US military kills two more people in strike on alleged drug boat in Pacific 25. April 2026 (04:03) Small boat destroyed in video posted on social media as US campaign has killed at least 178 people since SeptemberThe US military announced on Friday that it killed two people in an attack on a boat in the eastern Pacific, part of a series of deadly strikes on vessels in recent months which it claims are targeting “narco-trafficking” operations.The US Southern Command declared in a social media post on X that Gen Francis L Donovan directed Joint Task Force Southern Spear, the counter-narcotics unit that operates in the region, to carry out a lethal strike. The US military posted a video, which it labeled unclassified, showing a small boat being destroyed in an explosion. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian women and children leave Syrian detention camp for Damascus – and potentially home 25. April 2026 (03:02) Repatriation attempt comes after group was turned around when leaving camp in February. Albanese government says it’s not assisting cohortGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFour Australian women and nine of their children and grandchildren have left al-Roj camp in north-east Syria, seeking to return to Australia.The group is reportedly travelling across Syria by road to the capital Damascus, under the control of the Syrian government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US justice department steps in on behalf of xAI in Colorado regulation case 25. April 2026 (00:12) Move creates conflict between state and administration as Trump seeks federal framework over states handling issueSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US justice department said on Friday it had intervened in a lawsuit by Elon Musk’s xAI challenging a Colorado law aimed at regulating artificial intelligence systems.In its intervention, the justice department said the law violated the 14th amendment’s equal protection guarantee by requiring companies to guard against unintended discriminatory effects while allowing some discrimination aimed at promoting diversity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Colorado funeral home owner sentenced to 30 years in decomposing bodies case 25. April 2026 (00:07) Carie Hallford, 48, whose ex-husband, Jon, was earlier sentenced, expressed remorse over corpse abuse schemeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe co-owner of a Colorado funeral home was sentenced in state court on Friday to 30 years in prison for her part in a corpse abuse scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.Carie Hallford, 48, was also sentenced to 18 years in prison earlier this month after pleading guilty to a federal fraud charge related to the scandal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Indigenous speakers booed at Anzac Day services as Ben Roberts-Smith attends Gold Coast event 25. April 2026 (00:06) Roberts-Smith, who has denied five charges of war crime murder, says he was always going to attend: ‘I never thought about not coming’Booing has marred Anzac Day commemorations in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, while on the Gold Coast, the Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith attended the dawn service at Currumbin beach.One man was arrested at the Sydney dawn service at Martin Place, where there was a small but noisy interjection of booing during the Indigenous acknowledgement of country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Roommate arrested after body of University of South Florida doctoral student discovered 24. April 2026 (23:54) Hisham Abugharbeih, 26, taken into custody after remains of Zamil Limon found, as search for Nahida Bristy continuesThe body of one of two Bangladeshi doctoral students missing from the University of South Florida (USF) was found on a bridge over Tampa Bay, and his roommate has been taken into custody, law enforcement authorities said Friday.Zamil Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland Bridge on Friday morning, but Nahida Bristy is still missing, Hillsborough county sheriff’s office chief deputy Joseph Maurer said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
High school senior identified as person killed in shooting at Lousiana mall 24. April 2026 (23:53) Martha Odom, 16, died from a gunshot wound to the chest according to the local coroner’s statementA high school senior has been identified as the person killed in a mass shooting that also wounded five others when two groups exchanged gunfire inside the food court at a mall in Louisiana’s capital city on Thursday afternoon, according to officials.Martha Odom, 16, died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to a statement issued Friday by the local coroner’s office. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three boys and two men charged over rape of teenage girl in Kent 24. April 2026 (23:37) Four accused of rape and one of aiding and abetting rape in connection with incident in GravesendThree boys and two men have been charged over the rape of a teenage girl in Kent, police said.Kent police received reports on Tuesday that a girl had been raped at a private property in Gravesend between 25 March and 19 April. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democratic Maine governor vetoes first US state freeze on new datacenters 24. April 2026 (23:12) Janet Mills says moratorium would’ve been ‘appropriate’ if it didn’t interfere with ongoing datacenter project in MaineThe Democratic governor of Maine on Friday vetoed a bill that would have made it the first US state to impose a moratorium on large new datacenters, even as local opposition to the electricity-hungry facilities grows.The decision reflects the difficult trade-off facing political leaders, who must weigh the impact of datacenters on the environment and household energy bills against the millions of dollars in investment and tax revenue they can bring. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shabana Mahmood refuses to rule out sending back failed Afghan asylum seekers 24. April 2026 (23:00) Home secretary indicates Whitehall talks about returns programme, a move that would shock humanitarian groupsShabana Mahmood has refused to rule out sending rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the Taliban-controlled country.The home secretary said she is “monitoring very closely” talks between Kabul and EU countries about a returns programme for refused claimants. She also indicated that “additional conversations” about Afghan returns were happening inside Whitehall. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
