Rhun ap Iorwerth tells party conference Labour and Tories slipping away' and Reform UK is main threatThe leader of Plaid Cymru has claimed the Welsh parliament elections in May will be a straight fight between his party and Reform UK, which he billed as a choice between culture or ignorance, humanity or indifference".Speaking at the party's biggest ever conference, Rhun ap Iorwerth, the clear favourite to be the next Welsh first minister, said the Gorton and Denton byelection showed Labour and the Tories were slipping away", and he promised Plaid had a radical plan to improve Wales's fortunes. Continue reading...

Wave of strikes comes after Taliban forces attack Pakistani border troops following earlier action from IslamabadPakistan has bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital, Kabul, with Islamabad's defence minister declaring that the hostile neighbours were in a state of open war" as a cycle of retaliatory attacks escalated further.Witnesses in Kabul and Kandahar, the southern Afghan city, reported explosions and jets overhead until dawn, while the Taliban government said later that Pakistani surveillance aircraft were still flying over Afghanistan. Continue reading...

The actor, long open about his struggle with sobriety, was also ordered to undergo drug testing and pay $100,000 bondShia LaBeouf on Thursday was ordered to enroll in substance abuse treatment, undergo a drug testing program and pay a $100,000 bond as conditions of his release from custody after the actor allegedly battered and hurled homophobic slurs at two men at a New Orleans bar.The requirements imposed on LaBeouf, 39, by New Orleans judge Simone Levine came after the Transformer film franchise star was initially allowed to leave jail without being required to pay a bond in the hours after his 17 February arrest on two counts of misdemeanor battery. Continue reading...

Delia Ramirez said DHS head viciously lied' when pressed about departmental officials allegedly breaking the law

Extension of Geneva negotiations into the night suggest gaps between the two sides remain

Liz Kendall to launch consultation next week that will explore alternatives such as curbs on infinite scrollingMinisters will take another step towards banning social media for under-16s next week as they launch a consultation on the policy, with government insiders increasingly certain that Keir Starmer will back the idea.Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, will publish the terms of reference for the consultation, which is expected to explore options including an age limit and less hardline action such as curbs on infinite scrolling. Continue reading...

Former Labour leader says time for real work' to begin as his candidates take 14 of 24 available places on executive committee

It will soon be spring - and the Danes will soon be going to the polls,' Danish PM tells the parliament in a special statementNordic correspondentFrederiksen is speaking now. Continue reading...

Labour has focused its efforts at voters who may be tempted to back the Reform candidate in the by-electionThe number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in hotels has fallen to the lowest level for 18 months, Home Office figures show. Rajeev Syal has the story.A minister has confirmed that the government is pressing ahead with the deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.Yes. My colleague the foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has been talking to Marco Rubio, her opposite number in the US, about it. Foreign policy is never easy. We will make progress on the Chagos deal. Continue reading...

British Muslim Trust says fund announced last week falls short as it requires mosques to prove they have been targetedMinisters are being urged to drop the requirement for mosques to prove they have faced a hate crime before they can apply for protective security.Last week, the Home Office announced up to 40m in funding for security staff, CCTV, fencing, alarms and floodlights for mosques, Muslim schools and community centres through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme. Continue reading...

An estimated 4,793 people slept rough in tents, doorways or parks on single night in autumn - up 3% year on yearRecord numbers of people slept rough on the streets of England last year, according to the latest official statistics.An estimated 4,793 people spent the night in tents, doorways and parks on a single night in autumn 2025, up 3% year on year, and overtaking the previous peak of 4,751 in 2017, though charities believe these figures underestimate the scale of the nation's homelessness crisis. Continue reading...

Alan Milburn says people feel social contract is being broken' as number of Neets climbs to 957,000The number of young people in the UK not working or in education has risen closer to a million, figures show, as a government adviser warned that for the first time in a century parents do not think their children will have a better life than them.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people aged 16 to 24 who were not in education, employment or training (Neet) rose to 957,000 in the final three months of last year, equating to 12.8% of this age group. Continue reading...

The US has lost factory jobs amid promises of a tariff-led renaissanceWorkers at Whirlpool, the US's largest appliance manufacturer and a champion of Donald Trump's tariff policies, are criticizing the company for cutting jobs at an Iowa plant while bolstering production in Mexico.The job cuts at Whirlpool come as the company has continued to support the Trump administration's trade policies and claimed they will help bolster US manufacturing. Trump's trade policies appear to have done little for US manufacturing so far. The US has lost 83,000 factory jobs since Trump took office in January 2025. Continue reading...

