Trump asks China if visit to Beijing can be delayed a month due to Iran war

US president had earlier hinted trip could be put on hold if President Xi does not help unblock the strait of Hormuz

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Trump has asked to delay his planned visit to Beijing by about a month due to the Iran war, after earlier hinting he might put the trip off if his prospective hosts do not help to unblock the strait of Hormuz.

The US president’s summit with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, was meant to take place at the end of March but Trump told reporters in the White House on Monday: “Because of the war I want to be here, I have to be here, I feel. And so we’ve requested that we delay it a month or so.”

Border Patrol's Gregory Bovino to retire from federal service, sources say

Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino​ was pulled away from a high-profile role leading immigration raids in major U.S. cities, including Minneapolis, earlier this year.

Trump says he thinks he will have the 'honor' of 'taking Cuba'

The president recently launched a war in Iran after topping Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by force.

Kennedy Center votes to shut down ahead of Trump-backed renovation project

The Kennedy Center's board of directors has voted to shut down operations for two years following this summer's July 4 celebrations.

Nvidia adds Hyundai, BYD and other automakers to self-driving tech business

AVs are important to Nvidia as self-driving cars remain one of the primary areas where the company can show growth outside of artificial intelligence.

Brentford’s European hopes take a hit as Arokodare caps Wolves’ comeback

When Igor Thiago, celebrating his first call-up to the Brazil squad and impending fatherhood, scored a fourth goal in four games, the second of their first-half stroll, Brentford were cruising to the shoulders of Chelsea and Liverpool. Instead, the club’s quest to reach European football for the first time in their history received a severe jolt.

Wolves have gone 330 days without an away win, to remain the last of the 92 league clubs to not break their duck but showed continued signs of life, of fighting to rescue pride from impending doom. When Tolu Arokodare’s goal levelled the scores at 2-2, Wolves were much the likelier to win, and the same player soon headed against the crossbar. Brentford might have been within a point of Chelsea, only to lose their mojo against the team who, despite relegation being a near certainty, refuse to accept their fate.

Trump requests delay of China trip because of Iran war

President Trump was planning to visit China at the end of March.

Inside the Rage Machine review – we’re all doomed, totally doomed

Whistleblowers who once worked at Meta and X (until the guilt got too much) reveal the truth about the companies that increasingly rule our free time – and it’s even worse than you may have feared. Prep those bunkers now

Sometimes it’s a real problem not being able to swear unreservedly in a national newspaper. I mean, I understand social convention and propriety ’n’ all that should be preserved and that, generally, as our parents and teachers told us, swearing is nothing but a sign of a poor vocabulary. But not always. Sometimes – and increasingly so, I think, as I look at the burning world around us – swearing might represent the mots justes. It might be the only fair response. Under certain circumstances, anything else begins to look like obfuscation – a veil being drawn over unpleasantness. We would be in a much better position if, to retool Mrs Patrick Campbell’s notes to George Bernard Shaw for this more brutal age, someone early on had told Trump, for example, to eff off, just once.

But rules is rules and so I must shape with care my response to Inside the Rage Machine, a documentary about how social media is run. The shortest, most honest, most accurate review I could provide would read: “We’re doomed. We’re all doomed,” before advising you to start prepping a bunker now – use your last moments before pulling the plug on the internet to order supplies or buy an isolated homestead in Montana, then gather a go bag and … just go, people. Go.

Weather threats bring blizzard conditions, early heat wave to different parts of U.S.

A severe weather front has dumped heavy snow on the Upper Midwest, caused thunderstorms in the South and threatens Mid-Atlantic states with rain and possible tornadoes.

Supreme Court to hear expedited arguments on protected status for migrants

The court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting some 6,000 Syrians and 350,000 Haitians who were granted Temporary Protected Status.

Ex-wife told 911 the synagogue attacker was "not stable" ahead of incident

A person believed to be the ex-wife of the suspect in the attack at Michigan's Temple Israel told authorities that the suspect was "not stable" ahead of the attack, according to a 911 call obtained by CBS News Detroit.

Supreme court to consider Trump push to end protection status for Haitians and Syrians

Conservative-majority court sided with administration before and lifted protections for 600,000 Venezuelans

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The supreme court will hear arguments over the Trump administration’s push to end legal protections for people fleeing war and natural disaster from countries around the world, including Haiti and Syria.

The justices refused to immediately lift the protections for hundreds of thousands of people Monday, allowing them to live and work in the US legally for now.

Tour veterans offer timely challenge to big two era of Sinner and Alcaraz | Tumaini Carayol

The most startling performances of recent months have involved revitalised tennis from Medvedev and Djokovic

In the uncertain early stages of his Indian Wells semi-final contest with Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev swiftly made his intentions clear. Having established a 3-1 lead, he chased down a trademark Alcaraz drop shot, then a lob, before slamming the door shut on the point by firing an ultra-flat inside-out backhand winner on to the edge of the line.

This was a statement point and it formed part of the most startling performance of the year so far. Few gave Medvedev a serious chance against Alcaraz, who had won their four previous meetings, conceding just one set. It took one of the best matches of Medvedev’s distinguished career to turn the tables on Alcaraz in only two sets.

Teenage girls sue Musk’s xAI, accusing Grok tool of creating child sexual abuse material

Lawuit details how sexualised AI-generated images were produced and distributed without girls’ knowledge

A group of three teenage girls, two of whom are minors, filed a lawsuit on Monday against Elon Musk’s xAI artificial intelligence company alleging that its Grok image generator used photos of them to produce and distribute child sexual abuse material. The class-action lawsuit is the first filed by minors following Grok’s rampant generation of nonconsensual nude images earlier this year.

“xAI chose to profit off the sexual predation of real people, including children, despite knowing full well the consequences of creating such a dangerous product,” Vanessa Baehr-Jones, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

Travelers face long lines at airports after TSA workers miss full paycheck

Travelers continue to face long lines at airports across the U.S. due to the partial government shutdown affecting TSA agents.

