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The biggest ever fatberg found in Western Australia has been pulled from a sewer, weighing in at 30,000kg. Fatbergs are made up of material that cannot dissolve in water – such as oil, grease and wet wipes flushed down sinks and toilets – which then pile up and stick together. The whopping mass of waste … Read more
Elon Musk’s Tesla has warned that Donald Trump’s trade war could expose the electric carmaker to retaliatory tariffs that would also affect other automotive manufacturers in the US. In an unsigned letter to Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, Tesla said it “supports fair trade” but that the US administration should ensure it did not … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Reeves defends welfare cuts plan after report that over half of cabinet are unhappy Good morning. Keir Starmer is likely to spend much of today preparing for the online summit of European leaders who might be part of the “coalition of … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature EU countries agree to renew Russia sanctions We are just getting early reports from Brussels that EU ambassadors have agreed to renew Russia sanctions on over 2,400 individuals and entities, which were set to expire tomorrow. Reuters noted that they reportedly … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature BMW said it does not expect newly imposed US tariffs to remain in place until the end of the year, adding that if the situation changed, so would its outlook, reports Reuters. BMW forecast a 5-7% earnings margin for its automotive … Read more
New South Wales has temporarily banned the import of hay from parts of south-east Queensland as a precaution against invasive fire ants, which are on the move in large numbers thanks to flooding from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. But the Invasive Species Council said the move is a Band-Aid response and accused the Queensland, NSW and … Read more
The Queensland government is facing criticism after announcing an indefinite delay to the implementation of anti-discrimination law reforms designed to protect victims of domestic violence, homeless people, women at work and others. The state attorney general, Deb Frecklington, told parliament on Friday she would introduce legislation to delay implementation of the Respect at Work and … Read more
A high court decision on native title has the potential to be as significant as the Mabo case and influence even the land beneath Parliament House, experts say. The court dismissed a commonwealth appeal on Wednesday over whether it may be liable for up to $700m in compensation for bauxite mining at Gove in north-east … Read more
The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in January, dealing a blow to Rachel Reeves before the spring statement later this month. In a surprise to City economists, who expected 0.1% growth in January, the Office for National Statistics data showed the services sector failed to offset a decline in the industrial sector and maintain growth … Read more
Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide will bake this weekend as temperatures across the south-east are forecast to climb into the low 40s. On Saturday, Adelaide could reach a high of 39C and Melbourne 36C, the Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said. That warm weather would move north-east into New South Wales on Sunday, when … Read more