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Union celebrates landmark decision' that will mean adults aged 20 or younger are no longer paid less

Kuwait says fire broke out after Iranian attack on giant tanker and warns of possible oil spill in surrounding waters

Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff also running for governor, had seized 650,000 ballotsChad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff, has halted a contentious investigation into a alleged voter fraud that has drawn opposition from the state's attorney general.The move marks a major reversal for Bianco, a prominent Donald Trump supporter who is one of the top two Republican candidates running for the governorship of California. Continue reading...

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President says he is open to scaling back strikes on oil and wider energy industry if Moscow reciprocates. What we know on day 1,496 Continue reading...

If approved, move is latest in series of buildings, warships, institutions, programs and currency named after presidentHe has buildings, institutions, government programs, warships, currency, and now Donald Trump is getting an airport that bears his name even as he looks forward to a towering Trump presidential library in Miami.Ron DeSantis, Florida's governor, signed a bill on Monday saying the Palm Beach international airport was being renamed to the President Donald J Trump international airport. Continue reading...

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says changes will help with cost of living and Australians hate paying' the surcharges

Clowns in Bolivia are upset by mandate that stops schools hosting events from which they earn a livingDozens of clowns have marched through the streets of Bolivia's capital to protest against a government decree that limits extracurricular activities in schools, threatening their livelihoods.Wearing full face paint and their signature red noses, the clowns gathered on Monday in front of the ministry of education in La Paz to oppose a decree published in February. The new mandate says schools must comply with 200 days of lessons each year - in effect banning them from hosting the special events where the entertainers are frequently employed. Continue reading...

Former co-host of Kyle Sandilands filed proceedings in the federal court against Kiis licence holder

Ayman Ghazali, naturalized US citizen from Lebanon, often consumed content linked to Lebanese group onlineThe assailant who attacked a synagogue in Michigan earlier this month was inspired by Hezbollah, the FBI said on Monday.Jennifer Runyan, head of the FBI's Detroit field office, announced during a press conference that Ayman Ghazali, 41, had frequently consumed Hezbollah-related content online before the attack. In a video recorded before he drove his truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township - a north-western suburb of Detroit - on 12 March, Ghazali said he wanted to kill as many of them as I possibly can". Continue reading...

Cable signed by Marco Rubio and seen by Guardian suggests staff work with Pentagon psychological operations unitThe United States has directed every American embassy and consulate across the world to launch coordinated campaigns against foreign propaganda and endorses Elon Musk's X as an innovative" tool to help do it.The cable, signed by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Monday and obtained by the Guardian, also suggests embassies and consulates work alongside the US military's psychological operations unit to address the problem of rampant disinformation. It lays out a sweeping set of instructions for how embassy staff should push back against what it describes as coordinated foreign efforts to undermine American interests abroad. Continue reading...

Justice department claims state is violating Title IX - the federal law that prohibits sex-based discriminationThe US Department of Justice sued Minnesota's education department and the state's school athletics body on Monday for allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports.In a lawsuit, the justice department claims that by making female student athletes compete against transgender girls, as well as share locker rooms and bathrooms with them, Minnesota is violating Title IX - the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination for any programs that receive federal funding. Continue reading...

City regulator reduces number of loan agreements in line for compensation from 14m to 12m

Rights group also reports at least 30 injured in Gran Grif raid on Artibonite farming region and almost 6,000 displacedAt least 70 people have been killed and 30 injured during an attack in Haiti's breadbasket Artibonite region, significantly more than official estimates, a human rights group has said.Police initially reported 16 dead and 10 injured, while a preliminary report from civil protection authorities suggested 17 had died and 19 were wounded. Continue reading...

Knesset approves measure that has been criticised by European countries and rights groupsIsrael's parliament has passed a law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks, a measure sharply criticised as discriminatory by European countries and rights groups.The legislation makes the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed acts of terrorism by a military court. Continue reading...

Negotiations deadlocked as No 10 wants more action on beach patrols but France has concerns over safetyThe UK's agreement with France to pay for beach patrols is on the verge of collapse amid wrangling over the number of small boat interceptions and the safety of asylum seekers in French waters.Negotiations over plans to revamp the three-year, 480m deal remain deadlocked, despite the involvement of ministers including Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary. The deal expires at midnight on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Oil prices on course for record monthly rise amid risk of further escalation and mixed messaging from USDonald Trump has threatened to obliterate" Iran's power stations and fresh water plants if Tehran does not agree to peace terms shortly", even as he claimed diplomatic progress in ending the war that was instigated by the US and Israel.Tehran has remained defiant during the month-long conflict, describing US peace proposals as excessive, unrealistic and irrational" and firing waves of missiles at Israel. Continue reading...

