The Guardian

Mother flagged faulty smoke alarms before house fire that killed father and five children, court hears

Pre-inquest conference into Queensland deaths hears witnesses did not hear any smoke alarms during 2023 fireGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA landlord was repeatedly warned about improperly installed smoke alarms before a house fire that killed a father and five children in Queensland in 2023, a coroner has heard.Deputy state coroner Donald MacKenzie held a pre-inquest conference into the Russell Island deaths on Tuesday. Continue reading...

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BBC World

Highest paid world leader to get salary increase of $1 million

Singapore's prime minister Lawrence Wong will see his pay rise to 3.6 million Singapore dollars ($2.8m; £2.1m).

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NY Times World

Saudi Arabia Vows Retaliation After Houthi Attacks Injure Dozens

The latest escalation threatens to drag Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi militia back into a full-blown war.

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WSJ World News

Oil Nears $100 a Barrel as Fresh Attacks on Saudi Energy Operations Raise Supply Concerns

Attacks on energy-sector facilities in southern Saudi Arabia temporarily halted some operations.

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NY Times World

Russia Bombards Kyiv Soon After Witkoff, Kushner Leave

Russia agreed not to bomb Ukraine’s capital during Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s visit there. The respite was short-lived.

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NY Times World

Rubio to Push Colombia’s New Leader to Tackle Cocaine Trade

Targeting traffickers will be at the top of the agenda as Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Colombia, according to people familiar with his plans.

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The Guardian

Councils pay more than £125m a year placing vulnerable children in illegal care homes in England

Exclusive: Booming industry of businesses profit from shortage of beds for most at-risk childrenPrincess’s story: the case that highlights scourge of illegal care provisionCouncils are paying more than £125m a year of taxpayers’ money to place vulnerable children in illegal care homes across England, an investigation has found.The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) have uncovered a booming industry of businesses profiting from a shortage of beds for the most at-risk child

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Washington Post World

Rubio enjoyed major support among Venezuelans. Then came Trump’s oil deal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit friendly governments in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. But his support for the Venezuela oil deal is rankling some in the region.

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NY Times World

Chinese Ship Takes Arctic Shortcut: Smart Business? Or a Political Flex?

Melting ice is opening a trade route through the Arctic. China has begun the first regular service, part of its polar ambitions.

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BBC World

Nepal cracks down on online abuse against flood survivors

Authorities will "show no leniency" to people who "belittle" those who are suffering, the prime minister says.

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The Guardian

Low turnout threatens Commons vote on assisted dying, say MPs

Backers seek support for second attempt to get law through House of Lords after ‘undemocratic’ rejection last yearMPs on both sides of the assisted dying debate have voiced fears about turnout affecting the vote on Friday, when the bill returns to the Commons for its second attempt to become law.Those who back the change in the law have been emphasising the “undemocratic” nature of the bill’s rejection by the House of Lords after it was talked out by a handful of peers after passing the House of

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The Guardian

Artworks stolen from Renoir museum on French Riviera in latest heist

Thieves took four artworks but dropped one as they fled, says mayor of southern town of Cagnes-sur-MerTwo thieves have broken into a museum dedicated to the French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir in southern France, stealing four artworks and dropping one as they fled, the local mayor has said.“This morning, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum and stole four works of art,” said Bryan Masson, the far-right mayor of the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer. “Spotted thanks to the town’s vid

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The Guardian

Oil price approaches $100 a barrel after attacks on Saudi oil facilities – business live

Saudi authorities said operations at some energy facilities have been attacked ‌by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis UK government borrowing costs are a little higher this morning.The yield, or interest rate, on 10-year UK bonds has risen by 2 basis points (0.02 of a percentage point) to 5.19%. Thirty-year gilt yields are also up around 2bps at 5.83%. Continue reading...

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The Guardian

Billionaire Chris Rokos, who paid £330m in tax last year, to quit UK

Hedge fund tycoon is latest financier to exit amid fears among super-rich over tax risesBusiness live – latest updatesThe hedge fund billionaire Chris Rokos is poised to leave the UK, the latest in a string of high-profile exits among Britain’s super-rich.The founder of Rokos Capital Management is preparing to move his residency to Greece, and will open an office in Athens as part of the move, according to Bloomberg. Continue reading...

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The Guardian

Ukraine’s prosecutor general resigns after corruption allegations as Russia resumes strikes on Kyiv – Europe live

Ruslan Kravchenko leaves post after his offices were searched at the weekend, as Moscow renews attacks after pause for peace talksSeparately, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has condemned the presence of senior Serbian officials at yesterday’s funeral of Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić, saying it showed “a failure to confront a dark chapter in Europe’s recent history” and questioned Serbia’s alignment with the EU.Mladić, who died last week, was buried with military hono

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The Guardian

UK-US trade could suffer as a result of sanctions for illegal Israeli settlements, American ambassador warns – UK politics live

UK to reassert support for Palestinian rights and a two-state solution in move drawing criticism from US and IsraelGood morning. It is hard to understand Labour/leftwing politics in the UK at the moment without reference to Israel and Gaza. Keir Starmer’s popularity with some progressive voters slumped in part because he was seen as unwilling to do enough to channel the anger they feel about how Israel is treating Palestinians – even though last year he took the historic step of formally recogni

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WSJ World News

Terra Drone Bets Supply Chains Key to Drone Warfare

The Japanese startup says that diversified supply chains are needed to win low-cost drone wars.

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The Guardian

Australia’s classroom disruption among worst in world, prompting calls for ‘digital detox’

Public school students are the equivalent of two and a half years behind their independent peers, as global report shows decline in reading and mathsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPublic school students are more than two years behind their independent counterparts and Australia’s classroom disruption remains among the worst in the world, a global report has found.The 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results, released on Tuesday by the Austral

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The Guardian

England’s teenagers outperform peers in most countries in maths, reading and science

OECD test sees results dip in almost all member nations and warns of ‘digital distractions’ eroding academic skills England’s teenagers are outperforming their peers in most countries in maths, reading and science, according to an international survey that warns of “digital distractions” eroding academic skills around the world.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) programme for international student assessment (Pisa), which last year tested 760,000 15-year-olds in 91

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The Guardian

UK commits £100m to bolster Ukraine’s air defences over winter

Package of military equipment includes Patriot missiles, supplies of which have dwindled amid Russian attacksThe UK has committed £100m to boost Ukraine’s air defences over winter with a package of military equipment including Patriot missiles.Defence interceptors, large-calibre artillery rounds and drones will be supplied to Ukraine through the contribution to Nato’s prioritised Ukraine requirements list. Continue reading...

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