Analysis

• ‘In slechts enkele weken heeft dakloosheid een baby, een jonge moeder en een student gedood,’ zegt het hoofd van een belangenbehartigingsgroep, die oproept tot meer investeringen in de komende begroting. • Gemiddeld sterven er jaarlijks veertien mensen die op straat slapen in openbare parken of plattelandsgebieden in Australië, onthult een analyse van rapporten over verborgen sterfgevallen. • De sterfgevallen van een jonge internationale student die in Hyde Park op straat sliep, een jonge dakloze moeder die stierf aan sepsis in Western Australia, en een pasgeboren baby in een provisorisch daklozenkamp nabij Wagga beach hebben de afgelopen weken geleid tot een golf van verdriet en shock.

Harassment reported by 35% of students at ‘high tariff’ institutions compared with 17% at those with lowest entry gradesStudents at England’s leading universities were more than twice as likely to experience sexual harassment than those at “lower tariff” institutions, according to analysis.Data from a national survey of undergraduates shows that 35% of students at “high tariff” universities – those requiring the highest A-level grades for entry – reported experiencing sexual harassment, compared with just over 17% of those at universities requiring the lowest grades for entry and 26% of those at “medium tariff” institutions. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader has registered wide range of financial interests on top of his Commons salary since July 2024Cameo, speeches, pushing gold bullion: how Farage has made millions since becoming an MPNigel Farage’s income since he was elected as an MP has now reached £2m on top of his parliamentary salary, analysis of the register of MPs has shown.Farage’s earning power sets him alongside a small number of MPs who have been able to leverage their status for external income alongside their day jobs – drawing comparisons to Boris Johnson, who made about £5m on top of his MP’s salary in the six months after he resigned as prime minister. Continue reading...

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...

Climate group calls for urgent windfall tax on excess fossil fuel profits, as delegates tell Colombia conference their nations are sufferingThe Middle East oil and gas crunch will impose as much as a trillion dollars of additional costs on the global economy while petroleum companies rake in spectacular profits from elevated fuel prices, analysis has revealed.The uneven distribution of risk and reward comes amid rising concern that the US-Israeli attack on Iran is worsening inequality, poverty and hunger across a world that has become dangerously dependent on fossil fuels. Continue reading...

• OpenAI launched GPT-5.5, a powerful new model optimized for coding, research, data analysis, computer use, and complex workloads requiring minimal guidance. • The upgrade handles messier, real-world tasks with greater autonomy across multiple tools, reducing the need for extensive prompting. • This release intensifies competition in AI capabilities, targeting professional users in software development and scientific research.

Twin reports from top accounting firms underline scale of economic threat as Iran war shatters business confidenceA quarter of a million people could lose their jobs by the middle of next year as Britain “flirts with recession”, analysis suggests, after business confidence was shattered by the US-Israel war on Iran.As the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, summoned bank chiefs for talks aimed at containing the fallout, twin reports from top accounting firms underlined the scale of the economic threat facing the UK. Continue reading...

Authorities identified Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie from remains in car in Columbia RiverDNA analysis has identified the remains found in a car in the Columbia River as those of an Oregon family that went missing in 1958 while on a trip to find Christmas greenery, authorities said Thursday.The state medical examiner’s office identified Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie from remains located in the river within the wreckage of the car, according to the Hood River county sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office said it concluded its investigation and found no evidence of a crime. 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.'

Report by the prime minister’s office says a total ban would have a ‘higher net benefit’ but would hit sporting codes very hardFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government’s plans to restrict gambling advertising will reduce Australia’s annual gambling spending by $62.7m a year – or just 0.8% – according to a government report which said a full ad ban would have had “a higher net benefit” but a large burden on media and sporting codes.The report from Anthony Albanese’s Office of Impact Analysis (OIA) also revealed podcasts, app stores and even the NRL and AFL websites will be subject to Labor’s gambling reforms, which ban online wagering ads unless those platforms build an opt-out feature for adults. Continue reading...

• The US-Israeli war on Iran, initiated February 28, 2026, with strikes on leadership and nuclear facilities, has led to Iran's Strait of Hormuz closure, rivaling 1970s oil crises. • Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's killing sparked Iranian strikes on Israel and US bases, disrupting 20% of global oil transit and surging prices by 40%. • US markets face inflation risks, with experts warning of recession if chokepoint remains closed beyond two weeks.

