Middle East crisis live: one crew member rescued from US fighter jet shot down by Iran

White House says Donald Trump has been briefed as US forces search for crew after jet shot down by armed forces this morning

• US F-15E jet confirmed shot down over Iran as Tehran releases wreckage images

Authorities in Abu Dhabi have reported two incidents of debris falling from intercepted aerial threats in the UAE capital, with one sparking a fire at a gas facility,

The official Abu Dhabi Media Office said authorities responded to an incident of falling debris at the Habshan gas facilities. “Operations have been suspended while authorities respond to a fire,” it said in a post on X, adding that no injuries were reported.

Trump's ballroom fight sheds new light on an underground White House bunker

The status of a decades-old bunker beneath the now-demolished East Wing is unclear, but the Trump administration has cited security concerns in its legal filings in favor of continuing construction.

U.S. fighter jet downed in Iran, one crew member rescued, MS NOW reports

It is unclear if the plane was shot down or went down for another reason.

Artemis II astronauts pass 100,000 miles from Earth on voyage to the moon

After six-minute firing of capsule’s engine, crew on track to reach farthest distance travelled by humans in space

The four astronauts on the Artemis II mission have passed 100,000 miles from Earth as they head towards the moon, putting them on track to reach the farthest distance humans have ever travelled into space.

The crew have left Earth’s orbit and fired their engines on Thursday for a “translunar injection”, sending the Orion capsule on its trajectory towards the moon.

Judge denies DOJ request to revive Federal Reserve subpoenas

A federal judge on Friday rejected efforts by the Justice Department to revive two subpoenas it served to the Federal Reserve.

Furniture chain offers $50m in refunds if UConn teams reach NCAA title games

• UConn men and women are both in the Final Four

• 20,000 customers of Jordan’s Furniture could be repaid

College basketball players aren’t the only ones poised to win big in this year’s March Madness.

A New England furniture chain is offering to reimburse customers for products bought earlier this year if both the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams reach the championship games.

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Crisis in the Middle East, a Russian drone attack in Kharkiv, a Saharan dust storm in Crete and the launch of Artemis II – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Warning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing

Seville, Spain's Holy Week blends faith, tradition and spectacle

Even as religious belief declines in Spain, the processions at Seville's Semana Santa — the Holy Week lead-up to Easter — draw crowds moved by music, tradition and powerful emotion.

Championship roundup: Wrexham rally against West Brom to boost playoff push

• Leicester earn precious point against Preston

• Hull frustrated after draw at lowly Oxford

Wrexham staged a dramatic second-half recovery to draw 2-2 at West Brom and move into the Championship playoff places.

Isaac Price’s free-kick deflected off George Dobson to give the hosts a lead that was built on before half-time by Josh Maja’s penalty – Albion’s first of the season.

The Boat Races, FA Cup quarter-finals and county cricket – follow with us

Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reports

The Guardian view on the US and Europe: the UK tried to be a bridge, but Trump likes to burn them | Editorial

The president’s outbursts on allies and Nato were further confirmation that Europe cannot wait to bolster security – and Britain must play its part

“She had no more surprises for him; the unexpected in her behaviour was the only thing to expect,” Henry James wrote in his novel Daisy Miller. Leaders dealing with Donald Trump surely recognise the sentiment. James’s character was a young American out of her depth in Europe, falling victim to prejudices. Mr Trump is a real-world problem, and this time, Europe is battered by the prejudices and vengefulness of the American.

This week alone the US president has publicly mocked the British prime minister and armed forces (as weak), the French president (over his marriage), told allies to get their own oil – having set the Middle East on fire – and said leaving Nato was “beyond reconsideration”. Mr Trump’s wishful thinking has hit reality in Iran, where the war that he and Benjamin Netanyahu began will not be easily ended. His resulting frustration, concern about domestic political repercussions and desire to distract the public are matched by vindictiveness towards allies who rightly refused to join in.

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.

American fighter jet downed over Iran, 1 crew member rescued

U.S. officials confirmed that an F-15E fighter jet went down over Iran.

Cuba begins to free more than 2,000 prisoners as US eases fuel blockade

Havana makes a Holy Week ‘humanitarian’ gesture as Russian tanker is allowed to reach oil-starved island

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Cuban authorities have begun to free prisoners after announcing they would pardon 2,010 inmates, the second release in less than a month as the country faces heightened US pressure.

More than 20 inmates emerged from La Lima penitentiary in east Havana on Friday, holding their release papers, crying and hugging relatives who had been waiting for them all morning.

Billionaire fortunes have reached all-time highs under Trump. So has the movement to tax them

Residents in at least 10 states are organizing campaigns to tax wealth in order to fund schools and other social services

Karen Sanchez likes to meet new people at trivia nights or concerts at her local brewery at the edge of Los Angeles county. Her opening line: “How do you feel about taxing the rich?”

Sanchez is volunteering to collect signatures to put a contentious “billionaire tax” on California’s November ballot, sponsored by her union, SEIU – United Healthcare Workers West. The proposal would impose a one-time 5% wealth tax on the state’s 200-plus billionaires to cover lost federal funding for California hospitals and emergency services and to fund public education and food assistance programs. She says most people have been eager to sign on – and want to see more of it.

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer says defendants are ‘very good people’ as Blake Lively lawsuit narrows

Judge threw out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against her It Ends With Us director and co-star on Thursday as trial nears

Justin Baldoni’s lawyers have responded after most of Blake Lively’s claims against the director were dismissed by a federal judge on Thursday.

Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of the 13 claims that Lively had made against Baldoni and others, including allegations of sexual harassment, conspiracy and defamation.

It’s the silver lining from this terrible age of Donald Trump: he is pushing Britain closer to the EU | Gaby Hinsliff

Ten years after the Brexit vote, Trump’s disdain and insults are fuelling the belief that the UK should renew ties with Europe

Going anywhere nice this summer?

No, me neither, judging by the warning from the Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary, that a global shortage of jet fuel caused by the Iran war may soon lead to cancelled flights. Suddenly a week in Cornwall looks a safer bet, though even that will be a stretch for some families as the cost of long car journeys heads through the roof. When the representatives of more than 40 countries held talks in London earlier this week to discuss unblocking the strait of Hormuz, they convened virtually, not in person. This is no time to be seen boarding a private jet.

Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist

Guardian Newsroom: Can Labour come back from the brink?
On Thursday 30 April, join Gaby Hinsliff, Zoe Williams, Polly Toynbee and Rafael Behr as they discuss how much of a threat Labour faces from the Green party and Reform UK – and whether Keir Starmer can survive as leader. Book tickets here

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.

