• The Trump administration has announced 'Operation Economic Fury,' implementing a comprehensive blockade against Iran as part of an expanded sanctions campaign.
• The initiative represents a significant escalation in economic pressure against Iran, marking a shift in US foreign policy toward more aggressive measures.
• This action comes amid broader geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and follows months of diplomatic tension between the US and Iran.
Livorno council says residents have complained of foul smell following rise in number of pets Dog owners in an Italian port city will be required to clean up their pets’ urine from public spaces or face fines of up to €500.Luca Salvetti, the mayor of Livorno, on the Tuscan coast, introduced the measure after complaints from residents about the smell of dog urine, particularly in parks and children’s play areas. Continue reading...
The scorching heat means parts of the UK could also be warmer than Sydney, Buenos Aires or TunisYou might expect sunshine in Australia, Tunisia or Argentina, but those staying in the UK are likely to see hotter weather, with some parts of the country expected to reach the high 20s before the bank holiday weekend.Temperatures in London and East Anglia could reach 27C on Friday, the Met Office said, marking the warmest day of the year so far. The scorching heat means parts of the UK could be warmer than Sydney, Buenos Aires or Tunis, where highs of between 24C to 22C are forecast. Temperatures could also exceed those in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, where highs of 26C are predicted. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Sev.en Global Investments could turn state-owned businesses into Britain’s biggest steelmakerBusiness live – latest updatesThe owner of the UK’s largest electric steelworks has said the government should find a single buyer for British Steel and Speciality Steel UK (SSUK), a move that would create the country’s biggest steelmaker.Sev.en Global Investments, owned by the Czech billionaire Pavel Tykač, said it not only plans to invest £100m in the UK – mainly in the electric arc steelworks in Cardiff it bought last year – but also has the ability to invest “hundreds of millions of pounds” more in Britain under its 7 Steel brand. Continue reading...
Rusty Hicks concerned that Democrats could crowd each other out in ‘open’ system and hand victory to RepublicansThe chair of the California Democratic party says he wants to get rid of the state’s idiosyncratic “open primary”, calling it a failure that risks pitting a crowded field of Democratic candidates against each other to the point where a Republican can be elected governor of one of the bluest states in the US.“The current system we have does not work,” Rusty Hicks said in an interview. “It needs to be revised or repealed.” Continue reading...
Labour called SNP first minister John Swinney ‘shameless’ for claiming credit when it was the result of king’s US visitDonald Trump’s announcement that he will lift punishing US tariffs on scotch whisky has been overshadowed by a row between rival Scottish party leaders over claiming credit for the decision.The whisky industry and business leaders were delighted by the US president’s sudden announcement on his Truth Social network on Thursday that he would end the tariffs to mark the visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla. Continue reading...
Leah Spasova from Oxfordshire fought for 10 years to obtain tubal ligation procedure, while men could get vasectomiesAnalysis: questions over how accessible procedure should beA woman denied a permanent form of birth control on the NHS over fears she might regret it, while men were allowed contraceptive procedures, has won her case with the health ombudsman.Leah Spasova, a psychologist from Oxfordshire, spent a decade fighting to obtain female sterilisation at her local trust, a procedure that blocks or seals the fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy. By contrast, men can undergo a vasectomy, a procedure that stops sperm from being released. Continue reading...
Four students are in critical condition and security guard and suspect also injured after stabbing in TacomaSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxFive people were recovering in the hospital on Friday following a mass stabbing incident at a high school in Washington state.A high school student was charged with multiple counts of first-degree assault after five people were hurt during the stabbing incident on Thursday at a campus in Tacoma. Continue reading...
Critics say women face unequal treatment but others say tighter controls reflect legitimate medical concernsA psychologist who was denied sterilisation on the NHS has successfully challenged the decision after taking her case to the health ombudsman, raising questions over how accessible the procedure should be.Leah Spasova spent years seeking an operation to prevent pregnancy by blocking the fallopian tubes. Many argue that barriers faced by women, from funding refusals to stricter eligibility criteria, amount to unequal treatment compared with men seeking vasectomies, and limit bodily autonomy. Continue reading...
Watchdog says legal challenges from Consumer Voice and three lenders ‘create fresh uncertainty for millions of consumers’Business live – latest updatesThe UK financial watchdog is facing four legal challenges against its £9.1bn compensation scheme for victims of the motor finance scandal.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that it will defend the scheme “robustly” as the “fastest, simplest route for consumers and the most efficient way for firms to put things right”. Continue reading...
