Naturalist says he has been ‘overwhelmed by greetings’ as milestone is marked with event at Royal Albert Hall David Attenborough said he had been “completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings” for his centenary on Friday and thanked wellwishers “most sincerely”. The naturalist said he had hoped to celebrate his 100th birthday quietly. Instead, the milestone will be marked with a live event at the Royal Albert Hall broadcast on BBC One, featuring music from his programmes as well as stories and reflections from public figures and leading advocates for the natural world. In a recorded audio message shared on Thursday night, Attenborough said: “I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas. Continue reading...

Jeremiah Manele toppled after months of political upheaval in the nation seen as one of China’s closest partners in the Pacific Solomon Islands prime minister Jeremiah Manele lost power in a no-confidence vote in the South Pacific country’s parliament, ending months of political uncertainty. Parliament was adjourned to allow the governor general to make arrangements for the election of a new prime minister. Continue reading...

A game to suit departing Stones, West Ham’s Pablo under scrutiny against Arsenal and Maddison can rouse Spurs Liverpool have eased one self-inflicted headache by listening to their fans and scrapping plans to raise some ticket prices for the next three seasons. Anfield’s attention can now focus squarely on eradicating another as Arne Slot’s side seek to salvage a desperately poor season with Champions League qualification. Liverpool will secure a top-five finish should they beat Chelsea and Bournemouth fail to win at Fulham. Slot could not have hand-picked a better opponent to potentially complete the job than the shambles that is this Chelsea team, even taking into account his frontline injury-list. The visitors are a collection of individual egos who turn up when they feel like it, which is Wembley and the FA Cup on current evidence. Chelsea have lost seven successive league games only once in their history – from November to December 1952 – but could equal that unwanted record with defeat at Anfield. They have lost their last two away matches by a three-goal margin, conceded at least three times in four of their last five league games, and it would surprise no one if they decide to save themselves for the FA Cup final. Andy Hunter Liverpool v Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST) Brighton v Wolves, Saturday 3pm Fulham v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm Sunderland v Manchester United, Saturday 3pm Continue reading...

Criminals are manipulating pictures found on school websites and social media to create sexually explicit images UK schools should remove pictures of pupils’ faces from their websites and social media accounts because blackmailers are using them to create sexually explicit images, experts have said. Child safety experts and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) warn that criminals are using AI to manipulate photos of children and then demand cash not to publish them. Continue reading...

The first results in England are expected between midnight and 2am BST; Scottish and Welsh parliament results are due from midday 2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votes Bethan McKernan is the Guardian’s Wales correspondent This week the Welsh parliament will grow from 60 to 96 members under a new, more proportional electoral system. Labour is expected to lose control of the Senedd for the first time since devolution in 1999, with Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth expected to become the new first minister, putting Welsh independence firmly on the agenda. Continue reading...

From devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales to councils and mayoralties in England, find out what happened in your area. The first results are expected at around midnight Continue reading...

Argentinian kept his head as tempers raged around him, and from the penalty spot, to lead dominant Villa towards Istanbul showdown with Freiburg Ollie Watkins running over to the Holte End screaming, fists pumping and head bandaged, will become an iconic image in this part of Birmingham but it was all thanks to the calmness of Emiliano Buendía’s quick feet and even quicker mind to create it. The Argentinian was the one able to keep his cool on a night of aggression and full-blooded football. It was quintessentially English in this all-domestic Europa League semi-final, in a ground that has hosted Aston Villa since 1897, there was even royalty in the stands. The first quarter felt like a Premier League game on steroids, all thumping noise, tackles, aggression, set pieces, flags and the putrid smell of smoke. The eventual outcome would be down to which side could maintain composure in a fiery atmosphere, and Villa had the benefit of Buendía’s ice-cold mind. Continue reading...

US star is still on rebel tour but the desired focus on teams is not something that is catching on with supporters Moments before Bryson DeChambeau teed off to open LIV Golf’s first American tournament of the year, at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, the public address announcer bellowed “Long! LIV! Golf!” to try and electrify a modest crowd by the first tee. The irony wasn’t lost on the devoted group who skirted work and school to enjoy a sunny afternoon just 40 miles outside Washington DC: this was the first tournament since the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund confirmed it would no longer fund the outfit that it once imagined as the world’s premier collection of professional golfers. Before that news was finalized, the league postponed a tournament scheduled to take place in New Orleans at the end of June. Continue reading...

