Chewy's owner was detained and a bulk amount of methamphetamine was discovered in vehicle, officials sayPolice in Ohio were surprised to discover a pet raccoon called Chewy with a meth pipe in its mouth during a traffic stop in the town of Springfield.In a statement, Springfield Township police department said that one of its officers, Austin Branham, made the stop after spotting a vehicle whose owner had an active warrant and a suspended driver's license. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6X4AT)
Complaints of people who were infected, and their relatives, include criticisms that scheme is slow, flawed and complexPeople infected as a result of the contaminated blood scandal, and their relatives, say they have been re-traumatised" by delays to - and flaws in - the compensation scheme.At a special hearing of the infected blood inquiry, which published its final report in May last year, victims and campaigners lined up to castigate the government's handling of compensation. Continue reading...
Cheryl Tweedy, who has son with late One Direction star, appointed administrator of fortune along with lawyerThe late One Direction star Liam Payne has left behind a 24.3m fortune after dying without a will.Cheryl Tweedy, his former partner and mother of his son, Bear, is legally responsible for Payne's money, property and possessions after being named an administrator for his estate. Continue reading...
Former chancellor says he does not expect the Conservatives to die out as a party but he says it is a possibilityKeir Starmer starts by saying rising tensions between India and Pakistan will be of serious concern for many across Britain. The government is enouraging de-escalation, he says.He says tomorrow the nation will fall silent to commemorate VE Day. The armed forces protect our freedom, he says. Continue reading...
Ministry of culture tells Sotheby's it would be participating in continued colonial exploitation' if sale of gems goes aheadThe Indian government is seeking to repatriate ancient gem relics linked to the Buddha's remains after halting their sale at an auction in Hong Kong.Sotheby's postponed the sale of the Piprahwa gems, due on Wednesday, after the ministry of culture threatened to take legal action against the auction house in Indian and Hong Kong courts and through international bodies for violations of cultural heritage laws". Continue reading...
Non-binary British actor tells podcast that recognition for women in the entertainment industry should be preserved - but doesn't know how to address gender non-conforming actorsThe Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has said awards shows should preserve separate prize categories for male and female entertainers.The British star, who identifies as non-binary, said it was important to distinguish performers, as a lot of women wouldn't get nominated" if there was one category for all actors. Continue reading...
Ticket website also faces uncertainty over hit to foreign travel and government plan for UK rail booking systemThe online rail ticket retailer Trainline has warned of headwinds", including the expansion of London's contactless travel zone and economic uncertainty denting foreign travel.Shares in the London-listed company tumbled by as much as 8% on Wednesday, before recovering slightly to a fall of 4%, despite reporting surging profits for the year to 28 February. Continue reading...
Podcasts and puzzles get a boost as part of mobile first' strategy with 1m daily active users of appThe Guardian has relaunched its mobile app to deliver more personalised, visual content and boost the prominence of podcasts, as part of a mobile first" strategy.A dedicated tab for podcasts has been introduced to help users discover and listen to new episodes via a new in-app player, while users can also listen to all articles using a text-to-speech feature. Continue reading...
Campaigners welcome church move making it first major denomination in UK to adopt neutral positionCampaigners in favour of assisted dying have welcomed moves by Scotland's largest church to take a neutral stance on a new bill to legalise the practice.Members of the Scottish parliament are to hold their first vote next Tuesday on a private member's bill to legalise assisted dying in Scotland, after months of assessment by a backbench committee. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#6X42Y)
UK's largest ever collaborative touring project' will involve institutions pooling their resources and sharing expertiseA 5m project in which 20 museums will share their collections and expertise with each other could revolutionise the touring model in the UK.Going Places has been developed by Art Fund, the charity that secures art for public collections while providing financial support for museums, and will involve local people when the nationwide project launches in May 2026. Continue reading...
Research also finds many trapped in abusive relationships and unable to afford sanitary products and other basicsWomen who have fled war are being forced into sex work in the UK because of the extreme poverty of their living conditions here, while almost half cannot afford sanitary products, according to research.In a report looking at the impact of the Home Office's near-total ban on employment for people seeking asylum, the charity Women for Refugee Women has found that 10% of women interviewed have been forced into sex work in order to survive, in many cases to feed their children, while 38% were forced into abusive relationships or situations. Almost half could not afford basics like sanitary products and about 80% could not afford clothes, public transport or phone credit. Continue reading...
