World news | The Guardian

Olivia Bailey says she wants Sure Start-style hubs that will be rolled out in England on Monday to be inclusive for allReform UK's pro-family" policies are a sham and exclude non-traditional families, the government's early years minister has said before the rollout of hundreds of new Sure Start-style family centres across England on Monday.Olivia Bailey said she wanted the hubs to be inclusive for all families and transform communities, after what she called the criminal" dismantling of Sure Start under the last Conservative government. Continue reading...

Incident in the city's 8th arrondissement reportedly involved a homemade explosive deviceFrench police prevented an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case said.The incident occurred at about 3.30am (0230 GMT) in front of a Bank of America building in the city's 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets away from the Champs-Elysees. Continue reading...

Matthew Uthoff and his wife, Amber Dena Snow, allegedly gave oxycodone-laced pasta dish to unknowing victimTwo people in Iowa were accused of giving a pregnant woman a lasagna laced with narcotics with the intention of causing a miscarriage, according to law enforcement.Matthew Uthoff, 35, and his wife, 36-year-old Amber Dena Snow, are accused of delivering a lasagna containing oxycodone to the pregnant individual. The couple faces several charges including delivery of a controlled substance and purposefully terminating a human pregnancy without the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant individual. Continue reading...

Raw Farm was also linked to 2024 salmonella outbreak that sickened 165 people and deaths of two cats from bird fluA California raw milk dairy that was previously linked to a fatal outbreak of bird flu in cats has now been linked to an E coli outbreak involving cheddar cheese, affecting nine people in three states.The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in an alert that more than half of the people sickened so far are children under age five. Three people have been hospitalized after contracting a dangerous strain of E coli - O157:H7 - with one developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that can lead to kidney failure. Continue reading...

Kristi Noem was replaced by Markwayne Mullin as DHS secretary and Gregory Bovino was demoted, signally a change in tone even as arrests have continuedThroughout last year, Donald Trump delivered on his signature campaign promise of mass deportation in draconian and theatrical style. Hardline figures such as Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, and Gregory Bovino, the border patrol commander, became the face of Trump's crackdown, defending a strategy of large-scale raids that sent immigration agents flooding into US cities, terrorizing communities and clashing with protesters.Then in January, immigration officers killed two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, in a matter of three weeks. The killings spurred a sweeping backlash that has led Democratic members of Congress to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for more than a month in an attempt to rein in ICE. Even Trump said maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch". Continue reading...

Murder investigation launched after man, 26, killed in central London on Friday nightThe Metropolitan police have launched a murder investigation after a man was stabbed in central London on Friday night.Officers were called to Abbey Orchard Street, Westminster, at 10.17pm after receiving reports that a man had been stabbed. The scene of the incident is near Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey. Continue reading...

More use of two-way charging will earn money for owners and could avoid the need to expand North Sea oil drillingThe Iran war has sent petrol and diesel prices to their highest levels in years, sparked warnings of fuel rationing across Europe and triggered calls for Britain to drill more North Sea oil and gas. But analysis suggests the UK is looking for solutions in the wrong places - and that one of them is sitting on people's driveways or parked in the street.If more drivers switched electric vehicles, Britain would sharply reduce its petrol and diesel consumption, with every car charged from the grid rather than the pump extending the country's fuel reserves - and experts say the potential impact goes far beyond that. Continue reading...

Survivors tell coastguard smugglers ordered victims to be thrown overboard after running out of food and water22 people hoping to reach Europe from north Africa have died off the coast of Greece after six days at sea in a rubber boat, survivors told the Greek coastguard.The coastguard said on Friday that 26 people, including a woman and a minor, were rescued by a European border agency vessel off the island of Crete. Continue reading...

AI-generated footage depicts group of men performing a corrido, singing phrases including return to your roots'An AI-generated video from the US embassy in Mexico encouraging migrants to self-deport" has sparked disbelief and outrage online.The video posted this week on official embassy social media accounts depicts a group of men wearing black caps and sporting tattoos performing a kind of traditional Mexican ballad known as a corrido. Continue reading...

Prime minister is scrambling to clean up her government after youth vote powered a damaging referendum defeatFilippo Michelini was having a drink at San Calisto, a popular bar in Rome's Trastevere neighbourhood on Wednesday night. As he chatted to his friends, Giorgia Meloni's far-right government was reeling from a failed referendum, and her beleaguered tourism minister, Daniela Santanche, had just resigned.Michelini, a 29-year-old computer scientist who lives in Brussels, was spending a few days in the Italian capital after returning home last weekend to cast his ballot in the plebiscite on judicial changes. Continue reading...

More than 850 public demonstrations of support held since start of war and at least 1,400 arrests, research reveals

Amanda Smith was reunited with her mother, Michele Hundley Smith, on Thursday after decades-long search

Members of the UK public join the search after specialist dog units and thermal drones have yet to locate herBarely 24 hours after nine-month-old capybaras Samba and Tango were brought to Marwell zoo near Winchester, they had made a break for it through a hole in their temporary enclosure. The siblings were transferred to Hampshire from Jimmy's farm and wildlife park in Suffolk on 16 March after being outshone by other capybaras.Tango was quickly found, but her sister Samba remains at large, and the mission to find her has attracted national and international coverage. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Findings cast doubt on claims new drilling would help cut bills and boost energy security, researchers sayHundreds of licences granted for new oil and gas projects in the North Sea under the Conservatives have so far produced only 36 days' worth of gas, according to analysis.Research by the energy consultancy Voar and the campaign group Uplift found that between 2010 and 2024, the government handed out hundreds of new North Sea oil and gas licences in seven licensing rounds. Continue reading...

Concern that supply chain disruption could hit health essentials - and prices - from painkillers to cancer treatment

From 6 April, low-income families can claim universal credit payments for all children living in the householdThe two-child benefit policy has been described as a cap on childhood" and as it comes to an end, Claire* hopes to throw a birthday party for her son.It is a celebration most children may take for granted, but Claire and her partner run out of money at the end of every month, skipping meals so that their three children can eat. Her son, now in his final year at primary school, has never had a party. Continue reading...

Decision to choose small, wealthy - but very Catholic - state for first European trip has baffled some Vatican observersPope Leo will travel to Monaco, the semi-enclave famous for casinos and superyachts, on Saturday on his first European trip since being elected pontiff, causing bemusement among some Vatican observers, not least because it comes 488 years after the last papal visit.Leo will travel from the Vatican by helicopter for the one-day trip, and will be greeted at Monaco's heliport by Prince Albert and his wife, Princess Charlene, before being taken to the palace, which has been the residence of the Grimaldi dynasty since the 13th century. It is the first time a pontiff has visited Monaco since Pope Paul III in 1538. Continue reading...

Missile fired from Yemen the first since the Iran war began and came hours after the US secretary set a new timeline for the conflict

At least 77 people killed in anti-corruption youth uprising in September, which began over a brief social media banNepal's former prime minister KP Sharma Oli was arrested early on Saturday morning over his role in the deaths of dozens of people who took part in the gen Z protest that toppled his government last year.Police detained the three-time former prime minister at his residence in the capital Kathmandu, and also arrested his former home affairs minister Ramesh Lekhak. Continue reading...

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...