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Exclusive: Contractor denies allegations including enforced disappearance' and will help locate unaccompanied minorsUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a contract to a private security company that has faced accusations of torture" and enforced disappearance" to assist in tracking down undocumented immigrant children who arrived in the US alone, a contracting document shows.ICE has stepped up its work so much in pursuing these minors in the US that it has contracted out some of its mission to a third party to put boots on the ground" and locate immigrant children previously released from US government custody. Continue reading...

Spinosaurid fossil bought by Stuttgart institution in 1991 has been the subject of a long restitution campaignIt is a 113-million-year-old bone of contention.After Stuttgart's museum of natural history bought a fossilised dinosaur skull in 1991, researchers found it was the most complete spinosaurid skull known to date, belonging to a previously unknown genus of the huge meat-eating dinosaurs. Continue reading...

El Gamal family was released from detention and then re-arrested as US officials appeared to overstep judge's orderAn Egyptian mother and her children, previously jailed by immigration authorities, arrived back in their home in Colorado on Wednesday, after a days-long ordeal during which the Trump administration likely attempted to violate a federal judge's order.Their attorney, Eric Lee, claimed the US government's actions against the El Gamal family constituted kidnapping" after immigration officials re-arrested the family last week. Continue reading...

PM worried about cumulative' effect of marches, as Met chief says Jewish communities facing biggest threatSome pro-Palestinian demonstrations could be stopped, the prime minister has warned, as the UK's most senior police officer said the threat to the Jewish community was greater than it had ever been.Keir Starmer indicated he wanted the language expressed on some protest marches to be subjected to tougher action" as he sought to allay the fears of British Jews after a series of attacks on their communities in recent weeks. Continue reading...

As a Mast of Fraternity and Memory is unveiled in Nantes, calls are growing for Macron to announce framework for discussionsIn the French port city of Nantes, once France's largest departure point for ships that trafficked enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, a new wooden mast rises 18 metres into the sky from the waterside.The Mast of Fraternity and Memory, inaugurated this month, marks a turning point in France's complicated relationship with the legacy of its history of enslavement - just as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, comes under pressure to make key announcements on a process of reparatory justice. Continue reading...

Daytime temperatures on Friday were 10 to 14C above average in four states

Targeted support' means certain banks and financial institutions can offer free extra help with investments and pensionsMany Britons are daunted by the world of investing, but new City rules mean certain banks and financial institutions can offer free extra help with investments and pensions.Last month marked the launch of targeted support", a new regulated service that permits companies to suggest investments and pension products to customersthat might provide a better return. Continue reading...

WHO prequalification of Coartem Baby means newborns can be safely treated rather than using medication for older childrenThe first malaria treatment for babies has been approved by the World Health Organization, opening the door to widespread use around the globe.In parts of Africa, up to 18% of children under six months will be infected with malaria, but there has historically been no safe treatment for the smallest of them. There were 610,000 deaths from malaria in 2024, about three quarters of which were under-fives in Africa. Continue reading...

Documentary makers seek to start informed conversation' in country where public is allowed on just 8% of landAnger and momentum are building for Scottish style rights of access to mountains, meadows, rivers and woodlands in England where the public is allowed on just 8% of land, a new documentary suggests.Our Land, a film whose title is a nod to the protest song by Woody Guthrie, explores the rise of the right to roam movement in England. Continue reading...

Staff warned news operations face 15% cut, above BBC-wide 10% target, as corporation pushes through 600m savings planThe BBC's news operation is to cut costs by a steeper-than-expected 15%, with staff told to expect heavy redundancies.The division, home to about a quarter of all BBC staff, is being saddled with one of the highest cost-cutting targets as the corporation attempts to cut as many as 2,000 jobs in the biggest downsizing of the public service broadcaster in 15 years. Continue reading...

The East West Rail project linking Oxford to Milton Keynes was finished in 2024. There's just one hitch: no servicesThe rumbling noise in the night, still enough to waken the unhabituated, is what really goads some people living in Winslow, Buckinghamshire. Freight trains running through the new station since late 2024 prove this stretch of railway is operational. But the long-promised passenger services have yet to appear - and there is no sign of any arriving soon.Welcome to East West Rail, open or not. For well over a decade, ministers have talked up a new railway linking Oxford to Cambridge via Milton Keynes to accelerate the drive for housing, jobs and growth - an arc of tech industry hailed as the UK's answer to Silicon Valley. Continue reading...

