Exclusive: Merseybeat act, contemporaries of the Beatles, will play final show at Glastonbury this year after farewell tourThey are the longest-running band in pop history, selling tens of millions of records and filling venues worldwide in a 68-year career. But now the Searchers have decided to take their final bow.The group, who were contemporaries of the Beatles during the British invasion" will play their last ever show at this year's Glastonbury festival, after a final farewell tour" of Britain. Continue reading...
Westerners increasingly hesitant to travel to US out of fear of arrests and detentions as Trump enforces crackdownA string of high-profile arrests and detentions of travellers is likely to cause a major downturn in tourism to the US, with latest figures already showing a serious drop-off, tourist experts said.Several western travellers have recently been rejected at the US border on increasingly flimsy grounds under Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, some of them shackled and held in detention centers in poor conditions for weeks. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham transport correspondent on (#6W3MS)
Andy Burnham hails truly integrated, London-style' system with fares calculated and capped automaticallyManchester will enjoy a transport network on a footing with London, New York and Madrid" when contactless tap-in fares launch across its buses from Sunday.The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said that the switch would mark the moment when the city would realise our ambition of a truly integrated, London-style transport network", allowing people to switch between buses and trams without different tickets and with the cost automatically calculated and capped. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6W3MT)
Nuffield Trust says supply chains have shifted, with drugs for epilepsy and cystic fibrosis among those now scarceDrug shortages in the UK have risen to their worst level for four years, official figures show, with Brexit considered a key reason so many medications are scarce.Drug companies notified the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) about disruptions to supply 1,938 times during last year - the highest number since the 1,967 seen in 2021. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham, Rowena Mason, Vikram Dodd and Jillian on (#6W3BG)
Airport expects to be fully operational on Saturday, but airlines say closure will have huge impact' in coming daysFlights began landing at Heathrow on Saturday morning as it aimed to return to normal operation after shutting down over a loss of power. Restrictions on overnight flights were temporarily lifted to help ease congestion, the Department of Transport said, and the airport said passengers should come to Heathrow on Saturday as they normally would.British Airways, which has a major presence at Heathrow, said it expected to operate around 85% of its scheduled flights at the airport on Saturday. The airline would usually expect to run nearly 600 departures and arrivals on a Saturday but it is understood cancellations will be made, where possible, to high-frequency routes. Continue reading...
Booksellers take stand against influence of conservative billionaire by limiting orders of his company's books and placing them on lower shelvesA conservative Catholic billionaire and media owner is facing an independent bookshop rebellion in France over his influence in the publishing world.Dozens of independent booksellers are trying to counter the growing influence of Vincent Bollore, whose vast cultural empire includes television, radio, the Sunday paper Le Journal du Dimanche, and also, since 2023, the biggest book publishing and distribution conglomerate in France, Hachette Livre. Continue reading...
The moves that barred the media mogul's choice of lawyer are immune from legal challenge, giving the national security committee what one expert called the powers of a police state'The dwindling freedom in Hong Kong over the past few years has been described as death by a thousand cuts". Critics have been jailed, elections have been transformed into patriots only" affairs, journalists have been harassed and hundreds of thousands of people have left.This week, an obscure legal development has, in the eyes of some legal experts, inflicted another cut on the city's once revered legal system. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6W3BM)
Chancellor to tell party she is making steep cuts to avoid similar fallout to that which followed 2022 mini-budgetRachel Reeves will raise the spectre of Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget in the lead-up to next week's spring statement as she tries to persuade her Labour colleagues to accept the steepest departmental cuts since austerity.The chancellor will tell her fractious party she has decided to cut public spending rather than increasing borrowing because of the risk of a similar fallout to that which followed the then prime minister's disastrous fiscal statement in 2022. Continue reading...
by Benita Kolovos Victorian state correspondent on (#6W3HQ)
Victorian Labor has faced a crime crisis' before - but no matter how tough the premier talks on law and order, the Coalition is always willing to go tougher
Travel advice updated amid reports of ordeals at US border after Trump said country would only recognise two gendersDenmark and Finland have updated their US travel advice for transgender people, joining the handful of European countries that have sought to caution US-bound travellers in recent weeks as reports emerge of ordeals at the American border.Denmark said this week it had begun advising transgender travellers to contact the US embassy in Copenhagen before departure to ensure there would be no issues with travel documents. Continue reading...
Authorities found two men and one woman dead in Otay Mountain wilderness due to harsh terrain and cold weatherThree people died last week as they attempted to cross the US-Mexico border near San Diego, California, amid a storm that brought near freezing temperatures to the challenging mountain terrain, according to the US border patrol.Border patrol agents responding to two separate distress calls - that came within less than an hour of each other on 14 March - discovered two men and one woman deceased in the Otay Mountain wilderness area, the agency said in a statement. The following evening authorities responded to another call from someone stranded in the mountains with a broken ankle, according to the statement. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff and agencies in Stanstead on (#6W3DQ)
US officials claim move was to curb drug trafficking while Quebec town says it weakens collaboration' among nationsThe US has blocked Canadian access to a library straddling the Canada-US border, drawing criticism from a Quebec town where people have long enjoyed easy entry to the space.The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is located between Stanstead, Quebec, and Derby Line, Vermont. It was built deliberately to straddle the frontier between the two countries - a symbol of cooperation and friendship between Canada and the US. Continue reading...
Standup, 41, says she was initially given all-clear by private doctor after raising concerns about a moleThe comedian Katherine Ryan has received a second skin cancer diagnosis after raising concerns about a mole on her arm.Ryan attended a private clinic where a doctor who also works for the NHS dismissed her concerns about melanoma and gave her the all-clear, but she went back and a test revealed the mole was cancerous. Continue reading...
Davie Fairbanks says he received intimate images from former Doctor Who star of woman he had slept withNoel Clarke secretly sent a friend full frontal" naked photographs of a woman who he had slept with after they met when she was doing work experience on a film set, the high court has heard.Davie Fairbanks, who was the best man at the former Doctor Who star's wedding but later fell out with him, claimed in a witness statement that he had received the photographs of the woman, named as Ivy, without warning. Continue reading...
by Lorenzo Tondo and Jason Burke in Jerusalem on (#6W38X)
Defence minister issues threat as IDF intensifies offensive with non-stop' overnight attacks across territoryIsrael's defence minister said on Friday he had instructed the military to seize more ground" in Gaza and threatened to annex part of the territory unless Hamas released 59 Israeli hostages still held by the Islamist militant group in the devastated territory.Israel Katz's warning came as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intensified the new offensive launched on Tuesday, when a wave of airstrikes shattered the truce that had brought a fragile and relative calm since mid-January. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6W38Y)
Mohammad Farooq, 29, told a patient - who talked him out of attack - he wanted to kill as many nurses as possible'A clinical support worker who took a viable pressure cooker bomb in to a hospital intending to kill as many nurses as possible" has been jailed for at least 37 years.Mohammad Farooq, 29, of Leeds, also plotted a terrorist attack on RAF Menwith Hill, in North Yorkshire, a top-secret spy base. Continue reading...
Thousands of troops needed to support Ukraine if ceasefire or agreement reached to end war with RussiaThe UK is to accelerate the pace and scale" of military planning to be ready to support Ukraine next week, with No 10 saying all options, including troops on the ground, are possible.Keir Starmer's spokesperson said thousands of troops would be needed to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire and agreement to end the war with Russia, whether by sea, on land or in the air". Continue reading...
PM's spokesman says more meetings will take place in London next week to accelerate' planning to enforce any future peace dealElections will take place in 23 councils across England on 1 May 2025.
Competition watchdog rules BBC, ITV, BT and IMG pooled data on fees for production workers at football and rugby matchesThe BBC, ITV, BT and the sports production company IMG have been fined 4.2m for illegally sharing information about fees for freelance workers at football and rugby matches.The sharing of information, which breached competition law, affected workers such as camera operators and sound technicians, according to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Continue reading...
Politicians and teachers unions condemn president's effort to axe department, which can only be done by CongressTeachers unions and Democratic politicians joined in denouncing Donald Trump's executive order aimed at eliminating the US Department of Education, with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) saying simply: See you in court."Trump's move was long trailed, so much so that Randi Weingarten, the head of the AFT - which represents 1.8 million teachers - put out her statement the day before the order was signed. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents 200,000 members, teachers and other education workers mostly in New York City, said: We will join our national union and public education allies to protect students and educators. We are working with our partners to file lawsuits to stop this executive overreach. Continue reading...
Pirate's Booty Snacks founder Robert Ehrlich claimed to be tiny Long Island community's mayor - voters disagreedThe popcorn mogul who founded Pirate's Booty Snacks tried to commandeer a New York village's local government, storming this minuscule municipality's office armed with a false statement claiming that he was mayor.Robert Ehrlich strode into the town hall of Sea Cliff, a village of fewer than 5,000 residents within the larger town of Oyster Bay on Long Island, with all the finesse of a literal pirate on 10 March. Continue reading...
Move concerns alleged failings in handling of domestic abuse report by 24-year-old later found dead in a carFour police officers have been served disciplinary notices over alleged failings in their handling of a domestic abuse report by a woman before she was found dead in a car boot.The body of Harshita Brella, 24, was found in a silver Vauxhall Corsa in Brisbane Road, Ilford, east London, on 14 November last year. Continue reading...
Tigray's interim leader flees as rival faction seizes control, while Ethiopian tanks and troops move to border of EritreaAregawi was building a tour-guiding business when war struck Ethiopia's Tigray region in 2020. He spent the next two years fighting on the frontline. Now he is among those who fear Tigray is on the brink of conflict once more.We don't want to become a battleground, but it seems like war is near, maybe even inevitable," he said. Continue reading...
Inquiry into Iain McNicol is third to be launched after revelations in the Guardian's Lords debate investigationThe former Labour party general secretary Iain McNicol is under investigation by the House of Lords standards watchdog after he wrote to the Treasury on behalf of a cryptocurrency company that was paying him.The Lords commissioners for standards said they had launched an inquiry into Lord McNicol over potential breaches of the code of conduct, citing a clause that states members must not seek to profit from membership of the house by accepting or agreeing to accept payment or other incentive or reward in return for providing parliamentary advice or services". Continue reading...
Nino Bucci highly commended in feature writing, investigations and news reporting, while Petra Stock highly commended in science, medical and health reporting
The Mulholland Drive star had lunch with the director weeks before he died, and says: He was not, in any way, done'Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts says that David Lynch wanted to go back to work" before his death in January.In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Watts revealed that she had spent an afternoon with Lynch in November, along with Laura Dern, who acted in Lynch's Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart. We had a beautiful lunch at his house. I knew he'd been unwell but he was in great spirits. He wanted to go back to work - Laura and I were like, You can do it! You could work from the trailer.' He was not, in any way, done. I could see the creative spirit alive in him." Continue reading...
CBI chair Rupert Soames tells podcast he is completely unembarrassed' about abuse that occurred in early lifeWinston Churchill's grandson has revealed he was abused as a child while boarding at a prep school by some masters who had an entirely unhealthy appetite for young boys".Speaking about his childhood on the the Crisis What Crisis? podcast, Rupert Soames, the chair of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said he was completely unembarrassed" to talk about the abuse and that hiding painful experiences from childhood could act as a sort of sepsis in your brain". Continue reading...
Compound was last bastion in the capital, Khartoum, held by rival paramilitary Rapid Support ForcesSudan's military has retaken the presidential palace in Khartoum, the last bastion in the capital of rival paramilitary forces, after nearly two years of fighting.Social media videos showed soldiers inside giving the date as the 21st day of Ramadan, which was Friday. A Sudanese military officer wearing a captain's epaulettes made the announcement in the video, and confirmed the troops were inside the compound. Continue reading...
Emmanuel Lidden, 24, to learn fate after breaching nuclear non-proliferation laws by shipping samples of radioactive material to parents' suburban home
In today's newsletter: As Zelenskyy urges the EU to step up, divisions remain on how to secure the continent's future amid Russian aggressionGood morning. Yesterday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a European Council summit in Brussels, and emphasised the urgency of the EU's role in Ukraine's future as Donald Trump turns away. It's crucial that our partners' support for Ukraine doesn't decrease but instead continues and grows," he said. And he added: Europe must always be at the table in discussions about its own security."EU countries certainly agree on that, and said yesterday that they were ready to again increase sanctions against Russia - but they are sharply divided on how to achieve it. Meanwhile, after a meeting with western military planners near London, Keir Starmer yesterday appeared to step back from his pledge to put boots on the ground in Ukraine, saying instead that allied forces would be deployed by sea and air in support of Kyiv's own forces.Heathrow | London's Heathrow airport will be closed all day on Friday after a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport caused a significant power outage" and left thousands of homes without power. The shutdown at one of the busiest hubs in the world is likely to affect about 1,300 flights.Climate crisis | The government is absolutely up for the fight" over net zero, energy secretary Ed Miliband has said, as he accused the Conservatives and Reform of a total desertion and betrayal" of future generations by failing to tackle the climate crisis. Some Labour MPs fear the government could row back on funding and targets under political pressure.Middle East | Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to call for a new ceasefire in Gaza and to protest against what they say is an attack on the country's democracy by the rightwing governing coalition of Benjamin Netanyahu.Interest rates | The Bank of England said UK businesses are freezing their hiring plans in response to Rachel Reeves's tax increases and amid mounting global uncertainty as it kept interest rates on hold at 4.5%. The bank's monetary policy committee voted by eight to one to pause its cycle of rate cuts after three reductions in the past year.UK news | One of Stephen Lawrence's killers may now accept he was involved in assaulting the teenager, according to a report by the Parole Board. The board said yesterday that David Norris, now 48, will face his hearing in public with the reported support of Stephen's parents. Continue reading...
by Pete Pattisson, Imran Mukhtar and Redwan Ahmed on (#6W2WT)
Muhammad Arshad, from Pakistan, was a foreman building Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar, one of 11 new venues for 2034A migrant worker has died while working on a new stadium being built for the 2034 World Cup, the Guardian can reveal.Muhammad Arshad, from Pakistan, fell to his death from an upper level during the construction of the Aramco Stadium in the eastern city of Al Khobar on 12 March, according to sources with knowledge of the incident. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian