Health secretary earlier said outbreak was not unusual' but with first US measles death in decade steps up responseTwo days after initially downplaying the outbreak as not unusual," the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, on Friday said he recognizes the serious impact of the ongoing measles epidemic in Texas - in which a child died recently - and said the government is providing resources, including protective vaccines.Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team," Kennedy - an avowed anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who for years has sown doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines - said in a post on X. Continue reading...
Kurdish militant group responds to call from its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to lay down armsA Kurdish militia has declared a ceasefire in its 40-year insurgency against Turkey after its imprisoned leader called for the group to disarm and dissolve earlier this week.We are declaring a ceasefire to be effective from today on. None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked," the executive committee of the Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK) said in a statement. Continue reading...
Police launch a murder investigation after officers were called to an incident in Holloway on Thursday nightThree teenage girls have been arrested over the death of a 75-year-old man in north London.Police launched a murder investigation after officers were called to an incident on Seven Sisters Road at 11.35pm on Thursday. Continue reading...
Negotiations on next part of truce have begun in Egypt, but militant group has accused Israel of procrastinationThe latest round of talks on the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has yet to make any progress and it was unclear whether they would resume on Saturday, a senior Hamas official has said.The ceasefire took effect on 19 January after more than 15 months of war following Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country's history. Continue reading...
Local MP writes to authorities over irresponsible' motorists flocking to see sunrise and sunset at Mam torAn MP has called for action on irresponsible parking at Peak District beauty spots that he says is being fuelled by a TikTok craze.Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak in Derbyshire, said people had been flocking to the area to see the sunrise and sunset at Mam tor. Continue reading...
Doctors caring for pontiff, 88, are assessing how Friday's incident will affect his condition, says officialPope Francis, who has been in hospital for two weeks with pneumonia in both lungs, has spent a peaceful night after suffering a breathing crisis, the Vatican said.Francis, 88, had suffered an isolated breathing crisis" that caused him to vomit and provoked a sudden worsening" of his respiratory condition, the Vatican said. Continue reading...
Union leader describes chain's record on overseas-trained teachers as Harris Federation's Windrush'The National Education Union has claimed a resounding improvement" in workload and conditions for teachers from Jamaica and other countries at a leading academy chain, as part of a deal ending threats of strike action.The Harris Federation of schools confirmed it will improve conditions for qualified teachers from Jamaica and others trained overseas, as part of a deal that eases the route for overseas-trained teachers to gain similar qualifications in England. Continue reading...
Just as in the Oval Office this week, history shows the royals can be deployed to serve British interests - whether they like it or notAs Donald Trump waved his personal invitation from King Charles III to pay a second historic state visit in the Oval Office, there was no disguising his delight before the TV cameras.Keir Starmer had retrieved the letter from his jacket pocket and handed it to the US president with the dramatic flourish of Neville Chamberlain's I have in my hand a piece of paper" moment. Continue reading...
Almost a third of online deliveries from grocers such as Tesco and Aldi included a swapped item, says Which?Sanitary towels substituted for sandwich wraps, fish steaks in the place of lemon cupcakes and beef dog treats instead of steak.These are just some of the completely inappropriate" supermarket substitutions reported by online shoppers in a poll. Continue reading...
Supermarkets, bakers and chefs are modernising the hot cross bun with everything from tiramisu to jerk lambIs nothing sacred? The hot cross bun, a spiced bun traditionally served with butter and a cup of tea, around the time of Good Friday, is modernising.This year, a quick whip round the supermarkets will find you an embarrassment of alternative hot cross buns, flavoured with lemon curd, salted caramel or tiramisu. There are buns spiked with rhubarb and custard or Red Leicester. Head to Asda for a tiramisu version, Co-op for one cross-germinated with apple crumble. Continue reading...
Government targets party's softness on standing up to Putin' to show Reform is out of step with UK publicLabour is setting out to increase its attacks on Nigel Farage's Reform UK over its stance on Russia, as polling and focus groups show the public are firmly pro-Ukraine and against Vladimir Putin.One cabinet source said Labour was planning to take the fight" to Reform on the issues of the Ukraine war and the NHS after waking up" to the party's softness on standing up to Putin". Continue reading...
by Julian Borger and Sufian Taha in Hebron and Harris on (#6VKX1)
Two children a week are killed in the West Bank. Two cameras recorded the circumstances of one such deathThe last time Nassar al-Hammouni talked to his son, Ayman, it was by telephone and the 12-year-old was overflowing with plans for the coming weekend, and for the rest of his life. He had joined a local football team and planned to register at a karate club that weekend. When he grew up, he told Nassar, he was going to become a doctor, or better still an engineer to help his father in the construction job that took him away from their home in Hebron every week.None of that - the football, the karate or his imagined future career - will happen now. Last Friday, two days after the call to his father, Ayman was killed, shot by Israeli fire, video footage seen by the Guardian suggests. Continue reading...
