American pilots union chief says United CEO's merger idea showed 'bold vision'

United said last month it had ended its pursuit of a merger with American after the rival carrier declined to engage following an initial approach.

Explosion at fireworks factory in China kills at least 21 people , state media says

Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, calls for thorough investigation after disaster in Changsha city

A blast at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province has killed 21 people and injured 61, prompting the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to call for a thorough investigation, state media reported on Tuesday.

The explosion in Liuyang, under the administration of Hunan’s capital city of Changsha and a hub for fireworks manufacturing, occurred on Monday at about 4:40pm. (0840 GMT), according to reports by CCTV and Xinhua.

Google DeepMind workers in UK vote to unionize amid deal with US military

Exclusive: Worker pointed to Iran war and Pentagon’s Anthropic feud as indications the department is ‘not a responsible partner’

Workers developing Google’s artificial intelligence products in the UK have voted to unionize, in part out of concerns about a deal between the company and the US military that was announced last week.

In a letter slated to go to management on Tuesday and shared exclusively with the Guardian, workers at Google DeepMind, the company’s AI research laboratory, requested recognition of the Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union as joint representatives of the lab’s UK-based staff.

US military strike kills two pushing death toll in alleged ‘narco boat’ campaign to at least 188

Despite the Iran war, US military strikes in the eastern Pacific have ramped up in recent weeks

The US military said it bombed another boat allegedly ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people, on Monday.

The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 188 people. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Women behind the lens: ‘After state massacres, I began burning the prints as an act of mourning’

Iranian visual journalist Parisa Azadi set her images alight in response to January’s violent repression by the regime, not to erase them, but to convey ‘rage, grief and refusal’

In September 2022, as revolution spread across Iran, I witnessed it from Dubai through the unstable glow of phone screens. Raw videos surfaced daily before disappearing into internet blackouts: women burning their hijabs, young men wounded by metal pellets, teenagers dragged into unmarked vans.

Unable to return safely to Iran, where I had spent six years documenting life under repression, I felt helpless. This work emerged from that pain and is both testimony and absence: the public violence of the state and my private, long-distance bearing witness.

Sliders and slaw, and cheesy, nutty wedges: Simon Rogan’s spring cabbage recipes

Cheesy vegetarian sliders with pickles and slaw, and caramelised cheesy cabbage wedges

Cabbage is one of my favourite ingredients. I love it for its versatility, and also because it’s nutritious and incredibly satisfying to cook with. I’ve been putting cabbage on my menus for more than two decades now, and at Our Farm in Cartmel, Cumbria, we grow hundreds of varieties to use across my restaurants’ kitchens throughout the year. For me, cabbage has always been one of the real heroes in the kitchen, and today’s recipes are about creating generous, seasonal dishes to share with it at their centre.

‘Time the rest of us stepped up’: terror survivors’ group writes letter in support of UK Jews

Letter coordinated by Survivors Against Terror, which includes bereaved relatives, after spate of attacks on Jewish community

Dozens of survivors and bereaved relatives of 19 separate terror attacks have written an open letter of solidarity to the Jewish community, saying: “Standing together in the face of hatred is not just the right thing to do – it’s the most effective way of defeating terrorism.”

The letter was coordinated by the group Survivors Against Terror (SAT), after terror attacks on two Jewish men in north London earlier this week, in what was the latest in a series of attacks on the community in the UK.

Jaguar Land Rover could have shifted production from UK without £380m battery subsidy, officials warned

Government officials said in December that Britain’s largest automotive employer could lead exodus from UK

Jaguar Land Rover would have considered moving car production out of the UK and slashing jobs if not for a £380m subsidy for its sister battery company, government officials claimed privately.

Officials at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) warned in December that Britain’s largest automotive employer may have triggered an exodus from the UK car industry, according to state aid documents prepared by the competition regulator.

Australian author Craig Silvey pleads guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material

Prosecutors drop two other charges against Jasper Jones author, 43, including allegations he produced child exploitation material

Award‑winning author Craig Silvey has pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material, while a charge that he produced such material has been dropped.

Silvey, 43, was first charged in January after detectives from Western Australia police’s child abuse squad raided his Fremantle home, allegedly catching him communicating online with child exploitation offenders and seizing his electronic devices.

‘They came to kill us’: royal commission hears horrific accounts of antisemitism faced by Jewish children in Australia

Jewish children face antisemitic abuse, swastikas etched on school walls and other students performing Nazi salutes, hearing told

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Jewish children in Australia face antisemitic abuse at school, see swastikas daubed on walls and witness classmates perform Nazi salutes: they live with antisemitism “all day, every day”, a Sydney Jewish mother has told a royal commission hearing.

The woman, known as Dina before the commission, said Australia had become a more hostile, more dangerous place for Jews, most horrifically demonstrated by the Bondi massacre in December in which 15 people were shot and killed.

Wyoming lawmakers use pro-natalist arguments to justify proposed new partial abortion ban

Wyoming lawmakers say tight new restrictions on abortion are needed to grow the state's population. Demographers and others say economic conditions are more to blame for an exodus of young people.

Next Scottish government faces ‘really difficult’ spending choices, economists say

Parties accused of ‘fiscal denial’ and failing to tell voters the scale of the challenge

The next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said.

Economists with the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, believe the manifestos published by Scotland’s political parties during the campaign failed to tell voters about the true scale of the challenge.

The man who blew up a nuclear power station and disappeared

In December 1982, South African Rodney Wilkinson walked four bombs into Koeberg power station – the crown jewel of the apartheid state – pulled the pins and then left on his bicycle. How did he do it?

At 21, Rodney Wilkinson was the best fencer in South Africa: national champion in foil and sabre, second in epee. He had toured Europe and Argentina. He had not stood on the Olympic podium, because South Africa was banned. The apartheid state had taken that from him, along with everything else it took from everyone.

One evening in August 1971, Wilkinson stood in the gym at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, foil in hand. He was facing his coach Vincent Bonfil, a 25-year-old Englishman who had represented Britain as a reserve at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and who was now in Johannesburg finishing a master’s thesis in metallurgy. They were working on a technique in which both fencers lunge simultaneously, and the one who reads the other’s move a split second earlier wins the point. They came at each other. Wilkinson’s foil caught the edge of Bonfil’s sleeve. There was a pop.

‘Nobody’s going out!’ Why is Britain’s nightlife in such decline – and can anything save it?

One in four late-night venues went out of business between 2020 and 2025. Those that remain are struggling to pull in customers. Maybe a night out in Birminghan will reveal why

The £5 entry is a good start. So is the loud, lively music booming down the nightclub’s stairway. But when I finally reach the dancefloor, hidden behind a curtain, my hopes for a wild night out in Birmingham are dashed. Despite the roving disco lights and blaring pop bangers, it is entirely empty, aside from a few bartenders milling around, tending to no one.

This isn’t 9pm on a random Tuesday. I am hitting the town on Saturday night, when the city’s bars and clubs should be in full swing, but Birmingham is looking like a bust.

Secret Service officer arrested for indecent exposure in Miami after Trump golf event

Secret Service Officer John Spillman has been placed on administrative leave after his arrest, which in Miami.

5/4: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Fallout continues from Spirit Airlines' closure; new details on missing U.S. soldiers in Morocco.

5/4: CBS Evening News

Secret Service shoots gunman near Washington Monument; United flight was only 20 feet above New Jersey Turnpike when landing gear hit truck.

SCOTUS lets redistricting ruling take effect immediately, sparking angry exchange

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed last week's landmark decision striking down Louisiana's congressional map to take effect immediately, drawing a sharp back-and-forth between two justices.

Pinterest surges 15% after earnings beat as company posts strong guidance

Pinterest cut nearly 15% of its workforce and reduced office space in January as it pushes more resources into AI.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reach settlement in "It Ends With Us" lawsuit

A trial in the lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was set to begin later in May.

Canadian fiddler sues Google after AI Overview wrongly claimed he was a sex offender

Ashley MacIsaac, who is seeking $1.5m in civil lawsuit, says inaccurate information led to concert cancellation

An acclaimed Canadian fiddle player has launched a $1.5m civil lawsuit against Google, alleging that the online giant defamed him by falsely identifying him as a sex offender in an AI-generated summary of his life and career.

Ashley MacIsaac, a three-time Juno award-winning musician, filed the claim in the Ontario superior court of justice, asserting that Google was liable for the “foreseeable republication” of its AI-generated Overview feature, which previously published defamatory claims that he had been convicted of multiple criminal offences, including the sexual assault of a woman, internet luring involving a child with the intention of sexual assaulting the child, and assault causing bodily harm.

Top Democrat aims for New York redistricting after Supreme Court’s Voting Rights ruling

Democrats are vowing to fight back after the Supreme Court eliminated a majority-Black Louisiana House district, as more states look to redraw maps.

British crew member in need of urgent medical care amid suspected hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship

WHO says seven confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus on MV Hondius, including three passengers who died

• What is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship?

A British crew member was in need of urgent medical care and a passenger from the UK remained in a critical but stable condition following a suspected outbreak of hantavirus on a luxury cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Three people have died and medics on Monday were scrambling to evacuate two others from the MV Hondius, which set off in March from southern Argentina carrying 149 people from 23 countries. The crisis emerged late on Sunday after the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was investigating a suspected outbreak.

1 missing U.S. soldier in Morocco was trying to save another, officials say

Search and rescue efforts were still underway as of Monday after the two U.S. Army soldiers went missing off Morocco's southern coast over the weekend while off duty during a training exercise.

Vehicle carrying explosives crashes into Portland athletic club, driver dead

A vehicle carrying explosives crashed through the front entrance of an athletic club in downtown Portland, Oregon. The driver was killed.

Ukraine war briefing: Duelling ceasefires as Zelenskyy floats open-ended truce

Vladimir Putin wants empty skies on Friday and Saturday to celebrate Victory Day; Ukrainian president says guns can fall silent by Wednesday if Russia reciprocates. What we know on day 1,532

Watch a Spirit pilot's impromptu retirement celebration after airline shutters

A Spirit pilot received an impromptu retirement party from a different airline after what would have been his final flight was canceled.

