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Exclusive: State government commits to strengthening laws as Higgins labels Albanese government’s response to women’s safety issues ‘disheartening’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian government will strengthen laws regarding the use of victim-survivors’ confidential communications after a push by advocates including Brittany Higgins, who described her experience of having counselling records subpoenaed as a “violation”.In an interview with Guardian Australia, Higgins was also critical of the federal government’s lack of action following a sweeping review into the justice system’s responses to sexual violence, saying it had “completely fallen off the agenda”.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

In latest stage of £42m restoration project, 30-strong team removed mast from Nelson’s Battle of Trafalgar flagshipThere is only one correct way to extricate a 15-tonne wrought iron mast from one of the world’s most famous and beloved warships – very slowly, and with extreme care.Which is precisely what a 30-strong team, led by shipwrights and riggers, did on Monday night into Tuesday morning, when they lifted the foremast from HMS Victory as part of a £42m conservation project. Continue reading...

Widely dispersed wind farms and solar panels are harder to target than fossil fuel power stations, Michael Shanks saysRenewable energy will boost the UK’s national security and make the country more resilient against potential aggression or sabotage, the government’s energy minister has said.Michael Shanks said widely dispersed wind farms and solar panels were much harder to target than large-scale fossil fuel power stations. They are also not vulnerable to supply shocks, such as the current oil crisis caused by the US-Israel war on Iran and the soaring gas prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Continue reading...

The findings land before supreme court hearing on Trump bid to end protections for Syrians and HaitiansTemporary protected status (TPS) holders, who have historically been protected from deportation due to safety concerns in their home countries, contribute around $29bn every year to the US economy, according to a new report published this week.The findings from this report, which comes from FWD.us, have emerged one week before the supreme court is set to hear arguments challenging the Trump administration’s attempts to strip TPS status from Syrians and Haitians. It also comes nearly one week since the House passed legislation to protect Haitian immigrants, whose protected status is at risk. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Report finds Natural England has created no new SSSIs, which protect areas from development, since 2023The government’s wildlife watchdog for England is failing to save nature because it has stopped giving protection to rare wildlife and habitats, according to a new report.No new sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) have been designated by Natural England since 2023. SSSIs are nationally or internationally important places for rare wildlife and habitats. Without the designation, endangered species can be at risk of being lost to development. Continue reading...

• Brazil's environmental ministry unveiled a $2 billion five-year initiative on April 18 to combat illegal logging and deforestation in the Amazon, deploying 5,000 additional environmental enforcement officers. • Satellite data from March 2026 showed a 22% increase in forest loss compared to the same month last year, driven by cattle ranching expansion and illegal mining operations, according to the Amazon Surveillance System. • The plan includes indigenous land rights recognition and community-based conservation incentives, representing a significant shift from previous policies that had weakened protections.

• Artemis, a San Francisco-based AI-native cybersecurity platform, emerged from stealth on April 17, 2026, with $70 million in combined seed and Series A funding just six months after founding. • The Series A round was led by Felicis Ventures, with participation from First Round Capital, Brightmind Ventures, Theory VC, Two Sigma, Lockstep, and leaders from Demisto, Abnormal AI, Splunk, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, and Okta. • The platform provides real-time detection and automated response to AI-powered threats, addressing gaps in traditional security tools amid rising agentic attacks.