Born in 1912 in Poland, Girone was one of about 245,000 survivors living across more than 90 countriesRose Girone, believed to be the oldest living Holocaust survivor and a strong advocate for sharing survivors' stories, has died. She was 113.She died on Monday in New York, according to the Claims Conference, a New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Continue reading...
The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the free world needs a new leader' and that it was up to Europeans to take this challengeThe EU foreign policy chief has declared that the free world needs a new leader", as European leaders threw their support behind Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the stunning White House confrontation between him and Donald Trump.Leaders from across Europe expressed their solidarity with the Ukrainian leader after the fractious exchange with JD Vance, the US vice-president, and Trump, who claimed he was not ready for peace" and accused him of gambling with world war three". Continue reading...
Vatican says pontiff was given non-invasive mechanical ventilation, to which he responded well and remains alertPope Francis has suffered an isolated breathing crisis" which caused him to vomit, provoking a sudden worsening" of his respiratory condition, the Vatican said.The episode happened on Friday afternoon after the pontiff, 88, spent the morning alternating respiratory training" with prayer in the chapel at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he has been battling pneumonia for two weeks. Continue reading...
Hundreds of thousands demonstrate amid outpouring of anger over state's handling of Tempe tragedyTwo years to the day since 57 people died and dozens were injured in Greece's worst train crash in history, hundreds of thousands of protesters filled plazas around the country and a general strike paralysed the transport network in an outpouring of anger over the government's handling of the tragedy.By 11am on Friday, more than 100,000 people had already gathered in Syntagma Square in Athens. Thousands who could not get to the area due to packed metro trains instead vented their anger outside stations in the capital's suburbs. Continue reading...
Plan for IDF-protected humanitarian hubs' to selectively issue aid casts doubt on Israeli intent to withdrawThe Israeli military has presented the UN and aid organisations with a plan for running Gaza that involves Israel having tighter control than it did before the war, according to humanitarian officials, casting doubt on whether Benjamin Netanyahu's government has any intention of carrying out a military withdrawal.At meetings with UN representatives on Wednesday and with officials from other agencies on Thursday, Cogat, the army unit given the task of delivering aid to the occupied territories, outlined a scheme of distributing supplies through tightly managed logistics hubs to vetted Palestinian recipients. Continue reading...
Charles Hanson had been accused of being violent towards wife, Rebecca Hanson, but is cleared of all chargesThe celebrity auctioneer Charles Hanson has been unanimously cleared of coercive control and assault allegations made against him by his wife.The trial heard allegations that Hanson, 46, put Rebecca Hanson in a headlock while she was pregnant with a baby she later lost, repeatedly grabbed" her, locked her in a hotel room, pushed her and scratched her as she tried to snatch a mobile phone. Continue reading...
As Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets Donald Trump in Washington, a number of questions remain unansweredEven before the astonishingly heated exchanges between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington, there were questions over the future of Ukraine and the country's war with Russia. Here are five things we don't know about a possible deal to end the conflict. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6VKF7)
Exclusive: Hundreds of thousands of world's poorest children could die if aid programme slashed, experts warnHundreds of thousands of children in the world's poorest countries will die if the UK cuts back funding for a hugely effective vaccination programme as part of its significant reduction in overseas aid, the Guardian has been told.According to data collated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi), to which the UK has previously been one of the main contributors, even a small cut in UK funding would be expected to result in millions fewer vaccinations, leading to huge numbers of preventable deaths. Continue reading...
Coroner says failures contributed to Stephen Cole's killing of Marta Elena Vento at a Bournemouth hotelThe family of a woman killed by a man with psychosis have said she paid with her life for lapses in the English prison and policing system" after a coroner said failures by prison and police authorities contributed to the killing.In a damning verdict, the senior coroner for Dorset, Rachael Griffin, said Marta Elena Vento, 27, a Spanish national, was unlawfully killed by Stephen Cole in December 2020 while she was working as receptionist a Travelodge hotel in Bournemouth. Continue reading...
Saturday morning's freezing fog will give way to sunshine as the week unfoldsThe UK can expect brighter skies and warmer weather next week, with some areas reaching 14C (57.2F), but not before a chilly weekend, with temperatures expected to reach -2C across the UK.Early rising dog walkers and joggers across the UK might find themselves caught in freezing fog on Saturday morning according to Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick. Yet the drier and milder conditions of the weekend will give way to sunshine and lots of bright weather next week. Continue reading...
