US F-15E jet confirmed shot down over Iran as Tehran releases wreckage images 03. April 2026 (16:28) Downing of fighter plane – the first shot down over Iran since start of war – prompts frantic US rescue effortMiddle East crisis – live updatesA US F-15E fighter has been shot down over Iran, prompting a frantic US search and rescue effort for its two-strong crew, in the first such incident since the start of the war.Iranian state media released images of a tail fin and other debris early on Friday accompanied by an initial claim that a US F-35 had been hit by a new air defence system over central Iran and the pilot probably killed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Northern Ireland leads surge in fuel prices since start of Iran war 03. April 2026 (16:00) Petrol has risen 19% and diesel 35%, while in England the north has had the sharpest increasesFuel prices have risen faster in Northern Ireland than in any other UK region since the beginning of the Iran war.Analysis of official data shows petrol has jumped by 19% in Northern Ireland since the end of February, and diesel is now 35% more expensive. The rises are among the largest in Europe. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wake-up call: how Telstra’s ‘unreasonable’ price rises may cause customers to hang up 03. April 2026 (16:00) The telco’s sweeping price changes and the closure of its cheaper ‘starter’ plan risk putting off many of its loyal customersTelstra has long traded on its claim to have better – and far more expansive – mobile coverage than its rivals to justify a steep pricing premium that has accelerated in recent years.But the telco’s latest changes, which include steep price hikes and the closure of its cheaper “starter” plan to new users, combined with a dramatic rejection of its coverage claims by the industry regulator, risk putting off many of its traditional customers, according to consumer advocates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EPA moves to designate microplastics and pharmaceuticals as contaminants in drinking water 03. April 2026 (15:58) Proposal, a win for RFK Jr’s Maha movement, is a ‘first step’ toward tackling plastic pollution, advocates sayThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed on Thursday to include microplastics and pharmaceuticals on a list of contaminants in drinking water for the first time, a step that could lead to new limits on those substances for water utilities.Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, said the agency was responding to Americans who have worried about plastics and pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. The gesture also aims to hand a win to health secretary Robert FKennedy Jr’s Maha movement, which for months has pressured Zeldin to further crack down on environmental contaminants. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Extend fully paid maternity leave for UK teachers to stem exodus, union says 03. April 2026 (15:39) NASUWT says full entitlement should be increased to 26 weeks and paternity pay also improvedFull maternity pay for teachers across the UK should be increased to 26 weeks to help stem the exodus of women in their 30s from classrooms, a union leader has said.Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, said it was a “national scandal” that so many teachers who quit said inadequate maternity support was one of the reasons. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Artemis II astronauts approach 100,000 miles from Earth on voyage to the moon 03. April 2026 (15:11) Capsule’s engine fires up for six minutes, putting crew on track to reach farthest distance travelled by humans in spaceThe four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are approaching 100,000 miles from Earth as they head towards the moon, putting them on track to reach the farthest distance humans have ever travelled into space.The crew have left Earth’s orbit and fired their engines on Thursday for a “translunar injection”, sending the Orion capsule on its trajectory towards the moon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