What you need to know about Indian strikes in response to terrorist attack in Kashmir last monthGood morning. Shortly after midnight local time, India said it had conducted strikes on nine sites in Pakistan, reportedly killing at least eight people, in response to a recent militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir. Delhi claimed that it had hit sites of terrorist infrastructure", and said that its action was focused, measured, and non-escalatory". But Islamabad's response suggests that its analysis is dangerously different.The strikes constituted the largest such Indian attack on Pakistan in more than half a century, and marked the worst confrontation between the two nuclear-armed powers since 2019. Pakistan responded with shelling of Indian Kashmir, and there were claims - not corroborated, and to be treated with caution - that it has shot down five Indian jets. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that his country has every right to give a befitting reply to this act of war".Middle East | An Israeli government minister has vowed that Gaza will be entirely destroyed" as a result of an Israeli military victory, and that its Palestinian population will leave in great numbers to third countries". The far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich's comments have raised fears of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territory.Trade | The UK and India have agreed a landmark' trade deal that ministers say could add 4.8bn to the economy by 2040. The deal follows three years of negotiations and could help mitigate the impact of Trump tariffs.Germany | Friedrich Merz has been confirmed as the new German chancellor after a second round of election votes in the German parliament. Merz suffered a humiliating loss in the initial voting round.Religion | Catholic cardinals from all over the world will begin casting their votes for a new pope in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday afternoon. The conclave is the largest and possibly the most unpredictable to ever take place.UK politics | Downing Street has insisted it will not consider reversing cuts to winter fuel payments despite last week's poor results in England's local elections.The unpopular policy, which will see many elderly and disabled people lose out, was needed to repair public finances, it said. Continue reading...
Segregation in cells and less gym time among measures to be introducedCriminals who refuse to attend their sentencing face segregation in prison cells and longer time in jail under new powers handed to judges.Tougher sanctions across England and Wales will include confinement to cells and less time in the gym among measures to be introduced to parliament on Wednesday. Continue reading...
by Rob Evans, Henry Dyer and David Conn on (#6X3Z5)
Earl of Shrewsbury offers to reimburse taxpayer over use of first-class ticket and his erroneous' claimsA Conservative hereditary peer, who was previously punished for breaking the House of Lords rules, is facing fresh questions over whether he breached them again after he admitted he erroneously" made claims last year for travel expenses he did not incur.After inquiries by the Guardian, the Earl of Shrewsbury said he has offered to reimburse the taxpayer for the travel expenses he claimed, and any sums that could be due from part of a first-class ticket he used to attend a board meeting of a commercial company. Continue reading...
The deal, unveiled by Skipton building society, means buyers would not have to make any repayments for the first three monthsA one-of-a-kind mortgage offering a major financial perk - no repayments for the first three months - has been launched in the UK.The deal, unveiled by Skipton Building Society, is the latest innovation aimed at cash-strapped first-time buyers and is designed to provide them with a bit of breathing space as they settle into their new property. Continue reading...
Huge cuts by Trump administration to international aid budgets has left a vacuum and Britain is looking to lead efforts to find a path forwardThe huge US-led cuts to international aid programmes and to the UN budget has prompted the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, to propose a global conference as part of what he described as a long overdue conversation about the future architecture of aid".UK Foreign Office officials said the conference was likely to be in the early autumn, and reflected a UK view that since aid cuts were not reversible in the foreseeable future, a discussion about priorities was required. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6X3Y6)
Move prompted by looming retirement crisis would help ensure consistent, reliable services'If train drivers - like police officers - start looking younger, it may not just be you. Britain's trains could soon have 18-year-olds in the cab, with the government likely to cut the minimum age to plug a shortage of drivers.Currently train drivers can obtain a licence from the age of 20 - although the vast majority of drivers are much older. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh in Chornobyl. Photography by Julia Koc on (#6X3Y8)
Exclusive: Attack damaged 1.5bn containment structure over nuclear reactor with repair costs likely to be borne by western governmentsA Russian Shahed drone costing up to 75,000 is estimated to have inflicted tens of millions worth of damage to the site of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, according to initial assessments and engineering experts.The cost of a full fix is likely to be borne by western governments including the UK, because initial estimates are that a complete repair will cost more than the 25m available in a special international contingency fund. Continue reading...
by Jason Burke in Tel Aviv and Malak A Tantesh in Gaz on (#6X3YA)
Aid officials and residents report breakdown in law and order as food and supplies run out during Israeli blockadeGaza has been hit by a wave of looting and theft as increasingly desperate Palestinians struggle to get food while criminal gangs exploit a breakdown in law and order.Aid officials and witnesses in the devastated territory describe armed men attacking humanitarian warehouses, firefights over remaining food stores and a spate of stealing of supplies vital for survival, such as solar chargers, batteries, phones and cooking pots. Continue reading...
Secretary of state says opponents of Maduro have left diplomatic compound in Caracas and are safely on US soil'Five members of Venezuela's political opposition have left the Argentinian diplomatic compound in their country's capital, Caracas, where they had sheltered for more than a year to avoid arrest, and were in the United States on Tuesday, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said.Rubio did not provide details of the group's movements to reach the US, but he described the event as a rescue operation. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6X3TH)
Exclusive: Conservatives ask Keir Starmer to stand against indefinite occupation' and reinforce international law'More than a dozen senior Conservative MPs and peers have written to the prime minister calling for the UK to immediately recognise Palestine as a state, breaking ranks with their own party to do so.Seven MPs and six members of the House of Lords have signed the letter to Keir Starmer urging him to defy the Israeli government and give formal recognition to Palestine in advance of key UN talks next month. Continue reading...
Germany's new chancellor issued warning after far-right AfD received strong backing from Donald Trump alliesGermany's new chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned the US to stay out" of his country's politics after the far-right AfD received strong backing from allies of the US president, Donald Trump.Merz, 69, a conservative who was elected as chancellor of Europe's biggest economy earlier in the day, also said he planned to speak by phone with Trump on Thursday. Continue reading...
Bronson's last parole hearing, in 2023, was one of the first to be held in public, but the board did not grant his latest applicationThe parole hearing for Charles Bronson, one of the UK's longest serving and most notorious prisoners, will be held in private, a judicial Parole Board member has decided.The decision comes after the 72-year-old - who later changed his name to Charles Salvador - took part in one of the country's first public parole hearings in 2023. Continue reading...
Deal could help UK industries hit by Trump tariffs, as ministers say it will add 4.8bn a year to economy by 2040Britain and India have agreed a long-desired trade deal that ministers said would cut tariffs and add 4.8bn a year to the UK economy by 2040.The agreement, which was finalised on Tuesday after more than three years of negotiations under successive governments, has long been touted as one of the biggest prizes of Brexit. Continue reading...
by Jason Burke in Tel Aviv and Julian Borger on (#6X369)
Bezalel Smotrich says Palestinians will leave in great numbers to third countries', raising fears of ethnic cleansingAn Israeli government minister has vowed that Gaza will be entirely destroyed" as a result of an Israeli military victory, and that its Palestinian population will leave in great numbers to third countries", raising fears of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territory.The declaration on Tuesday by the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, came a day after Israel's security cabinet approved a plan for Operation Gideon's Chariots, which an Israeli official said would entail the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories". Continue reading...
Polling finds two-thirds of voters would back a rethink on the policy and would not see it as a sign of weaknessDowning Street has been accused of being completely tone deaf" over the damage wreaked by winter fuel cuts as new polling suggested two-thirds of voters would back a rethink on the policy.Senior Labour ministers have privately warned the policy is an electoral disaster while Eluned Morgan, the Welsh first minister, said she was losing patience" with UK Labour as she urged the government to think again. Continue reading...