Judge tells 70-year-old Nancy Pexton she showed no remorse for the ferocious attack on Jennifer AbbottA woman who murdered her sister in her London flat and stole her Rolex watch has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years.Nancy Pexton stabbed Jennifer Abbott 10 times and left her body for three days in the property in Camden, a court heard. Continue reading...
Agreements with artificial intelligence firms spark concerns over public spending, cyber security and domestic surveillanceSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Pentagon said on Friday it had reached agreements with seven leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies: SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services.“These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters’ ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare,” the Pentagon said in statement. Continue reading...
Walkouts, marches and other gatherings planned for ‘May Day Strong’ demonstrations across the countryThousands are set to join an economic blackout for International Workers’ Day on Friday, as part of 3,500 “May Day Strong” events across the country. Organizers are calling for “no school, no work, no shopping” with walkouts, marches, block parties and other gatherings planned into the evening.May Day has long been an annual day of protest for the labor movement, and this year, many active movements are converging to fight for “a nation that puts workers over billionaires”. Demanding no ICE, no war, and taxing the rich, the May Day Strong coalition includes labor unions, immigrants rights groups, political organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America, and the organizers behind the No Kings protests. Friday’s economic disruption builds on a similar coordinated effort out of Minnesota in January, when tens of thousands of Twin Cities residents took off from school and work to flood the streets in protest of federal immigration agents storming the city. Continue reading...
Essa Suleiman is accused of stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green and attacking another over personal dispute in south LondonA man has appeared in court charged with the attempted murders of three people during two knife attacks in London.Essa Suleiman, 45, is accused of stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green on Wednesday, having already attacked another man over a personal dispute in south London. Continue reading...
The US president has criticised Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and raised the prospect of pulling US troops from Italy and Spain. Plus, 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel eraGood morning.Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after he saying was looking at curtailing the number deployed in Germany.What has Congress been saying about the war? A senior Democrat in the Senate grilled the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, accusing him of failing to give Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to “dangerously exaggerated” statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph.What’s the latest on the suspect? The man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his federal criminal case moves forward. Continue reading...
Gaston Browne is on course to win 15 of the 17 seats in parliament after calling snap electionGaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, is set to win a fourth term in the country’s snap general election with preliminary results showing his party on course to win 15 of the 17 seats in parliament.Addressing supporters early on Friday morning, Browne said: “You have spoken, you have spoken clearly. You have indicated that the Antigua and Barbuda Labour party (ABLP) is the best institution to run this country.” Continue reading...
Philip Young changes all pleas to guilty after initially denying charges of making indecent images of childrenA former Conservative councillor who admitted nearly 50 offences of drugging, raping and sexually assaulting his former wife has pleaded guilty to additional offences of making indecent images of children.Philip Young, 49, pleaded guilty in January at Winchester crown court to 11 counts of rape and 11 counts of administering a substance with intent to stupefy his former wife Joanne Young, 48, who has waived her right to anonymity. Continue reading...
Pete Hegseth argued that a ceasefire agreement with Iran more than three weeks ago ‘means the 60 day clock pauses, or stops’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHello and welcome to our live coverage of the day.Today marks 60 days since the Trump administration notified Congress that it was carrying out strikes on Iran – meaning that under the War Powers Act of 1973, today is the deadline for Donald Trump to either end the Iran war or seek congressional authorization to extend it.Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington DC, released edited security-camera video of the incident at the White House correspondents’ dinner amid questions about whether or not the suspected gunman, Cole Allen, fired his weapon before being subdued. While the video shows four muzzles flashes from the agent’s gun as he fired at Allen, it was not immediately clear that it does show Allen discharging his weapon after he pointed it at the agent.Sean Curran, the director of the US Secret Service, told Fox News that Allen was stopped not by secret service gunfire, but by a box used to transport a metal detector, which he tripped over.Congress has passed a 45-day extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Trump has threatened to withdraw troops from Spain and Italy, two countries that countries have been vocally critical of his war in the Middle East. This comes after Trump suggested reviewing US military presence in Germany after the country’s chancellor said America was being “humiliated” by Iran. Continue reading...
