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Exclusief: Raad van Europa houdt vrijdag een bijeenkomst in Moldavië, waarbij het mensenrechtenorgaan van plan is de erkenning van het recht van landen om grenzen te controleren te verklaren Europe live – laatste updates Europese ministers zullen deze week plannen bespreken om duizenden afgewezen asielzoekers naar hubs in derde landen te sturen, heeft het hoofd van het mensenrechtenorgaan van het continent de Guardian verteld. Alain Berset, secretaris-generaal van de Raad van Europa, zei dat discussies over de verwijdering van mensen die via irreguliere routes in Europa zijn aangekomen, "op multilateraal niveau" zullen plaatsvinden tijdens een bijeenkomst in Moldavië op vrijdag. Lees verder...

• Een daling in de uitgaven via creditcards in april, vooral op het gebied van reizen, suggereert dat Britten zich voorbereiden op moeilijkere tijden door de gevolgen van de oorlog in Iran. • Huishoudens hebben hun uitgaven in april in het snelste tempo in 18 maanden teruggeschroefd, omdat het conflict in het Midden-Oosten vrees aanwakkerde voor een nieuwe crisis in de kosten van levensonderhoud, blijkt uit een rapport van een van de grootste banken van het VK. • Barclays, die bijna 40% van de Britse creditcard- en betaalkaarttransacties verwerkt, meldde dat de data een daling van 0,1% in de kaartuitgaven vorige maand lieten zien vergeleken met een jaar eerder. Dit was de eerste jaar-op-jaar daling sinds november 2024.

De advocaat van Catalano stelt dat de aandacht van de pers 'potentieel schadelijk' is voor de geestelijke gezondheid van de mede-eigenaar van Australian Community Media Een mediabaron die wordt beschuldigd van het mishandelen van zijn vrouw heeft een persoonlijke verschijning in de rechtbank vermeden, vanwege zorgen dat de toenemende media-aandacht schadelijk zou kunnen zijn voor zijn geestelijke gezondheid. Antony Catalano (59) is aangeklaagd voor mishandeling, onrechtmatige vrijheidsbeneming en het uiten van doodsbedreigingen naar aanleiding van een incident in de vroege ochtend van 13 maart. Lees verder...

• ByteDance heeft een verhoging van 25% in de uitgaven aan kunstmatige intelligentie-infrastructuur voor 2026 aangekondigd als onderdeel van een grote strategische impuls om haar concurrentiepositie in de AI-sector te versterken. • De investeringsstijging weerspiegelt de toewijding van ByteDance om rekenmiddelen, datacenters en AI-ontwikkelingsmogelijkheden op te schalen ter ondersteuning van haar bestaande platforms en opkomende AI-producten. • De toename in uitgaven plaatst ByteDance naast andere grote Chinese techbedrijven die hun AI-investeringen opschroeven te midden van intensiverende wereldwijde concurrentie met Amerikaanse technologiebedrijven.

• Voor het eerst heeft de Welshe nationalistische partij voldoende steun om Wales te besturen, terwijl ze tegelijkertijd het momentum van Reform UK blokkeert. • Verkiezingen 2026 live: laatste nieuwsupdates. • Volledige uitslagen uit Engeland, Schotland en Wales.

Retailgroep met 4.800 winkels wereldwijd verwacht dit jaar een daling van de winst vanwege een 'stille markt' Business live – laatste updates De sportmodeketen JD heeft gewaarschuwd dat de winsten dit jaar zullen dalen vanwege een "stille markt", getroffen door lagere uitgaven door jongeren en zorgen over het conflict in het Midden-Oosten. Het bedrijf, dat 4.800 winkels wereldwijd beheert, waaronder de ketens JD, Blacks en Millets in het VK, verklaarde een winst te verwachten tussen de £750 miljoen en £850 miljoen voor het komende jaar, nadat er £852 miljoen was gerapporteerd in het jaar tot en met januari. Lees verder...

• The BJP achieved a commanding majority in West Bengal state elections, marking its first-ever victory in India's fourth-most populous state and ending decades of opposition rule under Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. • Election results finalized this week show the BJP winning control of West Bengal while expanding majorities in Assam and making incremental gains in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, consolidating power across 21 of India's 28 states. • The victories represent a significant political rebound for Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his party's loss of outright parliamentary majority in 2024 national elections.

• BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari defeated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur constituency by 15,105 votes, marking a historic breach of her political stronghold. • The victory represents a symbolic turning point in West Bengal politics, ending Mamata's long winning streak in her home constituency during a period of major state-level political realignment. • The defeat follows the BJP's broader success in West Bengal assembly elections, where the party crossed the majority mark after 15 years of TMC dominance in the state.

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...

• US GDP expanded at a 2.0% annualized rate in Q1 2026, rebounding from 0.5% in the prior quarter, driven by government spending, exports, and investment. • Consumer spending stayed strong in March, bolstered by rising personal income and consumption. • Manufacturing PMI hit its strongest since May 2022 per S&P Global, though possibly due to inventory buildup rather than demand.

Sheina Gutnick, daughter of Reuven Morrison who was killed fighting alleged Bondi beach terrorists, is first witness at royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor Sheina Gutnick, Bondi holds both treasured memories and torment. The place where her parents met, where she spent happy childhood summer days, is today, also the place where her father died defending his people.“Bondi holds many complicated and conflicting feelings for me,” Gutnick told the opening day of public hearings of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion. Continue reading...

• San Diego Padres ownership group agreed to sell the team to a new investor consortium on May 2, awaiting MLB approval. • The deal, valued at $2.8 billion, includes local business leaders and aims to fund stadium upgrades. • This sale ends decades of current ownership, promising stability amid the Padres' competitive NL West push.

Tory leader says she did not sign off on video attacking Labour’s Troubles legacy proposals Kemi Badenoch has apologised after footage from Bloody Sunday was used in social media posts criticising a bill on legacy issues in Northern Ireland.The Conservative leader said on Saturday that she did not sign off on the use of a clip from the massacre, in which British soldiers opened fire on unarmed civil rights demonstrators in Derry, and that it was distributed by “very young people”. Continue reading...

• A federal judge issued a ruling blocking the Trump administration's attempt to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemeni nationals, preventing immediate removal of beneficiaries from the program. • The judicial decision came just days after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a related case examining the administration's authority over TPS designations. • The ruling protects thousands of Yemeni nationals currently in the United States who depend on TPS for legal residency and work authorization.

• The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Homeland Security appropriations bill on Thursday, clearing the way to end a two‑month agency shutdown that had idled parts of federal immigration, border, and cybersecurity operations. • President Donald Trump signed the measure shortly after, restoring full funding for the Department of Homeland Security and averting potential disruptions to airport security, deportation operations, and border enforcement through the fiscal year. • The shutdown clash pitted Trump allies against centrist Republicans and Democrats over border enforcement levels, but the final bill preserved core Trump‑era border initiatives while softening some hard‑line spending demands.

Bipartisan measure includes funding for Secret Service and TSA, but excludes immigration enforcement operationsPartial government shutdown ends after Congress votes to fund DHS The US House of Representatives has voted to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security – excluding immigration enforcement operations – and end the longest government agency shutdown in history.The deal struck on Thursday aims to draw a line under a 75-day impasse that had threatened airport chaos and exposed fresh strains within the Republican party. 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...

First quarter output, driven by AI investment and government spending, rose as oil shock fuels inflation fearsUS gross domestic product (GDP) accelerated 2% in the first three months of 2026, though consumer spending is slowing as the war with Iran continues to impact energy prices.The last GDP reading for the fourth quarter of 2025 showed that US economic growth slowed to a 0.5% pace, largely due to a contraction in government spending after massive layoffs of federal workers last year. The federal government is down 355,000 workers, or 11.8% of the workforce, since October 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continue reading...

• A majority of Americans express concern over rising healthcare costs and support increased federal tax spending to address these challenges, according to the Axios/Ipsos American Health Index released March 17, 2026. • The poll demonstrates bipartisan support for government action on healthcare affordability, reflecting widespread concern among the U.S. public about escalating medical expenses. • Americans also show increased trust in government handling of childhood vaccination decisions, signaling broader public confidence in health policy interventions.

