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Exclusive: Victims' commissioner makes formal complaint after committee session left one attender shocked, upset and extremely distressed'Victims of rape and sexual violence have told parliamentarians they felt anxious and distressed during a Westminster evidence session, with one stating that witnessing pugnacious" questioning had resulted in her breaking down, sobbing and struggling to breathe".The victims' commissioner has made a formal complaint to the chair of an influential group of MPs after a highly charged evidence session carried out by the public bill committee for the courts and tribunals bill about controversial changes to jury trials. Continue reading...

Vice-president spotted at White House as Iran reportedly has not confirmed if they'd participate in negotiations

Officials say US vice-president has not yet left Washington for Islamabad after Donald Trump said he did not want to extend ceasefire

Trump's nominee to chair the Federal Reserve avoided questions about his $100m financial assets as he faced grilling from Senate Democrats

A part suspension was tabled by Ireland, Spain and Slovenia but did not receive enough backing from other member statesThe EU remains split on imposing sanctions on Israel, despite some member states criticising the country over the plight of Gaza and violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, said proposals for a part suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement remained on the table but required states to shift their positions to come into force. Speaking after a meeting between EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, she told reporters: We didn't see that today, but these discussions will continue." Continue reading...

Ministers hope tobacco and vapes bill, which will become law next week, will create a smoke-free generation'A bill banning anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco in the UK has completed its progress through parliament in a move that ministers hope will create a smoke-free generation".Under the tobacco and vapes bill anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to be legally sold tobacco across the UK, in an effort to save lives and reduce the burden on the NHS. Continue reading...

Robert Albon cannot be declared four-year-old's father because he ran illegal sperm donation business, court rulesA prolific unregulated sperm donor described in the high court as a highly dangerous man" has lost a legal fight to be named as the father of a child conceived using his sperm.Robert Albon, who calls himself Joe Donor, was not entitled to be declared the father of a four-year-old child because he was running an illegal sperm donation business, Britain's most senior family court judge ruled. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer's decision to oust senior official may have knock-on effect for No 10's relationship with civil serviceFury within Whitehall about the treatment of Olly Robbins remains white hot several days on from Keir Starmer's decision to sack the senior Foreign Office civil servant.It's just total self-serving, narrow, selfish, political-endgame stuff," said one supporter of Robbins, who was dismissed for failing to tell the prime minister that the now disgraced former US ambassador Peter Mandelson had not passed UK security vetting. Continue reading...

Olly Robbins told MPs he had been asked to get the ex-No 10 aide a role and not mention it to then Foreign Secretary David Lammy

Ukrainian president says pipeline linking Russia and Hungary can now resume operations but adds we connect this with the unblocking of the European support package'German foreign minister Joseph Wadephul also makes it very clear that he is relieved with the change of government in Hungary, calling it a breath of fresh air" and a promise of hope for Ukraine.He urged Hungary to drop its unusual blockade" for policies for Ukraine as quickly as possible," pointing to what he argued was a clear pro-European mandate from the electorate in Hungary (it's a bit more complicated than that, though). Continue reading...

Sacked civil servant says No 10 pushed Foreign Office to find diplomatic role for Matthew Doyle without informing foreign secretary

Exclusive: Australian Recreation Union says it plans to support candidates and parties that oppose gun control laws brought in after terror attack

Exclusive: The Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect overseas students from political repressionThe Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect Chinese international students from political repression by authorities on their return after a Chinese student was allegedly sentenced to six years' imprisonment for joining pro-democracy protests in Australia.The student, who the Guardian has chosen not to name, lost contact with his friends in Sydney after returning to China in December 2024. Continue reading...

Scientists think they are looking at chemical building blocks of life preserved for 3.5bn yearsNasa's Curiosity rover has detected organic molecules on Mars, including chemicals widely considered building blocks for the origin of life of Earth.Five of the seven molecules identified in a dried lakebed near the equator had never previously been observed on the red planet. The analysis, performed by the robotic rover, cannot establish whether the organic compounds are linked to potential ancient life on Mars or were delivered by meteorites or formed through geological processes. However, they imply that if microbial life once thrived on Mars, chemical fingerprints should remain there today. Continue reading...

Boy, 17, admits offence over attack on Kenton united synagogue in north-west London on Saturday nightA 17-year-old boy has pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court to arson not endangering life after an attack on Kenton united synagogue in north-west London on Saturday night.The teenager, a British national from Brent, north-west London, has not been named because of his age. Continue reading...

Campaigners say banks and web platforms are being told to collect data on customers visiting blocked sitesMajor Russian companies have been conscripted into a witch-hunt" against users trying to circumvent online controls, researchers have said, as the Kremlin continues trying to cut its citizens off from the global internet.Banks and web platforms are collecting data on users of virtual private networks (VPN) tools, which obscure an individual's real location and allow them to access sites blocked in Russia, according to an investigation by RKS global, an advocacy group for internet freedoms. Continue reading...

