Tehran's ICBMs cannot currently reach the US, experts say, and White House has claimed its nuclear programme has been destroyedDonald Trump's likely casus belli for an attack on Iran - which would be the largest US intervention since the Iraq war - is fraught with contradictions, and his top advisers have been left to cover for him as the White House makes the case for intervention.In his State of the Union address this week, Trump alleged that Iran posed a direct threat to the US and that the country was working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America". But that claim has not been backed up with evidence by the White House or the Pentagon, and US intelligence reports from just last year say that it would take Iran 10 years to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the US. Continue reading...
Comments come as tensions between two countries reach new high after capture of Venezuela's Nicolas MaduroDonald Trump has suggested the US could carry out a friendly takeover" of Cuba as tensions between Washington and Havana reach a new high following the capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.As he left the White House for a campaigning event in Texas on Friday, Trump said: The Cuban government is talking with us. They're in a big deal of trouble." Continue reading...
Ofcom says that after provisional ruling it could apply to courts to demand internet providers stop access to siteA suicide forum linked to deaths in Britain has been ruled provisionally in breach of the Online Safety Act after it failed to properly block access to UK users when ordered to do so last year.Ofcom, the online regulator, said it could now apply to the courts to demand internet service providers block access to the site in the UK. This will depend on how the site, which also faces fines, responds over the next 10 days. Continue reading...
Attorney general Pam Bondi says 39 people now charged over January protest and warns more to come'Federal authorities have arrested more people on Friday for their alleged involvement in a protest at a church in Minnesota in January, following earlier arrests of organizers and journalists that were demonstrating amid sweeping, and often violent, immigration enforcement efforts in the state.Attorney general Pam Bondi said the justice department unsealed an indictment that charged 30 more people for the demonstration. Of those charged, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, Bondi said, with more to come". The latest arrests bring the total number of people charged to 39. Continue reading...
Investigation under way after vehicle ploughs into buildingA tram derailed and crashed into a building in Milan on Friday, killing two people and injuring 38 others.One of the dead was hit by the tram as it derailed while the second victim was a passenger, the city's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, told reporters at the scene. Continue reading...
Mary Walsh, leaving after 46 years, says staffers told to aim our reporting at a particular part of the political spectrum'A veteran CBS News producer who is leaving the network after 46 years has suggested that political bias is at play at the network in a farewell memo sent to colleagues on Friday afternoon.We've been reading a lot of goodbyes lately and here I am headed out the door. It's too soon, even after 46 years," Mary Walsh wrote in the memo, which was obtained by the Guardian. But maybe it's for the best. We've been told to aim our reporting at a particular part of the political spectrum. Honestly, I don't know how to do that." Continue reading...
Researchers find that across 195 US cities, winters are on average nine days shorter than they were in 1970-1997For the millions of people across the United States who have spent the last month digging themselves out of above-average levels of snow and ice, this winter has felt especially long and harsh. But the typical winter is actually getting shorter in 80% of major US cities scrutinized by researchers, according to new data released by Climate Central, an independent climate science and communication group.Researchers found that across 195 US cities, winters are on average nine days shorter today than they were from 1970 to 1997, as the climate crisis progresses. Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason, Josh Halliday and Jessica Elgot on (#73WPF)
Labour billed it as two-horse race' with Reform UK, but Greens' media campaign, and Hannah Spencer's authenticity, won the dayFrom the outset of the Gorton and Denton byelection, Labour strategists were desperate to say the party was on course to win, but the party's trouncing at the hands of the Greens has made this look laughable in hindsight.Hollie Ridley, Labour's general secretary, sent a note to No 10 at the end of January saying it was clearly a two-horse race" with Reform UK, and only 3% of voters saying they would stick with the Greens. Continue reading...
Plans to return humans to the moon will come in later mission as agency grapples with delays and glitchesNasa announced on Friday radical changes to its delayed Artemis III mission to land humans back on the moon, as the US space agency grapples with technical glitches and criticism that it is trying to do too much too soon.The abrupt shift in strategy was laid out by the space agency's recently confirmed administrator, Jared Isaacman. Announcing the changes on Friday, he said that Nasa would introduce at least one new moon flight before attempting to put humans back on the lunar surface for the first time in more than half a century, in 2028. Continue reading...