Ex-TV host pledged to centre party around equity, with higher wealth taxes, green energy and tuition-free education

Scheme for accusers of store's former owner Mohamed Al Fayed to close before end of retailer's internal investigationHarrods has been accused of being neither fair nor just" over its decision to close a compensation scheme for survivors of alleged sexual abuse by the luxury department store's former owner Mohamed Al Fayed.Kingsley Hayes, partner at KP Law, which is representing nearly 280 survivors, questioned why the scheme was being closed on Tuesday 31 March, before Harrods had completed an internal investigation into what happened and who knew about it. Continue reading...

Radio 2 breakfast show presenter departs over claims said to relate to a historic relationship' in latest crisis for BBCThe BBC has been plunged into a new crisis after sacking the Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills over allegations about his personal conduct.Mills, who hosted Britain's most popular radio breakfast show, was blindsided by the decision to take him off the air last Tuesday. The corporation has opted to terminate his contact after claims made against him. Continue reading...

The Green party leader said Ofsted is a failed institution' and that teaching should move toward a genuinely collaborative model'Starmer complained about other parties whipping up division, and he specifically criticised Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, for complaining about Muslims praying in public".Labour, by contrast, values bringing people together, he said. Continue reading...

Welsh affairs committee says Bridgend jail is not the right place' to add inmates after deaths, violence and staff shortagesPlans to expand one of the most troubled prisons in England and Wales should be paused until serious failures surrounding staff and inmate safety are addressed, MPs have said.Seventeen men died at HMP Parc in Bridgend in 2024 - the highest number recorded at any prison in England and Wales that year - amid drug use, self-harm, violence and understaffing issues. Another three men died there in the first nine months of 2025. Continue reading...

Lawyers for paper say investigator's disputed claims were used to recruit prominent figures to casePublic figures such as Doreen Lawrence and Elton John were induced" to sue the Daily Mail's publisher on the basis of a private investigator's now disowned claims of illegal activity, the high court has heard.Seven people including Prince Harry have accused Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) of using unlawful information gathering to obtain stories. John's partner, David Furnish, and the actor Liz Hurley are also among the group. ANL denies all the claims. Continue reading...

New Mexico governor calls order not serious' as south-eastern counties note divisions with Democratic Santa FeThe speaker of Texas's house of representatives says he is entertaining the idea of expanding the state by annexing some New Mexico counties.Dustin Burrows, who has been the chamber's speaker since 2025, ordered a state legislative committee on 26 March to look into the legal and economic options to add one or more contiguous counties" of New Mexico to the state of Texas. Continue reading...

As Iran war continues, ministers debate several options for extending support to households

Mikhail Khodorkovsky says Russian security services may seek to create a sense of vulnerability' in BritainVladimir Putin is likely to stage another Salisbury-style attack on UK soil unless the government adopts more aggressive tactics against the Kremlin, the exiled Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky has said.The former oil tycoon has emerged as a leading figure in Russian diaspora opposition circles and claims to be well-informed about current thinking and developments among Moscow's elite. Continue reading...

US president says he has no problem' with countries sending oil to Cuba, in potential lifeline to island nation

Prime minister says 7 May vote is coming at time of war on two fronts' as Labour braces for heavy losses at polls

Burglary arrest was James Farthing's latest run-in with the law after winning the Powerball jackpot last year

Vice-president promises to get to the bottom of' reports of US government files about unidentified flying objects

Five miles from their former city zoo, seven gorillas are exploring their new African forest' homeIt has been an eventful few months for Bristol's gorillas. The troop made headlines around the world when an urban explorer snapped pictures of them looking downbeat in their old, almost deserted home near the city centre. Then they were moved - under armed police escort - to a new out-of-town base and promptly suffered a shock bereavement.On Monday, in warm spring sunshine, the western lowland gorillas were to be found exploring a new woodland habitat at Bristol Zoo Project, five miles from their former city home. They clambered up the horse chestnut tree, as tall as a three-storey building, sampled the green shoots of a hawthorn and scanned the floor for treats. Continue reading...

Tehran says it will confront any land attack, as Trump says regime's export hub on Kharg Island could be taken very easily'. Plus, how Americans can rebuild their country's once robust peace movementGood morning.Iran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks, as the war that has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest ever disruption to global energy supplies entered its second month.What has Donald Trump said? In an interview published last night, the president did little to assuage those concerns, telling the Financial Times that his preference would be to take the oil" in Iran, and saying of Iran's crucial export hub on Kharg Island: We could take it very easily."This is a developing story. Follow the liveblog here.Why is this important to Cuba? The thousands of barrels of crude would provide significant relief to Cuba, which, according to its president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, has not received any oil imports for three months, leading to strict rationing of gasoline and exacerbating an energy crisis that has resulted in multiple power outages across the country. Continue reading...

