World news | The Guardian

Analyst who worked on Internet Watch Foundation report says content exists across all social media platforms' and is very easy' to findThe number of commercial child sexual abuse websites has doubled in a year as experts say that criminal gangs are making huge profits" from online sexual exploitation.According to data collected by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), 15,031 commercial child sexual abuse sites were found in 2025, compared with 7,028 found in 2024, a 114% increase. Continue reading...

Savitha Prakash, a first-generation immigrant running in local elections in Harrow, says Reform UK aims to put Britain first'Savitha Prakash, an NHS doctor living in the London borough of Harrow, believes there are similarities between the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, and India's prime minister, Narendra Modi. He's [Modi] one of those people, like Nigel, he walks the talk. He made [a] difference to the country," said Prakash, who chairs Reform UK's branch in Harrow.In particular, the 47-year-old said Farage and Modi - who have each been accused by their critics of scapegoating marginalised communities - were focused on putting the needs of the majority first. Continue reading...

Industry groups dismayed at hints policy will not be in king's speech, as touts make huge sums from BBC Radio 1 eventKeir Starmer has been urged to honour his pledge to ban ticket touting, amid fears that the policy will be left out of next month's king's speech, potentially costing fans hundreds of millions".Music industry groups called on the prime minister to act as fresh evidence showed that professional ticket traders" had targeted BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend next month, making huge mark-ups through sites such as Viagogo and StubHub. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour MP calls on DVLA to take action, saying speeding, hit and runs and other crimes are going unpunishedMore than 18,000 vehicles are being used in the UK without proper records of where their owners live, it has emerged, part of what a Labour MP has called an increasing problem of ghost owners" who cannot be held accountable for their driving.According to a freedom of information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, 18,260 vehicles were listed in its records as being registered to the DVLA's own address, meaning the owner's location was not known. Continue reading...

Follow today's news live

But Iran war likely to blow hole in Rachel Reeves's carefully crafted fiscal headroom' in coming months

The campaign is part of government initiative to boost financial risk taking, amid fears UK growth is being stymied

Retailer WH Smith joins supermarket in warning on effects of Middle East conflictSainsbury's has warned that profits could fall this year as the conflict in the Middle East squeezes customers' budgets and pushes up business costs.The supermarket group said the conflict will impact both our customers and our business" and it was unclear how large the effect would be. Continue reading...

All signs point to a record-low performance for Labour in May in what will be a moment of high jeopardy for Keir StarmerLabour is on track for its worst local election performance, data analysed by the Guardian shows, in a blow that will pile further pressure on Keir Starmer's leadership.Barring a drastic change in fortunes, Labour's vote-share could fall to historic lows across elections for councils in England and devolved parliaments in Wales and Scotland on 7 May, with big gains for Reform, the Greens and nationalist parties, according to recent polling. Continue reading...

A malfunction was discovered during routine testing of the firearm, which is standard issue for QPS officers

In today's newsletter: As political tensions rise abroad and economic pressures mount at home, Donald Trump faces a shifting landscape that is testing the loyalty of his Maga supportersGood morning. Starting a war of choice that is rapidly spiralling out of control, poll ratings at a second-term low, and a cost of living crisis intensifying for millions.Any conventional US president would be in big trouble. But Donald Trump is not a conventional president, and normal rules do not seem to apply to him. More than a third of Americans continue to believe he is doing a good job despite the global chaos he has unleashed.UK politics | Keir Starmer was looking increasingly isolated over the Peter Mandelson scandal as the Guardian learned of concerns around the cabinet table, a senior minister refused to say the dismissal of Olly Robbins was fair and several mandarins called for Robbins to be reinstated. One Labour MP called on Starmer to quit.Middle East | Iranian forces seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz as the US and Iran doubled down on imposing separate blockades of the shipping waterway.West Bank | Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school, witnesses and local officials said. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a journalist after rescuers were blocked from accessing the building where she was buried under rubble because of further Israeli fire, according to several witnesses.UK news | Britain's high military dependence on the US is no longer tenable" and the UK has to become increasingly independent of the special relationship, a former Nato chief has said.Palantir | The Metropolitan police has held talks with Palantir that could lead to the London force buying the US spy-tech company's AI technology to automate intelligence analysis for criminal investigations. Continue reading...

Six candidates clashed over homelessness and cost of living crisis in first debate since Eric Swalwell's exit - with a clear frontrunner still yet to emergeSix candidates vying to become the next governor of California sparred on Wednesday in the first debate since the already topsy-turvy race was plunged into upheaval by the sudden collapse of former congressman Eric Swalwell's campaign after sexual assault and misconduct allegations.With a clear frontrunner still yet to emerge, the unusually wide-open race to replace the outgoing governor Gavin Newsom in the heavily Democratic state has left nearly a quarter of voters undecided ahead of the 2 June primary. Continue reading...

