Middle East crisis live: UN chief calls for Israel-Lebanon ceasefire to be ‘fully’ respected as it comes into effect

António Guterres welcomes truce and says through spokesperson he hopes halt in fighting will ‘pave the way for negotiations’

The US president, Donald Trump, has posted a short statement on Truth Social about the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

“May have been a historic day for Lebanon. Good things are happening!!!” Trump wrote, signing off as “President DJT”.

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has come into effect, pausing fighting in a devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,100 Lebanese people and displaced more than 2.1 million. The agreement was announced earlier by Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, and invited both leaders “for meaningful talks” at the White House. Both leaders welcomed the agreement. But how long the ceasefire will hold is the key question, as both Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken. Here’s our report.

Netanyahu called it a “historic” opportunity for peace, though he refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting. “We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” he said, due to the “danger of an invasion” and to prevent fire into Israel. “That is where we are, and we are not leaving.” The Israeli prime minister maintained that his key demand was dismantling Hezbollah. He has previously declared his intention to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River – about 30km from the border – while Lebanon demands the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and for displaced residents to be able to return to their homes.

Border wars, rising costs or a marital reprieve: why are Thai men racing to enlist in the Army?

Nearly 50,000 men volunteered to enlist this year, according to the Royal Thai Army, a 22% increase compared with 2025

“Bored of your wife? This April, come and enlist in the military,” says a recent online post from the Thai military, ditching its traditional, stuffy tone for online memes ahead of the recent annual draft season.

It is not known how effective the campaign has been, but nearly 50,000 men volunteered to enlist this year, according to the Royal Thai Army, a 22% increase compared with 2025. This marks a continuation of a trend seen over the past five years in Thailand, and is a marked contrast to countries such as Japan, which are struggling to enlist military personnel.

U.S. intelligence detects signs China is weighing giving Iran advance radar systems

The technology would enhance Iran's ability to detect and track incoming threats, like low-flying drones and cruise missiles.

ICE agent charged with assault by Minnesota prosecutors, arrest warrant issued

Minnesota state prosecutors continue to investigation the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Prince Harry and Meghan meet with survivors of Bondi terror attack

Duke and Duchess of Sussex also met with emergency workers and Sydney Jewish Museum representatives on final day of Australia trip

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Prince Harry and Meghan have met survivors of the Bondi beach terror attack as they wind up their Australian tour.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are wrapping up their trip on Friday, making the most of the autumn sun with a Sydney Harbour boat ride alongside Invictus Australia representatives, before attending a Super Rugby Pacific match.

D4vd arrested on suspicion of killing teen girl whose body was found in his Tesla

Musician, born David Anthony Burke, arrested in Los Angeles over the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who went missing in 2024

R&B singer D4vd has been arrested in connection with the killing of a teenage girl whose severely decomposed body was found in his Tesla, Los Angeles police said on Thursday.

The 21-year-old musician, who was born David Anthony Burke, is being held without bail, according to city authorities.

Singer D4vd is arrested months after a teen's remains were found in his car

The 21-year-old Houston-born singer, whose real name is David Burke, had been under a secret investigation by an LA County grand jury after a 14-year-old girl's decomposed body was found in his car.

Acting ICE director Todd Lyons will step down at the end of May, says DHS

Lyons, who led agency since March 2025, to resign after turbulent year carrying out Trump’s immigration agenda

Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent year carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.

Lyons, who has been leading the agency since March 2025, will resign at the end of May and move to the private sector, Markwayne ​Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, said in a statement on Thursday.

Proof review – Ayo Edebiri struggles but Kara Young soars in Broadway revival

Booth Theatre, New York

The Bear star and Don Cheadle are lost in a new take on David Auburn’s family drama but a standout performance from the two-time Tony winner does some heavy lifting

If one was a theater student in the early 2000s, there is a good chance one encountered David Auburn’s Pulitzer-winning play, Proof, a work of tidy structure, elegant rhyme and, not for nothing, commercial appeal. (For theater, anyway.) Auburn carefully calibrates the funny with the sad, balances credible realism with fugues of understated poetry. It was once described to me as a perfect play, in the formal sense, a template from which any budding playwright could draw inspiration should they want to write something smart but accessible, and endlessly producible. There’s even a grabby cliffhanger at the end of act one.

The sturdiness of Auburn’s construction can, it turns out, stand up to a lot. Evidence of that comes in the form of the director Thomas Kail’s new Broadway production, the first such revival in the play’s history and one that seriously tries its integrity. That the house is still standing at the end is a mighty testament to Auburn’s ingenious (and ingeniously simple) design.

ICE head Todd Lyons planning to leave agency this spring

Todd Lyons, the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is planning to leave the federal government later this spring.

Iran footballers granted asylum in Australia vow to continue chasing sporting dream

• Former Iranian women’s team players ‘overwhelmed’ by support

• Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh have trained with Brisbane Roar

The two members of the Iran football team who remained in Australia after the Women’s Asian Cup are beginning their new lives away from the spotlight, even if their dream is to return to elite football.

Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh issued a statement on Friday saying they “respectfully ask” for “privacy and space”.

Trump says war in Iran is going 'swimmingly' and 'should be ending pretty soon'

President Donald Trump's latest prediction on the end of the war against Iran came hours after Israel announced a ceasefire with Lebanon.

4/16: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Ceasefire begins between Israel and Lebanon; U.S. blockade of Iranian ports continues for a fourth day.

Artemis II crew on historic moon mission and what it means for Earth

"We are carrying back everything we learned, not only about where we went but ourselves," mission specialist Christina Koch told "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil.

Zohran Mamdani still making money from fleeting rap career, filings show

New York mayor, ‘C-list rapper’ who went by Mr Cardamon and Young Cardamon, collected $1,643 in royalties last year

The New York mayor Zohran Mamdani is still making money from his short-lived career as a multilingual rapper, tax filings show.

But the 34-year-old Democrat’s meteoric rise as a celebrity politician has brought only a modest increase in hip-hop profits: he took home $1,643 in music royalties last year, up only slightly from $1,267 in 2024, according to the filings.

Griefdogg by Michael Winkler review – a cryptic, beguiling tale about a man who turns into a dog

Winkler’s latest novel is ambitious, compelling and bleakly comic; it scratches a metaphysical itch you didn’t realise you had

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In 2016 Michael Winkler wrote an award-winning essay that mentions his “schisms” of self and experiences with depression, the pain of which “intermittently seemed unendurable”. Five years later, his surreal, “exploded non-fiction novel” Grimmish – the first self-published work shortlisted for the Miles Franklin prize – told the story of the “pain-eating” boxer Joe Grim. Now, in Griefdogg, another wry, existentially probing novel, Winkler is again plumbing psyches – his own, yours and mine.

Griefdogg begins with an unnamed narrator, an implied surrogate for Winkler, struggling to draft a speech for a funeral. The deceased, we learn, is Jeffrey Watson-Johnson, a middle-aged, climate-conscious, fitness-obsessed hydrologist (a studier of water flow) living in Mildura. He fancies himself a Don Juan, though he and his wife, Martine, haven’t had sex in three years and seven months. He’s a vegan, community-minded and a “straight arrow”. He’s disciplined and monotonous, an uninspiring yet effective presence on the tennis court. He restacks the dishwasher the way he likes it.

A bond between a grandmother and the dog next door

A 150-pound Newfoundland dog named Chewy helps his 96-year-old neighbor garden by digging where she points. Tony Dokoupil has the story.

AI version of Val Kilmer to star in new movie after his death

Actor Val Kilmer died last April, and yet he is starring in a new movie, made after his death. Jo Ling Kent reports on how filmmakers resurrected his voice and image by using artificial intelligence.

House passes bill extending protections for Haitian migrants in the U.S.

Ten Republicans voted alongside Democrats, in a rebuke to the Trump administration's immigration policies. Should it pass the Senate, the White House said President Trump would veto the measure.

Artemis II astronaut describes "the most unique thing" he saw on the far side of the moon

The Artemis II astronauts spoke with Tony Dokoupil in one of their first interviews since returning from the far side of the moon.

Justin Fairfax, ex-lieutenant governor of Virginia, kills wife and himself

Police say couple were living together amid divorce and that teenage children called 911 from Annandale home

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Justin Fairfax, a former lieutenant governor of Virginia whose tenure was upended by allegations of sexual assault, shot and killed his wife Cerina Fairfax on Thursday before killing himself, police said.

Kevin Davis, the chief of the Fairfax county police department in Virginia, said at a press conference that the killings took place in the context of “an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce”.

In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax kills wife, fatally shoots self, police say

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife and then turned the gun on himself what police described as a murder-suicide in their home in Annandale, Virginia, police said Thursday.

Spirit Airlines may halt operations within days, sources say

Two years after a failed merger with JetBlue, there are public reports that Spirit Airlines could be going under within days. Kris Van Cleave has more details.

Trump nominates Dr. Erica Schwartz for new CDC director

President Trump nominated a new director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. Dr. Erica Schwartz is a former deputy surgeon general and retired Coast Guard rear admiral.

Police say Virginia politician killed his wife and himself with teenagers home

Police in Virginia say the former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax died after he shot and killed his wife and then turned the gun on himself. Nicole Sganga reports.

Israel-Lebanon ceasefire could impact U.S. deal with Iran

Israel has been fighting the Iranian regime and its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon across the border. That local ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon could affect U.S. efforts to come to a broader regional agreement with Iran. Charlie D'Agata reports.

Trump tries to change conversation from war to the economy

President Trump went to Las Vegas on Thursday to try to change the subject from war to the economy, downplaying rising gas prices. Caitlin Huey-Burns reports.