Exclusive: UK owner's version of Old Man with a Gold Chain reunited in Chicago with undisputed work by Dutch masterA portrait in a UK collection that has long been dismissed as a workshop copy of an almost identical painting by Rembrandt was in fact also painted by the 17th-century Dutch master, according to a leading scholar.Each of the paintings, titled Old Man with a Gold Chain and dated to the early 1630s, is a near-lifesize depiction of an older man wearing a gold chain and a plumed hat. Continue reading...

President is convening so-called God squad' to override provisions of Endangered Species Act for national security'Donald Trump is dispatching a so-called God squad" of top officials to revoke protections for endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico, purportedly to protect national security by expanding oil and gas industry operations.If successful, the administration may kill off dozens of protected species - from Rice's whales and whooping cranes to sea turtles. Continue reading...

The actor and comedian, posting on X, said that unlike in today's universities' the military would teach young people how truly great their country is'The actor and comedian Rob Schneider has urged the US to restore the military draft for our nation's young people" amid the ongoing war with Iran.Posting on X, Schneider, 62, who has not served in the military, wrote: Continue reading...

Review of Kai Schwemmer's broadcasts undermines claim process of growth' had led him to abandon bigoted viewsThe newly appointed College Republicans of America political director Kai Schwemmer has made racist, antisemitic, homophobic and sexist statements while espousing extremist rightwing views on abortion, a Guardian review of livestream recordings can reveal.Schwemmer said he would accept a world in which slavery was legal if abortion was criminalised, describes himself as very much an anti universal suffrage guy" and accepts a supporter's description of him as our Mormon Nick Fuentes" - referring to the white nationalist influencer whose platform he streamed on for years. Continue reading...

Woman assaulted after man was given key card to her room criticises CEO Jo Boydell over cancelled meetingA woman who was sexually assaulted by a man who was handed a key card to her room at a Travelodge has said she was shocked to learn the hotel chain's boss cancelled a meeting with a group of MPs seeking to discuss concerns about the case.More than 20 MPs had demanded the meeting this month to discuss the matter - including details of the chain's security processes and procedures that led to it offering the victim an insulting" 30 refund after the incident. Continue reading...

US firm Eli Lilly, which is also pushing for end to rebate scheme, optimistic about talks with ministers

Abnormally strong jet stream triggers deluge in Middle East, while north Africa braces for 60-80mph gustsAn unusual weather pattern unleashed severe thunderstorms across parts of the Middle East last week, battering countries including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The Arabian peninsula - typically dominated by arid desert climates - received up to 150mm of rain in just a few days.The deluge was caused by an abnormally strong jet stream, which helped a deep area of low pressure to develop north of Saudi Arabia. This, in turn, drew moist tropical air from the Indian Ocean and triggered intense storms. Continue reading...

Twenty-two defendants, including intelligence agents and police, accused of committing crimes on behalf of Freemason mafiaTwenty-two people are to stand trial in France from Monday on charges of murder and other serious crimes centred on a masonic lodge accused of running hit squads.Seven defendants - including former intelligence agents, soldiers and businessmen - face possible life sentences. Prosecutors allege the group carried out murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy on behalf of a mafia network inside the Athanor lodge in the Paris suburb of Puteaux. Continue reading...

Stock markets in Asia drop sharply, with investors nervous over escalation of Middle East conflict

Victoria police commissioner Mike Bush said the shooting was justified' and brought closure to the families of two police officers allegedly killed by Freeman in Porepunkah in August

Drivers planning nearly 21m leisure journeys from Thursday to Monday despite soaring fuel prices, say expertsThe four-day bank holiday weekend is expected to be the busiest Easter on the roads in four years, despite a surge in fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East.Drivers are planning nearly 21m leisure journeys between Thursday and Easter Monday, according to a study by the RAC and the traffic analytics specialists Inrix. Continue reading...

New agreement delayed amid home secretary Shabana Mahmood's demands for more interceptions of dinghiesA renewed deal between the UK and France to stop small boat Channel crossings has not yet been signed, with a day to go before the current one expires, raising questions about whether people smugglers will be able to act unimpeded from later this week.Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron announced the previous 468m deal on 10 March 2023, weeks before it came into force. The UK pays two-thirds of the cost of policing France's northern border and the current agreement expires on Tuesday. Discussions on it began last July at the 37th UK-France summit and British officials travelled to Paris last week for another round of talks. Continue reading...

Porepunkah fugitive, 56, had been on the run after allegedly killing two police officers in Australian alpine region in August

Dry ground, iron-rich earth and strong winds combined to create an eerie dust storm that was filmed in Denham

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Interest rates as high as 4.45% and a steep cut in next year's allowance fuel forecast of last-minute rush

Millions are dipping into savings or borrowing to get by as the Iran war drives up prices, survey showsThe Iran war has led to a surge in pessimism in the UK as half of households are already struggling to afford everyday essentials.The escalating conflict in the Middle East, which has driven the price of oil, gas, crop fertiliser and other raw materials sharply higher, threatens to cause another cost of living shock. Continue reading...