The Victoria Wood theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere Marking 10 years since the late comic’s death, this affectionate show blends her songs with a time-slip tale of friendship, regret and middle age This Lake District venue was called the Old Laundry theatre before it was recently renamed in homage to Victoria Wood. The late performer, writer and lyricist would surely have loved that former title: she made an art out of portraying female domesticity and the foibles of ordinary people with humour and compassion. Marking a decade since Wood’s death, this new production interweaves 12 of her songs with a story about two women, disappointed in middle age, who meet in a diet club. Wood so often pilloried the weight-loss industry and this setup seems designed to showcase her song Don’t Get Cocky, about diet culture. Peggy (Sally Ann Triplett) and Lou (Ria Jones) reminisce over their school friendship and speak ruefully of the disappointments that followed in their lives. Then Peggy finds herself waking up in the past, aged 14 again. She decides to make better choices this time around. Continue reading...

Trump also issues new deadline for EU to implement trade deal terms before raising tariffs to ‘much higher levels’ The US trade court on Thursday ruled against Donald Trump’s latest 10% global tariffs, finding across-the-board tariffs were not justified under a 1970s trade law. The US Court of International Trade ruled in favor of small businesses that challenged the tariffs, which took effect on 24 February. The ruling was 2-1, with one judge saying it was premature to grant victory to the small business plaintiffs. Continue reading...

Bill Foley’s Cannae Holdings Inc expected to complete deal Billionaire Foley to provide ‘significant’ investment Exeter’s members have voted in favour of selling the club to the American owners of AFC Bournemouth. Cannae Holdings Inc, part of billionaire Bill Foley’s investment empire which also includes the Black Knight Sports and Entertainment group, is now set to take full control of the Chiefs and provide “significant” multi-million-pound funding Exeter, who rose from lower-league anonymity to claim a European and domestic title double in 2020, have previously been a members-owned club since their foundation in 1871. At a special general meeting, however, members voted by a comfortable majority to approve the club’s sale with long-time chairman Tony Rowe having negotiated a landmark deal with the new US backers. Continue reading...

In the end, it was a rout, Aston Villa sailing into their first major European final since 1982. There were fist pumps from Prince William high in the Trinity Road Stand after Emiliano Buendía’s penalty approaching the hour put Villa in command of the tie and then pure delirium as John McGinn buried two near-identical first-time finishes inside five minutes to kill the game. In between serenading Unai Emery, who is hunting a record fifth Europa League title, and drinking in the celebrations, Villa supporters could think about booking flights to Istanbul, where Villa will face Freiburg in search of their first trophy since lifting the League Cup in 1996. For Nottingham Forest, probably safe in the Premier League, defeat extinguished Evangelos Marinakis’s hopes of silverware and represented a hard stop to their 10-game unbeaten run. Continue reading...

As the song that has accompanied them on their maiden European adventure promised all along, Crystal Palace are on their way to Leipzig. Sixteen years after rescuing the club he supported as a child from administration, Steve Parish watched on from the stands with pride as Oliver Glasner’s side held off a spirited challenge from Shakhtar Donestsk to book a showdown with Rayo Vallecano in eastern Germany on 27 May. The Austrian manager may be set to leave Palace after what will be the 60th game of a marathon season but whatever happens after this, he will always have a special place in the club’s history. Reports from Spain in the hours before kick-off suggested that Andoni Iraola – Palace’s preferred candidate to succeed Glasner – could yet be persuaded to take over at Selhurst Park next season despite having plenty of other suitors. Continue reading...

Results of elections for councils in England, the Senedd in Wales and the Scottish parliament could transform Great Britain’s political landscape Polls have closed across England, Scotland and Wales for local, mayoral and parliamentary elections, with the first results to be announced within hours. More than 30 million people across Britain were given the opportunity to vote on Thursday in what is widely seen as the biggest test for Keir Starmer since the 2024 general election. Results across three nations could fundamentally change the political landscape and could have repercussions for the prime minister. Continue reading...

With transport set to be Australia’s top-emitting sector by 2030, officials have recognised the need to invest At Penrith, a suburb on Sydney’s rural fringe 50km (30 miles) west of the central business district, you can catch a train to the city every four to eight minutes during the morning peak, and roughly every 10 to 15 minutes during off-peak hours before midnight. On an express service, it takes 52 minutes to Sydney’s Central station, comparable to the journey by car, without factoring in the morning traffic on a tolled motorway. Continue reading...

This novel told in vignettes and poetic fragments follows a woman who discovers that choice does not always equate to agency Goodbye, My Love begins with a departure. Amina is leaving her childish, controlling husband, believing this will be the start of a new life; a new self. But of course, these things are seldom so simple. Within the first few pages of Yumna Kassab’s sixth book, it becomes clear that much of Amina’s life has been led by the expectations of the people around her. The name we know her by is not really hers; Amina is actually an echo of her husband’s name, Amin, who once “declared they should change their names so they matched … so she agreed, ever so agreeable”. Even after their divorce, we continue to know her by his moniker. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Goodbye, My Love by Yumna Kassab is out now in Australia (Ultimo, $34.99) Continue reading...

Individual seen in bushes was confronted on Thursday Echoes of Marcelo Bielsa’s 2019 ‘spygate’ affair Middlesbrough believe they caught a Southampton analyst hiding in the bushes and allegedly recording their training session on Thursday morning, in a remarkable repeat of the 2019 Marcelo Bielsa “spygate” affair. Boro are understood to have reported the incident to the English Football League given spying on opposition training is in breach of their regulations. Continue reading...

Spokesperson for Welsh singer shared further update on her health after she was rushed to hospital in Faro, Portugal Bonnie Tyler has been placed into an induced coma to aid her recovery after emergency intestinal surgery, a spokesperson for the singer has said. It was revealed on Wednesday that the 74-year-old had been rushed to a hospital near her home in Faro, Portugal, for the procedure, and was recuperating. Continue reading...

Valverde accused Frenchman of leaking earlier argument Real play Barcelona on Sunday with title on the line Real Madrid’s Fede Valverde was taken to hospital to have stitches after a second confrontation with teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni in two days, as the club’s collapse into chaos continues. Players held an an emergency meeting and Real have opened disciplinary proceedings after a punch was thrown, blood was spilled and Valverde was taken for treatment, initially in a wheelchair. It is the latest episode in a catalogue of problems at the club; they will almost certainly end a second successive season without a trophy, Álvaro Arbeloa will not continue as coach, and the dressing room divide widens by the day. Real travel to Barcelona for the clásico on Sunday. Continue reading...

Wada looking into allegations relating to Rusada chief IOC recommends lifting of ban on Belarusians competing Russia’s return to international sport has been delayed following allegations that its head of anti-doping was involved in covering up drug test results at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. While the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday that athletes from Belarus should now be free to compete under their own flag and anthem, it admitted it still had “concern” over Russia. Continue reading...

Weeks before her death, Annabel Rook, 46, from Stoke Newington, left her sister a voice message about Clifton George’s abusive behaviour The co-founder of a social enterprise who was fatally stabbed by her partner said he was “on the warpath” shortly before she died, in a voice message that was played during a murder trial. Clifton George, 45, is accused of murdering 46-year-old Annabel Rook during an argument at their home in north London last June. Continue reading...

Appliance giant slashes earnings forecast and hikes prices by 10% with another 4% spike planned With the war in Iran and economic concerns putting pressure on consumers and how they spend their money, Whirlpool is having to adjust to Americans delaying big-ticket purchases while also raising prices to help stabilize its North American business. The company known for brands such as KitchenAid, Maytag and its namesake, said that the Iran war led to a “recession-level industry decline” in America as consumer confidence collapsed in late February and March. Revenue dropped nearly 10% in the quarter as sales of major appliances in North America declined more than 7%. Continue reading...

There will still be a need to have gas in the wings to keep the lights on, so the financials stack up on Severn plant purchase The eye-catching non-Hormuz news in energy-land last month was that Great Britain is set for a record-breaking summer for wind and solar power generation. The national energy system operator even thought there could be periods – a sunny weekend or a bank holiday afternoon of low demand, for example – when more renewable power would be available than the electricity grid needed. So, on the face of it, it is an odd moment for Centrica, the owner of British Gas, to fork out £370m to buy a 16-year-old combined-cycle gas turbine plant in south Wales. After all, the government’s clean power plan imagines that, come 2030, Great Britain’s entire fleet of gas plants will be used to generate only 5% of its electricity, down from 31.5% in 2025. Continue reading...

Sir David Attenborough has released an audio message thanking the public for the flood of goodwill messages sent in the run-up to his 100th birthday. The veteran broadcaster said he had expected to celebrate quietly, but expressed gratitude for the well-wishes he had received. Attenborough, who was born on 8 May 1926, joined the BBC in 1952 and went on to become one of the world's most respected and influential wildlife presenters Tiny parasitic wasp named after David Attenborough for his 100th birthday Continue reading...

Prosecution says Rico Gedel attacked Ian Watkins in HMP Wakefield then handed homemade knife to Samuel Dodsworth A prisoner accused of murdering the disgraced former Lostprophets singer told guards they “could be talking to someone famous” after stabbing Ian Watkins in the head and neck with a homemade knife, a court has heard. Rico Gedel carried out the attack on Watkins, who was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences, in his cell at HMP Wakefield, a high-security prison, on 11 October, Leeds crown court heard. Continue reading...