World news | The Guardian

US president vows to enact 10% global baseline tariff after calling the supreme court justices a disgrace to the nation'

Officers being asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard' may be relevant to review of Epstein filesScotland Yard has announced it is expanding its inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor by approaching all his former protection officers and reviewing records of flights at London's airports to see if they were used for human trafficking.The disclosure by the Metropolitan police is separate to the inquiry that led to the former prince's arrest on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but underlines the complex nature of the multiple investigations now focused on King Charles's brother. Continue reading...

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under investigation after police questioned the former prince in relation to allegations he shared confidential material with Jeffrey Epstein. Officers searched Mountbatten-Windsor's Sandringham residence as well as his former home at the Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park after arresting him on Thursday. The former prince has denied any wrongdoing. But what were the police searching for and what could happen next? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian's police and crime correspondent, Vikram Dodd - watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Democrats cry foul at change to airport closest to Mar-a-Lago days after president's lawyers trademarked new nameDemocrats in Florida have condemned Republican colleagues in the state legislature who approved the renaming of the airport in West Palm Beach the President Donald J Trump International Airport", less than a week after lawyers for Trump sought to trademark the name.Only the signature of Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, now stands before a renaming ceremony at the airport less than six miles from the US president's waterfront Mar-a-Lago mansion and private resort club in Palm Beach. Continue reading...

Record public finances accompany stronger retail sales and business activity but some analysts express cautionThe economic backdrop to Rachel Reeves's upcoming spring statement appeared to brighten on Friday after a trio of reports painted a better-than-expected picture of the UK economy.Record monthly public finances, a surge in retail spending and accelerating business activity offered the most coherent picture of recovery since last autumn, economists said, and provided the chancellor with a more positive narrative before her 3 March statement. Continue reading...

Dozens of the animals in Chiang Mai region first began to show signs of illness earlier this monthA highly contagious virus is believed to have caused the deaths of 72 captive tigers in northern Thailand this month, with officials racing to contain the outbreak.Teams are urgently disinfecting enclosures and preparing to vaccinate surviving animals. Continue reading...

Andrew Alty thought O2 bill was a mistake, but daughter's TikTok use allowed massive uncapped charges to accrueA small business owner was left facing a 42,000 bill that he said nearly bankrupted him after his daughter racked up data roaming charges while the family were on holiday in Morocco.Andrew Alty, who owns a curtains business, was in Marrakech when he received a bill for 22,000 from network provider O2, but at first he assumed it was a mistake. Continue reading...

Police say UK entrepreneur Quentin Griffiths fell from 17th floor of an 18-floor condominium on 9 FebruaryQuentin Griffiths, the co-founder of the online fashion retailer Asos, has died after falling from an apartment building in the Thai seaside resort city of Pattaya.Police told Reuters that the 58-year-old had fallen from the 17th floor of an 18-storey condominium on 9 February. Continue reading...

Expert review will consider whether children and teenagers should be able to carry passengers

Ex-state MP has pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing boy in 2017 with defence barrister claiming Amon did not know boy's age

Exit of Devyani Saltzman, described as Barbican's driving force', announced a few weeks after arrival of new CEOSalman Rushdie, John Akomfrah and Pankaj Mishra are among more than 170 cultural figures who have signed an open letter to the Barbican expressing concern over the departure of its arts director, Devyani Saltzman.Saltzman, who became director of arts and participation at the Barbican in February 2024, is leaving the institution amid a significant leadership change a few weeks after its new CEO joined. Continue reading...

Girl, 15, and boy, 17, found dead at Little Eden holiday park in suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, police sayTwo teenagers have died at a holiday park on the Yorkshire coast in a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.A 15-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy were found dead inside a rental property at Little Eden holiday park in Bridlington on Wednesday, police said. Continue reading...

Industrial trends survey shows firms expecting to raise prices in coming months, with order books well below averageBritish manufacturing orders remain well below average and price pressure continues to persist, according to a closely watched survey.The CBI industrial trends survey found that manufacturers' orders for the month were below average in February, while most firms expected to raise their prices and for output to decline over the next three months. Continue reading...