U.S. Soccer unveils new stars and stripes jerseys ahead of 2026 World Cup

The U.S. men's national soccer team is expected to debut the new uniforms later this month in Atlanta, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup starting in June.

Trump urges other nations to help open Strait of Hormuz

In remarks ahead of a meeting with the Kennedy Center board of trustees, Mr. Trump provided an update on the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Kennedy Center board votes to close for two years during renovations

Trustees approve Trump’s $257m ‘revitalization project’ to remake DC arts institution that president has taken over

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The Kennedy Center board of trustees unanimously voted on Monday in favor of a controversial plan to temporarily shutter the arts institution for renovations, rubber-stamping a $257m project initiated by Donald Trump to remake the arts institution in line with other grand plans for Washington.

In a statement, the center said it had voted for “a comprehensive revitalization project” lasting two years that would come after an Independence Day celebration in July, with “a grand re-opening to follow”.

Federal judge blocks RFK Jr’s overhaul of vaccine recommendations

Unprecedented changes to routine US immunization recommendations ‘arbitrary and capricious’, court says

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The appointment of a controversial slate of vaccine advisers by Robert F Kennedy Jr likely violated federal law, and all votes taken by the committee over the past year have been stayed, a federal judge ruled on Monday.

The advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) is not able to meet later this week, since its membership has been invalidated, the judge said. The meeting has been postponed, an HHS official said.

‘The Premier League is surprisingly lenient’: did Chelsea get off lightly?

Experts believe club would be lucky to escape with fine and suspended transfer ban but further penalties may follow

The Premier League’s judgment against Chelsea for breaking football’s rules – during an eight-year trophy spree under Roman Abramovich – concludes that the club engaged in “deception and concealment”.

The breaches, more than 30 of them, relate to at least £47m in off-book payments linked to landmark deals for star players, including Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic.

Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed first three guest hosts of UK Saturday Night Live

British version of the topical US comedy show will air live on Sky One and will be written in the week before broadcast

Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed have been named as the first three guest hosts of the UK spin-off of Saturday Night Live.

The first episode of the long-awaited British version of the US late-night comedy show will air live on Sky on 21 March.

Supreme Court to consider end to deportation protections for Syrians, Haitians

The Supreme Court said in an unsigned order it will hear arguments in late April on efforts to end temporary deportation protections for thousands of immigrants from Syria and Haiti.

How would escorting oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz work?

With oil markets paralyzed by the U.S.-Iran war, the Trump administration says it could escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz — a massive undertaking that experts say could already be in the preparatory stages.

"All the Empty Rooms" wins Oscar for memorializing kids killed in school shootings

The film follows CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman​ and photographer Lou Bopp through their seven-year journey to document the toll of America's school shooting epidemic.

Emma Raducanu suffers another setback as she withdraws from Miami Open

• Briton has post-viral symptons after February illness

• She is still without a permanent coach

Emma Raducanu has sustained another significant setback as she opted to withdraw from the Miami Open due to illness. Raducanu struggled with a virus throughout February, suffering poor opening-round losses in Doha and Dubai. She is said to still have post-viral symptoms.

Raducanu had been due to compete in Miami as the 24th seed and she received a first-round bye, meaning she would not have played until Thursday or Friday. However, the 23-year-old decided not to wait until the last minute before making a decision on her participation.

A new drug could be the beginning of the end for sleeping sickness

The goal in the world of global health is to bring an end to this scourge by 2030. A new drug looks as if it could do the job.

Cuba hit by island wide blackout as energy crisis deepens

On Monday Cuba was plunged into an island-wide blackout affecting 11 million people after a "complete disconnection" of its electrical system, officials said, amid a worsening fuel shortage.

Cuba’s electrical grid collapses amid US oil blockade

Ten million people left without power in latest of outages that sparked violent protest last weekend

Cuba’s national electric grid has collapsed, the country’s grid operator has said, leaving approximately 10 million people without power amid a US-imposed oil blockade that has crippled the island’s already obsolete generation system.

The grid operator, UNE, said on social media on Monday that it was investigating the causes of the blackout, the latest in a series of widespread outages that last for hours or days and that last weekend sparked a rare violent protest in the communist-run country.

EU calls for urgent reboot in talks with UK to stop reset deal failing

Time is running out to find agreement on areas such as tuition fees EU citizens would pay in Britain and rules for food safety

The EU is hoping to urgently reboot talks on the “reset” of relations with the UK as negotiations are in danger of foundering before a planned July summit.

At a public meeting of the EU-UK parliamentary partnership assembly in Brussels, the European Commission vice-president and trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, said both sides had to “change gears” now to ensure the deal got over the line.

Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles diagnosed with breast cancer

Wiles, 68, praised by president as ‘one of the strongest people I know’, to continue working while having treatment

Susie Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer but plans to continue working while undergoing treatment.

The 68-year-old revealed on Monday that the illness had been detected in the past week. Both she and Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone, saying doctors expect a strong recovery.

And the winner is ... all of us? How the Oscars have changed for the better

The diversified Academy and a mutating industry have changed what many had come to expect from the stuffy, rule-following Oscars

Last year, as the major fall film festivals took place around the world, it was hard to make out the sound of audience applause. It wasn’t an attendance issue or that booing was heard instead (that’s solely a Cannes response), it was that, for many, hands were too busy wringing to find time to clap.

The trifecta of Venice, Telluride and Toronto was once seen as an inescapable fixture on a film’s road to the Oscars. Best picture winners such as 12 Years a Slave, Spotlight, Birdman, Moonlight, The Shape of Water and Green Book all rose within that circuit and cemented their reception at festivals and world premieres and often felt judged for awards potential over quality. But over the past few years, as the Academy has changed and diversified its voting body and as the industry has changed in so many other ways, something has shifted. Winning films have come from Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and, most shockingly, no festival at all …

Guardiola says Manchester City need ‘perfect game’ to get past Real Madrid

• ‘We can create many chances in minutes’

• Rüdiger believes he can keep Haaland quiet

Pep Guardiola has admitted that Manchester City require a “perfect game” to overturn Real Madrid’s 3-0 lead in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.

