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Attack marks first time military action has forced a fully operating nuclear power plant to rely on backup generators• Middle East crisis – live updatesA drone strike that cut off external power to a nuclear reactor in the United Arab Emirates this week has revived concerns over the safety of nuclear plants during wartime.Reactor no 3 at the Barakah nuclear plant lost off-site power, which is critical for its own functioning, for about 24 hours after the attack on Sunday, forcing it to rely on emergency diesel generators. Continue reading...

Rise in unemployment and weak pay growth underline how tough this year will be for UK householdsUK unemployment unexpectedly rises to 5%Business live – latest updatesNews that the UK unemployment rate jumped back to 5% in March appears to be the latest evidence that the Iran war has snuffed out the economic upturn Rachel Reeves had hoped to see in 2026.The Office for National Statistics reports that, after an unexpected fall in the unemployment rate to 4.9% in last month’s data, it ticked back up to 5% between January and March – the first set of figures affected by the conflict. Continue reading...

Bafta winner tells preview screening in Bristol there is not enough on television about the female perspectiveThe Bafta-winning actor Katherine Parkinson has lauded the television series Rivals for its “radical” depiction of sex from a woman’s perspective.Speaking at a preview screening in Bristol, where much of the series was filmed, Parkinson, who plays the romance author Lizzie Vereker in the show, said there were not enough examples on television of a woman’s view of sex. Continue reading...

Juliette Binoche joins 600 leading figures to warn against a ‘fascist takeover of the collective imagination’More than 600 cinema figures have said the growing influence of the far right on French cinema production risked turning into a “fascist takeover of the collective imagination”.In an open letter published in the newspaper Libération to coincide with the opening of the Cannes film festival, they said the billionaire Vincent Bolloré’s dominant position in French film production and distribution threatened the independence of the industry. Continue reading...

‘Brilliant, wise’ co-founder of English Shakespeare Company celebrated for his portrayal of roles including Macbeth and MercutioThe actor Michael Pennington, known for his Shakespearean work and his role in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died aged 82, his agent has said.Pennington, who is listed as an honorary associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, also founded and ran the English Shakespeare Company alongside the theatre director Michael Bogdanov. Continue reading...

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Liverpool-born actor says depression and anxiety followed death of his father when he was 15The actor David Morrissey has spoken of how “terrible” social anxiety contributed to him becoming an alcoholic.“I am a recovering alcoholic,” Morrissey, who has been sober for 21 years, told Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. “Drinking first was about anxiety. I’ve had this terrible social anxiety and that helped me get through it.” Continue reading...

Suit says director used Q’orianka Kilcher’s features without permission after seeing her in advert for The New WorldSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailJames Cameron and the Walt Disney Company are facing a lawsuit that claims the director based a key character in the Avatar franchise on a teenage actor without her permission.The suit, filed by actor Q’orianka Kilcher, alleges that Cameron “extracted her facial features” and “directed his design team” to base the key Avatar character Neytiri on her appearance after seeing her in an LA Times advert for Terrence Malick’s 2005 film The New World. In the film Kilcher, who is Native Peruvian, played Pocahontas among a cast that also included Colin Farrell and Christian Bale. Continue reading...

Other fireworks manufacturers in Liuyang, in central Hunan province, ordered to halt production after deadly blastAn explosion at a fireworks plant in a central Chinese province has killed at least 26 people and injured 61 others, prompting the halting of all firework manufacturing near the site.The blast occurred in the city of Changsha in Hunan province on Monday afternoon, China’s official news agency Xinhua said. China Daily said the plant was operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co in the Changsha-administered, county-level city of Liuyang. Continue reading...

• Actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won 107 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, making it the single largest party but falling 11 seats short of the 234-member assembly's majority threshold. • TVK is likely to be invited by the governor to form the government as the largest party, with confidence among party insiders of securing outside support from Congress, CPI, CPIM, and VCK to reach the required numbers. • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin lost his traditional Kolathur constituency to TVK candidate VS Babu, marking a significant personal setback for the DMK in what was expected to be a stronghold.

