General news

• Mexico jails Guzman prison guards

  24-07-2015 22:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Mexican judge jails three prison officers while an inquiry continues into the escape of drug cartel head Joaquin Guzman.
  
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• Calls grow for Andrew to be removed from royal line of succession as police continue search of Royal Lodge – live updates

  20-02-2026 14:25 via theguardian.com
  The arrest of the 66-year old former prince has sent shockwaves through the UK and abroad, with reaction rolling in from the US to AustraliaKing: ‘The law must take its course’Analysis: What’s next for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson?The family of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, responded last night to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.“Astonished to see Andr
  
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• Asos co-founder dies in fall from 18-storey building in Thailand

  20-02-2026 14:21 via theguardian.com
  Police say UK entrepreneur Quentin Griffiths fell from 17th floor of an 18-floor condominium on 9 FebruaryQuentin Griffiths, the co-founder of the online fashion retailer Asos, has died after falling from an apartment building in the Thai seaside resort city of Pattaya.Police told Reuters that the 58-year-old had fallen from the 17th floor of an 18-floor condominium on 9 February. Continue reading...
  
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• Trump weighs strikes as he gives Iran ‘10 to 15 days’ to agree deal over nuclear programme – US politics live

  20-02-2026 14:19 via theguardian.com
  The US has amassed an arsenal of military assets in the Middle East that would allow it to launch an aerial bombing campaign against IranThe Trump administration announced on Friday it will roll back air regulations for power plants limiting mercury and hazardous air toxics at an event in Kentucky, a move it says will boost baseload energy but that public health groups say will harm public health for the US’s most vulnerable groups.Donald Trump’s EPA has said that easing the pollutio
  
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• Smokejumper and union leader aims to win in Montana by focusing on workers

  20-02-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Sam Forstag, who parachutes from planes to fight wildfires, believes pro-worker polices can flip district from Trump allySam Forstag is used to launching himself into heated territory.As a smokejumper, his job is to jump out of airplanes 3,000 feet in the air and parachute down into the Montana wilderness. Going by air is often the easiest way to access the remote wilderness and combat the wildfires that burn an average of 7.2 million acres a year in the state. Continue reading...
  
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• Anger as Trump FDA retreats from plan to ban artificial colors in food

  20-02-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Experts say new labeling could deceive consumers as dangerous substances still allowed under new rulesIn a further retreat from its pledge to ban artificial dyes from food, Donald Trump’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would loosen labeling requirements to allow companies to state “no artificial colors”, even though products may contain some dangerous substances such as titanium dioxide.The FDA in early February announced it would allow food makers to clai
  
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• Osaka stunned by anonymous gift of gold bars to fix ageing water pipes

  20-02-2026 13:24 via theguardian.com
  Mayor says Japanese city will respect donor’s specification that £2.7m gift must be used to repair dilapidated systemOsaka has received a hefty gift of gold bars worth 560m yen (£2.7m) from an anonymous donor and a request for its specific use: to fix the Japanese city’s dilapidated water pipes.The gold bars, weighing a total of 21kg (46lb), were given to the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau in November by the donor who wants to help improve ageing water pipes, the mayor, Hid
  
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• Texas congressional candidate with extremist views backed by hard-right donors

  20-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  After tech billionaire Peter Thiel and others donated to Jace Yarbrough’s campaign, Donald Trump endorsed himA rookie congressional candidate in a nine-way Texas primary has received the imprimatur of wealthy hard-right donors including tech billionaire Peter Thiel, Claremont Institute board chair Thomas Klingenstein and Charles Haywood, who once expressed a desire to be a “warlord”, according to new Federal Election Commission filings showing early donations to his campaign.In
  
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• Aston Martin issues another profit warning and sells F1 naming rights for £50m

  20-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Struggling British carmaker says earnings for 2025 will be worse than City forecasts as US tariffs hit salesAston Martin has warned that its losses will be worse than expected and sold its permanent naming rights to its Formula One team, as the struggling British carmaker battles to stabilise its finances.The luxury carmaker, majority-owned by the Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, said its earnings for 2025 would be worse than City forecasts, its fifth profit warning since September 2024. Co
  
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• Hinkley Point C nuclear plant delayed to 2030 as costs climb to £35bn

  20-02-2026 12:57 via theguardian.com
  French utility company EDF says operations in Somerset will start a year later as delay costs firm €2.5bnBritain’s first new nuclear plant in a generation at the Hinkley Point C site will face further delay, at a cost of €2.5bn to the French utility company EDF.EDF said the first reactor at the site in Somerset will begin operations in 2030, a year later than planned – almost 13 years after construction work began – after a series of delays to the project. Continue re
  
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• Epstein cultivated relationship with CBP officer, prompting US investigation | First Thing

  20-02-2026 12:28 via theguardian.com
  Guardian review of US justice department files reveals Epstein interacted with six CBP officers. Plus, how anxiety over AI could fuel a new workers’ movementDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Federal investigators examined Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer who worked at the St Thomas airport to which the late convicted sex offender flew regularly by private plane before traveling by boat or helic
  