Man in his 30s, attacked in St Peter's Street, Derby, at about 2.35pm on Tuesday, police saidA bank customer has been stabbed to death in a city centre branch, Derbyshire police said.The man, in his 30s, was attacked inside Lloyds Bank in St Peter's Street, Derby, at about 2.35pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...
The Friends actor was at her Los Angeles residence when the man was arrested and taken into custodyA man was arrested after crashing a car into the front gate of Jennifer Aniston's home in Los Angeles, California, authorities said on Tuesday.Police told KABC-TV that the Friends star was home at the time of the crash. Continue reading...
The common perception is that Trump has largely moved on, leaving an emboldened Netanyahu to his own devicesThe Israeli plan to occupy and depopulate Gaza may not be identical to Donald Trump's vision of a new riviera, but his inspiration and America's walkaway diplomacy have ushered Benjamin Netanyahu to the precipice of a dire new chapter in the Israel-Gaza war.The common perception in both Washington and Israel is that Trump has largely moved on, leaving an emboldened Netanyahu to his own devices, while his offhand proposals for turning Gaza into a Riviera of the Middle East" have provided cover for rightwing Israeli politicians to enthusiastically support the forced resettlement of the Palestinian population. Continue reading...
Touching the breasts of the city's famous statue is supposed to bring luck, but not everyone is happy with the traditionEach time a tourist sidled up to the statue and reached for the most famous cleavage in Dublin, a voice called out: No touching please."Two city council stewards stood vigil over the landmark on Tuesday to notify would-be gropers that Molly Malone was to be left alone. After years of supposedly bringing good luck to whomever touched the breasts, they were now off-limits. Continue reading...
by Edward Helmore and Associated Press on (#6X3JS)
Homeland security chief says people without new ID may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step'Kristi Noem, the head of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said on Tuesday that travelers without a REAL ID will still be able to fly when the updated identity system comes into effect on 7 May, but they may face extra scrutiny at transportation security agency (TSA) checkpoints.Noem told lawmakers that 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements, and that those that don't may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step". Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell, health policy editor on (#6X3HY)
Ministers admit they did not assess impact of plan to cut thousands of jobsMinisters have admitted they did not assess the impact of axing thousands of NHS managers before pushing ahead, sparking charges that the controversial cull is reckless" and a huge risk".The NHS's 42 regional integrated care boards (ICBs) in England have been told to slash their running costs by 50% by the end of the year, in a move that will lead to around 12,500 job losses. It is a key part of government plans to radically overhaul the health service, which include abolishing NHS England, and use savings from a massive cut in management posts to improve its finances and free up funding for frontline care. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now); Yohannes Lowe and Martin Belam on (#6X35A)
Bezalel Smotrich tells gathering at West Bank settlement that Palestinians will start to leave in great numbers to third countries'China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, said Beijing is highly concerned about the current Palestine-Israel situation".We oppose Israel's ongoing military actions in Gaza, and hopes all parties continuously and effectively implement the ceasefire agreement," Jian said.The government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hopes that the Israel Defense Forces' call-up of tens of thousands of reservists, the threat of the new offensive and the prospect of Israel seizing swaths of territory will force Hamas's leaders to make concessions.If it fails to do so, then physical possession of terrain will offer useful leverage in future negotiations and allow Hamas to be squeezed further in the meantime... Continue reading...
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereFor what it's worth, multiple German media are now suggesting that there won't be another round of voting today - exactly because Merz and his team worry about the risk of another hugely embarrassing defeat.Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Bild and Stern's Julias Betschka all say the second vote is unlikely to take place today. Let's wait for the official confirmation, though. Continue reading...
Iran claims attacks in Yemen are attempt to disrupt negotiations with US over Tehran's nuclear programIran has urged the US to end its support for Israel's continuing strikes on Yemen, claiming Israel is trying to use its conflict with the Houthi-led government to drive a wedge between Iran and the US in the negotiations over the future of Tehran's civil nuclear program.The strikes have been criticised by the UN recognised Yemen government based in Aden , who said it had not been consulted and air strikes alone were not an integrated plan to remove the Houthis from power. Yemen has been divided between the Houthis and the official government since the Houthis captured the capital Sana'a in 2015. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian