Masrob Ali, 54, who died in crash that also claimed lives of three teenagers, described as the kindest man'A taxi driver who was among four people killed in a head-on collision in Greater Manchester was the gentlest soul" and was not at fault for the crash, his family has said.Masrob Ali, 54, died when his taxi collided with a Seat Leon travelling on the wrong side of a residential road in Bolton shortly before 1am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Jens-Frederik Nielsen repeated the government's statement it would work on strengthening security through NatoThe European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is to travel to Paraquay on Saturday to sign the controversial Mercosur trade deal with a group of Latin American countries this Saturday.The deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uraguay and Paraguay was adopted by member states on Friday, ending 25 years of negotiation and months of wrangling with member states over the final compromises. Continue reading...

Emmy-winning actor and director allegedly touched child inappropriately on set of The Cleaning Lady TV seriesAuthorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant recently for the director and Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield to face a child sexual abuse charge.An investigator with the Albuquerque police department filed a criminal complaint in support of the charge, which says a child reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately. The acts cited in the warrant - issued on Friday - allegedly occurred on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a TV series Busfield directed and acted in. Continue reading...

Daytime gigs where parents can bring their infants without fear of judgment are proving a sellout successWhen Nick Page saw the exhaustion of the new mothers arriving at his comedy gig, he suggested turning the hour-long set into a sleepover. He had been joking - but the women enthusiastically agreed.In any other room, a comedian asking the audience to fall asleep would have been career ruining. In the world of baby-friendly comedy clubs, however, it was a masterstroke. Continue reading...

Former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro faces allegations he ran a criminal group while in government

Internet blackout hampering efforts to verify if violent crackdown has blunted movement's momentum

Sadiq Khan says public health' approach has made the capital one of the safest cities in the western worldLondon's murder rate has dropped to its lowest in more than a decade with police in the capital and the mayor saying it is now one of the safest cities in the western world.The figures come as those on the radical right criticise the city for having a crime problem, hoping to gain politically from such claims being believed. Continue reading...

Canada's PM seeks to smooth over past ructions in relationship with China as trade war takes its tollDuring the final stretch of Canada's spring election campaign, Mark Carney told a debate audience that China was the country's biggest geopolitical risk". He pointed to its attempts to meddle in elections and its recent efforts to disrupt Canada's Arctic claims.When Carney's government plane touches down in Beijing this week, it will be the first time a Canadian prime minister has been welcomed in nearly a decade. The trip, undertaken amid the rupturing of global economic and political alliances, reflects a desire by Ottawa to mend a broken relationship with a global superpower that uses its vast and lucrative market to both woo and punish countries. Continue reading...

Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah accused British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogatorsThe UK has settled out of court by paying a substantial sum" to a Guantanamo Bay detainee who was suing the government for its alleged complicity in his rendition and torture, according to the inmate's legal team.Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah have accused the British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogators to put to him while they were torturing him at a string of CIA black sites" around the world where he was held between 2002 and 2006. Continue reading...

Retailer to allow one-click purchases' through assistants such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, beginning in US

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Backed by actor Sally Phillips and MPs across parties, group raises concerns about overhaul of provision in EnglandKeir Starmer is being urged not to diminish the legal rights of children with special educational needs by a new national campaign backed by the actor Sally Phillips and a cross-party group of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs.The group Save Our Children's Rights claims the prime minister is considering taking our legal rights away" as part of the government's overhaul of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision in the forthcoming schools white paper for England. Continue reading...

Appeal, now in its final few days, raising funds for organisations trying to stop rise of hatred across UK

Senior politicians have tabled bill that would force UK banks to make affordable finance more accessibleSenior Labour backbenchers are urging the government to introduce legislation forcing UK banks to expand affordable lending to small businesses and low-income neighbourhoods.The former minister Gareth Thomas has tabled a 10-minute rule bill - a type of private member's bill - echoing the US Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Continue reading...