PM tells former minister you will have more to contribute' but says reduction in aid spending is part of protecting our national security'Anneliese Dodds has posted the text of her resignation letter on social media.Here are some extracts from Anneliese Dodds' resignation letter, as reported by Pippa Crerar.Undoubtedly the postwar global order has come crashing down. I believe that we must increase spending on defence as a result; and know that there are no easy paths to doing so.I stood ready to work with you to deliver that increased spending, knowing some might well have had to come from overseas development assistance [ODA]. I also expected we would collectively discuss our fiscal rules and approach to taxation, as other nations are doing.You have maintained that you want to continue support for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine; for vaccination; for climate; and for rules-based systems.Yet it will be impossible to maintain these priorities given the depth of the cut; the effect will be far greater than presented, even if assumptions made about reducing asylum costs hold true.It was imperative that you had a united cabinet behind you as you set off for Washington. Your determination to pursue peace through strength for Ukraine is one I share.It is for that reason that I am only writing to you now that your meeting with President Trump is over, and four days after you informed me of your decision to cut overseas development assistance to 0.3% of GNI.Ultimately, these cuts will remove food and healthcare from desperate people - deeply harming the UK's reputation. I know you have been clear that you are not ideologically opposed to international development. But the reality is that this decision is already being portrayed as following in President Trump's slipstream of cuts to USAid.While we differ profoundly on this decision, I remain proud of all that you have achieved since I backed you to be leader of the Labour party ...I wish you, and the government you command, every success for the future. Continue reading...
Lisa Nandy to seek assurances about review into making of documentary after corporation admits serious flaws'The culture secretary is to hold an urgent meeting on Friday with Samir Shah, the chair of the BBC, after the corporation apologised for serious flaws" in the making of a documentary about the war in Gaza.Lisa Nandy said she would be seeking assurances that a review commissioned by the BBC's director general would be comprehensive, rigorous and get to the bottom of exactly what has happened". Continue reading...
Exclusive: Campaigners say cryptocurrency payments were offered to UK residents if they daubed anti-Muslim graffitiA network of Telegram channels with Russian links is encouraging UK residents to commit violent attacks on mosques and Muslims and offering cryptocurrency in return, campaigners have warned.The channels have already been linked to real world events in the form of Islamophobic graffiti sprayed on mosques and schools in east and south London earlier this month, sometimes with the names of the groups mentioned. Those incidents are under investigation by the police. Continue reading...
Justice secretary considers introduction of good behaviour credits in radical carrot-and-stick' approachPrisoners may have to earn their freedom through good behaviour credits" rather than be automatically released after a set period as part of an overhaul being considered by the government.The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, who travelled to Texas where a similar scheme was introduced more than a decade ago, said she wanted a carrot-and-stick" approach throughout the prison system in England and Wales. Continue reading...
Small patches of scrambled egg lichen moved from Cornwall to Breckland region, where it was last seen in 1994A rare lichen has been reintroduced to its historical habitat of East Anglia - with the help of some bookbinding glue.Scrambled egg lichen, so named for its bright yellow, crumbly appearance, was once common in the Breckland region of Norfolk and Suffolk but was last seen there in 1994. Continue reading...
by Callum Jones in New York, Helen Davidson in Taipei on (#6VJHY)
US president also says delayed tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico will go into effect on 4 MarchDonald Trump has threatened China with an additional 10% tariff on its exports to the US, prompting a promise of countermeasures" from Beijing and setting the stage for another significant escalation in the two governments' trade war.The US president also claimed he planned to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting next Tuesday, having delayed their imposition last month after talks with his counterparts. Continue reading...
by Patrick Wintour, Rowena Mason and Peter Walker on (#6VK58)
NGOs accuse prime minister of following US by accepting false choice' of cutting aid to fund defenceSir Keir Starmer is to take UK overseas aid to its lowest level as a percentage of national income since records began, even if he manages to halve the current 4.5bn cost of housing asylum seekers.The extraordinary finding, a complete reversal of Labour manifesto pledges and its historical commitment to helping the world's poorest, is made by Ian Mitchell, the co-director of the respected London-based thinktank the Centre for Global Development. Continue reading...
In closing submissions, broadcaster proposes modest' payout to journalist if it loses high-stakes battle Sign up for Guardian Australia's free weekly media newsletter hereAntoinette Lattouf says her protracted legal fight with the national broadcaster has revealed the systemic racism and rot at the heart of the ABC".In an emotional press conference outside Sydney's federal court at the conclusion of the case, Lattouf said of her dismissal from the ABC and the fallout: This saga has undoubtedly been the most difficult of my entire life."Sign up to get Guardian Australia's weekly media diary as a free newsletter Continue reading...
Exclusive: Government to grant nature groups a licence for release of rodent species after earlier setbacksThe release of beavers into English waterways is to be allowed for the first time in centuries, the Guardian can reveal.The environment secretary, Steve Reed, is to announce that nature groups will be able to get a licence for the release. The first releases could happen this autumn. Continue reading...
City of Portraits, a decade in the making, celebrates tightknit community in tiny Welsh city. But joyful project had sad beginningsFrom a distance, they look like vivid pieces of abstract art - but move a little closer and dozens of small, characterful portraits shine out of the work.The ambitious idea of the City of Portraits (Dinas Portreadau) project, a decade in the making and nowhere near complete, is to record the faces of all 1,800 people who live in Britain's smallest city, St Davids in south-west Wales. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian