by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#6W88T)
Vice-president criticises Denmark's treatment of Arctic island and says it should come under US security umbrella'JD Vance told troops in Greenland that the US has to gain control of the Arctic island to stop the threat of China and Russia as he doubled down on criticising Denmark, which he said has not done a good job".Under increasingly strained relations between the White House and Greenland and Denmark, the US vice-president said during a visit to Pituffik space base on Friday: Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass." Continue reading...
World's most famous amphibian' set to deliver address at Muppets creator Jim Henson's alma mater in College ParkKermit the Frog once sang it's not easy being green" - and now he gets to see how easy it is to impart wise words to graduating college students in these times.The university announced this week that it had chosen the fictional Muppets star and so-called world's most famous amphibian" to deliver its commencement speech on 21 May at University of Maryland's SECU Stadium in College Park. Continue reading...
Temperatures expected to rise throughout next week, ending with highs of 20-23C on Thursday and FridaySunshine and warmer weather will return to the UK in time for Mother's Day and is forecast to last into next week.Temperatures are expected to steadily rise throughout the week, starting with highs of 17-19C on Monday and ending with highs of 20-23C on Thursday and Friday. Continue reading...
Terminally ill journalist and assisted dying supporter no longer healthy enough to travel to DignitasThe life-preserving cancer drugs that Dame Esther Rantzen was placed on last year are no longer working, her daughter has said.The health of the terminally ill Childline founder and journalist has deteriorated to the extent that she is no longer well enough to travel to a Swiss clinic, meaning that Dignitas is out of the window" for the 84-year-old, she said. Continue reading...
Michael Stewart had led counter-terrorism programme since 2020, and reviews exposed its basic failuresThe head of the government's controversial counter-terrorism programme Prevent is leaving his position after a damning inquiry revealed the strategy's failures in relation to the Southport attack.Michael Stewart had spearheaded the programme - which aims to to stop people from becoming involved in or supporting terrorism - since September 2020. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6W85P)
Former city politicians and 10 others accused of offences also including misconduct in a public officeThe former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and ex-Labour councillor Derek Hatton have appeared in court facing charges of bribery and misconduct in a public office.Anderson was one of 12 people charged as part of Operation Aloft, launched by police to look into the awarding of commercial and business contracts from Liverpool city council between 2010 and 2020. Continue reading...
Nasen Saadi, 20, stabbed Amie Gray, 34, to death after months of research on how to get away with murderA criminology student with a fascination for knives and a rage" against women who stabbed a mother to death on a Dorset beach has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 39 years.Nasen Saadi, 21, spent months plotting the attack and questioning university lecturers about how a killer would get away with murder. He kitted himself up with latex gloves, a balaclava, wet wipes and nail clippers to try to avoid being traced. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6W82R)
Millions of devices have been left to go into dumb' mode, where they stop automatically transmitting readingsThe energy regulator for Great Britain plans to crack down on suppliers that bungle smart meter installations after millions of the devices have been left to go into dumb" mode, where they stop automatically transmitting readings.Ofgem said households that request a smart meter should have one fitted within six weeks, and if the installation failed they should automatically receive 40 compensation if it was not fixed within 90 days. Continue reading...
Firestorm from science deniers of anti-vaccine set shows splits in Trump world and forced RFK Jr to defend hireDonald Trump's appointment of a career health researcher to head the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provoked a serious rightwing backlash for the new administration.Dozens of Maga influencers, along with many rank-and-file Trump supporters, have taken to social media to denounce Susan Monarez to spin false conspiracy theories about her connections to the CIA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). Continue reading...
The ball now appears to be in the Republicans' court, where there have been some signs of diverging from TrumpFor beleaguered and divided congressional Democrats desperate to find an effective line of attack against Donald Trump, news that the US president's national security team discussed plans to bomb Yemen on a widely available messaging app in the presence of a journalist came at just the right time.The leak has put the White House and the Republicans on the defensive, generated multiple days of aggressive media coverage and forced top officials to publicly twist themselves in knots as they seek to explain - or downplay - the blunder. Continue reading...
Airlines could face higher charges to fund new system at airport, which was affected last week by substation fireThe embattled chief executive of Heathrow has said that it could cost about 1bn to install a more resilient power supply system to prevent a repeat of the outage that shut Europe's busiest airport last week, and warned that airlines could end up paying higher charges to help fund it.Thomas Woldbye, who has been criticised for going to bed on the night of the crisis so he could be better rested" to handle the fallout the following day, has said he was frustrated the incident occurred and would like to have handled it better. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Media workers in Gaza and the West Bank have faced relentless danger, and attacks on press freedom on the rise across the worldGood morning.More than 170 journalists have been killed in Gaza since 2023, with some estimates putting the toll as high as 206. It is the deadliest conflict for media workers in recent history. In a sobering report, Thaslima Begum gathered some of their stories. And attacks on journalists worldwide are on the rise, with deaths occurring everywhere from the Middle East to Europe.UK economy | Lower-income households are on track to become 500 a year poorer by the end of the decade as a result of the UK chancellor's spring statement, according to analysis by the Resolution Foundation.Monarchy | King Charles required hospital observation on Thursday after experiencing temporary side-effects" as part of his medical treatment for cancer, Buckingham Palace said.Canada | Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, has said the era of deep ties with the US is over" as governments from Tokyo to Berlin and Paris sharply criticised Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on car imports, with some threatening retaliatory action.Asia-Pacific | Japan has for the first time released plans to evacuate more than 100,000 civilians from some of its remote islands near Taiwan in the event of conflict amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Taipei.Environment | Supporters of the climate group Just Stop Oil have announced that after three years of disruptive protests they are ending their campaign of civil resistance. Hannah Hunt, whose speech on Valentine's Day 2022 marked the beginning of the campaign, made the announcement outside Downing Street in London on Thursday. Continue reading...
Defence secretary's Philippines visit, aimed at bolstering ties in Asia-Pacific, comes amid rising tensions with Beijing and calls for his resignationThe US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has met with the Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos, in Manila saying the two countries must stand shoulder to shoulder" in the face of the threat represented by China.Hegseth's meeting at the presidential palace comes as he opens a tour of Pacific allies that risks being overshadowed by a mounting scandal over leaked plans for military strikes. Continue reading...
by Presented by Jonathan Freedland with Susan Glasser on (#6W7TJ)
As Donald Trump and his top officials scrabble to respond to the Signal leak scandal, Jonathan Freedland and the New Yorker's Susan Glasser discuss the fallout of this security breach, and why the US president is attacking the media instead of the people who let a journalist read potentially classified materialArchive: PBS Newshour, CNN, ABC News, Fox News, CSPAN, CBS News Continue reading...
by Presented by Pippa Crerar, Wes Streeting and Kiran on (#6W7TK)
The government has put improving the NHS at the heart of its plans, but will it be able to deliver on its promises? And how long could it take to turn the health service around? Pippa Crerar asked health secretary Wes Streeting at a special Guardian Live event. In a wide-ranging discussion, he also took questions on others issues including assisted dying, transgender rights and the war in Gaza.