Álvaro Arbeloa’s team are firm favourites to progress to the quarter-finals after their victory at the Bernabéu last week when Madrid’s captain, Federico Valverde, scored a first-half hat-trick.

European countries reject Trump’s call for help to reopen strait of Hormuz

Leaders seek a diplomatic solution despite US president’s threat of ‘a very bad future’ for Nato unless it provides warships

• Middle East crisis – live updates

European countries have ruled out sending warships to the strait of Hormuz, despite threats from Donald Trump that Nato faces “a very bad future” if members fail to help reopen the vital waterway.

Germany ruled out participation in any military activity, including efforts to reopen the strait. “There was never a joint decision on whether to intervene. That is why the question of how Germany might contribute militarily does not arise. We will not do so,” the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said.

‘Dangerously hot conditions’: millions in US west prepare for extreme heatwave

Heat warnings are in effect across region as record-high temperatures are forecast in California, Nevada and Arizona

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Millions of people in the western US are preparing for extreme heat as unprecedented temperatures are forecast across California, Nevada and Arizona.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a heat advisory for California’s Bay Area and central coast regions as temperatures are expected to reach up to 90F (32C).

Vaccine critics keep the pressure on, even as RFK Jr. shifts focus

Anti-vaccine activists rally supporters to try to keep the momentum going on changing federal vaccine policies. This comes even as the White House tries to tamp down attention to the unpopular issue ahead of the midterm elections, and a powerful federal advisory committee plans to meet to consider even more moves.

The Iran war is making it harder for Fed officials to cut interest rates

Some economists think the Fed, facing inflationary pressures from rising energy prices, may not cut interest rates at all this year.

Sri Lanka brings in four-day week to eke out stocks of oil and gas hit by Iran war

Effective closure of strait of Hormuz also affecting Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, which have brought in crisis measures

Sri Lanka is introducing a shorter four-day working week to preserve its shrinking fuel and gas reserves, as the Middle East conflict continues to severely disrupt energy supplies in the region.

Countries across south Asia are facing crippling shortages of fuel and LPG gas, which are used for everything from home cooking to cremating bodies, as most supplies have been held up in the Gulf since the US and Israel began bombing Iran.

Costco recalls meatloaf meal due to salmonella risk

Costco is recalling a meatloaf and potato meal kit because one of its ingredients may be contaminated with salmonella.

‘Worst experience’: Liam Livingstone criticises Key and McCullum regime

• ‘No one cares about you,’ says Lancashire all-rounder

• The 32-year-old alleges England group is too cliquey

Liam Livingstone has given a scathing account of his handling by the current England regime, claiming “no one cares about you”. The Lancashire all-rounder has exactly 100 caps for his country across all three formats but has not featured in more than a year and seems resigned to things staying that way.

In an interview with Cricinfo, the 32-year-old was highly critical of interactions with the director of cricket, Rob Key, and described his time at the Champions Trophy last year as “the worst experience I’ve had playing cricket” and said he did not miss being part of the recent T20 World Cup.

The Guardian view on Trump’s war with Iran: if the US is winning, why ask Nato for help? | Editorial

The US has overwhelming military power. Yet the battle has moved to oil routes, alliances and domestic politics – where Tehran is testing western unity

Donald Trump would like you to know that he is winning the war with Iran. So comprehensively, in fact, that he now needs Nato’s help. The western alliance, he warns, will have a “very bad” future if its members refuse. Germany’s defence minister had a brisk reply: this is not our war. Meanwhile, tankers pile up outside the strait of Hormuz as Britain promises, in an understated way, to keep “looking” at its options. Mr Trump has found out that starting a war without a coalition of the willing is easier than finishing one with it.

Along with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, the US president started with an illegal attack on Iran in which the country’s supreme leader was assassinated. American forces have established overwhelming military superiority. By hitting military targets but sparing key oil facilities on Kharg Island, Mr Trump is sending a blunt signal: the US can wreck Iran’s economy. It just hasn’t decided to – yet.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

The Guardian view on SUVs: London’s mayor is right to push back on supersize cars | Editorial

Huge vehicles are popular with drivers, but their wider impacts on road safety and the environment must be tackled

No one who walks, cycles or drives around London, or many of the world’s big cities, could fail to notice the vastly increased size of the typical car. A type of vehicle once associated with rural settings and outdoor lifestyles is now ubiquitous. Heavily marketed as sports utility vehicles (SUVs), supersize cars are among the key consumer trends of recent decades. In 2022, they accounted for 46% of global new car sales.

For manufacturers, these vehicles are big earners due to higher profit margins. For those inside them, they offer more space and a higher vantage point. But for those on the outside, SUVs have obvious downsides. The threat that they pose to pedestrians is one. Research shows that children are 77% more likely to die if struck by an SUV compared with other cars, due to their size and structure – particularly their raised bonnets. This finding was highlighted in an announcement from the London mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, that such risks are being scrutinised as part of a wider review into SUVs’ environmental impact. This evidence will provide the basis for policy proposals that are expected to include higher charges for owners.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Chiefs reportedly trade for Jets quarterback Fields with Mahomes’s return date uncertain

• Jets to receive sixth-round draft pick as part of deal

• Patrick Mahomes recovering from torn knee ligaments

The New York Jets have reportedly agreed to a trade that will send quarterback Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs as a backup for the injured Patrick Mahomes.

The Jets will receive a sixth-round draft pick in 2027 for Fields and pick up $7m of his guaranteed $10m salary for this upcoming season. The deal, first reported by ESPN, is pending a physical.

