under the age of one, according to data. Statistics also show there were 64 stillbirths and 27 neonatal deaths involving mothers living in temporary accommodation (TA) in…

Governor called referendum after president urged GOP-led states to redraw maps to protect House majority Voters in Virginia on Tuesday approved new congressional maps intended to boost Democrats’ chances of retaking the House of Representatives, in the latest blow to Donald Trump’s effort to use mid-decade redistricting to preserve his control of Congress. The tit-for-tat redistricting battle beg…

Karex produces more than 5 billion condoms annually and is a supplier to leading brands like Durex and Trojan, as well as the NHS The world’s top condom producer, Malaysia’s Karex Bhd, plans to raise prices by 20% to 30% and possibly further if supply chain disruptions drag on due to the Iran war, its chief executive has said. Karex is also seeing a surge in condom demand as rising freight costs …

Cursor is aSilicon Valley startup using AI to automate coding as Elon Musk’s firm seeks foothold in the AI market SpaceX said it has secured an option to either acquire code-generation startup Cursor for $60bn later this year, or pay $10bn for their new partnership, as it pushes deeper into the lucrative market for AI developer tools. Along with OpenAI and Anthropic, Cursor is one of several Sili…