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Alerts to be sent for bushfires, floods, biosecurity threats and other events which put lives at riskFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians will soon receive intrusive alerts on their smartphones to warn of impending emergencies as governments overhaul warning systems for natural disasters and other serious events.The new $132m AusAlert system will be rolled out through a series of trials from June, replacing state-based text messaging systems which often struggle because of demand in major emergencies. Continue reading...

Meanwhile diplomats have been recalled as embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut remain open but Dfat warns situation is ‘unpredictable’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAdvocate for gambling reform reiterates calls for regulator and ban on adsReverend Tim Costello, the chief advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, spoke to RN Breakfast this morning about efforts to combat gambling, including the rollout of BetStop, a self-exclusion register.We are literally saturated. You know, sadly, gambling companies now even own our kids …Right at the moment, you have the farcical situation that under 16, you can’t be on social media, which I support. But they’re inundated with gambling ads online, on TV. 900,000 of young Australians gambled last year, even though it’s illegal now. Continue reading...

Democratic governor of Minnesota says administration’s federal withholding of $259m ‘has nothing to do with fraud’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA newly revealed diplomatic cable calls on US diplomats to work against attempts by foreign nations to regulate how US tech companies handle their citizens’ data, as “data sovereignty initiatives” gather steam in Europe over security concerns.More from Reuters:President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts to regulate U.S. tech companies’ handling of foreigners’ data, saying in an internal diplomatic cable seen by Reuters that such efforts could interfere with artificial intelligence-related services.Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting to a more confrontational approach as some foreign countries seek limits around how Silicon Valley firms process and store their citizens’ personal information - initiatives often described as “data sovereignty” or “data localization.“ Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former New Zealand PM ‘based out of Australia’, according to spokesperson, after rumours she was looking for houses in SydneyThe former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is living in Australia with her family, a spokesperson has confirmed.“The family has been travelling for a few years now,” her office told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Vice-president makes announcement with Mehmet Oz, who says other states will be next after MinnesotaJD Vance announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” more than a quarter-billion dollars in Medicaid reimbursements to the state of Minnesota, escalating Donald Trump’s newly announced “war on fraud”.Vance said the action was to ensure Minnesota was “a good steward of the American people’s tax money”, part of its crackdown on the state following a fraud scandal linked to residents of the Somali community in Minneapolis, which prompted the administration to send thousands of federal immigration agents into Minneapolis and that resulted in the deaths of two US citizens and widespread protests. Continue reading...

From racism to staff shortages, the interim report found a host of deep-rooted issues affecting women and babiesNHS maternity units often cover up harmful errors in childbirth, report findsCruel comments, racism and cover-ups: key findings from England’s maternity care reportOn Thursday, a damning interim report published after a national investigation into England’s maternity services found deep-rooted issues affecting women and their babies, including insensitivity from maternity staff, racism and discrimination, and chronic staff shortages. Below is an exploration of what led to the report and what happens next. Continue reading...

Updated guidance from Crown Prosecution Service covers forms of spiritual and immigration abuse for first timeThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published new guidance for its lawyers to help tackle “honour”-based abuse, with spiritual and immigration abuse included for the first time.The guidance was updated to reflect growing concerns around evolving forms of abuse and to tackle what the CPS described as “emerging harmful practices”. Continue reading...

Independent commissioner’s report finds websites can act as ‘accelerators’ of exploitation for sex workers using themThe anti-slavery watchdog has called for a complete overhaul of websites advertising sexual services after an investigation revealed they can act as “accelerators” of exploitation for sex workers using them.While working online can provide enhanced protections for some, a new report from the independent anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, investigated the experiences of women who said they were exploited on the adult services sites, which typically allow users to browse through images and videos of women selling sex in their local area. Continue reading...

Damning inquiry into services in England reveals falsification of medical records after ‘negligent’ careWhat is the national maternity and neonatal investigation and why was it launched?Cruel comments, racism and cover-ups: key findings from England’s maternity care reportHospitals that cause harm and injury to women and babies during childbirth often resort to a “cover-up” of their mistakes, falsify medical records and deny bereaved parents answers, a damning report has found.“Negligent” care has devastating emotional and psychological consequences for families, disputes between maternity staff have a “disastrous” impact on mothers, and ethnic minority and poorer women have worse outcomes because of racism and discrimination, Lady Amos said.Banning families from being involved in investigations into the mistakes they encountered.Conducting inquiries into errors which families think are poor quality and do not properly reflect what occurred.Driving distressed families to instigate legal action as a way of getting at the truth after they were “denied openness and honesty in the aftermath of harm and bereavement”.Failing to treat families who have lost a baby with compassion. Continue reading...

Group says case far from over after being found liable for defamation and other claims brought by energy firmA North Dakota judge has said he will order Greenpeace to pay damages expected to total $345m in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline from nearly a decade ago, a figure the environmental group contends it cannot pay.In court papers filed Tuesday, Judge James Gion said he would sign an order requiring several Greenpeace entities to pay the judgment to pipeline company Energy Transfer. He set that amount at $345m last year in a decision that reduced a jury’s damages by about half, but his latest filing did not specify a final amount. Continue reading...

Tehran insists deal is possible if Trump abides by preconditions agreed with Witkoff and KushnerIran enters critical talks on its nuclear programme with the US on Thursday, insisting a deal is in reach as long as Washington sticks by its willingness to concede Iran’s symbolic right to enrich uranium, allow Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and not to impose controls on Iran’s ballistic missile programme.The three preconditions for success are seen as critical by Iranian diplomats, but it remains unclear whether Trump accepts these parameters. Continue reading...

