First Thing: Huge climate cost of emissions from US immigration enforcement flights

• Diplomacy between Tehran and Washington has accelerated after weeks of escalation, with regional mediators helping drive a new round of Iran-U.S. talks. • The reporting says the confrontation follows more than six weeks of disruption tied to Iran’s pressure on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and a U.S.-enforced naval blockade.

• The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a press briefing previewing the upcoming summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping, with Taiwan expected to be a central issue. • CSIS said Xi highlighted Taiwan as the most important issue in U.S.-China relations during a February 2026 phone call and urged Washington not to provide arms to Taiwan.

Democrat Andy Kim says he saw ‘chaos’ at the New Jersey ICE facility amid ‘standoff’ between protesters and agentsAndy Kim, a Democratic senator, said he was pepper sprayed by federal agents on Monday during a protest at a New Jersey detention facility.Video posted on social media showed Kim receiving help from a volunteer who is seen pouring water in his eyes outside Delaney Hall in Newark, where detainees are reportedly staging a hunger strike against poor conditions and denial of medical care. Continue reading...

The British-born conductor will replace Gustavo Dudamel as the orchestra’s chief conductorThe Los Angeles Philharmonic has announced that Daniel Harding is to be its next music director.The UK-born Harding, 50, will begin his tenure in the 2027/28 season, with an initial contract for six years. Gustavo Dudamel, the orchestra’s music director since 2009, leaves the role in August 2026 – the Venezuelan conductor is heading east to become music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, but he will retain close connections with the Los Angeles orchestra as its artistic and cultural laureate. Continue reading...

Two children among dead after incident at level crossing near town of Buggenhout in FlandersEurope – latest updatesAn investigation is under way after four people, including two children, were killed when a school minibus collided with a train in northern Belgium.Five children were injured in the crash at a level crossing near the small town of Buggenhout in Flanders on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Investigation finds number of dairy farms where cows cannot go outside has more than doubled since 2015There has been a huge rise in factory-style dairy farming of “battery cows” in the UK as farmers struggle with increasing costs and face selling milk at a loss.The number of intensive dairy farms that permanently confine some of their cattle indoors has more than doubled in the past 10 years, an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) has found. Data suggests there are now at least 180 dairy farms where cows have no access to the outdoors, up from about 70 in 2015. Continue reading...

With a second investigation under way into his conduct, Paul Brereton tells estimates about concerns of workersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s federal anti-corruption body is filled with staff “terrified of making any mistake of fact or law”, the outgoing commissioner claims.Paul Brereton, the National Anti-Corruption Commissioner, also defended his actions and decisions as the watchdog’s first head explaining his resignation was due to “distractions”, including two ongoing investigations into his conduct. Continue reading...

Crude rises after US strikes on Iran dampen hopes of peace deal, with experts saying talks appear stuck in ‘endless loop’Business live – latest updatesOil has again touched $100 a barrel after fresh US strikes on Iran dashed hopes of a Middle East breakthrough, with experts saying that whatever the outcome of peace talks the global energy market may now be past the “point of no return”.News of the US attacks on missile launch sites and mine-laying vessels pushed the price of Brent crude past the key threshold on Tuesday, before it later eased back to about $99. Continue reading...

The EPA said it was cutting Biden-era regulations on Pfas in drinking water, but advocates say the move will harm public health and benefit industryA new Trump administration plan to ditch Pfas drinking water regulations and instead attempt to destroy “forever chemicals” on a wide scale tears a page from the fossil fuel industry’s carbon capture playbook, and will benefit the industry while harming public health.The US Environmental Protection Agency last week announced it is moving to kill strong Biden-era drinking water limits around four Pfas compounds, and delaying implementation for two more. It represented a blow to public health – advocates say strong limits and a dramatic cut in the production of the dangerous chemicals are imperative. Continue reading...

Government’s special investigator tells Senate estimates he was surprised journalists had prior knowledge of former SAS man’s arrestGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government’s special investigator for war crimes allegations and the Australian federal police have asked the anti-corruption commission to investigate media leaks about the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith.Arrested at Sydney airport on 7 April, the Victoria Cross recipient faces five charges of war crime murder over allegations he killed unarmed civilians during his service with the Australian SAS in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Employment minister Amanda Rishworth plans to move system from a ‘one size fits all’ employment services model to three streams of supportGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government has flagged a major overhaul of Australia’s employment system, with minister Amanda Rishworth on Wednesday expected to outline plans to ease Centrelink’s much-maligned mutual obligations regime.Rishworth is expected to tell the National Press Club that mutual obligation requirements were not helping Australians find work in a system that was “ill-equipped” and wasting the time of people who use welfare. Continue reading...