by Amy Hawkins in Boao, Hainan Province on (#6W7SF)
China wants to protect against the volatility of Trump's tariffs, and now has more than a dozen free trade agreements with global south countriesChinese vice-premier Ding Xuexiang has pledged to give stronger policy support to the Chinese economy as he delivered the keynote speech at a forum focused on bolstering the country's role in Asia and ties with the global south.With the tariffs on Chinese goods mounting, China is trying to find a foundation for growth that does not rely on an increasingly capricious United States. At the Boao Forum for Asia, a conference in south China's Hainan province, Chinese officials and academics stressed the need for partnerships with global south countries. Despite its rapid economic growth in the past three decades, China still identifies as being part of this group. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#6W7R1)
Visit by US vice-president and wife met with hostility by leaders after Trump's threats to acquire territoryThe US vice-president, JD Vance, and his wife Usha are due to touch down in Greenland on Friday in a drastically scaled down trip after the original plans for the unsolicited visit prompted an international diplomatic row.The visit to Pituffik, a remote ice-locked US military base in northwestern Greenland, will be closely watched by leaders in Nuuk and Copenhagen, who have aired their opposition to the trip amid ongoing threats by Donald Trump to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6W7R0)
HMP Millsike, described by critics as a megaprison', will add 1,500 places to prison estate in England and WalesThe government has opened a first-of-its-kind green" prison that will add 1,500 places to the bursting prison estate in England and Wales.HMP Millsike in East Yorkshire, described by critics as a megaprison", will be one of Britain's biggest jails and is the first of four to be built as part of a programme to create 14,000 extra prison places by 2031. Continue reading...
President publicly supporting national security adviser to avoid admitting fault in security blunder, say sourcesDonald Trump has been unwilling to fire the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, or his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, over the now infamous Signal group chat because doing so would be a tacit admission of fault and seen as handing a victory to the Atlantic magazine, officials close to the president said.The president has been less interested in the possibility of the plans having been classified or the fact that they were shared in an unclassified commercial app, than the fact that Waltz had the number of the editor-in-chief of a magazine that Trump despises, the officials said. Continue reading...
Karen Spragg, 60, and Julia Wandel, 23, to appear at courts in Leicester on FridayA 60-year-old woman has been charged as part of an investigation into the alleged stalking of Madeleine McCann's family.Karen Spragg, of Caerau, Cardiff, has been charged with one count of stalking involving serious alarm or distress between 3 May 2024 and 21 February this year, Leicestershire police said. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer's former chief of staff uses maiden Lords speech to emphasise importance of public servantsKeir Starmer's former chief of staff, Sue Gray, has told No 10 to be careful" about civil service cuts and derogatory language about the work of Whitehall.Making her maiden speech in the House of Lords, Gray made the case that civil servants are integral to realising the government's objectives and will be listening to language that refers to them as blobs" and pen-pushers", and talks about cuts with axes" and chainsaws". Continue reading...
Tom Hayes tells supreme court hearing that the jury in 2015 was guided by a judge who had made his mind up about me'The City trader jailed for Libor rigging in 2015 has said he believes he was convicted during a morality trial" of bankers' conduct, as he concluded his fight to clear his name at the UK's highest court.Speaking after a three-day hearing at the supreme court in London on Thursday, Tom Hayes said his original conviction a decade ago was a reaction to the 2008 financial crisis and a jury guided by a judge who had made his mind up about me". Continue reading...
Kerri Pegg, 42, also accused of accepting gift of Mercedes from man styling himself Jesse PinkmanA prison governor has denied two counts of misconduct in a public office after she allegedly entered into a relationship with an inmate and drug trafficker who called himself Jesse Pinkman, the name of a meth dealer from the TV show Breaking Bad, a court has heard.It is alleged Kerri Pegg, 42, became emotionally and personally involved with a serving prisoner", Anthony Saunderson, the boss of a drug dealing gang who used the Pinkman name as a handle during secret communications with other criminals. He has since been convicted of drug trafficking. Continue reading...
by Philip Oltermann European culture editor on (#6W7DR)
French president Emmanuel Macron has called for authorities to free the novelist who was convicted in Algeria for allegedly undermining the country's territorial integrityFrench president Emmanuel Macron has called on Algeria to free Boualem Sansal, after the French-Algerian novelist was on Thursday sentenced to five years in prison and fined for allegedly undermining Algeria's territorial integrity.Sansal was arrested on 16 November at Algiers airport on arrival from Paris, after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet Frontieres that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era. Continue reading...
by Jon Henley and Kiran Stacey in Paris on (#6W7DS)
Support for Ukraine continues with divided opinion on Franco-British plan for reassurance force' to help ceasefireEuropean leaders have affirmed their support for Ukraine at a Paris summit and agreed now was not the time" to lift sanctions against Russia, but with splits remaining on Franco-British plans for a reassurance force" to help guarantee an eventual ceasefire.France's president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Thursday the meeting of more than two dozen heads of state and government had agreed unanimously that sanctions on Moscow should not be eased until peace has clearly been established" in Ukraine. Continue reading...
