Former NSW MP spruiked as ‘esteemed’ Liberal at campaign event – despite Icac’s ‘serious corrupt conduct’ finding 16. April 2026 (04:07) Exclusive: John Sidoti wins cheers and applause at re-election fundraiser for his successorFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former New South Wales minister found by Icac to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct has been feted as one of the “esteemed luminaries of the Liberal party” at an election fundraiser headlined by the state opposition leader, Kellie Sloane.John Sidoti, a former Liberal minister and state member for Drummoyne who left the party in 2021 amid an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, attended a re-election campaign launch event last week for his successor as MP and former staffer, Stephanie Di Pasqua. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats file articles of impeachment against Hegseth for ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ 16. April 2026 (04:07) Accusations refer to attack on Iran without congressional authorization and strikes on alleged drug smuggling boatsHouse Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing the defense security of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, in reference to the attack on Iran without congressional authorization and deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats, among other official acts.The move comes as the Trump administration faces mounting scrutiny over recent foreign action, particularly the war with Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
When the ‘Dubai dream’ goes wrong - podcast 16. April 2026 (04:00) Journalist Will Coldwell tells the story of how a British businessman was imprisoned in Dubai – and how his family finally got him homeWhen Albert Douglas found out he was facing a long prison sentence in Dubai, he tried to escape the UAE … and failed. What followed was years of court proceedings, time in prison and even, Douglas says, beatings and torture.In recent years, scores of business owners, unsuspecting tourists and influencers have been detained in Dubai – caught up in an opaque legal system, charged with breaking laws they may not even have been aware of. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sonia Sotomayor apologizes to Brett Kavanaugh in US supreme court justice spat 16. April 2026 (03:50) In a spilling of the court’s divisions in public, Sotomayor had criticized Kavanaugh over a dissenting ruling on ICE raidsSonia Sotomayor, a US supreme court justice, issued an apology on Wednesday for her recent criticism of fellow justice Brett Kavanaugh, an unusual public mea culpa that underscores the continuing divisions within the nation’s top judicial body over its direction and actions in high-profile cases.Sotomayor had criticized Kavanaugh at an event in Kansas last week for an opinion he wrote in September concurring with the court’s decision backing roving immigration raids in California. Kavanaugh is one of the court’s six conservative justices, while Sotomayor is the senior member of the court’s three-justice liberal bloc. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bernie Sanders’ effort to block US weapons sales to Israel fails in Senate 16. April 2026 (02:48) Senator’s fourth attempt for resolutions fails, but votes show growing appetite among Democrats to impose limitsBernie Sanders on Wednesday led a failed effort to block the sale of bombs and bulldozers to Israel, but the votes revealed a growing appetite among Democrats to impose limits on US weapons transfers to a longtime US ally.It was the fourth time Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, had forced consideration of resolutions cutting off military aid for Israel in the Senate, all of which have been rejected by the chamber’s Republican majority, and many Democrats. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia fuel watch tracker: check current petrol and diesel prices, service station outages and shipments – in charts 16. April 2026 (02:28) How much fuel does Australia have left today, and when could we run out? Track how much petrol and diesel prices have risen near you in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government has released fuel reserves, cut fuel excise taxes and rolled out a national fuel security plan as Australia battles a fuel crisis.While we know there have been outages and price increases, it can be difficult to get a full picture of what is happening – this is partly due to the thousands of independent businesses and different governments involved. We have brought together the latest data on prices, outages and oil tanker deliveries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Georgia man charged over attacks that killed DHS worker and another woman 16. April 2026 (02:12) Killings of Lauren Bullis and woman not yet identified in ‘random’ Monday attacks draw attention of Trump officialsAn Atlanta man has been charged in a string of attacks over a matter of hours that left two women dead and a man in critical condition, drawing the Trump administration’s attention after one of the victims was identified as a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee who was walking her dog.The killing of the DHS worker, Lauren Bullis, and shootings of the two other victims on Monday led the homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin to issue a statement raising concerns that the 26-year-old suspect, British native Olaolukitan Adon Abel, was granted US citizenship in 2022. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Drax claimed record £999m in subsidies for burning trees in 2025, thinktank says 16. April 2026 (01:01) Company has received about £8.7bn in renewable energy subsidies since 2012, despite claims wood pellets are not sourced sustainablyThe owner of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire received record subsidies of almost £1bn for burning trees to generate electricity in 2025, a climate thinktank has calculated.The company was paid £999m last year for generating about 4.5% of Great Britain’s electricity from its biomass plant, costing each household £13 a year, according to analysts at Ember. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Vought cuts kill people’: Aids activists interrupt Trump budget chief hearing 16. April 2026 (00:38) Proceedings brought to halt as protesters condemn Russ Vought for slashing Pepfar program amid sweeping aid cutsProtesters decrying delays to funding in the battle against HIV/Aids charged into a congressional hearing where the Trump administration’s budget czar, Russell Vought, was testifying in Washington on Wednesday.The demonstrators disrupted the proceedings on Capitol Hill and twice brought the hearing to a halt. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ketanji Brown Jackson condemns conservative justices’ pro-Trump orders 16. April 2026 (00:04) Liberal judge attacks emergency-docket rulings as Sonia Sotomayor apologizes for remarks about Brett KavanaughThe supreme court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has delivered a sustained attack on her conservative colleagues’ use of emergency orders to benefit the Trump administration, calling the orders “scratch-paper musings” that can “seem oblivious and thus ring hollow”.Jackson, the court’s newest justice, delivered a lengthy assessment of roughly two dozen court orders issued last year that allowed Donald Trump to put in place controversial policies on immigration, steep federal funding cuts and other topics, after lower courts found they were probably illegal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