Supreme court rules children in England who suffer serious injuries at birth can claim for future lost earningsThe NHS will have to spend more money settling lawsuits involving negligence during childbirth after a supreme court ruling that lawyers said puts right a historic injustice".The court ruled on Wednesday that children in England who suffer catastrophic injuries while they are being born can claim damages for future earnings they would otherwise have had. Continue reading...

US ambassador accused of interference after labelling inquiry into suspected illegal circumcisions antisemitic'A diplomatic row is escalating between Belgium and the US, with Donald Trump's ambassador refusing to apologise for accusing his host country of antisemitism and reportedly threatening to bar a socialist politician from travelling to the US.Bill White, a staunch ally of the president like many US ambassadors, on Monday demanded Belgium drop a ridiculous" and antisemitic" investigation into three Jewish men suspected of performing circumcisions without medical qualifications. Continue reading...

CEO of UK's biggest defence company says delay is holding back investment as BAE posts record salesThe boss of Britain's biggest defence company has urged ministers to publish a long-delayed blueprint for military spending as soon as possible, as it posted record sales driven by a global increase in demand after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Charles Woodburn, the chief executive of BAE Systems, said companies want clarity on how the money would be spent, adding that the defence investment plan (DIP) - due in late 2025 - was holding back investment. Continue reading...

Lack of regulation leading to procedures being carried out in sheds, hotel rooms and public toilets, committee findsBrazilian butt lifts should be banned in the UK, MPs have said, as a report found a lack of regulation had led to a wild west" of cosmetic procedures being carried out in garden sheds, hotel rooms and public toilets.The women and equalities committee (WEC) said high risk procedures such as non-surgical buttock augmentation should be outlawed immediately, and a licensing system for lower risk treatments was urgently needed. People with no training can carry out potentially harmful procedures, putting the public at risk, the group of MPs added. Continue reading...

Yvette Cooper may think so, and use of epibatidine may seem exotic, but experts say situation is more ambiguousIt was a very particular choice of weapon, but experts say it remains unclear whether the dart frog toxin used to kill the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was intended to convey a message.Known as epibatidine, the poison is produced by wild dart frogs native to parts of South America - meaning Navalny could not have accidentally taken the poison. Continue reading...

PM says we need to step up' but sources clarify that is unlikely to mean spending 3% of GDP before next election

Labor chose a day when attention was focused on the opposition to slip out a handful of announcements

The trees morph into sand dunes to protect homes on the seafront against rising sea levels and serve as habitat for rare speciesBritain's fight against climate breakdown may usually look like windfarms or solar energy. But on miles of Lancashire coast the frontline is rather more festive.Tens of thousands of discarded Christmas trees have been partially buried on beaches south of Blackpool as a frontier against rising sea levels. Continue reading...

Chris Minns announces change for minimum of two years as Anzac Day falls on weekends this year and next

Mette Frederiksen tells Munich Security Conference that Denmark is willing to work with the US, but there are, of course, things that you cannot compromise on'Rubio insists that the US do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship."He says we do not want allies to rationalise the broken status quo rather than reckon with what is necessary to fix it."We do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weaker.We want allies who can defend themselves, so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength. This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame. Continue reading...

Concern grows over Narges Mohammadi's health, family says, after reports of life-threatening mistreatment'Iranian authorities have without prior warning transferred Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to a prison in the north of the country as concern grows over her health, her family said on Saturday.Mohammadi, who won the peace prize in 2023 in recognition for more than two decades of campaigning, was arrested on 12 December in the eastern city of Mashhad after speaking out against Iran's clerical authorities at a funeral ceremony. Continue reading...

Family pay tribute to Demi Edmunds, from Caldicot, saying she loved her friends, and she was loved by all'A 17-year-old girl who died in a collision involving three cars in Wales was funny, kind and caring", her brother said.