UK prime minister Keir Starmer calls out Russia for playing games' as French president Emmanuel Macron says Europe must prepare for any scenarioThe search continues for four US soldiers that went missing in Lithuania on Tuesday night, as their vehicle has been discovered submerged in water.The operation continues on Thursday with attempts to reach the area. Lithuanian defence minister Dovil akalien said that the vehicle was located at more than 5 meters down," and digging is under way to get to it. Continue reading...
The festival, started by Robert Redford in 1978, will move from its previous home in Park City, Utah, for 2027Boulder, Colorado, has been named as the new home for the Sundance film festival starting in 2027.The festival, which was started in 1978 by Robert Redford, will move from its home in Park City, Utah. Sundance brings more than 20,000 people a year to the ski town, which many had seen as too small to house something of this size. Continue reading...
Actor became resistant and belligerent' when challenged over treatment of female co-star, witness tells courtNoel Clarke told a producer to fuck off" after being warned that his behaviour with a female actor before a sex scene would end up on the front of a national newspaper", a witness has told the high court.The producer said he had approached the former Doctor Who star after being informed by a distressed actor, named as Maya, that Clarke had said things like we're going to fuck later on, we'll fuck next week'". Continue reading...
US attorney general lauded arrest of Salvadorian man, 24, accused of leading the street gang on the east coastThe alleged leader of the MS-13 gang on the US east coast has been arrested in Virginia, Pam Bondi announced on Thursday.The US attorney general lauded the early morning arrest of the 24-year-old man from El Salvador, who was described as one of MS-13's top three leaders in the United States, as a major victory in the Trump administration's effort to crack down on a gang known for brutal violence and extortion. Continue reading...
Coroner records Richard Woods' death as suicide after he crashed into family's car while driving wrong wayA former RAF pilot who killed a family of four and himself when he drove the wrong way for more than a mile on a motorway wanted to take his own life, an inquest has heard.Richard Woods was almost four times over the legal drink-drive limit when his Skoda Fabia hit a Toyota Yaris head on, at speed, on the M6 northbound in Cumbria in October last year. A two-thirds empty bottle of spirits was later found in Woods' car. Continue reading...
Top Republican and Democrat on Senate armed services committee urge inspector general to launch inquiryThe Republican chair and the ranking Democrat on the Senate armed services committee have written to the acting watchdog of the Department of Defense to demand an investigation into the scandal over how a senior American journalist was added to a Signal app group chat in which top government figures shared details of US airstrikes in Yemen at the weekend.Addressing Steven Stebbins, the acting inspector general at the Pentagon, the senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the committee chair, and the Democratic senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island wrote: On 11 March 2025, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, was reportedly included on a group chat on the commercially available communications application called Signal, which included members of the National Security Council." Continue reading...
Bloc set to accept compromise that would allow companies to trade carbon credits, in blow to climate financeThe long-awaited carbon levy on international shipping that was to supply vital climate finance looks set to be heavily watered down, after the EU appeared to be backing down in global talks, in a blow to vulnerable countries.The EU is set to accept a compromise that would allow companies to enter into a system of trading carbon credits, instead of paying directly for their emissions, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading...
More than $500m in grants axed as US risks decades of progress in protecting vulnerable workers worldwideThe Donald Trump administration has terminated 69 international programs aimed at combating child labor, forced labor and human trafficking, potentially undermining decades of progress in protecting vulnerable workers globally.The Washington Post obtained an email detailing how the US Department of Labor's bureau of international labor affairs (ILAB) will immediately end grants totaling more than $500m that supported labor standard enforcement across 40 countries, including critical initiatives in Mexico, Central America, south-east Asia and Africa. Continue reading...
Less use of gas and coal in electricity supply and industry sectors drove reduction, Department for Energy saysThe UK's carbon emissions fell by 4% last year, according to official figures.Provisional statistics published on Thursday by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) show UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions were 371m tonnes carbon equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2024, down from 385 MtCO2e in 2023. Continue reading...
Airline capacity between two countries reduced through October 2025 as high-profile incidents of Ice arrests on riseAirline travel between Canada and the US is collapsing" amid Donald Trump's tariff war, with flight bookings between the two countries down by over 70%, newly released data suggests.According to data from the aviation analytics company OAG, airline capacity between Canada and the US has been reduced through October 2025, with the biggest cuts occurring between the months of July and August, which is considered peak travel season. Passenger bookings on Canada to US routes are currently down by over 70% compared to the same period last year. Continue reading...
Ofcom acts after finding flaws in how subscription platform responded to request for details of challenge age' processOfcom has fined the subscription platform OnlyFans just over 1m for failing to provide accurate information about its age checks.In June 2022 and 2023, Ofcom asked OnlyFans' parent company, Fenix International, for information on its age checking procedures, including how effective its facial estimation technology was. Continue reading...
Officials point to ultra-dry conditions as death toll reaches 27 and fires threaten Unesco heritage sitesAuthorities in South Korea are battling wildfires that have doubled in size in a day in the country's worst ever natural fire disaster.At least 27 people have died and hundreds of buildings destroyed in the south-eastern province of North Gyeongsang, with the country's disaster chief saying the fires had exposed the harsh reality" of global heating. Continue reading...
Vicente Gonzalez tirelessly promoting Nayib Bukele, including reposting calls to impeach corrupt judges'A Texas Democrat is co-chair of a congressional caucus that has tirelessly promoted El Salvador's authoritarian president, Nayib Bukele, including on the caucus's X account by reposting calls to impeach the corrupt judges" who impede the actions of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.Bukeke is also currently at the center of a scandal in the US involving the transport of hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador, where they have entered the country's notorious prisons for gang members - despite clear evidence that some of them have no gang links. Continue reading...
Other winners include Francesca Amewudah-Rivers for Romeo & Juliet, Danny Sapani as King Lear and Giant playwright Mark RosenblattA modern-day version of Oedipus, which turned Sophocles' tragic leader into a politician awaiting election results, has won three prizes at the Critics' Circle theatre awards. Robert Icke won best director for the production (which he adapted), with Mark Strong named best actor and Lesley Manville best actress. All three are up for Olivier awards next month.Receiving ecstatic reviews, Oedipus became a hot ticket at Wyndham's theatre after previous runs using actors from Internationaal Theater Amsterdam at the Edinburgh festival and in the Netherlands. Continue reading...
by Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington and Jessica on (#6W71E)
Public health experts are sounding the alarm over recent move by the NIH to collect information about funding for research into mRNA technologyA cutting-edge technology expected to foster new medical breakthroughs in treatments for cancers and infectious disease is being treated like a four-letter word" inside the Trump administration, causing panic among scientists who fear Trump-appointed health officials, driven by misinformation and conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 vaccine, will cut critical research in the field.Scientists and public health experts interviewed by the Guardian are sounding the alarm over a recent move by the National Institutes of Health to collect information about funding for research into mRNA technology. Continue reading...
Coalition leader says national gas plan will require LNG producers to set aside more supply for domestic use to protect Australia from global price shocks'
Retailer says big business cannot afford to finance excessive regulation' and government debtNext has rung up 1bn in annual profits for the first time but warned of growing risks to the UK economy, saying big business could not afford to finance excessive regulation" and government debt.The retailer said pre-tax profits rose 10% to just over 1bn in the year to January after sales increased 8.2% to 6.3bn, led by strong overseas growth and sales of other brands. Continue reading...
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