Agitator whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was hosted by senior adviser at US state departmentThe far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been hosted by the Trump administration for a meeting at the state department in Washington.Robinson, 43, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was hosted by Joe Rittenhouse, a senior adviser at the state department. Continue reading...

Killing of Ruben Ray Martinez on 15 March 2025 in Texas was not disclosed by the department until media reported itA grand jury on Wednesday rejected indictments over the fatal shooting last year of a US citizen by a federal immigration agent during a traffic encounter in Texas, prosecutors said.The shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez on 15 March 2025 by a Homeland Security investigations agent wasn’t publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security until the Associated Press and other media outlets reported it last week. Continue reading...

Airline credits better fuel efficiency, customer demand, new routes and more flights to Japan, Bali and New Zealand for strong resultFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas has delivered a bumper $1.46bn half-year underlying profit as travellers shrug off cost-of-living pressures to travel within and outside Australia.Australia’s biggest airline credited robust customer demand, new routes and increased flight frequency to “Japan, Bali and across the Tasman”, and more fuel-efficient new aircraft for the strong result, up 5% from a year ago. Continue reading...

Proposed settlement would pay users of glyphosate-based weedkiller who have non-Hodgkin lymphoma $10,000 to $165,000A group of 14 law firms representing nearly 20,000 plaintiffs is seeking to intervene in Bayer’s proposed class action settlement of Roundup litigation, citing concerns that the deal will not be fair to cancer sufferers.The group filed both a motion to intervene and a motion for an extension of time for court preliminary approval of the deal in St Louis city circuit court in Missouri late on February 24.This story is co-published with the New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group Continue reading...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang weighed in on a conflict between the Defense Department and its strategic partner on Thursday, saying it's “not the end of the world.”

Asia-Pacific markets were poised to open higher on Thursday, tracking Wall Street gains as strong earnings from Nvidia and Oracle lifted investor sentiment.

Investors had grown weary that the massive run-up in spending on AI hardware might not be sustainable, stoking fears of a bubble building in the sector.

Nvidia has been the best performer on Wall Street this year among tech's megacap companies.

Border troops engaged in a gunfight near the island nation’s coast, the Cuban Interior Ministry said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was investigating but relying on the Cuban government for information.

Ending more than four decades of conjecture, the Spanish government moved to publish documents from a long-secret investigation of a failed 1981 coup.

On Wednesday, a Florida-registered speedboat entered Cuban waters and some on board exchanged gunfire with Cuban troops. Two such armed clashes occurred in 2022.

These are the key developments from day 1,463 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

US judge says that rapid deportation of migrants to countries other than their own violates due process.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr urged to dismantle system of political dynasties said to breed culture of corruption.

The race is one of a handful of competitive Senate elections this year, but Democrats seem most confident about North Carolina, partly because their candidate, former Gov. Roy Cooper, has never been beaten.

The president appears to be undermining Americans’ faith in the outcome, at a moment when Republicans face an uphill climb to keep control of Congress.

Ezra Klein and Aaron Retica react to Trump’s 2026 State of the Union speech.

Ending more than four decades of conjecture, the Spanish government moved to publish documents from a long-secret investigation of a failed 1981 coup.

Busloads of New Yorkers flooded the State Capitol to press state leaders to raise taxes on corporations and high earners to help fund various initiatives.

Community groups are opposing proposals to expand the decades-old Cross Bronx Expressway in favor of more limited repairs and improvements to local streets.

Total profit for the fiscal year was $120 billion, the company said. Three years ago, it was just $4.4 billion.

The investigation’s target was unclear. The school district is the nation’s second largest, and as superintendent, Alberto Carvalho has one of the highest-profile jobs in K-12 education.

Pamela Brooke Schronce, 30, has been accused of scamming customers out of money when they placed orders and never received the items

Tommy Robinson was pictured smiling with a senior adviser at the US State Department in Washington

Pima County officials confirmed a wider no-parking zone will come into effect on Thursday

Trump allegedly recounted a story about trying to set his daughter up with NFL legend Tom Brady, only to find out that she was ‘already dating some schmuck’ – who would go on to become his son-in-law – according to the California Governor

The lawyer for deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro says the United States is blocking funding for the cost of defending himself against drug trafficking charges

The deadly attack comes at a time of heightened tensions with the United States

Marco Rubio attended a regional summit to emphasize the Trump administration’s focus on the Western Hemisphere even as the prospect of conflict in the Middle East looms.

The crew of the Florida-registered vessel opened fire on Cuban border agents, the country’s Interior Ministry said. Cuban forces returned fire.

Real Madrid's win against Benfica was a "victory for everyone who stands against racism", midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni says.

The indirect negotiations are seen as a last-ditch effort to prevent a conflict, but the chances of a nuclear agreement are unclear.

Introducing dedicated parking bays has not completely solved the issue.

New evidence reveals what happened when 19 people were shot dead in Kathmandu last September.

The German budget supermarket is a growing competitor among British supermarkets

The interim report has identified problems "at every stage" of the maternity journey in England.

The identities of those on board - including six others who were wounded - is unclear.

Cuba says it killed 4 people aboard Florida-registered speedboat that opened fire on soldiers  CTV NewsFour shot dead on US-registered speedboat by border guards, Cuba says  BBC4 killed in shootout involving U.S.-registered boat, Cuban officials say  CBCCuban forces kill four people aboard a Florida-registered speedboat  CNNCuban forces shoot 4 dead on U.S. speedboat, Havana says  The Washington Post

20 billion galaxies: new survey of the sky will reveal the universe in unprecedented detail  The ConversationRubin Observatory launches real-time monitoring of the sky with thousands of alerts | Newswise  Newswise