by Robert Mackey, Shrai Popat, Lucy Campbell and Tom on (#74781)
This blog has now closed. Follow our Middle East blog hereBoth Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine were asked today about energy secretary Chris Wright's comments to CNBC on Thursday, where he said that the US Navy cannot escort ships through the strait of Hormuz now but it was quite likely" that could happen by the end of the month.Gen Caine appeared to agree with Wright's assessment, calling the waterway a tactically complex environment". Continue reading...
Sources tell Reuters layoffs could affect 20% or more of company as plans reflect broader tensions within big techMeta is planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of the company, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Meta seeks to offset costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets and prepare for greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers.No date has been set for the cuts and the magnitude has not been finalized, the people said. Continue reading...
President thanks Grenell for outstanding work' and says Matt Floca, vice-president of operations, will take overDonald Trump has announced that Ric Grenell, the longtime Republican foreign policy adviser who oversaw far-reaching changes at the Kennedy Center, which prompted many artists to abandon the performing arts venue, will be replaced by Matt Floca, vice-president of operations at the center.Trump made the announcement on social media that he has replaced Grenell, thanking him for the outstanding work he has done". Floca was photographed in December personally overseeing the addition of Trump's name to the center's facade. Grenell's departure comes as the Kennedy Center prepares to close this summer for a two-year renovation. Continue reading...
Trump DoJ's investigation was purportedly about the management of the central bank's renovationA federal judge on Friday blocked the justice department from serving subpoenas to Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell in an inquiry purported to be about the management of the central bank's renovation.Powell disclosed the surprise investigation on 11 January, and described the move as a threat to Fed independence and part of the Trump administration's attempts to pressure the Fed to cut rates. Continue reading...
TSA employees have been working in US airports without pay since the partial shutdown began in FebruaryA rising number of US airports are asking for donations to support employees affected by the partial government shutdown with airport security officials missing their first full paychecks Friday.Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees have been working in airports around the US without pay since a shutdown began in February after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a funding agreement. Democrats have since refused to support a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA's parent agency, without first receiving guaranteed immigration enforcement reforms. Continue reading...
Kenya Chapman was arrested for allegedly selling firearm to Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who killed one person on ThursdayThe US Department of Justice on Friday charged a man who authorities say sold a gun to the Old Dominion University (ODU) shooter despite the gunman's previous conviction in a terrorism case.Kenya Chapman is facing federal charges in connection to the sale of the weapon to Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former army national guard member who yelled Allahu Akbar" before he opened fire in a classroom at the Virginia school on Thursday, according to authorities. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#747RD)
Trade body attends meeting with Rachel Reeves, hours after saying it was pulling out over suggestions of price gouging Watchdog puts UK fuel retailers on notice' over profiteering from Iran warThe trade body for the UK's petrol station industry has got into a row with the government after claiming the inflammatory language" used by ministers to describe rising pump prices may have incited abuse against forecourt staff.The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said ministers had for several days suggested that forecourts might be price gouging" and ripping off" motorists as global oil markets have surged in response to the war in Iran. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#747MQ)
Exclusive: Chancellor plans help for vulnerable and low-income customers due to conflict in Middle EastRachel Reeves will set out extra support next week for households across the UK facing a surge in the cost of heating oil due to the conflict in the Middle East.The chancellor is expected to set out plans to assist those on low incomes or with other vulnerabilities, particularly in rural areas. The help will be delivered in England via councils using the new crisis and resilience fund. Continue reading...
Oscar, Ana and their children fled violence for safety in the US. Now Oscar, afraid and alone, is back in Honduras - at the mercy of God and his will'As soon as Oscar's deportation flight landed at the La Lima airport in Honduras, he put on his baseball cap. On the airport shuttle toward the terminal, he pulled his cap even lower - trying to obscure his face at various police checkpoints.His parents picked him up in a car, and drove him to a lodging they had arranged for him - miles away from his family home. He has hardly stepped outside since. Because I can't trust anyone - not the authorities, not the government, not a police officer," he said. He has visited his mother a handful of times since the US deported him three weeks ago, and only under the cover of night. They will kill anyone here. There is death everywhere." Continue reading...
Trio captured relaxing around a wooden table in photo believed to have been taken on Martha's VineyardAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson have been pictured in bathrobes alongside Jeffrey Epstein, in the first known photograph of them together.The trio were captured relaxing outside at a wooden table with mugs decorated with the American flag in the newly unearthed photograph believed to have been taken on Martha's Vineyard, an island off Cape Cod in Massachusetts that is favoured by the wealthy. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#747GC)
Mayor says he will encourage Met to scale down his official vehicle alongside plans for new charges for big carsThe London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said he would be encouraging the Met to abandon his armoured car in favour of a smaller vehicle as he signalled a clampdown on driving SUVs in London.Khan and Transport for London are considering options including additional charges on outsize vehicles to tackle the increasing numbers of SUVs on London's roads, primarily to address road safety but also to address concerns about parking and congestion. Continue reading...
The prime minister issues the statement after a fuel trade body earlier withdrew from a meeting with the chancellor todayEven before Donald Trump's Operation Epic Fury on Iran unleashed higher oil prices, threatening the outlook for growth and inflation, the UK economy was flatlining.That's the bleak message in the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which showed zero GDP growth in January. Continue reading...
Campaigners rejoice after Keir Starmer backs Philomena's Law' to protect payments for up to 13,000 survivors living in BritainSurvivors of Ireland's mother and baby homes can continue to receive benefits in the UK after Downing Street dropped a plan to cut payments.Keir Starmer bowed to pressure from campaigners to back a bill known as Philomena's law, which would ringfence survivors' benefits if they accepted compensation from Dublin. Continue reading...
Longer sentences, overcrowding and inexperienced staff cited as factors in rising tensions' in prisonsNotorious prisoners such as the Soham killer Ian Huntley are facing increasingly violent attacks from inmates with nothing to lose", the head of the Prison Governors' Association has said.Tom Wheatley, the president of the PGA, which represents governors in England and Wales, said those serving lengthy sentences or whole-life tariffs in high-security institutions had no fear" of being given additional time in prison, and could earn status by singling out famous child murderers and paedophiles.Last week, a 20-year-old sex offender who had recently moved to my son's prison was kettled'. In prison, that means boiling water, mixed with a bit of sugar, was thrown into his face. He has been scarred for life.This is the kind of threat that my son and every sex offender has to live with every day when they are in prison. Continue reading...
Watchdog disturbed' by president and US political leaders' use of dehumanising language to target migrantsThe racist hate speech" being used by Donald Trump and other US political leaders, along with the country's intensified crackdowns on migration, has led to grave human rights violations," a UN watchdog has said.In a non-binding decision issued this week, the UNs committee on the elimination of racial discrimination (CERD) called on the US to uphold its obligations as a signatory to the international convention on combating racism and discrimination. Continue reading...
With anger stoked by Channel 4's drama Dirty Business, we look at what has happened to some of the main playersWater companies have been in the public eye for the wrong reasons again recently. South West Water was in the dock pleading guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption, while the regulator fined South East Water 22.5m for repeated supply failures that affected more than 280,000 people over three years.As the full scale of the sewage pollution scandal has been revealed to the public over the past six years, key figures working for the regulators and the privatised companies have been heavily criticised. Channel 4's drama Dirty Business has focused attention on individuals at the heart of the scandal. Continue reading...
Experts warn of attack on Americans' lungs' from cuts to health programs, environmental rollbacks and other plansDonald Trump's policies are likely to drive soaring rates of lung disease and premature death, according to a wide-ranging new study by pulmonary specialists and public health experts.The analysis, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, examines policies adopted during Trump's second term across 10 areas, including healthcare access, environmental regulation, workplace protections and vaccine uptake. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff and agencies in Havana on (#74782)
Negotiations aimed to find solutions to the bilateral differences' between the countries, Miguel Diaz-Canel saidCuban officials have held talks with the US government to seek solutions to the blockade imposed on the Caribbean nation, Miguel Diaz-Canel has said in a video broadcast on national television.These talks have been aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences we have between the two nations," Diaz-Canel, the Cuban president, said in the video, which aired on Friday, shortly before he was scheduled to address Cuban media in a rare appearance that comes amid a severe economic crisis and as the Communist government has come under increasing pressure from Donald Trump. Continue reading...
by Lauren Aratani and Andrew Witherspoon in New York on (#74784)
Exclusive survey finds negative economic impacts felt across party lines as White House doubles down on tariffsSeven in 10 Americans say Donald Trump's tariffs have led to them paying higher prices, according to an exclusive new poll for the Guardian.The Harris Poll survey presents Republicans with a major problem in the battle for the upcoming midterm elections. The majority of all voters (72%) believe Trump's tariffs have had a negative rather than a positive impact and 67% said tariffs aren't the right solution for improving the economy.64% of Republicans agreed that Trump's tariffs had led to higher prices compared with 77% of Democrats and 67% of independents who believed the same.60% of Republicans also said that tariffs had had more of a negative impact on consumers than a positive one, compared with 81% of Democrats and 75% of independents. Continue reading...
NSW premier says latest distribution calculation, with a reduction in the state's share of revenue relative to its population, is unfair and past its use-by date'
In today's newsletter: The story of the Scottish town is not just one of Britain's deadliest shooting, but the strength and determination that came nextGood morning. On 13 March 1996, a man walked into the gymnasium at Dunblane primary school and opened fire on a class of five- and six-year-olds. In the space of just a few minutes, 16 children - Abigail McLennan, Brett McKinnon, Charlotte Dunn, David Kerr, Emily Morton, Emma Crozier, Hannah Scott, Joanna Ross, John Petrie, Kevin Hasell, Megan Turner, Melissa Currie, Mhairi MacBeath, Ross Irvine, Sophie North and Victoria Clydesdale - alongside their teacher, Gwen Mayor, were murdered. The attacker then turned a gun on himself.Thirty years on, Dunblane remains the UK's deadliest mass shooting. And the town itself remains a place shaped by that day - but also by what came after: the determination of families, the strength of a community and a legacy that still touches lives today. In the wake of the tragedy, parents and supporters launched the Snowdrop Campaign for tighter gun laws, which helped to bring about sweeping reforms that left the UK with some of the strictest restrictions on private handgun ownership in the world.Middle East crisis | Vladimir Putin's hidden hand" lies behind Iran's military methods, the UK defence secretary has said, after a night in which drones struck a base used by western forces in Erbil, northern Iraq.Politics | Keir Starmer could suffer further resignations when ministerial WhatsApp messages are published in the next tranche of the Peter Mandelson files, senior government sources have told the Guardian.Immigration | The backlog of people awaiting asylum appeals after having their initial application turned down has nearly doubled in a year, threatening to undermine a key pledge of Keir Starmer's government.US news | A man who rammed his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue and drove through a hallway died during the incident, officials have said, adding that there were no other serious casualties. The FBI said it was treating the matter as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community".UK news | A woman imprisoned and forced to work for a mother of 10 for more than a quarter of a century in Dickensian" conditions has said nothing can give her back her lost years as her abuser was sentenced to 13 years. Continue reading...
In an essay for Crikey, the former Australian of the Year says the PM is a turncoat' who is capitulating to foreign powers' amid the US-Israel war on Iran
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#7473K)
Health service's 2025 staff survey found that one in seven had experienced violence from patients or the publicHundreds of thousands of NHS staff have been attacked, harassed, bullied, or subject to racism, latest NHS figures show.The health service's 2025 staff survey found that one in seven had experienced violence from patients or the public, while more than a quarter reported harassment, bullying and abuse, the highest levels in three years. Continue reading...
Robert Habeck says world has moved on from weaponising energy to using tariffs, technology and more to inflict harmThe weaponisation of energy when Russia invaded Ukraine has given way to weaponising everything" since Donald Trump returned to the White House, Germany's former economy minister has said.Robert Habeck, the Green politician responsible for keeping the lights on during the last energy crisis, said the belief gas would never be a political weapon" led successive German governments blindly into Putin's trap by building the Nord Stream pipelines and selling strategic reserves to Gazprom, which Russia emptied before the invasion. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Campaigners call for government to introduce right-to-roam bill that allows people to walk around their local woodlandsNearly three-quarters of England's woods are off-limits to the public, buried government documents show.The study by Forest Research, which is a government-funded quango, found that 73% of English woodland is publicly inaccessible. Continue reading...
In China, one social media trend hangs on the idea that a life in the US is always one step from disaster, while another in the US has gen Z revelling in Chinese lifestyle hacksAcross two online worlds that are normally splintered, over the last few months there has been a mirroring of sorts. On TikTok and Instagram, young people are diving into the joys of Chinese culture - from drinking hot water to playing mahjong - all under the banner of Chinamaxxing". On the Chinese internet, however, the US is losing its decades-long grip on soft power, and is instead being replaced by a darker trend: the kill line.The kill line is a dangerous place to be. In gaming, the term refers to the point at which a player's strength is so depleted that one more blow could lead to total wipeout. In China, the term refers to the risks that come with daily life in the US. Continue reading...
Cross-party committee says service is jewel in crown of UK's soft power' but is diminished by poor governanceMinisters risk opening the door to propaganda from hostile states" and diminishing international trust in the BBC World Service by allowing its funding to be frozen at a crucial time, parliament's spending watchdog has said.The cross-party public accounts committee (PAC) said it was deeply troubled by the fact the service was still unclear about its funding just weeks before its current deal runs out.It also reiterated the BBC's warnings about the rising influence of Russian and Chinese state-backed media. Continue reading...
Committee says thousands of victims still waiting for compensation and face unacceptable delays and inadequate offers'The redress schemes for victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal have serious structural failings", a parliamentary committee has found.Thousands of post office operators are still waiting for the compensation they are owed and face unacceptable delays, inadequate offers, and administrative processes that retraumatise' those who have already been wronged", a report by the business and trade committee said. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#746ZX)
TfL are also poised to increase 20mph zones and cut speed limits on the capital's fastest roads later this yearOwners of SUVs could face charges to drive in London, after the mayor and transport authorities said they were reviewing the increased danger posed by larger, heavier cars.Proposals to clamp down on the biggest vehicles could come later this year, with Transport for London (TfL) also poised to increase 20mph zones and cut the speed limits on its fastest roads from 50mph to 40mph to tackle road deaths. Continue reading...
Two deportees sent to Eswatini were from Somalia, one was from Sudan and one was from TanzaniaThe government of Eswatini announced on Thursday it received four more third country" deportees from the United States, as part of the Trump administration's multimillion-dollar deal with the small African nation.Now, a total of 19 deportees from the US have been sent to Eswatini when they hail from other countries, amid the Trump administration's continued anti-immigrant crackdown and changes to immigration policy. Continue reading...
Angela Lipps spent nearly six months in jail after AI software linked her to a North Dakota bank fraud caseA Tennessee grandmother says she is trying to rebuild her life after an incident of mistaken identity by an artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition system tied her to a North Dakota bank fraud investigation.Angela Lipps, 50, spent nearly six months in jail after Fargo police identified her as a suspect in an organized bank fraud case using facial recognition software, according to south-east North Dakota news outlet InForum. Lipps told the outlet she had never been to North Dakota and did not commit the crimes. Continue reading...
PM has apologised for his handling of Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador, but next tranche of files could contain further damaging detailsKeir Starmer could suffer further resignations when ministerial WhatsApp messages are published in the next tranche of the Peter Mandelson files, senior government sources have told the Guardian.With officials bracing for the subsequent releases - expected to include informal communications alongside formal messages like those in the first batch - Starmer apologised again on Thursday over his handling of Mandelson's appointment, saying: It was me that made a mistake, and it's me that makes the apology to the victims of [Jeffrey] Epstein, and I do that." Continue reading...
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