Military reckoned good' Afghan insurgents were separate from bad' Pakistani insurgents but distinction has blurredDays after the Taliban swept to power in 2021, Pakistan's then spymaster appeared in Kabul on what looked to many like a victory lap. Sipping tea in the lobby of the Afghan capital's fanciest hotel, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed told reporters: Don't worry, everything will be OK."This week it became clear just how badly Pakistan had miscalculated how it could rely on the Taliban, as Islamabad unleashed airstrikes in Afghanistan and troops from both countries fought each other on the border. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker, Josh Halliday, Jessica Elgot and Kir on (#73WPJ)
Scale of defeat to Greens has plunged party into fresh despair and again raised prospect of leadership challengeKeir Starmer is facing an ultimatum from his own party to change direction or risk a leadership challenge within months after the Greens humiliated Labour with a historic byelection victory in Gorton and Denton.Overturning a 13,000 Labour majority from the general election, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and Green councillor, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin was second, just ahead of the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Continue reading...
Average life satisfaction still below pre-pandemic peak despite improving economic outlook, reports ONSThe proportion of people in the UK who feel dissatisfied with life has failed to improve since the pandemic despite the economic outlook improving, official figures show.The Office for National Statistics said a survey of personal wellbeing in the UK showed average life satisfaction remained below its pre-pandemic peak, despite the rate of gross domestic product per person rising since 2021. Continue reading...
Countdown to May has begun and dejected Labour MPs want to see in that time that PM is capable of changeWhen Labour's Scottish leader, Anas Sarwar, urged Keir Starmer to stand down two weeks ago, Starmer's closest advisers presented him a choice: fight, flight or hand over his destiny to his party by calling a leadership contest.The prime minister chose the first option and his Downing Street team sprung into action to contain the threat. At the moment of greatest peril for Starmer, MPs peered over the precipice and didn't like what they saw. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff and agencies in Accra on (#73WNC)
Reports of African men being attracted to Russia by promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine's frontlines have become more frequentAt least 55 Ghanaians have been killed in Russia's war with Ukraine after being lured into battle", Ghana's foreign minister has said after a visit to Kyiv in which officials raised the issue of Russian recruitment of African people.Reports of African men being attracted to Russia by promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine's frontlines have become more frequent in recent months, creating tensions between Moscow and some of the countries involved. Continue reading...
by Presented by John Harris, Pippa Crerar and Kiran S on (#73WK2)
In a stunning setback for Labour, the Green party has decisively won the Gorton and Denton byelection, with Reform UK finishing second. Does this result signal the end of Labour's safe seats? And could it mark the beginning of the end for Keir Starmer? John Harris, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey unpack the fallout - and explore what might happen next Continue reading...
This live blog is now closedTrade between the EU and two South American countries may start within two months under a provision application of the Mercosur deal.The law allows the provisional application of the deal can happen two months after notification has been exchanged between both sides in the form of a note verbale' that the deal will enter into provision application."The president reached out to member states and to MEPS, that's what it means. She reached out to member states and MEPs, and I remind you that the member states as the European Council, endorsed and approved the EU Mercosur agreement and empowered the European Commission to move forward with provisional application." Continue reading...
Parents opposing plans told they can home school their children if they object to sending them to state schoolsThe court of appeal has rejected the latest challenge to the addition of VAT to private school fees, telling parents they have the option to home school their children if they object to sending them to state schools.The appeal was launched by families and leaders of four independent Christian faith schools, aiming to overturn a high court ruling last year by arguing that the decision to add 20% to fees would make small faith schools unviable" and unaffordable, depriving children of their rights to an equivalent education. Continue reading...
Popped collar worn by Duchess of Sussex and Rama Duwaji is rising in popularity, with sales at John Lewis up 1,000%Shoppers are avidly searching for jackets that cover half your face - so much sales are up 1,000% year on year at John Lewis.The funnel-neck jacket is boxy, generously cut and comes with a permanently popped collar, between 9cm and 14cm high running from clavicle to nose; high enough to cover your mouth, low enough to see out - just. Continue reading...
Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus will all be visible at same time in curved line across skySix planets are set to parade across the sky this weekend in a rare celestial spectacle, experts have said.For the next few days, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus will all be visible at the same time in the night sky - although binoculars or a telescope will be needed to spot the latter two planets. Continue reading...
Judge rules that Crowborough residents cannot challenge a decision before it has been formally madeA residents' group has lost its high court challenge against a Home Office decision to use an army training camp to house asylum seekers.Crowborough Shield, a group of concerned residents, launched a legal challenge after securing more than 100,000 for legal fees with crowdfunding, after a government announcement about using Crowborough army training camp as accommodation for asylum seekers. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Taz Ali (earlier) on (#73WA3)
This blog is now closed, you can read our full report hereBoth sides are reporting they have inflicted heavy casualties on each other, but it is difficult to know the true numbers when they are presenting sharply divergent figures.Pakistan's information minister Attaullah Tarar claims 133 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed, with more than 200 injured. Of its own soldiers, Tarar says that two were killed in the cross-border fighting, while three were injured.The UK is deeply concerned by the significant escalation in tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. We urge both sides to take immediate steps toward deescalation, avoid further harm to civilians, and reengage in mediated dialogue. Continue reading...
Three-part docudrama makes notion of going into the sea in the UK terrifying - much as Jaws did for Americans in 1975Since I was a child I've been going to the same beach on the south coast and never given a second thought to its safety. Swimming in the US, you have the occasional panic about sharks. In South Africa I got stung by a jellyfish. But the English seaside, give or take the odd riptide and the constant threat of hypothermia, has always seemed benign in its outlook, a dull, unthreatening sea. Continue reading...
Head office job losses part of plan for more separation between supermarket and Argos businessesSainsbury's is cutting 300 head office jobs as it restructures its technology team and Argos delivery network, creating more separation between the two businesses.The London-based retail group said most of the job cuts would be in technology and data, where it was consolidating routine reporting tasks" and creating dedicated teams for Argos and the supermarket. Continue reading...
A shout of racist' could also be heard during the segment at France's version of the OscarsA tribute to Brigitte Bardot at the Cesars, France's version of the Oscars, on Thursday was greeted with boos. In a video clip posted by Paris Match, boos can clearly be heard among the applause as the tributes, and a shout of racist!" is also audible.Bardot, who died in December aged 91, became arguably the most celebrated figure in postwar French cinema for films such as And God Created Woman and Contempt, but after quitting acting in the early 1970s her later years were marred by increasing political activity on the far right, resulting in a string of convictions for inciting racial hatred. Continue reading...
Met arrests man on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after slogans including Zionist war criminal' sprayedA 38-year-old man has been arrested after the statue of Winston Churchill outside the Houses of Parliament was defaced with graffiti calling the former prime minister a Zionist war criminal".The Metropolitan police said the man was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage on Friday morning. Continue reading...
Decision by Netflix to walk away from takeover leaves workers anxious about possible merger of news networksNetflix's decision to walk away from its $83bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has left some staffers working at CBS News and CNN panicking about the future as the two top-tier news operations come under the same roof.With Paramount Skydance emerging as the winning bidder, a deal that still requires the approval of WBD shareholders and government regulators, they fear the merging of the two networks - and, with it, the potential for a significant amount of job cuts. Some CNN employees are also nervous about Paramount's Trump-friendly ownership and leadership enacting ideologically driven programming changes at the network, with particular concern about the specter of CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss possibly getting a significant role. Continue reading...
Purbeck Capital Partners seals deal for business and property rights of toy with model railway makerFor almost six decades Hornby has watched Scalextric drive revenues for its hobby business but on Friday the company said it had decided to sell the famous slot car racing brand for 20m to a little known buyer.The model railway company, which also sells toy planes and cars under the Airfix and Corgi brands, has sold the Scalextric business and intellectual property rights to Purbeck Capital Partners. Continue reading...
Javier Milei's boosters say law will revive employment, but critics decry cuts to severance and longer working hoursArgentina's senate is poised to approve a sweeping overhaul of labour laws aimed at weakening trade unions and lowering labour costs for businesses.The government of the self-styled anarcho-capitalist" president, Javier Milei, says the initiative will help revive formal employment, after 290,600 registered jobs were lost between December 2023, when he took office, and November 2025. Continue reading...
