British officials pushed for White House meeting to be held privately fearing repeat of scenes when Trump berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of world’s press US politics live – latest updates King Charles will be spared the potential humiliation of being upbraided in public by Donald Trump this week after the White House agreed that any meeting between the two men should be held off camera. British officials have pushed for the Oval Office meeting between the monarch and the US president to be held off camera for fear of a repeat of the scenes when Trump berated the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in front of the world’s press. Continue reading...

As Britons threaten to oust their fifth PM in seven years, maybe voters need to ask themselves whether it’s only the politicians who are to blame At what point, as you consider the prime minister’s shortcomings more in sorrow than in anger, as you size up likely successors and try to wonder, idly, whose wallpaper we’re on in Downing Street, do you start to think that you, the electorate, are the problem? If Keir Starmer falls on his sword, we’ll be on to our sixth prime minister in seven years. “The first five guys were just the wrong five guys” starts to sound like the kind of thing Liza Minnelli would say, called upon to account for a life of torch songs. It’s the kind of thing Italy would say. Doesn’t there come a point in every electorate’s life that it has to splash some cold water on its face? I think this is more or less where the grownups are landing, on the question of our present turmoil. Starmer is reportedly readying his MPs to vote down any prospective sleaze inquiry, which should be pretty straightforward, given the size of his majority. Finally, the guy discovers what his landslide is for: preventing a parliamentary process identical to the one he himself used to bring the last guy down. Sorry, the last guy but two. Seriously, people, if we reject all this, we make ourselves ungovernable, consign ourselves to the civic equivalent of a life on the shelf, always questing after some fresh bureaucrats, only to tear them apart when things get ugly. Continue reading...

There’s no point searching for a saviour without a genuine change in direction. Real courage is necessary – because Labour still has time to fix what is broken If not Keir Starmer, then who? That’s altogether the wrong question. What matters is not who but what comes next. A black cloud of near terminal despair has fallen upon Labour MPs, but seeking a saviour is a useless endeavour until they decide what it is they want to do. The party is facing a cataclysm in next week’s local elections. MPs will watch their councillors, the backbone of their local parties, vanish. Can they avoid panic? In their slough of despond they need to stop and think. Look at it this way: they have three full years ahead with a vast working majority of 165. They have the power to do everything the country most needs. Sunk so low in the polls, they have nothing to lose and nothing to fear (but fear itself). This chance may never come their way again, and they will regret it for ever if they throw it away, vainly chasing lost popularity through overcaution, trying to appease everyone while pleasing no one. By starting again unconstrained they can regain some lost respect. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Guardian Newsroom: Can Labour come back from the brink? On Thursday 30 April, join Gaby Hinsliff, Zoe Williams, Polly Toynbee and Rafael Behr as they discuss how much of a threat Labour faces from the Green party and Reform UK – and whether Keir Starmer can survive as leader. Book tickets here or at guardian.live Continue reading...

The singer’s company filed three applications on Friday after Matthew McConaughey launched similar strategy Taylor Swift has filed applications to trademark her voice and image in a move seemingly designed to protect against AI misuse. On 24 April, Swift’s company TAS Rights Management filed three trademark applications, Variety reports. Two of these are sound trademarks which cover Swift saying the phrases “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift” and “Hey, it’s Taylor.” Continue reading...

China sold goods worth about $148bn to EU in first quarter of year, but imported just $65bn The EU is experiencing a prolonged “China shock” as a flood of Chinese EVs into Europe helped push Beijing to a record surplus with the bloc. New data showed China’s trade surplus – where its exports to the EU exceeded imports from the bloc – was $83bn (£61bn) in the first three months of 2026. Continue reading...

Deal comes five years after Shell sold its North American shale business and is its biggest acquisition for a decade Shell has agreed to buy Canadian shale producer ARC Resources for $16.4bn, five years after Europe’s biggest gas and oil producer sold its North American shale business. The deal, which includes $13.6bn in cash and shares and taking on ARC’s $2.8bn debt, would be Shell’s biggest acquisition since it bought BG Group a decade ago. Continue reading...

