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Daytime temperatures on Friday were 10 to 14C above average in four statesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRecord-breaking warm temperatures for the start of May in many parts of the country will be washed out by a cold front bringing rain, thunderstorms and much cooler weather.A high-pressure system dragged warm northerly winds across south-east Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said. Continue reading...

Social workers in England say they often have no choice but to place children in unregistered settings because no one else will take themThe sinking feeling is familiar now, says Anna*. It’s Friday, the clock is ticking, and there is a vulnerable child in her care for whom – despite hitting the phones for days – she cannot find a place. Once the foster carers have been exhausted, and the registered private children’s homes begged, there is nothing for it but to look elsewhere.“It always seems to be on a Friday that you are struggling to place a child,” says the social worker. “They need somewhere safe tonight. You’re calling everywhere, already knowing the answer will be, ‘we haven’t got any spaces’. And then you’re left with what’s left of a hotel, a caravan … somewhere you know isn’t right, but you don’t have a choice.” Continue reading...

• Beyoncé won seven Grammy Awards on April 17, breaking the previous record for most wins by a female artist in a single night, surpassing Georg Solti's 31-year-old record. • Her wins included Album of the Year for "Renaissance Reimagined," Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video, cementing her legacy as one of music's greatest achievers. • The Recording Academy held the delayed 2026 Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles following a scheduling conflict, with Beyoncé's performance of her new single "Renaissance Eternal" opening the show.

Rising temperatures and extreme drought are driving more destructive spring fires across the American Great Plains. This year, forces aligned to create the perfect storm in NebraskaIn a normal year, the vast grasslands that roll across the American Great Plains would be starting to green. But at the center of the US, where most of the nation’s beef producers graze their herds, this spring brought fire instead of moisture, leaving more than a million acres black and barren.Multiple blazes raged across Nebraska, where the records for the annual acreage burned were obliterated in a single month. The state logged the largest blaze ever recorded when the Morrill fire cascaded across more than 642,000 acres before it was contained in March. Continue reading...

Withdrawal of additional speciality training roles amid strike deadlock has left some doctors with uncertain futureAfter almost two years on the NHS frontline as a resident doctor, Heather Gunn says she is bracing herself for unemployment. Like many of her colleagues, she was desperate to secure one of the up to 4,500 additional training posts the government agreed to introduce in England over three years to help doctors progress into more specialised fields.The posts were promised in negotiations between the doctors’ union, the British Medical Association (BMA), and the government in a long-running dispute over resident doctors’ pay and job security. Continue reading...

• Yuma, Arizona, hit a March record of 109°F on March 25, 2026, 28 degrees above normal, while sites near Yuma, Martinez Lake, Ogilby, and Winterhaven reached 112°F, tying the US high. • Sweltering conditions extended across several Southwest states and into Mexico, with Hermosillo setting a new March record at 108°F. • This extreme early heat signals intensifying climate patterns, challenging weather records and infrastructure in arid regions.

Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis forecasts strong wins for Warner Bros. films 'One Battle After Another' and 'Sinners' at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15 in Los Angeles, potentially breaking records amid industry turmoil from mergers and AI threats. Davis highlighted frontrunners in Best Actress based on prior awards momentum from SAG and BAFTA. The predictions come as Hollywood faces a production slump and layoffs, intensifying pre-Oscars anxiety. Experts note the ceremony's role as a PR boost for a struggling industry.