The Middle East is Japan’s main source of crude oil, from which naphtha is extracted and used to make items including printing ink and plasticsTakeaways, supermarkets, and bakeries in Japan are running out of plastic bags, trays and food service gloves amid widening shortages of the key plastic ingredient, naphtha, due to the Middle East crisis.The food sector accounts for nearly one-third of Japan’s annual plastic use of more than 8m tonnes, and price rises and shortages are hitting hard across the industry and beyond. Some outlets have begun offering perks to customers who bring their own bags, plates or containers. Continue reading...
• The Ebola outbreak is continuing to worsen, creating significant collateral health and safety risks specifically for women and girls.
• In a surprising leadership change, Kyle Diamantas has been appointed as the new acting head of the FDA.
• Global health data reveals a staggering 1.17 billion people are currently living with mental disorders.
Volunteers head to Dorset countryside to restore the figure, but increasing heat means techniques have had to be adaptedFor centuries, the custodians of the Cerne Giant have clambered up the dizzyingly steep hill every decade or so to rechalk the outline, making sure the hulking figure can be seen far and wide across the rolling Dorset countryside.But the painstaking job, which involves hacking out the grubby old chalk by hand and packing in fresh, felt all the more urgent this week because effects put down to the climate emergency are making the giant a little duller and perhaps a touch more fragile. Continue reading...
Rents will rise and homelessness quadruple in a decade unless serious steps to cut emissions are taken, University of Sydney researchers findFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGlobal heating could worsen housing affordability, push up rents and quadruple homelessness in a decade without fairer housing policies and action to reduce emissions, new research has found.Home prices and rents in Australia are influenced by a complex mix of factors, from incomes and mortgage rates to insurance premiums, available land and population. Continue reading...
Legal and child advocates have criticised the changes, which include eroding the Aboriginal child placement principle, as ‘dangerous, ignorant and wrong’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Northern Territory government is removing a protection introduced to avoid a repeat of the Stolen Generation as part of sweeping reforms to the child protection system.The draft legislation was revealed alongside details of a major review into the Territory’s child protection system, announced in the wake of the high-profile death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby in Alice Springs. Continue reading...
A growing number of Labour MPs are in no mood to heed calls from the PM’s allies to keep faith with their leaderUK politics live – latest updates“Has Keir done enough to survive?” was the question anxious Labour MPs were asking each other throughout Monday, after the speech regarded by many as crucial to Starmer’s chances of political survival.But the anxiety for many of them – badly bruised by Thursday’s election crushing – did not stem from concern the prime minister might be ousted. But that he would not. Continue reading...
Government’s anti-slavery commissioner says traffickers are exploiting a growing pipeline of vulnerabilitySlavery in the UK is at record levels and is expected to worsen over the next decade, the government’s independent anti-slavery commissioner has warned.According to the number of referrals to the national referral mechanism, which assesses potential victims of slavery and provides support to victims, numbers have almost doubled in the last five years from 12,691 referrals in 2021 to 23,411 in 2025, the highest ever number. Continue reading...
• Active fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has intensified blockades on humanitarian corridors, trapping over 2 million internally displaced persons without access to food and medical supplies.
• The UN World Food Programme reported that starvation conditions now affect multiple regions, with malnutrition rates among children exceeding 40 percent in some areas.
• The U.S. State Department announced an additional $150 million in emergency humanitarian assistance but acknowledged that insecurity makes delivery of aid increasingly difficult.
Engineer and two drivers killed in recent weeks as scarcity of clean water fuels spread of preventable diseasesIsraeli forces in Gaza killed a water engineer and two drivers who transported water to displaced families over four days in mid-April, exacerbating severe shortages of clean water that are fuelling the spread of preventable disease.Israeli limits on the shipment of soap, washing powder and other hygiene products into Gaza have also forced prices up, adding to the challenge of keeping clean and avoiding infection in overcrowded shelters and tent encampments. Continue reading...
• Turkey convened emergency peace negotiations in Istanbul on Thursday involving representatives from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and international mediators to address escalating refugee flows and cross-border military operations.
• Syrian government forces launched new offensive operations against opposition-held territories, displacing an estimated 340,000 civilians and creating a humanitarian emergency affecting 8.7 million people across the region.
