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Figures show the treasurer’s reforms will make the tax system fairer but some will not have the advantages enjoyed by their parents As Jim Chalmers was doing the round of the parliamentary press gallery on Tuesday, he was encouraging journalists to see the tax reforms in the budget as the most ambitious since the turn of the century.The core of the tax package is that instead of paying tax on just half of profits on the sale of investments held for more than a year, we will return to the pre-1999 version where investors would get a discount based on inflation. Continue reading...

US transportation secretary announces The Great American Road Trip amid transportation crises and rising fuel pricesSean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, hauled his family into a van for a wholesome, seven-month trek across the nation, which was filmed for an upcoming reality TV program, he told Fox News on Friday.The revelation drew immediate blowback as “tone-deaf”, from critics who pointed toward various crises that have recently hammered the country’s transportation sector. Continue reading...

• Manchester City are eyeing Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior for a potential summer transfer, according to TEAMtalk reports. • Madrid has informed the 25-year-old Brazilian that he could be available, with City waiting to capitalize. • This move reflects City's ambition to bolster their attack amid ongoing Premier League and Champions League pursuits.

Steve Roth was responding to the announcement by New York’s mayor of tax on second homes worth more than $5mSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The phrase “tax the rich” can be “just as hateful as some disgusting racial slurs”, according to New York City billionaire Steve Roth, who said that the top 1% should be “praised and thanked”.Speaking on his company’s quarterly earnings call on Tuesday, Roth, the CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, expressed his support for fellow billionaire and the CEO of Citadel, Ken Griffin, who was singled out in New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 15 April announcement of the state’s first “pied-à-terre” tax on second homes valued at more than $5m. In a video, Mamdani announced the policy in front of Griffin’s penthouse, which he said was purchased for $238m. Continue reading...

• Singapore retailers are shifting away from traditional points-based loyalty systems toward real-time loyalty models that offer immediate rewards and personalized customer engagement. • The transition reflects changing consumer preferences for instant gratification and data-driven personalization, with retailers leveraging AI and mobile technology to enhance real-time interactions. • Industry analysts view this shift as critical for retail competitiveness in Southeast Asia, where digital adoption rates among consumers continue to accelerate.

Parties accused of ‘fiscal denial’ and failing to tell voters the scale of the challengeThe next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said.Economists with the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, believe the manifestos published by Scotland’s political parties during the campaign failed to tell voters about the true scale of the challenge. Continue reading...

• Indian benchmark indices ended positively on May 4, 2026, with Nifty 50 closing at 24,100 after gaining 122 points and Sensex up 356 points at 77,488 amid volatile trading. • Realty, metal, and healthcare sectors led broad-based gains, driven by falling crude oil prices and improved investor sentiment following state election results, while IT stocks lagged. • Top Nifty gainers included Adani Ports (up 5%), Adani Enterprises, Eicher Motors (up 3%), Hindustan Unilever, and Shriram Finance; laggards were Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Dr. Reddy's, ONGC, and TCS.

• Singapore's real estate investment volume jumped 364% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to CBRE data released today. • The surge reflects strong investor confidence amid regional economic recovery, with total transactions reaching S$4.2 billion across office, retail, and industrial sectors. • This growth underscores Singapore's role as a safe-haven market in Southeast Asia, potentially attracting more foreign capital amid global uncertainties.

Rural dwellers reveal failings in backup plans, as campaigners call for deadline to be extended from 2027 to 2030“Every time there is a power failure I lose all means of communication with the outside world,” says Robert Dewar of life in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands since the landlines were transferred from the old copper cable network to broadband connections.Blackouts also knock out the village’s mobile phone signal. “Our most recent power cut lasted for 42 hours,” Dewar says. The interruption outlasted his five-hour emergency backup battery. “If I had had a heart attack there is damn all I could have done about it, except compose myself, say my prayers, and await the outcome.” Continue reading...

• GetReal Security appointed cybersecurity veteran Varun Kohli as Chief Marketing Officer to address surging enterprise needs. • The hire responds to rising deepfake and AI-powered identity attacks in the cybersecurity landscape. • Kohli's expertise will drive expansion of real-time protection solutions for businesses facing AI threats.

Experts fear losing ground to virus even as the end of the HIV epidemic is in sight, and say decline in infant testing is ‘particularly concerning’The US government released likely the last report from Pepfar (President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) earlier this month and the chief science officer announced his resignation days later as the US moves to a patchwork of individual partnerships with each country, potentially driven by resource extraction.While more leadership with other countries has long been the goal with global HIV efforts, experts fear the US is moving too quickly without being able to monitor its efforts as well as it has done with Pepfar for more than two decades. They fear losing ground to the virus even as the end of the HIV epidemic is in sight. Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy says BBC staff have been strongly affected and have expressed frustration that high-paid presenters and executives are unlikely to be affectedThe BBC’s sudden announcement of 2,000 job cuts has had a “very strong effect” on staff, the UK’s culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said, as employees express frustration that highly paid presenters and senior staff will not be the prime targets of the cuts.Nandy, who has been having conversations with BBC staff during discussions about the broadcaster’s charter renewal, is understood to be keen that staff are involved in making the cost-cutting plan, which will affect as many as 10% of the broadcaster’s 21,000 employees over the next three years. Continue reading...

• Microsoft rolled out Copilot Vision on April 9, 2026, enabling real-time AI analysis of web content directly in Edge browser for US users. • The feature processes video, images, and text on-screen, providing instant summaries and insights without leaving the page, initially available to Copilot Pro subscribers at $20/month. • It enhances productivity for 100 million US Edge users but raises privacy concerns as noted by EFF: 'Constant screen monitoring risks surveillance creep.'

Dozens of dogs were found crammed into single living room space at property in undisclosed location in UKMore than 250 dogs have been found at a property in scenes so shocking that the RSPCA was forced to deny allegations that the images were faked by artificial intelligence.The animal welfare charity said it took in 87 dogs from the property at an undisclosed location in the UK and the remainder went to the Dogs Trust, another charity. Continue reading...

It is clear among top officials in the Trump administration that the Israeli president overpromised in his pitch to the USMiddle East crisis – live updatesWhen Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on 29 December last year, he came with an ask – and a not so subtle inducement.After months of restocking air defence and other missiles after June’s 12-day conflict in which the US joined in to bomb Tehran’s nuclear facilities, Israel was ready to go again, this time with more substantial objectives. Continue reading...

• Rachel Recchia from The Bachelorette broke down emotionally while discussing the intense hate comments she has received online. • The reality star opened up about the toll of public scrutiny in a candid Us Weekly feature. • Her story highlights ongoing mental health struggles faced by reality TV personalities in the U.S.

Astronaut calls fellow Canadian Ryan Gosling’s movie ‘extraordinary’ ahead of Artemis II crew’s lunar fly-aroundThe new space movie Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling has gotten a rave review from more than halfway to the moon.Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said on Saturday that he and his Artemis II crewmates got to watch the film with their families before launching on the lunar fly-around. He said it was “a real treat” to view the movie while getting ready for his own space adventure. Continue reading...

• Sacred Heart University announced it will join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) as a football-only member in 2026, while remaining part of the MAAC for other sports as part of ongoing FCS conference realignment. • The move reflects broader changes across the FCS football landscape, with multiple programs transitioning between conferences to strengthen competitive alignment. • Sacred Heart's addition to the CAA marks another step in the ongoing restructuring of lower-division NCAA football conferences.

Grandson of Reese’s cups inventor claims Hershey faked a pledge to switch back to original chocolate recipesThe grandson of HB Reese, the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, has accused the chocolate giant Hershey of faking a pledge to investors to switch back the recipes of its popular products – including KitKat – to the original milk and dark chocolate ones.A confectionary-focused dust-up between Brad Reese and the $42bn Pennsylvania-based company began in February when Reese, 70, accused the company of “quietly replacing” the ingredients – or “architecture” – in his grandfather’s invention with cheaper “compound coatings” and “peanut-butter-style crèmes”. Continue reading...

