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Unite leader says she expects Starmer to face leadership challenge after May elections – UK politics live
Sharon Graham predicts Labour will be ‘decimated’ at the polls and says party is failing to understand how angry people are with a lack of changeCleverly is trying to show a video, but it is not working. So he just invites Kemi Badenoch to start her speech.The Conservatives are launching their local elections campaign. There is a live feed here. Continue reading...
Middle East crisis live: Hegseth to address media after Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ entire South Pars gasfield
US president says Israel will not launch another attack on the giant gasfield shared by Iran and Qatar, but promises to destroy it if Tehran retaliatesThe war cost the US $12.7bn by day six. Here’s how it’s been spent – in chartsTurning to Australia now, a petrol tsar will manage “unprecedented” supply issues caused by the Middle East conflict as the finishing touches are put on measures to address dire shortages in many regional areas.Prime minister Anthony Albanese convened a snap virtual meeting of the national cabinet on Thursday to discuss major price shocks and shortages driven by the US-Israel war on Iran.My government will be announcing more measures to prepare the nation for supply chain challenges over coming days and weeks.Our fuel supply is currently secure. However, I want us to be over-prepared. Continue reading...
Democrats move to impeach Bondi after ‘fake’ Epstein briefing – US politics live
Anger grows after a closed-door briefing from attorney general where she refused to commit to testify under oath despite subpoenaDemocrats walk out in protest at Epstein briefing from BondiSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration is deporting a significant number of parents without asking them if they have children or allowing them to decide whether to bring their children with them, in apparent violation of its own policies, a major report has found.In interviews with dozens of parents deported to Honduras, as well as physicians and psychologists, government officials and staff at reception centers for deportees, researchers found that many parents were deported quickly after they were detained, without a chance to arrange for the care of their children. Continue reading...
What did Arab and Muslim ministers discuss in Riyadh meeting on Iran?
Foreign ministers formulate a unified response to Iranian strikes, asserting their right to self-defence.
Gas prices surge 25% as Middle East conflict ‘spooks the markets’; airlines warn of higher fares as oil jumps 10% – business live
Attacks on South Pars and Ras Laffan, and Donald Trump’s threat to “massively blow up” the world’s largest gasfield, all hit marketsUK wage growth slows sharply as unemployment holds steadyFed holds interest rates steady as Iran war drives up oil prices and inflation fearsMiddle East crisis live: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ entire South Pars gasfield if Iran strikes QatarEuropean stock markets have dropped sharply at the start of trading, hit by worries about surging energy prices.In London, the FTSE 100 blue-chip share index has tumbled by 162 points, or 1.6%, to 10,142 points.“Fears of a sustained energy shock have resurfaced after the escalation in the Iran war sent oil and gas prices soaring. The prospect of a longer, more drawn-out conflict is in sharp focus, as both sides ratchet up attacks on energy infrastructure.Brent crude remains highly volatile but has traded as high as $114 a barrel today, threatening to climb back towards recent scorching levels. Gas prices have surged by 25%, reaching a range not seen since early January 2023.The Company is ready to restart production and exports quickly with an improvement in the security environment. Continue reading...
Hungary’s Orbán says he won’t back down and allow EU’s €90bn loan to Ukraine – Europe live
Hungarian PM, who is facing an upcoming election, appears in no mood to compromise as EU leaders meet in Brussels this morningGermany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz also called for de-escalation in the Middle East, welcoming what he said were signals by US president Donald Trump that combat action in Iran could come to an end, which could allow Europe to contribute to securing peace in the region.“I am expressly grateful that the US president sent a signal in this regard last night that he is prepared to bring the fighting to an end,” he told reporters ahead of an EU summit in Brussels in comments reported by Reuters. Continue reading...
First Thing: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ all of Iran’s South Pars gasfield if Tehran strikes Qatar
The move would be a major escalation in the US-Israel war against Iran. Plus, FBI director admits to buying data tracking Americans’ locationsGood morning.Donald Trump threatened to “massively blow up” the world’s largest gasfield after Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars field led Tehran to take revenge on energy facilities across the Middle East.What’s happening to oil and gas prices? Brent crude rose by 8% to $116 a barrel. European gas prices jumped, with the Dutch wholesale gas price up 24%.What do we know about the war’s economic cost? The war cost the US $12.7bn by day six – the total is likely to have now exceeded $18bn. Here’s a visualization of how that has been spent.Could US-Israeli attempts to take out Iranian leaders backfire? Some analysts think so. “It is not an approach that produces Jeffersonian democrats but hardened resistance fighters. It breeds more resistance,” said Sanam Vakil, an Iran expert at Chatham House.Follow our live coverage here.Who has spoken out? Labor rights activist and co-founder of the UFW Dolores Huerta, 95, released a statement on Wednesday saying: “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.” The report also includes the stories of two women, who were daughters of organizers in the movement, who said they were children when the grooming and abuse began. Continue reading...
BP to sell German oil refinery as part of $20bn cost-cutting plan
Energy company plans full return to London by moving global HQ to new development on South BankBusiness live – latest updatesBP has agreed to sell its giant German oil refinery site in Gelsenkirchen to the investment firm Klesch Group as part of the British oil company’s plan to sell off $20bn (£15bn) worth of assets and cut its costs.The value of the sale was not disclosed but BP said it would save the oil company about $1bn of underlying operating expenditure at the complex, which processes about 12m tonnes of crude oil every year, mainly as fuel for cars and aircraft. Continue reading...