Department of Justice investigating Eric Swalwell amid sexual assault allegations

Democratic representative from California has suspended gubernatorial campaign and resigned from Congress

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell following his resignation from Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The news of a federal investigation comes days after the Democratic representative from California stepped down due to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

Judge blocks above-ground construction of Trump's White House ballroom, administration appeals

The White House's East Wing was demolished to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom sought by President Donald Trump. That project is being challenged in court.

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

A seismic clash between City and Arsenal, Tottenham need leadership, and could Eddie Howe recall Yoane Wissa?

Josh King learned of the difficulties that come with being a Premier League player at Liverpool on Sunday. The 19-year-old was withdrawn at the break after a tough first half at Anfield as Marco Silva wanted to change things when two goals down. It will be interesting to see how King reacts to the half-time hook when he is next called upon, whether he uses it as inspirational fuel or sees it as an undeserved irritation because he was not solely to blame for Fulham being behind. Silva will have a quandary over whether to start the youngster again or leave him stewing on the bench, offering a further reminder of what is required at the top level. King has impressed over the season and, sometimes, at this stage of a player’s development, it is a good idea to see what lessons are learned from a challenging moment. Will Unwin

Brentford v Fulham, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)

Leeds v Wolves, Saturday 3pm

Newcastle v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm

Tottenham v Brighton, Saturday 5.30pm

Chelsea v Manchester United, Saturday 8pm

V&A faces calls to become living wage employer on eve of Stratford opening

Campaigners organise open letter to director demanding ‘fair day’s wage’ for all workers at V&A museums

A row over pay has broken out at the V&A before the opening of its newest site , with thousands of people calling for it to become a living wage employer.

On Saturday, V&A East will open its doors in Stratford, east London, showcasing stunning fabrics, photos and black British music. It joins a wider group of V&A museums including its original site in South Kensington, Young V&A in Bethnal Green and V&A Dundee. The V&A describes its latest opening as one of the most significant new museum projects in the UK.

RFK Jr. defends proposed 12% health budget cut, measles response in House testimony

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.​ testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday, kicking off an expected sprint of seven budget hearings he'll attend over the next week.

Trump nominates Erica Schwartz as CDC director amid turmoil around leadership, vaccine policy

The CDC has been going through turmoil and several leadership shakeups under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

4/16: CBS Evening News

Trump attempts to shift focus off of the war; Israel and Lebanon reach a ceasefire agreement.

Dozens of safety violations found at Tenn. munitions factory after deadly blast

A munitions company that handles explosives for the U.S. military is facing a fine of over $3 million after an explosion killed 16 people last year.

Top five takeaways from Homeland Security budget hearings

Lawmakers have been in a stalemate for over 60 days about funding the entire department, which includes agencies that oversee immigration enforcement, disaster relief, cybersecurity and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Newly unsealed records reveal Amazon’s price-fixing tactics, California attorney general claims

Exclusive: A trove of previously redacted documents was filed as part of the tech giant’s anti-trust battle with the state of California. Amazon denies it engages in price-fixing

Hundreds of previously redacted records reveal how Amazon has put pressure on independent sellers using its platform into raising their prices on the sites of competitors such as Walmart and Target, so that Amazon can appear to have lower prices, California authorities allege.

The global conglomerate became concerned even if a competitor was selling an item for as little as a penny less, according to one segment of the newly unredacted evidence.

This is the fastest-growing job for young workers, LinkedIn says

Hint: It involves AI, and a LinkedIn economist says employers are clamoring for people to fill these roles.

Artemis II astronauts still awed by moonshot experience: "It was otherworldly"

The four Artemis II astronauts struggled to describe the view and overall experience of flying around the moon's far side and witnessing a solar eclipse in deep space.

Parts of Camp Mystic must remain closed, judge rules after days of emotional testimony

A judge ruled that for now, her restraining order against altering Camp Mystic should remain in place while state investigations into last year's deadly flood continue. The ruling comes after days of emotional testimony. Carter Evans reports.

Big Mood season two review – Nicola Coughlan’s hugely ambitious comedy has become a farce

The first series’s insightful look at bipolar disorder is gone. For its second outing, it’s a knockabout tale of a relationship gone wrong – which isn’t always easy to buy into

The second part of the title of Camilla Whitehill’s Channel 4 comedy drama is a reference to mood disorders. Bipolar, to be exact – the condition her protagonist Maggie has been diagnosed with. The first part is a reference to pretty much everything else. Big Mood tackles big topics and chases big laughs. There are big adventures, big gestures and big cameos. It’s undeniably ambitious, but does all this add up to something truly meaningful? It can be difficult to tell.

Series one introduced Maggie in the midst of a manic episode: she had pestered her alma mater to let her deliver a speech in the hope of seducing her old history teacher. That quickly gave way to a depressive one, during which she attended her 30th birthday party unshowered and on the verge of tears. The reason for this rollercoaster was Maggie’s decision to stop taking her medication; she believed it was impeding her creative capabilities and her career as a playwright. Eventually, she agreed to go back on lithium, only to experience terrifying hallucinations and confusion – she’d been poisoned by an erroneous prescription filled out by an overwhelmed psychiatrist.