As Trump suggests Middle East oil disruption is not his problem, experts say talk of US ‘energy independence’ is a smokescreen – with consumers paying the priceA month has passed since the US and Israel’s war on Iran all but closed the strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies typically flow. Prices have surged, amid fears of sustained disruption to global supplies.Donald Trump argues this is not his country’s problem. “Go get your own oil!” the president urged countries, including the UK, earlier this week. The US has “plenty”, he added. The US is “totally independent” of the Middle East, the president claimed in a prime-time address on Wednesday. “We don’t need their oil.” Continue reading...

Hostilities should halt and healthcare facilities must be treated as ‘safe havens’, WHO’s regional chief has saidMiddle East crisis – live updatesA total stop to hostilities in the Middle East is needed to halt a “health crisis unfolding in real time”, the World Health Organization’s chief in the region has said.Hospitals and other healthcare facilities must be treated as “safe havens”, urged Dr Hanan Balkhy, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Speaking with the Australian Politics podcast, the Liberal frontbencher says a sovereign wealth fund would set Australians up for generations to comeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie says he is open to a new 25% tax on soaring gas profits as part of a Scandinavian-style sovereign wealth fund to strengthen the federal budget amid the global energy crisis.Budget leaks suggest the Albanese government is modelling the effects of placing a flat 25% tax on gas profits, as well as possible further changes to the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) and corporate income tax. Continue reading...

Production based on 1993 novel opens at Theatre Royal Haymarket in London in July, with original songs co-written by the authorIt has been a book, a play and a film. It has also spawned three sequels, a prequel and two soundtrack albums. Now, Irvine Welsh’s 1993 debut novel Trainspotting is to find new life as a musical.Opening at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London in July, Trainspotting the Musical will be adapted by the author with an original set of songs, plus others that were used in Danny Boyle’s celebrated film. Continue reading...

After Tehran targeted the UK-US base on Diego Garcia, Israel’s military said European capitals were also at riskMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed at the weekend that Iran had weapons able to travel about 4,000km (2,500 miles), posing an immediate threat to European cities including London.The comments came after it emerged Iran had targeted the joint UK–US military base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. Continue reading...

Former BBC presenter says production company Wonderhood did not check facts with him firstHuw Edwards has criticised Channel 5 for failing to “check with me the truth” before running a drama depicting his downfall.The former BBC presenter was suspended from his role as a leading news anchor in 2023 after a report in the Sun that he had allegedly paid a teenager £35,000 for intimate images and conversations. Continue reading...

Forces have been stripped back since the cold war but political stasis is dangerous in the face of growing global threatsIt will have been more than three weeks since the US and Israel first attacked Iran when the first British warship finally arrives off the coast of Cyprus, a belated defensive deployment that has highlighted the lack of military capacity available to the UK.Nominally, HMS Dragon was one of three destroyers available out of six. In reality the warship has had to be hauled out of dry dock, prepared and then, after launch, tested for several days in the Channel. Its arrival date is still unconfirmed. Continue reading...

On a staff call, editor-in-chief Bari Weiss emphasized that the cuts do not stem from poor employee performanceSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxCBS News is laying off employees on Friday as part of a strategic restructuring announced in a memo to staffers from its editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and president, Tom Cibrowski. Employees will be informed by the end of the day if their job has been affected, the two executives said in the memo.“We recognize that this is a difficult time for those who will be leaving CBS News,” they wrote. “Because these aren’t just names on a list. They are talented, committed colleagues who have been critical to our success. We’ll treat them all with care and respect.” Continue reading...

Duggar, 31, was taken into custody in Arkansas and was awaiting extradition to Florida, where he faces the chargeFormer reality TV star Joseph Duggar is facing a child molestation charge in Florida, almost five years after his brother Josh, who also starred in the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting, was convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images.Joseph Duggar, 31, was arrested in Arkansas, where he lives, and was awaiting extradition to Florida on Thursday. Duggar is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior toward a child under 12 years old, according to an arrest affidavit from the Bay county sheriff’s office in Panama City, Florida. Continue reading...