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De leider van Reform UK heeft de helikopter gebruikt om bijeenkomsten in het hele land bij te wonen, meest recent op vrijdag Nigel Farage krijgt vragen over waarom hij het gebruik van de helikopter van een donor, om voor bijeenkomsten door Groot-Brittannië te reizen, niet heeft gemeld. De helikopter, die Farage nog gebruikte op vrijdag na lokale verkiezingen in heel Groot-Brittannië, is eigendom van een bedrijf van Lorenzo Zaccheo, een zakenman die vorig jaar £25.000 aan Reform heeft geschonken. Lees verder...

Taiwan, tarieven en de Straat van Hormuz staan op de agenda van de bijeenkomst voor Beijing – maar zal de Amerikaanse president gedwongen worden om hulp te vragen bij het beëindigen van zijn oorlog met Iran? On 20 februari bevestigde een functionaris van het Witte Huis dat president Donald Trump de volgende maand naar Beijing zou reizen om Chinese leider Xi Jinping te ontmoeten. Hoogst op de agenda: de handelsdoorstrijd tussen de VS en China. Eén week later keurde Trump gezamenlijke aanvallen met Israël tegen Iran goed, waarmee een nieuwe oorlog in het Midden-Oosten begon. De gevolgen hiervan hebben zich ver buiten de regio verspreid en hebben gezorgd voor onrust in Beijing. De presidentiële top is uitgesteld. Lees verder...

Reform leader irritated when asked about money from Christopher Harborne on day of party’s election gainsElection 2026 live: latest news updatesNigel Farage has repeatedly refused to answer questions about a personal gift of £5m he received from the billionaire Christopher Harborne, as the Reform UK leader sought on Friday to focus attention on the party’s election gains.Farage was clearly irritated when asked on a number of occasions on Friday about the money, which the Guardian revealed he had received shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 general election and which was not declared. Continue reading...

US commerce secretary to sit for transcribed interview as part of House oversight committee’s broader investigationThe US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, will appear before the House oversight and reform committee on Wednesday to answer questions over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.Lutnick agreed in March to sit for a transcribed interview with the committee following the justice department’s release of millions of documents related to Epstein, which included documents showing that Lutnick continued correspondence with Epstein after the disgraced financier had been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The session is part of the committee’s broader investigation into Epstein. Continue reading...

Ryan Cohen said he didn’t understand questions about how the video games retailer could afford its $55.5bn bidSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailGameStop’s shares fell more than 10% on Monday as questions emerged about how the company would finance its surprise $55.5bn bid for eBay.In an interview with CNBC, Ryan Cohen, GameStop’s CEO, skirted repeated inquiries about how the video games retailer could afford the deal, saying he didn’t understand the questions. 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...

The 155-page interim report released on Thursday shows how little is known – and can be shared – about the 14 December shootingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIf there’s one thing that’s clear from the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion’s 155-page interim report, it’s how much about the Bondi massacre remains unknown – and how little of what is known can be shared with the public.More than a third of the recommendations from the report – which was released on Thursday – were confidential, although the Albanese government plans to implement all of them. Continue reading...

Reform leader went public after approach from Guardian, but does his claim stack up that money was for his security?Nigel Farage was given undisclosed £5m by crypto billionaire in 2024Nigel Farage has admitted he received a personal gift of £5m from the Reform UK mega-donor Christopher Harborne shortly before the general election in 2024.He did not disclose that gift at the time. And he made no mention of it in the year since. That is, until Wednesday morning, when the Daily Telegraph published a story in which Farage admitted receiving the money from Harborne – saying it was for his personal security. Continue reading...

Secret Service director says security succeeded in stopping shooter before he could do further harm but others disagreeThe shooting in the White House correspondents’ gala has prompted questions over security with some asking how a shooter was able to get close to where Donald Trump and many other senior administration officials were gathered and many others praising the actions of law enforcement that swiftly stopped the attack.As details about the shooting at the Washington Hilton continued to surface, the alleged shooter Cole Tomas Allen, 31, mocked an “insane” lack of security at the Washington dinner in a manifesto reportedly send to his family 10 minutes before his assault started. Continue reading...

Hope Not Hate campaign identifies election hopefuls calling for a ‘white Britain’ and complaining of ‘kowtowing to the black community’A Reform UK candidate who called for a “white Britain” and said Keir Starmer should be shot is among a number of contenders fuelling doubts about the party’s claim to have tightened up its vetting.The past comments of Linda McFarlane and other political hopefuls have been unearthed ahead of the 7 May elections, including one who complained about “constant kowtowing to the black community” and others who endorsed the far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Continue reading...