Rural dwellers reveal failings in backup plans, as campaigners call for deadline to be extended from 2027 to 2030Every time there is a power failure I lose all means of communication with the outside world," says Robert Dewar of life in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands since the landlines were transferred from the old copper cable network to broadband connections.Blackouts also knock out the village's mobile phone signal. Our most recent power cut lasted for 42 hours," Dewar says. The interruption outlasted his five-hour emergency backup battery. If I had had a heart attack there is damn all I could have done about it, except compose myself, say my prayers, and await the outcome." Continue reading...

The social and economic impact of people living longer and having fewer babies is hitting countries worldwide. Adaptation is keyIn Japan, there are now companies that specialise in cleaning the apartments of elderly people who have died alone and gone undiscovered for weeks or months, while adult incontinence pads have outstripped nappy sales for more than a decade. In Italy, depopulating villages are selling homes for 1 to attract new residents and keep services running. In the UK, falling pupil numbers are already closing schools and classrooms in parts of London.These are not isolated curiosities, but signs of a broader shift taking place across much of the developed world. In the EU in 2024, 21 of 27 countries had more deaths than births," said Prof Sarah Harper, the director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. Across Asia and the Americas, too - from Japan and South Korea, to Cuba and Uruguay - many countries are seeing the same pattern. Continue reading...

Gurindji families mourn a life so precious, gone far too soon'

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The US sanctions target people operating in broad sections of Cuban economy, including energy, defence and miningCuba's government has said new sanctions imposed on the island by Donald Trump amounted to collective punishment", as an enormous 1 May procession outside the American embassy in Havana vowed to defend the homeland".In an executive order on Friday, the US president said he would impose sanctions on people involved in broad sections of the Cuban economy, as he seeks to put more pressure on Havana after ousting Venezuela's leader, Nicolas Maduro, earlier this year. Continue reading...

Marvel praises undeniable and indelible impact' of celebrated comic book writer who also worked for DCGerry Conway, a renowned comic book writer who helped create characters and stories for Marvel and DC, including the Punisher character in the Spider-Man comics, has died. He was 73.In a Monday statement announcing his death, Marvel described Conway as a legendary comic book writer with a prolific career. He died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday in Thousand Oaks, California, his wife, Laura Conway, told the Associated Press. Continue reading...

Wilderness Society says changes undermined intent of national standards intended to reverse decline of plants, animals and ecosystems

US president says European countries are absolutely horrible' to refuse to support operations in strait of Hormuz Why does the US have military bases in Germany? Trump tells Merz to fix his broken country' in new attack on German chancellorThe US is withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany, the Pentagon announced on Friday, as Donald Trump also threatened Italy and Spain for not helping to reopen the strait of Hormuz.The president's move to reduce the number of personnel deployed in Germany came after the country's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the US was being humiliated" by Iran. Continue reading...

President seemed to suggest that legislative deadline to approve war no longer applies as Democrats push back

Comedian pulled from stage in Birmingham about 45 minutes into performance and audience told to leaveA live show by comedian Peter Kay in Birmingham has been stopped after a potential suspicious bag" was found around the venue.The Utilita Arena Birmingham was evacuated and a 19-year-old man was taken into custody, West Midlands police said on Friday evening. Continue reading...

Tehran reportedly passed proposal to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night, though its contents are not yet clearIran has passed a new proposal to Pakistani mediators in the latest effort to end the war with the US, but Donald Trump said he was not satisfied" by it.Right now, we have talks going on, they're not getting there," he told reporters, adding that his options remained either blast them away or make a deal". Continue reading...

Nearly 2,000-year-old artifact handed over by FBI matches piece missing from museum near Rome for decadesA nearly 2,000-year-old Roman grave marker discovered in a New Orleans backyard has now been returned to Italy.The marble epitaph - dating back roughly 1,900 years - was officially handed over to Italian officials in Rome on Wednesday during a ceremony led by the FBI. The event also marked the repatriation of another antiquity recovered in the US, the agency said. Continue reading...

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has also rewritten rules on international film eligibilityThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a number of major changes for the Oscars on Friday, including a new policy allowing multiple nominations for a single actor in one category, as well as barring acting and writing awards for work done by AI.According to new statutes decreed by the group's board of governors, only performances demonstrably performed" by humans with their consent will be eligible for acting Oscars, while only human-authored screenplays can be up for any writing awards. Continue reading...

US president says tariff on vehicles imported from EU will rise to 25% and accuses bloc of non-complianceDonald Trump has said he is tearing up part of the tariff deal he struck with EU leaders at his golf course in Scotland last summer, criticising Brussels for taking so long to ratify the deal.Blindsiding Brussels late on Friday, a public holiday in much of Europe, he announced that he would be increasing tariffs on cars and lorries imported into the US from the EU from 15% to 25% from next week. Continue reading...

Sloths were set to be displayed at controversial new theme park but report revealed mammals died in warehouseProsecutors in Florida said on Friday they had launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths from South America that were set to be displayed at a controversial new theme park.A Florida fish and wildlife commission (FWC) report revealed last week that 31 mammals taken from rainforests in Peru and Guyana by the owners of Sloth World, a forthcoming tourist attraction in Orlando, perished in an unheated warehouse between December 2024 and February 2025. Continue reading...

Green leader apologises for sharing post that said officers were repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head' and says he had did so in haste'Keir Starmer has condemned Zack Polanski as disgraceful" and unfit to head a political party after the Greens' leader shared a social media post critical of the way police tackled the suspect in the Golders Green stabbings.The prime minister said any criticism of the police involved in the arrest was unfair on officers having to make split-second decisions in a moment of potentially grave danger. Continue reading...

All people onboard Cessna 421C dead after crash late at night in city 40 miles south-west of state capital AustinA small plane crashed among trees in Texas Hill Country, killing all five people onboard, officials said on Friday.The crash happened in the dark late on Thursday night in Wimberley, a city about 40 miles south-west of the state capital, Austin, the Hays county judge, Ruben Becerra, said in a post on Facebook. Continue reading...

Company accepts it failed to prevent bribery in connection with contracts in Algeria and Oman sought through agentsThe British defence company Ultra Electronics has accepted responsibility for a failure to prevent bribery and agreed to pay 15m after an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.The penalties are part of a deferred prosecution approved by the high court on Friday, after an investigation opened in 2018 when the company referred itself to the UK law enforcement agency a month after corruption allegations were published by Algerian media. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor's team have been quietly preparing a manifesto and identifying seats where MPs could step aside to allow a Westminster run

Denny Adan Gonzalez, 33, whose death is being investigated as suicide, is 18th person to die in ICE custody this yearA Cuban immigrant died inside an immigration detention center in Georgia earlier this week, according to a congressional notification sent on Friday and reviewed by the Guardian.The Cuban man, identified as 33-year-old Denny Adan Gonzalez, died inside the privately run Stewart detention center. His death is being investigated as a suicide. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed Gonzalez's death in a press release on Friday morning. Continue reading...

Analysts say Americans have now paid $21.7bn more to fill their tanks since the start of the US war on Iran

Exclusive: Greater Manchester mayor said to have identified seats where MPs would step aside to allow leadership bid No other plan comes close': Labour MPs turn to Burnham as pressure mounts on StarmerAndy Burnham has a credible plan to return to Westminster within weeks", his allies have said, with the Greater Manchester mayor expected to use a byelection fight to set out a new agenda for government.Burnham, who was blocked by Labour's ruling body from running in February's Gorton and Denton byelection, has identified several seats where MPs are prepared to step aside for his leadership bid. Continue reading...

Record-breaker says London Marathon win was a victory for all of us' as he is greeted by family and friends in EldoretHugged, cheered and adorned with garlands, the first man to run an official marathon in under two hours has returned as a hero to his home village in Kenya.Sabastian Sawe, who stunned the world when he clocked 1h 59m 30s in the London Marathon last weekend, flew in a Kenyan military plane normally reserved for special operations on Thursday to his home region of western Kenya. Continue reading...

Former One Direction member cancelled US shows after recent hospitalization for an unspecified illnessZayn Malik, the former One Direction musician, has cancelled all US dates for his upcoming tour following hospitalization for an unspecified illness.Malik wrote in an Instagram story: To my fans: Thank you so much for all the support and love you've shown me on the album release and more importantly your love, prayers, and well wishes for my health. I've felt it, and it's meant the world. I've been at home recovering and I'm doing well and will be better and stronger than before. Continue reading...

Greg Jackson argues against costly investments in UK's power grid that are adding to household billsThe boss of the UK's biggest energy supplier has suggested that some households would accept an occasional electricity blackout in exchange for much lower energy bills.A year on from Europe's largest power outage - which left tens of millions of people in Spain and Portugal without trains, metros, traffic lights, ATMs, phone connections and internet access - the chief executive of Octopus Energy argued against costly investments in the UK's power grid that are adding to household bills. Continue reading...

Green party leader shares statement after open letter from Met police chief Mark Rowley

Apology comes after head of Met police said Green party leader risked undermining public confidence in his officersZack Polanski has apologised for sharing a social media post critical of police after the Golders Green stabbings, after the head of the Metropolitan police said the Green leader risked undermining public confidence in his officers.Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales, said he was sorry for having shared someone else's post in haste". Continue reading...

Livorno council says residents have complained of foul smell following rise in number of petsDog owners in an Italian port city will be required to clean up their pets' urine from public spaces or face fines of up to 500.Luca Salvetti, the mayor of Livorno, on the Tuscan coast, introduced the measure after complaints from residents about the smell of dog urine, particularly in parks and children's play areas. Continue reading...

Agents would not allow Pavel Talankin to carry statuette for Mr Nobody Against Putin on to flight from New York

The US president said he would carry out of a review of US military presence in Europe after public criticism of the US-Israeli war on IranIf you are still planning your summer holidays and looking at some of perhaps more original ways of spending your time crossing Europe, you now have a new option in a train between Prague and Copenhagen via Berlin and Hamburg.The Czech operator, eske drahy, has been somewhat excitedly posting about the latest addition to the growing network of cross-European trains as more passengers turn towards environmentally friendly and picturesque alternatives to flying. Continue reading...

Labour calls SNP first minister John Swinney shameless' for claiming credit and says it was result of king's US visitDonald Trump's announcement that he will lift punishing US tariffs on scotch whisky has been overshadowed by a row between rival Scottish party leaders over claiming credit for the decision.The whisky industry and business leaders were delighted by the US president's announcement on his Truth Social network on Thursday that he would end the tariffs to mark the visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla. Continue reading...

The scorching heat means parts of the UK could also be warmer than Sydney, Buenos Aires or TunisYou might expect sunshine in Australia, Tunisia or Argentina, but those staying in the UK are likely to see hotter weather, with some parts of the country expected to reach the high 20s before the bank holiday weekend.Temperatures in London and East Anglia could reach 27C on Friday, the Met Office said, marking the warmest day of the year so far. The scorching heat means parts of the UK could be warmer than Sydney, Buenos Aires or Tunis, where highs of between 24C to 22C are forecast. Temperatures could also exceed those in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, where highs of 26C are predicted. Continue reading...

Four students are in critical condition and security guard and suspect also injured after stabbing in Tacoma

Essa Suleiman accused of stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green and Ishmail Hussein in south LondonA man has appeared in court charged with the attempted murders of three people during two knife attacks in London.Essa Suleiman, 45, is accused of stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green on Wednesday, having already attacked another man over a personal dispute in south London. Continue reading...

Philip Young changes all pleas to guilty after initially denying charges of making indecent images of childrenA former Conservative councillor who admitted nearly 50 offences of drugging, raping and sexually assaulting his former wife has pleaded guilty to additional offences of making indecent images of children.Philip Young, 49, pleaded guilty in January at Winchester crown court to 11 counts of rape and 11 counts of administering a substance with intent to stupefy his former wife Joanne Young, 48, who has waived her right to anonymity. Continue reading...

The US president has criticised the German chancellor and raised the prospect of pulling US troops from Italy and Spain. Plus, 10 lessons on ending the fossil fuel eraGood morning.Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after he saying was looking at curtailing the number deployed in Germany.What has Congress been saying about the war? A senior Democrat in the Senate grilled the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, accusing him of failing to give Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to dangerously exaggerated" statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph.What's the latest on the suspect? The man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his federal criminal case moves forward. Continue reading...

While Charles and Camilla were on a three-line whip, MPs watched the excruciating discomfort of civil servantsWe don't often get to see senior civil servants out and about in the wild. They are kept away from the public gaze, sat behind a desk trying to persuade their ministers not to do something too catastrophic to their government department. Quite why they have been been made a knight or a dame just for doing their jobs is one of life's mysteries. The rest of us have to make do with the occasional email from the boss. But in the last week, two top civil servants have been reluctantly made to give evidence on Keir Starmer's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador before the foreign affairs select committee and very instructive it has been, too. Not least to see how much they dislike any extra attention from the public. Their obvious discomfort at being held to account was excruciating to watch. Continue reading...

Analysis finds real wages fell 12% since 2019, with inequality widening in the US beyond global levelsCEO pay increased 20 times faster than worker pay around the world in 2025, according to a new analysis from Oxfam and the International Trade Union Confederation, the world's largest trade union federation.When adjusted for inflation, global worker pay declined 12% between 2019 and 2025, the equivalent of 108 days of free work during that time period. In comparison, CEO compensation increased by 54% between 2019 and 2025. Continue reading...

Essa Suleiman, 45, faces three counts after two men injured in north London and another man attacked in a different location'Essa Suleiman has been charged with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north-west London, the Metropolitan police has said.The 45-year-old faces three counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place. Continue reading...