Michelle Sadio, 44, was shot near the River of Life Pentecostal church in Willesden in 2024Two men have been found guilty of murdering an innocent woman and injuring two more people in a drive-by shooting outside a wake.Michelle Sadio, a mother of two, was shot outside the River of Life Pentecostal church in Willesden, north London on 14 December 2024. She had been among about 100 mourners, including children as young as five, at the wake for 80-year-old Dianne Boatong. Continue reading...

ECJ says law passed in 2021 discriminatory and contrary to the identity of the union', in early test for incoming PMThe EU's highest court has found Hungary's anti-LGBTQ+ law to be discriminatory, stigmatising and in breach of basic democratic values, setting up an early test for the incoming prime minister Peter Magyar's government when it takes power next month.In a wide-ranging judgment, the European court of justice said the 2021 law that bans content about LGBTQ+ people from schools and primetime TV was at odds with a society based on pluralism and fundamental rights such as prohibition of discrimination and freedom of expression. Continue reading...

Actor, who has publicly objected to plans to fast-track project near his farm, says he has received personal abuseThe actor Sam Neill says he has received threats of violence from supporters of a controversial goldmine that could be opened several kilometres away from his farm in New Zealand's Central Otago district, after he publicly objected to the New Zealand government's plans to fast-track the mine.The Australian mining company Santana Minerals is pushing to expedite a 85-hectare (210-acre) open-cast goldmine, called Bendigo-Ophir, in the Dunstan mountains, an area dubbed outstanding natural landscape" by the Central Otago district council. Continue reading...

Company promises to meet new delivery targets by next May after being fined last year for poor record

Sacked Foreign Office permanent secretary says he was under pressure from Downing Street over appointment of US ambassador

Wilson is being sued for defamation by actor Charlotte MacInnes over social media posts alleging a sexual harassment complaint

The Kissing Booth's Joey King and Game Of Thrones' Maisie Williams star alongside the original cast members as the next generation of the cursed Owens family

ABF, which owns Kingsmill, Twinings and Patak's, to demerge fashion chain to maximise shareholder returns

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Police seek warrant for Bang Si-Hyuk over allegations he illegally gained millions in investor fraud schemeSouth Korean police said on Tuesday they were seeking to arrest Bang Si-Hyuk, the chair of the agency behind the K-pop band BTS, as they expand an investigation into allegations that he illegally gained more than $100m (74m) in an investor fraud scheme.The Seoul metropolitan police agency confirmed it had asked prosecutors to request a court warrant for arresting Bang, founder and chair of HYBE. Continue reading...

US vice-president to travel to Islamabad with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as deadline for current ceasefire looms

ONS data for three months to February is not expected to alter Bank of England's decision on interest rates

Zayne Jason William McMillan's lawyer says client's tirade was antisemitic but claims he does not consider himself racist against Jewish community'

UK's Rare Breeds Survival Trust says calf numbers of white park cattle last year were less than two-thirds of 2022 levelAn ancient breed of cattle whose ancestors are thought to have accompanied the Celts as they were pushed to Britain's fringes by the Romans has been designated as urgently at risk by a UK conservation charity.Publishing its 2026 watchlist on Tuesday, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust moved white park cattle to its priority" category as new calf numbers sank last year to less than two-thirds of their 2022 level. Continue reading...

Alarm caused by posts of Alex Carp, tech firm's CEO, championing US military dominance and of AI weaponsThe US spy tech company Palantir published a manifesto extolling the benefits of American power and implying some cultures are inferior to others - in what MPs have called a parody of a RoboCop film" and the ramblings of a supervillain".Some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive," wrote Palantir in a 22-point post on X over the weekend, which also called for an end to the postwar neutering" of Germany and Japan. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Report finds Natural England has created no new SSSIs, which protect areas from development, since 2023The government's wildlife watchdog for England is failing to save nature because it has stopped giving protection to rare wildlife and habitats, according to a new report.No new sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) have been designated by Natural England since 2023. SSSIs are nationally or internationally important places for rare wildlife and habitats. Without the designation, endangered species can be at risk of being lost to development. Continue reading...

Experts say attacks, also carried out by settlers, are leading girls to quit school and enter early marriagesIsraeli soldiers and settlers are using gendered violence and sexual assault and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, human rights and legal experts say.Palestinian women, men and children have reported attacks, forced nudity, invasive and painful body cavity searches, Israelis exposing their genitals, including to minors, and threats of sexual violence. Continue reading...

