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• On April 14, 2026, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) completed its primary mission early, creating the largest-ever 3D map of 47 million galaxies. • The dataset represents a sixfold increase over all previous galactic measurements, enabling new analysis of the universe's shape and size. • This breakthrough could reconcile quantum physics and general relativity toward a theory of everything, positioning US National Laboratories to lead global science.

UK was close behind, exporting 675,000 tonnes, with much of the waste sent to Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia Germany was the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025 and sent more than 810,000 tonnes abroad, according to analysis of trade data carried out for the Guardian.The UK followed close behind, according to the analysis by Watershed Investigations and the Basel Action Network. It exported more 675,000 tonnes, its highest level in eight years and enough to fill about 127,000 shipping containers. Continue reading...

• South Carolina health officials ended the nation's largest measles outbreak after six months, with 997 infections and 21 hospitalizations but no deaths. • The outbreak concluded Sunday following over a month without new cases. • This marks a significant public health milestone amid rising national vaccination concerns.

USS Gerald R Ford to sail home after 10-month spell including role in Maduro capture and Middle East warThe world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, will be heading home following a record-setting deployment of more than 300 days that included participating in the war against Iran and capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, two US officials said Wednesday.The Ford will be leaving the Middle East in the coming days and returning to its home port in Virginia in mid-May, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military movements. The Washington Post reported the development earlier. Continue reading...

Cocaine use also reaches record highs, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission figures showGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMethamphetamine use in Australia has almost doubled in the past decade and stimulants are being taken at record highs, new wastewater monitoring reveals.On Wednesday evening the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (Acic) released its latest annual report after testing wastewater samples from 64 treatment plants across the country between August 2024 and 2025. Continue reading...

• The largest measles outbreak in the United States in more than 35 years has ended, with no new cases reported in more than 42 days, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. • The outbreak began in October 2025 in South Carolina and resulted in nearly 1,000 confirmed cases over six months, with more than 600 cases occurring in 2026 alone; at least 21 hospitalizations were recorded with no reported deaths. • Canada has been significantly impacted, losing its measles elimination status on November 10, 2025, and reporting 907 cases since the start of 2026, with Manitoba accounting for 556 cases.

Lord committee says chancellor and recent predecessors have allowed themselves too little room for manoeuvreBusiness live – latest updatesRachel Reeves should aim to run a “significantly larger” buffer against her fiscal rules, according to a report from a House of Lords committee that says the UK’s public debt is on an unsustainable trajectory.The chancellor raised taxes at last year’s budget in order to more than double the “headroom”, or buffer, against her fiscal rules to £22bn – some of which is expected to be eroded by the impact of the Iran war. Continue reading...

Residents and visitors in California alert each other whenever they spot the above average size animal at Pier 39A gigantic 2,000lb steller sea lion nicknamed “Chonkers” has become an unexpected local celebrity after taking up residence in the San Francisco Bay.The massive sea lion swam up to a dock on Pier 39 in San Francisco around a month ago and has remained in the area since, drawing attention from residents, visitors and social media users who have been sharing frequent photos and videos of the animal looming over its peers. Continue reading...

Executive order to speed access to psychedelic treatments likely to have limited legal impact despite high-profile pushThe Trump administration issued an executive order earlier this month to accelerate access to psychedelic medication for people with “serious mental illnesses,” but experts say the order is more likely to make a difference symbolically than legally.“Policymakers and the medical field have long struggled to address the burden of suicide and serious mental illness rates in America,” the order reads, noting that some people do not respond to available treatments. Continue reading...

• President Donald Trump outlined sweeping healthcare reforms in an Oval Office address, announcing what he described as the largest prescription drug price cuts in U.S. history. • The announcement represents a major domestic policy initiative focused on reducing medication costs for American consumers. • Trump simultaneously signaled potential progress in Iran conflict negotiations, suggesting possible diplomatic breakthroughs as ceasefire talks continue.