A Nevada judge sentenced Dances With Wolves actor Nathan Chasing Horse on Monday to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls.

Families say ‘Ulm 5’ have been detained under extreme prison conditions since arrest last SeptemberFive pro-Palestinian activists are due to appear in court over an attack on an Israeli arms company in Germany, in proceedings their families say could become a “show trial”.The Berlin-based activists, who are British, Irish, German and Spanish citizens, have been held in pre-trial detention in separate prisons since 8 September. They are alleged to have broken into Elbit Systems, in the city of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, in the early hours of 8 September, causing hundreds of thousands of euros of damage before calling the police to arrest them. 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’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA rising star who is suing Rebel Wilson says she felt mocked by the Hollywood actor’s wife appearing to reference her testimony in a social media post.Charlotte MacInnes launched defamation proceedings against the Pitch Perfect star over social media posts that claimed she had made a sexual harassment complaint and retracted it to further her career. Continue reading...

Australia’s Corporate Travel Management is ‘negotiating commercial arrangements’ to refund the moneyThe Australian company that ran the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge has admitted it overcharged the British government by £118m.Corporate Travel Management (CTM) said its auditor had found evidence of “erroneous billing” of its UK clients, increasing its estimate of how much it owes the government by £40m. Continue reading...

Mathieu Kassovitz, who is currently working on an AI-enabled film, also dismisses concerns over copyright His hit film was a masterpiece capturing the gritty truth of the Paris suburbs, but the director of La Haine is now sold on an AI-generated future for cinema.Mathieu Kassovitz has called the technology the “the last artistic tool we need” and dismissed concerns about AI stealing other artists’ intellectual property, telling the Guardian: “Fuck copyright”. Continue reading...

Wilson is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes over social media posts alleging a sexual harassment complaintFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn actor accusing Rebel Wilson of damaging her career secured a $150,000 record deal with a publicist representing international superstars amid the feud with Wilson.Charlotte MacInnes is suing the Pitch Perfect actor over social media posts claiming MacInnes complained about feeling uncomfortable after bathing with Wilson’s co-producer on musical film The Deb, Amanda Ghost. Continue reading...

After Guardian reports about danger to V2X employees, sources say state department raised concerns with defense contractorSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US government has called on the defense contractor V2X to evacuate its employees from Kuwait and Iraq, warning the company that they could be targeted by Iran-backed militias, four sources said.The intervention follows reporting by the Guardian that V2X employees were stationed at US military bases in Kuwait, and at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih airbase and Erbil in Iraq. Employees claimed having inadequate protections, receiving limited communications from the company about evacuation plans and being pressured to remain in the Middle East. In Iraq, workers say they are targets of Iran-allied attacks, and one employee was killed in a night-time drone attack in March. Continue reading...

Wilson denies allegations made by Charlotte MacInnes, who she claims told her about uncomfortable situation with producerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRebel Wilson has been accused in court of hiring a private investigator and having false information published online in order to paint another actor as a “money grabbing opportunist” who withdrew a sexual harassment allegation for financial gain.But lawyers for Wilson insist that the harassment complaint was only withdrawn when Charlotte MacInnes – the star of her film, The Deb – decided to support the woman who had allegedly harassed her. Continue reading...

• Factory, a three-year-old startup, raised $150 million led by Khosla Ventures, achieving a $1.5 billion valuation on April 17, 2026. • The funding targets AI coding tools that automate software development for enterprises, freeing developers for complex tasks. • This round reflects booming investor interest in AI automation amid US tech sector's push for efficiency.

