UK navy foiled Russian submarines surveying undersea cables, defence minister says 09. April 2026 (14:46) John Healey says warship and aircraft forced Russia to abandon activity in North Sea in month-long operationA British warship and aircraft tracked and monitored Russian submarines trying to survey vital undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic, ensuring they fled the area, the defence secretary, John Healey, has said.Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Healey said the UK operation lasted more than a month and saw a Royal Navy warship and P8 marine patrol aircraft “track and deter any malign activity” by three Russian submarines. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lidl to open 50 UK stores in year ahead as part of £600m expansion plans 09. April 2026 (14:45) Almost 2,000 jobs will be created, with retailer vying to overtake Morrisons as Britain’s fifth largest supermarket Lidl is to open 50 new UK stores in the year ahead as it aims to overtake Morrisons as the country’s fifth largest supermarket chain.The German-owned retailer, which now has more than 1,000 British stores, said it planned to invest more than £600m in UK growth, creating almost 2,000 jobs as it expands its warehouse and logistic network to supply its new outlets. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
OpenAI pulls out of landmark £31bn UK investment 09. April 2026 (14:39) Artificial intelligence company cites high energy costs and regulation as reasons for putting Stargate project on holdOpenAI has put plans for a landmark project to strengthen the UK’s AI capabilities on hold, citing high energy costs and regulation.Stargate UK was a part of the landmark UK-US AI deal announced last September, in which US companies appeared to commit £31bn to the UK’s tech sector, part of a larger series of investments intended to “mainline AI” into the British economy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cost of living and mental health crisis driving mass animal rescues, says RSPCA 09. April 2026 (14:38) Charity says it dealt with 75 incidents last year involving 100 or more animals living in one propertyThe cost of living crisis and an increase in people experiencing mental health difficulties have led to a rising number of multi-animal rescues in England and Wales, an RSPCA superintendent has said.The animal charity this week had to confirm that a shocking photograph of more than 250 poodle-cross dogs found at a property in the UK was not faked with artificial intelligence. The RSPCA took in 87 of the dogs and the remainder went to the Dogs Trust, another charity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BA to reduce Middle East flights when services resume in July 09. April 2026 (14:33) After suspending routes owing to Iran war, airline will operate more direct flights to India and KenyaMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritish Airways will offer a reduced flight schedule to the Middle East when it resumes services in July, and use the aircraft to operate more direct flights to India and Kenya.The airline has currently suspended services to the region because of the Iran war, and plans to resume flights to Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, in mid-May, as well as services to Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv on 1 July. It is cutting its Dubai flights from three – a day to one daily flight, and reducing services to Doha, Tel Aviv and Riyadh from two to one a day. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Track current petrol and diesel prices, service station outages and shipments – Australia's fuel crisis in charts 09. April 2026 (14:06) How much fuel does Australia have left today, and when could we run out? Check how much petrol and diesel prices have risen near you in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country since the US and Israel’s war on Iran began in late FebruaryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHundreds of service stations across Australia have run empty, fuel prices are elevated and oil shipments have been cancelled.Australia is battling a fuel crisis as Iran’s closure of the strait of Hormuz continues to bite. The federal government has released fuel reserves, cut fuel excise taxes and rolled out a national fuel security plan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Majority of Hungary’s voters back continued EU membership, poll finds 09. April 2026 (14:03) Exclusive: Survey published days before election in which anti-EU Viktor Orbán risks being ousted after 16 yearsEurope live – latest updatesHungary elections: what is at stake and who is likely to win?After years of relentless EU-bashing by their nationalist, illiberal prime minister, an overwhelming majority of Hungary’s voters back its membership of the bloc, and most – including many of Viktor Orbán’s voters – now want a new approach to Brussels.Days before elections at which Orbán, who has consistently painted the EU as an enemy of the Hungarian people, risks being ousted after 16 years in power, a poll has shown a huge appetite for a recalibration of the country’s relations with the bloc. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Argentina approves Milei’s glacier mining bill amid environmental protests 09. April 2026 (13:55) Legislative change backed by libertarian president makes it easier to extract metals in frozen parts of the AndesArgentina’s congress has approved a bill promoted by the libertarian president, Javier Milei, that authorises mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, outraging environmentalists.The amendment to the “glacier law”, which was already approved by the senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
A day in the life of a 19-year-old in ICE detention: ‘I feel that this nightmare is not going to end’ 09. April 2026 (13:00) Olivia has been detained for months at the sprawling Dilley center in Texas. She has lost 20lbs, and wakes up every day with a headacheEach day in detention feels like 48 hours for Olivia.The 19-year-old asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas for more than four months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man charged with US firebomb plot is linked to group whose leaders back violence against Palestinians 09. April 2026 (13:00) Revealed: JDL 613 Brotherhood has platformed a convicted terrorist and its video recordings display an obsessive antipathy to New York’s mayor, Zohran MamdaniSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA man who has been charged with plotting to firebomb a pro-Palestine activist’s home is tied to a group whose leaders support violence against Palestinians and have platformed a convicted terrorist who fundraises for a violent settler movement in the occupied West Bank.Video recordings by the group, called JDL 613 Brotherhood, also reveal its leaders possess an obsessive antipathy to New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani. They feature the organization’s founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, describing Mamdani as a “Muslim terrorist”, a “cancer”, and his election a “harbinger” of “a creeping Islamic takeover of America”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