The 27-year-old signed a two-year, $40m deal – with $30m guaranteed – with New York last March and was the starter for most of the season until he was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor in Week 12. He didn’t play another game for the Jets, ending the season on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Fields went 2-7 as the Jets’ starter with seven touchdowns and only one interception for 1,259 yards. He threw for fewer than 55 yards in four games, including a season-low 27 in a loss to Buffalo in Week 2.

‘I just wish they’d let me feed my cats’: how council ban made one woman an animal welfare icon

When Collette Boler was ordered to stop feeding a colony of feral cats in Thurnscoe, other animal lovers stepped in

“Two ladies from York have just been in,” said Collette Boler at the till of her small cafe in Thurnscoe, near Barnsley. Her voice began to choke up.

“They came in with a box of chocolates and a card, a box of cat food, a bag of cat biscuits and just said ‘carry on doing what you’re doing, you’re absolutely fabulous’. And a man’s just given me a tenner for cat food. It’s been incredible.”

3/16: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," as the U.S. launches airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Margaret Brennan speaks to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Plus, President Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, joins.

Trump’s war is bringing economic calamity to the UK – and another shock to our politics | Gaby Hinsliff

Hard choices lie ahead for Downing Street if higher fuel prices spark resentment and trigger a renewed cost of living crisis

Seventy years ago this winter, the streets of Britain fell eerily quiet. After one last panic buying spree, many garages shut, and traffic even in the heart of London dwindled away. The formal introduction of petrol rationing had begun, limiting drivers to 200 miles’ worth a month – with exceptions for farmers, doctors and vicars – after the Suez crisis blocked fuel supplies from the Gulf.

Ancient history now, of course – or it would be if it weren’t for what looks increasingly like the US’s own version of Suez: a great power starting a war it seemingly doesn’t know how to finish, against an enemy it woefully underestimated. If the strait of Hormuz – the vital shipping lane now rendered unsafe for shipping by Iranian drones and mines – cannot soon be reopened, then Britain could be only weeks away from needing to ration fuel, the former BP executive (and government adviser) Nick Butler warned on Monday morning.

Trump’s threats to Nato reveal glaring absence of any strategy on Iran

White House seems to have failed to anticipate that Tehran would fight back by trying to impose costs on the west

• Middle East crisis – live updates

If there was a moment when the absence of a US strategy on Iran was exposed, then this was it. Donald Trump demanded on Saturday that the UK, China, France, Japan and others participate in a naval escort for oil tankers through the strait of Hormuz.

Despite launching the attack on Iran, with Israel, the White House does not seem to have fully anticipated what was likely to follow. Iran had few good military options for fighting back, but attacking US bases, US allies and merchant shipping in the Gulf was the most obvious response – to try to impose costs on the west.

French political parties seek alliances before final round of local elections

Candidates look for deals with rivals to boost chances as major seats including Paris, Marseille and Lyon appear tight

Political parties in France are hastily attempting to negotiate strategic alliances before the final round of local elections this weekend, after a strong showing by the far right and the radical left.

This Sunday’s final-round vote for mayors and local councillors in major cities including Marseille, Lyon and Paris is expected to be close.

Gasoline prices are still rising as the Iran war stretches into its third week

U.S. gasoline prices are up nearly 80 cents from a month ago, while diesel prices have shot up even more. Diesel is now just under $5 a gallon, according to AAA, up $1.34 from last month.

Ben Jennings on Donald Trump’s plea for European support for his war on Iran – cartoon

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NFL, Paramount discussing media deal that could mean CBS pays an extra $1 billion or more

The NFL is discussing getting rid of its 2029-30 opt-out clause in exchange for an increase on TV rights that could push CBS to pay more than $3 billion a year.

Face the Nation: Graham, Dingell, Moore

Missed the second half of the show? The latest on the Trump administration's foreign policy on Iran and the impact of tariffs on the U.S. economy

Violence against Asian communities in the US spiked after Covid. What happened to the movement to stop it?

Five years after the deadly Atlanta spa shootings sparked protests and policy changes, Stop Asian Hate is at a crossroads in Trump’s second term

Five years ago, a gunman went on a shooting rampage at three Atlanta-area spas, killing eight people, six of whom were Asian women. The brazen attacks on 16 March 2021 sent shock waves through Asian communities already under siege from a surge in violence during the pandemic.

The shooting – following a spate of attacks targeting Asian seniors – sparked protests, mutual aid organizing and sweeping policy changes. For a moment, Stop Asian Hate looked poised to become the social justice movement of the 2020s.

BBC asks US court to throw out Trump’s $10bn lawsuit and avoid ‘chilling effect’

Corporation’s lawyers argue expensive but ‘groundless’ litigation restricts ability to cover public figures

The BBC has asked a US court to throw out Donald Trump’s $10bn (£7.5bn) lawsuit over the way a documentary edited one of his speeches, warning that proceeding with the case would have a “chilling effect” on its reporting on the president.

In papers filed to the Florida court dealing with the case, the BBC’s US lawyers claimed Trump’s reputation had not been damaged by the documentary, given it aired in the UK a week before his re-election.

With gas prices still rising, experts recommend 3 ways to save fuel

Small adjustments, like maintaining a steady speed while driving, can help maximize fuel efficiency, experts say.

Omission impossible: why the Oscars can never get their In Memoriam tribute right

Why did Brigitte Bardot, Farrah Fawcett and James Van Der Beek not warrant a mention when Michael Jackson did? The history of the Oscars tribute snubs says a lot about why some stars are gone but not forgotten

The Oscars in memoriam segment is a firmly lodged Academy tradition – albeit one that is not as longstanding as you might think, having only been introduced in 1994. Almost as established a tradition is that of the outcry following a major film industry figure being omitted from the segment. This year seemed particularly notable in that regard, with Brigitte Bardot, TV stars James Van Der Beek and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and the celebrated Bollywood actor Dharmendra among those left out, to varying levels of outrage on social media.