DR Congo and Rwanda agree to ease tensions after talks in US
The conflict has persisted despite a peace deal signed by DR Congo and Rwanda in December.
Number of meningitis cases linked to Kent outbreak rises to 27
Seven new cases confirmed as hundreds of students at University of Kent take up offer of meningitis B vaccinationSeven new cases of meningitis in Kent have been confirmed, taking the total number of cases to 27, the UK Health Security Agency has said.Officials believe that the current strategy of preventive antibiotics and targeted vaccination is proving effective, as the bacteria causing the outbreak is a known strain of meningitis B, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...
Cyprus leader calls for frank discussion on 'colonial' UK bases
The UK's two military bases on Cyprus are a "colonial consequence" on the island, says President Nikos Christodoulides.
Analysis from West Point warns that strait of Hormuz blockade will strangle US defense industry
Report shows how minerals critical to defense readiness have seen a ‘near total’ disruption in seaborne tradeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe closure of the strait of Hormuz is causing a “paralyzing, real-time problem” for any prospective manufacturing surge in the US defense industrial base, and even for the repair of defense equipment damaged by Iranian attacks, according to analysis published by West Point’s Modern War Institute.In particular sulphur, a vital upstream input in the extraction of critical minerals including copper and cobalt, has seen a “near total” disruption of seaborne trade in the straits, which makes up half the world’s total shipments, and prices have spiked nearly 25% since the war began, and seen a 165% rise year on year, the report said. Continue reading...
Independent autism committee that challenges RFK Jr’s overhaul draws criticism
Kennedy’s appointees promoted ‘treatments’ like bleach enemas, but new committee has only one autistic memberThe first public meeting of US autism advisers – notably, since Robert F Kennedy Jr reshaped the committee – was cancelled recently with few details, coinciding with the creation of a rival organization that has prompted some questions within the autistic community about their focus.Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who has long argued for a debunked link between vaccines and autism, chose entirely new members for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in late January, with fewer autistic people and several anti-vaccine advocates. Continue reading...
EU leaders slam Hungary’s Orban for blocking Ukraine aid package
Hungarian leader fuels EU outrage with veto on $103bn Ukraine aid, citing pipeline dispute amid tense election campaign.
Russell T Davies’s hit TV series It’s a Sin to be adapted as ‘visceral’ dance show
New work will be choreographed and directed by Benoit Swan Pouffer, artistic director of Rambert, with Davies and Pet Shop Boys serving as executive producersIt’s a Sin, the award-winning TV series about friendship during the 1980s Aids crisis, is to be adapted for the stage as a dance show. The new production is being developed by Rambert who had a hit in 2022 with its prequel to the TV series Peaky Blinders.The creator of It’s a Sin, Russell T Davies, is executive producer on the new work which will be choreographed and directed by Benoit Swan Pouffer, Rambert’s artistic director. “Storytelling sits at the heart of Rambert’s mission,” said Pouffer on Thursday. “Collaborating with Russell – one of the most powerful storytellers of our time – is incredibly exciting. Together we’re exploring how dance and choreography can carry urgent, emotional narratives in a visceral way.” Continue reading...
Tropical Cyclone Narelle to make landfall in far north Qld on Friday as category 5 storm, bringing 315km/h wind gusts
Massive storm tracking a path to Queensland coast, which intensified offshore Thursday morning to category 5, fuelled by warm waters in Coral SeaCyclone Narelle path tracker mapGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSevere Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning as a monster category 5 storm, bringing destructive wind gusts of 315km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.The severe cyclone rapidly intensified over the past 48 hours and on Thursday morning had built to a category 5 storm that was barrelling west, sitting about 355km east of the small town of Coen. Coen has a population of approximately 330. Continue reading...
Japan PM to hold 'difficult' talks with Trump as Iran conflict looms large
It comes days after Trump criticised Japan for not answering his demands for help in the Strait of Hormuz.
Are Iran’s athletes political pawns?
Samantha Johnson looks at how Iran’s women footballers became caught in the middle of geopolitics.
Gabbard says Pakistan missiles a future threat to US, but experts push back
The US raises concerns but analysts say Pakistan’s missile programme focuses on India, which has longer-range missiles.
Three Palestinian women killed as missile debris hits West Bank beauty salon
They were killed when shrapnel landed in Beit Awwa, while a Thai worked was also killed by shrapnel falling in Israel.
US rapper Afroman cleared after police sued him over use of home raid footage
Artist who topped UK charts with Because I Got High created comedic videos from footage, which officers claimed invaded their privacyChart-topping US rapper Afroman has been cleared of wrongdoing after Ohio police filed a lawsuit against him, alleging defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy after the artist used footage from a police raid on his home in a series of mocking videos.In 2022, police searched the rapper’s home for evidence of drug possession and trafficking, and kidnapping. No evidence was found and no charges were filed. Continue reading...
Iran hits Qatar gas operations in response to Israeli attack
Qatar’s main gas facility is among the energy sites targeted by Iran after its own main gas field was hit in an attack.
Woman has sentence quashed by Tanzania court after over a decade on death row
Lemi Limbu, who has severe intellectual disabilities, remains in prison and will now face retrial for the murder of her daughterA woman with severe intellectual disabilities in Tanzania has had her conviction and death sentence quashed after spending more than a decade in prison awaiting execution.Lemi Limbu, now in her early 30s, was convicted of the murder of her daughter in 2015. On 4 March, a court in Shinyanga, northern Tanzania, declared she can appeal. She will face a retrial, but a date has yet to be set. Continue reading...