Green groups say European Commission is ‘chief roadblock’ to its own plans, as report finds poor progress four years onHarmful compounds in children’s nappies and toxic “forever chemicals” in everyday products are among 14 hazardous substance groups hit by lengthy delays to EU pollution controls, according to report findings described by scientists as “extremely frustrating”.The European Commission sought to push broad categories of dangerous substances off the market with a “restrictions roadmap” in April 2022 that was hailed at the time as the largest-ever ban of toxic chemicals. Continue reading...

Reduction procedures and implant removals reflect shift toward comfort and more active lifestyles, surgeons sayBreast reductions and implant removals have overtaken enlargements for the first time, data shows, as experts link the shift to more active lifestyles.The latest annual audit from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) shows there were 4,761 breast enlargement procedures in 2025, down 8% on the previous year. Continue reading...

• North Korean-linked hackers executed a $290 million cryptocurrency theft from Kelp DAO, marking the largest digital asset heist of the year and demonstrating persistent threats to blockchain platforms. • The attack underscores vulnerabilities in decentralized finance infrastructure and the sophistication of state-sponsored cybercriminal operations targeting crypto assets. • Security experts warn of escalating coordination between criminal groups and nation-state actors targeting high-value cryptocurrency holdings globally.

Museum says The Music is Black is part of a push to reposition scene as central to UK’s cultural historyJacqueline Springer is standing in the middle of the V&A’s new exhibition space looking wistfully at a pair of drainpipe trousers, a tailored suit jacket and a porkpie hat, which create the unmistakable silhouette of Pauline Black, lead singer of the 2 Tone group the Selector.Springer is the curator of the V&A East’s inaugural exhibition, The Music is Black, a landmark survey of Black British music, which opens this weekend. It starts with the early drumbeats in Africa and takes us right up to the latest innovations in pop and drill via jungle, grime, garage and two-tone. Continue reading...

Residents south of the refinery in Corio warned to shelter inside due to smokeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNationals leader Matt Canavan defended the Coalition’s planned crack down on immigrations as “fair and reasonable” and that migrants would understand the policy.Asked on 7.30 last night how Australia’s migrant communities would see the plan, Canavan referred to the “rigour” of the naturalisation process his Italian grandparents went through in the 1950s and his own publicised Section 44 high court citizenship saga (which he said ultimately proved him to be a “dinky-di Aussie”). He said:It’s fair and reasonable that we set high standards to join the club of Australians and I’m sure migrants here today want to see that …We have a Government that has put its head in the sand now and has not listened to the Australian people that clearly want change.I think we should discriminate on values …We shouldn’t discriminate on colour, religion, sexuality, gender, but surely … we should discriminate on people who don’t support democracy, who profess support for terrorism or violence, who don’t believe in equality between male and female genders. People who have those views I don’t want them in our country.I’ll comment that the Robert Frost line in that poem was delivered in irony.But we’ll return to that another day along with many other questions, thank you for joining us … Continue reading...

Justin Sun said World Liberty Financial built a ‘backdoor blacklisting function’ that froze his account. ‘We have the truth. See you in court,’ the company respondedSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe largest investor in Donald Trump’s crypto venture has claimed that the firm “secretly” implemented a tool to unilaterally freeze his holdings of its cryptocurrency. He claimed the company could do the same to any other user.In posts on social media platform X on Sunday, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun said, without offering evidence, that World Liberty Financial had embedded what he described as a “backdoor blacklisting function” in the blockchain-based contracts used for the WLFI tokens. Continue reading...

Barratt Redrow blames effects of Iran war, and likely impact on mortgage rates and costs, for further reductionBritain’s largest housebuilder is planning to dramatically cut back on buying new land, blaming the impact of the conflict in the Middle East and putting Labour’s ambitious housebuilding target under more pressure.Barratt Redrow said that it intends to approve between 7,000 and 9,000 plots of land for purchase in its current financial year, far lower than previous guidance of between 10,000 and 12,000. Continue reading...

After Singapore last week, the PM visits supplier of 9% of Australia’s diesel as treasurer travels to Washington for G20 finance ministers’ meetingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has arrived in Brunei Darussalam, the first Australian prime minister to fly to the oil-rich country for a meeting with the sultan, where he’ll discuss fuel supplies with the world’s longest serving monarch, Andrew Greene has reported from the travelling media pool.Arriving in Bandar Seri Begawan yesterday for his second trip to Asia in a week, Albanese was officially welcomed on the tarmac before making his way to the Brunei Darussalam-Australia memorial to lay a wreath. Continue reading...

