The Guardian

El Niño events linked with extreme weather around the world – and can increase risk of bushfires in Australia and coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Bureau of Meteorology has officially declared an El Niño – the phenomenon linked to hotter and drier conditions for Australia –…

Thinktank says decoupling electricity from gas prices has also helped shield Spain from hikes caused by Iran war Spanish households save €10 a month on electricity bills because of wind turbines and solar panels installed in the last five years, a report has found. Typical energy bills would be 19% more expensive if electricity costs were still as tightly coupled to gas prices as in 2021, accordi…

The US vice-president ⁠also said nuclear ​inspectors would return ⁠to Iran as part of the deal ⁠with Washington to end ​the war Full report: Trump declares deal ‘all signed’ as G7 leaders try to tie loose ends An estimated total of $24bn (£17.9bn) in frozen Iranian assets are due to be released in four instalments as part of the US-Iran deal, a source has told Israeli newspaper Hareetz . The asse…

Play at Gillian Lynne theatre in London will cycle through versions with weekend crowds able to pick one In keeping with its well-earned reputation for cloak and dagger, the stage adaptation of the hit gameshow Traitors will present audiences with different renditions of the story depending on which night they attend. The Traitors: Acts of Betrayal will take the form of a five-play cycle, with we…

Environment secretary reportedly raised concerns that customers would face ‘undue burden’ from £10bn plan Thames Water should be nationalised, says Burnham Business live – latest updates The UK environment secretary has reportedly objected to a £10bn rescue proposal for Thames Water because it would place an “undue burden” on consumers, pushing the troubled utilities firm closer towards public ow…

Independent watchdog clears officers of serious misconduct but finds they ‘did not meet minimum standards’ on night Lindy Lucena was killed in Ballina Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast At 7pm on 3 January 2023, New South Wales police received a triple zero call reporting that a woman was “being bashed” behind the Sa…

Victoria and NSW police search seven properties as they examine where shooter travelled after killing two officers in Porepunkah Two more men have been arrested as police continue their investigation into Porepunkah shooter Dezi Freeman’s months on the run after he killed two police officers in August 2025. In a statement on Tuesday, police also revealed they believed Freeman travelled between Vi…

Tech is helping to identify and save new specimens and could open ‘genomic goldmine’ of fungi data The rise of AI and digitisation could be a turning point in the “race against extinction” faced by botanists trying to identify and save vital plants before they vanish, according to a major report from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. New technology is enabling scientists to track how flowering times ha…

Some titles that once backed the Tories now ‘flirting with Farage’ as they try to gauge where readers stand It was a Mail on Sunday headline with all the ferocity usually reserved for general elections, directed squarely at a political opponent. But in this case, the traditionally Conservative-supporting title was not targeting Labour. The party in its crosshairs was Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain…

In today’s newsletter: An argument about money has also spotlighted questions about Britain’s place in the world and the changing face of warfare Good morning. What conflict has raged longer than the hundred years war? The fight between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over defence spending. I’d love to claim this as my own, but avoid patter theft this early in the day. So I’ll credit my …

Almost every child, including those from high-income countries, is now exposed to at least one hazard Half of the world’s children are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards threatening their health, education and survival, according to a Unicef report. Globally, children face increasing threats from heatwaves, storms, floods and droughts as the climate crisis worsens, with more th…

Brian Gu says he sees Chinese car firms competing on quality rather than launching price war as at home Motorists in the UK and EU should not expect a sharp drop in the cost of electric vehicles despite increased competition among Chinese manufacturers, one of the country’s biggest electric carmakers has said. Brian Gu, the vice-chair of the manufacturer Xpeng, said that Chinese carmakers could c…

Senate Republicans say there are many unanswered questions about the deal and question inclusion of funds for Iran The US vice-president, ⁠JD Vance, has said a number of issues still need to be figured out with Iran, as many Republicans expressed scepticism of the agreement reached this week by Donald Trump, and pressed the White House to release more information about it. The memorandum of under…

This blog is now closed – see our full report on the US-Iran agreement and an analysis of what it means The agreement between the United ⁠States and Iran should allow for the “immediate reopening” ⁠of the ⁠Strait ​of Hormuz, EU Commission President Ursula von ⁠der Leyen said on Monday. “The priority now is ⁠its swift and full implementation ​by all parties,” ‌von der ‌Leyen said about the ‌announ…

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launches federal court action against restaurant over Tree Day Tuesday campaign Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The consumer regulator has sued Grill’d over allegations the burger chain engaged in greenwashing by dramatically overstating how much money it was donating…