BBC and Financial Times among those calling for frameworks to help publishers gain control over their content being scraped and copied'A coalition of UK media companies including the Guardian has urged industry peers to back global frameworks ensuring AI firms pay for the journalism they use.The news providers are calling on leaders across publishing, broadcasting, media and news to join their newly created group, with the aim of protecting original journalism" and securing the long-term sustainability of our industry". Continue reading...

After the star made a fresh denunciation of the US president at an alternative State of the Union event, Trump returned fire at length on Truth Social, calling De Niro sick and demented'Donald Trump has responded to a recent podcast appearance by Robert De Niro, in which he called the president an idiot".Speaking on Monday's episode of The Best People with Nicole Wallace, De Niro, who has long criticised the politics, morals and competence of Trump, said: He's an idiot. We gotta get rid of him. He's gonna ruin the country." Continue reading...

Scottish Labour leader hopes distancing himself from PM will shift focus to SNP's record, but voters remain unconvinced

Major restructure by retail technology business will lead to reduction of about 5% of global workforce

Index of repression' includes smears, harassment, job losses and arrests, legal advocacy group saysPalestinian solidarity is being silenced, criminalised and sanctioned", according to an advocacy group that says it has recorded more than 900 examples of repression across Britain in the last six years.People had been targeted with smears, disinformation, harassment, doxing (having private or identifying information published online), visa cancellations, financial blacklisting, loss of employment and arrest, according to the European Legal Support Center, which, along with the research group Forensic Architecture, has created the index of repression". Continue reading...

MPs raise cases of honeymooners and other Britons caught out by new passport requirements as minister rejects calls for grace period Dual nationals: have you been prevented from travelling to the UK?The Home Office has dismissed as absurd" claims that it failed to properly communicate new border rules that left some British dual nationals at risk of being prevented from boarding flights to the UK.During a heated session in parliament on Wednesday, the Home Office minister Mike Tapp suggested that media coverage in the Guardian and BBC reflected the department's efforts to publicise the changes. Continue reading...

Group aims to be simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business' and achieve 500m of annual savings by 2028The beleaguered advertising group WPP has announced a radical restructure to counter the threat posed by the AI revolution, including merging its ad agencies and cutting jobs.Aiming to be a simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business", the London-based company laid out plans to achieve 500m of annual savings by 2028, at a cost of 400m over two years. Continue reading...

Tourism Australia beach ambassador Brad Parker says the coastline south of Sydney airport ticked pretty much every box'

Two Thatcher-years episodes of Peter Flannery's award-winning TV series to be adapted for Newcastle stageIt is regarded as one of the greatest British television series ever made, exploring the decline of the Labour party, sleaze, social decay, dodgy developers, injustice and how idealism can so easily turn to disillusionment and cynicism.Our Friends in the North will return this year in a new guise and will be just as relevant, its writer believes, as it was 30 years ago. Continue reading...

A new mini power station and lithium extraction facility near Redruth are set to bolster green energy and create jobsJust outside the perimeter fence stand the hulking remains of grand stone engine houses, a testament to Cornwall's proud tin and copper mining history.But inside is a shiny new mini power station and lithium extraction plant that is once again accessing rich underground resources in the far south-west of Britain. Continue reading...

Son of Nathaniel and Stacey Train says he is hoping for a quick sale to someone who will be respectful of the property, considering its history'

Atmospheric machine-gun has fired storm after deadly storm at the region this year, leaving a trail of widespread destructionFor Andres Sanchez Barea, in Spain, it was the fear that arose when water started to spurt from plug sockets. For Nelson Duarte, in Portugal, it was the helplessness that hit as violent winds smacked down trees and tore tiles from roofs. For Amal Essuide, in Morocco, it was the reality that dawned when a corpse was pulled onboard a boat in the flooded medina.Each moment of horror is a fragment of the destruction wrought by an atmospheric machine-gun that in recent weeks has fired storm after storm at the western Mediterranean. Scientists do not know if climate breakdown helped pull the trigger, but research suggests it loaded the chamber with bigger bullets. Continue reading...