Campaign is said to be first time Labour-affiliated Unison is lobbying en masse against a key party policyMigrant workers and the UK's largest union will carry out a mass leafleting campaign in Shabana Mahmood's Birmingham constituency to protest against a planned change in immigration policy.The Labour-affiliated Unison union says the changes will adversely affect migrant care workers. About one-third of all care workers and one-fifth of all NHS workers are migrants. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Follow our new live blog on the Middle East crisis hereIf you're just joining us, here's the main news of the day. It is 9.30am in Tehran, 9am in Jerusalem and Beirut, and 2am in Washington DC.Donald Trump unilaterally said he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request while awaiting a unified proposal" from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.Trump made the announcement as ceasefire talks looked increasingly uncertain with a two-week truce set to expire on Wednesday. Both countries had said they were prepared to resume fighting if no deal is reached.Trump said he would extend the ceasefire until such time as [Iran's] proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other".Trump later claimed in a Truth Social post that Iran is collapsing financially" and was losing $500m every day that the strait of Hormuz is effectively closed.Iran has yet to decide whether to join the negotiations in Pakistan, a foreign ministry spokesman said earlier on Tuesday, and will only take part if Tehran believes the discussions would yield results.A container ship has reported being fired at by an IRGC gunboat, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. The incident occurred 15 nautical miles north-east of Oman. The vessel sustained heavy damage" to its bridge, the master of the ship said. All crew members were reported as safe.Shares were mixed in Asia as markets waited to see if the US and Iran may resume talks. Brent crude edged higher to $98.51 a barrel, while US benchmark crude fell 0.4% to $89.29 a barrel.One person was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli drone strike overnight on the outskirts of al-Jbour in Lebanon's western Bekaa Valley, Lebanese state media reported. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire on Friday.Since the war started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon, the Associated Press reported. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members throughout the region have been killed.Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to prevent oil production in the Middle East if the Islamic republic faced attacks launched from its Gulf neighbours' territory. Continue reading...

Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job trainingYoung people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare apprenticeship penalty" that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as 340 a week.The problem is caused by benefit rules that classify a 16-year-old apprentice as an independent worker" who no longer requires parental support. As a result, the parents' child benefit and child and disability elements of universal credit are withdrawn. Continue reading...

There are now 3,110 billionaires but analysis shows deep structural acceleration' in wealth creation around worldThe number of billionaires in the world could reach nearly 4,000 by 2031, figures suggest, as the super-rich accumulate wealth at an accelerating rate.There are now 3,110 billionaires globally, according to analysis by the estate agent Knight Frank. This is forecast to rise by 25% over the next five years, taking the total to 3,915. Continue reading...

Commons committee heard from residents of Yorkshire town with the highest levels of forever chemicals' in UKOn 15 January, members of the House of Commons environmental audit committee (EAC) visited Bentham, the North Yorkshire town that has the highest levels of Pfas contamination in the UK.Colloquially known as forever chemicals", Pfas (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) do not naturally degrade or decompose. This persistence gives them special properties with useful applications in both industrial and consumer products. Continue reading...

Government aims to move TV and radio funding under state control, which critics say undermines independenceJournalists at the Czech Republic's public broadcasters have said they are prepared to go on strike unless the government of the billionaire prime minister, Andrej Babi, backs down on its plan to scrap licence fees and move funding under state control.In what the journalists see as a threat to their independence, the government wants to replace the current system, in which households pay fees directly to public service media, with direct funding from the state budget. Licence fees are cancelled," the culture minister, Oto Klempi, declared last week. Continue reading...

Radio company ARN's defence alleges the shock jock denigrated executives, censors, critics and the audience of the Kyle and Jackie O Show

This blog is now closed.

Exit of John Phelan, navy's top civilian official, comes a week after Pete Hegseth fired army's top officerThe Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the navy's top civilian official, John Phelan, the secretary of the navy, is leaving his job.In a statement posted to social media, Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said Phelan was departing the administration, effective immediately". Continue reading...

Measure will also limit device use during passing periods, lunch and recess and block YouTube on district devices

Family reveal Valentine, who retired in February for treatment for a recurring cancer, used voluntary assisted dying

NHS struggling to cope with record numbers, which Cancer Research UK says puts progress on survival rates at riskThe number of people in the UK being diagnosed with cancer has reached a record high, with one person diagnosed every 80 seconds, a report reveals.Cancer Research UK found that more than 403,000 people were being diagnosed with the disease each year, largely due to a growing and ageing population, as people are more likely to develop cancer as they get older. Continue reading...

Iranian forces seize two ships in critical waterway as Washington and Tehran maintain separate blockades

Disclosures come after firm tightened rules on insider trading, including candidates betting on own campaignsBefore he announced his Senate candidacy, a political hopeful in Virginia did something not so unusual in this day and age: he logged on to a prediction market exchange and wagered money that he would run. Then he ran. Then he bet on that too.The candidate and trader was Mark Moran, a former FBoy Island contestant who went viral recently for his campaign launch video. Investigators with Kalshi, the federally regulated prediction market exchange, found he placed two trades on their platform, the first in a market asking which individuals would seek public office in 2026, the second after he formally entered the race. Continue reading...

Autopsy of Celeste Rivas Hernandez finally released after law enforcement had requested it be sealed in November

Journalists Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj were both caught in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon, with the former trapped under rubble for hoursIsraeli strikes in southern Lebanon wounded one journalist and left another trapped under rubble on Wednesday with rescuers temporarily blocked from reaching her by ongoing Israeli fire, Lebanon's health ministry, a senior military official and press advocates said.Israel's military said in a statement it had received reports that two journalists were injured as a result of its strikes, and denied it was preventing rescue teams from reaching the area. Continue reading...

Independent review into Bristol Brunel academy finds Damien Egan visit was postponed over safeguarding concernsAn independent inquiry into a Bristol secondary school that found itself at the centre of a media storm after postponing a visit by a local Jewish MP has found no evidence of antisemitism or influence from lobby groups.Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East and vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, was due to visit Bristol Brunel academy (BBA) last September to talk to students about democracy and his work in parliament. Continue reading...

Most-banned book was Sold, a 2006 novel by Patricia McCormick about sex trafficking in India

Smoke drifts into Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, as air quality declines and 50 homes destroyed

Scott, who represented Atlanta suburbs since 2003, had qualified to run for a 12th term before his deathDavid Scott, a Georgia congressman and moderate Democrat representing Atlanta's southern suburbs since 2003, has died at the age of 80.Scott's health had been an open question in recent years, prompting calls for his retirement. He had not spoken on the floor of the House of Representatives in two years. Continue reading...

Drug industry's self-regulatory body criticises Theramex, producer of Evorel and Intrarosa, for alarming' breachesOne of the biggest producers of hormone replacement therapy has been censured by regulators for systemic failures" that jeopardised patient safety.Theramex, the UK producer of HRT drugs Evorel and Intrarosa, was found to have breached fundamental compliance standards including not updating crucial prescribing information - in some cases for several years - and not making it clear that a drug must not be used during pregnancy. Continue reading...

Exclusive: McSweeney summoned by foreign affairs select committee in rare step, as Mandelson vetting row continuesMorgan McSweeney is facing a showdown with MPs who will grill him on whether he placed extreme pressure on the Foreign Office to approve Peter Mandelson as ambassador.The prime minister's former chief of staff will be questioned next Tuesday by the foreign affairs select committee over allegations made by the former Foreign Office permanent secretary Olly Robbins, who said No 10 had questioned why Mandelson should be subject to any vetting. Continue reading...

Health secretary says I had nothing to do with the measles outbreak' and claims to support measles and MMR vaccinesHealth secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr faced intense questioning from several US senators on Wednesday during a hearing largely focused on how the administration has responded to the measles outbreak and the spread of vaccine misinformation.In his opening remarks to the Senate finance committee, the senator Ron Wyden criticized Kennedy's messaging on vaccines, saying: When it comes to vaccines, Robert Kennedy has used this once-in-a-lifetime platform to make parents doubt themselves and doubt their doctors," before adding: The secretary has ducked, bobbed and weaved without taking the responsibility of saying what needs to be said: vaccines save lives in America." Continue reading...

Police catch woman, 28, climbing colossal 16th-century statue of Neptune to touch its genitals as a dareA tourist has been charged after allegedly climbing a colossal marble statue in Florence to touch its genitals for a pre-wedding prank.Experts said the woman caused thousands of euros of damage to the Neptune fountain in Piazza della Signoria. Continue reading...

Backed by Abigail Spanberger, the measure could boost Democrats and counter Donald Trump's redistricting pushVirginia voters will decide on Tuesday whether to adopt new congressional maps that could help Democrats win control of the House of Representatives and scuttle Donald Trump's effort to use mid-decade redistricting to preserve Republican control of Congress.Polls show the referendum to redraw the maps has only a narrow lead in a state that Kamala Harris won two years ago. The issue appears to have engaged many voters, with nearly more than 1.37m ballots cast in early voting. Continue reading...

