Major gas infrastructure hit by outages as weather system continues south-east

Fears grow that Tehran may start activating sleeper cells across Middle East as part of war with US and Israel

This blog is closed. Follow our new liveblog hereMore now on India slashing taxes on diesel and petrol amid the global disruption in energy supplies: finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the move would provide protection to consumers from rise in prices".The country is one of the world's largest crude oil importers and relies on foreign suppliers for more than 85% of its oil needs, with Russia being the biggest supplier. Continue reading...

PM did not rule out later fuel rationing or work-from-home measures but said he strongly preferred voluntary arrangements'

Mayor of Hartford has fired a white police officer who fatally shot a Black man in a mental health crisis nine times

Man was arrested in connection with plan to assassinate Nerdeen Kiswani, following sting by undercover NYPD officer

The Handala Hack Team published more than 300 emails from Kash Patel's inbox between 2010 and 2019

President offered new federal loan guarantees and an update to renewable fuel standards to boost US agricultureDonald Trump is offering aid to farmers and food suppliers as they face a fresh set of challenges amid the US-Israel war on Iran, the White House announced Friday.After a White House event with farmers on Friday, Trump introduced several new measures, including new federal loan guarantees and an update to renewable fuel standards, meant to boost US agriculture as the conflict in Iran continues. Continue reading...

Looksmaxxer' influencer and his girlfriend are suspected of involvement in attack on 19-year-old woman, officials say

FAA investigating after plane carrying 162 passengers forced to change course to prevent collisionA United flight came within a few hundred feet of a US military helicopter near John Wayne airport in southern California, triggering an alarm directing the airline pilots to change course.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday that it is investigating the incident that happened at about 8.40pm Tuesday when a military Black Hawk helicopter returning from a training mission crossed into the plane's path. The pilots of the passenger plane carrying 162 passengers and six crew members stopped their descent and leveled off to avoid a collision. Continue reading...

Order comes after House Republicans rejected a Senatepassed deal to fund key DHS subagencies, including the TSA

Chad Bianco, running for governor, previously confiscated 650,000 ballots for baseless voter fraud investigation

Law firm is preparing claim on behalf of 30,000 consumers who fear the FCA's redress scheme will shortchange themLloyds Banking Group is facing a court battle with 30,000 aggrieved car loan customers who are to abandon the City regulator's official redress scheme amid fears it will shortchange consumers and favour lenders.The claims law firm Courmacs Legal is planning to file a 66m omnibus claim on behalf of borrowers who believe they were financially harmed by car loan contracts set up by Lloyds' motor finance arm, Black Horse. Continue reading...

Claimants say lost documents hide scale of alleged unlawful information gathering at publisher of the Daily MailThe amount of lost or destroyed documents relating to the Daily Mail publisher's use of private investigators is stark in the extreme", the high court has heard.However, the thin surviving evidence of payments to private investigators contains conspicuous and often shocking evidence", according to lawyers for a group of claimants accusing the publisher of using unlawful techniques. Continue reading...

Party announces Corey Edwards' decision to quit Senedd election campaign on grounds of mental healthA Reform UK candidate for the Welsh Senedd elections in May has announced he is standing down because of his mental health, after a photograph emerged of him apparently making a Nazi salute as an imitation of Adolf Hitler.The announcement by Reform comes a day after Nigel Farage defended Corey Edwards, its lead candidate for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency, saying he might have instead been impersonating the John Cleese character Basil Fawlty. Continue reading...

Christopher Trybus is charged with manslaughter and two counts of rape and coercive and controlling behaviourA man accused of subjecting his wife to a campaign of physical and sexual violence" said finding out she had died by hanging was the worst day of my life".Tarryn Baird, 34, was found dead at her home in Swindon, Wiltshire, on 28 November 2017. Christopher Trybus, 43, is charged with his wife's manslaughter as well as with two counts of rape and coercive and controlling behaviour. He denies all the charges.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Study backed by Jamie Oliver finds pupils are foregoing sit-down meals for often less healthy, convenient optionsPupils in England are routinely eating pizza slices, sausage rolls and paninis for lunch as school canteens become dominated by a grab-and-go" culture of unhealthy food.Convenience foods eaten on the move are ousting sit-down meals as the main way secondary pupils in England refuel during lunch breaks, a report backed by the TV chef Jamie Oliver found. Continue reading...

Met police say suspect in his 60s interviewed under caution over claims of human trafficking and facilitating rapePolice have questioned a man over allegations of human trafficking and facilitating rape in connection with the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.The suspect, who is in his 60s, was interviewed under caution this month after 154 people came forward to report allegations of sexual abuse by Fayed, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Jerry Murrell seemingly alluded to healthcare CEO killing when he explained giving bonus to workers after bungled promotion

NBC host says returning is part of my purpose' nearly two months after her mother Nancy's apparent abductionAfter a two-month absence sparked by her 84-year-old mother's apparent abduction, Savannah Guthrie will return to NBC's Today show next month, saying in an interview that aired on Friday: Joy will be my protest."Hoda Kotb said after her emotional interview with her former co-host aired that Guthrie will return on 6 April. Guthrie said it was hard to imagine returning to a place of joy and lightness. While she doesn't know if she can do it or if she will belong any more, Guthrie said she wants to try. Continue reading...

Campaigner criticises shortsighted and self-defeating' decision and says it increases risk to the UK publicThe polio virus was detected in London sewage for the second time this year, days before ministers withdrew funding for global polio eradication efforts.Its detection reveals the spending cuts to be shortsighted and self-defeating", campaigners said. Polio is an extremely infectious viral disease, which typically affects young children under five. It can cause paralysis by damaging nerves in the spine and base of the brain, and can be life-threatening if it affects muscles used for breathing. Continue reading...

Reform UK had asked GMP to investigate after reports of concerningly high levels' of so-called family votingPolice have found no evidence of criminality in the Gorton and Denton byelection after claims by Nigel Farage that it was a victory for cheating".Greater Manchester police (GMP) had been asked by Reform UK to investigate allegations of corrupt voting in the Greater Manchester contest, which was won by the Green party. Continue reading...

Ex-first lady wasn't near negligent discharge' and agent is now in hospital while Secret Service investigates incident

Female named Rounder surrounded by family members when about to give birth to her second calfScientists have managed to film a sperm whale giving birth while other female whales worked together to support the mother and her newborn.A team from Project Ceti, an international effort seeking to understand how whales communicate, was in a boat near a pod of 11 whales off the coast of the Caribbean island of Dominica on 8 July 2023. Continue reading...

Agency uses devices, which are uncomfortable and interfere with employment, to push people to self-deport, advocates say

Experts see potential hallmarks of Iranian involvement in firebombing of four ambulances in Golders Green on MondayTo some it was the moment the mask slipped. Wearing an open-necked white shirt, Mohsen Rafighdoost, former minister of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was filmed last March fondly reminiscing with an interviewer from the Tehran-based Dibdan Iran news website about the assassinations he had organised around Europe.There was Prince Shahriar Shafiq, the last Shah of Iran's 34-year-old nephew, who was shot twice in the head outside his mother's home in Paris in 1979. Continue reading...

Microglossum cyanobasis - or blue-based earthtongue - is only the second such specimen ever to be found in EuropeThe discovery of a rare, tongue-shaped fungus is being hailed as a sign of the crucial ecological value of England's national nature reserves.Never before recorded in the UK, the blue-based earthtongue, also known as Microglossum cyanobasis, was found sprouting at the Kingley Vale national nature reserve in West Sussex. Continue reading...

Force issues strongly worded rebuttal after Tory former cabinet minister alleges egregious failures' in call for reviewThe police force that conducted the investigation into Lucy Letby has made a strongly worded public statement rejecting criticism after David Davis called in parliament for a review of the case.The Conservative former cabinet minister, who last year said that Letby had suffered a clear miscarriage of justice", said Cheshire constabulary had approached the investigation into deaths of babies at the Countess of Chester hospital with too much focus on suspecting Letby, and made egregious failures" in not following guidelines and best practice, including in the appointment of expert witnesses. Continue reading...

