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Francis will lie in state for three days at St Peter’s Basilica before funeral is held on SaturdayThe coffin makes it way through the Vatican towards St Peter’s Basilica, accompanied by the choir’s singing, starting with Psalm 22.You can follow the ceremony live watching the stream at the top of the blog. Continue reading...

Profits at the billionaire’s carmaker fell 71% amid a backlash over his role at the White HouseElon Musk to pull back from Doge roleAnalysts attribute Tesla’s overall difficulties to a number of factors, but ultimately conclude Musk’s role in the White House has caused a branding crisis for Tesla. The company is at a major crossroads, analysts say, that will only be remedied if...

Shadow justice secretary told students ‘life becomes a lot harder’ if ‘the right is not united’, according to SkyHeidi Alexander, the transport secretary, has said the government target to clear the record high backlog of driving tests will be missed by up to eight months, PA Media reports. PA says:Alexander told MPs her department is aiming to end the backlog by summer 2026.This is...

Trade body calls for compulsory water meters to target high consumers such as households with poolsHomes with big gardens or swimming pools in England and Wales could pay more for their water usage, under proposals set out by providers in their submission to a wider review of the sector.Water UK, an industry body that represents 16 water and sewage companies in England and Wales,...

This blog is now closedPeter Dutton reaffirms support for antisemitism citizenship test question and re-vetting Palestinian visasAnywhere but Canberra: Australian voters on what matters to themInteractive guide to electorates in the Australian electionListen to the latest episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastO’Neil and Hume in Sunrise...

Wines produced after 2010 showed steep rise in contamination of trifluoroacetic acid, analysis findsLevels of a little-known forever chemical known as TFA in European wines have risen “alarmingly” in recent decades, according to analysis, prompting fears that contamination will breach a planetary boundary.Researchers from Pesticide Action Network Europe tested 49 bottles of commercial wine to see how TFA contamination in food and drink had...

Exclusive: TikTok claims Silicon Valley rival got ‘sweetheart deal’ from government after Michelle Rowland made surprise policy shiftElection 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaignSign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletterYouTube’s global chief executive personally lobbied the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, for an exemption from the federal government’s under-16s social media ban, less than 48 hours before Rowland announced the Alphabet-owned...

Ryan Donnelly alleges that Jacqui Burfoot has made ‘vicious’ and ‘malicious’ claims about him onlineElection 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaignGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastA Married at First Sight bride has accused her on-air husband of lying in his application for protection against her, which she claims he lodged out of retaliation.Ryan Donnelly and Jacqui Burfoot were...

Shadow justice secretary says he wants parties to avoid competing against each other at next election, but sources deny pactUK politics live – latest updatesRobert Jenrick has told a private meeting he will try to ensure that the Tories and Reform do not compete against each other at the next election, saying to do so would hand a second term to Keir Starmer.In leaked...

Figure of £151.9bn more than £20bn higher than previous financial year, adding to pressure on Rachel ReevesBusiness live – latest updatesBritain entered the economic shock from Donald Trump’s trade wars with government borrowing having overshot official forecasts by almost £15bn in the most recent financial year.Adding to the pressure on the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the Office for National Statistics said borrowing in the financial...

Attack on city of Marhanets comes as officials were set to meet in London for ceasefire talksUkraine war live: latest news updates A Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets early on Wednesday, killing nine people in wave of attacks that targeted civilian infrastructure in east, south and central Ukraine, officials said.The full scale of the attacks, which...

Experts call for redesign of financial services and improved Centrelink processes to protect older Australians from fraudGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastThe fraud began when Ray Baird, then 65, asked his son Peter for help dealing with the bank. In the years that followed, Peter gained access to his dad’s bank accounts, diverted Ray’s aged pension to his own...

‘Chemical fingerprint’ shows 46% of wood samples certified as sustainable did not come from labelled country of originNearly half of birch wood certified by leading sustainability schemes is misidentified and does not come from the labelled country of origin, according to new testing. The analysis raises fears that large quantities of sanctioned wood from Russia and Belarus are still illegally entering Britain.New research by...

In today’s newsletter: ​As world leaders gather in the UK this week, any hope of breaking the deadlock when Russia and Ukraine refuse to compromise could mean the US walks awayGood morning.Representatives from the US, Britain and France are gathering in London today to resume discussions with Ukrainian officials on a possible ceasefire in the war. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, was...

Opposition leader insists costings will be released prior to the election as Andrew Hastie says ‘America-first’ US means Australia’s defence must be prioritisedElection 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaignPolls tracker; election guide; full federal election coverageAnywhere but Canberra; interactive electorates guideListen to the latest episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastThe opposition...

Small increase amounts to 3.6 million births and an increase in the women aged 40-44 giving birthThe number of births in the US increased slightly in 2024 to roughly 3.6 million, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The small increase of 1% in the number of births comes amid a long-term decline that began during the Great Recession,...

An ashen pallor and an eerie stillness all that remains where there should fluttering fish and vibrant colours in the reefscape, one conservationist saysThe world’s coral reefs have been pushed into “uncharted territory” by the worst global bleaching event on record that has now hit more than 80% of the planet’s reefs, scientists have warned.Reefs in at least 82 countries and territories have been...

A ruling on equality law has caused relief, fear – and confusion. Libby Brooks reportsOn paper it does not sound like something that would spark nationwide interest. Last week the UK supreme court gave its judgment on a case brought by a women’s group against the Scottish government over the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018.But its judgment – that the word...

Ex-advertising executive, who hosted a Fox News show and has criticised Kamala Harris, will stand as a Republican David Cameron’s former top adviser Steve Hilton has joined the 2026 race for California governor, running as a Republican to replace the Democrats’ Gavin Newsom, who is prevented by law from seeking a third term.Hilton, who hosted a show on Fox News for six years, launched...

Delegation visits jails where Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk are being held and denounce ‘authoritarian’ TrumpCongressional lawmakers denounced the treatment of Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, the students being detained by US immigration authorities for their pro-Palestinian activism, as a “national disgrace” during a visit to the two facilities in Louisiana where each are being held.“We stand firm with them in support of free...

CEO to pare back White House work to one to two days weekly as analysts say role has caused branding crisisThe Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk, said he will start pulling back from his role at the so-called “department of government efficiency” starting in May. Musk’s remarks came as the company reported a massive dip in both profits and revenues in the first quarter...

Internet Watch Foundation report shows 380% increase in illegal AI-generated imagery in 2024, most of it ‘category A’Images of child sexual abuse created by artificial intelligence are becoming “significantly more realistic”, according to an online safety watchdog.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said advances in AI are being reflected in illegal content created and consumed by paedophiles, saying: “In 2024, the quality of AI-generated videos...

About 7.3m people have cast ballots over four days of advanced voting in sign of elevated interest in 28 April poll Canada elections: who are the key players and what is at stake?A record 7.3 million people have cast their ballots over four days of advanced voting in Canada’s election, official figures showed on Tuesday, in a possible sign of elevated interest in the...

Panel unanimously accepts charges against six more key allies of ex-president over alleged plan to keep him in officeA panel of Brazil’s supreme court justices has unanimously accepted criminal charges against six more key allies of former president Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged coup plot to keep him in office after his 2022 election defeat.Last month, the panel unanimously accepted charges against Bolsonaro and...