Budget outlines funding for autonomous drone warfare program as experts say military unprepared for risksThe Pentagon is aiming to increase funding more than a hundredfold for an autonomous drone warfare program, according to budget documents released this week, signalling a major pivot towards AI-powered war.In its 2027 budget, the Pentagon has asked for over $54bn to fund the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, a 24,000% increase on last year. Continue reading...

Lawyers for oligarch claim freezing of 5.3bn of assets unfair and abusive' amid row over use of funds for UkraineRoman Abramovich has gone to the European court of human rights (ECHR), claiming that a criminal investigation into his financial affairs by the Jersey authorities has breached his human rights, according to reports.The former owner of Chelsea FC, who is sanctioned in the UK over his links to Vladimir Putin, is under investigation in Jersey over allegations of corruption and money laundering. Continue reading...

Jonathan Brash says own goals' are distracting from Labour's achievementsUK inflation accelerated to 3.3% in March after the Iran war triggered the biggest jump in fuel prices for more than three years, Richard Partington reports.Today the Liberal Democrats staged a photocall to publicise their line about this being Trumpflation". Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader and Treasury spokesperson, said:People across our country have been struggling for years with a devastating cost-of-living crisis and Donald Trump's idiotic war in Iran has added to it. The cost of fuel is soaring, mortgage rates are rising and fixed energy deals are already going up by hundreds of pounds.But what is utterly inexcusable is that there are politicians in this country - Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch - who are happy to cheerlead Donald Trump as he hikes people's bills. All the while this Labour government promised to fix the country but instead we've got political Groundhog Day: yet more sleaze and scandal. Continue reading...

Justin Sun alleges World Liberty Financial installed tools to prevent sale of his tokens after they became tradeableBillionaire crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Tuesday sued World Liberty Financial, the digital currency venture co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons, alleging that World Liberty illegally froze his holdings of tokens issued by the company.Sun, the largest investor in World Liberty, alleged in the lawsuit, filed in a federal court in California, that the company secretly installed tools to prevent the sale of his tokens after they became tradeable in September 2025. The lawsuit also alleges that World Liberty threatened to burn" - or permanently delete - his holdings, even while they were in Sun's digital wallet. Continue reading...

Serious Fraud Office investigation relates to firms allegedly submitting false invoices for work they failed to carry outThe UK's Serious Fraud Office has arrested four people on suspicion of a home insulation scam that may have cost energy companies as much as 44m.The SFO and the National Crime Agency said on Wednesday the unnamed people were arrested in coordinated dawn raids across England on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. Continue reading...

A six-month-old girl was found alone in a stroller at a busy intersection in the famed Manhattan sightseeing area

Iran's goal is to maintain chokehold on global economy even as some say it could run out of oil storage by Sunday

Mandelson received two clearance denied' red ticks yet top Foreign Office civil servant says he did not have access to file - which he later read

European Union formal procedures expected to conclude on Thursday as Druzhba pipeline reopensDuring his press conference, Fico also doubles down on his criticism of the incoming Hungarian government led by Peter Magyar, in a further sign that the relations between Bratislava and Budapest could change dramatically in the next few months.Fico has been close friends with Orban, often teaming up with him on energy issues, but it doesn't look like this Slovak-Hungarian partnership will continue under the new management in Budapest. Continue reading...

Reuters-Ipsos, AP-NORC and NBC polls show approval in mid-30s, with economy, Iran and immigration concerns

Exclusive: Internal concerns over allowing US firm linked to ICE and Israeli military to process highly sensitive dataThe Metropolitan police has held talks with Palantir that could lead to the London force buying the US spy-tech company's AI technology to automate intelligence analysis for criminal investigations, the Guardian has learned.Palantir, whose software is used by Donald Trump's ICE immigration enforcement programme and the Israeli military, demonstrated its systems to senior officers in the intelligence division at the UK's largest police force last month. Intelligence staff have been tasked with finding intelligence systems that AI could automate to increase productivity. Continue reading...

Budget airline says change will take effect from November and will give passengers more time to clear securityRyanair will close airport check-in desks 20 minutes earlier to avoid passengers missing flights, it has announced, amid concern over border queues in Europe.The budget airline, which carries 200 million passengers annually, will require all passengers dropping bags or checking in at the airport to do so one hour before take-off rather than the current 40-minute deadline. Continue reading...