The chips are down: pizza, fried chicken and doughnut shares plunge on ASX as living costs bite budgets 30. April 2026 (17:00) Shares in Domino’s Pizza, KFC operator Collins Foods and multi-brand food franchise owner Retail Food Group have all suffered double-digit fallsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOnce a symbol of cheap eating, fast food is transforming into a luxury many can no longer afford due to resurgent living costs.This shift is reflected on the ASX, where major pizza, fried chicken and doughnut outlets are seeing significant price drops, raising the question: are consumers so downbeat that they are even giving up on fast food? Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Germany was largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas, analysis finds 30. April 2026 (16:38) UK was close behind, exporting 675,000 tonnes, with much of the waste sent to Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia Germany was the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025 and sent more than 810,000 tonnes abroad, according to analysis of trade data carried out for the Guardian.The UK followed close behind, according to the analysis by Watershed Investigations and the Basel Action Network. It exported more than 675,000 tonnes, its highest level in eight years and enough to fill about 127,000 shipping containers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran supreme leader issues defiant statement on strait of Hormuz 30. April 2026 (15:34) Mojtaba Khamenei says Tehran will eliminate ‘enemy’s abuses of the waterway’ and guard its nuclear and missile programmesUS politics live – latest updatesIran’s supreme leader has broken his recent silence with a defiant statement hailing Iran’s control over shipping in the strait of Hormuz and vowing to guard the country’s nuclear and missile programmes.“Today, two months after the largest military deployment and aggression by the world’s bullies in the region, and the United States’ disgraceful defeat in its plans, a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the strait of Hormuz,” Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement read by a state television anchor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hegseth faces further grilling over war costs as Iranian supreme leader releases fresh US threats – US politics live 30. April 2026 (14:59) Defense secretary to be quizzed in Senate as Khamenei says foreigners have no place in Gulf ‘except at bottom of its waters’Sign up for the Breaking News US emailLouisiana governor Jeff Landry yesterday told GOP candidates that he plans to suspend next month’s primary elections so that state lawmakers can pass a new congressional map first, the Washington Post (paywall) reported last night.It came hours after the US supreme court decided that Louisiana’s creation of a second majority black congressional district to satisfy previously rulings relied too heavily on race and was “an unconstitutional racial gerrymander”, as opposed to a required effort to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Spectator owner’s son calls for mine-laden ‘floating wall’ to stop Channel crossings 30. April 2026 (14:58) Winston Marshall, former member of Mumford & Sons, says those crossing are ‘economic migrants’ not refugeesThe son of the Spectator owner, Paul Marshall, has said Britain should construct a mine-laden “floating wall” as a radical measure to stop Channel crossings.Winston Marshall, a former member of the band Mumford & Sons who is now establishing himself as a rightwing online influencer, said that while the idea “might sound ridiculous”, it should be explored because previous attempts to stop the crossings had failed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Limiting capital gains tax changes to new investments would ‘severely delay’ budget reforms, Deloitte says 30. April 2026 (14:30) Treasurer Jim Chalmers had indicated ‘transitional’ proposed changes as Labor attempts to repair a ‘structurally flawed’ budgetFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOnly applying changes to the CGT discount and negative gearing rules to new investments would “severely delay” desperately needed reforms required to repair a “structurally flawed” budget and boost the economy, Deloitte says.The consulting firm estimated that a policy which cut the 50% capital gains tax discount to 33% and abolished negative gearing would only generate $500m over the first four years of operation if existing investments were not included – an approach known as “grandfathering”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Eurozone inflation soars to 3% as Iran war drives up energy prices 30. April 2026 (14:30) ECB keeps interest rates on hold as growth stumbles and price rises gather pace, up from 2.6% in March and 1.9% in FebruaryBusiness live – latest updatesAir France-KLM cuts forecasts amid $2.4bn fuel bill riseInflation across the eurozone soared to 3% this month as the Iran war drove up energy prices and growth stumbled.Consumer prices rose by 3% in the year to April across the single currency bloc, data from the statistics body Eurostat showed on Thursday morning, up from 2.6% in March and 1.9% in February. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Financial Times journalists in dispute with management over plans for office days 30. April 2026 (14:20) FT branch of NUJ say there is not ‘compelling case’ for mandate for editorial staff to be in office four days a weekJournalists at the Financial Times are at loggerheads with the publication’s management over plans to order staff back to the office four days a week by the end of the year.Members of the Financial Times’ union have unanimously voted to invoke the company’s dispute procedure over the proposals, arguing that management have “not made a compelling case” for the need to move from the current three office days. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel intercepts and detains crews of Gaza aid flotilla near Crete 30. April 2026 (14:17) Global Sumud Flotilla describes interception as ‘violent raid’ as IDF urges activists to deliver aid via ‘established channels’Israeli forces have intercepted and detained the crews of at least 22 boats near the Greek island of Crete from a flotilla that is attempting to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid.The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of about 58 vessels carrying people from across 70 countries, departed from Italy on Sunday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Canada to create powerful financial crimes agency as US weakens its approach 30. April 2026 (14:07) Cryptocurrency ATMs also face ban, after public inquiry found Canada lacked anti-money-laundering strategyCanada is to establish a new and powerful law enforcement agency to investigate financial crime, in stark contrast to the US, where weakened federal investigators have struggled to pursue fraudsters and the White House has pardoned convicted money launderers.A bill to create the Financial Crimes Agency (FCA) completed its first reading in parliament this week. The legislation was introduced by the governing Liberals and with their parliamentary majority, the party is likely to move the it through both levels of government quickly. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
