NSW electric buses, trains and light rail services to run entirely on renewable energy from 2027 in $1.9bn deal 16. April 2026 (17:00) Exclusive: Minns government announces contract with Snowy Energy to power public transport in seven-year contractGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastElectric bus, train and light rail services in New South Wales will run on fully renewable energy from next year under a new $1.9bn deal, the state government says.The Minns government on Friday announced it had signed a contract with Snowy Energy to bring all public transport operations in the state under a single renewable energy agreement for the first time. The seven-year deal comes into effect from July 2027 and will last until 2034. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘One of the dumbest crimes ever’: car-share firms remove fuel cards from Melbourne vehicles after spate of thefts 16. April 2026 (17:00) Users of share cars will need to pay for fuel themselves before seeking reimbursement, leaving them temporarily out of pocketGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s two biggest car-share companies, GoGet and Flexicar, have removed fuel cards from their Melbourne vehicles after a spate of break-ins and thefts that a senior GoGet executive described as “one of the dumbest crimes ever”.The change will force users of share cars to pay for fuel themselves before seeking reimbursement, leaving them temporarily out of pocket amid record-high fuel prices caused by the US-Israel war on Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wall Street seems to have decided the recession risk is over. Can the Australian market do the same? 16. April 2026 (17:00) Experts say US market ‘may have run ahead of itself’, while the ASX 200’s more modest recovery is due in part to Australia’s reliance on fuel importsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne day the IMF warns of a global recession, the next day stocks on Wall Street hit a record high.From looking at the complete U-turn in fortunes in America, you wouldn’t know the world was in the grips of an unprecedented energy shock. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Campaigners seek listed status for historic trig points that mapped Britain 16. April 2026 (17:00) Pillars at Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire, and Thorny Gale, Cumbria, bookended the project that modernised mappingHeritage campaigners are bidding for listing status for two concrete pillars hailed as “modest obelisks of modernity in the countryside”.These functional 120cm (4ft) stone or concrete “trig points” formed part of a 6,500-strong network of surveying posts that were vital for the development of modern mapping. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Texas immigration court interpreter detained by ICE says ‘they want to make me disappear’ 16. April 2026 (17:00) Meenu Batra, the state’s only licensed Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu interpreter, says she was treated ‘like a criminal’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA Texas court interpreter who was arrested by ICE after living in the US for more than 35 years is speaking out from detention, saying she has been “treated like a criminal” and fears being deported to a country where she has never been.Meenu Batra is the only licensed Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu court interpreter in the state, and has served as an interpreter for hundreds of people in immigration court. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NYPD investigates after video shows two officers punching and kicking man 16. April 2026 (16:47) New York mayor Mamdani calls footage of arrest of wrongly identified suspect ‘extremely disturbing and unacceptable’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe New York police department has launched an internal investigation after videos posted online showed two police officers repeatedly punching and kicking a man they were attempting to arrest on Tuesday.In a statement on Wednesday, the New York City police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said that “there are a number of videos circulating online of an incident that occurred yesterday inside a store in Brooklyn involving two members of the NYPD. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
At least 17 people killed in Russia’s deadliest attack on Ukraine this year 16. April 2026 (16:22) More than 100 injured across country after Russia launches nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missilesEurope live – latest updatesRussia has carried out its deadliest attack against Ukraine this year, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 100 in a wave of drone and missile strikes across the country.Nine people died in the southern port city of Odesa and four were killed in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old boy. There were three fatalities in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Another person died in Zaporizhzhia oblast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hegseth says US is ‘locked and loaded’ to finish job of destroying Iran energy grid 16. April 2026 (16:19) US defense secretary says Iran’s energy infrastructure is ‘not destroyed yet’ while also lambasting the mediaIran’s energy infrastructure is “not destroyed yet” and the US is “locked and loaded” to finish the job, Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, said on Thursday as he called many of the press corps gathered the moral equivalent of the Pharisees who conspired to destroy Jesus Christ.Hegseth’s comments from the Pentagon podium came as a naval blockade of Iranian ports began this week and he called on Tehran to accept a nuclear deal or face consequences for its remaining infrastructure, power generation and energy industry. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three held over alleged arson attempt at Persian media office in London 16. April 2026 (16:08) No injuries and no damage reported in Wembley incident and Met says it is not being treated as terrorismA teenager and two men have been arrested after an attempted arson attack at the offices of a Persian media organisation in north-west London, the Metropolitan police said.Officers on patrol were told at about 8.30pm on Wednesday that an “ignited container” had been thrown towards the site in Wembley, landing in a car park where the fire immediately died out. There were no injuries and no damage was reported. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Officials debate withholding Mandelson vetting documents from parliament 16. April 2026 (16:06) Exclusive: Opinions split on ‘unprecedented’ release of files, despite demand for ‘all papers’ related to ex-US ambassador’s appointmentRevealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decisionFive key questions: who overruled decision to deny Mandelson security clearance?Senior government officials have been considering whether to withhold from parliament sensitive documents that show Peter Mandelson failed security vetting before he assumed the role of US ambassador, the Guardian can reveal.Any such decision could amount to an extraordinary breach of a parliamentary vote that ordered the release of “all papers” relevant to Mandelson’s appointment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
