Hot weather and hungry datacentres lift Australia’s energy demand to record highs but batteries quell prices 29. April 2026 (16:01) Rise in electricity demand in first quarter of 2026 was moderated by record output from rooftop solarGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore datacentres and warmer conditions helped push electricity demand to record highs in the first three months of the year, according to Australia’s Energy Market Operator, while growth in batteries kept average wholesale prices down.Electricity demand – from households, business and industry – reached record levels of 25GW in Q1 2026, an increase of 1.2% compared with the same quarter last year. Across the grid, this growth was offset by record output from rooftop solar. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mystery Palestinian flag continues to fly high over Dublin as removal deemed too risky 29. April 2026 (15:51) No one has claimed responsibility for flag, which appeared on 120-metre Spire in SeptemberWhat goes up must come down – unless it’s a Palestinian flag at the top of Dublin’s tallest monument that no one knows how to remove.The flag appeared on the 120-metre Spire on O’Connell Street last September and for seven months it has defied every proposed measure to take it down. Who installed it and how remains a mystery. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK refineries asked to maximise jet fuel production amid supply fears 29. April 2026 (15:05) Government request follows contingency planning to stop planes being grounded if Iran war supply shocks continueBusiness live – latest updatesBritish refineries have been asked to maximise jet fuel supply as part of government contingency planning, amid growing fears the Iran war will force planes to be grounded.Energy minister Michael Shanks said the government is closely monitoring UK jet fuel stocks and working with airlines, airports, fuel suppliers and other governments, as carriers face rocketing fuel costs as a result of the conflict. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Woman found guilty of killing sister in London flat and taking her diamond-encrusted Rolex watch 29. April 2026 (15:04) Nancy Pexton, 70, stabbed sister Jennifer Abbott, 69, and left her body to decompose in Camden flat for three daysA woman has been found guilty of murdering her sister by slashing her neck before making off with her diamond-encrusted gold Rolex watch.Nancy Pexton stabbed her sibling Jennifer Abbott 10 times and then left her body for three days in her flat in Camden, north London, a court heard. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Colombian election reflects on ‘total peace’ promise as violence surges again 29. April 2026 (15:03) Four years after president’s pledge, his would-be successors are divided on how to tackle rising guerrilla attacksThe landmark 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the largest insurgent army in Latin America succeeded in some ways: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) agreed to lay down their weapons, and the violence that had racked the country was substantially reduced.But the deal alone could not end the decades-long armed conflict for good. Subsequent administrations slow-walked the implementation of the settlement, which was rejected by Farc dissidents and other rebel factions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Families sue OpenAI over failure to report Canada mass shooter’s behavior on ChatGPT 29. April 2026 (15:00) New lawsuits allege employees urged company to notify authorities months before deadly Tumbler Ridge attackFamilies of seven victims of a mass shooting at a secondary school in British Columbia are suing OpenAI and the company’s CEO for negligence after it failed to alert authorities to the shooter’s troubling conversations with ChatGPT.The lawsuits, filed on Wednesday in a federal court in San Francisco, allege that the violent intentions of the shooter, identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, were well-known to OpenAI. Employees at the company flagged the shooter’s account eight months before the attack and determined that it posed “a credible and specific threat of gun violence against real people”, according to the lawsuit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Subtle rebuttals’: what the papers say about King Charles and Trump 29. April 2026 (14:57) Monarch’s meeting with president and speech to Congress features on front pages in UK and USKing Charles’s address to the US Congress features on the front pages and websites of many publications on both sides of the Atlantic today. We take a look at how the king’s speech has been interpreted by the UK and US media. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump makes fresh Iran threat after claiming King Charles agrees with him over nuclear weapons – US politics live 29. April 2026 (14:50) US president posts image on Truth Social saying Iran ‘better get smart soon’ as king to travel to New York to lay wreath at 9/11 memorialSign up for the Breaking News US emailThe US Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday after a key policy meeting, likely the last chaired by central bank chief Jerome Powell, a frequent target of president Donald Trump’s ire.Policymakers will weigh the risks of surging energy prices and snarled supply chains due to the US-Israel war on Iran, with analysts widely expecting a third pause in a row as the effects of the conflict ripple through the world’s largest economy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US gas prices hit $4.23 high as Hormuz fears drive oil surge 29. April 2026 (14:46) Blockade threat in vital strait and Trump’s stance lift crude, pushing pump prices to highest level since 2022Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAverage US gas prices have hit a new high at $4.23 per gallon, their highest since 2022 and a record since the start of the war with Iran, according to the motor club AAA.The price of Brent crude, the benchmark that influences the price of US gasoline prices, now stands at $114.60 a barrel, up nearly 25% from the recent low since mid-April. US gas prices a year ago averaged $3.16. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Purdue Pharma to be dissolved as judge approves criminal sentence in opioid case 29. April 2026 (14:37) OxyContin maker to be replaced by new company aiming to combat opioid crisis as legal settlement takes effectOxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is set to be dissolved and replaced by a company focused on the public good by the week’s end, as a sweeping legal settlement resolving thousands of lawsuits takes effect.A federal judge on Tuesday delivered a criminal sentence to the company to resolve a US Department of Justice investigation – a last necessary step to clear the way for the settlement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