Critics of these omissions will usually imply they are down to forgetfulness or neglect on the part of the Academy. Such claims, though, overlook the fact that the in memoriam process is a painstaking one, adjudicated on by a committee tasked with whittling a longlist of hundreds down to a final list of around 30. As Bruce Davis, former executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences told the LA Times in 2010, the process “gets close to agonising by the end. You are dropping people who the public know. It’s just not comfortable.”

The Taylor Swift effect: US vinyl sales top $1bn for the first time since 1983

Swift leads with 1.6m vinyl sales of The Life of a Showgirl in 2025 while Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar round out the LP charts

For the first time in over four decades, US vinyl sales have topped $1bn in annual revenue.

Vinyl purchases reached $1.04bn in 2025, per a new report by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) published on 16 March. It marks the 19th consecutive year of growth for the format that was once considered a niche interest.

Are fuel price increases making you cut back? We would like to hear from you

Perhaps you are limiting car journeys or reducing the amount of cooking you do. Tell us

The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global shipping routes and caused a surge in global oil market prices.

The strait of Hormuz, one of the most important waterways in the world, through which about a fifth of international oil supplies usually travel, has been all but closed since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Could Trump blow up Nato over Iran war? – The Latest

Donald Trump is pressuring European allies to protect the strait of Hormuz, warning that Nato faces a ‘very bad’ future if members fail to offer assistance.

The strait of Hormuz is one of the most important shipping routes in the world. A fifth of international oil supplies pass through the waterway, which has been disrupted since the start of the war.

Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen – watch on YouTube

Hyundai stops sales of some 2026 models after a child's death

Hyundai's announcement came after a child died in an incident involving a Palisade vehicle, which the car maker said is still under investigation.

Belgian PM condemned over call to repair relations with Russia to ease energy costs

Even Belgium’s foreign minister says Bart De Wever’s suggestion would give Putin ‘exactly what he wants’

Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, has been criticised for calling for the normalisation of relations with Russia to re-establish cheap energy supplies.

The Flemish nationalist leader’s judgment was questioned in Belgium and beyond after he said on Saturday that the EU needed to make a deal with Russia. “We are losing on all fronts, we must end the conflict in Europe’s interest,” he told the Belgian newspaper L’Echo.

Selfies, sniffer dogs and superstition – Peter Bradshaw’s big night out at the Oscars!

KPop Demon Hunters fans screamed with glee, Adrien Brody grossed out the audience and Timothée Chalamet broke all the rules. The Guardian’s film critic on a gobsmackingly glamorous ceremony

• Key takeaways from Oscars 2026: horror wins, tech loses and politics is hard to ignore

These were the Oscars for a life during wartime. President Trump’s still-to-be-explained attack on Iran meant warnings of a possible retaliatory drone attack from Tehran on the target-rich environment of downtown Los Angeles. The glittering Dolby Theatre was reportedly in the crosshairs.

It didn’t happen. But this was a ceremony aware of the distant politics of threat, and the politics of a nation that is rich enough to afford war and peace at the same time.

Strangers help 78-year-old DoorDash driver after viral doorbell video

A Ring camera video that showed a 78-year-old DoorDash driver making a delivery led to strangers donating nearly $1 million to him and his wife.

One no-show after another: Sean Penn joins an exclusive band of Oscar-winning refuseniks

The One Battle After Another star’s failure to collect his best supporting actor award – because he was visiting Ukraine – only serves to burnish his reputation

Last night’s Oscars might have been superficially modern (K-pop! Female cinematographers winning things! Jokes about YouTube interstitial advertising!), but there was one slightly charming old throwback: Sean Penn wasn’t there to collect his best supporting actor award.

Sure, this sort of thing happens all the time in other awards shows – you can barely get through a single Baftas without an A-lister revealing that they didn’t fancy braving the London winter – but not the Oscars. The Oscars are meant to represent the pinnacle of professional achievement. It’s your one chance to look all of your peers in the eye as one in the knowledge that you are better than the lot of them. Who’d turn down an opportunity that irresistible?

Realtime pollution alerts needed on Windermere, campaigners say after boy nearly dies

Exclusive: Claire Earley’s son Rex spent six weeks in hospital after contracting E coli from contaminated lake

Realtime pollution alerts are needed across Windermere urgently, campaigners have said, as the mother of a seven-year-old boy who kayaked on the lake described how he nearly died after contracting a dangerous strain of E coli from contaminated water.

Claire Earley’s son Rex spent six weeks in hospital, and underwent two emergency operations, after a family kayaking trip on Windermere last August.

John Oliver on JD Vance: ‘He’s become the archetype of the hyper-online conservative troll’

The late-night host dug deep into JD Vance’s political shift into a rightwing troll second in line to the US presidency

On the latest Last Week Tonight, John Oliver took a deep dive on JD Vance, the former Hillbilly Elegy memoirist turned US senator from Ohio and Donald Trump’s second-term vice-president. “I know to some, Vance might appear to be just another abrasive Maga asshole with a load-bearing beard,” Oliver duly noted. “But to many on the right, he’s a towering intellect.”

Tucker Carlson once called him “the smartest and deepest [senator] I’ve ever met”, which is “kind of like Ryan Lochte calling Cookie Monster his go-to guy for investment advice”, said Oliver. “I don’t trust any of the individuals involved on any of the subjects involved.”

Office hookworms: how to deal with colleagues who steal all the credit

They roam the workplace, promoting themselves loudly and incessantly – while undermining everyone else

Name: Office hookworms.

Age: A recent term for a very old complaint.

Durbin and Raskin call for perjury investigation into DHS' Kristi Noem

Ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified before Congress earlier this month.