There is no wrong way to journal, say experts, and putting pen to paper can help with mental health and clarify thoughts and feelings Humans have been jotting down their feelings and experiences for millennia. The earliest example of a diary is over 4,500 years old, written on papyrus by a mid-level official who helped in constructing the Great Pyramid of Giza. Since then, other noteworthy diarists have included Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf, Albert Einstein, Audre Lorde and also me. (One guess as to which of those intellectual powerhouses recently journaled about getting a tummy ache after eating too many Swedish Fish.) Continue reading...

The solution to today’s puzzle Earlier today I asked you this slippery question. Here it is again with the solution. Snakes in a cage Continue reading...

‘A giant of Spain and Europe’, the Seville side haven’t been this low this late since 1999-2000. That year, they went down. It’s very possible again “Sometimes football is a real bastard,” Luis García said. Seven days earlier Sevilla’s coach had warned that every game was going to be “total suffering, a heart attack”, appealing for his players to have personality even as he admitted that he too had “crapped myself alive” when the opposition attacked, fear invading every thought, terrified that the hope might have been taken from them. A week later, it was, in a way that was as unthinkable as it was somehow inevitable, with a goal that left Sevilla in their darkest place for a quarter of a century. A goal that came from a throw in the 99th minute. Or the 300,000th minute, García claimed. Nine minutes had been added at Osasuna’s El Sadar Stadium, 19 seconds of which were left and, having led 1-0 until the 80th minute, Sevilla were now clinging to a draw. A point wasn’t much but was something when Osasuna took it. García’s exhausted players didn’t react and over by the bench the manager spun on his heel and threw his hands in the air, anger and anxiety rising inside. By the time García turned back, Osasuna’s Moi Gómez had crossed, unimpeded, and on 98.46 Alejandro Catena headed the winner. Osasuna’s coach, Alessio Lisci, went leaping up the line, with safety secured and Europe a genuine possibility; Sevilla’s crossed it, García marching on to the pitch, every step a stomp, ready to grab someone, anyone. Continue reading...

Sarah Mullally hails Leo for addressing the ‘many injustices in our world’ after private meeting with pope in Rome The archbishop of Canterbury praised Pope Leo on Monday for speaking “powerfully about the many injustices” in the world, in an apparent reference to the pontiff becoming more outspoken in recent weeks, particularly in his criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Sarah Mullally, who in March became the first woman to lead the Anglican church, arrived in Rome on Saturday for a visit aimed at reinforcing relations with the Vatican. Mullally had a private meeting with Leo, the first US-born leader of the Catholic church, at the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s official residence. Continue reading...

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Top aide says SNP leader will seek approval to press for independence even if he fails to win majority on 7 May John Swinney will call a vote seeking independence powers on the first day of the next Scottish parliament even if he fails to win an overall majority, his aides have said. The Scottish National Party leader’s senior adviser indicated that if necessary, he would rely on support from the pro-independence Scottish Greens to win that vote in order to demand the UK government gives Holyrood the legal powers to hold a second referendum. Continue reading...

Mystery of who the child known as Baby Auckland was and how he died has not been solved A baby boy whose skeletal remains were found wrapped in a 1910 newspaper and with twine around his neck has, finally, been laid to rest. The child has become known as Baby Auckland after he was found at a property in the centre of Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Continue reading...

