UK must learn lessons from AI race and retain its quantum computing talent, says minister

• President Trump is attempting to garner international support to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where oil transport has halted since the US and Israel began their war with Iran on day 17 of the conflict. • Trump claimed the US received "some positive response" from countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK, though Australia and Japan have stated they will not send warships; the UK said it is discussing options while China called for an immediate end to hostilities. • The blockade has caused oil prices to rise significantly, with the Strait of Hormuz responsible for transporting approximately one-fifth of the world's oil supply; Trump warned NATO faces a "very bad" future if US allies fail to assist in reopening the shipping lane.

Report reveals the Howard-era settings are helping fuel intergenerational inequality in Australia’s housing marketFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor has given one of its strongest signals yet the capital gains tax discount will be reworked in the May budget, with a parliamentary inquiry finding the Howard-era settings are helping fuel intergenerational inequality in Australia’s housing market.A Greens-led parliamentary inquiry said the 50% discount “skewed the ownership of housing away from owner-occupiers and towards investors”. Continue reading...

Snappily named Xi-cc-plus, Cern physicists spotted the particle in shower of debris that lit up Large Hadron ColliderScientists at the Cern nuclear physics laboratory near Geneva have discovered a heavier version of the proton, the subatomic particle that sits at the heart of every known atom in the universe.They spotted the particle in a shower of debris that lit up a detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located deep beneath the ground at Cern, which smashes protons together at close to the speed of light. The collisions recreate in microcosm conditions that prevailed just after the big bang, with the energy converting to particles that spray in all directions. The newfound particle, which is four times heavier than the regular proton, should help physicists refine their understanding of the strong nuclear force that glues together the innards of all atomic nuclei. The force is unusual because it behaves like a rubber band, getting stronger as the distance between subatomic particles increases. Continue reading...

UKHSA says strain involved in outbreak that has killed two people is one that most people are not vaccinated againstGovernment scientists have identified the type of meningitis behind a fatal outbreak in Kent as a strain that most people have not be vaccinated against.Gayatri Amirthalingam, the deputy director of the immunisation and vaccine preventable diseases at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said tests showed it was strain B of the virus. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As drones and missiles hit Dubai, Doha and other sites across the Gulf, Hannah Ellis Peterson explains what happens next for the regionMorning everyone, I’m Patrick Greenfield – you may recognise the name from my environment reporting over the years (or perhaps you read my piece about the possible rebirth of a long-extinct 12ft bird). I’ll be joining you on First Edition for the next few months, where I will inevitably be turning my attention to some rather more worrisome news than the Jurassic Park-adjacent ambitions of a US startup.On that note: no Gulf state wanted war with Iran. But, as fighting in the Middle East enters its third week, the region finds itself on the frontline of an increasingly intractable conflict. After the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February, drones and missiles have showered the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – bringing the region’s oil and gas industries to a near standstill, and prompting an exodus of tourists and expats.UK news | Keir Starmer has said the UK will not be drawn into the wider war in the Middle East, after Donald Trump called for allies to send warships to the strait of Hormuz to help unblock global oil supplies from the region. Starmer also announced that households reliant on heating oil to warm their homes would receive £53m of government support to help with their bills.Health | A sixth-form student at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school in Faversham has been confirmed as the second person to have died after an outbreak of meningitis in Kent.Environment | Realtime pollution alerts are urgently needed across Windermere, campaigners have said, as the mother of a seven-year-old boy who kayaked on the lake described how he nearly died after contracting a dangerous strain of E coli from contaminated water.Media | The BBC has asked a US court to throw out Donald Trump’s $10bn (£7.5bn) lawsuit over the way a documentary edited one of his speeches, warning that proceeding with the case would have a “chilling effect” on its reporting on the president.Energy | Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, has been criticised for calling for the normalisation of relations with Russia to re-establish cheap energy supplies. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Birthrights report says women are being told they are ‘not allowed’ and are being denied genuine choiceWomen feel put under pressure to have medical procedures such as caesareans during their maternity care, according to a report.The charity Birthrights collated the experiences of 300 people in England who said they had felt or witnessed coercion within a maternity setting. Continue reading...

The Federation Council in Corowa received 266 submissions from ratepayers opposed to a plan to remove Indigenous flags, and only 44 in favourFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA regional New South Wales council has abandoned a controversial plan to ban the display of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, after receiving almost 700 submissions criticising the idea.But because of council procedure, the flags were removed anyway – at least temporarily. Continue reading...

Exclusive: One Nation leader updates register after questions from the Guardian to include multiple flights courtesy of Rinehart’s companyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation senator Pauline Hanson has failed to properly declare more free flights gifted from mining billionaire Gina Rinehart – this time through her agricultural company S Kidman and Co.Senator Hanson updated her register on Tuesday to include multiple flights taken last year courtesy of Rinehart’s company following questions sent from the Guardian on Monday regarding a flight from Tamworth to Brisbane on 8 December last year. Continue reading...

Audiences draw parallels between the abduction plot of Feels Like Home and Viktor Orbán’s 16-year reignIt’s seven o’clock on a Tuesday night, and one of the most popular movie theatres in Budapest is full, not an empty seat in sight. The audience is not here for a Hollywood blockbuster, but a Hungarian film that barely had the budget to be made.Feels Like Home (Itt Érzem Magam Otthon) has captured moviegoers not only with its striking visuals but also with its timing – its release coming before Hungary’s pivotal parliamentary elections on 12 April. Continue reading...

The policy reversal came after a federal court judge asked the government to explain why it had stopped negotiating with Cape York traditional ownersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Queensland government has made an 11th hour backflip on a secret policy to contest every new native title claim in court, on the eve of being hauled before the federal court to explain themselves.But the Liberal National party’s position appears to still be unclear after Queensland natural resources minister, Dale Last, doubled down on contesting native title in a statement to Guardian Australia on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Only half the road network is in good condition despite 1.9m repairs last year, says industry bodyA losing battle with potholes has now seen the backlog of repairs across England and Wales reach a record £18.6bn, according to an annual industry estimate, despite councils filling in about 1.9m holes last year.The “national disgrace” of dangerously pockmarked local roads has been exacerbated by a notably wet winter, with only half of the network now reported to be in good condition. Continue reading...