‘Vegas hotel meets aerospace bling’: Trump’s presidential library plan is a gaudy, self-glorifying monstrosity

From JFK’s modernist concrete to Obama’s ‘Tatooine sandcrawler’, the presidential library is where egos burnish their legacies. But the brash, bookless vibe of Trump’s, complete with giant golden statue, makes for the ugliest yet

With the unveiling of the prospective Trump presidential library, which, in its timing and substance looked for all the world like an April fool, the old adage that you can’t gild a turd but you can roll it in glitter has become bleakly redundant. It turns out that you can most definitely gild a turd.

At the heart of the proposed 47-storey skyscraper on Miami’s waterfront – 47 floors for the 47th President – is a giant golden statue of Trump giving off dictator-for-life vibes, his gilded fist triumphantly raised. Such an aureate monstrosity would not look out of place in Pyongyang or Ashgabat, though Turkmenistan’s former president Saparmurat Niyazov – another despot with a suspiciously luxuriant coiffure – went one better and had his $12m gold statue installed on a rotating pedestal so it would always face the sun.

Harvard faculty to vote on proposal to limit number of A grades in each course

Effort to curb grade inflation, by limiting top marks to 20% of students in a course, is opposed by most students

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Harvard’s faculty is set to vote next week on a faculty committee proposal to cap the number of A grades per course in an effort to curb grade inflation.

The proposal, which was first reported earlier this year by the Harvard Crimson, Harvard’s student newspaper, would cap A grades to 20% of students in a course, with an allowance for four additional As. It also would introduce a new internal “average percentile rank” system, which would rely on raw scores rather than grade point average (GPA) to determine honors and awards.

‘Linen is meaningful in Belfast’: how an old industry is weaving the city a new identity

Fabric that once defined Northern Ireland’s capital is at heart of its stylish revival, embraced by designers, royalty and heritage farmers alike

On a cobbled street in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, next door to a hipster coffee shop and opposite an ice-cream parlour that has a near-constant queue since going viral on TikTok, the elegant Kindred of Ireland boutique is doing a surprisingly brisk trade in artfully oversized butter yellow linen blouses and exquisite Donegal mulberry tweed jackets finished with a length of rose pink linen tied in a bow at the nape of the neck.

Half a century after the Troubles, Belfast is finding a new identity through an industry that once defined it. Linen – the fibre that built its wealth and earned it the name Linenopolis – is being woven into a story of renewal. Almost a century after the postwar collapse of an industry that, at its peak, employed 40% of the working population of Northern Ireland, linen is returning as a marker of identity.

Trump's 2027 budget asks Congress for $1.5 trillion in defense spending

President Trump's new budget proposal asks Congress for $1.5 trillion in defense spending — a 42% increase — while cutting nondefense spending by $73 billion, or 10%.

A U.S. jet goes down over Iran, a U.S. official confirms

A U.S. official said that one crew member had been rescued and U.S. forces continue to search for the second crew member.

Employers added 178,000 jobs in March, blowing past forecasts

Hiring was much stronger than expected in March, with employers adding roughly three times the number of jobs economists predicted.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (April 5)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

Colbert on Trump’s Iran speech: old news ‘delivered by a narcotized turtle’

The late-night host reacted to Trump’s prime-time address on the war and his firing of attorney general Pam Bondi

With most late-night hosts on holiday, Stephen Colbert recapped Donald Trump’s prime-time national address on the war in Iran and his firing of the US attorney general, Pam Bondi.

Cricket, selfies and Good Friday ceremonies: photos of the day – Friday

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

Tiger Woods told police he talked to ‘the president’ after arrest, bodycam shows

• Golfer has pled not guilty to DUI charges in Florida

• Footage shows Woods’s shock: ‘I’m being arrested?’

• Hydrocodone pills found in pocket following arrest

Bodycam footage of Tiger Woods’s arrest for DUI shows the golfer looking surprised when he was handcuffed by police officers at the scene of a vehicle crash last week and telling a deputy he had spoken to “the president” on the phone after the incident.

“I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time you’re under arrest for DUI,” Martin County Sheriff’s deputy Tatiana Levenar told Woods after officers conducted a series of field sobriety exercises on the 50-year-old.

‘It’s not a revolution, it’s evolution’: Les Kiss army takes shape with Wallabies reign in sight | Angus Fontaine

Australia’s incoming coach is out to build on the foundations set by Joe Schmidt after having to earn his shot while coming from a rugby league background

In 1986, about the time the 21-year-old Les Kiss was announcing himself to the rugby league world by debuting for the North Sydney Bears, the Queensland Origin side and Australia in the space of five months, the Breakfast Creek Gang was carving out its own legend as “a disparate, yet harmonious, blend of wharfies, coppers, journos, lawyers, car dealers, bookies, small-time criminals and Labor party identities.”

Four decades on and Kiss, the incoming Wallabies coach, is a proud member of the garrulous rabble now trading as the Breakfast Creek Athletic Club. “A very inspiring, talented, connected, grounded group of people,” he tells the Guardian. “Once a week we meet for a run or a walk, coffee and a chat, maybe dinner and a few beers. We’ve probably all got more problems than we admit to … but for me it’s a wellbeing space after so long away.”

My doctor said joy can be found in unexpected places. For me it was the Adelaide 36ers | Olivia De Zilva

Australian author Olivia De Zilva realised watching basketball was a form of therapy for her complex PTSD, as she learned to exist with people again

I tried everything to find salvation in 2024. The ringing bells of religion didn’t save me, nor did a reformer pilates class.

I had just moved home after two years studying in Brisbane where I had cultivated a failing herb garden and learned a new bus route. It was only when I returned to Adelaide that I realised I had no idea who I was. I thought it was a quarter-life crisis, but the friendly psychiatrist in her powder-blue scrubs said it was complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).

EPA moves to designate microplastics and pharmaceuticals as contaminants in drinking water

Proposal, a win for RFK Jr’s Maha movement, is a ‘first step’ toward tackling plastic pollution, advocates say

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed on Thursday to include microplastics and pharmaceuticals on a list of contaminants in drinking water for the first time, a step that could lead to new limits on those substances for water utilities.

Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, said the agency was responding to Americans who have worried about plastics and pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. The gesture also aims to hand a win to health secretary Robert FKennedy Jr’s Maha movement, which for months has pressured Zeldin to further crack down on environmental contaminants.

U.S. payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, more than expected; unemployment at 4.3%

Nonfarm payrolls were expected to increase by 59,000 in March, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.4%.

Supergirl: the new trailer suggests that the DC Universe has an intriguing trick up its sleeve

A criticism of Superman stories is the guy’s near invincibility. And while a new trailer sees Kara tearing about like a cosmic gunslinger, there are hints her powers are at risk

If James Gunn’s aim with last year’s Superman was to give us a Man of Steel who stood out from those who came before him on the big screen, he nailed it. Even those who didn’t quite warm to this sunnier, weirder but more human incarnation could at least admire the way the film vaulted clear of almost every previous iteration. Delivering Kara Zor-El ought to be an easier job, for it is possible to argue that there has never been a definitive version of Supergirl on any screen, big or small.

Yet it is starting to look as if the newly formed DC Universe is once again ready to push outwards rather than merely backwards. This week saw the release of a new trailer, in which Milly Alcock’s Kara tears through alien bars, starships and off-world landscapes with the swagger of a cosmic gunslinger. But perhaps more intriguing were comments from director Craig Gillespie in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, which saw the film-maker open up about the story’s nine-world structure and the unusually heavy amount of planet-hopping involved.

The labor market springs back to life in March as employers add 178,000 jobs

The U.S. job market perked up last month as employers added 178,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.3%, mainly because the number of people seeking work declined.

Judge dismisses Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni

A federal judge in New York has tossed out actor Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against actor Justin Baldoni over their roles in the movie "It Ends With Us," but left intact a claim for retaliation.

Trump budget seeks $1.5 trillion in defense spending alongside domestic program cuts

In his annual budget, President Trump is asking Congress to boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion, the largest such request in decades.

Post your questions for DJ Shadow

As his pioneering album Endtroducing turns 30 and he reissues his Mo’Wax singles, the producer is in a retrospective mood and ready to take your questions

It’s almost 30 years since DJ Shadow released his era-defining debut album, Endtroducing….., and as is the way of the nostalgia industry, it had a lavish 25th-anniversary reissue five years ago, remastered at Abbey Road studios. It was such a success that Shadow has decided to repeat the process and clean up his “pre-album and non-album” catalogue. In May comes The Mo’Wax Singles 1993-1997, a box set featuring eight 12ins with all the Californian producer’s singles for James Lavelle’s label, plus alternative mixes and brand new art. Dusty DAT tapes were dug out and original master mixes excavated.

“This box wasn’t made for the casual listener, it was made with the hardcore fan in mind,” Shadow said in a statement. “I’ve always felt, if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right, and every step of the process was made with this philosophy firmly in mind.”

Is the US committing war crimes by targeting Iran’s civilian infrastructure?

International law experts ‘seriously concerned’ about ‘strikes on schools, health centres and homes’ in contravention of Geneva conventions

Donald Trump, other senior US officials and their cheerleaders appear to be embracing attacks – and threats of attacks – on Iranian civilian infrastructure, which legal experts say appears to constitute serious war crimes under international law.

In a rambling national address on Wednesday, the US president warned that if Iran did not reach an unspecified deal with him, US forces would “hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants” and “bring [Iran] back to the stone ages – where they belong”.

Courts keep ruling against Trump. But they can’t save our democracy singlehandedly | Margaret Sullivan

Decisions on the White House ballroom, public media and journalists’ access to the Pentagon are heartening. But restoring our institutions is up to us

In another one of those strange and unprecedented moments of the Trump years, the president of the United States showed up at the supreme court the other day. No other presidents have done so, probably because they – to varying degrees – respected the separation of power among the three branches of US government.

But Trump has not shown himself to share in that basic principle.

Messiah album review – Whelan takes Handel’s oratorio back to its beginnings

Irish Baroque Orchestra and Choir/Whelan
(Linn)
Conductor Peter Whelan leads a finely judged and agile period-instrument performance with only 13 singers.

Every year, the Irish Baroque Orchestra and their conductor Peter Whelan bring Messiah back to Dublin, the city of its 1742 premiere. Their recording of Handel’s oratorio – the first on period instruments by an Irish ensemble – attempts to recreate the version heard at its first performance at the Fishamble Street music hall, a hot-ticket event at which such a crush was anticipated that the ladies in the audience were requested to forgo hoops in their skirts and the gentlemen to leave their swords at home.

One of the attractions was the scandal-hit contralto and actor Susannah Cibber, who sang several arias including some more often sung today by other voice types: on the recording, gratifyingly, we get to hear a substantial share for Helen Charlston, her voice firm, slightly metallic and unflaggingly expressive. Also included is a less familiar duet-and-chorus version of How Beautiful Are the Feet, written for two of the countertenors from the Dublin cathedral choirs. Here and elsewhere Alexander Chance is in buoyant voice – he also gets the two arias Handel adapted later for his star castrato in London. Hilary Cronin’s sweet-sounding soprano stands out among the solo voices.

How investigators found an Arizona woman alive 32 years after she disappeared as a teen

Police in Arizona have located a woman who went missing as a teenager more than three decades ago. The sheriff's office in Gila County, Arizona, said Christina Marie Plante ran away with an undisclosed family member. Tom Hanson reports on how authorities found her years later.

Chelsea axe Enzo Fernández for two games after ‘crossing a line’ with Madrid comments

• Rosenior: ‘It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way’

• ‘You have to protect this club and culture’

Enzo Fernández has been dropped for Chelsea’s next two games, with Liam Rosenior suggesting the club’s vice-captain had “crossed a line” in recent comments over his future.

Following what he described as the worst 10 days of his career, Rosenior insisted he had to punish Fernández, who first questioned whether he would remain at Stamford Bridge beyond this season and then suggested he would like to live in Madrid – a comment widely viewed as courting a move to Real Madrid, a club with which he has frequently been linked.

3.1 million bottles of eye drops sold at Walgreens, CVS are recalled

The eye drops — sold under multiple brands — have been recalled over concerns about sterility, according to the FDA.

Military archbishop suggests Iran war isn't justified

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who heads the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services USA, told CBS' Ed O'Keefe that the war is likely not justified under the Just War Theory.

Gennaro Gattuso exits as Italy manager after World Cup qualifying failure

• Italy have missed three consecutive World Cups

• Gattuso: ‘It has been an honour to lead national team’

Italy’s chaotic and miserable week on and off the pitch reached a ­predictable conclusion on Friday with the head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, leaving the role after the Azzurri’s failure to reach the World Cup.

Italy were beaten by Bosnia and Herzegovina in their World Cup ­playoff on Tuesday, the home side winning on penalties in Zenica, meaning the four-time winners have now missed out on the finals for three successive editions.

China's Communist Party investigates ex-Xinjiang leader Ma Xingrui

Ma Xingrui is a member of the party's Central Committee and served as party secretary of the Xinjiang region in China's northwest from 2021-2025.