Speaking in Munich, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called for a clear date for his country to be allowed to join the EUUkraine wants security guarantees for a minimum of 20 years from the US before it can sign a peace deal with dignity, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of talks with Russia and the US scheduled for next week.Speaking in Munich on Saturday, he also called for a clear date for Ukraine to be allowed to join the EU. Some EU officials have put the date as early as 2027. Continue reading...

At his official installation, Archbishop Richard Moth recognised the Catholic church's failures but insists it's a time of opportunity'The new leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales has said the church has failed vulnerable people, urging more work to be done to address the struggle of refugees and learn from victims of abuse.At a ceremony where he was officially installed in his new role as archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth said: Here, I am most aware of every occasion on which members of the church, or the church as a whole, have failed - most especially when the vulnerable have been abused. Continue reading...

Social media account for Palmerston, who retired in 2020, announces death of Diplocat extraordinaire'Palmerston, a rescue cat who became the chief mouser of the Foreign Office, has died in Bermuda.The cat, adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, retired in 2020 after four years of service in Whitehall. Continue reading...

Co-author George Cottrell is close aide to party leader Nigel Farage and served several months in US prisonAs a choice for a book title, How to Launder Money certainly caught the eye. But then again, its co-author George Cottrell claims to know what he's talking about.A close aide to Nigel Farage, Cottrell served several months in a US prison after being convicted there in 2017 for wire fraud - a chapter in his life he referred to at his book launch party on Thursday night. Continue reading...

Intelligence agencies say deadly toxin in skin of Ecuador dart frogs found in Navalny's body and highly likely resulted in his death

Senior policing source says tsunami' of claims expected after US release of papers relating to disgraced financierBritish police have set up a new national group to deal with allegations that Jeffrey Epstein's trafficking of women had ties to Britain, as well as claims against his associates, such as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.At least three British police forces are dealing with allegations triggered by the revelations about Epstein and his associates in documents released in the US, with more claims of wrongdoing expected by police officials. Continue reading...

The UK prime minister says stronger security relies on greater cooperation and integration across the continent

Huda Ammori calls for proscription to be lifted after high court finds it to be very serious interference with protest rightsThe co-founder of Palestine Action has said the ban on the group massively backfired" and called for its proscription to be suspended after the high court found it to be unlawful.Three senior judges ruled on Friday that the ban was disproportionate and constituted very serious interference with the rights to protest and free speech. Continue reading...

Pelicot says she wants to look Dominique Pelicot straight in the eye' over potential abuse of daughter and case of estate agent who was raped and murdered in 1991Gisele Pelicot has said she needs to visit prison to look her abusive ex-husband straight in the eye" after his conviction for drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her in a case that shocked France and the rest of the world.Pelicot, 73, said she needed answers" from Dominique Pelicot over the potential abuse of their daughter and the case of an estate agent who was raped and murdered in 1991, which he is under investigation for. Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves's inheritance tax changes encourage more people to invest in previously unloved productThe government's inheritance tax raid" on pensions has helped drive sales of retirement annuities to newhighs.Industry data this week revealed they enjoyed a record-breaking" 2025, with sales growing by 4% to 7.4bn and the average amount invested in an annuity surpassing 80,000 for the first time. Continue reading...

As calls for the former prince to cooperate with investigation become deafening, this may be the reckoning Andrew cannot escapeGordon Brown is a man who gets into the detail.In office, and since then, he has applied his forensic mind to the matters that concern him. Lately, he has been focused on the Epstein files. Continue reading...

For centuries in Ireland lifting huge boulders was a way to test strength and bond communities, says Instagram sensation Indiana StonesDavid Keohan surveyed the County Waterford beach and spotted a familiar mound half-buried in sand: an oval-shaped limestone boulder. It weighed about 115kg.He wedged it loose with a crowbar, wiped it dry with a cloth, dusted his hands with chalk and paused to gaze at the Irish Sea, as if summoning strength from the waves pounding ashore. Continue reading...