Spirit Airlines pilot has impromptu retirement party on Southwest flight

A Spirit Airlines pilot was scheduled to captain his last commercial flight on Saturday, but then the airline shut down. Tony Dokoupil shows what happened next.

Controversy at 2026 Met Gala over honorary co-chairs Jeff and Lauren Sanchez Bezos

The 2026 Met Gala is facing controversy over its honorary chairs, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos. Adrianna Diaz reports.

Missing U.S. soldier was trying to save colleague who fell in ocean off Moroccan coast

Officials say one of the missing U.S. soldiers in Morocco was trying to save a fellow soldier after he fell off a cliff into the Atlantic Ocean during a hike. The search continues for both of them. Chirs Livesay has more.

Alito temporarily restores FDA rule allowing abortion pill to be sent by mail

A federal appeals court blocked a FDA rule that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail.

What to know as Supreme Court temporarily restores access to mifepristone by mail

The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily restored access by mail to the abortion pill mifepristone. Nancy Cordes has the details.

U.S. strikes 7 Iranian boats, Trump says, amid operation to move ships through Strait of Hormuz

President Trump's Project Freedom initiative launched on Monday with the U.S. guiding stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Holly Williams reports.

United flight was only about 20 feet above New Jersey Turnpike when landing gear hit truck

The landing gear of a United Airlines flight hit a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike Sunday while it was landing at Newark Airport. Kris Van Cleave has the latest.

Secret Service shoots gunman near Washington Monument

The White House was on lockdown Monday afternoon after the Secret Service shot a gunman just blocks away near the Washington Monument. Nicole Sganga reports.

Shooting at lake near Oklahoma City leaves at least 18 injured

At least 18 people were at hospitals following a shooting at a party at Arcadia Lake, near Oklahoma City, police say.

See the looks from the 2026 Met Gala red carpet

Extravagantly dressed celebrities and designers made their way up the famous Met staircase Monday evening. The fundraiser is one of the fashion industry's biggest nights.

Inside the effort to replace America's Minuteman III nuclear missiles

Hundreds of Minuteman III nuclear missile silos dot the landscape from Colorado up to the Canadian border, but a major transition is underway.

Palantir tops estimates on 85% revenue growth, fastest expansion since market debut in 2020

Palantir reported better-than-expected revenue and profit, driven by growth in sales to U.S. government agencies.

Elon Musk settles SEC lawsuit over Twitter purchase and agrees to pay $1.5m fine

Musk won’t have to give up any money he allegedly saved from delaying disclosure of initial purchase of Twitter stock

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Elon Musk settled the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s civil lawsuit accusing the world’s richest person of waiting too long in 2022 to disclose his initial purchases of stock in Twitter, now known as X.

A trust in Musk’s name will pay a $1.5m civil penalty, without admitting wrongdoing. Musk won’t have to give up any money he allegedly saved from the delay.

Judge "very troubled" by accused correspondents' dinner gunman's treatment in jail

A federal judge on Monday sharply criticized the treatment of accused White House Correspondents' Dinner attacker Cole Allen, at one point apologizing to the defendant for what he saw as overly restrictive and punitive conditions in jail.

Norwegian fish farms polluting fjords with waste likened to ‘raw sewage of millions of people’

Exclusive: ‘Fish sludge’ in coastal waters now has nutrient levels equivalent to those in untreated effluent of country the size of Australia, report finds

Norwegian fish farms are filling fjords and other coastal waters with nutrient pollution equivalent to the raw sewage of tens of millions of people each year, a report has found.

Norway is the largest farmed salmon producer in the world, and nutrients in fish feed are excreted directly into coastal waters. Analysis from the Sunstone Institute found that Norwegian aquaculture released 75,000 tonnes of nitrogen, 13,000 tonnes of phosphorus and 360,000 tonnes of organic carbon in 2025.

Wu Yize beats Shaun Murphy in thrilling final frame to win World Snooker Championship

• Wu claims title 18-17 with decisive break of 85

• The 22-year-old is the second-youngest champion ever

As the ticker tape rained down on Wu Yize and the Chinese flag was draped over the shoulders of snooker’s newest superstar as he clutched the game’s most famous prize, it was hard not to imagine that this sport was changing in front of our eyes for ever.

If Zhao Xintong broke through the glass ceiling for 12 months ago, then the exploits of the China’s newest Crucible king may have just shattered it into a thousand pieces. The boy who came to England with his father as a 16-year-old to pursue his dreams, living in a windowless flat in Sheffield, is now the champion of the world.

Hotels have a big World Cup problem: Bookings are running far below projections

Nearly 80% of hotels surveyed by a body representing the industry reported bookings were running below projections — a worrisome sign with only weeks to go before the World Cup.

Pirro changes course in Fed investigation, move unlikely to satisfy Powell

The U.S. attorney opted not to appeal a ruling that had blocked her subpoenas to the Fed.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settle lawsuit over acrimonious It Ends With Us production

Settlement details were not revealed in the agreement that put an end to a highly anticipated trial before it began

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Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their legal dispute from the acrimonious production of their 2024 film It Ends With Us, just weeks before a highly anticipated scheduled trial.

In a joint statement on Monday, legal representatives of both parties said: “The end product – the movie It Ends With Us – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind.”