United Airlines hikes checked bag fee by $10 as fuel prices continue to climb

United Airlines became the second U.S. carrier in a week to raise check bag fees as the industry grapples with a more than 80% jump in jet fuel costs.

Maui doctor claims self-defense at trial: "I almost went off the cliff"

Gerhardt Konig, the Maui doctor who is accused of trying to kill his wife while on a hike last year, testified that his wife Arielle Konig had tried to push him off a narrow path. Gerhardt Konig admitted the two had an argument on the trail and he left her behind before running into his wife on the walk back. Warning: The video in this story is disturbing.

Body cam video shows Tiger Woods in handcuffs after car crash in Florida

Newly-released body camera video shows golf legend Tiger Woods in handcuffs after a car crash in Florida near his home. In the video, Woods is heard saying, "I was just talking to the president," and performs a field sobriety test while leaning against a police patrol car.

‘This is what you don’t see in F1’: the university where future race engineers are made

With alumni in every F1 team, Oxford Brookes University’s Formula Student team is the most prestigious in the country

At the Oxford Brookes Headington campus, more than 100 students are busy building the fastest, best designed race car possible for this year’s Formula Student competition.

Oxford Brookes Racing (OBR) is the UK’s most prestigious Formula Student team. They’ve won more design awards than any UK university, and frequently occupy the international race’s top spots.

It can’t be them: London national lottery jackpot winner misses out on £10.6m

Ticket bought in Bexley expires after 180-day claim period, despite extensive search for holder

For many people in south-east London, the thought of winning the lottery and becoming an overnight millionaire would be a wonderful dream. For one person, however, that dream is now a nightmare after missing the deadline to claim a jackpot of more than £10m.

National lottery players have 180 days to claim their winnings, but are entitled to nothing after the deadline has passed. Despite an “extensive search”, the national lottery said no valid claim had been made for a jackpot worth £10.6m for a Lotto ticket bought in Bexley on 4 October last year.

Midwest US pays high cost for Trump’s Iran war as soldiers die, while veterans are baffled: ‘Why are we there?’

As casualties mount, those who share a home state with the deceased in Iowa, Kentucky or Ohio question war’s legality

Upon the headstones at the Dayton National Cemetery in south-west Ohio are the names of the numerous wars fallen soldiers buried here have fought in: Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.

At the center of this sprawling, manicured cemetery for veterans and service members, ground staff and three machines this week have cleared space for a new grave site. It will be the place where one of the first victims of a new US conflict – the 2026 war on Iran – will be laid to rest on Friday.

United unveils basic Polaris business fare in premium cabin overhaul

United is overhauling its fare classes, offering cheaper business class and premium economy fares that are more restrictive.

Cocktail of the week: Acre’s fashionably late – recipe | The good mixer

A modern twist on the old fashioned

Our cocktail list features both classics and new ones we’ve created ourselves, including this old fashioned of sorts.

George Lewis, drinks creative, Acre, London W10

‘Taking my clothes off is my whole life!’ Bryan Cranston on the glorious gross-out return of Malcolm in the Middle

TV’s most outrageous family is back – and for the Breaking Bad icon, it’s a great excuse to let rip ... and get naked again. The stars talk skivvies, chugging raw meat and being stung in the crotch by 60,000 honey bees

The intro to the new Malcolm in the Middle is quite the thing. Kids punch police officers. Santa Claus gets kicked in the face. A barrel full of faeces detonates inside a family car. This recap of previous episodes is so full of gross-out comedy and family fights that a grandma grabs her teenage grandson and crushes his testicles until he squeals. “And,” intones a voiceover at its end, “someone actually asked for more of this.”

Did they? It’s been 20 years since the Emmy-winning sitcom about an outrageous working-class US family with the titular child genius went off air. It’s a show whose fans remember it fondly for never dipping in quality throughout its seven seasons. But were they really clamouring for more?

Woman charged in root beer float murder orders hit on best friend

Nearly a year after her husband Harold Allen died, Marsha Allen's Indiana home was burglarized. The burglar alleged her daughter, Ashley Jones, was behind it all.

Stop the brain rot! 12 ways to stay sharp in a mind-frazzling world

Feel like too much low-quality screen time is making you … dumber? From focusing on your environment to ‘washing’ your brain, experts share tips on how to sharpen up and keep your mind fighting fit
Plus: how rotten is your brain? Take our quiz to find out

Ever had one of those days when you get nothing done but still somehow feel exhausted? Of course you have: brain rot, the Oxford word of the year for 2024, isn’t yet in any medical dictionaries, but it’s probably best understood as the decline in cognitive abilities that comes from endless exposure to easily digestible information. And, thanks to the ubiquity of short‑form video and social media, it’s almost certainly on the rise.

“When we’re engaging with this sort of media, our brains are both underworked – because the information is easy to understand – and overworked because there is so much information to absorb,” says Dr Wendy Ross, a senior lecturer in psychology at London Metropolitan University. “That’s why you end up tired even if you’re just scrolling on your couch.” Want to throw the process into reverse and recover your attention? Here’s how.

US judge rules against deporting man whose murder conviction was overturned after 44 years in prison

Decision came after hearing in which Subramanyam Vedam, 64, said he didn’t kill Thomas Kinser when he was 19

A judge has cleared the way for the potential release of an Indian citizen who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody last year after his Pennsylvania murder conviction was overturned following four decades in prison.

The decision came the day after the four-hour hearing in which Subramanyam Vedam insisted he did not fatally shoot Thomas Kinser in 1980 and was questioned by a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lawyer. Vedam participated in the hearing remotely from the Moshannon Valley processing center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania.

Pam Bondi is out at DOJ. And, NASA's Artemis II has left Earth's orbit

President Trump announced yesterday that Pam Bondi is out as Attorney General. And, NASA's Artemis II has left Earth's orbit and is heading toward the moon.