Russian advances slowing, thinktank’s data shows; 14 killed in Ukraine in massive drone and missile salvo. What we know on day 1,501Russia’s army recorded almost no territorial gains on the frontline in Ukraine in March for the first time in two-and-a-half years, according to analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) conducted by Agence France-Presse. The Russian army has been slowing in its advances since late 2025 – because of Kyiv’s localised breakthroughs in the south-east of the country. Across the entire frontline, the Russian army seized only 23 sq km (8.9 sq miles) in March, losing territory in some areas, according to the analysis. This figure excludes infiltration operations conducted by Russian forces beyond the frontline, as well as advances claimed by the Russian side but neither confirmed nor denied by the ISW.The Russian army made 319 sq km of gains in January and 123 sq km in February, which was then the smallest advance since April 2024. Its advance in March was the smallest since September 2023. The ISW attributed the slowdown to Ukrainian counteroffensives, but also to “Russia’s ban on using Starlink terminals in Ukraine” and “the Kremlin’s efforts to restrict access to Telegram”. The messaging app – very popular among Russians, including those fighting on the front – has been barely usable in recent months due to blocks imposed by the authorities. As in February, Russia lost ground on the southern section of the frontline, between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.Russian strikes killed 14 people in Ukraine on Friday, officials said, as Moscow launched the latest in an increasing number of daytime barrages. Moscow has been firing aerial broadsides at Ukraine throughout its more than four-year invasion, mostly at night, but in recent weeks has stepped up daytime attacks. The Russian military used more than 500 drones and dozens of missiles in its salvo on Friday, according to the Ukrainian air force.Russia’s Baltic oil export hubs at Ust-Luga and Primorsk remain unable to handle shipments after a series of Ukrainian drone attacks, prompting the country’s refineries to find alternative routes for export, industry sources said on Friday. The attacks have damaged port infrastructure and continued through the last two weeks of March, with at least five strikes on Ust-Luga in the space of 10 days. Sources said the export restrictions, along with disruptions at large refineries, could lead to a decrease in oil production in Russia. Traders said refineries had been unable to deliver diesel fuel to Primorsk for export since 22 March, leaving refineries in European Russia and Siberia without their most viable export route. Traders said refineries were having to consider more expensive rail transport routes to other export terminals.Zelenskyy has called on lawmakers to pass key legislation next week to avert a funding crisis, help Ukraine fight the war against Russia, and enact key reforms required for EU accession. Due to lagging reforms and slow legislative progress in late 2025 and early this year, Ukraine missed deadlines to unlock billions from its key lenders, economists said. With the need for external financing standing at $52bn this year – equivalent to about a quarter of annual economic output – the budget situation is desperate. “I have a list of key draft laws that are critical for securing funding,” the Ukrainian president said in remarks released on Friday. They range from strengthening the court system to reforming energy sector procedures. “I believe that members of parliament from all parties must understand the importance of these bills for Ukraine’s budget,” said Zelenskyy, who has a majority in parliament but its relations with his government have soured. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Capital gains tax discount and negative gearing rules created ‘extra artificial incentive’ for property speculation, the e61 Institute has foundGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe combination of the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing rules has turbocharged debt-fuelled property speculation over recent decades, according to a new analysis of hundreds of thousands of property investments.The federal budget in three weeks’ time is widely expected to include changes to tax breaks for investors, in an effort to rebalance the tax system away from the wealthiest Australians and to take pressure off home prices. Continue reading...

Tyler Robinson’s defense team may try to use analysis to clear him of blame, as prosecutors aim to show there’s enough evidence to proceed with trialSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAn analysis from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive (ATF) could not conclusively connect a bullet fragment recovered during Charlie Kirk’s autopsy to the rifle found near the scene of the rightwing political activist’s killing – and the FBI is running additional tests, lawyers for Kirk’s accused murderer said in recent court filings.In the court filings, Tyler Robinson’s defense team also asked for a delay to a preliminary hearing scheduled in May, saying they need time to review the bullet analysis as well as an enormous amount of other material that could contribute to the suspect’s defense. Continue reading...

Peaches, strawberries and grapes were almost always found to be contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’ in the analysisSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA first-of-its-kind analysis has identified Pfas pesticide residues on 37% of conventional California produce, with peaches, strawberries and grapes almost always found to be contaminated with the toxic “forever chemicals”.The analysis coincided with the introduction of California legislation that would by 2035 fully ban Pfas from being used as active ingredients in pesticides, and require warning labels and other restrictions in the meantime. Continue reading...

Government not on course to meet its three objectives, including to shift power from Whitehall to local areas, says IFGKeir Starmer’s drive to reform public services is failing to live up to its aims of shifting power from Whitehall to local areas, a report from the Institute for Government has found.Last summer, the government set out its three guiding principles for reform aimed at making public services such as the NHS, court system and children’s social care easier to access and better at helping people. Continue reading...

• Peer-reviewed research in Science Advances identifies 155,000 uncounted COVID-19 deaths in 2020-2021, raising official U.S. toll from 840,000 to nearly 1 million that period. • AI analysis of mortality data shows 16% undercount, totaling 1.2 million U.S. COVID deaths over six years. • Undercounts disproportionately affect Hispanic and communities of color, often from non-hospital deaths, impacting public health policy accuracy.

Exclusive: War has led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in two weeks and is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combinedThe US-Israel war on Iran is a disaster for the climate, according to an analysis that finds it is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combined.As warplanes, drones and missiles kill thousands of people, level infrastructure and turn the Middle East into a gigantic environmental sacrifice zone, the first analysis of the climate cost has found the conflict led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in its first 14 days. Continue reading...

Report shows how minerals critical to defense readiness have seen a ‘near total’ disruption in seaborne tradeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe closure of the strait of Hormuz is causing a “paralyzing, real-time problem” for any prospective manufacturing surge in the US defense industrial base, and even for the repair of defense equipment damaged by Iranian attacks, according to analysis published by West Point’s Modern War Institute.In particular sulphur, a vital upstream input in the extraction of critical minerals including copper and cobalt, has seen a “near total” disruption of seaborne trade in the straits, which makes up half the world’s total shipments, and prices have spiked nearly 25% since the war began, and seen a 165% rise year on year, the report said. Continue reading...