Iran’s Hormuz blockade is its most powerful card against Trump and Israel. It won’t back down easily | Jack Watling

By imposing massive costs on the global economy, the Iranian government hopes to cause the US to back down

The US and Israeli decision to attack Iran has sent economic shockwaves around the world. About 20% of global oil supplies have been effectively blocked from transiting the strait of Hormuz since Iran began attacking ships, resulting in a huge jump in oil prices. Militarily, while the United States has the firepower to significantly reduce Iran’s capacity to strike ships in the strait, it is unlikely to be able to eliminate the threat entirely.

Reopening the strait, therefore, is not only a question of military capabilities but of diplomacy, and to negotiate it is necessary to understand what each party to the conflict is trying to achieve.

Nebius jumps 14% after company inks $27 billion infrastructure deal with Meta

Meta is planning capital expenditure of up to $135 billion related to AI this year.

Who won Oscars for 2026? See the full winners list here

"One Battle After Another" took home several big awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and the newly created Best Casting.

Team USA won the second-most medals at these Paralympics. See the standout moments

A mix of decorated veterans and rising stars won 24 medals for Team USA, 13 of them gold. The last one arrived Sunday, when the U.S. sled hockey team beat Canada to win its fifth straight gold medal.

Late winter blizzard slams upper Midwest while possible tornado tears through South

A late winter blizzard swept across the upper Midwest, bringing 20 inches of snow and winds up to 40 mph to parts of the region. Meanwhile, the same weather system hit southern Tennessee with a possible tornado. Ian Lee reports.

‘We kicked Bono’s arse’: how we made Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again (with a little help from Kraftwerk)

‘Kerry’s spoken verse needed 39 takes spread over several months because she’d had her tonsils out’

People never believe me that Kraftwerk created Atomic Kitten. In 1996, my band OMD released Walking on the Milky Way, which I thought was one of the best songs I’d ever written. But in the age of Britpop, we were perceived as an 80s synthpop band, past our sell-by date. Radio 2 wouldn’t play the song and Woolworths wouldn’t stock it. I thought: “I’m functioning with one arm tied behind my back.” So my friend Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk said: “Why don’t you create a girl band as a vehicle for your songs?”

How should a woman dress in her 50s? Gwyneth Paltrow just changed the game

The red carpet raises all kinds of questions. What is the age range of a feather boa? Sequins: mutton or lamb? In the face of the carping and scrutiny, Paltrow has issued a bold sartorial retort

The 50s are an awkward decade for women on the red carpet. So, the Oscars, being the ultimate red carpet, are like a dramatisation of the awks, a silent movie told in One Dress After Another. It’s complicated by the convention that “over 50” and “in her 50s” are the same category for Hollywood, the existence of a greater age being so anathema to the condition of womanhood that it’s more tactful not to mention it. Sigourney Weaver (76) is an “Oscars over 50”, as is Goldie Hawn (80).

The case of Hawn was particularly confusing this year. When she was pictured alongside her daughter, Kate Hudson (46), they became the same age, it being semantically easier to pretend that “nearly-50 to 100” is a continuous phase of woman than to brook the idea of an age beyond “middle”.

Gas prices edge higher with Brent crude remaining above $100 per barrel

Gas prices have jumped almost 79 cents per gallon from a month ago, raising fresh inflation concerns.

Norway ‘climbs out of shadow’ of neighbours with first Oscar win for Sentimental Value

Recognition for Scandi film-making has long focused on Sweden and Denmark but critics say Norwegian film is entering a new era

Sentimental Value’s victory at the Oscars on Sunday has been hailed in Norway as the moment the country stepped out of the film industry shadow cast by its Scandinavian neighbours Sweden and Denmark.

Joachim Trier’s film became the first ever Norwegian feature to win an Academy Award when it was named best international film at the ceremony in Los Angeles.

Bessent says Treasury is not intervening in oil commodities markets and has no authority to do so

Bessent addressed rumors that the Treasury Department or some other arm of government might step in to try to lower oil prices.

UK will not be drawn into wider war in Middle East, says Keir Starmer

PM says he wants quick end to conflict as he announces help for households with surging cost of heating oil

• UK politics live – latest updates

The UK will not be drawn into the wider war in the Middle East, Keir Starmer has said, as concerns mount over US demands for the British military to be involved in keeping shipping lanes open.

He told a Downing Street press conference he was “looking through the options” after Donald Trump called for allies to send warships to the strait of Hormuz to help unblock global oil supplies from the region.

‘They become part of people’s identity’: how Australia fell in love with the Skywhales

Patricia Piccinini’s bulbous creation first took flight in 2013, and was joined by a partner in 2021. They have inspired tattoos, crafts and wedding vows – and they are coming to a region near you

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All around Australia, Patricia Piccinini has been approached by people who are rolling up a sleeve, tugging at a trouser leg, or even lifting their T-shirt. They’re revealing their tattoos of the Skywhales, hot air balloon creatures Piccinini dreamed up more than a decade ago when imagining what whales might look like if they’d evolved to live in the air.

My rookie era: After my panic attacks, woodworking became the one good thing I could count on

Limb-severing machinery and loud noises awaited my frayed nerves – yet the workshop became my safe space

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I had my first panic attack on New Year’s Day 2022. In the months that followed I experienced more of these episodes and increasingly craved serenity. Woodworking emerged in my mind as a place I might get some reprieve from the new psychological maze I was stumbling through after a traumatic event changed how I experienced the world.

The call of the timber was undeniable. I landed on the Victorian Woodworkers Association in North Melbourne for its price, emphasis on craft and the pedigree of its tutors. Here I was able to take an open class that let me make whatever I wanted from day one.