The best recent poetry – review roundup

Goyle, Chert, Mire by Jean Sprackland; The House of Broken Things by Kim Moore; The Tree Is Missing by Shannon Kuta Kelly; Dog Star by Michael Symmons Roberts; Horses by Jake Skeets

Goyle, Chert, Mire by Jean Sprackland (Jonathan Cape, £13)
The 45 unrhymed sonnets in Sprackland’s sixth collection coalesce into three spellbinding interwoven sequences. Set in the Blackdown Hills, a remote stretch between Somerset and Devon, the poems explore the friction between art and articulation, habitat and inhabitation. Here, the landscape is not a backdrop but a linguistic event: “a drop swells on the lip of a leaf and falls / like a word being said”. By removing the first person throughout, Sprackland makes us encounter the landscape intimately: it’s not mediated through a speaker’s interiority but in “mossy silence”, “the rumble of the combine harvester”, “the noise / of meltwater hurtling over stones”, or “the shattered pieces of yourself”. Overshadowed by an unnamed illness, the poems bear wounds but don’t broadcast suffering; this restraint fosters minute attention to “pilgrim gnats attending the water” and the mire’s “long translation from gley to peat”. Sprackland’s ability alternately to narrow and widen our focus – from a closeup on insect life to geological time – reveals how consciousness itself moves between scales. Unlike many nature poems that overanimate or sentimentalise, the book is alive to the limits of human agency: it knows “language itself is prone to collapse”. Yet in that collapse, we can find meaning; recognise the “spiky logic” of natural process, following it as “the sparrow enters / and follows” the “sprawling holly”. The unwavering sonnet form represents an act of courage, a disciplined response to illness and dissolution, creating order where language threatens to collapse. This is a profound, enduring collection.

The House of Broken Things by Kim Moore (Corsair, £14.99)
Moore’s new collection constructs an ambitious architecture for exploring intergenerational trauma and motherhood. At its best, we find her confessional signature, as in The Black Notices, cataloguing unidentified murdered women, or Giving Birth With Anne Sexton, where literary inheritance meets bodily terror. Sometimes, however, this commitment to sincerity and transparency results in poems that feel like pedagogic exercises: Damaged Cento catalogues the “eight stages” of domestic homicide, while The Trimesters documents pregnancy’s upheavals. The motherhood poems, though deeply felt, risk predictability in their exploration of well-trodden territory – breastfeeding, bedtime routines, and the spectre of parental loss (“I imagine someone taking her away, / or a car ploughing into the pram”). It’s technically hard to make this new. Moore clearly presents the “I” as a site of shared, unpolished vulnerability, prioritising emotional legibility over lyric innovation.

Trump accused of running ‘misogynistic administration’ after Bondi dismissal

Bondi and Kristi Noem the only two cabinet members to be removed despite string of scandals involving male officials

Donald Trump has been accused of running a “misogynistic administration” after making Pam Bondi the second woman to be fired from a cabinet already dominated by men.

The US president dismissed the attorney general on Thursday amid mounting frustration with her performance, especially over the release of files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

‘It has been traumatic’: the Cornwall landmark left battered by Storm Goretti

St Michael’s Mount and the people who live near it are still healing from the scars left by storm’s 100mph winds

Three months after Storm Goretti battered St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, the signs of the storm’s power are still evident in the scars left by uprooted trees, piles of logs and the shaking of heads from islanders who have lived there for decades and never seen the like.

“It really was something,” said Jack Beesley, a senior gardener. “We were shocked the morning after when we saw what had happened. We had been caring for these trees for years and to see so many of them down was very sad. We’ve worked hard to get the place ready for the Easter visitors but it will still be a month or more until we’re back straight.”

Add to playlist: the endlessly inventive, radiant indie rock of Friko and the week’s best new tracks

The Chicago band’s frantic, urgent guitar melodies celebrate hope, friendship and family in these uncertain times

From Chicago, Illinois
Recommended if you like Modest Mouse, Wilco, Car Seat Headrest
Up next Second album Something Worth Waiting For out 24 April, touring the US from April and Europe in summer

In Friko’s hands, a swirl of influences and experiments curve the many colours of indie rock into an endlessly inventive, radiant ramble. The Chicago band’s upcoming, cheekily titled second album, Something Worth Waiting For, explores the energy of yearning: for growth, for change, for stability. Across nine tracks, Friko take inspiration from their recent spate of touring to orbit the idea of finding things worth moving for and the value of the journey itself.

Full interview: U.S. Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio on Iran

Timothy Broglio, archbishop of U.S. military services, speaks with "Face the Nation" about the war in Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's rhetoric about the war invoking Jesus' name, and more.

U.S. military archbishop suggests Iran war isn't justified

When asked if the war in Iran is justified, U.S. Military Services Archbishop Timothy Broglio told "Face the Nation," "Under the just war theory, it is not, because while there is a- there was a threat with nuclear arms, it's a- it's compensating for a threat before the- the threat is actually- is actually realized."

Food prices spiked in March as Middle East conflict drove up energy costs, UN says

Biggest rises were in vegetable oil and sugar prices, which increased by 5% and 7% respectively

• Visual guide to the Gulf fertiliser blockade

Food prices rose sharply in March as war in the Middle East drove up energy prices and freight costs around the world, a UN report says.

An index of food commodity prices by the UN’s food and agriculture organisation increased by 2.4% in March, its second consecutive monthly rise.

Digested week: I don’t often feel sorry for Charles, but he must be dreading this US trip

Starmer should just admit we’re being held to ransom by Trump – but instead he’s making the king go on a state visit

Donald Trump has suggested that the war with Iran will be over in two to three weeks. The rest of the world just shrugs. We’ll believe it when we see it. The US president has said so many contradictory things over the past few weeks, it’s hard to take anything that seriously.

Details emerge about college basketball player who died after game

Ethan Dietz died on Nov. 25 after being hit in the head during a basketball game in Texas three days earlier.

Iran downs a U.S. F-15 jet and hits Gulf refineries as the war rounds its 5th week

Iran said one of the longest bridges linking Tehran to the city of Karaj was destroyed overnight, while Iranian missiles and drones hit Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing appointed president after ‘sham’ election

Min Aung Hlaing seized control five years ago and plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos

Min Aung Hlaing, the military general who plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos when he took power in the 2021 coup has been appointed president, months after widely condemned sham elections.

Min Aung Hlaing, who is wanted by the prosecutor of the international criminal court for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority, was voted president by lawmakers on Friday. Myanmar’s parliament is dominated by the pro-military party, which won a landslide in one-sided elections earlier this year.

People of Burkina Faso should forget about democracy, says military ruler

Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in 2022 coup, tells state broadcaster ‘we must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us’

People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy as it is “not for us”, the military president, Ibrahim Traoré, told the country’s state broadcaster.

Traoré took power in a coup in September 2022, toppling another junta that had taken power just nine months earlier. He has since stifled opposition and in January banned political parties outright.

Ex-Turnstile guitarist charged with attempted second-degree murder of frontman’s father

Brady Ebert, a former member of the Grammy-winning US hardcore band, allegedly hit the father of Brendan Yates with his car

Brady Ebert, the former guitarist of the Grammy-winning US hardcore band Turnstile, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder after allegedly hitting the father of the band’s frontman, Brendan Yates, with his car.