The Canadian prime minister told residents of Tumbler Ridge that the country is with you'Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has told residents of Tumbler Ridge that the country is with you, and we will always be with you", during a candlelight vigil for the eight victims of a mass shooting that has shattered the small mining town.The prime minister, holding hands with opposition leader Pierre Poilievre while flanked by First Nations chiefs and local officials, paid tribute to the families enduring the loss of loved ones, after the shooting at a local school that has become one of the most deadly attacks in Canadian history. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed.If you need a primer on what's on the agenda for the next three days, I spoke with the MSC's head of policy Nicole Koenig, the author of the European part of their security report published ahead of the meeting.I asked her what is most likely to be the focus of this year's forum, will Rubio deliver a JD Vance 2.0" speech or say something more (nomen omen) diplomatic, and what other topics are likely to come up.We have had years, decades of complaints by the US about the fact that in Europe, we were not spending enough on defence. That has changed since the summit in The Hague.The shift in mindset is that yesterday in the room, what we felt, all of us, there was a clear coming together of vision and of unity.They want [us] to perceive the Russians as a mighty bear, but you could argue they are moving through Ukraine at the stilted speed of a garden snail, so let's not fall the trap of the Russian propaganda." Continue reading...

A skier from France is also killed with manslaughter investigation to be carried out by mountain rescue policeTwo Britons are among three skiers to have been killed in an avalanche in the French Alps.The pair were part of a group of five people, accompanied by an instructor, off-piste skiing in Val d'Isere, in south-east France. A French national, who was skiing alone, was also killed. Continue reading...

German chancellor rebuts idea of American unilateralism and says democracies have partners and allies'The US acting alone has reached the limits of its power and may already have lost its role as global leader, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, warned Donald Trump at the opening of the Munich Security Conference.Merz also disclosed he had held initial talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, over the possibility of joining France's nuclear umbrella, underlining his call for Europe to develop a stronger self-standing security strategy. Continue reading...

Nikhil Gupta faces up to 40 years over alleged India-backed attempt to kill Gurpatwant Singh PannunThe Indian man who US prosecutors accused of plotting to kill a prominent US-based activist after being recruited by an agent of the Indian government has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, according to a spokesperson for the US attorney's office in Manhattan.Nikhil Gupta faces a maximum 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money-laundering charges in connection to the failed attempt to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US resident who is an advocate for a sovereign Sikh state in

Anas Sarwar said that he stood by what he said when he announced on Monday that he wanted the prime minister to stand downThe Equality and Human Rights Commission has welcomed a high court ruling defending the interim guidance it issued to organisations about the implications of the supreme court judgement saying that, when the Equality Act refers to sex, it means biological sex.The guidance - described as an interim update" - was controversial because it was seen as over-prescriptive, and the Good Law Project launched a legal challenge.We welcome the court's conclusion that the interim update was lawful and the EHRC did not act in breach of its statutory duties.We issued the interim update in response to a high level of demand immediately after the supreme court's ruling. We were concerned that organisations and individuals could be subject to misinformation and misrepresentation of the judgment and its consequences. That might have led to them failing to comply with the law: adopting or maintaining discriminatory policies or practices, to the detriment of those the law is supposed to protect.It is wrong because it reduces trans people to a third sex. It is wrong because it gives little or no weight to the harm done to trans people by excluding them. And it is wrong because it is not interested enough in the rights of people who are trans to keep their status private.The tragic irony for [Morgan] McSweeney [Starmer's chief of staff until Sunday] was that Starmer's 18 months as prime minister have only vindicated Blair's central analysis of their project. McSweeney and Starmer might have identified what they disliked most about the excesses of New Labour, but they never developed an alternative political economy of their own that might replace it. In place of Blairism there was no theory of political reform or coherent critique of British state failure, no analysis of Britain's future place in the world or any kind of distinct moral mission. All there was was a promise to clean things up" as Starmer put it to me. The mission became, in essence, conservative: to protect the settlement erected by Blair and eroded over the 20 years since his departure. Britain could thrive if it could only begin to live within its means, attract more foreign investment, reassure the bond markets and return a sense of service" to government. After years of chaos, mere stability would be change. And this would be enough.Where there was distinct radicalism - from McSweeney's Blue Labour instincts - there was no mandate. McSweeney and Starmer had not fought an ideological battle to bring Blue Labour to government, as Wilson had done for socialist modernisation in the 1960s and Blair for liberal progressivism 30 years later. This was largely because Starmer never really believed in it in the first place and McSweeney, though a reflective thinker, was always more of an operator than political theorist. And so, the pair offered a programme without a programme, a government without ideas or the mandate to enact them.Another of those who worked for [Stamer] adds: He's completely incurious. He's not interested in policy or politics. He thinks his job is to sit in a room and be serious, be presented with something and say Yes" or No" - invariably Yes" - rather than be persuader-in-chief.' Even before he fell out with Starmer, Mandelson told friends and colleagues that the Prime Minister had never once asked him What really makes Trump tick?' or How will he react to this?'.Others dispute the claim of incuriosity. There are subjects when he drills down and he's really, really good,' says another aide. The idea he can't think politically is also wrong. He will often think ahead.' But even these loyalists admit Starmer lacks a philosophical worldview'. Continue reading...

