A number of adult websites have begun blocking users in Australia in preparation for new codes requiring age verification from Monday.
Guardian Australia has confirmed RedTube, YouPorn, and Tube8 all had notices on their sites when visited from an Australian IP address on Friday stating they are “not currently accepting new account registrations in your region”.
Outside a marquee, across from the clock tower, a crowd is gathering for the Stanthorpe apple and grape harvest festival’s apple peeling contest. Well, contest might be an exaggeration.
Kerrie Stratford, 65, is the undisputed champion of apple peeling. There is no competition. She has won 21 titles at the Queensland town’s biannual festival, claiming a shelf full of trophies including one tasteful prize that is a rock with a peeler on top of it.
US president again suggests Zelenskyy needs to compromise; Ukraine president says US is seeking its drone expertise for the Middle East. What we know on day 1,472
US president Donald Trump on Thursday again urged Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to strike a deal with Russia, claiming that Russian president Vladimir Putin was prepared to reach an agreement. “Zelenskyy, he has to get on the ball, and he has to get a deal done,” Trump said in an interview with Politico. Trump, returning to language he used during a tense White House meeting a year ago where he and vice-president JD Vance publicly berated Zelenskyy, suggested the Ukrainian president was in a weak position and needed to make compromises, saying “Now he’s got even less cards” and repeated his insistence that “Putin is ready to make a deal”, without providing evidence. Trump has long said that US support for Ukraine is wasteful to the US and has spoken admirably in the past about Putin, whom he invited to Alaska in August 2025.
Zelenskyy said the US and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones. The Ukrainian president said various countries, including the US, have approached Ukraine for help in defending against Iranian drones. He said he had spoken in recent days to the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible cooperation. Russia has fired tens of thousands of Shaheds at Ukraine since it invaded its neighbor just over four years ago. Iran has responded with the same type of drones to joint US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha accused Hungary early on Friday of detaining seven employees of Ukraine’s state savings bank while they were transporting cash from Austria back to Ukraine. Sybiha was writing on X after Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán said Budapest would force Ukraine with “political and financial tools” to reopen the Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungarian refineries. Hungary is one of the few European countries to maintain close ties with Russia since its Ukraine offensive. “In fact, we are talking about Hungary taking hostages and stealing money,” Sybiha wrote. “If this is the ‘force’ announced earlier today by Mr Orban, then this is a force of a criminal gang. This is state terrorism and racketeering.”
Repair crews have restored an external line to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine nearly a month after it was taken out of operation, the head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation said. Alexei Likhachev, director general of Rosatom, said in a statement that repairs to the Ferosplavna-1 line connecting the plant to the power grid were completed late on Thursday afternoon. Europe’s largest nuclear plant, with six reactors, was seized by Russia soon after Moscow’s troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
A downed Ukrainian drone fell next to a five-storey apartment building in the port of Sevastopol in Russian-held Crimea, injuring nine people and causing considerable damage, the Russian-appointed governor said early on Friday. Mikhail Razvozhayev said the drone was filled with metal pieces and explosives fell next to the building, badly damaging it. Sevastopol hosts the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
The economist, author and politician Yanis Varoufakis speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about his blunt assessment about the ability of the global economic system to address the biggest challenges of the 21st century. They also discuss Europe’s failures in Russia’s war on Ukraine, the candid admissions of Donald Trump on the reality of climate change and how AI has changed the relationship between individuals and capital.
Speaking from Athens before his national tour with the Australia Institute this week, the former finance minister for Greece also speaks about his recent charge for the alleged promotion of recreational drugs and why he thinks this was politically motivated
The Swedish flight tracking tool, spun out of a price comparison portal, is tracking the travel chaos sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran in real time
Mikael Robertsson and Olov Lindberg did not set out to build one of the pre-eminent monitors of global airspace. In a bid to draw more eyes to their Swedish flight price comparison portal, the entrepreneurs added a page charting air traffic.
That page became Flightradar24, the portal that people around the world now turn to when there is chaos – and drama – in the skies.
Ukrainian president orders equipment and expertise to be provided to US in return to diplomatic support against Russia, saying ‘we help to defend from war those who help us’
The United States and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
Various countries, including the US, have approached Ukraine for help in defending against the Iranian drones, Zelenskyy said late on Wednesday. He said he has spoken in recent days to the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible cooperation.
