Anthony Albanese addresses the nation on the Middle East crisis – read the speech in full 01. April 2026 (10:00) Prime minister says months ahead ‘may not be easy’ and urges Australians to ‘think of others in your community, in the bush and in critical industries’Australian PMs have addressed the nation only a handful of times. Anthony Albanese will join their ranksFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMy fellow Australians.By nature, we’re an optimistic country. But I understand that right now it’s hard to be positive. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Artemis II launch: crowds gather for glimpse of historic Nasa moon mission 01. April 2026 (09:00) Fully crewed rocket will head to moon from Florida – first time since 1972 that humans will have left lower Earth orbitA little more than an hour before sunset on Florida’s space coast, up to 400,000 people packed on beaches and causeways will look to the heavens on Wednesday to witness a fiery spectacle not seen in almost 54 years: a fully crewed Nasa rocket heading back to the moon.The launch of Artemis II, scheduled for 6.24pm ET if weather and any late technical gremlins grant their consent, marks the first time since the Apollo 17 mission of December 1972 that humans will have left lower Earth orbit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: Trump claims war will end in ‘two or three weeks’; Houthis claim responsibility for missile attack on Israel 01. April 2026 (08:59) US president to address the nation later today; Houthis say attack was a joint operation with Iran and Hezbollah‘Get your own oil’: Trump launches tirade against Europe for not joining Iran warHouthi forces in Yemen have claimed responsibility for a missile attack on southern Israel this morning, saying it was a joint operation with Iran and Hezbollah.In a statement, the Houthi movement said it carried out its third missile attack in the conflict “in conjunction with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia wants to sell its social media ban to the world – but are the measures even working? 01. April 2026 (08:52) Two-thirds of teenagers are still on social media platforms included in the ban, according to the eSafety commissionerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen the age assurance technology trial released its final report before Australia’s under-16s social media ban came into effect last year, its first finding was: age assurance can be done privately, efficiently and effectively.Four months since the ban came into effect, we can say that was – to paraphrase Yes Minister – a courageous statement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Moira Deeming could stay on Liberal ticket after preselection bungle as members make ‘stitch up’ claim 01. April 2026 (08:09) Potential challengers given only 36 hours to prepare for a rerun after the winner was deemed ineligibleFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMoira Deeming could secure the top spot on a Victorian Liberal ticket – if she still wants it – after potential challengers were given only 36 hours to prepare nominations for a rerun preselection ballot, in what some insiders call a “stitch up”.It came after Deeming was on Sunday ousted from the number one spot for the western metropolitan region by Dinesh Gourisetty. But by Monday night, the Victorian Liberal party executive resolved to hold a fresh preselection, after Gourisetty was deemed ineligible to stand as a candidate at the November state election due to a character reference he provided for a friend convicted of sexually assaulting a child. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Empty petrol stations and volatile prices: Australia’s fuel crisis in charts 01. April 2026 (08:03) Track the latest data on fuel prices, outages and oil tanker deliveriesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet 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 crises 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)
Police chiefs failed to tackle racism due to lack of leadership, watchdog finds 01. April 2026 (08:00) Review finds no ‘meaningful impact’ five years after race action plan launched, amid calls for government to step inPromises by police chiefs to tackle racial bias failed owing to “a lack of clear national leadership”, an independent police report has found.The promises were made five years ago in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and led police bosses in England and Wales to launch a race action plan promising to tackle the “stigmatising and humiliating” experiences of Black people at the hands of officers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Energy crisis: why ‘keep calm but cut down’ may be a better message for Labour 01. April 2026 (08:00) Government keen to avoid panic as oil price surges, but perhaps households need advice on reducing consumptionLabour ministers sent out in recent days to respond to the looming energy crisis sparked by the Iran war have essentially stuck to that reassuring wartime slogan: keep calm and carry on.“I think people should go about their lives as normal, knowing that the government is taking action to bring energy bills down,” James Murray, the chief secretary to the Treasury, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Asia ramps up use of dirty fuels to cover energy shortfall triggered by Iran war 01. April 2026 (07:05) South Korea will delay the shutdown of coal-fired plants, while the Philippines also plans to boost the output of its coal-burning plantsGovernments across Asia are ramping up their use of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, as they try to cover huge energy shortfalls triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran.The move has triggered warnings from climate experts who point to coal’s devastating environmental impact, and say the energy crisis should be a wake up call for governments to invest in renewables, which can offer a more stable supply that is not exposed to price shocks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Writing on the wall: Art UK digitises thousands of murals as street artworks go mainstream 01. April 2026 (07:00) From medieval church wall paintings to Liam Gallagher’s viral X post, charity has catalogued more than 6,600 piecesSome of the UK’s smallest public murals are on bollards in Shrewsbury while one of the biggest is on a 1960s 16-storey block of flats in Gosport.Perhaps the funniest though is in Cardiff. Ahead of last summer’s Oasis concerts it was a straightforward copy of Liam Gallagher’s viral post on X declaring: “Because Cardiff is the bollox.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
