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Iran’s parliamentary speaker decries US president’s ‘reckless moves’ after expletive-ridden threat; Israeli PM says Trump ‘expressed his appreciation for Israel’s help’Trump warns Iran to reopen strait of Hormuz by Tuesday or face ‘hell’‘Unhinged madman’: US politicians react to Trump Iran threatElsewhere in the United Arab Emirates, falling debris from an intercepted attack injured a person in an industrial area of Abu Dhabi, UAE authorities said.Debris fell on the Raneen Systems company in the

Some of the best under-the-radar attractions across the Channel include steampunk wonders in Calais and the largest collection of impressionist works outside ParisYou don’t need to venture too far into France to find its wow factor. Indeed, within minutes of exiting the ferry or Channel Tunnel, you can be staring a fire-breathing dragon in the face. The Dragon de Calais is a 25-metre-long mechanical beast that stomps along the renovated sea front carrying 48 passengers on its back (adult ticket

Figures suggest if £500,000 limit set for Great Britain 30 years ago was adjusted for inflation the maximum would be more than £1mA 30-year freeze on compensation for victims of crime should be lifted, campaigners have said, adding that the maximum of £500,000 is insufficient to plan for a lifetime.The current highest rate, set in April 1996 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), is paid to victims of crime in England, Scotland and Wales who have suffered severe life-changing in

Ignorance and arrogance were his drivers. The idea that the regime plays by different rules, with its own goals, never occurred to himFive weeks. We are now five weeks in and entering the sixth week of the war on Iran. What was supposed to be a “precise, overwhelming military campaign” to eliminate “an imminent nuclear threat” and urge the Iranian people to “take over” their government is now anything but precise or overwhelming. Gulf countries are seized up with retaliatory Iranian attacks, the

Astronauts on Nasa’s Orion capsule made transition about 39,000 miles from the moon, meaning they feel its gravitational pull more strongly than that of the EarthThe four astronauts on Nasa’s Artemis II mission have entered the moon’s “sphere of influence”, where its gravity has a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth’s.The crew made the transition, four days, six hours and two minutes into the mission, when about 39,000 miles (62,800km) from the moon, and 232,000 miles (373,400km) away fro

As a 600-page doorstopper celebrates their groundbreaking costumes, gigs, sleeves and videos, the duo talk about ‘side-stepping the pop-star thing’ – and the naked trampolinist EMI had to censorIn 1988, when he was 20, Wolfgang Tillmans tore an A0 poster off a building site hoarding and nailed it to a wall in his flat in Hamburg. It was advertising Pet Shop Boys’ new album, Introspective, and consisted of thick vertical bars in different colours. “It was just so cool in the context of the time,”

Artem Khrebet emerged victorious from what organisers say was world-first competitive bout between double amputeesFootwork decides a boxing match, they say. In Ukraine, the tired cliche took on a new meaning.On Saturday, two Ukrainian war veterans faced off on prosthetic legs in what organisers called the world’s first competitive bout between double-amputee fighters.Top: Artem Khrebet (left) and Mykhailo Drobotenko (right), both war veterans, during the weigh-in ceremony Continue reading...

The heroine of Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s knew war and poverty, riches and fame, love and betrayal – yet claimed to have lived a ‘terribly boring’ life. Sean Hepburn Ferrer paints a very different picture in his new biographyGrowing up, Sean Hepburn Ferrer says he never felt like the son of a movie star – but he very much is. His mother was Audrey Hepburn, one of the biggest names in the golden age of Hollywood, an Oscar-winner, a screen star and a fashion icon. Hundreds of million

Our world feels chaotic, confusing and unfair, but puzzles offer clear rules, solvable problems and reward for effort expendedMaybe you’ve noticed it too. Everyone seems to have become fixated on puzzle games. In the morning, over coffee, I play Word Wheel on the Guardian app. Over lunch, colleagues compare notes on Tradle, the game where you guess a country from its exports. Which place exports about 45% fish and 50% crustaceans? Greenland. Another friend can’t fall asleep without her nightly S

I suffered with my mystery illness for decades before gaining a diagnosis. Could retraining my brain be the answer?By Hermione Hoby. Read by Alby Baldwin Continue reading...