Alen Zheng, a US citizen, allegedly planted device that went undiscovered for a week at MacDill air force base in FloridaA man who allegedly planted a bomb that went undiscovered for a week in the visitors center of the Florida headquarters of US Central Command, which oversees the ongoing war in Iran, remained at large on Friday after fleeing to China.Authorities charged Alen Zheng and his sister Ann Mary Zheng, both US citizens in separate indictments this week for their alleged role in planting the explosive device at MacDill air force base. Ann Mary Zheng was arrested in the US after a short trip to China, and was arraigned Thursday in a federal court in Florida. Continue reading...

The government has published new guidance for parents that says under-fives should be limited to one hour of screen time a dayJosh MacAlister, the minister for children and families, said there has been a complete rewiring of childhood" over the last decade due to social media and screen time.Speaking on the new government guidance for parents of young children, he told ITV's Good Morning Britain: We're trying to help create some new social norms. Continue reading...

Ahmad Mulakhil filmed himself during the assault in Nuneaton in JulyAn Afghan asylum seeker who abducted a 12-year-old girl and filmed himself as he raped her has been jailed for 15 years.Ahmad Mulakhil was found guilty of rape, child abduction, taking an indecent video and two counts of sexual assault last month. Mulakhil admitted a second count of rape before his trial began. Continue reading...

Despite resistance from states who had role in chattel slavery, many feel this is an idea whose time has comeJohn Mahama knows a thing or two about beating the establishment. On Wednesday, less than two years after completing a remarkable comeback as Ghana's president with a landslide defeat of the ruling party candidate, he rallied the world to ratify a landmark vote against transatlantic chattel slavery, despite major opposition from the same western entities that drove it for centuries.The resolution to declare the practice as the gravest crime against humanity" passed with a decisive majority at the UN general assembly and has been largely welcomed across Africa. Yet the details of the tally reveal a world still deeply divided on the gravity of the sin of enslaving more than 15 million people as chattel over the course of 400 years. Continue reading...

Passengers report varying experiences at different times of day at security screening as ICE agents assist TSA staff

Matvei Rumiantsev, who became jealous of woman's friendship with US president's son, jailed for four yearsA Russian man has been jailed for four years for assaulting a woman in an attack in London that was witnessed on a video call by Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron.Matvei Rumiantsev, 23, attacked the woman when he became jealous of her friendship with Trump, 19, after she met him through social media, a court heard. Continue reading...

Prime minister says government needs to show it is on families' side as new screen-time guidance launched UK politics live - latest updatesKeir Starmer has promised a fight" with social media firms amid efforts to limit children's use of mobile phones, tablets and TVs, as new official guidance recommends children under five spend no more than an hour a day on screens.The guidance, developed by a panel led by the children's commissioner, Rachel de Souza and children's health expert Prof Russell Viner, advises screen time for children under two should be avoided other than for shared activities. Continue reading...

Liz Kendall urged by online safety figures to hand job to Jeremy Wright ahead of Labour grandee Margaret HodgeMinisters are facing pressure to appoint a former Conservative cabinet minister as the new chair of the media regulator Ofcom, as he battles for the job against a Labour peer.The job of running the regulator has become a key post in public life, as concern over online content has grown rapidly, alongside the rise of more politically partisan broadcasting. No successor has yet been named to replace Michael Grade, the former BBC chair who has just weeks left in the job. Continue reading...

