PM worried about ‘cumulative’ effect of marches, as Met chief says Jewish communities facing biggest threatSome pro-Palestinian demonstrations could be stopped, the prime minister has warned, as the UK’s most senior police officer said the threat to the Jewish community was greater than it has ever been.Keir Starmer indicated he wanted the language expressed on some protest marches to be subjected to “tougher action” as he sought to allay the fears of British Jews after a series of attacks on their communities in recent weeks. Continue reading...
Kurdish Syrian man, 26, said he fled forced conscription by YPG militia because he ‘didn’t want to kill people’An asylum seeker sent back to France under the controversial “one in, one out” scheme faces being returned to Syria after authorities in Paris ruled it was safe to do so, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.When the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced the “groundbreaking” deal in July 2025 to stop small boats crowded with asylum seekers from crossing the Channel – by forcibly returning one small-boat asylum seeker to France in exchange for bringing one in northern France legally to the UK – they emphasised that France was a safe country for returnees. Continue reading...
Exclusive: The collection, including donations from Paul McCartney’s brother Mike, shows band’s development in early 60sA rare set of letters and photos from the early days of the Beatles, in which they write about feeling like stars for the first time, is to go on display in Hamburg.The collection, from an influential period when the band lived in the German city, includes the only letter in existence with words from both Paul McCartney and John Lennon, which was written to the bassist’s brother, Mike McCartney. Continue reading...
German defence minister responds to US president’s announcement that 5,000 US troops will leave bases in GermanyHello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said that it was “foreseeable” that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, after the Pentagon announced it would pull thousands of American soldiers from Germany.Trump said he is “not satisfied” with a new proposal from Iran on ending the war, as peace talks remain stalled despite a weeks-long ceasefire. Iran delivered the proposal text to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, Iranian state news agency Irna reported, without detailing its contents.The US state department said it was approving military sales totalling more than $8.6bn to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. It came as Washington warned European allies including the UK, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia to expect long delivery delays for US weapons as it scrambles to replenish stockpiles depleted by the Iran war, according to a report in the Fianancial Times citing multiple sources.In Lebanon, 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south, Lebanon’s health ministry said, including in the town of Habboush, where the Israeli army had issued an evacuation order despite the continuing ceasefire. Israeli warplanes “launched a series of heavy strikes … less than an hour after” the warning, the state-run National News Agency said.The US Treasury Office warned that any shipping companies that paid tolls to Iran for passage through the strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organisations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, would risk punitive sanctions. Tehran has proposed charging fees on vessels passing through the strait, as part of a deal to end the war.Trump wrote to US lawmakers on Friday declaring hostilities with Iran “terminated”, despite no change in the US military posture, as he faces continuing pressure at home to seek congressional authorisation for the war.The state department’s announcement on Friday included approving military sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defence replenishment services costing $4.01bn and of advanced precision kill weapon systems (APKWS) costing $992.4m. They also included approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5bn and to Israel of APKWS costing $992.4m.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged his people to wage economic battle and “disappoint” its enemies, as the war and years of sanctions take a toll. In a written statement he also said “the owners of damaged businesses should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and separation of their workforce”. Continue reading...
As a Mast of Fraternity and Memory is unveiled in Nantes, calls are growing for Macron to announce framework for discussionsIn the French port city of Nantes, once France’s largest departure point for ships that trafficked enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, a new wooden mast rises 18 metres into the sky from the waterside.The Mast of Fraternity and Memory, inaugurated this month, marks a turning point in France’s complicated relationship with the legacy of its history of enslavement – just as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, comes under pressure to make key announcements on a process of reparatory justice. Continue reading...
Daytime temperatures on Friday were 10 to 14C above average in four statesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRecord-breaking warm temperatures for the start of May in many parts of the country will be washed out by a cold front bringing rain, thunderstorms and much cooler weather.A high-pressure system dragged warm northerly winds across south-east Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said. Continue reading...
‘Targeted support’ means certain banks and financial institutions can offer free extra help with investments and pensionsMany Britons are daunted by the world of investing, but new City rules mean certain banks and financial institutions can offer free extra help with investments and pensions.Last month marked the launch of “targeted support”, a new regulated service that permits companies to suggest investments and pension products to customers that might provide a better return. Continue reading...
• Bewohner ländlicher Gebiete decken Mängel in Notfallplänen auf, während Aktivisten fordern, die Frist von 2027 auf 2030 zu verlängern
• „Jedes Mal, wenn es einen Stromausfall gibt, verliere ich jegliche Kommunikationsmöglichkeit mit der Außenwelt“, sagt Robert Dewar über das Leben in einem abgelegenen Dorf in den schottischen Highlands, seit die Festnetzleitungen vom alten Kupferkabelnetz auf Breitbandverbindungen umgestellt wurden.
• Stromausfälle legen auch das Mobilfunksignal des Dorfes lahm.
Die WHO-Präqualifikation von Coartem Baby bedeutet, dass Neugeborene sicher behandelt werden können, anstatt Medikamente für ältere Kinder zu verwenden. Die erste Malaria-Behandlung für Babys wurde von der Weltgesundheitsorganisation zugelassen und öffnet damit die Tür für einen weltweiten Einsatz. In Teilen Afrikas infizieren sich bis zu 18 % der Kinder unter sechs Monaten mit Malaria, doch für die Kleinsten unter ihnen gab es bisher keine sichere Behandlung. Im Jahr 2024 gab es 610.000 Todesfälle durch Malaria, wovon etwa drei Viertel Kinder unter fünf Jahren in Afrika waren. Weiterlesen...
Das East-West-Rail-Projekt, das Oxford mit Milton Keynes verbindet, wurde 2024 fertiggestellt. Es gibt nur einen Haken: kein Zugverkehr. Das nächtliche Grollen, das immer noch ausreicht, um Nicht-Eingewöhnte zu wecken, ist es, was einige Bewohner in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, wirklich verärgert. Güterzüge, die seit Ende 2024 durch den neuen Bahnhof fahren, beweisen, dass dieser Streckenabschnitt betriebsbereit ist. Doch der seit langem versprochene Personenverkehr lässt noch auf sich warten – und es gibt keine Anzeichen für eine baldige Aufnahme. Willkommen bei East West Rail, ob eröffnet oder nicht. Seit weit über einem Jahrzehnt preisen Minister eine neue Eisenbahnverbindung an, die Oxford über Milton Keynes mit Cambridge verbindet, um den Bau von Wohnraum, Arbeitsplätzen und Wachstum zu beschleunigen – ein Bogen der Technologiebranche, der als britische Antwort auf das Silicon Valley gefeiert wird. Weiterlesen...
Mitarbeiter wurden gewarnt, dass dem Nachrichtenbetrieb Kürzungen von 15 % bevorstehen – mehr als das BBC-weite Ziel von 10 % –, während die Sendeanstalt einen Sparplan in Höhe von £600m vorantreibt.
Die Nachrichtenabteilung der BBC soll die Kosten um unerwartet hohe 15 % senken, wobei dem Personal mitgeteilt wurde, dass mit massiven Entlassungen zu rechnen ist.
Die Sparte, in der etwa ein Viertel aller BBC-Mitarbeiter beschäftigt ist, wird mit einem der höchsten Einsparungsziele belastet, während das Unternehmen im Zuge der größten Verkleinerung des öffentlich-rechtlichen Senders seit 15 Jahren versucht, bis zu 2.000 Stellen zu streichen.
Weiterlesen...
Dokumentarfilmer streben eine „fundierte Debatte“ in einem Land an, in dem die Öffentlichkeit nur auf 8 % der Landfläche zugelassen ist.
Wut und Dynamik für Landzugangsrechte nach schottischem Vorbild für Berge, Wiesen, Flüsse und Wälder in England nehmen zu, wo die Öffentlichkeit nur auf 8 % des Landes zugelassen ist, wie ein neuer Dokumentarfilm nahelegt.
Our Land, ein Film, dessen Titel eine Anspielung auf den Protestsong von Woody Guthrie ist, untersucht den Aufstieg der Right to roam-Bewegung in England. Weiterlesen...
