More than £1bn pledged for Sudan as humanitarian crisis deepens 15. April 2026 (19:49) Donors exceed funding target at Berlin conference but prospects for ceasefire remain distantMore than £1bn (€1.15bn) has been pledged for war-ravaged Sudan at a conference in Berlin, eclipsing the funding target organisers had set to help mitigate the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.The financial commitments made on Wednesday will also help offset a chronic humanitarian funding shortfall in a country devastated by three years of conflict, where two-thirds of its population – 34m people – require assistance. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti facing ‘escalating abuse’ in Israeli jails 15. April 2026 (19:19) ‘Palestine’s Mandela’ suffers three recent attacks including assault where prison guards set a dog on him, lawyer saysThe jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti is at immediate risk in Israeli jails, where he has been attacked three times in as many weeks, including in one assault last month where prison guards set a dog on the 66-year-old, his lawyer has said.Barghouti is often called Palestine’s Nelson Mandela. He is respected across otherwise feuding Palestinian factions, has broad popular support across occupied Palestine, repeatedly engaged with Israeli officials before his detention and long backed a two-state solution. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Peace activist, 91, walks across Ireland in protest against US military stopovers 15. April 2026 (18:04) Lelia Doolan, who finished 220km trek at parliament gates, says use of Shannon airport violates Irish neutralityA 91-year-old peace activist has crossed Ireland on foot and arrived in Dublin to petition the government to bar US military flights.Lelia Doolan completed a two-week, 220km (138 mile) trek on Wednesday, ending at the gates of parliament accompanied by throngs of supporters. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Snap Inc blames AI as it lays off 1,000 workers 15. April 2026 (17:23) Cuts by Snapchat’s parent company come in response to a declining stock price and pressure from an activist investorSnapchat’s parent company plans to lay off 16% of its employees, around 1,000 people, citing “rapid advancements in artificial intelligence”, the social media company told staff on Wednesday in an internal memo. The staff reduction is part of a wave of tech industry layoffs in the past year, with many firms blaming AI for the cuts.Snap Inc’s layoffs follow demands last month from Irenic Capital Management, an activist investor whose portfolio manager wrote a letter to the Snap Inc CEO, Evan Spiegel, calling on him to reduce costs and headcount while criticizing the company’s current strategy. In Spiegel’s memo to staff, he claimed that the layoffs would move Snap towards profitability and suggested that artificial intelligence could fill the lack of human labor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Suspicion surrounds death of US influencer Ashly Robinson in Zanzibar 15. April 2026 (17:14) Lifestyle influencer died while on vacation with boyfriend, who local officials say has since had his passport ‘withheld’Ashly Robinson, a US lifestyle influencer, died last week while on vacation in the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar with her boyfriend, Joe McCann. Robinson’s death on 9 April, just days after her birthday and a marriage proposal from McCann, has sparked suspicion on social media, with users doubtful of the current narrative surrounding her death.No arrests have been made, and police previously said that McCann was not suspected of wrongdoing. But officials in Zanzibar released a statement on Tuesday saying that McCann’s passport has been “withheld”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Big US banks rake in near $50bn profit as Iran war shakes markets 15. April 2026 (17:04) Six lenders, including Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan report jump in first-quarter earningsBusiness live – latest updatesBig US banks raked in nearly $50bn (£37bn) worth of profits in the first three months of the year, as they benefited from stock market turbulence triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.Wall Street’s largest lenders have reported a jump in first-quarter earnings, reflecting the surge in demand for trading services as investors dumped risky stocks and bonds and sought safer havens for their cash. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South Africa names apartheid-era negotiator as ambassador to US 15. April 2026 (17:04) Appointment of Roelf Meyer seen as attempt to improve relations amid false US accusations of ‘white genocide’South Africa has appointed a former apartheid government chief negotiator during the talks that ended white rule in the 1990s as ambassador to the US, in what is seen as an attempt to improve the deeply strained diplomatic relationship between the two countries.Roelf Meyer replaces Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled in March 2025 after he criticised the Trump administration. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Amazon enters agreements for nine Australian renewable projects to power datacentres 15. April 2026 (17:00) Tech company has signed on to nine deals as it aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAmazon has entered power agreements with nine new renewable projects in New South Wales and Victoria, as the technology company seeks to source renewable power for its datacentre operations in Australia.The nine deals, including one windfarm and 10 solar and battery projects, will take the amount of renewable energy Amazon is sourcing in Australia from 430MW to nearly 1GW. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gina Rinehart has been forced to share her riches. But will she fight on or end the family feud? 15. April 2026 (17:00) A 15-year court battle costing millions of dollars ended in a partial defeat for the tycoon. Will she now bury the hatchet or double down and keep fighting her children and rivals?Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGina Rinehart does not like to lose.Engaged in bitter legal battles for most of the past 35 years, Australia’s richest person has shown her propensity to fight tooth and nail to retain control of her family’s iron ore empire – and the riches that flow from it. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump threatens to fire Fed chair Jerome Powell amid pressure campaign 15. April 2026 (16:55) US president says he has ‘held back’ on firing the head of the Federal Reserve leading up to end of Powell’s term in MaySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDonald Trump threatened to fire Jerome Powell if he stays on as US Federal Reserve chair past the end of his tenure and doubled down on a criminal investigation into renovations of the central bank’s headquarters.As the White House pushes Trump’s new nominee to take charge of the Fed, Kevin Warsh, Powell has a month left in the role. The possibility of Powell staying on as chair past 15 May, the official end of his term, has grown amid mounting scrutiny of Trump’s approach to the Fed in the Senate, which is required to approve Warsh’s nomination. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
