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Huren zullen stijgen en dakloosheid zal in tien jaar tijd verviervoudigen tenzij er serieuze stappen worden ondernomen om emissies te verminderen, stellen onderzoekers van de University of Sydney • Volg onze liveblog voor het laatste nieuws uit Australië • Ontvang onze breaking news-email, gratis app of dagelijkse nieuwspodcast

In transcript van House-commissie ontkende minister van Handel enig verder contact met gegrachttelijke financier • De Amerikaanse minister van Handel, Howard Lutnick, vertelde wetgevers in een besloten interview eerder deze maand dat hij Jeffrey Epstein slechts drie keer heeft ontmoet en geen “persoonlijke of professionele relatie” had met de gegrachttelijke financier, volgens een onlangs vrijgegeven transcript van de bijeenkomst. • “Ik veroordeel onvoorwaardelijk het gedrag dat aan Jeffrey Epstein wordt toegeschreven en iedereen die deelnam aan zijn illegale activiteiten,” zei Lutnick in zijn openingsverklaring voor de House oversight and reform committee.

• Elias Calocane zegt dat hij dacht dat gewelddadige berichten van zijn broer betrekking hadden op suïcidale gedachten en niet op het schaden van anderen • De jongere broer van Valdo Calocane, die drie mensen doodde bij een aanval in Nottingham, verklaarde dat hij zich "machteloos" voelde over de psychische problemen van zijn broer en geloofde dat gewelddadige berichten die zijn broer had gestuurd over suïcidale gedachten gingen. • Valdo Calocane, bij wie in 2020 een diagnose van paranoïde schizofrenie werd gesteld, stak op 13 juni 2023 Barnaby Webber en Grace O’Malley-Kumar, beiden 19 jaar, en conciërge Ian Coates, 65 jaar, dood, en verwondde drie anderen ernstig.

• Een analyse van Politico op basis van gegevens van Trumps Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) onthult dat de administratie minder dan 5 procent van de geclaimde besparingen heeft gerealiseerd via bijna 10.100 beëindigde contracten. • DOGE, geleid door voorstanders van efficiëntie, kreeg de taak om overheidsverspilling te verminderen en onnodige uitgaven bij federale instanties te schrappen. • Het aanzienlijke gat tussen de geclaimde en feitelijke besparingen roept vragen op over de effectiviteit van de kostenreductiestrategie van de administratie en de nauwkeurigheid van de gerapporteerde cijfers.

• ‘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.

Mensen verzamelden zich bij schemering onder het bladerdak van de vijgenbomen in Sydney’s Hyde Park om hulde te brengen aan de 32-jarige man, die tot een week lang onontdekt bleef. • Volg onze liveblog voor het laatste Australische nieuws • Ontvang onze breaking news-mail, gratis app of dagelijkse nieuwspodcast Niemand zou in het midden van Sydney alleen en ongezien mogen sterven. Dat was de krachtige boodschap die steunwerker voor daklozen Erin Longbottom richtte tot de menigte die in Hyde Park was samengekomen om Bikram Lama te eren. Lees verder...

• Tent waar tweelingen werden geboren bevindt zich tot wel 15 minuten lopen van de dichtstbijzijnde openbare toiletten of stromend water • Volg onze liveblog voor het laatste nieuws uit Australië • Ontvang onze breaking news-e-mail, download de gratis app of luister naar onze dagelijkse nieuwspodcast

WhatsApp-groep heeft tienduizenden maaltijden voor mensen gekocht via Facebook-pagina Carl was eigenaar van pubs – meerdere ervan – en een reeks hotels. Toen dwongen stijgende kosten hem twee jaar geleden tot een faillissement. Nu slaapt hij in de zomer op het strand, en zit hij in de winter in een 24-uurs McDonald’s met één kop koffie. Carl's dochters wonen in een ander deel van het land bij zijn ex-vrouw. Om de illusie te wekken dat hij een normaal leven leidt, is Carl voorzichtig en videobelt hij hen alleen vanuit de lokale Wetherspoon, met een maaltijd en een drankje zorgvuldig in beeld geplaatst. Op die manier, redeneert hij, ziet hij eruit als een man die ergens hoort. Lees verder...