Households on a default dual-fuel tariff in Great Britain could cut costs by moving to a fixed dealExperts have told households whose energy bills arepegged to the price cap not to rest on their laurels" as they could save more than 200 a year on a fixed deal.This week, Ofgem said the price cap in Great Britain would drop by 7% from April. This usually only matters if you are on a default tariff, but this time the reduction applies to everyone because the government is removing green charges from bills. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: This byelection has long been mooted as a foreshadowing of upcoming elections in Wales, Scotland and eventually the whole of the UKGood morning. Hannah Spencer is the new MP for Gorton and Denton after the Green party's first ever parliamentary byelection victory. In a bitter blow to Keir Starmer, Labour were pushed into third place in a constituency the party has represented for nearly a century. Reform's Matt Goodwin came second, as Nigel Farage claimed the result was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating".This contest had been billed as a three-way fight and for much of the campaign, it felt like a pollster's nightmare. One side of the seat looked ripe for Reform's message of grievance and cultural threat; the other was saturated with Green posters and the sense that Labour's coalition was splintering. Add the row over Andy Burnham being blocked from standing, accusations of dirty tricks and disinformation, and you had a byelection that felt like a microcosm of 2026 British politics.Iran | High-stakes talks between the US and Iran over the future of Tehran's nuclear programme ended on Thursday without a deal, as the threat of war grows.Migration | Hospitals and care homes in the UK face an impending car crash", experts have warned, as research shows the number of overseas nurses and carers has collapsed.UK politics | Jeremy Corbyn is to become the parliamentary leader of Your Party, after an election in which his rival Zarah Sultana was also voted on to the party's leadership committee.Environment | US bullying" over a proposed carbon levy on shipping appears to be paying off, experts have said, after Panama reversed its support for the measure.Epstein | Peter Mandelson is facing an inquiry by the EU's anti-fraud agency after the European Commission requested the body look into his activities during his time as trade commissioner in Brussels. Continue reading...
Landslide in Niscemi in January tore away entire slope of town and carved 4km chasmFirefighters in Sicily have rescued about 400 rare books from a library in Niscemi that hangs on the edge of a mudflow, after a devastating landslide in January tore away an entire slope of the town and carved a 4km chasm.The library stands on the lip of the precipice gouged out by the landslide, with part of the building in effect hanging in mid-air. The recovery operation, which began on Monday, was preceded by a detailed study of floor plans and interior photographs to map the position of the books. Continue reading...
Many observers believe North Korean leader has decided daughter Kim Ju-ae will succeed him, but others say gender politics could block her path to powerWhen North Korea's ruling party held a top-level meeting this month there were predictable boasts of unstoppable nuclear development and, more unexpectedly, a suggestion by Kim Jong-un that his country and the US could get along" - provided that Washington recognised North Korea as a legitimate nuclear power.But for many North Korea watchers, the Workers' party congress - held over several days just once every five years - was a rare opportunity to speculate over the identity of the country's future leader. Continue reading...
Exhibits pay homage to Ukrainians' resilience and bring home the reality that war is going on in EuropeDescending into the windowless basement of a second world war air-raid bunker built for civilians in central Berlin is arguably an eerie enough evocation of what it means to endure life in a conflict.But in a modern twist, before they have even walked into the first room of the city's new Ukraine Museum inside the bunker, visitors are targeted" by a Russian drone just before its operator prepares to release the lethal shot, and see themselves in the firing line on the screen of the weapon's camera. Continue reading...
Escalation of violence between the volatile neighbours makes a Qatar-mediated ceasefire appear increasingly shakyPakistan bombed Afghanistan's capital of Kabul and two other provinces on Friday, hours after a cross-border attack, the latest escalation of violence between the volatile neighbours who signed a Qatar-mediated ceasefire in 2025.Following months of tit-for-tat clashes, Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night in what the Taliban government said was retaliation for earlier deadly air strikes. Continue reading...
Lead plaintiff, now 20, says use of social media made her relationships with friends and family anxious and strainedThe young woman at the heart of the landmark trial about the addictive nature of social media testified for the first time on Thursday, saying she got hooked on YouTube starting at age six and Instagram at nine. By the time she was 10, she said, she had become depressed and was engaging in self-harm.The woman, who is now 20 and known by her initials KGM, is the lead plaintiff in an expansive lawsuit against YouTube and Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook. The crux of the case alleges social media companies intentionally create addictive products, leading to mental health issues in young people. Continue reading...
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