CCTV shows three men near Sydney ‘stronghold’ where kidnapped Chris Baghsarian held, police allege

• Amnesty International investigation concludes the U.S. conducted an airstrike on an Iranian school, killing about 170 people, mostly children, amid escalating U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran. • The report highlights the attack as part of broader military actions that have injured at least 200 U.S. troops and killed 13 service members since the conflict began over two weeks ago. • Pentagon deploys thousands more U.S. Marines and warships to the Middle East, signaling intensified U.S. involvement in the region.

• Cuba's national electricity grid failed Monday, leaving millions without power in the third major blackout in four months due to U.S.-imposed energy blockade under President Trump. • Trump stated to reporters, 'I do believe I’ll be the honor of — having the honor of taking Cuba... think I could do anything I want with it,' amid reports of U.S. pressure for President Miguel Díaz-Canel to resign. • The crisis exacerbates humanitarian conditions on the island, tying into broader U.S. foreign policy shifts.

• Israel announces ground operations targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, escalating the multi-front conflict. • Iran launches a new wave of drone and missile strikes across the Gulf, including damage to Iraq's Al-Rasheed Hotel and attacks on Kuwait and Qatar. • U.S. President Trump receives regular options to end the Iran war, per sources, amid concerns of wider regional involvement.

New Zealand economic growth tipped to overtake Australia’s this year but Middle East conflict casts a shadow over outlookJust as New Zealand’s fragile economic recovery shows flickers of improvement – with economists predicting its annual growth could surpass that of its larger neighbour Australia – it is facing a new threat: the war in the Middle East.New Zealand is particularly exposed to the energy shocks produced by the conflict – and to economic crises generally – with the small, isolated nation highly dependent on global trade and tourism. It is susceptible to disruptions in supply chains and shipping. Continue reading...

Experts say attacks on Afghanistan are ‘defensive, not offensive’ but carry a risk of spiralling cycle of violenceAn escalating Pakistani campaign of airstrikes against targets in Afghanistan is aimed at forcing the Taliban authorities to abandon their support for Pakistani militants, according to officials and experts.The strategy is to impose such a steep cost on the Taliban administration that they act to prevent attacks emanating from Afghanistan. Yet it carries the risk of spiralling violence. Continue reading...

Study highlights the movements in people’s gait that give away most about their emotional stateA long face is not the only sign that someone is down in the dumps. How people walk is revealing too, particularly the swing of the arms and legs, researchers say.Scientists asked volunteers to guess people’s emotions from video clips of them walking and found that bigger swings portrayed more aggression while smaller swings implied fear and sadness. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor hopes yet-to-be-built £250m course could provide ‘lasting legacy’ for north of EnglandFrom the fairways of Rome to the greens of Versailles, could the world’s most prestigious golf tournament be heading to Bolton?Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has announced a bid to bring the Ryder Cup to the north of England for the first time in nearly 60 years. Continue reading...

Law Commission proposal forms part of plan to modernise and simplify burial and cremation lawGraves more than 100 years old could be reused across England and Wales under Law Commission proposals that also include the reopening of some burial grounds closed under Victorian-era legislation.The changes would create a national framework for the first time, aiming to reduce pressure on burial space and modernise a system largely unchanged for more than 170 years. Continue reading...

Exclusive: England and Wales Greens leader outlines economic policy including help to meet rising energy costs and water re-nationalisationSuccessive governments have turned the UK from a manufacturing economy to one where the basics of life have been privatised and are rented back to people at a crushing cost, Zack Polanski will say.In a speech billed as the Green leader’s biggest policy intervention since he took over as leader six months ago, Polanski will argue that decades of gradual economic rebalancing in favour of a minority who own assets has left much of the country vulnerable to economic shocks such as the current rise in fuel prices. Continue reading...

Former deputy prime minister says Labour’s immigration changes are un-British and Starmer must respond to fall in party’s popularityAngela Rayner has said the very survival of the Labour party is at stake and warned Keir Starmer that he “cannot go through the motions” in the face of declining support.In a speech at campaign group Mainstream’s spring reception, the former deputy prime minister said she believed the government was “running out of time” to show it can deliver the changes that the public needs. Continue reading...

Musician, AKA Michael Tyler, faces up to 20 years after entering plea in state court outside Baton Rouge, LouisianaThe US rapper Mystikal on Tuesday pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in connection with a case that led to his arrest in 2022.Mystikal – whose given name is Michael Tyler – faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in a state courthouse outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to reports from local news outlets WBRZ and WAFB. Continue reading...