‘Stopgap measure’ designed to keep oil flowing into global market as Middle East crisis disrupts crude shipments
The US treasury issued a 30-day waiver on Thursday allowing India to buy Russian oil currently stuck at sea.
“To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the treasury department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil,” treasury secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement posted to social media.
Early in a life of service, LaFayette did the risky groundwork for the voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama
Bernard LaFayette, the advance man who did the risky groundwork for the voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama, that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, has died.
Bernard LaFayette III said his father died Thursday morning of a heart attack. He was 85.
Sam Ruthe, 16, was the youngest person to break the four-minute mile in 2025 and this year the ‘remarkable’ running talent extended his record streak
Before the teenage New Zealand runner, Sam Ruthe, took to Boston University’s famous indoor track in January, he told his father he was aiming to run a 3.48-minute mile.
The 16-year-old had already stunned the athletics world in 2025, when he became the youngest person ever to break the four-minute mile barrier – aged 15 – but his father, Ben Ruthe, raised his eyebrows over his son’s aspirations for his next race, which if achieved could mean he will be considered for New Zealand Commonwealth Games selection.
A Florida handyman who was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison for molesting two children had been convicted of storming the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, but pardoned by Donald Trump.
Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, is among several January 6 defendants who have been charged with new crimes since Trump’s sweeping act of clemency for Capitol rioters. On his first day back in the White House last year, Trump pardoned, commuted prison sentences for or ordered the dismissal of cases for all 1,500-plus people charged in the attack.
Briton with cancer operated on by doctor located 1,500 miles away using four-armed robot fitted with 3D camera
The patient was in Gibraltar. The surgeon was in London. The outcome was a remarkable triumph for remote robotic surgery that saved the life of a 62-year-old football fan with prostate cancer.
Inside the operating theatre at St Bernard’s, the only hospital in the British overseas territory, a hi-tech robot with four arms, and fitted with a 3D camera, removed the prostate of Briton Paul Buxton, who moved to Gibraltar 40 years ago.
Garnacho gets his chance to stake a claim, a big day for Port Vale and more scheduling concerns for Guardiola
Who would have thought approaching mid-March Wolves would be the Midlands team – at least in the Premier League – with the most to cheer? Aston Villa, while fourth and still capable of securing a place in the Champions League, are wobbling. Nottingham Forest are fighting relegation. In the Championship, Coventry are at the summit but West Brom and Leicester are in danger of dropping into League One. Wolves and third-tier Mansfield are the only Midlands sides remaining in the FA Cup and, while the latter host Arsenal, the former may quietly fancy their chances when Liverpool visit Molineux for the second time in four days. Rob Edwards’s side triumphed on Tuesday and, while it got lost amid the stoppage-time drama, he made several changes with Friday’s Cup tie in mind. “Does it have to be one or the other?” Edwards said. “No, so we are going to try and win both. It is going to be a really exciting night.” Ben Fisher
Wolves v Liverpool, Friday 8pm (all kick-offs GMT)
‘Lack of hard work’ has undermined Borthwick’s squad
England off to Rome after successive Six Nations defeats
Jamie George is braced for England’s “toughest ever” Test against Italy but believes Saturday’s Six Nations clash can be the defining moment for a much-maligned squad.
George also admitted England’s Six Nations collapse, which has ruled them out of contention for the title for another year, has been down to a lack of “hard work” and “fight”, insisting the players owe it to supporters and Steve Borthwick to make amends in Rome.
Chinese world No 71 swears at heckler after breaking club
Lowry finishes with a bogey to compound weekend pain
“Snap another one!” You find brave people in hospitality areas at golf tournaments. The order came to Li Haotong, moments after his caddie had delivered a broken lob wedge to a bin at the back of the Bay Hill driving range. “Fuck off!” barked Li in immediate reply, with a gesticulation to match. What a scene.
Gaining entry to the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the last minute, as a reserve, was not sufficient to boost Li’s mood. He finished round one horribly, with a double bogey rounding off a 77. Li’s tugged approach to the last (a bad workman etc) was plugged in a greenside bunker, from where he opted to putt. The ball crawled out of the sand, which Li booted in anger. The ranting continued all the way to and on the practice area, much to the amusement of assembled guests. Li’s poor bag man was at the opposite end of a verbal tirade. It was pitiful, embarrassing petulance for which Li should be reprimanded by the PGA Tour.