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‘We did Disneyland on mind-altering substances’: Primus frontman Les Claypool on being rock’s great joker – and why Metallica rejected him

After going platinum in the 90s and writing the South Park theme, bassist extraordinaire Claypool discusses the AI-themed concept album he’s made with Sean Ono Lennon

When Les Claypool wrote his first song for Primus in 1984, he faced a crisis of self-confidence. “I was too embarrassed to sing in my apartment,” he says on a video call. “But my roommate at the time was dating the preacher’s daughter, and had keys to the church across the street.” In the dead of night, the madcap bassist and singer took his recording equipment to the empty church, set up on the podium, and first sang his anti-war song Too Many Puppies, which recast soldiers as little dogs: “Too many puppies are being shot in the dark!”

It was the first oddball creation of many: Primus’s rubbery fusions of prog, metal and funk have made Claypool one of rock’s most unlikely success stories. Albums such as 1991’s Sailing the Seas of Cheese are cartoon lands filled with colourful misfits, largely drawn from Claypool’s upbringing in blue-collar California, and given voices inspired by Mel Blanc’s work for Looney Tunes. Today, Claypool has two platinum records, a legacy of influencing giants such as Deftones, and a global cult fanbase including Rush and Tom Waits. But his wackiness, along with his having written the South Park theme and popularised the fan catchphrase “Primus sucks”, has made it hard to peel off the label of class-clown. “There’s an iron hand in that velvet glove,” he promises.

Delight across Ireland at Jessie Buckley’s ‘historic’ best actress Oscar win

Politicians express joy and pride and thousands of Buckley masks reportedly being printed for St Patrick’s Day

• Oscars 2026 winners: the full list

Jessie Buckley’s Oscar win has uncorked delight across Ireland and prompted an early start to St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Politicians, artists and commentators expressed joy and pride after waking up on Monday to images of the Kerry actor clutching the statuette for best actress in Los Angeles.

Democrats blast FCC Chair Carr's broadcast license threats as anti-First Amendment, 'totalitarian'

Carr on Saturday blasted broadcasters shortly after President Donald Trump called reports that Iran struck five U.S. tanker planes "fake news." 

Chart shows what you're paying for when you buy a gallon of gas

U.S. gas prices are surging as the Iran war drives up the global cost of oil. But what exactly accounts for what you pay at the pump?

Night prayers and a satirical sculpture: photos of the day – Monday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Why the United Arab Emirates is a target for Iran's aggression

Iran is looking to test a state that has positioned itself as the Gulf's safest bridge between East and West — and the future of the region.

Fàbregas outwits Gasperini to take controversial Como a step closer to Champions League | Nicky Bandini

The club by the lake are far from universally popular but the Como manager’s clever tactics brought a key win over Roma

For once the TV cameras at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia had not picked out a Hollywood A-lister in the stands, but a celebrity of calcio instead. Gennaro Gattuso, the Italy manager, as well as a World Cup and Champions League winner, had come to watch Como play Roma.

A crucial game in the race for Europe, the teams having started the weekend level in fourth place. And still a slightly surprising one for Gattuso to pick. Not because it lacked the history and traditional importance of Lazio’s game against Milan later that evening, but because Como do not have any Italian players for him to watch.

A petri dish of human brain cells is currently playing Doom. Should we be worried?

Scientists in the US have uploaded a fruit fly to a computer simulation, while an Australian lab has taught neurons on a glass chip to play a 90s video game. How long before we are all living in a sci-fi movie?

It sounds like the opening of a sci-fi film, but US scientists recently uploaded a copy of the brain of a living fly into a simulation. In San Francisco, biotechnology company Eon Systems created a virtual insect that knew how to walk, fly, groom and feed in its virtual environment. Researchers in Australia, meanwhile, have taught a petri dish containing 200,000 human brain cells to play the iconic 90s shooter Doom. One experiment has pushed a brain into a computer; the other has plugged a computer into brain cells.

Both stories have been hailed as scientific breakthroughs, but have also sparked inevitable fears about the prospects of lab-grown humans and digital clones. Should we be concerned?

Britons should strive to pay minimum tax legally possible, says Richard Tice

Reform UK’s deputy leader comments came as he was responding to questions raised about his own tax affairs

• UK politics live – latest updates

All Britons should do their best to pay the minimum tax possible, Reform UK’s deputy leader has argued as he dismissed a newspaper investigation over his own tax affairs as a smear.

Richard Tice, who was presenting a press conference on Monday about Reform’s claims to have saved large sums of money in the English councils it runs, faced questions about a Sunday Times story, which detailed a scheme the paper said had helped him avoid nearly £600,000 in corporation tax.

‘Evil’ paedophile jailed for 24 years after abuse of five children at Bristol nursery

Judge describes Nathan Bennett as ‘incorrigible and dangerous’ over string of offences including rape

A “dangerous paedophile” who sexually abused five children in his care at a nursery in Bristol has been jailed for 24 years.

Judge Hart described Nathan Bennett as “evil” and said that he had thought seriously about imposing a life sentence because it was difficult to assess whether he would ever not be a risk to children.

Discovery of 1949 whale recording could unlock mysteries of ocean

The song is that of a humpback whale and was recorded by scientists in March 1949 in Bermuda, researchers said.

Don’t Be Prey review – invigorating tale of swimming banker aiming to avoid being shark food

Mark Sowerby battles bad feelings by tackling brutal channel crossings – the Oceans Seven – around the world

The title of this invigorating documentary about open-water swimming seems at first to be a wry note-to-self regarding something competitors essentially have no control over: the possibility of becoming shark food. But, as practised by Australian waterman Mark Sowerby, it turns out to a surprisingly deep and empowering maxim about choosing to accept apprehensions and fears, and not being picked off by one’s inner vulnerabilities.

Sowerby is that oft-spotted species: the investment banker seeking redemption. Adrift among the 1%, he pivots to long-distance swimming and makes a traumatic crossing of the English Channel in 2015. Then his company becomes chum for short-sellers. His self-esteem in tatters, depression swallows him up. Realising he can process the trauma with intensive pool time, Sowerby decides that completing the other six stages of the “Oceans Seven” – a set of brutal channel crossings around the globe – is the tonic he needs.