These musicians are providing the soundtrack for anti-ICE protests in LA

Los Jornaleros Del Norte play protest songs whose lyrics reflect the hopes and struggles of undocumented workers as they evade immigration agents patrolling the streets.

Crystal Palace hold off Fiorentina as Sarr powers Conference League dream

What a time it is to be a Crystal Palace supporter. Twelve months ago, the south London club was still waiting to win their first major trophy and even the most optimistic fan could never have imagined that they would be contesting the semi-final of a European competition.

Despite a few anxious moments when a motivated Fiorentina team cut the deficit from last week’s 3-0 defeat in the first leg at Selhurst Park to just two goals with half an hour still to play, Oliver Glasner’s side showed their growing maturity at this level to progress to a last four showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk. While Palace made things far more uncomfortable for themselves after Ismaïla Sarr’s early header, even the loss of Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix to injuries before half-time could not knock them off their stride against opponents who have twice been beaten finalists in this competition and gave it their best shot.

Gibbs-White’s early strike decisive as Nottingham Forest edge past 10-man Porto

The final whistle brought a second of relief before the celebrations truly kicked in after Nottingham Forest secured a place in the Europa League semi-finals. It should have been easier but nothing is simple at the City Ground as they made hard work of overcoming Porto, who played almost the entire match with 10 men.

Morgan Gibbs-White settled the match, to set up an all-English clash with Aston Villa for a place in the final. His goal came in the aftermath of Jan Bednarek’s early sending off and should have laid the foundations for more but Forest’s finishing was poor, forcing them to grind out the victory by surviving Porto hitting the crossbar twice. Even so, the ultimate jubilation was reminiscent of those great nights of the 1980s under Brian Clough when the club last reached this stage in Europe.

Watkins breaks record as Aston Villa cruise past Bologna into all-English semi-final

Ollie Watkins kickstarted Aston ­Villa’s perfect evening as his 100th goal for the club enabled Unai Emery’s side to cruise into an all-English Europa League semi-final against ­Nottingham Forest.

The England striker, seeking a late recall into Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, tapped home in the 16th minute before goals from Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers, making amends for a spurned penalty, put the tie to bed by half-time.

Trump nominates former Coast Guard doctor as CDC chief

The nomination comes after months of interim leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Co-founder Reed Hastings to step down from Netflix board

Chair’s decision to not seek re-election in June ‘not as a result of any disagreement’, company says in SEC filing

Reed Hastings, the Netflix chair, is leaving the streaming service he co-founded 29 years ago as the company regains its footing after it lost its $72bn deal for Warner Bros Discovery.

In a letter to investors released on Thursday, Netflix said Hastings will not stand for re-election at its annual meeting in June and plans to focus on philanthropy and other pursuits.

Trump says gas prices 'not very high' as most U.S. voters blame him for price spike

Trump touted the rising stock market as he brushed off concerns that Americans are laboring under higher gas prices as a result of the Iran war.

Senate overturns Boundary Waters protections, a boon for Chilean mining company

The vote to allow mining near the protected wilderness area came over the objection of Democrats and two Republicans.

SantaCon promoter arrested for charity fraud, New York federal prosecutors say

More than 25,000 people dressed as Santa Claus and other Christmas characters pass through New York bars in an annual event meant to raise money for charity.

Federal judge blocks above-ground White House ballroom construction

But underground construction work on a presidential bunker underneath the ballroom can continue, the judge said.

Reeves looking to break link between gas cost and electricity prices

Chancellor wants to reduce impact of gas on market prices, as it almost always sets price of electricity in UK

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said she and Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, are looking at ways to break the link between the cost of electricity and gas prices.

Gas almost always sets the price of electricity under the marginal cost pricing model the UK uses.

Minnesota has charged an ICE officer with assault for alleged actions during immigration surge

Hennepin County officials say these are the first charges filed against a federal immigration agent related to the crackdown that brought thousands of federal officers to the state. The widespread operation led to the shooting deaths of two American citizens.

Tiger Woods mentioned drones over home and car, ‘president’ in remarks after crash, filing shows

• Filing details remarks about drones over home

• Woods said he spoke to ‘the president’ after crash

• Prosecutors seek access to prescription records

Tiger Woods told police he had taken multiple prescription medications, including Vicodin, on the day of a crash that led to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to court filings released on Wednesday.

The filing, submitted by prosecutors in Florida as part of routine pretrial discovery and obtained by the Guardian, also details a series of unusual remarks Woods made to officers at the scene of the 27 March crash in Hobe Sound, including references to drones flying over his home and a claim that he had spoken to “the president”.

Kevin Warsh wants to lead a scandal-ridden Fed. His wealth is a complication.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is calling attention to potential issues in the Fed chair nominee's financial disclosures.