Tottenham beaten 3-1 by Palace as Van de Ven sent off
Interim manager admits the situation is ‘very difficult’
Igor Tudor insisted that the “boat is going in the direction I want to go” despite a shambolic 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, deepening Tottenham’s relegation fears.
Although the atmosphere was toxic on another grim night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tudor is confident that he can steer his new side to safety. Tottenham have lost each of their three games under their interim manager and are a point above the bottom three after Micky van de Ven’s red card kickstarted an implosion against Palace.
The US president welcomed the 2025 MLS Cup champions in a ceremony beset by tangents and awkward asides
Nine minutes and 43 seconds. As Inter Miami’s players stood behind the dais at the East Room in the White House with club owner Jorge Mas stood to the left and Lionel Messi to the right; with MLS commissioner Don Garber sat alongside Fifa World Cup 2026 task force executive director Andrew Giuliani in an audience replete with celebrities and sports stars, it took nine minutes and 43 seconds for US president Donald Trump to talk about why any of them were there.
Inter Miami won the 2025 MLS Cup; a solid win in an exciting final that merited this traditional visit for champions of US pro sports leagues. But in those minutes and seconds before it was acknowledged, Trump did as he did with Juventus players in an Oval Office appearance during last summer’s Club World Cup: he made sports figures the wallpaper for his political and cultural aims. Trump provided an update of sorts on his administration’s sudden and ongoing war against Iran, alluded to a potential conflict with Cuba and offered his own glowing assessment on the supposedly booming US economy. All the while, Luis Suárez, Messi and every other Miami player gazed blankly from behind him.
Forward says all that matters is they keep winning
Saka unconcerned by lower goals and assist tally
Bukayo Saka says he is untroubled by the rising tide of criticism against Arsenal and wants to do one thing and one thing alone – win. The winger marked his 300th appearance for the club with the only goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory at Brighton, which moved Arsenal seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. City have a game in hand.
It was an emotional night at the Amex Stadium. Fabian Hürzeler had complained about Arsenal’s timewasting beforehand, the Brighton manager raged about it during the match – as did the home crowd – and he signed off with another blast, saying Arsenal had again taken advantage of the inability of referees to combat delaying tactics.
Meta CEO, grilled about children’s safety, says in taped deposition a user pool of billions will include bad actors
Harms to children, such as sexual exploitation and detriments to mental health, are inevitable on Meta’s platforms, the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram leader Adam Mosseri said in taped depositions played at a trial in New Mexico on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I just think if you’re serving billions of people, the unfortunate reality is that some very small percent of them are going to be criminals, and we should work as hard as we can to stop that activity from happening,” said Zuckerberg. “I don’t think that the standard for our platforms would be that you should assume that it will ever be perfect.”
The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted down a Democratic-backed measure to halt hostilities with Iran, as Republicans cleared the way for Donald Trump to continue the conflict that has drawn in countries across the Middle East, but criticized as having unclear goals.
By a vote of 212-219, the House voted to reject a war powers resolution proposed by Thomas Massie, a Republican representative, and Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative, which would have forced the US to withdraw from the conflict until Congress authorized military action. The vote was largely along party lines, with two Republicans breaking with their party to support the resolution, and four Democrats voting against it.
On Wednesday night, the United Soccer League (USL) emailed every player contracted in the second-division Championship with information about the procedures for crossing a potential picket line and resigning their membership in the USL Players’ Association, multiple sources have confirmed to the Guardian.
The USL, which runs the second-division Championship and the third-division League One as its professional US men’s leagues, has been locked in labor talks with Championship players for more than a year, with tensions recently spilling into the public. The previous agreement between the league and the USL Players Association (USLPA) expired on 31 December 2025.
I’m an artist in my 30s without any major success. Before the pandemic I had quite a lot of opportunities. Unfortunately Covid and then political and personal matters beyond my control shattered my work and social circles. I lost contacts and had no time for networking.
My art evolved with me and has become less conceptual, more narrative and accessible. The most fulfilling moment in the last few months was when I surprised a local cashier by giving her an illustration. Nevertheless, I’ve started to doubt that I can move people with my art.
Donald Trump boasted about severing ties between the US military and Anthropic on Thursday, the same day multiple reports said that negotiations between the Department of Defense and the AI startup had resumed.
They’re among the latest developments in the twisting rift between the US government and the AI company.
Connexion