Oldest-known whale song recording provides new insight into ocean sounds

Recording of humpback whale from 1949 could also provide new understanding of how the huge animals communicate

A haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it is the oldest such recording known.

The song is that of a humpback whale, a marine giant beloved by whale watchers for its docile nature and spectacular leaps from the water, and was recorded by scientists in March 1949 in Bermuda, said researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Oil prices are falling — gas prices aren't. Here's why.

Even if oil prices ease, they won't return to the levels they were at before the war started, according to Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy.

‘How can I do better?’: Michael B Jordan’s Oscar win for Sinners is a deserved reward for an outstanding actor

From The Wire to Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, the Academy award winner has amassed a body of work that straddles commercial and critical success
• Oscar winners 2026: the full list
• Sinners’ Oscar triumphs show that Black cinema is now a vital and valid part of Hollywood

Michael B Jordan’s best actor Oscar places him in an exclusive club. Only five black actors have won the award before. He now sits on a list that includes Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier, the first black winner for Lilies of the Field in 1964.

But less than a month ago, it seemed unlikely. Jordan’s success at the Actors awards was the first serious hint that he could beat Timothée Chalamet, who had won at the Golden Globes and was the frontrunner for much of the awards campaign. But Chalamet, who made a few missteps on the campaign trail, was up against one of the most well-loved actors operating in Hollywood. Jordan is someone who at only 39 years old has managed to amass a body of work that straddles commercial and critical success.

‘Like a DVD in the present tense’: are we ready for film distribution via USB drives?

As big tech continues to dominate the film industry, Video StoreAge is a uniquely crafted company that works with film-makers to sell independent films on USB drives

The streaming-skeptical cinephile faces a dilemma in 2026, especially when it comes to watching movies at home. Increasingly, movies are available via rentals that funnel money to mega-corporations including Amazon or Apple; digital “purchases” from those same companies that can actually be revoked at any moment; or, most enticingly but still somewhat inconveniently, well-curated physical media special editions that treat films with the respect they deserve (sometimes even respect they don’t, depending on the title) while taking up a lot of shelf space and hitting your wallet hard. Plus, as vinyl aficionados know, bespoke physical media can also be severely limited in terms of where you can actually play it. Basically, almost everyone in the home-video space is trying to either be Amazon or the Criterion Collection.

Ash Cook, the former Sundance programmer who founded the new distributor Video StoreAge (pronounced like “storage”), is trying to figure out a third way. He described Video StoreAge’s products – indie movies sold on USB drives – as “like a DVD in the present tense. It’s a way to have a physical copy of a movie, but in this case you can play it on your computer. It has digital utility.” Like almost anything else these days, Video StoreAge is available as a subscription, with quarterly collections of five features and five shorts. The first drop includes Vera Drew’s buzzed-about The People’s Joker, a homemade superhero comedy that reappropriates many elements of the Batman mythos into a trans coming-out story. (Honestly, it’s more fun than those Joaquin Phoenix movies and might understand the Joker character better, too.) But they also sell single films, including Drew’s, or any combinations of available films as a sort of digital indie-movie mix tape on those format-flexible USB drives. (The quarter’s shorts package is included with every movie regardless, an automatic special feature.)

Trump signals possible delay to Beijing summit as U.S. pressures China to help reopen Strait of Hormuz

The remarks came as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng in Paris, paving the way for the summit scheduled for late March.

‘We cannot replace USAID, but we can do big things’: conservation plots a future without American money

The Trump administration’s cuts to biodiversity funding have imperiled species, habitats and the people who defend both. Now the world is seeking a new way forward

On 22 January 2024, at the inauguration of the current Liberian president, Joseph Boakai, the US-based Liberian poet Patricia Jabbeh Wesley paid tribute to the west African nation’s tropical forests – one of the places where, she said, “our fathers came / centuries ago, and planted our umbilical cords / deep in the soil”.

The forests of Liberia are among the most diverse on the planet, home not only to humans and their ancestral ties but also to rare species such as forest elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses and western chimpanzees. They are also chronically threatened by industrial development, including illegal logging and mining.

Better than Wuthering Heights? The Brontës’ novels – ranked!

As Emerald Fennell’s film sparks debate, we celebrate the pioneering brilliance of the siblings’ work

This was the first novel that Charlotte Brontë completed. It was rejected by publishers nine times. Written in the voice of a male narrator, William Crimsworth, it offers a downbeat story of everyday middle-class striving as the protagonist travels to Brussels to establish his career as a teacher. But the last publisher to see it thought it showed promise, despite being too short and insufficiently “striking and exciting”. Had the author anything else to offer? Luckily, Jane Eyre – which amply supplied the earlier book’s deficiencies – was already in train and was soon accepted with alacrity. Although The Professor remained unpublished in Charlotte’s lifetime, she continued to believe that it was “as good as I can write”; its subtly ironised male voice reveals her underlying literary sophistication.

Crossword editor’s desk: the joy of The Goodies and a setter deviates from the letter of house-style law

The comedian Graeme Garden celebrated and a look at misdirecting geographic capitals

Sometimes our puzzles have themes; sometimes they don’t. A solver might notice some of the themes while others may pass them by: it doesn’t usually matter, but there’s an extra gratification when we get feedback such as this letter:

Thanks to Soup for the splendid birthday compliment to Graeme Garden (Cryptic crossword, 18 February). It brought back joyous memories of The Goodies, and reminded me of how many years I’ve been hooting with laughter at I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. Many happy returns, Graeme – and all power to your setting, Soup.
Julie Mottershead
Deal, Kent

4d Tense aquatic bird crushed by snake somewhere in South Africa (8)
[ wordplay: T (‘tense’) + SWAN (‘aquatic bird’), both inside BOA (‘snake’)
[ definition: somewhere in South Africa ]