Former airline pilot faces retrial over death of 73-year-old Carol Clay in 2020

Alerts to be sent for bushfires, floods, biosecurity threats and other events which put lives at risk

Airline to allow members to roll over status credits, which unlock lounge access, priority boarding and baggage allowances

Plaintiff says addictive design' of Meta and YouTube hooked her before she was 10, causing depression and body dysmorphiaFor the first time, a jury will hear testimony this week from a young woman who alleges social media companies intentionally create addictive products, harming children. The witness taking the stand, known by her initials KGM, is the lead plaintiff in an expansive lawsuit against Meta - which owns Instagram and Facebook - and YouTube currently at trial in Los Angeles.KGM, who is now 20, alleges that she became addicted to social media apps before she was 10 and would spend hours every day scrolling through photos and videos. This led to years of mental health issues, according to her lawyers and court documents. Continue reading...

Actor, who was diagnosed with MS in 2021, says taking her 15-year-old daughter to school has become her favourite thing to do'Christina Applegate has revealed that she is now largely confined to her bed, five years after she was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis.In an interview with People magazine before the release of her memoir, the 54-year-old actor said she spends a lot of her days in bed due to the pain that comes with movement.The Guardian will run an extract from Christina Applegate's memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, on 28 February Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former New Zealand PM based out of Australia', according to spokesperson, after rumours she was looking for houses in SydneyThe former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is living in Australia with her family, a spokesperson has confirmed.The family has been travelling for a few years now," her office told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Former Australian Border Force officer Rohan Pike, who has been quoted extensively as an expert, also advises nicotine-industry-linked organisationsA former Australian Border Force officer who has positioned himself before government inquiries as Australia's foremost law enforcement expert" on illicit tobacco also advises nicotine industry-linked organisations - leading public health advocates to argue more transparency is needed.Rohan Pike, who spent more than two decades in law enforcement and now runs a consultancy, has become a prominent media commentator on the illicit tobacco trade, promoting policies that align with those supported by the tobacco industry. Continue reading...

Housing secretary says bill will give spending authority needed to build and maintain dignified memorial'A permanent memorial to the 72 people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire will be funded by new government legislation, the housing secretary has announced.Steve Reed said the bill would provide the spending authority needed to support the memorial commission and community in building and maintaining a lasting and dignified memorial" to those who died in the blaze on 14 June 2017 in west London. Continue reading...

Axon sees major opportunities' as Congress proposes $20m for ICE body cameras but data privacy experts warn of risksThe largest body-camera maker in the US celebrated its latest financial results on Tuesday - reporting record revenue and forecasting major growth - as it prepares to cash in on the Department of Homeland Security's planned rapid acquisition and deployment of these devices nationwide.In Tuesday's earnings presentation, body-camera maker Axon, which also makes the well-known Taser device, announced that it blew past Wall Street expectations with $797m in revenue, up 39% year-over-year. Continue reading...

Antonio Tejero, who has died aged 93, was part of rightwing network whose efforts were thwarted by King Juan CarlosThe Spanish officer who led his armed followers into the Spanish congress in a failed military coup in 1981 has died on the same day that the socialist-led government declassified documents relating to the murky attempt to overthrow the country's post-Franco democracy.Antonio Tejero, who died aged 93, was part of a network of rightwing police and military officers whose efforts to seize power were thwarted after King Juan Carlos refused to support the coup and ordered the generals to obey the democratic constitutional order. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood given green light to take case to court of appeal with ban to remain in place pending outcomeThe home secretary has been granted permission to challenge the high court's ruling that the decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws was unlawful.An order issued by the high court on Wednesday said Shabana Mahmood could take the case to the court of appeal and that the ban would remain in place pending the outcome of the fresh hearing. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Police meet Lindsay Hoyle to explain error after Hoyle shared tip that Mandelson planned to flee UKThe Metropolitan police has apologised to the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, for accidentally revealing he was the source of a tipoff that Peter Mandelson supposedly planned to flee the UK, prompting officers to arrest the former ambassador.In yet another twist to the saga of Mandelson's departure from his post and the Met's investigation into allegations he fed secret government information to Jeffrey Epstein, Hoyle told MPs on Wednesday that he passed the information to police. Continue reading...

Committee to Protect Journalists report says Israel also to blame for 81% of intentionally targeted' journalist killings

Tehran says deal is possible as long as Washington abides by agreed-on preconditions, but Trump's view is unclearIran enters critical talks on its nuclear programme with the US on Thursday, insisting a deal is in reach as long as Washington sticks by its willingness to concede Iran's symbolic right to enrich uranium, allow Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in country, and not to impose controls on Iran's ballistic missile programme.The three preconditions for success are seen as critical by Iranian diplomats, but it remains unclear whether Trump accepts these parameters. Continue reading...

Lib Dem leader says crisis at William Blake House is one of my worst nightmares' after Guardian revealed inquiry into financesEd Davey has accused a trustee of a learning disability care home of embezzlement and called for watchdogs to take over the charity to resolve a crisis he described as one my worst nightmares".The Liberal Democrat leader's intervention at prime minister's questions came hours after the Guardian revealed the Charity Commission had opened a serious inquiry into concerns around financial mismanagement and potential misuse of funds at William Blake House. Continue reading...

Molson Coors says site, as well as national call centre in Wales, no longer financially sustainable'The Cornish brewery that makes Doom Bar ale is to be closed by its US owner, throwing the popular beer brand's future into doubt and putting about 200 jobs at risk.The drinks company Molson Coors said it plans to shut Sharp's Brewery in Rock, Wadebridge, along with its national call centre in Wales, saying it was no longer financially sustainable". Continue reading...

Enzo Conticello admits theft as judge says I expect we're going to find out' what he did with egg and luxury watchMetropolitan police officers are still trying to recover an unusual pickpocketing haul after a Faberge egg and watch worth 2m were stolen at a pub in Soho in London.Enzo Conticello stole the treasures from Rosie Dawson, the director of premium brands at the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, in a West End pub in November 2024, alongside some more conventional loot contained in the handbag he swiped, including her laptop and credit cards. Met detectives arrested him in Belfast on 26 January. Continue reading...

Peter Kyle signs cooperation deal on competition and says there is little nostalgia for pre-Brexit pastThe British public are not nostalgic" for the pre-Brexit past but are pragmatic and want to move forward and deepen" ties with the EU on trade and the economy, the business secretary, Peter Kyle, has said.Signing an agreement in Brussels to cooperate closely on competition issues, Kyle said he thought the deal was a real vindication of the reset and the relationships that have emerged between the EU and the UK" since Labour came to power. Continue reading...

Retailer said fundamental shift in economic conditions' made it hard for financial partner Aberdeen to raise fundsThe John Lewis Partnership is pulling out of a 500m deal to build almost 1,000 residential rental homes for rent in Bromley, Reading and West Ealing amid a cautious property market".The retailer, which owns Waitrose supermarkets and John Lewis department stores, blamed a fundamental shift in the economic conditions", which it said had made it difficult for its financial partner, Aberdeen, to raise funds for the venture, first launched in 2020. Continue reading...

News of former Harvard president's resignation comes in connection with ongoing review' of Epstein files

Government reviews options for plan 2 loans, such as increasing repayment thresholds, amid growing pressureMinisters are examining ways to ease the burden of student loans after weeks of pressure over a policy pulling more people into repayments, the Guardian understands.The Treasury and the Department for Education are reviewing different options to offer relief to graduates with Plan 2 student loans, often paying tens of thousands more than their original loan amount. Continue reading...

Minister misspoke' by telling MPs UK was pausing for discussions with our American counterparts', officials say

Alan Harris, 72, assaulted children and adults in police and court cells over 27-year periodA criminal defence lawyer who sexually abused vulnerable clients as young as 14 over almost three decades has been jailed for 13 years.Alan Harris, 72, from Plymouth, Devon, assaulted children and adults during consultations in police and court cells, targeting victims he judged would not be believed if they revealed what he had done. Continue reading...

High court judge accepts material distributed without legally required imprint due to inadvertent printing mistake

Judge allows Safe Passage International to launch judicial review of halting of right to bring in children and partnersThe Home Office's controversial decision to suspend the right of refugees to bring their children and partners to the UK is to face a legal challenge in the high court, the Guardian can disclose.Safe Passage International, a charity working with unaccompanied children and refugees, has been granted permission to launch a judicial review of the decision to halt refugee family reunion after it claimed the suspension was unlawful. Continue reading...