Designer Stella Jean forced to paint over image of revolutionary on ski suits after being told it breached rules

An undercover operative stopped Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein carrying out deadly terror attackTwo men have been jailed for life after attempting to stage one of the UK's deadliest terrorist attacks before it was thwarted by an undercover operative.Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), planned a marauding firearms attack targeting Greater Manchester's Jewish community. Continue reading...

Proscription of British direct action group has been fiercely controversial from moment it was proposed last JuneThe list of those who criticised the ban on Palestine Action and its consequences was disparate to say the least, taking in a Trump administration official, a former director of public prosecutions, a former director of the security services, Home Office officials, politicians of different stripes, and UN experts, not to mention a host of NGOs.Now a trio of senior judges can be added to the list, after they deemed the ban to be disproportionate" and impinging on freedom of speech and protest when the direct action group's activities could be targeted under the existing criminal law. Continue reading...

Ex-husband of Nicola Sturgeon and former CEO of party is due to appear in Glasgow court next FridayThe former chief executive of the Scottish National party (SNP) Peter Murrell has been accused of embezzling 459,000 from the party over a period of more than 12 years, according to court documents that emerged ahead of a hearing.Murrell, the ex-husband of the former first minister and party leader Nicola Sturgeon, is due to appear at the high court in Glasgow next Friday for a preliminary hearing in the case. Continue reading...

Roblox says it has removed account after massacre that left nine people including the shooter deadThe 18-year-old suspect in a high school shooting on Wednesday in British Columbia had previously created a mass shooting simulator on the gaming platform Roblox, it has been revealed.The simulator, set in what appeared to be a virtual shopping mall, allowed users - represented as Roblox-style avatars - to pick up weapons and shoot other players, 404 Media first reported on Thursday. Continue reading...

Dean Hamilton pleads guilty of rape of Joanne Young, former wife of ex-Tory Swindon councillor Philip YoungA man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman who was also raped and drugged by her husband for years, police have said.Dean Hamilton, 47, appeared at Winchester crown court on Friday, where he admitted one count of rape, one count of assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault against Joanne Young, 48, who can be named as she has waived her right to anonymity. Continue reading...

Police acknowledge unusual circumstances' around the ruling and say they will focus on gathering evidenceThe high court upheld two grounds of challenge, including that the ban was a disproportionate interference with the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.The president of the king's bench division, Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn, said that Palestine Action is an organisation that promotes its political cause through criminality and encouragement of criminality", but that proscription was still disproportionate".I am disappointed by the court's decision and disagree with the notion that banning this terrorist organisation is disproportionate.The proscription of Palestine Action followed a rigorous and evidence-based decision-making process, endorsed by parliament. The proscription does not prevent peaceful protest in support of the Palestinian cause, another point on which the court agrees. Continue reading...