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• Andrew’s arrest does not guarantee justice for trafficking victims, says top US lawyer

  20-02-2026 12:18 via theguardian.com
  Gloria Allred says allegations involving sharing of state trade secrets were prioritised over sexual assault claims against trade envoyAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor – latest updatesA lawyer representing several victims of Jeffrey Epstein has said she does not believe there will be “any real justice” for those trafficked and abused by him and his high-profile associates, despite the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.Gloria Allred, who has worked as a women’s rights lawyer
  
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• ‘A momentous watershed’: Europe’s papers react to arrest of former prince Andrew

  20-02-2026 12:15 via theguardian.com
  Agreement across continent that Mountbatten-Windsor’s detention has put monarchy in unprecedented dangerAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor – latest updatesEurope live – latest updatesNeither the shock nor the historical significance of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was lost on the European press. And if there was one thing that correspondents and leader writers around the continent could agree on, it was that the former prince’s detention had plunged the British monarc
  
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• Man in Sicily trained his dog to illegally dump rubbish, say police

  20-02-2026 11:30 via theguardian.com
  City of Catania calls ruse to avoid CCTV cameras installed to stop fly-tipping ‘as cunning as it is doubly wrong’A man in Catania, Sicily, trained his dog to dump bags of rubbish by the roadside in an attempt to evade surveillance cameras installed to combat fly-tipping, municipal police have said.The episode was detailed in a post on the city of Catania’s official Facebook page. Accompanying a video of the dog was a remark from the police that “inventiveness can never be
  
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• Climber convicted of manslaughter after leaving girlfriend on Austria’s highest peak to seek help

  20-02-2026 11:18 via theguardian.com
  Thomas P given five-month suspended prison sentence and €9,400 fine over death of Kerstin G by gross negligenceEurope live – latest updatesAn amateur mountaineer has been found guilty of gross negligent manslaughter over the death of his girlfriend, whom he left behind on Austria’s highest peak after they got into difficulty on their climb.Thomas P, 37, was handed a five-month suspended sentence and fined €9,400 (£8,200) for causing the death of Kerstin G in January 2
  
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• A war foretold: how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them

  20-02-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Drawing on more than 100 interviews with senior intelligence officials and other insiders in multiple countries, this exclusive account details how the US and Britain uncovered Vladimir Putin’s plans to invade, and why most of Europe – including the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy – dismissed them. As the fourth anniversary of the invasion approaches and the world enters a new period of geopolitical uncertainty, Europe’s politicians and spy services continue to d
  
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• Art and antiques help lift retail sales in Great Britain to biggest monthly rise since 2024

  20-02-2026 10:35 via theguardian.com
  January increase of 1.8% beats forecasts and was also driven by shoppers snapping up jewellery onlineBusiness live – latest updatesRetail sales in Great Britain rose 1.8% in January, the largest monthly increase in almost two years, according to official data, as heavy discounting and post-Christmas sales drew consumers back to bigger ticket purchases.The rise easily beat forecasts of a 0.2% rise and was partly driven by sales of artwork and antiques sales in January, alongside continued s
  
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• ‘Al-Aqsa is a detonator’: six-decade agreement on prayer at Jerusalem holy site collapses

  20-02-2026 10:32 via theguardian.com
  Israeli police raid compound, arrest staff and curb Muslims’ access as Ramadan begins A six-decade agreement governing Muslim and Jewish prayer at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site has “collapsed” under pressure from Jewish extremists backed by the Israeli government, experts have warned.A series of arrests of Muslim caretaker staff, bans on access for hundreds of Muslims, and escalating incursions by radical Jewish groups culminated this week in the arrest of an imam
  
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• Labour minister falsely linked journalists to ‘pro-Kremlin’ network in emails to GCHQ

  20-02-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Josh Simons pressed intelligence officials to investigate reporters, in emails described as ‘McCarthyite smear’A Labour minister who claimed to be “surprised” and “furious” at a PR agency’s work to investigate journalists on his behalf had been personally involved in naming them to British intelligence officials and falsely linking them to pro-Russian propaganda, the Guardian can reveal.Josh Simons, who was running the thinktank Labour Togethe
  
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• Joyce says he’s not aware of crime reports after Hanson comments – as it happened

  20-02-2026 07:59 via theguardian.com
  This blog is now closedFederal police ‘received reports of a crime’ in relation to Pauline Hanson’s comments about MuslimsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGovernment says Syria situation ‘distressing’ for children, but lays blame on parentsMurray Watt, the federal environment minister, also spoke to RN, saying the government understands the situation as “distressing” for the children in Syria.It’s a distressing situation t
  
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• Federal police ‘received reports of a crime’ in relation to Pauline Hanson’s comments about Muslims