On 29 March, police found William Yates outside his home with “trauma to his lower extremities”, with a broken bone protruding from his leg, according to the Baltimore Banner.

Trump claims Starmer is weak as he mocks PM and UK aircraft carriers

Footage shows US president saying UK ‘should be our best’ ally and accusing PM of prevarication over sending ships

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Footage has emerged of Donald Trump mocking Keir Starmer by claiming the prime minister said he would have to consult his team before deciding whether to send UK aircraft carriers to the Middle East.

In a new low for UK-US relations, Trump appeared to impersonate Starmer during an Easter lunch speech at the White House.

‘It’s not just Flávio’: is surname-dropping son downplaying Bolsonaro connection?

Many Brazilians believe there is a ploy to free the younger Bolsonaro from baggage of his father’s name to return the family to power

He possesses one of the most famous family names in Latin American politics. But when the Brazilian senator took to the stage at a conservative conference in Grapevine, Texas, last weekend it was only his forename that was on people’s lips.

“Flávio! Flávio! Flávio!” the audience shouted as the 44-year-old politician announced he would run for president in order to fight the “radical environmental and woke” agendas he claims have made Brazil awful again.

Celeriac are not pretty – or to my taste – but if you’re a fan, start sowing now

It may be ugly, but this edible bulb gives substantial harvests and can stay in the ground in the colder months

It occurred to me recently that, understandably, I only write about the plants I’m really into. And what that means is there are certain crops that have yet to be honoured on this page simply because they’re not to my taste. So this week’s column is about one of the ugliest vegetables I’ve ever met – in looks and taste! – which some of you may well adore … the celeriac.

Celeriac reminds me of Krang from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (that’s one for the millennials!) and I have a strong suspicion that these two little monsters taste about the same. Celeriac has been the ruiner of many a soup that I have been fed, overshadowing the taste of the other ingredients and dominating the flavour profile. Although I am not a fan myself, these vegetables are relatively straightforward to grow and garner a substantial harvest from. So if it is a taste you like, they are well worth a go.

Pam Bondi’s firing won’t have the effect Trump desires | Moira Donegan

If the idea was to shed some of the liabilities of the Epstein scandal by firing Bondi, the move seems likely to backfire

It was only a matter of time. The writing has been on the wall for months for Pam Bondi, Trump’s attorney general, who was unceremoniously fired on Thursday after 14 months leading the justice department. Trump was rumored to be unhappy with Bondi; frustrated at the slowness and failures of some of her prosecutions of his political enemies, angry that she could not make the Epstein scandal go away, and disappointed by her rather wooden performances on TV.

For a while, it looked like Bondi would be the first cabinet secretary that Trump fired in his second administration – something he has been much more reluctant to do since returning to office in early 2025. But in October, when she was called to testify before a Senate subcommittee, Bondi made sure to issue vicious insults to her Democratic interrogators in front of the news cameras; she made a similar performance in February at a House judiciary committee hearing, where she lobbed ad hominem attacks on Democrats, including calling Representative Jamie Raskin “a washed-up loser lawyer.” These performances evidently endeared Bondi to Donald Trump enough that he decided to keep her around for a while; Kristi Noem, his onetime secretary of homeland security, became the first cabinet member to be fired in his second term. But the Epstein story persisted, and so did Trump’s dissatisfaction with his own mounting unpopularity ahead of the November midterms. He is not capable of blaming himself, and so he looked around for someone else to punish for his own failures. Pam Bondi was there.

Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist

Verdicts against Meta and Google may bring a new era of big tech accountability

Advocates hope recent verdicts against social media platforms will build momentum for bigger changes in Silicon Valley.

Put away the Aperol and raise a glass to Hugo spritz, the drink of the summer

Created in Italy and made with elderflower liqueur, the cocktail is sweeter than Aperol spritz and lower in alcohol

Pub gardens and bar terraces have been awash with a sea of orange in recent years as Italy’s love of Aperol spritz spread to the UK. But this year the cocktail’s cousin, a Hugo spritz, will be the drink of the summer, according to supermarkets and bars.

It is already being served across the country, including at Sea Containers on the banks of the Thames and Mayfair’s swanky Claridge’s hotel in London, 20 Stories bar in Manchester and the Bridge Tavern in Newcastle. Wetherspoons has the cocktail on its menu nationwide.

40ml St‑Germain elderflower liqueur.

60ml prosecco.

60ml sparkling water.

8-10 mint leaves.

Lime wedge for garnish.

Mint sprig for garnish.

Fill your glass with ice cubes.

Add in the mint leaves.

Pour sparkling wine and sparkling water over ice.

Add St‑Germain elderflower liqueur.

Gently stir.

Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wedge.

After the release of the Epstein files, why have there been so few arrests?

Legal experts tell NPR five possible reasons that, despite the accusations made against rich and powerful people in the files, the DOJ has made no additional arrests. The big one? Lack of evidence.

Storm Erminio lashes much of Greece as Saharan dust blankets Crete

South-east Italy also affected by heavy rain, and snow at higher altitudes, while deadly flooding hits Afghanistan

Parts of the Mediterranean have been lashed by Storm Erminio this week. Heavy rain, thunderstorms and occasional bursts of hail affected much of Greece throughout Wednesday and Thursday, with the most severe conditions across south-eastern parts of the mainland and several islands in the southern Aegean Sea, including Crete, with streets flooded and vehicles stranded.

Some of the heaviest rain fell on Wednesday across Attica, a region encompassing Athens, with one weather station near the city’s international airport recording 132mm (5.2 in) in 24 hours. The most intense downpours were overnight, when the coastal town of Nea Makri was particularly badly affected; an unofficial weather station recorded about 50mm falling within just two hours. One person died in the town; a man found beneath a car was believed to have been swept away as he escaped his flooding basement home.

USMNT World Cup squad predictions: how we see the 26 for 2026

Mauricio Pochettino faces several tough decisions to name a squad for the 2026 World Cup hosts

A full 24 matches into the Mauricio Pochettino era, we have arrived at the moment of truth. The US men’s national team’s 2026 World Cup roster will be named on 26 May, and the team’s two recent friendlies (a 5-2 loss to Belgium and a 2-0 loss to Portgual) have given Pochettino plenty to think about as he makes his selection.

We here at the Guardian have made our picks as well – based a little on our own preference, but still within the realm of what Pochettino may do. Separately, the three of us made our 26-man rosters. Any player who we agreed on got the “on the squad” designation. Anyone we differed on is listed as “up for debate”, with other notable exclusions listed as “out of the picture”.

Of course we shouldn’t drill for more oil in the North Sea – we cancelled further exploitation for a reason | Bill McGuire

We are at a critical point in the climate emergency and already struggling to meet emissions reduction targets. The UK government must hold its nerve

While the UK is only marginally involved in the war in the Middle East in military terms, the ramifications for this country are still potentially huge. And nowhere more so than in the energy sector. It isn’t a surprise, then, that commentary has focused on the impact potential policy interventions might have on the cost of energy to UK homes and businesses, and on whether the decisions the government takes will make the nation more – or less – energy-secure.

The usual suspects in Reform and the Tory party have used the war as an excuse to renew demands that the North Sea be sucked dry of its remaining oil and gas, in order – they say – to end reliance on fossil fuel imports and to guarantee energy security. More sensible heads have argued that the North Sea basin is a field that is way past peak production, and that has only limited amounts of oil and gas left, and that energy security can only be reached if we move further and faster on renewables. Extraordinarily, the real reason no further significant exploitation of North Sea oil and gas is planned seems to have been entirely forgotten, or at least set aside.

Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL. His next book – The Fate of the World: a History and Future of the Climate Crisis – is published in May

‘I am trapped in a sweet-smelling cycle of video game-branded toiletries’: Lush’s Mario Galaxy range, reviewed

From a subtle Princess Peach lip jelly to a Yoshi egg that’s been traumatising children, the cosmetic chain’s latest tie-in is out of this world

When The Super Mario Bros Movie came out in 2023, it came with a rather unlikely tie-in: a range of skincare and bathing products from cosmetics chain Lush. The store, known for its devotion to natural ingredients and support for social justice causes, didn’t seem like the obvious partner for a major video game franchise. Because of this, I thought I should try them out, assuming that my dalliance with beauty journalism would be short-lived.

I was wrong. The collection was so successful, Lush later released a Minecraft range, which I also reviewed, and now there’s a Super Mario Galaxy range to tie in with the new movie. Somehow, I have become the Guardian’s Lush correspondent and it seems I am now trapped in a sweet-smelling cycle of video game-branded toiletries. There are definitely worse fates, so I’m just going with it.

Lizzo’s reinvention faces its greatest test yet

The singer’s body-positive anthems once defined her. Now lawsuits, weight loss and flop singles have shaken her image

Lizzo’s ascent to mainstream stardom was the type of fairytale that pop dreams are made of. She was a long-hustling musician, Houston-raised then Minneapolis-made. She had a co-sign from Prince two years before she was even signed to a major label; then, it took another three years after debuting on Atlantic for the world to know her name.

When they finally learned it, it became hard to escape her. In 2019, she had sleeper hit after sleeper hit rise to the top of the charts. First, 2017’s bouncy break-up kiss-off Truth Hurts stormed to No 1, then 2015’s empower-pop anthem Good as Hell joined the song in the Top 10. For a few years following, Lizzo was unstoppable in spite of all the odds being stacked against her: she was a brown-skinned, plus-size pop star who put on athletic performances and dressed just as sexy as her skinny peers. Her image was brash, bold and radical, which made her controversial to many just for existing.

Earl Sweatshirt, Mike and Surf Gang: Pompeii // Utility review – rap radicals’ appealing study in contrasts

(10k/Tan Cressida/Surf Gang)
Earl’s post-Odd Future career swerved the mainstream to follow the path laid out by NYC underground rapper Mike, and their first double album lets both shine

Earl Sweatshirt swerved into public consciousness as part of the edgy but brilliant California rap collective Odd Future in the late 2000s. Practically from day one, he was considered the tastemaker’s choice member, virtuosic even as a teenager. Rather than play for the mainstream, Earl has spent the past decade or so immersing himself in New York’s underground rap scene, resulting in one of the most unique and unpredictable discographies of his generation.

One of his prime inspirations for that new path was Mike, the beloved underground New York rapper whose own body of work is thrilling and vital. Here, the pair link with Surf Gang, the producer-musician clique that credibly lays claim to the title of “the next Odd Future” on Pompeii // Utility, a hyperactive and engrossing double record that finds Mike taking one side and Earl the other.

Week in wildlife: a meep-meep roadrunner, a new frog species and Orkney voles

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world

Your Friends & Neighbours season two review – Jon Hamm was made for this moreish crime caper

The star returns as wealthy neighbourhood thief Coop in this rich dessert of a show. But as he tackles middle-age malaise, there’s a lot of heart – plus a guest appearance by James Marsden

Does Your Friends & Neighbours love its unhappy, very wealthy characters, or despise them? Does it laugh at the 1%, envy them, pity them? It does all of the above at once and, as we return to the fictional enclave of Westport, New York – an obvious stand-in for real financiers’ playground Westchester – this mischievous US dramedy is still a rich dessert of a show, unhealthy but oh so moreish.

Jon Hamm is Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a role that, if it were given to any other actor, would require them to do their best Jon Hamm impersonation. Sturdy, smooth – this is a man made of oak and mahogany, when the rest of us are bags of twigs and jelly – and seemingly always with a tumbler of $500 whisky in his fist, he is blessed with the ability to charm any man/woman into a deal/his bed. Other men have been handed their place in the banking elite and are now drifting through a life of luxury; Coop is better at playing the game than they are because he is sharp enough to see what a sham it all is. He has that trademark deep Hamm gaze, a tension behind the eyes.

‘Every night they are bombarding’: at border crossing, some Iranians are fleeing war and some are heading home

People leaving Iran for Turkey tell of impact of bombs and internet blackouts, while others are travelling the other way to be closer to relatives in peril

He could not help but splutter out a laugh at the question. Amir, whose name has been changed for his safety, had just crossed the Kapıköy border point in eastern Turkey, a mountain pass between snow-topped peaks that is one of the few gateways to the west from Iran.

Until a few weeks ago, this was a busy place, popular among Iranian daytrippers coming across to Turkey to do some shopping in the lively city of Van, a further two hours drive west, or to spend a couple of nights out in its discreet Iranian-only nightclubs and bars serving alcohol.

Traditional farmhouses for sale in England – in pictures

From a 300-year old building in the heart of ‘cheddar cheese and cider’ country, to a newly renovated smallholding in an area of outstanding natural beauty

The Testaments to Big Mistakes: the seven best shows to stream this week

Chase Infiniti stars in Margaret Atwood’s gripping sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale, plus Dan Levy’s irresistibly goofy new sitcom will thrill Schitt’s Creek fans

This expansion of the Handmaid’s Tale universe is adapted from Margaret Atwood’s 2019 follow-up to her epoch-defining 1985 novel. It’s set several years later, right in the heart of Gilead’s darkness – a preparatory school for elite future wives. Via tentative rebel student Agnes Mackenzie (played with stillness and depth by Chase Infiniti), we see the horrors and the hierarchies in action: the drama meticulously illustrates the ways disempowered people hoard what little agency they have. Agnes is initially at the top of the heap but when she’s given responsibility for enigmatic new girl Daisy, she starts to see Gilead for what it is. Claustrophobic and gripping.
Disney+, from Wednesday 8 April

Friday briefing: Why does your Easter egg feel smaller? Because it is

In today’s newsletter: Cocoa shortages, climate shocks and global conflicts have collided to ​make chocolate pricier than ever before

Good morning. Today is Good Friday – if you are following the western church calendar, at least – which still leaves time to panic-buy Easter eggs. While you are doing that, you will almost certainly leave with the impression that you are paying more for less. Why?

Shrinkflation is the answer. The chocolate economy has been hit by a series of shocks over the past few years, meaning the pound in your pocket now buys a lot less cocoa than it once did.

Middle East | Emmanuel Macron has sharply criticised Donald Trump’s inconsistent pronouncements on the Iran war and Nato, saying if “you want to be serious” it was better not to come out with something different every day.

UK politics | Yvette Cooper said coordinated action was needed as more than 40 countries gathered to discuss “every possible diplomatic, economic and coordinated measure” to pressurise Iran into reopening the strait of Hormuz.

NHS | The NHS is bracing for the longest strike yet by resident doctors after last-ditch talks failed, prompting Wes Streeting to accuse the medics of suffering from “delusion”.

Reform UK | Reform UK’s housing spokesperson has been sacked from his role after he described the Grenfell Tower fire as a “tragedy” but said that “everyone dies in the end”.

Weather | The UK is bracing for Storm Dave over Easter with winds up to 90mph expected.

Helen Goh’s recipe for ricotta, rum and raisin cake | The sweet spot

Gently scented with orange and vanilla, lightened by ricotta, and studded with rum-soaked raisins

This is a cake for the long, ambling tail-end of an Easter lunch. It’s gently scented with orange and vanilla, lightened by ricotta, and studded with rum-soaked raisins that bring bursts of sweetness to each slice. Ideally, they’d be soaked overnight to plump them into something luscious, but if time gets away from you, take a shortcut: put the raisins and rum in a microwave-safe bowl, zap for 20–30 seconds, then leave to cool and absorb. The chocolate glaze is optional; on days when you want something simpler (or lighter), a generous sifting of icing sugar is all this cake needs. Serve with a small glass of grappa or something similarly warming for a quietly perfect way to bring a feast to a close.

Pastel perfection: what to wear with gentle, spring shades

The key to stopping pale colours feeling saccharine? Breaking them up with tougher textures – here are three ideas to whip up this weekend from our styling editor

Pope Leo’s first Easter: one year in, what do Catholics think of the new pontiff?

Some would like Leo to be more vocal on world conflict, but others say he uses his influence discreetly

As Leo marks his inaugural Easter as pontiff, almost a year after his predecessor’s death, some Catholics are still trying to work out what kind of pontiff he is.

The feast – the most important in the church’s calendar – comes against the backdrop of war in the Middle East, sparked by the US-Israeli strikes in Iran.

Bodycam of Tiger Woods arrest shows golfer being handcuffed

Body camera video has been released of Tiger Woods' arrest, after a car crash in Florida. He has been charged with driving under the influence.

Stop brunch! How a rustic Catalan meal is taking the fight to bland food and overtourism | Abbas Asaria

As Barcelona groans under a surfeit of generic cafes, a grassroots movement is reviving the traditional ‘fork breakfast’. Anyone for pigs’ trotters?

There are many worse ways to start your day than with eggs royale. The contrast in textures between a soft poached egg and a coarse, toasted English muffin is a thing of beauty, and the combination of smoked salmon and a lemony hollandaise sauce ties it together perfectly. The term “brunch” was coined in an essay in Hunter’s Weekly in 1895, and while you’re unlikely to find too many fans in foodie circles, or among those who have to work the shift (“nothing demoralises an aspiring Escoffier faster”, wrote Anthony Bourdain), they aren’t lacking in number. It clearly has its place. The problem is the place it currently occupies: in our gentrifying cities, brunch has acquired a symbolism that goes far beyond the food itself.

After the quieter winter months, Barcelona is one of many European cities gearing up for another holiday season of heightened tensions around tourism. Feeling increasingly embattled amid soaring rents and an overcrowded, blandified city centre, Barcelona residents have made their voices heard through increasingly voluble protests. Beyond the general “Tourist, go home!” slogan, you’ll see specific pain points addressed via placards, chants and graffiti across the Catalan capital: specifically, “Ban Airbnb”, and perhaps more surprisingly, “Stop brunch!”

Hungary elections: what is at stake and who is likely to win?

Viktor Orbán, an icon for the global far right, could face defeat despite an electoral system weighted in his favour

Hungarians go to the polls on 12 April in Europe’s most consequential election of the year, with Viktor Orbán, the country’s illiberal prime minister and global far-right icon, facing possible defeat, after 16 years in power, by a former loyalist, Péter Magyar.

A day in the life of Asia’s fuel crisis

From farms in New Zealand to factories in Delhi, the effects of the oil crisis triggered by the Iran war are rippling across Asia

Canadian woman held with daughter by ICE is released after nearly three weeks of detention

Tania Warner is fitted with ankle monitor and released along with seven-year-old daughter Ayla Luca after being deemed not a flight risk

A Canadian woman and her seven-year-old daughter, who were held for nearly three weeks in a notorious detention center by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), were released on Thursday evening after posting a bond of $9,500.

Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Luca, originally from British Columbia, are both Canadian citizens. Warner moved to the US in 2021 when she married Edward Warner, a US citizen. “Very happy to have my family home … it’s been a whirlwind day,” said Edward Warner.

‘Food security timebomb’: a visual guide to the Gulf fertiliser blockade

UN says record numbers of people could face acute hunger if conflict continues

The world has become well versed in the importance of the strait of Hormuz to the world’s energy flows, but attention is increasingly turning to its vital role in another market – the fertiliser on which harvests depend.

A third of the global trade in raw materials for fertiliser passes through the maritime choke point, which is also the route for 20% of shipments of natural gas, which is required to make it.

Hegseth says he will let troops take personal firearms onto military bases

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations.

Hospice with 97% survival rate accused of defrauding Medicare for $7.45M

They were the first in a series of arrests planned Thursday, federal officials told CBS News.