Transition and legal handover of hospital from private operator Healthscope to NSW Health occurs at 7am on WednesdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney’s Northern Beaches hospital is officially entering the public system, ending a troubled eight-year public-private partnership, although uncertainty about the future of private services remains.The transition and legal handover of the hospital from private operator Healthscope to New South Wales Health will occur at 7am on Wednesday. The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, said it was a “historic day”. Continue reading...

Bank’s chief executive points to rising fraud as it sets aside a further £105m for motor finance compensationBusiness live – latest updatesBarclays is pulling back from lending to risky borrowers, as its chief executive warned of increasing numbers of fraud cases and the bank took a £228m hit from the failure of a mortgage lender.The mortgage lender Market Financial Solutions (MFS) collapsed in February amid allegations of fraud and the UK’s financial regulator has since launched an investigation into the scandal. Continue reading...

Home secretary indicates Whitehall talks about returns programme, a move that would shock humanitarian groupsShabana Mahmood has refused to rule out sending rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the Taliban-controlled country.The home secretary said she is “monitoring very closely” talks between Kabul and EU countries about a returns programme for refused claimants. She also indicated that “additional conversations” about Afghan returns were happening inside Whitehall. Continue reading...

Minister tells Guardian Australia despite substantial changes to disability scheme, it will remain one of best support services ‘anywhere in the world’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMark Butler has defended the government’s decision to trim the NDIS just days after announcing $53bn in new defence spending, with the health minister conceding Australians may be “uneasy” but insisting it would remain one of the best support services “anywhere in the world”.The Coalition looks likely to back the proposed changes, despite alarm from the Greens and some in the disability sector about the 160,000 participants expected to be removed by 2030 and changes to who can access the scheme. Continue reading...

Shell Australia says campaign needed to ‘counter-balance’ claims by levy advocates – but Ed Husic urges industry ‘do not spend millions defending the indefensible’The gas giants are mounting a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to fight against a new export tax, prompting Labor MP Ed Husic to accuse the industry of “defending the indefensible”.Shell Australia is among half-a-dozen oil and gas companies contributing around $1m to an Australian Energy Producers (AEP) campaign that attempts to justify the amount of tax the industry pays, a parliamentary inquiry heard on Wednesday. Continue reading...

The trend has been accelerated by the US-Israel war on Iran, leaving households – and cafe owners – glum, surveys suggestFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor many coffee drinkers, takeaway orders are changing from a habitual purchase to an occasional treat, as elevated petrol prices and other living costs leave households feeling glum.This rapid shift in behaviour has disappointed cafe owners and surprised economists, raising an uneasy question: if takeaway coffee sales are falling, is the economy next? Continue reading...

Discussions reportedly come after Trump’s decision to stop initiative that allowed group to apply to resettle in the USThe Trump administration is in discussions to potentially send up to 1,100 Afghans who helped US forces during the war in Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a non-profit confirmed on Tuesday.The resettlement talks, first reported by the New York Times, come after Donald Trump’s decision to stop an initiative that allowed Afghans who assisted US war efforts to apply to resettle in the US. Continue reading...

Health minister faces backlash from states as he announces major changes to scheme ahead of May budgetGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNational disability insurance scheme service providers will be required to undergo mandatory character checks and eligibility rules will be tightened further for children under 18, as Labor moves to curb growth in the $50bn program.But the health minister, Mark Butler, faces a backlash from state counterparts as he announces major changes on Wednesday, with Queensland accusing federal Labor of walking away from responsibilities to families dependent on long-term care. Continue reading...

Head of UN’s humanitarian agency frustrated $2bn a week cost of conflict comes amid dramtic cuts to aid budgetThe $2bn (£1.5bn) a week that Donald Trump was spending on his reckless war in Iran could have funded saving more than 87 million lives, the head of the UN’s humanitarian agency, Tom Fletcher, said on Monday.He also warned the normalisation of violent language, such as threatening to bomb Iran back to the stone ages, was very dangerous since it encourages every wannabe autocrat to use similar threats and tactics, including the destruction of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Continue reading...