• A Fred Hutch Cancer Center graduate student presented over 25,000 measurements of influenza-fighting antibodies to WHO scientists via videoconference last fall. • The dataset, published in Virus Evolution, offers near real-time tracking of human immune responses to current flu strains, improving seasonal vaccine composition. • This method addresses gaps in traditional surveillance, potentially enhancing vaccine effectiveness against evolving viruses.

Australia and Singapore will ‘make maximum efforts to meet each other’s energy security needs’ in refined fuels and LNG, according to new agreementGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s largest petrol source has pledged not to cut supplies, with Singapore’s prime minister telling Anthony Albanese that fuel will keep flowing despite the international crisis.Albanese’s whistle-stop visit with his Singaporean counterpart, Lawrence Wong, culminated in a new agreement that the two countries would keep sending one another fuel and liquefied natural gas, amid the “acute energy crisis” caused by the war in the Middle East. Australia and Singapore will also add a legally binding addendum to their free trade agreement on essential supplies like energy. Continue reading...

Attorneys for Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian-born US green card holder, say he was targeted for criticizing IsraelSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque was detained by federal immigration agents, drawing accusations from local officials and religious leaders that the arrest was motivated by his statements against Israel.Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident of the United States, was taken into custody by nearly a dozen US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Monday in Milwaukee after he left his home, according to the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. Continue reading...

Two people reported killed in attack on newly completed suspension bridge after strike splits structure in halfMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump claimed responsibility for destroying Iran’s largest bridge, a day after he threatened to bomb the country “back to the stone ages” if a deal to end the five-week-long war he started was not reached.The US president shared footage of part of the newly built 136 metre-high $400m B1 suspension bridge between Tehran and Karaj collapsing dramatically on to the causeway below amid a rising plume of black smoke. Continue reading...

Plans would prevent the return of hundreds of thousands of residentsMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesIsrael said on Tuesday that it will occupy wide swathes of south Lebanon and destroy the homes along the border to prevent the return of some 600,000 residents, prompting concerns of long-term forced displacement.Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said that it will occupy the area under the Litani River, some 19 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border, as part of its so-called buffer zone inside southern Lebanon when fighting with Hezbollah ends. Continue reading...

• Advocate Health will launch the country's largest hospital-based drone delivery network, beginning in Charlotte, NC, using Zipline drones to deliver prescriptions, lab specimens, and medical supplies across three of its markets. • The system is projected to conduct approximately 100,000 deliveries per year, significantly expanding healthcare logistics and supply chain capabilities within hospital systems. • This initiative represents a major technological advancement in hospital operations and marks a shift toward automated delivery infrastructure in American healthcare systems.

South Korea’s transport ministry says domestic airlines have asked authorities to redirect export-bound jet fuel back to the local market amid a supply crunch• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSouth Korean airlines have asked their government to help redirect jet fuel exports to the domestic market, threatening half of Australia’s imports of the critical fuel after Chinese authorities earlier this month flagged export restrictions.Amid deepening concerns across Asia about the impact of the escalating Middle East conflict, an official at South Korea’s transport ministry told the Guardian that “some domestic carriers” had asked authorities to redirect export-bound jet fuel back to the local market due to supply concerns. Continue reading...

Shift seen away from from traveling to states with legal abortion in favor of telehealth and mail-order pillsThe abortion rate is holding steady in the US despite total and partial bans in some states – largely because of travel across state lines and a significant increase in telehealth appointments, a new report says.US regulatory officials are weighing changes to the ways mifepristone, an abortion medication, may be dispensed, but they have reportedly pushed their review until after the midterm elections, given the widespread support for abortion across the US. Continue reading...

• Organizers reported 'No Kings' day protests drew huge crowds in major cities across the United States and internationally on March 28, with demonstrations described as potentially one of the largest in US history. • More than 3,100 protest events took place nationwide, reflecting widespread mobilization against Trump administration policies. • The scale of turnout underscores significant public opposition to current political leadership and Trump's governing agenda.