‘A test of our values’: Starmer to call for whole-society response to rising antisemitism

PM will say responsibility to stand with Jewish communities lies with ‘every one of us’ at event on Tuesday

Keir Starmer will call for a whole-of-society response to rising antisemitism on Tuesday, saying that it is not enough simply to condemn the scourge, but people “must show it” through their actions too.

Before a roundtable event at Downing Street, the prime minister will call for action on all forms of antisemitism, after a knife attack against the Jewish community in Golders Green last week, a spate of serious arson attacks and the terror incident in Heaton Park in October.

Spirit Airlines CEO on carrier's collapse: 'We just kind of ran out of runway'

Spirit Airlines shut down before dawn on Saturday ending its run as the most famous U.S. discount airline.

Met Gala 2026 red carpet: the best looks in pictures

Event chairs Nicole Kidman, Beyoncé, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour have guests dress to the theme ‘Fashion is art’ at the event controversially funded by new honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos

Manchester City’s wild draw at Everton hands Arsenal title edge despite late Doku strike

At home in north London, a celebrated former Everton midfielder must have been tempted to raise a toast to his old club. Mikel Arteta will know it would have tasted sweeter but for Jérémy Doku’s superb 97th-minute equaliser for Manchester City. He will also know the pendulum has swung Arsenal’s way in the race for the Premier League title.

The last kick of a crazy second half salvaged what could prove a precious point for Pep Guardiola’s challengers, but they veered off course against Everton and also in the context of a title race with little margin for error.

SEC and Elon Musk agree to settle lawsuit over Twitter buyout in 2022

The SEC and Elon Musk agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the regulator last year against the world's richest person.

Trump threatens to blow Iran ‘off the face of the earth’ if it attacks US vessels

US launched an operation on Monday in the Gulf, dragging the region back to the brink of full-scale war

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Donald Trump has threatened that Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacks US vessels trying to reopen a route through the strait of Hormuz.

The US launched an operation on Monday to help hundreds of ships trapped with their crews in the Gulf, dragging the region back to the brink of full-scale war.

Pirro rips judge in Trump attack case for apologizing to Cole Allen over jail conditions

Cole Allen is charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Feminism play Liberation and first world war novel Angel Down among Pulitzer winners

This year’s winners also include Jill Lepore’s book on the constitution and Brian Goldstone’s on housing insecurity

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Pulitzer prize officials awarded the fiction award to an author with a long history in fantasy, horror and young adult novels: Daniel Kraus, cited for Angel Down, a first world war narrative that unfolds in one long sentence. Liberation, Bess Wohl’s look back at the feminist consciousness-raising groups of the 1970s, received the drama prize.

Winners announced on Monday included two books rooted in the founding of the US. Jill Lepore’s We the People: A History of the US Constitution won for history, and Amanda Vaill’s Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution was the winner for biography.

Modi's party takes control of India's West Bengal in key state election

The outcome is expected to strengthen Modi's political position midway through his third term.

Here are the 2026 Pulitzer Prize winners

Award winners include authors Daniel Kraus, Jill Lepore and Yiyun Li, opinion writer M. Gessen and staffers and contributors at The Washington Post, Reuters and AP.

Dolly Parton cancels Las Vegas residency over health issues: ‘I’ve still got some healing to do’

The 80-year-old singer will not be performing rescheduled dates in September but assured fans she is receiving treatment and ‘improving every day’

Dolly Parton has canceled her Las Vegas residency over ongoing health issues.

The 80-year-old singer had originally been scheduled to perform six shows at Caesar’s Palace last December but moved the dates to September 2026. She has now announced on social media that she won’t be able to perform as planned.

Mikel Arteta promises fired-up Arsenal will play ‘like beasts’ in Atlético second leg

• Champions League semi-final delicately poised at 1-1

• ‘We are so hungry to get the game we want tomorrow’

Mikel Arteta promised that Arsenal’s players will turn into “beasts” as they attempt to reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2006.

Arsenal drew 1-1 in the first leg of their semi-final against Atlético Madrid last week and will be confident of overcoming Diego Simeone’s side after winning five of their six matches in this competition at the Emirates Stadium so far this season, conceding only three goals. Viktor Gyökeres scored twice in a 4-0 win over Atlético during the group stage, although Arsenal will be wary of underestimating the team that knocked out Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

Title-chasing Hearts clear crucial hurdle as Shankland shatters Rangers’ hopes

A three-horse race has witnessed a faller. This most magical of Hearts seasons has edged closer to delivering the ultimate prize, an outcome that would shake Scottish football to its very foundations.

This was a game Rangers and their manager, Danny Röhl, dare not lose. They did, courtesy of a stirring second-half comeback from Hearts. Rangers now trail the Edinburgh club by seven points. The Hearts lead over Celtic has been restored to three with the same number of fixtures to play.

A United jet struck a light pole and a truck near Newark airport, police say

New Jersey State Police say a United Airlines passenger jet struck a light pole and damaged a truck as it was coming in for a landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday.

Champions Cup final will have independent TV director in charge

• Bath unhappy with collision between Barbeary and Lucu

• Some camera angles were unavailable to TMO in semi-final

An independent broadcast director is set to be in position for this month’s Champions Cup final in Bilbao after disquiet about the lack of crucial replays available to match officials during Bath’s 38-26 semi-final defeat against Bordeaux-Bègles on Sunday.

Johann van Graan, Bath’s head of rugby, suggested three high tackles on his No 8, Alfie Barbeary, were missed because the referee and television match official (TMO) had not been supplied with all the requisite angles by the French host broadcaster. Members of the commentary team on Premier Sports also highlighted the absence of replay footage.

Two killed and several hurt after car ploughs into crowds in German city of Leipzig

A suspect has been apprehended, but detectives say little is known about their motivation at this stage

At least two people have been killed and several injured after a driver in an SUV ploughed into a crowd in the centre of Leipzig in eastern Germany, the city’s mayor has said.

“The police have apprehended the suspected assailant,” Burkhard Jung said on Monday, adding that the authorities had the scene in a pedestrian zone under control. “We still don’t really know the motivation. We don’t know anything about the perpetrator.”

Narendra Modi’s BJP wins election in West Bengal for the first time

Result in key Indian state is set to have significant implications for the country’s political landscape

Narendra Modi’s party has won a resounding election victory in West Bengal, a state which had been a rare opposition stronghold, expanding his unrivalled consolidation of power across the country.

It is the first time that the Indian prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has won assembly elections in West Bengal, a large and politically significant state in eastern India.

The Guardian view on Trump, Merz and Europe’s security: EU countries cannot go it alone | Editorial

The announcement of the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from Germany underlines the urgency of a pan-European defence strategy

As Donald Trump’s second term has become overshadowed by plunging poll ratings and an illegal, ill-advised war in the Middle East, European governments have regularly been singled out to bear the brunt of the US president’s growing frustration. Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to militarily back the attack on Iran led to unfavourable comparisons to both Winston Churchill and King Charles. “Unfriendly” Spain has been threatened with a trade embargo for similar reasons. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, previously seen as a key political ally, has also been on the receiving end. “I’m shocked by her,” Mr Trump said last month. “I thought she had courage. I was wrong.”

Currently it is Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who finds himself in Washington’s crosshairs. In the wake of Mr Merz’s accurate observation that the US has no convincing strategy on Iran, the Pentagon has announced the future withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from bases in Germany. Vital long-range weapons are also to be withheld as American military stockpiles are depleted by events in the Middle East. For good measure, Mr Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on European car manufacturers to 25% – a measure that would hit Germany hardest.

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 the green transition: politicians should speed it up – and households too | Editorial

Party divisions over energy have deepened, but the need to move beyond fossil fuels has never been clearer

Energy has not been a prominent subject for discussion in the run-up to Thursday’s UK elections. In England this is logical enough, since the big policy decisions are taken by ministers in Westminster, not at council meetings. But the stances adopted by the new governments in Scotland and Wales matter a great deal. They will have an influence beyond their borders, helping to shape the national climate debate in the coming years.

In both nations, as in England, divisions have deepened as Conservatives have moved away from support for net zero and Reform UK has ramped up its opposition to renewables. Among Scottish parties, only the Greens are categorically against new fossil‑fuel developments in the North Sea. Under John Swinney, the Scottish National party’s earlier opposition to the Rosebank oilfield has softened in advance of the upcoming decision over whether it should go ahead. Scottish Labour, by contrast, has thrown its weight behind new nuclear power.

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.

Why the Bezos-backed Met Gala is so controversial | The Latest

It's the grandest and glitziest event in the fashion calendar, but this year’s Met Gala has sparked backlash thanks to its new honorary chairs, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. The billionaire Amazon founder’s involvement has led to boycotts and criticism of the event. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s fashion and lifestyle editor, Morwenna Ferrier

Derby-winning trainer hopes more women will succeed after historic win

Cherie DeVaux reflected on her place in history after becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner with Golden Tempo.

How Spirit Airlines' demise will benefit rivals — and raise airfares even more

Spirit Airlines' collapse will give some carriers more pricing power as they race to capture Spirit's customers.

Awoniyi doubles up as much-changed Forest step towards safety and add to Chelsea gloom

After making eight changes for this match, Vítor Pereira was asked why, with Nottingham Forest just three points clear of the relegation zone, he had taken such a risk with his personnel. “We change the players, but we keep the spirit,” he said. After this result, Chelsea’s hierarchy might be wondering quite what the “spirit” thing amounts to and where they might buy some of their own.

Forest ran through the home side, extending their unbeaten Premier League run to seven matches and doubling their gap to the bottom three with just three games remaining. Pereira was also able to rotate his squad before Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa. For Chelsea, however, this was a sixth straight Premier League defeat for the first time since 1993, a 13th consecutive top-flight game without a clean sheet and a first (and solitary) goal in the league since the beginning of March. That the boos from the Stamford Bridge crowd were less oppressive at the finish than at half-time was only because so many had already left the stadium.

Marcelino returns Villarreal to the Champions League … then walks away | Sid Lowe

It took six years and a lot of soul-searching for the coach nicknamed Salvador Milagros to return in 2023. After more miracles, he is off again

In the final minutes before Villarreal met Copenhagen in December, they came down the tunnel, marched on to the pitch, lined up before the ballboys holding out that starry tarpaulin like firemen waiting for a leap from a burning building, and listened to the Champions League anthem blasting out. Only there was no die besten that night, no grosse sportliche veranstaltung and no grandes équipes either. No lyrics at all, in fact. Someone somewhere had put on the Europa League tune by mistake, so they shifted their feet and looked awkward instead. Then they went out and got beaten again. But that was then and this was now and this time the DJ played the right record and everyone danced, singing along to the chorus, life good again.

That was December, before week six in the Champions League, and Villarreal were soon gone. Without a win, having picked up a single point in eight games, they were the second-worst team there and eliminated early: the continent’s premier competition, it seemed, was not their place, some kind of musical metaphor in that mix-up. But this was May, five months on, and they had just beaten Levante 5-1, securing the opportunity to go back and try again. They had done that early too. So at the full-time whistle on Saturday afternoon, week 34 in La Liga, the right anthem did go round the Cerámica, and so did the players, setting off on a lap of honour. Above them, a message appeared on the scoreboard. “We are a Champions League team (again),” it said.

Supreme Court gives abortion pill mifepristone a 1-week reprieve from a major change

The Supreme Court says rules that allow patients to get the abortion pill mifepristone through the mail can stay the same for at least a week.

Uncontained wildfire burns hundreds of hectares across rural Arizona – video

Firefighters continued to battle the Hazen fire burning near Buckeye, Arizona, on Monday. The fire began on Saturday afternoon and, as of Sunday evening, was estimated to have covered about 400 hectares (1,000 acres) and was '0% contained'. Local media reported that no evacuations had taken place and there were no reports of damage to homes

The U.S. fights to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as UAE says it's attacked by Iran

The U.S. military said it battled Iranian forces and sank six small boats as it moved to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said Iran fired missiles and drones its way.

Rudy Giuliani in critical condition with pneumonia

President Donald Trump called Rudy Giuliani a "True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR," in a Truth Social post.

Nigerian refinery accused of sacking union members is key to UK plan to tackle jet fuel shortage

Heidi Alexander says part of answer to strait of Hormuz crisis is importing more fuel from US and west Africa

A refinery in Nigeria accused of dismissing workers for joining a union has emerged as key to the UK government’s hopes of saving the summer holiday amid a jet fuel shortage.

Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said at the weekend that part of the answer to the strait of Hormuz crisis was to import more fuel from the US and west Africa.

Supreme Court temporarily lifts mail ban on abortion pill mifepristone

Two drugmakers, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, over the weekend asked the Supreme Court to restore the ability to order Mifepristone through the mail.

Weather tracker: Cold spells in Greece and Turkey, and storms in Bangladesh

High winds have hit the South Aegean and heavy rain has fallen in Turkey, but Central Europe has felt summer heat

Greece and Turkey have found themselves in the grip of a late-season cold spell this weekend. Conditions will persist over the next few days as an area of low pressure situated over Turkey is pulling in colder, moisture-laden air from the north-east via the Black Sea; this meteorological set up has suppressed temperatures well below where they should be for the time of year. Away from the Mediterranean coast, much of Turkey struggled to reach double figures, which is around 10C below the average, while Greece saw a similar chill. In Athens, temperatures only crept into the low teens Celsius, a far cry from the mid-20s typically expected in early May.

But they haven’t just faced colder temperatures. Greece had gale force winds whipping through the islands in the South Aegean – gusting at around 60mph on Sunday evening and the unsettled weather has brought a surge of heavy rain to Turkey. The Central Anatolia region of Turkey would normally see about 50mm of rainfall across the entire month of May, but on Sunday had already seen many areas pick up half that total in just 24 hours. With colder air in place, higher elevations have even seen a return to winter, with up to 30cm of fresh snow forecast across the Anti-Taurus Mountains on Monday and Tuesday. In Ankara, temperatures on Monday were expected to peak at just 7C – nearly 14C below average – before slowly edging back towards normal by the weekend.

‘Get rid of the battery’: F1 under increasing pressure to make more changes to engine rules

• Norris and Piastri call for long-term changes to sport

• Mercedes’ Wolff suggests battery needs to remain

Formula One is under increasing pressure to consider immediate changes and the long-term future of its new engines, with the world champion, Lando Norris, reiterating after the Miami Grand Prix that the only answer to address the sport-wide dissatisfaction was to “get rid of the battery”.

At the race in Florida, which was won by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, with Norris second, F1 and the FIA had brought in fresh regulations to address unhappiness and safety concerns prompted by the pivotal role energy management plays under the new 2026 formula.

Austria expels three Russian embassy staff after ‘forest of antennae’ discovered

Austrian foreign minister says Russian diplomatic mission in Vienna was being used for illicit collection of data

Austria has expelled three Russian embassy staff on suspicion of spying after determining that a “forest of antennae” on the diplomatic mission in Vienna, Europe’s espionage capital since the cold war, was being be used for illicit data collection.

“It is unacceptable that diplomatic immunity be used to commit espionage,” Austria’s foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said on Monday. She added that the three embassy staff – whose expulsions bring the number of Russian diplomats sent home by Vienna to 14 since 2020 – had already left the country.