Popster verscheen niet in retten na arrestatie in maart wegens vermeend grillig rijgedrag

Police say ‘no suspicious circumstances’ while local councillor argues ‘tragedy’ shows housing crisis has gotten out of hand in regional AustraliaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA baby has been found dead in a tent in regional New South Wales, prompting renewed calls to address homelessness across regional Australia.Police were called to a homeless encampment near Wagga beach on the Murrumbidgee River on Saturday, where they found a 37-year-old woman with two infants, one of whom was deceased. Continue reading...

Downing Street begins fightback against predictions of imminent challenge to Keir StarmerLabour MPs are calling for a close to the “endless drama” of leadership speculation, as Downing Street begins a fightback against predictions of an imminent challenge to Keir Starmer.Some backbenchers warned that repeated briefings about how and when the prime minister could be toppled were putting off voters, who similarly had disliked the Conservatives’ repeated shuffling of leaders when in power. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Congress passed a 45‑day stopgap extension of a controversial law granting warrantless surveillance authority under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, giving lawmakers more time to debate limits on bulk data collection. • The extension narrowly averted an automatic lapse of the surveillance regime, which intelligence officials say underpins roughly half of the National Security Agency’s counterterrorism and counter‑espionage operations. • Civil‑liberties groups criticized the short‑term fix, arguing that the U.S. government continues to collect vast amounts of Americans’ digital communications without individualized warrants, while the White House pressed Congress to restore full Section 702 powers.

Lawmakers agree 45-day extension but Republican and Democratic critics urge reform of surveillance programThe US Congress has passed a 45-day extension of a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Bitter infighting over section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the Republican wing of Congress has repeatedly tanked conservative leaders’ plans to renew the controversial surveillance law for multiple years. The deadlock continued on Thursday, as the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson refused to include key reforms pushed by hardliners in his party and progressive Democrats. Continue reading...

• Google engineers developed TurboQuant, a method compressing AI data to require up to six times less working memory without performance loss. • The system enables AI algorithms to retain information and compute powerfully with reduced hardware needs. • This breakthrough lowers barriers for deploying advanced chatbots and AI models on resource-constrained devices.

What began as a tiny space above the founder’s stables became the beating heart of the city’s performing arts. Its leader Jimmy Fay reflects on recent hits and reveals what audiences can expect from the theatre’s anniversary year‘The Lyric gives voice to everyone in Northern Ireland,” says the theatre’s boss, Jimmy Fay. “It’s a beacon.” Fay views the 2026 programme, celebrating 75 years of the Lyric, as an opportunity to showcase current creative talent, as well as honouring the theatre’s past.One of the plays from the repertoire that Fay was keen to revive is Christina Reid’s Tea in a China Cup, from 1983. With a cast including Marie Jones, the new production – which runs in May – is directed by Dan Gordon, who performed in the original. Reid’s play traces the daily lives of Protestant working-class women in Belfast across three decades, from the second world war to the Troubles, with humour and poignancy. Continue reading...

Research on maths teaching in English secondary schools upends decades of debate over mixed-ability educationTeaching pupils in classes grouped by ability improves the results of high-flyers but does not affect the progress of less able children, according to a study that upends decades of debate over mixed-ability education.The research by University College London’s Institute of Education found that secondary school pupils in England with previously strong maths performances made slower progress in mixed-attainment classes than when they were taught alongside children with similarly high ability. Continue reading...

As domestic sales slow manufacturers are investing in AI and seeking growth in technology and in overseas marketsAt the world’s biggest car fair, which opened in Beijing on Friday, there were hundreds of manufacturers, more than 1,000 vehicles, hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts – and hardly anyone behind a wheel.China’s car companies have cornered the domestic electric vehicle market, and are increasingly visible on the global stage. Now they’re turning their attention to what they are betting is the future of mobility: autonomous driving. Continue reading...

A poll shows most Australians think the country is either in a recession or will be soon. Economists have a different viewGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian households were already on edge before the bombs started falling in Iran.The cost of living was high and inflation was accelerating again, forcing the Reserve Bank to start ratcheting up interest rates. Continue reading...