Complaint against Cecile Desprairies over Nazi collusion novel alleges that resentment permeates the entire work'The Polish poet Czesaw Miosz is famously credited with the line: When a writer is born into a family, the family is finished." In contemporary European literature, a book these days is often the beginning of a familial feud. With thinly disguised autobiographical accounts of family strife undergoing a sustained boom across the continent, it can increasingly lead to family reunions in courtrooms.Such was the case with the French historian Cecile Desprairies, who on Wednesday was sued for defamation by her brother and a cousin over the depiction of her late mother and her great-uncle in her 2024 novel La Propagandiste. Continue reading...

MPs to return next week to debate new racial vilification offence, hate preachers' crackdown and gun buyback

In the face of Nigel Farage, flag-waving and a longstanding housing crisis, some Glaswegians are taking on anti-immigration rhetoricSelina Hales has a thing about pineapples. She is talking in a quiet office, set aside from the bustle of Refuweegee, the charity she founded 10 years ago, and the walls are festooned with tissue paper cutouts of the fruit, which is an international symbol of hospitality.Refuweegee - its name a combination of the words refugee" and Weegee", local slang for Glaswegian - has expanded exponentially over the decade into an operation that supports hundreds of asylum seekers and refugees in the city every day. Back then, she had a simple idea about making welcome packs, each one including a handwritten letter from a Glasgow resident. One of our very favourite early letters said: Welcome to Glasgow. I like pineapples. What do you like?" Continue reading...

Police allege a 47-year-old imam was assaulted after he and his wife were forced off the road by three people in Melbourne's south-east

Federal government issues recall notice for Volvo EX30 and urges owners to keep charge below 70%

Victorian premier Jacinta Allan announces appeal to support those affected, as authorities warn fire risk could spike again later in month

Reforms come in wake of Bondi terror attack and will allow councils to cut off utilities if groups operate in breach of shutdown order

An outstanding critical voice, his deep knowledge and love of music was evident in everything he wroteThe Guardian's long-serving and much admired classical music critic Andrew Clements died on Sunday aged 75 after a period of illness.Clements joined the Guardian arts team in August 1993, succeeding Edward Greenfield as the paper's chief music critic. His appointment was clinched by a personal recommendation to the editor from the late Alfred Brendel, who argued for Clements to get the job on account of his deep understanding of contemporary music. For the next 32 years, Clements ranged across all fields of classical music in his writing for the Guardian, and often beyond. Continue reading...

Rubina Aminian, 23, struck by bullet from behind after joining Tehran protest from college, says human rights group

Tech giant says ongoing compliance will be a multi-layered process' as UK Labour faces pressure to bring in similar ban for teenagers

Resignations follow withdrawal of more than 70 participants in writers' week after Palestinian Australian author disinvited

Demonstrators recount experiences on the frontlines as protest movement rapidly moves beyond government's control

Observers say if US gets response wrong to Tehran's repression it could end up entrenching regime's position

Crash on Wigan Road in the early hours of Sunday kills drivers of both vehicles as well as two passengersThree teenagers and a man in his 50s have died in a collision between a car and a taxi in Bolton, Greater Manchester, police said.Five injured passengers were also taken to hospital for treatment after the crash on Wigan Road, which took place at about 12.45am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Tehran issues warning after Donald Trump says US stands ready to help amid crackdown on demonstrations

Former UK ambassador tries to distance himself from financier and says he knew nothing of his sex lifePeter Mandelson has declined to apologise to Jeffrey Epstein's victims for staying friends with the convicted child sex offender, and suggested that as a gay man he knew nothing of the financier's sex life.The Labour peer, who was sacked as US ambassador when details of his support for Epstein emerged in September, gave an interview to the BBC on Sunday, saying he had paid a calamitous" price for his association with the evil monster". Continue reading...

Skilled workers at Leonardo Helicopters fear it will close Yeovil site if Ministry of Defence delays awarding contractThe UK's last military helicopter factory must land a long-awaited order from the Ministry of Defence within the coming weeks to secure about 3,000 manufacturing jobs, industry sources suggest.Skilled workers at Leonardo Helicopters - the Italian owner of the former Westland factory in Yeovil, Somerset - fear the company will follow through on threats to close the facility at the end of March, if the UK military fails to place an order for new helicopters by that time. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lord chancellor urges MPs to back judge-only trials in thousands of criminal cases in England and WalesThe backlog of nearly 80,000 trials clogging up the court system could be cleared within a decade if parliament agrees to slash the number of jury trials, David Lammy, the lord chancellor, has claimed.In an interview with the Guardian, the deputy prime minister, who is facing a backbench rebellion over the proposals, has urged Labour MPs and the public to back a version of Canada's judge-only trials in thousands of criminal cases in England and Wales. Continue reading...

No more Venezuelan oil or money will flow to the communist-run island after Maduro's fall, says US presidentDonald Trump has told Cuba to make a deal" or face unspecified consequences, adding that no more Venezuelan oil or money would flow to the communist-run Caribbean island that has been a US foe for decades.As Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela and major beneficiary of its oil, braced for potential widespread unrest after Nicolas Maduro was deposed as the South American nation's leader, the US president ramped up his threatening language on Sunday. Continue reading...

Boy born in Bow would go on to play the devoted father and taxi driver in the BBC One soap between 2000 and 2011Derek Martin, who starred as Charlie Slater in EastEnders, has died aged 92.Martin played the devoted father and taxi driver on the BBC One soap between 2000 and 2011, and continued making guest appearances until his departure in 2016. Continue reading...

Campaign groups argue online transactions present real risks to our democracy' as it is hard to trace their true sourceDowning Street has been urged to ban political donations in cryptocurrency by seven senior Labour MPs who chair parliamentary committees.The committee chairs - Liam Byrne, Emily Thornberry, Tan Dhesi, Florence Eshalomi, Andy Slaughter, Chi Onwurah and Matt Western - called on the government to introduce a full ban in the forthcoming elections bill amid concern that cryptocurrency could be used by foreign states to influence politics. Continue reading...

In first TV interview since he was sacked as UK ambassador to US, Mandelson says association with Epstein was terrible mistake' but adds: I was not culpable'Laura Kuenssberg asks Peter Mandelson if he liked Donald Trump when he was the UK ambassador to Washington.Mandelson says he did like Trump, listing off numerous reasons why, but said he did not like all of his language".I like him, yes, I liked his humour, his graciousness...I liked his directness. You knew exactly what he was thinking and where you stood and what he wanted. And how he was proposing to engage, with you. Did I like in all his language? No, I didn't, did I? Did he make me gasp?What's going to happen is there's going to be, another discussion, a lot of consultation and a lot of negotiation.At the end of the day, we are all going to have to wake up to the reality that the Arctic needs securing against China and Russia. Continue reading...

Survey by online health directory Cleanbill finds more than 1,000 clinics switched from private or mixed billing to full bulk billing since start of 2025

Early Rain pastor said to be among those held in sweep that followed arrests of members of other unregistered churchesLeaders of a prominent underground church have been detained in south-west China, according to a church statement, the latest blow in what appears to be a sweeping crackdown on unregistered Christian groups in the country.On Tuesday, Li Yingqiang, the leader of the Early Rain Covenant Church, was taken by police from his home in Deyang, a small city in Sichuan province, according to the statement. Li's wife, Zhang Xinyue, has also been detained, along with two other church members: Dai Zhichao, a pastor; and Ye Fenghua, a lay member. At least a further four members were taken and later released, while some others remain out of contact. Continue reading...

Organisers clarify award cannot be revoked, shared or transferred' after Venezuelan opposition leader's commentsThe organisers of the Nobel peace prize have said it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred" after Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, said she wanted to give her award to Donald Trump.When Machado was named Nobel laureate in October, it was seen as a snub by the White House, despite Machado rushing to dedicate the prize to the US president and his decisive support of our cause". Continue reading...