The trial between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the supermarket giant began in the federal court in Sydney on Tuesday

Police allege educators, two men and two women, attacked boys at school between August 2024 and June 2025

Stone age' system of booking cross-border rail tickets holding back climate action by consumers, says thinktankEurope's stone age" system of booking train tickets makes it needlessly difficult for travellers to avoid polluting flights, a report has found.Booking equivalent train tickets is difficult or impossible" on almost half of the EU's busiest international air routes, analysis from the Transport & Environment (T&E) thinktank shows. Continue reading...

At least four more injured at world heritage site in latest violent incident as country prepares to co-host World CupOne Canadian tourist has been killed and six other people were wounded by gunfire after an armed man opened fire at one of Mexico's most famous tourist destinations, the Teotihuacan pyramids near Mexico City.The shooting - the latest violent incident to affect Mexico as it prepares to co-host the football World Cup in June - took place on Monday lunchtime and was captured in mobile phone videos. Continue reading...

Hardware engineering executive is a longtime Apple insider, indicating company will continue strategy that has led to record profitsApple has announced longtime company veteran John Ternus as the next CEO of the company, succeeding current CEO Tim Cook, who is set to transition to executive chair of Apple's board of directors later this year.Ternus's term as CEO will begin on 1 September. The hardware engineering executive is a longtime Apple insider, indicating the company will stay the course that has led to record profits under Cook's leadership. Apple's yearly profit now tops $100bn, and in January it announced record revenue from its iPhones, boosted by renewed demand in China. Continue reading...

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Victory for abortion rights groups as court finds state's constitution guarantees a right to abortionA Pennsylvania court on Monday said that the state's constitution guarantees a right to abortion while striking down a decades-long law banning the use of state Medicaid funds to cover abortion costs.The ruling by a divided seven-judge panel of the appellate-level commonwealth court is a major victory for Planned Parenthood and abortion clinic operators who first sued Pennsylvania over its Medicaid funding restrictions in 2019. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. See our latest full report here: JD Vance to lead US delegation in Pakistan if Iran agrees to talksThe US has just released some more footage of the encounter with the Iranian flagged vessel, the M/V Touska.In a post on X, US Central Command said US Marines had departed the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli by helicopter and rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel. Continue reading...

Stephen Heydt says he spoke in a custom-made T-shirt and was charged with two offences: one for the shirt, one for the chanting'

Cook, who will stay on as executive chair, praises head of hardware engineering, who will take over on 1 SeptemberApple announced on Monday that it had named a replacement for Tim Cook as CEO after nearly 15 years, with head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding him on 1 September. Cook will stay at the company in the role of executive chair.It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company. I love Apple with all of my being," Cook said in a press release. Continue reading...

Musician charged after the dismembered and decomposing body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez found in abandoned TeslaThe singer D4vd pleaded not guilty to the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teenage girl whose dismembered and decomposed body was found in the artist's apparently abandoned Tesla in September.The 21-year-old, whose legal name is David Burke, was arraigned on Monday afternoon hours after Los Angeles county district attorney's office announced the charges against him. Continue reading...

Chavez-DeRemer, entangled in string of controversies, leaving for private sector, president's spokesperson saysDonald Trump's labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down, the administration announced Monday.Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote on social media. She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives." Continue reading...

Jose Serrano, a sergeant, said Deisy Rivera Ortega, his wife, was arrested at an immigration appointmentA US army sergeant with 27 years of military service - including deployment to Afghanistan - has said that federal immigration agents recently arrested his wife during an appointment at an immigration office in El Paso, Texas.In an interview with CBS News published Monday, Sgt First Class Jose Serrano said that Deisy Rivera Ortega, a Salvadoran and his wife, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers under the command of the Trump administration despite receiving legal protection in 2019 that bars her from being deported to El Salvador. Rivera Ortega, who wed Serrano in 2022, has been in the US since 2016, he said. Continue reading...

The satirical website's parent company will have to pay $81,000 a month to the misinformation platform

PM admits he made mistake in choice of ambassador as he makes high-stakes statement to parliament over scandalKeir Starmer has accused Olly Robbins of deliberately and repeatedly obstructing the truth about the Mandelson vetting scandal before a high-jeopardy appearance of the sacked top official before MPs on Tuesday.Six days after the prime minister said he had learned that his pick for Washington ambassador had failed security vetting, Starmer admitted his decision to appoint him had been a fundamental mistake. Continue reading...

Rapper, jailed over Megan Thee Stallion shooting, alleges he was knowingly' housed with prisoner with violent historyThe rapper Tory Lanez, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence over the shooting of fellow hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion, has filed a federal lawsuit against California corrections officials, seeking $100m after being stabbed in prison.Lanez, whose name is Daystar Peterson, said in court papers that a fellow inmate at California correctional institution in Tehachapi stabbed him approximately 16 times on 12 May 2025 using a home-made" shank. Peterson said he suffered stab wounds to his face, head, torso and back, resulting in permanent scarring, along with two collapsed lungs". Continue reading...