Papers reveal how chemical lobby influenced policy, reversing Biden-era limits on a common carcinogen

CMA also looks into Pasta Evangelists, funeral operator Dignity and review company Feefo in latest crackdown

Low pressure brings unsettled conditions to southern Europe, and rain and snow to western and central areasSouthern Europe has been under a variety of severe weather warnings this week owing to widely unsettled conditions driven by an area of low pressure in the region. This area of low pressure - previously a part of the system that brought colder conditions to swathes of the UK earlier this week - moved southwards across Europe through the middle of the week.In doing so, it brought a cold front across western and central parts of Europe, with spells of rain and hill snow across the Alps on Wednesday, followed by snow showers on a brisk north-westerly wind. By Friday morning, accumulations of 20-40cm were expected above 600 metres, and with 60-100cm above 1,000 metres in the Swiss Alps. Continue reading...

Former talent agency boss had closer relationship with sex offender than thought, and supported him after 2009 arrestA female executive at the top of the modelling industry had a close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and introduced him to women on the agency's books, a Guardian investigation has found.Until last November, Faith Kates ran Next Management modelling and talent agency, which has represented the likes of Alexa Chung, Milla Jovovich and Billie Eilish, a position she held for decades as the founder of the business. She stepped down quietly just weeks before the first major Epstein files were released, saying she intended to focus on charity work.18 July 2009 10.18amI am and will always be your friend...Unconditionally...will always be there for you.5 September 2009 7.47pmThinking of you a lot and hoping you are finally enjoying some please [sic] and quiet..know you are always in my thoughts and prayers. You are a good friend my dear friend..5 September 2009 7.54pmthanks,, lets get back to work. Continue reading...

Musician urges public to send clear message at what is expected to be UK's biggest ever multicultural rallyBilly Bragg has encouraged people to send a clear message to those seeking to divide the country by turning out to support what is expected to be the biggest multicultural march in UK history on Saturday.Speaking to the Guardian before the Together Alliance's march against the far right in central London, the musician and political activist said participants hoped to send out a message to our fellow citizens that we are willing to take a stand against [the politics of hate] being imported into the UK". Continue reading...

House of Representatives still needs to act before funded agencies such as airport security can reopen, CNN reportsThe US Senate has passed legislation that will finance most of the Department of Homeland Security but withhold funds from ICE and part of Customs and Border Protection, the office of the Senate Democratic party leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement.The agreement would fund DHS components such as the Transportation Security Administration and US Coast Guard, the statement said. CNN reported that the House of Representatives will still need to act before funded agencies within the department can reopen. Continue reading...

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said to view US-Israeli war as historic opportunity' to remake Middle East

East coast slammed on Thursday night with wind and rain, while Friday brings freezing temperatures and marine warnings

Piece by late South African artist Dumile Feni is part of new series History Doesn't Repeat Itself, But It Does RhymeOn the second floor of the Reina Sofia, in the very spot where Picasso's Guernica was first exhibited when it arrived in the Madrid museum 34 years ago, there now hangs a smaller, near-namesake of the Spanish artist's most famous work.While African Guernica, which was drawn by the late South African artist Dumile Feni in 1967, may lack the scale of Picasso's masterpiece, its depth, anger and unnerving juxtaposition of man and beast, light and dark, and innocence and cruelty, are every bit as disturbing. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer promises help for parents in limiting children's online activity as government issues guidance to familiesChildren under five should spend no more than an hour a day on screens, new government advice says.Screen time for children under two should be avoided other than for shared activities encouraging interaction, families will also be advised. Continue reading...

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National Trust says one year after reintroduction they are enriching habitats and may be having kits this summerThey were released this time last year with fanfare, much hope and also, perhaps, a little trepidation.Twelve months on, there have been ups and downs for the first beavers to be (officially) reintroduced into the wild in England since the semiaquatic mammals were hunted to extinction 400 years ago. Continue reading...

Number fell 23% year on year in 2025 but waste companies say recycling systems still under strain from sheer volumeMore than 6m vapes and vape pods are still being discarded every week in the UK, with waste management companies warning the sheer volume continues to strain recycling systems despite the ban on disposable e-cigarettes.According to research by the recycling campaign group Material Focus, the 6.3m vapes and pods thrown away each week in 2025 represented a 23% reduction from the previous year. Continue reading...

The 42-year-old is the 26th person charged after February rally against Israeli president that led to violent clashes between police and protesters