Children aged two with highest screen use can say significantly fewer words, UK government research findsExcessive screen time is damaging toddlers' ability to speak, the UK government has warned as it prepares to issue advice to parents for the first time on how to manage screen use in under-fives.Research has found that children aged two with the highest screen use - about five hours a day - could say significantly fewer words than those with screen use of about 44 minutes a day. Continue reading...

Heidi Alexander calls for end to violence while Tory leader says she would not have an issue' with regime changeThe UK wants to see a peaceful transition of power in Iran, a cabinet minister has said, after Donald Trump said he could support protesters with military force.As the US weighs the option of military strikes, Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said she would not be drawn on America's foreign policy towards Iran, where protests have been met with a violent police response. Continue reading...

Thousands of people thought they paid the Dart Charge, but only realised when they got a penalty charge noticeYou have had a long car journey but, thankfully, remember after you get home that you have to pay the Dart Charge, the toll for driving over the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, part of the busy Dartford Crossing over the Thames linking Essex and Kent. You quickly pay on your phone after searching for the website.A few weeks later, however, a penalty charge notice (PCN) arrives and you realise you have been duped. The site you thought you had paid the 3.50 toll through was a fraud and the money went to criminals, while you are left with a 70 fine. Continue reading...

An investigation into violence and sexual harm committed by patients shows how widespread the problem isA Guardian investigation into violence and sexual harm by patients against NHS staff has revealed tens of thousands of alleged incidents reported over the past three years. Here is what we know from the findings. Continue reading...

UN and many western countries as well as human rights groups say that in the absence of a meaningful opposition the election is neither free, fair nor credibleVoters in war-torn Myanmar queued up on Sunday to cast their ballots in the second stage of a military-run election, following low turnout in the initial round of polls that have been widely criticised as a tool to formalise junta rule.Myanmar has been ravaged by conflict since the military ousted a civilian government in a 2021 coup and detained its leader, Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a civil war that has engulfed large parts of the impoverished nation of 51 million people. Continue reading...

In Philadelphia, protesters demanded ICE leave US communities and Trump end warmongering in VenezuelaOn a rainy Saturday in Philadelphia, two separate protests, both with a few hundred people, marched from city hall to the federal detention center. They differed slightly in solutions as well as crowd makeup - white older adults dominated the morning's march organized by the groups behind the No Kings protests, while a more racially diverse crowd swathed in keffiyehs and N95 face masks led the afternoon's, planned by the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter. However, both groups shared a goal: for ICE to get out of American communities and to put an end to Donald Trump's warmongering in Venezuela.From Venezuela to Minneapolis, all we're seeing is a regime that is scrambling, willing to kill its own citizens, willing to kill foreign citizens, to maintain its power," said Deborah Rose Hinchey, co-chair of the city's Democratic Socialists of America chapter. Continue reading...

Award-winning screenwriter tells Desert Island Discs that success has not silenced self-doubtThe award-winning screenwriter Jesse Armstrong has said a writers' room can feel like walking on the moon" when it is working well, but has admitted to experiencing impostor syndrome during his career.Armstrong was behind the hit HBO drama Succession, starring Brian Cox as the global media tycoon and family patriarch Logan Roy, who sets off a power struggle among his four children. Continue reading...

NASUWT says evidence growing that unregulated access affects behaviour in school and harms mental healthOne of the UK's biggest teaching unions has called on the government to ban social media for under-16s over concerns about mental health and concentration.The Teachers' Union (NASUWT) wants legislation to be tightened so big tech firms would face penalties for allowing children to access their platforms. Continue reading...

Military says it targeted the jihadist group throughout Syria in response to attack on US and Syrian troops in PalmyraUS and allied forces carried out large-scale" strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead.Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the 13 December attack in Palmyra, which killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. The area is home to Unesco-listed ancient ruins and was once controlled by jihadist fighters. Continue reading...

Telco Services Australia generated more than $185m in revenue in 2024-25 and $130m the year before but paid zero tax

Demonstrator seen putting up pre-Islamic revolution lion and sun flag in support of rallies challenging Tehran regimeA protester has climbed on to the balcony of the Iranian embassy in central London and pulled down the country's flag during an anti-regime demonstration.