Abandon

Broadcaster says it is focussing on series’ long-term future after departure of showrunner and producerThe BBC has cancelled the special Christmas episode of Doctor Who amid speculation about the future of the series after Ncuti Gatwa ended his run as the Time Lord.The broadcaster also said the long-running sci-fi series, which launched in 1963, would be put out to “competitive tender” this year as part of its Royal Charter agreement after the departure of the showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf. Continue reading...

• France and Germany have agreed to abandon the joint development of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a next-generation fighter project valued at €100 billion. • The decision follows reports from Reuters and the Financial Times, signaling a significant breakdown in the strategic military cooperation between the two European powers. • Separately, Denmark’s National Audit Office revealed that F-35 fighter jet deliveries will cost $2.2 billion more than originally projected, accusing the government of attempting to conceal the price increase.

Paris and Berlin conclude firms involved unable to agree on way forward in blow to Europe’s common defence pushFrance and Germany have concluded that the companies involved in building a joint fighter jet will not be able to reach an agreement and have abandoned the project, officials in Berlin have said in a blow to Europe’s common defence efforts.The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the Germany chancellor, Friedrich Merz, had “reached the shared assessment that the companies will not be able to come together”, an official told Agence France-Presse. “They acknowledge this reality.” Continue reading...

Some Iranians hoped foreign intervention would unseat the regime but instead the US-Israel war has damaged livelihoods and strengthened those in powerAs Donald Trump swung this week between threats of new military action against Iran and predictions that a lasting ceasefire deal was imminent, many Iranians were left exhausted and gripped by uncertainty.Despite the partial lifting of an internet shutdown that began when the war started on 28 February, fears of worsening repression at home have also fuelled pessimism about the future among some of those to whom the Guardian spoke. Continue reading...

In highly unusual intervention, ex-PM says his party’s ‘almost infinite capacity for self-delusion’ makes it likely to lose next electionAnalysis: Tony Blair’s essay on Labour failings gets full marks for being unhelpfulTony Blair has accused Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk by abandoning the centre ground, warning that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” means it is likely to lose the next election.In a scathing 5,700-word attack on the prime minister and his would-be successors published on Tuesday night, Blair argued that the party’s agenda should move firmly to the right, calling for the government to crack down on welfare spending, abandon net zero goals and support Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Republican senators have queried the timing and lack of detail in secret service bid to add money to the Department for Homeland security billHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Senate Republicans could strip Donald Trump’s lavish White House ballroom complex from the Department of Homeland Security funding bill after members queried the timing and lack of detail in the $1bn Secret Service request.The US issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, potentially paving the way for a US military raid to capture him.Two police officers attacked by rioters at the US Capitol during the January 6 riot sued Donald Trump over plans to create a $1.776bn “anti-weaponization” fund.Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican congressman from a Philadelphia-area district carried by Kamala Harris in 2024, pledged on Wednesday to “try to kill” the $1.776bn slush fund created by Donald Trump’s Department of Justice this week, which could be used to compensate rioters who tried to keep Trump in office after he lost the 2020 election.Republican senator Bill Cassidy denounced two of Trump’s passion projects: $1bn in taxpayer funding for the White House ballroom the president can’t stop talking about, and the $1.776bn slush fund he plans to use to reward supporters who stormed the Capitol to try to keep him in office despite losing the 2020 election.A former federal prosecutor in Florida pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges that she illegally emailed herself a copy of the unreleased special counsel report on Trump’s mishandling of classified documents. Continue reading...

Suspected triple murderer Julian Ingram is accused of killing Sophie Quinn, her new boyfriend and her aunt in Lake Cargelligo, about 450km west of SydneyA body found next to an abandoned ute 50km north-west of Lake Cargelligo is believed to be a gunman suspected of killing his pregnant former partner in remote New South Wales.A large-scale manhunt for Julian Ingram, 37, has been under way since January when he allegedly shot Sophie Quinn, her new boyfriend and her aunt in Lake Cargelligo, about 450km west of Sydney. He was on bail at the time for alleged domestic violence related offices against Quinn. Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, was last seen driving a Ford Ranger ute with council signage from the town on 22 January. The police said in a statement that a man’s body, understood to be Ingram, was discovered beside an abandoned ute 50km north-west of Lake Cargelligo. The body is yet to be formally identified. Continue reading...