Health secretary says ‘I had nothing to do with the measles outbreak’ and claims to support measles and MMR vaccinesHealth secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr faced intense questioning from several US senators on Wednesday during a hearing largely focused on how the administration has responded to the measles outbreak and the spread of vaccine misinformation.In his opening remarks to the Senate finance committee, the senator Ron Wyden criticized Kennedy’s messaging on vaccines, saying: “When it comes to vaccines, Robert Kennedy has used this once-in-a-lifetime platform to make parents doubt themselves and doubt their doctors,” before adding: “The secretary has ducked, bobbed and weaved without taking the responsibility of saying what needs to be said: vaccines save lives in America.” Continue reading...

Mandelson received two ‘clearance denied’ red ticks yet top Foreign Office civil servant says he did not have access to file – which he later readUK politics live – latest updatesThe verdict on Olly Robbins’ parliamentary testimony, among fellow knights of the civil service realm at least, was unanimous. Lord Sedwill, a former Cabinet secretary, called on the prime minister to “retract his accusations against Olly Robbins and reinstate him”.Simon McDonald, who once held Robbins’ job as top civil servant in the Foreign Office, said if Keir Starmer had only waited to hear his evidence to the foreign affairs select committee he would never have sacked him. Continue reading...

Jose Ramos-Horta urged by opposition to explain diplomatic passport given to businessman behind resort project, who denies any involvement with organised crimeTimor-Leste’s opposition has questioned how foreign investors in a proposed cryptocurrency resort obtained prime beachfront real estate in the country’s capital, and has called on the president to explain why he issued a diplomatic passport to a Chinese businessman involved in the project.Speaking in parliament in Dili on Monday, Fretilin opposition party MP Florentino Ximenes da Costa “Sinarai” raised concerns about the proposed AB Digital Technology Resort, which was the subject of a months-long investigation by the Guardian and Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Continue reading...

Sacked Foreign Office chief tells MPs he was briefed that UKSV considered Mandelson ‘a borderline case’UK politics live – latest updatesAn account of Peter Mandelson’s vetting process given by the former top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins has raised new questions about whether Robbins was misled about the findings of the agency responsible for vetting.Robbins, who was sacked from his role of permanent secretary at the Foreign Office last week after revelations in the Guardian, gave testimony about the process to a select committee. Continue reading...

Robbins was forced out as Foreign Office permanent secretary over the Mandelson vetting revelations in the GuardianDonald Trump seems to be conducting his relationship with Keir Starmer chiefly by online trolling at the moment. He was at it again overnight, with a post on his Truth Social network saying that, when Starmer appointed Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, it was a “really bad pick”.Good morning. At 9am Olly Robbins will give evidence to the Commons foreign affairs committee about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US. Until last week Robbins was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office and his predecessor but one in that office, Simon McDonald, was the man who terminated Boris Johnson’s career with a revelation showing that Johnson had lied about his knowledge of a sleaze allegation about a minister. Robbins is not expected to produce a bombshell on that scale, but his evidence will be moment of jeodpardy for Keir Starmer nevertheless.Back before Lord Mandelson was announced as the appointee, there was a process … within the Cabinet Office to make sure that the prime minister was aware of Lord Mandelson and the issues around his appointment. There was then a process of clearing his conflicts of interest, which the employing department [the Foreign Office] oversaw, which we have talked about. In parallel with that process, we also went through the standard UK national security vetting process for DV [developed vetting].By the time we are describing [when DV was carried out], it was clear that the prime minister wanted to make this appointment himself. Continue reading...

The prime minister’s leadership is still in the spotlight after Mandelson was appointed US ambassador after he failed security vettingLiz Kendall has repeated David Lammy’s claim the prime minister would have stopped Peter Mandelson’s appointment if he had known the peer had failed security vetting.Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News on Sunday, the science and technology said Keir Starmer was a “man of integrity”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The club, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, received the grant without a contract or final state aid assessment in placeWrexham AFC, the football club part-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, was given a £3.8m government grant without a contract or a finished state aid assessment in place, raising questions over whether the award was lawful.The club has received £18m in taxpayer-funded grants – far more than any other in the UK – to help to redevelop its stadium, the Racecourse Ground (Y Cae Ras in Welsh). Continue reading...

