by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#7568Z)
Police investigating allegations Mandelson and former prince Andrew passed sensitive info to Epstein will struggle to make charges stick without filesBritish police investigating the former prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson are preparing to start interviewing witnesses in royal and government circles.It comes as police fear that prosecutors will be reluctant" to bring charges unless the Trump administration agrees to hand over the original documents from the Epstein files. Continue reading...
Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije has fully withdrawn allegations relating to her former co-host, her lawyers sayThe TV presenter Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije has withdrawn claims against her former Channel 5 News co-host Dan Walker after reaching a mutual agreement" with the broadcaster and ITN.Vanderpuije, who co-hosted a show with Walker for a year between 2022 and 2023, had filed claims of unfair dismissal, discrimination and harassment on grounds of race and sex, and breach of contract. Continue reading...
Oscar winner set to produce, and possibly star in, film of war game series with Christopher McQuarrie at the helmMichael B Jordan is following up his Oscar win with the announcement of another new project: a big-screen adaptation of the hit video game series Battlefield.According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Sinners star will produce, and possibly star in, a film based on the long-running war series which is being hyped as the year's most in-demand project to date in Hollywood Continue reading...
Green party leader attacks Keir Starmer's silly games' after prime minister accused him of playing down recent incidentsZack Polanski has called on politicians to treat antisemitism with consideration, care and nuance" as he accused Keir Starmer of trying to play political games with the issue.The Green leader's comments come after the prime minister accused him of playing down recent antisemitic incidents. Polanski's party is facing increasing scrutiny over recent comments by some candidates and members. Continue reading...
James Kempster's DNA was found on dead barn owl and kestrel rammed into door handles of volunteer storeA man has been found guilty of possessing the bodies of wild birds of prey that were dumped alongside 50 dead hares outside a village shop in Hampshire.Traces of James Kempster's DNA were found on a barn owl and kestrel that were rammed into the handles of the volunteer-led shop in Broughton. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#7567Z)
Kim Leadbeater tells of plan to table identical bill that peers would be unable to stopMPs and peers who led the assisted dying bill have promised to bring it back to parliament after it ran out of time in the House of Lords.Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who tabled the private member's bill, said the plan would be to table an identical bill in the next parliamentary session, which would prevent peers blocking it again, as the Lords cannot stop the same bill twice. Continue reading...
Amjad Youssef is one of most-wanted fugitives in relation to slaughter of estimated 288 civilians under AssadA Syrian former regime official suspected of leading a notorious civilian massacre revealed by the Guardian - and who became one of the country's most-wanted fugitives after the fall of Bashar al-Assad - has been arrested by security forces, Syria's interior ministry announced.Amjad Youssef was captured in the Ghab plain area about 30 miles (50km) outside the city of Hama and had been taken into custody following a carefully executed security operation", the interior minister, Anas Khattab, said in a social media post on Friday. Continue reading...
by Taz Ali (now) and Hamish Mackay (earlier) on (#755XW)
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDowning Street has hit back at reports suggesting the US could reconsider its position over the UK's claim to the Falkland Islands because the UK did not do enough to assist the American bombing of Iran was leaked.The prime minister's official spokesperson said: The UK position is clear and isn't going to change ... It's a longstanding one. It's an unchanged one, and it will remain the case." Continue reading...
Former Scottish Labour leader says she understands that expressing respect for author caused worry, anger and upset'The incoming chair of the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall says she is truly sorry" after she expressed huge respect" for JK Rowling in an interview with the Guardian. Kezia Dugdale, the former leader of Scottish Labour, said she understood that her words had caused worry, anger and upset and I am truly sorry about that".In an interview for the Today in Focus podcast in Edinburgh to mark her appointment as Stonewall's chair, Dugdale was asked what she thought of the way in which Rowling has talked about transgender people. Continue reading...
Sources say German group may struggle to recoup its investment as titles shift to less profitable modelsAxel Springer did not complete due diligence on the Telegraph before sealing its 575m takeover, with sources saying the German media company could struggle to recoup its eye-watering investment as the titles shift toward less-profitable digital subscribers.To wrap up the deal quickly, Mathias Dopfner, the chief executive of Axel Springer, decided to forgo the usual extensive due diligence process to vet the value and prospects of a company, according to multiple sources. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Emails and internal memos reveal concerns immigration enforcement is interfering with police workLaw enforcement and local government officials across the US have over the last year expressed concerns that immigration operations were interfering with police work and leading to threats to officers, according to internal emails and briefings shared with the Guardian.The development comes as the US public has become afraid and distrustful of officers in their communities due to the Trump administration's aggressive and at times indiscriminate immigration crackdown. Continue reading...
by Alexandra Topping Political correspondent on (#75652)
Prime minister tells Jewish leaders legislation against malign state actors will go before parliament in JulyKeir Starmer has promised to proscribe Iran's Revolutionary Guards by introducing legislation in the next session of parliament in July.On a trip to Kenton united synagogue in north-west London on Thursday, the prime minister said he wanted to make Britain a country where our Jewish community feels safe". Continue reading...
Olly Robbins gave MPs a classic civil servant's performance - and there are lessons from history about how ministers should respondThe Whitehall satire Yes Minister was said to be Margaret Thatcher's favourite TV show due to its proximity to reality, as the programme's loquacious top civil servant, Sir Humphrey, might have put it.Yes Minister had a familiar groove: there would be a problem in response to which the mandarin would artfully deploy the most astonishing sophistry to avoid blame or get his own way. Jim Hacker, the largely clueless yet ambitious politician played by the late Paul Eddington, rarely won the day. Continue reading...
by Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Sam Jones in Madri on (#75611)
Members will plan how to come to each other's aid in the event of an attack as Nato faces worst crisis in its historyBrussels officials will draw up a plan on how to use the EU's little-known mutual assistance pact in the event of a foreign attack, as Donald Trump's criticism of Nato intensifies.EU leaders have agreed that the European Commission will prepare a blueprint" on how the bloc will respond if the mutual assistance clause is triggered, according to Nikos Christodoulides, the president of Cyprus, who is hosting the talks. Continue reading...
Meta to lay off 10% of its staff and Microsoft to offer retirement to 7% of US workforce. Plus, Iron Maiden at 50Good morning.Meta and Microsoft are cutting thousands of employees as they bet big on AI and executives claim that the technology is meeting productivity needs.What have they said about AI? Mark Zuckerberg said in January that AI was making some hiring unnecessary. Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's AI chief, said in February that he believed AI would be able to replace most white-collar work within the next 12 to 18 months.How many tech layoffs have there been in 2026? In four months, more than 92,000 employees in the industry have lost their jobs, according to the tracker Layoffs.fyi. But some experts believe companies may be AI washing" - using it as cover for a slowing labor market and demand or rising costs. Continue reading...
Philip Rycroft says promises on issues from economics to immigration have not lived up to expectationsBritain should start talking about rejoining the EU, according to a former senior civil servant who ran the Brexit department.Philip Rycroft, who was permanent secretary of the Department for Exiting the EU, said the argument was there to be won" about going back into Europe, adding that a clear-headed appraisal of what is in the country's best interests" was needed. However, he said rejoining the bloc could be a long and windy" road. Continue reading...
Coalition of the willing' gathers in Colombia to try to bypass petrostate blockages of Cop summits and chart fresh pathThe world's first Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels conference, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, takes place in Santa Marta, Colombia, from 24 to 29 April. A coalition of the willing" - including 54 countries and various subnational governments, civil society groups and academics - will try to chart a new path to powering the world with low-carbon energy. Continue reading...
Sabrina Crawford among those refused because of rule change, which now also affects children of immigrants born in ItalyIn 2025, after a long and arduous journey in her attempts to gain Italian citizenship, including a pivotal genealogical research trip to a village in Calabria, US-born Sabrina Crawford was hoping to fulfil her lifelong dream of building a life in Italy as she edged towards the final hurdle of the bureaucratic process.But her plans were scuppered when Giorgia Meloni's far-right government enacted a law stopping access to Italian citizenship via distant ancestry. Since May last year, only those with a parent or grandparent who was an Italian citizen at birth, and who did not take on dual nationality, are eligible to apply. Continue reading...
The gambling crisis demands a public health response' and should be regulated like alcohol or tobacco, expert saysGambling addiction is spiraling out of control" in the US, a leading campaigner for stricter guardrails has warned, as experts from around the world are set to gather in Boston to push for more regulation of the industry.The rapid expansion of online gambling, prediction markets and sports betting platforms, demands a public health response", according to Harry Levant, director of gambling policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), urging policymakers to intervene. Continue reading...
Diplomats poke fun at Donald Trump, while elsewhere Madonna loses her corset off the back of a golf buggyThe one upside to a rolling international crisis is that it can give backroom people a rare chance to shine. Witness, this week, the breakout stars of the Iranian diplomatic corps, who from two different diplomatic missions managed to poke fun at Donald Trump while maintaining the base-level decorum that so eludes the American president. Continue reading...
One blaze broke out north-west of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, a state known for its wetlands and evergladesMuch of the US is battling a widespread drought after a very dry winter and start to spring. South-eastern areas, in particular the states of Florida and Georgia, are experiencing some of the worst of this prolonged bout of dry weather, with calls for the risk to be labelled a level 4 exceptional" drought in the region, the most severe category. In recent days, strong winds and low humidity conditions have brought an increased fire risk. These ingredients combined with such unusually dry ground have led to multiple large wildfires, particularly across Florida, a state known for its wetlands and everglades.A fire broke out early on Tuesday morning in Broward County, Florida, just north-west of Fort Lauderdale, scorching an area of more than 9,200 acres as of Thursday afternoon. The National Guard helped Broward Sherriff Fire Rescue tackle the blaze, which has since been brought to 50% containment. Residents nearby and farther west have been warned of reduced air quality as a result of travelling smoke. Fires have been breaking out elsewhere, with multiple active blazes across northern Florida, Georgia and into Alabama. Abnormally dry weather is set to continue over the next few weeks before the arrival of the rainy season, usually around June, with the drought and fire risk set to last. Continue reading...
Officials assessing route after serac between base camp and camp one deemed unstable and too risky for climbersA large ice block on the route just above the Mount Everest base camp has forced hundreds of climbers and local guides to delay their attempt to scale the world's highest peak.The serac between base camp and camp one is unstable and is risky for climbers, said Himal Gautam of Nepal's department of mountaineering on Friday. Continue reading...
Industry sceptical as Nigel Farage's party goes on charm offensive to help win over former Labour heartlandsReform UK has asked steel bosses to draw up an alternative steel strategy" to rival recent government plans, stoking industry fears over a charm offensive by Nigel Farage's party as it eyes gains in former Labour heartlands.Richard Tice, Reform's deputy leader, met a group of bosses shortly before Labour announced new steel tariffs in March and commissioned them to draft a competing plan that will include scrapping net zero policies. Continue reading...
Recriminations continue over failure to bring in new laws allowing assisted dying for terminally ill people in England and WalesAmid the failure of an attempt to bring in new laws allowing assisted dying for terminally ill people with less than six months to live, campaigners on both sides of the debate vented their anger and frustration with the opposing side.Its supporters, including terminally ill people, blamed the failure of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which passed in the House of Commons, on sabotage by a handful of unelected peers. Continue reading...
by Rob Davies, Atika Rehman, Jess Staufenberg and Mar on (#755SN)
MPs call for investigation into Essar Energy, owner of Stanlow refinery, which shifted loans from Putin's piggy bank' VTB to MauritiusDays after the first wave of Russian tanks surged over the border into Ukraine in March 2022, dockers at a port in northern England took a stand.Appalled by Vladimir Putin's brutality, workers at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire vowed never to unload any Russian oil destined for the nearby Stanlow refinery, a major hub for UK fuel supplies. Continue reading...
Labour MPs are reportedly urging colleagues to demand Burnham's return in order to position him as Starmer's eventual successorIf Keir Starmer is looking for a saviour to keep him in No 10 after the May elections and the scandal of the Mandelson saga, there is an unlikely figure in the north-west who might help him - temporarily.It has been the week where the prime minister seemed at his most isolated. But Labour MPs told the Guardian they were urging colleagues not to depose Starmer next month, and were instead preparing to demand that Andy Burnham return to parliament in order to succeed him before the next general election. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#755SQ)
Nearly 40% of cancellations could be avoided, researchers sayAbout one in 10 operations in England are cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice or postponed, according to research..A study of elective surgery at 91 English NHS trusts found that 10% of operations were cancelled the day before the planned surgery date; while 9% were postponed when patients had their pre-op appointment. Continue reading...
Charlotte MacInnes, who is suing Wilson for defamation, says social media post from Ramona Agruma-Wilson featuring animated character Dory, made her feel awful'
by Adam Fulton, Coral Murphy Marcos, Matty Edwards, T on (#754VC)
This blog is now closed. For the latest Middle East news, see our full report hereThe Pentagon abruptly announced that the secretary of the US navy, John Phelan, would be leaving his job yesterday. No reason was given for the unexpected departure of the navy's top civilian official, who had addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the navy's annual conference in Washington just a day before the announcement.People familiar with the dynamics at the Pentagon told the Guardian Phelan was fired. Phelan had an increasingly rocky relationship with the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, and other senior staff. Continue reading...
US president accuses UK of thinking it can make an easy buck' from US tech companies, weeks after warning that UK-US trade deal can be changedDonald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the UK if it does not drop its digital services tax on US social media firms.The digital services tax, introduced in 2020, imposes a 2% levy on the revenues of several major US tech companies. Continue reading...
Paramount Skydance CEO fetes administration as it weighs $110bn merger with CNN parent WarnerBros DiscoveryDozens of protesters, including members of Congress, gathered along the National Mall on Thursday to protest an intimate" dinner being held by Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison in celebration of the First Amendment" and honoring the Trump White House and CBS White House Correspondents", and attended by Donald Trump.Paramount has faced criticism for the dinner, which has been seen by some as illustrative of the cozy relationship between the Ellisons and the White House - right as the Trump administration is weighing whether to approve the company's $110bn merger with CNN parent company WarnerBros Discovery. The dinner comes before Saturday's White House correspondents' dinner, which Trump will attend. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is expected to sit at one of the many tables bought by CBS News for the event. Continue reading...
Foreign ministry says remarks of conservative podcast host Michael Savage that were shared by US president were obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste'India on Thursday criticised as inappropriate a post by Donald Trump in which he shared comments that called the South Asian country a hellhole".The inflammatory post on Truth Social comes ahead of a planned visit next month to India by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who is seeking to ease recent tensions between the normally friendly powers. Continue reading...
National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report further says crash prevention system didn't generate alertA firefighter whose truck collided with an Air Canada jet last month on a runway at New York's LaGuardia airport, killing both pilots, heard an air traffic controller warn stop, stop, stop" but didn't know who it was for, federal investigators said Thursday.The National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report on the 22 March collision that a crash prevention system for air traffic controllers didn't generate an audio or visual alert, and lights on the runway that act as a stop light for crossing traffic were on until about three seconds before the collision. Continue reading...
Force says it is confident there was no offence' and condemns shameful' behaviour by protestersThe investigation into reports of a rape outside a church in Epsom that led to widespread public disorder will close as police are confident there was no offence".Surrey police received a report on Saturday 11 April that a woman had been raped near a church in the early hours of the morning after leaving Labyrinth nightclub in Epsom. Continue reading...
Justice department has already identified 384 foreign-born people whose US citizenship it wants to revokeThe Trump administration is reportedly pushing the justice department to pursue hundreds of denaturalization cases, in which Americans born outside of the US are stripped of their citizenship.The justice department has already identified 384 foreign-born US citizens, whose citizenship it wants to revoke and will begin the process in the coming weeks, according to the New York Times. Continue reading...
Hope Not Hate campaign identifies election hopefuls calling for a white Britain' and complaining of kowtowing to the black community'A Reform UK candidate who called for a white Britain" and said Keir Starmer should be shot is among a number of contenders fuelling doubts about the party's claim to have tightened up its vetting.The past comments of Linda McFarlane and other political hopefuls have been unearthed ahead of the 7 May elections, including one who complained about constant kowtowing to the black community" and others who endorsed the far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Continue reading...
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