Germany’s military power is on the rise. This time it must be firmly embedded in Europe | Timothy Garton Ash

As Russian aggression continues and Trump’s US threatens Nato, it is even more vital for a unified defence of the continent

As we mark the 81st anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe this Friday, 8 May, it’s clear that Germany will again be the leading European military power.

Already next year its defence spending will be as much as that of France and Britain combined – and it is projected to be significantly larger by 2030. The German government’s declared goal is to have the strongest conventional army in Europe. True, France and Britain have nuclear weapons, but that means less money to spend on the rest of defence. So the question is not, will this happen? Barring unforeseen developments, it will. The question, particularly on this solemn anniversary, is: how can we ensure that this time the growth of German military power is a positive development for all of Europe?

Warsh's take on Fed independence is met with confusion and some concern

Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh is putting his own spin on the independence of monetary policy. Many former Fed officials aren't sold.

A surfing competition and a cheese race: photos of the day – Monday

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

Galilee String Quartet review – Palestinian ensemble improvise their signature east-west blend

Milton Court, London
The four siblings start with Webern before ditching traditional instruments for mics, voices, percussion and oud

‘We’ve done many concerts, but this is the first time I’m stressed,” the first violin confesses with a grin, lowering his instrument before a single note has sounded. But before he can launch into the story he’s interrupted by the cellist. “We’re actually supposed to play first!” she chides.

A string quartet is often compared to a four-way marriage. But what if the dynamic was closer to four siblings? One group that doesn’t need to imagine the answer is the Saad family: brothers Omar, Mostafa and Gandhi, and sister Tibah – AKA the Galilee String Quartet.

U.S. military denies Iran's claim it struck American warship in Strait of Hormuz

Iran has blocked tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel started the war in late February, resulting in supply and price shocks.

‘We got a drive-by egging in Baltimore’: Super Furry Animals on making The Man Don’t Give a Fuck

‘The man is the establishment, I suppose, the military industrial complex. A few year later, when we played it live, we added a loop of Bill Hicks saying: “All governments are liars and murderers”’

Gruff was the first person I ever met who could just churn out songs – good, catchy ones. I joined his band Ffa Coffi Pawb, but by 1992 they’d split and Gruff and I were living in Cardiff, as were Bunf, Guto and my brother Cian, the other future Furries. We started out doing techno sets, and I had a little home studio where we demoed ideas for songs. Our first singer, the actor Rhys Ifans, slept on a mattress in the corner.

‘Of course I accepted!’ Angel Otero on Bad Bunny – and bringing some Puerto Rican flair to Somerset

The artist’s dreamlike paintings, inspired by his childhood home, led to an invitation from a global icon. Now he’s opening a casita in Bruton. What will the locals think?

Angel Otero is on the brink of tears. He’s describing the feeling of being part of fellow Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny’s La Casita – a set the musician used on stage during his 31-show residency on the island last year, a recreation of a typical single-storey home found across Puerto Rico and the wider Latin American diaspora.

“When I was invited, of course, I accepted,” Otero tells me, standing in his temporary studio in Somerset. “Although I tend to shy away from things like that. The replica is a very similar setting to the one I grew up in, and I had multiple feelings when I got there. Of course, there’s the spectacle of being on the stage of a significant artist of our time, who is from my island. But it also transported me into the subject I’ve been working on for so long. It was a sort of validation, seeing people enjoying the culture, people specifically from my kind of upbringing.”

More unbridled nastiness from Reform – but would it really create migrant detention centres in Green-voting areas? | Zoe Williams

What’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf playing at with his new policy? Is it about pushing Labour further to the right, or just an attempt to ramp up rage and resentment?

All parties struggle to invest local elections with meaning, because no party can alter the consequences of what is coming up to two decades of austerity. They can promise they’ll work hard for local people, and many of them will, but they can’t change the maths of inadequate funding and soaring social care costs. All they can do is hope to exist in an affluent enough area.

Instead, the results are taken as a popularity contest, which – if things go your way – will hopefully supply enough buoyancy to last into a general election, and, if things don’t, will hopefully evaporate.

Iran executes three men in relation to January anti-regime protests

Hangings are latest in wave of near-daily killings as authorities seek to instil fear amid war with US and Israel

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Iran has executed three men charged in connection with political protests this January, authorities have said, the latest in a wave of hangings against the backdrop of the war against the US and Israel.

Iranian authorities have carried out executions on a near-daily basis in recent weeks in what activists have denounced as a bid to instil fear in society at a time of international and domestic tension.

The many ways Trump wants to change D.C., from buildings to statues to parks

Many of the changes Trump wants to make to the White House and the city are facing legal challenges. Some are reversible, while others could reshape the nation's capital for generations to come.

Michael Carrick expected to be offered head coach deal by Manchester United

• Carrick has taken side into Champions League as interim

• Matheus Cunha feels Carrick has Ferguson-era ‘magic’

Michael Carrick is expected to be offered the chance to continue as Manchester United’s head coach after qualifying for the Champions League.

Carrick has not held talks regarding turning his interim role into a permanent one because the executives were intent on waiting to see whether he could lead United into Europe’s top club competition.

'Godspeed my friend': Inside the final hours of Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines ceased operations overnight after a failed government bailout.

Radical left Jean-Luc Mélenchon announces 2027 French presidential bid

The controversial leader will seek presidency for the fourth time – despite previously vowing to stand aside

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, France’s radical left leader, has confirmed he will run again for president next spring, saying it was urgent for the country to stand up against war being waged by the US and Israel in the Middle East.

The 74-year-old veteran leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), announced in an interview with the French broadcaster TF1 that he would run for the presidency for the fourth time in 2027.

Broken bodies everywhere: are injuries about to be declared winners of the NBA playoffs?

A host of stars have gone down with injuries this postseason. For as long as the league resists change, its players will pay the price

Should we just cancel the rest of the NBA playoffs and declare injuries the winner? They’ve already dominated this postseason far more than one team possibly could. The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing without their second-best player, Jalen Williams, after what feels like his 10th hamstring injury. In the series against the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Donte DiVincenzo tore his achilles, and Anthony Edwards gruesomely hyperextended his knee. Wolves backup Ayo Dosunmu put up a heroic 43 points in Game 4, then returned to the bench two games later to nurse an injured calf. The Nuggets lost Aaron Gordon to calf tightness midway through the series and played entirely without Peyton Watson, who was sidelined by a hamstring strain.

Jayson Tatum’s record-quick comeback from an achilles tear was the feelgood story of the season, at least until he hurt his leg, which ruled him out of a vital Game 7 that his Boston Celtics lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Los Angeles Lakers’ starting rotation lacks Luka Dončić until further notice and played four of six games against the Houston Rockets without another of their stars, Austin Reaves. The Rockets’ Kevin Durant played 78 of 82 regular season games, then missed every game of the Lakers series but one thanks to a bad knee and a bone bruise in his ankle. We of course had to save the most ridiculous injury for last: Victor Wembanyama was knocked out by the court itself after tripping on a drive and whacking his jaw on the hardwood. (He missed all of one game and wishes he could have missed zero.) Perhaps it was an omen.

Trump says U.S. will 'guide' stranded ships through the Strait. And, key Senate races to watch

President Trump announced that the U.S will "guide" stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz. And, Democrats face an uphill battle to gain Senate control. Here are the key races to watch.

Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for spanakopita orzo | Quick and easy

Oozy and creamy like a good risotto, this is the perfect midweek taste of Greece

For me, it isn’t really spring until the first May bank holiday; the days are longer, the flowers are out, and an abundance of green graces our shelves. This spanakopita orzo is a celebration of all things light, bright and spring. It’s a great weeknight dinner that will instantly transport you to Greece.

Kokuho review – passionately male Cain-and-Abel kabuki epic of gender-crossing actors

Lee Sang-il’s heartfelt drama spans 50 years following the bond and rivalry between two brothers who play the rigorously observed female roles in the traditional art form

Lee Sang-il’s heartfelt and muscular epic (whose title means “national treasure”) was a box-office smash on its Japanese home turf, winning a host of festival awards and an Oscar nomination. It’s a mighty Cain-and-Abel drama spanning five decades, set in the rarefied world of kabuki theatre where some of the most exotically prized performers are the onnagata, the men who have mastered the rigorously observed discipline of playing women in classical kabuki roles, a convention which arose from Japan’s 17th-century banning of women on stage, rather as they once were in England 100 years before. It is a semi-intentional irony of this intensely and even passionately male film that actual women are of subordinate importance.

The story begins in an outrageously melodramatic way, with a situation which might even itself have once been amenable to kabuki dramatisation. In 1960s Nagasaki, a yakuza gangster is holding a social event to underline his prestige; he has provided kabuki entertainment for his guests, and such is his reverence for this Japanese high-cultural form that he has permitted his teenage son Kikuo to perform as an onnagata. Kikuo’s performance stuns a renowned kabuki actor called Hanjiro, played by Ken Watanabe. But the event is chaotically attacked by a rival gang, the yakuza is killed, and Hanjiro offers to adopt Kikuo and train him up as a onnagata in his kabuki company, alongside his own son Shunsuke.

Meta's public nuisance case in New Mexico has billion-dollar consequences

Meta is back in a Santa Fe courthouse in a child safety case that could determine whether the company is a public nuisance.

'Bubble effect': Weight loss drug fueled growth is putting the pharma sector at risk, report finds

Obesity assets represent about 25% of total forecast sales of the late-stage pipeline, while oncology's share has slipped to 20%, Deloitte found.

AI chipmaker Cerebras targets $3.5 billion raise in IPO

The share sale could give the company a valuation of up to $24.5 billion, compared with $23 billion as of February.

The pet I’ll never forget: Merlin the sassy pig, who helped me meet my husband

I always knew my Vietnamese pot-bellied pig was smart and special – and he has brought love, chaos and happiness into my life

We have lots of animals in our home in Sacramento, California – a dog, two chicks, a pigeon, a bearded dragon, three rats and two rescue cows. But our pig, Merlin, is special.

I had a pig obsession for a while. I remember going to visit some animal sanctuaries and getting emotional when I saw the pigs. There’s just something about them that I felt a connection to. I knew how smart they were. I remember telling myself that one day I’d have a pig.