How did the PM’s chosen US ambassador fail security vetting but still get approved, what exactly did he know, and who is to blame?Downing Street has tried to do a lot of explaining, as has Keir Starmer himself. But there are still plenty of things we do not know about how Peter Mandelson failed security vetting, and what the prime minister did or did not know about it. Continue reading...

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was arrested after reporting on friendly fire incident during US conflict with IranMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe detention of a prize-winning international journalist over his reporting of a friendly fire incident in Kuwait is raising questions about the crackdown on freedom of speech across the Middle East as a result of the US-Israel war with Iran, the Committee to Protect Journalists has warned.Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, born in the US and a Kuwaiti national, was arrested on 3 March during a brief visit to Kuwait. He published footage of a US air force F- 15 E Strike Eagle crashing in al Jahra west of Kuwait city. On his Substack he said the pilot and weapons officer had successfully ejected and survived. He added that video circulating online showed local residents assisting one of the crew in a civilian truck. Continue reading...

The impact of the war in the Middle East is likely to reshape the global economy for years – is this the moment for Australia to change the way it thinks about energy? Post your questions now for our climate and environment editor Sign up here to ask a questionThe US-Israel war on Iran has cause a surge in fossil fuel prices – again. A similar thing happened after Russia invaded Ukraine. Then it was gas, now it’s petrol and diesel.The war has triggered a fuel crisis, and led to a surge in people considering buying electric cars. Meanwhile, a recent report found Australian federal and state government will pay or forgo A$16.3bn in fossil fuel subsidies this financial year. Continue reading...

• Micron Technology reported blowout earnings results, while Nvidia issued a stunning outlook for its Blackwell and Rubin AI products, yet the broader market has not responded positively to either announcement. • Morningstar increased Micron's fair value assessment following its earnings beat, and upgraded Nvidia's fair value based on the company's AI product roadmap expansion. • The muted market response to strong tech earnings reflects ongoing concerns about macroeconomic headwinds, including geopolitical risks and Federal Reserve policy decisions that are weighing on investor sentiment.

National intelligence director said voting machine seizure was requested by US attorney in Puerto Rico – who’s been trying to revive 2020 election conspiracy theoryWhen the US director of national intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, testified on Thursday that her office seized voting machines from Puerto Rico, she said it was at the request of the office of the US attorney in Puerto Rico. Left unsaid was that the prosecutor, as the Guardian previously reported, has been the center of a push by Donald Trump supporters to revive a long discredited conspiracy theory purporting to link Venezuela to Trump’s 2020 electoral defeat.Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, the conspiracy theory maintains, controlled electronic voting machines worldwide and remotely manipulated results in 2020 to deprive Trump of a presidential victory. Continue reading...

• President Trump met Japan's prime minister on March 20, fielding questions from Japanese media on why allies were not warned before US strikes on Iran. • Meeting occurs as US redirects focus to Middle East, potentially weakening joint priorities with Japan on trade and security issues. • Discussions highlight differing US-Israel goals in the conflict, with Trump denying plans to deploy ground troops.

• President Trump stated the US should rethink NATO membership after allies refused to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israel-Iran war. • Multiple American partners balked at Trump's requests for naval assistance in protecting oil tanker traffic through the vital waterway. • A senior UAE official indicated openness to helping, contrasting with broader allied reluctance that risks one-fifth of global oil flows.

$11.3bn more than enough to fund EPA or National Cancer Institute, where administration sought to slash budgetsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US spent $11.3bn on just the first week of its military assault on Iran. This huge expenditure dwarves the annual budgets of many of the public health and scientific agencies the Trump administration has sought to cut, raising stark questions about the country’s priorities.In the six days that followed the US and Israel’s joint attack on Iran on 28 February, $11.3bn was spent on American taxpayer-funded bombs that hit the country and caused hundreds of deaths, the Pentagon has told lawmakers. This figure does not capture the full cost of the conflict, such as deployment of forces, and will now be far higher given the ongoing nature of the war. Continue reading...

Suspects accused of throwing explosive devices at rightwing anti-Islam protesters as tensions rise across USEarly on Monday afternoon, two teens in white plastic jumpsuits were escorted into a Manhattan federal courtroom. Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, who were shackled and handcuffed, quietly took their seats at the defense table.If not for the metal restraints and jail garb, Balat, 18, and Kayumi, 19, could have been any number of young men who carry themselves with an aura of discomfort about their place in America. Continue reading...

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days Continue reading...