• UN humanitarian coordinator warned of imminent famine conditions in northwest Syria unless fighting ceases and aid corridors reopen, with food insecurity affecting 70% of the population in conflict zones.
• Armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces expanded into Al Gezira state on April 17, displacing an estimated 250,000 civilians and blocking access to critical food supply corridors.
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports 18 million Sudanese now require humanitarian assistance—a 40% increase from January—with famine conditions already declared in parts of Darfur and South Kordofan.
• International aid organizations warn that violence is obstructing delivery of medical supplies and vaccinations, raising risks of disease outbreaks in overcrowded displacement camps.
French child, who was six years old at the time of the incident in 2019, suffered life-changing injuriesThe family of a boy thrown from the 10th-storey balcony of the Tate Modern art gallery seven years ago said it feels as though his recovery has taken a “sad step backward” after surgery.The unnamed French youngster was six when he was seriously hurt in an attack by Jonty Bravery at the London attraction in August 2019. Continue reading...
• The UN's top aid official has warned that Sudan's humanitarian crisis is being abandoned as the war between rival militaries enters its fourth year, with attacks intensifying and humanitarian access shrinking following a deadly airstrike on a funeral gathering in West Kordofan.
• Civilians caught in the conflict face mounting dangers as the situation deteriorates, with the UN condemning the escalating violence and calling for renewed international attention to the neglected crisis.
• The warnings come as the global community grapples with multiple concurrent conflicts, raising concerns about resource allocation and diplomatic focus on overlooked humanitarian emergencies.
Engineers link reduced lifespan of roads to shift to heavier cars, some bought to navigate damaged surfacesDrivers who choose SUVs are compounding the pothole problem, experts have warned, as research showed hundreds of thousands of people bought bigger cars to navigate damaged roads.Scientists said the cumulative effect of increasing numbers of heavier vehicles was a contributory factor in Britain’s potholes getting worse. Continue reading...
• The United Nations reported on April 8, 2026, that Sudan's civil war has displaced 12 million people, the world's largest crisis, with famine threatening 25 million.
• US aid agency USAID announced $200 million in emergency funding, airlifting food to Darfur amid blocked roads by Rapid Support Forces.
• The crisis impacts US interests via regional instability and refugee flows to Europe; UN envoy Tom Perriello called it 'a catastrophe unfolding in silence'.
Analysis of six extreme heatwaves found when temperature and humidity were accounted for, all were potentially deadly for older peopleExtreme heat is already creating “non-survivable” conditions for humans in heatwaves that have killed thousands and likely many more, according to new research that warns people are more susceptible to rising temperatures than first thought.Scientists re-examined six extreme heatwaves between 2003 and 2024 and found that when temperature, humidity and the body’s ability to stay cool were accounted for, all were potentially deadly for older people. Continue reading...
• The UN World Food Programme reported on April 7 that Syria faces its worst food insecurity crisis in over a decade, with 16 million people—over half the population—unable to meet basic nutritional needs.
• Persistent drought, currency collapse, and ongoing conflict have depleted grain reserves and disrupted agricultural production; humanitarian agencies warn of malnutrition reaching dangerous levels among children.
• The US pledged $80 million in humanitarian assistance channeled through international organizations; however, political divisions over Syria's government complicate aid delivery and coordination.
• A UN report released April 5, 2026, warns of famine in Sudan affecting 25 million people, prompting the US to announce $500 million in emergency food aid amid ongoing civil war.
• USAID Administrator Samantha Power highlighted clashes between RSF and SAF displacing 4.5 million since last year, with child malnutrition rates at 30% in Darfur.
• The crisis underscores US humanitarian leadership but strains budgets amid domestic priorities, potentially influencing congressional funding debates.
Employers added 178,000 new jobs in March and unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, ahead of economists’ predictionsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US labor market picked up in March as employers showed signs of resilience amid the US-Israel war in Iran.After an extraordinary contraction in February, employers added 178,000 jobs last month, ahead of economists’ expectations of about 70,000. Continue reading...
• The United Nations humanitarian coordinator reported on Thursday that drought conditions across East Africa have intensified, affecting approximately 24 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia with critical water and food shortages.
• The organization is requesting $3.2 billion in emergency humanitarian assistance for 2026, warning that without immediate intervention, malnutrition rates could exceed 2022 levels when the region experienced famine conditions.
• US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced an additional $450 million in emergency aid packages, representing a 40% increase from the previous fiscal year allocation for East African relief operations.
Jayson Joseph Michaels allegedly planned attack on police headquarters, Parliament House and mosquesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man accused of plotting a mass casualty terror attack targeting public buildings and places of worship believed his assault would be worse than the Bondi beach mass shootings, a court has heard.Jayson Joseph Michaels detailed his alleged plan for a violent assault on Western Australia police headquarters, WA Parliament House and mosques in a diary, the Perth magistrates court was told during a failed bid for bail on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Fuel tax cuts also risk adding to inflation by enabling some households with enough income to spend moreFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFuel excise cuts would be a “political band-aid” that could worsen petrol shortages and add to inflation, economists have warned.The mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, Tasmania’s state premier and Liberal opposition leaders in New South Wales and Victoria have called for the Albanese government to cut the excise on petrol and diesel. Continue reading...
Policy begins on 1 April and is aimed to ease financial pressure as the price of fuel surges due to conflict in the Middle EastNearly 150,000 New Zealand families will soon receive a weekly cash payment to help them afford petrol, the government has announced, in what is believed to be the world’s first fuel relief package that directly pays citizens since the Iran war began.On Tuesday, prime minister Christopher Luxon and finance minister Nicola Willis announced roughly 143,000 families with children will get an extra NZ$50 ($29.20; £21.80) a week through a boost to the in-work tax credit – a payment to families with dependent children where at least one parent is in paid employment and neither parent receives benefits. Another 14,000 families on slightly higher incomes will also be eligible for payments, but will receive less than $50 per week. Continue reading...
Fatih Birol says world is losing 11m barrels of oil per day, more than the 1973 and 1979 energy shocks combined; IRGC threatens to completely close strait of Hormuz if Trump acts on infrastructure threatsIran vows to destroy Middle East water and energy facilities if US attacks power plantsAFP is reporting that stocks have fallen while oil prices rose after Donald Trump and Iranian leaders traded threats over the key strait of Hormuz and Israel said the Middle East war could last several more weeks.The escalation hammered stock markets, with Seoul and Tokyo – which had been the standout performers before the war started – taking the brunt of the selling, shedding as much as six and five percent, respectively, at one point.Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said “threats and terror” are strengthening Iranian unity, after Donald Trump yesterday warned he would “obliterate” Iranian power plants if the strait of Hormuz is not opened within 48 hours.The price of oil increased early on Monday after Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to open the strait of Hormuz or face decimation of its energy infrastructure – and Israel warned the war would continue for several more weeks. Shortly after the 2200 GMT open, the price of West Texas Intermediate – the US benchmark crude – for May delivery was up 1.8% to just over $100 a barrel, before retreating slightly.The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, gave an interview to NBC News earlier today. When asked if Trump was “winding” down the war or “escalating” it, Bessent said: “They are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate.”In the same NBC interview, Bessent said the US government has “plenty of money” to fund the war against Iran, but is requesting supplemental funding from Congress to ensure the military is well supplied in the future.Lebanon’s health ministry said Sunday that 118 children and 79 women are among those killed, and at least 2,786 others have been wounded, according to the Associated Press. The country’s death toll as of Saturday was 1,024 people.The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he hopes to “re-establish” talks between Iran and the US about Tehran’s nuclear program despite the escalating nature of the conflict. “I’ve been having important conversations here at the White House, and also with Iran. There are some contacts, and we hope to be able to reestablish that line,” Grossi told CBS News.UK prime minister Keir Starmer and US president Trump spoke by phone Sunday evening, according to a statement from the UK government. “The leaders discussed the current situation in the Middle East, and in particular, the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to resume global shipping.”Pope Leo on Sunday said death and suffering caused by the war in the Middle East are a “scandal to the whole human family”, as he once again pleaded for an immediate ceasefire. “We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenseless victims of these conflicts. What hurts them hurts the whole of humanity,” Leo said at his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square. Continue reading...
