Protection

• Juridische experts en belangenbehartigers voor kinderen hebben de wijzigingen, waaronder het uithollen van het Aboriginal child placement principle, bekritiseerd als 'gevaarlijk, onwetend en onjuist'. • Volg onze live blog voor het laatste nieuws uit Australië, meld u aan voor onze breaking news e-mail, download onze gratis app of luister naar onze dagelijkse nieuwspodcast. • De regering van Northern Territory schaft een beschermingsmaatregel af die was ingevoerd om een herhaling van de Stolen Generation te voorkomen, als onderdeel van ingrijpende hervormingen van het systeem voor kinderbescherming.

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.

• Israeli startup Capsule Security launched on April 15, 2026, with $7 million in funding to secure AI agents at runtime, founded by Naor Paz and Lidan Hazout. • The platform monitors AI agent actions in real time, enforces guardrails during the runtime gap between prompt and execution to prevent manipulation or data exfiltration. • Capsule disclosed two zero-day vulnerabilities in major agent platforms, highlighting risks in current AI security infrastructure.

Women using informal warning systems to protect themselves and others, comedian tells equalities committeeUK politics live – latest updatesSexual harassment and abuse on the comedy circuit has is persistent and under-reported, with protections available to women often limited or absent, a comedian has told MPs.Performers and campaigners said many female comedians are left to rely on informal warning systems to try to keep themselves safe but added that these systems can expose women to further risks. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration is dismantling civil rights protections in housing that have been used to challenge discriminatory practices, marking a significant shift in federal enforcement of fair housing laws. • The policy reversal affects regulatory mechanisms historically used to combat housing discrimination and bias, with implications for fair lending and rental practices across the United States. • Civil rights advocates and housing advocates are expected to challenge the rollback, with potential legal battles anticipated over the constitutionality and necessity of the protections.

• Linx Security secured $50 million in funding to expand its artificial intelligence-driven identity platform amid rising identity-based attacks on enterprises. • The investment targets enhancements in AI capabilities as companies face intensified threats from identity exploitation in cybersecurity incidents. • This funding round underscores growing demand for advanced identity security solutions in the US tech sector, enabling scalable protection for enterprise environments.

Claims explosives found near pipeline come before election in which PM Viktor Orbán is trailing in most pollsHungary has placed the gas pipeline that straddles the Serbian border under military protection, its prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said, as accusations of a false-flag operation continued to swirl before a crunch election at the weekend and an official visit on Tuesday from the US vice-president, JD Vance.Orbán travelled to Hungary’s southern border with Serbia on Monday, one day after Serbia said it had found “explosives of devastating power” near a pipeline that carries Russian natural gas to Hungary and beyond. Continue reading...

Springs fire, which had spread quickly by windy conditions, at least 45% contained on Saturday, say fire officialsCalifornia fire protection crews on Saturday were getting a handle on the wildfire that broke out the previous evening in Riverside county, fanned by high winds that quickly spread the flames to more than 4,100 acres.The Springs fire, about 64 miles (103km) east of Los Angeles, was at least 45% contained on Saturday, a fire department spokesperson said. It was 25% contained late on Friday evening. Continue reading...

• Linx Security secured $50 million in funding to expand its AI-driven identity platform amid rising identity-based attacks on enterprises. • The funding supports growth as companies face intensified threats bypassing traditional security perimeters. • This investment highlights the surging demand for AI solutions in cybersecurity, positioning Linx to compete in a market projected for rapid expansion.

Met police investigate incident, removing five officers from frontline duties after member of the public discovers items Armed police officers protecting the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, allegedly left a bag containing guns and a Taser on the street which was discovered by a member of the public.The Metropolitan police said on Friday it was investigating the incident and five officers had been removed from frontline duties while inquiries were being carried out. Continue reading...

• Linx Security secured $50 million in funding to expand its AI-driven identity security and governance platform amid rising identity-based threats. • The investment will accelerate product development, scale go-to-market efforts, and expand global operations for enterprise customers. • Enterprises face intensifying identity attacks, making AI-powered solutions critical for threat detection and compliance.

President is convening so-called ‘God squad’ to override provisions of Endangered Species Act for ‘national security’Donald Trump is dispatching a so-called “God squad” of top officials to revoke protections for endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico, purportedly to protect national security by expanding oil and gas industry operations.If successful, the administration may kill off dozens of protected species – from Rice’s whales and whooping cranes to sea turtles. Continue reading...

Request comes at the start of a two-week inquest into the death of Noongar man Jeffrey Winmar in MelbourneGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEleven police officers called to give evidence into the death of an Aboriginal man in custody have sought certificates to protect themselves from self-incrimination.The request from the Victoria police chief commissioner came at the start of a two-week inquest into the death of Noongar man Jeffrey Winmar. Continue reading...

Speaking after signing trade agreement in Canberra, the European Commission president warns ‘situation is critical’ for global energy supplyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe US and Iran must come to the negotiating table to immediately end the de facto closure of the strait of Hormuz and stop hostilities in the Middle East, the head of the European Commission says.Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said Iran’s efforts to block the strategic waterway via attacks on unarmed commercial vessels and critical infrastructure “must be condemned”. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration, through Energy Secretary Chris Wright's leadership, is accelerating AI data center expansion via a 'Ratepayer Protection Pledge' encouraging major tech firms including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI to fund their own power generation. • Utilities have signed agreements for 183 gigawatts of data center capacity, equivalent to 22% of 2025 U.S. electricity demand, with initiatives including streamlined permits and federal land use for construction. • The expansion presents challenges in deregulated markets like Texas and mid-Atlantic states, where utilities manage only transmission infrastructure rather than power supply responsibility, requiring state and regional coordination to ensure adequate power plant development.

Conservative-majority court sided with administration before and lifted protections for 600,000 VenezuelansSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe supreme court will hear arguments over the Trump administration’s push to end legal protections for people fleeing war and natural disaster from countries around the world, including Haiti and Syria.The justices refused to immediately lift the protections for hundreds of thousands of people Monday, allowing them to live and work in the US legally for now. Continue reading...