Pedro Piscal pisco is latest Chilean brand to resemble a Hollywood name – and others have fought off the lawsuitsThe actor Pedro Pascal is waging a legal battle against a Chilean pisco merchant who has chosen a cheeky name for his brand of the country’s national spirit: Pedro Piscal.David Herrera registered the brand name with a Chilean commercial regulator in 2023 and began selling his pisco in off-licences and restaurants. Continue reading...

Map reveals most severe concentrations of ammonia emissions, which are dangerous to health and environmentAmmonia pollution hotspots have been identified in areas with some of the greatest numbers of intensive pig and poultry farms in Britain, research has revealed.A new map for the first time reveals the most severe concentrations of ammonia emissions are clustered in Lincolnshire, Herefordshire and Norfolk. These regions all have a high density of intensive poultry and pig units that drive dangerous levels of ammonia, according to researchers from Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) and Sustain. Continue reading...

Engine-maker CEO hails ‘critical milestone’ for company in race to deliver SMR technology built at Wylfa plant on Anglesey Business live – latest updatesRolls-Royce has secured up to £599m from Britain’s national wealth fund as it races to develop the UK’s first small modular nuclear reactors.The fund will help support Rolls-Royce’s design of small modular reactors (SMRs) at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey (called Ynys Môn in Welsh). Continue reading...

Singer, 55, said he had broken his sobriety after three ‘devastating’ bereavements and has not drunk alcohol sinceChico Slimani, a memorable X Factor contestant, was found guilty of drink-driving on Thursday, telling the court that his arrest came just hours after he broke his sobriety.The singer, 55, whose real name is Yousseph Slimani, reached the quarter-final of the TV talent show in 2005, later releasing a No 1 single, It’s Chico Time. Continue reading...

Government investment in Tata-owned Agratas plant expected to boost economic growth and secure jobs The Somerset battery factory due to supply Jaguar Land Rover is to receive £380m in UK government funding as it pushes ahead with construction despite delays.JLR, Britain’s largest automotive employer, is due to receive batteries from the site to make electric versions of its Range Rover and Jaguar models. The Indian conglomerate Tata owns JLR and the electric vehicle (EV) battery factory under its Agratas subsidiary. Continue reading...

• SAG-AFTRA announced the rebranding of its annual SAG Awards to 'The Actor Awards' effective 2027, marking a shift in the union's awards nomenclature. • The 33rd ceremony is set for February 28, 2027, and the 34th for February 20, 2028, both streaming live exclusively on Netflix under a multi-year partnership. • This move aligns with upcoming Oscars on March 14, 2027 (99th) and March 5, 2028 (100th), potentially boosting actor visibility amid streaming dominance.

Man working for V2X died in night attack as five sources say they are being placed in harm’s wayA man employed by the US defense contractor V2X has been killed in a drone attack on Erbil airbase, amid concerns from colleagues that they are being placed in harm’s way and pressured to remain in Iraq despite security risks, five sources said.The worker, from Kenya, died in a night attack in his sleeping quarters on the base on 24 March. Another five workers were injured. They are from Kenya and India, and are among a group of about 45 workers employed by V2X who have remained on the base. One of the workers is in a critical condition with severe burns, sources said. Continue reading...

The former Little House on the Prairie star said husband was ‘last person in world who would hurt a child’Melissa Gilbert has staunchly defended her husband and fellow actor Timothy Busfield in her first interview since New Mexico prosecutors charged him with child sexual abuse in early February.In part of a conversation scheduled to be broadcast on Monday on Good Morning America but circulated in advance as a preview, Gilbert told ABC host George Stephanopoulos that she believed the Emmy winner whom she married in 2013 to be “the last person in the world who would hurt a child”. Continue reading...

Document shows partial felling last year, which led to legal action against Toby Carvery, was done by Ground ControlA mystery contractor who chainsawed an ancient oak in north London for the Toby Carvery restaurant chain has been identified by the Guardian, prompting more questions about the incident.The unauthorised partial felling of the 500-year-old oak a year ago on Friday in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, prompted widespread public outrage and questions in parliament. Continue reading...