  20-02-2026 07:19 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: AFP comment comes as Bilal El-Hayek, mayor of Canterbury Bankstown, says One Nation leader’s comments ‘will incite someone’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFederal police say they have “received reports of a crime” in relation to comments made to the media by Pauline Hanson this week.But an AFP spokesperson did not say whether they had begun a criminal investigation, only that they would have more to say “at an appropriate
  
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• Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest prompts calls for justice in the US

  20-02-2026 05:18 via theguardian.com
  US lawmakers say action by UK authorities on matters arising from release of Epstein files compares unfavourably with a lack of accountability in the US King says ‘law must take its course’ after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrestAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor on US law enforcement radar 15 years before UK arrestThe arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office in the UK has prompted calls from US lawmakers and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’
  
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• Bolivia’s ex-leader Evo Morales reappears after months-long unexplained absence

  20-02-2026 05:10 via theguardian.com
  Long-serving socialist former leader Evo Morales has reappeared in his political stronghold after almost seven weeks of unexplained absenceBolivia’s long-serving socialist former leader, Evo Morales, reappeared on Thursday in his political stronghold of the tropics after almost seven weeks of unexplained absence, endorsing candidates for upcoming regional elections and quieting rumours he had fled the country in the wake of the US seizure of his ally, Venezuela’s ex-president Nicol&a
  
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• NSW to ban children from riding ebikes under minimum age limit

  20-02-2026 04:59 via theguardian.com
  Expert review will consider whether children and teenagers should be able to carry passengersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales will introduce a minimum age to ride an ebike as part of a bid to address safety concerns and clamp down on “dangerous behaviour”.The Minns government announced the reforms on Friday, saying an expert review led by Transport NSW will recommend a legal minimum age li
  
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• Rory Amon’s accuser sobs as he tells court of alleged abuse as 13-year-old at hands of former NSW MP

  20-02-2026 04:44 via theguardian.com
  Ex-state MP has pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing 13-year-old in 2017 with defence barrister claiming Amon did not know boy’s ageFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former NSW MP’s alleged abuse victim has pushed through tears while testifying in court.Rory Amon, 36, has pleaded not guilty to various criminal sexual acts against a teenage boy in 2017 and faced a NSW Supreme Court jury trial on Friday.
  
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• Trump responds to Obama’s viral interview, saying he will ask Pentagon to release files on UFOs and extraterrestrials – as it happened

  20-02-2026 04:03 via theguardian.com
  This live blog is now closed.Trump news at a glance: president weighs ordering ‘bad things’ against Iran as nuclear deal sits in limboDonald Trump will start his day in Washington for the Board of Peace meeting at the White House.He’ll then travel to Rome, Georgia, as part of his tour of the country to tout the administration’s affordability message. He’ll meet with local businesses there, and deliver remarks at 4pm ET. Continue reading...
  
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• Australian PM says former prince Andrew has suffered ‘extraordinary fall’ but that won’t prompt another republic referendum

  20-02-2026 02:50 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Anthony Albanese says arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after life of ‘absolute privilege’ will be watched closely in AustraliaAustralian Politics podcast: Albanese on ex-prince Andrew, Pauline Hanson and Islamic state familiesAnthony Albanese has described Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest as an “extraordinary fall from grace” but says the latest crisis facing the British royal family won’t prompt another referendum on Australia becoming a rep
  
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• Iran deal prospects will be clear within 10 days, Trump says as military buildup grows

  20-02-2026 01:07 via theguardian.com
  Second carrier strike group heads for region as US waits for Iran to respond after talks in GenevaDonald Trump has said it will be clear within “probably 10 days” whether he can reach a nuclear deal with Iran, as the US military buildup in the Middle East intensifies with the impending arrival of a second carrier strike group.The US president, speaking at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington DC, insisted Iran could not have a nuclear weapon and emphasised that &l
  
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• New Zealand bug of the year: moth named Avatar after mining threat crowned winner

  19-02-2026 21:00 via theguardian.com
  Arctesthes avatar moth, which won nearly half of the votes, was discovered in 2012 and is critically endangeredA tiny critically endangered moth, named after the Avatar films because of the proposed mining activity threatening its primary habitat, has been crowned New Zealand’s bug of the year.The Avatar moth won by a wide margin, earning 5,192 of the more than 11,000 total votes cast. It won 2,269 more votes than the runner-up, the mahoenui giant wētā, one of the world’s l
  
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• Trump changed mind on Chagos deal ‘after UK blocked use of Diego Garcia for Iran strikes’

  19-02-2026 19:53 via theguardian.com
  US president links deal with military strikes against Iran in connection with Tehran’s nuclear ambitionsDonald Trump changed his mind on supporting the Chagos Islands deal because the UK will not permit its airbases to be used for a pre-emptive US strike on Iran, the Guardian has been told.In his latest change of heart on the deal, the US president said on social media that Keir Starmer was “making a big mistake” by handing sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius in exchange fo
  
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