Union says new entitlements, part of Employment Rights Act 2025, will help lower-income householdsUp to 9.6 million UK workers are to benefit from the changes to sick pay rules, according to unions. They say the policy has widespread support from voters despite pushback from some businesses.From Monday, about 8.4 million workers who rely on statutory sick pay – the minimum amount employers must pay – will be paid from the first day of becoming ill rather than from day four, according to an analy

Salvage crews work to avoid oil spill after Fiji Princess cruise ship grounded off Monuriki Island on SaturdaySalvage crews in Fiji are working to prevent an oil spill after a cruise ship ran aground off the island on which the 2000 Tom Hanks film Cast Away was filmed.The Blue Lagoon Cruises vessel Fiji Princess grounded at a reef near the uninhabited Monuriki Island on Saturday, according to Fiji’s maritime rescue agency. Continue reading...

Perhaps my work is still about my healing – remembering the sacred fragility, the passing nature, the end date in sightAs a celebrant, I start my weddings and funerals with the same words: “Everyone, we are about to get started, so can you please make sure your phones are off or on silent.”I introduce myself, express my great privilege in sharing this moment with the people gathered and always make sure I have tissues on hand. Wedding dresses don’t have pockets and you’d be surprised how many pe

Club in FA Cup last four after shootout win at West Ham‘I feel humble. You can see how much it means to them’Daniel Farke promised that Leeds fans will take over London after their side secured an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea thanks to a breathless win against West Ham on penalties.Leeds appeared to be cruising to an easy victory at the London ­Stadium, only for West Ham to force extra time by fighting back from 2-0 down with stoppage-time goals from Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi. Contin

For his centenary special, the naturalist stays close to home – who could blame him? – and reveals a magical world teeming with cutenessHe’s nearly 100 years old and has spent more than half that time showing us the entire Earth, so it feels fair enough that David Attenborough has scaled back and stayed at home for this centenary year’s bundle of natural history wonders. There he is, in the sunshine in the middle of England, ambling past a shed. “Across the British Isles, there are magical place

Healthy crowds, a five-way title race and some stunning action give NRL executives plenty to be encouraged bySuper League’s possible takeover by the NRL could gather pace in the coming weeks as executives head to the UK for talks to thrash out a deal. Had the NRL’s chief executive, Andrew Abdo, or anyone associated with the game in Australia watched watched the last few days, they would have been mightily impressed with matters both on and off the field.The overriding mood in recent months as sp

Incident prompts political scrutiny across Hungary as Viktor Orbán trails in polls before next Sunday’s electionSerbia has said it found “explosives of devastating power” near a pipeline that carries Russian natural gas to Hungary and beyond, sparking claims by Hungary’s leading opposition candidate of a possible “false flag” operation aimed at influencing the country’s elections.On Sunday, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said he had been informed by Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić,

PM also criticises business figures and opponents of changes, many of which come into force on MondayWorkers, pensioners and children: all better off. Ignore the critics – we really are standing up for working peopleKeir Starmer has used a series of new workers rights that come into force on Monday to attack the Green party, saying a vote for Labour’s rivals puts such progress on sick pay, parental leave and zero-hours contracts at risk.The prime minister also took a swipe at business figures an

Day-one rights to statutory sick pay and paternity leave begin on Monday, and that fits the pattern. From my own life, I know people’s anxieties, and I will respondStarmer attacks Greens, saying vote for Labour rivals puts new workers’ rights at riskThis week 27 years ago, a Labour government introduced the minimum wage. At the time, the voices of the status quo lined up against it, but Labour made a choice: to stand up for working people. My government is doing the same.On Monday, the biggest s

Readers respond to a piece by Priti Ubhayakar about people mispronouncing her namePriti Ubhayakar’s article resonated with me because of my non-English surname (A moment that changed me: for the first time in my life, a stranger pronounced my name correctly, 1 April). I grew up in the 1950s on a very English council estate. Most other kids were a Brown, Smith, Jones, etc, but I was an Uszkurat. My lineage is complex on my dad’s side, with a Lithuanian grandfather whose original name was changed