Cyclone Alfred update: Brisbane schools and public transport shut as Queensland braces for storm to hit | Tropical Cyclone Alfred

Schools, airports, public transport and most businesses are beginning to shut down in Brisbane and across south-east Queensland, ahead of the likely arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred on Friday morning. Gales were expected to whip up within 24 hours across a huge section of coastline, stretching from Double Island Point to north of Grafton in … Read more

Former Gabon youth coach banned for life by Fifa over sexual abuse of players | Football

Fifa has banned the former Gabon youth-team coach Patrick Assoumou Eyi, known as “Capello”, for life after its adjudicatory chamber found him guilty of committing repeated acts of sexual abuse against multiple players. Eyi – who left his post as head coach of Gabon’s under-17 team in 2017 – admitted charges of raping, grooming and … Read more

Wednesday briefing: The view from ​Russia as ​Trump upends the world order | Donald Trump

Good morning. In his address to Congress last night, Donald Trump recited a letter from Volodymyr Zelenskyy offering to return to the negotiating table – and warmly welcomed the tone of discussions his administration has held with Russia. “We’ve received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” That … Read more

Trump praises letter from Ukraine’s Zelenskyy backing talks ‘to bring lasting peace closer’ | Donald Trump

Donald Trump has said he appreciated Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s willingness to sign a minerals deal with the United States and come to the negotiating table to bring a lasting peace in Ukraine closer. “Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” the US president said in a speech to Congress following last … Read more

Some British firms ‘stuck in neutral’ over AI, says Microsoft UK boss | Artificial intelligence (AI)

Some companies are “stuck in neutral” in their approach to artificial intelligence, according to Microsoft’s UK boss, who said a significant number of private and public sector organisations lack any formal AI strategy. A Microsoft survey of nearly 1,500 UK senior leaders across public and private sectors, as well as 1,440 employees, found that more … Read more

Trump declares administration ‘just getting started’ in address to Congress | Trump administration

Donald Trump on Tuesday declared that his administration was “just getting started”, boasting in a marathon address to Congress that his efforts to slash the size of the federal workforce, reorient US foreign policy and escalate a risky trade war marked the beginning of the “most thrilling days in the history of our country” as … Read more

Revealed: the scammers who conned savers out of $35m using fake celebrity ads | Scams

An organised network operating from the former Soviet state of Georgia has scammed thousands of savers from the UK, Europe and Canada out of $35m (£27m) after they fell for fake celebrity adverts on Facebook and Google that the government promised to outlaw three years ago. Deepfake videos and fictional news reports featuring the money … Read more