Trump announces he's nominating Dr. Erica Schwartz for CDC director

CBS News reported​ Wednesday that Dr. Erica Schwartz was emerging as the president's top pick for the role.

Vance's Iran and Orbán setbacks raise questions about his standing with Trump

Recent staffing moves among JD Vance's aides have fueled new speculation that the VP and his allies are preparing for a 2028 presidential bid.

Trump admin set to launch tariff refund portal. Here's what to know.

A federal agency will open a portal on April 20 that lets businesses apply for a refund for Trump tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court.

NPR gets $113 million in gifts, including $80 million from Connie Ballmer

NPR said the donation from Ballmer, the largest to the public radio network by a living donor, will help offset the loss of federal funding in 2025.

A jury declared Live Nation a monopoly. But ticket prices won't drop just yet

D.C. and 33 states now have to argue in favor of specific remedies and fines, which could be paused if Live Nation appeals. Experts say the long-term impact on ticket prices isn't clear either.

Man charged over 2002 Jam Master Jay killing to plead guilty, documents show

Jay Bryant negotiating plea deal in New York death of Run-DMC star, over which one conviction has been overturned

One of the three men charged in the killing of Jam Master Jay plans to plead guilty, court records show, in what would be the first admission anyone has made in court to any role in the Run-DMC star’s death in 2002.

Jay Bryant pleaded not guilty to murder after his 2023 indictment, but his lawyer and federal prosecutors told the court in recent letters that they were negotiating a plea agreement.

Hegseth channels his inner Tarantino with fake Bible verse from Pulp Fiction

The defense secretary said his prayer drew on Ezekiel, but wording closely matches Quentin Tarantino dialogue

It was perhaps inevitable that a braggadocious Christian nationalist defense secretary elevated from his role as a weekend Fox News television host would pluck a fake Bible verse from a violent Hollywood blockbuster and present it at a Pentagon prayer session to rally the troops for the “holy war” in Iran.

Certainly among a glut of stories swirling around Pete Hegseth this week, including articles of impeachment brought against him by a group of ambitious Democratic lawmakers, the bizarre allegation that the Bible-thumping Hegseth was passing off a fire-and-brimstone script by Quentin Tarantino, an Oscar-winning director, as the word of the Lord was far too compelling to ignore.

House breaks with Trump, votes against ending deportation protections for Haitians

All House Democrats and four Republicans forced a vote on a measure to stop the Trump administration from ending temporary deportation protections for more than 300,000 people from Haiti.

"Arc de Trump" receives preliminary design approval from arts commission

The plans call for the arch to be built on Columbia Island, a man-made strip of land in the Potomac River that is part of Washington, D.C.

Top Gun 3 officially confirmed with Tom Cruise returning

Paramount confirmed the actor will play flying ace Maverick again in one of first major films in new era

Tom Cruise is heading to the skies once again with the confirmation of Top Gun 3.

While a sequel had been reportedly in the works since 2024, this week saw an official announcement from Paramount during the annual CinemaCon presentation. The 63-year-old will headline the third film in the action drama series with no other returning cast members confirmed.

Damon Jones expected to plead guilty in pair of alleged gambling cases

Damon Jones was among dozens of people, including alleged mafia figures and athletes, charged last year in connection with a pair of gambling schemes.

Caine warns "we will use force" if Iran does not comply with blockade

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday thatthe U.S. military can "make the transition" from the blockade to "major combat operations."

Armed robbers hold 25 people hostage at Naples bank before fleeing through hole in floor

Thieves believed to have escaped into sewers after holding staff and customers in Crédit Agricole branch for two hours

Armed robbers held 25 people hostage at a bank in Naples for two hours on Thursday, before fleeing through a tunnel.

The three thieves entered a branch of Crédit Agricole in the southern Italian city at about 11.30am, taking hostage staff and customers, who were freed by police a couple of hours later.

The Guardian view on a ceasefire for Lebanon: Trump has promised a pause. Civilians need real peace | Editorial

A deeply scarred country is caught in a war not of its making, seeking a solution which lies outside its hands

The 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon that Donald Trump announced on Thursday is desperately needed. It must also be regarded with immense caution. Iran and mediator Pakistan believed that Lebanon was covered by last week’s US-Israel-Iran ceasefire, before Israel unleashed 100 strikes in 10 minutes – killing hundreds and wounding many more on “Black Wednesday”. Lebanon was pulled into this crisis by Mr Trump’s illegal war on Tehran, and should not have been excluded from his truce. The US president, desperately seeking an exit to the broader conflict, is now reining in Mr Netanyahu. But only up to a point.

Israeli forces on Thursday destroyed the last bridge linking Lebanon’s south to the rest of the country and struck a school. The previous day they killed at least four paramedics – the latest of scores to have died. More than 2,100 people have reportedly been killed, including at least 172 children. Thousands have been injured. One in five of the population are displaced, some permanently: having occupied a vast swathe of land, Israel is wiping whole villages from the map. Its own defence minister described that as modelled on its actions in Gaza.

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LIV and let die: golf rebels count cost of Saudi cutbacks and other sports fear worst | Matt Hughes

Public Investment Fund withdraws support for rebel tour and other sports could be hit too with Newcastle United uncertain

The reverberations of an unscheduled meeting of LIV Golf executives in New York this week have been felt way beyond their swanky offices in Hudson Yards, on the west side of Manhattan.

A slowdown in Saudi Arabia’s lavish spending on sport, which is conservatively estimated to have cost the kingdom more than $10bn in the past five years, had been expected, but its Public Investment Fund’s withdrawal of financial support for the rebel tour – which was first mooted to LIV execs on Monday – has caused shockwaves throughout the wider industry.

Orbán’s defeat threatens to halt Hungarian support of populist right

Individuals such as Matt Goodwin and Lord Frost benefited from largesse of self-styled ‘illiberal democracy’

• UK politics live – latest updates

The last 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s rule have been kind to a number of British political figures – from the Tory peer David Frost to Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin and James Orr.

All benefited from largesse extended by the self-styled “illiberal democracy” established by the Hungarian leader’s ruling Fidesz party, which took a particular liking for those on the harder right of British conservatism.

Portcullis gets royal breeders dreaming at Newmarket’s ancient first rite of spring

John Gosden’s three-year-old was among those catching the eye at the Craven meeting, which has been attracting dreamers and optimists since 1771

Captain Cook was a few months away from landfall after his first circumnavigation of the earth when the first ­Craven meeting was held on Newmarket heath in the spring of 1771.

It is older than any of the Classics, and old enough too to have the great Potoooooooo – who got his name when a stable lad was unsure how to spell potatoes – on the Craven Stakes’s roll of honour in 1782. For a quarter of a millennium250 years, the first meeting of the year on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket has been Flat ­racing’s first rite of spring.

Trump officials urge other countries to join ‘trade over aid’ push

US calls free-market capitalism ‘surest path to prosperity’ and seeks to forgo direct aid to developing countries

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The Trump administration has moved to formally enlist foreign governments in a sweeping reorientation of global development policy, directing American diplomats worldwide to seek official support for a “trade over aid” declaration before its introduction at the United Nations later this month. This would mean a move away from direct aid to poor nations in favor of increased trade, led by private companies.

Principal deputy spokesperson at the state department Tommy Pigott confirmed the initiative on Wednesday, framing it as a rejection of what he called a failed aid model. “The idea that trade and free market capitalism is the surest path to prosperity has been proven by the facts and by history,” Pigott said, adding that those calling for “aid not trade” were “really arguing for lining the pockets of a corrupt NGO industrial complex”.

Like a concrete aircraft carrier: was LA’s giant new $724m gallery really worth all the carbon emissions?

Built on tar swamps and two tortuous decades in the making, Lacma’s latest addition used twice as much metal as the Eiffel Tower. How did America supersize revered architect Peter Zumthor?

Driving down the palm-lined strip of Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, a striking new crossing heaves into view. A ribbon of glass leaps over the road, sandwiched between two gigantic planes of concrete. As you get closer, the bridge swells out in sinuous arcs, swooping back on itself to inscribe an amoebic, shape-shifting blob, spreading out like an inkblot. From some angles it has a retro-futuristic air, recalling a Jetsons airport terminal, or one of California’s “Googie” style gas stations. From others, the curving roof looks like a great big tongue, flaring out to give the neighbours a raspy lick.

This concrete colossus is home to the new David Geffen Galleries of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma), a $724m mothership designed by the fabled Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. It is less a museum than a mighty piece of infrastructure, a 110,000 sq ft warehouse-cum-bridge, jacked up nine metres in the air and looming above the street with a brooding, muscular heft. Two decades in the making, and subject to tortuous years of delays, controversies and cost escalations – building on a tar swamp in a seismic zone is not straightforward – it finally opens this weekend.

The Fitzcarraldian feat is the brainchild of Michael Govan, who became Lacma’s director in 2006 with an ambition to build a museum like no other, using the promise of a dazzling structure to lure donations of artworks and dollars ($125m came from LA county, the rest was fundraised). Govan cut his teeth at the Guggenheim, and on Frank Gehry’s Bilbao outpost, where he clearly got a taste for the transformative fairy dust of signature architecture. He later moved to Dia:Beacon, in New York’s Hudson Valley, where he commissioned Zumthor for a project that was ultimately unrealised. At Lacma, he was determined to make a monument for posterity, at any cost.

Israeli and Palestinian activists share a vision for peace in Gaza

Maoz Inon's parents were killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks. Aziz Abu Sarah's brother died after being tortured in an Israeli military prison. Their new book is The Future Is Peace.