Sources say staff have been asked to pack up final stock and equipment after waves of closures Jewellery chain Claire’s is closing its final UK stores on Tuesday, cutting about 1,000 jobs months after falling into administration. Sources said staff at Claire’s, which collapsed in January, had been asked to pack up the final stock and equipment with the remaining outlets to formally close on Tuesday after successive waves of closures in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Readers respond to the continuing saga around the appointment of the former US ambassador Regarding Gaby Hinsliff’s article (Two men made mistakes over Mandelson – only one has lost his job. That should haunt Starmer, 24 April), most would concur that the prime minister has the most important job in the country. It is also one of the most demanding jobs, if it is to be done well. So would it not be better to help Keir Starmer instead of trying to hound him out of office for an error made in December 2024 that has been corrected? Would it not be better to support him in the job we elected him to do instead of him having to spend time and energy defending himself against his implacable adversaries? Would that not be preferable to replacing him with someone chosen by a small contingent of the elected party? Can we not learn from the chaos caused by the last government in switching prime ministers? Michael Goodhart Grantchester, Cambridge Continue reading...

Andrew Watson and Phil Williamson respond to an article by George Monbiot about the weakening of a crucial Atlantic system George Monbiot (A catastrophic climate event is upon us. Here is why you’ve heard so little about it, 23 April) notes that, according to a recent paper, some scientists believe that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc) is more likely than not to “collapse”, implying a complete cessation. This is important because the Amoc brings substantial warmth to western Europe. In fact, the authors of the paper project an increased chance that the Amoc weakens by 50% by the end of the century under continued fossil-fuel emissions. Concerning as that is, they are projecting a slowdown, not a collapse. The outcome is not certain and with sustained efforts to reduce emissions there is still time to avoid the worst outcome. Continue reading...

Peter Mandelson’s walkies | Farage and Trump | EV charger issues | Bard brutality | Pay your taxes I was interested to read that Peter Mandelson was seen going to the park to walk his dog “like a weekending solicitor on his way to an egg and spoon race” (Walking the dog and braving the paps, 25 April). Are there other professions known for their love of children’s games? Maybe a retired GP going to play musical chairs, or a pair of award-winning architects en route to a three-legged race? Lesley Warner Ilford, London • Re Graham Head’s point about Nigel Farage (Letters, 23 April), if the job of the US ambassador is to be an obsequious boot-licker at the court of King Donald, Farage was eminently qualified. If he’d been appointed, he wouldn’t be where he is now. And we wouldn’t be where we are now either. James Wilkinson Shrewsbury, Shropshire Continue reading...

Poverty is far more pressing for many people, writes Lynsey Hanley. Plus letters from Martin Pitt and Michael Bulley Reading Alexander Hurst’s column on the frictionless experience of life promised – or threatened – by AI algorithms, I was struck by how little I recognised the picture he painted of daily experience being stripped of the friction necessary to furnish it with meaning (To be human is to live with friction. That’s something AI boosters will never understand, 23 April). Rather, isn’t it the case that, bar the mega-rich, we’re all suffering from an excess of friction due to rising living costs, an avoidably dilapidated public realm, poor housing and innumerable related stresses? I belong to a volunteer group that twice a week cooks hot meals for homeless and destitute people in central Liverpool. The hot meal they collect from us may be the only relief they get that day from the constant, grinding analogue hassles of invisibility, illness, disrespect and material poverty: the only recognition they receive that a degree of comfort is a prerequisite for survival. The specific depredations of AI, created and encouraged by men without souls, seem so distant in these cases as to be nonexistent. Continue reading...

Scot wins 13-12 at the Crucible after dramatic clash Victory books Higgins’ place in the quarter-finals Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid for a record-breaking eighth Crucible title was shattered in Sheffield as John Higgins capped a remarkable comeback with a 13-12 win to move into the World Snooker Championship quarter-finals. O’Sullivan twice led by five frames but lost six frames on the bounce across the final two sessions, and Higgins fired three centuries on Monday before holding his nerve to get over the line in the decider and seal one of his most famous wins. Continue reading...

The Guinness World Record for the world's longest tiramisu has been broken in London after chefs assembled a 440.6-metre portion of the coffee and sponge dessert. A hundred Italian chefs gathered at Chelsea town hall at the weekend to whip up the tiramisu, which dwarfed the previous record set in Milan, at 273.5 metres. As per Guinness World Record rules, the tiramisu was made live on site and assembled over five hours to form a single cake. Portions will be sold to raise money for charity Continue reading...

Pa is a cheeky and playful person. He taught me how to joke, negotiate, heckle. His warmth is his immeasurable wealth My grandfather, who I have always called Pa, is dying. He grew up working class in the north of England and went on to have a spectacular career, life and family. Many of my friends have inherited tens of thousands of dollars when their grandparents have passed, often tied up in big suburban houses. This is part of the new phenomenon of intergenerational wealth. Rather than the “bank of mum and dad”, the “bank of grandma and grandpa” is how many young couples are now getting into housing. But many of the same friends seldom saw their grandparents or felt they couldn’t fully be themselves in front of them. And the spectacle of inheritance feels meaningless alongside real connection. Continue reading...

After recent seasons with a defined bottom three, a handful of nervous clubs are aiming to beat the drop to the Championship Sign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletter It was a good weekend for Nottingham Forest, although perhaps not as good as it looked like it might be on Friday night. That evening, when they handed Sunderland their record defeat at the Stadium of Light, winning 5-0, Forest must have been expecting to pull away from at least one of their relegation rivals. As it turned out, though, they ended the weekend where they began, five points clear of third-bottom Tottenham and three clear of West Ham with four games remaining after both the London strugglers also won. It was a classic Saturday afternoon in the relegation battle, the sort that is rare these days with games so spread out over a weekend. But Tottenham’s match at Wolves and West Ham against Everton kicked off at the same time, which meant that Tomáš Souček’s goal for the Hammers six minutes after half-time not only prompted celebration at the London Stadium but also anxiety among the Spurs fans who had travelled to Molineux. Then João Palhinha put Tottenham ahead with eight minutes remaining and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall levelled for Everton with two minutes to go. Had it stayed like that, Tottenham would have been out of the relegation zone on goal difference. But Callum Wilson scored for West Ham two minutes into injury-time, lifting them back above Spurs and within three points of Forest. Continue reading...

World No 1 under pressure before 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-2 victory Winner will face Hailey Baptiste in next round World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka overcame Naomi Osaka 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-2 in a gripping battle on Monday to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals. Sabalenka, who has claimed titles at Miami, Indian Wells and Brisbane this year, was tested by her Japanese opponent in the fourth-round clash but came back from a set down and a break down to triumph. Continue reading...

Equally inspired by childbirth manuals, Georgia O’Keeffe and her own hormones, pregnancy and motherhood, Hollowell paints beautiful anatomical abstractions. She opens up about her cosmic birth and out-of-body experience ‘It’s magical,” says Loie Hollowell. “It’s such good timing!” The artist, speaking via Zoom from her studio in Queens, New York, is referring to the Artemis II moon mission. Little did she know, when she named her latest painting series Overview Effect, after the term used by astronauts to describe the experience of seeing Earth from space and the profound feelings of awe and interconnectedness it provokes, that she’d be coinciding with this space odyssey. But she is not surprised anyone would want to leave Earth for a while. “We’re having so many problems here,” she says. Overview Effect, currently at London’s Pace Gallery, features large-scale canvases combining twin concave and convex sculpted circles. If you folded the canvasses in half vertically, the halves would fit perfectly together. The works, which radiate outwards in rings of glorious colour that are both vibrant and soothing, are a continuation of earlier works focusing on pregnancy and birth through abstraction. Her Split Orb paintings and Dilation Stage series of pastel drawings responded to the difficult birth of her son in a New York hospital. Overview Effect is a result of her daughter’s easier arrival: a “cosmic” home birth that she found far more empowering. Continue reading...

‘Signed, sealed, delivered,’ says promoter Eddie Hearn Joshua takes on Prenga in Riyadh warm-up in July Anthony Joshua is to face Tyson Fury later this year after promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed a deal to stage the biggest fight in British boxing history has been signed. Joshua will face Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on 25 July as a warm-up for his long-awaited showdown with Fury, which is expected to take place in November and be shown on Netflix. Continue reading...