French man on trial accused of raping partner after contact with Dominique Pelicot

• The United States launched a second consecutive day of military strikes against Iran, following Donald Trump's vow to "hit them hard again" after accusing Tehran negotiators of deception. • Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baqaei, stated that these attacks have jeopardized ongoing ceasefire negotiations and accused Washington of undermining diplomatic efforts.

• The UAE is positioning its energy transformation as a global model for balancing economic growth with long-term environmental sustainability. • The strategy focuses on reconciling the urgent need for energy security with accelerated climate action to meet international goals.

• The US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 8 following weeks of intense conflict and retaliatory attacks. • The agreement aims to halt hostilities and initiate protracted negotiations between the two nations.

The UCL study also found physically punished children were more likely to struggle in schoolChildren smacked by their parents struggle to get good exam results and are more likely to bully others, causing a negative impact on society, according to new research calling for smacking to be banned.The study by University College London (UCL) found that children in England who were physically punished at the ages of three, five and seven were significantly less likely to pass GCSE exams compared with other children, even after factors such as family background were taken into account. Continue reading...

Director of Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli celebrated for defining Australian culture and ‘global influence on craft, form and storytelling’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPeter Weir, the director of Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli, was presented with the inaugural lifetime achievement award from the Australian Film Television and Radio School on Wednesday night.At an event hosted by Sydney film festival, the AFTRS council chair, Rachel Perkins, called the now-retired 81-year-old director and screenwriter “the greatest film-maker this country has produced”. Continue reading...

Blundy’s investment firm, BBRC International, owns about 13% of the US-listed lingerie brand, giving it a potential platform to launch a hostile takeoverAustralian billionaire Brett Blundy is waging a high-stakes campaign to oust the long-term chair of Victoria’s Secret & Co, setting the stage for a showdown at the company’s annual meeting in the US on Thursday.Blundy’s investment firm, BBRC International, owns about 13% of the US-listed Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand, making it the second biggest single shareholder and giving it a potential platform to launch a hostile takeover. Continue reading...

Plan to move 240,000 people off scheme leads states and territories to jointly warn they can’t ‘deliver like-for-like services to people who are exited from the NDIS’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastState and territory disability ministers have rung alarm bells over the Albanese government’s proposed overhaul of the NDIS, warning they can’t deliver “like-for-like services” for more than 200,000 participants expected to be shifted off the scheme by 2031.The Albanese government’s national disability insurance scheme bill is designed to dramatically curb the growth of the $50bn-a-year scheme by first reducing budgets and then the number of people who can access it from 2028. Continue reading...

As the US prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary and Trump turns 80, what state is the country in? And its president?This weekend kicks off an extravaganza of celebrations for the US, marking 250 years of independence from Britain – and for Donald Trump, marking 80 years of being, well, him.Presidents gone-by would have used a milestone anniversary to promote national unity. Trump is organising a cage fight. The president is adamant that every decent, flag-waving American will enjoy the festivities … or at least be talking about the party rather than what he’s brought to it. Continue reading...

South Australian Liberal Tony Pasin says parties should ‘work hand-in-glove’ to defeat Labor at the next electionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSplits are appearing inside the Liberal party about how to deal with Pauline Hanson, after one opposition MP at risk of losing his seat to One Nation said the two conservative parties should cooperate and not run against each other – a plan rejected by Angus Taylor and other senior colleagues.With One Nation leading the Coalition and Labor in published opinion polls, Hanson’s threat to target government-held seats has recharged debate about whether the surge will see rightwing politicians cooperate or cannibalise each other’s votes. Continue reading...

Former Labor foreign affairs minister says belief US would defend Australia in event of an existential attack is a ‘ludicrous delusion’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAukus will prove to be one of the worst defence and foreign policy decisions ever made by an Australian government and is only being permitted by Donald Trump in order to destroy Chinese nuclear threats to the US mainland, former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans says.Giving evidence to an independent public inquiry into the $368bn nuclear agreement with the US and UK on Thursday, Evans, a cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, will warn the transfer and construction of submarines to Australia from the early 2030s is effectively only an extension of the American military fleet. Continue reading...

Defense says no evidence occasional Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht ignited deadly blaze on New Year’s Day 2025The trial of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting last year’s deadly Palisades fire, kicked off on Wednesday with opening arguments. Prosecutors cast him as a vengeful arsonist who sought to hide his role from authorities, while his defense attorneys argued that the fire was caused by fireworks.On New Year’s Day in 2025, firefighters extinguished a small blaze in the Pacific Palisades, a coastal Los Angeles enclave. But the flames continued to smolder underground, before reigniting as they were picked up by strong winds. The Palisades fire, the most destructive wildfires in city history, tore through roughly 23,000 acres, incinerating thousands of buildings and killing 12 people. Continue reading...