Boiling milk and worrying about the Iran war: A New Year dawns in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, Buddhists and Hindus marked their New Year on Tuesday while a war thousands of miles away is making itself felt.

Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision

Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassador

• Top civil servant Olly Robbins forced out over vetting row

• Officials debate withholding Mandelson vetting documents from parliament

• Five key questions: Who overruled the decision to deny Mandelson security clearance?

Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting clearance but the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure he could take up his post as ambassador to the US, an investigation by the Guardian can reveal.

According to multiple sources, Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials.

Ben Jennings on the US-Iran war and AI slop – cartoon

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Europe has only six weeks’ supply of jet fuel left owing to Iran war, says energy chief

There will be flight cancellations ‘soon’ if oil supplies are not restored in coming weeks, says head of IEA

• Business live – latest updates

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Europe has only six weeks of jet fuel left before shortages will hit because of the Iran war, according to the head of a global energy watchdog.

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said there would be flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies from the Middle East were not restored within the coming weeks.

Man used AI to make false statements to shut down London nightclub, police say

Heaven club neighbour admits offences under Licensing Act, as Met says fictitious AI-generated complaints a growing issue

A businessman has pleaded guilty to making false statements in order to shut down a nightclub, which police believe were generated using AI.

A Metropolitan police source said the use of AI to generate letters by complainants who do not exist is a growing issue.

PepsiCo earnings beat estimates as Doritos, Lay's price cuts win back shoppers

PepsiCo's quarterly earnings and revenue topped Wall Street's expectations.

A complex set of negotiations to end Israel's overlapping wars

Israel has agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon, part of a complex web of Mideast negotiations, from Iran to Gaza.

Tell us: do you use AI for fitness?

Is AI helping with your workouts? We want to hear about it

According to reports, people are incorporating AI into their fitness routines in a variety of ways; they have it write up training plans, design meal plans and workout playlists, and provide feedback on form.

We want to hear from you: how are you using AI in your workouts?

Trump to sign executive order on psychedelic drug used abroad to treat PTSD

Ibogaine is used in Mexico and the Caribbean to treat depression, anxiety, addiction and brain trauma.

Teleportation, aliens and cancer-busting soda - it’s not just Trump going cuckoo, his officials are too | Arwa Mahdawi

As the president’s men rave about paranormal events and Diet Coke, it seems the US’s only hope is extraterrestrial intervention

People often criticise the Democrats for being overly cautious and never getting anything done. But this week they’ve surprised us all by unveiling concepts of a plan for getting Donald Trump out of the White House.

On Tuesday House Democrats introduced legislation that would create a commission to assess whether Trump is unfit to serve and should be removed under the 25th amendment. I don’t need to tell you what precipitated this: Trump is growingly increasingly erratic, threatening genocide one minute and posting pictures of himself as Jesus Christ the next.

U.S. Navy stopped 13 ships from passing Iranian port blockade, Pentagon says

The U.S. has signaled optimism about the prospect of reaching a diplomatic end to the Iran war.

Airline CEOs urged by lawmaker to lower fares if fuel prices come down

Airlines have raised airfare, fuel surcharges and baggage fees this year to help cover a surge in fuel costs since the Iran war started on Feb. 28.

My friend keeps sending me unsettling social media videos. How do I tell her to stop? | Leading questions

People down the rabbit hole don’t always realise their experience isn’t universal, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. You might have more luck trying a new tactic

• Read more Leading questions

My friend of 30 years keeps sending me social media posts and videos that I either don’t find funny or are disturbing. We live far away and rarely see each other, so we communicate through a messaging app. I’ve told her many times that I prefer positive or cute things, and I don’t follow American politics.

Her life is difficult and I understand why she spends so much time on social media. Last week she sent me multiple videos each day that were not of interest to me at all, including one with women slapping each other. She often buys into conspiracy theories until I disprove them. All of it upsets me. It’s like she doesn’t know who I am. I’m not replying to any of these messages but she keeps sending them.

I thought hell would freeze over before I agreed with the pope. But in a world riven by cruelty, that day has finally come | Rebecca Shaw

It’s a relief to see the pontiff decrying brutality, because it seems most current world leaders lack the necessary spine

I have never been a religious or spiritual person, even though I grew up in a religious area and had friends (and strangers) throughout school and university trying to lure me into whatever prayer disguised as organised fun they were up to. I did try it out shortly for a desperate period when I was young, attempting to pray to a God I didn’t really believe in to make me not gay, but blessedly he never answered.

Despite my resistance to organised religion, I have always had a soft spot for nuns and their counterparts. The girlies.

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Europe could run out of jet fuel in 6 weeks, IEA warns

The International Energy Agency warned Thursday that Europe is going to run out of jet fuel in as soon as six weeks.

Anthropic unveils plans for major UK expansion after OpenAI announces first permanent London office

The move follows a U.K. campaign to court the U.S. company following its fallout with the Pentagon.

At least 17 people killed in Russia’s deadliest attack on Ukraine this year

More than 100 injured across country after Russia launches nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles

Russia has carried out its deadliest attack against Ukraine this year, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 100 in a wave of drone and missile strikes across the country.

Nine people died in the southern port city of Odesa and four were killed in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old boy. There were three fatalities in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Another person died in Zaporizhzhia oblast.

The Possibility of Tenderness by Jason Allen-Paisant audiobook review – meditations on nature and belonging

The poet reconnects with the landscape of the May Day Mountains in Jamaica where he grew up in a personal story of migration, race and rural life

An award-winning poet living in Roundhay Park, Leeds, Jason Allen-Paisant spent his early childhood living with his grandmother in Coffee Grove, a hilly rural district of Jamaica which was cut off from basic amenities such as electricity and water. Seen through the eyes of a child, Coffee Grove was, he notes, “both a tiny place and a huge planet”. There he developed a close relationship with the local plant life through climbing trees, picking fruit and helping his grandmother harvest yams on the “grung”, the local name for their small plot of land.

Allen-Paisant later yearned for pastures new, moving first to Paris and then to Britain to study at Oxford. His dream of upward mobility had become a reality, yet in the UK he noticed his interactions with nature were few and far between. He came to realise “just how much class keeps people in Britain from the privileges of land and soil and also keeps them from the tenderness that comes with forming kinship with the earth”.

Now you can break up with big tech at a bar: ‘cybersecurity disguised as a party’

These digital security organizers bring the fight for online privacy to dance parties, wine meetups and reading groups

Imani Thompson shows up at Wonderville Bar in Brooklyn looking ready for a DJ set, or to drink, or to dance the night away with friends. While she’ll probably do the latter, she’s also a cybersecurity organizer leading the evening’s event.

Thompson is the host, along with the New York City-based tech organizing coalition Cypurr Collective, of Break Up With Google. Its purpose isn’t a mystery; the main goal is to help attenders understand how to mitigate their vulnerability to surveillance through major tech services. But it’s also important for people to have fun while they do it, Thompson said – hence the DJs playing until the wee hours of the morning.

Samuel Hasselhorn: Schubert Hoffnung review – timbral and emotional flexibility is in ample supply

Hasselhorn/Bushakevitz
(Harmonia Mundi)
The German baritone’s all-Schubert disc with pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz is full of communicative diction and poetic phrasing

Now in his mid-30s, German baritone Samuel Hasselhorn is a major player in a veritable rat-pack of high-flying young lieder singers. His growing discography includes an ongoing series with pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz, part of Harmonia Mundi’s Schubert 200 project to record all the composer’s songs, from 1823 onwards, ahead of the 2028 bicentenary of his death.

The year 1826 found Schubert in affirmative mood, a torrent of lieder reflecting a newfound sense of optimism. The album, appropriately entitled Hoffnung, the German word for hope, opens with a nuanced account of the expansive Im Freien. The combination of Hasselhorn’s communicative diction and Bushakevitz’s poetic phrasing brings a rapt intimacy to this six-minute celebration of nocturnal beauty.

New York Fed President Williams worries war will slow growth, aggravate inflation

Williams noted that the conflict has "intensified the uncertainty" around national and local conditions.

Pope says ‘world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants’ amid feud with Trump’s White House

Pontiff denounces leaders who invoke religion to justify war, after US bishops offer him support after Vance remarks

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Pope Leo XIV has said that the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” who spend billions on war, in comments that will be seen as another sharp escalation in his almost week-long feud with the White House over the US-Israel war on Iran.

The first American-born pontiff did not mention Donald Trump by name, but used his speech in Cameroon on Thursday to denounce world leaders that invoke religion to justify violence against other nations.

The power of the Dunst: Kirsten’s best film performances – ranked!

As she approaches her 44th birthday, we celebrate an actor who can move from dreamy psychodrama for Sofia Coppola to gritty angst for Jane Campion

An elegant, sun-soaked Patricia Highsmith adaptation with fine work from Viggo Mortensen as a con man and Dunst as his wife, holidaying in early 1960s Athens when they meet an American tour guide (Oscar Isaac). It seems tantalisingly unclear at first whether his designs are on the chirpy young bride or her shady older husband.

Alex Manninger, former Arsenal goalkeeper, dies aged 48 after road accident

• Austrian was capped 33 times for his national team

• Manninger won Premier League during Arsenal spell

Alex Manninger, the former goalkeeper who helped Arsenal win the Double in 1998, has died in a car accident in Austria, aged 48.

His first club, Red Bull Salzburg, broke the sad news on Thursday. The Austrian Bundesliga club said in a post on its official X account: “We mourn our former goalkeeper Alexander Manninger, who tragically lost his life in a traffic accident. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Rest in peace, Alexander.”

World's biggest chocolate maker issues profit warning as cocoa prices collapse; shares plunge 17%

Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut on Thursday lowered its operating profit outlook, citing supply concerns and industry overcapacity.