Nearly 40% of cancellations could be avoided, researchers sayAbout one in 10 operations in England are cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice or postponed, according to research..A study of elective surgery at 91 English NHS trusts found that 10% of operations were cancelled the day before the planned surgery date; while 9% were postponed when patients had their pre-op appointment. 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...

• Salesforce announced Headless 360 on Wednesday, enabling AI agents to access its platform capabilities via APIs, MCP tools, or CLI commands. • The initiative marks the company's most ambitious architectural transformation in 27 years, aiming to enhance AI integration across its ecosystem. • This development matters as it positions Salesforce as a leader in AI-driven enterprise software, potentially accelerating agentic AI adoption in business operations.

• Iran's military command announced it has reasserted control of the Strait of Hormuz under 'strict management and control of the armed forces' just hours after the first tankers passed through following the U.S. blockade. • The swift reversal came after President Trump declared the critical waterway open due to American naval presence and rejected NATO assistance. • The escalating situation highlights intensifying Middle East tensions and challenges to U.S. maritime control efforts in the strategically vital shipping lane.

Donald Trump says he is ‘working very hard’ with House Republicans to extend Section 702 without changesUS politics live – latest updatesA controversial law that grants the US government sweeping powers for warrantless surveillance is set to expire next week. Replacing it has inspired fierce debate within the White House and Congress, including a scheduled vote cancelled the day of.A coalition of progressive Democrats and far-right Republicans is pushing for reform of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), but they face strong bipartisan opposition from lawmakers advocating for an 18-month renewal with no changes, in line with Donald Trump’s demands. House GOP leaders delayed a procedural vote on a clean extension of Section 702 on Wednesday, after the chamber’s rules committee approved the measure on Tuesday night. Republican leadership was expected to bring the measure to the floor on Wednesday but canceled the scheduled vote, amid dissent from privacy advocates in their own party. Legislative action on the bill could still occur later in the day, as Republicans address their internal disagreements. Continue reading...

Barratt Redrow blames effects of Iran war, and likely impact on mortgage rates and costs, for further reductionBritain’s largest housebuilder is planning to dramatically cut back on buying new land, blaming the impact of the conflict in the Middle East and putting Labour’s ambitious housebuilding target under more pressure.Barratt Redrow said that it intends to approve between 7,000 and 9,000 plots of land for purchase in its current financial year, far lower than previous guidance of between 10,000 and 12,000. Continue reading...

Experts say ‘cautious consumption’ shows households bracing for return to extended period of financial pressure experienced during pandemic yearsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians are choosing chicken schnitzel over more expensive rib-eye steak, avoiding entrees and sticking with tap water rather than a glass of wine amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the fuel crisis and war in Iran.As soon as the numbers on the petrol bowser started climbing last month as the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, the customer response was swift. Continue reading...

Stunning loss of rightwing populist in Hungary carries symbolic and psychological significance for US politicsFor US Democrats seeking rays of light in the dark landscape of Donald Trump’s authoritarian onslaught, illumination has arrived from the unlikely source of Budapest.Viktor Orbán’s stunning defeat in Hungary’s general election – ending 16 years of unbroken rule for his governing Fidesz party – carries symbolic and psychological significance for American politics out of all proportion to the central European country’s modest size and distance from the US. Continue reading...

Wife of Pawel Bukowski criticises care husband received over depression he suffered following failed procedureA man who took his own life was suffering from depression after a failed dental procedure in Turkey left him without any teeth, an inquest has heard.Pawel Bukowski, a 48-year-old forklift driver, had travelled to a private clinic in the country in January 2025 to have his teeth replaced after suffering from periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection that can erode the gums and lead to tooth and bone loss.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Promotional events with hefty price tags are on the agenda, alongside visits to a children’s hospital, women’s homeless service and the war memorialPrince Harry and Meghan will touch down in Sydney on Tuesday for what has been described as a “faux-royal” tour that will be dramatically different from the pair’s first visit to Australia.The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Sydney and Melbourne during their four-day visit, while Harry will do a solo Canberra trip. Continue reading...